Hello!~

Here's the fourth potential project I may continue long-term when my hiatus ends. (I'm hoping within a couple of months!) I'm trying to gauge what story people most want to see, since I'm very invested in all four ideas. Obviously this was inspired by RL politics awhile back, and thankfully, the events that inspired it have simmered down, but the story is still in my head.

I don't plan to have any major character death at this time, if that helps. It'd be really hard to poetically justify it.

For some time, a neighboring rivalry between two halves of an Asian country created consternation for Japan. It was a nearby nuisance but mostly dormant and uneventful. Then rhetoric began to fly, sides began to be taken. Great world superpowers began to draw battle lines. Then the war broke out, and Japan was trapped in the middle. The Diet debated whether to get involved, until that decision was made for it.

China invaded Okinawa, Russia invaded Hokkaido and Tohoku. It was a well-executed attack. Japan's proud pacifist military, the Self-Defense Force, found itself not outmatched but inconsolably overwhelmed. Hokkaido fell, and the Russian advance down Honshu was of blitzkrieg proportions. In weeks, Sendai City in Miyagi Prefecture fell. With that conquest came the occupation of a small mountainous locale to the northwest: Torono Town.

After the Russian Army raised the flag in Torono, the rearguard found themselves attending to a mass of civilians. Hastily built refugee facilities had popped up and feverish evacuation efforts had begun rapidly for all Japanese civilians fleeing the invaders. The influx of camps near Tokyo and in Kansai couldn't accommodate the unstoppable flow. The flow began to abate. It began to lag. And soon, some people found themselves outrun by the army they were trying to flee. By the time evacuations were ordered for Miyagi, a hierarchy was instituted to control traffic. First priority went to the sick, the elderly, and the very young. The prefecture fell before the next round of evacuations took place.

There was not much fighting in Torono Town, the Self-Defense Force redeploying southward to form a line before Tokyo. The day Russian tanks rolled and troops methodically marched in was met with civilians hiding in their homes. The Russian authorities didn't expect to be taking care of so many noncombatants.

There was no school, no public activity for five days. People stayed in their homes; businesses—most looted beyond recovery as it was—remained closed. Five days after the raising of the Russian flag, the rearguard delivered an address over the PA system in Japanese, though clearly delivered with the accent of a Russian: Starting Monday, in two days, all citizens were instructed to resume their lives as normal.

That included schools.

Coach Keishin Ukai took a glance as the gymnasium door sullenly slid open to reveal a nerve-racked Ennoshita entering the space.

"Sorry I'm late," he meekly apologized. He was still in his school uniform and blushed when he realized his teammates had changed into gym shirt and shorts. "I-I didn't know we'd actually be practicing," he mumbled to the side.

Standing at the head of the group was Ukai in his usual coaching outfit, to his left faculty sponsor Takeda, to his right manager Kiyoko with a notepad. There were nine boys sitting on the floor. Only nine, Ennoshita mentally noted as he sat down with them.

"That's ten," Ukai announced. "I'm a bit surprised you all showed up, but then again maybe not considering who you all are." Despite the order to "return to normal," classes that day were only two-thirds full at best. The turnout for afterschool volleyball practice was therefore remarkable, but Keishin had been gifted with a committed batch of athletes.

Ennoshita raised a hand to say something.

"Kinoshita said his mom wouldn't let him come to school," he explained.

"Where's Narita?" asked Nishinoya.

"His mom decided to make a break for it on his own," Ennoshita warily said. To control congestion, anyone not ordered to evacuate was ordered to stay put. Many people defied the orders, and many special interests found a way to get people out. "I haven't heard from him in a week," Chikara nervously appended.

It didn't mean the worst. Cell towers and phone lines had been damaged all over the country, though Torono Town's antenna had been spared.

"Where's Yachi?" Hinata asked.

"Her mom's company relocated her. She took Hitoka with her," Kiyoko said. "She last said they were going to San Francisco."

Takeda eyed the manager nervously. Inwardly he was worried for how many of his students—both in class and volleyball—had been left behind.

"Well, our orders are to continue with business as usual," Ukai shrugged. "Obviously that means volleyball—yes, Hinata," he interrupted when the boy raised a hand.

"Are we still going to nationals?"

Kageyama simpered with a desire to slug his teammate while Kei grimaced with abject disgust. Ukai thought quickly to salvage the situation:

"The SDF will be here soon enough," he optimistically declared, smacking a fist into his palm.

"Same with Daichi's dad!" Noya declared, making the captain blush. His father was one of hundreds of thousands of volunteers who signed up the moment hostilities commenced. He had been redeployed to Tokyo out of necessity.

Sugawara, however, appeared down because of the comment.

"Also, I will reiterate the Diet's orders: don't use your cell phones for calling or texting. The Russians can intercept your messages," Ukai firmly declared. "But I know none of you are going to listen to that, so I'll say at least this: don't ever discuss the military, troops, weapons—not ours and especially not theirs. They'll think you're spying."

Hinata gulped. Most of them had used their phones quite contrary to the government's martial orders with abandon. Some had figured out messaging apps like snapchat were safer.

Ukai dismissed the group to begin preparing nets. Kiyoko helped while Takeda hung back by the coach.

"How long you think this'll last?" Ukai asked the other adult.

"Until they're ready to change the curriculum," Takeda spoke softly. "They just want to restore a sense of normalcy in order to make people accept the new circumstances. Then they'll start dipping their hands into the day-to-day affairs."

Ukai nodded in agreement. Right now though, he saw his job as keeping these ten—eleven, counting Kiyoko—remaining kids' lives on track. They were too young for this.

Heck, even he and Takeda were.

The practice was mild and, by national-team standards, unproductive. Nobody's mind was in it, though everyone played their best, trying their hardest to ignore the world outside the gym walls. In here, many of them felt safe, like a sanctuary immune to the reality outside.

"You're just too stupid," Kageyama muttered intentionally in Hinata's earshot.

"Why, huh?!" an insulted Shouyou shot.

"There's not going to be nationals."

"You don't know that!"

"Listen to you two," grumbled Kei nearby as they swept the floor. "You think this'll last?"

"They wanted us to return to normal; that's why we did practice," Tobio hummed. Kei clicked his lips.

"They're just doing this to lure us into a false sense of security," he grunted. "They're distracting us from hating them."

Yamaguchi began to sulk.

"You don't know that!" Shouyou protested. "They—they might be nice people."

"Idiot!" rebuked Kageyama.

"Yeah, you are!"

Yamaguchi began to chuckle at their bickering even under these circumstances.

Nearby, Ryuu took a pause from sweeping and glanced at Sugawara.

"Didn't your dad join the SDF too?" he asked spontaneously. Koushi flinched as Noya, Ennoshita, Asahi, and Daichi paused.

"Yeah!" Noya echoed, remembering. "Where's he at?"

Suga stopped, Daichi instantly sensing something wrong.

"Suga—"

"He's missing," Koushi murmured and resumed sweeping silently. Noya and Ryuu's excitement instantly withered.

"Sorry, man," Ryuu apologized.

"Don't be. He signed up for this," Koushi recited to make himself feel better. His dad was fighting near Sendai and spoke to his mom every night. When the city fell, he didn't call. Torono Town fell the next day, so the government never reached out to the family to inform them of his fate. Suga wanted to believe he was alive.

It was just a belief. Sugawara couldn't prove it, and sometimes he told himself it was easier to believe he was fatherless, given how much it felt like it.

The practice ended with everyone agreeing to show up the next day. Everyone walked home in groups as far as possible, for protection. Kiyoko walked alongside the male third-years, who all accompanied her to her place.

"Thanks," she murmured before hustling inside, earning red cheeks from the trio. The three boys then parted ways at Kiyoko's gate, having all gone out of their way for the sake of their manager.

Once separated from his teammates, Asahi paced quickly with head down. He could hear Russian jabbering a few blocks away. He wanted to shut his eyes and pretend it wasn't happening. It would all go away, he told himself. Soon enough. The SDF would return, with the Americans in tow. Somebody would liberate them as long as they toughed it out. That's all it took, he insisted.

Sauntering sluggishly by themselves, Suga and Daichi walked quietly, Sawamura pondering the yellowish sky in the dusk, Koushi gazing at the shrapnel-pitted street.

"You still haven't heard from him?" Daichi finally asked. Suga shook his head silently. "I'm sure he's fine."

"Your dad talks to you, right?" Sugawara meekly asked.

"Not now. He can't. Too dangerous. But we know he got withdrawn, so it's good. Your dad was taken out the same day. Maybe he just didn't have a chance to tell your mom."

The uncertainty made it that much more unbearable. Would they ever receive a body? Would they ever know what happened to him?

Would his mom—and himself—share the same fate?

After wishing Ennoshita well, Ryuu and Noya embarked together. Yuu insisted on staying with his fellow second-years even though his house was the closest to school.

"What're you gonna do?" Tanaka asked.

"Watch movies." He then groaned, realizing the internet connection might be flaky again. He pulled out his phone to text Daichi but momentarily thought better of it.

"You heard that explosion last night?" Tanaka spoke.

"Yeah," Noya said with intrigue. "Did you?"

"Mhm. And I figured out what it was. Someone blew up the train tracks near town. I heard about it in class."

"Who?!" Noya inquired eagerly. Ryuu melodramatically peered either side looking for onlookers and then leaned in close to whisper:

"I bet there's a resistance."

"Awesome!" Noya loudly declared and then slapped his hands over his mouth. "Awesome," he repeated in a whisper. "I want to join."

That comment startled Ryuu.

"They won't accept you. You're too short!"

"It means I can get small places and hide easier," rebuffed Noya.

"Yeah, I guess that's true," Ryuu began to ponder. "Anyway, here's my place. Wanna stay the night?"

"My mom'll worry. See you later," he declared and sprinted down the street.

It was almost dusk. There was a truck engine roaring—probably some troop carrier. Noya skidded to a halt as two Russian soldiers, blithely chattering away, walked across an intersection. They gave Noya a confused glance for a moment.

One of them aimed his assault rifle at the teen with a cheeky grin.

Noya stonily glared back. The two patrolmen chuckled and then kept on walking without a care in the world.

Once they had gone, Noya fast-walked across the intersection and, once out of sight, continued his sprint.

My goodness, look at all that foreshadowing lol XD

Please leave a review or give me a follow if you especially want to see more. You're welcome to ask questions or whatever.

The other fics that may get my focus when my hiatus ends are: a space/war AU ("The Great Galactic War"), a samurai AU ("The Three Kings"), or a canonverse, heavy-angst Nekoma fic ("Vice"). Check those out too if you're interested and let me know which you like more.

~Breeze