Disclaimer: I don't own Ace of diamond. Some quotes from the original manga/anime are only borrowed because they are awesome. (Mostly the one in italics if you haven't already noticed.)
Warning: some spoilers from the manga ACT 2 and yes I did switch some timelines a bit. Guilty as charge. Reviews pretty please with a cherry on top? This is a work in progress. I'm still trying to improve this. If you want to be a beta *sparkling anticipating eyes*. Anyway, thank you. Wasn't quite sure about number 3 as different reddit users have varying opinions but this works for me.
~~ memories ~~ if you haven't guess by now.
Summer Act III
The threads in his pitching gloves, Sawamura muses, are starting to show again more and more. Well, with the sheer amount of time he uses it lately, he shouldn't be surprised. He traced the fraying white threads of his black leather gloves.
His mind knows but this body is young. Miyuki is young. Their bodies didn't have the years of experience or muscle memory that he was used to. They need time to practice how to catch and use his pitches effectively especially on a game. They need to practice their battery.
Sawamura grips the ball on his hand and throws.
"Okay, that one was good." Miyuki calls from his place across the bullpen before passing the ball back to him. "A little bit more polishing and we should be able to use that on the game."
Sawamura nodded, waiting until Miyuki goes back in position.
Just like old times. His mind fondly supplies.
Miyuki crouches down, pushing his head gear back down to his face before setting his mitt in the middle. Inside, right in the middle.
Are you sure? His heart questions.
"I talked to coach Kataoka today." Miyuki shouts across him, eyes looking at him. He grins. "The coaches have arranged for the team to have some practice games for training. They want us to start."
The corners of his mouth twitch. "I want to pitch."
The game against Yakushi High debuts their battery in the field.
Todoroki Raichi, an exceptional baseball player in his own right, faces him on laughing at his at-bat when the announcement was made. Pitching for Seido is number 11 - pitcher Sawamura-kun, it says. It was a far cry from the rest of the Yakushi High players who could only stare in confusion after he takes the mound.
Standing straight, baseball in his hands and Miyuki right there, Sawamura feels a familiar urge come up.
He yells. "Balls will come flying! So I'm counting on you fielders to watch for my back!"
The fielders shout back something in reply. It was comforting, familiar. Although if you ask him hours later what they shouted back, he might not be able to tell you exactly. He was too busy paying attention to the catcher in front of him who assumed a ready to go position.
At the home plate, Miyuki looks at him once more in the eye and signals.
Number 4, four-seam fastball.
He makes his way through his windup….and the ball swiftly lands on Miyuki mitt.
"Yoshi! Yoshi! Yoshi!" he cries.
The crowd cheers.
Coach Kataoka subs him out after 5 innings. Kawakimi, newly healed, replaces him next followed by Tojou as Furuya watches from the sidelines. It was only a practice game after all. No need to show all the cards in one go.
The game ends with 1 lead in their favor.
Yakushi High is good but even without Furuya, this is only the second time he played in a game. They don't have his data as a pitcher to help them.
KYAHAHAH, Todoroki laughs before Yakushi's captain Sanada comes up to try and drag him back to their bus together with the other players.
"I didn't know you can pitch too Sawamura!" He bellows. "I want to play more and more with Seido! So interesting!"
Yakushi's coach looks at him thoughtfully from the sidelines before giving him a thumbs up and leaving.
"Coach Kataoka must be glad." The bystanders whisper. "They finally have another pitcher to add to their pitcher relay."
"After all, it must be frustrating to lose the games because of lack of pitchers when your'e a pitcher yourself." the whispers continue as the team collectively packs up their equipment. Coach Kataoka nods at him across the field before he feels the familiar weight of hands draping around his shoulders.
~~ "Your'e just full of surprises aren't you? The confidence you have standing on the mound despite the odds…I want to see it." ~~
"Well" Miyuki states, laughing. "I think you might have a couple of fans there, Sawamura!"
Badump. His heart starts.
"Don't you think pitching is something very interesting?" He asks Miyuki hours after the excitement has worn off. "Don't you want to try?"
Miyuki shrugs. "No thank you. Being able to call the shots is much more interesting in my opinion."
They head to the dining area for dinner. It was only when they actually had to get food that Sawamura felt the hands lower.
They meet Inashiro Industrial at their last practice game.
Narumiyas's sharp slider cuts through the air before landing on the catcher's mitt as Seido's batters swing. Seido ties the game at 4-4 with Furuya and Kawakimi pitching.
He didn't play as pitcher but he gets cornered anyway on his way back from the bathroom.
"Hey, Sawamura!" Narumiya calls out excitedly, blocking the way. "I heard Seido has itself a new southpaw pitcher! How about you show me yours and I'll show you mine."
"Give it up, Mei." Shirakawa, following him, barges in exasperated. Carlos, Yamaoka and Yabe stand at the back, displeased. "You don't want to get in trouble again with the coach."
"Shut up." Narumiya yells back before pointing at him. "Tell me."
Sawamura eyes him bemused. Narumiya's eyes shine with provocation - a familiar drive to prove himself. Fate, as usual, can make him laugh and cry at the same time.
"So?" Narumiya asks again.
He palms the ball in a familiar grip.
Number 3, slider.
~~ "Your'e elbow bends too much. We can't let it affect your fastball. I'm sealing it. We can't use it right now. Maybe later…"~~
Miyuki and Kuramochi show up just in time to watch the ball bounce against the wall. Kuramochi kicks him asking him if he was giving away the team's secrets. Miyuki puts his hands on his back and stare, eyes amused.
Narumiya and the others leave silently, a hint of challenge in the air.
"Oh?" Miyuki asks leaning in. "Did we just walk in on something fun?"
Badump. Badump. His heart beats loudly.
"Why did you choose Seido?" He asks Miyuki. Would you choose it again?
Miyuki shrugs. "What can I say, Rei-san was very convincing."
The rest of the first string calls them over for a debriefing. They spend the night in the captain's room as usual hanging out and discussing the game. Miyuki sits beside him just like always.
"I'm sorry about Ichidaisan." Miyuki tells him quietly. "It's just…this team…you…have been working hard. I want to see us there. I want to win Koshien."
He chose not to answer. The loosening of the atmosphere between them is enough for now. He didn't expect the pang of fear that follows.
Kuramochi laughs at his place in front of the television with Kanemaru and the others. Okumura looks at them from his place at his bed before going back to whatever he was reading.
He is glad that the feel of Miyuki's hands once more in his lower back helps.
He wants to pitch.
They have good catchers, competent and promising ones. It wasn't a surprise that he was paired more and more with the other catchers in the team now that he is pitching.
Ono as a third year catcher was very reliable, managing to learn some of the easier courses in no time before taking time to practice much trickier courses. Yui, only in his first year, took a little more time. However, he proved to be just a reliable when he learned to do the same after several days of practice.
It didn't take long for the sight of a much too familiar grip in his hands to become common in the bullpen.
Number 2, two seam fastball.
"There it goes, the sinking fastball!" Miyuki calls to him laughing. "Nice! We should be able to use this during the tournament."
~~ "If you don't think you can, go! What I…we as a team needs is someone who can stand on the mound. Prove them wrong." ~~
Their rest days dwindle down. Pretty soon, 49 teams from across Japan gather to determine their place in the lottery. The air become thick with anticipation as a single elimination tournament comes closer and closer. Amidst this, his eyes continue to stray back to Miyuki. He didn't realize how much until Okumura asks to talk to him one night.
"My name is Okumura Koushu." Okumura murmurs to him into the night. "I'm a catcher too, sempai."
Badump. Badump. Badump. His heart answers.
"Do you think if you were given another chance to play baseball… when you find yourself you couldn't, there is supposed to be a reason - a higher purpose?" He asks Miyuki.
Miyuki shrugs. "I don't know but I would love to anyway."
"Love to?"
"Love to play baseball again regardless of the reason."
The apartment was lit when he finally came home. His mom, brown hair swept to the sides stood in the kitchen preparing some natto.
Sawamura up to this day has never liked natto; but looking at his mom who was busy preparing it anyway, he thinks he might be able to stomach it after all. No need to fight it.
"How's school, Eijun?" His mom asks, noticing him. "Your father should be back before dinner with some karaage from that shop you like."
Sawamura watch his mom finish preparing the side dishes before moving to set the table. He wrapped his hands around her.
"Eijun?" His mom asks startled.
He held on tighter.
He thought he can let go of baseball but he loves it with all of his being.
He thought he could ignore the mound but it calls to him.
He is afraid of possible futures…
…but he couldn't help it.
It's a decision out of his hands.
"Mom, I joined the baseball team as pitcher. I hope to see you and dad in all my games."
Miyuki and him stand on the bullpen days later, watching their team practice.
"I am planning to go pro after this year." Miyuki tells him suddenly. "I received an offer from the Yomura Giants. They are one of the best in the league."
Furuya lifts his legs, completing his windup before quickly letting the ball go. The batter swings, hitting the ball; only for it to land back on Okumura's mitt.
"Follow me, Sawamura." Miyuki says, hands on top of his. "Be my partner."
Sawamura closed his eyes.
"Eijun." he answers. "Call me Eijun. And I might just take you up on the offer…if you promise to listen to me not to take a flight in the future."
Miyuki looks at him with a puzzled gaze. "Why?"
Sawamura smiles. "I hate airplanes. Maybe I'll tell you why later. But I don't think it matters now."
The Summer tournament that year seem long, the heat harsh. Thankfully, Seido using two main pitchers and 1 reserve continued on to Koshien.
At the last inning, Miyuki Kazuya signals a familiar pitch to Sawamura Eijun wearing a number 1 in his back.
Number 1, an old pitching course honed by years of experience.
The sound of his heart beating seem loud amidst the excited cheers around him.
It was beautiful.
Inashiro versus Seido at Koshien. Seido wins.
END SUMMER