Chapter Text
“Finally, at the end of her long migration, the Phantom Bird completes her descent into the land of the rising sun! Japan must prepare itself once again, for the strongest racer in the world has returned! AND HER NAME IS EL! CONDOR! PASAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
As El’s triumphant declaration drew confused stares from the other residents of the airport terminal, trainer Theodore Eagle couldn’t help but smile. They were nearing the end of their fourth year together and El still hadn’t lost any of her youthful spirit. She’d have sprinted all the way to the baggage claim by now if she didn’t have to wait for him to get his ass into gear.
“Y’know El, if you were literally anyone else I’d be shocked that you’re still up about after a flight that long,” Theo said. “You didn’t sleep at all, did you?”
“It would be foolish for the mighty Condor to fall asleep during flight!” El shouted with a dramatic laugh. “If she were to fall into the sea, she would never see her closest amígas again! The earth would be shaken by her tragic loss! The racing world would never be the same!” She feigned a faint, though she was careful not to actually fall over. Theo gently smacked the back of her head instead of indulging her.
“Making sure the Condor doesn’t crash land is the Eagle’s job. Birds of the feather, right?” he said, smiling. “I’d be a pretty terrible trainer if I didn’t wake you up in time for your grand return. Can’t have you missing your chance to meet up with—”
He was interrupted by El grabbing his carry-on out of his hands and sprinting away. It seemed that in her excitement, someone had forgotten who was meeting them at the airport today.
Catching up with her didn’t take very long. You could be the fastest umamusume in the world and still get roadblocked by Customs. He was just relieved that she hadn’t gotten into another argument with airport security about her mask. If anything, she was being abnormally quiet. She didn’t say anything when he found her, and her answers to the officers' questions lacked her usual flair. He would've been worried if he didn't know the real reason. She was worried about who was waiting for them outside.
“I promise Grass Wonder isn’t going to be mad at you, El,” Theo chuckled. “Us being back in Japan is probably more important to her than us being a little bit late.”
“No comprende, Trainer,” she said. Her tone was not one of fear, but of awe. She spoke as if she were talking about a deity, not her roommate. “Waiting isn’t going to be what makes Grass angry...”
“El. What the hell did you forget?” Theo asked. El looked away sheepishly before answering.
“I forgot to practice the choreography for the academy’s holiday concert!” El yelled, head between her hands. “I got so excited about seeing everyone that I just never thought about it. Soy estupido…”
Something began to claw at the inside of Theo’s throat. It was like an itch that he couldn't scratch. This was the first he'd heard about a concert. Maybe she’d already told him and he’d just forgotten? Had he been so busy with helping her through interviews after losing to Montjeu that it slipped his mind? Oh well. Nothing could be done for it now. He made a mental note to ask Trainer Kohinata if she made any rehearsal tapes later that day. He focused on assuaging El's fears of an angry Grass in the meantime.
"EL! OVER HERE!"
Special Week was standing at the edge of the lot surrounded by an entourage of excited students. The small crowd started cheering when the Phantom Bird swooped in with her usual bravado. Both El and her flock of fans shouted at the same time:
"BUENOS DIAS!"
Theo stood back and smiled. Time to to let El work her magic, he thought. She'd always been wonderful when meeting fans. Hell, she was usually smiling wider than whoever was meeting her. The ease with which she could interact with strangers impressed him. Theo wished he had that sort of charisma. El absolutely thrived on the shouts of a joyful crowd. Whether it was during the race, the fan fest, or the winning live, as long as she was making someone else happy she'd have the time of her life. A true performer through and through. He did his best to ignore that the itch from earlier was getting worse.
El greeted each of her fans directly. She was giving out handshakes and shouting their names with the same gusto she used for her own. Most of what she was saying got drowned out by her fans' excited chatter, but El didn't seem to mind. All the while that itch started gnawing into Theo's heart. It had been a while since he'd watched her sing, hadn't it? The combination of racing and idol culture wasn't really a thing outside of Japan. With no winning lives to worry about, they had focused entirely on the l'Arc. He hadn't thought about the stage for so long. How was it going to feel when—
The concerningly close cry of a hawk derailed that train of thought. Turning around revealed the ever-majestic Mambo resting on the arm of a smiling Grass Wonder. He noticed she was wearing a proper falconer's glove. The fact that the bird hadn't taken off yet said quite a lot about how well Grass must have been taking care of him.
"It's wonderful to see El in such high spirits already," she said. There was a wistfulness in her voice that Theo had heard many times before. Grass however, let exactly how much she missed her roommate remain unsaid. Goddesses, these girls were terrible at hiding their feelings for each other. He resisted the temptation to tease her for it like he often did with El. That was Trainer Kohinata's job.
"It's good to see you too, Grass." Theo said as he turned to give Mambo some scritches. "It seems like Mambo's getting restless. You wanna let him loose?" He asked with a smirk. For a moment it looked like Grass was genuinely considering it. That moment was all that Mambo needed to break free.
There was a surprised shriek from the crowd as Mambo landed atop his favorite Condor's head. Instinctively, El dramatically pointed skyward as Mambo spread his wings. The crowd went wild, and Mambo took to the skies above. He flew just far enough that it looked like he was a normal bird, but close enough that El knew he was there. Theo had no idea how she'd taught him to do any of this. Or if she'd taught him anything at all. Mambo had always been weirdly intelligent. El bid farewell to her fans and turned towards her trainer after the crowd started to clear. When she saw who was with him, she froze.
Grass Wonder was on the ground in an instant, pinned down by an overjoyed El. Grass's attempted protests went unheard over her definitely-not-girlfriend's unintelligible squeals. Theo called for Spe to run over and help them off of the ground. If his many, many practice wrestling matches with El had taught him anything, he didn't ever want to get in her way when she was using her full strength.
"Sorry, Grass. I just got so excited, I couldn't help myself!" El apologized after Spe pulled her away. She rubbed the back of her head like she usually did when she was embarrassed. "It's been an entire year! Te extraño!"
"It's quite alright, El. I wouldn't have expected anything else from you," Grass said, laughing. She moved in to give El a hug of her own (a proper one this time) and El returned it with the same enthusiasm of her initial tackle. Theo hadn't seen her tail wag this much since they'd left Japan. Special Week eagerly waited for her turn and picked El straight up off the ground as soon as she'd finished with Grass.
"Dios mio, Spe, you've gotten so much stronger since last year!" El said. "And Grass, gracias for taking care of Mambo. He looked so happy!"
"It did take him some time to get used to you not being there, but he adjusted eventually. It was fun to pick up some new hobbies with him," Grass said as she looked overhead. "I didn't expect to enjoy his company so much." Mambo gave a happy cry in response.
"Do you wanna do some partner running when we get to the academy, El?" Spe asked. She looked like she could barely contain herself. "Trainer Okino already reserved a time for us! Sei and King should be done getting ready by the time we get back, too! I wanna see how much faster you got in France!"
"Si!" El shouted, her tone now that of a mighty luchador. "The Phantom bird would never turn down a challenge, so how could she ever deny one from the greatest umamusume in Japan!"
Both El and Spe let out a battle cry. Grass barely managed to stifle a giggle. Those two were so excited that it was a struggle for Theo to corral them onto the bus. The ride back to campus went much like the impromptu show in the parking lot. El hammed it up for her fans, Spe psyched herself up for their partner run, and Grass sat there wishing El would confess already. It was comforting, like they'd never left. When her loss to Montjeu finally came up in conversation, El took it in stride. Everyone was proud of her for placing so well anyway. Theo was glad for that.
The partner running didn't end up lasting very long. The actual reason that King Halo, Seiun Sky, and their trainers hadn't been at the airport was that they were busy setting up a surprise party. It had been Director Akikawa's idea, and as expected she spared no expense. A huge number of students and faculty had shown up, there was a massive buffet that even Spe struggled to put a dent in, and it was loud. Very loud.
Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Some students broke from the crowds to burn their energy with practice runs. Most of their trainers were either keeping an eye on them or chatting near the buffet. Grass eventually found out that El had forgotten about the concert, and all that saved El's tail was Theo's proposition of some extra group rehearsals.
All of his colleagues were there. Getting to see Kohinata, Okino, Franklin, Sakamoto, and Kiryuin again was wonderful. He even got to meet Trainer Kashimoto for the first time. The mess with the Unity Cup had happened while he was away, but Kashimoto seemed nice enough now that it was over. He was back with his closest friends, celebrating the most important person in his life. He should be having the time of his life, shouldn't he? Shouldn't he be enjoying this?
His head felt thick. Memories of different races and the concerts that followed were getting muddled together. Static images of the Twinkle Series looped in on themselves. El's different wins and the concerts that came after. A different umamusume giving the performance of a lifetime at the only G1 Live she'd ever be a part of. A memory of a little boy sitting in front of a CRT when he was home alone, watching the only concert tape he'd managed to hide from his parents. The itch came back even stronger and then the world just changed.
The dimly-lit party became a vast stage awash in blinding lights. The crowd of adoring fans were no longer calling for the Phantom Bird. They were crying for the Eagle. For him. The cheers were his, finally his. His to get drunk on, to devour, to make beg for an encore! He took a deep breath and an even deeper bow so that he could finally have a taste of it. Just a small one. He didn't want to be greedy after all. He'd just have one tiny taste.
Just one.
JUST THE SMALLEST TASTE OF WHAT HE'D BEEN DENIED FOR HIS ENTIRE LIFE.
He opened his mouth and took it all in.
It tasted like bile.
Theo was hunched over the empty punch bowl. Someone's hand was on his back. There was no stage, no obsessed crowd. The taste of vomit was overwhelming. Fuzzy, concerned voices reached his ears. An outstretched hand entered his blurred vision. He took it without thinking. Their touch was gentle. Caring. It was almost like his grandmama's, just without the wrinkles.
His eyes started focusing when his helper's face came into view. Her eyes were what caught him first. Their piercing blue hue carved straight through any remaining confusion. Her black hair was cut short and well-tended. Despite the mess that was in front of her, she wore a comforting expression. Her visage was beautiful, yet familiar. Once he realized where he'd seen her before, his heart dropped into his chest like a brick.
Fuji Kiseki. His undeserving ass was staring straight at the umamusume who'd inspired him to leave the States for Japan in the first place. His undeserving ass was holding her hand oh goddesses—
He pulled from her grip as thoughtlessly as he had submitted to it. Fuji's face morphed into a concerned frown. He saw, but didn't hear, her call his name. He didn't have the right to hear that damnable thing spoken by someone like her.
He noticed the exit in the corner of his eyes. He ran for it in a way he only could in his dreams. Someone tried to get in his way (Trainer Kiryuin?) but he shoved right past her. He could apologize later. Right now he needed to get out of here. This was a party to celebrate umamusume, after all. He shouldn't have been there in the first place.
Something was up with Trainer Eagle. El's instincts as both a racer and a wrestler had been telling her that all day. Ever since this morning, he'd been acting weird. Sure, he was usually happy to let her take the spotlight in public, but he was usually really talkative among friends! So it was really weird that he barely said anything to anyone on the bus back home. When the party started, he looked like he was about to throw up or something! Now he was sprinting off and trying to get away from everyone? He even shoved Trainer Kiryuin! His best friend!
Unfortunately for the Eagle, nothing can escape a Condor's eyes! Especially not a friend in need!
"Lo siento, amígas, I gotta go!" El said, darting away from her friends. She didn't get a good look at their faces, but she new them well enough to guess. Spe and King would both do a surprised "Eh?!", Grass would sigh, and Sei would pretend to be unbothered. They'd been talking about what they were going to be doing during the rehearsals Trainer Eagle had brought up earlier. Her leaving for a bit wouldn't be a problem, they'd understand after she explained everything later!
She made a mad dash for the door, blazing past anyone that tried to stop her. A lot of them sounded concerned, so she yelled back that everything would be fine! Trainer Eagle didn't usually act like this, and she knew him best! If anyone could help him, it was El Condor Pasa!
She couldn't see him anywhere once she was out the door. Simple solution: just run all across campus until she found him! He was only human, so he couldn't have gotten very far. She doubted she'd get in trouble anyway, since Hishiama and the student council were busy chaperoning.
She hadn't been ready for how chilly it was. Even for sundown in November, it was a bit too cold. She fought valiantly against the cruelest of sneezes, but was soundly defeated. However, fortune smiled upon the Phantom Bird once again! As she looked up from her elbow, she caught a glimpse of Trainer Eagle, leaning against a railing that overlooked the tracks. She couldn't tell if he was looking at the training umamusume or just taking in the sunset.
El ignored the urge to shout his name, instead dashing forward and wrapping her arms around him as tightly as she could. He didn't respond. He just put one of his hands around hers. He didn't break the hug, or push her away. He just stood in silence.
"Are you okay?" El asked quietly.
He didn't say anything for a while. El wasn't going to let go until he did.
"I don't know," he eventually whispered. His voice was weak. "I think there's something wrong with me, El."
El released her grip and moved to his side so she could see his face. He looked like he'd been crying. His eyes were a bright red, and she could see the remains of wind-dried tears on his cheeks. She'd never seen him like this before.
He was holding the luchador mask she'd made him buy all the way back in her junior year. It was patterned like a cheetah's fur. "For speed!" Theo had said. She'd suggested a bald eagle at first, but he insisted it wouldn't fit. His excuses were he didn't want to rip off her own bird motif, or that it was way too on-the-nose. Even back then, El knew there had to be another reason. A real reason. But she never pushed him about it. She hated when he looked upset.
He wore that mask to every single event. Every race, every concert, even press conferences. No matter how embarrassing it should've been, he always had it on with a smile on his face. He'd worn it so many times that the paint had faded over the years, but he refused to ever replace it. It was one of the little things that made her so happy he was her trainer.
El pulled the mask out of his hands and slapped it onto his face. It then fell right off and landed back into Theo's hands. Thankfully, her gambit worked and he started to laugh, even if only a little bit.
"Cada cual con su igual," El declared. "That means you too, Trainer. The strongest racer in the world doesn't leave her amígos behind. If you think there's something wrong with you, then I'm going to help you find out what it is. And I'm not leaving 'till we do. Comprende?"
She smiled at him. Theo did his best to give one back. She could tell he wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. That was okay. She knew he would eventually. And when he did, she knew he would talk her. Because she'd always done the same with him. She'd never forgive herself if she betrayed what her papa taught her, after all.
No one in your flock flies alone.