Greetings my little balls of sunshine,

It has been a while and I hope you're all well. A little update from me. I finally got my first vaccine shot. The second one will be done in may and before some of you ask, I only had a minor fever and that was it. I'm back at work having a lot of fun with the children.

Anyway, I apologize for taking so long to update but I know most of you can emphasize with a busy private life. I am at a point in my life that if I stay at this current place of work I would try to have a baby with my husband. It's been my biggest wish for years and it might come true this year.

Ooof I guess some of you don't know that I'm gonna turn 28 this year. I'm old, oh dear.

starrat: Thank you

eunoiapaint: Thank you so much :)

losermuch: Aww, thank you very much. I hope you enjoy this chapter too. Don't melt away please.

: nice

ughbarnes: yay

Guest: yes its a good book

JuliaSora: Many say that xD

Chapter 59 - A little get together

Tamiko glanced up at the grey sky when a snowflake landed on her cheek. The cold air revealed her every single breath and her flushed cheeks partially revealed themselves from under her scarf. She blew a puff of air into the sky and then glanced over to Ushijima. He was unloading the car which he had packed when she had picked him up at the station. Since it was almost Christmas he was visiting for the holidays. It was something she had been looking forward to all month. Now he was here. But there other guests expected to arrive over the next few days.

"Your dad will land tomorrow," she informed him. "Do you want to pick him up with me?"

"Of course."

Tamiko smiled and headed for the front door. This Christmas will be with family. She couldn't recall when that last happened. Usually Shiyori had been busy working, overseas or both at once. But not this year. When they arrived indoors Shiyori welcomed him with open arms and a loving hug. Tobio was still out with his teammates but Shiyori was already preparing a warm dinner. While Ushijima was dumping his luggage upstairs Tamiko waited downstairs to head out again.

"Mum, we'll go for a walk and pick up Tobio," she said before stepping out again.

"Don't stay out too long. Dinner will be ready soon," Shiyori called.

Tamiko waved and closed the door behind her. The pair headed down the street both with their hands in their pockets to protect them from the cold. In the news the island of Hokkaido was already covered in a thick blanket of snow but right now the faint flakes falling from the cloudy sky never reached the ground. Tamiko checked her phone messages again to make sure they were walking into the right direction. The walk to Karasuno high school wasn't long and the jeers and cheers from some boys showed them the way.

"Japan," came a shriek.

Along with Kageyama it was Hinata, Nishinoya and Tanaka standing on the school yard. They were all playing hanetsuki together which had become a tradition for those boys since last year. Although they didn't get into the nationals, having lost to Date tech in the final, they qualified for the Spring tournament again this year. Tamiko had already bought two tickets to watch the matches although Ushijima couldn't watch all of them since he had to go to training himself. But he had given away his apartment for free accommodation. Tamiko already knew she had some cooking to do during that stay.

"We got some spare bats if you wanna join," offered Tanaka.

"Maybe another time," she rejected. "We came to pick up Tobio-kun since dinner is ready soon."

"Ah, it's already that late?" Kageyama said and looked up at the sky.

The trio said their goodbyes and well wishes since Christmas Eve was just around the corner. They returned home just in time. When Tamiko opened the front door the mouthwatering scent of freshly cooked food made her stomach rumble. Dinner was enjoyed to the fullest. Shiyori was on break from therapy for a month to see how she would manage and so far she was feeling great. There was still one big thing, which scared her a little, that she wanted to check off her list. She wanted to apologize to Ushijima's mother.

"It's the last thing I have to do to feel redeemed."

Tamiko stayed silent. It came as a big surprise that Shiyori had invited Ushijima's mother in the first place. What was even more surprising was that she acknowledged the invention and was actually coming. Even her own son was surprised about that. She couldn't stay too long but that was enough. Tamiko was excited to see Mrs Ushijima again. She didn't think she had thanked her enough for what she had done about just in case she had prepared a thoughtful present for her. It was already wrapped and lay under the tree. Tamiko and Shiyori had joined forces to decorate the tree and both were more than proud. It was subtle with reds and silvers. The same couldn't be said for the rest of the house. Shiyori had been influenced by America a little too much for Tamiko's liking. The amount of Christmas decoration had overtaken the Japanese standard but luckily it was only inside the house. The outside was only sparsely covered with fairy lights.

After a pleasant dinner they all watched a movie together and then went to bed. Ushijima was sleeping in a futon in Tamiko's room and he had to hold Tamiko's hand which dangled down from her bed. The next morning he awoke before her. Without waking her he got up and readied himself for a morning jog. He was joined by Tobio, who was all ready to go when Ushijima joined him. They finished their jog in silence and when they returned Shiyori and Tamiko were both enjoying a cup of coffee. After a shared breakfast Tamiko and Ushijima headed to Sendai station. Just as it should be, Takashi arrived on time. After he landed in Tokyo he boarded the shinkansen to Sendai with Tamiko and Ushijima waiting for him. He gave both of them a bear hug which overwhelmed Tamiko a little. Apart from Ushijima and her own brother she had never received such a hug before. The group hugs from Team Shiratorizawa didn't count in her mind.

"It's good to see you two," he said and followed them to the car.

Back home the atmosphere had shifted. The cosiness of christmas had arrived. To get everyone even more into the mood Tamiko decided to play a few pieces on the piano. Ushijima sat on the couch next to the piano and watched her play. As time passed she was so drawn into the music that she began to sing along as well. She had never been a confident singer but after time and practice the fears go away. She wanted to prepare herself for her dream job and singing was a big part of it. Children loved singing. She played for a while until she had the urge to drink something. In the kitchen Takashi joined her, also with a drink in his hand.

"We've never had the chance to really talk, have we", Takashi said.

"True," she answered.

He rubbed the back of his neck, glanced over to Shiyori and then at his drink.

"So how are you feeling after all that has happened?" he asked.

Tamiko pulled her glance away from him and sighed.

"Relieved," she admitted. "It feels like a lot of weight fell off my shoulders. I have a proper family again."

She turned to him. After letting out a deep breath she looked straight into his eyes.

"I noticed that I never really had the chance to thank you. You were the reason mum came back in the first place and things got rolling quickly from then on. You didn't abandon her after you've learned what she had done and you keep supporting us. Thank you."

Takashi chuckled and squeezed her folded hands.

"It's the least I can do. I need to look after my future step-daughter or rather daughter-in-law. Oh man, this will get a little complicated. I wouldn't know what to call you."

"You still want to do it?" she asked.

"Yes, I do," he said with a smile. "But that isn't important right now. Let's enjoy this Christmas together like a big family."

Tamiko couldn't agree more. Everyone was family here today. Her mum, her brother, her stepfather to be, her boyfriend and his mum. They all had a connection were it by blood or love or passion. A smile dashed over her lips when she realized that volleyball brought them all together. She and Ushijima met, after he hit her in the face with a volleyball. Coincidentally Shiyori and Takashi met after a night out with friends when the men played a little volleyball. Was this fate? She wasn't a strong believer in such things but this really felt like it was.

While everyone was keeping themselves busy, Tamiko sat down at her piano and began to play a few Christmas songs. Ushijima stood next to her, watching the music sheet and listening, trying to find the place where she was. With some songs he took the liberty to turn the pages for her so she could continue without stopping. Despite their year long relationship he had never actively witnessed her playing the piano. He had seen her performance during the graduation ceremony but that was from a distance. Now he stood right beside her. It was fascinating to see her look more at the music sheets than the keys.

The sound of the doorbell made her pause her playing. Ushijima placed a hand on her shoulder, gave it a small squeeze and then headed to the door. Takashi was the first at the door and cheerfully welcomed his ex-wife inside. Ushijima also greeted his mother and took the bag of presents off her so she could undress. Mrs Ushijima was dressed like always, white blouse and black trousers. She gave her son a hug and even Tamiko got one. It made her blush. Ushijima placed a hand on and around her shoulder, giving her a small squeeze against him.

"You have a new glow in your eyes," Mrs Ushijima noted.

Tamiko grew together in confusion but she didn't elaborate, instead walking into the living room. She greeted everyone and then her eyes fell on the piano. And so Tamiko sat by the piano again and played while the others conversed and drank. It was only from the corner of her eye but when Tamiko saw her mother stand and approach Mrs Ushijima, she stopped. Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched.

"Before we properly start with the festivities I want to apologize to you," Shiyori said. "My behaviour in court towards you was unacceptable since you were only doing your job. I was panicking. The world I was feeling comfortable in was being attacked. But in the end I realized that I was in the wrong for shunning my children like I did. Thank you, for helping them. Thank you, for making me notice my mistakes. I'm on pause from therapy now but I feel happier than I ever have. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you, for helping my family."

Tamiko was stunned. A wave of emotions filled her and when she swallowed the lump in her throat, tears began to flow. She stayed quiet and kept watching.

"There's no need to thank me," Mrs Ushijima answered. "Wakatoshi was the one who put everything in motion. But I accept your apology nonetheless."

It was about 10 minutes later that Shiyori and Tamiko had dried their tears. The three women then disappeared into the kitchen where Shiyori offered Mrs Ushijima a wine and dinner was served. The families ate and laughed together now that all tensions had disappeared. Tamiko dwelled in this feeling, a feeling she had forgotten after so many years. She side-glanced at Ushijima who was smiling at her. Gently he squeezed her hand.

After dinner and some more songs it was time for presents. Tobio got his sister a CD for some reason she could not explain. She accepted it anyway while she got him a new sports bag. For her mother she had a new cookbook which she wanted to try out together. There were some nice presents being passed around until Tamiko gave Mrs Ushijima her present with shaking hands. She unpacked it and turned it curiously.

"What is this," she asked.

"It's a pillow I made. I know you sit a lot so I thought this might make your day a little more comfortable."

"My, this is very thoughtful of you. Thank you very much."

Tamiko sighed with relief. Mrs Ushijima in turn gifted Tamiko and her son with laptops. For the webcams so they could also see each other. Tamiko could not hold back and hugged her boyfriend's mother. This was such a big surprise for her that Tamiko was now ashamed for her little present. Ushijima's present wasn't a surprise since they had talked about this a while ago. They both exchanged identical packages and pulled out identical presents. Smartphones. Excited to finally try out her new phone she took a few photos of him and the others and transferred the phone numbers from her old phone. She didn't notice how Ushijima pulled out another small present. At first she panicked a little but he unpacked it himself and revealed a necklace.

"Toshi-kun," she groaned. "We had an agreement. Only the phones."

"When I saw it, I had to buy it."

Tamiko swallowed and glanced at the necklace again. It was a small and fine thing made of a silvery material. The pendant was in the shape of a cherry blossom, most likely because of her birthday in April. It made her think ahead for a moment. She will turn 20 next year. A big number. Probably followed by a big birthday party. She would still be in Sendai and then Ushijima would probably be tied to work. But he had surprised her before, maybe it would happen again.

Ushijima took both ends of the necklace and held them around her neck. To make it easier for him she brushed and held her hair to the side, so he had a clear view to lock the chain. When he was done he rested one hand on her shoulder and gently pulled her against him, placing a kiss on her temple, before releasing his pull.

"Thank you", she mumbled and looked down at her hands.

Shiyori continued with giving out the next present to avert the attention away. Tamiko glanced over to her boyfriend who was now pressing his head against hers. It made her giggle a little and she placed a hand on his knee. After the presents had been distributed everyone was enjoying the atmosphere of a darkened room and a glowing Christmas tree. Tamiko sat with her brother, playing a board game and Ushijima while the latter was talking with his father. At some point Tamiko was listening into the conversation more.

"So how is training going for you Wakatoshi?" his father asked.

"I'm working on a new technique for my spikes but it's not working out as I would like," he admitted.

"Maybe I could offer my help," he said. "If you want you can visit me in California next year and we can work on it together."

"Do it," Tamiko busted in. Ushijima turned to her with wide eyes. "It's a big opportunity that you can't miss. You could learn so much there."

"It's far away," he noted.

She read between the lines instantly. He was already so far away from her, he didn't want to increase the distance between them a thousand fold. But she had to persuade him. This was an opportunity of a lifetime and there was one fact that could outway the argument. She pointed at the laptops on the table.

"We can't only call each other but see each other with the webcam. And it's the biggest opportunity you are ever going to get. You are a starting player, Toshi-kun. If you don't improve you might not be."

He stared at her with wide eyes. Just as he was always very direct she had now done the same. Yet he understood. He reached out for her and squeezed her hand. Additionally he squeezed his eyes shut, as if he was thinking. Takashi did one to say something but Tamiko placed a finger over her lips and so it stayed quiet. Then Ushijima opened his eyes and gazed at Tamiko, giving her a knowing smile. Tamiko smiled back at him before Ushijima turned to his father.