Hey hey hey, so some of you might have followed a previous story of mine: Egesgriman. Yeah. Sorry about that. But that is the past and the past shall be left alone. So here. Have this. It's a gift. It's also a piece of crap. Like me. But that's okay.

Chapter 1

The End of Things

Daichi

The echo of squeaky sneakered feet on hardwood floors was something that Daichi figured he would never grow tired of. While others may have found it annoying, he could only ever feel a rush of excitement. The sound meant a game was being played, a ball was being tossed, a point was being scored.

"Daichi, the-!"

Daichi lifted his head in time to see the ball headed for the ground. Without thinking he dove, leading with his fist, to the side. He hit the ground hard and slid, but the feeling of the ball hitting his hand was unmistakable. He turned to watch it fly up (damn, just a little too low), before jumping to his feet again. Another pair of hands tossed it as it came close and before he knew it, it had cleared the net. Daichi grimaced. It was an easy shot for the opposing team to receive and they didn't have much time left in the game; the two teams had been going back and forth for while now, neither one being able to gain enough of an upper hand to get the winning point. Daichi cursed as the opposing receiver took the ball straight on, sending it right to the hands of their setter. Daichi felt a pang of defeat. This was it. This was where it ended…

A tug in his gut told him otherwise.

Daichi watched in amazement as the ball was tossed...and missed. The spiker's hand flew past, never making contact, and the ball fell gracefully to the ground.

The following silence was broken only by the shrill sound of a whistle being blown as Daichi's team was awarded the point. Beside him someone whooped, stirring the rest of the team from their frozen shock. Cheers erupted from the stands and Daichi watched the other team's surprise turn to defeat as someone took him by the arm and pulled him into a group hug.

They had won the game.

The next thing Daichi knew, he was in the locker room being congratulated by the seniors of his team and the team captain, who patted Daichi just a bit too hard on the back as he walked by. They left in a hurry, talking about going out for food, the girls they would meet, and other things that faded as they walked away, leaving Daichi and only a handful of the rest of the team behind. Daichi felt a pang of nostalgia watching them go, memories of Camp and his friends there bubbling to the surface. He left the gym alone, waving a quick "goodbye" to the others and promising that "yes, he would get home safe," but "no, he couldn't hang out that night."

Outside it was just getting dark and the air was crisp. Spring was almost over, Summer just on the horizon, but the New Jersey night air still made Daichi shiver as he made his way home on foot. Daichi let the moonlight guide him as he walked. The sky was clear tonight, millions of stars visible, and Daichi counted the number of constellations he could make out. Astronomy was never his strong point, but after eight consecutive Summers at Camp he figured he knew a little more than the average high schooler.

Hydra, Cancer, Leo...

Daichi counted on his fingers as he searched the sky. He distinctly remembered being taught that Virgo was also visible in Spring, yet he couldn't quite find it among the clusters of pinprick lights. He shrugged and continued on, rounding the corner onto his street. The windows of the houses on either side of the street glowed with a soft golden light. As he passed by, Daichi could see people inside; families sitting down for dinner, children watching TV from the couch, couples dancing in their living room. Daichi smiled as he walked, a feeling of warmth coming over him. He passed one house and did a double take, having sworn he's seen a cloaked figure hovering near the family inside. He stood for a minute, watching them silently from outside. Through the window he could see the faint glow of a fireplace, but the figure, if there had ever been one, was gone.

By the time Daichi had reached his house it was almost too dark to see without the occasional street lamp, even with the full moon. He walked up the stone path, his shoes scuffing on the uneven surface. The windows of his house were dark and all that greeted him when he opened the door was silence. He stood for a minute, the door half open, and called out.

"I'm home!"

No one answered, but Daichi tried not to be surprised. With a sigh he stepped inside, closing the door behind him and slipping off his shoes. He took a minute to appreciate the moonlit atmosphere of the house before flipping the nearest light switch, flooding the house with artificial light. He left his bags by the door and padded into the kitchen, opening the fridge and pulling out milk, noting with a tinge of sadness the lack of a note sticking to the door. He leaned against the counter, the carton of milk sitting beside him, and pulled out his phone. It was dying, the battery only at 15%, but he sent out a quick text anyway.

To: Asahi 10:37pm

We won!

With that, Daichi set the phone down on the counter and got to work. He fetched a packet of ramen from the cupboard and some cheese from the fridge, placing them next to the milk, before putting on a pot of water to boil. By the time Asahi finally texted back, Daichi was sitting in the living room, eating a "mac n' cheese" version of ramen his father had taught him how to make and flipping through the channels of the TV. He made sure to find something suitable to watch before picking up his phone.

From: Asahi 10:45pm

That's great, but don't u think its a little unfair with u on the team n all?

Daichi grinned, maybe even laughed a little, and typed out a response.

To: Asahi 10:53pm

Yeah well, but it won't be once u come back cuz ur skills will surely slow us down!

From: Asahi 10:53pm

Why r u so mean to me?

Daichi really did laugh this time, placing his bowl of half eaten ramen on the floor so he wouldn't make a mess. He stared at his phone for a while, trying to think of what to say before it buzzed, a notification telling him that he only had 10% left. He grimaced.

To: Asahi 10:56pm

I gtg. My phone is dying.

From: Asahi 10:57pm

Kk Wait! Will you be going to camp this Summer?

Daichi stared at his phone, slightly confused.

To: Asahi 11:00pm

Of course...why wouldn't I?

From: Asahi 11:01pm

Just wondering.

With that that screen flickered and then went dark, a small, red image of an empty battery appearing for a few seconds. Daichi stared at it for a moment, confused by Asahi's parting words, before he set the phone aside, grimacing at the dusty, fingerprinted surface. He picked up his bowl to finished his dinner and show.

It was 11:40 when Daichi finally finished. He'd left his bowl in the sink, promising himself that he'd clean it tomorrow, and almost considered going to bed without brushing his teeth as he slowly climbed the stairs.

Almost.

In his room he stripped quietly, throwing on a pair of boxers he'd received one or two Christmases ago from Asahi's step-mother. He could still picture the look of pure humiliation on his friend's face when Mrs. Azumane had presented Daichi with his gift.

Asahi told me you love volleyball as well, so when I saw these I just HAD to get them for you, Daichi recalled her saying and snickered at the image of Asahi's beat red face as he was handed a pair of bright orange boxers with volleyballs scatter about the surface.

Before climbing into bed, he stopped by his desk and picked up the small calendar leaning against the lamp. He took his black marker and crossed another day off before smiling and placing the calendar back on the desk.

21 more days.

21 more days till the end of school.

21 more days till the start of Summer Vacation.

21 more days till the start of Camp.

Just 21 more days.

Ta da!