Hey there, guess who's back!

Enjoy!

~'0'~

Accidental Reverse Arc 2

  ~'0'~  

Tenma is hiding in the halls of Snowland Stadium.

Or, rather, he's making his way to the back entrance – those small direction signs are incredibly helpful – while trying to hide from his teammates at the same time. He's turned off the sound from his phone after call number three, knowing they won't stop trying to reach him and, most likely, scold him for running away.

They're such worrywarts.

He hasn't come across anyone yet, with the exception of his teammates (and then he hid) so he's surprised to see someone wearing what seems to be the Hakuren training jersey.

The Hakuren player turns around when he hears footsteps behind him and blinks, slightly taken aback at the sudden appearance of one of Raimon's members. ''Oh,'' he says, not unfriendly, ''hey.''

''Hey,'' says Tenma, a little surprised as well. ''You're Yukimura, right?''

(He mentally snorts. He hasn't called Hyouga by his last name since they, together with Taiyou, formed the First-Year Captain Club, dubbed the 'baby captains' by the other teams – even their own!)

Yukimura nods. ''Yes, that's me,'' he confirms, suddenly looking a little sheepish. ''Uh, sorry, I never actually got your name...''

The brunet smiles cheerfully. ''No problem, I can't remember all the names of my opponents, so I hardly expect you to do the same,'' he reassures the other boy. ''I'm Matsukaze Tenma.''

Hakuren's ace returns the smile, relieved that he hasn't offended the other. ''I must say, I'm impressed that you managed to stop my Keshin shoot, since I don't believe you're a real keeper, right?''

The brunet shakes his head. ''No, I played goalkeeper a handful of times, and we needed someone to replace Sangoku-san, so...'' he trails off, shrugging.

Yukimura suddenly seems guilty. ''Listen, I'm really sorry about Seki,'' he says softly, not meeting Tenma's gaze. ''We- I shouldn't have listened to Fifth Sector. Now your keeper is hurt, and-''

''It's fine,'' says Raimon's time traveler, giving his future friend another smile. ''I'm just glad you're not working for Fifth Sector anymore.'' Yukimura winces and is about to open his mouth to respond, when they hear a voice calling the brunet's name. Tenma's eyes widen. ''Oh crap.''

He looks around, hearing his teammate come closer, and sees a door that leads to some kind of supply closet. Without thinking about it, he grabs Yukimura's wrist and pulls the boy with him. He opens the door of the closet, pushes the Hakuren forward inside, and then follows him, closing the door behind them. ''Matsukaze, what the hell?'' asks Yukimura in the dark.

''Shh,'' hisses Tenma. ''Keep it down!''

Through the dim light in the room he can see that Yukimura doesn't look happy, but at least the boy stays silent. They can hear the person outside, passing by their closet. ''Tenma!'' the brunet recognizes Kurumada's voice.

Suddenly another pair of footsteps enters the hall, slightly muffled through the door. ''Have you found him?'' asks another voice and the brunet recognizes it as Kirino's.

Tenma imagines that Kurumada is shaking his head. ''I could've sworn I heard his voice, but I can't find him anywhere,'' says the defender.

Kirino mutters something inaudible. ''Damn it,'' he says, directing it to Kurumada this time. ''Why did he have to run?'' then he sighs, or at least Tenma thinks he does, because it's too soft to really be heard right through the door. ''Come on, let's continue searching. He can't be far.''

Two sets of footsteps disappear. Yukimura and Tenma stay hidden in the supply closet for a few minutes longer, just to make sure the two Raimon defenders don't suddenly appear again, and then walk out.

Once back in the light of the hall, the Hakuren striker turns his attention to the brunet. ''Alright, what's going on here?'' he asks, looking quite pissed.

Tenma hesitates and chuckles sheepishly. ''Uh... nothing that would interest you?''

''You kidnapped me,'' counters the other boy, giving the brunet a glare. ''I have a right to know.''

Well, he can't exactly get around that. The time traveler sighs and gives in. ''Alright... I may or may not have a certain condition that makes it hard for me to play soccer and I may or may not have hidden it from my teammates and they may or may not have found out and they may or may not be very angry and worried. So I'm hiding,'' he says in a rush.

Yukimura looks greatly disturbed at that, maybe because the brunet just admitted he shouldn't actually be playing soccer. It almost looks like he's going to commend on it, but then the forward seems to realize that it's not his place to do so and says instead, ''...you realize that they'll only get angrier once they find you?''

''Yeah, but I have plans for today,'' Tenma says with a shrug.

The other first-year gives him a dubious stare. ''Important enough to warrant the anger of your team?''

''Yes.''

Tenma says it with such certainty that Yukimura falls silent, not knowing how to respond to that. Before he can think of something, another voice suddenly breaks the silence that has fallen. ''Hey. Matsukaze, I've been looking all over for you.''

Both first-years turn to the source of the sound, and both are equally surprised by who they find. ''Minamisawa-san?'' asks Tenma, unable to keep his shock out of his voice. ''What are you doing here?''

The Gassan Kunimitsu shrugs, hands in the pockets of his school uniform. ''Watching the match.''

The brunet shakes his head. ''No, I mean, why did you say you were looking for me?''

Minamisawa grins. ''Knowing you, you'd host a meeting today. Am I right?''

Well, that certainly wasn't what the time traveler was expecting. He stares at the older teen with wide eyes, and absentmindedly noticed that Minamisawa looks far too smug at having broken Tenma's composure. ''Yeah,'' the brunet answers the question eventually, ''but why are you interested? Did I convince you to join the dark side?'' he teases.

Minamisawa snorts in amusement at that and shakes his head in exasperation. ''No, but I saw the article this morning. Now that you're finally moving things along, I want to be there to see how it goes,'' he says, his voice leaving no room for argument.

Tenma stares at him sharply for a long while. The Gassan forward stares back, his stare not wavering in the slightest. The brunet allows a small smile, finally finding what he was looking for. ''Alright, fine, you can come.'' Minamisawa grins in response.

''What are you two talking about?''

The two players wince when they're suddenly reminded of Yukimura's presence and share a look. ''Uh... nothing,'' says Tenma weakly, grimacing at his weak attempt of covering it up.

(Usually he's pretty good at making excuses, but hey, he can't always be alert 24/7!)

Yukimura, as expected, doesn't fall for it. ''Article?'' he repeats slowly, his expression shocked and wary. The brunet flinches. It's clear that the Hakuren player has figured it out. ''You mean that article about Fifth Sector from this morning?'' he asks lowly.

''No,'' says Minamisawa.

''Absolutely not,'' adds Tenma a second later.

The Hakuren forward seems to have all the confirmation he needs just from that reaction, because he watches the two with wide, disbelieving eyes. ''You're responsible for that?'' he asks, his voice wavering in shock.

''Of course not, that's ridiculous,'' says Tenma quickly, sharing another look with Minamisawa. They're both aware that they've messed up here.

Yukimura stares at Tenma. ''You are!'' he exclaims, finally starting to get over his shock.

''I'm very certain that I'm not,'' returns the brunet, suddenly realizing that wow, why did he never notice that particular shade of the wall before?

The Hakuren forward isn't having any of it and narrows his eyes at the time traveler. ''I know you're lying,'' he says with absolute certainty, his gaze moving between the two soccer players in front of him. ''What is this meeting about? What's going on?''

Raimon's midfielder grits his teeth. Playing stupid isn't going to get him out of this situation anymore. ''It's nothing for you to concern yourself about,'' he says instead. ''You're not a part of this.''

Yukimura smiles triumphantly. ''Neither is Minamisawa-san, it seems, but he can come along,'' he counters sharply, having picked up on that small detail.

Tenma swallows and shoots a look at the Gassan Kunimitsu player, who doesn't seem to know what to say at all. ''That's... different,'' mutters the brunet finally.

''I don't care,'' says Hakuren's ace without a doubt. ''I'm coming with you and you can't stop me, otherwise I'll go out right now and tell the reporters that you're behind this,'' he announces and the other two stare at him in disbelief. The forward is smirking, knowing he has won.

The time traveler throws his hands up in exasperation. ''Fine! Ugh, you can come, but if you regret this later, don't blame it on me!'' he finally gives in, glowering at Yukimura's satisfied smile.

'What have I gotten myself into this time?'

  ~'0'~  

''So... are you just going to keep bringing strangers into these meetings?'' Seiji recoils quickly at the glare the brunet shoots him, holding his hands up in the universal 'I-surrender' sign. ''Not that I'm complaining! You're the leader here, you can do what you want!''

Tenma sighs, massaging the bridge of his nose. They're sitting in the meeting room of their new headquarters, the same group as before, with two exceptions. ''This is Yukimura Hyouga from Hakuren. He insisted on coming along.''

The forward holds up a hand in greeting. ''Nice to meet you.'' Then he looks at Tenma. ''So, Matsukaze, what is all this?''

The brunet shoots him an annoyed look. ''We're taking down Fifth Sector.'' At Yukimura's raised eyebrows, he sighs and elaborates. ''Raimon's revolution is actually part of a group that's called the Resistance. They're the ones trying to get Hibiki-san on the throne of the Holy Emperor,'' he explains. Yukimura frowns in confusion and Tenma continues before he can ask the obvious question. ''Their intentions are good, but their methods aren't. I don't agree with how they're doing things. They're taking things too easily and besides, if Hibiki-san became Emperor, he'd disband Fifth Sector immediately and leave chaos everywhere. So I gathered this group and we're creating a third side, who will attack Fifth Sector in a different manner.''

Yukimura's eyes widen in realization. ''The article-''

Tenma nods. ''Yeah, that was indeed our doing. This here is Kishi Jiro, she's the one who wrote it,'' he gestures to the reporter, who gives a lazy wave. ''The 'source' is actually me, with a bit of input from Minamisawa-san.'' Now he focuses on the other people present. ''About that, how's it going? I haven't had time to check since before the match.''

Seiji grins. ''It's going great, actually. The past three hours, the number of views has almost doubled – and that's only on the internet. We can't be sure of how many people have read the paper.''

Aki nods in agreement. ''I've kept an eye on it, it's scheduled to come up in three talk shows tonight and two sports shows.'' Then she gestures to the man sitting next to her. ''For everyone who doesn't know this yet, this is Kogure Yuuya. He used to be part of Inazuma Japan and Raimon, ten years ago.''

Tenma was surprised when he saw his housemate in the room as well, but kept his mouth shut. If Aki trusts him, so will he. Now, however, he raises an eyebrow. ''About that, Kogure-san, why did you come here?''

The man chuckles a little at that. ''Well, when I saw the article, I talked about it with Kino-san. To be honest, I agree with what you all say,'' he tells everyone, turning serious. ''A lot of my friends are part of the Resistance, and while I respect their dedication, I agree when you say that they're not doing enough. When I told this to Kino-san, she invited me along, explaining only the minimum of what the idea was.'' He gives the group a hard stare. ''Now, after I've seen you, I realize that you're doing exactly what I wish my friends were doing. Although... this is quite a small group.''

Tenma nods. ''We've only just started, and we have to be careful with finding members,'' he explains. ''We don't want people to report to Fifth Sector, and we'd rather keep the Resistance in the dark too. Most people who might help us are already part of the Resistance, so we're pretty much cut short on people.''

Kogure seems to understand that. ''I see,'' he says slowly. ''I suppose that makes sense.'' The young man hums to himself, chewing on his lower lip in deep thought. They all wait for him to sort out whatever he's thinking about. Finally he looks up, a slightly mischievous smile on his lips. ''I think I might be able to help with that,'' he admits. ''I know some people who would be willing to help.''

''Does that mean you want to join our cause, Kogure-san?'' asks Motoo carefully, not wanting to jump to conclusions.

Kogure leans back in his seat, now full-out grinning. ''Damn right it does. Count me in.''

''And me.''

All eyes move to Yukimura, who stares back defiantly. Tenma opens his mouth, but he's too shocked to think of something to say, just like everyone else. The Hakuren forward takes this chance to speak. ''Fifth Sector lied to me so that I would work for them. But what they do is wrong and I want to stop them.'' He breathes out slowly, balling his fists under the table. ''If I can help you, I want to.'' Now he turns his focus on Tenma. ''Please, Matsukaze. I might not be able to do much, but if there's anything I can do, I will. Please.''

The time traveler's shocked expression turns to a smile and he shakes his head. ''You don't need to convince me, Yukimura,'' he tells his future friend warmly. ''All help is welcome and I trust you. I know you'll do the right thing.'' Then he grins at the entire group. ''Well, guys, seems like we have two new members!''

Suddenly someone who was previously quiet groans, and all eyes move to Minamisawa. The forward runs a hand through his purple hair, glaring at Tenma in a mix of amusement and annoyance. ''Make that three.''

The brunet's eyes widen in disbelief. ''Minamisawa-san?''

The Gassan Kunimitsu half smiles. ''After seeing these two be so honorable, I can't exactly stay out of it, now can I?'' he jokes, although Tenma is pretty sure that there's a core of truth in it. ''Besides, I've been thinking about this a lot, and Yukimura is right. I can't just sit back, not anymore. If there's anything I can do to help, I will.''

Tenma grins and looks at his relative. ''Aki-nee, communication devices?''

She's already on it, standing up and quickly making her way to the monitor room. A few moments later she returns with the white box that continues their communication system. She hands all three new members the pieces of technology and instructs them how to activate them.

''I'll go hook them up on the system,'' says Seiji, grinning. ''I helped out with getting the system online this morning, so I know quite a bit about it, if you ask me.'' He disappears into the monitor room and a few moments later, a soft buzz comes from the communication devices in their ears.

''One, two, three, am I clear?'' comes Seiji's voice.

Tenma pushes down on the small metal plate in his ears. ''We hear you.''

''What about the newbies?''

Minamisawa follows Tenma's example and activates his comm link too. ''Same here.''

''Great. I'm getting visual on the cameras...'' it's silent for a moment. ''Alright, Yuki, you're going to need to adjust yours a little. Your hair is in the way.''

''Yuki?'' repeats the Hakuren player, a little offended, even as he fiddles with it until Seiji tells him it's good.

''Alright, I'm turning off the camera visual, no need to spy on you guys 24/7. Let's see if the chips work.'' He is quiet for another moment. ''Yep, it works. Are these things waterproof, by the way?''

Aki pushes down on her communicator. ''Megane-kun assured me they are.''

Kogure stares at her in disbelief. ''You got these from the Megane brothers?''

The woman shakes her head with a smile. ''No, just Kazuto-kun. As far as I'm aware, Kakeru-kun is working for the Resistance. Kazuto-kun isn't really involved in all this, but he owed me a favor and while he's not as smart as his brother, he still knows how to make these things. He doesn't know what they're for, though.''

Tenma grins. ''I wouldn't know what to do without you, Aki-nee.''

''Make your own lunch, most likely,'' teases the woman with a slight chuckle. ''Now, is there anything else we need to discuss?''

The brunet thinks for a while. ''I think Jiro-san needs me for her second article, right?'' the girl nods. ''Maybe Minamisawa-san and Yukimura can help me with that. Other than that, we need to plan this out. Maybe you guys could get a start on that? I'll join you once I'm done with the interview.'' Everyone nods in agreement and he thinks for a moment. ''Oh, and if you have any idea for people who might join us, write it down. I want a list of all the possible candidates.''

''It will be done,'' Motoo assures him. ''Anything else?''

Yukimura tilts his head. ''Well,'' he starts and the attention shifts to him, ''this might be a little unrelated, but do we have a name?''

Everyone pauses at that.

''I don't think we do,'' says Emiko slowly. ''Maybe we should have one?''

The others nod in agreement. ''Any suggestions?'' asks Tenma, looking around the group. No one seems to be able to think of something, so eventually the brunet sighs. ''We'll come back to this later. For now, let's just start with our assigned tasks.''

  ~'0'~  

FIFTH SECTOR – SPONSORS AND SEEDS

What many might wonder, is how Fifth Sector could've grown so much if they truly were as monstrous as evidence makes them seem. Why would people accept them, if they started cheating on matches? Where did they get the power to start what they're doing and keep doing it?

Before Fifth Sector made their first appearance on the stage of the soccer world, evidence shows that they created a large budget for themselves. Despite the leaders being unknown in the soccer world, their money and clear rules appealed to the public.

Once they had secured a spot for themselves at the top as one of the major soccer organizations, Fifth Sector approached various rich and influential soccer families and offered them deals they often did not decline. One of Fifth's major sponsors, Goto Corps, initially started supporting them since their youngest son was part of Seidouzan's soccer club at the time. Evidence shows a contract between the current holder of the Goto Corps, Goto Hironari, and the Holy Emperor, which states that if Seidouzan made it to the Football Frontier's semi-finals, the Goto Corps would donate a sum of 70 million yen to Fifth Sector.

Another important sponsor, Okabe, made a contract with Fifth Sector more recently. Five years ago, their son joined Gassan Kunimitsu. He was promised a place on the team for a starting sum of ten million yen and if his team were to win the newly installed Holy Road tournament, Okabe would donate 100 million yen. For every shot their son made, Fifth Sector would be awarded another ten million. If he were to become captain by the end of his first year, Okabe would donate a yearly sum of 50 million yen for the next ten years.

Fact is that soccer is currently the most important sport in the world and experts say it is likely to stay that way for at least two more decades. Those who played on a team in high school are more likely to make it into widely known colleges and those who secure a spot on an official team come adulthood, no matter how small the club, are almost certain of a steady income. The 'big names', like Endou Mamoru of Japan, Fideo Ardena of Italy and Mac Roniejo of Brazil, are as famous as, if not more so, widely known Hollywood stars.

Because of this, those with money are more than willing to do anything they can to get in Fifth Sector's good graces. Even company owners who don't have children in the sport world will likely accept a deal, due to the positive feedback they will get from it.

Through this method, Fifth Sector has been able to build up an unbelievable network of sponsors and the money at their disposal is enough to give them anything they might want, including getting rid of troublesome people. Furthermore, with said money, they have created Educational Institutions all through the country.

These are the training institutions where players are shaped into their perfect agents. Known as Seeds, these players spend a certain amount of time in one of the institutions and are then send to various schools throughout the country in order to oppress the soccer teams to do Fifth's bidding.

Most Seeds spend a year in an institution before being send out. Less is almost rare but not unheard of. Hakuren Jr. High's Yukimura Hyouga currently holds the record. Disappearing nine weeks before he finished Hakuren Elementary and returning the first day of high school, he has had barely two and a half months of training before graduating from the institution as a Seed.

Just as rare is the case of Tsurugi Kyousuke of Raimon. He spend four years going through various institutions before being send out. His skills are legendary, even amongst other Seeds, and would've made an unstoppable weapon had the striker not chosen to join Raimon's side.

''It was horrible,'' admits an unnamed Seed in an interview. ''At the time I only pulled through because I was convinced that I was doing the right thing. My mentor, who is very important to me, abandoned me suddenly. He disappeared and quit his job and he didn't tell me. I waited for weeks for news, but I never got any. So when I was approached by Fifth Sector I accepted their offer. They told me my mentor didn't believe in me anymore, that he had gotten tired of my failures and that they would help me show him that he was wrong. Only recently did I find out that they were the ones who forced my mentor to quit and kept him from contacting me.

''The most horrible was the Keshin training. They gave us a theoretical instruction and then we were placed on a soccer field. Ten of us against at least twenty Keshin-users. And they didn't hold back. I don't think I've ever been in so much pain as that moment. They beat us up, day after day, and we'd barely get four hours of sleep. Food was rare, just enough to help us survive. We had to survive three weeks of that and if we didn't bring out a Keshin, we'd be trained as 'Keshinless Seeds'. They were looked down upon and abused even more than the rest of us.

''If we managed to bring out a Keshin at any point during the three weeks, we'd be removed from the field and trained personally. The training existed mostly out of a machine shooting balls at us at high speed. We had to stop them with our Keshin, keep it out as long as we could, for seven hours without breaks. If our Keshin failed us, we would just have to continue. The average was two hours, which means five hours existed out of pure abuse. But it got worse. Eventually they replaced the soccer balls by iron ones, for thirty minutes every day. I barely managed to keep my Keshin out the whole time, and that only out of survival instincts. Because if our Keshin failed us during those thirty minutes? We were left helpless. Many of my acquaintances there broke something at least once.''

This treatment was not exclusive for that institution. In fact, this is the normal training regime for every Educational Institution of Fifth Sector. During the past ten years, there have been horrific accidents which caused people to be permanently paralyzed. All of this was covered up and hidden away, but the truth can't stay in the dark forever.

Next time: Fifth Sector – Disappearances

By: Kishi Jiro

Yukimura had ensured Tenma, more than once, that he was fine with being named in the article. In fact, he had even given his own statement to be used in the article, about how Fifth Sector managed to convince them to join their cause after Fubuki disappeared.

If the first article created a sea of reactions, this one causes a tsunami.

The second article was supposed to come out a week after the first one, but Jiro finished it early and her boss was so enthusiastic about the reactions the previous one had gotten that he allowed her to publish it two days after article one.

The next one should be done soon, but at the same time, part of Tenma tells him it's not enough.

They need more. Proof. Statements like this will only work for so long, before people want to see where it comes from.

The brunet has a few ideas of how to deal with that, but to find the things they actually need, they're going to have to break into a Fifth Sector base and at this point, that's still impossible.

That doesn't mean there aren't other ways, though.

The beginnings of a plan are already stirring in his mind, but for now, it's still too bland. Besides, with everything else going on right now, he doesn't have time to work out the details.

Tenma sighs as he stares at his team, pushing the other issue from his mind and instead thinking back about the events from yesterday. Endou announced that he'd leave Raimon and while the brunet was expecting it, his team wasn't. He remembers the reactions to Kidou's training schedule from the first time 'round, and just thinking about it gives him a headache.

And that's even without counting the miserable mood now that Endou is gone.

Tenma leans against the wall as he watches his team sulk around. Yes, sulk, for that's the only way to describe it. They're all sitting or standing around the club room, with sad and pained expressions on their faces, talking about coach Endou.

Every attempt of cheering up is beaten down by the rest of the team. Nishiki, when he tried, got beaten up by Midori and Tsurugi was almost attacked by Amagi.

(Though... the Seedling kind of had it coming. Despite his cool demeanor, he really sucks with words.)

It's so bad that nobody even seems to remember what happened during and after the Hakuren match. So far, nobody has said anything about Tenma's condition or his flight from the changing room after the game.

From the looks of it, no one is going to.

The brunet sighs and grabs his bag. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, with Kidou's new training menu, and he doesn't want to be around his depressed team any longer.

No one even seems to notice it when he leaves, too caught up in their own thoughts.

  ~'0'~  

As expected, the next day is hell. Push-ups, sit-ups, running while pulling old car tires. They don't touch the ball even once and everyone is grumpy and exhausted. Kariya's comments aren't helping much.

With Kidou's changes for single players, it's not getting much better. 'No wonder some people thought Kidou-san was trying to make them quit the club,' thinks Tenma, gritting his teeth as he takes a moment to inspect his team. 'This is brutal.'

''Matsukaze, focus!''

Tenma doesn't bother to reply to that order, instead continuing the exercise.

They train until the sky turns dark and they're all so exhausted that they can't move anymore. ''That'll be all for practice,'' is the only thing Kidou says. He offers no explanation for his actions and instead walks away, leaving the half dead team behind.

''I... don't agree with this...'' hisses Amagi furiously.

Sangoku pushes himself up, staring at the place where Kidou disappeared with gritted teeth. ''Is this... how coach Kidou does things?''

No one disagrees with him.

  ~'0'~  

The next day is even worse.

By the end of it, no one even seems to be able to move. Again, Kidou offers no explanation and instead merely walks away.

When they have rested enough to be able to walk, they move to the changing room. The minute he's changed out of his soccer jersey, Amagi furiously throws his bag against the lockers. ''I can't take this anymore!''

''Calm down!'' says Kurumada. ''It's only the second day.''

''It'll be the same thing all over again tomorrow!'' protests Amagi angrily.

Suddenly Shinsuke clenches his fists. ''I'm not showing up for practice starting tomorrow!'' he exclaims. Everyone stares at him in shock.

''Neither am I!'' agrees Amagi, slinging an arm around Hikaru's shoulders. ''You with us, Kageyama? You don't like this kind of training either, right?''

''Amagi-san!'' exclaims Shindou.

The defender glares at him. ''Don't try to stop us.'' He starts walking away, pulling Hikaru along with him. The first-year stumbles along, not really looking happy with the current situation.

''You do realize that coach Kidou has designed exercises to train our weak spots, right?'' calls Tenma suddenly, one of the few things he's said that day.

''What?'' asks more than one player.

All attention turns to him and Amagi and Hikaru turn around to stare at him. So does Shinsuke. The time traveler merely shrugs. ''It's obvious when you look at it from a different perspective. Every exercise is based on a certain player's weakness, to train it. If someone else happens to excel at it, coach Kidou changes it for that person so that it will still be a challenge,'' explains the brunet nonchalantly, almost as if he's just talking about the weather. ''For example, the jumping? Shinsuke is the highest jumper on the team and when coach Kidou noticed that it wasn't all that hard for him to complete the exercise, he told him to raise the bar, literally. Of course it's kind of extreme, because we're all dead on our feet by the end of the training, but the thought behind it is smart.''

That seems to get their attention. While Amagi still looks angry, he at least hasn't walked out yet. Shinsuke seems a little more hesitant now, not entirely sure what to think, and Hikaru merely looks relieved that he's not being dragged along anymore.

Shindou quickly takes the chance presented to him to try and convince his teammates not to skip training. Tenma, from where he's leaning against the lockers, keeps a close eye on it to see if there's any need for him to intervene further.

It seems that their anger is dying down, though, which is a relief. Eventually, both Shinsuke and Amagi agree to stay one more day for training, to at least see if what Tenma said is true.

The time traveler smiles slightly at that, seeing the tension from the last few days flowing away. Everyone's exhausted and tense, but now that the team seems to be at least a little okay, they can relax, if only slightly.

Since it's already late, it's unanimously decided to go home for the day. Tenma grabs his bag from where he placed it on one of the benches and straightens, turning to the friends who live in the same direction.

He opens his mouth to say something, when a wave of pain and exhaustion crashes over him.

A gasp breaks free from his lips. The blood in his veins burns and he grasps his shirt and crumbles to the floor, a strangled sound ripping itself from his throat.

''Tenma!'' more than one voice cries his name in alarm and concern. A second later, people are crowding around him, but it's hard to see through his blurry vision. He hunches down while breathing heavily, pressing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth against the agony coursing through his veins.

He can feel himself shake uncontrollably as the pain only grows worse, the voices of his friends forming a massive wall of inconceivable noise.

Suddenly a calm voice breaks through the sound and the others seem to calm down slightly. The brunet doesn't pay it attention, though, instead trying to gulp down some precious oxygen in his burning lungs.

''Tenma,'' says a voice, soft and gentle, and someone kneels next to him. A careful hand is placed on his back and when he doesn't shrink away from it, it lightly starts to rub circles. ''You're okay, it's okay,'' mutters the voice and a part of the time traveler deduces that it's Sangoku's, ''just breathe, everything's fine. Come on, just breathe...''

Eventually, the pain starts to ebb away a bit and the time traveler sits up a little straighter. Sangoku quickly helps him lean against the lockers behind them, lips tightly pressed together in unspoken concern.

Tenma keeps his eyes closed as he focuses on his breathing. Once he's not near-hyperventilating anymore, he pries his eyelids open and finally gets a good look at his team.

Shindou and Tsurugi are closest, both on their knees. The Seedling is pale, even paler than usual, and his wide eyes are swirling with guilt. Tenma almost winces at that, but refrains from doing so since every movement hurts. Meanwhile Shindou's hands are shaking and his expression is blank, but his tense posture gives away his worry.

Aoi looks like she's about to cry and Akane has grabbed her hand, while Midori has wrapped an arm around the younger girl's shoulders in comfort, her own expression grim. That grimness is shared by the third and second-years, mixed with worry and concern. Shinsuke looks completely taken off-guard, while Hikaru and Kariya can both only stare at their fellow first-year.

''Here,'' mutters Sangoku, breaking the tense silence in the clubroom, and hands Tenma a water bottle. The brunet takes it gratefully and chugs it down.

Once it's halfway empty, the time traveler puts it down on the ground next to him and sighs. He throws a look at Tsurugi and smiles tiredly. ''Stop blaming yourself,'' he mutters and the forward gives a start. ''It's not your fault.''

The Seedling grits his teeth and averts his gaze, balling his fists angrily. ''It is,'' he hisses furiously, but the fury is directed at himself. ''If I hadn't attacked you with Lancelot, you wouldn't be going through all this!''

The brunet shakes his head, ignoring the wave of pain that comes with it – there's only one thing that matters right now, and that's making sure that Tsurugi doesn't blame himself.

(He's gone through enough with the situation with his brother. Tenma knows that behind his best friend's tough exterior, he cares deeply. It's one of his strong points, but it also hurts him the most, and the day Tsurugi opened up to him, Tenma vowed to never let his surrogate brother face things that hurt him so much on his own ever again.

(It doesn't matter if it's a younger version of his best friend. Never again.))

''It's not your fault,'' he says again, more forceful this time. ''You couldn't have done anything to stop this, you hear me? It would've happened anyway.'' Tenma's eyebrows scrunch up when Tsurugi doesn't look him in the eye. The Seedling's not listening to him.

''Kyousuke,'' he says, no room for argument in his voice, and the forward's head snaps up at the use of his first name. ''You didn't know, I didn't know, and no one could've prevented this. It's not your fault.''

Tsurugi's orange eyes very, very hesitantly look up into Tenma's grey ones. His expression is absolutely heartbreaking– longing, fear, hope –and he searches for something, anything, to reassure him that the brunet is speaking the truth.

The absolute surety in Tenma's gaze convinces him, and he gives a small nod. It's barely visible, but it's there and it's enough for the time traveler to shoot the Seedling a beaming smile.

Tsurugi also cracks a smile at that – a weak, timid one, but a smile.

The brunet relaxes slightly and reaches out to the forward, ignoring the trembling of his hand, and flicks Tsurugi's forehead, causing his friend to flinch in surprise.

Both their eyes widen when indigo sparks around them, before fading away again. ''What the-''

Tenma automatically pulls his hand back, but Tsurugi's fingers clamp around his wrist. At the prolonged contact, instead of merely sparking, the indigo flares up around both of them, growing stronger with every second as their Keshin connect.

The ache left by the attack rapidly grows weaker and the time traveler involuntarily relaxes, a soft sigh of relief escaping his lips and his eyes close at the lack of pain.

It feels... great.

''That helps with the pain?''

Grey eyes blink open at the soft voice and he finally notices his team staring at him with varying expressions of wonder and concern. Shindou – the one who asked the question – looks at him with patient eyes, and it takes Tenma a moment to remember how to nod – Lancelot's soothing presence is making him drowsy.

Barely a second after the confirmation, the strategist is moving over to the two younger teens, gentle fingers brushing over the brunet's free wrist before curling around it. The indigo energy increases even more and spreads to Shindou.

For a long while, there's only silence in the clubroom as everyone watches the spectacle unfold. Neither Tsurugi or Shindou seem to be bothered by their Keshin acting up like this, and Tenma is having half a mind to just fall asleep right here and now, with how warm and content he is feeling.

''I'm going to kidnap you and chain you to me forever,'' he mutters under his breath and he can hear his friends snort in amusement, the rest of Raimon relaing around them.

They probably should be getting home, with how late it is getting, but no one seems to be planning on leaving anytime soon.

It takes a long time for the comfortable silence to be broken, but when it is, so is the warm atmosphere in the room.

''...why?''

Tenma's eyes blink open and his eyebrows raise up when he automatically finds the source of the voice. ''Amagi-senpai?''

The large boy is staring at the brunet, a mix of worry, disbelief and confusion on his face. ''Look at you,'' he says. It sounds harsh, but his eyes deny that notion. ''Whenever you're not close to Shindou or Tsurugi, you're in pain- you can't stand, you can't even breathe right... you're hurt and you're weak, yet you still accept this? You still keep playing soccer, even though you know it will only hurt you more? Why?!'' anger colors his voice, but it's an anger born from confusion. ''Why would you willingly accept that pain- why would you search it out? Why not just walk away?! I don't understand it!''

''Amagi-san!'' protests Shindou, his voice joined by several others.

''What are you saying!''

''Amagi, what are you-''

Tenma tunes the commotion out. Instead he breaks free from Shindou and Tsurugi, mourning the return of the dull, familiar ache for a moment, and stands up. He shoots Sangoku a grateful smile when the keeper supports him worriedly, and ignores the pain that shoots through his body.

''Why?'' he asks softly, his glowing blue eyes trained on Amagi's face. Everyone falls silent and the large defender's anger turns to hesitance under the heavy gaze. ''Isn't it obvious?''

His friends stare at the brunet uncertainly, but Tenma merely keeps his eyes on Amagi. Then suddenly his Soul powers die down and he smiles. ''It's because I love soccer.''

The defender's head snaps up. ''What?'' Amagi's eyes widen in uncertainty and disbelief. ''What do you mean?''

The brunet shrugs, his bright smile turning gentle. ''I love soccer. I don't care if I'm going to get hurt. I won't ever let it go,'' he says, resolve sounding through every single word. ''And what's more, I love Raimon.''

His team gives a start. No one expected those words. ''Tenma...'' Shindou's voice trails off, as the game maker doesn't know what to say to that.

Finally grey eyes tear themselves away from Amagi to look at the rest of the group, his smile never fading, never dimming in its honestys. ''I love Raimon,'' he repeats and he doesn't even think about what he's saying, doesn't think about the emotion he pours into his words, only knows that they feel utterly and completely right. ''I love this team and I love my friends. Whenever I think about my first few weeks as part of the team, it hurts. It hurts remembering that, seeing you all so sad and scared.''

He's running out of breath, hiding a wince at another flare of pain – albeit weaker – coursing through his veins. ''I don't care who we're up against. I want to protect you and everyone else I care about and I won't accept it if someone uses something I love – uses soccer – for their own purposes. I won't accept it if they hurt you. I don't care if I get hurt, because I can't just stand by and watch you get harmed when I can do something about it. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did that. No matter what happens, I will always, always protect the things I love!''

His friends are stunned into speechlessness, not having any idea how to respond to such words. Tenma backs down then, exhausted from both training and his latest seizure, and leans just the slightest bit more on Sangoku. The keeper shoots him a worried look but doesn't say anything.

''You're right.'' Grey eyes meet blue and Kirino smiles softly. ''I care about this team, more than anything else,'' he says and turns to his other friends. ''You're all my friends and as long as I can do something to keep you from getting hurt, I will. It's as Tenma said – if I have to put myself in danger to protect you, then I will.'' He turns his gaze to his fellow defender. ''Amagi-san,'' he says and the third-year's eyes hesitantly meet his. ''I understand that coach Kidou's way of handling things isn't right, trust me I do, but we don't have a choice but to cope with it now.''

Kirino balls his fists for a moment, a pained expression fleetingly crossing his face, and then relaxes again. ''Coach Endou is gone, and we don't know when he will return. It's hard right now, but after everything we've gone through, isn't this just another obstacle? Isn't this just another bridge we have to cross? I won't give in now, after we came so far, and I don't think you guys will either.'' He directs those last words to the rest of the team. ''That's not Raimon, that's not what Raimon stands for. If we are knocked down, we stand up. If one of us can't go on anymore, the rest will support and help him. Because that's Raimon and that's the team I- no, the team we all love.''

It seems everyone unanimously agrees with Kirino's words. Amagi's eyes flicker between Kirino and Tenma hesitantly, and then move to the smiles on his other teammates' faces. After a long while, he sighs. ''Yeah,'' he says finally, giving his friends a smile, and they sigh in relief. ''You're right. I'm... I'm sorry, for trying to walk away from this.''

''Amagi...'' Sangoku mutters, and then shoots his fellow third-year a grin. ''So... no skipping practice for you?''

Amagi shakes his head, his smile growing a little amused at the relieved expressions caused by the action. ''I won't,'' he says, his voice strong and unwavering. ''And sorry, Kageyama, for trying to drag you along.''

The young forward quickly waves his hands and shakes his head. ''No, no! It's fine!'' he grins cheerfully. ''I'm fine with it, really.'' Then he lowers his hands and his smile fades, as he turns to one of the other first-years. ''Shinsuke-kun, what about you? Are you... are you still coming to practice?''

The future keeper fidgets when suddenly all eyes are on him, and his eyes involuntarily search out Tenma. The time traveler gives him a warm smile and a nod, and Shinsuke relaxes. ''Yeah,'' he says, nodding resolutely, ''Yeah. I'm staying!''

With all their members accounted for, the soccer team can finally relax. That is, until Shindou turns his gaze to Tenma. ''I forgot about it before, but I believe we still need to talk,'' he says, a hint of warning in his voice.

That quickly gets everyone's attention and all eyes move to the time traveler. The brunet, however, is prepared for this and only nods. ''We do,'' he says softly, meeting Shindou's stare head-on. ''We really do need to talk about this.''

The game maker's gaze softens at that and he cracks a smile. ''Glad we cleared that up,'' he mutters under his breath. Then he takes a look at his team. ''But not now.''

''Shindou?'' asks Kirino, a little surprised.

The captain grabs his bag from where it was placed on the floor. ''It's really late and everyone is exhausted,'' he comments, chuckling a little at the realization crossing his friends' faces. ''I don't think it's a good idea to have such an important conversation right now.''

There are murmurs of agreement at that and everyone starts grabbing their own bags. While they do that, Shindou moves towards Sangoku and Tenma. ''Will you be okay?'' he asks the brunet worriedly.

The time traveler nods and gives him a reassuring smile. ''I'll be fine,'' he tells his friend. ''Trust me. And besides, I'm not walking alone, so if anything happens, there will always be someone who can help me.''

The captain doesn't seem happy but nods anyway, realizing the truth in Tenma's words. ''Fine,'' he says softly, the concern carved in his expression not disappearing. ''But... be careful, okay?''

Tenma grins. ''You wound me, DQE-senpai,'' he cries dramatically. ''Have a little faith!''

Shindou chuckles fondly and shakes his head. ''Alright, you little rascal, that's enough for today. Go home already before I have to chase you away.''

The time traveler salutes and grins. ''Aye aye, captain!''

  ~'0'~  

So, that was chapter 25!

What a drama, huh? Yukimura, Kogure and Minamisawa officially joining Tenma, Endou leaving, the second article, and that whole little thing with Tenma's seizure where his teammates could see him XD I'm not sorry for it! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!

On another note, Arc 2 is almost done now! I'm still working on Arc 3 so it might take a while before that'll be published - I hope before May next year, at least, but I can't make any promises.

- Yara Meijer