" Ah." The door was opened to the sight of a teal haired defender and the ex-team captain of Raimon. The black haired female sweatdropped at the brunnete's solemn expression and the first year's sulking face.

" It's nice to meet you-?" " I'm Sonoda Eli." The adult replied as she looks at the two students with one eyebrow raised. " Ah, Sonoda-san." The second year nodded before he speaking again. " I'm Shindou Takuto. I came here to bring Kariya home since the rain is strong and I'm the only one with transportation though I have to go home immediately." ' Ah, the rich kid.'

" Thanks Shindou-senpai!" Kariya takes off his shoes and tries to dash quickly to his room but his collar had been pulled by Eli. " Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!" The orphan struggles but the model's grip does not falter and the third party just sweat drops at this.

" What's with the rush?" She whispered as she turns around to face him. " Nothing!" He whispered (yelled) back but she can clearly see Kariya's slightly pink flushed face and then she smiles.

She turns back to the pianist. " You can stay the night here." Shindou blinked " Um... Hai?" The black haired smiled " The rain is getting stronger and I believe that your house is quite far. Why not stay the night? You guys don't have any morning classes tomorrow right?" "What are you doing!?!" Kariya yells in a hushed voice.

" Um..." Shindou faltered as he thinks it over before looking at his car and back to the adult. " Okay... I'll tell my parents and Tsukinami-san first." He returned back to his butler and Eli lets a smirk slip in as she lets go of Kariya.

" What are you planning?!" Kariya screeches with a scared voice, as if something bad will happen. " Nothing. Also Hitomiko-san is still in Okinawa with Hiroto and Ryuuji. Shi-chan and Aka-kun are with Terumi." " Is that why you're here?" He pouted and she raised an eyebrow in question. " Why? You don't like me here?" " No!" He blushed at his own outburst.

She just pats him as she laughs making him blush harder. While he keeps on making random excuses, she looks over her shoulder. She sees Shindou talking with a white haired male adult. Their eyes met and the two adults nodded at each other.

The midfielder returns to the front door as the black car drives away from the shelter and into the pouring rain. He has a faint blush she noticed. " I can stay here for tonight." "Come in then before it starts raining cats and dogs."

" Kariya, please take him to your room while I prepare the bath." He opened his mouth to protest but one look of Eli's sharp blue eyes at him, he shut up and nodded. " Let's go Senpai."

Eli watched the two students go up the stairs before letting out a smirk and her eyes are twinkling because of an intension; good or bad, it is not known. She flips her black hair before going to the bathroom.

>>>

" S-Shindou-senpai?" Shindou stirred in his sleep and he opened his eyes to a flushed Kariya. He slowly sat up on his futon to face his kouhai. " Kariya? Is there a problem?" The brunette is concerned for he haven't seen Kariya with this kind of expression. A face which shows fright and tears in his eyes. Even though it is a beautiful sight. ' It hurts my heart to see him like this.'

Just right when Kariya opened his mouth to explain, the thunder roared and lightning flashed. The teal head was immediately in the pianist's arms, clinging to the boy's figure while shaking terribly.

" Kariya?!" The boy's grip didn't loosen and Shindou can only sigh but he has a gentle smile on his face. He hugs him closer and starts running his right hand up and down the younger ones back as comfort. His other hand starts petting his hair.

Soon enough, the defender calmed down with a blush of embarrassment which Shindou thought of as cute as he silently chuckle. The first year asked if he could sleep with the older which the game maker accepted but not without a full out blush laying out on his face. They slept on the futon on the floor with their backs facing each other.

Soon enough, when the sky stops crying and moonlight slips into the window, Shindou wakes up. He blinks his eyes to make sure that what he's seeing is real.

Instead of facing Kariya's back, he sees the younger peaceful sleeping face and he grows conscious of their closeness. Kariya is hugging him, his hands around his stomach and their legs are tangled.

The midfielder looks at the defender's face. His long eyelids, his teal hair, his pink lips. His kissable pink lips. " S-Senpai..." Shindou suddenly pulls back once those words came out of the younger's mouth. He blush in a complete tomato red once he realized that he was about to kiss his kouhai.

" Mmm...." Kariya suddenly snuggles closer to Shindou with a cute sleeping face and Shindou can't help hiding his red face with hands because 'He's too cute!'

[ Shindou Takuto:
LOSE,
because his crush is too cute for his heart to handle that caused him to pass out from blushing too much.]

[Kariya Masaki:
WIN,
he knows about his cuddling tendencies but not about the effects it causes someone. He also doesn't know that he's cute will sleeping.]

¤¤¤¤¤

" You are?" Eli's left eyebrow raised in question at the student at the front door. " Ah! I'm Kirino Ranmaru. I came here to check up on Kariya." The first year was absent for two days because of a fever.

Kirino sighed as he remembered that Kariya still went to school even if his temperature is high, which the team only noticed when the younger defender passed out during practice. They were all planning to visit but the pink haired player was suddenly the only one available from their group.

" Ah." The adult's blue eyes lit up before smiling. " I'm Sonoda Eli. Come in but do be quiet, the boy is still asleep and the other children might cause a ruckus because of a visitor."

After leading the defender to the youngster's room and giving him snacks, the black haired woman checked on the teal head's temperature.

" Kariya stayed at my place for the first night of his fever but since he keeps on insisting that he wants to be here and that he's better, we came back here." Chuckled Eli as she answered the male's question on why Kariya is still staying at the orphanage when there a lot of adults that can take care of him.

" Ah! It's almost time for their afternoon nap." She stand up before opening the door. " Take care of him for awhile." She waved before leaving the room though you can see a tiny smirk.

Kirino just slumped on the edge of the bed before poking Kariya's cheeks. Then once again, and again and one more time. Suddenly Kariya slapped his hand away before glaring at him.

" Kirino-senpai!" He growled and Kirino laughed. " So you are still alive! I thought you were dead!" He wiped away his tears. " Oy! That's not something that you'll say to a sick person Senpai!" Kariya might be glaring now but after a second he laughed along with his senpai.

" Be quiet. People are sleeping." The creaked open to Eli's dark and deadly eyes that causes both males to shriek. " Sorry!"

>>>

Kariya fell asleep a few moments after their small bicker(?) and Kirino is just doing some of his assignments. He received a message earlier that his cousin Ren will pick him up and since Eli asked him to take care of Kariya as she goes to the grocery store, he didn't object to his cousin's decision (but he will still smack him when they'll meet.)

Other than those, he still does not want to leave. The pink haired defender is worried for his precious kouhai after all. I mean, he suddenly passed out on the field all of the sudden. He almost had a heart attack there and he clenches his top right on where the heart is located. ' I swear, if Kariya's hurt again, my heart will not be able to handle it.'

Once he finishes his English assignment, he turns to look at Kariya before going right next to his bed. He looks at his peaceful sleeping face and the second year's face softened.

He brushed away the teal hair that cover his face before placing his right hand on the younger male's cheek. He examines the face of his kouhai. Long eyelashes, a cute pointy noise, the shape of his eyes, the softness of his skin, his pink plump lips. Lips that might fit his own.

" Ahmm...." He snaps his head right back before his lips can touch the other's pink lips. ' What was that?!' His face is burning red. All of the sudden, Kariya wrapped both of hands on Kirino's hand that is touching his cheek. The pink haired defender blushes with a new level of redness as the orphan snuggles closer to his right palm.

" Ahmm...." The young boy snuggles deeper with a cute sleeping face and Kirino can't help covering his beet red face with his left hand. ' Why so cute!?!'

[Kirino Ranmaru:
LOSE,
because his heart cannot handle the cuteness of his precious little kouhai who is also his crush.]

[Kariya Masaki:
WIN,
he does not know about the fact that his cuddling tendencies show regularly now. Also clueless about the effects it causes.]

¤¤¤¤¤

The two best friends stare at each other as they stand outside the building. " What are you doing here Kirino?" " I ask you the same thing." They continue to look each other when Shindou makes a declaration all of a sudden.

" I won't back down." He said with determined eyes then he tightens his grip on his bag strap. " Even if it's you." Kirino opens his mouth in confusion. " W-What do you mean?"

Brown eyes fill with determination stare into blue eyes. " I won't give up on Kariya! Even if my rival is you!" Blue eyes widen before hardening and burning with passion. " I won't give up on Kariya as well Shindou. Even if my rival is my best friend." The defender nodded.

" I'm lea-! Senpai?" A student opened the door with a bang but upon seeing his seniors, Kariya showed a face of confusion. " What are you guys doing here?!" The two friends stand side by side and just waves at Kariya with sheepish smiles.

Eli's head peeked out behind Kariya's figure and her face brightened when she saw the two. " Ah! It's you two!" She smiles " Good morning." " Good morning Sonoda-san." The second years greeted.

Kariya just sighs and after a chat ( maybe a bicker), Eli waves the three soccer players as they went off to school as it seems like the seniors just came to pick the orphan up.

Once they are out of sight, Eli lets her hand drop to her side before smirking with her eyes twinkling in glee. Hitomiko then popped up beside her. The older woman looks at the direction the other woman's looking at.

" Were those his friends?" Kira Hitomiko asked and Eli slightly chuckled. " Maybe something even more~" She winks and the older woman can't help but shake her head and chuckle. Soon enough, Eli left as well.

>>>

" Welcome home" Eli said as she sees Kariya enter. She raised a brow at the slightly blushing face of the younger but when she looked outside the window she already knows the answer. She sees the pink hair and brown hair of two students that are currently walking away while bickering (in a joking way of course)(but something serious is the topic).

" Aww~" Kariya freezes once he hears Eli's teasing voice. ' No, no, no, no, no. Nope. Na-ah. Please no.' The defender prays in silence. " Is Kariya blushing cause his crushes are giving him some loving attention~" It was not a question but a tease and it causes him to blush more.

" Aw! Masaki's embarrassed just because I said about the crush he have on his senpais Kirino and Shindou!" "Shut up!" Kariya screeched as he slams his bag on the floor but immediately grabs the fallen bag and runs up to his room as Eli laughs loudly.

The woman's laugh softens and slowly disappears as she calms down. She wipes away the tears caused by laughter and she sits down on the coach.

" Ah~ Young love." She took out some things from her pocket and she giggles as looks at it. " Cute~ I hope everything goes well." She leaves it on the table as she goes to the kitchen for a drink.

Those things are actually pictures. One of Shindou and Kariya as they cuddle as they sleep together during the time when Shindou stayed over for a night. Another one is of Kirino and Kariya as the younger snuggles into the older's hand during the time Kirino visited the sick defender. One is of an extremely blushing Kariya when Eli knew of his crush on his two senpais. There is one decorated with pink marker. A picture of Shindou Takuto, Kirino Ranmaru and Kariya Madaki. All of the three are smiling and their cheeks are flushed pink. The pink marker draws a huge pink heart around the three.

¤¤¤¤¤

[Shindou Takuto and Kirino Ranmaru:
0
Always defeated by Kariya's cuteness. Can't even beat their rival in love.]

[Kariya Masaki:
2-1=1
Defeated two with his cuteness but demolished by one because of embarrassment.]

[Sonoda Eli:
3
WINNER
Got pictures for personal entertainment and blackmail. Also probably the only one who knows about their crushes. Still plotting something.]