Life As Teikoku's Manager (an Inazuma Eleven f.f.)

Friends For Life

        I breathed a sigh of relief as I stepped into my apartment and closed the door behind me. Suddenly, the phone rang, and I ran to pick it up. Who could be calling me? Not that many people knew my phone number after all, only mama, papa, Haruna, Natsumi's father, Kageyama, Gouenji, and Nikaidou-kantoku. Did mama and papa find out already? With a trembling hand, I picked up the phone and clicked the talk button.

        "Yo Inoue," a familiar voice came from the other side.

        "Eh?!" I cried, surprised that it would be him, "Gouenji?!"

        "What? Why you so surprised? Ever read the caller ID before picking up the phone?"

        "...Shut up."

        I heard him chuckle on the other end. I gripped the phone tighter. "So what if I don't? It's not like anyone *cough* my friends a.k.a. you *cough* even call so why should I bother."

        He only laughed some more. "Sheesh, don't be so angry! Are you on your period or something?" he teased.

        "I dare you to say that again." He instantly stopped laughing at my sharp tone. I'll let him go this once, just this once, because he didn't know that gender related stuff was a sensitive topic for me. But next time, he's going to get it.

        "Gomen, gomen," he laughed nervously, not sure if I was seriously mad or not. He continued, "I was just calling to say good job. I knew you would make the right decision in the end. Getting into a fight with you actually worked, huh? Or so I've heard."

        "Huh?" I asked. What was he talking about?

        He seemed just as confused as me. "Didn't you make up with Kidou?" How did he know? I had just got home, and I didn't tell anyone yet, and hadn't planned on it either. The other possiblity was Kidou, but I didn't think Gouenji would be the first person he told. No wait...There was one more person. And it slowly dawned on me who was responsible.

        "Natsumi told you, didn't she?"

        "No, Haruna did."

        I unintentionally started tapping my foot impatiently. His trolling/teasing tendency often resulted in being socked by a soccer ball in the stomache, then being sent to the school nurse. Well, now you know who was probably responsible. "And Natsumi told Haruna to pass it to you since she has everyone on the team's phone numbers, right?"

        "Yup."

        "Natsumi's going to get it tomorrow," I fumed. I thought she was a real friend who would keep my own buisness private, but I guess all girls (who were raised like girls) were gossip-holics. Hinata not included. Yet I knew deep down that I was thankful Natsumi had told, or told Haruna to pass it to Gouenji. It made making up with Gouenji much easier. I could almost feel Natsumi smirking at me right now the way Kidou does when I finally have to admit that he is right.

        "If you leave a mark on her, people are going to think you're a wild girl for starting a catfight with a lady," Gouenji's voice said, stating the obvious. Sometimes, I find my own best friend so annoying.

        "Then I'll just take it out on you."

        "Meep. I'd better hide behind Endou."

        "Too bad. He can't stop my shoots."

        "Why is it always me? Don't you have other friends?" he teased.

        "I swear if I could, there would be a soccer ball responsible for slamming into your face right now," I deadpanned.

        "Okay okay. But really, you should make more friends, you know? Real ones. And some that are girls. Give Aki and Haruna a chance, they're nice girls," His teasing words had a caring tone underneath that struck me how much he actually cared for me, and how good of friends we were. Not just teammates. Not just the two ace ex-strikers of Kidokawa Seishuu who resurfaced on Raimon's side. We were two boys (let's just say I'm Inoue) with history together, bonded for life. Friends for life who will stick together to the end of the world.

        I may have one thing or another, I'm not admitting anything yet, with Kidou, Sakuma, or Genda, but without Gouenji, I don't know how I would have gotten by. Who was the one who defended me when everyone at Kidokawa thought I was a demon? Who was the one who never pried or prodded when I wanted to be left alone, whether to change back when I was still a boy or to think? Who was the one who gave me courage to return to soccer? Who was the one who told me it wasn't my fault if we lost? Who was the one who caught and supported me even when I fell? A phoenix can't fly with only one wing, who was my other wing?

        My best friend, that's who. Gouenji Shuuya. Someone like Kidou, Sakuma, Genda, or Natsumi will never even come close to comparing. Not even Hinata or Yuuka. Not even Azami-neesan who taught me soccer. They didn't know how it was like to go to battle side by side with me, both trusting 100% that the other will guard his or her back. Whether it was injured and struggling even to stand during a hard match, sweating and panting at practice whether Raimon or Kidokawa, or soaring gloriously like a phoenix knowing that the two of you are invincible, no one else could replace him.

        "Love you," those words slipped out of my mouth. It somehow felt a little strange saying these words now that he knew I was a girl, but nonethless, when they came out of my mouth, I realized that nothing else had really changed between us. We were still the best of friends, the yin and yang of Kidokawa Seishuu, no, of each other.

        "Love you too," he replied smoothly like we've always done in the past. I found it so easily to say these to words to Gouenji, yet so hard to Kidou. I was still confused why, but that was okay. I had someone who I could trust would stay with me until I figure everything out.

        "By the way, how did you do it with Kidou? Play cocky? Pour your heart out directly?" Gouenji asked.

        "...Don't ask." 

Azami will appear more in the future, and the Ukita family is important too, but I'm not telling why or when yet~