7 i know people change but all i want is for the innocence to stay

Tetsurou stared down at his hand, which, at the moment, was balled up in the form of a losing rock. Both Tsubasa and Koutarou gave victorious cheers as they, Kenma included, held up their own victorious paper signs. It was a normal weekend for the grade-schoolers that was beginning to see its end; having finished up their vacation homework and spent the entire day outside playing volleyball, each one of them was sore and tuckered out as usual. Usually, however, they were sleeping over at Kenma's household since it was the quietest out of those four, but this time, they were lazing about in Tetsurou's bedroom. The boy groaned.

"So this… pillow thing works, how?" he grumbled out.

"Like… this!"

It was hardly a proper answer. Tsubasa tackled the boy into the mounds of pillows and blankets they all had messily compiled onto the futons set up on his bedroom floor. While his face proceeded to flush out of the lack of space between them, the girl was laying her head atop his chest while her body laid away from his.

"O-oi!"

"Me next!"

Ah. Koutarou then proceeded to flop onto the fluffy mass and lay his head on the girl's lap so that their bodies formed some sort of U-like shape. He then patted the remaining space with a wide yawn and looked at Kenma expectantly.

"Eh… How am I supposed to fit in there…" the boy murmured.

Nonetheless, he crawled into the space and sat back on his heels so he could survey the situation. Tsubasa was already knocked out and Koutarou's eyelids had just fallen, while Tetsurou was huffing in annoyance. The messy-haired boy then looked to his own childhood friend, and he patted his stomach.

Kenma perked up and laid his head there, before pulling his legs up to drape them over Koutarou's waist. He and Tetsurou then closed their eyes, somehow at peace, and let sleep find them.


The two managers blinked rapidly at the scene before them. Limbs intricately tangled, clothes rustled and skin pressing against each other, and a grip as tight as iron, it was an eyesore for those who didn't understand. Yukie slapped a hand against Kaori's flushed face and shoved her out of the classroom quickly, before cautiously approaching the sleeping pair of teens. Carefully, the third-year knelt at Tsubasa's back and patted her shoulder lightly – which was hard to do since Bokuto's bulky arms caged the girl securely within his entire being.

"Tsu-chan," Yukie whispered, moving her hand to pat the younger girl's cheek instead. "Tsu-chan, up and at 'em. It's seven o' clock. We gotta get breakfast going."

The white-haired girl mumbled in her slumber, but ultimately, her eyelids fluttered open slowly. The classroom was illuminated for the most part by morning sunlight, but thanks to their position right beneath the window, none of it fell on their faces blindingly. Tsubasa shifted slightly and looked to Yukie from the corner of her eyes.

"Ah… senpai," she said in lieu of greeting. "Sorry… I'll be up in a minute."

"Okay. We'll get started so you can take a few minutes."

"Mm. Thank you."

Yukie nodded and trotted out of the classroom, grabbing Kaori by her shirt and forcing the two of them away from the scene. Tsubasa moaned and rubbed at her eyes, before blindly reaching for her glasses. Situating them on her face, she leaned on a surprisingly-sore arm and looked down to the weight holding her. She blinked slowly, endearingly at Bokuto's sleeping face.

What I wouldn't give to stay like this forever.

Carefully, as if her life depended on it, the girl reached behind her and found the large hands locked onto her sweater. She fitted her hands slowly into his and massaged his palms, prompting him to eventually release her clothes. Her smile broadened as she then moved Bokuto's arms to the space between them and held his hands in her lap. His eyelids fluttered.

"Mornin'," Tsubasa greeted, giving his hands a squeeze as his amber irises found her. Just like when we were kids. "Tired?"

Bokuto blinked slowly. Abruptly, his face split with a wide grin and squinting eyes, and he pulled the girl down suddenly into a hug. Tsubasa protested with a groan, but smiled nonetheless.

"You really are back," the male said into her shoulder. Tsubasa blinked, his grip tightening around her waist. "I thought I was dreaming."

Ah. Tsubasa laughed and hugged the male back strongly, nuzzling into his neck. She pressed her damp eyes into the soft fabric of his shirt.

"Yeah. Me too."

The silence was too warm to break. It had to be done however, and so, after a few more minutes of simply embracing each other in what seemed like a moment frozen in time, Tsubasa patted the male's arm and moved to stand. She then kicked him over onto his back and threw the blankets over him, telling him to go back to sleep as she trotted to her bag sitting atop one of the desks and magically maneuvered her bra on beneath her sweater. Bokuto, his amber irises peeking over the edge of the blanket, snickered.

"Tsubaka~ no need to wear a bra if there's nothing there~"

…ah. The girl chucked a thing of deodorant at his face.

"I am a C cup, for your information!"

"Ow!"


Tsubasa pulled at her ponytail and let it swish behind her before she rushed into the kitchen, blindly grabbing one of the aprons hanging off the handle. She smiled apologetically at her fellow managers.

"Sorry about that!" she said with a slight bow aimed towards the third-year while clumsily knotting the apron behind her. "Miso as usual?"

Yukie returned the grin and handed the girl a metal ladle. "Yup. The water's boiling right now and we already got the ingredients laid out for you."

"Okay, thank you. What else is for breakfast?"

"Hm~ Well, our sponsors blessed us with pounds of salmon, so~" Yukie closed the lid of the giant bamboo rice cooker and patted Tsubasa's shoulder. "And then there's some vegetables and fruits, of course. But I'll handle the fish. Kaori, all of the dishes are clean, right?"

The first-year mumbled from her spot by the sink, but nodded anyway. Tsubasa blinked at her lack of proper response, before she trotted to her own position in the kitchen towards the back. Tightening the knot of her apron, Tsubasa reached for a container of dashi granules and poured some into the metal ladle. After adding it to the water, she looked to Kaori worriedly.

"Are you okay, Kaori?" she asked, innocently tilting her head. The first-year flinched slightly, but remained focused in cleaning the plates before her.

"Y-yeah. Just… First time sleeping at the school. Long night, and, yeah…"

"Ah, it's my first time too!" Tsubasa blinked then. She sheepishly turned to the tall pot in front of her. "Though, I guess it's different for me, huh…"

"How long have you known Bokuto, Tsu-chan?" Yukie suddenly asked, also joining Tsubasa in the back. A set of deep fryers sat beside the stoves. "I've kinda known him since junior high, but he's never really mentioned you, you know? Just a bit curious, is all."

Somehow, Tsubasa's heart thudded upon hearing that.

The second-year's arm stilled from stirring the contents of the pot. Slowly, she looked up to her right at her senpai and blinked at the curious maroon irises. A throbbing rooted deep within the hollow chambers of her small heart stole away all the breath the girl had, and very suddenly, it was hard to breathe. Yukie blinked.

"Tsu-chan?"

That's right.

"Are you okay?"

It's been seven years.

Tsubasa's eyelids fluttered rapidly and she nodded just as quickly. She gave some silly smile and knocked her fist against her own head playfully, bowing just a bit toward her senpai.

"Yeah, I'm okay!" There are people aside from me, and Kenma and Tetsurou. "That just took me by surprise. I didn't think you knew him that long." Of course there are people aside from us. From me.

It's not just us two anymore.

Tsubasa, seeing the water coming to a full boil, lowered the heat down to a medium and reached for a package of miso paste. She shoved the depressive feeling down to her gut and ignored it. "Koutarou and I have known each other since infancy. Our fathers were best friends, and since we were just a year apart, we were raised together. Sleeping together and stuff like that is… kind of second nature. S-sorry you had to see it, though."

Yukie gave a genuinely interested hum, all while Kaori switched over to shining some glass. "Heh~ it's okay. But I didn't know that he had someone like you. Did you not go to the same junior high or something?"

"Ah, kinda…" Tsubasa quickly stirred the contents and after making sure the paste was properly dissolved, she put the cover on top and pulled a cutting board out from a drawer. Atop it, she laid out a few packages of tofu and cut it smoothly into small cubes. "My… um… My father died toward the end of our elementary years, and my mother's job was very demanding at the same time. I left on a worldwide trip because of her job for seven years, and um… Well, I'm back now, so…"

Ah. The third-year blinked before she moved to tend to the thawed packages of salmon. She cut them open slowly and slowly dropped them into the expectant oil. "Oh. Sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

"Ah- no, not at all!" Tsubasa chuckled at herself, removing the pot's lid and scooping the chunks of tofu into her hands. She dropped them carefully into the steaming mixture. "It happened a long time ago."

"S-seven years is a long time," Kaori then commented, albeit quietly. She set a clean glass atop a stack off to the side, before focusing once more on the plates. "B-but it's still kinda inappropriate to sleep together here. The teachers would be upset if they found out."

Tsubasa blinked. Maybe it's just me. Slowly, she dropped the rest of the tofu cubes into the soup. "That's true, isn't it?" But it almost feels like… "Sorry. I'll be sure to sleep with you guys tonight." Like she's telling me to back off.

Kaori transported a clean stack of plates to the serving counter without another word. Just as quietly, Yukie fished out the fried fillets of salmon and, after putting in uncooked ones, moved those to the heated serving trays. Quietly, Tsubasa moved to chop the green onions.

Feelings like that are so complicated.

When eight o' clock hit and the volleyball players were drowsily shuffling in, Tsubasa had transported the pot to the beginning of the serving counter and stood at the ready. A familiar face, now one out of many, was the first customer of the day.

"Morning, Tsubasa-chan~" Tendou greeted with a sleepy drawl, with Semi nodding respectfully beside him.

"Morning, Satori-san and Eita-san. You two sleep well?" Tsubasa asked politely as she filled both of their bowls with soup. Tendou shrugged as he set his bowl down on a tray, while Semi skipped ahead to the first serving tray filled with rice.

"It was an alright sleep," the setter said with a shrug.

"Only for you, Eita-kun~ You have the sleeping position of a monster. I can still still feel your foot in my back."

"Oops. Hurry up, you're holding up the line."

"Yes, yes~ Oh, one more thing!" Tendou grinned at Tsubasa, his eyes opening a bit wider as he threw rice into another bowl. "Tsubasa-chan, you should totally spend all day with us swans. We're leaving tomorrow morning, you know~"

Tsubasa's ears perked up at the information, and ultimately, she gave a small frown. "Oh, really? I guess you're going to a different school for the rest of Golden Week?"

"Yup, yup~ Nothing personal, but our aces are kinda personally acquainted, so… Well, I guess that makes it kinda personal."

The girl hummed. "Heh… I'm not sure if I'm allowed to do that, though."

Ah. Tendou immediately slid down the serving counter and stopped in front of Yukie, who begrudgingly set a fried salmon fillet down on his plate. "Say~ swans are gonna borrow Tsubasa-chan for today, alright?"

Yukie's eyes immediately narrowed. "No-"

"Why not?" The three teens looked to Kaori as she spoke up suddenly from her spot beside Yukie, where she was fiddling with her phone nonchalantly. Tsubasa felt her heart ache once more. The first-year looked up. "Always switching between teams is a pain. We're just handing out water bottles and towels, so why not just save the trouble and stick with one team?"

Tsubasa stared silently at the first-year. Her irises were a neutral, slowly darkening shade of grey.

Really.

Yukie huffed and gave the softest glare at her younger friend. "The point of switching around is so that all three of us could see the different types of volleyball players and teams. Being a manager has more to do with just maintenance, Kaori."

The first-year yawned and stretched her arms high above her head. "Well we did that all day yesterday, right? Just let them have this since it's their last day."

Tendou's gaze switched quickly between the two girls, quietly chanting 'cat fight cat fight' beneath his breath. He stopped when Semi nudged his side. Yukie stared at the younger girl with hardened maroon irises, before she rolled her eyes and turning to Tsubasa, who was currently serving the swans' first-year ace in training, Goshiki Tsutomu. "Tsu-chan, you don't mind, do you?"

Tsubasa smiled immediately, shaking her head. "It's fine, it's fine! I don't mind at all."

Tendou immediately gave a cheer before skipping away from the serving counter happily. "Lucky, lucky~ See you in practice then, Tsubasa-chan~"

"Yup!"

Doing things, saying things, all just to please other people.

Yukie glowered at her childhood friend and nudged her harshly. I know I wanted her to do something, but that's a bit mean. "Go ahead and eat if you're just gonna laze around, jerk."

"Yeah, yeah…"

As Kaori went to tie up her yellow apron and leave the kitchen area, Tsubasa smiled at the next volleyball player, who just so happened to be Iwaizumi. Behind him, Oikawa yawned sleepily while Hanamaki hid behind a drowsy Matsukawa.

"Good morning, you four. Sleep well?"

Being nice, being polite, faking it to stay on everyone's good side.

"Yeah, thanks-"

Oikawa stumbled forward and pushed Iwaizumi aside, holding his bowl out impatiently.

"Tsubasa-chan, serve me first~"

"Oi! At least greet her properly, you rude shit!"

Ah. The girl chuckled, grinning crookedly. "Oikawa-san, please don't stir up trouble first thing in the morning." Regardless of her remark, the girl filled the captain's bowl before turning to the other three expectantly. The captain gave a lazy salute before continuing forward.

So that everything else can remain beneath the surface.

To drown.

And never be found.

Tsubasa's smile remained as bright and strong as ever, even as she served Kaori and the volleyball players to come.

Nothing has changed.


Lunchtime was quickly approaching. Akaashi looked away from the scoreboard as he and his team just barely topped Seijoh in the fifth practice match that morning. Owls had just started their first streak of the day, and their goal for the day was to beat Shiratorizawa's streak of five. Or, at the very least, have the swans' last game end in their loss. Regardless, a lack of white beside the owls was much too easy to notice.

"Hey… Tsubaka hasn't helped us at all today," Bokuto suddenly said, sitting on the bench with a huff and cradling his pouting face. Not too far and currently handing out bottles to Komi and Sarukui, Kaori stiffened just a bit.

Akaashi nodded, pulling his towel off his neck to dry his face. "Yes, I've noticed. She's been with Shiratorizawa all morning. But it's not just her. It seems Shirofuku-san has stuck with Seijoh all morning, while her friend has been with us. Perhaps they're doing things differently today."

"Heh?! S-so Tsubasa won't be helping us at all today?!"

"It seems like it. Though, I'm not entirely sure-"

"Oi, Tsubaka!" Ah. Of course. Bokuto stood from the bench and flailed his arms childishly as Shiratorizawa made their way towards Court A, prompting Akaashi to sigh softly. "Stop hanging out with those guys! I don't like it! Help us instead!"

Kaori immediately jerked on the spot, something Komi noticed with a blink. Tsubasa sweat-dropped and shook her head.

"Sorry! We're doing it like this today since it's tiring to switch around so much!"

"Eh?! B-but-"

"Bokuto-san, we're switching sides. Let's go."

"E-eh? Eh?! I-I don't wanna! Tsu- Tsubasa! Tsubasaaaaa!"

…ah. And the captain was crying the girl's name as Akaashi dragged him under the net, allowing Shiratorizawa to take their place. Tsubasa ignored the slight look Kaori shot her before turning to the swans, some of which stared at her questioningly. Tendou smiled as he stretched not too far from the bench.

"Heh~ It's nice seeing him like that."

Tsubasa immediately chucked a ball at him, something he received messily and sent rocketing behind him. The girl gave a smile that was too sweet to be considered genuinely sweet.

"Satori-san~ Don't forget he's my best friend, 'kay?"

"Okay~"

From Court B, Matsukawa hummed thoughtfully.

Would that count as physically abusive?

The practice match kicked off as soon as the swans finished their warm-ups. Tsubasa could only avert her eyes uncomfortably as Bokuto stared after her longingly with large, owlish puppy eyes. He played as he normally did, however, and soon enough, the court was getting loud as the teams racked up their points. While Seijoh was occupied performing their own practices over in Court B, the practice match was beginning to see its end.

"Yosh, two block- oi!" Konoha jerked from is spot in the back of the court, his eyes narrowing at a certain first-year. "Onaga! Right in front of you!"

Ah. The sound of the volleyball making contact with his forearms was somehow awkward. Komi groaned and followed after the ball immediately.

"A-ah- sorry! Cover, please!"

"Again, Onaga?! Sheesh! Oi, Akaashi! Last! Get the game for us!"

"Yes!"

The ball bounced off of Komi's forearms and towards the expectant setter, who jumped in time with the ball's arch and swung his arm forward. On the other side of the net, a second-year by the name of Shirabu Kenjirou quickly elbowed the first-year at his side.

"Ready, and-"

The first-year jumped first, eagerly letting out some battle cry that prompted the second-year to growl. Shirabu leapt upwards as well in a rush to complete the block.

"You-"

From the sidelines, their demon coach stood and practically snapped a clipboard in half.

"Tsutomu, for the love of-"

Smack!

The ref whistled and signaled a point to Fukuroudani as Akaashi's spike bounced off of the unkempt block and onto Shiratorizawa's side. A quick cheer resounded from the owls as the scores updated to 14-16, with the win being in favor of the owls. Shiratorizawa's demon coach immediately went to roasting his first-year, prompting Tsubasa to ignore those two and tend to the other players. She patted Shirabu's shoulder comfortingly and handed him a water bottle.

"You were too early, Tsutomu! Wait for Kenjirou to complete his signal, dumbass! He counts off for a reason, idiot!"

"I-I'm sorry! It's just- their setter doesn't spike often, so I was excited to block it! I'm sorry!"

"Nice one, Akaashi," Komi commented, before turning quickly to glare at the owls' own first-year. "Oi, Onaga! You-"

Akaashi quickly settled a calming hand on the libero's shoulder before taking the lead. He walked up to Onaga and slapped his shoulder. "There's no point in deeming your long limbs an advantage if you don't use them, Onaga. It's okay for you to be clumsy at first. It's not like you'd knock us over if you ran into us, got it?"

"Y-yes! I-I'm sorry… I'll do better in the next match!"

"Oi Tendou!" The volleyball players looked to their captain as he pressed his face against the net and pulled at it, glaring harshly with narrowed amber irises at the red-haired teen. "Since we won, give us Tsubasa."

Ah. Tendou performed some obnoxious twirl on his tiptoes and lurched over, tilting his head sideways at an unnatural angle. "Eh? No way. We didn't agree upon that before the game. Why don't you set it up properly next time, Bokuto-kun?"

"Why you-"

"Bokuto-san." Akaashi quickly settled a calming hand on the captain's shoulder, pulling him away from the net slightly. "Calm down. You know you can hang out with her during the lunch break."

"But I want her to watch me play volleyball!"

"I'm sure Tsubasa-san is watching you even on the other side of the net."

Hearing this, Bokuto stilled. His face became blank and any childlike agitation was swept off of his expression. Abruptly, he beamed, and he bounced over to the girl with some bright, dopey grin.

"Is that right, Tsubasa?! Is it, is it?"

Tsubasa laughed and nodded, easily catching the male in a headlock so she could playfully ruffle his hair. "That's right! You look cool from this angle too, you cheeky bastard!" The girl then straightened the male up, holding his face and gently patting his cheeks. "But you don't look cool when you whine, so keep going strong, captain."

"Got it!"

And Bokuto was running back to his teammates, flailing his arms excitedly as he bragged about how cool he was. Kaori rushed to handing out water bottles and towels, but not before frowning at the close exchange between the two best friends. She sighed to herself then, proceeding to offer a bottle to Konoha. Akaashi, catching Tsubasa's gaze easily, nodded her way gratefully and noted the tactic she used in keeping the captain upbeat. Tsubasa returned the nod with her own smile before she turned to follow the rest of the swans switch to Court B.

The smile, he noticed, was smaller than what he was used to.

Before Akaashi could question it or reach out to her, he was dragged into some circle his captain had formed of him and his teammates. Bokuto, satisfied with the full circle of his teammates, grinned widely and propped his hands up onto his hips.

"Yosh! Take it away, Akaashi!"

Ah. The vice-captain sighed slightly. "Seijoh is a team that's quick to start," he began, his navy irises briefly flicking to their opponents. He forced any thoughts concerned with the white-haired girl down and away for the time being. "Just like with yesterday, don't let your guard down but remain calm. Oikawa-san's serves are intimidating, but it's not like they're impossible to receive. Same as with their spikes. Keep your cool and we'll be able to maintain our streak."

The owls responded with various words of confirmation. Tsubasa hummed with wonder as she watched from the corner of her eye while Tendou, with an arm slung casually around her shoulders, guided her to Court B; she figured Akaashi was an exceptional player if he was vice-captain in only his second year, but somehow seeing it in person was surreal. It was too natural of a sight, and the casualness of his leadership was hard to swallow. Bokuto smirked and lowered his water bottle, his lidded amber irises taking on an extra sheen.

"That's true, but don't forget," the captain said suddenly. He propped a hand on his hip, his expression somehow intensifying. His teammates blinked, shifting their gazes to him. "Shiratorizawa is leaving tomorrow morning to fight with Itachiyama. Both of those guys are mocking us. I don't want us to take Seijoh's matches lightly, but after lunch-" An electrifying chill ran through the air, and the captain's teammates went rigid. "-we're putting our all into breaking the swans' streak of five. We're gonna send them off to Itachiyama beaten, bruised, and defeated. Got that?"

And their eyes went alight with purpose. The lot of them nodded and yelled out a loud cheer of agreement, garnering attention from the entire gym. Tsubasa blinked rapidly and leaned back just a bit, surprised at the sudden changes in attitudes. Her eyes widened slowly as she watched her best friend proceed to push his teammates onto the court, encouraging them to warm up. Her grey irises glittered.

I figured that there was something about Koutarou if he was chosen to be the captain of this powerhouse, she thought to herself, her irises gradually growing lighter in color. But I couldn't really imagine it. To think he really does have this sort of leadership trait… it's amazing. Just where and when did he learn that?

Her eyes suddenly stopped glowing. Something thudded in her heart and she blinked slowly. Beside her, Tendou blinked and tilted his head.

It's not just us two anymore.

"Tsubasa-chan?" he chirped, bending over and leaning down to her face. She simply blinked at him, her vision readjusting to focus on his curious face instead.

And she smiled, laughing at herself and knocking a fist against her forehead.

What else have I missed over the years?


"Yosh, finally!" Bokuto yelled as he spotted Yukie and Kaori wheeling over two carts of onigiri and another for a pot of miso soup.

Lunchtime had finally rolled around and the owls' three managers had prepared loads of onigiri and a steaming pot of miso soup. The volleyball players were all relaxing outside in the trimmed fields by the gym, caught together in casual and friendly chatter as a temporary truce was called between all three teams.

All of them except for one.

Bokuto stilled and blinked, tilting his head in confusion. "Huh? Where's Tsubasa?"

"Tsu-chan stayed back in the kitchen to wash up," Yukie answered while slapping Komi's wrist as he reached for a rice-ball.

Bokuto blinked slowly to himself as Yukie pulled Komi and Konoha over to help her in offering rice-balls to the other volleyball players. "Is that so…" He brightened abruptly. "I'll go help her!"

"S-senpai!"

Ah. Bokuto paused in his tracks as Kaori called out to him suddenly. The young girl, with her freckled face flushed in the sunlight, offered the male a separate paper plate of onigiri and a small bowl of soup with a trembling hand.

"Y-y-you've been working hard s-since this morning, so you… should eat first. An ace can't fight on an empty stomach, after all."

…ah. Bokuto's eyes widened and he gaped at the first-year in amazement. "Whoa! That's right! I can't let my guard down since Ushiwaka and that Iwa guy are here!" Standing and accepting the bowl of soup, Bokuto grinned widely and ruffled Kaori's hair. From afar, Akaashi watched silently as the heat on the girl's face intensified. "Nice catch, Suzumeda! Thanks for looking out for me! When'd you get here anyway?"

"R-rude! I-I've been here since yesterday!"

"Ah seriously? Speak up then!"

"I-I did…"

As Bokuto ran off to socialize with the other athletes, thus leaving Kaori to properly tend to her manager duties, Akaashi approached Yukie. The third-year offered him a plate of six rice-balls and winked.

"These are especially for you," Yukie said, smiling slightly. Akaashi blinked. "Tsu-chan made them. While Kaori made sure to kiss that guy's ass, Tsu-chan figured she'd do something similar."

Akaashi blinked slowly as he accepted the paper plate. His navy irises, just a bit more intense in the sunlight, traced the shape of the rice-balls; they were plump yet small, and it wasn't hard at all to figure they were that way due to the girl's small hands. Yukie grinned cheekily at the light blush upon his pale cheeks, before the male bowed politely to excuse himself. Wordlessly, he made his way to the cafeteria.

She didn't eat much for breakfast; just soup, rice, and an apple, I believe. If she's cleaning right now, then she probably hasn't had lunch.

The vice-captain pushed the cafeteria doors open with his leg, walking inside quickly. He winced just a bit at the sunlight brightly illuminating the cafeteria. He immediately noticed how the kitchen was dark.

"Tsubasa-san?" he called, approaching the serving counter and putting the plate down.

Akaashi squinted and peered into the gloomy kitchen. An island in the middle had some giant rack hanging above it from which hung pots, pans, and giant ladles, thus effectively obscuring his view. He spotted a river of white, however, in between the spaces near the back left corner of the kitchen, right where the sink would be. He perked up, once again calling her name.

"Tsubasa-san."

There was no reply. Both confused and slightly worried, Akaashi entered the kitchen from a door on the side. Stepping inside carefully, he made sure to keep his steps quiet as soon as he noticed how exactly the girl was standing. Her shoulders rose and fell slowly, she swayed just a bit on the spot, and her head was nodding off.

Ah.

She's sleeping.

Akaashi approached the girl with a head tilted curiously. Walking around the kitchen island and making his way slowly to the sink, his eyes took in more detail than necessary.

It's the same blue apron from yesterday and this morning. Navy sweatpants rolled up to her knees. Her hair is tied up in a free ponytail. Each intake of air causes her hair to shift, just a little bit, and it reflects the light from the counter. A grey sweater-

A sweater?

She was wearing a sweater. Long-sleeved. Not rolled up. One bit. Akaashi's eyes narrowed slightly. He spotted her small hands poking out from the sleeves, one hand loosely clutching the rice bowl while the other barely held onto a sponge.

He frowned. She'll get her clothes wet like that.

Finally making it to her side, Akaashi bent forward the slightest bit to cautiously peer at her face. She was indeed asleep. Warmth rose to his cheeks as he took in the details of her snow-like eyelashes brushing against the tanned skin of her cheeks. White bangs that were messy from the day's labor fell over the right of her forehead, tickling her dreaming eyelids. Akaashi averted his gaze while he was still able to.

She's sleeping. Did she not get much sleep last night? Perhaps Bokuto-san's snoring kept her up.

His eyes rested on her sleeves, the ends already somewhat wet. He stretched his hands out to carefully roll them up, first starting with her right arm.

No. That's not right. I'm sure if it's Bokuto-san, then any night she spends with him will always be peaceful for her.

Satisfied with the right sleeve now tucked up to her elbow, he moved to adjust the left sleeve.

Something must have happened.

And he froze.

There were lines on her forearm.

His eyes widened.

Scars.

The details were impossible to ignore even in the darkness. With the sleeve rolled up to her elbow, he could see a collection of smaller, shorter lines marking the inside of said joint. Those lines, those scars were darker and fainter, and they didn't bulge from her skin. They were smooth. Soft. Ironically so. Towards the middle of her forearm, right between her elbow and wrist, was small collection of larger lines. Three at most. These lines were lighter, a milky sort of color, and they had texture. They were rigged. They disrupted the smoothness of her normal skin.

And they were long. Akaashi found the smaller, smooth brown scars beneath those milky ones, and the longer he stared, the more he found covering nearly the entirety of her forearm. With his hands still gripping her sleeve, his mind raced over the information. His thoughts tripped over the questions he had for the girl, the questions he had for himself, and the inner conflict of what to do.

I can't just ask about something personal like this, was the basis of his thoughts. I should roll her sleeves back down. He kept the sleeves rolled back. She obviously had them like that in the first place because of these scars. But then should I just walk away? Pretend I didn't see anything?

That's the same thing as abandonment.

A drop of water fell within his periphery. Akaashi lifted his gaze to the girl's face. His eyes shone brightly.

Ah.

She's crying.

She was still asleep. Even as his hands shifted down to caress the smooth and ridged scars of her arm so that he – a boy she had only met a few weeks ago – could take one of her most precious secrets into his own hands, she was still asleep. Even as he lifted one of those hands to her pretty face to catch another secret falling from her closed eyes, she was still asleep.

Even as she cried silently, without a hiccup or a whine or a whimper, to a boy she was neither aware of or longing for at the moment, she was still asleep.

The blue of his eyes intensified, and he wiped at the quiet tears with his thumb while the digits of his other fingers brushed against the warmth of her cheek.

She must have been abandoned.

Tsubasa's eyelashes, long and beautifully white, fluttered open slowly. She immediately welcomed the cozy, nostalgic warmth all around her, and when her blurry vision found intense blue eyes staring into her through the darkness, she blinked slowly. Akaashi, noticing a tear getting caught in her eyelash, caught it easily on his index finger. Tsubasa blinked once more as he held the tear between them. She felt a thumb gently stroking her scars.

"It's okay," the vice-captain said, holding her gaze purposely. "I know how to treasure a secret."

Tsubasa's eyes widened as she blinked rapidly, finally noticing how her sleeves were rolled up. Akaashi removed his hands from her at that moment and stood up straight, watching as she stuttered on the spot and flickered her gaze everywhere, just to avoid looking at him. His eyes hooded and his cheeks warm, he patted the girl's head.

"Thank you for the onigiri. But I can't eat it all by myself, so please finish washing the rice cooker so that we can have lunch together."

The girl nodded simply. Akaashi, after leaving the kitchen, chose a table right by the windows where sunlight streamed in. He waited patiently with the six onigiri and their odd shapes, and when the girl hesitantly approached the table while pulling at her large sweater, he simply patted the seat next to him. When she sat, he slid the paper plate between them and took one of the rice-balls. She took one as well and consumed it slowly.

"That's a lie," she said suddenly, her voice small and soft. "Six rice-balls would be no problem for you."

"Not when they're made by someone who starves themselves."

…ah. Tsubasa swallowed the remains of the first ball and reached for the plate once more. "Oh."

And that was enough.

With their second onigiri, both of their shoulders were loosening up and relaxing in a way few had seen, and with the third one, they were both seated a bit closer than usual with the sun at their backs.


It was the last match of the day. Owls and swans faced off against one another in a set that was uncannily similar to the very first practice match of the entire training camp; as the matches were supposed to only go up to 16 points, both teams were going well into their twenties and soon they were approaching the thirties. Seijoh, a team that had been beaten numerous times in the past by Shiratorizawa, could only watch from Court B with bitter awe as they witnessed the swans' struggle.

"Three blockers!"

"Bokuto-san!"

"Don't let their ace through, Wakatoshi!"

Oikawa dug his nails into the volleyball between his hands as he listened to the demands and commands sounding from Court A. Night had already fallen and his team was just about finished with their own drills and practices. As such, those of Aoba-Jousai were either standing around hydrating themselves or getting in some last stretches before dinner. Either way, they were all listening and watching from the corner of their eyes. Some thundering slam sent the gym shaking. A whistle sounded and while the swans cursed, the owls cheered.

25-26.

"Nice kill, ace!"

"Let's get the game, Bokuto-san!"

"Osu!"

Iwaizumi, as frustrated as he was himself, kept a watchful eye on his best friend. Seeing the crescent moons the captain carved into the leather of the volleyball. Unable to say anything, the ace slapped his palm against the captain's back, and settled it onto his shoulder in silent comfort. Ever so slightly, Oikawa's vice-like grip relaxed. He tensed once more as the swans served and the orders were once again dished out.

"Komiyan!"

"Got it! Akaashi, Bokuto, do it!"

"Captain!"

"Alright!"

It was beyond excruciating. Iwaizumi slapped the ball out of Oikawa's hands and told the captain to stretch, something Oikawa did silently. The pain only seemed to intensify as they turned their backs to the game.

What are we doing we wrong?

The gym exploded with the final thunderous slam of the night. Multitudes of eyes watched as the volleyball burst through a hole in the swan's defense. When Bokuto landed with the slightest stumble, the volleyball was already distorting its figure against the swans' side of the court and ricocheting towards the back. A whistle sounded and the scores updated.

25-27.

The owls immediately turned to one another, yelling victoriously as they went around slapping each other on the back. Kaori jumped excitedly from her spot and immediately moved to give the captain his water bottle and towel first, before moving to assist everyone else. Coach Yuuto broke his clipboard in half as he too cried out excitedly, before pointing a bragging finger at Shiratorizawa's demon coach and laughing haughtily.

"How's that for a victory count, you demon swan?!"

"Gr! It's just a practice match, you stupid owl!"

"Hoot hoot, bastard!"

Ah. Tsubasa grinned widely from her spot beside Shiratorizawa's assistant coach. Watching her best friend celebrate with beloved teammates, the girl felt her internal despair lessen just a bit. Her eyes, a sorrowfully beautiful neutral gray, softened at the sight and she breathed the smallest sigh.

It's not just us two anymore. But being able to see him smile like this is more than enough.

This is alright.

With that in mind, Tsubasa smiled and nodded herself, before she stood and clapped to catch the swans' attention. Grinning gently, she held out two bottles welcomingly.

"Good work, everyone," she said warmly.

Tendou gave some whine before he sighed in defeat, letting his arms hang as he lurched forward and walked to the girl. The remaining swans gave their own noises of frustration before following the red-haired player's lead, striding towards the girl as she continued to offer water bottles and towels. Amidst their transition to the court's sidelines, the copper irises of Shirabu briefly caught the navy ones of Akaashi through the net. Their gazes hardened at each other for the smallest second before they continued going their separate ways. Shirabu tutted to himself as he slung his towel around his neck.

Coach put me in more games than Semi-san to see how I would do. This was supposed to be my time to show I was qualified to be the main setter.

If Semi-san had been playing, we wouldn't be leaving like this.

"Oi. What stupid thoughts are you thinking, punk?"

…ah. Shirabu looked up in alarm, just as Tsubasa slung a towel around his neck and pushed a bottle into his hand while Semi marched to his side. After the second-year stuttered out a thank you to the girl, who smiled sweetly and went to tend to the others, he looked to his senpai hesitantly.

"I-I don't think stupid thoughts. I'm not a punk either."

"Yeah, sure. It was just a practice match, don't think too much about it."

Shirabu immediately jerked in protest. "But they beat us three times in a row! Why-"

Semi cut him off with a slap to the back of his head. "We tried a lot of new formations with this. Not only that, but we've got that new kid-" Semi pointed to the first-year starter not too far from them, Goshiki, with a deadpan. "-stumblin' all over the place. Owls just had a better setup this time around. Get over yourself."

"B-but…"

A vein of annoyance throbbed along the third-year's neck. He jabbed Shirabu's side. "Shut it, would ya? Learn to accept the wise words of your senpai, you stuck up brat!"

"I'm not- yes…"

"Why?" Everyone looked back to the court as Ushijima spoke up suddenly. He stood right before the net with a hand tightly locked around a water bottle, effectively denting it as he stared intensely at Bokuto and his celebrating teammates. The opposing owl ace jutted a lip out.

"Why what?"

"Before you would struggle keeping up the scores, and every point you missed would drag you into some sort of depression." Ushijima's eyes narrowed. "Why did that not happen this time around?"

Komi growled and stomped forward, tossing aside his towel. "Oi-"

Akaashi held him back. "Calm down, Komi-san."

Bokuto held Ushijima's intense gaze for a silent minute, before his own serious face broke with a smirk and his eyes lit up. "Because she said I looked cool even on that side of the net."

Kaori's eyes widened and she stilled on the spot. Confused, Ushijima could only blink and cock his head to the side, while the remaining volleyball players looked to the girl in question. Tsubasa blinked stupidly and looked to Bokuto as well. When their eyes met, his grin became wide and toothy and he threw her a thumbs-up. The girl, finding too much relief and joy in the gesture, smiled gently and laughed to herself. She returned the thumbs-up with a bright grin.

Yeah. This is alright.


"It was amazing, Tobi-kun! He was like whoosh and bam and guwah! We all had dinner late because that match went on for so long!" Tsubasa gushed excitedly over the phone.

It was ten in the evening and the white-haired girl was by herself catching up with her younger brother. Dinner went by quickly after all the volleyball players had showered. Tsubasa spent it as usual with Bokuto and Akaashi, but the obvious discomfort from a certain kouhai had her hesitating to sit as close to her best friend as she did the first day. With that being said, she made sure to get Bokuto to sleep with his teammates for the night, something she did by saying he needed to properly end the victorious day by resting with them instead.

(Which, the excuse worked, but it worked a little too easily for the girl's taste.)

She sat at the midway point of the staircase from the second-year hall (where the volleyball players were located) to the third-year hall (where the managers slept) with her back to the moonlight. She was watching whatever small bit of the second-year hallway she could see, unconsciously looking out for a specific setter, and just a bit, her scars tingled warmly within her sweater.

He was the first outsider to see them. Even Bokuto and the other two childhood friends had yet to even be aware of her old coping mechanisms, and although it hurt just a bit to hide it from those three, it somehow didn't hurt at all knowing that Akaashi knew. A type of glaze fell away from the girl's irises as her eyes softened, and in that brief second, the pure exhaustion and fatigue from the past few years showed through her light grey irises. Over the phone, her younger brother hummed.

"Really? T-that's amazing. Nee-san, you said he's one of the top five aces in the nation, right?"

"Yup~ I'm so proud~"

"That's a bit expected then. Still, I didn't know your school had something scheduled with Shiratorizawa."

Ah. Tsubasa snickered, leaning her chin into her palm. "I thought you would be upset if I mentioned them since you failed their entrance exam miserably, so I kept quiet about it."

"G-geh! I- I didn't fail miserably!"

"Considering everything I did in order to get you to pass that test, I'd say you failed miserably. Remember how I took the exam myself just to see what you'd be up against?"

"well… T-that's not the point!" Tsubasa laughed happily as she listened to her younger brother grumble, before he continued their conversation. "A-anyway! Y-you said there's another school from Miyagi, right? What is it? I'm curious now."

"Geh." Tsubasa hummed and leaned back onto a single palm at the thought of the other school. "I can never remember their name because they have, like, two friggin' names, and I don't know which one is the nickname. It's super confusing. They're a powerhouse too though, so maybe you know them? Do you know the school that's always been fighting with Shiratorizawa?"

"heh? With Shiratorizawa?"

"Yeah. It's like… Sei… hoe? Seihoe? Sei-"

"How cruel, Tsubasa-chan! How come you don't know our name even though you've been so nice and friendly?"

Tsubasa blinked and looked down the staircase. She smiled slightly at the sight of four familiar volleyball players, one of them grinning up at her casually. By the looks of it, the lot of them were returning from a nighttime walk right before bed.

"What's that supposed to mean, Oikawa-san? Do I need a reason to be nice and friendly?"

"what? Nee-san- did you just-"

Before Oikawa could reply, Iwaizumi slapped the back of his head and pushed him forward. "She's talking to someone, you shitty guy. Quit being so rude to her, dumbass."

"Ow! Stop pushing, Iwa-chan!"

Iwaizumi kicked the frivolous male ahead before he nodded at Tsubasa. "Sorry about that. He's always being some rude jackass to you, so sorry."

The girl waved a hand and smiled. "It's fine. I'm sure you have it worse, Iwaizumi-san. Sleep well, you four. Good work today!"

"I-Iwaizumi-san?!"

"Yeah, thanks, and you too."

Ah. Matsukawa gave a lax wave while Hanamaki simply nodded. "'Night, Tsubasa-san."

"Wait wait wait nee-san did you- did you say Oikawa-san and Iwaizumi-san?!"

Tsubasa blinked as she gave one last and distracted wave to the four Seijoh third-years, who just began to disappear from her sight. "Yeah, why? Captain and vice-captain of… Seijoh! That's it! Ha!"

"S-Seijoh?"

"Yup. That's the other school. Look at me remembering stuff!"

"…"

The girl blinked once more. "Tobi-kun? What's wrong?"

"…n-nothing…"

Tsubasa's eyes narrowed and she propped a hand against her hip as her big sister instincts sounded alarms in her mind. "Kageyama Tobio, what are you hiding from me? You're being weird-"

"Kageyama Tobio?!"

Tsubasa yelped in surprise as both Oikawa and Iwaizumi suddenly came running back to her. They skidded to a rough halt at the foot of the staircase and stared up at her with wide, bulging eyes, while from the side, Matsukawa and Hanamaki quirked their eyebrows at them. Tsubasa blinked slowly.

"Just now-" Oikawa stuttered out, pointing a finger. "Y-you said Kageyama Tobio?!"

"Yeah…" she confirmed hesitantly. "It's my little brother's name."

Ah. Their exclamations echoed down the hallway.

"What?!"

Tsubasa frowned slightly to herself and stroked her chin thoughtfully. Wait. They're from Miyagi. So is Tobi-kun. Maybe they know of him?

"N-nee-san, please put me on speaker!"

"Tsubasa-chan, put your phone on speaker!"

Tsubasa blinked rapidly and stuttered. "U-um- okay?" Doing so without another word, Tsubasa held her phone away from her face and made sure to turn the volume up. Her phone screen, now on display for the Seijoh starters, depicted the picture of some unsuspecting black-haired boy sipping a milk carton.

"O-Oikawa-san?!"

"Tobio-chan!"

…ah. Tsubasa's eyes widened in surprise as her phone slipped form her hand.

Eh?


Komi and his fellow teammates sweat-dropped at the scene before them: while their blonde coach was viciously shaking hands with Shiratorizawa's head and assistant coach, their own captain seemed to be having his own feud. Bokuto's veins popped along his forearm as he gripped Ushijima's hand tightly, giving a firm shake as the two practically glared at each other.

"Tell Itachiyama we said hi," Bokuto said through some savage toothy smirk. "Also tell Sakusa about how you guys lost, alright?"

Ah. Ushijima's grip tightened and his eyes narrowed. "Beating us does not mean you'll beat Itachiyama. In the end, they're still stronger. You'll lose to them in the Interhigh."

"We'll see about that, bastard!"

And their grips released. Akaashi shook hands with the swans' vice-captain, a plain-looking third-year by the name of Soekawa Jin, and nodded simply. When their handshake broke, Akaashi once again caught Shirabu's coppery irises glaring into him while he pursed his lips. Shirabu clenched a hand and turned away.

So what if you're vice-captain in just your second-year? That doesn't make you the better setter!

Oikawa and his team were up as well to see the swans off, and as part of customs, he too shook hands with Ushijima while Iwaizumi followed up similarly. While the rest of Fukuroudani went to shaking hands with the other players in their respective position (almost all of the owls did this with proud and somewhat-haughty smirks), Tendou was trotting up to Tsubasa with his lips pursed as usual. The girl, who was more or less lacking in energy, blinked drowsily as Tendou came into her blurry vision.

"I guess this is goodbye, Tsubasa-chan," he said first. He blinked then, cocking his head at the bags beneath the girl's eyes. "Oya? That looks bad. Rough night?"

Tsubasa stammered uselessly on the spot for a good minute, before she nodded simply and planted her forehead in her palm. From the corner of her eye, her gaze caught that of Oikawa's and the two turned away from each other with a click of their tongues.

"N-never mind that… Um- have fun with the rest of Golden Week!" Tsubasa said, smiling as best as she could despite her fatigue. "We exchanged numbers, right?"

"Of course~ I'll be sure to tell you how Eita-kun and I handle everything~"

"Tch, yeah right." Ah. Semi playfully shoved Tendou aside before pulling his phone out coolly. "That guy isn't reliable for anything. You don't mind, do you?"

Tsubasa laughed and rubbed at the sleepy tears in her eyes. She pulled her phone out of her pocket with her other hand, and in the process, her glasses cloth fell out and onto the ground. Curiously, Tendou picked up the dainty white cloth and held it in his hands as if it were some small animal. "Not at all! You guys are cool; I wanna keep in touch."

"We came all this way to Tokyo and we didn't get much screen time," Tendou murmured while staring down at the glasses cloth.

"We're cool, huh? Appreciated. Let's see if you can hold onto that after we spam you with memes."

Ah. Tsubasa smirked. "Memes, huh? That's still cool. Only send the ones you'd rank a four out of twenty."

"Ha! Of course, of course."

Tendou held the glasses cloth by a flimsy corner and let it flutter in the breeze. "I hope our screen time is made up for in omake chapters. There was so much attention on those Seijoh hoes. Why include us beautiful swans at all?"

Tsubasa smiled as Ushijima soon approached their small group. "Wakatoshi-san~ have fun with the rest of your training camp."

Ushijima nodded simply as he stared down at the small girl. "Next time, we won't leave in a loss like this," he said, his deep voice making his words seem much more threatening than intended (which was troubling since he wasn't actually threatening her in the first place). He then blinked blankly. "Also, next time, I would like for you to explain what exactly Bokuto meant."

"Ah. Of course. I'm sure I'll have an answer whenever you guys return, so look forward to it!"

"Yes. Thank you."

A sudden gust of wind blew through the area. Tendou yipped as the girl's glasses cloth went flying to the other side of Tokyo. He turned to Tsubasa and bowed his head apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Tsubasa-chan. Your glasses cloth is now on the other side of the rainbow."

The girl blinked. "E-eh? Ah- it's fine, I guess…"

At that moment, Shiratorizawa's demon coach called for his swans to get their asses onto the bus. Tsubasa sent the three volleyball swans off with a hug, before she joined Fukuroudani and Seijoh in waving after the bus as it made it departure. She stood between Bokuto and Akaashi, the former who was more or less annoyed at the hugs she'd given out, while the latter was wondering if hugs were supposed to be so easy to give out (and if first-name basis was also something easily achieved). As the bus finally faded from their sights and the volleyball players were heading inside for breakfast, Tsubasa sighed slightly and lagged behind the owl group.

The group that walked beside them, being Seijoh and their coaches, had their captain lagging behind as well. Their gazes tangled with each other's once more, and simultaneously, they looked away with the smallest tut and thought to themselves:

I thought the problems would end once the swans left.

…ah. Tsubasa sighed once more to herself, tiredly, and pinched the bridge of her nose.

This… This is alright. It's not a big deal.

With a determined huff, Tsubasa trotted up to the front of the group and after the smallest moment of contemplation, she joined Akaashi's side rather than Bokuto's, who was still boasting about last night's victory. Akaashi looked to her briefly before gazing ahead once more. His thumb, the one he'd used to caress her scars, tingled slightly.

This is alright.


word count: 9,438

ha it is 3:17 AM author's note:

alright, so let's be serious first.

I am in the path of Hurricane Irma. As a poor college student who has to get around by bike, I didn't exactly have the choice to leave town (which is how this chapter got done; I had to finish all my work early since my teachers are assholes and didn't extend the deadlines so I actually had some free time lol). FLORIDA SUCKS GUYS NEVER EVER COME HERE EVER. But anyway, the hurricane should *only* be a Cat 3 by the time it gets to my city, so I'm sure I'll be fine. For whoever is also stuck in Florida or is living anywhere that is susceptible to the threat of a severe hurricane, please be careful and please be safe and leave if you can. And if you can't leave, then at least get together with your friends or your family. I've only got my dog and all these alerts are horrifying.

But anyway that's that. I'm really shook to see people actually following this and getting an alert for a new follower has literally been the highlight of my days! It's so... I-it's so nice *cries*. But I have to apologize. It's almost 3:30 in the morning and I'm really tired, so there's probably lots of typos in this. Sorry 'bout that. I really really really wanted to post something before the hurricane hit my city so I got this puppy done. There are some parts I definitely wanna revise so if next week you reread this chapter and see that some things are different, just know that's me trying to be a good writer lol.

BUT FOR REAL. THANK YOU. Thank you. Seriously, you really don't know what it means to me to have followers on this. Whether it's a follow or a favorite or a review, each and every single one is more impactful than you will ever know.

Anyway, I'm probably gonna be up all night because I'm... terrified, but once again, everyone please be safe and careful. Take care of yourselves, don't pull all-nighters like me, and once again and forevermore, thank you for reading :)

-glasses cloth (9/10/17, 3:37 AM)