"Fire--!"

"He's gonna say lemonade again."

"ALMOND!"

Goujin made a complete miss kick, and the ball was head straight towards you. Rather easily, you managed to catch it, place it on the ground, and kick it back over to him.

"You were really close this time! Keep it up!" Cupping your hands around you mouth, you called out to the male - who was very flustered afterwards. Not only embarrassed his kick was awful, but that you were actually cheering him on.

"Well don't encourage him to do bad." Kozoumaru huffed, crossing his arms after rolling his eyes as well.

"Hey, hey, sometimes all we need is a little moral support." You chirped. For the first time in so long, you were happy. You were so happy with the Raimon team as your friends, they accepted you, they cared about you, and always showed it. Asuto would always hug you whenever he was happy, and so would Norika, she was so glad to have another girl on the team. It felt like you were finally included in a family, such a warm, glowing feeling inside yourself. Instead of being that timid, shy and spineless girl you were before, you were now bouncy, full of life and so gentle. The Raimon team absolutely adored you, including a familiar blue haired ice prince.

"You're so kind, [L/n]. Maybe Goujin might actually perfect a hissatsu with you cheering for him." Hiura chimed, happily joining you and Kouzoumaru - even though it wasn't much of a conversation. You slightly blushed, but smiled anyway, and he did the same. "So, I want you to cheer for me as well."

"I will!" You may have been a player as well, but still, he wanted to know you were rooting for him anyway. With that, you two did some training together, made a few passes, and you would shoot towards Norika. She managed to catch some of your shots, but not all, and it seemed to be bothering her.

Practice was soon over, and it was time to go home after cleaning up. You packed your things into your bag, and took off after saying bye to the rest of your team. They all lived in a dorm home not far away since they were scouted from an island. You on the other hand were lucky to live in the same town, even if it was barely somewhere you could call your own home.

Shifting the strap of your bag on your shoulder, you left the school grounds and almost passed the gates. Although, someone was there waiting for you; Mikado Anna. In all honesty you did not want to speak with her, and you tried to leave - but she stood in front of you.

". . . What can I do for you Mikado-san?" You sighed, just a bit of irritation lacing your voice.

"Are you in contact with Nosaka-san?" She asked bluntly, her brows furrowing. She seemed more concerned than angry, for who knows what reason.

"No I am not."

"I saw him yesterday and he asked about you, I don't even know why I followed him. All that effort yet he only asked about you."

"Mikado-san, I have to leave."

"Don't you know he's dying?!" Anna burst out, almost on the brink of tears. Your eyes widened, and you stared at her. What did she just say? She took your silence as a cue to continue, "he has a brain tumor, and will die in three months, how could you not care about him!?"

A brain tumor? Since when-? How come you're only hearing about this now? Why did Nosaka never tell you? Or maybe she was lying. . . That could be it, she was just lying to you, but as much as you wanted to believe that, something felt terribly wrong. Nosaka may have lied to you over and over and over, but yes, you still cared about him. You had to see him and find out what was going on. He was going to explain to you if he liked it or not.

Without giving Anna any sort of response, you raced down the sidewalk. You just kept running. The only place he would be right now, was Outei Tsukinomiya, but you had no idea where that was. So that being said, you made you way to the train station and asked the guide. He said it was only one short stop away, and gave you very clear directions, thanking him many times, you stepped inside the train.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" A boy just about your height hissed, which kind of scared you. Maybe your bag brushed against him.

"I-I'm sorry." Your response was rather quiet. He had a dark brown Mohawk with near white highlights, and very grey, green eyes. Definitely didn't look very happy, though.

". . . Raimon uniform. So, you must be one of their new little pests." The boy chuckled to himself. You were too nervous to talk to him, so tried to take off, but he scolded you, "hey! I'm talking to you!"

"Oh- sorry."

"Man, you're weird." He mumbled under his breath. Why did he want to talk to you? "Fudou Akio. What's your name, sweetcheeks?" That last part was meant to be a joke, but you didn't realize, and blushed furiously.

"U-uhm! [L/n] [F/n]!" You bowed your head just for the chance to hide your face. Fudou just barely smirked at you. Were all boys this strange? As soon as he opened his mouth again, the train came to a halt, and you had to get off. So you did, after attempting a smile and muttering, "I'll see you around, Fudou-kun."

Following the directions the guide had given you, it took you right to Outei Tsukinomiya. Frantically, you searched around for Nosaka, or a teacher to even ask help from. After some running here and there, you caught sight of a familiar face; Nishikage Seiya.

"N-Nishikage-kun!" You lifted a hand and waved over at him, smiling in relief. The male looked over at you in confusion, before approaching. He was rather handsome in his uniform, honestly - so dapper.

"[L/n]-san. What are you doing here?" He asked, taken over by shock. You weren't very sure how to respond. Suddenly one of his hands grabbed your wrist, "please follow me. It'll be bad if a student sees you here." Gently, he escorted you through the halls as quietly as possible, and you obeyed. He coaxed you along into what seemed to be the soccer team's club room, this way he could keep you hidden.

"I'm so sorry to bother you, Nishikage-kun. . ." You fret with the hem of your blouse.

"What can I do for you?" He asked, quite sweetly.

"It's really nice to see you. By any chance could I speak with Nosaka?" With each word, your voice went more quiet. You were happy to see Nishikage, really, what better person to run into. If you looked close enough, he was actually smiling to himself. Not many people who actually wanted to see him.

"He should be here any moment, but it's very nice to see you as well, [L/n]-san." Just then, his smile became fully evident. You smiled as well, he was so kind, such a sweet person. You hoped Nosaka was treating him well.

Speaking of the devil, the red haired male stepped into the club room and came to a halt after seeing the both of you. His grey eyes blinked, before he straightened up.

"[Y/n]-chan? What are you-" Nosaka stepped over to you. He averted his eyes to Nishikage for a moment, which signaled him to take his leave. After bowing his head to you, Nishikage left the room. Only a few moments after did Nosaka place a hand on your shoulder and smile. ". . . Are you mad at me?"

"I'll be honest, I am. Just a little, though."

"I see."

"Nosaka, I'm just going to say it." You took a deep breath. "Are you ill?" Your eyes lifted up to him, painted with worry. He was taken aback for a moment, before smiling sadly.

"I guess I couldn't have kept it from you any longer. . ." He trailed off. Ah, so he was ill after all. Nosaka gave you an apologetic smile. "I should have known Anna would have told you, but yes, I am. I've been diagnosed with a brain tumor."

You could feel your heart drop and shatter on the ground. At loss for words, the only thing your body could do, was hug him. You knew him for so long, he was the one who saved your life, when everyone had abandoned you. When you were left to die in that burning apartment, he was the one who came to save you. He visited you every day, just to see you smile, what happened? Why did he lie to you all this time, why did he keep this a secret.

You wrapped your arms tightly around him, screwing your eyes shut to force back any tears that threatened to fall. His arms embraced you as well, a palm pressing against the small of your back.

"I'm sorry, [Y/n].  For being so unfair to you." Nosaka muttered against your ear. A small sob slipped past your lips, clinging onto him even tighter. No matter how stoic he could be, how cold hearted he was on the pitch, Nosaka cared for you with all his heart.

"It's okay. It's okay. Just please, don't keep anything from me anymore." You buried your face in his chest. Smiling softly to himself, Nosaka continued to stroke your hair gently, an attempt to soothe you.

Your closest friend was going to pass away in the span of three months. . .

"So you've joined Raimon. Are you happy there?"

"I am!" Pulling away, you wiped your tears away, smiling as best as you could. "Everyone is so kind, and soccer is so much fun with them."

His eyes softened at the sight of your happy face. He'd never be able to understand that he fell in love with you. It was such a foreign feeling. All his life, people shunned him, or used him for their own benefit. Never had he met anyone as sweet, kind and caring as yourself. Someone with a laugh that could warm his heart, and a smile that was contagious.

"I'm happy for you, [Y/n]." Nosaka smile, placing a hand on your head, before caressing your cheek. "I wish things were different. . ."

"Me too. I don't want you to die!"

"No, that's not what I mean." His head shook. "Never mind that. You should be on your way home, it's getting late."

"Ah, you're right. Oh! By the way, I got a phone, so do you think we can swap numbers?" Excitedly, you pulled the device out of your bag. Nosaka seemed happy with the idea, and you both added one another on your phones. He walked you out to the train station even though you protested.

"I'll come visit you after school tomorrow."

"No, you shouldn't bother yourself. I'm better now! See?" You pointed at your bright grin.

"You're right. You're a big girl now." Sometimes he treated you like a baby. Honestly. "But I will text you, how about that?"

"I'd like that, Nosaka." You nodded.

"Good. Be safe, my dear." Without skipping a beat, the red head leaned down and kissed your cheek. After one last charming smile, he turned around and took off - leaving you there a confused and blushing mess. You'd almost missed your train home.

Right before you could even step foot into your apartment, your phone had went off. Naturally, you thought it was Nosaka, but after answering it and hearing a female voice, your notion was shot down.

"[L/n]! Could you meet me at the Inabikari training center? If you're not busy, that is. . ." Norika pleaded you. She needed some help with training, and you were the first one she'd went to. It was flattering, so, you said yes and met her back at Raimon. It was better to take out your emotions on the soccer ball, instead of crying in bed over something that couldn't be changed. Nosaka is suffering, and you wished to bear the pain with him. No one deserves to suffer alone.

With that, you kicked another ball into the goal.

What the hell were you gonna do now.