Warning: Spoiler alert [OoFuri Season 2, Episode 10]; Anime-based; Developing Dark!Mihashi, Dark!Abe themes.

Prologue

Oki threw ball back home. He knew that the third base runner was now aiming to step on the home plate. He was desperate and anxious, but hearing Abe's call for the ball made him resolute to make their opponent scoreless. The seconds went by too slow and too heavily. Oki felt the veins in his head throbbed as the ball rolled into his gloves. He prayed that he was not yet too late as he prepared to throw the ball. Agitation now clouded his thoughts. As the ball settled by the leather gloves, Oki lobbed the ball back at Abe's position. Oki gasped.

The ball was flung from his grasp and slowly arched back at Abe. But Oki realized that he had thrown wildly and the result had bewildered him as he watched. The ball swerved far away from Abe's reach. The catcher kicked the ground and sent himself into a jump as he reached out for the ball. Time even moved much slower. Abe's mitt had caught the ball in midair, just in time to tag the third base runner before he touched the base. But he realized that he was in a bad position. Abe's eyes widened when it all went through his mind.

Kurata Takeshi now slid under him. He saw how Bijoudai-Sayama's catcher looked frantic as he slowly descended from his jump. They were both in a critical position. With Abe's foot directly in dive atop Kurata's arm, Nishiura's catcher knew how dangerous for the other player to be stepped on. Abe's mind ran fast. His heart raced up even more. If he let the scene continue, he would harm the other player! It was simply a game, and injuring another person would be far from simple miscalculation. Abe steeled himself and stretch his lower extremities farther.

He felt the contact with Bijoudai-Sayama's catcher's skin, but he knew he avoided a much more injurious result. He staggered and fell, tumbling once before he stopped and lay on his side. Abe did not even make a sound as he fell. The ball escaped from his mitt and rolled into the ground.

Mihashi strode and ran forward to pick up the ball. As he raised it at the level of his head, he saw that the third base and the first base had been filled, no runners left running on the open space. He observed them briefly, seeing how their opponent successfully moved.

Then he heard some stifled moans beside him. Mihashi looked and his eyes were already round in surprise. Abe clutched his left knee, his suppressed whimper was plainly audible and Mihashi could not make take his sight away from his catcher. Tajima was already at Abe's side by that time, as a timeout was called. He only watched as Abe struggled to stand up, only to see him fall back to the ground again. Mihashi could not believe what he was seeing. He only stared at Abe, looking at the scene as if the most shocking thing he had ever seen.

Abe had been injured. With it, the promise for those three years now broken…

This is not happening, Mihashi first thought as he continued to watch Abe writhed in pain. He still spoke loud, but the obvious sign of pain had mixed with his tone. The little tither of agony that went out of his mouth was enough to make Mihashi lose himself at that instant. Abe, the one who cared for him most, was now broken, injured. Abe-kun, the one who made him pitch the best, was now fighting the pain that lambasted him. Mihashi could only feel the anguish…

This is not supposed to happen! He yelled out in his head. But on the outside, his face was inexpressive, lacking any particular visage. He was still too shocked to move, too shocked to approach his catcher. This is all my fault, Mihashi stated in his mind. This is all my fault, he repeated, making himself believe that the root of Abe's injury was himself. Abe-kun is injured because I did not pitch well! He reasoned. All the blame should rest on him. All the mistakes were his. It should have not happened! It was his entire fault!

He shut his eyes tight as the tears brimmed upon his lids. He wished that everything was just a nightmare. He wished that he had not seen Abe-kun's pained expression. He wished that he had not heard Abe-kun's anguished voice. He wished that the injury had not happened, not especially to Abe-kun. He prayed that it had not happened yet, that he could change everything just to prevent it from happening. Mihashi desperately prayed with his eyes closed that it was just a nightmare playing visions against him. He wished it was not true! It was not true!

He opened his eyes.

The people in the bleachers that sent cheers were missing. Their opponents had already vanished. The stadium was gone. Even the writhing Abe in front of him had turned invisible. He just stood in a familiar area, but he could not make out where. He frantically shook his head to the sides, confused of what happened to the game. Where is Bijou?! Where are my teammates?! Where's Abe-kun?! Is he safe?! He shouted in his head, clearly baffled what just happened. They were in a game, right? Abe-kun just got injured, right? Where was he and what happened?

He now noticed that he wore the school's standard long-sleeved, jet-black uniform and he held a drawn map of… the baseball club? Aside from the anxiety and confusion that overwhelmed his mind, Mihashi felt the curiosity that shot up inside him. He pinched his cheeks hard and it was painful. Surely, he wasn't dreaming. A sense of familiarity washed over him. He started to walk forward, still looking incredulous of the sight in front of him. He wished to know what happened. The metal fences lined a particular court beside his path. He stopped in front of a metal gate.

A hand suddenly dropped upon his shoulder.

Mihashi was surprised at the sudden touch. He felt rattled when the shock coursed through him. As he turned to look at the assailant, Mihashi could only gasp when he saw the familiar countenance of their female coach. However, despite the number of questions that bombarded his mind, Mihashi could not speak out. He was still entranced by the sudden appearance of their coach. What is she doing here? Mihashi asked himself. They were supposed to be playing against Bijou that day. Mihashi was curious, but he felt strange when their coach grinned at him.

And then he was dragged inside the court.

She held Mihashi by his arm, pulling the hapless pitcher inside. Mihashi was visibly perplexed when she yelled a loud 'We've got one more!' and by that time he had sent a gaze far out. His eyes widened more when he saw the recognizable features of teammates looking at him as he was hauled far deeper. What are they doing here? He asked, really surprised by the development. There was one thing that made him aware of the scene he participated. He saw their coach pull out a small notebook and asked,

"What's your name?"

He felt like crying when he heard that. If everything was just a joke, then Mihashi could not hide the pain he felt. Of course they all knew him, right? If they had the time to gag around, then shouldn't they return to their game against Bijou? He only looked at their coach with a pained expression, obviously confused of what was happening. He was about to answer in retort when he realized that very familiar scene… it was the time when he first came to Nishiura's baseball club.

He sucked in some air. He was sure that it wasn't any dream and it simply meant that what happened that time was a reality. Did he just wake up to the point when he was just about to join the baseball club? But he was not even asleep! He saw Abe-kun on the ground, struggling from the injury he received! His hand still felt sore from pitching so many times from their game! They were still in the middle of their counterattack! They could still win! Mihashi versed these in his head as he continued to stare at their coach.

Did I just return to the past?

He did wish that what happened to Abe was merely a nightmare. He wished that he hadn't seen him so broken and stuggling in pain… he wished that it hadn't happen yet so that he could prevent it from happening… Mihashi placed his hand in front of his mouth. That wasn't possible, right? His eyes staggered. He couldn't focus his eyes forward anymore. Was it happening because he wished it? Did a magic suddenly happened for him to be sent back to the past? He only wanted to prevent Abe's injury… but why was he sent back at the beginning?

Mihashi realized that there must be something to be corrected. If he wished to save his catcher, Mihashi had to see the error that happened. He needed to discover the chain that began the mistake and follow it through in order to save Abe. Perhaps time had granted him the chance to correct the future's mistake because he desperately prayed for his friend. Even if it was already idiotic to the point that he felt already crazy, if this was the real thing, Mihashi would have the chance to save his catcher; save his friend, Abe.

He had to believe that it was happening as reality.

But fear suddenly wrought his heart in pain. He knew he was the ultimate reason for Abe's injury, that he was sole reason for all of it. If his goal was to save Abe from that future, then shouldn't Mihashi blame himself for all that happened and for all that would just happen? It was an immediate question that sprung in his head. A question that needed to be answered right away. Mihashi looked back at their coach with a hurtful expression.

If he wished to save Abe, didn't it mean that Mihashi was not supposed to have met Abe in the first place?

- End of Prologue -