Hey readers!

So, here's the next chapter. Sorry for the wait, I forgot about this.

WARNING: This contains headcanons of mine. If you oppose this notion, might I propose the purchasing of a storage facility which makes use of electricity in order to produce a cool temperature to preserve nutrition? A possible application is to utilize it as a hidden shelter while contemplating if penguins possess knees. Or something.

Alright then, enjoy this chappie! :)

~'0'~

Accidental Reverse Arc 1

  ~'0'~  

Tenma is on his way to the exit of the hospital, deep in thought as his mind keeps replaying the conversation with Yuuichi. 'He's right, though,' whispers that traitorous little voice in the back of his head. 'You're in deep, deep trouble here. All alone, with a physical condition you know next to nothing about, not knowing if you'll ever get back to your friends. Wouldn't a little help be nice?'

The brunet shakes his head to get rid of the thought. 'Even so, I won't let them get hurt. This is my problem and I'll solve it myself.'

His thoughts return to the present when something- or rather, someone -suddenly walks (read: runs) into him and he is knocked over with a startled yelp.

Tenma shakes his head while looking up from where he has fallen and-

He blinks.

'You have got to be kidding.'

There is a very familiar teenager looking down at him. His eyes are a dull blue and his hair is a mess of the brightest orange the time traveler has ever seen.

It's none other than Arakumo's captain, Amemiya Taiyou himself.

The two future friends stare at each other for a long, silent moment, Tenma out of surprise at seeing the orange and Taiyou out of shock at walking (more like running) into someone.

Eventually, the brunet breaks the silence between them.

''I don't know who you are, but it seems I just fell for you.''

A surprised laugh leaves Taiyou's mouth and Tenma grins cheekily. The other calms down slightly. ''Sorry, didn't see you there,'' apologizes the Arakumo player as the time traveler stands up. ''Are you okay?''

Tenma raises an eyebrow, his cheeky grin growing, ''Except that I just fell for a stranger?''

The orange-haired teen rolls his eyes and shakes his head in amusement. ''I'll take that as a yes.''

The time traveler shrugs, still smiling. ''Why was a patient running through the hospital?'' he asks, taking a look at Taiyou's hospital clothes. ''You weren't trying to escape, were you?'' he asks, already knowing the answer.

(Because honestly, Taiyou never changes.)

Unsurprisingly, the other teenager laughs sheepishly and rubs the back of his head. ''...maybe?'' he asks.

Before the brunet can react, another voice rings through the hallway. ''There you are!'' the two boys look up to see a purple-haired nurse walking towards them.

Taiyou starts to sweat and hides behind Tenma. ''Oh crap!''

Fuyuka reaches them and crosses her arms. ''Trying to escape again, huh?'' she asks the patient. Then her gaze shifts to the brunet and she smiles kindly. ''I hope he didn't cause too much trouble,'' she sighs, and then seems to think of something. ''Would you mind taking him back to his room? I'd do it myself, but there's been an emergency and if he was left to his own devices he'd just run off.''

Tenma nods, a little taken aback, and the woman smiles in relief. ''Really? Thank you!'' and she quickly continues on her way, leaving the two boys speechless.

Said two boys share a look. ''Well, that was... random,'' comments Tenma eventually, the orange nodding in agreement. ''But come on, I said I'd take you back to your room and I don't want to anger the nurse,'' he jokes.

Taiyou sighs as he leads the way to his room. ''Sorry about this,'' he says. ''First I literally ran into you and now you have to escort me back...''

The time traveler smiles in amusement. 'Don't worry, Taiyou, your future self has caused a lot more trouble. At least you're still slightly normal at this point in time.'

Mentally he smirks, chuckling wickedly. 'And that means I can easily mess with you now~'

They reach the room and the Arakumo captain falls down on his bed, sulking. ''Mou, I almost escaped this time...''

Tenma chuckles softly. ''Next time better luck, Amemiya,'' he tells the other boy. 'God, it's weird calling him by his last name.'

Taiyou blinks. ''How do you know my name?'' and then, as an afterthought, ''and just call me Taiyou.''

The time traveler grins and gestures to the hallway. ''It was on the door,'' he tells the other (he's not entirely lying since it was on the door, but that's not how he knows his name. Not that he needs to know that) and shrugs casually. ''I'm Matsukaze Tenma.''

Arakumo's captain grins. ''Nice to meet you, Tenma! Say, do you like soccer?''

The brunet honestly doesn't know if he should laugh or sweatdrop. 'And people call me a soccer freak...' even so, he nods. ''Yep. Do you play for a team?'' he asks the orange-haired teen, sitting down in a chair next to Taiyou's bed.

The genius soccer play nods enthusiastically. ''Yeah, for Arakumo Academy. I'm actually not allowed to play since I'm ill and all, but I'm a lot better now so I might even play in the tournament,'' he grins. ''I'm the captain, when I'm not in the hospital at least.''

(Tenma is slightly surprised by how open the orange is. The first time 'round he didn't talk about his status as Arakumo's captain (he didn't even tell Tenma his name, for that matter!) but then the brunet realizes it's because Taiyou doesn't know that he plays for Raimon yet.)

''That would be nice,'' mutters Tenma, suddenly lost in thought. 'Taiyou will most likely play in the Arakumo-Raimon match, if it even gets to that point anyway, but... his Keshin is really strong. If my theory about my Keshin is right...' his mind goes back to what he read on his laptop the day before, and he frowns slightly.

Taiyou's voice breaks through his thoughts. ''Tenma? Something wrong?''

The brunet blinks and immediately smiles. ''No, just realized something,'' he reassures the genius soccer player. ''But hey, maybe we'll play against each other, then!''

The Arakumo player gapes at him. ''Wait, are you serious?!''

Tenma nods. ''Yep! I'm a player for Raimon.''

''Eh? Seriously?'' Taiyou gets a calculating glint in his dull blue orbs as he scans the brunet. ''Hmm... hadn't expected that, actually,'' he mutters.

Tenma's eye twitches.

(The soccer genius had told him that, at first glance, he wouldn't have thought the brunet was a soccer player. Said brunet countered that soccer was the second sport he played, to the surprise of almost everyone listening.)

''I am aware of that,'' he mutters. (He had been surprised when the orange-haired teen first pointed it out, but after he got over his shock he wondered if he should blame his mother for making him love her favorite sport as well.)

(It wasn't widelyl known, but Tenma was raised in a family where sports were very important.)

(...he wouldn't deny that he was the first soccer player, though.)

''Well, I'll be looking forward to facing Raimon anyway!'' grins Arakumo's captain. Tenma answers his smile with one of his own, and the rest of the afternoon is spend talking about everything they can think of – mostly soccer, though.

  ~'0'~  

That night, after dinner, Tenma is twirling his pen around as he stares at his English homework, bored out of his mind. ''Note to self. Repeating lessons you learned three years ago is boring,'' he mutters, sighing.

It's not only that the homework is too easy. He could've been done half an hour ago, but his thoughts keep going back to Taiyou's observation from before. ''Ugh... he's not even trying and he can still be annoying.'' Tenma drops his pen and leans his head on his desk.

Suddenly the voice of his relative breaks him out of his musings. ''Tenma! Telephone!''

The brunet blinks and stands up, hurrying silently down the stairs. Aki holds up a phone, mouthing 'your mother' as he takes it from her. ''Hello?'' he asks as he pressed the phone to his ear.

''Tenma! It's so good to hear your voice again, sweetheart.''

The time traveler smiles at the familiar voice of his mother. ''Okaa-san!'' he chirps happily.

His mother chuckles. ''How's school, sweetie? Are the teachers nice? Do you have a lot of homework? Did you join the soccer club? Made friends yet?''

Tenma laughs at her enthusiasm, making his way out to the garden. ''School's great. The teachers are nice, maybe a little strict. Homework is fine. Yes, I joined the soccer club, and it's great! The captain is really nice and so is the keeper! Aoi joined as a manager and there's a really nice boy from my class, Nishizono Shinsuke. We've already played two teams and won once!''

''That's great, sweetie!'' cheers his mother. ''Congratulations! When is your next match? Maybe your father and I can watch!''

The brunet's smile widens. His parents are usually really busy with work so it's a treat if they can watch his matches. ''Next Saturday, noon,'' he tells her.

His mother is silent for a moment and he can almost see the thoughtful expression on her face. ''Hmm... I don't think we've anything scheduled for then. I'll let you know, okay?''

''Yes, that'd be great,'' he says, his genuine smile widening. ''How's everything back home?''

''Just peachy,'' grumbles his mother. ''There have been some troubles with our newest trading partners, but it'll be fine. It's just really stressing, nothing for you to worry about.''

Tenma sighs in relief. ''Good,'' he says. ''How's Otou-san?''

His mother chuckles. ''He's been complaining because he hasn't been able to ice skate lately.''

Yes, might be interesting to know: his father loves ice skating as much as Tenma loves soccer (he and his parents all have their own favorite sport.)

The time traveler laughs. ''Tell him I pity him,'' he jokes. ''And that I miss him.''

His mother sobers up a bit. ''I will.'' She pauses for a moment. ''We miss you too, Tenma, and we're so proud of you.''

The brunet smiles gently. ''Thanks, Okaa-san.''

''On another note, how's your swimming?''

(His mother's favorite sport is swimming, and she's raised her son as a swimmer as well. He loves it, but he likes soccer better. His mother knows and respects this but he gets his stubborn streak from her and she can't help asking him to swim. Not that he really minds, he loves the water almost as much as he loves the field. After all, he's been swimming longer than he's played soccer.)

He sighs and smiles at her usual antics. ''Okaa-san, I'm in the middle of a soccer tournament right now,'' he reminds her gently. ''I'm not joining any swimming competitions.''

He knows she's pouting. He just knows it. ''That might be true, sweetie, but you can just swim for fun, can't you?''

Tenma blinks, he honestly hadn't thought of it like that, and he does kind of miss the water. ''Yeah, that's true,'' he mutters. ''Hm, I do miss it a little...''

His mother cheers. ''Then go swimming this week, okay?'' she jokes.

But the brunet nods even though it's just a joke and she can't see him. ''I think I'll go tomorrow after practice.''

The woman is silent for a moment, but then laughs softly. ''Well, if you really want to,'' she says, but he can hear how happy it makes her that her only son has inherited her love for the water. ''But I have to go now, sweetheart,'' she says, a bit sadly. ''My train has almost reached the station...''

A flash of hurt shoots through him but he holds it back and puts up a fake cheerful tone. ''It's fine! You're busy. If you finish your work early, maybe you can go swimming as well!''

His mother sounds relieved that he doesn't sound disappointed. ''Yes, that sounds nice! Bye then, sweetheart, I'll see if we can watch that match of yours! Good luck!''

''Thanks, Okaa-san. Bye!'' He ends the call and sighs, putting the phone back in its usual place. After a moment of thought he walks to the living room, where Aki is currently rearranging the flowers. ''Aki-nee, can I go swimming tomorrow?''

If the woman is surprised by the sudden request, she doesn't show it. Instead she smiles softly at him. ''Of course!''

  ~'0'~  

The next morning Tenma and Shinsuke enter the clubroom to see their fellow soccer players mad and irritated. 'Well, what an amazing way to start the day,' thinks the brunet dryly.

''It's a pain,'' says Minamisawa as he looks at Sangoku and Shindou. ''Quit pushing your ideas of soccer onto us.''

'Now that I think about it... they're doing the same to us,' realizes Tenma. 'Saying they don't want to play real soccer...'

Meanwhile, Shindou stands up. ''Minamisawa-san. That match was the first time since I joined Jr. High that I found soccer to be so much fun,'' he states seriously, Sangoku next to him clearly agreeing with the captain.

''I know that,'' says Minamisawa, narrowing his eyes. Everyone in the room is looking at the two. ''But that's different. Do you think Fifth Sector will keep quiet about us going against their orders? Do you guys not care if the club gets disbanded?'' he shoots a look at Shinsuke and Tenma, and then does a double take when he sees the brunet staring at his phone like it's the most intriguing thing in the world. The forward narrows his eyes and shoots the brunet a death glare.

The others are silent, waiting for the brunet to react to the death glare because Minsamisawa's death glares are not to be taken lightly. (But Tenma is best friends with Tsurugi Kyousuke of all people, so it doesn't really affect him.) After what feels like an eternity of silence, the time traveler slowly looks up with a solemn expression on his face.

''I just discovered frogs are herbivores.''

Everyone stares at him in bewilderment, pure silence in the clubroom. It's finally broken by a snort everyone looks at the source. Shindou is smiling in amusement at the disbelieving expressions on his teammates' faces. ''Frogs are carnivores,'' he tells the first-year.

The time traveler shakes his head dramatically. ''But what if they aren't?'' he asks. ''What if they simply want us to think they're carnivores? Like a... survival instinct. What if they simply want to look more dangerous in order to protect themselves?''

Sangoku raises an eyebrow. ''Okay. And who would they scare?''

The brunet pauses at that, trying to think of an answer. ''I don't know. Maybe they have a secret, terrifying enemy we don't know about, like... mutant carrots!'' he exclaims.

(He represses a shiver as he remembers the evil grins and glowing purple eyes, armed with white fluff bombs...)

''Mutant carrots,'' deadpans the captain slowly. ''Very terrifying.''

Grey eyes, deadly serious, settle on him and the brunet speaks in a low, eerie voice. ''Never underestimate mutant carrots. The last time I encountered them, I had to fight for my life.''

The silence that falls is disbelieving and a little bit wary. On one hand, the Raimon team is seriously wondering about the sanity of their junior, while said junior is remembering a vicious battle between his future teammates and the orange mutant monsters.

Shinsuke breaks the silence. ''You've fought mutant carrots,'' he says slowly. ''How, exactly, did you encounter those mutant carrots?''

Tenma shrugs, suddenly cheerful again. ''Cooking accident.''

Raimon shares a few freaked out looks and Sangoku is the one to sum up all their thoughts in a single word.

''Aha.''

  ~'0'~  

Raimon's time traveler isn't surprised to see Minamisawa, Kurama, Amagi, Hayami and Kuramada walk away from the group just as Shindou is about to tell them about practice.

Hamano smiles apologetically. ''Shindou, you've gotta understand. We just want to protect our soccer,'' he says and joins the group.

Tenma watches quietly and tilts his head in thought. 'Hmm... I suppose I've taken the task of stirring up the revolution too lightly, huh...'

''Come on, let's starts the stretches,'' says Sangoku with a sad look at the group that is currently starting their own practice. Tenma follows his other teammates with a long look at the others.

'I almost forgot how hard it was when we started out...'

Not long after, everyone is taken by surprise by the sudden appearance of none other than Tsurugi Kyousuke. He walks to Endou, his eyes narrowed in a mix of emotions only Tenma seems to notice. ''Use me in the next game,'' he states coldly.

''You?'' repeats Endou, not intimidated at all by the harsh stare the Seed gives him.

Tsurugi doesn't hesitate when he answers. ''Yeah.''

Tenma blinks as he shuts out Hayami (who is, once again, freaking out. The brunet has to admit, he kind of misses the older Hayami – still not the bravest on the team, but he's learned not to freak out at every small thing...)

''He's made his move,'' mutters Sangoku as he glances at Shindou, who is standing next to him.

The captain nods. ''But coach Endou should know he's a Seed.''

(Tenma is the only one who is not surprised when their coach responds with a bright grin and a ''Okay, you'll play.'' Even Tsurugi himself seems suspicious – but maybe that's because the guy's suspicious of everything at this point in time. Seriously, he could be suspicious of a newborn kitten or something.)

''I don't know what you've got up your sleeve, but I'll play the way I want,'' states the Seed after a moment of silence. He doesn't react to Endou's smile and simple ''I don't mind'', instead turning around and making his way to leave the field.

He would've left, if Shindou hadn't interfered. ''Wait a minute, coach!'' protests the captain. ''He's a Seed. It's beyond question that he'll do something to stop us.''

Endou blinks and smiles. ''Yeah, maybe,'' he answers simply.

''Then why?'' demands the captain fiercely. ''Aren't you the one who said we're aiming for real victory?!''

''That's why,'' states Endou seriously. ''I'm allowing Tsurugi to play because we're aiming for victory.'' Any sign of the cheerful coach from just minutes ago is gone, replaced by an iron resolve.

''I don't understand!'' protests Shindou angrily.

Tsurugi's voice keeps him from saying anything else. ''By the way, captain.'' Said captain grits his teeth as he turns to look at the Seed's smugly smiling face. ''Just for your information...'' the forward finally looks at Shindou, his smirk widening. ''Your next opponent is Mannouzaka Jr. High, with a score of 1-0. Raimon loses.''

The Raimon members who are actually fighting against Fifth Sector (plus Kirino) grit their teeth, as Tsurugi leaves with a dramatic swing of his jacket. ''Got that?''

Sangoku frowns at his retreating form and places his hands on his hips. ''It sounds like he's going to end the match exactly as ordered,'' he states.

And suddenly Hayami is there. ''Th-then let's listen to him! If we start obeying again, the club might not get disbanded!'' he tries.

''I don't know about that,'' says Kirino suddenly. ''If they keep overlooking our rebellious actions, it would be setting a bad example,'' he states seriously.

Hayami flinches back. ''Then that means we're already...''

(Tenma hides a grin. He's already explained to everyone that Fifth Sector can't really do anything to them, and maybe they don't believe him but it's true. He's done this before, after all.)

Meanwhile, Minamisawa is talking and Tenma forces his attention to the purple-haired player. ''Raimon's soccer club is already in the trash bin.'' He looks at Endou. ''Coach Endou,'' he states casually. ''I quit.''

Everyone stares at him, except for Tenma, who is currently thanking his mother silently because he could really go for a swim after this.

''Quit? Are you serious?'' asks Kurumada, obviously shocked.

Minamisawa doesn't look at him. ''Yeah, I can't play along with this anymore.''

''Are you able to quit?'' somehow Endou's expression is completely open and honest, yet it doesn't show any of his emotions.

''Yes,'' answers Minamisawa without hesitation. He bows slightly. ''Goodbye.'' And with that he walks away.

Raimon's time traveler closes his eyes in anticipation, already hearing Kurama's angry voice. ''The one destroying Raimon's soccer club isn't Fifth Sector or Tsurugi... it's really you!'' he spats, and the brunet can feel the glare the forward shoots him.

But he doesn't open his eyes. He can't. 'I'm sorry.'

As the silence stretches on, the brunet can't help but mentally flinch as the words keep replaying in his ears. He knows Kurama doesn't really hate him, that he's just angry right now.

(Tenma carefully balanced the stack of paperwork – why coach Gouenji wanted him to take care of the club's minor problems was beyond him (even though he'd already been doing that in his last two years as Raimon's captain, just without the actual paperwork) but he didn't complain, even though he hates it.

The stack he was carrying was so high he almost couldn't see where he was going, but he'd managed to come this far and he wasn't going to drop it now.

Even so, he could feel himself stumble, too out of balance to catch himself. Just as he almost tripped, someone else was there to steady him. ''Hey, careful with that,'' said an amused voice.

Tenma glanced up to see pitch black eyes and smiled. ''Thanks, Kurama-san,'' he thanked the forward, who waved it away with an upward twist of his lips.

''Ah, don't mention it.'')

He swallows at the memory, automatically comparing the gentle voice of his friend to the harsh tone from his past self, trying to convince himself Kurama doesn't hate him.

'In this world he does.'

His eyes fly open as the traitorous little voice in the back of his head whispers the painful sentence. Instead of outwardly reacting to his sadness and pain, he turns to the people who can actually stand him right now, plastering a fake grin on his face. ''Come on, let's practice!''

  ~'0'~  

The moment training ends, Tenma flees to the changing rooms, changes into his school uniform and packs his bag in record time. He's just zipping up his bag when the others arrive.

''What's got you in such a hurry?'' asks Sangoku softly. The hopeful glint that has become normal to see in his eyes is completely gone, yet the older boy can still fake curiosity.

Tenma smiles distantly. ''Ah, just have to be somewhere,'' he says absentmindedly. ''The sooner I leave, the more time I have. Goodbye!'' with that he quickly leaves the changing room.

He hurries down the street, only a little bit out of breath when he reaches the indoor swimming pool. An excited smile tugs at his lips as he enters the building.

Ten minutes later he is standing at the edge of the pool, looking at the clear water. There are no other people at this time of day, but he doesn't mind – actually, it's quite refreshing to be on his own for once.

Tenma closes his eyes behind his goggles for a moment and breathes slowly. Then his eyes snap open and he dives into the pool, feeling the water surround him as he gracefully crosses the distance between the two sides of the pool.

If he's a good soccer player, he's an amazing swimmer. He's been swimming since before he can remember. His mother's love for the water definitely overtook her common sense, and the only reason he hasn't drowned at a very young age is because of his slightly-more-rational father.

Not that his mother would've let him drown, no. No, she's the one who taught him how to move through the water like he's an actual creature of the sea. Fast, flowing, graceful. His mother's beauty definitely shows for real if she is in the water, more like a mermaid than a human. She makes it seem so easy yet so impossible, so beautiful.

And he inherited it. His mother often tells him his body is made to swim, to move through the water like he belongs there instead of on the land. She taught him the sea is his friend, she taught him how to live, how to breathe the water.

His father is the same, only when it comes to ice skating. Just as passionate, just as graceful as his mother is in the water. He taught his son to love the ice, to love the way the wind blows around him as he races over the frozen water.

He took to that as well, truly a child of his parents. Tenma loves both sports equally, having known them his whole life. While other parents might've been scared, his parents took him to the pool and the ice before he was even a year old.

And then Tenma met soccer. He was as passionate as his parents were when it came to their respective sport. And his parents recognized it, recognized the love and the passion in his eyes every time it was mentioned, and they encouraged it.

Yet they never made him forget about his love for water, liquid or frozen. Because even if he loves the field, he's still born on the ice and in the sea.

When he joined Raimon the first time 'round, he'd been so obsessed with soccer that he forgot about ice skating and swimming. It took him a holiday back to Okinawa and a trip with his parents to the water to remember it, and during his second-year he started visiting the pool and the ice rink again.

Yet this time will be different. This time, he won't forget.

He loses track of time as he moves through the water, first fast to get rid of his build up stress and anger, then slow and graceful to enjoy the feel of the flow around him.

''Hey!''

Tenma looks up at the young voice that suddenly echoes through the room that was only filled with the splashing of water mere seconds ago.

A girl of about seventeen is standing at the edge of the pool, wearing a blue shirt and white pants. From the shirt the brunet easily recognizes her as one of the workers. The girl has her curly brown hair in a ponytail, hold together by a black ribbon.

She smiles when she sees that she has his attention, waving him over. The brunet gracefully crosses the distance to the other side of the pool. ''Hai?'' he asks, looking up at the girl.

''Ah, I apologize, but we're closing now,'' she says, smiling apologetically.

Tenma blinks. ''Really? It's already that late?'' he asks, surprised, and then chuckles sheepishly. ''I guess I lost track of time...''

The girl's smile widens. ''I noticed. You're a really good swimmer,'' she compliments as he climbs out of the pool.

The brunet blushes. ''You were watching?''

She chuckles at his embarrassment. ''Only for a little while,'' she admits. ''You're amazing in the water.''

The time traveler grabs his towel and throws a smile at her. ''I was practically born in the water,'' he tells her, and then extends a hand. ''Matsukaze Tenma.''

The girl shakes his hand. ''Shinohara Maiko,'' she introduces herself. ''Nice to meet you.''

''Likewise. You work here?'' he asks with a look at her shirt.

Shinohara nods. ''Yep! This place belongs to my uncle,'' she tells him as they make their way to the changing rooms. ''I haven't seen you here before...''

Tenma laughs softly. ''I haven't been here before. My mother loves swimming and taught me how to before I could walk, or at least, that's what my father says. She managed to convince me to come here.''

The girl raises an eyebrow. ''But don't you like swimming? You seemed to enjoy yourself back there.''

The time traveler immediately nods. ''I love it, but personally I like soccer more,'' he answers easily. ''I guess I was just so caught up in chasing the ball that I forgot about the water,'' and then, as an afterthought, ''and the ice, for that matter.''

Shinohara raises an eyebrow. ''Ice?'' she repeats curiously.

He nods. ''Yep, my father is the same with ice skating as my mom is with swimming and how I am with soccer. Guess I should start looking for an ice rink as well,'' he jokes, just as they reach the changing rooms. ''It was nice to meet you, Shinohara-san. I hope to see you around again.''

The brown-haired girl nods with a friendly smile. ''Hope to see you around, Matsukaze-kun.''

He smiles. ''Yeah.''

  ~'0'~  

''Holy Road's Kanto A block district preliminaries! Mannouzaka Jr. High versus Raimon Jr. High is about to begin!''

Tenma watches quietly as five of Raimon's players announce to coach Endou they're not going to play in this match.

Kurumada.

Hayami.

Hamano.

Amagi.

Kurama.

Endou listens to their words grimly and then looks at Raimon's time traveler. ''Tenma, what about you?''

The brunet tilts his head thoughtfully. ''I want to play real soccer,'' he says finally. ''I want to play with everyone else. With the rest of Raimon's soccer club.''

Shinsuke immediately nods in agreement. ''Me too!''

Their coach looks at Sangoku and Shindou, who both nod in determination. Another voice suddenly speaks up.

''Geez, alright...'' Tenma smiles at Kirino's voice. The defender has a look on his face that basically screams 'why is there so much trouble in my life' as he sighs. ''Shindou, I'll join you.''

Shindou's expression softens. ''Kirino...'' he says gratefully.

The pink-haired defender answers the smile send his way with one of his own.

Tenma smiles at the show of their friendship, when he's broken out of his thoughts by his future best friend. ''Don't forget,'' says Tsurugi. ''Fifth Sector ordered Raimon to lose, 1-0.''

The time traveler raises an unimpressed eyebrow, something he has learned from being Raimon's captain for three years. ''Did you even listen to anything I've said since the day we first met?'' he asks dryly. ''Seriously. You're not gonna change my mind, move on already.''

The forward tskes. ''You're annoying,'' he mutters.

The brunet rolls his eyes. ''Like I haven't heard that before,'' he responds. ''If there's anyone who knows how annoying I can be, it would be me since I have to live with myself.'' The Seed glares at him but the time traveler doesn't pay attention to it, instead walking to his position.

Tenma is stretching a bit before the match starts when someone suddenly speaks to him. ''Listen up.'' Pitch black eyes narrow at him. ''If you ever try to win, I'll stop you. I'm protecting my own soccer.''

Kurama moves in the direction of his position when Tenma's voice stops him.

''You know, Kurama-senpai...'' the forward turns around, shocked by the burning resolve in those blueish grey orbs. Tenma narrows his eyes slightly, challenging.

''So am I.''

  ~'0'~  

So, that was chappie 7. The whole 'swimming' thing is 1) a headcanon of mine so don't judge and 2) important later on in the story. Besides, this is my story, my universe, my fanfic. I can literally do anything I want so that's what I'm doing :D Hope nobody minds the changes (okay, not changes cuz I didn't change anything... more like the parts I added).

- Yara Meijer