Disclaimer: I do not own Galactik Football.

So...

"So… here we are then," Micro-Ice looked around, "Welcome, everyone, to the glorious, exciting, unceasingly rockin' and rollin' life of the most popular kids in the galaxy!"

Ahito opened one of his eyes and gazed at him with a quizzical look at which Micro-Ice responded with a wave of his hand:

"Well, look at the Snow Kids, Ahito! If someone just walked in they'd be disappointed!"

"Disappointed?" D'Jok asked, as Ahito just yawned and turned his back to get in a more comfortable position, "Of what?"

"Of us!" Micro-Ice stared at them with wide eyes, hoping someone (most probably Thran) would catch his drift, "We're not behaving like the Champions we are!"

D'Jok and Rocket exchanged baffled looks while Thran pulled a card out of his deck of Galactik Footballers and slammed it down:

"I win!"

Immediately, the captain and the striker started to protest about how they were distracted at which Micro-Ice groaned loudly:

"That's exactly what I'm talking about!"

"Chill Micro-Ice," Aarch said, stepping inside to calm down the young star, "We've been informed that there's an insane crowd gathering around the Academy to welcome you back to your home planet. I guarantee you'll be treated like the champion you are."

"Finally," he exclaimed throwing himself on his back on the sofa, "Somebody appreciates our victory."

"We have been appreciated enough in the Genesis Stadium," Thran pointed out as Aarch went back to talk with his brother, shaking his head to his cheerful footballer.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean it has to stop there," the youngest boy grinned.

"Even Mei got tired of it and practically jumped on the opportunity to go to that secluded planet with Tia and her parents," D'Jok shook his head, "And she is Mei! How come you can be still so hyped about all these?"

Micro-Ice looked at his redheaded friend with unbelieving eyes and D'Jok shook his head:

"Forget it."

"And how do you feel about the attention?" Micro-Ice grinned, "I didn't see you running off to a secluded planet."

D'Jok bowed his head, what did Micro-Ice know about him trying to stay attainable in case his newly-found father wanted to visit him? Who he had seen only once after the eventful final; there were talks on Technoid's plans to abandon the "hunt" over Pirates thanks to their help in the case with Bleylock (if you could call making it public that Technoid has been stupid enough to not see its own General plotting to take-over the Galaxy, and then there was the fact that Clamp and him were responsible Meta-Flux in the first place) but Sonny was still being cautious.

"What about you Rocket?" Micro-Ice sat up, his grin getting even wider, and for once D'Jok was pleased for the attention shifting to the captain, "Why didn't you go with them? I'm sure you'd have loved to be in a secret corner, alone with Tia, doing… stuff."

Rocket turned a dark shade and glared behind his hair:

"If I'd have liked that idea, I'd have gone with her, wouldn't I?"

"Come on, Rocket," Thran chided in, "You can't deny it now!"

"Deny what, precisely?" he quirked an eyebrow.

"That you like Tia," Micro-Ice cried out, "You two are so… I can't even find the words!"

"What Micro-Ice is trying to say is," Thran took the matters in his hands, "We were there when she kissed you… and then you ignored her," Rocket opened his mouth to protest, at which Thran raised a hand to stop him wisely, "It was so obvious that even Aarch told you to stop doing it; so let's not waste time with denial, please. And then whatever happened you guys were back on being friends… But friends don't disappear from a party for a whole night, do they? You need to be something more to convince a girl to go with you."

"They were gone the whole night?" D'Jok asked in surprise.

"Yepp," Thran nodded.

"They came back around dawn," Ahito stated after a yawn, "Tia was wearing his jacket and they looked a bit tipsy."

Everyone stared pointedly at him.

"I had to pee and I was a bit tipsy too, so I ended up on the hallway…" Ahito shrugged.

"Wow, very impressive," D'Jok smacked Rocket in the arm, "You have to give me tactics!"

"Funny you never ask for tactics about football which is what you should be more interested in," Rocket stated, grimly.

"That's because I don't need them," D'Jok leaned back on the sofa with his smug expression on his face, "I'm already the best!"

"But you need tactics to woo a girl? Not the best in the art of seduction, are we Super-Star?" Rocket quirked an eyebrow. D'Jok blinked:

"Wow," he said, "You actually cornered me there, didn't think you had it in you, Rocket!"

Rocket rolled his eyes; D'Jok was too smug for his own good sometimes.

"So what did you guys do all night?" Micro-Ice asked, not the one to back down from the subject.

"I fail to see why that should interest you," Rocket said.

"Such a diplomatic answer," Thran grinned, "Must have something to do with your girlfriend's parents."

"Girlfriend?!" Rocket's eyebrows took leap towards his hairline as if this was the first time he heard the word.

"That's the common terminology; but maybe you call her something else?" Thran asked as his grin widened, "Love, maybe?"

"Sweetheart?" Ahito suggested.

"Tia-poo!" Micro-Ice exclaimed.

"Baby…" D'Jok said in low, faux-sexy voice.

"You're miserable," Rocket commented solemnly, "And D'Jok, here's your first advice: never use that tone again."

*

As a hot breeze grazed her skin, Tia set aside her book and grabbed the bottle to drink some water, casting a look around the deserted small bay she was occupying. Mei had gone back to the hotel to take a lotion she had forgotten and her parents were obviously working again despite being the ones who had invited them to come here for a holiday.

She stretched and readjusted the straps of her bikini: she hadn't been alone for awhile now and after all that crazy frenzy it was really soothing.

It was still a bit bizarre, actually having had her dream of becoming a footballer come true. And they were even the Champions –something she had never thought could happen in such a short time! She was grateful for turning on the news on that faithful day when Callie Mystic was reporting the tryouts for Aarch's new team. Now that she had thought about it, it was rather irresponsible of her to jump up to that spacecraft she barely had driven before and ride into her then unknown future. If it hadn't been for Rocket her dreams could have come to an awkward end.

Rocket. Her heart gave a now familiar yelp when she thought of him. He had not been anywhere in her dreams. She had never been to fantasize or even think of a boy until she met him (really training while trying not to get caught and trying to come up with plans of how to get her parents to agree with her choice of a profession was taking up a lot of time). But strangely enough, she recalled that night when she laid in her bed in the Aarch Academy for the first time; she had thought how sad it was that she would never get to see him again. She didn't know anything about him other than the fact that he was Aarch's nephew whose father was Norata –another football legend who apparently hated the sport now and was totally irritating and controlling like her own parents; but she had thought she would have loved to have him around, he looked trustworthy and friendly and tall and all around gorgeous… wow! She just hadn't thought that way back then, did she? She recalled her thoughts and yepp, she had. Well, that was weird.

She shook her head and stood up. What was she doing sitting around at the shore when the magnificent seas was waiting for her? Without as much of a second thought she strode to the water and walked right in. She held herself until the water was around her thighs but couldn't stop shuddering. Funny, she thought, After so much time in Akillian you'd think I'd get used to the cold.

FLASHBACK

She jumped from one foot to another and blew on her hands in an attempt to get them warmer. To no avail, surely. This place was far too cold for her comfort. She hoped Clamp would be quick in grabbing whatever it was that he had forgotten that kept them waiting outside of the spacecraft. The fact that they were going to the Shadows Archipalego after that humiliating defeat was making everyone nervous already, there was no need for extra waiting around to pull the strings. She wondered why her teammates, who all were more experienced than her on the conditions of the planet, had not suggested going inside. As Mei zipped up her coat she got her answer: they all had appropriate clothing. Great. She rubbed her palms together, bloody cold.

"Your nails are turning purple," Rocket stated, his hands securely stuffed into the pocket of his hoodie.

"I know," she said through greeted teeth. She didn't want to be rude; especially not towards Rocket, but that was all she could manage at the time. Anemia did not go well with cold.

Luckily, instead of being offended at her answer, Rocket nonchalantly took his hands out of his pocket and grabbed hers, affectively capturing them in his larger ones.

"Oh no," she protested, despite the soothing effect the warmth had on her hands, "Yours will get cold, too, now. It's fine. Clamp should be back any moment…"

Rocket seemed to ponder for a second and then pulled her towards himself (making her stumble forward clumsily), stuffing her hands along with his into his warm pocket. Caught off guard, Tia was now left to stare at his chest. She looked up slowly with embarrassment but thankfully Rocket was looking over her head, to the gates to see whether Clamp was coming.

She mumbled a "thank you" and saw him smile from the corner of her eye before intently fixing her eyes on the snow covered ground as her own smile broke into her features.

Akillian was not that cold with Rocket around.

FLASHBACK

She dove into the clear water as she decided to give him a call as soon as she went back to the hotel.

*********

Long-time no see, eh? Wow sorry for anyone who had liked this story, almost a year and no update from me! This chapter has been waiting around for awhile, but I just didn't feel like it was complete. I still think it needs some more work but I won't have time for another long time so I decided it would better than nothing.