Chapter Text
At the age of eight, Rin didn’t use to care about changes as long as his older brother was by his side. Even when they had to move from their hometown to Saitama because of a job opportunity his father got, he didn’t mind it at all. In fact, he got used to the new place pretty quickly.
They lived next to a fresh, verdant park with a nice court. Sae made sure to take Rin there at least four times a week to play and that was more than enough for him to feel at home. The best part of it was that the court was almost always empty – there were a lot of kids like him playing on the swings, the slides or the sandbox, but none of them seemed too interested in soccer, which was fine by Rin. He got to have a whole court to him and his brother, and that made him happier than anything.
That changed as quickly as Rin had gotten used to the new town. The weather and the atmosphere hadn’t been particularly remarkable that day, and if nothing else happened then, it would have become just another evening lost amidst Rin’s childhood memories. However, when he walked right behind Sae through the same path he was already used to, clutching the rim of his brother’s shirt in the process, he realized something was different. Prominent between the vast amount of green, someone stood. Looking closely, the person was thoroughly absorbed in his game of keepie-uppie. It was obviously a child just like himself, but Rin halted anyway, making Sae stop in front of him.
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s someone there,” Rin replied. “What will we do, big bro?”
“It’s a public place,” Sae answered matter-of-factly. “You can either ask to join him or to split the court.”
Rin clutched the fabric harder, observing the person from afar once again. He was a dark haired boy, maybe a little taller than him but still shorter than Sae. “Can I really do this?”
“It’s fine, Rin. I’ll go with you, okay? We’ll just ask politely.”
“Okay,” Rin replied, nodding as he let go of the shirt. Sae didn’t seem to mind that it had crumpled.
He followed Sae’s steps, getting closer to the kid, and when Sae looked back at Rin, he knew it was a sign for him to talk.
“Um… Excuse me!” Rin tried to sound as certain as he could when he called out to him. He managed to get the boy’s attention, and when said boy looked at him, Rin was met with a pair of big blue eyes. “I wanted to know if my brother and I could use the other half of the court.”
The boy didn’t answer right away. Instead, he looked around, as if searching for someone. Sae knew the look on his face very well – it was the same as Rin’s whenever he had to make a hard decision and Sae wasn’t close by to assist him. Eventually, he seemed to give up searching, looking again at the Itoshi brothers to nod sheepishly.
“Thank you,” Sae answered for the two of them.
The boy looked like he was about to focus completely on his kick-ups again when his gaze locked on Sae’s hands, or rather, the object they held. His eyes sparkled, and a bright smile took over his face, in big contrast to his previously shy demeanor. It was like the mere sight of something related to the sport made him warm up to those two boys he had never even met before. "You like soccer too?!”
“Duh! Why else would we come here?” Rin mumbled bluntly in reply, though there wasn’t malice in his tone.
“In that case, can I play too?” The boy practically beamed and Rin thought that if he kept smiling like that, his face would start hurting in no time. “Wait, my mom says I shouldn’t talk to strangers…”
Rin looked at his brother in contemplation, waiting for his reaction like it was all that mattered.
“My name is Sae. This is my little brother, Rin.” Sae stated, a soft, rare smile making its way to his face. “There. We aren’t strangers anymore.”
“My name’s Yoichi Isagi! You can call me whatever! Are you new here? I never saw you before.”
“We moved earlier this month,” the older replied. “Rin, Isagi. How about you two team-up against me?”
“Eh?! Isn’t that unfair?” Isagi exclaimed, watching Sae with an exasperated expression.
Rin, who usually let his brother do all the talking, joined the conversation. “It’s not! My brother is the best soccer player ever. He’s going to be the best in the world.”
Isagi didn’t seem to doubt Rin’s words. “Then he must be really awesome. We’ll have to work together to beat him! I’m counting on you, Rin.”
That was engraved in Rin’s memories as the day he met not only his first friend, but the boy who held so many other firsts in Rin’s life within the simple reach of his arms.
…
After that day, there was a new addition in Sae and Rin’s soccer matches. Isagi was now an integral part of them, and the times they spent playing were the highlight of their days.
It happened so naturally, and in no time, Rin managed to open up to Isagi despite being more on the shy side. He even got to know Isagi’s parents when he went there for dinner after spending an entire day playing – that time, Sae was sick and it had been just the two of them, and surprisingly, Rin was comfortable enough with it.
Rin learned that Isagi was only a year older than himself, but he went to a different school. He also knew that, other than soccer, he liked to draw, even though he said he wasn’t very good at it – Rin couldn’t give an opinion on the subject, since he had never seen any of Isagi’s drawings yet. He liked sweets and got really excited whenever people praised him, and when ignored, he would sulk and pout for hours if no one was there to stop him. Those were the first things Rin remembered learning about Isagi, the first of many to come.
…
The next summer came and Sae, Rin and Isagi were still playing together whenever they got the chance, having become a close and inseparable group within the span of a year.
Isagi’s parents were kind enough to drive them to the beach, going all the way down to the coast, which was a first for Rin. His parents were too busy to do something like this, but Sae always reminded him they were working that much because they wanted to give a comfortable life to their two sons, and the notion somewhat helped Rin deal with how much he missed them sometimes. Even so, being there with Isagi and his parents was awesome as well.
“Rin, Sae! Let’s swim!”
“Calm down, Yocchan,” Iyo laughed at her son’s enthusiasm. “You have plenty of time.”
“That’s why I want to enjoy every second! Last one to get in the water loses!”
Rin and Isagi immediately raced against each other, and if Sae slowed down behind so none of them would have to be upset about losing, both were unaware.
“Don’t go too far away!” Issei shouted from afar, amused with their antics. “Kids these days.”
“Looks like I lost,” Sae said as he approached both boys, who were panting from the race but with bright smiles on their faces nonetheless. “What does the loser have to do?”
“Nothing, big bro! We know you’re awesome, maybe it’s just not your lucky day,” Rin answered promptly.
Isagi, however, had other plans. “Think, Rin. It’s the first time we defeat your brother. We have to ask something of him!”
The youngest thought for a while before speaking again. “Hm, that much is true.”
“Then, how about…” Isagi stopped in the middle of the sentence, realizing he didn’t have an actual idea.
As if on cue, the ring of a bell caught Rin’s attention, and when he searched for its source, his gaze met an ice cream cart. “Then… When we finish playing, he could buy us ice cream.”
“I like this idea,” Isagi smiled. “Heard that, Sae?”
“Yeah. It’s only fair.”
As he promised, once the sun set and they were too tired from the day, the oldest one walked the other two to the ice cream cart and treated them, Rin’s choice being the mint flavor and Isagi’s being chocolate, and Sae even got a strawberry one for himself in the end.
They sat on the sand, watching the mellow hues of sunset as they rested, sticky and freezing from the cool breeze and even then, savoring the sweet taste of their ice creams like those were the last ones they’d ever eat.
Isagi was the first to break the silence. “Sae, where will you go in Junior High? That’s your last year before it, isn’t it?”
“I’ll probably go to Ichinan. I’m not sure yet. Doesn’t matter much, though. I think they are all the same.”
“Will you go there too, Rin?”
“If big bro is there, sure.”
Isagi puffed out his chest, and as if making a declaration, he stood up and uttered in all his boyish glory: “I’ve made a decision!”
“What decision?” Rin raised his head to meet Isagi’s determined gaze.
“I’m attending the same junior high as you two! I mean, meeting at the weekends and after school is nice, but imagine it if we went to the same place! We could even take the train together.”
“That sounds cool,” Sae replied.
“Too bad we all have a one year gap… I’ll be the last of us to start junior high,” Rin murmured under his breath. "When I start it, it'll be big bro's last year already."
Isagi ruffled Rin’s hair and beamed at him. “Don’t sweat it! Think of yourself as the… What were the words again…”
“The grand finale,” Sae completed.
“Exactly! You’ll be the last piece to our plan of being the absolute best players in the school team. We’ll rule every match, and–”
“Ouch!” Rin yelped, getting the attention of the two older boys.
“Slow down,” Sae warned him, putting a hand on Rin’s shoulder to comfort him. “That will happen again if you keep eating it too fast.”
“I don’t want Rin’s brain to freeze,” Isagi muttered in concern. “Will you be okay, Rin?”
“I will,” Rin nodded. If both his friend and his brother were concerned, he would take extra care.
When Rin’s head felt normal again, he took his time to take in the whole scenery. He thought the beach was nice looking, and the horizon looked dazzling at that time of the day, but he had imagined the sea to be ‘bluer’. It was a greenish shade instead, and even though it was pretty, he had one innocent, sudden thought: Isagi’s eyes had a color much prettier than the sea.
…
Sae started Junior High, and Isagi followed him a year later. His twelfth birthday happened on April first of that year, and for the first time in their three years of friendship, Isagi celebrated with more people than just the Itoshi brothers. Before, when he met Rin and Sae at the age of nine, he’d just invite them to eat some homemade cake and then spend the rest of the time playing soccer. Many things had changed during that three year gap, and still none of them bothered Rin. Sae had become quite popular at school, but hadn’t made many friends – not because he couldn’t, but because he didn’t really want to. Isagi, on the other hand, wasn’t as popular, but managed to gather a few close friends as Rin witnessed during this party.
It was a small celebration at Isagi’s house, the guests being Rin, Sae and his three new closest friends. And even though Isagi introduced them and made sure to include Rin in every conversation, he couldn’t help but feel a bit left behind. He was the only one not in Junior High after all, and he doubted being the youngest there made him any more interesting to Isagi than the others, and if that wasn’t enough, Rin only realized he hadn’t bought a gift when he saw the packages on Isagi’s new friends’ hands. He felt embarrassed – he realized he wanted to give Isagi a gift too. The thing is, it had never been a habit between the two of them. They’d just meet and have fun once their birthdays arrived, so they never actually exchanged gifts.
After everyone filled their stomachs with cake, the group made its way to the park. It seemed that Isagi’s friends were also soccer fans, which made a lot of sense, because soccer is a part of Isagi and Rin doubted he would be that close to people that didn’t like soccer – it worked the same way for himself.
“Is it alright if the teams are Sae, Rin and I against Bachira, Kunigami and Chigiri?”
The redhead and the blonde guy agreed, and the other dark haired boy was the only one to object. “Ah, no fair~ I wanted to play with Isagi too.”
“The first team should be Bachira, Rin and I then,” Isagi suggested. “If that’s fine with everyone.”
“Why don’t we all play rock paper scissors to decide our teams?” Kunigami asked.
“'Cause I really wanted to show you guys my plays with Rin,” Isagi explained. “It’s when I play my best. Right, Rin?”
When Isagi aimed those words at him, Rin’s chest that had been previously tight and heavy with doubt felt light and warm. He realized his concern had been futile. Isagi would never forget about him just because some new people entered his life.
“Right!”
“And well, now that I think about it, it’ll be more fair if Sae is in the other team, because he’s the only one that managed to stop Rin and I as a duo up until now.”
Chigiri grinned. “Is that a challenge? I’ll take it!”
“We’ll crush the three of you,” Kunigami declared.
“We’ll see about that,” Bachira teased while Sae watched the exchange in amusement.
The game went on for hours until Isagi’s mom had to go get them to let them know their parents were coming to pick them up soon. Bachira’s mom picked him up first, and then Kunigami and Chigiri left together with Chigiri’s mom, since they were neighbors.
“I just realized we didn’t even count the goals, didn’t we?” Isagi laughed when the Itoshi brothers were the only ones left beside him. “Thanks, guys. I had fun.”
And despite his early doubts, Rin had been absolutely sincere when he answered that he’d had fun too. Especially because then he became certain that Isagi wouldn’t simply choose someone else over him. In fact, Isagi did choose him, and that felt reassuring and greater than it should. There was only one thing still bothering him.
“I’m sorry I didn’t buy you a gift like your other friends did,” Rin told Isagi, who looked back at him like he had just said something funny. “What?”
“I don’t care about that, Rin! Having you two here is all I could ask for, anyway.”
Sae snorted by their side. “What’s with you, getting all sappy?”
Isagi’s cheeks blushed a deep shade of red, and muffled laughs coming from both Itoshi brothers soon turned into a laughing fit.
“I guess I did get sappy,” Isagi joined in the laughter.
…
Just like Sae, Rin hadn’t made that many friends when he started Junior High, but unlike his brother, he was seen as someone somber and perhaps odd rather than cool and dashing – probably because he was shy whereas Sae was simply reserved, but that was fine by him. Other things did change though, such as how they could now take the train together every morning. What stayed the same nevertheless was that after school, they’d immediately go to their park, except for when they had soccer practice. Right, the three of them joined the soccer team and unsurprisingly, in his last year of Junior High, Sae became the captain, which led to a popular belief amongst the other students that Isagi would be the next and then Rin.
No talk about one of them went on for long before the others were mentioned, that was for sure. When thinking of Itoshi Rin, one’s also certain to think about Isagi Yoichi and Itoshi Sae.
In this year's soccer tournament, Ichinan Junior High team won first place, a goal scored by each one of them in the final match. The moment Sae received the trophy for their team would be vivid in their memories for years to come, after all, unbeknownst to the two younger ones, some things were bound to change soon.
As soon as the trophy was given to Sae, Isagi’s parents walked over to him and congratulated him, doing the same to Isagi and Rin right after. Issei and Iyo were very present in their son’s life, different from the Itoshis, but they came to treat Rin and Sae like children of their own, growing really fond of the two siblings.
“Ah, I have to take a picture of this moment!” Iyo announced. “Did you bring the camera, honey?”
Issei nodded, and positioned himself in front of the three kids to take a picture.
“Remember to smile, boys!”
The camera clicked, capturing the image of a faint but genuine smile gracing Sae’s features; Isagi by his right side grinning from ear to ear; and Rin, showcasing a gap in the place one of his canines should be from losing his baby tooth – which reminded him that Isagi had teased him before about it happening too late compared to him and Sae.
Afterwards, Isagi’s parents printed three copies of the picture, one for each friend. The picture frames earned themselves a place in each of the friends’ rooms, and there they would stay, even after a long time.
Even if they were away from each other.
…
It was one of the rare occasions Rin’s mother and father were home, and he couldn’t help but ask himself why did he feel a little weird about the situation – said situation being a dinner with Isagi’s whole family as guests. They had ordered food and the adults chatted amongst each other, while the kids ate in silence. Sae had been extremely quiet that night, and both Isagi and Rin sensed it, given that they didn’t say a word either.
“Well, I think it’s time for you to give them the news, sweetheart,” Mrs. Itoshi said once everyone finished eating.
Sae looked away, shifting under his mother’s gaze, which was a rare thing to happen. Rin had always seen Sae as someone who never faltered in front of a dilemma, who always knew what to do despite any hurdle. It was a new look on his brother’s face, and he sure didn’t like it.
“What news?” Isagi asked, not oblivious to the heavy atmosphere, but trying to play it cool to make it more comfortable to everyone.
“Well… You see, I–” Sae started, stopping mid sentence before continuing. "I was offered a sports scholarship.”
“No way! That’s so cool, Sae!” Isagi’s face truly matched his words, but both him and Rin sensed there was more to that statement than Sae let out. There was an unspoken clause to the great news.
Sae took a deep breath. “The school is–”
“The team is a foreign one,” Mr. Itoshi cut him off. “Your brother is spending his high school years in Spain.”
There was no answer for a while – it felt like years, but only seconds had passed – and tension filled the air. The adults, who all knew about the situation before that dinner, were accessing the kids’ reactions, but found out they couldn’t. Maybe the fact was still sinking in. Perhaps they wanted to pretend to not have heard so as to make this feel less realistic.
Isagi was the first one to pick himself back up and show a reaction. “I’m impressed! I mean, not really, because I know you’re super skilled and all, but woah. Spain.”
“Right, Yocchan?” Iyo smiled, glad that her son didn’t make matters worse. “It’s an amazing feat.”
“Yeah,” Isagi agreed. He was happy for Sae, and proud that he had watched his friend grow into the player he was now, a talented one that attracted the attention of people outside Japan. Even then, there was a hint of longing in his following words. “It really is.”
Mrs. Itoshi looked at Rin next. “Congratulate your brother, honey.”
Rin didn’t move nor say a word for a few more moments. Then, in a sudden motion, he ran upstairs, barely managing to catch himself before almost stumbling in the last few steps. The last thing the rest of the people heard from Rin was the harsh bang of the door being closed.
“I’ll go talk to him,” Sae uttered, in that tone Isagi knew the meaning very well from years of observing his somewhat stoic friend and walked towards Rin's room.
Sae was blaming himself. And for the first time, just Sae being there for Rin wasn’t enough to calm him down. In fact, Sae’s presence made Rin even angrier. The screaming from upstairs sounded like hell to Isagi, who spaced out trying to figure out what to do until an abrupt noise managed to get his attention back. Sae ran back downstairs in a dash and left through the front door, ignoring his parents calls.
That wasn’t right. Rin and Sae couldn’t fall apart. Isagi wouldn’t let them, not while they were his closest friends, the most important people in his life.
He made up his mind and asked the Itoshis if he could check on Rin. Faced with his own mother’s concerned face, he reassured everyone: “Don’t worry. I’ll handle this.”
…
When he made it to Rin’s room, the first thing he noticed were the glass shards on the floor and the picture lying beside it – coincidentally, the very same one they took after they won the finals. Rin could be seen curled up on his bed, looking like he wanted to be swallowed by the sheets. He didn’t look up when Isagi stepped inside, but it wasn’t necessary. Rin knew it was him.
“Go away.”
“I won’t,” Isagi stated, leaving no room for objection. “Not until I make sure you’re okay. Until then, I’ll stay.”
Rin said nothing. For all his kindness, Isagi was still very stubborn. All he could do was pretend he was fine until Isagi decided he could be left alone, but then again, Isagi knows Rin. The slightest tremble of the younger’s back was enough for Isagi to realize that Rin had been crying. Isagi approached him, letting himself sit on the edge of the bed.
“Rin, look at me.”
When Isagi spoke like that, Rin couldn’t say no. He felt ashamed of himself, he felt mad, he felt angry, sad and embarrassed. Even then, he couldn’t ever say ‘no’ to Isagi.
Rin wondered how bad his state was when he saw Isagi’s eyes widen as soon as he turned around.
“What?”
“You’re bleeding!” Isagi said as he took Rin’s hand on his own. “We need to take care of it. I’ll get the supplies, hold up.”
He hadn’t realized he’d been bleeding, but now that he became aware, God , it did sting.
The older boy came back with the first aid box and started cleansing Rin’s hands in a clumsy fashion.
“Crap, Rin. How did you let this happen?”
Rin wished he had somewhere to hide from the guilt as he admitted, “I’m sorry. I broke it.”
“It’s not the picture frame I’m worried about!” Isagi, who’d been treating his hands with a touch so delicate it could be barely felt despite all its clumsiness, suddenly looked back up at him with a fierce stare. “I can fix it up later for you! But you could’ve gotten seriously hurt!”
Rin’s mind was filled with images of the moment Sae tried to calm him down after announcing so suddenly that he was going to leave. It was almost like his body wasn’t being controlled by his rational self. It was moving on its own, and he screamed at his own brother from the top of his lungs before kicking the first thing he could reach, which was the bedside table with their picture. The last thing he saw was his brother running, a single tear rolling down his cheek. Rin had seen Sae falter earlier that day, but it was the first time he had seen Sae cry.
He felt like a monster for being the one at fault.
“Sae left this room crying,” Rin confessed. “I yelled at him and he left my room crying.”
“And you’ll talk to him later, but you don’t deserve to get hurt because of it.” Isagi countered. “Hey, it's okay. I know you're frustrated. And that you feel alone.”
“I have you.” Rin uttered and even though it wasn’t a question, he sounded like he needed a confirmation.
“You have me.” Isagi reassured, waiting until the words sank in to speak again. “But you’re allowed to miss people. It’s natural.”
They were close friends, but at this moment, he’d never felt so close to Isagi. While the other boy finished cleansing his hands and started putting band-aids over his cuts, in a moment of weakness, he rested his head over Isagi’s shoulder.
‘Let me stay like this for a little while’ went unsaid.
" Stay however long you want," was Isagi’s answer, loud and clear.
…
Minutes later, both boys ran downstairs and, ignoring the doubt filled voices from their parents as they ran across the living room, went through the front door.
After Rin calmed down from the shock of Sae's revelation, he suggested they should hurry up and find Sae, to which Isagi agreed. Thankfully, it wasn’t hard to guess where the oldest would've gone.
Where else, if not their shared spot?
They found Sae all alone, sitting on one of the swings, yet he didn’t move an inch to make it sway. The look Isagi and Rin shared as they spotted him was enough for them to know what to do.
Whenever they needed a push, Sae was always there. Even to Isagi, who wasn’t related to him by blood, Sae was like an older brother, one that always took care of them even when he thought they weren’t paying attention.
Rin and Isagi wanted to do that for him, as well.
They delicately pushed the swing, just enough for Sae to notice their presence without being scared by the sudden presence.
…
Under the night sky, they played a final game, having lost track of time.
All good things must come to and end , they realized as the dark sky that surrounded them in what felt like an embrace of all their youthful memories changed its tone to a much softer lilac.