My face feels pretty swell after I ice it and take some much needed pain pills. The swelling has gone down a bit, but apparently still needs some serious icing. Unfortunately, my thoughts on drowsy pain pills remain the same. They're a bane to my existence. I struggle to take notes since teachers' voices somehow gain the ability to lull me into a sleepy stupor if I'm not extra careful. I sigh for the umpteenth time during history and give the board a baleful glare. I really need a nap. Seriously. At least I have a doctor's note for P.E., so I can probably sleep during that class, and directly after finishing my lunch.
Apparently the responsibility of keeping me awake and semi-functional during class has fallen onto Daiki's shoulders. There could literally be no worse choice for that matter. Have you seen him? I swear he sleep during each and every minute of class, only to wake up for breaks and snacks. At least he doesn't snore. That would be humiliating. Daiki's having plenty of fun doing this, though. Each time I show signs of sleeping, he tosses a ball of paper at my head or pokes me in the back with a very sharp, very sneaky pencil. Luckily, I was somehow granted a total of five minutes of sleep when the teacher went on a tangent about daimyos or something.
The bell for lunch rings loud enough to wake me out of my path down I-wish-I-was-sleeping lane. The effectiveness of the pain pills had worn off about ten minutes ago, and I don't have an ice pack with me. Daiki stabs me with a pencil when I don't show any signs of movement. "Ouch, Daiki! I get it!" I hiss as students start to file out of the classroom. I get my stuff together and glance back at him. "Where do you want to eat lunch? In here?" Satsuki, who flounces in here without a care in the world, somehow makes our decision.
"Let's eat on the rooftop!" The pinkette says excitedly. I feel a bit surprised that Satsuki would suggest the roof, but it's an interesting idea, so I agree to it. Daiki, apparently, could not care less. I grab my bento and a nasty white pill along with my water bottle before Satsuki practically drags me out the door and up several flights of stairs.
The air is rather blissfully cool up here, but I know that the usual weather will return with a vengeance as summer sets in sooner or later. We take a seat along the fenced rooftop and bicker a bit about why I apparently get the better seat in the corner while Daiki has to "suffer" with the single fence behind him. I offer him no answer and simply open my bento, my mouth already watering. Just as I'm about to eat, Daiki takes away both my food and my chopsticks. "Wha-" My hopes and dreams crumble slightly as I recall the doctor's instructions. "Yeah, yeah, I get it." Down the pill goes, bitter and a little powdery, with a large mouthful of water in its wake. "Food, food, food!" I take back what's mine and start eating.
I get through about half my bento before my stomach decides enough is enough and that this food is too good for me. I consume no more, more than a bit irritated at my upset stomach. Several gulps of water don't help, and I look at my pleading bento sadly. I drop into sleep before I have a chance to try shoving a few more mouthfuls down my throat.
I don't know how much time passes, but apparently it's "enough." Satsuki has to shake me for several minutes to get me to wake up properly. I'm not pleased that my sleep has been disturbed, but I contain my temper since we all know that it's necessary. "You didn't finish your bento." Satsuki notes as I close the scavenged container.
"I lost my appetite. Maybe I should go looking for it." I say with a sigh. I throw the box away with a semi-wistful expression. "Is it time for class?"
"Hm? Yeah, but I can't wake Dai-chan." I blink in surprise.
"Well, he did keep me awake all morning. I can't really say I'm surprised." I reply tiredly. "I don't think either of us will make it through the afternoon." Satsuki smiles at me with her chime-like laughter.
"Might as well wake him up so he can get to class." She responds with an amused smile. We spend another few minutes waking Daiki from his slumber. Daiki's a lot like a panther, I think. He has this aura of a wild animal, this ridiculously intense presence that minimizes mine and everyone else around him. He stretches like a cat, too. Slow and sure and somehow incredibly relaxed, but still predatory in every way possible. I really don't know how it's possible.
"Class already?" He asks drowsily, blue eyes still clouded with sleep.
"Yep." I reply quietly. "Up for keeping me awake for another couple hours?" Daiki groans audibly and sighs.
"You should just sleep through class like I do." He says roughly. I sigh.
"Then we'll both fail all our classes and I won't get a job and I'll fail and you'll be responsible for me for the rest of my life that's a big responsibility you up for it?" The words all come out in a big rush. I would never knowingly say something like this. "Wow, meds really pack a punch." I say hurriedly. "Better get to class!" Satsuki disappeared the moment Daiki started stretching, so it's just us on the rooftop. Daiki stares at me openly and shamelessly for a few minutes.
Our staring contest lasts until the warning bell, when we both jump with a start and fly down the halls into our seats. Now that everything is more settled, my face reddens slightly at the words that somehow slipped from my mouth earlier. How could I say that?
The rest of the day passes with Daiki poking me awake and my notes switching from Japanese to English so it's easier for me to write. My phone explodes to life, vibrating furiously the moment the teacher leaves the room, so I'm saved that tragedy. I answer it on my way down to the gym. "Hello?"
"Do... you speak English?" I frown intensely.
"Yes. Who is this?" Satsuki, who is directly beside me as I open the doors to the gym, frowns up a storm at my rough voice.
"Ah. It's... It's me." The nervous male voice on the other end of the phone doesn't sound familiar.
"Could you be more specific?" I reply, a scowl marring my face. "I don't recognize your voice or your number."
"I suppose it's been a while. My name's Josh." I stiffen with remarkable speed.
"Josh. It's been a couple years." Satsuki comes to interrupt me, but I hold a hand up. "What do you want?"
"Your friend, the redhead, gave me this number after I asked him for it. I heard about what you did- how do you think we felt when we learned about that?" I leave the gym immediately, heading for a courtyard.
"What I did? What is that, exactly?" Poison drips from my tongue as I shift my weight.
"You suddenly decided to stay in Japan, forever! Your family's been going on and on about how you won't speak to them and how your change of heart was so sudden. Honestly, why would you ever leave this place for Japan?" I choke on my anger.
"If you'll bother listening to me, you'll know that I didn't choose to do so. I was suddenly mailed something about renouncement of citizenship and being disowned. I have nothing to do with that group of people over where you are."
"You're lying..."
"I'm not." My lip curls in disgust. "Goodbye, Josh." I hang up before the boy has another chance to say something that'll irritate me further and walk back to the gym back as calmly as I can.
"Who was that?" Satsuki asks curiously as I slip my phone into my backpack. I almost don't answer the cheerful pinkette.
"That was Josh." I reply easily. "The one who visited in my second year at Teiko." Her eyes widen slightly.
"Oh. What did he want from you?" My lip curls in disgust once more.
"Nothing important." I reply flatly. "He just wanted to say hello." Satsuki gives me an uncertain frown before she sighs.
"You don't have to be here, if you don't want to." She says calmly. I smile slightly.
"I wouldn't show up for something I could avoid." I reply with a softening expression. "I don't mind showing up to practice. I'm just unhappy that I can't practice properly." There are many more things that I'm unhappy about, but now is not the time to dwell on them. I'll save that for late nights and takeout when I can't escape myself.
There's this raised edge to the gym, hinting that it doubles as an auditorium or at least as something for storage. That's where I make my new abode, doing a bit of homework while I keep my eye on practice. I'd take basketball over homework any day. The boys take a break halfway through practice and get something to eat or drink. I continue working on my homework for a few minutes more.
Eventually, I put the schoolwork away and take out an especially squishy softball, throwing it easily against the wall well above Sakurai's head and catching it casually as it bounces back to me. "The softball team was really disappointed." Satsuki says as she sits beside me. "Said you were wasting your talent." I smile wanly.
"I dislike conflicts in my schedule. That would require me to prioritize." Imayoshi stifles laughter beside Sakurai as I raise an eyebrow at him threateningly. "Besides, they'd have to move around existing players and give me control of most team plays. Both the coaches and the players would dislike that."
"Oh?" Satsuki says. I nod.
"I'm a first year and a foreigner. It would hurt their flimsy pride." I grind out. "Plus, I can't say I miss getting injured every game. I could do without dislocating joints and getting bruised and cut by idiots who can't see beyond the next play." Satsuki frowns.
"Sometimes you really remind me of Aomine." I toss a smirk in the pinkette's direction.
"What Daiki is in basketball, I am in softball. It's just the way things are." I reply flatly, continuing to toss and catch. "I learned to play right handed after a few years."
"I thought you were right handed." Satsuki says with a rather serious frown. I toss the ball with my left hand, catching it just as easily despite the doubled speed.
"I'm right handed when I want to be. I like being a lefty more, but then things get easy."
"That explains why you always look like you're going to eat left handed." Daiki says, stealing some squid-shaped sausage from Sakurai's bento.
"Don't take other peoples' food." I reply flatly, throwing the ball at him left handed. The bluenette barely manages to duck in time. I catch the ball again and resume my previous routine. "If you keep staring, I'll guarantee you'll get hit this time. I never miss." Daiki and I lock gazes for a few tense moments before he huffs and glances away. I go back to throwing.
Wakamatsu must really have some sort of death wish. He goes directly from being relaxed to lecturing Daiki in less than a minute. I'm surprised he doesn't get Daiki's reasoning, but the blond did strike me as a bit slow. "Violence is unnecessary here." I say coolly as Wakamatsu receives a knee to the gut. "Cut that out, Daiki. He's your teammate." My softball pegs the bluenette squarely in the back of the head before bouncing back. I get a glare in return.
"I don't need teammates." He snarls.
"Well you have them anyway. Happy birthday, merry Christmas, happy new year, Valentines Day, Easter, and Fourth of July." I reply frostily. "People are not here to be abused."
"I always hated it when you used eyes like his." Daiki grumbles. "That one's an Emperor, but you're a demon." An unhappy, rather angry smirk cuts across my face to hide the way I almost wince.
"Go elsewhere before I really lose my temper." I say with a glare. "Don't abuse other human beings." A wicked grin threatens to cut across my face once more as I continue bouncing my softball. "Besides, it's not like I don't understand your point. I feel the same way." Daiki and I exchange knowing looks before I go back to bouncing a bit faster. "I'm hungry."
My swift change in moods used to throw Daiki off, but he's come to just accept them. Apparently I go from Wow-I-want-cuddles-and-hugs-and-food to I-am-the-dark-lord-Satan and back pretty rapidly. I don't have the heart to tell him about the third I'm-fangirling-so-hard-right-now that happens when I watch anime. Fortunately, my moods still throw Satsuki off sometimes, and my new teammates. I laugh at their astounded faces and continue bouncing at a relaxed pace.
"It's your fault for not finishing that bento you ate earlier." Daiki snorts, picking up his skin mag. I hadn't noticed it earlier, but I glance away as soon as I do.
"Yeah, well I lost my appetite then. I can't really force myself to eat when I end up sleeping." I reply languidly. "Was it you who finished off that bento?" Daiki shrugs.
"Coulda been Satsuki."
"Satsuki asks."
"Coulda asked. You were sleeping."
"Like hell it was Satsuki!" I reply with pseudo anger. A more genuine cracks across my face slightly as I accidentally release the ball a bit too late. Imayoshi freezes as my softball passes just a hair before his glasses. I laugh slightly before examining Daiki. "You're taking off, right? I'm out of soy sauce and if you could get some beef I'd be suuuuuper grateful!" Daiki raises an eyebrow. "Pretty please?"
"Fine, fine." He says, glancing away. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he looks a bit flushed.
"Oh! Hamburger buns! Pretty pleeeeease! I'll pay you back!" Daiki sighs and walks out. Satsuki looks at me in surprise.
"That was actually rather impressive." Imayoshi says after a few minutes. "I didn't know that was actually humanly possible." I blink.
"What? Getting Daiki to buy things? Nah, that much is easy. The hard part is getting him to wake up in the morning without kicking him off his futon." I reply. Imayoshi stares at me. "He stays over frequently. I don't see how it's surprising." His mouth forms this incredible "O" of astonishment, then of realization.
"Hai-chan, you're way too adjusted to Daiki." Satsuki says pityingly. A strange look suddenly crosses her face and stays there as the pinkette examines me from head to toe. Then she grins wickedly. "I ship it." I blink in surprise.
"Wha- No, no, no, Satsuki! We're seriously only friends! Don't you think I'd know if it was any other way?" I reply hastily as I slide away from the overly clever manager. "Geez..." I rub the back of my neck for a few moments.
"You're incredibly slow on the uptake." Satsuki says with big, pink eyes. My temper flashes across my face.
"I'm fairly intelligent, thank you. This is my third language." I say with great irritation. Satsuki gives me a strange look.
"You're trilingual?" She practically screeches.
"Yes." I reply flatly. "It's been fairly helpful, actually. Also very confusing."
"Wait, if this isn't your second language, what is?" Pink eyes much too close to me.
"Ah, Chinese." I reply, trying to get a bit more personal space. "Mandarin Chinese." Wide pink eyes, unblinking in their examination of me.
"So you're really taking that dream of yours seriously?" She asks easily, leaning back now.
"What's the use in having it if I don't have something to chase after?" I reply flatly. "It isn't supposed to be impossible, you know. It just takes a lot of hard work."
"I think your academics are making your understanding of relationships and flirting suffer terribly." Satsuki says as the rest of the team gets back to practice. I raise an eyebrow in mock amusement. "You really don't get it." I roll my eyes once more and stretch.
"Tell me about the next practice game, Satsuki. I'm interested. Who might we be playing?" For once, Satsuki is rather unhappy in her response.
"Before you say anything, know that I tried my hardest to get us out of it. In the end, it wasn't my choice." My eyes narrow in suspicion. I have a faint idea of whom we might be playing, and if I'm correct, it'll be messy.
"It's them, isn't it?" I reply flatly, trying to control my tone so Satsuki doesn't think my anger is directed at her. The pinkette only nods miserably. I sigh loudly, blowing my bangs out of my eyes. "That's really unfortunate."
"Yeah." She says dejectedly. I clap my hands together.
"Don't tell Daiki we're playing." I say firmly as the coach approaches us. "Let him skip this game. I'll play for him."
"Alex!"
"I'm small, so I can get away faster. You should know better than anyone that I know how to take a beating." I reply evenly. "I can handle this. If the team suffers, I'll change the way I'm playing. We won't use the Zone or any of my observation until it becomes necessary. Hopefully, until the second half. We both know what he's famous for. He's smart..."
"Alex, what you're asking for is really dangerous! I can't morally form a strategy around that." I narrow my eyes.
"Think of it as a personal favor. I'm sorry, Satsuki, but if you want to limit the injuries here, you'll have to hand this one over to me." Satsuki looks a bit upset.
"You're going to get yourself sent to a hospital." She says vehemently, shaking me back and forth forcefully.
"It's nothing I can't handle. Do you remember how I played in Teiko for the softball team? Give me some faith, and I'll play like that for you. I'm not you, so it won't be as good, but I can bring you a win."
"I don't want to!" Satsuki says hopelessly. I give her a tight smile.
"You don't have a choice."