Chapter Text
"Oh, how I've waited for this day!" My dad exclaims, reading the mail, tears in his eyes. This sort of thing feels like it happens practically every other day, but I humor him.
"What is it?" I ask.
"Saotome Genma's son is coming here!" He exclaims, as if I have any idea what the hell that means.
"And who is this 'Saotome Genma'?" I ask, yawning.
"He's a very good old friend of mine!" My dad explains. "Oh, I haven't seen him since before you were born!"
"But you said his son's coming, not him." I say, beginning to put things together. "What's the guy like?"
"No idea." My dad says. "I've never met him."
I see.
***
The son of Saotome Genma has finally reached Tokyo, but unfortunately, he's alone. The journey was long and arduous for him, and he could not have made it without the help of many others. His father, who stayed in China, searching for a cure for the curses which both of them had picked up. The two boys who were supposed to escort him all the way, but bailed as soon as they had left his father behind. The girls who had helped him almost the entire way, until they found out the truth of his curse, and of his gender. And last, but certainly not least, the man who freed him from the grasp of his enemies just in time for him to board the boat back to Japan. He didn't even get that last man's name.
And, through all that, he had to deal with his horrible, perverted, curse. Whenever he got touched by the slightest bit of water, he'd be stuck in a cursed body which he had no right to, the body of a girl who drowned in his spring. And, the only way to return to the form he deserves is to find hot water and pour it on him, ready to have all that effort wasted in just an instant. Given all that, it's no wonder he stayed in his cursed form all the time.
Sometimes, he consoles himself with the fact that he at least got to stay human. His dad got cursed to turn into a panda, after all. But all the issues that led to him leaving his dad behind in China, and all the issues which plagued him on the months-long trip back, all came from his curse. Meanwhile, he never noticed his dad being chased by crazed panda poachers or anything like that. He wishes he only turned into a panda.
At least he doesn't turn into a cat.
Anyways, he's now finally reached the final step of his father's plan. He was to go to the Tendou dojo, and wait for his father to return with a cure for their curses. All he knows about the Tendous was that they were friends of his dad, before he was born, and that they also practice Anything-Goes martial arts. Hesitantly, he knocks on the door, ready to introduce himself with the same lie he's told everyone lately. It just makes things simpler.
After a couple seconds, a tall man with long black hair opens the door. The boy tries to control his expression, and not look too nervous. He's supposed to be the greatest martial artist in the world, at least according to his dad. Lately, he hasn't felt that way at all.
"Is... Is this Tendou Dojo?" He asks. Given the man's age, he hazards a guess, based on what his father told him. "Are you Tendou Soun?"
"Yes, I am." The man confirms, seeming a bit confused. "And who are you?"
"I'm, uh," The boy stutters. Did Mr. Tendou not get the letter? Did he forget about the letter in the time it took to get here? Did his father specifically state he'd have a son? "I'm the child of Saotome Genma. I was told you'd be expecting me?" He settles on saying.
"Oh, uh, yes." Mr. Tendou says, clearly taken aback. Of course his father had mentioned him being a boy, that's just his luck. It isn't like he could tell anyone about the curse, everyone who has found out has reacted with horror and disgust. "The thing is, I could've sworn..." He trails off, hoping the boy will answer his implied question. But the boy doesn't want to say any more than he has to."I was told he had a son."
The boy sighs in frustration. Apparently he has to state the obvious, yet untrue fact that stands in this man's face. "Well, do I look like someone's son?" He asks, sarcastically.
"Well, no." Mr. Tendou says. The boy is relieved he conceded so quickly. "So, um... What's your name?" He asks.
The boy gulps, nervously fiddling with his hair, turned blue by the curse, grown long in the months he's been pretending to be a girl, tied back in a loose ponytail with a dragon's whisker covered by a red bow. He looks around the house he's about to enter, seeing a black-haired pigtailed boy within, looking at him with interest. Gross.
"I'm Saotome Akane," Akahiko says, bowing politely at Mr. Tendou, "and I'm sorry for any trouble."