SailorStar9: Nya? Chapter 25 goes up and only one review!
Kakashi: (fetal position on the floor) The...corn...!
SailorStar9: Silence...sacred moment right here.
Disclaimers: I own nothing, well except the pairing.
Chapter 26: The Humiliating Expedition
In Germany…
"Everything you see here belongs to Bayern Munich." Ryo gushed.
"Yes, the football and tennis courts." Ami confirmed. "The field is 15 sq. meters."
"Awesome." Ryo gaped.
"So you spent 3 years in this great place." Kazou remarked.
"That's right." Genzo voiced from behind.
"Wakabayashi." Ryo gaped.
"Captain." Taki beamed. "Long time no see."
"Are you guys chosen to be on the Japan team?" Genzo inquired. "Ishizaki, you too?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ryo protested.
"Peacock, I thought we were over the 'Ishizaki is useless' phase?" Ami joked.
"I may be over the phase, but he still acts useless." Genzo smirked. "You grew out your hair."
"5 months and that's the first things you say to me?" Ami quirked a brow, unamused.
"Long time no see, Wakabayashi." Hyuuga cut in the couple's playful bantering.
"Hyuuga, I kept our promise." Genzo greeted his long-tome rival. "You have to kick in the penalty area."
"I'll make it." Hyuuga swore.
"You look confident." Genzo noted. "I didn't spend 5 years in Germany for nothing."
"Okay, show me what you learned in Germany tomorrow." Hyuuga stated.
I guess Tsubasa is not here because of his shoulder. Genzo mused. Without Tsubasa, japan has no chance of winning tomorrow.
That night…
"The Sapphire Starfire Gem…" Genzo started. "Its power is…"
"Yeah." Ami nodded. "It was Usagi who defeated the dark mana in the end, and ironically, that's what caused the Starfire Gems to regain all of their power."
Flashback
"…" Moon clutched her head and fell to her knees. "I... It's happening," she said almost in a whisper. Then her face changed, becoming emotionless, and her body was surrounded by an aura of light. "Moon Holy Power!"
The other Senshi got ready for the fight as Moon's suit was modified. When the transformation ended, a pair of angel-like wings were on her back. Moon fled up and stared down at the others. "It's time to stop playing. This time I won't let any of you live. It'll be a lot of fun to hear your leader's mental screams when she watches as I kill you one by one..." Her voice had been dropping down as she spoke, and now it was a deep, booming growl. "Bow before your Queen, or die standing. Your choice. "
"Big words, but you can't back them," Uranus snapped.
"So I can't... Moon Eternal Beam!"
"Ocean Sphere!" Neptune used her attack like a barrier, and it blocked Moon's energy beam. However, Moon didn't let the attack down, and the wall started cracking under the pressure. "I... I can't hold this for much longer... Death Legion!" Saturn twirled her staff around her, the weapon creating blobs of energy that floated down to the ground. When she was done, there were a hundred of these blobs surrounding her. The blobs turned into wraiths, but these weren't small, in fact they were twice their summoner's size. Saturn pointed her glaive as she completed her attack.
Moon smirked and let the wraiths surround her, but then shot an energy wave all around her, vaporizing them. "Nice try..."
Saturn leaned on her staff and frowned. "Sorry guys, out of power... "
"Oh don't worry, you all will be dead in a few minutes," Moon said.
"You're a fool."
Moon turned to glare at Tuxedo Kaman. "What?"
"You heard me. Dark mana or whatever you want to call yourself. You can be defeated by us weaklings. Let me show you..." he summoned the Golden Crystal and changed into his Prince Endymion self.
"Oh come on, Endy, you won't hurt your precious Usako, would you?" Moon taunted.
Moon... No, the creature controlling Moon's body knew all that already. It had not considered Tuxedo Kaman a real threat, and that could be its downfall. It could already feel Moon trying to regain control as Endymion released the Golden Crystal's power. Moon's face showed fear, an emotion the dark mana had never experienced before. In fact, it could quite well be the first emotion it felt on its own.
But it was not about to give up. Not when victory was so close at hand. It only had to get rid of the caped hero and then eliminate the others. And it knew just how.
Endymion frowned as she saw Moon's arms raising. "C'mon Usako... You gotta fight it. Please..."
"She can't, little boy. How ironic, the one you want to save will be the one that'll destroy you."
"No... I won't let you win," Endymion said. His eyes glew brighter as he grabbed his Golden Crystal and glared at Moon.
A golden beam of energy blasted forwards at Moon, but the elder Senshi of the Moon didn't look worried at all. In fact she had summoned her own crystal and was about to counter with an attack of her own.
"Moon Silver Crystal Wave!"
The energy beam was just like Endymion's, only white. As the beams clashed, however, it was obvious there was a lot more power in Moon's one. Endymion tried to pour more and more energy into his own beam, but with the dark mana's energy reserves being way higher, he was fighting a hopeless battle.
If the other Senshi had had any energy left in them, they would have helped. In fact, one of them decided to try anyways. Uranus charged at Moon, sword drawn and ready to strike, but slammed face-first in an invisible barrier.
"Damn..." Mars muttered.
Just then, Endymion ran out of power. His beam wavered off, and Moon's one hit her dead on, sending her crashing into a building, the energy of the attack completely wrecking the structure and causing it to fall over Endymion. The others looked on worriedly, and heard a battle-cry from inside the wreckage and Endymion rushed out of it, sword drawn. However, Moon smiled coldly and shot a single, thin energy blast. It passed right through Endymion's chest, and the Earth Prince fell to his knees.
"I... couldn't..." he managed to say as his mouth filled with blood, reverting back to his Tuxedo Kaman form, before falling to the ground in a lifeless heap.
"That beam shot right through his heart," Saturn said. "He's dead... "
"This can't be happening," Venus muttered.
"Wait... Moon is not moving," Mars noted.
The others turned to look at Moon. By now, the dark mana should be gloating over its victory, but Moon wasn't even moving a muscle. She stared for several moments at Tuxedo Kaman's dead body then a scream escaped her mouth.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
What happened next was amazing to say the least. Moon's body lit up with energy, and columns of light blasted out of every sewer hole around the city. The ground under Moon cracked as energy poured into the sewers, seeking and destroying all of the dark mana in the city.
The rage from seeing her love die by her own hand had been enough for Moon to literally kick the dark mana out of her body, but her connection to it was kept as the evil 'creature' tried to regain control. That same rage had allowed her to literally vaporize any traces of dark mana she could find, but right now, the rage was gone. All that was left was a feeling of guilt like she'd never experienced before.
The Ginzuishou's energy utterly spent, the crystal broke apart, releasing the trapped Starfire Gems' energies and reverting back to its original Pearl Starfire Gem form.
As her friends started walking towards her, Moon could only kneel on the ground and start crying; the Senshi's Starfire Gems reclaiming all of their power and allowing the Senshi to return to their original 'Aeon' forms back during the Golden Millennium.
"Saturn Resurrection!" Although tired like she'd never been, Saturn still knew she had to revive Tuxedo Kaman.
The next day…
The friendly match started with Hyuuga charging straight towards Schneider. "Takeshi." He passed the ball to Sawada. Wakabayashi, I created the 'Tiger Shot' while you were away. He readied his shot and fired, the ball missing its mark. "That was just a greeting, Wakabayashi." He declared. "I will have my eyes on the goal, that's for sure."
"Got it." Kazou stole the ball.
"No response whatsoever." Masao remarked, running alongside with his twin. "So, there's nothing great about Wakabayashi.
"Big brother, we will get Japan into the game." Kazou promised. "Come on, Nita."
"Okay." Nita caught the pass as Masao shot his twin into the air, Nita making an overhead pass to the flying Kazou.
"This is our 'Flying Drive Shot'!" Kazou let the ball fly with a header, with Genzo caught skillfully. "What?" he gasped as Genzo tossed the ball out.
"It's my turn." Nita took over, passing the ball to Matsuyama.
"Nita!" Matsuyama passed the ball over.
"I'll show you." Nita made his shot, to with Genzo caught with relative ease.
"Okay, I'm next." Soda snatched the ball. "Razor Shot! What?" he gaped when Genzo caught the shot.
Wakabayashi. Matsuyama mused. Mizuno was right. The Germany stay did him good. Then, try and catch mine. "Eagle Shot!" he fired his shot. "What?" he gaped when Genzo dived to save the ball.
"Damn!" Nita cursed.
"Let's go." Ryo encouraged. "Wakabayashi is the only good player in Bayern Munich."
"For us, it's an easy game." Jito boasted.
"Come on, Takeshi." Hyuuga called. "What?" he gasped when Kaltz stole the pass.
"I'm gonna get it back." Nita promised.
"Let's do it." Kaltz told the team, spitting out his toothpick.
"What?" Ryo gaped as the German team started to make rapid passes. "They picked up their paces all of a sudden.
"What's going on?" Jito wondered.
"Listen, you guys." Genzo called. "I've made you attack on purpose to test your strengths."
"What?" Hyuuga demanded. "You're testing us? You're kidding me."
"Hyuuga." Matsuyama beamed as Hyuuga stole the ball from Kaltz.
"Alright." Ryo cheered.
With a simple twist of his body, Schneider knocked Hyuuga off his feet, stealing the ball. Breaking through the mid-fielders, he made his shot.
Wakashimazu was too stunned to respond, earning the German team their first goal.
"What's that?" Wakashimazu gaped.
"What?" Ryo complained. "A goal so fast."
It was not long before Schneider scored a second goal with his trademark 'Fire Shot'.
"The ball flies into his hands." Wakashimazu noted. "This shot is faster than Captain's 'Tiger Shot'.
"Bastards." Soda cursed as the gloating German team. "What are you smiling about?"
"You think you're gonna win with that?" Matsuyama swore.
"Are you kidding?" Wakashimazu growled. "I won't let it end."
The first half ended with Schneider making his third goal minutes before the whistle sounded.
On the bench…
"They're tough." Sawada admitted.
"I wanted to get another point." Ryo hissed. "But they got another point."
"That's why I warned you guys about underestimating them." Ami voiced. "Don't give up. It's only the first half."
"They're really fast." Soda noted. "How do we turn it around?"
"Japan, go!" Tsubasa shouted.
"Ara, our 'Field Samurai' enters the scene." Ami grinned as Tsubasa entered the field with Katagiri.
"Tsubasa." Ryo beamed.
"It really is Tsubasa." Taki exclaimed.
"You're here." Ryo gaped.
"You're here, Tsubasa." Genzo noted.
"Is he the one you often talk about?" Schneider inquired.
"Yes, he's the soccer genius, Oozora Tsubasa." Genzo replied.
"Why are you here?" Ryo wondered.
"I couldn't wait to play with you guys." Tsubasa replied. "I just had to come."
"Oozora, is your shoulder okay now?" Mikami inquired.
"Yes." Tsubasa assured.
"I see." Ryo nodded. "Go on the latter half."
"Yeah." Matsuyama agreed.
"It's too bad Tsubasa can't play." Ami corrected.
"Why?" Ryo pressed.
"Tsubasa is not listed as a player in this game." Misugi supplied.
"How can that be?" Ryo muttered. "Tsubasa is here."
"If Tsubasa joins us, then we have a chance." Sawada noted.
"Stop being so pessimistic." Hyuuga chided. "We haven't lost yet. I'm going to win this game."
"Yes, it's awful to say that we can't win without Tsubasa." Matsuyama agreed. "We might not always have the best players in the future. We must win with the players that are on the field.
"Yeah, Matsuyama is right." Tsubasa concurred. "We still have the second half. Come on."
On the field…
The second half started.
"Looks like Tsubasa is not here." Genzo noted. "If Tsubasa doesn't play, Japan will still have a zero."
"What?" Hyuuga growled. "Bastard, we must win. We can't have them say that we can't win without Tsubasa. Takeshi!" he passed the ball.
Schneider cut into the pass, snatching the ball.
"Don't underestimate me!" Wakashimazu roared, diving to save Schneider's fourth 'Fire Shot'.
"Cool, Wakashimazu." Ryo beamed. "Wakashimazu." He came up to the injured keeper.
"Morisaki." Ami looked over at the benched keeper.
"Wait, I'm going out." Wakashimazu stopped her. "The game's just started."
"Not with your hand like that." Ryo protested.
"Listen to the team physician." Hyuuga advised. "Just leave the rest to us."
"Captain." Wakashimazu muttered. "I understand."
"Morisaki replaces Wakashimazu as the goalkeeper." Mikami called the replacement.
"Infirmary, now." Ami barked as the returning keeper.
"Yes." Wakashimazu muttered, following the team physician off.
It was not long before Schneider made his fourth and fifth shots into the Japan goalpost.
It's not fair, that's now we are. Hyuuga mused. Tsubasa, smile. This is who we are. "Matsuyama!" he barked once Matsuyama stole Schneider's ball.
"The game is not over yet." Matsuyama swore. "We will fight until the last second. That's the endurance of Japanese players."
"Hyuuga!" Sawada caught Matsuyama's pass and made a pass to Hyuuga.
"Come on, Hyuuga." Ryo urged once Hyuuga trapped the ball under his foot.
"Kick, Hyuuga." Matsuyama called. "As the best striker in Japan, shoot!"
"I'm going." Hyuuga declared. The winner is out. At least score with some long kicks. I'm the one who almost gave up. They're passing the ball to me.
"Hyuuga's fake moves…" Genzo gaped as Hyuuga feinted the German defenders. "You want it this bad?"
"Take that." Hyuuga growled, bypassing the last defender and made his shot.
"Alright." Jito cheered once the ball shot through the net, Genzo having let the ball in.
"We got a point back." Nita beamed.
"Nice shot, Hyuuga." Masao cheered.
"You ran away." Genzo stated. "I thought you'd made a long kick.
"What did you say?" Hyuuga growled.
"There's a 5 point difference." Genzo reminded. "There's no way you'll win. Do you want this point so bad?"
"What?" Hyuuga demanded.
"Forget it." Genzo shrugged. "I'll give this point to you as a present. Such a sucky captain, you'll never learn in France."
"Bastard." Hyuuga hissed.
"Calm down, Hyuuga." Jito warned as he and Takasugi pulled the enraged Hyuuga back. "Hyuuga, stop."
"Let go." Hyuuga demanded.
"Hyuuga." Tsubasa voiced.
"I know." Hyuuga relented. "Let go." He shrugged Jito off. "Matsuyama." He passed the captain armband to Matsuyama and walked.
"Hyuuga…" Tsubasa muttered.
After the match…
"Genzo, I'm sorry." Mikami apologized. "Giving you these hateful jobs."
"It's nothing." Genzo assured his mentor.
Flashback
"We must let Japan know, no matter what, how strong and tough European soccer is." Mikami told his former protégé. "We must show them in any kind of way. Please Genzo. Please accept this position."
"Okay, I know." Genzo nodded. "Mikami."
"Mataku." Ami sighed. "Real hardball, Peacock." She chided.
"But is it going to work?" Genzo wondered. "A team we scrambled up with Hyuuga as the focus."
"And now, it's splitting apart." Ami finished.
"If we don't go back as a team, that is it for us." Mikami added.
"Katagiri is going to be so pissed." Ami grinned.
"Hyuuga has grown." Genzo noted. "I'm happy, even if he said what he said. For his teammates, Hyuuga threw away his dignity for one point."
"Yeah." Mikami agreed.
"Mikami, have you made up your mind?" Genzo asked. "I'm going to represent Japan at the World Youth Soccer Cup."
"Wakashimazu will not approve." Ami predicted.
Omake
It Is My Density
"Demon,"
"Oh, hi Mr. Smith. The lawn looks great!"
"Monster,"
"Hello, Mrs. Thompson. You're out early today!"
"Hellspawn,"
"It's good to see you, too, Mr. Jenkins! How about them Mets?"
Uzumaki Naruto was making his way toward the Academy, whistling a happy tune and shouting a cheerful 'Good Morning' to all the nice people he met on his way.
He loved this town. Everyone was always so friendly, and went out of their way to acknowledge him every time he passed by. It really made him feel good about himself!
Naruto had just failed his genin exam for the third time; and Mizuki had unexpectedly offered a second chance, telling him about a 'secret' make-up exam.
Naruto had to say it: for a sensei, that Mizuki sure was cool to clue him in about that secret test. That was, until they met in the forest.
"That's right!" Mizuki shouted, eyes glittering with madness. "You are the Kyuubi no Youko! The Nine-Tailed Demon that attacked our village and killed all those people - including Iruka's parents!"
"I'm not sure I follow," Naruto confessed, totally bewildered by his part-time sensei's ranting. Was this, too, part of the exam?
"What the hell do you mean?" Mizuki fumbled, stopped short by this unexpected (lack of) reaction. "I just told you! You are the Demon Fox! You killed Yondaime!"
"I'm not really getting what you're saying," Naruto repeated, brow creasing and chin quirking up in a futile effort to understand.
"Your freaking birthday is October 10th," Mizuki gritted out a patient explanation, years of teaching experience winning out over weeks of traitorous plotting. "You know, the exact same day as the greatest disaster to ever befall the village?"
"You know my birthday?" Naruto asked excitedly. "That's so sweet! I knew you were a swell guy!"
"That's not the point!" Mizuki shouted (because even teachers have their limits). "Haven't you ever wondered why everyone calls you 'Demon', or 'Monster', or 'Slayer of Millions', or "Devourer of Souls', or…?"
"Oh, that?" Naruto scoffed, seeming to finally grasp the very straightforward concept Mizuki was presenting. "They're just being friendly."
Then again, maybe not.
"Friends make up nicknames for each other; the Old Man told me that. They think I'm a 'little devil' for pulling my pranks, so… "
"They're not being friendly!" Mizuki snapped, interrupting the blond-haired boy before he could continue. "They hate you! Why do you think they won't let you in their stores? Why do you think they won't let their children anywhere near you?"
"Well, it's not really up to me to argue with store policy," Naruto shrugged. "They've probably just had some bad experiences with unescorted children in the past, like shoplifting and such. It's just good business practice, when you think about it."
"And as for the parents, I think they just don't want me catching anything from those other kids. That boy Chouji has had the mumps forever! And that Shino kid has lice or something. The Inuzuka keeps a puppy on his head - and you know that can't be very sanitary. And I think that Shika has some kind of narca-, narco-… What's the word?"
"Narcolepsy?" Mizuki offered helpfully, completely at a loss at the turn this conversation had taken.
"Yeah, that's it! Narcolepsy. He has narcolepsy. I think. And that poor retarded girl has gone blind from syphilis. (Or maybe it's cataracts.) Isn't that a shame?" Naruto shook his head sorrowfully.
"The Uchiha is another one with vision problems," Naruto eventually continued, trying hard to remember all the other members of his age-group. "He's always rubbing his eyes and glaring at stuff."
"Between you and me," Naruto whispered conspiratorially. "I think some of these clan families are a little 'too close for comfort', if you know what I mean. They seem to have a lot of... issues."
"Anyway, the blond girl is anorexic. Or maybe bulimic. And pink hair? I hate to think of what kind of nasty virus could do that to a person. It must cause her a lot of physical discomfort, too, the way she acts."
"So it's for my own good, really," Naruto finally concluded, in what he considered to be a very grown-up way. "And I think it is just so thoughtful of them, to worry about my health like that. We really live in a great town!"
"Oh, for the love of... All right, give me a second here… " Mizuki replied after a moment, losing any desire to continue but soldiering on out of pure strength of will. "Oh, that's right: okay, so what about the marks on your belly?"
The adrenaline rush had worn off a while ago, and by now he was more interested in returning home to a soft bed than in any vague (and therefore highly questionable) promises of undefined 'power'.
"You know about my condition?" Naruto asked in a small, shaky voice, eyes wide with fear.
"Finally," Mizuki thought to himself, sighing with relief. "We are finally getting somewhere. How dense can this kid be?"
"I didn't think anyone knew about that," Naruto continued softly, his perpetually ebullient demeanor now replaced by an ill-suited, downcast expression. "I… I think I might be allergic to chakra. It only breaks out when I try to perform a technique. Do you know someone who can help me? I'd hate to end up like that bastard, Lee."
"The whisker marks," Mizuki suggested weakly, ignoring the boy's desperate question and grasping at straws. "What about those?"
"My birthmarks?" the attention-starved (in the ADD-sense) Uzumaki replied, bouncing right back to his normal, oblivious self. "Everybody has something weird like that. My friend, Ayame has one that looks like a strawberry, right on her-"
"There he is! This way!" Naruto was prevented from revealing the ramen girl's embarrassing secret by the sudden arrival of a squad of masked ANBU operatives.
"You're coming with us, Demon," the ANBU captain hissed. "For stealing the Forbidden Scroll-"
"It wasn't him!" Mizuki volunteered, showing recognizable signs of life for the first time in ten minutes. "I did it. Take me in, lock me up, do whatever you want - but for God's sake, get me away from that kid!"
Watching the ANBU gently lead the whimpering Mizuki away (with sympathetic tenderness, considering what that monster must have done to him), Naruto could only think, "Man, I love this town. People really care about each other here!"
He sniffed back a sentimental tear and made his way home; to sleep, to dream of one day becoming Hokage.
SailorStar9: If you're trying to write a Competent!Naruto, and he never figures out there might be some kind of connection between him and the 9-Tails despite all the clues? Start over.