Chapter Text
The last time Ego saw his father was the day after his first day of coaching, when Michael got in a fight with other kids. He was sure Ray was going to suspend Michael and Yoichi and was bracing himself for the verbal humiliation.
Instead, to his surprise, the issue seems to resolve itself. After finding out the two were the headmaster's grandsons, the parents of the other kids decided not to press the matter.
And as much as Ego disliked preferential treatment due to his privileged upbringing, he’s relieved he doesn’t have to deal with angry parents.
This time, out of the blue, Ray invited (Demanded) him to join him for lunch. It was rather sudden, and Ego knew better not to refuse. Ray only ever bothered to contact him whenever he had an important matter to discuss.
With the exception of blood ties, the rigid relationship they have with each other is no different than that of business partners. He had long given up on building any sort of familial bond between them. Ego counted less than ten times he spent with Ray together in his entire life. This is the first time the two were accompanied each other just the two of them in ten years since his mother’s funeral.
Needless to say, it's the most awkward lunch he's ever had.
The server placed a plate of lamb scottadito, herb salad with chickpeas, and feta. Ego didn’t order any main dish and contented to occasionally nibble on the appetizer of assorted cheese and fruit while taking sips of wine. While he’s not the type who frequently visits a fancy restaurant, he appreciates a taste of excellent wine.
Their conversation went on about his team and how much they had improved during these few weeks of sessions. For a bunch of the kids he coached, this is their very first experience trying soccer. Most of them are still grasping and trying to remember the rules. Despite that, they are slowly making progress, and the results of their scrimmage are getting better and better. Of course, he excluded the younger kids from the practice match since Yoichi, Rin, and Charles are still too young to join, and there is always a risk of serious injury getting knocked around by older kids.
The talks went pretty smoothly until Ray Dark suddenly suggested holding a match against another team.
“A match?”
“Just a friendly game to overall analysis of the team’s strength and weaknesses,” Ray said, wiping his mouth with a dining napkin. “They will face older kids. Team U10.”
Three years older. Had it been between a group of U15 against U20, Ego wouldn’t have as much qualm as this. There are massive differences between nine-year-olds and Six-year-olds, especially in their physics, knowledge, and experience. His kids are just starting soccer, and many are still clueless and haven’t even properly developed any useful skills just yet.
Ego was about to retort with an objection when his phone suddenly rang, halting their conversation.
Ego pulls out his phone to check the incoming call and notices the caller I D was from Yoichi’s kindergarten. That’s odd. He glances briefly at Ray and says. “I’ve got to take this.”
He wondered what this could be? Yoichi is an obedient kid and never one to start a trouble. He always tries his hardest to follow the rules and even reprimands Michael at times.
It feels like a bad premonition. A thought crosses Ego’s mind as he swipes the screen to accept the call.
Rin has always been a weird kid, according to his peers. He would build a tall Lego structure only to break it down. Whenever he plays, he often breaks toys that he plays with, making all the other kids not want to play with him. His destructive tendency isn’t limited to objects; sometimes his recklessness results in inflicting injury on himself, most often from jumping from high places. A bad habit that his parents are trying so hard to change, but to no avail.
Rin didn’t particularly care even if he didn’t have any friends as long as he had Sae. But after he started attending kindergarten, he made new friends, Yoichi and Charles, and for the first time, Rin had fun hanging out with kids other than his brother.
He likes Yoichi in particular since they share the same passion when it comes to soccer, and also because the boy sort of understands his way of thinking, whereas all the other kids would only think of him as weird.
Rin loves climbing to the high places. Standing on the edge and looking down at the sight of everyone staring up at him. Usually, a teacher would come to get him down and scold him if he stayed up too long, but today she is preoccupied with other children and completely missed watching him when Rin started climbing up the metal structure. Usually, the kids keep away from it, since they are too small to climb.
But Itoshi Rin isn’t a quitter; he would climb all the way to the top.
“Rin, you can’t stand on there, it’s dangerous! You could fall!” He hears Yoichi frantically calling to him from the ground. The boy is fidgeting, fearing for Rin's safety. Yoichi never attempts to climb with him, not even when he taunts him. He has always been a scaredy cat.
“It’s fine, I love it up here,” Rin murmured, feeling the wind on his face. He spreads both his arms feels like he could fly if he jumped from there.
Perhaps he could do it, perhaps he can float even just for a bit if he flailing his arms fast enough. Rin decides to take his chance and leap.
At the exact moment, time seems to slow down around him, heart pounding in his chest at the rush of exhilaration runs through him, feels like he no longer bound by law of gravity.
The moment was short-lived as he began falling just as quickly as he leapt. He throw out his hand, trying to minimising the impact of hitting the ground.
He can feel himself collide with something the moment he hits the ground. Something warm and a bit cushy.
Was the ground always this soft? He wondered, but then quickly noticed he fell on top of someone. He remembers briefly seeing Yoichi run toward his direction, tries to catch him as he falls, realizing it was Yoichi beneath him.
By this time, some kid had already alerted the teacher, and she came rushing to his aid. He can hear her panicked yelling, asking if he is alright.
“Yoichi?” He asks, but upon receiving no reply, he nudges the boy, and still no response. Yoichi lay there motionless, his face facing down, so Rin couldn’t get a look at it.
“Are you oka–“ Rin’s words halted when he saw a red liquid start to form around Yoichi’s head.
His body runs cold; he touches it, feeling the warmth, and notices it is blood.
An hour later, Rin is sitting on a seat in the hospital hallway. Not very far from his seat the teacher from kindergarten are speaking with his mother that had just arrived, explaining the situation. She rushed to the hospital from her office after they called her.
“How many times do I have to tell you to stop climbing to high places?! Why do you always have to make me worry?!” His mom yelled hysterically as the teacher tried to calm her. It’s the first time he has ever seen his mother that angry.
Rin knows this won’t be the end of it; he would get an earful later from his dad as well at home. And he deserved it, Rin knew he had screwed up badly, and not even Sae would defend him this time.
Suddenly, Coach Ego stepped out of the ward where Yoichi currently reside. He was the first one to arrive and immediately went to check his son, rushing into the room, barely recognize that Rin was there. He seems much calmer and composed now.
His mother grabs Rin’s hand and went to approach Ego then lowered her head, and uttering ceaseless apology to the man. She put her hand over Rin’s head, firmly making him bow as well.
“Umm…how is Yoichi? Is he okay?” Rin asks timidly.
“He is going to be alright.” Ego says, reassuring him. Then his tone shifted to a more stern one as he began reprimanding him, “However, he won’t be able to attend practice or go to kindergarten for a while until he is fully healed. But, more importantly, you have to listen to your mother and never attempt to do something that dangerous again. You might not be lucky the next time.”
“Yes…” Rin answered quietly.
The second man who exited the ward is an old man with long hair. He came along with Ego and all he knew about the man is that he apparently the current President of PIFA and the Head Master of Re Al academy.
He remember one time Yoichi told him about his grandfather. But the man standing before him didn’t befit the image of a kind old grandpa at all.
The old man's gaze was cold, his grey eyes glistened like steel, giving a sharp look, assessing him as a predator would do to a prey. Rin watches too many scenes of it on TV that he recognizes it by sight. Ray has the same look as the lion seconds before taking down a wildebeest, and Rin is petrified under his chilling stare.
So far, all interactions Rin had with senior citizens have always been a pleasant. They showered him with love and adoration, cooing each time he walks by past them. But not this man, there is no warmth nor friendliness in his body language and for the first time Rin feels a genuine fear toward an adult.
He averted his gaze from the old man and quickly ran to Ego. “Can I see Yoichi before going home?” He plead. Ego nods then bids him entry to the room.
“Rin!” Yoichi greets him cheerfully just as he opens the sliding door. He was lying on the bed wearing a hospital gown. There is a bandage covering a small area of his forehead where the injury is. Rin immediately crushed by immense guilt at the sight of the bandage, and averted his eyes from it.
When Yoichi tried to catch him when he fell, he accidentally tripped, and when Rin fell on top of him, Yoichi’s head grazed a particularly sharp rock. The wound is severe enough and requires stitching.
“Are you okay?” Rin asks as he walks to the bed.
Yoichi nods, beaming. “It’s sting and I’m still a bit dizzy but the doctor said I will be okay. The cut wasn’t too deep, so it should heal quickly, but they wanted me to stay overnight today.” He then huffs. “It sucks that I won’t be joining soccer practice until it heals.”
How did he stay cheerful after that? Rin is completely taken aback by his friendliness. Usually, people would get angry after they got hurt because of his act.
“I’m sorry,” Rin whispered tremulously.
“For what?” Yoichi asks, genuinely confused by the apology.
Rin pursed his lips with his eyes glued to the hospital white floor. “You were hurt because you tried to catch me.”
“But if I didn’t, you’ll be the one getting hurt. You might break your legs and can’t play soccer anymore.” He was worried about me? Rin thought. The genuineness in his smile and the sincerity in his words fill Rin with warmth.
“You love soccer too, I understand that feeling cause I love them too! Once I healed, let’s play together again.” Yoichi piped and gave Rin’s trembling hand a reassuring squeeze.
Rin lifts his face, finally gathers enough courage to look Yoichi in the eyes, and says. “Yeah, I want to play with you too.”
Afterwards, Rin determined never to attempt doing anything dangerous again.