Title: Manipulation 2: Innocent Proposal
Fandom: Prince of Tennis: Fudomine Chuugaku
Characters: Tachibana An, Ohtori Choutarou
Prompt: 048 - Diamond
Word Count: 1757
Date finished: 09/20/2007
Rating: G
Summary: An finds out why he was watching her.
Author's Notes: This is from the CPG prompt "Tachibana An / Ohtori Choutarou - Manipulation". It sets up the rest of the arc. Other Parts: one.
Disclaimer: Characters are owned by Konomi Takeshi, and whoever did the anime. At any rate, it's not me.

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An sank down on the couch before her favorite painting, a moonlit garden filled with roses, in a room of the Tokyo National Art Museum, wishing she really were in it. It would be so nice, not to have any cares but whether the man she danced with liked her or not.

Unfortunately, she still had an assignment to do - and it was her last for her Art Appreciation class. After this, she could no longer claim school as a reason to sit here and daydream. Closing her eyes, she began to compose the story she'd play out today….

And someone sat next to her.

It didn't happen often, so she opened her eyes to see who it was (if it was someone cute, she'd incorporate him into the fantasy).

She didn't expect to know him.

"Tachibana-san," said Ohtori Choutarou, formerly of Hyotei. "May I have a moment of your time?"

An stared at him, startled, then realized she needed to answer. "Sure. I guess so."

"Thank you. I don't want to interrupt your contemplation, however. I will be waiting in the coffee shop on the first floor." He stood, bowed, and strode from the room. Bemused, An left the painting and went to do her assignment, too curious to wait.

He waited, as promised, at a table by the window, a cup of tea in front of him and a book in his hands. He wasn't reading; instead, he stared out the window with a sad expression.

He looked at her as she stopped near him, and got up to hold her chair so she could sit down. "Thank you for joining me," he said as he sat back down. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Yes, please," she said.

The alacrity with which his gesture was obeyed startled her, and she ordered tea. It arrived promptly.

So this was what it meant to be rich.

"I have a situation I wish to be free of," he started abruptly as An picked up her cup to take a drink. "I hope you can help me out."

An set her teacup down again, glad she hadn't taken a sip or she might have spit it out again. "Me?" she asked.

"Yes. My father has… decided to make a business deal, and wishes to make me a part of it."

"Make you… part of it?" An didn't even try to hide that she had no idea what he meant. She picked up her teacup to try again.

He smiled apologetically. "He wishes to marry me to his prospective partner's daughter."

An's jaw dropped - as did the cup, hitting the table a little harder than she'd expected. "He what?" She hadn't seen that coming. She'd never even heard… But then she remembered where he came from, and what school he'd attended. "Okay," she said, some semblance of equilibrium restored. He looked much cheerier, and she didn't know why. "I guess I can understand that. Is there something wrong with the girl?"

"Wrong? No. Only that she is not my choice."

"Ohtori-san," she said after a moment - never before now had their difference in class been so glaring. "I'm… not sure what you want me to do." She picked up her cup again; it smelled delicious.

"I would like you to pose as my fiancée."

An set her cup down yet again (at least she didn't slam it down this time), and gave up entirely on drinking the tea. "Me? Why me?"

Ohtori leaned forward. "You are spirited, stubborn, and take no flack from anybody; you stand up for yourself and what you believe. You won't let my mother, father, or sister bully you, but you are willing to admit when you are wrong. And," he added abruptly, "you wouldn't let me bully you either." Then he took a deep breath. "I also thought to compensate you financially for your time. And there would be no expectations of…" He hesitated, clearly uncomfortable. "I would not expect you to sleep with me."

An stared at him, stunned speechless.

"The reason I thought of you," he went on when she said nothing, "is because of how stubborn you are. My parents will not be happy, and they will make it difficult for you."

Finally, she found her voice. "Aren't you making this more difficult for yourself than you need to?" she asked, and was amazed that her voice sounded normal.

"What do you mean?"

An considered what to say - and how to say it without sounding like an idiot. "Our parents don't exactly move in the same circles."

"They will hate you for it," he admitted freely. "But that's part of why I decided to ask you. You know how to fight, to deal with such prejudice - I heard how you handled Atobe-buchou on the street courts your first year in Tokyo." He smiled wistfully. "And to be honest, I don't trust a lot of the girls I grew up with. And I don't know for sure which of them I can trust. You have always been genuine."

"You were the one watching me!" she blurted, and her cheeks flushed pink.

"Yes, and I am sorry for causing you discomfort. But you are not exactly hard to watch, either."

Her face went from pink to red, and she ducked her head. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. It's only the truth."

He was just too good to be true!

An sighed as a thought struck her. "Would I be able to tell my family?"

He paused long enough that she looked up, bright red or not. "I would be more comfortable if you didn't. Their reactions would be more real."

That was true; Kippei could play tennis, but he couldn't act his way out of a paper bag. That was a sticking point. "Can I have some time to think about it?"

"Of course." He took a card from his pocket, wrote something on the back, and handed it to her. "You can reach me there. I would prefer it if you would give me your answer in person," he added.

An took the card and tried not to show how stunned she was. It was a calling card - like she'd read about in Pride and Prejudice! "Of course." She tucked the card into her purse.

"Thank you." He settled back, picked up his book, and set it in the bag at his side. "Do you mind if I ask about the painting I found you in front of? Why were you there?"

Surprised, An smiled at him and decided that telling him about her private fantasies wouldn't hurt.

When they parted an hour and a half later, she decided it was one of the best dates (could she call it that?) she'd been on in a long time. And the tea - when she finally drank it - tasted as good as it smelled.

Choutarou didn't recognize the number on his phone's caller ID, but he didn't hesitate to answer it. "Ohtori Choutarou."

"Ohtori-san, it's Tachibana An. I have an answer for you. Are you free right now?"

"Yes. Where can I pick you up?"

She gave him directions; he thanked her, hung up, and directed his driver to get her.

He was nervous, and he wouldn't try to deny it. A week had gone by since one of the most enjoyable conversations he'd ever had, and he really hoped her answer was yes.

If it was no, he was going to end up married to Hosokawa Takako by next summer. Not that he would tell An, if that was the case.

She waited where she said she would be, and climbed into the limo as if she did it all the time. "Wow," she said, sitting next to him, destroying that impression. "This is nice."

"Thank you. Have you eaten?"

"No, but I'm meeting friends for dinner at 6:00," she said.

"I'll have you back in time," he told her.

They arrived shortly after that, and he escorted her into the exclusive café, one of his favorite places. Seated, drinks in front of them, he looked at her expectantly.

Tachibana-san smiled at him. "I'm going to have to know exactly what is expected of me," she said softly. "I don't know your world very well."

Choutarou couldn't move for a moment. He hadn't dared let himself hope, hadn't dared believe this would actually work, and now he had to take a minute to adjust to the fact that she'd said yes, in spite of not really knowing him that well.

When he caught his breath, he reached across the table. "Thank you." His hands closed on hers, and he hoped she didn't notice how they shook. "I have a couple of questions first, and then I will do my best to answer any questions you have - and anything I might think of that you'll need to know. Although, honestly? Be you. I don't expect you to be anything less and I don't want you to be, either." He took a deep breath. "First: a ring. Do you want to go shopping with me for one, or do you want me to pick one out for you?"

She smiled, although she seemed a little stunned. "I would like to go with you," she said. "I've never done that, and it would be nice. I don't want anything big, though," she added, firmer. "I don't need anything big."

Choutarou smiled. "I don't need anything big, either," he murmured, and she chuckled. "My second question is in reference to the money, for your time."

She nodded. "I… if it's not too much, can you pay my tuition?"

"Done," he said. "Each semester until this is over. It might take longer than we both think - since the deadline for the business partnership hasn't been set."

"I can come up with reason upon reason to put off a marriage, Ohtori-san."

"Choutarou," he corrected her. "Or at least Ohtori-kun, until the engagement is announced."

"I can do that," she said. "Just call me An-chan, everyone does." Her brow furrowed. "When will you announce it?"

"We will announce it at Atobe's New Year's party, I think; it's just over a month away, and…." His lips twisted. "It will give the news a chance to leak out. I will be dating you properly," he added. "I want to get to know you, even though we won't end up married."

She smiled. "That sounds perfect."

When she got out of the limo, Choutarou sagged, boneless, against the back of the seat, still shaking, even if not quite so hard.

This could actually work.

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