Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its chars. Just my yummy noodles I'm currently eating.
Warning: Yaoi fanfiction. Semi AU. Slight genderswitch. MPREG. May contain spoilers for New Prince of Tennis. Also, certain…ah…ahem…hints in this chapter. Nothing too graphic though.
Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen, Sanada X Yukimura, Momoshiro X Ann
Oh kami…I really should be shot this time…nearly a year…how have I gotten this old… (weeps)
Anyway, a big thank you to all reviewers, although this round I can't actually give individual review replies because I still have to key in coursework marks right after this. Thank you all for your patience.
Before I head on to the fic, a bit of (a very belated) announcement.
A pal of mine who went to an anime convention would like to get in touch with a girl she struck a conversation with that day. My pal's the girl from the ACen PoT panel. If you happen to be the girl from the Anime Central fan panel (who had to run off right afterward in the middle of a conversation), SilverCyanide (formerly KiriharaAkaya) would like to get in touch. Drop her a PM as soon as you can.
Anyway, to the story then…
Trials of Life
By: Gwynhafra
Chapter 14
Tezuka sat leisurely on the couch one fine day as he relished in his cup of cool mint tea, while browsing through his papers unhurriedly. It was such a wonderful day, such a rare chance to be off from work. Not that he did not like his job, but it was good to spend time with his family once in a while.
Ryoma bustled about, dealing with the housework. His hair was tied back into a ponytail so that he could deal with the dusting of the shelves without having to brush his hair back behind his ears. A few stray strands escaped though, framing his face slightly. To Tezuka's secret delight, Ryoma was wearing an apron. It was a highly unattractive apron, one with a shameless splatter of all the colours available on earth, colours which clashed so bad, it was a wonder none of their eyes bled from the sight yet. Nonetheless, it was an apron, and Tezuka liked seeing Ryoma in one (because Ryoma would usually be caught dead before he put one on).
Not that Ryoma had a sudden housewife fashion fetish. It was just one of their son's artwork from preschool. Kunifuyu had to do a group project with his classmates once, and five of them coloured an apron. This mutated rainbow was the brainchild of the innocent little minds, and Kunifuyu was the one to take their project back by the end of the day. He passed it over to Ryoma, looking so hopeful that as stubborn as Ryoma was, he was defeated by those childish golden hazel eyes. Ryoma had put it on, and somehow even managed to get quite attached to it.
Ryoma was done with dusting the shelves, and, throwing a look at the clock, decided that he could do the rest of the housework later as he took off the apron before heading inside to put on his disguise. After some time, he came out again.
"Kunimitsu, I'm going to fetch Fuyu from school. Will be back soon." Ryoma told him, even as he headed out the door.
"Aa. Let's go for lunch later." Tezuka called out after him.
Ryoma had walked out of the house, but he poked his head back in at that. "I've made lunch. We'll be eating at home."
After Ryoma left, Tezuka resumed reading his papers. He loved being able to do things at his own pace once in a while. He was getting so used to rush hours and urgent calls that it felt almost foreign to be as relaxed as he was now. Now he had so much free time that he didn't know what to really do with it. Ah well. Any moment now Ryoma would walk into the house with their cute young son chattering happily about what he had learnt. Tezuka could greet them both, and they could start on lunch.
Tezuka's phone rang, making him hide a sigh. He was receiving urgent calls even on his off-day? Life was tough as a surgeon. Fishing his phone out of his pocket, he set aside his papers and placed the receiver to his ear. "Moshi moshi? Tezuka Kunimitsu speaking."
"Kunimitsu, dear." He certainly wasn't expecting the call to be from Ryoma. Instantly alert, he sat up straight in the couch, ready to bolt out of the door in case it was any kind of unpleasant news.
The news didn't seem unpleasant though. "Apparently it's Fuyu's parent-teacher day here. We're about one of the last ones to arrive. Fuyu must have forgotten to tell us about it. Do you want to come over? It's fine even if you don't. I can handle this on my own."
"I'll be there shortly." Tezuka replied, ending the call. He got dressed in something more fitting for the occasion before heading out.
Kunifuyu's pre-school was within walking distance from the house. He reached the place in about ten minutes, and the minute he entered the door, his young son threw himself at his legs, hugging on to him happily. Ryoma gave him his usual smirk, while Kunifuyu's class teacher gave them a friendly smile.
"Tezuka-san? I'm Ayo, your son's form teacher. Please take a seat." She spoke as she pulled up another chair before her table. The Tezuka couple sat before her. Kunifuyu bounced onto Ryoma's lap before settling there. Despite being four, and despite Ryoma's numerous chidings that he was way too old to be sitting on his lap, Kunifuyu happily remained there, leaning back so that he could rest against Ryoma's chest. Despite Ryoma always saying that he didn't want Fuyu to sit on his lap, the black-green haired man would put his arms around his son anyway. Really Mama's boy.
Tezuka fought to keep his poker face on as that thought crossed his mind. He turned back to the teacher and, after he was done with the greetings, looked as she took out a book. "Did my son cause any mischief?"
The teacher gave a laugh at that. "Oh no. Not at all. Your son is a quiet, intelligent little boy. He's very obedient, and he's cooperative when he has to work with the other students. I'll just show you his report card here." She looked through a tiny pile left on her desk, probably belonging to other students whose parents were not there yet, and took one out. She flipped it open and placed it before the Tezuka couple, who studied it.
"As you can see, his scores are above average. He doesn't talk much, but when he does, he always makes very intelligent speeches for his age." The teacher smiled. Tezuka remained expressionless, save for the gleam of pride in his eyes. His son looked up at him, and he gave an approving nod in return.
Ryoma didn't have much reaction to Kunifuyu's performance, even as he continued to hold his son in his arms. "Heh. Mada mada sune. Then again, he's our son, so we can expect this." He smirked when his son beamed happily up at him.
Once the Tezuka couple was done reading through the report card, Tezuka signed it to indicate that he had read through it and returned it to the teacher. The teacher placed the report card onto the pile of read ones, and she placed her hands onto the table demurely, giving the couple her full attention once more. "Your son is very intelligent. That being said, he seems to be terribly confused about something."
Tezuka frowned slightly at her words. Ryoma looked up from Kunifuyu to the teacher, then back down again at his son. His Fuyu didn't look like he was confused over anything. What could she be talking about?
She took out another folder, one which contained a lot of artwork, and set it on the table. Flipping through it quickly, she extracted one and placed it before the two. "This one here is drawn by your son, based on the theme "My Family."
Tezuka picked up the piece of art paper, while Ryoma leaned over slightly so that he could have a good look at it too. The former tennis pro had to stifle a groan of dismay at seeing Kunifuyu's terrible art. The paper was filled with a splatter of colour, and around the middle, Ryoma could barely make out 3 stick figures, each one with their names on it. "Papa, Fuyu, Ryo-mama." It seemed ordinary enough. His eyes widened slightly when he realized that Fuyu had drawn him with his shorter hair, his hair without his long wig. By how Tezuka's eyes were fixed on it, it seemed that his husband noticed it too. He chanced a glance at the teacher, but she didn't seem to have noticed anything amiss. She probably thought even that was part of Kunifuyu's poor drawing skills.
"They were asked to present what they have drawn, and well, your son…" The teacher sighed as she began to recall.
"Class. Please take out the "My Family" artwork you did at home. Each of you will tell us about your family."
Ayo smiled at all the innocent, happy little faces as each student walked to the front and began to introduce their family enthusiastically.
"My family has papa, mama, Takumi onii-chan, Takaya onii-chan, me, and Toono and Tooru-chan. Toono and Tooru are bad little brothers. They like to pull my hair." The little Momoshiro girl was so honest that the teacher had to hold back a laugh. How cute, these little children. The little girl then pointed to other stick figures. "Ah, of course, there is Kippei ji-san, and papa's sisters ba-san and ba-san. I cannot remember their names. I call them ba-san1 and ba-san2. Also, there is Tezuka ji-san and Echizen ba-san. They are like my family so I draw them here." She smiled as she displayed her paper, which was filled with less colours and more stick figures than any of the other children seated there.
The teacher clapped, leading the other pre-school children to do the same as she patted Tsugumi on the head. "Well done. You may return to your seat now." She did not comment on Kunifuyu's absence from the picture, knowing that for some reason, these two children were playmates as well as bitter rivals. What could possibly prompt such rivalry between two people so young?
Kunifuyu was the next one to present his. He displayed his piece of artwork and turned a solemn face to his classmates. "This is my family, papa, Fuyu and Ryo-mama. Papa is a doctor. He saves people's lives. He is a very loving papa. Mama plays tennis. He helps to clean the house He also helps to cook, but his food is yucky. He also helps to bathe papa."
The teacher really couldn't see how a tennis player could suddenly end up sounding like a housewife. Also, what was with 'bathing papa'?
"That's…very nice, Tezuka-kun. Just one thing. Your mama is a 'she'. You shouldn't use 'he'." She patted him on the head and ushered him back to his seat.
The child pinned her with a solemn stare which made him look much older than his four years of age. "No. Ryo-mama is a 'he'" He said stubbornly.
The teacher gave a laugh. Poor innocent child. He did not know what he was implying by saying that. She patted him on the head again. "Listen, Tezuka-kun. Your mama's a woman, so your mama is a 'she'." She tried to explain patiently.
Kunifuyu shook his head even more. "No! My mama's a man, so he's a 'he'. My mama is a man like papa."
Tezuka's face was unreadable once the teacher finished narrating everything. Ryoma seemed to have developed some kind of funny twitch, as he didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his son's blatant honesty. Kunifuyu looked at up them expectantly, waiting for them to praise him for being such a nice, good, honest boy. Papa always taught him to tell the truth after all.
"Yes, my son is confused. My apologies. I will correct him afterwards." Tezuka spoke up again, giving a bow.
Ayo gave a wave. "It's fine. It will be terrible if he goes around saying that his mother is a man, and that his papa and mama are both men. It'll be so terrible, especially when his mommy is such a pretty lady here."
Ryoma gave a weak smile in reply, trying to make it look like he agreed full-heartedly with what the teacher said. Once that was done, the Tezuka couple excused themselves and took their son home.
XXX
"Fuyu, set the table like how I taught you. We'll be having lunch at home." Ryoma instructed the minute they entered the house. The brunette child gave an affirmative chirp and ran off to do what his mother told him to. Ryoma took off his disguise and went to change into something more masculine. Also, he needed to wash the makeup off his face. All those girly powder was making his skin uncomfortable.
"Are you all right?" Tezuka asked, looking concerned as Ryoma sighed again.
Ryoma chuckled and leaned back against his husband's chest. "Yeah. I'm just feeling a little worn out from trying to sound and act like a female throughout the whole visit." He reached up and toyed with Tezuka's hair. "It seems that our nightmares are about to begin. How are we going to tell him that our family's not that normal, and that he can't go around telling others that he has two daddies?"
"I'll talk to him." Tezuka promised. They could not dance around the topic forever anyway. Sooner or later their son would grow up, and sooner or later, they'd have to reveal a little of their family secret.
There was nothing wrong with their family, actually. Or at least it felt that way to Tezuka. Granted, his 'wife' was of a gender out of the norm, but still, he had a stable job, a 'wife', a son, and a stable home. Wasn't that what a perfectly ordinary family called for?
Ryoma went to wash up quickly and put on a shirt and a pair of shorts before heading to the kitchen, intending to check on whether his dishes were ready. He was just rearranging the beans on one of the plates when Kunifuyu padded into the kitchen. "Kaa-san. I'm hungry." Kunifuyu complained, even as he tugged on Ryoma's apron after he returned from setting the table.
At hearing what his son called him, Ryoma nearly dropped the fork he was holding in surprise. "K-Kaa-san? Fuyu, when did you learn that? You're supposed to call me tou-san."
Kunifuyu shook his head, even as he put on his stubborn face. "Yadda! Papa is tou-san. Ryo-mama is kaa-san. We learnt that today!"
Ryoma knew that if he started arguing with his son, by the time they were done, they could just skip lunch and dinner, and then proceed on to supper right away. He'd deal with this later.
"Come on. Don't cling to me like that…it's hard to walk." Ryoma frowned down at his son, who smirked cheekily and clung to his leg tighter. Silly, affectionate little brat. Ryoma turned away with a slight smile, though Kunifuyu wasn't able to see that, of course.
"Kunimitsu. Lunch is ready." Ryoma called out as he set the dishes down. His son ran out to the living room and literally dragged Tezuka out of the couch and over to the kitchen table.
Ryoma smiled to himself as he watched Tezuka eat. Having been with his beloved Kunimitsu for so long, and after starting a family with him, Ryoma had long realized that he wished to lessen the burden for his husband, to keep the household peaceful and livable while Tezuka worked so hard for them.
So far, he learnt to do all the housework (having lived so many years without lifting a finger too) and had no complaints for them just so that his husband had a cosy home to return to after a day's work. Initially, he had thought that housework was troublesome, but once he had gotten used to it, it wasn't so bad after all. He'd like to think that he had mastered the art of housework, and gave himself a pat on the back for that.
However, there was one chore he had not quite mastered- cooking. Tezuka always ate his cooking without complaint, so Ryoma would like to think that he was pretty good at it. Sadly, his honest little son decided to bring reality crashing back down on him.
"I don't want to eat anymore." Kunifuyu spoke up, setting his chopsticks down after just a bite and pushing his plate away from him.
Ryoma was in the midst of giving Tezuka seconds, and he frowned at his young son even as he refilled his husband's plate.
"Finish your lunch, Fuyu." He instructed as he settled back into his own seat once he was done giving his husband seconds.
His son turned to him with a slight frown. "It tastes bad."
"It does not! Now finish your food." Ryoma retorted, affronted that his cooking skills were insulted.
His son, having inherited his stubbornness, shook his head and pushed his plate further from him. "It does too. You haven't taken a bite of yours yet."
Ryoma twitched. Wordlessly, he took his chopsticks and picked up a piece of fish from his plate before stuffing it into his mouth gracelessly, as he was determined to prove his son wrong. However, no sooner had he began to chew on it, his expression changed slightly as a look of disgust flitted across his face quickly. It was like chewing on a piece of wood, and he seemed to have read the cooking instructions wrong as the marinade didn't taste any better.
His son gave a chibi Ryoma-smirk. "See?" He sounded far too pleased for Ryoma's liking.
Ryoma managed to force himself to swallow. He threw a side-glance at his husband, who was eating his food without complaint and without any change to his expression (then again, that was probably because it was in his nature). Tezuka had been eating his cooking ever since they started dating, so how was his husband able to tolerate his cooking for so long? In fact, he even seemed to like it.
He turned back to his son. "There. I've eaten one. Now finish your food."
"Yadda!" Kunifuyu protested immediately.
"Don't be picky with food. Eat what you like least first, then move on to those you like more. It's not good to waste." Tezuka finally spoke up.
Kunifuyu pouted a little. He poked at his food and made a brave attempt to eat it. He gave up eventually though. "Gochisousama," he mumbled.
Ryoma decided that he didn't want to force his son to eat anymore if he didn't want to. That being said…he didn't want that much food to remain on his son's plate. "You have not eaten your beans," he pointed out.
Kunifuyu gave a bratty stare. "You haven't either."
Both mother and son began bickering. Tezuka had already finished his lunch, and was now watching the two argue, their words flying back and forth like a ball in a tennis match.
"I have two children in the house instead of one," he sighed, massaging his head.
"Did you say something, Kunimitsu?" Ryoma's voice was dangerous.
"Not at all, dear," his husband replied lightly. The older brunette then turned to his son. "Finish the beans, Kunifuyu. After that you can have some pudding."
The young boy's eyes shone at the mention of the treat. "Pudding!" At least with the thought of an impending reward, Kunifuyu determinedly finished the beans from his plate. After that, he hopped off his chair and went to wash his plate like a good little boy.
With the two adults alone, Tezuka approached his spouse. "You shouldn't be choosy either, Ryoma," he chided lightly.
"Yadda. I don't like beans." Ryoma only cooked it because the cookbook instructed to do so.
Tezuka sighed and took the beans from Ryoma's plate before popping it into his mouth. Ryoma was happy to have his husband finish his food for him.
To his surprise, the next moment Tezuka had covered Ryoma's lips with his own. The kiss overwhelmed the younger male for a while, and it took a while for Ryoma's mind to return from happy la-la land before he realized that his evil husband had force-fed him the beans by mouth.
Tezuka broke the kiss, a small smile playing on his lips. "There. You ate it anyway."
Ryoma gave him an 'I'll-get-back-at-you-for-this' glare before pulling his husband's head down for another kiss.
Oh yes, their family was perfectly normal, and married life was bliss.
XXXXXXXXX
"He called me kaa-san…he doesn't call me Ryo-mama anymore." Ryoma sighed, lying back and propping his head against the pillow.
Tezuka was a little amused at how unhappy Ryoma sounded. Back then, he fought tooth and nail to keep their son from calling him that, and now he was actually missing his nickname?
"Kunifuyu is growing up so fast." Tezuka commented.
"Mm…" Ryoma agreed. "It feels like just yesterday he was still a baby. I can still carry him now, but he's getting a little heavier."
Ryoma's topics nowadays were still very much centred on their young son. Tezuka could barely remember when was the last time he brought up the topic of 'tennis'. He supposed all mothers were like that. After having children, their babies become the centre of their world. Having a son gave them very little time to themselves, and moments of privacy were becoming a rarity. Still, even when they were alone like this, Ryoma would somehow bring up the topic of their son.
Tezuka didn't dislike it, actually, though he wished Ryoma would bring up other topics too. He was starting to miss topics on tennis instead, Ryoma favourite before he gave birth to Kunifuyu.
"Where is Kunifuyu?" Tezuka wondered aloud.
Ryoma was still undressing for bed, and he turned, still half-dressed, at the question. "I put him to bed earlier. He's probably sleeping. Why?"
"No particular reason." Tezuka replied, his eyes taking in his spouse's form.
Ryoma caught his gaze. Having been married to Tezuka for a while now, he had long learnt to read his untalkative husband's subtle gestures and body language. Chuckling, he deliberately remained half-dressed as he walked over to their bed and sat on it.
"Kunimitsu." He only spoke his husband's name, but the meaning behind it caused Tezuka's eyes to gleam.
Tezuka removed his glasses, placed them on the bedside table, and went to his spouse.
XXX
A moan escaped Ryoma's lips as Tezuka continued to kiss him. They hadn't had much time to themselves like this, what with their busy schedules and their duties as parents. Their intimate moments too were exceedingly rare, especially when Kunifuyu was younger and needed their full attention. It was a no wonder his poor husband was getting so frustrated.
The black-green haired man wrapped his arms around Tezuka's neck, holding on tightly as the brunette continued on with the slow exploration of his body. It was a while since they were last intimate, and Ryoma missed this. Ah well, he'd just enjoy the experience. He deserved a treat after a whole day of housework.
"Kunimitsu...shouldn't you use…" he was cut off as Tezuka kissed him again. When Tezuka moved to nibble on the side of his neck, Ryoma found his voice again, even if he could barely speak. "What if I…ah…become pregnant again?"
"I wouldn't mind." It was not fair that Tezuka still seemed so controlled in a situation like this (even if he was the master of control). He continued to drive his spouse crazy with his kisses and feather-light touches, while he himself still looked so collected. "Kunifuyu's going to be five in a few more months. I'm sure he wouldn't mind a little brother or sister."
"But I don't want another child!" Ryoma tried to protest, though it came out half-hearted, since he was preoccupied with the feeling of Tezuka's hands all over him. Surgeons and their evil fingers, to be so careful, so gentle, and so talented. Being a surgeon, Tezuka should know the human body very well, as he was being so generous to demonstrate currently.
Ryoma decided he'd give Tezuka a piece of his mind later. For now, he didn't feel like talking as the make out session went on. As he pulled his husband down for a deeper kiss, he thought he could vaguely hear the soft pounding of footsteps down the hall, heading towards their bedroom.
A sudden thought struck his haze filled mind, and he pulled away from the kiss. "Kunimitsu?"
Tezuka's only response was a nip below his collarbone.
The footsteps were approaching fast, and Ryoma struggled to use whatever was left of his rational mind to sleep. "Kuni- ngh…did you…lock the door?" he asked breathlessly.
Tezuka stiffened, and Ryoma got his answer. That brought his head back to earth in an instant. With his inborn reflexes, he seized a blanket and threw it over both of them, just as the door burst open, and a small, brown-haired bundle of energy flew into the room before jumping onto the bed.
"Kaa-san, I can't sleep!" Kunifuyu complained even as he landed on Tezuka, who gave a soft grunt of pain under the blankets.
Ryoma tried to make it look like he just woke up, as he gave a rather convincing yawn and rubbed his eyes. "Fuyu? What are you doing out of bed?" He was glad his voice sounded normal, and gave himself an inward pat on the back for his acting skills. It was so not easy being a parent.
"I had a bad dream." Kunifuyu informed unhappily. He looked around, noticing Tezuka's absence. "Where is otou-san?"
"Sleeping." Was Ryoma's quick reply. Tezuka was completely hidden under the blankets, and Ryoma knew he was feigning sleep, for he remained as still as possible.
Kunifuyu stared at the blankets. "Otou-san is sleeping on kaa-san?" He asked innocently.
"Well…he was having trouble sleeping so he needed me as a pillow." Ryoma fought to keep his face straight as he spoke. He thought he heard his husband muffle an embarrassed groan against his chest.
His son's eyes lit up. "I want to sleep here too!"
"No." Ryoma cut in quickly. Seeing his son's face fall, Ryoma quickly elaborated before his son could put on his stubborn face. "Your tou-san is tired, so do not disturb his sleep. Go back to your room first. I'll go over to read you a story."
Kunifuyu thought of it a while. "Okay." He relented. He scrambled off the bed and was out the door as swiftly as he had entered.
Ryoma gave a chuckle. "At least he's still at the obedient age." He stroked Tezuka's hair before placing a chaste kiss on his forehead. "Looks like this will have to wait till later."
"We've gotten careless." Tezuka seemed a little disappointed as he rolled off his spouse and watched him crawl out of bed before putting something on. Ryoma padded out of the room, though he stopped at the door and gave Tezuka a smirk.
"Don't fall asleep before I return, Kunimitsu." With that, he left to tend to his son.
Tezuka missed having Ryoma all to himself even as he was left all alone in their room. Now, another male was taking his spouse's attention away. Ah well, it was not easy being a parent.
XXXXXXXXX
Ryoma could no longer remember when he felt this excited in his life…well…not counting the time he married Tezuka, or when he had Kunifuyu. This feeling he had at the moment was rather nostalgic, even as he watched his husband lead their young son to Ryoma's old home.
When Tezuka placed Ryoma's old racquet into Kunifuyu's little hands, their son positively beamed with delight, and the smile on Ryoma's face became wider.
It was Kunifuyu's first real tennis lesson, and Tezuka was more than eager to be the one to teach their son the basics. Not just Kunifuyu though, but the Momoshiro children too. Ryoma trained the Momoshiro's without complaint, since he did impose upon their kindness a lot.
Ryoma sat with his father as the children ran around the courts, happily chasing after the tennis balls like overenthusiastic little puppies. Rinko served tea, which Ryoma sipped as he watched Tezuka correct their son's grip.
"Like father like son eh? That boy is going to be a little terror, considering who his parents are." Nanjirou beamed proudly. Ryoma couldn't help feeling a little miffed that his baka oyaji was this expressive when it came to his grandson, but wasn't as nice to his own son.
It brought back memories though, seeing how Kunifuyu was taught. Ryoma had always known that his husband would make a good tutor. Many years ago, when Ryoma was rehabilitating in Kyuushu, Tezuka did tutor a few young children. Ryoma remembered thinking that Tezuka would be good if he trained a child of his own. Who'd have thought such a wild fantasy could actually become a reality.
"Otou-san, I'm going to play with Takumi-nii and Takaya-nii." Kunifuyu called out even as he clutched Ryoma's old racquet to himself like a prize and zipped across the tennis courts.
"Aa. Yudan sezu ni ikkou." Tezuka advised before going to sit next to his spouse, who passed him a cup of tea. The two shared a smile at their child and his friends' happy laughter, reminding them of their own many years ago.
"We were once like this too. Learning tennis," Ryoma said even as he leaned against Tezuka.
"Aa." Tezuka agreed. Unlike Ryoma, the brunette did not receive training from an early age, and instead learnt to play tennis from a few friends when he was about five. His mother brought him out for a walk and after seeing a game of tennis from two other boys in the park, he became fast friends with them and joined in. Having at least gained the passion for tennis from hanging out with them, he then mastered the basics after entering elementary school, and even created his own skills by the time he reached junior high.
His son seemed to be following more of his footsteps than Ryoma's, or at least, Tezuka was glad that Ryoma wasn't forcing their son to play. Nothing beat gaining a passion of tennis from the fun of playing with friends. He watched as the adventurous little brats tried out a makeshift game of doubles, while discussing in childish chatter over their own homemade rules.
It didn't last long though. Takumi didn't seem to have either Momoshiro's or Ann's talent at tennis. He eventually gave up and retreated to his regular spot under the tree with a book in his hands and his twin baby brothers on his lap. That left only Kunifuyu, Tsugumi and Takaya on the courts. To Ryoma's utter horror, Kunifuyu was completely flattened by both Takaya and Tsugumi. His little son didn't seem to have inherited either his or Kunimitsu's talent, or if he did, he sure wasn't showing it.
"Kunifuyu! That's not how your otou-san taught you to serve!" Ryoma called out, looking a little red-faced at Momoshiro's shameless bark of laughter. A few times, Tezuka had to pat his spouse's hand discreetly to get him to calm down.
Tsugumi seemed to have inherited Momoshiro's strength, that was for sure. Kunifuyu was beaten flat for the seventh time in a row, and when he tried to retrieve a shot, he ended up falling and scraping his knee. Ryoma felt a vein pop as he went inside, seemingly not caring that his son was crying and holding out a hand to him, wanting to be picked up.
Tezuka was the one to go to Kunifuyu, even as he helped his son up and brushed the dirt off his face. "Kunifuyu. When you fall, stand up again. Don't let your guard down. Also, boys don't cry, so dry your tears." He wiped his son's face and carried him in his arms.
Kunifuyu whimpered and stared in the direction Ryoma disappeared too. Lowering his eyes, he buried his face against his father's neck and sniffled. He had seen his mother angry before…quite a number of times, in fact, but this time…he had never seen his mother this scary…at least until today.
Tezuka too threw a wordless glance towards the house. He patted his son on his back and made him sit on a chair. Just as he was about to check on where Ryoma had gone off to, the black-green haired man reemerged from inside one of the rooms with some cotton wool and iodine in his hands.
"Kaa-san?" Kunifuyu asked tentatively. Ryoma didn't say a word as he knelt in front of his son and began cleaning the boy's wounds before dabbing iodine on it. After that, he straightened up and went to put those items away without saying anything to his increasingly anxious son.
"Ryoma…" Tezuka placed a hand on his shoulder, an almost stern look coming into his eyes.
The black-green haired man halted. He turned to the brunette child, who was still staring at him with uncertain golden-hazel eyes. After another long pause, he reached out and placed a hand on his son's head.
"I do not hate you, Kunifuyu. Don't look so afraid of me. I admit I am disappointed, but I do not hate you. I'm a little angry…" At the look Tezuka gave him, Ryoma corrected quickly, "…or not. I'm not angry at all, so don't look so down. I'm sure these poor tennis skills of yours are just a phase you're going through." Another warning look from Tezuka, and Ryoma decided that he really shouldn't be talking when his mood was as bad as that. He went to put everything back, taking the chance to cool his head off while he was at it.
Momoshiro was happily congratulating his brats, even as he gave them both bear hugs. "Ne, Echizen. Don't you think my children are the best? I can't get any prouder of them." He gushed, choosing a very bad time to go into happy daddy mode.
"Shut up." Ryoma mumbled, allowing Kunifuyu to take his hand as he led him home. He had enough for that day anyway.
XXXXXXXXX
Ryoma gave up trying to get his son to play tennis. He never thought that he'd come across a time he'd be this disappointed…well…unless one included the time when he lost the Grand Slam to his father thanks to his pregnancy.
Kunifuyu wasn't exactly…bad, per se. He was better than a certain sportscaster who by now should have gazillion years of tennis experience. (Ryoma didn't bother to keep count, even though said guy repeated it live every time he came on). He just wasn't good. He wasn't Ryoma-good, and neither was he Tezuka-good. For now, Tezuka junior was just too mada mada dane.
"Heh. Now you know how I felt when I played against you, seinen." His baka oyaji's words did little to make him feel any better. The only one who still bothered to play tennis with Fuyu now was Tezuka. Ryoma wanted to, but when he did, he'd end up giving the boy a good thrashing, even if he intentionally played at his worst. Said boy would then end up depressed the whole day, which in turn would make Ryoma want to break things and throw tennis balls out of windows.
For a while, things became strained, ironically thanks to Ryoma's favourite sport, that was, until Tezuka put his foot down and made sure Ryoma didn't bring up any mention of Kunifuyu's not so good skills. Ryoma and Kunifuyu's interaction eventually returned to normal, just as long as there was no mention of tennis.
Ryoma tried to focus on Kunifuyu's academic achievement, like what any normal mother would do. If it was any consolation, his son was a studious child, thankfully inheriting that from his father and not from his mother. Ah well… his son didn't need to be good at everything. Ryoma was good enough for both of them anyway.
His son left pre-school and began his days in kindergarten. On the first day of school, the brunette child clung to Ryoma's legs, but from the second day onwards, it seemed that his son was bold enough to walk in on his own. Ryoma just needed to see him to the gate and wave at his son, who would then run inside the building, eager to start the day's lessons.
Ryoma wasn't too worried for his son. The child could take care of himself. If he was this eager to learn, he probably had good teachers too…whoever he or she was…
XXX
"Yukimura-sensei! I've finished colouring this!" Kunifuyu chirped happily, even as he waved his completed art in the air, trying to catch the blue-haired teacher's attention.
The teacher smiled at the child. He had barely taken a few steps towards Kunifuyu when yet another hand shot up into the air.
"Yukimura-sensei! My art is completed too!" This time the speaker was a black-haired girl, who threw a chibi glare at Kunifuyu, obviously not liking the idea of being outdone by the brunette boy.
The blue-haired teacher walked over to the two children, collecting their artwork before looking at them briefly. "Mm…very well done. They're lovely." He praised them with a gentle smile on his face. Both had drawn some kind of unidentified shapes, and topped it off with a splatter of colours. However, they were children, and to Yukimura, it was all part of their growing process.
"Why don't you two have your break now? Come back when you hear the clock chime twice," he told them gently.
The two gave a happy chirp of laughter and dashed off towards the dining area, where some of their friends were already enjoying some peanut butter sandwiches. Yukimura collected their artwork and colouring pencils before cleaning up the table. Before he could head in to check on the children, however, a black-haired man poked his head into the doorway.
"Seiichi. Is it your break time yet?" The man asked curiously, looking at the few children who were still busying themselves with their unfinished art.
Yukimura nodded lightly. "It's about time for their tea, so come on in, Genichirou."
When Sanada walked into the room, the children gave a chirp of greeting, having seen him around their Yukimura-sensei on a number of occasions. He crossed the room and headed over to Yukimura's side, noticing the smile on Yukimura's face as he picked up one of the children's drawings and studied it.
"Their creativity is wonderful, don't you think so, Genichirou?"
"Hn." Sanada agreed, though he was secretly unimpressed by how the children had mutilated the picture of a house. Ah well, as long as Yukimura was happy, he was fine with it too.
Yukimura seemed to know that he wasn't too interested in children's drawings and set it down before turning to the black-haired man, smiling. "You were in the area?"
"Aa. I happened to pass here on my way back from the supermarket's. You're going to head off soon right? I'll wait for you, and we can walk home together." Sanada told him.
Yukimura gave the man a warm smile, even as he reached out to touch his hand lightly.
To the little children, Sanada was just an onii-chan who dropped by to make their teacher happy. If only their innocent little minds knew better…
XXXXXX
Tezuka Kunikazu and Sanada Gen'emon sat facing each other, with a shougi board between them.
It was now Kunikazu's turn, and he furrowed his brows even as he concentrated, being careful not to give any loopholes to his old friend from his police days. Gen'emon was a formidable foe, and currently, their win-lose count tied at 105-105. He did not want to break that tie.
"I say, Tezuka. You're looking a little tired today. Are things going well with you?" His friend asked, concerned.
Kunikazu gave a sigh. "It's nothing, old friend." 'Just some family troubles.'
Gen'emon didn't want to pry, as he moved yet another piece on the board. "Ah well. I suppose it all comes as part of growing older. Speaking of which, I haven't seen your grandson in a while. Is he doing well?"
'He's happily hitched to a guy.' "Yes he is. He's a surgeon now." Kunikazu muttered, not wanting to hear that name. He still pined for his good, obedient brunette grandson. Curse that tennis player and his short shorts for seducing his grandson.
"That's good to hear." Gen'emon moved a piece, and right when it was Kunikazu's turn again, they heard someone entering the house. A black haired young man poked his head in.
"Great-grandfather, how are you? I'm checking to see if dad's here. I can't seem to find him anywhere." The man spoke up.
Gen'emon smiled and shook his head. "I'm afraid not. He's probably at your mom's side of the family?"
"Probably. Anyway, I bought some yakisoba on the way back. I'll put it on the table then."
"You're such a thoughtful child. Thank you. By the way, this is Tezuka Kunikazu, my good friend." Gen'emon introduced. Both Kunikazu and the man bowed. "and this is my great-grandson, Sanada Sasuke."
"Nice to finally meet you. Great-grandfather has been speaking about you a lot." The young man smiled.
"Has he?" Kunikazu bowed again as the young man excused himself and took his leave. Once he was out of sight, he turned to his old friend. "Your great grandson sure is polite. You must be proud of him."
"I am." There was unmistakable pride in Gen'emon's voice. "He turns 23 tomorrow."
"He's already that grown up?" Kunikazu couldn't help sounding surprised. His old friend was probably just around his age, but he already had a great-grandson who was at that age. Kunikazu's great grandson was at most…what, five this year?
"Hai. Ah…the only mistake my oldest son ever made was to have a child at 18. I have never been more ashamed of him in my entire life. It was a good thing he took responsibility and married the mother though, or I would have had him thrown out of this place. He's learnt from it though, and he raised a wonderful son, so I have no more complaints." Gen'emon moved another shougi piece as he spoke.
Kunikazu sighed. "Fellows from the younger generation nowadays…" Ah well, at least his family was not the only one with problems. Speaking of younger, that reminded him. "What about your other grandson…Sanada Genichirou, if I recall correctly. Is he married yet?"
Gen'emon's hand halted abruptly above one of the pieces. Had his friend's expression just darkened, or was that just Kunikazu's imagination?
"…He's married…" Wasn't that something to be happy with? Why did he sound like he was talking about his grandson's funeral instead? "His wife is very…ah…pretty…for a guy."
Kunikazu promptly choked on his tea. "Excuse me?"
Gen'emon flushed, looking embarrassed. "I really do not like talking about it, but since we're old friends, I guess I can tell you about it. My younger grandson, Genichirou…fell in love with a guy during his high school days. Heard they met in the tennis club. He told us about it after he graduated and started working. Said he wanted to marry the guy."
Ah yes. The bomb. Kunikazu could still remember what that was like when his Kunimitsu dropped it on him. What was with these cursed tennis clubs turning good little grandsons into happy not-so-straight people anyway?
"You allowed him to?" Kunikazu tried not to sound too shocked over it.
Gen'emon flinched minutely at how terrible Kunikazu made it sound. He scratched his face and looked uncomfortable. "Eh…young people these days. When they make up their minds, there is nothing you can do to stop them. I proposed a challenge to him, one which was supposed to be in my favour and not his. I told him that if he really wanted to take that man as his wife…"
"You want me to fight against nii-sama?" Sanada asked incredulously. Nearby, Yukimura stood with his hands clasped; looking calm save for the uneasy glance he threw at Sanada's grandfather from time to time.
Gen'emon threw a kendo sword over, and said item landed right before Sanada's feet. He remained unsmiling as he threw his younger grandson a serious stare. "I will only approve of your relationship with this…man…if you defeat your brother in a duel."
He was going to win this. He was pretty sure of it. If it were tennis, Genichirou would beat his brother flat, but if it were kendo…he had never won against his brother before. Not since he was a child. Not ever.
"Gen…" The blue-haired young man whose gender was still debatable sounded concerned. Sanada remained expressionless for a while, and a heartbeat later, he bent down and picked up the sword.
"I understand. I accept the challenge, grandfather. If I win this, you will have no more reason to object to Seiichi and my relationship."
"That is if you win. If I win, you will break it off with him. I refuse to have a man as my own grandson's spouse." Gen'emon gave a nod, and Sanada's older brother stepped out from behind their parents.
"You know, you really do not need to do this, Genichirou." Sanada's older brother spoke lightly. There was thinly veiled worry in his voice.
Sanada's gaze remained steady. "I'm not afraid, nii-sama. I will win this."
"For your sake I hope so, little brother. I hope so." The older of the two siblings got into a defensive stance, while Sanada attacked.
About ten minutes later, Sanada was defeated. Gen'emon could barely hide the smile on his face. This outcome was inevitable. Now, his grandson would have no choice but to…
"Onii-sama…please…let me try again." Sanada's voice was filled with stubborn determination.
"Please stop, Genichirou. You still need more practice." Sanada's brother tried not to sound too worried.
Sanada stubbornly refused to back down, and Gen'emon watched him get beaten over and over again. The longer it dragged on, the more delighted Gen'emon was, since it would only serve to dampen Sanada's spirits. Sooner or later, he'd give up and see the error of his ways.
The prolonged duel was making Sanada's brother frustrated, as he parried a blow again. "Why are you being so stubborn, Genichirou? Ojii-sama is strongly opposed to this. Otherwise he would not have arranged for you to fight against me. He trained us both personally, and he knows our weaknesses and strengths best. Give up, Genichirou."
"Did you give up too, nii-sama?" Sanada asked quietly. He threw his older brother a steady stare. "Did you give up to when you wanted to marry nee-sama, and everyone in the family was opposed to it because you were only 18"
"That's because she was already carrying Sasuke…" Sanada's older brother seemed to think it over. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Maa. I guess we're both alike in that way. Stubborn when it comes to pursuing our partners. Let me ask you this then. Can that man over there make you happy?"
Sanada threw a glance at Yukimura, who was watching him with his hands clasped tightly before him, almost as if in prayer. He turned back into his brother. "He can. He already does."
His brother gave a soft chuckle. "That is all I need to hear." Raising his voice, his pointed his kendo sword at his younger brother. "Genichirou, if you can get even one 'pon' from me, you can be with that guy. I'm done defending. I'll attack this time."
"What?" Sanada was a little taken aback by the change in his older brother's demeanor. Before he could even blink, his brother's eyes narrowed, and Sanada could almost sense his killing intent. In the next blink, Sanada's older brother charged, swinging his kendo sword so quickly that Sanada could barely keep up. He only managed to see the sword's path thanks to his many years of tennis, where he had to deal with speedy returns. He was reduced to defending from his brother's relentless attacks, while trying to look for an opening so that he could counterattack.
After nearly five minutes, which to him felt like an eternity, he miraculously found one. At his brother's next swing, he ducked and aimed for a shot at his brother's head.
The sound of Sanada's wooden sword connecting with his older brother's headgear rang through the dojo. For a while, nobody moved. His brother broke everyone out of their staring as he burst out laughing.
"Way to go, Genichirou. You did it." With that, he carried his kendo sword and walked away, humming.
A semi-stunned Sanada walked back to Yukimura, who took his hand. "That last move was brilliant, Genichirou."
"It wasn't…" Sanada spoke numbly. At Yukimura's questioning gaze, he elaborated. "Nii-sama did all that on purpose. He staged that on the spot so that I can find a weak spot and get a convincing victory. I really am no match to him after all."
While everyone else spoke in awe about the match, it was no surprise that Gen'emon wasn't fooled. "Genkishi! You slacked off at that last move on purpose!" He roared.
Sanada's older brother turned around. "What are you talking about, ojii-sama? Genichirou won fair and square. Please keep your word."
"You can't fool me, young man. You…"
"Besides…I do think that things will work out between Yukimura-kun and him. You want to see Genichirou happy too, don't you, ojii-sama?" The older of the two siblings cut him off.
Gen'emon was left speechless with rage, while Genkishi returned to his family. He threw a look at Yukimura. "I'll leave my little brother to you then, Yukimura-kun."
Of course, Gen'emon refused to back down completely. He still had a few terms and conditions for his grandson.
"Fine…I will allow you to go with that man…if you quit tennis and take over my dojo."
"Hai, ojii-sama." There was no hesitation in Sanada's voice. How could he be that serious over a bloke? It made Gen'emon shudder thinking of it. He next turned to the pretty male standing next to Sanada. "As for you, I will be present for the wedding. However, you will wear a gown and hide your real gender. I refuse to let the relatives find out that you're a male. Is that clear?"
"Ojii-sama! That's just-" Sanada began to protest, though Yukimura placed a hand on his arm lightly to calm him.
"I understand." Yukimura's voice was steady. He turned to Sanada and gave him a smile. "You've worked hard to gain your family's approval. I'll do what I can too."
"So the wedding was finalized and everyone was none the wiser. In fact, Yukimura-kun pulled the wedding gown off so well that it wasn't even funny. A few of the unmarried relatives had their spirits and confidence crushed just by looking at him. It was a good thing they didn't know he is male. Here I thought Genichirou was joking when he spoke so highly of his captain who had the uncanny ability to crush his opponents' spirit on the courts. I can see that it works in a chapel too." He sighed. "So yes, my family is now messed up beyond recognition. One grandson married too early, the other married a bloke."
Kunikazu didn't know how to react to his old friend's story. He didn't know if he should be disgusted or if he should pity him. Before he could say anything, however, Gen'emon spoke up again. "It's at times like these I envy you, Tezuka. Your obedient grandson would never do something like this. He's probably married to a nice girl."
'More guy than girl, actually.' Kunikazu thought, even as he gave a weak laugh.
"If it wasn't because I already have one grandson to continue on the family line, I would have dead protested against Genichirou marrying a guy. Now I've simply gotten used to it that I don't mind it as much. Things are different for you, Tezuka, since you only have one grandson. At least he didn't turn out like mine. Do you have any great-grandchildren yet?" Gen'emon asked curiously.
Kunikazu stiffened. "I do have…one great grandson…"
His friend raised an eyebrow. "I've never heard you speak of him. That's great!"
'Of course I wouldn't speak of him. First my grandson married a man, then somehow managed to get him pregnant and said man gave birth to a boy…I don't even want to know how he managed it…' Kunikazu was so lost in his thoughts that he nearly missed his friend's next question. "What's his name?"
"Oh…uh…Tezuka Kuni…" Ah darn…what was that brat's name again? It was something cold…something very cold… "Kunisamui." He stated, hoping he was right.
"I see. I hope to see your grandson's family one day." His friend smiled. Kunikazu nearly passed out from horror at the mere thought of letting anyone know what his grandson's family was like.
Gen'emon stared down at the board as he wanted to resume the match. He frowned. "Urm…Tezuka? Are you feeling all right?"
"Yes. Why?" Kunikazu tried to push all those distressing thoughts out of his mind.
Gen'emon pointed to the shougi board. "You've been moving all my pieces…"
XXXXXX
So now, Sanada finally had his dream come true. He once swore that he'd always stay by Yukimura's side to watch over him, a resolve strengthened especially after Yukimura's bout of sickness. Who would have thought that he'd be fortunate enough to be married to the man of his dreams?
True to his promise to his grandfather, he took over his grandfather's dojo, allowing the old man to retire and leave everything to him. He and Yukimura were staying with his parents and grandparents. Gen'emon had hinted that he wanted to pass the house and the dojo down to Sanada in the future anyway.
He was glad that his grandfather accepted Yukimura in the end. Then again, he didn't think anyone could hate his sweet Seiichi. Yukimura was a dutiful grandson-in-law, as he helped out in the house, and even played shougi with his grandfather when the latter got bored. Needless to say, Gen'emon eventually stopped addressing him as 'that man' and started addressing him as 'Seiichi-kun'.
Gen'emon would probably prefer to call his grandson-in-law Yukimura-kun, though…thanks to a certain senile pastor's blunder, that would be calling like calling his own grandson too. Sanada could still remember the day they were married. The old paster kept getting his and Yukimura's names wrong, and when it came for them to sign the wedding documents, Sanada's pen hovered over the piece of paper as he frowned.
Husband – Yukimura Seiichi
Wife – Yukimura Genichirou
Oh kami…
Gen'emon nearly passed out in his seat at seeing how his grandson was in danger of losing his family name. Sanada suppressed the urge to yell at the pastor, even as he tried phrase the correction nicely. Yukimura peered at the piece of paper and chuckled, giving an offhanded comment about it.
"I rather like the idea of you taking my surname, Gen."
Yukimura later clarified that he was only joking, but Sanada made up his mind. If it would make Seiichi happy, he would then be…Yukimura Genichirou.
Gen'emon fainted for real after that…
They were blissfully married. However, since they were both males, neither could give the other any children. Yukimura loved children. Sanada could still remember visiting him at the hospital only to find the blue-haired man beauty telling stories to young patients there. Since they couldn't have any children, Yukimura did the next best thing – by becoming a kindergarten teacher, where he would get to see happy little faces all the time.
He really enjoyed his job, for which Sanada was glad. He watched fondly as Yukimura went to talk to the kids, and even fed some of them. Sanada wondered why they would need help eating sandwiches. Such attention seeking brats.
Speaking of attention, he found himself getting distracted as a chibi fist-fight broke out between a young boy and girl seated at one of the tables. Yukimura was quick to stride over and break it off.
"Momoshiro-chan, Tezuka-kun. Stop this at once." Yukimura chided lightly.
Both of them obeyed, especially since Yukimura used his stern voice.
"He/she started it!" The two accused simultaneously while pointing at each other. The girl stuck her tongue at the boy, who repaid the favour equally.
Yukimura sighed. He didn't know such rivalry could exist from such a young age. "It doesn't matter who started it first. Say sorry to each other."
"Sowee." They obeyed, though the boy sneakily pulled one of the girl's pigtails. She gave a squeal and hit him, sparking off another war.
The two adults had to pull them apart, with Sanada holding the boy, and Yukimura holding the girl. "It's not good to bully others. Your parents will not like that, will they?"
"Sowee." The boy sniffled, looking guilty.
Sanada would have made him run laps around the room, but Yukimura was way too soft when it came to children. He merely patted the boy on the head and ruffled his hair. "There, there, Tezuka-kun. You've apologized, so it's all right now." He let the two children return to their seats.
Sanada blinked as he thought he heard wrong. He gaped at the child. "Wait…Seiichi…what did you say his name was again?"
Yukimura smiled. He gestured to the boy. "Meet Tezuka Kunifuyu. He's Tezuka's Kunimitsu's son."
Sanada studied the child. The little brunette bore an uncanny resemblance to Tezuka, even at such a young age, so that was pretty believable.
"I see. Tezuka married a woman then." He spoke quietly. It looked like that relationship didn't last.
Yukimura's smile remained unchanging. "He married Echizen Ryoma."
Sanada frowned. "They adopted a son? Tezuka paid for a surrogate mother?"
Yukimura shook his head for both, and that smile was starting to scare his husband.
"Then how…" Sanada's words died off as the brunette child looked up at that moment, and their eyes locked. Dark eyes met golden-hazel orbs. Bratty golden-hazel orbs.
"It…can't be…they're both male…"
"Mm-hmm… they are…and that's their son." Yukimura was looking a little gleeful now. He was obviously amused at the expression on Sanada's face.
"I think I need to sit down." He mumbled even as he left the dining hall and walked back to the classroom. Yukimura joined him there, even as he dropped into the chair next to Sanada's.
"Genichirou, it's not like this is the first time you heard about this. Wasn't there one other case similar to this?" Yukimura asked, even as he rubbed Sanada's shoulders lightly.
Sanada still looked a little green. "Yes, but that pair isn't quite counted. They're abnormal anyway, their minds, and definitely their taste buds. I nearly had a heart attack hearing about the last one, and now we have another?"
Yukimura smiled and allowed his husband's over imaginative mind time to calm down. Once Sanada could think clearly again, he realized that he had a question.
"Who was the…urm…unfortunate one then? Tezuka or Echizen?" He asked.
Yukimura tilted his head to one side. "Who do you think it was?"
Sanada paused for quite a long while, seemingly considering it very seriously. At long last, he spoke up again. "I…don't think it was Tezuka…"
XXX
When Ryoma arrived to pick his son from school that day, he found himself facing a very familiar face. Now what was his name again? He was bad with names. It was "Sa"-something. Sa… Sa…
"Ah. Santa!" He exclaimed.
The black haired man twitched. "You're definitely Echizen. You have not changed at all, despite your current appearance." Sanada gave him a once over. Ryoma looked convincingly like a woman in his outfit, complete with his brown wig too.
Kunifuyu tugged on Ryoma's skirt. "Kaa-san. He's not Santa. He's scarier looking than Santa. He's Sanada-san." The child corrected innocently.
Ryoma threw Sanada a smirk. "I agree. He's nowhere near as nice as Santa."
"Hmph. So you're a mother now." Sanada said deliberately.
Ryoma's smirk disappeared, only to be replaced by a scowl. "Do you have a problem with that?" He was touchy if anyone aside from his son called him "mother".
"No. Not at all. I'd only have a problem with it if Tezuka were the mother."
A vein popped in Ryoma's head. He narrowed his eyes, getting especially agitated because Sanada was still staring down at him even after so many years. Would this guy ever stop growing?
"Why don't we settle this in a match?" He'd love to see this Emperor's skills after so many years. He'd crush him and his annoying Fuurinkazan.
Sanada remained expressionless, though for some reason, there was a glint of wistfulness in those eyes. Before Ryoma could throw him the challenge again, however, Yukimura walked to the door, smiling demurely at him.
"Echizen, it's good to see you again. Your son is quite hardworking, as usual. He drew this." He passed Kunifuyu's artwork over to the currently brunette Ryoma.
Ryoma took the paper, and instantly any animosity he felt towards Sanada was forgotten as he smiled slightly. "Heh. He takes after his father a lot."
"I suppose he does. Speaking of which, how is Tezuka doing now?"
Ryoma smiled lightly at the mention of his husband. "He is well. Ah, he was promoted as Head of Department just recently. I guess it was because he was ranked best in Operating Theatre." Sanada could see how proud Ryoma was showing off his husband in that sentence itself.
Yukimura smiled. "It's thanks to his yudan sezu ni ikkou motto, isn't it? Speaking of which, how are you doing now? You still playing tennis?"
That was a pretty bad question to ask, as Ryoma's expression darkened immediately. Yukimura was about to change the topic when he spoke up. "I retired." He threw a side-glance at his son, who was watching the adults cluelessly, completely oblivious to what they could be talking about.
Yukimura was sympathetic. "Ah…I see…because…"
"You were pregnant?" Sanada probably hadn't intended to say that, but he blurted it anyway, since the question still weighed heavily on his mind.
Ryoma threw him another withering look. "Do you really have a problem with that, Sanada-san? We could settle this in a match. I can take you on anytime, and you'll have to shave yourself bald if I win."
Before Sanada could throw a retort, Yukimura spoke up first. "Genichirou is just shocked. He doesn't react well to news like this. Not before, not now."
"Hn." Ryoma paused for a while before something Yukimura mentioned sank in. "Before?"
Yukimura continued on, sidestepping Ryoma's question. "Also, Genichirou stopped playing tennis for a while now. He is in charge of his dojo, and has to put his full attention into it."
"Heh. That's a waste though. He would have at least entertained me for fifteen minutes on the courts." Ryoma smirked.
Sanada twitched, while Yukimura gave a sad smile. "It was a sacrifice he had to make…in order to marry me."
Ryoma blinked. "I see." He finally said, for once not sounding snarky about it. There was an almost serious expression on his face.
Yukimura gave a soft chuckle. "I take it your family isn't too accepting about this either?"
"Mine was. Kunimitsu's wasn't. It will probably take a while before they fully accept Kunimitsu again…or even my son…." He reached down and stroked his son's brown hair.
There was a slightly uncomfortable pause between them. Ryoma was the one to start the conversation going again…with tennis. "So…what about you, Yukimura-san? Are you still playing tennis now?"
Yukimura shook his head. "Not really. Only with Genichirou. He had to quit tennis because of me, so the least I could do is stay by him."
"You're being silly, Seiichi. Didn't I say it's up to you? You really didn't need to do that." Sanada muttered, though Ryoma sensed no anger in his words. Only a slight hint of guilt.
Yukimura patted his hand and turned to Ryoma. "What about you, Echizen-kun. Are you intending to return to the tennis world?"
Ryoma didn't say a thing, as he looked down at his son, who stared back at him with large, innocent eyes. He subconsciously squeezes Kunifuyu's hand a little. "Saa…"
XXXXXXXXX
When Tezuka returned home that day, Ryoma had just warmed dinner, and set it on the table before joining him there. The brunette had called earlier to inform Ryoma that he would be late, and asked him not to wait up for him. His spouse stubbornly did though, and by the looks of it he hadn't eaten either.
"Ryoma, you should eat first. Eating too late isn't good for you." Tezuka sighed, even as he picked up his chopsticks and began on his meal. Ryoma bought him his favourite unacha from the family restaurant they usually frequented.
"I could say the same of you, Kunimitsu. You're coming home really late nowadays," Ryoma grumbled slightly.
Tezuka threw him an expressionless stare. "I've mentioned this before, Ryoma. Ever since I was made Head of Department, my workload increased. I will not be able to return home so early."
"I know." Ryoma exhaled softly and rested his head on his hand once he had finished his meal, even as he watched Tezuka eat.
"Had Kunifuyu eaten?" Tezuka asked, looking around for his young son.
Ryoma nodded. "Of course. I wouldn't let him eat late. We were watching the Australian Open earlier, so I guess he's still in the living room."
Ah. It was a while since Tezuka could actually make it back for the games, and with Kunifuyu still awake too. Finishing the last of his dinner quickly, the brunette went to deal with the dishes before coming out of the kitchen, taking Ryoma's hand and leading him to the sitting room. Kunifuyu looked up and gave a happy exclamation of "otou-san" at the sight of him before settling between them.
Usually, if they ever had the chance to watch tennis matches together, Ryoma would make bratty comments of all the players' faults and weaknesses, and Kunifuyu would parrot him, while Tezuka would smile in amusement.
Today, however, Ryoma was unusually quiet, even though one of the players performed abysmally, and lost by a landslide of 1-6. Kunifuyu's comments of the losing player being careless did little to make Ryoma talk. Tezuka soon found himself studying his spouse with concern more than he was actually watching the game.
"Fuyu, it's time for bed." Ryoma spoke up after some time. His son looked up at him a little pitifully even as he protested, but Ryoma was already used to his son's "cute" tactic, and picked him up before heading to the child's bedroom.
Tezuka followed them. He could hear Ryoma talking briefly to Kunifuyu before tucking him into bed. The child remained seated though, even as he threw his arms around Ryoma's neck and pulled him closer. "Okaa-san. I love you." He gave Ryoma a kiss.
Ryoma seemed a little surprised as to where Kunifuyu could have picked that up from, since Ryoma was neither expressive nor affectionate when it came to his feelings towards his son. It must be the result of letting Kunifuyu hang out with the Momoshiro family too much. He gave his son a pat and a goodnight kiss on his forehead before heading out of the room. Once the door was closed behind him, Ryoma slumped against it, looking dazed even as he held the cheek where Kunifuyu kissed him.
Tezuka gave a playful smile even as he kissed Ryoma on the other cheek. "If only you'd have such a happy expression on your face too when I kiss you, 'okaa-san'"
"Shut up." Ryoma punched him lightly on the arm. Tezuka chuckled and led his spouse back to their room.
Ryoma sat on their bed while Tezuka changed into his nightwear. The pensive look returned, and he went back to being silent.
"What's bothering you, Ryoma? I don't think you were really watching the match earlier either." Tezuka spoke up.
Ryoma stood up and walked towards his husband, who raised an eyebrow at him. He touched Tezuka's arm briefly. "Kunimitsu…please do not get angry with what I'm about to say…"
Tezuka wasn't too sure of how to interpret that, so he remained quiet, waiting for Ryoma to continue. The black-green haired man squeezed his hand slightly. "I…I want to go back to pro tennis."
When Tezuka made no comment to that, Ryoma spoke quickly in defense. "You see, it's been a while since I quit, and I really miss this…and Kunifuyu's already five so he's slightly more grown up and…"
"I understand." Tezuka stopped him. Ryoma avoided his eyes, as he wasn't too sure of what Tezuka thought about that. He must sound like such an irresponsible parent, to head off and leave his young son like this. Still, Ryoma wasn't getting any younger, and he wanted to play the sport he loved most while he still had the chance. "I pretty much knew that this day would come sooner or later anyway."
"You're not angry?" Ryoma peeked tentatively.
Tezuka gave a wistful smile and made him sit down on their bed before dropping onto the spot next to him. He took Ryoma's hands. "Do you remember what I told you…when you first found out you were carrying Kunifuyu?"
Ryoma gave a slow nod, and Tezuka continued on. "Your career was cut short because of it. Usually, most people would make sure to do whatever they wanted to in life before settling down and having children, but you didn't have that luxury. It would be unfair to stop you from pursuing your career just because we have a child now. I did mention that if you do return to pro tennis, I'll take care of our child, so you can go ahead without worries."
Ryoma seemed a little troubled. "I'm sorry, Kunimitsu." He finally spoke up, swallowing slightly.
Tezuka wrapped his arms around his spouse and embraced him. "You're not doing anything wrong, Ryoma. Think of us, write to us, and come home whenever you can. When you return to your tennis, aim for the top and be the pillar. Yudan sezu ni ikkou."
Ryoma gave a small smile and nodded against Tezuka's chest. "Uisu."
XXXXXXXXX
The terminal was packed that day. Ryoma was in his disguise, even as he and his family made their way to the departure gates.
Kunifuyu was pretty expressionless. Ryoma could still remember how unhappy the child looked when both he and Tezuka tried to explain the situation to him, and he only let Ryoma's leg go after Tezuka talked to the child, explaining that it was for Ryoma's happiness too.
As much as Ryoma was eager to return to New York, he found himself facing conflicting feelings when the announcement was made to board his flight. Kneeling down, he came to face level with his son and patted his head. "Fuyu, listen carefully. I will be away, but I will be back whenever I can, and the three of us can go out for yakiniku again. When I'm gone, you'll be a good boy, won't you?" At his son's nod, Ryoma smiled. "Take care of your otou-san on my behalf." He stood up again and turned to Tezuka. The brunette gave him a hug, and seemed a little surprised when Ryoma initiated a kiss in public view, but welcomed it all the same.
"Take care, Kunimitsu." He whispered into his husband's ear.
"You too, Ryoma." Tezuka released him when it was second call for boarding, and both father and son watched as Ryoma threw them one final wave before picking up his traveling bag and heading over to the gate.
Tezuka led his son to the huge glass windows to watch Ryoma plane, which started to take off shortly after the final call for boarding. This would be the first time his son would be separated from his mother for a long time. Kunifuyu didn't make a sound when it began to move, but when it headed to the runway, he shook off Tezuka's hold on his hand and started running along the terminal, looking out of the window as he tried to catch up with Ryoma's plane.
"Kunifuyu!" Tezuka jogged after him. His son stopped once he reached the end of the building, and he watched and waved as his mother's plane took off, soaring into the air until it became nothing but a tiny little speck. When Tezuka finally caught up with him, only then he stopped waving.
Tezuka picked his son up, ruffling his hair slightly. "Well, let's look forward to the next time okaa-san returns to us with stories to tell about tennis. In the meantime, let's go home. Do you want to go to Kawamura oji-san's place today?"
Kunifuyu threw another look out of the window, looked back at his father and gave a nod. They came as a family of three, but now, it was just the two of them who went home.
To be continued…
A/N: I apologize for the massive delay in this one. Got a bit of a writer's block from work stress.
Just to mention a few things to avoid confusion.
Sanada addressed his older brother's wife as "nee-sama". Just to clarify, they're not blood related.
The kendo term "pon" is something like a point. Or at least that's what I read in Katekyo Hitman Reborn. XD
I do not own one of the names in there. Borrowed it from KHR. I just needed something which starts with "Gen" XD
If I missed out anything or made any mistakes (spelling or grammatical), please mention it in your review. Running off to deal with tutorials…no wait, coursework marks first…
Please Read and Review. No Flames Please
-Gwyn