Serendipity

by Floriessence

Victorious, Inazuma Japan return home after the FFI and resume their normal lives...until some realize that a champion archer transferred during their absence. The new girl seems pleasant enough, but something's out of place...but what? OCxCharacter

1. Of Archers and Broken Promises

Summary: Victorious, Inazuma Japan return home after the FFI and resume their normal lives...until some realize that a champion archer transferred during their absence. The new girl seems pleasant enough, but something's out of place...but what? OCxCharacter

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."
- Robert Frost -

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Chapter 1 - Of Archers and Broken Promises

"Ah, it's good to be back!" Raimon Junior High's soccer captain and goalkeeper Endo Mamoru exclaimed. He grinned widely at his companions.

"You're right," midfielder Kazemaru Ichirouta agreed. He gazed up at the sky and closed his eyes so he could bask his face in the warm autumn sun. Then he took a deep breath and let the wind whip through his hair, as if he was allowing it to possess him. A moment later, the teen slowly opened his eyes and smiled gently. "Our time at Liocott Island feels like a dream." Beside Kazemaru, game strategist Kidou Yuuto and ace striker Gouenji Shuuya nodded. Both had wistful looks on their faces.

It was now two days since Japanese junior high soccer team Inazuma Japan returned home after winning the championship at FFI, an international soccer tournament modeled to resemble the World Cup. The day before had been reserved to give all of the players some respite, as the plane trip home had been quite extensive. Instead of resting, however, the team had decided to celebrate their victory at Coach Hibiki's ramen shop and spend as much time as they could together before they had to part ways. At the moment, however, Endo, Kazemaru, Gouenji, and Kidou, who all attended Raimon Junior High, were on their way to school. Along the way, Endo suddenly stopped and pointed at something ahead.

"Hey look!" he shouted excitedly. His friends stopped and looked at what Endo was pointing at. All of them had neared Raimon Junior High's campus, where the sound of thundering cheers rumbled throughout the area. All of the windows were open and the four friends could see hundreds of students waving and cheering.

"Wow…this is quite a welcome," Kazemaru remarked. He walked forward and beckoned to his friends to follow.

"We heard all about what happened at the FFI! You guys are amazing!" people shouted. Endo waved wildly.

"Thanks!" he shouted back. "We're glad that we went. Soccer's a great sport! Try it out sometime!" Behind Endo, Kidou, Gouenji, and Kazemaru exchanged knowing looks, and then quietly entered the school building together. It was not until a little later that Endo realized that his friends had gone on without him, and he hurried inside as well; it wouldn't do if he was late for class on the first day back.

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"Good morning, Kujou-san!" a student greeted.

"Good morning," a girl responded. She smiled brightly and skipped over to her desk, which was next to the window in the second row, and sat down comfortably. She hung her bag on a hook beside her desk and took out her school books and a small chocolate cupcake that she had snuck out of the kitchen as an after-breakfast snack. Kujou took off the wrapping and was bringing the cupcake to her mouth when an explosion of sound suddenly blasted throughout the school. The girl jumped and almost dropped her sweet. Startled, she looked around to see what was going on. Her classmates were crowding around the windows, shouting and waving wildly at whoever was outside. She then noticed a group of girls chatting nearby and decided that it wouldn't hurt to ask them.

"Hey, what's all the commotion about?" The girls looked at each other and squealed.

"The soccer team came back after winning the FFI tournament championship," one of them answered excitedly. "You're new here, so you probably don't know. Our school's soccer team used to be really weak and small, but it began to grow really fast and strong this year. Last semester, we won the Football Frontier championship. It was really cool!" Another girl sighed dreamily.

"Yeah! And the thing is, a lot of the team members are really hot. You should go see them!"

As soon as the girl finished talking, the classroom door slid open and Gouenji, Kidou, Kazemaru, and eventually Endo walked in. The girls, and a number of guys, rushed over to greet them and bombarded them with questions at lightning speed. Kujou stared in disbelief, and then shook her head sadly, still not understanding what the point of all the fuss was. Who cared if her new school had a genius soccer team? She had her own sport to cherish; to her, soccer was just a minor existence…right?

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"Oi, guys! Good morning." Endo turned around and saw Ichinose Kazuya and Domon Asuka standing in front of the classroom door. Endo and his friends pushed their way out of the growing crowd around them and went to greet the two newcomers.

"Hey Ichinose, Domon. Good morning," Endo greeted. Domon leaned on his left leg and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yo, I know it's the first day back and everything, but why don't we go out later and play soccer? We might as well warm up for the Football Frontier next year," he said.

"Sounds good," Kidou answered. "Let's gather up the others and head out to the field at recess. We could also stay after school and train." Gouenji smirked.

"Sounds like a plan," he said. As soon as he finished talking, the morning bell rang, signaling the beginning of first period. Ichinose visibly jumped.

"Yikes! It's the bell. Bye guys, let's talk during lunch," he said quickly. He, Kazemaru, and Kidou hurried out of the room and went to their respective classrooms.

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"Hey, Endo-kun. Did you sleep well last night?" Endou looked up from his desk and saw his friend and soccer manager Kino Aki smiling at him.

"Sure thing," he answered. The boy rubbed his head. "It kinda feels strange to come back to school though. There's a lot of makeup work, and I don't get the lessons at all." Aki chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. It'll take some time to get used to studying again…eek!" She and Endo flinched when they heard intense bickering next to the desk two rows down from where Endo sat.

"What are they yelling about?" Endou asked. Aki shook her head.

"I have no idea. Gouenji-kun, do you know?" she asked. Gouenji, who was sitting three rows away on the left, gave the pair a blank look.

"No. I'll go ask if you want." The teen slowly got up from his chair and walked over to see what the conflict was about.

The group mainly consisted of boys, but there were also a number of girls who were mixed in the hassle. Everyone was surrounding one desk. Gouenji peered closely and noticed that all of the attention was being directed at a girl that he had never seen before at school. He assumed that she had transferred during the FFI tournament.

The first thing he noticed was the blue ribbon that the girl had braided with a small bunch of her hair. Blue eyes matched the color of the ribbon and black hair was swept up in a high ponytail on the left side of her head.

"Kujou-san! Can you eat with us today?" Gouenji heard one student ask.

"What are you talking about?" Another student replied angrily. "She's eating with us! She promised to tell us all about America!"

Oh, Gouenji thought. So the new girl, "Kujou-san," transferred from America? He glanced at "Kujou-san" and noticed that she looked rather uncomfortable. Gouenji decided to interrupt the argument. He walked up towards the group of students.

"Hey, who's she?" he asked. Everyone looked at him.

"Gouenji-san!" they exclaimed.

"She's a transfer student from America," one of the boys quickly explained. "Kujou Aya-san. She came about a week ago."

"Kujou Aya, huh?" Gouenji muttered. "You guys shouldn't crowd around her like this; she looks scared." Everyone looked down at Aya, who blinked back at them, confused.

"Well…I think this is a bit troublesome, to tell the truth…why don't we say that I'll eat with this guy today," Aya pointed at Gouenji, "and decide who to eat with later on. Deal?" The students looked at one another. One of the boys shrugged.

"Sure, I guess. Sorry about this. See you later, Kujou-san!" The group waved and dispersed. After everyone had left, Aya looked at Gouenji gratefully.

"Thanks for that…Gouenji…?"

"Shuuya. Gouenji Shuuya. It's fine." Aya nodded.

"Gouenji-san, I know I told them that I would eat with you today, but that was on a whim. You don't have to eat with me if you don't want to." Although she tried not to show it, Aya looked a bit lonely. She stared at her desk. Gouenji noticed this and smirked.

"I'm fine with it. I'm eating with some friends. Join us if you want to." Aya's eyes lit up.

"Really? Thank you."

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"Gouenji-san! Is that a girl with you?" Kurimatsu asked disbelievingly. Everyone around him became dead quiet and stared at Aya.

"Classmate," Gouenji answered.

He and Aya had just arrived at the vast Raimon Junior High soccer field and saw the soccer club sitting down on the benches, eating bento and socializing. Now Aya, who had been standing behind Gouenji, walked to the front and smiled.

"Kujou Aya. Nice to meet you everyone." Raimon Natsumi, daughter of Raimon Junior High's chairman, smiled from where she was sitting next to Aki on one of the benches.

"Our introductions were a little late. I am Raimon Natsumi, and everyone here is part of the soccer club. Welcome to Raimon Junior High." Aya smiled.

"Thanks."

"You're from my class, right?" Endo asked. He got up and walked towards Aya. "I've never seen you before though…" he added. Aya nodded.

"I came here from America about a week ago."

Endo nodded and smiled. "I see! I'm Endo Mamoru." The boy held out his hand. "I'm the caption of the soccer club." Aya shook Endo's hand. Then she looked around at each of the club members and at the field.

"I've heard that Raimon has a strong soccer team, and that you guys won the FFI tournament. That's pretty impressive," she commented.

"Heh, it's nothing." Endo chuckled. "We just played soccer the way we usually do. Do you play soccer?" Aya hesitated for a split second, but then she shook her head.

"No…I do archery." Kidou looked interested. He got up from his seat next to his sister Otonashi Haruna and walked towards the newcomer.

"Archery, huh? That's pretty new. The archery club here has been getting some recognition." Aya's smile widened.

"Yeah. It's one of the reasons that I decided to transfer here."

"Hey! You must be hungry, Aya-san. Why don't you join us for lunch?" Aki asked. She beckoned to an empty seat next to her. "We can all ask her questions while we eat," she added, noticing how everyone was looking at Aya with interest; transfer students almost always had interesting stories to tell.

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Kabeyama dropped onto his back and sighed contentedly.

"Thanks for the food! It was so good!" Everyone laughed.

"Everything tastes good to you," Matsuno teased. A couple people cracked up. After everyone had calmed down, Endo jumped up and faced his friends with his arms spread out.

"Hey guys! Now that we've eaten, why don't we play a game?" he asked. The boy picked up a soccer ball from behind one of the benches. "I brought a ball from the clubhouse." The other boys nodded and got up after they had put away their bento boxes.

"Why not?" Someoka asked. He got up and pumped a fist into the air. "I'll agree to playing a match anytime!"

"Would you like to join us, Kujou-sempai?" Kabeyama asked. Again Aya hesitated, but she quickly regained her composure and smiled weakly. She shook her head.

"Thank you for the offer, but not today. I told you guys before, but I don't know how to play soccer." Gouenji narrowed his eyes. He had noticed a flicker of what looked like sadness cross the girl's face. Was she hiding something? If so, why?

"Gouenji! What are you standing around for? Come onto the field!" Kazemaru called. With a start, Gouenji looked behind him and saw that his friends were on the field and had already divided themselves into teams. He dashed over to join them.

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"True Bakunetsu Screw!" Gouenji shouted. He jumped into the air and shot the soccer ball towards Endo. The ball raged forwards like a ball of fire, rising in temperature the longer it whizzed across the field.

"True Ijigan The Hand!" Endo yelled out. He jumped up and fell towards the ground upside down. He then punched the ground with his left fist. A yellow barrier surrounded him like a cage of lightening. The soccer ball created intense friction with the barrier as it attempted to push itself through and enter the goal that was just out of its reach. In the end, Ijigan The Hand began to crack. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Kazemaru leapt towards the ball.

"I'm not letting it go in!" he shouted. Like a gust of wind, Kazemaru dashed towards Endo and kicked the ball away with a slide tackle. Endo grinned.

"Great job, Kazemaru!" he praised, but a sudden shocked look on his friend's face made him look over at what the commotion was about.

The ball that Kazemaru had kicked seemed to be favoring the girls, and was aiming right at Aya.

"Kujou-san! Watch out!" Kazemaru shouted. Aki, Natsumi, and Haruna covered their eyes. Aya's face paled. A conflicted look crossed her face, but before she could think, her body moved on its own. She jumped in the air. Large white wings appeared on her back. They created a strong wind that made the soccer ball rise higher into the air and be engulfed in a miniature tornado.

"Angelique Arrow," Aya muttered. Using all of the strength in her right leg, she kicked the ball towards Endo. The ball whizzed towards him like a rocket, with a large, winged feathered arrow appearing behind it. Endo held up his hands and hugged the oncoming soccer ball to his chest. The ball's strength caused Endo to be pushed back a couple of inches. Eventually, he came to a stop and the ball was secured in his hands. Endo looked around at his teammates and saw that they were staring at Aya in shock, who looked like she had just seen a ghost.

"What was that?" Someoka asked.

"She could shoot like that?" Kazemaru wondered in disbelief.

"Is she really new to soccer?" Kidou added.

"Angelique Arrow…?" Endou said to himself. He looked down at the ball in his hands. Aya's kick had been powerful. It was almost as good as the shoots that Urabe Rika's team in Osaka had. After a while, a giddy smile crossed his face. Endo looked back up at Aya and gave her a thumbs-up.

"Kujou-san! That was an awesome kick!" Aya's face grew pale. She slowly backed away from the field.

"I…I…I'm going to go look for the archery club captain!" With haste, she ran off to the back of the school, where the sports club buildings were located. Everyone quietly stared at the retreating figure.

"Aya-san..." Aki said worriedly.

A grave silence surrounded the field. No one knew what to say. A few minutes later, Handa Shinichi broke the silence.

"Why did she lie to us?" he asked. By now, all of the boys had left the field and were gathered around the benches to join Natsumi, Aki, and Haruna.

"She looked upset, when she has so much talent. I can't believe that she's never played soccer before," Kazemaru commented.

"I think we should try to learn more about her background, but first, let's try to look for her," Haruna said. She took out her laptop and started typing. "Let's see…Kujou Aya…Kujou Aya…ah! I've got something!" Haruna scanned the article in front of her. Her brow furrowed, and the longer she read, the more her expression twisted in confusion.

"What's wrong, Haruna?" Kidou asked.

"It's really strange, onii-chan," Haruna said. She tapped the keyboard with her fingers as she spoke. "There are a lot of articles about her archery skills, but see this one? Listen to this: After 11-year-old Aya Kujou suddenly appeared at the Preliminary Archery Youth Tournament in Korea, she won consecutive matches to become the Asian archery youth champion, a feat not done since Kurannosuke Amakusa did so three years before. Aya was noted for her precision and her ability to evenly distribute her strength in her arms and hands, allowing her to determine where her arrows would hit before she had let go of the bowstring. Further research showed that Aya had been an avid soccer player before she had turned to archery."

"So it was true," Kidou said.

"I knew it!" Someoka exclaimed. "Her hissatsu technique wasn't something that an amateur could do on a whim."

Away from the others, Gouenji was leaning against a nearby tree, deep in thought. Hearing the news article had ignited something in his heart. He pushed himself off the tree.

"I'll go find her," Gouenji said.

"Gouenji…?" Endo said, his words trailing off. Everyone turned to Gouenji. After a while, however, Endo smiled and nodded understandably. "Go then. Good luck." Gouenji nodded.

"Cover for me if I don't get to class on time." Endo gave him a thumbs-up.

"You bet!"

With a final nod, Gouenji turned around and chased after Aya.

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Aya bent over and panted heavily. She had been running at her speed capacity towards the archery room, and was now leaning against one of the concrete walls. She clutched her head. Kicking the soccer ball earlier had flooded her brain with unpleasant memories. "What have I done?" She asked herself. A sudden rustle sounded behind her. Aya's ears perked up.

"Found you," said a new voice. Aya spun around, recognizing the voice to be Gouenji's. The teen was leaning against the wall next to her, with one leg over the other and his arms crossed over his chest.

"Gouenji-san? What are you doing here?" Aya asked. She faked a smile. Gouenji narrowed his eyes.

"Don't play dumb. Why did you run away?" Aya glared.

"T-that's none of your business!" She blurted.

"It's a little late for that," Gouenji answered coolly. "I already made it my business."

"Then just leave me alone."

"No." Gouenji pushed himself off the wall. "You lied to everyone. You used to be an avid soccer player before you turned to archery, right?" Aya flinched.

"Where'd you find that out?" She asked.

"Otonashi is good with the internet," Gouenji explained. "She found your information without any trouble." Aya looked away.

"What do you want?" she muttered. "Can't you see that I don't want to talk about it?"

"I don't want anything special; I simply want an explanation. Why'd you lie?" Gouenji took a step towards Aya, who unconsciously stepped back.

"Why do you want to know so much?" she asked.

"Because your lie made everyone lose trust in you, and I don't agree with that." Gouenji's eyes softened. "Plus, you reminded me of how I was when I first came here." Aya snapped her head up to face the teen with a clear expression of disbelief on her face. "I almost lost someone I loved because of soccer, and quit until I came here," Gouenji added. "I think something similar happened to you."

"What would you know?" Aya asked angrily. "I…I…" A tear trickled down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away. Gouenji took a step forward and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"You don't have to tell me, but don't you think talking about it will release the burden?" Aya faltered. Her face burned.

"I…uh…"

"Well?" Gouenji prodded. In the end, Aya collapsed and slid down to the ground. She pulled her legs up to her chin and rested her head on top of her knees. Gouenji took the hint and walked over to the girl and sat down beside her.

"It was six years ago," Aya slowly began. Her voice shook. "I used to be a regular on the youth league soccer team in America as a striker. My biggest supporter was Kura-kun, my childhood friend. He's three years older than me."

"Amakusa Kurannosuke?" Gouenji asked. Aya nodded. She didn't seem surprised that he recognized the name.

"Kura-kun would come to see every game I was in," Aya continued. "At that time, he was the champion archer at an archery tournament in Korea. He always left to compete in the fall, and I would go with him to watch, since the soccer games I played in ended in the summer. On my eighth birthday, Kura-kun had a match, so I went to see him. He won, of course," Aya smiled sadly. "Afterwards, we were going to celebrate at his hotel. Out of excitement, I ran down the streets, where traffic was really busy. Before I knew it, I had run in front of a truck. I was terrified." Aya's eyes were downcast. Her lips quivered. "I froze and didn't know what to do. Before anything happened to me, Kura-kun had grabbed me and pulled me out of the way, but in the process, he had crushed his leg under the truck tires and the ligaments in his arm were torn to the point that he could never do archery again. The event made him devastated."

"I can see why," Gouenji commented. Aya sighed and looked out into the distance.

"The two of us had dreams," she continued, "and we promised one another that we would fulfill them: I would be the youngest female ace striker in America, while Kura-kun would revive archery in Japan by being the world champion consecutively. The accident had ruined his dream from ever coming true. For two years, he was in a state of depression. I wasn't surprised; he wanted so badly to fulfill his dream. I felt responsible for his turmoil…guilt gnawed at my mind for almost a year. In the end, I decided to make Kura-kun's dream come true by making it come true myself."

Beside Aya, Gouenji closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall. He crossed his arms over his chest. "So you basically threw away your own dream for someone else's?"

Aya chuckled half-heartedly. "Yeah…that's exactly what I did." She fell silent.

"How foolish."

"How can you say that?" Aya asked angrily. "What do you know? I'll have you understand that I've been doing this for a long time, and things are going great!"

"Are you sure?" Gouenji opened his eyes and looked over at Aya. "Do you really think Amakusa is happy that you're doing this?"

"Of course!" Aya's voice faltered. "At least…I think so…"

"I understand how you feel," Gouenji said. "I have a little sister who was in a coma for a long time because she got into a car accident while on her way to watch one of my soccer games. I thought the world fell apart around me." The teen's expression became softer. "I planned to punish myself by quitting soccer until she woke up. For a while, I succeeded, but after I met Endo, I began to realize that I still loved soccer. He really does wonders, that Endo." Gouneji smirked. "I think you're feeling the same way. You still love soccer." Aya's face flustered. She shook her head violently.

"No I don't."

"Yes you do. Don't be stubborn."

"I said that I don't like soccer anymore! The kick that time was a fluke!" Gouenji narrowed his eyes.

"That was no fluke." Aya flinched under the icy gaze. She felt like Gouenji was burning holes into her head. "You're skilled," he continued. "It's a waste to throw all your talent away for someone else. I'm sure Amakusa disagrees with what you've been doing up till now."

"No…you're wrong." Aya's voice wavered.

"You're hopeless," Gouenji muttered. He got up and picked up a soccer ball that he found lying next to a nearby tree. "Get up for a second," he commanded. Aya looked up at him curiously.

"What for?" she asked warily.

"Just get up." Aya reluctantly obeyed. "Now, stand over there." Gouenji indicated that she stand a few feet away from him. Aya did as she was instructed. As soon as he saw that Aya was standing in place, Gouenji suddenly kicked the soccer ball towards her with full force. Aya's eyes widened as she saw the ball aiming at her face. With a smooth movement, she stepped backwards and stopped the ball with her chest. The ball fell to the ground in front of her feet.

"What was that for?" Aya demanded.

"Wake up." Gouenji said sternly. "Listen to yourself talking. I don't know how you were able to repress your feelings all those years, but now is the time for you to open your eyes and realize what you're doing to yourself. You still love soccer, and your friend won't be happy that you gave up your dream to fulfill his. I know I wouldn't have been happy if any of my friends did that for me." Aya silently stared at him. Suddenly, tears fell and she picked up the soccer ball from the ground and hugged it tightly to her chest.

"You're right," Aya choked out. "I do love soccer, but I can't face Kura-kun if I continued to play…I still feel like I betrayed him. What does everyone expect me to do? I don't even know what I'm supposed to do anymore." The girl slowly fell to her knees. "And I lied again at lunch when I told Kido-kun that I came to Raimon because of the archery club. That was part of the reason, but the main reason was that I wanted to play soccer. I thought I would be able to, but I ended up rejecting the thought every time."

"Join the club," Gouenji suggested. He walked over to Aya and kneeled down in front of her. Then he slowly reached out and patted her head. "Here, you can do both if you want to. Archery season begins in the fall. Soccer begins in the spring. You don't have to give up anything. And if you get into trouble, we'll be here to help." Gouenji smiled warmly, the rare smile that he gave to his little sister Yuuka. Aya slowly looked up. Her eyes were red and swollen, but the corners of her mouth lifted up just a bit.

"Will that be possible?" she asked slowly. "Will I be forgiven? Will Kura-kun hate me?"

"Have you gone to see him?" Gouenji asked. Aya shook her head.

"Not for a long time. He was hospitalized for surgery, but he hasn't done it yet. Right now, he's been admitted to Seoul University Hospital."

"Even so, I would forgive you if I were him," Gouenji assured. "Now that he won't be able to keep his end of the promise you two made, he'll be rooting for you to fulfill your end of the bargain. It wasn't your fault that Amakusa got injured; he simply wanted to protect the person he cared about the most." Aya looked away and stared at the ground. She was thinking over Gouenji's last words. Then she suddenly stood up and looked down at him with eyes filled with determination.

"I understand, Gouenji-kun. Thank you so much for talking with me about this." Aya's eyes softened. "I…I think I might have been waiting for someone to tell me the words that you just told me. It made me calm down the nerves that I had built up all these years."

"That's good to hear." Gouenji got up and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants. "Then, ready to head back?" Aya nodded.

"I want to apologize and clear up any misunderstandings." Gouenji smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Let's go." The boy walked ahead towards the school building. Aya smiled and ran to catch up.

"Hey, you can call me Aya if you want," she said. Gouenji's face turned red. To hide his embarrassment, he coughed.

"Likewise. Call me anything you want." Aya beamed.

"Really? Thanks!" Gouenji continued walking.

"Let's hurry. Class's starting." Aya nodded and ran towards Gouenji. She stopped once she was beside him, and the two walked side-by-side back to the place where they first met.