Hello everyone. Sorry for the two year hiatus. The last two years have been a killer with school. But I've finished! No more school for me and much more time for writing :) Hope you all enjoy the new chapter and remember what has happened, because I had to read through the whole fic again to recall what had occurred XD

End of previous chapter

"Guys... I am sad about having to leave. I'm sad that my father's dead. I'm angry at myself for fighting with him before he died. I regret everything I've done to hurt him. I terrified about what lays ahead. And I'm angry that..." I stopped, trying to catch my breath, but was struggling. My chest ached with all these emotions I was showing, and I hated it. It was the same feeling I had when my mother died. I can't take it. I couldn't bottle it up any more. the pain... everything was too much.

"I... I..." I choked, screwing my eyes shut trying to say something. Suddenly I felt two arms around me I opened them. It was Endou.

"Just cry..." he whispered. And that was it... I just... lost it, and bust into tears, crying on Endou's shoulder as I hugged back.

"I... I... don't... want to... go..." I managed to say between cries. I felt more and more arms wrap around us, as the the whole team cried together.

I didn't wanted to leave...

XxxxxX

The entire team was huddled around Endou and myself, most of us in tears as we sobbed together. The thought of not seeing them and playing soccer with them anymore felt like a knife to the chest. It ached. Everything I had kept hidden was just pushing harder and harder against my chest for so long. Yet this moment, where everyone comforted me as I cried loudly into Endou's shoulder, was the most as ease I had felt since my father's death. But I wasn't hiding anything anymore. This pressure on my chest was still there, but the load had been lifted. After what seemed like an eternity of crying, I finally started to catch my breath again as everyone released me from the hug. Endou however still held onto me tightly, not saying a word. Yet he didn't have to at all. This hug spoke a thousand phases, a million words all at once, and provided me with comfort and reassuring that everything was going to be all right. I continued to return the hug, breathing deeply to calm my shaking body.

"Gouenji…" Endou said, breaking the silence before pulling away from the hug and placing his hands on my shoulders. His eyes too were watering with tears, and I could see in those teary eyes he didn't want me to leave either. But even with all the pain, he still managed to smile. "We will always be there for you. No matter where you are in this world, we will always be with you."

And that's all I really needed to hear. I stared back at Endou, with tears still running down my face. He was right. Everyone on this team would also be there for one another, and they will be there for me. I wiped away my tears, and managed to smile back.

"Thank you Endou," I said as I placed my right hand on his. "Thank you everyone. I don't know what my life would be without you guys."

Everyone smiled back at me, still showing some pain from my leaving, but expressed love and compassion all the same. This proved to me that I had to stay strong for them, for Yuuka, for Fuku-san… and for myself. I couldn't just regret everything that I did and didn't do. There was nothing I could change. I simply had to view every opportunity as a new beginning and a fresh start, and to not leave with the mindset of what if.

Suddenly, I heard a car horn go off behind us. I turned and saw my aunt and uncle near their car. My aunt had honked the horn to get me to hurry up with my farewells, and continued to honk the horn when I didn't immediately come over. My uncle had gone over to collect Yuuka from Fuku-san, and seemed to be having a difficult time removing Yuuka from Fuku-san's grip.

"I guess I'm off then…" I said with a sigh. I turned to face the team again, where everyone's smiles slowly faded. And with the sight of everyone's expressions, I couldn't bring myself to move. I just stood there, taking one more look at the team. "I'm really going to miss you guys…" was all I managed to say, before turning and slowly walking towards my uncle, Yuuka and Fuku-san. I could feel the invisible pull from everyone, wanting me to stay just a little longer, and I so desperately wanted to give in to the force. But I had to keep walking. When I made it to my uncle, Yuuka and Fuku-san, I pushed my uncle away from the two, took Yuuka carefully from Fuku-san and hugged her tightly. She was in tears from the thought of never seeing us again, and it hurt me to see her like this. Yuuka too was crying at the top of her lungs, but stopped struggling once I had her on my arms.

"Thank you for everything you've done for us," I said to Fuku-san, trying so desperately not to start crying again. She smiled softly, and wrapped her arm around us both with much more strength than I expected.

When she released us from her grip, she placed a hand on my cheek. "Please stay safe and look after yourself and Yuuka," she managed to say, before beginning to cry again and pulled me into another hug. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"We're going to miss you too," I said back along with returning the second hug. Once the horn honked another three times, before my uncle began to speak.

"It's time to go now you two," he said, seeming to not care in the slightest about the pain we all were feeling. Fuku-san moved away from me quickly, gave me a smile, before turning and walking away quickly, providing herself from stopping us from leaving. I watched her as she walked away, I finally felt that every single adult that ever truly loved Yuuka and I were all gone from our lives.

"Come on you two. We have to bet the traffic," my uncle said as he walked over to my aunt in the car. I glared at him as he walked over, cursing at him in my mind from how frustrated he made me. Yet I soon followed, still with Yuuka in my arms towards the car.

Once we were all in, I took one more look over to Endou and the others. They all stared in my direction, all of them hurt from my departure. Yet suddenly, I saw Endou smile, as he started to wave like a maniac before shouting, "You better come back soon, you hear me?!" My eyes widened from his remark, but I couldn't help but smile myself. And before I knew it, everyone on the team was smiling and waving like Endou was, all shouting that we'll all see each other again. I waved back at them, smiling with genuine happiness, before the car began to drive away. And that was that. Slowly the team grow smaller and smaller. And then, they were nowhere to be seen. I slowly sat back in the car sit, still staring out the window, my mind being complete filled with emotions and thoughts, yet at the same time being completely blank. Who knew when the next time would be when I would see them all again, when I would play soccer with them, go to school with them, hang out with them… My heart began to ache again, as the realisation of emptiness began to weight down my chest. I placed my hand on my heart, pleading for the pressure to go away. Yet I suddenly felt something resting on my hand. I looked over, and saw Yuuka's hold on mine. As I looked her in the eye, I saw tears still running down her face, yet she managed to force a smile for me. I couldn't imagine the amount of pain she must had been feeling. At such a young, to lose both parents, and now moving away from her closest friends who she may never see again. Although we were both in the same situation, I knew our parents for a much longer time than she did. And now she's lost them… I was all she had left, and she was all I had left.

I moved my hand away from hers, undid her sit belt and placed my arm on her shoulder. Her smile dropped, and she simply stared at me, confused about what I was implying.

"Come here," I said, slightly tugging her to move closer to me. After a few moments of blank staring, more tears formed in Yuuka's eyes, before she quickly shifted across the car sits and wrapped her arms around my torso and buried her face in my chest, sobbing and wiping. I wrapped my arms around her as well, comforting her and just letting her cry, just as Endou and the others did for me. I hugged her tightly, hoping that this action will allow Yuuka to know that I was there for her during this time, and will be no matter what.

"Shuuya," I heard from the front seat. I looked up to the direction where my name was called. "We've enrolled you in the nearby junior school. You'll be starting tomorrow," my uncle stated without any form of emotion being heard in his voice. I knew I was going to have to go to a new school once we had made it to my aunt and uncle's house near Hiroshima, but I didn't even think I would have to start the day after my own father's funeral. My mind isn't in the right state to go back to school just yet. But I knew after my uncle's statement that if I objected, I wouldn't hear the end of it.

"Ok…" I muttered quietly, but loud enough for him to hear my response.

XxxxxX

The remainder of the car trip was long and completely silent. No one had said a word to each other, and the tension felt in that car was indescribable. Yuuka had fallen asleep still holding onto me, but I didn't mind in the slightest. I was happy that she was feel enough ease that allowed her to sleep to peacefully.

After hours of driving, we finally pulled into the driveway of my aunt and uncle's home. I couldn't remember the last time I had visited this place, but from what I do remember is that it seemed much bigger when I was younger. Yet now… It was so small, and run down. The grass and surround plants in the front garden looked like they hadn't been cared for in years. The windows appeared to by covered in nothing but dust when the light for the headlights hit them. It seriously looked like a haunted house from the outside. I was just hoping that the inside was nicer…

I carefully shock Yuuka, seeing if I could wake her up. But she was in a deep sleep for anything to wake her up. So I unbuckled my own sit belt and exited the car while still holding her gently once the car had pulled into the drive way completely. My aunt and uncle both exited the car without a word before my aunt headed straight for the house, not even offering a helping hand with the luggage in the back of the car. From that gesture, I could tell she was pissed at me. My uncle however did walk around to the back of the car, unlocked the trunk and started unloading everything. I picked up one of my heaviest bags with my free hand and made my way inside. Luckily, the house was far more clean on the inside compared to the outside of the house, but it was still much smaller than I had originally hoped for. The hallways were almost impossible to squeeze down, making it even harder with my bag and Yuuka in tow. I made it to the kitchen just at the end of the hall where my aunt was, making coffee for her husband and herself.

"Uh… which rooms are ours?" I said quite sheepishly, slightly scared that a simple question like that might set her off. She continued making coffee as she answered, not even looking at me in the eyes.

"Down the hall, second on the left," she stated in a dead pane tone.

"What… about Yuuka's room?" I asked slightly confused. After my question, she stopped pouring the coffee powder into the mugs before her, and finally looked towards me with a piercing gaze.

"Down the hall, second on the left," she repeated, but this time her words seem more focused and cold. I did not dare to ask anymore questions, and just bowed my head before exiting the kitchen and headed towards the room. With much effort, I finally managed to make it to the room, open the door and head inside without waking Yuuka up at all. The room was small for one person to be staying in it. I had no clue how the both of us were going to stay in there with all of our luggage and clothes as well. I lay Yuuka on the bed and let her sleep before realising there wasn't another bed in the room. I looked around but couldn't find anything like a fold up bed or futon. I was just praying my aunt and uncle were not expecting us to sleep in the same bed. Suddenly, I heard a knock at the door.

"Here's more of your luggage," my uncle said, as he came into the room with multiple bags of Yuuka's and my own luggage before placing them in the room.

"Thank you," I said as I watched me surprising place the bags neatly near the wall. I thought this was a perfect opportunity to ask. "Is thee another bed in here?"

"Check under the bed," he said, not even looking towards me as he continued to orderly place the bags down. I checked under the bed and found a mattress, before I pulled it out from under the bed. It wasn't the worst thing I'd ever seen, and it was reasonably big too. The only problem was with this added mattress, along with the bags, there was almost not floor in the room to walk on. Oh well, we were just going to have to make do with it.

"I expect you and Yuuka to be up tomorrow morning at 6 for breakfast and to get ready for school," my uncle said as he finished up with the bags. "You have the responsibility in taking Yuuka to school as well. We enrolled her in a school a few streets from yours so you can drop her off and pick her up every day. To get to your school, you need to catch a bus six stops from the one you get on at, and then walk 20 minutes to Yuuka's school before continuing to yours. The bus comes every 30 minutes so you better not miss it or you'll be later for school." My uncle continued to state every little thing I had to do to get to school tomorrow, but I was just so out of it. I wasn't listening to a word he said, and I didn't care in the slightest. I didn't want to go to school tomorrow. I just wanted to sleep and forgot everything that had happened over the past few months. But at the same time, I wanted to be strong for everyone back at home. I wanted to start fresh, but couldn't find any motivation to do so.

"Are you listening to me?" my uncle asked all of a sudden, bringing me back into reality.

"What? Oh yeah, yeah, I am," I replied. He looked at me oddly. I think he knew I wasn't really listening. But he didn't say a word, and just headed to the door. But before he left, he stopped for a moment and spoke calmly.

"I'm sorry about what happened to your father, Shuuya," he said. He truly caught me off guard from what he was said. Was he… considering my feelings? Something like that had never happed before. But with that, he just left. I was confused, but grateful that he had some understanding as to how Yuuka and I would be feeling, unlike my aunt.

I checked the time on the small clock on the bedside table. It read 10:56. No would Yuuka wasn't waking up. I decided that if I were to be waking up at 6, I should get to bed as well. I made up the mattress that I would be sleeping on, got changed and carefully changed Yuuka out of her clothes and put on her pj's, whilst she was still asleep. I throw the covers over her, and brushed her hair out of her face. "Goodnight Yuuka," I said quiet, before grabbing my toothbrush and heading to the bathroom that was right across the hall from our room. I went in and turned on the light, before heading over to the sink. I quickly brushed my teeth and examined my face in the mirror. My eyes were still slightly red and puffy from all the crying. Being tired probably was making them even redder. This day had felt like an eternity. I just wanted it to be over. I headed towards the door and turned off the light of the bathroom before heading back to the bedroom, but heard some talking coming from the kitchen down the hall. I knew it was just my aunt and uncle talking as they had their coffees my aunt had prepared earlier, but they were talking fairly quietly, like a whisper, as if they didn't want anyone to hear what they were talking about. I slowly moved down the hallway towards the kitchen, making sure to make as little noise as possible. When I made it to the kitchen, I hid behind the wall of the hallway, preventing me from being seen. I could just hear what they were whispering about.

"Why are we doing this again? You know how much I hate those kids. Especially that little girl," I heard my aunt say.

"Don't worry my sweet, this will all be worth while. Shuuya has become a soccer sensation all around the world. If he continues playing soccer, he could easily be accepted into world case team and get paid endless amounts of money. And to support his dear younger sister, he'll send money to her, which means more money for us."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. They were using me….

I hope you all enjoyed. Not sure when the next chapter will be up, but I have so much more time to write so hopefully it will not take long. Until next time, bye :D