Blast To The Past

by ShaeShae0821

Summary:

This is the last time Eijun drinks strange offered liquids in small bottles, even if they're from his friends. But he's going to make the most of his current predicament, he supposes. What could possibly go wrong?

PLEASE DO NOT REPOST.

I don't own any of the characters in this story, they all belong to Terajima Yuuji the author of Diamond No Ace.

Notes:

Hello 👋🏾 ,

It has been a while 😁 . How is everyone doing?

Chapter 1: The Outside Looking In

“….Ugh!” Eijun groaned as he brought his left hand up to meet his head while moving to a sitting position. He scooted backward until his back hit a wall as he cradled his head, nursing the small throbbing sensation that still was enough to leave his mind reeling.

 

His eyes cracked open but the haziness that covered his sight was quite thick, and it took him a couple more blinks before his vision cleared up. When he was able to see again, Eijun took in his surroundings and found himself in some alleyway that he did not recognize. Not like he has been in many alleyways to be able to refer to a few as ‘recognizable’.

 

He slowly got off the ground and stood up as he spoke to himself. “Where the heck am I?”

 

He became aware of an unfamiliar object in his right hand and brought it up to look at before opening his slightly closed fist. There, Eijun found a small empty shot bottle resting in the palm of his hand which he remembered drinking its contents before falling asleep.

 

“Oh, crap…Did this thing actually work?!” Eijun laughed breathlessly as he looked at the label on the bottle for a moment before pocketing it and turning to look in both directions of the alleyway.

 

To his right, led to a dead-end, while to his left, led to the street. But it was just a bright light in comparison to the darkness of the alleyway which made it hard to actually make anything out.

 

He pushed himself off the wall he had been leaning on initially and started making his way toward the light. As he got closer, Eijun had to shield his eyes from the brightness as he entered onto the sidewalk.

 

His hand guarded most of the rays of sunlight but a few still passed through the gaps of his fingers causing him to squint as his eyes adjusted. He brought his hand down and started to take in his surroundings, completely astonished at the sight he was seeing.

 

“Am I back in Japan?!” Eijun asked no one in particular but he did say it aloud and got some weird looks, even though he had said it in English. Or maybe it was because he spoke in English was the cause of the strange looks directed at him.

 

It has been a while since he has been back in Japan, though it was because he had been drafted to the MLB, after finishing university here. It was a big change for him but Eijun would not have changed the decision he made for the world.

 

But this was no time to get sentimental and nostalgic. Eijun was here in Tokyo, specifically Kokubunji because he could recognize some of the local shops and he needed to figure out his next move.

 

Eijun felt around the pockets of his pants and let out a sigh of relief when he pulled out his phone in one hand and his wallet in the other.

 

Eijun checked his phone immediately and his eyes widened when he saw the date change. This is a sick type of joke….Holy Shit! I’ve gone back 10 years!!!

 

Eijun pocketed his phone after seeing the date and realizing that he had no service here before moving to check his wallet. For some reason, he had always kept some Japanese currency in his wallet and his American teammates made fun of him whenever he offered to pay for something and they caught a glimpse of the money.

 

He just found that he could never part with it for some reason and was happy that he didn’t because it was going to be of use now. Going into the local convenience store, one which he went to all the time during his high school days, Eijun picked up a pair of sunglasses and a red baseball cap.

 

He was lucky that it was summertime and that he had fallen asleep in the clothes he was wearing from yesterday. An oversized white shirt, some light black ripped jeans, and a black bomber jacket. Though embarrassing as it is to admit, he had also fallen asleep in his sneakers as well because he was extremely tired after a long day of playing a full game, then post-game interviews and a meet-and-greet with some fans. Even playing with some kids who got a chance to come into the field after the game had finished, made him downright exhausted.

 

He did have fun, do not get him wrong but even with all his energy, Eijun was no match for the kids far younger than him -though he did try his best to keep up-. And do not even get him started on the adults, they are a whole entirely different kind of energy.

 

Eijun sighed as he pocketed his wallet, all his saved money spent on the hat and glasses with only his American currency left. It was going to be annoying to deal with the exchange rate if anyone even takes his money but hopefully, he will not have to worry about it. He always preferred cash over cards, another thing his teammates made fun of him for.

 

He sighs once more while running his hand through his hair, the same unruly style that was nice enough to flatten underneath his hat as he slides it on from back to front.

 

He brings the bill of the cap down to cover his eyes and adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose. He started walking in a direction so familiar that even though it has been 10 years, it feels like only yesterday.

 

Even reaching the Seidou gates caused Eijun to feel some type of way, a wave of emotions almost indescribable passes through him as he stepped through the gates and continued walking, the waves getting more intense the further he goes. Emotions of happiness and sadness, moments of loneliness and longing, feelings of cheerfulness and sorrow. Old sentiments that made him want to smile and cry at the same time.

 

Seidou made him who he was. It built him up, broke him down, and built him up again. Nothing was easy, nothing was given, and everything was a challenge. A goal to work for, to achieve. To chase after.

 

But it was only after he left university, possibly even after graduating from Seidou, that Eijun realized he should not be chasing. He should be living for himself, for his future, for his baseball. It was a big reason why Eijun left for America afterward and despite everyone else’s uncertainty, it felt right to him. It was what he wanted, and the change he needed.

 

Eijun stood at the top of the stairs that looked over the field and it felt like the air has been knocked out of his lungs. The smile that broke out on his face at the sight was like a second sun, the expression brought on by the overwhelming feeling of it seeming like forever since he has stepped foot on the Seidou grounds.

 

Before he got enraptured in his own reminiscing, the sound of a bat connecting with a ball drew his attention in. Looking down toward the field, Eijun had to shake off the fluttering feeling that set in the pit of his stomach as he watched the first string practicing.

 

He ended up going down the stairs and making his way over to the bleachers where the alumni usually sit, keeping his head down. Obviously, he looked different and it was a 10 years difference to be exact but he still did not want to draw attention to himself if he could help it. Thankfully, not too many people were there, with only a small group of guys sitting nearby though Eijun did not get a good look at them

 

It was weird to be looking at his old team playing right in front of him but he was completely taken by the sight, basically a blast from the past.

 

There, on the mound, a younger version of himself stood. Gold eyes that he thought he knew so well were set ablaze like molten lava, and now he was curious if others always saw them like that. Such fiery ambition and determination could be seen in his younger person’s eyes and it had him taken aback. Did I always look like that? …Do I still look like that now?

 

Eijun snapped out of his self-questioning when he saw his younger self move through his pitching motion. The same motion that he has developed and nurtured over these past 10 years. One, that to this day, he still thinks is not perfect and that there is possibly still more to learn.

 

But wonders never cease, when he looks upon his younger self throwing a number 1: Cut Fastball. The smile that graced his lips was immeasurable as he watched it zoom through the air before listening to the sound of it colliding with a mitt, Miyuki’s own, to be specific.

 

“Ball.” Miyuki called out and Eijun could hear the shit-eating grin in his old battery mate’s tone.

 

“WHA! That was a strike!” Sawamura exclaimed back.

 

“It was close but not close enough~.” Miyuki snickered while he stood up and threw the ball back to Sawamura.

 

The southpaw caught the ball but glared at the catcher. “Damn you, Miyuki Kazuya! I’ll get the next one! Just you wait!”

 

“Am I just irrelevant at this point?” Kanemaru, who was standing in the batter’s box questioned aloud but did not receive an answer.

 

“Kyhaaa! Be quiet, Bakamura! Just get back to pitching already, so I can steal third!” Kuramochi cackled.

 

“Like I will let you get away with that, Cheetah!” Sawamura laughed whole-heartedly as he turned back around, raising his mitt up to cover his mouth but Eijun could see the determined glint in his younger self's eyes.

 

He watched as Sawamura moved through his pitching motion once more and this time saw his Circle grip Change up being thrown towards the home plate. But if Eijun knew Kuromochi as well as he believes he does, the shortstop was going to take any chance he could get to steal a base. Once he makes up his mind, Kuramochi was going to see it through and that’s what the third year did.

 

As soon as Sawamura began moving through his pitching motion, Kuromochi had swiftly sprinted off second base and darted to third. All in the time that it took for Sawamura’s pitch to reach the point where it dropped beneath Kanemaru’s bat and him swinging through the air, Kuramochi slid to third at the same time Miyuki threw the ball to Higasa -the third baseman-.

 

When the dust cleared, the acting base coach spread his arms out wide and yelled. “Safe! Batter Out!”

 

“Kyhaaa!” Kuramochi cackled once again as he stood up with a grin while Sawamura just growled at his senpai.

 

“I don’t think I ever realized that anyone could be this blindly determined.” Eijun chuckled curtly at his younger self. “Or this dumb.”

 

Well, looking back on it. Literally and figuratively, I was a bit on the dumber side. Eijun snickered at himself, inwardly. Because who can you laugh at if you can not laugh at yourself.

 

“Oi. You, there, with the red baseball cap.”

 

Eijun knew that voice, it was one that could and does strike fear into his heart even at the age of 26. Scared to actually be recognized, he did not really lift his head that much which left his eyes shrouded by the shadow of his visor.

 

“Are you talking to me?” Eijun turned as he pointed a finger at himself, slightly cursing himself for how nervous he sounded.

 

“Yes, you.” Kominato Ryousuke said and Eijun could see the almost evil grin just beneath the bill of his cap. The same grin that he has seen in his nightmares when he was younger and maybe a few times when he was older as well. “I would like you to repeat what you just said.”

 

“Huh?” Eijun let out and felt his sweat drop when he heard Spitz-senpai join in.

 

“We heard you making fun of our kouhai!” Isashiki Jun was barely holding himself back from outright yelling, and it was only because Yuki Tetsuya had a hand on his shoulder to keep him in place. But the aura that radiated off Yuki was one Eijun knew better than to stand too close whenever his senpai got like that.

 

I am in deep shit! I should know better by now that I should keep my mouth shut. Eijun berated his loose tongue as he waved his hands in a manner that he hoped showcased his surrender. “Oh, I just meant that..uh the southpaw was clearly overzealous about not allowing the runner to steal. And that blind determination is what is setting him back from realizing his own mistake.”

 

Another voice joined in the conversation and this one had Eijun’s heart almost leap out of his chest when he heard it.

 

“He’s not completely wrong.” Takigawa Chris Yuu agreed with him and Eijun was not the only one shocked by that.

 

“Chris! Are you seriously taking this stranger’s side over your precious kouhai!?!” This time, Jun was indeed yelling.

 

“I’m just saying that he is stating a point that Sawamura could work on. He does tunnel vision sometimes.” Chris said and Eijun was unable to stop himself from adding his two cents.

 

“Exactly! That ignorance, and becoming hyper-aware of something can be detrimental to a pitcher when they need to look at the wider picture.” Eijun stated and once he was on a roll it was hard to stop. “It was clear that Ku—the runner was baiting him and the pitcher was already thrown off after that previous pitch which ended up as a 'ball'. His catcher did nothing to ease that imbalance and instead add more fuel to the fire, though a pitcher should not need to rely on a catcher all the time to get their head in the game.”

 

“Determination can only get you so far, and moving forward blindly will only lead someone to walk into a wall more often than not. All I was saying is that I think it was dumb, how ignorant the southpaw was to not read the field. He could have gotten that runner out easily.” Eijun finished, panting a bit harshly, and quickly regretted his action when he felt the animosity of all his senpais. Shit!

 

“This is where you have lost me. I see your point, and I understand it. But I don’t condone you berating a player who is trying his hardest to do what he loves.” Chris said with such an even tone it had Eijun feeling like he was being scolded like he used to be when he was younger.

 

“That’s not what I meant to do. I didn’t mean to..I…I just.” Eijun’s voice trailed off when he was unable to say anything in return. Feeling as though he has disappointed his Shisho without evening meaning to, and without Chris even knowing it.

 

“Apologize.” Ryousuke’s voice cut in.

 

“Pardon?” Eijun asked.

 

The corners of Ryousuke's evil grin tilted upwards and Eijun felt like he was going to shit bricks. “I want you to apologize to our kouhai.”

 

“What?!” Eijun almost cried out and started shaking his head. “What I said was not even that bad, and I’m sure he’s heard stuff worse than what I described off him.”

 

Far worst. Eijun thought to himself but his senpais clearly were not having it.

 

“I think that is a great idea, Ryousuke.” Yuki said.

 

“I agree with that.” Jun nodded with a smirk.

 

Eijun began to pale as he slowly glanced in Chris’ direction but his former senpai just turned back to face the field as he spoke. “We can go once they take a break from the situational practice.”

 

~~~

 

I think I’m going to be sick. Eijun thought to himself as he was literally led around the fence to the entrance of the field by his former senpais, and started making their way to the dugout. Please, Kami! Kill me now…

 

Eijun felt like a nervous wreck, and he was sweating buckets but maybe that was because he was still wearing his bomber jacket in the summer heat. Thankfully, it was not peak heat season yet or he would have passed out from heatstroke long before he would go into a nervous shock.

 

Every step closer to the dugout, Eijun felt his feet grow heavier and he never remembered ever being this nervous to do anything in his life. But then again, he never thought he would be forced by his former senpais to apologize to his younger self. If he were not in this situation and was only reading a shoujo manga plot about it, he would be laughing right now.

 

Eijun immediately wanted a hole to form beneath when he saw the players in the dugout turn to see them approaching, and of course, the ever exuberant Sawamura came happily bounding towards them.

 

“Chris-senpai! Onii-san senpai! Leader-senpai! Spitz-senpai!” Sawamura called out to them happily, completely overlooking the unknown person there. “Did you guys come to watch us practice?!”

 

“Who are you still calling Spitz?!” Jun yelled out and Sawamura just smiled.

 

“We did. You all look good out there.” Yuki said with a satisfied smile.

 

“Your pitching has gotten better since the last time I’ve seen you, Sawamura.” Chris said.

 

Sawamura’s eyes watered as he smiled brightly. “It’s all because of your hard work, Shisho, that this Sawamura Eijun got this far!”

 

Eijun cringed inwardly. I’m so happy I dropped that archaic way of speaking once I moved to America. But I guess…it’s somewhat refreshing to hear.

 

“Don’t forget about the rest of us, Sawamura. We all played a part in helping your pitching~!” Miyuki came up and swung his arm over Sawamura’s shoulder causing the younger to quickly push the arm off and grip the collar of Miyuki’s practice jersey.

 

“The day I thank you for anything, you shitty Tanuki Bastard is when pigs fly!” Eijun yelled as he shook Miyuki.

 

Miyuki just laughed -despite being manhandled, as per usual- and moved a hand up to plug his ear. “My ears, Sawamoron.”

 

“Sawamura, stop letting Miyuki’s shitty personality get to you.” Kuramochi called out as he approached the growing group as well.

 

“How do I even do that, Mochi-senpai?! Every time he speaks, he just gets on my nerves. He can be so annoying sometimes!!” Sawamura scowled at the beast spectacle catcher before letting him go.

 

Miyuki adjusted his jersey as he gave his signature shit-eating grin. “Thank you." 

 

Sawamura just gritted his and narrowed his eyes at Miyuki. “That was not a compliment.”

 

But he was not the only one that said it, as Eijun had said it as well. His eyes rolled behind his sunglasses before he focused up and saw the three looking at him, he inwardly groaned. Fuck my life.

 

“Aniki, who is this?” Haruichi came to join them with Furuya in tow and the attention was brought back to Eijun.

 

He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets to prevent himself from rubbing the back of his neck, which he tended to do a lot and was a clear indication of when he was nervous. His current teammates would always call him out for it whenever a girl would flirt with him, oftentimes too aggressively. Though he always made it clear that he was quite content with being single or that he was married to baseball.

 

The instilled silence was dreadfully long, and then Eijun saw Kataoka and Rei joining the group making the sound of his heart beating quite prominent in his ears which was not doing him any favours. Basically, half of the first strings were surrounding him and looking from him back to Ryousuke.

 

“This is a guy we met quite recently, actually. And he had a few choice words and ill comments about Sawamura.” Ryousuke explained and looked toward Eijun. “Isn’t that right?”

 

All eyes were on him and Eijun could not stop his hand from shooting up to rub the back of his neck as he chuckled softly. “I may have been a bit too harsh in my opinions.”

 

“A bit?!” Jun repeated as his brows furrowed. “You called him blindly determined, ignorant, and dumb!”

 

“What?!” Everyone said and began to shoot daggers at Eijun making him want to shrink into himself and disappear but when he looked at his younger self, it look like he was not the only one that felt that way.

 

“Did you…D-Did you really say that?” Sawamura asked him and Eijun opened his mouth but no words came out, and this made Sawamura bow his head.

 

“No! Wait, Eijun.” Eijun called out to his younger self as he took a step forward and completely missed his slip up until Sawamura’s head shot up and looked at him with slightly wet eyes.

 

“How do you know my name?” Sawamura asked as he took a step back and then narrowed his eyes at the stranger. “Who are you?”

 

Eijun stopped in his tracks. He really had not planned for this to happen, as his intention was to only visit Seidou. Watch them practice, look at his old self from afar and not actually confront him. But clearly, he and his mouth fucked that up.

 

Everyone was still staring or more like glaring at him but the concern was evident though not for him, and Eijun was not going to have them think he was some weird stalker or some shit like that.

 

“Do you want to know why I said those things?” Eijun asked Sawamura instead of answering the younger’s question. He waited a moment until Sawamura nodded his head to hear what he had to say. “Because I thought they were true. Heck, I still think they are true.”

 

“OI!” Everyone was gearing up to fight him -whether verbally or physically depended on the individual- but Eijun was not going to back down from this as he continued to look at Sawamura whose eyes still welled up with tears.

 

“Let me finish!” Eijun yelled and everyone shut their mouths due to his tone but he could tell from one glance in their general direction that they were probably going to ask him to leave.

“Please. I need to say this.”

 

Kataoka surprisingly was the one to break the silence. “Only if Sawamura wishes to hear what you have to say.”

 

Everyone’s eyes turned to the southpaw who continued to stare at the stranger before nodding once again, and Eijun let out a sigh of relief before hardening himself.

 

“I’m not going to apologize for what I have said. Because that would be me lying to myself.” Eijun said and watched as Sawamura furrowed his bows at him. “I said you are blindly determined because I am blindly determined. I said you're ignorant because I used to be, and can still be ignorant sometimes. I said you are dumb because I have my dumb moments as well. Always have, always will.”

 

“I don’t get it…I don’t get it! Why are you speaking like that? Why are you speaking as if you were me?!” Sawamura yelled, his unshed tears almost dried and replaced with anger. “Stop talking in riddles!! Who are you?!!”

 

“Sawamura Eijun, you are all those things and more. So much more that you don’t even know it yet.” Eijun smiled as lifted his hands up to take off his hat and sunglasses, looking at his younger self. “And I only know that because who you are is what made me. I am you, Sawamura Eijun.”

 

Gold eyes met the same ones looking right back at him, and Eijun was certain his younger self was about to faint with how wide-eyed he had gotten from staring for what felt like forever. It made him almost uncomfortable to be stared at that long, while everyone else’s jaw dropped in shock.

 

“WHAT?!?!?!”

Chapter 2: How Do I Even Begin To Explain This

Notes:

Starting off right where we left off. 😁

“WHAT?!?!?!”

 

“This is some serious Bullsh—!”

 

“Isashiki-kun!”

 

“How in the—!?!”

 

“What the actual F—!!”

 

“Kuramochi-kun!!”

 

“This can’t be possible!!”

 

“What on earth is going!?!?”

 

Everyone was utterly stupefied because there, in front of them, stood two Sawamura Eijuns. One who they all knew and the other, so very unfamiliar to them.

 

He was taller, as tall as Chris who is 5’11’’, meaning he grew about 2 inches. His body was bigger and broader but it was hard to tell the true definition of it with the man’s bomber jacket on. His voice had deepened and his rounded cheeks were gone, giving him a more mature look despite his hair still being the same. But those eyes, anyone could tell Sawamura Eijun’s eyes from a mile away if they knew him well enough, and those golden orbs that the taller shared with the shorter one were exactly the same.

 

“That’s a lot of questions, and I don’t really have much of an answer for any of them. Maybe not good ones, at least.” Eijun chuckled softly as he looked at everyone’s shocked faces before back at Sawamura who had not said a thing or made a move. “I think…I think I may have broken him.”

 

“You think?!” Jun yelled out.

 

Eijun would have laughed out loud because the expressions they were all making was a far contrast to the glares they were giving him only moments prior. His attention shifted back to his younger self who still looked like a deer in headlights.

 

He whistled as he waved his hands in front of Sawamura’s face. “Woo hoo~! Earth to Sawamura Eijun. Hello~! Anyone in there?!”

 

“Uh…” Haruichi spoke up as he stepped closer to stand beside Sawamura and shook his friend lightly, but kept paying glances back at the older one every now and then. “Eijun-kun?”

 

Sawamura finally blinked and shut his mouth as he immediately brought up his left hand and pointed at his older self, the abrupt action caused the older Eijun to straighten up to avoid getting hit by the younger’s index finger.

 

“You! Y-You! How do I know you’re actually me?! You could just be saying all this crap to play a trick on me. Right?!” Sawamura exclaimed as he turned to everyone. “I’m getting pranked! You guys are really funny! This is a good one. Ha Ha Ha!!”

 

If the situation were true, everyone else would have joined in on Sawamura’s laughter but they could not do so. This was happening and was as real as it gets.

 

“I wouldn’t say we have extremely rare features but our eye colour is a bit abnormal, wouldn’t you say?” Eijun said with a small smile but Sawamura just furrowed his brows.

 

“For all I know, you could be a distant relative that I have never heard of.” Eijun proclaimed as he rested his hands on his hips, truly putting all his faith in the fact that this person in front of him could not actually be his future self no matter how similar they looked. Even though the older looks like he could be Sawamura's brother, it would be concerning how similar they are appearance-wise if the older was indeed an actual stranger.

 

“A distant relative, Eijun. Really~?” Eijun gave his younger self a pointed look, wondering if he was serious. His family tree was small and there was never any distant relative(s) of any sort discussed in the Sawamura family household, ever.

 

Sawamura spluttered for a second trying to argue his point but even he knew that it was a stretch to use a ‘distant relative’ as something to justify the older being a stranger. “Fine then! Tell me something only you…I would know. I’ll believe you’re me if you can actually prove it.”

 

“Something only we would know about?” Eijun repeated.

 

“Yes. Then and only then, will I believe you.” Sawamura said vehemently.

 

Eijun got to thinking, running a hand through his hair before dragging it down his face to rest under his chin. “What would I know…that you know? Hm…”

 

“Tick Tock.” Sawamura was growing quite impatient with him and Eijun could not blame the poor fellow. He causes enough stress on himself already, and now him -the future him- is just adding to it.

 

Eijun cast a glance at Rei and smirked which made her raise a brow but he quickly turned back to Sawamura and leaned in to whisper in the boy’s ear. Not wanting to embarrass himself more than his younger could already do by himself.

 

“One of the reasons you got scouted to this school is because Rei-chan saw potential in you as a pitcher, through the way you slapped multiple players across the face. Oh, and the umpire as well~.” Eijun whispered before straightening up with a smile as he saw Sawamura’s mouth opening and closing, bobbing like a fish.

 

“This…This…T-This…THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING!!!” Sawamura screamed as he took off running, with Haruichi, Furuya, and Kanemaru quickly taking off after him.

 

“Ha Ha Ha Ha!!” Eijun doubled over gripping his stomach in a fit of laughter. The wheezes that escaped him were almost relentless and when he finally caught his breath he had to wipe a tear from his eye before looking at Miyuki. “I now see why you teased me so often. My reactions are comedy gold.”

 

“As weird as it is to say, you’re finally seeing it my way…uh…Sawamura.” Miyuki said with a half-smirk.

 

“What did you say to him?” Okumura came forward and looked up at him.

 

“He asked for something only we would know. So, I only did what I was told to, though someone else here would know what I said if they heard it.” Eijun gave a closed-eyed grin so he would not give Rei away, and the scout herself was none the wiser.

 

“Now I’m curious as to what you said to get him running away that fast.” Kuramochi laughed.

 

“He took off faster than I have ever seen. Close to rivalling your speed, Mochi~.” Ryousuke snickered.

 

“Like hell he is!” Kuramochi quickly defended himself and his title of being the fastest.

 

“I think you should tell us~.” Miyuki gave a shit-eating grin.

 

“And give you blackmail over my younger self. Like hell I will, Miyuki. I said I see why you tease me but I’m not going to give you more incentive to continue doing it.” Eijun smirked.

 

“That’s senpai to you, Sawamura~.” Miyuki retorted because that was their usual banter but it does not quite work the same in this case.

 

“The way I am now, this me, is older than you, Miyuki-kun~!” Eijun said with a snicker while Miyuki looked appalled and everyone else laughed at the catcher. “Don’t take me for a fool, I have grown up in the passing years.”

 

“Exactly how old are you, Sawamura?” Chris asked, and they all were intrigued to hear his answer.

 

“I’m 26 years old, going on 27.” Eijun smiled warmly.

 

“TEN YEARS!!!!” They all exclaimed the difference in age and Eijun just chuckled.

 

“Trust me, it is weird to see you all like this. It’s just weird in general for me to even be here.” Eijun stated.

 

“How did you get here?” Ryousuke looked toward him and even with his eyelids shut, Eijun still felt like the older Kominato could stare into his soul.

 

“That is not quite easy to explain but here…” Eijun said as he pulled out the bottle he had out from before and showed it to the group. “One of my teammates. Uh, pardon me. Future teammates is into some weird shit -excuse my language, Rei-san-. Witchcraft, potions, spells, the whole nine yards. I never judged, we all have our hobbies on the side. But one day, he ended up giving me this bottle and said it was a potion that was enchanted with a spell that could send me back in time to any time I wanted.”

 

“Mind you, I laughed in his face but he said I should try it. When I got back home, I was dead tired and was like ‘what the heck’ before downing the contents. I passed out as soon as my body hit my bed and …ta-da~!” Eijun waved his hands flippantly. “I wake up in an alleyway, in Kokubunji with a monstrous headache. My phone has no service but I was able to see the date change quite visibly, I bought a pair of sunglasses and a baseball cap, then came here. It wasn’t my idea to draw attention to myself but as I have said; I still have my dumb moments.”

 

“Wow~ so you are still an idiot!” Miyuki laughed. “Who drinks random potions without being even the slightest bit concerned?!

 

“Miyuki-kun!” Rei chided and Eijun laughed.

 

“I had a long day and it was either the potion or grabbing a beer. The potion was in my hand and my fridge was too far. Bottoms up.” Eijun said as he mocked the gesture of him drinking the potion with the bottle before putting back in his pocket.

 

“So…are you just stuck here now?” Okumura asked.

 

“That is indeed a pressing matter. How do you intend to get back to the..future?” Kataoka questioned.

 

“24 hours. My teammates said the effects should last 24 hours, supposedly if, something were to actually happen…which, I guess it did. When I get back, I’m sure he will be quite happy to hear the tales of the adventure I had with his little sorcerer charade!” Eijun smiled before expressing a more menacing grin. “He should be counting his blessings right now that I don’t refuse the next time he asks me to help him with his batting practice.”

 

“So you’re still playing baseball.” Rei stated with a smile as if it were a fact rather than a question.

 

“Of course, he would! Sawamura is a baseball-obsessed type of guy. Always was, always will be!” Kuramochi cackled.

 

“I mean, I think we all eat, sleep, and breath baseball, Kuramochi.” Yuki stated.

 

“Ha Ha! Tetsu’s right.” Jun laughed. “I’m sure we’re all pretty much in the same boat as him, isn’t that right. Sawamura?”

 

Eijun just smiled as they all turned to look at him once again. “I can’t say.”

 

“You can’t say?” Jun repeated.

 

“I can’t.” Eijun continued to smile.

 

“Can’t or won’t?” Ryousuke asked as he raised a brow.

 

“Both.” Eijun stated before releasing a sigh. “I don’t know about the method behind the madness that is this potion. But I’ve watched enough sci-fi movies to know it’s best not to reveal what I know about from future to the people of the past.”

 

“And you’re really going to use sci-fi movies as your most logical reference point?!” Miyuki questioned, incredulously.

 

“Hey, I think many sci-fi movies that use the time-travel trope are valid things to go off of.” Kuramochi pointed out and Miyuki just facepalmed while shaking his head.

 

Eijun was not really too sure himself what he can and cannot do but he was not going to mess around more than he already has. Or at least he would try not to, so it is best that he filters himself as much as he can.

 

“I won’t speak about what any of you are doing in the future. I may speak about myself a bit but that’s all I am doing. I don’t really want to be held accountable for any unwanted changes or anything that could possibly happen due to my presence here.” Eijun explained and his serious tone left no room for anyone to change his mind, though he was not going to put it past them that they may try to get him to talk.

 

“WHA?! So, that means you won't tell us who’s going to win this summer tournament?! Or Koshien?!” Sawamura cried out as he returned alongside Haruichi, Furuya, and Kanemaru who were all a bit out of breath from chasing the southpaw down.

 

“Oh right. It’s right about around that time, correct?” Eijun questioned.

 

“We are in the midst of summer training camp at the moment.” Rei stated.

 

“Ahh~ Hell on Earth.” Eijun chuckled before he paled and bowed his head slightly to Kataoka. “My sincerest apologies! It has been a while since…all this. I do look back on summer training camp with gruesome displeasure but also fondest memories.”

 

Eijun got out quickly before he straightened up with a bright smile. “In fact, Kataoka-kantaku. I believe your training camp style has basically become a foundation for me because that is the type of practice I go through on a daily basis. With the addition of a few more rest days, and game days.”

 

“Game days?!” Sawamura repeated excitedly.

 

“Does that mean you’re playing for a national team…Sawamura…-san?” Furuya questioned and Eijun shuddered.

 

“Please. I know most of you all call me -my younger self- 'Sawamura'. So, hopefully, to make this a bit easier. I’ll go by Eijun, or Eijun-san if you feel the need to add honourifics though I don’t really care. And younger me will go by Sawamura or Eijun-kun in certain cases.” Eijun explained. “Does that sound good?”

 

“I mean it is still confusing but I guess that helps, Eijun~.” Miyuki said with a shit-eating grin.

 

“Ew! It sounds downright creepy hearing it from you, Tanuki bastard!” Sawamura cringed.

 

“I’m not even directing it at you, Sawamura~!” Miyuki snickered as he watched the younger still cringe in general.

 

“As for your question, Furuya. Yes, I do play on a national team but I won’t say which.” Eijun said and stopped himself from saying ‘or where’ before smiling.

 

“Not even a hint?” Furuya tilted his head in curiosity.

 

“Nope!” Eijun said popping the ‘p’ in satisfaction. “Though I can say that I am still a pitcher.”

 

“What else would you be?!” Kuramochi cried out.

 

“Hold on.” Chris interjected himself as he looked at the older Eijun. “Are you saying that there was a time when you were not a pitcher?”

 

“Ha Ha Ha! Of course. There were many times I was not the main pitcher on my team.” Eijun laughed and watched as Sawamura’s jaw dropped for the umpteenth time today. “You all fight for your spots on the first string roster, it’s the same on national teams. There was a season I played a good amount of it as just a pinch hitter, another time as a left fielder, and a few times I was strictly the relief pitcher. As the season changes, more competition comes in as others retire, I had to round out a bit more. During one off-season, I even had another one of my teammates who was pitcher-turn-catcher teach me how to catch.”

 

“You?! A catcher?! No freaking way!” Miyuki said with almost wide eyes.

 

“Yeah, my respect for you, Chris-senpai, Wolf-Boy,…and any catcher really, grew on my first day trying it out.” Eijun laughed softly while Miyuki rolled his eyes.

 

“So, he’s still senpai but I am not.” Miyuki stated rather than questioned, but it was playful banter.

 

“When you start to act like one, then maybe you'll finally get honourifics on regular basis.” Eijun grinned.

 

Miyuki gave a shit-eating grin. "Glad to hear that I haven't changed~!"

 

“Ha! You still are and always will be a Tanuki Bastard, Miyuki Kazuya!” Sawamura laughed loudly.

 

“Shut up, Sawamoron.” Miyuki sighed.

 

“You still call me ‘Wolf-Boy’, even ten years later?” Okumura's steely eyes stared at him.

 

“Ten years?!” Sawamura cried out having missed that whole age reveal earlier but no one paid him any mind.

 

“Maybe not as often but looking at you now, I can't help it!” Eijun stated before he clapped his hands together and started to backtrack. “Well, I am sure I have taken up the majority of your break and I know you are all just dying to get back to practice. So~”

 

“How can we go back to practice like this when you have us all…ME so interested?! I want to know more! What national team am I on? How many pitches do I have now? What is my top pitching speed?! You said I was a pinch hitter at one point, what was my batting average for me to acquire such a spot?! I want to know!!!” Sawamura shot off question after question leaving Eijun very much overwhelmed by the onslaught.

 

“Eijun-kun, calm down.” Haruichi chided as he reigned his friend back. “You know he can’t tell you all those stuff.”

 

“Yeah, Bakamura. Because of the whole time-travel ordeal, remember?!” Kuramochi announced.

 

“I know that but that does not stop me from being curious!” Eijun cried out.

 

Eijun just sighed exasperatedly at his younger self. “It may be for your own good that I don’t say anything more about what we are currently up to. But I may slip up sometimes, so you’ll have to take what you can get.”

 

“Well, I won’t lie and say I’m not even the slightest bit intrigued at how you are currently doing, Eijun.” Kataoka said and that had Eijun blinking almost owlishly, while his former coach crossed his arm by his chest. “How about you join our situational practice for the time being? I’m sure the team could get some good batting practice out of a national team pitcher.”

 

Eijun rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I mean I am not currently dressed for practice.”

 

“Your pants seem loose enough to move in.” Ryousuke quipped with a smirk because he was right. Eijun’s black ripped jeans were a tapered fit, he could do a full stretch routine without worrying about the pants ripping in places where there are not supposed to be rips.

 

“Still, I don’t have shoes. My sneakers are not really baseball worthy.” Eijun pointed out, glancing down at his sneakers that would provide no grip on the gravel of the baseball diamond.

 

“It does not look like your feet have grown. I’m sure Sawamura has an extra pair of cleats you could borrow.” Yuki said as his aura started to burn, getting excited about seeing Eijun pitch and he was not even a Seidou player anymore.

 

Eijun was starting to run out of excuses. “I don’t have my mitt! My feet may not have grown but my hands have gotten bigger. I can’t possibly borrow Sawamura’s!”

 

“We should have some spare southpaw’s mitts in the equipment shed. They may be old but still in working condition.” Rei stated and Eijun’s shoulders sagged.

 

“You’re all really not letting me get out of this are you?” Eijun sighed, knowing there was no way of escaping this and wondering why he even bothered questioning it.

 

“Nope.” Miyuki said popping ‘p’ with his shit-eating grin, ever-present.

 

“Furuya and I’ll go search the shed for the pitching mitt.” Haruichi called out and grabbed Furuya’s arm before they turned to jog off towards the shed.

 

“I’ll go run back to my dorm for my spare cleats.” Sawamura said with a bright smile and quickly bolted away.

 

“Oh, the mess I have found myself in.” Eijun rubbed his face as his voice raised in volume before groaning. “Ryou-senpai, why on earth are you so attentive?”

 

“Why on earth are you still so loud~?” Ryousuke retorted and Eijun looked like a kicked puppy.

 

“I can’t help it. I’m naturally loud, always have been.” Eijun semi-pouted.

 

“Then you should know better than to bash a player even if it’s your younger self, aloud.” Ryousuke snickered as he turned to walk towards the dugout.

 

“Ryousuke, where are you going?” Jun asked.

 

“Do you really think I’m going to miss out on a chance to bat against a future Sawamura Eijun who says he’s on a national baseball team?” Ryousuke threw an evil grin back over his shoulder before looking at Kataoka. “You don’t mind us joining, right, Kantaku?”

 

“By all means.” Kataoka agreed and Eijun feels like he is paying for that comment on the training camp being ‘Hell on Earth'.

 

Kami! Why me?!?! Eijun cried out inwardly as he saw Yuki’s aura radiating off him with extreme intensity and even Chris was laughing at him as everyone began to make their way into the dugout with him trailing behind them.

Notes:

Ah, the mess that Eijun has found himself in is particularly funny for the rest of them.😆 🤣

I feel like the explanation is a bit mediocre but the only "plausible" concept I could think of. I'm not the happiest with it, but just going to make it work. Besides, ain't nothing wrong with believing in a little magic. 🤗

See you again, next week Wednesday!

ShaeShae💙

Chapter 3: Exposure

Kami! Why me?!?! Eijun repeated to himself as he sat on the bench, lacing up the cleats his younger self fetched for him before sitting up and taking the pitching mitt from Furuya while Haruichi just looked pleased.

 

Eijun gave a small smile in return before he slid his right hand into the mitt and slightly frowned with how worn it felt, a little too soft for his liking. He prefers his mitts a bit more on the firm side but he could make do.

 

“So, how is it?” Rei asked.

 

“It’s not what I am used to but I should be fine.” Eijun said with a proper smile this time as he stood up, adjusted his cap on his head, and started making his way out of the dugout.

 

“Eijun, aren’t you forgetting something?” Kuramochi called out.

 

“What?” Eijun turned and titled his head in confusion.

 

“You don’t seriously intend to play in the bomber jacket, do you? It’s like 28 degrees (Celsius) with no clouds or wind.” Miyuki laughed.

 

“Oh…yeah.” Eijun muttered having forgotten how hot it was because the cause of his sweating had been his nervousness rather than the heat. He brought his right arm to clasp around the forearm of his left, squeezing it lightly as a small frown graced his features. “My jacket.”

 

“Are you hurt, Eijun?” Chris asked already growing concerned with how nervous Eijun looked and the way he began to cradle his arm. His question garnered everyone’s concern as they looked toward the older southpaw.

 

“Me? No, I’m not hurt, senpai. I promise you, I am as fit as a fiddle.” Eijun said but the tone of his voice was a bit higher than he would like and clearly gave away that he was anything but calm.

 

“But?” Kataoka pressed, knowing that one is coming.

 

“I feel like I might get hurt when I take off my jacket.” Eijun chuckled curtly before giving a sheepish smile.

 

“Why on earth would you get hurt from taking off your jacket?” Jun questioned. “I don’t remember you ever tanning that easily, Eijun.”

 

Eijun continued to laugh awkwardly as he slid his mitt off his hand and placed it between his thighs for the time being as he began to slowly remove his jacket.

 

“What could possibly have you this nervous about taking off…your…jacket…” Kuramochi’s cackle trailed off with his voice fading away soon after as Eijun finished removing the bomber jacket.

 

There on his left arm, from his wrist up until the middle of his biceps with the rest getting covered by the sleeve of his white T-shirt was a tattoo sleeve. In black ink, singular petals fell around his wrist before a few small full-bloomed sunflowers, with their leaves and respective stems running up his forearm. Intertwined together, they weaved up his arm with the flowers growing bigger as they reached his biceps, and only Eijun knows how many more went further up underneath his shirt.

 

“A TATTOO!!!” Everyone yelled and Eijun had to step back due to their collective volume that only seemed to increase every time he surprised them.

 

“You got a tattoo?! Are you insane?!” Miyuki called out.

 

“Holy Shit! That’s so badass!” Kuramochi exclaimed as he stepped closer to Eijun, completely missing the glare Rei and Kataoka sent him.

 

“And seems so unlike you, Eijun.” Chris stated eyeing to floral artwork that decorated Eijun’s left arm. “When did you get this?”

 

“A few years back. I went with some friends, we all got something.” Eijun said with a fond smile at the memory. “Go big or go home, right~? So, I got a sleeve done with the nickname that I get called now from my teammates and…fans; Sunflower.”

 

“Fans?!” Kuramochi furrowed his brows but Eijun’s attention was drawn to Haruichi who posed his own question.

 

“I bet it hurt. How long did it take?” Haruichi said, looking at the tattoo and then up at Eijun.

 

“The day we went, I only got the outline done. So, about six hours. The next day I went back, and spent another five hours there for shading, and then returned after another week for the detailing.” Eijun said as he looked down at his own arm. “I do plan to go back to get it coloured in, I’m just not sure when.”

 

“I’m with Chris on this one. You don’t seem like the tattoo type, Eijun.” Ryousuke pointed out. “I’m quite surprised.”

 

“I agree, I could not imagine you laying idle for five to six hours.” Yuki stated.

 

“Besides that! I could not even envision myself sitting down and having a needle pocking and prodding at my skin!” Jun called out.

 

“It did hurt like a—”

 

“Ahem!” Rei coughed into her fist and Eijun chuckled.

 

“It hurt a lot sitting there as the tattoo artist did it. But he was very patient with me and we took breaks whenever I needed them.” Eijun explained. “And honestly, the healing process was much more of a pain than the initial tattooing itself. Don’t get me started on removing the second skin bandage after the third day when my detailing was finished. Now that, I believe, was the worst feeling, ever.”

 

As Eijun was explaining all that, he did notice his younger self coming up and lightly tracing his hand over one of the sunflowers on his biceps and he tried his best not to move too much. Leaving his younger self to take it all in.

 

“I can’t believe I have a tattoo…” Sawamura muttered under his breath as he ran his left hand over the ends of the petal before tracing some of the stems down his older self’s arm. “And look at my muscles!”

 

If his sleeve was the initial shock, then finally getting a better view of his muscle definition was the second. His muscles developed with the growth of his body along with the training he must have undergone to keep him in shape and always game ready, with proper rest in between.

 

Thank you, Chris-senpai, for being such a stickler about that. Eijun chuckled inwardly before resting his jacket on the railing of the dugout and grabbing his mitt, sliding it back on as he smiled. “Are we ready now?”

 

“Let’s go.” Miyuki said as he grabbed his catcher’s mask but Eijun held up a hand.

 

“Actually. No offence to you, Miyuki. But…” Eijun said before turning to Chris. “Chris-senpai, can ask you to be my catcher for this?”

 

“What?!” Everyone seemed genuinely surprised, especially Miyuki.

 

“Am I not good enough for you anymore, Eijun~? Are there better catchers than myself on your national team?” Miyuki said, holding back the venom that he wanted to leak through his tone at the indirect insult.

 

“Oh, please~. Don’t let a simple thing such as this affect your pretty boy catcher ego!” Eijun laughed, wholeheartedly. “Trust me, I don’t and have never held your skill in such low regard. I just believe out of you and Chris-senpai, his catching style is what I am more familiar with, currently. I won’t pitch for long, 60 pitches at best. He’ll take the first 25 and you take the other.”

 

“What about that last 10?” Miyuki asked, satisfied enough to not argue with the elder southpaw but he was still -a little- peeved about the remark about him having an ego.

 

“I want to give Okumura a chance as well.” Eijun as he tilted his head from side to side before rolling it, a few audible cracks sounding out before he looked to the blond-haired catcher and grinned. “If you think you can keep up that is?”

 

Okumura's icy grey eyes locked on Eijun’s gold own as his aura flared up. “Are you testing me?”

 

“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not.” Eijun smirked. “But I don’t think you would shy away from an offered challenge, right?”

 

Eijun did not wait for a response and started heading toward the mound while everyone else took to their places, and Chris got a spare catcher’s mitt and put on protective gear before stepping out.

 

Eijun stood in front of the mound and smiled at the nostalgia of it, he could feel everyone’s eyes on him probably wondering what he was waiting for. But he paid it no mind as he gave a small bow toward the mound to show his gratitude. Thank you for having me all those years ago, and for letting me stand here, once again.

 

Eijun stepped onto the mound and looked in the direction of the home plate before holding back a smile as he saw Kataoka stepping out in protective gear as well, as he was going to be the stand-in umpire. He turned to look at Chris approaching the mound and coming to stop in front of him.

 

“Is there a real reason as to why you want me as your catcher?” Chris asked and raised a brow when Eijun smirked.

 

“Because I know you know a bit more of American baseball than the rest.” Eijun said in English and had to cover his mouth with his mitt to muffle his laughter when he saw senpai’s eyebrows almost shoot up to his hairline.

 

“You speak…You’re speaking English, fluently.” Chris joined in, sounding almost breathless as he came to a realization. “You’re playing in the MLB, not the NPB.”

 

“That I am~! I thought if anyone could know where I am currently at, it should be you, Shisho. Since I recall, you are gearing towards those types of teams.”

 

“Their style of baseball is also a tad different in comparison to Japanese baseball. But the biggest thing is the size of the baseball.” Chris stated and Eijun nodded as his senpai held the baseball up before handing it over to the southpaw.

 

“It’s has been a while since I’ve thrown with them, yes. So, please bear with me as I readjust, Chris-senpai.” Eijun lowered his mitt a bit to show off his grin while Chris gave a nod.

 

As Chris started to make his way back to the home plate but he almost jumped at the sound of Eijun’s usual saying, thinking the elder may have outgrown it but he supposed that he was wrong.

 

“Despite my certain circumstances—Balls may still come flying, so I thAnk you all in advance!!” Eijun called out and cringed when his voice cracked. I don’t really do this as often anymore, but I think my nerves are getting the better of me.

 

“Ha Ha! Spoken like a true Sawamura Eijun, Me!!” Eijun heard Sawamura call out from the dugout and he had to sigh as his younger self continued on. “But your voice cracked in the middle of it!! Ha Ha Ha!”

 

Eijun felt his cheeks warm slightly but a small laugh escaped him when he heard Kuramochi’s comeback to his younger self’s comment. “Sawamura, you can’t even talk! Here you are, 26 years old and still having voice cracks! Kyhaaa!”

 

“Oi!” Sawamura screeched and Eijun just shook his head.

 

I should have known he would just make fun of me too. He thought to himself while he nodded at the other two’s encouraging words.

 

“We got your back, Eijun-san.” Haruichi called out from his spot standing between first and second.

 

“I don’t know how well you pitch now, but I don’t intend to let anything passed me.” Kanemaru called out from third base.

 

Eijun turned to look forward but was surprised when he saw Chris had stopped and was currently smirking at him. Realization hit him hard and he almost facepalmed. “I deserved that comment, don’t I?”

 

“Indeed you do.” Chris chuckled good-naturedly before giving a small smile. “I’m actually surprised you remembered what I was even thinking about, without me having to say a word.”

 

“Because I did it to you, it’s kinda hard to forget when the exact thing is happening to me! And I’m doing it to myself~.” Eijun’s cheeks actually took on a pink hue before he shook his head and gave a fond smile. “Besides, it was our first time ever forming a battery. I would never forget that, Chris-senpai.”

 

Eijun watched as Chris’ smile changed to a more fond expression before he turned and made his way to the home plate. Eijun took a few breaths as he began turning the baseball in his left hand, trying to readjust his finger placement over the seams. Relying on muscle memory to figure out his grips but he assumes he will only know for sure how well that will work out until after he throws his first few pitches.

 

“Let’s start with your warm-up throws, Eijun.” Chris called out from the home plate and settled in his squatting position.

 

Eijun nodded and began throwing lightly, just casual tossing and catching the ball back and forth as he affirmed that the size of this baseball may affect his top speed. But it is not like he is playing to decimate his former teammates, though he will show off a bit.

 

During his last few warm-up throws, Eijun went through a mock version of his pitching motion which is what he normally does these days before he caught the ball Chris threw back.

 

“Are you ready, or do you think you need a few more?” Chris asked.

 

“No, I think this should be good. Thank you.” Eijun smiled as he placed the ball in his mitt and reached down for the rosin pack because if they were gonna get serious, he did not want his overly moist hands messing with his pitching.

 

When he looked up, Eijun was not surprised in seeing Yuki walking up to the batter’s box as his former senpai always seemed to enjoy batting practice. Eijun gazed shifted to Chris approaching the mound once again.

 

“I forgot to ask about your pitching repertoire. As I am sure it is different than what I am used to.” Chris said as he stopped in front of him.

 

Eijun looked toward the dugout, eyes meeting his younger’s own before he looked back to Chris. “Right around now he should be at eight different pitches or so. Cut Fastball, Two-seamer, Palmball Change up, and Four-seamer are the first four, correct?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Then we’ll stick to that. I mean I have changed up my arsenal in general, the order and the amount~.”

 

Chris’s eyes widen slightly as he brought his mitt up to cover his mouth. “Do you mind me asking just how many pitches you have now?”

 

“Try not to be overwhelmed by the ones I throw to you, Chris-senpai. Let’s have some fun!” Eijun just grinned before shooing away his senpai with a content grin on his face.

 

Chris gave an unsatisfied look but masked it quickly as he just nodded before walking back to the home plate and crouching down. As he looked back to the mound, Chris felt a shiver run down his spine when his eyes locked with Eijun’s own but the elder was not really even looking at him.

 

Eijun had his mitt held just below eye level, making his gold eyes stand out quite abundantly despite the casted shadow by the bill of his cap. Or maybe it was due to the shadow that the molten gold eyes stood out so predominately.

 

His eyes were so similar to the Sawamura he knew but yet so different. As if the ambition and determination were there to strike out the batter in front of them but the way this Eijun showcased it was as if he could leave anyone caught in his gaze frozen in place.

 

Chris could barely react after he signalled for Eijun’s Four-seamer, as the pitcher moved swiftly yet so fluidly while going through his motion. The ease in which the pitcher moved was impressive and even though Chris did not blink, he would say he still missed everything.

 

‘BAAAM’

 

The baseball landed squarely in Chris’ mitt at the inside corner of the strike zone without Chris moving an inch, and neither did Yuki. If the sight of the southpaw’s pitch left people wide-eyed, the sound of it upon impact with the catcher’s mitt had people flabbergasted.

 

The sound that resonated throughout the field far surpassed Furuya’s pitching, though maybe the instilled silence helped a bit more. Nobody spoke a word and no one moved a muscle except Eijun who straightened up and chuckled.

 

“Damn, that was a ball.” Eijun stated as he raised his mitt in the air, gesturing for Chris to throw the ball back. “That was my bad, sorry!”

 

“WHAAAATTTT!”

 

“Did you hear that sound his pitch made?!”

 

“How fast was that???!!!”

 

“What do you think my top pitching speed is?!!”

 

“…I will not lose!!”

 

“That was a ball?!?!”

 

While everyone was screaming in a collective amount of pandemonium, Yuki released a breath he did not know he was holding. He felt as though he was tugged into a void when Eijun went through his pitching motion and by the time the ball had reached Chris’ mitt, he was hit with a wave of sensory overload.

 

Yuki turned to look down at the ball and believed he was actually seeing smoke rise from the catcher’s mitt before he looked back at the pitcher. Yuki gripped his bat a bit tighter, feeling the slight dampness of his hands against the metal bat as a smile broke out on his face.

 

He had underestimated Eijun for a moment. His mind had gone back to the first year who broke down under the pressure that the younger must have thought was his to shoulder, alone. But now, the Sawamura Eijun that was standing before him was applying the pressure, an intangible amount of it. With one pitch, that was not even a ‘strike’ mind you, Yuki was shaken to his core with both fear and excitement.

 

Chris, on the other hand, had his eyes focused on the mitt which he turned toward himself and opened to reveal the ball within his grasp. There was no hesitation in that pitch, nothing but sheer skill, speed, and accuracy. The sensation was overwhelming as Chris shuddered with excitement as he stood up and threw the ball back.

 

“It was just outside of the strike zone but it was a nice pitch.” Chris called out, trying to keep his wits about him in order to not reveal the sheer sense of euphoria he was feeling to be catching for Eijun at this moment.

 

“Forgive me, but I can’t accept that compliment! It is literally so embarrassing to start off with a ‘ball’ at my age and current status. If my current teammates saw that, I would not hear the end of it for weeks.” Eijun smiled with a fond yet exasperated expression as he caught the ball.

 

“Eijun.” Kataoka’s voice boomed as he removed his protective mask and stared daggers directly at the pitcher.

 

“Hai?!” Eijun felt as if he was actually back in high school again, a student/player underneath the intense stare of his former coach.

 

“Do indulge us, as I don’t think you can really hide this information with your current display.” Kataoka started off as he narrowed his eyes at the southpaw. “What is your top pitching speed?”

 

Eijun smiled nervously as all eyes shifted back to him, which you would think he would be used to, being an MLB starting pitcher and all. But this felt completely different in a way that he could not explain, though if he tried, Eijun would say it felt like he was being read for his dirty laundry or something.

 

Eijun fiddled with the baseball in his mitt as he met Kataoka’s gaze. “On a bad day, I usually clock in around 158 kilometres per hour (98 miles per hour).”

 

Eijun could have sworn that he heard the sound of everyone’s jaws audibly dropping, particularly his younger self’s own hitting the dirt quite hard.

 

Kataoka even appeared to need a moment to figuratively pick up his jaw before posing his next question. “And on a good day?”

 

“Well, on a good day…the low ends of 160kmph (99mph).” Eijun said almost hesitantly and continued on. “My top speed is 163kmph (101mph).”

 

The sound of sudden footsteps filled Eijun’s ears and just as he turned to his left, he was met with a face-full of…well…his face, his younger face.

 

“YOU HAVE TO TEACH ME!!!!”

Notes:

Did you know that the fastest pitch ever thrown in MLB history is 169.14 kilometres per hour (105.1 miles per hour)? On September 24th, 2010, Aroldis Chapman who was a rookie relief pitcher at the time for the Cincinnati Reds threw a Fastball that made MLB history.

You didn't?! Well, now you know~! 🤗

I wanted to give Eijun a change of appearance and a tattoo was the first thing that came to my mind as I've seen professional baseball players with them too. 🌻 As for his pitching speed, it is not impossible to say that Eijun could one day reach those speeds. With the right training regimen and the fact that it has been ten years since his current time at Seidou, he could have developed his body to acquire more speed in his pitching. 😁 It does not seem so farfetched, right~? 😇

I hope you like the progression of this story so far, with more future Eijun stories to tell coming later. 😁

I really am hoping I can finish this in 5 chapters...but why do I feel like it is going to be more...😩 😞

See you all next week!

ShaeShae💙

Chapter 4: You're Out

Notes:

This is longer than I wanted it to be but what can you do! 😅

Enjoy! 🤗

Eijun could have sworn it took the strength of Kami for several people to drag -and he literally means ‘drag’- Sawamura off the field and back into the dugout after his current pitching speed reveal.

 

Of course, no one was going to willingly let him off the hook after revealing that piece of information and Eijun made a promise to at least give them a small explanation of his pitching -in general- later on before they continued with their practice.

 

At this point, everyone was wondering if they should even bother picking their jaws off the ground because what they were seeing in front of them was too good to be true.

 

Eijun literally struck out Yuki, Jun, and Ryousuke, with three consecutive Four-seamers minus that first ball against Yuki. Chris was basically not helping either, as he was quite cut-throat about his game-calling in such a simple manner. That saying about 'if it's not broken, don't fix it’ is the definition of Chris’ aggressive leading, with him only having to use Eijun’s Four-seamer against his year-mates despite the pitcher having three other impending pitches just waiting to be shown. The southpaw in front of him could paint any area of the strike zone that he could ask for, with such esteemed accuracy.

 

Chris thrived in this, a pitcher who knew what he was doing and had the skills to back that up. It also helped that even with the age difference or the time-travel jump, Eijun still trusts Chris to catch for him. The grin that broke out on his face was quite wide as Chris got to thinking of how much he was enjoying himself, and wondered what Miyuki would feel once he gets to experience this rush. Kami, Miyuki Kazuya was in for a field day.

 

Chris threw the ball back to Eijun with a smile. “Your Four-seamers are basically perfect, I don’t know what else to say. Let’s see if we can get the next three batters out with only your Two-seamer this time~!”

 

“Chris!!! You’re having way too much fun at our expense!!!” Jun yelled, clearly angered by being struck out. He was not even able to swing the first two times, with the first leaving him stunned, and the second -he told himself- was to try and adjust to Eijun’s pitching. But even he believed there was no adjusting to that speed in such a short amount of time, which led him to doing a swing and a miss on the third pitch.

 

“HAHAHA! Better luck next time, Spitz-senpai! I’m sure you’ll be able to hit at your next at-bat!” Sawamura grinned widely.

 

“Sa~wa~mu~ra~! You better be careful of what you say.” Ryousuke was being unceremoniously more expressive, and not in a good way as you could tell he was clearly agitated after striking out. “I may not be able to do anything to the older you but I know where ‘you’ sleep and I have enough blackmail on Mochi to do my evil bidding!”

 

“Eek!” Sawamura squeaked out as he ran to hide behind Haruichi, while the mentioned shortstop slowly moved behind Miyuki to stay hidden from Ryousuke’s radar.

 

“Don’t worry, Aniki’s not being serious.” Haruichi laughed nervously, thinking that his older brother was just teasing but the evil glint in Ryousuke’s smirk was unmistakable. Haruichi’s breath hitched. “Kami, you’re serious?!”

 

Ryousuke did not even respond as he moved into the dugout, and his silence alone only made it worse.

 

While Sawamura was fearing for his life, Eijun was having his own inner turmoil and wondering how far this rabbit hole goes. This is the last time I drink any fucking potions! The fridge was too far, I said! Just drink the weird enchanted liquid your friend gave you…Yeah…Will I ever grow out of this idiotic phase?!

 

Eijun lightly berated himself, feeling as though he has not really left his humble beginnings, and made an assumption that that may be a good thing. He may not be as blindly determined or seeking out praise as he often did but he still is and will always be that sunshine child at heart.

 

Eijun’s smile was hidden under the shadow of his cap before he looked up with a beaming smile. “Let’s strike ‘em out, Chris-senpai!”

 

~~~

 

The next group ended up being Okumura, Furuya, and Sawamura coming up to bat against his Two-seamer. The three struggled even more than the alumni who went before them.

 

Okumura was the better batter out of the three of them but his focus was completely shattered as a batter, as he became hyperaware of Eijun's pitching, his body position, the swing of his left arm, etc. He was so caught up in Eijun’s pitches as a whole, that he forgot to swing and no one could really fault the boy for that. Though Kataoka did make a remark for him to use that analyzing gaze in order to aid his swing for his next at-bat and Okumura quickly nodded before ducking his head as he walked back to the dugout.

 

He did pay a glance at Eijun on the mound and the older just gave him a warm smile his gaze turned back to the catcher in front of him. Okumura was observant and if not to anyone else, then he was always particularly observant of Sawamura Eijun. So, this older him was no different and Okumura could see the slight shift in Eijun’s demeanour when he moved his gaze.

 

It was only a glimpse but the seriousness of the southpaw’s look, it was as if he was being burned. But unlike Sawamura’s gaze which felt like being burned by something hot, like your hand getting caught in a fire, Eijun’s pitch was different. It was more like that stinging almost burning feeling when you hold ice for too long.

 

Okumura turned his head, his icy eyes gleamed with excitement and anticipation due to the want -the need- to be able to experience the older southpaw’s pitching firsthand. Counting down the pitches until it is his turn to squat behind the home base.

 

Furuya’s aura was burning before he even stepped into the batter’s box with the fact that it was even visible, being the interesting part. The aloof pitcher was more so known for having his aura ooze out of him on the mound but Eijun found it intriguing to see the power pitcher’s aura burn brightly after throwing his first pitch to him.

 

‘BAAM’

 

“Strike!” Kataoka called out, a small smile gracing his lips though no one would see it under his protective mask.

 

Furuya had not moved during that first pitch but Eijun could have sworn this is the most expressive he has ever seen him. It was like Furuya had a ticked mark on his forehead and his brows were furrowed deeply as he stared at Eijun.

 

I love that look~! Eijun grinned behind his mitt, his fingers flexing around the baseball nestled within. He could admit to himself that he has grown a bit sadistic due to his numerous arsenal, and being able to rile batters up by them never knowing what he could throw next. But it had its downsides as well.

 

‘BAAM’

 

“Strike Two!”

 

He needs a strong catcher, not just physically but mentally as well. A tactician who could coordinate with him to figure out what pitch was best against what batter. Someone who is as secure as he was steady in order to catch his pitches and not be blown away by them. A person who was willing to take risks in tight situations.

 

Miyuki, Chris, and Okumura are just a few of the catchers he has played with that have fit that bill, and if not right now then they certainly do later.

 

He loves to toy with a batter, to play with them in a way that makes him think of them as diamonds. All of them are refined gems in his eyes, so strong and a force to be reckoned with but if hit just right…with the right pitch. Eijun breaks diamonds.

 

‘BAAM’

 

“Strike Three! Batter Out!”

 

The satisfaction that ran through Eijun when he watched Furuya complete his second and third swing without even grazing the ball was rejuvenating. But he had to rein in his expression, out of fear of crushing Furuya underneath his pressure.

 

“I won’t lose! Just you wait!” Furuya said as he lowered his bat, his eyes never once leaving Eijun’s own.

 

I guess I don’t have to worry about ever accidentally crushing his spirits. Eijun smiled as he nodded at Furuya’s declaration. “I’ve faced adversity most of my life, Furuya. Bring it on~!”

 

No one seemed to pick up the true meaning behind Eijun’s words but his choice of words held truth. A gravity that his younger self would come to terms with years later and will only grow more because of it.

 

Furuya walked steadfastly back to the dugout, a new goal set in mind as he stepped toward Miyuki who was near the railing. “I would like to pitch, senpai.”

 

“Hai, Hai~.” Miyuki snickered as he waved a hand flippantly. “Unfortunately -for you-, I’m sure we’ll all be packing it in early today.”

 

“What?! Why?!” Sawamura shrieked from his spot in the deck circle.

 

Miyuki had a Cheshire grin plastered on his face. “Because we will be interrogating you, Sawamura~!! The older you~!”

 

Eijun felt a cold chill run down his spine causing him to shiver and he turned to narrow his eyes at the dugout. Even from afar, he could see Miyuki grinning with malicious intent and he was sure the alumni were out for vengeance against him as well.

 

Let’s hope I’ll be able to survive here long enough for me to get back to my own time. Eijun muttered inwardly as he turned to look forward at Chris standing up and coming toward him.

 

“I remember your Two-seamer always resembling a Shuuto but I think now, I would consider it an actual ‘Shuuto’.” Chris said before lowering his voice. “But I’m sure you don’t see much of a difference, right?”

 

“Yeah. On the western side of the world, they don’t really distinguish the contrast between a Two-seamer and a Shuuto. But here, a Shuuto has a more sharp horizontal break.” Eijun gave a small shrug while smirking yet keeping his voice low too. “I identify the pitch as a Two-seamer to follow the norm over there but in all technicality; it is a Shuuto.”

 

“Makes sense, I did have to lower my mitt a bit to readjust to the break. As it was lower than what I am initially used to.” Chris said while handing the baseball over. “It is a nice pitch, and I am looking forward to seeing how you’ll~ react to it.”

 

Eijun raised a brow at that but Chris began to walk away before he even could pose a question as to what he meant. But when he looked to the approaching southpaw going to meet Chris at the batter’s box, Eijun understood what the catcher meant.

 

Exuberant as ever, Sawamura stood on the left side of the batter’s box with a smile on his face yet a purposeful gleam in his eye.

 

“If anyone should hit off me, it should be me!!” Sawamura yelled out confidently.

 

“You would actually have to be able to hit, Sawamura!” Kuramochi cackled.

 

“Ah, Mochi-senpai!! Who said I needed to swing at it as you do?!” Nothing was going to get Sawamura down at this moment as he fell into his bunting stance. “This Sawamura Eijun will prove to you all that he is able to get the first hit with my amazing bunting skills!! Mwahahaha!”

 

Eijun laughed lightly along with his younger’s proclamation but also wondered if his younger self could get a hit off his pitch. It was not impossible, he always was tenacious if nothing else and -not to toot his own horn- probably the best bunter on Seidou’s baseball team all three years of his high school career.

 

No one seemed to get it~! Eijun snickered as he spoke under his breath while his younger yelled it out loud. “It’s all in the hips!”

 

Though the older Eijun could not see it, the younger one could clearly see Kuramochi’s scowl while the shortstop called for the older’s attention. “OI, Eijun! Do me a favour and knock yourself down a few pegs!!”

 

“Well, I guess all’s fair in love and war.” Eijun smirked while his younger self screeched indignantly. “Sorry, Sawamura. I won’t be going easy on you just because you’re me!”

 

“Actually, you are me! And I wouldn’t have any other way!!” Sawamura called out with a grin.

 

“Whatever floats your boat! Get ready!” Eijun said back as he began going through his pitching motion.

 

His pitch zoomed towards the home plate at an immense speed, it nearly took Sawamura’s breath away. But the moment that actually left him breathless was right after the ball broke downwards.

 

‘Clang’

 

“Eh?” The sound fell from Sawamura’s mouth as he watched the ball connect with his bat and he subconsciously killed the speed of the pitch. He did not think he was actually going to hit his older self’s pitch especially not on the first one, and he clearly was not the only one shocked by the events.

 

But what Sawamura did not know is that Eijun had planned to let him hit, and had moved off the mound swiftly, picking up the ball and throwing it to Maezono at first base who had been abnormally quiet as he had still been trying to wrap his head around the whole time travel ordeal.

 

He caught the ball almost listlessly, and if it were not for Eijun’s accuracy that throw would not have ended well.

 

“Out!”

 

“EHH?!” Sawamura screeched and then pointed a finger towards Eijun. “Y-You! You baited me!!”

 

Eijun grinned, pleased with himself. “You made it too easy not to. You knew I was going to throw a Two-seamer and I knew you were going to bunt. I aimed for your bat, and knowing myself, I knew you’d kill the speed on the pitch. I just had to get there and throw the ball to first.”

 

“Ha…Ha…Kyhaaa!!!” Kuramochi doubled over in laughter while literal steam escaped Sawamura’s ears.

 

“All’s fair in love and war, remember~!” Eijun repeated.

 

“Yeah but ‘that’ was not fair!!” Sawamura cried out with a pout.

 

“Actually, Eijun-kun. I believe it was.” Haruichi said, raising his voice a bit to be heard over Kuramochi’s wheezes.

 

“Wha?!”

 

“It was, Sawamura.” Chris said and looked at Eijun. “I am pleasantly surprised at your methods. No bars held, no remorse to the batter, your catcher, or the players behind you. It’s fascinating to watch.”

 

“Sorry, but it’s not like I’ve never acted on my own accord before.” Eijun said and caught the ball thrown back from Maezono who still remained uncharacteristically quiet, so much so that Eijun feared he would explode sooner or later. He turned back to look at Sawamura. “I do recall throwing a lot of bounce pitches once upon a time~!”

 

“Don’t remind me. You have no consideration for your catchers, do you?” Chris shook his head in an exasperated yet fond manner.

 

“Hello! I am standing right here, you know!” Sawamura frowned as he looked between his older self and Chris.

 

“Oh, we know.” Eijun smiled and let out a little laugh. “I admit, that was a bit dirty. I promise next time to give you a proper chance.”

 

“Thank you!” Sawamura huffed and walked back to the dugout with his head held high. “I still was the first to get a hit of you!!”

 

“You are, indeed.” Eijun laughed.

 

“I almost feel useless back here.” Kanemaru said.

 

Kuramochi spoke, having caught his breath after laughing so hard and sounding as if he ran a mile. “I know, right! I’m getting stiff from the lack of movement.”

 

“It's kinda turned into just batting practice rather than situational.” Haruichi stated.

 

Eijun turned and gave a smug grin. “You guys can always go and join the batting lineup if you want. I’m happy to help clean up the balls that get hit past me if any do.”

 

“Is that a challenge, Eijun?!” Kuramochi narrowed his eyes at the southpaw.

 

“I don’t know~. Is it, Mochi-senpai~?!”

 

“Ooo, you are so on!” Kuramochi cackled as he turned to Kataoka to see if their coach opposed this, which he did not. Kuramochi promptly stepped off the field and made his way to the dugout. “Miyuki, pass me my bat!!”

 

Eijun snickered as he turned to Chris. “We’ve got 8 more pitches to go, senpai. My Fastball or Palmball Change-up, the choice is yours.”

 

“Let’s make them count!” Chris called back as Kuramochi stepped back out onto the field, this time adorning his batting gloves with his bat in hand and helmet on his head.

 

Kuramochi settled into his batting stance and in all manner of seriousness, Eijun felt like the shortstop was truly out to get him. But maybe he was reading too much into it and simply, Kuramochi just had something to prove.

 

His eyes shifted from the batter to the catcher, watching as Chris signed for his Number 1 before he began going through his pitching motion.

 

Fastball for life~! Eijun said in his head like it were his lifelong mantra, zoning in on his idiosyncratic pitch that started it all. This is the pitch that brought him places, to Seidou, his university, and even the few teams he was drafted for in the MLB. His Fastball always moved erratically but now with his added speed and control, it was his deadliest weapon of choice.

 

Chris was quite frankly running out of words to define the perfection he was seeing. He moved his mitt to accommodate the trajectory of the breaking Fastball as it slammed into his glove at the top and inside corner of the strike zone.

 

‘BAAAM’

 

Chris had to hold back a smile at hearing the sound of Kuramochi exhaling out after possibly unconsciously holding in his breath.

 

“Strike!!”

 

“Ha..Ha…Ha.” Kuramochi chuckled breathlessly as he turned to look at the ball in Chris’s mitt then back at the southpaw. “It’s faster when you’re actually standing in the batter’s box.”

 

Chris let out a hum as he threw the ball back. “It is an impressive feat..to see him like this.”

 

“Yeah.” Kuramochi agreed before pointing his bat at Eijun whose had a smile that just would not leave his face. “I don’t take kindly to you almost hitting me, Eijun!!”

 

“But I didn’t~, Mochi-senpai!” Eijun called back as he caught the ball. “Maybe you should not be crowding the plate! It’s like you’re asking for it~!”

 

“Brat!”

 

“I prefer ‘you little terror’ these days, but I guess ‘brat’ will suffice.” Eijun shrugged playfully while Kuramochi rolled his eyes and got back into his batting position.

 

Chris signalled for Eijun’s Number 3 this time and the southpaw hid his grin behind his mitt, while his eyes roared with excitement. Chris-senpai’s getting serious, it would seem. How fun~!

 

Eijun went through his motions and threw his Palmball Change-up, which became a house favourite on the teams he has played for in the MLB since the grip used for this pitch is a Japan exclusive -for the most part-. His American teammates had gone crazy over this Change-up due to its higher velocity and sharp down-and-to-the-left break.

 

But what happened next had left Eijun more surprised than when he had awoken in the alleyway earlier today.

 

‘Clang’

 

“Oooh!”

 

The ball flew down the left side of the field, going a pretty far distance but was still too far to the left to be ‘fair’.

 

“Foul!” Kataoka called out.

 

“Awww!”

 

“You were so close, Kuramochi!!” Jun yelled from dugout.

 

“It was an impressive swing.” Yuki said, aura still burning intensely.

 

“I’m pretty sure it was just luck.” Ryousuke grinned as he looked in the direction of his former keystone partner then towards the southpaw on the mound.

 

Eijun whistled lowly at the ball that had stopped rolling in the distance before he turned back to Kuramochi with a big smile. “You swung with no hesitation on that one! But I bet you didn’t think I was going to throw a Change-up, which is why your bat clipped it up and out.”

 

“I admit I was a bit surprised myself.” Kuramochi grinned as he looked towards Chris. “That was your call, I presume. Hm, Chris-senpai?”

 

“Guilty as charged. Nice hit.” Chris laughed softly as he stood and accepted the extra ball from Kataoka. “It was certainly nice pitch though.”

 

“I was not expecting it, I was too focused that he would only throw Fastballs to me. I got lucky.” Kuramochi stated, unknowingly confirming the older pink haired boy’s thoughts as well.

 

“Well, your luck has ran out.” Eijun said as he raised his mitt in the air as a gesture for Chris to throw the ball back. “That was the last hit you're getting off me for this at-bat.”

 

“How kind of you to keep such a humble mindset.” Kuramochi smirked.

 

Eijun grinned. “Oh~, I don’t doubt for second that none of you will get a fair hit off me. In fact, I’m actually hoping for it to happen. But will you be the first proper hit, se~np~ai?!”

 

“You’re right, you are a little terror. Though I have a few choice words I would prefer to call you as well, Eijun~!” Kuramochi gripped his bat tightly as he prepared himself for the southpaw’s next pitches, now with a count of 1-1.

 

Sadly -for him-, Kuramochi struck out swinging on the next two Fastballs and grumbled slightly under his breath as he straightened up. He looked toward Eijun who was ready to say something but the shortstop’s glare stopped him.

 

“Do not say a word. I’ll get a hit off you at my next at-bat. Am I clear?!” Kuramochi said in serious tone.

 

“Hai, senpai!” Eijun confirmed, all smiles as he even offered the shortstop a small salute. "Crystal clear!"

 

Kuramochi just sighed as he began walking back to the dugout with Miyuki passing him on the way.

 

“Those were some nice swings, Mochi~!” Miyuki patted Kuramochi’s shoulder, good-naturedly. “I’m sure you’ll connect next time~!”

 

“Oh, shut up!” Kuramochi scowled. “I’d like to see you do better!”

 

“Oh~, I will!” Miyuki gave a shit-eating grin as he continued to the batter’s box and gave a small bow of his head in greeting. “Always nice seeing you in catcher’s gear, Chris-senpai.”

 

Chris smiled as he looked up at Miyuki but narrowed his eyes in a playful manner. “But I am sure you can’t wait to take my place.”

 

Miyuki’s grin spread. “Most definitely~!”

 

“Ah, Miyuki. Or should I say Captain? Cap? Mr. Cleanup, perhaps?” Eijun listed off some options.

 

“I’m the least likely to be baited by you, Eijun. I know how you tick.” Miyuki said with what sounded like the upmost confidence, which irked Eijun just a bit but he was not going to let that show.

 

“Shame.” Eijun gave a small innocent tilt of his head. “Shall we then?”

 

“We shall~!” Miyuki said as he settled into his batting position and Chris signalled for Eijun’s first pitch, Number 3.

 

‘BAAM’

 

Miyuki did not swing or move an inch at the Palmball Change-up that came toward him, only watching as it broke and slammed into Chris’ mitt.

 

“Strike.”

 

The next pitch that was thrown was Eijun’s Two-seamer, watching it break horizontally in a far more drastic motion than what he has seen with Sawamura’s own.

 

‘BAAM’

 

Miyuki looked from Chris’ mitt to the catcher, himself. “Shuuto?”

 

“He says he still calls it his Two-seamer but knows it is a Shuuto.” Chris smiled as he threw the ball back.

 

“How interesting!” Miyuki had a small smile grace his lips.

 

He had to admit that every nerve in his body was sparking uncontrollably, his neurons sending countless messages of excitement that wracked through his entire being. If asked to describe the Sawamura Eijun in front of him right now in three words or less, Miyuki would not find it hard to say: The Perfect Pitcher.

 

“Stop holding out on me, Eijun! Give me what I want!” Miyuki called out as he settled deeper into his stance and readjusted his grip on his bat.

 

Eijun’s grin had stretched from ear to ear as he stared down at Miyuki with a icy-hot glare before going through his pitching motion for his Fastball.

 

The glint in Miyuki’s eyes was unmistakable as he watched the pitch that had gotten him intrigued with the southpaw, to begin with, but this time watching the perfected version of it.

 

The pitch was as volatile as its pitcher was and Miyuki could admit that if he stared at it too long, he could possible get dizzy or forget that he had to swing. But thankfully, his body began moving for him while his brain was wrapped around the magnificent pitch.

 

Miyuki swung the bat with his entire body, a ferocity that he has been working on with all the nightly practice he has been doing to achieve a stronger swing.

 

‘CLANG’

 

The sound of the ball connecting with the bat reverberated across the field, while the ball itself was sent flying but not in the direction people expected. The line drive zoomed back towards Eijun on the mound, and everyones’ eyes went impossible wide.

 

Eijun’s eyes widened as well but not as much as everyone else’s because this is something he faces more times than he would like to recount.

 

Out of pure instinct and some reflex, Eijun’s right hand shot up and replace the spot of where his head was as his body tilted to the left in order to let the ball fly by in case it misses his mitt.

 

‘BAAM’

 

Eijun’s right hand curled around the ball to keep it within the grasp of his mitt as he brought his hand down to meet with his left and turned his body completely, following through with the momentum of it all.

 

He stepped off the mound with a smile and turning back to look toward the home plate, he held the ball nestled in his mitt up to the sky.

 

“I don’t think you know me as well as you think you do, Miyuki. Not anymore.” Eijun said with a shit-eating grin. “Oh~, and by the way. You’re Out!”

Notes:

I referenced the catch Eijun made to Miyuki’s batted ball to an actual catch in the MLB, you can check it out in the video below (with the timestamp, though it is hard to miss as it’s the first video in the compilation) or check out the short article with a video of it as well in the link beneath the first.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlF9b346K94
0:00-0:11

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/baseball/mlb/david-price-does-it-all-1.3237964

2015, David Price; a southpaw playing for the Toronto BlueJays at the time, shows some astounding glove work by catching a line drive hit back at him by Jacoby Ellsbury; leadoff batter for the New York Yankees. Top of the first inning, first out of the game.

I hope I did each of the catchers a little justice to how they see Eijun even if Okumura and Miyuki have not exactly caught for him yet but have experienced the older southpaw's pitches from a batter's perspective.

This was a fun chapter to write, and honestly, I'm proud of myself for the line about Eijun treating batters like diamonds. They are really hard to break but it is not impossible. This is a cool way to look at athletes as a whole, who have trained most of their lives to be almost impervious to breaking in any situation that could happen in their line of work.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

I'm not sure exactly where I'm going from here but I have ideas and I'll do my best to gather my thoughts in order to get another chapter out next week Wednesday.

💙 ShaeShae 💙

Chapter 5: Notice

Hello, everyone.

This is not something I wanted to make but I believe it needs to be pointed out.

I do not want my work to be posted outside of my permission. It is wrong and I don’t feel comfortable with it at all.

I put a lot of effort in writing this story, to edit it myself, to feel happy with it despite the countless errors and mistakes.

It has recently been brought to my attention that someone has copied and pasted KOPCCOF elsewhere, and despite my attempt to reach said person they have not responded.

I feel as though I was reasonable, I gave multiple days of notice asking politely for my story to be taken down but have yet to see any action being taken by said person. At this point my hands are tied.

I honestly have not been in a good mindset these past couple weeks and with this, I feel as though I have hit rock bottom.

It saddens me to see that I am also not the only one who is affected by this. I can empathize with other authors who have gone through it and are also going through this type of situation, I offer my sympathies.

I would like to let you all know that I appreciate every single one of you who have and are currently enjoying the fan-fictions I write but please, please. I am begging you.

PLEASE DO NOT REPOST MY WORK WITHOUT MY PERMISSION.

Until this is solved, I will not be continuing Blast To The Past. I apologize to those who have been looking forward to the next update but I no longer see a reason to be writing if my effort should be taken for granted.

I once again, appreciate all the readers who have enjoyed my stories. Thank you so much.

Until I write again,

ShaeShae

Chapter 6: Recognition

Notes:

Hello, everyone.

I would first off like to thank everyone for the well wishes. My story was taken down from the account, and I appreciate everyone who also helped in reporting the story that was posted without my permission.

In the future, I advise any of you that if you see any of my fanfictions posted on an account that is not mine (AO3 or Wattpad), to bring it to my attention. I am by no means forcing any of you to feel obligated in reporting the stories yourself but I always will appreciate the extra help. Thank you very much.

Now, I know it's not much but I hope this 5,000+ words chapter will suffice as an apology for missing out on so many weeks.

The amount of footfall that came towards him was quite vast in comparison to when only Sawamura was running onto the field in an impromptu fashion. Eijun was not sure who was speaking and who was saying what, respectively, as they all barked out questions in unison.

 

“WHAT?!?!”

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Is your hand alright?!”

 

“How on earth did you make that catch?!”

 

“Am I seeing things right? There is no way…”

 

“What the actual F—!?!”

 

Eijun just started to laugh lightly as he held his hands up in surrender, unsure of what to do or who to address and answer first.

 

“Alright, all of you. Give him some room.” Kataoka, thankfully, interfered as he approached the group by the mound as well. Upon his instruction, the group backed off the southpaw who let out a sigh of relief and directed a smile towards his former coach.

 

“Thank you, Kantaku.” Eijun was ever grateful to not be bombarded with a whole bunch of questions at once. He took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts before relaying his answers. “Yes, I am perfectly fine. Yes, my hand is alright. A little tingling sensation but it’ll go away in time.”

 

Eijun removed his hand from his mitt and moved his hand freely, clenching and opening before moving each finger individually to show that his movement has not been hindered.

 

“How I made that catch…intuition, reflex, a little bit of luck. But mostly practice.” Eijun grinned. “And, yes. You are seeing right~.”

 

The surrounding people were pretty much left in astonishment but got over it relatively quickly as they slowly started to get used to how full of surprises this older Eijun was.

 

“Ha…Ha…HaHaHa!” Miyuki broke out into laughter, throwing his head back but only taking a few moments to find his composure again and grace everyone with his shit-eating grin. “I can’t believe I’m saying this…but I am impressed, Eijun.”

 

“That I got you out? Good~, I’m glad!” Eijun returned Miyuki’s shit-eating grin, and Miyuki just smiled.

 

“Well, yeah. That, and the fact that you caught the ball. I’m truly floored, it is a wonder to see you make such leaps and bounds.” Miyuki said not falling for the older’s goading.

 

Eijun just rolled his eyes but smiled. “Well, wonders never cease.”

 

“That was a nice catch, Eijun.” Chris said interrupting the stare-off Miyuki and Eijun were having. “I have to admit, I was scared for a second there. Miyuki does not hit as poorly as he used to with no one’s on base.”

 

This got Eijun to cover his mouth, hiding a snicker behind his hand while Miyuki paled a bit. “Chris-senpai!”

 

“No need to worry, Chris-senpai. I’ve caught line drives similar to that one, which had a harder impact.” Eijun said and shivered a bit at the memory while clenching his right hand. “Those are the ones that leave my hand numb and get me benched for the rest of the game. Plus, when I do get my feeling back…oh boy~. The worst!”

 

“I don’t know if that is you taking a jab at my batting or not.” Miyuki interjected.

 

“Careful there. Your ego is showing, Miyuki.” Eijun smirked and the catcher scowled.

 

“Kyhaaa! That’s one way to shut him up! Nice one, Eijun.” Kuramochi cackled while Miyuki just turned his glare towards the shortstop, if looks could kill.

 

Eijun just laughed softly before he noticed two things, one burning aura and the other blinding to the point that he had to squint his eyes in order to protect them from the excruciating brightness.

 

“Teach me how to do that!” Furuya said, more like demanded.

 

“No, he needs to teach me! I’m the one who’s going to be able to do it in the future. I’m standing right in front of me, having just done it. That’s all the proof we need!” Sawamura exclaimed as he pushed past Furuya a bit and stood in front of Eijun. “Teach me how to catch like that!!”

 

Eijun stepped back from the two before speaking. “I told you, it takes practice. Really, among other things. But in all honesty, you would be better off dodging if you can.”

 

“But I want to do that!” Sawamura whined.

 

“You will in time.” Eijun said in a comforting manner and then looked at Furuya. “And you’ll get it as well. Practice, that’s all there is to it.”

 

Furuya’s aura did not quell, in fact, it burned brighter as he turned to Sawamura. “I’m going to be able to do it before you.”

 

Sawamura furrowed his brows and glared back at his rival. “No way! And even if you do, I’m going to be able to do it regardless! Take that!”

 

Eijun just smiled as he watched his younger self and Furuya argue back in forth, the sparks of rivalry really flying between the two of them before Miyuki separated the two.

 

“Alright, you two. Quit your bickering.” Miyuki said with his smirk back on his face. “Or take it back to the dugout because as I recall, it is my turn to catch for Eijun.”

 

Eijun inwardly smirked but was not going to tease Miyuki anymore, or not now at least. “You heard him~. Shoo, shoo~!”

 

~~~

 

Miyuki was truly elated during his time as the catcher for Eijun. It was like everything worked out so naturally for the battery pair as if despite Eijun being older he was still the same Sawamura Eijun in front of him.

 

But Miyuki was not going to lie and say he was entirely the same, of course, there were some differences. The most visible would be Eijun's newly developed body which has become a housing unit for such an impeccable pitcher but also his whole demeanour has simmered down, is how Miyuki would phrase it.

 

Standing on the mound, Eijun could make whoever his target is feel like they are either going to burst into flames or completely freeze. A thrill thundered down Miyuki’s spine when he saw how the southpaw could control it, switch between a fiery gaze or an icy stare with ease.

 

Another difference was that Eijun shook off Miyuki’s calls more times than he would like but that was just out of spite yet in a teasing manner. When Miyuki had gone up and questioned the older southpaw about it after the fourth time, Eijun just laughed out loud and told him he was just playing with him.

 

Explaining that there was nothing really wrong with Miyuki’s calling it was just that Miyuki had little to no faith that Eijun could strike any of them out with whatever pitch he had available. Now, Eijun did not mean to brag but after that first pitch to Yuki, he had been holding back a bit on his speed but kept the accuracy up.

 

Eijun grinned as leaned slightly down to whisper to Miyuki that if he wanted to toy with batters, then he should go on right ahead. “I’ll throw to your mitt regardless of where you put it~.”

 

Eijun was basically speaking Miyuki’s language at this point because the shit-eating grin that broke out onto the catcher’s face was the best he had yet. Though, Miyuki was going to push it.

 

“So, that means I can call for your higher numbers then~?” Miyuki covered his mouth with his mitt, looking at Eijun expectantly.

 

“I won’t be coerced into showing my pitching repertoire, Miyuki. My first four Numbers are perfectly suitable. I told Chris-senpai the same.” Eijun snickered behind his mitt before resting a hand on Miyuki’s shoulder as he straightened up. “Besides~, it would only confuse me if we stuck to the calling method of my Numbers right now.”

 

Miyuki’s eyes widened. “You have more?!”

 

Eijun just smiled as he turned Miyuki around and lightly shoved him off the mound in the direction of the home plate. He stifled a laugh as he watched Miyuki listlessly walking back, most likely trying to figure out how many and what type of pitches he had now.

 

Eijun picked up the rosin sack as he thought to himself. I got Kanemaru out without him even swinging whereas, Maezono-senpai struck out swinging. Yuki and Onii-san senpai were able to get solid hits off my Four-seamer and Palmball Changeup, respectively. And Jun-senpai was able to foul off my pitches 3 times before I got him out on the fourth pitch.

 

And Sawamura truly came back with a vengeance on his second at-bat, managing to foul off one of my pitches before striking out as well. I admit I was impressed at the distance the ball went but clearly not as impressed as my former teammates. Exasperated as I was, it was funny to see how riled up my younger self got at their lacklustre reaction. 20 pitches down, 5 more to go. Next up is….

 

“Chris-senpai!” Eijun smiled as he saw Chris walking up to the batter’s box.

 

“I would like to think I have more of a fighting chance for my first at-bat, having caught your pitches already.” Chris smiled back before bowing his head to Kataoka and Miyuki.

 

“We’ll see about that.” Miyuki interjected and Chris only hummed in contentment as he stepped into the box on the right side.

 

“This is going to be fun!” Eijun called out as he dropped the rosin sack back on the mound, and the people in the dugout had to agree.

 

“500 yen on Chris hitting the first pitch.” Ryosuke smirked.

 

“Aniki!” Haruichi called out as he got ready to go up into the deck circle.

 

“Ooh~ you’re so on!” Jun grinned. “500 yen on Chris striking out on the first try, like the rest of us.”

 

“You two really should not be betting on him like this.” Yuki stated.

 

“What?! We’ve got to have our fun too~.” Jun said.

 

“I think it will be interesting to see the outcomes of this match-up. Chris vs the Eijun-Miyuki battery is a rare sight to see.” Ryousuke pointed out.

 

“That is true.” Yuki conceded. “Then I’m with Ryousuke on this one.”

 

Haruichi, unable to do much against his brother and senpais, just sighed as he stepped out of the dugout and moved towards the deck circle.

 

Miyuki who looked from Eijun, turned his eyes to look up at Chris and clicked his tongue softly when he saw his senpai with a smug grin that was not even directed at him. He turned his eyes back to the southpaw on the mound, coming to the conclusion that he can not start off with something easy against Chris.

 

Eijun watched as Miyuki signalled for his Number 3 and inwardly nodded as his gaze met Miyuki’s eyes, all the acknowledgement that the catcher needed. Best to throw off Chris’ timing from the get-go.

 

Eijun began going through his pitching motion for his Palmball Change-up, his grip relatively loose on the ball as he swung his arm at full power. The gleam in his eyes was unmistakable as threw the ball at his full capability, interested to see how Chris would counter.

 

The ball zoomed towards the home plate with such an intensity that anyone would mistake it for Eijun’s Four-seamer but the ball began to break downwards in a sharp manner as soon as it got close. Miyuki adjusted accordingly but he was not the only one to shift along with the movement of the ball as he watched the bat swing down and connect with the pitch.

 

‘CLANG’

 

The sound of the bat meeting the ball rang out as everyones’ eyes followed the ball that flew high into the air before falling down and landing between where the centre fielder and right fielder would be. At this point, the practice had become more about batting against Eijun than simulation work -meaning there were no fielders anymore-. This way the players had more chances to bat but it was also amazing to see how well off Eijun was at holding his own, barely any of them got fair hits.

 

“Colour me impressed!” Eijun said as he watched the ball stop rolling just before touching the back wall, he turned around with a smile. “You’ve improved since we’ve last played.”

 

“Is that a reference to future me?” Chris questioned with a grin as he lowered his bat.

 

“I am not that feebleminded to give out such information.” Eijun smirked. “I was referring to the game that transpired between the first string team and the current alumni. I remember catching your pop-fly quite easily back then but looking back at it now, I feel like you just gave it to me.”

 

Chris shrugged nonchalantly but admitted so. “You needed one last push.”

 

“I am ever grateful for the guidance, Shisho~!” Eijun singsonged with a small bow of his head and Chris laughed good-naturedly as he turned to walk back to the dugout.

 

As he stepped back into the dugout, Chris could not help but quirk a brow at the sight of Jun handing over 500 yen each to Yuki and Ryousuke.

 

“He He. Easy money~.” Ryousuke chuckled menacingly while Jun grumbled something incorrigible under his breath but Chris decided not to question it.

 

Eijun turned with a smile to see Miyuki approaching him, the pretty boy catcher had a peeved look adorning his face.

 

“Smile, Miyuki~. You’ll wrinkle faster if you keep that expression up.” Eijun smirked as he teased the catcher.

 

“Ha Ha, very funny. But I have a feeling that my looks won’t be strained by the creasing of brows.” Miyuki who gave a sarcastic laugh retorted with ease.

 

Eijun hummed, not agreeing nor denying the statement because he would not give anyone the satisfaction of weaselling information out of him of the future so simply.

 

“Sorry.”

 

“What?” Eijun whose brows raised before his eyes narrowed at Miyuki in question. “Why are you apologizing?”

 

“If I hadn’t called for your Number 3…” Miyuki started off but Eijun interrupted him.

 

“Which I agreed to.” Eijun stated with a smile. “If I wanted to shake off your call, I would have. If I had thought that my Palmball was not the best course of action, I’d have made the choice to disagree with your calling then and there but I didn’t.”

 

When Miyuki still did not look satisfied, Eijun continued on. “I’ve always trusted your calls, for the most part. Majority of which has always been right. And as I said, Chris-senpai truly surprised me with that hit…he caught us both off guard. There ain’t nothing new about a batter getting a hit. It’s not the end of the world…and it actually excites me for his next at-bat. I have no intentions of allowing a second hit!”

 

“So what you're saying is…you think I’m right.” Miyuki gave a shit-eating grin, brushing everything else aside.

 

That’s what you’re taking out of this?! You emotionally constipated fool! Eijun sighed inwardly but smiled nonetheless, not going to get riled up or feed Miyuki’s ego. “If that’s what you want to take from this, sure.”

 

“Thank you.” Miyuki smirked.

 

This time Eijun actually sighed. “That wasn’t a compliment.”

 

Miyuki only snickered as he turned around and made his way back to the home plate, leaving Eijun to contemplate how he dealt with Miyuki Kazuya at all. Soon enough, he decided to save himself from a resulting migraine before turning his attention to Haruichi who was stepping up to the batter’s box.

 

“Haruichi!!” Eijun beamed at the small pink-haired boy standing on the right side of the home plate.

 

“Eijun-san.” Haruichi smiled back before hoisting his wooden bat up and falling into his batting position. “I look forward to batting against you.”

 

Eijun saw the unmistakable glint of excitement in Haruichi's pink eyes, the rose orbs speaking more words than Eijun would ever actually need to hear. “The feeling’s mutual!”

 

He watched as Miyuki glanced at Haruichi for a moment longer before turning to look back at Eijun. Clearly, they both were on the same page that a Palmball Change-up would not work against this batter.

 

Haruichi is known for his pinpoint precision while batting, and it has only got better as time passed. Eijun would not put it past him if he got a solid hit off the first pitch like Chris, and he knew Miyuki was thinking the same way. Haruichi would spot my Number 3 a mile away.

 

Eijun raised his mitt in order to hide his grin behind it, his whole body was buzzing. He nodded when Miyuki finally made his first call and began going through his motion to throw his Fastball.

 

‘BAAM’

 

“Strike!” Kataoka called out.

 

“Oooh!” The onlooking players said in amazement as Haruichi did not even flinch as the pitch whizzed past his knees, some would deem a little too close for comfort.

 

“Aww~, I really thought you would go for that one, Haruichi.” Eijun partially whined but the nonchalance that radiated off him was evident.

 

“I guess you were mistaken.” Haruichi said, standing and waiting.

 

“Hm.” Eijun hummed with a smirk as he caught the ball back from Miyuki and waited for the catcher to signal for the next pitch.

 

‘Clunk’

 

Eijun’s brow twitched as he watched his Four-seamer being smacked back out, flying high and far but nowhere worth worrying about.

 

“Foul!” Kataoka called out as the ball landed far out in the right field on the other side of the foul line.

 

Intriguing. He swung late, so I can assume he has gotten a good grasp at the speed yet. Eijun smiled inwardly as he narrowed his eyes at Haruichi. Let’s see if he can do it again.

 

‘Clunk’

 

“Foul!” Kataoka called out once again as the ball followed the same trajectory as the last, though a little closer to being fair but not quite.

 

“Ooh, Haruichi is cornered.” Kuramochi said, leaning against the railing as he watched Miyuki take the second offered ball from Kataoka.

 

“I can’t really blame him, we all were in a similar position as he is. This Eijun is just that good, though…” Ryousuke trailed off as he turned from looking at the pitcher to the batter, his brother. “I expect Haruichi to get a hit unlike most of us on our first at-bat.”

 

“You think he will?” Kuramochi asked.

 

Ryousuke smirked. “I know he will.”

 

From the certainty that Kuramochi could hear in his former keystone partner, he had no inclination to doubt the younger Kominato any further.

 

Eijun could see a small furrow in Haruichi's brows as the batter looked at him. “I do hope you are not going easy on me, Eijun-san.”

 

“Oh, I assure you. I’m most definitely not!” Eijun’s eyes flickered with intensity and even though he was trying his best not to go crazy, he could not help himself.

 

Plus, with Miyuki knowing him well enough and calling his Two-seamer -Shuuto-. Eijun could feel his self-control tearing at the seams.

 

Eijun moved through his pitching motion in a ferocious manner but with such ease, his mind and body working in unison. Like a fine-tuned machine, Eijun made his pitching look effortless yet so inexplicably difficult all the same.

 

He threw his Shuuto and Haruichi narrowed his eyes at the incoming pitch, preparing to make contact with the pitch just as he did with the other two. Though despite the results he had formulated in his head, the outcome Haruichi received was something completely unexpected.

 

‘CRACK’

 

Haruichi’s eyes widened when he saw his bat beginning to warp, bending back with the wood splitting apart before breaking in half. The splinters went flying while the top half of his bat was launched towards the other side of the home plate.

 

The initial shock passed through him quick enough, Haruichi’s trained eyes quickly found the ball that was making its descent and falling right into the pitcher’s mitt.

 

Eijun’s eyes gleamed with a flash of brilliance as he stared up at his mitt with the familiar feeling of a baseball held within his grasp that it almost took him a while to come to his sense.

 

“Oh shit!” Eijun quickly turned towards the home plate and started making his way over, hastily. “Haruichi, are you alright?! I’m sorry, I got way too into that. I did not mean to throw it that hard but…I guess the heat of the moment got the best of me. Sorry, I’ll pay for a new bat.”

 

Haruichi only stared at him with a smile before shaking his head. “It’s alright, Eijun-san. It’s not the first time my bats have been broken.”

 

“Well, yeah but still. It really was not my intention to break your bat.” Eijun said looking at one half of the bat in Haruichi’s hand and the other on the ground.

 

“I don’t think most intentionally pitch to break someone’s bat. It’s fine.” Haruichi offered a small smile of reassurance before continuing on. “As for paying for a new one, I don’t know much about time travel but unless you have the money in cash…I’m not sure it will work.”

 

Eijun slightly paled as his left hand immediately reach for his pocket but then he remembered two things. One: his wallet was with his jacket and sunglasses in the dugout, causing him to look in that direction -ignoring all the wide-eyed stares he was getting in return. Two: he had used up all his Japanese currency for the sunglasses and hat he was wearing.

 

A decent wooden bat would range around $30 to $50 dollars but for a baseball student at Seidou, an everyday wooden bat would probably be $80 and up.

 

Eijun pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed. I don’t even have that much on me in USD (American currency). He looked back at Haruichi with a sheepish look and the smaller boy still smiled.

 

“Don’t mind, Eijun-san. I have a few backups, so you don’t have to worry.”

 

“I still feel bad.”

 

Miyuki who grabbed the other half of the bat on the ground straightened up with a grin. “Well. No use crying over spilled milk, as the saying goes. There’s no fixing it now.”

 

Haruichi accepted the rest of his bat from Miyuki, the two pieces now firmly in his grasp only giving a reminder of what it had been only moments ago. Haruichi looked up at Eijun with a spark in his eyes.

 

“I will hit off you next time.” Haruichi declared.

 

“In that, I have no doubts.” Eijun smiled and with Miyuki’s 25 pitches done, he could hear the group from the dugout approaching. He felt a particular set of silver eyes staring a hole into his back but he paid it no mind. “To make up for it, you can use Sawamura to throw as many practice pitches as you want later.”

 

“Wha?!” Sawamura gasped before he glared at his older self. “Why are you passing this onto me?! It was your fault! Don’t pin your crimes on me!!”

 

Eijun let out a gasp as he brought his left hand up to clutch onto his sweater, mocking a pained expression. “Sawamura. I am you, remember? In the whole grand scheme of things, this is technically your fault. Who told you to become this~?”

 

“You!!” Sawamura could tell when he was obviously being played with, especially with the way that his older self made a small gesture of showcasing his physique to drive his point home. Sawamura grumbled underneath his breath and Eijun chuckled, turning to the blond-haired boy who had vying for his attention since approaching.

 

“Eij—Senpai.” Okumura called out, seeming a bit uncomfortable at addressing him by his given name but Eijun did not mind and just tilted his head in question. But before Okumura could open his mouth, Kataoka began to speak.

 

“Alright, that is enough for now. You all should make your way to the cafeteria for your lunch and we will continue afternoon practice afterward.” Kataoka instructed and Eijun watched Okumura’s jaw slacken.

 

“But…Kantaku.” Okumura started off but Kataoka was not having it.

 

Their coach gave an expression that left no room for an argument. “Morning practice has already run long enough due to an unexpected visit. And you all need to eat, I don’t want you fainting on my field.”

 

“Hai.” The group said in unison and started making their way back to the dugout, everyone except Eijun.

 

Sawamura turned around and looked at his older self, confused. “Aren’t you coming with us?”

 

Eijun who had a fond smile on his face just shook his head. “No, I'll help clear up the balls from the outfield. There isn’t a lot anyway~!”

 

That was a small jab to those who were not able to get any hits off of him and oh boy, did Eijun see some auras flare-up.

 

“My diet has also changed in recent years, certainly not as heavy as three bowls of rice. I don’t think I could handle it now. It would feel like starting back at square one.” Eijun laughed lightly.

 

Lucky you~! Was a thought the players had, all of them having the experience and understanding of going through that adjusting period for their bodies to handle three bowls of rice.

 

Still, after that, no one made any movements until Miyuki let out an audible sigh and clapped his hands together.

 

“You heard the man. No point in letting the rest of us starve, so~…Get moving.” Miyuki ordered and with the final word from their captain, the team started moving once again. Eijun even caught a glimpse of a proud smile coming from Yuki.

 

Keeping the fond expression on his face, Eijun watched the team and alumni drop any stuff not needed in the dugout before making their way off the field. But not without Sawamura calling for his attention once more.

 

“You better come to the cafeteria after you are done!! We have a lot to talk about!!” Sawamura yelled.

 

“We’ll see~!” Eijun smirked as he gave a small wave, seeing them ascend the steps and head off in the cafeteria’s direction before he turned to look at the outfield.

 

He grabbed the ball nestled within his mitt and tossed it into the basket that had been resting behind where the umpire stood before dropping his mitt beside the home plate to pick up later. Lifting the basket, Eijun rested it underneath his arm and against his hip before making his way across the field.

 

He worked his way across, starting from the right side to the left. Many of the balls he picked up were the fouled-off ones, and Eijun could not help but let out a smug grin as he placed them one by one in the basket.

 

Walking towards the centre field, Eijun squatted down to pick up one of the balls that had been fair. As he picked it up and turned the ball in his hand, Eijun heard someone approaching behind him and them calling for his attention.

 

“Hey. It’s alright, you don’t have to do that. Truly, it’s one of my jobs as manager…” When Eijun stood and turned around, he got to see Yoshikawa Haruno’s eyes widen and her hands clasped over her mouth. “…Sawamura-kun?!”

 

Even with his bigger build, his deepened voice, visible tattoo, and overall matured features, Eijun surmised despite all that; he still looked like Sawamura Eijun.

 

Best to keep my story straight and tell the truth. Less I want to be tangled in a string of lies if keep changing things up. Eijun thought to himself as he smiled at the girl. “In the flesh. Or, I guess, older flesh.”

 

“What? What?!” Haruno gasped.

 

“It’s not easy to explain. But breath for a moment, Yoshikawa-chan.” Eijun said and watched her stare at him for a good amount of time before finally taking some deep breaths. He continued after she seemed to relax a bit. “Some of the team and alumni already know I am here. How I got here, per se, is…well, magic. To put it in as few words as possible.”

 

“It’s…Uhm, complicated and honestly sounds more stupid and illogical the more I try to explain.” Eijun sighed with a sheepish smile. “So, if you could do me a favour and go with the flow. It would be much appreciated."

 

Haruno stood there stunned for a while. “So…the team knows?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Kataoka-Kantaku? Takashima-sensei, too?”

 

“They do.”

 

“And…You, uh, the younger you?” Haruno looked at him with furrowed brows.

 

“I was as excitable as ever. Everyone surprisingly took the whole time-traveling thing well. Or well enough to leave at just that.” Eijun said and walked a short distance to bend down and grab another ball. “They all went to go eat, and I stayed back to pick up the balls.”

 

“Why’s that?” Haruno asked.

 

Eijun hummed curtly. “Because I felt like it, and to also clear my head a bit. This is…a lot, you know. To take in.”

 

“Yeah.” Haruno nodded before looking toward the left side of the field where the remaining balls were. “Here, let me help. This is my job after all.”

 

“By all means, I would never say no to offered help.” Eijun smiled brightly and saw a rosy hue appear on Haruno’s cheeks before she quickly turned to go start picking up some baseballs.

 

Eijun chuckled, recalling Haruno to have had a small crush on him back in high school but being too dense to realize it then. Either way, he was not going to do anything about it now, out of fear of changing anything. Instead, he just collected the baseball in peace and sometimes laughing to himself when he saw Haruno stumble over her feet a few times.

 

No matter how hard she tried, Haruno-chan always was a little bit clumsy, though she got better as years went on. Eijun smiled to himself as he dropped a few balls into the basket he had set down and looked towards Haruno who was coming over with one more.

 

“I think this is all of the—!” Haruno squeaked as she tripped and landed on her hands and knees. Eijun rushed over and came to stand in front of her, offering his hand to her.

 

“Are you alright, Yoshikawa-chan?”

 

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Just got caught by my own feet.” Haruno giggled, slightly embarrassed by her actions as she took Eijun’s offered hand and he helped her up. The blush that decorated her face was prominent but she still had a smile on her face. “It happens more often than I would like but I’ve gotten used to it.”

 

“Well~” Eijun smiled as moved to the side and picked up the ball she dropped before turning and throwing it into the basket with pristine accuracy, without any of the other balls falling out. He looked back at her as she made a small noise in awe. “I know for a fact that you’ll get better.”

 

Haruno looked up at the older Eijun, feeling her cheeks heat up and causing her to look away. “That’s nice of you to say, Sawamura…san. Thank you.”

 

“It is 'I' that should be thanking you.” Eijun said as he walked over and picked up the basket to rest on his hip once again. “I’m not sure how many times you and the other managers get to hear it, but we do appreciate all that you do for us. So, thank you, Yoshikawa-chan.”

 

Eijun was courteous enough to turn away and start walking back to the infield, leaving Haruno a blushing mess as she held her face that was as red as a tomato. He placed the basket back behind the home plate for later use and picked up the mitt he had discarded, dusting it off and turning to see Haruno approaching him once again.

 

“Will you be joining the rest of the team for lunch?” Haruno asked as she fiddled with her hands.

 

“No, I don’t think I will.” Eijun said with a smile. “Tell them I’ll be in the dugout and that they can find me there, after they finished eating.”

 

“Yeah, sure thing.” Haruno said with a quick nod and started to walk away as Eijun moved towards the dugout but she stopped before calling out to him once more. “It was nice talking to you, Sawamura-san. I hope to see you later.”

 

Eijun’s smile brightened. “I’ll be here all day.”

 

With that, he watched as Haruno walked away with an added pep in her step and he chuckled to himself as he grabbed his jacket off the railing and entered the dugout.

 

As he sat down, Eijun fished into his jacket’s pocket to retrieve his phone and sighed once again when he realized he had no cell service here. I’m not sure I can even access the WI-FI because of this whole time travel… magic…thing. Just great. I don't think I'll be missing anything important since today is my rest day in my time, if the rules of time are not as warped and convoluted as science and movies make it out to be. 

 

Eijun rested his jacket beside him and looked out toward the field. It really is strange, isn’t it? Being back here after all this time….

 

The image of the team walking away earlier, all of them so young and happy in their home away from home. Like a second family, from the alumni to the first years, they all seemed so together or as if they balance each other out would be another way to put it. Eijun covered his mouth as a yawn escaped him before he huffed out a breath, smiling fondly.

 

Is this what it feels like to have an out-of-body experience like you’re on the outside looking in? Eijun thought to himself as he crossed his arms by his chest, his head lulling to the side as his eyelids grew heavy. His head bobbed once then twice, a smile still resting on his face as Eijun’s eyes shut.

 

If it is...It's not that bad.

Notes:

I hope you all liked this chapter. We even got some Eijun and Haruno interaction in it!! 😊 Go Seidou Managers!! #GirlPower 🥳

I had to give Chris the hit, how could I not?! 😆

And Haruichi's broken bat was inspired by Sanada's Shuuto which did the same thing. It is truly astounding that a high school student could pull off such a feat, and with Eijun being an MLB player with more honed skills it's not unlikely that he could do the same. 😉

I love the Eijun/Chris/Miyuki banter, it is quite an interesting relationship those three have. 😊 😏

Anyway, I am still not sure if I will be posting every Wednesday. My creativity and will to write have sunk like the titanic, honestly. I don't even know how I originally planned for this to be a one-shot, then a two-shot, then to finish it in 4-5 chapters. 😅 Why is this looking like another 2 to 3 more?!

Either way, I hope you enjoyed it and I'll see you when I see you. 😌

ShaeShae💙

Notes:

First DNA fanfic of 2022, wow.

I had this idea for some time now, and it has been stewing in my brain for a good amount of time until I just gave in. And here we are. 😁

It was originally intended to be a one-shot but...yeah, that did not work out so much 😅 . So, my hope is to finish this in max of 5 chapters, and a minimum of 3. I have the second chapter finished -just needs to be edited- and am currently a thousand words or so in on the third...

But! 😏

To those who know me from my other stories, I love to make you all wait patiently as much as I love to leave stories off on cliffhangers 😚 . Twisted and sadistic, as usual. 😈 Nothing has changed since 2021. 🤗

I plan to upload every Wednesday at 12:00 am to 1:00 am EST for the next few weeks.

Please feel free to leave comments on what you think of the story so far, and I would love to hear -see- how everyone's doing. I know exams seasons are going on, so I wish those who are in school the best of luck!!

💙 ShaeShae 💙