(Setting The Trap)

Eijun received a text… We're putting the water bottle back in his bag. I'll explain later.

He could only think of one reason why they'd want to do that and it was because they wanted to catch Ochiai. Apparently it was enough for the detectives to want to close in on him. No one said much about Eijun hanging around Jun, the older boy sharing his books. It was kind of fun meeting a boy that knew so much about baseball… not many of the kids in his school were into the sport.

From an early age, he had always known that he wanted to try playing at a professional level, so he chose a league to play instead of a club. His middle school baseball club was a joke, lacked good coaching and rarely made it past the first or second tournament games each season. At lunch, a lot of Jun's friends tried to figure out who Eijun was, but he didn't say much. Instead, he liked to listen and watch Jun interact with everyone, a sad smile on his face.

Jun didn't like it. He also spotted the scar on his forehead… It looked like a gun wound, but what could Eijun possibly have gotten himself involved with? He knew how to fight and he seemed to have a thing about school yard bullies. Was he a member of a gang? He didn't dress like one, but sometimes his eyes had a hard edge to them, especially when the meaner kids tried getting an emotional response out of him.

Once again, they were sitting in class, talking about different pitches, Eijun easily keeping up with their conversation. It wasn't every day that he could talk about angles and grips with someone… He never meant for it to happen. When Eijun waited with him at his locker, he opened it up to have some of his manga fall out. Blushing, he tried to pick them up, but Eijun was faster.

"I like this one," he smirked, tossing it back.

"You've read it?" Jun gave him a disbelieving look… Was Eijun fucking with him?

"It doesn't quite have the ending I expected… There was a time when I didn't like books that had unhappy endings, but they're more realistic and it proves that life is never fair. That was one of the better ones."

Jun hadn't read the manga yet and now he wasn't sure that he wanted to. And yet… he did. Everyone wanted a happy ending, at least they started out that way. Eijun didn't seem to believe in love… or if he did, he had given up on it. "Why? Why did you like it more than some of the others?"

"Because one of them dies… That's the only time when the other boy realized his feelings, but it was too late and there are rarely, if ever second chances to fix the past. Even if you could go back, changing the future could lead to a different outcome and there's a possibility he will still not find happiness with the boy he loved."

Jun felt his heartbeat speed up. That response hurt… badly. What the hell did this kid go through to think like that? First the scar on his forehead and now he's talking about death and second chances… of not finding happiness despite that?

Without warning, he threw the manga in the trash, surprising Eijun. "Jun…" The red-head slammed Eijun against the wall… It was no secret that he was gay and Eijun looked like a deer caught in the sights of a predator.

"Fuck that ending," he growled. Eijun felt his pulse quicken… a familiar heat curling around inside of himself. His eyes widened. He had felt this way about Kazuya… So why? He tried to get away from Jun… The older boy was stronger and he felt a warm breath brushing against his right ear, a finger titling back his chin and holding him in place. "If the boy was too stupid too realize his feelings for the dead kid, even if he got a second chance… He didn't deserve him. I do believe there's someone for everyone and even if it doesn't work out the first time or how you want it to, you should keep trying! Find someone that does make you happy! Someone that can return your feelings with an equal passion and intensity."

Jun's gaze was heated and Eijun couldn't do anything to stop him from drawing closer, his lips hovering over his own when the bell rang. He bolted like a terrified rabbit and Jun stared at the spot Eijun had been in with a dazed look on his face. Jun hadn't expected to react so strongly… He didn't even know Eijun, not enough to want him like he did.

Eijun was quiet for the rest of the day, no longer helping him with his homework, silent about baseball. Maybe he had gone too far, but he didn't think so. Eijun was visibly upset, his eyes trembling with guilt and pain. "You're in love with someone; that's why you said what you did."

"Doesn't matter… He has no idea how I feel and even if he does, I made my choice."

"You won't fight for him?"

"You can't force someone to return your feelings, especially when he's involved with my twin sister." Jun paled… Eijun was stepping out of the way because he loved both people so much that he'd respect their happiness over his own. "And honestly, I've never been number one to him. Before her it was someone else… I was such an idiot…" Eijun whimpered, covering his face, the tears sliding down his face despite his efforts to contain them. "I never realized that no matter how good I got, no matter how hard I tried to get his attention, he always chose someone else."

Eijun was miserable. Because of the investigation they were on, he couldn't just jump up and run out of the school. He had no choice but to stay close to Jun and the vice-captain saw way more than he had ever allowed anyone in his life to see. Eijun had always kept shit like this to himself… he had to, especially when everyone was always watching him for mistakes… telling him to quit… telling him that he was a stupid idiot that would never become the ACE.

Perhaps the only two that never said that… One of them was sitting beside him. And the second… Tetsuya Yuki, the Seidou High's future captain.

Jun couldn't take it anymore. Minutes before the bell was supposed to sound, Jun grabbed Eijun's wrist and dragged him out of the school and towards an ice cream shop. He always ate one when he was depressed and just like that, Eijun had a chocolate vanilla milkshake in his hands.

He looked like he wanted to refuse, but Jun did something even crazier. Taking a sip from the straw, he snatched the boy's chin between the tips of his fingers and crushed their lips together. Eijun's eyes widened and the icy chill against his lips had him gasping. Jun devoured him, slipping his tongue inside, the chocolate mixing and swirling together.

This was not the same as Kazuya kissing his sister. No this was a thousand times more intense and Eijun whimpered, almost whining. "I read about doing this move in one of my manga," Jun whispered, sliding his tongue along the boy's throat. Eijun shuddered… He was young, but the boy was clearly interested. Jun had blown past his defenses with a single kiss and the boy had no way of fighting back.

"Drink the shake or I'll do it again," he threatened. Eijun quickly did as he was told… Any protest about someone buying him food was completely silenced… Jun wasn't going to listen and if he tried kissing him again, Eijun had no idea if he would survive. His face was a bright crimson and his pants far too uncomfortable. "I guess you really are into guys…"

"I told you that I was…"

"No… no you didn't. You just said you disliked girls. Most kids your age do."

"Don't you think I'm a bit young for this kind of stuff?!" Eijun growled, his golden eyes trembling with desire. Jun was an aggressive lover… always had been, but his relationships rarely went beyond kissing or holding hands. He was also into pologamy… but he always struggled finding the right combination or people to have that kind of relationship with. Jun could actually imagine this kid getting devoured from two sides… his reaction a moment ago was proof of that.

"My first time was when I was twelve." Eijun choked and spit out his drink. "No, I don't sleep with every guy I'm attracted to… that was only once. However, I don't fool myself into thinking I can't find happiness with someone and I'm fully capable of caring about multiple people… I just haven't found them yet… or that's what I was telling myself before this morning."

"You don't know me well enough to decide that," Eijun snapped. He was angry, defensive, and afraid. Kazuya was someone he had loved for four years now, three in his timeline and one in this.

Jun was aware of that, but despite not knowing anything personal about him, the boy was in desperate need to have someone love and cherish him. With only five minutes to catch their bus, Jun pushed him into a side alley, lifted and wrapped Eijun's legs around his waist and started kissing him again. Again he didn't fight back… It was like he couldn't, despite what his brain was telling him not to do. "There's a small part of you that wants to move on…"

"Shut… up!" Eijun hissed, hot tears sliding down his face. Jun licked every last one of them away and before they knew it, they were having to take the second bus for his baseball practice.

Kaga gave Eijun a raised eyebrow when they linked back up, Eijun ordering him to keep his mouth shut. The boy was in a state of agitation and Jun gave him a smug look before he walked over to his teammates. "I would advice against teenage sex, but the chances of you getting pregnant are non-existence."

"Shut the fuck up," Eijun snarled. If he didn't think he'd get arrested, he would have punched Kaga and the Captain knew it, throwing back his head and laughing at the predicament Eijun had landed himself in.

"So… how was your first day of public school?"

"I think I prefer what I'm doing now," he grumbled, his lips still tingling from what Jun had been doing to them. They burned and that stupid beard of his had felt so stupidly good that he had almost begged for him to go else where with it. His mind wasn't so innocent that he couldn't figure out that what they were doing was classified as indecent, but he was seventeen! Or at least he had been when Ochiai had tried to kill him.

Eijun didn't like how quickly he had forgotten about his feelings for Kazuya… That had never happened before, but everything in this timeline was different, even who he cared for. Was he so easy to manipulate that the love he had held onto for four years could go away so easily? Or was Jun right? Was his heart trying to move on, despite his efforts to keep it from doing so?

Once the team was fully distracted, Eijun asked him about the water bottle. "It's mixed with sleeping sedatives. One drink from that and he won't make it home."

"Why are you putting it back in his bag?"

"Do I really need to explain that to you? As smart as you are, I would have thought you'd have already figured that out."

"Yeah, I kind of did, but I don't know if I want to take that kind of risk with him."

"You're going to leave here with him," Kaga said. Eijun gave him a hard look. He knew they were going for an arrest, but so much could go wrong. However, he did want this to end and if it would save anyone else from having to die, then exposing himself a little longer to Jun was something he'd have to deal with.

Kaga was openly laughing at him… "I could let you become his love interest…" Eijun offered.

"I don't think we have the same hobbies."

"And we do?!"

"You're both pitchers… even if he's not aware of it yet. You're both projected to go to the nationals… pending nothing happens to either one of you… You both like boy manga… Do I need to keep going?"

"No…" Eijun whispered, trying to sink through the bleachers they were on. "You're not freaked out…" he finally asked.

"I can't say that I'm gay, but… I'm not one to really care about that sort of thing. As long as you do your job, what you do on your personal time isn't any of my business. And for the record… he's not wrong. You need to let what you felt for the other person go, especially if nothing will ever come of it. Holding on to it will continue to hurt you and eventually the people you're wanting to have a happy life."

"Love doesn't work that way."

"Maybe not, but it's not helping you either. Sometimes it takes a new path to heal the wounds left behind from the old one."

Jun's cutter was awesome to watch… Eijun had to admit, he had always wanted to complete the one he had developed, but he had never been able to talk to someone that could throw one. Maybe because he was self-taught, no one could readily identify a lot of his pitches. They were hybrids of others and something settled inside of himself. He can't change his past, but it has made him stronger.

The red-head wiped the sweat from his brow, noticing Eijun's eyes on him. They weren't glazed over like they had been prior to practice… Instead, he was watching how he pitched, his expression contemplative and curious. "Would you like to learn how to throw it?"

"Wha-?! Are you really going to show me how to throw a cutter?"

"So you do know what it is?"

"We only talked about pitching and grips for the first half of school this morning!"

"Yeah, but hearing and seeing are two different things. Come here," Jun ordered.

Eijun wanted to tell him no out of pure spite, but Kaga kicked him off the bleacher and propelled him onto the field. "Whose side are you on, Captain?!" he shouted at Kaga.

"You're far too young to act like a jaded and jilted lover… Graduate college first."

"I can arrange that!"

Kaga didn't doubt it, but Jun was already lifting and tossing the boy over his shoulder. Eijun tried to fight him, but one strong and solid blow to his rear and the southpaw stopped resisting instantly. It was hilarious. Jun had a handle on the kid better than anyone else and Eijun's face was no longer cold or harsh. He looked like any other kid his age should… confused, hesitant and attracted to someone that was showing an interest in him.

Jun slid Eijun down, his hands settling on his back and rear. If Eijun could turn any redder. "Keep looking at me like that and I'll find a quiet spot to finish what we started this afternoon." His eyes clouded over with fear… he had no idea what was happening between them and it terrified him. Easing up on him a little, he turned Eijun around, moving behind to hold his hand. "You're a left hander?"

Eijun nodded. The concept wasn't that different, he just had to show him how to move his body and fingers so that he still resulted in the same pitch. The boy was surprisingly quick and after a handful of throws, he could get close to the strike zone. "I know this is a stupid question, and maybe I should have asked you… are you a baseball player?"

"As of Monday… yes."

"Monday?"

"I joined a team this past Monday, the Marugame Senior League."

"Aren't they scheduled for a final's game next friday?" Eijun nodded, tossing him the ball and for once feeling like he had gotten the upper hand. "Damn… maybe I shouldn't have shown you that."

"Chris will never let me use that… not until I've mastered it first."

"I can't believe you're playing with the number one catcher in the country…"

"He's tied for first and believe it or not, my sister is playing with the Edogawa Senior League. She's also a pitcher and her catcher is Kazuya Miyuki."

Jun's gaze softened, putting two and two together. Eijun probably hadn't intended on telling him, but the other person he had loved… he now knew it was Kazuya. "Why are you two on separate teams?"

"I think you know the answer to that." Jun did and he didn't say or ask anything else. "I guess I can teach you something… if you can learn this, then I think we can let it slide that you showed me your cutter."

Eijun never thought he'd let anyone else learn or see the hybrid crossfire. And yet he couldn't think of anyone else that had a right to know it. Jun and Tetsuya had always been supportive of Eijun, even when the rest of the team thought he should have quit.

Jun's eyes lit up like he had been given an early christmas present, watching with eager excitement as Eijun showed him the crossfire. Kaga whistled, clearly impressed. That was an advanced pitch and while Jun probably wouldn't learn it right away, even Kaga could understand the gift for what it was. Some of the hate and anger around Eijun had lessened and bit-by-bit, the red-head was pulling him out of the dark hole he had mentally fallen into.

With practice almost over, Jun went to his bag and drank from the planted water bottle. Eijun wanted to stop him, but he couldn't tell him that there was a drug in it. "Want to grab some ramen before we head home?"

"Yeah…" He glanced at Kaga and the Captain nodded, leaving the two.

"Who is he?"

"We're partners."

"I thought you didn't go to a public school."

"I mean we work together."

"You have a job?"

"It's off the record, but I've been working with the Metro PD and their detectives for the past several months." Eijun found no reason to lie to him, nor had he been ordered to. There were some things that he shouldn't hide, especially if they were right about Ochiai targeting Jun.

"Is that even legal?"

"I did say it was off the record and it's not like I have a choice on the matter."

"Can we sit down for a minute?" They weren't even all the way to the bus stop yet, but Jun was barely able to hold himself up. Catching him, Eijun helped Jun to sit. "I think that the water was bad… Mom always told me to wash out my water bottles."

Jun was almost unconscious when Ochiai walked up, his right arm in a sling, and a gun in his left. "You're always where I don't need or want you," Ochiai growled.

"I have a bad habit of that," Eijun sighed. "Are you really after him, or will you settle for a replacement?" Ochiai tilted his head, wondering if there was a catch to this.

"He does fit the criteria that I'm after."

"He's not a southpaw. Look, I'm tired of running…"

"I owe you for my arm, brat. Do you really think that I'll let you off with just a hole to the head or chest?"

"No, but everything does have an end and if it buys him more time… I'm all for it."

"You're far from stupid… I'll give you that. Let's go…"

"You'll leave him alone?"

"I wasn't expecting to grab you. So yeah, I'm more than satisfied to lay low once I have your hand in a jar."

"And Erin…"

"No offense, she doesn't have the talent that you possess… I almost decided to leave you alone… If I had, I don't think you would have become a southpaw, but a catcher on Miyuki's and Takigawa's level."

"She mentioned that."

"You really don't remember what I did to the two of you… do you?"

"No."

Ochiai gave him a feral grin, turning him around to cuff him. He had no idea where he had gotten them, and judging from the pain piercing his skin, they weren't fake. Any tighter and he'd cut off the blood circulation… Maybe that's what he wanted. "Maybe I'll do a replay of the entire event."

"Oh goodie… I hate school dramas."

Jun wanted to stand up, to stop Eijun from leaving, but he couldn't find the strength. As they walked away, he thought he heard someone calling out to him… It looked like the guy that had been hanging around Eijun. "Go after him, Captain… I can get this kid to a hospital."

"Thanks, Lieutenant." Before he ran off, he was talking on the phone to another Captain, demanding immediate backup.

"Eijun…"

"We won't let anything happen to him… Eijun purposely set himself up to keep you out of that man's path…"

"He did what?! Why?" Jun struggled to stay conscious, but he was losing the battle. Eijun… was undercover… that man had been after him? Why? He remembered Eijun saying that Jun wasn't a southpaw.

"Don't take me to the hospital…" he gasped. Jun had no idea how he did it, but he found the strength to stand, sweat dripping from his brow. "If I fight this… will it wear off?"

"It's not a light sedative… just a slow acting one."

"I'll find a way… If that bastard was after me, then I'm not going to let Eijun take my place."

"You don't get a say in this… Eijun's been on the run from this guy for well over a year, a victim and one of three survivors. Over the last twenty years, that man has killed thirty-four baseball players and one lawyer. Eijun was the one that put everything together and it was Eijun that helped us to open a cold case file. The deaths would have continued, all of them made to look like an accident or suicide. It's because he was a survivor that we couldn't say that anymore."

"Is that how he got the scar on his forehead?" Goto nodded, helping Jun to his unmarked car. "I still want to wait for him."

"We can take him to the hospital when we get him back, but if we get too close, we endanger him and risk this entire investigation. Let Eijun do his job."

"I can't believe you guys are using a thirteen year old."

"We're not using him… Eijun was doing this long before we allowed him to continue… it was either that or we lock him away and throw away the damn key. His hacking skills are top notch and he finished three years of middle school in under a year. Honestly speaking, he has several recommendations waiting for him when he finishes this case… a kid with no connections to law enforcement will have a rare chance to attend our elite academy before or after college. If he chooses to go to college, we can hire him on a part time basis and then let him attend the academy on his off time. We would prefer that he graduate college first… he's incredibly young and a lot of us want him to forget some of this. I think he can really use friends like you."

Jun didn't know if it was the situation… He knew next to nothing about Eijun aside from the fact that he could play baseball and that he was somehow a thirteen year old working with detectives. Jun hated it… no kid should have to hunt down a serial killer. Jun couldn't stop Goto from driving him to the hospital. The small walk to his car had zapped him of all his strength and for the first time in his life, he felt utterly useless. Eijun was out there, standing between him and a killer. "I hate this…" he said, not expecting an answer. Jun didn't cry… that wasn't him, but damn it if he didn't want to.

Goto couldn't say that he blamed Jun. He had felt the same way when his partner had agreed to go undercover… It was a long time ago and despite his protests, she had gone, and the last thing he remembered was her smiling and promising him a warm meal at her favorite ramen cafe. Kaga wasn't going to let anything happen to Eijun… neither would Ishigami or the chief. There was no way they'd have the social backing of the public if a thirteen year old died in the line of duty, no matter what their reasons were.