Hey guys and welcome back to Out Of Sight! I must be honest and tell you that I forgot I also published this on Wattpad... chapter three will be up in a few days, though! Hope that's enough of an apology ^.^

Anyway, onto the story!

~'0'~

Matsukaze Tenma stares out of the window of the car as the world passes by in a blur. It's a little cold for March, but he doesn't particularly care about that.

The truck with their possessions should already be at their new house by now, while the father son duo arrive later. The brunet almost sighs, but he's feeling too stressed to do so. His stomach is heavy and it's hard to swallow, but beneath that there's the slightest tremor of excitement in his body that makes it impossible for him to sit still.

''Excited?'' asks Kichirou when the younger brunet starts tapping a soundless rhythm on his leg. Tenma gives a start and then smiles sheepishly, and his father chuckles. ''I'm not judging you, buddy, I'm just amazed that you've managed to stay so calm.''

His son grins. ''Experience, Tou-san,'' he chirps innocently. ''I mean, I've had to deal with you for three years, so I had to learn!''

His father shakes his head. ''Brat.''

''You know it.''

It doesn't take long for the first houses to start to appear and soon after that, they're riding through the busy streets of Tokyo. Tenma clenches his seat almost unconsciously and then breathes out slowly. Kichirou shoots him a quick glance but says nothing.

When the streets start to become familiar to the brunet, he doesn't know whether to take it all in or curl up in his seat and hide away from the rest of the world.

Suddenly his father places a hand over his son's, and while it only lasts there for a few seconds before retreating to the steering wheel, the teen still gives him a smile. ''You'll be fine, buddy,'' says Kichirou softly. ''I know you will be.''

Tenma swallows. ''Thanks, Tou-san...''

''Anytime, son.'' Then the man grins. ''But let's drop that for now! We're here!''

The brunet automatically looks out of the window at the building the car is parked in front of. It's not very big, just a two story house like any other in the street – Tenma's a little less familiar with this part of Inazuma Town – but the teen has to admit that it doesn't look all that bad.

''Come on,'' says his father, opening the door of the car, ''you should see the inside. I'm sure you'll like it.''

The teenager exits the car as well and follows his father to the front door. The man quickly opens it and leads them inside and to what seems to be a connected living and dining room.

It's not anything special. The wooden floors are made of dark mahogany and the lower half of the walls are covered in the same wood, while the upper half is a creamy shade of white. It's filled with boxes and there's no furniture yet, but something gives it a very 'homey' feeling.

''It's... it's nice,'' says Tenma, turning around to inspect every side of the room. It's, admittedly, small, but since he's only going to be living here with his dad and his dog, it seems strangely appropriate.

Kichirou grins. ''Thought you'd like it.'' Then he quickly proceeds to lead his son around, until they reach the last door on the second floor. ''And here's your room!''

He pushes the door open and the two step inside. Tenma tilts his head at the sight of it. It's obviously still empty, but he's already awed by it. It's quite big, but that's not surprising since there aren't a lot of rooms on the second floor. The walls are white and the brunet is already making plans to change that, but the thing that really catches his attention are the windows.

There are three windows. A vertical one that, despite being quite small, is pretty high as well in the wall opposite the door. Right of the door are the other two windows, one that's big and covers more than half of the wall, while the other one is right beside it, touching the ceiling. Unlike the vertical one, this window is horizontal.

All in all, the room is very open and light. The brunet spins another circle as he looks around, a slight smile tilting his lips upwards. ''I like it,'' he says after a long moment.

''I thought you would,'' agrees Kichirou, coming to stand beside him and placing a hand on his shoulder. ''It's very you, and I'm sure it will be even better once you start decorating it.'' Then the man grins, almost mischievously. ''If you want, we can even paint it.''

Tenma turns his wide eyes to his dad. ''Are you serious?'' he gapes. He's been asking for years if he could paint his walls, but neither Aki nor his mother wanted to let him. At his father's nod, a wide grin starts spreading across his face. ''Thank you thank you thank you!'' he jumps and wraps his arms around his father's neck in a hug. ''You're amazing!''

Kichirou laughs and hugs him back. ''But you have to pick out the design yourself,'' he tells his son eventually. ''And the colors. I'm perfectly willing to go with you to buy the things we need and to help with the actual painting, but if you really want this, you have to be the one to be responsible for it.''

Tenma just grins. ''Of course!''

  ~'0'~  

They have two weeks until the new school year begins and they both have to go to work and school. While it sounds a little crazy, father and son have decided to use the first week to settle in and finish making the house liveable, with then a week left to explore and get used to their new surroundings.

The first day, they take care of the kitchen and the living room, since those are essential, at least according to Kichirou. Tenma then sleeps on the couch while his father uses an extra mattress for the time being.

The second day, they take care of Kichirou's room and the dining room. Tenma, once again, sleeps on the couch, but he doesn't mind, especially since they haven't even started on his room yet.

The bathroom is finished quickly the next day, the essentials already being there, and it's actually starting to look lived in. They even have time that evening to go shopping for paint and other things they might need.

The next day is entirely spend on painting Tenma's room. It's messy, it's clumsy, and it's way more fun than it should be – especially when father and son end up fighting a paint war.

But, at the end of the day, they've made quite some progress.

Day five is used to finish painting the room and day six is spend with waiting for the paint to dry and touch up on some other things in the house. Eventually, by day seven, they finally end up furnishing the brunet's room and at the end of it, they're both exhausted but impressed by their own work.

''Well, bud, I think you should go into architecture,'' grins Kichirou as he stares at his son's new room. The walls opposite and left of the door are swirled with blue, purple, pink, orange and white, which stretches out onto the ceiling and creates a beautiful picture of the sky at various times of day.

Other than that, they moved in Tenma's bed, desk and various closets – either for clothes, books or other things he might need to store away. A carpet in shades of white and blue covers the light wooden floor and with the brunet's possessions placed across the room, albeit a little messily, it looks very light, open, and most important of all, lived in.

''Thanks,'' grins the teen, enjoying the sight of his new room. The sky walls were his idea and he didn't think it would end up quite this amazing.

Kichirou ruffles the younger male's hair. ''Now, how about we go for some ramen? I'm sure you know some good shops around here and I'm too tired to cook!''

  ~'0'~  

It's a few days later that Tenma finds himself wandering around the familiar city. It has changed a little, but it's still almost exactly like he remembers. The ramen shop, Rairaiken, where he used to go sometimes, the field at the riverbank, the tower looking out over the houses...

His father is taking care of some things concerning his new job and Tenma didn't feel like staying home and doing nothing, so he decided to take a walk. He doesn't have a real destination in mind and so just walks around the old, familiar places he used to visit a lot only a few years ago.

When he reaches Kogarashi Manor, he pauses. His old home hasn't changed much, except for the removal of Sasuke's doghouse.

A sigh breaks past his lips and currently sapphire blue eyes gaze sadly at the large house. Neither Kichirou nor Tenma informed Aki of their plans. Unlike his mother, his relative actually kept in contact, sending birthday and Christmas cards. However, she never called or visited, and the brunet didn't either.

Part of him wonders if it was out of pity. It could be possible, because more than anything, Aki is kind. That was the reason she visited him faithfully every week even when she didn't want to, when she felt so uncomfortable in that empty, white room. Out of love or obligation?

Why did she come when she didn't want to?

No, that's not right. He has a lot of questions, but that's not the one.

Why did she leave?

She had been supporting him before he even realized he needed it. She had been there when he needed her, always, so why did she leave when-

What was it about the accident that made her so detached?

I just don't understand. Why didn't she care?

She saw it, she must've seen how miserable and desperate he was. He was wasting away in that empty room, without people and with wilted flowers on an empty nightstand and while she came, while she visited, she wasn't- she didn't-

She was there so why didn't she do anything?

If she could see how much he was hurting, then why did she hover between there and not there? Because every visit, she held something back- and what that is he doesn't know but he was always painfully aware that it was there -and part of him knows or maybe just thinks that it was because she didn't want to be there.

She didn't want to be there but she forced herself to come anyway.

Maybe it would've been better if she didn't, because knowing his presence is unwanted hurt so much less than actually seeing it.

Tenma pretends not to feel the way his eyes burn and instead continues walking, not daring to look any longer at the place he used to call 'home'.

  ~'0'~  

The new uniform is very different from the one from junior high. The blue pants are the same, but now it has a short-sleeved, white button up shirt with either a cream colored, sleeveless sweater or a blazer in the same color as the pants. It's finished with a tie that's a shade darker than the pants, decorated with a bright yellow lightning bolt.

Tenma tugs at the sleeveless sweater he decided to wear. It's comfortable, but also a lot different from the uniforms he's used to wearing.

A glance in the mirror and he grimaces. Chocolate brown eyes stare back at him, framed by dark, chocolate brown hair. While still wavy and with the unique, whirlwind-shaped locks, it's less obvious with the dark color and mixed with the change of eye shade, he looks nothing like he used to.

He's nothing like Raimon's former captain.

Part of him wonders if he can even call himself that.

It's been so long that he's not sure if he still knows who Matsukaze Tenma is.

(Matsukaze Tenma? He's done for.)

''It looks good on you.''

Tenma glances up at the mirror and catches sight of his father, leaning against the doorpost. Kichirou smiles warmly when he meets his son's eyes and enters the room, walking up to the brunet and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. ''Different,'' he adds, ''but good.''

The younger Matsukaze returns the smile. ''Thanks,'' he says softly. ''It's... nothing like before.''

Kichirou tilts his head a bit. ''Is that bad?''

Tenma looks at his reflection again and stares at the face in the mirror for a long moment. ''I don't know.''

His father bites his lip and then forces himself to smile as he pats his son's shoulder. ''Anyway, I made breakfast!'' he steers the conversation away from the heavier topics. ''Your favorite, because this is a special occasion. How late did the induction ceremony start again?''

''Noon,'' answers the brunet, allowing the man to guide him out of the room and down the stairs towards the dining room. Indeed, two plates are already waiting for them and they soon sit down at the table. ''Honestly, Tou-san, that's the fifth time you asked. Don't tell me you're having memory problems? That's a sign of getting old, you know.''

Kichirou shakes his head at the mischievous grin on the younger male's face. ''Cheeky brat,'' he mutters, but he can't hide the upward twitch of his lips.

  ~'0'~  

''-your best and make our school proud!''

Clapping rises from the audience and Tenma politely joins in as the principal finishes his speech. The gymnasium soon becomes one chaotic mess as everyone rises from their seats and tries to leave.

He waits for a bit, until most of the students have left and it's calmer, before he stands up and starts making his way to the exit. Soon he steps out into the sunlight and he looks around.

Raimon High is a lot like their junior high equivalent, albeit bigger. Despite that, it feels familiar to the brunet – despite having only been at Raimon Jr. High for half a year, it felt way, way longer, with everything that happened to them.

Tenma quickly notices the group of students gathered around a large board – that must be the new class register. The brunet swallows, suddenly nervous, and walks towards it and, with a bit of pushing, gets a spot where he can see the lists.

He doesn't find his name on the lists of class 1A and 1B, but then he notices the familiar kanji spelling Matsukaze Tenma on the list for class 1C. He tries to ignore the heavy feeling in his stomach as he reads the rest of the list.

Most names are unfamiliar, with the exception of three. Kariya Masaki, Kageyama Hikaru and Nozaki Sakura.

Unconsciously, Tenma breathes out in relief and then moves away from the board, glad to be away from the cluster of students. Instead he moves to one of the trees and sits down under it, grabbing the bento he prepared.

Well, it could always be worse. At least I'm not in the same class as Tsurugi, Shinsuke and Aoi.

The brunet is a bit surprised to find that Sakura apparently joined Raimon. He followed his former team closely, and the additions of Matatagi, Ibuki and Kusaka – the latter two should now be second-years – did not go unnoticed. However, it seems that Sakura decided to transfer to Raimon for High School as well, and he can't help but wonder if any other Earth Eleven members will be walking around too.

After finishing his bento, Tenma puts the empty box in his bag and stands up. He stretches and sighs, before making his way towards the school. Many other students are having the same idea, since the introduction lessons will start soon.

It's not hard to find classroom 1C and as the brunet enters, he looks around in interest. Wooden desks are standing in neat rows, a teacher's desk at the front. Nothing unusual. It's bright, though, from the large, half-opened windows which allow a lot of natural light to enter the room.

As for the students, it's already quite full. Most of them are chatting with friends or getting to know each other and the overall atmosphere is light and cheerful.

Tenma would've faltered at the sight of his former teammates, had he not prepared himself for it. Kariya and Hikaru are sitting behind each other, next to the windows – the purple-haired boy must've dragged the defender along, otherwise he never would've gotten here so early. The tealhead is not exactly known for being on time.

The brunet almost cracks a smile at the thought and turns away. He searches for an empty desk and once he finds one, he places his bag next to the seat and sits down. It's somewhere in the middle and a little to the left.

He soon spots Sakura as well. She's talking with a few other girls, close to Kariya and Hikaru, and Tenma tears his eyes away from her.

It's good, to see them like this. Carefree. Happy.

He never expected his teammates from Earth Eleven to visit daily – some of them didn't even live in Tokyo at the time – but they didn't even bother to call, or to message him. In the beginning they did, but as Raimon slowly left, so did they.

Were they ever really there to begin with?

He doesn't dare think about the answer to that question.

The brunet forces the thoughts away, instead focusing on the clock. It shouldn't be long until their homeroom teacher starts the lesson.

Luckily for him, the woman in question arrives soon and calls the class to order. Her introduction is swift but warm and Tenma has a feeling he'll like the middle-aged woman. ''Now, when I call your name, I'd like you to introduce yourselves a bit. Age, hobbies, dislikes, things like that.''

It's a bit childish, but no one really seems to complain and soon, they are already halfway through. ''Kageyama Hikaru-kun,'' is called and the boy in question stands up.

He's taller, but his smile is as bright as it always had been. ''Hello everyone! My name is Kageyama Hikaru and I'm fifteen years older, almost sixteen,'' says the bubbly forward, ''as for my hobbies... well, I love soccer! It's really, really great!'' no one seems surprised at that. With Raimon's fame, it's not very shocking that people recognize Hikaru. ''Other than that... well, I don't really like toast.'' He grins sheepishly at the ending of his introduction.

The teacher nods with a smile. ''Thank you, Kageyama-kun. Then we have...'' she checks her list, ''Kariya Masaki-kun.''

The tealhead stands up. Like Hikaru, he's grown, and his hair is a little longer, yet he still has the same predatory smirk. ''Kariya Masaki, pleased to make your acquaintance! I'm sixteen years old and like Hikaru-kun, I really like soccer,'' no surprises there either, ''and I dislike studying. It's boring.''

He sits down, ignoring Hikaru's sharp hiss of his name. The teacher, however, simply smiles and continues.

After 'Koyanagi' finishes her introduction, the teacher calls for ''Matsukaze Tenma!'' the brunet rises from his seat, hyper aware of the stares boring into him from all of his classmates – seems like his name isn't as forgotten as he thought. The three stares from his former teammates are definitely the worst.

Raimon's ex-captain doesn't dare look at them. That would give him away immediately.

Why am I worried about that?

Instead he smiles, not like his old beaming ones, but a smaller, politer one. ''My name is Matsukaze Tenma, it's very nice to meet you all,'' he tells the class, forcing himself not to fidget and to keep his voice steady. ''I turned sixteen recently. Um, hobbies... I really like reading. I don't really have any big dislikes, but I guess being cooped up inside for a long time would be one.''

Both are true, Tenma reflects grimly as he sits down. Six months in the hospital did nothing for his love of the indoors and he had to find some way to spend his ever growing free time – first when his friends started visiting less and less, and then when he moved to Okinawa, before he started his training.

Reading was a way for him to lose himself in another world.

He wonders why he didn't introduce himself in a different way. Why he didn't say I love soccer, because it's no less true than three years ago. Why he didn't dare look at his former friends.

The rest of the introductions go by smoothly and soon they move on to other topics – schedules, homework, classes, subjects, events later on in the year and clubs. ''You are expected to join a club by the end of the week,'' explains the teacher. ''Since it's a hard decision because there are many to choose from, this afternoon there will be a market of some sorts. Every club has a stall, where they introduce themselves and try to gather members for their clubs. If you already know where you want to go, that's fine as well, you're not obligated to be there, but I recommend it. It's quite informative and who knows, maybe you'll change your mind.

''It's possible to change clubs later on, as well, so don't feel too pressured,'' the woman smiles. ''You can even join more than one club if you want to, but you will be responsible for making sure the schedules work together. Other than that, your final decision must be made by Friday, so be sure to hand in your application on time!''

A few other things are discussed, but it isn't long before the short lesson ends. Tenma grabs his bag and soon leaves the classroom. The hallways are full, but not as bad as it could be. Most people are still in the classrooms, moving slowly as they catch up with friends and chatting with new people.

Tenma has only just left the classroom when he hears his name. ''Matsukaze!''

He turns around and almost tenses at the sight of Hikaru. Kariya and Sakura are a few feet behind him, staring at him intently. The boy himself is biting his lip uncomfortably, and, when noticing he has the brunet's attention, smiles weakly. ''Ah... I, uh...''

I don't want them to know.

The realization comes like a slap to the face.

Tenma hadn't been sure what he'd do in Inazuma Town, but he knew he had to come back.

He couldn't stay away any longer because if there's one thing he knows, it's that the problem wouldn't solve it. Whether it can be solved at all is a different question, but he needed to do something about it.

But what?

The idea of talking with people he used to know had crossed his mind before, but as he stares at Hikaru's dark gaze, he feels himself lock up. Because honestly, what can he say?

Did something change as drastically for you as it did for me?

Did they even notice when he left? They hadn't talked to him in months so when did they finally realize- how did they- what...

What would they do if they knew Matsukaze Tenma, their Matsukaze Tenma, is attending the same school?

No, not theirs. Not anymore.

Had he ever been?

And so, he plasters a confused, polite smile on his face. Hikaru doesn't seem to know what to say, so Tenma instead tilts his head just the slightest bit, ''Um... I'm sorry, Kageyama-kun, was it? Is there something I can help you with?''

Hikaru pauses and his face falls, but he masks it so quickly that the brunet is not sure if he imagined it or not. ''Ah, no,'' says the forward, his weak smile growing a little stronger. ''Sorry, you just had the same name as someone we, I, used to know... though you don't really look like him. I'm sorry for bothering you, I was just hoping...'' he trails off and shrugs uncomfortably.

Tenma lets more confusion fill his face. ''It's fine,'' he says. ''No harm done, right?''

The forward laughs weakly at that. ''Right,'' he agrees and fidgets a little. ''I, um... I should probably- my friends... I should go,'' he finally mutters and quickly turns around, walking back to Sakura and Kariya.

His former captain merely fakes a confused blink, shoots the three soccer players another look, and then continues on his way.

Once the brunet is sure he's out of their line of sight, he ducks into the nearest bathroom and relaxes now that most of the noise of the hallway has been blocked out. He walks towards one of the sinks and stares at the mirror above it, caramel brown eyes staring back.

Why are you getting so worked up about this?

It's stupid. He shouldn't be. He has barely spoken three sentences to them so why are his hands shaking the way they are?

Why does he care so much when he doesn't know if they care? They reacted to his name but why? Did they want to ask him why he came back or why he left- would they be as shaken about it as he is or would they not care, would they act like he didn't exist or would they avoid him or would they act like nothing ever happened-

Could I do that? If they decided to pretend nothing happened, or if they apologized, could I really forget everything?

He's broken out of his thoughts when the door opens. The brunet quickly pretends to be washing his hands and then, just as hurriedly, leaves. He makes his way through the hallways and soon steps outside, following the stream of new students towards where he suspects are the club stalls.

His suspicions are quickly proven correct when he sees the first advertisements for different clubs. It's very colourful and impressive, the way they're trying to lure potentials club members, and Tenma chuckles a little when he sees the mascot of the basketball club dressed as a giant basketball.

There are even more clubs than in Jr. High, it seems. Calligraphy, mathematics, swimming, judo, kendo, shogi, cooking, manga, dance...

The brunet smiles at the sight of all the interesting clubs and while it all seems fun in its own right, there's nothing that really stands out to him. Eventually he makes it to the back of the market, where he notices another stall. It's less crowded than the other ones and also less outstanding, but Tenma can't help the twinge of curiosity that drives him to walk towards it.

The only people there seem to be the actual club members, conversing with each other in a friendly way. When they notice the brunet, the leader, seemingly a second-year, smiles at him. ''Good afternoon,'' he greets, ''interested in the library committee?''

''Hello,'' Tenma merely shrugs and returns the smile. ''I'm not sure yet. I haven't really found anything really worthwhile so far.''

The boy grins. ''I think the other students would disagree with you on that,'' he says with a look at the other, more crowded stalls. ''Anyway. You like reading?'' he asks, gesturing for the younger boy to take a seat on the opposite side of the table he's seated at.

The former soccer player gives a nod and sits down in one of the chairs provided. ''Hai, I started reading a lot a few years ago.'' There's no need for him to tell every stranger he comes across his life story, after all.

The older student nods. ''Well, that's good. Even if you don't join our club, reading is a lot of fun. If you do, though, it's an added bonus.'' One of the other club members, an older girl, clears her throat and the other teen gives a start. ''Oh! How rude of me. My name is Komuro Anzai, the president of the library committee. Nice to meet you!''

Tenma laughs a little at the display. ''It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Komuro-senpai. I'm Matsukaze Tenma, first-year.'' He's glad to find that no one seems to react to his name. ''I'm curious, what does the library committee do?''

''Well,'' says Komuro, grabbing a sheet of paper lying on the table in front of him and shows it to the brunet, ''as you can probably guess, we take care of the library. We work through a schedule that we make at the start of the year. If you want to change it, you can send in a request and we'll look into it, but if you want to swap a day because it works better, you're supposed to handle that with the other club members themselves. Anyway, as for our duties, basically making sure the library is a-okay! We work at the information counter, so if students have questions or want to borrow books, they'll come to us. Other than that, we put the returned books back in their original spaces and generally just help people find stuff they need.'' Then he grins. ''Of course, there's the added bonus that you have free access to all the books in the library, even those you'd usually need a pass for. And there's a private reading space for the committee members, so there's no need to reserve a private work room.''

Tenma nods and takes a look at the sheet Komuro shows him. It's a list of duties, like the president described, and a schedule from what seems to be the year before.

It doesn't look very hard, if he's honest. Shifts for an individual member are only once a week for a few hours – nothing too hard. ''Hm,'' he hums to himself and then looks at Komuro again. ''It's really tempting.''

''But?'' the president prods, grinning. ''It sounds like there's a but coming.''

The brunet fidgets a little and shoots a look at the paper sheet in front of him. ''Well, I'm not sure if I want to join... there's another club that's caught my attention, but...''

''In that case,'' says another voice – the girl who reminded Komuro to introduce herself. She sits down and smiles, ''there's another option. Nice to meet you, Matsukaze-kun, I'm Katsuragi Matsuko, vice-president.'' She quickly gets back to business. ''Anyway, there are also school shifts. You would have to take two shifts a week, either during a break or a free period, and then you'd have time for other clubs after school.''

Tenma grins at that. ''That sounds great!''

''Well, should I write your name down?'' offers Katsuragi. ''We'll work out the new schedules next Monday, so you'll have enough time to decide if you want to join another club and have a school shift.''

The brunet nods gratefully. ''Yes, I'd like that a lot. Thank you very much.''

Katsuragi and Komuro quickly work out the details and soon Tenma takes his leave, with a ''good luck with the other club!'' from the president and a thumbs-up from his female friend.

They seem very nice and Tenma doesn't think he'll regret his decision to join the library committee.

As for the other club he might join, he has just reached their stall – the most crowded one there is.

The soccer club.

It's as busy as one would expect from the most famous club in school. Not only boys, but also a lot of girls are looking around – ever since Sakura and Konoha's recruitment for Inazuma Japan, it has become legal for girls to join school clubs as well, a highly popular decision, it seems.

Tenma takes a deep breath and braces himself.

He makes his way to the soccer club stall.

The members themselves are all dressed in uniforms, though unlike in Jr. High, there are three different ones here. The brunet absentmindedly remembers the school's site stating that there are three teams instead of due, due to the overwhelming amount of new members in the past few year. White for the third team, a dark blue for the second team, and bright yellow for the first.

Most members are clad in white and blue, talking with interested students and explaining the workings of the club. Tenma ignores them all and walks towards the stall directly, laughingly small in comparison to the amount of people it draws.

There are a few videos playing from previous matches and a few pictures of hissatsu techniques are straw out for everyone to see. A list of requirements to join the club and the teams, together with the training for every team.

The brunet reads it through, making sure his face is a mask of indifference, and takes a look at the videos and pictures. A few of them show his former teammates who are now second and third-years, like Shindou and Kurama.

''Are you interested in joining the soccer club?''

Tenma tenses at the- familiar, oh so familiar -voice and swallows, before turning around.

The first thing he notices is that Kirino has changed his hair.

Compared to three years ago, it's a little shorter and instead of two pigtails, he now wears it in one low ponytail. Of course, Tenma already knew this – he's seen enough matches on TV to know that his former team has changed over the years – but seeing it, actually seeing it, feels different.

Realizing that the other boy is still waiting for an answer, the brunet attempts a polite smile, hoping it looks better than it feels. ''Ah, I... I was just looking,'' he says, and he suspects he's the only one who hears the slight quiver in his voice.

Kirino smiles at him and moves towards his side. ''That's okay too. I mean, it'd be nice if we get more members, so feel free to look around all you like.'' The defender is dressed in the yellow uniform of the first team, which looks a lot like the one from Jr. High, the big difference being the white lightning bolt crossing the shirt.

His thoughts scream at Tenma to go away, you don't want to walk with him, but something keeps him from excusing himself. Instead he desperately searches for something to say, anything, but he comes up short.

There are so many things he wants to ask.

Why did you leave? Did you notice when I moved away? Did you care?

But he doesn't.

The idea of an answer, if it's cold indifference or a stream of apologies, causes his hands to shake and a heavy feeling to settle in his stomach. The words he so desperately wants to ask are stuck in his throat and it's like he's physically incapable of saying them.

''Have you played soccer before?''

Strangely, it's Kirino's voice that pulls him out of his stupor, and he nods dumbly. ''Uh... yes, I have. I used to play on a team, but that... that didn't go well.'' He shrugs uncomfortably. ''Never joined one after that, though I kept playing.''

And why, why is he saying so much? It feels stupid and pathetic to keep talking about this, as if he's begging for attention. And maybe he is. Maybe there is a part of him, a small part, that wants Kirino to figure out who he's talking with.

The defender smiles sympathetically at that. ''Oh, I'm sorry to hear that,'' he says and Tenma wonders if his voice is supposed to sound reassuring, ''but don't worry, our team's not like that. Our coach things teamwork is very important and so do we, so if anyone ever has a problem, we'll help them with it, whatever it is.'' He shrugs lightly. ''We're just like that. We never leave anyone behind.''

Except for me, at least.

The thought comes out of nowhere and Tenma almost, almost smiles bitterly. He doesn't doubt that Kirino believes his own words, no matter how pretty they are, because it's true. Raimon cares about more than just victory – they're friends before teammates and the team doesn't leave anyone behind.

That is, with the exception of their former captain.

Everything Kirino said is true, so why did they leave?

Aware that the defender is still watching him, Tenma smiles. ''That sounds great,'' he says and it's so hard to make the words sound cheerful when his stomach churns and his eyes burn. He forces the muscles in his face to stay in place, despite how uncomfortable the movement feels, and prays his former teammate won't see anything unnatural about it.

Somewhere he's aware of his own voice, excusing himself and giving some random reason for why he has to leave, and Kirino's smile and ''well, I hope to see you around!'' and then he's moving through the crowd of students and his eyes burn.

The club market is left behind him and he breaks out into a run.

He finds himself between the trees growing next and behind the school, the silence broken only by birds – everyone is either inside or at the market.

Why am I acting like this?

He moved on, he should be over this- it's been three years so why- he shouldn't be so... so affected when he sees- when he talks with the ones he used to call friends.

There's no reason for him to act like this.

Yet he does.

So why?

There are so many answers he can give but none of them are true. Liar.

He doesn't know. He just doesn't know.

(He's done for.)

To be continued...

  ~'0'~  

And that was chapter two! So? What'dya think? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and until next chapter!

- Yara Meijer