Whispers of Despair

It was only smack dab in the middle of spring, but the sun was beating on him with its searing hot rays.

Or maybe it was just him.

The players on the field were acting strange, blending and swirling into a blurry mess of smudged colors.

Or maybe it was just him.

His breaths were deep and rugged, his uniform sticking to his skin with sweat. Was it really this hot?

No, it was just him.

"The ball's coming your way! Blast it to home!"

It took Furuya Satoru a few seconds to realize that that was directed towards him. Looking up, he spotted the ball that was falling in his direction. Catching it, he lifted his leg in the air and launched it as hard as he could, but it wasn't hard enough.

The ball pattered to the ground a few feet short of home base, allowing the runner to score.

"Furuya, how could ya have missed that?!"

"Don't mess up on such an easy throw!"

"We really need to work on your fielding! Don't get so cocky just because you know how to pitch!"

Furuya ignored the complaints that were flying at him and walked back to the dugout. 'That's weird. I could've sworn that was going to reach.'

"Working up quite a sweat, now are we?" a familiar voice teased.

Tilting his head upward, Furuya had been blessed with the godly presence of the man himself, Miyuki Kazuya. He took a sip from his bottle of water.

"What's it to you?"

Miyuki sat down next to him, his infamous shit-eating grin plastered on his face. "I meant what I said, idiot. You really are sweating a lot and you haven't been performing so well during practice. Is this the rumored slump we've all been waiting for? Can Eijun finally have a shot at becoming the ace?"

Furuya tried his best to avoid rolling his eyes. "In his dreams. I'm just having an off day, that's all. Now, with what I asked before. What's it to you?"

Miyuki held his hands up defensively. "I'm getting barked at for caring about a fellow teammate; how rude of me. Should I curse you out instead?"

"You're getting on my nerves. Go catch Sawamura's pitches or something."

The bespectacled teen's grin widened. "Using some good ol' reverse psychology or is that a sign of jealousy? Are you mad that you have to work on fielding today?"

Furuya massaged his temple. The strange pain in his head was spreading and the talkative catcher next to him wasn't making it any better. "Seriously, Miyuki-senpai. Can you leave me alone?"

Miyuki's expression changed to a look of concern for a split second before noticing that Eijun was waiting for him in the distance. "Fine, fine. If you're not feeling well, don't be afraid to tell me. I don't bite."

With that, he left.

Finally being left in silence, Furuya leaned against the bench, his breaths becoming raspier. Copious amounts of sweat were dripping from his face onto his shirt, but no amount of wiping would get it to stop. This shouldn't be happening to him. It was obvious that his stamina wasn't too stellar, but he would normally be able to hold out during practice.

'Am I dying?' he thought.

--

Later that afternoon, the dining room was filled with loud voices, freshly showered bodies, and the clacking of trays. Furuya, Miyuki, Kuramochi, Eijun, and Haruichi took up a table near the back.

Furuya could only watch as his teammates devoured their meals like famished animals. Looking at his own tray of food made him sick. He pushed it away from him as he drank some juice.

Sawamura Eijun eyed him suspiciously, his mouth full of rice. "What's the matter, dear rival? You're not hungry?"

Kuramochi Youichi stabbed him in the neck with his chopsticks. "Don't fucking talk with your mouth full, Bakamura! Where are your manners?"

"I was just asking a question!" the brunette retaliated. "If he's not hungry, I'll gladly eat his food for him!"

"You can barely stomach what you have now! What makes you think you can—"

"It's alright," Furuya interjected. "He can have it. Goodnight." He got up from his chair and headed towards the door.

Miyuki blinked in confusion. "Goodnight? You're not gonna come for some extra pitching practice?"

Furuya shook his head. "I'm fine. I'll see you guys tomorrow morning."

In an instant, he was gone.

Eijun giggled as he scooped his rival's rice onto his plate. "He sure is acting strange, but thanks for the food!"

Kuramochi sucked his teeth. "You ain't leaving this table until you finish that plate. Got it?!"

"Stop bullying me!"

Miyuki tuned out their bickering as he stared at the chair Furuya was sitting in seconds ago.

'Something's not right.'

--

It was only a matter of time until the pain kicked in. Hard. Furuya gasped as he tumbled onto his bed and held his stomach in discomfort as the sharp pangs began their assault. Thank goodness his roommates weren't here to see him like this, so weak, so vulnerable.

He grasped the bedsheets as the pain became more intense, but it wasn't something he couldn't handle. Taking a deep breath, he swung his legs over the edge of his bed and rummaged through his belongings for some painkillers.

Downing two pills with some water, Furuya sighed as he laid back on his bed, a storm of thoughts racing through his mind.

'It's either I'm having a really bad stomachache or I'm actually dying. Did Sawamura put a curse on me or something?' He turned on his side. 'If he wants to be the ace, he should do so fairly. This isn't nice.'

The pain was a long way from subsiding, but it was enough for him to relax and slowly fall asleep.

--

The Next Day - 10:10 AM - Physical Education

Eijun roared as he dribbled down the court and shot from the halfway line. "From way downtown, Sawamura Eijun! Watch this!"

The basketball bounced off the rim and hit him right in the face. "Ow! Damn it! I guess I should stick to baseball!"

Furuya came up behind him with a basketball, sporting his usual stoic look. "How about you stick to nothing since you're bad at baseball too? That would be the biggest favor ever."

Eijun's jaw dropped in both hurt and amazement as his rival made a smooth layup. "Day by day, a fraction of my pride withers away and I'm not sure if it can hold out much longer!"

"Sawamura, Furuya!" their instructor called out. "Head to the nurse's office and take your physicals!"

The duo looked at each other, disgust written on their faces. "Why do we have to go together?!"

--

Furuya didn't know why he was nervous when he entered the nurse's office after Eijun. The painkillers had pretty much washed away the pain and even though he was a little drowsy, he was fine. He remained mostly calm through the height and weight measurements, the yes or nos, and all the vital examinations until it was time for the urine test.

The school nurse, Nurse Akagi, smiled as she took the cup and went to examine it in the next room over.

Furuya sighed as he looked around the room, wondering if he should tell her about the pain he felt yesterday. If he couldn't tell the team, then he could at least tell the nurse.

He nodded. 'Yes, that's exactly what I should do since—'

Nurse Akagi interrupted his planning as she slowly walked back into the room. Her face was a mix of confusion, shock, and worry. "This can't be…"

Furuya looked up at her. "Is there something wrong? Am I dying?"

Nurse Akagi pulled up a chair and sat in front of him, their knees almost touching. She placed her hands on his and swallowed. "I want you to follow what I'm saying, okay?"

A nod.

"Good. Have you been feeling…weird lately? Like slight nausea, fatigue, or loss of appetite? Abdominal pain, even?"

The pitcher nodded vehemently, his eyes twinkling. "Yes. Matter of fact, I was going to tell you about that. All of that happened to me yesterday. Have I been poisoned? Cursed? Am I dying?"

Nurse Akagi shook her head. "No, you haven't been poisoned and you're not dying. It's just…I ran some tests on your urine and…this is really peculiar to say, but…"

"But what?"

"Furuya-kun…you're pregnant."