1Hey everyone and happy early holidays! I don't celebrate the holidays myself, being Hindu, but for the people who do celebrate Christmas and Hanukah, have a jolly good time! This one-shot may be a bit cheesy, but I wanted to get it out before I forgot. So enjoy, and please review and leave your thoughts! (Flames are not tolerated)
- Idol
Taiyou usually never cared about the holidays.
Being in the hospital, the only presents he'd get were from the nurses. Maybe an occasional one from his parents, but they were way too busy working to pay his hospital fees. And the nurses were terrible gift-givers. Sure, they all liked Taiyou, but liking the boy and giving him a gift were two different ball games. The soccer prodigy came off as a weirdo to literally everyone who didn't play soccer except for Nurse Fuyuka, and she was one of the managers of the legendary Inazuma Japan soccer team when she was younger, so she didn't count.
Soon, the only gifts he'd receive would be from Fuyuka and later in middle school, a few from his teammates, but that was about it. He'd soon stopped caring and wondered why everyone made such a big fuss about Christmas.
In his heart, he knew why, though. It was an itch he hated to scratch, but sometimes, when he was alone in the hospital room, in the dark, his mind would slowly drift to those darker thoughts. His classmates' families were at home, waiting to give them a hug and a warm meal. They'd shower their child with love and presents, and Christmas, to them, was the best time of the year. Taiyou, on the other hand, was not normal. His family was thousands of miles away, working to keep him alive. He had to sneak out of the hospital to play soccer for a little bit, and even so, he couldn't practice for more than an hour before his body gave out. Even so, he always tried to be a good kid so people would pay attention to him and maybe lend a little money. But not even Gouenji had the kind of money needed to cure his disease, and that was saying something. These thoughts would run through Taiyou's head in the dead of night as he would quietly sob, wondering what he did to deserve such a cruel fate.
Taiyou's second year in middle school was eventful. Raimon Jr High was challenging the all-powerful Fifth Sector. As Taiyou's team, Arakumo Academy, advanced through the Holy Road tournament, their semi-final opponents just happened to be the infamous Raimon. Taiyou was excited about the match-up. When he felt depressed, watching Raimon's matches would cheer him up. Then he met Tenma Matsukaze, a midfielder for Raimon, the wind of the revolution, the person who inspired Raimon to fight back against Fifth Sector's oppressive rule. The two soccer-idiots immediately hit it off, and after a lot of persuading, Taiyou was allowed to play in the match and go against Tenma. It was a match for the ages, and Tenma's Avatar even evolved to fight Taiyou's. Then Tenma combined his avatar with Shindou's and Tsurugi's to create a new Avatar to fight Taiyou. Taiyou collapsed once the match was over. Even though his team lost by one goal, he was too satisfied by the game to care. He felt a bit guilty for accidentally breaking Shindou's leg since Shindou was the captain and all, but otherwise, the game was one for the record books. To top it all off, Taiyou had made a plethora of new friends, as Tenma introduced his team to Taiyou, and they all loved Taiyou to pieces.
Looking back, Taiyou didn't know why he hadn't seen it coming.
It was Christmas. Taiyou had to be admitted into the hospital again because he collapsed during soccer practice. He got a get well card from Fuyuka in the morning (though he knew it didn't mean anything), and Yuuichi, Tsurugi's hospitalized brother, came to visit him as well. Yuuichi told him the happy news of an anonymous person offering to pay for his surgery. Yuuichi would be able to walk again! Taiyou was ecstatic for his friend, but a tiny part of him was jealous. Why did they pay for Yuuichi's surgery but not his?
Taiyou was very ashamed of that small part of himself.
So after Yuuichi left for his therapy, Taiyou's mood turned from chipper to sullen faster than you could say "GOAL!" It seemed like this was just going to be another dull Christmas.
Oh, how wrong he was.
The door slammed open, making Taiyou jump. A loud chorus of "Surprise!" reached the blonde's ears, and no other words could describe his emotions at that moment any better than utterly shocked. For there, at the door, arms laden with colorfully wrapped boxes, was the entire Raimon team, with the new captain Tenma leading them.
"Yo, Taiyou!" Tenma attempted to wave unsuccessfully due to his arms carrying three huge boxes. "We thought you might be lonely, so we came to visit!"
The team started to file into the room and set the boxes down. If possible, Taiyou's eyes grew wider. Each player brought at least two gifts! That would mean at least thirty-two gifts!
But Taiyou only knew the Raimon team for a few months, and even then, he got off to a rocky start due to his Avatar breaking Shindou's leg. But all of them brought presents for Taiyou. They remembered Taiyou on a day they were supposed to be enjoying with their families. Why?
"What did you say?" Tenma's voice snapped Taiyou out of his thoughts, and he clamped a hand over his mouth, realizing he had accidentally spoken his thoughts. Concern clouded Tenma's usually sparkling eyes, and the brunette drew close to the hospital bed. "Taiyou? What's wrong?"
The team noticed, and soon, Taiyou's bed was surrounded by the soccer players. A weird feeling choked the soccer genius's throat, and he couldn't make a sound. The boy didn't know what he was feeling. He was shocked, happy yet also, there was this heavy feeling in his heart. A tear rolled down his cheek as he tried to grasp what was going on. His heart hurt even though he was positive that this was the best Christmas he'd ever had. He looked up at Tenma in confusion. "I...I don't know what to say. I'm so happy I can't even put it into words, yet I also feel like crying. Why are you here instead of with your family and friends? I've only known you for a few months!"
Taiyou's head snapped up at the sound of a laugh. Everyone looked to the source, a certain navy-blue-haired striker. Tsurugi's mouth was turned up in a grin, and his eyes were dancing with amusement. "Because that's what friends do, idiot," He chuckled.
The former captain, Shindou, also smiled. "If Tsurugi, the most antisocial person in the world, says it, then it's gotta be true."
"Hey! I didn't ask for your opinion!"
"What he means is, if our friends are aloe and hurting, we can't just leave them!" Tenma threw his arms wide. "That's because you're part of the Raimon family now!"
Nods and grunts of approval from the rest of the team backed Tenma up. Taiyou gazed at every member. Sangoku, Kurumada, Kirino, Amagi, Shinsuke, Hamano, Hayami, Shindou, Tsurugi, Kurama, Aoyama, Ichino, Nishiki, Kariya, Hikaru, Tenma. You all… think of me as family?
Taiyou didn't realize he was crying until he felt a pair of warm arms surround him. Tenma, then Shindou, then Tsurugi, and soon the entire Raimon team joined in the group hug with Taiyou in the middle. The tears only seemed to fall faster as he hugged back.
Unbeknownst to the group, Nurse Fuyuka and Coach Endou watched with proud smiles from the door.
Taiyou didn't even care about the gifts they brought now. He still had one question: what did he do to deserve friends like them?
