Aishuu Offers:

A Tale of Two Tezukas
Disclaimers: Thoroughly not mine.
Notes: A Prince of Tennis/Here is Greenwood crossover – it was inevitable. For beckymarie.

Part One:

It wasn't uncommon for people to stop by Seigaku's practice to observe the players. They were, after all, on the fast track to the Kantou championships, and rival schools would have been fools to ignore them. The two boys standing outside the fence that Saturday, though, attracted Inui's notice for another reason.

He didn't recognize their uniform.

That was decidedly odd - he thought he knew of every uniform of every school in the tournament and a few of the other major Tokyo schools for good measure, but the blue blazers weren't bringing anything to mind.

He frowned, studying their faces. Like most people, they seemed to be looking around with a peculiar expression that Inui had come to learn meant that they were probably hoping to see Tezuka play. Which was too bad, because Tezuka was still inside, meeting with Ryuuzaki-sensei. Glancing over at Oishi, he cocked an eyebrow at the two. "We have observers today," he noted.

Oishi nodded, seeming a bit thoughtful. "What school?"

"I don't know," Inui admitted, the words tasting vile.

"Hmmm?" Fuji said, coming over to stand by them. "You don't?"

Inui shook his head. "No."

"It might be because they're scouts," Fuji said, tapping his hand against the gut of his racquet. "They seem too old to be middle school students."

Inui's chagrin grew as he turned to look more closely at the two in the uniforms. Sure enough, they looked several years older than everyone else on the court, probably well into high school.

"They're after Tezuka," Oishi realized.

"Probably," Inui agreed. "Do you want to get rid of them or should I?"

"Why not let them stay? Tezuka can take care of himself," Fuji said, smiling still. "They're not bothering anyone."

Inui sighed. "I don't like it." He always got paranoid around too many eyes. It just wasn't as easy to coach when others were watching the situation.

"I'll tell them they have to leave," Oishi said.

"I'll come," Fuji said. "I want to know what school they come from."

The two strangers turned when the trio from Seigaku came over to stand across from them, separated by the fence. Even though they were on unfamiliar ground, the one with silver hair seemed amused at them, though the blond was properly embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," Oishi began apologetically, "but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. We don't let people watch our practices without permission from our captain."

The blond looked ready to say something, but the one with silver hair held up a hand to forestall whatever that was. "We're actually here to see your captain," said the silver-haired young man.

"If you're trying to recruit him-" Inui began, ready to give a standard rejection since Tezuka had made it quite clear he intended on entering Seishun High School.

The two snickered. Fuji gave them a puzzled looked, but the blond waved a hand to stall as he tried to catch his breath. "Sorry, sorry. It's just neither of us plays tennis."

Now the Seigaku trio was thoroughly puzzled. "If you don't want to recruit Tezuka, why do you want to see him?" Oishi asked.

"He's family," the silver haired one said.

"Huh?" Oishi echoed as Fuji's eyes fluttered open in surprise and Inui fumbled for a notebook.

The boy held out his hand. "My name's Tezuka Shinobu. Tezuka Kunimitsu is my cousin."

Tezuka Kunimitsu rarely got "the feeling" that something was going to go wrong, but that day as he talked to Ryuuzaki Sumire about plans for the upcoming game with Hyotei, it struck him with a vengeance.

It was hard to concentrate on plans about possible player combinations when he felt like someone was dancing merrily on his grave, but Tezuka never let his anxiety show to anyone. He forced himself to pay attention, knowing that if anything was going wrong with the club, Oishi would be able to handle it – and Oishi he wasn't, someone would get him. Still, when Tezuka finally took his leave of his coach, he pulled his jacket around himself just a bit tighter, unable to shake the unsettling feeling that something was up – and knowing he was probably right. It didn't happen often, but when his instincts started to warn him, Tezuka was wise enough to pay attention.

The path to the tennis court was as familiar as the back of his hands, and instead of relaxing, he felt his stomach tighten. Various scenarios began to shape in his mind, and knowing the players he was forced to attempt to keep in line, day in and day out, even the worst of what he could come up with probably wasn't anywhere near the reality. There was some truth in the accusations that Tezuka lacked imagination. When he finally rounded the corner that brought him in sight of the court, his breath actually caught as he saw what was happening.

Dear God, no, he thought, blinking once to make sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him, but no, they were still there, talking to Oishi, Fuji and Inui. It was only through sheer force of will that he kept his face neutral as he continued to move smoothly toward them, even though his mind was racing.

What the hell was his cousin doing here? he wondered, trying to keep from panicking. Dealing with his relatives wasn't something he enjoyed, and while he preferred Shinobu to his other cousin (anyone with any ounce of sanity would), he much preferred Shinobu when he was on the other side of Japan. Shinobu had the strangest sense of humor, and seemed to think Tezuka needed to lighten up. He wasn't particularly vicious in his methods, but he was a bit too sly for Tezuka to be comfortable with. Come to think of it, he reminded Tezuka of someone... Glancing around, his eyes fell on Fuji, and his stomach tightened even more.

Oh, no. This was not a good thing at all.

If there was one thing Fuji Syuusuke prided himself on (aside from his ability to cause chaos with seeming innocence), it was his perception. He didn't let much slip by him, and when he met Tezuka's cousin, something stuck him as... off. Not wrong, because he was convinced that Tezuka Shinobu was who he claimed to be, but something seemed to be going on that wasn't being explained out loud, and Fuji wanted to know what it was. The purple eyed boy seemed to be nervous, and that wasn't right.

Fuji was interested.

Oishi, on learning who was there, immediately began to apologize for his self-perceive rudeness. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have kept you waiting! I'll go and get Tezuka right now and let him know you're here-" he said, turning to rush off.
Shinobu held up a hand to forestall him. "That's not necessary. I'm sure he'll be here soon."

"Well, he's in a meeting with Ryuuzaki-sensei, and sometimes they last for a very long time," Oishi began to explain, but the older boy smiled in a way that was probably supposed to be reassuring and didn't quite come off right.

At least, not to Fuji. Oishi, though, relaxed a little.

"Trust me."

Shinobu's friend, whose name Fuji still hadn't caught, glanced around. "Are you sure we should be wasting time here, Shinobu?" he asked, his eyes shifting.

"I'm sure," Shinobu assured him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "This is all part of the plan."

"Plan?" Inui asked curiously, and his notebook was out. Oishi hissed in a low breath that he was being rude, but Inui ignored him, scribbling madly in glee at the possibility of getting some new information on their rather tight-lipped captain.

"In a moment," Shinobu said. Turning his head slightly, he seemed to be waiting for something.

Or someone. Less than ten seconds later, Tezuka turned the corner in a strange instant of timing that was almost too uncanny to be coincidental. Tezuka didn't stumble, but the way his eyes widened in the most marginal of fashions was notable to someone who knew him well. Something about seeing his cousin unsettled him, but Tezuka, as always, was intent on displaying absolutely no visible reaction to the shock he was feeling. He moved toward them at a steady place, his eyes locked on his cousin. "What are you doing here?" he asked, and his voice wasn't particularly friendly.

"That's no way to greet your favorite cousin, Mitsu-chan," Shinobu chided him.

Fuji had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing. Mitsu-chan? Hearing that was enough to make his day, and he had the sneaking suspicious that Tezuka Shinobu was going to say much, much more that was going to be much more interesting before all was said and done.

There was nothing in the world that was going to persuade Fuji to move from that spot. Inui seemed to agree from the way he was writing so quickly he was barely able to keep up with the conversation; Oishi, though, rather resembled a deer caught in the headlights, not sure what to do.

Tezuka pushed his glasses up his nose, the only sign he was irritated. "Shinobu-niisan, I'm busy right now. This had better be important."
A bit of the laughter faded from the older boy's face, and he exchanged a glance with his friend. "It is."

"What is it?" Tezuka asked, his carefully neutral voice a strange counterpoint to the utter seriousness to Shinobu's "this matter is life and death" tone.

"Nagisa."

Shinobu only said one word, but Tezuka's reaction was absolutely wonderful. Fuji hadn't known Tezuka could twitch like that. This was getting more and more interesting by the moment.

Tezuka felt his body twitch in remembered pain at the mention of her name, and immediately regretted it. His voice was tight as he said the first thing that came to mind. "She didn't follow you, did she?"

"She didn't need to. I think she's actually after you now," his cousin informed him, and from his eyes, Tezuka could tell that Shinobu was being serious.

The explanative that escaped Tezuka's lips made Oishi lose his grip on the racquet he had been holding, and Fuji's eyes flew open wide. Neither of them had ever heard the calm and collected captain of Seigaku's tennis club swear. Inui was muttering under his breath, and switched notebooks.

"Um, Tezuka, who's Nagisa?" Oishi asked hesitantly, obviously a bit concerned.

"The craziest woman known to human kind," said Shinobu's friend, earning himself a raised eyebrow from Shinobu.

Tezuka knew that he had some explaining to do. He had always hoped that his family would keep itself out of his tennis life, but it was obvious that it was not to be. Shinobu rarely deemed to involve himself in the nonessentials, and if he thought Nagisa was up to something serious enough that it necessitated his direct intervention, that meant the situation was positively dire.

But he really didn't want to open the closet on the family skeletons in front of Fuji and Inui. There was no telling what they'd do. Oishi was quite trustworthy, and while he considered Inui a friend, he trusted him just about as far as he could throw him. And then Fuji... Tezuka still hadn't made up his mind on that score. Fuji was entirely unpredictable. For all he knew, Fuji might even decide to help Nagisa for the sheer amusement value of watching everyone squirm. The sadist behind the rarely seen blue eyes might just find the black-haired woman's insanity delightful.

He mentally shook the thought from his head. Fuji wouldn't do anything to deliberately hurt him. He was intensely loyal to his friends.

The three were looking at him, waiting for an explanation. "Nagisa is my cousin," he said after a moment.

"My sister," Shinobu said, nodding before the question could be asked.

"And she doesn't like me much," Tezuka finished. The snicker Shinobu let out was slight, but Tezuka wasn't amused. "It's your fault," he said bluntly.

"Nagisa doesn't like any male Tezuka, Mitsu-chan," Shinobu said. "She has an inferiority complex."

"You made it worse by pointing out repeatedly that I was your favorite relative to deliberately provoke her," Tezuka said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Shinobu pasted an expression of perfect innocence on his face. "Would I do that?"

"Yes."

The one who still hadn't been introduced coughed into his hand, trying to hide a laugh and failing. "He's got you there, Shinobu."

"Yes, yes. Mitsu-chan, I'd like you to meet Ikeda Mitsuru, my roommate."

Both boys nodded at the other. "Shinobu-niisan, it's nice to be meeting your friend, but what is Nagisa after?"

"I think she's going to kidnap you to get to me," Shinobu said. "She's fond of kidnapping people, and her since her last two attempts failed, I think she has a new plan. We're going to stop her."

Oishi looked alarmed. "Your sister is going to kidnap Tezuka? Shouldn't we call the police?"

The smile Shinobu gave him made Tezuka's hair stand up on the back of his neck. "Oh, no. She's family. We handle it inside the family... and that's why I brought Mitsuru."

Whatever Mitsuru had been expecting "Mitsu-chan" to be like, Tezuka Kunimitsu certainly wasn't it.

Getting dragged out of class hadn't been on his agenda, but Shinobu never thought rules applied to him. So when he showed up, claiming that there was an emergency and saying he needed to "borrow" Ikeda Mitsuru, the teacher couldn't get Mitsuru out of there fast enough, eager to please the student body president of Ryokuto High School.

Even teachers bowed to Tezuka Shinobu.

After finding himself rather rudely man-handled by a few of his more enthusiastic classmates and practically into Shinobu's arms, he gave Shinobu a confused look. His roommate's body language was all wrong for there to really be an emergency, so Mitsuru wondered what the hell was going on. "What's wrong?" he demanded. He had a math test next period, which Shinobu knew very well since Mitsuru had been up till 3 a.m. studying.

Shinobu was leaning against the wall, his posture relaxed in the manner of a cat waiting to pounce. "I got a call about fifteen minutes ago – it seems my loving sister is up to something."

Mitsuru tended to be more amused than anything else by Nagisa, since her harebrained schemes tended to go disastrously wrong in ways that were hilarious. "Who's she going to kidnap this time?" he asked a bit sarcastically.

"Mitsu-chan," and from the look in Shinobu's eyes, whoever "Mitsu-chan" was, Nagisa had just stepped across the line that kept Shinobu's counters to her ploys relatively benign. For Shinobu, that was.

"Who's Mitsu-chan?" Mitsuru asked on cue.

"My cousin." Shinobu's reply was frozen, and Mitsuru could see the button Nagisa was about to hit was one that was going to get her in very, very hot water.

Shinobu has a family member he actually likes? Wonders never cease, Mitsuru noted with amusement. As Shinobu's best friend, there was only one thing he could say. "So what are we going to do?"

What it involved was skipping the rest of the school day so they could take the subway to "Mitsu-chan's" school, halfway across the city. Shinobu was in a thoughtful mood, not speaking really, but Mitsuru used the chance to do his homework, since he had the sneaking feeling he wouldn't have the chance later on.

Seigaku proved to be just as good a school as Ryokuto, though when Shinobu headed for the tennis courts, he was confused. "Where are we going?"

"Mitsu-chan's captain of the tennis club," Shinobu informed his friend.

And "Mitsu-chan" was... just it was the boys team. Mitsuru hadn't been expecting a guy. It had taken a second to reconcile that fact, but when it became clear that they would be waiting for a guy, Mitsuru tried to get a mental picture of what a guy who was related to both Shinobu and Nagisa would be like. It certainly wasn't what he got. The tall, mature-seeming boy radiated the same control and confidence that Shinobu had in spades, but that was about all in common.

For one thing, "Mitsu-chan" appeared to have no sense of humor. His expression was tight-reigned and controlled, and he seemed to be irritated by his older cousin's presence. "Mitsu-chan" seemed to be a very poor misnomer, one which Shinobu probably used to drive his serious cousin crazy.

Right now, Mitsu-chan was looking at Mitsuru with watchful eyes, weighing him careful eyes.

"You said that your friend is going to... help?" he asked Shinobu, his eyes not wavering from Mitsuru's face.

"Oh, yes. He's a vital part of my plan."

Mitsu-chan's eyes drifted away. "What plan?"

Shinobu seemed like a cat who had gotten into the cream.

That was something Mitsuru wanted to know, too. Today Shinobu was playing his cards close to his chest.

From a pocket, Shinobu produced a pair of glasses and before Mitsuru could react, slid them onto Mitsuru's face. "Everyone, say hello to the new Tezuka Kunimitsu."

Oishi Syuiichirou had no idea what was going on, but that wasn't that unusual. He was used to dealing with a club full of rather unique personalities, so he knew he shouldn't be surprised at whatever insanity encroached on his daily life. Somehow, though, he never expected it to originate from Tezuka.

Tezuka's cousin wasn't at all like him, really. There was a slyness to him that reminded Oishi more of Fuji than of anyone else, a slight tilt in the older boy's head that made Oishi think that Shinobu was laughing at them, just a bit. Had Oishi been asked, he would have guessed that Shinobu was Fuji's relative, not Tezuka's. Then again, Oishi remembered meeting Tezuka's mother, and she was very similar, come to think on it. Tezuka's reaction to her, a "God grant me patience" look on his face that only his closest friends would be able to read, was also very alike. But she wasn't related to Shinobu by blood since Shinobu bore Tezuka's family name...

Oishi jerked himself out of his mental wanderings as Ikeda Mitsuru toyed with the glasses which Shinobu had deposited on his face. "Um, Shinobu?" he asked.

"Ever hear of a stunt double?" he asked.

Oishi looked at Mitsuru, and frowned a bit. The boy had striking purple eyes that were even brighter than Momoshiro's, quite different than Tezuka's light brown ones, but aside from that, he and Tezuka were quite similar. The hair, the body type, coloring...

"Oh, I see," said Fuji, looking back and forth between the Tezuka and Mitsuru in amusement.

Shinobu looked over at Fuji, and a lead ball settled in Oishi's stomach at their eyes met. The look the two exchanged boded no good for anyone who crossed them, and he recognized that kindred spirits were acknowledging each other as Fuji tilted his head slightly at the same time Shinobu gave an equally slight nod. "Exactly."

"I don't see," Mitsuru said. "You can't think that Nagisa is going to think I'm your cousin."

Tezuka raised a hand to his forehead and massage what looked to be the beginnings of a tension headache. "Why on earth do you want me to switch places with your friend, Shinobu-niisan?"

Oishi wanted to know, too. "Tezuka is quite capable of taking care of himself," he agreed.

"Not against Nagisa," Shinobu argued. "She's been hiring thugs lately."

Tezuka actually sighed aloud. "She won't do anything permanent. My father will have me back in time for school tomorrow."

"You mean you want to get kidnapped?" Fuji asked curiously.

"No. I don't think she'll succeed – but if she does, it won't last," Tezuka said patiently.

Mitsuru nodded, pulled the glasses off, and tried to hand them back to Shinobu. "He's got a point. Everything your sister does fails."

Shinobu just crossed his arms. "Tezuka, she plans on using you as a test subject to see how much Digimon a person can take before they go stark, raving, mad."

The expression on Tezuka's face almost cracked. "Mitsuru-san, let's go to the club room and switch clothes. Oishi, please take care of dismissing practice for me, would you?"

Oishi could only nod. Then again, with a threat like that, even Tezuka would have to bend.

Watching from practise, Ryoma knew something was up. Most of the players were trying to hide their obvious interest in who Tezuka was talking to, but the way buchou actually stiffened slightly he spoke to the newcomers was definitely worthy of note.

Not that he believed anyone except himself noticed it. Of the regulars who were still on the court, he was the only one who knew Tezuka well enough to read the subtle body language that practically needed its own Rosetta Stone. Kikumaru might have had the vision to see what was happening, but he didn't have the patience to learn "Tezukese." Momoshiro was too locked into the obvious, and Kawamura, while perceptive at times, was too retiring to dare get close to the captain in his normal state, and when he went on "fire" it would take a freight train to make him pay attention. Kaidou might have been able to learn, but his inherent respect for the privacy of his senpai made sure he didn't.

So Ryoma was left feeling quite a bit left out when his more observant senpai crowded around Tezuka, talking about something. Even though watching Tezuka was entertaining, it was rarely informative. Fuji was similar, since the smile hardly ever left his face, and with his glasses and trying to read Inui was like trying to read binary code. Luckily Oishi was there with them, and Oishi was an open book.

Oishi's expressions changed as quickly as the weather, as wariness faded into concern, then confusion, to outright worry. Oishi wasn't the called the "Mother of Seigaku" for nothing, but the way he looked at Tezuka made Ryoma wonder how wrong things were about to go.

This was Seigaku - considering their track record, the answer was very wrong.

Ryoma wasn't the type to butt into other people's business, but neither was he the type to ignore what was going on around him... if it involved tennis. And to him, Tezuka and tennis were interchangable.

Finally the sextet seemed to come to some kind of resolution, because Tezuka left with the two strangers without even coming to practise, something that made Ryome sniff a bit with indignition. What could be important enough to distract Tezuka from practise? he wondered.

Whatever it was, it had Oishi on edge when he came back. "We're going to end early!" he called. "Everyone, ten laps around the court, then change!" he called.

Inui tapped Oishi on the shoulder, and Ryoma recognized the gleam on those glasses. His stomach automatically tightened in dread.

"Anyone who doesn't make each lap in 55 seconds gets to sample Inui's Revitalization Juice, patent pending," the data player announced.

Everyone squeaked and took off running, but Ryoma knew a distraction when he saw one. His senpai were up to something, and he had every intention of finding out what.

Now how to go about it? Chances were that Oishi wouldn't tell him, and tangling with Inui was bad for his health — literally. And Fuji... well, bad things happened to people who annoyed the tensai.

That left...

He grinned slightly, pulling on the brim of his cap. The old "follow him!" routine they were all so fond of would just have to do...

...as soon as he finished his laps.

As Tezuka slid on the Ryokuto uniform Mitsuru had abandoned, he reflected on Shinobu's plan. He knew it was a Very Bad Idea, but he also realized that trying to stop Shinobu would be like trying to stop a freight train with a piece of cardboard.

Shinobu had declared that Tezuka was going to go with him to dinner, while Mitsuru would proceed to Tezuka's house. Mitsuru had protested he had no clue where that was, but Fuji had stepped in. "I'll take you there," he offered, smiling benignly. "I have a bit of spare time, and I can explain to Tezuka's mother what is going on."

Tezuka could just imagine what Fuji would say. He turned to ask Oishi to do it instead, but Shinobu was already approving the plan. "That will work. You should stay there until we come for you – that's assuming you make it there in the first place, of course."

"Assuming?" Oishi echoed, squeaking a bit. Tezuka felt a bit sorry for his friend, but he wasn't about to explain that this was the usual insanity he suffered through when dealing with his relatives.

"Nagisa doesn't have much patience," Shinobu said. "Chances are she'll kidnap Mitsu-chan before he arrives... or his stunt double, in this case."

Inui clicked his pen a couple of times thoughtfully. "What is the point in letting your roommate being taken instead of Tezuka, Shinobu-san?" he asked, trying to puzzle it out. "It will still amount to kidnapping."

Shinobu resembled a cat who had gotten into a full container of cream. "She's already kidnapped Mitsuru once, and it didn't work out quite right for her. The trauma of seeing him again might be... educational."

So he and Mitsuru had gone to the club room to exchange clothes after Mitsuru had agreed to meet Fuji outside of the school gates. Tezuka briefly wondered if he should warn Mitsuru about Fuji, but then decided anyone who was friends with his cousin didn't need any kind of warning.

The uniform fit quite well, though he had a bit of a problem with the tie, since he rarely wore one.

"Let me help you," Shinobu volunteered.

It would have been childish to say no, but Tezuka didn't want his cousin anywhere near him when he was wrapping what amounted to a noose around his throat. "Thank you," he said gravely.

Shinobu's fingers deftly made the knot which had been giving Tezuka so much trouble. "There," he said, patting it into place in a fashion that was on just the right side of patronizing.

Tezuka nodded, but didn't reply. He felt like he was playing dress-up.

Stepping back, he examined his cousin carefully. "Those have to go," he pronounced, and he snatched Tezuka's spectacles off his face. Pocketing them, he smirked a bit. "You can have them back later," he said before Tezuka could interject.

Tezuka scowled deeply. The world was looking a bit fuzzy, and he felt disoriented – the last thing he wanted to be when dealing with Shinobu.

"Um, guys? How do I look?" Mitsuru called from across the room.

They turned to see Shinobu's roommate looking at them uncertainly. Tezuka had given Mitsuru his black Seigaku uniform, and it fit perfectly. The gold frames on his face sat perfectly on his nose, and since Tezuka was a bit too far away to see clearly (and minus his glasses), he had the feeling he was looking into a weird sort of mirror.

Especially since Mitsuru was shifting back and forth awkwardly, obviously uncomfortable.

Shinobu sighed. "Can you try to look a bit more... well, stiff?"

"Huh?"

"You don't look like Mitsu-chan. Your posture is all wrong. You need to look like you have a stick stuck up your..."

"I get the point!" Mitsuru interrupted hurriedly.

It was only his supreme control that kept Tezuka from strangling his "beloved" cousin then and there.

END PART ONE