Fastball
A/N: Don't get any wrong ideas about the chapter titles being first base and all that stuff. Oi.
Disclaimer: Tell you what- have your lawyer call my lawyer, and we'll work things out.
Chapter Two:
Nghi
Oh, it was so grand to her very own baseball field near her home! Kagome squealed, having promptly forgotten about the nasty squabble she had with Mother in the car. All that mattered was that she had her very own field to play with everyday! And the weather in Osaka was supposed to be mild and nice, so that meant everyday could be a baseball day! She could drag her bat and ball out and hit it and practice running around the bases to increase her strength, and she would practice sliding just like the Golden Glove of 1987-
"Oi, are you deaf or something? I said, get out of the way!" The impatient voice knocked her out of the happy stupor, and she turned her head to see who was talking.
Surprise, surprise, it was a fellow from the neighborhood, and a strange-looking one at that, too. For one thing he had long hair, like those fairytale books. And for another, he was tanner than most people. "Oh, sorry about that!" Kagome was swiftly back on foot, her duffel bag over her shoulder. "You must be into baseball, too! I'm Kagome-"
"Yeah, yeah, just get out of the way," the boy repeated with an indifferent wave, and she couldn't help but feel a little hurt by the brusque greeting… if it was even a greeting at all. But she decided to let it pass- maybe he was having bad luck with the bat today. When he glared at her one more time, Kagome realized she was playing an unwanted short stop and quickly scooted off to the side. "All right, Sesshoumaru, now that everyone's out of the way," the boy made it a point to stare at her condescendingly, and she began to think it was just more than an unfriendly salutation. "throw the ball as fast as you can."
Ah, so the blond male was Sesshoumaru. She made a quick note to remember that later on and watched as he threw a magnificent curve ball; the boy swung his bat round and cleverly missed by about twenty-seven degrees. "Goddammit," he raged, beginning to beat the ground with the stick, and she stifled a giggle. "What is wrong with this bat?"
"It's not the bat," Sesshoumaru said curtly, "it's you."
"No way. I'm doing it fine! It's the bat that's not doing its job."
The older of the two sighed tiredly. "OK, for the last time, Inuyasha, you don't hit the ball with your body twisted almost away from the base. And your left hand is not supporting the bat correctly. What is this?" he mocked the boy, limping the left hand like spaghetti, and Kagome burst out laughing. "People are going to laugh at you if you keep holding it the wrong way."
"Well, I want to hold it the way I want to." Inuyasha was put out, and Sesshoumaru threw down his glove angrily. "We've been at this for three days now, and if you can't adjust your hold, then you're not going to make it on the team or anywhere. Meanwhile, I'm not going to waste my time for a kid who won't take advice from a college baseball player- I'm going home." He began jogging the other way.
"I don't need you- you just keep yelling at me," Inuyasha called to his retreating back. Then- "Stupid brother."
Kagome sat there for twenty minutes now, and she thought- no, knew- it was her turn to play baseball; gaily, she ran towards the batter's box with the duffel bag thumping by her side when Inuyasha stepped in front of her, towering over her small, skinny form. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Playing ball," she replied before setting the bag down. "I brought my stuff here-"
"You can't play," he interrupted, and when Kagome asked for the reason, it was because "she was a girl." Her mouth dropped open; this was the second time today that someone outright told her she couldn't play baseball because she was female! "Well, for your information, Mr. Spaghetti Pants, I'm going to play whatever I want, whenever I want!"
He was irritated and kicked her equipment to the side. Ignoring her protests, he ground out, "You're a girl, and girls play with jump ropes or dolls or look at boys like me funnily. Besides, I don't think you can win against anyone in this game. You're too small." He looked at her critically, and she felt the need to bash him in the head with his own bat.
"I don't like jump ropes or dolls, and I would never want to look at you weirdly in a million years. That's just disgusting," she wrinkled her nose in extreme distaste. "And also, I can too win; I was on a team in Tokyo, and we won most of our games… which is more than can be said about your team." She knowingly pushed a big button, and Inuyasha looked ready to pounce.
"All right, if you're so good at baseball, why don't you," he shoved the bat roughly against her chest, "swing?"
"Fine, I will," Kagome replied cheekily. " And I'll do a home run, too."
He laughed, but it wasn't funny. "Nice to know you have dreams."
She stomped her feet indignantly, and suddenly an idea came to her. A smile like a Cheshire cat graced her face, and she found herself saying, "If I do get a home run, you have to share the field." It was a big move, putting the worth of a baseball field within one turn, but she knew how far her talents expanded.
Inuyasha contemplated this for about two seconds before nodding confidently. "Fine, but let me warn you that my fastball is very, very-"
"Fast, I know." She rolled her eyes. And he thought she was stupid. Placing her body perpendicular to the home base, she gripped the smooth club between her hands. Maybe twenty-five feet away. Good arm… he tends to shift towards the right before throwing. Left-handed, I see. He's not looking at the batter; he's looking at the cage behind me. And he's winding up, and he's throwing, and-
The crack of aluminum meeting with the baseball's cowhide was satisfactory, and both kids watched, one elated and one surprised, as the ball soared through the air for a few seconds before dipping down and plopping onto the grass… outside of the fence. "Aw, yeah!" she whooped in the air and began strolling around the field. "Hm, what does that mean? That I get to use the baseball field whenever I want!" She had reached second base and was midway for a third one. It may have been a bit too much, but the kid had been rude to her one too many times, and she felt he deserved this big piece of revenge.
Her celebration was cut short when something slammed painfully against her side, and she fell to the ground with stars in her eyes. Kagome swung blindly with a fist and connected with a smooth surface; when that thing yelped painfully, she knew it wasn't a something- it was a someone. "Get off me! Get off me! Get off-"
"How did you do it?" Inuyasha had pinned both hands to either side of her head, and he was glaring at her. The blood on his mouth was running, but it wasn't important at the moment. "How did you hit the ball like that?"
"Like I would tell you!" Kagome bit back, bucking wildly. He was right about something- she was too skinny, and against a toned male at her age, it was hard to get him off her stomach.
"Ha! I knew it! You cheated!" Inuyasha crowed in delight, and she hissed furiously. "I did not cheat- you're just a sore loser!" She stopped kicking, and seeing that she was out of breath, he released his grip.
"Hey, if you won't tell me how you did that, then that means- Jeezus shit!" Kagome had tricked him, that stupid girl! She had pretended to be out of energy when she was just brimming with it and, in his weak moment, had pushed the boy to the ground. She stood up, ragged but defiant. "That was so unfair, stopping me before I reach home base! It's not wrestling!"
"Whatever it takes to stop a girl from playing."
"You're just angry because you can't hit like I can!" she taunted, and Inuyasha tackled her to the dirt again. Kagome gave another blow to his cheeks, and she was rewarded with a punch of his own. "Ow!"
The two rolled around, trying to get an advantage over the other. He punched her face, she punched his stomach; he scratched her cheeks, she scratched his eyes; he pinched her arm, she pinched his leg; he kicked her shin, she kicked between his thighs; he pulled her hair, she pulled his hair; he choked her, she choked him. It was so maddening how this puny girl could rival him in strength, and when he kicked sand into her eyes, she did likewise. It was pain, and Inuyasha rolled away. "You sonofabitch!" he yelled angrily. "I am not sharing my field with a stupid girl!"
Kagome was kneeling on the ground, trying to rub the sand out of her eyes, and she retaliated with a, "I don't care- I'll make you share the field if it's the last thing I do!"
There was no reply, and she wondered if he had quieted and realized the errors of his ways. Maybe he was waiting for her to finish rubbing her eyes so he could apologize. When she could see clearly, she looked up to find that Inuyasha was actually stumbling twenty feet away, trying to get home and see at the same time. Her mouth was stinging from all the bile and blood, and Kagome rose to her feet. "You sissy! I'll take you on tomorrow again if I have to!"
The response was obscene, and she huffed angrily. "Wait until I tell Mom about him," she muttered before turning around to retrieve her bag. Whatever it was, Kagome would get Inuyasha to share the field, if it was the last thing on earth.
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