Author's Note: This takes place not long after the locker room is built (which means Yukimitsu doesn't really have a position and Taki isn't on the team yet). I made up the article stuff (with the exception of the Joe Montana reference, that's in the manga).
Disclaimer: I am claiming I own nothing!
Summary: Monta realizes that everyone has their own heroes….
A New Understanding
By: Bar-Ohki
Hiruma Youichi was a very controlled, intentional person. Everything he did was deliberate. But even the most controlled and deliberate people have their off days, its only human.
Today the one glitch in Hiruma Youichi's perfectly calculated day was that he forgot to take a towel with him into the showers. That was it, just one damn, fluffy, red towel.
Hiruma poked his head carefully out of the showers and into the locker room to see if there was anyone about. Raimon Tarou, the Devil Bats only real receiver, was in the locker room buttoning up his shirt, almost ready to leave.
"Hey Monta!" Hiruma called to the receiver after a moment's thought.
"Hiruma-sempai?" Raimon turned around, a bit stunned he wasn't being called 'fucking monkey'.
"Open my locker and get me my towel!" Hiruma ordered, making sure to show a lot of fangs.
Raimon was easily able to recognize an unspoken threat when he saw one, and quickly complied. He pulled open Hiruma's locker (which mainly full of weapons of mass destruction, which did not surprise Raimon in the least). At the bottom was a red towel, Raimon grabbed it and carefully maneuvered it out from underneath all of the guns. Soon the towel was free.
Raimon dashed over and put it in Hiruma's waiting hand. Hiruma said nothing and retreated back into the shower to presumably finish what he started. Raimon turned around to close Hiruma's locker when something caught his eye. In the bottom corner of Hiruma's locker's door was a magazine clipping with a photograph of some NFL player, a quarterback if his ball holding stance was anything to go by, and a short article. It had been cut in such a way that Raimon couldn't read most of the article but it said this:
'Growing up, my hero was Flash Gordon. Now my hero is Joe Montana. I know its funny, he's a receiver on my team and all, but he's still my hero. I wouldn't be half the quarterback I am without him!'
Raimon couldn't help but to blink a few times to let the words sink in. During this blinking the words didn't completely sink in and Raimon noticed another photograph tucked behind the magazine clipping. Curiosity (or perhaps it was stupidity, this is Hiruma's stuff we're talking about here) Raimon pulled the picture out to look at it.
It was a picture of him during practice. Raimon had dove to the side and fully extended his body to barely catch the pass. The look on his face was extremely serious and determined. Raimon flipped the picture over and saw two neatly written words:
My Hero
Without another word, Raimon put the picture back and shut Hiruma's locker. He went about pulling on his blazer and tie, packing up the last of his things. By the time he finished Hiruma came out of the shower, dry and shirtless (though not pantless). Hiruma simply raised an eyebrow at him.
"Hiruma-sempai," Raimon began, "can we start practice earlier tomorrow? I want to get stronger."
Hiruma smirked devilishly. "Be here two hours early."
Later on, after the victory against the Nagas, Raimon was sure of one thing: Hiruma Youichi had four pictures in his locker. A picture of a famous quarterback, and pictures of his three heroes: Raimon "Monta" Tarou, Yukimitsu Manabu, and Taki Natsuhiko, the other three fourths of his quarterback skills.
_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_
Please leave a review!