𝐀 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇 𝐓𝐎 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐄 ━━ S. UCHIHA

XXVIII

A loud pop.

There was an ear-breaking noise from somewhere on the court near where the two boys collapsed. My heart races as it tries to draw a conclusion to the alarming sound. It was loud enough to quiet the whole gymnasium for just a moment. Including me, everyone is on the edge of their seats, holding their breaths as they anxiously peer down at the court.

My insides are shaking, my breathing hitched, shivers speeding up and down my spine—everything in me is going haywire.

There were groans of pain from both players. Both of them curl on the floor, their breathing unsteady. Nobody said a word as they waited for both the fallen players to get up off the ground. Neither one of them did.

Coaches from both teams rush to their player's aid before looking at each other and sharing the same look. It's a dreadful look—far from one that's reassuring.

My heart sinks.

Slowly, the crowds around me fill with small talk, either about what happened or something to keep their attention off the floor. Either way, it makes the room feel less tense. At least, it helps me feel less tense watching the coaches, another player from the opposing team, and Naruto help them up.

Had the room still been silent, I'm sure we'd hear the grunts and light whimpers from both of the players. The one player from the other team got up with some ease. In his case, he just landed on his arm wrong, based on the way he was holding it. Not that I can see any bruises or blood, yet I still imagine it hurts quite worse than what people expect.

Sasuke, on the other hand, could barely stand up. Even when hopping over to the bench, he couldn't even step right. He wouldn't let his one foot touch the ground at all. The whole way with the help of Coach and Naruto, he was basically hopping on his foot. That's an immediate red flag for me. It only brought my heart down further in my stomach.

"(Y/n)," Hinata's sweet voice echoes in my ear but slips right out the other. "(Y/n)?"

They sit Sasuke down at the end of the bench, away from the rest of the team as they whisper, obviously about him and if he's okay. The Uchiha buried his head in his hands, trying to hide his expression which was probably filled with immense defeat and pain.

"Hey, (Y/n)."

Gai holds up Sasuke's ankle and makes the boy put down his hands. A trainer at our school rushes over to our injured player and asks him to follow her commands. She tilts his ankle one way, but even the slightest made the expressionless Uchiha wince.

Pain surges through my Mark and quickly ceases when his foot returns to its relaxed position.

My heart stops.

"(Y/n)? Are you okay?"

The trainer moves his foot forward. Again, pain shows in both my Mark and on Sasuke's face. It repeats with every movement caused by the trainer, and every occurrence makes my eyes open more and more, my subconscious connecting the dots for me.

The trainer mouths something to the already pained boy, but relief crosses his eyes for a second. Just seeing the mini flash across those frustrated eyes of his gives me a sense of reassurance. However, his expression quickly reverts back to an aggravation. The pain in his eyes—it looks all too familiar. It reminds me of the eyes I have to see every day.

"(Y/n)."

Every morning. Every night. Ones that struggle to keep it a secret but can't forever hide away.

"(Y/n)!"

Eyes that belong to none other than mine.

A hand grabs my arm and yanks me backward. The force is enough to make me stumble on the bleachers and sit, not knowing I hand been standing for some time. Finally, my legs could rest after pretending imitate jelly from watching everything that happened, experiencing everything that happened. It all revolved around my Mark for some reason.