Ah... to be fairly honest, I'm unsatisfied with this chapter. It feels like I can still put more into this chapter but there's really nothing else I can add. So I'm a little disappointed but it's alright.

And the story is moving slowly too... I hope next chapter I can change this.

Oh by the way, ATTENTION PLEASE! I'm planning to write a romance-genred fanfic after I finish 'Phantom' and I already have prompts ready. This is mostly because I rarely write anything romantic (but even as I say that my prompts are really dramatic uh-oh) and I'd like to practice on that. There is a poll on my profile, and it has the pairings which I have written prompts for a story. Beside the pairings in the poll would be the other main genres of the prompts, romance of course being the main. I hope you all will vote and continue supporting me and my writing! Love you all!

Phantom

Chapter 11

He Who Is the Key

"He so easily fell into my trap," it said with a chuckle. Tenma sat on the throne that used to belong to the Holy Emperor, Ishido Shuuji. The view overlooked the field. He rested his head on his hand. "I'm lucky he's such an idiot," the Phantom continued to insult Endou. Everything within the building was back online, thanks to its powers. Just a flick of the wrist and the lights were on. A clap here and the doors slid open. Who made it possible? Well, the Phantom had to admit it didn't do this alone. It was Shindou's special power—control over inanimate objects. Everything the brunet wills, goes.

Tenma turned his head to the standing figure beside him. It was Tsurugi and he was still as a statue. Blood trickled down his jaw line, where his sword had earlier rested. The Phantom sighed. "Shindou-kun," it called. Said boy raised his head in acknowledgement. "Treat Tsurugi-kun's wound. We don't want it infected, now do we?" it ordered. Shindou nodded his head and he moved towards the door, black eyes showing no other emotion. Tsurugi trailed behind him, his movements fluid and natural. They were just like puppets and the Phantom was their puppeteer. Obeying every command and fulfilling each task without their consent or knowledge. Who knows what was happening to their real selves, locked deep down inside and trapped in oblivion.

The Phantom suddenly remembered the prisoners it had captured. Tenma turned his head to Kirino, the only other person left in the same room. The rest of the Raimon members were at the field down below—training under the command of the Phantom. There were no shouts heard, no compliments and no enthusiastic smiles. They passed the ball, kicked, volleyed and protected the goal. Just like that—puppets of the Phantom, their bodies no longer their own.

"Kirino-kun," the defender turned around and faced his master, who resided in Tenma's body. The child sitting on the throne grinned. "Bring some food to the managers. And don't forget water too. I don't want any of them to die," the order was clear. Who said the Phantom was a bad host? Even if the guests were kept here against their own will and the correct word for them were 'prisoners'.

The pink haired defender obeyed, leaving Tenma and the Phantom.

"Aoi, are you awake?" Midori shook the junior's shoulder lightly, not wanting to scare her. She scooted back to her place on the bench when she saw Aoi stirring. The girl opened her eyes and Midori released her breath. At least now she knew that none of them were dead. Midori turned to Akane just as Aoi pushed herself off the floor. The quiet manager was fumbling with her fingers, seemingly disturbed she didn't have her camera with her.

"Where… where are we?" Midori heard Aoi ask. She turned her head to the younger one and sighed. "The same place Fifth Sector locked us in a long time ago," she averted her eyes. They were again locked up, and again in the same room. Last time, Coach Kidou and Otonashi-sensei were with them and got them out. But now? They didn't even have Akane's camera. And Midori doubted there were any guards from Fifth Sector who was going to come and check on them. She was sure this was the Phantom's doing—one way or another it had restored the power supply and gained full access to the building.

"Tenma and the others! What happened to them?!" Aoi sounded rather panicked, her eyes darting around the familiar room. No escape route—just like before. Midori sighed. "No idea…" she lowered her head, her hands over her mouth. "But whatever it is, it can't be good," she whispered to herself. She took note of the aching feeling in her stomach, telling her that something had gone wrong in the plan. What was going to happen now?

The door slid open and the first one to react was Akane, who stood up and gasped. "Kirino-kun!" she said his name with so much relief, her eyes glittering with hope. Midori looked up quickly, barely catching a glimpse of a smiling Aoi, and stared at the person who just entered. He was definitely Kirino, complete in his jersey. But something was… off about him, she could tell. "Akane, stop whatever you are doing," she warned and the girl froze immediately. Midori ignored Aoi's call of her name when she stood up from the bench and took a step closer to Kirino, who had a few packets of food and water in his hands.

"You," she narrowed her eyes at the intruder in front of her. "You're not the real Kirino. Where is he? And the others?" she had almost lost control of her voice. The girl breathed in and out, trying to remain as calm as possible without suddenly resorting to violence or raising her voice.

The Kirino in front raised his head and Midori finally saw his eyes—pitch black and nothing else. Midori recoiled in surprise. "You're definitely not Kirino!" she determined, glaring at him. The imposter simply shook his head, placed the items he had brought with him on the floor and turned on his heels. The door slid closed behind him. A speaker buzzed to life and Kirino's voice echoed with one command.

"Eat."

The shock and anger that grasped Kidou the moment he heard Raimon was lost to the Phantom had been indescribable. He was at an honest loss for words. Endou had looked miserable, really miserable. Gouenji looked like the only one who tried to keep a level head but one could see the pain in his eyes. "It threatened to kill Tsurugi if you didn't leave?" Kidou asked his two other best friends, who nodded solemnly. "That… thing," Endou gripped his fists. "That… monster!" he shouted and punched the wall next to him.

The Phantom wasn't just threatening the lives of Raimon soccer players, but it was also threatening the adults' sanity. Kidou crossed his arms, momentarily forgetting his rage to think of a solution. There was one problem. They didn't know the Phantom's weakness. It was like it didn't have a weakness. But Kidou knew that wasn't the case. Everything had a weakness. Even he, Gouenji and Endou had weaknesses themselves. Gouenji for example, his weakness was his very own sister. Back then when Aliea Academy attacked, they had used his sister to blackmail him into joining the academy but failed. If Yuuka was in even worse danger, Kidou had no doubt Gouenji would willingly give up his life to save hers. Kidou himself had to admit, his selfish desires of wanting to live with his sister back then had been his weakness. Long story short, he couldn't move on and accept that they were now living in two different families.

For Endou… his love for soccer had done miraculous wonders—Kidou couldn't deny that. But if Endou didn't have his stubbornness and spirit to never give up, his love for soccer would have brought him disaster after disaster.

Kidou's eyes widened and a gasp flew out of his mouth, attracting the attention of the other two. "Kidou?" Gouenji asked him.

Their strongest aspects… could have brought them their own downfall. Gouenji's and Kidou's love for their respective sisters was admirable and a good trait found in both of them—and Endou his love for soccer, also among his strongest aspects. And these aspects had the potential to destroy them, if they had let that happen. But each of them evaded destruction in their own way.

Your strongest point may also be your fatal weakness.

"The Phantom… it wants Raimon because of the bond the players share with each other, right? To destroy it," when Kidou saw his best friends nod, he continued, "That was why when it couldn't get the Raimon ten years ago, it tried other teams. Other teams that had strong bonds among their players," his eyes narrowed. "Like the Aliea Academy players."

Kidou could see he was making them uncomfortable by bringing up the teams that the Phantom had tried to take. "Your point…?" Endou asked.

"Those players had played with each other for a long time, care for each other and gone through a lot together," Kidou found himself smirking. "What if we made a new team… a team where the players only know each other's name and abilities, but not the things that they've gone through—a team that doesn't have a bond to destroy?"

The look on their faces was priceless. "So what you're suggesting is that… we take players from other teams, preferably those who participated in the Holy Road tournament, to make a new team?" Gouenji asked, marvelled by his best friend's mind. Kidou nodded his head. But he wasn't done yet. "We may also have to take a risk—we would have to choose players who already have a bond with one or two of the players from Raimon. Friendship, rivalry—any of it," when he saw Endou's forehead creased, he explained. "From your story, if my assumption is correct, those who have a bond with one of the players may be able to pull themselves back to reality. Like what Shindou did to Tenma—they had the strong bond of being captains. Tenma has high respect for Shindou while Shindou admires Tenma for his spirit. The reason that couldn't work was because Shindou is a member of Raimon, a target of the Phantom,"

"There's also the possibility that the Phantom purposely let Tenma take over to lure them into the chase," Gouenji looked down. Kidou bit his cheek. "You're right. But in the same time we can't sit around and take cautious steps. Dealing with the Phantom is all about taking risks—this would be just one out of many," he reasoned and Gouenji let out a sigh. There was a small smile on his face.

"Then I'll leave the new team members in your hands," Endou said to the both of them and he stood up. Gouenji and Kidou looked at each other before their eyes turned to the brunet. "And you?" Kidou asked. Endou looked over his shoulder. He grinned. "I'll talk with all the coaches," and he walked away. The two were left alone. Kidou turned to Gouenji with raised eyebrows. "So? Who do you already have in mind?" he asked the flame striker.

Gouenji crossed his arms with a smile. "I'll get Taiyou. His health is getting better and he'll be looking for Tenma soon enough,"

"You guys better get Minamisawa into the team!" they heard Endou shout from the distance.

Kidou chuckled. "I'll find Hakuryuu. Last time I heard, he's training the best he can to surpass Tsurugi,"

Midori ate little of what they were given. Aoi was too worried for Tenma and the team to eat anything. Akane ate less than what Midori consumed, before she said she didn't have an appetite. "Aoi, you have to eat something. When was the last time you ate anyway?" Midori asked, genuinely concerned for the junior. As the eldest of the trio, she somehow felt responsible for their well being. Who knows how long they were going to be here, trapped like prisoners. Aoi stared at the slice of bread Midori held out for her and slowly took it, nibbling on it like a mouse. Midori sighed and leaned against the wall behind her.

"I wonder what time it is…" she muttered, regretting the fact that she wasn't the type to wear a watch. Last time she checked, Akane and Aoi weren't keen to wearing watches either. Her eyes glanced to the only opening in the cell. Was that moonlight shining through the bars? Had they passed out for that long? Well, it didn't matter. What mattered now was that she needed to find a way to get them out of here.

Someone rapped on the door and Midori raised her eyebrows. Was that the fake Kirino again? Why was he knocking this time? A moment later the door slid open and the three girls gasped at the figure lingering in the doorway.

"Shuu?!"

"Sshh!" the black haired boy brought a finger to his lips and hissed. The door closed behind him and he knelt down in front of them, on eye level with Akane and Aoi, who were sitting on the floor unlike Midori. "Are you girls okay?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed and eyes narrowed.

The three nodded. "Yeah, we're okay…" Midori pointed to the door with her thumb. "How did you get in? Do you know where the others are?" she asked. To her surprise, he shook his head. "It's a long story, and we don't have much time. The Phantom—as you and Raimon had called the creature—will send Kirino here again to check on you," he stood up and Midori followed his movements. "I'll break you out of here. Take some of the food it has given you, you might need it for later," he ordered and the three girls took their own food and water bottle each. Shuu nodded his head.

"I'll tell you everything you need to know once we're out of here and in a safer location," he said and turned to the door, motioning for the girls to follow him. Midori had many more questions on the tip of her tongue but decided against asking. Like Shuu said, he would tell them everything they needed to know soon. For now, they had to trust him. The door slid open, to their surprise. How was Shuu capable of doing that? The boy peeked through and looked at the girls again. "Run down the hallway but make sure you start walking once you go around the corner, got it?" he instructed. The girls followed his orders. Midori turned her head around to see Shuu a few steps back with his head turned around, watching for whatever might come from the other end.

They stopped running once they reached the bend. It wasn't easy in the first place, with the load in their hands. Shuu caught up to them. He placed his finger on his lips again, a silent instruction for them to be quiet. They walked the rest of the way. Midori wasn't sure why and she would have preferred it if they ran but Shuu was in charge now. He looked like he knew what he was doing and it was enough to reassure her that everything would be fine. All the doors that would have been locked were easily opened by him with a wave of his hand. Was he a mage? She often wondered afterwards, when she asked him that and he said nothing as a reply.

The air was eerily cold outside the building. That was when Shuu beckoned them to run and they did. He led the way, swerving around trees and Midori cursed a few times when she stumbled. Akane was tired, she could tell so she offered to carry all the water bottles the girls had while the others carried the lighter load. Not long after Shuu offered to carry half of the load, saying that it was safe to walk now.

"Did Coach Endou send you?" Aoi asked, still breathless from the running. Shuu shook his head. "I'm acting on my own accord," he explained. "Then how did you know we were in there?" Midori stared at the back of his head and took a sip of water. She gave the water to Akane next, who took big gulps.

"Because I saw everything,"

Yuuichi had been reading a book, the one he asked his little brother to find for him, when someone knocked on the door. "Come in," he closed the book, wondering who would be visiting him. It couldn't be his brother—he was told that Raimon was at a training camp. He stifled a gasp when Gouenji slid the door open and walked in. "G-Gouenji-san?" he stammered, not believing his eyes. What was his childhood idol doing here?

The adult nodded his head. "Hello, Yuuichi. Are you doing well?" he asked, taking a seat on the chair. Yuuichi, his eyes still wide, nodded. Things were suddenly silent as neither party said anything. In Yuuichi's eyes, Gouenji looked like he really wanted to say something but he held back. The hospitalized boy tilted his head. "Is there a reason behind this sudden visit?" he asked.

Gouenji crossed his arms and leaned into the chair. He sighed. "Yes… it's about your brother," Yuuichi felt his heart stop. Did something bad happen? Gouenji's serious face wasn't helping either. Please, anybody but his brother—anybody but Kyousuke. "What happened?" he noticed his voice shook and his fingers held onto the covers, trembling.

Gouenji felt his heart sank at the sight. He couldn't believe he had to be the one to tell him. And deep down he wished he didn't have to tell Yuuichi at all. Ignorance was bliss, after all. But he had the right to know what was happening to his brother—especially when it was something this bad.

So he told him the truth. From the beginning, the day when Tenma was hospitalized, to the very minute Kidou suggested the creation of a new team. He realized Yuuichi's face had gone paler when he told him of the Phantom's threats to kill Kyousuke. And when he was done, Yuuichi simply stared back at him before sinking deeper into his sheets.

He didn't know what to say or do. His brother was in grave danger and here he was, helpless, obviously not a choice to be in the team to take down the Phantom. He blankly stared at his hands. "Will he come back?" he asked but then realized it was too soft for Gouenji to hear so he repeated himself, louder.

"Will my brother come back?"

He stared right into Gouenji's eyes, jaw tight. The adult's mouth was agape, mostly in surprise. In all honesty, he had not anticipated that question. He expected something among the lines of 'Isn't there anything I can do?' but perhaps… this question was more relevant to a guy like Yuuichi. Gouenji pushed himself up and started for the door. Unfortunately, that was a question he didn't have an answer to.

"I'm sorry,"

Shuu led them to a cave, a suitable place to stay. Along the way he had explained to them how the Kirino that they saw was indeed the real Kirino—but under the Phantom's influence, just like the rest of the team. He told how he saw Tenma a few days before, suddenly on the island and alone. He said he wanted to greet him and ask him why he was here when he realized there was something different about the brunet. Shuu decided to stay away and watch from a safe distance, careful not to announce his presence.

It was when Endou, Gouenji and Raimon came did he finally understand what was going on. "So back then… it was really Kariya-kun who kidnapped us?" Aoi asked, remembering how the defender had appeared and shivered. His eyes had been black at the time. Shuu nodded his head solemnly. "I'm sorry I didn't help back then, but I didn't want the Phantom to know I'm here," he looked at them with a soft smile. Midori grinned at him while Aoi and Akane returned the smile. "It doesn't matter, you helped us get out unharmed in the end," the red haired girl said and sat next to fire Shuu had built. "But what are we supposed to do now? Coach Endou already left with the boat… and the food won't last a week," Midori pondered.

"The food won't be a problem. We're on a lush green island and the sea surrounds us. However, I'm sure Coach Endou will come back soon," Shuu said. He was leaning against the rocky wall, eyes on the cave's mouth. "And if the situation calls for it, I'll hunt for you,"

"You'd do that for us?" Aoi asked, surprised. Shuu turned his head and smiled at her. "It's getting late. The Phantom would notice your disappearance by now. Go to sleep—I'll take the first watch,"

At first hesitant, the girls obeyed anyway. Midori wanted to join in the first watch too but Shuu insisted she rest, so after a little bit more of arguing, she did. When they were fast asleep on a pile of big leaves Shuu had brought up, the boy stood up from his spot and walked out the cave. He stared at the full moon with sad eyes. He sighed and a wave of aura rolled off of him.

"The three of you are under my protection now."