Chapter 14: Damaged Goods

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| Haruka Inejiro |

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| Haruka Inejiro |

Pure, unadulterated rage burned through him. It rumbled precariously, like thunder clouds gathering for a storm. His anger was intense, it was incendiary, and it seared everything that he touched. He couldn't feel the bones in his fists as they dug into a thick wall of muscle. Something inside him twisted maliciously, he didn't want to stop. Haruka revelled in the busts of pain. It wasn't enough, not for the agony that they had inflicted on him for years on end. He couldn't stop, he wouldn't stop, even as blood sprayed on his cheeks.

—Then he was being pulled away. His body was in the air, a tight grip around his waist. A familiar face appeared between dazed emerald orbs.

"Haru!" The catcher exclaimed, fingers digging into the fabric on his upper arms. His brain rattled around in his skull as the catcher forcefully shook his body.

"Haruka! Can you hear me?!"

Haru blinked, eyes finally connecting with a swirl of amber. Then, the memories assaulted him. He shivered as his eyes darted around frantically, trying to regain purchase. Clasping his hands around the fabric on Kazuya's wrists, he opened and closed his mouth. The words were stuck in his chest, they were unrelenting, suffocating.

"Talk to him," Kazuya directed someone—Haru doesn't turn to see who. "I'm going to see if I can cover this up."

Then amber orbs darkened as he turned away. "Shit," He cursed underneath his breath.

Haruka blinked but his eyes felt heavy. When he opened them again, a swirl of green replaced the amber. Curvy lips moved but the curly blond didn't hear a word. He squinted his eyes and tried his best to focus, but it was like he had gone momentarily deaf.

—A hand made it's way to his cheek and with a start, Haruka slapped it away. The sudden skin-skin connection triggered an abrupt burst of his senses flowing back into him. With wide eyes, the disoriented blond sunk to the ground and his hands grappled over his ears.

Go away.

•><•
| TWO HOURS EARLIER |

High school baseball games were nothing like the ones in middle school. The stadium roared with cries from each team band, excited cheers and instruments dancing in the air around the large field. While he was admittedly thrilled with the support, his anxiety grew that much more. In middle school, aside from him, nobody really expected anything from Haru. Now, there were crowds of people expecting big things. Between them and his teammates, who probably expected even more, he couldn't escape the need to curl away from the weight of it all.

𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡 | Miyuki KazuyaWhere stories live. Discover now