Disclaimer: I don't own Angel Beats. And I'm pretty sure nobody is even reading this at the moment, lol.
The head coach followed Ishida, Hinata, and Okita to the team clinic. Most of the universities had their own hospitals or doctor clinics for injuries, and this one was state-of-the-art. Their current doctor was a man named Otonashi, who had his own son attending the university. He agreed to be the doctor for the year for the team in exchange for free tickets. He ran his own clinic out of his house, so he had a more flexible schedule. It worked out for all those involved.
"That one first," the doctor said, pointing at Okita. "He looks like he might have a head injury."
Haru helped Hinata sit down in one of the chairs.
Matsura put his hand on Hideki's right shoulder and said, "I'll call your emergency contact to let them know what happened. Make sure your brother gets picked up, alright?"
Hideki said, "Thanks, coach."
He nodded and then walked off back to his office.
Ishida looked at Okita sitting on the bed. "Learn something new, idiot?
Doctor Otonashi, who looked like an older version of his son, looked at the two in interest as he cleaned up his forehead.
Okita scoffed and then smiled. "Yeah, I learned that bastard has a hell of a right hook."
The doctor looked at Hideki, whose head was beginning to hurt more than before.
"Serves you right asshole. See you later." He walked towards the door where Haru was also waiting for him.
"Take care, Hinata," Ishida said as he headed out the door with Haru. Now it was only the doctor, Hideki, and Okita.
"This needs stitches," the doctor said to Okita. Okita didn't say anything at all but let the doctor begin his work.
Dr Otonashi called, "Yuzuru!"
Yuzuru Otonashi came in and said, "Yeah Dad?" He looked at his dad, then Okita, and then Hideki.
His eyes almost bugged out.
"Oh hell, Hinata-kun, what happened?" The doctor looked at his son sharply.
"Don't get distracted, Yuzuru. Check him for a concussion and then bandage up his shoulder. It doesn't look dislocated, thankfully."
"You might want to check his ribs too," Okita mumbled, then gasped slightly in pain as the doctor worked the needle into his skin. "Hell, doc, don't you have something to numb the pain."
"I don't like using it unless I have to," Doctor Otonashi replied dryly. "Plus it seems like the pain might be good for you."
"What the hell kind of doctor are you?"
"The one that's treating you. Now shut up."
Yuzuru was helping Hideki move to another table. He helped him get his t-shirt off. He gasped slightly in pain. Otonashi swore when he saw the bruising on the left side of Hideki's ribcage. "He doesn't look like he has a concussion, at least not yet. But, he has bruises on his ribs."
Dr Otonashi pursed his lips and then looked at Okita. "Did the two of you get in a fight?"
Hinata didn't answer, and neither did Okita.
"Guess you both managed to fall on the ground and get all bruised up at the same time." The doctor said sarcastically. He took a closer look at Okita behind his glasses.
"What about the gash on your forehead? How did you get that?"
"That bastard's got a big head."
"Screw you," Hideki spat back, still feeling some anger towards the shortstop.
Otonashi looked at Hinata in surprise. He was usually a really cool guy. There was definitely a fight, and it looked like Hideki had given Okita a difficult time in it.
"Look at you, man. What the hell happened?" Otonashi asked quietly.
"Don't worry about it," Hideki replied, taking an ice pack from Yuzuru and placing it against his right cheekbone. "It's over and done with now."
And just like that, it seemed as if all the anger had faded out of Hideki. He became his usual calm, light-hearted self again.
Okita overheard him and smiled slightly. That was until the doctor gave him another stitch in the forehead.
The coach called Hideki's emergency contact, and the coach was initially surprised to see Professor Nayande, from the English department show up. The coach was surprised. He didn't know that Hinata was on good enough terms with Professor Nayande to have him written down as his emergency contact.
Ichiro Nayande had his arms crossed over his chest as he looked over at Hinata in concern, who was feeling slightly ashamed at what he said to Okita earlier in the weight room.
Even if it was true.
His parents had always taught him that humility was important–that it didn't matter how good you were at something if you weren't willing to learn more. He wondered if they would be ashamed of what he'd said to Okita.
But right now, it felt like he was in the dean's office.
Nayande bent down to look Hinata in the eyes. His eyes trailed over his cheekbone.
"What happened to him?" Ichiro asked Matsura.
"One of the other players attacked him. Actually, several players attacked him. I think there were about five on him at one point," the coach said, sighing in frustration.
"Is his Hinata-chan taken care of?"
"Yeah, he's at our house. Thanks for letting us know what happened. We were able to get him picked up easily from his school. Who attacked him, Kage?"
"Okita, the idiot." The professor clucked his tongue in understanding and shared a look with Coach Matsura.
"He's probably feeling jealous that he's no longer the star player on the team," the professor commented.
Hideki felt himself blushing at the professor's words.
"Most likely, Ichiro. Apparently, can't handle the competition of not being the best. He's going to have a wake-up call when he gets to America. They're morons, all of them. I don't know why I still do this," the coach whined slightly.
"Because you know how much they need you," Professor Nayande replied. Coach Matsura shrugged his shoulders.
"Doctor Otonashi doesn't want him to be left alone. He might have a concussion, even though he's showing no signs of it at the moment. You'll need to keep an eye on him. I have no interest in losing my starting second baseman before the spring."
Hideki was beginning to feel annoyed that they were speaking about him as if he wasn't there.
"It's alright, we have a guest bedroom for the two of them. They can stay with us for as long as they need to." Ichiro told Matsura. "We'll make sure they're both taken care of."
That got Hideki's attention. "I really don't want to inconvenience you, Nayande-san."
"Nonsense. If anything, it will keep Kaoru occupied, and it will give my wife a chance to play nurse. She used to be a nurse, before her accident. Of course, she was a labor and delivery nurse…I'm not sure what that says about you, Hinata-kun."
Hideki cracked a smile at his words, the first smile he'd had all afternoon after the incident.
"What are his other injuries?" Nayande asked, turning back towards Coach Matsura.
"He has bruised ribs, a contusion on his cheekbone and orbital bone–watch around his eye, if the swelling doesn't go down we'll need to get him to a hospital, and he has a pretty tender shoulder. We don't think it dislocated, but it may have. He has some exercises to do, in order to keep his mobility."
"Which shoulder? That's not good," the professor said, "Does the rest of the team want to win?"
"It's my left shoulder. I'll be fine," Hideki said, wincing in pain. Nayande frowned at the pain on Hideki's face.
"What about pain medications? Any prescriptions?"
"He refused them. Said something about not wanting to risk getting addicted." The coach rolled his eyes. "He's an interesting kid."
"I'm right here, coach," Hideki said, feeling even more annoyed. "I can hear you."
"Well, you are interesting, Hinata. Not many old souls like you are around. Take care, I don't want you playing for at least three days, alright? Just like Doctor Otonashi said. Let's make sure that there's no concussion."
Hideki sighed slightly in annoyance. The coach smiled at him and said, "I'll see you in a few days, Hinata. Rest up and get better."
Then he left the room, leaving only Hideki and Ichiro Nayande there.
Ichiro looked at Hideki cheerfully.
"Well, come on Hinata-kun. You don't need any help walking, do you?"
"No, I can walk now. My head was hurting pretty bad for a while, but that's gone now," he said to Ichiro.
He followed the professor out of the school hospital and into the small, blue car that was waiting for him. He winced slightly as he sat in the front seat. Professor Nayande looked at him in concern as he reached over and buckled himself into the car. Then Professor Nayande drove him back to the Nayande home.
Ichiro broke the silence.
"Aren't you glad that you asked me to be your emergency contact now?"
"I'm glad that you offered," Hideki said with a slight laugh, before reaching for his ribs in pain. "Is Iszuki alright?"
"Yeah. He's worried about you probably. I got the call, and let Yui know to go and pick him up. They didn't give her any problems, and he went with her easily. By the way, we have four bedrooms, so we were going to have you stay in the spare room where my younger brother usually stays when he visits. Iszuki can either stay with you or with Kaoru."
Hinata sighed, and said, "I really appreciate your help."
"I know you do," he said to him. "You're a good man, Hinata-kun. We're all growing rather fond of you and your brother. Of course, it helps to know that you'll be famous one day; people always like celebrities."
Hideki laughed slightly at that.
"You mean you don't just like me for my charming personality?"
The professor cracked a smile at Hideki's words and finished the drive quickly to his house. When they arrived, Iszuki was waiting for him, right inside the house.
"Hideki-nii!" He cried out running towards him. Hideki leaned down, and patted his brother on the back and on the head. "It's alright, Iszuki. I'll be fine."
Iszuki nodded and looked at his face. He asked in a loud whisper, "Why does your face look like that?"
Hideki winced at his brother's "whisper" "Tell me, man: How bad is it?"
"It's really ugly bad."
Hinata smiled slightly at his brother's honest description and tousled his brother's hair.
When he looked up, Yui was staring at him. She looked more concerned than he'd ever seen yet. She had her arms crossed over her chest, and her eyes were glaring at him. They seemed to pierce through him. All of a sudden, he was more afraid of Yui than he was of anyone else that he had met.
"I hope the other guy looks worse," she said to him, her eyes raking over his body.
"He does," Hinata said, cracking a grin. "He needs stitches, at least."
"You're such a moron," Yui said quietly, putting her arms over her chest, and then to his surprise, she stomped off to her bedroom, slamming the door loudly.
"Chin up, the worst is over, Hinata-kun," Ichiro Hayande said with a wry smile as he looked after his daughter. There was definitely something there between her and Hinata-kun.
"Let me show you to your room," he said quietly. "I hope you don't mind but when Yui picked up Iszuki, he asked to go back to your apartment. He picked out some clothing for both of you. And your brother insisted on these pictures coming as well."
Two framed pictures sat on the bedside table–the picture of their parents on their wedding day, and a picture of a younger Hideki, holding a toddler Iszuki on his shoulders. They both had broad grins on their faces. And next to Hideki was an older version of their father. He had graying hair on his temples but still wore wire-rimmed glasses and a bright smile.
"Thank you," Hideki said."It will mean a lot to him. They mean a lot to me."
Hayande-san nodded, before saying, "Let me know if you need anything…or Kazumi, or Yui, of course, alright? We'll let you know when it's time for dinner."
Hideki nodded and sat on the bed, looking at the framed picture. Iszuki sidled into the room. He was bringing in his blanket–something that he could never sleep without, ever since he was a toddler. It was the quilt that their mother had made for him when she was pregnant. Hideki had one as well, but it was packed away in his chest, a reminder of his mother.
Iszuki climbed into bed and Hideki adjusted the pillows. He winced slightly but opened up his right arm. Iszuki snuggled right into his side.
"I was worried, Hideki-nii."
"I know Iszuki. I'll be okay, I promise."
"Why would someone attack you?"
"Sometimes people don't know how to handle their own emotions, so they react against other people. That's all."
"I miss Dad."
"Me too," Hideki said softly. He felt his shirt grow wet. His little brother was crying. It still happened every few days–the proclamation of how much he missed their father.
Hideki held his brother closer to him. He breathed in and out deeply as his brother sobbed.
"Everything will be okay, Iszuki."
"How?"
"We have friends. And we have each other–I told Dad that I was going to take care of you, no matter what. It doesn't matter if I have to give up playing at the university, I'll do whatever I need to in order to take care of you."
He sighed. "Lots of kids at school talk about their parents and how stupid they are. They're so lucky to have them still. I miss Dad. Do you?"
"Yeah, I do. A lot," Hideki said quietly.
They sat next to each other in silence until Iszuki's breathing evened out, and Hideki could tell that his brother was asleep. He heard a quiet knock on the door.
"Come in," he called quietly.
Yui stood in the doorway. "May I come in?"
"Yeah, that's fine. Iszuki's asleep though."
"I see that," she said, her eyes flickering to his side.
"Do you need something? Do you want anything to eat?"
"I'm good for a little while still."
She sighed and said, "Okay. Just let me know, alright? Mom wants me to help as much as possible."
He nodded his head, and then immediately stopped, closing his eyes tightly.
She narrowed her eyes immediately at him. He looked like he was in some pain.
"Do you need some medicine for your head?"
"I took some ibuprofen already," he replied.
She stood for a few more moments.
"Yui," he said softly.
"Yeah?"
"Were you worried about me?"
"No," she said, her chin jutting out.
"Well good. Because I kicked his ass..at least after a while."
She cracked a small grin.
Then she said, "Who was it?"
"Okita-sempai," he replied.
"Oh, this wasn't about me, was it?"
"He may have mentioned you," Hideki said quietly.
"Oh?" Yui asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.
He looked at her and then said, "I told him not to bother you, that you were no groupie."
"Now I want to beat him up…can I?"
"No. He's too good. Our backup shortstop isn't anywhere near as good as him."
"You're such a jerk sometimes, spoiling all my fun," she said.
Then she crossed her arms over her chest. "You'll let me know if you need me?"
"I need to come out, actually. I'm not supposed to fall asleep for a little while still, according to the doctor."
She watched as he expertly maneuvered his little brother off of him and onto the bed. It looked like he had done that several times before. He pulled Iszuki's quilt up to his chin.
"Does he fall asleep like that a lot?" Yui asked curiously. There was something that she really liked about seeing him take care of his younger brother. She wondered if it was something biological or something more.
"Yeah. When Dad got sick, I think we both felt more comfortable sleeping close to each other. I moved my mattress into my dad's room, so I could help take care of him. Iszuki joined me most of the time."
She looked at him in compassion. She wanted to ask him what his father died from but didn't think it was appropriate. He read her thoughts though.
"It was cancer," Hideki said softly. "Stage 3 liver cancer. He fought it for a year, but then there wasn't much they could do but make him comfortable. Towards the end, it was really difficult. There was a nurse that came to help take care of him most days. She was a lifesaver; a saint really. Her name was Tsubame." He followed her out of the bedroom and closed the door with a quiet click behind him. "She would take care of Iszuki for me too, sometimes. I don't know how I managed to play and do school last year, to be honest. We stayed with him until he passed away."
"Is that why you stayed in Hokkaido last year?"
He nodded his head. "I couldn't leave my father while he was dying. He was in a lot of pain. He needed us. And to be honest, I still needed him."
He looked at her after that, and to his surprise, a look in her eyes that he hadn't seen before.
She had tears in her eyes. He felt his own eyes stinging as well. He wasn't sure if it would ever get easier. This grief was terrible sometimes. It came upon him when he least expected it.
She nodded her head, and then, to his surprise, asked, "Is that a hereditary cancer?"
"Yes. I don't carry that gene though, and neither does Iszuki. Dad made us get the blood work done as soon as we could..."
She breathed out deeply in relief.
"Wow. You must really like me," Hideki said, changing the subject and grinning at her mischievously. She ignored his proclamation, but she did feel immense relief at his answer. She couldn't imagine someone as lively and wonderful as Hideki Hinata, dying from cancer.
"Come and sit with my mom, moron. I'll make dinner tonight without your help," she said walking over to the kitchen.
Hinata walked into the family room, his head aching still and Kazumi pointed out the chair to him. "Sit down, Hinata-kun, and let me take a look at you. Is your shoulder okay?"
"Yeah, it's just sore," he said quietly. "I'm glad that they went after my weak arm."
She sighed and shook her head. "Young men can be so stupid sometimes."
He smiled at Kazumi. "Thank you for your help. Thank you for offering your home for us to stay in. I'm hoping I don't have a concussion, but just in case."
"You're welcome, Hinata-kun. Now just relax, and don't worry about anything for the next few days. We'll take care of the two of you."
Yui went to school the rest of the week and fielded all kinds of questions about Hinata-kun from her friends. The rumors had run rampant. One rumor was that he was hit by a car in an accident. Another was that he was attacked by a Yakuza for not dealing drugs like he was supposed to be doing. Yui was getting frustrated that most of these rumors even existed.
Yuzuru was really the only other person besides the other members of the team that knew of Hinata's injuries.
She kept fielding her own questions about what had happened to him. People asked because they knew that the two of them were lab partners.
Their closer friends, however, asked because they had the feeling that Yui was secretly very worried about Hinata.
"Are you worried about Hinata, Yui? Will he be okay?" Ooyama asked her one afternoon in the library. She had been trying to study for an English test (thankfully she wasn't in her dad's class for that). Ooyama was easy to like though, so she decided to answer his question.
"He should be fine. The doctor came by yesterday and said he looked fine but told him not to do too much until Monday. He can't even go back to school yet," Yui said, shrugging her shoulders. Ooyama exclaimed that he was happy about Hinata-kun's recovery.
But Yui wasn't relieved.
At the moment, the biggest problem though, was keeping her mind off of the young man that was currently living in her home.
She hadn't walked in on him showering or anything like that, but her mother insisted on checking his injuries every day, especially his shoulder and rib injuries. Thankfully the nasty bruises on his cheekbone and near his eye were going down in color and swelling as well. She only liked him with blue hair and eyes-not with blue-tinted contusions on his skin.
The morning after the incident, her mother called for her help, asking her to bring in some ice and a numbing cream that her mother kept in stock. Yui was heading to work in the afternoon.
Yui fetched it for her and took it to the room that Hinata was staying in. And, as soon as she walked into the doorway, she stopped dead.
He was in bed, with his shirt off, only wearing his pants. His mother had several bandages on the bed.
"Yui, I need your help. I can't reach his ribs well in the wheelchair, and I don't want him moving too much. I need you to apply that cream, and to wrap his torso with those bandages."
She nodded at her mother's request, admiring Hinata's figure. He had hardly any fat on him, and he wasn't too skinny–he had enough muscle on him to be attractive, but he wasn't too bulked up. She shook her head and she heard her mom mention needing more gauze. She wheeled away and left them in the room.
Yui did her best to concentrate on Hideki's injury, not the way it felt to touch his warm skin with her fingers...she felt herself wanting to touch more of him...
He broke her train of thought
"Like what you see?"
"Shut up, or I might be too rough." Yui retorted acidly. She felt herself blush. He'd caught her staring. Not that he seemed to mind as he was grinning at her.
She looked closer and was pleased to see that he had a blush on his cheeks as well.
She placed the numbing cream on her fingers and gently massaged it into the bruising on his ribs. He stiffened slightly underneath her. His skin was so warm-was it supposed to be this warm?
Why was she feeling so warm herself? She noticed his oblique muscles tightening under her fingers. She looked up at him in concern.
"Am I hurting you right now?"
"No, definitely not hurting," he said, with an even darker blush on his cheeks. His voice sounded strained.
She smiled at him somewhat wickedly, but with her own cheeks flushed she decided not to tease him…at least not too much.
She used the gauze bandages and wrapped them around his torso.
Then she asked, "What about your shoulder?"
"It's fine," he said quietly.
"My mom wanted me to wrap up your shoulder, too, remember?"
His cheeks were still pink. He nodded and said, "Then I guess you should."
"Will you be able to handle that?"
His eyes narrowed at her comment. She smiled as her hands moved to his left shoulder. God, there was more muscle on his shoulder than his stomach. She felt his muscles tense once again at her touch. She glanced up at his face and he was staring at her, with something in his gaze she hadn't recognized before. He closed his eyes, and she continued to rub his shoulder.
"Is it hurting?"
"No," he said, "Not anymore." His voice was barely above a whisper. She wondered what would happen if she kept touching his shoulder like this; perhaps her hands could trail down his chest, his back, his-
She felt her face flush once again and she shook her head, willing her once again, perverted thoughts to go away. She cleared her throat. She grabbed the ice pack from the side table and sat on the bed next to him. She leaned forward and put the ice on his cheek and near his eye.
"You should keep that on. That swelling needs to go down." She whispered to him. She felt his face turn towards her. He nodded slightly at her words.
"Is there anything else I need?"
She bit her lip, wondering if she could say what she wanted to say, which was "Me." Oh, she wanted him. She wanted to kiss him and touch him, and feel his muscles tense under her touch once again.
Instead, she answered softly, "I think that's it for now." Then she realized that her mother hadn't returned.
"I wonder where my mom got to," she said softly.
She turned back towards Hideki, and asked, "Do you need my help getting your shirt back on?"
"Are you sure you want me to wear one? I didn't think that you minded me having it off-"
"Shut up." She said, yanking his t-shirt over his head unexpectedly. She helped him maneuver his arms and shoulder through the sleeves, gently.
She didn't want to show him how badly he had shaken her. When he went back to flirting with her so openly, she knew that intensity, that tension between them was gone.
At least for the moment.
He smiled at her warmly.
"Thank you," he said.
She nodded at him and gathered up the things in his room. She turned, and said, "Want me to bring some lunch or will you want to eat in the kitchen?"
"I can eat in the kitchen," he replied. "Unless you want to bring me lunch in" She slammed the door on his reply, rolling her eyes at his flirtatious grin.
She immediately found her mother. "Mom, you left me there with Hinata. I thought you were going to bring me more bandages."
Her mother was busy making lunch but looked up from the kitchen counter at her daughter. "I did bring some in, but the two of you seemed rather busy, so I thought I would come back. Did you just use what you had?"
Yui's face blushed right red. "Mom!"
"I thought you wouldn't mind helping him, honey. It didn't seem like it, at least, from what I saw."
"Oh my gosh! Are you trying to set us up?"
"No," her mother lied to her. Then she added, "It doesn't look like you need any help with that anyway."
"Mom, come on. Please trust me on this."
Kazumi turned her wheelchair towards Yui. She put a hand up to her cheek. "I want you to be happy, honey. You seem more cheerful around him. A lot more cheerful and relaxed."
Yui put her head down. "I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to worry you, it's just…"
"Sweetheart, nobody blames you for what happened. I don't blame you. Your dad doesn't blame you. The school doesn't blame you. You have to let it go."
Yui looked at her and changed the subject, asking her mom, "Do you remember that dream I told you about?"
"Which one?"
"The one with the man–the same man–who tells me that he is in love with me and wants to marry me."
Her mother smiled at her and said, "Oh yes! You've had that dream for as long as I can remember. He proposes to you on a soccer field, right?"
"Right…" Yui said, but then thought "Baseball diamond, but close enough."
Her mother turned on the rice cooker and then looked at Yui. "What about your dream, honey?"
"I think Hinata-kun is that man."
Her mother looked at Yui in shock. "You mean he looks like the man who proposes to you?"
Yui nodded. "Something like that."
"Oh sweetie, you'll figure it out."
"Do you think so?"
"Absolutely. And you know what? Don't worry about it."
Yui nodded at her mother's words. They sat together in the kitchen, drinking a small cup of green tea.
She watched as her mother put a platter of food together for Hinata, and then said, "Well, why don't you get Hinata-kun, sweetie? I already ate my lunch. Maybe the two of you can eat together in his room."
She smiled at her mother and then picked up the tray. Kazumi watched as she left the kitchen behind with a broad smile on her face.
Yui knocked on the door, then opened the door quietly. Hideki had his laptop on his lap and was typing up something.
"What's that you're doing?"
"Just sending an email to my agent, explaining everything that happened. He's pretty good at keeping the press off my back, but I need to keep him informed ahead of time so he can handle the reporters."
"Well, mom made us lunch. You want some?"
He looked up from his computer and smiled at her. "Yeah, that sounds great." She watched as he closed his laptop, and put it on his side table. She noticed the little quilt folded neatly on one of the sitting chairs.
"You won't mind if I join you?"
"No," he said, "Not at all. Why would you think that?"
"I don't. I was just being polite," she snarked back at him.
He laughed, and then said, "Sorry, sorry. And I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"What are you talking about?" She asked him.
"About earlier. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. Your touch felt...nice."
She felt herself perk up at his words. This seemed like another prime opportunity to tease the man.
"Oh really? My touch was only nice?"
He shoveled some rice into his mouth quickly.
"Wow, I was hoping it felt better than nice. That was what I was going for."
He stayed silent as he sipped his miso soup quietly.
"I mean, most women LOVE hearing that guys think they're 'nice', I'm sure..."
He looked at her, and said, "I think you're really nice, Yui. A sweet spirit, really."
She shook her head and laughed slightly at his words. His cheeks were still pink, but he appeared to be reviving.
"Really, Hideki," she said softly as she used her own chopsticks to eat her fish. "It's okay to admit that you were aroused when I touched your bare skin. It's a totally normal reaction."
The brighter flush returned to his skin. Oh, so he was turned on from her touch on his stomach and shoulders.
"I have a question for you though: Exactly what did Okita say to you that made you fight with him? You said it was about me, didn't you?"
"You were part of it," he replied softly. "You were right about Rin-kun being a groupie. They sent her to me, in order to "welcome" me to the team."
"Poor girl," Yui said softly. "Of course, she most likely put herself in that situation. But, what does that have to do with me?"
"I'd rather not say," Hideki replied softly.
"Is that so?" Yui smiled at him, and said, "Well, I guess I will have my own investigating to do." She grabbed their dishes, and then, left the room behind.
Yui saw Yuri and waved at them as she was handing the table that she was waiting on their last check.
"I can take my break in a few minutes," she informed her friends. "Find a place to sit and we can get some milkshakes."
"Oo, do you have strawberry?" Yuri asked.
"Of course, it can be my treat," Yui replied. Kanade requested vanilla, which Yui noted.
They watched as Yui chatted amiably to the people who were leaving.
Yui then turned towards Yuri and Kanade. "Okay, I can take off now. Let me go get our milkshakes, and I'll be right back."
It only took a few minutes for Yui to leave the kitchen, holding a platter with three milkshakes on it.
"Strawberry for you, Yuri; Vanilla for you, Kanade."
Then, she brought the cookies and cream one to herself. Each of the milkshakes was thick with whipped cream and a cherry on top.
"How's everything going?"
"Alright," Yui replied with a smile. "Did you find out anything more about Hinata-kun's fight?"
Yuri laughed. Yui had cornered her two days after the now infamous brawl that had apparently started in the locker room. She wanted to know exactly who was involved and what was said. Yuri was excellent at getting information from people. Mostly, because Fujimaki, Noda, and Matsushita were willing to shake anyone down for that information.
"Oh yeah, I found out. You want to know what happened?"
Yui nodded. "Hinata-kun wouldn't tell me anything. Just keeps saying 'I'd rather not say'."
"Well, let's just say that Okita is totally jealous of Hinata-kun, he's pissed that he gets special treatment-mostly the fact that Hinata-kun doesn't have to live in the Baseball House or the dorms. And when Hinata-kun wasn't responding the way he wanted to, he brought you up."
Yui's eyes narrowed.
"What did he say?"
"Said you were super gorgeous, which of course isn't bad. But, then when Hinata-kun didn't respond to that, he told Hinata-kun that he'd really like to nail you."
Yui felt slightly sickened at the news. She knew that it must have been pretty nasty to make Hinata-kun angry and silent about it. She was feeling angry herself at the moment.
"Then Hinata-kun finally got pissed, and told Okita to leave you out of it, that you weren't some common groupie. Then they attacked him."
"Who attacked him?"
"Okita threw the first punch when Hinata basically told Okita that he was better than him and that he didn't have to be a jackass to prove it. Then there were about four other guys on him."
"So, five total? And nobody came to Hinata-kun's aid," Yui asked, annoyed at the stupid baseball team.
"Well, from what I heard, they had to mostly hold him down because he was giving as good as he got and wasn't easy to beat up. Then, and this is weird, apparently, it seemed like Hinata-kun blacked out for a moment. After a few seconds, it was like he was a new man. That was when he rammed Okita in the head with his own head, and he gave several good punches back to Okita."
Yui felt some pride, mixed with fear. Hideki hadn't mentioned blacking out to anyone. What the hell had happened? Had he not realized that he had fallen unconscious? And five-on-one? What kind of nonsense was that?
And, Okita bringing her up, talking about screwing her like she was a whore.
She bristled angrily as she heard the news.
She was going to make Okita pay for that one.
'Is Hinata-kun feeling better?" Kanade asked after a moment.
"He seems to be healing just fine. He still insisted on taking our brothers out to see the new Pokemon movie. He said he promised Iszuki, so they went this morning."
Yuri smiled and said, "He seems very fond of his brother."
"Oh yes, and Iszuki-chan idolizes him," Yui said quietly. "They're quite the pair together."
"What did you want to talk about, Yui?" Yurippe asked suddenly.
Yui played with the straw of her shake. "I–well…it's kind of interesting and weird and it's happening so suddenly…I really don't know what to think."
Kanade said encouragingly, "Go on, Yui."
"Well, you see. I guess I need to start from the beginning."
She took a deep breath, and then said, "Ever since I was a little girl, I've had this dream. Well, I dream a lot, but this dream was so different from the rest. It was so lifelike and real."
"In this dream, a guy is trying to help me hit a home run. Sounds funny huh? He actually, kind of reminds me of Yuzuru, but he's kind of fuzzy. Anyways, from our conversations, it sounds like he's trying to help me, by helping me realize my dreams. Instead, I admit to him that I always wanted the chance to marry, and I never got the chance. But I was so young, so it doesn't make any sense. He says something else, and I don't understand him. But then, there's another guy that shows up, and he tells me that he'll marry me. That he's fallen in love with me."
Yui shakes her head. "Whenever I wake up from that dream, I always feel so warm, so loved. That's why–maybe that's why it's always stuck with me through the years."
"And?" Yuri asked, her eyes gazing at her knowingly.
"The guy that tells me those things, that says he loves me and that he'll marry me. That it would never matter if I had a disability or if I could have kids–it's Hinata-kun."
Yuri and Kanade both smiled at each other.
"Oh, Yui," Yuri said softly. She reached her hand across the table. "How long have you been having this dream?"
"For as long as I can remember. I think I was around 4 when I told my mom that I was going to marry this tall guy with blue hair and she only laughed at me."
"You're remembering," Kanade said softly.
"What are you saying?"
"That really happened," Yuri said. "It happened–well…you know how people believe in reincarnation?"
"Yes."
"Well, we all lived in a past life–a life that somehow, didn't go that well. We had some regrets. And when we died, those regrets sent us to this sort of purgatory that was a high school."
Yui looked between them, thinking it was a joke.
"We were there. Otonashi, Hinata, Noda, Fujimaki, Ooyama–even Iwasawa and Girls Dead Monster-we were all there."
"Oh? A High School purgatory?" Yui asked, still thinking that they were pulling her leg.
"Listen Yui, just think about it. In another life, you were paralyzed from the neck down. There were so many things that you couldn't do. Including getting married."
"Hinata helped you fulfill that wish by proposing marriage to you. He even told you how you would have met, with a baseball flying through your window. That he would have fallen in love with you after talking to you. He would help your mother take care of you, that eventually he would completely take over for her, and that the two of you would get married shortly after that." Kanade informed Yui. Yuzuru had told her about the whole thing after he met Yui for the first time, just over a year ago at their Freshman orientation.
He had said, "That's Yui. Now we just need to wait for Hinata. If I know him, he's going to be here soon, looking for her."
"Otonashi-kun always said that he wishes that you and Hinata-kun had realized your feelings earlier. The two of you were constantly at each other's throats," Yuri said with a smile. "I should have known that he was crazy about you."
"You're being serious right now?"
"How about this, Yui? Keep a dream journal. We should start popping up more and more in your dreams now that you've met us and we've told you we know. Write down what happens in the dreams, and we'll compare our own memories, eh?"
"Sure," Yui said, breathing out deeply. "I appreciate you listening."
"Of course. Things are different from the afterlife. Hinata-kun has a younger brother, and he seems different. He's more serious, less light-hearted. He was more goofy and silly, very happy-go-lucky in the afterlife. Of course, I feel like so much of that time, he was hiding behind a mask. He never wanted any of us to really see him."
Yui stared at Yuri and asked, "Were the two of you ever an item?"
Yuri shook her head. "Remember how I mentioned a group banded together to fight against our fate? Well, Hinata-kun and I started it together. I think, at first, we were both attracted to each other. But, it became apparent that we weren't suited for each other as well. He always flirted with me. He flirted with everyone, Yui, boy or girl. Except you, really. He pretended to dislike you most of the time. That's how I should have known. You two were made for each other. You're soulmates."
Yui listened to their words. She wondered if she was more serious as well. She didn't want to completely believe them, but she also knew that she should give their thoughts a chance. If there was a chance that this was because she was reincarnated…Hideki Hinata might really be the man in her dreams; her soul mate.
She shouldn't let it slip through her fingers.
She sighed and bid farewell to the girls after they finished their milkshakes and got up to leave. She wondered if Hinata felt the same way that she did. Or if he would think she was crazy for having those insane dreams.