Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ Family - A Tezuka Birthday ficlet ❯ Chapter 1

"Family"

A _Price of Tennis_ Fanfiction

By Andrea Readwolf [andrea_readwolf @hotmail.com]

Chapter: 1/1

Rating: PG

Genre: Hetero-romance. Fluffy-drabble

Warnings: Character death mentioned in passing.

Summary: Kawamura treats Tezuka and family to sushi on their birthday.

Disclaimer: Tennis no Ohjisama, characters and settings are the property of Konomi Takeshi.

Date Started: October 6, 2004

Word Count: 667

"Family"

The little girl burst through the cloth door divider with a delighted laugh and raced up to the counter, her inky dark braid whipping behind her like a live tail.

"Kumiko!" the man behind the counter greeted with a large smile and purposefully dropped a piece of salmon on the girl's nose. "Where's your mom and dad? Aren't they coming, too?"

The little girl laughed, plucking the piece of fish off her face and shoving it happily into her mouth. "Uncle Taka's funny. Momma's parking the car, and Papa's going to meet us here! Guess what?"

"What?" Kawamura Takashi asked dutifully.

"It's mine and Papa's birthday, so Momma said I could pick what we eat and I picked here!"

"Yea!" Takashi cheered and the little girl joined in. "It's a birthday party! And just how old are you now?" he asked, although he already knew.

"Six!" she replied proudly.

"Oh, my! You're so *old*!"

"Not as old as you," the girl giggled, and he reached over the counter to tickle her into squeals.

"Kumiko, did you find us a seat?" a gentle voice asked as her mother arrived.

Takashi smiled at the pretty young woman who ducked her head inside with a soft, "Sadeishimasu."

"Sakuno-chan," he greeted warmly. "Come right over here and sit down. Get off your feet."

"Good evening, Taka-san. Thank you."

"How's your grandmother?"

"She's doing well, thank you," Sakuno smiled back at him as she sat down near the bar next to her exuberant daughter who was playing with the soy sauce bottles. "She says retired life agrees with her."

Takashi laughed at the idea of his old tennis coach as a retired woman. "She worked hard. If anyone deserves to relax and kick up her heels and enjoy life some, it's her."

"Sorry I'm late," a steady, deep voice announce, and Kumiko perked up, golden eyes sparkling as she hopped off her chair and raced to the door.

"Papa!" the six year old cried as she launched herself at the man.

Kunimitsu caught the girl with the ease of a man well used to such feats, swinging her up onto his hip and tipping her upside down before righting her back onto her own feet. He swatted her bottom affectionately before joining the others at the counter. Leaning over, he placed a light kiss on Sakuno's cheek before bobbing his head in greeting to Takashi.

Takashi grinned back at his old tennis captain and his wife as they struck up idle conversation about their lives, their work, Kumiko's new exploits as a first year in elementary...

Many of their friends thought Kunimitsu had married the young woman out of some misplaced sense of duty or something when her husband died in an airplane crash over six years ago. But Takashi knew better. That Sakuno was the granddaughter of their respected tennis coach had as much reason to do with why Kunimitsu had married the woman as the fact that she had been Echizen's wife.

There was a gentle look on Kunimitsu's face whenever he looked at his wife, one that spoke of genuine affection. A look that extended to the little girl who chirped happily from her perch on his lap as they chomped down fat slices of sashimi and sushi. A look that radiated with a quiet intensity as luminous as the former tennis player's "Tezuka Zone" as the family discussed possible names for the new baby that was due to arrive in the next coming months.

Takashi thought he knew, indeed, as he waved away their attempts to pay him. "This is my treat," he told them. "You save that money and buy the baby something nice for me."

"Taka-san..."

"Takashi," Kunimitsu nodded to him in silent thanks, and Takashi watched the family leave, Kumiko half-asleep in her papa's arms, Kunimitsu's hand resting at the small of Sakuno's back as he guided her out of the sushi bar.

And Takashi grinned as he cleaned off his counter.

~*~

The End

Author's Notes:

Well, it's another Sushi Shop Story. If this keeps up, I'll have a mini-story series.

This is the Tezuka-Sakuno fic I mentioned earlier. I'm sure someone will knock me for it--either because it mentions Sakuno-Ryoma or because I killed Ryoma (omg-you killed Ryoma, you bastard!) or something, but, oh well. It's a short-sweet fic, maybe a little too OOC on Tezuka's part for some, but over all, I think it turned out rather nicely.

(And yes. Fuji agreed to this story. I think it amused him. >.< Although Ryoma wasn't too happy......)

-"Sadeishimasu" is something that is said when entering a room or place of business. I'm still trying to discover the correct spelling. Rough translation: please forgive my intrusion.