*Looks around the corner and waves* um, hi guys... is it safe to come out?

...it's been almost six weeks. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I didn't realize how much time had passed... I didn't mean to make you wait this long! I honestly just kind of forgot, with Warped and school and all...

Thanks for all the reactions, guys, I really appreciate it!

~'0'~

Accidental Reverse Arc 1

  ~'0'~  

''The first match of Holy Road's district preliminaries! The second half of Raimon versus Tengawara!''

It's Raimon's kickoff and Kurama immediately passes to Hamano... who passes to Tenma after the first-year politely asks for it. When the blond midfielder, Nishi-something tries to mark him, Tenma kicks the ball to the side.

Shinsuke easily receives the pass and the small defender immediately dribbles forward. Tengawara's forward Andou makes a sliding to steal the ball, knocking the smaller boy of his feet.

''Shinsuke-!'' Shindou exclaims worriedly.

Tenma is already on his way to take back the ball even as a Tengawara player jumps in the air to take it.

Even as he steals it from the Tengawara player, the brunet glances over his shoulder and smiles as he sees the look on the Raimon keeper's face. 'That's what I was waiting for...'

His victory is short-lived when Kita manages to steal the ball, passing it to Hayabusa. But before the pass can even connect, Sangoku sprints forward and jumps, making a summersault in the air to catch the ball and landing on his back.

Shindou's shocked yet happy voice rings out over the field. ''Sangoku-san!''

''Senpai!'' chorus the two first-years.

Sangoku grins as he stands up. ''Shindou. Shinsuke.'' A moment of silence, and then, with a wide smile... ''Tenma. You've opened my eyes. I'll play my own soccer too. I want to see the goddess of victory smiling again after so long,'' he says, glancing at his mother. Then he throws the ball harshly. ''Shindou! Don't hold back! Make a full-on attack with God's Baton!''

The captain looks at him in surprise as he receives the ball.

''Tenma and Shinsuke should be able to keep up with your passwork now! After all, they've been practicing like crazy!'' he grins widely. He stands in front of the goal, spreading his arms in a defensive way. ''I'll protect the goal! Go! Let's win this match!''

Shindou immediately moves in the direction of Tengawara's goal, but is stopped by Kita. ''You can't change anything, Shindou-kun,'' he tells the other captain. ''Adding one more person to your party makes no difference!''

(Tenma is aware his comments are unneeded and probably unwanted.)

(...not that he cares.)

''Hey, it so does!'' shouts the brunet, surprising Kita and giving Shindou the chance to dribble around him. ''Why does everyone think we can't win even though it's still a tie?''

''Tenma, just run already!''

Huh. Seems like Shindou's getting used to his comments.

(Maybe because this was one of the less... weird ones.)

Using God's Baton, Shindou passes to the brunet, who managed to catch up to him. Nishi-something runs forward to steal the ball from Tenma, but the time traveler manages to slip past him.

He passes to Shindou, who passes to Shinsuke. The pass is interrupted by one of Tengawara's players and the ball flies into the sky. Surprising the Tengawara players, Shinsuke jumps up and takes the ball out of the air, immediately starting to run once his feet hit the ground. ''Nice pass, captain!''

''I-it was a pass?'' exclaims a shocked Tengawara player.

But then their momentum is broken by Hayabusa stealing the ball from the Raimon defender. The purple-haired boy runs over the field towards Raimon's goal. ''Don't screw around,'' he yells. ''We need you guys to lose!''

Tenma's eyes widen as he sees the cloud of blueish black too late. 'No-!'

Suddenly the only thing he can feel is pain.

Pure, burning agony coursing through his veins. Somehow he still manages to clench his lips together to keep from screaming (not that he could because he's not getting enough air-)

It hurts, oh god it hurts so much- he can't think the only thing he knows is pain, pain, agony, pure, excruciating pain-

Somehow the brunet manages to keep standing, his limbs trembling with the effort. 'No- don't- I can't-'

A quiet whimper leaves his lips as he feels the agony flowing through his veins, and it burns and it freezes at the same time and everything he can feel is pain and without even thinking he knows he can't let the wild Keshin energy run free, yet...

Agony.

Hurt.

Pain.

He should've known after the first time. He should've known his Keshin would go out of control again in the presence of another Keshin, he should've realized it, should've done something, anything-

He can distinctly make out words, something that sounds like 'Falco Wing'. Before he can think of something else, the pain intensifies.

It fucking intensifies. As if he wasn't already feeling like someone's driving a knife through his chest.

No, this time it feels like someone is driving a knife covered in acid through his chest.

The brunet stumbles to his knees and by pure force of will manages to crack an eye open. He can see the slightest amount of reddish black energy surround him, but he ignores it in favor of the scene in front of him. The sight he is greeted with is one of two giant energy forms fighting against each other and he vaguely recognizes Maestro, yet his vision is so blurry and it hurts-

He can only hope the battle between Keshin ends fast.

Another voice rings out, a familiar one- ''Burning Catch!''

And then the pain is gone, just as fast as it came, leaving only exhaustion behind.

All Tenma wants to do is collapse right then and there but he knows he can't rest until after the match, so, with strength he didn't know he had, he pushes himself to his feet. Quickly glancing around he breathes a sigh of relief to see no one (not even the freaking public!) seems to have notices his little episode.

''Tenma!''

(Oh god. Tenma might like Sangoku, but right now he's mentally cursing the keeper for forcing him to run in this state.)

Knowing he doesn't have a choice, he dribbles forward, pushing the exhaustion and lingering pain to the back of his mind for now. Kita runs towards him and the brunet gathers his strength.

''Soyokaze Step!''

It works. It actually manages to work flawlessly, not giving any sign of his exhaustion and pain. Surprised yet not losing his concentration, knowing he won't be able to get his composure back if he were to get distracted, the brunet runs with all the strength he has left. He somehow spots Shindou through his blurry vision and kicks the ball towards him. ''Shindou-senpai! I don't care how you do it, but you better make a goal!'' he yells, stumbling to his knees the moment the ball reaches the captain.

''Shindou! I know you can master your Keshin!'' yells Sangoku. ''Have confidence in yourself!''

'Oh you have got to be kidding-'

Tenma can't even finish the thought before another wave of pain crashes over him, and he bites his lip to keep from screaming.

But, to his surprise, it feels better than before. This time, the pain is still hurting but it doesn't actually feel like his blood turned to acid. In fact, his Keshin is struggling a lot less than before.

The brunet grits his teeth and ignores the pain for now (because he can actually ignore it now that it hurts less), instead watching as his favorite ex-captain calls forth his Keshin.

(It might be good that Shindou can control it now, but Tenma's still pissed because it might hurt less but it still hurt freakishly much!)

''I need your help to win...!'' Shindou clutches the Raimon mark on his uniform and looks up at the dark cloud of energy. ''Come out! My Keshin, Instrumentalist Maestro!''

Maestro takes form.

The ball floats in the middle of its four arms, waves of light going to it. Then it falls on the ground before Shindou's feet and he kicks it with all his strength. ''Harmonics!''

And then the agony is back when Hayabusa jumps in front of Shindou and calls out his Keshin. Taken by surprise, the brunet clutches his heart and clenches his eyes shut against the black spots dancing in his vision, desperately gasping for air because his lungs are burning-

Moments later the pain is gone as Hayabusa's Keshin dissipates and the ball shoots towards the goal, knocking two defenders and the keeper out of the way before it hits the net, leaving a streak of blue light behind.

A whistle blows as the score changes. ''Goal!'' yells the commentator. ''The shoot made by Shindou's Keshin rips through Tengawara's goal! Raimon pushes ahead of Tengawara in the last moment!''

Tenma breathes a sigh of relief when Maestro disappears, forcing himself to stand up on shaking legs. His whole body is trembling from pain and exhaustion. 'Not doing that again anytime soon...'

Then the three whistles sound, ending the match in Raimon's win. ''The game is over, Raimon's win! 2-1! The ones to rise out of the fierce battle in the first district preliminary match is Raimon Jr. High!''

As Shindou straightens, panting heavily, someone suddenly slings an arm around his shoulders. The captain looks up, surprised to see Sangoku's smiling face. ''You did it, Shindou!''

The game maker smiles. ''Thanks to you blocking it, Sangoku-san,'' he says.

The keeper scratches his cheek. ''I can't look disgraceful in front of the goddess of victory, after all,'' he comments and chuckles, surprising the captain with his words. ''Nor in front of the first-years.'' He looks in the direction of said first-years. ''He's a strange guy,'' he says warmly. ''He blew away all the gloom that's been piling up in my heart.''

''He's like a zephyr,'' agrees Shindou with a smile.

''With him, we might be able to change this corrupted soccer.'' Sangoku's smile widens slightly.

As Shindou turns away from Tenma to look at Shinsuke, Sangoku's gaze lingers a bit longer, and he notices something the captain misses.

As the young brunet walks towards his team, the keeper can clearly see him falter for a second and grasp the shirt above his heart, an expression of pain shooting across his face so fast Sangoku almost misses it.

But he doesn't miss it, and his eyes widen in alarm as his smile falls off his face. After a moment Tenma lets go of his uniform and continues walking towards Shinsuke, looking completely normal, but the keeper knows what he saw.

His thoughts immediately go back to the evening before, when the brunet was about to go home. How he stumbled and almost seemed to fall matches the way he faltered just now perfectly.

Sangoku narrows his eyes in concern. He definitely knows something is wrong.

If only he knew what.

  ~'0'~  

''We should do something to celebrate.''

The Raimon members who are left in the changing room look up in surprise. ''Celebrate?'' repeats Shindou curiously.

Tenma nods. ''Yep! I think we deserve a reward for our hard work, right?'' he grins. ''We won this match with only four people, and I'm hungry.''

''Me too!'' agrees Shinsuke as he zips up his training jacket.

Sangoku nods thoughtfully as he puts his shoes in his bag. ''Actually, that's not a bad idea,'' he agrees after a moment. ''We could go out for something to eat.''

''But what?'' asks Shinsuke, frowning thoughtfully. The other three are silent for a moment. ''Tenma, do you have an idea?''

The brunet shrugs. ''What about ramen?''

''I haven't had ramen since before I joined Raimon!'' Shinsuke beams. ''I'm in!''

The two first-years look at their senpai with begging eyes. The keeper sighs and shakes his head good-naturally, an amused smile on his face. ''I'll have to tell my mother, but she'll be alright with it,'' he agrees and the two cheer.

They look at Shindou, who hesitates. ''Um, I don't know guys, I...''

'Time to use my secret weapon.'

''S-Shindou-senpai...'' The captain freezes when he looks at the brunet. Tenma's eyes are wide and big and begging and so innocent and how could he ever refuse that kicked puppy look?

His defenses crumble in less than 0.02 seconds, and he gives in. ''Fine, but I'll have to call my parents first,'' he says when the two youngest start to cheer.

Sangoku looks at him in amusement while the two first-years discuss where they should go. ''I've never seen you give in so easily,'' he comments, not able to hide his chuckles when the game maker blushes and looks away.

''You try to resist that look,'' mutters the captain, obviously embarrassed. The keeper laughs and Shindou quickly grabs his phone as an excuse to avoid any more embarrassment.

  ~'0'~  

Soon after the four of them are making their way to a small restaurant where they serve ramen, Rairaiken, with the two first-years happily chatting away, to the amusement of the older two.

''Welcome,'' says a voice as they enter the shop. A man with hair shaped like hawk wings and black eyes nods at them. Soon after the four are sitting at a table with their food.

Shindou blinks as he looks at his plate and tilts his head. ''I've never had ramen like this before,'' he mutters but (unfortunately for him) a certain time traveler hears it.

''Wow, you really are a rich kid!'' grins Tenma as the captain rolls his eyes. ''Don't worry, you're the nicest rich kid I know!''

The game maker can't help but smile. ''I'm the only rich kid you know.''

Shinsuke is just a little bit too late with his shout of ''no, don't say it!''

Tenma's grin falls off his face as he blinks at the captain in surprise. ''Huh, look Shinsuke,'' he says blankly. ''It's another stalker.''

Said defender sighs in exasperation. ''Tenma, could you please stop with accusing people of being stalkers?''

Meanwhile, both Sangoku and Shindou are blinking in shock at the scene in front of him. After a short while the keeper manages to find his voice. ''Wait, has he done this before?''

The smallest first-years nods. ''Hai. So far he has called me a stalker, captain, Tsurugi and of course coach Endou.'' Tenma just puts up an innocent expression when the two older students look at him.

''How do you even get away with half the stuff you say?'' asks Shindou, genuinely curious.

The brunet blinks and shrugs. ''That's what I've been wondering as well,'' he answers honestly. ''I'm surprised I haven't gotten detention yet. Or something.''

''You're never this cheeky to the teachers,'' says Shinsuke. ''Maybe that's why.''

Tenma immediately shakes his head. ''No, they haven't given me the chance to be cheeky yet,'' he corrects. ''If I'm going to get in trouble, I'll do it to the best of my ability,'' he grins brightly at the looks from his friends that basically scream 'why'.

''You're weird,'' says Sangoku, amused.

The brunet beams at him. ''Thank you!''

Shinsuke looks at Shindou. ''Was that a compliment?'' whispers the defender.

The captain shrugs. ''Probably was in his ears.''

''So... I've been wondering, why do you say the stuff you say?'' asks Sangoku as he takes another bite from his ramen. The captain and the defender look at the time traveler as well, curiosity evident in their eyes.

Tenma blinks, a little surprised at the question. ''Well, because I'm actually a time traveler who was accidently send to the past and your future selves are really annoying so I'm taking my revenge now that you're still innocent and don't know any better. Your reactions are hilarious. And not to mention, it's fun~''

At least, that's what he'd like to say, but...

''I get bored easily,'' he answers instead (because that's one of the reasons as well, if he's honest. And he's not captain in this time, so no one expects him to be responsible.)

(Yet.)

(And they probably wouldn't even believe the whole 'time-traveler-who-is-pissed-because-his-future-friends-are-annoying-as-hell-and-cause-way-too-much-trouble-so-he-is-taking-revenge-now' reason.)

Shindou almost drops his chopsticks. ''You get bored easily?'' he repeats incredulously. ''Even so, why do you think it's a good idea to- well, to do what you do?''

The brunet shrugs. ''Well, actually, I don't. But no one seems to care about what I do so I'm going to continue~'' he sings cheerfully. ''Not to mention, it's fun~!''

Shinsuke sighs wearily. ''And that's my classmate,'' he mutters to no one.

''It's fun,'' repeats Sangoku, slowly raising an eyebrow. ''Really.''

''Really.'' Tenma nods, completely serious. ''You should see your reactions.'' The other three stare at him silently and the brunet pouts. ''Oh, come on! Don't be like that, it's not like I've blown something up yet!''

Shindou's eye twitches. ''It's the 'yet' I'm worried about.''

''You've blown up things?'' gasps Shinsuke, staring at the brunet with wide eyes.

Tenma rolls his eyes. ''Don't be so dramatic, it's not like it was a big deal,'' he mutters and crosses his arms stubbornly. ''Why does everyone think it's so hard to blow up rice? Seriously,'' he huffs indignantly. ''You destroy a microwave twice and everyone makes a problem out of it!''

Sangoku and Shindou share a look. ''Should we ask?'' whispers the keeper.

The second-year slowly shakes his head. ''No. We really, really shouldn't.''

  ~'0'~  

Tenma scrolls through the website he has opened on his laptop, his frown deepening with every word he reads. After reading everything, he sits in silent thought for a long, tense moment. ''A chained Keshin...''

Then, with a sigh, he shuts off his laptop and flops on his bed, covering his eyes with his arm. ''This is troublesome...'' he mutters quietly. ''Really troublesome.''

'What to do now?' he muses silently. 'Shindou-senpai and Sangoku-senpai have joined our revolution, if you could call it that. What will happen next... well, Minamisawa-senpai will quit and Kurama-senpai will blame it on me,' he concludes after a moment of thought. 'Eventually Raimon will fight with us as well, during the Mannouzaka match, I think... then after that, Tsurugi will start to rebel as well, and eventually join us during the Teikoku match. But why...?'

Suddenly his eyes widen as he remembers what Kyousuke told him in the future. ''Yuuichi-san...'' he whispers softly. ''Yuuichi-san found out about him being a Seed and confronted him.''

'Maybe I can speed that up a bit,' he realizes. 'Talk to Yuuichi-san without Tsurugi around.' Then the brunet frowns. 'But will he believe me?'

Tenma sighs. ''Life is way too complicated.''

  ~'0'~  

The next day after school, the brunet follows Tsurugi to the hospital, making sure not to be spotted. He prays the forward won't visit his brother for long, because he has no interest in waiting for a few hours.

It seems luck is on his side, for less than an hour after he went in, Tsurugi comes out again, talking on the phone. Tenma stays silent as the forward passes the bench he's sitting on, too distracted to even notice him. ''...fine, I'll be there in half an hour,'' grumbles said forward into the phone as he walks past the brunet.

Tenma stands up from the bench and grabs his bag, heading towards the hospital. He walks in like he knows exactly what he's doing (which he does) to avoid suspicion, and immediately walks towards the stairs, knowing where Yuuichi's room is by heart (he's been there enough times in the future, sometimes even without the younger Tsurugi sibling. He's come to enjoy the elder's company quite a lot.)

Soon he reaches the room he's looking for. After a short pause to gather his thoughts, he knocks, hearing a familiar voice calling for him to come in.

The time traveler opens the door and smiles at the sight of the navy-haired boy, who blinks in surprise at the unfamiliar brunet that just entered his room. Said brunet closes the door behind him as he bows politely. ''Tsurugi Yuuichi-san,'' he says, trying to make his voice sound as honest as possible. ''I'd like to talk to you.''

Yuuichi blinks but answers the smile with one of his own. ''Oh, I guess that's okay...'' he says, gesturing to the chair next to his bed. As the brunet sits down, the elder chuckles sheepishly. ''Um, sorry, but I don't really know you...''

Tenma's smile widens at the silent hint. ''My name is Matsukaze Tenma and I'm from Raimon Jr. High, one of the members of the soccer club,'' he tells the older Tsurugi sibling as his smile disappears. ''That's why I'm here, actually... your brother.''

The young man frowns worriedly. ''Kyousuke? What's wrong with him?''

The brunet sighs and runs a hand through his hair wearily. ''Well... he's fine, but... what exactly do you know about him and- and his soccer?''

Yuuichi's frown deepens. ''Kyousuke loves soccer,'' he says, confusion clear in his voice.

Tenma balls his shaking hands and breathes out slowly. This is it, the point where everything changes – will Tsurugi join Fifth Sector or the rebellion?

''Your brother is a Seed.''

Yuuichi's eyes widen and he freezes, staring at the brunet in pure disbelief. Said brunet meets his gaze evenly yet can't fight the nervous flutter in his stomach.

''You're joking,'' whispers the young adult, his voice strained. His eyes harden and he continues in a louder voice. ''My brother wouldn't work with those bastards.''

The time traveler doesn't answer him but instead takes out his phone. He taps on the screen and then shows it to the hospital patient. The older male takes it and narrows his eyes while Tenma patiently waits for his reaction.

(Mentally he thanks the soccer gods that he managed to find a video of the Black Knights-Raimon match.)

A few minutes later Yuuichi lowers the phone and leans back against his pillow. His eyes are closed and his face is a blank mask. The brunet lowers his gaze and easily notices how the patient's hands are shaking. After what feels like an eternity, the elder's soft voice breaks the heavy silence.

''Why...?''

Tenma hesitantly glances at his face, startled to find tears in his eyes. The young man is looking at the ceiling, clutching the cell phone in his trembling hands, pain evident in his expression. ''Why- why would he join people like- like that?''

The brunet sighs softly, attracting the attention of the older Tsurugi sibling. Tenma hesitantly bites his lip, staring out of the window. ''It's... easy to understand, actually,'' he says finally.

Yuuichi's eyes narrow slightly. ''Explain.''

The time traveler is quiet for a moment before answering. ''He feels guilty.''

''Guilty?'' repeats the elder. ''Whatever would he feel guilty for?''

Tenma smiles weakly and gestures to the bed. ''Your legs, of course,'' he says softly, and the eyes of the older Tsurugi brother widen. ''He feels guilty because he can play soccer and you can't. Fifth Sector probably blackmailed him with money – he works for them, they pay for your surgery.''

Yuuichi's mouth falls open in shock and he stares at the brunet, searching for any hint of a lie. ''But... i-it wasn't his fault,'' he whispers, stunned.

Raimon's future captain shrugs. ''I know that,'' he answers quietly. ''Your brother knows that as well, deep down, but he can't accept that. Imagine that your roles would be reversed.'' He pauses for a moment, looking solemnly at the other male, who gestures for him to go on. ''Imagine he'd be the one in the hospital, imagine you were the one who could still walk. What would you do?''

The young man slowly looks down. The answer to the question is clear in his mind, and with that, so is the understanding for his brother's motivation. ''I'd... probably find any job I could to earn money,'' he whispers sorrowfully. ''Even if I had to do something bad, I'd... probably do it.''

Tenma nods. ''Exactly.'' He breathes out slowly. ''Your brother loves soccer, I know he does, but Fifth Sector got to him when he was at his weakest, and he doesn't have the willpower to get out now. He doesn't want to get out.''

The brunet watches silently as Yuuichi burrows his face in his hands. ''Kyousuke...'' he breathes quietly. They sit in silence for a few moments but then the elder slowly looks up with desperate eyes. ''Is there nothing we can do?''

The time traveler sighs softly and the elder's face falls, but the brunet isn't planning to leave it here. ''It's going to be very hard, but there is a way.''

Yuuichi's head snaps up, a tiny spark of hope in his brown orbs. Wordlessly he begs the brunet to continue.

Tenma smiles faintly. ''Well... I've already starting by irritating him.'' Yuuichi's eyebrows rise in surprise and the brunet chuckles softly. ''Next match, he will play due to certain circumstances. The team we're up against plays really roughly, but that's what will help us.''

The other blinks, confusion evident in his eyes. ''What do you mean? Why is that a good thing?''

The brunet's smile widens. ''When I say their plays are rough, I mean really rough. Life-long injury rough.''

''Wha-!'' the young man gasps in alarm and concern fills his brown orbs.

Before he can say anything else, the time traveler continues. ''If I'm right, your brother will get angry with them. He might be a Seed but he does have limits – injuring someone so far they can never play soccer again, for example.'' He casts an obvious look at Yuuichi's legs and sees the realization in his eyes. ''He won't stand for that. If you were to confront him after his determination starts to waver...''

''How do you know all this?'' whispers the navy-haired patient.

Tenma hesitates and averts his gaze. ''You wouldn't believe me even if I told you,'' he mutters finally. Even so, he can't deny the voice in the back of his head that imagines how nice it would be if he had someone to help him. 'Don't even think about it. I can't drag someone else into this!' he grits his teeth.

Yuuichi frowns slightly. ''Are... are you okay?'' he asks after a short moment of silence. His only response is a quick nod, and his frown deepens. ''Tenma-kun, you're not in some kind of trouble, are you?''

(Damn him for acting so much like his future self. The future Yuuichi had become like an older brother to Tenma, always comforting him and simply listening when the brunet had a problem which he didn't want to discuss with his teammates. With how much Tenma visited the Tsurugi household, he'd been practically adopted into the family.)

The time traveler shrugs. ''Not directly,'' he mutters.

The older Tsurugi sibling bites his lip, looking worriedly at the younger boy. Somehow, the brunet reminds him so much of his own brother, yet at the same time he is completely different. But something (and Yuuichi doesn't have the slightest clue what that something is but he honestly doesn't care either) makes him want to protect the brunet like he protects Kyousuke.

''I won't judge you, you know,'' he continues trying to persuade the boy. When Tenma continues to avoid his eyes, the young man falters. ''I know I'm in no position to be bugging you like this, but... you want to help me and my brother, and- well, you're the first one in a long time who has simply honest intentions, and I want to help you.'' Not once during his little speech do his eyes leave Tenma's face, and his voice is filled with sincerity.

The brunet smiles ruefully. ''You wouldn't believe me,'' he repeats softly.

(Yuuichi's offer is tempting, so very tempting. To have someone to talk to, to confess everything. The stress of making everything go as it should, the loneliness of missing his friends, the fear of everything that's happening around him, to him.)

''Try me,'' challenges Yuuichi with a smile.

Tenma looks at him quietly, looking for any signs of insincerity, but the only thing he finds is genuine worry. ''Why would you help me?'' he asks finally, putting up a fake smile.

''Why would you help me and my brother?'' returns the young man equally.

The brunet's smile falters and then fades away. 'Because three years from now, you have practically adopted me as your second younger brother. Because I can always count on you and Kyousuke. Because I love you like my own family. I don't want to see you hurt, or sad, or angry – I want you to be happy.' He breathes out slowly. 'And that's why I can't tell you. I cannot force you to share this burden with me.'

Instead of answering, he stands up and grabs his bag. He tries to ignore the sadness in Yuuichi's eyes but it doesn't work entirely as the young man hands him his phone back. ''I put my number in it,'' says the elder Tsurugi sibling. ''Keep me updated.''

Tenma nods. ''I will.'' He pauses for a moment but then continues. ''I ask you to wait with confronting your brother,'' he says softly, turning his back on the elder. ''Maybe I can convince him in the next match, but we'll only know that at the match that comes after. If he's still working with Fifth Sector then, you can talk to him. Please, Yuuichi-san. I don't want you, or your brother, to get hurt any more then you have to.''

He makes his way to the door but is stopped by Yuuichi's voice. ''Someone's going to get hurt,'' he says solemnly. ''We both know that that someone is most likely my brother. And I'm sure we both also know that I won't let that happen. I don't care what it is, but I'll protect Kyousuke even if I'm the one who gets hurt instead.''

Tenma balls his fists but doesn't turn around. When he speaks, his voice is void of emotion. ''Then you should know, Yuuichi-san, that if you won't let your brother get hurt, I won't let you get hurt. I'll protect you – both of you.''

He opens the door but falters when the elder's voice rings through the room behind him.

''That might be so, Tenma-kun, but who's going to protect you?''

The time traveler leaves the room and closes the door behind him. He smiles sadly, looking at the closed door of his future friend's brother.

''I made a promise,'' he whispers quietly. ''I'm going to protect everyone. And I can't do that if there's someone who gets hurt for me, can I?''

'There's always someone who has to pay the price in the end.'

  ~'0'~  

I know this might seem a bit OOC, but I put that last scene in for a reason. Tenma's not only the time traveler who wants to have some fun. He's a very kind and caring character, and I think he'd want to protect the people he cares about even if he gets hurt in the process. Furthermore, Yuuichi really seems like the 'older brother' type to me, if it's about Kyousuke or not. Since Tenma and Tsurugi have been best friends for three years, I think Tenma would have visited the Tsurugi household a lot - and met Yuuichi a lot as well, so I guess those two would also have a closer bond (also due to what happened in Chrono Stone).

So yeah, that's about the whole 'protect' thing. There's a reason this story contains both humor and hurt/comfort - it's not only supposed to be funny, but also more serious :)

If any have you have ideas for this story or for the one-shot collection I'm going to upload the minute I finish this, tell me! I'm open for anything :)

- Yara Meijer