#LilacDefenseSquad

Almost eleven thousand words!? This chapter is a doozy! And it's not even that good in my opinion. I was just way too excited to get to the next chapter.

I would've gotten this out a day sooner, but I went to the zoo and I think I've been sleeping more than usual lately so I technically didn't have the time... I guess? I dunno, I just sleep a lot...


Sleepy Ash sat on a bench outside the high school courtyard. Kuro was in his lap and he was staring down at his phone. It was a couple minutes before one and tons of students were walking out of the school. Ash felt like it was yesterday when he was waiting at the park for Mahiru. Of course Mahiru would show up since he was clearly not the type to skip school, but without actually seeing him Ash couldn't help but be concerned that Mahiru would bail on him. It was completely illogical to think like that, but that was just how Ash's mind worked.

Kuro's nose twitched when he picked up a familiar scent. The cat stood up on Ash's lap and his owner scratched behind his ear. He meowed at Ash, who gave him a curious expression.

"What do ya smell, boy? Is it Mahiru?" Ash asked.

Kuro meowed in response and Ash wasn't sure if that was a yes or a no.

From behind the school gates, Koyuki walked out followed by Ryusei, Mahiru, and then Sakuya. Mahiru was holding a soccer ball under his arm. Koyuki was the first to spot Ash and Kuro.

"Hey! It's Ash! Hiii!" Koyuki exclaimed and waved at Ash.

Ash looked over at the teens. His eyes immediately landed on Mahiru. The brunet flashed a bright smile at Ash and he couldn't stop his face from feeling hot. The group walked up to him and Ash stood up from the bench, holding Kuro in his arms. Mahiru went straight to petting Kuro.

"Hi Kuro! How are you? You look so cute today! Yes you do, yes you do!" Mahiru greeted the cat.

Kuro was annoyed by the way Mahiru talked to him, but Ash felt a bit jealous of the cat. Mahiru seemed to have a habit of greeting Kuro before he even acknowledged Ash's presence.

"Oh, hello to you too, Ash. Glad to see you showed up!" Mahiru happily said.

"Sup, man." Ryusei also greeted.

Sakuya turned his head away from the group and remained silent.

"Uh, y-yeah… Hey. Sooo, what's the plan?" Ash inquired.

Mahiru held up the soccer ball. "We're gonna play a game of soccer!"

Ash stared at Mahiru. He didn't want admit that he was disappointed. He already filled his yearly quota of outdoor activity yesterday, so he never wanted to do anymore of it ever again. Especially not something as physically gruelling as playing a sport. Still, if it's what Mahiru wanted to do then there's no way he could back out of it. That wouldn't stop him from trying to change the activity if he could, though.

"Um, you know there's no sports fields in town, right?" Ash noted.

The town was a bit too small to have the need, let alone room, for fields designated to a single sport. There wasn't even any place exclusively meant for playing sports. It just wasn't something the townsfolk cared about. Plus, the student body wasn't big enough to fill up several sports teams. Nor were there any teams they could play against other than the city up north, but the town of Ashford and the northern city didn't get along so that was out of the question.

"Come to think of it, he's right, Mahiru. Where are we gonna play?" Ryusei added.

Mahiru thought for a moment. That hadn't actually dawned on him yet. He tried to think of any open fields when something clicked in his head and he turned around to face his friends.

"Sakuya!" Mahiru called out.

Sakuya looked at Mahiru with surprise. He assumed Mahiru was going to pass the puck to him and make him come up with an idea. Of course, Sakuya didn't have an answer so there was no point in forcing the job on him.

"You're neighborhood has an empty field nearby, right?" The brunet asked.

It took Sakuya a minute to realize what Mahiru was referring to.

"No. That's an empty lot. There used to be a house there, like, a hundred years ago. I think it burned down… or something. I mean, sure, we could use it, but it's pretty crappy." Sakuya answered.

"I'm okay with that!" Koyuki said.

"Yeah." Ryusei agreed.

"It doesn't have to be perfect. As long as it's usable." Mahiru added.

Sakuya groaned. "I don't really want us hanging out in my neighborhood though."

"Oh, what? Afraid we'll see your parents yell at you?" Ryusei teased.

"Like hell!" Sakuya aggressively responded while being as vague as possible so he wasn't confirming either way.

"Stop it!" Mahiru shouted at his two misbehaving friends.

Everyone except Koyuki flinched. Ash hadn't heard Mahiru get loud like that before. It certainly surprised him. He didn't know Mahiru was so… good at keeping his friends in line.

"Ryusei, that was too far. Sakuya, there's nothing wrong with us playing soccer in your neighborhood." Mahiru scolded.

"Yes, Mahiru. Sorry, Mahiru." They both muttered.

Ash came to the conclusion that Mahiru was the one in charge.

"Sorry about them. Are you okay with that?" Mahiru asked as he turned back around to face Ash.

"Y-yeah. Doesn't matter to me where we go." Ash replied.

"Okay! Sakuya, it's your neighborhood. You lead the way." Mahiru decided.

"So bossy…" Sakuya grumbled as he began walking in front of the group.

As they all walked away from the school, another group of students emerged from the school courtyard. It was Tetsu and his friends Kaede, Kashi, and Lilac. They all stopped on the sidewalk for a moment. Lilac looked down the street in the direction his home was and was surprised to see Sakuya walking away with his friends. It wasn't normal for him to see Sakuya heading home with others.

"Lilac?"

Lilac flinched and looked back to his friends.

"S-sorry, what?" Lilac asked.

"Kaede was asking if you're going home." Kashi said.

"O-oh… Um, yeah. I-I'll see you guys tomorrow." Lilac replied.

Without waiting for a response, Lilac quickly made his way down the street and around the corner. His friends watched as Lilac disappeared from their view.

"Mmmn… I wish Lilac didn't have to go home so soon everyday." Kaede complained.

"I gotta go home too." Tetsu stated.

"Oh… alright then." Kashi muttered.

"Bye guys." Tetsu said before beginning to walk across the street.

"Bye." Kaede and Kashi replied.

"Well, I suppose we better go home too." Kashi suggested.

"Yeeaaah… Okay." Kaede responded.

The two friends went in the opposite direction of Lilac and headed home together. Down the street, Lilac kept himself a far enough distance away from Sakuya and his friends so he wouldn't look suspicious if they saw him.

"Oh trust me, Ash. Detention is hell. You're lucky you've never had to experience it." Ryusei said.

"Phfft, that's why I skip it when I get detention. Then again, it's better if you don't get caught in the first place." Sakuya commented.

"I think it's hard to avoid getting caught over homework." Koyuki stated.

"Maybe don't break the rules at all. That's always an option." Mahiru remarked, sounding a bit sarcastic.

"C'mooon, Mahiru. Live a little. You're in high school. Ya gotta break a couple rules at least once." Sakuya suggested.

"Heh. Yeah, you're not really allowed to fool around once you become an adult. I bet that sucks, huh Ash?" Ryusei assumed and nudged Ash with his elbow.

"I don't think I ever really messed around." Ash said.

Ryusei, Mahiru, and Koyuki looked at Ash with curious expressions. He realized he didn't really look like a rule follower. Ash decided some explaining was necessary.

"I used to never leave the house so I didn't really have the opportunity to break any rules and when my little brother was born I spent all my time taking care of him. Plus, my mother was really lenient so I didn't really have any rules to break." Ash clarified.

Mahiru smiled at Ash, which confused him despite how beautiful it was.

"Are you talking about the five year old?" Mahiru questioned.

Ash nodded his head.

"It's wonderful that you take care of your little brother! You must be a great big brother, Ash." Mahiru complimented him.

"I bet he's so cute! Toddlers are just adorable!" Koyuki happily said.

It was great to hear those words from Mahiru, but Ash certainly didn't believe them. He thought it was quite the opposite actually. He was probably the worst big brother around. Especially to Tsubaki and lately to Old Child as well. He started feeling bad again for ignoring Old Child.

"Yeah, well, he's not all that cute when he thinks he's the one in charge." Ash stated.

Mahiru and Koyuki laughed at that, and even Ryusei thought it was funny. Sakuya simply groaned and tried to walk a bit faster. The sooner they got there the sooner Sakuya could beat Ash and then he'd finally leave Mahiru alone.

The group fell quiet as they continued to walk. There was a feeling that Mahiru couldn't shake since they left school. One started when they met up with Ash and another started after they made it down the street. On a whim, Mahiru looked over his shoulder. Far down the street was another kid from school. It seemed like to Mahiru that the kid suddenly turned around and just stood there. It didn't seem like that was what he was picking up on though, so Mahiru simply ignored him.

They all walked a few more blocks and Ash finally took notice of the change in environment. Looking around at the houses they walked past, Ash could see that they didn't have the best upkeep. It reminded him of his own house. It might have looked nice from the inside, but on the outside one would assume the house had been abandoned for decades. He realized they were on the east side of town. One of the two places in Ashford that wasn't the best residential area. The south end of town was pretty much considered abandoned thanks to the Ash family living there, while the east edge of town was considered the 'bad side'. Most everyone there was even more closed off and secluded than the rest of town. It was a pretty run down neighborhood too. For lack of a less insensitive way to say it, it was where the poor folks lived. It wasn't always like that. From what Ash could remember it only started getting like that after a fire happened. All Of Love knew more about that than he did, though. As far as Ash knew, it was also where Tsubaki spent most of his time. It made sense to Ash that it's where Sakuya lived since he was part of the youngest brother's gang.

They came upon an empty lot and Sakuya stopped walking. There was a chain link fence in front of the entire lot with no gate to get in. The lot was covered in a few patches of overgrown and weak looking grass. There was an obvious rectangular stain on the ground that made it easy to tell a house was once there, even if it was an extremely long time ago. Without hesitation, Sakuya easily vaulted himself over the fence to enter the lot. Ryusei grabbed onto the fence next to start climbing. He was a bit too short to jump over it at a ground level.

"Woah, wait! Okay, I have a question." Koyuki announced.

"Ugh, what?" Sakuya asked.

"Is this legal?" The younger brunet inquired.

"C3 has better things to do than stop teenagers from playing on an empty lot." Sakuya answered, ignoring the fact that Ash was with them.

"Good enough for me." Ryusei said.

The blonde climbed up a few inches from the ground and managed to jump over the fence from there, landing on the other side. Ash went next. He walked up to the fence and Kuro jumped out of his arms to land over the fence. Ash vaulted himself over the same way Sakuya did. He would've preferred just walking through a gate, but there was no other way than jumping the fence. Of course, he also could've literally jumped over it, but that would've been extremely suspicious. Mahiru decided to go after Ash. He tossed the soccer ball over the fence at Ryusei, who caught it. He took a safer option and climbed the fence all the way to the top. He put one leg over the edge, followed by the other, and climbed down until he reached the bottom. The whole time Ash and Sakuya stood by, making sure they could catch Mahiru in case he fell. Koyuki was the only one left on the other side of the fence. He was a bit too nervous to climb over.

"Koyuki! C'mon, hurry up!" Ryusei called out.

"Get yer ass over here, man!" Sakuya shouted.

"Eeehhh… I don't know how I feel about this anymore. It doesn't seem right…" Koyuki whined.

"We won't get in trouble, Koyuki. I promise. Please just climb the fence." Mahiru said, trying to be nicer than Sakuya and Ryusei.

Koyuki groaned and refused to move. Ash sighed and walked back up to the fence. He climbed it high enough to reach a hand out to Koyuki.

"I'm the adult here. If we get in trouble then I'll take the blame, but I'll make sure that won't happen in the first place." Ash reassured him.

Koyuki stared up at Ash and gave a small smile as he took Ash's hand. Ash helped Koyuki over the fence and made sure he reached the ground just fine.

"Heh, thank you Ash." Koyuki said.

Ash just nodded in response. He looked over to see Mahiru smiling at him. Clearly he just earned some Mahiru points, which was really his only reason for helping Koyuki. Although, by the way Ryusei was trying to hide his glare focused on Ash, it was obvious he lost a few Ryusei points in the process. Not that he cared about that, it was just an interesting thing to note.

"Alright, can we start now?" Sakuya questioned as he took off his backpack and tossed it down against the fence.

"Wait, gimme a minute." Mahiru requested.

He placed his bag against the fence as well. He removed his uniform jacket and once he started to take off his sweater vest, everyone became confused.

"Woah, Mahiru! What're ya doing!?" Ryusei asked.

"We're outside and we're going to be playing a sport. I don't want to overheat. Geez, be a little more mature." Mahiru clarified.

Ash blushed and looked away at the revelation of where Ryusei's mind went. Sakuya, on the other hand, snickered at the thought.

"Oh! That's a really good idea actually." Koyuki said.

The younger brunet put his own bag down and took off his sweater, folding it so he could place it in his bag. Ryusei shrugged and joined in. He put his bag with everyone else's and took off his jacket and button up, leaving just his dark blue shirt. Sakuya finally followed them and removed his uniform jacket as well. He even rolled up the sleeves of his black and white striped shirt for extra measure. The four teens looked at Ash, who simply stood there.

"Come on, Ash. You'll be way too hot in that thing." Mahiru advised.

"Yeah, the fur on the hood might overheat your brain." Ryusei said more as a joke than as advice.

Ash groaned as he began unbuttoning his jacket. There was no real risk of him overheating, but it was better to take it off than leave it on anyway. He didn't want to accidentally use his coattails during the game or get tripped by someone stepping on them. With the jacket off, Ash wasn't sure what to do with it. It just got washed that morning and he didn't have a bag to place it on like everyone else, but he didn't want to put it on the ground either.

"Oh, hey. Let me put it on my stuff. Don't want it getting dirty after all." Mahiru offered.

Ash nodded and handed it to Mahiru, who folded it best he could and placed it on top of his bag. It was a bit difficult folding a jacket with such long coattails. Mahiru just folded it like a shirt and wrapped the coattails around it almost like it was a present. Sakuya didn't want to protest something so harmless, but he still didn't like that Ash's jacket was with Mahiru's stuff.

"So what do we do about teams?" Ryusei wondered.

"Oh yeah. There's five of us so the teams won't be even." Mahiru realized.

"Maybe one of us could be referee." Sakuya suggested, also okay with the idea of Ash simply not participating.

"That wouldn't be fair though." Koyuki protested.

"Well hold up. Does Ash even know how to play?" Ryusei questioned.

"Ryusei, don't you think it's a little presumptuous to assume that? Wait… you do know how to play soccer, right Ash?" Mahiru attempted to confirm.

"Again, I was homeschooled. Not locked in my house for eighteen years. And I play a lot of Inuzuma Twelve so of course I know how to play soccer." Ash answered.

Sakuya and Ryusei snickered at his answer.

"Knowing how to play Inuzuma Twelve doesn't automatically make you good at soccer!" Sakuya mocked him.

Ash scowled at Sakuya. "Well what more is there than just 'kick the ball in your goal'?"

"Eh, you got a point. It really is that simple." Mahiru said.

"Actually, what do we do about goals? Shouldn't we decide on that since there aren't any real ones?" Koyuki suggested.

"That's easy. On that side it's if the ball goes past the first two trees there, and on this side it's if it hits the fence to the left of our bags." Mahiru decided, pointing out the specific spots he was referring to.

When Mahiru looked back to the fence, he saw the same boy from earlier peeking around the edge of the wooden fence that belonged to the house next door. They locked eyes for a moment before the boy flinched and hid behind the fence. Everyone looked at Mahiru in confusion.

"Huh? What's wrong Mahiru?" Koyuki asked.

"Someone's watching us." Mahiru stated.

They looked over to where Mahiru was staring. They didn't see anyone, so it only confused everyone further. Kuro sniffed the air and picked up a familiar scent. He made his way to the fence and squeezed his body between the gap of the two fences to get onto the sidewalk. He turned his head and looked up to see Lilac. Kuro meowed and sat down in front of the boy's feet.

"Kuro! Ssshh!" Lilac whisper-yelled.

Kuro bit on the boy's pant leg and started tugging. He used enough strength to successfully tug the boy forward. Lilac grabbed the top of the wooden fence and tried to pull his leg back.

"N-noo! Please! I can't let Sakuya see me!" Lilac quietly, but frantically begged.

It was a bit too late for that. Lilac was easily visible to the other group and the sight was rather pitiful to them. At the revelation that it was Lilac, Sakuya took the soccer ball from Ryusei and aggressively punted it at the fence, which startled the group and made Lilac yelp.

"Go! Home! Lilac!" Sakuya angrily shouted.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just- well- I mean, I was! I always go this way!" Lilac anxiously tried to explain.

"Woah, you know that kid, Sakuya?" Ryusei asked.

Sakuya groaned. He was hoping he'd never be asked that.

"...Yeah. He's Lilac. He lives on the floor above me…" Sakuya answered.

Ash couldn't confirm if that was true or not, but he knew there was more Sakuya could say than just that. He recognized Lilac as a kid that had been with Tsubaki's group since he was a toddler. Ash hadn't see him in a long while so it took him a second to tell that it was Lilac. The boy definitely looked older compared to last time. He didn't know Lilac went to school now either.

"Uh… C-can you make him stop, please?" Lilac asked, referring to Kuro.

"Kuro, here boy!" Ash called out as he snapped his fingers.

Kuro let go of Lilac's pant leg and squeezed back between the fences to sit down next to Ash.

"T-thank you…" Lilac said.

"Hey, do you have some free time right now?" Mahiru inquired.

Sakuya went wide eyed at the revelation of what Mahiru was doing.

"Um… Technically. I'm supposed to go home straight from school, but it's probably okay since Sakuya is here." Lilac answered.

"Great! Want to join us for soccer then?" Mahiru offered.

"Huh? Y-you want… me to join you?" Lilac nervously repeated.

"Oh no, Mahiru! You don't want him playing with us!" Sakuya protested.

"Well I'm sure as long as he's not crippled then he can play." Ryusei said.

"Does that include non-physically?" Sakuya questioned.

Mahiru smacked Sakuya in the arm, making him yelp and rub his hurt arm.

"Nonsense. You can join us, Lilac! We need an even number anyway!" Mahiru reassured him.

Lilac nervously smiled and seemed a bit too eager as he scrambled to climb the fence. At the top, he somehow lost his balance and slipped. Lilac went face first into the dirt as his body hit the ground. Everyone winced at the sight. Surprisingly, Lilac lifted his head up and got up as if he was perfectly fine. He rubbed the dirt off his face and ran up to the group.

"I'm okay, I'm okay! Stuff like that happens all the time!" Lilac clarified.

Ryusei tried to stifle a laugh and Koyuki gave him a pity smile. Sakuya groaned in disappointment and Ash just looked away.

"Okaaay, back to teams then." Mahiru said.

"I'll be on Koyuki's team." Ryusei decided.

Koyuki enthusiastically raised his hand. "I think you and Ash should be on the same team!"

Sakuya and Ash both flinched.

"Why?" Mahiru asked.

"Because he's your guest!" Koyuki explained, a not-so-innocent smiling forming on his face.

"Good enough for me. You okay with that, Ash?" Mahiru inquired.

Ash was too nervous to say anything, so he simply nodded his head. Sakuya glared at Ash out of the corner of his eye. He wanted to be on the opposite team of Ash, but he also wanted to be on Mahiru's team.

"I'll take Koyuki and Ryusei's team then." Sakuya reluctantly decided.

"So that leaves Lilac for us." Mahiru noted.

"I'll be goalie!" Koyuki announced.

"Who should be goalie? I could do it if neither of you want to." Mahiru suggested to his teammates.

Ash momentarily thought about taking the job. It would mean he wouldn't have to do much other than stand there. Unfortunately, Lilac beat him to it.

"I can. I-I'm not really good at sports. I'd only get in the way otherwise…" Lilac said.

"Okay then. Ash, how good would you say you are at kicking?" Mahiru inquired.

In truth, Ash could easily kick the ball hard enough to pop it, but that was far more than just inhuman. He wasn't planning on using anything even remotely close to full strength either. He was playing with a bunch of normal teenagers after all. Well, mostly, considering Lilac was there. He decided to give an answer that would sound plausible for him, but wouldn't disappoint Mahiru. Although, it would be difficult not to sell himself short due to self-esteem issues.

"Moderate, I guess. I may be lazy, but I'm not weak." Ash replied.

"Alright. And your running speed?" Mahiru questioned.

Ash became confused. He didn't expect Mahiru to take a soccer game so seriously. Perhaps it was just normal for Mahiru to give it his all no matter what he was doing. Either way, Ash decided not to oversell himself with Mahiru's other question.

"Slow." Ash responded.

Mahiru quietly thought to himself for a moment and Ash and Lilac made eye contact for a split second.

"Then you just focus on making goals. I'll work on interception and passing you the ball to make shots." Mahiru decided.

Ash nodded in agreement.

"Lilac, if you know what's good for you, you'll watch out for Sakuya's shots. He's got the necessary aggression to knock a few teeth out." Mahiru warned.

"Oh… B-believe me, I already k-know that." Lilac said.

"Hey! You guys ready to lose!?" Sakuya shouted.

"You wish!" Mahiru playfully shouted back.

"Places everyone!" Koyuki announced.

Mahiru ran off to take the side of the lot closer to the fence. Ash was about to follow, when he heard Kuro meow at him. Ash crouched down to get closer to the cat.

"Oh, sorry Kuro. You can can take a nap, or go do whatever it is you do when you leave. I dunno actually know what you do." Ash told him.

Kuro meowed again and ran off to the teens' bags. He immediately sat on top of Ash's jacket and curled up into a ball. Ash simply sighed.

"Of course that's what you do." Ash grumbled.

"U-um…"

Ash looked over to see Lilac standing in front of him.

"Um, if you don't m-mind me asking… Why are you out here? I-I thought Sakuya hated you." Lilac asked.

"...Well, I think I gave him a few more reasons to. I'm just here for Mahiru, that's all. Hey, don't mention that you know me, okay?" Ash requested.

"Don't worry, I understand. Sakuya tells me to do the same thing." Lilac replied.

Ash started to feel bad for the kid.

"Hurry up you two!" Mahiru called out.

Ash and Lilac walked up to Mahiru. He pointed at their positions for them. Lilac backed up against the fence and Ash stood closer to the middle of the lot across from Mahiru. Koyuki had the ball and placed it in the dead center of the lot before running back to stand in front of the two trees that Mahiru designated as the other goal.

"...Three!"

Mahiru pointed a finger from himself to the ball.

"...Two!"

Ash took that to mean that Mahiru was going to take control of the ball first.

"...One!"

Ash decided for himself that he'd go around the side to get closer to the goal so he could prepare to kick it in.

"...Play ball!" Koyuki shouted.

Mahiru and Sakuya immediately sprinted for the ball. Ryusei backed up off to the side and Ash ran past the fight in the middle of the lot towards Koyuki's goal. Mahiru, being the faster of the two, reached the ball first and kicked it hard enough to fly past Sakuya. Ash waited for the ball to reach him and ran with it before getting ready to kick it. Just before he did, Ryusei seemingly came out of nowhere and snatched the ball right out from under Ash. Before Ash could react, Ryusei kicked it to Sakuya, who immediately made a shot at the goal. Mahiru tried to catch up to the ball in time, but couldn't make it.

"Lilac!" Mahiru called out.

As the ball got closer, Lilac became more and more anxious. He took a step to the side, but froze at the last second as the ball whizzed past him and slammed into the fence. The sound of the impact made him yelp.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I choked! I didn't mean to! It's just a lot of pressure!" Lilac frantically apologized and tugged on his hair.

"I told you he shouldn't play with us!" Sakuya mocked them.

Mahiru sighed. "I call a timeout!"

"Oh c'mon! What for!?" Ryusei questioned.

"For a team meeting!" Mahiru announced.

Ash made his way back over to Mahiru and Lilac nervously walked up to him as well.

"Sorry, I underestimated Ryusei." Ash apologized, hoping to take the blame on himself.

"It's not your fault, Ash. People always do that since he's so short." Mahiru reassured him.

Lilac stared down at the ground and nervously fidgeted with his hands.

"Alright Lilac, how bad is your anxiety?" Mahiru asked.

"Oh it's crippling." Lilac didn't hesitate to answer so quickly.

Mahiru and Ash sighed. Maybe they should've listened to Sakuya's warnings.

"We don't have all day, ya know!" Sakuya shouted.

"I'm sorry I'm so useless." Lilac muttered.

"No, no, no! That's not it. We just… have to think of a way to make you more… useful! Ash!" Mahiru tossed the work to Ash, who tensed up.

He didn't know how to make Lilac useful. He didn't know how to make himself useful. What was Ash supposed to do?

"Ya got ten seconds!" Sakuya announced.

The three teammates groaned.

Ash just blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Kuro!"

The cat's head perked up and he stared at his owner.

"Switch with Lilac!" Ash ordered.

Kuro's ears drooped down and he groaned, but got up from his place on Ash's jacket to walk up to the losing team.

"I… don't think-"

"Don't worry, Mahiru. Kuro's not your average cat. I trust him to do a good job." Ash interrupted Mahiru.

Mahiru stared at Ash. The taller man seemed so sure of himself so Mahiru decided to trust his decision.

"Okay. Sorry to boot you out of the game like this, Lilac. Especially about replacing you with a cat." Mahiru apologized.

Lilac shook his head. "Kuro's really sma- er… Kuro seems like a really smart cat. I'd definitely trust him over me so it's okay. I'll just watch from the sidelines."

Lilac took a step back before turning around to go sit near everyone's bags.

"Alright, what the hell's goin' on!?" Sakuya shouted.

"We're switching Lilac out for Kuro!" Mahiru answered.

Sakuya started laughing and Ryusei just seemed very confused. Koyuki giggled in a positive way.

"Seriously!? I mean, sure, a cat's better than Lilac, but it's still a cat!" Sakuya mocked.

In all seriousness, Sakuya was terrified. He knew Kuro wasn't a normal cat and he knew Kuro was just as inhumanly strong as the likes of Tsubaki and Ash. The losing team definitely had more than a chance now.

"I don't get it. Is it fair like this, or not?" Ryusei questioned.

"Oh, who cares. As long as we have fun, right?" Koyuki said.

Mahiru grabbed the soccer ball and brought it to the center to place it down.

"Alright, I'd say everyone's warmed up. This is where the game really starts." Mahiru said.

Ash took his place on the lot and Kuro sat down in front of the goal area. Ash looked back to Kuro.

"Hey, hold back, okay?" Ash whispered.

Kuro nodded his head. He didn't want to go all out on a pointless soccer game in the first place.

Mahiru walked back to his position and everybody braced themselves for the second round to start. Lilac suddenly got up and ran to the middle side of the lot, deciding to be referee instead of just standing by.

"Ready, set, go!" Lilac called out.

The two teams kept up the same strategy. Mahiru and Sakuya ran for the ball, Ash went around, and Ryusei backed up. This time, however, Sakuya reached the ball first. Without a teammate on the other side and Mahiru directly in his path, Sakuya took a risk and made the shot. The ball rolled past Mahiru and had a straight shot to the goal area. Kuro simply stood between the ball and the fence with a blank expression on his face. Once it was close enough, Kuro spun around just in time for the ball to make contact with his tail. The ball and his tail stopped against each other for barely a fraction of a second before the ball launched back at about fives times it's initial speed and quite literally flew by Mahiru, past Sakuya, and almost hit Koyuki as it disappeared into the woods. Everyone stood still, too shocked over what they witnessed to move. Ash was the first one to look back at Kuro.

The expression on his owner's face told the cat that he might've been a bit too forceful. The thing was, Kuro was holding back the best he could. He was certain that he barely put any power into that swing. Apparently they both underestimated just what the small cat was truly capable of.

"That. Was. Awesome!" Ryusei exclaimed.

"...I think my life flashed before my eyes…" Koyuki mumbled.

"So, um… is that a point then, or out of bounds?" Sakuya asked.

"I-I guess it's a point…?" Lilac replied, not too confident with his answer.

"Well someone has to get it." Mahiru said.

Koyuki was too busy contemplating his life choices so far to get the ball, so Ryusei began jogging off to find it. Before he got past Koyuki, the ball suddenly bounced out of the woods and slowly rolled up to Sakuya. Once again, everyone was silent and remained completely still. Mahiru was overcome with a strong urge to walk into the woods. It wasn't stronger than the feeling emanating behind him though, but he still suddenly felt like he was stuck between two magnets that were both pulling on him. Kuro immediately groaned in annoyance at his own revelation of what just happened. Sakuya kicked the ball to its place in the middle and got back into his position.

"Well, c'mon. Round three!" He said.

Deciding to forget about it, everyone got back in their places. Mahiru and Ash made eye contact. Mahiru pointed to Ash, then over his shoulder, meaning he wanted Ash to back up instead. Ash nodded his head.

"Ready, set, go!" Lilac called out.

This time Mahiru and Ryusei ran for the ball. Ash backed up towards the goal and Sakuya ran up close, but stayed behind Ryusei. Mahiru took the ball first, but it didn't work with his strategy. He planned on Sakuya going for the ball and getting there before him, which was why he wanted Ash to fall back. Still, he had control and he couldn't risk taking a shot so he kicked the ball back to Ash. Mahiru then made his way past the opposing team while they both went for Ash. Now with the ball, Ash took it with him in an attempt to reach Mahiru. Ryusei and Sakuya got in his way, so he used an opening between them to kick the ball to Mahiru. Mahiru immediately made a shot at the goal with it. Ryusei and Sakuya made a mad dash for the ball while Koyuki prepared himself to stop it. Mahiru backed up just in case. Koyuki easily caught the ball in his arms and everyone froze. Mahiru sighed as he walked back to his spot and everyone else did the same. Koyuki tossed the ball to Ryusei, who set it back on the middle. Sakuya and Ryusei immediately started sending hand signals to each other.

"Hey." Ash called.

Mahiru looked over at him.

"...Good shot." Ash said.

Mahiru stared at Ash for a moment before smiling.

"It's not good unless it scores. You get the ball this time." He replied.

Ash nodded his head.

"Ready, set, go!" Lilac called out.

Ash and Sakuya ran to the ball while Mahiru and Ryusei both backed up on their respective sides of the lot. Sakuya smirked. Finally he'd be head to head with Ash and could really show off that he was better. Sakuya reached the ball first and, without thinking, kicked it has hard as he could. The ball went right between Ash's feet, surprising him to the point that he just stood still in shock. Mahiru quickly intercepted the shot and took control of the ball, attempting to take it closer to the goal. Sakuya immediately retreated to back up Ryusei in case he needed it. Ash got his bearings back and started running over to help Mahiru. Ryusei tried to block Mahiru, but some fast footwork got him past the blonde. Sakuya and Ash practically got right up on each other as they tried to stay ahead of Mahiru. Annoyed by it, Sakuya turned and pushed Ash away. Ash barely budged, but something must have turned off in his head to make him push Sakuya back. At the same time that the green haired teen fell down, Koyuki and Ryusei were distracted by Mahiru kicking the ball.

"What the hell, man!?" Sakuya shouted.

Koyuki looked at Sakuya for just a split second, which was enough time for the ball to roll past him, earning a point for the opposing team. Mahiru was about to start cheering, but didn't when he looked over to see Sakuya on the ground.

"What do you mean 'what the hell'? You pushed me first." Ash argued.

"'Cause you were in my way! There was no need to knock me over like that!" Sakuya claimed, clearly speaking loud enough so everyone could hear.

Mahiru and Ryusei ran up to the other two while Koyuki went to get the ball back.

"Are you okay, Sakuya?" Mahiru asked.

"Uh, yeah, but I could use some help getting up." Sakuya said.

Mahiru reached a hand out and Sakuya grabbed the brunet's hand. He flashed a sly grin to Ash, who glared at Sakuya as he got pulled up by Mahiru.

"Isn't using your hands against the rules?" Ryusei wondered.

"It's only allowed if you're both fighting for the ball… Or you're the goalie." Koyuki explained as he came back with the ball in his hands.

Mahiru sighed. "Apologize to each other."

"But he pushed me!" Both Ash and Sakuya argued while pointing at one another.

"Now!" Mahiru ordered in a stern voice that managed to scare the two taller males.

"...S-sorry..." They both mumbled without looking at each other.

"Alright, now let's forget it ever happened and play a little nicer. Koyuki, toss me the ball!" Mahiru said.

Koyuki threw the ball at Mahiru, who caught it, and everyone moved back to their places as Mahiru put the ball in the center. Ash could see that Kuro was curled up on the ground in the goal area. The cat's tail was twitching so he wasn't asleep at least. Either Kuro wasn't taking his job as a goalie seriously, or he was way too overconfident. Mahiru finally went back to his place.

"Sorry I distracted from you earning a point." Ash muttered.

Mahiru shook his head. "That doesn't matter, just don't let Sakuya's competitiveness get to you."

Ash only ended up feeling worse about that. He wasn't usually one to fight back like that. When Sakuya pushed him it was like something snapped just a little bit. It didn't even register to Ash that he pushed back until he saw Sakuya on the ground. It seemed more like it was an involuntary reaction. Ash wasn't trying to justify his actions, he just wanted to understand why it happened.

"Ready, set, go!" Lilac called out.

Ash realized they didn't discuss a strategy this time. He decided to do the same as last time and ran for the ball. It was him and Sakuya again. They both reached the ball at the same time and they both went to kick it. By some strange miracle, it ended up being a successful kick resulting in a pop fly. Ash and Sakuya stared up at the ball as it rose high into the air. Mahiru and Ryusei scrambled to figure out where the ball would land while the other two remained motionless in the middle of the lot. The ball hit the ground closer to Mahiru and Ash immediately ran past Sakuya, who took a fraction of a second longer to come to his senses. Ryusei backed up and Sakuya went to intercept Mahiru. Mahiru kicked the ball to Ash, who took it and made a shot at the goal. Ryusei managed to step in between the ball and goal just in time to snatch control of it for himself. Ash chased him as he ran past with the ball and passed it off to Sakuya. As Sakuya caught the ball he readied to make a shot, but Mahiru practically slid by and kicked the ball away from Sakuya. Everyone scrambled to reach it first. All four of them got there at just about the same time and Sakuya kicked first. The ball slammed against Ash's feet while he was still running, causing him to trip forward and fall right onto Mahiru. Ryusei and Sakuya backed up as Mahiru dropped to the ground with Ash on top of him.

Ash wasn't exactly sure what happened. It all happened so fast that he didn't have a chance to think about it. He lifted his head up a bit to find himself looking down at a white button up shirt. At that point he knew only one thing could have happened and it made his face turn a bright red. He looked up at the same time that Mahiru started to sit up. The brunet rubbed the back of his head and groaned. Ash and Mahiru came face to face with one another. Mahiru seemed slightly surprised and confused while Ash tried his hardest not to start screaming. Their faces were pretty close together and Ash didn't know it, but he was also sitting in between Mahiru's legs.

Ash could closely see Mahiru's bright brown eyes. There was something about them that was perfect and pure. It made Ash want to melt at the sight. Mahiru also got an in-depth look at Ash's eyes. They were a shade of red that made Mahiru think of blood and the more he looked into them, the more they looked so dead and lifeless. Like if it was true that the eyes were the windows to the soul then it would be easy to see that Ash's eyes lacked any soul.

There was a tiny, tiny, tiny part of Ash's mind that was yelling at him to lean in and he almost succumbed to the urge before forcing himself to frantically scoot back on the ground. He mentally cursed the fact that he wasn't wearing his jacket because he couldn't use his hood to cover his face.

"Aaaa- I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Ash frantically apologized.

"O-oh… Ah, hahaha. It's fine, accidents happen." Mahiru said with an awkward smile.

"Are you okay, Mahiru?" Koyuki asked.

Mahiru looked up to everyone, including Lilac, looming over him.

"Y-you d-don't have a concussion, do you? That could k-kill you if you fall asleep!" Lilac nervously said.

"Oh crap, is Mahiru gonna die?" Ryusei wondered, not sounding too concerned about the possibility of Mahiru dying.

"He wouldn't get a concussion from a fall like that, dumbass." Sakuya corrected, not exclusively replying to Lilac or Ryusei.

Koyuki reached a hand out and Mahiru took it, letting Koyuki help him up.

"I think I'm fine. Nothing feels broken. I'll be okay! We can keep playing." Mahiru reassured everyone with a smile.

Koyuki rubbed off some dirt that was on the back of Mahiru's shirt for him.

"Is this just a habit for you two now?" Ryusei questioned.

"Huh? Oh! Hah, I sure hope not. Ash is sort of like a brick wall. I'd be lying if I said it didn't kind of hurt getting knocked over by him." Mahiru admitted.

Ash pulled his knees close to his chest and put his head down. He didn't realize bumping into Mahiru was such a problem, and it was how they met too. He must have been bothering Mahiru with a lot more than just that. It really was true then, Mahiru was only being nice so he didn't hurt Ash's feelings. Ash heard footsteps approach him and he lifted his head to see Mahiru bent over in front of him.

"You okay, Ash? Did you get hurt?" Mahiru inquired.

"...N-no… Just… tired." Ash replied.

"Heh. You need to get out more if a little bit of soccer wears you out. Come on, let's just go a couple more rounds and we'll be done." Mahiru suggested and held a hand out to Ash.

Sakuya quickly walked over and threw an arm around Mahiru's shoulders.

"Hey, lemme help him up. If he's capable of pushing ya over then he's capable of pulling ya down too." Sakuya said and held his own hand out.

Mahiru groaned and removed Sakuya's arm so he could take a step back. Sakuya flashed a smug expression and Ash glared at him. Ash stood up on his own and wiped the dirt off his pants, white wasn't exactly the best thing to wear when playing sports.

"Are we good to keep goin'?" Ryusei asked.

"Yep. Let's start that round over." Mahiru said.

Koyuki picked the ball and put it in the middle on his way back to the goal area. Everyone else moved back to their spots as well.

"Let's both hang back this time." Mahiru advised.

Ash nodded. Mahiru's plan seemed a bit risky to Ash, but he didn't want to come up with anything himself so he simply went along with it.

"Ready, set, go!" Lilac called out.

Ash stepped a few feet back and Mahiru stayed in his place. Ryusei ran forward while Sakuya went to the ball by himself. He was hesitant to move the ball since he wasn't sure what Ash and Mahiru were up to, but took the risk anyway and kicked the ball to Ryusei. The blonde headed for the goal area and Ash stepped in front of him while Mahiru made sure to stay in Sakuya's way. Despite being close to the goal, Ryusei didn't want to risk losing the ball to Ash so he turned around to kick it back to Sakuya, not realizing that Mahiru was in the way. Sakuya couldn't get past Mahiru to stop the brunet from taking the ball. Ash ran to the middle of the lot and Ryusei went around to get closer to the other goal. Sakuya attempted to get in between Mahiru and Ash. Mahiru ran with the ball towards the goal, ignoring Sakuya and Ash. Ash made sure to keep up with Mahiru and Sakuya backed up towards Kuro's goal instead. Ryusei stood his ground in front of Koyuki's goal as Mahiru slowed down and Ash ran ahead. With Ryusei in the way of the goal, Mahiru passed the ball to Ash. As Ash ran up to catch it, Ryusei snuck by and kicked it away from Ash towards Sakuya. Mahiru and Ash attempted to stop it before it reached Sakuya. Unfortunately, the ball reached Sakuya in time and he made a shot at the goal area with as much force as possible. Kuro was still curled up with his eyes closed in front of the goal. As the ball came towards him, his tail rose up and swatted the ball back like his tail was a baseball bat. The ball rolled right back to Sakuya, who kicked it again. Kuro's tail just hit it back to Sakuya again.

"Rrgh! Damn cat!" Sakuya angrily shouted.

He kicked the ball one more time, even harder than before, and it went at an angle by just a bit. Kuro's tail swung, but didn't hit anything. The sound of the chain link fence rattling made Kuro open his eyes and lift his head. The ball bounced off the fence next to Kuro and rolled back to Sakuya.

"Kuro!" Ash called out in a disappointed tone.

The cat simply meowed at his owner and put his head back down.

"Well… he did a really job anyway…" Mahiru said and bent over to catch his breath.

Sakuya and Ryusei both ran across the lot to high five each other.

"Get rekt, cat! Get rekt!" Sakuya shouted.

"Who kicks like a boss? Sakuya Watanuki kicks like a boss!" Ryusei cheered.

"Get rekt! Get rekt!" They both chanted.

Ash and Mahiru looked at each other with slightly annoyed expressions. Kuro let out a very loud and aggressive hiss, which made Sakuya and Ryusei flinch and grab onto each other like startled children.

"You two keep that up and I'll make Lilac call a gloating penalty." Koyuki warned.

"Eep!" Lilac yelped at the thought of taking such an authoritative action.

"You're on our team, Koyuki!" Sakuya said.

"That's the price I'm willing to pay for correcting unsportsmanlike behavior." Koyuki sternly told him.

"Ugh, someone get the ball already." Sakuya groaned.

Ash ran off to grab the ball so Mahiru could have a little extra time to cool off. He brought it back to the middle and got into his position with everyone else. Mahiru signaled for Ash to go around while he would go after the ball just like the first two rounds. Ash nodded in response.

"R-ready, set, go!" Lilac called out.

Mahiru and Ryusei went to the ball as Sakuya backed up and Ash went around. Sakuya made his way to the side to get closer to Ash. Mahiru reached the ball first and Ryusei backed out without a fight, instead choosing to head past Mahiru. Sakuya was in the way, so Ash tried to get in front of him, but Sakuya just kept getting in his way. Mahiru chose not to take the shot so he headed closer to the goal. Sakuya made a dash to intercept Mahiru and Ash took the opportunity to go in the opposite direction. Mahiru made a quick shot to side to pass the ball to Ash, who took control and turned around. He kicked it towards the goal and Mahiru began backing up just incase. Sakuya ran to stop it and Koyuki got ready catch it if the ball made it past Sakuya. Unfortunately, Sakuya did make it and instead of just stopping the ball, he full force kicked it back. He meant to kick it towards Ryusei, but his aim was off a bit so the ball shot off hard to the side. It whizzed past Mahiru, who didn't go after it since it was clearly out of bounds. Lilac stood still and simply stared with wide purple eyes as the ball smacked right into his face, letting a screech like sound. Koyuki and Mahiru gasped in shock while Ash and Ryusei winced and looked away. Sakuya immediately ran off to check on Lilac.

"Crap! You better not be bleeding, Lilac! Shamrock'll kill me if he sees you bleeding!" Sakuya shouted.

Lilac had his face covered with his hands and whined as he rolled on his side. Everyone else ran over to check on Lilac as well. Sakuya loomed over Lilac and grabbed the younger teen's hands to pull them away.

"I-is it… bad…?" Lilac nervously asked with slightly slurred speech.

Everyone gathered around and looked down at the poor kid. Koyuki put his hands over his mouth. Sakuya let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh thank God! Ooooh thank God he's not bleeding!" Sakuya gratefully said.

Ryusei crouched down to get a closer look.

"Dude, I think he's getting a black eye." The blonde noted.

"That does not look okay." Mahiru muttered.

Sakuya looked back down at Lilac. Around his left eye it started turning a bit purple-ish. Sakuya backed away and angrily rummaged his hands through his green hair.

"Aaaah! I'm screwed! I'm so screwed! I'm dead! I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead! Shamrock's gonna murder me!" Sakuya shouted.

"Sakuya, who the hell is Shamrock?" Mahiru questioned.

"He's Lilac's guardian! He's gonna kill me! He already hates me enough as it is!" Sakuya frantically explained.

Lilac tried to sit up and Mahiru helped him up by pushing on his back.

"It's okay, Sakuya. I'll tell him it was someone else's fault." Lilac suggested.

Sakuya froze. He didn't want to lie, but he didn't want to get in trouble either. If Shamrock found out then it was likely his own parents probably would as well. They wouldn't care much about Lilac's injury, but they'd be more than pissed at Sakuya since it was his fault. On the other hand, it would be easy to lie to Shamrock as long as it didn't have anything to do with Tsubaki, which it didn't. It also wouldn't be the first time Lilac had lied to Shamrock to cover something up. So long as Sakuya kept his mouth shut it didn't count as him lying either. Sakuya sighed.

"Okay, fine. Go home without me though. If he catches us together then he'll know I had something to do with it." Sakuya said.

"O-oh, okay." Lilac muttered.

"Well, now, Sakuya. He probably can't see right. How do you expect him to go home by himself?" Mahiru scolded Sakuya.

"N-no! It's okay, really. It's just down the street. I can make it." Lilac quietly insisted.

"Lilac, it's Sakuya's fault you got hurt. The least he could do is walk you home. You two live in the same building after all." Mahiru sternly said, hoping to get through to Sakuya more than Lilac.

"Geez, ya gotta guilt trip me like that, Mahiru? Fine, I'll walk the kid home." Sakuya reluctantly gave in.

Sakuya walked up and grabbed Lilac's hands to yank the boy up from the ground. He then shoved Lilac in the back.

"Get goin'." Sakuya ordered.

"A-aah! O-okay, okay!" Lilac whined as he held a hand over his eye.

Sakuya put his jacket back on and grabbed his bag. He hopped over the fence and waited for Lilac to climb over. He looked back and glared at Ash, upset over having to leave Mahiru alone with the guy. Ash simply looked away.

"Bye, Sakuya! Bye, Lilac! It was nice meeting you!" Koyuki shouted and waved.

"Later, dude!" Ryusei shouted.

"See you tomorrow!" Mahiru shouted.

"Yeah, yeah!" Sakuya lazily replied.

"G-goodbye!" Lilac exclaimed as he waved back from the other side of the fence.

Sakuya pushed him again to get him walking and he yelped. They both disappeared down the street.

"Well, we're down to four so we could keep going without goalies." Ryusei suggested as he tugged on the collar of his shirt to cool himself.

"Ah, I don't think I could keep playing even if I wanted to." Mahiru said as he removed his tie and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt.

Ash tensed up and had to turn around so he wasn't staring at Mahiru.

"I have water in my backpack if you guys want it." Koyuki offered.

"Why do you have water in your backpack?" Ryusei asked.

"It's summer. I put it in there in the event that something like this happened." Koyuki explained as he walked over to his bag.

Ryusei and Mahiru shared a look with each other and Mahiru simply shrugged. Koyuki came back with four small water bottles. He handed one to Ryusei, Mahiru, and Ash.

"It's warm." Ryusei stated.

"Because it's been in my backpack for a few weeks." Koyuki responded.

"Water is water, Ryusei. Just drink it. We don't need you blacking out or anything." Mahiru said as he opened the bottle.

"Hey, I'm fine! The shut-in is the one at risk of blacking out." Ryusei accused and pointed at Ash.

The three teens looked at Ash and were surprised to see the man crouched down on the ground and slowly pouring out the water in the bottle. Kuro stood in front of the bottle and drank the water falling out. Mahiru smiled and Koyuki started fawning over the sight.

"Dude, what about yourself?" Ryusei questioned.

Ash looked over to see them staring at him and he felt a bit embarrassed.

"I'd rather make sure Kuro's fine first." He answered.

It was the truth, but it wasn't actually necessary. Neither of them were at risk of overheating and Ash didn't actually like water, but he didn't want to waste it since Koyuki was nice enough to give it to him. The younger brunet only brought four bottles so clearly one was meant for Sakuya, not Ash.

Kuro finished drinking so Ash pulled the bottle away and put the lid back on. Kuro then walked away and sat back on top of Ash's jacket that was still with Mahiru's stuff.

"Wait, what was the score?" Ryusei inquired.

"Oh, two-to-two. It was a tie. Sakuya got both our points while Kuro and Mahiru got the other two." Koyuki answered.

"Hah, the cat scored one!" Ryusei laughed.

"That was pretty crazy. Kuro must be a genius to even know what to do, huh Ash?" Mahiru said.

Ash stared at Kuro for a moment before getting up. He never really acknowledged the fact that Kuro thought like a person. It was just something he slowly came to accept during the first few years Kuro was with him. He once wondered if Kuro was actually a person trapped in a cat's body, but that didn't explain most of what the cat was capable of. When he asked Kuro even shook his head, so it wasn't that. Ash had to admit, though, he was curious about Kuro. Why the cat was so smart, why he didn't age after thirteen years, why his injuries could heal just like Ash's, and why he was so overpowered like Ash as well. It was like they were the same. Ash couldn't explain it, but he felt a connection to the cat ever since they first laid eyes on each other. Ash looked back over to Mahiru and walked up to the teenagers. He saw Ryusei lightly kicking around the soccer ball a few feet away.

"Yeah, he's something special all right." Ash muttered.

"Where'd you get him anyway? The pound closed down years ago from what I remember." Koyuki wondered.

"He's a stray I picked up off the street." Ash responded.

Mahiru's eyes widened a bit. That reminded him of the animal he'd been trying to catch for a few years now. If Ash could form such a close bond with Kuro, then maybe Mahiru could do the same as well. He'd have to finally catch it first, though.

Something slammed against Mahiru's back and knocked him forward a bit. He bumped into Ash's chest and Ash immediately grabbed him by his shoulders so he wouldn't fall. Mahiru's water bottle was still open and splashed water all over Mahiru and Ash.

"Oh crap! Sorry, I didn't really mean to kick it!" Ryusei frantically apologized.

The soccer ball rolled away.

"Ryu! Be more careful. We could end up with another Lilac incident." Koyuki warned him.

Mahiru turned around and shook water off his hand. "Seriously?! Why were you messing with it anyway?"

"I dunno! Geez, I'm sorry! I just wanted to push it around a little!" Ryusei continued to apologize.

Ryusei ran off to pick up the ball again. Koyuki looked back over to check on Ash, but could only put a hand over his mouth. He nudged Mahiru in the arm and the older brunet turned around. Mahiru held his breath as he looked at Ash. The older man had lifted the bottom of his shirt up to wipe away the water that splashed on his face. Ash's stomach was exposed and it was only slightly there, but Mahiru and Koyuki could see a little bit of muscle of definition. Koyuki leaned over to Mahiru.

"He's well-toned." Koyuki whispered.

Mahiru went wide eyed and shoved Koyuki in the arm. He was going to fight off acceptance with denial as hard as could, but Mahiru couldn't stop a slight blush from forming on his face. He didn't want to look, but he couldn't stop staring at Ash's stomach. Koyuki tried to muffle his own giggling. Ash finally put his shirt down and Mahiru frantically turned around so he didn't look suspicious. Ash was a bit confused, but didn't think anything of it.

"Um… A-are you okay, Mahiru?" Ash hesitated to ask.

"Y-yeah! Perfectly fine!" Mahiru quickly replied in a much higher pitched voice.

Koyuki had to stifle another giggle.

"Got it!" Ryusei shouted and held up the soccer ball.

"Hey, Ryu! Why don't you and I go take the ball back to school?" Koyuki suggested.

Everyone looked at Koyuki with curious expressions.

"I-I can go too!" Mahiru offered.

"Oh, no. It's alright, Mahiru! We got this." Koyuki reassured him.

The smile on Koyuki's face came off as more of a threat to Mahiru than as reassurance.

"K-kay…" Mahiru gave up, sounding a bit scared.

Ryusei ran up to his stuff and put the ball down so he could put his uniform shirt and jacket back on. Koyuki joined him to get his backpack.

"You two behave now!" Koyuki called out.

"Just go already!" Mahiru shouted back.

Koyuki giggled and climbed over the fence. Ryusei tossed him the ball so the blonde could climb over as well.

"Later!" Ryusei shouted.

Neither of them said anything, but Ash lazily waved his hand as acknowledgement. The two teens walked away and finally Ash and Mahiru were left alone on the lot.

"We might as well pack up too." Mahiru said.

The brunet walked over to his bag and Ash followed behind him. Kuro jumped off Ash's jacket and Mahiru picked it up to hand it to him. Ash put his jacket back on, but didn't bother buttoning it up since the top half of his shirt was still wet. He left his hood down as well. Mahiru stuffed his jacket, sweater vest, and tie in his bag since his own shirt was wet too. Ash felt his phone vibrating in his jacket pocket and pulled it out to see that his sister was calling him. He turned around and answered his phone. Kuro meowed at Mahiru and the teen happily picked up the cat to start petting him.

"Hey." Ash greeted.

"Hey, Ash. Are you going to be home in time for dinner?" The Mother asked.

"I'm about to leave any minute now so I guess so." Ash answered.

"Oh! Is Mahiru there!?" All Of Love suddenly intruded.

"Uh, yeah." Ash replied, looking over his shoulder to see Mahiru smiling and petting Kuro.

"Mahiru!" Love shouted.

Ash flinched and pulled the phone away from his ear. Mahiru heard his name and looked over to Ash.

"Come over for dinner!" Love loudly requested.

"What are you doing?" The Mother questioned, sounding annoyed.

"I'm inviting Mahiru over! Well!? Will you!?" Love continued to yell.

Mahiru walked up to Ash and held a hand out, the other being occupied by Kuro. Ash hesitated before reluctantly handing his phone over to Mahiru.

"This is Mahiru." The brunet said.

"Oh goodie! It's All Of Love. If you're available this evening then would you like to come over to our house and have dinner with us?" Love asked as he snatched his sister's phone from her.

Mahiru glanced at Ash. The taller male seemed fidgety, like he was both embarrassed at his brother's behavior and the thought of Mahiru coming over. Mahiru had to admit, he was curious about Ash's life. Mahiru did want to know more about him after all. It would be a good opportunity to meet the rest of Ash's siblings too. He also liked the idea of sitting at a dinner table with eight other people. All he wanted was to have dinner while his uncle was home, so this was more than he could hope for.

"Sure! I don't see why not." Mahiru agreed.

Ash froze. He couldn't let Mahiru see his home. His room. His annoying siblings! It would ruin everything.

"Oh wonderful! Sis and I are great cooks, I promise you won't be disappointed! See you boys soon~!" Love said and immediately hanged up so Ash couldn't protest.

Ash sighed. There was no going back now.

"Sorry if he came off as pushy. You didn't have to agree." Ash muttered.

Mahiru smiled and handed Ash his phone back.

"It's okay. I'd be happy to join you all for dinner." The brunet reassured Ash.

Ash dropped his head down and put his hood on so he could pull it over his eyes. He didn't want to go home. He didn't want Mahiru to go home with him. He wanted to run as far away as possible and never look back. He felt a tug on his arm and looked up to see Mahiru smiling at him.

"Seriously, it's okay. I get it, you're embarrassed by your siblings, right? You have nothing to worry about. My uncle can be pretty embarrassing sometimes so I don't like new friends meeting him. I mean, everyone's family is embarrassing after all." Mahiru said.

That managed to calm Ash down a bit. Mahiru did seem like the understanding type too. Maybe it wouldn't be all that embarrassing after all. Maybe it would even be possible to tell Mahiru the truth… eventually.

Ash nodded his head.

"So let's get going then!" Mahiru said and walked off to the fence.

Kuro jumped out of Mahiru's grasp and over the fence. Both males climbed over and ended up on the sidewalk. Mahiru bent down to pick up Kuro again. The cat groaned, upset over being held again. He wanted to sit on Ash's shoulder instead. Mahiru followed behind Ash as he lead the way to his house.

Back home, The Mother snatched her phone back from Love's hand. The blonde flinched and backed away, letting out a nervous giggle. He could tell he upset his sister.

"Don't. Do that. Again." She calmly warned him.

Old Child, who was sitting on the couch, stood up and turned around to look at his younger siblings.

"Uh-oh, you made her mad. What did you do?" The boy asked, almost mockingly.

"...I-I invited Mahiru over for dinner." Love nervously admitted.

"Who is this Mahiru?" Old Child questioned.

"The human that Ash likes." Love said.

Old Child's world suddenly came crashing down.


Tbh, Kuro just ended up becoming Pikachu. I mean, there's no way he wasn't using Iron Tail.

I had to do some plot point shifting thanks to me and my ridiculously spontaneous decision making... Mahiru going over for dinner was supposed to happen way later, but nothing I do is ever set in stone until the chapter is posted, so :/

Something that I considered really fun and exciting now has to be pushed back to elsewhere in the plot, but the plot will work out better this way though. Trust me on this one, guys. I at least mildly know what I'm doing!