No pleasing drama,
in subtle averted eyes.
The swelling fermata as the chord dies.
- Vienna Teng, "Between"
It was raining and Inui hurried to where Seigaku had agreed to meet before the beginning of the last match of the Kantou tournament. As he briskly walked, holding his umbrella steady, he smiled as he thought of his teammates' likely reactions to the weather. Momoshiro and Kikumaru would be loudly indignant, railing against the unfairness of the moisture in the air. Kawamura would be sadly resigned unless he had a racket in his hand. Kaidoh would say nothing unless provoked by Momoshiro, but his defiance to the weather would show in every line of his body.
Fuji would be smiling. Unless this was a day in which the genius felt contrary, in which case he could be standing on his head for all Inui knew of his data. Oishi would be worried. Echizen would be drinking his Ponta, a beverage that did nothing to improve his body quality, and watching everyone with a bored expression on his face. Thinking about Echizen, Inui's smile faded. He was certain that the first year was underestimating their opponent. Considering that their opponent was Rikkai, that was not a good variable for the team.
His mind wrapped up in percentages, Inui was so preoccupied with his teammates' data that he almost walked right by the still figure watching him from under a tree.
Almost.
Inui's footsteps slowed and stopped. His hand clenched the worn notebook that he carried. He jaw clenched at the closed eyes, the Rikkai Dai yellow. Inui Sadaharu and Yanagi Renji looked at each other without the intermediary of covertness or disguises for the first time in four years, two months, and eight days. Neither said a word in greeting.
The rain began to fall harder, the percussive sound picking up in tempo and volume.
Yanagi's eyes twitched from behind closed eyelids and Inui could almost see him slanting his eyes to what he carried. Still relying on those notebooks, Sadaharu?
Inui refused to move, to shift, to give a reaction. He was marble, he was stone, he was Tezuka Kunimitsu ordering laps. Some of us collect too much data to store it all exclusively in ours heads, Renji.
Noticing the non-reaction as a reaction, Yanagi clearly counted it in his favor. 15 - Love. You always did focus on quantity over quality. 30 - Love. The corners of his lips turned up a fraction. Rikkai will win.
Inui's mind flashed to the 0.1 circled in one of his notebooks and he inwardly cursed at the slip. Renji knew that he knew the calculated chance of Seigaku winning and it was to the other dataman's favor to remind Inui of it. Love - 40 and he was already so far behind. There is always a variable of unpredictability with regards to both tennis and people. You, yourself, are a prime example of it. Perhaps not too far behind. 15 - 40.
The smile disappeared. Your data is weak, Sadaharu. I know your moves, your strategies. I have always been a step ahead of you in all things. There was a lightning crash and Inui's vision was obscured briefly by the flash. Rikkai Dai Fuzoku will win.
The rain continued, soaking the ground, the courts. The sound of it falling did nothing to fill the silence beneath, the silence of two friends at opposite ends and unable to give an inch. The silence that was a continuation of four years absence of sound, laughter, friendship, and understanding.
Yanagi inclined his head briefly and his lips moved, his voice drowned out by the rain. But Inui had long since stopped needing sound when it came to the Renji. Give me a good game, Sadaharu. I will be disappointed if you do not.
Inui adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting the brightness of a far-off lighting strike. His lips moved as well, unneeded. I have been waiting, Renji. Do not underestimate me.
Turning precisely, Yanagi walked calmly away, choosing a careful path under the trees to keep out of the rain. Inui gripped his umbrella and watched him until he was out of sight.
"One more day and it will be finished," Inui murmured under the pouring sky, under the beating of his own heart. "One more postponement. I can wait one more day."