Prince of Tennis - Yanagi Renji - 080 - Why?
Title: Under the Weeping Willow
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Characters: Yanagi Renji, Shindo Mizu, Yukimura Seiichi, Sanada Genichiro
Prompt: 080. Why?
Word Count:1,630
Rating: PG
Summary: Renji and Mizu discuss the events of that morning over lunch. Follows the fic for prompt #38.
Author's Notes:
My LDT found here
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Renji knew he was late when he walked into the tennis club room and everyone was getting dressed in their school uniforms. Seiichi looked at him strangely as Renji stashed his tennis gear in his locker. Renji smiled at him, trying to reassure his friend and captain that things were alright. Seiichi frowned at him.
"Practice is over, Renji." Sanada said, sounding rather pissed off.
Renji nodded. "I know, Genichiro. There were some...issues that to be worked out this morning before I left." He said quietly.
"50 laps, plus you can help the freshmen with their chores." Sanada told him, heading out the door.
"Of course." Renji said, also heading towards the door.
Seiichi caught up with Renji. "Want to talk about it?" He asked.
"Classes will be starting soon. I'll eat lunch with you though." Renji said, heading towards the main building. Seiichi paused at his shoe locker which wasn't too far from Renji's. Renji rarely ate lunch with them anymore, and when he did he usually brought Mizu along. Renji got his shoes changed and headed for his classroom.
Seiichi watched him, and made a detour to the second year class rooms. He walked into a class room, waving to the few members of the tennis club he recognized, and sat down beside a moping, brunette girl.
"Mizu-chan?" Seiichi asked quietly, rubbing her back. He wasn't sure why he was doing this, she was Renji's girlfriend.
Mizu turned her head to him. "Yukimura-sempai." She greeted, face stained with tears.
"Care to tell me what happened?" He asked. Mizu shook her head.
"I...not right now. Renji-kun probably will tell you anyway." She said, quietly. "Excuse me, sempai." She stood up and headed for the restroom before the late bell rang.
Yukimura frowned, but headed for his own classroom deciding to try again at lunch.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Come eat lunch with us?" Yukimura invited Mizu. Mizu froze in her seat.
"I'd prefer not to, sempai." She said, digging in her purse for some money to buy something for lunch.
"Please don't walk away from me this time." He said. Mizu frowned.
"Renji-kun and I should probably talk alone before facing all of you together." She said quietly.
"Then go talk to him." Yukimura handed her enough money to buy a sandwich. "You don't have to pay me back for that. Just having you both out of this funk will be repayment enough." He said, smiling. "You're both welcome to eat with us though, once you have your issues worked out."
"Thank you, Yukimura-sempai." Mizu said, heading for the canteen before they ran out of half way decent food.
After she had her lunch she headed outside, and smiled a little as she sat down underneath a tree. "You can't get more depressed than a depressed tree." She said, giggling a little to herself, then sighed. "It's not like it was his fault. I let him touch me. We didn't know his mother would walk in." Mizu wrapped her arm around her legs. "And then that talk. I know she said I was still welcome, but...oh, gods, do I feel like an idiot." She set her food down and hugged her knees to her chest. "He won't even talk to me."
Mizu looked up when she heard her cell phone beep with a text message. "Where are you hiding?" It was from Yukimura-sempai. Mizu smiled and quickly replied. "Where the willow weeps for the lotus' water. ^^"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Wouldn't it have just been easier to say.."
"Go, Renji." Yukimura ordered his friend, pushing him towards the door. He had to laugh at Mizu's answering text and sent a last one back to her. "Cute"
"I know"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Mizu?" Renji called out to her as he brushed the drooping branches back, plucking a few leaves off. He knelt down in front of her. Mizu smiled sadly up at him. "Why did you run this morning?" He asked, wanting some answers.
"I...I really don't know." Mizu said, looking down at her hands folded in her lap. Renji reached over and took her hands.
"Are you going to run every time? Mizu, we've been together for what, a year? I think I can honestly say I love you, but if you're going to run and hide from me...I don't think I could take that."
Mizu froze. "Renji..." She trailed off, not sure what to say.
"Please, Mizu. Don't run from me again?" Renji asked, leaning in and kissing her forehead.
"I won't." She said quietly. "I'm sorry, Renji." She said leaning against him. "I was embarrassed and confused, and not sure what to do when I left. I just wanted some time alone."
"You had Seiichi quite worried for us." Renji said, smiling a little. "And...I'm sorry about this morning. I really shouldn't have been doing that, despite the encouragement."
"Renji, I had been dreaming about that for months." Mizu admitted. "I wasn't about to stop when I was getting what I wanted." She finished, blushing deeply. "I wanted that more than you could know."
Renji stared at her, then smiled. "Perhaps we can try again? Without any interruptions this time around."
Mizu nodded. "I'd like that." Mizu sat back, checking the time. "We have 20 minutes of lunch left."
"Not enough to re-join the guys then." Renji said, settling a bit more comfortably next to her. Mizu handed some of her lunch to him.
"What did you tell Yukimura-sempai?" She asked, picking at some crumbs.
"I told him you were having problems at home, nothing more." Renji said, taking a bite of Mizu's sandwich. Mizu nodded, relieved.
"And what did Sanada-sempai give you for a punishment for missing practice?"
"Fifty laps and I have to join the freshmen on court clean up duty."
"I'm sorry." Mizu said, kissing his cheek.
"It's alright. I don't mind." Renji leaned back against the tree's trunk and looked up at the sky through the draping branches. "Why here?" He asked, smiling a little.
Mizu stood up and straightened her uniform out, dusting off the dust and twigs. She smiled. "I would think that's rather obvious, Yanagi-sempai." She winked at him and headed back for the building as fast as she could. Renji laughed for a minute before dusting himself off and heading back inside as well.
Yukimura glanced over at Renji and noticed he looked somewhat better than he had last seen him.
"So did the lotus get that drink of water?" He grinned. Renji just smiled and didn't say anything. Yukimura laughed to himself.
"The water could be less obvious with her hiding places." Renji said, turning to pay attention to the afternoon's lessons.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"One! Two! Three! Four! Five! Two! Two!..." The counting continued as the tennis team went through their warm ups in unison. One lone figure was running on the track. He was joined by a girl in black gym shorts and the standard gym t-shirt, yellow with black trim around the arms and collar.
"Mizu? Why are you running?" Renji asked her as he slowed down just a hair.
"It was my fault you missed practice. I already asked Yukimura-sempai if it was alright to run with you, and he said as long as I don't push myself it was fine. I need to exercise more anyway." She smiled up at him and matched his pace.
Renji frowned, but kept running his laps. "Are you going to go home tonight?" He asked quietly when they got to the far end of the track, away from where the rest of the team had split into either drills or practice matches. He noticed Genichiro glaring at them, but felt a bit reassured when Seiichi told him something quietly.
"I think so." Mizu said, noticing that as well. "Yukimura-sempai really cares about you, doesn't he?"
Renji just nodded a little. "Call me if you need me, alright?" He said, worried for what she might be going back to.
"I'm sure Mother has calmed down by now. At least, I hope so." Renji started slowing down as he ran his last five laps.
"I hope so too." He said, stretching his back some. Mizu smiled.
"It's too bad you don't play, Mizu-chan. We'd let you stay." Yukimura smiled at her. "I'm afraid Renji is ours for the next hour though." Mizu grinned.
"Don't rough Renji-kun up too much." She winked at Yukimura. "That's my job." Renji about died of embarrassment. Mizu squeezed Renji's arm as she walked past him. "I'll call you later regardless."
"I'll talk to you later then." Mizu picked up her bags and waved at the team one last time before walking home.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mizu walked into her own house nervously. Things from the other night had been picked up and cleaned up as well as possible. She paused to grab a soda out of the fridge, knowing it wasn't really good for her but not caring. She went to her bedroom, and started on her homework. It was rather quiet for the longest time.
It was after eight o'clock when she started to worry that her parents weren't home. Perhaps they had rediscovered certain things the night their daughter didn't come home. Certain things that Mizu was just starting to discover for herself. She closed the door to her room and called Renji.
"I'm alright. A bit concerned, but otherwise alright."
Renji frowned on his end. "Want me to come over?" He asked, not liking the idea of Mizu all alone there.
"It's alright, Renji. I'll be fine." She said. "I'm going to go to bed early, I think. I'll see you at school tomorrow." With that, Mizu snapped her phone closed and changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed. Something still didn't feel right, and it wasn't the fact that she wasn't snuggled against her boyfriend.
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Characters: Yanagi Renji, Shindo Mizu, Yukimura Seiichi, Sanada Genichiro
Prompt: 080. Why?
Word Count:1,630
Rating: PG
Summary: Renji and Mizu discuss the events of that morning over lunch. Follows the fic for prompt #38.
Author's Notes:
My LDT found here
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Renji knew he was late when he walked into the tennis club room and everyone was getting dressed in their school uniforms. Seiichi looked at him strangely as Renji stashed his tennis gear in his locker. Renji smiled at him, trying to reassure his friend and captain that things were alright. Seiichi frowned at him.
"Practice is over, Renji." Sanada said, sounding rather pissed off.
Renji nodded. "I know, Genichiro. There were some...issues that to be worked out this morning before I left." He said quietly.
"50 laps, plus you can help the freshmen with their chores." Sanada told him, heading out the door.
"Of course." Renji said, also heading towards the door.
Seiichi caught up with Renji. "Want to talk about it?" He asked.
"Classes will be starting soon. I'll eat lunch with you though." Renji said, heading towards the main building. Seiichi paused at his shoe locker which wasn't too far from Renji's. Renji rarely ate lunch with them anymore, and when he did he usually brought Mizu along. Renji got his shoes changed and headed for his classroom.
Seiichi watched him, and made a detour to the second year class rooms. He walked into a class room, waving to the few members of the tennis club he recognized, and sat down beside a moping, brunette girl.
"Mizu-chan?" Seiichi asked quietly, rubbing her back. He wasn't sure why he was doing this, she was Renji's girlfriend.
Mizu turned her head to him. "Yukimura-sempai." She greeted, face stained with tears.
"Care to tell me what happened?" He asked. Mizu shook her head.
"I...not right now. Renji-kun probably will tell you anyway." She said, quietly. "Excuse me, sempai." She stood up and headed for the restroom before the late bell rang.
Yukimura frowned, but headed for his own classroom deciding to try again at lunch.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Come eat lunch with us?" Yukimura invited Mizu. Mizu froze in her seat.
"I'd prefer not to, sempai." She said, digging in her purse for some money to buy something for lunch.
"Please don't walk away from me this time." He said. Mizu frowned.
"Renji-kun and I should probably talk alone before facing all of you together." She said quietly.
"Then go talk to him." Yukimura handed her enough money to buy a sandwich. "You don't have to pay me back for that. Just having you both out of this funk will be repayment enough." He said, smiling. "You're both welcome to eat with us though, once you have your issues worked out."
"Thank you, Yukimura-sempai." Mizu said, heading for the canteen before they ran out of half way decent food.
After she had her lunch she headed outside, and smiled a little as she sat down underneath a tree. "You can't get more depressed than a depressed tree." She said, giggling a little to herself, then sighed. "It's not like it was his fault. I let him touch me. We didn't know his mother would walk in." Mizu wrapped her arm around her legs. "And then that talk. I know she said I was still welcome, but...oh, gods, do I feel like an idiot." She set her food down and hugged her knees to her chest. "He won't even talk to me."
Mizu looked up when she heard her cell phone beep with a text message. "Where are you hiding?" It was from Yukimura-sempai. Mizu smiled and quickly replied. "Where the willow weeps for the lotus' water. ^^"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Wouldn't it have just been easier to say.."
"Go, Renji." Yukimura ordered his friend, pushing him towards the door. He had to laugh at Mizu's answering text and sent a last one back to her. "Cute"
"I know"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Mizu?" Renji called out to her as he brushed the drooping branches back, plucking a few leaves off. He knelt down in front of her. Mizu smiled sadly up at him. "Why did you run this morning?" He asked, wanting some answers.
"I...I really don't know." Mizu said, looking down at her hands folded in her lap. Renji reached over and took her hands.
"Are you going to run every time? Mizu, we've been together for what, a year? I think I can honestly say I love you, but if you're going to run and hide from me...I don't think I could take that."
Mizu froze. "Renji..." She trailed off, not sure what to say.
"Please, Mizu. Don't run from me again?" Renji asked, leaning in and kissing her forehead.
"I won't." She said quietly. "I'm sorry, Renji." She said leaning against him. "I was embarrassed and confused, and not sure what to do when I left. I just wanted some time alone."
"You had Seiichi quite worried for us." Renji said, smiling a little. "And...I'm sorry about this morning. I really shouldn't have been doing that, despite the encouragement."
"Renji, I had been dreaming about that for months." Mizu admitted. "I wasn't about to stop when I was getting what I wanted." She finished, blushing deeply. "I wanted that more than you could know."
Renji stared at her, then smiled. "Perhaps we can try again? Without any interruptions this time around."
Mizu nodded. "I'd like that." Mizu sat back, checking the time. "We have 20 minutes of lunch left."
"Not enough to re-join the guys then." Renji said, settling a bit more comfortably next to her. Mizu handed some of her lunch to him.
"What did you tell Yukimura-sempai?" She asked, picking at some crumbs.
"I told him you were having problems at home, nothing more." Renji said, taking a bite of Mizu's sandwich. Mizu nodded, relieved.
"And what did Sanada-sempai give you for a punishment for missing practice?"
"Fifty laps and I have to join the freshmen on court clean up duty."
"I'm sorry." Mizu said, kissing his cheek.
"It's alright. I don't mind." Renji leaned back against the tree's trunk and looked up at the sky through the draping branches. "Why here?" He asked, smiling a little.
Mizu stood up and straightened her uniform out, dusting off the dust and twigs. She smiled. "I would think that's rather obvious, Yanagi-sempai." She winked at him and headed back for the building as fast as she could. Renji laughed for a minute before dusting himself off and heading back inside as well.
Yukimura glanced over at Renji and noticed he looked somewhat better than he had last seen him.
"So did the lotus get that drink of water?" He grinned. Renji just smiled and didn't say anything. Yukimura laughed to himself.
"The water could be less obvious with her hiding places." Renji said, turning to pay attention to the afternoon's lessons.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"One! Two! Three! Four! Five! Two! Two!..." The counting continued as the tennis team went through their warm ups in unison. One lone figure was running on the track. He was joined by a girl in black gym shorts and the standard gym t-shirt, yellow with black trim around the arms and collar.
"Mizu? Why are you running?" Renji asked her as he slowed down just a hair.
"It was my fault you missed practice. I already asked Yukimura-sempai if it was alright to run with you, and he said as long as I don't push myself it was fine. I need to exercise more anyway." She smiled up at him and matched his pace.
Renji frowned, but kept running his laps. "Are you going to go home tonight?" He asked quietly when they got to the far end of the track, away from where the rest of the team had split into either drills or practice matches. He noticed Genichiro glaring at them, but felt a bit reassured when Seiichi told him something quietly.
"I think so." Mizu said, noticing that as well. "Yukimura-sempai really cares about you, doesn't he?"
Renji just nodded a little. "Call me if you need me, alright?" He said, worried for what she might be going back to.
"I'm sure Mother has calmed down by now. At least, I hope so." Renji started slowing down as he ran his last five laps.
"I hope so too." He said, stretching his back some. Mizu smiled.
"It's too bad you don't play, Mizu-chan. We'd let you stay." Yukimura smiled at her. "I'm afraid Renji is ours for the next hour though." Mizu grinned.
"Don't rough Renji-kun up too much." She winked at Yukimura. "That's my job." Renji about died of embarrassment. Mizu squeezed Renji's arm as she walked past him. "I'll call you later regardless."
"I'll talk to you later then." Mizu picked up her bags and waved at the team one last time before walking home.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mizu walked into her own house nervously. Things from the other night had been picked up and cleaned up as well as possible. She paused to grab a soda out of the fridge, knowing it wasn't really good for her but not caring. She went to her bedroom, and started on her homework. It was rather quiet for the longest time.
It was after eight o'clock when she started to worry that her parents weren't home. Perhaps they had rediscovered certain things the night their daughter didn't come home. Certain things that Mizu was just starting to discover for herself. She closed the door to her room and called Renji.
"I'm alright. A bit concerned, but otherwise alright."
Renji frowned on his end. "Want me to come over?" He asked, not liking the idea of Mizu all alone there.
"It's alright, Renji. I'll be fine." She said. "I'm going to go to bed early, I think. I'll see you at school tomorrow." With that, Mizu snapped her phone closed and changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed. Something still didn't feel right, and it wasn't the fact that she wasn't snuggled against her boyfriend.