Two years after Sekime's wedding…
Sano Izumi and Ashiya Mizuki waited at the Oakland International Airport. Standing amongst the several others waiting, Izumi looked down to see Mizuki wringing her hands. It would be the the first time Nakatsu Shuichi would be visiting, and he was traveling with his old friend, Itsushi because they had met up in Europe and synced their schedules. Itsushi was heading to the area to play with some friends who had moved there from Germany. And as another wave of arrivals walked through the gates, a few sports fans cried out in surprise, pulling out their camera phones.
Mizuki looked over in time to see Shuichi see her and wave with a huge smile on his face. Next to him, Itsushi smiled and waved to some fans as they made a bee-line for Izumi and Mizuki. After brief hugs, Itsushi fell in step with Izumi as Shuichi held onto Mizuki. He was overjoyed to see her, the young maiden preparing to be a bride, and he couldn't help but feel his heart give an involuntary squeeze.
"Mizuki! It has been so long! We need to meet up more often!" he exclaimed in near tears. He'd been preparing himself for seeing her again and yet, when he did, he couldn't help but hold onto her, and feel regret wash over him.
But, as always, Mizuki smiled and replied, "It's so good to see you, Nakatsu! Thank you for coming!" And then she turned to Itsushi, "It's so nice to finally meet you, Itsushi-san!"
Itsushi smiled and nodded to Mizuki, "The honor is mine. Thank you for picking us up. As it is, I will be meeting with some friends tomorrow to play soccer at Berkeley. Do you want to come and join us?" he added as they reached the car.
Izumi and Itsushi loaded their luggage as Shuichi smiled, "I want to see just how good these guys play. Itsushi has been talking about them for some time now!" And then he released Mizuki and looked over Izumi. "Sano, you've become more muscular. I didn't think it was possible, but you did," he added.
Izumi smiled, "Come on, get in. We'll take you to the hotel you're staying at. You must be tired."
Mizuki got into the front passenger seat as Shuichi and Itsushi got into the back. As Izumi drove, they chatted merrily, catching up and when Izumi and Mizuki had gone, Itsushi threw open the curtains of the double room. "They're nice people," he commented, checking out the view.
Shuichi fell onto the bed and nodded, "Yeah. They're still quite the same. But I guess you can see why Mizuki was my first love."
Itsushi nodded, "It's hard for me to imagine her like a boy, but I guess you guys were quite young back then." Itsushi noticed Shuichi's mood shift and added, "You should get some sleep. Jetlag will get to us if we're not careful."
In all honesty, Itsushi didn't even need to say it. Shuichi had, for the most part, fallen asleep. He could almost smell Mizuki's scent, but not really. He was simply deliriously tired, having not slept on the plane ride. He was too nervous to see her. And now that he had, he wondered how he would ever be able to watch her get married, even though he knew Izumi was the right man for her and the love of her life.
The next day, Itsushi woke Shuichi and they went for a morning jog together. They were joined by some others of the Berkeley running community, so close to the school. They had continental breakfast at the hotel, and then hurried off to meet Itsushi's friends at Edwards Stadium on the school campus.
Shuichi and Itsushi warmed up with a couple German guys and some not. Everyone looked very friendly and some of them greeted him as fans. Shuichi, for the most part, stayed open and friendly. As they started passing the ball around, one guy stated, "Hey, some others who play are going to join us in a bit but they said we could start. Is that cool?" he asked.
Everyone seemed to okay it, but Shuichi felt a bit excited as he ran the length of the field. One way to kick jetlag in the butt was to stay active and once on the soccer field, Shuichi couldn't help but feel excited. And as their small part of eight started a mini game, Shuichi felt confident in his skills. He and Itsushi had always played well together, but something about the other guys playing with familiarity with Itsushi made Shuichi a little jealous.
He didn't feel ignored. He just felt the shift in Itsushi's focus and attention. And then, when six girls arrived, the guys stopped the game and hugs and introductions were tossed around. From what Itsushi managed to explain to Shuichi, the girls were on hiatus from the Olympic Team USA practice. They were traveling and doing their last bit of relaxing before officially starting practice.
One of the girls walked straight up to Shuichi and asked, "You're Nakatsu Shuichi, right?" Shuichi nodded and she raised her phone up, "Can we take a selfie?"
"Um, sure," Shuichi replied and as they lined up for the shot, Itsushi and two of the other girls jumped in. Shuichi watched as she kept pressing the button until the others called for them to hurry.
As the girls ran off to be separated onto the teams, Itsushi smiled and stated, "That's Alex Morgan. She's pretty, right?" he asked, nudging Shuichi, who scratched the back of his head.
"Sure, I guess," he offered.
Itsushi laughed and then hurried off to the others, Shuichi following close behind. The teams were made and Alex ended up on the other team. Shuichi smiled, noticing how she watched everyone. When the game started, that's when he fully felt the presence of the girls. They were strong, lean, and very agile. In fact, as Itsushi was about to pass the ball to one of the guys, a girl from the other team intersected the ball.
Shuichi moved quickly, following her for a bit before another girl, one from his team, got the ball back and passed it to him. Away he ran, keeping the ball just in front of him, but before he had time to react, Alex, who had run at him from the side, slid and kicked the ball away from his possession, to her teammate. Shuichi, however, had tripped and fallen down.
Alex smiled and reached down a hand to help him up. "You okay?" she asked sweetly.
Shuichi nodded, "I am fine. Thank you," he replied and then heard a little celebration as the other team scored. Alexi turned and hurried off to celebrate with her team as Itsushi waved to Shuichi. "I'm good!" he shouted back to his friend.
Shuichi and Itsushi scored the next goal together before Alex and a German guy scored one each. Shuichi, for the most part, found it difficult to keep the ball and he knew better than to play dirty with girls on the field. But as he noticed a girl running up to him to steal the ball, he did a quick reverse, and she passed him. Another guy attempted it, but Shuichi passed it to a teammate. When Itsushi attempted to pass it to Shuichi, Alex slid between their pass and gained possession of the ball.
"Not this time!" Shuichi shouted and moved in front of her. But she moved the ball around him and kicked it into the air, bumping it away from him until she passed it to a teammate.
Shuichi let out a laugh, unexpectedly, and Alex returned it with a smile. But a girl from his team shouted, "Stop flirting with the enemy!" and that caused Alex to laugh out loud. Shuichi shook his head but hurried along. He was enjoying this game with girls more than he though he would. Mostly, though, because these girls knew how to play soccer and weren't afraid to dive for the ball. And as the time rolled by, when they finally did take a rest, Alex walked over to lay down on the grass.
Shuichi walked over and asked, "How long have you played soccer?"
Alex looked up at him and then replied, "Since I was really young. I've always played a lot of sports, I just happen to be better at soccer," she added with a fond smile.
Shuichi smiled and then sat down a few feet away from her. "You are on the Olympic team?"
Alex suddenly squirmed and then moved to answer her phone. "Hello?" She listened for a little while and then jumped up. "Okay, I got it, sorry!" She hung up and stated, "I have to go. It was nice meeting you!"
Shuichi watched her run back to her friends and, after she said something to them, they all grabbed their bags and hurried off. He didn't know what was going on, and then Itsushi joined him in a huff. "The girls are doing a fund raiser at a local park. Come on, let's go!" he added.
Shuichi frowned and asked, "What about meeting up with Izumi and Mizuki later?"
"Invite them along!" Itsushi suggested.
Shuichi thought about it and then smiled, "I wouldn't mind seeing that girl again." He texted quickly and grabbed his things, following Itsushi out of the stadium with the other guys. Something about the suddenness of it just excited him. … A and that girl's smile… wasn't so bad.
Mizuki and Izumi were already there when Itsushi and Shuichi got to Codornices Park. They moved to where there was loud music and a few stands for a fund raiser. It was money for a soccer league that seemed to be struggling and the girls pulled on their Team USA jerseys before mingling with the crowd.
Izumi and Itsushi noticed the girls first. "Isn't that Alex Morgan?" he asked.
Mizuki looked over and smiled. She waved and, to Shuichi's surprise, Alex walked over. She first hugged Mizuki and then Izumi. She, then, turned to Shuichi and Itsushi, "Hey guys! You came!"
Mizuki frowned, and, off of Itsushi and Shuichi's surprised looks, she asked, "How do you know each other?"
Alex smiled, "The girls and I played with them just this morning. Not bad," she added with a wink.
Itsushi frowned and asked quickly, "How do you guys know each other?"
Mizuki smiled, "Shizuka is one of the consulting physicians for her team." Mizuki turned and searched the crowd and then waved to someone.
"Speak of the devil," Alex smiled, hugging Shizuka in greeting. "I have to get back to it, but stick around!" she added and then hurried away.
Shizuka hugged Mizuki and then bumpbed fists with Izumi. He turned and frowned, "You look familiar…"
Mizuki pouted, "Onii-chan, that's Nakatsu! You met him in Japan, remember?" she added.
Shizuka nodded, "Right. Congratulations on making a team. I consult for the USA Olympic team sometimes."
Itsushi smiled, "We just heard. I'm Itsushi, a friend from abroad." To everyone's surprise, he launched into questions right away for Shizuka, who moved aside so they could have a little privacy as they talked about the body of athletes and certain tips on how to take better care of it, especially when one is going for the Olympics.
Izumi nodded as Mizuki hurried off to meet up with Julia and Gilbert in the crowds. "Nakatsu, what do you think of Alex?" he asked quietly in his usual way.
Shuichi couldn't help but watch Alex with the children, playing soccer. "She's a strong player and very fast. I can see why she made the team," he added.
Izumi smiled, "What about her smile?"
"It's nice," Shuichi replied without thinking. And then, he turned to Izumi and badgered, "Hey, are you ready to get married? This is a lifetime commitment, one you have to stay with forever."
Izumi smiled, "I know. I'm ready."
Shuichi felt flustered with how confident Izumi was, but he was also excited for him, too. After all, they were all quite close friends. And as Julia peeked over to them, Shuichi pat Izumi's shoulder and pointed to the group of kids playing with Alex, "I'm going to go play a little, too!"
As Shuichi hurried off, Izumi smiled and joined Mizuki with Julia and Gilbert. Shuichi followed the girl of kids, nodding to some who recognized him, but as they came close, he joined in. The game was basically boys versus girls in keep away. And though Alex was far superior compared to the kids, she passed the ball around to girls and to boys, until Shuichi joined.
"Ooh," she mocking called out, stopping the ball to draw attention to Shuichi, "we have a challenger from the boys! A captain to rule them and lead them into the battlefield." She smiled and then turned to the girls, "Are you ready, girls?!"
The girls cried out in unison their battle cry as the guys did, as well, swarming around Shuichi. "Let's go!" he shouted and the boys charged. As they played, everyone moved around the grass, parents took photos and laughed as their children ran with the pros, laughing, falling, but getting right back up and back into the game. Eventually, some sorts of goals were created and the kids kept going.
Shuichi couldn't help but laugh as he played with the children. And when most of them had gone, Alex started showing off how many times she could bump the soccer ball without dropping it. Shuichi joined in, and some of the kids did, as well, but most eventually, ended up leaving, but many wanted photos with the profession players, first. And when the fields had cleared and the fundraiser hosts thanked them and left, Shuichi sat on the hill next to Alex and they watched others play in the park.
With a warm feeling but a heavy heart, Shuichi asked, "Why do you do it?"
Alex smiled and, without turning to him, she replied, "Because soccer is fun." And then, she asked, "Why do you do it?"
Shuichi smiled and replied, "I love soccer. It makes me happiest."
Alex sighed and then, she turned to him. "It is more than likely Team USA will play Team Japan in the Olympics. Who will you cheer for?" she added with expectant eyes.
Shuichi thought about it and then, he replied, "Team Japan. It is my home country."
Alex smiled and nodded, "I feel ya."
Shuichi smiled and they were quiet for a moment before he asked, "Will I see you at the wedding?"
Alex frowned and then asked, "Izumi and Mizuki's wedding? No, but I'll see you at the Olympics." Alex stood and then added, without facing Shuichi, "I hope you will cheer for me." She turned to him and smiled. "It was nice meeting you."
She turned and hurried down the slight slope to pick up her bag before hurrying after her friends who were leaving as well. Shuichi watched them go and wondered if he would ever see her again. The soccer world was always moving and the teams changed quite often. The Olympics were close, which meant that the girls would be busy soon.
Staring up at the sky, Shuichi wondered aloud, "Will I make it to the Olympics and represent Japan?"
He didn't have an answer for that. But, he knew that he wanted to. Even if only to be a spectator in the stands and watch Team USA and Team Japan play. He wanted to be there for that. He wanted to see how Alex would celebrate or cry. He found her interesting. And it had been so long since he'd met someone quite like her.
For once, it wasn't Mizuki's smile in his thoughts, but a young brunette's smile had replaced it. And… Shuichi was okay with that.
2 YEARS LATER… in London…
Team USA and Team Japan marched onto the field and Alex looked around the stadium with her team. She felt the energy, her family and friends were with her, and she felt like she could fly with all the support behind her team. She had hoped to see a certain face during their time there, but she hadn't. Finally, competing for the gold, she wondered if he was cheering for her or for his country…
In the stands, wearing Japanese colors, standing next to some friends including Itsushi, he looked around the field and found Alex. He smiled and whispered, "Go Team USA."
The whistle blew, the game started and the two rivals fought hard. Each time the ball changed possession, the crowds moved according to their preferences. And though the game only lasted so long, Shuichi noticed the training had worked and helped Team USA really get in there to be able to compete besides being a bit tired. He wondered if Alex had hydrated enough…
"TEAM USA! TEAM USA! TEAM USA!" the announcers shouted over and over again as the audience erupted. Shuichi smiled and watched as the women of Team USA celebrated their victory. He thought about the game and then moved to the private area, knowing his badge would get him in.
After the medal ceremony. After the fans had gone. After Team USA was cleared out. And when the team celebrated in their hotel private area, Shuichi made his way around until he reached the area. He quickly walked through the crowds and then found Alex. She smiled, seeing him, "Shuichi!" she exclaimed, following him from the room.
They found patio space and simply were quiet for a moment. Neither of them wanted to rush things. It was a long day and they still had more to do the next day. But, Alex finally turned to Shuichi, "You rooted for Japan, I see."
Shuichi turned to her and flipped the red flap that was the center of the shirt to reveal he had taped her name there. "Alex Morgan," he stated, "in the center, on my heart."
Alex smiled and nodded, "Not bad, Katsu."
"Katsu?!" Shuichi laughed.
Alex blushed, gently embarrassed, "Nakatsu Shuichi is a mouthful, so I've just shortened it to Katsu, like Katsudon. Yum," she added, smiling up at Shuichi, who only had eyes for her.
Shuichi nodded, "I'm okay with that. Because it's you." And then, he bowed and stated, "I like you, Alex Morgan."
Alex looked him over and then asked, "What do you like about me?
Usually unable to answer, Shuichi replied, "You play well, you are confident, and you know how to encourage others." He swallowed, surprised to be so confident in his answer.
Alex smiled and replied, "Funny. I would say the same about you. Also, when you're on the field, I can spot you easily."
Shuichi frowned, "What do you mean? When?" he asked.
Alex smiled, "I watched your season on television and the one before the Olympics. You're always the one having the most fun."
Shuichi smiled and then pulled Alex into his arms. "I want to date you, but we are very far apart right now," he stated.
Alex smiled, "For now… How about trying out for Team Japan?"
Shuichi leaned forward and kissed her. She'd spoken the words on his mind. He couldn't help it. She was simply too perfect. He wanted to be with her. To stay with her. And because of who she is and her personality, he was enough to help him move on, finally, from Mizuki.
Whatever it took, he would not let this woman go.
Ever.
4 YEARS LATER… in America…
Alex sat down with Ellen DeGeneres and both laughed for a moment before Ellen asked, "So, you and your husband have settled down."
"I'm really proud of how well he has adapted to life in America. It really helps that his two high school best friends live in the same city, I guess. We have dinners all the time," Alex added.
Ellen frowned, "His close friends? You mean Sano Izumi, the high jumper?"
"Yes, and his wife, Mizuki Ashiya. She's one of the top dog trainers in the field. But, her family is very impressive as well. Her brother is the athletic physician for Katsu and myself." At the mention of her pet name for her husband, the audience hooted in unison. Alex blushed but Ellen enjoyed the moment.
"So, I heard along the grape vine that you often undress your husband. What's all that about?" Ellen asked, quite miffed.
Alex laughed out loud and then, she explained, "When Katsu gets home, he's usually exhausted. So, he simply falls onto the bed and falls asleep. But, for me, it's like the smell of the streets and dirt from outside crawls into bed with me. So, half asleep, I help him change into his pajamas before I let him under the covers. And," she blushed and the audience reacted, "he does most of the cooking and cleaning when I am and am not around. So, it's a pretty nice trade off."
Ellen continued, but, from the comfort of their home, Izumi and Mizuki watched and shook their heads, "Alex puts up with a lot," Mizuki stated.
Izumi nodded, "Yes, she does."
And then Mizuki added, "By the way, when should I tell them I'm pregnant?"
Izumi thought for a moment and then replied, "Let's train a bit longer before we do."
Mizuki smiled and Izumi returned it. They held hands and continued to watch Alex gush about her marriage with Shuichi to Ellen and the rest of the world. Their happiness felt complete.
Finally.
* THIS IS NOT A TRUE STORY. Alex Morgan is from the Olympic Team USA Women's Soccer Team and is happily married to Servando Carrasco. This is just a fictional story about Nakatsu Shuichi is from the Hana-Kimi manga.