Discalimer: Sadly, I don't own Eyeshield 21.

AN: Sorry for long waiting. Is anybody still reading this fic? If there is, I am really grateful.

Chapter 2

Ignoring the chilling voice of female nurse crying 'I'll curse youuuu-!', Devilbats ran down the hospital corridor. Their barely soothed muscles started to throb again, but they ran anyway. Sorry, patients, Sena thought, but this is an emergency. He couldn't even imagine what kind of injury could possibly have made that stubborn man admitted to the hospital. Sena shook his head as the image of that broken right arm popped into his mind.

"Hiruma san-!"

"Hiruma!"

After managing to stop Kurita from tackling down the door (the door would surely be wrecked, and who's going to pay that back?), Demon bats followed after Jumonji who kicked open the door, and called for their QB's name. There was a brief chaos as everybody tried to push through the small entrance. It could be said that they were lucky, because no one but one man saw their flailing and screaming antics.

He was sitting on the bed where sunlight was making everything white. His blond hair and white hospital gown was buried under that light, making unrealistic atmosphere. Apparently surprised at his teammates sudden invasion, he stiffened his body.

"What, were you really hit by a car?"

"Are, are you okay, Hiruma?"

"Whoa, no, Kurita! You can't hug him now, he's injured!"

"Haha, if one should learn my flexibility, a little car accident wouldn't cause any harm..!"

Everybody was busy saying one thing or anther, filling the room with noise and distraction, and that's when Sena saw it; Hiruma's eyes were faintly narrowed.

'Danger!'

His beware-of-the-gun-sense, naturally developed from his experience with Devilbats, started tingling madly. Truth be told, no one would doubt that some kind of armory is hid behind that loose hospital gown. Sena suddenly wondered why Hiruma didn't shoot down the driver who (dared to) hit him, but that question was for another time.

"Excuse me, who are you guys?"

"Everybo-?"

Sena, who was about to cry 'Everybody duck-!', made a choked sound at that unexpected sound. And wait, what? It felt like he just heard Hiruma questioning about their presence in the hospital in a very polite way.

Wondering whether his ears became funky, Sena looked around. Suzuna was frozen in a position ready to cuff her idiot brother's head, Musashi was dazedly dangling on Kurita as he had been trying to stop Kurita from giving a hug, and Monta was in the middle of eating banana, now stopped to stare at Hiruma. It was like somebody had pushed the pause button. This situation would have been funny if it hadn't enlightened Sena of the fact that his hearing was perfectly normal.

"Where is this place? Why are you guys acting like that, and... who am I?"

Oh, dear God, at the ensuing silence, Sena silently called after his name for twice today. It was a depressing fact considering that he barely cried for him even in the middle of a fierce match. Wasn't his trial for today enough with muscle ache and riding Suzuna's cart of death?

When faced with disconcerting situation, people cope with it in many different ways.

Method 1 Try to explain the situation logically.

"..So, so this isn't a trick situation, is it? Then.. is it.. is it amnesia? I think I read about it while studying.. Oh, but at that time..."

"...Am I suffering from amnesia?"

"What? Oh, yes! Well, that's, I mean, sorry, but could you please not give me puppy dog eyes!"

Failed.

Method 2 Act naturally, as if nothing has ever happened.

"So, Hiruma-kun, I heard that you were in car accident. Are you okay now?"

"...Hiruma, is that my name?"

Failed.

Method 3 Deny, deny, deny

"That.. that's right, I didn't see anything. Nothing, nothing at all, MAX! So it's okay, everything is fine...!"

"...Are you sure about that?"

Failed.

Method 4 Hide

"Hu.. hugo!"

"Um, I think it will be a bit dusty underneath the bed.."

"Echuu!"

Failed.

At this point, even Devilbats had no choice but to accept reality crying why-is-this-happending-to-me. Hiruma who is polite, hesitant and caring! He couldn't possibly act like that even as a joke, especially not for two hours. It was more hellish than crossing 2000km at a gunpoint.

The tragic doctor, who had tried to block them from rushing into the hospital, but had soon been disposed of by Komusubi's tackle, finally came in. He leaned by the door and mumbled with a sigh as he looked around people miserably standing around Hiruma.

"I knew this would happen, I was just trying to warn you beforehand..."

Sorry, doctor, Sena thought, we would never do something senseless as throwing experts to the floor.

The doctor said that Hiruma luckily had no serious outward injury. He suggested helping him regaining his memories by bringing him to familiar places. With that in mind, Devilbats returned to the club room with bewildered Hiruma (seeing him like this is even more scary) in tow.

Now, they were sitting like they once head when they were interviewing for new club members. The only difference was that now Hiruma was sitting at interviewee's seat.

"..Then Hiruma-san should be Offence.."

"What?"

"No, no, it's nothing."

Hiruma was sitting stiffly in his chair with awkward expression, apparently uneasy as several eyes stared at him. Sena felt like he was dreaming. How could one ever get used to this meek version of Hiruma? And then, there was stifling silence.

"Um, so, is there anything else you want to ask us about yourself? We did try to fill you in on the way here, but you may have another question, like….."

Sena searched through many examples that popped into his head, and one in particular was to his liking. Do you want to know how we met? Sena intended to say this. Really, he had.

"..What kind of color do you.."

"How in the hell do we know that?"

"Color again? What's your obsession with that question?"

"Can't you be serious!"

"Oh, so, sorry!"

Huh brothers' sharp retorts followed one after another, causing Sena to shrink and try making himself smaller. It was like those days before joining football club. Their glares were fierce as ever. Oh, what is wrong with me, Sena lamented.

"Well, what's the kanji for Hiruma Yoichi?"

Apparently taking pity on Sena who had gone to the world of self-deprecation, Hiruma carefully raised the question. Musashi stared at his friend as if he had seen a lion carefully offering grass to a rabbit with a pleasant smile, then answered unwillingly.

"蛭魔(Hiruma) 妖一(Yoichi). For hiru(蛭) you use the kanji that means 'leach'. Ma(魔) means 'demon', yo(妖) means 'wicked' and ichi(一) means 'one'.

"…What?"

What kind of name is that? Hiruma's eyes seemed to be screaming this as he looked around. It was a sorry thing for Hiruma(at least to this version of him), but it was true. Devilbats had to admit it sounded like a joke, and Hiruma seemed to be feeling half offended and half aghast, but everybody had seen that name on the player list. Reading the truth in their eyes, Hiruma loosened his stiff body for a bit and sighed.

"Well, did I get teased a lot for my name?"

"..I don't think so, nobody would dare. Anyway, that name suited you perfectly."

Having once suffered from Hiruma Yoicih's wicked, devil-like personality, Togano looked outside the window as he bitterly muttered. Of course, Hiruma was wearing the face that said he didn't understand what Togano was saying.

"He was threatened, that guy."

"What?"

"Hiruma san wrote down people's week points on his 'Threat note' and threatened people around. That was kind of everyday life for him. And Togano was one of his victims."

"…That sounds quite dangerous. 'Threat note', how could that possibly work? Had I ever get caught?"

"No, you were pretty thorough, never slipped up, I guess. And the power of guns you usually carried around was behind you to back you up."

'It worked in America too, fascinating, huh?' Sena wanted to add that, but stopped as he saw Hiruma mumbling, 'I heard that I had demon like personality but, wasn't I a high school student? What kind of guy was I' with a pale face. It seemed that some of more outrageous legends of the great Hiruma Yoichi should be withhold for now. Sena didn't want to traumatize the man further.

AN: Thank you Llyhael Aquila, Bar-Ohki, Panda-Peach, speed and write, PoisonedRose12, Insane Blood Prince,
Mayuzu, babblebuzz, sakurenjiDREamer for your reviews! I was happy to find out that many of you thought this fic was interesting. Your kind messages helped me a lot, thak you XD!