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WHO: Sakuma & Open
WHERE: Heropa and Nonah
WHEN: All of April (except the 1st)
WHAT: Catch-all for the month
WARNINGS: TBD
NOTES: Brackets or prose, I'll match whatever you prefer. Closed starters in comments. Open prompts below the cut. Don't see a prompt that works for you? Feel free to write your own or hit me up so we can plot something specific together!

a. AFTER SCHOOL IS OVER
LATE AFTERNOON & EARLY EVENING DURING THE WEEK IN NONAH

[The irony of being exPorted for the entire duration of 'April Fool's Day' hadn't eluded Sakuma, but to say he found any amusement at all in the timing would have been a gross miscalculation of his patience. He recognized that he was fortunate not to have been absent any longer than he already was, and that he was more fortunate still to have made his way back to his friends' sides at all, but knowing the undue stress his disappearance would have caused both Kidou and Genda...

Well, he didn't feel very lucky. Instead, even though there was nothing he could do to change the past and there'd been no way he could have stopped the Porter from playing its tricks, he felt guilty. Like, somehow, he'd let down the two people who mattered most to him here in this world or even back home. They didn't see it that way, of course. Neither one would have ever blamed him for something that only the AI in the Porter could control, but it was a weight Sakuma nevertheless carried around with him the entire first day back. And yet, that same weight allowed him to appreciate the silver linings that miraculously still existed.

Having been Ported out on the weekend, he was given plenty of time to mentally readjust so that, by the time Monday rolled back around, he was no longer distracted at school and seemed, outwardly at least, as if everything was fine.

Which wasn't to say that his disappearance hadn't changed anything, because it had, but it was surprising to him that none of the ways that things were different were actually bad. They were simply...ways that he had to get used to, which seemed a common enough experience among imPorts, and one they each had to come to terms with on their own. And his method of accomplishing that was to keep busy and find ways to be productive in his spare time.

When he wasn't at school, working, or practicing his soccer, he had a brand new ability to get a handle on, and he couldn't think of a more discreet way to practice using it, or a better time, than on his way to the Porter in Nonah after school had finally let out.

He was cautious as he followed different people around, focused on keeping his distance and testing his range — perhaps even too focused. For he seemed almost to have forgotten that as an imPort, and as someone who's appearance wasn't 'ordinary' by any means, he still stood out more than he would have liked...]

b. SHOOT FOR YOUR GOALS
THROUGHOUT THE WEEK AND BEFORE DARK AROUND HEROPA

[For all the ways in which this world was awful, one of the most glaring and intolerable was its idea of soccer. The sport, insofar as Sakuma knew it, was teeming with life and energy, and while the soccer that people played here wasn't dead, it also wasn't alive in the same way, either. He was able to play with his peers at school, but he was constantly reminded of the differences in the levels of their abilities.

He had to be mindful of the strength of his kicks and, perhaps worst of all, he couldn't even use any hissatsu. The advantage his techniques would give him wouldn't be fair to the other players, for one. And for another, he didn't want to endanger anybody or ruin what fun everyone else found in such a simple activity.

Being forced to hold back wasn't simple, however. Especially when Sakuma remembered that he'd been about to take on the world with his team in the FFI tournament. Curricular soccer wasn't just a huge step down from that, it was a gigantic plummet into a pit that seemed bottomless, and not one he was convinced there was a way out of, either. At least, not as long as he remained here in this world. So few people from home were here, not even enough to make up half a team. But, depressing as that was, it wasn't any reason to let himself wither. Being unable to play his soccer at school didn't mean he couldn't play at all, or that he couldn't practice. And after the invasion of anachronisms last month, Sakuma realized now more than ever how important it would be to keep his skills sharp.

There were plenty of places to practice around Heropa, especially with its weather so much warmer than Nonah's had ever been. And so, when Sakuma couldn't be found in his own backyard at Heropa 032, he'd take to the park or to empty parking lots behind large plazas to practice individual skill and control, kicking around a ball summoned by a sound most people wouldn't ever expect to hear in the heart of Florida.]

c. OUT OF THE CONCRETE JUNGLE AND INTO THE ZOO
ANYTIME DURING THE DAY ON THE WEEKEND IN EITHER HEROPA OR NONAH

[Every now and again Sakuma behaved the way a teenage boy was expected, and while he never completely forgot about the things that worried him, he found it easier to give himself a temporary reprieve from worldly concerns when he visited the zoo. There, surrounded more by animals than people, or at least capable of tuning out the human ambiance, he seemed infinitely more at ease.

Unsurprisingly, he spent most of his time watching the penguins either from the indoor viewing area where their underwater antics could be watched more closely, or from a platform outside that allowed spectators to better take in the whole of the group as they waddled around or slid about on their bellies. When he wasn't there, however, he could be found observing any number of the sea life performances, contentedly watching puffins swim, polar bears play, or seeing precisely why everyone was making such a big fuss over watching animated movies on the new 4D theater.

He absolutely could not be found browsing through everything penguin that filled the souvenir shop, from mugs to postcards, key chains to hats, and t-shirts to plush stuffed animals.

...except he could totally be found there, quietly pondering to himself how much or how little he could afford to buy. At least, when he thought nobody he knew might be looking!]

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You're pretty good.

[The voice is gentle, coming from around the corner, hands in his pockets and bag slung around his wrist. Groceries for Ulvida, mostly, as she'd asked him to pick some up on his way home from the cafe he often visited to grab treats for her. It wasn't often he saw someone freely playing soccer--the game was popular, but not nearly as central to the world as it was in his own.

It was nice to see someone just as into it as he was other than Kidou or Ken or Ulvida. But of the three of them, he was the striker at heart, and knew most of all what it meant to be limited by this world's idea of soccer. Not being able to put your everything into a shot was almost painful, his heart just wanting to show his love through the sport as much as he could.

Soccer felt...hollow. He'd accepted it for what it was, but there was no denying that it was an empty shell of what it could be.

Brushing his red hair out of his eyes, he steps closer, the figure looking a little ...familiar. He knows this isn't someone he's played soccer against, but at the same time.

He knows that hair...that eyepatch.]

...

[A pause overtakes him for a moment, stopping him in his tracks.]

Are you...?

[More important than being gentle is the familiarity of that voice.

At once, Sakuma recognizes its owner and, even before he successfully brings a vibrant red and white soccer ball to a halt at his feet and turns to gaze at the other boy, he's wearing a small, satisfied smile. It's impossible to hide how much he appreciates receiving that compliment because he's worked hard to get to where he is, but he's even more grateful to have found the company of another friend from home, someone he and the others can count on to some extent, whose soccer isn't so different from their own. Even if there appears to be things that Kidou is keeping from Kiyama, having allies is a blessing and a comfort.

Sadly, the moment he makes eye contact is about the same time that feeling of satisfaction slips away, too.

He's been warned about the time discrepancies the Porter causes and has even witnessed for himself what it is like to be drawn from a different point in time than his friends, but Sakuma hasn't prepared himself for being barely recognized or even borderline forgotten. It is a strange feeling being regarded in that way when, back home, despite not being extraordinarily close, he and Kiyama were still teammates, both of them players for Inazuma Japan. The sting he feels at that friendship suddenly seeming nonexistent is small but nevertheless persistent, lurking just beneath the surface of his newly neutral exterior.

Here they are, having to start all over again. It's yet another thing Sakuma can add to his growing list of reasons why he doesn't much care for this world — none of which are Kiyama's fault, of course. And it's for that reason he so willingly offers his name when it seems like that's what the other boy is reaching for.]

...Sakuma Jirou.

[As far as (re)introductions go, this isn't too bad a place to begin. All things considered, it could certainly be a lot worse.]

[There it is, small and comforting relief brought to his face as he hears that name. Kidou's friend from Teikoku. He'd met him all but briefly when they were gathering to be representatives for Inazuma Japan. But it had only been a greeting from afar, before they were thrust onto teams and forced to compete for their place in the FFI.]

Sakuma-kun.

[He doesn't bother with the formalities, immediately resorting to talking to him as if they'd been friends for years. After all, he may not know Sakuma very well, but he'd seen what Shin Teikoku had been, he'd seen how much pain the boy had been through. And to see him now walking with a strength he could only wish he had, it's admirable. It's worthy of his respect, and more importantly, a hopeful friendship.]

I'm sorry. I'd only known you as a competitor for Inazuma Japan's representatives. [His eyes soften, looking down at that soccerball.] I'm sorry for a lot of things, actually.

[He won't say it out loud, but his phrasing makes it almost unmistakable what he's referring to.]

But your form. You're a striker...?

Maybe a midfielder...

It's alright.

[He shakes his head, not to dismiss the other boy's feelings or rudely reject his apology, but to imply silently that he doesn't believe Kiyama has anything to apologize for, not really. Whatever happened before...it's in the past now. Where it belongs and where it will stay. There is no reason for hostility between them, and no reason for anyone to make amends.

Besides, Shin Teikoku wasn't Kiyama's fault to begin with. Blaming him for what happened would be like blaming Genda or himself, or even Fudou. He knows they're all accountable for the parts they played, but...while he hesitates to call any of them victims, they were all being manipulated and used by adults who were in positions they should have been able to trust.

In any case, remembering that time, much less speaking about it, is something he prefers to avoid. It is, and probably always will be, a sore spot. One he's glad Kiyama offers him an out from having to discuss at all.

With a nod, he confirms the other boy's observation.]

Midfielder. [And sometimes forward.] You have a good eye.

[As expected of a former captain and anyone good enough to compete in the FFI.]

[Those two words are enough to console him, rather avoiding speaking about such a dark time in his life at all. It's acknowledged, and thanks to Sakuma, addressed, and the relief on his face is noticeable. Piercing, sharp green eyes turn soft and gentle, an expression that fits to his face so much better than the cold grin he'd sported in Aliea.

He walks closer, staring down at the ball as a hand reaches to brush some of that messy red hair out of his eyes and behind his ear.]

It helps that I'm one myself. Your plays are very familiar, but have something distinct about them too.

Teikoku's soccer is so fascinating. It's very different from how I learned.

[Aliea Gakuen...

There is a considerable amount that Teikoku has in common with them, but in the end, every team's soccer is their own. Of course, that doesn't mean that they are incompatible. When Kidou had joined Raimon, Sakuma had witnessed for himself how much stronger a team could become when they merged with another; he'd seen it again later when so many of Japan's top players had competed to become representatives for their country in the FFI, too. And that was where he and Kiyama had met, albeit briefly. Although Sakuma still doesn't know a great deal about the other boy, he does know that they will one day be teammates, and that is as important a stepping stone as any. There is a lot they could learn from each other...so long as they are willing.]

We haven't had very many opportunities to play together, have we? But I've watched the way you are on the field. You're something else.

[He refrains from likening the other boy's abilities to something out of this world, but the implication is there. Sakuma recognizes even now what an integral part of Inazuma Japan Kiyama is.

Briefly, he considers nudging the ball in his direction, but with the bags Kiyama is carrying, it's not likely he has time to stop and practice.]

Are you headed home?

[Hiroto's face flushes a light pink, easy to see against his almost unnaturally pale skin. Compliments, especially on his soccer prowess, were always instantly deflected. 'I'm good, I suppose, but Gouenji-kun is the real star.' if he was put as a forward. 'I do my best with the help of my teammates', if he was a mid-fielder. And now is no different, head ducking almost bashfully at the compliment.

So this is what it's like to get comments on you being YOU, instead of someone else.

That's what Endou had meant by friendship.]

Thank you, Sakuma-kun. I'd like to practice to get to know your soccer [And you!] better.

[But his eyes catch that almost pass, the way he starts to, but pulls back at the end. The question, when asked, answers everything his mind had been questioning.]

Mmm. But I can stop for a bit--nothing I'm carrying is really perishable. Besides...it'd be nice having someone to practice dribbling against.

[It seems unnecessary to pad the compliment any more. He'd spoken honestly, said what he felt was due, and to avoid further embarrassing Kiyama or even himself, Sakuma will leave it at that. Probably, that decision is one the other boy will appreciate. Sakuma knows that he would if their positions were reversed, not for lack of gratitude at having received praise, but because a simple compliment is much more sincere.

Besides, he has something else to focus on for the time being...as it seems Kiyama is just as interested in practicing as he is. Grateful for that, he gives a nod in the direction of a small park behind the empty lot. There, Kiyama will be able to set his belongings down on a bench as opposed to the ground, and they'll have better terrain to play off than the concrete.

Kicking the ball up and into his hands, he takes the lead, but not without asking...]

Are you still playing soccer here?

[He knows how very different it is in this world, after all. But he also doesn't think that should stop them. They've been forced to give up too much by just being forced to live in this world, they shouldn't be expected to give up soccer, too. Even if they can't play using their hissatsu most of the time...]

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