Stand

Revealed

Hey guys! Next chapter of Stand, I hope you enjoy~!

  ~'0'~  

Haru freezes, and Jirou takes over. ''You've been having meetings with an ex-Raimon player, haven't you? Matsukaze Tenma.'' A hologram appears above the writing desk, showing the brunet. Jirou leans forward, leaning on the desk and placing his chin on his folded hands. ''Well, Sakaki, we don't really like that. So now, you're going to do exactly as we say. Do you understand?'' there is a dangerous tone in his voice, and Haru unconsciously shivers.

Then, his orange eyes narrow. ''And what if I don't?''

''Well, if you don't... see for yourself.'' Jirou smirks, and more holograms appear.

Haru's mouth falls open as he stares at the holograms in shock and horror. Then he turns to look at the twins, and he grits his teeth. ''You wouldn't-'' he starts, but is cut off by Kazuo.

''Oh, don't worry, we would. You see, Sakaki, nothing will stop us.'' Haru looks at the holograms again, clenching his fists in anger. A small smile appears on the face of the director, less noticeable than his brother's grin, but holding the same amount of sick pleasure. ''So, are you willing to listen to us now?''

~'0'~

''That was surprising.''

Kirino's statement is met with nods from his three friends. The pink-haired defender looks in the direction where his young captain just disappeared, before turning to face his teammates. Kurama looks angry, Hamano confused, Shindou's face is unreadable, and Sangoku seems worried. Kirino frowns when he sees the keeper's expression. After a moment, the teen speaks up. ''And, not to mention, weird.'' They all look at him in surprise and confusion. ''I mean, have you ever seen Tenma get angry like that? And has he ever been angry at us, his friends?''

Kirino's frown deepens when he realizes what Sangoku means. ''Now that you say that... yeah, that was weird. I've seen him get angry a few times, but he's never been that...'' he searches for the right word.

''Aggressive?'' offers Hamano, and when all eyes turn to him, he shrugs. ''I mean, he looked like he was ready to attack us if we tried to stop him. Almost... like a hunted animal, or something...'' the boy trails off, waiting for the reactions of his teammates.

''Yeah...'' mutters Shindou absently. The ex-captain looks deep in thought as he stares at the ground. The others exchange a look, wondering what's on his mind.

''Shindou...?'' the wavy haired boy looks up when he hears his name, and Kirino continues. ''What are you thinking about?''

The game maker sighs. ''It's just...'' he stops, hesitating. The curious looks from his teammates force him to continue. ''Well, I was thinking that it looks like Tenma is... drifting away.''

''What do you mean, Shindou?'' Kurama furrows his eyebrows, dark eyes studying the game maker.

Shindou sighs again and sits down on the bench, staring at the river. ''After our match against Kanashimi, we didn't really have any contact with Tenma. He said that this 'friend', Haru... he said he met him after the match, when we didn't have practice. Clearly, he's had a lot of contact with this Haru, judging from that call.'' He pauses again, and Sangoku gestures for him to go on. ''Back when he suddenly collapsed at Teikoku, he was on the phone before that, remember? Did anyone see the caller id?'' he asks his teammates.

''Now that you mention it...'' concern and suspicion starts to show on Kirino's face. ''He never got called before, it must have been his new friend. And I think... he said something about meeting someone and... candy. Just like today,'' mutters the defender, and Shindou smiles at him.