~~~~

Caleb's POV~

A lot of things happened in just one afternoon. In the end, the team managed to welcome Alexi back and everything went back to the way it was.

Well, almost.

After the delicious dinner Alexi prepared, everyone went to their rooms feeling refreshed and relieved that somehow the day was over. I was about to get some sleep at that time when I heard three soft knocks on my door.

"Who is it?" I asked, a little bit irritated.

"It's Alexi and Austin. We need to talk Caleb." Alexi's voice said from the other side.

I opened the door only to find them silently sobbing as they made their way inside my room and tackled me into a hug.

"What's the matter with you two?" I asked looking straight into their eyes. "If someone saw us like this, they'll have different ideas."

A look of equal despair washed over them as Alexi kept hugging me tighter. Austin held her shoulder as tears flowed from his eyes too. "Why didn't you tell us about Aunt Cassandra?" she whispered letting out another soft sob.

My eyes widened as the sudden realizations struck me. I can't believe they found out. I wasn't planning on telling them because I knew they'd end up like this. I feel bad seeing them both struggle to accept the fact that my mom's blind; they love her as much as I do and I know the pain they feel in their hearts as they weep over my mother's – and their Aunt's- misfortune.

"I didn't want to let you know... you're both under so much pressure already." I answered as I stroke Alexi's back and wiped Austin's tears. I myself feel horrible as the fresh wound started to open up again, this time with double the pain as I grieve with my dear cousins.

"Coach Travis told us what happened back at the hospital." Austin said with a sob, "We're sorry we weren't there when you cried. We didn't know... we're so, so sorry Caleb. We wish we were there for you when you needed us..."

The way I see these two cry out for my and my mother's sake must be one of the most touching things that I ever felt. I'm moved by their compassion and the love they had for our family. There's no doubt about it; a family's love and support will take away any emotional pain one can have in his/her heart. And despite our condition, I can't help but find something to be thankful for as I lovingly embrace the family that was always there for me. The family that accepted me and cared for me when I thought my world was about to end.

Alexi and Austin, you've always treated me like your brother... and for that, I'm grateful.

"You don't have to be sorry Tiger." I said with a soft smile making them both stop crying and looked up at me. "Mom's a strong woman. She'll get through this, you'll see."

I patted their heads and wiped away their tears, "Cheer up! Mom hates it when you guys cry, remember?"

"But-"Austin started to say, but I cut him off.

"Trust me, alright?" I said as I continue to look at them in the eyes. After a while, they both nodded and wiped the remaining tears from their faces. They said their 'good nights' and headed off to each of their own rooms and I was left alone with my thought again, wondering how much will change from here on out.

~~~~

Axel's POV~

"I want to meet her... Please Axel, let me see her." I had to admit, I was pretty much surprised by Alexi's sudden request. Even so, I quickly overcame the slight shock and smiled.

"Sure you can. I don't see why not." I answered with a smile. "We can go see her tomorrow if you want."

Her eyes were locked on mine and slowly, a smile formed from her lips. She let out a happy sigh and said "Thanks so much Axel." She then bowed her head and clutched her hands on her chest, "You don't know how relieved I feel..."

The way she said it made me wanted to mentally slap myself for almost doubting her during the whole ordeal earlier. It was as clear as day that she was never the type of person who can hurt anyone. She's strong, kind, smart, gentle yet firm and determined. And to think that it took such a short amount of time for me to discover that I'm somehow attracted to her, I must be denser than I thought.

Everything is clear now.

I like her, and I'm certain of it.

Yet how everything changes from here on out will be a complete mystery. A mystery that I can't wait to explore.

The next morning, Coach Travis allowed us to go to our own homes to each get a change of clothes for the next few days. The others thought of playing a little bit first before going home, I was about to join in too when I remembered how much Alexi wanted to go see Julia. So during breakfast, I mustered up my courage and approached her as she was cleaning up in the kitchen.

"Alexi?" I said, forcing my voice not to shake too much. I never thought talking to her would be so nerve-racking. Luckily, we were alone in the kitchen; if anyone saw me act like this, they'll notice right away that I like her.

She turned her back to the dishes she was washing to face me, then she smiled, "Hey Axel. What's up?"

I noticed how her eyes seemed tired and a bit blood-shot, like she cried her eyes out the whole night. She still looked a bit paler than usual and her eyes have that tired-look in them that can't help but make me worry.

I stepped closer to her, completely ignoring the fact that my face was turning red and studied her eyes closely. "Are you alright? You look a bit-"

"– messed-up?" she said with a slight tint of humour in her voice as she cut me off.

"I was about to say, 'unwell'" I answered. My eyes then darted to her left wrist, immediately remembering that it was injured. "How's your wrist? Is it ok for you to work in that condition?"

She looked a bit surprised at first and took a quick look at her hand for a while, "Oh, I must've been busier than I thought. I guess I learned to ignore the pain after all this time."

"Even so, you shouldn't be working this much. An injury is an injury." I sighed and rolled the sleeves of my jacket up to my elbows and walked towards the sink.

"What're you doing Axel?"

"I'm helping you wash the dishes."

"I can't ask you to do that." she said she grabbed my arm to stop me. The contact made me flinch and turned my face red once again. "You're busy enough as it is, let me do it."

"No, I insist." I answered trying to calm myself down a bit. "I'll help you out as much as I can. That way, we can both go see Julia faster. Well, if you still want to that is."

A smile made its way to her face as she nodded, "Alright then."

~~~~

After doing the dishes and asking Coach Travis for permission, Alexi and I took a cab to my place. I knew Julia didn't have classes today so it was the perfect chance to let her meet Alexi again. I called Mrs. Heartwell and told her about the guest I'm bringing over and she was excited to see who she is.

During the ride, I noted how Alexi's eyes seemed out of focus; like she was in deep thought. But even when she's like that, I couldn't help but admire everything about her. She was wearing the uniform she wore the first time we met and the bandage on her wrist area was noticeable. Her hair was neatly combed as it fell freely, caressing her pretty face. It was weird how closely I paid attention to all this; I mean, this whole thing is kinda new to me so I didn't know what to expect nor how to react. Still, deep in my mind I knew I was somehow doing great so far.

"You look like you're in deep thought, are you ok?" I ask, attempting to get rid of the blanket of silence between us.

She looked like she just woke up from her thoughts, "Huh? Oh I'm sorry. I'm just... a bit worried that's all."

"About what?"

"About how Caleb's doing..."

That was a huge blow for me as I remembered how close they were, almost as if they were dating. The chances of her liking me back seemed to dwindle into negative zero.

How could you forget Blaze? They were holding hands yesterday!

"Axel? What's wrong?" she asked holding my hand.

Again the contact made me blush so much that she even seemed to notice. She pulled her hand back and muttered an apology. "S-sorry about that. I was just worried that's all. You looked troubled all of the sudden."

She was blushing now, no doubt because of the contact. No matter how much I try, I couldn't stop myself from liking her. Heck, even if she was dating Caleb, I bet that wouldn't change how I feel for her.

I shouldn't feel down... I have to be patient, my time will come. All I have to do is to not give up.

I smiled at her, feeling the new resolve I've planted in me, "I'm sorry for worrying you. What you said just got me thinking that's all." I looked away and rested my head on my hands as I leaned near the window, "You and Caleb are really close huh? You care for each other a lot."

I didn't mean to say those last parts; even if I decided that I wouldn't give up, those words still managed to sting a little.

"You could say that." she answered a few moments before the cab came to a stop.

We got out of the cab and I led her inside. There, Mrs Heartwell welcomed us with a bright smile.

"Welcome home Axel! So this must be the guest you were talking about?" she motioned to Alexi in which she nodded in return.

"Hello ma'am. My name's Alexi, I'm one of Axel's friends."

"It's a pleasure to meet you dear. Axel, you never told me how beautiful our guest was!"

Alexi blushed at the compliment and looked down, embarrassed. She muttered a silent 'thank you' to Mrs Heartwell and I invited her to the living room.

"Why don't you make yourself comfortable here while I call for Julia?"

"Sure thing."

I smiled at her and went to the kitchen where Mrs Heartwell was preparing a snack for Alexi. I asked her where Julia was and she answered that she was in her room reading.

"By the way Axel, you never told me why Alexi suddenly wanted to drop by. Could it be that she's actually your girlfriend?" she asked me as I was about to exit the kitchen.

My face suddenly felt hot and I was at a loss for words for a moment. When I finally composed myself, I cleared my throat and said, "S-she's not my girlfriend... she helped Julia get Jeanne down from a tree the other day and she wanted to see how Julia was doing."

Mrs Heartwell gave me a knowing look, "Is that so?" she asked in a teasing tone, "Well, if that's the case I better give her these snacks. You run along and get Julia now. Your father's at work today by the way, so it's ok for you to stay as long as you want."

I nodded and went straight to Julia's room where I found her reading on her bedside table. The moment I opened the door to greet her, she came running towards me and tackled me into a tight hug. A huge smile on her face appeared when she greeted me first and told me how much she missed me.

I smiled back at her and patted her head, "I missed you too Julia."

"Why'd you come back onii-san? Are you finished with your games already? But you only had one match." She asked with a pout. "I wanted to see you play some more."

I let out a small laugh and carried her to her bed. "I came back to get a change of clothes. Don't worry, you'll get to see me play a whole lot more when our next game will be decided."

"Really?"

"Really." I patted her head once again. I then felt a fluffy ball of fur walk pass us and out the door, suddenly I remembered. "Julia, I'd like you to meet someone. She's been wanting to meet you for a while now. Would you like to see her?"

Without any hesitation, Julia nodded her head and followed me to the living room only to see Alexi playing with Jeanne on the couch. Alexi saw us approaching and her gaze landed and stuck on Julia, relief and comfort noticeable on her face.

"Onee-san?" Julia said as she walked closer to Alexi, her eyes marvelling as she gaped at her.

I smiled. "Julia, this is Alexi." I said motioning to her, "She's the one who's been wanting to meet you."

Julia ran towards Alexi and hugged her, making them both fall into the couch. "Onee-san, I'm so happy I got to see you again!"

"It's great to finally meet you Julia." She said stroking her hair. She looked into her eyes and I could swear I saw a tear falling but she quickly wiped it away. "I'm glad to see your fine now. How're you doing by the way?"

"I'm doing just fine onee-san. I went to school yesterday and played with all my friends! We watched Axel's game and they told me that my brother is so cool." She said with a bright smile then looked at me. "Some of the boys in class also told me how amazing Axel looked during the game and that they'll work hard, harder than they can ever work just to make sure they can surpass him someday! But I told them they can't because Axel is the best forward there is!"

Alexi giggled then looked at me and back at Julia, "You're right Julia, he is an amazing forward. But do you know why that is?"

Julia made herself comfortable sitting on Alexi lap and shook her head. Alexi shot her a smile and then looked at me as if we had some sort of secret. Her attention went back to Julia as she touched her nose, "Listen well sweetie, this is classified information. If the boys from your school knew about this, they might be able to copy Axel's shot and be better at him too."

"Don't worry! I'll protect nii-san's secret!" Julia said in all seriousness. I could only gape at them, interested to see where this conversation was going.

"The reason why your brother is so strong when it comes to his shots is because he's left-footed." Alexi said in full confidence making Julia more eager to know more, "It mean's his left foot is dominant when he plays soccer. The way he dribbles, pass and shoot the ball makes a greater impact when compared to his right-footed team-mates."

"Oh..." Julia replied as if she understood what Alexi was saying.

I, for one, am stunned by how precise her observation is. And I just couldn't help but get more interested on what she had to say next.

"Do you know why his shots are so powerful and sometimes impossible to catch? It's because of the rotation of the ball and how he kicks it. Another thing is how he combines his technique with the others. Because of his and another player's kick orientation, the speed and power of the ball increases by 10% or more, making an almost invincible shot!"

I was seriously at a loss for words as I continue to listen to how Alexi explained the science behind my shots. Like how the rotation of my Fire Tornado increased the force that came with the over-all impact of the shot and how the altitude that I make my shot increases its acceleration turning it to one of the most typically powerful shots created.

Julia listened carefully to every word Alexi said and was intrigued by the new-found knowledge she just learned about.

"Wow Alexi, you know so much about these kind of things!"

"It's only natural for her to." I said as I gave Alexi a smile, "She is our trainer after all."

"Eh? She is?!" Julia thought for a while, "Come to think of it, you never told me how you two met. Did onii-chan got lucky and saw you walking through the park again?"

Alexi raised an eyebrow to Julia, "What do you mean?"

"Ever since the last time we met, Axel's been spending most of his time at the park waiting for you to show up again." She plainly stated.

I felt myself getting warmer again as I saw Alexi snicker and smile at what Julia said.

"I-I wanted to t-thank you for helping out Julia and Jeanne that time." I said as calmly as possible.

"Really? In that case, you're welcome." She shot me another smile as she turned back to Julia. "You see, I'm Inazuma Japan's team operator and assistant Coach. After your brother and the other got picked to be Japan's representative, I was introduce to the whole team along with the new Coach. That's how I got to meet your brother again."

"I see. By the way, how's your hand doing onee-san?" Julia asked while pointing to Alexi's bandaged wrist.

"It's doing fine, there's no need to worry about it."

"Hmmm, it doesn't look like it to me." she then turned again to me, "Axel, help out Alexi as much as possible so that her hand can heal up faster, please?"

"S-sure thing."

"Great!" she replied and turned her attention to Alexi once again, "You know, I'm gonna be a doctor when I grow up, just like my dad!"

"Wow, I'm sure you'll make an excellent doctor, Dr Blaze." Alexi said with a wink, "You're going to help tons of people for sure!"

"I'll do my best, just you wait Alexi!" she said with a smile. "I'll be just as good as a doctor as my dad!

It was the first time I heard about Julia's dream to become a doctor, and it made me happy how focused and intent she is to make that dream a reality.

Alexi and Julia talked on and on about random stuff they thought about with me joining in every once in a while. Julia never left Alexi's lap the whole time, while Alexi didn't seem to mind. We laughed, talked and ate the snacks Mrs Heartwell gave us.

It was great seeing Julia so relaxed and happy. Usually, she gets all silent and awkward around people who're older than her. But now, it seemed as though she's taken a liking to Alexi and has already treated her as one of her close friends.

Alexi on the other hand looked so happy as Julia sat on her lap. I know that she regretted and blamed herself why Julia got into that coma, but now I can see that she's finally able to relax and is relieved to see Julia in such a healthy condition. Somehow, I knew it took off a lot out of the burden that Alexi made her carry herself.

Time flew by so quickly and we ended up having lunch here with Julia and Mrs Heartwell. Afterwards, my sister showed Alexi her room and I followed silently behind as Julia showed her the drawings she made at school.

I could tell, Alexi was having a blast hanging out with Julia so I left them there while I prepared the fresh change of clothes I originally came here for.

"They seem to get along well." Mrs Heartwell said while she helped me get the thing I need despite my protest.

"Yeah, they sure do. I knew Julia would warm up to her immediately." I said with a smile.

"That Alexi's a nice young lass. And she's smart too, not to mention pretty. No wonder you like her." she said with a faint giggle. Once again, my face started to heat up as I thought of something to say, but nothing came out.

"Speechless, eh? Don't worry, I'm sure your father would approve of her once he gets to meet her."

"She's not my girlfriend." I mumble as I closed the zipper on my bag and sighed. "We'll be going now, it's almost 3pm and I'm sure Alexi has tons of things to work on when we get back."

"Alright dear, stay safe."

I nodded at her, took my bag and headed straight to Julia's room. I told her it was getting late and that me and Alexi need to get back to training camp.

"Eh... but can't you stay a bit longer?" she whined.

"I'm sorry Julia, but Alexi has to go home and get some of her stuff too." I said patting her head, "I hope you'll be able to understand."

Julia looked devastated as her head bowed. I could see how tight she gripped Alexi's hand as small tears started to fall from her eyes. Alexi saw this as well and looked equally sad. She knelt down to Julia's level and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Don't worry, I'll come visit as often as possible. And when I do, I'll bring you some sweet treats." She smiled sweetly at her, "Would you like that?"

Instead of answering, Julia trapped Alexi in a tight hug, "Promise me you'll come back soon then nee-san. Please?"

Alexi smiled and hugged her back then stroked the top of her head, "Sure, I promise."

We then said our good byes and headed out.

~~~~

Here's Chapter 18!

Sorry for the really late update! As you all know, I'm really busy and I can't cope up with all my stories, classes and extra-curricular activities. Even so, I did my best trying to make some coherent chapter for this book ^^

I'm really happy at how things are laying out. The story is really going the way I planned (kinda)

Thanks so much for being patient and supportive guys! I really appreciate it!

Please check out my other books like "So Many Possibilities" and "Wildest Dreams" and stay awesome :3

Watch out for the next chapter!

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