Rating: K+ to T
Genre: Family/Romance/Humor
Pairing(s): SanadaxYukimura, TezukaxFuji, YagyuuxNiou, YanagixKirihara and more in the future
Warning: Gender-Bender, a bit OOC of Original Characters, AU
Disclaimer: I surely don't own Prince of Tennis
Special Thanks to My Beta-Reader =D
A/N: This chapter is specially dedicated to My Second Sister, Happy Birthday Ji-nee =)(11/04/2010) and happy belated birthday to Jackal (11/03/2010) -though he has yet appeared in this chapter. This will be the first AU fic where I tried not to make any OC at ALL unless it's very very very super duper necessary...
Have fun reading =)
I. Meeting and Getting Close
RiSeiTei Apartment is another usual apartment building where people resided. One of those tenants is the Sanada Kazoku who lives in the third floor, room 301. The head of the family, Sanada Genichiro, is a typical Japanese man with his boring-black-haired-hairstyle and stoic face. What are admirable from the man are his love and loyalty towards his wife, Sanada Seiichi, whose maiden name was Yukimura Seiichi. For his lovely, caring and angelic wife, the man dares to give the whole. Another thing is his attention towards his family. Even though he always scolded his daughter, Sanada Haruka, endlessly because of her sometimes troublesome behavior, he always tries to talk with her and hear her problems, though, unfortunately, she prefers to talk with her mother instead. Sometimes he even tries to do some activities with her, like playing sports or going shopping, which he –sometimes- regrets afterward.
Sanada Seiichi, the mother, is a very well-known person in the complex. Her beauty and gentle nature has made some residents fall for her and is the object of some jealously, yet her caring and friendly attitude can't make the world hate her. While it's true that she is very gentle, the one who rules the house is none other than the gentle wife. Her husband does not dare to disobey her, and neither does her daughter, because for the loving wife, a simple, gentle smile can bring an apocalypse. She isn't only gentle, caring and friendly; she can also be very tricky if she wants to.
That tricky nature of hers unfortunately carries over to their daughter, Haruka. Although the little girl is only three-years-old, she could already be very mischievous and could trick people to misery. She is a really fast learner and thus, does not really have a hobby she is really into. Upon entering her elementary year, the little girl dyed her hair silver, which made her father very mad at her. She was given a very long lecture, but she never dyed it back to dark blue. Her father sometimes shoots her a glare indicating he is still not pleased with her hair, but the habit stopped once a new member come to her family. Yes, it was her sister, Bunta who by fate has a natural strawberry-colored hair, as Haruka noted. The older sister would never forget the priceless expression her father wore when the baby's hair finally grew some.
The family became even more eventful when a family moved next door, and the head of which, by chance, was Tezuka Kunimitsu, Genichiro's co-worker. With an almost same personality, the wife, Tezuka Syuusuke is quick to get along with Seiichi. On the other hand, the husbands have a very hard time being friendly towards each other, despite the fact they've known each other longer than the wives did. The Tezuka family's son, Renji, is also quick to get along with Haruka because of his calm and accepting nature, despite the age-factor. The two kids sometimes do their homework together and share secrets with each other, which made Genichiro really afraid about their friendliness would develop to something more, until one day her daughter, with a very bright smile, brought a boy home.
"I introduce to you, my boyfriend, Yagyuu Hiroshi", her tone was proud.
Genichiro almost wanted to punch Renji's knowing smile, because he was VERY sure the boy knew it. Besides, the boy always knows everything. Another part of him wanted to smack himself because his wife also wore the knowing smile. He truly has failed as a father, he thought.
Despite the fact that the boy, Yagyuu Hiroshi, is dating her ten-year-old daughter, the head of the Sanada family couldn't find himself to hate him. The boy is very polite and smart; he also respects others, and what's more, could really keep his troubling daughter in her place. Genichiro's inwards-self thought that he would never find a more befitting-husband-to-be for his first daughter than him. So, after months of thinking and glaring, Genichiro finally let the boy to come to their house and sometimes take their daughter to play outside (if you're not Sanada Genichiro, you read this as date). And ever since then, Tezuka Renji's presence has become less of a threat to his daughters' love relationship.
Or so Genichiro thought. Who knew that his third daughter, Ayaka, would be very attached to the closed-eyed boy? It was even more frustrating when his other daughters, Haruka and Bunta, kept saying that it's definitely 'love'.
"Please, do not worry, Sanada-san," was what Renji said when Genichiro was caught staring at the boy. Sanada Genichiro tried to interpret the words to every meaning he thought. It was either; "Do not worry, I'm not interested in your daughter(s)," which was what he THOUGHT, or "Do not worry, I won't touch your daughter yet," which he was very afraid was going to happen, and frankly speaking, the latter was the more likely meaning. Genichiro's male nature could sense almost the same affection the Renji-boy gave to his youngest daughter.
"I don't mind. Renji is a good boy, and a very responsible one. He totally suits Aya-chan," Seiichi said as she played with four-year-old Ayaka on her lap.
"Renji is nice. Besides, he's smart, isn't he? And polite too. I thought he would be acceptable for you, dad," Bunta nonchalantly said as she ate her whole portion of afternoon cake.
"Huh? Renji? Well, if Ayaka likes him, why not? I bet they would make a very interesting couple," Haruka said, snickering.
Genichiro felt like banging his head on a wall.
"I DISAPPROVE!"
He finally lost his temper over his family's acceptance of the matter.
The three other Sanada's stopped what they were doing and looked at him.
"What don't you approve of, Gen?" his wife softly inquired.
"Of Ayaka and Renji!"
Seiichi, Haruka and Bunta looked at the youngest member of the family in question before looking back at the head of family. "About what?"
"I disapprove of them together! They-they have 8 years of age difference!", Genichiro tried to point out.
"So?"
He blinked at his wife's nonchalant response. "Seiichi…it's eight…eight…Renji is too old for Akaya."
"But it's common these days. Love is not limited to age, you know."
"Ayaka is too young."
He heard his daughters crack up in quiet laughter as his wife smiled softly, "They've just grown to like each other, Genichiro. It will take more time for them to confess to each other and start going out."
"What I mean, Seiichi, is that Ayaka is younger. Renji may trick her or cheat on her later. You never know what's on an older man's mind."
"Oh, does that mean you have thought about cheating on me?" Way to dig your own grave. His two daughters made a quick escape to their rooms upon hearing the change tone of their mother.
"No, Seiichi, you know I've never."
"Oh, but you did say that we would never know what's in an older man's mind," she quoted while smiling dangerously.
"No, I was talking about Renji."
"What about me, Sanada-san?"
Said man startled at the sudden interruption and found himself stared at by a twelve-year-old-boy, speechless.
"Ren-onii-chan!" Ayaka quickly released herself from her mother and ran to the older lad, hugging him tightly.
"When did you come, Renji-kun?" Seiichi calmly asked.
"Just now. The door wasn't locked."
"Oh my," Seiichi made sure the front door was locked this time before turning to the younger boy again, "Did you come to see Haru?"
A nod. "We have an assignment to do. Is she in her room?"
"Yeah, with Bunta, I think."
"Thank you, Seiichi-san," the closed-eyed boy bowed in thanks.
"Oh, can I bring Ayaka too?"
"Of course. Please, humor my daughters."
When the two kids went out of sight, and disappeared behind a door, Sanada Seiichi's attention turned back to her husband.
For the first time in Sanada Genichiro's life, he hoped Tezuka Renji stayed a little longer in the room.
"Yo, Renji," Haruka casually greeted from the kotatsu, taking another bite of her (or Bunta's) crackers.
"You girls shouldn't have left Ayaka alone there," Renji said as he also sat inside the kotatsu with the little Ayaka still hugging him.
"What can we do? She was in Mom's arms," the silver-haired girl said nonchalantly as her younger sister nodded in agreement.
Renji only smiled at the expected response of the two girls.
"So, what are you doing here? I perfectly remember that we don't have any homework to work on."
"The apartment's wall is not really thick, Haru."
"Or was it because our father's voice roars like gorilla's?"
"Gah, I can imagine Syuusuke-san and Tezuka-san's laughing face. What an embarrassing father~" Bunta whined as she put her head on the kotatsu in shame.
"Mom did giggle, but dad said nothing, he didn't even move an eyebrow," Renji calmly informed as he brought a giggling Ayaka to his lap.
"You're perfectly calm, knowing you aren't accepted by Dad."
"Patience, Haru, patience. You can't get any fish if you don't have any patience," the closed-eyed boy said amusedly as he gave a peck at Ayaka's cheek, making the little girl smile and smile brightly.
"Pardon? I'm not into fishing," Bunta stated as she opened another bag of potato chips.
"Neither am I," Haruka added, stealing some right away.
A/N:Yep, surprised, surprised~ Renji is the son of Tezuka and Fuji =D not some brat goes by the name xxxxx~
Of course I have some reason beside the fact I hate him (xxxxx)
Renji has brown-haired, brown eyes and he closed his eyes. He is smart, calm, responsible, love to observe, and like to tease people too (plus he can read people mind *cough*family's ability?*cough*). I don't think anyone can fit the role better than him XDXD
If some of you're still confused;
Room 301: Sanada Family - Sanada Genichiro, Sanada Seiichi, Sanada Haruka (Haruka=Niou), Sanada Bunta (Bunta=Marui, obvious), and Sanada Ayaka (Ayaka=Akaya)
Room 302: Tezuka Family - Tezuka Kunimitsu, Tezuka Syuusuke, and Tezuka Renji
Don't ask why I don't bother to change Seiichi and Syuusuke's names...
Reviews and Constructive Criticism are much welcome =D
