FYI: Abby's Japanese isn't the best. In fact it's fairly broken. So if what she says seems a little off, it's on purpose. When she's speaking in English she's more likely to use words like "like" and "dude" and other slang, while her Japanese tends to be more 'proper' and, as I said, broken. I'm doing this because I feel like it makes the story a little bit more believable. (And I'm an asshole to my characters, so.)
Also, Yuki is fluent in English (since she has to be for her job), but she, too, tends to sound a little off from time to time, since it isn't her first language.
In her short time at Deimon High, Abby had already heard many stories of a blackmailing Demon who not so secretly ran the school. Rumors of him cracking the Earth in two or shadows dragging his victims into the depths of Hell were some of the most common. She once overheard a girl swearing she'd seen horns hidden beneath the Demon's hair. Shortly after, a boy confessed to seeing a tail as well.
The stories were always interesting, but too far-fetched for Abby to believe. Perhaps if she were to actually meet this Hiruma person, she'd give some of the hearsay a second thought. But alas, she had not. Or if she had, he'd done nothing to make his evil ways known to her.
Not all of the rumors were scary, though. As terrifying as this Devil was, people also gave him great complements. It often sounded like he was on a sports team, but when Abby tried to approach a whispering group about him, they paled and ran away. She tried again with another tightly knit cluster of students– that group actually screamed at the mention of You-Know-Who's name. Despite having more questions than before, the young American decided it would be better to ignore her curiosity for the time being than lose what little normalcy her reputation had.
The final bell rang and Abigail let out a sigh of relief. She didn't have work Tuesdays and had been looking forward to a nice, long nap for the better half of the day. It had been a few weeks since the move yet her body and mind still refused to accept the time change. It didn't help that her friends back home would constantly text her through the night. Their getting out of school an hour before hers started was still mind-boggling to them all.
"Um, excuse me?" A girl with reddish-brown hair and sparkling blue eyes smiled at Abigail. "It's very nice to meet you," she said with a bow. "My name is Mamori Anezaki. I'm a part of Deimon's disciplinary committee."
"I did not do anything!" Abby shouted quickly, her mind jumping back to the last prank she and her friends pulled on the principal. It had involved a glue gun, scissors, a few dozen wigs, and his new car. The committee member stared with concern as Abby's brain caught up with her. This was Japan. She hadn't pulled a prank on anyone, let alone the principal.
"I– Forgive me. Old... um... routine," she mumbled, glancing at the girl's shoes. "Did you need something?"
"Yes. I'm sorry to ask this of you, but you're our new transfer student, right?"
Abigail nod slowly, part of her wanting to ask what the first clue was, the rest of her too tired to care. Mamori brought forward a few pieces of paper.
"Then, would you mind bringing these to the American Football club for me?"
"Why cannot you do it?" Abby winced at the unnecessary harshness of her voice as the girl's smile began to fade.
"A committee meeting is just about to start," she explained. "However, I didn't know about it until just now and I need Hiruma-kun to look over these papers as soon as possible."
"Wait… Did you say Hiruma? Hiruma the Demon? He plays football?"
"Oh." Her face fell. "So you have heard of him. I was hoping you didn't know about him yet." She sighed. "Sorry for bothering you, Transfer-san. Perhaps I can find someone else to help me."
Abigail blinked, trying to translate everything as quickly as she could. "Why? I am not allowed to know him?"
"You mean, you would still take these for me?"
The American paused. She could say no and be done with it or she could say yes, meet the Devil, and possibly be dragged into Hell. In all honesty, helping this girl was outrageously unappealing. Without a response, the shine in Mamori's blue eyes slowly dulled and the air around her turned heavy with desperation. Abigail furrowed her brows and sighed deeply. She looked up, cursing her bleeding heart, then asked where to find him.
"So this is the Devil's Domain, huh? Not quite what I was expecting," she mumbled as a drop of sweat rolled down her neck.
In her mind, the place should have been a dark, unholy castle sitting atop a shrouded hill, with lightning flashing and an organ playing in the background. Instead, there was a large, gaudy sign welcoming her to the American Football Club. Underneath it was another sign donning the words: Deimon Devilbats.
Abigail swiftly opened the door, figuring it was better to just get it over with. The interior was equally confusing. For a moment, she thought she'd wandered into a casino by mistake. The words 'Excuse me' bubbled up in the back of her throat when a tall man stood and slammed his fist on the roulette table in front of him, shutting her mouth immediately. Both the man dressed in white and the slim teen sitting across from him paused to stare at the sudden intruder. She couldn't see Player 21's eyes, but they both seemed to be regarding her as if she'd grown three heads.
"Do not be minding me," she insisted, trying not to snicker at the scene before her. "Please continue your game."
The one with the greased back hair, whose oddly shaped tongue seemed to be sticking out, snapped at her in a rude voice. His sentences were littered with improper sounding words and suffixes. Abby assumed he thought it made him more badass, but in reality, it only made him that much harder to understand. She got the gist of it though: he was insulting her.
"That is a way to speak to a woman?" She asked, venturing inside the clubhouse/casino.
"You see anyone caring?" She miraculously managed to decipher. "Beat it, girl."
"I have business." Abby turned to the seated football player. "Can you–"
"You don't know who you're messin' with, sister," jeered another man she hadn't noticed.
She glared at him and was about to say something back, but stopped herself. There was no point in riling them up. She was here to make Yuki's life easier, not to get in stupid fights with petty boys. Abby put the paperwork down in front of player 21.
"Please, can you give these to Hiruma Youichi? I do not have the time for this."
"Hey, I'm talkin' to you!"
"I am not speaking with you!" She tried to tell the guy to shut up, but after she'd said it, Abigail wasn't entirely sure whether she'd told him to 'shut up' or 'fuck off'. Japanese is a difficult language, after all. Either way, they didn't seem to like it. Player 21 on the other hand was choking down a laugh. The third thug started talking, but she was done. Folding her arms, Abigail simply waited for him to stop. There wasn't any point in trying to listen since she could barely understand them anyway.
"I am not listening. Are you finished?" She calmly asked once he finally ceased his yammering. Flicking her hair over her shoulder, the boy looked ready to explode. She shook her head and glanced back at player 21. "I am not wrong. They are annoying, yes?"
"That's it!" The leader shout. "I've had enough of this bullshit! Eyeshield 21, I accept your challenge! This weekend, Zokugaku versus Deimon!"
Player 21 grinned. "Does that mean we can send you fucking scum back to Hell?"
"What did you say!? I'll get you good!"
"Oh? You think you can beat us? Wanna bet 5 million yen?" Player 21's voice was so up beat and peppy, it almost sounded like a trap.
"Alright, we're in! You and your shitty team lost to Oujou, but right now, the strongest linebacker is me, Habashira Rui! Shin is a piece of shit compared to me!"
Abigail watched the man and his goonies exit the casino clubhouse. She understood the words he'd said, but didn't have a clue what he was talking about. What was an 'Oujou'? Was that lizard a football player? Did that mean thugs 2 and 3 were also footballers? Who the heck was Shin?
"The strongest is Shin!" A voice piped up, answering part of her question. She peeked out of the clubhouse to find a short boy standing before the group of thugs. "He said he'll be waiting for us in the finals! There's no way he's gonna lose to anyone else!" His eyes were lit with a great, foolish flame of determination.
Gutsy little dude, she admired, but he's gonna get himself killed. Abigail made a rush towards the commotion as Habashira whipped out his hand. The footballer seized the smaller boy's head, attempting to crush it in his grasp.
"What'd you say? Say it again, if you dare!"
The American quickly spun herself between the two. She snatched the younger boy away, using gravity and Habashira's own force as leverage, and the thug jumped back. Once the boy was safely behind her, she put her hands on her hips, forming a sturdy wall between them.
"You heard him well! Save fight for game!"
"Humph! You even need a woman to protect you. 'Won't lose to anyone else'," Habashira echoed. "Does a coward like you have the right to tell others what to do?"
"Leave him alone," Abigail threatened, taking a step forward and balling her fist.
"N-no, he's right. I am weak," the boy admitted. "But I won't be the one taking care of him."
"Humph! So you still have to rely on others! Who're you gonna send out to take care of me?"
The small boy moved around Abigail slowly. "Eyeshield 21."
Eyeshield 21? Her eyes slid over to the clubhouse. The man in the 21 jersey had taken off his helmet and was quietly watching the display. Does he mean that blonde guy?
Habashira stared at the kid for a moment, then threw his head back laughing. The Deimon students watched him and his followers take their leave. Abby shook her head at the man's cocky attitude when a soft buzzing stole her attention. She grabbed the phone from her skirt pocket and answered the call in a single motion.
"Hello?" It was her boss, calling her in for a last minute replacement. She agreed, cursing her luck, and started to leave. After a few steps, she stopped and turned back to the boy, putting the phone's speaker against her shoulder. "It was nice to meeting you." She hesitated then gave a small nod.
"O-Oh!" The boy quickly bowed in return, suddenly very nervous. "Yes, you too! My name is Sena! I'm a first year and secretary for the American Football Club!"
Another boy she hadn't noticed, only slightly taller than the other, jumped up. "And I'm Monta from the same year! I'm the MAX receiver!"
"Okay." The American, whom hadn't been planning on introductions, thought for a moment. "I am Abigail Green. Second year. Dance Captain."
Both of their faces opened in mild surprise. "Dance Captain?" They repeated.
She nod. "In America." She wanted to wish them good luck at their game, but the closest she could say was: "I want for you to destroy lizards this weekend. Okay?"
Sena nod, the fire back in his eyes. "We will. I promise."
She smiled. "Good. They are jerks." Abigail's boss started talking once again and she immediately put the phone back up to her ear. She waved to her schoolmates before leaving them behind.
"I'm back," she mumbled, hours later, slipping the shoes off her aching feet. Her job was simple but clearing tables, washing floors, and cleaning dishes was still tiring. Abigail glanced around the dark living room as a whimper echoed through the empty house. "Yuki?" She called softly.
She tiptoed across the cold wooden floor and peeked into the dark kitchen before turning the lights on. Yuki sat up with a start, water still streaming from her red, swollen eyes. Abigail could only stare.
"Abby!" Her hands rushed up to her face, quickly wiping away what she could. "You scared me! I hadn't heard you."
"Sorry." She walked over and sat beside her. "Are you okay?"
Yuki immediately stood and started moving from the fridge to the sink like she was searching for something. "I was only... only thinking for dinner. That's all. I am fine, yes."
A pot and pan made their way from the pantry to the stove with loud, steady chimes. Yuki continued to speak about nothing, anything, and everything. She only stopped long enough for Abby to say 'yes' or 'no' before rolling on. Knowing she was trying to keep herself as busy as possible, Abigail didn't bother asking to help. Instead she stayed in her seat and watched her sister-in-law wipe away hidden tears.
Dinner was ready far too quickly and their tongues and hearts were far too heavy for food. Still, they sat across from each other and poked at their meal in silence.
"So…" Abby cleared her throat. "Turns out we have a football team at my school. Like, an American one. Not soccer."
"That is nice."
"Yeah." She took a long drink of water and cleared her throat again.
"Your brother…" Yuki mumbled. "He played that game."
She nodded while one of her chopsticks tried to slip from her fingers. "Yeah, he made the varsity team sophomore– I mean, uh, first year."
"I see."
"You know, Deimon's having a game this weekend. Maybe we could go watch?"
"Perhaps."
"It'll be fun! Like, some quality Yuki-Abby bonding time."
Yuki paused for a moment, staring down at her food. She frowned. "Perhaps," she said again.
Eventually, Abby will be well versed enough with her Japanese that she won't sound so strange. (AKA whenever I get sick of writing her speech in such a weird fashion, haha. XD) Hopefully, it's not too terribly distracting.