Sawamura Esumi sat in the dugout, speaking with the third year that was training her brother. Chris told her that he'd shown up at his dorm last night and asked Chris to catch for him. Esumi sighed. "Mou, sorry Chris-senpai. Ei-nii's cocky and persistent. A very irritating combination." Esumi muttered an apology. She turned to glance at the field, where her brother was running off steam.

"WON'T YOU HAVE GRADUATED BY THEN!? DO YOU DETEST ME THAT MUCH!?" Eijun yelled suddenly and began to run faster.

"It's okay." Chris patted the young female's head. Esumi smiled a bit and looked up at the third year happily. "Excuse me, I have to head off Esumi-chan." He told the girl.

"Ah..Okay." She replied back. In the back of her head, she knew where Chris was disappearing to. Her research showed that much. With a sigh, she looked back at her brother. He looked shocked that Chris was leaving early. Esumi shook her head. "So dense Ei-nii...." She muttered, returning to her own practice.

~__!__~

It was the day of the Kantou tournament. Seidou was playing, down by four and the end of the seventh inning. Esumi was well aware of the spectators comments about their playing today. The younger Sawamura sat in the dugout, waiting to be called to play. She glanced at the field, then at Kataoka. 'If I were Kataoka, I'd switch pitchers. Tanba-senpai can't hold much longer like this..' Esumi thought as she glanced to see if the third year pitcher was alright. Tanba's breath was rigid and he was sweating quite a bit.

"First half of the eighth inning, Seidou pitcher change and right field substitute." The commentator announced. "The eighth inning substitute for Tanba is Pitcher Furuya! And substituting Shirasu is Sawamura!" Furuya began walking out toward the field. Esumi was shocked hearing her name.

"What is it Sawamura? You not warmed up properly?" Kataoka asked seriously. Esumi shook her head. "Then get out there and play your hardest." He ordered.

"Yes sir!" Esumi said as loudly as she could and followed Furuya out to the field. She tightened her ponytail, and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. Shirasu patted her head as he made his way back toward the dugout.

"Good luck. Esumi-chan." He told her.

"Thanks, Shirasu-senpai." Esumi took her position in right field. The spectators behind her began talking.

"Hey, aren't those to first years?"

"That one's a girl!"

"To play first years in such an important match..."

"Is Seidou throwing in the towel?"

Esumi was nervous. She was making a debut in baseball on an all male team. She tried her best to stay calm. Like Furuya, who paid no attention to the crowd. Esumi looked at the other team's, Yokohama's, dugout. They seemed pissed that Furuya and her entered the stage. She read their coach's lips. "They're really underestimating us... To actually send in two rookie first years. Not to mention a girl. What the hell is this!? LET'S GIVE THOSE ROOKIES A TASTE OF THE HARSHNESS OF HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL!!" He ended up yelling.

The first batter stepped up, smirking at Furuya. Esumi relaxed. 'They're underestimating Furuya. I'm not gonna get a hit back here..' She sighed.

"Oi! Don't slack off Sawamura-chan!" Jun called toward Esumi. She looked at the current center fielder, and nodded.

"Yes!" She replied back.

Furuya winded up his pitch. A loud smack sounded and the crowds fell silent. Miyuki was smirking in delight at everyone's reactions toward the monster rookie. Esumi observed as Yokohama went into panic mode. The coach from the dugout began yelling at his players. The other Yokohama team members were froze in shock. The crowd erupted with comments and cheers. Esumi lightly swayed side to side on her feet, something she did on the field when she wasn't getting enough action.

"That kid struck out five Yokohama batters consecutively!"

"Seidou isn't fooling around! He's a monster reincarnated!"

"I-IMPOSSIBLE!"

"STRIKE HIM OUT! STRIKE HIM OUT!" People began to cheer for Furuya's strikeouts, but some began to comment on her purpose.

"What's the girl for though?"

"She's useless."

"She can't really play. She's for show."

"How pointless." They said. Esumi became tense with irritation. Her body began to shake as she stood on the field doing nothing. Her eyes sparked and glared at the floor. She was sure her brother caught her attitude.

From the bleachers, Eijun eyed his sister. His right hand automatically reached up and grabbed the part of his jersey where his heart was. Beside him, Haruichi looked at the male in question. Eijun ignored the younger Kominato brother though. His eyes stayed trained on his younger sister. 'Esumi...' He thought. The pang in his chest hit harder. Eijun clenched his fist tighter. "Esumi.." He whispered this time. "What's wrong..?"

'Esumi-chan?' Haruichi thought, hearing Eijun mutter to himself. The pinkette turned to glance at the Sawamura twin standing on the field. His eyes widened, seeing the unusual irritated aura around Esumi. She didn't do anything, but her breathing was uneven. Like she was holding something back.

~__!__~

Eijun was washing clothes, thinking back on yesterday's match against Yokohama. He felt frustrated about the discussion he had with Chris. Then there was also his twin, who refused to tell him why she was so irritated. Of course he was more worried about Esumi's well being. 'Why the hell won't she talk to me? It's strange..Maybe I should ask Haruno..?' He thought.

~__!__~

It was another day of practicing. The second string was now working on their fielding. Eijun was running around, attempting to learn how to field.

"SAWAMURA! You've got to cover better!"

"What kind of baseball were you playing in middle school!? Don't look down on the ball!"

Other members scolded the useless-in-all-else Sawamura boy. Eijun sulked a bit, with an irritated frown on his face. "Sorry..." He muttered. Practice ran on. Eijun stood around the field, looking confused. 'How do you do this so easily Esumi!?' He thought, looking around at his teammates.

~__!__~

Practice ended and Esumi walked back to her dorm. She hasn't been her normal self lately, and the other regulars were a bit worried. Jun looked up as the first year female walked by. With a sigh, he went after her. "Oi! What the hell's with you attitude!?" He yelled lightly smacking her head. Esumi looked up at the third year center fielder, unaffected by the hit to the back of her head.

"Nothing." She muttered, going to walk away.

"Oi! Sawamura!" He called to the female. Esumi stopped, glancing over her shoulder. Jun frowned, seeing that Esumi didn't complain about him hitting her as usual. "What's really wrong?" Jun asked.

"It's more personal senpai." She muttered. "Excuse me." Esumi excused herself, leaving quickly. Jun's eyebrows furrowed.

"Did she mention what's wrong?" Yuki asked, coming up beside Jun. The latter shook his head in defeat.

"No. She said that it was personal and walked off." Jun responded. Yuki watched as Esumi turned the corner, leading to the girl's dormitory.

On the other hand, Esumi silently walked to her dorm. She sighed helplessly, thinking back to the game. Thinking back to those comments. She didn't do anything the whole time she was placed into the game during the eighth inning. The spectators called her useless. Said that she was just 'for show.' Usually these comments didn't affect her. "So why now?" She asked herself.

Esumi rubbed her temple, feeling a headache coming on. She came to her dorm, and entered inside. Haruno was already there, unpacking. Yeah, she officially moved in. Haruno turned to greet Esumi, but stopped herself. "Esumi-chan..What's wrong?" Haruno asked instead. Esumi looked at her best friend.

"It's nothing to worry about." Esumi told the same thing to Haruno as she told to Jun. But the other was not satisfied by the reply. Haruno stood from the floor and sat on her own bed. Esumi sat on her's so the girls were facing each other.

"What's really wrong Esumi-chan? You can tell me." Haruno chided, but the younger twin girl shook her head. She gave Haruno her best attempt at a smile.

"To be honest..I'm not really sure. I just..feel weird...." Esumi paused. "I don't know how to explain it. I just feel like something's changing and I guess it bothers me that I don't know what it is." Esumi tried to explain, but her headache only grew the more she thought about it. Esumi let out a pained groan and laid on her bed.

"Oh. Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out Esumi-chan." Haruno smiled a bit. Though, she didn't understand any better than Esumi did.

That night, Esumi fell asleep with much trouble. But the next day came all too quick, and her alarm went off blaring. Esumi got up with a groan. She went to get ready for morning practice. Even then, she was a bit shocked to see a couple people standing around the baseball field. She skipped breakfast and practiced, waiting for the rest of her team to finish.

"Hey! Look! It's that girl that was put in against Yokohama!" One said.

"She's actually practicing!" The other stated.

"But she was useless in that game. She just stood there, not doing anything!"

"Yeah! Everyone was talking about how she was too noticeable and wasn't needed at all!"

A pang hit Esumi's chest. Realization hit her. Her head spun and she felt dizzy all of a sudden. Esumi turned to the guys and went toward them. "SHE'S COMING OVER HERE!!" They panicked.

"What'd you say earlier...?" She asked calmly. Surprisingly.. The two men froze.

"Eh, what do you mean?" One replied with sweat dripping down the side of his face.

"You said that I was noticeable. What did you mean?" Her voice was dangerously low, as if she was pissed that someone was making fun of her brother again.

"Huh? I mean! Yeah! You were noticed by everyone. EVERYONE was talking about you!" He tried to be happy about it like it was a good thing, but it wasn't. It tore Esumi apart more. Without another word she turned away and left the men alone.

"The hell was that about?"

"Publicity, maybe?"

Esumi shook a bit, picking up the bat that she was swinging before now. With a bit of trouble she went back toward the equipment shed to put the bat away. Her eyes were wide and in shock. "I was noticed..." She muttered. "I mean it's natural right? I'm the only girl on the team..." Esumi whispered, putting the bat where it belonged. "But...Furuya was on the mound..How was I..?" She continued to think aloud. She heard voices, and looked up. People were exiting the cafeteria and were setting up for morning practice before school started.

"Esu!" The familiar voice of her brother called.

"Sawamura-chan!" The regulars called. Her eyes widened more. Her body shook harder.

"I'm.....not....a shadow.....!!" She whispered to herself as her brother and friends approached her.

~__!__~

Practice that morning went horribly. Esumi wasn't doing anything right. The upperclassmen were beginning to get worried. Eijun especially was worrying. Takashima and Kataoka noticed the girl's strange behavior as well.

It was dinner time, and no one has seen Esumi. "Oi. Sawamura where's Esumi-chan?" Kuramochi asked as he looked around the dining hall. Eijun looked around as well.

"Come to think of it. She wasn't at breakfast either." Miyuki added in. Masuko nodded in agreement. "Do you know what's wrong with her?"

"No, she's been avoiding me..." Eijun frowned, looking toward the doors. He hoped that his twin would walk in her usual self, happy-go-lucky. With sudden actions, Eijun stood up with his food. "I'll take this to her." He said and walked out of the dining hall.

"I hope Esumi-chan's okay." Ryosuke frowned.

"Yeah." The rest of the regulars agreed as the doors flapped closed.

Eijun made it to the girls dorm and went straight to Esumi's door. He expertly knocked with his elbow, whilst holding the tray of food. From the other side, he heard someone get up. The door was opened to reveal Haruno. Eijun blushed a bright red. "Sawamura-kun?"

"Yoshikawa!" Eijun said in surprise. "Am I at the wrong dorm!?"

"Ah! You're looking for Esumi-chan? Come in." Haruno motioned. Eijun nervously stepped in, but that was replaced by worry. Eijun saw his twin sister curled up into a ball and sitting in the farthest corner of her bed. He placed the food on the desk beside his sister's bed, and sat beside her.

"Esumi...?" He whispered, reaching toward her. She moved away though, not meeting his eye.

"She's been like this since this morning...As soon as practice ended, she came straight here. I've been trying to get her to eat too.." Haruno explained. Eijun frowned.

"Thanks Yoshikawa." Eijun thanked the female. Haruno smiled a bit, heading toward the door.

"I'll give you space to talk.." Haruno motioned to the door and left quickly. Eijun turned back to Esumi, scooting closer to her.

"Esumi..what's wrong?" Eijun asked seriously. Esumi moved so her face wasn't covered by her arms. She made eye contact with her brother. A frown was evident on the girl's face.

"Ei-nii..." She whispered, and threw herself into her brother's arms. Sobs wracked her body. She buried her head in the crook of Eijun's neck. Eijun hugged his sister tightly and awaited to her to speak first. "I-I'm....." She cried helplessly. "Not.....a sh-shadow....a-a-anymore....."

Eijun's eyes widened, hearing the words that left Esumi's mouth. "What do you mean Esumi!?" He asked worriedly. Esumi hugged her brother tighter.

"People were noticing me of the field during the game the other day!" Esumi cried. Eijun lightly pushed his sister away, wiping away her tears.

"How is this possible?" Eijun asked. Esumi sniffled, rubbing her eyes.

"I don't know....." She replied back unsurely. Eijun frowned. 'This has been a technique she's been working on since we were little...' He thought.

"Maybe because you're the only girl?" Eijun tried. Esumi frowned aw well.

"That's what I thought...but that can't be! If you think back, in Akagi...people were beginning to notice me too. But now...." She hiccuped sadly.

"How? You've mastered this technique! You're the ultimate defense!" Eijun exclaimed. Esumi let her head drop sadly, not looking at Eijun.

"I know. Well I thought I did..." Esumi added. "It's the only technique I know. If I'm noticed by the batter's on the field..." She worried.

"That won't happen Esu. You're still a shadow. You'll make it work." Eijun tried to comfort. Esumi sighed, not believing what her twin said.

"But what if?" Esumi tried. Eijun shook his head in disagreement.

"But it won't." He paused, thinking for a bit. "Why not drop being a shadow?"

"Huh?" Esumi looked at her brother in confusion.

"You know, just work on agility and your acrobatics." Eijun suggested. "You still have those."

"But it's too flashy." Esumi complained. Eijun grinned though.

"It's time to be flashy! Step into the light Esu!" Eijun encouraged. Esumi looked unsure, watching her brother. Eijun nodded in content. "It'll work. You may not disappear anymore, but I'm confident that you can still make the ultimate defense!"

"Ei-nii....are you saying that you want me to create a whole new style!?" Esumi asked loudly. Eijun nodded expectantly. "Are you crazy!?" Esumi wondered. The older twin shrugged a bit.

"You can do it Esu!" Eijun cheered.

"Ei-nii, are you aware that perfecting being a shadow took me a whole two years!?" Esumi wondered, frowning at Eijun.

"Let's make a deal though. If you work hard at a new technique, I'll make it into regulars." Eijun smirked cockily. Esumi smiled ever so slightly, not being able to resist.

"Th-then, I'll try my hardest." Esumi looked motivated. Eijun grinned in satisfaction.

"Great! Now eat." Eijun motioned bluntly to the food on Esumi's desk. Happily, she stood up and sat in front of the food.

Later on, Eijun left and Haruno returned. The night was peaceful. It seemed that Sawamura Esumi would be back to normal in the morning.

~__!__~

The following morning, practice proceeded as usual. Esumi was fielding like always, but she seemed completely back to normal. She was very hyperactive, and nothing like she was the day before. The regulars were relieved that the normal Esumi was back. "Looks like whatever Sawamura did worked." Kuramochi laughed. Ryosuke agreed, tossing the ball to his partner.

"Yeah. Esumi-chan looks better now." Ryosuke added, glancing at the second string's fielding practice. Eijun was there, standing off to the side and observed. He looked really concentrated. The shortstop and second baseman smirked at how serious the older Sawamura looked.

After practice, Yuki went up to Esumi as the latter went through cool down exercises. "Esumi." He interrupted. Esumi jumped a bit, at the sudden voice. She turned and saw her captain.

"Yuki-senpai?" She asked, tilting her head to the right a bit. "Is something wrong?"

"I just wanted to make sure that you were back to normal." The third year paused for a quick breath. "Yesterday, you seemed a bit off.." He said, worriedly staring at Esumi. The younger girl was taken by surprise.

"Oh. That.." Esumi also paused as she took the time to think of the right words to use. "It's nothing. I was just going through something personal. And I needed time to think." She spoke slowly, as if testing the words out. Yuki looked at the first year in question. He didn't really understand what she meant. "Ah, just don't worry about it Yuki-senpai, because Ei-nii helped me figure it out. So it's fine now." Esumi added on and grinned at the captain of the baseball team.

"If you're sure." Yuki stated, "But we're here when you need us. Just let us know. We're a team after all." He said seriously. Esumi's smile widened hearing the word 'team'.

"Of course!" Esumi agreed. Yuki smiled ever so slightly, patting the younger female's head.

"Let's go eat." Yuki motioned to the dining hall. Esumi looked toward the same direction, seeing distant silhouettes walk into the building. She nodded and let the older male lead her toward the building.

~__!__~

The morning after that, Esumi woke up at 4:30 to get a very early head start. She got up and dressed in her workout clothes. Esumi grabbed a water bottle and her phone, heading toward the field silently. The younger Sawamura twin set down her water, then plugged in headphones to her phone. She started her practice with a few sprint laps. Esumi paused and took a sip of water. Then she continued a few more sprint laps. After another sip of water, Esumi stretched and practiced flips.

It was barely after five in the morning, by the time she finished her last rep of back flips. Esumi sighed, taking a large gulp of water this time around. With her sleeve, she wiped her mouth and looked toward the sky.

'I'm going to perfect a new technique. And Ei-nii will become a regular.' Esumi thought with determination. 'We'll both work hard!'

With a new found motivation, Esumi went on to doing flip combinations. She smiled and had fun doing so, only thinking about the future. In her perfect future, her and her brother would be standing on the field together. Together, they played to the best of their abilities and force each other to work harder, tenfold. That was her perfect future. And she'd do everything in her power to make the future come true.

A while later, Esumi heard some ruckus. The female took her belongings and headed toward the noise. On the next field over was her brother running around and Chris stretching his arm. "How much longer must I run!? I'll burn out before pitching a single ball!" Eijun complained. Chris didn't seem bothered by the extensive whines and complains. Esum giggled quietly observing her twin practice just as hard as she was.

"I'll leave if you keep talking rubbish." Chris stopped stretching. He looked toward the tired out freshman pitcher. "Don't think you can always step out onto the pitcher's mound in your best form." He advised. Chris quickly checked the time on his phone, before giving Eijun another set of exercises.

"What!? The other's have started breakfast already, you know!" Eijun complained. Esumi smiled, and slipped away. She headed toward the dining hall. She looked down at her fist and clenched it tightly.

"Ei-nii's working hard. So will I." She said with determination.