Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Mend my Heart ❯ Play the Game ( Chapter 6 )

"And that's it for the first half of the game. Verdy's really at their peak today, right down to the last man."

"Of course, they want to win. Everyone we talked to before the game was confident that they were going to win."

"So was everyone in S-Pulse,(1) not that they're playing a bad game, I would even say they are virtually evenly matched. The offense on both sides really knows how to drive the ball. If you ask me, this is going to come down to the Goalies."

"Exactly, they seem to be getting the ball in the opponent's field repeatedly the only obstacle left is Hidaka and Sanada. Perhaps youth and quick reflexes are playing a factor here today since Sanada has already let two goals past him while Hidaka has continually locked them out. I can't wait to see what's going to happen in the second half."

"Me too, but for now we are going to take a break for our sponsors. Please stick around, we'll be giving you the halftime report right after the break."

"And commercial," another voice called out.

The two announcers relaxed. "OK, so what have we got? Any rivalries brewing on the field? Do you think we can squeeze in a few interviews before the second half?"

"Oi, Fujikawa, do you think you can get your friend Hidaka over there to talk again?"

Cuts away to show the reporter from the first interview trying to keep out of the way in a busy hall. He glances in one direction, the camera follows his motion. Down the hall, a number of players are walking back to their locker room. Ken and Kase were walking side by side talking quietly, although for being on the winning side they didn't look as happy as the rest of their team.

Kase reaches out and touches Ken's shoulder subsequently stopping the younger man. Carefully, he turns the goalie, who ends up leaning on the wall looking a bit forlorn. His friend leans in closer and whispers something that only makes Ken frown a bit more.

One would assume the two were in some sort of bout if not for Kase's next motion. Raising one hand, he caresses the younger brunette's cheek with the back of his fingers. Hooded eyes turn up to look at the man and a small smile begins to form. To complete the tender moment, Kase hands Ken a bottle of water then soothingly cups the goalie's face in his palm. Ken seemed to melt into the gesture. Only managing to take a couple of gulps before another reporter approaches the pair from the other side, the brunette hands the bottle back to his friend. Noticing Ken's nod, Kase moves to stand behind him as they prepare for the interview.

The camera swung back to Fujikawa, he spoke into the mic, "Looks like I hesitated a moment too long. Get some stats and such in and I'll see if I can get him on the rebound."

The scene switched back to the booth where the other two announcers sat. They were about to come back from commercial and began to prepare.

*

Ran had been watching the tape for a while now and he had not seen anything else to warrant suspicion until now. The moment between the two friends in the hall took place in the span of 30 seconds but he had analyzed every moment of it carefully.

Sighing, he leaned back in the hard hospital chair pondering. Yet again the redhead wondered why Kase wasn't there supporting and encouraging his best friend to wake up. Especially after this odd exchange. Kase looked both frustrated and concerned but why? He hadn't played at all yet, named as a substitute rather than a player for the moment. And Ken was all high spirits when the game stopped, yet now he appeared withdrawn and there was a hint of worry there too.

Why? Ran demanded. Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? He had hundreds of questions he wanted answers to and half contained that damnable word. Why? Ran Fujimiya was frustrated. Although there was another emotion that seemed to spark briefly while he watched the tape, while he watched Kase's fingers alight on smooth tanned skin earning a guarded smile. A pang of emotion he had never before felt - jealousy. And this only confused and frustrated the redhead further.

Deciding that mulling over things he had no answers for was pointless, he turned his attention back to the tape. The two announcers were babbling on about the various players and the history of the rivalry between the two teams. He frowned when he realized that he still had to sit through a whole other half. Despite his curiosity, he was not exactly looking forward to it. Ran appreciated many things in life before the incident; art, music, tradition, culture, amongst others. But one thing Ran knew he didn't care for was the monotony of sports. Virtually all sports could be broken down to the core as: two opposing sides must score against the other in some fashion or another. The number of players, the equipment, and the rules may vary but they are all the same in concept. (2)

Pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand and grabbing the remote in the other, Ran wanted to get to the post interview before he left. He had only made it a few minutes in when he hastily stopped and rewound.

*

"..s coming out now. I'll try and snag Hidaka-san before they get back to the field." Fujikawa was moving through a now very crowded hall against the flow trying to weed his way back to Ken. Up ahead the constant companions could be seen, Ken radiating cheer, strength and confidence in his smile. The rest of his team seemed to drink it in and return it. Kase was also smiling but for some reason it looked forced.

The reporter had almost reached them when Ken swayed then stumbled. Kase was right there holding his friend up and steadying him. A couple of the people around him became suddenly concerned. "Ken! Hidaka-san! Hidaka!" Could be heard in the crowd. For a moment Ken remained in his friend's hold while he regained his equilibrium before finding his footing once more.

Fujikawa was now at their side and he asked quickly, "Hidaka-san, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think the hall was too full. I get a bit claustrophobic." A bright blush spread over tanned features. Then he added, "And I told you to call me Ken."

The others relaxed immediately at the last comment. "Now I know you're fine. I guess I'll let you off for now but I expect to be the first to hear your victory speech, ok?"

"I wouldn't dream of disappointing you." They laughed.

Kase come up behind the brunette and urged softly, "We should go now." Ken nodded reluctantly.

"I'll see you after the game, Tsuki." Then the two walked off.

Turning back to the camera, Fujikawa said, "I'll get Hidaka later." He caught sight of someone out of the corner of his eye and smiled. "But I may be able to get Sanada for you, just get ready to cut me in." He hurried off to find S-Pulse's Goalie.

*

No longer interested, Ran fast-forwarded again. He sped through the brief interview as well as some more talk between the announcers prior to the re-start. Verdy's received the kick off since S-Pulse got it the first half. Everything seemed to be going fine. Verdy's pushed the ball into Shimizu's zone and the first few minutes were played there. After another indirect kickoff though, Ran saw something that surprised him. Two S-Pulse players charged into the Verdy's zone and managed to slip past their defense and headed straight for Hidaka. He was poised and ready but when Kuboyama passed the ball to Abe, the young kicker shot the ball passed a confused goalie.

S-Pulse had scored. Even with the video speeding by the shock was evident. All Ran knew was that Hidaka started to move a little too late and the ball flew past outstretched fingers. The stunned look on the brunette's face was enough to say that he did not expect to miss either. Ran rewound and watched it a few times before pressing on again. A little further into the game, Verdy's scored which kept them ahead by two. Ran didn't stop there, but he did just a few minutes later when S-Pulse yet again got one past the brunette. This time however, he moved too soon and the kicker was able to compensate.

A time out was called briefly and someone approached the goalie. Currently, Ken was bent over with his hands on his knees, seemingly catching his breath. An assistant referee also approached but did not intrude. Nothing could be heard of the conversation but Ran could guess. Even the announcers figured that they were asking Hidaka if he wanted to continue to play. At first Ken looked disappointed with what was happening, and who wouldn't in his place? But for a brief moment he almost looked horrified as he glanced at the sideline. Quickly, he shook his head and pulled himself up to his full height. The assistant ref ran off but soon returned with a fresh bottle of water.

Ran was scarcely listening to the two announcers' blather back and forth until something they said caught his attention. He soon focused on what they commented on while he continued to watch Hidaka.

*

"Looks like Kouichiro is itching to be put into the game."

"You can say that again. He's been named Hidaka's substitute for the past four games only managing some game time when Hidaka suffered from a mild concussion from a previous match."

"But it looks like Hidaka's going to keep playing. I sure hope he knows what he's doing."

"It would be a shame if his decision would end up costing them the match."

"And their chance into the playoffs."

"Verdy's is a very tight team, and I think that they will look out for their goalie. In other words, they are probably going to raise the stakes and make sure that ball never gets near Hidaka."

"I think you're right, we've seen them do it before during the game between Cerezo Osaka, when Hidaka was injured for the last 15 minutes of the match."

"We'll probably be seeing the rest of this game within S-Pulse's zone. Right now, it looks like Hidaka's ready and they are about to restart the match."

"It's going to be exciting from here on out……"

*

Ran hit the remote again watching the last quarter of the game that way. The announcers were right. Team Verdy's did manage to maintain the ball in S-Pulse area. Although, there was one more push back into Verdy's territory. But this time Ken was right on the mark and managed to stop the goal. It appeared that his determination was able to overpower whatever ailment he suffered previous.

At last, the timer ticked down to zero and the match was over. The celebration on the field was incredible. Final score ended with Verdy's 3, S-Pulse 2. Ran sped through the chaos searching for that moment he had been waiting for. He stumbled upon it a few minutes later.

*

"Hidaka-san!! Hidaka-san! You did it! You won!" Fujikawa was shouting over the din of the stands. He had finally managed to work his way through the mass to find his friend. Ken turned to locate the voice that called out to him. A broad smile that went from ear to ear glowed brightly on tanned features.

"Yeaah!! I told you. I told you we would win. Nothing was going to stop us! Wooh!"

"Well, you did give us a scare there for a time in the second half. What happened?"

The grin dimmed slightly at the question, but it was not enough to dispel it. "I honestly don't know exactly. All I can think of was possible stress? I mean I felt fine before but I got real dizzy and off balance for a while." He blushed. "And it was real hard to focus on the ball. Seemed like there were two of them or something. But I didn't want to let my team down. I refused to give in and forced myself to compensate. I'm glad I was finally able to do it on that last rush."

"And how are you feeling now?"

"Better," the brunette answered cautiously.

"I hope so, wouldn't want you to miss that victory celebration."

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss it for the world! I just wanted to thank my team for the awesome match they played. Thanks guys, you really helped me out. Just know that I was giving it my all. I was playing for you, because you deserved it. I wasn't about to let a few obstacles stand in our way. Thanks for making this team - this sport the best!" Some of Ken's teammates came up behind him congratulating him and muttering assurances and thanks back.

"I think your teammates would agree with me when I say that I think that you were a key factor in making this team and sport the best!" A number of the guys around them agreed wholeheartedly and slapped Ken on the back for emphasis.

Apparently, the regular coverage cut away as Fujikawa relaxed and hugged Hidaka. "Hey man, you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Maybe you should go get checked out."

"Don't worry about it. Tanaka-sensei already told me I had to stop by before the party, on threat of death. I'm sure it was nothing."

"I hope so. You want me to stick around and wait for you? I don't want you driving, especially if your balance is off." The reporter gave the goalie a sidelong concerned frown.

"I don't think that even I'm up to taking the bike right now. I'll get it tomorrow. Thanks but I can get a ride with Kase. You go on ahead and I'll see you there."

"Alright, call me if you need anything. Now get going, the rest of your adoring fans are waiting for you." Ken reddened immediately at the comment. Tsuki knew how embarrassed the humble player got at the mention of his popularity. Ken smiled then moved off to re-mingle into the crowd. The camera soon moved to include quick interviews with other players and generally cover the victory.

*

At this point though, Ran had stopped the tape. He sat silently, absorbed completely in his thoughts. Something Ken had said left the redhead feeling like he had run head first into a brick wall. "I don't think that even I'm up to taking the bike right now." If Ken didn't plan on driving AND he intended to go to the party, then what the hell was he doing out and about when he got into the accident?

Something was definitely off, but there were still too many pieces missing for him to make sense of the situation. Ran glanced at his watch. Visiting hours were just about up and the thought of dinner was sounding really good considering he skipped lunch. Sighing, he got up and headed for the door muttering on the way, "I hope Omi's contact can help me figure out this riddle." But for some reason he had the suspicion that tomorrow meeting this person would be rather - trying.

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1. I went onto the J-League website and found the teams for the division that the Verdy's plays in. I actually went there because I was trying to get the Rules and Regulations for the League, but was unable to find one(in English anyway.) In addition, the names of the other players I got from the team listing itself. I would like to state now that I do NOT know any of them and my portrayals are purely fictional, only the names are used because I was too lazy to make up new ones. :8} Please, please forgive me!! Also, I have no idea if there are any 'rivalries' between teams, let alone these two. That is fictional as well.

2. Alas, I realize that sports are something many people enjoy, however they are not for all people. I know I only pick a tiny few that I will willingly sit through and that's only if there is something of interest for me. I kind have felt that Ran might not be one of those engrossed in the various competitive sports but does enjoy a select few, namely Kendo. And I feel horrible because as much as I love dear, sweet, adorable Kenken I only managed to sit through about 10 minutes of a game before wanting to bash my head repeatedly into a wall. :( However, in order to sound like I had a vague idea of the sport I did go to FIFA's website and print out the entire 'Laws of the Game' AND read through it! So please forgive my ignorance, as I am not a fan of the game. :(

 

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Well, it looks like my muse got away from me. I was planning on introducing Yoji officially to the fic, but it seems like I had to get out more information from the tape first. I hope you don't mind. I promise that Yoji will definitely be in the next chap, on pain of….um, on denial of my Kenken. How's that? Huh? I mean I know Ken's not mine to begin with but I do enjoy having him for the brief times I get to write. Alright, I'll get cracking on that next chap now. Thanks for your patience and reading!! :D Just don't forget to review! My muses' just LOVE reviews!! Please? please?