The scene changed once more, this time he was on the field inside Koshien stadium. He could see his younger self donning the uniform of Yokohama and squatting behind the plate with his glove raised, ready to receive the pitch.
He turned to the mound and almost let a yelp of surprise after seeing Ken standing there. The guy looked far less imposing than the Ken he knew and seemed to be much cockier.
The first pitch came, a fastball high in the zone.
PAH
"Huh? Why is it so slow?" Daichi turned to the jumbo screen and had to double take after seeing the number.
"81mph fastball? What the hell is this?" he muttered in disbelief.
Ken had been throwing over 100mph when he played at Koshien, so what was up with this garbage pitch? Even as a catcher, Daichi could see how amateur Ken's pitching form was.
It was the top of the 5th inning and Ken was looking tired, a sight that was unfamiliar to Daichi who was used to facing his brother's incredible stamina.
Before he could comment on it, the next pitch came. Daichi was busy watching his younger self behind the plate to notice what had happened on the field.
"ARGH!"
A cry of pain came from the mound, startling him.
"KEN!"
The teenage Daichi ripped off his face mask and sprinted towards the mound, falling to his knees as he checked on the injured Ken. The guy was cradling his right shoulder and crying out in pain.
"It's over… My shoulder is destroyed." He heard Ken say, his tone desolate.
The real Daichi watched on solemnly. This felt far too real to be a dream.
Once again the scene changed, startling him once more.
"Tatsu…"
"I'm sorry, but who is Tatsu?"
Daichi shuddered, hearing a voice that he thought he would never hear again. As he turned, he saw the figure of Tetsuhiro, his biological uncle holding the other Daichi's shoulders.
"Stay away from him! He's a psycho!" Daichi yelled, reaching out towards his other self. This was the first time that he'd tried to intervene throughout the vision, but his hand passed through, as if he was a ghost.
[You are a merely a spectator, you can not interfere.]
A pleasant female voice filled his mind, causing Daichi to let out a yelp of surprise.
"Who are you? What do you want with me?" He said, trying to locate the voice.
[You need only watch.]
Hearing how impassive the voice was, Daichi felt like he was about lose it.
"Take me back to my room, I don't want to see what you have to show me." He demanded.
A sigh appeared in his mind, its tone somewhat soothing.
[Daichi, you have accepted my Elixir, the least you can do is patiently watch what I wish to show you. Don't worry, things will end shortly.]
'Elixir? Is she talking about the thing that Ken gave me?' Daichi thought, his mind racing. Was this person he was speaking to a god?
[I am no god, worry not. All you have to do is continue you spectate and I will return you to the present soon enough.]
The scene changed before Daichi could reply. He was now back in Koshien Stadium, this time it was not during the day.
"Batting number 4, our very own Daichi Suzuki!"
The crowd cheered wildly as a figure walked up to the batters box. Daichi saw the other version of him and was at a loss for words. The guy was older than the real him and he was wearing a Hanshin Tigers uniform.
However, the most striking difference was the man's expression. It was desolate, as if all the joy had been sucked out of his life.
"Suzuki?" Daichi frowned, "That's me?"
WHOOOOOSH
THWACKK!
The pitch came, inside and high and was quickly sent into the stands for a home run. The entire arena burst into cheers, raining down on Daichi below. Yet the guy did not seem satisfied.
He saw the other version of himself searching within the crowd while he jogged around the bases, as if trying to find a certain someone, yet he did not find them. Upon reaching home plate, he was swamped by the Tigers teammates.
"Why do I look so… sad?"
[You will soon see.]
The scene changed once more, this time it was just himself and the other Daichi, alone in some unfamiliar apartment.
Daichi was sitting on the couch, his phone in his hand. It looked like he was trying to send a message.
"Is that too weird?" he mumbled, scratching his head.
The guy agonized for a few minutes before letting out a sigh, "That should be fine…" he said, pressing a button and placing his phone on the table before leaving the room.
The real Daichi felt curious and decided to take a quick look at the open message.
"Hey Ken! Did you see my walk-off homerun? Why didn't you come to the game? Did the tickets not come in the mail? Anyway, let's catch up soon man."
Daichi raised an eyebrow, feeling odd. He hadn't spoken to his brother like that since before he was adopted into the Takagi family.
[You were not adopted into the Takagi family, at least not here.]
The female voice spoke to him once more, as if reading his mind.
"What!? Just what are you showing me?" Daichi exclaimed, his mind full of confusion.
[This is the real past… The reality that should have happened, were it not for…]
The voice trailed off, not completing its words.
"If not for what?" Daichi prompted.
[Please do not be alarmed by this next scene…]
"Damn it, I'll just go to Tokyo and see him." The other Daichi said, grabbing his phone and heading out the door.
The scenery changed once more and they appeared out the front of an unfamiliar apartment, the words "Takagi" written in messy handwriting was visible on the mailbox.
The other Daichi knocked on the door and waited for a few minutes. After no response, he looked around the area before lifting up the mat and finding a key underneath.
He let out a chuckle and placed it into the door before opening it.
"Ken? Are you up?" The lights were on, illuminating the untidy apartment. Trash bags were scattered around and there were plenty of beer cans and take away containers strewn about.
The real Daichi followed, his neat freak self becoming disgusted with the state of the place.
"KEN!?"
An ungodly shriek came out of the other Daichi's mouth, causing him to flinch. He ran towards the sound and saw something that made his heart shatter.
On the ground was a gaunt Ken. His face was pale white and his body rigid, looking like someone who had starved to death.
"Why Ken? Why didn't you just talk to me…" The figure's shoulders trembled and tears began to fall from his face onto the cold body in his arms.
"Weren't we best friends? How could you do such a thing to yourself… Damn it!" Daichi screamed in despair and anguish.
"How am I going to do this without you Ken?" His voice cracked and the tears began to fall once more.
Seeing this sight, the real Daichi turned pale and backed up subconsciously.
"No… It can't be."
"No no no… NO!"
He fell to his knees and cradled his head.
[Please calm down, your heart rate is spiking.]
"THIS ISN'T REAL! YOU'RE NOT REAL!"
"I want to go home… Please. Just let me go, I'll do anything." Tears streamed down the real Daichi's face as his mind began to crumble. Seeing his brother's body had been enough to send him over the edge, threatening to break his psyche.
[Recovery is now complete. Terminating the vision]
…
Daichi gasped harshly as he sat up in his bed, his heart beating wildly in his chest.
"What's wrong!?" Miho almost jumped off the bed in fright as she turned to Daichi.
Hearing Miho's voice told Daichi that he was finally back to reality.
"I—I had a bad dream…" Daichi said plainly, still clutching his heart.
"You poor thing." Miho said, her words still sounding sleepy. She pulled his head to her chest and helped him lie back down. "It's still early, get some more rest and we'll talk about it tomorrow."
In the embrace of his woman, Daichi didn't struggle. His mind and emotions were so exhausted that it didn't take long for his eyelids to grow heavy once more.
'Please… no more.' He prayed silently in his heart.
Thankfully, he did not experience another dream.