So here's a promised side-story about Hayato, called Enta. Also, I included another character which will be revealed later in this chapter because he is super important to Enta's backstory. Some good news, this is just part 1 because it'll end up being a little long for my usual word count. ALSO, I used some characters from another anime because I do that sometimes. Don't worry if you don't know them, it doesn't take away from this fanfic.
Thank you to bbbk027, Silverfox579, and Reefa for telling me who you wanted to be featured in this side story! Hayato won and I'll definitely think about Enma for my next side story! Anyhow, onto the story!
This takes place years before our current timeline.
For as long as he can remember, he was unable to walk. Enta had always been in a wheelchair. He thought that the world would have been nicer to him with his disability considering how it used to be according to history books but alas, history does repeat and children will be children. People were less than polite with him simply because he was in a wheelchair. Of course, he would never take it without putting up a fight. Surprisingly, he won most of his fights. Fortunately, unlike what usually happens in the movies, he received justice with the bullies actually getting caught and punished for their torments.
Enta was only 10 years old when he decided to take a detour on the way home in Namimori. He lived close enough to his elementary school that he was allowed to go to school and return home by himself. Well, whenever an adult accompanied him, Enta made the extra effort to make the travel unbearable enough that they all quit. He didn't need anybody watching his every move. That being said, while he was very independent and nobody made fun of him anymore, people still avoided him in fear of getting beaten up. No matter how much he would tell himself that he didn't need anyone, he was still lonely and had no friends.
His detour led him to a small park that he has only been to a handful of times. He noticed that at the basketball court, there were 3 children his age playing with an adult in his 50s watching over them. He wheeled himself over to the court simply to watch. As he got closer, he could hear the children's bickering.
"... That's not how you're supposed to do a lay-up!"
"Well, how am I supposed to know when it's Hiro-jii that's explaining it! Besides, it went in, didn't it?"
"... Both of you, stop. Hiro-jii is standing right there."
"Hahaha! I can explain it again if you kids want." commented the adult.
"No way! Hiro-jii sucks at explaining!"
"Hey, that's not very nice!"
"He's right. You could be a little nicer."
As the two children tried to berate the other, the adult simply laughed. Enta kept quiet and simply watched, ignoring the urge to ask to join them. They seemed to be having fun.
After a while, the children started another round of 2v1. Enta watched in awe as they moved at speeds that he didn't know were possible, at least for children his age. He gripped his wheels and wondered if they could outrun him when he was in a wheelchair. Enta watched them play round after round amazing displays of basketball skills. He didn't know that basketball included not only physical exertion but also technique and strategy. Were other sports like that too?
'They seemed to be having fun too.' He thought to himself.
Even one of them, who was undoubtedly the weakest among the three, was able to contribute to his victories with his current partner. Even he was having fun, despite only being able to pass and not shoot a basket.
Unbeknownst to Enta, their guardian, Hiro was watching him from the sidelines with a fond smile on his face. Hiro could see Enta's eyes lighting up every time one of the kids fakes one of them and shoots. Enta was so engrossed in the game that he didn't notice Hiro walk up to where he was.
"Heya!"
Enta jumped, startled. He stared back at Hiro through the fence.
"Do you know how to play?"
Enta frowned and turned his face away, "Can't you tell just from looking at me?" He said.
"Hm?" Hiro tilted his head, "... so yes?"
"Hah?! No, I don't know how to play! Do you think a kid in a wheelchair could play basketball?!" Enta shouted angrily though Hiro was not at all offended instead looked confused. He didn't notice the children stop playing to watch their interaction.
"In fact, I do!" Hiro grinned, which somehow both annoyed and relaxed Enta. Hiro knelt down so he could be eye-to-eye with Enta.
"Wanna learn?" He asked excitedly.
There was something about Hiro's smile that almost convinced Enta to say 'yes.' He wanted to learn, yes but he knew better than to trust a stranger and moreover, to believe him when he said that he can play a sport while in a wheelchair. He attempted to scowl though he didn't know that his hopeful eyes betrayed him.
"No." He said coldly, "I don't trust you."
Hiro raised an eyebrow and started laughing, "That's true. Say what, we're here on Thursday every week at the same time. You're welcome to watch, even from inside the fence until you feel comfortable to learn." He suggested.
"Like I'll come back!"
"Hey, I don't like how you're speaking back to Hiro-jii." Said one of the kids. Enta noticed for the first time that they had come up to them.
"It's okay, Ryota. I was just inviting him over to learn basketball with us. He'll be coming every week so introduce yourselves."
"I'm not coming back! Don't decide these things on your own!" Enta shouted once more and felt his blood boil when he was simply ignored by Hiro.
"Hello."
Enta turned to the child who came up beside Hiro and in front of him. The child bowed his head.
"I'm Tetsuya."
"And I'm Ryota!" The other declared as he swung an arm around Tetsuya. Ryota, Tetsuya, and Hiro then turned to the remaining member who looked very disinterested.
"Daiki," Hiro called with a stern voice.
"... Daiki." He finally introduced.
Hiro smiled in approval before turning to Enta, "And I'm Hiro! What's your name?"
Enta looked at each of them, expecting to see either fear or judgment but found none. Did they not see that he was in a wheelchair?
"... Enta. But as I said, can't you see I'm in a wheelchair? There's no way I'm playing basketball." He said once more.
"You're getting annoying," Daiki said without turning his way, instead, he attempted to spin his basketball on his finger.
"We heard you the first time." Daiki continued, "So what if you're in a wheelchair?"
"Eh?"
"That's right, Enta-kun. I think it would be fun if you joined us." Tetsuya added with a small fond smile.
"If you joined us, we would have an even number of people so we can finally do a proper 2v2!" Ryota exclaimed to which Tetsuya strongly agreed.
"Just as they said," Hiro said.
Enta bit the inside of his lip, not recognizing the warm feeling bubbling inside him. He clicked his tongue and turned away without another word. As he wheeled away, he heard Hiro, Ryota and Tetsuya call out cheerfully from behind him.
"See you next week!"
And so he came back the next week. And the week after that and the week after that. He came back every week to watch them play. Every week, they would invite him to play and every week he would refuse - rather aggressively- until one day he came too early that only Tetsuya was there, practicing while waiting for the others. It didn't take for Tetsuya to notice him come up to the fence. He paused to wave at Enta.
"Good afternoon, Enta-kun." He said politely.
"... Hey."
"Will you be watching from outside again? Do you want to watch from inside even just for a little bit?" Tetsuya asked. Enta frowned and crossed his arms.
"I'm not going to play if that's what you're aiming for."
"I won't ask you to play. You can even go back to watching outside the fence when Hiro-jii and the others get here. Ryota-kun and Daiki-kun got into trouble in school today so they're staying a little bit later and Hiro-jii is waiting for them." Tetsuya explained. In his monotone voice, there was no hint of a lie though Enta could tell he really wanted him to watch closer.
"... Fine."
Tetsuya nodded and slightly smiled. He proceeded to open the gate wide for Enta to enter. Once they had settled in the court, Tetsuya proceeded to shoot baskets. At least, attempted. Enta watched Tetsuya miss every basket for a solid 5 minutes in silence. He raised a brow. He knew that Tetsuya wasn't as good at shooting as his passing but he didn't know it was this bad.
"... I've probably played basketball longer than Daiki-kun and Ryota-kun," Tetsuya said, almost to himself. He attempted to shoot another basket. Missed.
"And yet, I'm nowhere near their level. I know all of the stances, the techniques but I can't do them no matter how much I try." Tetsuya picked up his basketball and stared down at it, "Sometimes, trying hard isn't enough."
"Why don't you just give up then?" Enta blurted out rather harshly. He caught himself immediately after and was about to apologize when Tetsuya interrupted him.
"I thought that too but on the day I decided to quit, I met Hiro-jii, Daiki-kun, and Ryota-kun. They told me pretty much the same thing, they told you." Tetsuya said with a smile. It wasn't a sad smile but it was a smile of pure joy and gratefulness.
"They said, 'So what?' They recognized and accepted my weaknesses when I couldn't. When I should have." Tetsuya attempted to do a layup but he missed once again. Enta watched as the ball bounced off the rim and then suddenly, he was startled when the ball disappeared and found itself in his hands. He stared at the ball and then at Tetsuya who clearly was the one who passed it to him without him noticing.
"Instead they helped me with my passing," Tetsuya said as he walked up to Enta. Behind Enta, Tetsuya saw Hiro, Daiki, and Ryota entering the park.
"It's like how Hiro-jii absolutely sucks at explaining and teaching." He continued, "But if you ask him to do a demonstration or fix your posture, he could show you step by step and you just get it."
"So as long as he shuts up," Enta said. Tetsuya chuckled.
"I suppose that's one way of putting it." Tetsuya pointed at the ball, "Do you want to try shooting a basket?"
Enta looked back from the basketball, to Tetsuya, to the rim and then to Tetsuya. He nodded. Tetsuya smiled and stood to the side to give Enta space to wheel himself to the middle of the court.
Enta bit the inside of his lip and gripped the small basketball, liking the feeling of its rubbery skin on his fingertips. He put his hands in position slowly. The basketball was slightly unstable before he tried fixing his hold. Once he had done that, he focused his eyes on the rim and he shot.
"Tch! I missed it! I knew I wasn't cut out for this!" He spat out in frustration.
Tetsuya picked up the ball and walked up to the angry child. He gently prodded him again with the basketball.
"According to the books I've read, this is how you do it…" Tetsuya started explaining patiently. Enta reluctantly listened but he couldn't seem to get mad at him. Then once Tetsuya started mentioning more of the basic principles of physics, Enta started to get it. He was a top student in his school and he liked the logic of math. Like Tetsuya, he was very textbook-oriented.
After a few frustrating tries, he finally got his first basket in. Tetsuya and his eyes lit up in glee and excitement. He felt a swell in his chest when he heard the swoosh of the net.
"Hey! I did that!"
"You di-"
"That was amazing, Enta!"
"Hey, so you can play basketball after all!"
"Finally, we can have a 2v2!"
Enta whipped his head towards the fence where Hiro, Daiki, and Ryota were watching with excited expressions. He immediately flushed and turned away in embarrassment when the two other children ran up to him with Hiro following closely behind.
"Alright, you two. Leave him alone. I'll have to teach him the basics first." Hiro said.
Immediately, all of the children grimaced. Hiro blinked and pouted.
"Oh come on, I'm not that bad!"
Daiki gave him an incredulous look before he turned back to Enta. He swung an arm around his shoulders.
"He-"
"I'm a much better teacher, Enta. I'm also the best player compared to Tetsu and Ryota here. What do you say?"
"Oh please, Daiki. You teach the same way Hiro-jii teaches." Ryota said with a snicker. Behind him, Tetsuya nodded almost passionately and Hiro laughed out loud.
"I do not!"
As the children started bickering, Enta noticed Hiro's fond look. Enta felt irritated at his look but at the same time, his heart felt full watching the chaos happening around him. It felt familiar somehow. Familiar from a distant past but he shrugged off the feeling.
He crossed his arms and gave a challenging look at Hiro, "Let's see if you can actually teach me."
"Enta-kun!" Hiro exclaimed happily.
Daiki, Ryota, and Tetsuya stopped their antics and stared at Enta in disbelief. The child looked back at them and thought, it couldn't be that bad right?
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Enta's green eyes glazed over as he listened to Hiro's horrible explanation. Now he wished he was playing with Daiki, Ryota, and Tetsuya on the court instead of sitting by the sidelines listening to this basketball idiot.
"I regret this already."
"... Then when you shoot the ball, it'll 'swoosh' in! Remember, dribbling goes 'doog, doog,' passing is 'pop', shooting is 'swoosh!" Hiro explained with his brown eyes lighting up in excitement.
"You don't need notes! Just feel it and then you'll understand!" Hiro added happily.
"... How am I supposed to understand when you keep saying all of this nonsensical stuff!" Enta replied angrily and in frustration. Hiro only laughed in response and ruffled Enta's hair which seemed to irritate Enta more.
As Enta continued his angry tantrum, Hiro heard something from a distance. A familiar clang. He turned his head to where he noticed a father and a son playing in a different area in the park. They were talking and Hiro knew the father was teaching his son softball, considering the bat the son was holding. Hiro smiled and looked back at Enta.
'I wonder how Tsuna, Hayato, and the others are doing.'
Random Fact #7
Hirundo rustica is a species of Hirundo (swallow) in the family Hirundinidae
TO BE CONTINUED!
What do you think of the chapter? I would love it for you to review and tell me! Much love to you all!
