Title: Manipulation 03: Official Announcement
Fandom: Prince of Tennis: Fudomine Chuugaku
Characters: Tachibana An, Tachibana Kippei, Ohtori Choutarou, Atobe Keigo, Shishido Ryou
Prompt: 095 - New Year
Word Count: 1636
Date finished: 09/25/2007
Rating: G
Summary: Now everyone knows. Some are very unhappy.
Author's Notes: "Tachibana An / Atobe Keigo - Proximity". I figured, if I was going to have Atobe, he'd make it big. Previous parts: one, two.
Disclaimer: Characters are owned by Konomi Takeshi, and whoever did the anime. At any rate, it's not me.

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An climbed out of the limo Choutarou had sent for her family and joined them on the front walk. "Are you sure about this?" Kippei asked in an undertone as they followed their parents to the front door. It was the same thing they'd been asking her - if different words - for the last three weeks, ever since the invitation had arrived in the mail.

"Yes," An said, hoping she sounded more sure than she felt. She couldn't back out now; Choutarou had placed the ring on her finger last weekend - and she had given her word long before that.

Choutarou was not stingy, thankfully; he did nothing halfway, and although she could easily conclude that he performed for the press, it was not the feeling she got. Yes, the press. She - they - had been in supermarket tabloids already. Apparently, he was considered one of the most eligible bachelors in Tokyo. To her, he was just a kid - man? - with a killer serve.

She twisted the ring around her finger as the butler - of all things! - let them in and took their coats.

That was another thing. He hadn't tried to make the ring a showpiece; he'd found the small, square-cut diamond had a small pearl on either side on a simple gold band. She'd loved the idea when he'd suggested it.

The butler led them through a wide hallway to a grand ballroom and actually announced them; before he'd finished their names, Choutarou had appeared.

An smiled as he approached, moving to meet him. He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, smiling as well. "You look beautiful," he said.

"Thank you," she said, her cheeks flushing. "You look amazing."

"Thank you. These are your parents?"

She smiled up at him and turned to face her family. "Yes. Tachibana Keisuke and Akiko, and my brother Kippei. This is Ohtori Choutarou."

Choutarou bowed. "I am pleased to meet you finally," he said.

Her parents were polite, if stiff in the unfamiliar surroundings; Kippei actually said something very nice to him. It had been a worry, because An hadn't been sure her brother wouldn't try to threaten him at this first meeting.

The only indication that someone else had joined them was her father nudging her mother, and they both stiffened as Choutarou turned. "Mother, father," he greeted them. "This is Tachibana Akiko and Keisuke, their son, Kippei, and their daughter, An. My parents, Yoshiko and Masato."

"It is an honor to meet you," An's father said with a bow.

"Yes, I'm sure it is," Ohtori-san said, and An's eyes widened in disbelief - which she hid as she bowed as well. "This is the girl? Choutarou, you can't be serious."

Kippei's eyebrows went up, and An reached out to grab his arm before he could say anything. He swallowed it, whatever it was, and gave a short, barely respectful bow. She sighed in relief.

"Why not?" Choutarou asked, but she could hear the tension in his voice. Letting her brother go - she trusted him not to mess it up, now - she slipped her hand into Choutarou's, chin up as she waited for their answer. Certainly they wouldn't try to hide it, not after that first comment.

"She's barely presentable," his mother hissed.

Choutarou turned and looked at her, eyes warm as they swept over her. "She looks beautiful to me," he said, turning back to them.

"Welcome."

An was surprised at how glad she was to hear Atobe Keigo's arrogant voice, and Choutarou's hand squeezed hers as they turned to face their host. "Thank you," Ohtori-san responded, bowing deeply.

An's parents watched, confused, until Kippei whispered who this was; when he'd explained, her father bowed as well, although not nearly as deeply. "Thank you for your invitation," he said. "It was kindly done."

"Tachibana-san, it was nothing. Please, come in and enjoy yourselves." He escorted them further into the hall, and An and Choutarou followed.

"I'm sorry about my parents," he said softly as they stepped into the crowd. "My father is very… ambitious."

An smiled. "You know, that's not the word I'd use, but… I'm a bit common."

He chuckled. "It's not like they aren't used to it. Shishido-san has called them some less-than-proper names - and to their faces - so it's nothing new."

"They really don't like me."

"No," he said. "I'm sorry."

"I expected it," she said. "I don't think Kippei did." Her smile turned wicked. "He's going to be mad."

As if her words had summoned him, her brother appeared before them. "An, can I talk to you?"

With a smile, she let Choutarou's hand go, and took Kippei's proffered arm. "I'll be right back," she promised her fiancé.

He bowed to them, and then Kippei pulled her toward a less occupied part of the room. "Are you certain about this, An?"

The lie never became easier. "Yes, Kippei. Choutarou-kun is not like that. He's very nice."

"But… An. To date someone with parents like that…."

"He's not his parents," she said. "And it's more than just dating, now, you know that," she added softly.

"That's part of the reason I'm worried about this. I wasn't near worried enough before. I know him - at least a little - but his parents…."

"Do you have any objections to Choutarou himself?" she asked.

Kippei hesitated, but then shook his head. "No," he said. "He's a good guy."

"Then don't worry," she assured her brother. "Things will be just fine."

He didn't look convinced when she left him to find Choutarou again.

Back in the hall, she saw a girl standing next to Choutarou, and wondered who it was. Neither of them noticed her as she got close.

"You heard them announce her family." Choutarou said easily.

The girl sighed. "I know that, but they announce everyone. Come on, Chouta-kun. I really want to know who she is."

Choutarou shook his head. "You'll find out when everyone else does, Takako-chan."

The girl smiled up at him. "Do you like her?"

Chotuarou nodded. "Yes," he said. "I do."

"Good," She turned to walk away, then looked back at him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Before An could ask about the strange girl, a servant came to get Choutarou, and her fiancé vanished into the crowd with him. An drifted aimlessly around the floor, taking everything in.

Choutarou found her just as Atobe Keigo called for everyone's attention, and he led her toward their host. She didn't have a chance to ask who the girl was.

"Thank you all for attending this annual event," he began. "Be sure to enjoy yourselves. Before I open the buffet, however, a friend of mine has an announcement he'd like to make."

Almost every eye in the place turned to Choutarou, and An tightened her hand on his arm. "They know?" she asked softly.

"They suspect. That is very different from knowing," he assured her, just as quiet. "Wait here a moment?"

An didn't see the difference, but she guessed it had something to do with the difference in class between them. She nodded, and he joined Atobe in the middle of the room.

"As I'm sure you're all aware," Choutarou started, and An was surprised not to hear any sarcasm in his voice, "I have been dating a very nice woman for a few weeks now. Last weekend, she accepted my offer of marriage."

He held out his hand to her, and she joined them as well, smiling up at him.

The silence was deafening, at least until Atobe turned and congratulated them - loudly and clearly - and wished them happiness. Only then did the applause begin.

"Congratulations," Atobe said again, a glint of humor in his eyes. "You've shocked them, Choutarou-kun. And your parents are furious."

"It wasn't my aim to shock them," Choutarou protested.

"No? It should have been."

"When I aim to do something like this, I usually fail, Atobe-san. When I don't, the effect is all the more pleasing."

"Your parents look furious," An said, looking up at her fiancé and his friend.

"They do," Atobe said. "Yours look uncomfortable, Tachibana-chan. If you'll excuse me."

He slipped away through the crowd, and An saw him draw her parents into a less-populated area to speak to them.

"What is the meaning of this?" Ohtori-san demanded.

An had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at the sight; Choutarou towered over his father by a good six inches.

"You said if I found someone I preferred, it would be okay with you. You set no stipulations other than that," Choutarou said.

"Do you think she can make you happy?"

"She has, and does," Choutarou said. "And I would thank you to not talk about An as if she weren't here. She is, and she will be for a long time." He offered his arm to her, and they swept off.

"An, I'm…."

She reached up and pressed her fingers to his lips. "Don't," she said with a smile. "It's not your fault. It's okay."

He smiled. "Okay." Something in the crowd caught his attention, and he smiled down at her. "Ready to face your first obstacle?" he asked.

"Your parents weren't that?" she asked.

"Oh, no," he said. "Compared to him, they're a walk in the park." He gestured to the man walking through the crowd toward them, and An's eyes widened.

"He doesn't look happy."

"Neither does your brother, who is right behind Shishido. My first obstacle?"

"Kippei? Yes. Be careful."

"You, too."

Shishido Ryou came to a stop before them. "Hey, Choutarou. May I have a word with you?" he asked An.

She smiled up at Choutarou, who looked stunned. "Of course." She said.

As they walked away, she hear Kippei say, "I need to talk to you"

This was not going to be easy. Or fun.

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