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, Tezuka X Echizen hints.
Mew, Yup. I do hope it's not too fluffy. I have a weakness to writing that. :p
Data Pair Lover, my OTPs tend to be tennis freaks, so yeah. (grins)
To the story then…
Data Tales
Bu: Gwynhafra86
Chapter 15
July came before Inui even realized it, and the Seigaku data master could feel the tension in the air, as the tennis club members braced themselves for the Kantou tournaments. Tezuka had requested for a new training menu, which Inui gladly cooked up, putting all his calculations to use and stretching the tennis regulars' to their limits.
The pressure could be felt after Tezuka had drawn the lots, and Seigaku ended up having Hyotei Gakuen as their first opponents. Inui could not get an accurate data on most of the Hyotei regulars, and Atobe especially was a character Inui felt wary of, with his ever changing playstyle. That guy was going to be a challenging opponent.
As he had calculated, Tezuka had put himself in Singles 1, against Atobe. Echizen had been made a reserve, just as Inui had predicted. The Seigaku first-year prodigy could not play against Kabaji, who was in Singles 3, and it was better if Fuji dealt with the volley specialist Jirou. The freshman had seemed rather resigned to his fate, but Inui did catch the look Echizen shot in Tezuka's direction, and he noted that down in his data.
Oishi's injury was completely out of Inui's calculations, and he frowned as Momoshiro was made Kikumaru's partner in Doubles 2. While he believed that Momoshiro hid extraordinary potential in Singles, he wasn't too sure about Momoshiro's performance in doubles. That guy had already proven how beautifully he could flunk doubles when he partnered Echizen, although there was a 95.6 percent chance that it was Echizen's fault mainly. Furthermore, he wasn't facing a couple of amateurs, but Hyotei's genius Oshitari and acrobatic player Mukahi. Those two were formidable opponents.
Inui's data…had been faulty. Momoshiro had proven him wrong, and the makeshift pair ended up winning the match. On the other hand, Inui, whose partner was Kaidou, had lost against Hyotei's Shishido-Ootori pair.
The tension raised another notch when Tezuka lost to Atobe. He had been the one the club had been putting their faith into, but when he lost, everyone's morale had been lowered. Everyone…except one.
Inui had never thought he'd ever see such an expression on Echizen's young face. Ever. The Seigaku prodigy's eyes flicked briefly to Tezuka's injured arm, then to Atobe, and finally came to rest on Tezuka again. His gaze never left the captain's, as Tezuka gave him a solemn stare back.
"Echizen…remember what I've told you three months back?" Tezuka spoke up.
Inui glanced from Tezuka to Echizen, wondering if there was some kind of message he was missing. To his dismay, Echizen did not elaborate on that, as he merely gave an affirmative reply before heading out to the courts, a mildly predatory gleam in his eyes as he faced his opponent.
Shortly into the match, Inui scribbled furiously into his notebook, making a mental note never to get into Echizen's bad books. He had never seen someone make such a continuous attack like that, and one as stamina-consuming as the Drive B too. He threw a glance in Tezuka's direction, watching as Tezuka's gaze was fixed on Echizen, following his moves. He didn't realize they had such a relationship. How could such important data have eluded him?
Inui closed his notebook once the match was over. Echizen won. Seigaku has advanced to the next round. As they returned to Seigaku, Inui threw a glance at the captain and the rookie. Both of them walked back to school, not saying a word, though Inui noted that Echizen walked 5 centimeters closer to Tezuka than before. There was certainly a change in their relationship. Inui could almost say so with one hundred percent certainty.
He sighed. So even the wooden block Tezuka could get the person he had a crush on. Inui reflected on his relationship with Yanagi briefly, and instantly, Echizen's favourite phrase flew into his mind.
"Mada mada dane."
He sighed again. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell Yanagi his feelings. He just couldn't find the right time to do so. It was so simple, yet Inui's courage always fled him whenever he saw the person of his affections.
He flipped through his notebook, coming to a decision. After the Kantou Tournaments then. No matter what, he would be honest to Yanagi about his feelings. Making a memo to himself in his notebook, Inui closed the book, sealing that promise.
XXXXXXXXX
Yanagi smiled as he watched his daughter, who was staring at him with her half-closed lids. She waved her hands at him, making a sound of delight when she saw him holding her milk bottle. Yanagi gently carried her in his arms before feeding her, watching as she suckled contentedly.
He was still doing that when he heard the jingle of keys, signaling someone's arrival. He looked eagerly in the direction of the door, hoping that it was Sadaharu. He hadn't seen the Seigaku data master in a while, even though they had kept in contact via phone. He missed having Inui around.
When the door opened, it was Sanada who stepped in, and Yanagi felt a twinge of disappointment, though he quickly masked it before Sanada noticed it. Sanada gave him a word of greeting, to which Yanagi responded. Yuina merely stared at Sanada wordlessly, not saying anything as she continued to drink from her bottle.
"Seigaku has made it to the finals." Sanada spoke up as he sat on the couch.
Yanagi nodded. "I've calculated a 98.71 percent chance of that, considering their performance in the first round of the competitions. They did take down Hyotei Gakuen after all."
Yanagi remembered joining Sanada and Kirihara at Seigaku's side of the courts after they had defeated their opponents, just in time to see Tezuka's match against Atobe. Yanagi knew that both had an equal chance of winning, though he certainly hadn't had data on Tezuka's injury, so that was out of his calculations. Seeing Echizen's performance after that, he had a feeling that the 'unrequited' crush Inui mentioned a few months back wasn't so 'unrequited' anymore. He couldn't help feeling a stab of envy at that thought.
He set the bottle aside, seeing that Yuina was full, and rubbed her back until she gave a small burp. She didn't fall asleep right away though, as she continued to stare at Sanada, looking like she was studying him quietly. Yanagi chuckled and adjusted his hold on her, so that she was now sitting in his lap, while his arms continued to support her as she wasn't able to sit up on her own just yet.
Sanada cast a look in her direction and frowned at her stare. "She's definitely an Inui." He spoke up after a while.
"Aa." Yanagi agreed, sounding a little proud. She was certainly an Inui, if she could cheer him up when her other father wasn't around like that. He gave her a kiss on her forehead, and she smiled, waving her small hands in the air as she bounced in his lap. He spoke to her softly, and she smiled again. Even though Inui couldn't be around, Yuina remained a happy baby, and Yanagi was thankful for that. Seeing her smiling face, he could remain cheerful for the rest of the day.
Sanada watched both parent and child for a while before folding his arms, going into his vice-captain mode. "I've spoken to Yukimura earlier on. It seems that the doctors have given him the option of a surgery for his condition."
Yanagi stopped playing with his daughter, as his attention was now on Sanada's words. "And?"
Sanada's expression was grave. "The chances of success are low. If the surgery fails…Yukimura will never be able to play tennis again."
Yanagi frowned, the severity of Sanada's words hanging in the air between them. Yanagi didn't need to experience what Yukimura was going through to know what turmoil the Rikkai captain must have been in. Tennis…was life for the three Rikkai demons. The thought of never being able to play tennis again, must have been a very scary one.
"Yukimura hasn't decided on whether he wants to take the surgery yet. He is putting that option on hold for the moment until he gets himself mentally prepared for it. It's a very difficult choice he has to make."
"It is." Yanagi spoke, nodding sagely. It was probably just as tough a decision as the one Yanagi had to make months ago, when the doctor asked him if he wanted to keep the baby. He tightened his arms around Yuina for comfort. "Seiichi will be fine. Whatever decision he makes, he'll be all right. He is a very strong person after all." Yanagi spoke up.
"Aa." Sanada dropped his stoic mask momentarily, allowing the briefest hint of emotions to slip on his face. He took in a deep breath and put his mask on once more. "The time has finally reached for the finals. This will be a hurdle Rikkai will have to pass, in order to secure our three years in a row championship. This time, we will crush Seigaku."
"That's right." Yanagi agreed. He passed the baby to Sanada so that he could concentrate, even as he went quiet a while and recalled Seigaku's data. Once he had the full record in his head, he spoke up again. "Seigaku's chances of winning are 0.1 percent. They have a weakness in doubles, with their only National-leveled doubles pair being the Oishi-Kikumaru Golden Pair combo, and surely this pair will be placed in Doubles 1. We have our Niou-Yagyuu pair to go against them, and I am certain they're inferior compared to our doubles pair. The chances of their Doubles 2 winning is 0.12 percent, since we have Marui and Jackal on our side, and I don't think Seigaku has a makeshift doubles pair who can go against them. Singles 3…the possibility of it being Sadaharu is 89.43 percent. He was considered Seigaku's number three before Echizen-kun beat him. Leave him to me."
Yanagi paused briefly, trying to keep his excitement under control. He was finally going to face Inui on the courts in an official match. He has been waiting for a long time for this chance. "Seigaku's Singles 2 will likely be Echizen-kun, and Singles 1 will be Fuji, who is Seigaku's number two and the most suitable person to take over Singles 1 now that their trump card Tezuka is gone." He gave a small smirk. "Seigaku shouldn't be a problem to us at all."
Sanada pondered the order of the match. "No. I agree that doubles will not be a problem for us, but as for Singles…we must not slack off." He was about to fold his arms, but remembered that the baby was still in his lap and hurriedly used his arms to support her before she toppled over. "I believe it wouldn't be Fuji to take over Singles 1, but Echizen."
"That boy? I admit that he is very talented, but I don't think Tezuka's that careless to let a rookie take Singles 1. If Fuji is in Singles 1, their chance of winning is 0.18 percent, while if it's Echizen, their chance of winning is 0.11 percent." Yanagi frowned. Considering the odds were against Seigaku if Echizen were really to take the critical spot, surely level-headed Tezuka wouldn't make such a decision which would jeopardize Seigaku's chances of victory.
Sanada gave a soft 'hmph'. "Yanagi. Seigaku may not have Rikkai's strength, but now all of them will be playing at a higher tension than usual with Tezuka's absence. By putting Echizen in Singles 1, wouldn't that tension be raised even higher?"
"That…if you put it that way." Yanagi did the calculations in his head and finally agreed.
Sanada gave Yanagi a solemn stare. "Just for in case, I'm putting myself in Singles 1. I'll deal with that brat. Losing is not permitted."
"Of course. There is a high chance you will not be able to play at all though." Yanagi smiled.
Sanada gave a snort. "I don't doubt that. Inui's not a threat to Rikkai. He's a thousand years too early." Sanada spoke up, the dislike evident in his voice.
Yuina, perhaps knowing that her father was being looked down upon, or because she had an incredible sense of timing, began crying at that moment. Sanada immediately tried to pacify the crying baby, who only began to scream more fiercely, causing the vice-captain to look extremely flustered.
The cap-wearing boy was highly relieved when Yanagi took Yuina into his arms and rocked her. The baby's cries became quiet as she gave a soft whimper before dropping off to sleep in her parent's arms. Sanada glared at the baby. "Definitely an Inui, if she's trying to provoke me like that." He muttered.
"She's just trying to defend Sadaharu in her own way." Yanagi joked.
Yanagi placed the baby in her cot before returning to the sitting room, sitting on a couch just opposite Sanada's.
"We must win this, no matter what. Win this and bring the championship to Yukimura." Sanada spoke up after a while.
Yanagi's eyes opened. "Aa." It was a promise then, not just for the Rikkai kings, but for Seiichi too.
XXXXXXXXX
It was the eve of the Kantou tournamants, and that night, Inui found himself unable to sleep, as he kept waking up in the middle of the night to recalculate his data, trying to increase Seigaku's chances of winning even if only by 0.01 percent more.
He got out again for what felt like the thirteenth time that night and headed over to his notebook, which he had placed at his study table. Again, he erased some of his data as he wrote down new calculations, increasing his chance of winning by 0.03 percent more.
Satisfied with the update on his data, he was about to head back to bed when he spotted one of the pictures on his table. It showed two boys smiling, as their hands were clapsed, and their others hands held their gold medals.
He picked the picture up, smiling as he remembered that day. It had been his and Renji's first victory in an official doubles match. He reached out and touched Yanagi's face briefly, and not for the first time, found himself wishing that Yanagi had never left in the first place. He tried to picture how school life would be like, if Yanagi had been in Seigaku too. They'd still be the unbeatable Data Pair, and they could possibly give Oishi and Kikumaru a run for their money.
He gave a sigh and placed the picture on the table once more. That was only a dream. Tomorrow, he'd be facing Yanagi in a match. Inui was confident that he knew enough of Yanagi's data, and there was a small chance he could beat him. Excitement filled him at the thought of playing a serious match against Yanagi again.
"Renji. Let's have a good match tomorrow." He whispered into the darkness before settling on his bed again. This time, when sleep came, he did not wake until the alarm rang hours later.
XXX
Inui knew that Seigaku's chances of victory would be slim. Without Tezuka, their power level seemed to have dropped by several notches. Their doubles teams were completely pulvarized by Rikkai's doubles teams, and before long, it was time for Singles 3.
"The time…" Inui began
"The time is ripe, was what you were going to say right?" Yanagi continued for him. The Rikkai data master must have been analysing his data too. "It would seem that I'm right." He spoke quietly.
Inui smiled inwardly. Same old Yanagi. When it came to tennis, he never changed. Horio seemed to be surprised that Yanagi knew what he was going to say, and Inui reassured him of how well they knew each other. "Right now, he's tying his shoelaces, isn't he? The probability is 100 percent." He said firmly, and surely enough, Yanagi was doing precisely that.
They hadn't been able to really have a serious Singles match against each other, and Inui put all his data to use, not giving Yanagi any chances to score. Even if Inui had feelings for him, he wouldn't let that interfere with their game.
Yanagi had turned the tables on him after a while, and Inui had to abandon his data, pitting his stamina and original style of playing against the other data master. It was a good thing he had recalculated his data yesterday night, as Yanagi was lured into his pace for a good part of the game, and before long, the scores were at 5-4, Yanagi leading, just like the last serious match they had against each other back in their elementary schooldays.
"I believe this is where we left off." Inui spoke calmly. He thought that Yanagi looked pretty cute when he realized he had been tricked, with displeasure written all over his face like that. He readjusted his glasses and readjusted his grip on his racket. "From here onwards, there will be no more data involved."
Yanagi had put up a good fight, but in the end, Inui won the battle of stamina. Yanagi hadn't built his stamina up to his old level yet, considering he was out of action for a period of time, and had only just started his training a few months back.
"You have won, Sadaharu." Yanagi smiled as he shook Inui's hand at the net.
"We had an equal chance of winning. Who knows. The next time you might be the winner." Inui replied.
Yanagi gave a soft chuckle. "Perhaps. Will you be dropping by later? Yuina hasn't had the chance to see you in a while. I'm sure she misses you."
Inui studied his face. "Only Yuina?" He asked quietly, his hand tightening subconsciously.
Yanagi's face flushed slightly. He let go of Inui's hand. "Genichirou is waiting for me to return to the team." He spoke hurriedly before making his escape.
Inui watched him a while before turning around and heading back to his teammates, even as he tried to keep the grin off his face. He was extremely tired, but also very satisfied with the match. Once he returned, Kikumaru just had to choose that time to charge at him in a running glomp, nearly causing him to topple over.
He allowed his teammates to celebrate their first match won for a while. While they were still chattering away excitedly, Inui threw a glance at Rikkai's side of the courts.
Sanada was looking greatly displeased, as he was now on his feet, speaking sternly to Yanagi. "That wasn't a match you were not able to win. You have allowed your personal feelings to get in the way."
Yanagi looked slightly regretful. "I'm sorry, Genichirou. Please hit me. You must set an example to the juniors."
Inui's jaw dropped. Sanada wouldn't dare to-
To his horror, Sanada raised his hand, fully intending to comply with Yanagi's words. Before Inui could shout, or even run towards Rikkai's side, Sanada had swung his arm in a backhand.
The next moment, Kirihara had blocked the blow with his racket, saving Yanagi from that beating. "I'll beat the next opponent, then we can make it in time for Yukimura-buchou's surgery." He told the Rikkai vice-captain.
At that very moment, Inui wondered just why he had considered Kirihara an enemy, as he instantly put the Rikkai sophomore regular in his list of 'best friends'. In fact, he even felt a small twinge of pity when Kirihara was beaten by Fuji later.
Echizen then exceeded his data by beating Sanada, thus bringing Seigaku its victory. Inui smiled. They had won. They had beaten the Rikkai kings and won!
The whole team screamed themselves hoarse. Inui went off to get a drink while he waited for the prize-giving ceremony. Once he reached the vending machine, he paused a while as he browsed through the choices.
"That was a good match, Sadaharu." He heard Yanagi speak up behind him and turned around.
"Aa. It was, Renji." He turned back to the machine and, having come to a decision, bought two cans of juice before handing one to Yanagi.
The Rikkai data master gave a word of thanks and took it. There was a moment of silence as they drank their beverages. Inui was the first one to speak up.
"Why did you ask Sanada to hit you?"
Yanagi gave him a weak smile. "I'm from Rikkai Dai, Sadaharu. Losing is not permitted."
Inui replayed that scene in his mind. He shuddered as he thought of Sanada hitting Yanagi's face. He'd kill the Rikkai vice-captain if he laid his hands on Yanagi. Even as he thought of that, his hand had subconsiously reached out to stroke Yanagi's cheek.
Yanagi flushed. "Sadaharu…"
It was only then did Inui realize what he was doing, and he pulled his hand away like he was burnt. "Ah…I'm sorry, Renji."
Inui remembered that he had promised himself that he would confess to Yanagi after the Kantou tournaments. He tried to gather his courage. "Renji, I-"
He noticed that Yanagi wasn't looking at him, but had his gaze fixed behind Inui. Inui turned around too, and found Echizen staring at them, while calmly sipping on Ponta.
Inui's face heated up. How could he have forgotten that Echizen had run off to buy his drink too? It was the rookie's habit to do that after matches.
Echizen finished his drink and threw it into the nearest bin before giving Inui a smirk. "Mada mada dane, Inui-senpai." He spoke as he left.
Yanagi turned back to Inui once Echizen had walked away. "You were saying?"
By now, Inui's courage had already fled him. He turned back to Yanagi. "Eh? Ah yes. I…think we had better head back. It's almost time for the prize giving ceremony."
Yanagi took a glance at his watch. "Hmm…it has been a while since the matches ended. I suppose you're right. Let's go then." With that, the Rikkai demon swung around and left.
Inui felt like hitting his head against the trunk of the nearest tree. Mission failed. He made a mental note to try out his next invention on that brat Echizen. He sighed, making another mental note to himself to confess when he headed over to Yanagi's place later.
XXX
"Have you missed me, Yuina?" Inui had his baby daughter cradled in his arms, and was now fawning over her.
Yanagi sat nearby, watching Inui interact with their daughter. There was a slightly amused smile on his face. A few feet from him, Sanada wore a look of disgust, as if unbelieving that Inui could act so disgustingly childish. Inui had made it quite obvious that he loved his baby daughter, and the usually expressionless teen's face would light up at the sight of the infant.
Yuina was in a sleepy mood, actually, and hardly gave her father a response. She gave him a small smile before dozing off, contented to be in her father's arms again.
Inui didn't put her in her cot, as he wanted to cradle her. He hadn't been here in a long while, and before he knew it, his baby daughter had grown so much. After kissing his sleeping daughter on the forehead, he looked up at the other two.
"Your team's captain Yukimura had a successful surgery, didn't he? Congratulations." He spoke up.
Sanada gave a stiff nod, though Inui could see the relief in his eyes. Yanagi smiled at Inui. "Thank you. The next time we meet, I won't lose to you twice, Sadaharu. Rikkai Dai will become the champions for three years in a row."
"Is that a challenge, Renji?" Inui countered, a hint of playfulness in his voice.
Yanagi threw him a very small smirk. "I'll leave that to your interpretation, Sadaharu."
"I'll be looking forward to that then." Inui replied. Somehow, with them throwing words back and forth, Inui felt almost like they were…flirting…in their own way.
Sanada seemed to have thought so, for he threw a suspicious glance at Inui before clearing his throat, giving Inui a dark glare. "You will have no chance at all the next time. Not even your team's captain Tezuka can hold a candle against Yukimura. He's undefeatable."
"That isn't a 100 percent probability. There is a chance Seigaku will win." Inui retorted.
The cap-wearing vice-captain and glasses-wearing data master glared at each other. Yanagi stood up. "I'm going to get some tea." He left to the kitchens, while throwing Inui a mildly amused look.
Inui excused himself too, not wanting to be in the same room as the Rikkai vice-captain without Yanagi in it too. He headed over to the nursery before gently setting his daughter in her cot, tucking her in nicely. His daughter continued to sleep peacefully, while sucking on her pacifier. Inui placed the bear plushie, his gift to her before she was even born, right next to the baby before giving her a kiss on the forehead. After fussing over her a while, he was finally satisfied that she was comfortable and left the room, heading back to the sitting room where the poker-faced Rikkai vice-captain was. Once there, he resumed his glaring match with the cap-wearing boy.
Yanagi returned to the sitting room after some time, carrying a tray of tea and biscuits. He served the tea and set the biscuits down on the table before taking a seat. This time, he chose to sit beside Inui instead of sitting next to his fellow Rikkai demon, and Inui's heart did a victory dance. He deliberately inched a little closer to Yanagi, to the point that their hands were nearly touching. Yanagi seemed oblivious to Inui's advances, but Sanada wasn't, and the Rikkai vice-captain gave Inui a dark glare.
Inui ignored the Rikkai captain and struck a conversation with Yanagi. "I was really surprised though, your high-speed slice. I've never seen that skill of yours before."
Yanagi chuckled. "You wouldn't have seen it, Sadaharu. I've only invented Kamaitachi when I was in Rikkai Dai. Created it when I was in a match against Genichirou, as he had me cornered, with the scores being 5-3 at that time. He won in the end anyway."
"I see. It was a very elegant skill." Inui complimented.
Yanagi smiled. "I get to see an unexpected side of you today, Sadaharu. I never thought you'd return to your old style of dataless tennis. I haven't seen that in a while, not since the first time we became doubles partners. How nostalgic." Yanagi's face took on a slightly dreamy look as he reminisced the past. Inui remembered that too, and joined him in memory lane. Only Sanada had no prior knowledge to what the two data masters were talking about, and he looked back and forth between them, trying to find out what they were saying.
They continued on the topic of the Kantou tournaments for a while, this time Yanagi had remembered to include Sanada in the conversation too. After a while, Yanagi touched Inui's hand lightly.
"It's getting late. I'll deal with the dishes then." He stood up.
Inui sprang to his feet like he was sitting on a hedgehog. "I'll go with you." Before Yanagi could protest, Inui had already piled the dishes and taken them to the back. He started washing the dishes, and could vaguely hear Yanagi pad quietly into the room too.
"You're behaving very strangely, Sadaharu." Yanagi commented, while setting the cups in the sink too.
Inui threw a glance at his beloved friend. "I'm not." He protested. He scrubbed the dishes with increased concentration, even though the dishes really didn't need that much scrubbing. He was very aware of Yanagi's presence next to him, and was doing everything he could to not stare at the other data master.
Yanagi frowned. "If you say so. I guess I'm thinking too much." He scratched his head before turning around, intending to leave.
Inui had reached out at that moment, grabbing his friend's hand and stilling his steps. Yanagi turned back, looking at Inui questioningly with his eyes open. Inui tried to gather his courage. He had put this off for a long time already. They were alone now, and the timing seemed right. Even though he was being severely tactless with him holding Yanagi's hand with his soapy ones, Inui was finding it increasingly difficult to hide his feelings.
"Renji…listen…I…I…" Inui tried to confess, but the word was harder to say than he thought.
Yanagi's look of confusion turned into one of concern, especially after seeing how red Inui's face was getting. "Are you alright, Sadaharu? Do you have a fever?" He reached out with his free hand to feel Inui's forehead, but Inui grabbed that hand too with his other hand, making both of Yanagi's hands soapy.
"No…I mean…yes…I'm all right, and no, I don't have a fever…I…" Inui looked Yanagi in the eye. "I…"
A growl made Inui jump. Sanada stood in the doorway, and the stoic vice-captain didn't like what he was seeing at all.
It would take Inui guts the size of a country to confess to Yanagi with Sanada as the audience. Probably not even Tezuka could perform that feat. Again, Inui's courage left him, and he found himself not being able to say it. "I…I'll be staying here for the night." He blurted out quickly.
Yanagi gave him a small smile. "I see. I don't know why you have to be so nervous over that. You're always welcome here anyway."
"A-Aa." Inui gave a weak laugh, while inwardly mourning his second failed attempt. He watched as Yanagi left the kitchen, probably to get Inui's room ready, and resisted the urge to hit his head on the wall.
Sanada remained in the doorway, with his arms folded. He threw Inui a glare of dislike. "I would be staying too…if I hadn't had a prior appointment to attend to." The cap-wearing boy didn't seem happy by that statement. "Nevertheless, if I catch you doing anything to Yanagi…"
Before Sanada could continue that sentence, Yanagi reappeared. "Genichirou, will you be staying too?"
Sanada adjusted his cap. "No. I've promised Yukimura that I'll be with him after the surgery. I'll be taking my leave then. If he does anything to you, tell me immediately." Sanada had used his vice-captain voice at the last statement.
Yanagi gave a good natured laugh and saw Sanada out the door. After that, he returned to the kitchen. Inui had finished with the washing and drying of the dishes, and was just about to head over to his bedroom. Yanagi threw him a neutral look, one which Inui was getting quite used to seeing. "Where will you be sleeping tonight?"
Inui tried to remain casual over that, as he gave a shrug. "Anywhere is fine."
At that answer, Yanagi took Inui's hand and wordlessly led him to his room. Apparently Yanagi had brought Yuina into the room as well, and the baby was sleeping in the centre of the bed, with her bear plushie right next to her.
As usual, Yanagi slept on one side of the bed. "I love it when the three of us get the chance to be together. With both our schedules, it's getting to be so difficult for us to do so." He commented as he pulled the blankets over himself and Yuina.
Inui smiled. "Aa. I do too." He smiled when Yanagi yawned. "You're tired, Renji. Go to sleep."
"Mm…oyasumi, Sadaharu." Yanagi closed his eyes. After a moment, when Inui glanced over, Yanagi's breathing had evened out, a sign that he was already asleep.
Inui reached out and touched Yanagi's face. "Renji…" 'I love you…' He spoke in his heart. He continued touching his beloved friend's sleeping face, feeling rather useless at that moment. He could not confess to Yanagi. No matter how good the timing was, he just didn't have the guts to confess to him.
Inui sighed. At this rate, there was no way they could ever start a relationship…
To be continued…
Please Read and Review. No Flames Please.
-Gwyn86