"Did you have any success?" Seiji looked up from his science textbook when he heard his door open, expecting it to be Katsuro.
The older boy nodded, looking relieved. "It's not the best job in the world, but at least it's not at the fish market, I don't think I could take the smell," he walked over to Seiji's bed and sat down.
"Yeah, neither could we! So where is it?" Seiji put his book to the side, not even bothering to index the page he'd been on – he hadn't been able to concentrate anyway.
"It's a shipping dock, I'll be helping them load and unload cargo, mostly electronics. I don't think he was going to give it to me at first, due to my age, but when he saw how strong I was, he told me I could start tomorrow," Katsuro grinned and couldn't help but feel elated. He had expected that it would be harder to find something, but luckily Coach Kirihara had a few connections.
"Awesome! It'll help keep you in shape, so that's a good thing. Plus, if you happen to see any laptops fall out of a box," Seiji winked at him, "you can feel free to bring one back for me!"
Katsuro swatted him on the leg. "Seiji! I haven't even started yet and you want me to steal a laptop for you already?" He knew the other boy wasn't serious, but he played along anyway.
Seiji just grinned and shrugged. "My parents won't buy me one, they think I'll spend too much time watching soccer on-line."
"Yeah, I'm sure soccer is what you'd be looking at on-line," Katsuro teased him, unable to help it.
Seiji frowned at the comment, but couldn't hold it for long before he was grinning again. "Ah, you know me so well, Captain. So what hours are you working?"
"Seven to ten every night, unless I have a test or game the next day, then I get the night off. I'll get one full eight hour shift on the weekend, too, and then one day off to make sure I'm caught up on school work. It'll be enough to help out with my sister, at least. I was lucky the guy is a friend of Coach's, he really helped to negotiate me a good wage."
"He was helping you look? I guess you really must be his favourite," Seiji grinned again, looking amused.
"You never realized that before? Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one on the team he actually likes!" Katsuro wasn't even joking – there were times when Coach Kirihara treated the team horribly, but he always managed to give the captain a comment to ensure that he wasn't in the line of fire.
"Yeah, yeah, we all know you're like the son he doesn't have anymore!" Seiji meant the comment in a joking manner. In truth he'd found it was quite sad that the coach and Tatsuya hated one another. Though he had problems sometimes with his own father, he could never imagine actually hating him. And even though he liked Tatsuya and considered him to be a friend, he had to admit that the other boy could be ridiculously hard-headed and stubborn, just like his father.
Katsuro frowned at the comment, knowing that there was probably more truth to it then Seiji realized. He found the situation even sadder, since he had actually known Tatsuya for a while. They'd been fairly good friends, since his parents lived on the same street as the Mizuno family. They'd spent a lot of time playing together before he'd joined Musashinomori. He'd been excited when he heard Tatsuya was going to take the entrance exam – but that excitement had deflated when he learned that his friend had only done it to prove to his father that he could (and it had been even more confusing to him since he hadn't known at that point that his very own coach was his friend's father). They'd still maintained somewhat of a friendship when Tatsuya went to Josui instead, but they didn't see each other that often. Katsuro still wished things had been different – having Tatsuya here would have made their strong team that much stronger.
But he couldn't spend time wishing for the past to fix itself. Instead he just smiled at Seiji's comment, but didn't say anything. He wondered if Tatsuya would be angry if he found out that his father had helped him find a job? Would he understand?
~*~*~*~*~*~
He finally made it back to his bedroom at ten thirty – he'd had to stay late to finish some paperwork since it was his first night. The job itself wasn't too bad, the men he worked with seemed alright and no one had bothered him. In fact, no one had even really talked to him much, but he was okay with that. After all – he wasn't there to talk, he was there to work. And speaking of the work...
He sat down on his bed, ready to pass out from exhaustion. Of course, it had been a long day, and he hadn't slept too well the night before. His head had been too rammed full of thoughts. He didn't worry about sleeping tonight, though. He knew he'd be out the second his head hit the pillow. But first he had to make sure everything was set for tomorrow, that all of his work was done. He couldn't afford to slip up after his first day, even though he'd been given a week's worth of a grace period to get used to his new schedule.
So he moved to his desk, checking his scheduled classes, and then checking that he'd finished his work and done his readings. It took him a bit longer than usual (since he kept forgetting what subject he was checking) but he finally finished. He got up then and grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste, leaving his room to head for the bathroom. He entered the room and was surprised to find Seiji there.
"Well talk about timing," he would have said more, but was cut off by a yawn.
Seiji grinned and shook his head. "I see they're working you hard already, huh?" He had just finished brushing his teeth from the looks of it.
Katsuro nodded while applying toothpaste to his toothbrush. "Yeah, I didn't sleep very well last night though, so I think that's why I'm so tired. I hope I'm not like this every night or I won't be able to get anything done." He stood in front of one of the sinks and began brushing his teeth.
Seiji was silent while his friend brushed, not wanting to bother him with conversation. He also hoped Katsuro wouldn't be this tired every night. He had to be able to deal with his busy schedule, because Seiji didn't want him to have to leave. He didn't think he could handle losing his best friend.
When he finally finished Katsuro stood up and stared at himself in the mirror, surprised at how tired he looked. He hoped he really would sleep as well as he needed to tonight, because he wouldn't be able to function after a few days like this otherwise. "Well, I'm ready for bed. Sorry I don't feel like talking, I'll tell you more about my job during breakfast tomorrow if you can manage to wake up on time," Katsuro grinned and headed for the door, holding it for Seiji.
"Ha ha, funny. I'll be up extra early to make sure you don't sleep in," Seiji nudged his friend on his way out of the bathroom. They stood together for a moment in the hallway outside their rooms, and Seiji once again got that serious look on his face. "I really do hope this all works out for you, Captain. I don't want you to have to leave," Seiji wished he hadn't made that last comment – it sounded a little too desperate.
Katsuro just smiled and looked grateful, though, and Seiji breathed a sigh of relief. "I just mean, who would I have to hang out with if you're gone? The other guys are cool and all, but I think they'd get on my nerves after a while."
Katsuro grinned and patted the younger boy on the shoulder. "I think you'd be the one getting on their nerves, Seiji." He couldn't help but tease him, though he did appreciate knowing that he would be missed.
Seiji frowned, looking a little annoyed at the joke at his expense. "Yeah well, get a good sleep tonight so you're not a zombie tomorrow."
Katsuro grinned even wider at Seiji's displeasure over his joke. "Hey, I'd miss you too if I left, you know. You're my best friend, Seiji. I'm lucky to have you."
Seiji's frown immediately disappeared, replaced by a very sheepish smile. "Thanks, it's nice to know that." He couldn't help but feel a little tingle running through his body at Katsuro's comments – he'd always thought of the older boy as his best friend, and it was nice to finally hear that Katsuro felt the same way. "Now go and get to sleep! I'll make sure you're up for breakfast," Seiji grinned.
Katsuro smiled at him and walked into his bedroom, leaving Seiji alone in the hall for a moment. He entered his room and immediately went for his alarm clock, setting it for seven in the morning. Usually he slept in as late as he could, only getting out of bed when Katsuro would yell at him and threaten extra laps at soccer practice later. But every time he emerged from his bedroom, his hair barely combed into place, Katsuro would always be standing there waiting for him, juice and a bowl of rice and natto in his hands.
Tomorrow would be different. Tomorrow he would be the one waiting with the food.
"How could he miss that?!" Shige punched the couch in frustration, shaking his head. "I could have scored with that pass! You could have scored with that pass!"
Tatsuya fixed his friend with an annoyed look, "Are you insinuating that I can't shoot as well as you?"
Shige frowned, "No! I'm insinuating that both of us can shoot better than Endo! They should have left him at Yokohama," he slumped back into the couch, annoyed. Kyoto Sanga were currently playing Gamba Osaka in a match, and it wasn't going well for the Kyoto club.
Tatsuya grinned, "Why are you getting so pissed off, I thought you didn't even support Kyoto anyway, even though you should since that's where you're from."
"I don't!" Shige grinned back at him, choosing to ignore the home town jab (he was used to hearing it by now), "I just don't support crappy players getting professional contracts." Both boys laughed and returned their attention to the TV screen. This was one thing Shige loved about staying with Tatsuya – the temple didn't have any TVs, so he hadn't been able to watch any soccer. Now he was able to watch any game that was broadcast, including his beloved Kashima Antlers. That sometimes created havoc, though, as Tatsuya supported Urawa Red Diamonds, and any time a match occurred between the two, it got messy between the boys.
Of course, it didn't help matters that Tatsuya's preferred team were currently floundering near the bottom of the league this year, while Shige's favourites were sitting comfortably in the top half. They couldn't even agree on an outcome for this game – Tatsuya was hoping to see Kyoto win, because Gamba Osaka were currently tied for thirteenth place with them. Shige, however, wanted to see Osaka win because that would keep Kyoto further down in the table, since they were currently only four points off of Kashima's spot.
"Boys, keep it down, Mariko's sleeping," Yuriko Mizuno appeared suddenly in the door, looking annoyed.
"Sorry, aunt Yuriko," Tatsuya apologized, feeling bad. In his enjoyment of the game, he'd forgotten that his mother was in her room asleep. It was going on a week and a half now that her energy was slowly slipping away every day, and Tatsuya was still worried. But his mother was stubbornly refusing a doctor, and no one was making her go.
Yuriko smiled and entered the room, sitting on an armchair near them. "How's the game going, anyway?" She held a bottle of Sapporo in her hand, taking a sip from it and looking at the television.
Shige grinned at Tatsuya before turning to the young woman. "Not good for Kyoto, they just missed the third sure goal in ten minutes."
Yuriko frowned and shook her head. She actually did support the Kyoto team, though she wasn't able to watch games as frequently anymore due to her job. "That's so typical of this team."
"Yeah, you should support a real team for a change!" Shige joked with her, not having any trouble at all conversing with Tatsuya's aunt. He was glad that she was the one who was still around, since he didn't like the other sister as much.
"Shut up, brat! Only glory hunters support Kashima, especially when they're not even from the region!" she winked at him.
Shige shrugged and grinned, "I never pretended to be anything but a glory hunter." They both laughed and resumed watching the game. Shige suddenly made another comment. "But speaking of supporting teams when you're not even from the region, doesn't that make you an even bigger loser for supporting Kyoto? I mean, they're not even a good club!"
"She only supports Kyoto because of a guy she dated in high school," Tatsuya grinned and offered the response.
"That's a lie!" Yuriko looked outraged, glaring at the two boys before taking a sip from her bottle of beer. "I dated him in my first year of university." The three of them laughed, and at that point the Osaka team managed to score a second goal, which caused Shige to jump up out of his seat.
"Did you see that? What a beautiful goal! Oguro is a god among men!" In reality, the goal hadn't been that spectacular – it had actually been a weak shot that managed to sneak in because the keeper had screwed up so badly. But Shige was intent to praise it just to piss the other two off.
Both Tatsuya and Yuriko fixed the golden haired boy with hateful glares, but refrained from saying anything. At the end of the first half, Yuriko got up and bid them a good night, as it was time for her to leave for her job teaching a late night class at the fashion school.
Shige watched her leave, waiting until he heard the door click before turning to Tatsuya. "Have I mentioned that I love your aunt, despite her crappy taste in soccer clubs?" He grinned and knew it would annoy his friend.
Tatsuya shook his head and leaned back against the couch. "Only every day. I think she's a little too old for you, though."
Shige waved the comment off, "So you say. You know some older women prefer dating young guys," he wasn't really serious, of course, he was just bugging Tatsuya.
"Ew, Shige, that's my aunt you're talking about! Stop it." The last thing he wanted to picture was his best friend and his aunt together. Sometimes Shige was a little disturbing.
"Oh come on, I'm just bugging you. Hey you should make yourself useful during the break and go make me something to eat, I'm hungry." As if on cue, Shige's stomach rumbled. He looked at Tatsuya with a hopeful smile, though he expected to be told to make his own food.
"Go make it yourself! You're not a guest anymore, you know where everything is." Tatsuya frowned and kicked at Shige's leg. He was so lazy!
Shige frowned and pulled his leg up, rubbing the spot Tatsuya had just kicked. "Oh come on, I'm weak from not eating! I can't stand on my own!"
Tatsuya just shook his head and stood up. "Stop being overly dramatic and make us both something to eat," he grinned down at him and made for the door. "I'm going to check on my mom."
Shige sighed dramatically and stood up, resigned to having to fend for himself in the kitchen. "Are you sure you want to trust me to make your food? I'm not good at cooking, you know." That was a lie – while he wasn't a masterful chef, he could manage most dishes well enough.
Tatsuya knew that as well, looking back at him with raised eyebrows. "You can cook perfectly well, stop being lazy! Hurry up before the game starts again, you don't want to miss it." With that comment he left, softly walking down the hall towards his mother's bedroom. The door was closed and he listened at it for a moment, before knocking softly and opening it a fraction.
His mother was asleep, so Tatsuya entered the room. He stood by the side of her bed, staring down at her. Even though he couldn't see her well, he was certain that she looked worse than usual. He didn't think she was eating much, and she had already been skinny enough to begin with. Her face seemed to have lost the soft touch of youth about it, and it now started to look old and tired. It was kind of scary, really, to see her like this. After all, when he looked at her now, it reminded him of his grandmother, before she'd passed away.
He knelt down beside the bed, his hand brushing the hair off her forehead and feeling her skin. She didn't have a fever at least, and she didn't feel cold. So what was wrong with her? Maybe if she wasn't better by the weekend, he would ask her to go and see a doctor. Two weeks of being exhausted wasn't normal, not when she was usually pretty full of energy.
He leaned over and kissed her softly on the forehead before standing up and leaving the room, closing her door back over. He really hoped she wasn't seriously ill. He didn't think he'd able to handle it if anything happened to her. It had been tough enough losing his grandmother, but he was even closer to his mom. He made his way to the kitchen, standing by the doorway and quietly watching as Shige fried egg noodles over the stove. He was dicing up some beef too and Tatsuya couldn't help but smile a little.
Shige was actually turning out to be a pretty big help around the place since he'd moved in. He always did what anyone asked him without complaining (at least not seriously), and even took his turn cooking dinner for everyone. He did get along especially well with Yuriko, which didn't really surprise Tatsuya, since they were quite similar in personality. Living at the temple had made him pretty independent, something that Tatsuya was actually a little jealous of. Growing up with four women in the house who doted on you (even if they teased the life out of you while doing it) had made him a little dependent on them to do everything for him.
"I know you're over there watching me! Stop wasting time and come and get me the teriyaki sauce, Tatsu-bon!" Shige called to him from the stove. Tatsuya grinned and moved to get the ordered ingredient to the meal, telling himself that he needed to stop worrying. His mom would be fine, and everything would be alright. There was no sense worrying about things that hadn't happened yet.
**Just a note: I know Tatsuya's grandmother was still alive in the manga, but I've decided to kill her off for my story. You'll see why later!