Hey everyone, I'm back again!

First of all, as always, I would like to say thank you to the two new anonymous-sans who just read and reviewed my story. (That is if you hadn't already commented with a different name. Not that it matters much though, because I am always thankful to everyone who follows my stories. ^v^-) I'm so glad you guys like it.

Secondly, please let me do the honor and announce... TAKURAN is officially back in the houseeeeeee! YAYYYYYYY! Seriously, I'm really happy I can write about them again. This may sounds crazy but I'm starting to miss their moments in my own story! XD

Oh well, I hope you guys will enjoy this chap as well!

Here we go…!

Disclaimer: I don't own INAZUMA ELEVEN (GO)

Chap 12:

"I'm home…"

Kirino whispered to himself as he opened the door and walked into the house. The pink hair boy took steps on the floor, into the living room, moving as smoothly and quietly like a shadow sliding through the air. Without even bothering to turn on the light, he just sat down silently in the little space between the couch and the table and gradually leaned his upper body on the hard and cold surface. A cold and empty atmostphere floated around the room, hovering over the dusty pictures pinning to the wall, smoothing along the chilly wooden floor on the ground and hunting the only living soul that existed in this place.

...Ah… it's so quiet here…

The defender thought quietly as he slowly closed his eyes. Why was it always like this he wondered…?

Why is it that his heart always felt so heavy that it weighted down his body every time he was alone in this house..?

Was it darkening colors that covered the wall?

Or the quiet air that surrounded the room?

Were they the things that emptied his soul and drained away his feelings like this…?

Why is it... that he felt so…

…alone.

The moment the word slipped into his mind, the image of his best friend flashed through him like an electric shock. Closed eyes blasted wide opened when memories with the brunet shot back to him like an overflowing flood. The boy's body started shaking lightly as he drew his body back like a cocoon with his arms covering his head. The boy's hands tangled themselves in the pink locks and tightened their fingers around them.

"No…"

The boy breathlessly let out as tears started to form in the rim of his eyes. He squeezed his eyes shut.

"I don't want to remember… I-I…"

At that moment, the boy suddenly jolted slightly. He turned his head to gaze at the bottle of pills that fell out of his bag. A hand reached out for the little container.

The boy shifted the thing around in his hand as his body gradually relaxed against the couch. He leaned his head back and stared at the thing with a painful smile.

"Ah… Kariya is so going to be mad when he finds out…"

Kirino extended his palm to open the thing. However the cricking sound of friction was barely heard when his hand was stopped from removing the cover by the sound of the echoing bell.

For a slit moment, the boy was torn between the desire to taste the sensational effects of the pill and the rebounding sound of his guest, whoever it was. His hand trembled slightly at the vigor he was holding the bottle with and a craving obsession flashed through his darkened azure eyes.

After a minute that seem like an eternity, the boy finally managed to squeeze his eyes shut and tear them away from the almost irresistible price before forcing back the urge to just forget about the visitor. His hand finally eased off the bottle as the boy let out a heavy breathing sigh...

As the bell rang for the third time, Kirino put the bottle back into his schoolbag, stood up from his spot and walked to the door. The boy was quietly expecting to see his boyfriend since the junior did say he might drop by today to take back some notes he forgot the other night.

Kirino slowly opened the door and squeezed his eyes slightly to protect them from the dazzling light that slipped their way through the small opening.

However, the voice that uttered his name made the boy jolted in disbelieve.

He slowy raised his head up with widened eyes. Then he saw it… the face that had hunted his mind and dreams everyday ever since the day that boy disappeared from his life.

"… I'm back... Kirino..."

Shindou sat silently at the table as his best friend prepared some tea for both of them. The brunet couldn't help but occasionally glancing at the other as the boy quietly did his work.

Ever since he took steps into the house, the defender had barely let out a word or given him even a clear glimpse of his face. The pink hair male always kept his head slightly down with his bangs hiding away his expressions.

But even with the other's efforts to conceal himself, the brunet could still notice how Kirino's soft pink hair had grown a bit longer compared to the last time they met, how the defender's movements seemed to be even more graceful but still as clean and agile as ever, how his body had become slightly taller but just as slender and elegant… and how even more beautiful the boy had turned out to be in his eyes even after all those months apart… The boy couldn't deny how much efforts he had to put in just to restrain himself back the moment the other was in sight. He couldn't believe how much he had come to miss his best friend, from the boy's stunning azure eyes, his beautiful hair and gentle, alluring voice to the warm and completed feelings that always filled his soul with the male's mere presence, being so close by his side… Everything, everything were in the player's grasp but somehow also seemed so far away…

The brunet traced his eyes to the boy's hands that were pouring tea into his cup. Brown eyes widened slightly in surprise to see them somewhat trembling. Only now did the boy realize the barely noticeable agony that the pink hair defender was trying desperately to hide under the seemingly daunt expressions on his face.

When the boy finally put the pot down, Shindou reached out his hands to hold onto his companion's ones in his palms, making the boy stiffen at the sudden contact. The brunet however, was more concerned for the defender's shivering state. So he held the boy's cheek with one palm and gently turned his face towards him.

"Kirino, are you ok?"

For a moment, the defender was stunned. An awed expression slit through his face as he finally looked into his best friend's eyes. But the pink hair male lowered his face once again the very next second and said with an almost inaudible voice.

"I'm… fine…"

The boy silently withdrew himself from the other, fully aware of the concerning look that still covered his companion's expression. Shindou however didn't ask any further as he turned his gaze to the ground with sad eyes. He could understand why his best friend was acting so distant; he knew the reason for the boy's discomfort and awkward behaviors, but none of those awareness made the situation any less heavy and painful for both of them.

What should he do to make the boy trust him again? What could he say to bring their relationship back to the way it was? Does he even want to come back to that stage again, when they were friends and only friends…? Of course not. Even when it had taken him a long time and quite a lot of help to figure out what he truly wanted from whatever it was between them, Shindou finally knew that the way their friendship were, originally, wasn't what he wanted from the boy in the bottom of his heart. And bringing them back to that point again, when they were both denying how they actually felt would only made history repeat itself and pushed the other further away from him once again...

No. Shindou knew better than that. He knew that there was no way he could cowardly run away from this anymore than he already had. Whether he liked it or not, the damage was already done. But that didn't mean he couldn't fix things now.

It's better late than never... I can't lose him again… not this time...

"I-"

"Shindou..."

The brunet halted what he was about to say when he heard the other calling. The boy turned to his friend to see the defender not even looking at him. The pink hair male kept his head down as he exhaled each of his words silently, like mere breathings.

"I'm… I'm with Kariya right now…"

The brunet widened his eyes in surprise at those words. He kept staring at the boy who couldn't even make eye contact with him as he continued to speak.

"We are dating… so… so you don't have to… it... it's ok…"

As Kirino finished those last few words like a whispering plead, he was about to stand up from his spot when a hand got a firm hold of his wrist all of a sudden.

Surprise wasn't even enough to express the boy's astonishment when he finally looked into the other's face. The pink hair could swear his heart skipped a beat and a melting feeling spreading through his every limb when he finally saw the brown orbs that were glinting with such powerful determination. The defender was suddenly remained of how hard he had fallen in love with the other's great willpower and his warm expressive eyes.

"No."

The brunet said firmly as he kept his fingers tightly around the other's wrist, not willing to let go yet.

"It's not ok. Don't say that it's ok. Because… because what I did was not alright at all Kirino. If anything, it was unforgiveable."

"Shindou… what are yo-"

"And I'm going to make it up for you… One way or another, I'll prove to you I have changed… a-and I'll definitely make you happy."

The brunet finally finished with a smile. "I won't run away anymore. Not from the one I love."

Kirino was completely speechless to say the least. His lips slightly parted in awe and the azure eyes couldn't help but bewildered from wonder. The pink hair defender could however still feel butterflies bursting out in his stomach the moment his best friend declared his love for him. The boy was so stunned he couldn't even react when the other finally slipped his fingers away from his hand, stood up from his spot. The boy flinched back to reality and practically jumped on his feet to franticly call out for his best friend who was walking away, he wasn't even sure that he understood his own words.

"Shindou, I… I am with Kariya… We are… I... y-you can't… you're going to be…"

The defender suddenly stopped his stutters as he looked down to the floor with pain flashing through his eyes. The image of himself being left behind by his parents and the other came back to his mind as he exhaled the word that he had to learn through those piercing experiences.

"hurt…"

I don't want you to be hurt like that…

The pink hair male's eyes widened his eyes opened once again when he realized how naturally the thought came to his mind.

Why did I just…

"I don't mind..."

As the three simple words were calmly voiced, the boy raised his head to see the brunet smiling gently at him.

"You… you risked everything you had to express your feelings for me… and in the end, you did end up getting hurt just because of my stupid mistakes… I cannot change what I have done, but the only thing I can do to atone for it is doing the same with my feelings… Besides, how can I prove that I deserve your forgiveness if I don't even have the courage to overcome such difficulties...?"

The brown hair boy took in a deep breath before he looked straight into his friend's awestruck eyes once more.

"I… I don't just want to have your love Kirino. I want to become someone that is worthy of loving you too."

The brown hair male's eyes shined, reflecting the sunlight that slipped through the curtains as he said those words with all the passion he had. And the boy's image somehow touched the other's soul in the most contented way…

A while later, after the midfielder left with a promise not to disappear this time, a feeling started springing inside the pink hair boy's heart.

Suddenly, a tear fell down across the defender's face when the door was finally closed behind the other.

Why… am I crying…?

Kirino moved his fingers on his cheek in wonder before his body flopped down to the ground on its own. The boy drew his knees to his chests, resting his arms on them and hid away his face as he whispered silently to himself.

"Why…?"

Sobbing noise became louder when tears started running on his cheeks, soaking the fabric covering his arms.

"I don't understand…"

The boy tightened his grabs on his clothes as he felt the thumping sounds of his heart and the heavenly warmth that was overflowing both his mind and soul.

Even after all those things… after all this time…

…So why…?

...Why…?

Why am I so happy…?

The Raimon former captain stepped out of the house as he fished his phone out of his pocket. The boy dialed a few numbers before bringing the device to his ear. He waited patiently until the other line finally answered his call.

"Captain! How did it go?" The first year cheerfully asked with excitement in his voice.

"Rather well... listen, I want to thank you for delaying Kariya for me... I know that it's not right, but I just want to talk to him alone first..."

"It's ok. I just hope he doesn't hate cleaning duty that much though..."

The younger brunet let out an awkward laugh as he scratched his head with a apologetic face. The second year smiled at the other's nervous voice as he said his gratitude once more before hanging up. The boy then looked up at the window where the pink hair male's room was and said with a determined smile.

"This time... I won't give up."

Well, that's all for today.

Personally, even though I'm happy that my OTP is back, I'm a bit nervous since it's been a long time since the last time wrote their moments… Hope I didn't screw them up…

Oh well, it's up to you guys to decide right! Just tell me in the review if I'm getting sloppy ok! ;)

See ya next time! ^ ^