I do not own Ace of Diamond it belongs to Yuji Terajima and his associates ;)

Prologue

~ The switch~

After the lost at the summer qualifiers

The meeting room was filled with nothing but tears of regret, disappointment and anger .The entire space was moody and down, nobody even had the mood nor energy to take a taste out of the food prepared for them. The only things that could be heard were sobs and cries as the players wept their hearts out at that one single loss.

Over the course of the next few days, the senpais(1) of the club who had retired began to work on their studies ,while the newly appointed captain begin to train the youngsters in preparation for the fall qualifiers .Everything seems to be back to normal ,the second years pushing themselves to the next level ,the second and third string members working their hardest for attention ,the first years training ,but still fooling around ,all seems normal all except for Sawamura Eijun who alone sat in the comfort and darkness of his room.

"Is that really what they thought of me?"

"Why can't they understand that I was human too?,That I tried my best too "He sobbed, tears flowing continuously from his bloodshot eyes as he wept silently at his room.

Flashback

In the hallways of the school.

Eijun was walking to his next class after lunch when he came across several 3rd-string club members who were loitering at the stairs having a converation, 'are they talking about me ?'he paused hiding behind the wall, he pressed his face against the cool walls as he listen intently at the conversion .

"Why is Sawamura still in the first string, isn't he practically useless now?, he wasn't even allowed to train with the others anymore !'' The tall, scrawny looking guy said.

"Yeah, after that dead ball in the qualifiers and failure in the practice matches, he doesn't seem to be useful or getting any better at all "The second, a guy with a bob-cut hairstyle replied.

"They should just kick him out of the team. "The first suggested

"Or maybe the entire club! Haahaha "The second joked.

Unable to withstand the mocking any longer, Sawamura walked off, the tiles of the ground he stood before simmering slightly from the fresh tears.

Flashback end

'Even Miyuki didn't seem to care, he only made fun of me …'

'Furuya and Kominato are doing what they always do if not better, butwhy am I, just because of a single failure excluded from the team ,What did I do wrong ?,Is it because I lack control ?,but that isn't even my fault …Its not my fault …"Sawamura cried silently as tear stains appear on the ground ,his bloodshot eyes looking at his swollen wrist ,coloured in a angry red and dirty purple .

As the days continued, the rejection and depression he felt got worse and worse, until one day on a stormy Friday, a call that was the flip switch for change broke through the silent night, as the figure shifted slightly from his resting position, reaching out his uninjured hand for the phone, flipping it open ,he answered the call solemnly .

"Hai ,Sawamura Eijun speaking ."There was a small nearly audible voice from the other line, only hearing a small sob and a few words, before the phone slipped out of the trembling hand, the figure shot up from his bed, moving towards the door of his dorm and rushing out into the rain wearing only a plain white tee and black shorts.

Kuramochi, who was waken up by the noise, only lifted his head and a brow in question, thinking that it was only a mere urge for the need to go to the toilet, before dropping dead on his bed again completely oblivious to the tear stain sheets of his roommate and the presence of the umbrella still lying at the corner of the room when the rain is pouring heavily outside with the wind bellowing at the trees.

The next day

''Kaichou(2) ! ,Kuramochi's voice ranged out on the grassy field catching the attention of players who were doing their daily warm out .

"What is it Kuromochi ?''Miyuki asked while stretching his arm muscles, a wide smile on his face as he looked up at his vice .

"Sawamura is missing! I can't find him anywhere!"Kuromochi replied worriedly, his eyes filled with slight panic, face drenched in salty sweat.

"What do you mean missing? Don't be paranoid. He must be around here somewhere practicing or something."Miyuki replied casually like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"If that is the case, then his stuff wouldn't be missing from the dorm nor would there be a letter on the desk saying 'Request for absence '!"Kuromochi retorted, completely frustrated at the carefree captain.

"What do you mean?"Miyuki's jovial expression turn serious the second he heard those words, eyes narrowing he search the eyes of his vice for mirth but couldn't find any as he waited for an answer.

"Its just as he said, Sawamura would be taking a month-long absence from school and club activities and would only be back a week before the fall tournament. "Coach Kataoka announced shedding some light to the situation.

"Coach is there a reason for his absence?"Miyuki asked curiously, wondering why the energetic south paw needed such a long break .The coach didn't reply, but his eyes were filled with disappointment as he gaze at the players on the field before landing back a Miyuki.

"You'll know when he returns. "Coach Kataoka replied, though there were a few words left out which was only when he was a distance away from the fields. "If he does come back as the Sawamura Eijun that you know."

~Prologue End ~

(1)senpai –senior

(2)kaichou-captain