10 you make me want to fall because i want you to catch me

The wake and the funeral went by in a blur. The young boy stood like some statue as he watched the coffin being consumed by the crematorium, and with his eyes wide and his irises all too watchful, the close and intense heat had his face feeling stiff. His tears were nowhere to be seen. Akaashi Keiji, who was only nine at the time, watched with dried, black eyes as he held his younger brother against his chest, who was sobbing beyond control into his neck. Beside him, his father embraced a month-old infant carefully but tightly, as the little infant, also known as Akaashi Miwa, was the last thing the mother and wife left the family. The man looked down to his eldest son, and he reached a hand down to squeeze his shoulder. The boy pursed his lips, but otherwise kept a blank face.

"We'll be fine, Keiji," the man said softly as the heat licked his tears away. "From now on, I'll have to rely on you a bit more than usual… B-but we're gonna be just fine."

Keiji nodded simply, just as Akaashi Isao slightly poked his face out from his older brother's neck. His pale green irises caught the last foot of the coffin being swallowed up by flames, and quickly, Keiji pressed a hand against the back of Isao's head and forced the boy's face back into the safety of his neck.

"Don't look," Keiji murmured softly but firmly. "Don't let the heat dry out your tears."

Ah. And the 7-year-old was sobbing once more, pulling the black dress shirt of his older brother. The crematorium then shut with some daunting, heavy slam that had their hearts shattering into millions, but otherwise fixable parts.

Akaashi stared down at the girl silently with pursed lips as she rambled about how excited she was for morning practice. The two, having made plans the night before, had met up at Powder so that the girl could, first of all, see his siblings, and secondly so that they could walk to school together – since there was morning practice, after all. But he felt the slightest bit uncomfortable due to his questionable recollection of what happened (or of what didn't happen) earlier that morning.

He was just on his regular morning jog and decided to take a longer route this time, where he passed by the front of Tsubasa's apartment building. There, at ten minutes passed six, he could have sworn he saw some familiar rooster-headed cat-man trotting down the stairs quietly – and he would have bet his life that their eyes locked in the moment before the second-year figured it was just a figment of his imagination.

(Which was still odd, because why would Nekoma's captain be in his mind in the first place?)

((Why did he decide to take a different route in the first place? Was fate pushing him in that direction? Did Akaashi Keiji even believe in things like fate?))

He kept quiet, however, and figured that it didn't matter so long as the girl beside him was happily rambling as per usual.

(But then he thought that maybe she was happily rambling because Kuroo was there.)

((Which led to him comparing the current moment to all the previous times she happily rambled and seeing if anything in particular was different.))

(((He paid too much attention to her happy ramblings.)))

"Oh that's right!" Tsubasa exclaimed suddenly, whirling to him and slapping his arm. The male blinked in surprise at the bright, excited gleam in her eyes. "Keiji, I heard that Nekoma's coming over this weekend! Is that true?!"

Again, he blinked. "No. They're coming next weekend."

Ah. She visibly slouched and frowned as the shine went away. "Oh…"

Akaashi stared at her. His throat tingled with a vaguely-familiar prickly sensation and he nearly frowned. "Where's your jersey?"

…ah. The girl immediately brightened and pulled the thing out of her bag to hold it above her head like a flag. "Owl (Fukurou)!"

The male smiled slightly. She's easily excitable and just as easy to bring down when it comes to things she cares about. "Dani."

And she was grinning even brighter at him as she hugged the jersey to her chest. "That's right!"

"Aw~ Look at you two finishing each other's sentences."

The two second-years paused right before the school's gates to look over their shoulders. Tsubasa smiled as her eyes fell upon Konoha and Komi, both of them grinning cheekily, while Akaashi held back a scowl.

"Mornin', Konoha-san and Komiyan-san!" Tsubasa greeted happily while the male simply nodded.

"Morning~" the two of them greeted as they slung their arms around the girl, effectively pushing Akaashi aside. They directed their smirks at the male. "What're you two up to?"

"On our way to morning practice!" the girl chirped.

"Together?" they both questioned, wagging their eyebrows at the vice-captain.

Akaashi deadpanned. "We live in the same area. It only seemed natural."

Komi huffed and pouted, seemingly drawing himself closer to the clueless girl. "Don't tell me you're not gonna do anything about this."

Konoha nodded and laid his cheek atop her head. "Yeah. Don't you feel some annoying prickly feeling?"

Akaashi blinked at them slowly. His gaze flickered away for the briefest second, almost as if he didn't know what to say or how to react, before he looked to them once more with a hand on his hip and his head tilted slightly. "So what if I do?"

Ah. And he was turning on his heel, continuing through the front gates. Tsubasa, having gotten distracted by some heart-shaped cloud, called his name innocently and trotted after him quickly, leaving the two third-years blinking blankly. Konoha smirked suddenly and pointed to the duo as they continued their conversation.

"Two weeks," he reminded the shorter third-year, who growled in response and slapped his finger away.

"A month!"

"Your loss~"

"Yo, Konoha, Komiyan!"

The two of them looked over their shoulders, where they found Bokuto standing alongside Washio and Sarukui. They nodded at the three of them with welcoming smiles.

"You guys ready for morning practice?!" the captain asked energetically, hopping ahead of the group. When he spotted Akaashi and Tsubasa up ahead, he perked up and moved to run up to the two, only to pause. Still smiling, he blinked blankly at the single inch of space between their shoulders.

They really get along well.

"Aren't they cute? They grow up so fast," Konoha commented with a dramatic sniffle. "You wanna join the bet, Bokuto? My money's on two weeks."

Bokuto blinked again and turned to the male slowly. Konoha tilted his head at the captain's wide stare. "Two weeks for what?"

Komi huffed and crossed his arms. "For Akaashi to realize his feelings. Saru and I got our bets on a month."

Washio sighed softly and continued on. "You shouldn't make bets on these types of feelings. You're only thinking of Akaashi, after all. Have you thought about how Tsubasa-san feels?"

Konoha carelessly stuffed his hands into his pockets and trotted forward as well, prompting the others to follow their lead. Bokuto stood on the spot, staring at their backs. "Oh c'mon! I'm sure the feeling's mutual. Right, Bokuto?"

"No."

The lot of them paused and looked back at their captain. Bokuto stared at Konoha with intense, large eyes on some fiercely-blank expression. They blinked.

"Tsubasa definitely won't return his feelings," the male said simply. "She doesn't believe in feelings like that." Bokuto trotted through the group, and as he passed Konoha, he said to the male with the slightest glower, "Don't push them together like that."

Konoha blinked rapidly at the subtle threat as he and the other third-years watched their captain run up to the two second-years in question to tackle the both of them in a hug. The male hummed quietly.

"Even if you say that," he murmured to himself, "that's not gonna stop Akaashi from feeling anything."

Tsubasa smiled widely as she stared down at the brand new notebook she had dedicated to morning practice, which was a nice pastel pink patterned with white stripes and little chibi Ponyos. Morning practice was just about an hour and a half long; it was all about getting and maintaining the athletic bodies of a nationally strong team, and included various workouts and timed exercises that had the volleyball players slightly sore. Akaashi watched her as she gave it a brief hug with rosy cheeks and squinting eyes. He looked down to the girl's bag then and took notice of the folded, light blue tracksuit poking out from the zipper.

"You got your tracksuit?" he asked, prompting the girl to turn her blinding expression to him. "That's good, considering we have gym in the morning today."

Tsubasa shrugged and put away the notebook, still smiling happily to herself. "I guess. It doesn't really matter to me since I can't participate."

Akaashi blinked at her as his mind tingled. "Because of your anemia?"

"Yeah. It's not as bad as it sounds though. I'd just... rather not take the chance."

The male stared at her quietly, just as their handsome homeroom teacher came strolling in. "If you say so."

"Yosh~ morning everyone! Let's start off with some role call!"

As soon as everyone was accounted for, the lot of them were heading to the gyms alongside a few other classes of the same grade. Tsubasa changed by herself in the bathrooms before making her way to the gym, where she found a majority of the students outside and waiting on instructions. After they all stretched, the gym teacher nodded to Tsubasa and let her off the hook.

The white-haired girl gave a bored sigh as she sat off to the sidelines of the track. All around her, whether it be on the track itself or on the soccer field surrounded by the track, her schoolmates ran around with soccer balls or walked relaxed laps. Tsubasa, on the other hand, was seated on the grassy hill that looked over the activities just a bit, with her knees drawn up to her chest and her eyes closed simply. Akaashi, located amidst his classmates on the soccer field, shot the girl a brief look every now and then to see if she had done anything, and when he saw her sitting there like a still-life, he sighed softly. He wiped at the sweat on his face as a classmate slapped his back and commended him for the point he just scored.

"As expected of the school's idol!" the classmate said, before running back with the rest of their temporary teammates. Akaashi nodded in response, and after sending one more glance to the girl, he followed after them.

Back with Tsubasa, the girl gave another sigh before she fell onto her back. In doing so, she found her eyes staring up at the morning sky above her, and having nothing else to do, she looked out for any oddly-shaped clouds. Her eyes, a lovely light grey in the sunlight, twinkled as they latched onto a small cloud drifting over head. Down below, Akaashi's classmates cheered as the second-year scored them another point.

Ah. Another heart.

"Ah~ finally!" Tsubasa cried while stretching her arms out before like a cat. The lunch bell chimed softly in the background and gave the signal for students and teachers alike to fill their stomachs. While a majority of the classmates stood hesitantly and watched Tsubasa and Akaashi curiously, both of which were oblivious to their staring, the girl turned to him with a blinding smile. "So, where to?"

Akaashi shrugged as he pulled his bento out. "Wherever is fine. It feels as though it's been a while since we had lunch like this."

Tsubasa nodded and retrieved her own bento, this time wrapped in a solid pink cloth with Jiji the cat in the corner. "Right? It feels different when I'm being a manager and you're being a vice-captain." The girl stood briskly and looked to him expectantly. "Let's go!"

Akaashi, with his eyes warmly lidded just a bit, nodded simply and stood as well, and side-by-side, the two moved to leave the classroom. A classmate called out to them suddenly, just as Akaashi trotted ahead to open the door for the girl. They paused and looked over their shoulders, and found the kid named Tadashi staring after them with pursed lips and furrowed brows. Akaashi met his gaze.

"What is it?" Akaashi asked, his hand on the door. Tadashi fidgeted on the spot, but seeing the small space between the two students gave him the push he needed to ask them the question everyone had on their minds.

"Are you two dating?"

Ah. The two of them blinked. Akaashi, despite the light blush against his cheeks, said in complete unison with Tsubasa, "No. Why?"

"What do you mean why?!" the classmates shot back. A girl with short black pigtails stood and frowned at them as well.

"You guys walk to school together, you probably walk home together too, and you always have lunch together!"

Another girl stood, this time some brunette with long locks. "Akaashi-kun, you've never been so talkative before. You usually only talk to us when it's about schoolwork."

Tadashi nodded and crossed his arms. "That's right! You two are always glued together, it's hard for some of us to have lunch in the classroom now! Y-you guys don't own this place, you know."

The duo blinked simply once more. Tsubasa bowed her head then, just as Akaashi pushed the door open after nodding himself.

"Then we'll be sure to have lunch elsewhere. See ya!"

"Wait!"

Tsubasa gave a ragged sigh and slouched over, drooping her arms in front of her. "What now? We already answered your question, and your logic isn't even sound. You're killing our lunchtime!"

The brunette girl from earlier frowned severely at the white-haired girl's words, and she crossed her arms and jutted a hip out. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Tsubasa sighed once more and stood, raising a knowledgeable finger. "Say you have a girl who has a friend who is female. They both walk to school together, they walk home together, and they have lunch together. Would you think they're dating?"

"Well... no, because they're both girls!"

"So are you saying two girls can't date?"

The brunette stiffened, her eyes widening. "N-no, but... that's different!"

"Why?" Tsubasa stood up straight and dropped her hand, and she stared at the classmates with large, owlish eyes. "Why does gender have to dictate a situation? Why does gender change a friendship? Why is gender such a deciding factor? There's this thing called platonic love, alright, and it's pure, unadulterated friendship between individuals despite race or gender or anything. It's a bond between two humans. Why is it so hard to accept that we have that sort of bond?"

The classmates were speechless. Akaashi, with Tsubasa's words and strong defiant tone ringing in his head, stepped away from the door and place a hand on Tsubasa's shoulder. She stepped back, allowing the male to take his turn to address their classmates.

"Tsubasa-san has a point," he started. "Gender isn't such an intense deciding factor, or at the very least, it shouldn't be. Tsubasa-san is my friend. That's all."

"W-well, what about me?" Tadashi prompted then. "W-we're friends, aren't we? Why don't you have lunch with me and the other guys for once?"

"No." The answer was quick and firm. Akaashi looked to Tadashi pointedly. "Tadashi, I don't consider us friends. I have forgiven, but I have not forgotten." Tadashi's eyes widened just a bit at the statement, and he averted his gaze in shame. Tsubasa tilted her head confusedly. "Furthermore, Tsubasa-san would feel awkward being with the girls for lunch now that we're having this talk, and I would feel bad for leaving her alone. So if you'll excuse us, we'll be leaving to have lunch together. You're free to take back the classroom, since we apparently took it at some point. Let's go, Tsubasa-san."

Tsubasa perked up as Akaashi opened the door for her, and after blinking at him, she turned back to their classmates. She blinked at their downtrodden expressions innocently.

"No offense or anything," Tsubasa said, "but you guys were the ones to ask the question. We simply answered it. It's nothing personal."

And then the girl was trotting through the doorway, holding her bento above her head and cheering 'Lunch~!'. Akaashi, after closing the door briskly, followed after her.

"So where are we off to?" he asked her, gently taking her bento from her outstretched arms to hold it for her. The girl beamed at him.

"Let's go somewhere beautiful!"

"That was a surprise," Tsubasa commented as she finally unwrapped her bento. The two of them were seated at the marble table in the back of the school garden, and thankfully, there were no more disruptions to interrupt or disturb them. Tsubasa adjusted her chopsticks in her hand. "I didn't think our classmates really watched us like that. We've just gotten back from Golden Week too."

Akaashi nodded after saying thanks. "I was a bit surprised as well."

"Are you irritated?"

The male paused, just as he was about to pick at his rice. He looked across the table to find Tsubasa staring at him curiously, with her elbows on the table and her face in her palms.

"Keiji, even though I've only known you for a few weeks, I feel comfortable telling you lots of personal stuff," Tsubasa began, and at that moment, her eyes softened at him warmly. "I'm even comfy crying in front of you. You have no idea what that means to me. So if you ever wanna talk about personal stuff with me, you're free to. I said I wanna know more about you anyway."

Akaashi held her gaze for a silent minute. In those sixty seconds, seemingly everything negative he had experienced and witnessed became bearable, and he sighed softly. His eyes, despite his annoyance, brightened to an intense blue.

"It was a bit irritating," he admitted quietly. "Tsubasa-san, you noticed on your first day of school that I was popular and idolized. It's irritating to think our classmates have the audacity to question why there is distance between us when they were the ones who created that distance in the first place."

Tsubasa's eyes widened just a bit as everything clicked into place in her mind. "I see. And I bet you just act polite to maintain that distance, right? Because who would want to be friends with people who would label you like that at first glance?"

The male nodded. "Yes. My thoughts exactly."

Tsubasa hummed as she sat up straight and glanced down at her lunch; it was white rice with deep-fried pork cutlets, with stir-fried vegetables and sweet potato korokke on the side. She smiled. "Keiji, maybe we're twins at heart."

Akaashi tilted his head at her. "What do you mean?"

"Well~" Tsubasa's smile grew small as memories flooded into her mind. "When I was a kid, people used to think I looked like a freak because of my hair. But now, everyone thinks I'm really pretty because of my hair. People are so fickle, you know?"

Akaashi stared at her quietly. Tsubasa hummed gleefully as she bit into the sliced cutlets, her cheeks turning rosy at the delicious, savory juiciness of the meat. The male's cheeks dusted over with pink, and his eyes became lidded with warm endearment.

"Keiji, I wanna know more about you."

"I knew Tadashi in junior high," Akaashi said, finally moving to pick at his own lunch. Tsubasa looked to him. "But we weren't friends. He was a bully, I suppose. Back then, I was picked on since I'm originally from a small town in the Wakayama Prefecture. I recall being called a country bumpkin, but not in an endearing way."

Tsubasa's eyes lit up and she leaned forward in interest, before she quirked a brow and frowned. "Really? And he said you guys were friends?"

"Yes. That itself was irritating. But even more than that..." Akaashi paused from picking up a clump of rice, and somehow, a weight that had been dragging his heart down for the past seven years or so began to tear at the seams and separate itself from his entire being. He looked to the curious girl, and their bright irises gleamed into each other. "I was called a 'mama's boy' and teased a lot for rushing home every day to take care of my siblings. My father was always busy at work, and my mother had passed away a year or two before junior high. It was horrible irony."

Tsubasa's eyes widened and she stilled. "Eh? P-people called you a mama's boy when your mother had..."

"Yes." Akaashi returned his gaze to his food. "Tadashi was one of those people."

The girl's fingers tightened around her chopsticks suddenly, and she tutted and lowered her own gaze. "People are horrible. That's cruel. We should take that punk's stuff and throw it out a window and then set it on fire."

"It's fine; I've already said I've forgiven but not forgotten."

"How about we set his stuff on fire first and then throw it out a window and drizzle more oil on it?"

"It's fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm sure that's illegal, after all."

"...so are you saying you'd do it if it wasn't illegal?"

Akaashi stared at her, before he averted his gaze almost sheepishly. "Well... I'm sure if it was legal then it wouldn't really hurt anyone."

Tsubasa laughed at his reasoning and nodded, wiping away a tear. "That's true, that's true! Oh!" Tsubasa moved to pick at one of the sweet korokke in her bento, and she picked up the oval-shaped thing easily and offered it to the male. "Keiji, how do you feel about sweet potato korokke? Uncle Sumi makes them really really well!"

The male tilted his head curiously. "Can korokke be made with sweet potatoes? Sweet potatoes are usually a lot softer than normal potatoes, aren't they?"

The girl gave a high-pitched gasp and placed the flat oval thing atop what little rice he had left, prompting him to flush slightly. She then retracted her arm and watched him expectantly with large eyes and a wide smile. Akaashi looked to her.

"Are you sure?"

"It's fine, it's fine. If you like it, then uncle will make more."

"I see. Then..." Akaashi reached for the small, deep-fried oval of mashed sweet potatoes, and after finishing it in one bite, his cheeks warmed and his eyes glittered. The male pressed the tip of his chopsticks against his lips. "It's good."

"Right?!" Tsubasa giggled as she sat back, crossing her arms atop the table and resting her chin on top. "You can have the rest. I'm already full."

Akaashi blinked at her before looking down to the rest of her bento; although the pork cutlet and the vegetables were entirely gone, only a fourth of the rice was missing while two more pieces of korokke sat in wait. He returned his eyes to her face, and he deadpanned.

"You barely ate the rice."

"Meat makes me really full! I can't help it..." Tsubasa pouted then. "And I'm sure you're still hungry. You eat a lot. I learned from the training camp."

Ah. Akaashi's cheeks dusted over slightly and briefly, he averted his gaze. "Well... You're not wrong, I suppose." He looked to her once more. "Are you sure you're not hungry anymore?"

"Mhm~ My stomach will start hurting if I keep eating, so go ahead."

The male bowed his head. "Thank you." And the boy was reaching for her rice, and in doing so, his hands began to warm and he found his stomach feeling oddly full simply from the girl's offer. Tsubasa smiled at him.

"So what town from Wakayama are you from?" she asked, her smile turning fond at the crumbs on the corner of his lips.

"Isao and I were born in our father's hometown, Kushimoto, but Miwa was born here in Tokyo. In our old home, you could see the ocean from the window."

Tsubasa's eyes widened excitedly as she beamed at the information. "Could you really? That's so cool!"

The male nodded, almost smiling at her bright face. "Yeah. It rains a lot there and the risk of typhoons is high, but it's a very peaceful town when the weather is good. The ocean is beautiful there." Akaashi tilted his head curiously at her. "Do you like the ocean?"

The girl's eyes softened and she relaxed back into her slouching pose. She nodded. "I love it. Beaches are really nice, and I love playing in the sand, but I love the ocean. So many people are afraid of it, you know? The waves get scary when it storms, there's practically no floor beneath the surface, and it's so wide and open. But that's what I love about it." Tsubasa leaned onto her cheek and closed her eyes peacefully, just as the sound of waves churning against one another played blissfully in the depths of her mind. Akaashi stopped eating to watch and listen to her go on. "The ocean is so big and vast and it goes on forever. There are so many living creatures beneath the surface and they all communicate with each other and thrive - all in the ocean. It's a completely different world that we know next to nothing about, and so many people fear it. But that's what makes it all the more amazing."

Tsubasa's eyes opened slowly, and her grin, so soft and wide, eliminated any lingering feelings of doubt the male had. Akaashi, having unconsciously rested his cheek in his palm to comfortably watch the girl, blinked slowly as shooting stars and whales flew all around her small figure and casted her in a light that was wholly angelic and surreal. The garden and the flowers in the background were suddenly dotted with brightly-twinkling stars and glowing jellyfish, and as rainbow-colored nebulas clouded their reality and massive groups of heart-shaped stingrays migrated into their little world, something grew within the chambers of Akaashi's heart. In that moment, it bloomed into miles and miles of vines and leaves that shot out from his chest and embraced his existence, and as the vines locked his head in place so that he wouldn't have the option to look away from the girl in front of him, he concluded that he never would even if he wanted to.

Ah.

"Because when a whale bursts through the surface, or when an gigantic collection of golden stingrays migrating makes the surface light up, people see the ocean as something beautiful and amazing and spectacular!" Tsubasa continued, her eyes squinting slightly behind her glasses. "And in that moment, no one's afraid of it anymore. Even if that feeling doesn't last, the admiration you feel when seeing something from that world burst into your world is simply amazing."

I don't have a crush on her.

Tsubasa closed her eyes once more. "I'd like to be like that one day. Nurturing to my own world, and genuinely beautiful to the outside every now and then."

This is something much more than that.

The girl looked up to the male then, grinning tenderly as the silvery moons of her irises pulled the waves of the ocean in his eyes closer and closer to something beautifully dangerous. "Am I weird for that?"

Akaashi shook his head slowly, his eyes filled with underwater stars that shone in the sunlight breaking through the translucent walls.

"Not at all."

What is the name of this feeling, I wonder?

Practice was over for the day at nearly ten in the evening. Akaashi, who seemed oddly out of it before, during, and after practice, pressed his back against the door of his home.

The door shut quietly and after he locked the thing blindly, he stood there somehow dazed and dreamy. He murmured beneath his breath, "I'm home," as he slowly kicked his shoes off and set them aside properly. In doing so, he took notice of a shiny but bruised pair of leather shoes that were just about the same size of his own shoes. Akaashi's eyes widened and he bolted down the corridor. He slid atop the wooden floorboards as he stood at the doorframe of the living room, which was connected to the kitchen and the dining room in a large, single space. A tall man, with broad shoulders and smooth black hair, stood at the stove and tossed rice in a giant wok. Akaashi's tired shoulders sagged and his eyes grew shiny.

"Father, welcome home!" the male greeted, dropping his schoolbag and duffel-bag on the floor and trotting into the giant room. The man, also known as Akaashi Yoshiaki, looked up wth a start. Pale green irises found the eager expression of his eldest son, and the man grinned widely.

"There's my eldest son! Gosh, I didn't hear you come in!" the man said in lieu of greeting as he turned and spread his arms open. "Keiji, welcome home!"

Akaashi nearly stumbled as he rushed to embrace the man, whom he hadn't seen for a little over two weeks. Yoshiaki sighed happily as he returned the strong hug with ten times the strength, and he soothingly patted his eldest son's back in a long-deserved moment of pure peace.

"You get taller and buffer every time I see you, I swear," Yoshiaki commented with a grin, before he slapped Akaashi's shoulders and gave him the gentlest push. "Alright, let me see how much you've grown this time."

The boy took a step back and, after quickly wiping at his eyes with the sleeve of his blazer, stood up straight. Yoshiaki's smile turned soft and tender at his son's face, which seemed much more mature than last time. What stood out the most, however, was the intense gleam of his son's blue irises, which he had come to know as more of a dark navy rather than a deep ocean sort-of blue. Yoshiaki's smile grew wide.

"You're growing up well, my boy," the man said, squeezing Akaashi's shoulder briefly. "Your eyes look brighter somehow. Did you meet a pretty girl?"

Ah. Akaashi's face lit up instantly, prompting the man to smirk.

"Ooh~ What's her name, how tall is she, and when and where and how did you meet?"

Akaashi's blush intensified. "I-I'll tell you about her later."

"Oh ho ho! So there is a girl!"

"A-anyway, when did you get back?" Akaashi frowned softly, tilting his head inquiringly. "Have you seen Isao and Miwa yet? Isao has been upset recently-"

Yoshiaki settled a hand atop his son's head and ruffled his curly black locks. "Don't worry, I greeted them both when they got home. I got back around five."

Akaashi's eyes widened. "Really? I could have left practice early-"

"Nope, no can do. That's been Isao's problem recently, you know." Yoshiaki sighed softly as he turned back to the stove, where he turned it off after giving the fried rice one last flip. Akaashi's stomach growled hungrily. "Go change and put your stuff away first, alright?"

"Okay."

After Akaashi settled down and found himself in simple sweats and a T-shirt, the boy sat at the table with a full plate of steaming fried rice right in front of him. Yoshiaki smiled warmly as he watched his son eat, and sitting right across from the 16-year-old, he rested his chin in his palm blissfully.

"So who's this girl, hm?"

...ah. Akaashi choked on the rice and began punching his chest. "F-friend. Classmate. Seat-mate. She's a new manager for the volleyball team."

"Ooh~ that's exciting." So flustered. I've never seen him like this because of a girl. Yoshiaki hummed as the boy returned to his meal, albeit with a slower and more cautious pace. The man sighed softly then. "Well, Isao was both very upset and very happy to see me. I'm sorry I couldn't come home during Golden Week."

Akaashi quickly shook his head, wiping his cheek. "It's fine. Masumi-san was a huge help with looking after Miwa and Isao."

Yoshiaki sighed once more, and he frowned gently. "Ah... Sumi-san, huh? I hate that he's taking care of my kids more than I am, but I'm eternally grateful to him for it. But it seems, my dear son, that something has escaped you."

The boy blinked at his father quickly, before he tilted his head slightly. "What do you mean?"

"I got a call while at work," the man continued, leaning back in his chair, "from Isao's basketball club coach. Coach-san said that the team's current vice-captain had to retire due to personal reasons, and that he was considering making Isao vice-captain. But..."

"But?"

"Apparently during Golden Week, Isao never stayed the night at his school with his teammates, and went home every day to take care of Miwa."

Akaashi's eyes widened slightly as he lowered his fork. "I checked Miwa every morning during Golden Week and saw him there, so I figured he was doing the same thing as me. I didn't know he stayed the night at home though." The male frowned and he averted his gaze. "Why would he keep that from me?"

Yoshiaki hummed as his irises shone with calculation. "Well... I did my own investigating, but I think that's between the two of you to solve as brothers. Anyway, I've got some more news."

The male stiffened slightly. "Is it good or bad news?"

Yoshiaki grinned. "I'd say it's pretty good news. The job transfer I sent in was approved."

Akaashi perked up, his eyes twinkling as he nearly smiled. "Really?"

"Yup~ But before I get to be a security guard at Miwa's elementary school, I have to complete a few months of formal duty over in Western Tokyo."

Akaashi blinked. "Eh? They're transferring you out before the real transfer?"

"Yeah. They were planning to transfer me there anyway, so I guess they're just sticking with the original plan until I finally transfer out." Yoshiaki frowned softly. "But that means that I'll be gone again, and longer this time. Thankfully this is the last time it'll be like this with our family, but until the end of August, can you continue to hold the fort down, my son? I'll do my best to visit, but my boss said they've prepared a temporary dorm for me, so I assume I'll be busier than ever there. I've always hated to ask this of you, especially since you've been doing so much since you were young, but this is the last stretch, I promise you. Is it okay for me to continue to ask you to look after things here?"

Akaashi nodded quickly. "Of course. It's not like you're asking much of me; it's only natural I look after my siblings since I'm the oldest."

The man gave a small nod and grinned crookedly, his pale green eyes shining fondly beneath black locks. "I suppose. Well, I wanna surprise Isao and Miwa with this, so don't say anything, alright? Now tell me about this girl who's got you all star-struck!"

Ah. The boy's face flushed as he nodded slowly, dropping his gaze down to the remnants of his friend rice.

"Her name is Tsubasa-san. She's Masumi-san's niece."

Yoshiaki blinked as he retained his smile. "Eh? Sumi-san's niece? Then that... makes her father Teru-san, right?"

Akaashi blinked back. Somehow, the name tingled in his mind and was almost familiar. Almost. "Teru-san?"

The man's eyelids fluttered once more, before he waved a hand flippantly. He was pretty young, so I guess he wouldn't remember. Especially since his mother passed away shortly after their meeting. "Nothing, nothing~ Tell me more about this Tsubasa-san!"

"Eh... Um, well..."

He hasn't touched his violin in years.

They were in the garden once more. Somehow, the entire week flew by and it was already Friday. Tsubasa's and Akaashi's classmates were more or less avoiding them unless they needed to communicate about homework, which was fine since it was like that even before that awkward class discussion and it didn't affect the two in the slightest. Akaashi's father had left on Wednesday with a suitcase and a clean uniform, kissing each of his children goodbye for the moment and smiling brightly. Isao's strained and dim smile was easily detected by both Akaashi and Miwa, and just a bit, the little girl frowned to herself while the eldest sibling simply averted his gaze. Now on Friday at a stress-relieving lunch, his father's words echoed in his mind loudly.

"I think that's between the two of you to solve as brothers."

Akaashi's eyes narrowed slightly. Did I do something to upset him? I'm sure I've been watching him as close as usual. What did I miss?

"Keiji?" The male looked up. He found Tsubasa sitting across from him with her cheek in one hand while the other held a milk carton up to her face. She sipped at it slowly, watching him with curious grey eyes. "What's wrong?"

Akaashi held her stare silently. He was too close to naturally saying 'Nothing, everything's fine,' but somehow, that instinctive response was stalled when he remembered completely who he was talking to. His eyes flickered away and he held his chin in his hand.

"Tsubasa-san, if you found out your little brother was hiding something from you, what would you do?" he asked her, his eyes eventually jumping back to her. Tsubasa blinked, and she hummed.

"I'd get him his favorite food or drink," she began slowly, lowering her milk carton as she emptied it. "And sit down with him one night and ask if everything was okay. I wouldn't force Tobi-kun to talk about something if he wasn't ready to, so I'd do that every now and then just to check up on him." Akaashi hummed at her response, prompting the girl to tilt her head. "Did something happen with Isao?"

"I suppose," Akaashi answered. "My father came home recently and said Isao was having trouble with his basketball club. Apparently he went home every night during Golden Week rather than staying at the school to take care of Miwa."

Tsubasa blinked and tilted her head even more. "Is that against the rules?"

"No. He has the option of going home for the night since we live so close by. But the fact he did that just to take care of Miwa is odd."

"Oh, really? Why do you think he did that?"

Akaashi stared off into the rose hedges surrounding them. Tsubasa watched as differing shades of blue tangled and collied within his irises, and ultimately the intense gleam she had gotten so accustomed to faded into a dark, dull shade of navy. He sighed softly.

"I have an idea," he murmured, before turning to their table and looking down at his empty bento. He closed the wooden box and carefully wrapped it in the blue and white checkered cloth. "He's worried about Miwa for some reason, that's for sure. Why now all of a sudden, I'm not sure. But right now, he reminds me of myself when I was in junior high."

Tsubasa's eyes softened as the male's dark irises. "Why is that?"

"Because he's doing what I did." Akaashi closed his eyes slowly as certain memories resurface in his mind. "He's making moves to sacrifice his youth for his loved ones."

The girl gazed at the male across from him, before she smiled at him brightly. "Well whatever the problem is, I'm sure it'll be solved soon!" Akaashi opened his eyes and met her encouraging and faithful expression, and once again, his previously-cold heart began to warm just from her aura. "If it's you guys, then everything will definitely be alright!"

Hearing her pure words, the male breathed the softest sigh and nodded. "Yeah. Thank you."

And the two of them smiled at each other, with Tsubasa beaming brightly and Akaashi offering a small grin.

Everything will be alright.

It was Saturday night. Akaashi gently closed the door to Miwa's room as he just finished tucking her in and reading bedtime stories, where he heard the sink flushed on in the kitchen. Making his way there, he found his only brother washing the dishes of that night's dinner. Akaashi pocketed his hands in his sweatpants and leaned against the doorframe.

"Is everything alright, Isao?" Akaashi questioned from his spot. Isao's shoulders jumped just a bit at his older brother's sudden voice, before he smiled over his shoulder and nodded.

"Yup, everything's fine."

Lies.

Akaashi refrained from saying it out loud. He nodded simply, pushing off the doorframe to approach the kitchen. "I'll finish up the dishes, so go ahead and-"

"It's fine." Akaashi paused. Isao kept his back to his brother. "I can do the dishes. Nii-chan, why don't you go bathe before me? I don't mind."

...ah. Akaashi repressed a huff as he walked up to Isao and flicked the back of his head. "It's not about whether or not you mind. I'm the oldest; it's only natural I go last."

A plate slipped from the boy's hand as he whirled to face his brother. "Then if dad was here!" Akaashi blinked in surprise. "If... If dad was here, would he go last since he's actually the oldest?" Isao turned his gaze away and pushed the plate into the dish rack. He flicked the water off. "I don't even remember something as simple as that."

Akaashi's eyes softened and he nodded, lifting a hand to rest it atop Isao's head. "Father would try to go last, but Miwa would want him to bathe with her, so he might end up going first with her."

Isao pursed his lips. "Oh." The two stood there in silence, before the boy spoke up once more. "How long will he be gone this time?"

"...three months. They transferred him down to Western Tokyo."

"T-three months?" Isao sputtered, stepping away from the sink and throwing his apron off to the side. "Three months? What- Masumi-san might as well adopt us, don't you think?"

Akaashi's eyes widened and he followed after his brother as the boy staggered around the dining room. "Isao-"

"Gosh- three months!" Isao turned suddenly, and with one hand, he steadied himself against the dining table while the other gestured to his brother. "Why are you not mad about this? He just keeps leaving for work, and it gets longer and longer! At first it was just a few days, then it was a week and then two weeks and now- now it's suddenly more than a month?"

Akaashi stepped close to the boy and planted a hand on his shoulder, staring him directly in the eye. "Isao, it's been like this for a while now. Why is this suddenly upsetting you to this extent?"

"Just because it's been like this for years doesn't make it okay!" Isao yelled, slapping Akaashi's hand off of him. "I'm tired of it! He comes home randomly and says he missed us, but then leaves the next morning with a smile and pushes all this responsibility onto you! I'm tired of seeing you slave away your youth just to take care of Miwa and I - especially when you don't even want to!"

The older brother blinked rapidly and trotted after Isao as he rounded the dining table and continued into the living room. "What are you talking about? I take care of you and Miwa because I love you two. You're both family. It's more than just being the oldest."

"And I don't doubt that, but! But!"

"But what?"

"You've just-" Isao laughed suddenly, smiling crookedly and pulling at his hair. His pale green irises, so similar to their father's, grew shiny. "You've actually been happy recently. Like, real happy. And you haven't been genuinely, completely happy in years. And now that I'm finally seeing you like this, I want you to stay like that. You deserve that, and so much more. Taking care of Miwa for you is the least I can do."

Akaashi's widened eyes slowly softened as he finally understood his younger brother's problem. He gave the gentlest sigh as Isao rubbed furiously at his eyes and sniffled loudly, and as the boy stood there obscuring his raining eyes, Akaashi stepped closer to him and wrapped his arms tenderly around Isao's shoulder. Isao leaned his forehead against Akaashi's shoulder, prompting the elder to comb through his black locks.

"Go calm down in the bath and get some sleep," Akaashi instructed tenderly. "We'll talk about this tomorrow, alright?"

"...alright."

The two separated gingerly. Akaashi watched as Isao dragged his feet out of the living room and down the corridor. Hearing the bathroom door shut, the male sat on the coach with a sigh and pressed his hands into his face. He dragged his fingertips down around his nose and mouth, allowing his eyes to fall upon his surroundings. He caught a picture on the coffee table, and he reached for it slowly.

It was a picture of a woman, her skin pale and her blackish-blue hair curly and long. Soft, ocean-like eyes gleamed at the camera and the woman smiled softly. Akaashi felt his heart twist.

I had no idea he felt like that. This all feels so sudden.

Akaashi sighed then and put the picture frame down, before he leaned his elbows atop his knees and hung his head.

"If it's you guys, then everything will definitely be alright!"

Ah.

White locks flashed in his mind.

I want to see her.

word count: 7,968

a/n: damn a kinda short chapter! Been a while since we last had something around this length lol. Well anyway, that's that. I was trying to introduce Akaashi and Isao's little problem earlier during the training camp, but somehow I couldn't find the right place to put it. Sorry if it seems like... awkward. If I make any major edits to the previous chapters, I'll be sure to let you guys know!

But it's time. For. OMAKEEEE. Like I said in the last update, I'm making a new "story" for an omake collection of realeyes where the first chapter will be a wiki-style page of Tsubasa! - which, for the record, keeps me from writing her out of character, sO IT IS NECESSARY LEAVE ME ALONE. Second chapter will be how Seijoh third-years concluded their bet, and then it'll just update whenever I cut out scenes or write omakes just for the hell of it. I'd be totally willing to take prompts from you guys in regards to my real! universe, so if you wanna, leave something in the reviews. Of course, I'll put it somewhere in the omake chapters if it's canon to the real! universe or if it's just crack.

And that's all I got for now. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as well, and as always, thank you so so much for the reviews, the follows, and the favorites! I would hug all of you if I could, but I can't, so just accept my stupid fic and my thanks. See ya next chapter!

-glasses cloth