A/N: Hello, everyone! I spent the last week working hard on this story, which turns out to be my longest story yet. It's also my first Ina11 (Go) story that focuses on suspense and not just romance, I hope I did a good job. XD; I'm submitting chapter 1 and 2 at the same time because the first is just a prologue and I'm afraid it'd be boring with just that. So, with said, I hope you enjoy this brandnew story!

The end of August was coming near. While many junior high school students preferred to spend the last days of summer at the beach, the members of the Raimon soccer team were gathered in the hills of the Kanto region. In the middle of a thick forest was a bungalow owned by the Shindou family. Even though the Raimon captain usually went there with his parents only, they allowed him to share it with his friends this year. The private bungalow looked more like a hotel than anything, so there was no issue of space. As the sun was slowly setting behind the trees, the group sat together in front of the tall building, roasting marshmallows around a campfire.

"… and so, they all managed to leave the haunted house, safe and unharmed," Shinsuke finished his story. He beamed a smile when his friends took a moment to clap for him.

"Puh," Kurama scolded, and he swallowed his marshmallow whole. "You call that a ghost story? Everyone survived!" He pointed his stick straight at the other boy and flashed an eerie smirk. "Let me tell you a real ghost story."

The others grinned at his remark, with exception of Hayami. "Another ghost story…?" he moaned, and he leaned against his tanned friend for comfort. "They're scary…"

"Don't worry!" Hamano chimed as he wrapped an arm tightly around his friend's shoulder. "They're just for fun! They're not real anyway."

"Not real? Oh, I assure you this one's real," Kurama teased, and he gradually lowered his voice to a whisper. "It happened right here, in this very forest." He paused shortly to take in his friends' reactions to his opening line. While most members of the team smiled in anticipation, Tenma and Shinsuke exchanged awestruck glances with each other, their fists clenched in excitement. The taller brunet then turned to his other side, where Tsurugi was seated. The blue-haired boy was the only one who looked disinterested, his head lowered and his arms crossed. He would've looked asleep if it weren't for his hand transporting a marshmallow from the fire to his mouth every few minutes. Tenma seemed surprised that his friend expressed no fascination to the upcoming story, but then smiled and looked at his senior again.

Kurama cleared his throat and continued: "A few months ago, two boys came to camp in this forest. They loved to play soccer, just like us. One night, the boys couldn't find their way back to camp and got lost. It was dark, and cold, and foggy… and then one of the boys disappeared in a flash." He grinned when Tenma and Shinsuke gasped in unison. "The other boy started looking for his friend, and that's when he heard a voice, a creepy voice very close to him…" Kurama grabbed a flashlight and shone it underneath his chin to emphasize the scary atmosphere. "'Let's play soccer, let's play soccer…!' When the boy turned around, he stood face to face with a ghost, the ghost of a boy his age. This ghost loved to play soccer as well, but he was the only ghost in the forest and humans fled whenever they saw him. That's why he created a terrifying hissatsu technique… As soon as this shoot hits you, your soul is stolen from your body. You will belong to the ghost from then on, so he can play soccer with you forever… That's when he realized his friend had also become a victim of the shoot, as he was one of the very, very many the ghost targeted."

The reactions among the group were different now. Sangoku, Kurumada and Amagi were still smiling, not believing one bit that the story was real. Kariya shared a similar expression, although his inner self considered the story worthy of the trashbin. Ichino, Aoyama and Hayami, however, looked terrified, trembling all over at this point. Hayami was now clinging to Hamano, who simply looked at Kurama with an O-shaped mouth. Tenma and Shinsuke, while scared, were still eager to hear the end of the story. Tsurugi now had one eye open, looking at the storyteller, but said nothing. Shindou and Kirino smiled just like the third-years, but they couldn't convince themselves that the story sounded entirely fake.

"A-and? What happened next?" Tenma stuttered.

Kurama turned his head to him with a creepy smirk. "What do you think? Neither of the boys ever left the forest again. People spent days looking for them, but it was no use. Their souls had been stolen by the soccer-loving ghost, right in this forest."

"Gyaaah!" Half the team uttered the shriek at the same time. They all stared at the blue-haired boy, their eyes wide in fear, with exception of Tenma. Unlike the others, he shut his eyes and started clinging to Tsurugi's arm, tightly. The ex-Seed gaped at him in a mix of disbelief and annoyance while he tried to push him off, his cheeks going slightly red. "O-oi! Matsukaze! Let go! Let go, dammit!"

Kurama lowered his flashlight and let out a laugh. "You should've seen your faces!" he snickered, pointing at the scared half of the group. He then fixed his eyes on the floundering pair and let out a chuckle, raising his eyebrows. "Getting a little close there, eh?"

Tsurugi shot him a glare and finally managed to free himself from a persistent Tenma. "W-what are you saying, moron?" he scolded, suddenly a lot livelier than before. "Matsukaze's just scared over nothing! Your story is fake and crap on top of that!"

"Now, now," Sangoku started with an awkward smile, and he lifted his hands to try and keep the peace between the younger boys.

Kurama sent a glare straight back at Tsurugi and snarled: "Fake? This story is a hundred percent real! If you think it's so fake, why don't you take on the test of courage?"

Tsurugi raised his eyebrows. "Test of courage?"

"Yeah," Kurama nodded, and he crossed his arms with a self-indulgent face. "We'll drop you off in the middle of the forest. It's up to you to find your way back, assuming the soccer-loving ghost won't get you first."

"Tch," Tsurugi scoffed. He crossed his own arms and looked away. "What a load of bullsh-"

"And you should probably take Matsukaze Scaredy-cat Tenma with you while you're at it," Kurama continued. "It looks like he needs a lesson in getting over his fears as well."

Tsurugi instantly snapped his head back to the other boy. "I am not scared!" he hissed.

While Kurama simply smirked at him, Tenma lowered his head with a blush, slightly embarrassed about his reaction to his senior's story. But then he managed a smile and looked at Tsurugi again. "It's a good idea, Tsurugi. I need to get a little tougher, after all," he said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head.

Before Tsurugi could protest, Kariya lifted his hand to draw attention and spoke up: "In that case, I suggest Shindou-senpai and Kirino-senpai go too." He turned his head to the pink-haired boy, who was seated not too far from him. He flashed an angelic smile and added: "There is something you need to tell Shindou-senpai, right, Kirino-senpai?"

Shindou looked at his best friend with a questioning smile. "Eh? Is there, Kirino?"

Kirino smiled back at him with a desire to strangle the big-mouthed first-year. "Ah, well, maybe just a little something…" he mumbled nervously.

"Now that you mention it, there does seem to be some tension between you two lately…" Kurumada thought out loud, a hand on his chin. "A little alone time might be exactly what you need."

"Besides, if captain stays close, he can always reach Tenma and Tsurugi in case they do need help, since he knows the forest," Shinsuke added. He looked at Tenma, who nodded in agreement.

"It's decided then!" Kurama concluded. He checked his watch and took a look around the team's circle. Aside from the campfire, the moon had become the only source of light. Deciding now was the right time, he turned to the four candidates with a sly smirk. "Are you all ready?"

A/N: Seeing as the story focuses on two seperate pairings from here on, I'll be dedicating the chapters to one scene of them each. Oh, and in case you're wondering why Kariya is there: it's shown he's on Raimon's side in the movie trailer so I figure he's a good guy, he just... likes to show his rapeface a lot. XD And I imagine he'll keep teasing Kirino even when he's settled in the team. I have no idea where this character will go and my fic might be 100% inaccurate by putting him in like this, but hell, I love the little bastard and he's the perfect factor to send Shindou and Kirino into the forest. I'll see you in chapter 2, everyone!