Sorry guys for the long update... A lot has been eating me lately and I'm super stressed. Gladly though, this chapter came out to be better than what I had originally planned, longer also. Though the chatter stops here. I'll be putting more notes at the end so as not to spoil much on anything~
Disclaimer: I do not own Ace of Diamonds nor its characters but some scenes in this fanfic have been taken from the original work and have been slightly altered to fit my own plot.
Makeup
"I'M BORED!" Rina screamed as she kept rolling around in her room like a log. Today was a Sunday which meant that there were no school and no practice. And during a day off like this, it was true that she had the freedom to do whatever she wanted as long as it was nothing strenuous. Though unfortunately for the twin-tailed brunette, she found nothing amusing to do.
The whole morning she tried to keep herself busy. She cleaned her room then studied and did her homework. She also started doing the rehabilitative training regimen her dad sent her. After the exercise, she read a book but dropped it after reading the first few chapters. The girl was in no mood for a romance story even though it was the plot of the only book left in her shelf which she hasn't read.
Rina spent the remainder of the morning moping around in her room until it was lunch time. While the small chatter she had with the third years during lunch made her momentarily forget about the boredom she was currently facing, reality struck back when she returned to her room. She attempted to take a nap this time but to no avail, sleepiness did not visit her.
The brunette took a look at her clock and groaned when she saw the time. It was only two o'clock in the afternoon. Rina then thought of her options. She could go on a jog like she always does when she has nothing better to do but, she felt the temperature today was too hot for her liking. Next option was to go out somewhere and play but a hint of laziness in her body prevented her, furthermore, she had no one to accompany her.
It's been two days since Rina got mad at three certain people for not letting her have a bit of fun and has been ignoring them since then. She inevitably ignored even Haruichi due to always being with Sawamura and Furuya and surprisingly, it actually irritated the pink-haired boy a bit. She did realize that Haruichi's case was her simply being childish and reflects on it.
When she did try to mail each one of them, they all replied that they were busy. And while an angry vein popped on the left side of Rina's forehead, she finally realized the absence of her three friends earlier during lunch. She was so out-of-herself today ttat she did notice. Even if she was ignoring them, she would still take a peek at them every now and then. The thirds years just didn't say anything because they honestly thought the brunette was still angry. Feeling a bit guilty, she didn't send a reply anymore. Instead, she tried mailing Haruno to check if her female friend was free but sadly, the girl said she was out on an errand. Left with her last option, Rina decided to go to Kuramochi's room and have him entertain her with a game or so.
_._._._._
Arriving at the front of the door, she knocked thrice and announced her presence "Hey! It's me Rina. I'm coming in 'kay?" The sight of three boys playing some fighting game welcomed her.
"Hey Rina!" Kuramochi greeted.
"Good afternoon Rina-chan." Kawakami looked back to acknowledge the brunette.
Miyuki was the third person there and when he was going to greet the girl she cut him off.
"Hey there You-chan, Nori-senpai!" A smirk was on her face trying to taunt the bespectacled boy whom she was still slightly angry at. Kuramochi snickered at the treatment his friend was getting while Kawakami was confused. Miyuki opted to remain silent to keep things peaceful.
Rina preceded sitting at Kawakami's right side and asked for a turn to play. Kuramochi gave the controller that was in his hands to the girl. Rina's smirk grew wider when she saw that her opponent was the catcher. As much as she'd like to actually give him a punch, she knows that she'll get into big trouble so at the very least, she wanted to own him in this game.
It was a one-round match. Miyuki dealt in a few blows on Rina's character. Her HP was steadily decreasing. When almost half was depleted, Rina became serious. As Miyuki started to push the buttons for a finishing combo, Rina attacked swiftly, pushing the buttons faster than Miyuki did. She kept attacking with combo after combo while remembering to dodge and block counterattacks. When Miyuki's character had only one-fourth of its HP left, Rina gave it the finishing blow.
"HAHAHAHA! I WON!" She rejoiced, jumping up and down. Miyuki could only sigh in defeat while Kawakami was left dumbfounded on how strong the girl was at the game.
"Rina-chan that was amazing! I didn't expect you to play this game well." Kawakami commented.
"That's why I told a certain someone not to judge a book by its cover." She smugly pointed out directing her words the Miyuki. Kuramochi, who was holding in his laughter since earlier couldn't take it anymore. He fell to the ground and burst out into loud laughter with a finger pointed at his teammate. It earned him a glare from the bespectacled brunet. Miyuki sighed and passed the controller to Kawakami then stood up.
"I'm going to buy some drinks."
"Hey Miyuki, you better come back." Kuramochi tried to threaten him.
"I will. I will." He waved off with his right hand. But just before Miyuki was out the door, Kuramochi had a nice idea pop into his mind. "Wait Miyuki! I'm coming with you." And the green-haired boy scurried off to catch up with his friend.
Rina ignored their whole conversation with her eyes looking distant. Once the two were out of the room Kawakami asked the girl if anything was wrong.
"Nothing's wrong…" she muttered.
_._._._._
While Miyuki was buying drinks for the four of them Kuramochi suddenly spoke "This is so not like you."
Miyuki stiffened at the green-haired boy's words and let out a strained chuckle. Kuramochi continued "I bumped into Rina last Friday night. She told me what happened." The bespectacled brunet blinked in surprise.
"She admits that she overacted a bit."
"Then why is she still mad at us?" Miyuki raised a brow.
"She's just waiting for you guys to apologize, as simple as that." Kuramochi pointed out. Miyuki and the other two were aware of this fact but every time they tried talking to her, she would either give them a death glare or avoid them as fast as she can. Seeing Miyuki's slightly annoyed expression, Kuramochi defended Rina.
"You know how stubborn she can get… but it's not like we can blame her."
_._._._._
"Rina... are you crying?" It was Kuramochi who she encountered.
"You-chan…" She wiped away the tears falling on her cheeks before slapping a forced smile on her face. "We bump into each other a lot don't we?"
In all honesty though, the twin-tailed tennis queen did not want this scenario. It was as if the world was playing a prank on her because every time she was in a weak state, Kuramochi had to stumble upon her.
"What happened?"The shortstop asked. Rina told Kuramochi what happened with Miyuki and the others earlier. Kuramochi felt a bit guilty because he himself tried to stop her.
"After what happened last time you'd think we want another scare coming from you?" was the only reply he could utter back.
"After that incident, can't you guys learn to trust me? Haven't I been behaving myself ever since then? You guys are too protective. Is it because I'm a girl and injured at that? I'm an athlete too damn it! You can't say that you don't understand how I feel. And I've already, bitterly recognized what my weaknesses are so please..." Rina's voice started to rise every time sentences spewed out of her mouth. When she realized that she was letting her emotions get the better of her she apologized. "I… I'm sorry."
Kuramochi started to understand where the girl was coming from. He was a hypocrite if he didn't admit that athletes had their stubborn and egoistical sides, and that he himself had similar traits. Therefore, upon this realization it registered to him that it would be better to stop treating Rina like a damsel in distress and start treating her for what she was worth. After all, she has reached a higher stage than any of them could imagine.
"I'm really sorry You-chan. But can I ask you one last thing?"
"Sure."
"Do you know what it feels like not being able to play the sport you love the most?" The brunette wore a pained expression and it affected Kuramochi a lot more than expected.
"More or less…" he murmured. The memory of his last year in junior high flashed back at him. He remembered that he almost quit baseball and it made quite the impact in his life. He almost turned passive because of it too.
"It's so frustrating and painful. I miss tennis so much. But I already know my limitations so please, at least let me play baseball to distract myself. Let me remember the first sport I loved. And help me stand back up."
_._._._._
Kuramochi's face started to heat up when he remembered what happened two nights ago. But he was snapped back to reality when Miyuki placed one cold can of juice onto his right cheek. A playful smirk made its way onto Miyuki's face, seemingly noticing his friend's slightly odd behavior.
"Alright, alright. I'll apologize. But if she doesn't forgive me, you owe me one." The catcher threatened the shortstop and they both grinned at each other afterwards.
"Miyuki Kazuya!" A loud familiar voice called out the name.
"This voice is?" Turning to their backs they saw the first year trio with a box and a paper bag in their hands. " Geh! Sawamura…" There was a displeased look on the catcher's face.
"Miyuki-senpai, Kuramochi-senpai have you seen Rina?" Haruichi asked.
"We went to her room but it looks like she isn't there." Furuya continued.
"Yeah, she's in our room. Rina's currently playing video games with Kawakami." Kuramochi answered.
"That's great! Well then, let's go." Sawamura rushed to his room with the two walking in tow. Miyuki and Kuramochi also followed suit.
"What's in the box and bag?" Miyuki asked.
"Well, we thought of getting Rina something as an apology for last Friday night. So, we called up Yoshikawa-san to help us pick a few sweets she might like." The pink-haired first year explained.
"We also dropped by the game center then Haruichi got a teddy bear from the crane game. We all decided to give it to her as well." Sawamura added when the other four caught up with him.
"Shouldn't it be you two pitchers who need to make the effort?" Kuramochi pressed his kouhais.
"Sawamura and I paid for the sweets." Furuya told his two senpais, ending the short conversation.
_._._._._
After a short walk, they are now in front of Kuramochi and Sawamura's dorm room. Sawamura slammed the door opened.
"Hey! What took you so long? Did you drop by the comfort room first before buying drinks? Haha!" were Rina's welcoming words. Yet, she fell silent when she saw who was entering the room.
"Guys…" No longer able to take the awkwardness between them, Rina bit her lower lip then took a deep breath. She stood up, faced them seriously then bowed deeply.
"I'm sorry for the other night. I just overreacted. I understand why you guys are worried for me. Last time I really blew things, making myself collapse and knee swell. I should have understood that Kazu-chan was simply being his smart ass self while you two were genuinely worried about my well being." She motioned to her two pitcher friends before giving a look to Haruichi and Kuramochi. "Haru-chan and You-chan as well, I'm sorry I dragged you two into this mess."
"Oi! Oi! Why does it feel like I'm the only one being treated differently here!?" Miyuki demanded. His protests were ignored.
"Nah, it's nothing." Kuramochi shrugged.
"It's okay Rina. In fact, we've got something for you as an apology. Here." Haruichi held out the box he was holding while Furuya held out the paper bag. Rina chose to open the paper bag first.
It was a blue teddy bear with a white ribbon adorned on its neck. Rina's eyes sparkled with excitement and she started giggling like a little girl.
"KYAAA! IT'S SO ADORABLE! THANK YOU!" The twin-tailed brunette spun around with the teddy bear tightly wrapped in her arms. She held it for Kuramochi to see.
"Nori-senpai, look! Isn't it absolutely cute?" The second year just smiled at his kouhai.
"I've decided! I'm gonna call you Sora. Hihi!" She kept raising the bear up then bringing it back in her arms. After a short while, Sawamura presented the box they also had. When Rina saw what the box contained she so delighted.
"It's surprising to know that you guys know my preference in sweets." Rina pointed out.
"We had Yoshikawa-san to help us." Furuya told.
"So Haruno-chan picked these... No wonder. But let me guess, this shortcake is Haru-chan right?" Haruichi blushed and laughed lightly. A finger scratching his left cheek.
A large grin that almost reached from ear to ear was seen on Rina's face. "You guys are far more than forgiven. I so love you!" She squealed, closing the box of heavenly treats in front of her then putting it aside for noe.
"Now that we've all made up, I have a favor to ask you." She sat on Sawamura's bed before continuing with what she had to say. Then she turned to face Miyuki first.
"Kazu-chan, can you help me with my catching? Like giving me pointers and stuff…" Miyuki raised a brow.
"What for? You plan on returning to baseball?"
"Nope, but it's just in case I might need it in the future." All of them were confused but Rina didn't give them any room to ask her further.
"Why me? Why not ask Chris-senpai instead. You're real close already aren't you." Miyuki shrugged.
"Well, that's because a certain someone I know share the same personalities with you when playing on the field." Rina retorted. "But let's put that aside. Can you help me as well Nori-senpai, Ei-chan?"
"Eh? Me too." Kawakami wondered.
"No problem! I like playing baseball with Rina." Sawamura enthusiastically replied.
"Yep. Nori-senpai as well. If I'm going to practice my catching skills then I should have someone's pitches to catch don't I? And it's not just catching that I'll be practicing but batting too. Therefore, Haru-chan I'll be counting on you."
"What's with this all of the sudden Rina?" asked the pink-haired boy.
"Oh, no special reason really. But like I said, I might need it in the future so better practice while I'm here at Seido. Plus, I wouldn't want to waste the glove that my parents sent me. Don't worry cause I'll make sure not to bother you during important times. Just when you're free is enough." The boys weren't quite sure if they should comply with her request. They mean, Rina still hides a lot of things from them and who knows what her real purpose for this is. But fortunately for the girl, she had someone to back her up.
"Just don't push yourself too much. Rei-chan would kill us if you aggravate your injury." Kuramochi stated.
"I will. Just light practices will do really." Rina then looked to Furuya with an apologetic face. "That's why Sacchan, I won't be needing your help this time. Your pitches would be too much for me to handle. Ah, but don't worry cause I'll still be helping you with your stamina roll and studying." While he was disappointed that he couldn't help Rina train, Furuya was satisfied with the fact that the girl will still help him.
Everyone nodded in agreement making the girl smile even more. "Well then, who wants to fight me in this video game? I'm pretty strong you know."
_._._._._
"Today ended pretty well." She smiled softly. "Now to get you settled in my room, Sora."
Back at her room as Rina was preparing to sleep already. She placed her new teddy bear on the left side of her bed. Beside the precious brown teddy bear she had since she was a kid. She held on to both tightly and bid them a good night before her consciousness faded into dream land.
What can you say about this chapter? I tried recalling all the frustrations I had when I was in a slump then tried placing those feelings in Rina's case and voila... this had been the result. So if this chapter is painted with a roller coaster of emotions and you're slightly confused. I sincerely apologize. m(_)m
Oh! And I referenced Kuramochi's backstory then I used the drama track in the Final Victory single to come up with this chapter. Kudos to those who can recognize ;)
Additionally, I do wish you guys would give me reviews so that I know where I need to improve on... please~ I'll give you a lollipop ;) Haha! Anyways, a few more chapters and I'll be having an important announcement so till next time, see you~! :DDD