Fic Type: AU

Genre: Romance Drama Hurt/Comfort (?)

Rating: T to M

Warning 1: Some characters may be OOC and have different ages than canon to fit the theme or their roles in the story.

Warning 2: Yaoi/Slash/BL/M2M/Love cursing, suggestions of actual violence and reference to smut

Disclaimer: I do not own "Tennis no Oujisama(Prince of Tennis or TeniPuri or LOVE). Konomi-sensei does (bless his soul). Most (main) characters are made by him; Fuji Shuichi (Fuji's father) is somewhat in the middle. He's been mentioned in the series but, as far as I know, never named or made an appearance, so his character is in some way mine. Oh, and I do not earn anything from this aside from pure, unadulterated pleasure. Wait… that sounded off somehow… Well, you get the idea. ^_^

Summary:

Things, bad ones, kept on happening to Echizen Ryoma and Fuji Syuusuke. Today was one of those days when all one was left to do was curse and prepare for the next misfortune. For Echizen, there will be a silver lining: a voice that called to him, someone he felt understood what he's been going through even if it was just for this hellish day.

Dreaming On the Radio: On Air

Track 1 Happenstance

(Side A)

Echizen Ryoma was usually mild-ish tempered under most circumstance. However, this was not one of those days; calmness was out of the question. He had just come straight from a long and grueling game of tennis under the blazing sun. He hadn't had a match like this that pushed him to his limits since he lost to Andy Murray in his first game in this year's Japan Tournament (it was his misfortune to meet the world's number four in the earlier draws but at least he hasn't lost since). Yes, he won today but unlike the other times it had been close too close that Echizen couldn't help but feel as if he'd failed somehow especially when his opponent was a newcomer; the announcer said at the beginning of their match that the Japan Open was his debut at being a pro. He'd forgotten the name (he'd just research that later, maybe) but the guy, who must have been just a year or two older than him, had been so good Echizen practically had to use everything he knew about the sport to catch up, let alone win. It was pure luck when his mind conjured up memories of after school matches with an old friend at the eleventh hour. He wondered how that man would feel if he found out that one of his signature moves was what saved Echizen from losing face in the tennis world from losing to a beginner. If they were still in touch, he would probably never hear the end of it.

Heaving a sigh, he fumbled through his tennis bag and wore his pair of sunglasses that had the darkest tint. He threw its case back in the bag, knocking his cell phone from one of the inside pockets. With nothing else to do, he decided to call his personal assistant at the apartment he was renting to check up on his Karupin. Pressing a button to activate the phone, he saw a number of missed calls and text messages. Scrolling through the texts first, skipping at least a dozen most were no doubt congratulating him on his spectacular from-behind win and he wasn't in the mood to relive the game he went straight to a message from his mother. A vision of Echizen Rinko sitting by the window of their New York apartment where Echizen spent his childhood years popped up in his head and he felt a stab in his heart. It's been quite a while since he'd last seen his mother. Traveling all over the world since graduating high school joining tennis tournaments ensured that he was hardly ever home, not even on special occasions.

Ryoma, your dad's going to visit for a week.

He's arriving there tomorrow. Be kind.

He misses having you home.

Kiss Karu-chan for me. Love you.

Echizen read the text a few more times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating or having a heat stroke. He even downed a can of his favorite drink in one gulp but the message was still on his phone, taunting, draining and boiling his blood at the same time. Pervy Echizen Nanjirou was really coming. He could feel a headache coming on just thinking of the antics his father might pull. Echizen considered skipping town just to avoid his dad but he still had a couple more matches to win to qualify for the finals so it was a no go. Still, the idea was really tempting…

A sudden swerve of the car jerked him back to his senses. Righting himself and picking his phone from under the seat, he cursed under his breath for both the almost accident and for his decision just this once he'd put up with his father without any form of struggle… well, maybe a little. Echizen wouldn't want his father to think that he was starting to like the guy... Winning was the most important thing to him right now and he'll be damned if he'd let his old man ruin his chance for the title this year. Besides, his mother said it was just for a week. They didn't have to be with each other round the clock, right?

"S-Sorry about that, E-Echizen-sama." His hired driver for the duration of the Japan Tournament What was his name? said, stealing sheepish glances at him through the rear view mirror and scratching his nose. "That red car cut us."

That red car his driver pointed to turned from the size of a matchbox to a pin prick in a span of three seconds. Either the owner of the flashy sports car had a death wish or had just committed a crime and was making a (fast) run for it.

Echizen grunted in response, hoping the unibrowed driver would stop ogling at him already. Honestly. He may be a good tennis player (he's never been modest about thinking that because it was a fact) but he's just human. He wished people would stop treating him like he was something other, watching his every move, scrutinizing each word that came out of his mouth, writing about him all the time and half of those weren't true at all. Kawamura-san, his manager that he successfully ditched back at the arena, said that at a time like this, Echizen must try to say as little as possible; he isn't that sociable in the first place so it takes no effort at all.

Fortunately, Unibrow didn't say anything more.

Checking his phone again, he scanned the list of the calls he missed in the last three hours (Yes, the three-set game took that long). There were forty-one in all which wasn't unusual but the bulk of them came from just one number: Ryuuzaki Sakuno's, his PA and sitter of Karupin. Echizen had expressly instructed the girl to call him only when his cat was concerned or during emergencies which for Echizen meant the same thing. Worrying for his cat and dreading what the emergency could be, he held his mobile phone tighter to stop his hand from shaking. He felt his stomach give a lurch when he pressed the call button.

It only took half a ring before the frantic voice of Ryuuzaki burned his ear and froze him in place. Panic colored her tone panic that Echizen was now feeling, too, and at least twice as much when Ryuuzaki said, "Ah, E-Echizen-sama, K-Karupin…"

His vision swirled. He was right when bad things keep on happening, they only get worse. He'd been expecting something of the sort, but his Karupin…

Echizen threw his sun glasses aside and gripped the back of the passenger seat for support, sheer willpower the only thing stopping him from hurling right then and there, the car's movement not helping to ease his queasiness the least bit. Feeling the world around him dissolve to nothingness when he heard his cat's name, he forced himself to speak. He had to know… "Go on."

Possibly relieved that Echizen hadn't cursed her to the deepest pits of hell, Ryuuzaki sighed, took a deep breath and spoke again. "It was time for Karupin's lunch but when I went to get him from your room, I found him lying on your bed and looking weak so I called Kaidoh-sensei. He told me to come over immediately. Karupin's still under observation. We've been waiting for the results of the test and for the x-ray to develop but I was told they should be done any minute now. Five minutes ago, Kaidoh-sensei said that Karupin was already looking better but to be on the safe side, Karupin might have to stay at the clinic overnight so they could keep an eye on him."

Echizen let out the breath that he didn't realize he was holding. Slowly, he became aware of his surroundings again. He was still a bit lightheaded but the ringing in his ear was already fading. Ryuuzaki sounded hopeful at the end; Kaidoh also told her that his cat already looked better. That meant Karupin would be all right… right?

"Will you stay with her until I arrive, please?" Echizen noted how rough his voice was. He knew Ryuuzaki might have expected him to lash on her for what happened to Karupin but he was just glad that his cat would be okay that he couldn't even manage to get mad. Clearing his throat, he continued. "I'll head to the clinic instead of the house."

"Of course, Echizen-sama. Oh, Kaidoh-sensei wants to talk to you."

The next second, his friend's low voice rang from the other line. "Echizen, you don't have to worry anymore. Karupin's going to be okay. Preliminary results show that she just ingested some vegetation that didn't agree with her stomach but they're out of her body now. I already gave Karupin medicine I'll tell Ryuuzaki the dosage later. It might make her Karupin, not Ryuuzaki throw up quite normal a few times over the next few days so I'll ask you to stay strong and not copy her."

Collapsing in his seat, Echizen kneaded his forehead and undid two top buttons of his shirt. With the icy terror over, he was feeling the heat seeping into the car again.

"Kaidoh," Echizen's croaked, suddenly filled with a dizzying relief. "Thank you for taking care of Karupin."

"You know you can count on me when it comes to Karupin. Can I count on you to cover all the expenses?" The vet ribbed.

Able to feel something else other than utter fear, Echizen scoffed. "If I win the tournament, I will sponsor you for a year."

"If?"

Echizen laughed. "When when I win."

2:45 PM

Fuji Syuusuke was having a really bad day. So bad in fact that instead of skirting around other motorists, he wanted so much to run everyone down and be done with it. He figured that he might end up in jail for reckless driving anyways so he might as well go big. He didn't even care that he could total his new car if he took a wrong turn or swerved at a wrong angle or time. And with how fast he was going it was a wonder he hasn't been flagged by the police up till now.

At the thought of the authorities, he glanced at the rear view mirror. No flashing lights or sirens. He's avoided detection so far. Maybe they were trying but at almost two hundred miles per hour Fuji doubted they could catch up with him anyways. He was lucky that he also hadn't had to stop at any red light so far; at least in that he had fate on his side. Everything else was just awful.

To think that he woke up feeling that something good was going to happen this day…

To start things off, he'd have to repot one of his cacti. In his attempt to catch the comb that unexpectedly slipped from his hands, he knocked the poor plant over and it fell through his open window onto his backyard with a loud and gut wrenching smash. Good thing the plant just suffered a few scratches or he would have killed someone someone except himself, that is (the loud neighbor was a good candidate). He would have replanted it at once but he'd run out of pots so the sad Bishop's Cap was sitting on a saucer in the living room for now. Making a mental note to drop by at Tezuka's flower shop, hoping that his friend's annoying assistant wasn't working today, he cursed when he finally met a red light.

That, of course, was just the beginning. Managing to calm himself after the cactus incident he decided to cook for himself since there were hours before his match. Just under five minutes after he went down from his room, he had another misfortune. A lot of people he knew openly admired Fuji's grace and elegance. But at the kitchen this morning, he felt as clumsy as a gazelle trying to hold a glass ball with cloven hoofs. Barely ten seconds after settling in his seat, the phone rang. In his haste to stand, his foot caught one of the chair's legs and the steaming cup of coffee on the table went flying towards where he fell. He used the damned chair to block the hot coffee though some still got spilled on his arms and clothes, singeing them and leaving him with button sized burns. Unlike with the cactus, this time there was someone else to be blamed and Fuji will make sure to make him pay later. He might have removed the man from his life but with one glance at the caller ID, he knew who it was…

Kneading his forehead and tapping the steering wheel, Fuji counted the last few seconds of the red light, effectively shaking off the memories that were starting to take hold.

He glanced at the dashboard. The digital clock glowed 2:48 PM. Damn it. Will I make it? Fuji couldn't even call to let his boss or co-workers know he was going to be late because he lost his fucking phone. The last time he'd seen the thing was when he was stuck in traffic, talking to his brother whom, to his glee, he'd woken up with his call. Due to a fender-bender in the high way, he had to take a longer route after more than an hour of sitting in his car, waiting to get past the crash that seemed as severe as it was infuriating. He thought he was going to lose it then but miraculously he was able to arrive at the arena at last. Fuji was late, as he'd feared, and he'd already prepared himself to hear that the match had been forfeited but thankfully his opponent had been kind enough to ask the tournament officers to allow more time. There had been no time to thank him though because Fuji was immediately whisked away to the changing rooms then onto the court.

Fuji thought his luck had already turned but it only went downhill from there. He'd completely forgotten who he was going against: Echizen Ryoma, 'the young man from America who was taking tournaments by storm,' an article he'd read said. Currently ranked twenty-fifth, the guy hasn't won any titles in his two years at being pro yet but Fuji had the impression that it wasn't because Echizen wasn't good he definitely was; Fuji had lost to him, hadn't he? but because of plain bad luck. In the French Open last year, Echizen had to withdraw from the semi-finals due to a broken wrist (although, with the way Echizen played with him earlier, Fuji almost doubted the truth about the injury being severe). In Indian Wells before that, he'd been disqualified because he arrived too late for the official registration. Hmm... Maybe that was why Echizen had been considerate of Fuji's late arrival he knew how painful it could be to be denied a chance because of some things that were out of one's control.

Thinking of his current situation, Fuji scoffed. He wondered how else this day could go wrong for him. Surely being beaten in a game he considered himself to be very good at couldn't be the worst. Maybe his mother would call to tell him he was adopted. Laughing out loud, he told himself that it would be impossible, though. He'd lost his phone, hadn't he? So, no life-shattering calls for Fuji Syuusuke today.

At last, the green light. It was amazing (and utterly maddening) how less than a minute could feel like years when you were actually counting every second. In a heartbeat, he was speeding up again. Not even able to stop somewhere to buy a meal to go, he decided to dig his hand in his tennis bag that was sitting in the passenger seat and felt around for some energy bar. Closing his fingers around something wrapped in plastic, he withdrew his hand. Bingo. Disregarding his usual finesse in eating, he ripped the plastic with his teeth. He was done in four bites.

2:52 PM

He swerved past a taxi to get to an emptier lane but a white sedan suddenly appeared on his tail. Skidding back to his previous lane, he received an earful when the driver of the white car blasted his horn. Fuji couldn't blame him, though; if he'd been the one who'd almost driven his car onto the sidewalk, he would have done more than just make noise. Smirking to himself for deftly avoiding an accident, he briefly considered if he was expected to stop and make amends, but he was already a few hundred meters away so he just shrugged it off. Hopefully they didn't remember his plate number.

2:56 PM

Hitting the brake as forcefully as he could without breaking the pedal, he flew out of his car the moment it stopped. He knew he would just grow more agitated if he'd gone for the elevator that would take its sweet time to lift him to the seventh floor where he worked so he headed for the stairs. Running would at least make him feel in control and he was pretty sure that he'd get there faster.

"Fujiwara-san!" Exclaimed a girl he almost collided with after emerging from the fire exit. It took him a second to realize that it was him that the girl was addressing. He conditioned his brain to remember that in this environment, he was called by his screen name. "Thank God you're here. We've been calling you but all we got was your voice mail. What happened? You look… Fujiwara-san?"

"Tomo-chan," Fuji wheezed, left arm across his chest and the other leaning on the girl's shoulder for support. He'd made it. It was just 2:58 PM. He'd made it. Relief flooded him. Bad Luck versus Good Luck, five to two, but at least the score wasn't that one-sided. There was still a little less than half a day to catch up plenty of time. He wished Good Luck good luck. "I'm okay."

"Ah… We'd better go to the booth now, Fujiwara-san." She pressed the single ear piece on her left ear closer. "Heart and Soul is already signing off; they're going to play one last song then you're on." The girl peered at him with concerned eyes. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"I've never been better." Fuji laughed heartily. "Let's go."

A/N

~ Rinko's message to Ryoma has 143 characters

~ Match score: Echizen R. Fuji S. 1 6, 7(17 6(15), 7 5

~ Tokyo to Chiba is est. 21.32 miles (not entirely sure about this, though), did my math-_ and Fuji just had more or less ten minutes to get to the radio station (not taking into consideration stop lights, traffic, etc) that's why he was driving like a maniac ^_^ v

~ time on the clock when he almost hit Echizen's car was 2:52 PM which is a sort of pun for ai (2) shite(5)ru(2:3