Yo mina!
So this Fubuki/Aki was requested by xxHaruNatsuAkiFuyu. I hope you like it, Kee-chan! And everyone else. :) I will list the other pairings below, but they should be obvious once you've read the story. :) It's been a nice, refreshing change, to write only about canon characters, and I quite enjoyed it. I may love to make OCs, but canon for the win! xD So, enjoy!
Disclaimer: Yeah, I totally own Inazuma Eleven. /sarcasm/ Let's be honest, if I did, there would be a season revolving around Midorikawa, Shigeto, Tobitaka, Suzuno, Sakuma and Kazemaru. Ooh and Haruna! :D Hehe. I don't own it. Enjoy!
It was chilly. Kino Aki tugged on her mittens as she trudged to school. Every crunch of the snow beneath her delicate feet reminded her of him. Every lacy flake floating on the hesitant breeze. Every time she saw her own foggy breath, every snowball thrown by her cheerful companions. The ace defender of Hakuren Gakuen was a prevalent thought in the young high schooler's mind. Her chocolate gaze was fixed on the white snow and her contrasting black boots.
"C'mon, Aki-chan!"
The brunette squeaked, startled, and jerked her head upwards. "Ah, Haruna-chan!" She exclaimed with a sigh, "Don't scare me like that!"
Otonashi Haruna shrugged nonchalantly, beckoning furiously. "Come here, silly! There's a reason I shouted!"
Aki sighed in defeat, jogging to catch up with her friends, and making sure to pick her feet up extra high, so as to not get any of the cold white substance on the ground in her boots. "What's up?"
"Boys are up, girly. Natsumi-chan has. A. Date. With. Endou-kun!" Haruna squealed and bounced excitedly, the red reading glasses perched on her head almost rocketing to the snowy ground. Natsumi flushed, her paling face a stark contrast to her bright auburn hair.
Fuyuka smiled sympathetically, "I don't think we should tease her about it, Haruna-chan…"
The blue haired gossip crossed her arms, staring blankly at her friend. "Of course Fuyuka-chan. Because you just don't want me to bring up you and Gouenji-kun~!"
Fuyuka covered her face and sighed tiredly, ignoring the maniacally giggling Haruna. Aki rolled her eyes and retorted, "Oh, and you're not interested in anybody, Haruna?"
Haruna shook her head emphatically, kicking up a flurry of snow. "Nope~! I am a single lady, and proud of it!"
Natsumi raised her eyebrows, "That's one way to put it, I suppose."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Haruna demanded, whirling around with snow decorating her dark hair.
"NOT telling." The redhead smiled mischievously.
"Natsumi-chan!" Haruna whined, walking backward, "Do you mean I can't get a guy?!"
"Mebbe." The older girl shrugged, and Haruna frowned at her unhappily. However, her retort was stopped by the fact that you just never know what the ground looks like under snow. …. Especially when you're walking backwards. And so Haruna tripped backward, arms flailing aimlessly as she cried out.
"Whoa there!" A young man grabbed her waist and broke her fall, setting her upright. "Are you okay, Haruna-san?"
The girl nodded, straightening her wavy and now thoroughly disheveled hair. "I-I'm fine, thank you very much Sakuma-kun."
The cyan haired boy did a little salute, "No problem Haruna!" And with a gentle smile, he turned around and ran back to where he'd been walking with Kidou and Fudou.
Natsumi shrugged, "Well, maybe I was wrong."
Haruna just ignored her, face burning.
Aki tried desperately to get him out of her mind - Fubuki Shirou. The guy was just so gentle, and sweet, and adorably endearing. Polite, tactful, and soooo handsome… he was like an angel!
"Aki!"
"Ah, what?!" The brunette leaped off the bench on which she had been daydreaming, and whipped her head around violently.
"There is something wrong with you, child." Haruna shook her head. "Why are you in the park? . . . In the middle of December?"
Aki sighed and settled herself back onto the wooden bench, crossing her knees and her arms. "I just… wanted to look at the scenery. And think."
Her best friend sat beside her and cupped her chin in her hand, resting her elbow on her knee. "So, I think there's more to your uncharacteristic melancholy than meets the eye."
"Bless you," Aki offered.
Haruna snorted and tossed her bangs, "Oh please, don't be that way. I was looking for you for a reason. Do you want to know?"
Aki nodded, "Sure, I suppose. What's up?"
Wiggling a little on the slick bench, Haruna giggled, "Okay, so, EEK, sorry, I'm just super excited about this. I can't even tell you how much I-"
"For goodness sakes', Haruna-chan, just tell me!" Aki sighed tiredly, and Haruna noticed the bags under the girl's chocolate eyes.
"Have you been sleeping?!" She demanded.
"Just tell me, Haruna," Aki repeated.
Grumbling about how little some people care about themselves, Haruna continued, "Alright then, fine. So, a bunch of us are going to Hokkaido the weekend after Christmas! You're totally invited. It was all Fubuki and Endou's idea. Isn't that so awesome?!" By the end of her rushed news, Haruna had grabbed Aki's hands and was giggling like a madwoman.
"Y-Yeah!" Aki felt her face heat up. At least it was after the lovers' holiday, not during. H-Hokkaido? Fubuki-kun…
"Yeah! Come on, we should totally plan presents to bring everyone!" Haruna dragged her friend off the park bench and tugged her along out of the park and out onto the sidewalk. "Of course we can't forget people besides Fubuki-kun, like Oshiya, Yukino, Kitami, Rebun, Konko-chan, Juka-chan, oh and of course Hyoujou-kun!"
Aki listened to her trail off, listing Hakuren player after Hakuren player, smiling gently. She's so nice…
"Yo, Haruna-san, Aki-san." A pleasant voice greeted the pair, and Haruna stiffened, her list of names forgotten.
"O-Oh! Konnichiwa, Sakuma-kun!" She replied cheerfully, her eyes darting around.
The eye-patched boy chuckled. "Well, you seem to be excited for the Hokkaido trip then, don't you?"
"Of course! I'll get to see more of my friends!" She grinned happily.
Sakuma smiled, "That you will. Well, I'm on my way to the grocery store, so you ladies will have to excuse me. I'll see you around." And with a cheery wave, the slender boy was gone, scarf trailing in the ever-present winter wind.
Aki's lips parted to speak, but Haruna cut her off. "If you say one word I will hit you," she grumbled crankily, her face rivaling the color of a pomegranate aril. Aki chuckled, shaking her head. Look whose mood changed fast…
A crick in her neck. The seat was hard. Her hair tickled her face. Her fingernail was uneven. There was something in her shoe. The whole way to Hokkaido, Aki fidgeted. She just couldn't hold still. Every five seconds she was moving, and whenever someone inquired as to her well being, she just made up some lame excuse. The truth was, she was terrified. Seeing Fubuki… what if he had a girlfriend? O-Or a crush on someone? She knew she'd never be able to confess her feelings to him, so she just hoped beyond hope that he wasn't in a relationship. Checking her gloves for holes for the twentieth time, Aki sighed.
"Okay, you are so hiding something. Tell me," Haruna pressed.
"I'm fine."
"But Aki-chan…" The girl's smokey-colored eyes widened into a pleading puppy expression. "Please?~"
Aki bit her lip, "I just, um… I dunno. It's nothing, really."
Sulking in her seat, Haruna nodded, "Fine. I'll believe you. For now."
Chuckling quietly, Aki turned and gazed out the window at the snowy landscape, the bus jolting beneath her.
"Konnichiwa, mina-san!" A silver haired boy ran to greet the group, happiness shining in his cadet grey eyes.
"Fubuki-kun!" Endou ran to greet him and the two shook hands excitedly, "It's so great to see you!"
"It's great to see you guys too!" The teen grinned and looked over Endou's shoulder at the rest of the group. "Come on inside, mina! Everyone else is in the school!"
Chatting excitedly, the Raimon troupe made their way into Hakuren, out of the late morning air. Fubuki stood by the door and greeted everyone as they walked in. Aki hung at the back of the group, terrified to speak to the boy. But she had to enter the building sometime, so she pulled herself together and went to cross the threshold.
"Ohayo, Aki-chan."
His silvery voice floated blissfully into her ears, and it was all the poor brunette could do not to blush and stammer as she responded, "O-Ohayo, Fubuki-kun!"
Fubuki smiled as he shut the door behind them, "So, how have you been lately?"
"Fine," Aki brushed a strand of hair from her face. Stupid hair…
Fubuki nodded and the two walked for a moment in awkward silence.
"S-So, um, how have you been, Fubuki-kun?" Aki realized that she should respond, and mentally slapped herself.
"I'm quite well, thank you Aki-chan." He smiled down at her and the girl found herself blushing, despite all her efforts against the action.
"You're welcome…"
"Yo, c'mon you lovebirds and get in here!" A green haired boy stuck his head out of the room where all the other teens had gathered. Fubuki and Aki blushed intensely, hurrying to enter the room, which was decorated with many snowflakes and wintry things, as if there wasn't enough cold and snow outside.
"Wow, it's so nice in here!" Aki exclaimed, appraising the decorations, and the little pine tree that stood in the corner as she completely forgot Midorikawa's remark.
Fubuki flashed a small smile, "The girls have been working on it all week. Do you like it, Aki-chan?"
He was looking at her, and that fact alone made the young woman's cheeks flare again, burning brightly against her fair complexion. "H-Hai! It's very pretty." Aki swept her gaze all over the room crammed with teenagers, forcing herself not to look at the one beside her.
"Ne ne, Aki-chan!" Aki turned to her right to see Matoro Juka barrelling towards her.
"Oh, konnichiwa Ju- ooph!" Before she could finish, the blonde had tackle hugged her, ridding her of all air in her lungs.
"I'm so happy to see you!" The rosy cheeked girl squeezed Aki tightly, loudly exclaiming her excitement and drawing attention.
"Ehehe, t-that's nice, J-Juka-chan… eto… c-can I go now?" Aki didn't want to hurt the excitable girl's feelings, but she was really quite uncomfortable.
"Oh yeah, sorry 'bout that!" Juka released Aki quickly, scratching the back of her head, which didn't work very well due to the white and black fox fur hat perched atop her cranium.
"It's fine." The brunette, once she'd gathered enough breath, responded with a smile. "So how have you been, Juka-chan?" Ignore Fubuki, ignore Fubuki…
"I've been great! Awesome! Except for one thing…" Juka's grey-blue gaze flitted past Aki to the silver haired boy behind her, now conversing with Hiroto. "Fubuki-kun has seemed kinda down, distracted… it makes me sad."
Aki felt her heart slowly sink. Of course, Juka-chan must be with Fubuki… I should've known… "O-Oh, that's sad."
Juka nodded, the hat on her head bouncing comically, "Yup, it is. But never fear! I will make sure he is happy again!"
Aki felt like she could step on her heart at this point. She totally likes him… why do I have to be so bad at these things?
"Oi, Aki-chan!"
Aki turned to see Fubuki waving at her, and she excused herself from the gut wrenching conversation with Juka, who bid her a loud farewell and ran off to join Iya, to join him beside the door. "What's up?"
"I wanna show you something. Come on." Fubuki's grey-blue eyes sparkled with a secret, and he grabbed her wrist, pulling her into the hall and outside.
"F-Fubuki-kun!" Aki didn't think her face could get any hotter. Once her captor reached his destination, however, she turned out to be wrong: her face could get much hotter.
"Do you like it?" Fubuki's question rung on nearly deaf ears as Aki took in the sight.
The sun was setting, its image reflected in the ice on the lake. However, it was this lake that had the young woman transfixed. Someone must have painted their ice skates a bright green and skated very carefully, for in delicate yet slightly flawed letters on the surface of the ice a message was written: I love you.
"Eto… I-I'm sorry, Aki-chan. I shouldn't have been so insensitive… there's someone else, isn't there? I mean, of course it couldn't be me… who knew I'd be so bad at this stuff?" Fubuki rambled on nervously, clearly upset.
Aki was speechless, staring at the ice like it was on fire. After several minutes of the boy's quiet apologies, she freed her wrist that was still in his grasp and placed it on his shoulder. "Stop, Fubuki-kun!"
Jumping visibly, Fubuki turned to look at her as she continued, "I don't know what you're being so down on yourself about! This is very sweet."
Blinking in slight confusion, the young man raised a grey eyebrow. "But…?"
"What do you mean 'but'?"
"There's someone else, right?"
"N-No, I never said that!"
"Really?!" Aki was startled as the boy grabbed both her hands excitedly.
"Really. ...It's always been you, Fubuki-kun."
Looking back, Aki would swear she'd never seen someone's face light up as brightly as his did in that moment. "R-Really?"
Laughing, the girl replied, "Really! Honestly, I just said that."
Grinning sheepishly as he blushed, Fubuki muttered, "Oh yeah… gomen."
Smiling, Aki opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by shouting behind her.
"Fubuki-kun! Let's play SOCCER!"
Aki sighed at Endou's call, but Fubuki just chuckled and kissed her on the cheek. "You're gonna root for me, right?"
"Of course." She was blushing so hard, she figured she could hire herself out as a furnace as she replied, "I always do."
So, what did you think? :) I hope you like it Kee-chan~! (I feel like they're so OOC... but as a friend of mine told me, Inazuma Eleven doesn't deal with love, so we don't exactly know how they'd act! :D) The minor couples were Endou/Natsumi, Gouenji/Fuyuka, and Haruna/Sakuma. :D
[Edit]: Also, I have no idea if that ice thing would even work, lol. :D Just something I thought up.
I hope y'all enjoyed it! :) Please review, and any tips you can give me I'd love. Honestly. I have so much room for improvement it's not funny. So if you liked it, tips, hated it, whatever, please drop a review, they make my day: just no flames please. :)
Peace out, I'm Batman! (NOT! XD)
~Swaggy-chan