No Need For Miracles 20

“Come on guys... just one more half of the same!” As the shooting stars lined up on the field, a short man with neatly combed black hair, and a pair of glasses hanging off his neck spoke somewhat timidly. He was Nagareboshi’s coach.

Gonda raised a brow at him. He wasn’t exactly good at coaching, or managing his players. But the fact he was kind and supportive helped the atmosphere in the dressing room immensely.

“Come on! You can do this, you little devils! Show me some energy!”

On the opposite end, Takehiro Gonda cupped his hands and bellowed loudly, causing his players to snap to attention like hairs standing on end in the winter chill. The sudden outburst even drew a chuckle from Shuna, who had been silent up until now.

Of course she had witnessed the whole exchange between the eccentric Reo and his teammates back in the dressing room. But, she didn’t find a cue to speak. She had sensed the unease but decided not to dwell on it. Thankfully. The players had managed to address the issue themselves.

She had wondered though, why Reo had looked so conflicted. So distraught. As far as she was concerned, let alone winning or losing, Reo couldn’t care less about football as a whole. Was he just a sore loser?

He didn’t appear as one last time.

Never mind, Shuna shook her head as the whistle for the second half blew. She could ask him about it after the game.

With the start of the second half, an invigorated Hinami burst onto the field like a turbo engine. It was the first time since he had arrived on the island that Reo felt more certain about the team than ever before.

He had deemed them not good enough without even trying to cooperate, and all they asked of him was for the number 10 to rely on them.

If he wanted to win, he couldn’t do it alone. Just like Hoshina on the other side, relied on his lackluster teammates to do their utmost, Reo had to do the same.

That must be the difference between them, he had deduced.

Reo looked at Hoshina who received the ball. He always had his teammates on his side no matter what. But now, Reo too would utilize that.

This time will be different!

When Hoshina was pressed, he gave the ball back to his teammates, and made another run to receive it. Nagareboshi seemed to be rather adept at not playing a high energy game. Instead they opted for slow movements to kill off the tempo.

But the energized Hinami wouldn’t let it play out like they wanted.

“URAAAAAAH!”

“Nice one, Totori!”

Akihiko cried in delight, as the little pressing machine up front, retrieved the ball back for the team. The red haired maestro looked up as he received the ball. Reo soon came into view, raising his arm.

With a nod, the midfielder passed it promptly.

When Reo touched the ball, he slowed down, and looked up at everyone. A small thread-like connection between him and everyone dressed in black seemed to form. Nakatani was on the move on the wing. Futatsuki on his right pushed up from his side too, asking for the ball. But in the middle of the penalty area, a towering spiky haired striker stood above them all.

Reo grinned.

He knew what he had to do.

Reo pushed forward once again, driving the ball with small steps towards the defenders. But before any could tackle him…

“Hatate!”

Reo swfitly passed it to Akihiko to his left. The solid midfielder quickly got the message and didn’t take a second touch on the ball, for Reo, had made a run in between the defenders before him. With a lightning fast one two, the number 10 received the ball once more just outside the box. He could drive it forward and score, his earlier self would have thought.

But not now.

Reo’s trained eye saw the thread between him and his tall striker. Toraichi awaited for him at the far post.

The number 10 pulled the ball closer to him and flicked it slightly forward. He adjusted his body and curled the ball up and away from the defenders using the outside of his left foot. A brilliant trivela pass.

“TAKE!”

“AYE!”

The tall forward took a few steps back, creating space between himself and the defender marking him. As the cross from the side descended, it seemed to find him with pinpoint accuracy. With no need to jump, he simply leaned forward slightly and connected squarely with the ball using his head.

The ball drifted further and further away from the keeper’s grasp and nestled itself between the near post and his hand, curling beautifully into the net through the side.

“GOAAAAAAALL!”

The stadium was on its feet in a matter of seconds, cheering as loud as decibels go.

“YOSHAAAA!”

Toraichi ran off to celebrate while his teammates ran forward to tackle him into the embrace. Amidst the excitement and chaos, Reo too ran into the fray to celebrate. Everything was a mess of hugs and cheers. If there was something that made a set of teenagers who weren’t even that close as friends hug it out, that thing would certainly be football.

When the bundle of black and white broke it up, a celebrating Toraichi turned around to his friend, and assist-man.

“You little…!” With a rare and radiant smile, Toraichi locked Reo in a soft headlock.

“What a pass! What a header! You twoooo!”

Totori for some reason was shedding tears of joy and snot, as he sniffled happily.

“Woah, get it together, man!”

“Yeah, we still need to win this!”

Reo and Toraichi separated, before sharing a brief pat on the back.

“TORA! TORA! TORA!”

The craziest of fans, amidst of few who were Toraichi’s delinquent admirers, chanted the young man’s nickname, Tiger.

“Don’t worry, guys! There’s still plenty of time!” Shuuji clapped his hands vigorously, trying to get his teammates back into the mood. The number 7 and captain passed a reassuring glance to each, especially to Nozomi.

“Let’s do this!”

“Yes!”

Nozomi, nodded heartily, and shook away his frustration. His eyes seemed to shine as he took off running back towards Hinami and the referee blew the whistle to get the match going again.

Hinami 1 – Nagareboshi 1

“AAAH!”

“Damn it!”

“Akihiko!”

“Press harder! Move the ball faster!”

The next 40 minutes were a real battle in midfield. Nozomi and his other defenders tackled hard, and the former ran tirelessly. Shuuji was difficult to catch, and Nagareboshi tightened in an attempt to avoid a loss.

The crowd sung, and the air became as thick as a blanket that gave the feel of time being frozen in place. Yet the minutes ticked away, and Hinami were still searching for the winning ball.

“Futats— AH!”

While Reo called for the pass, Nozomi tackled the ball away from the right back’s feet, resulting in another throw in.

While Nozomi Bushida received the praise from his captain, Akihiko moved fast to take the throw in. The referee had indicated 3 minutes of extra time, and the clock was already ticking down the first.

Akihiko Hatate gripped the ball with his hands, raised it over his head and squinted. At this rate, Hinami would lose a chance to win yet another game.

Shuna, who was directly behind the number 8, furrowed her brows and gripped her board hard, scaratched her nails against it.

“YELLOW CARD REF! THAT WAS A CLEAR YELLOW!” Gonda on the other hand, was just about ready to jump in and start boxing the referee.

Just when everything seemed to be as tense as a rope ready to tear and break, a certain number 10 emerged from between the Nagareboshi players. Shuna’s eyes as if magnetized locked onto his resolute expression, and his fiery eyes.

She had never seen his eyes look so determined, so vibrant and alive. Those pools of dark brown seemed to twist into a pit of fire as they looked up at her and his teammate.

Those eyes, reminded her of something deep within. A memory long buried in the darkest parts of her mind. A single fragment of a tale.

And the words that came next only managed to solidify that notion, and turn it into a clear image.

“There is no way we won't win as long as I’m here, Hatate. Give me the ball and let's show them!”

The red haired maestro had clearly succumbed to his nervousness in the dying moments, and his vision had become clouded. But the words Reo spoke to him, and the fire in his eyes made him nod all the same.

“Right!”

Some might have called him presumptuous, and others even arrogant. But there was something in his gaze that made his words go from mere fantasy to something plausible. Something he had the means to make a reality.

Shuna’s lips formed a natural smile, her eyes narrowing at the scene.

“How that Bushida hasn’t been booked is beyond me…” A sighing Gonda turned to his daughter. His brows furrowed, “…Shuna?”

“We can win this.” Was all she said, her nervous scowl transforming into a grin.

Akihiko took the throw in, and Reo received it with his chest. Although Nozomi had sensed how much of a threat that number 10 was, and stuck close to him like a parasite, there was little he could do.

You can’t stop me.

Despite the short midfielder clinging to his back, Reo raised his foot and flicked the ball over his opponent’s head.

“Wha?!”

Nozomi the diligent soldier saw the ball fly over his head, and soon the player he was marking dashed away from him and towards the ball that still hadn’t touched the ground. Reo controlled it perfectly and drove it forward.

“Stop him!” Even the timid Nozomi sensed the momentum this player had, and shouted to his teammates. Reo however marched. He had little time to react when a tackle came his way, so he simply weaved past it and raised his gaze to look up. A single second was all he needed to see Totori’s run to the right. With a well driven pass, he cut Nagareboshi’s defense apart and gave it to the dashing striker.

Totori trapped it with his right, and saw Toraichi deep inside the box. He wasn’t exactly in a position to shoot himself, but the primary tall striker of the team, was ready to pounce. Reo too attacked, running towards the box with all he had left in the tank.

Totori knew he had no time to waste. Toraichi, as well as the defenders were running into the box and towards the goal. He had to cross it in!

With a kick of the ball, his foot sent it right into the penalty area, and parallel to the goal.

“REACH!”

Toraichi though wasn’t exactly fast, and although he outran the defenders, all he could do was stretch his foot forward and hope for the best.

The ball bounced before him, and the tall striker tackled forward with all his might, sliding across the grass as he did.

“OH…!”

The ball though, only grazed his cleats, and continued cutting through the box. The chance had been missed.

No. Not if Reo could help it. The blonde number 10 had ran inside the box himself, and followed the ball closely as Toraichi missed the chance to touch it.

He saw the ball coming his way, bouncing fiercely along the grass. The pass was strong, and the speed of the ball was high. Even so, Reo tackled forward too. With all his might, all that he was, his back slid along the grass.

Reo was never one to dive so frantically for the ball. Never one to overexert himself.

But tonight he had promised. He wouldn’t lose. No…

He would win. No matter what it took!

As his back slid along the grass, the ball bounced off the grass towards him. Reo raised his foot from the ground and just barely managed to clip it with the tip of his boot. But that simple touch was enough to turn it towards the goal.

The keeper, who was moving to retrieve it was caught off guard, as the ball bounced off his opponent’s foot, towards the opposite direction in which he moved. The ball changed trajectory and flew across the air.

A single, slotting sound echoed in the utter silence, as everybody held their breath. The black and white dotted ball found its resting place in the top corner of the keeper’s net, and the fans stationed in the stand behind the goal jumped forward and clutched the bars.

“GOAAAAAAAAAAAAALLL!”

Reo still sliding on his back, turned around on the grass and felt the roar of the crowd deep within his ear drums.

Unable to contain the sheer joy welling up within him, and not minding the mud all over his back, he jumped in the air and raised his fist.

“YOSHAAAAAAA!!!”

His lungs shook by the magnitude of his voice, yet it seemed like a mere whisper in comparison to the utter chaos erupting in the stadium.

“GOAAAAL! GET IIIIN!”

‘AAAAAH! WHAT A FINISH!”

“DUUUUDE!”

Akihiko, Toraichi, and Totori were the first to reach the celebrating number 10, tackling him into the ground like seasoned rugby professionals.

Cheers, laughs and screams of joy filled the air, as the whole of Hinami became one.

Amidst the wild celebrations on the bench, Gonda once again seemed to have lost his glasses, but the crazy coach didn’t mind one bit.

Shuna laughed as her father raised his fist in the air, and the medical staff gripped his jacket tight as they cheered.

Her eyes naturally travelled around the stadium, a stadium she loved so dearly.

She had experienced the atmosphere countless times, and seen countless goals from up there on the stands. But the feeling of a winning goal could never grow old. No matter how many times she witnessed it, the swelling of her heart, the immense joy she felt, was always of the same magnitude.

Hinami had done it. Despite the odds, it united as one.

And the score displayed their superiority in the game for the first time that evening.

Hinami Pirates 2 – Nagareboshi 1

A/N:

Hola, everyone! Just wanted to let you all know I am done with writing the 1st volume of Football Island, and in anticipation of the annual Honeyfeed contest I'll be uploading chapters of F.I. twice a week! We are more than halfway through, after all... *wink*

Thank you for reading!