Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis? Not mine. Got that? Great.
A/N: I dedicate this chapter to KiTtEn18sMiLe and ShinigamiinPeru. I was supposed to update this earlier, but my internet connection was completely against me.
Warning: There will be OOCness due to circumstances invented by my imagination. This is another short chapter.
Please enjoy the seventh chapter!
Chapter 7: More than meets the eye.
By the time Ryoma and Fuji returned to the living room, everyone else was seated but strangely silent. "Did anything happen while I helped Echizen cook dinner?" Fuji asked as he placed the three trays of tea on the table. Ryoma studied everyone else's faces as he placed his own three trays of tea on the other side of the table.
"We were talking about the surprise guests that would be arriving a few minutes from now." Izumi casually replied as she leaned forward to take a cup of tea. "I take it that they didn't understand?" Ryoma casually asked as he took his own cup of tea before sitting down beside Izumi, who simply nodded.
"Who are these guests anyway, Hanabi-sempai?" Kirihara asked. "They are Echizen-kun's grandparents from his mother's side." Izumi replied with a blank look on her face. "What kind of people are they?" Eiji asked. Many of the teens looked at Inui. "I don't have any data on them." Inui said. Most of the teens in the room had shocked faces. "Takeuchi Toushirou-san and Ikimura Ameko-san are the names of Echizen-kun's grandparents."
Everyone looked at the person who said it, who was surprisingly Oshitari Yuushi. "How do you know that?" Fuji asked. "They are quite well-known among the higher-class people, as even ore-sama knows about them. You plebeians probably haven't heard about them." Atobe answered haughtily. "And for what reason are they well-known?" Yukimura asked with a smile on his face.
"Takeuchi Toushirou-san is the current owner of the Takeuchi Corporation, which handles hotels and restaurants all over the globe. Most of their branches are here in Japan, where the main headquarters could be found. Meanwhile, Ikimura Ameko-san is the sister of the current owner – Ikimura Hisoka-san – of the Ikimura Corporation, which handles hospitals and rehabilitation centers. They only have a small amount of branches abroad and the main headquarters could be found here in Japan as well. Even though she is the sister of the current owner, she has a tight hold on the company as well." Oshitari replied.
"So that means Echizen is the heir for two big-time companies?" Momo asked in an astonished voice. "Not really." Ryoma answered. "What do you mean?" Taka asked. "Hisoka-oji-san's son has a family." Ryoma replied. Momo was about to ask another question but the doorbell suddenly rang. "That must be them." Ryoma muttered as he stood up. Izumi nodded before leaving the room with the younger teen.
"Good evening, obaa-sama, oji-sama." Ryoma greeted them as he opened the door. "Good evening, Ryoma." Toushirou patted the young boy's head lightly with a smile on his face. "Please do come in." Ryoma said after giving his grandfather a smile.
"Good evening, Takeuchi-sama, Toushirou-sama." Izumi greeted by the door of the living room. "Good evening, Izumi-san." Toushirou replied. Izumi nodded before leading them inside. "Please have some tea." Izumi told them once they were seated. "Thank you." The two elders said before taking a cup of tea. "Who are these fine young men with you and Ryoma, Izumi-san?" Toushirou asked. "They are our friends who were staying over for some training, oji-sama." Ryoma answered. "I see." Toushirou replied thoughtfully.
The teens introduced themselves one by one to the two guests. "It's nice to meet all of you. My name is Takeuchi Toushirou and my wife's name is Takeuchi Ameko. You may refer to me by my given name as to not confuse me with my wife." Toushirou replied once they were done. "You have chosen your friends well, Ryoma." Ameko commented with a soft smile. "Thank you, obaa-sama." Ryoma replied with smile.
"Please excuse me. I'll just check if dinner is ready to be served." Ryoma said before leaving the room. "So, which schools are you from?" Toushirou asked. Each and every one of them said the name of their Alma matter. "It seems like you're not having any problems with them, Izumi-san." Ameko commented. "Your grandson is helping me quite well in keeping them at bay. Your daughter, her husband and his niece were very kind to volunteer to help me with their training too." Izumi replied.
"We know about them helping you in training. We were with them for most of the afternoon and decided to visit when we found out Ryoma was here." Toushirou told her. "I see." Izumi replied before a knock was heard. "Dinner is ready." Ryoma said after he entered the room. Everyone stood up then headed straight to the dining hall next to the kitchen.
Everyone in the Fox room (Ryoma, Fuji, Oshitari, Yagyuu, Kirihara, Shiraishi, Kajimoto and Saeki) had helped bring out the food and distribute it to everyone. "My, my… What a feast!" Toushirou exclaimed when he saw the quality and amount of food served. "Who is the chef?" Ameko asked after taking a taste of one of the dishes served.
"It is I, obaa-sama." Ryoma replied. "You have outdone yourself once again, Ryoma." Ameko told him with a smile on her face. "I agree with you, anata. The food is delicious!" Toushirou happily said after tasting a different dish. Soon, all of them started eating and gave Ryoma praise for his excellent cooking.
"I never knew Echizen could cook so well." Momo suddenly said. Toushirou heard this and looked at his grandson only to see him bow his head in embarrassment. 'It is good to see that you are finally opening up to others, Ryoma.' He thought happily before he resumed eating.
After dinner, Toushirou told them that he and his wife must leave. "We should be on our way now. I am glad that I was able to have dinner with you and your friends, Ryoma." He said to his grandson. "I am glad too, oji-sama. Please be careful on your way home." Ryoma told him. "Yes, we will. We'll see you soon. Goodbye." Toushirou said before escorting his wife out of the temple.
A/N: I hope I didn't make the characters too OOC. I might have been a little excited when I typed this so... Please tell me any typos and inconsistencies, even grammar mistakes (being the "Grammar Nazi" that I am).
Constructive criticism is appreciated in the form of private messages and/or reviews.