Hello peoples! I meant to get this up sooner but I got distracted by another internet website. Anyhoo… everyone please make sure to thank Randomcat for the game. She's the only one that sent anything in by the deadline. THANK YOU!

Chapter 21: Musashinomori

I couldn't tell if the week before the Musashinomori game passed in a flash or if it took its time. I was nervous as hell but excited. Koto-san was extremely tense—a mood we'd never seen her in before. Practices became more and more harsh as the week went on and Yuki watched it all sadly from the sidelines. She was dying to get out on the field, everyone could see it.

And even with our harsh schedule, we had no trouble at school. In fact, we seemed to focus more because of it. Schoolwork became the break and playing soccer became our occupation. It was a nice—if not odd—change.

Katori-sensei seemed distracted all week and her lectures kept getting cut off as she forgot what she was talking about. This frustrated her and Friday she declared that day's English class a study hall.

The girls' concentration went through the roof. They put their heart into everything they did, often neglecting their social life in order to get homework or practice done. Every night before bed a small crowd of us (whoever was finished with homework) would gather in the lobby and watch tapes of Musashinomori's games. This would often turn into strategy meetings that Coach reluctantly broke up to make sure we got sleep. I could tell, though, that she appreciated our dedication.

However, no matter how crazy it got, Tatsuya was there to help me. Most of the time, he would simply play the calm one. He sat next to me on the couch—arm around my shoulders—and helped analyze the tapes, he would sneak up behind me and give me a hug when I was stressed, and he did homework with me, just to let me know he was there. He was an incredible boyfriend and I felt undeserving, but I was glad he was mine all the same.

Tatsuya and I, however, weren't the only ones getting closer. Sho was often seen consulting Yuki when she dropped into a depression and as much as I wanted to be there for my best friend, I knew Sho could cheer her up better than I could. Daichi and Eva also appeared to be working together to sort through problems. Daichi provided stats, and encouragement when Eva would take none from us. Shige would always be there when Miyuki was getting overwhelmed. He was her comic relief in times of stress and it seemed to help her.

Then, it was finally here. The day of the game….

I woke up that morning full of nerves. I blew through my usual routine (get dressed, brush teeth, brush hair, wash face, etc) and was finishing up straightening my side of the room (nervous habit) when I heard a knock on the door. I answered it. Tatsuya and Shige were there in the hallway, grinning.

"You ready?" Tatsuya asked. I nodded, smiling back.

"Is Miyuki still asleep?" Shige peered past me into the room, smirking mischievously. Without waiting for an answer he squeezed past me and launched himself at the lump beneath the covers on Miyuki's bed. There was a little bit of movement and the covers shifted just enough so that we could see a head of messy red hair and a pair of green eyes.

She blinked sleepily at him, as if she didn't recognize him and then groaned, pulling the covers over her head again. "Shiii-geee…."

His grin widened and he tugged the covers down, revealing her night shirt and a pair of baby pink shorts. She shivered at the sudden draft. "Up an' at 'em!" he sang. She sat up and scowled at him. With a small chuckle he gave he a peck on the lips.

She heaved another sigh but otherwise ceased to argue and crawled out of bed. It didn't take long for nerves to catch up to her too and wake her up. We sat on the beds and waited as she went about her own morning ritual in the bathroom. It only took about 5 minutes.

We proceeded downstairs where we had a wonderful breakfast prepared by Sho and Daichi. Quiet conversation settled over the table as we reviewed what we'd decided on in our strategy meetings. Kojima was quiet and too reserved. I was about to talk to her when Sho reached over from her other side and gently took her hand. She relaxed a little after this.

"It looks like Sho's got things under control," Tatsuya whispered. I nodded in response. He would be good for her. Ever since her friend died, she'd been pretty disconnected from everyone else. She learned to do things on her own and became a strong person. Now that she had someone to help her (2 someones), she was even stronger.

Suddenly, Coach stood up. She looked grim. "Breakfast is over ladies. Get your things."

We boarded the bus solemnly, as if we were headed to the firing wall. Tatsuya hugged me and kissed my forehead, wishing me good luck and assuring me that he'd be at the game. I hugged back fiercely and boarded the bus behind Yuki. She smiled at me, silently telling me to calm down. I did. I took a few deep breaths and brought out my ipod for the bus ride.

It took about an hour to get to Musashinomori. A second bus, I learned, would be about half an hour behind us. Upon learning how far the girls' soccer team had advanced in the district tournament (or at least noticing how long we stayed in the dorms), the school decided to offer a bus for spectators. I began to wonder how many people would actually come but decided it was a bad thing to worry about.

We entered the locker room at Musashinomori in silence. They were nice locker rooms. We got into our uniforms, strapped on shin-guards, and pulled on cleats. Coach came in halfway through changing and gave us a pep-talk we readily took in. We were in the zone in no time. We warmed upon one of the practice fields while they readied the pitch we'd be playing on. We did a lap, stretched, passed, shot a few on goal, and did various other activities. I saw the spectator bus pull in with 10 minutes to spare. I tried to ignore it.

Five minutes before kick-off we went onto the real pitch and waited for the announcers to call out the starters. Suddenly, there was a bright flash. I blinked a few times and found a dark-haired boy standing in front of me, grinning and holding a camera.

"Hi Casey-chan! Are you ready for the big game?"

"Arata?" I remembered him from that day in homeroom. He'd seen our game against Hitana. "What are you doing here?"

"Ryota and I are covering your game today. I'm the cameraman." As if to prove his point, he flashed another picture.

Putting my arms up to defend my eyes, I placed my palm over the camera lens and forced it down. "Don't do that." He grinned apologetically before jogging over to the stoic blonde—his partner, the reporter.

I saw Arata babbling happily to Ryota but my attention was soon drawn back to the field as the announcer began his speech on sportsmanship. As the visiting team, we were introduced first. As our names were called, we ran out onto the field and stood side-by-side along the center line. Koto-san also came to stand beside me. She was grinning.

The Musashinomori team followed the same ritual and lined up even with us. Their coach—a tall, sturdy-built brunette—shared Koto's expression. I noticed that when they shook hands there was no hate, just a playful competitiveness. It made me smile as I shook hands with the girl across from me.

As I looked down their line of players, I noticed that they brought out all the big guns. This would be an intense game.

Feeling nervous, I proceeded to my position on the field. My heart was pounding. Suddenly, a roar went up from the stands. Blinking, I looked over at them. Our bleachers were filled to the brim with cheering fans. Some I recognized as parents of the boys' team and our own parents, others were our classmates. I almost fell over in surprise as I saw a banner cheering us on.

Shaking my head to clear it, I got back in the game. So many people were here supporting us. I couldn't let them down. Coach had a rivalry only we could help her with now, Kojima wanted desperately to help even though she knew we had to prove we could do this on our own, our parents and long-time supporters continued to push us to succeed, and our classmates were finally seeing our real strength.

We had to play well. No, we had to do better than that. We had to win. I could feel the adrenaline rushing through me as I bent my knees and prepared for the whistle.

Their kick off was quick, which I expected. It was dropped back to their center mid as we moved in to attack. I ran up the center, adrenaline rushing through me. My mark came up and stood beside me. That made things a bit easier.

The ball sailed to the opposite side and it looked like Cho (right wing) was going to get it, but the Mushashinomori player got there in a flash and quickly passed it off. Several other quick passes were made and yet we interrupted none. Mushashinomori had taken a quick advantage.

"What's going on?" I murmured to myself and rushed back down the center to help the defense. 'We're all moving like snails!' The idea of facing the best rated team must have frozen up our heads and slowed down our reactions. Something needed to change quickly because our enemy was ready and they were approaching the goal fast.

Thankfully, Eva was awake and ready; she scooped up the ball before any damage could be done. I stopped my run and looked around at my teammates. Their faces were just slightly surprised at the intensity of our opponent's attack. I knew we could take them if we gave it our best.

Eva punted the ball far, but it took a weird bounce and ended out of bounds. I took the chance to wake up my team. "Hey! Josui! Let's play our game!" Everyone's heads snapped in my direction and a few people grinned. Kojima followed up with: "Get your heads in the game!" She then pointed for people to pick up marks on the throw in.

Apparently, that did the trick because Cho (right wing) quickly stepped in front of her mark and settled the ball. She passed it to Miyuki, who dribbled up the line, and followed her. There was a nice cross and Etsuko had positioned herself nicely for it and took the one touch shot. I thought for sure it was in, but the goalie got there first and made the save.

"Nice save," I mumbled, although upset that it hadn't been a goal. The goalie returned it and the game began again.

The first half ended with no goals. There were a lot of close calls though, too many on our goal and not enough on Mushashinomori. We were almost perfectly matched and even though we all were breathing hard as we jogged to the bench, I could tell everyone still had a lot of energy left.

Mushashinomori returned to their bench in similar spirits. I had heard about the boys' team's first encounter with Mushashinomori had been filled with taunts and name-calling. It was nice to know that their girls' team was different.

Kojima gave her pep talk during the half time break. I only half listened. I wanted a goal badly. When a game is this close, it makes that one point all the more sweet. While my mind buzzed the whistle blew, calling us all back to the field.

It was our kickoff and I got the ball. I made a good pass to Kojima, who passed it to Kimiko (left mid). She got caught up by the sideline and back passed it to Keiko (sweeper). A few more passes and Miyuki had the ball front and center and shot.

It was another near miss. The goalie made a wild dive and managed to get a glove on it. Our opponents countered but our defense did their job and cleared it.

The second half went by quickly with no score. I could tell we were beginning to get frustrated from the looks on everyone's faces. Even Kojima was losing patience. When you keep shooting and don't get anything in, it really weighs you down.

With five minutes left, one of our opponents sent the ball out of bounds and gave us a corner kick. It was our perfect opportunity. Keiko ran up to take the kick. She positioned the ball with care and then glanced over the field. I positioned myself just outside of the 18-yard line, waiting for something to drop out.

The kick was perfect; it had a slight curve and enough air to get over the first defenseman's head. Their goalie punched and it ricocheted from player to player. My eyes darted all over the mess of players to follow the ball's movements. It got cleared to Cho (right mid) who sent it back into the fray.

I shifted my body and saw the ball pop from the cloud of people. A wave of adrenaline came over me and my mind completely focused on that black and white ball. My legs sprinted forward, I planted my foot and shot.

It wasn't until Akiko and Miyuki had me in a hug that I realized the ball went in. I scored! We scored! The whole team passed out high fives and I got a few pats on the back. I couldn't help but grin for the rest of the game.

The final whistle blew, and our opponents' faces fell. It had been a good game.

My head was still fuzzy from the excitement when we exchanged handshakes. Everyone was all grins and giggles back on the bench. Fans poured out of the stands to congratulate us. Arata was snapping pictures as if his life depended on it and Ryota stood there in shock. I couldn't help but smirk at this.

Tatsuya nearly tackled me in a hug. Grinning, I accepted his kiss and hugged him back. He swung me around a bit. Laughing out of sheer joy I couldn't help but send up a cheer.

"We made it to the regionals!"

/THE END/

Okay, so that's the last chapter. I know, I know. I might make a sequel about the regional tournament, but it won't be from Casey's POV. Thank you all so much for reading this to the very end and being patient with me even though I'm a terrible person for ignoring this story for so long. You have no idea how much I really appreciate it.

And one more thanks to Randomcat for writing half of the last chapter for me. I'm glad someone cared enough about my story to do that. I love you all! Thank you!