Ah finally starting to get into the swing of things at work. So hopefully updates will be back to their usual two week time frame. But I will save small talk for later cause I know those that I left hanging last time are eager to get on with things.

~*Gathering Courage*~

Lily bit back a cry of pain as she yanked her glove off. Shaking her hand out as she fought back the urge to cuss Tonya out for the harder than usual fastball. She knew the girl was still fuming about what had happened a few nights ago. The brunette was just venting her pent up frustration before the game Lily sighed as she tossed the ball back. Finally getting feeling back in her hand as she put her mitt back on. Ready for the harder than normal pitches as Tonya wound up and let them fly. Recalling the events up till now perfectly.

It had been a few days since Miyuki had kissed her. After recovering from the initial shock, Tonya had chased after Miyuki. Already knowing she'd moved much too late. She'd checked the entire grounds but couldn't find him. She'd headed back inside to see all the Seido boys still sitting there. Figuring Miyuki just needed some space, she calmed herself down and sent out a txt. Telling him to contact her asap. Leaving things at that as she finished up with the café. A few hours later though, there was still nothing. It had been then that Kuramochi had noticed the catcher was missing. He'd gone to ask Tonya where he'd gone, only to find her freaking out slightly with her friends trying to calm her down. Unable to keep quiet for fear of going crazy with worry, Tonya told them what had happened. Swearing them all to secrecy afterwards. The short stop had promised to report back to Tonya if he found out anything. Thankfully Miyuki had gone back to Seido that night. But that was the only good piece of news the girl had received.

Since that incident, Miyuki had begun ignoring Tonya. Refusing to answer her txts, her calls, or even see her when she came by. She'd wanted to lay into Miyuki for what he was doing. For how childish he was acting. Luck was on his side though since the first round of nationals was starting. Meaning that she had to focus all her attention on the game at hand. She could hunt down Miyuki later and make him pay for what he was doing then.

"Hey, you okay?" Lily asked once the two were efficiently warmed up.

"Yeah I'll be fine. Don't worry. Not even that jackass is enough to disturb my play." Tonya growled as she put her game face on.

"Maybe Miyuki-kun will come watch today to try and make up?" Rei tried to offer a ray of hope as she looked to her senpai. Watching as the brunette's eyes hardened, her stare able to turn just about anything to ice at the moment.

"Rei, I appreciate the thought. But do me a favor…don't mention him during this game okay? Only one person can stand on the mound. Not two. As pitchers, our minds have to be clear and full of thoughts for ourselves and what we must do for our team. Nothing else, and no one else." Tonya said softly.

After bowing to their opponents, Kitigawa took the field. With their ace standing near the back of the chalk circle. Doing just as she'd told Rei. Blocking all thoughts of Miyuki from her mind. Not wasting another second on someone who was so pathetic as to ignore the girl who he had called his best friend over something so small as a kiss. Just like she had all those times before, the minute her cleats touched the rubber her expression turned cold. Zeroing in on the black mitt across the plate as she let her first warm up pitch fly. Throwing one pitch of each before the first batter was called.

Taking all her pent up rage, Tonya channeled it to her game. Letting it drive her on and help her team rather than hinder them. Striking out the first three batters with no problem as snow began to fall. The girl let out a calming breath as she left the ball on the ground near the plate. Jogging back to her dugout where Rei was already waiting with a warmed up jacket for the girl. Tonya nodded her thanks before sitting down. Enjoying the small break before she had to get up and go bat. Remaining quiet as she looked up at the grey sky.

"You really wanted to get closer huh?" Tonya asked herself. Jumping out of her seat and grabbing a helmet and bat as she headed back out on to the field.

'Tch. She's the great pitcher everyone's been talking about? She doesn't look like much. Besides, she broke once. What's to stop it from happening again?' Third year ace of Shinkyou High thought to herself. Keeping her sights locked on Tonya. Licking her lips as she glanced back to her teammates. All sharing the same look. They were out for blood.

_._._

The city was already preparing for Christmas. Lights were strung up in the park, giving off a warm and bright aura. Kids pointed to the lights gleefully as lovers walked hand and hand. Smiling at each other as they passed by a boy who remained seated on the bench he'd taken up residence on for a good couple hours of now. Miyuki let out a sigh. His warm breath visible in the cold weather. He leaned his head backwards to look up at the clear sky. Closing his eyes as the same images from a few nights ago played through his mind like a song on repeat.

He'd forced Tonya to come with him. He'd confessed. He'd pushed her up against the wall. And then he'd kissed her. Without even thinking about how it may affect things between him and her. All he'd known then was that he'd wanted to claim the girl for his own. To prove that no one but him was allowed to be so close to her. To be intimate with her. To be the only one by her side and not allow anyone else to ever come close to taking his spot.

'So this is what all those love sick girls feel like huh?' Miyuki thought to himself. Having new found respect for all the girls who were constantly confessing to him. 'When I said I wanted us to be closer, this isn't exactly what I had in mind.'

Unlike all those girls who'd confessed to him though, this was more than just a crush. Miyuki highly doubted any of them had ever felt so attached to one person as he did to Tonya. Unbeknownst to him, these feelings had developed. Feelings that he'd never even entertained till now. Miyuki had never been the type to seek human contact for as far as he could remember. He'd always been the first to scoff at the idea of being tied to one person. Especially at such a young age. It always baffled him to hear the guys on the team whine about never having time for a girlfriend. Miyuki couldn't see the appeal. Especially when they had so much going for them in baseball. A girl (or guy for a few of them) would provide nothing but a distraction. Distractions meant that one's mind tended to wander. When the mind wandered, one's focus slips. And if your focus was off, there was no place for you on the field. Yet, here Miyuki was. Filled with thoughts of the girl he'd kissed. The girl he'd held. The girl he wanted so desperately to keep from anyone else. It was then his phone went off in his pocket. Miyuki ignored it as he'd been doing. Not ready to return to Seido yet. Still trying to figure out how these annoying feelings had popped up. Trying to find out what exactly Tonya had done in order to make him feel this way about her.

"Oi, Kazuya!" Miyuki was temporarily freed from his thoughts when Mei came running over to him. Shirakawa and Carlos in tow. All dressed in street clothes. Apparently they had a break that day as well.

"What brings you boys to this part of town?" Miyuki asked. Putting on a mask, betraying nothing of what he was currently feeling.

"We stopped to grab a bite before heading out to some game Narumiya wanted to watch." Carlos explained. Blowing on his hands to warm them up.

"There's something other than baseball that you're interested in?" Miyuki asked in mock surprise.

"Actually it's close to baseball. The softball nationals started today." Mei grinned.

"Supposedly there's a girl they're comparing to Narumiya in skill. He wanted to see for himself." Shirakawa said in that monotone voice of his.

"Oh?" Miyuki had a pretty good idea who they were talking about. They were heading to the very game he was currently skipping out on. Still unable to face Tonya with the flurry of emotions inside himself.

"You wanna join us Kazuya?" Mei asked. While Miyuki didn't mind Carlos, Shirakawa was another story. Plus, there was the matter of his unresolved emotions he still had to deal with.

"Pass. Have fun." The catcher pushed himself off the bench he was currently sitting on. Planning on wandering around some more till he felt it would be safe to return to Seido.

"So what if the girl is as good as they say?" Carlos asked as the three turned to leave Miyuki there.

"Well then I hope she'll be cute. It's not too often I hear about someone who could be my equal. Obviously only someone like that would be worthy of me." Mei snickered. The other two just humoring him. Used to their pitcher's antics by now.

Miyuki felt his blood boil. The idea of Tonya being around any guy other than him made him sick. His mind began conjuring up all kinds of images in his mind. Of Tonya hanging off Mei's arm. Laughing with him, seeking him out when something was wrong, using his shoulder to cry on. Hell, it didn't even have to be Mei. The thought of any other guy sharing the times that they'd shared together angered him. It was then Miyuki got the answer he'd been seeking earlier.

"Fuck….That's right. She didn't do a damn thing." Miyuki grunted. Running his hand over his face.

Tonya had never acted like some girl vying for his attention. How many times had she said the two were one in the same? The two thought alike. She hadn't been trying to gain his affection. She was as serious an athlete as he was. Just as dedicated to her sport and team as he was. From the beginning Tonya had understood his wants. His needs. His desires. His pain. And most of all….his fears. She'd been nothing but patient with him from the start. Reassuring him when he'd needed it. Giving him the swift kick in the ass to get him motivated to do things when required. Always being a source of strength for him while suffering on her own at the same time. It was only recently Miyuki had begun reciprocating those actions for her. Drawing them closer without him even realizing it. A familiar sound chimed in his ears, pulling him from his thoughts. Miyuki's phone was going off again. He knew it would be another message from Kuramochi. Calling him every nasty name he could think of since Miyuki refused to face Tonya. Recalling Kuramochi's words before he'd left that morning.

"She isn't like most girls. If you don't reach out to her, Grey will walk away. Personally, I hope she does. That girl is too good for a coward like you." Kuramochi spat at Miyuki before taking off to go watch Kitigawa that day.

"Damnit. I hate it when he's right." Miyuki growled. Pushing himself off the bench and catching up to Mei's group.

Kuramochi was right. There was no way Tonya would wait around forever. He'd been ignoring her at every turn. She would eventually stop trying altogether. She would cut ties and pretend like he'd never existed. He knew there would be hell to pay once he did see her, but he would chose that over the alternative. Losing the only person who he was able to truly connect with. Miyuki willed the bus to move faster as he stood there impatiently tapping his foot. Checking his watch to see if the game was still on or close to being over yet.

"You're in a hurry to get there. Don't worry we'll still catch most of the game." Mei grinned. Looping an arm around Miyuki's neck.

"Not if they play like they have been." Miyuki knew Kitigawa was one of the odds on favorites to win. If they came out on their game they would reach the stadium too late and Miyuki would miss his chance.

"Have you watched one of the teams playing today before?" Carlos asked. Surprised that Miyuki would pay any other sport any kind of attention.

"I know the pitcher you're going to see." That trademark annoying grin of Miyuki's showed up. "And she's easily on the same level as you, if not better Mei."

Miyuki couldn't help but brag about the girl. Remembering what had first drawn him into this mess to begin with. Her pitching. He loved catching for her, imagining what kind of battery they could become, and what it would be like to call for her in a match. He'd never felt this kind of pull for any other pitcher. Let alone another person. That alone should've been a big clue as to what his feelings were for the girl. As soon as the bus rolled to a stop, Miyuki forced his way off. Hurrying to make sure he didn't miss what he knew was an important game for Tonya. The others hot on his tail. Wondering what Miyuki was so worked up about as they hightailed it up the stairs and into the stadium.

A crack of the bat rang through the stadium, but it was quickly erased by gasps. Miyuki came to a stop at the top of the stairs. Wondering what had just happened as his eyes instantly went to the mound. Seeing black and red on the ground. His once boiling blood went ice cold. Tonya had been hit. True to her nature though, she didn't worry about herself or the pain she felt at the moment. Instead she quickly grabbed the ball that was near her and made the throw from her knees. Getting the runner out just in time. Cheers ringing out soon after as she kept her right eye covered with her hand. Her teammates rushing to get her off the field as the umpire called time. Worried for the girl as well as he jogged over to see if she would need to be rushed off the field or not.

Miyuki looked around, spying Kuramochi and the others all sitting just above the Kitigawa cheering section. All with pissed off looks on their faces. He quickly made his way over to his teammates, Mei and the others following along. Wanting to know why Miyuki was wearing a look of fear and concern on his face as the boy came to a stop by Kuramochi.

"What happened?" Miyuki asked breathlessly. Surprising the rest of Seido as he looked to Kuramochi for answers.

"The ball tipped off her glove and hit her eye." The short stop explained as Miyuki and the others squeezed in above Seido.

"They should throw that girl out. She's been going after Grey-chan since the first inning." Haruichi growled. It was rare to see the pinkette so angry.

"Why don't the umpires do anything?! Can't they see she's targeting Grey-senpai?!" Sawamura hollered. Looking to his teammates for some answers as Chris yanked him back into his seat.

"She's a disgrace to pitchers." Furuya hissed. Eyeballing the third year as she took the mound. Looking mighty pleased with the shot she'd just hit Tonya with.

"Someone mind cluing us in?" Mei asked. A bit annoyed that they all knew something he didn't.

"That pitcher on the mound has been targeting Grey. She's tried to hit her more than once when she's at bat. Not to mention any time she's close to Tonya on the field she tries to aim her hits at her or at a place where she knows Grey will be forced to cover. Then her teammates do their best to injure her. That whole team is playing dirty. Grey has taken five hits alone. And Kitigawa is starting to feel it as well." Kuramochi said softly. His hands clenched into fists.

"Why don't they swap her out with their reserve pitcher?" Carlos asked. Looking over Shinkyou's team

"They tried. But somehow Grey-chan convinced them to keep her in." Kawakami said softly, leaning forward on to his hands. Nothing but respect in his eyes for the girl struggling to keep herself, and her team, going.

Down in the dugout…

"Are you sure you're okay?" The coach and the umpire asked for the umpteenth time.

"I'm fine. I promise." Tonya waved off as Rei held a wad of gauze to the girl's head. The skin on her eyebrow had been split and she was still bleeding.

"Alright then, we'll resume play." The umpire took off. Clearly not happy about Tonya sticking around, but knew he couldn't force her to go get checked out.

"Level with me." The coach sighed as she took over Rei's job.

"Give me one more inning to shut that bitch down. Then you can switch me out." The pitcher snarled. Her eyes flashing dangerously as her coach nodded.

"You heard her ladies! Gloves are off! Let's shut this team down so our stubborn pitcher can drive the final nail in their coffin!" Lily hollered. Rallying the girls as they took their turn at bat.

You'd have thought they'd trained with Yakushi. Slamming hit after hit down Shinkyou's throat. Running up the score board quite a bit. Taking the hits with stride and dishing out a little of their own. Ducking their shoulders when they came around the bases. Sliding hard and not moving their cleats as they normally would. Cleating a few of the fielders in the process. As Lily had said, gloves were off. They were tired of playing nice if their opponents weren't going to do the same. The girls weren't classy enough to win playing by the book. They would take back the blood that had been drawn from them. Showing that they would not lay down just because things got tough. Barley flinching when the pitcher even intentionally hit them.

"How are they still standing? They should be broken by now! All of them!" The pitcher screamed, kicking the bench in the dugout. They'd finally managed to get three outs, but the score was now sitting at 2-8. If they couldn't score this inning they were done.

As if their situation wasn't bad enough, Tonya was back on the mound. Gauze was tapped over her eye, keeping pressure on her wound as she threw to Lily. Once she was satisfied, the brunette turned towards their dugout. Motioning for the one who'd started all of this to come out. Eyes cold as ice as she watched the girl step all the way into the box. The girl gritted her teeth, promising to put an end to Tonya this time for good. The brunette looked past the batter to her catcher. Receiving the okay from Lily as she stood up. Ready for what was to come. Tonya went through her windup. Releasing the ball much harder than anything before. Sending it screaming down the inside. Knowing this was her favorite pitch to throw, the batter stepped hard. Planning to slam the pitch and show the brunette up once and for all. At the last second the ball broke hard. Diving up and into the mask of the batter. Snapping her head back hard and knocking her over.

"Dead ball!" the umpire called.

"Are you okay?" Lily asked as she reached over and helped the batter into a sitting position. Leaning close to the girl so that no one could hear what she had to say next. "Tell me, how's it feel to have a wolf take a bite out of you?"

The catcher giggled sweetly. Motioning to Tonya with her eyes. The batter slowly turned to see a feral smile on Tonya's face. Showing just why she was known as a wolf. In her eyes, the pitcher could see what would happen should she continue to play this dangerous game of chicken with Kitigawa. Tonya would have no problem sending more intention balls at them. Specifically at her. The pitcher stood up, shaking a bit as she did so. Slowly making her way to the dugout as a pinch runner took her spot on the base. Shinkyou heard Tonya loud and clear. Keep up your dirty tricks and you'll be next.

Tonya baited the one girl into hitting a slider, grounding it out to third which allowed the girls to pull an easy double play. After that she struck the last girl out. Cheers ringing out from above as Lily rushed to Tonya's side. Looping an arm around the girl as they headed back to the dugout. The catcher struggled to get her to a bench as Tonya's eyes began to flutter. Resting her head on her friend's shoulder as the rest of the team focused on their job. Ending this game with a run rule.

"Once the car has been brought around you will go to the hospital. No arguments." The coach warned. A proud smile on her face as the pitcher nodded. Wincing a bit from the cold ice pack on her face.

"That's fine. Besides, I know the girls can drive the final nail into their coffin just fine." Tonya giggled. Feeling exhaustion sweep over her body.

_._._

Miyuki dusted the snow off his hair as he entered the hospital. The place was bustling with people constantly coming and going. He checked with the front desk to find out which room Tonya was in. Thanking the receptionist as he headed down the hallway. Pulling the bouquet he'd bought out of his jacket. Star gazer lilies. He knew they were her favorite. They were hard to find this time of year. It'd taken him a few trips to different florists, and had cost him a pretty penny, but it'd be worth it if it would help her to forgive him.

As soon as the game had been called, Miyuki scanned the field for Tonya. He'd wanted to make sure they'd taken her to the hospital instead of letting her tough it out. Upon seeing she was gone, he let out a sigh of relief. Now came the hard part. He ducked out of the stadium before the others could lay into him. Needing to make the necessary preparations before he even attempted to appear before Tonya. He headed off to a flower store first, spending quite a bit of money on a bouquet of stargazer lilies. Next he took off and headed into a Build a Bear and got a special limited time wolf plushie made and had a jersey put on it. Finally he stopped in and got a gift card to her favorite sports store. He just barely had enough for transportation purposes, but he could care less. Heading to the hospital closest to the stadium. Hopping he was right as he entered the building. Luck was with him when the nurse read off the room number and said she was just getting ready to be discharged. Miyuki rushed a thank you as he headed down the hall. Glad that he'd just caught her in time.

"Hello? Oh hey Riko." Miyuki froze upon hearing her voice. Unable to believe he'd forgotten what she'd sounded like during the weeks they'd been apart. Proving once again how much of an idiot he was. "Yeah, I'm fixing to leave now. The director is bringing the car around now and they're going to discharge me once we sign a few papers. No major damage so don't worry."

He couldn't help but smile at her light tone. Count on Tonya to make light of such an ugly hit. He was tempted to peek around the corner just to see that smug grin that he knew was on her face. Instead, he chose to wait and let her finish her conversation. Wanting her full attention when he apologized to her.

"No. Why would he be here?" The tone in her voice instantly changed. It was now one of hate and a touch of longing. "Well he didn't. We haven't spoken in almost two and a half weeks now. Why would he suddenly show his face? Once he makes up his mind, that's it. I was an idiot for holding out for so long. Kazuya doesn't want to see me anymore. And personally I don't want to see him. I'm tired of trying when clearly nothing is going to change."

The boy felt his body grow slack. He heard her loud and clear. She didn't want to see him. She was done waiting for him to man up. Tonya was over him. Miyuki had acted too little too late. He lowered his gaze as he let everything he'd bought drop to the ground. Turning on his heel and heading down the short hallway. A knot forming in his throat as he made his way back out on to the busy street. Snow still falling softly as he headed for the train station to make the journey back to Seido.

'Emotions are nothing but a pain in the ass.' Miyuki thought to himself as he stepped on to the train. Shoving his fist into his pocket as he held on to the pole while the train began to move.

Back at the hospital….

"Huh?" Tonya muttered upon hearing a crumpling sound outside her door.

"You okay?" Riko's voice chimed from the other end of the phone.

"Yeah. I'll call you back." She snapped the phone shut before heading towards the entrance to her room. Poking her head out of the door.

Tonya's eyes locked on to the scattered items on the ground. Wondering who dropped them. She squatted down and picked them up. Her eyes going to the wolf first. It was a small grey one that had a toothy grin with a small baseball jersey on it. The number on the jersey was 2. Tonya turned the wolf back over to see that a small gift card had been slipped into the jersey. It was to her favorite sport's store. And the bouquet was nothing but stargazer lilies. Her favorite flower. She knew they were out of season this time of year and whoever had gotten these must've paid quite a bit. Nestled within the flowers was a card. And it had two words on it.

.:I'm sorry:.

"Was this from…?" Tonya whispered.

It was then her phone went off. She carried the items back inside with her. Placing them on the bed before reaching for her phone. It was a txt from Kuramochi. She swiped her screen on and was surprised by what the txt on the screen said.

'I think the bastard is finally realizing he screwed up. He was at the game today. Nearly had a heart attack when he saw you'd been hit. He might try and come visit you, but I wouldn't hold my breath just yet.'

"Kazuya was here." She groaned. Shaking her head as she flopped over on to the bed. He'd been outside her door. He'd heard everything she'd said. It's the only explanation as to why the gifts had been scattered like they had. He'd finally come to make things right and Tonya had said what she had. "Great. As if things weren't fucked up enough."

Man I love writing these two. I swear they have to be my all time fav pairing I've ever done. Just because they're both so hard headed and stubborn when it comes to admitting their true feelings. And for anyone who thinks Miyuki may be a bit OOC I'm sorry. This is just my take on how I think he'd act if he ever did try to pursue a relationship. I doubt he'd be the easiest person to date lol. Anyways I'll get to work on the next chapter. At the same time I'm also going to work on a Kuroko no Basket story for my friend since I owe her one. Till next time!