Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters
Hey everyone, I'm branching a bit out of my zone and writing about a character I'm not as familiar with as some of the other characters. This piece was actually an anonymous request. I hope you all like it. I also want to give a special thanks to my friend, Just 2 Dream of You, who helped me proofread and come up with the title and summary.
Months had passed since the tunnel to Demon World had been opened and shut by Sensui and the Spirit Defense Force. The spirit detective gang had managed to protect the human realm from being decimated by powerful demons, and their lives practically returned to normal. Even Genkai's students had been able to lead normal lives. As for the remainder of the seven, the Doctor was able to use his power for good, as did Sniper. Seaman left that part of his life behind and got into a top high school. That had only left one other member.
Gamemaster.
Tsukihito Amanuma hadn't really been the same after his experience in both positive and negative ways. At first, he had been traumatized having lost his life to one of his games. His games had once been his safe haven, a place where he could lose himself and become someone else. They occupied his time with their various plots and techniques, and he was good at it. It's what attracted Sensui to him, and he had trusted the man.
Now Amanuma knew, though, that adults were not to be trusted. His absent parents should have taught him that much. He rarely ever saw them, and his teachers were infuriating as well. Sensui had been the first adult to earn his trust by saying everything the young, twelve year old wanted to hear. The fact that Sensui knew he would die was hard for the child to accept and, once again, adults became the enemy.
He still loved his games, though he decided never to use his abilities ever again. He couldn't risk the horrible feeling of losing his life. It was a turning point for him to realize that he wasn't invincible and that his power wasn't a toy. He promised himself he'd never risk his life over a game again.
At first, he had been angry that the Spirit World prince had brought him back to life. He would only be returning to an empty house and his lonely games. That was until some of his classmates saw him at the arcade. They pestered him for hours, just hovering over him and watching him smash through all the levels. Though he had wanted to be alone, he didn't mind the walk home that day. He felt a connection with his classmates as he gave curt answers about himself. They even thought it was cool that his parents weren't always around, and he even offered for them to come over and play games at some point.
He was actually making friends, but he was still an introverted outcast.
At school, he did his best to go unnoticed even though his new friends had started talking to him in class and at lunch. Others started talking to him which was a strange anomaly. What was stranger still was that Amanuma actually found himself wanting to socialize. He figured that it was that need of companionship he developed when working for Sensui. The group had worked very closely together before everything had gone wrong. Even though he didn't like talking much, maybe it was time to put his past behind him. Everyone else had been able to start a new life, so why couldn't he?
The idea actually came from one of his new friends. They had all been at lunch talking about random topics from homework to after school activities. Amanuma usually just went to the arcade after school for hours and would then return home and quickly do his homework. He realized as his friends talked about baseball and lacrosse that his life was solely school and videogames. It never really bothered him until that moment, and he grew quiet again which caught the attention of one of the other boys.
"Have you thought about joining anything, Amanuma?" his classmate, Katsurou, asked. "They have an opening on the swim team."
The brown-haired boy pondered it for a moment. Katsurou always told them about his time on the swim team and it never sounded that bad. Thinking of swimming also reminded him of time he used to spend with his parents when they actually took him on business trips, before he was old enough to look after himself. Every hotel they went to had a pool. It brought back a feeling of nostalgia that Amanuma hadn't experienced in a long time. A small smile graced his lips. "Sure. Why not?"
His friend grinned, happy that Amanuma would try out. He had no doubt his friend would make the team, and he knew it would be good for the antisocial preteen to interact with people outside their small group. Besides, they'd be able to hang out more together being on the same team. Being on the swim team was going to be a lot more fun.
Katsurou had helped Amanuma practice a few drills so that he would be ready for tryouts. He taught him how to perfect his dives and many different strokes, which Amanuma was thankful for because he would have an edge. By the time tryouts came around, he was familiar with all of the terminology and techniques. It helped him make the team.
The coach had been impressed by Amanuma's skill from the beginning, but it was obvious that he was new to the world of competitive swimming. He knew he could mold the kid to being one of the top swimmers on the team. He knew exactly how to get him started, too.
Amanuma had exited the water getting praise from not only Katsurou, but some of the others trying out as well when the coach came up to the group. He felt a little claustrophobic by the amount of people surrounding him, but they all cleared away to hear what the man had to say. "That was some good work today, but we only have one position available. Amanuma." The brown-haired boy looked up. "I want you to stay behind. Everyone else, go home."
The students all said their goodbyes, and Katsurou winked at his friend. Amanuma blinked in surprise at the gesture. Did his friend honestly think he made the team?
"That was some great freestyle, kid," the coach informed him. "Why haven't you tried out before?"
Amanuma narrowed his eyes in distrust and looked away from the coach. "Never thought about it. Katsurou suggested it."
"And you've had no previous training?"
The boy shrugged. "Not really. He taught me a few things these last couple of weeks, but that's about it."
"Well, kid, you were pretty impressive. You made the team."
Though he knew the offer was coming, Amanuma seemed stunned. "Seriously?"
The coach grinned. "Yeah, seriously. We have practice a few times a week. You start tomorrow. And you'll need this."
The boy was handed a small piece of nylon that felt like a bathing suit but didn't look like much. He held the dark blue cloth out in front of him and his brows furrowed before his attention snapped to the coach. "This is a joke, right? What is this thing?"
His new coach couldn't help but laugh. "That 'thing' is our uniform. See you tomorrow after school. Don't be late."
Amanuma glared at the uniform before heading to the locker room to get changed so he could leave. He didn't notice his new coach smirking as he left the natatorium. All that was going through the coach's mind was that the kid would be interesting to train, especially with how fast he had mastered what Katsurou taught him.
The next day was Amanuma's first practice, and the preteen had very mixed feelings. First off, he was already muddling through his emotions of distrust with his coach, not to mention interacting with a lot of other students his age. It was new territory, and that was already enough. To add onto his experience of discomfort, he had to wear the small bathing suit uniform the coach provided and he hated it.
Despite how silly his mentality was, he waited until the other swimmers left the locker room before he decided to make his way to the pool. They were all wearing the same thing, so it really didn't matter. Still, he never wore anything like it and felt way too exposed. He didn't even know why that was the uniform.
The coach ordered the boys into the water to start warming up which was actually more comfortable for Amanuma. While they worked on their exercises, Katsurou swam up next to him to do his own stretches. "So, what do you think so far?" he asked his quiet friend. "Pretty neat, huh?"
Amanuma pouted slightly, his face flushed with frustration. "For the most part, but I hate the 'uniform.'"
Katsurou laughed. "Oh, you mean the speedo. Yeah, I know. At first it really sucks, but you get used to it. You don't even pay attention during the relays."
"Why do we need to wear so little, though?" Amanuma grumbled.
"Well, basically we wear them to reduce the drag to increase speed while swimming," his friend explained. "It gives us competitive swimmers an advantage in the relay races. After a while, it won't bother you anymore, promise."
It made sense, really it did, but Amanuma still wasn't sure how he felt about it. He figured that with time, he would get used to it like Katsurou said, but for now he was irritated. "Katsurou, Amanuma, enough chitchat! Get moving, now! Ten laps!"
Amanuma sighed. He was definitely irritated, especially with an annoying adult giving him orders yet again.
As time went on, Amanuma found his friend was right, and he no longer cared about the speedo. He definitely moved faster in the water than with his baggy swimsuit. Still, he still was irritated with practice. Sure, he was making friends with his teammates and starting to come out of his shell a bit. There was only one problem.
"Amanuma! You went over your best time! Another lap!"
Yeah, his coach hadn't eased up on him one bit.
At first, he figured it was because he was new and had a lot of catchup to do, but he realized that he was a lot faster than his other teammates. He did well in all of their swim meets. He was slowly working his way up to being the best on the team. He figured that would be enough to get the coach off his back, but he seemed to be targeting him and making him do more than everyone else. Once again, Amanuma was growing to hate adults more and more. He didn't know why they couldn't just leave him alone.
He glared at the coach who seemed to notice yet remained unfazed before he started on more laps. By the end of practice, Amanuma was exhausted and he was still in the pool long after everyone left. His legs felt like jelly after he pulled himself out of the water, and the coach was there to meet him extending a towel to the boy. The irate twelve year old yanked the towel from the man's hands and was met with his chuckle.
"You know, kid," the man stated instead of yelling like he had been doing the last few weeks, "you've really impressed me. I ask and you deliver. I figured you would have gotten pissed off by now."
"Who says I'm not?" Amanuma snapped, slightly surprising the man. He stood to face the teacher, unafraid of the consequences. It was probably because he already went through the worst moments of his life, the toughest and scariest when he realized he was going to die. No, he wasn't afraid to stand up for himself to a middle school swim coach. "All you do is bark orders even when I do what you ask for! You never make anyone else do extra laps, just me! And you kept me here for an extra half hour! How fair is that?" His coach was about to answer, but Amanuma didn't let him. "You know what? Don't answer that. It doesn't take a genius to see that you don't like me. I quit."
He walked away in that moment, and yet his coach didn't try to go after him or contradict his statements. Adults were stupid. Why did the man accept him on the team if he didn't like him? It made absolutely no sense, especially when he was so good at it, too. He was actually starting to enjoy himself and the meets, but the constant badgering by his coach ruined all of that.
When he returned to his home, he threw his school bags down to the ground before he stomped into the kitchen to get dinner ready. The adrenaline he felt when he had yelled at his coach was waning, though the feelings of anger and hurt from the discrimination were still there. A frown marred his features, and he felt a heaviness as he slowly ate his meal. He wasn't really paying attention to what he made or was eating. His thoughts were on what he should do next.
Why had he joined the swim team? Well, at first he wanted to do something besides just going home and playing videogames. He kind of liked hanging out with kids his age. They weren't after anything. Instead, they were all looking for companionship like he was. Part of the reason he joined the team was to have more interaction with people his own age. That's all it had been at first, but Amanuma liked that he was good at it, too.
He shook his head. It didn't matter. He was done with swimming and with all adults in general. There was nothing anyone could say or do to change his mind.
Amanuma brought his school bag and pool bag into his room and got out his books. He really didn't want to do any school work. His day had been far to exhausting both physically and emotionally. He figured he should get his wet towel out of his swim bag when his team uniform fell out. He glared at the stupid object and then tossed it into his small trashcan and walked out of the room to start laundry.
After a while of silent brooding, the boy decided to pop one of his videogames in since he wanted to do nothing else. Eventually, his anger started to leave him distracting him from his day. After getting out some of his anger in a fighting game, he realized it was late and he needed to go to bed. Surprisingly, he actually felt better, that is until his eyes landed on a family photo.
It was a picture of him and his parents from a while back, before they started traveling all the time for work. Back then, he hadn't ever felt lonely, nor had he spent all of his time playing videogames. He had been very active as a child until his parents started leaving him with babysitters and eventually on his own. Now that he thought of it, his parents hadn't even known he was on the swim team or gone to any of his meets. Amanuma's brows furrowed as he pondered that for a while. He hadn't really thought to tell them during the few times they spoke, even when they were at home. The swim team was a part of his life that he wanted for himself and not for them.
When he returned to his room, he looked to his discarded swimsuit. His anger for his coach had lessened since he played his frustrations off. He actually did still want to be on the swim team. He came to the conclusion that he shouldn't have let the coach ruin the good time he was having, just like how Amanuma didn't let his absent parents affect him. Where it bothered him that his parents weren't active in his life, he had become his own person and did things for himself.
Maybe he could talk to the coach and figure out just what exactly it was he wanted from him. He hadn't really let the man talk during his tirade. He picked up the dark blue speedo from the trash and threw in back in his bag and got ready for bed with the intent on talking to the coach and getting back on the team. After all, it was better than returning to the empty house.
The next day, Amanuma was the first at practice, leaving his last class early. He wanted to find the coach and talk to him about his outburst and anger, but he wasn't in his office so he decided to get changed and start his exercises and laps. That was how the coach found him, swimming laps in the pool alone as fast as he could. The man smirked and nodded knowing that Amanuma would return.
When Amanuma surfaced on one side of the pool, his coach was waiting for him with a towel. "Practice was cancelled today. I've got a meeting in about a half hour."
"Oh," Amanuma replied. "So, I take it you don't have time to talk."
"I've got enough time," the coach replied offering his hand. "What's up?"
The preteen looked away, slightly ashamed but also still a bit angry. "I shouldn't have yelled at you or quit, but I still don't like that you were singling me out. If it's okay, I'd like to still be on the team."
This time, his coach smiled warmly and motioned for him to sit on the bleachers. The two of them sat side by side as the man started to explain himself. "There was a reason for all of it," he started. "You remind me of me kid. Quiet kid, parents working all the time, going off on your own for the majority of your life. I was like that. My parents were always working every day that I basically took care of myself. There wasn't much to do back then except going outside. I was friends with some of the neighbor kids, and we went out doing wild things. Performing tricks on a bike, jumping over small gorges, walking on reservoirs…stuff that wasn't really the safest.
"The swim coach of my school wanted me to try out after seeing me with my friends doing some stupid shit that could have gotten us all killed. He reached out to me, and was just as hard on me as I am on you. I got so mad that I trashed his office, but he didn't care. He said instead what I'm gonna tell you. You've got talent, kid, and it would be a shame for you to waste it. That's why I work you hard. You're the only one out of all these kids that can handle it. Each additional lap builds you endurance and speed. It gets you even more prepared for the meets. It also keeps you here just a little longer and not at home alone or on the streets getting into trouble. Take it from a stupid kid who nearly got himself killed jumping his bike across a gorge."
Amanuma frowned thinking that he already did the stupid thing that got him killed, but he also felt a little better knowing that the extra work wasn't a form of punishment. "You really think I have talent?"
"Definitely, kid. You're already the best on the team and you've only recently had training. You have so much drive, it's impressive. Now, I rescheduled practice tomorrow, but since you came down and did all this work on your own, feel free to stay home and rest for the meet this weekend."
The boy watched as his mentor exited the natatorium in awe. Moments ago, he could have sworn the man hated him, but he actually was trying to help him, both in swimming and keeping him out of trouble. Never had an adult ever been interested in him without expecting anything in return. The teachers only saw them as statistics, grades that would show they were doing their job. Sensui, well, he showed interest in him for his own self-serving benefit. This coach wanted nothing, expected nothing. He just wanted to see the student excel.
A smile graced the boy's features. He would do just that.
The coach hadn't been surprised that Amanuma came to practice the following day, but he did cut him some slack so that he wouldn't be worn out for the weekend. When the day of the big meet came, Amanuma was ready. The boy swam his hardest fighting the resistance of the water trying to slow him down. He kept pushing himself, much like the coach had, and he had reached the end of his final lap before anyone else and tagged in Katsurou.
Their team had won the relay, and Amanuma was invited back to Katsurou's house for a victory party his parents planned. At first, he thought about skipping, but his other teammates were begging him to join in the fun. The team started heading to the locker room together to get changed and head over to the house. Before entering the locker room, Amanuma looked back out to the pool and grinned. He was really glad he didn't quit, for he truly liked swimming.
And he was damn good at it, too.