A/N: Hey everyone. Late again I know but without further ado here's the chapter!
…
The next few days flew by and before Momo knew what had happened, it was the day of their first big match against Mundo. Several of Hinamori's classmates patted her on the back and wished her luck as she made her way down the hallway, and even some of the teachers seemed a bit more upbeat than usual. Kurotsuchi and Kuchiki were as serious and no nonsense as ever yet Momo supposed she shouldn't be surprised. She didn't think she'd seen either man smile once in all of her time at Ryouta and there was no reason why they'd start now.
The girl was currently juggling both blatant nerves and raging excitement, yet at the moment she couldn't tell which had the upper hand. She had been keeping up with the boys just fine thanks to her extra workout sessions and at practice she was fully capable of holding her own on the field. Yet even so she was having issues calming her pounding heart and it wasn't until Renji told her she looked ready to hurl that she finally decided to put a cap on her anxiety. When the time for warming up finally did roll around Momo had gotten her nerves almost completely under control and was actually beginning to anticipate the beginning of the game.
The Death Gods had gathered on the right side of the field to stretch and warm up their legs, ignoring the spectators that had begun to fill into the bleachers, shouting their encouragement. Glancing up at them Momo was surprised to see not only Ryouta students, but also girls from some of the surrounding schools, a lot of them pointing and giggling suggestively at the Ryouta players.
"Hinamori! Over here!" Momo blinked, glancing up towards the familiar voice. A grin split across her face as she saw Rangiku standing in the crowd and waving ecstatically her way, Rukia, Orihime, and a couple other Kaito girls following her lead. She gave a short wave in their direction before turning back to her teammates and accepting a ball passed her way by Ichigo.
"You ready?" he half shouted, cutting in to receive her return pass. She nodded and fired the ball his way, the boy's quick feet picking it up and putting it into the goal.
"You better be kid," said a voice from behind her followed by a rather painful noogie. Momo swatted the hand away and turned around to see Renji behind her, a grin on the red head's face.
"Are you trying to give me brain damage before the game? Jerk…" Momo muttered, half tempted to stick her tongue out at him. Renji laughed and put his hands up in mock surrender.
"Come on, let's focus you two!" Hisagi shouted their way, sounding every bit the responsible captain. Momo nodded and turned to retrieve a ball from the goal's netting but paused as Renji nudged her, pointing to the opposite end of the field.
"They're here," he said shortly. The girl frowned, glancing up and looking in the direction his finger indicated. The Mundo players were indeed storming the field, their white and black jerseys standing out against the sharp contrast of the green turf. A shock of blue hair caught Momo's eye and upon taking a closer look she recognized the sturdy player as Grimmjow, the kid who had picked a fight with her and Kira at the beginning of the school year. Also among them she recognized Ulquiorra, as well as several of the boys they'd seen back at Grey's.
"Let's go," she muttered, tugging on Renji's jersey sleeve. The boy fell into step alongside her, a rather feral grin sliding over his features.
"We'll flatten 'em," he said, punching his palm with his fist. Momo looked up at him and couldn't stop a grin of her own from sneaking across her lips.
"Definitely."
…
Warm ups lasted another ten minutes before Hisagi called the whole team into a pre-game huddle. Momo found herself squeezed between Renji and Ichigo as Hitsugaya had taken his place next to Hisagi and was exchanging last minute words with the other captain.
"Alright this is it," Hisagi finally said, turning back to the team. " It's our first game of the year so lets go out there and play. Starters, you're up," he said. Momo nodded along with the others and put her hand in the middle for a cheer. Hisagi's speech hadn't been terribly motivational but she didn't suppose the rest of the boys needed it. There was a general energy about the team that seemed to flow from one player to the next, sending adrenaline pumping through their veins as they prepared for the upcoming match.
The next thing she knew all of her teammates were shouting something unintelligible as they roared out some cheer she had yet to learn the words to. Figuring it couldn't hurt to add her voice to the mix Momo took a deep breath and yelled with the rest of them, finishing up with a tumultuous cry of: "Death Gods!" The stands around them burst into applause and piercing whistles as they took the field, Momo swallowing the rest of her nerves as she prepared to take her place on Hitsugaya's right.
"Hinamori." The girl paused mid step and turned with some surprise to see Kyoraku standing behind her.
"Y-yes?" she asked.
"Just have fun out there," he said to her. "You'll be fine." Momo blinked at him before a smile broke out on her face.
"I will," she replied before turning and jogging onto the field. Hitsugaya glanced up as she approached, catching her eye with his own.
"You ready?" he asked her.
"Yup," she replied, grinning confidently at him. He nodded once before turning his gaze forward as the Mundo players had just broken out of their huddle and were now taking their positions across from the Ryouta team. Momo glanced in front of her and was rather startled to see the long haired kid from Grey's standing there, Nnoitra she thought he'd been called, eyeing her with a dangerous glint in his eye. The girl swallowed and dropped her gaze, instead turning to glance in Hitsugaya and Ichigo's direction. Ulquiorra stood across from Toshiro while Grimmjow faced the strawberry, both boys glaring at each other. Clearly there was no love lost between the two teams.
Chad stood at goalie, Kira standing in front of him as sweeper while Uryu, Yumichika, and Keigo covered defense. Hisagi played center midfield while Renji and Ikkaku stood on either side of him, covering the left and right mid positions. The Death God starters were strong and Momo had every reason to believe that this would be a good game and hopefully, one ending in victory.
The referee trudged onto the field, soccer ball in hand and whistle already clenched between his teeth. He was balding and rather pudgy, his black and white striped shirt already soaked with sweat making Momo wonder if he would actually be able to keep up with the pace of the game. Dropping the ball in the center of the field he backed up a few paces, glancing from Hitsugaya to Ulquiorra and back again.
"Alright I expect a good clean game from all players," he said glaring around the field at them all. Momo heard a snicker and glanced up to see a positively feral sneer cross over Nnoitra's lips as he heard the ref's words. The girl suppressed a shiver and tried to return her focus to the game and shove the other boy's creepy expression from her mind. At that moment the whistle blew and the players dove into action. Renji tapped the ball to Hitsugaya and they were off down the field, weaving between the three forwards and working their way towards the goal. Momo sprinted after them, her eyes scanning the field as the opposing team's defending players rose up to meet them. Hitsugaya fainted to the left before spinning the ball to the right and kicking it full speed her way. Hinamori stepped forward, stopping the ball with her ankle before dribbling it again, regaining momentum.
The defenders were on her in an instant and she swiftly maneuvered the ball away from them, kicking it back to Hitsugaya who was moving in for a cut in the middle of the field. The boy retrieved the ball and brought his leg back, booting the little sphere towards the goal. A quick dive from the goalie prevented a score and the Ryouta players backed up as the ball returned to play.
Grimmjow retrieved the goalie's throw in and darted down the field, weaving the ball expertly from one foot to another. Renji sprinted forward to intercept him, putting his body between the player and the goal where Chad stood at the ready. The redhead made a sweep for the ball but Grimmjow moved it away at the last moment, his elbow making a solid connection with Renji's stomach in the process. The boy winced and faltered for the briefest of moments which was all Grimmjow needed to slip past him. Momo's eyes immediately swerved to where the referee was puffing to keep up with the game, the man having clearly missed the foul. Gritting her teeth she returned her attention to where Grimmjow had passed the ball to Ulquiorra who was now being challenged by Uryu. Before he could do any real damage the ball was passed again, Nnoitra gaining possession.
Keigo ran up to him, arms pumping himself forward wildly while the other player regarded him with a cool demeanor, his trademark smirk sneaking onto his face again. Racing forward he met Keigo head on, dodging the boy's attempt at a slide tackle and booting the ball towards the goal. A familiar head of blonde hair suddenly intercepted the ball's path, preventing it from reaching it's intended goal.
"Hell yeah Kira!" Momo heard Matsumoto yell from the bleachers, whistling her approval. A tiny grin appeared on Kira's face as he put the ball back to Yumichika who swiftly passed it to Hisagi. The captain easily avoided Mundo's attempt at retrieval, weaving around their players with such a graceful ease that Momo couldn't help feeling slightly jealous. Quick as a flash he passed it up to Hitsugaya and they were off again. The defense swarmed around the boy this time, clearly aware of the very real threat he posed to their victory. Gritting his teeth Toshiro passed the ball Ichigo's way, the orange head taking immediate possession and working his way towards the goal.
"YEAH ICHIGOOOOOOOOO!" Hinamori blinked, this new voice taking her by surprise. Allowing herself the briefest of glances towards the sideline she was surprised to see a girl from the Mundo side of the field waving her arms wildly and cheering the strawberry on, clearly ignoring the annoyed glares being sent her way. Long teal hair was pulled back in a ponytail, a pinkish birthmark spread across her cheeks and nose, and she had a body that could hold its own against Rangiku's.
"Who the hell are you cheering for Nel?" one of the Mundo players yelled from the sideline though the girl carried on undaunted. Shaking her head at this new turn of events Momo watched as Ichigo tipped the ball back to Toshiro who immediately passed it her way. Seeing an opening Momo let her shot fly, watching as the ball rocketed towards the goal, grazed past the goalie's outstretched fingers, and hit the back of the net with a satisfactory swish. The stands erupted, barely believing a goal had already been scored this early in the game. A second later the girl found herself being swarmed by her teammates, her head the target of many a hair ruffle while she nearly tripped from the number of back slaps she received.
"Alright don't get cocky guys, we still have the rest of the game to play," Hisagi said after a brief moment. Momo nodded her head before trotting back to her place on Toshiro's right. Nnoitra was already there and the girl couldn't help but notice that he was no longer smirking.
"Your luck won't go any farther than that," he hissed, eyes flashing dangerously. Momo merely shrugged, refusing to let his comment get to her. The ref finally puffed his way over to the center of the field, placing the ball down between Ulquiorra and Toshiro and backing away slowly, his sweaty hands placing the whistle in his mouth once again. He had barely blown it when Ulquiorra passed the ball to Nnoitra who immediately tapped it back to him. Quick as a flash the center forward wove past Hitsugaya and made his way further down the field. As Hisagi approached he passed the ball to Nnoitra again who charged toward the goal, his eyes narrowed to slits. Keigo approached again, taking more caution this time as he attempted to stop the other player's rapid beeline towards the goal.
"Out of my way scum," Nnoitra growled, lowering his shoulder and slamming it into Keigo's chest. The boy stumbled and fell backwards, hitting the ground with an audible thump. Momo practically screamed 'foul', some spectators unable to help themselves, though the ref was once again puffing his way up the field and had missed the whole thing. Meanwhile Nnoitra was narrowing in on the goal, weaving past Kira and bringing his leg back for a shot. Chad's eyes narrowed as the ball flew towards it's target, launching his body sideways at what seemed like the last minute and catching the black and white sphere with one hand. Momo whistled while the Ryouta fans screamed their approval, the big goalie's ridiculous strength impressing them all. With a roar Chad reared back and threw the ball forward over the heads of all Mundo's offensive players, watching in satisfaction as it landed almost directly at Hitsugaya's feet.
The boy took off with the ball again, teal eyes focused intently on the goal and the players rising forward to oppose him. At almost the last second he turned and passed the ball to Ichigo who was cutting inward towards the goal. Before anyone knew what had happened Grimmjow was sprinting towards Ichigo, a positively murderous expression on his face as he covered ground quicker than Momo would have thought possible.
"Ichigo behi-!" she started but didn't have time to finish as Grimmjow chose that moment to dive into a sliding tackle, the bottom of his cleat making contact with Ichigo's ankle and sending him crashing to the ground. The Death God fans and players roared their disapproval, all eyes turned furiously to the ref who had finally blown his whistle, pulling a yellow card from the pouch around his protruding waistline. Grimmjow scowled as he got to his feet, dusting himself off and glaring at the referee in the process yet Momo's eyes were on Ichigo who had slowly risen to his feet, looking a little paler than she would have liked to see him. The boy took a tentative step and immediately swore, stumbling forward and being steadied by Hitsugaya who grabbed his arm just in time.
"Ichigo take one!" Hisagi yelled, jogging over to where the strawberry had pulled himself out of Hitsugaya's grip and was scowling fiercely in an attempt to ignore his throbbing ankle.
"I'm fine, I can still play," he hissed, clenching his fists angrily.
"Get the hell off the field Kurosaki. We need you for more important games than this one," Renji told him, crossing his arms stubbornly. Ichigo opened his mouth to protest but stopped as he saw Kyoraku waving him over from the side of the field, his usual smile missing from his lips. Gritting his teeth the orange head finally gave up, ignoring any help offered him as he limped off the field and plopped none to gracefully onto the ground. Mizuiro trotted on the field in his place, looking more than a little bit nervous to be taking the boy's place.
"Hinamori throw the ball in," Hisagi ordered, stepping back a few paces as he did so. Momo nodded, jogging over to the sideline and picking the ball up, her eyes already scanning the field for her desired target. Taking a deep breath she threw it in.
…
The game got even uglier from there, both teams now practically throwing punches at each other in their determination to possess the ball. Yet despite the brawl like conditions on the field the Death Gods stayed strong, another goal by Hitsugaya bringing the score to 2-0 in Ryouta's favor. Mundo did have many shots on goal but Chad's hulking frame stopped them all, allowing the Death God's to keep their lead and eventually win the game. Momo couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped her lips as the ref blew the final whistle, drawing the game to a close. Nnoitra, who had the ball at the time, yelled in frustration and booted it towards the Death God sideline, catching a rather unfortunate Hanataro in the back of the head.
"Coach control your players!" the referee yelled, his piggy eyes glaring over in the Mundo sideline's direction. A tall rather skinny man with shoulder length brown hair and a goatee raised his hand in response, motioning his team to line up with a jerk of his head. Momo was almost afraid to shake the other player's hands as she couldn't help but fear for the safety of her fingers. Yet despite her anxiety she fell into place behind Hitsugaya and cautiously held out her hand as the Mundo players approached. The opposing team barely acknowledged them and it only took Momo a second to realize some of them had refused to line up at all, Grimmjow and Nnoitra both members of the later category.
Hinamori let the breath whoosh from her lungs as she turned back towards their sideline and began to make her way towards where Hisagi and Kyoraku were beckoning them over. Feeling the lightest of touches on her shoulder she turned to see Hitsugaya standing beside her, a tiny smirk playing across his lips.
"Nice game bed-wetter," he murmured, his breath tickling her ear and sending shivers racing down her spine.
"Th-thanks," she replied, wishing her heart would stop throwing itself against her ribcage as she was sure everyone could hear it.
"Hinamori!" The girl jumped, whirling around to see Kira jogging towards her, a large smile on his face. "Great game today!" Momo grinned and allowed him to fall into step beside her.
"Thanks! You didn't play too poorly yourself," she responded. The blonde opened his mouth as if to say more though stopped when they reached the sideline and Kyoraku began speaking.
"Nice job today, you all played well." The man paused, not bothering to cover up the large yawn that momentarily took over his mouth. "Don't drink too much at your after par-ouch!" Nanao had chosen that moment to intervene, whacking Kyoraku none to lightly with the brown clipboard in her hand. Rolling her eyes she turned to address the team.
"What your coach is trying to say is way to play through all the punches thrown your way by those guys. Clearly the ref wasn't at the top of his game and missed a lot of those calls but I'm glad you kept your cool, for the most part," she quickly added, giving Ikkaku a short but pointed glance. "No practice this weekend but be prepared for a workout on Monday." The team nodded and put their hands in for a final Death God cheer before dispersing to talk to their friends and family who had come to view the game.
Momo glanced over to where Ichigo was busy trying to calm down a younger girl with rather short sandy hair who seemed convinced the boy's ankle injury was going to kill him. Another girl her age with short dark hair and a scowl was clearly pretending to ignore the conversation though Hinamori couldn't help but notice the concerned gaze she shot Ichigo every once in awhile if he put too much weight on his ankle. A scruffy black haired man was lying on the ground next to the second girl, nursing a bloody nose and a rather large goose egg. Since no one else seemed concerned by the spectacle, Momo decided she shouldn't be either and instead looked around for Matsumoto and the others.
She hadn't been looking long when something crashed into her back and she suddenly found her head enveloped in something rather squishy. Grinning she detangled herself and turned around to see Rangiku beaming at her, Rukia and Orihime making their way over as well.
"You did great!" the busty girl exclaimed, enveloping Hinamori in yet another stifling hug. Momo hugged her back for a moment before she pulled away, needing to resurface for air.
"Thanks!" she replied, waving to Rukia and Orihime as they caught up.
"Those guys are all assholes, I'm glad you won," Rukia told her with a smile. Orihime nodded before frowning and glancing over to where Ichigo was still standing with the strange trio.
"I hope Ichigo will be okay though," she said quietly. Rukia scoffed.
"Don't worry about that idiot. Give him a day and he'll be back to his regular stubbornly stupid self," she responded. Momo laughed out loud at this comment, knowing the small girl to be right.
"Besides, Yuzu won't leave him alone until she's certain he's fine," Matsumoto said, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Yuzu?" Momo asked.
"His little sister," Orihime told her. "Yuzu's the short haired one, Karin has the black hair, and his dad is the funny one with the bump on his head."
"Hey Hinamori!" Momo glanced over to see Renji and Hisagi walking towards them, shirts discarded and duffel bags slung over their shoulders. Momo waved while Matsumoto about faced and pranced over to them.
"Soooo ice cream yes?" she chirped, looking up at Hisagi expectantly. The boy blinked.
"Uh, well I…"
"Yay! So it's settled!" Rangiku finished, cutting him off and slinging an arm around his shoulders. "Everyone's coming right?"
"Oh of course! Ice cream with pickles, sprinkles, and chocolate syrup is my favorite!" Orihime agreed, clapping her hands together, eyes sparkling.
"P-pickles…?" Hinamori asked while Rukia pulled a face.
"Would you like to try some when we get there?" the orangette inquired, turning to Momo with a dazzling smile.
"Umm…" Hinamori trailed off, not wanting to hurt the girls feelings by saying no but at the same time not wanting pickles anywhere near her ice cream.
"We'll see when we get there," Rangiku cut in, coming to the rescue. Momo shot her a grateful smile, resisting the urge to wipe a relieved hand across her brow.
"I guess I can drive one car," Renji offered, glancing around the group and shrugging his shoulders.
"I'll go round up the others," Matsumoto said, turning back to where the rest of the team was still milling about.
"To the car!" Rukia shouted, suddenly dashing forward and leaping none to gracefully onto Renji's back. The redhead stumbled a bit and practically dropped his bag before getting a better grip on the girl and shooting her an exasperated look. Rukia pulled back from him a bit, giving him a light bonk on the head with her fist.
"You're all sweaty," she stated, attempting to squirm down but the redhead held her fast, an evil grin playing onto his lips.
"Oh hell no. You're stuck now," he said, clearly with no intention of letting his captive free. Momo laughed, watching as Rukia fruitlessly pounded her fists against the redhead's back and Orihime danced up and down on her toes, clearly unsure who to assist in this predicament. Shaking her head Hinamori turned in the direction Rangiku had headed and immediately felt her heart fall into her stomach.
Hitsugaya's father was rapidly making his way over to where his son was standing, his eyes narrowed, an angry scowl twisted across his face.
…
Yaaaay so its finally finished. Sorry guys I've been having nasty writers blocks lately that has been making it ridiculously impossible to write anything I like… ugh. In any case this story is now one year old! Happy birthday Frozen Secret! Weird huh? For all of you who have been with me since the beginning thanks so much for your support and for all of you who have progressively joined us thanks so much to you too!
Soo about two weeks ago now I went to Anime Central in Rosemont Chicago as Matsumoto Rangiku and had an awesome time! I got two sweet posters, a lot of stickers, and key chains! He he yay! :D In any case thanks so much for reading and supporting Frozen Secret and putting up with my stupid delays… You're all awesome!
~Phoenix