Alright, chapter 5. I have to say, the new episode just made me giggle all over. I love the boys of Shiratorizawa Academy. I can't wait for the next one tomorrow!
According to a list, people who are Virgo are in Shiratorizawa! Who else joins me in this school?!
LilweenGalatrass: I'm glad you like it. There will be even more development, I promise.
sobasicallyme: If Semi has feelings for her or not, you will just have to wait and see. I have drawn an image for this story which I sadly can't insert. It foreshadows a lot. Just check out my DeviantArt account :3
chibi-no-baka: I'm glad you like it. I want some character development, that's mainly the reason why I do the circumstances that way. It is boring otherwise.
Guest Lili: Indeed she is, since mom isn't at home. Ushijima knows her for a while now but to be honest, he is difficult to write. I'll try to make him as authentic as possible but also develop his personality, at least a little bit. I have to say though, he is perfectly flawed the way he is :)
Chapter 5 - A Visitor
Behind every strong man
stands a woman with secrets
When Tamiko woke up the next morning she squeezed her temples. Having a headache early in the morning wasn't that comforting. She had gone to bed very late last night, having talked with Semi a lot. He had asked in detail how she was holding up and he wasn't very satisfied when she told him that all was fine. An hour passed of him rambling on about how irresponsible her mother was for leaving her on her own. When she went to bed it was past midnight and she was exhausted. Still half asleep she went to the bathroom to wash herself and got dressed. At first she didn't notice the time when she walked into the kitchen but the sight of Semi and Yamagata, both enjoying a fresh tea, surprised her.
"Did you sleep well?" Semi asked.
"I have a headache." she grumbled and Yamagata offered her a cup.
She thanked him and drank the train silence. The boys continued their conversation about the upcoming tournament.
"You guys are up early." she noted.
"It's past noon, Tamiko-chan. You slept through the morning." Semi explained with a cheeky grin.
"What?" Tamiko was shocked. "What did you guys eat for breakfast?"
"Is that really the first thing you worry about?" Semi wondered.
"We ate in the cafeteria." Yamagata explained.
Tamiko grimaced. Of course they did. She looked over to Semi and as if he could read her mind, he answered.
"We didn't want to wake you since you had a tough evening."
She slumped back against the back of the chair and sighed. Remembering it was the last thing she wanted to do. The sound of a grumbling stomach filled the kitchen. The boys refrained their laughter and Tamiko looked away, blushing.
"Come on, let's have some lunch. The others should be there already." Yamagata suggested and they followed him.
They walked to the cafeteria, a first for Tamiko. She always made her own lunch and never had to go to buy her own food. It was a large hall for all the students, especially for those who lived in the dormitories. Ushijima, Tendou, Goshiki, Ohira, Shirabu and Kawanishi lived in the dormitories since their parents lived a little too far from school. They had already occupied a table and waited for the others, Goshiki waving at them furiously. Tamiko decided to have a salad and some rice, the only meal she could afford at that moment. Semi had offered to pay for her meal but she had denied being very hungry. They joined the others while Tendou was talking about a new shonen jump comic with a lot of enthusiasm. Only Ushijima was listening although his disinterest could be seen from a mile away. Tamiko quietly ate her salad while sitting between Kawanishi and Semi. She felt a lot of eyes stabbing into her back. Sitting amongst the boys of the famous volleyball club as the only girl really gave her a lot of unwanted attention from the fan clubs. Ushijima and Semi both had the biggest fan clubs that always rivaled against each other, although both boys didn't care. All the boys of the volleyball club were single, mainly because they hardly had free time. Coach Washijo made them go through intense training every day, at least the ones that lived in the dormitories.
"Kageyama, you should eat more." Kawanishi told her.
"I'm not hungry." she insisted but her grumbling stomach betrayed her again.
"I guess Tamiko-chan is overwhelmed by the good food." Tendou grinned.
"You can have some of my chicken." Ohira offered.
"I'm fine Reon." she smiled. "I will make Ramen for dinner tonight."
"Ha!" Tendou cheered. "I win."
Some of the boys groaned but didn't complain. After a while Tamiko stood.
"I'm going back." she said.
"Already? Why?" Semi asked.
"I'm not very welcome here." she whispered.
Semi looked around and saw a glimpse of all the evil glares before all the girls turned around or smiled at him. He clicked his tongue in irritation before Tamiko left. This was one of the reason why she had avoided the volleyball club but somehow she always ended up with the boys. She didn't hate them, not at all. She just thought it would be best not to interfere with their training. The coach always said she was always a help but deep inside she didn't believe it. Just until spring, she always told herself. Then she would be free. She didn't even know what she was going to do after high school. She wanted to study social pedagogy in Tokyo but then Tobio would be a 2nd year and she knew she couldn't leave him. She would have to continue her part-time job for another year. She sighed and sat down in the kitchen. After relaxing for 2 hours she started making dinner. The kitchen was soon occupied by the boys after they had showered. The evening passed quickly and while the boys were in their rooms, Tamiko sat by herself in the kitchen and read a book. "Children through the ages: how their role has changed over the centuries". She adjusted her glasses, which she was wearing after freeing her eyes of her contact lenses, and turned a page. This book had been her focus since the holidays started. It was already late in the evening when she decided to go to bed. The next morning when the boys joined for her breakfast, she was in a foul mood.
"You look like you got up on the wrong side of bed." Kawanishi noted.
"You guys made a heck of a racket last night. What was with the screaming, Tendou?" she grumbled and he flinched back, innocently looking away.
"He put bugs into Wakatoshi's fuuton." Shirabu explained.
"Served you right, Tendou." Ohira commented. "It was obvious that he would put them back into your own fuuton."
Tamiko could only imagine how that had played out. Ushijima wasn't one for pranks but Tendou always tried his luck.
"If I hear only one little squeak tonight, I will make something to eat which you will never forget." she smiled with the most threatening tone she could muster.
Behind the calm demeanour, the fire was burning fiercely and the boys registered the threat, nodding obediently.
"Where is Wakatoshi anyway?" Kawanishi asked.
"He went for his jog a little later than usual, but he should be back soon." Ohira informed them.
He wasn't wrong. When the boys were done with breakfast and started their training, Ushijima arrived and was greeted by the coaches shouting. But he wasn't alone. Holding onto his shirt was a little girl in a dress with orange hair and two pigtails.
"What's this Wakatoshi-kun? Are you kidnapping kids now?" Tendou asked.
"She followed me." he explained.
"While you were jogging?" Semi asked and Ushijima nodded.
"You don't jog, you run." Ohira noted. "Are you telling us that this kid could keep up with you?"
The little girl started to hide behind Ushijima's leg.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you." Ohira apologised.
"Benkei." she said.
"That somehow hurt." he mumbled.
"Okay, we obviously need a woman's touch here." Tendou suggested. "And I know just the person."
He returned a few minutes later with Tamiko. The little girl was still clinging onto Ushijima who had gone down on his knees to pat her head.
"What is this?" Tamiko asked.
She was more surprised with Ushijima comforting the child than actually seeing the child.
"This kid followed Ushijima." Semi explained.
Tamiko crouched down next to Ushijima and gazed at the child. The little girls brown eyes gazed back at her and they somehow seemed familiar.
"She looks like Hinata Shoyo." she mumbled mainly to herself but Ushijima registered those words.
He looked over to Tamiko and then back at the girl.
"You know my brother?" she asked.
"You are Hinata-kun's sister?" Tamiko questioned her and the girl nodded.
"I'm Hinata Natsu." she said and formally offered her hand.
"And I'm Kageyama Tamiko." she introduced herself and shook her hand.
"You know Tobio?" Natsu asked.
"He is my brother." Tamiko nodded.
Natsu giggled.
"I know your brother and you know mine." she grinned.
"And I'm sure he is looking for you." Tamiko noted, raising her eyebrows.
"Maybe." she shrugged.
"Let's have a look then." Tamiko smiled and pulled out her phone. "Tobio-kun."
"Hey sis. Why are you calling?" she heard him say, sounding out of breath.
"Is it possible that your friend Hinata has lost his sister?" she asked and looked down at Natsu, who was giggling.
"Have you seen her? We are looking for her right now!" he asked.
"Yeah, she is here at the Academy." she informed him.
"She is at Shiratorizawa Academy. Oi, Hinata! Give me back my phone!" then a voice change. "Kageyama-san! Is Natsu okay?"
"She is fine. It seems that she had followed Ushijima here while he was going for a run."
She looked down at Natsu who seemed to be busy trying to force Ushijima's face into a smile.
"You look too angry." Natsu complained.
"Don't let them hurt her!" she heard Hinata say.
"Don't worry, Hinata-kun."
Natsu proceeded to tie one of her hairbands into Ushijima's hair. The others were busy with their phones, taking photos of this seldom occurring scene.
"Actually, she is having a lot of fun right now." Tamiko ensured him.
"That's good."
"If you go to your school, I'll drive her there." she offered.
"Really? Thank you so much, Kageyama-san!"
In the moment, Natsu pulled on Tamiko's shirt.
"I want to stay." she said.
Tamiko looked down at her and then handed her the phone.
"Brother, I want to stay longer." she said.
She stayed silent and nodded a few times.
"Thank you brother." she beamed and handed the phone back to Tamiko.
"Is it okay for you, Kageyama-san?" Hinata asked.
"It's fine." Tamiko smiled.
"Thank you!"
"Dumbass, Hinata! Give me my phone back!" was the last thing she heard before the call ended.
"I think my photo takes the win." Semi grinned proudly and the others huddled for a closer look.
"Kageyama and Wakatoshi look like a married couple with their child." Kawanishi noted and all the boys agreed.
Before she could say anything, Semi held the phone screen before her eyes. She took a moment to look at the image. On the photo, she was still on her phone, looking down at the crouching Ushijima as he received a pigtail in his hair. Questionly she raised an eyebrow.
"Mom is making a call while dad tends to the daughter." Kawanishi explained to answer her silent question.
They all laughed when she only shook her head when. The coach came back and shouted at the boys for slacking off making them all flinch. Tamiko took Natsu with her to the side.
"Since you want to stay here, what do you want to do?" she asked her.
"I want to see him fly." Natsu said excitedly and pointed at Ushijima.
"Fly?" Tamiko repeated in wonder.
"My brother does it. He runs for the ball and then he goes bwah and flies." she gestured enthusiastically.
Tamiko and Natsu sat against the wall and watched Semi and Shibaru toss balls at the others to spike. For every spike, coach Washijo gave a critical comment. Natsu clapped. If Tamiko were honest, she would say that she had never seen any of the training or matches of the boys. When the school went to the tournaments, she had stayed behind to learn. This time she would go and watch. Her eyes lingered on Ushijima who was getting ready to spike. Both of the girls watched as he ran up to the net, spread his arms back like wings, jumped and hit the ball with all his might. The energy transfer was so great that the ball nearly hit the ceiling after its rebound. Tamiko cringed remembering the very same ball, hitting her in the face. That was also the day she met the volleyball club.
"I told you he could fly." Natsu grinned proudly.
"Yeah." she muttered with a soft smile.
They watched the boys do a few more spikes when Natsu grow restless with boredom. Tamiko offered the girl the possibility of drawing a little to which Natsu gleefully complied. In the kitchen she gave her pencils and paper and both drew a few pictures. Natsu drew a picture of her brother with back wings. Tamiko drew an eagle and a few crows. They talked a lot while drawing, Tamiko learning a lot about Natsu's brother who she seemed to adore. The small giant was mentioned and since Tamiko didn't know who he was, Natsu told her. It quickly became clear that Natsu's brother looked up to the small giant, the former ace of Karasuno, who was just as short as him but could jump very high. Tamiko smiled to herself. She liked it when people had a person they looked up to, someone who inspired them to climb the ladder of success. When the morning turned to into the afternoon, Tamiko stood.
"Natsu-chan, I'm bringing you back to your brother."
"Okay." Natsu nodded and helped tidy up the table.
Natsu wanted to take her picture with her and show it to Ushijima, who she was now calling Ushiwaka. They walked passed the gym and Tamiko waved Ushijima to the door.
"Ushiwaka, look." Natsu proudly displayed her picture.
While he talked with her about the picture, the others came over as well.
"Are you taking her home?" Kawanishi asked.
"I'm bringing her to Karasuno high school. Her brother is there." she explained.
"I didn't know you were so good with kids." Tendou noted.
"I have to be." she said.
Confused Semi raised an eyebrow and Tamiko told Natsu to get ready. She waved to the boys and they all said their goodbyes. Natsu was a very chatty passenger and luckily Tamiko still kept Tobio's old car seat. When they reached Karasuno high school, all of the members were waiting with Hinata. Happily reunited, Natsu eagerly told him Ushiwaka and how he flew. She wished them all a nice evening before she headed for the supermarket to buy the boys some secret snacks. After dinner and after the boys had retired into their shared room, she quietly sneaked through the corridor to their door and knocked softly. Semi opened the door for them.
"Hey, I got you some snacks." she whispered with a grin and finger over her lips.
"You are a lifesaver, Tamiko-chan!" Tendou cheered and for once in awhile, she smiled at him.
She handed him the bag and he looked inside before his face exploded with happiness.
"Chocolate ice cream!" he cheered again.
Tendou was so elated that the others all had to indicate to him to be quiet. After the snakes had gone round they all thanked her and promised not to tell the coach.
"Come in." Semi offered.
She paused for a moment and peeked past him to see all the boys sitting on the floor in a circle.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Playing with cards." they all grinned.
The lured her in and she even won a few rounds. After a while she grew bored of the game and watched the boys play instead while she listened to her own music. Ushijima was sitting to the right of her, reading a book and Soekawa Jin to the left, who was the vice captain. He was one of the boys whom she got along with straight away, mainly because they shared a love for the same music. When she lay down on her belly to rest her head a little, she soon forgot about what was happening around her and because she was getting cold, she covered herself with a blanket.
"I think Kageyama-san is asleep." Shibaru noticed.
Ushijima and Soekawa looked between them and saw her resting face. Her breath was quiet and had her head rest on her crossed arms. Soekawa chuckled and patted her head to which she began to stir.
"Don't wake her!" Semi warned. "Remember what she said this morning."
"But she can't sleep here." Soekawa reminded them.
That's when Ushijima moved. He took her phone away, uncovered her and picked her up in his arms as if she were a koala. Then he took her phone and carried her out of the room. The boys stared at the door that he quietly closed behind him.
"Did he seriously just do that?" Tendou asked in disbelief.
"He can endure her anger better than us." Kawanishi noted.
"True." they all nodded in agreement and continued their game.
Only Semi was frowning to himself. He tabbed his finger against his elbow, drowned in his own thoughts. While Ushijima carried her to her room, she tightened her grip.
"Why are people so hard to understand?" she mumbled to herself.
"I don't know." he answered.
Only then did he realise that she had mumbled in her sleep. He carefully laid her into her fuuton. His eyes lingered on her sleeping face gently grazed her cheek with one finger. The touch made her stir a little but after she lay still again he left the room. It had been along time since she had slept so well and peacefully.
