“Yosh! That’s it for today!” Jin called out, checking his watch. If I hurry, I can still make it.

 
As Jin sprinted off the field with his bag, a shout stopped him in his tracks.

 
“Akanishi-senpai! Don’t go just yet!” Takaki Yuuya waved at the figure fidgeting at the edge of the field.

 
Jin suppressed a groan and hurried back. “What’s up, Takaki-kun?”

 
“It’s about our game two weeks from now. I was wondering what sort of strategy we would be employing to…” Takaki started, pulling some papers from his sports bag.

 
Jin glanced at his watch. 20 minutes to the start of the game.

 
“Listen, Takaki-kun. The game’s in two weeks. I have to hurry off somewhere. Why don’t we go over this another day. That’s fine with you? Great. See you!” Jin said in a rush, turning to leave again.

 
Takaki reached out and grabbed Jin by the sleeve. “Don’t go to him.”

 
Jin turned around at the whispered words. Takaki had his head bent down, hand still clinging onto Jin’s sleeve.

 
“What are you talking about, Takaki-kun?”

 
“Please. Don’t go to him. He’ll only ruin you.” Takaki looked up imploringly at Jin.

 
Jin shook his head, and shaking Takaki’s hand off his sleeve. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve got to go.”

 
Without another look backwards, Jin hurried off to his bike. If he had turned back, he would have seen Takaki staring at him with narrowed eyes and an unreadable expression.

 
Kame rolled his shoulders. Taking a deep breath, he stretched once more before stepping on the pitcher’s mound. Closing his eyes, Kame focused on the perfect pitch in his mind.

 
Kame’s concentration was rudely interrupted when he heard shouts. Opening his eyes, he saw a figure running towards him in the midst of angry shouts.

 
“I promised you I’d give you back your luck for the game. Now tweak my nose!” Jin panted, stopping in front of a very shocked Kame.

 
Kame could only open and close his mouth a few times like a guppy. So many questions crossed his mind. “J-Ji-Jin? What? I mean… how? You…” Kame stuttered, gesturing wildly with his hands.

 
Jin took a few more deep breaths, turning to see the umpire storming towards him. “We haven’t got the time. Take your luck back now. Tweak my nose!”

 
Kame stared at Jin incredulously, both eyebrows disappearing into his bangs.

 
The umpire was seconds away from hauling Jin off the field. Exasperated at the lack of reaction, Jin grabbed Kame by the head and rubbed their noses together. He let his face linger close to Kame’s for a few seconds before the umpire grabbed him by the collar and proceeded to drag him off the pitch.

 
No one realized that almost half of the female audience had fainted. From the spectators’ angle, it had looked as if Jin had kissed Kame.

 
Kame stood rooted to the ground the entire time it took the umpire to dump Jin off the pitch. In his mind, there was no crowd, no cheering, nothing else except for Jin and the warmth on his cheeks where Jin’s hands had been just moments ago.

 
“Play ball!” The umpire’s call shook him out of his reverie. Closing his eyes and opening them again, Kame had his game face on. The intensity of his stare made the opposing batter shake just a little bit more.

 
Jin settled into the crowd as the game began. He was glad that his popularity in school had some use after all. Several girls that had been carried off for first aid had left a space in the front row empty.

 
So engrossed was Jin in watching Kame strike out the second batter that he did not realize that he was now surrounded by four other boys.

 
“Enjoyed it, didn’t you?” Koki said softly into Jin’s right ear. Jin nodded, breaking into a soft smile.

 
Four eyebrows twitched.

 
“Thinking of getting more?” Maru asked into Jin’s left ear.

 
Again, a nod. And a bigger smile.

 
Four veins pulsed on four different foreheads.

 
“Would you like to continue living?” Ueda asked in a low voice, on Jin’s left. A frown appeared on Jin’s face, but he was still focused on Kame.

 
A hesitant nod.

 
“Well, that’s too bad. It’s the end for you now,” another voice said on Jin’s right. Finally tearing his eyes off Kame’s form, Jin turned right to come face-to-face with Kusano.

 
Giving off a battle cry, Kusano lunged at Jin, a manic look in his eyes. Scrambling off his seat, Jin barely evaded Kusano’s attack before being grabbed and tackled to the ground by Koki and Maru.

 
“How dare you do that to Kame!”

 
“Only I can kiss Kame-senpai!”

 
“Stay away from innocent Kazuya!”

 
“I haven’t gotten up the courage to kiss Kame-chan! How could you beat me to it?!”

 
Jin could not get a word in between getting strangled by Koki and Kusano and being pummeled to death by Maru and Ueda.

 
The small scuffle was broken up when the school mascot tripped and landed onto them. Five heads popped up from underneath the sequined pink tutu. The skull head of the mascot was removed to reveal Kokubun Taichi, Kitagawa High’s music teacher.

 
“Taichi-sensei?” Jin, Koki, Maru and Ueda choked out.

 
Taichi looked at the four boys. “Oh! Hi, boys! Sorry, I kinda tripped. I didn’t hurt any of you, did I?”

 
Five heads shook from left to right.

 
“Alright then! I have to get the far right to cheer louder. Bye, boys!” Taichi gave a wave and running off while putting the mascot head back on.

 
It took a few seconds of blinking before the boys continued with their shouting and wrestling.

 
Jin was about to turn a deep shade of blue when they were interrupted by a foot stomping nearby.

 
“You-tachi! Either you keep quiet or I’ll shut you up. I can’t concentrate with you trying to kill each other over here,” Kame threatened, glaring daggers at the group on the floor.

 
“How are you planning to keep us quiet? Kiss?” Koki suggested hopefully, releasing Jin long enough for the poor boy to gasp at much needed oxygen.

 
“No, I’ll tell Kokubun-sensei that you’ve each volunteered to play mascot for every baseball game we have from now on,” Kame smiled sadistically, imagining all of them in pink tutus.

 
Quickly, the five boys clambered over each other and sat quietly back onto the bench.

 
“That’s better,” Kame left with a satisfied nod.

 
Kame shook the wet strands of hair out of his eyes. Making his way to the exit of the baseball grounds, he was mildly surprised to see all five of his friends waiting for him.

 
“You didn’t have to wait for me, guys,” Kame said as soon as he approached the group.

 
All of them gave nonchalant shrugs and looked downwards, some shuffling their feet.

 
“It was the least we could do, since we caused such a scene earlier,” Ueda explained.

 
Kame’s eyes widened. “It was alright, Tat-chan. I was more worried about you hurting yourselves.”

 
“You mean, you don’t blame us?” Maru asked hesitantly, daring to look Kame in the eyes.

 
Kame gave a laugh and slung his arm around Maru’s shoulder. “Why would I blame you? We won the game. You provided me with some entertainment. Everything’s good.”

 
“Really?” Koki asked, stepping closer to Kame.

 
“Yes, really!” Kame rolled his eyes and threw his other arm around Koki.

 
The small group broke out into laughter until everyone stared at Jin. Jin stopped laughing abruptly and looked out of place.

 
Kame stepped towards the older boy. “Thank you,” he said, giving Jin a shy smile. “Thank you for remembering your promise.”

 
Jin beamed back at him. “I always keep my promises!”

 
Kame was about to say something else when a long wail echoed around them. Puzzled, they turned their heads around, looking for the source.

 
Moments later, Yamapi came running towards them from the corner, wailing endlessly.

 
“Kazuya! You have to help me~~~!!” Yamapi wailed some more as he threw himself onto Kame.

 
“Help you with what?” Kame asked, trying not to topple over under Yamapi’s weight.

 
“It’s a matter of life and death! You’re the only one who can help me! Please~~” Yamapi practically stuck his face into Kame’s.

 
Kame shook off his crossed eyes. “With what, exactly?”

 
“Promise me you’ll help me~! Please~~! I’ll name my firstborn after you!! I’ll name all my children after you!! So, please!!!,” Yamapi continued on, ignoring the younger boy’s question.

 
Kame gave a frustrated sigh. “Okay okay, alright! I’ll help you. What am I helping you with?”

 
Yamapi’s wailing immediately changed into a satisfied grin. “Yosha! It’s settled then.”

 
“Pi, either you tell me what’s going on or I swear I’ll tell Nishikido you were spying on him the other day,” Kame said.

 
“But Kazuya! You were spying on him too!” Yamapi made a shocked face.

 
Kame crossed his arms across his chest. “That’s because you dragged me along, idiot.”

 
“Hang on a second! When did you guys get so close?” Jin blurted out, giving his best friend a suspicious glare.

 
Kame and Yamapi turned to look at Jin. “Oh! I forgot to tell you? I realized I knew Kazuya because he stays very near me and we fought in a park once. I couldn’t recognize him at first. He’s grown up into such a beautiful boy,” Yamapi explained, ruffling Kame’s hair.

 
“Yeah. When he realized it, he practically jumped onto me in the corridor. It took both Sakamoto-sensei and Joshima-sensei to get him off me,” Kame complained, fixing his messy hair.

 
Jin and the others merely nodded.

 
“Back to the topic, Pi. What am I helping you out with?” Kame turned his attention back to Yamapi.

 
“Oh! That! A bunch of our volleyball teammates got roughed up the other day. So you just agreed to be the second competing team in next week’s game,” Yamapi said happily, clapping his hands together.

 
Before Kame could reply, Yamapi turned to Jin. “And you’re Kazuya’s partner!” he sing-songed.

A/N: Right. The end of this is nowhere in sight. On a better note, Eito and NEWS will be appearing next chapter! Volleyball and all, you know. Oh, and a few more of V6, because senpais have become scarce in the last few chapters >_<;

As always, comments are loved! Concrit as well! If you think I should never write again, that’s welcome as well ^^