SailorStar9: Nya? Chapter 31 goes up and only one review!
Disclaimers: I own nothing, well except the pairing.
Rorschach: You're posturing, I don't like that.
SailorStar9: Meh, the public does.
Rorschach: The public deserves to know the truth, stop stalling and tell them what they want to know.
SailorStar9: God, why'd I resurrect you again? (Eyes the morphing mas) Never mind, go torture Danzo.
Rorschach: Fine. (Hoists up a metal pipe) ...never liked pedophiles...or would be dictators.
Danzo: (Sitting bound to a char with a sack over his head) What is the meaning of this! Unhand me at once, you! (CRACK!) AAAUGH! MY LEG!
Rorschach: (Tossing the pipe that shattered Danzo's knee away) That little piggy got shattered. (Hoists up an electric drill over the other knee) This little Piggy's getting drilled.
Chapter 32: The Hateful Yellow Card
The referee pulled out a yellow card.
"Forget it, Tsubasa." Soda assured. "If you're going to get removed too, how are we going to play?" that said, he exited the field.
Minutes later, Pierre scored the second goal with the penalty kick.
"Catch up." Hyuuga voiced, picking up the ball. "We must fill in Soda's part."
"You're right."Matsuyama agreed. "Let's finish what Soda couldn't do."
Okay, let's go. Tsubasa decided, the team retaking their positions.
The whistle sounded and Misaki got Tsubasa's pass.
Misaki dodged the incoming slide-tackle, only to be pushed off by Napoleon, who then stole the ball.
"What kind of referee is he?" Hyuuga scowled, the referee not stepping in. "You must be kidding me. Let's go, Tsubasa. " he stole the ball back. "Tsubasa." he passed the ball over.
With three players closing in, Tsubasa kicked the ball backwards to Misaki.
"Kojiro!" Misaki made his pass.
"Okay." Hyuuga caught the ball. "Got it." he sent the ball into the net.
The whistle sounded, signaling an off-side offense and marking Hyuuga's goal a no ball.
"What?" Hyuuga growled. "You must be kidding. I got Misaki's pass by the defense line."
"Defense, everyone!" Matsuyama warned.
With France on the offensive, it was not long before they scored a third goal.
On the bench...
Genzo, I know you want to be on the field. Mikami looked at his student. But this is to get Wakashimazu used to an international game. Please wait a little longer. I'm sorry, Genzo.
On the field...
"How can we end here?" Hyuuga swore, as he led the attack. "We must get back the point. Come on, Misaki." he made his pass.
"Not a chance." Pierre cut in, battling with Misaki over the ball.
"Okay!" Tsubasa made his move and sent the ball into the net via an 'Overhead Kick'.
"What?" Hyuuga gasped when the whistle sounded yet again, the referee ruling the kick too dangerous.
"Defense!" Matsuyama told his fellow defenders. "We're finished if they get another point. We must keep out guard up."
"Let's go." Tsubasa stole French's ball.
"Tsubasa!" both Misaki and Hyuuga followed closely behind.
I must get a point. Tsubasa was determined, as he weaved past the French players. In order to get into the second half. "Okay, go!" he fired his shot, the ball hitting the goal bar and the goalkeeper saved the ball.
"No goal!" the referee declared.
"What?" Hyuuga growled.
No goal? Tsubasa gaped as the whistle sounded, signaling the end of the first half.
In the locker room...
"You guys..." Soda blinked as the team trooped in, Hyuuga kicking a chair in frustration.
"Damn..." Hyuuga cursed. "That referee ruled three no goals. We should be leading by one."
"I can't forgive him." Jito swore. "If we lose, he's a dead man."
"Calm down, Jito." Matsuyama chided.
What do we do? Tsubasa wondered. All the techniques will be ruled in favor for France. If this continues, we won't get the points back. Before he recalled Ami's statement, 'The referee is always right.' 'To become a worthy player, you must not be resentful of the ruling.' Roberto's advice echoed in his mind. 'You must take the ball and head for the goal. Don't hesitate. Defeat the enemy in your own way.' "Everyone." he addressed the team. "We shouldn't hate the referee. We should work harder. Fill in Soda's part. We will get the points in the latter half. We can turn the situation around. So, we're going to win, for sure."
"Tsubasa is right." Ryo agreed. "Along with Soda's part.
On the bench...
"Go, everyone." Mikami voiced. "We must win this game."
"Coach." Misugi stated. "I can go up anytime. Not just the last 10 minutes. I'm ready to go."
"Okay, I know." Mikami acknowledged.
On the field...
"Let's go, Misaki." Tsubasa declared, the Japan team starting off.
"Okay, Tsubasa." Misaki agreed.
"Misaki." Tsubasa made his pass. "Well then." he stopped, their passes having dissolved the French defense when Misaki was blocked off by Pierre.
Making the pass without a choice? Pierre grinned. That's...at his cue, the defenders dashed out as Tsubasa passed the ball over to Hyuuga.
Hyuuga smiled and let the ball pass him, the ball flying over to Matsuyama.
"Goal!" Matsuyama fired his shot. "Alright!" he cheered once the referee signaled the goal. "That's a goal out and out."
"Okay, one more point." Tsubasa told the team.
"Pierre..." Misaki looked over. We can't lose.
We can't give up, no matter how tough the referee is. Pierre mused. Japan, they're a great team. But they're not going to defeat France. The whistle sounded and he started to dribble towards the Japan's field.
"Steal the ball and bring it back." Tsubasa instructed.
"Not yet!" Hyuuga barked as he and Nita closed in, Pierre having bypassed Tsubasa and Misaki. "Stop him!"
Pierre simply weaved past the three players with ease. "Napoleon!" he made his pass.
"'Cannon Shot'!" Napoleon made his shot.
Wakashimazu blocked the shot with a hand, the ball deflecting out, before Napoleon aught the ball, sending it into the net.
"No goal!" the referee declared.
"What the..." Hyuuga was stunned. "Isn't he on the French side? Izawa." he blinked, seeing Mamoru on the ground.
On the bench...
"Coach, please put me on." Misugi requested.
"Okay." Mikami nodded."France has the advantage. Go get them."
On the field...
Mamoru was carried off, Misugi taking his place.
"I'll take care of Napoleon." Misugi told the team. "So, you're the attacker." he informed Tsubasa.
"I'm here, Pierre." Tsubasa charged. I realized that we can't win unless we don't get rid of Pierre.
That's right, Tsubasa. Misaki agreed. If we can do that, our luck will turn.
I can't lose. Pierre swore. Because France has so much expectation on me.
Both captains clashed, with Pierre winning the fight over the ball.
"Now!" Misugi gave the order as Pierre passed the ball.
"Okay." Napoleon caught the pass.
The whistle then sounded, stopping Napoleon in mid-step, he himself having been caught in Misugi's trademark 'Off-side Trap'.
"What?" Pierre gaped when Tsubasa came at him again.
I'd knew you'd do that. Misaki grinned knowingly.
"I won't give up, no matter how tough my opponent is." Tsubasa declared. "I will fight until I win. I will... get rid of you."
What's he thinking? Pierre wondered. Facing me head-on?
Tsubasa sped up, bypassing Pierre and leaving the French stunned. "Go in!" he weaved past the French team. "Then we'll be even." and fired his 'Drive Shot', pulling the equalizer.
"Do it, Napoleon.." Pierre told the striker.
"Really?" Napoleon smirked and the two charged.
"Let's go." Pierre declared. "Look at our 'Eiffel Attack'!" and the pair bypassed the Japan forwards with a volley of passes. "An elevator going straight up. The target, the Japanese goal. And attack modeled after the Eiffel Tower. The final measure of the final - 'Eiffel Attack'."
"Get between them!" Matsuyama barked. "Steal the ball."
Only Napoleon and I can bring out it's power. Pierre was determined as the pair weaved past the mid-fielders. We can't fail.
"I'll stop it." Misugi promised, clashing with Pierre head-on.
"Go, Napoleon!" Pierre passed the ball over via a header.
"Okay." Napoleon caught the pass. "'Cannon Shot'!"
"Not a chance!" Wakashimazu blocked the pending shot, but Napoleon fired the shot anyway, earning France its fourth goal.
With the French team on the defensive, the match restarted, with Tsubasa leading the attack.
Napoleon blocked Tsubasa's shot, Hyuuga reclaiming the ball, before finding himself marked by two players.
On the side, Matsuyama, too, was marked.
"There's no time." Hyuuga growled.
"Kojiro, here!" Misaki shouted.
"Come on!" Hyuuga made the pass.
Not yet. Misaki weaved through the two mid-fielders. We haven't lost yet. I'll shoot. If we win this game, we'll still be playing together. I want to be in the final, so we must win! He then headed straight for Pierre. "Go!" he dodged past Pierre.
"I can't!" Napoleon blocked Misaki's air assault.
It's finished. Misaki realized.
"Don't give up, Misaki!" Tsubasa barked, adding his leg into the fight over the ball. "Go!" both Japanese players fired the shot simultaneously, pulling the equalizer.
The whistle sounded, signaling the end of the match, the game entering into extended time.
Omake
A Blast from the Past
While there was no question (in his own mind, at least) that Kakashi was extremely upset¹ by the loss of his teammate, Uchiha Obito, he nonetheless felt that it simply would not properly honor the memory of his newly-considered 'best friend' to merely sit around and mope.
Not with the 'New Eye Smell' of that hidden Sharingan driving him to distraction 24/7, it sure wouldn't.
So without another thought, Kakashi leapt to his window, intent on racing as quickly as possible to Team Minato's customary training ground.
(Rin and Minato-sensei would not be using it any time soon, after all; apparently, it turns out that they were the sort to sit around and mope. Who would have guessed? And to tell the truth, it made them seem kind of… shallow, in Kakashi's humble opinion.)
Slamming into the wall beside his window, Kakashi slowly climbed back to his feet.
"Damn you, Depth Perception!" he hissed, not for the first time.
(He really was still pissed off about that utterly disappointing fiasco with the new -and supposedly '3-D'- Icha Icha: the View-Master®.)
Eventually deciding that a nice, leisurely stroll might be more appropriate -'as befit his grief'- Kakashi left the apartment by the door, at a subdued (and 'respectful') pace.
Finally arriving at the training ground, Kakashi whispered a brief prayer and fired up his gifted eyeball for the first time.
(Let's get one thing straight, right now: it's not like he was glad that his 'old pal' Obito was dead or anything like that; but let's be fair - had the unfortunate Uchiha survived, that would have been one seriously fucked up Thank-You card to try and write.)
At some point during his walk to the training area (dodging some surprisingly tricky lampposts and an inordinate number of rude pedestrians along the way), Kakashi decided that a fitting and commemorative tribute of the occasion would be to try out his only original technique, the Chidori.
(A technique that -by sheer coincidence- could only be used by someone of the Sharingan persuasion.)
Calling out the name of his newly-created raiton jutsu and grabbing his right wrist with his left hand, Kakashi began a mad dash towards the scattered targets -
Only to be caught by the elbow and swung into a nearby tree like a dead baby², thus dispelling his technique.
When at last he came to his senses several moments later, Kakashi found a young man -who looked an awful damn lot like Minato-sensei- staring back at him with a stern expression on his face.
"That technique is flawed," the serious blond admonished. "In fact, it's complete rubbish."
"No, it isn't," Kakashi replied, his wounded pride (and throbbing head) causing him to be uncharacteristically candid. "I have the Sharingan now, so I can see my enemies' counterattacks."
"It is," the other man rejoined with an authoritative air. "It drains too much chakra, it disrupts the electrical impulses to your brain (which might cause permanent damage, you know), and it is as hellishly loud as a Hyuuga being fed through a wood chipper. How else do you think I was able to get the drop on you?"
Kakashi thought about this for a moment. Whoever this guy was, he made a pretty good argument.
His autocratic attitude also reminded Kakashi a little bit of himself, which certainly helped to carry the day.
"What do you suggest?" the masked jounin finally asked.
"Why not try something with wind?" said the other boy (whom Kakashi was secretly beginning to think of as a potential rival). "That is the strongest element in battle, after all. Maybe your sensei even knows a few tricks he'd be willing to share."
And so, with that final nail in the coffin, Hatake Kakashi abandoned what might have become his signature technique and dedicated himself to mastering fuuton jutsu, instead.
The kind that Uzumaki Naruto, 15 years hence, would be able to easily manipulate.
Naruto walked up to the gates of Konoha, whistling a happy little tune.
He had the turncoat Uchiha at his side (now looking decidedly green around the gills - at least, where he wasn't bleeding profusely from a thousand tiny cuts, that is); draped over a mid-sized toad that was hopping roughly down the dusty lane.
"Naruto? How-?" Kakashi stammered, unable to comprehend how someone that he had never seen as anything but the 'dead-last' had managed to decimate his prized student.
The same student to whom he had taught all of his very best techniques.
"Piece of cake," answered the nonchalant blond, discretely patting the lamp³ in his pocket.
Next stop: giving his 'dad' a great big kick in the nuts.
SailorStar9: Time Travel Fics: check.
¹Using the word 'crushed here seemed a tad indelicate.
²What's that look for? I said a dead baby. Jeez.
³This is the magic lamp from Chapter 29, if that needs clarification.