Stand my Ground
Chapter 1
It started exactly two weeks before the Semi finals of the Christmas Bowl. His shoulders, his chest and his abdomen were covered in blue and black bruises. It confused him a bit, because the only time he had had that kind of bruises had been the last time he had met Shin on the football field. He shrugged it off; perhaps he had gotten too used to the pain of tackles and hadn't realized how hard he'd been hit.
It was kind of ironic that it was the slave driver of a demon they called captain who first noticed that something wasn't quite right with their running back ace. He'd simply ordered the younger boy to go home and get some fucking rest, because Sena had actually been out of breath after his usual warm-up.
He had been obedient, as always, because what sane person would actually disobey Hiruma, but even though he slept more and more hours per day he could feel his energy levels dropping lower and lower. He had no trouble sleeping twelve hours through and yet, when he woke up he felt as exhausted as when he fell asleep.
It was no small wonder that he managed to play well in the semi finals, yet he felt his body tremble with exhaustion. After the game he was the last one to change, the others had already left and taken Mamori with them.
Sena tiredly took off his shirt and protective gear, then paused and laid down on the wooden bench. He was tired to the bone and literally didn't have the energy to take off the rest of his clothes. His hands were shaking and he felt his eyes closing of their own accord.
It had been will power alone that had allowed him to run as fast as he had today and he knew it. Why? Why am I so exhausted? What's happening to me? As much as he wanted some answers, he was afraid to do anything about obtaining them.
"Oy, pipsqueak, planning on hibernating here? Get a fucking move on or I'll do it for you!" came the sharp command from the door.
So, Hiruma had come back for him. Forcing his loudly protesting body to move into a sitting position, Sena opened his eyes, trying to ignore the sudden dizziness he felt.
"Pipsqueak, going for a new look? Nice blend of black, blue, violet and green on your chest, but they don't suit you too much. Want to finally tell me what the fuck is going on?"
Why is his voice getting softer? Large amber eyes tried unsuccessfully to bring the blonde teen back into focus. He felt something wet running down his face, dripping down his chin and staining the floor. The dizziness grew so much that Sena actually felt sick. What's happening to me?
Desperately he gripped the wooden bench, afraid he would fall off any moment, fervently wanting the world to stop spinning.
"Hey! Are you even listening to me you…?" Hiruma broke his tirade off as he finally looked at his running back. The younger boy was deathly pale, his hands gripping the bench so hard they were white and when he lifted his head Hiruma actually gasped. There was blood running out of Sena's nose and not just a bit of blood at that.
In a flash Hiruma was kneeling next to the younger boy, guiding him to lie down on the bench and pressing a handkerchief to his nose.
"Don't you dare lose your consciousness, pipsqueak, don't you fucking dare. Come on, speak to me, Sena!"
It took another ten minutes for the bleeding to stop and an additional fifteen till the dizziness receded and Sena could sit up again. He looked at the handkerchief, now a deep red, dyed by his blood. This he couldn't just shrug off like the bruises or the exhaustion, this was serious.
"You wanna tell me what the fuck that was, pipsqueak?" Hiruma's voice pulled him out of his frightening thoughts. There was a note in the captain's voice that Sena had never heard before and it caused him to answer quickly, despite the cold dread that was starting to spread through his body, causing him to shiver.
"I-I-I d-d-don't know."
"Humph, hurry up and change, we've got other places to be." When Sena didn't react fast enough it was followed by a sharply bellowed: "NOW, pipsqueak!"
To Sena's surprise the captain didn't drag him off to torture him for not being in top condition during the Christmas Bowl, but into a hospital, where they skipped the waiting line and were led into the doctor's office at once. One look at Hiruma's evil grin and the doctor's forced smile convinced Sena that he didn't want to know. He wasn't surprised in the least that Hiruma had blackmail on the doctor; the blonde devil had blackmail on practically everyone.
At least the older boy had the grace to leave them alone while the doctor asked some questions and took blood samples. When the doctor told Sena to make an appointment for the day after tomorrow, the cold dread that had receded slightly during the hurried walk to the hospital came back with a vengeance. Doctors generally didn't ask for their patients to come back just for the fun of it, especially not if that entailed the danger of meeting Hiruma again.
"I'll be back. Arigato gozaimasu, sensei."
"Well, seems like it'll be Oujou vs. Deimon after all. At least you'll get your chance for a match against Eyeshield 21, ne Shin?" Sakuraba said lightly, his hands linked behind his neck, a teasing smile on his lips.
When he didn't get an answer, he looked at his other companion in confusion. Even though Shin wasn't exactly talkative, he had been oddly silent ever since the start of Deimon's game. Takami looked just as lost as he felt though, so he decided to get to the ground of the problem.
"Alright, Shin. Want to tell us what has got you so silent? I honestly thought you'd be pleased to play against Deimon." the former idol asked, concern for his friend shining in warm brown eyes.
Shin continued in his silent walk, his eyes and face as expressionless as always. Just as Sakuraba opened his mouth to ask another question, Shin stated: "He was slower than usual."
"Huh?"
"Eyeshield 21, his speed was irregular during the match; it looked like he had to make a great effort to maintain even his usual speed and after every Devil Bat Ghost his whole frame trembled." A faint frown showed exactly how displeased Shin was by the mere idea.
Sakuraba thought back to the match. Sure, Deimon's number 21 had seemed a bit tired at the end of the game, but he hadn't thought anything about it. Not that he doubted Shin's observational skills on the football field, during Deimon's games his whole focus rested solely on the slender frame of the small running back ace called Eyeshield 21.
"Anyone can have a bad day, Shin. I'm sure he'll be in top condition when we play them next week." he tried to cheer his friend up.
Shin nodded at his friend, but couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right with his rival. He didn't want anything to interfere with their match.
On Tuesday Sena had his second appointment at the hospital, this time he went without his psychotic team captain in tow.
On Wednesday said captain cornered the pale boy after training in the locker room.
The other team members had only needed one glance at Hiruma's face and taken his friendly advice to vacate the club house to heart and changed as quickly as they could. It was never a good sign when Hiruma looked frustrated or impatient. When he was both it was time to start running for the hills.
"So, chibi, what was the doctor's fucking prescription? More meat to eat, more milk to drink?"
Sena turned his back on his captain, his hands clenched into tight fists.
Hiruma didn't like being ignored and he liked the mounting worry inside him even less.
"No, he prescribed three months of chemo therapy, starting next week." the younger boy's harsh whisper didn't cover the underlying fear.
When the boy's small trembling grew into outright shivering the blonde quarterback did something he had never done before, he went to the brunette and embraced him strongly. Ignoring the desperate tears that were soaking his shirt, he said: "You've got to have the fucking worst timing possible, chibi. Don't you have to start as soon as possible with shit like that?"
"I'll start the day after the game. I'm not deserting you!"
Looking into the tear brimmed, but determined amber eyes that were directed at him, Hiruma nodded his assent, but added warningly: "If you drop your speed or are tackled too many times I'll take you off the field and you're playing bench warmer. You aren't the only fucking player on the team."
TBC