Namesake

Aftermath

Boys and girls be ambitious!

Boys and girls keep it real!

-LM.C 'Boys and Girls'

~K27~

I hate the fact the enemy is so much better at everything and manages to overtake you after three years. What's worse, that person from three years ago wasn't technically all that. I mean, like he sucks at everything.

It's a wonder what three years of training for sumo in Italy makes!

Hate it.

I hate the fact that from across me, he's solving the problems in the board with only a small glance in a textbook that takes me two hours to memorize. I hate the fact that his soufflé's much better than mine at Home Economics when it took me half my lifetime to find out that subject as my calling. I hate the fact that from the 'No-Good Tsuna' I remembered in junior high was absent in this tall, able and medium-eyed #$%&*!

Most of all, I hate the fact that he isn't friendly to me at all anymore.

Jerk.

I double check to stop making unnecessary ramblings in my mind before skipping lunch and heading for some baseball practice.

~K27~

"Are you out of your mind, Kyoko-chan?" Haru keeps reminding me from the stands as I spun my bat like a baton and walk to the home plate. "There's no way you can win! He'll just pawn you like what he did to your brother."

"I'm agreeing with big-mouth here," nods Gokudera-kun (who I still don't know if he's an ally or enemy to begin with due to his 'friendliness' to Sawada...san)with a sage-like face. "Never in a million years will you and baseball freak be able to beat the Tenth."

"I'm not saying I'm on your side, Octopus Head!" she reminds him as she folds her arms defiantly. "It's just-well- it's impossible for you to beat him. I mean- come on! What the hell can you do against that Tsuna? It'll take a MIRACLE for you to win!"

"Has he played baseball in Italy by any chance?" I squeeze into her Haru's warnings and shout at Yamamoto-kun.

"Nah. Our favourite past time is playing soccer at the fields after training." He brushes off with a smile like what Yamamoto-kun would usually express. "But I want you to know Tsuna's no ordinary guy. When Reborn-san tapped that intuition of his, he starts to learn things easily like crazy. He can memorize or do anything in a flash. Learning and being good at baseball is a piece of cake for him."

How can Yamamoto be so nonchalant about this?

"What's our chance then of winning?" I ask Yamamoto-kun as he readies for a pitch.

He grins, as he lifts up his foot to prepare for lift-off.

"50-50. We can win with the baseball freak." He says confidently as he releases the ball.

I swing the bat. But the ball spiralled out of control and grazes past me as it rushes to the place. Strike.

"That's how Tsuna will probably throw the ball. No mercy." He says as he flashes the peace sign.

And for Yamamoto-kun to use signs like that so carelessly when I know everything will depend on the match tomorrow…

"Three innings." He says as he grabs the ball from me and returns back just as fast. "If you get struck out just as easily, how can we stand a chance in those few innings?"