OMG you guys! Thank you sooooooo much for all of your wonferful comments! Seriously, I didn't think it could be such a success! I mean I barely hoped that you guys could keep up with the plot. But the reviews... they were just... you guys made me speechless too! XD
Maybe I really should use this style again one day. Now that I know it works quite well... ^^-
Anyway! Yes, OMG, You guy are all so wonderful! I want to thank all of you for the reviews, the favs and follows, or just simply dropping by to read. (Thank to something called traffic graph that I think they just added in my "managed story", I was able to see how many people visited my story... And well, obviously, I spent a whole day staring at it non-stop! XD )They all mean so much to me and make me grinning like an idiot.
Well, again, thank you sooo much! But I think I better begin the story now before I start babbling out of happiness again...-laugh awkwardly-
Here's the next chapter! Please enjoy~
Disclaimer: I don't own IE (GO)
Chap 2: Renuion
"Here your teaaaa, At chan~ "
"Utau, remember to put At chan back to where she was after your tea time is done."
The pink hair male called out as he walked to balcony with a basket of laundries in his hands. However, before he could even begin to hang them up, the boy jumped as clattering noises came to his ears. The former defender hurried into the room again to see the little wavy hair girl hugging her doll tightly, inching away from all the broken pieces of glasses on the floor.
"That's the third time this month… Utau, how many time have I told you to-"
Kirino stopped when he saw the look on his daughter's face and her watery eyes. He just sighed and resorted to picking her up to move her to the couch, where there were not much sharp little things that could harm her. The boy than started to pick up the big glasses one by one before using a broom to clean out the rest of them. The brown hair child just squeezed her At-chan into her chest and didn't even dare to move a muscle as she fixed her eyes on the floor.
"I'm sorry daddy…" She whispered quietly when her father was done cleaning up the mess.
The trainer looked at her with guilt in his eyes.
I shouldn't have been so harsh…
He thought with another sigh as he gently picked her up again "Come on… it's time for you to go the daycare. Your teacher will get worried if we're late again."
Utau squeezed her little fingers around the fabric covering his shoulder as she buried her face into his neck when he carried her to the door.
Ever since Akane passed away, he had learned how hard it was to deal with a child. Back then, the shy manager was always the one to take care of her most of the time, with him training for the national team and all. So the sudden lack of her mother's presence became a challenge that both of them had to learn how to adapt to… He could still remember how hard it was to get Utau to go to bed at night. For the first few months, the little girl just kept on calling her mother all night long and refused to close her eyes unless he was there. Every time they were alone, she would start having questions and asking for mommy, and there was nothing the former defender could say to calm her down.
Yes… It was hard for both of them. But things did get better afterward…
As times went by, the little girl began to talk about classes and dolls instead of crying for her mother all day, and he finally managed to get used to doing the household chores so early in the morning.
Everything will work out somehow…
Kirino told himself as he let her down on her feet so that she could go in with her teacher. Her lavender eyes looked back at him as she waved her tiny hands goodbye and went into the class with her friends.
I'll make it work…
"Hey there Ran Ran~"
"Shizuka san… please stop calling me that…"
"Awwww… somebody got up on wrong side of the bed today…?"
The blonde said teasingly as she poked the younger male's cheek, making him blush with the gesture.
"Shizuka, leave him alone. We have to much work to do. The new guys are coming in today." A tall, dark skin man said with a strict expression as he walked pass the dual.
"Grumpy old man…" The woman pouted the moment the older man was out of sight, making the pink hair male laugh quietly into his hands. "But he is the coach, Shizuka san… and the one that pays us too."
"Noooo~ the one that pays us is the company that invested in this team."
"Yes, but he can still fire us if he thinks we suck."
"Oh…"
Both of them laughed out loud after that and headed to the soccer field together with the other trainers. Suddenly, a red hair guy jumped in between them.
"Hey hey did you hear? It seemed that one of the contestants today is the son of the head of the company that invests in this thing."
"You mean the team?" The blonde woman raised an eye brow.
"Noooo… this whole competition! And I heard he just came back from studying abroad too!"
"Is that so..? Well, if he just finished his study than he's probably about your age Ran Ran~" Shizuka winked at the smaller male as she threw her arms behind her head. "But I bet the little prince won't even have to go through the testing match to get a place in the team."
"Well…" The red head continued as he jogged along with the other two. "I heard since he was in America National team last year, his name is already in the official list… "
"See! He is soooooo getting in by using his father's influence, that's why he avoids showing his real abilities, that is if he has any…"
By this time, Kirino had already stopped listening. He wasn't a fan of talking behind ones back, especially when hadn't even met the guy yet. So the former defender just kept quiet for the rest of walk as the other two carried on with their conversation. Soon, the company reached a stairway moving up to the field outside.
Kirino's eyes squeezed a bit when they encountered the light. And when the pink hair male opened his eyes again, he could see in the middle of the field stood a bunch of people talking to the coach. As he shifted his eyes around, he could spot three familiar figures. The former defender smiled.
Just as I thought, they were also invited this year…
"…and that's all the things you need to know about the try out match… These people here..."
The man looked back at the group of trainers as they lined up behind him. Tsurugi was the first one to spot the pink hair male. His eyes widened a bit in surprise but didn't let out any word. Instead he just poked Tenma's shoulder slightly when the boy and Shinsuke were still too busy chatting in excitement to get their attention. The two best friends followed Tsurugi's finger as he pointed to the front and jumped when they saw Kirino smiling, waving at them from the middle of the line. And before he could stop it, the enthusiastic midfielder had already yelled out loud his friend's name.
"K-KIRINO SENPAI!"
Everyone on the fielded flinched and turned their heads to stare at the source of the sudden loud voice. Kirino chuckled into his hands. Tsurugi could only face palm silently, immediately regretting his action while Shinsuke just sweat dropped and laughed, already predicting something like this would happen.
The coach cleared his voice to get everyone's attention again. "As I was saying…" He eyed Tenma bit this time, and when he saw the boy keeping his red face lowered in embarrassment, he knew it was safe to continue. "… these people here are your trainers, they will help me keep an eye on your training after you get into the team, and also…"
This time, it was Kirino's turn to look at their coach. According to what he told them, after the introduction, they would start the match right away. Was there a change of plan at the last minute?
"There's someone else that will join us…"
Immediately, the door at their side opened, creating a loud noise that echoed through the entire field. Everyone looked to their right to see who it was.
"Originally, he had already been accepted as one the official players. Not because of some ridiculous reasons in the rumors though…" The man's sharp eyes swept through the one that was standing next to Kirino, making the red head jumped in fright. "… but because I had already tested his abilities when I was still in the US last month… and I myself acknowledged that he's qualified to be in the team…"
Even with the light making it hard to indentify the person, Kirino could still see a figure walking toward them.
"However, he came to me this morning to refuse having his name in the list and asked to be tested and judged in the same condition like everybody else… And of course, I accepted. "
That's just like him…
The former defender thought with a small smile. However, as he turned his eyes back to the mysterious player, his smile slowly disappeared and was replaced by an expression of pure shock.
Wind blew through the male's curly brown hair as he finally stopped at a spot that was only meters away from them. And the light that blinded the pink hair male's view just moments ago, was now shinning brightly at the figure of the person he never thought he would see again…
"Shindou…"
Kirino stood still as he watched the trio ran over and gathered around the brunet. He was still too astounded to react to the fact that Shindou was there, right in front of him, just a few meters away. This… this couldn't be a dream, could it?
After moments of exchanging greetings and sharing their joy, Shinsuke said something that made the music prodigy widened his eyes in disbelieve. The brown hair boy immediately looked around and finally found what he was looking for right in front of his eyes.
The moment his best friend was in sight, it was like everything around them disappeared. The brunet couldn't help but standing like a stone, staring at the other in pure amazement. How long had it been already? Seven? Eight years? Ever since the last time they saw each other… And yet, the boy looked just as beautiful as he was when they first met.
"Kiri-"
"Players! Gather around! We are about to slit you into two teams to compete! Remember, this is to test your personal skill, so give us your best shot and show us what you can do!"
The red hair male yelled out loud before starting to call one name after the other for the first team. And the remaining ones naturally went to the second group. A moment of chaos went by as the two teams got into their places and players found their right spot that had been arranged. When they were all where they should be, Shindou realized that he couldn't find Kirino anywhere. The boy looked around a bit but no matter how much he tried, he just simply couldn't spot his best friend.
"He's at the bench…"
The brown hair boy looked at Tsurugi who was standing besides him. He then shifted his eyes to the bench to see the pink hair male standing together with the trainers. Azure eyes met him but immediately moved away.
"Apparently… he is no longer a player..."
Shindou couldn't help but being stunned by that statement.
What… How can this be…?
However, the prodigy didn't have much time to worry about his friends as the coach already told them to focus. That's right… He's on the field now. Right now, the only thing that should be in his mind is this match… And he will become a Nation Player.
Seconds later, the whistle was heard.
All four of them got in easily. Shinsuke even managed to become the team's regular goalkeeper. And Shindou, predictably, was appointed to become the new captain of the team.
After the announcement was made, there were moments of hand-shaking and praising. Kirino watched his friends as the two younger enthusiastic players hugged each other, jumping up and down in pure joy, while the remaining ones were being congratulated by players that didn't make it.
"Hey Ran Ran, we should get back. The coach is starting to pair us up with the players."
"…"
"Ran Ran?"
"H-huh? O-oh right…"
Shizuka raised an eye brow at his strange behaviors. "You ok?"
"Y-Yeah… I'm fine..."
When they reached Coach Allen, he had already passed some of the player profiles to a few trainers. A part of Kirino's brain suddenly hoped that a certain brown hair boy's sketch had already been accepted by someone else. The dark skin man looked at them a bit and then at the remaining profiles, trying to pick out which ones would be most fit for them. The former defender could swear a meaningful look was sent at him before the man fished out four particular profiles and gave them to him.
"You two will take care of these four…"
…Don't tell me…
The defender looked down at the paper. Yep… it's them, all four to be exact…
"Coach-"
"You should know what to do with them…"
And with that, the man jogged away to another pair of trainers.
"Huh? Ran Ran, what does he mean?" The blonde woman kept looking back and ford between her partner and the coach, not sure what just happened. Kirino just sighed…
Great… I shouldn't have told him about junior high…
"It's… nothing…"
"…. Argh...!You people are always so secretive…! Let's just go introduce ourselves to the players ok! … Hey, aren't those friends of yours?"
Kirino didn't answer. He just took in a deep breath before walking to his old friends.
"Kirino senpai!" Shinsuke called out in joy as the four companies turned to his direction. Shindou seemed a little dazed by his approach he could notice. However, before the short goalkeeper could say anything else to him, he had already cut through the boy.
"Shisizuno Shinsuke!"
The boy flinched and immediately closed his mouth.
"Matsukaze Tenma."
"Y-yes…" The younger brunet stuttered his reply in confusion.
"Tsurugi Kyosuke and Shindou Takuto." The two calm ones also looked at him with a bit of astound.
"We have been appointed to be your trainers. From now on, your training, your schedules will be designed and observed closely by us. Please make it your obligation to follow all of our instructions…"
Yes… just keep the distance… I can get through this. Well, for today at least.
"Well... We are here to guide you whenever you need help..." Shizuka continued with a smile. "Kirino and I will each follow two of you and- E-EH WAIT!" All four players jumped when the women suddenly interrupted her own words when she received two files from the pink hair male.
"E-excuse me for a second…" The blonde laughed awkwardly as she immediately pulled the younger male away to whisper in protest. "Ran Ran, I can't take this one…! I just badmouthed him only hours ago, it will be weird if he finds out!"
"Believe me, I have a much better reason not to get involved with him Shizuka san…"
"B-B- But-"
"I'm sorry about this. But I will tell him if you don't accept the file."
"EH!"
The former defender felt a bit guilty that he had to corner his colleague like that, especially when the woman was quite close to him. But he had no other choice. There was no way he was ready to deal with Shindou and kept a right mind right now.
The blonde just pouted childishly before turning back to the four players who were looking at them with big question marks on their heads.
"Nishinono Shinsuke…" She grumbled before hesitating a bit.
"Please Shizuka san… I promise to take him out of your hands once in a while if things get too uncomfortable…" Kirino whispered pleadingly with a small apologetic smile when he saw she was still reluctant to call out the other's name.
"Fine…! But you have to make sure that red head over there won't spill me out either… SHINDOU TAKUTO, I will be watching over you two."
However, before the two mentioned males could even open their mouths to reply, the woman had already stormed her foot hard on the pink hair male's one, making him barely hold back a painful sound. She then jogged away, sulking hard, leaving the boys speechless at her reaction.
Gosh… she is real mature sometimes…
The former defender thought sarcastically before looking up again, trying to hide the aching pain on his foot and keep his face normal. "Matsukaze Tenma, Tsurugi Kyosuke, that means you two will be under my care. Since tomorrow is our first day, meet me here at 6 in the morning... And that goes for you two too." He added, looking at the other two, mostly the goalkeeper though. His eyes barely swept over the playmaker.
"For now-"
"RAN RAN!"
The boy jumped and stopped when he heard the woman's yelling his nickname. The other four flinched in surprise too.
"Woah… that's the third time she scares the heck out of me already… And we just met minutes ago…" Shinsuke commented with a whispering voice, to which Tenma nodded enthusiastically in agreement.
"S-Shizuka san, what's wrong?" The pink hair male asked when the blonde finally reached them, still panting hard.
"U-Utau chan…"
The sound of his daughter's name immediately made the defender's heart dropped.
"The daycare just called the office… s-she is having a fever… and it's getting higher too…! You better go, now."
The pink hair male didn't need to be told twice to immediately dash away from the field. Shizuka called out loud to him just before he was out of sight. "Just stay at home if you need to ok! I'll take care of things here!" After his shadow vanished into the hall, the woman sighed.
"The poor guy… just one thing after another…"
The Raimon former members took a second to exchange looks of confusion before Shindou stepped up.
"Uhm... Excuse me but... who is Utau?"
The blonde answered with a most obviou tone, waving her hand, without even looking at them. "Oh, it's nothing...! She's his daughter. This happens ALLLLL the time..."
However, when she turned back, all four of them were looking at her with pure shock expressions...
"Wait... Aren't you guys supposed to know...? I mean, you guys are friends, aren't you?"
"HE'S MARRIED?"
Tenma and Shinsuke both let out at the same time. And somehow, the thought brought a sting to the playmaker's chest.
He... is married...
"Wow wow, come down kids! It's not that unusual to be married at this age…"
"He is only 23…" Shinsuke said with a huge sweat drop on his head.
"AND-and-and he never said anything!" Tenma added, winging his arms hysterically.
"Well… he did disappear after he went to high school. Many things must have happened since then..." Tsurugi commented in a calm tone, didn't look as affected by the news as the rest.
"Well... I don't know what your story is, but his daughter is turning five this year. She's such a little angel actually...! Sometimes he would bring her to watch too. Everybody here loves her."
The prodigy couldn't help but feel sad when he heard that. He knew that he should feel happy for his best friend, being able to find happiness so soon in his life, but the thought of the pink hair male standing with somebody else somehow just made he felt like someone just shot a needle right through his heart.
"I wonder who his wife is..." Shinsuke asked, tittling his head curiously.
"Yeah! I wanna mee- Hnmm...!"
Before the brunet could finish his sentence though, the dark striker had already brought a hand up to cover his mouth. The young boy shot his eyes up to look at the taller male questioningly, but Tsurugi just tossed his head to Shindou's direction. Only then did Tenma realize his mistake...
"Eh... Uhm... Shindou sen-"
"I want to meet her too..."
The trio widened their eyes when the prodigy turned to look at them again. "She... must be a nice girl... I want to meet her too." The brunet repeated his words, this time with a small smile.
That's right... I must be happy for him. He deserves this...
The boy thought, trying to ignore the painful feeling in his chest. His mask, however, couldn't fool any of his friends. As Tenma and Shinsuke exchanged worried looks, Tsurugi continued to watch the older male closely with his sharp eyes.
"Uhm... guys..."
The quiet air was broken when the female trainer spoke. All four of them turned their attention on her again.
"I know I just interrupted something but... there's something you should know..."
As the woman continued with a sad look on her face, she slowly explained the situation to the group. And what they found out next once again shocked them all...
Kirino sighed as he checked on the thermometer.
This one is quite bad this time…
"Daddy… I'm sorry…" The little girl breathed between her heavy panting as she lay on her bed, under the thick blanket.
"Don't say that, it's not your fault ok." The pink hair boy said in a gentle tone as he caressed her face softly. Her voice toned down a bit when she whispered a small, weak ok... He smiled and stood up from his spot…
Her fever usually goes down after one night. I probably should let her sleep... But maybe I'll stay at home tomorrow just to be sure...
However, before the former defender could actually move away, a tiny hand was held out to grab the rim of his shirt, stopping him in his track. The boy looked back at his daughter to see her staring at him with half-shut eyes.
"Daddy…"
A surprise expression slit through his face but he sat back down next to her anyway. "What is it…?"
"… I don't like the daycare… "The little girl said with an almost inaudible voice, but thankfully, the room was quiet enough for him to hear. He widened his eyes again.
"Why..? Didn't you say you had a lot of fun…?"
"…the kids there… they said mean things to me… they always made fun of my hairs…" The boy's eyebrows narrowed slightly. Could it be that she was bullied…? Why didn't the teacher notice anything…? Why didn't she tell him until now…?
"… I want to have hairs like yours daddy… your hairs are always so soft and pretty…"
"Your hairs are beautiful, Utau... You are beautiful…" Kirino stressed as he ran his fingers through her curly locks, stroking them lovingly.
Like him...
"Don't let anyone tell you otherwise ok… Who do trust…? Me or some silly kids…?"
The little girl smiled happily even with her eyes already closed. She muttered something in her breaths before falling asleep with a smile, her hand still holding onto him tightly.
Kirino smiled silently at her too before climbing onto the bed, holding her in his arms...
Ok, that's it for now...
I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as well. And if you have a comment, just tell me in the review ok! It's right down there. ^^-
Oh and for those of you who are interested, I drew a family picture of little Utau with Kirino and Akane, and one of her when she was five. They are on my tumblr account with the same name (birdincage2903). I'm planning to draw some more scenes in this story too. If you guys want to take a look but have some problems finding it, you can go to my fanfiction profile to follow the instuctions I gave there, or just simply P.M me alright. (Anonymous are welcome too! XD)
I'll try to update as soon as possible. But it won't be long, I promise.
See ya next time!