School has started, and I'll be quite busy with school work! I might update once every few weeks, so... Thanks for patiently waiting. This is a HakuKyou story. I don't own IE or any of its characters. They all belong to Level-5~
Friends, Enemies or Lovers?
It had been quite a normal and rather peaceful day at the Raimon High soccer club.
When Tenma, Tsurugi and the former first years of Raimon had graduated, they'd immediately applied for the school most of their seniors had gone to: Raimon High School.
So none of their seniors were surprised that a bunch of others who weren't originally in Raimon arrived at their school as well.
Hakuryuu had applied too, in hopes of that he could be in the same school with Tsurugi. The two shared a strong bond of friendship and were also best rivals. Of course, where Hakuryuu went, Shuu also followed, since they were old friends.
Taiyou, Kishibe and Yukimura were also part of the group that had tagged along.
With the dynamic combinations of different personas, anyone could easily see how chaos could easily form in the soccer club.
During one particular day, practice had finished, and some boys were hanging out in the locker room, chatting together.
"Do you have any plans for the weekend?" Taiyou asked Tsurugi.
"Nope. Why do you ask?" Tsurugi frowned. "You, Tenma, Shindou-san and Kirino-san aren't having another double date, are you?"
"You're so smart, Tsurugi!" Tenma shouted loudly, appearing next to his orange-haired boyfriend.
"Very funny," Tsurugi scowled. "I'm not going to be another third wheel."
"Don't be a spoilsport, Tsurugi." Shindou commented. "We're just trying to be nice."
"Yeah, if nice defines as going out with a bunch of friends who are dating another person and will ignore you for the entire night," Tsurugi muttered.
"Point taken," Kirino laughed. "How about this? You can ask your crush out!"
Tsurugi blushed. "No way."
"Ooh, I was only guessing that you had a crush!" Kirino was grinning.
"You walked right into his trap, Tsurugi!" Taiyou exclaimed.
Tsurugi growled, glaring at the pink-haired defender.
"So, who is it?" Tenma looked at his best friend with sparkling eyes.
"Why does it matter to you?" Tsurugi mumbled.
"Again, we're just trying to be nice." Shindou snuck behind Kirino and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend.
"Not here, Takuto!" Kirino said, acting all flustered.
Shindou coughed, a small smile on his face. "They won't mind," he muttered.
Meanwhile, poor Tsurugi was still being bothered by his two friends.
"Who is it?" Tenma pressed.
"Tell us, we're your friends, Tsurugi!" Taiyou said slyly.
"Some friends you are, misusing your rights." Tsurugi was about to defend himself more, still blushing, when a familiar figure ducked his head into the locker room.
"Tsurugi! Can I come over to your place to hang out for a while later?" asked Hakuryuu. He wasn't wearing a shirt, as he was in the middle of changing.
Tsurugi took one look at Hakuryuu's bare chest. His blush got deeper. "S-sure." He turned his head to one side to hide his blush.
"Cool. Wait for me, okay?" Hakuryuu went back out.
"Guess who?" Shindou whispered. "You're so obvious, Tsurugi!"
"I…" Tsurugi closed his eyes. He pulled his arms up to hide his face.
Taiyou dragged Tsurugi's arms away. "Come on, admit it!"
"We know who you like~" Tenma sang.
"Leave me alone," Tsurugi sighed.
"We're not going unless you tell us." Kirino gave the navy-blue haired striker a smile.
"I give up. You all know, right?" Tsurugi sank further back into the couch he was sitting on.
"Why don't you tell Hakuryuu?" Shindou wanted to know. "Maybe he feels the same way."
"What if he doesn't? He's my best friend and rival, and I don't know what to do if I make a wrong move and ruin our friendship…" Tsurugi looked disturbed. "I'm content with what we have now."
"Liar!" Tenma announced. "You always put on that expression when you're lying."
"He's right, you know." Taiyou nodded.
Tsurugi groaned. "What did I do to deserve such an annoying pair of friends?"
"You did so by existing in the universe," Shindou said, trying to keep a straight face.
"Argh! I've got enough of you guys!" Tsurugi stood up, pushed away his friends and walked out.
He forgot about Hakuryuu, who was changing in the other room. Hakuryuu's hair was wet, with water droplets cascading down his back. Well, at least his shirt was on, or else Tsurugi thought that he might've fainted. That would have been embarrassing.
"Got tired of waiting for me?" Hakuryuu asked, grinning at the sight of a dismissal Tsurugi trudge into the room.
"No. They were annoying me back there." Tsurugi jerked a finger in the general direction of the place he'd just exited.
"They could actually annoy you? That takes real talent!" Hakuryuu laughed, ignoring the death glare Tsurugi was sending him. "What were you guys talking about?"
The glare vanished. Tsurugi's cheeks turned slightly pink. "Nothing."
"Huh?" Hakuryuu cocked his head to one side. "You're pink! Are you having a fever?"
"I'm fine. Are you done yet?" Tsurugi asked.
"Yeah. Let's go." Hakuryuu yawned. "I need to get my bag. It's in the other room." He made a move to go inside.
"Wait!" Tsurugi stopped him.
The white-haired boy looked back, astonished. "What's wrong?"
"I'll help you get it. You stay here," muttered Tsurugi.
"Wait, that didn't explain anything!" Hakuryuu yelped.
Hurling himself behind the door, Tsurugi found himself face to face with Shindou and Kirino.
"Did you tell him?" Shindou asked.
"No!" Tsurugi tried to shove his way past, but his two seniors blocked the way. "What do you want?"
"You need to tell him, Tsurugi!" Kirino ordered.
"Why? Everything's fine now!" Tsurugi spotted Hakuryuu's bag resting on top of a table.
"It might get in way of your friendship," explained Shindou. "Besides, Taiyou and Tenma might blab to him."
"They will die if they do that," growled Tsurugi.
"What are you here for?" Kirino asked.
"I need Hakuryuu's bag." Tsurugi finally pushed past, and grabbed the bag. "Goodbye, senpai."
"Always acting the gentleman, Tsurugi!" teased Shindou behind Tsurugi's retreating back.
When Tsurugi went out and saw the look on Hakuryuu's face, he knew that something was wrong.
"What was all that about?" Hakuryuu looked troubled. "Shindou-san and Kirino-san were asking you about something?"
"It was nothing." Tsurugi started walking in the direction of the school gates.
Hakuryuu caught Tsurugi's wrist. "You aren't going anywhere unless you tell me about the content of your conversation."
Hakuryuu's red eyes bore into Tsurugi's amber ones. "Fine. Promise you won't talk about the topic again?" Tsurugi questioned.
"Depends." Hakuryuu shrugged. "Now tell me."
Tsurugi heaved a sigh. "They were asking me to confess to my crush," Tsurugi said quietly.
Hakuryuu's eyebrows shot up. "And who is that lucky guy? The subject of your conversation was a boy, wasn't it?"
"Yes. But I can't tell you."
"Come on, Tsurugi!" Hakuryuu shook his friend's arm. "Tell me!"
"It wasn't part of our deal." Tsurugi stated.
"Aw." Hakuryuu pouted. "Tell me!"
For some reason, Tsurugi found Hakuryuu's expression extremely adorable and irresistible. His features softened. "Sorry, I really can't tell you."
"Never mind! But if you want to talk about it, just come find me, okay?" Hakuryuu smiled.
But inside, he was itching to find out who Tsurugi liked. It was weird, but Hakuryuu dismissed the thought as the feelings of a true friend. Friends watched each other's backs, didn't they?
"Hakuryuu," Tsurugi said softly, taken aback by Hakuryuu's words. "Thank you."
Hakuryuu cast a confused look at Tsurugi. "You're welcome. Now, let's get going before the sun goes down!"
Tsurugi grinned. Now that the topic of the conversation had turned back to something much safer, he could relax.
When they arrived at Tsurugi's home, Yuuchi was lounging on the sofa, reading a book. Since Gouenji had paid for his surgery, he'd been able to walk again a few years ago.
"Hey, Kyousuke. Hakuryuu." Yuuchi smiled gently.
"Nii-san, tadaima." Tsurugi smiled back. The brothers' relationship had gotten even better now that Yuuchi was well again. With all the guilt gone from his heart, Tsurugi was able to enjoy each day even more than before.
"Hi, Yuuchi-san." Hakuryuu nodded at the young adult. Turning around, he walked up the stairs to Tsurugi's room.
"Wait for me, Hakuryuu!" Tsurugi followed his friend upstairs.
Swinging the door shut, Hakuryuu sat himself on Tsurugi's bed.
Having been to each other's houses before, they were no strangers to each other's rooms.
Hakuryuu busied himself by browsing through the books Tsurugi had on his bookshelf.
Although Tsurugi didn't look the part, he was an active reader, and filled his bookshelves with interesting books.
Hakuryuu was also a fan of reading, and the books they liked often became the topic of conversation when they hung out with each other. At the moment, the novel Tsurugi was reading happened to be the one Hakuryuu wanted to read.
"Tsurugi! Where did you get this?" Hakuryuu asked, examining the book.
"Hmm? From the library." Tsurugi settled himself down besides Hakuryuu, giving the book a quick glance. "It's really good."
"Next time, you should tell me right away when you get one of those." Hakuryuu tossed the book back to Tsurugi. "What's the plot?"
Tsurugi sighed. "Let me guess, you want me to tell you anyways even though you'll read it yourself at some point?"
Hakuryuu nodded. "You know me too well." He snorted.
"Fine, fine." Tsurugi smiled. Leaning onto his pillows, Tsurugi flipped open the book. "So you see, there's this guy who went first went to a party, drinks something and wakes up a few weeks later, finding himself in an old park…"
Fifteen minutes later, Tsurugi had finished explaining the plot of the story to Hakuryuu. The white-haired boy had been listening quietly all the time, entirely immersed in the plot.
"That was great!" Hakuryuu exclaimed. He grinned. "I can't wait for the next book!"
"Yeah, well," Tsurugi started. Suddenly, he realized how close his and Hakuryuu's faces were. A light blush began to spread across his face.
Hakuryuu's grin vanished as well. He stared back at Tsurugi. Hakuryuu was thinking about how nice Tsurugi looked up close.
The boys spent a few minutes staring into each other's eyes. It was as if everything had disappeared around them, like the world only composed of the two of them.
Then, Tsurugi cleared his throat, a full blush coming on. "I, um, need to get something." Practically running out of the room, Tsurugi left a really confused Hakuryuu sitting on his bed.
"Why… Why did he run away?" Hakuryuu whispered. A sudden buzz interrupted his train of thoughts. Hakuryuu turned his attention to Tsurugi's phone.
New text message from Matsukaze Tenma.
New text message from Amemiya Taiyou.
New text message from Shindou Takuto.
New text message from Kirino Ranmaru.
Unlock phone to view messages.
Hakuryuu frowned. "What's this?" He moved forwards to pick up Tsurugi's phone.
Meanwhile, Tsurugi was still walking quickly away from his crush. Panting, Tsurugi slowed to a stop. "What the heck was that?" he murmured. "Why didn't I tell him…?"
Tsurugi sighed, feeling annoyed with his cowardice. Arriving at the kitchen door, Tsurugi paused for a moment. "I might as well get some drinks and snacks for us," he said. He disappeared inside the kitchen.
"Hmm," mused Hakuryuu. "What is this all about?"
Out of curiosity, Hakuryuu opened Tsurugi's phone. The text messages popped up immediately.
From: Matsukaze Tenma
To: Tsurugi Kyousuke
Tsurugi, why don't you tell him how you feel? You two have been friends for such a long time, I'm sure he feels something too!
"Oh, this is about Tsurugi's crush." Hakuryuu felt a burning emotion inside him. Again, he desperately wanted to know who Tsurugi was in love with. He clicked onto the next text message.
From: Amemiya Taiyou
To: Tsurugi Kyousuke
Come on, Tsurugi! Admit it already! We all saw how you looked at him today, right? Be brave and don't hold back!
From: Shindou Takuto
To: Tsurugi Kyousuke
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I and Kirino have analyzed your behavior since the match with him and we've decided that the percentage of him liking you back is 100-no, make it 1000%.
"I can't stand it!" Hakuryuu half-yelled. "Who is it?"
"Who's what?" A deep voice asked. Tsurugi entered the room, all remains of the blush he had previously gone. He was carrying a tray of snacks and drinks. "Here, eat something."
"Thanks." Hakuryuu sat down onto Tsurugi's bed again, hiding the striker's phone behind his back. "So, have you done that art project yet?"
"Yeah." Tsurugi felt relieved that Hakuryuu hadn't brought up the previous embarrassing incident.
"Can you show me your model? I need a reference of some sort." Hakuryuu lied, making up an excuse. He'd already finished it, and he needed to see what the last text from Kirino was.
"Sure." Tsurugi turned around and opened his door. "Wait here."
As soon as Tsurugi's back was turned, Hakuryuu pulled the red mobile phone out. "I need to see this…" he mumbled. "Come on…"
From: Kirino Ranmaru
To: Tsurugi Kyousuke
You did receive Shindou's text, didn't you? I positively know that Hakuryuu likes you back too. Don't you dare deny it. We'll make you ask him out for our double-no, triple date on Friday, and that's a promise.
"Eh?" Hakuryuu's face went bright red. A tomato would've been jealous of his skin tone. "Tsurugi… He likes me?" Hakuryuu's heart was thudding.
That explained why Tsurugi didn't want to tell him who his crush was. No wonder that Tsurugi bounced away after their too-much-close-for-comfort scene.
"You silly idiot," muttered Hakuryuu. He was smiling happily.
"Again, who?" Tsurugi poked his head back into the room, holding a delicate-looking model. "Help me open the door, will you? I don't want to crush this thing."
Hakuryuu got up and held open the door for Tsurugi. His gaze was directed towards the ground.
"You're acting strange," commented Tsurugi. "What's the matter?"
Hakuryuu stood straight up and glared at Tsurugi. "You are."
"Huh?" Tsurugi took one step back. "What do you mean?"
"I'm going crazy without you telling me who your crush is," growled Hakuryuu. "It's been bothering me for the whole day."
"Um, but I said that I couldn't tell you!" Tsurugi cried out, blushing.
"You don't have to tell me. Just describe what this guy means to you and why you aren't willing to tell him your feelings." Hakuryuu narrowed his eyes.
"Well, I, um…" Tsurugi trailed off. "Do I need to do this?"
"Yes." Hakuryuu's eyes were hard.
Tsurugi shivered slightly. He thought that a dominant Hakuryuu was even cooler than his original form. "This guy, he's the most amazing person I've ever met. He's strong and a great soccer player. We were once enemies, but we're now friends, and that's the way I'm content with it. He helped me overcome many difficulties, and I look up to him." Tsurugi paused. "I won't tell him about my feelings yet, because I don't think I'm strong enough for him-"
"I think you're enough, Tsurugi." Hakuryuu interrupted. "You've always been my best friend and rival. What makes you think short of yourself?"
Tsurugi's eyes widened. "You knew?"
"You're the biggest idiot on Earth," replied Hakuryuu. Grabbing Tsurugi's hand, he pushed the boy backwards. Tsurugi stumbled, and his back hit the closet door behind him. Then, Hakuryuu crashed his lips onto Tsurugi's. The model in Tsurugi's hand flew out and landed on the floor in pieces.
Tsurugi's mouth dropped open at the wrong moment. Smirking, Hakuryuu barged his tongue roughly into Tsurugi's mouth. His tongue began to fight for dominance, which he won easily, since Tsurugi was still in a state of shock.
Hakuryuu didn't care that he was pressing the striker's back into the closet door handle, nor did he care that they were in a very uncomfortable position. All he cared was about that feeling of close intimateness, the warm feel of Tsurugi's lips on his.
Finally, they broke apart. Tsurugi wiped at the corner of his mouth. "How did you know?"
"I have to thank Kirino-san's text for that." Hakuryuu was still smirking. He slid his arms around Tsurugi's waist, earning another blush.
"You…" Tsurugi thought hard. "You read my texts, didn't you?"
"No prizes for guessing that." Hakuryuu smiled.
"Hakuryuu!" Tsurugi's face had become entirely red. "Why did you do that?"
"I wanted to know who you liked, Kyousuke!" Hakuryuu kissed the other's cheek.
Tsurugi hit Hakuryuu gently on the arm. "Not funny. Look what you've done to my model!"
"Well, it's a win-win. You get to spend more time with your boyfriend while making your model!" Hakuryuu laughed at the look on Tsurugi's face. "So, since we're now official, I can make embarrassing nicknames for you! Such as Kyou-chan, Tsurugi the cutie-pie, and so on…"
Tsurugi glared. He resorted to giving the white-haired boy a gentle kiss on the lips. "Then I can call you Haku-chan."
"Forget the name business," whispered Hakuryuu in Tsurugi's ear. "Are we going out with them on Friday?"
"You bet," said Tsurugi, shooting Hakuryuu a relieved smile.
The next day at school, Shindou wasn't too surprised to see Hakuryuu and Tsurugi arrive at practice with their hands intertwined.
"Can I make a poster announcing your relationship?" asked Tenma cheerily.
"Yeah! I'll help~" Taiyou grinned.
"No thank you," said Tsurugi. His face was practically glowing with happiness.
"Oi, Hakuryuu, you'll have to give us the juicy details later," said Kirino.
"Maybe, maybe." Hakuryuu winked at his boyfriend. "Should I tell them about the names I made for you?"
Tsurugi took a deep breath. "Hakuryuu! Get back here!"
He started chasing Hakuryuu around the clubroom. But no one failed to notice the blissful smiles on the pair's faces.
"That's how their relationship will be, won't it?" asked Shindou.
The other three shrugged, and continued to survey the interesting scene before them.
The longest one-shot I've ever written! And I've began to ship HakuKyou crazily... XD Please review!