1BEGIN AGAIN
Captain is displeased.
Although Daikichi does not know the Captain as well as Kurita or Sena, the months spent within the team has allowed him to pick the nuances of the Captain's moods. And there is no doubt that the Captain is most displeased.
Daikichi does not blame him, for the sentiment is shared by all members of the team.
Minor concussion and exhaustion.
It is with deep relief when they were informed that his friend had passed out more because of the exhaustion than the concussion.
As someone who trains in the path of true men, Daikichi is not a victim of ignorance regarding to that particular injury. It is however, the first time that such a happenstance had befall upon his best friend and his heart truly aches. He recalls with sour clarity, watching as Sena had kneeled upon the ground, confused and vomiting. It pains him when he remembers of how Sena, who was still panting from dry-heaving, had asked about them whilst trying to dispel their worry even as her confusion and fear mounted, asking for the captain.
I-it'll pass...
Every..one o-okay?
H-hiru...ma...Hiru...
Daikichi is even more unsurprised at the Captain's displeasure because before Sena passed out, they were horrified when she begged for forgiveness from them as if the incident was hers to blame.
M-my fault...s-so sorry...
It was a rare instance, but for a brief terrifying moment, Daikichi has never wanted more than anything than to abandon the path of true men and hunt down each and every individual who has ever made Sena feel so inferior. For what else that could have cause such a lack of worth if not for the years that she was tormented for her shy and helpful nature?
His heart aches.
It takes great effort and restraint from everyone not to follow Sena as she is brought into the infirmary.
They bowed low to Sena's parents, who encouraged them to finish the game and not lose their will to fight till the very end. They need not to worry for their fighting will burns brightly even more. He is grateful for their understanding and hopes that when Sena is awake, they will assuage some of her fears; fears that Daikichi is ashamed that he was oblivious to. Unacceptable. For one to seek the path of true men, he must be ever more vigilant to the state of his precious people's health.
Play after play, Hiruma utilises every strategy in his arsenal to ensure that though they lost the advantage that Sena provides, they will not allow any more points to be gained by their honoured opponents.
The strategies, his master murmurs quietly, has an underline of worry. Daikichi can do nought but nod in agreement. Tis but a flicker but Hiruma's concern was clear in intelligent eyes when the Captain had gripped Sena's hand, a gesture of comfort that those outside of their team would believe incomprehensible and unsuitable for the Devil of Deimon. Such thoughts are for the wilfully ignorant.
And as they fight tooth and nail against their honourable rivals, Daikichi thinks that though their team are full of idiots or fools like Hiruma says at times, they are not ones to fall into the trappings of the ignorant. So with one last battle cry, Daikichi embarks with his team for their final play.
They are the Deimon Devil Bats and they shall burn bright even as they fall.
Shūma watches as Sena wakes up slowly, between one breath to another.
After Sena was called onto the field, he and Mihae had discretely relocated to a different seat since they wanted to be closer to Sena and cheer without worry. What they didn't expect is that it gave them a better access to get to the infirmary when Sena was brought in.
His daughter's eyes flutter open, blinking at him and Mihae in confusion then observes her surroundings quietly before realisation slowly, surely, sets in. It's only been 5 minutes since Sena passed out. It's blessedly short and a very good sign that indicates the exhaustion and minor concussion are nothing too serious like the medical staff said.
But so much can happen in those 5 minutes and Sena knows that when she sees the sympathy clear on their faces.
Shūma leans over to kiss his sweet daughter's forehead as tears well up in her eyes and stream down her face, voice whispering the words she doesn't want to be true but can't deny.
"We lost."
Shūma nods.
"I'm sorry," Sena rasps out.
He and Mihae exchange looks. Past bullying had made Sena prone to apologising. They've been doing their best over the years to help Sena break away from some of the things her gofer school life had brought but it's not until Sena met the Devil Bats; her peers that want to be with her because they like her and not because they want to use her as a gofer, does Sena show signs of slowly getting better. However, while Sena has steadily built up her self-confidence, her self-esteem still suffers time to time. It hasn't been easy since Sena is a teenager and prior to the Devil Bats, was prone to listen more to her peers than her parents regarding her self-worth; a fact that both he and Mihae still regret, wondering how they could've done better for Sena. Shūma is grateful however, that his and Mihae's voices can now be heard better by Sena over the din of unsympathetic peers.
They can better communicate now. With that in mind, they decide to tackle it better while trying to find the root of it and untangle it before it can suffocate Sena with its noose.
"Why are you sorry, Sena?"
Sena swallows, blinking back tears. "Because it's my fault we lost. We were gonna rewrite and bring our chances up from 0% and I ruined it. We had a chance."
"Sena..."
Sena turns away from them, curling into a ball. "I don't want to make excuses...I don't want to be like how I used to be."
Mihae combs a hand through Sena's hair. "Sena. You've done great and you were amazing!"
"But I wasn't enough..."
"You were," Shūma states firmly. "You are."
"But...!"
"Sena, please look at us."
Sena flinches but eventually shifts until she's facing them again. His daughter looks miserable and oh, how his heart aches.
"You're enough. Always have and always will be."
Shūma takes one of Sena's hands, gripping it firmly. He thinks he has an idea why Sena is so terrified and blaming herself, remembering a small little girl not understanding why she was isolated from her peers because it was too troublesome to befriend a bully target or why kids only wanted her as their gofer and never as a friend.
"Your team; your friends, are not going to leave you just because you all lost, sweetheart."
Sena hiccups. "But what happens when I'm no use to them like what happened in elementary and middle sch—"
"Those kids were wrong, Sena," Mihae says firmly. "And the Bats are nothing like those kids, right?"
"No!" Sena furiously shakes her head before she winces. "They're amazing, Kaa-san."
"They are and so are you, Sena. And it ain't just because of your runs either. That's just only a glimpse of you. Dimensions, remember?"
Sena nods after a moment, seeming to calm down. Shūma can see the struggle in Sena's eyes to not fall back into old bad habits of getting swept away by fear and anxiety. Seeing this, Shūma grabs Sena's hand in a reassuring grip.
"Sena," Shūma begins. "You might not see it as such but you shouldn't blame yourself and take on responsibilities that are not only yours to carry."
Sena averts her eyes, hand gripping his own. "I know, but—"
"There were times that Monta-kun couldn't catch a pass and the volunteers were not as good as your teammates," Shūma interrupts. "Would you consider it was their fault?"
Sena stiffens. "Of course not!"
"How about any of the others?" Shūma continues. "The line? Hiruma-kun?"
"No!" Sena insists. "They did the best they could! They didn't do anything wrong!"
"And you did the best you could," Shūma finishes in an adamant tone. "It's not an excuse, it's a fact. It's also the only thing anyone can ask of a person. If your best effort falls short, then simply make sure to do better next time."
Sena stares wide-eyed at him and finally nods slowly.
Mihae chuckles. "You can do it, Sena. I mean, you are doing it already, aren't you? Growing and training to become better." Mihae carefully ruffles Sena's hair with a fond smile. "Shūma's right. If you couldn't trick the enemy into underestimating you long enough, then you'd just have to become stronger and do better."
"And you can't do that and…kill was it?"
Sena giggles weakly as she nods.
"Right. You can't kill your opponents if you're distracted by untrue things," Shūma reminds with a soft smile.
Sena sniffs and wipes away her tears, even thought there are still traces of it, most of the worry seems to have seep away and Sena nods determinedly instead. "I understand."
"Good," Shūma murmurs. "And regarding the Bats...I don't believe they're the kind of people that would be friends with you out of obligation. Assuming otherwise would be disrespectful to them and betray your trust in them wouldn't it?"
Sena winces. "I'm not, I don't mean—"
"I know," Shūma reassures. "You're afraid and that's okay but please...have faith in the trust you've put in them, Sena."
Mihae leans against him. "Looking at them, I don't think you've misplaced your trust. Quite the opposite, in fact."
Sena swallows, playing with her fingers. Nodding, Sena looks up and gives them a tired smile, small but genuine. "Thank you, Tou-san, Kaa-san."
"If you ever feel like it's too much, you know you can always come to us, Sena," Mihae promises while Shūma nods beside her.
Sena gives them a wobbly smile before it slowly crumples, frustrated tears streaming down her face as she sobs. "We lost." Sena curls into the sheets. "We lost."
Both he and Mihae rise and sit on the bed, arms cradling their daughter as she cries, hiccupping to herself that the Devil Bats will do better in the Fall Tournament.
Shūma doesn't doubt it.
33-63
Yōichi stares at the final score and clicks his tongue. "Dammit."
Amidst his cursing teammates and sobbing brother, Yōichi raises his face skywards and breathes deeply of the spring air. A woman's voice; long gone but treasured within the confines of his memories echoes like a melody.
When it gets too loud, Yōichi, breathe deep and listen only to the sound of your exhale; slow and steady.
Exhaling slowly, he sets his jaw and replans anew.
"Wait!"
Heads turn at a severe looking Monta as he bows at the officials and Ōjō alike.
"On behalf of the Devil Bats, I MAX humbly ask if we can wait and have Eyeshield join us for the line-up before we end the day!"
Both teams and officials look uncertain, not knowing if Kobayakawa is even conscious or even well enough to join but the sentiment is clear because the Bats, including the volunteers, follow Monta's lead. To everyone's surprise, even Shin joins as well.
"I too wish to wait for her so I would like to ask the same."
While the officials appear reluctant, Shōji nods without much convincing.
"I don't mind." Respect wars with remorse on the coach's face. "It's the least we can do for the kid."
Kurita beams, bowing tearfully while the rest of the Bats follow. "Thank you very much!"
Sighing, he catches Kurita's eye, nodding at the direction of the infirmary. His brother nods back before he with Komusubi on his back, make their way to Ōtawara for a talk.
When he arrives at the infirmary, it's when the Kobayakawa couple is about to leave. Yōichi exchanges nods with the two, allowing Kobayakawa's mother to grasp his elbow.
"Please get her home safe, Hiruma-kun."
"…I will."
Smiling, the mother nods before walking away with her husband.
Slipping inside the curtains surrounding the bed, Yōichi finds Kobayakawa frowning at her hands, shoulders hunched and looking far smaller than she should be even if Kobayakawa is a petite slip of a girl.
"Fucking chibi."
Kobayakawa squeaks, watery eyes flicker up at him before skittering away. The running-back clears her throat and twists the sheets so tightly in her grasp that her knuckles turn white. "Hiruma-san."
Shit. It doesn't happen as often as before but there are times when Kobayakawa will revert back into her pessimistic shell. It's gonna happen, he supposes. Almost a decade worth of bullying issues aren't just gonna disappear overnight after all. Yōichi knew this when he asked Kobayakawa to be his partner, when he accepted to be friends. In the past, he would've been far more annoyed but then, they're not living in the past, now are they?
So he does something that he should've learned to do all those years ago when it concerns the people closest to him and carefully plops himself on the bed, folding his arms. "Talk."
Kobayakawa flinches, appearing overwhelmed but doesn't look away again. Not knowing what else to do (a curious and damn frustrating sensation), Yōichi closes his eyes and leans their foreheads together.
He hears Kobayakawa takes a shuddering breath and presses back. After a long moment, the brunette whispers, small and scared; the demons in her head probably growling stupid things from fucking stupid brats of the past.
"Am I still useful to the team?"
Yōichi doesn't know the details of what happened before middle school, mostly because of lack of interest that eventually became a practice of restraint out of respect for his partner (he can be an asshole but even he has limits). Regardless, his temper still flares whenever traces of Kobayakawa's bullied past rear it's fuck ugly head.
Squishing the running-back's face, Yōichi leans close. "I'm gonna say this only once so ya better drill a hole in your ears, fucking chibi."
Eyes snapping open, Kobayakawa touches her ears, spooked. "My ears already have holes, Hiruma-san."
"Drill 'em anyway 'cause I want you to pay attention and listen."
Yōichi feels a bit relieved when he spies a hint of confused amusement in garnet eyes. "Okay."
"It's never been just your legs, idiot chibi," Yōichi scoffs, voice far softer than he will ever allow. "I know I can be a bastard and round people up as numbers and statistics but you, Kobayakawa Sena, your worth to others has never been in question. You are not a slave or an asset to be weighted in pros and cons and expended effort. What you are is a teammate and you are no burden to anyone."
Kobayakawa clenches the front of his jersey with trembling hands. "...yeah?"
"Yeah." He touches their foreheads again. "So stop paying attention to fucking assholes."
"...I'll try." Kobayakawa gulps. "I can't do it immediately but...I think I can one day."
"I know." In the past, he's never understood the use of mercy; of giving people time and space to breathe as they go by their own pace instead of the numbers he sets out for them but Yōichi thinks he's starting to. Perhaps...mercy has never been a weakness after all. "I know you will."
Minutes past and Yōichi waits as Kobayakawa tries to match her breathing with his. After a long moment, his partner nods, voice wavering only the slightest bit yet the sincerity behind the words are warm and earnest like the one who says them.
"Thank you."
Yōichi smirks. "Hn."
Emotional shit has never been his forte and its taking a lot out of him to even do this much but Yōichi finds that he doesn't mind even if he thinks Kobayakawa deserves more than this. However, from the steady way the brunette is breathing as they lean into each other's spaces, Yōichi thinks that maybe what he can offer might be enough after all.
Yōichi leans back and unclips a pair of goggles from his belt, handing them over to the confused brunette. "Light is gonna be shit for your eyes for awhile."
Kobayakawa takes the goggles before recognition lights up her features. "These are the goggles from the heist!"
"The fucking tech said that we can have 'em as souvenirs since they don't really need 'em."
Kobayakawa stares at him for a long moment then, states matter-of-factly. "…You didn't blackmail Rebecca-san."
Dammit. Yōichi still hasn't figure out how Kobayakawa can always tell whenever he's bluffing or not. Shrugging, he smirks. "Didn't need to. They're not all that compatible for army uses anyway."
"Eh? Even with all these features?" Kobayakawa turns the goggles over in confusion.
"These are more for Black Ops so it's a bit at odds with what they want on the field." Yōichi sighs. "Although, I didn't expect to give 'em back to you like this."
"I'm grateful for them all the same." Kobayakawa carefully stands and clips the goggles to her belt. "I better thank Rebecca-san the next time we have a scrimmage at the base."
Yōichi snorts. "You do that."
They arrive back on the field just as the officials insist about lining up. He sees the Bats throwing worried glances at Kobayakawa, appearing like they want nothing more than to have the day over with so they can whisk the running-back away for some rest. Yōichi can't really blame them.
"Bow!"
"Thank you for the good game!"
As they are about to leave, he sees Kobayakawa waving off the stream of apologies from Ōtawara (who appears strangely serious) with a shy smile before the girl shuffles up to the coach. Concentrating, his ears pick up the quiet request from his partner for the hospital address that Sakuraba is sent to. Typical. Yōichi sometimes wants shake Kobayakawa for the younger teen's kindness but Kobayakawa wouldn't be Kobayakawa if she's not like that.
Shōji's face softens because of course it does. Even Yōichi has a difficult time in resisting Kobayakawa's earnestness and that shit can't ever be hidden even behind the eyeshield. Shōji gives what Kobayakawa requested before gently clasping the running-back's shoulder, a gruff apology on his lips for his student's stupid carelessness.
When it looks like Kobayakawa is about to protest, Shōji silences her with a stern glare, causing his partner to quietly accept the blame that is rightfully Ōjō's.
Good. Kobayakawa doesn't need more bullshit to worry about.
When the TV crew eventually come for an interview, it's a teary-eyed Kurita that steps forward (Yōichi feels pride at that) while the other linemen backs him up. Monta flanks protectively by Kobayakawa's side. Bringing up the rear, he and a growling Cerberus looks on at the idiotic crew with disdain.
"Thank you but it's been a long day. Please excuse us."
The cameraman, obnoxious and not getting the fucking clue, shoves the lens of his camera to his team. Rolling his eyes, Youichi steals a pen from one of the crew and doodles the map of the clubhouse on his palm. He then shoves his hand to cover the lens.
"Oi! What do you think-"
Looking like he swallowed his own tongue, the cameraman and his whole crew pale when they see him. The anchorwoman even whimpers as she backs away from where she was nearing Kobayakawa to fire off questions when he raises a derisive brow.
Yōichi cackles. "What was that?"
"N-nothing!"
Hearing the muffled snickering of his team, Yōichi grins and leads the brats to the awaiting limos. Ducking into the car after him, Kobayakawa tucks herself at his side, taking off her helmet before quickly exchanges it with her goggles while Monta and Cerberus takes the last spot beside her. The rest of his teammates collapse on the front seats (his brother on the other hand, has a whole row for himself), groaning in relief as they make their way back to school.
The ride back is silent. For once, the brats sit solemn and still, the air heavy with disappointment and frustration. If it's because of any other reason than this, Yōichi woulda shoot them for the gloominess but he lets it go this time. He allows them; himself included, time to lie down because he knows and have seen it with his own eyes that this team will eventually get back on their feet and try again. They're just that damn stubborn.
And if some time on the way back Kobayakawa ends up dozing off on his shoulder then it's no one's business but their own.
