Title: Together: Weiß Kreuz

Author: bellabrochol

Rating: K

Summary: A series of stories focusing on the everyday lives of Weiβ. Friendship and family relationships ONLY. A little silly, a little fluffy, a little sad. Some long, some short. (Separate summaries inside)

Genre: General

Yuugao (Moonflower)

Summary: Even though he is not allowed to play in J-League any longer, Ken Hidaka can still coach the ones who will someday fill those positions.

"Ken! Watch this!"

Ken obligingly turned from the conversation he was having with a parent to watch the boy just miss saving a goal. He smiled encouragingly. "That's okay, Yuki! You've improved a lot! Keep it up!"

The boy nodded, his disappointed look turning into a huge grin. "Thanks! I'm gonna work really hard, and be as good as you!"

Ken grinned and gave him a thumbs-up.

"My, you're very good with children, aren't you, Mr. Hidaka?"

Ken turned back to the mother, still smiling. "I don't know, I just seem to get along with them great. And just plain old 'Ken' will do."

"So, Ken, how is Ichiro doing?"

"He's improving a lot, but he's been a bit aggressive towards other kids." Ken ran a hand through his unruly brown hair. "It's almost like he wants to prove something."

"I see. He must get it from his father. Akira was always out to prove that he was the best."

Ken chuckled at that, and the two watched the children play for a moment, until the woman's mobile phone rang. She excused herself, saying that she would probably have to return to the office, and turned away. Ken returned his attention to the children, jogging over to demonstrate a tricky way to intercept the ball.

Ken supposed it wasn't all that bad. Even though he was no longer allowed to play soccer professionally, he found he didn't mind. It was more fun to play with friends, and to teach the young ones, than to play in competition anyway.

"Ken! Ichiro hit me!" Yuki grabbed onto Ken's trousers, wailing. Ken lowered himself to one knee, looking the black-haired boy in the eyes.

"Shh, it's okay," he tried to comfort the boy, tousling his hair. " I'll have a word with him, okay?"

Yuki nodded, wiping at his eyes. Ken glanced around, and spotted Ichiro sullenly kicking clots of dirt, standing slightly apart from the group. Ken walked over to him, and gently laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Ichir-" Ken was cut off by Ichiro's shout.

"I'm not sorry! I won't apologise! You can't make me!"

"Why did you hit him? It's not nice to hit your friends."

"He's not my friend!"

Another boy joined him, sneering. "You don't have any friends, because you're mean!"

"I'm not mean! You're the one who's always teasing people at school!"

"Calm down, everyone," Ken interrupted, but the children ignored him.

"You're stupid!"

"I got higher than you in spelling!"

"He's just a big meanie!"

"Yeah!"

Ken rubbed his forehead. He was just about to attempt to intervene again, when he heard an amused chuckle come from behind him.

"Ken, you seem to be having trouble."

Ken smiled. A saviour! "Yeah, Omi. They started fighting, and… I don't know what to do."

Omi shook his head in exasperation. "You have to make them sort out whatever their problem is, make them apologise and then shake hands or something."

"I tried!" Ken protested.

"Right." Omi rolled his eyes, before making his way over to the group of screaming children. "Okay, who started this?" he asked in a stern voice.

"It was Ichiro! He hit Yuki!"

"Ichiro." Omi's eyes fell on the boy who looked on the verge of throwing more punches. "Why did you hit Yuki?"

"He was annoying me," came the reply.

Omi turned to Yuki. "How were you annoying him?"

Yuki shrugged. "I didn't do anything… It's not my fault I'm better than he is," he added under his breath.

"I heard that," Omi's cerulean eyes narrowed. "Okay, listen up. Ichiro, you do not hit other people, even if they annoy you, okay? And Yuki… don't say those kinds of things, they only make people mad. Understand?"

Both boys nodded, heads bowed. Ken watched in amusement as Omi folded his arms across his chest, obviously trying to impersonate Aya, but failing miserably. At least the kids didn't seem to notice, Ken supposed, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards.

"Apologise to each other."

"What?!" both boys cried out at once.

"Apologise. Now." Omi used his best, most threatening voice, which was in fact not very threatening at all, at least not to Ken, anyway.

"Sorry." Ichiro glared.

"Sorry." Yuki glared back.

"Now, the two of you have to shake hands and be friends, okay?"

Ichiro sullenly held out his hand, and Yuki took it. They dropped the other's hand as quickly as they could, noses wrinkling in distaste.

"And now you're friends! Wasn't that easy?" Suddenly Omi had a smile on his face, the attempted scary look completely gone. The children all stared at him in confusion, obviously trying to connect the scary image of Omi with the happy smiling one. Ken felt like laughing.

"Everyone," Ken announced after an awkward silence, "This is my good friend Omi Tsukiyono."

Omi smiled sweetly and waved. One of the students ran to hide behind Ken's legs.

"Ken, why is Mr. Tsukiyono so scary? Before he was mad and now he's happy…"

Ken was tempted to say, 'Well, you see, Mr. Tsukiyono has problems,' just to tease his friend, but resisted. "Mr. Tsukiyono is usually happy," he told the boy, "It's just when friends don't get along that he gets mad."

"Oh."

The boys glanced at each other, nodded, then grabbed the ball and dashed back to the centre of the field, intent on practising, or perhaps just to get away from their coach's odd friend.

"How come you get to be 'Ken' and I have to be 'Mr. Tsukiyono'? And I'm not scary!" Omi complained.

"You certainly scared them."

"I- Ken!" Omi pouted. Ken smiled and for a moment, the two of them could forget about Weiß, forget about everything that had gone wrong, and shared a laugh as friends.

"Come join in," Ken gestured towards the group of boys.

"I can't," Omi said, a hint of regret in his voice. "My shift is coming up, and I have heaps of homework to finish, and..."

"Well… Another time, then?"

"Yeah, Ken. Another time." With a quick wave, Omi was back on the shop delivery bike, a smile plastered onto his face. Ken watched until his friend was out of sight, then turned and jogged back to the field to join in with his students.