A/N ;; Fffft. I love this fandom. I seriously do. Anyways, this is Go-era. It splits off from episode 17 onwards and is AU from there. This is also under the assumption that Gouenji is the Holy Emperor. Some details may refer back to my oneshot Here Comes the Rain, but I'm trying to make it as standalone as possible! Also, characters will be referred to by their first names…quite a lot sometimes. Unbeta'd as of right now; will probably go through edits later.
Summary ;; Two years ago, the Fifth Sector's Holy Emperor came to power and grew to control the youth soccer world. Now, Raimon's soccer team is ready to take it back, along with their unlikely assistant coach who may have a hidden agenda of his own.
Warnings ;; There is shounen-ai in this, so don't like, don't read, although I will try to keep it to the side. This is also set in the i11 Go-era, thus 10 years later, so if you don't know the characters, that might be why! There may or may not be spoilers. I'll try to avoid them, but things can get past me sometimes and I don't notice it.
Disclaimer ;; I know that people I'm using here haven't been shown yet – neither have their character designs – so I'm making them up. Any hissatsu waza and keshin that haven't been shown in the anime are my own. Just saying. i11 Go doesn't belong to me at all. It belongs to Level-5 of course.
He was right. It really would be a satisfying day when he saw his team – his whole team – working together. Because, finally, everyone was on the same page. He could only nod in satisfaction at finally seeing that spirit that he had always been so used to seeing in Raimon, both when he had been playing for them and when he'd later come back and seen some of their early games.
"…and there he was, just walking by! Aki-nee even said hi to him and we went out for lunch together!"
Well, the training was good. But there had to be breaks of course.
"That's so cool, Tenma! What was he like? Did he give you any tips?"
"Ha. I don't believe it. A guy like that has better things to do with his time than come down here."
"But I'm telling you the truth! He was in town and buying things and everything! Ahhh…Coach, Coach! Isn't Fubuki Shirou in town for a few weeks?" Endou turned to Tenma, not entirely expecting the entire team to be looking at him expectantly too. Fubuki had always been a great teammate and friend to him that sometimes, he forgot that they had both still been part of the same world renowned soccer team.
Still, he gave it some thought before shaking his head. "I haven't gotten any word from him in awhile." When Kurama gave Tenma an airy, bored look and the latter looked crestfallen, he quickly amended himself, "But it's possible he's here. Just because I haven't heard from him doesn't mean he isn't." Yes…those seemed like the right words. Tsurugi had already written the entire conversation off as garbage and was standing off to the side, looking expectantly at the field. Endou could see that he was itching to practice, not sit around listen to stories.
"Coach, what's he like?"
"Is he really as nice as Tenma says?"
"Where're your other teammates?"
Haruna giggled at the flood of questions. Of course everyone wanted to know about what the players from Inazuma Japan were really like. It was only natural. Still, Endou seemed overwhelmed trying to answer each one individually.
"Ahh, my teammates? Let's see…Kazemaru was playing in the national league the last time I heard from him. And Hiroto and Midorikawa are running an orphanage. You know where Kidou's gone and –"
"What about Gouenji?"
The smile that had been slowly spreading across Endou's face immediately faltered, as did Haruna's. Endou glanced sidelong at her, sharing a knowing look before turning back to Tsurugi. To think. Of all people who might've asked, it was Tsurugi. Somehow, he'd been expecting the question out of Tenma. Or even anyone else. But he seemed like…he actually wanted to know. Endou frowned and shook his head. Could it really be that Tsurugi didn't know?
"No one's heard from Gouenji in years. But he's always so solitary that we kind of just expected it out of him. Now, get back to practicing; you've all had a long enough break now." Should he be feeling bad about the answer he'd just given? Endou couldn't help but feel guilty for it, especially at the way Tsurugi just looked away disdainfully and Tenma's face fell. It wasn't as if he could tell them where Gouenji had really gone.
Haruna just looked sadly at the field, remembering the feeling of standing here and watching countless of others run across the field. Well, namely one, wheat-colored hair, always a little too serious for his own good. And she couldn't help but see the similarities Tsurugi bore to him.
"You know, I thought you might be here." He glanced to the side before looking back ahead at the sunset, leaning on the bar that prevented him from falling.
"You know, he once brought me here. We watched the sunset then as well. He told me this was his favorite place in all of Inazuma Town. He told me it was your favorite place too," he said, not looking up. "I was planning to drop by your place later, Endou. You know, surprise visit and all. Guess there goes the surprise, huh?" Fubuki looked over his shoulder and gave them a small smile before finally turning around fully. "Long time no see, ne?"
"You're looking well, Fubuki." He moved over a little bit to make room for the Endou who decided to stand next to him and watch the sunset with him.
"You too, Captain. Or, as I've heard, Coach might be a better word for it, huh?" he chuckled, knowing that this wasn't what Endou had come to talk about at all. He knew he was just avoiding the real question at hand here, but it was – suffice to say – a touchy subject with all of them who'd played on Inazuma Japan and that was completely okay. "Raimon couldn't have a better coach."
"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" They were just exchanging words, wasting time, building up to the question that Endou had really come for.
"Except that when we were playing, there was no one deciding our scores. When we won, it was because we'd worked hard for it, not because it was fair." Fubuki was unable to keep the note of bitterness out of his words. The mere thought that one person – one particular person – could control all soccer made his blood run cold and his temper rage, for different reasons. Two reasons in particular.
"That's why you're in town, isn't it?" And they came full circle. Fubuki looked at his old captain with a sad smile, shaking his head. It was true; his vendetta against the Fifth Sector caused him to go to many different cities, all throughout Japan in these last two years. But it was lonely traveling alone.
"Isn't it all right to come back and see old friends? Hiroto actually called me a few days ago and asked me if I was going to visit him and Midorikawa. I didn't even know that they run Sun Garden now. I've grown so out of touch with everyone and I can't figure out where to go next." He sighed, leaning over the railing, putting his head in his hands. "I wish I knew even where to start, but it's like he's completely disappeared."
"It sounds to me like you're giving up."
He flinched at those words, gripping the railing as hard as he possibly could. Did he really just say that? Fubuki grit his teeth, avoiding his old captain's gaze. He was looking at him. Hard. "I would never give up on him. He is worth looking the rest of my life for," he finally settled on. Because every word that he said was true. He raised his gaze up to Endou, looking him in the eye. As if he would ever give up looking. Not since that night two years ago. Never would he stop until he finally came home with him. With Gouenji Shuuya.
Home. That word had always seemed so simple to him growing up. Anywhere he'd lived had been a home, to him. It hadn't been until he'd started living with Shuuya did he finally realize what a home was. That it was wherever he was and would always be wherever he was. Because a house was not a home. Because even in the smallest apartment, it would only be lonely and all too big without Shuuya. Because Fubuki couldn't accept anywhere as a home without Shuuya there to share it with him. Two long, lonely years were already long enough to go without him. But…deep down, he knew that the moment he found Shuuya again (and he would find Shuuya again) would make all those years worth it. He was out there somewhere, he knew it.
"You don't have to fight Fifth Sector alone. We can find him together," said Endou, his hand on Fubuki's shoulder. It was enough to snap him out of his thoughts, slowly uncurling his hand from the guardrail. "You know everyone will work as hard as they can to find him." He turned to Endou, eyes widened in surprise before giving him a smile. 'Of course Captain knows exactly what to say to make everything sound okay,' he thought, amused. 'And silly of me to think that I was the only one who lost a dear friend.'
As if everything was that cut and dry, though.
"There's no one to fight with, Captain. Everyone's afraid of Fifth Soccer and of getting their soccer club disbanded. I have to do it alone," he replied, almost bitter. It was true; everyone was afraid of Fifth Sector. Even deep down, buried beneath all of his rage towards them…even he was afraid. But experience (read: Shuuya) had taught him that if you let your fear control you, it would have a greater hold on you than you yourself would.
And all he got in return was a disappointed headshake from the Captain. "I'm willing to fight with you, Fubuki. Raimon is willing to fight with you. You won't be alone in trying to defeat them. We'll just take it step by step, like we did with Aliea Academy. Everyone wants to help. So let's fight them together!" He was nearly shouting in excitement at the end, grinning that same grin he had ten years ago, hand extended expectantly.
"…same old Captain," was the only thing he could say, shaking his head fondly and taking the offered hand. He supposed that for people like Endou, that energetic passion could be buried, but never completely vanished.
"Now, why don't you come over today? I told Natsumi I was meeting you and she wanted to cook you a big dinner!"
"N-no, I couldn't possibly! I mean…I've already told Hiroto and Midori–"
"They can come too! Natsumi's already cooked everything by now, you don't want to disappoint her, do you? She's excited to see you too!" Endou said, pushing Fubuki awkwardly down the path from the Steel Tower Plaza.
"R-really, she didn't need to go to the trouble," Fubuki said, knowing that there was no fighting it if Captain really wanted him to go. He sincerely hoped that he didn't have to do anything important tomorrow. That could be a little tricky after eating a night of Natsumi's food.