Growing Up With Dreams
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the Naruto characters. They belong to Misashi Kishimoto. As well, I do not own any of the characters from The Big Windup! They belong to Asa Higuchi.
WARNING: YAOI. Boyxboy. Don't like it, don't read it. As well, we have changed some of the characters from Naruto and Big Windup. Names and faces will remain the same but ages, personalities, occupations, etc will be altered. THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING! Also, a majority of the cities are real cities in Japan. The ones located on the Island, Yumenoshima, however, are fake. So the Island itself and the cities, Shi Yume, Kaigen no Yume, Chīsana Yume, and Nōmin no Yume and the Mountain, Hoshi No Miyama, etc, and anything else on the Island is fake.
EXTREME DRAMA!
Chapter Eight – Who I Am
"I said no, Kiba! I went on that stupid date with you! You promised that you wouldn't ask for more!" Ryder growled, getting more and more agitated by the minute. Kiba just wouldn't let it go! It was only getting worse by the minute. By the day. It seemed that the more time passed, the worse his begging got. Why he was so obsessed with her, she didn't know.
"Oh, c'mon. You can't say you didn't have fun with me!" the brown haired boy persisted.
"We went to the arcade! Arcades are always fun, you dolt! It wasn't just because I was with you!" Ryder sighed, rubbing her forehead in exasperation.
"I won you a teddy bear!" Kiba insisted.
"That doesn't mean I'm gonna like you any more than a friend, Kiba! I'm not interested in dating anyone! My life is complicated enough! You really need to let this go, Kiba, before it ruins something between us."
"What could it ruin, Ryder? All I want is to go out with a pretty girl who isn't afraid of getting dirty and can hold her own with the guys! That's hot."
"It could ruin our friendship, Kiba, because I don't want that with you! I'm not interested. I want to be friends with you but...if you keep pushing; I don't think we can be." Ryder sighed, her bright green eyes staring into Kiba's dark brown ones, trying to convey the seriousness of her words.
Kiba looked crestfallen. He sighed and turned away for a moment to think about her words. It hurt. He really liked Ryder. He really enjoyed her company, her 'I don't take shit from anyone' attitude. She was pretty, a great friend, and had many talents. He thought she was perfect. Only one problem, she was not interested.
"Then, could I ask a favour before I finally leave you alone?" he asked quietly.
"Sure. What is it?" Ryder sighed, hoping he was really giving this thought.
"Could I have one kiss from you? Just to see what it's like?" he asked eagerly, turning to face her with a small smile.
"What?! After everything I just said, you still ask for that? What's wrong with you!?" Ryder threw her hands up in exasperation.
"No, no, just hear me out! I get it, ok. You're not interested and you don't want to ruin our friendship. That's cool. But all I'm asking for is a kiss from you because I've never kissed a girl. I just want to know what it's like. C'mon, from a friend to a friend. Then I promise I will never ever bother you about it again!" Kiba explained calmly, his brown eyes shining.
"Do you realize how ridiculous you sound?" Ryder sighed, running her fingers through her short, soft silver hair.
"I know, I know. But I absolutely swear," the boy put his right hand over his heart and raised his left hand to show his promise, "that I will stop bothering you about dating or anything related to that. I will leave you alone and be happy with just being your friend."
Ryder flushed slightly and glanced at him through her eyelashes, "You swear? And you swear not to tell anyone about it?"
Kiba nodded, "I swear."
With a groan and a flush, Ryder reluctantly consented. If this got Kiba to drop everything, then it couldn't hurt…could it? She hadn't kissed anyone before other than her parents and her older brothers. "Fine."
Kiba grinned widely, showing his sharp canines and moved closer, getting excited. He was finally going to kiss a girl! Ryder however was not so excited. She dreaded it. She wasn't interested in boys and kissing and dating. She had her baseball, dance and school to think about! Though, if she had to admit it, she would admit she liked looking at girls. She wasn't quite sure why. Maybe it was because she hung out with guys all the time that checked out the girls. Maybe it was because she was so used to pretending to be a boy and acting and thinking like a boy that she just got into the habit of it.
But when looking at those girls, she saw how attractive and how pretty they were. And she would feel a sense of longing towards them. This greatly confused her. Izumi Ryder was a girl, despite what she was pretending to be. Not to say she couldn't spot an attractive male because she could. There were plenty of attractive boys in her school. Though for some reason she seemed drawn to girls more so. Maybe it was just a phase. She was a hormonal teenage girl. Pretending to be a boy was probably just throwing her off kilter. She'd get over it.
So she took a deep breath, moved as close to Kiba as was comfortable for her and plucked up her courage. "Ready?" she whispered more for herself than for Kiba but he nodded anyways.
Trying to ignore the tense, stiffness coming into her body, Ryder inhaled and puckered her pink lips, leaning forward and closed her bright green eyes. Kiba eagerly leaned forward, puckering his own lips and closing his eyes.
There was a brief, sickening moment of silence and tension. Where nothing happened. Then their lips met. A gentle, timid touch. Ryder's soft lips quivered but held firm. Kiba's chapped lips pushed gently forward till he was only millimetres away from her. They were around the same height so there wasn't much effort needed. Ryder was wondering how long a kiss should really last when Kiba suddenly started snaking his arms around her waist and pulling her flush against him.
Shocked, she opened her eyes and pulled away from the kiss to stare at Kiba, a bright red flush on her pale cheeks. "What are you doing?" she asked a little breathlessly.
Kiba grinned mischievously, "Kissing you," he said quietly.
Ryder flushed darker, shoved him away and abruptly punched his arm, sending him stumbling back. "You asked for a kiss, not a make out! Don't push my boundaries, Kiba!" Ryder yelled, furious tears in her eyes. She turned and stormed out of the room and slammed the door closed.
Kiba rubbed his arm with a grimace. He really should reconsider his choice in girls. Someone not so loud or violent. Maybe cute little Hyuuga Hinata. She was shy, quiet, non-violent and adorable. Not to mention she was a girl who liked boys. Like normal teenage girls.
The only downside to Hinata was that the lavender eyed girl was deeply into Naruto. Kiba would have to find a way around that. As far as he was aware, Naruto wasn't into Hinata. Naruto wasn't really into anything since he started working. No matter. Ryder was just too dangerous to his health.
…
In the second semester of their Grade 9 year, Gaara made his way towards his new homeroom. Because the school population kept growing, the homerooms had to be switched around. Not that he minded really. It didn't matter. He still had Shikamaru and Chouji to hang out with during breaks and lunches. Even after school they went to each others homes to play video games and chill.
Getting a new homeroom didn't bother the red head. Despite him being in the same school for 3 years and being a senior, there still wasn't really all that many people who recognized him or talked to him. His life had gotten a little more interesting after blowing up at Orochimaru a few months back. Sasuke had gotten aggressive towards him but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. Gaara had been through worse.
Whatever Sasuke thought he could throw at him, Gaara could deal. He was just so glad to be rid of Orochimaru and his abusive control. He felt almost normal now. Kankuro, his older brother, was graduated from High School already and had a full time job, trying to save up for College and Temari, his older sister, was 23, going to college still and still managing the bar for Hidaka-San. Things were going smoothly and Gaara couldn't complain. He had his books, his friends, his family, and no dark cloud hanging over him anymore.
Entering the homeroom, Gaara noticed a very crowded room. Where students would usually sit in single file, tables were now pushed together to make room so students could sit side by side. It looked like students were sitting where they wanted so they chose to sit by their friends. Luckily for him, it didn't look like Sasuke was in this homeroom.
There were a few open seats left, most were by other kids. There was only one set of desks with 2 seats open so Gaara headed for that one. He didn't know any of the other students enough to want to sit by them. He settled in and opened a book, reading until the homeroom teacher came in to get attendance.
He only got a few sentences in when he heard someone walk up in front of him. Looking up, Gaara saw a shock of blonde hair, a huge friendly grin and strange whisker like scars on tanned cheeks. "Hey! I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Would you mind if I sat next you? All the other seats are taken," the boy introduced himself.
Gaara nodded and watched as the bright blue eyed boy set his bag down and slumped into the chair. The boy he recognized around the school. He had seen him gallivanting around, being loud and obnoxious. Gaara thought he also remembered him from the baseball team. He had seen him play once. Strong arm.
"Whatcha reading?" Naruto asked suddenly, trying to make polite conversation.
Gaara blinked, momentarily caught off guard. "Uh, Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens."
"What's it about?"
"Uh… an orphan, Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. Then he escapes to London and is taken in by pick pockets then is caught and taken in by a Magistrate, Mr. Brownlow. Then is captured again and brought back to the pickpockets and threatened to stay. Forced to help in a burglary, he gets shot and is abandoned by the pickpockets and ends up under the care of the people he was supposed to rob who turns out to be his Aunt. There's a lot more to it; it's a complicated story," Gaara grinned at Naruto who had his head cocked to the side.
"Sounds interesting. Did you get it from the library?"
"No, this is mine. I could lend it to you if you'd like." Gaara suggested with a shrug.
"I'd rather have you read it to me," Naruto teased.
Gaara blushed slightly, caught off guard by Naruto's frank way of speaking. "Excuse me?"
"You have a great voice. Do you read a lot?" Gaara blushed a little darker. How could someone be so flighty and roll onto different topics so easily? He cast a compliment then asked a question so easily. Naruto was an odd ball for sure.
"Yeah, I do. I've spent a lot of time in libraries."
"That's not really my thing. I don't have time for reading much since I started working, ya know? But I can appreciate a good story when I hear one," Naruto grinned, his blue eyes crinkling slightly at the corners. His eyes were certainly bright and interesting. His whole demeanour was. Gaara wasn't used to someone so buoyant and bubbly.
"Oh, where do you work?" Gaara found himself asking. He wasn't sure if he was asking to be polite or if he was genuinely interested in this boy. There undoubtedly was something about him that just drew his attention.
"Servir Café. I'm a waiter and buss boy." Naruto smiled brightly. Gaara's green eyes were drawn to the scars on the boys' cheeks. 3 lines on each cheek, black and curved. Where did he get those? It's a little too strange to be a birth defect so what were they?
"Oh, that's cool. You play baseball, don't you?" Gaara asked, his eyes flicking back up to Naruto's.
"Yeah, I'm on the Mihoshi Tigers team. I'm third baseman and fourth batter. Do you play the beautiful game?" Naruto's eyes suddenly got brighter, if that was even possible. Gaara could tell that Naruto loved baseball.
"No, I don't. I'm not into sports," Gaara admitted. He much preferred his books. Speaking of which, he had absent mindedly set his down sometime during the conversation with Naruto. When did he do that? He never sets down his book, not even when talking to Shikamaru. Hmm… there was just something about Naruto…
"That's crazy! You should try it at least! It's so fun. You look like you'd be a good catcher," the blonde winked at Gaara.
Gaara flushed again and didn't know what to say when the homeroom teacher walked in, saving him from replying to that ridiculous comment. What was with this kid? Gaara didn't understand at all. He snuck a quick glance at him through his lashes and studied the small smile that never seemed to leave his lips, the way his blue eyes shone intelligently, the way he would give all his attention to the person speaking.
Interesting. Very interesting. Gaara was going to have to keep his eyes on him.
…
Daisuke wasn't having a good day. Well, he hadn't been having a good few months. Since Sakaeguchi found out his secret and got mad at him, Daisuke had slipped into a bit of a depression. It wasn't pretty. He didn't go out with Ryder or Naruto any more. He didn't tease or play around as much. He was a bit harsh while playing baseball. One time he even made Ryder cry because he made her feel stupid.
So then he started closing himself off. His grades were slipped drastically and he felt like there was nothing he could do about it. He lost his friend. He felt inexplicably like he lost a part of himself. He didn't understand why it hurt so much to lose a friend like Sakaeguchi. He didn't know why he was reacting this way.
It wasn't like he confessed his love to him and Sakaeguchi was rejecting him. Was it? The 15 year old boy didn't know anymore. Is that maybe how Sakaeguchi took it? Did Sakaeguchi mistake it as a confession? When Daisuke said that everything Delilah did was him, did he also take it as the kissing, the dates, and the holding hands? Was Sakaeguchi rejecting that?
If Sakaeguchi did take it that way, what did that mean for Daisuke? Was it a confession of love or confession of identity? Daisuke wasn't sure.
What if it was a confession of love? What did that make Daisuke? Was Daisuke gay? Was he Bisexual? Was he anything? Was he confused? Well, that much was certain. He was definitely confused. He didn't know what he was.
What if it wasn't a confession of love? Was Daisuke overreacting?
"Hey," a soft, familiar voice called out to him and pulled him out of his hazy thoughts.
Daisuke looked up, brushing his green hair out of his eyes and gasped, his heart leaping into his throat. "Sa-Sakaeguchi-Kun? Hi. Can I help you?"
The brown haired boy nodded, "Can I talk to you for a minute?" His eyes were hard and flickering. With what, Daisuke didn't know.
"Sure," the two boys made their way to a tree out in the yard where they wouldn't be bothered. Not many students were milling around. When they reached the tree, they stared at each other awkwardly for a moment before looking away. "What did you want to talk about?" Dai asked timidly, his heart racing painfully.
"Uh, about…you know. Your, uh… issue."
Ouch, that stung a little. His issue? Like it was Daisuke's fault. Not Sakaeguchi's issue. Not his fault. It was Daisuke's issue. He cleared his throat and suppressed the tears that stung behind his brown eyes. "Yeah? What about it?" he asked.
"I just wanted to ask you a few things," Sakaeguchi shrugged and avoided looking at Dai. He waited patiently, heart hammering against his chest. "H-how are you doing?"
"I'm alright. How are you?"
"I'm still upset. Why did you lie to me for so long?"
Dai sighed and looked down, "I don't know. I was afraid of what you would say so I avoided it for as long as possible."
"That just made it worse, you know? You should have told me right from the start so it wouldn't be such a big deal," Sakaeguchi growled, his voice growing stern.
"I know. I'm sorry. There isn't much I can do about it now," Dai shrugged, feeling the guilt stinging his heart and making his stomach sink uncomfortably.
"What did you expect to happen after you told me?"
"I don't know. I was hopeful that you would be ok with it to be honest."
"Be ok with what? That you're a cross dresser and tricked me into falling in love with you?" Sakaeguchi snapped, turning his furious brown eyes on Daisuke.
Daisuke winced slightly, taken aback by the sharp tone. "I'm not a cross dresser. I told you, I did it for my family because they needed help. That's all. But now Subaki is working there so I don't have to anymore. Delilah is gone. I never meant to lead you on or make you like me," he tried explaining.
"No, I didn't just like you, Kazumi-kun, I loved her. Delilah. You. Whoever. I fell hard. Then you do that to me? How could you think I'd be ok with that?" Sakaeguchi's tone rose louder and louder. He got angrier the more he talked about it and it didn't help because Daisuke was just standing there with his head down, taking the abuse without question.
He felt he deserved it.
"It was still me, Sakaeguchi-kun. The whole time, it was still me," Dai said quietly, keeping his eyes down.
"That doesn't make it any better!" Sakaeguchi yelled. "And it doesn't help that you go around looking like that!" he ran his hands through his hair, exasperated.
"Like what?"
"Like that! I dunno. Like…" he looked at Daisuke, his slouched shoulders, his lowered head, his dull, sad brown eyes. "Like someone just died…"
Daisuke sighed. It was true. He had been looking and acting like someone had died when really there was no reason to. He had lied to a friend and lost him. That was all. Yet somehow it was much, much more than that.
"God, Kazumi! Get a hold of yourself! You're acting like your mother died! I'm not your friend anymore, big deal! Why does it matter so much to you!?" Sakaeguchi shouted, confused and guilty.
"Because you were more than a friend to me, Sakaeguchi-kun. You were a close friend. I really had so much fun with you. It was nice to feel wanted, I guess. It felt nice to have someone take an interest in me. To have attention. I'm sorry that I'm not who you wanted me to be. But this is who I am."
Sakaeguchi pulled his hair and turned, walking away from Daisuke without another word. Without a backward glance. Daisuke just made no sense to him at all and he didn't like being confused. He had a lot to think about.
And Daisuke realized then, while his heart was lying in tatters at his feet and his stomach was dropping, that he loved Sakaeguchi Yuuto. He loved that brown haired boy and wanted to be with him. How ironic.
…
A low growl and a soft moan ended what they had started. He pulled away, panting, and got to his feet, leaving her lying there, smiling and satisfied. He reached for his jeans and slid them on, grabbing his smokes along the way. He ran his pale fingers through his black hair and lit one up, walking over to his window.
The pink haired girl sighed and brushed her sweat soaked hair out of her face so she could look at the Sex God in front of her. She chewed her bottom lip as she looked over his shirtless body. What a man! Sakura wrapped the bed sheet around her naked frame and made her way over to the brooding Uchiha, wrapping her arms around him from behind. "Mmm, that was amazing, Sasuke-kun…" she cooed, rubbing her face against his warm back.
He pulled away from her and stepped back, facing her. "Hn."
She smiled sweetly, taking no mind to the distance he had put between them. "May I ask you something, Sasuke-kun?" she purred, her hands clasped neatly in front of her.
"What?" he snapped, glaring at her as he exhaled a lungful of smoke.
"What do you think about us? Together? We've been seeing each other for a while so I wanted to know your thoughts about us," she asked sweetly, her heart hammering painfully against her chest. She wanted him all to herself. If she could just win him over then she would be the happiest 15-year-old ever!
"There is nothing to say about us," he murmured quietly, turning his gaze out the window. "This is just sex, Sakura. Nothing else."
"Oh," his words were like an icy dagger to her heart. How could he think so? She had been a loyal and dedicated girl to him. Whenever he called, she made herself available. "Well it's just been you and me for a while… don't you feel like we've gotten closer?" she tried feebly.
"No. It's just sex, Sakura. And it's not just you, by the way. You aren't my girlfriend." He snapped, his coal black eyes icy as he stared her down. The black haired teen looked intimidating, standing there shirtless, smoking like the delinquent he was.
"B-but… I thought…" she fisted the sheet in her hands, shaking, feeling like her heart was breaking.
"I don't do the dating thing, Sakura. I'm not interested in being tied down and ordered around by some pushy, lustful girl. Either accept that and stay, or get out, your choice," Sasuke explained, getting annoyed at her persistence. Why do girls do that? Even Karin, who was there, last night, asked if he loved her. What was it with girls and trying to force guys to love them and dedicate themselves to them? And why were most guys stupid enough to do it?
That just wasn't the life Sasuke wanted for himself. He was pro point guard for the Mihoshi Tigers Basketball team. He was the right hand man to the most powerful man in Japan, Orochimaru. He had people at his fingers tips just ready and willing to take orders. Orochimaru was even entrusting him to some secret and dangerous tasks and missions, delegating his business to him. Sasuke didn't have time to waste on trivial things like dating.
Sakura, unwilling to lose out to Karin, held back her tears and emotions. She loved Sasuke and she would do whatever it took to stay by his side. Sasuke couldn't be wasted on someone like that red-headed bitch. So if Sasuke wanted to use her for sex, then that's what she would be here for.
"I'll stay," she whispered, her jade green eyes glued to him as he put out his cigarette in the over flowing ashtray and leaned against the wall.
"Good to know. Now get out, I have shit to do," Sasuke demanded, going to his closet to pick out some clean clothes and a towel.
Sakura sighed and sent away her emotional side that would have been incredibly hurt and broken by that statement and put on her 'It's ok because I love him' side. It even came complete with a smile and a sense of playfulness. "Wanna bang one more time before I go?" she asked in a teasing tone.
A fire lit behind his black eyes and for a moment she couldn't tell if he was angry or excited. But then he tossed all the things in his arms to the floor and moved towards her with a feral grace, pushing her back onto the bed and tearing the bed sheet off from her tiny, lithe body. With a joyful and excited giggle, Sakura participated in the sex with a different personality than what she actually felt.
When they finished again, Sakura managed to leave his presence and his house before she started tearing up and feeling awful. She walked home feeling broken and rejected and yet still with some semblance of hope. Some degree of thought that maybe, one day, if she stuck by him, he would see and he would change and he would love her. The way she loved him. One day.
Sasuke, however, thought very differently. It really was just sex for him. He had a high libido and he felt that having sex regularly helped him exhaust himself so he could sleep better at night. After Sakura left, he had a nice, luke-warm shower to cool down and headed to the kitchen for a late dinner.
That's where he ran into his big brother, Itachi. The older brother was leaning against the sink with a very dissatisfied look on his pale features. "Enjoy yourself, Sasuke?"
"Yeah, I did, actually. I hope she wasn't too loud," Sasuke smirked, rummaging in the fridge.
"Actually, that's not what I had hoped to talk to you about," Itachi growled. "You're changing Sasuke… You're getting into trouble, your grades are dropping and you bring girls home almost every night… What's gotten into you?"
Sasuke shrugged and stood, not taking anything from the fridge. "Nothing. I still go to school, I hang out with my friends… that's about it." He didn't tell Itachi about Orochimaru. He got the feeling that Itachi wouldn't like that and he was right. Itachi wouldn't. Especially if he knew exactly what was going on between the two.
"Sasuke, you haven't been yourself for a while… since you found out our parents were murdered you've just kinda became a different person and it concerns me. This isn't you. You've been smoking, and don't deny it, I've found your smokes in your pants pocket, and you've been having multiple partners… You don't even hang out with me anymore. You're withdrawn and angry. Who got you into this?" Itachi advanced on his little brother, making him press himself against the counter.
"Itachi, I'm fine. Who cares about school anyways? It's not important. And it's none of your business who I sleep with or hang out with," Sasuke defended himself.
Itachi was right in front of him now and they were almost touching they were so close. "Don't give me that bullshit, Sasuke. It is my business as long as I'm your brother! You need to stop all this and go back to school, get your grades back up and stop hanging out with the people influencing you! This behaviour is shameful and disrespectful, Sasuke!"
Sasuke pushed his brother away, "What do you know? You don't know me! You don't know what I think or feel! Fuck off, Itachi! You think you know everything when you don't! I will hang out with who ever I want, when ever I want. And why are you always smothering me?! You act like the girls I fuck! You're all over me, all the time! What's your deal? For once, I feel like I'm in charge of my own life and I'm learning cool things and you always step in and try to stop me! But not this time, Itachi!" he yelled then walked away, back upstairs and slamming the door to his room. He had enough of being here. He needed to get away.
So Sasuke packed an over night bag and left the house, not answering Itachi's confused shouts. It was evening and Sasuke didn't want to take the train so he opted for a taxi. He knew where he was going. He knew where he wanted to go. To the only place where adults didn't bother Sasuke. Orochimaru was the only man Sasuke could rely on.
Once there, he paid for the cab and knocked on the door. It didn't take long for the doorman to open it and admit the teen. The Uchiha only felt slightly bad for intruding on Orochimaru. But it was brief. He knew Orochimaru wouldn't say no to him and would let him stay.
"Ah, Sasuke-kun! Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?" Orochimaru came from his kitchen in a dark purple bathrobe. He looked to be naked underneath.
Sasuke grinned slightly and bowed, "Forgive me for arriving unannounced. I hope you forgive me but my brother and I had a fight and I had no where else to go…"
Orochimaru smirked and sat on his couch, gesturing for the young boy to sit as well. "That is fine, Sasuke-kun. I am delighted to let you stay the night. I hope it wasn't too big of a fight?"
"No, it wasn't. He just likes getting in my business and pretending he knows everything about me. Said you were a bad influence on me." Sasuke sighed, setting his bag down by the chair.
"That's just what big brothers do. I can understand that." The CEO smiled darkly and laced his fingers together in his lap. "Now that you are here though, mind if I talk to you about something?"
"Sure, anything," Sasuke leaned forward eagerly.
"I was wondering if you'd like to intern for me. Of course, you'd still go to school because that's very important… but after school and on the weekends, you could work for me as my assistant. What do you say?" his pallid eyes stared, fixed, on the young Uchiha, gauging his reaction.
Sasuke's black eyes widened and a grin spread over his face. "Really? You'd take me on?"
"Of course. I see the potential you have. I'd like you to learn from me so you can maybe even one day be my successor. I need more men like you!" That's it… that's all it took to convince Sasuke to sign his life away to the cruellest, sickest, most disturbing man in Japan.
…
A month later, just after their winter break, Daisuke was walking through the hallways to the washroom during class. He was having a particularly bad day that day. He had failed another test and his teachers and principle were threatening to expel him due to his poor grades. He didn't know how he was going to tell his parents. They were already stretched thin and he didn't want to add to their burden but he just couldn't make himself get out of this slump he was in. What was he to do?
Entering the washroom, he looked up with his muddy brown eyes and suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. There at the sink, washing his hands was Sakaeguchi. Since last month when Sakaeguchi had yelled and walked off and Dai had realized he loved the boy, the two had been avoiding each other like the plague.
But now here was a completely unavoidable situation. So, as casually as he could, Daisuke walked in without looking at the other boy or acknowledging that he was there.
Sakaeguchi was equally awkward. He had tried to think things through about Daisuke but he just kept going round in circles and he didn't know what to do. So he did what all kids do when they are confused; he ignored the problem.
In hindsight, that probably made it much, much worse but he was 15. What did he know? But he had rudely walked away and treated Daisuke like shit and ignored the poor boy. Yuuto hated seeing Daisuke so depressed and run down all the time and knowing that it was because of him.
"Uh… hey…" Yuuto murmured, drying his hands with some paper towel. He also felt bad for quitting the baseball team and leaving Daisuke to find someone else to replace him with no notice.
Daisuke tensed but nodded as he went to the urinal. "Hey…"
"Look, it's weird to talk to someone while they are going so can I talk to you first?" Sakaeguchi flushed lightly and looked away.
"Of course," the green haired boy answered, turning to face Sakaeguchi with dull eyes.
"Uhm… y-you found a replacement for me on the team, right?" Yuuto asked guiltily.
"Yeah. Hanai Azusa-kun has taken second base and we also added Oki Kazutoshi-kun as first baseman."
"Right… do you… uhm… would it be too much trouble for me to ask to be on the team again?" Yuuto murmured, feeling extremely nervous.
"Why?" Dai asked, curious.
"Well the Season is over so there's time for me to retrain and get back into it. And I really miss it. I miss playing with the guys and having fun… I'd really like to have that back if you have room for me," Yuuto sighed, looking away. After the way he had been treating Dai, he really didn't expect a positive answer. It was worth a try though.
"Yeah, ok. We have room for you. We are going to be losing a few who are transferring to different schools at the end of the year so we will need a few more people. The only ones staying are Naruto, Ryder, me, Hanai, Oki, and you as far as I'm aware. So you can join and have your old position and number back. Hanai will be Right Fielder." Daisuke relented, though he wouldn't really have argued against it anyways.
"Really?" Yuuto asked in shock.
"Yeah. You're a good player. It would be irresponsible of me as Team Captain to refuse a good player," Dai said slowly, emphasizing the fact that he was doing this for the team and because he was Captain. Maybe if Sakaeguchi thought it was just for the team, he wouldn't feel so awkward about it.
"Oh, great. Thank you, Kazumi-Kun… I won't let you down. When is the next practise?"
"Next week, Friday after school in the diamonds."
"I'll see you there!" Yuuto grinned widely, excitedly, and left the bathroom so Dai could go.
Daisuke was left standing there for a moment, thinking about what just happened. Then he smiled and did his business before walking back to class with a light spring in his step and a new found spark in his eyes.
…
A few days later, at lunch, Naruto, Daisuke and Kiba were sitting together joking about something or other when Ryder came bouncing up with a huge grin plastered over her face. "Guys! You will never guess what I just found out!" She sat down beside Naruto and nudged his arm.
"You're dating a guy?" Naruto suggested.
"No."
"You're dating a girl?" Kiba added.
"No!"
"You've got an A in Math?" Daisuke teased with a smirk.
Ryder glared at them all, not impressed by their jokes. "No."
"You've decided you like skirts and girly things?"
"No."
"You saw the teacher crying in the bathroom again?"
"No," Ryder sighed, getting frustrated.
"You kissed Kiba and you liked it?" Naruto grinned, his bright blue eyes alight with knowing.
Ryder flushed, "I told that bastard not to say anything!" she glared daggers at Kiba who just grinned sheepishly and shrugged.
Daisuke and Naruto burst into a fit of laughter. It was so much fun teasing Ryder.
"That's not what I had to say!" the tomboy fumed. "I was going to say that I found out Yamanaka Ino, the one I went to the festival with? She is dating that fatso, Akimichi Chouji!" she started giggling to herself. "Isn't that hilarious?"
Daisuke, Naruto and Kiba started chuckling with her. Indeed, it was quite hilarious. Yamanaka Ino, the beauty queen and princess of the school was dating a middle-class fat kid like Chouji? She must be really depressed or trying way too hard.
"It's just sad," Daisuke sniggered. "She must be desperate."
"It's like after you dumped her, she just fell apart!" Naruto teased.
"Izumi Ryder!" a shrill screech sounded through the lunchroom.
Ryder paled and frowned, turning to see who called her name. It was none other than Yamanaka Ino, storming towards her. Ino had murder in her pale blue eyes. Ryder stood and turned to face the advancing harpy.
"You insult me, that is one thing! But I will not have you insulting my boyfriend!" she trilled. Ino marched right up to Ryder and, though Ino was a few inches shorter than the tall tomboy, she did not seem to notice. "You broke my heart, Izumi-kun but I've gotten over that but don't go projecting your anger towards innocent people!" she growled dangerously.
Ryder looked around the cafeteria and noticed that all heads were turned in their direction. She swallowed and looked back down at Ino awkwardly. "Uh…" A resounding slap sounded as Ino's palm met Ryder's face, stunning the girl into silence.
"Save it, Izumi! I don't want to hear anything out of your mouth!" Ino was now starting to turn to tears. Ino's blue eyes locked onto Ryder's lips and Ryder held very still, unsure of the frame of mind Ino was in or if any more blows would be dealt.
In more of a whisper, Ino finally looked away and added, "I would have been the happiest girl in the world, being with you…" then she looked up into Ryder's wide, green eyes, "I guess I wasn't good enough for you." Then she turned and left Ryder standing there, paralyzed in shock and confusion with a stinging cheek.
"What..?" she turned back to the guys who looked just as dumb struck as she felt. "Anyone want to explain what just happened?" They shook their heads, just as confused as she. "Teenagers," she sighed, moving to sit back down.
But a light tap on her arm stopped her. She looked down into hazel eyes. This girl had a cute round face, pink lips and long, wavy chocolate brown hair pinned back by blue and green barrettes. She was fairly short and very curvy, even under her school uniform Ryder could see that the girl had very large breasts, wide hips and shapely thighs. In Grade 9 too judging by the blue bow around her neck. Pretty drool-worthy if you asked any guy in the room.
"C-can I help you?" Ryder asked, a little unnerved.
"Uhm… I don't normally do this but…uhm… please accept this?" she offered, her voice soft and light and unsure. She held out a little envelope with Ryder's name written in beautiful calligraphy on the front.
"Thanks," Ryder murmured, taking the little envelope that fit neatly into her calloused palm. The girl flushed slightly and bowed politely before taking off down the hallway. Ryder stared after her for a moment, a little star struck. Then she turned and sat down with her friends again who were staring at her, open mouthed. Kiba was glaring a bit.
"What?" she asked.
Naruto cried out in frustration, pulling at his hair a bit. "Only you could have a girl slap you and yell at you then another girl give you a love letter within a 5 minute span!" he groaned.
Daisuke only chuckled and shook his head. "You really were born in the wrong body, weren't you?"
Then Ryder started thinking and staring at the tiny little note folded neatly in her hand. Was she born in the wrong body? She touched her cheek gingerly then looked at the hallway where the cute girl had gone through. Was she playing boy too much and confusing herself? Or was there something wrong with her?
"Ryder? Earth to Ryder!" Naruto's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Hmm?"
"What does the note say?" he pressed, his gorgeous blue eyes twinkling.
Ryder looked down at the note in her hands and opened it slowly, feeling nervous. The silver haired child pulled it out, unfolded it and slowly read it out loud:
'Izumi Ryder,
I am Hotaru Moriko. I don't do this often, actually I never do this, but I am afraid I am very shy and have a hard time talking face to face with new people.
I have seen you in a few of my classes and I have been to a few of your baseball games. I admire the way you interact with your friends and I am envious of you. You have a gift, Izumi-kun. I can't help but get the feeling that you and I would be great friends.
This probably comes off as a little creepy and I do apologize for that. Again, I just don't know how to talk to people really well. Though I would like to talk to you and get to know you a little better. Please meet me after school today by the picnic tables if you'd like.
Sincerely,
Hotaru Moriko'
Ryder looked back up at her friends and flushed when she saw their mischievously grinning faces.
"Well?" Kiba prodded.
"Well what?" Ryder shrank back from their gazes.
"Are you gonna go meet her?" Naruto asked eagerly, leaning forward.
"I-I dunno… do you think I should?" she asked self consciously, looking back down at the note.
"What do you think?" Dai asked, his muddy brown eyes calm and happy.
"W-well… I hardly know her and she would just be another person for me to lie to…" Ryder sighed, folding the note back up and putting it gently back into the little envelope.
"Well you're already lying to the whole school so she already thinks you're a guy. What's the harm in having her as a friend?" Naruto made a good point.
"And she's totally cute," Kiba pointed out.
Ryder blushed and tucked the note into her school bag, "Does that matter?"
"Duh," all three boys said in unison. Apparently, there were some things Ryder still needed to know about being a guy.
…
With the end of Grade 9 came the class field trip to the Hot Springs. All the graduating Grade 9 students from Mihoshi Junior High were sent to the Nemui Inn and Hot Springs for the day to relax and enjoy the end of school before Grade 10 and High School started. Courtesy of Daisuke's family of course.
Which made this trip seem a little awkward for the boy but he wasn't going there to work, only to enjoy the natural Hot Springs with his classmates. The Inn of course was run very traditionally which meant separate changing rooms and separate bath houses and generally meant separate parts of the hot springs too. But because it was a class trip, they took down the partitions and just asked that everyone wear decent bathing suits and no horseplay.
So it was with excitement that all the Grade 9 students piled into the Hot Springs steaming water and quickly separated into their friend groups and took parts of the springs to commune and talk and hang out. Sasuke in his black boy shorts, Suigetsu is his light purple shorts, Juugo in his light blue shorts, Karin in her skimpy dark purple string bikini and Sakura in her equally skimpy emerald string bikini all moved to a far alcove away from a majority of the other students.
Gaara in black shorts and red t-shirt was with Shikamaru in light brown shorts and light green t-shirt and Chouji in green shorts and green shirt. Ino had tagged along for the most part in her purple tank-ini but once they got to the springs, she was off, being a social butterfly.
Naruto was in orange shorts and more than excited to get into the water. It had been quite a while since he had been here at the Inn. Daisuke was in dark green shorts and for the sake of safety had left his glasses back in the change room with his clothes but kept the Band-Aid over his freckled nose to cover the scar there. Hanai and Oki were both wearing black shorts and immediately took to splashing water at each other and swimming around in the middle of the pool around the other students just standing around.
Ryder, trying to keep up her façade, was wearing a pair of Daisuke's shorts, grey ones, and a baggy black t-shirt. She had her breasts bound down with her tensor bandage and dared not stray into the water for fear of her shirt revealing her secret. So she sat on the ledge out of the way and just dipped her legs in.
Sakaeguchi came out of the change rooms with white shorts and slowly meandered into the water, looking extremely uncomfortable and embarrassed to be back here at the Inn after what he had found out.
Kiba was wearing brown shorts and splashed around with Naruto and Daisuke for a while then ended up chasing Hanai and Oki around the springs.
And Ryders' new friend, Hotaru Moriko, just stood near the ledge of the springs, immersed only to her waist in the hot water in her one piece bathing suit. It was a dark blue with a bikini-like top that tied around the neck and bikini bottoms, attached by a thin strip of material over her fit stomach, leaving her back and sides fully open. Modest and yet sexy at the same time. Ryder liked that. And so did most of the guys.
Hinata also joined in the fun with Naruto and the boys in a lavender one piece bathing suit. That is, until Naruto spotted Gaara and left the fun to go talk to the mysterious red-head, leaving the shy and disappointed girl behind. "Hey!" Naruto called out to his homeroom desk buddy.
Gaara looked around and saw the blonde moving towards him and flushed almost instantly. He had told Shikamaru and Chouji about Naruto and all the flirty, teasing jokes they made towards each other but they hadn't officially met yet because Naruto and Gaara rarely talked outside of Home Room. "Hey," Gaara murmured and smiled gently.
"What're you wearing a t-shirt for? These are hot springs!" Naruto teased as he came closer, winking his mischievous blue eye.
Gaara flushed darker and shrugged, "I don't like showing off, unlike some people," he teased back. Though he wouldn't admit it, Gaara really did like Naruto and was quite jealous of the way Naruto carried himself. He was always so confident and bright and friendly. Not to mention the great body the teen had!
A chuckle escaped Naruto and he nodded back towards Daisuke and their playful group, "You guys want to join us? You look lonely over here by yourselves." It didn't escape Gaara's attention that Naruto included the silent Shikamaru and Chouji behind him.
Shikamaru finally piped up, "If it's not too much trouble, sure." Gaara had to glance back and stare at Shikamaru. Since when did Shikamaru agree to anything if it was effort?
"Not at all! Come on!" Naruto smiled brightly and immediately headed back to his rambunctious group.
Gaara followed with Chouji and Shikamaru. Shikamaru, beside Gaara, murmured quietly so only Gaara could hear, "I see why you like him."
The red-head flushed darkly and elbowed his friend gently. Reaching the group, Gaara, Shikamaru and Chouji all got their formal introductions to the gang. Mostly in passing because most of them were still horsing around. Though, when introduced to Daisuke, a small spark of recognition passed between them.
"You're Shikkari Gaara? Son of Jirou and Karura?" Daisuke asked eagerly.
"Yeah."
"I remember you! From your Mother's rock gardening! Karura-San was famous for her work!" Daisuke grinned.
Naruto raised a golden eyebrow, confused. "You two know each other?" Little Hinata was slowly trying to make her way back to Naruto.
"Well, not overly. We met back when his Mother was teaching Rock Gardening so he and I hung out during those sessions because my Mom was into it. Until the accident, anyways." Daisuke explained, his brown eyes sad, thinking of the memory.
"What accident?" Naruto asked curiously, looking at Gaara.
The red-head shrugged, "They died."
"Oh, I'm so sorry. My parents died when I was 5 so I understand," Naruto frowned. "The tunnel collapsed on the train they were in and crushed them to death on Valentine's Day." Though he didn't say that he thought, no, he knew that it was murder. Not a freak accident. This wasn't the time or the place.
Gaara looked at Naruto immediately, his green eyes wide, "My parents died on that train too."
"Really?" Naruto asked incredulously. Hinata was forgotten again as Naruto and Gaara delved into a deep conversation, the old memories of the Police Station coming into play. Shikamaru added to the conversation, adding that the famous Uchiha's, detectives, were killed then too. How odd, the chances that all 3 kids parents were killed on that train.
Kiba, though, took this opportunity to slide in next to quiet, sad Hinata and start a conversation with her.
While the conversation carried on between Gaara, Naruto, Shikamaru and Chouji, Ryder found herself a little left out. She pushed her silver hair out of her face and looked around the springs, observing the people mulling around. She spotted Moriko just a little ways down, her bare back facing Ryder as she spoke with a few boys.
Ryder couldn't help it. She felt her green eyes slide down Moriko's body. From her long wavy hair tied up and pinned on top of her head, her soft, round shoulders, her curvy, flawless back, her full bum, and down those curvy legs to where the water obscured them. The tomboy blushed and looked away, feeling guilty.
Her embarrassment was short lived however and quickly replaced with shock when playful Hanai and Oki pulled her into the water with a yelp of shock and a big splash. The two boys laughed and splashed and tugged and pushed but Ryder was too terrified to fight back. She kept herself immersed in the water as she moved towards Daisuke, ignoring the taunts from her school-mates. Was her tensor bandage showing? Could anyone see the slight curve of her chest through her now wet and sticking t-shirt?
"Daisuke! Daisuke!" she nudged him urgently away from his conversation. "Dai!" she pinched him.
"Ouch! What, Ryder?" he snapped, looking at his soaked friend.
"Is my bandage showing?" she whispered and slowly standing up out of the water.
"No. Not at all. I don't know how many times I need to tell you, you don't have boobs!" he sighed and turned back to the conversation he was having.
Feeling relieved, and not at all insulted, Ryder then turned a vengeful look on Hanai and Oki. The boys immediately started trying to swim away from her murderous stare. But Ryder was too fast. They both went under, with the help of Ryders strong hands, not knowing that she was under watchful and knowing hazel eyes.
And amongst all this chaos and chatter, there sat Yuuto, alone, across the springs from Daisuke and his big group of friends. Since he had asked Daisuke to rejoin the team, Daisuke had changed drastically. He had become happier; more involved and walked a little taller. Even going out and joking with his friends more often. He wasn't seen walking the hallways with his head down, practically a ghost.
He was happy about that. He really was. It was hurting him to see Daisuke act that way just because of him. Though he couldn't quite understand why Daisuke was that hurt by his actions. Though, whatever the reason, Yuuto was happy to see Daisuke slowly getting back to his old normal self. Even his grades were getting back up.
He watched Daisuke for a little while, laughing and interacting with his friends before deciding to go over there and make some conversation. Maybe try and get this slump out of the way and forgotten in the past. He tried to ignore the fact that the last time he was here, he had kissed and loved and asked Delilah out on a date. That information and the feelings attached now had different meaning.
"Hey," he said quietly to Daisuke, trying to keep eye contact.
Daisuke immediately turned his attention to Yuuto and smiled gently. "Hey! Are you having fun?"
"Yeah. Kind of. Would it be ok if I joined you guys?" he asked timidly, looking around at the boisterous group.
"Yes, of course!" Daisuke grinned, moving over a little on the seats to make room for Yuuto to sit. He ignored the painful, excited throbbing of his heart as Yuuto sat next him and smiled nervously. He would never again make Yuuto feel uncomfortable or nervous around him so he would push away everything he felt and wanted to say. A friend was fine. Friends could work.
At least until Yuuto could admit he was ready for more.
…
Woohoo! Another drama filled chapter. There is just something oddly attractive about writing angst and depression and drama. It's deliciously exciting. I'm twisted, I know. Any who, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. THE LONGEST CHAPTER EVER! OMG!
Seriously… no joke… 20 pages… you guys better appreciate how much hard work I put into this! Hahaha, just kidding! But no, really, you better…
As always, special thanks goes to Bubblez… this story just wouldn't be the same without him and his wonderful help and input. He is definitely my Partner In Crime.
Please READ & REVIEW! I would love to hear what you guys think about everything that's going on and what you think of the story in general.
All my love,
TLC