Here it is! Enjoy Chapter 3 of Unwanted Bond!
"Be careful, please."
Matsukaze Tenma bit his lip before he answered. "I'll be fine, Aki-nee, I feel so much better already. Don't you worry about me."
The green-haired woman sighed, before giving Tenma a warm smile. He took this as his cue and after a deep bow, ran out the door, excited to get to morning soccer practise.
Three days inside proved effective against the twitching state that had suddenly overtook him - and increased the boredom that already constantly consumed him. The brunet could hardly believe he was outside again.
I wonder if Coach Kuroiwa is still giving Soul Restraint sessions. Wouldn't hurt to have another crack at it, he thought.
That is, before a sudden, sharp stab had Tenma doubling over for the fifth time in three days.
You are mine now.
"SHUT UP!"
The words ripped themselves from his throat before he could stop them, pedestrians turning to stare at the boy as he struggled to straighten up.
Whatever it is this was speaking in his mind, it was time for it to back off.
When he finally regained his steady breathing, he began walking again towards Raimon Jr High, this time his pace quickening. He should really tell Coach Endou.
Or on second thought, nah. It'd just make the team worry more.
Not time for worrying. And as the soccer field slowly shifted into Tenma's field of view, the thought slipped from his mind and his hands trembled with excitement.
Time for soccer.
Fujita Denichi found himself in front of her the next day, the laughter that was usually on her face now vanished from sight.
Asami never failed to notice when he was agitated, proved this time and time again. It was evident from the look in her eye that she was very much worried about Fujita, her warm hands clasped around his.
"What is it?"
Straightforward, too.
Fujita croaked, "It's just..." He lifted his eyes to hers and tried to speak again, only to find her interrupting him.
"It's your dad, right? He said no." At his silence, she added, "I thought he would... wouldn't want you to marry an Untouchable like me, wouldn't he?"
"I'm afraid so." He pretended the tremble in her voice didn't threaten his composure, and continued. "But this isn't the end."
It forced a wry laugh out of her before she replied, "What's your plan, Evil Genius-san?"
It was time. Now or never.
Fujita forced his lips apart and said, "Elope. Run away with me, Asami, and be my wife. I can't take it anymore!"
If he'd expected laughs of relief and hurried agreements from his fiery soon-to-be-mistress, he was, and most definitely, wrong.
"Are you joking?" Silence again. She couldn't bear it and broke it apart with a cry. "Fujita Denichi. I've said this before and I'll say it again. I'm not as willing to leave my family behind as you are. I'm the oldest, Fuji, the oldest and the only one who's capable of taking over the shop. And what about Tou-san? He's been poorly, you think I'd be able to throw him away? Have a heart!"
And before he knew it, before the soon-to-be-king could stop her, Asami was slipping through his fingers again, escaping, but it was only her breeze he'd ever wanted in his life.
"Asami, wait!"
With a cried, "Leave me alone!" she wrenched herself out of his grasp, ran away, and out of sight.
Tenma tapped his friend on the shoulders, peering over them to see what the dark-haired boy was doing. With a swift turn, Matatagi came face-to-face with his captain, before shooting him a rare, cheeky grin.
"Welcome back!" he exclaimed as he put his hand around his shoulders. "We missed ya. Did you get better?"
With a smirk, Tenma replied, "Obviously-"
And the two friends walked over to the changing rooms, where the players of Raimon and Earth Eleven alike were chattering loudly as they changed into their uniforms. When Tenma walked in, he suddenly found Shinsuke at his elbow, a wide smile on his face that was mirrored across the whole room.
Straightening up, Tenma turned to address them. "Hey guys! I hope you're all ready for the new exercise Coach Kuroiwa wanted us to begin. I'm fine, really, as good as new!"
After a collective cheer, the brunet took to a bench and pulled out his uniform. Once he was changed, he followed the rest of his team out into the clubroom, taking a moment to survey the adults clustered at one of the far tables.
Fideo Aldena. Endou Natsumi, again. And of course, Kuroiwa Ryuusei, his face unreadable behind his jet black shades.
With a clap, Coach Endou, who had been talking with Shindou at the front desk, called the attention of the two teams. "Alright, everybody! Glad you can make it today. As you know already, Coach Kuroiwa has an important announcement to make."
The latter stood up, his hands clasped as always to his hips. When silence finally occupied the room, he began.
"Do any of you know the exact reason why the Soul users on this team have been receiving special training?" After the collective shaking of heads, he continued. "Let me explain to all of you exactly why Soul Restraint is required.
"Of course, most of you are aware of the professional football league tournament being cancelled, due to the disbanding of over half of the contestant teams - one of them, most unfortunately, Italia's team, which is why I retired from professional league training. There has been a number of altercations within these teams that have come to my attention." He gestured to Coach Endou, who nodded and continued speaking.
"There's been reports of players being out-of-character and not being themselves," the keeper explained. "Of course, a lot of pro-league teams are bound to have conflict at one point or another, but the large fights - no other word for it - all go along the same line and happen from the most unlikely of instigators. W-we think," - Tenma noticed with a surprise the sudden waver in his coach's voice - "that there's some kind of supernatural element to it. So, we had to ask the, um, expert." He turned again to Kuroiwa, who chose not to react to the comment.
Kuroiwa began speaking again. "All people on Earth, and on other planets in the galaxy alike, have a special kind of energy, known as Soul Potential. All of us here have Soul Potential, and only those with a more-than-average and budding Soul Potential can utilise this energy. For example," he gestured to the Earth Eleven members, a blue-and-white group among the players, "our Soul users. However, every person has a portion, even if very small.
"Let me remind you all of the Berserk Ray tactic that the Ixaal Fleet players resorted to last year in hopes of winning the Grand Celesta Galaxy tournament. Their evil Souls were able to control those of Earth Eleven's and were able to convince them to rampage against their masters. They could directly force a player to move against their will, and the stronger the Soul Potential of that player, the more they could do with their means of control - thus why we have been extracting the Soul users among you to focus on Restraining their energy. Soul Restraint is a skill that requires you to coax your subconscious mind into accepting that your body is yours and only you are allowed to move it.
"As some of you recall," he gestured again to the Soul users, "Soul Restraint is a very difficult skill to achieve. A number of players from the professional league have fallen victim to an obscured force grasping hold of their senses and causing them to instigate disband. This obscure force is threatening every soccer team around the world, as soccer is the only sport that is able to bring out the Soul energy of a player and allow them to use it to their full potential."
"Why they want to eradicate Souls, we don't know," Endou picked up, "but we sure don't agree with disbanding so many teams! We want to form a united front between Raimon and Earth Eleven, and work together to defeat the growing threat of this mysterious organization..."
Then followed the question they all knew Endou wanted to say, unspoken but clear in the atmosphere.
Will you unite your teams, and join us in yet another - dangerous - fight?
Tenma didn't have to think twice.
"Guys," he called as he stood up, "this is just like having to fight the Protocol Omega, Second Stage Children and Ixaal Fleet teams. They all wanted to achieve something that would hurt soccer" - he could see the eye rolls among the attentive faces - "and we all agreed that we didn't want that to happen. It's this all over again, right?" Between the players, he could see Shinsuke nodding his head, Hamano nudging Hamano as their captain spoke. "I'm joining this fight and I want all of you who can to come with me as well. It's all to protect the soccer we love!"
Shindou and Kirino nodded in unison, and the rest of the teams' voice broke out in shouts of agreement. Within minutes, everyone's faces were high and hopeful to defeat the organization that had set out to destroy soccer once more.
With another clap, Endou grabbed the kids' attention. "Alright! If all of you agree to come along, you will spend tonight packing your bags to come travel with us. These organizations have taken over different Junior High schools and we have to win these matches to be able to lift the effects their Soul energy is placed under." The teens nodded in agreement then fell silent again, allowing the coach to continue. "Then it is settled. You will all get special permits to stay off school -"
"HELL YEAH!"
Everyone in the room, Kuroiwa included, turned around to face Matatagi, who blushed bright red at the sudden attention and mumbled, "Come on guys... we get to miss school... sorry."
Endou let out a chuckle and continued. "You will all get to stay off school - exciting, I know - and we're enlisting yet another pro-league player to help us. Ichinose Kazuya," he added, nodding at Tenma, who managed to smile back amidst the surprise. "He is a player joining us from the American Unicorn team, which has most unfortunately been disbanded recently."
Ichinose-san - he never told me!
"Anyways! Thank you all for agreeing to come with us. We'll all meet back here tomorrow at 7:45 A.M., backs packed and ready to go. I'll see you all then!"
Later in the evening, Tenma sat on his bed, grabbing various outfits spread out on his bed and packing them away in his duffel, his heart barely able to contain the excitement... and anxiety.
People can't seem to get enough of ending soccer, can they?
What was it about soccer that made so many people want to get rid of it?
As Tenma began zipping up his packed bag, his thoughts were interrupted with another sharp stab.
Stabbing, again and again, each one plunging deep into his heart, choking him, until itwasgoneallofasuddenand-
You are mine now.
"NO! Man, are you in love with me or SOMETHING?!"
It would've been better for the brunet if he hadn't shouted that at the top of his lungs.
It would've been even better, in fact, if Aki hadn't walked in his room nanoseconds before his outburst.
...
"T-Tenma-kun, are you talking to someone?"
"No, I'm not," he hastily replied, breathing hard in a futile attempt to regain his composure. "Sorry, I'm just - going crazy, hehe..." He finished it off with a weak laugh that he knew wouldn't convince his older cousin.
She covered up her confusion with a laugh and said, "Alright then. If you're all packed, please take your bag downstairs and come sit with us, we're all having a movie marathon tonight. You know, since you and Kazuya are leaving..."
"Okay!" he replied as he stood up. "I'll be downstairs in a minute, Aki-nee."
With a last, hurried "Thanks!", she at last left the room.
Tenma waited until her footsteps grew faint, then he closed the door and rushed to the mirror on his nightstand. There, he slid off his shirt and peered closer, his hands examining the area on his chest that pained him.
There it was. A small, dark blue patch, the size of a coin, with sharp, jagged edges. A small jab at the bruise told Tenma all he needed to know.
The place where it hurts, every time. Well, at least I know where it is.
He tugged his shirt back on, grabbed his bag and hurried downstairs, not wanting to keep Ichinose or Aki waiting any longer.
"Aurora, why are you objecting?!"
"OTIS!" Her frail voice ascended in volume above his and he was taken aback at her sudden outburst. She opened her mouth again. "I don't want you to tear people apart for my sake. They're faultless. They can't help that I'm sick!"
"Exactly." His cold voice maliciously intercepted hers. "You're sick. How else am I supposed to fix that, dear sister? What else in the world uses Souls as much as soccer?"
"That's no excuse and you know it," she cried bitterly. "Leave me alone - no, Otis - LET GO OF ME!"
Aaaand that's it, Chapter 3 of Unwanted Bond! I hope you enjoyed reading it.
I had another writer's block, where I didn't know where this story was heading, but I finally got an outline for it and wrote it for you guys. Stay tuned for Chapter 4!
Love,
Bee :)