Sora ni koete – Beyond the sky
Chapter 1 – Wake up!
"Oi! Sora! Wake up already or you'll be late!"
"Mmmm…"
"Sora!"
"Five more minutes dad…"
"OI! Sora! I said to wake up! Airhead!" dad said as he pulled away my bed sheets. I was forcefully pulled of the dream I was having. I was dreaming that I was walking around in a country made out of clouds and on the trees of that country cute looking milk cartons were growing from them. And just as I wanted to take one dad got in my way.
"Aaawww, bye bye milk cartons." I said disappointed.
"What?!" dad was visibly confused, I couldn't blame him.
"My dream, you interrupted it and-"
"Whatever, get ready or you'll be late for school. Your mother has already made your lunch box, so get going!"
"O-ossu." I gave up, then he wouldn't know what my dream was about. Dad left my room and I fell back on my bad. It was the first day of the new school year, I'd be a Second Year in High School now.
"Soraaa, are you up already?" I heard mom calling from the kitchen. When he started asking that then it meant I was really almost late for school. I had to hurry. I quickly got off my bed and rushed to the bathroom, but when I wanted to open the door it was closed.
"Occupied." I heard a voice from across the door.
"Aoi, hurry up, I'm late." I said.
"Please, it's your fault for oversleeping, not mine. So wait." she said.
"Aoi please."
"I'm your elder sister, so you'll have to wait, So-ra-chan."
"You're still shorter than me, though, A-o-i-chan." And as soon as I finished my sentence the door sprung open in a split second.
"What did you say?!" Aoi was now standing in front of me.
"Nothing!" I said as I grabbed her by her waist, lifted her and moved her out of my way to quickly enter the bathroom myself.
"Hey!"
"Sorry, nee-san."
"Aoi, don't start fighting with your brother first things in the morning." I heard mom saying.
"But. He. And I."
"Let go of it Aoi, he's being late and you're ready already, aren't you? So get going." he said to Aoi. Mom was always on my side concerning things like these, because I was the youngest of us three siblings.
"Fine! I'll be going now, bye!" Aoi said and after that I heard our front door being opened and closed again.
After some minutes I left the bathroom, put on my clothes and got ready to leave the house as well. As I headed to the kitchen Hana seemed to have woken up too.
"Morning Hana!"
"Shut it Sora." she said in a calm voice as she entered the bathroom.
"Whoa, gloomy as always, I see."
"Forgive her, she's been studying all night long again." mom said.
"College life sure is hard, huh?"
"Apparently, but she's exactly like your father when I met him."
"And you still married him? Fascinating."
"Oh that's a long story, but not for now. Here's your lunch box, Sora." mom said as he gave me my lunch box.
"Thanks. I'll be going now!" I said as I opened our front door.
"BYE DAD!" I yelled.
"TAKE CARE SORA!" he replied yelling.
I was ready for a new year!
"Goooooooood moooooorning woooorld!" was the first thing I heard when I woke up. Actually, it was the thing that made me wake up. Akane was on high spirits again. Like she always was.
"Akane, gimme another five minutes please." I tried to cover my head with my pillow. But Akane was faster and grabbed my pillow, throwing it across our room.
"Wakey wakey Akira! It's time for a new year at school!" she was almost yelling, and that in the morning.
"Akane, it's way too early for that."
"Come on lil' bro!"
"Akane you're my twin sister, we're the same age, how many times do I need to repeat it?"
"But I'm still taller than you, am I not?"
"That has got nothing to do with our age."
"Whatever! Come onnn! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, it's such a-" Akane didn't finish her sentence because our bedroom door was opened unexpectedly and dad was standing there.
"-such a wonderful day! Right kids?!" he said. He actually had finished Akane's sentence.
"Morning dad!" Akane said while moving her arms upwards.
"Morning Aka-chan!" dad said while doing the same and both ended up doing a high-five. Why had I been born into this family?
"Okay everyone, calm down. It's too early for this." mom said as he entered our room.
"Aw, come on Keiji! Their new year starts today and-"
"Koutarou no."
"But…"
"No." mom always won in these kind of situations.
"Sorry mom." Akane apologised.
"It's okay. Should I prepare breakfast? What do you want?" mom asked.
"PANCAKES!" Akane and dad said simultaneously. Mom had to giggle.
"Alright then, let's go to-"
"Could you all just friendly move your asses out of here, I'm trying to sleep for another ten minutes if that'd be okay?" I yelled through my other pillow. I always used two pillows in the case Akane would throw one through our room. She did that quite often.
"Don't be mad if there are no more pancakes left, Aki-chan." dad said.
"I think I'll survive, thanks." I said and the three of them finally left.
I sighed loudly and wanted to go back to sleep, but I was already too awake and failed.
"What a great first day of the new school year…" I said to myself while getting up from my bed and getting ready for the day.
"Ohh…" I whispered when I woke up, noticing that I had fallen asleep with my earphones in. I had been listening to music to fall asleep and apparently did without removing them, like always. I removed them and looked at my phone's screen, it still was at 53%. It's always somewhere between 45% and 60%, so 53% was a rather good outcome. With my left arm I looked for the charging cable on my bedside table and when I found it I plugged in my phone and started charging it. And then I could look at all the new messages I had received during the night. That was my daily routine after waking up.
And then suddenly I received a new text message. It was from mom.
[Are you awake, Mayuri?] mom asked.
[Yes, why?]
[Breakfast will be ready in five minutes.]
[Okay, thanks. I'll be there.]
[Good. Today's your first day of the new year, right?]
[Yes.]
[Enjoy it, see you later.] and with that mom stopped writing. And after browsing around the internet for some time I got up and went to the kitchen, taking my phone with me. When I entered I was expecting mom, but instead I saw dad.
"Morning sweetie." he said.
"Good morning dad, where's mom? I thought he made breakfast?" I asked him.
"Nah, Kenma's still in bed, so I made it for you. I hope you like toast."
"Oh mom please…"
"Well… So! Anyway, excited for the first day as a Second Year, Mayuri?"
"Not really, maybe a bit?" I said as I took a first bite of my toast and scrolled down a webpage on my phone.
"Really? But now you'll have new juniors, maybe some will enter the volleyball club and you can use them as your servant-I mean, maybe you'll find new… friends?"
"At least you tried." I said as I patted him on his shoulder.
"Hey. What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing at all, daddy."
"Mayuri, you know what I think of you calling me like that, don't you?"
"Yes. You love it."
"Yes! So call me again?"
"Nope."
"Come on sweetie."
"I said no."
"I see, you're already busy with your phone, huh? Who are you texting with? With your crush?" I choked on my milk when I heard what he had just said.
"I-I don't have a c-crush…" I said nervously.
"Oh really? Not even Lev's son?" he said and made me cough, I had tried to drink again.
"Wh-wh-what ware you s-saying? I-it's not like I like him or anything, don't be stupid." I noticed how I started blushing.
"You sure 'bout that?"
"O-of course!" I said as I took a last bite of my toast.
"Thanks for the food, dad!" I stood up and rushed back to my room and fell back on my bed again, I still had some time left. Dad wasn't allowed to know about my crush, that'd be the end of me. And just as I was thinking of him I got a text message.
[Morning Mayuri.]
"YURI!" I screamed and quickly covered my mouth with my hand. Yuri had written. I needed to act normal and write back.
[Heeeey Yuri, what's up?]
[Not much, just wanted to ask you if you're ready for the new year.]
[Sure, let's do our best!]
[Cool! I'll wait for you at the same place so we can walk together to school, laters.]
['Kay!] was my calm answer but…
"Ahhhhhhhh-" I started screaming but stopped quickly when I noticed what I was doing. Before I could calm down I got another text message.
[Mayuri, don't scream in the morning, I'm trying to sleep.] it was from mom.
"Good morning my little princes-" was my old man's attempt on waking me up, but before he could finish his sentence I had already thrown a pillow into his face.
"I'm not in the mood, dad." I said to him, now hiding underneath my bed sheets.
"Oi, come on Konoe, it's your first day, you can't be late today!"
"Challenge accepted."
"Konoeeeee…"
"Yeeeeees?"
"Do I have to bring your mother and-"
"Okay I'll get up!" I said as I jumped out of my bed. I didn't want to deal with mom this early in the morning, she could be very scary sometimes when we didn't do what she asked of us.
"Good. Breakfast's ready, so come down, okay?"
"Sure." I stood up and stretched. And after opening the windows I walked to the other side of my room and woke up my two princes.
"Morning Rai, morning Asato." I said to my cats while petting them. I loved them more than anything else on the world. As always I got lost in petting them and forgot everything around of me, I probably would've come late to school too if Kazuya wouldn't have knocked on my door.
"Konoe?" he said as he opened the door.
"Huh!?" I said angrily for being interrupted.
"Don't skip practice today." was the only thing he said before leaving my room again.
"That was it?! Are you for real Kazuya?!" I yelled at the door. Kazuya was my cousin. My mom, me, my old man, his elder sister Saeko, her husband Akiteru und their son Kazuya were all living in one house. And because of that Kazuya is more like an elder brother to me, and it's nice to have one, although he's the most emotionless person I have ever met.
After some more minutes of petting my cats I decided to get changed and go down to eat breakfast.
"Morning y'all." I said. Everyone was already sitting there and staring at me.
"W-what?" I asked curiously.
"Excited for the new school year, Konoe?" Saeko asked.
"Not really, why should I?"
"Now you're in Second Year, isn't that a unique experience?" Akiteru asked.
"Being in First was unique too, am I wrong uncle?"
"N-no, certainly not."
"See?" I said as I sat down.
"Kazuya, make sure that Konoe doesn't skip practice today." my old man said to Kazuya. Why did everyone in this family think I'd be skipping practice? Only because I did that now and then didn't mean I'd do it on the first day of school already. At least I had promised myself I wouldn't. Hopefully.
"I won't skip, okay?" I said to everyone.
"We'll count on you, Kazuya." mom said.
"Mom! Now even you?"
"It's only for your best, Konoe."
"Yeah sure, that's what they all say. I'm not hungry, I'll get going now-" was what I wanted to say, but mom didn't let me.
"Konoe, eat your breakfast."
"But I'm not-"
"Konoeee…" I didn't like it when she said my name with that tone of voice, no one did. It sent chills right down your spine and you wouldn't dare to deny her words. She had a powerful weapon.
"Yes ma'am." I said as I silently sat down again.
"Oh my little princess is afraid of her mo-" dad wanted to say before I stuffed a piece of bread into his mouth.
"Ahaha, but apparently she's not afraid of you, Ryu." Saeko said while laughing.
"Kiyokoooo…" dad wanted mom's help. How pitiful.
"Konoe, don't do that to your father." she answered. And my old man answered with a grin.
"Thank youuu sweet-" he was about to thank her, but she interrupted him.
"Ryuunosuke, start eating too." mom was scolding dad, a daily scene.
"Yes ma'am." he said quietly as he started eating as well.
"Today is gonna be a good day!" I said to my reflection in the mirror. That was my method to cheer me on. I had been nervous for quite some time already, after all, I would attend High School from that day on. And the first year in High School was always something special, that's what I've been told by my friends anyway. And because of that I had decided to go to the High School my parents attended, to the school where they met each other, to the school where my father started playing volleyball; to Karasuno High School.
I came to the conclusion that talking to my reflection for 15 minutes was more than enough and left the bathroom to join mom and dad, they were already eating breakfast.
"Good morning Shinichi, are you ready?" mom asked me out of the blue.
"I… I hope so." I said.
"Don't be nervous, you'll survive." dad said.
"Well, I hope so." I said again, emphasizing that I didn't really want to die on my first day of High School. Mom and dad both started laughing.
"Oh, Hitoka? Did you buy what we talked about the other day?" dad asked mom as she was finishing my lunch box.
"Of course, it's on the table in our room. Would you go get it, Tadashi?" mom asked dad.
"Okay." he said as he stood up.
"What did you buy?" I asked while taking a bite from my toast.
"Something for you, Shinichi. A little present for starting High School." mom said with a smile.
"Wh-what?"
"Tadashi was so excited when he heard that you wanted to go to Karasuno and that you even wanted to join the volleyball club and because of that…" mom started explaining and dad returned to the kitchen.
"… we thought you'll need a new pair of sports shoes, so… here you go." dad said grinning while handing me a new pair of shoes he was holding. My eyes widened and I started talking with my mouth full.
"Awesome! Thank-"
"Shinichi, watch your manners." mom said. I swallowed and started talking again.
"Thank you so much! I can't wait to have the first practice!" I was really looking forward to it, I hoped that the current team would accept me. Rumours said that the current Karasuno Volleyball Club was one of the strongest that had ever existed, nearly on the same level as the teams with the so-called 'Small Giant' and the 'Strongest Decoy'. So I really wanted to join, I wanted to become part of something that people would still be talking about in the future, that was my dream and the first step consisted of joining the volleyball club.
With that in mind, I got ready and headed out.
"I'll be going now!" I said as I opened the front door.
"Show them your strength, son!" dad said.
"Ossu!" and with that I closed the door and started walking towards my dream.
[A/N: Hello, this is Shion talking. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I just wanted to let you know, that there will be six protagonists, each of them having their own point of view. There's Sora Kageyama, the main protagonist. But also Akira (and Akane) Bokuto, Mayuri Kuroo, Konoe Tanaka, Shinichi Yamaguchi and a sixth one you haven't met yet will be protagonists. And whenever a perspective changes, I'll symbolize that with a horizontal line, that's the best I can do on here. I hope it's not confusing, if it is, let me know. Okay. That's it, Shion off.]