Goal
Disclaimer: I don't own Eyeshield 21.
Walking to get her shoes so she could go home, Sena couldn't help but feel as if her heart was going to burst with how much it was pounding in her chest. She just knew something was going to happen, and the anxiety was killing her. All day, Juumonji, Kuroki, and Togano kept away from her as if she were the plagued, and she knew it wasn't the Kongo twins who made them act that way (as she became use to how bullies use to bully her one day and be afraid of going near her the next day), and that made her all the more nervous, having a feeling on who got them to act that way.
"Kekeke!" Was the last thing Sena heard before she fell into oblivion.
She woke up with a jerk, only to find out that she was tied down and had a cloth tied around her mouth, rendering her useless. Struggling to get out, she glanced at around the area, only to find it familiar.
"Hey! So we got a new recruit yesterday!" Kurita told Hiruma, looking happy, as if nothing could ruin his good mood.
"Oh? Actually, I found someone too." Hiruma smirked. "A running back with golden legs. And she's real eager to join the team."
"Wow! What a find! That's great Hiruma." They stopped in front of their club shack. "Really, the new recruit's a girl too. Hopefully they'll get along fine!"
"She's probably already here."
The door was kicked opened, and Sena was forced to dodge as an onslaught of bullets shot at her. "Here's your application form…"
"Sena!" She looked up only to see Kurita looking at her with shock, before he quickly went to untie her.
"Get dress." Hiruma tossed her the entire uniform with the number 21 jersey and a helmet with an Eyeshield on it. As Sena was about to refuse, a gun aiming straight at her changed her mind.
The two boys left her to change, which didn't take her long to do. She's seen Ikkyu and Agon change in front of her plenty of times before, with Unsui explaining how to put it on. Even though it was embarrassing for her, they really didn't care.
Better for you to get used to for when you get older. Never did she remember blushing so much before, and it only served to make them laugh.
"Number 21. And the Eyeshield looks good!" Kurita exclaimed once Sena came out in the uniform. She glanced down at herself, feeling weird wearing something that she's seen others wear whenever they were to play football.
"We'll keep your identity a secret during games. Otherwise all the teams in our school will be after you, eh." Hiruma gave her a look-over, knowing how crazy and troublesome it would be if everyone in their school would know who Sena actually was. "You can't mask your voice without giving it a strain, so it's best that you don't talk in front of others, but you better start training your voice anyway. Otherwise, you really can't tell you're a girl."
Sena bowed her head at Hiruma's observation. It's really not my fault I'm a late bloomer. She huffed, but remembered what Hiruma said previously. "But I'm just the team manager…" Sena shut her mouth when she saw Hiruma reloading his gun.
"During games you aren't gonna use your own name, Kobayakawa Sena, got it?" Hiruma pounded his gun on the desk once, emphasizing his point. "Your codename will be…Eyeshield 21!!"
"But I'm just the team manager!" Sena cried out, not wanting to play. The games she watched cheering on the Kongo twins and Ikkyu flashed in her mind, and the game Kurita showed her yesterday. Being tackled didn't seem fun, at all.
"Okay, athlete and manager. You'll do both!" Hiruma didn't give her a choice in the matter, and Sena surrendered to Hiruma, finding it in her best interest if she did. She couldn't believe that Unsui was right. Hiruma was going to force her to play after seeing how fast she could run.
The next day
"The football team!?" Mamori looked at Sena in shock.
"Well…Kurita-san's a really great guy!" Sena smiled in remembrance of the kind hearted giant that she's been getting to know. "But then Hiruma-san is the worst." Her attitude did a one-eighty turn around at the thought of Hiruma.
"I thought I told you to stay away from him!"
"And football is…it's too dangerous! Don't do it!" Mamori clenched her fist hard on her book bag before bringing one up to her chest. "Sena – you're slight, you're delicate, you're frail, – and you're just weak!"
That's harsh, Sena sweat dropped at Mamori's speech. It was nice that she cared, but that was insulting.
"But I'm on the disciplinary committee so…you be sure to tell me if they make you do anything dangerous!"
Wow, she's letting me do this. Sena gave a slight laugh, feeling a little guilty about the lie that she was about to make. "Hey, everything's cool. I'm not a player. I won't actually play football. I'm the team manager."
"Oh, that's a relief." Mamori let out a breath she didn't realize that she was holding. Sena watched her feeling insulted and happy at Mamori's opinion. Though Mamori thought she was weak, at least she cared.
"Wait…then why are you going to school so early?"
"Administrative staff meeting," Sena answered quickly. I better resign to my fate right now because the devil has me in his clutches and I don't think he'll let me go! Sena cried in her mind, knowing exactly what was in store for her at school.
"Morning practice!!" Hiruma announced, dragging Sena towards where Kurita was all dressed in uniform. A minute before Hiruma tied Sena up with a rope and proceeded to drag her that way, ensuring that she wouldn't escape.
"Good morning," greeted Kurita, pausing his training and taking off his helmet. The equipment that Kurita was practicing on moments before, laid busted a few feet away.
"Wow, you're here early."
"Well, this is the first time we've ever had three players, right? I was so excited that I woke up early." Kurita laughed and stretched. "I was so wound up that I've been here since two AM."
"…"
"He's a bit dim…" Hiruma trailed off, catching a look at the equipment Kurita broke with sheer power. "Idiot! You busted it!!"
He's so strong it's scary. Sena looked at the heavy equipment, imagining Kurita tackling other football players with his force.
"Damn. Well, we'll have to trick the principal into buying us another one again." Hiruma kicked it, watching as the upper part disconnected with the lower part.
But this guy's even scarier. Sena turned away, a frightened look upon her face.
She walked over towards the equipment, ignoring Hiruma and Kurita who were off talking on the side. Wow…so much equipment…
"A ladder? Wonder what it's used for?" Sena spoke aloud, picking up the ladder in curiosity with her right hand, squatting on the ground.
"Oh, that?" Kurita came up to Sena looking like Hiruma never did anything to him. "That's for ladder drills."
"It's used to practice your footwork like this." Kurita did a demonstration of it. "It's an exercise to learn football fundamentals."
"Step in the spaces, like this?" Sena tried her hand at the ladder drill, actually able to do it with ease. It reminded her of the side-step exercises that she did in junior high.
"Yeah…"
"Let's go from the ladder to some more basics." Hiruma looked over the equipment that was still around. "We've got to teach the rookie." He dragged Sena off, but was stopped by Kurita.
"Wait, my neck is killing me. I'm just gonna do the 40-yard dash and then I think I'm done."
Hiruma whipped out a stopwatch from out of nowhere. "It's been a while since we did a 40. I'll time you." Instead, Hiruma tossed the stopwatch to Sena. "Show me the fruits of your morning practice." Hiruma cackled.
"One practice isn't going to make me faster," Kurita complained, fixing up the field in preparation for doing the 40-yard dash.
Hope I can do this right. Sena looked down at the stopwatch. "How many seconds does it usually take to run 40 yards?" She shot a quick glance up at Hiruma and paid attention to Kurita, who was currently finishing up the field.
"The average guy takes between five and six seconds. The five-second wall is the line between a sprinter and an ordinary person." Hiruma explained. Remembering Shin, he continued, "A high school kid who can do about 4.8 seconds would be an ace anywhere. The high school record is 4.4 seconds set by a guy named Shin, but he's a freak."
"Okay…" Kurita announced that he was ready.
"Whoa…" Sena ran to the other side of the field after seeing Hiruma take out a bazooka.
"All right!" Hiruma let out a grin. "Ready, set…"
BOOM
Kurita ran as fast as he could. Beep, went the sound of the stopwatch as Sena pressed the button. She quickly ran to give Hiruma the score.
"Time?" asked Hiruma as he grabbed Sena's hand, facing the stopwatch to face him. Kurita Ryoukan, 6.5 seconds.
Hiruma's face twisted up into an ugly look, growling. "You damn fatty! That's slower than before, isn't it? What were you doing all morning!?" Hiruma began kicking Kurita in a rage.
"I can't help it! I'm tired…" Kurita cried out, hoping that Hiruma would stop kicking him sometime soon.
Sena stood by and watched the scene unfold in front of her, shivering at the fact that she'll need to deal with these upperclassmen until they graduate! So absorbed in her thoughts, Sena didn't notice that Hiruma was ready to begin his 40-yard dash.
"Hey, watch this!" Hiruma crouched into a sprinter's position.
Huh!? He's fast! Sena, however, dutifully began the stopwatch once Hiruma took off running. Beep, went the sound of the stopwatch as Sena pressed the button once again, this time for Hiruma. Hiruma Yoichi, 5.1 seconds.
"Ya-Ha! My best time ever!!" Hiruma did a weird pose, completely unlike his usual character. Kurita and Sena, meanwhile, were gawking at Hiruma's score.
"Now, last but not least…" Hiruma turned his attention to Sena.
"No, thanks. I don't need to."
Sena's protest went unheeded as Hiruma countered. "What? Can't wait to do it?" She resigned to listening to Hiruma, knowing it wouldn't be wise to disobey him and ruin his apparent good mood.
"With those legs, I bet she breaks the five-second wall."
"Really…Sena? You think?" Kurita thought more about Sena's speed and Hiruma's personal praises of it. "Yeah, but isn't it odd? If she's such a speed star, don't you think she'd have made a name for herself in junior high?"
"Hmm. Maybe…time her and we'll see…" Hiruma rubbed his neck as Kurita got ready to time Sena. Hiruma whipped out his bazooka once more. "Ready, set…"
BOOM
Sena dashed off once the sound of the boom filled her ears. Running as she usually did, it was hard to come to a direct stop, something she hadn't practiced at all during her jogs to and from school whenever she wasn't with Mamori.
Sena went to check out her time. "Right at the five-second wall!" Kurita exclaimed, looking down at the stopwatch.
"No way!" Kobayakawa Sena, 5.0 seconds.
Hiruma whipped out his trusty laptop, hacking into the school's system looking for Sena's information. "Kobayakawa Sena's junior high school fitness tests…you were the best in school only at the side-step exercise!"
Where'd he get that info? Sena looked at Hiruma freaked out.
"You must have developed phenomenal burst speed being a gopher for bullies in your elementary school…that's how you got that rocket start and you try to train every day with that particular talent. But your speed eases up so you're not going to break any running records." Hiruma opened up a bag full of dog bones that he always keeps around, and placed one dog bone in the back of Sena's jersey.
Whistling, Hiruma called out, "CERBERUS!!" He cackled, knowing what was about to come while Kurita supported a scared expression.
A small hound came out of nowhere, growling. He set his sight on Sena, smelling the dog bone in the back of Sena's jersey, and charged. Sena screamed out in terror as she ran the 40-yard dash, trying to get away from the devil hound who gave chase.
Hiruma timed her run, not caring if Cerberus used Sena as his new chew toy. "YA-HA! Look at that skill." Hiruma showed Kurita Sena's score. "It's a new high school record! That's top speed even for the NFL! No one can stop you, girl!"
Golden Legs
Kobayakawa Sena. 4.2 seconds when being chased by Cerberus.
Sena managed to get the bone out of her jersey and flung it at Cerberus, saving herself from permanent damage from the small demonic dog.
Kurita rushed to Sena, shaking her wildly. "S-Sena, you can't keep this ability hidden!!"
"The spring game is ours!" Hiruma cackled; his day certainly getting brighter.
"Oh, that's right. The game's coming up." Kurita stopped shaking Sena, allowing her to rid herself of the dizziness caused by him.
"We'd better start gathering up 'support' players," Hiruma commented, knowing they only had three official members to play.
The game… Sena thought about the game, imagining her walking down the field with the team.
"So when exactly is our next game?"
"Tomorrow…" Hiruma picked up his things and all ready started his way back to the club shack.
"NO WAY!!" Sena and Kurita yelled out, both incredulous at the prospect of needing to gather more than eight 'support' players.
"We need eight more players by tomorrow's game!!" Hiruma stood in front of the other two, one hand placed on his hip, the other on another one of his guns. "We'll split up and round some people up!!"
"Eight?" questioned Kurita, taking a sip of tea, staring at Hiruma.
"But I thought you need eleven players for football…"
"Nine." Hiruma pointed to himself. "Ten." Hiruma pointed to Kurita. "Eleven." Hiruma pointed to Sena.
Sena spat out her drink when Hiruma pointed to her. "But I'll be killed out there!" She stood up, crying out, trying to make Hiruma see her point of view. "Plus, I'm just the team manager." She shuddered at the thought of being tackled.
"With those legs of yours, Sena-chan. I want you to play in our games too." Kurita wiped the side of his face from the sweat that fell, still exhausted from the training that just ended. "But not if you don't want to. Maybe while you are managing the team, you'll want to start playing…and then I'll be glad to have you on the team."
"So we got to get together nine players."
Hiruma slammed his hand unto a board, which was divided evenly into three parts. "Three each! Do whatever you have to! Just drag 'em in from the other sports teams!!"
"Th-three players by today!?"
"Of course." Hiruma pointed towards them, giving them a smirk. "Whoever brings in the least gets the penalty game."
Penalty game?! Sena could already imagine what Hiruma could do to her if she failed bringing in any players, much less being the one to bring in the least.
Classes just ended, and the students were heading home. Not much sports students lay about, instead going home with the rest as today seemed to be a day off for them, or they (or at least the second years) somehow knew that Hiruma would be recruiting people for tomorrow's game.
"By the end of today, he said…" Sena laid her head onto her desk, looking downcast and weary. "But I just started this school – I don't know anyone…" she moaned.
Set up away games… flashed in Sena's mind. Team Manager, she let out a gasp. "W-wait a minute!" Sena stood up from her seat, abruptly. "This is my chance to show my management ability, isn't it?!"
Sena walked towards the sports' rooms, coming face to face with the basketball team's room first. "All right, I'll start here!" She took a gulp of air, imagining what she could say to them.
"How would you like to play in a football game? Leave the equipment to me! All I need is your fighting spirit!!"
Sadly, I know that that's a fantasy.
Sena opened the door, making it rattle. "Uh…excuse me…" She looked at them shyly, sweating bullets. "The, uh…football game. I wonder if you'd be interested in playing or something."
"You're cute and all, but no thanks. I'll pass," the one on the right said, giving her a smile. His black hair to his shoulders, Sena thought she'd seen him somewhere before. Perhaps in one of her classes, he seemed to be a first year as well.
The other one didn't even look up from his basketball book. "Don't have the slightest desire." He, too, seemed familiar to Sena.
"Oh…okay, I see." Sena backed out of the room, feeling defected. Aw…this sucks…why does it always happen to me…?
Kurita tried his hand at the basketball players. "How 'bout playing in the football game!?"
"No way!"
Sena watched Kurita exit with a gloomy atmosphere surrounding him. "Wait! It's not over yet! There are still others athletic teams left!" Sena ran off, eager to try more of management skills. "I'll ask all of them!"
"You're playing in the football game, or else!" Hiruma kicked opened the door, waltzing in as if he knew they would immediately obey his commands.
"Again?" the one on the right groaned, leaning back.
"Enough is enough! We already told the other guy we're not playing!" The one of the left stood up in a rage, slamming his book down with a bam.
"Well, well…such a defiant attitude…" Hiruma got out his book of threats, looking for the two's profiles. "Let's see, you're both first years, right?"
"Hm…you're Satake, homeroom two." Hiruma motioned the right one as being Satake. On the other hand, "And you're Yamaoka in homeroom five, right?"
"Satake! You're the one who stole the underwear from the girls' swim team! And what's this, Yamaoka? You have a poster of Kago Ai that you kiss every morning! Wow, that's pathetic!"
"How…?"
"How do you?" Satake and Yamaoka's face mirrored each others in shock of Hiruma's accurate information.
"Wait 'til everyone hears this!!" Hiruma ran out, shouting his last sentence through a megaphone, crackling.
"I-I'll play! I'll play!"
"Let me play in the football game too!" Both chased Hiruma, hoping to stop him from telling everyone their secrets.
"I already went to basketball, soccer, baseball, swim, table tennis, tennis, kendo, volleyball, and karate." Sena crossed out those and only one was left, track and field.
"This is my last chance." Sena opened the door. Let's see how track and field would be if I joined.
Only one guy was left, looking like he just finished putting on his undershirt for the school uniform. Sena blushed at the fact, and she adverted the direction of her gaze to stare more to the right than at him.
The guy stared at Sena for a moment before asking, "Is there anything you want?" Introductions were made between the two and Sena explained about the football game and needing 'support' players.
"The football game? Sure, I'll play!" Ishimaru finished putting on his tie and was all set to go.
"R-really!?" Inside, Sena couldn't believe how relieved she felt that she managed to find at least one person.
"If I play with you guys, I can see their athletic ability. Maybe I can convince the promising ones to join the track team." Ishimaru picked up his bag, ready to leave. "Would that be alright? A sort of 'give and take'?"
Sena was nearly glowing at the fact that he was willing to help her. "Great! So can I count on you tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow!? There's no way I can do it!"
"HUH?!" Sena's hope went crashing down with that one sentence.
"You see, I've got a job delivering the local town magazine." He scratched his head, clearly apologetic for raising Sena's hopes that he could play. "And I got to get them out by tomorrow, so I can't make the game. Sorry!"
They both parted ways and Sena was dreading going back to the club shack.
What can you expect? To get a team together by tomorrow is such short notice. I've got zero recruits and I'll have to face Hiruma-san's wrath.
Sena nearly cried at the thought. Imagining Hiruma shooting at her with his guns was easily imaginable, and believable. It wasn't until recently that she realized she missed having her niisans around to protect her. Sena was spoiled, but now she'll need to learn how to work more independently, but still being dependent.
Maybe I should try to plan a day where we can go out and have fun. Sena wanted nothing more than to do that, especially if it got her away from Hiruma's starting of hell.
She opened the door, hearing it screech from the slow opening of the door. Sena gazed at the board to see how much anyone gathered, and was surprised at the number of Hiruma's. Amazing! How'd he get so many by himself? She counted the number of pins on the board, counting seven in total. Seeing Kurita's and her side of the board, she couldn't help the sweat drop that appeared; they had nothing in their space.
Glancing around the room, Sena freaked out at coming across Kurita sitting in a corner, sagging. "ACK!?"
"Aww…so you didn't get anyone either…" Kurita began crying as seemed that they wouldn't be able to play in tomorrow's game. "And Hiruma hasn't been able to get anyone beyond his seventh guy…all the jocks have left school by now…it's no use…we won't make it in time for the game…"
"…" Sena couldn't stand to see Kurita looking so down, knowing how much he wanted to play in the next game. Turning on her heel, she darted out of the shack, calling over her shoulder, "I-I'm gonna make one last round."
Sena hurried around the edges of the campus, hoping more than anything she'd be able to find someone that was willing to join. Hearing a bicycle, Sena halted, turning towards the sound. The culprit of the noise was Ishimaru. She zoomed off towards the direction, running as fast as she could to see if she could help so Ishimaru could play in the football game.
Some twigs stuck in her hair and leaves sticking to her uniform, she finally made it before Ishimaru. "H-hey!" yelled Sena, slightly out of breath. "Let me help you out in delivering."
Her sudden appearance shocked Ishimaru, but after a minute of consideration, he agreed to having Sena helping him in exchange that he play in tomorrow's game.
Ishimaru ripped a part of a map and handed it to Sena along with giving her a bunch of magazines. "Okay, Sena-san, you take this half." Getting back onto his bike he waved. "Thanks! Let's meet back here when we're finished."
Sena waved goodbye and got a good look at the map and where she needed to deliver. Getting out a pen that she always carries around, she marked a route that would be the quickest and easiest way to deliver the magazines and meeting back in the meeting place between the two. "…this should do it." Sena pocketed the pencil and map in her blazer, knowing where she needed to start off. "All right…" Sena ran off, going at a speed where her skirt wouldn't fly up, but fast enough to get the job done.
I bet that Mamori-neechan…she'd make fun of me, calling me a gopher again, Agon-niisan too. But to do this, united towards a common goal…there's nothing wrong with that! I'm doing this because I want to, not because I have to! Like Unsui-niisan and Ikkyu-niisan said, it's good to work for something I believe in it makes you stronger both mentally and physically in the end.
Putting magazines in an apartment's mailboxes, Ishimaru realized. "What? I'm out of magazines? Maybe I gave her too much – after all, I've got the bike." Ishimaru pedaled away, heading for the appointed meeting place. "I'll go get another half from her. Wonder if I'll be able to find her there or around that area."
"ACK!!" Ishimaru came to an abrupt halt, seeing Sena in front of him sitting Indian style with her blazer lying across her lap, covering the area her skirt wasn't.
"That was…a-amazingly fast! You didn't throw 'em away, did you?" Ishimaru knew that from Sena's personality (though he only met her not that long ago), she wasn't the type to do that, but he couldn't help but be skeptical. He gave her at least half of the magazines to deliver, and he was the one with the bike!
"N-no, I delivered each and every one!"
"Just kidding! You were a big help. I'll even split the pay with you!"
"No, I don't need the money." Sena stood up and stretched. "Instead, how about playing in the game tomorrow?" She slipped her blazer back on, looking up at Ishimaru hopefully.
"Sure." He chuckled, before pedaling away. "See ya later, Sena-san!"
"Thank Ishimaru-san!" She waved goodbye before heading back to the club shack, feeling happier than she felt for a while.
Sena placed a pin on her side of the board, looking proud.
Kurita, watching her place it, broke into a smile. He rushed up to Sena and started swinging her around. "Great! That's great, Sena!" he shouted out in joy, a few tears of happiness escaping his eyes.
The two began counting how much pins there were on the board. Hiruma collected seven and Sena got one. "Then add Hiruma and me…" Kurita leaned forward.
"That's ten…"
At the revelation of there being only ten players, Kurita bowed his head. "I guess…we're one player short…that's too bad…"
"Hey!" Sena burst out, thinking of Deimon's football team running out into the field. The last player…maybe I could… Before Sena could voice her thought, Hiruma came into the scene, rather angry.
"Those damn convenience store!! They're out of sugarless gum!!" Hiruma flung Sena and Kurita two cans of soda, one for each. "Even a fly wouldn't chew sugary gum!!"
As Sena and Kurita were distracted by both the soda and his words, he walked over to the board. "Oops, didn't finish putting these up." He picked up more pins and pinned it up on his side of the board. Making the total amount of players Hiruma blackmailed into joining as eighteen.
Sena and Kurita jumped up in joy, shouting in unison, "We did it!!"
Hiruma let out a growl. "No way did 'we' do it!! I did it all by myself! You're both worthless!!" Hiruma began kicking the both of them, the two trying to get away. "And give me back those sodas, damn it! I won't give you a single drop! Die of thirst for all I care!"
As Sena and Kurita were celebrating, Hiruma spotted Sena's cell phone lying on a table nearby. Thinking of gaining more blackmail material, he looked through her phone book to see who she had, Anezaki Mamori, Hosokawa Ikkyu, Kongo Agon, Kongo Unsui, and Kurita Ryoukan. He nearly slammed her phone down on the table, but thought better of it.
"How the fuck does she know them?" Hiruma stared at Sena, wondering exactly how she knew the people who gave him the most trouble. "How the fuck does the damn pipsqueak know those fuckers from Shinryuuji?" Thankfully, the two were still shouting in glee at the prospect of being able to play in the game tomorrow to hear Hiruma's near inaudible sayings.
I know there isn't much of anything outside of canon in this chapter. The next chapter will be more of a twister since I already am thinking of how to make it different. This chaptered she met Hiruma and next chapter she'll meet Shin and Sakuraba. Let's see if the Shinryuuji Naga's main boys influence our female Sena, the only female football player of the east (Kantou region).
It'll be a while before I update. As you can see, I'm still on the first volume. I can make one more chapter of that until I'm on the second volume, which I don't have. Hopefully when I go Borders today, they'll have it. I still have to write out the third chapter. I hope you enjoyed this one, I promise to make the next one more exciting.
I've been thinking of the pairing and more of what others (as those said in reviews) thought. I know that HirumaxSena and AgonxSena is a widely interesting and liked pairing, but I can see Hiruma better off with Mamori or with being no one, and Agon would attack Sena for rejecting him (like he almost did with Mamori in canon) or in this story, Agon isn't interested in her because she doesn't have a rack and Unsui and Ikkyu would annoy him and do whatever it takes to make sure he's never alone with her, that being said and done, Agon has no interest in Sena besides violent overprotective brother syndrome. I'm more for trying to get Sena with people more of her type and who can be seen with her and having chemistry. Other suggestions are good to; I'll make way, somehow.
ShinxSena
KakeixSena
RikuxSena
SakurabaxSena
YamatoxSena
AkabaxSena