Here's the sequel to Hakase! And happy birthday, Yanagi-senpai!
It had been a month since Yanagi's visit to his old friend's home. The Inui Special Vegetable Juice he asked for had proven to be as useful as the first time. Yukimura's rehabilitation went smoothly, even exceed everyone's expectations. Furthermore, Yukimura could have a practice match anytime now that one didn't have to wait for the yips to recede.
And of course, last but not least, it become the second in the list of 'Most Feared Things in Rikkai' right below the captain and surprisingly, above the vice-captain.
Their friendship also had improved ever since. Although none came to each respective house for the whole month, they still have a rendezvous every now and then, even for the sole purpose of talking about the weather in a ramen shop.
The national championship is a week away. Once Yukimura had return, he increased the training regiments tenfold. To make up for their loss, he had reasoned. Starting from the first day of his homecoming, he had given everyone a hundred laps with double both the arms and the feet weights. The following days were filled with a special regiment that he was told to make, which were thrice harder than before.
"Those who couldn't finish the regiment accordingly will drink the juice. It helped me recover, so it'll be good to your body as well." Yukimura had said. With just one smile, no one was brave enough to ask, let along defy his absolute rule.
Yanagi felt slightly guilty for being the one to prepare the horrendous punishment. Had he not done it, Yukimura would have his head. Perhaps bearing the guilt was worth his life.
Today was no different than other. All the Rikkai regulars did the regiment until the very last full stop mark. Sun had set already, but until they were finished, Yukimura refused to call the practice.
The only ones remaining were Yukimura, Sanada, Kirihara and Yanagi. Apparently, Yukimura found it hard to dismiss their defeat in Kanto Regional Championship, hence the extra training for them. They were given more weights and twice the current regiment, which is thrice the usual one.
"One last lap, and everyone may go clean up!" Yukimura yelled from the bench. He only did the current regiment for fear that he'd over exert himself and ended up in hospital once again. On the court, Kirihara looked like he was about to collapse, Sanada's breathing was hard, and Yanagi's footstep had gone atrocious. Yanagi was so tired that he couldn't feel his feet anymore, and the next thing he knew, he fell face-first onto the ground.
"Yanagi-sempai!" Kirihara cried. He would have ran and helped his senpai hadn't his fukubuchou pushed him to move forward.
Yanagi's brain screamed at himself to get up, to finish the last lap. But no matter how loud his mind screamed, he couldn't do it. His feet were numb. He would have called it yips attack hadn't he knew better.
"Renji, another ten laps." He could hear Yukimura ordered mercilessly. "Sanada, Akaya, you may go home."
Sanada and Kirihara were hesitant to leave Yanagi alone at first. However, that mind quickly changed when Yukimura flashed them a glare. They immediately dashed to the club to shower. Yukimura also left the court soon after, leaving Yanagi lying on the ground alone.
Finally, after what had seemed like an hour, he had regained enough strength and senses to get up and continued the final lap and also the additional ones. The court was now pitch dark, only illuminated by shimmering street lamps at each corner.
Silence filled the court except for his ragged breathing and cricket sounds. He knew that everyone had gone home already, and he could skip the additional laps for all he cared, but for some reason he had no guts to increase his guilt. Even when his feet had started to go numb again during the third additional laps, he continued on.
That was, until he fell again.
Damn it… Hadn't it for the doubled weights, he would have no problem finishing the course in one sweep. He admitted that he was nearly in Marui's level in terms of stamina, but he never thought that he was this weak. At the very least, he should be able to-
"There's a 75 percent chance that you are here because of Rikkai's training, Renji."
Sadaharu? Yanagi couldn't mistaken his voice. He tilted his face slightly, and he was greeted with a hand reaching out to help.
"It's rare to see you here in Kanagawa." Yanagi refused the help. Gathering all his strength, he pushed himself to his knees, and slowly to his feet. Inui didn't force his help and just stood there watching. Yanagi spared a glance at Inui for a second, before he ran past him to continue his laps.
To his surprise, Inui suddenly appeared beside him, running at even pace with him. Wha-
"I came here to ask for the payback." Inui spoke, ignoring Yanagi's surprised expression. "However, as I have no idea where your house was, I decided to come to Rikkai instead." He explained, still running beside Yanagi.
"…What do you wish to know?" Yanagi asked after a while. Speaking had consumed half of his remaining energy, and he had no choice but to drop his speed. Inui noticed that and dropped his speed as well, although he had to say that he dislike running so slow.
"I wish to exhange some data, now that I'm here."
"About that…" Yanagi caught his breath. "Can you wait- ah!"
Yanagi would have fallen for the third consecutive time hadn't Inui caught him. "There's an 87 percent chance that you will be able to finish the remaining five laps without falling after you take a rest for about fifteen minutes." He advised.
Yanagi refused. He pushed Inui to continue, only to have both his shoulder pushed down. He fell on his rim quite painfully.
"Take-a-rest, kyouju." Inui said, spelling every word as he sat down next to him. Yanagi decided that he was in no condition to protest, so he joined Inui. Inui took a PET bottle from his bag and handled it to Yanagi, who accepted and gulped it down immediately. Fortunately it was water, not one of Inui's inventions.
Yanagi gasped for air after devouring three forth of the bottle's content. He put it on his right, the opposite side of where Inui sat.
"Thank you, Sadaharu."
Yanagi's thank ended the conversation between them. They spent five minutes in stillness, except for Yanagi who was still having a hard time to control his breath.
"It's funny, Sadaharu."
"Hm?" Inui was caught off-guard with Yanagi's random statement.
"I'm the one who teach you data-tennis, yet you're the one who end up beating me."
Inui's eyes widened in surprise behind the lenses. He fixed his glasses. "I have told you before that-"
"There's a fifty-fifty chance between us. If we play again, there's a chance that you will win, kyouju- is what you are going to say." Yanagi said, his voice monotone yet showed a hint of fatigue.
"There's a 99.9 percent chance that I will not get this far hadn't it been for your teaching, Renji."
"You are going to reminisce about the past after this, aren't you Sadaharu?"
"There's a 100 percent chance that you are going to listen to the whole story, Renji."
"Renji?" An eleven year old Inui asked. He was looking at the tennis court from the roof top with his friend.
"Yes?"
"Do you think that we'll be able to make it? To be the school's main double players, I mean."
Yanagi shifted his gaze from the court to Inui. "What makes you say that?"
Inui frowned a bit, his gaze went to the floor. "The regulars are strong. They are quicker than us, and their hits are more powerful."
Yanagi looked back at the court. Inui was not lying, their senpais are indeed powerful. Bur… "If we know where they are going to attack, no matter how powerful or quick they are, we can hit the ball back, right? "
"Really?"
Ever since that day, they started to gather data together. Using binoculars and a notebook, they went from school to school, hiding in bushes to watch them play. Even spying their own school.
Not everything went smoothly. There were times when they were caught and sent home, or even detention. They used to climb trees before, but one school have this kid that hit balls over the fence and unfortunately hit Inui's forehead, causing him to fall. Since then, they resorted to hiding in bushes.
But this time, there's another crazier school that somehow had his racquet flying over them, and once again, stroke Inui's forehead.
They tried coming as spectators, but they were soon kicked out as soon as they wrote things in their notebook.
And don't ask about disguising. Let's just say that Inui ended up having his forehead checked at the doctor whether it had a tennis-related magnet or not.
By the time the Tokyo tournament come, they had almost every data from their rivals' school. The match became easier afterwards.
"Sadaharu, they're going to do drop shot!"
"Ok kyouju!"
Inui wasn't accustomed to Data tennis playing style before, so mainly it's Yanagi who had to tell him to go here and there. However, after having undergone several matches, it was Inui who started giving calculations based on their data.
In the end, the hard work bore the fruit of victory. Their school emerged as the champion, and their names as double players were spread throughout Tokyo.
"It was sweet back then, isn't it kyouju?" Inui said dreamily.
Yanagi didn't reply. His mind was left behind in the flashback. Those sweet moments were followed by bitterness, he knew that very well. It was a surprise that Inui had forgiven him for what he had done. Had it been the opposite, well,
He would have forgiven him too.
After all, it was for his sake that Yanagi let go of his uncertainty and agreed to move away. But still, he should have said goodbye, or at least gave him a warning or something.
Yanagi stood up and proceed to continue with his laps. Inui was surprised, but he joined him for he was his friend, at least he used to be.
It was quite funny actually, that even when they were beside each other, Yanagi wouldn't say or hint anything about his departure. It's almost like he was incapable of saying goodbye, or anything related.
Now that he thought about it, the last word Yanagi said to him four years ago was not a goodbye.
See you later, Sadaharu.
See you later, as in four years two months and fifteen days.
The remaining five laps ended with both of them in tranquil state. There's a 95 percent chance that Yanagi would leave as soon as he was done. In order to prevent that, Inui grabbed his hand a second after the fifth lap ended.
"If you are going to inquire about staying in my home for the night, then yes, I do not mind." Yanagi stated to the air in front of him.
Inui could feel Yanagi's half attempted struggle to break free. He tightened the grip instead. "There's a 90 percent chance that you will agree, however, that's not what I have in mind at the moment."
Yanagi seemed to be unaffected by his slight miscalculation. "Then it's about the data you crave."
"Try again, kyouju."
"Don't play with me, Sadaharu." This time Yanagi was clearly affected for his tone raised. His eyes snapped open to glare at the 'doctor'. "And let my hand go before I force it out myself."
"I am not." Inui replied. He knew that Yanagi was bluffing. Had it been on normal occasion, Inui would use all his strength in order to keep hold of him. However, Yanagi was in an exhausted state where he could barely stand minutes ago. Still, he gripped Yanagi's wrist hard, enough to cause Yanagi to wince.
Inui admitted, he was afraid that he would disappear once he let go of him.
"Sadaharu." Yanagi warned.
"Why did you leave?"
Yanagi's breath halted for a second. His heartbeat echoed around them with high velocity.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
He was at loss of words.
"Why, kyouju?"
For you to become who you are right now. For you to be able to defeat me in finals. "Even if I tell you, I will still leave. There will be no difference." Yanagi tried his best not to stutter in his reply.
"I did not hope for difference." A lie. "I hope you to tell the truth." To ease my pain.
"It's late already." Yanagi diverted the subject a little too quick. "Let me get my bag and you'll get your data as soon as we're at my home."
Inui wished to differ, but he did notice that there's only four hours left to midnight. Wasting more time here would certainly grow suspiciousness on Yanagi's parents. Besides, Yanagi needed to shower. Hesitantly he let Yanagi's wrist go. Yanagi immediately brought his other hand to soothe his red wrist while he walked toward the club room.
The light in the club flicked off, and Yanagi was out with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder.
"Sadaharu." He called as he halted his step right in front of him.
"Hm?"
"What had been done is the past. We are no longer partners."
"We are rivals." Inui continued.
"You're my hakase and I'm your kyouju." Yanagi added.
Inui smiled. "I gave you juices, and you gave me data."
"Indeed."
"Let's go, hakase."
"Ahn, kyouju."
Both of them left the court smiling and walked side to side to Yanagi's home.
Because I'm your doctor, I saved your life.
Because you're my professor, you taught me data tennis.
Because I'm your doctor, I craved for the 'disease' that took my professor away.
Because I'm your professor, my uncertainties became my reasons to leave my doctor.
What had happened is the past.
The doctor and his professor had reunited once again.
And this time,
We'll make sure that there will be no goodbye.
Let's play doubles again one day!
Meanwhile…
"I didn't expect to see Seigaku's Inui here in Kanagawa." A capped boy commented. He and several others were hiding behind the club room.
"I thought that I'll finally see Yanagi-senpai break a rule today." A raven haired boy pouted at the scene of two boys walking away from the court.
"Now that he has finished, let's go home." The last person walked away to the direction the two spied persons were heading to.
"A-wait, Mura-buchou!" The raven haired boy ran after him.
The capped boy sighed and walked toward the blue haired boy. "Yukimura, do you by any chance invite Seigaku's Inui here?"
He earned a smile as his answer. "I'm going to ask more of his juices actually. But now that Yanagi has him occupied, my demands are postponed for now."
Yukimura left, leaving Sanada watching him with disbelief written over his face.
I hope this is not dissapointing... By the way, do you think I should write occasional one-shots, another series, or just focus on my story right now? Please go to my profile and vote. Thank you very much!