Yeah! Chapter 23! this chapter took forever! so Enjoy!

My day started with Endou saying it was useless. That is something I never heard come out of his mouth. He was saying stuff he normally doesn't say and was getting angry…

"Chill Endou, there is no point in getting angry." I told him.

"I'm not angry, I'm… worried." He said telling us that his mind keeps going in circles. When he walked off Ichinose asked us if he ever acted like that before. Aki shook her head, saying he has never acted that way before. I got worried about him and I could tell everyone was too.

Endou was all spacey during the day and I didn't like it, not at all. It was no fun when he wasn't talking, it was actually quiet and that was awkward…

"Ren-Sama… you look worried." I looked up to see Genda, Marui and Sakurai. I was alone on the roof, waiting for my friends. I didn't even hear them come over…

"Kind of…" I said. I didn't want to mention further, but they were persistent. I told how Endou has been worried about something and I didn't know how to help him.

"I see why, I've known Endou since pre-school and he is always upbeat." Marui said. I nodded, even though I met him about a month ago he has never been like this.

"Talk to him about it. Maybe he would tell you what's wrong." Genda said. I looked at him in surprise. Genda actually had a good idea!

"You're right! Thank you Genda!" I shouted. I hugged him and ran off to find Endou totally missing Genda having a nosebleed and falling over. I also missed Sakurai cursing at me and Ichirouta watching us and not hearing what we were talking about…

I found Endou alone in the classroom. He didn't hear me walk in into the room, in fact he was oblivious to anything.

"Okay Endou what's wrong?" I asked him. He jumped and looked at me.

"Eh?" He said in surprise and I repeated my question.

"Nothing is wrong." He said. I frowned, he was totally lying to me and I told him that.

He sighed and told me about how he doesn't think God Hand will work against Zeus's shoots. I listen intently and voiced my opinions in the right spots (What I thought were the right spots…)

I think he calmed down a bit after voicing his worries, but he wasn't fully calm. As people started coming in Endou went back to spacing out and I went to my own seat only to be surround by my fan club. Genda was there squealing with all the girls. I didn't see Ichirouta walk into the room nor did I notice him walking up to my desk…

Ichirouta's P.O.V

I was jealous. I was walking to the roof to join Ren for lunch when I see him hugging that blasted Genda and run off passing me. He didn't even notice me and later when I was walking into class he was being surround by his fan club and Genda. I was jealous, which wasn't very good. Ren doesn't like jealousy, but I couldn't help it. He was my boyfriend and no one knows it! So I did the only logical thing.

I walked through the crowd of fan girls and tapped Ren on the shoulder. When he looked up at me, I swooped down and kissed him. He jolted before he began kissing me back. When we pulled apart he was blushing so much, it was adorable. He was so cute, I smiled at him and went to my own seat smirking at the fan girls who had their mouths open. Genda was crying in a cornor too.

The fan girls began squealing again saying something about Shounen-ai before running out as the bell rang, which was weird…

Ren's P.O.V

That was weird. I thought we were going to reveal our relationship AFTER nationals… oh, well.

After school Ichirouta and I went to the club house to only be told that we and Someoka were in charge of practice. It was weird not to have Endou, Gouenji and even Kidou at practice, Ichinose and Domon were late for practice also…

The first-years, Handa and Kageno ran off and we followed them. They began talking to Endou about winning the championships. Endou agreed and ran out with everyone and ran out, but… I could tell he was faking it.

o0o

After practice I went to the hospital to visit Raimon-San. When I enter the room Natsume was leaving, she bid her father farewell and nodded to me. After she left I sat in the chair next to his bed.

"How are you feeling?" I asked him.

"I'm fine." he replied, after that it was silent. It was a little awkward…

"So was it Kageyama?" I asked him.

"I believe so. I want you to be careful." He told me. I scoffed.

"I can handle myself, I'm more worried about Natsume, you and the team though…" I trailed off. Raimon-San nodded in agreement.

"Yes, keep them safe Ren and be careful… Kageyama will stop at nothing." He told me. I nodded and we chatted for a bit before I left. I didn't feel like going home so I walked to the steel tower on the hill.

As I was walking up the stairs I heard grunting, I ran and saw Endou. He was stopping this large tire while another tire was strapped on his back. He was working so hard, I frowned.

I will protect you all

Two days later:

I was watching Endou from afar. He was doing the most wackiest trainings I've seen so far. I also had to clean up his messes too… I had to save Handa from the ball machine (He was kind of dizzy so I dumped him on Max), clean up the wash basin that he left out and other wacky stuff. Now I was watching them kick balls at him, I would join to, but I was keeping look out. Eventually I was dragged in, but I couldn't shake the feeling something was going to happen…

The manager said it was time to eat, but unlike everyone else Kidou and I washed washed our hands

"Not fair Ren, Kidou!" Endou shouted, I just stuck my tongue out at him. We waited for them though and we showed Natsumi our hands. We got to eat afterwards and Some of the onigiri was salty which was noticed by Endou who started choking…

After practice Ichirouta and I were walking home with Gouenji, Endou and Ichinose. Endou and Ichinose wanted to go to a candy store the same way we live and I thought Gouenji did (Was dragged) too, but he went a different way… towards the hospital. I smiled,

We have to win.

Two days later I was walking to Coach's ramen shop before school so I could talk to him, but I stopped in my tracks. Kageyama entered the ramen shop, I ran to the entrance and listen in waiting to see what happened. I learned Kageyama thought we were going to lose and he was behind Zeus junior high.

I ran before he came out, I ran all the way to school. I know coach was going to be okay and that I could talk to him later, but now I really have to be on guard. I quickly changed into my uniform and ran on field for morning practice, luckily it just began so I didn't miss much. I had to apologize to Ichirouta though because I didn't wait for him today, but he forgave me luckily, all smiles now.

Gouenji, Someoka, Kidou and Ichinose were using two balls and shooting them at Endou. They used Dragon tornado and Twin boost. As they were going towards Endou someone else stopped them.

A blond hair boy who called himself Aphrodi from Zeus junior high. He looked oddly familiar though…

Aphrodi told us not to fight them in the next game and other stuff, I wasn't really listening…

"Afuro Terumi! You're Afuro Terumi are you not!" I shouted. Everyone stopped to looked at me, Aphrodi looked at me in horror.

"Ren…." He squealed out. We stared at each other, me in curiosity and Aphrodi in horror.

"You know him?" Kidou asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, I met him when I was still living in orphanages, I think he just lived in the town though." I said. Aphrodi didn't speak, at least to me, He turned to Endou again.

He told us we should stop practicing and Endou basically told him off. Afuro was never this conceited, in fact he feared me when we were younger… He shot a ball at Endou with amazing speed, something he did not possess when we were younger. Endou tried to stop it, but was knocked back, and almost couldn't get up. Everyone ran to the goal to ask if he was okay, but he told them to go away and to have Aphrodi shoot another. Aphrodi just laughed, said something and disappeared.

Endou said we were going to win, but coach told him other wise.

We began practicing again, Endou trying to get Majin the hand and the second-years trying to get Pumpkin and the first-years to practice. I was trying talking to coach about hissatsu, but he seemed distracted.

"Training Camp, we are going to have a training camp." Coach told us. We just stared at him.

"Training camp?" Endou asked. Coach nodded. The first-years got really excited and so did the second-years.

Endou started getting angry and Coach told him off sort of. Coach was right, Endou was obsessed with this hissatsu.

"He is right Endou. Making and learning a hissatsu takes time." I told him. He just clenched his hands. Coach told us to be there by five, so Ichirouta came to my house first then we went to his to prepare for the night.

"Ah, Ichirouta-Chan, Ren-Chan, what are you two doing?" Kazemaru-San asked as we walked in.

"Good Evening Kazemaru-San." I said bowing. She giggled.

"Just call me Hinata, Ren-Chan." She said. I nodded, I like Ichirouta's mother, she was nice and she smelled like lavender, like Ichirouta.

"Hai, Hinata-San." I told her and she smiled. Ichirouta told her about the training camp, then collected his stuff and we left. We were the second to last people to arrive, now we were waiting for Endou…

The first years were having a pillow fight and I learned that Max uses a different cat hat for sleeping…. Just the random quirks that you wouldn't know unless you spend the night together…. Wait they all stayed at my place before! I sighed, sitting on my own bed while Ichirouta sat next to me.

"So Ren-Senpai, how long have you and Kazemaru-senpai been dating?" Shishido asked me.

"Eh?"

"Well, everyone has been saying that you and Kazemaru-Senpai were kissing…" He trailed off blushing.

"Well, a couple days now…" I trailed off also blushing. Damn it Ichirouta! I did not want to be talking about this with a underclassman with others listening in as well! I saw Aki and Haruna squealing and the others acting neutral about it. Max and Handa were also blushing…

"So Aki and Haruna, when are we making dinner?" I asked them. They told me soon.

"Ren-San, why do you call my sister by her first name…" Kidou trailed off. I looked at him in surprise. I thought about it for a minute before answering.

"It's a thing that has to do with the way I grew up. I thought parents were devils and no kid should be called by their surname…" I trailed off. I don't really like talking about how I grew up.

" I see, and how do you know Aphrodi?" He asked me, I sighed in relief, that was a better topic.

"I met him when I was younger, we weren't friends though and he was quite weak… his strength isn't natural." I told them. They nodded in agreement.

We began to make dinner, I was chopping onions with Kurimatsu and Kidou. Kurimatsu was crying.

"Ren-Senpai how can you stand it? I understand Kidou because he is wearing goggles, but how can you?" Kurimatsu asked me.

"Well, I don't have feeling in my left eye and I'm use to it." I told him. He just sweat-dropped. I looked where Endou was, he was sitting alone reading his grandfather's notebook.

Kabeyama had to go to the bathroom so Kageno went with him, but he came back shouting about ghosts… and without Kageno. Nevermind, he was hiding behind Kabeyama.

"Ghost don't exist Kabeyama, so its okay." I told him. He looked up at me with tears in his eyes.

"Ren-Senpai!" He shouted glomping me. We talked about it and Handa made a valid point about it being one of Kageyama's underlings trying to ruin our chances of winning…

I grabbed lightning before running to class three, where they saw this "ghost". I was followed by the team and we saw…

Probably could have gone better... Hope it was good. :D