For my reader's – Please forgive the month that has past since my last post…College is kicking me around like a soccer ball, and I'm trying to maintain all my activities. Hopefully I will be able to get the rest of this story in a more timely fashion.

            "Yuck, I can't believe how terrible that lunch was! This is the last time I let you talk me into eating at the cafeteria Xellos," Zelgadis remarked, the horrid aftertaste of the school's "macaroni and cheese" still pungent on his tongue. He scraped his tongue against the top set of teeth to try and peel the effected taste buds off, but the flavor remained.

            "Yes, well, it was the day they were serving chocolate cake and ice cream, particularly since it is the principal's birthday."

            Zelgadis thought about it for a moment, "Xellos, how old do you think Miss Metallium really is?" Metallium had been the undisputed principal of Ceipheid Memorial for decades, and as such should be an old granny by this time. And yet rumors persisted that she was still very young in appearance, though no one willingly admitted to knowing it personally.

            "I have no idea," Xellos admitted, than added, "Ready to cheer tonight?" Xellos gave Zelgadis a poke in the ribs, and Zelgadis pulled back his fist to punch him, stopping only a moment from carrying out his threat.

            "Yeah, though I don't like the idea of being out there cheerleading," Zelgadis considered it, looking back on that faithful evening now nearly two and half months past, "I should've just dropped the trousers."

            "Well, judging by the way I found you two that evening, I doubt it would've made much difference if you had or not," Xellos replied wistfully, "But this is an opportunity to do something memorable before we leave high school for good."

            "By making assess of ourselves?"

            "Think of it as more of an exercise of self-expression, Zelgadis."

            Zelgadis could only shake his head as the two of them took a left down the hall toward the gymnasium, nearly bowling over a student as she swung around the corner.

            "Shit, look out!" Zelgadis exclaimed as he dodged the girl, who instinctively pulled back to avoid colliding with him, her short black hair gently flying back. She nearly lost her footing, and stared down at the floor apologetically.

            "I'm sorry Zelgadis, I didn't mean to…" she started.

            "Look, it's okay, no one's hurt," Zelgadis said, "Just be more careful, okay?" He looked over the student standing before him and recognized the chemistry book clutched tightly to her chest. She was Eris, a sophomore who was Rezo's favorite chemistry student. In fact, it was kind of a surprise to not see her following Rezo around. He could swear she had a minor infatuation with him.

            "Alright Zelgadis," she said as she looked up, smiled, then walked around the two of them and made her way down the hall. Zelgadis and Xellos watched her until she disappeared from sight.

            "Right, back to getting those uniforms," Xellos asserted, "Come on Zel."

            "Okay," Zelgadis nodded as he followed, "I hope these male cheerleader outfits don't look too dorky."

            "Zelgadis," Xellos urged.

            "No, no, and no. I refuse to," Zelgadis protested, "I look incredibly ridiculous as it is." He looked down at the uniform's skirt, white tennis shoes, and pom-poms he held in his left hand.

            "Fine, then the addition of these barrettes to your hair will only enhance your appearance," Xellos attempted to reassure Zelgadis as he tried to clip his hair back. Zelgadis tried to argue, but stopped when he realized there was no way to win.

            "There, that looks so much better," Xellos grinned, "I never knew you made such a cute girl Zel." Zelgadis shot him a glare.

            "Shut up! I'm only doing this because I lost a bet." Zelgadis said as he fiddled with the barrettes. Xellos was already prepared, as were the other guys recruited into this, including Miwan, Zangulus, Gourry, and Amelia's cousin Alfred who got roped into participating when he and his father had shown up for a visit to Atlas Heights. Though they still hadn't emerged from the locker room, Zelgadis could feel the nervous air that hung around them.

            "Alright boys, ready to show Ruby-Eye that we mean business?" Xellos added bravado to try and stir their blood. A few cheers went up, and the six of them charged out of the locker room into the night air, still a little chilled by winter's passing.

            On their left they watched the home bleachers, white and shimmering gold worn by the fans glaring in the lights that illuminated the night. Field hockey was a popular sport, equal in following to football, and every high school had one team for competition purposes. Though played primarily by girls, many boys joined the team as well. However, as was tradition with the powder puff football game they played at Homecoming, they also had a powder puff field hockey game, and tonight they faced off against the powder puff team from Ruby-Eye.

            Despite his feelings of embarrassment and the nervous crawl in his stomach, Zelgadis could feel the energy of the crowd, and it was infectious. He looked across at the players for Ruby-Eye, and his looks met hard and cold stares. The girls were beautiful, but something about them seemed dangerous in their red and black. Ruby-Eye was a school that enforced school uniforms, and demanded utter ruthlessness in academic and athletic performance.

            Mr. Gaav stepped out onto the field and motioned for the teams to meet at the center of the field. First in Cepheid's lineup was Amelia, looking rather chipper but a little small in her pads, which looked more like a suit of battle armor than sports equipment. Following close behind her was Filia, wielding the hockey stick like many would wield a combat staff and a serious expression seeming chiseled into her face.

            Almost attached to her back was Sylphiel, who gripped the stick protectively to her chest. Zelgadis felt sorry for her. She wasn't aggressive enough for this.

            Once his sight fell upon the next player, his confidence in the team dropped. Martina strolled leisurely behind Sylphiel, appearing ever so confident as she held the stick limply in one hand. She would be a problem during the game Zelgadis knew already.

            The next player to approach was Eris, a rather surprising addition to the team, approached the center field shyly but with hidden strength. If she could overcome that shyness, she would bring some interesting skill to the game.

            And finally Lina came onto the field, lazily but confidently dangling her arms over the hockey stick braced on her shoulders. Oddly enough, Zelgadis was surprised when a roar erupted from the Cepheid student body, an unexpected cheer for someone so feared.

            "Damn, your lessons in stage presentation have paid off," Xellos commented, "You'll probably want to get her sexy bod out of that outfit after the game, right Zel?"

            Zelgadis felt the blood rush to his face, "Shut up, Xellos!" and then looked to Lina, who turned her head, noticed his stare, and winked, causing him to further blush.

            "Alright estrogen bombs," Mr. Gaav nearly shouted, "Because Ruby-Eye is visiting, they will get the first possession. I want a nice clean game, and remember; no blood, no foul."

            The players took their positions, Lina, Martina, and Amelia taking offensive, Sylphiel, Eris, and a girl from the junior class taking defensive, and Filia planting herself at the goal.

            "Go team go!" Xellos cheered, and started arranging his fellow cheerleaders for an attempted pyramid. After much strain and confusion, they completed the pyramid and then tumbled into position to continue cheering, the energy pushing him to the edge of being hyperactive.

            The teams fought hard, Lina and Amelia playing aggressive at taking the ball from Ruby-Eye as Martina found herself knocked flat by a rampaging forward. Amelia snatched the ball and passed it to Lina, who drove down the field at breakneck speed, taking the legs from under an opponent with her stick before driving toward the goal. Gving it a hard slap, the ball sailed toward the goalie, who missed stopping the ball by only inches.

            When the goal was announced, Cepheid's students roared again, and Xellos threw his arms around Zelgadis, screaming out to the team before glomping Miwan. Zelgadis looked to Xellos, ready to pat him on the shoulder when a bright flash distracted him. Looking to the source, he saw Phibrizo, who held up the camera innocently.

            "For record purposes." Was all he said before ducking out of sight. His attention was pulled away from this when the crowd started booing and jeering. Zelgadis cast his eyes to the field and saw that Amelia had been laid flat, her helmet rolling away from her as she lay motionless. Mr. Gaav blew his whistle and charged out onto the field, stopping play. Lina and Martina crossed to her and watched as Mr. Gaav flipped her over and lightly smacked her in the face.

            Zelgadis and the cheerleaders held its breath, watching nervously to see what would happen. For several moments, the field lay silent, even the Cepheid supporters waited with baited breath. Finally though, Amelia sat up, looking around for a moment before retrieving her helmet and stick.

            Amelia asked Mr. Gaav something, but he only shook his head and blew the whistle once more, and the players lined up. Amelia yelled at Mr. Gaav, who only shrugged and repeated something to her. Even from the sidelines, Zelgadis and Xellos could see that Amelia was infuriated.

            "Be ready to taste my justice, bitch!" she shouted to the Ruby-Eye player who had knocked her flat in the first place, which even stopped Lina and Martina for a moment. Gaav tossed her the ball, and she took off with it, anger and pain granting her body a surge of power she'd never felt before. When the Ruby-Eye player that had angered her came to intercept her, Amelia lowered her shoulder and plowed forward, feeling the air rush from the other player's lungs as she connected. With a smile of righteous satisfaction she pushed onward, driving toward Ruby-Eyes goalie. When she got close enough, she slapped the ball hard and sent it sailing. The goalie deflected it however, and the ricochet hit Martina in the forehead, sending her tumbling back. Zelgadis had to suppress a laugh, but at the same time he flinched in reaction to the hit.

            Lina was fast to react though, and snatched the ball with a body catch and drove hard to the goalie. Snapping the ball even harder than Amelia, the goalie deflected again, only this time Amelia was in position for the shot, intercepted the blocked shot, and ricocheted it back to the goal, flying past the goalie's swift hands.

            Cepheid's student body roared again, and Zelgadis felt the rush again as he and Xellos cheered on the team, "Looks like we don't really need to lead any cheers tonight, eh Xellos?"

            "Definitely not needed tonight," Xellos yelled over the sound of the crowd, "Besides, your girlfriend is the one stealing the show. I think the major draw this year was the fact Lina volunteered for this." Xellos flinched as Filia wiped out a Ruby-Eye forward, using the girl's momentum to send her sprawling.

            However, in the moment Filia had left her post another forward had snatched the ball and was preparing to slap it in for a goal. Zelgadis clenched his teeth; if that shot made it in, Filia would be fuming.

            A diminutive shape darted in front of the forward though and quickly took the ball away, but cautiously as if she were handling an egg. When he saw who it was, he could not believe his eyes.

            "Sylphiel?"

            Sylphiel was hard and focused in her movement, carefully avoiding any and all that came to take the ball from her, making her opponents look exceedingly clumsy. With a final hesitant step, Sylphiel smacked the ball, passing it to Martina. She held possession of the ball for just a moment before a Ruby-Eye player snatched it from her, bounding down the field toward Filia.

            Zelgadis watched along with the cheerleaders, cheering when Cepheid scored and booing when Ruby-Eye made a point. He had watched the first half roll by, with Ruby-Eye evening the score to 5 Cepheid, 5 Ruby-Eye, and now that they were down to the last two minutes of the second half Zelgadis was getting nervous.

            Resuming from a Ruby-Eye player being knocked down, Mr. Gaav tossed the ball onto the field, and the spot where it landed became a fray of sticks and punches, kicks and curses, until Martina emerged with the ball, apparently surprised she had it. Lina followed alongside her, eyeing the hungry defensive players growing steadily nearer.

            "Martina, pass me the ball!"

            "Back off, Inverse, this is my goal," Martina pushed herself faster, but Lina kept the pace.

            "How do you plan to get around the defensive players?"

            "Simple Lina: I will fly right past them, and then the goal will be mine."

            "Idiot! How many times must you get hit in the head before you realize that strategy is the same one you've been using all game?"

            "Shut up Lina! Jus because you're trying to impress your freak boyfriend doesn't mean that I have to let you have the ball," Martina replied with venom, and then to the defensive players, "I'm coming through."

            Martina barreled toward the players, raw determination in her eyes as she turned to regard Lina, "See, I can do just fine. Just watch me blow past these two amateurs."

            Lina followed closely on Martina's flank. She would not lose that ball simply because Martina was some airhead bimbo. The next point would be hers. She looked to the clock: 1:15. She focused on Martina and sprung ahead to help clear a path for her to dive through.

            Just as she reached the first defensive player, she heard Martina's voice, "Lina, get the hell out of my way!"

            "Through the gap Martina!"

            "What gap Lin…"

            Lina turned in time to see Martina get pummeled by a Ruby-Eye player. She made a hard dash to the player and shoved her away, setting the ball in motion with her stick while Martina started to rise.

            "Sorry Martina, but I am not going to let us lose this game." With that, she turned and sped her way toward the sidelines to draw the defensive players. One girl was in particularly hot pursuit, and glared at Lina like some sort of predator as she moved to intercept.

            Suddenly, from the sidelines shot a foot, knocking the ball away from her. Lina nearly screamed and gave chase. The girl who was so intently following her snatched up the ball and brought it around to start her progression down the field once more.

            However, the girl's first step was also her last. Utilizing a clothesline, Lina cleared the girl off the field and into the powder puff boys for Ruby-Eye, "Mine!" she barked, and shot the ball down the field toward the goal.

            "No way Lina, this is my shot!" Martina cried out as she dashed to intercept Lina. The winning spotlight would be hers.

            Lina glared; this was the last place where a grudge need show itself. However, she bit down on her lip and focused, knowing that she could not let Martina try and take this ball.

            As she reached a good distance for a slap shot, Martina closed on her. Before Martina could do a thing however, Lina knelt and prepared for Martina's impact. As Martina contacted her, Lina moved her arms in a slight sideways arc, guiding Martina's body over her with the hockey stick. When Martina landed with a violent "thud", Lina immediately rose to her feet and charged the goalie. Once she was close enough to the box, she slid and slapped the ball with the narrow part of the stick.

            Everyone watched the slap, an incredible quiet coming over the crowd. Zelgadis' excitement was almost too much to contain, so he bit his lip to choke down a cheer; she would make the shot, he knew it.

             With a final catch, Ruby-Eye's net caught the ball, and Cepheid's student body went into thunderous applause. Lina picked herself up and dusted herself off, looking back to Martina, who was limping off the field toward a rapidly approaching Valgarv. She let out a sigh, swung the stick back onto her shoulders, and sauntered toward the athletic field locker rooms, smiling confidently as to what she'd accomplished that evening.

"And that's a wrap."

Be sure to read the second half of this chapter when it comes out: once again, my sincerest apologies for not posting sooner.