Based on Ed Sheeran's Castle on the Hill, Owl City's If my Heart was a House, and a little bit of physics - a principle called quantum entanglement which states (very basically) that if two (or more) particles or systems interact for a period of time before separating, they can no longer be described independently of each other. That is to say, they are now at the same time separate systems as well as one unique system. Despite separation of even millions of light years they still affect and are affected by each other.
Chikara blinked in the dazzling sunlight. Today had outdone its promise to be bright – Chikara could barely see even with sunglasses on. Although it was very hot and he was desperate to sit down, he dared not lean against his car lest it give him third degree burns.
He was standing waiting outside his kouhai's house as they bustled along inside, franticly throwing things into bags and calling the names of miscellaneous items out to each other. Hinata and Kageyama had rather typically left their packing to the last minute and the others were stuck inside, helping them, even though they probably didn't deserve it.
Ennoshita began to zone out, the sun's rays penetrating his skull.
It had been a few years since Chikara had graduated. Everyone had split up after they left school – Daichi and Sugawara had gone to the same university, but that was about it. Karasuno had spread their wings and settled in every corner of Japan. Actually, of all their team members, the five who were a year below him and himself were the only ones who remained even remotely close to each other geographically, thus enabling their friendships to carry on and grow deeper after school. It wasn't as though they'd fallen out of touch with the others, per se; they still had endless phone calls and Skype chats but life tended to get in the way. That's why it was weeks like this, rare holidays where everyone had a little spare time to haul overstuffed bags back to Miyagi, were an absolute treat. The entire team was going to travel from their little pocket of the universe to Asahi's place for quality time with each other in their old prefecture.
Ennoshita's pulse throbbed as his blood began to literally boil. His brain had just begun to submit to the call of the void when the front door finally swung open and Tsukishima and Yachi stepped out into the roaring summer heat.
Yachi immediately bounded over to him, far more graceful now in her twenties than when she was his little wide-eyed fifteen year old manager. She threw herself into his waiting arms, laughing joyfully.
"Ennoshita! It's so good to see you again!" Chikara's heart buzzed when she dropped the formalities with him. He beamed.
"Hello Yachi, hey Tsukishima." When Yachi released him, he held his arms out for a hug from Tsukishima. As predicted, Tsukki scoffed, but offered a hand for a handshake. Ennoshita laughed and shook it, feeling the uncomfortable warmth of his friend's palm against his calloused hand. It was way too hot for even minimal physical interaction, it seemed.
Several crashes and loud yelling from Kageyama drifted out of the house on the otherwise useless breeze. Yachi looked concerned, but Tsukki and Chikara ignored the noise, choosing instead to move into a tiny patch of shade nearby and chat quietly.
"You all ready?"
Tsukki and Yachi nodded.
"We've got everything, and Yachi's also got some spare things in case Yamaguchi, Kageyama or Hinata forget," said Tsukki, disgust on his face. Yachi giggled.
"I've got spare shirts and swimmers and knickers for everyone!" Tsukishima tinged red and Chikara laughed. Chikara's kouhai had moved into two small apartments between the five of them only last year in order to cut down on rent, and it appeared as though the boys still weren't quite used to having a female around.
"Well, they've always been terribly disorganized, so I don't blame you," sympathised Ennoshita, and Yachi rolled her eyes and nodded, exasperated.
As if on cue, they tumbled out of the door with great cacophony, bags and hats and suitcases flung haphazardly into overfull arms. Yamaguchi emerged first, shoved out the door by Kageyama and Hinata, who fought to get out second.
Chikara called a greeting. "Hey guys! Good to see you! Is everything okay?"
Yamaguchi glanced up and smiled, brown eyes lighting up beneath fly-away bangs. He raised his hand and opened his mouth to reply but was cut off as Kageyama smacked him on the head while wrestling Hinata.
Ennoshita took this as a yes and popped the boot of his car.
When the freak-duo (still freaks, according to Tsukishima) and Yamaguchi had settled down and given him a proper greeting (it felt good to tell them off. He was still their honorary dad, whether they were grown up or not) they swung their luggage into Chikara's enormous car boot and clambered in to the SUV. Tsukishima sat in the front with Chikara, Hinata was exiled to the back and Yachi sandwiched herself between Yamaguchi and Kageyama in the middle seats.
Ennoshita blasted the AC, much to the delight of everyone, and handed the AUX cord to Yachi (he felt she was the only trustworthy one).
"Everyone settled?" Kageyama responded with a happy noise, and everybody else nodded affirmatively.
"Let's just go! I can't wait to go home," Hinata's eyes gleamed.
Chikara's breath stilled and the atmosphere crackled with excitement. Home.
The weight of the moment intensified tenfold. The last time the old squad had been in the same room, same suburb as each other had been almost 6 years ago. It felt good to be going, in Hinata's words, home.
After all, home is where the heart is, and where else would Ennoshita's heart be than in the warm embrace of his old friends?
He plastered a smile on his face, flicked on the ignition and pulled out of the driveway.
It was funny the way time had passed, Ennoshita thought as he half-listened to the radio. The rest of the car was silent save for the occasional sigh of sleeping passengers. It seemed like yesterday these little first years signed up to Karasuno's volleyball club. Now they'd all grown immensely – physically and spiritually.
Hinata had grown quite tall, much to everyone's surprise, clocking a solid 175 cm. There was still that fire in his eyes that he had when he was young, but it was more controlled and far more powerful now. He'd gone to university to study Exercise and Sports Science, predictably, and although old habits die hard he was a much more diligent worker now that he was studying something he loved.
He didn't know how Yachi felt before, when she first joined Karasuno, but she must feel pretty intimidated now that everyone around had skyrocketed and she remained her same, tiny self – she hadn't budged a centimetre in height since they'd first met. Her personality and goals were nothing like her physical stature, however. She started off with a business degree but quickly switched to law, which she'd discovered was her passion. She passed everything with flying colours and was well on her way to her dream.
Kageyama began as the rockiest one. Unlike the others, he hadn't any clue as to what he wanted to do, so he took a gap year and worked to earn money. All of the boys had continued volleyball professionally in one way or another, but after a year Kageyama had decided it would be his main goal. He'd found a job he loved (a barista at a coffee shop nearby) and would work there on the side to earn his money so he could do his dream job whether it paid or not. He was currently a setter for a nearby university, and was on the list for a possible setter for Japan's nationals. He also had opened his own tiny coffee shop that earned him his daily bread. Actually, it was his house everyone was staying at – Yachi had, by chance, walked into his shop one day and they'd started to talk. Shortly afterwards, Kageyama had four housemates and a lot less rent to worry about.
Yamaguchi had the most startling transformation, Chikara felt. He'd gone from awkward joints and a pointy chin to the biggest human Ennoshita had ever seen. He wasn't as tall as Tsukki but he nearly was, and he was nearly twice as wide. He looked like Asahi, honestly, with freckles. He was broad-shouldered, had at least 20 abs and his arms were completely ripped from who knows how many impeccable jump-float serves. He'd decided become a personal trainer (hence the incredible body) and was in his last year of training. His situation with Kageyama was perfect – there was a gym only a few blocks away that was ready and willing to have him when he finished training, so he and Kageyama had decided to share the apartment long-term, whereas the others might take off once they'd finished their studies and found somewhere better.
Tsukishima, his last and most troublesome child, had aged gracefully. He'd taken to technology in his second year at Karasuno and never looked back. He was currently studying Film and TV Media at University, intent on being in the film industry. It was a tough thing to be in this age, but he slaved away at his studies and had a promising future ahead.
Chikara pretended he wasn't crying. Perhaps this is the way a mother feels when her babies get old. At least they were proud tears.
The road he was driving down was dimly lit by the blazing stars above. They'd driven all day, each taking a turn at the wheel until they'd come full circle and Ennoshita was back in the driver's seat, hurtling silently down an enormous empty highway. The bustling city where their journey had begun had long since faded behind them. Rice paddies filled the entire landscape either side of him, although if he cared to pay attention he could see distant gloomy mountains reflecting starlight off their snowy tips.
It took him back to his country-kid days at Karasuno. The song on the radio hummed an agreement.
I'm on my way
Driving at ninety down those country lanes
Ennoshita's exit came up on a reflective green traffic sign and he flicked the indicator on. Its comforting beat tocked out-of-time with the song. As he turned, his mind turned as well, down a darker and sadder pathway.
Found my heart and broke it here
Made friends and lost them through the years
And I've not seen the roaring fields in so long, I know I've grown
But I can't wait to go home
Life wasn't kind. This was something Ennoshita knew well – what all of Karasuno knew well.
Thinking of his friends hurt a lot sometimes, and not just because of the distance between them. He watched time hurt them. He knew no one was promised a good life, but he at least wished them happy days.
Those turned out to be quite rare.
As much as the people in his car were doing well, they were still victims of the great game of life.
We found weekend jobs, when we got paid
We'd buy cheap spirits and drink them straight
Me and my friends have not thrown up in so long, oh how we've grown
But I can't wait to go home
Tsukishima drank too much. The film industry was a dog eat dog world and it swallowed him whole – and he was still just a student. If that had turned him into a raging alcoholic Ennoshita didn't want to imagine what the real thing would do.
Yamaguchi lost his parents. It was just before he'd graduated Karasuno, and he'd lost them to a car accident. A truck derailed and they were in the way – there was no coming back from it. Yamaguchi couldn't handle it. He became a wraith, barely scraping his last exams, and he began to wither. That was why it was so relieving and surprising for Ennoshita to watch him become so fit and well– it seemed like yesterday he'd been hospitalized for anorexia caused by grief.
Yachi and Hinata were alright, but no one needs Exercise and Sports scientists, and teeny blonde lawyers aren't often taken seriously no matter how brilliant they are.
Kageyama was lucky to have opened his coffee shop when he did, otherwise he'd be living with his mother, driving hours and hours to get to a university worth going to for professional volleyball.
Then there were the others.
One friend left to sell clothes
Nishinoya had done himself well. He'd gone to a tie-dye party with the other second years (Chikara included) once and had fallen in love with tie-dye. He began to dye his own clothes and that escalated to him owning his own clothes shop in a district just outside of Miyagi. He loved his clothes and it paid him well enough, but because he ran it by himself it left him no time for relationships and volleyball. He was still a libero for a neighbourhood club, but that was nothing compared to the Nationals stage he'd once stood on.
One works down by the coast
That was Daichi. Daichi had had to move to the coast for his job – electrical engineering. Daichi had lived out in the country previously, but who needs an electrical engineer in rural suburbs?
One had two kids but lives alone
Daichi moving left Sugawara at home with their children. They'd decided before adopting their kids they'd wanted a place in Miyagi's countryside to raise them. They'd been ok for the first few years of their children's life, Daichi abandoning electrical engineering so he and Suga could labour away behind a grocery counter to earn money, but for two growing boys the money wasn't enough. Daichi was earning buckets now he worked at the city on the beach, but it meant Sugawara was home alone Monday to Friday with one of his babies, their four year old, while their eight year old went to school. It was crushingly lonely. He spent more time with Asahi and his four year old than he did with his husband and eldest child, whom he longed for.
One's brother overdosed
A solitary traffic light buzzed a red warning at Chikara and he slammed the brakes with unnecessary malice. Hot tears pricked at his brown eyes and he bit his lip to prevent himself crying out. Huh. Good to know that wound was still fresh.
Kinoshita, Ennoshita and Narita remained best friends after graduation, although Kinoshita and Narita went to university elsewhere, while Ennoshita headed to Tokyo with the five currently nestled in his car.
It had been an accident. Kinoshita and Narita had always been one for parties and clubs but they'd always been responsible. Despite every caution, though, one day Kinoshita turned around and Narita was on the floor, unresponsive.
They'd done everything for him; pumped his stomach and flushed his veins. But whatever drug his drink had been spiked with was too volatile to be beaten out. He died with Kinoshita by his side.
Kinoshita still kept a little candle burning beside a picture of his brother.
One's already on his second wife
Sadness was piling up now.
Ennoshita honestly didn't know what Kiyoko and Tanaka were doing with themselves but it was hurting Ennoshita just as much as it was hurting them. Ever since they'd left school and found themselves at the same university, they'd been dancing around each other, totally in love but too afraid of fate. They'd married other people and pretended to be friends with each other, but every encounter they had was filled with overwhelming longing. They weren't happy but they were living anyway.
One's just barely getting by
Asahi was the only one who stayed exactly where he was after leaving school. His choice had been fairly easy – take over his parents' café for the remainder of his days. They retired once he left school and he spent all his time running the place. It made little money but it made money and that was the point, Asahi figured. Sugawara, who lived around 20 minutes away, spent more time in Asahi's restaurant than he did at his own home. His baby boys knew their uncle better than their other father.
But these people raised me and I can't wait to go home
No matter how one might try, fate entangles one in its cruel red strings and forces them to submit. Ennoshita prayed every night for his friends. They really had raised him into the person he'd become and his heart called for them over the millions of miles that separated them.
And I'm on my way, I still remember
These old country lanes
When we did not know the answers
Ennoshita turned another corner and he heard Kageyama stir. The soft light of an empty restaurant spilled onto Tobio's soft hair and he blinked awake.
"Oh! Chikara-san, we're here."
Asahi looked up, the warm crackle of gravel beneath car wheels alerting him. Sugawara snored softly from where he had his head on the breakfast bar. Suga's eldest son was already asleep upstairs. He hoisted Suga's youngest son, Haruhi, further up his hip and walked to the glass door to peer out of it. Sure enough, a black SUV was pulling up, the happy faces of Kageyama and Ennoshita beaming out at him.
Asahi elbowed Sugawara, who shot up like a rocket. "What? Huh?"
"They're here!" Asahi whispered kindly. Haruhi repeated "They're here!" excitedly down to his dad, without knowing the context. Sugawara couldn't help the grin that lit up his face.
The bell on the door gave a peal of surprise at being rung so late. Ennoshita, Kageyama, and some very sleepy boys and girls tumbled into the inviting room, yawning obnoxiously.
Time suddenly seemed to stand still. Then there came a soft,
"Hey,"
"Hey back,"
Ennoshita didn't know who made the exchange but that was greeting enough for him. He fell into Sugawara's arms and the others followed suit, ensconcing their old friends in cuddles. Haruhi squealed in glee at being shown so much attention (although it wasn't really directed at him) and Yachi took him out of Asahi's arms and into her own.
("Aren't you getting big, my love?"
He nodded enthusiastically.
"I'd sure love a baby…"
Kageyama perked up significantly and Suga noticed and laughed, crushing the other setter in a bear hug.
"Want to help her out with that?"
"S-Suga-san!" )
The affection and exchange of words continued like so, until Haruhi had to smack Yachi awake lest she drop him and Asahi decided it was time they slept. Sugawara took his baby and set off for bed. Asahi led Chikara and company up the stairs.
"I've got futons for everyone in the big room. Make yourselves at home. The rest of the Karasuno gang will be here tomorrow. I'll shut up shop and join you later. Goodnight."
The door clicked shut behind Azumane as he left and Hinata let out an "Uwahhhh" before collapsing on the floor. Tsukishima, in an uncharacteristic display of fondness, settled down right beside him and fell asleep almost instantaneously. The rest of the crew dropped like flies onto their mats until only Yamaguchi and Ennoshita remained.
Yamaguchi flung the window open, letting in the cool breaths of the night. He then turned, leaned himself into Ennoshita (everybody seemed to be affection starved today. Perhaps it was the emotional high) and muttered,
"I'm glad the family's back together."
Ennoshita smiled and held his hundred-kilo, 25 year old baby bird in his arms. He could feel the heartbeats of his friends through the floorboards, and the soothing domestic noises Asahi was making downstairs made him feel right at home. Tomorrow, he'd look into the faces of his brothers and sisters and find home in their smiles and embraces. His lips pulled upwards without his consent.
After all, he repeated to himself, home is where the heart is, and where else would my heart be?
Yamaguchi began to fall asleep and Chikara laid him down on a mat, before settling on the remaining mattress, dead in the middle of his kouhai. His eyes swept over their faces. They were so familiar.
This visit may well be the last time Chikara saw them all together ever again, but as he watched his friends breathe, he thought that that might not be so bad. The mind forgets but the body never does. Their names and faces and the places they had been were permanently engraved on Ennoshita's heart and that was where they would remain forever. Loving them was embedded deep in his bones. He knew their individual smiles and voices and habits and most of all he knew that no matter where they went they would be alright.
He yawned and forced the sad thoughts out of his brain. He was here with them now – why not just enjoy himself and their company without needless melancholy? Let the future walk where it may. Of this he would never let go. Chikara chuckled. He'd become dramatic and sentimental in his old age.
His mouth opened into a cavernous yawn and his vision bled away into black sleep, his heart comfortably stretched and full of love.
And I miss the way you make me feel, it's real
We watched the sunset over the castle on the hill
Over the castle on the hill
Over the castle on the hill
We belong here, in the arms of our beloved.
"Even if we no longer have much in common, we would have always had the past, which, in some ways, is just as important as the present or future. It is where we come from, what makes us who we are."
― Emily Giffin, Where We Belong