Date: 05 Oct 2007
Title: No Doubt
Summary: Mamori's thoughts on Hiruma after the incident in the locker room (set after Chapter 251).
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Disclaimer: I don't own Eyeshield 21. (But I'd like to have it as a present.. kekeke)
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Mamori is fidgety. She can't stop thinking, and worrying, and being scared. It's almost 10 pm but she's still not sleepy. The game tomorrow will determine who will go to the Christmas Bowl, and this is the worst time to be nervous and unsure, and to think about Hiruma all bloodied and broken.
That afternoon, when he gave her the envelope, was the first time she saw him with uncertainty. The Devil had always been sure of himself, always ready to strike, always cunning, always with a plan; except maybe this time: after three years of certainty.
But of course, Hiruma is a person too – despite the scary look, the evil grin, and cool exterior, he's still a 17-year old boy. She flashes back on the Death March: his bruises from running all day, and the powder burns he tried so hard to conceal. Then she remembered when Agon pushed his face on the dirt; her world stopped then. And then the images of Kid and Tetsuma; just imagining that happening to Hiruma is – unbearable.
He always gives the impression that he's just using them: the whole team and her, to satisfy his obsession with winning. But when he gave her that envelope, she was sure he wasn't thinking about just himself. It's also not because he doesn't believe that Kurita and the others cannot stop Gaou. He believes in every single person in the team. But until then, he's refusing to put all responsibility on his teammates. Until now, he still wants to take care of everything, and everyone.
Wasn't he the one who told Banba to train Kurita? Wasn't he always pushing Sena to surpass Shin? And Monta to defeat Sakuraba? He doesn't know but she saw when he burned the pictures he used to blackmail Jumonji, Kuroki, and Toganou. Was he not able to convince the principal to give Taki that exam so he can join Deimon? He never forgot about Komusubi, and even Ishimaru. It was his great idea to use Yuki on their most important games with the Nagas and the Knights. He waited patiently for Musashi to come back to the field so they can finally fulfill their dreams of going to the Christmas Bowl together. And wasn't he the one who made her realize that impossible things can be possible? That weaknesses are strengths, and that effort is more important than talent.
Damn you Hiruma, she thought.
What she did with the envelope surprised even her. But she had to show him her trust, and in a way to tell him she'll be right there to share half of his responsibility. She cannot play on the field, but she had proved to be the "useful" girl he wanted. She did that also, because she believes him. David defeated Goliath. And she believes that a scrawny 17-year old kid can defeat a monster who had broken all his opponents. She had learned to believe that anyone can have anything as long as he/she is determined to have it, because of him.
Underneath the devilish pretensions, the bad boy image, the obscene language; underneath it all is someone who understands his companions, someone who always sympathize, someone who cares. This is why tomorrow she has to be perfect, because then, more than ever, he will need her to be "fucking manager".
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From No Doubt's Underneath it all
