You'll never walk alone

By ArokuRaita

Disclaimer: Blue Lock belongs to Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura and this fanfic was written nonprofit.

16. Before the deciding match

Oh? Somehow, my muscles today are pretty firm.

Isagi was in the bathroom, washing himself and thinking about Barou's crazy routine, when a bit of shampoo from another person landed on his face.

"Ugh!"

"Sorry, the bubbles flew away"

That line was a deja-vu for Isagi, who turned to see who the bubble-shooter was.

Two voices exclaimed in unison.

"EH?"

Kunigami had the same expression as his former teammate (and ex-boyfriend).

"What are you doing here?"

"That's my line! Why are you still here in the third round, Isagi?"

"Well…"

Isagi talked about Bachira and Nagi, their loss against Rin's team, their win against Naruhaya's and Barou as their new teammate.

"Haha. I haven't seen you in a while, but it looks like you've gone through war" Kunigami smiled.

It was strange. The orange haired striker felt calm, like he was talking to a good friend he didn't see in a long time, not a boyfriend with whom sex had been unforgettable.

Isagi was feeling something similar. Talking to Kunigami was still easy and fun! But there was a difference: he didn't miss their kisses and sex. Yeah, his friend's body was exceptionally fit as always; however, Isagi was living a different experience with Nagi —who was a genius in bed, too. So unfair— and he wanted to keep at it until the end.

"So, Kunigami… Who are you with now?"

Someone else's voice answered his question.

"It's me". Chigiri was sitting in the bathtub's border, with only his feet on the water. His gaze towards Isagi was a bit cold.

Just a bit, because it was thanks to the blue eyed striker's early departure that he had been able to know and share beautiful moments with Rensuke.

However, Blue Lock was all soccer, so it would have been really convenient to form a team between them.

"Why the heck did you go on your own? Stupid Isagi"

"Chigiri!"

Without warning, the speedster entered the bathtub and started to shoot water at his former teammate.

"Why didn't you wait for me, you bastard?!"

Kunigami grabbed Yoichi's head.

"Agreed!"

While spitting water, the attacked one started to apologize.

"I'm sorry! I planned to wait, but then Nagi invited me, so—!"

A white face emerged from the water. It was Nagi.

"Hm? Are you talking about me?"

The others looked at him with confusion. Why did he have to bathe like that?

"Well, I'd have gone along too, if Nagi had invited me", Chigiri and Kunigami smiled.

Then, Barou approached them after cleaning himself. His face was distorted with rage while he watched Nagi swimming in the hot water. And the others' nonchalant and playful attitude.

And the towels in the bathtub.

So he put them in place.

"Hey, Isagi… Was Barou such a meticulous guy?" Kunigami asked in a whisper.

"Yeah, his attention to small details is ridiculous"

Gladly, Barou didn't hear them because he was occupied with a drowsy Nagi.

"So, have you guys decided your opponents for the next round?" Chigiri asked.

"Not yet. How about you?"

An awkward silence fell over Kunigami and Chigiri. Even when they had decided to challenge his former teammate, it was difficult to do so after having such a good time together.

It was Reo who answered.

"Obviously we'll be going against you, guys. I grouped up with these two for that exact reason"

He had dark circles under his eyes (one of the only things he never had before) and his glare was cold as ice. He fixed it on Isagi, who felt chills down his spine —even when the water around him was hot.

Nagi didn't seem to notice the changes in his friend's face, so he greeted him as always.

"It's been a while! Hear me out, Reo! I practiced a lot since then, you see—"

The purple haired striker slapped Seishirou's hand.

"Stop it. We're rivals now, Nagi"

The rejected one just stared at his former friend with surprise.

Reo felt good after that. It was like a small revenge for all he had suffered: the rejection, bad dreams and so on.

Then, he looked again at Isagi.

"I, who got left behind, will fight and defeat you"

Kunigami and Chigiri seemed to be infected by his teammate's coldness.

"Let's fight"

"Don't run away from us"

Yoichi wasn't surprised by their sudden change. In fact, he never thought there was another option.

"Yeah, exactly what we wanted!"

When there were only 15 hours left for their match, Isagi reunited with his teammates to discuss their strategy. At first he felt like some time ago, when Barou didn't listen to him, but now he was a bit more cooperative.

However, it didn't last long. He insisted on getting passes from his teammates.

Adapting to geniuses was hard.

"Hey, Isagi, why did you reply so quickly to their challenge?"

Nagi wasn't opposed to playing against strong teams, but he felt a bit guilty for having to face Reo. They were still friends, as far as he knew.

"Well, I didn't want them to underestimate us, and also, with your ball touch (Nagi smiled briefly —nobody noticed it), Barou's charges and my direct shoots, we can reach Rin and the top 3, but I believe we're lacking in strength"

"What do you mean?"

"I want Chigiri's speed"

"I see"

"Hey, if we're gonna take somebody, take someone who'll pass to me. I want that orange-haired guy"

"Yeah, he's a good choice too…"

"I think for me it would probably be Reo. We'd promised we'd partner up in the end"

Isagi was getting irritated. They weren't even able to come to an agreement on that!

"Well, we don't need to decide right now. If we lose, someone from this team will be taken" Nagi stated, ending their discussion.

Chigiri, Kunigami and Mikage were doing the same as their rivals, but with less friction. Even deciding who would mark who was easy.

"I'll take on Isagi Yoichi" Reo said, with a tone that didn't admit a 'no' for answer.

It was the same attitude he had during training. And even while sleeping! He had nightmares every night and couldn't wake up. He rewatched Nagi's betrayal with Isagi in all kinds of dreams (even as a dorama. That one was really sad, but captivating).

Reo was letting his frustration run wild and feeding it with anger at an obsessive level. It was his first time managing those feelings.

His teammates just looked at him. Chigiri understood him, but Kunigami was always the more surprised one. He couldn't believe that a guy who had it all could bear such a grudge towards Isagi.

"I'll seal his movements and prove to him that he made the wrong decision"

"OK. Then, in terms of physicality, I'll mark Barou" Rensuke replied.

"Alright. That leaves me with Nagi then. Also, if we win this match, who do we take?"

The first one that came to Kunigami's mind was Isagi, of course. His skills could improve theirs by a lot. Another option was Barou: his charge power and shoots were really something.

But Nagi's potential was awesome. Chigiri nodded.

"I agree. He's the only one I want to take. Is that alright with you, Reo?"

"I was thinking after defeating him, that I would make him feel the same pain he caused me back then as another possibility…"

Kunigami cutted him out.

"That's a hefty personal vendetta you got there! You're not alone in this team, you know?"

Well, they would think about it later, after the game.

Bachira was fully adapted to his new team. Rin was a tough one, but Aryu and Tokimitsu were fun to talk to. Especially Tokimitsu —his reactions were too hilarious!

After leaving Isagi, Meguru couldn't play against other teams because they feared them, so he had to train with his teammates, although most of the time he played with his monster. One day, he thought it was a good time to see what was going on with Rin and maybe get a glimpse of his own monster.

Bachira found him in the training room. Alone, as always. His posture was arrogant and cold, and he didn't look like having fun while playing with the ball. But Meguru was sure there was something else inside Rin.

It was difficult to talk to him, even if it was a little, so he went straight to the point.

"It's the first time I've seen anyone seem lonely while playing soccer"

Obviously, the answer was a menacing glare.

"Are you trying to pick a fight?"

"Then square up. This will be a lot of fun!"

Bachira was too innocent and seemed to have forgotten that his teammate saw the field as a battlefield. It wasn't going to end well.