Soul of a Sword, Body of a Prince

Summary: Shirou Emiya have a painful life that he never regretted, couldn't have regretted. Then he died. But he's also lucky enough to wake up again, this time as Ryoma Echizen in a world where he won't have to walk the path of a sword but something else entirely. The Fate/stay night/ Prince of Tennis crossover nobody asked for yet I made anyway. Drabble series format. There'll be AU and OOC elements (Duh)

DISCLAIMER: I owned neither PoT nor FSN.

30/09/2023 A/N: Edited a few things like grammar, changed Ryoma's age in this part, and a few other small things so that it fits better with the newest chapters and make it a little bit more realistic

Survivor

The eyes are the window of the soul, and Ryoma Echizen's eyes told those who looked close enough that he was a survivor. One that had been through the depths of hell and came out of it over and over again. Not unscathed, not whole, not sane, but surviving all the same. He had been broken, bleeding, cursing, but still living.

His eyes are found in those who have seen the worst of the world and all the creatures that lived in it, but also the best of it. Those who have seen and learned and accepted all the pain and horror that come with living, knowing that it would break others because it's what he needed to do to keep on walking on the path he chose for himself.

Ryoma Echizen was a survivor. The problem was that he was only eight years old.

Sharp

It started with a challenge from Nanjiroh. Ever since Ryoga came, the former tennis star has seemed to delegate much of the "play tennis with Ryoma" to the older son. Ryoma doesn't really mind, since he found Ryoga to be much more pleasant than Nanjiroh as a playing partner.

(Ryoga's always relaxed posture, his "I do whatever I want" attitude, and many things about him ooze a strange sense of familiarity. As if he had met someone that he could've considered a friend if it's not for circumstances. A sense of familiarity that also brings a strange unease to his chest, begging him to check that there's nothing missing there)

Then Nanjiroh declared that he wouldn't play with Ryoma until he could beat Ryoga. At first, it goes like how Nanjiroh thought it would. Ryoma might have come to like Ryoga, but he also disliked losing and thus began to work harder to improve his tennis.

At first Ryoma had started simple. He tried to copy his older brother and father's techniques, he tried to exercise more like his brother and father did. He did what one would expect from someone his age trying to be as good as his older brother and father in playing tennis: He tries to copy them.

Then one day it changed.

It's as if a switch had been flipped. His movements become much more fluid and sophisticated. He began to absorb complicated techniques faster than either Ryoga or Nanjiroh could subtly show him. There's a sense of clarity where there wasn't before in every step and move that Ryoma takes. He had stopped copying Ryoga and Nanjiroh and created something for himself.

It only took him one more month to beat Ryoga since then, something that Nanjiroh never expected to happen so soon but Ryoga was immensely proud of his younger brother for it.

Nanjiroh began playing with Ryoma again after that and of course, his age made "playing seriously" a chore. But in the end, he's playing against his son, far younger, and far more inexperienced than him. But Ryoma didn't act like that at all. It's almost like someone whose body had yet to catch up with his mind and experience. When facing Ryoma, Nanjiroh felt like they were in a strangely similar boat. Sharp and experienced minds with bodies that are failing them, Ryoma for being too young, himself for his old injury, and having grown old. Ryoma beats him for the first time not long before he turns nine years old.

(Of course, Nanjiroh hadn't given his all or had truly played "seriously". After all, there's only so much seriousness that he can pour when he's playing someone who hasn't even hit puberty yet, but it's enough to know that by the time Ryoma becomes old enough to make him give his all it's very likely he would be the one on the losing side)

Servant

The Echizen household used to hire servants to take care of their daily needs. Nanjiroh could barely function as a human being outside of the tennis court, Rinko was barely there due to her extremely busy work, and Ryoga and Ryoma were just kids. That changed, however, when Ryoma turned seven. He had asked his father if he could try to cook dinner for them and Nanjiroh allowed him.

Rinko figured that since she was there, she could supervise the whole thing so their house wouldn't burn to the ground. Nanjiroh figured that it's gonna be a nice teasing material for him to use against Ryoma in the future (He might still be a little bitter for getting beaten by his almost nine-year-old son in the one thing he prided himself greatly in). Ryoga was just curious if his beloved Chibisuke could actually do it or not.

As it turned out, Rinko's worries were unfounded, Nanjiroh's plan was ruined (again), and Ryoga was delighted because the food they ate that night was probably the best they had ever eaten. Since then Ryoma has taken charge of the household's kitchen.

Then Ryoma asked if he could help one of the servants in cleaning the house. The same pattern was repeated, with Rinko's worry turning out to be unfounded and Nanjiroh's plan to get teasing material folded by an unexpectedly competent Ryoma. Since then Ryoma has taken charge of the task of cleaning the house.

Nanjiroh had teased him, saying that Ryoma would become a perfect housewife in the future. Ryoma just shrugged in response. (He had heard the same thing from Rin enough times that he stopped caring, really)

Stranger

It wasn't his family that Ryoma told of his past life first, it was a stranger. Well, not exactly a stranger, it was Fuji's older sister, so not exactly a stranger. But they never really met before, so Ryoma decided to count her as a stranger.

"You're an old soul." Yumiko Fuji said in a tone that clearly says that she's making a statement and not a question.

Ryoma shrugged. "Maybe I am."

"Maybe you want to talk about it over a coffee?" Yumiko offered, walking toward the kitchen.

Ryoma expected many things when he accepted Syusuke's offer to come to his house after practice ended, but being offered coffee by Syusuke's older sister so they could talk about his previous life wasn't one of those.

"I prefer tea."

Scouted

It was definitely Ryoga's fault that he ended up joining Seishun Gakuen's tennis club.

Ryoma had specifically told his older brother that by no means was he interested in playing tennis outside of the court behind their house and Nanjiroh seemed to be content with letting Ryoma do whatever he wanted ever since he beat Nanjiroh all those years ago. Not to mention Ryoga has already fulfilled Nanjiroh's dream of seeing his old alma mater become the champion of Japan just one year previously.

He's already part of a nearby Kendo dojo and has signed up for the Kyuudo club after all. (Ryoma's not above admitting to himself that there were things from his past life that he's not willing to let go. Archery and swordsmanship are two of those)

So, by all means, there's no reason for Ryoma to have to join the Tennis Club, which clearly was doing more than fine without him, and no reason for Ryoga to tell the club that he can play tennis. Yet Ryoga did anyway.

And there he was, standing inside a court, wishing that he could be literally anywhere else in the world, just not on a tennis court across from an overly excitable tennis player whose name he couldn't remember. (He later learned that his name was Momoshiro)

When the bespectacled captain of the club told him that he was going to join a Ranking Tournament to determine whether he'll become a regular or not, Ryoma was reminded that he was a sucker for people who tell him that they need his help.

(Genicihiro and Seiichi called him a traitor, and honestly, Ryoma couldn't really say anything to defend himself)