This was the result of a fifteen-minute word challenge. The challenge word is stated at the end of the ficlet (in this case I used the same challenge word for two different fics.)

Note: Based on events in episode 41.

Worst Scenario (Prince of Tennis)

By Haruka (email: haruka at ymail dot com)

Kamio Akira looked over his shoulder at his teammates as they rode a taxi to the Yamabuki match. Their team captain, Tachibana, and remaining teammates were waiting for them, but they were almost there. Akira passed time by mentioning how Ishida and Sakurai would impress everyone with their new combination while his friends gave the credit to he and Shinji.

He grinned at the blue-haired boy in the back seat, who gave him a soft smile in return. "We're going to win it all today, Akira," Shinji said.

"You BET we will!" he agreed. "Our rhythm is going to—"

He never got the chance to finish his sentence as the world turned upside-down. Screeching tires, screaming, the crunching of metal, breaking glass … then silence.

Akira's rattled brain clicked on two things at once. There had been an accident, and he couldn't see Shinji.

Frantically, he tried to claw his way out of the seat belt that had saved him from going through the windshield. The back door on Shinji's side was wide open and bent completely out of shape. He couldn't remember if Shinji had been wearing a seatbelt or not, and if he hadn't –

"Shinji!" he tried to yell, but his voice sounded quiet amongst all the others that were surrounding the overturned taxi. Sakurai's face appeared as he crouched by him and his friend winced like he was in pain, but still looked relieved. "Akira, thank God!" he said. "The police and ambulance are coming – are you okay?"

"Help me out if you can," he asked. He felt battered and bruised, but there were no stabbing pains to indicate broken bones. He was glad that Sakurai was able to move, albeit painfully, and he could see Ishida nearby, rubbing his arm, but otherwise looking okay. He looked around, feeling desperation rising. Where the hell was Shinji? Was he all right?!

His friend extricated him from the taxi just as the police and ambulance arrived.

"Shinji?" he cried. "Have you seen him?" he asked Sakurai.

"Not yet," was the uneasy answer.

Pain stabbed at Akira's heart. What if Shinji had been badly hurt or worse? Tears of anguish filled his eyes. "SHINJI!" he screamed.

"Akira!" came a soft answering call and he turned to see Shinji pull himself up from the other side of the taxi. Ignoring his aching bones, he ran over and saw his own reflected terror over the worst scenario vanish from Shinji's eyes as he hugged him.

They would be late to the game, but they were alive, and no one was seriously hurt. Although shaken, they all agreed to keep the accident a secret from Tachibana so he wouldn't worry and would let them play.

Akira knew that he and Shinji would never forget how close they'd come to losing each other. The game was important, but their love even more so.

(Word challenge – Anguish)

(2005)

Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi.