Sadly, I've been inspired by my own challenges...

Title: Gaijin Baseball
Author: Ileana A. Delgado
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is owned by Sunrise, Sotsu Agency, and Bandai, among others. I just mess around with a few names and the personalities associated with them...
Warning: Typos and a lot of babble, but that was the challenge, I believe...
Notes: This a response to, uh, my -own- fic challenges... Guess discovering a useful muse is exactly the same as trying to be one to others. Both the 'Home Run Teddy Bear' and the 'Character Fic With No Plot' challenges are here... And, alas, there's more notes here than in the other Only in Japan-esque story I wrote, The Dating Club.

< Well, it's a beautiful day isn't it, Katsurayama-san? >

< Yes, it is, so let us enjoy it. Today, Japan's team, the Yomiuri Giants, will play their Osaka rivals, the Hanshin Tigers, here in the Tokyo Dome, right, Miyazawa-san? >

< That's right, and everyone is very excited over the Tigers' newest member, the American Duo Maxwell. They say he is a fast runner. >

< And very humble, as well. For an American. >

/ The announcers laugh a bit before continuing. /

< The Manager of the Tigers, Asaba Hideaki, had made the choice of not letting Maxwell start this important game against the national champions. >

< Yes, he is very afraid that Maxwell will cause the team to lose face if he starts in his first game here in Japan. >

< That was a wise decision. I believe it is warranted. >

The ball players were solemn, the hardened gleam of hard workers shone in their eyes. They watched their captain Heero Yuy take the mount. As the most honorable manager ordered, Yuy hit the 'shuutto', smacking the leather ball into left field as he raced towards first base. He made it, but barely.

Duo chewed his gum and tugged at the end of his braid, watching tentatively the game. He wasn't going to play until after the 7th inning, if at all. Why in all the goddamned places that a hopeless ball player like himself could have turned up at had he shown up in Japan? He could barely speak the language. He knew diddly shit of the culture. He was here because no American team was willing to take up the job of employing Maxwell, nursing Maxwell's shoddy ego, dealing with Maxwell's 'character inconsistencies', and still run a professional team that is made up of people other than Maxwell to actually -win- some games.

The talent and the stamina were there, they said. The stick-to-itivenes and the self-control weren't. Maxwell, to many owners and managers, was a liability that wasn't worth the money, time and effort, even if that so-called liability would have gotten them to the World Series.

He massaged the back of his neck, letting his smile weaken a bit. He didn't have to be the grinning idiot on this side of the pond, did he? Would anyone care if he began as solemn as his fellow Tigers?

He would care, and besides, if the American didn't act like a brain-dead moron, then the world would surely come to an end, right?

Saotome had hit a line drive, allowing Yuy to run to all the way to third before he was tagged out inches from home. Asaba glared at Yuy as the young ball player stalked by the angry manager. He ignored the scowl and sat down beside Duo.

The team was more important than his personal interests, something murmured in the back of his mind, and he did not disagree. He knew the risks involved in trying to reach home so quickly when there was a safe haven on 3rd base, but he did not care at the moment. He -knew- he should have stayed on 3rd until Takahori delivered the saving bunt, giving him more than enough time to score a run. So that leads to the question of why. What possessed him to do such a rash thing?

"It'll be cool, Yuy-san," Maxwell said beside him in Japanese, his voice shaking as he consciously worried if his words sounded right, if they meant what he wanted them to mean.

Heero stole a look of the American beside him. Maxwell gave him a grin. "Even the all-mighty captain screws up every once in a while. No one's perfect." With that, he pulled the bill of his baseball cap down and closed his wide eyes. Heero knew that despite the disarming air he eluded, that of the disinterested spectator that would rather sleep uncomfortably than watched the two teams try to one-up the other, Duo Maxwell was watching, listening, feeling out for problems, points of interest both in the dugout and on the field.

One of Maxwell's eyes opened quickly and caught Captain Yuy watching him. His smirk grew a bit brighter before closing his eyes again.

It was the 8th (yup, 8th) inning that Maxwell was allowed to go onto the field. Anything for the team, he thought dryly as he read the signals being passed to him from the manager.

He smirked as the crowd began to cheer and sing as one giant voice, filled with musical instruments and tones of all ranges before stopping once more and staying relatively quiet. That was the pattern, he learned quickly. It was all sane, clean fun: no one cheered out of turn, all cheered when called to do so, and overall everyone was considerate and cool-headed. No Catholic schoolboys slugging it out in the bleachers, no drunken brawlers at court inside the stadium, and no chance of batteries, bottles, or balls being thrown at his head, ever. It was an assurance he may be able to get used to if it wasn't for the other problems found in this place and time.

He pounded his bat on the ground before swinging it up to his shoulder. He stared at the pitcher, a hard glare in his eyes to counteract his broad, tight-lipped grin. If it wasn't such long walk, he'd even kiss the pitcher to unnerve him, but then he would also lose his strong, intimidating stance.

The pitcher threw a curve dangerously close to his stomach. The umpire gestured and marked the pitch as a strike.

Duo blinked. That was a strike? It also killed him, made him impotent even. He let up his intimidating stance to look at the umpire in disbelief. "How could that be a strike?" he mumbled in English, almost ready to scream at the Japanese ump, but instead opted to get out of the box and buy for a bit of time before trying again.

Once again, the assistant manager at third base motioned that Duo is advised to bunt. This, of course, meant 'you must or fear the consequences, gaijin'. He entered the box again and gave the pitcher another grin.

Heero drank from a cup full of water and watched as the American walked into the batter's box and dared to take on the pitcher's dangerous 'shuutto'. The fastballs that Japanese pitchers throw are far superior to those of their American counterparts, or so many people say. The Nihonjinron aspect in such statements is more than evident, but American ballplayers that have come to Japan and faced pitchers trained here say the same thing. Maxwell had experience with the pitch during the grueling practice sessions, sessions that he had been willing to go through despite its difficulties and its extremes, but a practice session, no matter how demanding, is nothing compared to the intensity of a game, especially one against your team's archrival.

From where he sat, he was able to see one of the team's female assistants absent-mindedly play with the giant orange teddy bear in her arms. If Maxwell, or any other player on the Tigers, hit a home run, she was to go out there and present to him the large stuffed animal. He had noticed that she would become almost possessive of her temporary charge and be reluctant to even acknowledge the batter that earned the bear when he returned to home plate to claim his prize. The only person she was more than glad to give her teddy bear to was Captain Yuy. She would hand the plush monstrosity to him without hesitation, batting her eyes and smiling, her mouth closed and lips stretched, in what she probably considered to be a seductive way. Once or twice she would even introduce herself to the player as 'Relena Peacecraft', or 'Dorlain' if the mood hits her, but he continuously ignored her. He was in no mood for silly O.L. crushes.

As he was recalling the girl's name, the girl caught his gaze, much to his misfortune. She had turned to spy on the captain, her favorite distraction during the game besides befriending and protecting the giant teddy bear in her arms, since it was somewhat rare for a player to hit a home run, and was happily surprised to see that he was watching her. She winked and gave him a lovely smile, only to notice that he had turned his head from her in disgust and disinterest.

Her smile turned into a slight pout, sadly returning to the care of her inanimate ward. Around her, the crowd took up another cheer with the assistance of the rally leaders below them. On the field, the pitcher was sizing up the American baseball player before he attempted his second pitch against him.

Duo steeled himself for the pitch that may end up inside once more, his grin plastered haphazardly on his face. He knows the manager wants him to bunt, but why should he? He was hired to be a showstopper. He was hired to win the Tigers games. He was hired to score. Why should he bunt? Yes, the bases are loaded, but a calculated risk that will earn them four runs is much better than an overly cautious decision made by a committee that will only gain one.

The pitcher would up and let it loose. It was right down the center and a bit on the outside, but Duo shifted his weight and swung with all his might.

Heero watched solemnly as Maxwell swung at the curveball, noting the American's braid swing around him as the bat made contact with the baseball, making it soar high and into the seats out by the outfield.

The Tiger fans were called upon to cheer immediately as the officials and the announcers confirmed what Heero saw with his own eyes: Duo Maxwell has hit a home run.

Relena watched as the longhaired American ran leisurely from base to base. All around him, the cheers continued. On the board, four runs were added to the Tigers' score. She faltered as she stood up, but she knew she had to present the bear to Maxwell. He was no Captain Yuy, she thought with a sigh. He was so handsome... so dedicated... so fierce when it came to baseball. His eyes were of steel. His hands were able to bend steel. He was the Man of Steel.

She would be willing to give anything to the handsome team captain, and she wasn't willing to just allow their relationship to be nothing more than a pretty girl giving a baseball player a congratulatory teddy bear. She wanted what all those romance stories that she read advertise: a soul mate, someone to be more than a 'pillow friend' and an occasional sex partner, a person that will love her and stay with her. She wanted Heero Yuy, the wild man of the Hanshin Tigers, any way she could get him.

She held no animosity for the American. He was very handsome as well, in his own way, but he was too loud, too cocky for her tastes. Let the other women of Japan pine for him, she thought dryly as she made her way to home plate. She will be more than content when Heero Yuy was hers and she could give him more than a brightly colored teddy bear.

Duo was practically strolling to home plate, but the girl that was supposed to give him wasn't there yet. Weren't all Japanese nice and punctual when it came to these things? That was when he saw her walking in his direction, the giant orange bear in her arms. Her face was a bit flushed due to her tardiness, but he flashed her a brilliant smile, trying to calm her down.

She smiled back and offered the giant bear to him, seemingly forgetting her late arrival. He took it from her graciously and went inside the dugout.

There, the manager was furious. Signaling Duo's translator to approach, he began to speak to him.

"Mr. Asaba wishes to ask why you ignore the signals and not bunted as you were told to."

Duo grinned a bit. "Tell him that I must have mistaken. Call it your typical cross-cultural misunderstanding." With that, he walked past the angry superior and plopped down on the same place he was before, on the bench right beside Captain Heero Yuy. He leaned back and relaxed while letting his prize sit on the ground in front of him.

"That wasn't very wise, ignoring the order and doing something you way," Heero said softly in rough English.

Duo gave Heero a half-smile. "Sometimes it's better to question orders," he replied in his equally rough Japanese. "And I did earn a pretty gift because of my..." He paused, unable to think of the word.

"Transgressions? Ignorance?" assisted Heero, in English, then in Japanese.

Duo's grin became a bit toothy and replied in a soft voice, his Japanese almost flawless. "Something like that..."

~~~~~end~~~~~

I placed all the notes that go with this down below if you're interested in my culturally inspired fanfic ranting.

I would officially like to thank my domesticated muse Dumbass and the two classes that I had midterms on last week for helping me out on this.

Sadly, I give myself -3 points. -1 point because I did exactly what I didn't want other people to do (Relena giving the teddy bear away, willingly to boot), and -2 points for all the notes and dumbass references. *The Muse Dumbass cheers.*

Head back home...

Please send me comments at jezebel_17@hotmail.com
Or sign the guestbook instead...
Trust me, I'll appreciate it big time.

Some notes for Gaijin Baseball (don't read if you're really not interested. They're pretty long.):

-I'm sure about a few things, but I am not certain that the Giants and Tigers would meet during the regular season. Their rivalry is like that of the Yanks and Mets, perhaps. Anyone out there knows anything about baseball leagues in Japan and can set me straight on this?

-The brawling, stadium courts, and batteries all happened in the past, what, year?, in Philadelphia's Veteran's Stadium for either a football or baseball game. American sports fans are scary, right?

-Kissing was considered for centuries to be disgusting and not very hygienic. There were a few prints done when Japan was closed (Before the Meiji Restoration and before Perry appeared in the mid-1800's and opened the country up to trade, Western modernization, and America) that showed a couple kissing, but that was only in erotic prints, signaling it, as Richie puts it, as 'a further perversion' and 'singularly sexual'. 'For a couple to kiss in public would be for them to publicly indulge in foreplay.' (A Lateral View, 1992, p. 220, 224.)

-Showing of the teeth is also a bit rude and disgusting to most, thus all the bright, but teeth-less smiles. (They're not in pain, they're just Japanese.) It's common to see women cover their mouths when laughing in an attempt to hide their teeth. It's also true that Barbie wasn't popular in Japan in the beginning because of her wide, toothy grin. (Two other reasons would be that she has an unrealistic body and that she's a bit too independent for her own good.)

-'Nihonjinron' (study of the Japanese people) is a term used to identify ideas that say that 'the Japanese people are unique and superior to other peoples because they are Japanese'. One example: only Japanese can understand the 'Japanese spirit' in such things as sumo and baseball. It was a very popular way of thinking when Japan was economically more powerful than the U.S. and was also why there's still some resistance to having foreigners in Japanese establishments, like sumo, for example.

-Practices and warm-ups in Japanese baseball are considerately much longer than those in American baseball. Practices can run anywhere between 8-15 hours and it is filled with lots of push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and running. And that's before the pitching and hitting, among other things. Americans being signed onto Japanese teams find these sessions to strenuous, but Japanese managers hark on the sessions' ability to make the team more unified.

-'Gaijin' is 'foreigner, someone from the outside'.

-'Shuutto', which really should be spelled out in romanji as 'shutto', is derived from 'shoot' and is the word for the almighty fastball.

-'O.L.' is both the short form of 'office lady', a woman that works in an office and, surprisingly enough, my personal nickname for Odin Lowe. They tend to have the most expendable amounts of income and cling to fads like teenage girls do in the U.S. They are 20-year-old women living out their teenage years, now that they have the money and the time to do it.