A/N: YEUSSS. Chapter six is FINALLY out! Hopefully you readers haven't died out on me. I've just been so busy, and I've been using every bit of free time I had to squeeze this out.

Disclaimer: Plot is mine. Prince of Tennis is not. Neither is McDonalds [mentioned in chapter.

And Yet

Special Circumstances

Ryoma smirked. The truth was, he had actually hoped for a boy. Not only were boys stronger than girls (in his opinion), they were also less annoying and didn't talk as much (once again, his opinion). And, as we all know, Ryoma needed a strong, competitive child to continue his tennis legacy.

Sakuno, on the other hand, didn't care if the baby turned out to be a boy or a girl. As long as Ryoma was happy, she was as well.

"So you're sure it's a boy." Ryoma asked, but it sounded more like an "it-better-be-a-boy-or-I'll-be-angry" threat.

Sakuno winced. "Yea. Either that, or our baby has sex deformities."

Ryoma nodded. Okay. So it's a boy. Because no child of the Echizen family has sex deformities.

Suddenly, Ryoma felt vibrations being sent up and down his right thigh. He quickly dug inside his pocket and fished out his blinking cell phone. He glanced at the caller ID before picking up: Dr. Kyomi.

"Hello?"

"Hi. May I please speak to Echizen-sam---…san?"

"What."

"Hi. I'm Dr. Kyomi. Your manager called me to come meet you at the Jekei Hospital."

"You can leave."

"What? Wait, just tell me what floor and room number,"

"Bye." Ryoma closed the phone.

Sakuno tapped Ryoma from behind.

"Yeah?" Ryoma turned around.

"Was that the doctor?" Sakuno asked.

"Yeah, but we don't need her anymore." Ryoma was about to put the phone back in his pocket when Sakuno suddenly snatched it from him.

"What about my questions?" Sakuno whispered.

"Oh. Right. Gomen." Ryoma took the phone back and redialed the number. "Here."

"Arigatou, Ryoma." Sakuno took the phone and waited.

Dr. Kyomi picked up immediately. "Echizen-san."

"Hi, I'm sorry about my fiancé's rudeness earlier."

Ryoma rolled his eyes at Sakuno.

"Fiancé?"

"Yeah. Ano, I'm pregnant right now, and I'm pretty sure I know the gender, but I have some questions about---,"

"Are YOU his FIANCEE?!"

"H-Hai…" Sakuno sensed a sudden wave of envious-fangirlness pumping through the other end.

"YOU BITCH!"

The doctor must have screamed pretty loud, because Ryoma immediately sat up from his seat and snatched the phone from Sakuno.

"What the hell did you just say?"

"Echizen-san? Is it really you?"

"No."

Ryoma snapped his phone shut and made a mental note to never trust doctors ever, ever again.

Sakuno sighed. She was used to all the girls calling her bitch this and whore that. Yet, each time those girls screamed those harsh words in her ear, a sharp sting would always penetrate her heart.

"You okay?" Ryoma asked.

"H-Hai. I'm fine. But who can I ask now?" Sakuno frowned.

"My cousin studies this stuff. Ask her." Ryoma shrugged.

Leave it up to Ryoma to think of a solution after the damage has already been done.

"Okay. So when can I talk to her?" Sakuno began putting her clothes back on, fully aware that Ryoma was watching her, yet again.

"I think she's home right now." Ryoma was about to attack Sakuno again, but before he realized anything, she was already fully dressed. Sakuno walked over to take the blobby picture and headed for the door.

"Let's go then." Sakuno grabbed Ryoma's hand and both of them stumbled out of the room.

All Ryoma could hope for, as he and Sakuno reached the Echizen household, was that his father would behave. That's all he asked, but he knew, that this was one wish – one dream – that he could never fulfill… no matter how hard he worked.

Ryoma sulked up the steps to the front door, and cautiously slid the door open.

"Itadekimasu." He immediately regretted making his presence known as his father walked down the hallway.

The first thing his father did was whistle, when he saw Sakuno. The second thing he did was smirk at Sakuno's bulging stomach. And the third thing he did was kiss Sakuno's hand, before moving on to smack Ryoma hard on the back.

Ryoma was furious.

Sakuno was confused.

And Nanjirou Echizen was gay. (A/N: Gay as in happy. Haha. I just thought it sounded better.. xD And made you think in all different directions.)

"Good afternoon, Echizen-san." Sakuno bowed.

"You don't need to call me that anymore. Just chichi is okay now, right?" Nanjirou smiled. (A/N: Chichi is dad, right? Please correct me if I'm wrong.)

"Hai, Chichi-san."

"Don't need to be so polite either. Why, a girl like you doesn't even deserve Ryoma." Nanjirou patted Ryoma's head.

"Oyaji." Ryoma snapped as he forcefully moved his father's hand away. The look in Ryoma's eyes sent shivers up Sakuno's spine.

"Why.. you're looking cheery today! Come and give me a big hug!" Nanjirou opened his arms, ready to accept any non-existent amount of love his son had for him. Unfortunately, "non-existent" literally meant, not existing.

Ryoma stared disgusted at his father.

"Ryoma-kun! Sakuno-chan!" Nanako smiled as she walked down the hallway to greet them. Then she frowned when she saw Nanjirou and she tightened her grasp on the magazine she was holding.

Nanjirou gasped when he saw the cover of the magazine. "Mine." He whispered.

"I found these in the refrigerator. If you're going to hide them, at least try some place more ideal so oba-san doesn't find them." Nanako warned.

Nanjirou grabbed the magazine now dangling from Nanako's hand and ran into the backyard.

"Nanako-chan!" Sakuno smiled.

"Wow, Sakuno-chan. You're getting bigger everyday!" Nanako smiled and hugged Sakuno.

"Arigatou, Nanako-chan! Oh. I almost forgot." Sakuno dug into her purse and pulled out the bubbly picture. "We went to the doctors today and got this picture." She handed the picture over to Nanako.

"I'm pretty sure it's a boy and I was going to ask the doctor some questions, but there were some problems, so we came here because Ryoma said that you studied this stuff." Sakuno explained.

"Well, it is a boy." Nanako smiled. "So what did you want to ask about?"

"I just---," Sakuno started.

"Go sit in the living room. We can't just stand at the front door." Ryoma took Sakuno's hand and motioned for Nanako to follow.

After being seated, Sakuno began telling Nanako about her puking. Ryoma said something about 'checking up on his dad', so he left with some tennis equipment into the backyard.

Nanako gave Sakuno some tips and an overview of what she should expect in the next few months. After a long time of chatting, Nanako offered Sakuno to stay for lunch.

"Sure, if it's okay..." Sakuno answered.

"No, its not." Ryoma walked into the living room. His hair was wet and he had put on a new set of clothes. Sakuno assumed that Ryoma had taken a shower after a gruesome attempt at seeking revenge for his father's behavior.. through tennis. But, of course, she was just guessing.

"Why not, Ryoma?" Sakuno asked.

"Because I'm taking you out." Ryoma replied.

"You are?" Sakuno stared confusedly at him.

Nanako smiled. "It's fine. You two have fun."

"Come on, Sakuno." Ryoma walked out of the living room.

"Oh. Bye, Nanako-chan! Thanks for all your help!" Sakuno bowed and followed Ryoma to the front door.

"It was my pleasure. Bye!" Nanako waved goodbye as Ryoma and Sakuno stepped outside.

"Oi! Sakuno-chaan!!" Nanjirou appeared from upstairs with only a towel wrapped around his waist. He was flexing his muscles, and grinning like a mad man.

"OJI-SAN!!!!!" Nanako pushed him back upstairs.

She sighed. Sakuno and Ryoma were definitely beginning to mature and grow-up, but there were some people who just never learned.

"Ryoma?" Sakuno asked when they both got in the car.

"Hn."

"Where are we going?"

"Out to eat."

"I know, but where?"

"A restaurant."

Sakuno was beginning to feel a little irritated at Ryoma's inability to answer her question. She could feel that sudden wave of another mood swing, but controled it for the sake of Ryoma and her own sanity and pride.

She had a pretty good prediction as to where Ryoma was going, anyways. Ryoma was never the elaborate, fancy kind of person. He was always short, simple, and to the point, which was why a few minutes later, Sakuno wasn't surprised when Ryoma pulled into the parking lot of McDonalds.

Typical Ryoma.

Sakuno silently followed Ryoma into the heart-attack kingdom. Once she stepped in, the humidity coming from the grease and fats enveloped her entire body. Every strand of hair and fiber on her skin was exposed to the oily discomforts being exerted from burgers and fries. She stared at the couples gorging on their super-jumbo-king-sized triple cheese burgers and saw small innocent children giving into the evil temptations of extra-fried chicken nuggets and extra-salty French fries.

She knew what McDonalds truly was, though. McDonalds was just like Satan. McDonalds tempted its customers into the confines of its red and yellow roofed building. Showing lavish displays of delicious chicken and beef, only dragged the victims in, one by one. And soon, when trays full of thousands of calories had been emptied, and pushed into the stomach's of the customers, McDonalds would work its magic. First, by blessing its customers with the wonders of obesity. Then, McDonalds would sing kind words to their customer's heart, all the while sending them to beautiful, clean hospitals. And last, the most generous gift of all, McDonalds allowed its victims to live a few more years, before cutting the string, and sending them to the next life.

Yes, McDonalds was one hell of a place to eat.

Sakuno tugged at Ryoma's shirt. "Ryoma, can we go somewhere else?"

"Huh? Why?"

"Because..I…well…Nanako-chan said I should eat healthy to keep the baby healthy as well. And I'm not sure if McDonalds is exactly the healthiest place to be eating…"

"I came here almost every day in middle school."

"But you're not pregnant."

Ryoma opened his mouth to speak, but Sakuno was already dragging him outside. "I can't take this place," she muttered under her breath.

Sakuno pushed Ryoma into the passenger seat, and she sat in the driver's seat. She stared at the steering wheel. Then she stared at the dashboard and the radio. She peered at the AC vents and she looked down at the brakes. How does it start again?

Ryoma smirked at Sakuno. He couldn't believe she didn't know how to start a car, but then again, she was Sakuno. Ryoma could've sat there for hours, watching her try to figure things out, but his stomach thought otherwise. Finally, he dug in his pockets and pulled out a pair of shiny keys. He dangled them in front of Sakuno's face.

"Missing something?" Ryoma couldn't help laughing as he saw Sakuno's eyes widen.

"Ahh." Sakuno said, embarrassed. She took the keys from him and started the car.

"So, where are we going?" Ryoma asked.

"Anywhere but McDonalds, Burger King, or any other restaurant with burgers or fries on the menu."

"But that's all the restaurants."

"No, its not."

"Where else?"

"Sushi, Ryoma. You're in Japan now, and we serve sushi at just about every other restaurant."

"So we're going to the Kawamura's place again?"

"Yup."

"Why?"

"Because he is our friend and we should pay our respects by going there to eat more often."

"We went there two days ago."

"I know. But two days is 36 hours, which is 2160 minutes, which is 129600 seconds!! That's a looong time."

"No it's not. Two days is only about point five percent of a year and about point one percent of a decade." (A/N: I did the math, I think all the numbers are correct.)

"Mou, Ryoma. Well it doesn't matter now. We're already here."

How Sakuno was able to reach the restaurant without getting lost was a complete mystery to Ryoma. For a girl that didn't know how to start the car, getting to this restaurant safe and sound was like winning the Nobel Prize.

Sakuno carefully parked the car into the small parking lot. She saw a few people in the restaurant. Some were chatting softly with friends, and there were some who just sat at the bar, staring at whatever was interesting. Lunch hours were way over, which probably explained why there weren't as many customers as usual.

Ryoma stepped out of the car, and walked around the front to help Sakuno. They had only taken two steps towards the restaurant, when a group of men jumped out from behind the bushes.

"HOI HOI! IS IT A BOY OR A GIRL?'

"Ki-Kikumaru----," Sakuno said, shocked.

"Eiji! Don't be so loud, this is a public area." Oishi looked around nervously to make sure they hadn't caused any trouble.

"Echizen-kun and Sakuno-chan. Ahhh, young love, young love." Momoshiro caught a shiny object fitted on Sakuno's finger.

They're engaged?!

Everyone else seemed to have noticed too, because all eyes turned to Sakuno's finger.

Afraid that so much staring might burn a hole through her finger, Sakuno side-stepped behind Ryoma.

"YOU TWO ARE ENGAGED!" Kikumaru threw himself on Sakuno and Ryoma. Sakuno's cheek was pressed against Ryoma's cheek and Kikumaru was hovering above with an enormous smile plastered on his face.

"Do your best." Tezuka stared at Ryoma.

"DID I JUST HEAR THAT YOU TWO WERE ENGAGED?!" Kawamura appeared from behind the restaurant's doors, and barged through the other former regulars and pushed Kikumaru out of the way, dropping his knife as he did so.

"Congratulations, I-I just wanted to give you my best wishes." Kawamura smiled and then headed back in the restaurant. "Come in, all of you."

He remembered his knife, so he walked back outside to pick it up. Then, after picking up his knife from the ground, he stormed back through the doors of the sushi restaurant. "HURRY UP!!"

"Ahhh, Taka-san's always full of surprises, ne?" Fuji smiled intently.

"Sakuno-chaaaan!!" Kikumaru whined. "Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

"Now, now Eiji. I'm sure they'll tell us when we've been seated." Oishi assured.

Ryoma rolled his eyes as he and Sakuno were the last ones to step into the restaurant. He just knew they shouldn't have come to this place. There's always trouble. Every single damn time.

The aroma of fresh sushi filled the room. Sakuno sighed deeply. Now this was much better.

Kawamura escorted the group into one of the VIP rooms.

All Ryoma wanted was a simple lunch with Sakuno. He didn't want other people in the picture, nor did he want big fancy rooms. He stared at the round table and he stared at the people who were already seated.

Tezuka was reading some type of poetry book and sipping the green tea that Kawamura had poured.

Fuji just smiled at everyone in the room and began sipping his tea as well.

Kikumaru was chatting animatedly with anyone whose attention he could catch.

Momoshiro and Kaidoh were arguing on whether or not crab meat tasted better in sushi, or salmon.

Inui was flipping through his notebook, looking for his notes on what types of sushi he should order.

Oishi was going around, making sure everyone had the right amount of chopsticks, plates, napkins, menus, etc..

Ryoma and Sakuno sat down next to Tezuka, who Ryoma felt, was safest to be around.

Once everyone had sat down, checked their utensils, settled their arguments, and ordered their sushi, Fuji stood up.

"For Ryoma, Sakuno, and their baby boy." He raised his cup of tea and everyone else followed suit.

Sakuno, after sitting down, looked at Fuji. "How'd you know?"

"Ahhh. Lucky guess." Fuji smiled and took a bite out of his wasabi sushi. "Want some?"

"N-No, it's okay. I-I'm not sure that's good for the baby." Sakuno smiled, glad that she was able to get herself out of that.

"I knew it." Inui murmured, without looking up from his notebook. "According to the proofs I've written and all these calculations, the probablity that it was a boy was 98.238764 divided by the square root of 87.3 over 89 to the power of 6 minus 4 … ,"

"Alright, Inui, we get it." Kaidoh muttered.

"So it is a boy, nyah?" Kikumaru bounced.

"Hai." Sakuno smiled shyly.

"Well that's good, isn't it?" Kawamura came from the kitchen to join the team. "I mean, it'll be just like another Echizen."

"Taka-san! Come on, sit down." Oishi urged.

"I just came in here for a minute. It isn't my break yet." Kawamura scratched his head and put down another batch of sushi that he brought from the kitchen. "Enjoy." He said, and headed back.

"Sakuno-chan! O'chibi! There's so so many things that we have to prepare for you guys. The wedding, bab---mmmfh." Oishi slapped a hand on Kikumaru's mouth.

"Shhhhh!" he beamed at Kikumaru. That's a surprise. He mouthed.

Kikumaru nodded. He had forgotten all about it.

FLASHBACK

"A surprise baby shower?" Ryoma asked.

"Yeah. We want to make Sakuno's first pregnancy very special." Sumire explained.

The rest of the team had gathered into her office.

"I want to plan it right here, at Seigaku. This is where you and her first started dating, so it'll make everything even more memorable."

"Hoi Hoi! I wanna help!" Kikumaru raised his hand.

"Of course, of course. All of you are going to help. We'll need decorations and food. And one of you is going to need to get the cake."

"I'll do it." Fuji volunteered.

"Wonderful. Tezuka, I want you to be in charge of this whole thing."

"Hai, sensei." Tezuka bowed.

"I'll buy the food." Momoshiro stepped up.

"You'll eat half of it before you even make it to the school." Kaidoh insulted.

"You wana bet?" Momoshiro sneered.

"Quiet! Both of you will go and buy food. Kaidoh, please make sure Momo gets everything we need and Momo please don't fight with him."

"Inui and Kawamura, can you guys buy the decorations?"

"Sure." Both replied.

"Okay, so that leaves Oishi and Kikumaru. I want you two to set everything up."

"Hai!" Kikumaru and Oishi nodded.

"So why do I need to be here?" Ryoma asked.

"You, Ryoma, have the most important job. You're going to have to escort Sakuno here and make sure she doesn't know ANYTHING until she arrives."

"Why does it have to be me?" Ryoma retorted.

Everyone in the room glared at the stubborn kid. "BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING TO BE HER HUSBAND AND FATHER OF HER CHILD!!"

"Haii.." Ryoma pouted.

END FLASHBACK

"Hey, Ryoma." Sakuno nudged.

"Yea?" Ryoma looked up from his sushi.

"I've been thinking," Sakuno began, "about the wedding. I've already arranged a lot of things, I just need your Ok."

"Ok. You can do whatever you want." Ryoma went back to eating his sushi.

"That's great! Because I planned it for two months from now." Sakuno smiled.

Ryoma tensed. The baby shower was two months from now. "When?"

"Eto…I'm pretty sure it's the second week of May, on the 6th. It's a Sunday." Sakuno said.

Ryoma choked on his sushi and after a while of trying to get it down his esophagus, he looked at the rest of the team.

Surely they had all heard that Sakuno had planned the wedding on the day of the surprise baby shower.

A/N: Do I smell the ending? This story has gone on LONG ENOUGH! I'm planning to end it..soon. But don't worry, it's not going to be the next chapter. ;)

REVIEW like your life depends on it.

FLAME like you've never been pissed off before.

and last of all, spill out all your emotions. Yes, my story has been proven to have therapeuitc qualities.

Just Kidding. :P