Okay, okay, I know I have two other chaptered fics, but this one has been collecting dust for quite a while and I suddenly felt like writing Inazuma again.

So this is Kariya x Aoi. Don't like, don't read. Simple as that.

Disclaimer: I dun't own Inazuma Eleven. Deal. With. It.

Enjoy...

Philosophy in College | Chapter 1 | The Life of Kariya Masaki

What is life? Stupid question to ask oneself. Life is life. Everyone got his or her own. Life is what you yourself make. Or what it becomes if you let others meddle with it. You can't let the past meddle with the present either. That's what they all say. But hey, none of them were ever abandoned and forgotten by their parents. That's life too, they say then. C'est la vie, as the French put it. You only live once.

It's stupid. Doing dumb stuff, because hey, you only frigging live once. You know, if you truly only live once, then do something useful with it. Go to school, get your diploma, go to college or get a job, get married maybe have kids, then grow old with your loved one and die peacefully. Again, that's what most people say, or how most people would like to see it.

The thing is, I am not like others. I never were. I don't really care about school and as long as I get average grades then it's okay. Neither was my plan to go anywhere near college. A job would be enough and maybe, just maybe, a little love as well... Oh, who am I kidding? No one would ever fall in love with a person like me. I'm not particularly nice; more the opposite of nice actually. I pull a lot of pranks, or actually, used to pull. I grew over that, I think. I should pay senpai a visit sometimes...

Anyway, that's off the subject. I also have trust issues and eh... that's all I suppose. I'm not going to say that I'm ugly, because obviously I'm not. But my point is that I'm doomed to be lonely for the rest of my life. Yes, that is my life, Kariya Masaki's life.

Kariya sighed. What was he even thinking? Being alone in his room wasn't exactly good for his state of mind.

"Masaki? Are you coming down? Breakfast is ready," Hitomiko called clearly from underneath the stairs. He wondered if he should go down. He didn't feel like dealing with bratty little kids or the looks and stares he got from older ones. Well, not that there were that many older children, seeing as he was already eighteen, nearing nineteen.

He was one of the few children from Sun Garden who would go to college on Hiroto's money. Hadn't he just thought that didn't want to go? Yes, he had and it was true. He really didn't want to go to college, but Hitomiko had to meddle with it. She had told him that if he wanted to be anything in this society he should study at least something.

When he had refused again and locked the door of his room, she had called Hiroto and with that Midorikawa as well.

When he still refused to even give an answer to the adults in front of his door, they had called for desperate measures. So an hour or so later, Nagumo had busted down his door and dragged him downstairs. Once seated on a kitchen chair, he got another lecture from Nagumo on how important school was, to which Kariya replied that Nagumo couldn't talk, seeing as he hadn't gone to college as well. Somehow that brought life into Suzuno who had watched calmly until then. He had grabbed Nagumo's collar and pulled him away before he could burst into any of his tirades.

Suzuno had then taken over Nagumo's lecture albeit in a far calmer and colder pace then the fiery redhead. After Kariya once again refused, they went to the most desperate of measures. They got Saginuma. Every child in Sun Garden feared him for his three-hour long lectures. Kariya didn't feel like listening to that. He already had a headache from the other nagging adults and thus he had given in.

So here he was, sitting grudgingly at the kitchen table and working down the breakfast Hitomiko had prepared for him. Today was his first day going to college and everybody thought it necessary to make a big deal out of it. So were other children staring more than usual, had Hitomiko prepared him breakfast (though he didn't mind that one that much), Hiroto had promised to take him to college without Kariya actually asking for it (also not really complaining, more that he didn't like it that Hiroto had been the one driving through), Tenma had been nagging him about which school he would go to, Saginuma had called him yesterday and had held his lecture on good behaviour and good grades for three and a half hour, and lastly Nagumo and Suzuno had thought it funny to wave him off.

Kariya glared towards the other side of the table where the fierce and cold adults were happily eating a piece of toast, shooting him triumphant looks from time to time.

Kariya growled as he shovelled the last bits of egg inside, getting strange looks from the other children around the table in the progress.

They thought that he should stop complaining, because apparently he was smart enough to go to college and Hiroto was paying for it. So why was he being so ungrateful?

Kariya got to his feet and grabbed his bag.

"Masaki, your tie." Hitomiko held out the dreadful item. Kariya glared at it for a couple of seconds and then snatched it from her hand. He stamped out of the kitchen and made his way out as quickly as possible. It would still be a couple more minutes before Hiroto would be there to pick him up. Kariya sat down on the grass with a deep sigh.

"So~ how is our student-to-be doing?" Nagumo plopped down next to Kariya, Suzuno at the other side of the teal-haired boy.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" Kariya glared towards the redhead, but he only laughed.

"And miss seeing that look of pure annoyance on your face? Hell, that's what I live for."

"Plus I would really like to know why you actually agreed to go to college while you were so against it," Suzuno questioned.

"What? I just didn't feel like listening to one of Saginuma-nii's three-hour long speeches," Kariya said, shrugging.

"Oh, come on, brat. I'm sure there is some other reason. Maybe a gal?" Nagumo nudged him in the side. Kariya frowned, but the blush on his face didn't go unnoticed.

"There's no one, really."

"Then why are you blushing?"

"Because you asked it out of the blue."

"Still – "

"Stop it, Nagumo." Suzuno didn't want those two in a full-blown argument. Nagumo pouted slightly while Kariya seemed utmost relieved. Then, he quickly got to his feet when he spotted the cabriolet from Hiroto.

"Well, look at that. I thought you didn't want to go to college?" Hiroto said as he stepped out of the car while Kariya hurried towards it, Suzuno and Nagumo on his heels.

"I don't, but anywhere is better than with those two." Kariya glared over his shoulder towards the two with Nagumo staring nonchalantly to the side while Suzuno's eyes flicked towards the tie in Kariya's hand.

Midorikawa, who had also gotten out of the car, followed the man's glance and sighed.

"Masaki, you're supposed to wear that around your neck," he said.

"Eh, what?" Kariya's eyes also flew towards his hands and then sighed in annoyance. "Do I really have to wear it?"

"Yes, of course you have to wear it. Honestly, you're as terrible with them as Hiroto." Midorikawa rolled his eyes while Kariya pouted.

"I'm not terrible with them. I know how to tie one."

"Oh, really? Please do show." Nagumo smirked while Kariya shot him a death glare. Though he had barely laid the thing around his neck or Midorikawa snatched the ends from his hands. With quick fingers Midorikawa tied it and straightened the boy's uniform.

"There. Much better." Midorikawa nodded contently as he stepped back and admired his work.

"Tch, I could've done it myself." Kariya already started loosening the killer grip the tie had on his neck, but Midorikawa slapped his hands away.

"Yes, you could have, but it would be a mess. You do need to look good on your first day of college." Midorikawa said while Kariya pouted and the four adults eyed him in his new uniform.

"Can we go now?" he growled and that seemed to snap the adults out of their trance.

"Yes, get in." Hiroto motioned to the back while he went to the driver's seat while Midorikawa sat down on the passenger's seat. To Kariya's annoyance, Nagumo climbed into the car as well.

"What are you doing?"

"Bringing you to school." Nagumo smirked as Suzuno placed a hand on the teal-haired boy's shoulder and made him sit down in the car, Suzuno sitting at the other side of him.

Kariya didn't say a word until Nagumo decided to bother him again.

"Say? This girl, is she pretty?"

"I told you there is no one!"

"Hmm? What's this? Are you in love, Masaki?" Hiroto asked.

"No."

"Yes, he is," Nagumo talked right through him.

"I'm not!"

"If you're not then why are you turning red?"

"Because this tie is strangling me."

"Then you should turn blue."

"Shut up, Haruya. Leave him be. Not anyone wants to talk about the girl they like." Finally Nagumo was quiet. Thank heavens for Suzun–

"He might like a guy instead."

Never mind.

Kariya choked. "A-a guy!?"

"What? You'll never know." Suzuno shrugged while Nagumo laughed so hard he was gasping for air. Kariya let out a deep sigh.

When they finally arrived, Kariya couldn't get out of the car any quicker. He just had to enter the grounds and he would be rid of his 'brothers' until summer. Just keep cool, don't lose your head and be sure that Nagumo wouldn't do anything –

"See you in the summer again, Masaki-chan!" Nagumo yelled from his seat next to Suzuno, grinning broadly as he waved.

– embarrassing.

Everyone within a fifty meter radius turned around towards the red cabriolet and the waving men while Kariya decided to pretend to be either deaf or oblivious, whichever they preferred.

Finally he was inside the school and away from the idiocy he called home. Until the summer nonetheless.

After the introduction Kariya quickly found his pace in classes, lectures, brakes, everything. Before he knew it, it was already Friday (yes, his judgement of time got quite messed up too).

The apartment Hiroto had gotten him was already fully arranged when he got there after the introduction. It was an apartment in the heart of the city (pretty damn expensive), no room-mates (lonely, but better than having to deal with those everyday), and close to enough food joints, because obviously he couldn't cook and Hiroto gave him money anyway.

He started to feel like a rich, spoiled kid, but you didn't hear him complain. For once he finally didn't feel pitiful, or left behind.

They say that college is much harder than high school. I agree with that. It's horrible, if not downright deadly. I don't know how Saginuma-nii, Hiroto-nii, Suzuno-nii and Midorikawa-nii ever got through this hell. Is this part of my destiny too? Destiny is intertwined with life. Destiny. Something silly as well. I don't believe in the crap of life already being written out for you. Maybe it is just a little. Like with every decision you make the path you walk changes a little, thus creating your own future. They say that, when your parents leave you at an orphanage is destiny too. Yeah, you were born to do great things if your parents ditched you. That's destiny for you, or rather, me. Yep, a lonely destiny. The lonesome destiny of Kariya Masak-

"What the he– " he had been so occupied with his philosophical thoughts that he hadn't watched where he walked. And if someone is sprinting down the hall, they wouldn't have the time to dodge a dreamy teenager now, would they?

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot my bag and I have to run back now. Excuse me and … I'm sorry," the girl said, bowing quickly before sprinting past him without saying another word.

He stared after her. Somehow she seemed really familiar, but he couldn't lay his finger on it. Oh right, she was in the same course as him. They shared quite a lot of lectures.

Ah, whatever. Where was I again? Oh yeah, my lonely life. Hm, what lesson did I have today again?

That's this chapter. Well, it's more of an intro, but whatever.

I don't know how regularly I will update this, but I'll try.

Laters.