~~~
God, I really should be getting some sleep, I thought as I padded quietly down the hall, careful not to make too much noise with my cleats. But after a shitty match like that? There's no way. A grim determination had settled over me. Especially after what Ego said.
As I made my way down to the field, I pondered ways that I could improve my 'weapons'. I'd already figured mine was my dribbling skills as well as my speed and agility. But how do I improve them? What's the next step?
Heading into the locker room where the storage closet was, I was surprised to find one of the ball bags already missing. So someone had the same idea as me, huh? I thought, making my way through the door and onto the pitch.
I was met with the sight of a brown haired boy with yellow undertones performing a similar drill to the one I'd been doing the first time I snuck out. I waited until he'd made the shot, ball rocketing into the upper ninety, before gaining his attention.
"Bachira! Hey!" I called, jogging to him as he turned to face me. I didn't even notice he was missing when I left... "I wasn't expecting to see you here."
Bachira beamed, walking forward to meet me. "Hey Saito! I'm surprised to see you out so late after our game today."
"Me too," I said before scratching the back of my neck sheepishly. "I honestly couldn't stop thinking about what Ego said about our weapons. I mean, after a match like that, how could you not?"
He sighed, turning somewhat serious. "Yeah, we do really need to utilize what he was saying, especially if we want to win our next game." His long face didn't last though, not that I expected it to with someone like Bachira. "But I'm sure we'll figure it out!"
"I hope so," I smiled, also finding it impossible to stay bothered when around Bachira. "Wanna do some 1v1's and maybe practice our weapons?" I joked lightly.
"You're on!" he said brightly, passing me a ball. "But you start. You had a crazy run in our last play of the match today. I wanna see it in action!"
We did some 1v1's for a while and even helped each other with some set pieces, before finally calling it quits for the night.
"I was wondering," I spoke up as I handed him one of the waters I'd retrieved from the locker room fridge. "In the match today, why do you think Isagi didn't go for goal?"
Bachira paused what he was doing, staring off into space as he recalled the moment. "You know, I was wondering the same thing earlier," he said before shrugging. "Maybe he's just not used to taking the shot. Some guys are like that."
"Yeah, it makes sense. I just hope he works through it," I voiced thoughtfully, an image of the blue haired boy surfacing in my head. "He's not gonna last long if he doesn't fix that."
Bachira was quiet for a moment. "Remember when I mentioned a monster inside of me the other night?" I nodded, having vividly recalled the conversation. "He's got that monster in him, just like you and me. Most people do," he added. "But he has the potential of making that monster surface whenever he wants. If he's strong like I think he is, there's no need to worry. He'll figure it out."
I let Bachira's words sink in, somewhat startled by the profound depth of what he'd just said. I hope you're right.
"Anyway," he said buoyantly. "Let's clean up and head back. I'd like to still get some sleep before the sun comes up."
"You go ahead," I jumped in quickly, remembering how he'd cleaned up previously when we'd practiced with Isagi and wanting to return the favor. "I'll take care of it."
"Nope, that's okay. We'll pick this stuff up and go together." Bachira grinned toothily. "Gotta protect the little lady! Who knows who's out there prowling the halls at this time of night!"
I froze in place, water bottle half way to my lips as I watched him out of the corner of my eye. He continued to smile brightly, not at all understanding the gravity of what he'd just said.
"Sorry, what?" I asked carefully, letting my arm drop to my side as I turned to face him fully. No need to freak out, I tried to reassure myself. It's probably just like Raichi's nickname. Nothing to worry about-
"I have to protect you," he repeated, cocking his head to the side innocently. "There are boys out there who could sneak up on you and do something bad, Saito-chan! Don't you know to be careful?"
"Well I-, wha-? H- how did you-?" I stammered, at a loss for words.
"Oh, sorry." Bachira's eyes widened like a doe. "Did you think I didn't know?" He asked, not waiting for a response. "Well that's silly! It was pretty obvious, wasn't it?"
I stared at him blankly, trying to form a coherent sentence. "Bachira, I-"
"It's okay though!" he cut in, stepping up close to me as he waved his hands in front of himself in an attempt to defuse the situation. "I won't tell anyone you're a girl! I don't think anyone but me knows anyway."
Still in shock, I took a few deep breaths and gulped. "Promise?" I whispered worriedly, looking up at him.
He nodded hurriedly. "Pinky promise," he said, sticking out his finger.
Locking my own pinky finger with his gently, shaking on it. I let out a sigh of relief as I let go. I think that just drained any remaining energy I had right out of me, I thought, closing my eyes for a brief moment.
"Sorry for scaring you," Bachira said, now back to normal as he began collecting the cones. "I didn't know you were trying to keep it a secret. I wouldn't have said anything."
"I'm not," I said quietly as I picked up the ball bag, refusing to look at him although I could feel his eyes on me.
Bachira paused, confusion taking over his features once again. "I don't get it. What's the big deal then?"
I let out another sigh as I tossed some balls into the bag. "It's kind of hard to explain, I guess," I began slowly. "When I got the invitation to come here, I just figured it would be easier if I didn't say anything about my gender. It's not like it's a secret or anything," I clarified hurriedly. "But I figured if you guys knew I was a girl, you'd treat me differently. And I didn't want that."
"Well that's stupid," Bachira stated bluntly, making me whip my head up to look at him. "I won't treat you any different."
I gave him a stern look. "You might not, Bachira," I said, voice turning sour. "But other people here will."
"Well then then that's what's stupid," he shrugged, finishing tying the cones on their rope.
"Yeah," I replied, also closing up the ball bag. "It is."
We were silent as we brought the equipment back to the storage closet. When everything was put away Bachira pulled me into a side hug.
"Come on, let's head back," he said, guiding me into the halls. "But just so you know, I'm still gonna protect you. I don't care what you think about it." He ruffled my hair with his free hand before releasing me.
"Yeah, yeah," I rolled my eyes, attempting to pat down my now messed up hair. "I'd expect nothing less from someone like you."
Bachira jumped away from me, hand clutching at his heart, though I couldn't tell if the look of hurt on his face was fake or not. "Wait a minute! What's that supposed to mean!"
"Nothing!" I giggled. "Just forget about it."
"But I-"
"It's nothing! Promise!"
"Noooooo!"
"Bachira! Get off me, you dumbass!"
~~~
A/N: Set Pieces: anytime there is a restart of a play (ex. penalty kicks, goal kicks, corner kicks, free kicks, etc.)