Note: Hello! For those familiar with my other work "Indicium", my introduction of characters is still the same. But for others who aren't, this is my format:
[Last Name] [First Name]
Have fun reading this first chapter of Game Changer.
"Fujioka Naoki"
"Present" Naoki said while raising her hand for a bit. The teacher nodded in her direction.
"Watanabe H-"
Naoki closed her eyes to drown out the sounds and released a breath, feeling tired even though it's just the first period in the morning.
Someone poked her at the back.
Naoki slightly turned her head to the right and saw in her peripheral Misaki's grinning face.
"Good morning!" She whispered jovially with a twinkle in her eyes. Naoki gave her a small smile.
'Not really…'
"Morning" she replied back. Misaki frowned at her, noticing the tone she used.
Naoki ignored the questioning look Misaki gave her and returned her attention to the board.
Physically present but mentally absent.
This is Naoki's situation for the whole day, actually, for the past one and a half years. Always there but not really there. A fact the people around her had notice but couldn't act upon. Her classmates had labelled her a zombie because of this although they are not privy to the cause, only a few people. Her teachers had been told of the general situation but not the whole truth which is why though they tried, they couldn't fully understand her.
"I'm tired of living" Naoki muttered while eating her lunch with Misaki who continued chewing her food and ignoring her gloomy words. Naoki sighed when she didn't hear any response from Misaki.
"It's true you know.." She whispered as she hid her head under her arms.
She'd been able to hold on for more than a year but Naoki felt she's on a precipice, one wrong move and she might do something illogical.
"Losing a twin brother could do that." she thought, reminiscing the past and willing the tears that never come whenever she thinks about him.
Naoki needs an outlet but nothing seems to inspire her anymore.
"Naoko, I miss you.." she inwardly said and closed her eyes. She wants to sleep forever and dream a happy dream.
"He's always there waiting for me.." her last thought as she descended to sleep.
Ping.
"Home run!" Naoki exclaimed on the mound. Naoko laughed and pumped his hand in the air.
"Yeah! I finally hit Kichi's pitch!" Naoko celebrated, dancing on the plate. Naoki pouted at him.
"Not fair! Let me bat as well. I've been pitching since this morning already" she shouted at him. Naoko gave her a grin. He opened his mouth to shout back at her.
"Hey you two, that's enough. Naoko, aren't you supposed to be resting? We have a game tomorrow" someone shouted on the fence.
"Eh, Maru, you're such a kill joy! I want to play more!" Naoki shouted right back at him. Naoko laughed again.
"Okay. I think that's enough for today Kichi." Naoko said, jogging to her place on the mound.
Naoki pouted again. She really wanted to bat since it's boring to just pitch.
"Kichi, don't be such a child. It's disgusting" Naoko lightly scolded as he ruffled her hair. He gave her a soft smile.
"Thanks for helping me practice today. Now, I feel even more confident for tomorrow's match."
"You should be. I'm the best, you know!" Naoki jokingly remarked. Naoko gave her a hearty laugh.
"Indeed you are"
"Naoki!" someone called loudly with a hint of panic in her voice and intensifying her shaking of Naoki's shoulders.
"W-what's wrong?" Naoki stuttered as she resurfaced from her deep sleep. She winced when she felt Misaki's fingernails digging in her shoulders. Misaki stopped when she finally noticed that Naoki is awake. She couldn't help the tears pooling in her eyes.
"Naoki!" she cried, hugging her tightly.
"What's wrong?" Naoki asks again, becoming worried that Misaki is losing her mind.
Naoki raises her hand to pull Misaki away from her but stop midway when she noticed that she's in the nurse's office.
"Why are we here, Misaki?" Naoki softly asks. The last scene she remembers before falling asleep was the view of the fields.
"Yo-you..I..ca-can't wake yo-you" Misaki tried to say in the midst of hiccupping. She let go of Naoki and wiped her tears away using her sleeves.
"What do you mean?" Naoki tilted her head to the side, confused. Before Misaki could answer, the door of the office slammed open showing her mother's worried face.
"Naoki" Her mother whispered.
"Are..are you okay?" she added. Naoki nodded.
"Do you know what the time is?" her mother asks, slowly walking to her direction.
"It's just after lunch, isn't it?" Naoki said while moving her head to find a clock. From what she remembered the last time she'd been here, the clock is located near the corner at the side window.
"It's 4:30 in the afternoon" Misaki said glancing at her and then looking down immediately.
"Oh, I've been sleeping for four hours huh. Misaki why didn't you wake me up?" Naoki said, frowning slightly.
Strange. She didn't realize she's that sleepy.
"I did but you didn't. I've been calling out to you but you only responded now" Misaki explained
"I…thought you were dead, Naoki"
"I thought you were dead, Naoki"
Naoki sat in their living room, waiting for her mother while Misaki's words continue to circle in her head. Her eyes found the picture frames beside the television. Most of them are taken with four people. Two males and two females.
Naoki stood from her position and went to a recently taken picture of the four of them. It was just after the prefectural game with their school being declared as the winner and the representative for the nationals.
She smiled bitterly, remembering that event as if it just happened yesterday.
It's funny how much happiness they exuded in this frame. All of them smiling brightly in the camera.
Naoki's eyes landed on Naoko's form. He was the happiest of them all.
Unfortunately, his momentum didn't last.
"Everything that happened that day was an accident" Naoki heard her mother's voice said behind her.
".. I know.." Naoki whispered. She knows it all too well. After all, she replayed the video of the said accident over and over again for the next succeeding days when the bad news reached her.
It was true. Everything that happened was an accident. No foul play.
He died because he was exactly on that same spot at exactly the same time.
"Then, what is happening Naoki?" Her mother asks.
"Why..w-hy are you fading a-way?" Her mother's voice broke. Naoki didn't turn to face her, knowing full well that if she did, she'll see her face streaming with silent tears. That is her mother's nature; loud when happy, quiet when sad, just like her.
"I..don't know.." Naoki trailed turning to the side to go back to the sofa, avoiding an eye contact with her mother. She sat with her knees up and she wrapped her arms around it.
"Nao-"
"Mother, help me.."
"Ah, coach Kataoka, there's someone looking for you" Rei said, approaching the coach who is observing the training of the players on the field. She halted beside him and crossed her arms.
"He looked desperate" Kataoka glanced at her in response to her statement. He gave her a nod, indicating she watched over them in his place. He walked to the direction of his office only to stop short at the entrance of the field.
"Fujioka Ren" Kataoka acknowledged while approaching the man standing just behind the fence and observing the practice.
"Yo, Tesshin" Ren greeted in return, giving him a strained smile.
Kataoka observed the man before him, noting the smile and the rumpled black hair.
"Looks like she didn't exaggerate when she said you looked desperate" Kataoka said, rubbing his chin.
Fujioka Ren, an alumnus of Seido as well as the former captain of the baseball team in their time, is a very close friend of Kataoka. Like him, Ren declined the offer of being a pro baseball player and had opted to fulfill his dream of being a lawyer.
"She really said that?"
Ren let out a chuckle and rubbed his neck.
"Looks like the current team is strong this year huh? Though not as strong as ours back then" he said with a bit of nostalgia in his one.
"They have their own strengths and I know they will do well this summer." Kataoka said, turning his head to the direction of the field. He returned his gaze to Ren who became serious as their eyes connected.
"Tesshin, can you do me a favor?"
Kataoka was taken aback with his question. It's the first time Ren had asked him a favor.
"It's about Naoki, isn't it?" Kataoka guessed, suddenly remembering the accident and connecting the dots with Ren's appearance and his words.
No matter how bad a situation is, Ren will always remain calm. The only thing that could shake his rock hard foundation is when it is connected with his family.
Ren sighed seemingly tired and nodded his head silently.
"Naoki…she needs help" Ren whispered but though it was low Kataoka still heard him.
"Why? What happened?"
"We..we are losing her"
Kataoka laid his hand on Ren's shoulder when his voice broke for a second, giving him a pillar to hold on to. Ren bowed his head.
"What can I do to help?" Kataoka asks firmly. Whatever it is, he is willing to help his friend and his godchild. Ren took another deep breath and straightened his back. There is determination in his eyes.
"Bring her back.."
Ren held his gaze for a long time.
"..with baseball"
Silence reigned between the two.
"Huh?"
"Baka! You have to say 'yes'!" Ren growled at Kataoka whose brow twitched.
"Are you sure you have a problem?" Kataoka said with a hint of suspicion.
"I'm serious Tesshin! I'm serious!" Ren cried.
There's one thing Kataoka had forgotten to remember, no not really, he just though Ren had outgrown this attitude of his: the tendency to think of bizarre solutions for normal problems.
"It's the perfect solution Tesshin. She lost Naoko in baseball then she must reconcile with his memory through baseball!" Ren rapidly explained with hands waving in the air.
"Aren't you just hurting her more Ren? She might break." Kataoka said. Ren stilled and lowered his hands.
"Tesshin, Naoki is not that fragile and I know for a fact that she still loves baseball. It's the sport that had help in deepening their bond as brother and sister." Ren released a sigh.
"Just..will you please just let her play here?" Ren begged.
"Why here?"
"Because for those two, baseball started here.."
Kataoka sighed then smirked a little at the thought of Naoki in the team. She would probably shock them all.
"Well, I'm always looking for good players."
Ren beamed at him when he heard Kataoka said those words.
"Thanks man. I owe you big time."
"Then I'll be expecting her by next week."
"So he said" Ren smiled after giving his conclusion to Naoki who just stared at him on the sofa.
"I'll be in Seido?" Naoki asked quietly for confirmation. Ren blinked at her and felt an ache in his heart.
His baby girl is not reacting to his announcement.
"Another thing to add to the growing list called 'Naoki is not herself when..' huh?" he thought with a sigh, giving Naoki a nod.
"…and I'll be playing baseball?" she added with a sigh of her own.
Ren stifled the hope that fluttered on his chest. Was that annoyance?
His baby girl is showing a bit of spice. Could it be she's looking forward to playing baseball again?
"Naoki-chan it'll be hard though. You haven't been playing for more than a year after Naoko's death so I bet you'll be rusty" Ren said but froze, realizing his mistake. He opened his mouth to take back his words when Naoki smiled a little.
"Father, it's fine. You don't have to watch your words. I've already accepted his death. Right now, I just want to find myself again." Naoki said and giving him a peck on his cheek.
"I'll be returning in my room, father"
Ren gave her a smile and watched her retreat.
His baby girl is trying to be strong.
Although Ren believed that Naoki believed in her words, he knows it's not entirely true. She is trying to put her broken self together but how can you do that when the pieces themselves are missing?
The path she had traversed with her twin is blocked by a wall and Naoko, the one person she had always relied upon to be her pillar is forever out of her reach. Now she must find a way to overcome it.
By herself.
Disclaimer: I do not own Daiya no Ace/ Ace of Diamond. I only own the characters not found in the anime.
