Coughing began, racking her form, causing her to curl into herself on the ground. With each shaking breath rose petals fluttered out of her mouth, floating into a blood laden pile in front of her. The sensation of the roses' thorns slicing the delicate flesh of her throat caused bloody bile to fill her mouth, acid burning her tongue.

At the sound of the girl's corporeal pain, one particular volleyball player in the gymnasium warming up sprinted to the doorway she was under, her fellow 3rd year, Iwaizumi Hajime, kneeled in front of her, gently moving her body to prop her up. As the razor like pain subsided and the she stopped spitting up flowers, she hoarsely started speaking into Iwaizumi's ear.

"Thanks…"

His strong callused fingers attempted to wipe away the blood coating her lips and chin. "What did I say about overdoing it?" His voice was coarse and words strict, but [Y/N] could see the worry and pain in his eyes as he watched her take a shaky breath and could hear his tone soften and lower so only she could hear, as if his words were a secret between friends.

"I wasn't… I happened to see Misa from 3-B confess to Oikawa when I was walking over."

"I'll punch Trashykawa during practice for you."

A combination of a laugh and a remaining cough escaped her lips. "Like you weren't going to anyway." Her lips curled up in a small smile. She pulled herself up, using the door to regain her balance. Her smile sobered. "Thanks. I owe you big time."

"Just make your agedashi tofu and we're more than even."

"Deal."

Oikawa escaped the grasp of a tearful Misa and flounced over to the pair hovering in the doorway to screech, "My dear Iwa-chan and Manager-chan have finally professed their undying love for one another." At the sound of the startling voice [Your Name] covered the flowers on the ground with her bag and the blood on her face with her hands. She didn't want to worry him or let him know at all that anything was wrong.

"You should be warming up Crappykawa!" Iwaizumi snapped at the setter looming over his shoulder.

[Your Name] waved her hand dismissively. "Go in Hajime and warm up. I can manage for now. I don't want you getting hurt before we finally beat Shiratorizawa and go to Nationals!" That was all it took to get the setter and ace's heads back into practice, Oikawa flashing the girl a signature smirk.

She poked at the white rose petals dyed red with blood with her foot, scooting them into the grass outside the gym. The sensation of another cough coming filled her mind as she pulled out her managing notebook and began her walk to the coach's' bench. Stumbling the last couple steps to reach the bench next to Coach Nobuteru, [Your Name] attempted to catch her breath before the tickle of velvety petals and the prick of thrones pulled her right back into a cough. She spluttered trying to control her fit, to not let the roses control her every move, though all she earned were quick sideward glances of concern. Unable to control the pressure mounting in her throat she sprinted the short distance to the girls' locker room gasping for air. Vision blurring, blood dripping from her chin onto the floor, she couldn't keep her eyes open and collapsed in a pile of blood, thorns, and flowers on the cold floor of the locker room where no one could see.

Iwazumi had just enough focus to keep his attention to Oikawa's sets and away from [Your Name]'s seat on the bench during practice, but when no one yelled at Oikawa and him for not taking their water break and overworking themselves, he allowed himself one quick glance only to see an empty seat. He tried to appear casual as he made his way straight to the coach to ask where she disappeared to. He tried reassuring himself that maybe she was just in the restrooms or something.

"Iwazumi, what do you need?" Coach Nobuteru said once the volleyball player had stopped angrily walking directly in front of him.

"Do you know where [Your Name] went?" Iwazumi barked.

"No clue… Yahaba was looking for her earlier to ask her to keep track of his serves, but he couldn't find her… She may have gone home… She was looking a little pale." Iwazumi caught a peek of her backpack propped against the side of the bench, spurring on his suspicions.

"When did you last see her?"

"She went into the locker room at the beginning of practice after coughing for a bit… So?"

Iwazumi couldn't breath. His heart stopped. He ran at breakneck speed towards the female locker room disregarding warnings of flying balls from serves, jumping over the first years doing dig drills, and attempting to suppress his panic. He pushed through the stiff door guarding the girls' locker room. Oikawa yelled something about how Iwa-chan wasn't allowed in there, Iwazumi ignored. His legs gave out at the sight of [Your Name] on the floor.

Her head lolled to the side, blood dripping down her cheek. Her arms had obviously attempted to catch her when she fell, only stopping her head from hitting a bench. Her hair spread uncharacteristically around her face creating a messy halo. Her chest barely moved, shallowly shuttering, not getting nearly enough oxygen. Underneath her small body lay a bed of pillowy rose petals protecting the girl, but mixed in where to harsh thorns cutting the smooth flesh of Lillian's leg were skin wasn't covered by her tall socks. Her face was graced with a more tranquil expression than Iwazumi had recognized on her in years. He reached out a hand to trace her cheek, the moment feeling like nothing more than a nightmare, when he nicked his finger on a thorn, signaling to him that he had to do something despite the daze he was in.

Iwazumi carefully picked up the girl, conscious of the thorns that scraped his arms as he lifted her into a bridal carry. Oikawa stood petrified in the doorway, scared to breath, unable to identify the individual to find culpable. Iwazumi callously brushed past Oikawa while sharply saying, "Call 119 Oikawa."

Feeling claustrophobic in the heavy atmosphere of the gym and Oikawa's conversation with the 119 operator ringing in his ears, Iwazumi delicately carried Lillian to the coaches bench on the opposite side of the gymnasium. Coach Nobuteru pushed the water bottles and miscellaneous papers off the the bench to make room for the girl to lay and herded the concerned volleyball players to the boys locker room. Iwazumi lay her down on the bench, carefully placing her head on his lap.

Although it could barely be heard he was whispering to the girl, "You'll be alright… You'll be alright…" Iwazumi couldn't focus on anything, but the girl whose head lay in his lap. He tuned out Oikawa's words of comfort and his coach's questions on her condition. He was shutting down, allowing his body go into shock.

He felt the weight of her head depart from his lap as an EMT lifted her, taking her to the awaiting ambulance. The EMT said something, but he couldn't register their words. His face blank and detached, he began collected the girl's bag and papers to drop by her house. Oikawa tried to speak to him to no avail, drowned out by muttered whispers.

Matsukawa and Hanamaki having assisted in herding their kouhi's to the locker rooms, found their way to Oikawa and Iwaizumi by the empty bench.

"What the heck, man? What is wrong with [Your Name]?" Matsukawa shoved Iwaizumi's chest as he spoke. "You were the only one who know there was something wrong? Why else would you have looked for her?"

"Hanahaki disease…" Iwaizumi quietly said. The trio around him had void of recognition but still expressing empathy. He realized how angry the stares made him. "Just because you two have been a steady relationship since first year and Oikawa literally doesn't care about other people's feelings doesn't mean that the world goes on without you."

"Never heard of it." Oikawa's voice caused blood to rush through Iwazumi's ears in anger.

"Its when someone has unrequited and it infects the person. Flowers start growing in their throat and lungs." Hanamaki said. Iwaizumi just nodded.

"Who could have hurt my dear Manager-chan? Was it you Iwa-chan?" Oikawa tried diffusing the tension but it can out as flat followed by tinny laughter.

"I don't know. It may be some crappy Setter she has known forever." With Iwaizumi's words both Hanamaki and Matsukawa knew what he meant.

Oikawa obliviously screeched "How dare Kageyama!"

"Oikawa! You! She was in love with you." Iwaizumi's words punctuated Oikawa deep, shattering the place in his heart he didn't even know he had reserved for her.

"But…"

"Sorry that's what happens when you call a girl anytime you have a problem or are feeling insecure. Don't pretend it didn't happen, she told me! You broke her heart every time you would said you would hangout, but never did or when you would go on dates with girls just because. This one time it is all your fault!"

"She never told me… I thought we told each other everything…"

"Feel bad all you want, it won't change anything!"

"I have to go… apologize… I messed up…" Oikawa's eyes were swimming in tears. He looked around panicking. He couldn't imagine a world without the girl who he could confide anything in, the girl who didn't pretend to like him just because he was good at volleyball or handsome, the girl who loved, apparently, all of his flaws and made it known to him that no matter what she would be beside him.

Although his tone was harsh, he was begging, just save her please. "Then go!" Please.

"I'm so sorry." Oikawa wasn't apologizing to Iwaizumi, but for the ears of [Your Name]. How could he not see her? Iwaizumi's word awoke something he hadn't felt in his chest before, a mix of fear and what he believed might be love. So he ran, springing open the gym doors, running so he could say how sorry he was directly to [Y/N] as soon as he could for fear she would try to remove any feelings of love.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Hanamaki asked Iwaizumi, perfectly aware of the boy's feelings towards the girl.

He nodded, saddened by his own answer "If she had gotten her Hanahaki removed it would have erased her feelings towards Trashykawa. And he would make her happy."

"That would be good for you. She could love you"

"It shaped her personality. I wouldn't want to change that."

Iwaizumi, being the vice-captain, decided to end practice for the day, sending his teammates home with the assignment to practice there. He cleaned up. He changed out of his gym uniform back into his school uniform. Then he received a call from Oikawa.

"Iwa-chan, they had to, you know, remove the blockage in her throat, but when they went in during surgery they saw that the flowers had disappeared. They disappeared when in the time I was running over to see her after you talked to me… Thank you… I don't know what I would do without her. Well… Thanks…Bye…"

Coughing began out of nowhere, racking Iwaizumi's muscular frame, causing him to curl into himself on the ground. With each shaking breath rose petals fluttered out of his mouth, floating into a blood laden pile in front of him. The sensation of the roses' thorns slicing the flesh of his throat caused bloody bile to fill his mouth, acid burning his tongue.