24. BONDS

note: yes. you and kyouka's relationship is based off of kiyoko and yachi. SUE ME. for that one person in my comments who loves kyouka. this one is for you snookie.

my guilty pleasure is making everything wlw. you cant stop me. nobody can. i could be on my strange addiction with how often i do it.

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THINGS

between you and Isagi got a bit uncomfortable last night. It felt different, yet entirely the same as the talk you had with Chigiri in the first selection—when you were a foreigner in this strange place, and even more alien within your supposed team. Getting closer to him surely was a driving point in creating real, lasting relationships with them, and you couldn't be more thankful that you had decided to go and do your physical therapy on that day.

It wasn't like Isagi was a bad person, not by any means. You really liked him—he was a nice, genuine guy with dreams of his own that he was passionate about. In fact, you did consider him to be one of your closest friends here—but you guess you weren't close enough to the point where you could talk about such a subject and not feel uncomfortable. Maybe that was your fault. 

But it's not like you could've known. You know, better than anybody, that people are complex. You can never truly predict somebody's next actions—no matter how hard you try. The brain works in wonderous and mysterious ways—and maybe, you'll never understand.

These were the thoughts occupying your brain during your new trio's first training session together. Nagi and Isagi were doing the standard practice—passing to each other while avoiding cardboard defenders and evading Blue Lock Man. Barou, on the other hand, was doing something completely unorthodox—using little ropes on the floor to practice his balance and speed. 

You couldn't help but think it looked ridiculous. Such a big guy moving so gracefully almost made you laugh. Almost. You did still feel like living, after all, so you chose not to laugh at the King. Nagi holds the soccer ball in his hand while he watches Barou do his graceful thing. "I'm fine practising, but will it make a difference if it's just the two of us? What's his highness even doing over there?"

"Apparently, it's his daily physical training routine," Isagi wipes sweat off his upper lip and places a hand on his hip, leaning back and putting weight onto his heel. "He's been at it for a while."

"Does he need to be so intense?" Nagi scoffs, but raises his voice as he calls out to Barou, "How long are you gonna keep doing drills? You've warmed up enough, now come train with us."

Barou pants as he finishes his (from what you see, his fortieth) rep and pants, sweat dripping down his cheeks and hands clutching the side of his torso while he catches his breath. "I'm required forty more minutes—and then I'll grace you with my presence."

Nagi's eyes don't leave Barou, even as the King restarts from the start and continues his training. "What's your take? Looks like he lost all sense of cooperation while he was still in the womb. Forty minutes is like watching an episode of a prime-time show."

"Yeah, and almost two episodes of an anime." Isagi's hand rests at the back of his neck, and he scrunches up his nose at Barou. "Still though, maybe this is how he was able to get so friggin' strong. Through self-discipline and sticking to a hardcore regimen."

Nagi retorts with puffed-out cheeks, "Yeah, it's almost on the level of obsession.

Isagi lets out a loud sigh and then runs forward without warning. From your place across the field—you can already hear him groaning from the strain of Barou's daily routine. 

Daily routine... maybe this is what my nightly ritual is for me. You squint and are so distracted, that you don't even notice Nagi joining in on the fun and leaving the soccer ball sitting in the middle of the field, forgotten. Your heels crunch the fake grass beneath your feet as you walk over, and pick up the soccer ball. Barou... seems like a pretty complete guy.

Watching the three guys practice such a ridiculous-looking routine—you find yourself hiding your mouth behind your hand and turning your head away, so your scrunched-up lips aren't noticeable.

In some strange way, you think that being on this team with him, even if for one day, has shone a new light onto the king of the field.

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You raise your arms over your head—stretching out your torso as you sit up. You look around. No doubt, you slept soundly the whole night after that training fiasco yesterday. Your hair is dishevelled, but not unfixable with a good ten minutes. You slip on your slippers and stretch out your legs a few more times before you finally stand up, smoothing out your clothes.

You look around, patting down and fixing up your hair all the while—and you see both Isagi and Nagi still sleeping peacefully (Nagi not so much, you deem, as you watch his very uncomfortable-looking sleeping position). 

But one person is missing from the gang—the King himself. His bed is perfectly smoothed and made to perfection, it almost scares you. The pillow and bedsheets lay so uncreased that you almost doubt he ever slept in there in the first place.

The second thing you notice is that your stomach is rumbling, and you had forgotten to get dinner last night since training had stretched on longer than usual. Before, Nagi would call in as early as possible, and Isagi wouldn't stay too long by himself. Now, Barou was the one stretching training for as long as he possibly could—so long that you almost fell asleep standing up during those long hours.

Once you are satisfied with your morning appearance, you brush your teeth right before heading down to the cafeteria.

Lo and behold, there Barou stood, taking his humble tray of food and sitting at a table. He looked oddly peaceful for, well, him—but maybe, you judged him too quickly on that, too. You had decided to eat toast today—so you grab your food, walk out and look around the room, plate in hand.

You find your eyes trailing back to Barou.

If this were you a few days ago, you'd probably laugh in the face of the idea of even trying to sit with the King. But now, things were different—freakishly different. It's like he was a whole new person—not the guy that felt oddly similar to Pixie cut, nor the guy with the weird superiority complex, but him.

Meticulous, tidy, thorough. Three words I never would have used to describe him before.

But now, you guessed, things were different. You guessed that maybe in these few days, you had become different too—because you find yourself pulling out a chair and taking a seat right beside him without so much of a word.

He turns his head, brows furrowed and nose already scrunched up like he was about to say something—when you make eye contact, and it's like those words die in his mouth. His forehead creases slightly less, and he looks more confused than mad at this point, "What are you doing?"

His voice is still as gruff as ever—but you don't let it bother you, and you answer without so much of a hitch, "I'm sitting with you."

He scoffs, like what you said was a bad attempt at a joke, "A peasant like you sitting with me without even asking. Who do you think you are?"

You take a bite of your toast, making sure no crumbs drop on the table beneath you when you cover your mouth with your fingers and peer at him through the corner of your eye, "Well, we are teammates now, so I thought it would be fine. I'll be sure to ask next time."

But even after saying that, you make no feasible attempt to move, nor do you budge in the slightest when he scoffs again. He gives you one last, strange look, before he goes back to his food, chewing silently.

You take another bite before you look back at him. He's neat. It's unexpected for somebody like him. He eats surprisingly cleanly. It almost makes you laugh. For such a big, scary-looking guy... he's so respectful of everything that isn't a person.

You take another crunchy bite, crossing one leg over the other underneath the cool metal of the table. The silence that enveloped you both (ignoring the rambunctious laughter of the tables near you) was pleasant—and it reminded you of your early days of only eating with Kyouka because you had nobody else. 

But the silence is broken by a loud, gruff groan from next to you—and in fear that he may be choking, your eyes dart over to Barou. The only thing you see (thankfully, not him choking on anything) is his sharp eyes narrowed into a glare at you. He snarls, "What do you want?"

You raise a brow, head tilted back so you can look at him comfortably, "I don't want anything."

"You're friends with those two idiots, right?" Instantly, you recognise the affectionate nickname of those two idiots as Isagi and Nagi, so you shake your head yes. Despite that previous night, you did still consider Isagi as a friend, more than anything. Barou continues after you nod, "So you want something from me. They're the ones who keep insisting on that stupid shit—" That stupid shit, in question, must be teamwork. "—and why else would you just eat with me without wanting something?"

You cover your mouth with your palm, eyes creased at him, Wow, this guy really doesn't have any friends. That's actually kind of sad. You pat your mouth with a napkin, slipping your feet back into your slippers before pushing your chair back—but you don't stand up yet. His eyes are still on you while you speak. "I don't really want anything from you. I mean—if you don't want to work with those two, I can't really do anything. I can give as much advice as I can, but if you don't take it—it won't affect me. But, still, we are teammates now. So, why don't we be friends?"

He blinks, staring at you with parted lips like you just told the most bold-faced, blatant lie he's ever heard. "Are you serious?"

You nod your head, "Deadly."

"You belong in one of those mental hospitals," He digs his chopsticks into his food and takes another bite of his rice—surely, it's cold by now. "I don't know how important you think you are to me—but I couldn't care less about you."

His words don't cut as deep as you expect them to—in fact, they don't hurt one bit. Because one look at him—and you see that his words aren't nearly as serious as you think he'd like to believe. A smile spreads across your lips, and you take hold of your plate as you stand up. You turn away, and don't glance at him even once as you walk, "Sure, Barou. Take care."

You don't even glance at him when he scoffs (obnoxiously loudly) as you leave.

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You can't remember the last time you had taken a bath like this. You sink into the warm water, and you instantly feel the tension in your shoulders lift like weights—and you can't help but let out a long, dreamy sigh of relief. 

It wasn't like you hadn't bathed during your time here—but it was more like you hadn't had the time to take an actual, proper bath due to all the extra work you had to pick up. From studying teams down during the first selection during the time you were supposed to be sleeping, and now having to supervise training sessions between Isagi, Nagi, and Barou until midnight... it was safe to say that you had more on your plate than you had asked for.

You smile, slumping down further into the warm touch of heaven, and you feel so at peace you might just fall asleep right here and now. You were quite sure you would've, actually, if you didn't feel something—more accurately, someone—plopping right down next to you and causing ripples in the misty water.

You open your eyes, and look at the figure next to you—shorter, with tied-back bangs, long brown hair... and big, brown eyes that looked up at you like you were the only being in the world—it could only be one person. "Kyouka," you acknowledge, and her cheeks grow a fiery red.

Instantly, a shy, bashful smile forms on her lips—as if she didn't expect you to remember her—and she averts her gaze down at the water that surrounds you, "[name]... Hi. It's been a while."

You nod, still smiling as you look at her, "Right. How have things been? Who did you pair up with?"

She meets your gaze, eyes slightly squinted while she pursed her lips, "I decided to go with Reo. He paired with Chigiri and Kunigami. They're both pretty nice."

Your smile grows even wider, and it may just be the warm, heavy fog that clouds your brain, but you feel a sense of affection when she mentions their names, "That's good—I'm glad they're doing well. I didn't think they'd still be stuck here."

Kyouka flinches back a little, twisting her body to face you as if you had just grown a second head, eyes wide with shock, "I didn't think you, Bachira, Isagi, and Nagi would still be here! I don't know about Bachira and Isagi... but Nagi is talented... I'm sure he would've at least moved on by now."

You shake your head, shoulders shaking as you chuckle, "Ah—no, we... ahem—we lost. Against that guy, Rin, and they took Bachira. Then we went against Barou—you know him, right?—and we won, then stole him. It's pretty funny when you think about it," you giggle one more time.

"Barou? Like—King Barou?" Her mouth falls wide open when you nod. "Wow. Isn't he a handful to live with?"

"Not really," you lean back against the edge of the bath, flexing your shoulders back when you rest your elbow on the side. "You wouldn't believe it—he's really meticulous. A major clean freak."

She covers her mouth with her hand and you can see her chest rising and falling erratically as she laughs, "Wh—what?! Seriously? No way!"

You both laugh together for a little longer. It soon dies down, and you both sit in the bath alone together in comfortable silence, and you let out a dreamy sigh once more. Kyouka's eyes turn at you, and you can feel them on your head, so you decide to look at her too.

She averts your gaze and almost looks embarrassed. "[name]... I'm sorry."

You blink, brows furrowed when you stare at her, "What? For what?"

Kyouka swallows thickly, and it's like the temperature suddenly drops, with the way she shivers before speaking with heavy breaths, "I... avoided you during the first selection without a word... and I decided to try and not talk to you because... I was scared we would get close, and then your team would lose, and I would be alone. So... I decided to avoid you on my own terms... so it would hurt less."

You don't say anything, so she takes in another deep breath before continuing, "But then, you guys won... and I realised I did all that for nothing. I kept thinking about it, and I felt really bad. I mean—you must've been confused when I just suddenly stopped talking to you. But you didn't do anything wrong, I just... didn't want to lose you."

Her speech feels oddly romantic considering where you two are—naked in a bath—but you appreciate her honesty, and you feel a smile form on your lips. "It's okay. I was upset at first, but really, I've gotten over it. I was confused about why I hadn't seen you in so long, but... it's done now, and that's in the past."

You finish your words with a fond smile, which makes her cheeks flare even redder, and she sinks deeper into the water, eyes closed shut tightly. "Thank you, [name]... I'm... really glad I met you... I never thought I'd have such a close friend in a place like this."

You clasp your hands together on your lap, and bring your knees up to your chest, staring down at your hands. "Yeah. Me too. I've never really had a girlfriend like this before, so I'm really happy I got to meet you like this."

She stares up at you with sparkling, bright eyes and her lips wobble. "[name]..." She whispers your name in a soft tone, ears a pretty, pale pink.

You almost miss it, from how quiet her voice sounds compared to the sound of your heartbeat, and you open your lips to speak, "Kyouka... I want to ask you something."

She quickly lifts herself when your tone grows more serious, and she peers at you through her lashes, "What is it?"

You think back to the night before when you and Isagi had talked, and it ended uncomfortably. You hadn't stopped thinking about it, and the way it made you feel. Your heart tugs the same way it did that night, and your chest suddenly grows tight. 

You finally unpurse your lips and recount the events of the previous night to Kyouka, and she listens in absolute silence, hearing each moment with perfect clarity that makes the weight on your chest feel a little bit lighter. You finally stop, then look her in the eyes with as much helplessness as she's ever seen within you, "What am I feeling?"

Kyouka has always seen you as a strong person. From the days you two spent together, you shared a bit about your life, from how you used to play soccer until your accident, and how you had to work hard to keep your family afloat—she's seen you as this unbreakable woman who could work her way through everything. 

But seeing you now has shattered this false reality of you. Now, she sees you as you are—a child who had responsibilities forced upon them so young, and somebody who doesn't know how to deal with this longing for something they see each day. It sounds almost like torture to Kyouka—and the way you describe it, she thinks right.

Kyouka is silent while she thinks, and it makes you feel nervous. This was the first time you had ever really talked about something like this—how you feel, since you can remember. She finally speaks, after agonizing silence, "I think... you really love this sport, but you never knew."

You scrunch up your nose at her answer. "I don't..." But you quickly close your lips when you realise what you're doing. You're doing the same thing you did with Isagi. You're so quick to deny, and for what reason?

Your chest starts to hurt again. This time, your stomach also twists.

"From the way you describe it, I think you just really love soccer, and it hurts to see them play each day when you can't. And maybe you didn't know it because you had avoided it so much before—just taking a different school route or working yourself to the bone—but you can't avoid it now." Kyouka presses her lips tightly together, head resting back. "You said that you didn't have any regrets. But I think you do. [name]... it's okay to grieve."

Your mind is frazzled with the strange sense of deja vu those words bring. You stare at her with a shocked expression, lips wobbling as the seconds tick by. You have problems that you need to work through, you know this, but you had never thought that it would be about soccer. But maybe, the opinion of somebody you have just met, and wouldn't be influenced by any other factors, is just what you need.

A wake-up call. In the steaming heat of the bath, you do something that you would never usually do, especially in a place like this—where you two are naked and bathing together. You bring her into a hug without warning, and Kyouka squeaks in shock when your bodies collide. She doesn't hesitate to hug you tight, however, and she wraps her arms around your neck when you whisper, "Thank you, Kyouka. You really are... my best friend in here."

You can feel her hot face against your shoulder, but you don't say a word about it when she mumbles back, "You're the person... I care about most in here too."

You finally let her go, and you decide it's time you step out. You grab your towel and stand up, out of the bath. Kyouka squeaks again and averts her eyes until you get your towel on, but you don't notice it.

You only have one thought in your mind—you should apologise to Isagi.

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note: very very long chapter. mostly character building i guess. u need therapy so badly lol. also communal baths are common in japan. u two are naked together its not THAT weird.

long chapter guys! be prepared. yall ain't READY for whats coming in like 5 chapters. hehe