You’ll Never Walk Alone 37 (VOLUME 1 FINALE)

The morning in Hinami was quiet, with only the tranquil song of birds in the distance. The lack of cars in the island made every day and night feel tranquil when the foot traffic was sparse. The sun had just risen in the horizon, as Takehiro Gonda waved his wife goodbye and unlocked his front door.

As it creaked open, the Hinami coach stopped in his tracks, his brows shooting up.

“Good morning, Gonda-san. Is Shuna up?”

“Good… morning, Reo.” The middle aged man was clearly lost for words at seeing him up so bright and early, and especially waiting at his front door, “Shuna? I think she’s—“

“I’m here…” The young girl emerged from behind her father’s back, as she slipped into her trainers with a mighty yawn.

“Good morning, Shuna. Ready?”

“Yeah, g’mornin…” With a more subdued yawn this time around, Shuna rubbed her eye and managed a weak smile.

“Where are you two going?” Gonda couldn’t help but ask.

“That’s top government secret, coach Gonda. See ya!”

Without elaborating further, the two teenagers trotted off down the road, leaving Shuna’s father with many questions yet unanswered. Judging by their tracksuits and trainers though, it wasn’t that hard to spin a guess.

With a shake of his head, and a small smile tugging at his lips, the coach made for school. He had work to do after all, even if his duties during midterms had lessened.

❖ ⚽ ❖

“Let’s start up slow, and increase our distance with every day. How’s that sound?”

“Sure… If you say so.”

Despite Reo’s upbeat recommendation, Shuna was still unsure. She looked down at her knee momentarily, and no doubt she could almost feel the sheering pain from back then with every new thought of putting her legs to the test.

“It’ll be okay.” Reo reached out for her hand, “We’ll go at it slow. You don’t have to worry.”

Feeling his warmth brought together a sense of safety for the young girl. Pushing away her doubt, she gave Reo a smile, before they slowly but surely began to jog on the promenade overlooking the sea.

Waves lapped along the shore, and hit the rocks by the side of the isle. People boarding ferries or going to work via foot passed them by, and their small talk was carried by the wind all while they run.

Waking up so early wasn’t easy for Reo either. In fact he would rather sleep in, especially since they only had 3 training sessions within the week due to the oncoming exams. However he had made a promise.

And he wouldn’t back down.

Just like him, Shuna was much the same. She realized how much she herself had wanted to come back to football. And watching Reo so determined for her own sake gave her more strength than she thought possible.

Thus every day went about just the same.

Running in the mornings. Studying and training in the evenings.

Of course Shuna announced to the female team she would be coming back, and to the male team that she would be absent during their training hours for her own regime.

“Shuna-chan! You’re leaving us?!”

“Of course I’m not, Sekine-kun, you idiot. I’ll be on the bench during matches as always.”

The rest of the team laughed at the exchange, and lightly bantered with their teammate who was crestfallen by the revelation.

Shuna’s first day in training however caused all sorts of feelings to resurface. When she laced up her boots, she could feel her heart thumping away within her chest. Her throat seemed dry, and her hands sweaty.

Was she really doing this?

But when she got up from the locker room and made her way to the pitch, she took a deep breath and remembered all the good memories.

The morning runs with Reo.

Risa’s words.

The feeling of the crowd cheering her on.

She couldn’t back down now.

When her cleats touched the grass, and the whiff of the pitch tickled her nose, it felt different than when she was a coach assistant. The field was now her playground once more.

At the center of the pitch she saw her former teammates, as well as new ones waiting for her, alongside their coach.

Risa was at the front of a makeshift circle, and as Shuna approached, everybody started applauding and cheering.

Shuna’s cheeks tinted red at the unexpected gesture, and the smiles of everyone made her heart flutter.

“Welcome back, Shuna-chan!”

“Welcome back, captain Shuna!”

And lastly, Risa smiled the brightest smile of all.

“Welcome back, partner.”

Shuna smiled back as brightly as she could, and wiped away her unshed tears.

“I’m back, everyone.”

It wasn’t easy, that was for certain. But she would make it work. She would give it her all, just like everyone else had done the same for her own sake.

❖ ⚽ ❖

“Hey Reo! Have you not been sleeping well?”

“Nah, just waking up earlier than usual!”

“You do seem faster in training for some reason too…”

“Haha… well…”

Reo was rather happy the runs he had with Shuna were paying off for him as well, but no doubt waking up at the crack of dawn wasn’t easy.

But of course he never dared to think about stopping. He was doing it for someone other than himself.

“Nice pass Shuna! You’re getting back into form!”

“Thanks!”

Shuna smiled at Risa’s praise during training, ecstatic to hear she was improving.

The two of them ran in the mornings, trained in the evenings and slept soundly and exhausted at night. But it was all worth it.

Every last bit.

Because every day brought them both closer to each other, and to their goal.

❖ ⚽ ❖

“I still can’t believe I didn’t flank!”

“If you did, Gonda would have thrown you in the ocean for sure.”

“Nah that’s putting it mildly.”

Totori, who was thanking his lucky stars, as well as Reo and Toraichi had all joined the flock of people heading to the stadium as they filled the silence with their usual small talk. It was the day after midterms ended, and football in the island was finally back. Yet this time instead of the trio bolstering Hinami’s attack, they would be in the stands to watch the opening game for the female tournament of Shinrin.

And Shuna would be in the team after two years.

Reo gulped. Naturally he was proud of her, and since she had gone through her rehab, and steadily joined training over these last two weeks, there was no cause for concern.

But football was unpredictable.

“Loosen up, Reo-senpai! Shuna-chan will be A-OKAY!”

The one who caught Reo overthinking was none other than the school’s beloved reporter, and his friend’s sister, Maemi. They would all be watching the match together after all.

“Yeah, if anyone can do it, that’s Shuna.”

“Was she that good before she stopped?”

Despite running every morning together, Reo hadn’t had the chance to play the sport with his girlfriend over the last weeks. Although the way her stamina improved during the mornings was testament to how fit she actually used to be.

“Of course she was! She commanded the midfield back in the day! When we were in middle school and were still too young to play for Hinami ourselves, we sort of idolized her…” Totori admitted with a light chuckle.

In the male team, only high school students could participate in the official games. Some junior games were of course organized but they never compared to the real deal. However, for the female teams, all girls from middle school to high school were welcome, due to the lack of participation in their ranks. Not many islands could field a complete team in fact, and so only a handful of them participated in the tournament. That was also why their competition was shorter, and began more than a month after the male league.

As the people filtered into the stadium, and the Hinami support roared to life like an engine raring to go, the teams took to the field.

The female team’s coach, Yukina Sano, was a woman a few years older than Gonda, although she had become a football coach only recently. Back in the day, she used to be beside Gonda on the bench, assisting him with tactics, but left her post to train the female pirates when that department was established. Her black hair was cascading like a waterfall behind her back, and her green eyes trained forward with sharpness and concentration.

She had fielded a team that started with Shuna in midfield, like the typical number 8 she was, and ended with Risa at the tip of the attack, leading the offensive trio up front.

A simple formation for an opening home game.

The opponents were the female Mariners coming from Nagashima isle, the biggest in Shinrin. However many believed Hinami could have the upper hand today.

That however remained to be seen.

Shuna took a deep breath, as she adjusted the captain’s armband on her arm and looked around. Amidst the crowd she searched for her family and friends. When she found them, a smile bloomed on her face, and the anxiety she thought would make her keel over started to fade.

Soon, the referee blew the whistle, and the ball came Shuna’s way. The crowd’s roar and cheer gave her courage, and after performing a simple pass, she observed the situation like she always did. Her marker was shorter than her, and probably less strong. She could take her on if need be.

What about the defender marking Risa? Could she get in behind?

What about her own defense? Were they capable of handing the pressure?

Analyzing, analyzing like she always did.

The game was afoot.

Back at the stands, Reo and Totori were almost ready to chew their nails down to the flesh.

“Could you be a little less nervous?” Toraichi sighed at the two.

“Yeah, if there is someone that can drop a banger after coming back that’s Shuna-chan!”

For once the two siblings seemed to agree with each other without further incident.

Reo nodded as well. He knew they were right, but he also didn’t know that watching someone else play without you being a part of the game could be so nerve-wracking. Of course he did watch his favorite football team play from time to time, but even that had stopped when his career ended.

However even this level of anxiety could not be compared to that. All he wanted was Shuna to do well, and have fun. He didn’t care about the result.

“Nice one, Shuna!” The coach cheered, as Shuna dribbled an opponent and passed the ball down the right flank of the attack. Her winger crossed it into the box, but the opposing keeper managed to get a firm hold of the ball with a powerful jump.

“Come on, defend!” Shuna clapped her hands, cheered and encouraged her teammates. She really was a leader on the field, Reo smiled as he realized.

The game however was hard to watch, Both teams were pretty raw after coming from such a big gap between official matches. It was the first game of the season for them after all.

Hinami did have the upper hand, though. The home crowd was behind them, and the team had just gotten their captain back.

Sometime in the first half however, Shuna got the ball like she always did. She was like Akihiko for the male team, pulling the strings that lead to every attack.

Realizing that, the opposing team was getting desperate to stop the girl bossing the midfield. When Shuna tried to dribble her way through, a hard tackle came her away.

Unable to dodge nor jump, the captain of Hinami was tackled to the ground, and almost found herself on the sideline. It was a reckless challenge. One that cost the Mariners’ midfielder a yellow card, and clear reprimand from the referee.

Everyone dressed in black and white however stayed silent. The air had grown thick, and not a sound could be heard for the oncoming seconds. Shuna was on the ground, her breath caught on her throat.

She felt her legs give out like sandpaper.

No…

Was it happening again?

From just a simple tackle. In such an insignificant moment. 

She wasn’t injured, she realized as she got up, but her feet were still wobbly. Her footing unsteady.

What if the next one did her in? What if her legs weren’t strong enough?

Doubt was clearly setting in, seeping into her mind like poison.

That’s when amidst the silence she heard it.

A single voice.

“GOOOOO SHUNAAAAAA! YOU CAN DO THIIIIS!”

It was Reo, cupping his palms around his mouth, rising from his seat and shouting till his lungs burnt. The stadium seemed to freeze as they turned to look at him.

But he didn’t care. He knew he had to do it. He knew how Shuna was feeling. But doubting was the first stage to giving it all up. He couldn’t let her do that.

Even if everyone was afraid she would hurt herself again. Even if everyone knew it would be better if she didn’t put herself at risk…

Reo knew what Shuna wanted to do more than anything. He could see how happy she was on the pitch. And nothing should take her away from that.

That’s why he shouted, and kept shouting.

“NOTHING CAN KEEP YOU DOWN!”

That last cheer was all Shuna needed to hear. She dusted herself off, and ran back into the field.

Soon the stadium rose to its feet, and cheered alongside Reo.

“SHU-NA! SHU-NA!”

They knew what she had gone through. And they chose to stick with her, like the big family that Hinami was.

From there on, Shuna was unstoppable. Without hesitation she dribbled, passed, and crossed.

When she got the ball outside the box, she knew what she had to do. And seeing the look in her eyes, Reo knew too.

Her strike was powerful, and sent ripples through the net as it crashed against it. The keeper could never hope to stop that.

“GOAAAAAAAAAAAL!”

The crowd jumped to its feet by the sheer beauty of the strike and cheered like never before.

Shuna was engulfed in her teammates’ embrace, as Hinami closed around her to form a big black and white hug.

Shuna was back. And she was back with a statement.

The Pirates could not be stopped after the confidence boost the whole team received from Shuna’s goal. With another strike from Risa the match ended with a resounding 2-0, with the captain as the MVP of the game.

The crowd applauded like never before in the final whistle, and although Reo’s throat was sore from all the cheering, he joined the final chants without a care in the world.

When the players from Nagashima left the pitch, and the ones from Hinami celebrated alongside the fans, Totori rose to his feet and dashed towards the end of the stands.

“Let’s congratulate them!”

“What?!”

Reo was dragged down from the stands and towards the pitch, the security recognizing them and letting them pass without an issue.

“Congrats Shuna! Risa!” Maemi cheered too, as she finally wiggled her way between the security guards using her journalist status.

“Congratulations!”

Totori too was of the same enthusiasm level, while Toraichi was more subdued.

“Congrats.”

His expression was warmer than ever however.

“…”

When Shuna turned to see Reo though, her mind was only heading in one direction. She had done it. Her comeback was a success. And she knew who she had to thank.

With a dash she tackled Reo into a hug, everyone around them growing silent, time almost frozen.

“Congratulations, Shuna.” Reo hugged her back, although his girlfriend was strangely silent.

“I…”

When Reo realized, his smile only grew warmer. His shirt was wet with tears. The tears Shuna kept inside back in her house. Back in her first day of training. The tears that couldn’t be contained any longer.

Without thinking long and hard about it, Reo grabbed his girlfriend, and raised her up in the air.

“Woah! What’s the big idea?” Shuna said in surprise, grabbing Reo’s collarbone for support.

“You’re the star today. You deserve all of this.”

“P-put me down… this is embarrassing…” Still sniffling, Shuna managed to stifle a laugh and a smile.

“Shuna! Shuna!”

Soon her own teammates started to cheer, and Shuna’s cheeks turned even redder.

“Seriously… this is really embarrassing…” Shuna felt like her head would explode from the mix of happiness and shame, but for some reason… she also didn’t mind.

While looking down at her boyfriend from up there, the girl smiled even brighter.

“Thank you, Reo… for everything.”

When he finally lowered her down, a red-faced Reo took a breath and resolutely declared.

“No need to… I love you, Shuna.”

Despite dating for more than a month the word love was not yet in their dictionary. It felt heavier than what the two seemed to have up until now. But no more. Reo felt the time was right, and his heart swelled to a point he knew it was undoubtedly real.

And likewise, Shuna responded.

“I love you too, silly.”

There was no doubt that she loved him back. And if all this wasn’t enough, the fact Reo was the one that kickstarted the confidence in herself definitely was.

And it all began and ended with him.

She was now sure.

“Woah! Steamy!”

“M-M-Maemi-chan I don’t think you should be taking pictures!”

“Gimme that.”

“Hey, my camera!”

Toraichi and Totori thankfully helped preserve this moment and protect it from further prying eyes.

“Ah, so Reo-san really is Shuna’s boyfriend…”

“Lucky…”

“He better treat our captain right!”

“Oh, shush you three.” Risa, still riding the high of victory and reconnection, reprimanded her teammates with a grin.

❖ ⚽ ❖

“Okay get a good’s night rest now! We have a ferry to catch tomorrow morning!”

When the group of friends broke it up after the game had ended, Reo started on his way back towards his family’s pub. As Totori reminded him of his duties come tomorrow morning, Risa and Toraichi waved nonchalantly.

“See ya, Reo-senpai!”

“Goodnight, Reo.”

Maemi jumped up and down, her pigtails bopping with her, while Shuna smiled tenderly.

Of course these two had shared a moment that they’ll remember for a long time, and that simple smile meant much more than it let on.

“Goodnight, Shuna.” Reo turned casually, and threw a salute over his shoulder, “Bye, guys.”

“Shuna still gets special treatment, eh?” As Toraichi joked, his sister slapped him on the arm.

“Shaddup onii-chan, they’re clearly in luuuv!”

“MAEMI!”

While laugh reverberated from the group at the red faced Shuna’s expense, Reo chuckled as he walked back home.

Come tomorrow, Hinami would face the foxes of Inari, the team Reo and the others had watched play against the Mariners back in Nagashima. Shuna would be back on the bench as an assistant, and Reo would play for the Pirates once more.

Just like any other time. Like nothing had changed.

But deep within him, he knew… so much had during these two weeks.

And they would keep changing, silently Reo hoped, for the better.

Reo let out a sigh as he walked, a spring in his step that reminded him of his victory.

He had done it.

He had helped Shuna. Maybe now, her demons would not haunt her in sleep. Maybe she could leave the lingering regret behind once and for all.

He had repaid the favor of enabling him to play football again. She was the reason he had set foot on the pitch once more with the desire to win.

But although his debt was paid, Reo felt an even bigger connection to her. And to the island he walked the streets of.

Their steps might be described as that of a toddler’s... but for the first time after a long while in his life, and his footballing career…

Reo was walking forward.

This girl.

This team.

This island.

They were changing him.

And the battles that were bound to be found along the way would only gain more and more meaning.

Hinami may hold healing properties the likes of which the young man may never understand.

But he didn’t need to.

All he had to do, was keep moving forward. One small step at a time.

⚽ END OF VOLUME 1 ⚽

A/N: 

And this concludes the 1st volume of Football Island! Thank you everyone for reading up to this point! It really means a lot ❤️

The first volume of this story was focused solely on Shuna and Reo, learning the ropes, introducing characters and setting up everything for what’s to come! The next volume (if it goes as planned) will be about team bondings and we’ll get to learn more about everyone as the league progresses 💪🏻 Again thank you for the continuous support!