Archive of Our Own

If there is anything Sawamura knows best, it's persistence. Consistency is the key to attaining the important things you really, really want in life. Sawamura knows this from personal experience— because his hard work has just paid off.

Three weeks in a row, twelve lunch encounters, four class room stop-ins, and thousands of please -s later, Sawamura is visiting the Seidou baseball field for the first time since he's joined the news reel team. Countless others have tried and failed to interview Miyuki Kazuya and his team. They were given a strict no and told to leave the team alone so they could focus on Koushien. It's true that the flashing camera and constant interview breaks that could happen during practice would disrupt the continuous flow of focus, but Sawamura is stubborn, born that way and proud of it.

He simply doesn't take no as an answer.

That's why Miyuki stands with an exasperated look on his face and hands on his hips. "If I let you take a couple pictures, you'll leave me alone?"

Sawamura nods vigorously. "Yes! I just need some decent ones so when I continue writing about you guys I'll have good references to make. Please let this Sawamura Eijun shine light upon the baseball team!" he claps his hands together with a short bow.

Miyuki huffs. "Fine. But you'll take pictures and leave, got it?"

"Yes!" Sawamura nods. "You got it, cap!"

Miyuki frowns. "What are you, a baseball player? Don't call me that."

"Oshi, you got it!"

Miyuki sighs. "Don't make me regret this, either. You only got a green light because I want to enjoy my lunch in peace."

"You can do so, starting now," Sawamura gleefully says. "Thank you!"

Miyuki shoos Sawamura promptly out of the second year classroom and into the hallway, where many students watch in mild confusion.

Miyuki doesn't talk to anyone who isn't his baseball team, let alone give them an interview. He doesn't spare anyone in the halls a second glance, and Sawamura watches silently as Miyuki retreats back to his seat, his friend leaning over to ask him a question that leaves Miyuki sputtering and blushing mad red, like a tomato. Sawamura doesn't question it. He turns on his heels and hurries back to his classroom, eager to tell his crew that he, indeed, scored a headline.

"Miyuki Kazuya!"

His voice is loud, and it catches the attention of half the baseball team stretching in the outfield. Miyuki winces as Kuramochi crackles beside him. "Wow, that kid doesn't stop at nothing, huh?"

"Shut up," Miyuki mumbles. He takes a breath before shoving his captain duties to Kuramochi, then jogs over to home plate. Sawamura stands with his best menacing face he can manage. "And what do I own the pleasure to, Sawamura?"

If possible, Sawamura's frown deepens. "Did you forget?" he asks. He gestures with his hands to his notepad, then to the camera he holds. "I'm taking pictures for the cover of tomorrow's paper."

Oh, Kazuya hums, he did forget. To be fair, he only nodded along to whatever Sawamura was saying so the kid would leave him alone. He's more focused on playing the game of baseball then trying to find media press for it. Sawamura had cornered him during lunch, and for crying out loud, Miyuki just wanted a minute to himself so he could prepare for the amount of games they're playing this week. Sue him. "Right," Miyuki says eventually. "Be my guest."

Sawamura nods. "I won't be in your way, promise."

"Alright," Miyuki answers, turning away so he can continue warming up. He doesn't need coach yelling at him for chit-chatting with Sawamura instead of stretching out. Really, Miyuki doesn't need to be chewed out in front of his team...again.

He jogs back over to the outfield, his teammates all casting him questioning glances. Kuramochi bits the bullet. "What does he want?"

Miyuki waves his hand. "To take pictures. He said it's for our upcoming page on the paper this week."

"Really?" Toujou asks, surprised. "They're giving us an article? Like actually for baseball and not just a page with photos of you?"

A few snickers come from their teammates. Toujou doesn't say it to be mean, and Miyuki knows his words are true. Most articles are focused on Miyuki himself rather than the baseball team as a whole. He finds it quite annoying, and Miyuki would rather talk about anything but himself; he adores baseball, but it seems that people adore him more.

"Yeah," he shrugs, "guess he is."

Kuramochi all but runs to Miyuki when he sits down at his seat. The bell hasn't rung yet, so kids are scattered aimlessly around the halls and classrooms, yet Kuramochi picked him out easily. "Have you seen the paper?" he asks, out of breath.

Miyuki shakes his head. "Nope," he answers, popping the p.

Kuramochi shoves his phone towards Miyuki. "Toujou was almost on the mark." Miyuki blinks at the phone, scanning the words across the glass. "Sawamura writes all good things about the baseball team, in fact, if you read the comments, he's given us a small fan base. But the kid is obsessed with you."

Miyuki frowns, scrolling down on the phone. Photos of yesterday are uploaded, in color, and has the team's performance in still shots. Each frame uniquely its own. "I'm not following," Miyuki says.

Kuramochi huffs. He takes his phone back and scrolls, mumbling where is it under his breath. Like a lightbulb appearing above his head, a small a-ha sounds out as Kuramochi brandishes his phone to Miyuki once more. "There."

Miyuki stares at photo of himself. He's mid-smile, helmet still on and sweat running down the side of his face. He's not looking at the camera. Instead he's staring towards the field. It was clearly taken during his double play he pulled. The same play Kuramochi had jokingly yelled at Miyuki for. He said to stop moving so fast, although he had already been at second base, ready for the play. It was taken in the moment, perfectly capturing Miyuki's raw emotions during the play. He raises his eyebrows. "Oh."

"Oh? That's it? Oh?" Kuramochi rolls his eyes. "Sawamura clearly has it out for you. Who else takes a photo like that and uploads it for the whole school to see instead of keeping it for himself?"

"You're making it sound perverted," Miyuki mumbles, pushing away the phone. "It's just a picture, not a big deal."

Kuramochi clicks his tongue, annoyed. "Yeah, just wait until I get a picture like that."

Miyuki shrugs. "It could happen."

"No," Kuramochi groans, "it won't, because Sawamura only took good pictures of you. The one he posted of me has me falling mid-play. It's terrible."

"Capturing moving pictures is hard," Miyuki suggests. "I was walking, not running, that's all."

The bell rings out, and students slowly shuffle around them. Kuramochi huffs. "O-kay," he mutters. He turns around to face forward in his seat.

Miyuki knows it's not a big deal. One good picture almost dozens of stillframes. That's always a possibility. It just happened to be Miyuki who got the luck of the draw. Nothing more. Nothing less. Simple as that.

"How do you feel about the team's performance as a whole? Are you guys meshing well?" Sawamura asks Miyuki, following him to the dugout.

Miyuki waves him off. "No pregame commentary allowed."

Sawamura frowns. "What about the rest of your team? Any one of them I could ask?"

"No," Miyuki says pointedly. "Go back to the stands and wait until we finish our scrimmage."

"But—"

"Go Sawamura." Miyuki doesn't face him anymore, and his words are certain. No room for further arguement. Sawamura huffs, dejected.

"Don't worry about him. He's just a jackass." Sawamura turns to see Miyuki's fellow teammate standing about, arms crossed and face pulled in a scowl. "But you could ask me a few questions. I'm the vice captain and all."

Sawamura pipes up excitedly. "Really?" he asks, "Kuramochi-senpai, is it?"

The vice captain nods, his face falling into a smile at the mere mention of his name. "Yep, that's me!"

Sawamura nods. "Great! I was just asking Miyuki about the team. How are you feeling about your team dynamic? I know you and Haruichi have been having trouble connecting as the new keystone duo."

"Keystone duo?" Kuramochi asks, eyebrows raised.

Sawamura hums. "Yeah, you and Ryousuke-san had a solid defense last season, but now that he's retired, his younger brother is trying to fill his shoes. How well is that working out for you guys?"

"Eijun-kun, quite harassing Kuramochi-kun, ok?" Haruichi says, appearing seemingly out of nowhere from the dugout. He sends a glare in Sawamura's direction. "We have a game to win, even if it's just a scrimmage."

"But Harucchi," Sawamura whines, though it's quickly stopped by Haruichi's aura. He gently pushes Sawamura out of the dugout.

"Ask us later, like Miyuki-senpai said," he mutters against a protesting Sawamura. "Bye now."

Sawamura is successfully kept out of the dugout, and Haruichi is almost as bad as Ryousuke, scolding Kuramochi light heartedly about how coach feels about pregame interviews. Kuramochi knows he's right, and he grabs his things to begin warm up drills with the team.

Sawamura's voice echoes from the fence as they stretch and throw. The distant sound of a camera shutter sounds out every so often, but quickly becomes background noise as Chiba Shoudai's baseball team shows up, loudly making themselves known all the way to the dugout.

It's only a scrimmage, but the energy both teams emit make it out to be anything but. Sawamura feels excited to be here, capturing the tense energy that can only come with sports. He holds up his camera and continues to click away, hiding his anxious excitement behind the lens.

Miyuki awaits the first pitch behind home plate. He knows Furuya has had enough rest, so his stamina should last him till the 5th inning or so. He watches as the batters line themselves up, then swing, eyes trained on Furuya as he resets himself on the mound. The batters time themselves with his first pitch, and Miyuki idly wonders if they imagine the feel of the fastball bouncing off their bat, or if they're watching wide-eyed as it skims only the top of the bat.

He imagines the umpire to call a strike behind him. Furuya's first throw was good, well-timed and full of power. He throws the ball back. "Nice pitch, nice pitch," he can't help but call out. Furuya basks in his approval.

At the same time, Miyuki briefly acknowledges Sawamura's whiney tone behind him. "A high fastball, that would only count if the batter fouled the ball," he comments with a small snort.

Miyuki blinks. Sawamura's partly right, because Miyuki called for a high ball, and intentionally wanted the batter to foul off the first pitch. It sets the tone for the rest of the game, after all, so Sawamura shouldn't be preaching about it from behind home plate, it beats the whole purpose of the mind game that comes with playing baseball.

Miyuki asks Furuya to wait, then he gingerly stands and walks towards the fence. Chiba Shoudai's lineup watches, intrigued. Miyuki frowns at Sawamura. "Could you take your comments out to left field. We're warming up here, and you're throwing me off."

Sawamura looks taken back, blinking at Miyuki's harsh tone. He nods, silently backing away from the fence. Miyuki watches him go, then turns back around and calls for another fastball pitch. Furuya replies with his utmost best, and Miyuki takes note of Sawamura chatting to his teammates in the outfield. He pretends it doesn't irritate him as much as it does. He's got a game to focus on. Not some smart-mouth reporter. He's got to keep his focus where it needs him most, and that's not Sawamura.

Not right now, anyways.

They win, of course. Seidou has been building up their team faithfully since the retired third years, and it seems like they're finally clicking in ways they hadn't before. Their offense is solid; Haruichi and Kuramochi are balancing off each other now, Miyuki can hit in sucession, which is better than how he couldn't hit at all last season, and Kanemaru has stopped making such second string errors that cost the game. His throws to first are sharp and consistent.

Sawamura feels proud watching the team. He hasn't done anything to help, but he thinks it's something akin to parents watching their children grow up into young adults.

He waits for the team to debrief with the coach, then wave goodbye to Chiba Shoudai as they make their return home. Sawamura manages to snag a few of the Sediou's players for a quick two-question interview that has them answering with unwavering confidence and optimism— emotions that come only with the wave of winning against their opponents.

They're good statements, and Sawamura knows that if he doesn't use them now, he always can quote them later. He pockets it in his notepad, and allows the team to pack up their equipment and tend to the field. He watches from the sidelines, enjoying the gentle breeze and keeping his eye open for one person in particular.

Miyuki counts the minutes in his head until he's interrogated. It's a bet he's placed between himself, but a fun one at that. It can range from fifteen minutes specifically on a bad game day, or ten on a generally good game day.

He counts to seven minutes before his name is being hollered about some twelve feet away at him. "Miyuki Kazuya!"

From beside him, Kuramochi opens his mouth. "Here comes your favorite reporter," he mumbles, throwing the last few baseballs into the yellow tote.

"You're just jealous no reporter has taken to you like Sawamura has to me," Miyuki fires back, never one to back down, especially if it's at the expense of Kuramochi.

Kuramochi huffs. "Yeah, that's exactly it." Miyuki can hear his eyeroll that goes hand in hand with his annoyed tone. He doesn't get to retort, though, because Sawamura is practically jumping in front of him. "You guys won!" he says happily, smiling wide.

Miyuki doesn't know why Sawamura's energy rubs off, but he can't help the smile that tugs at his own lips, mirroring him. "I know. We did," he confirms.

"I was so surprised but I was holding out hope!" then as if Sawamura realizes there is still others in their company, he turns his attention to them. "Kuramochi-senpai, you made a great hit, completely turning the tide of the game!"

Kuramochi huffs, though he takes the compliment in stride, he still gives Sawamura a hard time. He loves treating him like he's a punching bag, yet he does no real harm to the younger boy. "Of course I did, it's my job as leadoff."

"It is!" Sawamura squawks through a headlock. Miyuki watches, amused. "I never doubted you, senpai!"

"You literally just mentioned how surprised you were about Chiba Shoudai losing against us," Miyuki comments. It's in his nautre to make life harder than it has to be.

Sawamura pales as Kuramochi riles up again. "You did say that. We're a strong team, we're not going to be defeated as easily as that, Bakamoron."

"Bakamoron? I have you know I was up late last night comparing some data I found between you guys and based my opinion upon facts," Sawamura defends himself. "I have you know that it was a calculated guess, and I was wrong."

Kuramochi mumbles under his breath and let's Sawamura go. The reporter dramatically gasps for air, and Kuramochi gives some weird look to Miyuki. A code he doesn't pick up on. Then Kuramochi is excusing himself from them and hauling away the baseballs.

Miyuki stands dumbfounded. "You were analyzing baseball data?" he asks straight away.

Sawamura blinks owlishly at him, cheeks tinting red ever so slightly. "I-I was. Not much because it's not as accurate, obviously, but also because it's hard to read," he explains, "or at least to me it is!"

Miyuki hums. "At first it can be. It mostly looks like a whole bunch of numbers and shortened words thrown together."

"Isn't that what it is?" Sawamura asks.

"Well, yeah, but it's so much more than that, too," Miyuki says. "If you ever come across some and want to know more about it, come find me, I can explain it to you." Sawamura's eyes go wide, and Miyuki realizes what he said so casually isn't as casual as it sounds. "O-only if you want too, you know," he adds hastily.

Sawamura eagerly nods. "I do!" he practically shouts. "I definitely will next time!"

Miyuki nods. "Alright."

The stare at each other for a moment longer, and Miyuki clears his throat when the air around them turns awkward. "Did you have any questions for me now?"

Sawamura blinks. "I don't! I got most of my information from your teammates. The school doesn't want to read about you all the time."

"Yet you come to me after every game?" Miyuki teases with a smirk.

"You're the captain!" Sawamura protests, "you should have an answer to all my questions. That's part of your job!"

"Yeah, yeah," Miyuki waves his hand about. "Don't remind me."

Sawamura squawks as he dives into another mini rant, yelling at Miyuki about the importance of being the captain and how he shouldn't be so careless about all his responsibilities. Miyuki knows full well he what's expected to bring to the table and carry as captain. It's why he fights so hard to pretend it isn't as big as that. He's not entirely sure if he's up for the challenge like everyone predicts he is, but that choice seems to be out of his hands. Miyuki's been handed the title. He's just got to live up to it now.

That thought alone is more pressuring that any game if baseball he's played.

Sawamura finds Miyuki on the second year floor during the passing period into lunch. He spots Miyuki staring at a book in his hands as he chews idly on whatever he's packed for lunch. Ignoring the looks he's getting from other second years, Sawamura struts into the classroom and marches to Miyuki's seat. He knocks lightly on the desk, startling Miyuki out of his trance.

He frowns at Sawamura. "Um...hi?"

Sawamura smiles. "Hi!" he pulls out the chair in front of Miyuki's desk and sits down. Miyuki glances around the room, and if all eyes were on them, they quickly scattered away. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Do I really have a say in that?" Miyuki asks dryly, gesturing with his eyes to the seat Sawamura's taken without permission.

"No!" Sawamura says. He pulls out his phone to show Miyuki a picture he'd saved earlier for this particular moment. He turns it to Miyuki. "Explain this."

"Quite bossy," Miyuki mutters with a pointed glare towards Sawamura.

"Please," Sawamura adds.

Miyuki sighs, abandoning his book in favor of staring at Sawamura's phone screen. "What am I explaining?"

"The plays," Sawamura says. "Like, what do the numbers mean?"

"Triple play?"

"No, I know what those mean," Sawamura deadpans, making Miyuki smile. "I meant the 6-4-3 numbers."

"Oh," Miyuki hums. "A 6-4-3 play?"

"If that's what it's called, then yes."

Miyuki nods. "Yeah, a 6-4-3 play. It's basically another way of saying a double play, but it's based on positions instead."

"Positions?" Sawamura asks, gears not quite turning right in his head yet. "Like 1st and 2nd and such?"

"Yep," Miyuki nods. He turns away for a moment only to return with a notebook. He opens it to a blank page, scribbling a diamond onto the page, then another oval outside it. It's messy, but Sawamura doesn't pay any mind to that. "We have numbers designated for each spot." Miyuki draws bases onto the page, labeling each as he goes.

Sawamura watches, patiently. He may have played baseball in middle school, but he never fully grasped all its rules beside the basics. He didn't really think about much that wasn't pitching.

Miyuki turns the notebook around. "Like this," he points at the pitchers mound. "You call this the mound, right?" Sawamura nods. "Ok, so if we numbered it, it would be labeled as postion number 1."

"Ok," Sawamura says, following along. "And you keep numbering the rest of the field?"

Miyuki nods. "Exactly. 1 is the pitchers mound, so that makes 2 the catchers spot." Miyuki traces the mound to home plate, uneven on its sides, yet vastly distinguished from the other bases on the page. "Then you follow the pattern from there on."

Sawamura hums, counting along. "3 is first base, 4 is second base...does that make 5 shortstop?"

"Not exactly." Miyuki points to his makeshift third base. "5 is third base. Which makes the shortstop number 6."

"Oh," Sawamura mumbles. "Why?"

"Would you believe me if I told you once upon a time the shortstop was actually an outfield position?"

"Really?" Sawamura asks, captivated. "Why would they place the shortstop in the outfield?"

Miyuki shrugs. "It's similar to tee-ball, where they have four outfielders, but it makes more sense for them because they're only kids. Adults realized that having a fourth person in the outfield wasn't really necessary. So that fourth outfielder became an infielder."

Sawamura hums. "I guess it does make sense. You make it sound so cool, Miyuki-senpai!"

Miyuki raises an eyebrow. "Now you decide to use an honorific?"

Sawamura nods. "You're making it more clear to me, and I appreciate it!"

Miyuki blinks at the sudden devotion Sawamura has given him, uncertain of how to proceed about it. Sawamura, oblivious to the inner tomoil, continues. "So that makes 7, 8, and 9 all the outfielders?"

Miyuki shakes himself of his thoughts, refocusing on the sunject at hand. He clears his throat. "Exactly. So when you make a double play, it can be a 6-4-3 or 4-6-3, 4-3-6, and so on. It's almost like a never-ending pattern."

"Ooh," Sawamura drawls as the gears in his head click in place. "Wait, that's super easy to understand."

"Once you get it, yeah," Miyuki agrees. He leans back in his seat and takes a bite out of his lunch. Sawamura's eyes travel from the notebook to the book on Miyuki's desk. He looks at the numbers on the sheet.

"Are you studying those numbers?" Sawamura asks.

Miyuki hums. "Yep, trying to memorize them before our game against Seiko Academy."

"You study all of that?" Sawamura asks again, eyes blown wide.

Miyuki's mouth twitches in delight. "Yeah. It's not uncommon for players to do so. I want to beat my opponents, and this is how I start."

"Wow," Sawamura mutters. He gently pulls it out from its hiding spot, and scans the data. His eyes flit over the page, his facial features torn between looking mildly amazed and slightly confused.

It makes Miyuki smile. "You can't read that, can you?"

"Not a single thing!" Sawamura declares, confusion finally winning over.

Miyuki laughs, and Sawamura briefly acknowledges that the others in the room are currently whispering about them now. Miyuki shuffles in his seat, then grabs the book to better see it. "Want me to explain that to you, too?"

Sawamura smiles at him, blindingly. "Could you?"

And who is Miyuki to say no to that?

"Miyuki-kun is never this talkative to anyone."

"No. In fact, Kuramochi-kun is the only other person I see him speak too. I didn't know he had first year friends."

Kuramochi frowns in the threshold of his classroom. He recognizes Sawamura sitting in his seat, sitting suspiciously close to Miyuki, who is too busy talking to notice how the younger boy is staring adoringly at him.

Actually, he's too busy talking to see that the whole damn classroom is gawking at them as they interact.

Kuramochi strolls in, walking over to his seat. Miyuki seems to be explaining a set of numbers to Sawamura, who nods along every other word or so. Kuramochi comes to a stop in front of them, expectedly. They both glance up.

"I left for ten minutes," Kuramochi sighs.

"You talk to Ryou-san for like twenty minutes every lunch period. It's not like you were missing me," Miyuki replies.

"It's not that long," Kuramochi argues defensively.

"It is."

"It's not." Kuramochi turns to Sawamura. "Who said you could sit here?"

Sawamura pulls his puppy-dog face to Kuramochi. "You're not going to kick me out, right? I was just asking Miyuki-senpai a couple questions. You know, for journaling and all that."

Kuramochi huffs. He tosses down his lunch, the pulls out a chair from nearby, joining the duo. "Right."

Sawamura doesn't try sugar coating the lie further, he just beams at Kuramochi. "It's fun!"

"Learning about baseball?" Kuramochi asks. Sawamura nods. "Playing is more fun."

"I know," Sawamura easily agrees. "But watching is just as fun. Well, to me, anyway."

Miyuki hums. "Watching is eventful, but playing the game is experiencing all the nervous energy you have to convert to focus on said game."

Kuramochi nods. "Any and all detail is important."

"Very," Miyuki adds.

"Really?" Sawamura asks, intrigued.

Both baseball players nod, diving into a story about last seasons game. They don't pay any mind to their nosy classmates who eavesdrop into their conversation. They have one thing in mind and one thing only: baseball. Just like the baseball nerds they are.

Somewhere between Quarterfinals and Semifinals, Sawamura's one man crew grows slowly to three. Haruno Yoshikawa snaps pictures from the sidelines as the team's manager, and talks to Sawamura about the teams' dynamics as a whole. She's sweet, and Sawamura likes working with her. Plus she shares a common interest in shoujo manga, so she easily becomes a recognizable number in Sawamura's phone.

Then to his surprise, Takigawa Chris Yuu shows up to his club, asking politely if he could speak to Sawamura. That day, he asked to help edit Sawamura's paper and double check the baseball terms and dialoging plays. Sawamura agreed, surprised and excited that a former player would want to extend a helping hand instead of focusing on his schoolwork solely.

Chris keeps his work load light, though, because he's technically not supposed to be involved with extra-curriculars, but they talk over email often, and keep it on the down low. Sawamura's thankful. Chris is patient and has a calming presence; complete and total opposite of Miyuki, and he listens intently to Sawamura's questions. He doesn't make fun of him at all, just smiles and nods, then explains the topic. Sawamura likes Chris because of that.

So when he spends the week of Semifinals working on a article draft, he's surprised at receiving an email from Chris, though disappointment quickly follows. He explains that his busy week unfortunately will not allow him to escape to the baseball diamond. Sawamura emails him back, assuring that it's fine. Sawamura's been to the field on his own before, so it's not the end of the world.

He brings along his camera, and takes many pictures. From the newly turfed diamond that has yet to be played on, to the various teams and its players he passes in the walkways. It's both exhilarating and mind boggling at the same time.

Sawamura finds himself a seat, not too close, yet not close enough to the field. He gets chills from the Seidou roar Miyuki leads the team in before they start the game.

Boy oh boy, is it a game!

Seiko Academy isn't an outstanding team, but they're solid, and their defense is quite annoying because of how good it is. Sawamura leans forward on his seat, and has to remind himself that he's here to take pictures as well as watch the game.

It's a rollercoaster from the start.

"Seiko Academy has announced a change in players..."

Sawamura watches with keen interest as the players on the field shuffle around and a new pitcher is introduced.

"That's early." Someone around him comments. Murmurs seem to go around the stadium. It is an early switch. Sawamura agrees. It's only the second inning, but a new southpaw pitcher takes a stand on the mound, looking menacing and ugly. It sends a shiver down Sawamura's spine. He can't imagine what the pitcher's capable of.

Four runs in, and Seidou leads on the scoreboard. Seiko Academy is trying to stop Seidou's fire now before they're left playing catch up later. Smart move, Sawamura thinks, but rather annoying to watch. The pitcher is riled up by his teammates for his warm-up pitches, but he isn't as strong as he looks when pitching to a batter. The bases are loaded as Haruichi takes his place on first and Miyuki comes to the plate.

The pitcher— whose name is Ogawa Tsunematsu, Sawamura looked him up— is glaring at Miyuki. He silently holds a conversation with his catcher, and then he's waiting on the mound to pitch again as Miyuki lines himself up on the plate. The next few moments are tense, because one moment Ogawa is reeling back to pitch, and the next everyone is shellshocked as Miyuki tries dodging the pitch too close to his face to be an accident.

"That was on purpose!" Sawamura shouts before he can stop himself. Some booing comes from people around him, but Sawamura doesn't join in. He's happy people do share his distaste about this pitcher though. Miyuki shakes himself off and then jogs to first base, wearing his same old smirk. It's a sign to Sawamura that he's alright.

They watch as the battery takes a time out on the mound, and Miyuki is fussed over again by the first base coach. At least Miyuki will end up with a cool looking bruise on his shoulder, Sawamura muses. It's not the first time he's been hit, and it probably won't be the last.

Zone comes to the plate now, looking stone faced yet silly all the same. Sawamura laughs inwardly to himself. He's left to helplessly watch as Zono jams the pitch, and Ogawa delivers a double play to end the inning. Sawamura let's out a defeated huff and leans back in his chair. It's Seidou turns back on the field.

They get into the groove quite easily, and he's happy when he recognizes the term 3-6-1 and its double play. He cheers for the team as they start the inning out strong. Sawamura's learning more and more about baseball yet he isn't even playing it anymore. It's crazy how that works; how much you can learn from simply watching. It's exciting.

The game takes yet another turn when Miyuki and Furuya make their way to the dugout. The announcer states that the game is momentarily paused due to an injury, and Sawamura swears he can feel the air around him tense up.

"Again?" the person to his left— Hiroshi, Sawamura had learned by the third inning because of his nonstop commentary— sighs out loud.

"His ankle?" Sawamura asks, despite the dwelling feeling that he shouldn't. Furuya being injured now wouldn't look good for them at all.

"Possibly," Hiroshi answers him, "though he was running on it fine, he did falter earlier on his way to first."

Sawamura nods slightly. "Wow," he whispers. "That wouldn't be good."

"No," Hiroshi agrees, "it wouldn't."

Chatter rings out loudly as the minutes draw by. Sawamura runs through a million different thoughts in his head. He hopes Furuya comes out okay, and that they don't have to throw in their relief pitcher so soon. His excitement on how the game would play out is beginning to turn into anxiety as the game hits every snag possible. Baseball is so unpredictable. Sawamura lifts his camera and snaps a picture.

Seidou remains scoreless by the bottom of the 8th, and the top of the ninth has them fighting tooth and nail to keep the score from changing. Sawamura groans in frustration. He awaits on the edge of his seat as Seiko Academy's catcher comes to the plate. He's short but packs power in him. He reminds Sawamura a lot of the Kominato brothers. Ogawa is taking the start of his lead from second base. He's in scoring position for the winning run, if he makes it back home. Sawamura grips the seat, sure he knuckles will turn white, as Seidou's relief pitcher goes through his windup and releases.

He can't help the gasp that escapes his lips when the batter makes contact, and both the third baseman and shortstop miss the ball, watching as it slips into the outfield. That's it. Sawamura thinks. They'll win the game here and it'll be over, which would suck, because the season is far from over. Sawamura sighs, he didn't think much of Seiko Academy, but realizes they should not be undermined. If you think your opponents aren't worth your time, you're more likely to mess up and make sloppy errors because you didn't think to try as hard. That's what his middle school coach had always told Sawamura and his team. It looks to be that he's right.

Shouts come from the diamond as the players advance, and Sawamura is amazed at the speed the left fielder— Asou— is. He runs to grab the ball up with his bare hand, takes a split second to set himself up and then fires a canon ball back to the infield.

His throw is frighteningly accurate, as Miyuki catches the throw before he turns to Ogawa. Sawamura can't believe how quickly the game moves right before his eyes. Because of Asou's quick feet, Ogawa is out. He can't score the winning run here, certainly not with Miyuki as catcher.

Except, he's not stopping, not accepting the defeat. He's running, full speed, at Miyuki without a trace of slowly down.

"Oi," Sawamura says. It falls on deaf ears.

Ogawa runs— no he practically shoves Miyuki into the ground as the stadium erupts. Miyuki is thrown back from the force, so hard he loses his helmet in the process, and tumbles down. Everything seems to pause. Sawamura holds his breath, and waits for Miyuki to move. "Is he ok?" he asks, looking to Hiroshi, who only shrugs as his eyes don't leave the field.

Time seems to tick by, but he gets his answer as Miyuki slowly pushes himself up, raising his gloved hand, ball still trapped inside, and the umpire calls Ogawa out. Relief pours out on the field as the players charge Miyuki. Sawamura releases his breath. He's ok, he answers himself. Miyuki is pulled up on his feet by Kuramochi, and Coach Kataoka meets them halfway towards the dugout, probably asking if he's okay or if he's hurt.

Miyuki probably answers in honest, and smiles like everything is fine. He's stubborn, and he'll play it off, but he knows himself better then anyone else. If Miyuki can't play, he won't. He's not stupid enough to play himself to death. It's that fact Sawamura tells himself as they head into the bottom of the 9th inning. Miyuki's fine. Miyuki's okay. Everything will be just fine.

Sawamura just wants this game to end.

Hiroshi whistles loudly as the 10th inning closes. Miyuki is definitely the winner of today's game, rounding the bases after hitting a home run to score the winning point. Sawamura feels proud, snapping away pictures from his spot, and feels compelled to go and see the team personally. They were roughed up quite a bit, and Sawamura wants to check up on the them. He bids goodbye to the man beside him before scurrying off. By the time he gets to the team, they're meandering about as the next game begins, most of them hurrying to find a seat for the next game: Yakushi vs. Ichidai.

Sawamura finds Haruichi waving excitedly to him, so he makes his way over.

"Ejun-kun!" Haruichi greets him with a smile. "I didn't know you would be here!"

"Why not? I am writing an article for you guys after all," Sawamura says, and Haruichi huffs a laugh.

"Well, it wasn't a dull game," Haruichi tells him. "Not by a long shot."

"No," Sawamura agrees. "How are you holding up?"

"Me? Just fine." Haruichi juts his head back. "Furuya-kun just took a cab to the clinic, he's got to be checked out again. I'm not sure how well his ankle is holding up, and then with that line drive he took..." Haruichi trails off.

Sawamura nods, sympathic. "I hope he's ok. He took a beating in today's game. I was kinda hoping I could talk to him about it," he sheepishly says.

"Maybe later," Haruichi suggests.

Sawamura hums. "Does that mean I can't ask your captain anything either?"

Haruichi tilts his head. "Miyuki-senpai? He's still here."

"He is?!" Sawamura asks, both affronted and surprised. "Shouldn't he have a check up too?"

Haruichi shrugs. "Not my place to judge, but I think he talked it out with the coaches, so they aren't forcing him to go."

Sawamura huffs, turning to look this way and that way. "What are you doing?" Haruichi deadpans.

"Looking for Miyuki, what else?" Sawamura answers simply. Haruichi huffs, but he's got a smile pulling at his lips. He points behind Sawamura, and the latter turns to see both the captain and his vice chatting further back from the team. Sawamura hums. "Thank you Harucchi!"

Haruichi waves him off, so Sawamura turns around, and strides towards the captain. "Miyuki Kazuya!" he shouts from a good distance away, and watches as Miyuki winces but doesn't turn his way. Kuramochi, on the other hand, is watching as Sawamura stalks over, looking torn between shouting back or wanting to put him in a headlock for his behavior. "I know you can hear me you four-eyed tanuki!"

Miyuki turns at the nickname, lips drawn in a frown. "Why are you shouting?" he asks, exasperated.

"Because you're being difficult!" Sawamura says, coming to a stop in front of Miyuki and Kuramochi. "You heard me the first time!"

"Did I?" Miyuki asks, feigning innocence. "I was talking to Kuramochi, so I wasn't paying attention~."

"You did!" Sawamura continues to argue. "Shouldn't you be with Furuya on your way to the clinic?"

At this, Miyuki drops his facade. "No," he answers with a slight frown and a hard gaze, "why would I need to be there?"

"You could have a concussion!" Sawamura seemingly turns to Kuramochi for help. "Couldn't he?"

"That's what I said," Kuramochi answers honestly. "But he says he's fine. Stubborn bastard he is."

Miyuki's frown deepens. "If I was concussed, I would know it, idiot," he tells Sawamura, but he throws a mild glance towards Kuramochi as well, addressing his jip.

Sawamura frowns, fuming. "I'm not the idiot, idiot! You could be injured and not know until tomorrow or something! Most concussions take around 24 to 48 hours to settle in before you know you're actually injured."

"Well," Miyuki huffs, "if I'm showing symptoms, I'll come directly to you, doctor."

Sawamura doesn't laugh along with Miyuki's snicker. Instead he fixes him with a glare and crosses his arms.

Miyuki sighs. "Sawamura, I'm fine. So if you're going to interview me, do it now, or I'm going to watch Yakushi and Ichidai warm up. I've got things to do as captain and all."

Sawamura huffs. "Fine," he relents, "can I come with you?"

Miyuki stops mid-grab for his belongings to glance back at Sawamura. "Where? To the stands?"

Sawamura nods. "I want to watch the game with you! I've heard a lot about Amahisa Kousei, and he messages me often about the games I write about. He always seems fairly interested, so I want to see the team he plays for!"

Miyuki raises an eyebrow as Kuramochi frowns. "You're fraternizing with the enemy?" Kuramochi asks, stepping forward to act on earlier impulses as he swipes Sawamura in a headlock.

"No!" Sawamura squawks. "He asked for my Line, all I did was give it to him! I swear."

"But Amahisa?" Miyuki argues. "Why not someone from Yakushi, like Raichi, or even Sanada. You said you liked his style of pitching."

"I don't know!" Sawamura pulls against Kuramochi's arm, but he doesn't let up. "I didn't choose it, believe me! So you can let go please, Kuramochi-senpai!"

Kuramochi huffs, releasing Sawamura with a tsk. "Fine, but you better not be giving away our secrets."

"I'm not, promise!" Sawamura says inbetween breaths of sweet, sweet air. He watches as both baseball players grab their stuff off the ground, and wave Sawamura along with them to the stands.

He bounces on his feet as he follows them, excited to be with the team and to learn more about baseball. "You guys walk so slow for wanting to see the game now, put some pep in your step!" Sawamura demands, rolling around Miyuki and grabbing his wrist, effectively pulling him forward.

"Oi, oi, oi, hold on!" Miyuki's protests are ignored as Sawamura continues to drag him away. Kuramochi only laughs as he watches Sawamura mandhandle the captain. "Sawamura, slow down!"

"Wasting time as we wait around," Sawamura recites, "and I want to ask you questions about the game."

Miyuki huffs, accepting the defeat, and letting himself be dragged around. He pretends it's the way Sawamura holds his wrist so gently that makes breathing hard and not the possibility that his ribs burn for any other reason at all.

Sawamura spends his time updating the school's paper with articles from recent games, extensive chatter with Chris about the game he missed, and sorting through all the baseball photos he took on his desktop. Not much else exciting happens until finals, when he's deleting old emails, and comes across Chris' name again. It starts with Dear Sawamura, proper and polite as always. Sawamura scans the email before he pauses in disbelief, then actually reads it a second time. His cheeks hurt from smiling so wide, and he instantly replies to Chris' invite, practically smashing the keyboard and ignoring the weird looks he gets from other club members.

"Did you get good news, Sawamura-kun?" Aya—a fellow member focused on the art club—, asks, looking concerned yet intrigued all the same.

"Very!" Sawamura shouts. "I'm going to a baseball game!"

He doesn't elaborate nor does Aya ask. She just shares a look with the other members in the room. "Should have just joined the team, Sawamura-kun. You're as crazy as they are," Aya mutters.

"Thank you!"

"...It wasn't a compliment."

Sawamura barely pays her any mind, entirely focused on the fact that he's going to see Seidou play against Yakushi, which he always was, but with an actual baseball player from the team, albeit retired, it's still exciting because he was invited by Takigawa Chris Yu of all people.

It's an understatement to say he's excited.

Sawamura ends up at the station a full fifteen minutes early, barely containing his excitement, and eager to get the to baseball stadium.

Chris finds him quite easily considering the crowd, and Sawamura waves vigorously to him. "Hi Chris-senpai!" he greets when Chris is within earshot.

Chris smiles easily. "Hello Sawamura. Are you ready for today's game?"

"Yes!" Sawamura shouts, temporarily forgetting that 1. They're in public, and 2. He has no need to be shouting at someone standing less than five feet from him. Old habits die hard. He blushes crimson. "I mean, I'm excited and honored that you would take me along with you!" Sawamura bows. "Thank you, Senpai!"

Chris chuckles above him, and Sawamura peaks up. Chris seems thoroughly amused and not at all embarrassed by Sawamura's sudden display of action. "I look forward to hearing about your take on the game, then," Chris tells him. "Shall we?"

"Please!" Sawamura says, happily following Chris to the station's platform to wait for the trains arrival.

The noise and energy Sawamura feels before he can hear the roar of the crowd builds as he and Chris make their way inside the stadium.

People are everywhere. Cheerleaders, students, parents, journalists. Everyone that can be here, is here, and if Chris hadn't been leading him, Sawamura's sure he would have ended up lost among the sea of people. He's been to games here before, of course, but there was way less of a crowd, and Sawamura only begun his take on the baseball team early this year, so not many people have shown him the ropes. Chris glances back to him every other minute or so, like he's making sure he hasn't lost Sawamura yet.

They find their seats, and Sawamura recognizes that some of the retired players have also come to watch Seidou. They wave to Chris with wide smiles as they joke around. Sawamura doesn't mind, and he takes a moment to glance around the stadium to take in its appearance. People walk everywhere around him, packing into seats and toying with ideas about what team will make it to Koshien this year. It's so much to take it, yet Sawamura soaks it all up like a sponge.

"This here is Sawamura Eijun. School's reporter I've been helping out with," Chris says, introducing Sawamura to his friends.

Sawamura waves with a nervous smile. He hadn't expected to meet the other retired players, but he isn't going to waste a chance on it, though maybe a heads up would have been nice. He recognizes the former captain: Tetsuya Yuuki, and standing beside him was his vice: Isashiki Jun. "Nice to meet you!" Sawamura says.

Jun smiles. "You're the one who keeps our team in good spotlight, huh?"

Sawamura blinks. "Yes! But the players themselves are the ones who keep giving me good headlines. Since they haven't lost, I haven't had to write any bad news on them yet!"

Jun laughs, loud and full. "You're right about that, Sawamura."

"Thank you?" he squeaks out, noticing that both Chris and Tetsu are smiling at him, eyes filled with mirth. He feels oddly self conscious, like there is an inside joke he wasn't informed of, hence the term inside.

"Bullying the reporter, I see," another voice chimes in, and Sawamura turns to find a familiar face of his best friend's brother staring back at him.

He smiles. "Onii-san!"

Ryousuke snorts. "How did you manage to find us?"

"Chris-senpai!" Sawamura answers. "He so kindly let me tag along for today's game! Otherwise I think I would have been entirely lost by now."

Jun laughs again, speaking to Chris about something along the lines of you find the most interesting underclassmen! as Tetsu nods solemnly beside him.

Ryousuke hums. "Never a dull moment with you, Sawamura."

Sawamura opens his mouth to ask what he means by that, but is cut off by the announcer, who informs them that the game will now begin as the players make their way back towards their respective dugouts. Sawamura sucks in a breath of air and bounces on his tiptoes. All that he has been waiting for comes down to this very game. He's eager to see how it plays out.

"This is so scary!" Sawamura comments, watching as Todoroki Raichi is subbed in for pitcher and the field shuffles about players.

Chris chuckles. "How so?"

"It's like knowing something big or bad is going to happen, but you don't know when. I just want this game to be over," Sawamura whines.

"Try playing it," Ryousuke says. "And think of how nervous you would feel then."

"No thanks!" Sawamura shakes his head. "I don't think I could handle that pressure."

"Watching makes me more nervous than playing," Jun comments. "'Sides, did you guys know that Raichi pitched?"

Various no's come from the players. Sawamura shrugs. "I haven't even read about it. I'm not sure how long he's been pitching, if he even has been."

"He must not be pitching much," Chris says. "Because it comes as a surprise to all of us."

Sawamura huffs. "Baseball is so full of surprises."

Ryousuke hums in agreement beside him.

Two things happen at the end of the game: Seidou wins and Miyuki falls apart.

Standing in the stands, they watch as Miyuki collapse into Kuramochi's side. Seidou takes home the win, but it looks to be at a cost, and Miyuki is herded off the field by both his vice captains.

Murmurs come about, and it isn't until they meet up with the team afterwards that they find out Miyuki's heading to the hospital. Sawamura sticks around to talk to the team, but he mostly asks about Miyuki rather than the game. The team doesn't seem to care, too focused on the fact that their captain was overly stubborn and determined to admit defeat to anything.

"I didn't notice anything off," Kanemaru says, standing next to Sawamura and Haruichi. "Not until he misthrew to Kuramochi-senpai. I thought that was a little weird."

Haruichi nods. "Kuramochi-senpai knew," he says soundly. "He was covering for Miyuki-senpai. He wasn't pleased with it, but he stuck it out for the captain."

"He's lucky he made it through the whole game," Kanemaru mutters.

"Barely," Sawamura says. "He didn't look great when he left the field."

"He didn't feel great, either," Haruichi adds, "he mentioned that he couldn't feel the pain anymore when he was escorted off. He's way beyond pain."

Sawamura grimaces. "That's reckless of him."

"Can you blame him?" Haruichi asks in all honesty. "He'll do anything for this team, even if it means giving himself up at the means of an injury. Miyuki-senpai's not the first person to do this, but it still doesn't make it right."

The unsaid injuries of Chris and his shoulder come to mind, then even Ryousuke, who played with a swollen leg half the final game last season. Sawamura hums.

"Chris-senpai won't like that," Kanemaru says. "He always harps on the players to not overwork themselves. Miyuki-senpai won't hear the end of it from him."

"Good," Sawamura says, "it'll do him good."

"Yeah," Kanemaru says, though he doesn't look convinced, "I hope it does."

"If not for his sake, than the team's sake," Haruichi mutters. Sawamura hums, biting absently on his lips and hoping that Miyuki isn't injured beyond a pulled ligament.

"Is he ok?" Is the first question that Sawamura asks outside of Miyuki's room. Kuramochi continues to pull the door shut, but he has surprise written all over his face.

"How in the world did you even find his room?" Kuramochi asks, instead of answering his question.

"I've been here before," Sawamura admits, aiming for nonchalance. "But he's ok, right?"

Kuramochi studies Sawamura for a moment, then sighs, shoulders dropping. "Yeah, he will be."

"Can I talk to him?"

Kuramochi shakes his head. "It's better that you don't."

"But—"

"Miyuki's half delirious and high off of pain pills. He needs to rest," Kuramochi sternly says. He's still guarding Miyuki's door, like he's afraid if he turns his back, Sawamura will push his way inside (which, ok, he would).

Sawamura visibly deflates, a pout makes its way onto his face. "Ok," he whispers.

Kuramochi huffs, not sure why he feels like he's staring at a kicked puppy. "Give it a day."

Sawamura raises an eyebrow, curious. Kuramochi pushes on. "Let him rest for a day, when everything has caught back up to him, then you can visit him."

"Really? You mean it, Kuramochi-senpai?"

Kuramochi nods. "He'll need the distraction from the pain, and he's on a strict, bedridden schedule. That means he's benched for a while, at least."

Sawamura frowns. "He won't like that."

Kuramochi rolls his eyes. "I know. But that's what he gets for ignoring his injury. Miyuki's gonna have to get over it."

Harsh words. Sawamura feels bad, but he supposes that his teammates must feel upset, half bitter and laced with all sorts of worry over the captain crumbling on the diamond. It's an even harsher reality.

But Miyuki's strong, and he'll overcome his injury. Sawamura's sure of it. He gives his thanks to Kuramochi before he is waved off. The vice captain doesn't leave his spot rooted in front of the door the whole time, watching as Sawamura sulks away.

"I don't need you walking me everywhere, Bakamoran."

"You need a babysitter," Sawamura replies, ignoring the insult, "since you can't take care of yourself."

"It's a pulled muscle. I'm not dying." Miyuki frowns. He's shuffling behind Sawamura down the stairs, taking his time to walk to the fields.

"No, but you're still in pain," Sawamura states pointedly.

Miyuki doesn't argue against him, instead he stops at the top of the second flight of stairs. Sawamura takes a moment to realize Miyuki isn't following him. He turns around with a questioning gaze. "Senpai?"

Miyuki releases a sigh, awkwardly standing in the stairwell. "I... don't do this often, but I— I wanted to say sorry," he sputters, looking genuinely upset. The first real emotion Sawamura's seen from him that wasn't his false bravado and tense laughter cut short from the pain of pulled muscles.

"For what? Being a baseball idiot?" Sawamura jokes, adding a smile for effect.

Miyuki doesn't laugh. "For worrying you. Chris-senpai had a stern talking with me, and Kuramochi has yelled at me multiple times, but you're pretending like it's fine, and you're always keeping me company. I mean, you've got to be a little bit mad at me."

Sawamura scoffs. "Mad covers only part of it, Miyuki Kazuya. I don't fully understand your reasoning, but to you it made sense. So now I'm just hoping you won't be stupid enough to do it again." Sawamura points a finger at Miyuki. "Understand?"

Miyuki smiles, small but sincere. He nods. "I understand." He continues his slow descend down the steps.

It's quiet for a moment before Sawamura speaks. "Thanks for telling me," he says softly, peeking at Miyuki. "I appreciate the honesty."

Miyuki nods, and if Sawamura hadn't been staring so intently, he wouldn't have seen the blush spread across Miyuki's face to the tip of his ears. Miyuki nods towards the bottom of the steps. "Take me to practice, Sawamura, or I'll be late."

Miyuki doesn't say it, but Sawamura hears it anyway. His appreciation is laced within the tone of his voice, and Sawamura smiles. "Walk faster, then."

"Walking as fast as I can, considering I was in the hospital over the weekend, you should cut me some slack."

"If I did," Sawaura says, continuing foward down the steps as he matches Miyuki's pace, "you wouldn't have anyone pushing you to get better. So I won't."

Miyuki rolls his eyes, accompanied by a small huff, albeit fondly. "Right."

"This Sawamura Eijin will take care of you, Miyuki-senpai!"

Miyuki tsks. "Shut up before I push you down the stairs."

"You wouldn't!"

"I could."

"You won't!"

"You're too trusting, Sawamura."

"You're not trusting enough!"

A beat.

"Just walk me to practice, moron," Miyuki demands.

"Hai!" Sawamura obliges with a wide smile. It feels normal, so he lets nickname slide.

Kuramochi is already grinning at him when Miyuki reaches the field, fully dressed, carrying nothing with him, but still getting his ear talked off as Sawamura accompanies him. Miyuki wants to wipe that look of his face, but instead he turns his attention back to Sawamura.

"You can't tell me you wouldn't be upset at that," Sawamura finishes his rant on his latest shoujo manga. "Right?"

"It's a book," Miyuki responds, dutifully.

"No," Sawamura is quick to argue, "it's so much more than that! Were you even listening?!"

Miyuki grins despite himself. "Yes, yes. You gave me the whole rundown of a girl who lost her family, then finds it again in a man she learns to love. A basic high school love story."

"It's not basic!" Sawamura shouts, affronted.

"Eh," Miyuki shrugs. Sawamura fumes beside him as they stand outside the dugout. "Basic enough."

Sawamura pokes Miyuki in the shoulder. "I'm going to bring my whole manga collection over and show you what you're missing. Then you'll learn what real literature looks like."

"Oh how fun," Miyuki drawls, "that means I'll have to hide after practice so you can't find me."

Sawamura tsks, "I'll find Chris-senpai," he counters. "You won't hide from him, so he can find you for me."

"Wow," Miyuki says, "you want my attention that badly?" He can't help but tease.

Sawamura turns crimson. "No!" he shouts a bit too sudden and a bit too loudly. Miyuki grins, which sends Sawamura sputtering. "You just— you need— Miyuki Kazuya, stop laughing damn it!"

Miyuki is hunched over, not even trying to hide the fact that he's laughing at Sawamura's expense yet again. Sawamura takes notice of how he clutches the right side of his body, and his mouth takes on a firm frown. "You're going to reinjure yourself if you keep laughing like that."

Miyuki waves him off. "I doubt it. The pain is worth the laughter. You—" Miyuki pauses to take a sharp inhale, "—you should have seen your face!"

"Oi, not to disrupt your lovers quarrel, but coach wants to run over a couple plays with you before we start practice," Kuramochi interrupts, looking unbothered. "Then you're stuck coaching the pitchers this afternoon."

Miyuki huffs. Sawamura isn't sure if it's because they were interrupted or because he's dealing with pitchers all night long. "Alright," Miyuki says, finally. He turns to Sawamura. "Thanks for being a thorn in my side, Sawamura. Don't get lost on your way back."

Sawamura frowns, but Miyuki turns away and walks off before he can yell an insult back at him. Kuramochi stands still at the fence. "It's his way of saying thank you," he explains.

"I know that!" Sawamura frowns. "I've been around Miyuki long enough to know!"

Kuramochi raises his hands in mock surrender. "Do you have a lower volume? Like at all?"

Sawamura scowls. "I do!"

Kuramochi shakes his head, a slight smile on his face. "If you say so."

Sawamura waves him off. "I'll be going now, have fun with your practice. Hopefully your Boss doesn't run you into the ground!"

Kuramochi chuckles. "Hey, before you go..."

Sawamura stops in his tracks, raising an eyebrow at the shortstop. "Yes?"

"Keeping coming around. You're good for Miyuki," Kuramochi says. He looks partly embarrassed to be telling Sawamura this, but pushes through it. Sawamura stands still, aware that his face is growing bright red, and how he can't open his mouth to respond. "Plus," Kuramochi continues, oblivious to Sawamura's inner meltdown, adds, "maybe then you'll finally see how good of a shortstop I am, and I'll finally get a place in the newspaper."

Sawamura frowns. "Are you baiting me?"

"Take it as you will," Kuramochi shrugs, then he's being called after by his fellow teammates. He smirks as he waves goodbye to Sawamura.

"You are baiting me!"

And he isn't sure what to make of the laugh he gets in response. It's almost as bad as Miyuki's, almost but not quite.

"What do you gain doing this?" Miyuki asks a couple days after his injury. It's the first time they've met up this week after the Jingu Tournament. He's still benched, against his will, but Miyuki respects the decision, because if he plans on playing again, he has to heal.

Sawamura frowns. "What do you mean?"

"This." Miyuki gestures to the field and the dim lights still on despite how late it is. "You're always here, around the team, but what for?"

"Can't it be just for fun?" Sawamura says with a shrug. "I like baseball."

"Yeah, but you don't play it. You devote all this time to a team that hasn't been to Koshien in over six years. Why do you care so much?"

Sawamura bites his lip, turning to look out at the field. Batters take turns hitting, and he can see Kuramochi critiquing Haruichi's form, then showing him how to fix it. "Because it's more than just a baseball team." Sawamura turns back to Miyuki, who watches earnestly. "You guys care for baseball, obviously, but you also care for each other, and go above and beyond to play baseball to the best of your abilities. Most teams don't have this bond, half the teams try and fail to bond like this. You guys are special."

Miyuki chuckles. "Special? That's one way of putting it."

"Could you tell me I'm wrong?" Sawamura asks. "You guys stopped Coach Kataoka-san from quitting of shame, and taught him he's more than that to you guys. You guys lean on each other and pick each other up when one of you are down, and you guys teach tough love. I think that's something worth documenting."

"What books have you been reading to learn all that?" Miyuki teases him. Sawamura huffs impatiently. Miyuki relents, taking a breath, he agrees. "No. You're not wrong. We...we do have a bond for each other that stems from more than baseball."

"Exactly," Sawamura softly says. "With a bond like that, and dedication to this sport, you guys are bound to win something good. You'll take the stage to Koshien."

"Just like that?" Miyuki asks, staring at Sawamura in the moonlight glow.

Sawamura nods solidly, beaming at him. "Just like that."

Sawamura sits in silence, watching as Miyuki reads his first draft of his upcoming article. He anxiously waits for him to finish, eyes bouncing all over Miyuki's room. He studies the beige walls and its posters, the multiple bats hidden in the corner near the door, and Miyuki's data books stacked on his desk, open and obviously cared for, unlike his homework that sits unanswered and wrinkled beside it.

"I think it's good," Miyuki answers. Sawamura had managed to rope Miyuki into proof reading his paper instead of sitting in the indoor practice area for two hours because he can already tell Miyuki's itching to play. Sawamura thought it might do him some good to study baseball in a different light. He's not entirely sure if it's working.

"The wording isn't too much?" Sawamura asks with a slight frown. "I wanted to publish it earlier, while everyone was riding the wave of Seidou going to Koshien, but I just had to get it right, so I kept writing, then rewriting. Now I'm at a place where it feels good."

"I think you wrote it just as good," Miyuki reaffirms. "You had time to go back and interview most of the players. Nori will be excited to see the spotlight on him. Furuya too."

"I hope so!"

Miyuki hands the papers back over to Sawamura. "You smudged most of the pen, though."

"I'm left-handed," Sawamura deadpans," that's gonna happen."

Miyuki shrugs with a grin. "Kuramochi is still going to bug me until he gets his own article, you know."

"Oh, I'm working on that. He knows already," Sawamura says plainly. He fixes up his papers before setting them aside. Tomorrow he'll wake up early and redraft a final version so he can upload it along with the pictures to the school newspaper.

"You're not going to tell me?" Miyuki asks, leaning forward.

Sawamura shakes his head. "Nope! You don't get to know. It's a surprise."

"A surprise?" Miyuki echoes. "For me?"

"Who else?" Sawamura smirks.

"I don't like that."

"Too bad," Sawamura teases. "Call it my punishment for your secret injury."

Miyuki frowns, but he doesn't push on it. Instead, he asks if Sawamura wants to watch a previously taped game, and the reporter replies with an eager yes before they're shuffling around to get comfortable beside each other. Miyuki turns it on, but he finds himself watching Sawamura more than the game. He only turns back to the screen when Sawamura calls him out, asking why he's staring at him and not the computer.

Miyuki mutters some robotic jip, hoping Sawamura doesn't notice how flushed he's become suddenly. It's a wake-up call that finally sounds off in his head. Now that Miyuki's realized it, he's not sure how to undo it.

Or worse yet, if he wants to undo it.

"I see it, Kuramochi." Miyuki rolls his eyes. "I've seen it all morning, thanks."

Kuramochi smirks. "I see why you adore this Sawamura kid so much," he says, clutching his phone between his hands.

Miyuki huffs, choosing not to respond back to him. Of course Sawamura would get back at him in this way. It's so like him. Kuramochi has spent his entire morning gloating about his front page paper. Sawamura had coined Kuramochi honorary captain for the time being while Miyuki takes his time recovering. In the article, he praises Kuramochi's abilities to persevere in tough times.

"'Kuramochi is extremely good at keeping the team wound-up, and his hard-headed skills allow the team to flow smoothly together,'" Kuramochi recites with a grin, "'His ability to keep the team grounded has been a tremendous help to Miyuki as he takes his time recovering. Seidou may have had a scare with their team captain, but rest assured, it's in good hands. Kuramochi will not go down without a fight, and neither will his team.'"

"What did you do that Sawamura has praised you the entire article? Did you bribe him?" Miyuki asks with a sour tone.

"You're just jealous he didn't write a whole front page article about how good you are. It's okay to admit it, Miyuki. I won't tell anyone." Kuramochi's shit-eating grin somehow widens, and Miyuki huffs.

"I'll just ask about it next time I see Sawamura. Then we'll talk about how good of a player you really are, or if you blackmailed him into saying all that." Miyuki is glad for the distraction of the bell, and he ignores the way Kuramochi proudly radiates his positive energy the rest of the morning.

Sawamura doesn't find Miyuki until practice that evening. Miyuki's surprised it's taken him that long, and even more so when he see's Sawamura dressed up in baseball gear, white practice shirt, blue belt to hold up his sliding pants, and knee high socks with yellow stripes. He sputters, staring in confusion at Sawamura. "What are you wearing?"

Sawamura's ears burn red and he won't look at Miyuki. "I...just wanted to join you for one practice, Cap! Please don't make fun of my outfit, Kuramochi-senpai wasn't very fond of sharing his clothes with me, but I just wanted to throw with you, that's all. You looked so depressed from the sidelines, I thought one day of throwing wouldn't kill anyone, right?"

Miyuki laughs, loud and full of relief. So this is what Kuramochi exchanged for helping out Sawamura. While it's not exactly a bribe, it's not plain favoritism, so Miyuki's less bothered by it now. "You had to dress the part in order to play it?"

Sawamura shrugs. "I would feel a little underdressed otherwise. I don't exactly have any clothes that aren't my school uniform or sleeping clothes. Plus, I look like I blend in, right?"

"Sure, we'll go with that. Now what did you say about warming up your shoulder?" Miyuki asks, itching to do something— anything related to baseball that isn't sitting the bench.

"Throwing. That's all Kuramochi-senpai said I'm allowed to do with you considering you're recovery time," Sawamura says, giving Miyuki such a stern look that he wouldn't try and fight. "A small distance, so you won't rotate your hips much and risk irritating your healing muscles."

"Geez, you really are my own personal doctor," Miyuki mumbles.

Sawamura smiles. "I got to be, since you won't." Sawamura holds up a baseball, waving it slightly.

Miyuki opens his right hand, and he easily catches the light toss from Sawamura. He raises his eyebrows. "You're a lefty?"

Sawamura hums.

"I never knew that."

"You never really asked. Plus, I like the element of surprise," Sawamura smiles.

Miyuki smirks. "Well, for a lefty, that was a pretty weak toss."

"I'm not taking your bait."

Miyuki tsks. "You're no fun," he adds with a pout, tossing the ball back.

"Yeah? Neither are you, so welcome to my world." Sawamura pokes out his tongue at Miyuki.

"Wow. You're very charming, Sawamura."

"Thanks, it's natural beauty."

Miyuki grins. It's not long before he gets swept away in the monotonous rhythm of playing baby catch. A few sounds of palm smacking the ball sound out, but it just joins the background noise of the night sky as the players around them work solo on their forms. It's weird to have Sawamura standing on the field playing catch like he's suddenly one of them. In a way, Sawamura is, Miyuki muses. He comes to support them ever game, and he's done nothing but report positive news about the team, no matter their short comings.

He's like the light that keeps them going. They're always reaching forward to keep surprising Sawamura. He's always exceeding their expectations in journalism, so it's time the team themselves exceed his. It makes Miyuki smile. When he catches the ball from Sawamura, he drops his arm, and exhales deeply.

"All done?" Sawamura asks gently.

"No, I'm itching to hit something now," Miyuki replies honestly. "But I feel lighter, somehow."

"You got some feel of the game back, I hope. That was the goal. That's why I got all dressed up, Miyuki-senpai! Plus, I don't think I've seen you so relaxed in weeks. Your smile says it all." Sawamura beams.

"Thanks to you, I don't feel as edgy to move now. I'm sure I'll be a little sore tomorrow, considering the muscles I'm using aren't fully healed, but I'll take that." Miyuki smiles warmly. "Thank you, Sawamura."

"A-anytime Cap!" Sawamura blushes red.

Miyuki takes a look around the field, then he turns back to Sawamura, who stares at him expectedly. "Want me to walk you back to your dorm? I'm sure Kuramochi's infested clothes are getting to you by now."

Sawamura chuckles. "Alright."

Miyuki follows Sawamura off of the field, and the sun slowly sets behind them. A hue of orange, red, and pink blend together to create something you'd only capture on paintings.

"My doctor's appointment is soon," Miyuki starts.

Sawamura hums. "Really?"

Miyuki nods. "Yep. I have my checkup Tuesday, and then what's probably my last session with Chris-senpai on Friday. I hope it goes well. Kuramochi and you have been harping on me pretty well, and I haven't been playing any baseball at all."

"Somehow," Sawamura supplies, making Miyuki laugh.

"Yeah. Somehow."

They laspe into silence, and while it isn't awkward, it feels different. Something's in the air, but Miyuki isn't sure how to address it. Sawamura is strangely occupied with something else on his mind. Miyuki lets it be. He doesn't want to open a can of worms he's not prepared for, so he settles for tossing the baseball up in the air to keep his thoughts at bay and his mind at ease. The student dorms are further from the field, and the light is more dim the closer they get.

"Everyone is probably asleep already," Sawamura yawns, stretching his arms out. "I can't wait to be one of them."

"Just that little bit of baseball tired you out?" Miyuki teases.

"Yeah, feels like it." They slow to a stop. "Well, I won't make you walk me to my dorm. Thanks for escorting me, though."

"After all your babysitting? It was the least I could do." Miyuki scratches his brain for something else to say, but comes up short. Instead, he reaches out for Sawamura's hand, and he places the baseball in it, watching as Sawamura's fingers gently clasp around it. He's never been one for words anyhow. "Good night, Sawamura," he says before turning on his heels and walking away.

Tuesday comes fast, and Miyuki gets to skip out on morning practice and school. He's not fond of the idea, but it was the only opening available, and he wasn't about to miss it because of school. The car ride with Rei is enjoyable, and they talk about everything. From Rei's first hospital visit back in college when she sliced open her arm on accident, to Miyuki's new friend and Rei's now favorite reporter. He can't seem to escape Sawamura even when he isn't present.

Miyuki idly sits through his appointment, anxiously awaiting the verdict as he subconsciously pulls at the paper he sits under. He can hear Rei and the doctor talking outside the door, and he isn't sure if Rei's nonchalent tone is a good sign or not. The door swings open and the doctor reenters, Rei leans on the door frame with a smile. It puts Miyuki at ease immediately, and he's sure he knows the answer before he hears it.

Sure enough, the doctor explains that Miyuki has been cleared. He'll be able to get himself ready just in time for winter training camp. Miyuki's grin doesn't fade after hearing that news. Rei listens to the doctor as he lists some helpful information to help Miyuki ease back into his physical lifestyle. He shoves his shirt back on and impatiently waits for the taxi ride back to school. He's got big news he wants to share.

"Really?" Sawamura asks, eyes full of happiness, "You're cleared?!"

"Yep," Miyuki responds. His face hurts from smiling so much. "I'm going back to the field."

"Congrats Cap! You deserve it!" Sawamura leaps forward to engulf Miyuki in a hug. "Truly, you do."

Miyuki chuckles. "Alright, alright, I get it." He pats Sawamura's back. The reporter let's go. "Now you can go back to the field and take pictures of your favorite player."

"Who said you were my favorite?" Sawamura asks with a quirk of his eyebrow.

"Chris-senpai and I talk more than you think, and it's more than just baseball." Miyuki smirks.

Sawamura gapes. "Chris-senpai would never betray me!"

"That's what you think."

"Nooooo! He didn't tell you about the drive of pictures, did he?"

Miyuki blinks. "What?"

"N-nothing! Nevermind! Not important!" Sawamura rambles, his face growing more red by the instant.

"Oh, I'm going to ask about this," Miyuki grins. "Are you hiding a secret collection from everyone?"

"No! Just photos of the team that I think are really personal. It's suppose to be a surprise, but since I ruined it, I'll tell you now. Haruno and I are in the process of making a scrapbook of this past couple of weeks with all the pictures we made to document how greatly you guys all played. I have to get the most recent photos developed still, but she's gotten all the supplies needed to make this." Sawamura sighs. "Promise me you won't tell anyone, though! It was a team gift!"

Miyuki holds his hands up in surrender. "I won't. Besides, that's really sweet of you guys. Just don't give Kuramochi a whole page of himself, otherwise it'll go to his head."

Sawamura snickers. "Should I give it to you instead?"

Miyuki hums. "If the shoe fits, than who am I to argue."

"Smartass."

Miyuki's laughter rings out into the hallway, and Sawamura wouldn't have it any other way.

Miyuki's week is full of exercises and excessive stretching, but it's normal. He eases into drills and goes back to shouting commands at everyone. Kuramochi pokes fun at him, but he looks relieved to see Miyuki back out on the field. He no longer has any captain duties weighing on him. Some part of Miyuki wishes he knew the feeling, but he pushes that aside and focuses his energy into training. He's got three weeks to make up for, and his body isn't going to bounce back in a night.

Friday, Miyuki spends his last session with Chris. They slowly go through their reps, then take their time to cool down as the stars begin to wake up in the sky.

"You have a big day tomorrow, don't you?" Chris asks, a towel wrapped around his shoulders as he nurses a water.

"Yeah, a busy rest of the month, really. We'll be training here soon, then preparing for the summer." Preparing for Koushien. For everything that'll follow after that. Miyuki's not quite ready to warm his mind around that.

"It goes by fast, doesn't it?" Chris says fondly. Miyuki nods silently. He wonders what mindless thoughts are floating around Chris' head right now. All the could have been's that he'll never experience. The bittersweetness that comes with sports. Everyone has experienced it at least once. "What about you, how's your condition?"

"I'm out of the woods," Miyuki smiles. "I've been taking back some initiative from Kuramochi. He looks to be happy about it."

Chris hums. "It's tough being a captain. I'm sure he's figured that out by now."

"Yeah," Miyuki huffs, "want to try it for a season?"

"No one could do it like you. Testu said it, Jun backed him up on it, and I believe it." Chris' gentle tone and kind eyes touch something inside of Miyuki. "So I think it's about time you do, too."

Miyuki laughs. For someone who's been known for being unreadable, Chris has just pinpointed his greatest challenge. "If it comes from you, Chris-senpai, I'll have no choice but to believe it."

"Good. Otherwise I would have to bring in my secret weapon," Chris jokes with a knowing smile.

"Secret weapon? Do share."

"Sawamura. He'd talk through your thick skull eventually."

They both smile at each other now. "You're right," Miyuki concurs. "He's got some sort of super power that allows him to get through to me, if you will."

"Either a super power or you got a weak heart." Miyuki's face heats up. "It's not hard to see, Miyuki. The kid really adores you, and you're not as good as covering your tracks as you think you are. Lucky for you, Sawamura's just very patient."

"Your secret weapon is more deadly that anyone elses' I've ever known," Miyuki responds with.

"How's that?"

"You tell the truth to everyone, no matter how hard it is to hear. You're cold-hearted killer."

"After everything that happened to me, telling the truth is the only way to see it now," Chris explains. "I know a good thing when I see it, though. Don't forget that."

"Hai, Hai. I won't Sensei."

"Now you really sound like Sawamura."

Miyuki rolls his eye jokingly as Chris smiles on. "What do you say, one last round of reps?"

Miyuki nods, accepting the challenge from Chris. "Gladly. I'm sure I could count out more side twists than you."

"Oh, you're on."

Sawamura is packing up the last of his belongings when the door slides open to his club. Miyuki stands on the other side of it, looking around the empty room until he spots Sawamura. "Ah, there you are. Chris-senpai said you'd still be here."

"Um, hi?" Sawamura squeaks out, unsure of what else to say. "Where you looking for something?"

"No. Well, yes. You. I was looking for you," Miyuki stumbles through his words, still standing rigidly at the door.

"Well, you found me," Sawamura plainly answers. He shoves the rest of his papers into his bag, along with his computer. He throws it on his back and walks over to Miyuki.

"Yeah, I wasn't sure if I was going to catch you before you left. Lots of members from the team have already gone home for break, and I just wanted to catch you before you left." Miyuki plays with a button on his uniform jacket, almost like he's stalling. "Lucky me."

"Miyuki Kazuya, what are you really here for?" Sawamura's eyes are full of questions and laced with concern.

"I wanted to ask if you would like to hang out when we return from break. Sawamura, you put up with me, and I know that isn't an easy thing to do. I want to thank you, for being nice, and introducing me to your world, because it's bettered mine. I just had to ask before I left," Miyuki answers, laying out his cards on the table.

"Are you asking me out?" Sawamura asks bluntly. He isn't sure where this newfound confidence stems from, and he's a little take back that he asked Miyuki so up front.

Miyuki raises his eyebrows. "I-if that's what you want to call it, than yeah. I'm asking you out for dinner. Or lunch. When we get back. It depends on the schedule, you know. Since games will be loaded and camp will be torturous hell—"

"Miyuki, I'd love to go." Sawamura cuts Miyuki off with an easy going smile.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really."

"Okay. So, sometime after break. We can go out to grab a bite?"

"Sounds great to me." Sawamura nods.

"Okay, great." Miyuki smiles widely now, and it feels contiguous to Sawamura as he finds himself mirroring Miyuki. "Have a great break, Sawamura. I'll see you next week."

"Yeah. You too. Bye Miyuki."

"Bye Sawamura."

Miyuki's footsteps descend down the hall, and Sawamura jumps up and down as they fade. Journalism was really working out in his favor now.

When he returns to his dorm to grab his packed up bag, Sawamura pencils in his date with Miyuki the weekend he returns, right between the team's winter training camp and the start of a new season. In big letters, he writes Miyuki— Date! With a goofy grin, he doodles a heart right next to his name.