Hello everyone! Been a long time, huh? Don't worry though. Even when it takes me for-EVER to update my stories, I'll never abandon them. (I have far too much pride.) Anywho, the ending on this one is kind of abrupt because 1) I couldn't think of a way to really end it, and 2) I have been staring this chapter in the face for SO. LONG. And I just wanted to get it up already. (I'm a terrible person, but thems the truth.)

"Um, hello?"

"Where the hell are you?"

Abby frowned. "Say 'hello' like a normal person or I'm hanging up."

"Hello, Fucking American," the Devil said with more sass than necessary. "Where the hell are you?"

"There, was that so bad? Anyway, I'm at Yuki's. Looking over my notes from tryouts and whatever. Why, what's up?"

"Seriously?"

Abby rolled her eyes. "Just because I don't like this deal doesn't mean I'm gonna half ass it." She glanced back down at the screen. Names, followed by varying numbers and letters, were scattered before her. She swiped across the keys, bolding one girl's name and erasing another completely. "Hey, did you call just to hear me breathe?"

"Don't be stupid."

"Then what's up? I really want to finish this before Monday, so unless we're gonna have an actual conversation–"

"Come work on it at the school."

Abby made a face and moved the phone from her ear; wondering if she'd heard him right. "Why?"

"You're the only one not here," Hiruma scoffed. "Everyone keeps asking where you are. It's fucking annoying."

"They do? I…" Abigail tapped her finger against the desk and cleared her throat. "Yeah, I guess I could head over in a bit," she mumbled, closing the laptop.

"Hurry up!"

"Alright, alright! Keep your horns on, geez." The line went dead.

Abigail sighed, saving his number and tossing the phone to her bed. She pulled a Deimon blazer over her shirt and rolled up the sleeves. After brushing her hair and fixing her jeans, she packed up her computer and headed downstairs.

"Yuki, I'm heading out!"

"Really?" Her voice echoed from the kitchen. "Where are you going?

Abby found her sister at the dining table cutting coupons, her short hair carelessly pinned back. "The school. Everyone's asking for me, apparently."

"Everyone?"

She shrugged. "I'm guessing Sena and Monta. Maybe Mamori and Kurita, too. Hiruma's the one who called me."

"Oh, I see!" She smiled widely. "Will you tell him I said hello?"

"Sure thing." Abby pulled out a chair for herself. "What're you doing today?"

"Eh?"

"What are you doing today?" She said a little slower.

"Really nothing. A few friends invited me to lunch, but I don't think I will go."

"Why not? You don't get out much. You must be sick of being cooped up by now."

"That's… true," Yuki mumbled.

"Sorry, was that rude?"

She chuckled. "No. I work with big, American men."

"O… kay." What kind of explanation is that? Abby wondered. "But, I really do think you should go. You haven't seen them in forever, have you?"

She hummed. "No, not really. But… I don't know."

"Well, it's up to you. I just think it might be good for you to get out and have a little fun every once in a while, you know?" She stood up again. "Anyway, I'll see you later, Yuki. M'kay?"

"Yes… Have fun, little sister."

"Abby-chan! Good morning!"

"Good morning, Mamori." She waved at the boys practicing on the field. "Where is everyone?"

"Hiruma and the linemen are practicing in the weight room right now." She smiled. "I was wondering when you would show up."

Abby returned it. "Here now. But I cannot help much." She pulled the sticker-ridden laptop from her schoolbag. "Forgive me. I must work on cheerleader callbacks."

Mamori nod. "Of course! I completely understand."

Abby smiled again then sat on the grassy slope and went to work. So far, she only had the names of the top two applicants bolded: Ueno Maaya and Fukui Ikuye. Maaya had had a wider arsenal of moves and formations, while Ikuye had been more confident and fluid. Both had black hair but the former's was fuller, pulled into a tight ponytail, and nowhere near as long as the other's. Abby made a quick note to speak with Ikuye about her hair length and how it would have to be put up during practice.

After skimming over their sections one last time, she moved on to the three who scored just below them. Maki Kyoko, who introduced herself as Kyo, had short, choppy hair and a sturdy, eye-catching charm to her movements. She also had a number of ear piercings that made Abigail nervous. She cringed thinking of all the times her own piercings had gotten caught while dancing.

Saito Natsuki had been calm with a careful, calculated look during the entire performance and ended out of breath. She hadn't said much, but what she did came out in a remarkably placid tone. Abby knew she had gone just before Ren walked in but couldn't recall much else.

According to her notes, Yoshida Hanna was fairly flexible and had good coordination, but all she could remember was mistaking her for a lost child with tiny brown pigtails. Hiruma'd had a nice laugh at that. Abby rolled her eyes at the memory and tried to ignore the pink on her cheeks.

Considering how high her standards were for her girls back home, she'd been outstandingly generous in scoring these applicants. However she couldn't forsake her standards any lower than Honda Akari, Matsumoto Chiharu, or Akiyama Kaija. The most notable of the three was Chiharu but not for her skill. She hadn't asked, but assumed the girl stood somewhere around six foot three, an anomaly among Japanese women to say the least.

Akari had smiled brightly throughout her audition and apologized for her lacking talent once she finished. She was shocked when Abigail outright refused the apology. Being able to smile during a performance is a difficult task. For most individuals, it takes a number of lectures– and in Abby's case video footage– before a smile can even be regularly present on the performer; let alone continuously. But she didn't know how to explain that in Japanese, so she simply let Akari walk out in confusion.

Kaija– though preoccupied with trying to keep her glasses from slipping and perhaps the least skilled of them all– had poured her heart out more than any other applicant. After tap, tap, tapping her nails, Abigail puffed out her chest and bolded the girl's name.

She went over the final list, trying to memorize names to faces but only mixed and mashed everyone's traits into one jumbled mess. Frowning, she wondered how this whole ordeal was going to work out. She had to learn an entirely new team's language: their strengths and flaws, physical and psychological limits, and how far she could push without utterly destroying them. She'd been with the Devious Kings so long, Abby wondered if she even could understand a new team.

Then there's understanding their actual language as well. She sighed.

"Abby-chan?"

She looked up to find Mamori smiling down at her with care.

"We've finished for today. Won't you join us inside?"

"Yes." She put away her things and followed her towards the Clubhouse Casino.

"Did you get much done?" Mamori asked.

"Yes. Completely, I think I am done."

"That's wonderful! How many girls do you have?"

"Uh… eight. Not adding Ren or me."

"Ren?"

Abby nod. "He is manager and… substitute."

"You already have a manager? That's great!"

"Will be weird, I think. I have always done without."

"Without? You mean, by yourself?"

"Yes." She let Mamori go in first. "My friends would help little when could, but I did most work."

"I see. Wasn't that difficult for you?"

Abby shrugged. "It took very much time, but not hard. More annoying."

Mamori nod her head, brows folding with concern. In a flash, Abigail was back in America, and her reasons why the paperwork couldn't possibly wait until morning were falling flat on her mother's tired ears. She blinked at the sound of Mamori's voice and realized she was being spoken to.

"Uh, forgive me, Mamori. What–"

"Alright!" Hiruma's voice cut through hers. "Let's take them to see the game!" He stepped out of the clubhouse, flipping out his cellphone.

"Good idea," Kurita said following him to the doorway. "Not everyone has seen an official game after all!"

"Wait. What is happening?"

"I need five methods of transportation!" Hiruma told whoever was on the line. Abby crunched her brows and threw a glance across the room.

"Do we need that many for only twelve people?" Mamori mumbled as the Devil's phone snapped shut.

"Hiruma?" Abby called as he grabbed his things. "Why do we need five cars?"

"Let's go wait in front," he ordered, grinning as he left everyone scurrying behind.

When five motorcyclists pulled up to the school and Hiruma started barking orders at them, she could only stare. She had no idea who they were or why they were there in the first place, so she was relieved at the hesitancy of the others when the Devil teen told everyone to get on.

"Hey, Hiruma, I'm no stickler or anything, but this seems kinda dangerous."

He threw her a quick look– she could almost swear confusion– before answering. "Keh. Is the Fucking American afraid of a little motorcycle?"

"Of course not!" She huffed.

"Then quit complaining and get on one."

She rolled her eyes, watching warily as her new friends began to awkwardly climb aboard.

"Come on," he persisted. "I dare you."

Her muscles twitched and a shiver ran down her spine. She quickly cleared her throat, trying to hide whatever eagerness that word might have sparked, then glared at the annoying look in his eye. Her heart clenched, stealing her focus, and urged her to meet the challenge. Groaning in defeat, she swung a leg over the bike.

"If I die," she warned, scooting closer and tightening the strap on her bag, "I am so haunting your ass."

Hiruma scoffed before barking at the cyclists to hurry up and go already. At the sudden burst of motion, Abigail threw her arms around him and squeezed. He jumped at the unexpected touch and sent her a snarling insult. She managed to wean off him but couldn't stop herself from latching on again whenever they made a sharp turn or sped up without warning.

The city was a blur of colors and sounds she couldn't comprehend over the roaring engines. They weaved in and out of traffic as if they were on a roller coaster. One turn after another, Abigail could feel herself slipping into a false sense of security. Like a safe, happy outcome was the only possibility in the world. The entire group sped through a red light and a siren began to wail.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw a police car barreling after them. A voice boomed out from the megaphone but with the wind and the engines bellowing in her ears, Abby couldn't understand a single word. She made an educated guess that it was something along the lines of: "Pull the fuck over". The cyclists quickly accelerated and started swerving more recklessly than before.

"Oh God, this is it. This is the end." She giggled nervously, hiding her face in Hiruma's back as she held on for dear life. Slowly, the sirens moved further and further away. She peeked again and found the cop car was unable to follow them through the traffic jam they were narrowly tearing through.

Overcome with relief, she started laughing once they reached their destination. As soon as the motor shut off, she hopped off the bike and began taming her wild hair with restless fingers. Hiruma straightened his blazer and headed for the open stadium. The rest of the Devilbats clambered off their motorcycles– only a small handful remembering to thank the cyclists– and rushed after him. There was a serious lack of seating and the majority of spectators were standing around in tight groups. The Deimon crowd found a nice spot next to the field and close to the scoreboard. In front of them, a group of cowgirls loudly cheered: "Wild! Wild! Gunmen!"

"Oh, great," Abby mumbled. "These must be my so-called rivals."

"Is that their halftime show?" Sena gaped in disbelief as some of the girls started firing toy pistols.

"It… sure is quite a sight," Monta said with more composure.

Mamori moved beside her. "What do you think, Abby-chan?"

She shrugged. "Cute. Where are other team's cheerleaders?"

"You mean for Oujou? I don't believe they have any."

"They do not?"

She shook her head. "One of their players is a popular model, so the entire stadium is usually filled with cheering girls. However, he was," somethinged, "during the game with Deimon and isn't here today as a result."

"No model equals no cheerleaders? How sad." Hitching her thumbs in her pockets, she glanced over at the scoreboard, 20 to 7, and turned to Hiruma. "So who's winning?

"Seibu," he answered. When she didn't stop starring, he continued with, "The Oujou team is behind."

Abby nodded, not understanding the weight in his response, before one of the Gunmen footballers bolted past her. Number 15 grabbed a flying bottle so fiercely the water shot out like a geyser. When he tried to drink from it, only air puffed out. She laughed at that.

"Tetsuma Jou," Hiruma muttered. Somehow on his laptop and with the information in front of him, he began listing what sounded like the player's stats. Was 40 yards in five seconds good? Was 114 kilograms a lot? She had no idea, but the Devilbats looked ready to shit themselves, so she felt confident in assuming Tetsuma was both a fast and strong opponent.

"Speaking of which," Sena began. "Just then, when he ran by…"

"That was a pass route," Hiruma said passing out a sheet of paper to each of the boys. Abby peeked over Monta's shoulder to see for herself. "You guys have to remember these routes."

The boys' faces twisted in horror and Abby let out a low whistle.

"Not all of them!" Kurita said quickly. "Just practice some routes you're," something, "good at!"

"But Eyeshield 21," Yukimitsu mumbled. "He remembers them all without fail, right?"

"Of course." Hiruma grinned. "He studied at the University of Notre Dame after all."

Abigail did a double take. Notre Dame? That's impossible. How could someone have gone to NDU and still be in high school?

Yukimitsu simply nodded and pulled out a pencil from his front pocket. "Alright, I've got to work hard then!"

At that moment, Sena collapsed against the chain-link fence like a tsunami of responsibility had fallen upon his shoulders. Abby stared at him then shook her head grinning and returned to the halftime show.

The Gunner Girls' routine was annoyingly simplistic. A bitter voice in the back of her head said that was how her team was going to look. She loved the outfits though, and the props were to die for, but she also knew how hindering those things must have been. After all, what girl in their right mind would want to risk a flip or a tuck in a bandeau? The fringe on the vest probably got in the way a lot and cowboy boots aren't exactly the number one performance shoe.

"Keeping an eye on the competition, Fucking American?"

Abby shot him a look. "Competition? They're hardly doing anything."

A few of the girls did a cartwheel. One of them openly grimaced for a moment and her elbows twitched inward. The girl came upright with a smile and straight arms, the tiny blunder unnoticed by her everyday spectators. If not for their years of practice, Abigail's eyes might have missed it as well.

"Have to admit though, I've never seen cheerleaders dressed like that before. It's a pretty cool look."

"Don't get any ideas," Hiruma warned.

"Most people I know don't picture devil girls in cowboy hats," she teased. "Besides, whoever designed that outfit clearly wasn't thinking about practicality."

As she spoke, one of the hats swung around its owner's neck and hit her in the face. The girl quickly threw it back over her shoulder, smiling like it had happened on purpose. Abigail crossed her arms and the cheerleader's face fell under the keen stare. She did her best to shake it off but kept glancing back, looking for a sign that she hadn't screwed up as much as those strict green eyes told her she did. Realizing she was becoming a distraction, Abby let her arms fall and gave the girl a small, reassuring smile. After checking one last time the cheerleader let out a quick sigh and began beaming at the rest of the crowd.

Halftime soon ended and the players made their way back onto the field. Abby watched the Gunner Girls walk to the sidelines, still smiling and twirling their guns. They cheered as the teams lined up and became even louder once the ball snapped.

For the rest of the game, she continued to watch them for reference. During plays, the leader, who she assumed was captain, would call out formations and start the cheers. When the Gunman gained a few yards, they cheered uniformly, following what must have been a routine. When they lost ground, the Gunner Girls either stayed quiet or would individually call for players not to give up. When the teams lined up again, they cheered uniformly once more. When the opposing team scored a touchdown, the cheerleaders were just as upset as the players. Some cried for the boys not to give up, while one booed the other team loudly.

Eventually, Oujou overtook the Wild Gunmen and the cheerleaders huddled together. Abby craned her neck trying to see what they were doing. After a few seconds, they spread back out and started to cheer something totally new with different moves from before. She was impressed. Not with the routine itself – it was still far too rigid and plain for her tastes– but that they'd come up with a new one so quickly. Each Gunner Girl had to be incredibly well versed with their moves in order for something to flow together so smoothly without practice. Abigail was so inspired she sent a text to the rest of the Devious Kings, telling them exactly what had happened and how seamless the transitions were.

'Well', she corrected herself, 'seamless by a cheerleader's standards anyway.'

In the end, Oujou won. Not that Abby had been paying much attention to the game in the first place. Dakota and Selena were the only ones slowly and sloppily returning her texts. She bid them a fond good night as the Devilbats started trickling back towards the bikes. Their responses came quickly this time.

'Nght night Abbyyyyyy'

'Much love captn'

She shook her head at their eagerness and wondered how late it was for them.

"Sena, whatcha doing?" Monta shouted.

Abby looked back at the lagging boy as he turned towards the group.

"I thought, since we're out here anyway…" Sena said rubbing the back of his head. "We might as well run back to school as afternoon practice…"

"Seems like you're full of," something!" We should practice our pass routes!" Monta said eagerly.

"Is that so?" Hiruma chimed, jumping from the bike with a frightful grin.

"Let's run with them, Abby-chan," Mamori said cheerfully.

"What?"

"Run with them." She smiled. "It's our duty to support them after all, don't you think?"

"I…" Abby grimaced, but Hiruma was already sending the motorcyclists away, leaving her with little choice. She pulled off her blazer and tied it around her waist. "Not too fast. Okay?"

She nod. "Of course."

Sena started running first. "Slant!" He shouted, reading from his sheet of paper.

Monta, Komusubi, and Yukimitsu had their papers out too and did their best to comply. Yukimitsu nearly tripped into the girls at the Square Out command. Abigail and Mamori were already jogging by then, one clearly less pleased than the other. The Huh Boys were running just fast enough to be ahead of Hiruma's gun, making Hiruma and Kurita the last in their merry parade. They received many strange looks on their way back, but Abby hardly noticed. She was too busy smiling.

Deimon Cheerleaders (First name Last name): Ren Shoji, Maaya Ueno, Ikuye Fukui, Kyoko "Kyo" Maki, Natsuki Saito, Hanna Yoshida, Akari Honda, Chiharu Matsumoto, and Kaija Akiyama. [So many. And yet, compared to irl cheer squads, hardly any.]

BTW, the reason the Gunmen cheerleader kinda freaked while Abby was staring is because; when you're a performer of any kind, you tend to learn the difference between the average audience member and another performer. Especially, in my experience, when it's a more experienced performer. Abigail wasn't watching the performance; she was studying it (quite critically, I might add). The cheerleader realized that right after messing up, which– believe you me– is terribly nerve wracking.

I also want to make it clear that Abigail has a very different effect on people when she's in her 'Captain Mode', but hopefully that will show on it's own.