05:
Hit a homerun?! What does he mean by hit
a homerun?! I can’t even remember the last time I hit a fly ball let alone a homerun!
And why would I want to have him give me the time of day?! It’s not like I want
to talk to a stuck-up snobbish rich kid like him! Ah, man! Now, he’s gotten me
all worked up! I’m feeling so nervous that my hands are slick on this bat
because I’m sweating so much. Damn it! He did this on purpose! He doesn’t want
me to hit the homerun because he knows I can’t and he’s going to laugh at me
behind my back and call me a wimp again…
“SHIBUYA YUURI?!”
“Ye…yes!” he cried out in mild panic, almost running towards home plate now as
the announcer glared at him with clear impatience. “Sor…sorry! I’m ready now!”
“About time too,” Kurtz remarked dryly from the mound as he continued to toss
the baseball up and down. “I thought you and your sissy boyfriend would never
stop talking.”
Sissy…boy…friend? Yuuri blinked in confusion
even though his cheeks were turning a bright pink in embarrassment. He suffered
the chuckles Kurtz’s comment elicited from the audience, glancing towards
Wolfram to see if the blond had overheard it. How couldn’t he? Kurtz had made
sure he was loud enough for everyone in their section to hear his snide remark.
But Wolfram was doing a good job of ignoring everyone around him. He was now
sitting on a bench with his arms folded over his chest and his eyes closed.
Yuuri growled softly. Damn him. Why does
he always have to act so damn cool…?
Surely you won’t let him get away with his insolence, my King?
Yuuri felt his cheeks flush at the clear but sarcastic thought that filled his
mind. It was Wolfram’s voice and glancing at the blond again, he could see a
small smirk forming on that handsome visage. He thought of sending back a
smart-assed response when the so-called demon king within him did the talking
again.
Of course not. I fully intend to put the
commoner in his place. May we begin, Shibuya?
“Sometime today would be nice,” Kurtz yelled and lifted his arms above his head
in readiness to throw.
Yuuri’s eyes widened at the sight, his heartbeat quickening as he held the bat
to shoulder height. The demon king had asked if he was ready but he wasn’t even
sure about that. He had never felt this nervous before in his life and doubted
he would be able to make a dent in Kurtz’s pitch. He swallowed tightly as he
met the cool but mocking eyes of the ace pitcher.
Oh, God…what do I do? What do I do?! He
might throw a fastball and I’m not good at hitting fastballs!
Just trust me, Shibuya, came the surprisingly calming voice of his alter
ego. Keep your eyes on the ball and let’s
show them what we can really do.
Yuuri gasped softly as if given a sudden jolt of electricity. He felt a surge
of unexplainable power course through his body, from the roots of his hair to
the tips of his toes. The grip on his bat was much firmer and stronger now, his
vision much better than he had ever thought possible. The world seemed clearer
– a perfect 20/20 vision - and as Kurtz let the ball fly, Yuuri was amazed to
find that the object he had once thought impossible to hit, now seemed to be
moving towards him at a terribly slow rate.
I can hit this, he thought with
wide-eyed awe. I can…do it. I really
think I can!
And as the ball seemed to dip towards the ground (a curveball after all), Yuuri
swung the bat (and unbeknownst to him) in a graceful motion that rivaled the
blond who had just left the plate earlier. It was an effortless movement and
the sharp crackling sound of wood against rubber, seemed to echo to the very
ends of the great dome.
“Good…God!” one of the coaches cried out in awe as the ball was sent flying
towards the topmost seats at the other side of the stadium. It was much higher
than Wolfram’s and the looks of surprise and amazement on everyone’s face was
simply priceless. The spontaneous applause that broke out easily drowned the
one given for Wolfram and before long everyone was cheering and whistling in
appreciation. Even Kurtz had to shake his head at that. To give up two mega
homeruns…and to two high school kids at that? He must be losing his touch.
“Fantastic!” Someone yelled.
“You’re in for sure!” Another person added as Yuuri remained rooted to the plate,
unable to believe he had actually done it. He barely acknowledged the pats on
his back or the ruffling of his hair from the other players. All he could see
and hear was the sound of the bat making contact with the ball and the rapid
beating of his heart. He had never felt his alive before! He was bursting at
the seams eager to share this moment with someone…anyone!
Wolfram! Did you see that! Did you see…?
It took him a second to realize that he was speaking with his mind again (funny
how one could get used to that so easily) and that secondly, the blond in
question was no longer in the stadium. Yuuri felt something akin to panic for a
moment, his gaze drifting over the heads of the other players who were all
crowding around him. But to his dismay, there was no sign of Wolfram anywhere.
He was the one who told me to hit a
homerun and he wasn’t even here to see it, Yuuri thought, feeling the surge
of excitement he had felt slowly easing away. Geez, what a pain.
“Shibuya! Shibuya!”
He spun around at Murata’s excited cry and was almost thrown to the ground as
his friend wrapped his arms around his neck tightly. “Murata…!”
“That was great! Absolutely brilliant!” came the enthusiastic cry from the
bespectacled boy. “I can’t believe you did that! It was just…oooh! The best!”
Yuuri laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. “Ah, it was
nothing…” I had nothing to do with it actually. It’s that damn demon king
inside of me…
“Nothing?! Are you kidding?! Everyone says you’re going to be the new star for
sure!”
“Eh?! Me a star?!” Yuuri couldn’t even begin to see himself as a celebrity. He
opened his mouth to tell Murata otherwise, when his peripheral caught sight of
two men in dark suits approaching him. Oh, oh, now I’m in trouble.
“Shibuya Yuuri?” One of the burly men said as they stood before him. Most of
the players were now staring at the proceedings with great interest.
“Ye…yes? I didn’t do anything!” Yuuri added quickly as he began to bow his head
in apology. “Honestly, I’m not taking steroids and I had no idea that I would
be able to hit a homerun like that…!”
“Please come with us,” the man interrupted curtly. “Sir Gwendal von Walde would
like to speak to you.”
HUH?! Yuuri felt the world spin on
its axis and he had to hold on to Murata for support. Sir Gwendal von Walde?
The owner of the Royals team would like to speak to him?!
“Do…do you think I’m in trouble, Murata?” Yuuri whispered in fear as they began
to follow the two men.
The dark-haired boy grinned and shook his head. “No, I doubt it, Shibuya. So
relax. Everything’s going to be just fine.”
I can’t believe he did it. He
actually…did it!
Wolfram leaned over the toilet bowl again and hurled what was left of the
breakfast he had barely eaten. He had watched the ball’s journey through the
air with mixed emotions of awe, fear and downright jealousy. He had thought he
was the only one able to hit a ball that far and to think that someone like
Yuuri Shibuya had done the impossible was well…impossible to comprehend.
He sank to the floor with a low groan of misery, wrapping his arms around his
waist as he thought of what to do now. He had told Yuuri that he would be
willing to listen to whatever he had to say and being a man of his word,
Wolfram knew he couldn’t break his promise.
And what was all that shit about him
being my King? Who the hell does he think he is?
/But he is and always has been. You swore to protect him, giving up your life
for him if need be…/
“No…no…”
/He proposed to you in the most
unconventional of ways although it was the custom and he didn’t mean to…/
“Stop it…please…just stop…”
He held his hands to his head and shook it slowly, trying desperately to get
rid of the voice that continued to feed him with such stories – stories he
didn’t want to hear or understand.
/You were once a brave soldier…/
“Brave soldier my ass!” he roared as he rose to his feet and stumbled out of
the stall. He washed his face and hands at the sink quickly, angry at himself
for letting his emotions get the best of him.
“Relax Wolfram,” he muttered to himself as he patted his face dry with the
towel. “Relax. So what if he hit a homerun. What if he makes it to the team? No
big deal…really.”
He lowered the cloth and promptly fought back a scream as he stared at his reflection
in the mirror. He blinked and it was gone but he was sure that for a brief
moment he had seen someone else staring at him.
Silly! It’s just you. Stop freaking
yourself out unnecessarily.
So why was I in a blue uniform with a sword?
/You were once a soldier…you swore to protect him with your life…/
“Bull shit,” he mumbled and tossed the towel to the garbage can. “The day I
decide to protect Shibuya with my life is the day that pigs will fly.”
And with purpose in his stride, he made his way to his brother’s office to have
a long talk with him.
Yuuri sat ramrod straight in the chair, his hands clenched tightly on his lap
as he stared blindly at the World Championship plaque on the wall opposite him.
He didn’t dare breathe for fear that this moment would all be a figment of his
imagination. Murata, for his part, was having a field day admiring all the
trophies and awards that lined the wall of the main office. Every now and then,
he’d try to engage Yuuri in conversation but it seemed like his friend had
suddenly lost his ability to speak. The boy looked positively terrified.
“You really should relax, Shibuya,” Murata said with a concerned frown. “I
doubt they’re going to do anything bad to you.”
Suddenly, the door leading to Gwendal’s suite opened and Conrad stepped out
with a warm smile of greeting on his visage.
“Hello, Shibuya Yuuri, I believe?”
The boy’s eyes widened at the sight of one of his idols, his mouth opening and
shutting for several seconds, unable to get a single word past his lips. It was
Murata who had to step in again.
“Yes, he is Shibuya,” he replied with a smile of his own as he accepted
Conrad’s handshake. “I’m Murata Ken. His manager and best friend.”
Conrad chuckled, already liking the bright-eyed young man before him. “That’s
good to hear. I’m Conrad Weller. Sir Gwendal’s bro…assistant.”
“We know who you are,” Murata said with a laugh. “Yuuri’s got your baseball
card and knows all your stats by heart.”
“Really?” Conrad flashed a winning smile at the silent boy, watching in
amusement as Yuuri seemed to blush even harder. Deciding not to make the player
anymore uncomfortable, he motioned towards the suite. “Perhaps we should go
inside now? And you can relax, Shibuya. We won’t bite.”
“Ye…yes,” came the quiet reply as Yuuri managed to pry himself off the seat to
follow Murata’s lead into the spacious and luxurious private room. Both boys
gawked in awe at the impressive décor but what was even more amazing was the
sight from the landscape windows. One could see the entire stadium from here!
“Wow…!” Yuuri gushed as he pressed his face against the glass, completely
forgetting his earlier nervousness. “This is so cool!”
“Indeed,” came the deep voice that was slightly brusque in tone. “Also
impressive was your swing, Shibuya Yuuri.”
That sent Yuuri crashing back to reality in a heartbeat and he spun around
quickly, almost falling to the floor as he came face-to-face with the
‘mysterious’ Sir von Walde, who was sitting behind a large desk he hadn’t
noticed before.
Eeek…scary!
Yuuri swallowed tightly and bowed before the tall dark-haired man. “Thank…thank
you…”
“And you are?” Gwendal interrupted coldly as he eyed the smiling boy standing
beside Yuuri.
“He’s Murata Ken,” Conrad said quickly. “A friend of Shibuya’s.”
Gwendal gave a low grunt and motioned for both boys to sit down on a sofa which
they did rather gingerly as if afraid that their buttocks would ruin such
expensive upholstery.
“So,” Gwendal began slowly as he trained piercing blue eyes on the flustered
teen. “You are the one who managed to out hit von Bielefeld, hmm? You should
consider that an achievement since no one has been able to do that in a long
time.”
Yuuri wondered if he was supposed to say anything to that but decided to keep
his mouth shut and let Gwendal talk.
“Who coached you while growing up, Shibuya?”
“My…my father at first,” Yuuri began slowly, licking his lips and trying not to
twist his hands nervously. “And then my older brother took over for a while
before the coaches in the baseball teams I joined took over.”
“And how long have you been playing baseball?”
“Oh, since I could walk,” Yuuri said with a wide smile. “I’ve always loved
baseball! It’s…it’s my life!”
“Is it now?” Gwendal and Conrad exchanged a quick look that wasn’t lost on the
ever observant Murata. The boy wondered what it could mean.
“You have a natural talent, Shibuya,” Conrad said, noticing that Yuuri was
blushing again. “And after seeing you hit today, we’ve decided to take you and
von Bielefeld into the two week camp for Minor Leagues. There you will receive
proper training from coaches to help hone your skills. Will that be a problem
for you?”
Pro…problem?! Were they kidding?! He was in heaven! On Cloud Nine! He couldn’t
believe it! He could even forgive them throwing him in camp with that snobbish
brat. This was the opportunity of a lifetime. There was no way he was going to
miss something as important as this!
“I think he says yes, he’ll be more than happy too,” Murata said with a laugh
as he nudged the dazed-looking Yuuri gently.
“Good, then it’s settled,” Gwendal announced firmly. “Just sign this paper here
saying you’ll be a member of the…”
“Big Brother!” Wolfram cried out as the door suddenly flew open and the blond
stomped into the room. “Did you see what happened out there? Did you see the
home…Shibuya?!” He blanched at the sight of the two boys. “What are they doing
here?!”
“Keep your voice down, Wolfram,” Gwendal commanded with a frown of impatience.
“And how many times have I told you to knock before entering my office?”
Faintly panicked green eyes met and locked with shocked dark ones as various
thoughts, all jumbled, confused and erratic seemed to flow between them.
Big brother…?
How dare you!
He’s your big brother?!
What do you hope to achieve by being here?!
Who are you really Wolfram?
Who are you really Shibuya?!
/I am your King!/
/That was a long time ago!/
They both winced as if in pain and slapped their hands to their heads causing
the other men in the room to gape at them in confusion.
“Wolfram?!” Conrad and Gwendal cried out in concern just as Murata screamed out
‘Shibuya!’ in the same tone, for both boys seemed to sway towards each other
before falling to the floor in a dead faint.
He was dressed in all black – like his school uniform but not quite. He walked
the long hallways with steady footsteps as if already familiar with the layout
of the old building. It was a beautiful day in this land of Shin Makoku
and all was well. The night before had been one well spent and left to him, he
couldn’t wait to see his partner again. In fact, if he was lucky…
…he would get to have breakfast with him today. He hummed softly to himself and
walked down a flight of stairs, greeting the soldiers who saluted him along the
way. He made his way to the indoor gardens with the intention of finding a
suitable flower for his partner. He smiled as he stopped before a row of bushes
to pick out a beautiful red rose.
“It suits you,” came the familiar deep voice which caused the blond to blush in
response as he felt the fingers in his hair. “Turn this way…look at me…let me
see you...”
He allowed the strong lean fingers to caress his chin, to tip it gently as his
gaze met the full tantalizing sight of his lover’s lips.
“My king,” he whispered huskily, moving closer yet to drown in the delicious
taste of his lover’s kiss. “I will always…aaaaaaaaargh!”
Like a bolt of lightning, they seemed to be struck apart and sent hurtling down
a deep abyss that brought them right back to…
“What in the devil’s name did you think you were planning to do?!” Gwendal
yelled as he glared at Yuuri’s disoriented but slightly flushed visage.
Murata slapped a hand over his face while Conrad was doing his best not to
burst into laughter. Wolfram still lay prone on the ground and dead to the
world, while Yuuri looked like he had just been shoved away.
“Wha…what happened?” he asked slowly. “I was just…”
Back home…Shin Makoku…
“You looked like you were about to kiss Wolfram, that’s what,” Murata leaned
close to whisper into his ear.
“EEEEH?!!!” Yuuri scrambled backwards and as far away from Wolfram’s body as
possible, his entire body seeming to flush with heat at the notion that he had
actually tried to kiss another boy! He felt a chill down his spine and shivered
as he looked up quickly to see Gwendal’s angry gaze still trained on him.
“I…I SWEAR I’M NOT INTO GUYS LIKE THAT!” Yuuri cried out desperately, waving
his hands and trying to bow in apology at the same time. “MURATA, TELL THEM!”
“I really don’t care if you’re into men or not, Shibuya,” Gwendal began in a
cold voice that left no room for argument. “But as long as you are going to be
attending the same camp as my younger brother, I forbid you to touch him in
anyway. Do I make myself clear?”
Yuuri nodded fervently, trying hard to gather moisture into his mouth.
“I mean it, Shibuya,” Gwendal added tightly. “Just one indecent act on Wolfram
and I’ll make sure you never play baseball in this town again.”
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