Hello readers! Here is chapter 13~! You guys can thank my friend Saphir Heart for this chapter, who was kind enough to inspire me to write this chapter. Otherwise, you'd probably have to wait for a month!
So, thank you, Saphir Heart! I wrote this chapter especially for you~!
Disclaimer: don't own, except my OCs.
Reviews:
Saphir Heart: Hey~! I know, I am very mean, right? *smiles brightly* Well, here's the answer to your questions! I hope you enoy it~!
A blue-haired man smirks coldly at the teenagers standing in front of him. They are clad in a white shirt with black lines along the collar and the end of the sleeves. The only color comes from the blue lotus logo. Furthermore, they wear black shorts and white socks with a black line running vertically. Their shoes are almost entire black, with a white line.
The man is joined by someone who looks almost exactly like him, the only differences being that he has glasses and shorter hair, and that the other has a scar on his cheek. The man with glasses smiles as the other orders the teenagers to enter the bus that is standing behind them.
The scarred man places his hand on the shoulder of one of the passing teens, and the redhead looks up at him with cold eyes. ''You know what you have to do, right?'' asks the man, and the boy nods.
''Good,'' says Kazuo, and the other draws back his hand. The redhead enters the bus, not looking back at the two men.
Jirou smirks at the other. ''After all, we have to show our gratefulness to our hosts. It's only polite,'' he says, and the director nods in agreement.
''Let's thank them by going all out, shall we?'' asks Kazuo pleasantly, and his younger brother nods. ''Arakumo Academy, here we come.''
An orange haired boy, clad in a blue and yellow soccer uniform, freezes when he hears the whistle that ends the match. He doesn't here the commentary on the game, doesn't hear his coach calling out to his team, doesn't hear his teammates muttering among themselves in disbelief.
The only thing he can do is look at the scoreboard in shock, not believing what his eyes are telling him. Exhaustion and despair take him over, and the boy falls to his knees. His eyes are burning, and he blinks back tears.
For a moment, he wonders if this is how his friend felt when he and his team were crushed. Then, he shakes it off. No, they lost with 136-0. He balls his fists in anger.
'Damnit! They're just mocking us! Only using one player… one simple player, to destroy our entire team. And that score. 13-6. They're simply playing with us! They know that we are helping Raimon! 136-0, 13-6… that is not a coincidence.' His gaze lands on an approaching figure.
The redhead smirks down at him when he reaches him, orange eyes burning with a cold fire. ''Pathetic. Completely pathetic.'' Taiyou gasps when he hears the words, not believing how cruel the other boy is. ''I expected more from Arakumo, honestly.''
Taiyou's eyes fill with anger, as he stands up. ''Don't talk about my team like that!'' he hisses.
The boy just smirks wider, shaking his head as if hearing something funny. ''Don't be so cold, it was only a joke, Taiyou-kun,'' he answers, whispering the last part.
Arakumo's captain shadows his eyes with his bangs. ''Shut. The. Hell. Up.''
''Oh? Didn't your mother teach you to not talk like that?'' says the other, orange eyes narrowing slightly. ''Anyway, it is time for me to go.'' He takes a step forward, stopping when he is standing next to Taiyou. ''Oh, yes, before I forget. You're friends with a certain Raimon captain, aren't you?''
Taiyou glances at him. ''What do you want with him?!'' he hisses, alarmed. 'Like hell am I going to let him hurt Tenma again.'
The other simply smiles. ''Oh, nothing. I just want you to tell something to my dear friend.''
''What?!''
''Tenma didn't tell you?'' the other asks with fake surprise, and Taiyou glares at him. His orange eyes seem to glow. ''It's not important to you, anyway.''
''No! Tell me more!'' says Taiyou, placing a hand on the shoulder of the Kanashimi player when he moves forward.
The other turns around. ''Ah, so I have your attention now. Honestly, I can't say I'm surprised that Tenma didn't tell you about me.'' He stops for a moment, smirking playfully. ''How does it feel to be replaced? By a Kanashimi player, that is?'' at Taiyou's confused look, he explains. ''Haven't you noticed that he is a bit… different, lately? Haven't you noticed that he has problems?''
''Yes…'' admits Taiyou hesitantly, afraid where this is going.
''And he didn't talk to you, or any other friend from your little teams about it, did he?''
Taiyou balls his fists, and sighs. ''No…''
The other smirks. ''Of course not, he's been talking to his new friend. Me.'' Taiyou looks at him with a disbelieving gaze, and the other chuckles. ''I am the one who he tells about his problems, I am the one he turns to when he is in trouble. That day at Teikoku. I quote, 'Yeah. So, why did you call? ...Well, I'm pretty busy the next few days… But we can meet up after seven? …Sure. Actually, I really want to eat candy myself. And you're probably out of candy again?' Recognize that?''
Taiyou's eyes widen when he hears the same thing Tenma said when he was on the phone at Teikoku, before he collapsed on the field. ''It can't be…''
The redhead smirks darkly. ''Please tell him that Haru sends his regards.''
A few hours later, the Raimon Eleven just finish their practice match against Teikoku – the first team exercise. Shindou played as captain, because Tenma is still uncomfortable with wearing the captain band.
It's late, and the other teams are slowly heading home, leaving the Raimon Eleven alone on the field. Their coach is discussing something with Kidou and Gouenji, leaving the teens alone. They are about to go home, when footsteps sound over the field. Tenma, like his team, turns around to look at the new arrival.
Taiyou is walking towards them, eyes shadowed by his bangs. But something about him is wrong. He seems… cold. ''Taiyou…?'' asks the brunet worried. ''Are you okay? How did your match go?''
His friend finally reaches him. When his eyes meet Tenma's, the brunet is shocked to see how cold they are. Taiyou breaks the silence that has fallen over the field. ''Haru sends his regards.''
''W-what?'' Tenma stutters in shock. ''H-how do you-?''
''Kanashimi.'' Taiyou's voice, filled with despair, cuts him off. ''Our match was against Kanashimi.'' Raimon freezes at this, remembering their conversation with the brunet the day before. Tenma gasps, not able to understand what the other is saying. ''Is it true, Tenma?''
The brunet balls his fists, and sighs. ''Yes. It is.''
SLAP!
Shocked shouts sound over the field, as the Raimon Eleven immediately start to move. Tsurugi steps forward, grabbing Taiyou's wrist. Shindou kneels beside the fallen brunet, who is holding his cheek, shocked at the thought that Taiyou just slapped him.
The rest of the Raimon looks ready to interfere if Taiyou is to attack Tenma again. But the orange haired boy is simply looking down at the brunet with cold, calculating eyes. ''The score was 13-6. We were defeated by one single player. Guess who? Your so-called friend, Haru.''
At this, the accusing stares turn to Tenma, who freezes. 'H-Haru… No. That's not possible. He… he wouldn't do something like t-that… right?' And right then, Tenma realizes for the first time that Haru is blocking their bond. Ever since the experiment started, he has been able to feel Haru, like a soft humming in the back of his head. Every day, the humming grew stronger, giving him access to Haru's mind. But now… the humming is still there, but behind it, there is something like a wall, blocking his way to Haru's mind.
Shindou's voice calls him back. ''Is it true?'' Tenma doesn't look up to see Taiyou's response, but he hears Shindou's sigh. ''I see. Tenma, you know our compromise.''
Tenma looks up, eyes wide. ''S-Shindou-san…''
This time, Shindou's eyes aren't warm. They're worried, angry, sad, and most of all, doubting. ''No. We talked about this. We will tell the coach and the other teams. Please, you have to understand, Tenma.''
''He can't be trusted. Not after this happened,'' agrees Tsurugi, earning nods from the rest of the team.
Tenma can feel their pitying gazes on him. ''No…'' he whispers softly. Slowly, he stands up, not looking at anyone. ''So you're really going to tell, then?''
Shindou stands up too, and doesn't hesitate when he answers. ''Yes.''
The younger boy nods slowly. ''Okay.'' With that, he walks to the bench and picks up his bag. Then, he heads to the exit. ''Goodbye, everyone.''
The moment Tenma reaches his house, he halts. Looking through the window, he notices that the light is turned off. Aki is out with some friends, apparently, she was too stressed. Tenma chuckles dryly. ''I'm causing trouble for everyone, huh…''
He enters the house, taking of his shoes. With his shoes in his hand, he walks towards his room, not bothering to turn on the light. Once he reaches his room, he closes the door. It will take about an hour before the sun sets, which Tenma is grateful for.
He takes out a bag, and for the next ten minutes, he gathers everything that he can think of. After putting a water bottle and some food in the bag, the brunet walks towards his closet. He changes into a pair of dark grey jeans, a black shirt and a black hoodie.
Tenma checks his bag one last time, taking a look around his room. He sighs, walking towards the window. ''Goodbye,'' he whispers softly, pulling up his hood, successfully hiding his face. He opens the window, looking at the tree branch in front of it. The brunet takes a deep breath, and then jumps to the tree branch, immediately moving closer to the trunk, where the branch is thicker. After a moment, he climbs to the other side of the tree, taking a look around. Nobody has noticed him – that's good. Wouldn't do to attract attention.
He jumps on the stone wall that is surrounding the house, sitting there for a moment – a dark shadow against the slowly darkening sky. Tenma jumps down, and starts to run. He smiles when he realizes that the escape out of the house was successful, and he also avoided the camera in front of the gate.
The Raimon player moves with the dark shadows, happy to see almost no people who could stop him. When he reaches the station, it's almost entirely dark.
Tenma finally relax when the train takes off, making the distance between himself and Inazuma Town bigger with every passing minute.
''And you hid all of this from me?'' Endou's voice is calm and controlled, but one can see the disapproval in his dark eyes when he looks at the teens in front of him.
Shindou nods. ''I'm sorry, coach, but we promised Tenma. He really looked like he knew what he was doing… I'm sorry.'' He bows, followed by his team.
Kidou is looking at them, not showing any emotions behind his goggles. Gouenji's face is a blank mask too. They are both disappointed about the news that Raimon has been hiding things from them – especially something as important as a friendship between a Raimon and a Kanashimi player.
Endou sighs. ''I can understand your reasoning, and I'm not mad at you… but you should know better, Shindou. Something like this…'' he trails off.
''Well…'' Endou's eyes focus on Kirino. ''Tenma really didn't want us to tell anyone. We only learned about this ourselves yesterday,'' says the second-year, defending his team.
The coach stays quiet for a long moment, discussing things with himself. Then, he sighs. ''Fine. We'll talk about this tomorrow – don't tell anyone about this. Amemiya, I would appreciate it if you kept it a secret as well – especially from your coach.'' Arakumo's captain nods.
''You're dismi-'' before he can finish, Endou's phone rings. He frowns and takes out his phone, looking at the caller id. ''Aki?'' he mutters surprised. He answers the call. ''Hello?''
''Endou-kun, is Tenma with you?'' asks Aki, a slightly worried tone in her voice.
Alarmed, Endou's frown deepens. ''No, he left about an hour ago. Why?''
''He- he's not home. But I did find his soccer uniform on his bed, and his shoes aren't here,'' Aki sounds like she's ready to cry. ''Did something happen?''
Endou closes his eyes for a moment. ''Yes. Do you have any idea…?''
''No…''
''Can you take a look at his room for me? Maybe there's something that can help us,'' suggest Endou, surprising even himself with how calm he sounds.
He hears the sound of footsteps and a door opening. After a moment, he hears a sob. Before the coach can say anything, Aki starts to talk. ''A note… I found a note.''
''What does it say?''
By now, Aki is full out crying. ''It… it reads, 'Dear Aki-nee. When you find this, I'm already g-gone. I know that this will probably worry you, but there's something I have to do. I can't tell you w-what, but I promise that I will return. I'm not sure w-when, though. Love, Tenma'.'' Aki whispers the last part. ''Endou-kun, what should I do?''
The brunet thinks for a moment. ''I'll send help. Do not touch anything in his room, okay? It might give us some clues.'' His voice softens. ''It'll be okay, Aki.''
He hangs up, turning to look at the other people in the room. ''What's wrong, Endou?'' Gouenji's dark eyes are narrowed, easily picking up the worried expression in Endou's eyes.
The coach sighs. ''Tenma's missing.'' Shocked shouts fill the room, and he holds up a hand to stop them. ''He left Aki a note. Kidou,'' he looks at Teikoku's commander, who nods.
''Got it. I'll contact everyone who can help us with this,'' says the game maker, already leaving the room and taking out his phone.
Endou nods, turning to look at his team. They're all shocked. Shindou especially looks pale. ''C-coach…'' the young game maker stops for a moment, and Endou gestures for him to continue. ''Is it… our fault? Because of today?''
The rest of the team pales too when they hear these words. Endou shakes his head and smiles. ''Don't worry about it, everyone. Tenma wouldn't leave because he got into an argument. I think that something else is going on here.'' They relax slightly. ''Go home, get some rest.''
''But coach!'' protest Kirino before anyone else can say something. ''How can you expect us to- to relax when one of our friends is missing?!''
Endou sighs. ''I know it's hard, but there is nothing you can do right now. I'll keep you updated about the investigation, I promise, but right now, you have to focus on practice. Please,'' says the coach softly.
Kirino studies him for a moment, joined by Shindou. The two friends share a look, before Shindou nods. ''Fine. But the moment you find something, tell me. I'll tell the rest of the team,'' says the wavy haired boy, and Endou nods, smiling softly.
After the teens leave, Gouenji and Endou are left alone. ''Endou…'' Gouenji sits down next to his old captain, looking at him in worry.
Endou smiles tiredly at him. ''Sorry, but I have to call Natsumi. Aki can use some moral support.''
He deals the number, and after a moment, he is greeted by the cheerful voice of his wife. ''Hello, Endou-kun!''
Endou smiles. ''Hey, Natsumi. Listen, I want you to head over to Aki's. And take Haruka with you, please.''
Natsumi's voice sounds alarmed. ''Is something wrong, Mamoru? What's going on?''
The coach sighs, running a hand through his hair. ''Tenma's missing.'' He hears Natsumi's sharp intake of breath, but doesn't give her the chance to talk. ''There have been some problems after training today, and it looks like there is more about this situation than we first expected. He left Aki a note… Kidou's heading there now, together with the others can help. At this moment, the news is being spread among all of our friends. When they hear something, we'll know.'' He pauses, sighing. ''But Aki is really distressed – please, she needs you and Haruka. And Fuyuppe, please.''
Natsumi is silent for a moment. ''Fine. I'll probably get more information over there, anyway. Love you,'' she says.
Endou smiles at the words of his wife. ''Thanks, love you too.'' With that, they hang up, and the coach looks at Gouenji.
The forward looks at him in concern. ''Are you okay, Endou?''
His friends shakes his head. ''You know me too well, Gouenji. No, I'm not. It's all just so… messed up.''
Gouenji places a hand on his shoulder. ''It'll be okay, Endou. It just has to be.''
Tenma blinks when he feels the train slow down. Surprised, he looks around, wondering for a moment where he is. Then, he realizes what happened, and smiles to himself. ''So I'm finally here, huh?''
The brunet is the only one on the train. When the vehicle stops, he quietly exists it. The train leaves a moment later, and Tenma is alone on the abandoned train station. Holding his bag a bit tighter, the brunet takes a deep breath to calm himself. ''Okay. The next train won't leave tomorrow. There's no turning back now, so let's go,'' he mutters to himself.
The midfielder starts walking, seeing that the sky is almost entirely black. He doesn't see anyone on his way. When he finally reaches the dock, he is greeted by silence. ''Um, hello? Is someone here?'' he asks hesitantly, looking around for a sign of life.
''Hmm? What are you doing here at this hour?'' asks a voice from behind him. The brunet turns around, and sees a slightly familiar face. The man is tall, has grey hair and brown eyes. He frowns when he sees Tenma. ''Who are you?'' The brunet smiles and lets his hood down. The man frowns for a moment, before recognition appears on his face. ''You're one of those Raimon kids!''
''Hai,'' answers Tenma. ''I know I shouldn't be asking this, but I need to get to the island. It's really important!'' pleads the brunet.
The man blinks and frowns. ''Where is the rest of your team?'' when Tenma doesn't answer, his frown deepens. ''Don't tell me you're here alone… does anyone know you're here?''
Tenma looks at the ground, avoiding the man's eyes. ''…No,'' he says quietly. ''They don't. I sort of… ran away…'' mutters the brunet.
The man stays quiet for a long time, and Tenma is almost thinking that he is going to call the police, when the man sighs. ''Ugh, I know I shouldn't be doing this, but… fine, I'll take you there.''
Tenma looks up in shock. ''What? Y-you will? Why?''
The other chuckles. ''I've seen you before, boy. I've seen what your team has done. You're famous in the entire land – you are the captain of the team who won the Football Frontier International, after all. I don't know what is going on here, but if you really need to go there, without telling anyone, I'll help you. I trust that you know what you're doing, right?''
Tenma sighs. ''I sure hope so…''
''Well, what're we waiting for? Let's get on board!''
A few minutes later, the boat takes off, and Tenma sighs. Stars are appearing in the sky, lighting up the dark night. The water looks black, as the boat silently cuts through the waves. The silence is only broken by the sound of the waves against the boat.
The brunet closes his eyes, letting the peaceful night surround him. Finally, he is able to breathe slowly. He made it out of Inazuma Town without anyone noticing, got on the train without any trouble, and he managed to get on the boat to his destination. Everything is going perfect.
He sighs, letting his thoughts drift to his red-haired friend. 'Haru… what happened to you? Why would you crush Arakumo like that? If I could just access our bond…' Tenma closes his eyes, concentrating on the blockade in his mind. He pokes it, trying to find a weak spot, but the wall doesn't give him anything. The brunet sighs again. 'Haru…'
''Are you going to tell me why you ran away?'' asks a voice, and Tenma faces the captain of the boat.
He smiles softly. ''Well… have you heard of 'Raimon's Downfall'?'' asks the brunet, and the man nods, frowning. ''Things got complicated after that. A lot of stuff happened, and I messed up. I made a friend who… my team doesn't really like him. Then, my friend did something bad, and my team got really angry at him, and at me when I tried to defend him. But I know that there is more to the story than I can see now. I know my friend. He wouldn't do something bad if he can help it. Because of a lot of things, I decided to go away. I need time to myself to figure things out, and I want to help my friend. But if I did that at home, my team would get in the way…'' Tenma trails off.
The man smiles encouragingly. ''Sounds… complicated.'' Tenma nods sadly. ''But I'll think it'll be okay. Your team is probably very angry at you and your friend, but once they hear about your disappearance… I did something like that once, too. My family always got into fights with each other. Then one day, I couldn't take it anymore!'' he takes a breath to calm himself down. ''So I left. An old friend of mine helped me, giving me a place to stay. After a week or so, my family called the police, and it got a lot harder to hide. About three weeks later, I decided to return.'' The man chuckles to himself. ''My family was so worried about me, they forgot all about the fights. And then, the fights just stopped.'' His gaze turns serious, and he looks at Tenma. ''What I want to say… your friends probably didn't notice what they had, until they lost it. They were angry and didn't think about their actions. I can't say that running away was a good thing, but it certainly wasn't a bad thing either.''
Tenma groans, realizing something important. ''Oh no. Aki-nee probably told everyone about my disappearance… and having some of the most influencing people in Japan's economy and politics will probably give them a better shot at finding me than just called the police. I'm doomed.''
The man chuckles. ''Well, can't help you with that. But if someone asks, I'll say I don't remember every passenger I get, okay?'' Tenma nods, smiling gratefully at the man. Then, the boat starts to slow down. ''Well, we're here! I wish you the best of luck with your friends.''
About fifteen minutes later, Tenma is walking around the island, looking for any sign of life. He isn't really going anywhere, knowing that his friend will come to him. So the brunet just wanders around, looking at everything and remembering the time he spent here.
Suddenly, a voice breaks the peaceful silence. ''Tenma!'' The brunet turns around, smiling at the forward. He looks exactly as he remembers him: dark hair and eyes in the same shade, slightly tanned skin and his usual clothes. The boy is sitting on a branch in one of the trees. When he sees that he has the brunet's attention, he jumps down. ''What are you doing here?''
Tenma smiles brightly. ''Hey, Shuu. It's good to see you again.''
The boy, now identified as Shuu, smiles. ''Yeah, good to see you too. But what are you doing here? Are you here with your team?'' Tenma's smile falls of his face, and Shuu blinks in surprise and worry. ''…Tenma? Is… something wrong?''
The brunet tries to smile, but Shuu can clearly see that it's fake. ''It's a long story, but… I need a place to stay. I'm not sure for how long, though…''
Shuu brightens. ''Well, you can stay here. Nobody ever comes here anyway! Well, sometimes Hakuryuu comes to visit, but he usually just calls…''
The midfielder sighs in relief. ''Thank you Shuu… You really saved me there.''
A while later, the two are sitting around a small campfire that Shuu made. ''So, what's going on?'' asks Shuu finally, noticing that his usually cheerful friend looks sad.
Tenma sighs again. ''It's a long story. Have you hear about 'Raimon's Downfall'?'' he asks, and Shuu frowns.
''Hakuryuu told me something about it. Raimon was… crushed, right?'' asks Shuu slowly.
Tenma nods. The next hour, he tells Shuu everything. About their match against Kanashimi. About Raimon's disbanding. How he met Haru, and their friendship. When Raimon reformed. About the training. About the experimenting. How he and Haru found out that the Ishikawa twins experimented on the both of them. How Raimon found out about Haru. And lastly, about the argument that happened earlier that day.
When Tenma finishes, Shuu stays quiet for a long time, absorbing all the information. Then, he looks up and smiles. ''Okay. I've made my decision.''
Tenma looks at him in surprise. ''Shuu…?''
''I'll help you!''
And Shuu makes an appearance! Tell me, who saw that coming?
IMPORTANT: The next two/three weeks, I'm on holiday and I'm not taking my laptop with me. I won't be able to write any chapters. I'm very sorry, but I want to enjoy my holiday too!
- Yara Meijer