Title: Method of Escape
Fandom: Prince of Tennis: Fudomine Chuugaku
Characters: Ibu Shinji, Saeki Kojirou, Kisarazu Atsushi, Kisarazu Ryou
Prompt: 027 - Parents
Word Count: 2087
Date finished: 07/19/2007
Rating: PG
Summary: Shinji gets a phone call that is... alarming. And goes to the rescue.
Author's Notes: This is based off the rp TenipuriU, and a conversation on Shinji's journal between Shinji and Ryou. One of those 'things-which-shall-not-be-named' that I refuse to acknowledge - but it wouldn't let me go. So. Here it is. (Note on the pictures below: Shinji, Saeki, Atsushi and Ryou, in that order). Warning - this is shonen ai.
Disclaimer: Characters are owned by Konomi Takeshi, and whoever did the anime. At any rate, it's not me.

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Ibu Shinji hung up and stared blankly across the room, trying to process what he'd just heard. It made no sense. Well, no. He understood the gist of it. Snatching his backpack, he dumped it out and packed a change of clothes - some of the nicest he had - and then selected his most interesting textbook and added it to the backpack. Grabbing his wallet and phone, he ducked into the bathroom to grab his travel bag, and then left his room and went to the other door in the suite. He pounded on it, and gave his former captain a sheepish smile. "I'm going to Chiba, something about Atsushi. Don't know when I'll be back."

"Everything okay?" Tachibana Kippei asked, brow furrowed.

"I don't know," Shinji admitted. "I'll be back… when I'm back."

"Call if it's more than a couple of days," Kippei said. "And good luck."

It was a short walk to the bus, and even while riding he tried to make sense of the phone call that had him going to the train station. It was pointless, so he decided to wait until he met up with Ryou's boyfriend on the platform for the train to Chiba. Maybe he'd have more information.

Finding his travel companion was easy, even though they'd never met. "Aristocratic face, and silver hair," Ryou had said, and the description was a good one. Shinji walked almost hesitantly up to him. "Excuse me. Saeki Kojirou-san?"

The taller man turned to him and smiled, although the smile didn't reach his eyes. "You must be Ibu Shinji," he said. "It's good to meet you."

"Likewise," Shinji said. "Do you know what's going on?"

"Let's board," Saeki said, gesturing to the train. "I'll explain what I know."

Saeki even had his ticket, so they boarded, found seats, and tried to relax. Shinji wasn't successful, and if Saeki's fidgeting was anything to go by, neither was he.

"Ryou didn't have much time to talk," Saeki began once the train was underway. "But it seems his parents got impatient and found Atsushi a wife."

Shinji couldn't breath for a moment. Then he recalled the conversation he'd had with Ryou on his journal, about being the "other man". He'd meant every word he'd typed.

He'd have to trust that Ryou had, too.

"W-why Atsushi?" he stammered, and only then realized how that sounded. He winced.

"I'd guess it had something to do with potential earning power," Saeki said. "Atsushi has the potential to earn a lot more than Ryou." He smiled wryly. "You two will be rich, and we'll struggle."

Something eased in Shinji's chest, and his breath came easier. He smiled his gratitude at the older man, glad of the confidence in his words that they would win.

"'Sushi would have called you," Saeki went on, "but they confiscated his phone. They were fools not to take Ryou's. We are going to help stop this. I don't want to be the "other man" any more than you do."

The constriction in his chest eased further. "I didn't think you would," he said. "How are we supposed to stop it?"

Saeki shrugged. "Ryou didn't elaborate. I don't think he could - or that he knew, exactly, what he was going to do. He just told me where to be, and when, and how to look - you packed something nice?" Shinji nodded. "Then he said he'd take care of the rest."

That would have to be enough.

The train ride was long. Even though Shinji got out the textbook he'd brought, he got nothing read. It lay open on his lap while he stared out the window. Saeki, he noticed, got as much done as he did.

As they drew near the end station, they took turns in the restroom to change in their more formal clothes, and then Shinji followed Saeki out of the station and onto the bus.

Finally, they arrived at a nice looking house, and Saeki walked in without knocking. Shinji followed.

There were a lot of people standing around the living room, and none of them seemed to even notice the new arrivals. Saeki stood against a wall, pulled out his phone, and sent a text.

Not a minute later, one of the twins appeared from a hallway across the room. He was dressed in black slacks and a dark green button-down shirt - and Shinji didn't have to see the longer hair to know it was Ryou. Ryou paused, grey eyes sweeping the room, and Saeki's breath hitched next to him. "Kami-sama, he's gorgeous when he's angry," he murmured.

Ryou nodded at them but didn't move toward them; instead, he approached a pretty young lady and began to speak to her. Shinji noticed that most of the people in the room moved away from them, giving them some room, and wondered why. After a few moments, she glanced in their direction, then nodded at Ryou. Leaving him, she walked toward them.

She was pretty, he could just admit, guessing this was the girl supposed to marry his love, although he begrudged her that, however unfairly. She stopped before them and smiled. "Excuse me. Which of you is Ibu Shinji?"

"I am he," Shinji said politely.

"Kisarazu Ryou tells me you are… involved with Atsushi."

Involved. That was one way to put it, and had it been a few years ago, he might have even expounded on that. "Yes," he managed.

"Ryou-san also tells me," she added softly, her eyes meeting his intently, "that you are not willing to give him up. Even if he is married."

Shinji swallowed. "No."

Her smile softened and grew… wistful? "No offense," she said, "but I am."

Shinji stared at her.

"I'll see what I can do for you." She winked and walked away.

Saeki chuckled next to him. "Breathe, Ibu."

He gasped a breath and leaned against the wall, shaking. When he glanced at Saeki, a little embarrassed, he could only see understanding in his green eyes.

Not five minutes later, the room erupted like a beehive someone had poked with a stick. In spite of efforts by a couple that had to be Atsushi's parents, a party that included the young lady headed for the door. She winked at Shinji as the woman who must be her mother walked her out of the room, angry as the queen bee of the aforementioned hive.

Saeki touched Shinji's arm. "Come on," he said softly, and Shinji followed him out the back door and into a small yard.

"What are we here for?" Shinji asked, utterly confused.

Saeki nodded back at the house. Shinji turned and had an armful of boyfriend.

He forgot everything else, his whole focus on the man trembling against him. "Sh, love," he whispered. "I'm here. You're safe. I won't let them get you." He kept talking, barely noticing what he said, his words slowing only as Atsushi's trembling eased.

"I need you two to come with me," Saeki interrupted urgently. "Now."

From the way Atsushi went over the fence, he'd done it often. Shinji followed, clumsier and only with help from Saeki. He, too, scaled it with ease, then took the lead and moved quickly down the street.

They were four blocks away and around a corner before he slowed down.

"Saeki, what happened?" Atsushi asked.

Saeki didn't turn around, his shoulders tense under his pale yellow shirt. "Your parents were coming out to find you. Ryou didn't think they needed to find you with Ibu - or that you really wanted to see them again. He'll join us when he can."

Granted, Shinji didn't know Saeki very well, but he sounded concerned. And he probably had a reason to.

Atsushi had regained his equilibrium, but he hadn't recovered from the shock; he held
Shinji's hand tightly, all the way to what was apparently Saeki's home. His mother let them in, gave them tea, and then left them alone.

Shinji could tell how much the whole thing had shaken his boyfriend; Atsushi hadn't let him go since they'd left his yard. As soon as Saeki-san was gone, Shinji looked at his boyfriend. "What happened?"

"Matsuki-san came into where Mom and Dad were with me, furious. He said that if they were going to lie to him, he wanted nothing to do with them. When Dad asked what he was talking about, Matsuki-san got angrier. He told mom and dad that he felt dishonored, allying his daughter with a man they knew planned to be unfaithful to her with another man." Atsushi gave a short laugh. "If looks could kill, I'd have been dead twice - but they couldn't claim I'd told her; I haven't met her yet. When Mom and Dad couldn't come up with an answer, he left, and, I suppose, took his wife and daughter home. Mom and Dad followed him, Ryou slipped in, and sent me out to you." He took a deep breath. "I'm not coming home again. Ever."

"Don't say that," Shinji said softly. "Something might change."

Atsushi shook his head. "They lied to me, and to Ryou. I've never seen him so furious."

"Do you think Matsuki-san would accept Ryou, in your place?" Saeki asked, and they both turned to look at him.

He looked… nervous. Shinji could certainly understand why.

"No. I don't think there's a chance of that," Atsushi said. "He was angry. He didn't seem to care that I was gay, only that I planned to cheat on his daughter - and Mom and Dad knew about it."

Saeki nodded. "Good." He lapsed into silence.

Shinji turned back to Atsushi to find his boyfriend's grey eyes on him. "I was so scared," Atsushi told him softly. "I thought… I was… I owe Ryou a lot."

Shinji smiled. "So do I," he said, and pulled Atsushi close.

They sat that way for a long time. Shinji felt Atsushi slowly relax, leaning almost bonelessly against him, and felt his own tension release. They'd gotten out of there. They were going to be okay.

And then Saeki-san called "Kojirou!" in a panicked voice. Saeki shot out of the room, and Atsushi followed, only slightly slower. Shinji followed him. By the time he got there, Ryou leaned heavily on Saeki's shoulder, head down so his hair covered his face, and Atsushi knelt before his brother, probing at his left ankle.

"I twisted it going over the fence," Ryou said, probably in answer to a question.

Atsushi looked up and hissed. Standing up, he pushed Ryou's hair back, tucking it behind his ear. "That's not from going over the fence."

That was a bruise beginning to darken on Ryou's face, and fresh blood at the corner of his mouth. Shinji froze.

"No," Ryou said. "Dad hit me. It startled him so much that I ran for it."

"You came six blocks on that ankle?" Saeki demanded, sounding completely out of sorts.

"I just need some ice," Ryou said, but he seemed to huddle closer to Saeki.

It broke Shinji's paralysis. "He should sit down," he told Saeki. "We'll get ice." He took Atsushi's arm and pulled him off balance; his boyfriend stumbled, then recovered and led the way into the kitchen. "Are you okay?" Shinji asked Atsushi.

"I'm not… I can't believe…." Atsushi just stared blankly over Shinji's shoulder.

"Is that the first time he's hit either of you?"

Atsushi's eyes focused again and met his. "Yes." His shoulders were tense.

Shinji reached up and rubbed them gently. "He doesn't seem like the kind of guy to hit much."

"I don't think he is. That's probably why Ryou got out so fast; Dad freezes when he does something he doesn't expect. And I'm just… surprised." He took a deep breath, and his shoulders eased under Shinji's hands. "Thank you for coming," he murmured, leaned forward, and kissed Shinji.

"Any time," Shinji said softly, and just held him.

After a moment, Atsushi straightened again. "Let's get him the ice, and then we can sit together and you can hold me some more, until I'm sure this is all real."

Shinji smiled. "That sounds good," he said.

When they got back to the front room, Ryou sat huddled against Saeki, who gently stroked his long, black hair. Ryou's leg was propped up on the coffee table. Atsushi arranged the ice on his twin's ankle, then joined Shinji on the couch. Shinji wrapped his arms around him, glad to be able to hold him like this.

None of them moved for a long time.

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