Title: Joy's Shadow
Author: Ri-Ryn
Genre: Angst/Tragedy
Word Count: 1,561
Rating: M* (Content suitable for Mature Teens) / +T
Disclaimer: Diamond no Ace belongs to Yuji Terajima.
Summary: Sports promised injuries; she just accumulated more than the average player. That's all there was to it. Smile and walk on. [Dark and Sinister Fem!Eijun / Genderbending One-shots] - [Requests Accepted] (Companion Fic to "Effeminate Lies")
Warnings: Language/Cursing, Bullying, Verbal/Physical Abuse, Triggers.
Chapter: 1st Injury – Head Trauma
A/N: Courtesy of Kagari Higuchi who read "Effeminate Lies" and another story of mine, "Aegis," Joy's Shadow was conceived. Kagari Higuchi wanted to know if Effeminate Lies would go dark (it won't) so I made this as a response- a sinister companion fic. (How dark will it go? I'm not sure what the boundaries of it will be. For now, it'll be listed under T.) Same as before, I'm accepting prompts for this story, so go don't be shy and NEVER kind, not here.
Prompter: For Kagari Higuchi – Verbally and physically abused outside the team, Eijun shiver's in the presence of her teammates because not all guys are good guys, a lesson she learnt the hard way, like baseball.
1st Injury – Head Trauma
When Eijun had agreed, she'd never been happier. The thought of having others, aside from her friends and family and to an extent the team who loved and supported her in her conquest of baseball and Koshien, was enough to set her on high with a skip in her step.
That was before the pain, before they started talking even, to let her know just how little she was worth.
They corrected that, too, her value, in blood and bruises and fear.
Because, what was she thinking? Playing baseball, attending Seidou?
"You're a mistake, right, Mura-chan?"
"…yes…"
"Hey, you're Sawamura Eijun, right? The new southpaw that's dominating right now?"
Eijun froze in disbelief in the middle of the school's canteen. Had she really heard that? Eijun turned, coming face to face with a boy, clearly holding her gaze despite the bleached brown hair making it hard to see his eyes.
He grinned, "You do play on the team, right man?" He prompted, receiving an almost dizzying flurry of nods. "Man, you have no idea how much my friends and I admire ya': you've got some mad skills, Sawamura, and our respect."
"THANK-YOU!" Eijun bowed ninety degrees. Finally, all her hard work was paying off and she was being acknowledged. She hastily straightened herself.
"No problem." The boy nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey, uhm, look." He sighed before making eye contact again. "The guys are gonna' be so jealous that I met you in person. Afterschool."
He froze, wildly correcting himself when he saw her face drooping. "No, I know you've got practice! It'll only be for a second, promise, please? For me and the guys, could you talk to us for a bit, real quick?" He sheepishly smiled.
Eijun rolled it over in her head. She would have to run, but… "Only for ten minutes will I, Sawamura Eijun, the best southpaw this side of Tokyo, grace you with my presence!"
"Thanks, the name's Kajitani, Kajitani Heito."
Eijun beamed. "Sawamura Eijun, but you can call me Ei-sama!"
"Ne, are we almost there, Heito-kun?" Eijun looked around; the dark buildings unsettling, their placement displacing sunlight and casting long shadows. It was silent despite it being the end of the day, students tended to stay away from here.
"Of course, Ei-sama!" Heito smiled assuredly over his shoulder, picking up his pace. One more corner and Eijun found her fans, three boys, waiting around for her. Heito gently pushed her forward, "Please, introduce yourself Ei-sama?"
Eijun was confused. Shouldn't they know who she was? "Heito-"
Pain exploded from the back of her head as she hit the ground, hard.
"Shit, Yuya, we haven't even fucking started!" Someone laughed.
Someone. Yuya? Heito? Who? Eijun moaned into the earth, her head buzzing until a foot pressed her skull further. Eijun mewled in pain and confusion. Why, what was this?
"Fuck you, Taichi; I've been waiting for this bitch."
Eijun shivered, scared and hurt. Someone grabbed the back of her hair, hauling her face out of the dirt like an animal about to be put down. She hesitantly opened her eyes, wincing and seeing two? No, three males above her, enclosing her like a summer amusement. Heito was grinning. It was different, excited and so very beastly.
"What's…?" Eijun coughed as the one holding her gave her a shake. "What's going on Heito-kun?"
The group was laughing.
"Heito-kun?"
"How stupid is she?"
"I bet she was fucked senseless by the team."
Another bark of laughter. "Hah, all she's good for I bet."
Yuya double over, losing it. "Hah, imagine that. Their nailing the little ball slut." He viciously held Sawamura's clouded eyes, distress claiming hold of her. "Thought you were a pitcher, whore, not the catcher?"
The boy holding her let go, shaking in a fit of humor. "Damn, shut up man. Your jokes suck!"
"Cram it, Saburou ya' bastard."
A nasty kick to her side, just under her left ribs, sent her rolling onto her back. Eijun curled in on herself, trying anything, anything to hide and just make them stop. Two boys clutched her arms and legs, spreading her out. Eijun struggled, willing herself not to scream.
Why?
Why, why, why, it hurts, why?
Why? Why? Stop.
She never did any of that, never, so why?
Another one, one without a name, approached, grabbing her chest jerkily and squeezing past the point of pain and into agony. Eijun cried, screeching and wriggling to get away. Her mind shut down, past thinking anything than disgust, leave her alone, get away don't touch her body.
"Don't you know better than to steal balls from practice, slut?"
"Perv!" Saburou teased from her legs.
Ginjirou smirked wily, pleased with the compliment.
Yuya slapped her, cinching her mouth in finger nails, drawing blood, and thus head towards him. "Hey bitch, why are you here?"
Tears started, slowly before reaching the consistency of broken. "To pitch…" Eijun choked, answering. "Koshien."
"That can't be right, Sawamura, just can't."
A nestled itself into her stomach, one, two, three. The kind that drew sour spit, a bitter spit, from your body's mouth that wrenches itself from your tongue, bile and vomit a few fists away. It landed, the reminder, on her face, viscously masking itself into her face's tear tracks.
"No." Taichi shook his head, pulling the opposite direction of Saburou. "Try again, slut."
Her tongue rolled over the coming acidity, lurking at the apex of her throat. Wheezing took her breath. "…b…base…all..."
Ginjirou aimed for her right arm, stretched, lovingly giving it a nasty jolt with his shoe. "Wrong answer, ball girl."
"You're a mistake, right, Mura-chan?"
No more, please no more. Why? I'm sorry.
"…yes…"
Yuya kicked her this time. "Louder."
"YES!" Eijun sobbed, snot running. "I'm sorry, stop, please stop! No more."
"That's right you-"
"SAWAMURA!"
Eijun flinched at her surname, dropped like trash, wounds throbbing, pulsating stabbing throbs.
"Shit! Run!" Yuya backpedaled, sprinting away with Saburou, Ginjirou, and Taichi on his heels.
"Sawamura!"
Suddenly hands were on her again and she struggled, gaze hazy.
No, please, I already said it. What more? Why!?
She cried out, thrashing to get away, blood dripping from her mouth. "No, stop! I said it! NO!"
The hands held fast, though, "Calm down, Sawamura!" It grunted, caught by her thrashing head as she shuddered at the hold her last name now held. "Eijun, it's me, Tanba, calm down, it's okay!"
Eijun froze, tremors still passing in her nerves. Tanba? Tanba-senpai? "Tan-ta…Tanba-senpai?" She whispered, disbelieving, dazed.
"Ah." Tanba felt anger course through, struggling to keep his voice even for their pitcher's sake. What the hell was this? What had she done to deserve this!?
"Yeah, it's okay." Tanba observed the injuries; no doubt she wouldn't be able to walk much less practice like this. Chasing the bastards responsible for this would have to wait. The pitcher picked her up; trying to calm her panic as she initially struggled. The nurse was gone for the day already. "Let's get you to Takashima-sensei, first, okay Eijun?"
"No!" Eijun shivered, General would be there. She couldn't see him, he couldn't see her. "No." She whispered.
Tanba stopped short of asking what the problem was, now not the time as he started walking. "Chris? Is Chris okay, Eijun?" He, as manager, was the only other one with proper first aid experience to start treatment.
The first year shivered, nodding silently, mute now and flinching at every jostle Tanba's steps made, his skin remaining on hers.
Boys hands, rough hands, they hurt.
Chris watched the fragile first year shudder at his touch while treating her, never saying a word a flinching every time the younger Kominato brushed against her, offering silent support. Was she always this small, this diminished? Chris would break every bone in their, whoever did this to her, body. All of them, really.
Tanba had already left to inform the coaches; no doubt formal practice would be cancelled for the day. This was no small matter.
Haruichi whispered small words and whispers to his friend, receiving only small nods of answer.
"Eijun." Tanba had told him that her surname was something unpleasant right now, courtesy of her assailants. "Are you okay, right, now? Did I miss any injuries?"
His brown eyes followed her movements, watched the smile fall in place. "I'm fine."
Chris and Haruichi looked at her in disbelief.
"Ei-chan." The pink haired pinch hitter murmured low in sympathy for his first friend in Seidou, hurting right now.
They watched her.
"Really." The smile became wider, her eyes closing and teeth showing, a flinch prevailing when Haruich's uniform and a square centimeter of skin brushed against her again. "I'll be fine."
They watched her lie through her grin.
If she flinched and shuddered at any contact, physically with the team, if she was moved to a solo room, her parents called and the school in an uproar, if she came close to hyper ventilating on the bus to games, and never quite got back her spirit.
She beamed. She was fine.
"Right." Chris swallowed, gorged by the reflection of sheer happiness, the same smile that had given hope to him and others on the team. "You're just fine, Eijun. I'd expect no less."
She was fine, and no one fully said anything else on the matter.
No need to. Sawamura Eijun was all right.
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(A/N #2:So, what do you guys think? Should I continue, do you want me to or just kill this story here as a one-shot? Does this spark prompts from you to me?)