The soccer match and headaches
"I'm beat…" said Anne.
"Why?"
"Well… Yuki said we had to finish our homework early and get rested for the game tomorrow. And we had to actually eat our breakfast in the morning before school."
"Don't you always? Sheesh, I barely keep up with you in the morning when it comes to eating!"
"That's cause I usually eat my cereal without milk and my eggs only take a few minutes to make."
"That doesn't qualify as a 'balanced' breakfast you know."
"Only to those who are actually health nuts," joked Anne.
"Har-har."
"After I finish the work I'm going to bed. You?"
"I'll check your answers and then go to bed. I wouldn't want to miss your game now would I?"
"Yup. If ya did, then I'd never let you live it down!" laughed Anne.
The match was well underway. The score was 2-3, and Anne was attempting to even the game. As the captain passed the ball to her, she weaved through 5 people to make the shot. She kicked as hard as she could, just like they had practiced. It appeared as though the goalie caught the shot, but the referee called 'Goal'. Anne was stunned. She thought that she missed the shot, but she made it! The score was tied. The next goal would determine who went home victorious.
Anne was running out of breath fast; a striker was 'marked' onto her, and she couldn't break free! The ball was coming her way yet again; she had to choose. Either she allowed the other team to make the winning goal, or she'd quit holding back when it came to the 'physical' game of soccer. One look at her teammate's eyes decided it for her. She bolted towards where the ball would land, the striker practically going at a dead run to catch her. But it was no use; she intercepted the ball and started heading towards the goal. To Satoshi, it appeared as though a high schooler was playing instead of a 14-year old girl! She let loose her final shot; the crowd was tense when the goalie completely missed the ball and it landed inside the goal. The referee's whistle blew. The final score: 4-3. They had won the game and were going to go to the finals!
"Great job out there, Anne!" said Satoshi with a grin. She grinned right back. She was sitting on the field exhausted. He handed her a water-bottle, which she took gratefully."Hey, Anne, what was all that about near the end? It look sorta like you were a high school student and not 14." Satoshi asked; Anne choked slightly when he mentioned this, he gently pounded on her back.
"What? What do you mean by that?" said Anne indignantly.
"I mean it looked like you aged about 4 or 5 years on the field. What happened?"
"I quit holding back. I gave it my all."
Satoshi would have said something if the others hadn't come over and helped Anne up. They went over and exhibited the usual show of good sportsmanship by shaking the hands of the losing team. After that, they went out to eat.
"Hey Anne, great work out there today! I didn't know you had that kind of reserve in ya!" said Yuki.
"I'm just full of surprises," joked Anne.
"I'll say! The way you ran past those defenders with the ball; that was unbelievable! It almost looked like your legs grew longer and gave you more speed!" said another.
"What?! As if that could ever happen!" said Anne nervously.
As she entered the house, Satoshi was up waiting for her.
"Anne, we need to talk."
"What about?"
"I don't know… maybe what happened today out there on the field?!"
"Can't we just drop it?!" said Anne nervously.
"You're hiding something from me Anne. I think I have a right to know what's going on!"
"I can't explain it…" said Anne as she vanished into another room and bolted the door shut.
"Anne, what's going on with you?" whispered Satoshi as he left her alone.
"I can't believe this. Why did I have to nearly blow my cover?! At this rate, the truth won't be hidden for much longer…" said Anne with an upset sigh. She lay down on the bed and fell fast asleep.
Satoshi-sama…I'm worried about her. She's been quiet for too long.
I agree. But I can't unlock the door from this side!
If you'll allow me time to switch, I'll get us into the room.
Normally, I wouldn't do this… But today I'm going to make an exception.
Krad managed to get into the room and immediately found out why she had been so quiet. He walked over to her and gently pulled the covers over her. As the moonlight hit her, he watched in amazement as she grew taller. Her hair shortened, her arms and legs grew longer, and when it was all over, Anne looked around the same age as Krad or Dark!
What…what the hell just happened?!
Anne's eyes slowly opened. She looked around groggily at first, but when her eyes met the mirror she stared for a moment before becoming fully awake.
"Shit."
"Care to explain what's going on?" said Krad coolly, sitting on the bed next to her.
"I would if I knew that myself. I don't know what caused the original reversal, but I intend to find out," replied Anne as she sat up.
"Why don't we start with something simple then? Like maybe what your real name and age?"
"Krad, I've not been lying. My name really is Anne Nichols. Well…technically it's not my full name but still!"
"What's your full name then?"
"Mariah. Mariah Anne Nichols."
"Your initials spell 'M.A.N.'?!" said Krad in disbelief.
"Unfortunately…" grumbled Anne.
"So then what's your true age? Are you 14 or not?"
"Not. I quit being fourteen around five years ago, give or take a couple of months. I'm really 18."
"Then how…?"
"I don't know! I suddenly turned back into a 14-year-old the first night I came to live in Japan!"
"So then why haven't you switched back until now?"
"Probably because I've held back on my full strength for all this time. This is what I really look like," answered Anne quietly. Her head drooped; yet she wasn't tired in the slightest! They remained silent for a few minutes before Krad spoke.
"Anne, why didn't you tell us sooner?"
"Would you have believed me if I had? And anyway, I'm not the only one to have this happen."
"Who else has changed ages?"
"Louise. She's only a month younger than me, if that. We were born in the same year," explained Anne.
"So what are you going to do now?"
"I…I don't know."
Satoshi-retook control from Krad and looked her in the eye.
"You're welcome to stay here for as long as you like," he said gently.
"Thanks. The only question is, how will I explain this to the school? I can't exactly go looking like this."
"We'll figure something out. Right now I think you need to focus on getting some rest."
"Easier said than done. I've always had a hard time going back to sleep once I'm fully awake," said Anne with a sigh. Her head turned when she felt feathers fly around. Krad looked at her and smirked.
"Satoshi-sama has said that until you go back to what you use to look like, I get to have control," said Krad.
"Basically he gets to spend time with my 14-year-old self and you get my true form."
"That about sums it up."
"Works for me," smiled Anne. She got up and unbolted the door. Krad stood up; much to their amusement, they were both about the same height.
They fell asleep shortly after and didn't wake up until 10. As Anne opened her eyes, she was slightly shocked at the fact that Krad was sleeping next to her and had his arm around her waist. Then the events of the night before came back to her in a blur. Her head spun, so she laid back down. She felt Krad stir slightly, and curled up closer to him.
Krad woke up with a major headache. His mind was groggy; it took him awhile to realize where he was and remembers what happened the night before. His mind clears up when he felt someone curl up close to him. He slowly opened his eyes to see Anne's true form asleep. He tightened his grip around her and held her close.
Anne woke up and the first thing her eyes see is… intricate gold-colored eyes looking right back at her. They lay there for a few more minutes before reluctantly getting up. As Anne makes the tea, Krad goes to see what day it is. Much to his relief, it was Sunday, which meant NO school. The kettle lets loose a high-pitched screech.
Anne poured the tea, and they both sat there half awake until it cooled. When it was ready, they both sat there in silence, doing their best to wake up.
"The person who created tea is a life-saver," joked Anne.
"How so?"
"Tea has caffeine, which gives people the energy they need to go about their day. Though most Americans prefer coffee in the morning. Either way, caffeine is the best way to start the day," kidded Anne. Krad simply shrugged at this, and when they were finally awake, Anne said, "So what're we gonna do today?"
"What were you planning to do?"
"The same thing I usually do on Sundays. Nothing," laughed Anne. Krad shot her a look which only made her laugh more.
"One thing's for sure."
"What?"
"We're going to have to figure out a way for you to retract your wings."
"NANI?!"
"Look, your appearance is ALMOST normal, but the wings stand out too much. If you retract your wings voluntarily, then it'll be open season for Phantom Dork insults."
"You're on," snickered Krad. His wings glowed for a moment before slowly vanishing. Anne smiled and then said, "Now if only we could get you a new outfit and a new look."
Satoshi-sama, I have a BAD feeling about where this is going…
…
After raiding Satoshi's closet, they found a few outfits that fit Krad comfortably. Krad gulped when Anne took a pair of scissors to his long ponytail.
"It may not be perfect, but at least now you'll blend in with humans more easily," said Anne when she was finished. Krad looked into a mirror; his jaw dropped.
"That's…that's me?! I can barely recognize myself!"
"That was the idea. If you can't recognize yourself at a glance, then neither will Dark. You might want to change your voice a little though. It'd be a dead giveaway."
"How's this?"
"You're close," said Anne.
"How about now?"
"Perfect. Now Dark and Daisuke won't know it's you. Not to mention the idiot known as Commander Hiwatari," snickered Anne. It was then that the phone rang. They let the answering machine get it, and had mixed reactions when they heard the message. It was Detective Saehara calling to report Dark's next target.
"Well, at least now we have something to look forward to tonight," said Anne with a shrug.
"And what may that be?"
"Scaring Dork and confusing the hell out of him," replied Anne with a mischievous smirk.
"What shall we do in the meantime?"
"I say we go have some fun. Want to go see a movie?"
"I've never been to one…"
"Would you like to see one?"
Satoshi-sama, what do I do?
Go for it. It'll blow two hours minimum. Besides, I haven't been to the movies in a while either.
So how do I respond?
Just say who pays for the popcorn. She'll get the joke.
After a moment's pause, Krad said, "Who buys the popcorn?"
"I'll buy. Now let's go see what's on," smiled Anne.