Update 4/26/15:

Fixed bad grammar and word choices. Enjoy!

My family crowds around to hear my epic tale of our game. I describe the pride of my senpais and the joy that had radiated from the team. My mom smiles as she listens to me blabber on, nodding and laughing when I pause.

"I'm so happy that you're finally able to enjoy volleyball. Middle school must have been tough, having no one to play with." She is genuinely happy that I am happy, and it makes my chest seize up with gratitude.

"I'm gonna grow up to play volleyball too!" Natsu scratches her chopsticks across her plate, begging for attention.

I laugh at her childishness, and mom scolds her for playing with her chopsticks. After a brief silence, we begin to talk again and the usual ruckus fills the house. I love the how warm and loud the house is. I always know I can fall back onto my family if things go awry.

I am squinting at my school notes later that evening when the headache arrives. It starts off weak, but it gets gradually stronger as the night wears on. Soon I have to put away my homework and lay in bed in the dark, covering my ears to block out Natsu's squeals and shouts. The pain is dull and throbbing and I can't seem to block it out. Listening to music only aggravates it, but silence gives me nothing to focus on but the ache.

I look at the room with heavy eyes, watching with slight concern as it dips and sways around me. My hand finds its way to my mouth in a flash as nausea pulls at my stomach once again. I need water. That's what helped me recover earlier, but gravity weighs me down and I can't seem to pull myself up and out of bed. I feel so weak.

I reluctantly shout to my mother, wincing as the noise grates in my throat and causes a strong throb in my head. Tears sprout in my eyes but I blink them away, ignoring the stinging sensation in my nose I know too well. The shades over my windows let dim lines of light into the room which are currently swaying. My door creaks open, and light from the hallway slowly expands on my floor. The noise aggravates my head further and I pull my blanket over my head as tears leak out of my eyes against my will.

"Honey, are you okay?" My mother's voice pulls me out of my misery.

"I just have a little headache," I force out, "Do you think you can bring me some water?" My voice cracks at the end and I wince. I don't want her to know how much pain I am in; she doesn't need more to worry about. She has the divorce to worry about.

"Of course, I'll be right back," I can hear the worry in her voice and the guilt that I had suppressed at the game earlier comes crashing in. I hate depending on others; I hate making others worry needlessly.

The door shuts with another loud squeak that sends a sharp pain to my head and I hear her footsteps fade away. Smaller knocks patter down the hallway as Natsu runs towards my room. I hear her stop outside my door and pray she doesn't open it again. The sound is almost unbearable. Soon I hear my mom return. After the squeak of the door, the covers are pulled off of my head and I quickly wipe the tears off my face and squint up at her, the bright light from the hallway burning my eyes. My mom smiles down at me, a glass of water in hand and Natsu is peeking at me from behind mom's pant leg. I force myself to smile at her and she relaxes.

"Are you okay, Shouyou?" The little girl plays with her fingers, not looking me in the eye.

"Of course I am. I just need to do my homework where it's brighter, next time!" I give her a big thumbs up and will my smile to widen despite another throb in my head.

"Honey, here's some Advil." A line appears between my mother's brows and my hands clench.

"Thanks." I am looking at her feet.

Sensing that I want to be alone, she hesitantly places the cup and pills on my nightstand and steps away from me, pulling Natsu along with her. I thank her internally and grab for the cup, almost missing as the world dips and sways in front of me again. Tears well up in my eyes again and I gulp down the water. The swaying subsides within minutes but the pain in my head does not, so I swallow the pill and pull the covers over my head again. It seems to take hours for me to fall asleep but I eventually do, with no dreams to keep me company.

I wake up with a dull ache behind my eyes, but it's nowhere near the severity of last night. Relief washes over me, and I slowly get out of bed, rubbing my bleary eyes. I look in the mirror and sigh. Dark circles marr my unusually pale face. I shake my head, change mechanically and slowly walk towards the kitchen, yawning.

My mother is sitting at the table reading the newspaper as tea boils on the stove.

"Mornin'" I croak. I am always thirsty in the morning, and with the development of my new dizzy spells and headaches I know that I need as much water as I can get. I gulp down two glasses and sit down next to her.

"Good morning, Shouyou. Are you feeling better?" Her eyes are full of care and worry, making my stomach plummet with guilt.

"Of course!" I grin at her, "With your hospitality I was better in no time!"

"Don't push yourself too hard, okay? I know that you love volleyball, but you must know your limits." A weary smile pushes onto her lips and I pout.

"I know, I know. I'm serious, it was from studying. I'm fine!" I slump onto the counter, still pouting. I hear her laugh and I relax.

"What are you going to have for breakfast?"

I look at the cereal boxes on the table and ponder the options in my head, but I slump further on the counter. "I'm fine, I'm not hungry today." It is the truth. Maybe I drank too much water because my stomach feels full and food does not seem appetizing to me.

"Okay, but pack a granola bar in case you get hungry before lunch time." She sighs and pushes herself off the table, "I'm going to get Natsu up."

I nod as she leaves, and I rustle through my backpack, making sure everything is inside. I chuckle when I hear Natsu whining in the other room, before I slump back onto the table, unsure of what to do. I woke up uncharacteristically early today, perhaps from the dull aching in my head. I am usually rushing to get out the door, so today I appreciate the extra time I have to relax. I think back to the game yesterday; how the crowd cheered when I hit the ball, the stinging in my hand and smack it made when it hit the ground. I remember the sincere pride my teammates had for me and a smile pulls at my lips until I'm full out grinning. There we go. Now I'm feeling better.