Step By Step

I'm Afuro Terumi, the captain and midfielder of Zeus junior high's soccer team, and I'm currently studying soccer at the SSI. You can call me Aphrodi. -------------------------------------------------------- {Affiliated with SSI}

[oldjaggerwock-deactivated201403]

zeus-dragons started following you

[oldjaggerwock-deactivated201403]

"Sounds like fun!" Tobu grinned. Any opportunity to play soccer with someone new was welcome to him. "Just don’t underestimate me or anything!"

[zeus-dragons]

The boy’s apparent eagerness sparked excitement in Afuro. He turned around, not checking to see if Tobu followed him, and walked over to a vacant soccer field. He picked up a ball from a nearby basket and placed it on the ground. “Ready?” he called.

[oldjaggerwock-deactivated201403]

Tobu followed Aphrodi to the field with enthusiasm, standing opposite him and the ball. He could definitely feel an aura of toughness from this guy, but even so, he felt confident. He was no weakling himself, after all! “Ready when you are, Aphrodi!”

[zeus-dragons]

The other boy's confirmation set him off. He ran down the field, dribbling the ball, and turned when he was right in front of a net, marking it as his. He then jogged up to half court, ready to take his aim. He moved in a little closer, then rose up. He didn't see Tobu in his field of vision, but Aphrodi knew he had to concentrate on his shot to make it in. After hovering in the air for a second, he lunged forward, kicking the ball with much power. He landed on the ground and looked up to see if his shot went in.

[zeus-dragons]

At the voice, Aphrodi’s head whipped around, cracking his neck. Beta had been there…which was strange. Did she come to laugh at me? he wondered. He bet she had. She’s probably mocking me on the inside right now, he added.

Afuro couldn’t believe his ears when he heard her next words. His eyes widened, the pain in his neck and virtually every part of his body forgotten in his surprise. SHE had carried him here? Unbelievable. He gauged her expression, her body language, her tone of voice, anything to see she was teasing him or making a joke. But everything about her seemed sincere. His eyes returned to their normal size slowly, and he lifted an eyebrow about her next comment. That seemed more Beta-ish, now.

"Um…" he started awkwardly. She had saved his life, but he wasn’t comfortable enough to thank her graciously or smile. "Thanks for…you know, carrying me here…" he said quietly, trailing off. He twisted a piece of hair around his finger. There seemed to be tension in the air. Luckily, Beta left the room and Aphrodi was left alone with the nurse, who he hadn’t even noticed until she mentioned it.

"Well, I’m sure you know the story, right? The story of the Aqua? Yeah… I know. It was stupid of me. I’m so ashamed," he said, gripping his clothes tightly with the last sentence. He shook, not from pain this time, but emotion. "I can’t face them again - my team. They’ll be so disappointed." He rubbed his eyes, tears forming and not wanting the nurse to see them.

"I think…I think I’ll leave this school," he said as he looked up sadly.

"And soccer."

[princessbeta-blog]

Beta pressed her ear harder against the door, and her eyes widened when Aphrodi mentioned that he was going to leave soccer altogether. Surely he couldn’t just throw away something like that easily. He had talent! Even she could see that he possessed strength and skill to at least some degree. All that training would go to waste. Hadn’t he put effort into raising himself to be on that level?

And of course, surely he loved soccer, if he really could play that well. 

She decided to wait for Aphrodi to come back out, and leant against the wall. She’d confront him them.

[zeus-dragons]

After waiting a couple minutes to let his words sink in, he decided. He would get up, go grab his things, and leave. He didn't deserve to be in this school any longer. But he wouldn't give up on soccer forever. Only for a while. It might take days, months, years, but he would get back on track. He would strengthen himself, not in soccer, but in mind and perseverance. And then he would come back. It was the least he could do to apologize to his team.

He stood, thanking the nurse for her help, and opened the door to the hall. He took a deep breath and stepped out, turning in the direction of his dorm. Something caught his eye and he looked up.

"What? What are you doing here?"

[superduperzanark-deactivated201]

zeus-dragons started following you!

"Alright, who are you?"

[zeus-dragons]

Aphrodi stared at the flashy boy in front of him.

"Me? Isn’t it proper to introduce yourself first?"

[superduperzanark-deactivated201]

"Hmph. I’m Zanark Avalonic, the strongest member of the lower middle class, and the greatest striker in all of history!"

[zeus-dragons]

Aphrodi stared at the boy in front of him. He had never met someone so proud to introduce himself before. It was kind of refreshing.

"Striker, huh? So you have some pretty powerful moves, right?" he asked casually. "Oh, that's right, I haven't introduced myself either. I'm Afuro Terumi, but I go by Aphrodi. I was the ace of the runner-up team in the Football Frontier. My position is midfielder."

[straightfacedmahoro-deactivated]

zeus-dragons started following you-

Mahoro’s eyes narrowed slightly, He looks familiar…ridiculous. 

[zeus-dragons]

Aphrodi walked over to a red-haired boy. He seemed more mature than the rest, who were giggling and talking excitedly amongst themselves.

"Hey, hello," he called out as he approached.

[straightfacedmahoro-deactivated]

He was pulled out of his thoughts when the other greeted him. Politely, Mahoro nodded, “Hello as well.”

[zeus-dragons]

The boy's formal approach left Afuro feeling slightly awkward. "So, I'm guessing you're a student at this school? I'm Afuro Terumi, but you can call me Aphrodi," he said, pushing hair out of his face. As an afterthought, he extended his hand. "What room are you staying in?"

[oldjaggerwock-deactivated201403]

zeus-dragons started following you

[oldjaggerwock-deactivated201403]

"Aphrodi!" repeated Tobu unapologetically. "You bet I’m strong! I’m one of the strongest defenders there is!" He puffed out his chest smugly. "What’s your position, Aphrodi?"

[zeus-dragons]

Oh? A defender? This could be interesting. “I’m a midfielder,” Afuro told him, cocking his head to one side. “Care to have a little match? Just to see your skills,” he added.

[oldjaggerwock-deactivated201403]

"Sounds like fun!" Tobu grinned. Any opportunity to play soccer with someone new was welcome to him. "Just don’t underestimate me or anything!"

[zeus-dragons]

The boy's apparent eagerness sparked excitement in Afuro. He turned around, not checking to see if Tobu followed him, and walked over to a vacant soccer field. He picked up a ball from a nearby basket and placed it on the ground. "Ready?" he called.

[oldjaggerwock-deactivated201403]

zeus-dragons started following you

[oldjaggerwock-deactivated201403]

Tobu looked excited as the tough-looking guy approached him. He wanted to get to know as many people as he could.

"I’m Tobu! You can call me…Tobu!" he grinned, crossing his arms. "Aph…romi, huh? Nice to meet you! You seem like a cool guy!"

[zeus-dragons]

Aphrodi inwardly cringed as the boy got his name wrong. He seemed nice enough, so he guessed it wasn’t intentional.

"Actually, it’s AphroDi. Not an ‘m’. So, Tobu, are you a strong soccer player?"

[oldjaggerwock-deactivated201403]

"Aphrodi!" repeated Tobu unapologetically. "You bet I’m strong! I’m one of the strongest defenders there is!" He puffed out his chest smugly. "What’s your position, Aphrodi?"

[zeus-dragons]

Oh? A defender? This could be interesting. "I'm a midfielder," Afuro told him, cocking his head to one side. "Care to have a little match? Just to see your skills," he added.

[zeus-dragons]

[as stated before, my replies during the week will be slow. On the weekends I'll try to update my thread, so if you see I'm not replying to yours, just drop a message! Night]

[oldjaggerwock-deactivated201403]

zeus-dragons started following you

Whoa, another tough-looking guy…

[zeus-dragons]

Out of all the kids at this school, one stood out among the others as Aphrodi weaved his way through the crowd. He saw a boy with greenish hair wearing a…skull(??) on his head. Interested, he walked over.

"Hey, you, what’s your name? I’m Afuro Terumi. But you can call me Aphrodi," he said proudly, adding his nickname as an afterthought.

[oldjaggerwock-deactivated201403]

Tobu looked excited as the tough-looking guy approached him. He wanted to get to know as many people as he could.

"I’m Tobu! You can call me…Tobu!" he grinned, crossing his arms. "Aph…romi, huh? Nice to meet you! You seem like a cool guy!"

[zeus-dragons]

Aphrodi inwardly cringed as the boy got his name wrong. He seemed nice enough, so he guessed it wasn't intentional.

"Actually, it's AphroDi. Not an 'm'. So, Tobu, are you a strong soccer player?"

[superduperzanark-deactivated201]

zeus-dragons started following you!

"Alright, who are you?"

[zeus-dragons]

Aphrodi stared at the flashy boy in front of him.

"Me? Isn't it proper to introduce yourself first?"

[straightfacedmahoro-deactivated]

zeus-dragons started following you-

Mahoro’s eyes narrowed slightly, He looks familiar…ridiculous. 

[zeus-dragons]

Aphrodi walked over to a red-haired boy. He seemed more mature than the rest, who were giggling and talking excitedly amongst themselves.

"Hey, hello," he called out as he approached.

[princessbeta-blog]

"Over here." Beta dragged open the screen surrounding Aphrodi, and walked in. She’d been waiting outside on one of the chairs, flicking through a sports magazine that she didn’t recognise. She took a good look at his face - he seemed unharmed for the most part, but then again, most of the damage had been taken in his arms and legs. 

"I have no idea what you did that made this happen to you, but…" Beta sighed. She was actually a bit relieved that the boy seemed to be recovering well, even if his voice did sound terrible. In fact, she even felt a little sorry for him. Whatever had happened, it sounded painful. 

"Look, it was me who carried you all the way here, okay?" she continued, running her hand through her hair. "At least give me a token of thanks or something. Later. Or something."

Beta realised just then that, thanks to how much she panicked, she’d dropped both of her personas completely; she was acting… normal. Strange. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d acted like this. It felt weird, to say the least.

"…Talk to the nurse. She knows about what happened, not me," Beta said, walking out again. However, after leaving the medical office, she stopped, and lingered next to the door, pressing her ear against it. She was interested in what had really happened, after all.

[zeus-dragons]

At the voice, Aphrodi's head whipped around, cracking his neck. Beta had been there...which was strange. Did she come to laugh at me? he wondered. He bet she had. She's probably mocking me on the inside right now, he added.

Afuro couldn't believe his ears when he heard her next words. His eyes widened, the pain in his neck and virtually every part of his body forgotten in his surprise. SHE had carried him here? Unbelievable. He gauged her expression, her body language, her tone of voice, anything to see she was teasing him or making a joke. But everything about her seemed sincere. His eyes returned to their normal size slowly, and he lifted an eyebrow about her next comment. That seemed more Beta-ish, now.

"Um..." he started awkwardly. She had saved his life, but he wasn't comfortable enough to thank her graciously or smile. "Thanks for...you know, carrying me here..." he said quietly, trailing off. He twisted a piece of hair around his finger. There seemed to be tension in the air. Luckily, Beta left the room and Aphrodi was left alone with the nurse, who he hadn't even noticed until she mentioned it.

"Well, I'm sure you know the story, right? The story of the Aqua? Yeah... I know. It was stupid of me. I'm so ashamed," he said, gripping his clothes tightly with the last sentence. He shook, not from pain this time, but emotion. "I can't face them again - my team. They'll be so disappointed." He rubbed his eyes, tears forming and not wanting the nurse to see them.

"I think...I think I'll leave this school," he said as he looked up sadly.

"And soccer."

[zeus-dragons]

shindead started following you

[zeus-dragons]

Aphrodi was prepared to drop the subject, thinking they were just two different people, but the brunet boy brought up another interesting point. There was only one Raimon. That’s true, he thought. It would be strange for those two people to be at the same school…Unless one worked there and the other was a student. OR….Or maybe Endou was actually Mamoru Jr.! That had to be it. Endou’s dad probably worked at the school and named his son after himself. But wait…that would make his dad 10 when he had Endou…

Afuro shook his head, tired from thinking about this too deeply. Something else mentioned had caught his ears, though. Rumours. Aphrodi wondered what ridiculous storied had to do with this and why this boy was bringing one up in the first place. But he couldn’t believe what he heard.

"2029??" he blurted out, shocked. "No way! That’s impossible! That’s over ten years forward in the fu-" he trailed off, the gears clicking in his head. Over ten years later. The Endou this boy knew was 24. But no. It wasn’t possible….Was it?

Forgetting about meeting Shindou’s team, Aphrodi grabbed the other boy by his collar desperately. “Take me to who told you this rumour,” he demanded. “I’m getting to the bottom of this.”

[shindead]

Shocked after having his collar gripped so suddenly, Shindou grabbed hold of the blond’s arm and scowled at him. 

"Hold on, it was just something I heard in passing!" he explained. He wished he could have identified the student that started the rumour, since he would have quite liked to know where the theory came from himself. Still, it was a possibility, and that was that. As much as Shindou would have hated to get involved with time again, it seemed like the most likely possibility.

"I really wish I could help you with that, but I couldn’t put a name to the students if I tried." he sighed, moving Aphrodi’s arm firmly (although not violently) in an attempt to make the boy loosen his grasp on his collar.

"It’s not every day you hear rumours like this, so I’d quite like to know for myself what’s going on in this school." Shindou frowned. "I know I’m going to look into it, since there has to be some kind of explanation for this."

[zeus-dragons]

Aphrodi grimaced, cursing the loss of this opportunity to get to the bottom of this school's mystery. It was so strange, the invitation that seemed to come out of nowhere, and all his friends encouraging him to come here. And yet, they hadn't done any formal training. It was almost as if the faculty wanted them to piece things out little by little...How peculiar, he thought.

"That's unfortunate," he stated, his eyebrows scrunching up in a thinking gesture. "I haven't heard about that rumor, though. Is it popular among the students?" he questioned. Noticing the other boy's attempts to free his collar, he let go. He hoped the brunet knew he hadn't intentionally been holding on."Sorry," he added, lightly touching the crinkled fabric. 

The mention of an investigation made Afuro's eyes light up. If there was anything he liked besides soccer, it was detective work. He eagerly took a step forward.

"Hey, that's a great idea!" he remarked enthusiastically. "We'll just have to investigate what's going on at this school." He grinned slyly. "And that means we first have to find a way into the main building."

[zeus-dragons]

[done with rps for now - i won't be on much because of school but i update a lot during weekends!]

[oldjaggerwock-deactivated201403]

zeus-dragons started following you

Whoa, another tough-looking guy…

[zeus-dragons]

Out of all the kids at this school, one stood out among the others as Aphrodi weaved his way through the crowd. He saw a boy with greenish hair wearing a...skull(??) on his head. Interested, he walked over.

"Hey, you, what's your name? I'm Afuro Terumi. But you can call me Aphrodi," he said proudly, adding his nickname as an afterthought.

[4252346435234214-deactivated201]

[zeus-dragons]

shindead started following you

[shindead]

Yes, that had to be it. The two of them just had to know two different Endous with the same name, didn’t they? …But how was that possible, if both Endous were at Raimon? Even if two people called ‘Endou Mamoru’ existed, it’s not like there were two Raimons…

Somehow, the question about knowing someone from the future seemed a little ironic. It wasn’t as if he was about to say something about that whole saga to someone he just met, though. Still, it made him consider the possibility that the school had taken in students from different time periods. It was like that rumour….

…Was it really a rumour? 

"It does seem like we know two different people," he said calmly. "Although, I’m not quite sure how that could work, since there’s only one Raimon. I can’t think of a clear explanation for this, unless I touch on the rumours students have been spreading." To other people, this line of thought would seem completely improbable, but to Shindou, it was definitely something important to consider.

"The rumour that the school is in the year 2029. If that were true, wouldn’t we be able to explain this misunderstanding…?"

Not forgetting his offer from before, Shindou gestured in the direction of his dorm room. “I can’t guarantee he’ll be in the dorm right now, but my junior - Tenma, that is - is rooming with me. If you really insist, I can take you to see him.”

[zeus-dragons]

Aphrodi was prepared to drop the subject, thinking they were just two different people, but the brunet boy brought up another interesting point. There was only one Raimon. That's true, he thought. It would be strange for those two people to be at the same school...Unless one worked there and the other was a student. OR....Or maybe Endou was actually Mamoru Jr.! That had to be it. Endou's dad probably worked at the school and named his son after himself. But wait...that would make his dad 10 when he had Endou...

Afuro shook his head, tired from thinking about this too deeply. Something else mentioned had caught his ears, though. Rumours. Aphrodi wondered what ridiculous storied had to do with this and why this boy was bringing one up in the first place. But he couldn't believe what he heard.

"2029??" he blurted out, shocked. "No way! That's impossible! That's over ten years forward in the fu-" he trailed off, the gears clicking in his head. Over ten years later. The Endou this boy knew was 24. But no. It wasn't possible....Was it?

Forgetting about meeting Shindou's team, Aphrodi grabbed the other boy by his collar desperately. "Take me to who told you this rumour," he demanded. "I'm getting to the bottom of this."

[zeus-dragons]

Aphrodi couldn’t speak as he lay on the ground, panting hard and sweating heavily. I knew this was a bad idea, he thought. I’m such an idiot for taking it again. How disappointed would Zeus be in me if they saw how I was right now? The thought of his team sent another ache through his body. He tried to picture their faces, but he was too dizzy. He felt like he was going to faint, but his mental force of will kept him conscious, although he couldn’t see or talk.

Suddenly he felt himself being lifted up. What was going on? Strong arms were carrying him like a princess; in any other situation, he would be extremely embarrassed, but right then he was exhausted. He heard a voice speak but couldn’t make out what it was saying. However, knowing that someone was going to such lengths for him even though they probably didn’t know him was touching. Too touching. Aphrodi thought of his teammates again. This time he could picture their faces; not the smiling, laughing ones, but distrustful, sad ones. How could you? He imagined Hera’s face saying, all faith gone from his eyes. He wouldn’t let them do that. He wouldn’t let them down. No way.

"No…way," he muttered groggily, his tongue feeling thick and his voice heavy. He doubted anyone else would know what he was saying. He blinked, slowly at first, then more rapidly, to clear away the haze from his eyes. He could finally see again, only to stare up into the face of…Beta! What was she doing, carrying him? He would have thought she would have laughed and left him there. Maybe she was taking him somewhere no one would ever find him. 

Aphrodi tried to move his arms, having little success. Although the effects of the aqua were starting to wear off, the quick change in muscle size had left all of his tendons aching when he tried to move them. They shook sporadically, and he had no hope to control them.

His legs, however, were a different story. He had spent months to power up his legs. He needed to, for it took a lot of power to be able to jump so high in order to perform his hissatsu. Therefore, the muscle change wasn’t quite so drastic there. He kicked his feet, gritting his teeth through the pain, and successfully managed to fall to the ground. He tried to stand up twice and fell both times. On the third try he managed to struggle up, still close to the ground with his knees bent and his arms hanging limply by his sides. He breathed heavily, sweat pouring down his forehead and into his eyes. He squinted.

"What…What are you doing?" he moaned, although his words were still slurred and his eyes couldn’t focus anywhere.

[princessbeta-blog]

Beta ignored Aphrodi as he began to groan, probably out of pain or something similar. She entered one of the buildings and weaved through the corridors; having no success on the ground floor, and thinking it to be illogical for a medical office to not be on the ground floor, she exited, and found another building to search.

She took a quick look down at Aphrodi as she pushed the door open with her back. He seemed to be regaining his senses somewhat, thankfully enough. Hang in there, she thought, as she continued to walk around the building, checking every sign of every door in every corridor. It had to be around here somewhere, the medical office. She could feel it - her instincts were telling her that it was.

Just then, she felt Aphrodi stirring, and she looked down at his face again, though she kept on walking. He seemed to be in a lot of pain, and his legs were moving somewhat. What on earth was he trying to do? Beta broke into a jog, and she took a sharp turn around a corner. At the far end of the corridor, she spotted a sign that read “medical office”. A slight smile formed on her lips.

However, in that split second, she felt Aphrodi’s body slipping out of her arms, and she heard a loud thud. Beta watched in alarm as Aphrodi, who had somehow managed to free himself and fall to the ground, struggled to stand up on his legs, his arms hanging limply by his side. "Oi, what on earth do you think you’re doing?" Beta shouted, snapping out of her shock and quickly kneeling down besides him. 

Aphrodi moaned something incomprehensible in reply. "Goddammit…" Beta muttered under her breath. She picked up his left arm, which didn’t even bother resisting, and slung it over her shoulders, grabbing his left hand with her own so that he didn’t slip away. She wrapped her right arm around his waist, and she pushed herself off the ground, trying not to stumble.

"The medical office is over there," she said with gritted teeth as she began dragging herself towards it, still firmly supporting Aphrodi by her side. "Just a little more…" The door was merely a few metres away now. "Just a little…" 

Beta finally reached the door, and making sure that Aphrodi was still conscious, she barged in.

[zeus-dragons]

Aphrodi felt a terrible burst of pain as Beta grabbed his arm and wrenched him forward. His head was pounding and his arm was throbbing, but he couldn't even cry out in pain any longer. He was so tired. He couldn't keep his eyes open. Beta's barely audible mutters were encouraging, but he couldn't tell if they were directed at him or herself.

His eyes drifted open as the door to the medical room opened. There were a few unoccupied cots in the corner (each was separated from the other by a curtain) and a desk with a revolving chair pushed in to it. As far as he could tell, they were the only two in the room. He fell onto the nearest cot, relishing in the softness and coolness of the mattress and sheet. The paper covering the bed let out a crackling sound as he adjusted his weight and laid his head down on the pillow. He closed his eyes, breathing slowly to calm himself down, and eventually the wracking pain of his body made him fall into a deep sleep.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Afuro awoke to silence. He blinked, wiping the sleep from his eyes and sitting up. Bad idea. His whole body still ached, although it wasn't as bad as before. He turned his head slowly as to cause as little pain as possible, and looked out the window. It was becoming dark, and Aphrodi guessed he had been in here a few hours. He wheeled his head the other way, looking around the tiny room. He seemed to be alone.

"Hello?" He choked out, his throat raspy. He tried again. "Hello? Is anyone in here?"