Chapter 1: Three Years

The whistle resounded for the nth time of that day, signaling yet another goal for them. Her team and she gathered around to celebrate her goal, the very first goal she scored since she started high school two weeks ago when the new semester started.

It's been three years since she started to play soccer again.

Three years since he left.

She joined her school's Girls' Soccer Team back when she was a freshman in junior high. She didn't exactly know why she started to play it.

She wanted to feel closer to him.

She guessed she missed it when she watched the boys play back in their elementary days. She gave it up because she thought that since the cheerleaders back then was so wimpy, she would give them a hand.

She could have left when they started to be what they needed to be, but cheering for him felt more important than her desire to play soccer instead.

The first time she ran across the field while dribbling the ball felt like freedom to her. She could feel the adrenaline and excitement coursing through her as she kicked the ball around the empty field and tried to catch it before it got too far away from her. Her first goal in a year felt amazing and euphoric. She was happy she still could perform great, even if she did stop playing for a year.

She joined her junior high's girls' soccer club along with her cousin, happy that she could freely play the sport without caring of other stuff.

She didn't feel comfortable fighting for a regular position when she knew she didn't work hard as much as the other girls.

Besides, then she could still watch the boys match without any conflicts. It's not like they're going to miss her. There were many great players from her year that they could pick beside her. Even then, she couldn't understand how in the world she would be able to help turn the game around.

The first time she was needed to enter the game, she was just on the boys' field. She was just cheering for them as the Shuutetsu trio and Ishizaki played their very first game as regulars of the boys' team. They were in the middle of the first half when one of first years –Shiori if she remembers correctly- in the club ran frantically to her. She was saying something, but she was so in distressed her words came out jumbled that Sanae and Ayame, her cousin who decided to accompany her in watching the boys, couldn't understand what she said.

The next thing they knew, was Shiori pulling on their arm and being in the clubroom changing into soccer gear.

Two of their regulars got sick that day, and one injured their ankle in PE. The other girls who joined three weeks prior all left because the only reason they joined the club was for them to be noticed by the Boys' Soccer Team. Since they didn't expect how hard the drills and exercises are, they decided to leave. Sanae was baffled by what they told her, but one of their senpai admitted that they thought she would be one of them considering how much she cheered him on and she didn't seem to put that much effort into practice.

"But," their captain joined in. "I knew you loved the sport." She threw a jersey to Sanae who barely caught it. Sanae flapped it before her, admiring the feel of the cloth on her skin, before turning it around to see the back.

10

She widened her eyes when she saw the number and promptly look back to their captain.

"I've seen you're kicks, Nakazawa," she told her, "Our defense is amazing, but our offense is nothing. You're the one we need. Don't even say anything about Suzuki. She have seen you practice all by yourself in the open field. She knows you deserved this more than her. With her ankle injured, she figured this would be the best time to give this to you."

Sanae looked at everyone in the changing room, all of whom beaming and giving her encouraging nods. She looked towards her cousin and Shiori, who was grinning alongside their senpai-tachi. They've watched her get goals effortlessly against the former members of the club, and never believed that all of scores was just luck.

Don't get her wrong, she was honored to wear the number 10 jersey. She was happy they thought she was good enough to receive this jersey, but this was his number. The number that he wore to bring victory to them, the number she didn't know whether she can bring justice to it.

No, she shouldn't think about that. She needed to change herself. She couldn't cling forever to him. She shouldn't walk behind his shadow forever. She was Nakazawa Sanae, the girl who used to breathe soccer. She needed to bring that girl back, and wear this number proudly.

She dropped the jersey on her lap and promptly began to unbutton her shirt.

If she looked back to her captain, she would have seen the proud smile on her face.

She scored a goal in the first 5 minutes of her first game. The other team, since it was a friendly game and knew how badly their school's often used to be, took them lightly. When she took the first goal, she left everyone dumbfounded, except maybe her cousin. Though there was a small incident with her missing the ball on her first try, but that was because she was nervous. The next try earned them that goal.

They won the game five to one.

That was the first time she realized how happy soccer made her feel. Why did she even forget the sport in the first place?

She was content to watch him play. That if she were to start playing again, she would never get to see him again. Besides, she could never surpass his skill. Why bother when you knew that someone will be better at you anyway.

She knew the answer right from the start, and cursed herself with her horrible decision. She knew that she wasn't supposed to fall in love when she's 11. Look at where it brought her? Heartbroken and stopping herself from the only thing that made her feel free.

That's why on that day, on her very first victory, she promised herself that she would not be held back by this puppy love that won't go anywhere and start to fly on her own, without a cage or clips holding her wings back.

It's been three years since she played soccer competitively. Three years since she continued to bring the Junior High Nationals to their school, one as being their captain.

The whistle resounded for the last time, ending their match. They won three to zero.

It's been three years since he left. She's still in love with him.

End chapter

AN: I was watching the World Cup and it led me to watching Captain Tsubasa again, this is where my OTP led me. Basically, I thought what if Tsubasa did leave Japan after the Youth Nationals. I know het pairings aren't really common in this fandom but I love this ship and Sanae is a very special character for me, and I didn't really like how the Takahashi-sensei wrote her. So this happened.

Thanks for thanking your time to read this. Other chapters are being written as you read.