A/N: Everyone, thank you for all the reviews! You have no idea how happy each and every one makes me! You guys are great! -heart- Enjoy this chapter~!

Gazel let out a yawn as he passed the hallways of the Diamond Dust area. It was only 11 pm, but he felt worn out. Seeing as Burn had managed to hog the soccer field before him again, he had had no choice but to train outside with his team. Not only was training at Mt. Fuji tiresome due to all the rocks, it had also rained buckets for most of the day, both of which made the training harder.

Nearing his room, Gazel decided he would take a quick shower and then hop right into bed. At least Burn wasn't there to bother him this—

"—the hell?"

Just as he was thinking about the devil, the devious one himself appeared in his sight. Burn was sitting next to Gazel's bedroom door, looking at the floor with a pained expression.

"Burn?" Gazel rushed over, glaring at the other boy in disbelief. "What are you doing here? Isn't your door supposed to be fixed now?"

"It's still broken," Burn affirmed without looking at him. "And you're still the only person who knows about this, so I want to keep it that way."

"What—You had an entire day to get it fixed!" Gazel stumbled. "What have you been doing all this time?"

"Training," Burn simply answered and looked up at him. "And then I sprained my ankle. I tried to get to Father afterwards but my foot keeps bothering me."

"Of course it does, you idiot, you sprained—wait. You didn't actually get your door fixed before you went to train?"

"There's only one soccer field in the school, and training is most important," Burn grumbled, looking away again.

Gazel gaped at him with wide eyes. This guy was an idiot! He let out a tired sigh and went to enter the code to his room. "Whatever," he mumbled, "I'm too tired for this." When his door opened, Gazel sent Burn a strict look. "I'll take care of your ankle on the condition that you get your door fixed tomorrow, got it?"

Burn blinked in surprise. "Gazel… You're a medic?"

"I'm a captain," Gazel corrected him proudly, "but I know the basics. Every captain should if he wants to take proper care of his team, don't you think?"

Burn gritted his teeth and turned away his head, just so he wouldn't be able to see Gazel's victorious smirk. This kid was totally telling him that he brought his injury upon himself. Like he would let him.

"It's your fault, you know," Burn commented as he got up with more effort than he wished he needed. Stumbling past Gazel into his room, he shot the boy a glare and added: "And the fault of your stupid sleeping habit."

Gazel blinked in surprise. "Sleeping habit?"

Burn flopped down on his bed and continued to talk to the floor, seemingly too embarrassed to confront Gazel about this while looking him in the eye. A blush appeared on his cheeks as he explained: "You were… clinging to me this morning. Your arm was here," he pointed at his waist, "and your head was here," he moved his hand up to his chest. "I could barely move."

"What…?" Gazel's entire face went warm. He had actually hugged Burn in his sleep? Why didn't he tell him this before? And had his grasp really been so tight that the firey Burn failed to escape from it? Gazel felt so overwhelmed by embarrassment that he couldn't speak for a moment. He had actually embraced the one he considered his biggest rival.

Burn looked up at him when he didn't get an answer, and he was surprised to find out Gazel seemed to be struggling with this. He'd expected him to defend himself and claim it was an accident of some sort, as it, in fact, was. Then again, Gazel had acted a little off ever since he barged into his room the other night. So this meant he wasn't the only one feeling awkward about this situation. That made him feel both relieved and even more awkward.

"… you gonna fix my foot or what?" Burn muttered, fixing his eyes on his injured ankle as if to make a point.

Those words snapped Gazel out of his trance. "R-right," he stuttered. "I'll be right back."

Burn watched him leave the room and raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was up to. He gazed across the room while waiting for Gazel to return, and rolled his eyes when he noticed how tidy it actually was. Typical Gazel. Ever since they met, he had never once seen him make a deliberate mess, and Gazel had told him off many times when Burn didn't clean up their shared room at Sun Garden.

Burn eventually fixed his eyes on a drawer that was leaning out of the nightstand beside the bed. Curiously, he moved closer and spotted a square object inside. Burn peeked at the bedroom door to make sure Gazel wasn't coming back, and then took out what turned out to be a single framed picture. His eyes went wide as he instantly recognized the two children smiling at him. While a seven-year-old him was making a peace sign at the photographer, Gazel embraced him with both arms around the neck, flashing a grin without worries. They both looked like they didn't have a single concern in the world.

Burn shut his eyes as if trying to block the influence this picture had on him. Due to him and Gazel being rivals, he had tried so hard to erase the memories of them playing together, eating and sleeping together, being real friends… He had wanted to bury these images as deeply as he could, in fear of letting the memories get the best of him and bring back the desire to be friends with Gazel. The picture he was holding in his hand was enough to let that desire have the upper hand, and Burn started to treasure his memories involving Gazel once again. In the end, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself that Gazel was his enemy… he still considered him his friend, deep in his heart.

"What are you doing?"

Burn nearly jumped through the ceiling at the sound of that voice. He instantly raised his head and looked straight into Gazel's eyes, which were so wide they nearly pierced through his. The other boy was standing at the door with an ice pack in his hands. He must've gone to the kitchen in search for some ice to tone down the swelling on Burn's ankle.

Gazel suddenly dropped the ice pack when he realized what Burn was holding. "Where did you get that?" In total panic, he hurried over and tore the picture out of his hands.

Burn stared at him in shock, just watching as he dumped it back in the drawer and slammed it shut. "It—it was in your drawer," he pointed out unnecessarily. "Gazel… why do you still have that picture?"

Gazel looked like he was about to explode. His eyes were squeezed shut, his teeth were tightly gritted, and Burn could swear he saw tears shine in his eyes. Gazel clearly hadn't wanted him to find that picture.

When Gazel turned to Burn with clenched fists, Burn backed away slightly, shocked to see the anger in his eyes.

"Why are you doing this?" Gazel shouted, nearly tripping over his own words. "Why do you keep harassing me? Is it not enough that we have to fight every single day? Do you have to invade my room and force me to take care of you too? What is the matter with you?"

"Gazel-" Burn was interrupted when the other boy suddenly reached out and grabbed a hold of his collar, pulling him close.

"Like I could forget! Like I could just forget the years we spent as friends!" Gazel continued. He bowed his head slightly, trying to hide the tears that flowed down his cheeks. "It's impossible… It's just impossible," he admitted quietly as his grip on Burn's collar tightened. "I can't stand you and your attitude sometimes, but… hating you… I can't… I can't forget…"

Burn watched as Gazel sank down on his knees in front of him, completely speechless. The only sound that filled the room was Gazel's sobbing, even though he was trying so hard to hold it back. Despite this being the first time Burn had ever seen him like this, he could relate to the feelings Gazel mentioned. The reason was that he felt the exact same way, and knowing they were still on the same wavelength even years later caused a soothing warmth to fill his chest.

Burn exhaled a small sigh as several memories of them together flashed through his mind. Just like Gazel, he was incapable of forgetting those innocent and carefree times.

"Gazel…" he repeated in a quiet voice, gently pulling his hands off his collar and letting them rest in his own. "I… feel the same way. You don't need to be embarrassed."

Gazel instantly stopped sobbing and raised his head to look at Burn. His sad eyes were filled with hope. "You… do?"

"I do," Burn confessed, blushing slightly. "Sure, I hate your guts sometimes, but… it's not like I truly hate you." He smiled a little in order to comfort his friend. "I can't forget how we were either. It's probably… why I didn't mind sharing a bed with you last night that much. We've been doing it for years, after all."

The relief Gazel felt was clearly visible in his expression. He wiped away his last tears and managed to smile a bit as well. Just like Burn, he was carrying a shy blush. He remained quiet for a little while, but then got back up on his feet. "I better see to that ankle," he reminded the other boy.

Burn nodded in agreement and flashed a laid-back grin. Somehow, it felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest, and it was a great feeling. Even though there were several moments when Gazel still tended to confuse him, he at least didn't have to feel ashamed anymore about treasuring the past.

Gazel went to retrieve the ice pack and sat down next to Burn, waiting for him to give him his foot. He noticed the slightest touch around the injured area made him cringe, so he was extra careful when he removed his shoe and sock.

As Gazel gently placed the ice pack on the swelling, he raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Burn. "Did you even try to take care of your foot?"

"Lay off, okay?" Burn crossed his arms and looked aside, pouting grumpily. "It was late, and I had to keep an eye on my team."

Gazel shook his head with a smile. "You still really are an idiot," he remarked. Without giving Burn the chance to come up with a comeback, he hopped off the bed and moved to his closet to take out a first-aid kit. Once the ice had taken care of the swelling, he placed Burn's foot in his lap and gently wrapped a piece of dressing around his ankle.

"There," he concluded with a proud smile. "That should do it."

"Thanks, Gazel," Burn muttered, smiling back at him. "Really… thanks."

"No problem," Gazel nodded. After he put the kit back in his closet, he took out a towel and a new pair of pajamas. "I'm going to take a quick shower," he informed Burn, looking at the other boy. "Get ready for bed, okay?"

"Sure," Burn answered, a little dumbfounded to see how Gazel apparently didn't mind him sleeping in his bed a second time. Once he had disappeared in the bathroom, Burn smiled to himself, figuring things were going to run more smoothly between them from now on. Even if their relationship was far from perfect… this was a good start.

Burn decided to take one last look at the picture before he'd get ready. When Gazel emerged from the bathroom, he smiled at the boy that had fallen asleep on his bed, the picture of them together resting on his chest.

A/N: Next chapter: a little Gran/Reize cameo (can you tell these two couples are my OTPs)! ;3 And a not so little revelation, ku-ku-ku~