Break Him Out Of His Shell

Chapter 9: Kurama, No!

-Third's PoV-
     Next day on Raimon, the chairman received an upcoming call, it seemed Endou will continue as Raimon's coach, the chairman's face drained of all colour, he was expecting Fifth Sector to fire him! This turn of events was unbelievable! He messed up his hair on an attempt to stay calm, which did not work, he wanted to expulse that coach, with al, his heart and he had expected Fifth Sector to cooperate!

Morning practice had started, though, it was interrupted when a certain player slide down the hills of the pitch.
"Use me on the next game." He ordered, everyone started objecting. He was a Seed, a fact well known to all of them, he would end Raimon soccer team, they didn't want him to play.
"Coach, he is a seed!" Endou decided to ignore their comments, he already knew that bit of information.
"Okay you will be taking part in the game." Tsurugi was taken aback by his coach's answer, his hazel eyes locked on the browns of his coach.
"I don't know what you're thinking of, but I don't care! I promise I will take you down!" And all Tenma wanted to do was ignore Tsurugi, there were times in which it was tough for him to understand the striker.
"We are aiming for a victory, that's all." Endou told the navy blue haired boy. Tsurugi did as if he hadn't heard the man.
"Well there is another order, coach, Raimon loses again!" Tsurugi said said amazed. Minamisawa pushed his hair away of his eyes before stating a through to some of Raimon's players.
"There is no need for you to destroy it, Raimon team is already in the bin." Everyone stared down to the floor. Tenma was the one who broke the silence.
"This shouldn't be happening, we should be able to play freely, I-I won't let them take Raimon down. I want us to play as we know!" He shouted. Kageyama's eye fix on his metallic ones, he had his fists tightened against his sides. He spoke at last with as much venom and a most furious face as he could master.
"Only if you hadn't  joined us this wouldn't be happening! You are stealing soccer for us! It isn't Fifth Sector or Tsurugi the ones that are destroying Raimon, it is only you!" Tenma's eyes widened. Jack was right, wasn't he? At last someone said his fears out loud. The truth no one seem to say to him, he couldn't handle the stairs the other one was sending his way, he knew all too well that nobody would stand up for him, even little Shinsuke was shut to the core. It was then when Minamisawa walked up to Endou.
"I quit." He calmly said, the way he spoke made third and second years beg for him to stay; Takuto's voice was loud. "Please Minamisawa!" Yet, off he went.

At the end of practice, once he had changed, the captain decided to talk with his coach. His mind was a total caos, he didn't know what to do, yes, yesterday he had things clear, now, with Sangoku's position, Minamisawa's departure...
He finally found him, in front of the old club room.
"I... Endou-kantokun, I might have chosen the wrong path. I was only looking for myself! What kind of captain am I?" Silence formed. "Yet, yet I want to play! What shall I do?" He asked. He saw as Endou closed his eyes and recalled the formation of his own team, this matches were they won because of all the training they did, all the hardships they had to battle against...
"Do you know why I came back?" Takuto shook his head. "I want to shut down Fifth Sector but, I can't do this alone, I need your help. We need to work together, do you choose free soccer or the one Fifth Sector wants you to play?" He smiled at the captain. "That it's up to you." With that being said, he left Takuto with his own thoughts.

Tenma started to believe, he believed in Kurama's words. Was he the one destroying soccer? 'Oh you are, you are just stupid for trusting on you. Tsurugi is not the one who is tearing apart the team, it is really only you!' Tenma believed, he wants them to play, but not... 'I don't want to steal their soccer.' He tried to answer back, he had somehow regained force to speak up. 'But do you want to play freely and that's the thing thing!' Jack repeated him. "No it's not!" Tenma shouted, covering his ears with his hands, trying to muffle the voice.
He found himself in front of the hospital, had he been walking towards it? Why did he intentionally walked in that direction? There was a time, he remembers lively, he was nine years old, he was in great need of some bandages... he had the hospital very close... he stole some.
He needed them now, he could tell from the feeling he had in both arms: he knew they were covered with coagulated blood. He entered through the back door, the one reserved to doctors only.
He walked in, he didn't bother to see if nurses were in sight , he turned left, then right, he entered a supplies room and took five bandages with him. He was not caught on the act. He found himself leaning on the wall of the hospital, he had just finished taking care of his bleeding arms when a blue haired boy walked past him.
"Tsurugi! Why are you doing this?" The brunet asked, even if it was his fault Raimon was in such a situation, he wanted to know if the striker had any reason behind his facade. "Don't you want to play without orders? You have carelessly kicked a ball around, I am sure of it!" The other boy didn't even look at him, he ignored the words the brunet pronounced. Tenma went to the riverbank and sat himself close to the river. In that moment he let himself relax. Until noon he decided to stay by the river and listen closely to the waves.