A/N: First submission in a while. Hopefully I've improved from my other stories. I haven't read ES21 in a while, but I did reread a few chapters and rewatched some episodes. I just felt the need to add to the archive.
A small yellow-orange beam of light shines through the window, signifying the broad afternoon daylight. Often, a warm breeze would penetrate through the same window, serving as the only source of ventilation for the room. It was hot, and cicadas can be heard chirping a mile away- typical of a normal day of summer.
Sena Kobayawa lies on his bed with his eyes directly looking at the ceiling. White seems to be a pretty good color for one- plain and simple, but also open to many interpretations of the owner. It signifies purity, cleanliness, and even the forces of "good", thanks to popular culture. Are these supposed to be attributed to his persona? Or was it just some random color? To add more information, it can also match virtually every other existing color, aesthetically speaking. Was that the reason? But black has the same advantage too. So why? Why did he choose to have a white ceiling? What could it mean?
BAM!
"Sena! This room is a mess!" his mother booms, slamming the door open in surprise.
"Hii!"
Her shrill yell startles Sena, prompting him to let out a small yelp. He almost falls over his bed after being broken out of his trance.
"How many times do I have to remind you? Honestly, you're already starting your second year in Deimon tomorrow and you still haven't learned to keep things tidy. You're not leaving this house until you clean this up!"
"Y-yes mom!" Sena hastily replies, as his mother shuts the door with another big thud.
'Ack! Right, It's almost time for practice! I better hurry up or else Hiruma's gonna kill me, again!'
Sena abruptly stands up, then proceeds to stretch his limbs to wake them up from their sleep. His toned muscles tense, in which he recalls what used to be flimsy arms and legs. It felt good to be physically adept now. He'd never thought that applying for secretary of an American Football club would change his life so much. To think that just a year ago, he was just a puny little gofer running errands for bullies whom he called "friends".
Right, he used to be a weakling. Constantly being pushed around by people bigger than him, in size or ego. Even when his old friend Riku taught him to rocket-start around those bullies and teach them a lesson, Sena ended up using it to make his getting pushed around easier. His only real friend after Riku left was Mamori. She'd always guard him from anyone, or anything for that matter, like a big sister. There was a limit to what he could do by himself from having Mamori constantly keeping an eye out for him. Sena tries to brush away these depressing thoughts and focus on cleaning so he can go to practice as soon as possible, but they still linger at the back of his mind.
As he shifts his gaze, he notices that his room was quite untidy after all. Worn and smelly socks surround his bed, all from his old habit of taking them off right before he naps after practice. Used T-shirts and shorts lie on one corner near the closet, probably unwashed for at least a few days. Some of his old textbooks from the previous year are even left in his old school bag. Sena decides to sort those first, since school started the next day.
Has it really been that long? It feels as if only yesterday, he was running his first 40-yard dash, after being dragged into the ame-futo club against his own will. The look on Hiruma's eyes, after finding his trump card for all the games to come and the utter awe on Kurita's face, having never seen such a fast runner in person; such vivid expressions were ones Sena had never seen before. Even after being chased by a living death machine named Cerberus, Sena had to admit that this new feeling of being appreciated and important was a pleasant one. Not that he would admit that after being threatened to death of course.
Sena immediately removes the contents of his bag- textbooks, notebooks, and all sorts of assorted papers and notes. He pours out the rest of the tiny components too obscure to take out manually, like slips of paper and small dust balls.
A small square-shaped piece of paper falls from one of the bag's hidden pockets. Sena bends down to examine the curious slip.
The slip is actually a photo- the last photo taken with the whole ame-futo club together. It's not exactly a uniform photo; Cerberus can be seen at the center of attention chasing Butaberus, who in turn is chasing Monta for some strange reason. The Ha-ha Bros and Komusubi seem to be having another quarrel, with Kurita at the side trying to break it up. Taki looks like he's having fun with his trademark pose, though sadly his face was cut off at the end of the picture. Hiruma can't be seen anywhere, although there seems to be a strange dark shadow emanating behind the whole group. Wait, are those red glowing eyes? The only people left smiling straight at the camera are Sena and Mamori.
Sena lets out a small laugh, and now has a wide grin over his face. How could he forget? In the span of one year, he made lifelong companions that he trusted on the field. He met outstanding individuals and made hot-blooded rivals, like Shin and Panther. He even met the real legend himself- Eyeshield 21. The memories he made with these people are impossible to forget. He's no longer a spineless coward. He's Eyeshield 21, runningback of the Deimon Devil Bats.
Memories. From their first match with the Koigahama Cupids to winning the Christmas Bowl to the final battle with the NASA Shuttles, they've come a long way. The laughs and tears shared are just part of the journey. "We'll win the Christmas Bowl, even if we die!" they'd shout. No one expected Deimon to reach the second round, let alone win. But their resolve would never waver. This wasn't some petty extra credit for club achievements, this was their dream.
Engulfed with sentiment and nostalgia, Sena tries to find the old photo album Mamori gave him. It was originally for documentation purposes, but it lost its use when the year ended. It was only fitting to give it to the supposed "secretary". Try as he might though, but the clutter and mess of his room just obscured it from his sight. He eventually finds an old unused picture frame after accidentally stepping on it while running around. Well, the stand broke, but he could easily find a replacement.
There. A perfect fit. Elegantly placed by his alarm clock to serve as a daily reminder.
At that moment, Sena's mother barges in to his room once again, this time holding a basket of laundry.
"Ah! You're still here? Well I did say what I said, but if it's too much trouble, than you can clean it after practice."
Sena immediately checks his watch.
"Uwah! I'm already 15 minutes late! Thanks mom, I'll clean up later. I gotta go now, bye!"
Sena zips right past her in his usual lightning speed. His mother sighs in defeat.
"I guess boys will be boys, huh? But at least this time, he seems to be having fun."
...
"FUCKING SHRIMP! JUST BECAUSE IT'S SUMMER DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN SLACK OFF! YOU BETTER NOT FUCK UP WHEN WE'RE GONE!"
A/N: Hopefully that was better than what I'm expecting. What's still bugging me is whether Hiruma, Kurita, Musashi, Yukimura, and Mamori would still be joining practices, since they're technically not part of the club once they're seniors. Don't hesitate to tell me if there's anything wrong, though please do so nicely. I'll immediately fix anything up just to make this more legit.