Hi there guys! So, let me tell you what happened to me. See, my family was moving and I was helping with the move. We were moving out of our two storey house and I was climbing down the stairs when I lost my footing and fell head first.

That was how I was admitted into the hospital. And I was then in a comatose state for a number of weeks. I updated chapter 8 when I got out, and was almost sent to the hospital again by my mom when I updated chapter 9.

And the reason why chapter 10 is late as well, is because I had been settling in my work place again. There were a lot of things to do because of the weeks I missed and we didn't have any Internet connection until now, where I am uploading this chapter. So I hope you will all enjoy the longest chapter of this story yet and forgive me for my tardiness! I read the reviews before uploading this and might I say, they all make my heart go 'whoa! whoa!'

Thank you for all of them!

Phantom

Chapter 10

Please Come Back

"Shindou?"

The brunet stirred. Who was calling him? The voice sounded familiar but he couldn't think of whom it belonged to. Ah… he felt tired. His eyelids were too heavy to open. He wanted nothing more than to sleep and have wonderful dreams. Shindou felt something moving his shoulder and he made a sound that resembled a grunt.

"Shindou!"

His eyes shot open and the first thing he saw were the lush green he was standing on along with another pair of shoes. The brunet blinked once before he looked up into Kirino's face. His eyebrows were knitted; the strategist assumed it was from worry. Shindou shook his head a few times after Kirino drew back his hand that was on his shoulder. He took a step away when Shindou uncrossed his arms and stepped forward, realizing he had fallen asleep leaning against a tree.

"What were you doing, sleeping there?" his best friend asked, eyebrows still knitted together. Shindou was confused now. He couldn't remember why he was sleeping or what he was doing before Kirino woke him but he had a feeling it was something… bad.

"I… I have no idea. I can't remember what I was doing,"

This time Kirino's eyes had something else in them, surprise perhaps—or more confusion and worry. Shindou couldn't tell which. "We were looking for Tenma. I followed you into a clearing and when I looked back you were gone. I searched a good thirty minutes for you," the defender explained. "You don't remember that?"

There was a flash of an image in Shindou's mind that made him jolt. They were in a dark part of the forest with thicker trees and vines where they sought for Tenma—and he saw Kirino looking around in a clueless manner, not aware of the menacing dark figure behind him before he felt himself jumping forward to push Kirino out of the figure's way. And then he blacked out.

Was that a memory of what had happened? If so then how come Kirino's statement contradicted his? None of the pieces of the puzzle fit together. Were they missing some of the pieces or was everything wrong in the first place? This was mind boggling.

"At any rate, we should have been at the tower ten minutes ago," Kirino said. "We should go,"

Shindou had no objections.

They returned to a chaotic mess. Everyone had panicked when the two of them didn't show up on time. But that was not the only reason they panicked. They couldn't find the managers anywhere and Endou found Furukaba unconscious on the boat. Shindou and Kirino were shocked.

"There's no other explanation. The Phantom took them while we were away," Kurumada gripped his fists.

"But Otonashi-sensei said the Phantom doesn't care about the managers…" Shinsuke reminded them. He was on the verge of tears. Another one of his close friends taken by the Phantom to an unknown location—and they hadn't found any clue to where Tenma could be on the island either. Things were slowly turning horrible. He wanted it to stop. He wanted all of this to stop.

"Ten years gave the Phantom a lot of time to change—it's not impossible for it to take a liking to managers now as well," Endou said, frustrated. What were they to do now? Arranging another search party would probably put all of them in danger again. Safety in numbers they say, and the safest number against the Phantom had always been eleven or more.

"Endou,"

He turned around to see Gouenji walking towards him with something in his hand—a pink camera. The brunet gasped at the familiar object a quiet manager always kept with her. "Where did you find it?" he asked and analyzed the camera.

"It was in the tower. And that's not all. Turn it on," Gouenji said. Endou obeyed. He pressed a button and the first image he saw was a sky view of Fifth Sector's base on the island, where they had their final battle against Team Zero with hundreds of SEEDs as spectators. His eyebrows rose and he raised his head.

"I think it's a clue from the Phantom," Gouenji explained. His brow creased. "I think it wants us to go there."

It was dark and eerie as they followed Gouenji through corners and long hallways. Without a guide, they would have surely been lost in this maze but Gouenji knew the way to the field and that was enough. Endou walked close to his best friend, the players behind them. Was the Phantom really here? Were the managers and Tenma here? All the answers lay on the field. Right now, he prayed for the best to happen.

He could feel the uneasiness amongst the players. No one spoke a word. Gouenji punched some numbers into a keypad. Endou watched as the doors slid open. The light was almost blinding. Then he smelled the familiar aroma of grass. Wind whispered around the abandoned stadium, as if greeting the arrival of the players that had once brought the cheers of soccer fans to life here. He stepped into the light with Gouenji. Both of them stopped at the borderlines of the field. There was no sign that the field had been touched ever since Fifth Sector moved out.

"This is scary…" Hayami trembled behind Hamano, who sweat dropped. He tried to comfort Hayami by squeezing his shoulder, silently telling him he was there for him. Hamano smiled when Hayami calmed a little.

Shindou stepped forward next to Endou, Kirino by his side. Both of them scanned the field, as if they expected something to happen—anything at all. The dreadful silence was too much to handle. Shindou was about to walk onto the field, when a thick black fog materialised in the middle. Everyone gasped and the brunet recoiled. Could it be? Was the Phantom coming to meet them? A strategic place, Shindou mused. He remembered what Coach Endou told them and there was a possibility they were going to have a soccer match here against the Phantom.

The fog cleared slowly and someone stepped out of it with his eyes closed. Once again, the team was taken by surprise as gasps echoed throughout the not-so-empty stadium. Shindou gritted his teeth. "Tenma!" he called out.

The brunet in the middle of the field had his eyes closed and head down. He was in his soccer uniform, though covered in dirt and dust and was torn in a few places. There was a bruise on his right arm. He looked like he had gone through rough training without rest for a week. When he heard the call of his name, he raised his head and slowly opened his eyes—to reveal pitch black orbs. He grinned from ear to ear and a voice that was not his own spoke—but his mouth didn't move one inch.

"Shindou-kun? Is that you? Oh, look! Everyone from Raimon is here too!" he spread out his arms as if welcoming them. It would have eased the team's nerves, if it weren't for the fact that they knew this was not Tenma.

"Enough with your games, Phantom! Let Tenma and the managers go!" Endou shouted, angered that they were too late. Tenma's grin faltered and he looked confused for a while before his eyes trailed to the adult. His grin returned and this time it looked scarier. "I knew you were familiar. Endou-kun, was it? Ah, and Gouenji-kun too! You were harder to recognize with that hairstyle of yours. What happened to the spikes? Are they out of style now?" the Phantom mocked and he laughed. Tenma doubled over, his hands on his stomach and his shoulders shook as if it was really him who was laughing. Endou and Gouenji grit their teeth, far from amused.

"Still the same as ever, I see," Tenma straightened his body. His soulless stare bore through Endou's skull. A shiver ran down Endou's spine. "Rash, predictable, foolish, and most important of all," the brunet snapped his finger. A soccer ball materialised in his hand. "A soccer freak." he took a look at the ball before his stare turned to the surprised audience in front of him. He smiled. "Why don't we have a game?"

Sangoku was to be their goalkeeper. Shinsuke obliged to his original position as defender. Everyone warmed up as usual—they tried to ignore the tense atmosphere but it was written on their faces. They were anxious, determined yet terrified—all but a particular forward and a defender.

Kirino watched Kariya, who had not spoken a word since his return from disappearing. It was odd and unsettling. Why was he so quiet? What was the reason behind his silence? The defender stretched his arms and warmed up like the rest but he realized Kariya stood still like a statue. And so did Tsurugi. His eyes searched for Shindou and with one look he knew that the captain noticed the two juniors' odd behaviour as well.

"Eleven against one? That's far from fair," Hamano looked dissatisfied. Kirino averted his gaze to the other side of the field. Tenma kicked the ball up and down and seemed to be enjoying himself. For a moment Kirino thought the cheerful brunet was back but the black eyes said otherwise. He must have heard Hamano because he stopped playing with the ball and looked at them, entertained.

"Who says it's eleven against one?" he asked with a tilt of his head. He was trying to keep the innocent act up, Kirino was sure of that.

"Isn't it obvious? There's no one else here that's on your side!" Hamano retorted with a finger pointed at Tenma. "And if you'd let Tenma go I'm sure he'd be on our side as well!"

There was a ghostly chuckle. "Oh, no—you're quite mistaken there, Hamano-kun," Kirino gasped at the sudden intrusion. He realized Tenma stood still as ever and Hamano stared at something behind him with a horrified expression. The defender turned around and he had no words to describe what he felt when he saw Kariya with the same pitch black eyes as Tenma's. He had one arm crossed in front of his chest and the other was on his chin, as if he was in deep thought. "Surprise!" Kariya's hand flew to his sides with an elated grin on his face. "Did you really think I would sit down and do nothing as you soccer players roam the island?"

"Kariya!" Kirino called out. He felt his heartbeat quicken. No, this couldn't be happening. Not Kariya. Not him. "Kariya!" he called again, with more force this time—in hopes that his voice would reach Kariya's conscience. The Phantom laughed at his futile efforts as its eyes scanned the rest of the team's shocked expressions. Slowly, Kariya's feet began to move towards Tenma's side, joining the opponent. Kirino watched with horror. It was so sudden and so fast, he struggled to conceive.

"Damn it!" Endou couldn't believe it. How had he been so dumb and not notice the signs earlier? Nothing was going as he had planned. In fact, his original plan might have jeopardized the team. Everyone could be in danger. He tried to think of a way out of this when the Phantom spoke again.

"Ah, but a midfielder and a defender isn't enough, now is it?" it sang in a delighted tone. Raimon exchanged confused and terrified glances. "But let's not worry about that for the moment. Shall we start the game?" Kariya looked at Gouenji expectantly, since he was the referee for the match. Reluctantly, the adult nodded and everyone got into position. The Phantom had Tenma at the front in the forward position and held Kariya at the back, in the goalkeeper position. Before any questions were asked, with a snap of his finger, Kariya's jersey turned into the goalkeeper's jersey—the same one Shinsuke owned, complete with gloves.

"I don't like having my own uniform for the players I take. It's such a bothersome thing, you know?" Tenma waved his hand in front of his face with the other on his hip. This time both players on the Phantom's side were moving—the only thing that wouldn't change was their facial expressions. Gouenji and Endou saw and creased their foreheads. "But… how…?" the brunet turned his head from Tenma to Kariya. His actions confused his team even more.

"You like it, Endou-kun?"

The Phantom spoke. Tenma and Kariya were still warming up; with the little time they had left.

"I managed to do it. I found a way to control a player and still let their natural soccer instincts go wild without me commanding them one by one!"

It sounded so happy, Endou was disgusted. "You… you've improved a whole lot more than I had expected," he almost sounded sorry. Sorry for himself? Sorry for the team? No one was sure.

"Of course I had!" Tenma turned to Endou, his face contorted in anger. That expression didn't suit Tenma at all but the Phantom made it look scarier with the black eyes. "And it was all because of you!" he pointed a finger at Endou and grit his teeth. "You and your little team kept interrupting every single one of my attempts at taking soccer players. You and Raimon!" he then grinned—and not in a happy way either, but a terrifying and crazy maniacal way. "But now I can have my revenge," Tenma turned to the Raimon players on the field. Shindou stood his ground, eyes locked with the possessed brunet.

Gouenji gasped. "Change of plans! Everyone out of the field!" he shouted in panic. Endou caught on to what he was doing—or more accurately, the Phantom's intentions—and ran to the field, only to crash into an invisible force field that threw him back. The two adults stood in astounded horror as the Phantom laughed, both Tenma's and Kariya's body shaking. They grinned wickedly. Shindou realized what the Phantom had done and he found himself at a loss for words. It had trapped them—caged them without them realizing at all. He looked at the ball at his feet, before he kicked it up.

"Fortissimo!"

The ball collided with the force field, causing electrical sparks to fly everywhere. Shindou gripped his hands into fists, his hopes high. It looked like it almost broke through, when the ball came down with a loud thud. The captain looked away in annoyance as it rolled to his feet. He got angrier when the Phantom laughed some more. "A useless effort, Shindou-kun—just like your attempt at saving Tenma-kun," it reminded with Tenma's hands moving up and down in mockery. "Tch," the brunet wanted to glare but he couldn't glare at Tenma. He wasn't angry at Tenma. He was enraged at the being inside of Tenma, controlling his every movement and thought—with the real Tenma locked somewhere deeper in.

Shindou's eyes widened. He ignored Kirino when the defender called his name in concern. Shindou thrust forward with the ball and he passed Tenma in a flash. Everyone was surprised at this sudden action. He stopped a few steps behind Tenma with his foot on the ball. Tenma turned around, wearing the same surprised expression everyone else had. Shindou locked eyes with him again. "You wanted a game," he started and lowered his body a little. "I'll give you a game."

Tenma's surprised face quickly changed into an amused grin. "We were supposed to wait for the whistle. But it doesn't matter anymore, huh?" the Phantom said, its voice sounding deep like black ink. Tenma charged towards Shindou with a slide. Shindou kicked the ball up and jumped with it. Nobody else moved as they watched Shindou and Tenma battle for the ball. Sometimes it was in Tenma's possession and sometimes Shindou had it. To determine who was winning seemed impossible.

"You're enjoying yourself, aren't you…?" Shindou's eyes narrowed and he stole the ball, quickly passing it to Kurama. "Tenma."

The brunet's body froze at the sound of his name. For a moment, Shindou could've sworn his eyes were their original metallic blue. But the black swirled with the blue, in a fight for dominance. Tenma looked like he was in dreadful pain. "Sh… Shin… dou… sen… pai…" he said, ragged.

"Tenma!" Shindou called again. "Please come back! I know you can fight it, so please! Fight it and come back so we all can go home and play soccer like we always do!" he encouraged. Tenma groaned. He staggered, in an effort to remain on his feet. Shindou watched in worry. Only a little bit left, Tenma needed to fight for a little while longer…

"Tenma! You can do it!" a voice from afar shouted. Shinsuke shouted Tenma's name again and soon many others joined him, a chorus of desperate cries for the brunet to wake up from the Phantom's curse on him.

"Tenma!"

"Fight it, Tenma!"

"Go, Tenma!"

"Don't let it control you anymore!"

He screamed in pain, his hands covering his ears. Tenma's eyes shut closed and Shindou's fists clenched at the action. He heard a groan from far behind him and looking over his shoulder, he saw Kariya in the same position as Tenma, yelps of pain coming out of his mouth. The captain felt a tinge of guilt on his heart, knowing that both of them were in pain because of his attempt at saving them. But there was no other choice. He had to do it. Shindou heard Tenma say his name and his head turned back so quickly, he could have snapped his neck. A smile broke onto his face when he saw that the one eye Tenma managed to open was in its original state—he even saw his reflection in Tenma's metallic blue eye.

"Tenma, you did—!" but he was cut off when Tenma opened his other eye, revealing the same pitch black orb that scared him minutes ago. His smile disappeared and a gasp escaped his mouth. Shindou wasn't even sure who was in control anymore. Was it Tenma? Was it the Phantom? Or was it the both of them at the same time?

"Whatever you do," Tenma spoke, his breathing heavy. That voice he hadn't heard in such a long time. It was because of this that Shindou knew Tenma barely made it through but something told him it wouldn't be long before he was thrown back into the void that he was left in by the Phantom. "Whatever happens, don't make a pact with it," he begged. A teardrop rolled down his cheek and a forced smile appeared on his face. "Please, don't,"

His words confused him. For a moment nothing happened, but then Tenma screamed again, louder this time. Waves of aura rolled off of him and they heard something break—something like glass. Rainbow shards floated around them and Shindou knew what Tenma had done. He broke the barrier that kept them in.

"Run! Run as far away as possible and never come back!" Tenma screamed—his voice a mixture of his own and the Phantom's. Shindou stood frozen. He didn't want to run—not without Tenma. And he made that clear to the brunet.

"Don't be foolish! We're not leaving without you!" he made an attempt at grabbing Tenma, but he dodged. Shindou was pushed back by an invisible force and he staggered before Kirino caught him. "I said leave!" Tenma shouted with his voice sterner. He fell to one knee in exhaustion. Shindou stepped towards him, wanting to help, but Kirino pulled him back. The two of them stared at each other. Shindou understood that the defender wanted him to comply with Tenma's request. The brunet frowned and furrowed his eyebrows. Kirino shook his head and pointed at Tenma. Shindou saw now that Tenma had created a dark purple barrier around himself. He wasn't sure if it was to keep them out or the Phantom in. When Shindou looked at Kariya and saw the same barrier around the temporary goalkeeper, it was clear that the barriers were to keep them out. Not only did they have to leave Tenma, it looked like they had to leave Kariya as well. Shindou grit his teeth. He closed his eyes and made a run for the exit, Kirino tailing behind him, the two of them being the last ones to leave the field.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" Tenma whimpered. More teardrops fell from his eyes onto the grass beneath him. Soon, he himself joined those tears on the ground. "Please… forgive me…" he muttered. He closed his eyes, unconscious.

A few moments later, the brunet stood up—his eyes pitch black again. Tenma grinned maliciously. The Phantom chuckled in humour. "A chase—my next favourite thing,"

"Everyone, this way!" Shindou led them through the forest. Coach Endou and Gouenji brought up the back, making sure none of the soccer players took a wrong turn in the lush green. They broke into the tower's clearing and headed towards the waiting boat. Furukaba saw them coming and confusion spread across his face. They told him they would be gone for some time but he didn't expect them to come back this soon—and with panicked and terrified expressions too. Endou jumped into the boat, followed by the team players who were right behind him. Gouenji stopped by the entrance of the boat to make sure the rest of the team came in one piece. "Start the engine! We have to get out of here fast!" the brunet ordered and Furukaba obliged without further question.

There was no time to gather back their supplies from the tower. Just like with Kariya and Tenma, they had to leave those too. Gouenji waited anxiously for the kids to run in. Hikaru was at the very back of the group with Shinsuke and the adult watched in horror as long pink threads shot out of the forest, wrapping themselves around the two first years' ankles. Hikaru and Shinsuke screamed as they heard their teammates yell their names in shock.

"L-Let me go!" the forward yelled, kicking at the threads. What were these? They felt nothing like rope, nor normal thread. They were ice cold and stung to the touch in the same time soft like a cat's fur. Yet they looked familiar. Yet they reminded Hikaru of something he had seen many times before.

"Hunter's Net,"

One recognizable voice echoed from behind the thick trees. Hikaru gulped. He didn't need to hear that hissatsu name twice to know who had come for them. Maybe if he wasn't so reckless, to let Kariya be possessed by the Phantom right under their noses, maybe they would have been able to escape. He looked at Shinsuke next to him, who was still struggling with the pink threads, and saw in his eyes, genuine fear.

"You can stop doing that,"

For a moment, Hikaru thought he had spoken to Shinsuke without realizing but then he noticed the shadow that loomed over them. He averted his eyes to the person that stood in front of them, completely ignoring his teammates' panicked yells from behind. "Kariya-kun…" he opened his mouth, hoping that the defender would snap out of it. It didn't work. Kariya analyzed his two preys before he lifted his head to look at the remaining Raimon soccer players. "It's useless trying to get off this island. You're all trapped," his face expressionless yet his fingers moved with grace, controlling more pink threads that appeared from the ground. The closest to Hikaru and Shinsuke wrapped themselves around their wrists, completely cutting off any attempt to escape. They fought but to no avail. The threads were unbreakable.

"You've hunted well," Tenma appeared from behind Kariya, a smug grin on his face. "His skill proved useful in capturing the managers before, now he'll prove himself again by tying every single one of you," the Phantom laughed. He didn't stop walking. He passed the tied up first years and advanced towards the one person who had dared to move close enough to the scene, with obvious intentions of helping his juniors.

"Shindou Takuto-kun," it recited, standing face to face with him now. Shindou gazed into the pitch black eyes that seemed to have no end. He gripped his fists, shoulders uptight and jaw clenched. Neither of their faces held any other emotion at first but then Tenma smiled. He stretched out his hand, as if asking for a dance. He then spoke, in a sickly sweet tone.

"Make a pact with me?"

The moment he heard those words he felt his world freeze. Nothing seemed to move. Not the trees, not his friends. Not even his body. He felt his jaw drop open slightly and realized he was gasping for air. His heartbeat increased and he trembled in pain. What was happening to him? What did the Phantom do? Make a pact? Then he remembered something vague. Someone… someone told him not to make a pact with the Phantom. But he couldn't point out who was it. Shindou hugged his elbows, his teeth clattered against each other. That person told him to not make a pact, no matter what happened. Why would he say such a thing?

Shindou heard someone scream and he felt himself dropping to his knees. Did that scream come from him? He could barely recognize his voice. Someone called out for his name frantically, over and over and over again till he began to wonder if the person never grew tired. The voice rang a bell in his mind. He couldn't understand why but the more he heard this person shout his name, an image of something pink slowly began to materialize. Soon he realized that pink was hair. How unusual. He didn't know it was possible for someone to have pink hair. But the image disappeared like mist when a hand appeared in front of his face. His body felt so weak, he was so tired. Even his eyes were droopy by now. At any minute, he could pass out. Without hesitation, his hand reached out and grabbed the hand in front of him. A shock of pain surged through his body unexpectedly. With a yelp, he passed out and fell face first to the ground.

Kirino couldn't believe his eyes. No, none of this was happening. It couldn't be happening again. He shouted Shindou's name again and again. He felt his eyes water and he choked when he saw the brunet fall to the ground at Tenma's feet. "Shindou!" he cried out again, as loud as he can. Sangoku and Kurumada were holding him back on the boat, both of them not wanting Kirino to endanger himself like the captain did. Everyone else watched in feared silence as Kirino gave up fighting his two teammates, slumping against Sangoku's shoulder for support. He muttered something about being so stupid and letting Shindou disappear from his view during the search earlier that day.

"Alright, show's over folks! Now if you could kindly leave the boat and step onto land again, it would save me so much time and effort!" a voice from behind the group on the boat exclaimed excitedly. They turned around and were not sure if they were supposed to be surprised to see Tsurugi smiling like an angel at them, his golden eyes replaced by pitch black orbs just like Tenma's and Kariya's.

"Not you too…" Kurama muttered under his breath. He inched away from Tsurugi, slowly following the rest who obeyed his—no, the Phantom's—commands of surrender. He didn't want to know what would happen to him if he disobeyed. In the same time, he didn't want to fall prey to the Phantom's curse and be another one of its pawns. But what choice did he have? What choice did they have?

"Uh oh, you wait right there, Endou-kun," the Phantom warned and the adult stopped moving immediately. "You're not coming with them. Children only, you know? Last I checked, you grew up," Tsurugi walked past him, beaming ever so brightly it was sickening, weird and very, very unusual. "You too, Gouenji-kun. Up, up, you go," it said to the flame striker, who reluctantly boarded the boat with gritted teeth. Both adults looked very unhappy at this unexpected outcome. One could see the rage in their eyes.

"Now isn't this all better?" the Phantom asked and scanned its surrounding through Tsurugi's eyes. Silence was the reply it received and it was pleased. Because it knew that silence meant they were afraid. And nothing made the Phantom happier than to be feared. "Sail away, already!" Tsurugi turned from the sitting ducks to the occupants of the boat. "We don't need you anymore," it continued with a huff and a pout from Tsurugi. The pose looked hilarious, considering Tsurugi's personality. But nobody was laughing.

"Did you really think I was going to leave so easily? With my players in your hands?" Endou narrowed his eyes at Tsurugi. This thing had almost destroyed Raimon ten years ago. He wasn't going to let it destroy Raimon today.

"I figured you'd say that!" it chirped and Tsurugi clapped his hands together. "I'm sure you've realized by now that Kariya-kun has the ability to control pink strings that originated from his Hunter's Net. And Tenma-kun can control the wind at his will," it laughed. "I imagine Tsurugi-kun would have a special power of his own! I wonder what it could be…?" the Phantom mused to itself in mock curiosity. It already knew what Tsurugi could do under its power. And it was a dreadful thing, really.

Tsurugi snapped his fingers together and a wave of dark purple washed over him. The wave disappeared as soon as it appeared. At first no one noticed anything different about the striker but they realized there was something in his hand. A sword, studded with the finest jewels and carved with beautiful designs, was gripped tightly by Tsurugi. He looked proud of it but everyone was sure it was the Phantom that looked pleased and not the real Tsurugi.

"Now how about that?" the Phantom whistled, admiring the weapon that came with Tsurugi when he agreed to the pact. "Beautiful thing, isn't it?" Tsurugi looked at Endou and smirked. "It would be a shame if…" the sword was brought closer and closer to his neck, before it rested beneath his jaw line. "It was stained with the blood of a young boy."