Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/10673274.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      ダイヤのA_|_Daiya_no_A_|_Ace_of_Diamond
  Relationship:
      Miyuki_Kazuya/Sawamura_Eijun, Narumiya_Mei_&_Sawamura_Eijun, Furuya
      Satoru/Miyuki_Kazuya
  Character:
      Sawamura_Eijun, Miyuki_Kazuya, Narumiya_Mei, Furuya_Satoru
  Additional Tags:
      Angst, Yaoi, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional_Roller_Coaster, Swearing, Spoilers
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-04-19 Updated: 2017-04-22 Chapters: 6/? Words: 5425
****** Outsider ******
by LaceRose
Summary
     Eijun feels like an outsider at Seidou, and he feels like someone who
     doesn't belong. It's then when another team makes its move. They want
     the southpaw pitcher on their side, and will do anything to get him.
     And there's someone in Seidou who will do anything to make him stay.
Notes
     This story is also posted on fanfiction.net, search for LaceRose.
***** Chapter One *****
Eijun Sawamura looked on as Seidou beat Yakushi high school. He stood in the
shadows of the dugout, while everyone from the team ran to surround Furuya.
Eijun narrowed his eyes a little. He had to admit it. He was pissed off, and
also jealous. He done his best for Seidou, pulled them through to give them a
fighting chance. But there was Furuya, getting all of the credit, when he'd
only pitched one lousy inning.
"Tch." Eijun walked out, back to the area where the lockers were. A passing
cleaner stopped him. "Hey, shouldn't you be out with your team? You guys won!"
The cleaner said, smiling and Eijun shook his head. "I don't feel like
celebrating." Eijun replied, and continued walking away, into the locker room.
Yeah, right. He couldn't stand watching the 'Furuya show' for 1 second longer.
He opened his locker, and began pulling off his sweaty cloathes. He had a
shower, taking his time. As the water washed over his body, he hoped it would
also wash away all his misery.
Seidou was basking in the moment, that at first no one noticed that Eijun
wasn't there. Finally, Kawakami noticed the southpaw was no where to be seen.
"Have you seen Eijun?" Kawakami whispered to Miyuki, who had Furuya in a
headlock, and was ruffling his hair with a diabolical look on his face.
"Hm?" Miyuki looked around, and noticed too, that Eijun wasn't with the rest of
the team. "Where is he?" Miyuki mumbled, and looked over to the dugout, but he
wasn't there either. The coach also could see no sign of him. "Maybe he's on
the toilet." Furuya said, with a shrug of his shoulders.
Eijun wasn't in the toilet. He wasn't even in the stadium. He was on a bus,
headed back to Seidou. He knew his actions would bring him some form of
punishment, but he just didn't care. He needed to sort out some things, and
being around the team, and especially Furuya, wouldn't help him any. The bus
driver pulled over when they reached Seidou. Word must have already reached the
school, because students had all ran out to the bus. Two girls pushed their way
to the front of the crowd, and everyone waited in anticipation.
When only Eijun stepped out, there was an audible sigh of dsappointment. Eijun
ignored them, and walked into the school grounds, headed for the dorms. One of
the girls grabbed Eijun's arm, forcing him to turn around. "Where's Furuya-kun?
Did he take a seperate bus?" She asked, and Eijun shrugged, and continued
walking.
"This sucks, I was hoping to see Furuya-kun!" The girl groaned in dismay. "I
know, right. He won the game for Seidou, I was looking forward to greeting
him." The other girl joined in, causing Eijun to stop in his tracks. He spun
around, and faced them, anger evident in his glare. "What a joke. As if he's
the only player." Eijun said, and began walking away again. "Oh, and he only
pitched one single inning, so stop talking as if he won the game single
handedly. Dumb bitches." He added, causing the girls to gasp in shock.
The rest of the team were on a bus, also headed back to Seidou. The coach's
mobile started to ring, and he answered it. "Kataoka here. Uh-huh. Yeah, we
were wondering where he went." The coach spoke into the phone. His eyes widened
dramatically. "He said what!?" He shouted into the phone, and clicked it off,
shaking his head. "Coach? Is something wrong?" Miyuki spoke, from behind the
coach's seat.
"Sawamura's back at Seido. There was an incident." Was the coach's response.
Miyuki saw from his expression that he was to drop it, so he let it go and sat
back in his seat as the journey back home came to its end. Outside of the
school, students cheered loudly as the bus pulled up. The team all exited the
bus, and were congratulated by everyone. All of the girls surrounded Furuya
screaming 'Kyaaaaa, Furuya-kuuuuun' and even Miyuki wasn't spared, as some
girls latched themselves onto his arm.
He shook them free, and walked beside Coach Kataoka. "Is there something
wrong?" He asked and the coach sighed. "There could be. I'll tell you more in
my office." Kataoka replied, and Miyuki didn't like the tone of his voice at
all.
It was dark, and Eijun laid on the field, staring up at the night sky. He was
counting the stars, when a figure loomed over him. "Sawamura. We need to talk."
It was Miyuki. Of course it was. Eijun frowned and continued to count stars.
"There's nothing to talk about." The southpaw replied, curtly.
"The hell there isn't!" Miyuki shouted, and grabbed Eijun by the front of his
shirt, hauling him to his feet. "Sempai, what the hell-" Eijun glared, and
Miyuki glared right back. "Why did you disappear on us like that?" Miyuki
asked, the look in his eyes a serious one. "Hm? I didn't think it would matter
if I was there or not." Eijun replied, and he tore the older boy's hands from
clutching at the front of his shirt.
"You didn't think it would matter!?" Miyuki repeated, incredulously. He
couldn't believe the words coming from the southpaw pitcher. "Sawamura. You're
part of a team, and-" Miyuki was cut off by Eijun's bitter laughter. "A team?
You're kidding me, right?" Eijun said, and chuckled. Before Miyuki could say
anything else, Eijun held up a hand. "Let me finish."
Miyuki sighed, and nodded his head, and Eijun let out a sigh. "I'm glad we won.
I am, really. It's just... I'm tired of it. I'm tired of being passed over in
favor of him." Eijun said, as he fought tears. "Him? Him who?" Miyuki asked,
and Eijun let out an angry shout. "Who the fuck do you think!? Furuya!" Eijun
shouted, and he cleanched his fists at his side.
"Before, I was thinking 'Sure, I can do this. I can be the shadow, the nobody'.
But I can't. I realized today, that... no matter what I do, I'll always second
place if that bastard's here." Eijun said, and Miyuki placed a hand on the
younger's shoulder. "It's not about second place. It's about who the coach
thinks is best for the ace position right now." Miyuki said, trying in his own
way, to comfort the angry southpaw.
"Miyuki-sempai...do you seriously think that Furuya deserved the position of
ace?" Eijun asked and Miyuki sighed. "To be honest, yes. He's consistent, has
talent, and technique-" Eijun cut him off with a harsh laugh. "And I don't have
those things!?" Eijun shouted, his voice full of emotion. "Th..That isn't what
I meant. Eijun-kun..." Miyuki said, and put a hand on Eijun's shoulder, but
Eijun pulled away.
"Fuck you!" Eijun swore, and Miyuki was taken aback. Never before had Sawamura
spoken to him like that. "You don't give a fuck about me. All you and Coach
Kataoka care about is making sure that Furuya makes it to the top, and you
don't care who you step on to do it!" Eijun continued, and placed his hands on
his hips. "Oh, yeah. I know about the 'plan' of using me as a stepping stone
for Furuya's advancement!" Eijun added, and Miyuki's eyes widened. 'He...He
knew'? Miyuki thought, and grabbed hold of Eijun's shoulders.
"It's not like that! Sawamura! It really isn't. Maybe it was like that at the
start, but Coach Kataoka really cares about you! And I...I..." Miyuki trailed
off. "You can stop with the lies, Miyuki." Eijun said softly, and pulled away
from the catcher. "I'll admit it. When I found out, I was hurt by it. A lot.
But you know what hurt me more?" Eijun said, and Miyuki felt his heart drop at
the sight of Eijun's face. It was blank, emotionless, empty.
"What did me in was winning against Yakushi. I did my best for Seidou, I gave
it my all, and created a miracle for us. But... when we won... not one person
said 'Good job, Sawamura', 'Thank you Sawamura'. All people were interested in
was Furuya. I felt like an outsider. And then I knew..." Eijun trailed off,
looking at the ground. "You knew what?" Miyuki asked, as his stomach started
churning.
"I knew..."
There were no sounds other than crickets in the background. Those sounds were
suddenly broken by one sentence.
"...I knew there's no place for me at Seidou..."
***** Chapter Two *****
Chapter 2
Miyuki tossed and turned in his bed. What Eijun had said to him earlier that
night had really bothered him. 'There's no place for me at Seidou'. He had
meant to say something to the southpaw, but before he did, Eijun had turned
around and walked off, leaving the catcher staring at the pitcher's back as he
disappeared. The way Eijun had said it, and the look on his face had Miyuki
practically kicking his legs on the bed in frustration. "Dammit, Sawamura...
Don't do anything stupid." He mumbled, and curled up on his bed until he
finally fell asleep.
Come morning, the team were all sitting together, eating breakfast. Haruichi
noticed how Eijun was slumped in his seat, and sort of pushing his food around
on his plate. "Eijun? Want to talk about it?" He asked and the pitcher looked
up. "Hm?" Eijun looked up at the pinkette. Haruichi noticed how tired Eijun
looked. "Did you get any sleep at all?" He asked and Eijun shrugged. "A
little." Was the reply that Sawamura gave him. Haruichi was going to press the
situation further, when Coach Kataoka walked over to their table. "Sawamura. We
need to talk." Kataoka's voice sounded stern, and Eijun stood up. Both he and
the coach walked off. "This isn't good." Haruichi whispered under his breath.
Eijun stood while Coach Kataoka went and sat behind his desk. "I won't beat
around the bush, Sawamura. Two of our students showed concern at how you spoke
to them yesterday. You called them 'bitches', I believe?" The coach said, and
Eijun looked to the side. "This isn't like you, Sawamura." Kataoka said, as he
sipped from a cup of coffee that was on his desk. "But I think I know what's
going on." He added, and Eijun looked up.
"You do? You really know?" Eijun asked and Kataoka set down his cup of coffee.
"Sawamura. I know it's difficult for you to understand right now. But...I gave
Furuya the ace position because of numerous factors." Kataoka said, causing
Eijun to grit his teeth. 'Not this talk again, I already got this shit from
Miyuki'. Eijun thought, as his hands clutched at the hem of his tshirt.
"You leaving by yourself yesterday, and how you spoke to those young ladies...
I have to impose a punishment." Kataoka said, and Eijun nodded his head. 'Let
me guess. Run more laps?' Eijun thought to himself and Kataoka looked Eijun in
the eyes.
"Eijun Sawamura..." Coach Kataoka took a deep breath. This wasn't going to be
easy. But it had to be done. Such attitude could not be allowed. He would nip
this attitude in the bud, right here, and right now. The next words out of
Coach Kataoka's mouth would be the final nail in Eijun's heart.
"...You're suspended from all team activities starting now..."
***** Chapter Three *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Eijun was left reeling by the words that came from Coach Kataoka's lips. "Y-
You're kicking me off the team!?" Eijun asked, a look of anger and betrayal on
his face. "No. No, you're still on the team. It's just...you won't be
participating in any matches. Miyuki and I had a talk yesterday, and we decided
that this is the best option for now." Kataoka said, and his heart sunk a
little at how...deafeated Eijun looked.
"M..Miyuki said that?" Eijun spoke, his voice barely a whisper. 'He never
mentioned anything last night'! He thought, and he clenched his fists so hard,
his knuckles were white. "It's in your best interests. You should take a
break." Kataoka said, matter-of-factly. "And what about Furuya? Is he taking a
break!?" Eijun replied, his eyes sparking with anger.
"This isn't about Furuya! This is about you! And the attitude you have right
now is no good!" Coach Kataoka said, anger in his voice. "I see. Can I be
excused?" Eijun asked, his gaze fixing on the floor. "You can. Go on, now."
Kataoka said, and Eijun left the office immediately. Kataoka took a deep
breath. "It wasn't easy, but you made the right decision." Came a smug voice
from outside. Kataoka looked up, to see Hiromitsu Ochiai, looking at him from
the doorway. "At least now you can focus solely on Furuya. We shouldn't allow
any bad seeds to take root." The short fat turd of a man smiled smugly as he
played with his goatee. Coach Kataoka gritted his teeth. 'Bad seeds like you,
you mean.' He thought to himself. He was already regretting the decision to
pass on the torch to this weasel.
Miyuki was practicing with Furuya, when he saw Eijun storm over towards them.
The southpaw had a baseball clutched tightly in his left hand. "S-Sawamura?"
Miyuki spoke, and Eijun took the pitcher's stance. He wound back his arm.
Miyuki could feel the aura of pure anger coming from the pitcher. "Shit,
Furuya! Get out of the way! He's serious!" Miyuki shouted, and Furuya had
barely got out of the way, before Eijun let loose, the ball flying at Miyuki's
glove with the speed of a bullet.
As Miyuki caught the ball in his glove, he felt the wind knocked out of him. It
took him a few seconds to recover. When he did, he stared in awe at Eijun. That
pitch was devastating, dangerous and it excited him immensely. "Sawamura...that
pitch..." Miyuki was left speechless. Even Furuya stared at Eijun as if he were
a monster. "Remember that pitch, sempai." Eijun spoke, and stared directly at
Miyuki. "Because it's the last pitch of mine you're ever going to catch". The
Southpaw said and he turned and walked away, leaving both Miyuki and Furuya
standing there in complete and utter shock.
Chapter End Notes
     If you couldn't tell, I really hate Hiromitsu Ochiai.
***** Chapter Four *****
Miyuki went to Eijun's dorm room. Finding the door open, he went inside. He
went to where Eijun's bed was, and he saw a note on the bed. He picked it up
and read it.
'Thank you for looking after me.'
"He couldn't have..." Miyuki quickly opened the drawers and closets where
Eijun's clothes were normally stored. They were all completely empty.
"No...Sawamura!" Miyuki shouted, and ran out of the dorm, and out of the school
grounds. His team mates looked at him as he ran by them. "Where's the fire,
man?" Kuramochi called out, but the catcher was already gone.
Eijun was at the bus stop. He had his suitcase in one hand. He stood up as his
bus pulled over. He was about to get on, when he heard his name being shouted
out. He looked over, and could see Miyuki racing over to him. "Sawamura! Don't
go!" Miyuki called out, but Eijun was firm in his decision. With his suitcase
in one hand, he got on the bus. He could still hear Miyuki calling out as the
catcher got closer to the bus. "I think that kid's calling out to you. Did you
want me to wait for a minute or two?" The bus driver asked. "No. You can leave
now." Eijun replied, and the bus driver drove away, leaving Miyuki standing
there, alone. "Dammit...Sawamura..." Miyuki clenched his fists in anguish as he
saw the bus drive off.
Coach Kataoka was looking over the team as they practiced, when Miyuki ran over
to him. "Coach! It's Sawamura! He's gone!" Miyuki shouted, and handed the coach
the note that Eijun had left behind. Kataoka read the note, and sighed. He
clapped his hands together. "Okay, practice is over for now!" He called out,
and the team all stopped what they were doing, and began to head for the
showers.
"What should we do?" Miyuki asked, anxiety evident in his voice. "I'll settle
things. You just help the team pack away the equipment." Kataoka patted Miyuki
on the shoulder, and walked off in a hurry.
When the bus pulled up at his street, Eijun got off. Wakana was already waiting
there. He had texted her ahead of time. "I told your mother that you're coming
back, but not the reason why. She thinks you're on holidays." She said, and
Eijun smiled a little. "Thanks." He said, and they both walked back to Eijun's
house together. His mother was standing outside, ready to greet him. "Ei-chan!"
She smiled, and hugged him. "How's my boy?" She said, and Eijun struggled a
little. "Kaa-san, it's embarassing." He pouted, and she took his suitcase.
"Let's go inside, and you can tell us all about your experience so far at
Seidou." She said, and walked into the house. Eijun and Wakana both exchanged
looks, before they followed her inside.
Rei Takashima sat in Kataoka's office. They had both been talking the whole day
about Eijun's disappearance. "Would you like me to call his house?" Rei asked,
and Kataoka gave her a small nod. She got her mobile, and dialled the number.
Being the Assistant Director, she knew everyone's phone numbers by heart. "Oh!
It's ringing." She said, and introduced herself when Eijun's mother had
answered the phone. "Hello, Mrs. Sawamura. It's Rei Takashima from Seidou. Ahh,
yes, I'm doing well, thank you. I have something I need to discuss with you..."
Back at the Sawamura residence, Eijun's mother had left Wakana and Eijun to
answer the phone. She had been on the phone for a long time, when all of a
sudden, Eijun heard her shout out "SAWAMURA EIJUN! GET YOUR KEISTER OVER HERE
RIGHT NOW!" He eeped and stared at Wakana. "Don't look at me. You knew she'd
find out sooner or later." She said and he pouted. "Go on, and tell her
everything. She'll understand,she's your mother." She said, and Eijun walked
out, to where his mother stood with her hands on her hips.
"Do you happen to know who just called me?" She asked, and Eijun sighed.
"Probably someone from Seidou." He said, in a small voice. "Ei-chan, I've never
been one to beat around the bush. Out with it. Why did you leave like that?"
She asked, and Eijun went and sat at the kitchen table. "It's a long story." He
said, and she sat across from him. "I've always got time for my son. Talk to
me." She said, and he told her everything, from start to finish. "Oh my baby. I
didn't know you would become that unhappy there." She said, and took his hands
in hers.
"You take all the time you need, honey. I'll call them back and tell them
you're taking a break for a while." She said, smiling. She stood up, and walked
over to the phone. "I'll do this for you, Eijun. But you know running away
won't solve everything, right?" She said, before she made the call to Seidou.
'I know that, kaa-san. But why should I go back to a team that doesn't even
want me there'? He thought, as he buried his head in his hands.
***** Chapter Five *****
Miyuki paced up and down the hallway. Eijun's last words to him stuck in his
mind. 'Remember that pitch, sempai. Because it's the last pitch of mine you're
ever going to catch.' Miyuki gritted his teeth in frustration. It couldn't end
like that. No fucking way. Especially after that last pitch the southpaw had
thrown at him.
He wanted to catch that pitch again. He needed to. Miyuki had made up his mind.
He would bring Eijun back, even if he had to drag the pitcher by the ear. He
went and found Coach Kataoka. "Coach, can I take some time off?" He asked and
Kataoka faced him with a knowing smile. "Sure." He said, and Miyuki went to run
off, Kataoka called out. "Oh, and Miyuki...bring Sawamura back in one piece."
He said, and Miyuki grinned as he left.
===============================================================================
 
Meanwhile, at Inashiro coach Kunitomo Hiroshige was watching some footage one
of the 1st years had managed to capture. It was of Seidou's underdog pitcher,
Sawamura Eijun. "He isn't even their ace. Why am I watching this again?" He
asked and one of the 1st years. "Keep watching sir." The 1st year replied and
Inashiro's coach sighed and continued to watch.
His eyes almost bulged out of his head when the southpaw let loose with one of
the fastest pitches he'd ever seen in his life. "What...was that? What did I
just witness?" Kunitomo said, and struggled to put into words what he'd just
seen. "That...was Sawamura Eijun. And he was a pitcher at Seidou." The 1st year
replied.
Kunitomo looked up. "Was? As in, past tense?" He asked and the 1st year nodded.
"My brother goes to that school, and told me he heard that the southpaw got
suspended so he up and left."
Kunitomo scratched his chin in thought. 'We could use a pitcher like that'. He
stood up and walked to the phone and made a call. "Hi, it's Kunitomo. Yeah, I'm
good. Uh, listen... I saw some interesting footage of Seidou's southpaw
pitcher. I have information that he's left Seidou. I think this is the perfect
opportunity for us to grab him before someone else does." He said, and stared
at the 1st year, indicating he was to leave the room as he continued his call.
===============================================================================
 
It was late afternoon when Eijun decided to go for a walk. He hated just lying
around the house. He stopped at a vending machine that had cold drinks. "I'm
thirsty." He said, and dug around in his pocket for some loose change. He
dropped a few coins, and they rolled underneath the vending machine.
"God dammit." He growled, and crouched down, to try and see where they had gone
and if he could get them. A shadow fell over him and he looked up to see two
middle aged men staring down at him. "Uh...hello?" He said and he squeaked when
the two men grabbed him by the arms and began dragging him to a shady looking
van.
"H-Hey! What do ya think you're doing!?" He shouted and struggled but they were
impossibly strong. "Quiet." One said, and placed a hand over the southpaw's
mouth. This was a kidnapping. Who knew what these men would do with him? Eijun
bit down on the man's hand, the man swearing under his breath. The other man
raised a hand as if to hit Eijun.
"Stop that. Are we thugs?" A man called out from the passenger seat in the
front. The two men let go of Eijun and he quickly put some distance between him
and them as he observed the man who was sitting in the front passenger seat of
the van. "I...I know you. You're the coach for Inashiro Industrial." Eijun
said, and Kunitomo waved at him.
"Get in Sawamura. I need to talk to you about something." Kunitomo said and
Eijun looked at the two henchmen. "Oh them? They're harmless, like big
kitties." Kunitomo said, and the two who had grabbed him opened the van door
for him. "Get in please." They said and Eijun sighed and got in, with the two
men getting in after him.
===============================================================================
 
Miyuki had ended up catching the bus to Eijun's village. He had the southpaw's
address written on a piece of paper, which he clutched in his hand. A passerby
smiled at him. "Are you lost young man?" He asked and Miyuki blushed a litttle.
"I am a little. I'm trying to go here." He said, and showed the man Eijun's
address.
"Ah! That's the Sawamura residence. I'll show you where it is. I have to go
past there anyway." He said and Miyuki smiled. "Thanks." He said, and walked
alongside the man.
===============================================================================
 
Eijun sat at a busy barbeque restaurant while Kunitomo ordered another round of
meat. "So...I want you on Inashiro." He said and Eijun's eyes almost fell out
of his head. "EH!?" He gasped and Kunitomo laughed. "Word has it you left. Mei
is our ace but he gets cocky." Kunitomo said, and he ordered a beer. "And just
so happens I saw some footage of you, doing a freakishly fast pitch." Kunitomo
eyed Eijun slyly.
"Eh? You were spying on me?" Eijun asked, his eyes wide. He wasn't sure whether
he should feel creeped out or feel honored that someone had been scouting him.
"Hn. Either way, we have to have you on our team." Kunitomo went on.
"Yeah, but...technically....I'm still under a contract to Seidou. Even if I
wanted to join you....if I broke that contract, my family could face some
serious legal issues." Eijun said, and took a piece of barbecued meat and
chewed on it. "Never you mind that. We're Inashiro Industrial, kid. We have our
very own legal team who could nullify that contract." Kunitomo said and Eijun
still looked unsure.
"Look, I'll give you my business card." Kunitomo gave his card to Eijun, who
looked at it before he put it in his pocket. The second lot of meat came to the
table. "Come on, eat up. It's dark out. After you finish, I'll take you home."
Kunitomo smiled and Eijun nodded slowly and went back to eating.
===============================================================================
 
True to his word, Kunitomo had dropped Eijun off outside his house. Eijun
stepped out and bowed politely before he walked into his home. When he took his
shoes off he noticed a pair of shoes already laying there. They weren't his. He
went inside. "Kaasan?" He called out. "In the kitchen sweetie. You have a
guest. Go on up to your room, dinner will be ready shortly." Her voice came
from the kitchen. "Guest?" He mumbled and walked to his room. He opened the
door and almost jumped when he saw Miyuki laying down on his bed. "Yo." The
catcher waved at him. Eijun closed the door and pointed at the catcher.

"You...You....! What are you even doing here?" Eijun demanded. Miyuki chuckled
and sat up. "I came to get you. I told everything to your mother." Miyuki said,
his bored tone irritating Eijun even more. "Oh yeah, well I'm not going back.
Now, get off my bed!" Eijun hissed, and Miyuki laid back down. "Nope. I can be
a stubborn bastard too. And I ain't going anywhere until you agree to come back
with me." The catcher replied, with a cocky grin. Eijun had enough. He grabbed
Miyuki by the arm. "Get off...my goddamn...bed!" He snarled, and tried pulling
on the other boy's arm. His feet accidentally slipped on the floor and he ended
on top of the catcher, the two knocking their heads together.
"Ow...Sawamura....!" Miyuki rubbed his head and scowled.

"It's your fault for not getting off my bed when I asked you to." Eijun
replied, and looked away, pouting. The catcher noticed something on the bed by
his arm. "What's this?" He picked it up. It was a business card. That wasn't
the problem. What the issue was, is whose name was written on it. Miyuki's eyes
took on an almost predatorial glint.
"What were you doing all this time, Sawamura?" Miyuki asked and Eijun went to
move off of the catcher, but Miyuki's arm curled around his back and held him
in place. "Eh? Wh..What are you doing...?" Eijun asked, and he gasped at the
look in Miyuki's eyes. "Why do you have the business card of Inashiro's coach?"
Miyuki asked and Eijun looked away.

"I...I ran into him...in town." Eijun spoke and Miyuki chuckled. "Yeah right.
You just happened to run into him, here of all places?" Miyuki said, and
sounded a little bitter. "Are you planning on joining Inashiro?" Miyuki asked
and Eijun shook his head.  "I...don't know yet. He asked me to, but-" "No."
Miyuki's stern reply cut Eijun off. "Eh?" Eijun stared down at Miyuki. Miyuki
stared up at him, his eyes looking fierce. "No. You're never leaving
Seidou...You're never leaving me." Miyuki said, his tone dark. Not giving the
southpaw any chance to reply, Miyuki crumpled up the card and tossed it to the
floor.
Eijun stared down at the crumpled card and he jumped when Miyuki's hand
suddenly rested on his cheek. He stared down at the catcher and he saw how
incredibly close Miyuki's lips were from his own. Eijun couldn't even speak, he
was in that much shock. 'What's he doing? Is he really trying to kiss me? Omg,
his lips! His lips are so close to mine!' Were the thoughts that raced through
the southpaw's mind. Miyuki leaned in closer, his lips almost brushing against
Eijun's when Eijun's mother called out that dinner was ready. He made a slight
noise of disappointment before he slid out from under the flustered Sawamura.
"I'm starving." Miyuki said, and let himself out of the room, leaving Sawamura
there wondering what the hell had just happened.
***** Chapter Six *****
Eijun sat at the table, poking at his food with his chopsticks. He glanced
towards Miyuki every now and then, wondering what the catcher had been playing
at, earlier on back in his room. If he was completely honest, seeing Miyuki act
that way did scare him a little but it also made a shiver run down his spine
when he recalled how close their lips had been.
"Eijun, sweetie? Is something wrong? You've hardly even touched your food." His
mother pointed out and he glanced at Miyuki again, who was busy eating. "Hm? I
just don't have much of an appetite." He said, and he wasn't lying. He had all
that meat that Inashiro's coach had got for him. "Hm, well okay then." She
smiled and stood up, taking her plate with her to the kitchen to add it to the
washing up pile.
Eijun chose that moment to find out what game Miyuki was playing. "What was
that back there?" The pitcher asked, his gaze piercing. "What was what?" Miyuki
looked up from his food, acting completely oblivious. 'Oh no you don't. You
don't just practically nearly kiss someone and then act like nothing had
happened!' Sawamura thought, and he gritted his teeth. "You know damn well that
I'm talking about what happened in my room." Eijun said, waiting for an
explanation from the catcher.
"Oh..that." Miyuki said, and put his chopsticks down. "Well, it was just me,
telling you to stay at Seidou." He said and Eijun shook his head. "It was a
hell of a lot more than that. You...You almost kissed me!" Eijun said,
whispering the last part in case his mother overheard them. Miyuki laughed at
that. "Woah, woah. You need to slow down. I...did not kiss you. Nor was I
trying to." Miyuki replied, as he went back to eating.
They never said anything else at dinner time. But thoughts were going through
Eijun's head that wouldn't leave him be. 'Why are you lying, sempai?' He
thought to himself as he continued to observe the catcher.
===============================================================================
 
The next morning, Eijun woke early to sunlight streaming in through the
windows. He observed the sleeping form in his bed. Miyuki had insisted on
staying the night, so he could bring back Eijun with him the next morning.
Eijun hauled himself up from the futon which he had slept on. He got changed
into some clean clothes and went downstairs. His mother was making breakfast.
"You're up early." She said and he smiled and went to the door and pulled on
his shoes. "Going for a morning run?" She said and he nodded, leaving the house
and walking down the road.
Eijun placed his hand in his pocket. His hand pulled out what he had secretly
picked up the night before. It was the crumpled up business card of coach
Kunitomo Hiroshige. He took it out, along with his cellphone which was also in
his pocket. He dialed the number on it, and when Kunitomo answered, Eijun
sighed internally. He didn't know if he was doing the right thing, but he
couldn't stay with Seidou. Not as things were.
"It's Eijun Sawamura. If the offer still stands....I'd be...honored if you
allowed me to join Inashiro Industrial's baseball team."
===============================================================================
 
TBC
Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed
their work!