Starting Again

Warnings: extreme ooc. fem!Eijun. overprotective Seido boys.

Disclaimer: I dont own DnA.

Italic- thoughts/flashbacks

""-Speech

CHAPTER 7

"Whoaaa! What's going on here?!"

A thunderous howl rang out and caused all vacant eyes to shift towards the direction of the voice.

"What's with this turnout against the first years?"

If you belonged in the baseball club for at least a day, you wouldn't even have to wonder who it was.

"You should be up by 200 runs!"

Isashiki Jun.

"Hyayaya! Jun-san that's impossible!"

Kuramochi Youichi.

"What an embarrassing game. Makes me sad."

Kominato Ryosuke.

And the silent captain who stood with them, Yuuki Tetsuya.

The four well-known regulars appeared in their blue sweatshirts, a rather unusual outfit to wear on a day-off.

"Switch with me! I'll play!" Isashiki hollered as he charged forward, with genuine intentions to play.

Luckily, Kuramochi was there to hold him back, but it was rather difficult to control the Spitz of Seido who goes by the thought process of 'it's faster to hit the ball than to think'.

"Jun-san, stop! You just finished training!" Kuramochi said and he tightened his hold on Isashiki. There were no words that could be said to stop the third year anyways, so Kuramochi just continued latching on, at least until the one person Isashiki would listen to spoke up.

But just as 'be quiet and watch Jun', was at the tip of Yuuki's tongue, Isashiki had stopped struggling out of Kuramochi's grasp and quietly watched.

"-huh? What?" Kuramochi had a confused voice. "Ahhh,ah?...Jun-san, what's the matter?"

"-That Sawamura," Isashiki clicked his tongue. "She's enjoying this." he added with a smirk.

The others turned to see the small pitcher on the mound. Despite having fallen into such a disadvantageous situation, despite having fallen into this, she was flashing a cool smile.

"…wow...wow…Wow….." Miyuki seemed to be genuinely surprised. So surprised that for the past few moments after the offense of the first years, his only words have been 'wow'.

The two pitchers who stood silently behind him, were at a loss of words. Of course they were. In a single day, they observed a stirring of extreme emotions in the catcher who was known to always appear calm and collected.

"…..she really is unbelievable." Finally Miyuki began speaking normally. "For a person who had both great eyes and a good sense in baseball, it was unbelievable that she was horrible at batting. I'm glad that she improved over the years."

Tanba was really quite lost as to what Miyuki was talking about. While there were many things he could question about Miyuki's behavior, none were spoken.

"How will her pitching fare against our second-string though?" asked Tanba.

"Don't underestimate her Tanba-san," Miyuki said with a strangely pleased tone and a naughty smirk. "Although it seems like she can only throw down the middle fastballs, her pitches are by no means 'normal'."

"I'm actually standing on this mound…." said Sawamura while suppressing the arising excitement. But in stark contrast to Sawamura's broad smile, every other member in the team quivered with a concerned expression.

It all began with her strategy.

"Hey Sawamura, you have a strategy right?" a first year catcher questioned.

"Of course! It very simple! Simple, simple." Sawamura said, throwing the ball up and down in her glove, and then she turned towards Kanemaru. "Right, Kanemaru-kun?"

"I don't know you idiot." Kanemaru flicked her forehead. It struck cleanly so it kind of hurts. "Hurry up and explain."

"I'm telling you, it's really simple. I won't run or hide and will throw every ball down the middle. You guys field the ball when it comes and we get an out."

"….."

"….in terms of clarity, I guess you can say that's simple." Kominato finally said, breaking the awkward silence.

Sawamura looked like she was unsatisfied with lack of reaction. "What. Is it too hard?"

"Nope. Not at all. Really." Kanemaru answered as he promptly returned to his position on field, taking everyone else with him.

Kanemaru had already learned his lesson; talking sense into Sawamura was a ceaseless struggle. It was about time everyone learnt it as well.

Curiosity and complicated feelings reigned over all other thoughts now. In the midst of this, the match against the second-string team resumed.

"Play ball!"

The batter walked up towards the batter's box and showed a this is absolutely nothing, I'll hit a homerun and stop your momentum expression. But as expected of someone in second string, Sawamura could instantly tell that any balls with a weak course will, no doubt, go flying.

"Well, well." Sawamura said, "There's not much choice in what I can pitch anyway."

Sawamura stood upright, fixed her body posture and started her wind-up calmly, before planting her foot strongly on the rubber.

She threw.

'What. Where did-down the middle-' the batter flustered slightly the sudden appearance of the ball but at the recognition of it moving down the middle, his body reacted in response. 'Don't underestimate me' he thought, full swinging.

"A homerun already?!" The crowded shouted.

The ball flew towards the outside in a natural arc-but still a tad short of the fence, landing perfectly in the glove of the left outfielder.

"OUT!"

"Woah, that was dangerous! One out guys, one out!" Sawamura's voice was quite relaxed as if it was all under control.

Of course, the crowd didn't see it the same way she did.

"She should thank the left-fielder who was defending a little further back."

"It won't be long until they hit a home run then."

"That's the kind of fastballs the third-years are familiar with."

Around the same time, the catcher of Seido was thinking the complete opposite. 'If they don't figure out what Sawamura's pitch actually is, then they are in for a whole lot more.

The next ball Sawamura threw, similarly went right down the middle, but even then, the batter ended up swinging late. As if it was a replay of the ball before, it flew straight into the glove of the third baseman.

"Nice one Kanemaru-kun! Two out, two out!"

"….right…" he vaguely responded.

"Alright! Let's go three balls three outs!" Sawamura said quite nonchalantly, but this required a significant difference in strength to fuel this confidence. That, or Sawamura was just fearless.

The next batter quickly adopted a combat stance, gripping his bat tighter than usual. Sawamura guessed that it was because he was feeling a bit irritated at the first years for two lucky outs.

'You won't be able swing well if you tense up that much.' Thought Sawamura as she threw yet another ball down the middle.

"Miracles don't happen thrice!" –a full swing and a battle cry.

But the batter felt an unnatural sensation between the ball and bat. "W-what…!"

Although he ended up jamming it, the ball flew rapidly towards Sawamura's right side in a position difficult to field.

"…easy."

By the time Sawamura heard that whisper from a certain pink-haired boy, he was already ready to field it. He dug his right foot into the ground and used it as a pivot, then he spun as if he was an acrobat. He swung his arm through and the return ball flew towards the first baseman with a flash.

"OUT!"

"…." The entire audience fell into complete silence. It only took a few moments before they raised a clamor, likely due to the unbelievable performance the first years showed.

"Nice one second!" Sawamura thrust her glove out at Kominato and looked at with him wearing a brilliant smile, confirming his skill.

All the other members quickly gathered towards the small boy who stole the limelight, giving him cheery pats on the back. Even Kominato couldn't help but be embarrassed by the unexpected shower of applause.

"That second's not bad." Isashiki Jun commented, nodding at the previous play. The person next to him, the big brother of that player, had an expression of sheer delight.

"We kept them to zero runs this inning!"

"Are you serious?!"

"We can do like this!"

Of course, the entire first year dugout was enveloped in a warm applause. But the second string dugout was clearly dissatisfied at the outcome. It was precisely because the second-string prided themselves on their offense that made them particularly frustrated about how a first year female pitcher kept them to zero runs.

"What are you doing?"

"You just gave the first years more momentum!"

"Sorry." The returning batter quickly apologized to his teammates. "But her ball, her stance….they were all so weird."

"What are you talking about? It didn't look that fast and it was right down the middle. It's the type of ball we should be used to."

The third batter went silent. And then, shot a look at the two batters before him who nodded responsively. "When she starts, you can see her left arm briefly behind her back, but the ball just leaps out at you in the next instant. Her swing… it's really fast-"

"-and her ball," the second batter continued, "It's faster and trickier than it seems. I thought I had it completely…."

"Whatever she's throwing, it's not a normal fastball." The first battered finished. The three had a lot of confidence concerning that point.

The second years all readied themselves while Masuko, hidden from view at the very back, wrinkled his eyebrows as he watched Sawamura like a hawk.

"A moving fastball that curves at the plate. Thats got to be tough to handle." Yuuki said, prompting Miyuki to smile and nod.

"As expected of Tetsu-san. But her pitch will only get wilder from here. And-" Miyuki said, "-since she's pretty sharp, I'm sure she will realize it soon enough."

"…..realize what?"

"Her misunderstanding regarding our bet." Miyuki replied and let out an invincible smile. At least, it was the kind of smile Yuuki and the regulars were used on the field when the opponent fell for his plan, hook, line and sinker.

Yuuki once again confirmed that Miyuki was a terrifying enemy, but it was really reassuring to have him on your side.

When the first years' offense came around again, the batters managed to get their bat on the ball thanks to Sawamura alleviating their mental stress. Nevertheless, the second string completely denied their opponent from scoring a single run.

Having high expectations of themselves to score a run like the female first year, the letdown was great. The first year team made their way back on the field with half the energy they had when they were revved up for their offense.

"Don't feel too down…you guys managed to make contact this time." Kominato said trying to comfort the team, making sure that his words wouldn't demoralize the team any further.

Sawamura on the other hand, just laughed at their concerns.

"You really shouldn't mind! Compared to your pathetic batting from earlier, getting your bat on the ball is a huge improvement."

"Haahhhh."

'She needs to work on her comforting skills.'- They all thought.

The moment before the pitcher has to pitch was undoubtedly the time when a pitcher was at their most nervous. Even Sawamura had to think of a few things or two in the dugout before pitching. Unfortunately, her turn came earlier than she expected.

She stood on the mound again and glanced at the score, contemplating.

19-1

"Masuko-senpai's second to bat…..plus the other clean-ups in the second string…."

Sawamura suddenly recalled an earlier conversation with a certain catcher.

(-Let's have a bet.)

"We're currently 18 runs behind….."

(If you can end this game…..)

"If I keep them to two runs or less…."

(…with less than 20 runs difference…)

"…..no….shit."

(-it's your win.)

Sawamura grimaced as if she had taken bitter medicine when she realized that she overlooked-misunderstood, what Miyuki Kazuya was saying.

"I have to keep them to one run or else I lose." Sawamura finally said, understanding absolutely everything and anything. "That Kazuya, even if I lodge a serious protest, he definitely would say less than 20 runs does not mean 20 runs or less. Ahhhhhhh. How stupid." She shook her head.

She would like to know how many people out of 100 would believe that she could keep the clean-ups of the second string Seido baseball team to one or no runs with fastballs.

In this situation, it was only natural to be nervous, yet, by forcibly forgetting her senior's slyness, nervousness vanished the moment the call to start rang out.

The next batter stepped up. He appeared perfectly calm as he gripped his bat with the flair of a clean-up, but his emotions were nowhere as peaceful. At Sawamura's gaze, the batter didn't even budge; only his eyes waited for Sawamura to pitch.

And so she did.

She made sure she executed every point so that her ball will move as wildly as possible.

Loosening any tense muscles. A nice, effortless wind-up. A firm foot on the rubber pointing to home base, the foundation of the attack. The weight burdened on the other leg. The right wall. A swift transfer of weight. The weapon hidden behind.

She swung her arm down.

-whoosh.

Again, the batter still couldn't completely capture the ball, but it was a powerful hit towards short.

"Shortstop!"

Sawamura thought she could leave things to the shortstop so she called his name, but she didn't get a response. Instead, she heard a flat, dull thud as the ball slipped out of the shortstop's hand and onto the ground.

"SAFE!"

Letting a runner on base right before Masuko Tooru was going to bat, had to be the worst case scenario.

"I'm sorry…." The shortstop lowered his head in a hurry.

"Don't mind! Don't mind!" Sawamura called out cheerfully, the cold sweat clinging to her palms betrayed the cheerfulness in her voice.

If she were to be honest, calling her senior 'Kazuya' is actually more natural compared to 'Miyuki-senpai.' So even if it meant that she has to expend a bit of effort, it was worth giving him a little taste of his own medicine. However, from the bottom of her heart, in any and every case, she absolutely hated losing to him.

"Now, for the big boss."

When Masuko Tooru walked to the batter's box, everyone fell silent. His entire body seemed to shout, 'I'm definitely getting back on the regular team.'

The match finally progressed into its bona fide final phase.

On the ground, a pitcher and a batter stood facing each other, making any last minute preparations they needed. They were suffused with a suffocating silence. Yet, neither of them appeared irritated. They came with absolute determination and maintained a posture one usually reserves for a serious opponent.

"I know that Masuko-senpai knows what kind of ball I throw. He also knows that I know that he knows the quirkiness of my ball. I know-AH who cares!" Sawamura closed her eyes firmly for a moment as if to shake off her stray thoughts.

The first pitch.

Masuko watched the first ball disappear behind Sawamura's back before it suddenly appeared again, this time rushing towards home plate.

"Strike!"

But as the catcher failed to catch the fastball down the middle, Masuko was able to confirm his suspicions.

He recalled a tip from a few days ago, 'Even if you make your swing smaller, with your power Masuko-senpai, it will still fly pretty far.'

Masuko stared at his bat for a moment before gripping it short, just like Kominato the previous inning. And instead of his usual position he takes in the batter's box, this time, he inched slightly closer to the front.

"Yep he's realized after all." Sawamura said. "He's definitely trying to hit the ball before it starts moving isn't he…"

She repeatedly threw the ball up in the air trying to think of a counterplan, but as expected, she could think of none.

"What happens, happens." She said while she started wind-up.

Sawamura transferred all her weight from one leg to the other and with a slow twist of her torso, she put all her power into this one throw. Then, she swung her arm down fully at maximum speed.

A momentary flash of light in Masuko's eye…..

In that instant, the words that will forever remind him of his mistake came to mind.

"What was that play you just made?"

"You were thinking about your at-bat during defense weren't you?"

"Defense is something you do with nine people."

"Stop putting the team at risk with your petty emotions."

A moment's pause.

Sawamura desperately suppressed the grin that was about to flash over her face. 'Masuko-senpai….

…..this showdown, is my…..

Clang! - A hateful sound for pitchers.

….my loss.'

It made a glorious connection. The ball flew straight through the sky and hit the back fence with unbelievable force.

"WOW! A homerun!"

"He hit that ball with pure strength."

"Jeez, Masuko-senpai. Who the hell can hit a ball with that much power when they jam it?" Sawamura said in awe. "As expected of the man who used to be fifth batter for the regular team."

As Masuko made his way around the diamond, he could not help but acknowledge that Sawamura was a formidable pitcher. 'If I had been just a little bit more off, I would have been out. That was a nice throw with your heart in it, Sawamura-chan.'

"She completely lost the battle of power." Isashiki said. "I wonder how much damage she has taken from that."

"You'll be surprised Jun-san," Miyuki replied with his all-knowing smile. "She's probably just thinking one thing."

"And that is?"

Sawamura gripped the ball hard, an inexplicable sense of excitement began bubbling forth from her heart. Miyuki closed his eyes and imagined himself in position on a field, a mesmerizing fiery gaze looking at him, looking at his glove-it made his heart quiver. It made his hair rise all over his body. She's too much of a pitcher.

"-I want to pitch more."

Sawamura lifted her face up, her eyes were sparkling like the eyes of a kid that had just arrived at an amusement park.

The regulars laughed.

The managers smiled.

Ota manager was flabbergasted.

Takashima and the Coach nodded calmly and grinned secretly to themselves.

Furuya and Tanba couldn't take their eyes off that pitcher, that pitcher who was so different, so bright and so strong.

21-1

After the match everyone returned to their dorms, taking a bath, preparing for dinner. The only ones who remained were Miyuki and Sawamura.

"Yo! Little girl over there are you alright?"

Sawamura let out a loud, unsatisfied sigh at the sound of the steadily approaching footsteps. She answered with a dismissive tone, "Yeah, so you can leave once you drop the water bottle and towel you're holding."

"What a cold reply," Miyuki replied, throwing the girl sprawled out on the ground her bottle and towel. "Guys are going to run away from you if you keep that up."

Sawamura completely ignored Miyuki and painstakingly picked herself up.

"…oi..oi…I'm going cry if you keep this up." Miyuki said as she just quietly drank her water and wiped herself with the towel. "So, how was your first match?"

"Answer should be obvious."

"Yeah, it is."

For an instant, they shared a glance.

Miyuki laughed, but Sawamura didn't. She looked away and clenched her fist tightly.

"You're trying too hard to keep it in."

"Shut up you."

From there, their pointless chatter went on. They talked about things that had nothing to do with baseball. Things that had nothing to do with anything besides them. For probably one whole hour.

Which teacher would look good bald? If you had three wishes, what would you wish for? How do you score full marks on a test without studying? Would Kuramochi look good with long hair? How tall do you think Ryosuke will be when he graduates? Ramen or soba?

It was all just small talk. She wasn't usually this quiet, nor was she ever this cooperative with the catcher of Seido. It must have been one of those post homerun blues.

"Well, I'm going to take a bath." Sawamura then said.

"Okay, see you."

"Bye." She gave her parting words and stood up. Then, she gave Miyuki a sideways glance and hesitated for a brief moment. "….Kazuya."

She quickly turned her back on him and began walking towards the dorms.

Miyuki looked just a bit surprised, but then gave a gloating sneer. "That was unfair you twerp."

THE NEXT DAY

"How do you like you new uniform?" The Coach asked, not sparing the small girl following behind him even a glance.

Having being told 'new uniform', Sawamura finally noticed the difference between her current uniform and her old one. She still couldn't get used to the blue sweatshirt. But the only reason she didn't wear such in middle school, was purely because they didn't have the luxury to afford it.

"The same as usual." She finally replied. However, now that she was in the baseball club as a member rather than a manager, she could not shake off the feeling that she was succussfully duped into it all.

Even so, despite having realized that she had been dancing in the palm of someones hand, she was not ballsy enough to go against the Coach anymore.

"Sawamura." The coach stopped and said.

"yes sir."

Because of her short stature, standing directly behind the Coach, she could not see much at all. But she could see a pair of feet in front so she surmised that this was the reason the Coach specifically took her out of the morning practice everyone else participated in.

"This person will be your trainer,"

Sawamura decided to look from the side instead.

There stood, a considerably handsome young man with his brown hair slicked back. Similary, he was wearing the same uniform as Sawamura so there was no doubt he was in the baseball team too.

"his name is..."

But what drew Sawamura the most was...

"Takigawa Chris Yuu."

...his eyes that harboured a coldness that could make your blood run cold.