Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue. © Furudate Haruichi & Shueisha Publishing Co., Ltd.

Note: In Japan, the school year starts in April, and ends in March of the following year. It runs under a trimestral education system, separated by short vacations during spring and winter, as well as a month-long summer break. Students attend elementary school for six years, junior high or middle school for three years, and senior or high school for another three years.

Chapter One: Run Baby Run

"Too late for solutions to solve in the setting sun

So run, my baby, run, my baby, run"

#

Sitting on her bedroom floor, a sigh escaped her lips as she placed her folded uniform inside the box. She grew rather fond of the Catholic style uniform for the past two terms of her first year in high school. To represent her school was a huge honour but for what she was able to achieve under its name gave her a sense of pride in which she considered to be the highest point—so far—in her student life; and as a person who knew where her passion was. But the longer she stared, she was slowly reminded of the things she wish not to look back at—things she desperately wanted to forget.

The knock on the door caused her to retract her gaze from her uniform. "Yes?"

"Are you ready to go?" her father asked, pushing the door open and giving her a tentative smile.

"Almost," she answered, sliding the lid of the box in place.

"You know," he began, taking a step inside her room. "If you're uncertain about this move, I could try and explain the situation. It's not too late to back out from this."

She shook her head then gave him a comforting smile. "It's okay, otosan. Besides, it would be too troublesome for both schools if I back out now. The papers have been submitted and approved. The next step is for me to show up on Monday."

"You're right . . ." he agreed nonetheless. Seeing that there was no more need for words regarding the matter, he turned to leave her room but stopped. He appeared to be staring towards her study table.

"Otosan?" she called, curious at first until she traced her father's line of vision to see what he was looking at.

"I suppose you won't be taking that with you?" he inquired, nodding at what caught his attention.

"No," her reply came quickly. "There's no reason for me to."

Even without looking at him, she could tell that with her decision and explanation he was giving her that sympathetic look—how she hated the way people looked at her that way ever since that day.

"Kanon," he whispered her name in a sad tone.

"Please," Kanon said firmly, standing up and grabbing her weekender bag from the bed. "We should go. You still have to drive for four and a half hours."

Her voice was steady and strong enough to convey that she wanted to end the topic. He walked towards her to take her bag. "Okay. I'll put this in the car. Will you check if everything's been unplugged before we leave?"

She obediently nodded and waited for him to leave her room. Kanon approached her study table to grab a pair of earrings: a daisy themed beaded pair with fish hooks. Simple and small they appeared but they were the only things that she felt mattered to her now. She hooked them through her earlobes all the while avoiding the very thing her father was looking at minutes ago.

Turning around, Kanon took her phone out. There was one more issue she needed to address. Hours previously, she felt her phone buzzed for a notification. It was a voicemail message. Taking a deep breath—hoping that courage lingered in the air—she tapped her thumb against the message then pressed her phone against her ear. His voice soon greeted her:

Hi. It's me. . . . I know we're not in talking terms right now . . . and I understand you need some time alone but . . . I want to see you. I miss you . . . I want to be there for you.

An exhale—he paused. Kanon knew it was not easy for him to say such things but she was sure of one thing: he meant every word of it. She liked that about him but it also made it hard for her. Upon hearing his endearments, the guilt she was trying to put aside resurfaced. An inhale—he continued:

By the way . . . we got through to the quarterfinals today. I don't know if you were watching the live matches on the television . . . but I'd like to think we got through because you were rooting for us . . . for me. . . .

This time, an abrupt pause. Someone in his end crooned the words 'lights out'. Kanon was not at all surprised to hear him continue in hurried whispers.

Looks like I gotta go. I'll see you soon, okay? Goodnight, Kanon. . . .

She closed her eyes at his goodnight and thought to herself, 'I'm so sorry . . . but I have to go as well.'

Pocketing her phone, she grabbed her messenger bag and slung the strap across her body. She stopped by the door to give her room a fleeting look before flicking the lights off and closing the door behind her to proceed with the checking.

"Is that the last?" asked her father as she unplugged the electric heater.

"Yup," she said, standing up and looking around in case she missed one, eyebrows furrowing slightly from scanning.

"There's no need to look glum," he pointed out.

"I wasn't looking glum," she countered, making her way for the door. "I was just checking if I missed anything."

"Ah, sorry about that," he said, embarrassed. "But I did tell you that you can return here during your seasonal vacations, right?"

"Yup. You told me that over dinner," she said, pulling on her boots. "You've decided to keep the apartment for a year or two depending on whether or not I adapt to city life."

"And once you graduated from high school, I'll ask you what you want to do with this place."

"Oh," Kanon uttered. "You didn't tell me that part."

He adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose. "I guess that's your old man for you."

"Otosan, you're not that old," she said simply, extracting her gloves from her bag as she studied him for a bit. If he chose to dye his hair black to get rid of the whites, he could get away looking five to ten years younger than his actual age. "But are you sure you're okay with it?"

"About keeping the apartment?"

Kanon nodded, putting on her gloves. "You just left your company."

"We'll be fine," he assured her, standing next to her. "I still earn from my previous projects so don't worry about it.

"Are you really sure?" she insisted, looking him in the eye. "'Cause if not, I can take a part-time job to help out."

He shook his head, hands on her shoulders. "I won't let you as long as I can still provide."

Stunned for a moment, Kanon gaped at him before letting out a giggle. His response was a slight tilt of his head to the right.

"I think someone needs to lay off on those drama series," she suggested.

"I think you're right," he agreed. "Just promise me that when you drop by here, tidy up a bit and make sure to visit your grandparents in Iwate."

"Understood." She smiled, placing her hands on her father's forearms. "Let's get going, otosan. I still have questions about Tokyo and this old school of yours."

He nodded, taking his hands off her shoulders to pull on his own pair of boots. With their apartment checked and locked, they made their way down the building and towards the car. Snow crunching from their footsteps, Kanon looked above for the moon. Tonight it was a waning gibbous. A bitter smile tugged on her lips; even the Heavens were aware of what she was about to do.

"Kanon?" her father called.

"Yes?" she answered, snapping from her concentration. She became rooted to the spot at the sight of the moon. "Sorry, I hadn't noticed. . . ."

"I know you like looking at the moon but you better get it. It's freezing out here," he urged, opening the driver's side of the car.

Both father and daughter got in quickly then buckled up for the long drive ahead. Kanon took out her phone, again, to check for any other messages and for the temperature of where they were heading. Her father, on the other hand, looked for something to be popped into the player every time the car stopped for a red light.

"It doesn't snow there, does it?" she asked, pulling out her earphones—a precaution if he decided to play something she was not a fan of.

"I think it does," he speculated, car cruising through the streets of Sendai. "But it's a rare occurrence. If it ever did, it melts away quickly."

"That's too bad," her comment was accompanied with a frown. She placed her left elbow on the window beside her, cupping her chin with her hand. "This school of yours . . . Nekoma, right?"

"Yes."

"Nekoma. . . ." she repeated, nodding. "The girls' uniform is the sailor outfit, right?"

"Yup," he answered rather happily. "Navy blue with a red bow."

"But the guys have the Catholic style?"

"Uh huh."

"I find that a bit odd," Kanon confided. "It reminds me of that school on the hill where the guys wear gakuran but the girls wear the Catholic style."

"You mean Karasuno?"

"Yeah!" she exclaimed, taking her elbow off the window. "Shouldn't sailor outfit and gakuran go together like in middle school?"

"You do have a point there but to each his own even in schools." He smiled at her musings. "Funny you mentioned Karasuno though."

"Why is that?"

"Did you know the coaches for both schools' boys' volleyball teams have a longstanding rivalry," he explained, giving her a quick glance. "But that was years ago. . . . Last I heard, they have both retired from coaching."

"Rivals, huh?"

"Destined rivals," he said, a wide smile spreading across his face. "They even got a name for whenever they meet on the court."

Kanon raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Oh yes," he answered with enthusiasm. "A very fitting one, too!"

"What's it called then?"

"Would you like to hazard a guess?"

"Let's see . . ." she mused, scrunching her face. "Cats . . . crows . . . what do they share? Where can I find these two?"

There was a chuckle from the driver's seat. "C'mon, Kanon. It isn't so hard."

"Cats are pets and crows aren't . . . unless you want them to be," she said, crossing her arms. "I give up!"

A red light, the car stopped, and he looked at her. "Battle at the Garbage Dump!"

"Oh . . . Ohh!" it took her a few seconds to realise why but she concurred that it was a rather fitting title.

Her father smiled at her before driving on. Kanon returned her attention at her phone. She plugged in the earphones and browsed for an album she wanted to listen to. She then stuck the left side and kept her right ear free for her father.

"Are you getting the hang of that phone by now?" he asked, their car just entered the Tohoku Expressway.

She nodded. "Smartphones aren't so bad after all. A lot more convenient but distracts you more than the flip type."

"Well, that's technology for you," he replied. "Onto another topic . . . have you told those two we were moving today?"

"Yup," she said, her voice losing a bit of cheerfulness at the thought of her friends. "I told them yesterday when I met up with them."

"Hmm," her father mumbled. She could tell he was hesitating whether or not to carry on with the conversation. But he opened his mouth to continue with a question, "how about that boy? The one you were dating?"

There it was. Kanon was aware that her father would eventually ask about him. Unfortunately for her, it came sooner than she expected.

"We just started dating, otosan," she corrected him. "He . . . doesn't know. . . ."

"But, Kanon, he was there for you."

"I know," Kanon said, biting her lip. They only met once at a solemn event. It was not the way she pictured for them to meet but they did. Perhaps that meeting alone was enough to leave a huge impression on her father. "He's in Tokyo right now."

"Oh," he said, it was his turn to comprehend what she was trying to get across. "For the Spring High National Tournament?"

She nodded.

"You'll be telling him there then?"

"Uh, yeah . . ." the guilt she carried felt suddenly heavier.

"Good then!" he sounded pleased.

Kanon stole a glance at her father's profile. 'I'm sorry, otosan. But I cannot . . . I don't want to because it's better for him not to know.'

Minutes ticked away as she remained quiet. Sensing her discomfort from their previous topic, her father resumed their conversation with yet another question, "have you finished that game I bought for you for Christmas?"

Glad of the shift, Kanon shook her head. "Not yet but I probably would be by this week or next."

"What do you think of it?"

"You were right about it being challenging."

"Good points and bad points?"

"Easy to understand combat mechanics," she noted. "Has a somewhat predictable plot."

He was nodding at her explanation. "And how would you honestly rate it?"

"A solid four out of five."

Kanon saw how her father was still nodding—taking in every word she said. She knew that his mind would switch into work mode whenever an idea struck him. And it was something she cannot help and admire about him. He was always passionate about the things he loved—a feeling she knew all too well.

Sighing, she leaned against the window. As she gazed at the light posts along the way her thoughts wondered if she will ever feel the same way ever again. Will there be a chance for her to let the passion course through her like it used to? Or should she just give up and never look back since it will only remind her of what she was still coping with.

"Go ahead and get some sleep," her father told her gently.

With her clouded mind and eyelids being coaxed to sleep by the guiding lights, she relented. "Okay . . . but wake me up when we pass Kuro River."

"But you can sleep until we get to our new apartment."

"No," Kanon added, trying to fight off the drowsy spell long enough to continue. "Because after Kuro River is Tochigi . . . and that is no longer a part of Tohoku . . . but . . . Kanto . . . and Tokyo is in Kanto . . . where we live now. . . ."

She saw her father smiling warmly at her words. Perhaps he was right. They will be fine. A new school to study at and a new prefecture to live in. Kanon felt herself smiling back before closing her eyes.

Note: First fic for this fandom. Thank you very much for reading!