Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its Characters. Bleach © Kubo Tite.
Chapter 44: Kazuma's Middle School Daze II
Tuesday, April 3rd, 1973
Having a shaved head is so itchy! Because my skin healed itself after my I had my head shaved, and some hair is growing back and it's becoming super itchy. I kept scratching my head during the movie and I couldn't concentrate on what was going on. That and there was too much on my mind. It's just because there's that parent/principal/coach meeting for today before school start has gotten be nervous. I don't know what I'm afraid of exactly.
My dad felt like driving me and my mom his red GTO to Gakuren. He kept the top up so Mom's hair won't get messed up by the wind. We arrived at the same time as Hiro's and Yuriko's families, 7 am on the dot. I didn't like waking up early today, neither did my parents, but this is an important matter for all of us. The meeting was at 7:15 and only the principal was here. Five minutes late, Coach Suzuki came.
He was a man in his 40s, with heavy wrinkles around his eyes and on his forehead.
"Are you the parents who are mad that their kids didn't make the team?" He commented arrogantly in front of three sets of parents.
Strike 1!
"If you were intentionally rejecting all 1st year students from joining the baseball club, you should have put up a sign stating that instead of wasting their time and effort." Yuriko's father spoke first.
"You're mistaken. I am not against 1st year students. I welcome all who are talented enough to join."
Strike 2!
"Then, can you explain to me why you rejected 14 first year students that have given me written statements claiming that none where allowed on the field to gauge their skill levels?" Yuriko's dad was straight to the point.
"Gauge their skill levels?" Suzuki furrowed his brow. "I can measure that by eye. Now, you can all stop wasting your time and stop being so sensitive about your children and recognize that I was good with my judgment to keep extra bodies off my benches."
Strike 3! Change fields!
"Please step out to the field, Suzuki." Yuriko's dad said while exiting the principal's office.
"For what? Are you going to fight me out there or something?" Suzuki huffed at his dare.
"I'm only fighting with your ignorance, Mr. Suzuki." He said coolly while walking out of the room.
I removed my school uniform jacket and Hiro took off his. We both handed the upper portion of our school uniforms to our mothers. I was glad my dad brought my spiked shoes with him and Hiro's dad brought his catching equipment. Our parents decided that the only thing to do was to demonstrate our skills properly in front of the coach. And doing that would put him in his place.
I stood on the cold mound, while Hiro crouched down in his catcher's position. He held his catcher's mitt perfectly still. We started with some warm up pitches. Nothing special or too fast, just slow warm up pitches to get my arm warm.
"Set." I said when I felt that my muscles were ready.
I could feel our parents, Suzuki and the principal watching us. I held the ball behind my back. I lifted my left leg up to counterbalance my leaning body. I could feel my blood rushing from my shoulder to my very fingertips. With one throw and perfect form, the white baseball was a blur as it found its line in Hiro's mitt. That was my fastball. It scared batters my age. It even scared some high school students who tried to bat at my pitch.
Hiro tossed the ball back at me, and I prepped myself to pitch again. I rolled the ball in my hand and placed my pointer finger and index finger on the stitching. It's time for a curveball. Ball at my back, foot up, lean back… and release! The ball curved beautifully in the air and was captured by Hiro's mitt.
"That's enough, Kazuma, Hiro." Yuriko's dad spoke up.
"How old are those kids?" Suzuki suddenly asked.
"I'm going to be 12 in July." I said in a loud voice.
"June for me." Hiro smiled brightly.
"Ah- I didn't think there were going to be kids like that. Otherwise, I would have let them on the field." Suzuki tried to take back his words without properly apologizing. "They can join the team."
"No, they're not going to join Gakuren's baseball club. They're going to join the little league club, the Marines, and get their Phys. Ed. Credit that way." Yuriko's dad announced to everyone.
"That's a waste! They're a co-ed team. They let girls play!" Suzuki grimaced at the thought of a co-ed team.
"Yuriko-chan?"
"Yes Dad?" Yuriko's voice was soft.
"Grab a bat." Her father commanded.
Hiro tossed the ball back to me.
"Wait a minute; she's not wearing a helmet." Suzuki said out loud.
"It's okay." Yuriko said while doing some practice swings. A lot of people don't realize this, but Yuriko can swing the bat faster than most guys.
I wanted to go easy on the pitching, but Yuriko would never forgive me if I did. I felt my arm getting warm again and made the pitch. A crack that echo across the field resounded in all of our ears. That was my fastball and she still got it on the center on her bat. It wasn't a pop fly, or a foul. This was an end of the left field hit. Instead of running around the bases in her Sailor uniform, she only smiled politely. Only a handful of people knew the truth about Yuriko. There was really a 1st level demon hiding behind that face of hers!
She's the one I've been practicing my pitches against. She could be a #1 slugger playing at Koshien if she was a guy. But I'm glad she's a girl, Hiro's even gladder than I am about that!
So, after showing Coach Suzuki the error of his ways, we left the diamond. Our parents had their real jobs to worry about and headed off to work. The principal congratulated us on embarrassing Suzuki because other parents had tried to argue with him before but got shot down.
I actually didn't even know about joining the little league until Yuriko's dad said what he said today. They play against schools and other teams. The Marines was only one of the few teams that offered co-ed members. That's perfect for us, because with Yuriko playing that would make us a battery of sorts. When our bases are loaded, she can waltz up to the plate with her deceptively gentle smile and release the 'Demon'.
Classes were normal, I don't remember the name of every person in my classes, but some did ask about my shaved head. I couldn't tell them the truth, the 'Girls think I'm handsome so I have to tone down my handsomeness by 50 percent' truth. I just told them that I was sick of my hair so I just shaved it off. Saying things like that made me look like some Yankee trying to be cool.
We went to the Marine team office to sign up our names. We had tryouts that day and were all accepted to the team. With the addition of us three, that brought the team's members to a total of 15. They were especially fearful of Yuriko's batting. Though, she was instantly popular with the members of the team. The coach there was a nice man named, "Hibiya". I didn't catch his first name but I'll find that out later. I didn't instantly replace their current pitcher, who was a third year middle school student, but I am up as his relief pitcher. And Hiro is the relief for the regular catcher.
We were measured for our uniform sizes, though they just give out a generic size.
I'm glad we all have club activities to do afterschool and on the weekends.
Good Night,
Ochi Kazuma
Sunday, April 8th, 1973.
We all played in our first Little League game. The other team was from school called, Gosei. And they were okay players. They didn't expect much from us because we had two girls who played as regulars on our team. Yuriko was placed as 2nd base in fielding and another girl played as shortstop. Her name was Anzu, but I didn't catch her family name. Everyone called her, 'Anzu', and I didn't bother myself to ask about her full name. She was pretty good, really quick on her feet. She played for the first 5 innings before being relieved. Yuriko got to play for a full 9 innings. Hiro took over 7 innings when Kei, the regular catcher, sprained his wrist. They didn't let me pitch until the end of the 4th, but I stayed in for the rest of the game.
The final score was 21 – 5. The five runs that they scored were from that other pitcher, Madoka. He didn't look like he was concentrating on the game. But he was still not a bad pitcher. He just seemed like he was thinking about something else. Some of the other teammates who know him well asked him what was up; he didn't say anything about any trouble. Yuriko wished him well, and he flirted with her. Her radiant smile softened his rejection. He took it well.
I wish girls would take it well when I say, "No thanks, not interested". Oh, they always get so hysterical and cry like they were counting on me saying 'Yes' or something and that they never ever expected me to say no. Sometimes, I read the letters I get from girls. Most of the time, I let my parents have a look at them. They get a real kick out of it. Especially the real cheesy ones that glorify my image and what they think of me. One letter went like this:
"Valuable Kazuma-sama,
I love you and I think that you are cool. We sit next to each other in class and I thank Kami-sama every day for this. Even when I can't look at you when we sit next to each other, I still can smell you. I like your smell. You smell good every day."
I smell good? Seriously, that's creepy to say to a guy! But my parents thought it was the funniest thing. They showed it off to their friends and work and our neighbors. They don't even recognize that letters like these hurt my pride as a man! I'm not supposed to 'smell good'. I'm supposed to smell like- normal. Like sweat from a hot summer's day, and the grass that I play baseball on.
I'm feeling pretty tired and I have homework due tomorrow.
Night,
Kazuma
Sunday, April 15th, 1973.
We found out why Madoka was being so distracted and distant. The company that his dad works for is relocating to Osaka. So he had to be uprooted with his family. That must be tough to be forced out of the place that you live. Leaving friends and places you like behind. He's already moved away earlier during the week. So that's made me the main picture with Hiro as my switch out. But if he's catching, the backup is Yuriko. She can pitch as well as me or Hiro, but she can pitch faster than anyone else on the team. And she's got great control over the ball.
Most of the team members were upset about the move. Especially the 2nd years who've known him as their Senpai. Anzu is a 1st year like me, but she seemed to take it pretty hard. She's naturally quiet, so most people couldn't tell, but she was troubled.
The Marines had another game. We played against the West Tokyo All Stars. They were another afterschool club like us instead of a school team. They had really good fielding. We changed sides a lot. I ended up pitching for the whole 9 innings. It's tiring. As I write this it's only 6 pm! I'm about to sleep for the rest of the night. I only let 2 runs get passed me. I'll be honest that I'm not good enough to pitch a perfect game yet. But when I'm in high school, I'll pitch a perfect game at summer's Koshien.
Okay, seriously sleeping now!
Kazuma
Saturday, April 28th, 1973.
Today starts the first day of Golden Week! And I am currently on the plane to Hawaii with my parents. I've been there before but this time since I'm a little older now, I hope I get to have a little more fun. I've been letting my hair grow back since having it shaved creeps out my teammates. It's taken this whole month to grow 2 centimeters. I'm just hoping that my stalkers don't grow back with my hair! I think that I…………………………..
~End of Chapter 44~
Bonus Round 3! (Note: This takes place from Inai Nisaku's P.O.V. Mostly.)
Friday, October 6th, 2006 (present day in Ochi Story)
It's said that Tokyo has the worst traffic jams in the world, but at 6 am the streets are empty and clear. I'm on my way to Misato's place with a 4-pack of blueberry muffins baked fresh from the Hotel's kitchen. It's early and Misato won't even be awake yet. I wonder what she thinks of me as a brother. She only found out about that fact yesterday, but I at least hope she's formed a good opinion of me. I have been waiting for years for her to find out about me. Now that she knows, I hope we can get close.
I smiled as I pulled into her driveway. This was the house that my dad bought. This is where he wanted to raise his family. My mood turned a little bitter when I thought about me not being included with 'his family'. But he did all he could to spend his time with me. He may have made some difficult choices in his life, but he never forgot about me or my mom. They were good friends, after all.
I tried to lift up my spirits when opening the door. I stepped inside to find that the 'birthday cake' was still sitting on top of Misato's kitchen table. Some slices were missing, I hope she didn't just eat cake in place of having a real dinner. She didn't bother putting it away? No she couldn't put it away, that three tiered cake would be too heavy for her to lift. There's no room in the refrigerator for it either. It's probably spoiled by now anyways. The cream and frosting don't look too fresh. I stuffed the, 'I am very fool' cake into a black trash bag and dumped it in the garbage can outside.
Back inside, I decided to check up on Misato. I opened the door to her bedroom and was relieved I didn't see Urahara sleeping next to her. I don't feel comfortable that those two are together as a couple. Maybe it's because of their age difference or because she's my flesh and blood that I want to look after and protect, but I simply don't have the feeling that I can trust that man.
Misato was alone, asleep with one of our father's volumes cradled in her arms against her chest. She was still wearing those ridiculous orange gloves. Her face looked white and pale. That's close to her natural skin color, but she still looked sort of sickly to me. I placed one hand on her forehead, her skin felt warm to the touch. I looked at my watch while touching her neck. I didn't need to count how many times her heart was beating a minute. Her heart was going off like a jackhammer!
I removed the book and her orange gloves, discarding them on her bed. I need to take her to the hospital. I wrapped her up in her yellow blanket and brought her downstairs and out the front door. No need to bother locking that. I placed her into the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt. I reclined the seat as far back as it could go. But it wouldn't lean that far back because this was a two seater.
"Damn it, I should have gone for a sedan!" I said frantically under my breath.
I started the car and backed out of the driveway. I drove quickly down the residential street, making my car roar as I changed gears. I don't have time to slow down. I tapped the GPS for the nearest hospital. A, 'Kurosaki Clinic' popped up on the screen, along with, 'Karakura South Medical Hospital'. That one's a little further away than the clinic, but they probably can take care of Misato better than a small clinic could.
I raced to the hospital with a single police car in pursuit. It could barely keep up with me; I don't even know why he was trying. If Misato's life wasn't in jeopardy, I'd pull over and scrap with that guy. I skidded into the driveway located in front of the emergency room doors. I left the engine on as I carefully removed Misato from the car, leaving the blanket behind. I held her with both of my arms and caught a glimpse of that police car that was chasing me. I turned my head and entered the hospital.
I caught the eye of one of the nurses sitting at her desk.
"Excuse me, but can you check her pulse?" I asked her while referring to Misato.
"You can't find it?" The nurse asked me nervously.
I walked quickly towards her, "She's my sister."
The nurse reluctantly stood from her desk and walked over to where I was. She placed two fingers on Misato's neck for a moment, before saying, "Oh dear…" Her eyes were wide with unease.
"You're under arrest!!!" The voice of an old man shouted from behind.
"Shhhhhhh!" The nurse shushed him. "You can't arrest this man, his sister his very ill!"
"She's also pregnant."
"Oh dear!" The nurse repeated. "We need to get a bed for her; I'll page Dr. Ishida straight away."
"I'm sorry," The officer apologized, "If you had put a sign up then I…"
Who has the time to put a sign up?!
~At Karakura Hospital's secret basement~
"Why did you stop attacking?" Ishida Uryuu spoke regardless of of the fact that he was out of breath.
Ryuuken had stopped his barrage of attacks to read his text messages. He stood there casually, with one hand remaining in his pocket.
"Are you a fool?" Ishida Ryuuken narrowed his eyes at his idiot son. "I have a patient who needs to be examined."
"You have other doctors that work here. You promised me that you would restore my powers." Uryuu's voice was resentful and irritated as he spoke.
"Take a shower and clean yourself. You smell absolutely repulsive." Ryuuken spoke icily as he exited the room.
~Room 206~
"As blood work been done?" Doctor Ishida asked as he entered the room.
"Yes, we've already drawn some blood and tests are being run now." The nurse informed him.
He looks like a reliable doctor to me. He doesn't look all that old but his hair has already turned completely white. This line of work must be outwardly stressful. Perhaps this is why Urahara looks so 'aged' to me. The doctor listened to her pulse with his stethoscope.
"Are you aware of her blood type?" He asked without looking at me.
"I think it could be B+. That's my blood type, but we have different mothers so it might be different." I said meekly.
He seemed to smirk at my words. He looked at her medical card that I filled out for her and seemed to gasp a little. Does he know that this his son's teacher?
"How is Uryuu-kun doing by the way?" I asked him in an attempt to make 'small talk'.
"He's still a fool." He said as he glared at me. Cold! "Excuse me, but I need to get someone who can fax me her medical history."
He left the room and my thoughts collapsed on themselves with guilt. I shouldn't have stayed out so late yesterday. I shouldn't have kept Urahara busy for so long either. Someone should have stayed with her last night. They could have taken care of her right away; I don't even know how long she's been like this! It could have been hours. She hasn't responded to sound, movement or touch.
If she dies like this…
I don't have the courage to call Chitose. I came out here, wanting to get close to her, wanting to take care of her, and this happened. Should I call Urahara? I don't know. He'll probably get pissed because I kept him away from her last night. Damn it, I should have let that police officer arrest me!
The nurse reentered the room and asked me if I was able to give blood. She said that the doctor suspects, 'pregnancy induced anemia'. That sounded very normal, I was relieved to hear it. I was lead to another room where I was asked to roll up my sleeve. I'm glad; I can still take care of Misato yet.
~Director's Office, Karakura Hospital~
"Isshin." Ryuuken hummed into the phone.
"O-nii-chan?!" A hysterical girl's young voice could be heard over the phone.
Ryuuken's thin eyebrows immediately began to twist themselves as he held back his urge to discipline the undignified child of Isshin Kurosaki.
"Excuse me Miss, may I speak with Doctor Kurosaki please?" Ryuuken asked politely.
"Give me back my O-nii-chan!" She squealed loudly.
Another voice spoke into the phone, "Hello? Uh, sorry that was my daughter Yuzu. She's been racing to the phone every time it rings. I told her that her brother wasn't coming home until he becomes a man but-" Isshin's voice was cut off.
"I'm not sure what kind of family problems you are having, but I need you to fax something over to me, the medical file of a patient that you've treated." Ryuuken sounded bored as he spoke.
"Who's the patient?" Isshin asked, curious to see who Ryuuken was asking about.
"I'm not sure of their status, but she's that idiot shinigami's lover." The hospital director's tone was a little serious.
"You mean-?"
"It's to be expected. I thought there were strong laws that prohibited shinigami from men impregnating human women." Ryuuken practically scolded Isshin as he spoke.
"I took a lot of precautions with Masaki. But Misato isn't exactly a human anymore. She should be fine carrying on with the pregnancy." Isshin adopted a highly defensive tone.
"You tossed aside your powers when you chose to settle down. If he wanted to do the same, he should have followed suit." Ryuuken's scolding tone grew heavier.
"Oi, you can't actually expect him to do a thing like that. Not at a time like this."
"…her heart rate is 114 and her reiatsu level is faint. She's reacting like a normal human woman. I'm preparing to put her on a blood transfusion and I'm prepared to transfer some of my reiatsu to her, but that would only temporarily help ease her condition." He sighed loudly.
"I'll fax over her file right away, then. Are you going to contact Urahara?" Isshin spoke warily.
"No, you do that. But contact him later on today; I don't want him loitering around my hospital before the initial treatments are completed." Ryuuken said prior to hanging up the phone.
A/N: I have been waiting for so long to bring Ishida Ryuuken into Ochi Story. He's one of my favorite characters in Bleach. I look forward to seeing him in Chapter 45. Ah, another note, Ryuuken refered to Isshin as, "Isshin Kurosaki" instead of "Kurosaki Isshin", there's a reason for that. It's a Quincy distain for Shinigami thing. But Ryuuken will acknowledge Isshin as, 'Dr. Kurosaki', for professional reasons.