Title: Onikko
Author: themirrorminder.372259
Main Pairing: Itoshi Reina x Isagi Yoichi
Background Pairings: Potential side pairings for other Blue Lock characters TBD, but if you really want to see a specific one let me know and I can see if I can squish it in.
Disclaimer: I own none of the original characters nor plot of Blue Lock.
Warnings: Some degree of cursing, as expected with Blue Lock's foul-mouthed boys.
**Spoilers ahead: Only read if you have caught up to at least manga chapter 151!**
AO3 Chapter Preview:
Distracted strikers disappear.
Forget about her Isagi Yoichi,
or the world will forget about you.
A/N: Still looking for betas! I'm cross posting on so if you're willing to beta future chapters please let me know via the FFN messaging system! The delay in getting this chapter up stemmed from the first few paragraphs – I could NOT get them to sound right. I'm still not happy with it, but at this point I just want to move forward and get to the other chapters!
BIG
HUGE
GINORMOUS
THANK YOU
TO THE READERS WHO LEFT REVIEWS:
- Alchazar: my lips are sealed ;) But you'll see!
- OliviaStone: Hmm in hindsight, I agree with the too fast for jealous!Isagi bit. So, I went back and toned it down. Re Q&A: I have a Rin POV, Sae POV, Reo POV, Reina POV, and Kurona POV planned :) Probably some side character OCs for plot purposes, but no one important. The brothers will DEFINITELY be making an appearance.
- Both of your reviews motivated me to get this next chapter up! TYSM! Also big thanks to those who left kudos/favourited :D
Onikko
{鬼っ子}
chapter 2 part two: star-maker
Yoichi Isagi leaves the gym, muscles sore and mind abuzz.
'This isn't enough. I need to work harder to optimize my conditioning so that my physicals can catch up to my vision.' Reviewing clips with Reina earlier this afternoon had brutally reminded Yoichi of how he was just one step away from earning a second goal during the U-20 game. 'Sai exploited my weak core to derail my opening. Just one strategic shouldering by him destroyed the opportunity I had worked so hard to create.'
As soon as Yoichi gets home, he steps into the shower. While drying his hair afterwards, he sits at his desk to watch the game. He fast-forwards to his match-up against Sae. With bitter clarity, he rewatches how the jigsaw in his mind collapsed before it reached completion. 'I could have scored a goal there if I had better agility and a stronger base. Instead, of all people, it was Barou who won the recognition from the path that I carved open.' Yoichi frowns, pausing the screen.'But really, recognizing the lanes in retrospect, there were dozens of times I should have been able to smell a goal.'
He continues to watch and rewatch various parts of the game, growing more frustrated at his own performance. Eventually he clicks pause, heaves out a sigh, and leans back in his chair. 'Watching that game now, it's so unsatisfying.' Yoichi rises from his desk to head back to the bathroom. 'All I see are ways I could have been better.' He brushes his teeth while thinking up plans for how to improve his shooting technique. 'Even though our weapons are different, maybe I can create new ways to practice shooting when I meet up with the other guys tomorrow.' He's just finished rinsing the foam out of his mouth, when he spots it in the mirror: Reina's jacket. The coat winks at him from where it hangs on the back of his bathroom door.
'Shit.' He had totally forgotten about her coat. 'Again.'
He fingers the material, feels how the soft fabric abruptly stiffens and crinkles over where the stain sits. 'The coffee's definitely settled in. Man, this is going to be a pain to get out.'
The striker grabs the soiled coat, then makes his way downstairs while opening the U-20 game on his phone. Once he enters the laundry room, he spots a familiar jug of bleach on the front shelf. It's the one he usually uses for his white Ichinan gear and uniform, but it won't work on Reina's 'cream' coat. 'Kaasan works with fabrics… so we should have something else.' He places the not-currently-useful jug of bleach back atop the counter before he opens the lower cabinets. He pulls out something called Stain-Away: for coloured fabrics, including wool and gabardine. He looks up gabardine on Coogle and nods. 'Seems like this should work.'
The striker props his phone on the shelf above the sink, so he can keep watching the U-20 game while cleaning. He clicks play, pulls on some squeaky rubber gloves, then starts soaking the coat in water. The game restarts from when Aiku blocked Bachira's pass to him. Yoichi sees now how Aiku used a half lane to predict its trajectory, and wonders if other defenders also use lanes to time interceptions. Yoichi pours the cleaning solution over the sleeve and starts scrubbing it with a brush, watching the U-20 counter unfold.
The striker becomes fully absorbed in the game (analyzing the others players' moves and bemoaning the openings he missed), as well as the rote motion of working the stain out of her sleeve. Twenty minutes pass into the second half undisturbed. That is, until he tries to angle his arm a bit and his elbow accidentally knocks over bleach jug perched on the sink's edge. A loud BANG yanks him from his trance.
After he places the jug back on the shelf, he looks at the coat. He frowns when he registers how it's still darkly stained.
'Maybe I should just accept the loss.'
But then Yoichi thinks about how Reina washed his jacket, and went out of her way to fold it neatly. 'When that's clearly not her default setting,' he snorts, recalling her messy workspace. Yet, despite her disorganized ways, she was helpful. 'I can see the half spaces more clearly now… because of her.' Reina even took the time to explain the concept of lanes to him, despite her important interview tomorrow. 'She seems kind… almost like Hiori and Nanase.' He thinks more on her scattered papers and mad genius. 'She's also as cheerfully chaotic as Bachira.' Yoichi recalls her stupid little comebacks and how she tailored her words to provoke him. 'Maybe she's a bit belligerent too, almost like a very tamed version of Raichi. But, like Raichi would have, she could have easily been an asshole about helping…' After all, Yoichi was essentially asking a spectator to teach him about his own sport. Instead, Reina seemed perfectly content to help - as long as she was adequately caffeinated. 'She's definitely as addicted to coffee as Gagamaru is to his gyoza; and as unpredictable as our goalkeeper too.'
Was all this why it was so easy to be near her without feeling taxed? Or without feeling like he was wasting time that could be better spent elsewhere? That easy familiarity with her - was it all because Reina Itoshi possessed traits of the teammates he had surrounded himself with for the past two months?
'Only, she's clearly way smarter than all of us combined.' He's never met someone who easily uses phrases like saccharine concoction and quotes dead engineers in everyday conversation. 'It's odd but impressive, even if it's sometimes kind of annoying.' Especially when he can't think of something witty to say back, but that's not the point. 'And mad genius or not, she should work on being neater.' He'll tease her about it tomorrow, he decides, when he gets to see her again. 'Maybe I can-'
"So this is what you've been up to?"
Yoichi startles, looking up from the hopeless coat to see his mom approaching him. Her gaze moves around him, circling their laundry room. "So what did you break, my clumsy son?"
The striker frowns at her teasing. "What do you mean?"
"I was just working on some bookkeeping and fabric inventory from last week's orders, when a loud thump made me drop one of my leftover materials. You didn't answer when I called, so I came down to see what you got yourself into."
"I just knocked over the bleach I use for my school stuff. The lid was on, so it's fine." He gets back to scrubbing, and turns away from her so she doesn't examine the coat too closely. "You can get back to your work, Kaasan. Sorry to distract you from it."
His mom doesn't leave. "So what are you working so diligently on? I heard you leave your room almost half an hour ago."
He focuses on the lump of wet still stained fabric in his hands. His parents usually leave him be when he ends the conversation. They're firm believers in giving him his space when he signals for it. But, sometimes they prod or try to tease him, or whatever. And it seems like his mom is in a meddlesome mood. But when she meddles, she snoops, so no way is he telling her the truth. (He's not sure why, but the idea of telling her about Reina makes his neck burn.) "New jacket." He offers. "Got it dirty on the first day."
"Oh?" She steps closer, and he scrunches the jacket in his hands, hoping she won't realize the distinctly feminine cut of the coat if it's crumpled. "And what happened to it?"
'So nosy.'
"Just a spill."
"Is that… is that coffee?" She asks, seeming baffled. "I thought you didn't like the taste?"
He shrugs.
"Oh," she coos. "My little boy is becoming a little man!"
'Dear god.'
She pinches his cheek and he whips his face away, face warm. "Kaasan!"
"A little man who needs his Kaasan's help, hmm?"
How a woman seven inches shorter than him can make him feel like such a child is beyond him. He sighs. 'You win, Kaasan.' He holds out the sleeve, defeated. "It's not coming out."
"Let's take a look, shall we?"
She ends up using a comb and a mixture of a few of the other bottles in the cabinet.
"You have some time now," his mom comments, not wait for a response before continuing. "So why don't you tell me more about how this whole program was. Did you make any friends? Did you have fun playing together?"
He shrugs. "You don't know much about soccer, it would probably bore you."
'And fly over your head.'
That's normally where this sort of conversation would usually end. His parents don't get the sport, so why bother explaining it? But instead of looking at his phone, he's watching her remove the stain, so he sees her expression when he answers. She looks kind of… disappointed?
'Should I…' Does she really want an answer that much? About a sport she doesn't know anything about? "I guess I could… tell you about some of the people?" he ventures.
His mom nods excitedly, and so he starts telling her about Team Z. He tells her about how Gagamaru refuses to eat with chopsticks, and how Igarashi sleeps like a starfish. Yoichi also extensively details how he was caught in the hazard zone of the monk's wayward limbs on multiple evenings. He tells her how much it sucked losing to Team X, and how Kuon betrayed them against Team W only to save them against Team Z. The striker even tells her how he's kind of proud that he helped Chigiri want to play again. (He doesn't tell her about Kira's betrayed and raging expression, or the way Naruhaya collapsed into sobs, or how it felt when Kunigami didn't enter with the final cleared team).
The clock clicks onwards.
Yoichi tells her in more general terms about how their coach re-defined his understanding of his position. He explains how he improved so much from the inexperienced player he was before, but, despite that, he still has a long way to go. "I can't wait to go back to Blue Lock and become even better."
Thirty minutes of conversation later, he stares up in quiet awe at the coat hanging to dry. The stain is now at least 80% gone. "You're magic."
"I'm a mom." Kaasan smiles gently. "It's nice to hear you speak so enthusiastically again. And I'm glad we could talk like this. You know, it's been a really long time, Yocchan..."
He quirks a brow, looking down at her. "I was only at Blue Lock for like two months."
"Of course," his mom pats his cheek. "I'm just being silly. You're a teenage boy now, after all. I've got to accept that you're almost an adult." She belies her last statement by poking his nose, like she did back when he was an elementary student. He sees her smile wobble at its ends, and wonders if he would have noticed so small a detail before his eyes evolved. "Now, I've got to head back upstairs and catch up on my bookkeeping."
She leaves the room, but like a weird premonition, he hears Reina's voice teasing him about his manners. And then he remembers how Kunigami thanked him for that pass in the cafeteria. Yoichi steps out of the laundry room and turns to see his mom halfway up the staircase. "Thanks for your help, Kaasan."
She freezes and he almost asks her what's wrong before she calls out, "anytime and always, Yocchan." She restarts her ascent, but when she reaches the top she pauses again, still not turning around to face him. "Oh, and your dad said he was running later than expected. Let me know when he gets back, okay? I need his help with something."
"Sure," Yoichi replies, before returning to the laundry room to retrieve his phone.
The striker taps the screen awake, and with a cold jolt realizes he missed the rest of the second half. His gut twists.'I didn't even realize I had stopped watching...' How frowns, and then flinches when he starts to hear echoes of his rivals. First Rin ("You're trash,") then Karuso ("Mr. Ordinary,") and finally Barou ("A guy like you isn't even capable of keeping up.")
Yoichi's skin starts to itch.
He spent an hour with Reina yesterday, and almost two hours today with her in the coffee shop. He wasted over thirty minutes just now dealing with the stupid coat.
'I could have spent that time reviewing plays or speed training. I could have used that time to do extra weights at the gym, or strengthen my core, or practice penalty kicks, or…'
Reina Itoshi… was slowly becoming a distraction, leeching away at his time and attention. Yoichi knows what Ego would say about it. Something condescending like 'professional players choose conditioning over cafés' or even 'Japan's hero would rather train than make time for tea,' or…
His gut drops.
'Or maybe Ego would say something worse.'
The words Yoichi fears most slither into his ear, as Ego's shrewd eyes stare back at him from his screen.
"Distracted strikers disappear."
But Yoichi already knows the dangers of distractions, doesn't he? It's why he had turned down every confession he'd gotten since his first one in middle school, right? It's why he declined every karaoke invitation from his classmates until they stopped inviting him. It's why only the famously persistent Tada-kun bothered to contact him when the striker returned. It's why Yoichi always opted out of family movie nights with his parents. Yoichi Isagi devoted any time outside of school to becoming Japan's star striker. His unrelenting dedication was how he made first string on his high school team back when he was only a first year...
But then...
Then he had wasted two years stagnating at Ichinan.
It wasn't until Blue Lock that Yoichi accepted his inadequacy and faced a truly rigorous training environment. That callous training system is what helped him improve, but it's also how Yoichi knows that starting and scoring during the U-20 game will mean nothing to Ego if Yoichi falls behind the others when Blue Lock resumes. 'There's only one more week left before I get summoned back. I need to focus more than ever. So I need to... I should… probably tell her I'm going to be too busy to meet up after tomorrow.' His gut acts up again, revolting even worse than before. Yoichi tries to tame the disquiet as he determinedly sits on the living room couch, rewinds the video on his phone to the last part he remembers seeing, and then resolutely clicks play.
'It's not like she'll care. She has Megumi-san, that Momo person, and all the other millions of friends someone as outgoing and friendly as her probably has. Bet she won't even notice if I don't show up tomorrow, she'd just keep working.' His gut twists again. 'Actually, Reina probably wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't come today, either. She would have just-'
A whistle blows in his hands.
'Shit.' He hits pause. 'I got sidetracked again.'
And like an unrelenting barrage, the words he fears most repeat. "Distracted strikers disappear, do you want to fade away?" Ego's voice warns, reverberating in Yoichi's mind. To the backdrop of that ominous warning, the striker sees an image of himself, drinking from a mug across from Reina through a café window. Then the scene transitions to another image, one of him holding the World Cup in front of a roaring crowd of over forty thousand fans. They are mutually exclusive images, one of contentment and one of exhilaration. And he knows the one he wants more. It's not even a choice. Because although a small part of him enjoyed bantering with her and it felt kind of nice when he was near her, the larger part of him thrived off of soccer.
'Focus.' He commands himself. 'She's just like the others; she's nothing special. Even if..." He shakes his head. "A friendship with her was only ever going to be temporary, anyways. Blue Lock restarts next week for me and she'll get that position at her lab, so we'll be too busy to-'
"You know, you've been staring pretty hard at a paused screen for the past few minutes."
He startles once more, looking to the side to find, "Tousan?"
His dad chuckles. "You really only just noticed me?"
Yoichi nods.
"Something pressing on your mind, son?"
'Maybe I can ask him about…' Yoichi interrupts his own thoughts, and shakes his head in reprimand. He's already wasted half his day on non-soccer related shit. "Nothing. I think I'm going to go over some more plays upstairs though."
His dad nods, patting Yoichi's back. "Of course. Do what you gotta do, champ."
The striker is already standing up when… he plops right back down. "Hey… Tousan?"
His dad turns to face him again.
"Distracted strikers disappear." The voice cautions once more. "Forget about her, Yoichi Isagi, or the world will forget about you."
"You're home late?" The younger Isagi delays.
"Ahh we had a private booking at the restaurant today. A big Tokyo law firm opened up a new branch in downtown Saitama." His dad grins. "We were busy, but it was a good day. I got to try out two new recipes I was excited about and they went over really well with the crowd. Actually, they liked my dishes so much, they want us to cater for another event they're having after the Momiji festival."
Yoichi nods distractedly, attention already long stolen by soccer. 'Loki said something about seeing infinite options... is he a playmaker-type, like Sae? I should definitely watch some of his games.' ("Good choice," his inner voice agrees, sounding half like Ego and half like something else. "Quit wasting time with this conversation.") Just as the younger Isagi makes to leave, his dad's voice stops him.
"Anything you want… to talk about?" his dad poses the question almost cautiously, pausing the striker's departure.
("Don't do it," the voice warns, "you've already wasted so much time today. You need to focus.")
'Five minutes,' Yoichi compromises with the voice. 'I'll let myself have just five minutes and then be done with it. But, shit, how do I even start to ask about something like this?'
"Hey Tousan… you trained at Osaka Tsumi right?"
His dad raises a brow. "Yes, I did?"
"It must have been pretty competitive to get in. I heard Kaasan tell Toga-san that it's the best chef school in the country."
"Ahh, your Kaasan likes Toga-san the least of all our neighbours; I guess you could say they have a bit of an… antagonistic… friendship? So maybe don't believe everything your mom brags about to her, huh?" His dad chuckles. "But to answer your question, ranking wise, yes. I believe Osaka Tsumi is still considered the most competitive culinary program in Japan."
"And you have your dream job now, right?"
"Well, yes, I suppose I do. But if you don't mind, where is this line of questioning stemming from, Yocchan?"
"Did you ever…" Yoichi pauses to collect his thoughts. "When you were trying to get in, you probably had to work really hard, and stay focused, right?" His dad nods, and the striker struggles to find a way to voice his question. "So when you hung out with other people… didn't you ever worry about… distractions?"
"Ahh, I see." Understanding seems to wash over his dad. The man settles deeper into the couch with an almost nostalgic smile. "So this is about a girl?"
"Eh!" Yoichi flushes. "Of course not."
"Is it about a boy then?"
"No."
"Well, your Kaasan will be relieved at that, I suppose. Not that she would have anything against you having a male partner. She's just dead set on biological grandkids. The one old-fashioned thing about her, I guess. Though, between you and me, I think it's mainly because she wants one more chance to have a little princess to dress up and spoil." His dad chuckles fondly before continuing. "You know, she even found this term on Coogle… Asexual, I think it was. And a few months before you left we were actually betting on if you were-"
"Oh my god, please stop." At times like this, he strongly wishes he had less progressive parents. There are benefits, like when they don't hound him about his grades because they accept it's not his thing, or like when they let him miss eight weeks of school for a soccer training camp, or when they just let him have his space. But then, then there are times like this, where he's convinced they are trying to become his friends rather than act like his parents. 'Who talks to their kid like this? What the hell!?'
"Honestly, I'm surprised you brought this up." His dad doesn't stop. "I just figured your only love was soccer. I was betting on it, actually."
"N-nani?!" Yoichi stutters out, bewildered. "No one said anything about love." He asserts, making an emphatic gesture with his arms to solidify his point.
His dad nods with an entirely unconvinced smile. "Your mom will be so excited for you. When do we get to meet her?"
"Do not tell Kaasan about her!"
"Ah, so there is a girl."
'Dammit. Manipulative old man.'
"I'm leaving." Yoichi makes to stand but his dad grabs his arm and gently guides him back down. "Hold on, hold on. Come on Yocchan, it's the first time my only son has ever asked me for advice, let your old man have this."
Yoichi scowls, hating the way his cheeks flare up as he resolutely looks the other way.
He hears his dad let out a contemplative sort of sigh, before starting to speak again. "You know, it actually took me four attempts to get admitted into Osaka Tsumi."
Yoichi turns back to face his dad, surprised. "Really?"
"Really." His dad nods. "And I don't know much about soccer, or any professional sport, really. It was never my thing, or your Kaasan's. But… I know what it means to chase a dream. You'll have setbacks, make mistakes, and some days you'll question if what you've already given up is worth it, or if you're ever going to be good enough to reach your goal." His dad seems lost in his memories for a moment before he continues. "And those days, when you're struggling to see a path to your dream, it's the people we love who help us find it."
Yoichi tilts his head, confused. "But… Kaasan sucks at cooking. How did she help you get into Japan's best cooking school?"
His dad snorts. "You think you're any better in the kitchen? My son who managed to burn water?" His dad laughs. "My soul still hasn't recovered. Neither did that pot, despite your Kaasan's best efforts."
Yoichi flushes, mumbling out a petulant, "I was twelve, what's her excuse?"
His dad cuffs Yoichi on the back of his head. "As I was saying," Tousan continues. "Having someone who wants your dream for you as much as you do... that's a really powerful thing. During the times when you doubt yourself, or when you hesitate, it's their belief in you and their encouragement that keeps you going the extra mile."
Yoichi feels like Ego Jinpachi would sneer at his dad's words and strongly disagree. And of the two, it's Ego's method that sharpened the striker's skills to where they are today. His dad sounds awfully like his Ichinan coach, preaching about needing others. Tousan seems to sense Yoichi's disbelief, because he opens his mouth to say more, until he's suddenly interrupted.
"Yoichi Isagi, I told you to let me know when your dad was back!" Both turn to see his mom at the top of the staircase.
"Tadaima," his dad greets warmly.
"Okaeri," his mom's voice softens. "Anata, can you come fix the printer? It's doing that thing with the ink again and I can't print off the invoices from the latest fabric orders."
"Of course." He squeezes his son's shoulder as he stands.
Yoichi follows after him. 'I should probably start watching some of Loki's prior gam-,' He crashes into his dad's back when the taller man suddenly stops just before the stairs.
Tousan turns to him with a smile. "And one more piece of advice from your old man, if you're willing to hear it. The thing about having an amazing partner by your side? They inspire you to reach your dream, and they also inspire you to be better in other ways too. So don't be so hesitant to let other people in, you know? There's more to life than just soccer."
Yoichi grimaces. "Uhh... sure, Tousan."
("What a load of crap," the voice sneers.)
It's FC Montpellier versus PXG.
It's a game Yoichi's watched before, Julien Loki's first professional appearance in the French league. But now... it's like watching it anew. With the vantage of the cameras, and now knowing about the moving five lanes concept, Isagi sees.
'It's not just triangles,' the striker realizes. 'Loki's using diamonds.'
Now, Yoichi understands how Loki manages to score a hat trick in his debut. Yoichi sees how the speedster constructs and deconstructs shapes with his timely stop and sprints. The Blue Lock striker sees how the Frenchman maneuvers in relation to the evolving angles with each play, creating plays and positions that end with his goal.
("All I see are options.")
Loki had said that during the World Select five on five game. At the time, Yoichi didn't truly comprehend how vast the options were, and how many more opportunities Loki's sprinting speed granted him. But with the knowledge Yoichi had gained since…
'I'm going to do it too.' Yoichi resolves. 'I can't right this second but, with what I know now, if I increase my physicals and expand my vision further… I will be able to devour even the likes of Julien Loki.'
Yoichi turns off his phone, bathing his room in darkness as he settles into bed. His arm swings up to rest atop his forehead as the striker stares into the ceiling. His other hand stretches out above him, reaching towards the outline of the World Cup that glimmers in the distance.
He ponders on his dad's words.
'Sae can keep his triangles,'
He thinks of the constellations in Reina's book.
'And Loki can keep his diamonds.'
Yoichi clasps his outstretched fingers into a fist, grinning.
"Because I'm going to create stars."
How stupid was he? Wasting time musing about irrelevant things like friends and that silly girl he met in a café. Soccer's all he'll ever need.
(But she had been just a bit helpful, today, right? She'd taught him about lanes and shapes... and she still probably had more useful things in that messy-haired head of hers. So maybe... he'll see her a few times more, just until she isn't useful anymore.)
In the next chapter, we'll get to see Bachira, Nagi, and Chigiri!
Do you guys prefer to read the story with me using Yoichi or Isagi to refer to him? I previously used Isagi because Yoichi is not commonly used in the manga, so in my head he is "Isagi." Then I realized it would be weird to call him that when he was interacting with his family. And people don't really refer to themselves by their last name, right? Thoughts on using Yoichi going forward? Or should I just switch back to Isagi - would that make it easier to read?
Also, did anyone else catch Mbappe's straight up Isagi direct shot moment during the World Cup finals today? INSANE!
End of Chapter 2
Preview for Future Chapters
"Are you really that dense, Isagi? … Little Rin abandons little Reina. Little Reina gets a grudge that grows with her… Reina's smart and bored, Isagi…don't get caught up in her games.
/-/
"Oh hello?! Is this my little Yo-chan's girlfriend?!" Isagi slams his face into his hands, utterly mortified.
/-/
This house will never welcome you… You're nothing but father's mistake, here.
/-/
"Always playing victim, how lukewarm." Rin steps closer. "What? You really think you can hide behind a shithead like him?" He mocks.
/-/