'Ello,

On deck is a fic based on You're Under Arrest! (though Fujishima-san's
greatest work is coming up later on in group play, I guarantee) Let me
tell you, I didn't think I'd make it this far. ^_^

Not that anyone is really concerned about the format of this little pet
project, but I might change the schedule of matches (I didn't know that I
had all of Saudi Arabia's three matches on the list!), just to make for a
better story.  So, if in case you are holding on to the schedule I posted
before I kicked this thing off, it's just tentative.  The list of series
won't change, just the matches being played, if the schedule is changed at
all.

OK, sooooo...again, I await your comments, and until then, enjoy!

P.S. Sports fans, England v Argentina at 7:30 AM ET later today should be
one for the books.  If the opportunity arises, watch it, it is sure to be
a rare beauty.
---
Caught in the Sun
A 2002 World Cup / Anime Fanfic Series
By Roehl Sybing (indef@infinitedeferral.com)

Episode Seven: Extra Defenders
Group F: Sweden v Nigeria @ Kobe
A You're Under Arrest! Fanfic

"It's not England-Argentina that's being played tonight, but in the other
second match also taking place in the so-called Group of Death, the clash
between Sweden and Nigeria is just as significant. Fans all across England
and those that have traveled to Japan want so much for their team to
advance into the round of sixteen. With only one point going into the
second wave of group matches at this World Cup, England must rely on the
graces of Nigeria to stick it to Sweden in order to open up the table. But
the Swedes, after drawing with England one-one earlier this week, have
everything to prove against an unlucky Nigerian side that stayed with
Argentina all the way to full time, despite losing one-nil to the South
Americans."

"As is the case later tonight in Sapporo, Kobe officials have called
virtually every metropolitan police officer into active duty to work
security in and around the match between Sweden and Nigeria. Nigerian
fans - and they have come to Wing Stadium in droves this afternoon - have
put on quite a display of support for their national team, in and out of
the stadium, and that has made Japanese officials in this otherwise quiet
city very tense. To top it off, the logistical nightmares arising from
ticketing problems in both Japan and Korea have caused some fans to erupt
in anger. Already, here in Kobe, two Swedes have been arrested for public
disturbance, and officials do not expect that to be the last incident of
the day. As a result, Kobe is getting broad assistance from authorities in
Tokyo, who have dispatched their own forces for the match to keep Wing
Stadium calm and incident-free."
---
"All right, move it along! Get out your tickets!" Natsumi said while
navigating against the flow of pedestrian traffic pouring into the
stadium. Certainly a rowdy bunch that she was dealing with. And the crowds
were simply endless! "C'mon, form a line already! Make sure your tickets
are out!"

Among all the hectic excitement, though, Natsumi's eye caught on to
something rather disturbing in the distance. She had to respond, and
quick! So, as she bulldozed through the endless droves of people, causing
many a fan to bend to her strength and topple over themselves, Natsumi
rushed to the aid of one most in need.

"Waaaah!" a little girl cried.

"Hey!" Natsumi replied, "What's the matter?"

The girl, all alone, cried some more before she could speak. "My ball!"
she shouted, pointing to another, "He stole my ball!"

Natsumi's jaw dropped, "What?" Now she was angry. She looked over to the
man that the child identified, a disgraceful fan chatting among his
friends and waving the miniature soccer ball about in his hands. Without a
second thought, she marched over to him and grabbed him by the shoulder to
have a good look at him.

"What's up, sweetheart?" he playfully said to her, not that her blood was
already up.

"Cute, real cute," Natsumi replied, then taking him by the neck and
lifting him up with one hand. "Don't kick now, you'll only make me more
angry! Now give me the ball!"

"I was--gonna give it back!" he said, struggling, "I was just--"

"Nah-ah! Hand it over, and I mean now!"

The toy dropped to the floor, and so did the pitiful man once Natsumi
reached for the ball. After picking it up, she happily gave it back to the
child, her tears all gone.

"Thank you, officer-lady!" she said, then going about her way. Natsumi
watched her take off to rejoin her parents. A smile firmly planted itself
on her face. It was the little things about the job.
---
Natsumi wandered about, trying to find her partner. She was at the final
security area, screening out the lines of people making their way to their
seats.

"Miyuki!" she called out.

The policewoman looked up, and waved from the across the crowds. "Keeping
busy?" Miyuki asked.

"Absolutely, yeah," Natsumi replied, "Hey, how about you and me grab some
lunch?"

"Natsumi!" her partner said, snapping, "We've got a lot things to do, we
don't have time for lunch!"

"Yeah, I know, I'm just kidding!" she said, reaching over to help out
Miyuki, "Still, you'd think they'd throw us a bone for working the extra
hours, I was on my time off!"

"What did you have in mind?"

"Oh, I dunno...say, maybe they'll let us in to watch the game!"

"Hmm," Miyuki said, "I hadn't thought about it too much, but I think that
would be fun."

"You think? Everyone's enjoying themselves sitting in line, imagine what
it's going to be like during the game!"

Natsumi's light-hearted remark was drowned out, however, once her partner
was on listening in on the police radio. There had been some chatter over
the air for quite some time.

She joined Miyuki, listening in as well. "All officers," the radio said,
"Be on the lookout for a man, six-foot-three, wearing jeans and a leather
jacket. He is carrying around a large cardboard package stolen from the
main stadium office. He is to be taken into custody immediately!"

"A guy in a leather jacket?" Natsumi scoffed, "That could be anyone!"

"Or," Miyuki replied, pointing out, "It could be that guy."

The two of them looked in the distance, as a man that fit the rather vague
description on the radio, identified by the package that was secured
underneath his arm, walked about with his back turned to the two
policewomen. The suspect was made more noticeable when he walked through
the crowds, the only man besides the uniformed officers to be exiting the
stadium right before kickoff.

"Is he dangerous?" Natsumi said.

"I don't know, but we have to sneak up on him, or else he'll make a run
for it."

"Yeah, let's--"

Suddenly, a third police officer spoiled their hopes.

"Hey!" he said, pointing the suspect out, "You there!"

Natsumi and Miyuki groaned as the thief took flight, amazingly exiting the
stadium in quick fashion despite the crowds.

"I knew it's never this easy!" Natsumi cried, right before darting off to
chase after him. Miyuki, on the other hand, gathered herself quite
methodically until she turned in the opposite direction, towards the
stadium parking.
---
Fortunately for Natsumi, as she watched the thief commandeer a car from
traffic, a set of police motorcycles lined the entrance to the stadium.

"Sorry!" she cried to the nearby officers, "Police business!"

Turning the key in the ignition and speeding off, Natsumi turned excited
as she caught some real action in chasing down the hijacked car. Of
course, she thought, her partner would miss out on all the fun in the
chase, with their police car tucked away in the lots. But she wanted to
make the arrest so desperately. As always, it was the little things that
were fun.

The pursued - along with his pursuer - turned the sharp corner into the
streets of Kobe, a rather empty part of town as most people were either at
the stadium or indoors to watch the game. A chase made more difficult,
however; had the narrow streets been more crowded, Natsumi would've easily
cornered the car with her motorcycle. And Miyuki would not have been able
to make up the distance on the clear, empty roads.

"What?" Natsumi said as Miyuki's patrol car showed up on her rear-view
mirror, "How'd she get here so fast?"

As Miyuki caught up to her partner on well-timed nitro boosters stowed
away in her car, it hardly made much of a difference; the thief was making
quite a valiant escape in what both policewomen saw to be a rather sleek
sports car that turned the next corner just before a group of children
crossing the street blocked their path.

Miyuki was just as eager to make the arrest herself; as a result, she
backed up and turned right around, heading for a side street to try and
cut the thief off in his tracks. The veteran highway patrolwoman was quite
unfamiliar with the streets of Kobe, and had to make a guess at what city
streets the suspect would be traveling. One thing was for certain, though:
if he was going in the same direction she was, then he was making a break
for the onramp onto the highway.

Natsumi immediately thought her partner out of the running. She poured on
the speed on her rather swift motorcycle as desperately attempted to make
up ground on the getaway car. At last, it was in plain sight, but heading
for the highway where anything could happen, including a rather
complicated but absolute escape. Natsumi couldn't let that happen, and
leaned as forward as possible to take the chase to the suspect. Much to
her delight, though, she veered to the left as Miyuki appeared from a side
street in the distance, having navigated the more narrow parts of town to
gain a shortcut's length on the thief.

By then, it was merely a race to see which of the two policewomen would
get to him first. As they paralleled each other, Miyuki and Natsumi
exchanged competitive glances for one last dash to their goal.

The hijacked vehicle did not relent to the persistence of either the
motorcyclist or the patrol car's driver. But the thief, after giving quite
the attempt for a clean escape, turned the wheel and made a hard stop, not
too far away from the highway entrance, a path blocked yet another car in
the road. The thief, stopped dead in his tracks, exited the vehicle rather
indignantly, as Miyuki got out of her patrol car to see the suspect's
foil.

"You're under arrest!" Yoriko said, standing in front of her own patrol
car, quite confident of herself.

"Yoriko?" Natsumi cried, getting off her motorcycle, "Where'd you come
from?"

"I was on my way to the stadium," she replied, taking out her handcuffs to
make the arrest, "I heard all the fuss on the police radio and so, here I
am!"

"But, but...you've never!"

"Yeah, I know! This is exciting for me!"

"I'll take that," Miyuki said, grabbing the package from the foiled thief,
as an artifact dropped from his leather jacket.

"Hey, what's this?" Natsumi said, picking up the item off the floor. It
was a set of tickets to the game! "Well, well," she added, "Looks like you
won't be needing these!"

Miyuki huffed as Yoriko stuffed the suspect in the car. She leaned on the
hood of her vehicle, saying, "Phew! That was quite some chase, wasn't it!"

"Yeah," Natsumi replied, "And we didn't even get to arrest the guy!"

They both had a good laugh, and the two of them looked at each other as
Yoriko said she would head back to the stadium. "I guess that's where we
should be headed, too," Miyuki said.

"Uh-huh," her partner said, looking down at the recovered tickets in her
hand, "Say, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
---
"Are you sure it's OK?" Miyuki asked.

"Sure!" Natsumi said, "They were just too happy to get their package back,
they convinced the others to let us sign out for the day!"

"That's wonderful," she said, grabbing some concessions once she was sure,
"Alright, then, let's go!"

Natsumi nodded as the two of them, accompanied by Yoriko, made for their
seats, courtesy of the thief that gave them all the action they needed for
the day. It was a really good view of the field as the players began play
again after halftime.

"If you are just joining us, I guarantee you that you are in for a
thrilling forty-five minutes as Sweden and Nigeria play their hearts out
in this second half. They put on quite a show in the early goings, and we
are in the midst of a brilliant shoot-out between both sides. Both
managers are psyched, the crowd is psyched, those of us in the booth are
psyched, all because this match is turning out to be one of the more
interesting clashes in the World Cup so far. This kind of play, this kind
of heart- stopping action that just gets your blood going and your
adrenaline rushing, is the thing that everyone lives for. This is what
this tournament is all about!"

END.

Next match:
Episode Eight: Italy v Croatia @ Ibaraki
A Night Walker Fanfic
---
Roehl Sybing
Mine eyes have seen the glory!  3-2 United States!  3-2 United States!

Infinite Deferral - http://www.infinitedeferral.com/
 - stories, fanfic, politics, j-pop, and some curling
every-now-and-then-when-it's-in-season


             .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----.
             | Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com |
             | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com |
             |     Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject     |
             `---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'