A/N: This story is the epilogue from my longer fic "Give Me a Reason to Stay" but when I read it again recently, I realized it was a perfect stand alone fluff-shot.
For the beginning history of the couple, I tried to stay canon compliant but after the manga ended, I made up my own happy ending for these two lovable idiots in love. Note this wss written before the all star game in 2022. Hope you like it.
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Summer 2061
In the summer of 2061, Shoyo and Tobio's daughter Ichika and her husband and children came to celebrate Shoyo and Tobio's 30th wedding anniversary with a party in their Miyagi home. It was a small affair, but filled with family, friends and lots of love.
When the guests had gone home, Ichika and her husband Haru went to clean up the kitchen, and shooed away their fathers who wanted to help.
Ichika said, "Go sit with the children and visit a while longer before we have to go home."
So Shoyo and Tobio took little Haruto, who was 2, and Sakura, who was 5, into the living room. Tobio settled on the chair, and Haruto climbed into his lap and promptly fell asleep. Shoyo settled onto the sofa with Sakura cuddled up next to him.
"Tell me a story, Jiji Shoyo," Sakura pleaded.
"A story? What kind of story?"
"Tell me about you and Jiji Tobio."
"Oh, well," Shoyo laughed, "that is a very long story since we are very old."
"Tell me anyway, please?"
So Shoyo told the story.
"When Jiji Tobio and I first met, we were rivals."
"What are rivals?" asked Sakura.
"Kind of like enemies. We both wanted to win and to win, the other had to lose. Do you understand?"
"Kind of like me and Haruto when we both want mama?"
Shoyo laughed. "Yes, sort of like that." Sakura nodded so he continued.
"Then we found ourselves on the same team, so we had to work together."
"What team, Jiji?"
"Karasano."
"The team you coach?" Sakura asked with wonder.
"Yes, one and the same."
"Cool!"
"So over time we learned to work together and people were afraid of us when we did."
"Cause of your freak quick?"
Tobio laughed from across the room. "Yes, our freak quick. Where did you hear that?"
"From mama."
Shoyo chuckled, shook his head a bit, and continued.
"So over time, we grew to be close friends, and then, at some point, we realized that our lives would always involve the other. We loved each other. We were soul mates."
"What's soul mates?"
Shoyo thought for a moment, glancing quickly at Tobio who was watching with rapt attention. "It's like when two people are meant to be together."
"Like mama and daddy?"
"Yes, like mama and daddy too."
Sakura nodded with understanding.
"But when we graduated, I wanted to go to Brazil. Remember I showed you that on a map?"
"Yes, I remember. It's very far from Japan."
