[Fanfic] Wait For Me [Chapter 3]
Title: Wait For Me [Chapter 3]
Rating: T
Disclaimers: I do not own any of the characters used here. They belong to their respective owners, namely the creators of Eyeshield 21.
Summary: A sequel to my earlier fic, Gravity. Time is moving faster than before, and one question will be on the mind's of both Hiruma and Mamori. How long is too long?
Notes: Sorry this took so long... so many fics to write, so little time! In return, this chapter's kinda long so hopefully you all enjoy this. There's another pairing I included in here, and it's dedicated to dayofcaligula who's been a fan since the first chapter of Gravity and has been faithfully following this story ever since. This is her favourite pairing and it definitely needs more love too (even if there's no canon, but they're adorable), so I thought I'd slip them into this story as it'd help quite a bit with Mamori's development. If I made any of the characters OOC, do let me know! Until then, enjoy the chapter!
~*~
"Why did you take Agon out of the team?"
Hiruma knew she was bound to ask that question. "Didn't I tell you and the rest of the team? He fucked up with the law during his last escapade and almost cost the team the chance to play for the Rice Bowl. Of course I had to kick him out."
He saw her eyes narrow in suspicion, arms crossed in a stance of defiance. "You don't believe me?" he decided to speak up. She remained silent as she continued to stare at his face, as if she was hoping he would crack under her glare. "If you have a problem with this, just fucking shout it out already and get it over with."
"... I trust you."
His eyes were rested on hers now, both steady and calm. "I don't know what you've been up to lately," she continued, "but I want to believe that you're doing this for the good of this team, our team. I trust you, Hiruma-kun."
He cackled. "I always wonder if you'll ever regret saying such words to me."
She smiled at him. "Never. You taught me that."
~*~
With all her studies done and all tournaments have now ended, Mamori was suddenly at a loss at all the free time she had. She woke up early as usual and though she told herself to sleep in, she knew it was impossible. Deciding that staying in bed was a waste of time, she woke up, had her breakfast, did some menial chores and tried to read up on some books she had been keeping for a while. She picked one up and did her best to focus on the story, yet despite how much she had always wanted to read this book, she felt restless.
She wondered if it was because she wasn't used to being this free. Around this hour she would either be rushing with assignments, studying or even working with children as part of her course. Or she was with the Saikyoudai Wizards, helping them with their training, planning out practice courses and plays...
And going through them all with Hiruma.
Mamori leaned back on the couch she was on and put her book aside for a moment. Closing her eyes, she wondered if it was a good idea to have bothered him to come see her later today after sending him a text on what she believed was just a spur of the moment issue. She shouldn't have let Sara and Ako get to her like that. She shouldn't be worried about something like whether she should wait for Hiruma or not. She knew the answer to that, without a doubt.
Yet for some reason, she was worried. Thinking back on the days before the Christmas Bowl, there were signs of Hiruma being a lot more distant than usual. It still boggled her as to why Hiruma got outright mad at her when she wanted to leave for Sara's birthday party, and that he kept being cold about it for a long while. It wasn't until the game drew closer that he finally warmed up to her again. But though he was finally talking to her like he usually did, she could sense a wall had already been built between them.
She shifted her back to a more comfortable position. It was probably a silly thing to worry about. Hiruma had always built a wall around himself, this much she had known since she first saw him in Deimon. So why was she noticing it now? Since when was she even aware that his walls were usually lowered whenever she was with him?
She could see his back towards her, walking forward confidently. She follows behind him, closely at first. She was sure that she had been by his side earlier, but for a moment, she'll let him go first. Just for a moment, like she's done many times before....
But the gap keeps growing. She's running towards him now. One arm outstretched, his name rested on her lips. She opened her mouth to call him now, to tell him to wait for her, but no voice passes her lips, no sound could escape her throat. All she could do was watch him go further and further... until she feels her foot stumble onto something and she was falling quickly, the sight of the ground before her...
Then everything went black.
Mamori jolted for a moment, her eyes swiftly opened in shock. Looking around frantically, she realized she had accidentally fallen asleep. She sighed. "Stop thinking so much..." she told herself as she rubbed her temple. Keeping to herself was obviously doing nothing to keep her calm. Picking up her book once more, she decided she was better off being surrounded by busy people to keep her thoughts away from worrying unnecessarily.
She left her place and went out to be greeted by a warm, sunny day. It was a good day to be out, and the warmth and fresh air did manage to comfort her just a little. She walked around aimlessly, uncertain of where to go first. Heading to the city cafe now would be a waste of time as she knew she would be too early. Going to the library to read would defeat the purpose of her leaving her place initially. Deciding that the park would do, she set off, allowing her mind to be distracted by the sights and sounds around her.
She reached the park and was glad to see that there were a few people walking around, be it couples, people rushing to their destinations, or families spending a day out. Feeling a little better now, Mamori looked for a place she could sit for a moment, so she walked further into the park to where the fountain was...
And to her surprise, she noticed a familiar face. She approached the person and said, "Kongo-san?"
Unsui was sitting by the fountain and almost jumped in shock when he heard his name being called. He looked around to see that it was Anezaki Mamori, team manager of the Saikyoudai Wizards. "Ah, Anezaki-san! I didn't expect to see you here!"
"Neither did I!" cried Mamori as she looked at Unsui and couldn't help but think of Agon in the process. It often fascinated her that the two of them were twins when they seem to be polar opposites. "How have you been, Kongo-san? Congratulations on Enma winning the Rice Bowl! You and the rest of the team have worked really hard this year! Oh, and thank you for taking care of Sena!"
Unsui rubbed his shaved head, looking away bashfully. "Haha, you speak too highly of me, Anezaki-san. And you can call me Unsui, Kongo reminds me of my brother. Speaking of which, thank you for taking care of my brother... I'm sure he must have been a handful."
Mamori shrugged slightly. "He can be, but we know how to handle him. Once you know how he works, it's easy to find a way to get him to listen."
"I must admit, I admire your ability to handle someone like Agon and even Hiruma in your team," said Unsui. "It takes a lot of guts and patience for sure."
Mamori could only laugh lightly as she shook her head. "It's really not a big deal..." Hoping to keep the conversation away from touching on Hiruma, Mamori decided to ask something that caught her attention the moment she approached Unsui. "I noticed you're holding a present... are you meeting someone soon?"
Unsui couldn't hide the blush creeping on his face, as he stared at the present wrapped in a simple light blue paper. "Erm... yeah... I'm waiting for my date."
"Your date!!" Mamori exclaimed, a little too loudly. A few people turned their heads to look at Mamori, who nervously bowed in apology to the people around her and even to Unsui. "I'm sorry, I'm just so surprised! I didn't know you were going out with someone, Unsui-san."
"It's all right, Anezaki-san..." he glanced down at the present in his hands, wearing a soft expression. "It's not like it's a big deal or anything..."
"Oh, you shouldn't say that! If it's someone very special to you, it's no small matter at all..." Mamori shifted her legs, wondering if she should leave Unsui alone.
Unsui seemed to sense this. "Are you busy, Anezaki-san?"
"Eh?"
Unsui shrugged. "Truthfully, I could use a bit of company right now..."
"But your date...?"
A gentle smile formed on Unsui's lips. "She's usually late. It's all right, she's not the type to get jealous if she sees me with another girl. Besides, she knows you..."
"Knows me?" Mamori was curious now as she drew closer to Unsui. He shifted to the side to let Mamori sit next to him on the fountain. "Wait... who are you dating? Well, if you don't mind me asking..."
His smile widened, he looked away from Mamori and she could see his eyes grew distant for a moment. "Koizumi Karin."
"From Teikoku?!" Mamori clasped her hands over her mouth, exasperated that she had to be ridiculously loud. "I'm so sorry, Unsui-san... I've been so rude!"
"It's fine," Unsui assured her. "I'd probably react the same way if I were in your shoes too. I didn't expect this to happen to me, either... sometimes it feels like a dream."
There it was again, that soft expression on Unsui's face. It made Mamori smile. "You must be very happy, Koizumi-san is a really nice person."
"She is," said Unsui, almost breathless. Then he caught himself and coughed, "I mean... I'm aware of how nice she is, and am grateful that she's willing to be with someone like me."
"But you're a really nice person, Unsui!" said Mamori enthusiastically. "I'm sure Karin can see that in you too..."
Unsui nervously smiled and nodded. They sat there for a moment, the sound of gushing water behind them to break their momentary silence. "How long have you been waiting for her?" Mamori asked.
Unsui looked at his wristwatch. "Roughly an hour by now..."
Mamori's eyes widened at this fact. "Were you early?"
"No, she's late," Unsui laughed.
Mamori proceeded to frown. "That's rare... for a girl to be late."
"Kari-I mean," Unsui looked away nervously. "Koizumi gets caught up with her work sometimes. She's training to be a manga artist, after all, and catching deadlines is important."
"Oh, I heard about that," Mamori nodded. "Shouldn't you call her and let her know that you're waiting?"
Unsui shook his head. "I'd rather not bother her when she's concentrating. This isn't the first time she's done it, so I'm quite used to it. I'm sure she's realized it by now and is rushing here already."
"... Is it really all right?"
Unsui looked at Mamori curiously now as she had an odd expression on her face. Mamori blinked and shook her hands, "Ah! I'm sorry! That's such a weird question to ask..."
"Is something bothering you, Anezaki-san?"
"Eh?" She looked back at Unsui, wondering why he asked that.
"You look really worn out as if something's troubling you... and your face looked quite sad when you asked me that."
"O-oh..." Mamori brushed her hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry... It's just..." She took a deep breath. "I was just wondering if it was all right for you to wait for so long... whether it gets frustrating at times, and when do you know to stop waiting. But I suppose it's a weird question to ask, isn't it? I shouldn't be asking you this when you're obviously waiting for Koizumi-san."
Unsui smiled supportively. He glanced at the present in his hands for a moment and said, "I guess you have a point... sometimes I wonder why do I do this, but mostly because I believe I'm not worthy of her time. I won't deny, sometimes I sit here and wonder what would happen if she forgets about me completely, and that I wasted my time waiting here for so long..."
Mamori nodded in understanding. "Then... how do you get over those feelings? The ones that make you doubt so much?"
"I don't know..." Unsui laughed, then he spoke slowly. "I suppose the moment I see her running towards me, hair loose from her braid and breathless... the moment my eyes find her, suddenly it all makes sense even when it shouldn't. I think even when you tell yourself that it's useless to wait, if it's someone very important to you, your heart will make you stay. Even if I were to walk away from this fountain right now, my heart will be right here, waiting patiently..."
The soft expression on Unsui's face and the words that came out of his mouth made Mamori's heart beat a little faster. She looked away, wondering why and if she should be ashamed of herself... but as she closed her eyes for a moment, the image of her dream flashed before her.
He's so far away...
"UNSUI!!"
Mamori and Unsui jolted to see Karin running towards them. As Unsui had said, her braid had come loose and she was struggling to breath the moment she rushed before them. Unsui set the present aside, stood up instantly and walked towards her, arms held out for her to hold on to them. "I'm sorry," Karin gasped. "I'm so sorry, Unsui..."
"Catch your breath," said Unsui, as he continued to support her. Mamori stood up, smiling and believing it was time for her to go.
"Eh? Anezaki-san?"
Karin was looking at her now. "Oh, I'm really sorry if I'm interrupting you both!" Mamori flustered.
"Not at all!" Unsui quickly spoke up, then looked at Karin. "Anezaki-san was walking past when she stumbled into me, so I thought it'd be good to have her company for a while..."
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Karin bowed towards Mamori. "It's all my fault! If only I had come here sooner! I'm sorry for making the both of you wait!"
"No, it's fine!" Mamori bowed quickly. "I had some free time anyways and besides, Unsui-san was great company for me too. I hope you don't mind..."
"It's really not a bother at all!" Karin looked at Unsui, smiling brightly. "I treat Unsui terribly, leaving him here alone like this. We're going to an art exhibition later on, but why don't you join us for lunch, Anezaki-san?"
"Oh!" Mamori shook her head vigorously. "I shouldn't! It's your date after all, I shouldn't intrude!"
Unsui and Karin shared a momentary glance. "We really don't mind," Unsui smiled. "Besides, you still haven't told me what's bothering you..."
Mamori stared at the two of them incredulously. She found it hard to believe that both Unsui and Karin were willing to have her intrude on their date, but she was touched by their kindness and how they wanted to keep her company. She glanced at the fountain and saw the present seated comfortably on the ledge. Smiling softly, Mamori picked up the present and passed it to Unsui. "Thank you for the lovely offer... but there's someone I need to wait for as well, and my heart won't rest until I'm there."
Unsui was shocked by Mamori's words, but as he took the present from her, he smiled and said, "I see... you better be there then. Take care and good luck."
Karin looked confused for a moment, but she smiled at Mamori and said, "I hope we can meet up again soon, Anezaki-san! We really should catch up sometime!"
"We should!" Mamori nodded with a grin. "I'd really love to see you again, Koizumi-san! I'll call you sometime... until then, I really hope you both have a great day!"
Both Unsui and Karin blushed simultaneously, causing Mamori to giggle as she waved them off and walked on, her heart now set at waiting at the city cafe, no matter how long it took.
"Is Anezaki-san all right?" asked Karin.
Unsui smiled a little sadly as he passed the present to Karin and held his arm out. "I don't know... but I'd like to believe she will be."
Karin held the present close to her heart and smiled as she held on to Unsui's arm.
Hiruma found the NFL American Football Team practicing on Saikyoudai grounds as mentioned. They were big, burly looking men, as expected from American Football players. He wondered why they would still want someone like him. Even so, there were no signs of his own football team, which was a good thing. He didn't want to be caught by anyone from his team at this point. It would be risky.
A man with white blonde hair and a wrinkled face came up to Hiruma upon spotting him. Hiruma knew instantly this must be the coach. "Youichi Hiruma, I presume?" said the man in his thick American accent.
"Yes," Hiruma replied in English. "You must be the coach for this Football Team."
"That'd be me," the coach smiled, his wrinkles reached his eyes. "I hope you're as excited as I am to join the team. I've heard and read a lot about you. You're a great tactician and it's exactly what our team needs at the moment..."
"I'll cut this short, Fucking Wrinkles," Hiruma's tongue as sharp as ever, even in English. "I have no interest in joining this team under the pretext of serving that Fucking Company that sent you here."
The coach's smile disappeared instantly, his wrinkles sagging on his face. "Listen here, kid..." he spoke softly. “I wouldn't recommend talking like that, especially for the company you're working for. We're both being paid big time to do this, so just play along. We both want what's best for us, right?"
Hiruma glanced at the team behind the coach. From his short observation, Hiruma could tell that this team was good, but weren't as tight as they should be. The Linebackers weren't protecting their Runningback as he ran across the field, focusing instead on the other team's Quarterback. A risky move. But that's the basis of American Football. Everything was risky.
So was his life at the moment. And Mamori's.
With a grin that gave the coach the creeps, Hiruma said, "I have a proposition to make."
~*~
Extra Notes: A serious question to all my readers, and to also make sure this is all right... I'm seriously contemplating in putting in smut in the later chapters of this fic, mostly cause I think this could help with the development of my story. I'm not planning to give anything away yet, but this would require me changing the ratings of this fic to M. I don't know how many of you are underage, but DO let me know if you don't mind smut and want me to keep the smut within this fic (and I will change the ratings), or would you rather I keep the smut separately on my Livejournal so as to keep the rating T as well as help those who aren't fond of reading smut in fics. Please let me know on this! Your input will help a lot!
Chapter 2 | Chapter 4
Rating: T
Disclaimers: I do not own any of the characters used here. They belong to their respective owners, namely the creators of Eyeshield 21.
Summary: A sequel to my earlier fic, Gravity. Time is moving faster than before, and one question will be on the mind's of both Hiruma and Mamori. How long is too long?
Notes: Sorry this took so long... so many fics to write, so little time! In return, this chapter's kinda long so hopefully you all enjoy this. There's another pairing I included in here, and it's dedicated to dayofcaligula who's been a fan since the first chapter of Gravity and has been faithfully following this story ever since. This is her favourite pairing and it definitely needs more love too (even if there's no canon, but they're adorable), so I thought I'd slip them into this story as it'd help quite a bit with Mamori's development. If I made any of the characters OOC, do let me know! Until then, enjoy the chapter!
~*~
"Why did you take Agon out of the team?"
Hiruma knew she was bound to ask that question. "Didn't I tell you and the rest of the team? He fucked up with the law during his last escapade and almost cost the team the chance to play for the Rice Bowl. Of course I had to kick him out."
He saw her eyes narrow in suspicion, arms crossed in a stance of defiance. "You don't believe me?" he decided to speak up. She remained silent as she continued to stare at his face, as if she was hoping he would crack under her glare. "If you have a problem with this, just fucking shout it out already and get it over with."
"... I trust you."
His eyes were rested on hers now, both steady and calm. "I don't know what you've been up to lately," she continued, "but I want to believe that you're doing this for the good of this team, our team. I trust you, Hiruma-kun."
He cackled. "I always wonder if you'll ever regret saying such words to me."
She smiled at him. "Never. You taught me that."
~*~
With all her studies done and all tournaments have now ended, Mamori was suddenly at a loss at all the free time she had. She woke up early as usual and though she told herself to sleep in, she knew it was impossible. Deciding that staying in bed was a waste of time, she woke up, had her breakfast, did some menial chores and tried to read up on some books she had been keeping for a while. She picked one up and did her best to focus on the story, yet despite how much she had always wanted to read this book, she felt restless.
She wondered if it was because she wasn't used to being this free. Around this hour she would either be rushing with assignments, studying or even working with children as part of her course. Or she was with the Saikyoudai Wizards, helping them with their training, planning out practice courses and plays...
And going through them all with Hiruma.
Mamori leaned back on the couch she was on and put her book aside for a moment. Closing her eyes, she wondered if it was a good idea to have bothered him to come see her later today after sending him a text on what she believed was just a spur of the moment issue. She shouldn't have let Sara and Ako get to her like that. She shouldn't be worried about something like whether she should wait for Hiruma or not. She knew the answer to that, without a doubt.
Yet for some reason, she was worried. Thinking back on the days before the Christmas Bowl, there were signs of Hiruma being a lot more distant than usual. It still boggled her as to why Hiruma got outright mad at her when she wanted to leave for Sara's birthday party, and that he kept being cold about it for a long while. It wasn't until the game drew closer that he finally warmed up to her again. But though he was finally talking to her like he usually did, she could sense a wall had already been built between them.
She shifted her back to a more comfortable position. It was probably a silly thing to worry about. Hiruma had always built a wall around himself, this much she had known since she first saw him in Deimon. So why was she noticing it now? Since when was she even aware that his walls were usually lowered whenever she was with him?
She could see his back towards her, walking forward confidently. She follows behind him, closely at first. She was sure that she had been by his side earlier, but for a moment, she'll let him go first. Just for a moment, like she's done many times before....
But the gap keeps growing. She's running towards him now. One arm outstretched, his name rested on her lips. She opened her mouth to call him now, to tell him to wait for her, but no voice passes her lips, no sound could escape her throat. All she could do was watch him go further and further... until she feels her foot stumble onto something and she was falling quickly, the sight of the ground before her...
Then everything went black.
Mamori jolted for a moment, her eyes swiftly opened in shock. Looking around frantically, she realized she had accidentally fallen asleep. She sighed. "Stop thinking so much..." she told herself as she rubbed her temple. Keeping to herself was obviously doing nothing to keep her calm. Picking up her book once more, she decided she was better off being surrounded by busy people to keep her thoughts away from worrying unnecessarily.
She left her place and went out to be greeted by a warm, sunny day. It was a good day to be out, and the warmth and fresh air did manage to comfort her just a little. She walked around aimlessly, uncertain of where to go first. Heading to the city cafe now would be a waste of time as she knew she would be too early. Going to the library to read would defeat the purpose of her leaving her place initially. Deciding that the park would do, she set off, allowing her mind to be distracted by the sights and sounds around her.
She reached the park and was glad to see that there were a few people walking around, be it couples, people rushing to their destinations, or families spending a day out. Feeling a little better now, Mamori looked for a place she could sit for a moment, so she walked further into the park to where the fountain was...
And to her surprise, she noticed a familiar face. She approached the person and said, "Kongo-san?"
Unsui was sitting by the fountain and almost jumped in shock when he heard his name being called. He looked around to see that it was Anezaki Mamori, team manager of the Saikyoudai Wizards. "Ah, Anezaki-san! I didn't expect to see you here!"
"Neither did I!" cried Mamori as she looked at Unsui and couldn't help but think of Agon in the process. It often fascinated her that the two of them were twins when they seem to be polar opposites. "How have you been, Kongo-san? Congratulations on Enma winning the Rice Bowl! You and the rest of the team have worked really hard this year! Oh, and thank you for taking care of Sena!"
Unsui rubbed his shaved head, looking away bashfully. "Haha, you speak too highly of me, Anezaki-san. And you can call me Unsui, Kongo reminds me of my brother. Speaking of which, thank you for taking care of my brother... I'm sure he must have been a handful."
Mamori shrugged slightly. "He can be, but we know how to handle him. Once you know how he works, it's easy to find a way to get him to listen."
"I must admit, I admire your ability to handle someone like Agon and even Hiruma in your team," said Unsui. "It takes a lot of guts and patience for sure."
Mamori could only laugh lightly as she shook her head. "It's really not a big deal..." Hoping to keep the conversation away from touching on Hiruma, Mamori decided to ask something that caught her attention the moment she approached Unsui. "I noticed you're holding a present... are you meeting someone soon?"
Unsui couldn't hide the blush creeping on his face, as he stared at the present wrapped in a simple light blue paper. "Erm... yeah... I'm waiting for my date."
"Your date!!" Mamori exclaimed, a little too loudly. A few people turned their heads to look at Mamori, who nervously bowed in apology to the people around her and even to Unsui. "I'm sorry, I'm just so surprised! I didn't know you were going out with someone, Unsui-san."
"It's all right, Anezaki-san..." he glanced down at the present in his hands, wearing a soft expression. "It's not like it's a big deal or anything..."
"Oh, you shouldn't say that! If it's someone very special to you, it's no small matter at all..." Mamori shifted her legs, wondering if she should leave Unsui alone.
Unsui seemed to sense this. "Are you busy, Anezaki-san?"
"Eh?"
Unsui shrugged. "Truthfully, I could use a bit of company right now..."
"But your date...?"
A gentle smile formed on Unsui's lips. "She's usually late. It's all right, she's not the type to get jealous if she sees me with another girl. Besides, she knows you..."
"Knows me?" Mamori was curious now as she drew closer to Unsui. He shifted to the side to let Mamori sit next to him on the fountain. "Wait... who are you dating? Well, if you don't mind me asking..."
His smile widened, he looked away from Mamori and she could see his eyes grew distant for a moment. "Koizumi Karin."
"From Teikoku?!" Mamori clasped her hands over her mouth, exasperated that she had to be ridiculously loud. "I'm so sorry, Unsui-san... I've been so rude!"
"It's fine," Unsui assured her. "I'd probably react the same way if I were in your shoes too. I didn't expect this to happen to me, either... sometimes it feels like a dream."
There it was again, that soft expression on Unsui's face. It made Mamori smile. "You must be very happy, Koizumi-san is a really nice person."
"She is," said Unsui, almost breathless. Then he caught himself and coughed, "I mean... I'm aware of how nice she is, and am grateful that she's willing to be with someone like me."
"But you're a really nice person, Unsui!" said Mamori enthusiastically. "I'm sure Karin can see that in you too..."
Unsui nervously smiled and nodded. They sat there for a moment, the sound of gushing water behind them to break their momentary silence. "How long have you been waiting for her?" Mamori asked.
Unsui looked at his wristwatch. "Roughly an hour by now..."
Mamori's eyes widened at this fact. "Were you early?"
"No, she's late," Unsui laughed.
Mamori proceeded to frown. "That's rare... for a girl to be late."
"Kari-I mean," Unsui looked away nervously. "Koizumi gets caught up with her work sometimes. She's training to be a manga artist, after all, and catching deadlines is important."
"Oh, I heard about that," Mamori nodded. "Shouldn't you call her and let her know that you're waiting?"
Unsui shook his head. "I'd rather not bother her when she's concentrating. This isn't the first time she's done it, so I'm quite used to it. I'm sure she's realized it by now and is rushing here already."
"... Is it really all right?"
Unsui looked at Mamori curiously now as she had an odd expression on her face. Mamori blinked and shook her hands, "Ah! I'm sorry! That's such a weird question to ask..."
"Is something bothering you, Anezaki-san?"
"Eh?" She looked back at Unsui, wondering why he asked that.
"You look really worn out as if something's troubling you... and your face looked quite sad when you asked me that."
"O-oh..." Mamori brushed her hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry... It's just..." She took a deep breath. "I was just wondering if it was all right for you to wait for so long... whether it gets frustrating at times, and when do you know to stop waiting. But I suppose it's a weird question to ask, isn't it? I shouldn't be asking you this when you're obviously waiting for Koizumi-san."
Unsui smiled supportively. He glanced at the present in his hands for a moment and said, "I guess you have a point... sometimes I wonder why do I do this, but mostly because I believe I'm not worthy of her time. I won't deny, sometimes I sit here and wonder what would happen if she forgets about me completely, and that I wasted my time waiting here for so long..."
Mamori nodded in understanding. "Then... how do you get over those feelings? The ones that make you doubt so much?"
"I don't know..." Unsui laughed, then he spoke slowly. "I suppose the moment I see her running towards me, hair loose from her braid and breathless... the moment my eyes find her, suddenly it all makes sense even when it shouldn't. I think even when you tell yourself that it's useless to wait, if it's someone very important to you, your heart will make you stay. Even if I were to walk away from this fountain right now, my heart will be right here, waiting patiently..."
The soft expression on Unsui's face and the words that came out of his mouth made Mamori's heart beat a little faster. She looked away, wondering why and if she should be ashamed of herself... but as she closed her eyes for a moment, the image of her dream flashed before her.
He's so far away...
"UNSUI!!"
Mamori and Unsui jolted to see Karin running towards them. As Unsui had said, her braid had come loose and she was struggling to breath the moment she rushed before them. Unsui set the present aside, stood up instantly and walked towards her, arms held out for her to hold on to them. "I'm sorry," Karin gasped. "I'm so sorry, Unsui..."
"Catch your breath," said Unsui, as he continued to support her. Mamori stood up, smiling and believing it was time for her to go.
"Eh? Anezaki-san?"
Karin was looking at her now. "Oh, I'm really sorry if I'm interrupting you both!" Mamori flustered.
"Not at all!" Unsui quickly spoke up, then looked at Karin. "Anezaki-san was walking past when she stumbled into me, so I thought it'd be good to have her company for a while..."
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Karin bowed towards Mamori. "It's all my fault! If only I had come here sooner! I'm sorry for making the both of you wait!"
"No, it's fine!" Mamori bowed quickly. "I had some free time anyways and besides, Unsui-san was great company for me too. I hope you don't mind..."
"It's really not a bother at all!" Karin looked at Unsui, smiling brightly. "I treat Unsui terribly, leaving him here alone like this. We're going to an art exhibition later on, but why don't you join us for lunch, Anezaki-san?"
"Oh!" Mamori shook her head vigorously. "I shouldn't! It's your date after all, I shouldn't intrude!"
Unsui and Karin shared a momentary glance. "We really don't mind," Unsui smiled. "Besides, you still haven't told me what's bothering you..."
Mamori stared at the two of them incredulously. She found it hard to believe that both Unsui and Karin were willing to have her intrude on their date, but she was touched by their kindness and how they wanted to keep her company. She glanced at the fountain and saw the present seated comfortably on the ledge. Smiling softly, Mamori picked up the present and passed it to Unsui. "Thank you for the lovely offer... but there's someone I need to wait for as well, and my heart won't rest until I'm there."
Unsui was shocked by Mamori's words, but as he took the present from her, he smiled and said, "I see... you better be there then. Take care and good luck."
Karin looked confused for a moment, but she smiled at Mamori and said, "I hope we can meet up again soon, Anezaki-san! We really should catch up sometime!"
"We should!" Mamori nodded with a grin. "I'd really love to see you again, Koizumi-san! I'll call you sometime... until then, I really hope you both have a great day!"
Both Unsui and Karin blushed simultaneously, causing Mamori to giggle as she waved them off and walked on, her heart now set at waiting at the city cafe, no matter how long it took.
"Is Anezaki-san all right?" asked Karin.
Unsui smiled a little sadly as he passed the present to Karin and held his arm out. "I don't know... but I'd like to believe she will be."
Karin held the present close to her heart and smiled as she held on to Unsui's arm.
Hiruma found the NFL American Football Team practicing on Saikyoudai grounds as mentioned. They were big, burly looking men, as expected from American Football players. He wondered why they would still want someone like him. Even so, there were no signs of his own football team, which was a good thing. He didn't want to be caught by anyone from his team at this point. It would be risky.
A man with white blonde hair and a wrinkled face came up to Hiruma upon spotting him. Hiruma knew instantly this must be the coach. "Youichi Hiruma, I presume?" said the man in his thick American accent.
"Yes," Hiruma replied in English. "You must be the coach for this Football Team."
"That'd be me," the coach smiled, his wrinkles reached his eyes. "I hope you're as excited as I am to join the team. I've heard and read a lot about you. You're a great tactician and it's exactly what our team needs at the moment..."
"I'll cut this short, Fucking Wrinkles," Hiruma's tongue as sharp as ever, even in English. "I have no interest in joining this team under the pretext of serving that Fucking Company that sent you here."
The coach's smile disappeared instantly, his wrinkles sagging on his face. "Listen here, kid..." he spoke softly. “I wouldn't recommend talking like that, especially for the company you're working for. We're both being paid big time to do this, so just play along. We both want what's best for us, right?"
Hiruma glanced at the team behind the coach. From his short observation, Hiruma could tell that this team was good, but weren't as tight as they should be. The Linebackers weren't protecting their Runningback as he ran across the field, focusing instead on the other team's Quarterback. A risky move. But that's the basis of American Football. Everything was risky.
So was his life at the moment. And Mamori's.
With a grin that gave the coach the creeps, Hiruma said, "I have a proposition to make."
~*~
Extra Notes: A serious question to all my readers, and to also make sure this is all right... I'm seriously contemplating in putting in smut in the later chapters of this fic, mostly cause I think this could help with the development of my story. I'm not planning to give anything away yet, but this would require me changing the ratings of this fic to M. I don't know how many of you are underage, but DO let me know if you don't mind smut and want me to keep the smut within this fic (and I will change the ratings), or would you rather I keep the smut separately on my Livejournal so as to keep the rating T as well as help those who aren't fond of reading smut in fics. Please let me know on this! Your input will help a lot!
Chapter 2 | Chapter 4