A/N: This story takes place after the fall tournament. Character thoughts are in italics.
It was a calm afternoon. Thin clouds strolled leisurely across the blue sky. A gentle breeze passed through Kunashima island.
Masaya sat alone in the FC clubroom. Time slipped by him as his thoughts and feelings blackened every sense. His eyes were open, but he couldn't see anything. No sound traveled through his ears. Masaya's state of mind was little more than a patchwork of fear, anxiety, and unrelenting shock.
Three days ago, Asuka disappeared without a trace.
The door to the clubroom squealed eerily as it slid open. A girl as mischievous as she was compassionate poked her head through the opening. With light footsteps, she entered the clubroom.
"You're the only one here so far Hinata?"
Masaya lifted his head slightly. He tried to bring himself back into the world carrying on around him. "Oh, Madoka... Yeah..." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Misaki and Mashiro will be here in a little bit. They're stopping by the police station to see if they've gotten any leads yet."
The usually inquisitive Madoka stayed silent. She was in full observation mode. Looking at Masaya, she could tell he was still taking things pretty hard. Everyone was of course, but underneath his complicated exterior she could see a vulnerable identity. Worrying about others was one way Madoka could keep herself afloat.
"Misaki and Mashiro are kind of amazing, don't you think? They haven't rested once since they found out what happened. They all became such close friends in a short amount of time."
Masaya continued one-eyeing Madoka with his head still partially down. He could sense what she was hinting at, but he ignored it.
Masaya replayed the last few days in his head over and over. That day, Asuka didn't show up to school. She was at practice the day before and everything seemed normal. They went home together that evening after practice and said goodbye at the terminal like usual. It didn't sound like she was getting sick so he was surprised to not see her at school. He hoped it was nothing serious. As her coach, it was part of his responsibility to monitor the health of his players.
During the lunch break he messaged Asuka, but never got a reply back. He asked Aoi if she knew anything, but again came up with nothing. By this time everyone in the club was getting a little worried. They decided to stop by her house for a club visit to see if she was doing alright.
Panic set in when they got there. Two police vehicles were stationed outside the Kurashina residence. The club members were told that Asuka went to walk her dog in the morning but never returned. Only the dog came back to the house. The police had been searching for her the entire day. Since the club didn't have any information on what might have happened, they were told to leave for the day and they'd be in contact if there was any new information.
Still, sitting back and waiting was an unthinkable course of action. Asuka was a key member of the Kunahama FC club. With her unmatched enthusiasm and genuine personality, she was a dear friend to everyone. Thinking about what kind of fate Asuka met brought waves of tears and stomach pain.
"Let's just keep doing everything we can, right Hinata?" Madoka placed her hand gently on his head. "We'll find her soon, safe and sound."
"Ok, yeah. Let's not lose hope." he said reluctantly.
She backed off to give him a little space. It would be better to wait until everyone arrived before talking about the next steps for finding Asuka. Now would be a good time to tidy up the clubroom a little bit, but that was one of Madoka's least favorite tasks. "What's the big deal about a little dust on the window anyway?" While continuing to pout by herself, she could sense the ominous aura rising once again from Masaya.
"I'm just going to step outside for a bit, 'kay?"
With no response coming from the other side of the clubroom, she calmly stepped outside. Near the front of the bus was a wide path that led to a cliffside overlooking part of the sea. It didn't take her even a minute to reach the cliff edge. She gazed steadily at the sky and ocean they had become so familiar with. Her long, blue hair swayed lightly behind her. She did her best to repress the emotions rippling through her.
After some time had passed, a familiar voice called out behind her. "Maadokaaaaaa!"
It was Misaki. Mashiro was standing beside her waving slowly, but there was no joy in that wave.
Madoka returned the call. "Miisaaakiiii! Maashiirooo!"
They signaled for her to join them. Wasting no time, she followed them inside the clubroom. Everyone gathered around the teal coloured table. A tall whiteboard rested behind one side. It was used many times for strategy planning and FC theory. Now, it only had a large map of Kunashima island and a short list of known facts regarding what happened to Asuka.
"Did you find anything out at the police station?" Masaya asked.
Mashiro slumped on her chair and kicked her legs through the air. "Nothing."
Misaki continued after Mashiro. "I still don't believe it. How could she just disappear like that? Everyone we talk to says the same thing... 'Sorry, but I don't know what could have happened.' The police haven't found any clues. Neither have we. It's so scary and frustrating!" Everyone nodded in agreement.
"What are we going to do?" Mashiro's voice quivered as she spoke. "I just hate this."
Masaya spoke up. "There isn't much, but there a few things we can do. Madoka told me not to lose hope and I think she's right." He turned his attention to the whiteboard. Parts of the map were shaded in where they went searching for Asuka. Most of the map was still unshaded. "We have to keep searching for her. We still have some time before it gets dark."
"Mashiro, how about you and I pair up this time?" Madoka rested her hands on Mashiro's slim shoulders. Normally she would complain about not being able to go with Misaki, but today she just murmured in agreement.
There were plenty of reasons to search in pairs. First, it was safer that way. With people disappearing, having someone watch your back provided extra safety. Second, having another pair of eyes on the same surroundings made the searches more thorough. Third, being alone means your thoughts start to get to you. Paired searching was as much for their physical safety as it was their mental and emotional well being.
"I think we have to start expanding our search area. So far we've covered the area surrounding Asuka's house. It seems unlikely that she went very far while walking her dog, so she's probably not near that area any longer."
Masaya drew two boxes on the whiteboard. One was towards the south western part of the island and the other was on the north eastern side. Those areas had travel routes that led to both of the sea ports on the island.
"Misaki and I will head toward the southern port. Madoka, Mashiro, you girls can head for the northern port. Sound good?"
Nobody had any objections.
"Remember to keep your eyes open for anything suspicious. Ask any people you find if they've seen anyone that looks like Asuka. We'll meet back here in two and half hours."
Their facial expressions softened a little bit as they stood and prepared to fly out. It felt good to get up and do something that could lead them to Asuka. At this rate, any new information would be welcome.
The sun was out now and the air was clear. It was ideal weather for flying and searching. As planned, the two pairs wished each other luck and took off in opposite directions.
Inevitably, darkness covered the island. Masaya was lying down on his bed with one arm covering his eyes. Once again, they couldn't uncover any leads. Everyone's morale was starting to plummet. They knew that each passing second meant a lower chance for Asuka's safety. It was a cruel, twisted reality. Once again, his senses started to dim as his thoughts and emotions overtook him.
Bzzzt, bzzzt, bzzzt. Masaya's phone started vibrating. He stared at it blankly for a moment before his brain realized the significance of getting a phone call. With surging emotions he snapped up the phone that was buzzing on his desk. The digital display showed who was calling. Satouin.
"That's right... We never told our friends at Takafuji what was going on. We were so focused on searching for Asuka that we hadn't thought of them. Maybe Satouin got word of what's going on." He accepted the call with a swift finger motion.
"Hey Satou..in, it's rare to get a call from you."
"Good evening Hina..ta. My apologies for calling at such a time. I hope I'm not being a bother to you."
"No, it's all right." If he was being honest, it was somewhat comforting to hear Satouin's voice. A mental image of her standing tall on the sand near Takafuji formed in his mind. She's a strong and capable person. A person you can always rely on. Why did he forget this? "Is there something you need to discuss with me?"
A barely audible sigh could be heard on the other end. It sounded like she was working up the courage to say something important. "There is... Something terrible has happened here at Takafuji. You see, Shindou has disappeared. Nobody has seen or heard from him for a few days."
Masaya's throat closed and he curled up his body tightly. His voice was practically a whisper. "No way.. Shindou went missing too?"
Thank you for reading! I had a lot of fun writing it and hope to continue soon!