Author's note: This took a long time because of multiple reasons (work, new project, not my favorite episode, emotional scenes that I rushed through, etc.). But I'm finally done with this and we can start on the Mannouzaka. Once again, there is canon divergence here and Tenma's side plot will eventually gain some traction.

Outside Tengawara, Raimon was waiting on the bus for their missing midfielder and some of them were growing annoyed.

"How much longer are we going to wait here?" Minamisawa grumbled while combing his hair with his fingers.

"Until Tenma gets back." Shindou told him with a roll of his eyes. Minamisawa only gave the captain a bitter glare and turned away, not wanting to interact with the captain or Sangoku and Shinsuke. Almost everyone else was doing the same, too angry and shocked that the crew went against the Fifth Sector.

"What were you thinking Shindou?" Kirino hissed at his best friend. "You went against the Fifth Sector and made Raimon win the match! And you mastered your Keshin! They're going to come down harder on you now!"

"Sorry." Shindou winced a little. He never intended to worry his best friend like this. He knew Kirino was harsh on the matter out of concern for him. But in this instance, he cannot give in to his unspoken request. What he felt during the match is something he cannot simply ignore again. And Kirino knows that based on the soured look on his face.

"Shindou, I'm scared that the next time the Fifth Sector comes to Raimon, it will be to take you and Matsukaze away."

And Shindou felt guilty for making his friend feel like that. He too had those fears. Ever since he awakened his Keshin, he knew the Fifth Sector was eyeing him to add into their ranks. It was why they got Kudou removed. And they now want Tenma too.

"Sorry I took so long!"

Speak of the devil, Shindou let out a small breath of relief when the junior climbed up the bus. "What took you so long?"

"I got lost on the way out. Luckily Kita-san was kind enough to escort me out." Tenma waved at said captain outside the bus with an innocent grin. But upon closer look, Kita was sweating nervously...and was that Hayabusa attempting to hide behind the orange haired captain?

Shindou slowly turned to Tenma with a tick on his forehead. "Tenma, what did you do?"

"Nothing to them." Tenma hummed with a small nod at the coach. "I just went to find what I was looking for and I did."

"And...?"

"I may or may not have ran into some Fifth Sector agents who wanted me to come with them. But I declined."

'More like I had to use self-defense to fend them off and scared Hayabusa-san further. And that's how Kita-san found us."

Everyone was staring at him in various degree of disbelief, even Endou and Otonashi. Endou then stood up and nodded at the driver. "Furukabu-san, let's go now."

As soon as the bus pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road, Endou turned to Tenma with a serious look. "What happened just now? The Fifth Sector accosted you?"

"Yes. But I made my point clear that I'm not joining them." Tenma said calmly.

"And they let you go?"

It was Tsurugi who said that and there was incredulity bleeding into his usual condescending tone.

"I made some good points to them." Tenma said with a small knowing smile at Tsurugi. The punk grimaced and kept quiet.

Endou shook his head but inwardly relieved that Tenma was safe. Aki had told him about a little tidbit that Tenma is actually more than capable of taking care of himself, case and point, just now and the kidnapping attempt the day he became Raimon's coach. He nearly had a heart attack when Aki told him about it but she strongly reassured them that the Fifth Sector agents were taken care of by a new tenant across the street who was military apparently. And Tenma was holding his own before the stranger helped them.

Aki said that the new tenant dropped the agents at the nearest police station and all of them were hoping that the Fifth Sector would back off. But clearly with the Tengawara match, they want him more than ever.

Suddenly he felt that his job just gotten ten times harder.

Tenma was prompted to sit down and he blinked when he saw that he was next to Sangoku. "Sangoku-senpai."

"Are you alright? You took a full-on attack from a Keshin just now." Sangoku eyed him worriedly. Tenma shrugged good naturedly and nodded.

"Yes. It didn't hurt too much." But considering the amount of adrenaline coursing through his body from the match and later fighting the Fifth Sectoc agents, he might feel very sore later.

"Glad to hear that." Sangoku then ducked his head and his face became apologetic. "And I want to apologize for what I said that time..."

"It's fine. I've...been stressed recently because of family matters. I am the one who should be apologizing for getting angry." Tenma settled on saying.

Sangoku's apologetic look became sympathetic. "I'm sorry to hear that. Do you want to talk about it?"

"...Not now." Tenma shook his head as he rested his head against the seat as exhaustion crashed on him. Partly because of taking on a Keshin attack and partly from fighting the other entity to maintain consciousness.

"You can rest first. I'll wake you up when we get back to the school."

"Thanks." Tenma caved into his body's needs and soon drifted away. He didn't stir until they returned to Raimon and Aoi offered to escort him back.

"...you just had to get into trouble."

"In my defense...I have none."

Currently Tenma and Dahlia were in the latter's flat. Aki gave him an unimpressed look when he got back and directed him to Dahlia's place. Dahlia groaned as she pushed her hair back. "I leave you for a few hours and not only did you disregard my advice, you tussled with the Fifth Sector and had witnesses."

"Kita-san and Hayabusa-san are too scared to say anything. And I doubt that the Fifth Sector will be trying anything any time soon. They'll be too busy dealing with Raimon's little rebellion." Tenma shrugged.

"Or they will try harder to stop Raimon's rebellion or make you their SEED." Dahlia raised a pointed eyebrow at him.

"True." Tenma acquiesced with a sheepish look.

"And you know that you cannot draw too much attention to yourself lest you alert the insurgents of your whereabouts."

"Also true."

Dahlia sighed and waved it off. "But I guess that's not too important now. I asked around the embassy. The Fifth Sector somehow figured out you are from Wythras and went to the Embassy. But no one outside has access to any Wytherian citizen information as they are still under lockdown after the bombing of Somerset palace. Nothing short of the prime minister and His Majesty's orders can let anyone access their database. And your information data is under the highest level of security. The Ambassador turned them away but we still have no idea how they found out in the first place."

"I asked Hayabusa-san after the match and he didn't have a clue about it. He was only told by Kuroki to mention it during the match."

"Then that could be a very bad thing. Kuroki probably figured out you were hiding but we don't know if he knows the full extend of your identity. He could be holding on to it to blackmail you or wait for the right opportunity to expose it."

"I see." Tenma said with a thoughtful hum. Dahlia cocked an eyebrow as she recognized that look. Tenma was planning something...or to be precise, he was scheming something.

"I have an idea to lure out the leaker. But it'll take the right circumstances to do it."

"Then you might be happy to know, I just got in touch with Abel again."

"He's out of communications blackout?" Tenma looked at her in surprise.

"Yes. He told me that Nosaka and Nishikage are coming to Japan soon to scout for players for the Wythrian Youth team."

Tenma slowly nodded as a thoughtful grin spread on his face. "That will work."

"By the way, he said that you need to call him as soon as you can." Dahlia suddenly became serious. "It's about your mother."

Tenma froze but soon nodded in acknowledgement. "Got it."

"...Do you want to call him now?"

"Not now. I'll call him later tonight. I want to go back and rest for a while before dinner."

Dahlia was understanding as she observed that he was barely able to stay awake. She placed a hand on his shoulder and guided him to the door. "I'll walk you back to Aki's. Do be more careful with the Fifth Sector in the future. I will do what I can to protect you but I also need you to work with me to do that."

"I know." Tenma mumbled out half asleep. Dahlia rolled her eyes in slight exasperation, knowing that her charge would likely forget it and charge into danger once again just to protect his family and friends. He's just as bad as Abel even if they were not related by blood.

The next morning, Aki eyed her relative worriedly when he came down to breakfast with red rimmed eyes and downcast eyes, a stark contrast to his normally upbeat attitude. She knew what was causing his distress as Abel always updated her on Sayuri's condition before Tenma.

"Are you sure that you want to go to school today?" She asked Tenma gently. "You can stay home today if you are not feeling up to it."

"It's fine." Tenma shook his head and sighed. "I would rather distract myself with school."

"If you're sure. But don't hesitate to call me if you want to come back."

"Thanks. But I'll manage." Tenma managed a weak smile. He was soon out of the manor, aware of Aki's prickling gaze on his back. It didn't matter, he couldn't be with his mother now. So might as well try to go through the day like normal. He forced himself to plaster a smile as he ran to school.

"It'll work out somehow." He repeatedly muttered to himself. If he said it long enough, he could bring himself to believe his motto. His mother will get better and wake up soon. The Fifth Sector will stop bothering Raimon. The insurgent situation in Wythras will be taken cared off.

Even when Shinsuke caught up to him, he forced himself to smile and pretend that everything was alright. Even when the seniors despaired over their win and refused to join practice, he pushed himself to focus on getting better for the next match. He went through the same process for the next few days. Aki was getting more worried for him and it was getting harder to maintain his façade.

But everything snapped when Tsurugi made his move.

"Let me play in the next match!"

Everyone stopped practice to stare at Tsurugi after his dramatic entrance and declaration. This cannot bode well for anyone. The Fifth Sector was making their move and everyone had a foreboding feeling that it will not end well for them. But their coach was either oblivious to it or he was too carefree. He grinned and gave Tsurugi the 'OK' to participate in the match. Even Otonashi cannot keep the shock off her face at Endou's easygoing attitude towards the SEED.

Even as everyone panicked over Tsurugi and the coach's actions, Tenma could not muster the energy to remain optimistic.

That was the last straw for Minamisawa. "I quit."

Everyone stilled at the purple haired forward's declaration. Endou remained impassive though. "Are you able to quit?"

"Yes." With a short bow, Minamisawa left. Everyone stared at his departing figure despondently but one person was glaring at Tenma with intense fury.

"The one destroying Raimon's soccer club isn't the Fifth Sector or Tsurugi...it's you!" Kurama's glared became more furious at Tenma. "If you didn't come to the soccer club...no, if you didn't come to Japan, all of this would not have happened! Go back to wherever it is you came from and never return!"

"Kurama!" More than one person snapped at the remaining forward, not just Sangoku and Shindou but the other seniors like Hamano, Kuramada, Kirino and Amagi who were just as taken aback by the sever declaration.

"Tenma..." Shinsuke tried to comfort his friend. But Tenma had lowered his head with his bangs shadowing his eyes. His fists were clenched tightly at his side as his entire body trembled.

In Tenma's mind, the turmoil of his mother's illness and the stress of Wythras' political instability, coupled with the threat of the Fifth Sector, finally came bursting out of the dam he built to contain them. All the emotions he has been repressing since his mother collapsed came gushing out. Once again, the presence crept back into his mind. But this time, it felt different...

"STOP IT!"

Shinsuka barely had time to duck away as an outburst of Keshin energy erupted from Tenma. Shindou gasped as he felt his Keshin stir at the volatile energy and everyone unconsciously took a step back from the brunet.

"Tenma!" Aoi gasped as Otonashi and Endou shot out of their seats. The former was shifting her gaze anxiously between the coach and Tenma while the former was tensed and poised to jump in should Tenma's Keshin lash out again.

But it didn't do that. This time, Tenma remained in control though he was unaware of his Keshin aura swirling erratically around him. His focus was fixed on the now paling Kurama.

"You have no idea what I had to give up to come here!" The hiss that came out of Tenma's mouth was chilly, a stark contrast to his usual bubbly bright tone. With that being said, Tenma turned and stormed off the field. No one dared move until he was out of sight.

"...What the-!"

"Tenma!" Aoi bolted off after her friend despite Otonashi and Midori's attempts to stop her.

"I'll go after them!" Sangoku immediately volunteered and took off before Endou could stop him. Said coach stared after the two students and sighed, rubbing his face tiredly.

"All of you are dismissed for today."

"Wait, coach!" Kuramada gapsed. "You can't expect us to go back without answers! What in the world happened to Mastukaze!?"

"He's right." Shindou spoke up, giving the coach an even glare. "I think I speak for all of us that we need to know what happened to Tenma."

Endou sighed again and glanced at the direction Tenma ran off to. "I've been investigating that for a while, but I don't have any answers that I can...or should give you."

"But you know something." Kirino narrowed his eyes.

"It's not something I want to discuss like this nor is it something I should talk about without Tenma. Go back home and get some rest."

But everyone was refusing to move and for the first time, Endou became very stern with them. He gave them a pointed look that strongly reminded them of their previous coach. "Now."

Everyone got the message and hurried back to the club building. But no one can deny that they were still feeling scared over what happened with Tenma.

It didn't take Aoi long to track down Tenma. Despite his less than stable state, he was still predictable enough that Aoi soon found him behind the soccer club building which was isolated. There, Tenma was crouched against the wall with his head buried in his hands, his body rocking as soft sobs racked his body. Discreetly, she pulled out her phone and shot a text to Dahlia about their whereabouts and another to Aki, asking her to come over to pick him up.

"Oh Tenma." Aoi slowly approached him and sat down next to him. "Are you alright?" She asked, gently touching his shoulder. Tenma flinched at the touch but relaxed when he realized that it was only his friend.

"Aoi..." Tenma sank into the ground and wiped his face to get rid of the tears streaming down his face.

Aoi frowned at the broken sight of her friend. She didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around him. "Is it your mother?"

Tenma's sob and curling up tighter was the answer she needed. Aoi bit her lip then asked, "How bad is it?"

"They didn't think she would make it for a while."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Aoi clung on tighter to convey comfort for him. "Was this after the Tengawara match?"

Tenma looked at her in slight surprise through his tears. "How did you...?"

Aoi's smile turned wry. "Try as you might, I know you best. I know that most of the time when you smile brightly and say that you're fine, you're definitely holding back a breakdown."

"Sometimes, I hate how readable I am to you."

"The perks of being your friend since we were nine." Aoi said playfully. And that got Tenma to crack a smile briefly. "Don't bottle up everything next time, acting like you're fine. Talk to me or Aki-san."

"I know." Letting out a shuddered breath, he tried to get up but his knees bucked and Aoi quickly caught him to steady him. The blue haired girl touched his forehead and winced at the temperature.

"You're burning up."

"Probably because I used too much Keshin energy. I didn't realize what I was doing until just now." Tenma mumbled as he leaned back against the building. After he was sure he was not going to collapse on himself again, he straightened up. "I should go back and apologize to them..."

"No, you're not." Aoi planted her hands on her hips with a defiant glare. "I let know Aki-san know to pick you up. She'll be here any minute. And you don't owe them an apology. Kurama-senpai was the one who was out of line."

"But..."

"No 'buts'." Aoi lightly chaffed him. "I'll help you to the parking lot and get your things."

"What would I do without you?"

"Probably not have someone cover for you every time you have to run off."

Tensions in the locker room was high. No one dared to talk about Tenma's outburst. Minamisawa's locker was already emptied out and his uniform folded on the bench. Other than Dana-sensei coming in to drop off some paperwork for Otonashi-sensei, Sangoku, Aoi, Tenma, and the adults didn't come back.

"...Matsukaze is not coming back to the team, isn't he?" Kurama finally broke the silence.

"I have no idea." Shindou said, not wanting to look at the forward.

"He'll be back." Shinsuke tried to stay optimistic. "He loves soccer too much to quit."

There was a slam from Kurama's locker as the agitated forward glared at the short defender. "If he's smart, he'll stay away from the club!"

"Kurama!" Shindou snapped, slamming down his first on the table, making everyone jump. "That's enough! You can be upset with me or Sangoku-san, but you are not allowed to take your anger out on the first years."

Kurama opened his mouth to protest but was cut off when Sangoku stormed into the clubroom. The stormy look on his face belayed anyone from questioning him. The goalkeeper went straight to Kurama with a stern gaze. "When Tenma comes back to school, you are going to apologize to him. No excuses."

"But Sangoku-san...!"

"No." Sangoku's eyes flared, "You went too far yelling at him like that, granted, it was not the sole reason why he snapped. But that does not excuse your words."

"What do you mean, Sangoku-senpai?" Shinsuke blinked.

Sangoku finally released Kurama from his glare and turned away with a tired slouch. "Tenma's mother is dying."

There was dead silence in the room as the words sank into everyone's minds. Slowly, their mouths dropped in agape.

"What? Where did you hear about this?" Shindou was the first to react.

"I heard Tenma and Aoi talking about it just now. Tenma said that his mother nearly didn't make it. And this has been festering in his mind since the Tengawara match." Sangoku looked slightly uncomfortable at the fact that he accidentally found out about this through eavesdropping.

"But he didn't say anything about it." Shinsuke frowned.

"And he seemed like his usual self." Hamano pointed out with an uneasy grin.

"That's because Tenma's good at pushing his feelings aside until his emotional dam breaks."

Everyone jerked to the entrance where a fuming Aoi stood, glares directed at Sangoku and Kurama.

"Aoi..."

"And he does not appreciate his personal information being spread around." Aoi did not waste any time in storming to Tenma's locker and grabbing his bag and uniform. "Captain, Tenma is not feeling well. I called his guardian to pick him up and he might not be coming to school tomorrow."

"Is he alright?" Shindou immediately shared concerned looks with Sangoku.

"Just give him some time to get his mind straight. He said he'll apologize when he comes back. But I don't think he owes anyone an apology this time." Aoi's glare darkened as she glared at the players, save for Shindou and Shinsuke. Hamano and Hayami gulped as they took a step back while Midori and Akane looked on in fascination. Everyone else was shifting uncomfortably. This was a side they never knew about this side of the normally sweet and placid manager.

"And if I find out that anyone of you are talking about it behind his back again or spread it around the school, I'll give you a taste of my Super Sour Lemonade." Aoi finished her threat and stormed out of the clubroom, Tenma's things in tow.

"Man, she's savage." Midori whistled in awe.

"She won't actually force us to drink that, would she?" Hamano asked uneasily.

Shinsuke shrugged, gathering up his things. "I don't know. But from what I know about Aoi, she can be scarily determined when she sets her mind on something."

Almost simultaneously, everyone decided not to get on the blue haired manager's bad side.

That night, Aki went to check on Tenma after he skipped dinner. Endou had told her what happened when she went to pick him up and offered to accompany them back in case Tenma's Keshin acted up again. But Aki was fairly confident she can handle it. Based on past experience, she realized the pattern of Tenma, or rather his Keshin, acting up. Tenma's Keshin will appear whenever Tenma or people around him are threatened by something.

As long as it doesn't perceive her as a threat, it won't hurt her, that she was certain.

When she said as much to Endou, he gained a thoughtful look and promised to get back to her on Rococo's findings about Tenma's Keshin.

"Tenma?" She lightly knocked on the door. When there was no answer, she entered the room and found her relative lying on his side facing the wall on his bed. Huffing slightly, she approached him and sat down on the bed. "How are you feeling?"

I've been better." Tenma croaked out. That was an understatement considering his red rimmed eyes and blotchy face. Aki lightly ran her hand over his hair while checking his temperature.

"You're still a little warm. Stay home tomorrow. You clearly need the day off."

"I..."

"Tenma, you need the time away from everyone. I can tell it's been exhausting to pretend that nothing's wrong with your life. Give yourself a break and maybe we can make cookies together. And Abel promised to call again tomorrow about the updates on Sayuri-obasa."

Tenma thought about it for a moment then nodded. "Alright. I'll let Aoi know I'm not going to school tomorrow."

"She knows." Aki hummed. "She's known you long enough."

"I need to make a cake for her." Tenma managed a smile.

"That you do, young man." Aki stood up and gave him a longsuffering look. "And when you are in a better frame of mind, we are going to talk about better coping methods rather than bottling up everything until you snap again."

"...Alright."

Satisfied with his answer, Aki took her leave, leaving Tenma to his thoughts. Once again, the presence, his Keshin, crept into his mind when his mind was spiraling downwards. But this time, it was different. Instead of fighting against him, it was working with him.

"Why is it different?" Tenma sighed as he sat up in resignation. He got up from his bed and went to his desk. Pulling out a blank piece of paper, he got to work on writing down his theories about his Keshin.

"You went too far yelling at him like that, granted, it was not the sole reason why he snapped. But that does not excuse your words."

"Tenma's mother is dying."

"I heard Tenma and Aoi talking about it just now. Tenma said that his mother nearly didn't make it. And this has been festering in his mind since the Tengawara match."

"That's because Tenma's good at pushing his feelings aside until his emotional dam breaks."

Someone hit the pause button on the laptop playing the recordings. Leaning back, they smirked as they thought how they can make use of this.

Fun fact 1: Aoi's Super Sour Lemonade is a forbidden combination of lemonade with extra lime, apple cider, sour plum, rhubarb, etc. She has a tame down version of it with only lemon, lime and sour plum.

I find that I've been projecting on Tenma a lot in this chapter in terms of how he deals with his emotions. It's unhealthy and I acknowledge I need better coping mechanisms.