So this is sort of a re-post. But if you read this fic before, you will find it hardly resembles its first incarnation.

You see, in the first round, Shinobu sat next to and was speaking with Hara's wife. But my cultural adviser informed me that it would be highly unlikely for a younger married woman (20 - 40) to strike up a conversation with a boy Shinobu's age, so I had to do some reconfiguring.

The piece has a different flavor now, but I hope you'll still find it to your taste.

It wasn't a finished piece anyway, so hopefully we can traipse down this new trail together.

Enjoy!

Sidelined

Chapter One: Spectators

Shinobu stepped off the bus and out onto the south perimeter of "M" University.

Wow, it's quiet here.

It had been ages since he'd been to "M" on a Saturday morning and never in the summer between terms.

As he moved into the campus, he noted how different the grounds felt. The pathways were almost empty, the electric buzz of conversation and bustling students all but absent.

The July sun hung low, swollen with heat in the hazy Tokyo sky despite the early hour and Shinobu found himself wondering if he shouldn't have considered wearing a cap, especially since the bleachers at the small field he was heading to were without any sort of cover.

Once again the teen felt his stomach twist, wondering if he was doing the right thing by coming.

It had shocked him early on in their relationship to learn that Miyagi had a keen interest in sports. It seemed so incongruous with the image he'd originally formed of the man, the dedicated, solitary, eccentric scholar.

Yet, when Miyagi was home, if he wasn't listening to his old records, the small TV set he had would fill the apartment with the low murmur of various sporting events: soccer, baseball, basketball, even occasionally boxing or golf.

More surprising than learning Miyagi avidly watched sports, however, was his discovery that his professor also played them.

Shinobu knew it was unrealistic, but he allowed himself the false comfort of thinking that during Miyagi's life before they had gotten together, that the sports his beloved professor played had been enough to generally satisfy his elder's desires for exertion. For though they never really discussed how Miyagi spent his time before and after Risako (or during his marriage as well, for that matter), it was obvious that the man had to have outlets to pour his bodily energies into.

Miyagi is a very physical guy after all.

Shinobu felt his face get warm recalling the demonstration of this he'd gotten the previous evening.

And, considering Miyagi's body, now that he was so intimately acquainted with it, Shinobu knew too that one didn't construct a physique like that from just pacing classrooms and lifting books.

Shinobu's cheeks grew pinker at this thought and another blush began pooling in him farther south.

Frowning at how easily his elder stirred him, Shinobu veered off the paved walk and onto a smaller graveled path that lead to the collection of grassy ranges used by the University primarily for intramural athletics.

Personally, he had never much liked sports: it seemed to him that there were so many better things one could do with his time.

His parents had of course signed him up for various teams when he was younger, wanting to round him out. But while he performed well, nothing they'd engaged him in ever took.

Part of this was the group aspect: he was much more of a loner. Also he found the loudness and rambunctious nature of the other boys off putting.

He had played some tennis and rather liked that, swimming as well, but in both these it was the individual nature of the challenge that appealed to him.

Catching the sounds of light cheering, Shinobu's head lifted. He saw the bleachers ahead of him and caught the colorful flashes of darting uniforms beyond this. His natural Miyagi-vision quickly spotted the man in the midst of the flurry.

Miyagi had been playing rugby during the warm seasons with a bunch of other academic for years. Shinobu knew it was childish of him, but this was their first summer together and now they were both free from school, he found himself jealous of the time Miyagi spent practicing and playing with his team.

Arriving at the edge of the short rows of bleachers, Shinobu looked for a place to sit. There wasn't much spectator seating, but still he was surprised at how many people had turned out to watch the game.

Families mostly, it looks like.

Shinobu felt a new sense of discomfort seeing all the ladies, presumably wives, many sporting umbrellas to hide from the sun's darkening rays. Quite a few had brought their children too.

This was the first game Shinobu had ever attended. He'd arrived more than halfway through the match because he'd had some obligations that morning with a summer club he was involved with at the Academy, despite the fact he'd just graduated.

Actually, Miyagi hadn't even invited him to come see him, he'd just let it slip one night at dinner that he had a game and what field they were playing in. The fact that Miyagi hadn't ever asked him to come watch him play irritated Shinobu.

Climbing the risers Shinobu seated himself towards the back of the crowd.

He settled in on the outside of the stand not too far from a young woman sitting under a brightly printed umbrella. She looked to be about his own age and amidst all the clusters of mothers and their spawn she also seemed rather alone.

Before he could avoid it, the girl made eye contact with him. Rather than glance away, she held his gaze as her head cocked sideways, then she smiled.

Shinobu dipped his head in greeting.

The crowd cheered and Shinobu looked up. He flinched as Miyagi's team orchestrated a crushing takedown. His seat mate laughed at his reaction; her voice had a light, musical quality.

"I come to all the games and I haven't seen you here before. I take it that you haven't watched too many rugby matches?"

It embarrassed Shinobu that his reaction to the tackle had been noticed.

Girls are so forward these days, Shinobu thought crossly at the easy way in which the young woman spoke to him.

"This is my first game, yes."

Shinobu hoped his stiff tone might dissuade her from further engagement, but it did not seem to put her off in the least.

"Hello, I'm Hano," she offered cheerfully.

"Takatsuki." Shinobu gave his name reluctantly. He suddenly wished he'd decided to sit next to one of the obviously married ladies: they would have certainly ignored him.

Not so Hano. She'd made a brief appraisal and determined Shinobu to be far more amicable than he felt.

"You're here on you own too, Takatsuki-kun?"

Shinobu felt his ire rise at the "kun."

It annoyed him that this girl would assume he was younger than she when to his mind there was no truly visible difference in their ages. Despite this, however, he nodded.

"Nice to see you here supporting our venerable 'M' faculty, Takatsuki-kun. At least that's why I'm here."

While he felt no interest in his seat mate he noted she was pretty in a rather obvious way. Her dark eyes shone with a friendly light.

Shinobu exhaled a relieved breath when Hano returned her attention to the field. For some reason however, his own eyes lingered on her for a few more moments.

It took only this long for him to quickly note that her attention was fixed on a particular player. The man she was focused on wore the "M" faculty's colors and his jersey said "Hara."

The name took Shinobu by surprise.

He had heard Miyagi speak of a colleague named Hara occasionally: the two had been hired about the same time. Though Shinobu understood that Hara was in the sciences, outside Kamijou, he had sounded like one Miyagi's closest University friends.

He hadn't known however, that the two professors played together.

Shinobu watched the object of Hano's attentions a bit longer. The man looked to be in his thirties, so even if it wasn't for the different surnames Shinobu would have still figured him to be too young to be the girl's father.

An uncle perhaps?

Shinobu scowled, as, whoever he was, Hara was presently clapping his lover on the back.

He shifted his eyes away from this uncomfortable scene and he found himself looking at Hano again. His eyes widened in shock recognizing the look on the young woman's face as she watched Hara: it was miles from familial. He felt an odd tweak to his heart at Hano's barely disguised look of longing.

"So you favor Hara-san?" The words left Shinobu's mouth before he could stop himself.

Hano looked at him, eyes wide, her expression momentarily shocked. Her pale cheeks blushed furiously.

"W- what?"

Everything in Hano's response just confirmed Shinobu's suspicion. He dropped his gaze not wanting to embarrass the young woman further and sincerely hoped that he was never so obvious.

"As a player, you favor Hara-san?"

"Oh…" A look of relief washed over Hano's face. "I suppose I'm partial, Professor Hara taught my biology class last term."

Hano tilted her head to the side reassessing Shinobu. She looked back out to the field and the moment her eyes found Hara again they sparked.

"He's also my tutor this summer."

There was no doubt in Shinobu's mind now as to Hano's infatuation. No one could be so dense as to not pick up on the special way that the girl said the word "tutor."

"Are you here to root for someone in particular, Takatsuki-kun?"

This question caught Shinobu completely off guard. It was his turn now for wide eyes and red cheeks.

He was even more shocked however, when he found himself answering truthfully.

"Miyagi."

"Are you taking a class from him?"

"Miyagi is my onii-san," Shinobu offered tersely, quickly recovering himself. He was sure to use the agreed upon designation though the words always left his throat feeling raw.

"Well, he's my ex- brother in-law actually."

Shinobu wondered what it was about Hano that made him offer up this information.

"Oh? You're Dean Takatsuki's son?"

Hano clucked her tongue unconsciously. "Well, it's nice that you and Professor Miyagi are still friendly then, neh?"

Shinobu frowned. Assuming she was in the sciences, he hadn't really expected Hano-san to know who Miyagi was, let alone the Dean of Literature and Languages. He suddenly felt immensely revealed.

His sharp mind nimbly readjusted his assumptions about Hano's infatuation. He now imagined it to be much more reciprocal and suspected that Hara too, found his tongue falling loose around the girl.

The thought that Hara might be discussing the personal affairs of other faculty, his Miyagi's in particular, distressed Shinobu far more than the notion Hara might be romantically entangled with one of his students.

Shinobu looked down at his shoes and closed his eyes.

I think the sun is making my head ache.

He knew even as he thought this it was more than the sun.

It was that Hano knew.

He always felt uncomfortable around people who knew the story of Miyagi's failed relationship with Risako. As far as he was concerned, that unfortunate episode was over. It bothered him immensely, however, that the tale of it still made the rounds of gossip among the faculty even now, and now, apparently, the story was still living amongst the studentbody as well.

The crowd roared and Shinobu jumped at the sound. He opened his eyes and looked up just in time to see another fierce tackle, this time by the other team.

When the collapsed players rose, one of the men sported a bloody nose. Shinobu couldn't help but put his fingers to his own in sympathy.

His seat mate giggled at this.

"Rugby's a vicious game, Takatsuki-kun." Hano smiled, suddenly looking shy. "But I guess maybe that's why guys seem to love it so much. Such a nice break from the strain of polite behavior, I suppose."

Shinobu hadn't really thought about sports in this way. For him it had always been about placating his parents, preforming well, and winning, making the activity just as much of a bother as so many other empty rituals.

"I suppose." He agreed while continuing to turn this alternative idea over in his mind.

"It's funny, don't you think? To see such normally serious men acting like a bunch of overgrown boys." Hano giggled again as she said this.

With the play stopped momentarily, Shinobu's eyes caught Miyagi out on the field. As much as her observation galled him, he did see what she was saying. Then Shinobu completely forgot about Hano as he watched Miyagi bump fraternal shoulders with his teammates at the pleasure of the well placed tackle.

He couldn't recall the last time he'd seen the older man smile so much or Miyagi's expression be so light. He was surprised by the jealous pang he felt, wishing that it were he that was cause for such pleasure.

The Miyagi he was watching here now was a whole other person: it was a side of the man that had existed previously unseen.

Observing Miyagi like this, it was easy for Shinobu to imagine what his lover had looked like when he was his age. Shinobu's heart was gripped with a sudden ache that he hadn't known Miyagi then.

This was followed by the painful realization, once again, that by almost the end of his lover's teenage years, he himself had just barely entered the world.

It frustrated Shinobu that he still had so much to learn and that Miyagi was just so damn multi-dimensional. It seemed every time, just when he thought he was getting the man figured out, his elder would do or say something that completely knocked him for a loop.

Shinobu felt badly disadvantaged in this regard: it took time to develop layers and Miyagi was so easily able to strip through the few that he had.

He watched with hungry eyes as Miyagi drug a large hand across his sweat slicked brow.

It was humid and increasingly hot just sitting in the stands. Shinobu didn't know how Miyagi could stand running around in his long sleeved jersey. But run he did.

As soon as the action resumed, Shinobu gazed after his lover, observing the way Miyagi's taut calves flexed as he scrambled. His long legs carried him quickly down the field, right into the thick of the action.

The play was stopped again for an offense: the two teams were growing increasingly testy with each other.

Shinobu suddenly noticed how the jersey Miyagi wore emphasized the broadness of his shoulders. He was transfixed as his lover lifted the bottom of his shirt to wipe his sweaty face again.

The bare expanse of Miyagi's toned torso was revealed, the slight white band of his jock visible where his shorts had slipped low on his narrow hips.

Kami-sama, Miyagi is sexy.

Shinobu unconsciously licked his lips.

His enjoyment of this exhilarating scene was cut short by his seat mate.

"So, Takatsuki-kun, you're still really close to Professor Miyagi, then?"

Shinobu was unnerved by the sudden question and all the possible connotations of the word "close." He cursed himself silently for not being more careful in how he'd been watching Miyagi- the thoughts he'd been having.

Once again he regretted his choice of seating.

"I mean, it makes sense that you'd come see your onii-san play. Though I am surprised you haven't come to a game before. I have been coming to watch Professor Hara since I was a freshman in high school."

It took Shinobu a moment to recover from the shocking possibility of how long Hano had been in love with Hara. He felt a wave of sympathy wash over him. Gazing back out to the field he tracked the virile looking Hara and wondered how long he and Hano had been involved.

Shinobu frowned, wondering why this thought made him uncomfortable. He looked back over to Hano.

Did Hara approach you? Or was it the other way around?

I wonder what Miyagi would have done if I'd expressed my feeling to him when I first knew I loved him?

Given Miyagi's initial reaction when he had confessed, Shinobu knew already his elder would have outright rejected him if he'd been any younger.

Even if he's an idiot sometimes, Miyagi is an honorable man after all.

Shinobu's frown deepened as he considered the possible scenarios for Hano and Hara.

What does Hara's honor look like? Does Miyagi know about his friend?

Hano studied Shinobu with wide, dark eyes. Then she dropped her gaze and said in a voice that was low and rather solemn. "Hara-san is divorced too.

"You know, Takatsuki-kun… their wives never came to watch them play when they were married."

Shinobu understood immediately by the shift in Hano's address of Hara and this statement that the young woman had clearly seen him and that she was offering an opportunity at camaraderie.

"I was out of the country for a time with my studies." Shinobu offered this half-truth easily;

He felt guilty for the answer he gave, knowing that it would be taken at least as a denial and at most a rebuff.

Or is it the other way around?

Regardless, he was not about to jeopardize his relationship with Miyagi by being candid with someone he'd just met. Even if they were in similar straits.

Hano cocked her head again, studying him. She didn't seem terribly taken aback by his answer.

She nodded thoughtfully.

Though she was not much older than than he, she offered sagely, "I imagine it's nice for you to have an older man of learning take an interest in you. It's probably helpful to have such a role model in what is often a troublesome world."

Shinobu understood now that Hano was no mere air-headed tart. He intuited her vague comment was a reflection on the Socratic aspect of his relationship with Miyagi and the general attitude of most towards love between men.

What do you think you understand about us?

He was surprised by the sudden jealousy that washed over him when he realized that despite the scandal Hano and Hara's romance might cause if revealed, over time there was a chance that the general population would quite easily come to accept their relationship.

Not so, Miyagi and me.

"Takatsuki-kun, you look troubled. Is the sun bothering you? I'd be happy to share my shade."

Shinobu kept his eyes on the field and pretended he hadn't heard what Hano had said. He desired to share nothing more with this girl than he already did.

This second rejection did not seem to faze Hano either and she simply tried another tack to draw him in.

"You know, Takatsuki-kun," Hano's voice was earnest. "A young man can also be of benefit to an older man as well…"

"W-what?" Shinobu's eyes widened at this.

Seeing she had his attention again, Hano spoke quickly.

"After the last game, Hara-san complained that since they started practicing this spring, Professor Miyagi never goes out with him any more after practice or games because he always has something he needs to do.

"I heard Hara-san teasing your onii-san about trying to quit smoking as well. He wondered at first if wasn't Professor Miyagi's 'crabby' office mate's complaints that had finally taken hold.

"Then he joked that Professor Miyagi must have a secret special lady with delicate sensibilities he's wooing… Someone who objects to the taste of tobacco, because 'rugby or not,' that's not something Professor Miyagi would ever do on his own."

Hano waited for Shinobu to say something and when he failed to she plunged on.

Shinobu remained silent, stunned by Hano's words. He looked away, off down the field trying to escape her searching gaze.

It was strange to hear such things, but Hano's implications about the effect he's had on his elder pleased him.

"Though he never said this to Professor Miyagi, Hara-san speculated once that Professor Miyagi was seeing a student and that was why he was being so evasive now."

Shinobu's pleasure suddenly evaporated. His cheeks flushed with anger, but rather than voice his feelings he simply fiercened his frown.

"I imagine whatever the cause for his changes in behavior, if he's not speaking of it… Well, Miyagi-onii-san is a very private person. He likes a quiet life."

Hano realized that in trying to create an allegiance with the young man beside her, she had instead crossed a line. She covered her mouth with one of her hands and blushed crimson.

"Oh, Takatsuki-kun… I didn't mean any offense, I am sorry." Her eyes glistened. "It's just that… what is private and quiet for one might seem isolating to another."

The burn of Shinobu's fury was extinguished by Hano's unspoken plea. He felt his heart soften, knowing how lonely his love made him feel sometimes despite the fact he wouldn't trade it for anything.

He was about to offer an apology of his own when a fresh wave of cheers went up from the crowd.

He glanced up and saw that not only did Miyagi's team have the ball, but that it was his "Old Man" who was rapidly trucking it down the field.

That was until Miyagi was fearsomely tackled. Then, despite the rules, a massive pile up ensued as more men jumped on.

Both teams were now completely buzzed on testosterone and several small skirmishes erupted. It was a chaos of limbs. Even the normally reserved referees were getting heated, speaking sharply to the various players as they pulled them apart.

Shinobu couldn't help it; he jumped to his feet. As the bodies cleared, when he saw Miyagi lying on the ground still, it was all he could manage not to run down to the field.

After a minute, however, Miyagi sat up. Shinobu was horrified by the amount of blood on his lover's face. The teammates that had been kneeling around him stood up. Shinobu watched as Hara reached down and helped pull the disoriented literature professor to his feet.

Miyagi looked dazed for a minute but this expression was quickly replaced by one of dark anger.

As he made his way to the sidelines to have his wound checked by the league medic, he said something in passing to a couple members of the opposite team.

Whatever he said must have been strong, as the other men quickly puffed up in response and challenged him. Shinobu stiffened when Miyagi did not back down, but swelled himself and stood his ground.

While the men were remarkably reserved now, not yelling or swinging, the primitive posturing of each was clearly battle-ready.

Shinobu felt his knees go weak at seeing this primal part of Miyagi. The power of him in that moment had both of the opposing players soon bowing uncomfortably in apology.

Shinobu hadn't realized he was still standing until he heard Hano call his name.

"Takatsuki-kun?" Her voice was rich with concern.

When Shinobu glanced down he saw Hano observing him with an anxious look on her face.

Her hand was slightly raised and he realized that she'd been ready to try and restrain him if, in his fear over Miyagi's wellbeing, he had actually started towards the field and betrayed himself and Miyagi in the process.

Shinobu nodded appreciatively to Hano, who sighed with relief. He sat back down then, though he continued to keep a sharp eye on his lover.

Neither he nor Hano looked at each other now, but Hano smiled when he scooted slightly closer under her umbrella and sat with her in the reprieve of its shade for the game's remainder.

Thank you for reading and please review.

And again, "X," no restraint... Heh.