Hey ya'll. This is chapter numero siete in my story. I hope ya like it. This is technically the last chapter, and then there's the epilogue. Also, for Inuyasha's My Will, which I do not own, Ellie has bold, Kailei has underlined, and Wynn has italics. All of them together have italicized underlined. I don't own Reachin' for Heaven, either.
Disclaimer: For the last time, you stupid federal agents, I don't own the Mighty Ducks, so let me go!- TWC
(shakes head) Sorry, Ms. Charmer, but we have proof that you may have them hidden in your house, so we have a warrant to search and seize anything.- Feds
(thinks) Thank Kami that I locked them in my secret location hidden far, far away, back in the feudal era along with Kagome and the others. I wonder how Adam and Sesshomaru are getting along... TWC
(at secret location) Stay away from me, you vile demon!- Adam
(scoffs) Please, like this Sesshomaru would take another step towards you.- Sesshomaru
What is that supposed to mean?- Adam
(sighs) It means he thinks we stink, and that we're worthless, baka. We're all used to it by now.- Kagome
(nods head) Oh, well, okay then.- Adam (eyes become wide with realization) I am not a baka, whatever that means!
The Final Blow
Adam's POV
It took me forever to find Wynn. At first, I had thought she had left, but as I jogged around the entire complex, I found that she was on the far side, practicing with all the other US skaters. Out of all of them, she seemed to be having the worst trouble concentrating. Who could blame her? Not wanting to disturb her, I walked upwards in the stands, trying to find a place to sit where I would not be noticed.
"Come on, Kinomoto!" shouted a woman who was probably her coach. "Focus! The final competition is tonight! I know you're having issues, but you need to get over them if you want to win! Do you want to win? Do you want to bring the US to victory?"
I could hear Wynn's reply halfway up the stands. "Of course I do! What makes you think I don't?"
Her coach smirked, folding her arms. "Then show me you want it. Show me you can handle the pressure. Show me a double Lutz." Wynn nodded, and skated into what I figured must have been a double Lutz. She tripped on the way down and fell on her side with a straight face. Not a cry of pain. Not a wince. She went down without feeling anything. Her sparkling sea green eyes were dull and lifeless. My heart ached. I had to talk to her. Now.
I stood up to make my way down to her, but two others beat me to it. Both of them were the two raven-haired girls from before, and right now, they both wore skates. The one who dressed like a guy said, "Look, Coach Hennessy. Let us help Wynn. You want the gold? You need me and my cousin's help. We can get Wynn to focus. No offence, but you are kinda harsh. So why don't you go work with the other girls?" The last question was more of an order, and Coach Hennessy skated off to watch the other girls.
The nicer one helped Wynn stand up before saying, "Hey Wynn-Chan. A little Inuyasha always cheers me up? What do you say?" It was a moment before Wynn nodded slowly. "Hit it Ellie!" The meaner girl leaned over and turned n the stereo she had with her. Music began to blare out, and several of the other skaters began to complain. "If you have a problem with the tunes, stuff it and scram! We could use the extra ice!" Ellie snapped as she adjusted the CD that was playing. "You first Kailei!"
sotto mezameru
hakanai omoi zutto
donna toki demo negau yo
anata ni todoku you ni to...
"ato sukoshi" to yuu kyori ga fumidasenakute
itsumo me no mae wa tozasarete-ita no
aitai aenai hibi wo kasaneru tabi ni
tsuyoi tokimeki wa setsunasa ni naru yo
moshimo eien to yuu mono ga aru nara
toomawari shite demo shinjite mitai
"bukiyou dakara KIZUtsuku koto mo aru" to
wakatte mo tomaranai mou dare ni mo makenai
"Triple Toe!" Kailei skated into one and landed it perfectly. "Your turn."
anata no koto wo omou
sore dake de namida ga
ima afuredashite kuru yo
hakanai omoi zutto
donna toki demo negau yo
anata ni todoku you ni to...
tsuyogaru koto dake shiri-sugite-ita watashi
dakedo ano toki kara mayoi wa kieta yo
misetai to omou mono ga kitto atte
kikasetai kotoba mo takusan aru
egao nakigao mo zenbu mite hoshikute
matte-iru watashi wa yamete
"CHANSU" wo tsukamu yo
They went like this for a while, one of them calling out a move and then all three doing it simultaneously. Little by little, Wynn began to land her jumps again. By now, the other skaters had left the ice, and were now watching as the three best friends landed jump after jump. They were so good, it astounded me to know that Kailei and Ellie weren't on the JGG US women's figue skating team. They were good enough to be.
anata no koto wo omou
sore dake de kokoro ga
tsuyoku nareru ki ga suru yo
hakanai omoi zutto
donna toki demo negau yo
anata ni todoku you ni to...
Wynn suddenly bolted from the small group, leapt into the air and landed in a sit-spin. How I knew? I had guessed. Her hair flew out of its scrunchie, even though it was still in a French braid. My jaw dropped. What a goddess!
anata no koto wo omou
sore dake de namida ga
ima afuredashite kuru yo
tookute koe ga todokanai dakedo itsuka wa
kanarazu todoku you ni
shinjite la la la la la la...
shinjite la la la la la la...
shinjite la la la la la la...
Ellie skated back over to the stereo at the end of the song and said, "Wynn-chan's got her groove back!" She changed songs and skated back over to them. Before dragging Kailei away, she said, "Good luck! Give us a show, eh?"
Wynn nodded and began to skate parts of her routine. Back in the stands, Kailei stalked up the steps to me. "What are you doing here?" she snapped. For a moment I thought she had switched personalities with her cousin. "I want to talk to her." She shook her head. "No can do, kiddo," she replied.
"Can't or won't?" I shot back. She smirked. "You've got guts coming here. Why do you want to speak with her?"
I was about to say that it was none of her business, but if I said or did anything wrong, there was a chance I would not live to see my next birthday. "I want to apologize. She told us everything, but didn't let us apologize," I answered quietly. "I want to talk to her. I need to talk to her. Please?" I really did not want to beg, but before I left they told me to do whatever it takes to talk to her, even if that meant begging and crying, two things I really didn't want to have to do.
Kalei turned back to look at Wynn, and then dragged me a good distance away. "She has ears better than a dog's," she explained. "Look, I can't and won't promise you anything, but come to the competition. It's at seven. She skates last, I think, so that would be around eight. She skates against Germany, Iceland, and Canada. It would mean a bunch to her if you came." Without waiting for an answer, she ran back down to the ice.
Eight was when our game started. This would not be good. I turned and started for the dorms to relay my news to the team.
"So, you might get a chance?" Charlie asked. I nodded. "That's what I was told. So I intend on going down there and trying to talk to her before she skates." I stard down at my arm. I still had it in a sling. I was not going to play the final game. I would not be playing for a while.
I sat down on the couch and began to think of what I would say to her. I pictured myself walking up to her and saying, 'Hey Wynn. I hope you doo good. Will you please come back? We are nothing without you!', but that only counted for me and it would be rather stupied to include everyone else in my madness.
I thought of another approach, a cool, smooth approach. That only ended with me geeting a black eye for being an ass. This was not good. I couldn't be a blundering fool in front of her, and I definately could not act like a jerk in front of her. I could just try to be myself, though. Maybe that would work. Hours went by and I finally left the gang to go see Wynn in her final skate. Everyone wished me luck. I was even wishing myself luck.
It was around seven-thirty when I got there. I stood in the stands trying to find her, but she was nowhere to be seen. I swore under my breath. A hand poked me ont the shoulder. I jumped, turning around to see Kailei with a rin on her face. "You made it! We all thought you weren't gonna show. Everyone of us girls know. Wynn's down there. Follow me, please." She began to walk down the steps, but turned when she looked back at me. I was not following her. I had this sudden urge to freeze up and forget what I was going to say to Wynn.
She smirked. I glared. She really was not helping. "I'lkl give you a few minutes to gather whatever dignity you have left." I nodded weakly, still incredibly frozen. By the time I had snapped back to reality, it was seven fifty-five. Crap!
Luckily, Kailei came back up and dragged me down to where the final skaters were waiting. And there she was, standing there, facing the ice. Her hair had been curled and swept into a braided bun. Her skating outfit, or whatever they were called, was a beautiful blue color. The sleeves were long and the V-shaped tips went to the knuckles of her middle fingers. The skirt of the outfit went to just above her knees. I sighed.
Kailei pushed me forward. I took a deep breath, and tapped Wynn on the shoulder.
Wynn's POV
I turned when I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Yes?" I said quietly, reaching up to my ears to remove the earplugs. Once they were in my hands, I could hear someone say, "Wynn? Can we talk?"
It was Adam. I frowned. "What are you doing here?" I demanded, my tone icy. His hand dropped to his side, and he sighed. "Please?" He sounded hopeful. "Fine, but make it fast!"
He pulled me away from the cheers of the crowd. Thank Kami I had taught myself to filter out sounds when I felt like it. "Well, what is it?" I asked, crossing my arms. He hesitated, and I faintly heard scores being read. "Could you hurry it up? I'm next."
That seemed to get him going. "Wynn, don't go."
"But I have to. I skate next, remember?"
"No!" he replied. "Don't leave us! Don't go back to Hawaii." I blinked. "I-I can't, Adam. I have to go back. It's safer for me there." Why was he making this harder for me? "It's not, and we both know it. The team needs you here, Wynn," he said.
"And now our final skater, Wynry Kinomoto form Makai, Hawaii," said the announcer. I began to pull away, but he grabbed me and tugged me back. "Adam, please! I have to go!" I all but yelled. I raised an eyebrow. He just pulled me with his sprained wrist. Interesting.
"Stay with us, Wynry. Stay...with me," he whispered. I froze. "What did you say?" I murmured. "Last call for Wynry Kinomoto," the annoucer repeated. With a final tug, I was out of Adam's grip and moving out onto the ice after I removed my skate guards.
The music played softly as I skated into position.
All my life
There was just me and my dreams
And the days went ticking by
Like the beat of my heart
I spun, jerking my head up as I skated in semi-cirlces, my hands moving above my head.
Spend my nights wondering how it would feel
When the waiting would end and tomorrow would start
Suddenly I see a light
Out of the darkneess I'm coming alive
My body moved into a triple toe, which I landed, despite my wandering mind. My moventes became faster as I spun around backwards into a layback spin.
This how it feels reaching for heaven
Is this how it feels kissing the sky
This what it means touching forever
Like a phoenix rising from the flames
I'm reaching for heaven
Coming out of the layout into a slower speed, I turned and skated into a double lutz, and then did a figure eight. Things were looking up. Still, I could not stop thinking about what Adam had said to me. Did he mean it? Could he...
All this time
I never knew I was so strong
But you made me find the fire
That was there all along
In your eyes
I can see all I can be
I was spinning slowly, one spin, then a pause, followed by another spin. I blinked, stopping. Adam...did he really mean to say what he did. 'Stay with us, Wynry. Stay...with me.' A grin formed on my face. He wanted me to stay.
Suddenly I want it all
I know you'll catch me whenever I fall
I spun once more and jumped into a spilt. Coming back down on one foot, I went back down onto one knee, my other skate scraping against the ice. I came back up, adding another triple Sochow into my routine. I paid no attention to the crowd and their cheers.
This how it feels reaching for heaven
Is this how it feels kissing the sky
This what it means touching forever
Like a phoenix rising from the flames
I'm reaching for heaven
I leaned down until my left palm grasped my skate, the other one rising into a perfect one hundred eighty degree angle. Straight up and down. As I skated backwards and began to lower myself, I began to spin. Faster and faster I spun until both skates were on the ice.
You alone have shown me
Shining new horizons
Now for all I owe you
It's my turn to show you
A triple axel was my next move, followed by a triple toe.
This how it feels reaching for heaven
Is this how it feels kissing the sky
This what it means touching forever
Like a phoenix rising from the flames
I'm reaching for heaven
I completed one final layback spin before jumping into a sit spin.
Reaching for heaven
This how it feels kissing the sky
This what it means touching forever
Like a phoenix rising from the flames
I'm reaching for heaven
Coming up form the sit spin I spun until the music stopped. My toe pick slammed into the ice, stopping me as I did a final pose.
Reaching for heaven
Heaven
I took a deep breath and let it out as I bowed. Inwardly I groaned. If my assumtions were correct, flowers were being thrown. I always hated that part. So I waited a moment as I listened to my scores as they were called out.
"5.7, 5.8, 6.0, 5.9."
"Well, it looks like the USA takes the gold!" the announcer screamed. A second later I was pummeled by my teammates. "We did it! We did it!" they all shouted. All I could do was smile and jump around alond with them. Then I gasped. "Uh, I gotta go, guys! It's been real!" I called as I broke away from the group and skated off the ice. I hurriedly removed my skates as my friends came up to me. "Guys..." I trailed off. My hockey bag was placed into my hands. "Knock 'em dead, Wynn-chan," said Cody. I grinned. "You guys know me better than I know myself. I won't even ask how you knew." I sighed. How was I going to get there on time?
"Your transportation has already been arranged," said Hayley after I had changed into everything except my skates. "You'll be riding on Ellie's baby and using Tohru for speed." I grinned as my dog yipped and barked happily. "Let's go."
I placed one boot on the skateboard, and then the other, trying to find my balance. I gripped Tohru's leash in my gloved hand and said, "Run, girl!" She took off, bringing me with her. I could here Ellie following me; she only wanted to make sure I didn't break her board.
"S'cuse me!" I bellowed. "Coming through!"
"Turn left now!" Ellie shouted. I switched my weight over as Tohru turned sharply. "Incoming!" I screamed.
Tohru stopped, signalling our arrival, but I was still moving. I took a foot off the skateboard and placed it on the ground, coming to a halt. Ellie came in moments later, shouting, "Well done! I hope you didn't break my board, cause if you did..."
"Wynn?" I heard several voices ask. I leaned down to scratch my dog's ears. "That's a good girl. When we get home, you're getting a treat," I whispered to her before standing.
"You're here? You aren't leaving!" I heard Connie shout. I nodded weakly. "I guess. I kind of changed my mind. Is that all right?" I asked.
"Yeah, it is! Are you gonna play?" Julie answered for them. "Oh, and Adam's-"
"Wrist is healed. I know," I said. "I figured as much when he tugged on my arm with his left hand." I smiled softly. "Speaking of mended wrists, if Adam plays, who sits out? I mean, I know I'm sitting out; I'm used to it."
"Well," said Coach, "You weren't benched. You were still technically considered playing, but I just never let you on the ice. And Charlie here decided to let Russ play in his stead."
Everything was settled right then and there. We got ready, and skated out onto the rink. We were nervous, but we were going to win.
Right?
Luis's POV
The whistle blew, and the game started. As usual, Iceland wasn't giving us an inch to skate on. They kept shoving into us hard and fast and at any angle, and the ref didn't say a thing. 'Maybe Coach Stansson bought them all off,' I thought after I rose from yet another tackle. We changed places and I skated back to the bench. "Those guys should be football players, not hockey players," I muttered. All through the game, they pummeled us. The announcer was not even helping, but he was supposed to tell everyone what was going on, even if it didn't favor us.
They scored very early in the game. Twice. And they were not about to let up.
Coach sent Adam out, only to have him smacked with an opponent's stick seconds later. Sanderson, or whatever the blond goon's name was, was sent to the bench. Somehow, we were not able to cure Dwayne of his 'showoffyness', because while he was moving the puck around, he was checked from behind. The puck was stolen, and the Iceland player who had it was on the brakaway down the ice. I skated after him, picking up speed in a matter of nanoseconds.
I dove, trying to knock the puck out of his reach.
I ended up dragging both us and the puck right into Goldie- right into the net. They scored yet another point.
We tried the Flying V; that failed miserably. They were too big, stoo strong, and they 'had more facial hair', as Averman put it. They knew everything about us, and had a lot more time to train to stop us. Not like there was much to stop. They were even taller than Dwayne and Banks, and having one of them in full gear on your back felt like a ton. Really.
They scored yet again right before second period, bringing the score to 4-0 in their favor.
When the annoucer said that we needed something big to turn the game around, we sent out the Bash Brothers. Then, when Ken had the puck, he split the d by jumping over them. Wynn said it was a triple axel when I asked her. By splitting the d, it gave Fulton time to get the puck. He passed it to Ken, and Ken scored our first goal of the game! He smartmouthed the goalie, who chased him down. Ken turned and did what Russ's older brother had taught him. He dropped his stick, took off his gloves, and pulled his jersey over the guy's head before pounding his fist into his pads! He was sent to the penalty box.
The Bash Brothers roughed the opposing team up a bit and brought the crowd to its feet. It was like they were about to break free from the stands! But when they began to torture the Icelanders while they were on the bench, they got sent to the penalty box. And when Connie was sent out there, they wasted no time in crashing and bashing into her. The puck went into the rounded corner, and Connie went to get it, not noticing the Icelander coming after her. "Connie, get out of there!" we all shouted. Apparently, she could not hear us. She continued to try to get the puck out.
Suddenly, Dwayne shouted, "Yeehaw!", grabbed the lasso that was by his side, and proceeded to skate out there after the ofender. Just as he was closing in on Connie, who now saw him, he was caught by Robertson, who tugged him back to him and said, "Where I come from, we treat ladies with respect." Now that he was standing, Connie pushed him. "Thank you, Dwayne, but I'm no lady. I'm a Duck."
And, as anyone would have guessed it, he was sent to the penalty box for roping, and that was how the second period ended.
Charlie's POV
We trudged back to the lockerroom, talking about what had happened amongst ourselves. "Did ya'll enjoy that?" Coach asked us as we took off our jerseies and relaxed a little. "Yeah!" we chorused.
"Well, so did they," said Coach. "Because they are three ponits up, and we are one period away from defeat." That knocked us down form Cloud Nine. We all sat down by our stuff and Jesses objected, "Well, if we can't beat them, at least we can keep our pride."
"No, Jesse, that's not pride," corrected Coach Bombay. He began to explain to us why what we were doing wasn't the right thing to do. "We're not goons," he added. "We're not bullies, and no matter what people say or do, we have to be ourselves." He pointed to Portman. "You? Who are you?"
"Dean Portman," he answered. "From where?" Coach asked. "From Chicago, Illinois." He pointed again.
"Guy Germaine."
"From where?"
"Saint Paul, Minnesota"
"Jesse Hall from Minneapolis, Minnesota."
"Julie Gaffney from Bangor, Maine."
"Luis Mendoza, Miami, Florida." Luis stood up slowly, and as we called out our names and where we were from, we all began to stand up as well.
"I'm Greg Goldberg, Philidelphia, Pennsylvania."
"Lester Averman, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota."
"Fulton Reed, Stillwater, Minnesota."
"Russ Tyler, South Central Los Angeles."
"I'm Charlie Conway, Minneapolis, Minnesota."
"Ken Wu, San Francisco, California."
"I'm Connie Moreau, Minneapolis, Minnesota."
"Adam Banks, Edina, Minnesota."
"Dwayne Roberston, Austin, Texas."
"I'm Wynn Kinomoto, Makai, Hawaii."
"I'm Michelle McKay, Delouth, Minnesota," said our tutor.
"And I'm Gordon Bombay, Minneapolis, Minnesota," our Coach finished. We all began to cheer. "We're Team USA, gathered from all across America. And we're gonna stick together. You know why?" he added.
"Because we are Ducks, and ducks fly together," came a voice from behind him I recognized as Yan. We all turned to looka at him.
"That's right, Yan. And just when you think the gong gets tough," Coach said, "ducks fly together."
"And when the wind blows hard and the sky is black?" Ms. McKay asked.
"Ducks fly together!" we chanted.
:And when the roosters are crowin' and the cows are spinnin' circles in the pasture?" Dwayne put in. I blinked. What did he say? Even so, we chanted, "Ducks fly together!"
"And when everyone says it can't be done, ducks fly together," Coach said softly.
"Now, new Ducks, and old Ducks must unite under a new banner. And I thought, perhaps, something like this," said Yan.
We stepped back out there for our final period wearing our new uniforms Yan got for us. We were the Ducks, and proud of it.
Dwyane's POV
This was gonna be the best final period of any game in the history of JGG. We skated around the ice and whooped to our hearts' content, bringing the crowd to its feet. That, along with the new spirit we each carried, we sere sure to win. We took our psostions, some of us on the ice by the bench, and the rest of us standing around Coach on the bench. "Quack, quack, quack, quack..." we chanted. The crowd began to chant along with us. "Goooooooooo, Ducks!" The crowd that was cheering for our victory began to sing, "We Will Quack You" as the stomped and clapped.
On the other side of the plexiglass that separated us from the Icelanders. they chanted, "Iceland," in their funny little accents that sounded a lot like, "Iz Land." We took our places, and Wynn took the center ice. She was going to do the faceoff. This was gonna be her first time on the ice, and she was positively beaming. She faced the other guy who was going up against her, and she laughed, loud enough for us to hear over on the benches.
Before the puck was dropped, she just had to say something in another language. 'I wonder what it was that she said,' I thought. The puck was dropped, and Wynn smacked the puck and shoved him down simultaneously. She passed it to Ken, who shot it to Connie, who scored the goal, bringing us closer to their score.
Sadly, Gunner Stahl took the puck from Averman as he was coming around the goal after they had missed a shot, and scored a goal. We were now back to where we had ended the second period. They came back to the bench to find that Charlie had created a play, which Les claimed looked like something from the NBA. We changed places and I went out onto the rink. After the toss, I managed to get the puck and skate behind our goal, where Adam took it and dribbled down to center ice before giving it back.
At the cry of, "Now, cowboy," I shot the puck into the air and watched it fly. Everyone was staring at the thing until Banks skated off again and scored a goal, even if he was knocked down in the process.
I'm not exactly sure when, but Luis got the puck and started skating on the brakeaway down the ice. We held our breath. Was he going to stop? Or would he crash into the goalie like he did with Goldberg, and the metal fence, and the wall, and the soda cans Yan had set up? Ice ships flew into the opposing goalie's face, and for a moment we all gaped at Luis's feat.
"Put it in, Luis!" Coach screamed. Luis, snapping out of his stupor, shot the puck into the equally amazed goaltender. We had scored another goal.
With two minutes left in the period, Coach Bombay sent Russ in to do his knuclepuck. But the second her got the puck, he was clobbered by those Texas longhorns in hockey uniforms. We had to think of something, otherwaise he would never get to score. Coach called everyone in and began to tell us his plan, which the other team had no chance of overhearing. It was pretty good, too.
They all went back out there and kept the puck in our own domain. Guy passed it to Luis, and he gave the puck to the goalie, who had come up behind him. His helmet was removed to reveal...Russ! He had taken Goldie's place. The removed the gloves and took the stick Germaine gave him. He lined up the puck, and gave it his all. The puch went flying down the ice.
FWISH!!!!!
It sailed beyond the goalie and into the net, tying up the score as the seconds ran out. That meant only one thing: a shoot-out. That's where each team picks five players o go mano-a-mano with the other team's goalie, no rebounds. The best of five wins. Jesse went first. He circled the puck and went when the referee said to. He scored.
But so did the other team.
Guy went. He scored. Iceland's next player missed, but then, so did I. Their next player got past Goldberg, and our Fulton got us a point as well. The shot almost knocked the goalie out, too! Iceland's fouth player scored.
And then it was Adam's turn. He checked his wrist, and gave each one of us a solemn glance before heading down the ice. Tensio began to mount as he skated. If he missed, we would have to pray that the rival team missed, or else we would lose.
He scored. The crowd cheered, and now all we had to do was wait and hope that their fifth skater choaked up. Their fifthe skater was Gunner Stahl. That was when Coach made Julie and Goldberg switch places. None of us really knew why, until after the shot was made. Gunner shot for the glove side, and that was why Julie replaced Greg. She had the faster glove. Gunner shot the puck, and we all held our breath. Did he miss?
Julie stood up straight, skated forward, and dropped the puck. We had won. It was over. We jumped out of our seats and skated over to her, throwing our gloves and helmets into the air and screaming. We then, after calming down slightly, shook hands with them, and then came the US flag Charlie waved around as the audience shouted, "Quack, quack, quack..."
We were going home as champions.
Oww! This chapter hurt! It took me FOREVER to get this done. The computer broke, and I had two other stories I have started writing, which I hope you all read. The epilogue is up next, and that might be long, and I already have the first chappie of the sequel! Read and review, my pretties!
Til then, Jan ne and keep the peace,
The Wind Charmer