This is a really late update from the usual hour! I'm so sorry, something came up at work and I had to go home really late. This was the only thing I could write in the short time I had left.

To answer some questions, I'm not particularly sure if the others from the other teams will appear or not! But characters like Yukimura and Kishibe have a higher chance of appearing, even if it's just one scene.

Some of you are wondering if I referred to the Aliea Academy incident in the last chapter. I'm not, I'm referring to an event that happened in this story only so it's not canon!

I'm really happy for all the reviews everyone! Thank you so much! Nothing can express my gratefulness!

Phantom

Chapter 4

Another Day Lost

"Tenma! Where are you?!" Endou crossed the bridge over the river. He climbed up the railings, shouting Tenma's name over and over again. He gritted his teeth. Tenma wasn't at the riverbank. Moments earlier, Gouenji and Kidou had replied that they will be looking for him too. Gouenji decided to use his car to drive around town in search of the midfielder—and maybe even possibly, out of town, just in case. Kidou and Endou agreed to look for Tenma on foot. And here he was, still no signs on Tenma's whereabouts.

His phone rang and he quickly answered. "Any luck?" he asked, knowing from a glance earlier that it was a call from Kidou. "He's not at the Steel Plaza," was his simple reply. Endou slammed his fist against the railing. "Damn it! He's not at the riverbank either," Endou's brown eyes scanned the soccer field next to the river just in case he missed something. "Has Gouenji contacted yet?" Kidou asked. He sounded almost equally agitated as Endou was. "No but I called Fuyuppe. He wasn't in the hospital but if she does see him she'll tell us immediately," the brunet stepped off the railing.

"Then we better keep looking. Who knows what might—or could—have happened to him in this darkness," Kidou cut off the line after hearing Endou's approval. Endou lifted his eyes up, staring into the night sky. He would be admiring its shining beauty but in this condition he didn't even want to consider it. The man turned on his heels and began running again, worry, agitation and frustration building up inside of him.

"What do you mean, 'Tenma's missing'?" Shindou's eyes narrowed. He clutched his cell phone in his fist.

"I mean exactly that. I was returning from the convenience store when I saw Coach Endou shouting Tenma's name," Sangoku on the other end replied. It had been an once-in-a-lifetime sight to see their coach so worried and frustrated at the same time. "When was that?" Shindou stood up from his seat, abandoning his homework. Creases formed on his forehead as he walked down the steps of his mansion.

"Just about five minutes ago, I think," the senior replied. "What should we do, Shindou? Something bad might have happened to him," Sangoku stopped his bicycle by the sidewalk. A car passed him, oblivious to his building anxiety. He wasn't keen of the idea of a hurt Tenma at all. The other line was silent for a couple of seconds. Sangoku heard the slam of a door and his eyes widened. "Shindou?"

"We're going to find him,"

Soon, Shindou and Sangoku managed to round up a number of their other teammates. They couldn't inform everybody, chaos could ensue. But when Kirino called Kariya, the first year defender claimed that he was already on the lookout for Tenma. Hiroto and Midorikawa had been called by Endou not long before. The two of them—along with Kariya—rode Hiroto's car, keeping their eyes open for any signs of the missing brunet.

Sangoku cycled his way through town, Kurumada on the backseat. Shindou and Kirino went to check Raimon Jr. High. They made sure not to tell the other first year students and the managers about this. Shindou decided to only tell them if the situation got worse. And currently, he was hoping it wouldn't come to that.

The captain of the soccer club and the ace defender of Raimon came across Gouenji parking his car when they reached the school. The adult was of course shocked to see them out so late but after a few hassles he approved of their help and the three of them started to search around the school. Endou and Kidou found out about this soon after and were torn between feeling shocked or relieved to know they had more help. They both settled on the latter. The minutes ticked by and the places available to search were beginning to wither down. They were reaching a dead end, all of them almost losing hope.

"What do we do now?" Shindou's breathe was uneven. The group stood under the safe light of a streetlamp. Kirino leaned against the lamp post. His clothes were a little dirty. Endou was clenching his fists. Kidou watched him with worry. His phone vibrated and he answered it without a second glance. It was Sangoku.

"We found him! We found him, Kidou-san!"

They gathered in Tenma's room, with the brunet on his bed. Tenma didn't stir at all ever since they found him. The only thing that moved was his chest to indicate he was still alive and breathing—if it weren't for that all of them would have actually believed he was dead. Aki was in her own room, Natsumi trying to comfort her in the best way she could. The woman saw Tenma as a little brother and it really shocked her to see him going through all of this.

As the silent began to become unbearable, Kariya shifted and coughed. He caught the attention of the others in the room and turned his head to stare at the coach of Raimon Junior High's soccer club. "You're hiding something from us," he went straight to the point; there was no need for sugar coating. Hiroto gasped at his rudeness. "Kariya…!" he held the teen's shoulder. "What?" the defender frowned. "I'm only stating the truth. Coach Endou is obviously not telling us something. You're probably in on it too," he narrowed his eyes and Hiroto flinched at the intensity of his stare.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Kariya's right. Again." Kirino said, turning to face Shindou. The brunet nodded and he asked the coach, "If there is anything you're hiding from us Coach, please share it. We know you know something that we don't. What's happening to Tenma?" his tone of voice was firm. Sangoku and Kurumada—who were more or less clueless—were pretty surprised at the sudden change of atmosphere.

Endou placed his hand on Tenma's forehead, moving away some hair from his face. He was silent as his hand moved to his own shoulder, resting on it. Gouenji flinched at the action and quickly looked away. Kidou furrowed his eyebrows. "It's not just happening to Tenma…" the man answered on behalf of his best friend. All of the teenagers' eyes went to him. Shindou shared the same look Kidou did. "What do you mean?"

"It's a test," Endou's voice somewhat echoed painfully throughout the room. It was raspy and dry. "It's a test for all of you. To see how much you care for him. To see how strong the bond you share is,"

Gouenji abruptly stood from his seat and left the room. "Gouenji!" Kidou followed after him, worry in his voice. The door banged as he closed it behind him, leaving the baffled and confused teenagers behind.

He already unlocked the car by the time Kidou caught up to him. "Gouenji!" his voice sounded more demanding. The flame striker stopped moving. "You know it wasn't your fault," Kidou started, knowing exactly why Gouenji ran out. The tanned man gritted his teeth. "I know it's not my fault. But it's my fault Endou was hurt that day,"

"No it wasn't. How many times do I have to tell you that you weren't the one who did that? It wasn't your doing, Gouenji," Kidou pressed on. "You know exactly what happened ten years ago. None of us foresaw it and even if we did, we weren't capable of doing anything. Don't blame it all on yourself,"

"That's easy for you to say!" Gouenji turned around, a flame in his eyes as he glared at Kidou. "You weren't the one who was…" his raised voice dropped to a whisper. Gouenji stared at the ground and his feet, the guilt of the things he had done weighing on him much more now. Kidou stared at his best friend, the man who wouldn't stop blaming himself for all the things that had happened after all these years. "What are you planning to do? Turn a blind eye to the things happening right now because you don't want to see it happening? Are you going to let history repeat itself?" his words were harsh, Kidou knew that, but the truth is always harsh and cruel. He couldn't fight this fight alone. He knew they were going to need all the help they could get to save Tenma and the others. "It's not too late, Gouenji. These are only the first signs. We can still find a way to set things right,"

Gouenji was silent. He was letting Kidou's words sink in. But his stubbornness made him climb into his car and drive into the night, leaving Kidou without an answer.

He started the engine after they paid their goodbyes and Kariya wore his seatbelt. Hiroto drove, Midorikawa sat beside him. Kariya started to feel nauseated by the silence. He stared at Hiroto's face from the backseat before finally speaking. "What did Coach Endou mean by 'a test'?"

Midorikawa gasped but didn't say a word. Hiroto's hold on the steering wheel tightened. His eyes narrowed. "Ten years ago… a curse befell the Raimon soccer team," he started. Midorikawa turned his head to Hiroto with wide eyes, silently asking the CEO why he was telling Kariya the story. The redhead merely nodded back and Midorikawa sighed. "They thought the curse was lifted," Hiroto continued. "But apparently, it wasn't," Midorikawa ended in a pained voice. Kariya felt like he was being kid with. But the tension in the air said otherwise. "What was the curse?" he asked but got silence in return.

After Hiroto and Midorikawa dropped him back in Sun Garden; Kariya didn't immediately go to bed. He snuck out again. There was a big tree with a sturdy branch right beside his room's window. His roommate was the type who slept like a log so he easily climbed out. Kariya gracefully landed on his two feet like a cat. He was eager to get answers. And the answers probably lay in the old soccer clubroom in Raimon Junior High.

Kariya got in easily; climbing the school fences was no ordeal. It was how to get into the old soccer clubroom that was the problem. The door was locked and sealed. Breaking the window was no option—probably a last resort if he was really desperate. He tried to look around the clubroom from the inside through the window with the help of the moonlight but he didn't see much. Kariya sighed. "Che. This was useless," he said to himself. He climbed down the stepping and went home with a new determination—to find out about the curse of Raimon's soccer club.

Shindou, Kirino, Sangoku and Kurumada had to leave reluctantly. Endou wouldn't answer them at all and Natsumi advised them to go home for the night. When Endou finally decided to leave as well, Natsumi said she'd stay with Aki until the woman was feeling better. Endou smiled softly and nodded his head. He didn't object. Moreover, he thought it would probably be best for Aki to have some comfort.

Endou shrugged off his jacket after he removed his shoes, feeling somewhat awkward to not have Natsumi greet him. The lights turned on and he immediately went to his bedroom. A good night's sleep sounded much better now. He jumped into his bed without changing out of his day clothes.

"Endou…! Hold it together!"

"Are you sure you're alright, Endou?"

"You're despicable."

"Die already you worthless scum!"

He woke up in cold sweat, his screams stuck in his throat. Endou unconsciously held his shoulder again as he tried to catch his breath. "A nightmare huh…?" he muttered to himself. He took off his jacket and shirt after realizing it was almost 3AM. For a split second he took notice of the two long scars on his shoulder in the mirror but quickly looked away. That night, Endou wished Natsumi had come home with him.

Aki opened the door, a tray of food in her hands. Tenma was still asleep in his bed, the covers right under his chin. His breathing was steady and his face looked calm. Aki sadly smiled at him and placed the tray on his study. It was early morning and the brunet still hadn't shown any signs of waking up.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Natsumi asked from the door. Aki turned to smile at her. "Yes, I will. Thank you," she reassured the other woman. Kogure sneaked in his head from behind Natsumi. He looked worried as well. "I'll come back early today, okay!" he said before he rushed away. Aki giggled a little, knowing that it was Kogure's way of saying he cared. Natsumi seemed amused too before she finally excused herself, even if reluctantly.

Noon came and Aki was wringing a wet cloth to place on his forehead, when he finally showed signs of life—other than breathing. Tenma moaned as he tried to sit up but fell back down almost immediately. He held his head and opened his eyes. Aki had never been so relieved in her life. She hugged him tightly, a grin etched on her face. "Tenma, you're awake!" she exclaimed gleefully.

But her joy was cut short when Tenma did nothing as a response. "Tenma…?" she called him, retreating from the hug. The brunet was still silent. His eyes stared at the ceiling above him, dilated. His hand that held his head trembled. Aki stared at him, now even more worried than when he was asleep.

Tenma drew in a gasp and he screamed.

In school, everybody were surprised to see that Tenma was absent, mainly Tsurugi and Aoi. Kariya was indifferent and so were the rest of the members who had helped with last night. Endou and the rest of them decided to keep the incident a secret for the mean time, to prevent panic among them. As lunch came by, Kariya excused himself from the table they were sitting at and didn't even give his friends a second glance. Hikaru wondered what's wrong with him but Aoi and Shinsuke claimed they knew nothing.

The defender was sneaky. He knew the members of the student council would be out and the door would be unlocked—a careless mistake for them, a helpful benefit for him. Kariya went in when nobody was looking and decided it would be best if he locked the door behind him.

"It's time to get down to business," he smirked to himself as he pulled out all the soccer club records he could find from ten years ago.

Endou couldn't eat at all. He was in his quarters, thinking about Tenma's condition. He bought a bun just in case he felt hungry but turned out he did lost his appetite. And then Gouenji's behaviour from last night worried him too. He knew he had to say something to him back then but he couldn't think of anything. It was troublesome.

The man wiped his face with his hands and sighed. "Why is this happening again…?"

He started to panic a little, not because lunch was ending but because he couldn't find anything that could let him know more about this 'curse'. Kariya sighed tiredly as he slid down to the floor after placing the last folder into the shelf again, making sure it looked exactly the way he had found them. "This is useless," he said and knocked his head against the shelf once.

A book fell from the top shelf and it hit his head. Kariya yelped at both of the pain applied on his skull and picked up the book. He flipped it open, briefing through the pages while wondering what this book was about. "It looks like some form of diary…" he muttered and closed the book with another sigh. He was getting nowhere.

Something on the cover of the book caught his attention. He moved his fingers away since they were blocking his view of some writing and gasped. 'Otonashi Haruna' was written nicely on it as the owner of said diary.

He studied the book before showing it to the seniors—and the seniors being Kirino and Shindou. The two of them gave him suspicious looks as he tried to explain how he got the book. He said he bumped into a shelf and the book dropped but he didn't say from what shelf in what room. Kariya pointed out that Haruna had written a report about the soccer team every single day except for seven days in a row. Further inspection of the dates, Kariya also realized that this one 'absent' week of reports were in the middle of the three month period in between the Aliea Academy fiasco—he heard a lot of stories from Hiroto and the rest—and the start of the first FFI.

It was strange, Kirino and Shindou agreed. Why the sudden lack of reports from the manager? They'd like to ask her directly but something tells them she won't say anything about it. Or maybe give an excuse.

"Either way, it would probably be best if we looked for more clues," Shindou said, handing Kariya the book. "And find out more about the curse," Kirino added with a nod. Kariya didn't object at all.