"Ugh, effin' stupid night…" Hiruma rubbed one of his eyes drearily, ears drooping and shoulders slouching. Another sleepless night had grazed the teen, farther fueling his dangerous and violent mood. Growling loudly, he slammed his locker shut, ignoring the attention it drew. The fools… The effin' idiots. Just staring at him with surprised expressions. It wasn't like he had never slammed his locker shut before. He did it almost every day.
"Hiruma-san!" The happy cry of his friend, Kurita, rang through the air. The large boy nearly bowled Hiruma over, annoying him even farther.
"Effin' fatty!" bellowed Hiruma, twitching and growling.
"H-Hiruma-san…" Kurita hung his head and pouted. "D-did I do something…?" He stopped and looked at Hiruma with narrowed eyes. "You know Hiruma-san, sleep is an important thing. You won't win any games if you don't get any sleep and then we'll never get to the Christmas Bowl."
Hiruma sighed sadly. "I know, but…I can never sleep…even when I try. I think I have insomnia or something." He stifled a dry laugh. Insomnia indeed. As much he hated lying, he couldn't tell Kurita about the monster he truly was. All Hiruma wanted was a normal life, but with a condition like his that was nearly impossible. It took a lot of blackmailing to keep any witnesses quiet, and if even the smallest word got out, all of his friendships would be ruined.
"And Hiruma-san, you're looking rather rugged today. Did you get stick in the rain again? Your apartment is pretty far away." Kurita was clearly worried; defiantly more about his friend than something like the Christmas Bowl. An event like that was the size of a pebble compared to Hiruma's failing health.
Hiruma cackled at Kurita's concern. The boy had read him like book, turning each page and carefully selecting the right words. "Yes, you fatty, I was stuck in the rain again. It took me a few hours since I missed the bus and had to drop some letters off."
"Oh? Letters? To who?"
To who? Kurita didn't need to need. Hiruma didn't even know himself. So, the blond spun around and walked away from the other boy. "Later," he called over his shoulder. "I'll be skipping practice again, so just tell the manajerk where everything is and help her set it up."
"But where are you going?" cried Kurita, the worry cracking in his voice. Hiruma hadn't been at practice for two weeks. How could Deimon Devil Bats be a team without their quarterback? "You haven't been in so long…!"
"Knock it off Kurita," Hiruma said bluntly, eyes shaded over by his bangs. "I'm just going to see my doctor. You want me to get help don't you? I'll be back soon, so don't sweat it."
"Okay H-Hiruma-san…" Kurita nodded sadly and trudged to his next class. Mamori wasn't going to be too happy…
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"What! He's skipping again!"
"Y-yes… He said that he's going to go and see his doctor."
"Doctor?" Mamori quit grumbling and opened her mouth slightly. Doctor…? What for? Was Hiruma sick? Was that reason for his absence? She shook her head and gave a nod in Kurita's direction. "Continue!"
Kurita fumbled with his hands clumsily. "Well, he didn't look that good and was in a foul mood again… He told me that he thinks he had insomnia. I'm worried about him… It can't just be insomnia. It has to be more! The skipping practice, the growling…"
"…the bags under his eyes, the moodiness…" Mamori frowned. "That's a tricky case. Has anything like this happened before?"
"Not that I can remember," sighed Kurita. "Hiruma-san has always been healthy, but now he's not sleeping or eating properly…"
Mamori thought carefully. He wasn't eating or sleeping right and was moody and rugged all the time… The symptoms didn't match any cold or flu she had ever heard of. Was it a disease maybe? No. But at least he had gone to see a doctor. The weary quarterback needed help, not just from friends, but from everyone who could offer a hand. Abandoning her worries and smiling lightly, Mamori looked at Kurita hopefully. "Everything will turn out okay! Hiruma's seeking help on his own, so we have nothing to worry about! We better just…take good care of the team and make sure that we're ready for his return!"
Kurita's expression lifted and he exclaimed happily. "Thank you Mamori-chan, I really should trust Hiruma-kun more! But it is hard you know, considering…hmmm…" He laughed cheerfully and pointed to the shed. "Let's go get everything set up! It's like you said! We have to be read for his return!"
A/N: Sorry about the short chater! Like I said, this is a whole chunk on my Microsoft Word...so I had to awkwardly split them up into chapters! *dies* Hiruma is fun, but hard to write. This whole story has been fun, but hard to write. Also, I bought two volumes of Eyeshield 21 at a bookstore. Twenty-eight and twenty-nice. Whee. I'll upload the next is a week or so. I don't own Eyeshield 21.~Love, TeenageNeko.
