RULE OF 21

NOTE: This is a break down to the 10th chapter (9th DOWN: CHALLENGER'S DECLARATION) of my main fic: Survivor because it's ridiculously long. Breaking it down isn't an option in the main story because that's how I planned it to be but I understand it's not easy to read it in one go so I decided to break it down as a tie-in instead.

Sena goes home that night after the graduation party around 11 PM, still in a state of shock and finds her parents waiting up for her. She wonders how she's going to tell her parents about Hiruma's latest bout of mayhem.

She's going to America.

Surprisingly, Sena doesn't meet much resistance. In fact, she's surprised to find that Hiruma had actually gone out his way to give her parents a heads up.

"It surprised us too when he came by to inform us," Mihae reassures. "But considering all the things you told us about him and not to mentioned the things we've learned and seen since we met him, I think it's safe to say that for as long as he's gonna be in your life, Sena, this is gonna be normal now," Mihae checks over Sena's renewed passport and taps over the empty signature. "Do you want to go?"

Sena's answer lacks any hesitation that would've been typical of her not too long ago. "Yes."

Mihae nods. "Alright then. Personally, I think it's a nice idea for a graduation trip."

"I wanted to ask how he arranged all of this but I think we can all agree that the less we know, the better." Shūma furrows his brows. "Just take good care of yourself, alright?"

Sena smiles, relieved. "I will."

"Is your English okay, though?"

Sena blinks, before nodding slowly in sudden realisation. "Yeah. Me and the others mostly talk in English at the base. I think someday down the line, Hiruma-san was planning to bring us to America." She slouches, placing her chin on top of the dining table with a pout. "Although, I think I accidentally bump that plan ahead."

Shūma quirks a smile. "How did that happen?"

"Because of my habit of saying my thoughts out loud without realising it until it's too late." Sena groans into the table.

When Sena looks up, her parents look unfairly amused.

"Do you know how long this trip is going to be?"

She shakes her head. "Knowing Hiruma-san, it could just be a day or it could probably be almost the whole of spring break. Best be prepared."

"Just make sure to tell us if there's a change of plans."

"Sure thing, Tou-san."

Mihae hands over the passport. "Better get packing, it says that you're leaving tomorrow morning at eight."

"Some days, I really want to thwack Hiruma-san upside that genius head of his," grumbles Sena, taking the proffered item.

Mihae snickers. "Don't let him hear that. It could've been worse."

"I know. But like I said, my habit made sure he's heard much more ridiculous things than that," Sena sighs as she stands to prepare for her trip, scratching her cat; Pit, behind her ears as Sena passes by.

When she finally finishes in packing her bags at ten past midnight, Sena crashes face first onto her bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

Hours later, after waking up at sunrise and saying her goodbyes to her family, Sena drops heavily into her seat by the window, still feeling groggy. It's not the first time she'll be going abroad, what with her maternal grandparents living in India and all; but it is her first trip to America. Most likely, it will not be her last.

A cool, professional voice floats over. "All passengers please take your seats, ensure that your tray table is in the correct position and your seatbelts are secured in preparation for takeoff."

Doing as she's told, Sena glances around the length of the cabin but because of her short stature and that she's at the window seat, Sena can barely make out anybody else, though she does know they're all seated nearby to one another. And close to the cockpit (Hiruma's doing, no doubt). She and Monta are sharing a row while Kurita and Komusubi are at the row parallel to hers. Hiruma, naturally has a whole row to himself and Cerberus directly in front of her own. Sena is sad to note that Musashi and the sankyōdai hadn't been able to join them.

Beside her, Monta shakes with excitement as he whisper-shouts to Sena. "This is MAX awesome! I'm so excited! Are you excited?"

Sena laughs nervously. "Yeah." And she is, really she is, but she's also terrified; setting off on a journey to foreign soil just to have a chance to take up the right to challenge the infamous Eyeshield 21. It's nerve wreaking.

By the time they take off, most of the Bats have already fallen into a deep sleep; no doubt the exhaustion from the last few days, the last few weeks finally catching up to them. Before succumbing into the land of dreams herself, Sena leans up and over to Hiruma's seat, running a soothing hand to Cerberus' stomach as the dog twitches happily in his slumber. Hand pillowing her head, she turns to give Hiruma a sleepy smile that tinges with exasperated fondness and gestures around them to indicate the general situation.

"Were you ever sane, Hiruma-san?"

There's actually a hint of tiredness in those fierce eyes as Hiruma quirks a subdued smirk. The quarterback reaches up to tug Sena's ear as Hiruma's smirk widens into a grin, voice a dark and devious rumble as he answers. "Hell no."

Huffing out a soft laugh, Sena brushes her fingers across Hiruma's knuckles. "Its time out. Please get some rest too, Hiruma-san." She listens to Hiruma's answering scoff as he lets go of her ear, allowing Sena to settle back into her seat. Sena watches as Tōkyō disappears beneath them, morning clouds filling the sky. She rests her head against the window, letting the winding, wispy colors of the horizon lulls her to sleep.

The next time she's awake, Sena realizes that they're only two hours away from their destination. Idly, she really has to wonder how exhausted she must've been if she slept almost through the whole journey. Sena hopes the others are just as well rested since adjusting to time zones have never been all that much fun. She spends the rest of the time reading a book or manga and doodling.

"It's my first time being outside of Japan and it feels MAX great!" Monta exclaims, bouncing in his seat. He turns to Sena, eyes big and excited. "What about you, Sena? Ever been out of the MAX awesome Land of the Rising Sun?" The other teen gestures that last bit with grandeur, raising a pointed finger up in the air.

Sena giggles. "I've gone to India a lot to visit my mom's parents."

"For real? Does that mean you got Indian blood?"

"No. They're both Japanese, it's just that they decided to live there after the war." Sena taps her chin. "Baa-chan said that they wanted a more suitable home for themselves after what happened. That so many things that used to be so familiar, didn't seem that way anymore and that even though they were gonna be in a foreign land, they were determined to create a place for themselves, no matter how long it takes."

"That was MAX brave of them."

She smiles, feeling her chest tightens at the thought of her grandparents' bravery even when their granddaughter has been a coward for so long. "Yeah…it really was."

"They still around?"

"Yup. We tend to visit them in winter break."

"MAX cool," Monta gasps, shaking her arm. "Does this mean you know how to speak Indese?"

She feels a sweat drop, while Hiruma snorts in his seat and mumbles something that sounds particularly disgruntled. Sena clears her throat. "It's Hindi, Monta."

Monta rubs the back of his neck, sheepish. "Right, sorry."

Sena shrugs, patting Monta's arm reassuringly. "Yeah, I can."

"MAX! That means you can watch Bollywood movies without subtitles, huh? My mom would've love that!"

Sena snickers. "Yeah, it especially comes in handy for whenever all those dramatic scenes come up."

When the announcement of their impeding arrival floats by, she and Monta watches with trepidation as Hiruma and Cerberus make their way to the cockpit. Monta glances at her in question. She's confused as to why her friends keep doing that whenever Hiruma is involved. She doesn't know how that scary yet brilliant mind works.

Sena shakes her head. "I don't think we want to know."

"Agreed MAX."

After awhile, she notices Monta starting to fidget, looking very nervous and unsure. When she place a hand on Monta's shoulder, her friend suddenly blurts out. "Is it really okay for me to be here?" When she opens her mouth to question that, Monta barrels on through. "I mean, I know I said that I want to really give football a try but that really doesn't make me a part of the team, right?"

Sena smiles, squeezing the shoulder under her hand comfortingly. "Maybe not yet. But you wouldn't be here if you didn't think that this trip can help you find a more concrete answer, right?"

Monta sighs, lying his head against the headrest. "That and Hiruma-senpai would've shot me."

"True." Sena spies the doubt in his eyes. "I can listen if you want? I may not understand everything but I can try." She pulls her hand back when she realizes how presumptuous that sounds, nervously waving her hands. "That is, if you want to. You're not obliged to tell me."

"Sena," Monta begins with a chuckle. "You're one of my MAX best friends, you don't need to be so afraid to offer your help, y'know?" He runs a hand down his face as he begins hesitantly. "Have you ever been afraid of finding your answer and not knowing if you'll be able to handle that answer or even be ready for it?"

Sena abruptly recalls her first run and subsequent touchdown, the sharp pain of realization that she's been a cowardly idiot all along, and the fear and doubt that griped her like a vice, chocking her and making her question a lot of things that she thought she understood on how her life should be. Though it gave her new perspectives, it also made her wonder if she can change and grow instead of slowly withering away, subservient to her self-doubt and excuses; to be taken advantage by people for the rest of her life.

Gulping, she lets out slow breath and nods. "All the time."

"Does that fear goes away when you find that answer?"

"...Not immediately. It comes back sometimes."

Monta nods, as if he suspects it. Sena hopes that whatever meager insight she can give, it'll help her friend instead of hindering him. "When that happens, it helps to have people we care about around us."

"I don't want them to find an answer for me, though. It's just…MAX wrong."

Sena nods. "I don't think they're supposed to, nor that they should. But knowing that they're there for us, it gives us the…extra boost, I guess, to go on for just a little while longer."

Monta grips his knees. "Is that why you didn't want to steal the Eyeshield title? Because don't get me wrong, I thinks it's MAX awesome either way but is it your way to an answer?"

Sena bites her bottom lip. "It's a way. And I know it's incredibly rude of me, but when it comes to people, to my peers especially, I— um, never really had much of a will of my own...I've always gone along with their whims because I thought it'd make them like me. That they'd be nicer if I just listen to them...that I could make friends outside of Mamori-neechan," Sena rambles on, playing with her ponytail. "It's lame since I've only realized how backwards that really is just recently and—"

She lets go of her ponytail to pinch her bottom lip. "No. I knew it wasn't right...I just thought it was a given, that I deserved to be bullied and to be bossed around. So...I never fought back because I was so scared that I'd lose that little peace I had in my school life and that it was easier to just let it be than to do something about it because if I do, I'd be like a nail that stands out only to be hammered back down.

But Eyeshield 21...to be able to earn it means that maybe I can do this, that I can change and do right by me for once. It's inconsiderate of me to use the title as a sort of validation and..." Sena trails off as guilt roils in her stomach. Clearing her throat, she glances at the window and sees signs of Indiana breaking through the horizon. "I do want it. Not just as a validation but because I'm a running back, an athlete in training." Sena takes a breath, looking back at the attentive Monta. "Because I too, want a win for the team." Sena shrugs. "I just wish I'm not so selfish about it."

Monta hums thoughtfully. "I don't think you're selfish," Monta says after awhile, which yes, she appreciates the sentiment but Sena can't really bring herself to agree. "I think you're doing what's best for yourself and that takes a MAX lot of guts, y'know?" The boy rubs his nose. "Just wish I can find all of my answers as soon as possible since I don't like this whole uncertainty thing. I've always been the kind of guy that's just go fwoop! Y'know?"

Sena sweatdrops as Monta gestures wildly in his seat. "I t-think so."

Suddenly, Monta shoves a hand to her, eyes determined. "Let's be scared together."

"Alright…" She quirks a smile, taking the proffered hand and careful to adopt a light tone. "but I rather that you don't lump yourself with a selfish coward though."

"Mukyaa! You're not a selfish coward!"

"I—"

"Monta-kun is right."

She and Monta jerk in surprise as Kurita and Komusubi join them in their row, with Komusubi taking the seat beside Monta while Kurita sits beside his apprentice.

Kurita appears oddly stern. "Sena-chan, I've known you for awhile now and believe me when I say that you're one the most selfless people I've ever met."

"Fugo!" Komusubi nods fervently.

Sena frowns as she points out. "I took a week break not too long ago, Kurita-san. Not to mentioned all the trouble and worry that must've caused you all."

Kurita shakes his head. "If anyone is selfish, it's us, Sena-chan. We were the ones who dragged you into football."

While that's true, there's also no denying the fact that it's one of the best things that has happened to her. "And I'm grateful that you did. I wouldn't have understand how much of my life I've wasted by being both a coward and everyone's gopher." Sena grimaces. "Though to be honest, I'm still terrified half of the time. I mean, my hands shook so bad before I got into Fujioka-kōchō's office."

"F-faint!" Komusubi admits with a shudder.

Monta nods after a pause. "Yeah! I would've MAX passed out on the spot if I was in your place, Sena! I mean, the Oda couple were quite the monster parents."

"Still..."

"If you were still a fucking coward," Hiruma's voice cuts through, startling them all. "You'd be just like the idiot that shared your family's namesake," Hiruma states as he throws himself into the remaining seat besides Kurita, kicking his feet up on the back of the row in front of him. It earns him quite a number of annoyed looks from flight attendants but none of them move to reprimand the quarterback.

All of the Devil Bats give a collective sigh while Hiruma smirks at them knowingly.

"Namesake...?" Monta furrows his brows then smacks a fist to his palm. "Ah! Kobayakawa Shūtoki, the honored!"

Hiruma's brow twitches dangerously as Sena sweatdrops. "Monta..." Sometimes, she forgets that Monta has trouble with his vocabulary. And kanji.

"What?"

Hiruma pinches the bridge of his nose. "Somebody teach the fucking monkey Japanese for fuck's sake..."

"Monta, his name was Kobayakawa Hideaki, the dishonored." Sena gently corrects the confused boy.

"Eh? Really?" Monta cradles his chin. "I wonder if that's why I had so much trouble when it comes to Sekigahara."

Kurita chuckles heartily before turning serious, trading glances with Hiruma who grunts as he makes a shooing motion. Kurita nods. "Sena-chan, Monta-kun, courage isn't the absence of fear, it's having that fear and finding a way to conquer it."

"Correction, fucking fatass," Hiruma interjects as he waves his signature AK-47 at them all, not unlike when someone wags a scolding finger to a disobedient child. "You don't conquer it. You fucking kill it!" He unlocks the safety. "Got it, fucking brats?"

They all nod hastily.

Hiruma grins. "Good."

Kurita gives Hiruma an exasperated smile. Sena has to wonder if it's something they all might develop the longer they're in Hiruma's presence. Sena certainly has. Though in her case, Sena thinks she's grown inordinately fond of the demon quarterback; a fact that makes her worry for her own sanity at times.

...Ah well. It doesn't have to be a bad thing; being fond of Hiruma Yōichi.

"My point," Kurita emphasizes. "Is that it's okay to be afraid, just as long as you don't let your fears control and ruin you." The center gives them all a firm look.

She and Monta look at each other before Monta nods back at the seniors. "Understood, Kurita-senpai, Hiruma-senpai."

They stay like that, all in one row as the flight taxies into place, right into the South Bend International Airport. Sena is surprised when a flight attendant comes to inform them that they're free to leave the plane ahead of the people in the lower classes until she sees the smug smirk on Hiruma's face.

Ah, only him.

It's a quick thing, getting up and off the plane, and through all the formalities that must be covered when entering a new country. After grabbing their bags, they pile into a taxi-van, heading straight to Morris Inn, located within the prestigious campus of Notre Dame. By the time they arrived and got themselves checked in, it's already nine. It's a bit discerning, knowing that they left in the morning, sat through a twelve hour flight and arrived on the same date, around the same time they left. Since it's breakfast time, American time, they make their way to the restaurant connected to the inn, and immediately afterwards sit down to make their game plan. Which, thankfully, is relatively simple. They're to meet with one of Notre Dame's coaches so they can meet Eyeshield 21 to initiate a challenge and then spend the rest of trip by touring one of the most beautiful campus' in the States.

Simple enough.

"Rule of 21?" Sena asks the coach, a southern gentleman named William Yost.

Sena is sitting across from Coach Yost in his office, a sharp, dustless room decked in antique cherry woods, plush blue and gold fabrics, and herringbone accents—pillows, curtains, the trim on the area rug. This is the definition of class. Sena is afraid to touch anything especially being as sweaty as she is right now, because frankly, it looks like no one has left so much as a fingerprint on a single surface of the room. Ever.

William Yost, on the other hand, is wearing a blue tracksuit with the ND logo over the left breast. After introducing themselves an hour ago at the training facility, Sena promptly explained the reason behind her visit to Notre Dame. For an unknown reason, Yost was initially hesitant to speak of Eyeshield 21 but after Hiruma…persuaded him, Yost eventually gave them a summary about the traditions and conditions in being Eyeshield 21, informing them that if Sena wants to challenge Eyeshield, she first needs to be affiliated in some way to Notre Dame. Since transferring is not an option, Sena instead chose to do the 21 in the Quads, a test to see how quickly she can recover a stamp from each twenty-one historical buildings within the campus, from the Main Building till all the way to the South Dining Hall. Once she succeeded in record time, Yost reluctantly invited them to his office with two other coaches following closely behind.

So here she is, sitting on the matching wooden armchairs with heavy blue and gold cushions, sweating and panting slightly from running almost two miles to and fro around seventy acres worth of locations.

Yost leans back on his chair. "That's right. Miss Kobayakawa, since you've passed the 21 in the Quads, you can now participate the initiation ceremony that is the Rule of 21."

"I…see."

Yost nods, gesturing to the two other coaches behind him, to the glasses wearing offensive coordinator, Steve DeSantos and the stocky defensive coordinator, Justin Foster. "The three of us are responsible for the challenger candidates. With the first tradition; being affiliated to Notre Dame has been met, the next step is the Rule of 21 which is for you to participate in a match alongside our NCAA team, the Fighting Irish for exactly twenty-one minutes. After that, your performance will be evaluated by us; the Notre Dame's football management for validation of initiating the challenge to Eyeshield 21."

Okay, maybe not so simple enough.

Sena clenches her hands, catching the gazes of her teammates before turning her attention back to the coaches with a confused frown. "Match? But I thought spring is for practices in college football?"

Yost nods. "That's true but we're taking a break to have an exhibition match with the Huskies. You came to visit us just at the right time darlin'."

When she glances at the quarterback, Sena has to refrain from face palming as she spies the smug smirk playing at the edge of Hiruma's lips. Sena chuckles ruefully. "I suppose we did." She swings her legs slightly in her seat. "Since it's Friday…is the match tomorrow then?"

"Yep," Yost answers, causing Sena to relax slightly. At least she has some time to mentally prepare herself. "Until then, it's best to rest up so you can get ready."

Foster steps up, smiling kindly at them. "If you'd like, we can give you a formal tour of our football history and whatnot; even show you how a Home Game usually looks like when we're in season."

Kurita immediately jumps out of his seat, a wide smile on his face as he nods furiously. "Yes! Absolutely please!"

"Heh. A chance to nick valuable playbooks has finally arrived~"

Sena whips her head around to stare at the grinning quarterback. "H-hiruma-san?"

Thankfully, Hiruma said that in Japanese so only the Bats understood as they give the scheming blond a wide berth. Sena smiles nervously at the confused coaches, bowing slightly in her seat. "Uh…we'll be in your care."

After changing into fresh clothes, Sena joins everyone on a tour for everything football. It's everything she expects and more. First, they visit the well maintained Guglielmino Complex that houses the football practice week locker rooms, coaches' offices and meeting rooms, all topped off with various memorabilia and awards won by former Notre Dame greats. After lunch, they head on to the Stadium Tunnel Tour; a tour that begins at the Knute Rockne Gate at the north tunnel of Notre Dame Stadium, across from the famed World of Life Mural painted at Hesburgh Library ; also known as Touchdown Jesus. It's a remarkable chance for them to experience the same fabled walk every Notre Dame player has taken for so many years that Sena hears Kurita bursting into sobs the moment he passes the tunnel entrance. Even Sena feels a bit overwhelmed at the rich history. Since it's spring, the pep rally in the evening afterwards isn't as packed compared to those when in season so after a quick dinner, they bid the coaches goodbye before returning to the inn to turn in for the night.

And then all too soon, morning comes.

Game Day.

Forgoing the player walk, Sena excuses herself from her team and runs to the locker room. Splashing some cold water on her face, Sena hopes it can maybe hide the fact that she's just thrown up in the toilets of Notre Dame stadium. The taste of sick is lingering in her mouth and her eyes are a bit red from tears of frustration at just how much the nerves are getting to her.

Hasn't she changed at all?

Turning off the tap, she glances up to see slitted green eyes staring right at her in the mirror.

"Hie?!"

Whipping around, it's only because of her quick reflexes that her hand snaps out to catch the item that Hiruma throws at her.

"Hiruma-san," she wheezes out, trying to catch her breath. It's been awhile since Hiruma catches her off guard. Early on in their acquaintance, she's learned that the quarterback has a tendency to scare people out of their wits by popping out of nowhere and has grown used to it by now. She must be more nervous than she thinks if she's failed to pick up on Hiruma's presence.

Sena looks down at the energy bar clutched in her hand then back up at Hiruma, some of her tension bleeding out from her. "Thank you," she mutters as her heart rate returns to normal.

Hiruma inclines his head at her then looks around the toilets, a slight wrinkle on his nose that causes Sena to snicker slightly.

"I know. The toilets at home are far more cleaner."

"That's because we're Japanese," Hiruma quips, fanged mouth curling in slight disdain as he gestures sharply out to the locker rooms. "We've always been anal about cleanliness."

Taking the hint, she follows Hiruma out of the toilets with a chuckle, her tone falling into a teasing note almost seamlessly. "That's a bit ironic coming from someone who doesn't pick up after himself back at the clubhouse."

"Shut up. It's called ordered chaos," Hiruma scoffs. "Be grateful we're not in New York, fucking chibi."

Shaking her head with a smile, she drops onto a bench, unwrapping the bar and taking a grateful bite.

"Thank you for all of this. Especially when I know you'd prefer stealing the title—"

"Initially."

Sena blinks as she swallows her mouthful. "What?"

"I've run the numbers. The percentage for a takeover of the title is far higher compared to stealing it." Hiruma shrugs as he leans back against the lockers. "You're a recently graduated middle schooler playing against an NCAA team. Once that gets out, it'll give you and by proxy, the team, one hell of an reputation that will no doubt spread like a damn wildfire."

Sena relaxes at that. "So I'm not wasting anyone's time?"

Hiruma snorts, arching a brow. "Still worried about that?"

"I don't want to be careless with the first friends I've made in a long time."

"Careless?" Hiruma echoes, tilting his head to the side.

There's a certain shade in the quarterback's eyes that gives Sena pause, encouraging her to choose her words with care; she hums thoughtfully. "Yes. I've read somewhere that when we're careless with people, we'd risk ruining ourselves and those around us. I don't want that." She tugs at her bangs. "And being selfish can mean being careless."

For a while, Hiruma is quiet. Sena wonders at Hiruma's interest with her words, wonders if it has anything to do with that day in the river; with the inrō that's currently in her possession. Finishing the bar, she crumples it and throws it to the nearest bin, feeling disgruntled when she sees that it's veering off course.

Hiruma shoots it mid flight, changing back its course so it lands neatly in the trash.

Sena pouts.

Hiruma gives her a smug smirk, resting his rifle on his shoulder. "Then let me tell you how to rectify it."

"Does it involve explosives? Because I don't think that's a good idea what with us being so near to the toilets."

"And risk swimming in shit? Hell no."

"Oh, thank goodness."

"It's a different story once we're far away from the scene while somebody else be the target, though," Hiruma muses with a plotting smirk.

Sena groans. "Hiruma-san..."

"Justify it."

Sena straightens at the focused way Hiruma is looking at her. Many others would have gotten whiplash by now from the way Hiruma likes to jump from one subject to another in a split second but since Sena spends the majority of her time with Hiruma and that she's more or less the same in that aspect, she just finds it well, normal.

Sena frowns. "How am I to justify for being selfish?"

"By winning."

Sena feels herself sweat. "That's...not an answer for everything."

Hiruma shrugs. "It is, in this case."

"...Noted." Sena smiles up at the quarterback. "Thank you."

Scoffing, Hiruma pushes himself away from the lockers. "Fucking chibi."

"...Yes?"

"Go out there and raise hell."

Sena frowns, perplexed. "You're not gonna tell me to kill them?"

"That's exclusive for us Devil Bats, " Hiruma cackles. "Temporary team up or no, we shouldn't let other teams steal our M.O, fucking chibi."

Sena bites back a smile before standing up from her seat, turning serious. She nods to the blond. "Understood. May I assume those are to be your orders?"

Hiruma passes her as he makes his way to the exit. Stopping at the doorway, Hiruma looks over his shoulder with a bloodthirsty grin. "Damn right."

Sena grins back, nervous and excited in equal measures. "Then it'll be as you command, Captain."

She watches as Hiruma leaves with a cackle that echoes within the locker room and really, what should have been a terrifying sound, she instead finds it calming; soothing her nerves somewhat. Taking a calming breath, she gets into the gear that's been prepared for her. Once done, she walks out of the locker room, hands shaking slightly with nerves and a grin playing on the edge of her lips. She finds her team save for Hiruma, waiting for her at the field's entrance, gratefully accepting their hugs. When they let go, she bows deeply to them before turning to the entrance and takes a deep breath.

Sena marches out on to the field.

When she joins the assembled Irish, she notices a few of them looking at her with confusion and skepticism, that while her face is mostly hidden from the helmet on her head, her stature is not. Compared to the tall and beefy frames of these collage boys, Sena is very much standing out of place and everyone knows it. Gulping, she bows respectfully to the players and Yost, who's watching with interest. With forty minutes before kickoff, she joins the Irish for the pre-game warm-up on the field. All too soon, the commentator's voice floats over, announcing her to the crowd.

"Today we have quite a treat for you, folks! A challenger has arrived and you know what that means, don't you?"

A loud murmur sweeps across the crowd.

"That's right, folks! It's the Rule of 21!"

Sena looks around to see the incredulous disbelief of the crowd, their reactions quite obviously showing their doubt for the petite player that's so painfully dwarfed by all the rest. Sena wonders what sort of reaction she would get if everyone knows her age and gender, especially if this is the response she gets for her lack of height.

Looks like she's getting a taste of those absurdities now.

"For those unfamiliar to this amazing tradition of ours, there's an infamous title specially for runners. Challengers who wants to have a shot at it need to be on this field, fighting alongside with the Irish for twenty-one minutes. While it's not exactly required, the challenger is very much encouraged to score at least one touchdown against our opponents. But make no mistake, to stay on this field is no easy feat even in a usual match. The challenger here is gonna be the main target to the opposing team, with only minimum help from us, which, sorry kiddo. If you wanna win this, you gotta be fast enough to do it."

Okay, so she's pretty much like a sitting duck. The nervous grin edges into something a little more impish. Absurdities at its best then. She bows to the team and turning in place, she does the same to the whispering crowd.

This might actually be fun.

Going over to get into the huddle with the offence. She listens carefully to the Fighting Irish's quarterback going over the play. Once everything is set, they break the huddle. Lining up, the quarterback, who introduced himself as Carson, glances back at her.

"Dunno what you're capable of kid, but good luck. Try not to walk out with too many broken bones."

Laughing nervously, she feels her grin widening. "I'll do my best not to. Hard to win with broken bones, after all."

Carson snorts. "Good attitude. Let's see if you can put your money where your mouth is, rugrat."

Sena nods.

"Hut!"

The ball is snapped and she runs. She finds two defenders right in front of her. Heart racing at the sheer size of them, she steels her nerves and jukes to the left and one of those defenders zoom right past her. The other one is still coming though. She halts her movements and spins to the right, confusing the other defender enough to give her a chance to run ahead of him. She uses her speed to keep her distance. Not once does she look back for fear of wasting precious seconds or finding that the defense is right on her tail. She keeps on running until a stray linebacker tackles her to the side; not before she gains thirty yardage though.

Dusting herself off, she turns around to find both teams staring at her in disbelief. That feels good. When she sees Carson approaching, she points to the down.

"Was that alright?"

Carson barks out a laugh, giving her shoulder a light shove. "Damn right it was. And those bones?"

"Surprisingly, still intact."

"Good. Then lets show them what you got, rugrat."

"My senior made it clear to me that I'm to raise hell though."

"Rugrat, with that run, I can guarantee that you will."

Getting into the huddle, she listens as Carson tells her that they'll start off with a running play. She nods her understanding and they get into formation. As Carson gets ready, Sena takes the chance to scan the defense now that her nerves are a little more settled. While a number of them are smaller than the soldiers back at home, Sena can see that what they lack in terms of physique, they make it up by having more match experience; not surprising since they're apart of the NCAA division. Despite that, she will hold firm. Taking a breath, she hears Carson utter the snap count.

"Hut!"

In an instant Carson hands her the ball. She darts to the left where the offensive line has managed to hold back the defenders. She goes to the outside, by passing the line of scrimmage and literally painting a target on her back. With the opposing team focusing on her and being more wary of her run, Sena is hard pressed to dodge the onslaught. However, she hasn't been training against the soldiers and going up against the most terrifying quarterback in existence on a daily basis for nothing so Sena grits her teeth and runs, gaining twenty yards before getting tackled by one of the cornerbacks that she fails to shake off.

"Hie!"

Blowing an annoyed breath, she quickly gets back up and they set up another running play. Sena admits that though Carson is a remarkable quarterback, she's more used to Hiruma's crazy and unpredictable strategies. Regardless, when she's handed the ball, she takes heed of the play and runs to the left again, but instead of going outside, the line opens a hole for her to get through. Diving, she doesn't get as far as she did initially, but she's able to get enough yardage to get another down for the Irish.

Forty yards until they can score. So far, so good.

On the third play they continue to keep to the ground. Sena gains five yards, aggravating the opposing team especially considering her circumstances. They blitz the following play, fully expecting Carson to hand her the ball once more. That decision costs the Huskies dearly as it leaves a receiver wide open for a long pass that moves the Irish down to earn their first touchdown of the game.

"Touchdown!"

"Catch MAX!" Sena hears Monta screeching out from the stands, almost drowned out by the roar of the crowd.

Giggling, she watches as the Irish score an extra point conversion by kicking the ball through the uprights. Rotating her shoulders, she gets ready as both teams prepares for the kickoff. Thankfully the same receiver gets the ball. After that, the offense hits the field and starts with the Irish getting into a shotgun formation to give off the impression that they are going for a pass.

"Hut!"

Sena darts towards Carson immediately, who quickly places the ball in her hands and she swerves away from the defenders, thinking more about avoiding collisions as opposed to getting down the field. She has a really good run and is about to get out of bounds before she's caught off guard when a hand snatches the back of her jersey in a rough pull then, she finds herself tackled to the ground.

The defender who tackled her jumps to his feet and yells in her face. "Stay down, asswipe!"

Sena painfully gets to her feet, eyes set in a glare. It's not the first trash talk she's heard, heck, it's not even the worst. But still.

"Not before I drag you down first," Sena hesitates and then mentally apologizes as she switches back to Japanese. "Idiot!" Distantly, she thinks she hears a familiar cackle in the crowd. Before the defender can retaliate, she trots back to the awaiting team.

Carson meets her halfway, checking to see if she's okay. "You all right?"

"Yes," Sena nods, although her ribs are a bit sore especially with being the main target and all. Carson doesn't look too convinced, giving her a once over but decides not to argue. They're not all that far from the end zone; anything else can wait. Even so, these careful plays aren't doing them any good. It's even more so when the opposing team manage to tie the score not long after an interception from a failed pass.

Making a decision, Sena timidly taps Carson's arm. "Carson-san?" When the man looks at her, she coughs as she points downfield. "May I give a suggestion for the next play?"

"Gonna raise hell, rugrat?"

"If I may?"

Carson leans down. "Well, you've gotten us this far in such a short time, rugrat. Lets hear it then."

Some time after they regain the ball, the second touchdown of the game has Carson asan eligible receiver. It's a variant of a trick play that Hiruma once pulled in practice, one that involves confusing the Huskies by having one of the receivers taking over as quarterback while passing the ball to Carson who tore downfield and into the end zone. Sena is still surprised that they managed to pull it of; she hopes Hiruma doesn't mind her tweaking one of his trick plays. Before she can contemplate anything more than that, Carson hauls her into a one armed hug.

"One hell of a trick play, rugrat!"

Sena grins with a shrug. "It's something my senp— senior had done before. Uh, well, his version is far better since that was more of a variation. Not as insane as his."

"Don't care. I still like it!"

This time, the Irish opt to earn two extra points with a run play instead of a kick which they thankfully gain. Barely.

The next plays consists a mix of the Irish's careful strategies and Sena's Devil Bat tactics as they set up for a Hail Mary with Sena as a receiver on the outside.

"Hut!"

Sena sprints down the field, faster than any other player on the field, wide open and closing in on the end zone. Sena glances back and spies the other receivers being guarded a little too closely. None of them will be able to get the ball and that's when she sees it flying right at her. Reaching up, she feels the ball falling into her hands. Sena gets a glimpse of the rushing defenders before she whips away towards the end zone, running as fast as her legs can carry her, flying downfield as if she's a literal speed demon.

With the wind in her ears, Sena just keeps on running and running and running.

"TOUCHDOWN!"

A dull roar echoes in her ears as a number of players nearby scream, running towards her with wild, awed happy looks on their faces even as her shoulders heave, sweat plastering her bangs to her forehead underneath her helmet. The crowd is screaming incomprehensibly around her; the cheering squad are blowing their horns; the band's trumpets are raised toward the sky as the brass sound clearly rings down to the field.

And that's when Sena realizes that she is standing in the end zone within Notre Dame stadium; having scored her first ever touchdown in a collage football game. Sena glances at the scoreboard.

21-6, with the Fighting Irish in the lead.

"Player change!"

Dazedly, she watches as Yost grins toothily at her, motioning her back to the bench. Confused, she panics and assumes the worse; did she do something wrong? Has she blown it and got herself disqualified? But that doesn't explain why Yost looks so happy. The moment she's within range, Yost pulls her into a hearty hug with a pleased laugh, patting her back.

"Dammit, darlin'! That was amazing!"

"T-thank you, Yost-san. Um, if I did okay, may I ask why am I being pulled out?"

Yost pulls away and smiles down at her. "You did more than okay, darlin'. I'm pulling you out because it's been twenty-one minutes, Miss Kobayakawa."

"…What?" Snapping around to look at the clock, she realizes that yes, her time is up.

She survived.

Bringing up a hand to her gaping mouth, she looks to the grinning Yost and seeks out her friends. She finds them jumping and cheering in the front row stands, then her eyes land on Hiruma and he looks— Sena blinks in disbelief. Hiruma looks openly proud, the green of his eyes, bright and fierce even at this distance; smirking like he already knew that Sena would succeed right from the start. Hiruma takes one look at her, rolls his eyes and nods once, firm and confident.

Sena cries.

That makes it even more real because Hiruma never bluffs or lies when it comes to victory. And this— with her friends in the crowd, standing in a packed stadium, full of cheering football fans and players alike; Sena feels alive and free.

This, is victory.

"Thank you so much, Yost-san!" Bowing for the umpteenth time, her head is caught mid bow by a familiar hand and an even familiar cackle.

"You're gonna dislodge your brain if you keep doing that, fucking chibi."

"But...!"

"I should be thanking you, darlin'," interjects Yost with a chuckle. "You really wowed the crowd back there with that run of yours."

Sena ducks her head, blushing as Monta and Komusubi nudge her sides. "Thank you."

Suddenly, Yost turns serious. "Now, for the verdict."

A hush falls upon them. Gulping, she watches as DeSantos and Foster step forward to stand beside Yost. They too, look serious. Sena isn't sure if it's nerves or if the three coaches are really taking their time as they huddle, talking in quiet, even tones but for Sena, it feels like an eternity has passed before they separate.

A hand presses fleetingly on the small of her back, before it disappears. Sena doesn't need to turn around to know who those long fingers belong to. Sena takes a breath, straightens her back and holds her head high.

'Forward,' Sena reminds herself.

The coaches stare at her for a beat longer before they grin, taking years off of their faces.

"You passed."

Sena isn't sure who said that before she's suddenly swept into a group hug, Komusubi and Monta hugging her sides as Kurita wraps his big arms around, holding them close to his chest. She peeks over to Hiruma and for a brief moment Sena thinks she sees a genuine smile playing on his lips.

It's breathtaking.

That or it could be her lungs complaining from the lack of air as Kurita cries and hugs them tighter.

"Kurita-san..." Sena gasps out.

"Can't MAX...breathe!"

"F-fugo!"

A shot rings out.

"Don't kill the brats, fucking porker! We need them alive!"

Kurita blinks, sniffling as he looks down. Sena isn't sure how they look but she thinks that their souls are probably floating out of their mouths right now. Hers certainly is. "Ah!" Kurita gently places them back down, looking sheepish. "Sorry! It's just...I'm so happy!" Kurita continues his sobbing but thankfully doesn't try to crush them again.

When she looks at the coaches, they appear to be amused and a bit disturbed, which is most likely because of the gun in Hiruma's hand.

"Calm down, kids. We still need to prepare Miss Kobayakawa for her first trial next month," Foster informs them over their excitement which, pretty much freezes them in their tracks all together.

"…Next month?" Sena questions, brows furrowing and exchanging confused looks with her teammates before tensing when there's an ominous click of a gun as Hiruma steps forward.

"The first of the trials are done at least a day or two after the challenger passed the initiation." Hiruma's tone has that threatening lilt in his voice; his smirk, razor sharp.

The coaches wisely take a step back, looking uncomfortable and guilty. DeSantos is the one who eventually speaks up. "Normally yes but things have changed after the last one, the current Eyeshield, got expelled two years ago. Because of that, his name isn't known to the public and it takes time to get things arranged and approval from the alumni that...orchestrated his expulsion."

"DeSantos," Yost warns.

"Wait!" Sena steps forward. "Eyeshield-san was expelled? Why?"

"I'm sorry darlin' but we're not allowed to talk about what happened."

Sena feels guilt creeping in. Did she wasted everyone's time as she feared? "Coach Yost, with all due respect, we came all this way to challenge him. How am I to do that if I don't know what happened to him or where to find him?"

Yost stares at her for a long moment before sighing when she doesn't waver her gaze. "Eyeshield had charges under his name and because of that he was expelled."

DeSantos scowls. "You know damn well that's a load of bull, Yost. The kid was framed and you know it."

'Framed?' Still shocked, she mulls over that piece of information. A sudden chime however, has Sena glancing at a corner of the office where Foster pulls out a phone from his pocket and feeling a knot of unease at the displeased look on the defence coordinators' face. A shift at her side shows her that Hiruma notices it too.

They both share a glance, frowning.

"Look," Yost sighs, hands on his hips. "Whether or not he was framed, it doesn't change the fact that he was expelled. In fact, the only thing we do know for sure is that he's somewhere in Japan and sendin' back all the previous challengers that Mr. Don approved of cryin' with their tail between their legs. It's, pardon my french, fucked up but as it is, all we can do is wait for Mr. Don's approval to lift the ban."

"Ban?" Sena asks with a frown. "What sort of ban?"

"Unlike in the past, there's a rule now that it's not enough anymore to have the football managements' approval for the challenge. Out of everyone, we need Mr. Don's explicit approval most of all." Foster sits heavily down on a chair with a sigh. "Which we don't."

They snap their heads to stare at Foster as Yost folds his arms. "The hell are you talking about?"

Foster raises up a phone. "I just got a message. Mr. Don refused to give Miss Kobayakawa his approval."

"What?" DeSantos gestures to Sena. "Why the hell not? She passed the Rule of 21! Hell, was he even watching? You did inform him, right?"

"Of course, I did!" Foster grumbles. "We're obliged to inform Mr. Don about any new challengers and their basic profile, after all; and that is the whole problem. He didn't even bother to watch once he read Miss Kobayakawa's profile."

Sena clenches her hands. "What do you mean?"

"It's because you're Japanese, Miss Kobayakawa," Foster mutters, glaring at his phone which is kinda what Sena and her team are pretty much doing as well. Foster raises his head to grimace apologetically at her. "And because you're also a girl."

"The hell?" Yost grumbles, taking off his hat. "I'm not surprised about the closed mindedness of not believin' girls can play the game, but bein' denied because she's Japanese? Eyeshield was Japanese!"

"Exactly," Foster sighs. "Mr. Don says he refuses to have the name of the Top be tainted by what he calls 'a powerless race' again."

"What that?!" Monta screeches, a hand reaching for the phone. Kurita quickly grabs the flailing teen as he screams in broken English. "He stupid! He very wrong! We not powerless! Sena strong! Deserves to fight!"

"Fugo!"

DeSantos raises his hands. "We know, Mr. Raimon, Mr. Komusubi. Believe us. We know very well how much of a racist and well, sexist Mr. Don is. Too damn well."

They fall into a tense silence as anger boils in Sena's gut. Was stealing the title the better option after all if this is the opposition she's going to face?

No.

No, she made a decision and she's sticking with it. She can't afford to second guess everything like she's been doing all these years. She just needs to justify this somehow.

'Still, how am I going to face Eyeshield-san if almost everyone doesn't know where he is exactly?' Sena frowns, cupping her neck. 'What do I need to do if even winning isn't enough?'

Sena turns to lock eyes with Hiruma and for a moment, she feels something passes between them. Like...an epiphany.

They both nod.

"Mr. Don, huh? Quite an influence that alumni has." Hiruma breaks the silence with a tilt of his head at the coaches, eyes taking on a calculative shade with a smirk that is a little too savage. "Who exactly is he?"

The coaches notice the sudden change in the air, glancing nervously at each other before Yost sighs. "...Donald Oberman."

While she finds the name unfamiliar, it seems that it's not the case with Hiruma because the quarterback has that particular look when he's found something and wants to exploit it as much as possible with the highest results. A slow, deranged grin stretch across that fanged mouth as Hiruma cackles. "Now that, is fucking interesting."