A/N: Minna, a word of advice: At most, I am an indifferent soccer fan. The
club I support is Manchester United and it's only for the sole reason that
they have David Beckham and they've got really cool kits! ^^ All the soccer
talk (yeah, right. . .) I got in here is from stuff I picked up around and
from the manga 'Whistle!' (nice one.) So if there's anything stupid in
here. . .well, you know what to do:don't point it out! Hohohoho! I'm afraid
I don't have time to pay proper tribute to all those who reviewed the last
chapter so I'll get it next time, ne? Anyways, enjoy!
________________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 4: Soccer is a dangerous game
________________________________________________________________________
"I should have checked whether my insurance policy is still active," was the only complaint that Kyo could utter in the circumstances.
The stadium was packed full with supporters from both school, one side dominant in the green and white of Josui High and opposite them, seeming like undulating waves of blood and gore, the red and black of Ratetsu Industries High School. Shouts, catcalls and jeers punched the air as each side strived to show just how much BETTER their own team was. Never, in all of his years in high school had Kyo seen the finals of the Inter-High Soccer Championship get this ugly.
Things had seemed to be going their way, in the start. They were lucky this year, Josui High, in that they had sailed through the first and second rounds of the Inter-High, encountering little trouble. Their biggest concern the years before had been Tomoeda High. Their star player, a Kinomoto Touya, was quite a formidable opponent by himself, proving to be quite a match for Josui's Shiozaki Kyo. Despite their wish of another rematch this year, Tomoeda had fallen out in the second round, which could be attributed to the fact that Kinomoto had graduated the previous year.
Overcoming their semi-final opponent, Miyamitsu High School, the Josui team met, for the first time in Inter-High, Ratetsu Industries. The red and black uniformed team was the newbies in the Inter-High but had already proven their worth by sailing through to the finals, acquiring a reputation for fast, aggressive play and, it was whispered inside locker rooms, cleverly manipulated fouls. Out of 4 games that they played, at least one player of their opposing team had to be taken out for injuries.
Naturally, the referees had seen nothing.
Josui had been reluctant to credit such rumours but nevertheless, had kept a wary eye out for such tactics. And so it was, that by the time the first half came to an end, Kyo had started to wonder whether he still had any insurance. Health insurances are quite good investments for the future. You might never know when tragedy might occur.
Like particularly vicious soccer players for one thing.
The first half had started out well enough; Josui and Ratetsu were playing cautiously for the first 10 or 15 minutes or so, each side testing out the other's defenses, when Ratetsu abruptly switched to a faster-paced game. To the Ratetsu supporters' delight, their team had scored the first goal in the 25th minute, thanks to a beautiful left corner kick and half of the stadium had roared up in a giant wave of hysterical glee.
Josui weren't about to be intimidated though; just over 5 minutes later, Kyo had quickly fielded a well-timed shot from the midfield and dodging deftly around 2 defenders, had scored the first goal for Josui, tying the score to 1-1.
That's when things started to get ugly.
The ingenious thing about it was that they were always careful to do it to players who were not handling the ball, focusing instead on the ones who were hanging back and thus, not in the referees' or even most of the spectators' view. Since everyone was so caught up with the gleaming white ball, no one really noticed that a few Josui players were becoming inordinately clumsy.
With Kyo scoring the first goal, Ratetsu had identified him as the ace for Josui and had immediately went into action. Kyo could be hanging back down the field as Ratetsu fought to bring the ball past Josui defenders when he would suddenly find himself surrounded by at least 2 Ratetsu players and a second later, he was face first onto the ground.
It was after the third such incident that Kyo started to worry about his insurance policy.
Half-time couldn't come by early enough. As the whistle blew, signaling the end of the first 45 minutes, the Josui players left the field wearily, tired and worn out from trying to contain their anger at such obvious bad sportsmanship, but nonetheless, unable to do anything about it. Playing against a tough opponent like Tomoeda is one thing, but to play against a tough AND slick team like Ratetsu was killing them. Fights had nearly broken out between several players and only Yamazaki's cool head had kept tempers from snapping.
But it seems as though the cheerful, curly-haired captain could be having second thoughts about 'fair play' and all that too. He threw black looks over his shoulder at his counterpart, the smirking Ratetsu captain as he helped shoulder Kyo off the field. His black-haired striker had waved off his earlier offer to help and he had needed to pull his captain's rank before Kyo would relent. Yamazaki couldn't risk Kyo further injuring himself. They still needed him in the game.
The stadium was a blur of noises and colors as the spectators made the use of the half-time to take a breather. Most of them were still in their seats, anxious to not miss a moment of the match or to lose their places. Josui players trooped wearily off down the tunnel and entered their locker room silently. The usual high-spirited laughter and teasing were missing today and Kyo couldn't blame them. He hardly felt like laughing, much less jump around.
Kyo winced as he set himself down on the cool linoleum tiled floor gently, stretching his legs out in front of him. Leaning back against the cool gray metal of the locker behind him, Kyo let out a sigh. Grass, sweat and dirt streaked his jersey and he grinned wryly as he gave himself a look over. He looked as though he had been through a brawl instead of a game.
"How are you feeling, Kyo?"
"Sensei." Kyo smiled. Takashi had been asked to come along by Nagumo-san, the coach, who had heard of Ratetsu's reputation and had not been willing to take any chances. Kyo blessed the coach for his foresight. Instead of his usual white coat and slacks, the sensei was dressed casually in a jacket, T-shirt and jeans. Of course, the T-shirt was green in color.
"I feel like somebody's been using my legs as a chopping board," Kyo laughed. As Takashi frowned, Kyo said, "What?"
"I can't believe you're still this cheerful after what they've done to you," he grumbled. His fingers began a careful exploration of Kyo's body, checking for injuries. A frown marred his forehead and Kyo couldn't help the smile that stole over his face. This was a part of the sensei that Kyo admired; he was dedicated to his chosen vocation, treating everyone that came to him with the same professionalism, warmth and care. He took his job seriously and would give his all in caring for his patients. A small part of Kyo wondered silently whether the sensei saw him as more than just a friend and the occasional patient. . .what if. . .
Takashi had moved on to cup the sides of his face, peering intently into his eyes. A sudden, invasive heat flushed the young boy's body as those fingers went on to dance lightly over sore spots and cuts and Kyo fervently prayed that Takashi wouldn't notice anything odd, say, like the way his skin was flushed (and not from the game either. . .) or the way his heart was beating a bit faster than normal. . .
Yeah. Sure. He's a doctor you idiot. A doctor who's currently checking you over.
"So," Kyo started, and had to stop to clear his throat when those same fingers then brushed lightly over his face, trailing over the cut near his lip. The sensei was being very gentle though and he hardly winced as he explored the dried cut. (Other parts of him WERE wincing though but hey, since Kyo' straight after all, it doesn't have any relation to the story right?)
"So," Kyo tried again. "You saw?"
"Of course I saw. I saw the whole thing. They're lucky that Hikaru is not allowed to come down on the pitch during the game. Otherwise, it'd be the Ratetsu players that would be getting medical attention now."
"Ah."
"Let me see your legs."
Kyo frowned. "It's not that bad. I can still run."
"Kyo." It was just a single word, spoken in a low tone, but Kyo instantly recognized the myriad little details that warned him that the sensei was not about to tolerate any hedging on his part. Details like the way those green eyes, flecked with gold, had narrowed slightly, that ominous tone on his voice. . . It really was amazing the way he could read the sensei so easily.
And vice versa, a voice whispered in the back of his mind.
"Oh, alright," Kyo gave up and he got down on his stomach, laying flat out on the floor. Takashi gave him a rolled up jacket and he used that to pillow his cheek from the cold floor. Several of his teammates crowded close and he closed his eyes in anticipation as Takashi took off his soccer boots and started to pull down his knee high socks. Not even before the socks had been completely pulled off, Kyo gave an involuntary yelp of pain.
Takashi sucked his breath sharply in surprise, as did the other players. Kyo's socks were a dark green, Josui color, and it was streaked with dirt and grass. That was why he didn't notice the blood. Long scratches covered his calves, colored red and black with fresh and dried blood. The dried blood had stuck to the cotton socks, sticking it to the broken skin. Even though Takashi had been careful, it must have hurt like hell as the socks were pulled away from the open cut. Besides the scratches, some that looked deep enough to warrant a thorough inspection, bruises mottled his skin too, some just a bit dark, while one in particular, at a spot just above his left ankle was already a deep purple.
"Those bastards ought to thank their lucky stars that I take my Hippocratic Oath seriously," Takashi muttered. Opening up his medical bag, he took out some swabs and an antiseptic. He gave an apologetic look at Kyo.
"I'm afraid this is going to sting Kyo."
________________________________________________________________________
A glance at the scoreboard showed him that there was less than a minute left to the game. The score was still tied 1-1 but the game had gotten uglier as the second half went on. 2 yellow cards had already been given to two separate Ratetsu players but that didn't stop them from inflicting as much damage to Josui. Besides Kyo, three of his teammates were also sporting some cuts and bruises, though not as bad as his. Ratetsu were determined to put him out of commission as fast as possible and the only reason Kyo could still outrun them was thanks to Takashi's earlier expert ministrations.
40 seconds.
His breath rasped in his throat as his boots pounded the springy, velvety green grass. The roars of the crowd rang in his ears as he kept an eye out for both the ball and the Ratetsu players that had marked him. His legs had been cleaned and bandaged but the further abuse he was putting his legs through weren't helping. Already he could feel the cuts stinging fresh and a bit wet while the bruise above his left ankle throbbed anew. But Kyo wasn't the captain of the kendo club for nothing. Plenty of practice allowed him to ignore the discomfort and the way his chest burned with the effort of breathing. The usual 90 minutes of play was nothing new, but this time, the added strain of dodging vindictive feet and elbows were wearing him and the other players out. A blur of red and black went past his left and Kyo quickly twisted his head around and saw a teammate, Sho, running with the ball and coming his way. Kyo dug his feet into the turf, the studs on his boots gripping the earth tightly and he spun back, trying to shake off the Ratetsu player and. . .
WHAM!
Kyo had lost his concentration for just a second as he searched for the ball and his Ratetsu player had taken the advantage. Kyo hissed, stumbling, but managed to keep on his feet, clutching at his left side in pain. That elbow was particularly vicious and had knocked the wind out of him but he refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing him down on the ground. He clenched his teeth and twisted away before his attacker could foul him further.
"Kyo!"
Ignoring the throbbing in his side, Kyo put on a fresh burst of speed, leaving his attackers behind. The ball sped through, sent on by Yamazaki and Kyo quickly put out his right leg, catching the ball.
20 seconds.
He was so close to the D area. He could see, from the corner of his eye, Yamazaki down on the ground and at least 4 other Ratetsu thugs were bearing down on him. Right, no time to lose then.
10 seconds.
He couldn't take the shot now; two players were blocking his path and he quickly passed the ball to Shinji and dodged the other four still intent on ganging up on him. Shinji had fielded his shot and was looking a bit panicky as several Ratetsu were now zeroed in on him.
6 seconds.
"Shinji!"
Shinji took the cue and ignoring his attackers, he swung a leg back and sent a high one to Kyo who was already running to put himself in place just in front of the net. The four players had caught on and were also keeping an eye on the airborne ball but Kyo was going to reach it first. He had to.
3 seconds.
Ignoring the throbbing, the pull of the cuts and bruises, the fresh trickle of blood he could feel running down his left leg, Kyo gave everything he had and *jumped*. . . his head connected solidly to the ball and with a flick, he sent it spinning off to the net. The goalkeeper flung himself in front of the incoming missile. . . he was going to catch it!
Yes! The ball just barely missed those outstretched gloved hands and in the sudden hush fallen over the stadium, sailed almost dreamily through, bouncing back against the back of the net.
The buzzer sounded.
The crowd roared.
And gleaming orange lights flickered and showed; 2-1. Josui had won the game.
Kyo had mistimed his fall though. He landed heavily on his left foot and it twisted underneath him. With a gasp, he fell on his side, his breath coming out in a whoosh. But if Kyo thought that the end of the game meant the end of the rough play, he was sorely mistaken. His four 'bodyguards' had taken it badly that they didn't managed to stop him. Before he could get back to his feet, their legs flew out and connected solidly with his body.
Through the thuds and shouts, Kyo curled himself protectively, trying to cover his head. A foot slammed into his stomach and he coughed, letting his guard down. He saw the Adidas Predator coming dangerously close to his head and he tried to duck away.
Too late. Another foot was coming up behind and pain burst at the base of his head. Stars danced in front of his eyes and the foot he tried to dodge found its mark.
If they had given him more beatings, Kyo didn't know. He lost consciousness.
________________________________________________________________________
"Stay back! Give him some air to breathe!" Takashi snapped. Though he couldn't fault the Josui players for being worried, they weren't helping the situation by crowding so close like that. Their worried looks turned abashed at the reprimand and they quickly shuffled back a few steps. Only Hikaru and Yamazaki had enough guts (in Yamazaki's case; rank) to ignore him so they stayed where they are; crouching by Kyo's side. Coach Nagumo was nowhere near, having gone off to have a screaming match with Ratetsu's own coach. The last Yamazaki saw, the referees had been trying to pry Nagumo sensei off Ratetsu's coach. Privately, Yamazaki was cheering Nagumo sensei on but for now, he had his players to be worried about. In this instance, Kyo, who had passed out.
"Sensei? How is he?" Yamazaki asked anxiously.
Kyo was lying on his side, a cheek pressed into the grass and hands lying limply, fingers half-curled. If his jersey had been stained earlier, it was now positively dirty, attesting to the viciousness Ratetsu had been playing. Blood trickled down a corner of his mouth, staining pale skin, adding on to his collection of cuts and bruises but other than that, Yamazaki couldn't see any reason for Kyo to pass out like this.
The sensei, with their help, turned Kyo over on his back gently. Despite their care, Kyo was jostled into awareness and his eyes fluttered, and after a second, opened fully, blinking in the light.
"Takashi?" his voice was weak and his blurred gaze was fixed on the sensei.
"Hey, Kyo." Takashi smiled gently. "Where does it hurt?"
"Did we won?" Kyo asked, ignoring the question. The sensei sighed and rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"We won, thanks to you. NOW can you tell me where it hurts? Is anything broken?"
"Well, I feel like crap all over. My head hurts. So does my left ankle. I think I twisted it." With that, Kyo tried to sit up, grunting a bit but was forcibly held down by both Takashi and Hikaru. "Hey, I feel like an idiot lying here like this."
"Then be an idiot. I'm not going to let you up until I check you over. And then, we're getting you onto a stretcher and we're going to the hospital."
"Oh man," Kyo groaned and flung a hand over his eyes. "Do we have to?" Kyo never really told anyone this but he HATED hospitals. Hated them with a passion that was nearly pure and holy. Of course, he never told Takashi that. He didn't have anything against doctors. Just hospitals. Before he could vent his displeasure though, hypersensitive feline ears heard something quite distinctive that only his furry and tufted ears could appreciate fully.
(It's really marvelous, a feline's hearing. They are able to distinguish thousands of noises from one another, even in a din. A feline's ears could detect sounds both higher and lower than a human's could register and the marvelous thing is how a feline's ears is tuned to almost exclusively 2 things: danger and food. Well, in Kyo's case; chocolates.)
- . -u
He heard, the sound of something that was distinctively foil-y, crinkly and thus, must definitely be something colorful and very tasty.
"Here."
Kyo removed his hand. Blinking, he saw a candy bar dangling tantalizingly in Takashi's hand, just a few inches from his nose.
A chocolate bar. With strawberry cream.
Kyo grinned, ignoring the headache building up. "So where's the stretcher?"
* * *
"Can you please stop eating that?"
"Nope."
". . . .you're undergoing a medical examination. In a hospital. You might be injured, heck, you ARE injured, and we have to treat you."
"Yes, I am well aware of the situation."
"Fine. Now will you give me that chocolate bar?"
"Nope."
Dr. Shindo, who was currently trying to examine Kyo, flung his hands up in exasperation and threw a look at Takashi who was perched on the bed beside Kyo.
"Is he always like this?" he demanded.
Takashi gave him a commiserating grin. "Only when it involves chocolates I'm afraid. I had to bribe him with one since he was making a fuss about going to a hospital."
The said patient had been cleaned up by the nurses and now sat on the edge of the bed, legs dangling and nursing a fresh bar of chocolate, the first one having finished on the way here. Much to his annoyance though, they had also insisted on putting him in one of those ridiculously embarrassing hospital gowns, the ones with an 'air-conditioned' back. Takashi had quickly settled the fuss he had raised by producing another bar for him and grumbling only slightly, had acquiesced to their demands.
"Ah, you're one of those people who hate hospitals then, I take it?" Dr. Shindo sighed.
Something flickered in Kyo's eyes, something dark and brief, and his hand tightened their grip on the chocolate bar. He said nothing, but just stared ahead, seeming lost in thoughts, and Takashi frowned. He nudged the boy gently.
"Kyo?"
Kyo jumped, looking confused for a moment and smiled. "Yeah, the smells always gets to me. But I like doctors," he quickly assured them, still smiling. "Especially doctors who are free with the chocolates," he grinned.
"Yes, sure," Shindo sensei sighed. "Fine, eat your chocolate then."
* * *
Hikaru jumped up from her seat in the waiting area, looking anxiously at Takashi who had just stepped out from the examination room. Little bits of twisted tissue were scattered to the floor, falling from her lap, evidence of her worry. She had tried to join them earlier but had been firmly shooed out by a nurse. It was with great restraint that she had stopped herself from kicking said nurse.
"How is he?" she asked, peering behind Takashi. In answer, a chibi Kyo popped his head up and latched firmly onto the sensei, hanging from behind his shoulder.
"Hikki!" chibi chirped.
Hikaru gave a sigh of relief. "You're okay then?"
Takashi snorted but nevertheless, a hand snaked over his shoulder to pat the chibi's head comfortingly, who gave a loud purr of content. A little head nudged his hand suggestively and Takashi obligingly dipped into his jacket pocket and extracted another candy bar.
"Hardly," Takashi said wryly while Kyo, who was still hanging on his shoulder, tore through the wrapper and started to munch happily on the chocolate. "He's got multiple cuts and bruises all over-"
"And I got a terrible headache!" Chibi Kyo whined pitifully, tearing his attention away from the chocolate.
Takashi ignored the interruption and went on, "-a couple of bruised ribs-"
"And a terrible headache!" Still chibi Kyo whined. . .
"-and a sprained ankle-"
"Headache! Headache!"
"-which is not too bad and should heal nicely in a few weeks-"
"Headache!"
"-and a headache." Sigh.
Chibi Kyo beamed as they finally paid the proper attention to his sore head and went back to his chocolate. Hikaru meanwhile, frowned.
"Kyo really shouldn't be all alone in his apartment then. Somebody has got to watch out for him. But I can't do it. My parents are going out tonight and I promised to watch over Maru-chan. They couldn't get a babysitter."
"I'll be happy to do it," Takashi offered with a smile. "In fact, I was planning on it. Somebody should really keep an eye on him to make sure that his head injury isn't getting worse."
"Yokatta!" Hikaru smiled. "That makes me feel much better! You'll make sure he eats something, Takashi?"
"I'll force feed him myself if I have to," Takashi swore solemnly, a hand at his heart, and threw a grin at Hikaru.
"Hey," Chibi protested mildly.
"Make sure you bathe him also, sensei, he stinks." Hikaru wrinkled her nose theatrically and laughed as Kyo gave her an injured look.
"I don't stink!" Kyo protested indignantly, then turned big, sad eyes at the sensei. "Do I, Takashi?"
"Ah, to me, Kyo-chan, you always smell as sweet as roses."
"Ri~iight," Kyo drawled, rolling his eyes.
"So you'll take him home then?" Hikaru asked Takashi.
"Yeah. As soon as we fill out the paperwork. Do you need a ride, Hikki?"
"It's okay," Hikaru waved off the offer. "Ken is coming over to pick me up. Here, let me fill out the forms and everything and you guys can go straight home."
"Thank you," Takashi smiled. "Let's go Kyo. Now, what would you like to have for dinner?"
The two of them walked off down the hall, chibi Kyo still hanging on to the sensei while chattering happily about he loves pasta and could the sensei make lasagna? He loves lasagna, they're the best! A smile crossed the girl's face as she watched them go. They looked good together, Hikaru thought to herself silently. No matter that Kyo still insists that he's as straight as a ruler. Never mind that Hikaru had once pointed out that plastic rulers can bend, so why can't he?
That had stumped Kyo for a while until he threw his hands up in resignation and had trotted off to find the sensei. Hikaru had, as she did now, watched him go fondly, thinking about how stubborn he was. . . She had seen the way Kyo looked at the sensei, and how the sensei had looked at Kyo. Those looks weren't the kind a simple friend gives to another.
She regretted the fact that Kyo had gotten hurt but maybe this was the chance she had been looking for. A night, or maybe several, if she could engineer it, spent in each other's company should help them move along in the. . .right direction.
Smiling, she took out her handphone and dialed her house number.
"Hello, okasan? I'll take care of Maru-chan tonight, so why don't you cancel the babysitter?"
________________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 4: Soccer is a dangerous game
________________________________________________________________________
"I should have checked whether my insurance policy is still active," was the only complaint that Kyo could utter in the circumstances.
The stadium was packed full with supporters from both school, one side dominant in the green and white of Josui High and opposite them, seeming like undulating waves of blood and gore, the red and black of Ratetsu Industries High School. Shouts, catcalls and jeers punched the air as each side strived to show just how much BETTER their own team was. Never, in all of his years in high school had Kyo seen the finals of the Inter-High Soccer Championship get this ugly.
Things had seemed to be going their way, in the start. They were lucky this year, Josui High, in that they had sailed through the first and second rounds of the Inter-High, encountering little trouble. Their biggest concern the years before had been Tomoeda High. Their star player, a Kinomoto Touya, was quite a formidable opponent by himself, proving to be quite a match for Josui's Shiozaki Kyo. Despite their wish of another rematch this year, Tomoeda had fallen out in the second round, which could be attributed to the fact that Kinomoto had graduated the previous year.
Overcoming their semi-final opponent, Miyamitsu High School, the Josui team met, for the first time in Inter-High, Ratetsu Industries. The red and black uniformed team was the newbies in the Inter-High but had already proven their worth by sailing through to the finals, acquiring a reputation for fast, aggressive play and, it was whispered inside locker rooms, cleverly manipulated fouls. Out of 4 games that they played, at least one player of their opposing team had to be taken out for injuries.
Naturally, the referees had seen nothing.
Josui had been reluctant to credit such rumours but nevertheless, had kept a wary eye out for such tactics. And so it was, that by the time the first half came to an end, Kyo had started to wonder whether he still had any insurance. Health insurances are quite good investments for the future. You might never know when tragedy might occur.
Like particularly vicious soccer players for one thing.
The first half had started out well enough; Josui and Ratetsu were playing cautiously for the first 10 or 15 minutes or so, each side testing out the other's defenses, when Ratetsu abruptly switched to a faster-paced game. To the Ratetsu supporters' delight, their team had scored the first goal in the 25th minute, thanks to a beautiful left corner kick and half of the stadium had roared up in a giant wave of hysterical glee.
Josui weren't about to be intimidated though; just over 5 minutes later, Kyo had quickly fielded a well-timed shot from the midfield and dodging deftly around 2 defenders, had scored the first goal for Josui, tying the score to 1-1.
That's when things started to get ugly.
The ingenious thing about it was that they were always careful to do it to players who were not handling the ball, focusing instead on the ones who were hanging back and thus, not in the referees' or even most of the spectators' view. Since everyone was so caught up with the gleaming white ball, no one really noticed that a few Josui players were becoming inordinately clumsy.
With Kyo scoring the first goal, Ratetsu had identified him as the ace for Josui and had immediately went into action. Kyo could be hanging back down the field as Ratetsu fought to bring the ball past Josui defenders when he would suddenly find himself surrounded by at least 2 Ratetsu players and a second later, he was face first onto the ground.
It was after the third such incident that Kyo started to worry about his insurance policy.
Half-time couldn't come by early enough. As the whistle blew, signaling the end of the first 45 minutes, the Josui players left the field wearily, tired and worn out from trying to contain their anger at such obvious bad sportsmanship, but nonetheless, unable to do anything about it. Playing against a tough opponent like Tomoeda is one thing, but to play against a tough AND slick team like Ratetsu was killing them. Fights had nearly broken out between several players and only Yamazaki's cool head had kept tempers from snapping.
But it seems as though the cheerful, curly-haired captain could be having second thoughts about 'fair play' and all that too. He threw black looks over his shoulder at his counterpart, the smirking Ratetsu captain as he helped shoulder Kyo off the field. His black-haired striker had waved off his earlier offer to help and he had needed to pull his captain's rank before Kyo would relent. Yamazaki couldn't risk Kyo further injuring himself. They still needed him in the game.
The stadium was a blur of noises and colors as the spectators made the use of the half-time to take a breather. Most of them were still in their seats, anxious to not miss a moment of the match or to lose their places. Josui players trooped wearily off down the tunnel and entered their locker room silently. The usual high-spirited laughter and teasing were missing today and Kyo couldn't blame them. He hardly felt like laughing, much less jump around.
Kyo winced as he set himself down on the cool linoleum tiled floor gently, stretching his legs out in front of him. Leaning back against the cool gray metal of the locker behind him, Kyo let out a sigh. Grass, sweat and dirt streaked his jersey and he grinned wryly as he gave himself a look over. He looked as though he had been through a brawl instead of a game.
"How are you feeling, Kyo?"
"Sensei." Kyo smiled. Takashi had been asked to come along by Nagumo-san, the coach, who had heard of Ratetsu's reputation and had not been willing to take any chances. Kyo blessed the coach for his foresight. Instead of his usual white coat and slacks, the sensei was dressed casually in a jacket, T-shirt and jeans. Of course, the T-shirt was green in color.
"I feel like somebody's been using my legs as a chopping board," Kyo laughed. As Takashi frowned, Kyo said, "What?"
"I can't believe you're still this cheerful after what they've done to you," he grumbled. His fingers began a careful exploration of Kyo's body, checking for injuries. A frown marred his forehead and Kyo couldn't help the smile that stole over his face. This was a part of the sensei that Kyo admired; he was dedicated to his chosen vocation, treating everyone that came to him with the same professionalism, warmth and care. He took his job seriously and would give his all in caring for his patients. A small part of Kyo wondered silently whether the sensei saw him as more than just a friend and the occasional patient. . .what if. . .
Takashi had moved on to cup the sides of his face, peering intently into his eyes. A sudden, invasive heat flushed the young boy's body as those fingers went on to dance lightly over sore spots and cuts and Kyo fervently prayed that Takashi wouldn't notice anything odd, say, like the way his skin was flushed (and not from the game either. . .) or the way his heart was beating a bit faster than normal. . .
Yeah. Sure. He's a doctor you idiot. A doctor who's currently checking you over.
"So," Kyo started, and had to stop to clear his throat when those same fingers then brushed lightly over his face, trailing over the cut near his lip. The sensei was being very gentle though and he hardly winced as he explored the dried cut. (Other parts of him WERE wincing though but hey, since Kyo' straight after all, it doesn't have any relation to the story right?)
"So," Kyo tried again. "You saw?"
"Of course I saw. I saw the whole thing. They're lucky that Hikaru is not allowed to come down on the pitch during the game. Otherwise, it'd be the Ratetsu players that would be getting medical attention now."
"Ah."
"Let me see your legs."
Kyo frowned. "It's not that bad. I can still run."
"Kyo." It was just a single word, spoken in a low tone, but Kyo instantly recognized the myriad little details that warned him that the sensei was not about to tolerate any hedging on his part. Details like the way those green eyes, flecked with gold, had narrowed slightly, that ominous tone on his voice. . . It really was amazing the way he could read the sensei so easily.
And vice versa, a voice whispered in the back of his mind.
"Oh, alright," Kyo gave up and he got down on his stomach, laying flat out on the floor. Takashi gave him a rolled up jacket and he used that to pillow his cheek from the cold floor. Several of his teammates crowded close and he closed his eyes in anticipation as Takashi took off his soccer boots and started to pull down his knee high socks. Not even before the socks had been completely pulled off, Kyo gave an involuntary yelp of pain.
Takashi sucked his breath sharply in surprise, as did the other players. Kyo's socks were a dark green, Josui color, and it was streaked with dirt and grass. That was why he didn't notice the blood. Long scratches covered his calves, colored red and black with fresh and dried blood. The dried blood had stuck to the cotton socks, sticking it to the broken skin. Even though Takashi had been careful, it must have hurt like hell as the socks were pulled away from the open cut. Besides the scratches, some that looked deep enough to warrant a thorough inspection, bruises mottled his skin too, some just a bit dark, while one in particular, at a spot just above his left ankle was already a deep purple.
"Those bastards ought to thank their lucky stars that I take my Hippocratic Oath seriously," Takashi muttered. Opening up his medical bag, he took out some swabs and an antiseptic. He gave an apologetic look at Kyo.
"I'm afraid this is going to sting Kyo."
________________________________________________________________________
A glance at the scoreboard showed him that there was less than a minute left to the game. The score was still tied 1-1 but the game had gotten uglier as the second half went on. 2 yellow cards had already been given to two separate Ratetsu players but that didn't stop them from inflicting as much damage to Josui. Besides Kyo, three of his teammates were also sporting some cuts and bruises, though not as bad as his. Ratetsu were determined to put him out of commission as fast as possible and the only reason Kyo could still outrun them was thanks to Takashi's earlier expert ministrations.
40 seconds.
His breath rasped in his throat as his boots pounded the springy, velvety green grass. The roars of the crowd rang in his ears as he kept an eye out for both the ball and the Ratetsu players that had marked him. His legs had been cleaned and bandaged but the further abuse he was putting his legs through weren't helping. Already he could feel the cuts stinging fresh and a bit wet while the bruise above his left ankle throbbed anew. But Kyo wasn't the captain of the kendo club for nothing. Plenty of practice allowed him to ignore the discomfort and the way his chest burned with the effort of breathing. The usual 90 minutes of play was nothing new, but this time, the added strain of dodging vindictive feet and elbows were wearing him and the other players out. A blur of red and black went past his left and Kyo quickly twisted his head around and saw a teammate, Sho, running with the ball and coming his way. Kyo dug his feet into the turf, the studs on his boots gripping the earth tightly and he spun back, trying to shake off the Ratetsu player and. . .
WHAM!
Kyo had lost his concentration for just a second as he searched for the ball and his Ratetsu player had taken the advantage. Kyo hissed, stumbling, but managed to keep on his feet, clutching at his left side in pain. That elbow was particularly vicious and had knocked the wind out of him but he refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing him down on the ground. He clenched his teeth and twisted away before his attacker could foul him further.
"Kyo!"
Ignoring the throbbing in his side, Kyo put on a fresh burst of speed, leaving his attackers behind. The ball sped through, sent on by Yamazaki and Kyo quickly put out his right leg, catching the ball.
20 seconds.
He was so close to the D area. He could see, from the corner of his eye, Yamazaki down on the ground and at least 4 other Ratetsu thugs were bearing down on him. Right, no time to lose then.
10 seconds.
He couldn't take the shot now; two players were blocking his path and he quickly passed the ball to Shinji and dodged the other four still intent on ganging up on him. Shinji had fielded his shot and was looking a bit panicky as several Ratetsu were now zeroed in on him.
6 seconds.
"Shinji!"
Shinji took the cue and ignoring his attackers, he swung a leg back and sent a high one to Kyo who was already running to put himself in place just in front of the net. The four players had caught on and were also keeping an eye on the airborne ball but Kyo was going to reach it first. He had to.
3 seconds.
Ignoring the throbbing, the pull of the cuts and bruises, the fresh trickle of blood he could feel running down his left leg, Kyo gave everything he had and *jumped*. . . his head connected solidly to the ball and with a flick, he sent it spinning off to the net. The goalkeeper flung himself in front of the incoming missile. . . he was going to catch it!
Yes! The ball just barely missed those outstretched gloved hands and in the sudden hush fallen over the stadium, sailed almost dreamily through, bouncing back against the back of the net.
The buzzer sounded.
The crowd roared.
And gleaming orange lights flickered and showed; 2-1. Josui had won the game.
Kyo had mistimed his fall though. He landed heavily on his left foot and it twisted underneath him. With a gasp, he fell on his side, his breath coming out in a whoosh. But if Kyo thought that the end of the game meant the end of the rough play, he was sorely mistaken. His four 'bodyguards' had taken it badly that they didn't managed to stop him. Before he could get back to his feet, their legs flew out and connected solidly with his body.
Through the thuds and shouts, Kyo curled himself protectively, trying to cover his head. A foot slammed into his stomach and he coughed, letting his guard down. He saw the Adidas Predator coming dangerously close to his head and he tried to duck away.
Too late. Another foot was coming up behind and pain burst at the base of his head. Stars danced in front of his eyes and the foot he tried to dodge found its mark.
If they had given him more beatings, Kyo didn't know. He lost consciousness.
________________________________________________________________________
"Stay back! Give him some air to breathe!" Takashi snapped. Though he couldn't fault the Josui players for being worried, they weren't helping the situation by crowding so close like that. Their worried looks turned abashed at the reprimand and they quickly shuffled back a few steps. Only Hikaru and Yamazaki had enough guts (in Yamazaki's case; rank) to ignore him so they stayed where they are; crouching by Kyo's side. Coach Nagumo was nowhere near, having gone off to have a screaming match with Ratetsu's own coach. The last Yamazaki saw, the referees had been trying to pry Nagumo sensei off Ratetsu's coach. Privately, Yamazaki was cheering Nagumo sensei on but for now, he had his players to be worried about. In this instance, Kyo, who had passed out.
"Sensei? How is he?" Yamazaki asked anxiously.
Kyo was lying on his side, a cheek pressed into the grass and hands lying limply, fingers half-curled. If his jersey had been stained earlier, it was now positively dirty, attesting to the viciousness Ratetsu had been playing. Blood trickled down a corner of his mouth, staining pale skin, adding on to his collection of cuts and bruises but other than that, Yamazaki couldn't see any reason for Kyo to pass out like this.
The sensei, with their help, turned Kyo over on his back gently. Despite their care, Kyo was jostled into awareness and his eyes fluttered, and after a second, opened fully, blinking in the light.
"Takashi?" his voice was weak and his blurred gaze was fixed on the sensei.
"Hey, Kyo." Takashi smiled gently. "Where does it hurt?"
"Did we won?" Kyo asked, ignoring the question. The sensei sighed and rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"We won, thanks to you. NOW can you tell me where it hurts? Is anything broken?"
"Well, I feel like crap all over. My head hurts. So does my left ankle. I think I twisted it." With that, Kyo tried to sit up, grunting a bit but was forcibly held down by both Takashi and Hikaru. "Hey, I feel like an idiot lying here like this."
"Then be an idiot. I'm not going to let you up until I check you over. And then, we're getting you onto a stretcher and we're going to the hospital."
"Oh man," Kyo groaned and flung a hand over his eyes. "Do we have to?" Kyo never really told anyone this but he HATED hospitals. Hated them with a passion that was nearly pure and holy. Of course, he never told Takashi that. He didn't have anything against doctors. Just hospitals. Before he could vent his displeasure though, hypersensitive feline ears heard something quite distinctive that only his furry and tufted ears could appreciate fully.
(It's really marvelous, a feline's hearing. They are able to distinguish thousands of noises from one another, even in a din. A feline's ears could detect sounds both higher and lower than a human's could register and the marvelous thing is how a feline's ears is tuned to almost exclusively 2 things: danger and food. Well, in Kyo's case; chocolates.)
- . -u
He heard, the sound of something that was distinctively foil-y, crinkly and thus, must definitely be something colorful and very tasty.
"Here."
Kyo removed his hand. Blinking, he saw a candy bar dangling tantalizingly in Takashi's hand, just a few inches from his nose.
A chocolate bar. With strawberry cream.
Kyo grinned, ignoring the headache building up. "So where's the stretcher?"
* * *
"Can you please stop eating that?"
"Nope."
". . . .you're undergoing a medical examination. In a hospital. You might be injured, heck, you ARE injured, and we have to treat you."
"Yes, I am well aware of the situation."
"Fine. Now will you give me that chocolate bar?"
"Nope."
Dr. Shindo, who was currently trying to examine Kyo, flung his hands up in exasperation and threw a look at Takashi who was perched on the bed beside Kyo.
"Is he always like this?" he demanded.
Takashi gave him a commiserating grin. "Only when it involves chocolates I'm afraid. I had to bribe him with one since he was making a fuss about going to a hospital."
The said patient had been cleaned up by the nurses and now sat on the edge of the bed, legs dangling and nursing a fresh bar of chocolate, the first one having finished on the way here. Much to his annoyance though, they had also insisted on putting him in one of those ridiculously embarrassing hospital gowns, the ones with an 'air-conditioned' back. Takashi had quickly settled the fuss he had raised by producing another bar for him and grumbling only slightly, had acquiesced to their demands.
"Ah, you're one of those people who hate hospitals then, I take it?" Dr. Shindo sighed.
Something flickered in Kyo's eyes, something dark and brief, and his hand tightened their grip on the chocolate bar. He said nothing, but just stared ahead, seeming lost in thoughts, and Takashi frowned. He nudged the boy gently.
"Kyo?"
Kyo jumped, looking confused for a moment and smiled. "Yeah, the smells always gets to me. But I like doctors," he quickly assured them, still smiling. "Especially doctors who are free with the chocolates," he grinned.
"Yes, sure," Shindo sensei sighed. "Fine, eat your chocolate then."
* * *
Hikaru jumped up from her seat in the waiting area, looking anxiously at Takashi who had just stepped out from the examination room. Little bits of twisted tissue were scattered to the floor, falling from her lap, evidence of her worry. She had tried to join them earlier but had been firmly shooed out by a nurse. It was with great restraint that she had stopped herself from kicking said nurse.
"How is he?" she asked, peering behind Takashi. In answer, a chibi Kyo popped his head up and latched firmly onto the sensei, hanging from behind his shoulder.
"Hikki!" chibi chirped.
Hikaru gave a sigh of relief. "You're okay then?"
Takashi snorted but nevertheless, a hand snaked over his shoulder to pat the chibi's head comfortingly, who gave a loud purr of content. A little head nudged his hand suggestively and Takashi obligingly dipped into his jacket pocket and extracted another candy bar.
"Hardly," Takashi said wryly while Kyo, who was still hanging on his shoulder, tore through the wrapper and started to munch happily on the chocolate. "He's got multiple cuts and bruises all over-"
"And I got a terrible headache!" Chibi Kyo whined pitifully, tearing his attention away from the chocolate.
Takashi ignored the interruption and went on, "-a couple of bruised ribs-"
"And a terrible headache!" Still chibi Kyo whined. . .
"-and a sprained ankle-"
"Headache! Headache!"
"-which is not too bad and should heal nicely in a few weeks-"
"Headache!"
"-and a headache." Sigh.
Chibi Kyo beamed as they finally paid the proper attention to his sore head and went back to his chocolate. Hikaru meanwhile, frowned.
"Kyo really shouldn't be all alone in his apartment then. Somebody has got to watch out for him. But I can't do it. My parents are going out tonight and I promised to watch over Maru-chan. They couldn't get a babysitter."
"I'll be happy to do it," Takashi offered with a smile. "In fact, I was planning on it. Somebody should really keep an eye on him to make sure that his head injury isn't getting worse."
"Yokatta!" Hikaru smiled. "That makes me feel much better! You'll make sure he eats something, Takashi?"
"I'll force feed him myself if I have to," Takashi swore solemnly, a hand at his heart, and threw a grin at Hikaru.
"Hey," Chibi protested mildly.
"Make sure you bathe him also, sensei, he stinks." Hikaru wrinkled her nose theatrically and laughed as Kyo gave her an injured look.
"I don't stink!" Kyo protested indignantly, then turned big, sad eyes at the sensei. "Do I, Takashi?"
"Ah, to me, Kyo-chan, you always smell as sweet as roses."
"Ri~iight," Kyo drawled, rolling his eyes.
"So you'll take him home then?" Hikaru asked Takashi.
"Yeah. As soon as we fill out the paperwork. Do you need a ride, Hikki?"
"It's okay," Hikaru waved off the offer. "Ken is coming over to pick me up. Here, let me fill out the forms and everything and you guys can go straight home."
"Thank you," Takashi smiled. "Let's go Kyo. Now, what would you like to have for dinner?"
The two of them walked off down the hall, chibi Kyo still hanging on to the sensei while chattering happily about he loves pasta and could the sensei make lasagna? He loves lasagna, they're the best! A smile crossed the girl's face as she watched them go. They looked good together, Hikaru thought to herself silently. No matter that Kyo still insists that he's as straight as a ruler. Never mind that Hikaru had once pointed out that plastic rulers can bend, so why can't he?
That had stumped Kyo for a while until he threw his hands up in resignation and had trotted off to find the sensei. Hikaru had, as she did now, watched him go fondly, thinking about how stubborn he was. . . She had seen the way Kyo looked at the sensei, and how the sensei had looked at Kyo. Those looks weren't the kind a simple friend gives to another.
She regretted the fact that Kyo had gotten hurt but maybe this was the chance she had been looking for. A night, or maybe several, if she could engineer it, spent in each other's company should help them move along in the. . .right direction.
Smiling, she took out her handphone and dialed her house number.
"Hello, okasan? I'll take care of Maru-chan tonight, so why don't you cancel the babysitter?"
________________________________________________________________________
