Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis. This idea came into my head when I watched the early episodes (Is episode 38 early?) and it looked like Takashi had a girlfriend to eat ice cream with. I was extremely happy when I found out, because... in reality, there's not that many females that are in the age generation of POT, and it really corrupts the "straight couple shipper mania." I was shocked when I found out that Yuuki (I think that's her name) was merely his friend's mom. She is amazingly young... dang it... Well, can't be helped, can it? Taka-san is the easiest to write a new character for, because he's so sweet and shy (unlike people like Tezuka, who are so cold that I can feel the winter breeze on his expression on a summer's day...).

Sushi Basket Delivery, Coming Through!

Takashi Kawamura was preparing an order for a couple of regulars (customers, not tennis players) when the sake had ran out.

"Oh, geez. Dad's not going to be happy about this."

As usual, his father, being old and helpless, broke his leg while going down the stairs. So, during the time that Takashi was out of school, he had to help him take care of the sushi shop. Luckily, he had already quit tennis playing for at least a couple more years.

Molding the rice in his hand, he reflected on his friends and teammates he had left behind when he was devoting himself to making sushi.

He had left them, but they hadn't forgot him. Echizen sent him a letter from America, thanking him for the soy sauce. And he was sure that Tezuka was proud that he had became the Number One Power player in Japan.

"Er, oyaji? The sake has ran out."

The old man grumbled. "Ach, if only the wine vessel was bigger, I could buy more sake for each day. And business has gone down. We need more money, that is clear. Any ideas, Takashi? Fancier cushions? Bigger selection? Or how about more employees?"

Taka shrugged. In truth, he worked in the sushi shop because he liked making sushi, not because of the business. Unfortunately, that kind of thinking probably would have landed him in bankruptcy, or even in a leased building.

"Wait a minute..."

"What is it, son?" His father studied Takashi's face as if it held all the answers to solving the money problems.

"How about I be a delivery boy? You know, like pizza and stuff like that. Sometimes people are too lazy to get here to eat."

His father shook his head vigorously. "You know I can't get anywhere on this busted leg. Sushi is a reflection of the chef's heart. I make some, and it'll turn out like cement that Americans made mock sushi out of."

"Well then, how about Okaa-san?"

"...I suppose." He gave a long sigh. "You think deeply about the shop, Takashi. I'm thankful for that."

--A couple days later--

"Oy. Where are you going?"

Jin Akutsu was suffering from the blasted heat in the Tokyo district. God, it was hot. Why couldn't he go to somewhere breezy like the ocean?

His mother was unaffected, though. A hard worker, she had gone through worse when she was his age.

"To the airport. There's a business trip, didn't I tell you about that?"

She jerked her thumb toward the calender. There was a note: Trip for 9 days.

"Oh, if you want to eat out, ask Rina, okay? Though her cooking's not bad, I should think."

"Why should I have to ask my little sister to go eat out?"

"Because, Jin, you're hopeless with money. And you rely on that cute boy, what was his name? Oh, right. Dan Taichi. You rely on him to get free ice cream."

"I do not!"

Yuuki smiled. It was a wonder that the gray haired man was actually her son. He looked more like a child molester than a 16 year old guy.

"Well, ja, ne."

She turned on the car and Akutsu stood and watched as it became a speck on the horizon.

Then another girl stepped on the front porch, her freckles brown as tanned leather, and eyes as blue as the summer sky when it was cloudless.

"Hey, Rina."

Akutsu faced his younger sister after his mother had left. She had a striking resemblance to Yuuki, and everybody said so.

"Want some lemonade?"

She handed him a frothy glass of the tart drink and sipped hers.

"It's so hot. I want some ice cream."

"Me too..." was all he said.

It seemed too exhausting to do anything. Even turning on the water faucet was tiring.

Rina yawned. "I'm so tired that I'll order out. What do you want?"

Akutsu was about to say something about chicken teriyaki when an advertisement caught his eyes. Cheap delivery sushi. Perfect.

"Let's have sushi from the Kawamura's."

Okay, introducing Rina might have sounded a little Mary Sueish (the blue eyes part). But, like I said, I don't find Rina to be the 'drop-dead gorgeous' kind of girl. She has freckles, for god's sake. But I will make her cute. The Sakuno-ish kind of cute.