Chapter 3
Hideki showered and was dressed as quickly as he could. There were some other guys in the locker room as he was leaving who invited him to an after-party at the Frat house that a few of them shared. He smiled in thanks and said he would have to see, before leaving.
He had no intention of going to any parties at the university. He had no time for those things, and he frankly wasn't interested in the drugs or alcohol that were most likely prevalent at those events.
Weekends and evenings were the times that he spent with his little brother, and it was the best part of the summer leagues–all the games were in the afternoon.
He walked over to the Nayande's house quickly, wearing his jeans, and a plain gray t-shirt. He knocked on the door quietly, and Yui answered. She looked more herself now, wearing a pair of leggings and an oversized t-shirt featuring a punk rock band.
"Come on in. I'm making dinner, and Mom will most likely insist that you and Iszuki-chan stay to eat with us," Yui informed him as he slid his shoes off at the entrance.
"Can I help you at all?" He asked her softly, looking at her intently.
"You can make the miso soup. Mom said you made it last time. I liked it more than I thought I would, it was different," Yui asked, feeling a little nervous about asking him.
"Yeah," Hideki said softly. "I can make that. I make it at least a couple of times a week for Iszuki and myself anyway."
"It's cool that you can do some cooking. My dad is pretty much worthless in the kitchen," she mentioned.
He followed her into the kitchen and he noticed her slightly limping still. He frowned.
"Why are you limping?" He asked suddenly. He found the tofu that she had already put out by the cutting board and chef's knife. He washed his hands in the kitchen sink and then walked back to the tofu. He began slicing it up to go in the broth that he was beginning to put together.
"I was on my feet all day at the cafe," she said to him quietly. "My boots probably aren't the best for standing around in."
"Probably not," Hideki agreed with her, "Why do you wear them then?"
"Because they give me a three, four-inch boost."
He looked over at her and saw that she was right. She was a lot smaller than he had initially realized. He towered over her by quite a bit and he was only around 5'10" himself.
"You played well today," she said after a moment's silence.
"Thanks," he said softly. "Do you like baseball then?"
"Yeah, I do. It's not my favorite sport to watch, but it's okay." She said with a shrug, trying not to appear to interested in his sport.
"What's your favorite sport then? Iszuki prefers soccer."
"I like wrestling," she admitted to him. He paused to look up from the green onions he was slicing. He was currently simmering the miso paste and dashi with the water on the stove. He admired Yui's profile over the indoor grill. She had her hair slightly pulled back, but there were a few strands of hair that she pushed away from her eyes.
He cleared his throat, and then asked, "Like, Olympic wrestling? With guys in singlets?"
"Girls can wrestle too," she insisted, "But, no. I'm talking about WWE."
She heard a slight huff and turned to look at him while grilling the fish that she was cooking. She realized that the gravelly, soft huff was a laugh.
Once again, he was laughing at her!
"You know, I can poison you if I wanted to," she told him sternly, pointing a large chef knife right at him.
"I think you're scarier with that knife in your hand than anything else. WWE? Really?"
"Yeah, you got a problem with that? It's a lot more exciting than watching baseball."
"I'm sure it is," Hideki said softly, still chuckling slightly.
He smiled over at her. "You're something else, you know that?"
His eyes had softened, and there was something in his voice–his slightly hoarse voice, that got to her. He wasn't chopping his food anymore. He had walked over to the simmering soup and dumped in the tofu and green onions. He turned and smiled at her.
She smiled back at him, and said, "I'll take that as a compliment." Then she turned back to the food she was preparing.
"Good," she heard him say softly. Her heart beat more fully in her chest than ever before. It felt as if something was building there, a tension that she wasn't ready to break yet.
He asked her if there was anything else that she wanted him to do, and she told him no. Instead, she sent him out of the kitchen so she could regain control of her hormones and emotions. She watched as he left the kitchen to speak with her mother.
Hideki sat next to his brother. Across the table from him was Yui, and her brother. He smiled at her brightly when she sat down with her family, Hideki, and Iszuki. The professor asked after the baseball game, and Hideki didn't have to say anything as Kaoru gave a blow-by-blow account of everything that happened, exaggerating how well Hideki had played.
Hideki only smiled at Kaoru and said, "I just did my best."
"Glad to hear that the summer league got off to a good start. How do you like the team?"
Hideki hesitated, and then said, "They're all really talented guys."
The professor smiled at him and said, "I think you'll be a good influence on some of those young men. Most of them are too spoiled by the university."
"Myself included," Hideki replied to the professor with a slight smile on his face.
"They're a bunch of dick-heads," Yui said under her breath as she took a sip of the miso soup that Hideki had made.
Hideki laughed slightly at Yui's words. Her father gave her a warning glare, but thankfully, her mother hadn't heard her words. And neither did Kaoru or Iszuki who were sitting next to each other, making a contest of who could slurp the loudest.
He pushed a light elbow into Iszuki and him if he was ready to leave after he was finished eating.
"Can't we stay any longer?"
Hideki sighed slightly and then said, "Well, I suppose I could wash dishes again, as long as Yui-kun doesn't attack me. But, it's a school night, remember?"
She smiled slightly and said, "You should just call me Yui. Everyone else does."
He smiled at her brightly and then looked at her parents who were sharing a knowing glance.
"May I wash your dishes for you? I can't thank you enough for inviting the two of us to eat this week. It's been very kind and welcoming of you, especially since I broke one of your windows."
"You're very welcome, Hinata-kun. I'm glad that we could help you with getting settled here. How's your apartment? Do you have kind neighbors?"
Hinata nodded and said, "Our landlady lives next door and she's very helpful."
"I'm glad to hear it. If you need anything, you'll let us know, right?"
He smiled and said, "I will. Thank you, again." Then he asked if he could be excused so he could start washing dishes.
His hands were in the warm, soapy water and he was currently cleaning the rice cooker when Yui said to him, "I can dry if you'd like."
He nodded at her and watched her out of the corner of his eyes. He finished scrubbing the rice cooker insert, and then rinsed it with warm water before handing it over to Yui. She took the insert, and with a hand towel began to dry it. They found a steady rhythm as Hideki continued to wash the dishes.
"So, what do you think of Bio?" Yui asked, hoping to break the silence between them.
"Pretty basic," Hideki replied. "I feel like it might just be a repeat of things I've learned before."
Then he hesitated, and said, "What career path are you taking?"
"Education," she said softly. "I haven't always liked school, but I like kids."
She shrugged as she said it. Then, in curiosity, she asked, "What about your career path?"
"Probably engineering," he told her. "I've always been interested in learning how things work."
"Do you really need a degree?" She asked him, blurting it out suddenly. "Couldn't you be playing baseball in the Nippon Professional Baseball her already? Or even in the US? Why go to school if you don't need to?"
A silence descended on them, and then he said, clearing his throat suddenly, "I promised my father I would get a good education." His voice broke a little as he admitted it to her and he turned away from her.
Yui could hear the sadness in his voice, and Hideki spoke a little more. "Dad was a soldier, actually, and he never had time to go back to school, even after he left the Army. He told me that I would regret it if I just went straight to America or even the NPB. And then, after he died…"
Yui looked at him, her eyes were warm and he handed her the last of the bowls. She took it from him and dried it slowly.
"When did he pass?" She asked softly, her voice gentle.
"Only two months ago."
Her eyes softened even more. "Oh. I'm so sorry." He turned off the water and looked at her. He nodded and then cleared his throat. He looked as if he was in pain.
"Thank you, Yui. He was very ill. To be honest, in a way, I'm just glad that he's no longer suffering.."
"Still…I can't imagine what it would be like if I lost my parents right now." Yui said to him earnestly, "My mom–when she had her accident, we didn't know if she would even survive. After finding out that she would live, but would be paralyzed from the waist down, it was a huge relief. We were just happy to have her with us still."
He watched the sink drain as he listened to her words. Yui decided to change the subject.
"You played really well today," Yui said again with a smile at him, hoping to break the sadness in the kitchen. He brightened up slightly at her words. It may have been her imagination, but he seemed to puff out his chest a little bit in pride.
"I'm glad that you could watch, even if it's a boring sport," he replied with a grin. She rolled his eyes at his teasing attitude.
He took a look at his watch and said, "I should be getting Iszuki back to our place. It's getting late, and we both have classes in the morning."
It was on the tip of her tongue to invite him to her concert on Sunday. She wanted him to see her when she performed when she sang. But, she knew that he was close with his little brother, and the venue they were playing at was not appropriate for younger kids.
She swallowed down the invitation and instead said, "Have a good weekend, Hinata-kun."
"You can call me Hideki, if you'd like," he said softly. Her face blushed slightly. "You have a good weekend too. Try not to work too hard."
She nodded at him, with a slight blush on her cheeks.
He turned to walk out of the kitchen, leaving her behind. She waited for a few seconds, breathing in deeply and patting her cheeks in embarrassment. Then she followed him out into the family room. He was holding Iszuki's backpack and shoes as the little guy stumbled around, looking for his shoes tiredly.
"They're here, Zuki-chan," Hideki said softly. "Come on, we need to get home before you fall asleep standing. It's been a long day, huh?"
Iszuki nodded and then waved goodbye to the whole Nayande family, including Yui.
She watched as the two left her home behind and she frowned slightly.
"You took your time helping with the dishes, Yui," her mother commented to her as they sat on the sofa together. Yui's father had just taken Kaoru to bed.
She smiled at her mother, and said, "Hinata and I are in the same Biology class and lab."
"The one you said is boring?"
"The same one," she said, pulling her knees up to her chin.
Her mom waited patiently, knowing that Yui only came to sit with her if she had something to say these days. She was usually too wrapped up in her work, school, or music to spend a lot of downtime with her parents. She missed her little girl at times.
"Hinata-kun told me that his father passed away two months ago. I asked him why he even needed a degree. He said he promised his father that he would put his education first because he never had the chance to." Kazumi Nayande looked over at her daughter and frowned at the information. Kazumi knew that there was something sad about those two boys. It seemed that Hinata-kun's guardianship of little Iszuki was a newer development. She looked at her daughter, who appeared lost in thought.
"Well, that explains why he's in Japan. Iszuki-chan probably has to do with that decision as well. Japan is a much smaller country than America. He wouldn't be able to leave him for long periods of time to travel with his team, and his little brother probably couldn't come."
"How did they manage to get him here? The university, that is?" Her father was leaving Kaoru's room with a soft click of the door.
Ichiro Nayande heard the question and walked towards his wife and daughter.
Yui looked at her father curiously. He sat down and finally undid his tie and collar from the long day.
"I talked to some of the administration–they mentioned that he was offered everything full-ride. He even has a meal stipend, and they pay for Iszuki's school tuition as well. The coaches agreed to be accommodating to his little brother–letting him hang out at practices, attending all the home games, etc."
"The rumor is that several universities offered to pay for a nanny for the boy, but Hinata wouldn't agree–he wasn't going to shunt the responsibility for his little brother to a random person, is what he apparently said. Tokyo University was a lot more flexible and accommodating for him."
Yui felt her heart swell once again–she knew that he was a dependable person, but she couldn't recall exactly how she knew that.
She sighed, and said, "I have to do some studying." She went to stand up.
"Did you invite Hinata-kun to your show Sunday night?" Her mother asked softly.
Yui shook her head no. "No Mom, I didn't. I have to get up early to work breakfast and lunch at the cafe. Love you both."
She kissed her mother and father each on the cheek and then walked down the hallway to her room.
Ichiro turned to his wife with a grin. "Is it me, my dear, or is there something going on between our Yui and Hinata-kun?"
Kazumi shook her head at her husband's words.
He was always worrying about Yui, saying that he hoped she would get her head screwed on straight soon–she'd always been a bit flighty. Hinata-kun was exactly the type of person that would be perfect for her–someone solid and dependable.
She smiled at the thought of welcoming those two boys into her home more often.
Hideki got a text from Otonashi around noon on Sunday, asking if he wanted to go out with them that night. He put the phone back down, and instead, focused on watching his little brother on the playground. He didn't like spending too much time on his phone when he was supposed to be watching his brother, especially in public.
Iszuki was currently running around with a friend he had just met at the playground, in true Iszuki fashion.
"Are you his father?" An older woman came up to him, sitting next to him on the bench. She had to be at least 50 years old. Hideki looked her over and answered her.
"No ma'am," Hideki said softly, "I'm his older brother."
"I thought you looked too young to have a child that age," the woman said softly. "Well, you tell your parents they're doing a wonderful job raising him. He's been very kind to my grandson this morning."
Hideki then watched as she called for her grandson, who waved goodbye to Iszuki and then left with his grandmother.
Iszuki ran up to Hideki, watching his new friend leave. It was getting close to lunchtime.
"Want to get something to eat?" Hideki asked Iszuki, ruffling his hair slightly.
"Can we get ramen?"
"Absolutely," Hideki said with a grin, "One of our favorites, huh?"
Suzuki took his brother's hand and the two walked towards one of the local ramen shops to eat lunch together.
Just as Hideki was settling down to study in the afternoon while his brother was reading in his room, tired out from the morning, he got another text from Otonashi.
It read: "Come on, man. I'm picking you up at 8:30, sharp."
Usually, Iszuki was in bed by then. Maybe… He sighed thinking it over.
How long had it been since he'd gone out with friends? Most of his friends in Hokkaido had been baseball teammates or classmates. They were more like casual acquaintances. Since his father's diagnosis, he'd only focused on those things that he needed to: Dad, Iszuki, school, and baseball.
He'd never been to a club before, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to go. But Yuzuru Otonashi seemed like a pretty cool guy, and he thought that Kanade seemed even more level-headed than him.
Making a decision that he would at least ask if his neighbor was available to watch Iszuki that night, Hideki left his apartment and walked to the apartment right across from his. He knocked on the door. He stepped back and heard footsteps.
The older lady, their current landlady, smiled at him when she answered the door.
"Is there anything you need, Hinata-kun? I hope the apartment is still in good shape?"
"It's great, Tina-san," he said quietly, "I was only wondering if you would be able to keep an eye on Iszuki-chan for me tonight. Or if you knew anyone that you trusted that could watch him? I have some friends that invited me out, and it's been a while..." He trailed off, hoping that he didn't sound too desperate.
Tina-san put up her hand to quiet his fears. "Do you have Netflix?
"Yes," Hideki said quietly, wondering what was going on.
"I don't. I'll come and watch him for you. In exchange, you won't ask about what I choose to watch on your Netflix account. I'll make myself a profile, so no snooping."
"Uh, okay? You–you don't want me to pay you at all? I can pay you, of course..."
"Goodness no. You're a sweet young man. It's good to see you wanting to go out and have some fun with kids your age. Just don't bring any girls home, understand? Or any boys, if that's how you are?"
He raised his eyebrows and said, "I wasn't planning on it."
She smiled at him, and said, "I figured you wouldn't. At least not with your little brother in the room next to yours." Hideki felt his face blush even harder.
"I'll come by right before 8:30."
"Thank you," Hideki said to her quietly and went back to his apartment. He sent a text back to Otonashi, saying that he would go out.
Hideki went back to the apartment and checked in on Iszuki, who had surprisingly fallen asleep with a book on his chest. He rarely fell asleep like that anymore. Hideki pulled his blanket up over his chest, and then put the book on his bedside table.
The playground must have worn him out more than he was used to.
Hideki walked into his own room, trying to decide what he would wear to a club. He'd never been to a club before. He assumed that jeans and a T-shirt or a casual button-up would be fine. He looked in his closet and sighed.
He was not used to this, and he found that he really didn't care. Instead, he sat at his kitchen table and opened his books to study.
Hideki had just closed his little brother's bedroom door when there was a quiet knock at the apartment door. He looked at his watch–Otonashi was there early.
He sighed, tiredly looking around the messy apartment, and went to open the door.
"Hey, come on in," Hinata said to Otonashi and Kanade, who were both waiting for him. "Let me pick up real quick, and then I can head out."
"That's fine, the show doesn't start until 9:30, and it doesn't take all that long to get there from here," Otonashi answered him quietly.
"Show?" Hideki asked curiously as he was bending down to pick up some of the stray legos on the floor. "What kind of show?"
"Worried that I'm taking you to a strip club or something?"
Hinata shook his head, and then to Otonashi's surprise through a lego at him.
"Working on your Lego builds?" Otonashi asked, pointing out the rudimentary rocket that Hinata was now picking up gingerly. "You might need to try harder if you want to get into engineering."
Hinata laughed at the good-natured ribbing. "Haha. It's my brother's work. He's only seven–I thought it was pretty good." He gingerly put it on the side table where there was a small lamp.
The apartment was the very definition of minimalist. There was only one futon to sit on, and a couple of baskets, filled with toys it looked like. There was a simple bookshelf and a television against the wall, along with a small end table.
"Looks like you've settled into this place pretty well," Otonashi said. "Here, let me help. I remember my little sister leaving her stuff everywhere." He took the lego that Hinata had thrown at him and threw it in the basket.
"Very helpful," Hideki said sarcastically. Otonashi only laughed as he began to help Hideki pick up one of the pillows on the ground. Iszuki had built a fort earlier before supper and they didn't have much of a chance to pick up.
"Is this your bookshelf? It's very nice," Kanade said softly looking at it. She had been ignoring the boys' conversation.
"That's really the only furniture we brought," Hideki said quietly.
"Do you mind if I take some time to wash our dishes before we go?" He asked as he moved towards the kitchen. He began running the water. There weren't too many dishes as they had a fairly simple meal after their large lunch at the ramen shop earlier in the day.
"The bookshelf?" Otonashi prompted him. He had joined Kanade looking at the bookshelf. It appeared to be made with real wood and was solidly built.
"Oh, right. My dad built that, for my mom. It's kind of an heirloom for our family. As long as it's still functioning, it's basically going wherever we go."
"It's really nice," Otonashi said softly, staring at it. "Did your mom love books?"
"Yeah, she did. Reading was her favorite thing to do with me. My dad would take me to the park or play ball with me. But my mom read to me when I was really small. A lot of those are her books as well," Hideki said quietly. He continued to wash the dishes quickly.
Otonashi looked over at Kanade. She was kneeling at a traditional shrine that was set up in their living room. There were several photos, a set of chopsticks, a pair of glasses, a pair of wedding rings, and several picture frames.
Kanade asked, "May I?", pointing to one of the pictures. Hideki looked up from the sink and nodded at her. In the frame was a picture of a woman and a man. She picked up the frame and looked at the picture. It was a picture from a wedding day. The man had royal blue hair, just like the boys, and the woman had soft brown hair. They were wearing traditional Japanese clothing for the wedding ceremony.
"These are your parents?" She asked quietly, noticing that Hideki had walked up to her, drying his hands on a towel.
"Yeah, that was mom and dad," Hideki answered her. "Dad is fully Japanese, but Mom's grandmother was American. That's why she looks, well, I guess whiter than my dad. But her parents grew up in Japan. She knew English pretty well though."
"What did they do?"
"Dad was in the Air Force, he was actually a mechanic who worked on the planes. Mom was a civilian who worked with the military. That's how they met–through work."
"Oh. How long have you been orphans?" Kanade asked innocently. Hideki winced slightly. It was difficult to hear himself getting called an "orphan". After all, he was a grown man. And it's not like he never had parents–they were just dead now.
They were still his parents though.
He heard Otonashi sigh, "Kanade, we've talked about this..."
"It's alright, man." Hideki cleared his throat. "My dad passed away two months ago. My mom about seven years ago."
"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that," Kanade said softly, "Did your brother know her at all?"
He shook his head, his voice choked up a bit. He cleared his throat.
"No, she passed away shortly after he was born. Then it was my dad and the two of us until just a couple of months ago."
He shrugged off his feelings, and to the surprise of Otonashi and Kanade, he looked over his shoulder. Standing in the doorway with a door slightly open was his mini-me. Otonashi smiled slightly.
"Hey, aren't you supposed to be asleep?" Hideki asked, his head cocked to the side and pretending to be angry. Iszuki smiled slightly at his brother's theatrics.
Iszuki looked at Kanade and Otonashi curiously. "Well come out here." Hideki beckoned to him with his hand. "You remember my friends from the baseball game?"
Suzuki shot out of the bedroom quickly, wearing pajamas and holding onto a quilt tightly. He looked up at Otonashi, especially in curiosity.
"I should formally introduce you. This is Iszuki Hinata. Iszuki, this is Kanade Tachibana and Yuzuru Otonashi. They're friends of mine from the university."
"Hi," he said, bowing to both of them politely.
Then he looked at Hideki. "Weren't you going out?"
Hideki turned his full attention to his brother, worried that he was feeling upset about the possibility of his older brother leaving for the night.
"I am–but only as long as you're okay with that."
"Tina-san is staying with me, right?"
"That's right. Do you need anything else? I know you're tired from this morning. Do you want some water?"
He shook his head, but then stopped and tugged on Hideki's rolled-up sleeve.
He whispered something to Hideki, and Hideki said, "Okay. I'll make sure to do that. Now go on. I'll see you in the morning, I promise."
He nodded gave Hideki a quick hug and then bounded off to his bedroom.
Hideki smiled and then heard another quiet knock. Tina-san opened the door and peered in. She beamed when she spotted Hideki.
"Hello, so you must be Hinata-kun's friends. It's good to see you getting him out of here." She turned to Hideki and asked, "Iszuki-chan is in his room?"
"He's not asleep yet. I think he's excited that I actually do seem to have friends," he said with a wry smile.
"Well, enjoy. I'll give you a call if I need you for anything," she commented to Hideki and practically shooed him out of the apartment. He checked his pockets for his wallet and keys and waved goodbye. Otonashi and Kanade were in front of him as he locked the door.
"Alright, first night out in this part of Tokyo. We're going to take you to one of the smaller clubs that's around, you cool with that?" Otonashi asked, clapping his hand on Hinata's shoulder.
"Sure?" Hideki said quietly. "I'll be honest, I've never been to a club before."
'Well, this place isn't too crazy. We're mostly going because one of Kanade's favorite bands plays there."
"What band is that?" Hideki asked as they exited the apartment building.
"Battlefront," he replied. "They're kind of a tribute band to Girls Dead Monster. Iwasawa, the lead singer of Gldemo, actually did Battlefront first, and then she formed Girls Dead Monster in America. They sing a lot of covers, but they also have a few originals that they do as well. Just your typical college band, to be honest."
"Battlefront?" Hideki asked, thinking it sounded somewhat familiar. He shrugged, and then said with a laugh, "Yeah, okay, I'm easy."
"Yeah, figured you would be up to going. Yuri and Noda will be there, along with a few others you met the other day at lunch. I got you pretty overwhelmed, huh? You're more of an introvert?"
"I wouldn't say that," Hideki said with a sigh. "I used to be a lot more outgoing, but things…things got kind of rough the last couple of years, that's all."
"Well, it's not going to take long to get to the club. We can walk or take an Uber–what do you want to do?"
"Walking's fine by me. Uber might be better later tonight after the show," Kanade interrupted suddenly.
"Whatever. I don't mind walking. And, I just want to say-thanks for the invite. I haven't been out with a friend in a while."
"No problem man, what can I say? I'm growing kind of fond of you." Otonashi said with a wide grin on his face.
A strong sense of Deja Vu washed over Hideki.
Otonashi had a surprised look on his face when he said it as if he hadn't meant to say those words.
Kanade giggled suddenly.
Hideki broke the silence first.
"Are you sure he's not gay?" Hideki asked Kanade in a loud, mock whisper, holding his hand up to his mouth as if he was pretending to whisper to Kanade.
Kanade giggled once again at Hideki's question.
"I've always wondered if he's bi…"
"Hell no, I'm not!" Otonashi protested.
Hinata stopped walking and stared at Otonashi. He wasn't one for subtlety, so he asked directly, "Why does it feel like we've had a conversation almost exactly like this before? Why does it feel like I've known you for longer than just this last week? Do you know?"
Otonashi sighed and said, "I can't say, man."
"You're not the only one either," Hideki grumbled, starting to wonder what was going on. He continued walking.
It almost felt like he'd been pushed into the middle of a play, with a cast of characters that he was supposed to know, and he had his own lines, but he hadn't memorized them.
He felt a bit like there was something more going on, but he had no idea where to even start.
What the hell was going on?
How did he know these people?
Why did he feel a sense of friendship from them?
No…something more than friendship. A deep, loyal sense of camaraderie as well. They felt more like family than friends. Like people he'd known his entire life, and that cared for him, even though they knew all his faults.
But that was impossible because nobody knew him that well anymore. The last person who knew him that well, who could see behind his mask, was gone.
Dad.
He missed his Dad more than he would admit to anyone, including Iszuki. He had to be strong for Iszuki...
He sighed softly, and Otonashi said, "It's frustrating, huh? My guess is we knew each other in another life. It's happened a few times with me already." Otonashi looked down at his hand that was entwined with Kanade's. There was a warm look of love and admiration on Otonashi's face as he gazed at Kanade.
Hideki's eyes widened and he said, "You believe in that? Do you believe in reincarnation? Did you have dreams of each other?"
"Yeah," Otonashi said softly. "I had them, and she did too. Why do you ask?"
Hideki shook his head, blushing slightly as his mind wandered to a cute, pink-haired, loud-mouthed girl.
He said, "It's nothing to worry about. Let's just get to this club. By the way, it's not a big drug scene, is it?"
"No, this club is clean besides some alcohol."
"Alright, just making sure. I saw some teammates get into drugs in Hokkaido, and I have no interest in those things," Hideki commented to Otonashi.
Otonashi smiled at him. "My dad runs a medical clinic from our house. I've seen people come in from drug overdoses. And yeah, I don't have any interest in that crap either."
"Is that why you're pre-med? To take over your dad's practice?" Hideki asked curiously, glad for the change in subject.
"Yeah, that's the plan at least. And I don't know why, but I've always wanted to be a doctor."
"I'm sure you'll make a great doctor," Hinata said kindly. "This world needs more doctors that care about people." Yuzuru glanced at him curiously, but then they found the entrance to the club, and the long line to get in.
"Battlefront. 9:30-10:30 Show" was all over the windows, the billboard, everything,..He sighed slightly, wondering how Iszuki was doing. Then Hideki watched as Otonashi found someone in line and they cut to join them.
"Nice to see you again," Matsushita said quickly, giving Hideki a firm handshake. "Takamatsu is already in with Ooyama. They got here early. They'll save us a table."
"Sound's good," Otonashi said.
Someone walked right past the line, and he noticed it was one of the star baseball players, Okita, with a few others on the team. They were laughing and joking.
Haru spotted Hideki. He waved at Hideki with a grin and said, "Hey Hinata! You can come on up with us, man. We'll get you in easy."
"Thanks, man. I'm good here though. Have fun!" Hideki called back, waving at the rest of the teammates. Okita glanced over at Hideki with mild disinterest on his face and then walked inside as the bouncer let them in.
"Can you get us all in like that?" Matsushita asked in interest. "I mean, not like I want you to use your clout as one of the baseball players, but…"
"Sorry, I've got no idea," Hinata said softly. "But, I'd rather wait like everyone else."
"Man, how could you not like this guy?" Fujimaki asked, ducking under the rope, and suddenly appearing at their side. He was still holding a shinai, and he put his arm around Hideki's shoulder in a friendly manner.
Hideki looked at the gruff young man in surprise at his friendliness.
"I mean he could totally be in with the rest of those baseball jerks, getting into clubs and under those Baseball Annie's skirts, but instead, he's here with us in line."
"Baseball Annie?" Kanade asked quietly, contemplating the term. "Is that someone we know? Do you know her, Hinata-kun?"
Matsushita and Fujimaki both cleared their throats while Hinata felt warm all of a sudden. He stared at Otonashi, clearing his throat slightly.
He knew all about those groupies, but he wasn't going to explain it to Kanade.
He figured that was her fiance's job.
"Uh, I'll tell you about her later," Otonashi said, clearing his throat before pointing at Fujimaki's shinai.
"Are you even allowed to bring that into the club?"
"Is anyone going to stop me?" He retorted with a snort.
"Yeah, you're probably right," Otonashi said, shrugging his shoulders. "I mean, who wouldn't allow a shinai-wielding maniac into the club."
"Exactly," Fujimaki said, a smug grin on his face.
Hideki couldn't help but wonder why all these people seemed like such morons.
Fortunately, the line didn't take too long to get all the way up to the front. They all showed their IDs to the clubs' bouncers, and then they walked into the warm club. There was a large stage and several tables, chairs, and benches sat up. Hideki was a bit surprised. He was expecting a nightclub like he'd seen in the movies before.
This wasn't much of a nightclub–it looked more like an old-fashioned, western-style pizza joint.
"Yeah, not the type of club you were expecting? Sorry to disappoint," Otonashi said, knowing exactly what Hideki was thinking.
"To be honest though, their pizza sucks. You won't be able to leave the bathroom for hours, believe me. Don't touch it."
Hideki only laughed at Otonashi's words and followed his friends to a table where Ooyama, Takeyama, Noda, and Yuri were already watching.
"How's it going Hinata-kun?" Yuri asked him curiously. Once again, Hideki felt the need to protect this girl. Like she was his lost, little sister or something. He thought of what Otonashi had said earlier, about how he believed in reincarnation. Perhaps Yuri was his sister in another life.
"Pretty decent," he said quietly in reply, settling down next to Yuzuru and Ooyama. Ooyama gave him a grin, and he once again felt a surge of fond affection, again, similar to how he felt about his little brother when he looked at the smaller guy.
Or maybe how he would feel towards a puppy.
"Has your first week been okay?" Ooyama asked with a grin on his face.
"Yeah, it was fine. Just have to get back into a routine," he commented to them looking around.
There were a lot of people there. There were several tables placed around the large open floor of the club. There was a bar towards the back, and then the main part of the floor was open for standing room. Hideki was wondering how his little brother was doing when he heard some guitar strings warming up. He looked up and then saw the MC announce the band Battlefront.
He was surprised to hear Yuri yell out in enthusiasm and Kanade joined her in applause.
Hideki was watching along with everyone else when the curtain raised on the large stage, and a girl's band stood–a drummer, bassist, guitarist, and vocalist immediately began singing.
Hinata was immediately enthralled when he realized who the lead singer was–Yui.
He recognized her black boots, of course. He was beginning to think he would recognize those boots (and legs) anywhere. She wore fishnet tights and a black skirt that hit mid-thigh. She wore a spaghetti-strapped black and red shirt that had the name of the band that she was singing for. Her hair was up in two little ponytails on the top, almost like little horns. She wore a choker around her neck.
And she was singing her guts out, all while playing rhythm guitar.
He had to admit that she had a nice voice. Even with the heavy rock music, it had a soothing quality to him. He smiled slightly as he watched her singing and were now on their third song when another person joined in with the band, coming up from backstage.
Yui grinned at the girl and handed her the mic. Then, Yui went to the sound stage and grabbed a second one from a faceless hand behind the curtain. She then joined the other woman. The lead guitarist, Hisako, (Kanade had told him her name), started the guitar
"I can't believe Iwasawa made it!" Yuri said loudly over the crowd, "I wonder how long she can visit."
Iwasawa and Yui's voices melded together really well–Iwasawa had a cool beauty to her and her voice was seductive and sultry. Yui's voice was higher, more of a soprano, and had a different quality to it.
Hideki found himself preferring to listen to Yui's voice.
People in the crowd were going wild as they continued their concert.
Hideki was absolutely positive that Yui was the girl from his dreams now. He knew, because of her voice–every time that he dreamed of her, he could hear her singing as well.
He sighed and realized that he was in deep trouble.
What was he going to do with this information?
He told himself that he wouldn't get involved with any girls until his brother was older–Iszuki really needed him at the moment.
But to let the girl of his dreams slip through his fingers…
And then there was the thought of Yui herself–would she even want to go out with him? They barely knew each other and while he did seem to like teasing her, like a little kid with a crush, by the way, would she even be okay with going on a date with him?
Would she give him a chance?
Hideki decided the best course would be to stay friends with her. She was a pretty cool girl, once he got over her interesting quirks.
They were nearing the end of the concert when Otonashi leaned over, "Hey, so do you want to go backstage and meet the band? You know Yui, but everyone else?"
"Yeah, sure," Hideki said to Otonashi. He wondered what he should say to Yui. He was always a bit guarded with his words, although he tried to welcome others and help people feel welcome. And now, this group was doing the same for him.
Iszuki came first, but he thought that maybe this group of people would understand that.
Yui was taking several drinks of water backstage after the concert. She was hot and warm and sweaty and she was absolutely thrilled that Iwasawa was back in town for their concert.
"You did well, Yui," she said to her, patting her shoulder.
She turned to the rest of her former band. "I've gotta go, friends. Thanks for letting me jam with you again."
She stopped next to Hisako, and the two hugged tightly. Yui turned away slightly as they kissed, her face grinning slightly. That was the real reason that Iwasawa had come back to town–she missed her favorite girl.
Yui heard a door knock on the backstage dressing room door and she sighed. All she really wanted to do was to go home and sleep. But, the band always welcomed their friends backstage after a concert.
"You ready lead singer?" Shiori asked.
"I have to get home soon," Yui said. "But, sure!"
"It's probably just the normal crew," Hisako said. She opened the door and she was right. It was the regular crew. They came in to congratulate the girls on a great job. Yui was turned away from them, not quite a member of the "cool" group that she recognized, but also friends with them as well. After all, she was the newest member of Battlefront and had kind of been a groupie before Iwasawa left and they needed a replacement.
She was taking off her choker, thinking about that, when a quiet voice to the left side of her said, "I'm impressed."
She looked up and Hinata-kun grinned down at her.
He looked very handsome, wearing dark jeans, and a button-up light blue shirt. It didn't clash with his blue hair or eyes but just seemed to bring everything together. His sleeves were rolled to his elbows, exposing his sinewy, muscular, forearms.
He was leaning against her little table casually.
"Impressed?" She asked, her eyebrow raised slightly.
She put a hand to her chest and sighed dramatically, "I can't believe that I impressed the star baseball player." She fanned herself with her hand.
"Yeah, I had no idea your voice had another level that wasn't annoying."
Her eyes narrowed at him and he smiled cheekily at her.
"I'm going to hurt you for that."
"Oh yeah, how?"
"Remember how I put you in a headlock when we first met? I've also been working on my German Suplex!"
"Have you now? Are you as good at it as the professional wrestlers?"
"Of course not. Otherwise, I would be wrestling. That would be so much fun–the costumes, the makeup…"
"The headlocks and German Suplexes?"
She smiled at him brightly. "You see now. I practice a lot with Kaoru, you know. It drives mom and dad crazy."
"I can imagine," Hideki replied, laughing slightly at her enthusiasm. He made a note to himself to find the next professional wrestling match that he could and to take her there.
"Hey, Yui!" Fujimaki yelled, "Good show kid. Glad to see you embrace more rock music."
"Hey! Thanks for coming, everyone!" She said, stepping up to everyone else. Kanade and Yuri both gave her quick hugs.
"We're going to get some food. Want to come out with us?" Yuri asked her kindly. "You look flustered and warm."
"Oh, it's just from the performance. I always get like this," she said softly. "But, I can't go out, unfortunately. I have to get home. I have work early tomorrow and I don't want to be walking home too late."
"What about you, Hinata?" Otonashi asked suddenly. "Are you able to come out with us a bit more?"
"I don't know. I should probably be getting back as well," Hideki said with a grin. "It is a school night, after all, and I have double training tomorrow."
"Thanks for coming man," Otonashi said suddenly. Hideki shook his hand, and everyone else's as well. He smiled and waved at them, and then began to walk towards the door. He said goodbye to everyone, and then turned back around, leaning against the doorframe, watching Yui.
She looked at Hinata, who was still in the room with her.
"Why are you still here?" She demanded, gathering up her things. "I thought–"
"I have to get back home to Iszuki, but I'd like to walk you home first if that's alright with you?" he told her seriously.
She felt a shiver down her spine at his words. His tone of voice was so familiar. It had been so long since she had felt comfortable around people, especially men.
But Hideki Hinata made her feel comfortable, even when he was quietly just standing next to her.
"I hope that's alright," he ventured to say when she didn't speak.
"It's fine," she said quietly. And then the two of them left the club together.
They walked in silence for a few blocks before Yui groaned slightly.
"What's wrong?" Hideki asked immediately.
Yui looked over at him slightly annoyed. Sometimes he acted like a mother hen. She wondered if it was because he was an older brother. She knew that she sometimes smothered Kaoru about things as well.
"It's my boots. I need to save up to buy some more comfortable ones."
"Do you want to be taller so badly?"
She scoffed at him. "Says someone that is already tall."
"Hey, now. I'm the shortest and smallest," he flexed one of his biceps at her as if to prove a point, "one on the baseball team, you know."
"Well, yeah. Aren't the second baseman usually the smallest ones?"
"We also happen to be the smartest and the quickest."
"That can't be possible."
"Why do you say that?"
"All baseball players, present company included, are morons."
"Yeah, a lot of male athletes are pretty arrogant and dumb," Hideki agreed with her. "And this team seems to have a particularly bad reputation. What happened? Did someone hurt you?"
"Not me personally, no. But I know someone who was hurt, and while she accused the player of assault, nothing happened to him because he was the best player on the team. I'm so glad that you don't seem to be like that, even with how talented you are."
Hideki stopped walking suddenly. Yui turned to look at him.
"What was his name?" He asked her curiously.
"It doesn't matter now. He was a senior about two years ago. My friend was only in third class at the high school at the time. He invited her to a party, she ended up drugged and then raped."
Hideki shook his head and then sighed. "You don't go to any of those parties do you?"
"I have no time," She said, shaking her head. "To be honest, I thought they might be fun. But, I wouldn't go by myself, for sure. What about you? I heard that you don't live there, obviously, because of your little brother."
"I'm not interested in partying. I just want to play," Hideki said simply. "Some guys, I think, like to use their talents and abilities for a reason, maybe to get laid, or to get drugs, or to just show how much better they are than everyone else. But, I just like how it feels when I play."
She smiled at his words. She understood what he was talking about–that was how she felt when she sang. Nothing else seemed to matter, and everything else fell away.
And that was how she found herself falling a little bit more in love with Hideki Hinata.
She asked him about Hokkaido and what he missed the most about his home. He told her about his hometown of Engaru, and of the mountains, which he missed more than anything else, it seemed.
She smiled at his words. "I've been up to Hokkaido, but not to Engaru. How are you liking Tokyo?"
"Well, it is a little bit warmer. And…a lot busier."
"That's an understatement," she said softly. "You can say that it's too busy. Sometimes I think it is."
"Yeah?"
"Sometimes I think it would be nice to live somewhere on my own, somewhere quiet and peaceful, with nobody to bother me. Then I realized that I really like people and being in a city, so that wouldn't work out for too long."
He smiled and said, "I like the quiet too. But, I kind of don't mind the bustle of the big city, either. It keeps me busy, and I like being busy."
She smiled at him softly, realizing that she enjoyed hearing his voice speaking. His voice was low and slightly gravelly. She had never been attracted to a man's voice before, but it seemed like there was a first time for everything.
"Where do you work?" Hideki asked suddenly. "I'm assuming it's some kind of cafe, but I haven't asked yet."
"Oh, yeah. It's called Uncle Sam's–it's an American cafe. I kind of hate it, but the tips are good. We get quite a few American tourists or military stopping in and they tip very well."
He smiled at her.
"You are busy," he murmured to himself and she heard him.
"Well, you'll be very busy in the spring, won't you?" She replied suddenly. "You'll be traveling a lot more, right?"
He nodded. "I'm not looking forward to that–it's a lot of long nights trying to get back to Iszuki. I don't really know what's going to happen. The coaches said that I can bring him with me, of course, but I don't know if that would be the best for him."
"Well, my mother is smitten with Iszuki, almost as much as she's smitten with Kaoru. I bet we could work something out with you. My mom really does mean the best–she's the most amazing mom."
"From what I've seen, she is pretty amazing," Hideki replied to her with a sad smile. "You're really lucky."
"I know," Yui said with a smile as well.
"Do you remember a lot about your mom?"
"Yeah, I do." He sighed, and then said, "She passed away right after Iszuki was born. She had undiagnosed preeclampsia, and it became eclampsia after giving birth. They didn't know why her blood pressure was so high and she died before they really figured it out. But, yeah. I remember her. I was almost 13 when Iszuki was born."
Yui looked at him in compassion, and he said, "She was always really encouraging, pushing me in school especially. But she was my biggest fan at the baseball games. I didn't really push myself in baseball until she passed away–I really only worked hard when I had to. And I remember her voice still–she read to me all the time when I was growing up." His voice cracked slightly in pain, "We were–we were even reading a book together when she passed away."
He sighed, and then said, "And she taught me how to cook. Which is a good thing, because Dad was pretty bad at cooking. I was able to take care of the cooking after she died."
Yui readjusted her guitar over her shoulder.
He watched her hands and asked, "Do you want me to carry that for you?"
"No, it's alright," she said softly, although she did appreciate his offer. "It's really not that heavy either."
"You're probably building up your muscles for your future wrestling career, right?"
She scoffed, and said, "You're so annoying. You're not going to let me live that down, are you?"
He grinned at her. She assumed his answer was no. Yui felt her heart skip a beat faster at his bright smile.
He was so handsome–how was she ever going to stop this crush from building up anymore?
They walked in a companionable silence to her front door. She looked through her crossbody bag and brought out her keys. She smiled at him softly.
"Thanks for walking me home."
"You're welcome," Hideki replied to her, with his hands in his pockets. He turned to leave, and then he stopped.
He turned back around and asked, "Is it too bold of me to ask for your phone number? I mean, we are lab partners, and I thought that it would be good to–"
She cut him off with a grin.
"Sure, what's your number?"
He rattled off his number to her and she put it in her phone. She then sent him a quick text. "There, now you have my number. I'll see you in class on Tuesday. Goodnight, Hideki."
He watched her as she unlocked her door, and then stepped inside, closing the door with a click. He smiled, turned away, and started walking back to his apartment. He checked his phone though, to make sure that he got her text message.
He saw a phone number that he didn't recognize and opened it up. Then, he laughed slightly at the text she had sent.
"This is Yui, moron."
Yui walked into her home with a bright smile on her face. Her mother, Kazumi, was up waiting for her. She always waited for Yui to come home safely. Ichiro was also up, reading a book while her mother was watching television.
Her mother looked up and smiled. Her father asked how the show went, and Yui replied, "We kicked ass nya!"
Both her parents rolled their eyes at her antics. She'd always been an energetic, sassy girl. That had only increased as she grew older.
"Did I hear another voice at the door?" Kazumi asked curiously, knowing full well that she had heard a deeper, more masculine voice only a few minutes earlier.
"Um, maybe?" Yui said, blushing slightly. She put her water bottle up to her mouth and took a sip of water. Hoping that her parents wouldn't ask her anything else.
"Yui, did you have a date afterward?" Ichiro asked, suddenly serious and intent on listening to the conversation. He peered at her over his glasses.
"No, ugh. It wasn't a date, Dad. Someone just walked me home, that's all."
"Who walked you home?" Her father asked. Yui sighed. Ever since that...incident...her father was incredibly protective of her. He was the one who insisted she start taking self-defense classes and carrying around mace in her purse.
Her mother, however, clicked her tongue in impatience at her husband's overprotective nature.
"Um…Hinata-kun," she said, feeling herself blush. Her father immediately relaxed when he heard the name.
So her dad did like Hinata-kun, even though he'd broken one of their windows. The glass place had finally come and replaced the window earlier that weekend. And Hinata-kun had already sent over money to pay for it. Yui only knew because Ichiro had commented on how much he appreciated Hinata paying him back quickly, that a lot of young men would probably drag their feet.
"Is this interrogation over? Can I please go to sleep now?"
"Oh," Kazumi said, exchanging a look with Ichiro, "Hinata-kun went to your show, then?"
Yui groaned and knew her parents wouldn't let up until they heard the details. They were nosy like that.
She plopped on the sofa next to her mother.
"He was there with some other people–Yuzuru Otonashi, Kanade Tachibana, and a few others. He offered to walk me home after because he didn't want to be out too late for Iszuki."
"I see," Kazumi said, her voice soft, her eyes slightly misty. Yui wanted to roll her eyes at her mother's emotions sometimes. Yui had heard quite a bit about Iszuki this week from Kaoru, and now she was going to hear her mom talk about how sweet and kind his older brother was as well. Not that Yui disagreed with her, but it was a little annoying to hear all the time.
What was he even bad at? Yui wondered to herself.
"Well, I'm glad that Hinata-kun is such a gentleman."
Yui pursed her lips and nodded her head at her mother's words. She couldn't quite disagree with her mother there.
Then she said, "He mentioned that he's not sure what he'll do in the spring when they're traveling a lot more. He told me the coaches said they could accommodate Iszuki joining him on the bus for their traveling, but he doesn't think that will be the best for Iszuru."
"Probably not," Ichiro said, putting his book down. "I know we like Hinata-kun, but the rest of that baseball team is very rowdy, and really not a good crowd to be hanging around with, especially out of town on a tour bus or hotel."
"I told him that I could help him out–if that's okay with you guys as well?"
"I'm glad that you offered that, Yui," Kazumi said, happy with her daughter's willingness to help someone out. "It's several months away, but it's good to know that we might be having Iszuki over more often."
"Yeah," she said softly, "Well, I'm going to bed. I have to be up early for my shift tomorrow. Good-night!"
"Take care, sweetie," Ichiro said. Kazumi watched as Yui went into her room, smiling after her daughter. She was glad to see her in such a cheerful mood.
"She's smitten," Ichiro announced in a mock whisper to his wife.
"Hush, can you blame her? Hinata-kun is a handsome, talented, young man that is very respectful of her. Of course she is," Kazumi said with a sigh. Images of planning her daughter's wedding raced through her head. She'd always wanted her daughter to get married, and something told her that Hinata-kun might be the one.
If he could get over her idiosyncrasies, that is.
She smacked her husband slightly, as he said, "Smitten" with a snort, once again. Then they continued to watch their television show in peace.
Author's Note: I think this would technically be labeled a "slow burn" because even though the feelings that these two have are evident from the beginning, they are definitely going to take their time getting together.