[Fanfic] Wait For Me [Chapter 4]
Title: Wait For Me [Chapter 4]
Rating: T
Disclaimers: I do not own any of the characters used here. They belong to their respective owners, namely the creators of Eyeshield 21.
Summary: A sequel to my earlier fic, Gravity. Time is moving faster than before, and one question will be on the mind's of both Hiruma and Mamori. How long is too long?
Notes: While I had hoped to finally get right down to what's going to happen in this fic, it turned out that I still have a lot of building up to do. Ah well... I hope that at the end of it all, the build up makes sense and aids the story somehow. I promise we will get to the heart of the story in the next chapter!
Thank you to everyone who responded on my question on whether to have smut in this fic! I have made up my mind that smut will remain on my LiveJournal as it makes things a lot easier in a sense. I call it the "darker route" considering how things play out there, but the "safer route" will be more accessible on FF.net and now DeviantArt since I've now begun to post my chaptered fics there. I will have further explanation for those who want to read the darker route once I reach that specific chapter. It's still quite a while away, so no worries about that for now.
Until then, enjoy this chapter. ^^
A BIG thank you to moodylollipop for helping me expand and work on this chapter better! Agon is such a pain in the ass to write! XD
~*~
It had been by pure coincidence that Mamori noticed how badly bruised Hiruma was. During one of their usual spats at practice, she’d landed a well-practiced smack on his back and although most of their teammates didn't notice a thing, she knew something was wrong. The sharp wince and light growl that escaped his lips gave away all Mamori needed to know to start worrying about him.
At the end of practice, she made him stay back with her despite his put-on nonchalance. Her worry overrode any reluctance she might normally feel over the insinuations her actions might cause and she began to unbutton his shirt.
“Come now, Fucking Manager, do you really want me that badly?” he drawled, backing away from her.
She frowned, “That’s not what this is about!”
Yet she persisted and yanked his shirt off. “All you had to do was fucking ask. Didn’t have to fucking put us in this rape scenario.” A smirk adorned his face even as she gasped at the sight of a deep dark bruise on his back shoulder blade that she could not recall him getting during practice.
They were silent for a moment, both wondering what to do now. Questions filled Mamori's mind. Of the endless possibilities of how Hiruma could have gotten that bruise, of how to best breach the subject with him. And Hiruma’s quick mind began to plan out all the various routes to snake out of any possible questions Mamori would throw at him.
"Where were you last night?" Mamori finally asked.
Ah... Hiruma thought, she was taking this route. "I had work to do."
Silence reigned once more as Mamori slowly backed away from him and headed for the First Aid Kit. She bit her lip, trying her best not to bombard him with her fears. "Do you get hurt often when you do it?"
Hiruma didn't reply, he was certain now that Mamori had an inkling of what he was up to. But he couldn't tell her anything yet. The Christmas Bowl was coming and his work was getting a lot more dangerous than he had calculated. Maybe someday, once he had everything under control, when this was over...
But until then, he would have to keep his mask on for a little longer.
~*~
Corruption and greed. Hiruma understood these words well, having been an observer and a participant of these practices. It is ironic how humankind's biggest weakness is their desire for power and their willingness to do anything to gain it. It was these weaknesses that gave Hiruma the kind of information he needed for his own power to do whatever he wanted.
But like a double-edged sword, it had its consequences. Files in place, Hiruma knew he didn't have much time. This was the last company he was going to visit today before he would be rushing off to see Mamori. His experience today had led him to see the faces of the most corrupted people, most of them a victim of others' corruption, and he watched as their expressions turned to horror the moment they saw him.
Who could blame them, he was pretty much the reason their businesses will never grow, having become nothing more than puppets to the bigger organization that was pulling strings on even Hiruma. There were doubts, some accused him of lying. He had been prepared for that and used every trick in the book for them to take on his offer. Sweet talking, narrow options, and finally, remove all doubt.
The only thing he didn't do, though, was blackmail. He had done it before to them, and forcing them to sway to his will again by using that method would remove all chances of them helping him. He had to be smarter than that.
All he needed was for one more company to be on his side, and the door to finally be free from that fucking company would be open. It was getting late, and Hiruma knew he didn't have much time.
Just a few blocks away from the final company, Hiruma noticed a familiar teammate standing by the corner. He had hoped that this teammate hadn't seen him and he could just continue pretending that they hadn't seen each other, but he knew he was merely pushing his luck.
"Think you could run away from me, Fucking Trash?" sneered Agon as he approached Hiruma.
"Fuck off, Fucking Dreads," Hiruma narrowed his eyes. His eyes pierced through the crowd, wondering if Agon was sent to him on purpose. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
"I went to check up on you to make sure you met that coach from America. I heard the most interesting news from him..."
"Really now?" Hiruma grinned. "Did you have to beat him up for it?"
"Fuck no," Agon laughed. "I must say I can see why the company got him on his side easily. He's an easy bastard to manipulate to your liking."
"So you noticed that, too, huh? But that doesn't warrant you coming all the way to see me. Even that Fucking Coach doesn't know about this plan."
"Since you didn't take up the offer, I knew you must have had some backup plan ready. So I did my own little digging around," said Agon as he crossed his arms in a superior stance. "You're not the only one with contacts, you know."
"Well don't you deserve an award?" Hiruma didn't feel like hanging around anymore, so he began to walk forward. Agon didn't take to his actions well. He grabbed Hiruma's arm, and while Hiruma definitely had a tough build with his American Football training, their current position made it easy for Agon to snap his arm in two.
"Don't think you're getting away from me that easily, you Fucking Trash," Agon glared at him, his tone serious.
"So what do you want from me now, Fucking Dreads?" Hiruma glared back. "Do you want me to fucking follow you back to that damn company? Did they send you here so that you can fucking beat me up, I'll change my mind and do whatever the fuck you say? Just like they always tell you to do? How much did they pay you for this?"
"Save your pity talk for later," said Agon, realising that his approach definitely wasn't ideal. Loosening his grip, he continued, "And no, I'm not under their orders. I came here on my own accord. If I wanted to beat you to a pulp, I wouldn't do it out in the open and risk sending my ass to the lockers."
Hiruma pulled his arm away from Agon. “That’s true, but if you really were sent by them, do me a fucking favour and pass them the message that I'm already setting up a plan to get back at them, and if they don't release Anezaki, they're going to be in some deep shit."
"I just fucking told you I wasn't sent by them," said Agon who was now smiling wickedly himself. "But out of my own curiosity, I'd like to know about your little plan to put them in deep shit. Sounds like something right down my alley."
Hiruma was about to keep walking when he heard what Agon said and turned to look at him. "The fuck? Are you helping me?"
Agon slung an arm over Hiruma's shoulder. "It's not like the first time we've worked together, Fucking Trash. Besides, I'd like to see that fucking company burn itself to the ground."
Hiruma didn't like the weight of Agon's arm bearing down upon him. The fucking idiot had the tendency of doing so whenever he wanted to make a deal and this annoyed Hiruma in particular. Shrugging him off, Hiruma smirked, "Doing this to fucking get back at them for not picking your fucking ass to be shipped off to America, are you?"
"Oh, I don't know," Agon feigned ignorance despite obviously not being so. "I just hate that fucking company. They're the reason I couldn't play in the last Christmas Bowl, and the fact that they can twist your life around their fingers made me realise they could easily do the same fucking thing to me."
Smart choice of words, Hiruma told himself, although he knew Agon was mostly pissed off that he didn't get the chance to play in an NFL team. But seeing as their goal was the same, Hiruma didn't mind having Agon tag along. He could be useful in the worst possible event that Hiruma calculated could happen later on with a 48% chance. And the more time he wasted, the higher that number was going to be. "Fine," Hiruma regained his grin. "Get your ass moving then. I'll tell you the plan as we go along."
Hiruma began walking forward with Agon beside him. Agon's eyes were now staring right at the files in Hiruma's hand. "So is that your secret weapon?" he asked.
"Pretty fucking much," Hiruma replied. "How much do you know of the plan?"
"I called one of the companies you approached. They sounded really freaked out and couldn't quite give me the details, but it seems you've been giving them inside information on the main company."
"That's because it's information that will make it easy for them to press blackmail charges on the main company," Hiruma replied casually, recalling their reactions when he approached them. "Of course they would freak out, they'd be challenging the guys who pretty much took over their company and made them just as corrupted. Doing this will expose their own weaknesses and risk losing their own business in the process."
"Fuck," Agon cursed, a little too loudly that passers-by stared at the duo curiously. Agon quickly dropped a tone in his voice, "Are you seriously making them press charges then?! How could you even convince them to do that?! I thought you'd be making things right with them, not make them dig their own graves!"
"Or what, let them continue their charade of being under a great company when their paychecks are being withheld and their own resources are being taken up without their consent? They're fucking afraid because they have a lot to lose, that's why if they know they aren't alone in pressing charges, the focus will be entirely on the main company and within the chaos, they can save whatever they need to start over."
"You don't look too happy with that plan though," said Agon, looking at Hiruma's expression.
"That's because even with this information, their actions could pave the way to more corruption. What I'm giving them is more power in their hands that could ultimately bring them to their own destruction if they're not careful. I've set out the guidelines, listed down the risks, but even then, they're still capable of going down the same path as the main company."
"So the cycle never ends, eh?"
Hiruma grinned. "Ah, in this business? Corruption is a part of life."
"And that's why you want out?"
Hiruma didn't say anything as the building he was headed for drew closer before them. He knew he had thrown himself into this world on purpose. He couldn't deny that having gained all this information had helped him greatly in getting things done his way. Why would he want out of something that had been nothing but beneficial to him?
He knew the answer. And it involved a certain manager that was waiting for him right at that very moment.
Reading in the city cafe proved to be the exact atmosphere Mamori needed to feel a little better, but it still wasn't quite right. While the words her eyes had been skimming listlessly for the past few hours were finally taking form in coherent sentences, thus having a faint hold of her interest, her eyes continued to dart toward the door the moment someone entered the cafe, especially if it was a guy of Hiruma's built and stature.
She glanced at the clock hanging over the counter and saw that it was already past 6pm. As Hiruma had mentioned, he was late, though at this point Mamori felt that it was unreasonably so.
Instantly, Mamori's instincts warned her that something bad might be happening to him. With the way he had been lately, and the fact that he said he might be late, everything pointed toward the fact that something was happening and Hiruma was keeping her out of the loop on purpose.
Memories of her finding him injured or bruised by something that definitely wasn't Football-related filled her mind. Pressing her lips together, she contemplated calling him at least to see if he was okay.
Mamori let out a groan as she placed the book down for a moment. She desperately needed to talk to him, but she knew she had no choice right now but to trust him on this. She finally decided that if he didn't come in another half an hour, she would attempt to contact him and do her best to not give him a piece of her mind there and then.
"Anezaki?"
It was not his voice, but it was familiar all the same. As she wondered for a second how many coincidental encounters she was going to have today, Mamori looked up to find Yamato Takeru standing at her table, looking at her curiously.
"Yamato-kun!" Mamori gasped. "What are you doing here?"
"I was just buying some coffee to go," said Yamato, smiling that handsome smile he was popularly known for back in Teikoku and even in Saikyoudai. "What about you?"
"Oh, just..." Mamori fidgeted in her seat, nervously. "Waiting... for someone."
"Someone important?" Yamato's smile reached his eyes and Mamori couldn't help but wonder if he knew who she meant.
"I suppose you could say that."
"Judging by how worn out you look, you've been waiting for a while."
Mamori shrugged, trying to put on an air of indifference to her situation. But she felt sure the lines she made on her forehead from worrying so much were now permanently there and visible to even Yamato. She watched as he approached her, obviously concerned. “Yamato… kun?”
As he continued to observe Mamori’s face, Yamato suddenly smiled and pointed towards the counter, "You know, seeing as I'm pretty much free for the night, what say I accompany you until the person you're waiting for comes?"
"Oh no, you don't have to!" said Mamori as she began to wonder what Hiruma would think if he found Yamato with her... would he mind? Hiruma always worked well with Yamato, but since Yamato rebuked Hiruma in her defense, Hiruma had been cold even to him.
"Don't worry about it," Yamato assured her, smile still in place. "Besides, it'd be nice to have a good chat with you, seeing as we'll be graduating soon and going our separate ways. I'd love to catch up with you now that we have the chance."
Mamori continued to glance at the doorway, still worrying in her heart about the situation she had just gotten herself into. Surely, it's all right to just chat with him for a moment... right? "Okay... fine. Just one cup of coffee."
Chapter 3 | Chapter 5
Rating: T
Disclaimers: I do not own any of the characters used here. They belong to their respective owners, namely the creators of Eyeshield 21.
Summary: A sequel to my earlier fic, Gravity. Time is moving faster than before, and one question will be on the mind's of both Hiruma and Mamori. How long is too long?
Notes: While I had hoped to finally get right down to what's going to happen in this fic, it turned out that I still have a lot of building up to do. Ah well... I hope that at the end of it all, the build up makes sense and aids the story somehow. I promise we will get to the heart of the story in the next chapter!
Thank you to everyone who responded on my question on whether to have smut in this fic! I have made up my mind that smut will remain on my LiveJournal as it makes things a lot easier in a sense. I call it the "darker route" considering how things play out there, but the "safer route" will be more accessible on FF.net and now DeviantArt since I've now begun to post my chaptered fics there. I will have further explanation for those who want to read the darker route once I reach that specific chapter. It's still quite a while away, so no worries about that for now.
Until then, enjoy this chapter. ^^
A BIG thank you to moodylollipop for helping me expand and work on this chapter better! Agon is such a pain in the ass to write! XD
~*~
It had been by pure coincidence that Mamori noticed how badly bruised Hiruma was. During one of their usual spats at practice, she’d landed a well-practiced smack on his back and although most of their teammates didn't notice a thing, she knew something was wrong. The sharp wince and light growl that escaped his lips gave away all Mamori needed to know to start worrying about him.
At the end of practice, she made him stay back with her despite his put-on nonchalance. Her worry overrode any reluctance she might normally feel over the insinuations her actions might cause and she began to unbutton his shirt.
“Come now, Fucking Manager, do you really want me that badly?” he drawled, backing away from her.
She frowned, “That’s not what this is about!”
Yet she persisted and yanked his shirt off. “All you had to do was fucking ask. Didn’t have to fucking put us in this rape scenario.” A smirk adorned his face even as she gasped at the sight of a deep dark bruise on his back shoulder blade that she could not recall him getting during practice.
They were silent for a moment, both wondering what to do now. Questions filled Mamori's mind. Of the endless possibilities of how Hiruma could have gotten that bruise, of how to best breach the subject with him. And Hiruma’s quick mind began to plan out all the various routes to snake out of any possible questions Mamori would throw at him.
"Where were you last night?" Mamori finally asked.
Ah... Hiruma thought, she was taking this route. "I had work to do."
Silence reigned once more as Mamori slowly backed away from him and headed for the First Aid Kit. She bit her lip, trying her best not to bombard him with her fears. "Do you get hurt often when you do it?"
Hiruma didn't reply, he was certain now that Mamori had an inkling of what he was up to. But he couldn't tell her anything yet. The Christmas Bowl was coming and his work was getting a lot more dangerous than he had calculated. Maybe someday, once he had everything under control, when this was over...
But until then, he would have to keep his mask on for a little longer.
~*~
Corruption and greed. Hiruma understood these words well, having been an observer and a participant of these practices. It is ironic how humankind's biggest weakness is their desire for power and their willingness to do anything to gain it. It was these weaknesses that gave Hiruma the kind of information he needed for his own power to do whatever he wanted.
But like a double-edged sword, it had its consequences. Files in place, Hiruma knew he didn't have much time. This was the last company he was going to visit today before he would be rushing off to see Mamori. His experience today had led him to see the faces of the most corrupted people, most of them a victim of others' corruption, and he watched as their expressions turned to horror the moment they saw him.
Who could blame them, he was pretty much the reason their businesses will never grow, having become nothing more than puppets to the bigger organization that was pulling strings on even Hiruma. There were doubts, some accused him of lying. He had been prepared for that and used every trick in the book for them to take on his offer. Sweet talking, narrow options, and finally, remove all doubt.
The only thing he didn't do, though, was blackmail. He had done it before to them, and forcing them to sway to his will again by using that method would remove all chances of them helping him. He had to be smarter than that.
All he needed was for one more company to be on his side, and the door to finally be free from that fucking company would be open. It was getting late, and Hiruma knew he didn't have much time.
Just a few blocks away from the final company, Hiruma noticed a familiar teammate standing by the corner. He had hoped that this teammate hadn't seen him and he could just continue pretending that they hadn't seen each other, but he knew he was merely pushing his luck.
"Think you could run away from me, Fucking Trash?" sneered Agon as he approached Hiruma.
"Fuck off, Fucking Dreads," Hiruma narrowed his eyes. His eyes pierced through the crowd, wondering if Agon was sent to him on purpose. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
"I went to check up on you to make sure you met that coach from America. I heard the most interesting news from him..."
"Really now?" Hiruma grinned. "Did you have to beat him up for it?"
"Fuck no," Agon laughed. "I must say I can see why the company got him on his side easily. He's an easy bastard to manipulate to your liking."
"So you noticed that, too, huh? But that doesn't warrant you coming all the way to see me. Even that Fucking Coach doesn't know about this plan."
"Since you didn't take up the offer, I knew you must have had some backup plan ready. So I did my own little digging around," said Agon as he crossed his arms in a superior stance. "You're not the only one with contacts, you know."
"Well don't you deserve an award?" Hiruma didn't feel like hanging around anymore, so he began to walk forward. Agon didn't take to his actions well. He grabbed Hiruma's arm, and while Hiruma definitely had a tough build with his American Football training, their current position made it easy for Agon to snap his arm in two.
"Don't think you're getting away from me that easily, you Fucking Trash," Agon glared at him, his tone serious.
"So what do you want from me now, Fucking Dreads?" Hiruma glared back. "Do you want me to fucking follow you back to that damn company? Did they send you here so that you can fucking beat me up, I'll change my mind and do whatever the fuck you say? Just like they always tell you to do? How much did they pay you for this?"
"Save your pity talk for later," said Agon, realising that his approach definitely wasn't ideal. Loosening his grip, he continued, "And no, I'm not under their orders. I came here on my own accord. If I wanted to beat you to a pulp, I wouldn't do it out in the open and risk sending my ass to the lockers."
Hiruma pulled his arm away from Agon. “That’s true, but if you really were sent by them, do me a fucking favour and pass them the message that I'm already setting up a plan to get back at them, and if they don't release Anezaki, they're going to be in some deep shit."
"I just fucking told you I wasn't sent by them," said Agon who was now smiling wickedly himself. "But out of my own curiosity, I'd like to know about your little plan to put them in deep shit. Sounds like something right down my alley."
Hiruma was about to keep walking when he heard what Agon said and turned to look at him. "The fuck? Are you helping me?"
Agon slung an arm over Hiruma's shoulder. "It's not like the first time we've worked together, Fucking Trash. Besides, I'd like to see that fucking company burn itself to the ground."
Hiruma didn't like the weight of Agon's arm bearing down upon him. The fucking idiot had the tendency of doing so whenever he wanted to make a deal and this annoyed Hiruma in particular. Shrugging him off, Hiruma smirked, "Doing this to fucking get back at them for not picking your fucking ass to be shipped off to America, are you?"
"Oh, I don't know," Agon feigned ignorance despite obviously not being so. "I just hate that fucking company. They're the reason I couldn't play in the last Christmas Bowl, and the fact that they can twist your life around their fingers made me realise they could easily do the same fucking thing to me."
Smart choice of words, Hiruma told himself, although he knew Agon was mostly pissed off that he didn't get the chance to play in an NFL team. But seeing as their goal was the same, Hiruma didn't mind having Agon tag along. He could be useful in the worst possible event that Hiruma calculated could happen later on with a 48% chance. And the more time he wasted, the higher that number was going to be. "Fine," Hiruma regained his grin. "Get your ass moving then. I'll tell you the plan as we go along."
Hiruma began walking forward with Agon beside him. Agon's eyes were now staring right at the files in Hiruma's hand. "So is that your secret weapon?" he asked.
"Pretty fucking much," Hiruma replied. "How much do you know of the plan?"
"I called one of the companies you approached. They sounded really freaked out and couldn't quite give me the details, but it seems you've been giving them inside information on the main company."
"That's because it's information that will make it easy for them to press blackmail charges on the main company," Hiruma replied casually, recalling their reactions when he approached them. "Of course they would freak out, they'd be challenging the guys who pretty much took over their company and made them just as corrupted. Doing this will expose their own weaknesses and risk losing their own business in the process."
"Fuck," Agon cursed, a little too loudly that passers-by stared at the duo curiously. Agon quickly dropped a tone in his voice, "Are you seriously making them press charges then?! How could you even convince them to do that?! I thought you'd be making things right with them, not make them dig their own graves!"
"Or what, let them continue their charade of being under a great company when their paychecks are being withheld and their own resources are being taken up without their consent? They're fucking afraid because they have a lot to lose, that's why if they know they aren't alone in pressing charges, the focus will be entirely on the main company and within the chaos, they can save whatever they need to start over."
"You don't look too happy with that plan though," said Agon, looking at Hiruma's expression.
"That's because even with this information, their actions could pave the way to more corruption. What I'm giving them is more power in their hands that could ultimately bring them to their own destruction if they're not careful. I've set out the guidelines, listed down the risks, but even then, they're still capable of going down the same path as the main company."
"So the cycle never ends, eh?"
Hiruma grinned. "Ah, in this business? Corruption is a part of life."
"And that's why you want out?"
Hiruma didn't say anything as the building he was headed for drew closer before them. He knew he had thrown himself into this world on purpose. He couldn't deny that having gained all this information had helped him greatly in getting things done his way. Why would he want out of something that had been nothing but beneficial to him?
He knew the answer. And it involved a certain manager that was waiting for him right at that very moment.
Reading in the city cafe proved to be the exact atmosphere Mamori needed to feel a little better, but it still wasn't quite right. While the words her eyes had been skimming listlessly for the past few hours were finally taking form in coherent sentences, thus having a faint hold of her interest, her eyes continued to dart toward the door the moment someone entered the cafe, especially if it was a guy of Hiruma's built and stature.
She glanced at the clock hanging over the counter and saw that it was already past 6pm. As Hiruma had mentioned, he was late, though at this point Mamori felt that it was unreasonably so.
Instantly, Mamori's instincts warned her that something bad might be happening to him. With the way he had been lately, and the fact that he said he might be late, everything pointed toward the fact that something was happening and Hiruma was keeping her out of the loop on purpose.
Memories of her finding him injured or bruised by something that definitely wasn't Football-related filled her mind. Pressing her lips together, she contemplated calling him at least to see if he was okay.
Mamori let out a groan as she placed the book down for a moment. She desperately needed to talk to him, but she knew she had no choice right now but to trust him on this. She finally decided that if he didn't come in another half an hour, she would attempt to contact him and do her best to not give him a piece of her mind there and then.
"Anezaki?"
It was not his voice, but it was familiar all the same. As she wondered for a second how many coincidental encounters she was going to have today, Mamori looked up to find Yamato Takeru standing at her table, looking at her curiously.
"Yamato-kun!" Mamori gasped. "What are you doing here?"
"I was just buying some coffee to go," said Yamato, smiling that handsome smile he was popularly known for back in Teikoku and even in Saikyoudai. "What about you?"
"Oh, just..." Mamori fidgeted in her seat, nervously. "Waiting... for someone."
"Someone important?" Yamato's smile reached his eyes and Mamori couldn't help but wonder if he knew who she meant.
"I suppose you could say that."
"Judging by how worn out you look, you've been waiting for a while."
Mamori shrugged, trying to put on an air of indifference to her situation. But she felt sure the lines she made on her forehead from worrying so much were now permanently there and visible to even Yamato. She watched as he approached her, obviously concerned. “Yamato… kun?”
As he continued to observe Mamori’s face, Yamato suddenly smiled and pointed towards the counter, "You know, seeing as I'm pretty much free for the night, what say I accompany you until the person you're waiting for comes?"
"Oh no, you don't have to!" said Mamori as she began to wonder what Hiruma would think if he found Yamato with her... would he mind? Hiruma always worked well with Yamato, but since Yamato rebuked Hiruma in her defense, Hiruma had been cold even to him.
"Don't worry about it," Yamato assured her, smile still in place. "Besides, it'd be nice to have a good chat with you, seeing as we'll be graduating soon and going our separate ways. I'd love to catch up with you now that we have the chance."
Mamori continued to glance at the doorway, still worrying in her heart about the situation she had just gotten herself into. Surely, it's all right to just chat with him for a moment... right? "Okay... fine. Just one cup of coffee."
Chapter 3 | Chapter 5