[Fanfic] Wait For Me [Chapter 13]
Title: Wait For Me [Chapter 13]
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: This took too long to complete and I apologise! I had a lot of issues going on, and it was hard to get me to write this. But I finally steeled myself to write this last chapter! To be honest, it's a lot different than how I conceived it initially, but the change was much needed cause all the words came easier this way. I hope you enjoy this, and thank you once again for all your patience!
~*~
Careful not to trip, Mamori skipped two to three steps down the concrete stairs facing the road. A silver car rumbled patiently by the side, two occupants within, one waving her hand excitedly at Mamori as she unlocked the back passenger door for her.
Mamori practically threw herself into the car, her files and bags strewn across the seat as she slammed the door shut. Amidst her heavy breathing, she let out a relieved sigh. "Did I make it in time?"
"Right on the dot," Unsui replied with a smile, as he set the car to gear and began to drive off.
"I'm so sorry to bother the two of you, having to pick me up like this," Mamori took off her black coat and adjusted the blue blouse she wore underneath it.
"It's no trouble at all!" Karin replied, turning to look at her from the front passenger seat. "After all, we are heading in the same direction. How did it go?"
"I was a little nervous, but I think it went well," Mamori replied, still a little breathless from the run. She gathered up her files and hugged her bag closer to her, a little embarrassed to have thrown it around like that. "It took a lot longer than I expected because the principal couldn't stop talking about me and my impressive grades and references. I'm worried I may have over-impressed them though. Do you think that's bad?"
Unsui chuckled. "With your abilities, Anezaki, I don't think you have anything to worry about."
"I'm sure you'll get in, Mamori!" said Karin, wearing a confident smile, which slowly turned mischievious. "And if you don't, well, I'm sure someone will make sure that doesn't happen."
Mamori shot back a disapproving look at that smile. "Oh no, I wouldn't want him to be involved in any way. Besides, I want to move forward using my own ability, he knows that. It is the same for him after all."
"So the two of you are okay with this arrangement?" asked Unsui, glancing at the rear view mirror to look at Mamori.
"You mean with him being in America and me staying here?" She leaned against the door to look at the passing scenery, of the familiar roads which would soon pass by Deimon. "I suppose it's easy to say that we don't have a choice; that we have to make do with what we have and the opportunities given to us. The waiting is going to be tough for sure, and I think this would be the first time we would be apart for this long ever since I joined the Devil Bats. But..."
As Unsui glanced at the rear view mirror once more, he could see Mamori smiling contently at him. "It'll be all right," she said. "He's someone very important to me. So no matter where he is, I'll always wait for him patiently, and I know he'll do the same."
Unsui smiled widely in return. "Well, knowing his nature, he would gladly wait as long as he gets what he wants in the end. So don't expect him to let go of you that easily."
Mamori giggled. "I'm not expecting him to. After all, I want to be with him too."
Karin let out a soft sigh. "Oh, this is rather perfect. Though I can't deny, the outcome for this all is a little bit disappointing."
"What do you mean?" asked Unsui.
"If you think about it, wouldn't it have been more romantic if the two of them came to this conclusion right now? Just hours before Hiruma-san's flight? He wouldn't be expecting her, and just as he's about to board the plane, filled with regrets, Mamori runs after him calling out his name." Karin began to talk faster now, enthusiasm forming with each word that passed her lips, "Confused but filled with hope, Hiruma-san would approach her and Mamori would confess everything to him, about how she's willing to wait for him and that she would eventually go to America to be with him, and Hiruma-san would be overjoyed but he wouldn't show it. He'd tease her perhaps, tell her she's stupid. But he'd accept it all and tells her he'd be waiting for her, and that he will come back and drag her to America if he has to! And then-"
Unsui cut in, cringing a little. "I'm going to have to stop you there, Karin, but I think you've been reading too much shoujo mangas."
"But don't you think that would have been a fitting ending?" asked Karin. Despite her calm demeanour, her eyes sparkled with excitement. "I think a lot of readers would love that, it is quite romantic after all. Maybe the next manga I draw could have that."
Unsui rested his hand on the gears, despite not changing it. He shook his head a little, but there was a smile on his face that Mamori believed only Karin could interpret, for she placed her hand on his and smiled in return.
Smiling to herself, Mamori sighed in contentment and watched the passing scenery outside. In the distance, she could see the outline of the Deimon High School. And so she closed her eyes, allowing herself to be washed over by nostalgia of every good thing she had experienced thus far, the great people she had met, the amazing games she had witnessed.
And the man she had grown to love on the field.
Just as they reached the car park, Mamori was surprised to see someone familiar waiting for her by the entrance to the airport. "I'm sorry," said Karin sheepishly. "He was really insistent about seeing you before you saw Hiruma-san off."
"If he does or even says anything hurtful, just call out for us," said Unsui, shifting the gear to neutral upon parking in an empty lot.
"It's all right," Mamori assured them. "I needed to talk to him too."
Yamato waved at her as she exited the car, to which she smiled and waved back. Karin and Unsui remained in the car, patiently waiting for them to finish their conversation.
"Ah, Karin still doesn't trust me, does she?" said Yamato, as he looked over Mamori to see the duo talking to each other, Unsui’s eyes glancing over occasionally.
"It's not that they don't trust you," Mamori replied. "They're worried about me, especially after everything that has happened. I hope you understand."
"I understand perfectly," said Yamato, looking at her with a sombre smile. "But I only wanted to see you to apologise."
"Oh, I should be the one apologising! I must have hurt you terribly that night."
"No, it was perfectly fine. You had every right to tell me the truth, and it is one aspect that I admire about you, Anezaki, how you are always true to yourself. There are many other aspects that I admire too..."
"Yamato-kun..."
"Don't worry, Anezaki. I admit, when you said it, it stung. You were pretty spot on about my fears. Even back during the World Youth Cup, I knew breaking into America just wasn't that easy despite the mark we made during our time there. I knew there was a better way to do it, one that took on a more tactical approach outside the field. And I admit, as you were someone who also worked outside of the field, you would have been perfect to help me."
Mamori pressed her lips together, nodding him on.
"I didn't mean to steal you away from him, I just thought that you were better off with me as he was never really there for you. I hope you know I did it because I care, and I didn't want to see you wasting away, waiting for someone who didn't seem to care about how you feel and may never come back. But I was wrong, I should have known you were much smarter than that, much stronger. That the bond between the two of you was not as simple as I thought it was. And for that, I'm sorry, Anezaki."
She smiled in response. "It's okay, Yamato-kun. I understand why you did it. But I want you to know that I really am grateful for the kindness you have shown me when I was hurt and alone. Regardless of how this seems, I believe you are a kind and thoughtful man. Thank you, and I look forward to working with you in the future."
Mamori reached out a hand to him, Yamato staring in disbelief for a moment. Then he laughed in amusement and shook the hand. "I also look forward to working with you and Hiruma once more in the future."
Mamori waved at Unsui and Karin, alerting them that their conversation was over and that they should hurry into the airport. As they all walked in, the familiar sound of chaos rang through the air.
Mamori sighed. She should have seen this coming.
Almost everyone from every Japanese Football team they had ever played against was present, creating such a ruckus that everyone else at the airport would give them strange looks and go out of their way to avoid them.
Hiruma was being frisked before he could even head to the departure lounge, much to his annoyance, while everyone else argued about who snitched on him.
"There's no doubt about it, Agon had to be the one who did it. He's always been jealous of Hiruma going to America."
"The fuck you say, you piece of trash! Come say it to my face, I dare you!"
"Excuse me sir, but we'll have to frisk you too."
"The fuck? I'm not even taking a damn flight!"
"Agon's been set up too! We're all going to get frisked!"
"Whose fault is it now?"
"Mukya! This can't be happening! We're all going to be under investigation! What have we done!"
"Calm down, Monta, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for this..."
"Ahaha! They can frisk me if they want to!"
"Not a good idea, all they'd find is stupid."
"Calm down, everyone, there has got to be a reasonable explanation for this!"
"... Can I just leave now?"
"Don't be so embarrassed to be here? We're here to say goodbye to a good old friend of ours after all."
"You don't even really like him!"
"Even more reason to see him off, right?"
"I DON'T WANT TO BE BLACKLISTED FROM JAPAN!"
"That makes no sense."
Karin and Yamato watched on with a sweat drop. Unsui chuckled at the sight, already used to this madness thanks to the Enma Fires. "Some things just don't change, do they?"
Mamori sighed once more. "No, not at all."
"Ah, Mamo-nee!" a familiar voice called out to her, and soon everyone turned to look at Mamori.
An even louder roar erupted upon the group's realisation of Mamori being present.
"ANEZAKI IS HERE!"
"ARE THE RUMOURS TRUE?!"
"SHE'S HERE TO GIVE HIM A GOODBYE KISS!"
"CAN YOU DATE ME NOW ANEZAKI?"
The sound of gun shots rang through the air, forcing everyone to fall flat on the ground. "You fuckers shut up already!" cried Hiruma, who then passed the gun to the airport personnel. "Keep it, it's a lousy gun anyways."
"Sir, you possess a gun..."
"It's not mine. You already frisked me and know I don't have any weapons on me."
"But then how did you...?"
Hiruma shrugged. "Fuck if I know." As everyone slowly got up, Hiruma walked towards Mamori, who was the only one who remained standing throughout the entire ordeal. "Took you long enough, Fucking Manager," he said.
"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm here just in time," Mamori insisted. "Though I see that you didn't waste any time in creating chaos even before you leave. Didn't we go through a similar ordeal during our first trip to America with the Devil Bats?"
"And as usual, no one can really figure out how I’m still able to possess weaponry."
"I wish you would conceal them better, you know they're such a high risk in airports and it still worries me that you'll get caught."
"Stop fucking worrying about me, you know I can take care of myself."
"Yes, but..." Mamori sighed one last time before laughing a little. "You're right. I have nothing to be worried about. Not even the devil himself could stop you from getting what you want."
"But other people did succeed in keeping me from you," he said, though so softly Mamori could only make out a couple of the words. She shook her head.
"It was a necessary lesson for the both of us. You came for me at the party, that was enough."
He was leaning in towards her now, their heads tilting towards each other until they realised the many eyes watching them. Instinctively, Mamori took a step back, looking down in embarrassment...
Until Hiruma pulled her towards him, arm holding her waist and his lips now planted on top of hers. She could hear the screams and shouts of surprise and anger. Suzuna squealing loudly in the distance, screeching, "I told you! I told you!"
A little flustered, Mamori pulled away from him. "Was that necessary?" she asked him.
He merely grinned in return. "Why? I have nothing to be afraid of after all. Not even the devil himself could stop me from getting what I want."
She was confused at first, but found herself laughing aloud as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him once more, much to everyone's further excitement and horror. He was right, this was the lesson they had learnt. There was nothing to be afraid of anymore...
Though maybe the reaction of everyone else should be worrying enough.
"WHOA A KISS! THEY KISSED AGAIN!"
"THIS ISN'T GOOD FOR MY HEART!"
"I am strangely aroused by this."
"DON'T ANNOUNCE SUCH THINGS SO LOUDLY!"
"I kinda like this ending better, I think. A little more original, yes?"
"I don't think this is the right time to discuss this."
Slowly tuning out the noise in the background, Mamori pulled her lips away for a moment to smile at Hiruma. Carefully hiding his own, he looked at her.
Wait for me.
Nodding, she pulled him in and kissed him once more.
I will.
~*~
Extra Notes: There is an epilogue. Go read it!
Chapter 12 | Epilogue
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: This took too long to complete and I apologise! I had a lot of issues going on, and it was hard to get me to write this. But I finally steeled myself to write this last chapter! To be honest, it's a lot different than how I conceived it initially, but the change was much needed cause all the words came easier this way. I hope you enjoy this, and thank you once again for all your patience!
~*~
Careful not to trip, Mamori skipped two to three steps down the concrete stairs facing the road. A silver car rumbled patiently by the side, two occupants within, one waving her hand excitedly at Mamori as she unlocked the back passenger door for her.
Mamori practically threw herself into the car, her files and bags strewn across the seat as she slammed the door shut. Amidst her heavy breathing, she let out a relieved sigh. "Did I make it in time?"
"Right on the dot," Unsui replied with a smile, as he set the car to gear and began to drive off.
"I'm so sorry to bother the two of you, having to pick me up like this," Mamori took off her black coat and adjusted the blue blouse she wore underneath it.
"It's no trouble at all!" Karin replied, turning to look at her from the front passenger seat. "After all, we are heading in the same direction. How did it go?"
"I was a little nervous, but I think it went well," Mamori replied, still a little breathless from the run. She gathered up her files and hugged her bag closer to her, a little embarrassed to have thrown it around like that. "It took a lot longer than I expected because the principal couldn't stop talking about me and my impressive grades and references. I'm worried I may have over-impressed them though. Do you think that's bad?"
Unsui chuckled. "With your abilities, Anezaki, I don't think you have anything to worry about."
"I'm sure you'll get in, Mamori!" said Karin, wearing a confident smile, which slowly turned mischievious. "And if you don't, well, I'm sure someone will make sure that doesn't happen."
Mamori shot back a disapproving look at that smile. "Oh no, I wouldn't want him to be involved in any way. Besides, I want to move forward using my own ability, he knows that. It is the same for him after all."
"So the two of you are okay with this arrangement?" asked Unsui, glancing at the rear view mirror to look at Mamori.
"You mean with him being in America and me staying here?" She leaned against the door to look at the passing scenery, of the familiar roads which would soon pass by Deimon. "I suppose it's easy to say that we don't have a choice; that we have to make do with what we have and the opportunities given to us. The waiting is going to be tough for sure, and I think this would be the first time we would be apart for this long ever since I joined the Devil Bats. But..."
As Unsui glanced at the rear view mirror once more, he could see Mamori smiling contently at him. "It'll be all right," she said. "He's someone very important to me. So no matter where he is, I'll always wait for him patiently, and I know he'll do the same."
Unsui smiled widely in return. "Well, knowing his nature, he would gladly wait as long as he gets what he wants in the end. So don't expect him to let go of you that easily."
Mamori giggled. "I'm not expecting him to. After all, I want to be with him too."
Karin let out a soft sigh. "Oh, this is rather perfect. Though I can't deny, the outcome for this all is a little bit disappointing."
"What do you mean?" asked Unsui.
"If you think about it, wouldn't it have been more romantic if the two of them came to this conclusion right now? Just hours before Hiruma-san's flight? He wouldn't be expecting her, and just as he's about to board the plane, filled with regrets, Mamori runs after him calling out his name." Karin began to talk faster now, enthusiasm forming with each word that passed her lips, "Confused but filled with hope, Hiruma-san would approach her and Mamori would confess everything to him, about how she's willing to wait for him and that she would eventually go to America to be with him, and Hiruma-san would be overjoyed but he wouldn't show it. He'd tease her perhaps, tell her she's stupid. But he'd accept it all and tells her he'd be waiting for her, and that he will come back and drag her to America if he has to! And then-"
Unsui cut in, cringing a little. "I'm going to have to stop you there, Karin, but I think you've been reading too much shoujo mangas."
"But don't you think that would have been a fitting ending?" asked Karin. Despite her calm demeanour, her eyes sparkled with excitement. "I think a lot of readers would love that, it is quite romantic after all. Maybe the next manga I draw could have that."
Unsui rested his hand on the gears, despite not changing it. He shook his head a little, but there was a smile on his face that Mamori believed only Karin could interpret, for she placed her hand on his and smiled in return.
Smiling to herself, Mamori sighed in contentment and watched the passing scenery outside. In the distance, she could see the outline of the Deimon High School. And so she closed her eyes, allowing herself to be washed over by nostalgia of every good thing she had experienced thus far, the great people she had met, the amazing games she had witnessed.
And the man she had grown to love on the field.
Just as they reached the car park, Mamori was surprised to see someone familiar waiting for her by the entrance to the airport. "I'm sorry," said Karin sheepishly. "He was really insistent about seeing you before you saw Hiruma-san off."
"If he does or even says anything hurtful, just call out for us," said Unsui, shifting the gear to neutral upon parking in an empty lot.
"It's all right," Mamori assured them. "I needed to talk to him too."
Yamato waved at her as she exited the car, to which she smiled and waved back. Karin and Unsui remained in the car, patiently waiting for them to finish their conversation.
"Ah, Karin still doesn't trust me, does she?" said Yamato, as he looked over Mamori to see the duo talking to each other, Unsui’s eyes glancing over occasionally.
"It's not that they don't trust you," Mamori replied. "They're worried about me, especially after everything that has happened. I hope you understand."
"I understand perfectly," said Yamato, looking at her with a sombre smile. "But I only wanted to see you to apologise."
"Oh, I should be the one apologising! I must have hurt you terribly that night."
"No, it was perfectly fine. You had every right to tell me the truth, and it is one aspect that I admire about you, Anezaki, how you are always true to yourself. There are many other aspects that I admire too..."
"Yamato-kun..."
"Don't worry, Anezaki. I admit, when you said it, it stung. You were pretty spot on about my fears. Even back during the World Youth Cup, I knew breaking into America just wasn't that easy despite the mark we made during our time there. I knew there was a better way to do it, one that took on a more tactical approach outside the field. And I admit, as you were someone who also worked outside of the field, you would have been perfect to help me."
Mamori pressed her lips together, nodding him on.
"I didn't mean to steal you away from him, I just thought that you were better off with me as he was never really there for you. I hope you know I did it because I care, and I didn't want to see you wasting away, waiting for someone who didn't seem to care about how you feel and may never come back. But I was wrong, I should have known you were much smarter than that, much stronger. That the bond between the two of you was not as simple as I thought it was. And for that, I'm sorry, Anezaki."
She smiled in response. "It's okay, Yamato-kun. I understand why you did it. But I want you to know that I really am grateful for the kindness you have shown me when I was hurt and alone. Regardless of how this seems, I believe you are a kind and thoughtful man. Thank you, and I look forward to working with you in the future."
Mamori reached out a hand to him, Yamato staring in disbelief for a moment. Then he laughed in amusement and shook the hand. "I also look forward to working with you and Hiruma once more in the future."
Mamori waved at Unsui and Karin, alerting them that their conversation was over and that they should hurry into the airport. As they all walked in, the familiar sound of chaos rang through the air.
Mamori sighed. She should have seen this coming.
Almost everyone from every Japanese Football team they had ever played against was present, creating such a ruckus that everyone else at the airport would give them strange looks and go out of their way to avoid them.
Hiruma was being frisked before he could even head to the departure lounge, much to his annoyance, while everyone else argued about who snitched on him.
"There's no doubt about it, Agon had to be the one who did it. He's always been jealous of Hiruma going to America."
"The fuck you say, you piece of trash! Come say it to my face, I dare you!"
"Excuse me sir, but we'll have to frisk you too."
"The fuck? I'm not even taking a damn flight!"
"Agon's been set up too! We're all going to get frisked!"
"Whose fault is it now?"
"Mukya! This can't be happening! We're all going to be under investigation! What have we done!"
"Calm down, Monta, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for this..."
"Ahaha! They can frisk me if they want to!"
"Not a good idea, all they'd find is stupid."
"Calm down, everyone, there has got to be a reasonable explanation for this!"
"... Can I just leave now?"
"Don't be so embarrassed to be here? We're here to say goodbye to a good old friend of ours after all."
"You don't even really like him!"
"Even more reason to see him off, right?"
"I DON'T WANT TO BE BLACKLISTED FROM JAPAN!"
"That makes no sense."
Karin and Yamato watched on with a sweat drop. Unsui chuckled at the sight, already used to this madness thanks to the Enma Fires. "Some things just don't change, do they?"
Mamori sighed once more. "No, not at all."
"Ah, Mamo-nee!" a familiar voice called out to her, and soon everyone turned to look at Mamori.
An even louder roar erupted upon the group's realisation of Mamori being present.
"ANEZAKI IS HERE!"
"ARE THE RUMOURS TRUE?!"
"SHE'S HERE TO GIVE HIM A GOODBYE KISS!"
"CAN YOU DATE ME NOW ANEZAKI?"
The sound of gun shots rang through the air, forcing everyone to fall flat on the ground. "You fuckers shut up already!" cried Hiruma, who then passed the gun to the airport personnel. "Keep it, it's a lousy gun anyways."
"Sir, you possess a gun..."
"It's not mine. You already frisked me and know I don't have any weapons on me."
"But then how did you...?"
Hiruma shrugged. "Fuck if I know." As everyone slowly got up, Hiruma walked towards Mamori, who was the only one who remained standing throughout the entire ordeal. "Took you long enough, Fucking Manager," he said.
"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm here just in time," Mamori insisted. "Though I see that you didn't waste any time in creating chaos even before you leave. Didn't we go through a similar ordeal during our first trip to America with the Devil Bats?"
"And as usual, no one can really figure out how I’m still able to possess weaponry."
"I wish you would conceal them better, you know they're such a high risk in airports and it still worries me that you'll get caught."
"Stop fucking worrying about me, you know I can take care of myself."
"Yes, but..." Mamori sighed one last time before laughing a little. "You're right. I have nothing to be worried about. Not even the devil himself could stop you from getting what you want."
"But other people did succeed in keeping me from you," he said, though so softly Mamori could only make out a couple of the words. She shook her head.
"It was a necessary lesson for the both of us. You came for me at the party, that was enough."
He was leaning in towards her now, their heads tilting towards each other until they realised the many eyes watching them. Instinctively, Mamori took a step back, looking down in embarrassment...
Until Hiruma pulled her towards him, arm holding her waist and his lips now planted on top of hers. She could hear the screams and shouts of surprise and anger. Suzuna squealing loudly in the distance, screeching, "I told you! I told you!"
A little flustered, Mamori pulled away from him. "Was that necessary?" she asked him.
He merely grinned in return. "Why? I have nothing to be afraid of after all. Not even the devil himself could stop me from getting what I want."
She was confused at first, but found herself laughing aloud as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him once more, much to everyone's further excitement and horror. He was right, this was the lesson they had learnt. There was nothing to be afraid of anymore...
Though maybe the reaction of everyone else should be worrying enough.
"WHOA A KISS! THEY KISSED AGAIN!"
"THIS ISN'T GOOD FOR MY HEART!"
"I am strangely aroused by this."
"DON'T ANNOUNCE SUCH THINGS SO LOUDLY!"
"I kinda like this ending better, I think. A little more original, yes?"
"I don't think this is the right time to discuss this."
Slowly tuning out the noise in the background, Mamori pulled her lips away for a moment to smile at Hiruma. Carefully hiding his own, he looked at her.
Wait for me.
Nodding, she pulled him in and kissed him once more.
I will.
~*~
Extra Notes: There is an epilogue. Go read it!
Chapter 12 | Epilogue