A/N: Hello! This first chapter was REALLY depressing to write. I plan to keep 'em coming fast and furious over the next few days, most likely one every day or every other. The only things limiting the amount I'm writing right now are homework and lack of sleep.
Again, I'm still a new writer, and I'm trying to work on mistakes or little quirks I might be doing without realizing it. Please leave feedback! Any criticism is appreciated.
A helmeted blond stood over the plate, raising his fist into the air with a grin. Nobody spoke. The world was devoid of sound until the astonished mass in the stands could process what had just occurred. The game was over; Seidou had lost. Half of the crowd erupted into chants and cheers, while the other sat in a grim bewilderment.
The scoreboard showed a final score of 5 to 4, two runs of the former having just occurred in the bottom of the ninth. The winners and losers lined up for the postgame ritual of showing respect.
One sentiment that rang true for the whole Seidou team was not disdain for their conquerors, but a feeling of inadequacy. One hour per day, they thought, one extra hour for a completely different outcome doesn't seem like such a bad idea posthumous of squandering this year's only chance at the National Tournament.
The Seidou high school baseball team exited the stadium with dark clouds manifesting over each player. The third years lowered their baseball caps to hide the shame pooling in their eyes; they weren't good enough. The second years cried openly and without restraint; they messed up their seniors' last chance. The first years, however, had no right to shed a single tear, and they knew it. It's a privilege to be on the starting 20 coming straight from middle school, and to be able to fall back on the excuse of having two more years, a luxury.
One of the three chosen first years, Sawamura Eijun, was still internally fighting a harder battle than the rest in spite of his empty appearance. He was mentally broken. His pitch that struck one of the Inashiro batters knocked the flow of the game on its head. In his mind, he was solely responsible for his beloved team's downfall. To him, he was shouldering all of the blame.
'Each game has winners and losers, but it had never occurred to me that we could be the ones losing. Didn't we want it more?'
The team boarded the bus and headed for home. Each attempt at lightening the mood was quickly crushed by the air thick with tension. As they set off, Coach Kataoka stood in the aisle, preparing to address his sullen team.
"You all performed fantastically today; there is no reason not to hold your chin high after fighting so valiantly. I want to let each and every one of you know how proud you have made me this year. To the third years," he paused to look them over before continuing, "Do not look back on your baseball experience at Seidou as a loss because of this one day. Think of it in terms of your overall growth, and your shared years with such a close-knit and supportive team." He took of his hat and placed it over his chest as a sign of respect.
"Thank you"
As he sat down, some members began to grin; others began to well up. Hearing even those few words of sentimentality from such a stern and stoic man was enough to make a few bawl anew in their current, volatile state, but as opposed to tears of sorrow, they were tears of gratitude, happiness, and nostalgia over their time spent on the extraordinary team.
The mood slowly reverted back to deep thought on what happened today, though the coach's speech left a lasting effect. Words of comfort were shared, as well as a few forced chuckles. They weren't going to get over it unless they tried. The only one still visibly scarred by today's performance: Sawamura Eijun.
It was late evening when he sluggishly unloaded off of the bus with the team, the short walk back to the spirit dorms seemed to continue for miles in Sawamura's mind. Each pat on the back, each red, puffy eyed smile he received only served to multiply the scorn he felt inside. He knew they were blaming him; they had to be. The broken pitcher looked to the sky. The sun had begun to fade, its pink and orange wake becoming enveloped by the deep purples of night, dotted with a myriad of stars and constellations. It was especially beautiful right now. Even the sky was mocking him. Somebody deserved celebrating weather, right?
Dinner was eaten in mostly silence, and in relatively low quantities. The festive meal was set up assuming a win on the team's behalf, which put off the appetites of the players knowing what could have been happening at that very moment.
Going back to his room, Miyuki walked alongside Sawamura, noticing the discontent on his face and in his lack of response. If it were someone like Furuya he would understand, due to his usual quiet nature, but this was nothing like the obnoxious, in your face, wannabe ace that everyone hated to love. In an attempt to force a response out of him, he resorted to the one thing Miyuki Kazuya did better catching: taunting.
"Oi, Sawamura, did you even take a bath tonight? You smell like you just came off of the field!" He jested, plugging his nose between his fingers to force a nasal tone to come out of his mouth.
Eijun turned around, making his way towards the baths. Yeah, he had bathed, but he didn't see any point in arguing. Miyuki looked at him concernedly for a moment, but kept on walking, deciding it was best if he left his junior alone. These were going to be a long two days off.
Kuramochi sat in the baths, submerged completely save for his nose upward, a towel resting on his damp hair. He was always the last one left in here; he made sure of it. 'Nothing beats the post-rush hour bath time, even after such a drag of a day, kyaha'. He was in the process of blowing bubbles with his mouth when Sawamura entered, and sat in the corner opposite his senior. He was greeted with a disgruntled "Yo" from the other, who was somewhat irritated that his private time was being intruded on. No reply. The shortstop let it slide; he could understand being down after the long day they've had.
The elder of the two was becoming uncomfortable. He'd never seen Sawamura this quiet in the entirety of his knowing him; the kid even snored most nights! Each time he looked up, the same empty look was plastered on his face as he stared at the water. He finally broke the silence, if not for his own benefit.
"You wanna play some video games after we get back? It'll probably take you all night to beat me once, but I'll go easy on ya, kyaha! You might have to give up the controller to Masuko-senpai once or twice, but I'll kick your butt any night this week, you name it!"
Youichi internally kicked himself. That laugh sounded more forced than he intended. He still earned no response from Sawamura. 'Man. He's really out of it, isn't he?' Sawamura never backed down from a video game challenge, no matter how much the odds were against him. The shortstop sighed.
"You uh… pitched really well today, Sawamura. Better than I've ever seen from you before. Honestly."
This was the truth. On the mound, he was on fire. It was honestly the team's fault for placing the pressure of Nationals on his inexperienced shoulders. One bad pitch snowballed the whole game out of control, but nobody blamed him in the slightest. The brunet's eyes shifted upward, locking with those of his senior to assess the sincerity of his words. He looked back down at the water. At least Kuramochi got something in response, but he wasn't about to play 20 questions with this mute ragdoll in front of him, especially in the nude. He can only be so generous with his patience, after all.
"Tch… have it your way, Bakamura-kun."
Kuramochi rose from the water and stepped out after covering himself. Walking to the doorway, he tripped on the wet tile, dropping his towel and revealing the fair skin of his backside. He yelped and swiftly grabbed the cloth from the ground, re-securing his decency before hurrying to the locker area where his clothes were stored. Before he crossed through the door, he turned and looked towards Sawamura with blush-stained cheeks.
"The offer is still open. Y'know, if you ever wanna play video games and get your butt kicked, or whatever."
He exited the bath house, leaving the first-year to himself. He remained in the water for a while longer before exiting unceremoniously and making his way back to his room where he managed to fall asleep through no small effort, willing the next day to come as soon as possible.
A/N: Thank you for reading! Chapter 2 should be up soon. Reviews are appreciated, and any criticism is welcome!