Valentine's Day
February 14, Valentine's Day, the most adored romantic holiday in most all of the world. The day where crushing girls gave sweets and cards to boys in order to receive affection. This day was no different. A tan boy with ruffled brown hair stood in front of his locker with a determined air around him. His teammates stood behind him, sweat dropping at his serious aura.
"This year," Eijun began, flames of determination rising, "I will receive at least one Valentine!"
"He just doesn't learn does he?" Miyuki shook his head in sympathy.
"This is just sad," commented Furuya scratching his head. Haruicchi nodded his head. It was sad that Eijun-kun didn't receive any Valentines, not even one from his girlfriend, Wakana (or so Kuramochi-senpai had told him.) The team couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Eijun had moped for days before Chris-senpai took him to the mound and caught to catch his pitches. Haruicchi felt a stab of guilt strike his heart. Even he had received Valentines and he had forgotten to get one for Eijun (although he did get one for Furuya and Ryo-nii.) All in all it was a very bad day for the pitcher.
Morning practice ended early as the coach had special plans. The players wiggled their eyebrows at their coach and patted him on the back. It was a good morning for the brown haired pitcher. Unfortunately, things went downhill from there.
In their first period, Eijun watched sadly as both Furuya and Haruicchi received Valentines. He held back tears, knowing that things would probably get better as the day progressed. It didn't. The day moved torturously on, the pitcher getting even more depressed than usual. Eventually the school day perspired and the brunette slowly made his way to the baseball field.
"Cheer up Eijun-kun. Maybe some Valentines are in your locker because they were too shy to give it to you," Haruicchi sympathized. He had yet to see what Eijun would be like when he was fully depressed. Fortunately, he seemed to brighten at these words.
"Osu! You're right Haruicchi. Maybe they were to awestruck by my awesome pitching that I scared them off!"
That theory doesn't make sense, Haruicchii thought with a sweat drop. Furuya looked to the side, eating one of the giant sized Hershey bars that he got. Eijun looked on enviously.
The excited pitcher ran towards his locker leaving his two companions to catch up. Upon reaching it, he dialed the combination and opened it…to see nothing but his shoes and pairs of baseball uniforms. Eijun deflated. Furuya and Haruicchi glanced at each other and back at Eijun.
"Oi, Sawamura! Get out of the damn locker room and start warming up!" Kuramochi screamed, kicking the smaller brunette on the lower back. Nonchalantly, the brunette put on his baseball gear and sluggishly headed outside.
"What's with him?" Kuramochi asked. Haruicchi shook his head and Furuya just ignored him. He shrugged and went to go warm up with Ryousuke.
Eijun perked up as soon as he saw Chris putting on his gear.
"Chris-senpai! Are you going to catch my pitches?" Eijun asked excited.
Chris shook his head, nonplussed at the puppy dog eyes the brunette gave him.
"Tanba wanted to test some new pitches out and Miyauchi isn't here today." Eijun deflated again.
"Oh...Then I'll see you later Chris-senpai." With a little less energy, the small pitcher made his way to the pitching net and began to warm up. Chris looked on in worry as well as Miyuki and Kuramochi.
Finished with his stretches, Eijun began to throw his curve balls in to the net. Something was different though. Instead of having more curve than force and strength, it had more power and strength! The catchers of the Seidou team looked on, astonished. The uncharacteristically silent pitcher then started to pitch his four-seam. Each ball that he threw held more power than the one before. It was enough to even rival Furuya's pitches on a hot day. By now, the whole first string is watching Sawamura pitch, anxious. 'If Sawamura plays off of his emotions, how is he pitching so well, Miyuki thought staring at him in bewilderment?
Sawamura is getting better and better every day. I must catch up, thought Furuya, gripping the ball tightly in his hand.
Finally, the dark brown headed pitcher tried out his most recent pitch, the crossfire pitch. Now, everyones' jaws were on the floor. These particular pitches had the curve and power that you couldn't get from his earlier ones. This pitch …was the epitome of all pitches.
They watched as the pitcher went over to the batting cages and picked of an average metal bat. They all knew that Eijun sucked at batting, but he was a pro at bunting.
The Komimato brothers looked on in astonishment as Eijun once again defied his own law. He set the machine on 150 mph unconsciously and waited for the onslaught of balls. The first ball shot out. Not surprisingly, Eijun missed it. The second time, he hit it…into the net on the other side. The third time he bunted it so it shot to the net. Safe to say, the payers on Seidou were simply amazed.
"Think about all of the stuff Eijun-kun has done for us, and think of what you've done for him. There's a significant difference, isn't there." Haruicchi stated, watching the depressed boy train.
There were nods and quiet yeses from everyone.
"I have an idea."
Quietly, the first string baseball players and Chris crept off the field with a bucket of baseballs, careful not to alarm anyone of their leave.
Later on, the assistant coach called practice to an end. Sawamura jogged over to his locker and opened it. Inside of his locker were his normal school attire, his play clothes, an extra team uniform, and a red bucket full of baseballs filled with different markings in different colors. The awe struck player clapped hand over his mouth to contain the sob of happiness about to burst from his body. Quickly, he put on his school attire, picked up the bucket of baseballs, and raced towards his dorm. Thankfully, Masuko-senapi and Kuramochi-senpai weren't here. He would never find out that most of his senpais (Miyuki, Ryousuke, Masuko, Kuramochi, Chris, Tanba, Jun, Tetsu) and a few first years (Furuya and Haruicchi) were standing right outside the door, peering through the crack to see his reaction.
In the light, Eijun took out the first ball that had writing in pink.
Eijun-kun, just because you didn't receive any Valentines does not mean nobody cares for you. We all do in our own way. Happy Valentines' Day – Haruichi
"Harucchi, why do you have to be so blunt," Eijun sniffs and proceeds to the next ball.
"Sorry Eijun-kun," Haruicchi sighed, depressed. Miyuki and Ryousuke dead panned but listened to the next quote.
Oi Sawamura, I will kick you if you don't kill that depressing aura of yours. It's stinking up the field and our room! – Kuramochi
"Kuramochi-senpai…I knew you cared! Furuya owes me five bucks!"
A certain brown headed senpai thought of painful ways to kill a certain brown haired pitcher. Miyuki chuckled and leaned away from the deathly aura.
Eijun picked out another baseball with black writing.
Sawamura-chan, I will give you a pudding cup for Valentine's Day if you're that sad. –Masuko
"Really Masuko-senpai; I want the vanilla one!" Masuko cried internally.
The next baseball was written in red.
Oi Sawamura, even though being depressed improves your pitches; I still don't want you to be an emotionless pitcher. I like the spirit in your eyes, kouhai. –Miyuki
"That sounded oddly like a confession Miyuki," Kuramochi snickered.
"Shut up."
"I'm not sure whether or not to smile or cringe at this one Miyuki…" Miyuki sighed.
The next ball had writing in orange.
Oi brat! Stop your damn moping, you're affecting my batting! - JUN
"…" Eijun just stared before tossing it into a corner.
Jun's face turned red.
Furuya's and Tetsu's messages were written on the same ball.
Stop being so depressed.
"Should I even keep reading?" Eijun muttered to himself.
Picking up the second to last ball, Eijun read the message…and promptly threw it into the corner with Jun's.
"I bet that one was Ryousuke's!" Miyuki laughed.
"You guys are so harsh on him. What did he ever do to you?" Chris chastised.
The players of Seidou took a moment to think about it. In all honesty, Sawamura hadn't done anything to them personally; it's just that he was loud and annoying. They shrugged and kept quiet as Eijun read the last ball.
"IT'S FROM CHRIS-SENPAI!"
Eijun-kun, please don't be sad. I'm sure that you will find someone in life who will give you a Valentines someday. – Chris
"NOT YOU TOO CHRIS-SENPAI! Even on Valentines' Day they manage to tease me," Eijun huffed with a smile. 'But at least they care. Now I'll have to do something for them on White Day!' he thought smiling to himself.
The baseball players shuddered, backing away from the door slowly. Nothing good (for them) came out of that smile. Calling it a night, the players went to bed, hoping to God that Eijun would be back to normal tomorrow.
Omake: White Day
Shuffle
Shuffle shuffle
Shuffle shuffe shuffle
Kuramochi twitched. Damn it Sawamura! Stop moving so I can get back to sleep.
Shuffle shuffle thump
"Ouch!"
'What the hell is he doing down there at one in the fucking morning?'
"Oi Sawamura-"
The freshman shut the door behind him silencing the older.
"Whatever," he murmured to himself and went back to sleep.
It was six thirty in the morning and everybody was up and in the cafeteria waiting to get breakfast. Apparently, the chefs were running late for the first time in years. However, a certain loud mouthed brunette was missing from the table.
"Oi Haruicchi, where's Sawamura?" Miyuki asked while wiping his glasses off.
"I haven't seen Eijun-kun since yesterday night." The pinkette replied nervously.
Chris shared a glance with Miyuki before looking over to the pitcher's roommates.
"Masuko, Kuramochi, where is Eijun?"
Masuko shook his head, indicating that he did not know.
"Sawamura-chan wasn't in his bed when I got up," he responded.
"The brat?" the other roommate began. "He went out in the morning and didn't return."
Now the whole team was getting worried.
"Do you think he could've been kidnapped?" Haruicchi exclaimed worried.
Furuya shrugged. "Maybe he just fell asleep on the field because he was exhausted from running."
Miyuki shook his head. "He wasn't there when I went out this morning. Yoichi, did he tell you where he was going?"
Kuramochi shook his head. Just then, a loud bang echoed throughout the cafeteria. About one hundred chefs came walking in carrying big pots full of a peach colored substance.
"What's with all the pots?"
"It's obvious that the chefs are planning something special for us," smiled Ryousuke.
Masuko sniffed the air. It smells sweet, he thought.
When the chefs finished filing into the kitchen, in came the person suspected of being kidnapped.
"Sawamura(chan)/Eijun(kun)!"
The supposed victim was dressed in a white apron and a fluffy white chef hat. He looked in their direction and waved an enthusiastic smile on his face before he went into the kitchen.
"I didn't know students were allowed in the kitchen," Ryousuke observed, his smirk still on his face.
"Sawamura-chan must be cooking today." Masuko said, bringing out another cup of chocolate pudding.
Kuramochi paled. "Sawamura is cooking! Not good! His girlfriend said he was horrible at it and he had to get his Mom to help him!"
"You're still interfering with Eijun's text," Chris and Haruicchi murmured, a fierce and protective aura rising from behind. The pinch hitter's brother chuckled nervously and shied away from his shy but over protective younger brother. 'So Eijun has a much bigger impact on Haruicchi than I expected.'
Sounds of clanking pots and pans accompanied by screaming, yells, and whimpering later, a sweet smelling smell came wafting out of the kitchen. It smells so good thought the cafeteria inmates. One by one, chefs came out with plates stacked high with pancakes bacon and sausage along with bottles of original, maple, cinnamon and brown sugar, and blueberry syrup, butter, and different types of jam, and pitchers of orange juice, apple juice, cranberry juice, grape juice, and milk (both chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and banana). They placed the drinks and the condiments on to each table before stepping back into line and grabbing two trays. Eijun stepped into the middle of the line of chefs and swept his left hand forward while his right hand held the microphone up to his face.
The chefs proceeded to place trays of pancakes, sausage, bacon, and a bowl of fruit to each player. His loud voice rang through the speakers.
"Good morning fellow baseball fanatics of Seidou. It is with great honor that I, Eijun Sawamura, and chefs bring to you my White Day present: American style pancakes! Thank you Chris-senpai, Miyuki, Ryou-san, Kuramochi-senpai, Masuko-senpai, Harucchi, Furuya, Captain, Beard-senpai, and Tanba-senpai for the Valentines."
The mentioned players sunk into their seats in embarrassment. 'Why is it always me,' thought Miyuki with a sigh. Eijun gave one last smile before sitting in between Chris and Miyuki.