A/N: Finally a proper story, life is good! -cheers- I have to credit Nese (Goushu on Tumblr) for largely inspiring this fic, I couldn't have done it without her. I hope you enjoy it, everybody! ^_^

Suzuno Fuusuke found himself in quite a predicament. One moment, the six-year-old orphan was playing soccer, on his own as always; the next, he was staring into a tree, where his soccer ball had been squeezed between two branches after a reckless kick. Suzuno gazed at his treasure in pure awe, as if he couldn't believe it was suddenly out of reach. However, as the matter at hand slowly sank in, as he realized he had lost his precious soccer ball, tears began to well up in his eyes. Having lived in Sun Garden for only a few months, soccer was the sole thing that could distract him from the trauma of losing his parents, as well as the loneliness that came with it. Unlike the other orphans, Suzuno had a tendency to close himself off. He was scared of making friends, scared of being hurt again. But even when he secluded himself, Suzuno felt playing with his soccer ball was enough to be happy, almost regarding the item as a friend he knew would never hurt him. Keeping it close made him feel less lonely… so why had his friend betrayed him by getting stuck in a tree?

"… ah… w… waaah…" Suzuno's eyes grew big and tears began to run down his round cheeks, one after another. He wanted his ball back… He wanted to play soccer. The idea of asking Hitomiko-san and the other orphans for help occurred to him, but… he was so scared. He was sure they'd laugh and point at him for being as dumb as to lose his ball in the first place. Suzuno rubbed one eye with his fist, crying harder and harder. What was he supposed to do…?

"Oi! What's the matter with you?"

Suzuno gasped and turned around, meeting a familiar face. He immediately managed to distinguish Nagumo Haruya by his funny, tulip-shaped hair. However, after hearing some other orphans murmur how the redhead would beat anyone who so much as stared at it to a pulp, Suzuno knew it wiser to remain quiet about it. Due to Nagumo's aggressive nature, he feared him even more than the others. Nagumo was so… mean. He was harsh, and impatient, and now that he'd discovered Suzuno's problem, he was sure to mock him – perhaps even draw attention so the others could laugh with him.

"N-N-Nagumo-kun…" Suzuno stammered, but Nagumo lifted his gaze before he could continue, spotting the ball. He raised an eyebrow, seemingly unimpressed. "Huh… it got stuck, huh?" He suddenly walked past Suzuno, grabbing onto the tree trunk and pushing himself up. "No problem, I'll get it."

Gazel widened his eyes. He was so shocked he abruptly stopped crying. "N-n-no!" He tried to grab the rim of Nagumo's shirt, but the other boy was too quick, already climbing out of reach. "T-that's dangerous, Nagumo-kun! You'll fall!" he cried, but Nagumo totally ignored him. He reached one of the branches that had entrapped Suzuno's ball and wrapped his arms and legs around it, slowly shifting towards the other boy's treasure. Said boy remained at the base of the tree, not knowing what to do. He desperately wanted Nagumo to get back down, but he was scared of warning him again, in case the redhead would shout at him. Should he alert Hitomiko-san? She'd have no problem retrieving both Nagumo and his ball. Just as Suzuno green-lighted the idea in thought, a fateful crack snapped through his ears. His eyes shot back up and went wide once more as they watched the branch break off, taking Nagumo down with it. Totally ignoring the ball, now bouncing freely on the grass, Suzuno raced to the boy that had made a most unfortunate landing.

"NAGUMO-KUN!"

"I was thinking of Heat and Barra, and changing Nepper to a midfielder might be—Gazel. Oi, Gazel, are you listening?"

Gazel's head snapped up. He'd been so occupied with his daydream that he needed a moment to remember he and Burn were in the master rank chamber, each seated on their respective pillar. Right after their resolve to fuse their teams in order to overthrow Gran, the captains had opened the archive on their players, displayed on a transparent touch-screen that floated in front of them through an advanced system. The faces of Droll, Rhionne and IQ were still hanging in front of him, and Gazel realized he had barely gotten past the first word on the black-haired midfielder. For some godforsaken reason, he had suddenly drifted into a flashback of his and Burn's childhood instead.

When the captain of Diamond Dust peeked past the screen at his now co-captain, he instantly saw the seven-year-old boy that had resorted to retrieving his soccer ball without so much as asking him first. Gazel couldn't believe how little Burn had changed over the years, both inwardly and outwardly. He was still a short-tempered idiot, and the physical feature that differed most from the past were the black lines that ran down his cheeks. As for the rest of his expression, it was so consistent Gazel needed to blink in order to realize it wasn't child Burn, but teenage Burn sending him an impatient look.

The waiting room of the hospital was less than peaceful. Most of the patients covered their ears or put on music – some even left in order to drown out the crying from the corner of the room. Suzuno had been sobbing hysterically ever since Hitomiko came running and decided Burn needed to see a doctor for his sprained ankle. The injured boy was currently being treated, but even after the doctor had taken a quick look at his foot and assured Hitomiko it wasn't too serious, Suzuno had been crying non-stop.

"I-it's my fault," he sniffed, totally immune to Hitomiko's soothing hand on his back. "N-N-Nagumo-kun got hurt because of me, b-because I was so stupid… H-he must be so mad!"

"Fuusuke, please calm down a little. Haruya will be fine, you'll see. The doctor said so himself," Hitomiko reminded him, but Suzuno remained completely unaffected by whatever method she used in attempt to comfort him. He felt so stupid, so guilty for allowing Nagumo to endanger himself – for his sake no less. He should've stopped him; even if Nagumo had resorted to barking him in the face, that would've been better than letting him get hurt. He must be in pain right now… he must be blaming Suzuno and wanting to beat him up, and Suzuno didn't fault him. He deserved it.

Suzuno gasped when the door opened and the doctor motioned him and Hitomiko over. "Everything is taken care of," he announced when the two entered his office, Suzuno's hand squeezed tightly in Hitomiko's. Nagumo sat on the treatment table, his legs dangling off the edge. He was happily swaying his injured leg back and forth, the bandage around his foot reaching a little above his shoe.

"Look what I got!" the redhead chimed, holding up a big, cherry-flavored lollipop. "Because the doctor said I was brave!"

The doctor chuckled while Hitomiko picked him up in her arms, smiling calmly. "I'm sure you were." Behind her, Suzuno couldn't believe what was happening. Nagumo wasn't… mad…? Why was he smiling like that? Wasn't he hurting? Didn't he want to beat him up for spraining his ankle, as unintentional as it was?

Suzuno let out a small yelp when Nagumo's eyes fell on him. He instantly shifted to hide behind Hitomiko, but then Nagumo smiled again and pointed at the other boy. "Doctor! I want a lollipop for Suzuno too!" Suzuno, now clutching onto Hitomiko's jeans, perked up in disbelief. What did he say…?

"Haruya, what do you say when you want something?" Hitomiko reminded him, and the redhead pouted before sputtering a "please". The doctor chuckled again and produced another lollipop, one with strawberry flavor this time. "Here you go," he smiled, and Suzuno took the candy with trembling hands. He loved lollipops and all things sugary, but he had no idea what he'd done to deserve this reward. Wasn't he supposed to be punished instead…? He had hurt one of the fellow inhabitants of Sun Garden! He stared up at Nagumo, who answered with a bright grin and did a thumbs up. Suzuno's jaw dropped in awe, and he forgot to cry for the second time today. Not only did Nagumo not yell at him, he was being… nice, even. Suzuno had no idea Nagumo could be this friendly. Did this mean he had been misjudging him…?

"Hey, is that strawberry? Can we switch?" Nagumo asked when they were seated in the back of Hitomiko's car, driving back to Sun Garden. Suzuno flinched, clutching onto his lollipop as if to protect it with his life. "S-s-sure," he stuttered, and Nagumo flashed another grin as he snatched the candy from his hands and gave him his cherry lollipop in return. Suzuno watched as he greedily ripped off the paper and began to lick it. "Mmm, strawberries!"

"U-uhm… N-Nagumo-kun…" Suzuno started carefully. He averted his eyes, almost too scared to say it. He was grateful, as well as relieved that Nagumo had apparently forgiven him, but the question as to why continued to torment his mind. "A-aren't you mad…? Y-y-you got hurt because of me…"

Nagumo looked at him, apparently confused. "Eh? What are you talking about? The branch broke, you didn't do anything."

"B-b-but…!" Suzuno bored his eyes through his, almost desperate to make him acknowledge the facts. "I-it was my ball…! It got stuck because I didn't kick right, and because of me, Nagumo-kun...!"

"Ho. Stop." Nagumo lifted his hand, palm wide open. "I chose to get it myself. It's not your fault, Fuusuke." He took another lick from his lollipop and smiled: "You like playing soccer, right? Me too! I think everyone should be able to play soccer if they want to. That's why I went to get it for you."

Suzuno was awestruck. He was once again taken aback by how nice and considerate Nagumo could be. He thought the boy was nothing short of a grump with a short fuse, someone who preferred to solve everything with violence. But Nagumo hadn't even glared at him once since he'd fallen out of the tree. On the way to the hospital, he'd been too busy forcing his tears back to prove he was a man, and on the way home, he beamed a grin whenever he looked at Suzuno.

Nagumo snickered when the other boy gawked at him in silence. "You always play alone, right? That's no fun, playing soccer on your own!" He tilted his open hand, waiting for Suzuno to shake it. "Let's play soccer when I'm better!"

Suzuno stared at his hand as if he'd never seen it before. Nagumo… was actually inviting him to play together. Even though he was so shy, and quiet, and scared of making a fool of himself. Nagumo didn't seem to care about any of that… He looked straight past his many flaws and even wanted to play with him.

Hesitantly, but happily, Suzuno entwined their hands and shook them slowly. "O-okay…"

Nagumo's grin almost spread to his ears as he retracted his hand. "Awesome! Oh, and I don't want any of that 'Nagumo-kun', 'Nagumo-kun'," he quickly added, poking Suzuno on the nose to make his point. "Just call me Haruya! Haruya and Fuusuke!" He let out a laugh and Suzuno couldn't help but smile himself. A shy, nervous, but hopeful smile. "Okay… Haruya-kun."

"What's with the spacing off? I thought you'd be a little more motivated to establish Chaos."

Gazel blinked again. "Chaos?"

"The name I came up with for our new team," Burn clarified, beaming his seven-year-old grin. He winked and added: "Cool, huh?"

"O-oh… ah… yeah," Gazel muttered, lowering his head in shame. Burn was right; this was no time to be out of it. If the two of them wanted to prove themselves worthiest of being Genesis, they had to do so fast. Preferably right away. Gazel still didn't know why memories of their past had suddenly come flooding back… Was it because of this? Because they had reconciled and even formed their own team? Truth to be told, Gazel hadn't seen it coming at all. He and Burn had been arch enemies ever since the founding of Aliea Academy, spawning arguments on a daily basis. However, as much as Gazel attempted to fully hate Burn… he couldn't. Their bond was just too strong. Ever since that fateful day when Burn had sprained his ankle for his sake, the two of them had been inseparable. Burn had stayed true to his word, inviting Gazel to play soccer almost every day. They started out as a duo at first, but Burn eventually reintroduced him to the rest of the orphans, offering to all play soccer together. Gazel had been dead nervous in front of all those faces, but thanks to Burn's enthusiasm, he had managed to overcome his fears and make friends. It was basically all because of Burn that he had opened up to the outside world, that he'd met people who loved him and whom he'd learned to love in return… If it weren't for Burn, he would still be stuck in his own little world, distrusting everyone around him.

As the years passed, the two of them had grown closer and closer. They'd do almost everything together instead of just playing soccer, having fun and helping one another when they had to. Gazel was aware that his feelings of gratitude and happiness towards the redhead might have evolved into something more… but right at that point, they'd been ripped out of paradise and planted on the field as rivals. While Burn easily adjusted to his new rank, suddenly regarding everyone outside of Prominence as an enemy, Gazel struggled with the abrupt change. He never wanted to separate from Burn; he didn't understand why it was necessary. But they'd grown older, and the newly approved captain realized it was time to stop relying on Burn. Rather than doing so, he vowed to prove himself, to show he was just as strong – if not stronger, than the other boy. That's how he had mentally secluded himself once more, becoming the headstrong, ice-cold leader of Diamond Dust. And right at the peak of their rivalry, Burn had suggested they work together once more… and Gazel had agreed. To say his heart skipped a beat out of sheer happiness would be a lie.

"Here's the players from my team." Burn pressed an option on his screen and Gazel's was suddenly filled with profiles of several Prominence players. Burn had chosen Heat and Nepper as midfielders and Barra and Bomba as defenders. "I was thinking of adding Rean, but she fell and hurt her knee last week," Burn remarked while Gazel's eyes absorbed the information of the fire players. "How's it going on your end?"

Gazel gulped. He hadn't done a thing. All he'd been thinking about was their childhood. Their reconciliation had triggered the memories he'd tried to push away over the past year, fully occupying his mind and distracting him from what he was supposed to do.

"U-uhm," he started, quickly clicking the Prominence players away for his own. "Droll and Rhionne sound good as midfielders, and perhaps we could add Clara and Gokka to the defense, he and Bomba might make a good—"

""Sound good"? What are you saying, Gazel?" Burn momentarily erased his screen so he could look straight at the other captain. "It's not enough to just "sound good". This team needs to be perfect. This is our last chance to show Gran who's boss!"

"I know. I know that," Gazel said quickly, trying to shake himself out of it. He stared at the members of his team, trying to concentrate. "I mentioned Gokka and Bomba would match well, didn't I? Don't accuse me of being unmotivated without knowing all the facts."

Burn glared at him, but refrained from insulting him like he usually would've done. "Actually, you're right… The two of us make up the strongest offense, while they'd be perfect as a combined defense… so that leaves a goalkeeper. Which one do you think is best?"

Gazel couldn't help but stop to realize Burn had actually asked him that question instead of getting over his head and claiming Grent "was the best choice, of course". First he suggested they work together, then he actually regarded the situation with a clear mind, eyeing the two of them as equals instead of rivals… It almost felt like Burn was reverting back to his younger self.

Gazel quickly willed that thought away and pondered about the question. Beluga was a strong goalkeeper, but his pride was pretty much shattered after they'd tied against Raimon… As soon as that guy lost, he acted like the world was doomed. Chaos couldn't afford to risk such recklessness… Their goalkeeper had to be prepared for anything and stay completely focused. They had to win. Burn was right, they had to be perfect to say the least.

"Let's go with Grent," the ice captain concluded, surprising Burn with his words. He seemed just as perplexed by Gazel's mutual rationality.

"Fine with me," he shrugged. He closed the program and got up from his chair, stretching for a moment. "Let's go tell our teams the good news."

"… wait…" Gazel muttered, gazing at his own screen. He didn't look up when Burn asked: "Hm? Something you wanna change?" and merely shook his head. "… do you… do you remember when we were kids, and you wanted to get my ball out of the tree in the backyard…?"

Burn raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, the branch broke and I hurt my ankle. What's that got to do with anything?"

Gazel bit his lip at that question. He wasn't even sure himself. He was already hitting himself on the head for asking something so random – not to mention irrelevant – in the first place. He just… couldn't shake the curiosity that was nagging inside of him. The curiosity as to how Burn felt about him.

"… why did you do it?" He lifted his head to look Burn in the eye, meeting his confused eyes. "Do what? Get that ball? I already told you." Gazel shook his head once more. "Why did you suddenly want to work together with me? We're rivals. We hate each other's guts."

Burn seemed taken aback by the question, but gritted his teeth and turned his head away when he heard that last sentence. "You know the answer to that too," he said, sounding much more impatient all of a sudden. "Merging teams is the only way we can surpass Gran at this point."

"Even so, you treat me all differently now," Gazel pointed out, stubbornly. "You used to insult me on a daily basis, now you go as far as letting me have a say in which goalkeeper we should pick." When Burn refused to answer, and with that fuel his curiosity, he repeated: "Why did you do it, Burn?"

"Tch." Burn looked up, shooting him a glare before his pillar suddenly descended. Gazel followed him with his eyes and saw Burn point at the floor, motioning for him to do the same thing. Gazel obeyed and waited in his seat until they'd their pillars were completely gone. It was then Burn suddenly marched towards him, too fast for Gazel to keep up with his movements. He reached straight through the screen, seized his co-captain by the collar and pulled him out of his seat, clashing their lips together. Gazel's eyes went wide, his heart suddenly beating three times faster. He could barely comprehend the situation before Burn broke the kiss and pushed him back on his butt. Gazel was so baffled he nearly tumbled out of his chair. He gawked at Burn in complete disbelief, and his co-captain responded by giving him a fierce gaze, showing he didn't regret the lip-lock in the least.

"… that's why," he whispered, breaking the silence when he realized Gazel was too awestruck to do so. "Because those goddamn feelings for you never faded."

Gazel was even more confused, and he didn't think that possible. "W-what…?"

Burn rolled his eyes in annoyance and glanced to the side. A small blush crept to his cheeks, making Gazel realize his own had reached his ears the moment Burn kissed him. "… I was glad when we were split up," the redhead admitted softly. "It was the perfect chance to… to stop liking you this much. I was so ashamed of these feelings, I didn't know what to do… I couldn't possibly freak you out by telling you something so embarrassing… Then we were placed in separate teams, and we were supposed to play against each other… so I figured, this is perfect… We're meant to hate each other, to fight each other, so I thought our new ranks would erase these feelings…" Burn placed a hand on his face, growling in slight frustration. "… but they didn't, dammit… They just got worse… Because we were apart all of a sudden, I wanted you more and more… I longed to play with you again… I just wanted to grab you and… well, do what I just did… Then Gran came along and actually gave us the opening to reunite… so I used it." Burn slowly lowered his hand, looking straight into Gazel's teal eyes. "… I love you, Fuusuke. I have for a while now. And I doubt I'll stop loving you anytime soon."

An entire stream of flashbacks came racing through his mind, one after another. The longer Gazel looked into Burn's eyes, usually blazing uncontrollably but now soft and tamed, the more he saw the Burn he, in the end, knew the best. Burn used to show that face all the time when they were kids: when they had breakfast, lunch and dinner together, when they played soccer, when they went ice-skating on the lake and swimming at the beach (both of which Gazel was better at, so he had to teach Burn), when they shared the same bed, and Burn cuddled up to him to stay warm… They had done so many things together. Gazel treasured all of those moments so much, especially now that he thought the Burn he'd become friends with was gone… only to return and say the words he had secretly wished to hear. Was this a dream? As stupid as he must look, Gazel took a moment to rub his eyes. He retracted his hands and Burn was still there, his head tilted at the random motion. No, this wasn't a dream… It was real. Burn had kissed him, confessed his feelings for him – what's more, he cherished their childhood just as much. Was Gazel allowed to feel this happy upon this realization…?

"… oi, what's the matter?"

Gazel flinched when he realized he was just sitting there, making Burn wait for an answer. Taking in his expression once more, the fire captain seemed to have lost some of his earlier confidence. The fact that Gazel didn't say a word was probably unnerving him. "… you're not gonna cry like in the past, are you? You were such a crybaby," he muttered.

Gazel couldn't help but grin at that comment. Burn was right; he'd been a big crybaby, and it was only thanks to the redhead that he'd managed to break out of his shell. The ice captain got up on his feet and mimicked Burn's gesture, catching his collar and pulling him closer. However, he did so in a slower motion, bringing their faces together until Gazel basically spoke against Burn's lips: "No… I promise I won't cry." He then pushed their lips together, and Burn didn't need long to follow his example. The Chaos captains remained entangled in the kiss for a while, and Gazel slid his hands to Burn's shoulders instead, keeping a firm grip on the other boy. Burn lowered his own hands to Gazel's waist, tugging his co-captain closer and deepening the kiss at the same time.

When the boys pulled back, Burn gave Gazel an innocent grin and whispered: "Does that answer your earlier question?"

Gazel nodded happily. "It does. And you couldn't have answered it better." He held his hand out to Burn, in a similar fashion the redhead had done when he suggested they play soccer together seven years ago. "Let's win, for Chaos. For us."

"For us," Burn nodded, and he clasped their hands together, fiercely and eagerly.

A/N: You know the drill: please leave a review, I'd love to hear your thoughts! ;) Every single review means so much to me, I'm extremely grateful for all the ones I receive. -heart-