Author's Notes: Inazuma Eleven, I kind of like writing for it. Haruna is also probably my favourite manager, which is why this is about her.

A pair of charred goalie gloves smoked as the spinning soccer ball's flames finally died down and the ball came to a total stop. Tachimukai sighed with obvious relief as his arms trembled from the impact of the shot, Goeunji tsking slightly in disappointment at his failure.

"Nice one, Tachimukai! Looks like the ace striker seat's slipping away from you, Gouenji!" the smirking Someoka shouted while holding another soccer ball at his feet.

His mockery quickly became embarrassing as Toromaru slid forward and kicked the ball out from underneath him and began running towards Endou, who was standing guard over the opposite goal. "Maybe all the old men are starting to slip!" Toromaru yelled cheerfully while Someoka gave chase, growling, "In your dreams, you brat!"

"They're really energetic today, huh," was accompanied by a giggle from behind the net, the feminine voice on that Tachimukai would recognise anywhere. His heartbeat unconsciously accelerated as he turned to see a blue haired girl adjusting the red glasses atop her forehead.

"Haruna, yea-yeah, I guess everyone's found their mood lately," Tachimukai confirmed while looking pointedly at the soccer ball in his hands. "If I look at her at her eyes again, I might start to stutter."

If Haruna noticed his evasion, she didn't say a word about it, instead just smiling brightly and crossing her arms over her chest. "You're doing really well too. Ever since the Argentina match you've seemed unstoppable."

Tachimukai blushed at the praise, unused to it coming in such an unqualified form. "Thanks but I don't think that, there have been a few close calls." "Like when I let that demon get two points…"

"Oi, don't talk like that," Haruna scolded, her fingers gripping the net as her brow furrowed. "You've been on fire lately… has Kogure been saying something again?"

Kogure shivered from the other side of the practice field, something Tachimukai caught out of the corner of his eye, causing him to glance at Haruna's worryingly angered expression.

"No, no, I've said too much," Tachimukai said while holding up one hand defensively, hoping to brush the conversation under the rug.

"Tachimukai, throw us the ball already!" Tsunami shouted agitatedly, Goeunji nodding in concurrence. "Your girlfriend will still be there when we're done practicing!"

Haruna giggled but Tachimukai went bright red, sputtering out denials as his hands started to shake. Tsunami slapped a hand to his forehead, "He's so hopeless sometimes… oi, throw the ball already!"

Tachimukai stuttered out "Ha-Hai!" before taking a step forward and flinging the ball out to the waiting surfer defender.

Seeing that Haruna was about to leave, Tachimukai instinctively turned and called out to her, causing her to glance confusedly in his direction, "Did you want something else?"

Tachimukai's palms were sweating beneath his goalie gloves, and his effort to dry them with his fingers only created a damp mess inside of his gloves. He struggled to find the right words, not really knowing what he wanted to say.

"Eh, the thing is… I guess I'm trying to say… eh, uh, do you want to go do something later?"

Haruna seemed a bit taken aback by the awkward proposal but soon nodded her head, her bright smile causing the reserve goalkeeper's heart to slam against his ribcage, "Sure, why not that sounds like fun."

Tachimukai sighed in relief at the answer, appearing like he wanted to say something more when somebody shouted "Tachimukai!"

Tachimukai turned just in time to have the aftermath of the Typhoon's watery sword slam into his stomach and bounce his body against the net. The ball rolled out from under him as his forehead rested against the dirt, the contents of his stomach making a single, thankfully futile effort to escape before settling.

While several of his teammates and managers rushed to check on him, the injured goalie had only one thought on his mind.

"I wonder where Haruna would like to go tonight?"

Tachimukai's room was rather plain, the temporary dwelling offering little chance for personalisation for a neat character such as him. His drawer was thrown open and nothing inside was quite meeting… whatever it was that he was looking at from his bed. What did Haruna expect him to wear anyway? He still had the suit from the party with England's team, though that was definitely overdoing it and everything else was purely for training/match days, his suitcase not really being large enough for much more.

He put his palms over his face and gave a groan, something that was becoming more and more common with his wavering confidence ever since Inazuma Japan swore to take on the world. He hated doing it, but he once again found his mind wondering what his captain would do in his position, "Endou deals with girls all the time and he never breaks a sweat over it. What would he do now, just go for it and have no regrets? He wouldn't hesitate… why can't I be like that?"

His moping was cut off by a rapping on his door, Tachimukai shouting that it was open. His eyes widened slightly when he sat up to witness an uncharacteristically apologetic looking Tsunami leaning his head in through the crack.

"Hey, man, you feeling any better after earlier?" When Tachimukai blinked confusedly, Tsunami's face contorted in frustration and he raked a hand through his hair in embarrassment, "I mean when I hit you with that ball earlier."

"Oh, it's fine," Tachimukai hurried to assure him, his legs swinging over the edge of his bed as a slight blush crept over his cheeks. "I was just… thinking about something else at the time."

"What had you so distracted anyway? It's not usually like you to take your mind off soccer," Tsunami crossed his arms behind his head and leaned against his junior's wall, already acting like the room was his own.

Debating whether or not he should say anything, the goalkeeper simply replied, "Can you keep a secret?"

"Sure, you know I can," Tsunami responded, his posture perking up at the seriousness of his friend's tone.

"I'm going out with Haruna tonight," Tachimukai admitted while twiddling his thumb.

Tsunami slapped a congratulatory hand over his back before catching him in a headlock, "Way to go! Who knew my little junior was growing up so fast!"

Tachimukai rubbed his back gently while patting Tsunami's arm weakly in an effort to get him to release him. "It's probably not a date, at least, she probably isn't thinking of it like that. Even though I was trying to figure out how to catch her eye…"

Tsunami tilted his head in annoyance before leaning forward to flick Tachimukai's forehead, "Oi, don't be so pessimistic."

Tachimukai nodded mutely, rubbing the sore spot gingerly, "Then what should I do?"

Tsunami stared intently forward, his gaze burrowing deeply into Tachimukai's soul as the younger boy struggled not to look away. Tachimukai had to repress the urge to gulp audibly as the pink haired surfer held that position, the intense moment seeming to stretch endlessly onwards. Tsunami smirked as he raised a fist.

"Just listen to your senpai, throw your all into it and everything will be fine."

Tachimukai was sat in front of Inazuma Japan's lodge, relaxing on the stone steps as he waited for Haruna to appear. Or at least, trying to anyway. Despite Tsunami's assurance that everything would be fine, Tachimukai's nerves were again pricking at his stomach, threatening to tear it and allow every little insecurity to rush to the open air.

The sound of the door creaking open behind him drew Tachimukai's gaze and what he saw caused his breath to catch in his throat.

Haruna was standing in the open doorway; her usual baggy tracksuit was traded in for a white skirt and a green t-shirt that better flattered her figure. Her red glasses were resting in their usual comfortable spot in her blue hair, the contrast fitting well with her outfit as she placed her hands on her hips. She offered him her usual wide smile, her eyes twinkling slightly.

Tachimukai was pretty thankful that he was sitting when their eyes met because his legs felt like melted jelly in that moment. Haruna's giggle snapped him out of his stupor as she asked jokingly, "Is there something on my face?"

"NO! I m-me-mean that, eh, um… you look really nice," Tachimukai responded nervously while rubbing the back of his head.

Haruna giggled again, wandering forward to grip Tachimukai's arm and pull him to his feet. "Come on, let's get going already."

Tachimukai caught sight of Tsunami in front of one of the lower windows, offering a determined thumbs-up along with his bright smirk. Tachimukai offered a slight nod before turning his attention back to the beautiful girl on his arm. Weirdly enough, he thought he caught her looking back over her own shoulder before she returned her attention to the goalkeeper beside her. "I wonder what she was looking at?"

LINE BREAK

The two found themselves wandering through England's area of Liocott Island, Haruna being curious to see it again. Even without the fancy party going on, it seemed that section of the island was tailored specifically to the stereotype of English nobility, the two looking slightly underdressed for the occasion (though no more so than any of the other tourists nearby).

"This place is like something out of a novel," Haruna said as they wandered through the sunny streets.

Tachimukai mumbled agreement while thinking back to what Tsunami had told him earlier, "You got to be assertive! Haruna's a loud girl, so you gotta match that!"

"Loud… loud… loud… how should I be loud?"

Tachimukai pulled himself from his thoughts and tried to focus on what Haruna was saying.

"I wonder how long the island will stay like this once the teams leave?" she wondered aloud.

"I guess they'll probably be taken down shortly after that, I mean, the island's only like this because of the FFI," Tachimukai responded weakly, cursing internally at how soft the response had seemed. "Come on, I can do better."

Haruna sighed, glancing around, "Seems like such a shame. This place is so beautiful."

Tachimukai steeled himself before gripping Haruna's hand tightly, the former newspaper club ace turning to look at him in surprise. They were so close that Tachimukai's knees wanted to buckle but he refused to relent.

"Just say it loud, how hard can it be?" "I agree!"

"That's… nice, eh, to see you're so enthusiastic, I mean," Haruna partially stuttered, leaning her head back nervously.

The reserve goalkeeper felt his face go bright red as he realised how stupid he probably looked and the fact that he was still holding her hand.

"S-sorry," Tachimukai said while pulling his hand back and glancing off nervously to the side. "That must have seemed weird."

"No, no, it's fine! Really, Tachimukai," Haruna reassured while patting his shoulder in a friendly way.

"Well that was a failure…"

The two had wound up eating in a nearby restaurant, the conversation flowing slightly better once Tachaimukai stopped trying to force himself. Though, he was aware that probably meant he wasn't catching her attention.

Both of them were awkward around one another as they left, glancing around to see the lampposts giving a pleasant orange glow to the pseudo-English night.

All of Tsunami's words were going through his head, but none quite summed up what he wanted to do… maybe he should just use the last piece of advice.

"If nothing else works, man, just ask her flat out if she wants it to be a date. Girls don't like guys who are halfhearted."

"Really, Tsunami-san?"

"Of course! Well, I mean, they probably don't. No, I'm pretty sure they don't."

"Maybe I should just go for it… huh."

The conversation had trailed off as Tsunami pumped him up for the night, though that was quickly fading away.

"Hey, Haruna..."

"Oi, Tachimukai, Haruna! What are you guys doing here?" Hijikata shouted as he wandered up the street. Kazemaru and Hiroto both sweatdropped and chuckled at all the people suddenly staring at them but soon waved to the first year duo as well.

The massive Okinawan native gripped stopped in front of the two with a grin before glancing around, "Is it just the two of you?"

"Yeah, just the two of us," Haruna answered, blinking when Hijikata burst out laughing. Annoyed, she asked, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, right Tachimukai," Hijikata responded while slapping the brown haired boy on the shoulder.

"Y-yeah," "Does he know?"

"Does Kidou know you two are out together?" Kazemaru asked calmly, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Onii-san, no I didn't tell him," Haruna responded, rubbing her arm guiltily for some reason.

Tachimukai meanwhile felt his breathing halt as his heart tried to escape from his chest. "Kidou doesn't know that I'm here with Haruna. It's not a date but… what if he thinks it is?"

Tachimukai shudders apparently drew sympathy from Hiroto who shrugged, "He wouldn't mind much. Probably, besides he headed out to something earlier, so he's probably not around."

"Yeah," both Haruna and Tachimukai agreed with relief, before glancing at one another in confusion. "Does she not want Kidou to find us? Why, she's not thinking of this as a date."

Haruna suddenly gripped Tachimukai's hand and barged through their friends, forcing Tachimukai to run in order to keep pace once she started moving. "It was nice seeing you guys but we have somewhere to be! Later!"

Tachimukai offered a slightly panicked farewell as he was pulled away by his somewhat tomboyish crush. The three males left behind snickered.

"Well, it's easy to see who's in charge there," Hiroto commented with his hands in his pockets.

Kazemaru nodded, his bluish hair rustling slightly over the eye it covered while Hijikata gave a hearty laugh.

"Go get her, Tachimukai!" the defensive midfielder called out once he was sure the two were out of earshot.

The brown haired goalkeeper's face was flooded with blood as he was dragged away from their curious teammates, trying not to trip as he ran after Haruna. She suddenly seemed very determined about something after the encounter but he had no idea why. He wasn't even really sure if she was upset or not.

The fact that he hadn't asked her if she wanted their night out to be a date yet was weighing heavily on his mind. "Can't I even ask her? If I can't do that much, then I should just give up right now…"

Glancing up, he realised that they were moving towards Italy's area of the island, the river running through it coming into sight.

Straining his ears, Tachimukai could just about hear that Haruna was muttering something under her breath about, "… she said gondolas…"

"What was that?" he asked curiously, Haruna stiffening at the innocent question.

"Nothing important," she chuckled nervously, eyes looking at the water as she quickly searched for another topic. "The water is pretty at night."

It was true, the moonlight reflecting off the surface to create a pleasing yet pale sheen that lit up the area beneath the streetlights. Tachimukai wordlessly agreed, privately thinking that the seemingly endless streams of couples and happy families wandering through were giving him a very different impression of the place than Haruna.

"Heh, what do we have here? Two little kids staying out past their bedtime, how shameful."

The sneering tone caused Tachimukai to freeze in place as he glanced behind his shoulder to spot a boy with a Mohawk that carried both brown and white hairs sitting on a bench with his chin resting calculatingly on his crossed fingers. The familiar smirk as said boy's eyes twisted in that eerie way they did when he'd figured something out sent a shiver up Tachimukai's spine.

"What did you say, Fudou?!" Haruna practically screeched, Tachimukai having to grip her around the waist to keep her from throttling the Joker game maker. "Come on, say it again!"

Fudou tsked, as he sat up fully, one half-lidded eye glinting almost maliciously as he spoke, "And he even has his hand around your waist without so much as a squeak of protest. How shameless have you two gotten once the goggles stopped watching you?"

Haruna suddenly squealed as she pushed Tachimukai's arm off of her, her face beating bright red as she stuttered out apologies and denials. Tachimukai's cheeks matched his would-be date's, something not helped by the fact that he only realised how much he liked holding her once Fudou had pointed it out.

"He'd be heartbroken if he saw this," Fudou continued, Haruna's head sinking in guilt. "I'm begging you to go to somewhere like Brazil's area instead… if Kidou bumped into you here, nobody'd be happy."

"Huh?" "What?"

Fudou stood up, his arms resting behind his head as his eyelids rolled close. "You two heard me. Kidou's in Italy's area with Fideo, so you should probably go someplace else. We wouldn't want to make a scene."

Tachimukai glanced at Haruna, her eyes meeting his as the two contemplated something. Haruna spoke first, "There should be a bus going that way soon…"

"Let's hurry then," Tachimukai agreed, taking off running with Haruna's hand once again clasped in his own. This time neither complained nor felt self-conscious about the gesture.

Fudou was already heading in the opposite direction when he heard the tell-tale signs of pounding footsteps. "Hm, I wonder if I did this more to help them or to bother Kidou… wait, no. Hahaha, I definitely know why I did it. Although, I wonder if I can get anything out of that lovey blue haired sop for this."

The Brazilian area turned out to be an excellent choice for the night as the area had erupted into a celebration for their national team, though the specifics of why were lost on Tachimukai. Regardless, it made for a great atmosphere, the two finding themselves caught up in the cheer of the various dancers spilling onto the streets alongside those swigging questionable liquids from glasses. The whole place was alive with music and movement, an energy running through it as he led Haruna towards the area's centre.

Coming to a halt, he quickly found his nerves returning as he struggled for words but he was saved by Haruna gripping his hands and leading him in a loose dance as the two laughed and giggled. He twirled her and her skirt flared slightly; his imagination racing at the… ungentlemanly ideas that followed in the brief moment it took for him to bury them before they caused him to lose consciousness.

Still, it was only a minor distraction from the pressing need to say what was on his mind. Honestly, he was more afraid of failing to get to that point than rejection, although that might change if he was actually rejected, he considered somewhat pessimistically.

The music showed no signs of slowing and his heartbeat was the same but he still brought them to a gentle halt, his expression more determined than usual. Haruna blinked in confusion at the sudden change but said nothing further, curiously awaiting an explanation.

Tachimukai sighed as Tsunami's words rang in his ears, "Just go for it," "Do you want this to be a date, Haruna?"

There, he'd said it. It was just a short sentence but there was so much weight behind it for that it was almost ridiculous. Being a teenager in love was weird like that, he'd later muse when thinking about that moment.

Haruna's mouth fell open in shock, her grip on his hands tightening suddenly. Her lips attempted to move but no sound would come out and Tachimukai quickly felt his heart break as his belief that rejection would hurt less than the unknown crumbled.

Swallowing a lump in his throat, he forced a weak smile, "Forget about it. It's okay if you don't-"

"I do!" Haruna shouted before her cheeks tinged pinked and her entire expression became annoyed. "You just surprised me with how sudden you asked that is all… I'm not used to doing this stuff for myself."

"Sorry," Tachimukai responded, though he couldn't stop the smile from forming on his face. "But that means that you do like me in the same way that I like you, right?"

"Idiot," Haruna huffed, as she turned her head back towards him, an irrepressible smile creeping onto her face. "Yeah, I do."

His lips were on hers before she knew what to think and the night only grew wilder from there.

The following morning's training was an interesting thing to watch. Tachimukai, still floating on cloud nine, was even louder than Endou for once as he yelled compliments to the rest of his teammates. Those in the know had either knowing or embarrassed smirks at the sight while the others looked on in slightly worried, baffled confusion.

As training came to a close, Haruna approached him and the two had mirroring smiles.

"That was a lot of fun last night," she said simply while Tachimukai nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, we, eh… we should do it again sometime. You know, if you want to."

"Of course I do," Haruna confirmed, pecking him once on the cheek. "Still though, I was surprised that Fudou was telling the truth."

Tachimukai chuckled, "Yeah, I half expected Kidou to spot us at the Brazil bus stop."

"Why did you expect that, Tachimukai?" came a voice from the side, a voice that normally called out Inazuma Japan's strategies.

A shiver ran down Tachimukai's spine at the sound, turning to come face to face with the only member of the national team to wear a red cape. He gulped as he prepared to deal with one of the most difficult things about liking Haruna… explaining the fact that they were dating to her protective older brother.

"Hehe, maybe I should just go for it… no, that wouldn't end well…"

Author's Notes: This took longer to write than I expected and I'm not too fond of it ultimately, which is a shame. It just feels kind of meandering but I hope it felt like it had something of a point by the end. Yeah, humour's pretty much the only way I can take Inazuma Eleven whenever it strays too far from soccer. Oh well.