bNotes/b Oi, wow I really kinda forgot about this, didn't I? I actually have quite a few more chapters written, so I'll be putting those up over the coming few days. Hopefully I'll also start working on this again...

"Alright, you have your positions, so everyone on the field. Starters on the left, substitutes on the right." Souichiro Kirihara stood on the side lines, watching as the senior boys soccer team arranged themselves on the field. Coaching the senior team was a little different from the junior squad, mostly due to the level of talent developed. The younger boys were great, but their senior line were simply amazing.

His eyes strayed over to the goal area on the right side of the field, his gaze resting on Katsuro. Today was the fourth day since the fifteen year old had started working at his job, and the older man was anxious to see how the boy would hold up at practice. A few of his teachers had mentioned that they'd indeed caught him nodding off in class a few times – but they'd overlooked it like he'd asked. He had a good record, after all, and when he'd explained what the boy was going through, they'd agreed to help him out.

But this was what the coach really needed to see – could the boy sustain enough energy to play as brilliantly as usual? In his first month with the senior team, Katsuro had proven to be just as good of a keeper as the older number 1, Yohei Nishibe. Part of him longed to see Katsuro stand out above his older teammate, the same way he had when he'd first joined the school. But he knew he shouldn't be giving in to his temptations to favour the boy above the rest of the team, so he resigned himself to hoping for success from both of them.

He started the practice game with the blow of his whistle, and his well trained gaze penetrated the field, harshly judging every pass and every attempt to block. They had a solid midfield at the senior level, widely regarded to be the best line a high school had developed in the past two decades. Their defense was tough to break down as well, and Nishibe was an above average keeper when it came to perceptiveness on the field. It was a well known fact that there were a few J League clubs who were keeping close eyes on the young keeper, and Kirihara wondered if they would be able to hold on to him for the remainder of the season.

The only problematic area on this squad was the forward line. It wasn't so much that they were untalented – they were simply lazy. They had still managed to score enough goals in the spring tournament to bring them to the regional finals, but he was not about to sit back and allow the forwards to put forth as little effort as possible again. It made him look inferior as a coach.

"Tokei, that was weak! Do I need to bring up members of the junior team to show you how to properly chase down a pass?"

The forwards were the only thing he missed about his junior squad – specifically Seiji Fujishiro. The boy was a phenom, his ability to single-handedly dominate a game extraordinary. He knew the only forward in the Tokyo area that could possibly rival Seiji in terms of pure skill and determination on the field was Shige Fujimura of Sakura Josui. He'd gone to watch one of the school's games in the junior high spring tournament and had been astounded at how much the bleached blonde kid had improved over the course of half a year.

He also knew that Shige was currently living with his own son. He once again dreamed of what it would be like to bring Tatsuya to Musashinomori, and this time he also thought of how strong their squad would be if Shige came as well. He'd heard about the boy's family situation from Mariko, and he had the feeling that Tatsuya would be able to convince him to switch schools. But he knew that there was no way his son would play for him, so he pushed that fantasy out of his head and concentrated again on watching the team that he did have.

If only they could bend the rules, and he could bring Seiji up to play with the senior team, then all his problems would be solved. But that would never be allowed, so for now he would have to deal with the laziness of his current line. He would work them hard this time around in preparation for the fall tournament. He would not be embarrassed again by their lack of effort. Now that he was finally coaching the senior side, he did not intend to be demoted back down to the junior squad.

Over on the right side of the field Katsuro paced back and forth in front of his net, his eyes attuned to the movement of the players on the field. Unlike the junior team, there was a marked difference in skill level between the majority of the starting line and the majority of the substitute players. While the substitutes were all good players, every single one of the starting line were amazing players. Sure, there were a few players on the substitute line who could be playing on the starting line (like himself), but in most cases seniority came into play. He didn't mind having to relinquish a starting spot to someone older than himself, but only because Yohei truly was a fantastic keeper.

Apart from that though, he was also a genuinely nice person. He'd surprised Katsuro by greeting him and immediately launching into a stream of praise for the younger keeper. Katsuro hadn't been sure why he'd done that at the moment, but as time passed he came to understand Yohei's motives better. While he did believe in praising those who were truly worthy of it, he also used it as a tool to gain respect and trust, like any experienced leader would know to do. Yohei had indeed known how good Katsuro was, and instead of competition, he wanted the younger boy on his side. He'd explained to him that while competition did breed success, in their line of work they would both gain more by working together during training. After all, as keepers they were regarded as leaders of their team, and it was Yohei's job to train Katsuro to properly take over that position. There was an element to their position that no one else on the team would understand, and when the pressure of it mounted, the best form of release would be to talk it through with one another.

Katsuro hadn't protested, in fact he'd only come to admire Yohei more as the term progressed. He knew that he had always been a good captain himself, but he was still able to learn from the older boy, both on and off the field.

Suddenly he noticed a shift in the momentum of the game and he forced his wandering thoughts to focus on the game. He watched as the senior members of the team drove the ball towards his end of the field, and he read the play they were setting up with ease.

"Nagoi, cover Midami!" His eyes remained firmly planted on the ball as he issued the orders, not allowing himself the opportunity to check and ensure that his orders were being followed. He watched the ball as it soared to the left, heading exactly where he had thought it would. Though the defender was there and marking the forward, he could tell that the other boy would still wind up with the ball. He came forward, cutting down on the angle from which the forward could shoot. His plan worked and the forward sent off an errant shot, quite wide of the net.

"Midami, that was atrocious! If your shooting does not improve by the end of the match, you will be changing places with Kidira!"

Katsuro smiled to himself as he leaned down to retrieve the ball. Though many found him to be overly strict and too much of a perfectionist, Souichiro Kirihara did have an amazing ability to bring the best out of his players, and that was something that the keeper admired. When he had first joined the school, he remembered being in awe of the fact that a former star of the Japan Soccer League was going to be his coach. He hadn't been sure what to expect from the older man, but he had soon found that he was not a coach to be disrespected. He had been strict in their first week of training, but Katsuro thought it had paid off given the skill of the team. And when he had been granted the opportunity by Kirihara to challenge the starting keeper for his position, he knew that he would do well under the man's tutelage, so long as he continued to work hard.

After forty minutes of playing, the coach called an end to the action for a brief break. The boys congregated in each end, and Katsuro leaned against one end of the net. Being able to engage in the game had been wonderful after a stressful week, and he felt good about his performance. He still had all the energy he needed to play well, despite not getting much sleep this week.

He was surprised out of his thoughts when a bottle bounced against his chest. "You still alive in there?" Akira appeared in front of him, an amused smirk on his face.

Katsuro smiled at him and leaned down to pick up the water bottle. "Of course. Good play out there, by the way. That was a nice set up for that goal."

Akira grinned and shrugged, "Yeah well, that's what I'm here to do! You had quite a few moments of glory too, by the way. Nicely defended net." Akira, like everyone else, had been wondering how Katsuro would fare after his hectic week. He'd been surprised and happy to see that there hadn't appeared to be any difference at all in Katsuro's ability to play.

Katsuro mimicked Akira's actions from before, "Yeah well, that's what I'm here to do." Akira shook his head and laughed, while Katsuro took a long drink of water. It felt good to be back on the field.

Their silent moment of rest was interrupted. "Katsuro! Coach would like a word with you," the messenger was a fifth year named Akido, who played on the defensive line. Katsuro nodded and threw his bottle back to Akira, who watched in curiosity as the back up keeper jogged over to the side line where the coach stood.

"You wanted to see me, coach?" He wasn't sure what to expect – he thought he'd played rather well.

The older man smiled and beckoned him forward. "Excellent play out there, you look like you're holding up your end of the bargain well," he winked at the boy before continuing. "I know you have a lot of work to do in your classes, so you're free to leave practice now."

This had not been expected. "Are you sure that's wise, coach?" Here again was that preferential treatment he didn't want.

"Yes, Katsuro." He motioned for the boy to follow him slightly more off field, so they could have a touch more privacy. "Now don't get used to this by any means. If it weren't for the fact that you have a math test coming up in two days, I would keep you out here for the whole training period. You've done exceptionally well, though, and have proven to me that your schedule is not bogging you down yet. So even though I feel you don't want to, you need to learn to accept these breaks and favours when you can get them. I don't want you to burn yourself out in two weeks." He patted the boy on the shoulder before pushing him slightly in the direction of the school. "Now go and get some studying in before you go to work, and try to get to bed earlier tonight, alright?"

Katsuro nodded respectfully, feeling slightly ashamed of his thoughts of earlier. Of course coach Kirihara wasn't letting him go out of favouritism – the coach had simply studied his schedule and was aware of his weak school subjects. He should be grateful that he had a thoughtful coach. But as he walked away and looked back at his teammates, he longed to stay, and not out of commitment to the team. He just wanted to play.

hr

"Oh come on, Tatsu-bon! Are you really still angry at me for last night?"

Tatsuya had spent the whole of the day glaring daggers at Shige (and avoiding Yuki Kojima) but now they were at soccer practice, and he had nowhere left to hide. He didn't answer Shige, instead he just continued stretching his torso out over his right leg with his face pressed into his thigh. He was not going to forgive Shige easily for this.

At just that moment though, his whole plan was shot down. "Hey guys! Where were you during lunch, Tatsuya? I was looking for you." It was Kojima.

Tatsuya didn't know what to say – he couldn't very well tell her the truth! 'Oh sorry, I was actually hiding from you, because I'm too embarrassed to admit that I kind of like you. See, Shige told my aunt that I have a crush on you last night, and they've both been harassing me since then. Sorry.' No, that would definitely not go over well.

"He had to go home to get his history homework. Someone was a little forgetful this morning!" Shige knew that Tatsuya would not have an answer for Kojima, so he figured that he'd help him out, in order to hopefully get back on his friend's good side.

"Oh shit, that sucks. Hope you got it in time!" Kojima smiled and sat down next to the two, beginning stretches of her own.

Tatsuya sat up only when she leaned over her leg to stretch. He looked at Shige and wanted to give him some sort of indication that he appreciated the save, but he was still too angry at his betrayal in the first place. "Yeah, I managed to get back in time thankfully." So instead he settled for verbally thanking him (in his own way, of course) but still glaring a hole through his head.

Shige understood Tatsuya's response and smiled back at him, winking in his direction. "So, Kojima, I heard a little rumour that you guys are entering a futsal competition. Any truth to that?"

She looked at Shige and grinned. "We are! It's on Saturday, so I still have to finish putting the team together."

"You have seven of you now, how are the others doing?" Tatsuya finally looked over at her, feeling much more comfortable now that they were discussing sports.

She frowned a little before stretching her other leg. "It's alright, but it gets frustrating sometimes. Shizuyo is probably the best one next to me, and she's nowhere near my level, of course. Miyuki, well, she tries hard. That's really all I can say about her. Maiko is actually the biggest surprise, believe it or not."

"The one who joined because she hated you?" Shige looked over at her and grinned.

"Yeah, that's the one. I can tell she's been practising a lot more, because she's gotten a lot better. She has a surprising amount of power behind her kicks." She was pretty surprised about the other girl. In the beginning Maiko had been quite rebellious at practice, always trying to contradict anything she would say. But this year things were different. The other girl actually listened to her and took her advice. If she kept playing through high school, she thought the other girl could actually manage playing on a professional level. She hadn't told Maiko this, of course. She wasn't about to take the chance at puffing up her ego now that they were finally getting along.

"I'm glad to hear that. I know how frustrating it can be to play on a team full of players who aren't at your level, after all." Tatsuya had struggled with that himself for a while.

Kojima looked up at him, smiling slowly. "Yeah, I remember those days. It's a shock to us all that you survived," she grinned and teased him.

"It's only because I came back to the team, don't give Tatsu-bon too much credit," Shige grinned and teased his friend.

Kojima grinned and laughed, "I don't doubt that one bit, Shige." She winked at Tatsuya. They were joined suddenly by Maiko.

"Hey, Yuki! Are you free tonight? Eight o'clock? We can have one of the futsal pitches then, I just called the place now, they had a cancellation." The other girl promptly sat down amidst the little group.

Shige looked at the new addition, a look of surprise on his face. "Wow, someone sure is dedicated."

Maiko looked at him, a slightly predatory smile on her face. "Well of course I am. I don't intend to play in a tournament and bomb it as the worst team there. Have you seen us play? We need a lot of work."

Tatsuya glanced at Kojima, who looked at him and grinned before shrugging her shoulders. "See, I told you, she's my biggest surprise on the team!" The three of them laughed while Maiko narrowed her eyes.

"You were talking about me?"

Kojima smiled at the other girl and nodded. "I was, they asked me how the girls were doing, and I said that you had actually surprised me the most, since you've improved more than anyone else." She figured a little praise in front of her boys wouldn't be too detrimental to her relationship with Maiko.

A smile adorned the other girl's face. "Well, thanks, Yuki! I can't have you beating me too badly, after all."

"So you said we have a pitch tonight at eight, right?" Kojima glanced then between Tatsuya and Shige, a little grin on her lips. "Are you guys busy tonight? Think a few of you would mind coming out and helping me train the girls up?"

Shige didn't wait for Tatsuya to answer. "Sure, we'd love to!"

Tatsuya looked at Shige, a curious expression on his face. "Have you even played futsal?"

"Of course I have! We actually did a lot of futsal training on the Kansai select team, since it helps with footwork."

"Really? That's pretty cool, and it's actually not a bad idea." Kojima could see how Shige had managed to improve his skill so drastically in such a short period of time.

"Then we'd be glad to help you guys out. We can bring Fuwa too, put him in net. I'm sure he'll pick up the style quickly. That way we'll have ten players, so two full teams and no one will have to sit out. Shige and I can each play on a different side." Tatsuya found the idea to be a good one. Besides, it would be a great way to spend a little more time with Kojima and not have it be too awkward after last night.

"Great! Yuki, your team can have Mizuno, and my team can have Shige," Maiko looked at Shige and smiled, "I've been watching a lot of futsal on-line, so I think I'll be pretty good."

Shige grinned at her before glancing at Tatsuya, who was giving him a very curious look. "Sounds like a plan to me! I say we get Fuwa too, to make it more even."

"You get me for what?" The keeper appeared behind Shige, looking around suspiciously.

"You're going to come play futsal with us tonight at eight! We're helping the girls get ready for a futsal tournament this weekend." Shige looked up over his head, smiling up at the other boy. Fuwa glanced at each of them in turn, judging finally that Shige was serious.

"Alright, I will be there." He then walked away, making his way over towards one of the nets.

"Well, that was painless! So, eight tonight, futsal courts? Bring indoor shoes if you have them, no studs," Kojima reminded them, smiling happily at the plans. Though she sometimes still wanted to strangle her, right now she wanted to hug Maiko for making this possible. She'd get to play futsal with Tatsuya for an hour tonight. Forget having dinner and seeing a movie – for Yuki Kojima, this was the perfect setting for a date. It was just a pity that the object of her affection probably only saw it as an opportunity to help out training the rest of the girls. But that was okay – she was patient.