Secrets We Tried to Hide

After months of rehabilitation, things have started to change in Ohisama-en.

Some of the children weren't orphans anymore as their family began to show up and get them back. But that wasn't the only thing that was happening. Little by little, they start to know a few unrevealed secrets from each other.

A girl with a blonde hair gazed down from the second story building as she saw one of her former teammate wave at her. Morino Rumi also known as Mole, who played as Epsilon's defender back then. The sight seemed very unusual not only for everyone but especially to Fuuko.

The girl finally removed her huge red gas mask that Sega and Metron used to tease her a lot. Well, only the top part. So she left herself with the mask that still had the grey tube that was attached all the way to the back part of her uniform.

'Her hair color's a mystery.' Everyone used to say.

But this time, the truth was finally revealed. Surprising most of the girls.

She had long red wavy hair just like Ariel's which made some of them envious, not to mention Desarm. The thought made Fuuko smile to herself like an idiot.

Morino glanced back at her older sister who was wearing glasses. They had the same height and same eye color. She made a gesture with her open hands as if telling her to wait-there, then she turned back to Fuuko, unmasking herself. Breathing in the fresh air for the first time in months, it felt intoxicating at first but she got the hang of it a few seconds later.

"I'll…" She coughed, pounding her chest just so she could continue.

"It's okay. 'Ya don't have to speak 'ya know." Fuuko shouted from the second floor balcony. "We all know that your lungs are so strong by now that normal air makes 'ya sick. Now 'ya're a total alien. How cool is 'at?"

"I'll…" Even more coughing. "Come back."

She showed a grin before choking and all thanks to her sister who ran all the way back to her just to shove the mask on her mouth again. Then as she regulated her breathing, she made a thumbs-up sign before finally leaving the place.

Fuuko let out a sigh as the silhouette of the girl disappeared together with her family.

Must be nice for your family to come and get you.

When she was about to go back to her room, there was a noise in the very end of the hallway. A door swinging open and some luggage being brought out of the apartment room.

"Hurry up and put it downstairs." Demanded a very tiny yet scary voice.

"Why me? Why don't you put it downstairs? Or why not just throw it over the fence and maybe your family is kind enough to catch this fifty kilo luggage?"

Both Genesis' former team members were bickering like an old couple in the corridor, all because of a single green luggage.

"Downstairs. Now. My family is waiting for me." The short goalkeeper commanded Komazawa, the guy who had these sharp banana decorations on his head. And surprisingly, he wasn't threatened by Nemuro's menacing glare. More like everyone on his team got used to it.

"Then why not Procyon Net that thing downstairs BIG FELLA?"

Fuuko knew where this was headed and it all went down the same road.

"How is that supposed to help me? I'm not going to catch my luggage. The only thing I'm going to catch later is your jaw, for realizing that you just made a very lame and unintelligent comeback."

And that's why you shouldn't mess with small guys. You can never win an argument with Nemuro, unless you're Yagami. He sees her as an older sister and he respects her so much that he rarely talks back to her.

"Both of you enough with that." Says Tsumujino Touji, Diamond Dust's former forward. His crimson red eyes struck both of the guys as he peeked his head through the gap of the door and made them shush.

"Well shorty over here just humiliated me." Pointing at Nemuro.

Tsumujino stepped out of his apartment room and headed to them. "He always humiliates everyone, even though it's not his intention. Right?" The brown haired lad looked at Nemuro before he got the luggage in his hands and carried it all the way down to the first floor. Nemuro nodded and followed him downstairs.

And as Banana guy went back to his room, he caught Fuuko smiling at him almost as if to tease him. "You know what you should laugh at? Laugh at that panty on your head, crab!"

Fuuko just folded her arms and gave him one of her sweet yet vengeful signature laughs. "Three thousand points for Nemuro. Negative one hundred for Komazawa." Followed by a huge smirk that totally annoyed the heck out of him. He came marching towards her and by the time they were face to face, he stopped and narrowed his eyes at her.

"Yeah. Go ahead and humiliate me one more time and—"

Before he could even finish his sentence, she immediately interrupted him.

"—Komazawa, kneel for me." Fuuko rested her hand on her hip, straightening her back and raising her chin up like she was a totally different person. "Didn't 'ya hear? I said, kneel down."

"Heck I won't kneel down!"

And by the time he said that like it was on cue, a violet mist suddenly appeared on his legs, quickly wrapping them and pulling them to the ground. As his knees fell down to the floor, it made the cement crack and have visible dented marks.

Just behind him, was a girl who's very clever when it comes to sneaking behind her opponents. Well not that Komazawa's an opponent but you do get me right? Kinki Nozomi does her favorite trick again.

"Gravitation!" The girl shouted from behind in a kneeling position while her hands are pounded on the ground that made an even bigger crack.

"WHAT HEY—GAH OUCH NO!"

His knees felt wobbly and weak that even when the power was gone, it took him several seconds to gain his strength back. And while he's still on the ground, panting from the slight exhaustion, something bright flashed behind Fuuko that blinded him.

"Aaaand we got that on camera. We'll just have to upload it on youtube and see if we can get a thousand views at least."

"Even YOU MUTOU?!" Komazawa blinked in surprise, leaning on the wall for support as he slowly stood up. "How can you do this to me? BETRAYAL."

"Yeah well by betrayal—" Mutou made air quotes while still holding his phone. "—you mean blocking me on twitter and not liking my super hilarious vines?" He darted a look at him before he got so obsessed with his phone again.

"People are complaining about your videos Metron…" Says Kinki, brushing some dusts off her shoulders and knees. "I don't think…"

"And looks like now we know who's one of them." And Metron hissed at the girl with distaste but he still kept the same friendly face he had.

That's what's good about him. He's not the cold type of person. He's more of the easygoing sidekick, a milder version of Sega. Ten times milder than Segata, yes.

Because when it comes to Segata, well, he's a whole lot different. Crazier, much more lunatic and psychotic person you'll ever meet. No wonder Maki was so interested in that guy, well even Fuuko… but let's not get into that for now.

Metron clicked his phone and slipped it back in his pocket. "All work's done, great job guys. You may take a break." Patting Komazawa on the back and winking at Kinki for the job well done.

"WHAT?!" Shouted the banana head in great disbelief.

"Please, stop shoutin' for Pete's sake." Fuuko rolled her eyes, keeping the same slightly evil look on her face like she's having a great time embarrassing people.

"Me? Stop shouting?! STOP SHOUTING WHEN YOU JUST UPLOADED A VIDEO OF ME KNEELING DOWN TO A… SOMEONE LIKE YOU? WHAT IF MY FAMILY SEES IT?! THEY'RE HEADED HERE AND… AND…"

"Woah woah calm down man, come let's take a selfie instead." Mutou draped an arm around him and showed him a gentle smile like it would calm him down. Unfortunately it only made things worse. "DELETE THAT VIDEO OR I'LL CALL THE SWAT TEAM TO DECAPITATE YOU ALL."

"I don't think you can do that." Kinki laughed and went beside Fuuko, giving both of the guys a cheeky grin. "Besides, I do have a feeling your family likes bananas."

"Bananas… Yes! Great idea!" Said Mutou as he posed at the camera with a peace sign together with a candid shot of an arguing Komazawa. "Hashtag… bananas. Good idea." He nodded to himself as he climbed downstairs, uploading a photo of him and Komazawa being dorks and dumbasses.

He followed the guy, trying to snatch his phone away but every time he tried, he ended up tripping down the stairs.

As the days went by, relatives of the orphans or some kindhearted foster parents came by every single day, taking home their children. As the numbers of the parents who visited the Sun Garden increased, the kids also began to decrease.

And Fuuko felt worried and anxious at some point that one day she decided not to go out of her apartment room. Until Hiroto came by and checked if everything was fine. She assured him that everything was okay and made an excuse that she had a tummy ache. The boy gave her some medicine pills to drink and she gladly thanked him for it.

In fact, the following days were a lot harsher.

When two of her best friends went away.

Maki's relatives came by around noon that day. She too was actually stuttered, having no news whatsoever and she haven't even packed her things yet—which was a total disaster. So she had no choice but to scramble up her things and squeeze them up in two large baggage that wanted to explode so badly.

One thing that shocked Fuuko was her family.

Her family was rich.

They came by with a Range Rover and another Audi car in case they won't have any space. The family had their own personal driver and as soon as Fuuko saw Maki's parents, she thought she was in front of a television. Full on make up with some tattoos on her neck that were written in Chinese.

Her parents seemed to be pretty fine and really wealthy. So you could say she's a very lucky girl.

And before they parted, Sega rushed down the stairs to hug his girlfriend one last time. They stared at each other for five minutes, tears running down their faces and a lot of lovingly nuzzles and cheek kissing went on.

Fuuko stared at the ground and collected herself before she transformed her pained look into a brighter smile. She approached both of her best friends and gave them both a tight hug. She valued their friendship so much that it felt like she was leaving her little sister behind.

But there was so much going on behind those walls of friendship.

A lot of dark and unrevealed secrets that were still waiting to be known.

Yet the two are the closest ones to her—the one's that she can truly call… her siblings. Her family. And one of them was going away, for good.

"Maki will miss you Fuuko! Maki likes you so much I won't forget you!" The girl cried in a high-pitched voice, screaming near to her ear.

"Yeah 'cause if 'ya do, expect a hard kick on your ass." Replied Fuuko while hugging her.

"Oi, I'm still here. And please, how can you forget our sexy little midfielder right here?" Sega added, smirking to both of them.

"Now, now~ Shouldn't 'ya be goin' with your girlfriend Sega?"

And even though she felt a pang of jealousy as she said that word, she kept it to herself, just like she used to.

"Fuuko don't!" Maki's cheeks turned completely red.

Sega laughed loud enough for everyone to hear. "Not yet but soon baby. Pretty soon, I'll come over and we'll do some lovin'." He showed one of his coolest, devilish grin that made Maki's heart pound faster.

"Oh stop it! Maki should go now, Maki will call you guys. Don't worry!"

She hugged Sega one more time and cupped his cheeks with her hands, giving him a long kiss. Pretty awkward for Fuuko being the third wheel. And when they pulled away, Maki turned to Fuuko with tears in her eyes, sobbing into her shoulder.

"You'll meet him someday Fuuko. Go find a good man! Maki loves you!"

Maki squeezed her one and only girlfriend and gave her a kiss on the cheek before running to the Range Rover with her parents.

She tried to stay for a while but she knows if she stayed a bit longer, she will cry. And she wasn't good at goodbyes. But she soon felt a heavy thing that fell on her left shoulder. It was Sega's head.

Fuuko felt her heart pound but decided to ignore it. Ignore it. Telling her emotions for a millionth time.

I know but…

And the next thing she knew was, she was gently patting Sega's head as he continued to sob silently. The horn honked twice that almost sent her jumping.

I can't.

The sound alerted her. Reminded her that she can't let her feelings take over. Sega's taken and Maki's dating him. And Sega and her? There's no way in hell he'd claim her because their relationship is something far more different than that. A much more bizarre one.

They can't date even if they start to have feelings for each other. It's not always that simple.

"Fuck this, I'm gonna miss her. Shit." He sniffed, wrapping his arms around her and giving her a tight embrace. Fuuko frowned and tapped his back. "Now, now. Don't 'ya dare cry. Face it like a man." She scolded him for being such a crybaby.

She could feel his heartbeat, his warmth and the strength of his arms as they hug. It felt dangerously dark and tempting. She felt like giving in. Her body was in fact, giving in.

"Make me feel better."

And no matter how many times she heard him say that, she couldn't simply resist him.

Segata Ryuuichiro, the guy she had a crush on ever since they played for Epsilon. The guy who boasted about his confidence and abilities when it came to soccer.

A guy with a very dark and twisted personality. Full of danger and endless fun and insanity. Your sweetness and pain all gathered in one neat package. A flaming hot torch that will either keep you warm in the dark or let you feel how alone and deserted you are for having him by your side.

"Sure."

Fuuko replied in a soft voice, rubbing her cheek to his.

Another typical night with Sega. Another night of making out and casual sex.

But they both knew that if they ever crossed the line, it would mean the end.

No feelings, no attachments. Just friends with benefits.

Fuuko woke up to the sound of a muffled voice just outside of the apartment room. The room was kept dark that it didn't seem to help her to get up so easily. She cracked her eyes open and took a quick glance at the clock. It was ten thirty in the morning and she wasn't ready to get up yet. It was a lazy morning. So she went back to bed, wrapping herself with the messed up sheets.

Then she heard two knocks on the door.

"Sega, come on and open the door!" It said.

Wait, Sega?

Fuuko sat upright, scratching her eyes and scanning the entire room. No sign of Sega around not even his boxers. Fuuko cursed silently, standing up to her feet. Clothes, clothes. Where did I put it… Yes. Quickly grabbing her underwear and bra, fastening the locks as fast as she could but the front door swung open. Fuuko stood there, frozen and still.

Shit.

She totally forgot Sega invited her to his room, she crashed into his bedroom and this happened. Well, last night. And the room was a mess, just by looking at it. Hangers and bra straps were scattered on the carpeted floor, the cabinet doors were open like someone was in a hurry, drawers half open and a pillow was sitting in the corner of the room.

"Hey Sega are you here?" Asked the voice of a young man, simple and tender.

As the footsteps got closer, Fuuko's eyes darted to the bed then to the cabinet. Unfortunately, her spandex is nowhere to be seen, not even Sega's. No large shirt that she can simply wear, not even some polo shirt. When she was about to give up, she got a head towel hanging on the edge of the bed and wrapped it around her hips.

Running behind the door as she held her breath. The guy slowly opened the door and observed the place. She heard him sigh in disappointment and just when he retreated, he went back inside the room and placed an envelope on top of the bed. And when he turned around, surprised as he was, he found a girl just behind the door—half naked.

Fuuko's eyes locked on those teal blue eyes with horror and embarrassment. In the meantime, the guy's jaw dropped big enough for a water bottle to enter. Heat was completely frozen by the sight he saw and averted his gaze, turning his back to the girl while his face turned to red.

"S-Sega? W-Where are you Sega?" Shutting his eyes as his shaky hands tried to feel the envelope on the bed. "I didn't see anything alright." He admitted nervously and when he finally felt the envelope in his hands, he picked it up and covered his eyes with it. Heat sat on the edge of the bed, careful with his actions.

Fuuko's cheeks were hot as magma, burning with heat and her head was feeling extreme dizziness. "Ara… Fancy seein' 'ya 'ere Ishi-kun. If 'ya can hand me my clothes underneath the bed…"

And it just appeared. Great timing.

He snickered, keeping the envelope in front of his eyes, blocking enough of his vision. Heat crouched down and grabbed Fuuko's clothes and with one hand, crumpled the spandex suit in a ball and threw it to her like he was shooting some hoops. "Pft, fancy seeing you here Kuri."

There's nothing more humiliating than being seen by the same guy who saw her fail miserably for three times. And today being the fourth.

Fuuko swiftly wore the tight fitting suit and zipped the back part of the suit all the way up to her nape. "'Ya may look now." She said as she ruffled her own hair, putting all of them to one side.

"Next time, give me a warning will you?" His small grin changed to a smirk, placing the envelope back on the bed. "I'm still young and innocent." Followed by laughter.

Fuuko laughed along as she approached him. "Oh right. I forgot 'ya were just a six year old kid dressed as a teenager. Silly me~" Shrugging, rolling her eyes while an evil smile was forming on her face.

"Enough with that and where's Sega anyway? Got this envelope for him and don't know who its from." He stood up with a cool expression on his face, slipping one of his hands in his pockets.

"Why are 'ya askin' me? I'm not his…"

Girlfriend.

CLOSE CALL.

"If you're not his girlfriend then why are you sleeping with him?"

BULLSEYE.

Fuuko paused for a moment and Heat knew what she was planning to say.

"Not his girlfriend." The lad shot him an interested look that made her uncomfortable. But instead of teasing her, he decided not to and shook his head. "I've seen you four times doing this and you still think I don't know a thing about your relationship with him?" "Innocent, slightly. Curious thinker, yes." He added. "And this six year old child knows what you guys have been up to behind your very own best friend."

Now that just made Fuuko frown with dismay. Great, now what? I'm sure he told Nepper about this already. Yet instead of smacking the guy in the face, she stepped back and folded her arms, slightly chinned up and raised her eyebrow.

"Then why haven't 'ya told everyone 'bout this?" Heat felt the sharpness on her tone but still remained calm and composed despite the fact that his ass will get kicked in a matter of seconds.

"I can if I want to."

Now this guy's looking for a fight. Is he trying to threaten me?

"Oh Ishi-kun, 'ya better not."

"I'd like to try new things like hmm… what do you call that again? Oh blackmailing. Heard that from Burn so many times and I was wondering what it was." Flashing the girl a smile that can be translated as just-so-you-wait-til-I-kill-you. "Now, tell me where Sega is before I change my mind Kuri."

"I told 'ya I don't know. He probably went out. Why don't 'ya ask the others?"

"Already did. No one knows where he went. Probably sneaked out and ditched us all." Heat side glanced at the messy bed, imagining Sega still lying down, sleeping on the other side of the bed. "Wouldn't be surprised if he did. I'm sure you've seen his face yesterday before Maki went away right? Twenty twelve apocalypse." Heat stared back at Fuuko.

"The only twenty twelve apocalypse happenin' right now is him leavin' me." She didn't mean to raise her voice at him but Heat was taken aback by the heated response she made. Like there was some bitterness that came with it. There was a big lump of jealousy stuck in her throat.

"Excuse me?" The guy narrowed his eyes, trying to remember what she said.

"Wha'ever." Fuuko went out of the room and headed out of the apartment. He followed with a concerned and fascinated expression.

"What did you say?" Asking the girl as they both exited Sega's apartment room.

"I said get lost. You're lookin' for Sega? Go look for him. I don't know where he is. Do I look like a Google Maps app to 'ya? Sorry to disappoint but I'm just Kuri Fuuko."

She headed to her apartment, just beside Sega's and slammed the door.

"Kuri Fuuko, the girl I'm about to blackmail." He said on the other side of the door.

The girl stood by the door, too stunned to speak. Heat was already making his first move and it was way too early. The thought never came to her that it could be now. And it made her baffled that she had trouble moving her hands.

"So why don't you open up the door and let me set the ground rules." He provokingly threatened. "Before it spreads like wildfire."

And the one thing that Fuuko hated the most was how intimidating his mild voice was. Though it felt like the boy was just mouthing out some nonsense, the threat was giving her so much difficulty. It felt surreal.

The door slightly opened, thin enough for Fuuko to see half of his face.