Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its chars. I only own my plot.

Warning: Shonen-ai fic, Mpreg

Pairings: Inui X Yanagi, Sanada X Yukimura

To the story then…

Data Tales

By: Gwynhafra86

Chapter 5

Yanagi sat by the window, looking out at the streets. It was snowing, the tiny white flakes falling quietly from the sky. The scene reflected his mood perfectly, for it was such a lonely sight.

The brunette sighed, leaning against the backrest of his chair. His hand rested on the swell of his abdominal area, and from time to time, he could feel a very tiny flutter beneath his fingertips, as delicate as the wings of a butterfly, yet strong enough to remind Yanagi of its presence. He smiled slightly at the movement. His unborn companion was the only one who made the loneliness bearable at the moment.

He was used to silence in this house, having taken residence here for over a month already. Everyone left hours ago, and Yanagi was left to his own thoughts.

Inui had taken the news better than he had predicted. Yanagi initially calculated a high probability of him freaking out, or going into denial even before Yanagi had even associated him with the current situation, but the Seigaku data master's reaction was something out of Yanagi's calculation.

Simply put, there was no reaction from Inui at all. He was completely stunned into silence, with his mouth hanging open by about 2cm. Yanagi couldn't really blame him. After all, it wasn't every day one could hear that one's long lost male friend was in such a condition. That had been why Yanagi had left in the first place. He didn't want Inui to see him like this.

Yanagi hadn't been very thorough in his explanation during their talk earlier on. He gave only the technical details of what had happened during their separation, and he gave a rough summary instead of the full text. He decided that Inui had been scarred enough for the day. Any more details and his poor friend might suffer from data overload.

The few things Yanagi was willing to disclose to Inui was that he was in a position no other male had the fortune…or misfortune of getting into, and that Sanada, Yukimura, Tezuka and Atobe knew of his condition.

Even though Yanagi had barely mentioned anything, Inui had walked off almost zombie-like when it was time for the four to leave, and Tezuka had to lead the data master (who had a permanent look of shock etched on his face) out of the house.

Yanagi opened his eyes. He could remember that his reaction two months ago had been similar to Inui's. Had time really passed that fast?

XXX

"-agi-san? Yanagi-san?"

Something pungent invaded his senses, and Yanagi's eyes flew open immediately. He found himself lying on his side, on a couch, and for a moment he was disoriented, wondering where he was and what he was doing here.

"Wha-" Yanagi sat up, holding his head as a wave of dizziness hit him. He couldn't really come up with a proper sentence, being too confused and too dizzy to do so.

"You passed out. Do you remember what happened before this?" A man in a doctor's coat asked.

The memories returned swiftly, and Yanagi's eyes opened when he remembered his reason for being in this clinic. Slowly, his hand moved to retrieve a medical report from the table, which contained the results of his checkup. His hands shook as he reread the words in bold print.

Yanagi Renji…Age 14…Male…Pregnant…

He should have noticed the signs sooner-the dizzy spells, the nausea, the fatigue. He had been having all those symptoms after the strange bout of fever three months ago, but he passed it off as a cold. He kept quiet about the whole thing, being a person who rarely complained about his discomfort. None of his close circle of friends knew anything, since he didn't think it was necessary to bother any of them with something as trivial as a simple cold. It would come and go, he told himself.

Then came the physical changes. By now, the warning bells were starting to blare. Yanagi noticed that he had acquired a small bump around his abdominal area, and wondered if he was putting on weight. He had been neglecting practice ever since the fatigue set in, and he had to admit that he was having an increased appetite. But considering the amount of throwing up he did, shouldn't he be losing weight instead of gaining it? The cold didn't seem to be getting any better either, and Yanagi finally decided that he should consult a doctor just in case.

And that was how he found himself in his current situation.

The explosion was inevitable. "How is that possible? I'm a guy!" Yanagi demanded. He rarely lost his cool, but one usually wouldn't be calm to hear of news like that.

The doctor gave him a patient look, as if already used to people giving the same kind of protests. "Yes. It is medically impossible, but it doesn't change what it says on your report. You have acquired the parts to carry a child to term, and from the ultrasound, I'd say you're about 3 months along. That is when you begin to show." The doctor explained calmly.

Yanagi sat down again, not trusting his feet to keep him standing. Three months…Yanagi made a mental calculation. When would that be…somewhere during the junior senbatsu camp, he believed. He most certainly didn't do 'anything' which would get him in this current situation!

The doctor had given Yanagi a short talk on his immediate options. Keep the child, or get rid of it. The second option had sounded rather tempting, since Yanagi was only 14. How on earth would he be able to raise a child? He was financially and emotionally unready. Also, if he chose to keep it, there was no way he could participate in the Nationals. He would also have to quit school.

He touched his stomach lightly. An abortion. He once read up on what the procedure was like, and he should just run it through in his head to refresh his memory. He took a few minutes even as he reread the book in his head, then paled and shuddered. He wanted to have his normal life back…but at the same time doing that to the child in him…he wasn't raised to be that kind of person. Yanagi disliked the idea of killing something before it had a chance to breathe. That wasn't the only reason though. Another part of him, the data seeking part, was curious as to what kind of data the experience could give him. This wouldn't happen often, and when Yanagi could ever find out what was the cause, he would make sure it'd never happen again. He wanted to keep a record of what was going to become of this. He gave the doctor his decision. He was keeping the child. For now.

The doctor gave Yanagi some vitamins for his pregnancy, and after that, Yanagi found himself on his own again, forced to mature beyond his teenage years because of the new role placed on his shoulders. When he returned to the Rikkai dorms, Yanagi lay on his bed, quite overwhelmed by everything. He'd be giving false data if he said that he wasn't the slightest bit frightened, of course, as this was new territory, and even he wasn't too sure if he had made the right choice.

A sudden thought came to his mind. How had his pregnancy come about? It couldn't be 'that', could it? He got off his bed and walked over to a drawer, opening it and flipping through the contents before he found what he was looking for- The report on the 'food poisoning' case a few months back. Reading through it quickly, Yanagi found his answer.

Yanagi returned to his bed, mentally wanting to strangle his friend for putting him in this position. The other guy probably didn't know. Yanagi had heard the confusion in his voice when he was told that there was an ingredient Yanagi couldn't guess. Now then, with the question on how the pregnancy had come about solved, now Yanagi had to focus on what he was going to do in the future. One thing was for sure. Now that he knew of the child's parentage, he was determined to keep it…

XXX

The first thing Yanagi did was to quit the tennis club. He surprised the captain and vice-captain, of course, and Yanagi had forgotten what kind of cock and bull story he had made up. The captain hadn't processed his resignation request immediately, and instead asked Yanagi to go back and consider it first. He was a valuable asset to the club, and they didn't want to lose him.

He wasn't surprised that the news of him trying to quit the club had spread like wildfire, and the next day, Sanada had barged into his room before seizing him by the collar.

"Yanagi! What is the meaning of this? How could you be so reckless?" Sanada was livid.

Yanagi met his gaze calmly, already calculating a 67 percent chance that Sanada would confront him about this. His hand, by instinct, went protectively around his stomach area.

"I'm sorry, Genichirou. I have to quit the tennis club. The reasons are personal."

No matter how Sanada raged, Yanagi wouldn't spill his secret, and the cap-wearing boy eventually left in disgust. Yanagi realized that he had probably lost his friend, and that day, he cried himself to sleep. There was a 58 percent chance the hormones were to be blamed for this action.

Apparently Yanagi had underestimated the power of friendship, for the following day, Sanada returned once more, and this time Yukimura was with him. The blue-haired boy must have heard of what Yanagi was trying to do from Sanada, and he had, not surprisingly, tried to talk Yanagi out of it.

Between Sanada and Yukimura, Yanagi was closer to the latter, and he had a hard time trying to keep this from the blue-haired boy. Sanada had used the harsh approach in trying to get Yanagi to tell him, but that had only made Yanagi defensive. Yukimura, on the other hand, used the soft approach, speaking to him gently and reassuring him that whatever his reasons were, the two of them were ready to listen, and help him if they could. Yanagi eventually caved in, telling them everything he had learnt so far (though he did not disclose the cause of the pregnancy).

Both Sanada and Yukimura gaped at him. "You can't be serious…" Sanada spoke up after a while.

Yanagi smiled sadly. "I wish I weren't." He unzipped his regular's jersey, which was what Yanagi had been hiding his growing secret with. Revealing the slight bump, which was starting to show even beneath the shirt he was wearing, Yanagi watched their reactions closely. Sanada, the more stoic of the two, had to sit down immediately as he looked like someone had clobbered him in the face with a frying pan. Yukimura, the gentler of the two, on the other hand, showed the true strength he had within him, as he took the news pretty calmly. He sat next to Yanagi, taking his hands and holding on firmly.

"Having known your character long enough…You're keeping it, aren't you?" Yukimura asked. Yanagi gave a nod to that.

The blue-haired boy's eyes were determined. "We will help you to the best we can. You are not alone."

XXX

The burden was more bearable when it was shared amongst the three of them. All three knew they had to act quickly, since time wouldn't wait for them. Yanagi was over three months pregnant, and the swelling would increase at a rapid pace beyond that time.

Yanagi was grateful that he was living in the dorms instead of at home. He shuddered to think of what his parents might say to this. Their son wasn't supposed to be carrying a child. That was his sister's job, not his. By living in the dorms, he had more freedom to plan his next step.

Secondly, the three agreed that it would seem suspicious if Yanagi had quit the club so abruptly. Instead, Yukimura suggested that Yanagi should remain in the club, but his practices would have to be kept to minimal. The three came up with excuses to worm Yanagi out of practice, and whenever there was any, Sanada would be his practice partner, and the cap-wearing boy would know to hit the shots carefully, so that Yanagi wouldn't have to run around so much.

Still, there were only so many excuses one could come up with. The three rushed against time to find a way for Yanagi to conceal his pregnancy and have his child in peace. Yukimura came up with the idea that Yanagi had to go into hiding. Sanada then mentioned the financial aspects of the idea, and eventually, all three of them came up with the same conclusion.

They were short of money, and if they were to get any possible financial aid, one person came to mind immediately.

Hyotei's vice-captain, Atobe Keigo.

The next problem came. They needed Atobe's help, but they were hardly friends with the guy, so they couldn't ask him directly. Another option was that they could make a formal request, but while the three had their fame as the Rikkai demons, position-wise, they were nobodies, since none of them held any administrative post in the club.

They needed someone of equal or higher standing as Atobe to make a formal request like that.

And that was how Tezuka Kunimitsu, vice-captain of Seigaku, got dragged into this secret as well.

Sanada had once broached the subject of Yanagi's child's parentage. He wished to know who the father was. Yanagi had shaken his head at that, refusing to disclose that information, but Sanada had gone ahead and assumed that it was Seigaku's Inui. Because of that, he decided that it would be quite reasonable if they held Seigaku's vice-captain's Tezuka responsible too, since all these happened because of one of his regulars' folly. Both Yanagi and Yukimura had given him a skeptical stare at that, but Sanada went ahead with his plan anyway.

He confronted Tezuka when the stoic brunette vice-captain left the school gates. After setting a time and venue, Tezuka met up with them and learnt of the situation. The human wooden block seemed unfazed by the news, as if they had been talking about no more than schoolwork. The Seigaku vice-captain then did something completely out of Yanagi's calculation. He had stood up, turned to Yanagi and given a profound bow. "I apologize for my teammate's folly. It was most disgraceful, and I will see to it that he is punished."

Yanagi's eyes went wide. So Sanada had been right in thinking that Tezuka would feel responsible towards this. It took a wooden block to really understand another. Yanagi shook his head. "It's not Sadaharu's fault. Ah, speaking of Sadaharu, I need a favour from all of you. Please do not mention any of this to him. I don't want him to know."

Everyone had seemed surprised by Yanagi's request. Yukimura had even asked him about it. Yanagi bit his lip, but nodded his head all the same. He didn't want Inui to feel guilty for giving him that Inui Juice as a parting gift. The Seigaku data master hadn't known that it would produce such results.

Tezuka made a formal request to Atobe, and the reply came several days later. Tezuka informed the three Rikkai demons that Atobe had kindly welcomed them to his mansion, where they would discuss this further.

No sooner had they arrived when Atobe met them in his study, and he gave his reply immediately.

"I refuse."

The four were disappointed by Atobe's reply (or more like Yukimura looked disappointed, Yanagi was expressionless, and both Sanada and Tezuka were downright statues). Atobe sat on one of his elegant couches and he took a sip of juice from a glass slowly before speaking once more.

"Your current situation has nothing to do with ore-sama, so I refuse. I am not your friend, not your family, and not your vice-captain. Ore-sama has no obligations whatsoever to help you." He stated bluntly.

Sanada and Atobe promptly started another round of argument. Yukimura held Yanagi's hands, and Tezuka joined Sanada and Atobe, though he played both peacemaker as well as negotiator (not a very effective one considering he hardly spoke up).

Seeing that Atobe had his mind made up, Yanagi knew that they were fighting a losing war, and he gave a sigh before turning around. "It's all right, Genichirou. We'll just have to find some other way."

The four made to leave, and just when they were about to walk out of the study, Atobe spoke again.

"However, I am feeling pretty generous today, so ore-sama might consider your request after all." He announced abruptly.

The four turned around again. "You might?" Yanagi sounded hopeful.

"Aa. On one condition…one of you will have to play a match against ore-sama first. If you win, only then will I listen to your pitiful suggestion. Be awed by my generosity." He gloated.

Tezuka was out of the question, since his arm was still injured. Sanada had recently injured his knees while learning a new skill, so he was out too. As for Yukimura…

"I'll do it." The blue-haired player said, his voice determined.

"You can't, Seiichi. You're not well!" Yanagi was the first to protest.

"That's right, Yukimura. I'll go. My legs are fine." Sanada tried to stop the blue-haired player from playing.

Yukimura shook his head and walked over to Atobe. "One set match. Is that fine with you?"

"Aa. Ore-sama had wanted to play against you for quite some time anyway. The courts are this way." Atobe led the way, and Yukimura followed, with the two demons protesting behind him.

Yukimura held the title of the strongest junior high tennis player, and by the looks of it, he wouldn't be relinquishing that title anytime soon. Even though he was ill, he could still manage to beat Atobe. Bound by his word, Atobe really did listen to their suggestion. Somehow the situation caught his interest, and he decided to 'generously' sponsor the plan.

The first thing he did was to have Yanagi transferred out of school, producing "genuine" documents for a certain non-existent student exchange programme. Money talked anyway. He bought over a double-storey house, and assigned a private tutor for Yanagi to be home-schooled instead. Also, a doctor would check on Yanagi's progress once in a while, since Yanagi's pregnancy might have complications in the future.

Yanagi was to remain in the house at all times, and the other two Rikkai demons took it upon themselves to drop by a few days every week to check on him. He was in a delicate condition, so they couldn't possibly leave him alone. Tezuka too had dropped by, feeling responsible for this. Yanagi couldn't help wondering that if Tezuka had a sense of responsibility this strong as vice-captain, what was going to happen when he became captain? Atobe dropped by once every two weeks, but as he put it, he wasn't there for a visit. He was only there to check on his property for any signs of damages.

Keeping to the lifestyle of a hermit, Yanagi quietly bided his time, awaiting the birth of his child.

XXX

Yanagi realized that he must have dozed off on his chair, not a very good thing to do at 5 months along. He was halfway through the second trimester, and sleeping in a chair was the best way to guarantee him a backache.

He massaged his lower back with his fingers, trying to ease out some of the knots in his back muscles. Moving instead to the bedroom, Yanagi washed up before deciding to retire early for the night. Lying down, Yanagi closed his eyes and waited for sleep to take his senses. His hand moved to his stomach, rubbing soothing circles against it, lulled to sleep by the soft, gentle kicks within.

XXX

Inui…was looking quite like a fool.

The Seigaku data master sat on one of the benches, with his jaw hanging open slightly. An insect could easily make a home in his mouth and he probably wouldn't have noticed it.

His friend, his dear friend Renji…was pregnant…and five months along at that. Was that even possible? If he hadn't seen the proof he wouldn't have believed it, but even after he had seen the proof, his mind was trying to shut the image out before his brain crashed on him.

Inui could understand why Yanagi had gone into hiding, but he didn't understand why Yanagi would hide his condition from him? In fact, he had approached his Rikkai friends, Tezuka…and even that Atobe for help, but he hadn't so much as breathed even a hint of his pregnancy to Inui. Somehow Inui felt a twinge of hurt at that, along with a slight sense of betrayal. Weren't they supposed to be friends, or was that only on Inui's list?

Inui continued sitting there, brooding on it. He vaguely heard someone sit next to him.

"Close your jaw, Inui. You're eating snow." Tezuka chided sternly.

Tezuka had, for once, been perceptive enough to know the confusion going on in Inui's mind, and the brunette handed him a warm can of coffee. Inui gave a word of thanks and took it.

Seeing Tezuka, Inui felt that sense of betrayal getting stronger. He had thought that Tezuka was the oblivious one, but apparently he was the one who knew nothing. "Why didn't you say anything, Tezuka." Inui grumbled unhappily.

Tezuka's expressionless face was turned to him. "I have given my word to Yanagi Renji that I will mention nothing about his condition. I leave that decision to him, and if he chose not to disclose it outside the four who knew about it, I respect that decision and I will do the same. He must have his own reasons for keeping you from this knowledge." Tezuka stated calmly, working on the lid of his own can of drink as he spoke.

Inui sighed. "Why had he kept it from me?" He wondered aloud.

Tezuka paused, his can held inches away from his face. "I do not know." He took a sip before lowering the can. "After I found out about it, I was highly tempted to assign you laps right away, but that would have made you suspicious."

Inui gave a weak laugh. "T-thank you for being so considerate and sparing me…" He thought about it a while. Actually, hadn't Tezuka increased his laps during practice? Inui should have noticed something strange about it since then. Also…what did Yanagi's condition have anything to do with him?

Tezuka placed his can on the bench. "Well, now that you know about this as well, then I don't have to keep quiet about it anymore."

To Inui's complete horror, the traditional, incredibly old-fashioned captain then made him sit down and proceeded to give him a one and a half hour lecture on why one shouldn't knock up one's partner when one was still schooling, as that might result in a baby and a whole load of other responsibilities. Tezuka spoke of the ethical and moral aspects, as well as the biological aspects of it, even going so far as to speak of the poor unborn kid's future. The poor data master zoned out after the first few minutes, retreating to his safe haven inside his mind to protect what was left of his sanity. He had never known that Tezuka could actually talk about the birds and the bees like that, and was too stunned to even be able to take notes. He knew one thing for sure. He wouldn't be able to look at Tezuka the same way again. Ever.

That talk, however, got Inui thinking about something. He had been having a nagging feeling that he was forgetting something very important about all these since his confused mind was not in full working condition, and for a long while he couldn't put his finger on what it was. After that talk, Inui realized just what it was he had been forgetting.

It took two to bring a baby into existence, and Yanagi was one parent for this case, so that left one more.

Just who was the baby's father?

To be continued…

Please Read and Review. No Flames Please.

-Gwyn86