And back with another chapter. It took me a little bit to gather some background knowledge about the events happening during this chapter, so I apologize for the delay. I hope you all the chapter. Again, editing rights go the Fat King Pig.
ooo
It was inevitable. It was bound to happen eventually. So what made this year any different than the rest? Oh right. It was her last year, and her friends had something planned for her. It definitely didn't help that her brother's friends weren't on her side either. If only she had an identical twin that could take her place.
ooo
"You must be joking." Kagome said, but her grandmother shook her head. Looking down, Kagome read over the finer details of the contract.
"I'll have Kenjiro come in as soon as he can, so he may know where his responsibility lies." Kagome looked up at her grandmother.
"Obaa-sama, is this contract life bound?" Kagome asked. If the heir had to get married, certainly there must be stipulations.
"It is. So I suggest you tell Kenjiro to cut off his relationship with his lover." Kagome could hear the slight tension in her grandmother's voice when Tendo was brought up. It seemed like the elders still hadn't warmed up to the idea of Kenjiro and Tendo being in a relationship.
"He's in a happy relationship Obaa-sama. I don't want to ruin that for him. He's already been through so much these past couple years." Kagome told her grandmother.
"Kagome. The contract will be upheld and one of you, whoever it is, will have to pay the small price. I understand this is a hard decision. Believe me, if I were to change it, I would. But it is not possible." Kagome bit her lip.
"Small price? You mean to say that Kenjiro's freedom is just a small price to pay. Our lives aren't just toys for you to―"
"Listen very closely young lady. I have worked very hard with our lawyers to find a loophole in this contract. Unfortunately, your mother and father didn't leave anything out. By the time you graduate, one of you will be signing the papers to officially declare the heir of the company. I was given strict instructions from your parents to make sure this goes through."
"One of you will have to sign the papers before or by the time of your graduation. If you do not make a decision, I am bound, by the rules of the contract, to disown you."
ooo
"Are you going?" Kagome looked up from her book to see Sango's eyes looking up at her. Sango got tired of sitting up and had fallen to the side, laying her head in Kagame's lap as the elder girl read a book. Mirai and Rin had gotten heavily involved in their video game and were currently cursing each other out as they played.
"Going to what?" Kagome asked setting her book aside.
"The Hanabi festival of course. What else did you think I was talking about?" Sango asked, raising her eyebrows at Kagome.
"Might as well. It'll be my last one before I graduate. Are we going together?" Kagome asked and Sango nodded, briefing Kagome about their plans for the upcoming festival.
"And yes, you have to do your hair." Kagome sighed, nodding her head. Once Sango was done giving the details, Kagome went over them to make sure she didn't miss anything.
"So, just to be clear, we'll be getting ready at your place, take pictures and all. Then your mom has agreed to drive us down to Tokyo for the festival and back. In other words, the usual." Sango nodded.
"What color are you going to wear?" Kagome turned to see that Rin and Mirai had switched their attention from the game they were losing at to their conversation.
"I don't know yet. I think I'll wear one of my mom's this year." Kagome told them. Sango looked at her friend and lifted herself into a sitting position.
"Are you sure? You don't have to if you don't want to." Sango told her. Kagome shook her head and told Sango not to worry.
"I'll be fine. It'll be a nice way to honor my mother. She did love this festival after all." Kagome gave them a bittersweet smile. Noticing the mood was going down, Rin quickly jabbed at Sango's lack of a date and how she had dragged them into coming with her. This action, of course, caused Sango to chase after Rin with Mirai and Kagome laughing as the girls chased each other around the room.
ooo
The rest of the summer had flown by fast. The girls' team had their own training camp held at the school and had invited another college team nearby. There was a week before the term started and the Spring Tournament preliminaries were to start in a few days.
"Hurry up Sango. I need to use the bathroom." Mirai yelled, slamming her fist on Sango's bathroom door. The girls were in the process of getting ready for the festival. It was the last day, meaning that there would be a grand display of fireworks at the end of the night and the girls weren't going to miss it. Sango finally got out of the bathroom, letting Mirai in to use it. Sango had finished getting ready first, decked in a dark red kimono with blackbirds decorating the fabric, a black obi wrapped around her waist. She had done her hair into a side braid with a red clip pinning her bangs back.
Kagome and Rin were at Sango's dressing table, Kagome currently wrapping Rin's long black hair into an elegant chignon and sticking purple pins into it. Once her hair was ready, Rin grabbed her kimono from the bed and began to undress. Once she had put the kimono on, she began to tie the bow and fix the seams.
"Sit." Sango said, gesturing for Kagome to sit in the chair that Rin had been occupying until then. Kagome sat down, and Sango grabbed her brush and began to brush Kagome's hair.
"I still can't believe we've been going to this festival for five years now. I feel old." Sango said as she began to curl Kagome's hair with the hair curler.
"Sango, you are old." Kagome bluntly pointed out to her friend, laughing as Sango pouted at her.
"We'll still go next year right, even though you're going to college right? You and me as always?" Sango asked. Kagome nodded, careful not to ruin Sango's work so far. Once Sango had curled Kagome's hair, she began to weave it in and out, creating a beautiful waterfall of curls that fell down Kagome's back. Kagome pulled a few strands into the front to frame her face while Sango stuck white gem-embellished pins into her curls.
"Okay, now go change. I'm going to make sure Mirai is done." Sango said before whisking herself away to find Mirai. Kagome went over to Sango's closet where her mother's old kimono hung and took it out. She took off the silk robe she was wearing and slipped on the kimono and wrapped the obi around her waist, before looking at herself in the mirror. It was a little shocking for Kagome to see herself, being a spitting image of her mother. The dark blue kimono had beautiful white flowers growing up from the bottom of the fabric, and the white obi was tied around her waist to match the flowers.
"It looks gorgeous on you." Kagome looked up in the mirror to see Rin standing behind her and smiled at the younger girl. Behind Rin, she saw Mirai had finished getting ready as well. She was wearing a striped white kimono with large orange and red flowers on it, with a red obi tied around her waist.
"Girls, are you ready to go?" Sango's mom yelled from downstairs. The girls quickly checked to make sure they were ready and grabbed their purses before heading down the stairs.
"Don't you all look lovely. Picture time." Sango's mom said as she and her husband had the girls stand in the living room and took a few pictures.
"Mom, let's go. We can take pictures there too."
ooo
"Beautiful as always." Sango said as the four girls began to track down the main path, checking out the booths as they went. The Hanabi Festival was in full swing, lanterns lit up and strung all over the streets. Tons of people were walking around, stopping at booths and talking amongst each other. The four girls had stopped by a dango vendor and bought a few flavors before continuing down the path.
Rin and Sango found a balloon popping game and were currently going at that while Mirai was pulling Kagome towards the Scooping Fish game.
"That'll be 100 yen." Mirai pulled the change from her purse and gave it to the vendor, who in exchange gave her a paddle.
"Which one should I get?" Mirai said once she was crouched next to the pool of fish along with a few other kids. She looked around before spotting a small black and white fish and reached her paddle in to get it. Kagome was standing next to Mirai as the older girl tried to go for the fish. Eventually, after some time of struggling, she managed to get the fish out of the pool and into the small bowl given to her.
"Good job." Kagome said as Mirai stood up with the fishbowl in her hand and went to get it bagged from the vendor. Her attention was pulled back to the pool of fish when she heard a sigh come from below her. Just next to her was a little boy, probably about 4 or 5 years old.
"Are you trying to get a fish?" Kagome asked the little boy, crouching down next to the boy. The boy looked up at her and she saw bright gold eyes peering up at her.
"I want one. But I don't have money with me." The boy mumbled back in a quiet voice. Looking up, Kagome noticed that Mirai had wandered back to where Sango and Rin were still playing before looking down at the boy.
"Where are your parents? Did you get lost?" The boy nodded, tightening his grip on his knees.
"My brother is always spending time with his friends. So I got mad and ran away from him. And now I can't find him." The boy's eyes began to water. Kagome told the little boy to wait for a bit before going and paying for another paddle. Having played this game as a child, Kagome easily slipped her paddle in the water and began to move it around.
"Which one do you think is the prettiest?" Kagome asked the little boy. The boy looked around before pointing out a dark blue fish with a white streak going down its side. Nodding, Kagome moved her paddle next to the fish and with a swift movement, she paddled the fish out of the pool and into the small fishbowl.
"It's cute, isn't it?" Kagome smiled, showing the little boy the fish she got. Gesturing for the little boy to come with her, Kagome went up to the vendor who took the bowl and paddle and bagged the fish for her before handing it back to her.
"Here you go." The boy's golden eyes landed on the bag before looking up at Kagome.
"For me?" Kagome nodded. The boy reached out with his hands and grabbed the bag and gave Kagome a hug.
"Thanks, Onee-chan." Kagome cracked a rare smile at the boy and patted his head before he let go and started to admire the fish in his bag.
"What's your name?" Kagome asked the boy.
"Akira." Akira grinned up at Kagome. Kagome heard her name being called from behind her and turned to see her friends walking up to her with masks on the side of their heads.
"We're going to head over to see the dancers perform." Sango went to continue but stopped at the sight of a small boy at Kagome's feet.
"Did you kidnap a kid?" Sango asked with a look of horror on her face. Kagome shook her head, slapping Sango over the head before explaining the situation.
"Why don't you hang out with us? We'll help you find your brother." Akira nodded his head. Grabbing Kagome's hand in one and holding his fish bag in the other, they began to walk towards the dance performances.
"I can't see them." Akira said, standing on his tippy toes to look at the dancers. Kagome crouched down and picked Akira up before setting the boy on her hip.
"Sugoi!" Akira said, his eyes wide with excitement as he watched the fast-paced dancing. Kagome smiled up at Akira, unaware of her friend's gaze on her.
"She's good with kids. I guess it came with helping with her brother." Rin whispered and Sango nodded back, having been there with Kagome while it happened.
"I wonder how they're able to dance like that." Akira asked aloud once the performance had ended. Kagome had set him back on the ground and they were walking to check out a few more booths while looking out for Akira's brother.
"It took hours of practice and the ability to trust one another. That kind of dancing doesn't just happen overnight." Akira looked up at Sango.
"You know Akira, all four of us are on a volleyball team at our school. It's like a family away from home. It's where we train together, laugh together, cry together." Sango told him before looking over at Kagome who was buying fish biscuits with Rin.
"I consider Kagome to be an older sister, you know. We may be only a few months apart in age, but she's the type that will stick up for you and will help you when you need it. Isn't your brother the same?" Sango asked. Akira thought about it. His brother had been there for everything. His first steps, his first words, his first day of school, when he was first picked on for having white hair. And the whole time, his brother stuck by him with a smile on his face.
"Mmm." Akira nodded, feeling bad about running away from his brother.
"I don't fear her having other friends, because I know that there's a special place in her heart for me, as annoying as I can get." Sango told him, smiling as Kagome laughed with Rin and Mirai.
"I want to say sorry to my brother." Sango grinned and tugged his hand, pulling Akira towards her friends. Kagome saw them coming and lifted out a fish biscuit in his direction, letting go once he had grabbed it. She had gotten Akira an extra mask, one of an owl, and slipped it on the boy's head.
"We might be able to find your brother in the fireworks field. Let's find a spot on the hill before it gets crowded." Akira nodded, rushing over to Kagome's hand and grabbing it. The five of them began to walk out of the crowded street into the field and found a nice hill that had the perfect view of the field below.
"What does your brother look like?" Kagome asked the small boy.
"He's really tall. And has black and white hair. And eyes like mine." Akira replied, looking down at the crowd of people, hoping to spot his brother and his friends.
"I don't see him. Do you know what he was dressed in?"
"He was wearing a black kimono. Oh, and he's really loud." Akira replied, stretching on to his toes to see further. A couple minutes went by and the group still couldn't spot Akira's brother or his friends. Kagome looked down at Akira ready to ask a question when she felt a pair of slender arms wrap around her from behind.
"Milaya! I missed you." Kagome turned her head to see Arisa, Lev's older sister standing behind her. Pulling out of the elder girls' arms, she looked at Arisa properly. The girl was wearing a green kimono with beautiful white swirls and geometric shapes on them, along with a pale yellow obi tied at her waist. Arisa smiled and pulled Kagome in for a tight hug before waving hi to the other girls. Kagome quickly introduced Arisa to her teammates and to Akira before asking what the elder girl was doing here.
"Lev invited me to go to the festival with his and his team, so I joined them. But then I recognized you in the crowd and tried to find you. It's been too long." Arisa said.
"It really has. Sorry I haven't been able to come visit you. It's been a very busy summer." Kagome smiled. With the help of Sango, Arisa was brought up to date on the situation at hand, as Arisa turned to look at Akira, who had taken to hiding behind Kagome.
"So, you're trying to help Akira-kun find his older brother." Arisa said, giving a small smile and waving at Akira.
"Do you by chance know where he is? He's got black and white hair, and is apparently very loud." Kagome said, giving Arisa the description she was given.
"I can't say I've seen anyone by that description tonight. Then again, I left Lev and his teammates very early to have fun without them hovering around." Arisa told Kagome. Already feeling bad about leaving his brother, but the fact that he didn't know how to get back started to get to Akira and the boy began to cry.
"How do we get him to stop?" Sango mumbled as Kagome pulled the little boy in front of her and tried to calm him down by patting his hair. If anything, it made him cry harder.
"Sing to him." Arisa said, as if it was the obvious answer, gaining odd looks from the girls.
"I used to do it to Lyovochka when he got upset." Arisa told Kagome, who was still unsure about the idea.
"Do you have a song that comes to mind?" Mirai asked. Kagome nodded, the memory of her mother singing to her and Kenjiro playing in her head. Shoving aside the pain that she felt inside, Kagome knelt down on the grass and pulled the boy into her arms. She ignored the worried look that Sango gave her when she had gotten on the ground with her mother's kimono on.
In my eye and in my way
In the sky so far away
Are you hiding in the grey
I am on my way to find you
In the shadow where you lay
In the darkness, I'll be praying
One by one in a lonely lullaby
Akira had pulled back to see Kagome singing softly down to him, tears still running down his face. Kagome used her thumbs to brush the tears away.
Dancing like a lonely feather
In the windy weather
Looking for a beacon and some clarity
Long to fly again together
And I wonder whether
We will ever find our melody
Rin and Mirai looked on with awe, not having seen Kagome sing before. Arisa and Sango, on the other hand, were giving Kagome sorrowful looks.
Over mountain and below the stars
Light my way so I know where you are
And find me
Anywhere and anytime I sing my song for you
"Akira!" Akira whipped around having heard his brother's voice yelling out his name. Seeing his brother run towards him from the large crowd of people, Akira looked up at Kagome. His eyes caught the lone tear that fell down her cheek and the smile that grew on her face as she turned him around.
My tomorrow my today
it is time for you to find your way
ooo
"Akira!" Bokuto yelled, spotting him in the arms of a girl. Behind him was the rest of the regulars of the volleyball team. They were all helping him look for Akira. Akira began to run towards Bokuto after looking back at the girl and crashed into the elder's legs.
"I'm sorry Onii-chan." Akira cried out his apology for running away and being mean. Bokuto began to mumble quiet words to his brother, telling him not to worry. It was an odd sight to see, seeing as Bokuto was usually very loud and boisterous.
"I believe we have some people to thank." Bokuto looked over to Konoha, who was looking across the small gap at the group of girls whom his brother just ran from. The group of boys walked up to the girls, ready to thank them for finding their captain's younger brother.
"Ah, now Akira's description makes sense." Arisa said as she waved at the group of boys, having gotten to know them through her brother's team.
"Long time no see." Sango said to Bokuto. He recognized her to be one of the players of the Shiratorizawa girls volleyball team.
"Thank you for helping me find my brother." Bokuto said, bowing down in front of the girls. Rin shook her head, Mirai waving her hands out as if to disagree with his statement.
"It wasn't really us. More so…" Rin said, looking back to where Kagome had run off to. It was then that Komi had realized that one of their players was missing.
"Bokuto-san, Akaashi hasn't come back yet. And he won't answer his phone." Komi told his captain, who began to go on a tangent about losing his favorite setter.
"How do you know Bokuto-san?" Komi asked, confused as to how his volleyball captain managed to gain the attention of a group of girls.
"Oh, I met him when we were at Fukurodani way back. Our team had a practice match with your school." Sango told the boys.
"You must be the Shiratorizawa team that we've heard about from Karasuno then." Rin, Mirai, and Sango nodded.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Konoha Akinori, 3rd year." Konoha greeted them.
"Komi Haruki, 3rd year. Yoroshiku."
"I'm Sarukui Yamato, 3rd year."
"Not sure if you've heard, but if you haven't, I'm Sango, 2nd year." Sango introduced herself, recognition flitting across the boys' faces as they heard her name.
"Hyuuga Mirai, 3rd year." Mirai gave a small wave.
"Taisho Rin, 2nd year." Rin said, nodding in their direction.
"Who was the fourth girl with you guys? The one that was holding Akira." Konoha asked. Rin and Mirai looked over at Sango, who gave the boys a small look.
"She's the one who found your brother, Bokuto-san." Sango told the Fukurodani captain.
"Where did she go? Did she run away? Was I too scary looking?" Bokuto asked, looking at his teammates for an answer. Sango sweatdropped as Bokuto's friends assured the man that he didn't do anything.
"She had some business to take care of, but don't worry. She'll be back before the fireworks start." Sango told the boys.
"That okay with you captain? We'll go find a spot to watch the fireworks, and when she comes, you can thank her yourself." Komi told Bokuto, who nodded before walking ahead with his younger brother on his shoulders.
"Why won't Akaashi answer his phone?" Sarukui grumbled as another call lead to voicemail. The rest of the boys followed after Bokuto, with the girls trailing behind.
"Are you missing someone?" Sango asked. Sarukui nodded, explaining how they had split up to help find Bokuto's younger brother. The group had found an empty patch on the field and took their seats, waiting for the fireworks to come when they heard someone calling Arisa's name.
"Nee-san!" Arisa turned around to see Lev running up to her, followed by the rest of the Nekoma team.
"Lyovochka! Did you like the festival?" Arisa asked Lev once the boy had gotten close enough to hear her.
"Yes. There were so many games and snacks to eat. Yaku-san got mad at me after I went to play another game, telling me that we had to go find seats to see the fireworks." Lev said, still wary of the short liber that was giving him a look.
"Ah, it's you!" Kuroo yelled, his eyes falling onto Sango, who also shot up from her seat.
"Why are you everywhere I go in Tokyo?" Sango bit out. The two got close to each other and began to snipe at one another before they had to be pulled back by their teammates.
"Sumimasen. She didn't mean it." Mirai said, giving Sango a look. Meanwhile, Yaku was also apologizing for Kuroo's appalling behavior.
"What are you doing here Bo? And why are you with her?" Kuroo asked Bokuto, who was currently attending to his younger brother.
"Ah, they found Akira for me. " Bokuto told Kuroo. Kuroo sighed, dropping to the ground next to Bokuto.
"Kenma, did you end up getting that candy apple you wanted?" Kuroo asked, turning to his side to see an empty spot. Looking behind him, he noticed that his teammates were now conversing with the Fukurodani team and the girls from Shiratorizawa, but there was no Kenma.
"Kenma?" Kuroo called out again, hoping that his childhood friend was somewhere nearby and just out of sight.
ooo
Pushing a branch away, Kagome stepped out of the woods panting. The moment Akira had gone running towards Bokuto, Kagome ran. Her heart felt like it was caving in on itself, and she didn't want to be around anyone at the moment.
"I must have shocked Rin and Mirai." Kagome huffed out as she looked ahead at the clearing. Walking towards the river, Kagome looked down at her reflection in the shallow bank. From her hair down to her dress, she looked just like her mother did.
"I wonder if she was at peace when she left." Kagome mumbled, watching the fish in the water swim down the stream with its brethren.
"If you plan on jumping, I suggest you don't do it." It was quiet, but the fact that someone managed to sneak up on her shocked Kagome. Spinning suddenly, she lost her balance on the loose dirt on the ground. Feeling herself tip backwards, Kagome clenched her eyes together and waited for her back to hit the water. Only it didn't. Cracking her eyes open, she looked up to see a pair of gold eyes peering down at her. The boy over her had two-toned hair, bleached tips framing his face, making it as if his eyes were glowing. It was then that she recognized the boy to be one of the volleyball players she met when she was at Fukurodani.
"Thank you." Kagome said, patting her kimono down once the boy had pulled her away from the river and onto her feet.
"No worries." The boy mumbled before pulling out his phone. It was then that Kagome got a good look at the boy. He was decked in a black kimono with a red obi tied at his waist.
"You're the setter from Nekoma, aren't you? What's your name?" Kagome asked the boy. The boy nodded back, looking up from his phone briefly.
"Kozume Kenma. And you must be Shirabu Kagome." Kagome raised an eyebrow at the boy.
"Kuroo rants about you a lot." Kenma replied, his direction back on his phone.
"Anyways, I owe you one." Kagome said, tipping her head in the direction of the river before pulling out her phone. She extended her phone in Kenma's direction, grabbing his attention.
"Like I said, it's fine." Kenma said in an exasperated tone.
"I've had enough karma for one lifetime. So let me repay the favor." Kagome said, looking Kenma in the eyes. Kenma stared back at her as if he was peering through her eyes into her soul. He reached out a hand and grabbed her unlocked phone after a few moments. Putting in his contact details, he sent himself a message before handing the phone back to her.
"What kind of excuse would you like me to give Kuroo now, Kenma?" The two turned to see Akaashi waiting at the forest line, his phone in hand. The boy was decked in a white kimono with a dark blue obi tied around his waist.
"Nothing happened Akaashi." Kenma huffed, pulling his game up again and began to play. Giving his friend a small smile, Akaashi turned to Kagome, who was staring back at him.
"Shirabu-san, right? Oh, I apologize. You're a third year, so it would be Shirabu-senpai." Akaashi asked, stepping towards the two. Kagome nodded.
"We should head back to the fireworks field. It seems that our teams have found a place to sit together." Kenma nodded and started to walk, followed by Kagome and Akaashi. Once the three had made their way through the woods and were walking on the field, Kagome saw her friends up ahead with a bunch of males goofing off around her.
"Kenma-san, I was so worried you got lost." Lev bounded up to Kenma, looping his arm around the setter's arm and began to drag the boy back to where his teammates were hanging out. Kagome stared at her friends having fun with each other, not worrying about anything else. They didn't seem to be worrying about their future, about the Spring Tournament, about the upcoming term.
"Ignorance is truly a bliss. I envy them." Kagome whispered in the air. Unknowing to her, Akaashi had heard her.
"Is it really?" Akaashi spoke out, gaining Kagome's attention as she saw the boy step up to her side. She gave Akaashi a questioning look, to which he continued.
"Would one truly be happy about being ignorant?" Akaashi asked, looking Kagome in the eye.
"It's better than knowing everything, is it not?" Kagome shrugged her shoulders slightly.
"Knowledge is power, a responsibility. It's a gift that not everyone has the chance to receive." Akaashi told her.
"Don't tell me something I already know." Kagome said, sighing deeply.
"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today." Akaashi told Kagome. She chuckled lightly, looking over at her friends before turning back to Akaashi.
"Responsibility, huh. You, of all people, can't tell me that." Akaashi was slightly taken back by the sad smile that Kagome gave him. A loud sound echoed throughout the night, signaling the end of their conversation and the beginning of the fireworks.
ooo
The Spring Tournament First Preliminaries had come and gone rather quickly, with Shiratorizawa landing a spot in the second round. The new term had begun and the 3rd years had been very busy. The idea of college entrance exams was just around the corner and their classes were increasing in rigor. Luckily, Shiratorizawa's annual cultural festival was coming up, giving the 3rd years a break from their studies. However, it also brought about the intense debate of what idea each class would be doing for the day.
"Listen up. We're going to get this done with so we can start with the preparations. So if you have anything to say, say it now." The class president said. No one said a word, waiting for her to continue with the process.
"As you know, we chose the idea of a dating cafe before we went for summer vacation. We will have 7 girls and 7 boys rotating dates. Each date will be 15 minutes long, and the rest of the guests will be served in the cafe." The vice president said, listing out the term that the class had agreed to.
"Once the dates have been nominated, they will pick from a hat to determine their character for the day. You can either nominate yourself or another person, and we will vote in the end. So with that, let's begin." The president said.
"Who will be our dates?" As if on cue, a bunch of girls and boys raised their hands and they started listing out names. As this was occurring, Kagome felt a tap on her shoulder and she looked back.
"You're not going to do it?" Tendo asked her, as some of the boys in their class began to nominate girls.
"Are you?" Kagome replied back. Tendo shook his head.
"Kenjiro would kill me. And I'd rather not have him angry with me." Tendo told Kagome.
"Well, it's a good thing you can nominate someone else, isn't it."
"I'd like to nominate Satori as a date." Laughter went through the air as the vice president added Tendo to the board.
"Imagine what will happen if Shirabu-san catches him on a date with a girl… jealousy!" Kagome heard one of the girls tell her friend.
"That's mean, Kagome." Tendo grumbled, already wary about Shirabu hearing of the news.
"Tell that to my shrimp rice that you ate yesterday." Kagome said, giving Tendo a glare in the corner of her eye.
"Well, two can play this game." Kagome didn't have enough time to slap her hand over Tendo's mouth as the boy stood up with his hand raised.
"I'd like to nominate Kagome-chan!"
"I second that nomination." Kagome turned to see Mirai grinning broadly at her from the doorway as the girl walked into the class. She gave an envelope to the president and whispered something to her before walking out the door. Meanwhile, whispers went around the room. It was a known thing that Kagome was considered one of the school beauties. Having top marks and impressive athletic abilities made her one of the sought out females in the school.
"I'm going to kill you and bury you where no one will find your pitiful body." Kagome said under her breath so that only Tendo could hear her. Once the list had been compiled, all the students were told to close their eyes and the voting process began. When the voting had ended, the vice president began to call out the names the dates, and of course, Kagome's had was called.
"Now, we have compiled a list of different characters that you get to choose from. Please pick out one slip." The president told the dates as the vice president gave the bowl of paper slips to the front desk to be passed around. One by one, the chosen students picked out of the bowl and there were sounds of excitement and disappointment as their characters were chosen.
"Volleyball player. Well, I can pull that off." Tendo relaxed in his seat and Kagome stood up, walking to the front to the bowl of slips. Kagome reached her hand into the bowl and pulled out one slip, hoping she had gotten something simple like Tendo.
"What'd you get?" One of the girls in her class asked. Kagome unfolded the paper, groaning internally as she read the character aloud.
"Demon queen." It was odd. Everyone else had a rather normal character such as a model or knight. Kagome could hear some of the girls that hadn't been nominated getting ideas for her costume and sighed, giving up on having a say when her eye caught one of the papers in the bowl. She pulled it out to see that it also read demon queen. Looking at the other white sips, she noticed that they all looked identical. Looking up, Kagome looked into the eyes of her class president who was waiting for her to sit down.
"Kaicho, I think something is wrong. All of these slips have the same thing on it." Kagome told the president, who grabbed the bowl and looked through it.
"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about. These all have different things on it." The president said, pulling out a colored slip and showing her the character.
"But…" The protest died on Kagome's when she saw the smile on her class president's face and the pieces clicked together. Once the class had ended, the students were dismissed for lunch. In the end, only Kagome and Tendo were in the room. The rest of the class had quickly rushed out of the room having felt Kagome's anger pulsing.
"You have three seconds to explain." Kagome said, staring Tendo down. She was standing in front of Tendo while the boy was kneeling on the ground in a dogeza.
"Sango cornered me after lunch yesterday." Tendo gave, and that was all Kagome needed.
"Don't think you've escaped." Kagome said, letting Tendo off the ground before walking out of the room with Tendo right behind her. The two volleyball teams had the habit of eating together out in the gardens, but due to the cold weather, they most likely were in the cafeteria. Spotting Sango with the others, she crept up behind the girl.
"Sango~" Said girl flinched, a cold shiver going up her spine as she turned around to see Kagome glaring her down.
"Do explain why you roped Mirai and Tendo into this." Kagome told the girl, who was currently shaking from fear. Mirai was already laughing her head off as Kagome tore into Sango.
"You too?" Kagome turned to Reon, who had finished his lunch and was watching the little show in front of him.
"Our class is doing a haunted house theme. Guess what Wakatoshi has been chosen to act as." Reon told Kagome, once she had slipped into a seat across from him.
"You have got to be kidding me."
ooo
The month of preparations had gone by, highlighting the pain that Kagome had to go through with wardrobe fittings, and the school was ready for the Cultural Festival. Students were finishing their last minute details on their classes, making sure everything was ready to go. Those who had to wear costumes and different outfits were all changing while the student council were at the front of the school ready to welcome their guests.
"There you go. You're done." Kagome opened her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror. Some of the 3rd year girls in her class had taken it upon themselves to do her hair and makeup. She got off the seat that they had her sitting in for the last thirty minutes and headed over to the mirror. Looking closely in the mirror, she saw a pair of teal cat-slit eyes looking back at her. The girls had added eyeliner and lipstick to highlight her prominent features. Her hair had been pulled into a high ponytail with a gold crown circling the base of it. Three small horns were poking out of the stray hairs that framed her face. Kagome turned her head slightly to see long elfin ears poking out of her hair.
"Just be careful with the ears. They are being rather temperamental." Kagome nodded before looking over the rest of her outfit. She was wearing a blood red tube top with a black one-sleeved kimono that was partially off shoulder. On the bare arm, there was a gold arm band that had been fastened to her upper arm and a large white beaded necklace around her neck. A white skirt was clipped over the kimono at her waist, with a gold belt holding it all in place. Under the skirt, the black kimono flowed down, ending at her knees.
"Go ahead to the class. They're waiting for you." The girl who did her hair smiled, pushing Kagome out of the changing room. Nodding, Kagome pushed her hair over her shoulder and went to walk to her class when the changing room door next to her opened and out stepped Ushijima.
"I see they got to you too." Kagome said, gesturing to their coordinating outfits.
"Females are not to be underestimated." Ushijima said, looking over Kagome before nodding in acceptance.
"Shall we go? It's about to start." Ushijima nodded and the two began to walk to their classes. As they walked by, whispers spread as students and staff alike turned to stare at the two. Kagome heard the clicks of her heels on the floor and the whispers about her and Ushijima.
"Look at them!"
"Ushijima-kun is so hot!"
"Shirabu-senpai looks so pretty."
"They look like the perfect couple." By the time Kagome and Ushijima had made it to their hallway, the rumors had spread up to their floor and their fellow third years came out to see their top students.
"You look gorgeous!" An arm slipped around her waist as Sango appeared in her view.
"Aren't you supposed to be with your class?" Kagome asked the girl.
"Hai. But I had to come get pictures for our photo collection. So stand together." Sango said, having moved the two to a large black curtain that had been put up for picture purposes. Kagome and Ushijima stood where they were and stared back at Sango who was holding the camera. Some of their fellow classmates sweat-dropped at the pair.
"Um, not like that you guys. More like your characters should act." Sango told them. The two tilted their heads in confusion, causing some of their classmates to laugh out.
"Okay. That didn't work." Sango puffed her cheeks out. She tried explaining it to them in another way, but Kagome and Ushijima still didn't understand.
"Act as if you're in love with each other. Like that dazed look." One of their classmates yelled to them. Kagome and Ushijima both gave each other a look, knowing that this would be rather awkward to do.
"And this is really because…" Kagome asked. Sango put her hands together and pleaded for the two to do the pose.
"Ok, so maybe I need this for a portfolio for art. Please Kagome?" Kagome sighed. Looking up at Ushijima, he nodded briefly.
"Ushijima, wrap your arm around Kagome's waist. And then Kagome, grab Ushijima's forearm. Not that one, the other one. Yes, and then raise your hand to caress his cheek." Sango was giving instructions, Kagome and Ushijima were adjusting until they had completed the pose.
"Is this it?" Kagome asked. Sango nodded before grabbing her camera and turning it on.
"Now, like Nakamura-senpai said, you need to look at each other like you love each other." Kagome and Ushijima gave each other a look. Ushijima nodded to her and she gave him a small smile before telling Sango they were good to go.
"That looks so realistic." Sango heard one of her senpais say, and she had to admit that they were telling the truth. Clicking a bunch of pictures, Sango was surprised that the two actually managed to pull it off. Ushijima's eyes were partially lidded looking down at Kagome in an adoring gaze while Kagome was looking up at Ushijima with a dazed look, her lips barely parted. Once given the ok, Kagome and Ushijima let go of each other, and Kagome waved bye to Ushijima as he headed to his class.
"If that picture finds itself anywhere it shouldn't be, expect to find yourself in a grave seven feet under. Capishe?" Kagome threatened Sango, who saluted to Kagome before rushing off to her class.
"How could you take a picture with Wakatoshi and not with me Kagome-chan." Kagome ignored Tendo's whining as he pulled her into their classroom.
"The guests are arriving. Everyone, take your positions."
ooo
"I'm tired." Tendo said, flopping onto the couch, very much aware that his boyfriend was already reclining on it.
"Heavy…" Shirabu complained, but said nothing else as Tendo laid his head on his lap. The Cultural Festival was finally over, and the two had taken to resting for a while.
"Where's Kagome-chan?" Tendo asked, noticing the absence of the older twin. Shirabu told him that she had been exhausted after catering to guests all day and was taking a nap.
"Who are we playing first?" Shirabu asked, referring to the Miyagi Prefecture Playoffs that were just around the corner.
"Araigawa High." Tendo told him as Shirabu weaved his fingers in his hair.
"Coach asked another college team to come for the following week to practice with us." Shirabu continued to tell Tendo about their upcoming training, causing a tick mark to grow on the older boy's forehead.
"Stop talking about training, honestly." Tendo said, trying to guilt trap Shirabu into paying more attention to him.
"Hai hai." Shirabu smiled down at his boyfriend, kissing the 3rd year on the forehead before asking how his day went. The two began to chat, smiles and laughter brightening the mood around them as they settled into a comfortable position. Kagome watched from the edge of the hallway, the shadows keeping her mostly out of sight.
"How was I supposed to let you do this?" Kagome whispered under her breath. She didn't want to get married to someone she didn't know. She needed air. Grabbing a sweatshirt from her room, she padded down the hallway to the door and began to put on her shoes.
"Kenjiro, I'm going out for a run. If I'm not back by dinner, eat without me." Kagome said, waving to her brother and Tendo before slipping out the apartment door. Once she was out of hearing range, she pulled out her phone and called Arisa. As the phone was dialing her number, Kagome was hit with a rush of memories from when she first met the older girl. It had been years ago, back when she was in her last year of elementary school. Her mother had taken her to a dancing class, and Kagome had slipped out of the meeting room to one of the practice rooms when she met the older girl dancing in front of the mirror.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Haiba Arisa, desu." Arisa said, holding out a hand. Kagome reached out, grabbing Arisa's hand and introduced herself.
"I'm Shirabu Kagome. Nice to meet you." Kagome gave the elder girl a bright smile. Arisa stared at Kagome for a little while, making Kagome seem as if there was something on her when Arisa sprung forwards and pulled her into a hug.
"You look so adorable. We're going to be best friends, isn't that right Milaya?" Kagome was confused to who Milaya was.
"Did you just call me Milaya? That's not my name." Kagome told Arisa.
"It's my nickname for you, Milaya~" Arisa said, giggling as she pulled Kagome by the hand and twirled the girl around.
"Milaya, what a surprise. I didn't expect you to call. What's up?" Arisa's peppy voice rang in her ear.
"Ne Arisa, mind if I can ask you something?" Kagome asked.
"Of course."
"You can't say anything. Not to anyone, please." Arisa could hear the desperation in Kagome's voice and agreed to keep it a secret.
"My late parents signed a contract for an engagement for the heir of the family. I have no interest in taking over the family business, but my brother does. However, if he does, he will have to break up with his boyfriend. And if I tell him, he will sign the document to officialize his place as the heir so that I don't have to end up in a loveless marriage." Kagome started to rant to the older girl.
"This is driving me crazy. If I don't give my grandmother an answer soon, she'll call my brother down to tell him." Kagome didn't realize it, but she had been walking aimlessly down the road, unaware of where she was going.
"Milaya, calm down. Everything will be ok. First, do you know who this person is?" Arisa asked Kagome, referring to the person either of them would be engaged to.
"Not yet. I won't figure out until one of us signs the official documents." Kagome told the girl.
"Ok. Is there anyway out of the contract? Loopholes?" Kagome replied with a no, explaining how her grandmother had looked into that when she had first discovered the contract. The two talked for some time about the situation before Arisa spoke out.
"Well, it seems like you've made up your mind, hasn't it. In fact, you probably already signed the papers, didn't you" Kagome finally came to stop. Noticing she was standing in front of a small store, she sat down on the steps in the front and curled her knees towards her chest.
"Tell me I'm wrong. That I should get rid of that signature." Kagome begged.
"Milaya you and I both know that nothing I saw will change your mind. What I will tell you is that I'm proud of you, of your decision, and I will stand by you the whole way through." Arisa's voice pierced the quiet air.
"I'll tell him when I get back home." Kagome told Arisa.
"Good luck Milaya."
"Thank you, Arisa" Kagome ended the call and sighed, looking up at the darkening sky. Getting to her feet, she walked up the steps to the store and opened the door. Heading to the drinks section, she grabbed a sports drink and an energy bar before heading to the front counter. She set the items down on the counter and looked up to see Karasuno's Coach staring back at her.
"Am I near Karasuno High School?" Kagome asked the male as he rang up her items.
"Yes. Are you lost?" Coach Ukai replied as he took her payment, confused to why a student from Shiratorizawa was here at this time.
"Not really. Thank you." Kagome dipped her head as she grabbed the drink and the energy bar, slipping the bar into her pocket before heading towards the door when she heard a familiar voice coming from the entrance.
"Coach! We finally did it." Coach Ukai slammed his head down on the counter, complaining about brats coming in and ruining his peaceful time as Hinata came racing around the corner.
"Ah. Shiratorizawa's setter. What are you doing here?" Kagome looked down at the shorter boy.
"If I told you, then I'd have to kill you. I have a feeling your coach would approve." Kagome told the boy, side-stepping around him as she headed out the door, passing by a panting Kageyama. She had barely made it down the steps when Hinata slammed the store doors open again and stared down at her from where he stood.
"It was you!" Kagome tilted her head in confusion.
"From the locker room. You're the one that ambushed me." Kagome's eyes slightly widened as she remembered what had happened as a result of their truth or dare game.
"Huh? What are you talking about Hinata?" Kageyama asked, standing behind his teammate.
"You have no proof that it was me, now do you?" Kagome told the boy. Noticing that he couldn't come up with anything to say back, she waved her hand and began to head back the way she came.
ooo
It had been quite a long walk by the time she made it back to her apartment. Unlocking the door, she stepped inside and and shut the door behind her. Once she had taken her shoes off and set the partially empty sports drink on the kitchen counter, she went in search of her brother.
"You two decent in there?" Kagome asked, knocking on her brother's bedroom door. Hearing a faint 'ok' come from the room, she opened the door to see her brother and Tendo lying in bed together. Closing the door behind her, she went up to the bed and sat at the foot of it.
"Have a nice run?" Tendo asked and Kagome nodded. It was taking her a little while to process how she wanted to tell her brother.
"Are you okay?" Shirabu asked his sister, getting to his knees and moving closer to his sister. He put a hand on her forehead to check her temperature, but she grabbed his hand and moved it back down.
"I'm not sure how to tell you. So I'll put it bluntly." Kagome said, and Shirabu nodded, ready to hear what she had to say.
"I'll take over the company. You can choose what you want to do with your future, now that it's not tied down." Kagome told her brother. Shirabu was shocked. He hadn't been expecting this.
"You said you didn't want to take it over. Why are you changing your mind now?" Shirabu asked Kagome.
"I had a change of heart. Grandmother showed me what the company was like and I decided to uphold my duty as the eldest." Kagome said.
"I don't think it matters if either one of us takes over the company. So I'll do it instead. I know you don't like it, and you know I have an interest in business." Shirabu said, taking his sister's hands in his.
"No. I'll be the one to take over. I'm sorry Kenjiro. I know how much it means to you. But now, I'm giving you the chance to do something that you will actually like and not have forced on to you because I said no before." Kaogme said, pulling her hands from his.
"If you knew how much it meant to me, then you wouldn't change your mind all of a sudden. I'll call Obaa-sama and tell her that I'll take over." Shirabu retorted, getting slightly annoyed with his sister. Why did she have to change her mind now? Ever since the accident, she showed no interest in the company at all. While she hadn't officially declared it to anyone, he knew that he would have to take over and had begun to delve into the matters their family company dealt with.
"Leave it Kenjiro." Kagome got off the bed and made for the door. Shirabu felt as if his world was slowly falling back apart. The one thing that kept him going besides his sister and his friends was the company that their parents left behind for them. It was the last tether he had with them. He put his effort into helping his uncle with some of the smaller affairs when possible and all of a sudden, his sister decides to take back what she declined.
"Kagome, you can't just do that. This is a matter that we have to talk about together." Shirabu bit out, standing to his feet and raced after his sister, grabbing her arm to stop her.
"I'm sorry Kenjiro. I really am, but this is something I have to do."
"That's not something that you can just decide Kagome. This is ridiculous. Why do you have to take something you've already rejected. Look at me when I'm talking." Shirabu said, spinning his sister around.
"I know you don't like the decision I made, but keep in mind that I am the older one here otouto. Keep that in mind. This decision is final. The papers have been signed." The tension froze over as Kagome called Shirabu out. The mood was plummeting in the room, and Tendo didn't know how to stop their fight. It wasn't the first time the twins had fought over something, but usually their arguments were over petty things.
"Look at you pulling that card. You have no right to do that at all. Okaa-sama and Otou-sama didn't even raise me, they just shipped me over to Oba-sama and Oji-sama's. I didn't even know you existed until you started attending Kitagawa Daichi and I was called back to the main house." All the pent up frustrations over the past couple years were unravelling at the worst time possible. While Kagome didn't want to hash everything out at the moment, it seemed that her brother was letting out all his frustrations about her at the same time.
"You can't even consider us siblings, let alone twins. " Kagome's eyes widened as Shirabu yelled out the last part of his pent up anger. Growing up, Kagome always thought she was an only child. The manor was always empty and there were no kids her age until her parents came home one day and introduced Shirabu to her as her younger twin. And she hadn't questioned it, but it seemed like all along, he had.
"I'll go stay with Mirai for the time being." Kagome's voice cut through the air as she left Shirabu's room and closed the door. Shirabu didn't stop her. After staring at his closed door for some time, he headed back to his bed and crawled under the covers. Tendo couldn't say anything to console his boyfriend. He sat in the silence for a little while before Shirabu peeked his head out of the covers and looked up at Tendo.
"Satori, I don't mean to be mean, but would you mind leaving me alone? I need some time to think." Shirabu told his boyfriend. Tendo replied with a yes, brushing his lips against Shirabu's forehead before leaving the room, shutting the door behind him. He walked towards the front door, grabbing his bag along the way to see Kagome at the door putting her shoes on. She had her school bag in one hand and another small bag slung over her shoulders. In her other hand were her uniform shoes.
"Gomen Satori. I didn't mean for you to see that." Kagome said once both of them had stepped out of the apartment and were walking back to their school.
"It's fine Kagome-chan." Tendo replied, patting Kagome on the head, laughing as she swatted his hand away. He noticed that the younger girl was feeling down about the whole confrontation that had just happened. It looked like a lot of repressed emotions came to light and it didn't look like she could handle it.
"You really love my brother, don't you?" Kagome asked, surprising Tendo with the question. They really had never had a talk about him dating her younger brother. Both him and Kagome, being in the same year together, meant that they spent more time together than he would have normally. Somehow along the line, they found a mutual respect for each other, hence the conversation had never come up when they told her about their relationship.
"I'm not going to say that he's my soulmate, or my other half. But he's what makes me happy. And for me, that's good enough." Tendo saw the small smile grow on Kagome's face as the younger girl turned to him.
"Keep it that way." The two walked in silence for the rest of the trip to the dorms.
ooo
It wasn't long before the two teams realized that the twins weren't talking to each other. If one entered the room, the other excused themselves and left. Some of the 3rd years on the team were ready to approach Shirabu about the situation but were stopped by Tendo. The tense atmosphere soon faded into an awkward tension as both siblings didn't know how to confront the other. It wasn't until the Miyaji Prefecture Playoffs started that the anxiety of approaching one another blew up.
It was the second day of the competitions, and the girls' team had won both their matches. Given the rest of the afternoon off to watch the other matches, Kagome and her friends headed over to see Aoba Josai's match with Karasuno. The results of the match did shock Kagome. It was only a couple months before that she had seen Karasuno's quick duo perform their ultimate move and she had been able to receive it.
"Karasuno wins, 2:1. Players shake hands." Kagome stood up and began to clap along with the rest of the crowd. Looking down, she noticed that some of the players had started crying.
"Arigato gozaimashita!" Oikawa said bowing down, followed by the rest of the Aoba Josai team. Once they had their after match talk with their coach, the boys left the gym one by one.
"Go back without me. I'll be back for our practice later on." Kagome told them before running up the stairs and out of the stands. She ran down the hall towards the boy's locker room just in time to see the younger boys coming out, only the 3rd years remaining in the locker room.
"Kagome-senpai!" Kindaichi bowed to his senpai as the rest of the team turned their attention to her.
"You guys did well." With Kagome's words, it looked like the boys were about to burst into tears again, but she continued on.
"Kindaichi, don't bend your knees too much when you go to spike a straight. It will make it harder to go up, and even harder to hit a cross." Kindaichi blushed at Kagome's advice and thanked the girl as she turned to Kunimi.
"Make sure that you spread out your energy use more evenly throughout the first set. It'll help you gain endurance to play harder during the second." Kunimi nodded. One by one, Kagome began giving advice to the members that played in the game.
"Kyoutani, don't act so rash all the time." Kyoutani looked as if he were about to start a fight with Kagome when she put a hand up to stop him.
"You want to win don't you? Then harness that energy of yours and convert it into a play that no one can block. Isn't that what you're gonna do, future ace?" Kyoutani seemed a little taken back that she knew Iwaizumi had passed the title on to him, but to the rest of the members, It wasn't a surprise that she knew who was going to be the next ace and captain.
"Yahaba, you'll be a good setter. Much better than Tooru personality-wise for sure. Keep in mind that you don't need to be another Tooru. Make Aoba Josai proud, ne?" Yahaba nodded, thanking Kagome for all the advice she had given to him over the past couple months. The other members bowed in return, thanking Kagome for all the training and advice they had received over the summer when she stopped by to practice with them.
"Are they still in there?" Yahaba nodded. Letting the boys go ahead to their usual restaurant, she headed into the locker room to see her childhood friends dressed in their jumpsuits and sitting on the benches. Hanamaki and Matsukawa gave her small smiles as they walked by her, patting her on the head as they left the locker room.
"I'm proud of you guys." Oikawa looked up to see Kagome standing in front of him. Iwaizumi sent her a grateful look as she looked at him.
"Tsuki-chan… gomen. Looks like we couldn't keep our promise after all." Oikawa told her, tears threatening to fall down his face.
"Baka, what are you talking about?" Kagome said, walking up to Oikawa, before lifting his face so that he was looking at her.
"You had fun, didn't you?" Oikawa nodded.
"You did a good job out to there. Even I couldn't do what you guys did out their today." Kagome told him.
"But we lost… we'll never go to Nationals with this team." Oikawa muttered.
"Then you just have to make it to the National team, isn't that right?" Kagome said, and Oikawa looked up at her in confusion.
"Tooru, I won't be able to go past college. I know it, and so do you. You said you couldn't fulfill your promise. In exchange, make it to the National Team." Kagome said, giving her wrist a dry look before looking at him with determination in her eyes.
"I'll take you to Nationals and win there. So you take your spot in the National Team, and we'll be cheering you on the whole way, won't we?" Kagome said looking at Iwaizumi, who nodded in response before slapping Oikawa over the head.
"Come on. We need to catch up with the rest of the team. Otherwise they're going to eat your filling as well." Oikawa squawked as he jumped from the chair and grabbed his volleyball bag. Sliding it over his head, he pulled Kagome into a hug and thanked her before running out the door.
"Thank you Kagome." Iwaizumi said. Kagome nodded, wrapping her arms around the boy as he gave her a hug. He wished her luck in the finals tomorrow before heading out the door after Oikawa.
ooo
"This is just like any other game we've played before. There's no going back." Kagome told her teammates as they stood in a circle. The girls finals were about to start and the teams had finished warming up.
"All the stakes on this match. You know the drill."
