Of Cookies and Brownies
Chapter 2
"Stay away from the fucking match tomorrow!" were the words of Hiruma, the Deimon Devil Bats' captain. He said this to Sena after the brunet explained what happened with his encounter with Shin that night. Hiruma, curious about what the Ojou Linebacker could be warning against or what incentive he would have for warning Sena in the first place, hammered the poor mock secretary with deeper interrogation only to find him depleted of further information. To the demonic blond, it smelt as if those White Knights aren't as chivalrous as they proclaim, but more importantly, Hiruma was amazed as to how he is just now hearing of this. The little imps are starting to become contenders in the game of trickery.
Of course, no one can beat the Devil.
So, with a firm warning and equally firm assurance, Sena was told to stay away from the game.
But Sena is having a very cumbersome time keeping his mind off things. Like, is he really in that much danger? And what about that kiss…? And how is Hiruma going to handle things if they get messy? Well… that question didn't bother him as much. Hiruma always manages to make things work out in the end… usually by illegal methods. Only that part truly worries Sena.
There's also the problem of not being able to play football. Sure, the mock secretary was completely not thrilled about even considering playing football in the beginning, especially for such a demented human being? as Hiruma. But he actually developed a liking for the sport. The rush. The adrenaline. The fever of victory. The choking pain brought by defeat. All are very addictive to the brunet, even the latest, as it greater fuels his need to achieve the former three. And it makes him feel… worthy and not like just some wimpy kid that hides behind Mamori-neesans.
But it was Hiruma's word, and his word is always final. Sena wouldn't dare defy Hiruma. At the same time, staying cooped in his room all day isn't exactly what anyone would do on an awesome Saturday afternoon. Maybe he could go take care of some of his secretarial duties in the clubroom to kill time…
"Hiruma-san, is Eyeshield ready yet?" Mamori calls into the section of the Ojou football locker room that the team had made available for their use. Mamori didn't waltz in like she normally would back at their clubroom. The place is unfamiliar to her and she is sure it is to them as well. She doesn't want to walk in on anyone… naked.
"We're busy, fucking manager! We'll be ready when we're ready!" Hiruma shouts back, trying to ignore that motherly, arrogant female. However, she does not desist.
"Hiruma! They are kind enough to let us use their facilities! It's RUDE to make them wait!"
"They fucking wanted to host the match here, so they can fucking wait and let the guests take their time!" he barks conclusively. Suzuna, who is standing next to the captain like a perfect little angel, is sent out of the room to quell the manager's anger and keep her from creating further interruptions.
Hiruma turns back to the people before him: Kurita, Monta, the fucking brothers, Taki, Yukimitsu, Komusubi, Ishimaru, and four other individuals that rest don't seem to recognize.
"Okay, as you brats know, the fucking shrimp isn't here." Everyone nods, confirming this fact. Monta is looking rather skeptical, none of them fully knowing the details as to why their ace is missing, as the demonic blond rolls out what looks like a giant map of the Ojou campus.
"These fucking knights are up to something. We need to find out what. You, fucking halfling(1)!" Hiruma authoritatively gestures to one of the four unfamiliars. "You will be Eyeshield for today!"
"Eeeeehhhhh! Why me! You told me that I was gonna get to meet the real Eyeshield today, Hiruma-nii!" a smaller blond squeaks in a young, whiny-sounding cry. He has this very vulnerable aura about him, with his golden neck-length locks that lightly curl and wisp around his face and his slightly pointed ears. He's about the exact height and weight of Sena, and has a similar body build, but he's definitely not as fast as the brunet. He was the only kid with a resemblance to the fucking shrimp that Hiruma could find on such short notice.
Regular players stare at each other in confusion with the same thought floating through their minds: "Did that kid just call Hiruma 'Hiruma-nii'?"
Hiruma sees this look of befuddlement striking in each of his players faces and clears up the confusion. "He's Shigure-sensei's(2) son… my cousin."
"EEEEEEEHHHHHHHH!" a longer shriek of astonishment erupts, the loudest coming from Monta.
"Y-You're related to that sadist Euro-guy(3)! I-I SEE THE RESEMBLANCE, MAX!" Monta cries, horrible memories of torment and distress flashing though his mind. Togano and Kuroki comment and agree that it's Monta's "monkey wisdom" that gives him the ability to see the resemblance between the embodiment of evil that Hiruma is and purity that is their captain's cousin.
"Hiruma has family!" A vein bulges from the corner of the captain's brow as another voice outbursts.
"I never knew!" and another
"Waku, waku!" and another, until finally…
"Will you all shut the fuck up!" and a barrage of bullets from guns that seemingly appears out of thin air pierces holes into the innocent ceiling above. When the bullet exhaust and everyone is firmly scared into silence, Hiruma snaps at the other three unfamiliars. They are all students of the Ojou private academy… and slaves that Hiruma has at his disposal. Two boys and a girl(4).
"You!" he points a gangly, demon finger to a girl with two long pigtails whose complexion has gone a little pale. "You will be stationed here!" and he vehemently jabs the same pointing finger onto a red devil bat sticker on the map. "You will be responsible for covering sectors here, here, and here!" He dances his finger across the map as he leers at her, as if daring her to object. She nods vigorously with enough strength to snap her neck. Luckily (or unfortunately), it doesn't, and Hiruma then snaps to the two boys.
"You, and other fucking you! You two will be stationed here and here, covering sectors in these six places!" Hiruma stabs the map with his boney finger on two more devil bat stickers, then trails it to cover the remaining grounds. "These fucking knights are up to something. Get me any dirt on any schemes they may be planning… or else."
The two boys look over to the girl, all of them starting in a panicky sweat."Yes sir, Hiruma-sama!" the three unfamiliars answer in unison before dashing out of the door and hopping on the job.
The smallest blond in the room that Hiruma had previously referred to as "fucking halfling" looks around amongst the players, completely lost. Suddenly, the little blond feels himself being pushed and shoved along by none other than Hiruma. "Come this way, fucking halfling! We have to get you suited up!"
"Waaa! No, no! I can't! I can't play a football match! I'll get killed!"
Although the others feel sorry for the smallish boy that is being dragged to his own death by his older cousin, no one feels convinced enough to throw away their own life for a tiny human they just met.
Okay, so Shin may have warned Sena not to go to the game, right? But more than likely, that was because Shin is one of the few people that know that he is Eyeshield, right? So, by not attending the practice scrimmage, Eyeshield wouldn't be going.
"So, wouldn't it be safe if I attended the game as Kobayakawa Sena, secretary of the Deimon Devil Bats?" the mock secretary thinks aloud for a moment as he sidles along a stone wall in a ninja-like way.
Sena just couldn't help it. Staying away from the game like this… it's maddening! Yeah, sure. Defying Hiruma is a lot worse… but he just can't stay away. Being in the clubroom, surrounded by all of that football paraphernalia when there's a game going on that he should be participating in was like bringing an alcoholic that's trying to go sober into a bar. Seriously, what harm could simply watching do?
Well, now the brunet is trying to creep his way through the Ojou campus without being seen by a soul. Witness to his (rather overt) coverting could put him in danger by either Hiruma or the big, burly muscle heads of Ojou's football team…
'Hiiiieeee!… Why did I even come this far?' Sena shrieks at the realization. He's dead meat either way. If he's lucky, maybe Hiruma will do the courtesy of killing him before the Ojou players can get to him.
When he reaches the end of the stone wall, he peers around it, spotting no one. He sees the vacant football field, very tall sets of bleachers on both sides of it.
'That's strange… isn't the match suppose to be here? They should have started by now…' Sena pouts, a little disappointed that he may have scrambled all the way here for nothing. But the only way for him to be completely sure is to check for himself. 'On the count of three, I'll run behind the bleachers…. One… two….'
"YA-HA!" a heckling cackle rips through the air from what can only be the demonic mouth of his captain, Hiruma Youichi. Sena tenses and peers around the stone wall to watch. From his point of view, his teammates are flooding the field from a room that seems to be inside of the stone wall. He spots Monta jogging out, looking pumped… with Eyeshield 21? 'Who's in my uniform? Is this what Hiruma meant when he said he'd handle it…? Shin's gonna know that's not me…'
"Sorry, sorry we took so long to get ready! Eyeshield-san isn't feeling well, so please go easy on us today!" Hiruma bubbles and giddily waves at the other team in a manner that obviously gushes "We're on to you fucking brats."
Takami, the Ojou quarterback, looks over to Shin and Sakuraba. Shin just glares on with that scowl he's reserved for Takami ever since that proposal he made. Sakuraba just attempts to feign ignorance as if Takami never looked his way or if he hadn't noticed.
"I hope Eyeshield-san will be alright!" bellows Otawara to the boy in the ace's uniform, oblivious to all the scandal that is really taking place.
The fucking halfling tenses, taking in the size of the jolly giant Otawara, then squeezes out his best imitation of an under-the-weather Eyeshield-san. "Thank you for your concern. I will do my best." The voice is unbelievably identical to that silly voice that Sena always puts on, which causes the other Devil Bats to check and make sure that it's not really their Sena inside that uniform.
Monta strolls up to the fucking halfling, tossing an arm around his neck like he does when he's with Sena. "So, what is your name anyway?" he questions but without the usual loudness that come with his monkey-like antics. Of course the other team isn't suppose to know that the real Eyeshield is nowhere in sight.
The fucking halfling simpers a fangy smile at the number eighty player, then looks around to see players fifty-one, fifty-two, and fifty-three come his way, also curious about his actual name.
The small blond clears if throat and speaks out in a small whisper that only the five of them can hear. "My name is Kazune(5). Hiruma Kazune," he squeaks in his normal tone of pitch, drastically different than the Eyeshield voice.
"Mukii? That Euro-guy's last name is Hiruma?" Monta shrieks. "No wonder he never told us!"
Togano and Kuroki deadpan as they watch as there is no "monkey wisdom" to be found here.
Jumonji turns to the smaller, angelic demon-looking child as he stares back up at him with glassy eyes. Kazune takes another peek over at the Ojou players then back at Jumonji and the surrounding lot of Deimon. "A-Am I going to die…?"
The taller, blond lineman smirks down at the smaller blond, patting his back with one of his broad, roughened hands. "You'll be fine. We can hold 'em back. Just run, okay?"
Kazune nods slowly, bemused as his eyes met with Jumonji's again. He just hopes that the green tint of the infamous Eyeshield visor is enough to hide his possible blush.
"Hey, what the fuck are you all standing around for! Get on the field!" another round of bullets let loose, puncturing the ground below the grass of the players feet. Monta and the rest all dance and dodge their way from the bullets onto their positions on the field, Kuroki commenting on how "Kazu-chan" and "Kazu-chan" would look cute together. Mockingly, of course.
Sena, who is still viewing from behind the stone wall aches to get closer. Standing from there and not being able to hear a thing is really trifling, so from the hoodie that he wore to look more inconspicuous, the brunet pulls out and pair of sunglasses and dawns them on his face. He pulls the hood of his hoodie over his head and sneaks over to the edge of the bleachers, hoping to snag a seat while everyone is distracted with the start of the scrimmage.
"Hey! Are you a sport's scout?"
Sena freezes as a bluenette on rollerblades wheels into his face. Sena isn't sure how she manages smooth rollerblading even on the surface of grass and bleachers. More importantly, Sena hopes Suzuna doesn't discover who's really underneath the sunglasses and hoodie.
"U-um, no. Just a fan," Sena stutters as confidently and calmly as he can muster in the spur of the moment. He can't use his Eyeshield voice, because he will immediately be recognized nor can he use is Sena voice. So, he did what he though would get Suzuna to stop talking to him…
… He spoke in English.
"Oh, umm… yuu ah… speeku engurishu, desu ka?"
Sena sighs, relieved that the bluenette isn't catching on. His Japanese accent is still thickly coating his speech, and his English is overly stressed, but he can execute English well enough to make him seem like he is a foreigner. 'Okay, okay… from what believable country should I be from…?'
"Uh, uh… wh-where arr yuu fromu?"
"Germany." The brunet quickly answers without thinking. 'Oh crap!' "M-My English isn't very gud. I don't know Japanese." Sena is trying to avoid Suzuna's interrogative glances as best as he possibly can. He looks around the field more. The scrimmage is progressing, but his teammates don't seem to be putting up much of an effort. Hiruma probably told them to do that. Further down the bleachers, from where he can see, Mamori-nee is sitting… with Cerberus?
As if almost on cue, the man-bear-beast dog cuts him a sharp leer. Cerberus stands to his feet, and so does Sena, ignoring Suzuna whom is still trying to figure out the basic English phrases she learned in school.
Back on the field…
Hiruma has just launched the pigskin into the air. Monta runs into position, ready to receive the catch, Sakuraba tailing him to steal the ball away from Deimon. But the ball goes further than Monta's and Sakuraba's heights combined, soaring back towards the incognito Ishimaru. The forgettable player passes the ball of to Kazune, the Eyeshield for the day, and the tiny blond freaks.
"Don't choose now to zone out! Fucking run!"
Kazune jolts. He turns to see Hiruma yelling at him from the other end of the field… and a very beastly-looking Shin Seijuro charging from his flank with his spear-tackling hand prepared for an attack. But before Kazune can even consider scurrying away in the opposite direction, his short, ninth grade life flashes before his eyes. And Shin tackles him.
The pair crash into the ground, Kazune face-first, somehow managing to keep a grip on the ball. They slide a considerable distance, pulling up dirt and grass until inertia brings them to a stop. Shin lies with his arm on the small blond for a moment before removing himself and standing to his feet. He offers a hand to the boy, which he gratefully accepts after his little struggle to stand once more.
"You are not Eyeshield," the Ojou linebacker whispers for only their hearing. Kazune nods sullenly then looks to Shin hopefully. Without words transpiring, the two come to an understanding to keep the secret from the rest. Still a little upset from not being able to do well, Kazune returns to the Deimon quarterback for the next play instructions.
"What the fuck was that, fucking halfling!" Hiruma sneers, shooting a bullet at his smaller cousin that he is barely able to dodge. "Pay attention to the fucking game!"
"Hiruma really should go easy on the kid," Jumonji offhandedly states loud enough for the demonic captain to hear. Hiruma cuts the leader of the fucking brothers a testing glance. "You did say it yourself, thatEyeshield-san isn't feeling well today, right?"
"The feeling of love wells courage in the heart(6)," Togano sarcastically recites from a manga that he can't quite remember the name of. Kuroki just slaps his forehead, believing this won't end well for the Ha-Ha Brothers… 'Even though we aren't brothers…'
Just when all though Jumonji was about to die on the Ojou turf…
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Heads turn to the source of the scream. A blur of a man is running around the field, yelping and crying in Japanese with a very hungry-looking Cerberus stalking him. Suzuna is following closely as well, yelling to the poor man, "I thought you couldn't speak Japanese!"
Just when Sena turns a corner to escape the deranged animal, the yellowy-brown dog leaps on him, attacking his leg and dragging him out from hiding. He pulls the boy out into the middle of the field in front of all of Ojou and Deimon. Sloppily, he drops the saliva-coated leg from his mouth and sits next to the body like an obedient dog.
Hiruma backs away from Jumonji and towers over the brunet, cocking a gun in preparation. The two other Ha-Ha Brothers are relieved that their friend was spared by the distraction; although, things aren't looking so good for the mock secretary…
"Eh heh heh…. Hi everyone…"
End of chapter!
Hm… I think this turned out pretty well. I hope you all think so too ^^
Okay, NUMBERS!
(1)"Fucking Halfling". A halfling is like… miniature human things. Like hobbits or imps or whatevers. Kazune kinda looks like Hiruma. He's got blond hair like him, pointed ears, but not as pointed. He's got the same sharp teeth and stuff. The eyes are probably the biggest difference… Hiruma's are sharp, narrow, and cold. Kazune's are all big and cute and innocent. But yeah, he's like… a tiny, cute chibi version of Hiruma, minus all of the violence, so that's why Hiruma calls him a halfling. I imagine his voice to be like a boy version of Chiyo from Azumanga Daioh.
(2)"Shigure-sensei". He's the teacher of Sena, Monta and the rest of the Devil Bat first years in my other Eyeshield fanfic Kamen 22. He is related to Hiruma in that fanfic too, I just never got to the part where that is explained ^^;
(3)"Euro-guy". This is what Monta calls Shigure-sensei. Read the 7th chapter of Kamen 22 to find out why. That chapter, I think, can stand alone well enough.
(4)" Two boys and a girl". Idk if Hiruma actually has female slaves, although I would assume he would. He's not the type to show mercy just because of gender. I was thinking that the three of them probably did something like… create a sex tape that no one was suppose to see, and Hiruma managed to get his hands on it. If he exposes this, they could very well get expelled from school and not get accepted into any colleges. So yeah… they have to listen to him…
(5)"Kazune". The possible origin of Kazune's name might be from the manga Kamichama Karin. Plus, I was thinking of doing some type of parting between this character and Jumonji -loves Jumonji- and I thought it would be cute as "Kazu-chan" and "Kazu-chan". Jumonji's name is Kazuki, after all.
(6)"The feeling of love wells courage in the heart". I just made that up. I have no idea if that is really anywhere in any anime or manga. I was just thinking I wanted something that sounded as corny and similar to "Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality" – from Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of a New World. God, Richter is corny. But yeah… this line sounds like it'd be in a magical girl anime or something shoujo, like Sailor Moon! I'm sure an otaku alike Togano read some shoujo ever now and then…
And that's it, I guess.
Leave plenty of reviews, please!