Title: Familial Ties
Fandom: Prince of Tennis: Fudomine Chuugaku
Characters: Sakurai Masaya, Ishida Tetsu, Kamio Akira, others (who are not mine).
Prompt: 096 - Writer's Choice.
Word Count: 1095
Date finished: 02/21/2008
Rating: G
Summary: Masaya wants someone from his family to watch him play. His cousin says he'll come.
Author's Notes: Heee! Another crossover, out of serendipity. Hakkais_shadow, this is your fault, you enabler you.
Disclaimer: Characters are owned by Konomi Takeshi, and whoever did the anime. At any rate, it's not me.

Sakurai Masaya bit his lip and checked the schedule. "Yeah. That's the Tokyo District finals. You sure you want to?"

His cousin laughed. "Masaya, you've talked about nothing but your team. You've met my friends, I'd like to meet yours."

"Girls attend, you know," Masaya couldn't help adding, even though he wanted him to come, more than anything.

"I'll be fine," his cousin assured him. "Email me with when and where and any details I need, and I'll threaten someone to let me come. Do you want me to bring the CD?"

"Oh, yeah! That'd be great. He'll love it."

There was a silence, then laughter on the other end. "Next time, Masaya, you might let me know. I'll… let the others know as well."

"Thanks. I appreciate it." He hung up. Maybe he'd finally have someone there to watch him play.

Standing at the net, facing Seigaku with the rest of his team before their match officially started, Masaya tried to scan the stands behind the opposing team subtly, looking for his cousin.

"What are you looking for?" Tetsu asked as they walked back to their benches.

Not subtly enough, apparently.

"My cousin. He said he'd come."

Tetsu stared at him. "Your father won't, but your cousin will?" Tetsu asked, a confused expression on his face.

"Yeah. Sho's cool. You'll like him." If you get to meet him, he added in his head.

The referee called for the Doubles Two match, and Masaya got his racquet out of his bag. As he straightened, light flashed across his eyes, and he looked up into the stands to find the source. Ah… there. The idiot was using Akira's gift as a mirror! He grinned, waved, and turned to step onto the court with a lighter heart.

As a match… it wasn't one of his best. Oh, he played well, but he hadn't expected to face Fuji Syuusuke, of all players, and then Tetsu had broken his strings, and….

"Referee, we have to forfeit."

Well…. It was a win.

Masaya wanted to go and see his cousin, but courtesy and Tachibana kept him in his seat, watching as Seigaku won. But… they hadn't been totally defeated, and although his mind kept straying, he did learn a lot from watching the Doubles 1 match.

Only Shinji's match with Seigaku's incredible freshman could take his mind off the family - his family! - waiting in the stands, and Masaya could barely keep still as he followed the team back onto the courts for the official end of the tournament.

Finally, at long last, the officials released them, and Masaya grabbed Tetsu's arm. "Get Akira and follow me," he said urgently. "He came."

Tetsu laughed. "Okay." He moved off, and Masaya headed for the stands where he'd seen his cousin.

Sho wasn't alone; a large man stood behind him - to be expected - but someone else sat next to him, lounging casually in his seat.

"I didn't understand a bit of it," his cousin admitted. "But you guys really put up a fight. Is that kid in the white cap going to be okay?"

Masaya grinned. "He should be. That doesn't usually happen," he added.

"Masaya?" Akira asked, sounding confused.

Masaya turned, grinning. "Hey. Akira, Tetsu, this is my cousin, Sakurai Sho, and his friend, Ohno Satoshi. This is Ishida Tetsu, my doubles partner, and Kamio Akira, our vice-captain."

"Nice to meet you," Tetsu said with a bow.

Akira stared. Masaya smirked.

"Good to meet you," Sho said, and handed Akira a CD. "Masaya said you might like this."

Akira's hand shook as he took it, and Masaya had to stifle a snicker. That got harder when he realized that Tetsu had no idea why Akira had reacted the way he did.

"Masaya. Akira. Tetsu."

They turned - Akira, slowly - to find the rest of the team, and Masaya had to smile. "Sorry, Tachibana-san," he said, fully aware that he did not sound repentant. "This is my cousin." He again went through introductions.

By the time they sorted everything out, Masaya was breathless from trying not to laugh. Between Akira's blank, stunned stare going between Sho and Onho, Tetsu's deepening confusion as he watched the redhead, and Sho interrogating Tachibana-san about the team, not to mention the parts of the conversation he caught between Ohno and Shinji, he had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing and drawing attention to himself.

"We have to go. Do you mind if we take Masaya?" he heard Sho ask, and straightened.

Tachibana shook his head. "No. He's analyzed his game better than I could. I'll see you Monday morning," he added as Masaya joined them.

"Thank you, Tachibana-san," he said.

"Captain! Let's go!" Sho called, and Ohno - apparently with some effort - pulled himself away from Shinji and joined them.

"You seem pretty happy, even though you lost," Sho mentioned in the car later.

"Yeah. We're advancing to the next tournament - today's match just determined the ranking. We're second in the best four for Tokyo."

"Good. Let me know how you do."

Masaya smiled. "I will. Thanks."

He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this… contented. Tomorrow, the feeling would fade, a little, but today….

Today, someone from his family and seen him play. The team had done well, and they would reach their goal to go to Nationals. And he'd managed to get Akira an early birthday present.

His phone rang, and he picked it up. "Hello?"

"I haven't decided if I should kill you or make you saint."

"Hi, Akira," Masaya said cheerfully.

"You didn't tell me your cousin was Sho!"

"I try not to let that out," Masaya admitted.

"Which I get, but…. They signed it."

"Yeah."

Silence. "Masaya. You got me a signed Arashi CD, which one of the group so casually handed me."

"A fair pick-me-up for losing to Kaidoh? I know it's early, but Happy Birthday."

Further silence. "Masaya. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"What do you mean, his dad won't see him play?"

Sho grimaced. "You don't know my uncle," he said. "Masaya's never said, but I expect his father hates it that he plays doubles."

Ohno shook his head. "Strange," he said. Then he laughed. "That Ibu kid is interesting. I don't know how aware he was, but he never stopped talking."

"What about?"

"I think it was that kid he lost to, in the white cap."

Sho eyed his friend. "Kind of like you, then, only more vocal."

It took a moment. "Hey!"

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