Disclaimer: I do NOT own Harry Potter or Eyeshield 21 or any of the affiliated characters. What I do own is a kick ass Ash Ketchum hat, a freezer full of fudge pops, and a collection of gold medal winning maple syrup. None of which will appear in this story.

Warnings: OC's, some OOC, Het, Slash, AU, fluff, language

The Thirteenth Tackle

Harry nervously smiled as Mrs. Thomas fussed over him. It was the second day of Christmas Holidays and he was not at Hogwarts like past years but instead at the airport, getting ready to go through security. Dean's parents had let him stay at their home last night and it had been amazing. Considering the first time he stayed at a friend's house it had been Ron's, it was a really great time.

Dean had been really excited to have a friend over and had given him a complete tour of their nice home in Chelsea, introduced him to all his sisters, and then squirreled him away in his room that they could watch movies and eat candy. Harry had loved it. Whenever he stayed over at Ron's everything was magical and there wasn't much entertainment outside of chess or quidditch. It was nice, but it was also great to be able to enjoy of muggle things like movies. He couldn't watch movies at the Dursley's, but Dean was only too happy to educate him in all his favourite ones. And Dean had a lot… They stayed up all night with their movie marathon.

"And you have your passport? It would be a shame if you couldn't go because you forgot it…" Evie stated for about the fifth time that morning.

"Mum… he has his passport. He had it last time you asked, and the time that, and the three times you asked in the car here," Dean said. The boy had been reassuring his mother all morning that Harry would be fine, but the woman kept fussing over him. Evie looked ready to reprimand her son when her husband stepped in.

"Dear," Mr. Thomas spoke up. "Dean is just as worried as you. Harry is a smart and capable child. I am sure that he spent all last night making sure he was prepared for today."

Evie frowned. "I know but I just worry…"

Harry smiled at her and showed her his passport before replacing it in his bag. Last thing he wanted was to drop it. He had his passport, he had his tickets, and a map showing him exactly how to get to his brother's school. Honestly, he was a little nervous but he was more tired than anything and he was really looking forward to this 8 hour flight to Detroit so he could sleep. After that it was a two hour layover and an hour flight to South Bend.

He would be fine.

"Harry, do you make sure that you grabbed-"

"Mum, Harry has everything. You made sure of that. If we hold him any longer he'll miss his flight," Dean spoke up. The taller teen had been stuck to Harry's side all morning. It was a good thing that he was used to a shared bathroom, because Dean didn't even leave him when he was trying to clean up this morning.

Evie frowned again but then she wiped it off her face and bent down to hug him. "Oh Harry… I hope you find him. But if anything happens just know you have our phone number and we will do everything we can to help."

"Thank you Mrs. Thomas," Harry said with a blush. The woman was very nice and had treated Harry very kindly since they met.

Turning towards Dean's father, Harry shook his hand. "Thank you for everything, sir. I appreciate all the trouble you went through to help me get my passport." The man had used his influence to have Harry's passport application approved without raising any questions, like why didn't have proper birth records or a parent/guardian signature.

"No problem son. I put us down as your guardian and emergency contact. To the British government, you are our ward. I'm glad I could help." That was another thing. Without knowing him, or what kind of person he was, Mr. Thomas had agreed to be his guardian. He had filed paperwork stating that he held custody rights of Harry since it was discovered that no one had filed them before. Even the Dursley's weren't listed as his guardian's. So taking advantage of the situation, Mr. Thomas had filed for custody of Harry. No one had blinked twice. Then said they would further discuss his options after he met his brother. But for now, Harry belonged to the Thomas family.

Dean stepped forward last and gave him a big hug. "If for any reason you need to come home early, just know that you can stay with us the rest of the break. You're part of the family now. But I really hope it won't come to that."

Harry clutched Dean's shirt tightly before he pulled away. He really hoped his friend didn't notice that his eyes were stinging and watering slightly. It must be the dry airport air causing it though, because there was no way he was ready to cry over his friend's offer. Nope, it was super nice and sincere and he loved his friend even more for it, but that didn't mean he was crying. "Thanks Dean."

"Now off you go. I'll be waiting to hear everything when you get back."

Harry cleared his throat but he didn't think he could speak properly afterwards anyway. He nodded his head to the three people who came to see him off and turned to leave. Before he took another step though, he threw himself in Dean's arms again. He just needed one more tiny little hig before he left. Just one more hug before he departed on such a big journey.

Dean squeezed him tight before he slowly pushed Harry away. "Come on now, any more hugs and the plane with take off without you. We don't want that."

Harry sniffled and nodded his head. "I… "

Dean shushed him. "I know. It will be alright Harry. I'll be waiting for when you get off the plane."

Harry nodded and straightened his shoulders. He wasn't alone in this. He had so many people supporting him from behind. He was still scared but he knew that for the first time in his life that there would be someone waiting to comfort him when he got back- that there would be someone who was looking forward to listening to him, and that they would be happy for him. It was a great feeling.

This was a big step. He had never left Home before except for Hogwarts or the Weasley's, but even then he was always in one secluded area. This time he was leaving Great Britain. He was traveling over the ocean to an entirely new country…

Harry blinked as it really settled in his mind what he was about to do. Talking about it with the boys was one thing. They could sit there and joke about all the things Harry could do in the United States, but to actually be there… on that foreign soil… what was he going to do?

Harry mindlessly put his bag in a bin as he walked through the security line, still wondering if he would be alright. He had 11 hours to come to terms with the situation, but then again he might have another mini freak out when he touched American land. Mentally slapping himself he tried to knock those pesky thoughts away.

If this was a game and he was facing an unknown opponent, what would he do? Naturally, Harry would try to distance himself from the pack. As seeker he needed to be out of the way anyways, but it gave him a great opportunity to observe. So, if he was going to face an unknown team, he would observe what they did. He could do that. He would take this one step at a time. For now, he would observe what the people around him did.

He would find someone who looked or sounded American and try to see what they did. Did they act differently than the English? Did they have certain customs he would need to follow in order to get into the country? He didn't know which is why he would need to observe.

Finding a comfortable seat near his gate, Harry sat down to watch the people around him. There was a family with two teenaged kids. They were complaining about waiting but they sounded Irish. Not them then. There was a couple who were busy taking pictures of themselves near the window showing the planes. That seemed like such a novice move that he didn't think watching them would help him.

No one was standing out and it frustrated him. Maybe on the plane… after all this couldn't be everyone taking the same flight as him. Surely there were others wandering the shops and in the bathroom. He would wait, and then observe some more… hopefully he would be able to bluff his way through this to victory.

His plan had been to watch those around him on the plane, but as soon as the bird got in the air, his body promptly reminded him that he pulled an all-nighter with Dean before and he passed out. He needed the sleep. He wanted to be bright-eyed and bushy tailed for when he met his brother. Besides… Seekers were allowed to tune out the game occasionally… he didn't need to constantly be on alert.

o.O.o

When Harry finally left the airport he was relieved. Who knew flying was so horrid? He could deal with being in a large metal construct in the sky, he wasn't afraid of that. No, what annoyed him was the cramped seats and the couple that thought bringing their three year old child on the plane and letting the child scream the entire time was a good idea. The child was either very scared, or needed something and they just ignored him. It was like they didn't care that their child was distressed and was bothering everyone else. It was only an hour flight, but it was still an hour with a child screaming its head off constantly.

He had a headache and all he really wanted to do was get to his hotel. It was the evening, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to get to his brother's school until the next day.

Evie had written him out instructions on where to go when he left South Bend. She made a mini map showing him where to get a taxi and had left him with an envelope of American money. She had warned him to always hold his luggage and to hide his money on his person so that it wouldn't be stolen. Harry took her words to heart.

When he made it to the taxi stand, he managed to find a nice enough looking guy. For his first experience in the States, it wasn't going so bad. When they arrived at his hotel, Harry carefully counted out the money and paid the man.

Mr. Thomas had put the hotel on his credit card. The hotel actually called him to confirm that he had booked a room for Harry, and then looked at Harry's identification before they allowed him to go to his room. He didn't mind as he would be very upset if they gave him room away to just anyone. Mr. Thomas was very kind and it would be a great shame if his money was wasted like that.

When he finally got to his room, he collapsed on his bed.

Tomorrow was the big day and he couldn't wait.

Tomorrow he would meet his brother.

o.O.o

Harry was devastated. His mind could hardly process the words that he just heard because to him they were so ridiculous. He had gone over several different horrible situations in his head as he thought about this moment, but none of them prepared him for this. Sure he thought his brother might not want to get to know him, or when he was worried that his brother would be a giant bully like Dudley… he even worried that his brother would see him and be disappointed to be related to such a weakling… but he never pictured this.

"I'm sorry kid, but he's not here anymore."

"Is… is he j-just on h-holiday?" Harry stuttered.

"No. His family moved back to Japan." The man in front of him looked very upset that have to be telling Harry this. Of course Harry had blurted out his whole situation when the man first refused to tell him anything about Eyeshield 21. Then after hearing about how Harry was his brother and he was searching for him, the man was overcome with pity. "Look kid, if it helps you feel any better… he did talk about you."

Harry perked up. His brother remembered him? That was a good sign right? If his brother remembered him and actually talked about it him than that meant he had positive feelings towards Harry, which meant he might want to meet him.

"We have a get to know your teammates better party at the start of each season. Every time we came to him he would talk about how his dream was to play professional football and how he hoped it would help him find his little brother. He will be very upset that he missed you if he hears about this."

Harry felt his eyes stinging again and tried to blink away the tears. "Do you…h-have any way I can contact him?" That was… it was like a small dream come true. To know that his brother thought that… Harry felt his heart heal a little.

The man sent him another pitying look. "Sorry bud but I don't. But if it helps, he is in Japan. If you want to find him then you need to go there."

"But how will I find him? I don't even know the name he's going by nowadays. If I didn't see that newspaper article then I wouldn't even know he was here!" Harry was getting desperate. This wasn't fair. What wrong did he do in the past that after all the hard work he put in to get here, his brother wasn't here anymore.

"Takeru Yamato. That's his name. If you go to Japan, then check the American football circuit, he'll be sure to show up there. He might even still be using his moniker Eyeshield 21. Any high school football article with that in its title will be sure to lead you to him. I wish I could help more."

"No, thank you. You've been a great help already. You have given me lots of information to find him. I'm sorry for taking up your time like this," Harry tried to reassure the man and thank him at the same time.

"I really hope you do get to reunite. He spoke of you fondly. He would always say that when he found you he would never let you leave his side ever again."

"I… thank you. You don't understand how much this means to me." Harry rubbed his eyes, hoping to get rid of the water that was trying to escape his eyes… jerk water. Why couldn't it just stay in his eyes so that he didn't look like a baby.

"Hey kid, when Takeru left he didn't know at the time but we were going to let him keep his jersey. He turned in all his equipment with his jersey but if you want… I could always dig it up and give it to you. It's not much but it's at least something of his," the coach offered.

Harry lit up. "Really? I can have his jersey? You don't think anyone would mind?" He could finally have something of his brothers. A physical reminder that somewhere out there in the big wide world, he had a brother.

"Nah, it'll be fine," the man said as he waved away Harry's concern. "Let's go get it, yeah?" He happily followed the man, eager to get a token of his brother… and maybe to see what an actual American football stadium looked it. He was here already, right?

He wished his brother could have been there personally when he arrived, but at least he got to hear that his brother was thinking of him. Until he could make it to Japan, that one single thought and his Jersey would be able to soothe his worries.

He probably wouldn't be able to make it to Japan during this break though. It was bad enough that he would need to contact the Thomas' and ask them how to get his flight changed to an earlier date, but he thought it might be easier to wait until his brother settled in and got his name out there in Japan. If he was going to have to rely on another newspaper article to find his brother, Takeru, then he would need to give his brother time to actually get into a newspaper.

"Oh No!" Harry moaned as a thought came to him.

"What's wrong?" the coach asked.

Harry stared at him, hoping his eyes didn't show the sorrow he felt in his heart. "I don't know how to read Japanese… how will I read the paper?"

The man laughed and shook his head. "Then you better start, yeah? If you're half as smart as Takeru I'm sure you'll pick it up."

Harry hoped so. Wandering around the United States was hard enough… how would he fare in Japan where they didn't speak English?

o.O.o

Takeru was being very studious as he prepared to enroll in a Japanese school again. When his adopted father got a transfer to the States it had been a great experience. It allowed him to use English again, which was nice considering his grasp of the language had started slipping. It was his first language but after living in Japan for numerous years with adopted parents who spoke mainly in Japanese… even his mind couldn't cling to the familiar phrases for long.

When his father was transferred back, well… Takeru didn't mind as he had started missing Japan. He loved America though. It allowed him to really develop his skills, helping to pushing him to be the best player on the team. He trained hard to accomplish what he did and unlike in Japan where they didn't care as much for American football as they did traditional football, he was glad his efforts were recognized and celebrated.

He was back in Japan, trying to catch up with the curriculum so he could enroll in school with his peers. That was one thing that sucked about American schools. They were on a different school schedule than Japan. He pushed hard to finish his year, now he needed to focus on the Japanese only classes so that when his entrance exam came he would be well prepared.

Of course, that didn't mean he shut himself away with just his books and one study light. That would be boring and slightly insane for him. No, he set up his desk and laptop and got to work, occasionally taking a break to see what his friends were up to.

He was drawn away from his textbook though when he got a chat ping from one of his American friends. Interested, he opened the window and responded.

What's up?

Dude, I was talking to the coach and you'll never believe what he told me!

Takeru was intrigued. He no longer played for Notre Dame, but he was curious as to what his old team was getting up to.

What did he say?

He said that this English kid came to the school looking for you. He said it was your brother!

Takeru's eyes went wide as he read his friend's words. His brother? His little Harry had gone to Notre Dame? How? When? He was supposed to be living safely at their Aunt's house, what was he doing in America? Was he alone? Was he alright? What if something happened to him and he came looking for Takeru to take care of him and protect him?

Was it really him?

He needed to know.

Yeah, apparently. Bobby saw the coach walking this kid to the offices and he thought it was a new recruit for next year. He asked later and Coach said that he was your brother and he had come to the school to find you. He saw your picture in the newspaper and flew all the way from London.

Did he say anything else?

Bobby said that the kid was cute. When Coach told him it was your brother, he thought he did look like you.

Takeru sat back feeling slightly overwhelmed. He had thought that he wouldn't be able to reunite with his brother until he was older. He thought he would need to be an adult before he could approach Harry, but now his brother was looking for him. He really wanted to talk to Bobby.

Thansk man, I'm going to see if Bobby is online.

I'll send him a text and ask if he can sign in. I think he would be able to explain his conversation with Coach better.

Takeru had to wait a few minutes before Bobby, a senior signed on. He quickly sent the boy a message asking about his brother.

Kid was cute. Little, like short and stuff but he was cute. He looked like you but less serious and stuff. Had the same build… he was made for speed.

But he looked healthy? He looked happy?

Yeah, he looked healthy. Tanned too, probably spends lots of time outside. Coach gave him your jersey. Said it was the least he could do since the kid looked so sad when you weren't there. He told him to find you in Japan. If the kid came all the way to America for you, I think you can expect to see him in Japan soon.

Takeru smiled.

I hope so.

But dude, he's going to be looking for Eyeshield 21. You better make your name known so he can find you.

I will. Thanks for talking to me.

Anytime dude. I hope you two get together. We all know how much you want to see your brother again. Now you know he wants to see you too.

It was more than he could have hoped for. He wasn't sure if Harry would remember him. He had so few memories from when he was young but he would always remember his little brother. Harry was an adorable child that clung to him and followed him everywhere. His godfather thought it was funny, but Takeru had taken his duty as big brother seriously.

When their Uncle had found them on the doorstep that awful November morning… Takeru had never been so mad and heartbroken. His uncle had taken one look at him and sent him away. He tore Takeru away from Harry, threw him in a car and took him away. On the drive to the orphanage… he called Takeru many names. He said Takeru was a freak and a bastard. He said that Takeru would never see his brother again, not as long as Harry lived under his roof.

He had spent days crying in the orphanage. He tried running away, hoping he could find his brother but he was caught every time. When the Yamato's came three months after he arrived, he wanted to refuse to go with them. He told them clearly he had a brother and that he wouldn't go anywhere until he got Harry back.

The couple had declared that they loved his determination and drive. They vowed that if he came to live with them, allowed them to raise him, that one day when he was older they would also help him find his brother. He agreed only after he made them absolutely promise. They gave him the resources to succeed and told him that if he wanted his brother back then he needed to grow up to be a successful adult, then the government would look at his request to have custody of his brother. At the time he didn't understand what they meant but they were the first people to say they would help, so he went with them.

And now… now his brother was searching for him. If he needed to get his name out there to ensure Harry could see it, then he would do just that.

Smiling, Takeru dove back into his studies. He would make sure that when Harry made it to Japan, his name and face would be everywhere, drawing his brother to him.

Fun Football Fact

The Baltimore Ravens are named after Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven." The team mascots are named Edgar, Allan, and Poe. Poe wrote his famous poem while living in Baltimore in the 1830s