Chapter 1

Eijun grew up with his left hand tied behind his back. It was their family tradition to tied the hand of the person who were born left-handed because they believed that this person will be cursed along with the rest of the family. Eijun was only tied up till he was seven years old. He figured it was all on account of his father. Eijun's father worked as a full-time driver for every different companies but his dream is to become a rock singer so he sometimes write down song lyrics using his left hand. The Cursed Hand, Eijun's grandfather called it.

"Leave my grandson go left-handed and he'll become miserable in life same as my fool son and I ain't about let that happen!" He once said.

Eijun had that tendency toward being left-handed, too. He couldn't help it. That's just the way he was born.

One day, the Sawamura family moved to Tokyo from Nagano, so Eijun had to transfer to a new school too. Since Eijun's father was a full-time driver (for every different companies), he moved his family around a lot. That's how it'd always been, anyhow. Eijun thought this time was supposed to be different. They were brand new in city. Eijun didn't specially care where he lived, as long as he can go to school. He's cared about studying because his grandfather would beat him if he didn't study.

During Eijun's first few days, after school, he spent minutes walking around the Seidou high school trying to find a good place to read the book. Sometimes he headed library to spend reading or doing homework there. Eijun figured the more he used his right arm to flipped the page or to write, the more natural he'd get. Then one afternoon, during his first week, he heard shouting and cheering rise up while walking towards the small forest of their school. Eijun took a deep breath, he keeps on walking into the small forest just to see what all the caterwauling was about. There, he found a baseball field, he spied a bunch of boys playing baseball.

He'd heard tell of baseball and he knew something about it, but he'd never actually played the game before. Where he come from, they mostly ran with their own kind. Less chance that way to wander off the path and on Eijun's path, baseball wasn't allowed. Eijun's grandfather frowned on sports. The whole generation of Sawamura family did. His grandfather said those sports were nothing but a waste of time, which would only lead a person to neglect studies.

"Just like your stupid father!" His grandfather liked to say.

But on that day, Eijun figured it wouldn't hurt to watch. He wasn't worried about neglecting his studies and such. Besides, baseball held a certain mystery for him. So he went closer to the field and stood a ways off, behind those men who were watching the play. Eijun was looking the other way, towards the fellow with the ball and that's when something happened, and it soon became the plague of him. He was just watching. Then one boy wearing goggle with smirk on his face stood up with the baseball bat in his hand and another tall boy with pale skin threw the ball at him. He hit it so far, it even flew past those fellow standing in front of Eijun. Clear over his head.

Rolled right up to Eijun's feet.

"Throw it in," some boy that looks like a wolf yelled ."Here, throw it to me."

By then everyone was yelling the same thing.

"Throw it. Throw it here. Throw it home."

So Eijun picked up the ball and heaved it as hard as he could. He threw it over everybody. All those players, all that commotion where everybody was running around, he threw it over them all, and Eijun wished he never did but he was glad his grandfather wasn't there to see.

They all stopped and looked at Eijun.

"You see that?" Eijun heard one say.

Eijun knew he'd done wrong. He'd tossed that baseball straighter and farther than any rock he's ever thrown when he was a kid, and he was so sorry about it. How Eijun was raised, it wasn't allowed. They all stood pointing and talking, every boy in the team but Eijun just hung there frozen, praying they'd never say a word to his grandfather. Bad enough throwing that baseball, but he had used the cursed arm.

Days passed, at their apartment, Eijun was on his best behavior while eating lunch beside his mother. His grandfather stared out over the table, narrowed-eyed, stone-faced, gathering his thoughts.

"How's your new school, Eijun?" His grandfather started.

"It's fine, grandpa." Eijun replied.

He looked right at Eijun, trying to figure out what his grandson had been thinking all week. He started to remember how he watch a sports game, throwing that baseball kept coming back to him. How some of the boys at his school had started in on pestering him about playing ball. How the fun he saw on that ball field, shouting and carrying on, how it didn't seem all that bad to him.

Eijun thought his grandfather knew, that he knew it all. Someone must've told him something, he figured. Eijun lowered his eyes. His grandfather saying true that the power of the curse as being left-handed leading him through that baseball field. That the curse had him pick up that ball and throw it. Eijun didn't move. He stared at his folded hands. He would not let his grandfather read his face or the worry in his brain but he felt sorry.

"Don't get distracted and neglect your studies!" His grandfather slammed the wood top. "Take your mind off all useless thing by staying focused on your education and dreams!" His voice rose up like a roaring lion and poured over the boy.

When Eijun didn't respond, his grandfather's eyes narrowed and slapped him across the face. He'd hit Eijun hard so there's a red mark already rising on his cheek. His mother was just sat, staring at the table and biting her lip. She didn't even move to interfere.

"Do you understand?!" He slammed down both hands.

In the silence that followed, Eijun could only hear his heart was beating so fast. He began to feel as if it might explode at any moment while his mother couldn't help but feel a little disappointed about not helping her son.

"Yes, grandpa!" Eijun replied.

After lunch, Eijun went outside to buy sweet foods in convenience store. He didn't even change clothes, he just snuck out while his grandfather was sleeping. While walking, Eijun sighed as he gently caressed his cheek. He was hurt, not so much by the slap but because of his grandfather's attitude and selfish thinking. He also felt that his mother did not care about her son.

Eijun paused to look out over the riverside of the city. Staring on it brought him peace. He walked over and picked a few small rocks. Throwing had been on his mind for days now, ever since he tossed that ball. He was feeling so high strung while having a conversation with his grandfather today. He decided to give it a go. Besides, it wasn't the curse tempting him. He was there all by himself.

Eijun picked a spot, there's an old dark hole in the riverside wall. One by one, he began tossing small rocks. The first few he threw with his right arm, but no luck.

"Being alone here, why not? How did one arm measure up against the other one, anyhow?" He figured.

So Eijun gripped another rock, turning it in his left hand and decided to find out. He aimed for the mark.

Whack!

Every single rock he threw with his left arm hit the target and fell inside. He must have stood there half an hour, plucking and tossing. But he felt like someone was watching him that time.

Monday, Eijun was reading in the library during break time.

"Hey, Sawamura," a tall, glasses boy who was older than Eijun whispered to him. "We got us a ball game right after school. How about you coming on down to play?"

It was only Eijun's second week in the new school and already trouble was brewing. He knew all about the baseball games his classmates, kouhais and senpais played till sunset. Could hear their shouting or also known as 'Seidou's Roar' sometimes all afternoon. But for now, he'd determined not to go back and watch. Thing was, there seemed to be something about his arm, his "good arm", the baseball club called it, that set some of them in on pestering him about it.

Every day it was, "Hey, Sawamura!" this and, "Hey, Sawamura!" that.

He had to admit it was a far sight better than having them pick on him, which was the normal welcome he'd get at most new schools. But what they didn't know was that even if Eijun wanted to, he couldn't play. His family forbid it.

"I got assignments, Miyuki-senpai." Eijun whispered back.

"Well, after that," Miyuki said. "Just drop on by."

The librarian spun around.

"Quiet!"

Miyuki pouted, then motioned to Eijun with his hand as if to say, "We'll talk about it later."

Eijun buried his face in and took a deep breath. Somehow he had to make Miyuki realize he just couldn't do it. But it felt good to be wanted and the fact was, Eijun did have a knack.

Yesterday on the riverside taught him that. His grandfather would have beaten him good if he'd known that what Eijun had done. But he figured, what his grandfather didn't know wouldn't hurt the old man or him. Besides, he only did it to find out how far he still had to go to turn right-handed. Plenty fat, it seemed.

Miyuki leaned over again without moving his lips, he said, "After school."

The librarian glanced up and glared.

Eijun quick ran his finger under the lines of poetry to work on his recitations while Miyuki stood up and went out of the library. Eijun looked up and scanned the room as he memorize the lines over and over in his head. Right then, one boy who looks like a wolf was staring at him. Okumura Koushuu.

Eijun quick looked away, like everyone supposed to do, pretending he was just drifting his eyes and thinking. Then he snuck a glance back, and there the wolf boy was, still a-looking.

What kind of kouhai would flat stare at his senpai, whether Eijun caught Okumura or not? Eijun thought there was something unsettling about the questions in Okumura's eyes.