Chapter Text
The rapid flapping of birds' wings sounded above him. That was the first thing he sensed. Immediately after, he became aware of the rough, grainy texture pressing against his face and arms. Tiny rocks seemed to dig into his skin, scratching and prodding at him with every small movement.
Confused by these sensations, he opened his eyes. The moment he did, a blinding glare of sunlight struck his vision, forcing him to quickly shield his face. He ignored the burning sting on his arms from the rough ground and blinked several times, trying to adjust.
When his vision cleared, his eyes scanned the area around him. Slowly, he realized that he was sitting at some kind of playground.
But how? The dark green haired boy tilted his head in confusion. He tried to remember.
Soft rain fell over the empty soccer field, making the green grass glisten. He stood breathing in the deep, fresh smell of wet earth and damp soil.
He remembered it was raining.
He had been on a field alone. His soccer ball was wet. His hands were cold. He had been practicing for a while, but he wasn't sure how long.
And then he slipped.
His foot gave way, and then, he fell forward towards the ground.
The next time he opened his eyes, he was here. Lying on the ground at this empty playground.
Not wanting to stay on the hard ground any longer, the boy pushed himself up. That was when he noticed something strange: his arms. They were small and chubby, not the muscular arms he remembered having. He sat up fully and stared at them, growing more confused with every detail he took in. Nothing looked right. Nothing felt like it should.
Drip.
He would have remained sitting there, staring at his changed body for much longer, if not for the sudden feeling of liquid trickling from his nose. A drop of blood landed on his top of his hand.
Realizing his nose was bleeding, he quickly leaned forward and pinched the bridge of his nose. At the same time, he used his shirt sleeve to wipe the blood trickling down toward his mouth. He stayed like that until the bleeding stopped.
Only then did he look up again, wiping the remaining trail of blood beneath his nose one last time. As he glanced around at his surroundings once more, the feeling of being lost returned to him, heavier than before, settling deep in his chest.
He didn't know what to do. Somehow, his body had become smaller, as if he had regressed to being a young child. The boy remained sitting on the ground, unable to move and unable to think clearly. He simply stared into the empty air, still feeling completely disoriented by this sudden, inexplicable change.
Before he could dwell on his thoughts or stare off into the now setting sun, he heard urgent footsteps approaching. They came closer and closer, then slowed once they reached the spot just behind him.
"Rin!" a young, high-pitched voice called out, the voice of a small boy. "Mom and Dad were looking for you, you know?”
The boy stared at the back of the smaller boy's head and grew slightly worried when Rin didn't respond. He stepped around the still sitting boy to face him.
"You should've at least told one of them, or me, if you were heading out— What the hell...?" The boy paused in the middle of his scolding before realizing something, "Did you jump from up there again?"
The boy raised his hands and gently lifted Rin's face to check for injuries. "Rin... You should stop doing that. You'll just end up hurting yourself." His voice was scolding, but it also carried a weary tone.
From this angle, Rin saw the other boy's choppy maroon hair, with bangs that looked like they had been cut with a crooked pair of scissors.
No offense, but the hairdresser must not have liked this kid, Rin thought as he stared at the other boy's uneven haircut.
"Rin?"
He realized, belatedly, that he hadn't answered.
The boy raised one eyebrow when Rin simply stared at him without answering. Seeing that the other was still dazed, the boy sighed and let go of his face. He then grabbed Rin's arm and pulled him up onto his feet.
",Come on, Rin. Let's go home already." The boy turned his back and started to drag the smaller boy behind him by the arm, heading in the direction he had come from.
The boy had choppy maroon hair and wore clothes that were slightly baggy on him. Rin studied him for a moment before speaking.
"... Nii-chan," he called out quietly in slightly hesitant tone.
"Hm?" the boy responded without turning around.
Rin guessed right. He was in the body of a young Itoshi Rin, and this was his brother, Itoshi Sae. The very same brother that the original Rin had chased for so long.
Rin, or rather Arai Rin, was the usual seventeen-year-old teen who studied and played soccer for his school team. He got along with his teammates, trained with them, ate with them, and hung out with them after practice. He did his best, winning some interschool games and losing others.
One day, taking a break after practice, Rin rested on a bench and sipped his water. That was when one of his teammates came up to him to show a manga featuring a character who shared his given name.
Rin rolled his eyes at his friend's laugh, but he still took a look at what was being shown to him. He stared at the page for a second longer before returning his gaze to the brown-haired boy.
"Really? A manga about soccer?" Rin raised an eyebrow. "Wow, I guess you haven't had enough of practice yet. Since you love soccer so much, I'll inform the coach that you'd like to increase your training.”
To scare the boy further, Rin pretended to stand up, ready to march to where their coach was. The brown-haired boy immediately grabbed his arm to stop him. "No, no! Come on, Rin! Don't you think it's pretty funny- I mean cool that a character with the same name as you is playing the same sport as you?" He was speaking rapidly, but Rin only stared back with a bored gaze.
"See? You even have the same expression Itoshi Rin has!" the boy added, laughing.
The corner of Rin's lips twitched when he heard his friend's nonsense. He sighed, choosing to play along. "So, who even is this 'Itoshi Rin' that you like so much?"
The brown-haired boy laughed, glad to finally have Rin's attention. "He's a character from Blue Lock, a manga about soccer.”
The boy flipped to the pages where Itoshi Rin first appeared. "Basically, he's a rival of Isagi Yoichi, the main character." He tapped the illustration. "He once had a dream with his brother, Itoshi Sae, to become the best striker in the world!" He enthusiastically held up the page for Rin to see.
"But the dream didn't come true because his brother ended up as a midfielder instead." The boy shrugged as he grinned. "So, you're kinda like Itoshi Rin, except that you're a midfielder, just like his brother!”
“Uh-huh..." Rin stared at the boy, still unimpressed. The boy stared back in silence, then sighed and reached into his duffel bag, pulling out several manga volumes.
Rin blinked at the sight. "So you just casually bring a whole collection of a manga series to practice?”
“Of course not! Just the first few volumes so I can reread them while waiting for the next." The boy held out three manga volumes. "Here. These are the first three volumes of Blue Lock. Once you're done, just tell me and I'll lend you the next ones."
"Why on earth would I read a manga about soccer when I already play the sport itself?" Rin squinted at the held-out books. He shook his head. "Plus, I don't really wanna read this type of manga because most of them are highly unrealistic. They casually pull out a tornado or a dragon during a match or something…”
"Seriously? But that exaggerated stuff makes them so good! They're so interesting to read, you know?!" The boy insistently pushed the books toward Rin. "Just try it! Read the first few volumes and then tell me if it still sucks."
Rin sighed at the other. "Fine. I don't even know why you're so pushy about this..."
The boy simply laughed. "I need someone to talk about it with!"
"Fine, fine!" Rin finally took the books and carefully slid them into his bag.
"Nice! You better take good care of them, alright?! These are my precious treasures!"
"Yeah, yeah." Rin rolled his eyes as he gave an exasperated smile. He then stood up and threw the strap of his bag over his shoulder. "Anyway, I should head home now. Don't wanna miss dinner, or else Mom will get mad again."
"Alrighty! I'll tell the others you went ahead." The brown-haired boy waved. "See ya! Don't forget to read those, okay?!"
Rin waved back, smiling, before turning around to walk away.
It was challenging to convince Rin to do something when he wasn't interested. But for his best friend, he would willingly read that nonsensical manga he wanted him to read so badly.
At first, Rin cringed through the early chapters. He found it ridiculous how the bowl-cut character wanted to form a team with nothing but forwards. How does that even work? He shared this thought with his friend, who only laughed at his reaction.
It was lunch break. The classroom was mostly empty, with only a few students left while the others headed to the cafeteria. His friend sat in front of him, turning his seat around to face Rin's desk.
"If you were in this manga, would you join the Blue Lock program? After all, you fit the criteria as a center forward," Rin teased.
"Pfft! No way! First of all, I'm not interested in being imprisoned to play soccer for months." The brown-haired boy cringed. "Second, I'd totally fail in the first round. I mean, have you seen those characters? They're so OP!”
“Oh? Not so 'egoist' of you, huh?" Rin grinned as the other boy rolled his eyes.
"Don't you even start with it." The boy blew raspberries. "Anyway!" he started again.
The boy leaned closer, smirking mischievously. "So... What did you think of Rin? Kinda like you, no?"
"Hah? What part exactly?" Rin realized his friend had turned the tables on him. "I'm in no way similar to him. I'm not even playing soccer just to chase a sibling.”
"Nor do I stick my tongue out while playing," Rin added, tutting.
"Haha! What the hell? That's what you're focusing on?"
Rin shrugged playfully. "Anyway, lend me the next volumes already!"
"You're pretty hooked on the series, I see?" The boy wiggled his eyebrows. "Who was it that said he wasn't interested in this type of stuff?”
"Yeah, yeah. Just lend it already!"
"Oh-hoh? Impatient as well!" The boy teased further but he nevertheless got up and went to his actual seat, and reached into his bag.
"Ugh, whatever—" Rin glared, though there was no real anger behind it, at the boy who was still laughingly reaching into his bag. "Sai.”
"Rin?”
When Rin snapped back to attention, he realized he was now inside a house. Sae's teal eyes looked at him, then gestured toward his shoes.
"Switch your shoes," Sae said, pointing at Rin's shoes.
Rin slipped off his shoes and exchanged them for slippers before fully stepping into the house. Sae nodded in approval.
"Go ahead and change your clothes, then I'll help you with your scratches and wounds," Sae said, nodding in the direction of the stairs.
Rin, still feeling awkward with a stranger who was now his brother, nodded and quickly headed in the direction Sae had indicated.
He reached a room that was clearly theirs, based on the toys and ball scattered across the floor. He didn't enter immediately. Instead, he took a moment to familiarize himself with the upstairs hallway. As he explored, he could still hear voices from downstairs, so he decided to listen in.
"Sae, did you find him?" a woman's voice asked.
"Yeah, he was just playing at the playground. He's upstairs now," Sae's young voice replied.
"Is that so? Thank you, Sae. You should rest for a bit too. We'll call you both when dinner's ready," a masculine voice said.
Soft footsteps faded as the mother walked into another area of the house. After a brief silence, a chair scraped against the floor
"...I got a call from the school again," the woman said to her husband. Despite her hushed tone, Rin could still hear her clearly. Her voice sounded helpless, almost disappointed.
She continued. "Apparently, Rin is still causing trouble for the other kids... Jumping from high places, coming home with all sorts of cuts and bruises..."
A soft sigh followed. "Even Sae has been acting strange lately. He's always covering for his brother…"
"I just feel so helpless. As a mother, I can't help but worry if I did something wrong." Her voice became muffled, as if she was speaking into her hands.
"It'll be alright, dear," the male voice comforted her. "It's just a phase all young boys go through. I'm sure Rin will grow out of it.”
Soft footsteps came up the stairs. Rin looked over and saw Sae tilting his head at him, a first aid kit in hand.
"Hey, Rin. You should wash your face a bit so I can treat you," Sae said.
"Okay..." Rin headed in the direction where he had seen the bathroom.
As Rin took off his dirtied and bloodied clothes, he thought back to the conversation his new parents had. He wondered if it would be strange to suddenly behave differently. After all, although his body was around three or four years old, his mind was already seventeen.
He didn't think he could bear to act like young Itoshi Rin did. But then again, this was the age when kids were still developing. So maybe it wouldn't be too strange for him to change.
Knock.
Knock.
The knocking interrupted his thoughts.
"Rin, you there? I'll leave your clothes outside the door. Don't run around naked again," Sae said. Without waiting for a response, he walked away.
Rin opened the door and grabbed his clothes before closing it again. He used a bright, cartoonish step ladder to reach the sink and washed his face and arms. He felt small stings as he cleaned over his cuts. Once he was done, he stepped down, dried himself with a towel nearby, and put on his clean clothes.
When he opened the bathroom door, he was a bit surprised to see Sae leaning against the wall across the hall, staring at him. The maroon-haired boy pushed himself off the wall and walked over.
Stopping before him, Sae scanned him from head to toe before letting out a soft sound. "Huh. So you can do this stuff all by yourself now? You didn't even call Mom or me to help you.”
Sae's lips curved. Barely. It was gone before Rin could be sure he saw it. He raised his hand and gently patted Rin's head. "You've grown up already, huh?"
Rin simply blinked at the gesture. He wasn't used to receiving this kind of affection from anyone other than his own parents and coach. Sae didn't seem to notice his brother's lack of reaction, though. He just turned his back and went toward their bedroom.
Once inside, Sae made Rin sit on the floor while he picked up the first aid kit he had set aside earlier. He sat down in front of him. "This will sting a bit," he said. "Just bear with it for a second, and then you can watch that Evomeleon crap you like so much.”
Rin stayed still as his "brother" gently dabbed the antiseptic-soaked cotton onto his face. Despite being so young, Sae acts like a parental figure, Rin thought to himself.
"You're quieter than usual," Sae said offhandedly. "What's going on in that tiny head of yours?"
"Evomeleon," Rin replied, not sure what else to say. He knew he should get used to this, or at least act better, but it felt awkward for a once two-dimensional character to suddenly become his actual brother. He still felt conflicted about everything.
"Hmm," Sae hummed as he finished bandaging Rin's face and arm. He stood up, put the first aid kit aside, and turned back to Rin. "Ah, do you want some ice cream?" He tilted his head with the same blank expression he always wore. Without waiting for an answer, he went out of the room. "Dad just bought ice cream yesterday. Let's go eat some."
Rin simply stared at the other boy's back as they walked. He knew he would be seeing this view a lot. Without thinking, his free hand twitched at his side, as if reaching for something just out of grasp.
For now, he pushed the thought aside. He didn't know if he would ever get used to this life, or if he would even find a way back to his own. But as Sae's small back led him forward, Rin realized he had no choice but to let time answer those questions.