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“I’m worried about Miyuki.”
Kazuya leaned against the cold wall, listening to this conversation he shouldn’t listen to.
“He talks to Sawamura all the time, coach.”
Well, what was wrong in talking to his pitcher? Kuramochi should just mind his own business.
“I noticed,” the coach answered, his tone heavy, “Have you tried to talk to him?”
“I don’t actually know how. Miyuki isn’t exactly an easy person...”
Kazuya couldn’t see their faces, but they sounded troubled. He, on the other hand, felt insulted.
“Please try,” the coach replied, but Kazuya couldn’t grasp whatever came next.
“You shouldn’t eavesdrop, Kazuya.” Sawamura made him jump, getting silently behind him and whispering so close that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.
“Shut up, idiot, they’re going to hear us!” he said even though for once the pitcher hadn’t been loud. “They’re talking about us, anyway,” he added, like that gave him the right to listen.
“Really, what are they saying?” Sawamura became instantly curious.
“They say I talk to you too much,” Kazuya reported, “They’re probably worried I’d become an idiot too,” he added for the pleasure of seeing the other worked up.
“You already are!” he shouted, then realised it too late and covered his mouth.
They exchanged a look, almost burst into laughter, but ran away before they got caught.
Only when they were safe and alone they allowed themselves to laugh until their stomachs hurt and they were short of breath.
When they recovered enough to talk, Kazuya looked at the other with critical eyes. “You should go back to practice,” he exhorted him, but the other shook his head.
“I finished for today. I’m not on full schedule yet,” he shrugged, but it was clear the situation bugged him.
“You’ll be back on first string after you graduate, if it keeps going like that!” Kazuya whined. He missed catching his pitches, but he knew Sawamura still had to recover.
“I know, right!?” Sawamura agreed, “But don’t worry I’ll catch up. I’ll be the ace in no time!”
Bold as ever. Kazuya smiled, his heart warmed.
“Look at the bright side, we get to spend more time alone!”
Kazuya huffed, “Yeah, well, unless the coach bans me from talking to you!”
“In that case we’d have to meet secretly! It’ll be exciting!” Sawamura laughed and took a step closer.
His eyes were so bright and beautiful Kazuya’s heart skipped a beat. His lips so inviting he leaned forward without even thinking and pressed their lips together. He got lost in the whirlwind of sensations the kiss elicited and was left dizzy and lightheaded, but in a good way.
A couple of days later he was bickering with Sawamura when Kuramochi approached them.
“Here we go,” Sawamura chanted, making him roll his eyes.
“Oi!” he greeted them.
“What do you want?” Kazuya snarled.
“Don’t be so grumpy!” Sawamura interjected.
“Shut up!”
“I didn’t say anything yet!” Kuramochi replied.
“Not you, this idiot!” Kazuya said exasperated.
“Oh, okay,” Kuramochi let out a nervous laugh, and Kazuya noticed he was really nervous. Part of him was touched that Kuramochi was doing something he didn’t want to because he was worry about him. The other part was sadistically enjoying his discomfort because no one could interfere in his relationship with Sawamura.
“Listen, after the accident...”
“After the accident, I’m spending more time with Bakamura here, isn’t it?” He friendly shoved said idiot. Kuramochi looked away embarrassed.
Last time I checked it was ‘Eijun’...” the pitcher murmured.
“Yes, that’s right...” Kuramochi admitted.
“Well, it’s not like I’m neglecting training since I’m not allowed to actually train, right?”
“No, that’s not it, Miyuki...” Kuramochi tried to say.
“And he’s on second string, he’s not contagious...” Kazuya interrupted him.
“Tha-That’s not that point!” the shortstop exclaimed.
Sawamura on his part was just snickering. Kazuya ignored him, rolling his eyes.
“Is that because we train after hour? I’m not stupid, Kuramochi, I know he’s still recovering, we don’t overdo it,” Kazuya cornered him.
He watched as Kuramochi struggled to find something to say, but didn’t manage to. Kazuya sighed, Sawamura laughed.
“Listen, I was going to talk to the coach later. I think I’m ready to get my position back. I’ll start training again, so I won’t have that much time to see him, you’re happy?”
“What!? You didn’t tell me about that!” Sawamura protested loudly.
“I was going to later,” he shrugged.
“Later as in after you talked to the coach!?” he shouted.
“Probably!” Kazuya smirked.
“You bastard!” the pitcher punched his arm.
“Oi, that hurts!” he exclaimed before turning his attention back to Kuramochi, “I might have to deal with him now. See you later, okay? And don’t worry, I’m fine!” He exclaimed before dragging a protesting Sawamura away.
“Well done!” he exclaimed to Furuya, catching his last pitch.
He looked around but there was no sign of Sawamura. Where was that idiot? Kazuya sighed and walked out of the bullpen to look for him.
“Oi, Kuramochi!” he called upon seeing the shortstop not too far, “Have you seen Sawamura?”
“Miyuki...”
Kazuya chuckled at the tone. “What!? I didn’t lose my pitcher! He said he was back on first sting starting today, but he didn’t show up.”
“Miyuki...”
Kazuya shivered. He was feeling cold. Probably the sweat was starting to dry.
“You’re his roommate, did you see him?”
“He’s not here,” Kuramochi replied in a wary tone.
He was starting to get to his nerve. “I can see that,” he snapped, “I wear glasses, you know!?”
“Miyuki, he is not here.” Kuramochi repeated, like he was some kind of stubborn kid who didn’t listen to his parents.
“Do you know where he is?” Kazuya mocked him with the same tone.
Why was it so cold?
“He’s not at Seidou anymore,” Kuramochi said and seemed to hold his breath for Kazuya’s reaction.
“What the hell are you talking about?” he shouted, more than one player stopped and looked at them, but he didn’t care. “Of course he’s here! I saw him this morning! He told me he was back on first string! Where did he go?”
His eyes were starting to feel funny, stingy. His sight was unfocused, he didn’t understand why. Probably anger.
“You didn’t see him,” Kuramochi replied in a whisper.
“Well, I think I know what I see and what not!” Definitely anger. “Where is he?” he shouted again, his voice broke in the middle of the words, but he didn’t know why.
“He didn’t make it, Kazuya, he didn’t make it...” Kuramochi hiccuped.
He had never called him by his given name before and it made him come back to his sense.
Realisation hit him like a train at full speed. He had a flash of the accident, the line drive hitting Sawamura in the head, Eijun opening his eyes wide for a split second then falling to the ground unconscious. He saw himself running to him like he was outside of his body; someone then was holding him back to let the medics pass. He remembered a white coat shaking his head with a painful expression.
Everything was so overwhelming that he fell on the ground. Sawamura wasn’t there. His Eijun wasn’t there. He never recovered from the accident, he was never there.
He screamed his heart out. He screamed until his throat hurt. He screamed so loud even Eijun probably heard him, wherever he was now.
Kuramochi was on the ground too, sobbing next to him, unable to help.
“Oi, oi,” Eijun whispered to his ear, “I’ll always be here, alright? I’ll always be with you, Kazuya.”
Kazuya raised his head, irrational hope blooming between the pain, but Eijun was gone. Gone forever.