How long has it been since I've updated this story... Good lord, it's been far too long. I'm really sorry, my lovely readers. I worried all of you with my absence. Your reviews and private messages throughout the years really touched my heart! I was honestly so surprised at the amount that accumulated. It made me so happy to receive all this precious support that I don't think I can find anywhere else. I'm really really grateful to get readers like you. It honestly feels like a miracle! A miracle that I can't replace. I'm crying now.

Please, without further ado, read on!

Phantom
Chapter 12
Recruits

"Kita, the coach wants to talk to you." Nishinosora said the minute he crossed the changing room doors. The green-eyed teen looked up. "Why?" he asked as the other made his way to his locker. The blond shrugged. "I don't know, but she looked pretty shaken up—jittery and pale," he commented. The captain of Tengawara's soccer team raised his eyebrows. "And the coach of Raimon is with her." Nishinosora added quickly before the doors opened for Kita, who was in his jersey and shorts.

He spun his head around with a gasp—some of the others from the team gave almost the same reaction. "Raimon's coach? What does he want?" Kita's eyebrows furrowed as Hayabusa asked the blond. Nishinosora shrugged and pulled off his school uniform.

"Beats me." He answered.

Kita lingered in front of the door for a while before he walked out, question upon question forming inside his head. He couldn't think of any reason to why Endou Mamoru would be here in Tengawara, just before daily practice started.

When he reached the school field, there they were, Mizuki Michiko and Endou Mamoru—both soccer team coaches and both looking very serious. Kita walked over to them and greeted the two. "Kita, it's nice to finally meet you." Raimon's coach said with a faltering grin as he addressed him. He held out his hand and the teen shook it. "It's nice to meet you too, sir," he said. He turned to Coach Mizuki. "Nishinosora said you wanted to see to me?"

The woman nodded her head. "Endou-san and I had a little talk earlier and…" her eyes went to the brunet, as if asking him to continue for her. He nodded and placed his hands on his hips, the grin long gone. The teenager waited curiously.

"Kita, what would you do if Shindou is in danger of losing his life?"

His eyes widened. What…?

"White Breath!" he kicked the ball and landed on the ground with a slight thud. It flew in, since there was no goalkeeper to block it. He slowly stood up, his own breath uneven. He didn't know how long he had been practicing alone but he was sure it had been hours. His school had a renovation so the students had the whole week off. Unfortunately, the rest of Team Zero's members were from other schools so they still had classes to attend.

He walked to the benches of the public soccer field and took out a bottle of water from his bag. He took big gulps before resting next to it. He wondered what he was going to do for the rest of the week, when footsteps approached him from behind.

"Hakuryuu."

He turned his head around and was surprised. "Yes?" he replied, settling his bottle. Kidou Yuuto walked down the steps and approached him with a—he was sure—forced smile. "I see you're working hard."

What was he doing here? Surely, he must have a reason. It couldn't be just to drop by and say hi. But Hakuryuu returned the smile with a smaller and more strained one nonetheless. He didn't like playing games, so he went straight to the point. "Why are you here?" he asked.

Kidou didn't look surprised. Instead, he looked impressed. But then the smile was wiped off his face and so did his. Hakuryuu wished he could see behind those thick glasses, it bothered him that he couldn't read the adult's emotions through his eyes. However, the reason to Kidou's little visit was more important right now.

"Tsurugi needs your help."

"…You're joking."

He stumbled with his dribbling and nearly tripped. "Minamisawa! Are you okay?" Hyoudou asked, concerned and shocked that the striker would suddenly stumble before making a shoot. The purple-haired teen waved him off. "Yeah, I'm fine!" he replied half-heartedly, still recovering from the shock of seeing Endou Mamoru talking to Gassan Kunimitsu's coach, Kondou Keiji. His eyes were locked at the two adults, completely forgetting about the ball under his possession and more interested in the unheard conversation the adults were having.

Hyoudou traced his eyes and was rather curious about the sight too. He walked over to Minamisawa. "This is a surprise." He commented. The other flipped his hair. "No kidding."

Both teenagers' eyes widened when Coach Kondou called Minamisawa over. They looked at each other before the striker jogged towards the coaches. "What's the problem?" he asked the two once he was in earshot. Endou grinned at him with a greeting. "Nice to see you again."

Minamisawa's eyes narrowed. "I don't think you're here just to visit." He seemed to hit a spot, because Endou quickly scratched his head and laughed forcefully. Kondou simply crossed his arms and his jaw tightened.

"Looks like I've been caught." The brunet joked. The teen raised an eyebrow at him before flipping his hair and crossing his arms. "Well?" he started to get a little impatient. Endou cleared his throat before looking at him dead in the eye, all traces of joking disappeared.

"Raimon needs you again."

"…Excuse me?"

The window slid open and he breathed in the air. "Ah… I'm so bored…" the teenager whined before walking towards his bed and dropping face first into the pillow. He then turned onto his side. "I wonder how Tenma-kun's doing…" the teen wondered out loud, stretching his limbs afterwards.

He was locked up in his hospital room again but at least Fuyuka-san told him he was cured for now. That meant first thing tomorrow morning he could go to school again and play with his team. Maybe he could ask the coach to arrange a practice match against Raimon! He found himself grinning at the idea and his body filled with excitement.

But he hasn't heard from Tenma in days, ever since Tenma got out of the hospital. Sometimes the two would call each other on the phone before he was admitted; because Tenma himself was excited knowing that he was getting better. They talked about many things—soccer the main topic.

Just as his hand reached out to his cell phone to give the other a long overdue ring, someone knocked on the door and he froze immediately. "Come in," he said, expecting Fuyuka but was surprised by Gouenji instead. His face brightened at the sight.

"Gouenji-san!" he exclaimed. "Guess what?! I'll be released tomorrow!" he informed the adult excitedly, used to his sudden visits. Gouenji looked delighted by the news. "Really? That's great to hear, Taiyou," he responded and sat down. Only, his expression turned from a smile to a frown immediately.

The orange-haired teen tilted his head. "Is there something wrong?" he asked. He never saw Gouenji like this before. "It's about… Tenma." Gouenji started in a solemn voice and he couldn't help but to have a bad feeling. "Why? What happened to Tenma-kun?" he asked carefully, confident that he wasn't going to like the answer.

"…Tenma is in danger."

"What?!"

Practice went on great that day—they were monitored by their trainer Saginuma, who was as harsh about training as always. If it weren't for him and a few others, Seidouzan wouldn't be the team they were today.

Kurosaki wondered why Gouenji, their actual coach, was often absent nowadays. The adult gave him the excuse that something important came up and he had to deal with it no matter what. That was why seeing Gouenji talking to Saginuma in flesh sparked curiosity in him. Was that 'matter', whatever it shall be, finally over and done with? He hoped he was right as he walked over to the adults after Gouenji beckoned him to come by.

"Yes?" he said carefully, noticing Saginuma's tense stance, crossed arms and tight jaw. Their trainer might be a great trainer, but acting was not among his strongest points. In fact, Saginuma wore his heart on his sleeve. It was easy to read him. And Kurosaki knew that. So he also knew that trouble was around the corner.

"Kurosaki," Gouenji acknowledged. "I need your help."

"Me…?"

He's not one to question people, but it was indeed a curious thing when their highly respected Coach Aphrodi paled visibly at the words spoken by none other than Coach Endou himself. It would take an idiot to not notice whatever news the brunet brought with him, it was bad. Everyone on the field slowed to a stop. The end of practice was close to due.

Aphrodi dismissed the others, telling them to continue practicing, but beckoned Kishibe to come. The captain complied. He greeted Endou first before turning to Aphrodi. "Are you okay, Coach?" he asked in worry for the man.

The blond nodded his head though his eyes were closed. Not long after he said, "Scratch that, I don't think I am…" Aphrodi pinched the bridge of his nose before he requested to sit down. The small group made their way to the benches, Endou with one hand on Aphrodi's shoulder.

Kishibe watched in confusion and worry. He looked over his shoulder and he saw that a few of his teammates shared his thoughts, if their faces were any indication. Fear and anxiety crept into him as he pondered over what was going on and what involvement he had with it. He didn't like any of his assumptions. To keep a positive view was a challenging one.

"Honestly, it's hard for me to believe in what you're saying, Endou-kun… But I know you won't lie about something like this." Aphrodi remarked after a deep breath. "How I wish you were…"

The boy's forehead furrowed at his coach's words and the sorry smile on Endou's face. "Kishibe," said Aphrodi, "You're well acquainted with Shindou, am I right?"

"Ah," not expecting such a question, the boy stumbled with his words for half a second. "We send greetings to each other from time to time…" if they were looking for a captain from another team who was friends with Shindou, then he knows for a fact that Kita and Shindou were closer to each other than him with Shindou. They have each other's phone numbers! "Um, may I ask why?"

Aphrodi looked at him, then at Endou, then at him again.

"We're going to have you placed in a temporary team for a while."

It felt like a slap. "Why?!"

Mahoro wasn't a paranoid guy. No, really, he wasn't. But anyone would feel something wasn't right when they were called to the side by a man in goggles and a trench coat. Honestly, what could be more suspicious than that? The adult was lucky he actually knew him as Kidou Yuuto, the commander of Teikoku.

It must be the bug-eye glasses that gave him away, Mahoro thought, or the dreadlocks. Either one.

"Mahoro Tadashi, right?" Kidou asked and the teen barely nodded his head. Why was he looking for him? He wasn't from a renowned school or anything. He wasn't even that famous of a soccer player. So why would someone like Kidou Yuuto come searching for him? Someone who was well known across the Japanese soccer world, someone who deserves respect?

"Is there anything I can help you with, sir?" he asked out of spontaneous politeness.

The adult let his eyebrows rose. He was quiet for a moment, as if assessing something in his head—Mahoro prays he wasn't being tested for something or whatever, because he's convinced he was failing it right now if the look on the adult's face was any clue. He was waiting for it, for some refined critique from the renowned gamemaker himself.

Instead Kidou says—rather asks, "You know Amagi Daichi, right?"

There was a moment's hesitance from Mahoro because who could have expected that to come out?

"Yes sir. We've known each other since we were children."

"That's good, because he needs your help."

"Huh?"

It was cold. When wasn't it cold? But it was still cold and he was thanking God for making him practically immune to the cold—born and raised here and stuff, you know? The cold was a blanket for him, and yeah sometimes he liked it if it was a bit warmer but it still never stopped Yukimura Hyouga from running down the field in his jersey with a ball on his feet.

Maybe except, you know, Fubuki Shirou.

The coach of Hakuren had been talking on the phone earlier, and Yukimura didn't think it was possible, but the adult's face had turned paler. Paler, whiter and he would have laughed it off if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes—Fubuki-senpai looked scared.

Fubuki-senpai didn't even need to summon him to the benches; he would have gone to the other anyway to see if he was alright.

Clearly, he was not.

He asked anyway. "Senpai, is everything okay?"

"I don't want to lie, and the truth's a bit too shameful to admit," the man smiled gently, though forcefully. "But no, I guess everything isn't okay."

Yukimura's eyebrows rose.

Fubuki-senpai ran a shaky hand through his hair. "We need to go to Raimon."

"We?"

He liked training alone in the forest.

What he didn't like was someone spying on him.

Namikawa Rensuke, captain of Kaiou's soccer team, narrowed his attention towards a single spot between the trees. With the scar along his eye, it never took much for him to look menacing. Not to mention he looked every bit of a pirate from the Golden Pirate age. So if anyone was hiding there and saw the look on his face, they'd run with their tails in between their legs by then.

Or so Namikawa thought.

The figure he caught sight of earlier, instead of running away, actually stepped onto the field. His field; his private training spot. But that wasn't the problem in the first place.

No, the problem was that it was Gouenji Shuuya.

Even Namikawa surprised himself by recognizing the blond adult. Last he saw him… he couldn't remember exactly when. It felt like a long time ago. But he knew what he saw. Gouenji Shuuya, legendary soccer player, came to his place. Maybe he was lost. Who knew, right?

"Namikawa Rensuke?"

The teenager held back a gasp, merely lifting his foot off the soccer ball to stand facing the adult properly. Okay, he wasn't lost. But why was the adult looking for him? He nodded his head with slit eyes and said, "That's me."

Gouenji approached him closer. The adult asked, "Are you busy tomorrow?"

He felt weird. Like, something was off. Why was he asked that? He never made any business with Gouenji before and he's pretty sure this was their first time talking to each other. Even though he had no idea what this was all about, he knew he would find out eventually. So he shook his head.

For a split second the adult looked relieved. It made Namikawa even more confused. Nothing was really making sense in his brain, and all he could do was wait for Gouenji to explain it all.

"Tomorrow morning you are needed at Raimon's field."

"What?"

Ryuuzaki Ouji lived up to his name.

He was prince-like in not only his good looks, but also in status. It's thanks to the fact that he was a defender in Teikoku Academy, aka the Empire Academy. And one might not have expected it at first glance, but he was quite the gentleman when it came to the fair ladies and princesses—his fanclub could wholeheartedly approve.

So when their former coach Kidou came by and asked for him, it did raise some questions in his head despite what people might say.

Earlier, when Kidou first arrived and talked to their current coach Sakuma, the long cyan-haired man looked unexpectedly panicked—his usually calm and mostly terrifying composure crumpled at the words that came out of Kidou's mouth. It made him curious. What in the world were they talking about? Then they proceeded to call him over. He got even more confused.

Why him? He couldn't understand. Out of everyone else, the captain, the goalkeeper, out of everyone—why was it him? He was just a defender. What could they possibly want with him?

"Ryuuzaki," Kidou said, "we're going to need your help back in Raimon."

What the Hell?

He was polishing his soccer cleats in his room when his father called him down. It wasn't a rare occasion, it happened once in a while. He didn't mind it all that much. It was usually fatherly talk, questions about school and soccer.

What was rare was the visitor. Or guest. Endou Mamoru.

Senguuji Yamato basically froze under the doorway to the living room, his eyes blinking like an owl at the sight of Raimon's coach sitting on the sofa. In his living room. With his dad.

Did the world come to an end and he didn't know about it?

He almost thanked the gods out there that his father, Senguuji Daigo, former Holy Emperor of Fifth Sector, wasn't smiling or chatting with Endou like they were long lost friends. It would have freaked him out way more. But still, the sight of his father frowning with a creased forehead and Endou sporting the same expression didn't make things better either.

"You called for me, father…?" he said gently. He looked at their faces as they turned to him. His father ushered him to sit on the sofa. He obeyed, still eyeing the two adults warily.

The silence and tension was so thick Yamato was sure he could cut it with a knife. It felt like he had sat there for fifty years before the silence was finally broken when his father heaved a sigh. The man put a hand on the boy's shoulder and Yamato looked into his eyes. For a moment, he almost forgot Endou was here too.

"Son, do you remember… those stories I told you… about the Phantom?"

The teen felt a chill down his spine. He gulped. "Yes, I remember."

His father looked at Endou for a moment before turning to him again. "I've been told that it's back. And it's seeking revenge."