The White Wings [Under Editing]

The White Wings

"Poor Sakuma Jirou. Forced to watch as his friends get their just punishment."

Tears rolled down my cheeks as the reality of our situation finally dawned to me. Now that I think about it, it's actually funny.At one point in time, we thought that we were invincible, we thought that we were unstoppable, and we thought that we could do anything. We thought that we, the players of Teikoku, were the "gods" of the soccer world. But in one blink of an eye, all of those beliefs, all of what I thought I knew disappeared. Everything changed when he stepped onto the field.

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Before that, I thought my future was already set. I had a great record in Teikoku Gakuen. I was a great student academically, being only one of the few students who could hold a candle against Kidou's genius. I was also a respected by both my upperclassmen and underclassmen, and even the teachers appreciate me. I held a key position in the Student Government, being the Auditor that everyone knew they could trust. I also had a great social life, since I knew everybody who had high influence. No I wasn't a social climber. Those friendships and achievements were just the visible output of all of my hard work. But none of these 'respectable' and 'esteemed' achievements were my greatest.

I have always regarded my deeds as a soccer player of Teikoku as my greatest achievements. My parents may brag about my numerous awards regarding academics a lot more than awards concerning my skills as Teikoku's striker, but it was really my abilities as a football player that brought me many friends, and helped me climb up to the pinnacle of greatness. It is because of Teikoku's soccer club that I met Genda and Kidou, two friends of mine who have never left my side. We were an inseparable trio, earning us the collective moniker of "The Teikoku Three." When asked about why Teikoku would win so many matches, we would just laugh and answer "Because of a genius playmaker, an unsurpassable goalkeeper, a powerful striker, and perfect team coordination."

When I am asked about what I take pride in the most, I would always talk about soccer. After all, in Japan, being a player for Teikoku is a position many would love to have. And so I always took pride that I was a striker that was praised by his colleagues, and esteemed by fellow strikers from across the nation. I was Sakuma Jirou, the one-eyed striker whose shots had accuracy and lethality that no other striker can surpass.

"I'm Teikoku's ace striker! Challenge any of us, and you're going to get a beating! Teikoku players are the champions of Japanese football!"

And because of our unstoppable streak, I believed that we were already at our peak condition. I believed that no other team would be as coordinated, as skilled, as famous, or as eye-catching as us. I didn't think anyone would have a bigger fanbase than what we had built. I thought that for the next decade or so, the symbols of soccer would be a guy with goggles and a cape, a one-eyed boy, and a burly young man with face markings.

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All of those beliefs were challenged when Endou Mamoru led the Raimon team into our field. It was the second time that we had met them, the first being an exhibition match that we didn't take seriously. They stepped onto our field, and something new was in their eyes. They still had the same determination that they have always shown, and the same feeling of oneness. But now, their eyes showed confidence and experience. It was most evident in the eyes of Endou, the team's Captain.

After the shaking of hands, I watched as steel bars fell from the ceiling. My eyes widened, and I was one of the first to ask if they were alright. When the dust and smoke cleared,we then saw each player of Raimon unhurt. They were equally surprised as us. And the whole of Teikoku was fuming. This was way out of line. We would send spies to gather information on other teams, but deliberately making a trap that could potentially kill people? I wanted to charge into Kageyama's room and have Genda punch his lights out. I almost got my wish when Kidou signalled us to join him.