Here is my first DAYS fanfiction! I first found out about this anime in late March even though it has been out a while, and am proud to be part of this fandom!
So this is a little bit like the first episode with some changes!
I don't own DAYS, that belongs to Tsuyoshi Yasuda!
Getting To Know You
Tsukamoto gazed longingly at the group. He wished he could be out there. Playing soccer was always a dream of his. But he could never be able to do half of the things he's seen talented athletes do.
Once when he was younger, his mother had tried to get him more active but he couldn't even kick the ball. He had ended up extending his leg up way too high, with so much force that he fell backwards. That instance on his back told him something. Tsukamoto knew that he wouldn't be able to play soccer. No matter how much he wanted to. Not even if he was dressed casually in shorts and a shirt, bored of just lounging around the house that he had left and came here.
Mizuki and Ooshiba were talking on their way to the small field. When they weren't training with the rest of the team, both of them loved to go out and have fun playing futsal. Every other weekend was spent alternating between the mall, park, and soccer hall. Today the two high schoolers had chosen the soccer hall. Both were very good players, and liked interacting with all levels of talented guys.
Passing the fence on their way out of the locker room, Ooshiba spotted a lone figure standing off to the side. Nudging his friend, Ooshiba pointed to the stranger. "Hey, who's that?"
Mizuki followed his gaze and noticed the boy. He didn't seem familiar, and surely wasn't on the Seiseki High School team. At least, not that he could remember. There was supposed to be a fresh batch of players soon though, since the new school year started.
Mizuki shrugged, "I'm not sure. I've never seen him before." Stopping their stride, both wondered why he wasn't gearing up with the rest of the guys. They tried to think of a reason why but couldn't. Frowning mildly, Mizuki started to walk over.
Tsukamoto jumped a little as two older boys came to stand by him. Both were taller than him and slightly intimidating. The shorter male had black hair and dark brown eyes that were serious, but also brimming with curiosity. The taller one had red hair and a confidence as he walked, blue eyes seeming to stare straight through Tsukamoto.
"Hey. How come you're over here? The match is that way." Jerking a hand behind his shoulder, Ooshiba looked back at the short boy. The second-year's brow furrowed confusedly when the stranger began shaking his head and waving his arms in front of him.
"Oh no, I couldn't possibly go. I've never even played soccer before. Plus I'd slow everyone down and probably hurt myself." Wringing his hands, Tsukamoto felt nervous and embarrassed. Here were two athletes who were obviously going to participate in tonight's game, and they spent their time talking to him of all people.
Mizuki watched his cheeks turn a light red, blue eyes flickering every which way and not looking at him or Ooshiba. The older teen cocked his head. If this kid wanted to play then that was good enough. Stretching his arm out, he let his hand rest on Tsukamoto's shoulder. He felt the younger boy startle and tense his muscles. Mizuki calmly waited until he looked up.
"Come play. You're dressed for it already. Well, mostly." Sure his shoes weren't usually the type worn in a game, but they would do for now.
Now frantically shaking his head no, Tsukamoto tried to say why that would be a bad idea. But the two older boys didn't care for his excuses. Gesturing for Tsukamoto to follow, Ooshiba made his way onto the small pitch. When the newbie hadn't moved, Mizuki put a hand on his shoulder and guided him along.
"I'm Hisahito Mizuki and that guy is Kiichi Ooshiba. It's nice to meet you." Mizuki said this in such a casual and friendly tone. Tsukamoto felt multiple eyes turn to him. How would these players feel though? Tsukamoto hoped it wouldn't end in disaster.
"Everybody this is…um what's your name?" At Mizuki's question, Tsukamoto almost face palmed. How could he have forgotten to introduce himself before? Bowing, he stated his name. Everyone continued to watch as he straightened up.
Nodding, Mizuki looked back towards his team for the day. "Tsukamoto will be on our side." He was glad that people were accepting of Tsukamoto. He knew how it felt to be looked down upon from older players. "We'll start in a few minutes." Turning away he spotted an empty space by the bench and sat his bag down. Getting out his water bottle, he thought of Tsukamoto and pulled out his spare one.
"Here. Drinking water is important. Otherwise you might run out of stamina or hurt yourself. Trust me, I've been there." For some reason this made Tsukamoto's blue eyes widen as he realized what Mizuki was doing for him. Then after a minute, they seemed to sparkle.
"Thank you very much, Mizuki!" Taking the offer, Tsukamoto smiled before opening the top. Mizuki stared before drinking his own bottle.
"Hey. You're not going to play wearing those are you?" A boy around Tsukamoto's age asked. Pushing his blonde hair out of his face, he gestured to his bag behind his shoulder. "You can have my spare cleats. They should be your size."
Staring at his shoes, they didn't seem to be suitable for the fake turf with their flat slippery bottoms. Seeing the pair that this guy held out, he accepted them with a nod.
"Thank you very much! They fit great."
The other boy laughed. "You're welcome. One should always have proper equipment. I try and make sure to carry a spare in case another guy needs cleats."
"Hey Tsukamoto, are you ready now?" Ooshiba walked over. He saw him nod, and went to turn away. Out of his peripheral vision, he noticed another guy nod as well. "Who are you?"
The blonde haired player introduced himself. "Oops, guess I forgot to mention it. My name's Kazama Jin. Nice to meet you all." Giving the three of them an easygoing smile, Kazama stretched. "Well, better get out there."
Mizuki, Ooshiba, and Tsukamoto all stared after him before looking at each other. Shrugging, they followed.
To say things got interesting was an understatement. Tsukamoto didn't lie when he said he couldn't play. But boy did he sure try. Through all of the injuries sustained, the new player kept getting up with renewed energy that never flagged. All of the participants could tell he wasn't one to give up so easily. While he couldn't kick the ball, he ran after it a lot.
The other players winced as Tsukamoto crashed to the ground, having tripped over the ball again. Ooshiba saved it though, and made a quick score. The rest of his teammates yelled praise. The tall boy soaked it up, before looking at Tsukamoto with concern.
Mizuki held out a hand and pulled the shorter boy up. "I'm glad you're not a quitter. Others would be, in your position. You've got heart, Tsukamoto. Use that as an advantage and you'll go far." Squeezing the hand that was still in his grasp, Mizuki gave Tsukamoto a small smile before going back to the game.
Shocked, the new soccer player wondered if that really happened. Mizuki had said that to him, of all people. Tsukamoto didn't know if he believed that, but wanted to try his best to not let his new friend down.
Tsukamoto then saw Ooshiba stop briefly next to him. He saw concern in his blue eyes.
"Everything ok?" He got an enthusiastic yes in response. Grinning, the taller boy patted Tsukamoto on the shoulder. "Alright! Then let's go win!"
Puffing up his chest, Tsukamoto took off running once again.
Kazama ran fast, dribbling the ball with a lot of skill. He passed a person on the opposing team, nearing the goal. Then a foot shot out, tripping Kazama. The ball flew away from him. As it headed out of bounds he looked at the ground in disappointment.
Seeing his chance, Tsukamoto headed straight for the ball. As luck would have it, the ball was ungraded since the goalie already blocked it and saw no need to go further. It was too high for Tsukamoto's leg to reach it in time, though.
With a burst of energy he leapt forward off the ground, making sure his head was as far as it could go. The ball didn't really hurt when Tsukamoto did a header, for which he was thankful. But the pole he banged straight into afterwards made the pain so much worse. He then collapsed face first on the ground.
Ooshiba, being nearest, ran to get to the other boy. "Tsukamoto! Are you alright?" He had never seen anyone do that before.
Trying to get his bearings, Tsukamoto got shakily to his knees. He ended up teetering though, and plopped down on his butt. Blinking up dazedly, the black haired boy nodded slowly. "I'm ok, Ooshiba. Did we score?"
Groaning softly, Ooshiba gently poked Tsukamoto in the head. Smirking at the younger boy, he nodded. "Geez, you hurt your head but still are more concerned with whether you scored or not? Of course you did, knucklehead."
Tsukamoto surprised all of them by letting out a whoop and holding his fist in the air. But that hadn't been a good idea since right after he did that, he held his head in pain. He let out a weak chuckle as Ooshiba scowled and said to be careful.
While the two of them were talking, Mizuki had checked on the young player. It didn't seem vital to get him to the hospital, but he would probably need to rest for a while.
Ooshiba put his arm around Tsukamoto's shoulder, and watched Mizuki do the same with his waist. Then both boys eased their legs higher until Tsukamoto stood.
With labored breaths, Tsukamoto rested on the bench. Ooshiba and Mizuki sat down also.
Wiping sweat off his face, Ooshiba turned to look at their new companion. Red hair glistening near his forehead, Ooshiba fanned himself with his shirt collar. "You weren't the worst player I've seen, even if you did suck." Reaching an arm out, he briefly patted Tsukamoto's shoulder.
Mizuki had gotten him a medium sized ice pack, and was thanked for it. He also refilled two water bottles for Tsukamoto to drink. Ooshiba then split some of his protein and vegetable packed bento with his new friend. They both grunted when Tsukamoto looked up with tears in his eyes.
"Thank you both so much for taking care of me. No one's ever been this nice to me, besides my mother." Tsukamoto then gave them a bright smile. Calming down after Mizuki and Ooshiba started to rub on his back, Tsukamoto then dug into his food. Happy moans emitted from his mouth soon after, making both Ooshiba and Mizuki blush lightly.
The trio rested for almost half an hour. Tsukamoto had watched the first game finish up. Mizuki's team had ended up winning, which made them glad. Afterwards, a bunch of little kids were playing.
Before he left, Kazama came up to them again. "So how are you feeling?"
"Better now that I've rested, thank you!" Tsukamoto grinned at him. "Oh I'll have your cleats off in a moment."
Kazama patted his shoulder. "Oh no need for that, Tsukamoto. Keep them. Consider them a gift from me to you. See you around." Giving a peace sign, Kazama headed out of the soccer hall.
Mizuki and Ooshiba felt like it was time to head home as well. While talking to one another, they decided that Mizuki would be better to accompany Tsukamoto home, since he lived closer.
Ooshiba waved. "Later, Tsukamoto. See you at practice tomorrow, Mizuki." Turning around, he contemplated earlier. Ooshiba actually had more fun today than when he and Mizuki usually came to these games. Tsukamoto sure had a lot of spirit.
It was quiet on their way to Tsukamoto's house. Each of them had rode their bikes in companionable silence, thinking about the game he had just took part in. It turned out to be incredible. Tsukamoto felt the euphoria of participating in his first soccer game. Mizuki saw what a great force strength of a soccer player's spirit, perseverance, and passion could be.
In front of his doorway, Tsukamoto turned to Mizuki. "Thank you for seeing me home. And for today too. It was so much fun! I'm really grateful for all that you've done, with the advice and extra water. You're a good friend, Mizuki!" Tsukamoto smiled brightly up at the soccer captain.
Mizuki was pleasantly surprised. He hadn't expected this. Sure, he knew that Tsukamoto had a strong resolve, but didn't think he would have this much fun. Mizuki should've expected it, however. This boy kept blowing apart all expectations. And to be called Tsukamoto's friend a well? It felt nice.
Smiling gently he said, "I'm glad you played tonight, Tsukamoto. It's great that you had fun as well. That's a very important part of soccer." Seeing the grin on the younger boy's face made an idea pop up in his brain. "Say, you go to Seiseki High right?"
At this Tsukamoto gave a nod. "Yes I do. I'm a first-year. You go there too?"
"Yes, in fact I'm the captain of the Seiseki soccer team. And I was wondering if you would consider joining. Tryouts start soon for freshman. You would be perfect, with your will and passion."
Before Tsukamoto could answer, the door opened.
"Tsukushi? How come you're standing out – oh hello there." An older woman came to the door. She had brown hair and eyes. She instantly smiled up at Mizuki when she noticed him. "I'm Tsukushi's mom, Nozomi. It's so nice to meet one of my son's friends."
Mizuki bowed his head. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, ma'am. I'm Hisahito Mizuki and I go to Seiseki High School. I'm a third-year. I was just asking your son if he wanted to join the soccer team." Looking at the younger boy, he found himself staring into determined blue eyes.
"Oh that sounds wonderful! Tsukushi is very talented, you see. What he might lack in skills he makes up with endless tenacity. He continues to try his best and give his all." Turning to face her son, Nozomi continued, "Oh I am so proud of you, Tsukushi!" Grabbing his hands, she squeezed them gently. Her heart swelled with love as she saw her little boy blush with embarrassment.
Watching the mother and son moment, Mizuki felt a certain happiness wash over him. How Tsukamoto reacted to praise was humble and genuine. Something that showed how he might be after a win. Mizuki had a feeling that he would be graceful to the opponent after a match.
This amazing kid deserved to play soccer, and Mizuki was determined to help in any way possible. In case Tsukamoto declined his offer, he had a backup plan.
"I do hope that you agree, but if not then you're welcome to meet up with Ooshiba and I every other weekend, if you want?"
Tsukamoto's eyes widened. He was given even more chances to play soccer, and with friends who believed in him. He couldn't waste the opportunity. To be given a chance to join such a renowned soccer team was amazing.
"Yes! I'll try very hard to be a valuable part of your team. Thank you very much for having me." Bowing low, he didn't see the hand that reached towards him.
"You won't regret this, Tsukamoto. We can start by getting you more in shape too, for tryouts soon. If you make the cut – which I hope you will – I'll work with you during training and you can always ask for help. I'll make sure you become a better player."
Cheering and high-fiving, Nozomi and Tsukamoto were both smiling and talking excitedly. Mizuki then went over the little details that the younger boy needed to know.
A couple minutes later, Mizuki was on his way home. He peddled much faster due to his adrenaline. Tsukamoto had said yes to trying out for the soccer team! Mizuki was glad for his new friend. He was determined to help the new soccer player in any way he could.
Tsukushi Tsukamoto lit a fire underneath him. Mizuki hoped he could return the favor.