Hey y'all!

Welcome to our collab one-shot! This collaboration is with my good friend, NightStryke, and it's his fanfiction writing debut, so let's all give him a hearty round of applause please! *claps wildly*

We hope you like it - Stryke's favorite character in IE (although he's never seen it, only heard about it and read ff's) is Tenma, and he really wanted to write a fic about him. So, he started, and I picked it up, tossed it back, and we ran with it. This is the result. We hope you like it! :D

Disclaimer: Neither NightStryke or I own Inazuma Eleven: GO, or anything relating to it, it belongs to Level-5.

She had to admit, it was awfully adorable. Yet again Tenma placed the black and white ball in front of him, took in another deep breath, focusing his entire mind on the forthcoming kick.

*Thud*

"Gaaahhhh!" Tenma exclaimed aloud as the ball missed the goal by more than ten feet. Again. Exasperated, but undeterred he grabbed another ball, set it in the grass in front of him, took three steps backwards, and tried one more time. Once again, failing miserably.

He had been at it for the past half hour, at least, it was fully a half an hour ago when she had first walked past the training field and noticed him practicing. Naturally, she took no notice of it, Tenma was always practicing, but on passing a second time she noticed something that wasn't so normal. Tenma was missing the goal with almost every shot that he took. Each shot seeming to be worse than the preceding one.

She smiled a little, wondering what could be bothering the young teenaged boy. Stepping down onto the riverbank field, the woman watched the poor brown haired boy attempt another shot, a disheartened look written on his childish features.

"Ne, Tenma-kun!"

Her call startled the boy, who yelped in surprise and dropped the soccer ball he'd picked up, his grey eyes wide. Upon seeing the speaker, he relaxed, sighing. "Ah, Aki-nee…"

His caretaker sat on the bench, patting the spot beside her. "What's wrong?"

He bent and picked up his soccer ball and slowly walked towards her, feet dragging in the grass, shoulders dejectedly slumped downwards, seating himself next to her. Fingers clutching the ball.

"Well… I… I don't really know…" Tenma began in a low and somewhat broken voice. "I asked Tsurugi to practice with me the day before yesterday, and then again yesterday, and even this morning. At first just said no with a smile, then with a frown, and this morning he threw his ball out me, and without a word walked away…"

Aki frowned, her brown eyes filled with concern. "That's odd… have you talked to Yuuichi-san?"

"No." The boy traced the stitches on his soccer ball distractedly, face settled into a frown. "I haven't been to see him…"

"Well, maybe he would know what's wrong," Aki offered kindly.

"Maybe… should I go visit him?" Tenma turned to the young woman, his large grey eyes blinking slowly.

Aki nodded, "Yes. In fact, why don't you go right now?"

Tenma entered the hospital hesitantly, skittering anytime a staff member would rush past hurriedly. He ascended a couple flights of stairs, scanning the nameplates beside the doors until he found the one he wanted: Tsurugi Yuuichi.

The door was open, and Tenma rapped a knuckle on the doorframe.

"Come in," Said a gentle, kind voice.

Tenma turned into the room, taking in the window, curtains drawn to permit the sunlight, and a cheery vase that stood on the bedside table, home to a bright yellow daffodil. On the bed sat a teenage boy, buried under the hospital sheets.

"Ah, Tenma-kun. Hello." Yuuichi said happily, smiling.

"Yuuichi-kun! How are you doing?" Tenma began.

"I'm doing wonderfully." Yuuichi said with a grin, "What brings you here?"

"Well…" Something in Tenma's voice caused Yuuichi's brow to furrow.

"Go on." Yuuichi said encouragingly.

Then Tenma related the events of the last two days, adding that Tsurugi had seemed rather distant, even when talking to other people.

Yuuichi nodded after the boy's tale, rubbing his chin. "Yeah, I know what you mean… he's always been slightly impatient, but for the last few days he snaps at the smallest annoyance. Maybe he's upset with someone?"

Tenma frowned. "Maybe…"

The pair didn't think twice about hearing footsteps coming down the hall, but when they stopped abruptly in Yuuichi's doorway, they turned to look.

"Ah, Kyousuke!" Yuuichi smiled. "Tenma's come to visit."

The navy haired ace striker of Raimon Junior High frowned, "I see."

"Hi, Tsurugi-kun!" Tenma greeted with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, and his friend just nodded.

"Hey."

Turning his ashen gaze to Yuuichi, Tenma raised an eyebrow, and Yuuichi shrugged.

Tsurugi stood at the doorway for a few moments, one hand leaning against the frame, eyes at first fixed on Yuuichi, then glancing towards Tenma, and finally coming to rest upon Yuuichi again. "Tenma, would you mind giving me a moment with my brother…" His voice was soft, and not unkind, but it still seemed to be more of a command than a request.

Tenma nodded, and as he walked past Tsurugi, he glanced up at his right hand leaning against the door frame, and noticed that Tsurugi's knuckles were white from gripping the metal.

Wandering forlornly in the hallway, Tenma locked his fingers behind his head, relaxing his neck. As he passed Yuuichi's doorway again, he saw Tsurugi standing by the window, arms crossed. It never even occurred to the boy to eavesdrop, and he continued on his slow meander, feet shuffling slightly.

After several minutes, Tsurugi swept out of his brother's hospital room, eyebrows furrowed and hands shoved in his pockets. Turning sharply, his purple elbow-length cape swished as he walked away.

Frowning in confusion, Tenma ran to Yuuichi's room, poking his head back in. "So, what happened?" He asked curiously.

"Well…" Yuuichi began, "It's two things really. Kyousuke-kun didn't know, but our father, who was paying his tuition at Raimon, lost his job last month, and was not able to pay for this semester…" Yuuichi turned his gaze to the window where the setting sun's rays were now pouring in, and with a slight smile on his lips continued, "So I used part of the money that was gifted to me for my surgery to pay for what was needed… I will still be able to have the surgery, but it will be delayed for a few months."

"And the second thing?" Tenma asked earnestly.

"The delay increases the risk of failure." Yuuichi stated simply.

Tenma jumped into the room, startled. "Whaaaat?! That's terrible!"

"Not really," Yuuichi shrugged. "Kyousuke loves that school. And I couldn't bear to see him have to leave, when I could help."

"B-But… your legs!" Tenma insisted lamely.

Yuuichi smiled, a gentle gesture that sent little crinkles to the edges of his dark orange eyes. "It doesn't matter, Tenma. I've gotten used to them. Yes," He raised a hand to stop Tenma from interrupting, "I would love to walk again. More than most anything in the world. But I've reconciled myself with the fact that I most likely won't walk again for quite some time. And besides that, if the surgery is supposed to work, it will. If not, then it won't. You can't change your fate, Tenma."

Tenma shifted uncomfortably from one leg to the other, unsure of what to say. Yuuichi merely smiled once more, warm and sincere, and motioned Tenma to his side, and pointed out the window to the dying sun. "It is beautiful, isn't it?". Tenma nodded, as much in awe of Yuuichi's selflessness as of the glorious sun.

The next day at school, Tenma couldn't get Tsurugi to talk to him, but at least he knew why. The boy settled for throwing worried glances at his friend every now and then, and staying with Shinsuke.

The short boy was sitting with Tenma at lunch, and the pair was spying on Tsurugi, sitting at a table alone.

"Ne, Tenma-kun, maybe we should go over and talk to him," Shinsuke suggested.

Tenma shook his head, remembering what Yuuichi had told him. "Nah… I dunno…"

Tenma spent the rest of the day split between the desire to talk to Tsurugi, and the apprehension that such an act would only make things worse. Eventually, school ended, and Tenma started his walk home.

As he neared the soccer field Tenma heard the familiar sound of a human foot meeting a black and white soccer ball. On nearing the field he saw Tsurugi repeating the scene of the previous day, except that unlike himself, Tsurugi's aim was flawlessly perfect, never once missing. Tenma silently walked forward, seating himself on a bench, still unnoticed.

After a minute or two he finally made up his mind to say something, if he could think of anything worth saying, to Tsurugi. Tenma, however, was saved the trouble, because just as he had arrived at this decision Tsurugi happened to look his way, and with a ball under his arm made his way toward Tenma.

"What do you want?" Tsurugi asked, his tone devoid of any emotion.

"E-Eto… do you want to practice soccer together?" Tenma answered his question with one of his own, a hopeful smile creeping onto his face.

The navy haired boy's facial expression softened, and he chuckled. "Fine, I suppose so…"

"REALLY?!" Tenma jumped up ecstatically, clasping his hands together with a sparkle in his eyes.

"Why not?" Tsurugi sighed slightly, shrugging. "Seems like you'll keep asking anyway."

"Yup!" Tenma beamed proudly, and Tsurugi rolled his eyes, smirking.

"Exactly." He kicked the soccer ball into his hand, holding it out to his friend. "So, where would you like to start?"

And so the two friends spent the evening, each strengthening the others heart with a smile from their own, and with a dim understanding that pain is the pen that writes the songs which call us forth to dance.

Well, there you go! We hope you like it, and please drop a review to tell us what you think! And how do you think our writing meshed together? And let's all please just welcome NightStryke~! :D He's really awesome.

So, good or bad, we'd love to know what you think! :) Just no flaming or trolls, please.

Have a great day!

~Swaggy-chan