Sidelines: Ace of the Diamond

Chapter Four: History

Airi laid in the bottom bed with her hand held in front of her. Her fingers flexed and contracted, slowly forming and reforming a soft fist. The nerves still felt like a live wire from where the ball had left. She thought that she remembered the feeling clearly, but she had forgotten the rush. Airi knew it had been tactless to be baited into the throw, it just felt good to shut him up. She could image that's how most people felt and responded to his prodding; there was a reason her brother had been so avid about wanting him. 

Even when she was storming out it had taken everything in her to not ask for the ball back. To not throw it again. The last time she had touched a baseball it had broken her in so many ways. But this was different. This time she threw it for herself, more or less, and it didn't matter the out come. She wanted to hate him for it, but she couldn't.

I'm being ridiculous, she thought as she sat up. Airi looked at the clock propped on her bed side table. 1 am, she sighed. Haruno was fast asleep above her. When the girl had returned for the evening the two roommates exchanged a few awkward words, but Airi could tell the delight in her voice. 

Airi turned and planted her feet on the floor. It was no use, she was too awake. She didn't bother with changing from her pajama shorts and shirt, instead just opting to slip on her tennis shoes and a light jacket to tuck her phone and keys into her pocket.

It was a warm summer night that brought a faint flush to her cheeks. Airi always enjoyed taking walks in the night, finding it calming and freeing with no one there to bother her. The campus was well secured and with the different sports teams living on school grounds it wasn't unusual to come across a stray individual at practice. But the main people she had come across in her late night outings the most were the baseball team. It also might have something to do with most of her walks ending up with her going to that part of campus.

Tonight was no different. Before she new it she was making her way past the baseball dorm and toward the practice field. Airi made the choice to take a small detour, annoyed that she wanted to return to the field, and instead started up the steps of the large hill. Some nights she would venture to the hill just to sit and watch the stars. It was peaceful.

The grass felt soft against the exposed parts of her legs as she laid on the ground. Airi's brows furrowed as she watched the sky as the stars swirled in her icy irises. Why did she have to be bothered by this now? She had been content enough to watch from the sidelines with her conflicting feelings of love hate for the baseball world. 

"So you even hang around my getaway, huh?" Airi's eyes widen in surprise and she jumped from the sudden break in silence. She sat up and turned to look at the guy peering down at her. As she feared, it was the same familiar voice that had already antagonized her that day.

"Didn't know this hill belonged to you," she retorted coolly in attempt to restore her composure, her cheeks tinted with a nervous blush. Miyuki smirked, though Airi doubted it was from the pinkness of her cheeks as she had the thankful veil of muted darkness with only a faint light under the stars and half moon.

"You mind?" Miyuki asked, nodding towards the spot next to her. Airi pursed her lips into a fine line, but begrudgingly moved slightly away to indicate for him to sit. She was fairly sure he would have sat either way.

Miyuki sat next to her with a mildly generous space between the two. It had surprised her to see him in loose long shorts and sandals. But the notice only made her blush deepen with the realization that her black pajama shorts didn't cover as much when sitting. He was close enough to see the blush in the dimmed light and he gave an amused smirk. 

Airi's legs curled to her chest with her arms crossed in front of her shins. Her chin rested on her knees and her gaze lowered to the grass in front of her in an attempt to make her already small self even more compact.

"I didn't think that you would be the restless type," Miyuki observed with his eyes now locked on the sky to give her some ease. He rested comfortably back being supported by his arms behind him and his palms pressing into the grass.

Airi took a glance at him from the corner of her eye. He seemed relaxed, his face resting in a calm smile. It was weird, she didn't think he had the capability of appearing so gentle.

"You're one to talk," she pointed out. The smile widened.

"I have an important game in a few days, I'm allowed to be restless." His smile turned into the well known sly smirk as he glanced down at her. Airi's eyes lingered on his for a few moments before she finally returned to watching the stars as a distraction.

"I didn't think someone so arrogant could be restless," she rephrased to a sigh.

"You have to be a bit arrogant to be a catcher. Helps keep their egos in check." Airi knew exactly who the 'their' was referring to. She gave a small scoff  and smile at the comment. People say that pitchers are the egoist who have the most to boast about, but no matter the pitcher it was the catchers that made the plays. "She has emotion," he mused. Airi scowled in response.

"He wasn't wrong about you," Airi noted as finally looking at him again, refusing to be the first to turn away. Miyuki arched his eyebrows. "Mei," she added, "he told me about you before you guys started high school and how he wanted you on his team." It had been a while since she had spoken her brother's name aloud.

"I'm guessing he didn't handle the response well when he went home," Miyuki thought aloud. "Did he throw a tantrum?" Amusement danced in his voice. The light hearted atmosphere around the two fell as Airi somehow pulled her legs even tighter into her chest. Miyuki wasn't even sure she could breath like that. She was again the one to break their gaze.

"I don't know how he first reacted when he got home," Airi's voice softened to  a meekness that jarred Miyuki and left him frozen in uncertainty.

"Were you... out?" He didn't know what else to ask after Airi continued to sit in silence.

"You could call it that." The muddied answered with accompanied with a hollowed laugh. "I had a game that day that was suppose to start off my final junior year on the team." The phrasing made Miyuki's breath catch in his throat. "It was suppose to be an easy game so it didn't merit Mei or my parents bothering to come." The words soured in her mouth. 

"The other school had a good bating line, but the Narumiya ego...I got over zealous and wild with my throws, wanting the cheers louder for my mercilessness towards the batters." Miyuki had seen the explained aggression in Mei before, and with the throw from earlier he had no doubt that she had the same capability. He watched as her left hand gripped tightly to her scared knee before she continued.

"I let a fast ball go wild and didn't throw it low enough." The memories burned in her mind and her voice wavered and her eyes misted. The story was pouring out and she couldn't stop the flood no matter how much she didn't want to explain herself to him, her pent up emotions were avalanching as tears fell. "I still managed to jam her, but she had enough power to pull it straight back at me. With the speed of the ball and her force my knee was done for the moment I let that pitch go."

It wasn't uncommon for jammed balls to get hit back at awkward angles or close to the pitcher, but Miyuki himself had never seen such a devastating scar as a result. The confident, always reading with a comeback catcher was left without words.