A pretty short drabble on the Data pair I wrote a while back. Not my best, but at least it's something? orz Haven't really had the time (nor the inspiration) to write as of late...

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, except maybe for a few CDs of the series.

In those rare moments when he had some time to himself – when he wasn't analyzing the data of his teammates or rivals, Inui Sadaharu liked to reminisce.

Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that he couldn't help but remember. Whenever he wasn't thinking of data, he thought of the one person that gave him all of it – the one skill that defined him and his tennis.

Yanagi Renji.

He missed playing doubles with him. He did, but tennis wasn't the only thing they shared. They were best friends, a duo. They were Hakase and Kyojyu. The professors. They were everything.

They used to spend hours just talking. Nothing particularly interesting, but of those random mundane topics that somehow just managed to catch their fancy. They were alike in many ways, and that was what made them get along so well. Those moments they spent together were... fun, in their own way. Back then, it seemed as if they had all the time in the world.

"Hakase?"

"Yes, Kyojyu?"

"What are the odds of your sister being at home right now?"

"About 65 percent. Are you alright? Your face is pale."

"… 85 percent."

"What?"

"85 percent chance that she would force us to play dress up again."

"… Shall we go to your house, then?"

Still, the most common topic of their conversations was tennis. And not just any tennis. They talked about their tennis. Data Tennis.

Hakase would make them watch videos of matches, and asked him what he thought the opponent was going to do. Hakase taught him how to use data and use it against their opponent, but the way they gathered their data varied.

"How odd. Considering his play style, my calculations predicted he would have returned it with a drop shot."

"Perhaps your data is lacking then, Kyojyu?"

The strength in their doubles lay in the difference of their data tennis. Inui himself used numbers, statistics, and facts that were solid proof. All this data he wrote in his notebooks. But Hakase never needed one. Inui only analyzed with numbers, math and logic. It wasn't to say that it was strictly like that – Hakase obviously used logic and numbers as well, but he didn't rely on it like Inui did. He knew better than to rely on it, after all. Inui's data was solid, but a real person wasn't as solid as that. Tennis players had emotions, habits, and tendencies – things that could strengthen or weaken them. And these things weren't ones that Hakase would let slip by.

"What the hell is up with these guys?"

"They aren't mind readers, get a hold of yourself!" "… Is what you would say."

"How did he—" "98 percent chance of an out."

"Game set and match, Inui-Yanagi Pair! Six games to love!"

Inui could predict his opponent's movements. But Hakase could do more than that.

Hakase knew not only how to predict his opponents' movements, but also how to control them. He knew what to do to break someone's tennis and to crush their spirit. At first, this was something Inui couldn't understand.

It was only when Hakase left without a word that Inui could finally get it.

Without someone next to him, Inui confided in his data. The time he used to spend with his best friend was replaced by time spent analyzing his notes. The hours of talking to his friend turned to hours of gathering data. He learned more and more, all the while trying to enhance the data tennis that his friend had already developed. Hakase taught him the basics, but if he wanted to catch up, he had to grow on his own.

And grow he did. He strived to improve his data tennis, and his efforts were not without their own rewards. But even then, he couldn't help but miss his closest friend.

Owari.

It really is short D: I should try writing a proper oneshot next time OTL

Reviews are extremely appreciated! :)