Author's Note: Thank you all for the wonderful reviews and for sticking around this long! With this last chapter, the story is concluded. I really enjoyed writing this story a lot, so I hope you enjoyed reading. I won't rule out the possibility of a sequel in the future but at this point it's improbable since I have other projects on my plate. I will be posting more Haikyuu fics in the next couple of weeks for anyone interested though!
your skin like gravity
is pulling every part of me,
i fall, you and i collide
夏: moving ahead together
"You're dating Yuzu-chan."
His whole body freezes up. They are in the middle of practice, and although the upperclassmen are standing a few feet away, Kageyama feels chagrined at the thought that they might overhear. He tightens his grip on the volleyball in his hand as he approaches the red-head who pales considerably as he recognizes that menacing look the setter is giving him. "How did you hear about that?"
Realizing that he may have opened pandora's box with his remark, Hinata shrinks back. "Y-Yuzu-chan told me," he squeaks out.
There is something mildly infuriating about the thought that she actually confided that tidbit in Hinata, but he supposes that it won't remain a secret for long anyways. Now that school has resumed again, if they end up meeting after school, people are bound to notice one way or another. Besides the fact that they have been eating lunch together for some time. That should be enough to rouse rumors—not that Kageyama is particularly fussed about that.
It's the upperclassmen finding out, he thinks grimly as he peers over at Nishinoya and Tanaka who seem to be ogling Shimizu again. If the two of them discovered, they would probably tease him the most.
"Don't tell anyone," Kageyama says, a flash of murderous intent in his eyes as he lifts the volleyball in his hand—as though to say he won't be giving Hinata any balls in practice if he doesn't comply.
Yet while he expects the red-head to silently acquiesce, instead Hinata is averting his eyes with a guilty look on his face.
"You... you didn't..." His grip tightens considerably on the volleyball as he imagines it to be Hinata's head, and how much he would like to crush it right now.
"W-wait!" Hinata exclaims, holding out a hand. His loud voice gains the attention of the upperclassmen, who peer over curiously to see what their latest squabble is about this time.
Kageyama drops the volleyball and slaps his hand over Hinata's mouth. "Come with me," he growls out as he drags his helpless companion out of the gym and toward the club room. The shorter boy has no choice but to allow it. Once he has him cornered in the club room, Kageyama debates between pressing him for details or beating him to a bloody pulp.
"I didn't tell everyone!" Hinata quickly says once he's managed to peel the setter's hand away from his lips. He backs away with his hands raised defensively. "I only told a few people! People who already knew!"
"Already knew?" The anger gradually drains away from his face, and instead he turns pensive. Who could possibly already know? And then he realizes that he has asked a few other people for advice in the past. Perhaps they had naturally concluded that something would result. "Sugawara-senpai and Azumane-senpai?"
Relief fills the shorter boy's face as he gives a jerky nod. "Un! I just told them."
Those two knowing doesn't pose a problem. They probably realize that telling Tanaka or Nishinoya would be a terrible idea, so they'll keep their mouths shut. "You should have said so to begin with."
A vein pops on Hinata's head in annoyance as he thinks to himself, you didn't even give me the chance to say a word...
"But why are you bringing it up in the middle of practice?"
"I heard you have a date this weekend!"
Kageyama's eye twitches. "Did she tell you that too?"
"Yep!" he answers in a high-pitched voice.
The taller boy slaps his hand over his face in exasperation. He curses the fact that Hinata has become Yuzuha's best friend, and as a result, she seems to want to confide everything in him. This, he suspects, will become even more troublesome in the future.
"You've never been on a real date before, right?"
"W-who said I haven't?" Kageyama responds defensively, his arms crossing over his chest. He has been on one—as far as he is concerned. Going to the aquarium was kind of like a date, right? That should count as experience enough.
"I asked the upperclassmen for some tips and compiled this for you!" Hinata declares proudly as he holds out a folded sheet of paper.
That goofy grin that the redhead is giving him puts Kageyama ill at ease as he accepts the proffered item, cautiously unfolding it. His eyes flit across the vague title line 'Tips and Tricks for a First Date.' Part of him feels a little apprehensive about taking their advice, but at the same time, he wonders if it might actual help him avoid making her cry again.
—
"Sakurai-san, would you mind taking Akiyama-san to the infirmary?"
They are in the middle of home economics when the teacher approaches her, guiding another female student to her. Since Yuzuha has already finished early, the professor seems to think she is the best candidate.
The other girl, whose chestnut brown hair is drawn back in a high pony-tail, smiles brightly at Yuzuha despite the large cut she is sporting on her finger. A paper towel has been temporarily wrapped around it to stanch the blood flow.
"U-um, okay..." Although she feels a little hesitant, she motions for the other girl to follow her, and the two make their way down the hall toward the nurse's office. Yuzuha can't help but occasionally glance back with a nervous expression on her face. "A-are you... o-okay?"
"Yeah! I'm just really clumsy with knives," the girl confesses in a surprisingly loud voice.
The exuberant tone catches Yuzuha by surprise, and she can't help compare this girl to Hinata. Their heights are even comparable—considering that both of them only come up a little past Yuzuha's chin. Thinking of them as being similar makes her feel a little more comfortable being near this girl—Akiyama, the teacher called her?
"Is it okay if I call you Yuzuha-chan?" the girl asks excitedly while Yuzuha is preoccupied with her thoughts.
"O-oh, um... sure...?"
That prompts a satisfied grin from the other girl. "You seem really nice!"
This is the first time anyone from her class has ever really talked to her, let alone given her a compliment. "Um... thank you..." Her cheeks grow warm and she turns her gaze away as they keep walking together down the hallway.
"My name is Akiyama Hikari!"
"S-Sakurai Yuzuha... b-but you already know my name..."
"Did you already know mine, too?" Hikari asks excitedly, pointing a finger toward her face—the same one that still seems to be gushing blood. The white paper towel has been colored a dark red, as though illustrating their need to hurry. Even though Hikari hasn't voiced a single complaint yet, but they have been walking a bit slow.
"W-we should hurry..." Yuzuha mumbles, changing the subject. She picks up the pace, ushering Hikari to hurry the rest of the way to the infirmary.
When they finally get there, the nurse treats the wound quickly while Yuzuha fidgets at the corner of the room, a bit anxious. "Akiyama, school barely started again. How many times has the teacher told you to be careful? Why are you even allowed to handle a knife?" The woman frowns as she finishes taping the gauze around the younger girl's finger. "There you go."
Hikari just smiles sheepishly in response. "Sorry for my carelessness, and thank you for treating my wounds today, Sensei," she says, like it's a practiced line she has had to recite many times in the past.
"Well, you're free to go back to class now."
Relieved from hanging around in there any longer, both Yuzuha and Hikari duck out the door and start down the hallway back toward the classroom. "Thanks for waiting for me," the brunette says as they walk together.
"H-huh? Oh... i-it was no problem," Yuzuha responds haltingly. She isn't even entirely sure that she deserves such words of gratitude. The teacher is the one who instructed her to go with Hikari. So it's natural that they would go there and return together.
For some reason, those bright brown eyes seem to be watching Yuzuha closely. And within a few short moments, Hikari breaks out into an appreciative grin. "I really like you, Yuzuha-chan! I kind of always wanted to talk to you before, but it was kind of intimidating. I got the feeling you didn't want to talk to anybody... but now I think I totally misunderstood you."
Those words really catch her by surprise. Both because she has never really thought of herself as intimidating, and because she can't even begin to fathom someone wanting to talk to her. Yuzuha's eyes go wide as she gradually slows her pace to a stop. She wrings her hands nervously as she tries to piece together the words she wants to say. "U-um..."
"Oh!" Hikari's face blanches with a realization. "Did that hurt your feelings? I'm sorry!"
"N-no... I just... it made me happy, Akiyama-san."
There is a short pause, and then Hikari's expression turns sour. "Can you call me more familiarly than that? Hikari is fine. I want to be friends with you, Yuzuha-chan. Is that okay? Can we be friends?" Her excitement is clearly building, because she leans close toward Yuzuha with every word, earnestly imploring the other girl to respond favorably.
Feeling at a bit of a disadvantage, Yuzuha nevertheless gives a short, jerky nod. "Th-then, Hikari-san... um... w-we can be friends."
"Really?!"
"Y-yeah..."
—
"S-so, th-that's why... if it's okay with you... s-she wants to..."
"You don't mind do you?" Hikari cuts straight through Yuzuha's stuttering to voice the basic question that her new friend is trying to get at.
There is instantly something amiss here, although Kageyama cannot quite place his finger on it. Maybe it is that stupidly happy expression the short girl is wearing that seems reminiscent of someone else he knows. Just looking at it starts to annoy him for some reason, and yet he is not entirely sure why.
"Kageyama!" He hears someone shout his name through the crowd of people moving through the hallway. It is hard to spot the source at first, until he sees a leaping head of red hair that manages to break away and head in his direction.
Then suddenly the realization hits him. The reason he is not particularly fond of this new friend that Yuzuha has presented is because they already have one annoyingly loud chibi, he can scarcely afford his patience to deal with two of them. But the hopeful look on her face hardly gives him room for any argument.
"Oh!" Hinata exclaims with a gasp of realization, throwing his finger toward Yuzuha and her new friend. "Yuzu-chan, you have a friend?!"
Hikari tilts her head at this new arrival. "Who is he?" she asks quietly, the question directed to the taller girl beside her.
"O-oh, um... this is Hinata."
"So the tall one is your boyfriend? Not the short one?"
"You're short, too!" Hinata complains indignantly.
The setter groans inwardly as he can already tell that this is going to be a noisy lunch period for them. If this starts happening every lunch period, he can expect that the word "peace" will fly out of their daily dictionary.
"B-boyfriend..." The silver-haired girl repeats the word shyly, her cheeks heating up. She glances momentarily at Kageyama before looking down at her shoes, fiddling with the hem of her shirt as though to distract herself. "Y-yeah..."
Eventually Kageyama manages to convince their group to start migrating up to the rooftop so they can eat lunch. Hikari and Hinata don't voice any complaints—and soon enough the two of them are exchanging animated conversation while entirely forgetting the two respective friends behind them. Yuzuha just trails after them, a slight distance between herself and Kageyama. She peers over at him occasionally, her face flushing the moment he returns her gaze.
"You seem to be getting along," he comments. It's idle banter, not something he is terribly skilled at, but he realizes the importance of her being able to make friends from her own class.
Her finger soon finds a strand of hair that she proceeds to twirl as they walk, as though to distract herself from her own nervousness. "Um... y-yeah... it's kind of nice. She's a lot like Hinata-kun, so it makes her... easy to talk to."
Certainly not phrasing Kageyama would be keen on using himself, but he can see her point. She seems to have the easiest time with people who are unnecessarily loud. Perhaps because she prefers to be the quiet one that sits back and listens. It rather makes them an odd pairing when he thinks about it. Yet when he's with her, he somehow feels like he wants to talk.
On the way to the rooftop, Yuzuha offers to be the one making the detour to get the drinks for everyone. Neither Hinata nor Hikari seem particularly fussed with letting her take on the job herself—they instead scurry off to the cafeteria, claiming that they'll get sandwiches first before meeting Kageyama and Yuzuha up there.
It occurs to Kageyama at this point that he's had this odd nagging sensation in the back of his head for a while now. It's as though every time he might part with Yuzuha, he feels this horrible worrying sensation. He almost feels like a mother hen—because he's too anxious to just leave her alone. Possibilities keep popping up into his mind, all of her getting into trouble. It sounds ridiculous to him to think about it, but that doesn't change his anxiety.
"U-um... you could have gone ahead without me..."
Apparently she seems to have caught on to his doting as well. "It wasn't out of the way," he says quickly. If the way he averts his eyes isn't utterly suspicious then perhaps Yuzuha is completely clueless—and if so, he can count himself lucky.
"Are... you worried about me?"
Nope, she's not clueless and he's not lucky. "Who said I was worried?" He snaps back, incredulous. Almost immediately he regrets it, realizing that he raised his voice at her.
Yet despite his fear that she might shrink away or retreat in fear, she just looks back at him with surprise. And then her expression gradually changes to reveal her disappointment. "O-oh...? Sorry... that was presumptuous of me."
That has the effect of making him feel even worse, and he groans inwardly as he watches her punch in the buttons on the vending machine. How is he supposed to fix this situation? Now she's misunderstood. "I'm not not worried about you."
"Not... not worried?" She seems flabbergasted by his wording.
"Yeah. That's right." Kageyama tries to play it off, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away. But he realizes just how ridiculous he sounds and his cheeks start to heat up in embarrassment.
There is a short pause and then Yuzuha erupts into a fit of giggles as she tries to juggle all of the drinks in her arms. She almost stumbles as she starts toward the stairs, and he reaches out a hand to help steady her. "S-sorry," she says, struggling to wipe away the tears in her eyes. "If... you are worried about me, I'm really happy."
Although he feels a little defeated given that she saw through him completely, for some reason he doesn't mind being laughed at. Hearing her laugh actually makes him happy somehow. Especially since Yuzuha is the kind of person that rarely lets her guard down long enough to show any genuine emotions like that. She's usually a nervous stuttering mess, although he has to admit she has improved in that department.
Eventually the four of them rendezvous up on the rooftop together. They all sprawl out lazily beneath the summer heat that is only just beginning to abate as the season transitions gradually to autumn. The shade barely affords them enough protection, and Kageyama still notices beads of sweat on Yuzuha's forehead as she presents the lunch box she made.
"I... r-remembered this t-time..."
"No fair!" Hinata pipes in, peeking over Kageyama's shoulder while chewing noisily on a bite of his sandwich. "I want some!"
Kageyama slaps his hand over his companion's face, shoving him back. "This one is mine," he says with a threatening gleam to his eyes as he snatches it up. Although typically he is not quite this excited about lunch, it does feel nice to have someone make him something. And the first bite turns out to be incredibly satisfying. Much more this time than the last time she brought him lunch—which was really her own, since she had forgotten to bring his.
"I want a bite, Yuzuha-chan!"
"S-sure..."
Despite her boyfriend's insistence on being the only one to sample her food, Yuzuha seems quite lenient about sharing some of the food from her own bento box. In fact, he can see out of the side of his eye just how big of a smile she's wearing as she allows Hikari a bite.
The lunch hour turns out to be more lively than the prior ones, but maybe that isn't such a bad thing after all. Kageyama is starting to notice the subtle changes in Yuzuha—the fact that she seems to be gaining confidence and opening up more to the people around her. So maybe this new friend of hers, despite being as loud and obnoxious as Hinata, isn't all bad.
—
Rule number one: Don't be late! Make sure you arrive at least five minutes early!
At least that is what the 'Tips and Tricks for a First Date' guide tells him. He folds the paper up hastily and stuffs it into his pocket as he climbs the top of the stairs and starts out of the station. They agreed to meet in front of it to go to their destination—which, according to the guide—should be the movie theater.
Rule number two: Take her to the movies. Every first date is the movies.
He is pretty sure that is inaccurate. Why would everyone want to do the same thing? But if this dating ritual is mired in tradition, far be it from Kageyama to break it. Although he's not even well enough versed in cinema to have any clue what a girl would like in a movie.
Rule number three: Watch something that she is going to like. Make sure to let her pick it out. Making her happy is paramount!
This, according to Hinata, means that he should not request an action or horror film. It should be something more romantic. That all seems really irrelevant to Kageyama. The only video he is interested in seeing is a review of a previous game of theirs or a one against an opponent so he can study it. That seems far more productive than watching some happy-go-lucky love tale.
Honestly, none of these rules really seem applicable in the least and he's beginning to become skeptical of the worth of this folded sheet of paper he has stowed away in his pocket. Yet he's too reliant on it to dare giving it the toss, not when a situation may come up where he doesn't have any answers and he needs some kind of reference. So he decides that there is some merit in keeping it around. For now.
That is at least until he arrives at their meeting spot, five minutes early, only to discover that Yuzuha is already waiting there. He freezes when he sees her, if only because that summer dress and purple cardigan are so appropriately flattering to her figure that he feels his cheeks heating up. Her hair has been set in curly waves around her shoulders, and when she looks over at him, she smiles shyly.
"You... got here early," she comments, her gaze focused on the ground as he approaches.
"How long have you been here?" He asks, curious.
Those cheeks turn a brighter shade of red. "Oh, um... not long." The way she answers seems to indicate that she has been waiting here a while. But why has she gone out of her way to be here so early? His note said five minutes early was plenty of time! What is the point of agreeing on a meeting time if they're trying to out-do each other in who gets here first?
Kageyama sighs as he smooths out his bangs. "We should get going then." Every word, every movement—everything feels so stiff and stilted. Why is it so difficult to relax? This should be no different than the time they visited the aquarium together, yet he feels like it's completely different.
"O-okay..." she squeaks back, her response like a mouse as she follows behind him, wringing her hands nervously.
The way they are walking together is no different than classmates though, and Kageyama recalls the next rule that was written in his "guide."
Rule number four: When you're walking to the movie theater, don't forget to hold her hand!
Even though he isn't quite sure about some of the details in the guide, this is one that he suspects is accurate. He shifts his gaze back, looking at her side-long. She hasn't even been watching where she's going this whole time, and he can feel his anger flare when some ignorant passer-by happens to bump into her and send her stumbling. Kageyama has half a mind to chase the man down and grab him by the shoulder. It pisses him off.
Yet just as he can feel his anger mounting, something tickles against the palm of his hand. He jerks his head back around and realizes she has come around to his other side and has shyly slipped her own hand into his. Her fingers actually feel a bit cold and clammy—a sign of just how nervous she is. And when he peers down at her, she immediately turns her gaze away.
"I-is this... o-okay?"
He gives her hand a tight squeeze. "I was planning to do it anyways," he says defensively, sulking because she managed to beat him to the punch.
The two of them enter the cinema together, and despite the rules stating explicitly that he was to avoid action and horror, Yuzuha seems quite enthused about viewing the newest blood and gore flick. Even Kageyama feels some hint of reluctance, but she seems quite excited about it—to his surprise. It makes it difficult to say no.
They purchase drinks and popcorn before heading inside, and although he might have expected her to be squeamish given the content of the film, she watches with earnest through the whole thing. It's a curious choice that he feels particular need to comment on once they have finish viewing it.
"Most girls wouldn't like that."
He realizes after that he could have worded it better, but as usual, his word vomit comes out before he can even give it a second thought. Yuzuha hardly seems bothered by this, and instead cracks a small smile. "Th... there was a doctor in it."
"A doctor?"
"I, um... I've always wanted to be a doctor." As though she doesn't have confidence in this dream of hers, she quickly looks away. "Um, so w-where should we go next...?"
This actually occurs as quite the shock to him, because he never had her pegged for a person that was interested in that kind of career. He supposes it was the classical answer for kids in elementary school, but people rarely hold onto such dreams as they get older. Maybe that explains why she's not particularly bothered by gore.
"Place we should go next..."
"W-we're not stopping here for the day... are we?"
The alarmed look on her face coaxes him to blurt out, "No, of course not." But even though he says that, he hasn't thought much beyond taking her to the movies. In fact, he doesn't have even the faintest clue about where he should be taking her next. It should be in the guide, but he can't just pull that out right in front of her, can he?
"I-I have to go to the.. b-bathroom real quick." She stutters that out so quickly he can hardly register what is going on until she has already slipped her hand out of his and started toward a cafe just down the street.
Just as she is leaving, he spots something drop out of her pocket. "Wait!" he calls after her, prompting her to turn around. "You dropped—"
"D-don't look at it!"
It is too late by the time she says that, because he's already picked it up, and the letters on the front are plain as day. 'Tips and Tricks for a Girl's First Date 3' it reads. He stares dumbfoundedly at it as she scurries back over toward him, snatching it out of his hands.
Clearly mortified, Yuzuha crumples the paper in between her hands. "I-I said n-not to look..."
"Did you get that from Hinata?" he asks, suspicious.
"N-no... it's from... Hikari..."
Although he realizes it will be equally embarrassing for him, he tucks his fingers into his pocket and produces the "guide" that Hinata gave to him. "I have something like that too," he confesses in a monotone voice.
A sudden wave of relief seems to sweep over Yuzuha as she nervously outstretches her hand to take the folded up paper from him. She smooths it out, eyes scanning over each rule with great interest until finally he overhears her erupting into laughter. "Th-these are the same!"
"We didn't need anything like this when we went out together last time," Kageyama recalls.
"That's right..."
His cheeks gradually color as he holds out his hand to her again. "Let's... go at our own pace then... Yuzuha." It feels a little embarrassing to call her name like that when he's so used to using 'Sakurai,' but it's like he's finally admitting that she really is his girlfriend.
There is a look of unadulterated amazement on Yuzuha's face and he can already see her eyes misting over. She quickly wipes away the tears before they can even form, and quickly tucks away these unneeded "guides" into her pocket. Flashing a small smile in his direction, she happily takes his hand. "T-Tobio-kun," she stutters out with great difficulty. "P-please continue to take care of me!"
Kageyama feels even more embarrassed because of her reaction, and he quickly tugs her along toward the cafe. It seems a good place for them to sit down and talk face-to-face—something that he's gradually finding enjoyment in. "Of course... take care of me too," he mumbles.
He even notices that she is walking closer to him now than before, and her skin isn't quite so clammy. The two of them are making progress together—as a couple and as individuals. One step forward at a time.