First things first. Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis, or Snow White. I do not get any profit from this fic whatsoever and do it for the fun of writing and having people enjoy my work.

Second - this is, yes, a yaoi fic. If you do not like that sort of thing, I suggest you NOT read it. I do not want to be flamed over this being male/male when you are totally against that. Don't like that sort of thing, don't read.On that same note, the main pairing within is KaidohxMomoshiro, but there are hints and out right tellings of others.

Third: Please comment. I do so enjoy them. 3

Four: Have fun reading. I write for you guys, so I do hope you like what I produce.

Summary: Kaidoh was found as a baby by seven men living in the woods and was raised by them. He is now eighteen, and a prince has stumbled into his home, but that creates more problems as certain people become aware of Kaidoh's existence - people who will do anything to keep Kaidoh from becoming more than a fairytale. Enjoy!

Kaidoh and the Seven Tennis Players: Part 1

Why? Why was it necessary to have that monstrosity of a family portrait hanging smack dab in the middle of the study? Kaidoh did not understand the appeal everyone else displayed for the item. To him it was utterly atrocious. Still, it was his job to clean the study, so dust he must under the humiliating gaze of that atrocious family portrait, not to mention the unmoving gazes of the seven others within the room.

He hissed to himself as he ran his sponge and rag over the various wooden tops, scrubbing till he could see his face within the shine. It wasn't that hard of a job, as the study was constantly being used and therefore never gathered much dust. Still, he could feel the eyes of that bloody family portrait boring into his back, and he dreaded going over to the mantle to clean it, since then he would have no choice but to stare at the horrid thing. If he had his way, the portrait would have been taken down ages ago, but his fathers demanded it remain in place, and that ended the discussion. He hissed louder when he realized there was nothing left to dust and clean but the mantle, slowly turning towards the monstrosity.

He crossed his arms as he glared back at the family portrait from beneath his green and white bandanna, now totally at odds with how he had looked when the portrait was painted. Back then he had been a child of about five or six, and his fathers had taken an unhealthy amount of pleasure in grooming him to look like a girl (though Papa Niou claimed he looked like one anyways without their help). He sat in the center of seven older men, dressed in a light green and blue frock with enough frills to create the skirts of seven noble ladies with material to spare.

Papa Oishi held him in his lap, smiling for the painter. If anyone was a female in the house, it was Papa Oishi. The man was constantly mothering everyone, especially Kaidoh, could cook, clean, and chastise with the best of them, but was also very sweet and kind, an emotional pillar for the family that the others leaned on and knew they could go to with any problem.

Standing behind and to the side of Papa Oishi were Papa Eiji and Papa Chotarou. Eiji was the youngest of Kaidoh's fathers, his red hair shockingly obvious among the group. When Kaidoh was younger Papa Eiji usually got stuck with babysitting duty, as he was the one Kaidoh was most easily entertained by. Papa Choutarou also claimed regular babysitting duties, with a gentle, caring nature very much like Papa Oishi's and at odds with a majority of Kaidoh's other fathers. According to Papa Choutarou, he had been the one to sing Kaidoh to sleep at night and cuddle him when he had nightmares. Even today, when Kaidoh was on the verge of turning eighteen, he knew Choutarou and Eiji wouldn't hesitate to act as if he was still three. They had all but cried when Oishi decreed Kaidoh didn't need a nursery anymore.

The rest of Kaidoh's fathers were spread out behind those three – Papa Takishi, Papa Niou, Papa Yagyuu, and Papa Inui. Takashi was one of the tallest of his fathers, and easily the strongest. He was usually mild mannered and hardly ever scolded Kaidoh (which was why he got away with a lot when under the care of Papa Takishi), but put an ax in the man's hands and he was a raging bull – you never stood near Takishi when he went to chop the wood for the fireplace. Papa Inui was a real trip. He fancied himself a cook, but Takishi, Oishi, and just about everyone else had banned Inui from the kitchen. Papa Inui favored juice drinks – so called healthy – but he had nearly killed everyone in the house at least once. As for Papa Niou and Papa Yagyuu, well, they were characters. Niou enjoyed playing jokes and Yagyuu enjoyed pretending his was some sort of gentleman. Kaidoh could stand Yagyuu and respected him, but Niou…Kaidoh really didn't care if the man was thirty years older than him, he would never fully like Niou. Papa Niou was actually more of an older, annoying brother than a father, but he figured that was how Papa Niou wanted it, and the rest of the house treated their relationship that way.

"Glaring at it won't clean it."

Kaidoh suppressed a jolt and turned to see Oishi walk in the room, dressed in a simple shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a silver platter laden with finger sandwiches in his hands. "Papa," Kaidoh said by way of greeting.

Oishi flushed happily when Kaidoh referred to him as 'Papa'. When everyone was gathered, Kaidoh usually referred to each of his father's by name since yelling 'Papa' could mean any of the seven. In private, he favored them all with the title 'Papa', something they were inexplicably attached to.

"Well, if you're all done in here, you can go down to the river and help with the wash," Oishi offered, holding out the tray to Kaidoh, who accepted three sandwiches and munched on them as he pointedly ignored the family portrait.

"Don't want Inui mixing colors again?" Kaidoh asked.

Oishi sighed, "Is it that obvious?"

Kaidoh just regarded Oishi and popped another sandwich in his mouth. Of all his fathers, Inui was the Papa least adept at housework. This included everything from dusting to cloths washing. Unfortunately, no one felt like telling Inui he was pathetic at such work, so they let him take a job they thought he couldn't mess up. Washing was not one of them, but this week everyone else had a pet project, and Inui had been given the task of washing so the others could tend to said projects.

"It would be appreciated," Oishi offered as he set the tray down on the newly polished table, tugging at the cloth covering the snacks sat on.

Kaidoh hissed under his breath in agreement, setting down his rag and sponge, knowing Oishi would put the finishing touches on the study himself. Running a hand over his bandanna he headed down the stairs towards the back room where the work smocks were kept, selecting one of the cured leather aprons to tie around his waist and neck. He pulled at the apron to make sure it was firmly tied and rolled up his sleeves, abandoning his shoes and rolling up his doeskin trousers before heading out the door and towards the small river than ran by the place he called home.

He spotted Inui instantly, his spiky black hair visible over the brush bordering the slowly flowing river, thick glasses perched on his nose as he held up the butter soft doe-skin trousers that Yagyuu favored.

"Give me," Kaidoh hissed, taking the trousers from Inui's hands and carefully laying them out on the grass.

Inui pushed his glasses further up his nose, "All done in the house, Kaidoh?"

Kaidoh hissed by way of reply. Over the course of his years growing up with the seven men, he learned that by not saying much he got a lot more across. As a result, he'd developed a series of hisses and grunts that passed for answers, of which all but Eiji could usually translate into the simple sentences they actually stood for. Inui nodded, going back to the several baskets sitting around him, picking up another piece of Yagyuu's clothing, this time a finely stitched, pleasant yellow fabric with black and white bands sewn down the side with a series of stars.

Inui rose from his spot, heading for the water. Kaidoh hissed in alarm, going after his father, splashing into the cold river and snatching the garment away. "You don't dunk this!" he growled, placing the shirt next to the doeskin trousers. He glared over at the baskets and went to inspect, finding the basket that amounted to Takishi and Eiji's clothing. Both men worked outside a majority of the time, so the vast amount of their wash was usually very durable and capable of being manhandled. "Here, do these," he grunted, setting the basket closer to the river.

Kaidoh turned away and took Yagyuu's basket, not trusting Inui to not get back into it. Why was the supposed genius of the family such a dunce when it came to the laundry? Did he not realize that most of Yagyuu's clothing required quick dunk and rinsing processes against the rocks near the shallow edges of the rivers? No, probably not, and Kaidoh really didn't want to have sit through a dinner with one of Papa Yagyuu's steely, disapproving silences permeating the air. If anyone could kill a pleasant dinner without saying a word, it was Papa Yagyuu.

Silently Kaidoh and Inui went about their work, Kaidoh standing in the shallows of the river with Yagyuu's tightly wound clothing, dunking it in the icy water and hauling it out with a twist of his elbow and shoulder. The quiet work allowed Kaidoh's mind to wander in a direction he often contemplated, but never actually manage to get out into real words.

For starters – whose child was he? Certainly Oishi and Inui were possibilities. Where else could he have gotten his black hair from? But other than his hair, none of his facial features or personality quirks matched any of theirs. And if none of the men he called Papa were his real parents, then who was, and how had be come to be with these men anyways? Oh, for certain he was not ungrateful to them. They were his family in everyway possible, and had been the core essence of his life since he could remember. Yet his origins were never discussed with him in their presence, and he was not sure if they even knew of his origins.

He grunted as he yanked Papa Yagyuu's trousers over the rocks and out of the water, looking through the trees to spot the very top edges of the massive cottage he called him. The cottage towered three stories into the forest, the bottom devoted to a family room, kitchen, and the like. The second housed all seven of his father's bedrooms (though he personally thought that only about four of the rooms were actually in use…), and the third floor, about half the size of the others, was his to call his own. All his life he called that place home, and as he regarded the expertly thatched roof he let the questions of himself slip away. What use was it contemplating something like that? This was his home, and these seven men were his family. He was happy here, though he didn't often show or admit that to them these days.

"Almost done, Kaidoh?" Inui asked as he sloshed out of the river to deposit the washed clothing back in its basket to be taken back to the house and hung out to dry.

Kaidoh grunted and hissed, jerking the butter trousers through the river once more and carefully unraveling them and shaking the loose water off of them. Inui just pushed his glasses up further, mumbled something to himself, and gathered the finished baskets, pushing through the shrubbery at the edge of the river's banks and being swallowed by the forest on his way back to the mansion-cottage.

Sometime later, with his arm aching but tingling in a pleasant way from the exercise, Kaidoh sloshed out of the river, folding Papa Yagyuu's clothing carefully and placing it in its basket. He stood back, wiping his forehead with his forearm, taking in a deep, sweet breath of pine forest air. Licking his lips he turned and headed back to the river, splashing his face with the cool water before bending to drink.

Rustle. Shhhh. Brssssh.

Kaidoh yanked his head up, instantly falling into a defensive crouch with his arms hanging low, sort of like the pictures of those large monkeys Papa Inui had in his completely random scientific books. His eyes darted across the scenery before him, looking for the minute shuffling of branches or a flicker of color that was not a natural part of the forest. In the back of his mind, he silently thanked Papa Niou for all the years of brotherly abuse, which had honed his defensive reactions.

The sounds came again, almost straight ahead from across the river. For a minute he debated about turning back and going home or going to inspect. His mind filled with images of Oishi, quietly cleaning the house, of Eiji and Choutarou out tending the family garden or gathering wild herbs for dinner, Takishi yelling his battle cry as he chopped wood with expert efficiency, Inui struggling to hang clothes, his ineptness at laundry showing through his genius, Yagyuu somehow keeping himself immaculately clean as he and Niou slithered through the forest, searching for the fresh game that would grace their table tonight.

His frown, already a thing that brought on nightmares to small animals, deepened. He shifted enough so he could walk while still keeping his arms hanging low; ready to react at any moment. He slipped back into the river, toes wrapping around the rocks and silt of the riverbed, making his way across as quietly as he could, his fingers brushing the top of the water.

The sounds persisted as he finished crossing, alighting on the opposite side and preparing to wriggle into the underbrush to see if he could find what was making all that noise. Nothing that belonged in the wood would make that much noise. It was like asking a predator to eat it. Carefully he inched forward, reaching for the bushes.

A squeal tore through the air, and Kaidoh leapt back as two beasts burst through the brush and straight into the river, dunking their heads into its icy waters. Kaidoh spun, glaring at the two creatures; the fact they were horses finally dawning on him. The first to catch his attention was the right hand beast, a delicate little thing of snowy white and deep amber eyes. It wore simple leather tack, no obvious decoration, except a small symbol in the corner of its saddle pad – a stylized peach. The other beast was impressive, if only for its sheer size. The thing towered a good eighteen hands, but was certainly not the prettiest creature to look upon. Its barrel chest was wide and its head rather blockish, with a short cut, almost scraggly mane. However, the horse was well muscled through the haunches and withers, forcing Kaidoh to think it was better suited for plow work than the elegant silver and leather tack it sported.

Kaidoh skirted wide of the horses, slipping back into the river. The giant one flicked an ear in his direction, but otherwise kept drinking, the small white one looking up with ears perked forward, seemingly interested. Kaidoh had dealt with horses a few times. Sometimes Papa Yagyuu would leave for a few days and come home on one, then leave and come home without it. His experience was limited, but he knew enough to at least try and catch the horses' reigns and lead them out of the river. They had to belong to somebody or they had wandered away from their masters. Continuing to let them roam was detrimental, both for them and for the wood.

Moving slowly he crept closer, reaching down for the larger horse's bridle first. To be honest he expected the beast to run the moment he got within a few feet of it. Kaidoh had never been popular with animals. His fathers had actually purchased him a cat from god knows where for his birthday when he was ten, but the cat ended up more afraid of him than anything, and ended up only depressing Kaidoh since it ran or hissed anytime he came near. Eventually the cat disappeared, having escaped from the house one day and never came back. Kaidoh was also restricted from going hunting with Papas Yagyuu and Niou since if any animal caught sight of him it ran off into the woods without a second glance, making it very difficult for his fathers to make the kill. It was sort of depressing – the whole 'he scared animals out of their wits' thing. He liked animals, especially cute fuzzy ones. But this wasn't the time for that!

Trying to clear his face of any apparent emotion (which probably made him look even scarier), he reached down, fingers brushing the soft leather of the reins. The giant equine flicked an ear and raised its head, but otherwise did not panic. Kaidoh licked his lips and took a firm hold of the reins this time. Still the horse did not panic. It shook its head, spraying water from its muzzle. Encouraged, Kaidoh began to walk around to the smaller one, but the little white horse was ready and waiting, ears perked forward. It bumped him in the chest, making a 'whuff' sound through its nostrils.

Kaidoh took the reins, letting a smile slip onto his face. They hadn't run! The large equine snorted, showering him with water and snot. Kaidoh glared at it and hissed, but the big creature just blinked doe eyes at him and leaned its head forward, bumping him hard enough to make him stumble a bit in the water. Grumbling and hissing, he caught his balance and readjusted his grip on the leather, tugging as he stomped back to the opposite side.

The two horses resisted for a bare instant, then followed placidly like loyal dogs. He left the baskets of laundry, not coordinated enough to attempt to carry Papa Yagyuu's clothes and lead the animals at the same time. He winced as the horses crashed through the forest on the way back to the house, but what could he honestly expect? There were no wild horses around here, so that had to mean they came from somewhere else, and the tack proved they were owned. Forest travel was obviously not their forte.

"Oh, Kaidoh, there you are!" Papa Choutarou beamed as Kaidoh exited the woods. Choutarou, Eiji, Oishi, and Yagyuu were currently setting up the big outside table for a picnic. Choutarou's eyes widened as the two masses of horseflesh followed Kaidoh. "Dear lord, where did you get those?" he asked.

"I found them," Kaidoh replied. What? He had. Or, well, maybe they had found him.

Yagyuu stopped what he was doing and came over, readjusting his glasses as he took the reins of the little white horse. "You said you found them?" Yagyuu asked.

Kaidoh nodded with a hiss.

"They must belong to someone," Oishi pointed out, staring at the beasts.

"Oh, indeed they do," Yagyuu said, peering around at the flanks of the white equine.

Eiji pouted, "How can you tell?"

Yagyuu shifted the white one so it displayed the side of the saddle pad. He motioned to the little peach symbol. "That," he said by way of explanation.

Choutarou squeaked; Oishi and Eiji let out little gasps. Kaidoh furrowed his brow, glaring at the peach symbol and then at his parents. "What?" he asked when his immediate hiss of displeasure evoked no reaction.

"This could be problematic," Yagyuu said at last.

Kaidoh glared at the wannabe gentleman. "How so?" he demanded with an extra hiss for emphasis.

"Kaidoh, sweetie," Oishi said gently, "you promise you really did just find them?"

What was this? Kaidoh glared and growled in the back of his throat. Did they honestly think he had stolen them or something? For starters, what did he need a horse for? He never left the general area of the cottage! He didn't even know how to ride one, so that basically made the point of him even considering taking one moot, right?

Choutarou held up his hands, attempting to placate his adoptive son, "Now, now. We aren't accusing you. We just ask because – "

"There you are! Stop at once thief!" a voice boomed through the clearing.

The massive animal Kaidoh had a hold of lifted its head and danced in place, letting out a bellow from deep in its chest as it peered at the man approaching from the far side of the large clearing the cottage sat in. The little white horse pranced and tugged at Yagyuu's arm, whickering as a much smaller boy erupted from the brush behind the approaching man.

Yagyuu pushed his glasses up his nose and pointed at the man. "Because these horses belong to none other than Prince Momoshiro of the Kingdom of Hyotei," he finished Choutarou's sentence.

Kaidoh's eyes widened, and he found he couldn't even force out a hiss.

END PT. 1

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