AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry any one who reads this! I know I took forever to update. I finally got my five reviews and would love to thank everyone who reviewed. I love how this chapter came out and I'm glad I didn't rush it like I had originally planned. Also thank you to everyone who voted on my poll. I actually decided that Karin should stay as quarterback and I only got two poll voters but it doesn't matter. The next chapter, which I haven't even planned out yet, will be out maybe in a few days. Also I know that no one will read this chapter until I post chapter four and five because it won't seem like I updated at all to this website.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Eyeshield 21. I don't own the characters or plot parts I will use in the later future. I also don't own Greenery Day, it's a real holiday that is celebrated in Japan on April 26th of every year. Now on with the story. I don't own Hitomi's last name or brother who should be obvious by now. The romantic scene came from Hana Kaitani.
Previously In Chapter Two:
I was 100% sure that I would tell mother this and make father in trouble.
SPORT'S THAT MADE TAKA CHANGE
By: Soraea
Chapter Three: Walking Home: Socializing
Hitomi Sakuraba's POV
The walk home was no doubt one of the weirdest moments in my life. I generally didn't walk home with a male, lest Taka-san. But I just couldn't say no to Honjou-senshu. I'm just too soft to say no and disagree with someone, except for a few trivial subjects I could stand up and fight for what I believed, well sometimes. I just wish that I could just loose some of my 'innocent' traits. Well my traits were too innocent for my age of twelve and three moths old but just the right amount of innocence for a four or five year old but certainly not a twelve year old.
Taka-san was reading an orange book on catching while my head was lowered looking at the pavement as we steadily walked in a swift pace. Our dirty clothes smothered with patches of mud and grass stains were swayed by the cool, temperate, soothing wind. The night sky was sprinkled with light little stars and a full moon. Tonight was very beautiful and romantic and that is why I had a certain disliking to tonight.
Romance has never been big on me. I've gotten love letters from sweet boys but I reject them all saying that being friends would be better but the boys get too depressed and don't talk to me or if they are cocky they still hit on me or if they take the rejection bad they bully me. The girls think I'm an artificial fake girl who wants all the guys, which is completely wrong. I just want some loyal friends or even some acquaintances, yet no matter how hard I honestly tried I wasn't getting anywhere or even close to anywhere for I was just making enemies not friends.
My right shoulder was becoming extremely painful and unbearable as it was the one supporting my heavy, overloaded, boyish sport's bag. My left hand held a loose hold on my cellphone as we kept walking. I decided that the best option right now was to switch my sport's bag from my right shoulder to my left shoulder before my right shoulder snapped off or I lost all feeling in my right shoulder with the heavy weight of my sport's bag.
I swiftly moved my sport's bag from my right shoulder to my left shoulder, which was closer to the now observant Taka-san. I felt a heated blush rose my pale cheeks and nose. "E-Eh! M-M-My s-sport's b-bag w-was g-g-getting h-heavy s-so I-I'm s-s-switching i-it t-to m-m-my l-left s-shoulder", I whispered unable to make my voice louder with his attention directed entirely on me. I must have sounded quite dumb to Taka-san for I stuttered on every single word like I was mentally disordered and my voice level was just too soft. I gave myself a few mental slaps as I kept muttering in my head, "Great Hitomi-chan. Just great. You keep embarrassing yourself in front of the Honjou's! Now they probably think something's wrong with you even though there is. Just great!"
"………….." Taka-san just kept looking at me and I him. I quickly looked down as another heated blush took over my entire face. I didn't want to repeat the after tryout experience again. It was just too embarrassing. I still felt Taka-san's gaze on me and once I thought about it, it really wasn't as bad as I assumed it would be. He wasn't glaring at me or pitying me. He was just staring at me like he was confused about me and he wanted to maybe figure me out which was sweet considering the fact that most people usually did not want to find out about the real me and my little, surprising, secrets.
A little giggle escaped my lips. Taka-san wasn't going to be able to figure me out without me telling everything about me to him myself. Taka-san just looked even more confused and well I would be lying if I said he didn't look cute, chibi cute. The giggles just kept erupting through me until I was giggling non-stop.
I covered my treacherous mouth with my bony right hand. Taka-san's cheeks were stained with a pale pink as he turned back to look straight ahead and read. I think I just made Taka-san mad. That's not a good situation to get into.
Taka Honjou's POV
Hitomi was giggling out of no where and well it was in a sense, cute. She looked more like a five year old than a twelve year old and it fit her quite well. I knew that my face was probably flushed in a light pink so I turned my head so Hitomi wouldn't be able to see it. I started to read my book on catching.
"I-I-I'm s-sorry, T-T-T-Taka-san", Hitomi shyly whispered from beside me. I turned to look at her and froze to a stop. Her head was hung and she was bowing, quite low. Her hair was acting as a curtain for her ever hidden face.
A sigh escaped my lips before I asked, "For what, Hitomi-san?" I knew that she was going to apologize for giggling.
"I-I'm s-s-sorry f-for g-g-giggling a-at y-you", she apologized as she looked up, a frown was plastered on her face, and a small blush colored on her nose.
"It's okay", I muttered as I started to walk away, not bothering to wait for her.
"T-T-Thank y-you T-T-Taka-san", she said, louder, as her feet scurried along the pavement. I felt her next to me.
Hitomi Sakuraba's POV
Taka-san was so nice, no I couldn't judge his attitude already, forgiving, yes. From the little yet many encounters I've had with him, I can say that his character is very forgiving and patient because to be able to have never lashed out at me you really needed to be patient and forgiving. So when Taka-san forgave me I was more than grateful that he hadn't said anything rude.
Again the next five minutes were quite uneventful and filled with a comfortable, rare because I hardly found any silence comfortable, silence as we kept walking. I looked at the night sky, my hands wrung behind my back as I hummed, quietly of course as not to disturb Taka-san, an Italian lullaby song that my father used to hum to me all the time. It was quite peaceful and went perfectly well with my surroundings.
"What are you humming?" Taka-san's monotone voice inquired.
I felt myself blush slightly, dumb blush, as I whispered, dump voice, "A-A l-l-lullaby."
"It sounds Italian", Taka stated emotionless. It was really strange how he all of a sudden started talking like he couldn't care less about you, whoever he was talking to, when he started sixth grade. It made me wonder if something had happened, because I usually the last informed about the news, to him. I could ask my aunt. Maybe she knew.
"Y-Yes i-i-it i-is", I replied softly as I looked at him.
"Do you like Italian music?" He asked. Curiosity, a very small dose, hidden behind his usually monotone voice.
I nodded my head, not trusting my incredulous voice. I decide to add, "I love Italy." I gave myself a high five as I thought, "Good job Hitomi! Hito-kun you rock! You didn't stutter at all! That's the first time you didn't stutter when directly talking to Taka-san! Now he'll think your at least sane! Wait! Why should I even care? It's just Taka-san!"
"Italy has good books, plays, arts, and classical music." Taka-san once again stated almost in awe, well if you listened close enough you could hear the awe.
"I-I k-know! I-I-It i-is s-so c-c-cool!" I exclaimed. My voice had back stabbed me and reverted to its stuttering tactics.
"There history is amazing as well. The Roman gods and goddess even though they were adopted from the Greeks, was amazing." Taka-san said. He lowered his book so that I could only see his piercing gaze. He eyes almost looked happy, almost being the key word again.
"I-It i-i-is! I l-l-love A-A-Artemis-san a-and A-A-Apollo-san!" I replied. Despite my religion, Evangelistic Christianity, I loved the Roman/Greek gods and goddess and the myths they had to offer. I didn't believe in them but I loved them. It was like enjoying the taste of cake but resisting the taste of the main meal that included vegetables.
"I like them but my favorite has to be Athena. She's brilliant and proves that women can be strong." Taka-san stated as he returned to reading.
"S-She does. I-It's t-truly a-a-amazing", I said in awe, at Taka-san for believing in woman's rights. It was nice to know that he thought of us as equals rather than males being the dominant gender. Sure men were made first but God made us equals.
"Yes. I know. Let's go." Taka-san said as he resumed to his normal self. Normal as in reading his book, forgetting I was in his presence, and talking in a bored tone. He just ended one of the most casual conversations I ever had with anyone that wasn't my family. It felt so good.
I nodded and I'm pretty sure he didn't see it.
The rest of the walk home was uneventful except that I once again switched my sport's bag from my right shoulder to my left then Taka-san grabbed it and muttered something along the lines of 'annoying noise'. He then rested it on his right shoulder. I had muttered 'thank you' and felt a blush take over my face, a violent blush.
Then two minutes after that my aunt called me for the second time today. I told her that Taka-san's dad had wanted to talk to me and it took a while before I could leave.
"You shouldn't be walking home by yourself Hitomi at this time. Do you want me to drive somewhere to pick you up?" My aunt, Kimi's, uncharacteristically, worriedly asked. Her sweet voice sang through the phone to my left ear. Her voice was confident, sure, lovely, brave, soothing, and assuring; nothing like mines. Our voices were as different as Yin and Yang and yet she stilled loved my overly soft voice while I loved her assuring fun voice. Sometimes I wonder how we were related. We were so amazingly different; I quiet, soft, naïve, easily depressed, and friendless while she was perfect, too perfect to describe and it hurt because she was my aunt and it was over bearing to know that I was just a shadow of my aunt; a shadow of all my relatives; a disgrace to all my family; a burden to my aunt; but probably the worse was that I was a pathetic excuse that took the life of a probably great person and while I lived his life I was being the disgrace in the background, the loner, failure, worthless girl and it stung.
"N-No, i-it's o-o-okay", I muttered into the phone. My aunt had always told me that my stutter was normal and extremely cute and she wished that it would never leave me. I had took it quite offensively because my stutter was a bad omen not an innocent blessing. My aunt had then said that she had wished she hadn't lost her stutter when she was younger. I had almost laughed, almost because it was rude to laugh at people, but I couldn't conceal it and covered my mouth to stifle my traitorous giggles. My aunt had smiled and told me she got that a lot. Who wouldn't laugh when one of the most enthusiastic people you would ever know told you that they used to have a bad case of the stutter's when they were younger? I sure couldn't help myself.
"Why are you stuttering, Hitomi? Who's with you? Are you being held against your will? Are you hurt? HITOMI WHERE ARE YOU?" My aunt's loud voice boomed with concern. My hearing was getting damaged. Did my aunt already forget that I had sensitive hearing? She probably did. She always did when I was in some danger or believed I was and it usually was the latter.
"A-Ah! W-W-Well T-T-Taka-san i-is w-walking me h-h-home", I muttered as a small blush painted itself on my cheeks and nose again. Just thinking about letting a guy, who wasn't related to me, walk me home was over bearing for my small belittle heart. My actual cardiac heart was, and has been, thumping hardly against my fragile ribcages. It hurt so much but it just wouldn't pass. If Taka-san heard my heart he had said nothing to me about it. "T-T-Taka-san's f-father a-asked h-h-h-him to!" I exclaimed as an afterthought. I didn't nor wanted my aunt to get any idea's. She already had her suspicions about Taka-san and I for we lived near each other, went to the same school, had all our classes together, and seemed to be interested in the same fads. She had collected all of this information from when we talked to each other at younger ages. We had been fond of each other dearly, no that was too fond of a word, more like friendly, though were have never been friends. We just weren't the two type of people who hit it off and immediately became friends. Nope not with my shy attitude and his loner attitude, not that I wasn't a loner either sometimes. We just didn't hit it off except when we were younger and it was easier to ignore the small problems and school. When you were happy and positive and nothing possibly could go wrong. When you had a secret crush that almost always liked you back. When no one was an outcast and almost everyone got along. Which none of them existed in reality. I was the outcast when I was younger, I had to worry about all problems no matter how small or how big, school was horrible and painful, I crushed a lot of boys dreams, I really didn't get along with anyone, everything could go wrong for me, my positive level was so high that it was past plain sane optimism but I mean my life had never been perfect or close to perfection for me but it could have been better. How? There was always another situation in these type of fairytales; bullies. They were all around us and no matter where you were there sure to be people with a disliking for you.
"Oh. So you and Taka-kun are hitting it off now?" My aunt's sly reply echoed through my phone.
My face heated up and a smile, that made no sense, curled up on my lips. "N-No! H-H-He's only w-w-walking m-me h-h-home!" I exclaimed as I waved my free, right, hand back at fort despite that she couldn't see it.
She giggled through the phone before saying, "I just know you're doing something cute like waving your right hand back and fort even though I can't see it. Your probably blushing heavily too."
My aunt, like most of my close family members, could read my mind and predict what I would probably do. Though they knew a lot about me they didn't know all of me at all and I felt cynical not telling them the other secret parts of me but it was too embarrassing. They would never think of me the same and I wouldn't blame them.
I gave my aunt a 'Hmph' through the phone and she giggled. Laughing about me probably acting cute and all.
"I'll leave you and Taka-kun to your privacy! Bye!" My aunt exclaimed. Every word sounding angelic and young, slightly putting me back into my previous depression.
"E-E-Eh a-aun-" I was cut off by the sound of the phone beeping loudly in my ear. My aunt had just hanged up on me. She wasn't trying to be rude but I just ignored it all together because it was her way of making fun of me which I hardly found funny but then I found a few situations funny.
A sigh erupted through my body and I decided to look at the beautiful sky tonight. I would have to remember this day specifically for it was so beautiful.
The rest of the way back was quiet, sincerely quite, and beautiful. It was amazing. It was actually very easy to be near the usually loner Taka-san. It was even, dare I say, fun. I actually enjoyed it and thought that maybe I should do this with Taka-san some other time. It's nice having someone else who isn't family with me.
The mere thought made me blush in embarrassment and shame, another small smile curled onto my lips, my heart was beating harder against my ribcage, I was elated with happiness, a tingling feeling was churning in the depths of my stomach, my breathing hitched for a second to only resume quicker, I felt nervous not to make Taka-san mad, I felt like I was in heaven, my hands became sweaty, my belittle imaginary heart smiled, the little cracks fixed, and I felt bliss. That only meant one thing. Only one problem would make me feel this way. Only one; I was sick with some new illness. Oh great but I didn't mind the feeling it gave me. I actually loved it so much but I needed to figure out why this only happened when I was forced with Taka-san.
"Were here", Taka-san nonchalantly said as he brought me back to the cruel fate of what we call reality. I didn't mind the fact that Taka-san always talked indifferently around me, actually around everyone minus family, because one of my relatives did that a lot and honestly I didn't mind.
"O-Oh." I mange to stutter on a one word sentence. I looked up to meet Taka-san's gaze. I smiled lightly at Taka-san who really didn't return it but I didn't mind, actually I did, deep inside.
Taka-san gave me back my sport's bag and I shyly smiled.
"T-T-Thank y-y-you T-T-T-Taka-san", I stuttered dumbly again. Taka-san just nodded his head imperturbably as he shut his book with his hand.
"BOOM! BANG! KABOOM! BOOM!" Could be heard from the sky. I jumped in surprise and fear. I never liked loud sounds and or anything that reminded me of thunder noises. They were over bearing and quite simply scary. Fireworks had erupted through the sky in tens. They colored the sky with mostly green but there were flashes of pink and yellow; spring colors. Flowers decorated the night sky dimming the beautiful light of the night stars. The air smelled of smoke and burned objects; it disturbed my sensitive nose a lot. I wrinkled it to try and eliminate the putrid smell from invading my nose; my attempts were futile though as the smell just stayed if anything worsened. The only part of fireworks I enjoyed was watching them light up the sky in their neon bright colors otherwise I disliked everything else, the smell, working them, lighting them, their sound, and the danger involved. So I had to wonder why there were fireworks at this time, fireworks were only used on important national holidays not really for fun.
Today was April 29th and so it made sense. It was Greenery Day. It was okay holiday and probably was one of my favorite holidays if you minus the fireworks.
I stared at Taka-san who was looking up at the neon green sky. His gaze was still impassionate and with held any emotion but he almost looked peaceful. Almost and it was relaxing. It brought a small smile unto my face and I felt the tingling in my stomach, that had recently resided to almost nothing, restart. I felt at peace, despite my fear and discomfort of my current situation, looking at Taka-san's face.
I walked next to Taka-san silently as not to disturb is peaceful expression. When I was extremely close to his face, even though he was taller than me by a huge margin, I tapped his right shoulder.
He turned to look at me. His left eyebrow was arched at our close proximity. I smiled gently and stood on the tip of my toes to kiss, more like a peck, Taka-san's right cheek. He looked surprised and then looked like he was embarrassed.
No One's POV:
"H-H-Happy G-Greenery D-Day, T-T-Taka-san", Hitomi Sakuraba's soft voice whispered to a stunned Taka-san. Her face was engulfed in a blood red blush and she was toying with her hands. She looked down at the pavement as if it was the best creation since chocolate was made, which it wasn't.
"You too", Taka nonchalantly said as he regained his posture.
"T-Thank you a-again", Hitomi muttered as she looked up at Taka. A shy smile adorned her pink lips.
"Whatever", Taka said back though his indifferent façade was cracking a bit as he smiled down at the shorter, petite, fragile, shy girl. Though almost invisible it was still seen by the receiptant.
Hitomi seeing that Taka was responding to her smile, smiled wider and giggled as she bowed.
She scurried to her door in a good mood and unlocked the door with the key she had pulled out of her sport's bag. Her smile never wavering. She unlocked the door and stepped inside to only turn around and wave back at Taka, who was still there, in Hitomi's aunt's drive way.
She waved goodbye at Taka and Taka turned around and started to walk to his, not too far, home as they were neighbors. He put his left hand up as a sign of goodbye to Hitomi.
One thought ran through both twelve year olds; "Something is wrong with my stomach and heart." Though Taka knew what it really meant, Hitomi was, as usual, dense with sweetness and insane optimism.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you for reading and I hope you forgive me for not posting this sooner. This is my favorite chapter and I like how Hitomi is coming off as. Sweet and innocent on the outside and inside yet hiding secrets unknown to her loved ones, cynical. I have great news for any Eyeshield 21 lover like me; there will be an extra chapter that shows what happened to the other characters of Eyeshield 21! It comes out December 2009! I'm so happy because it gives me something to actually live for. If you love any of the Teikou Alexander members as much as I do, which I bet you don't, look out for my Eyeshield 21 stories that will be posted soon. They're all Teikou Alexander encentric. If you want to read the summaries and motivate me to write them go to my profile and scroll down, ignore all the junk about copy and paste, and looking for story ideas for Eyeshield 21. Also if you love Takeru Yamato X Karin Koizomi as much as I do, PM or tell me in your review. Please review. I'm making no more promises about update. I'm going on vacation soon, less than a week from now, and school starts the following week for me and I'm nervous because I hate school but I don't exactly love home either. After this Hitomi won't be so love blinded as I made her. This will probably be the most love struck moment until their sixteen. I'm going to focus on Taka and hope for the best because writing his character is hard. I have a bunch of good ideas and can't wait to type them. Taka will be in love first but Hitomi will be confused about her feelings. They also form a relationship that Hitomi loves with her heart. I know I'm giving out almost the whole storyline but I promise you'll be suprised by what happens. Reveiew please!