Disclaimer: One Outs and Katekyo Hitman Reborn are manga works made by Shinobu Kaitani-sensei and Akira Amano-sensei, respectively. I'm going to take this plot as an account of my own, since Kawanaka and Miura have never met, and this is only a 'what-if' scenario that came from a stupid idea my muse gave to me.
oooOOOooo
A White Elephant for an Ingrate: Chapter 4
oooOOOooo
It was a good thing that they went to the museum barely before nine thirty of Saturday morning. There were no people in the observatory. He could see the brunette leaning on one of the open railings, appreciating how the sun glisten on her bare shoulders. She had just decided to remove that ridiculous coat, revealing her lemon-colored off-shoulder blouse and her pinkish-white skin. He wasn't involved with the opposite sex before, but he kind of thankful that he was given a break to appreciate her complexion, even if they were just acquainted.
Haru glanced behind her to see him looking back at her while he was sitting there. She was aware that he was just admiring her, but she could not help her blush spreading across her face. How can she, if she awfully knew that face, and that hair, and that cold treatment... he really looked awfully like the only hard-headed person she knew...
Wait a minute, Haru thought with a shake of her head. They looked alike, but he was not as a jerk as the other one she had - unfortunately - been close for around ten years. He still is a jerk, though he completely removed his ridiculous name-calling to her now, she added.
She stretched both of her arms, then walked to the bench the strange ravenhead was sitting on, as she sat beside him. His gaze followed her, albeit widened a fraction when she stared back.
"Are you alright?" Haru inquired, brows slightly scrunched in worry.
With an exasperated snort, he answered her. "Of course, I'm alright. I'm not as strange as you."
"Hahi, what an ungrateful creep." She then stared on the open space in front of her as she spoke. "That kid must be that enamoured to follow your footsteps. I also doubt your questionable behaviour earlier. No man is an island, after all."
He questioned her way of saying. "Why is that?"
"Isn't it obvious? Your portrait would not be showing there if you didn't earn the fan's favours. From what I've seen, you must've defied your parent's wishes and go with baseball. You're free to decide on your own. I'm jealous... I want to design clothes, but look at me... Just your plain office freak studying far from needles and threads, hahi." She then sighed.
The look from her face sparked that certain feeling Kawanaka could not describe. Something like an urge to just comfort her to to not let her worry any further. But he was perfectly aware that they weren't even close, and that she is very weird, so he just let it go and stored his thoughts to his memory to analyse on a later date. Then again, he should offer courtesy; she lent him her handkerchief, after all. Luckily, he brought one of the blueberry cupcakes in the cafe earlier. He never thought that this could come on handy.
Kawanaka brought her hands, which made her look down.
"A blueberry cupcake? Really?"
Receiving that kind of response irritated him, so he scowled. "Don't be choosy, Haru-san. Their blueberry cupcakes were genuinely made from real blueberries, it would be better and a lot healthier than your chocolate cakes."
He made sure to emphasise the last phrase, which made Haru slightly angered and she retorted with a pinch to his right shoulder.
"Hahi! You're surprisingly sweet." The brunette said, unwrapping the sweet treat as she ignored the pitcher's scalding comment.
"But you know," Haru continued. "I agree with the boy... You're very lucky, indeed. You can receive a month's salary by just kidding around, you're almost like a superstar because you're too popular... There's nothing to think about, basically. You are not stressing out to think of what economical food you could buy in the market because you already had signed with a sponsor... One call, and it's already there. Uwaaah... Haru's jealous of you."
"What a simpleton... "
"Hahi?"
At that time, Haru glanced over to the man who had his head bowed down too low, covering his face with overgrown raven locks. A hairstyle which violates the code of moral conduct and etiquette.
Haru couldn't see his expression, so she settled on listening to his story.
"You think I have a lavish life as a baseball player. Ha, that's not the case on our... team." Kawanaka put a disgusted tone on the last word, which was noticeable by the woman beside him. "There's nothing wrong with my games. In fact, I am aware that I can execute my pitches perfectly, only a few of the enemy batters could hit them! I thought the Mariners can appreciate my dedication as a player, but no!... They're all shitheads, thinking that their batters have a bigger opportunity and we, pitchers, are the alienated wannabes?! That's noncommittally ridiculous and downright disturbing! I never met such a team with vanity occupying their airless heads! Oh, Mariners... your brains are filled with seawater!"
After his sudden outburst and countless times of awkward silence, the ravenhead looked at her, only for him to receive a raised eyebrow. "What?"
The brunette sighed and said, "I'm not good on judging players, since I'm not a regular baseball fanatic, but you can make a sailor blush in profanity contest."
Remembering that she is not one of the players he used to be around, Kawanaka slightly flinched and apologised.
"However, berating the blame to your co-members is no good. Tell me, Kawanaka-san, is this the first time you felt you were treated... Like a least important?"
He shook his head.
"Of course, everyone experiences those kinds of degradation. Especially on the newcomers and fresh graduates. You will feel the rejection, the humiliation, the cold treatment - hahi! I also experienced being the all-around on my first year at work. You told me earlier you were drafted to Fingers before, am I right?"
When she received a silent affirmation, she continued. "What you had experienced before is what you are currently experiencing. The only difference is now that Kawanaka-san is already known by the people when he pitches perfectly."
The wind blew from the saltwaters of the shore, billowing her short locks. She closed her eyes, then she held her face. Exhaling, she continued. "I'll tell you the story of the person I knew of... "
WHOOSH...
"When we were kids, he was clamoured with their school's guidebook. He memorised the whole book of their school history, and he even placed his school's Alma Mater as his personal ringtone. I could remember that he was the chief of their Discipline Committee, and he even stayed after their middle school graduation even if his grades were exceptional. If it weren't for my intervention, he would still be a middle schooler by now.
"He was a school delinquent, always punishing those who didn't mind the rule implemented on their school. From what I infer, he was also like you - anti-social loner. The only difference was the fact that he memorised the school rules and lead the student body by extreme dictatorship, while you are the very description of a dictionary... a perfectionist."
She stretched her arms again, then opened her eyes. "Do you still remember what your goal was before becoming a baseball player?"
On his bowing appearance, Haru still couldn't see his facial reaction, but he smiled as he remembered it.
"... When I was a kid, I used to watch the national series... At that time, Hideo Nomo was the fastest pitcher on Japan. His fastball throws, all of them measure 158kph... I never missed any moments of their plays, never missed any pennant race, any Japan series, any All-Star games... " He then looked at her as he continued. "I wanted to be like him... I also wanted that title he received... I once said, 'One day, I will be the king of fastballs.'"
"And did you?"
"Of course I did!" He then stared at the lone binoculars in front of them. "Did you watch any sports news?"
"Like I told you before, I just arrived for a tour here."
As if he didn't hear her retort, he continued with his story, anyway. "I ran a away from home when I was sixteen... I already was in a scholarship program from Hokkaido University, because I was drafted for Fingers... A year after, I received a trophy for Rookie of the Year Award. Then I received a call from my parents ever since I joined our baseball team. Then, I was sent over the Chiba Mariners another six months after that... never thought I would be so naïve to think that the best team has the best players... What a sweet, sweet lie."
There was a long stretch of silence after that. The dead air was cringing for the both of them. And finally giving up, the brunette finally broke it. "For a successful man, you have such a lonely life."
At that statement, Kawanaka looked at Haru, surprised and offended at the same time. She knew his current reaction was, but she continued her trail of thoughts.
"You really looked like him. Full of pride, egotistic, and perfectionist. You know, you should try to step on their shoes, so that you know how they felt. You are a human too, even if you are the best on that game. Haru knows, deep inside, that you also care for them as well... You wouldn't be angered by your co-players if you weren't concerned about them, am I right?"
The ravenhead responded with a sigh and a little nod. Then, he spoke, "I felt the same... At the time I got angry with Brooklyn, they thought I was an eyesore because I was perfected and prefer my games to be played with a high level of alertness... Now that you mention that... I just realised how guilty I was of my treatment to my team."
The wind blew his black fringes as his eyes soften.
"... Sorry if I was very rude and snappy with you... even if you didn't do anything."
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Hahi! Why am I suddenly being enticed by his face? I know that this jerk's handsome, but those eyes, those lips, that... hair! Hahi! What should Haru do?!
"Haru?"
Her airheaded trail of thoughts were suddenly halted - thankfully - by the very person of her thinking.
She looked back to him, only to blush when she looked at the kind of look on his eyes.
Hahi... he really looked like him.
"Yes?"
"Are you alright? Is it because of the sun?"
"Hahi? What are you talking about, Kawanaka-san?"
"Your face is red."
Upon hearing that statement, Haru looked away as she discreetly hid her face. "No, I'm naturally like this, it's just nothing... " Then, she broke the cupcake she had in hand and gave the other the piece. "As a reward, take this as a token of appreciation from Haru."
"Did I told you once that I don't eat sweets." He retorted but he took the piece, anyway.
Unbeknownst to the woman, Kawanaka was actually trying and forcing an noncontributing effort to force down his rapidly beating chest, too. He knew what he was feeling was really far from his current status, but it couldn't hurt for a little change, right?
His mind finally set, he decided to start anew with this strange woman.
I'll ask her out.
oooOOOooo