Chapter 5: Beating hearts (Part 1)
The next days weren't easy. Yona started attending school again on Mondays after her painful meeting with the volleyball, but ever since, she felt like walking in a dream. She tried hard to concentrate during lessons, but whenever she wasn't completely focused on the topics, her thoughts started to wander… into dangerous waters. The image of the crazy quick of her classmates came to her mind again and again. So much potential… But it wasn't her place to give ideas and input on how to make this quick even better. She was just a bystander with little knowledge of the sport… and even less knowledge of the Japanese way of learning, it seemed. When the teachers announced the first tests she (and her classmates, too) would write during the next weeks, she deflated in her seat. Yachi, being alert and still sitting next to her, noticed.
"Yona-chan? Is everything all right?", she asked caringly during lunch break.
Yona sighed. "Thanks for asking… But, no, not really. I am not sure if I can pass those tests…"
"Oooh?", wondered her friend. "But haven't you caught up on all the topics you missed during your hospital stay?"
Yona shrugged and concentrated for a second. It was still difficult for her to use chopsticks with her left hand. She had gotten better – most of her lunch made it into her tummy, not onto the table now – but picking up rice still wasn't an easy task. Chewing for a second she thought of an answer. "Well, I have. And I think I get most of it. But as soon as they want us to transfer some topics in different tasks, I am lost. I still need too much time to get the whole thing done in Japanese…"
"Yona-chan? But isn't Japanese your mother tongue?" Hinata turned in his seat so that he could watch the girls. He seemed really curious.
"Well, my dad was Japanese, and I learned to speak and to write during the first years of my life. But then my dad died, and the only one talking to me in Japanese was my grandfather. My Mom is English with Japanese heritage. My brother is several years older than I, so he had more time to learn the language. He even studied Japanese culture at University while doing his major in economics."
"Whooooa! Your brother must be really hard-working and smart!" Hinata's eyes were as big as saucers.
Yona shrugged again. "Yeah, well, he comes after our mother. I'm more like Daddy was… Not that I remember much about him."
"I am sorry about your father, Yona-chan!", Yachi said. She looked almost sad, which made Yona uncomfortable.
"Thank you, but it happened a long time ago – enough time for me to forget about my Japanese heritage, as it seems in school."
Hinata shook his head no. "I think you can speak and write Japanese really good! And look at me… and at Kageyama! We lived here for all our lives and still…" He rummaged about in his folder of Japanese literature and pulled out the results of the last test. "See?"
Yona read the grade in the top right corner and nodded sympathetic. "I understand."
Hinata nodded, too. "Well, at least I know that my sport grades will be important for my future as a professional volleyball player. Who needs Japanese literature …" He shrugged. "Right, Kageyama?" The setter was eating in silence while he tried to read his notes from the last lesson. "Right, Kageyama?", Hinata tried again.
"Huh?" The black-haired setter asked, but before Hinata could repeat his questions, Yona spoke: "That's not true. You still need good grades, at least a reliable high-school-diploma. Otherwise, it will be even harder to become a professional player."
Hinata's eyes got big again. "Yoooonaaaaaa-chaaaan! What do you know about volleyball? Tell me, pleeeease! Running-girl, please tell me!"
The girl rolled her eyes. "I told you to not call me running-girl. There is not much running going on right now. Also, I told you everything I know." She concentrated on her lunch again.
Yachi, who had been quit during the interactions of the last minutes, cleared her throat. "Yona, would you like to study together? I'm already studying with Kageyama and Hinata, maybe we could form a study group of four? You can help us with English, we help you with Japanese Lit?"
Yona smiled. "That sounds great. Is it okay for you, too?" She asked the two boys.
Hinata was shaking his head yes in an excited manner, while Kageyama was still trying to read his notes – unsuccessfully, because he couldn't read his own messy handwriting.
And this was the reason why Yona invited her classmates to her home. Her brother was present on that day as well, he had a day off, and was gladly receiving the guests of her sister. He was happy that his little sister was making friends – so he refrained from commenting that she put herself directly in front of her volleyball-picture in the hallway, so that no guest could see it. Rolling his eyes at her behaviour, he retreated to the kitchen to make some snacks for the hard-working students.
The four of the studied bravely for two hours until Tomoya interrupted: "It's time for a little break and some snacks! You can't really think with an empty stomach, right? I made some sandwiches for you!" He waited until his sister had cleared some schoolbooks from the table, then he put a big plate with sandwiches down on it.
"Thank you!", the four students expressed their thanks. The boys seemed ravenous when they grabbed some sandwiches, the girls ate much slower. At Tomoya's glance towards the boys, Yona shrugged. "Remember me after training? Well, they're going to nationals and are only not in training while they are in school… Also, they've spend the last hour studying English."
Tomoya smiled at the boys. "Well, then enjoy the meal! I hope studying was successful?"
Yachi nodded happily. "Yes! Yona is an amazing teacher!"
Hinata started talking while he was still chewing on a sandwich. "Yes! I wish we had a teacher like that during training!"
Kageyama frowned. "But we have Coach Ukai?"
"Duh!" Hinata swallowed and rolled his eyes. "Coach is great! But he has all the others to train, too! Grandpa Ukai's place is not available for a few weeks. But I want some special training! And it would be amaaaazing if we had a private teacher. Someone who knows different techniques, who knows how to spike quickly…"
Kageyama gave the words of his friend some thoughts and nodded as well. "Yeah. That's … kind of right. But we don't have a teacher. So we will train with all the others." With that he grabbed another sandwich.
Yachi and Yona exchanged a look, and Yona couldn't help but say: "A private teacher would do you some good- maybe you wouldn't take bystanders down with your cross-spikes, huh?"
"Yoooonaaaaaaaa-chaaaan!" Hinata pouted which led to a bout of loud laughter of the whole group.
Tomoya, who had witnessed the last minutes, watched his little sister. She looked almost like her old self again… With a smile, he got up and excused himself. He had a phonecall to make… and a talk to have in the evening.
The study-group held a meeting of several hours. It was already nightfall, when the three guests said goodbye and the siblings were alone again. Yona went to her room immediately, she wanted to read for a bit. But Tomoya wanted to talk, so he followed her. Yona took her book and got comfortable on her bed, then she started to read.
"Little sister? Have you thought about my idea of you joining a club in school?" Tomoya leaned against the doorframe.
"Yes I have and no, thank you." His sister answered without looking up.
"Well, I think those boys would love to have you present during their training."
"No."
"Yes, Yona. You heard it yourself."
"Which doesn't mean that I have to attend their trainings." She closed the book she was reading with a thud. She couldn't concentrate with her brother being in the room.
Tomoya read that as an invitation into her room. He entered and sat down on her bed. "Well, I think it would be good for all of you. They can learn from your experience, and you can play again."
"I don't think so. Also, I can't play." She raised one eyebrow which, in turn, made him roll his eyes.
"Well, not play like standing in a tournament. But you can stand on a field again. Work in this favourite sport of yours. Jump again… You can do everything as long as it doesn't involve your right hand."
Yona sniffed without humour. "Tomoya, I am right-handed. Everything I do in this favourite sport of mine, like you put it, I do with my right hand. So: No, I won't join."
"Sis, do you really think it is a coincidence that your friends are all involved in volleyball? Call it fate, call it something else, but not coincidence. You don't have to attend tournaments to have fun in sports. You heard it, you are a great teacher – so how about teaching until you can play again? Think of Dad!"
Yona sighed. "Yeah, I think of Dad quite often. And no, I don't want to become a teacher. That leads to the conclusion: No, I won't join the team."
Tomoya threw his head back with a groan. "Gosh, you are so stubborn! Please, Yona, think about it…" He got no further reactions, so he sighed. "Also, Grandpa wants you to call. Now."
Yona echoed his groan. "Tomoya, please tell me you didn't…" Normally, she would love to talk to her grandfather. After all, he was as close as a father would be, he had raised her whenever her mother was away on business trips. But she had a feeling that this phonecall wouldn't be a social and nice one… and she was right. It took her grandfather ten minutes – only ten minutes to worm himself and his thinking into her heart again. After twenty minutes she started to tell him about her objections against joining a club. After thirty minutes she was close to tears and only wanted to hang up on him – because he made her promise things. When they ended the phone call – like always with telling each other that they missed and loved the other – she decided to not speak to her brother. After all, he was the culprit of her ordeal and had talked to their grandfather during the study-session of the teens.
Instead she went to bed early and got up even earlier… And because none of the Sadai-siblings would ever disappoint or fail their grandfather, she found herself standing in front of the closed doors of the gymnasium an hour before school started.
Yona heard the squeaking of the shoes again, the shouts, the groans… And she heard and felt the beating how her own heart. She was sweating bullets and her heart was pounding like mad. Should she just open the door? What would they say, what in heaven's name would SHE say? She started to walk up and down in front or the entrance.
"Hello, the name is Sadai Yona, former volleyball player, nominated for UKs Youth Trainings Camp two times in a row, but now crippled and living in Japanese exile. No… I neither want to brag nor sound like a welfare case. Hello, my name is Sadai Yona, which you already know… I'm here to watch, ignore me. But I don't want to watch only… Hello, Sadai Yona, former volleyball-player, I'm injured and want to help because I promised my stubborn grandfather to work with you… if it's okay. Moooah!"
Suddenly, someone cleared his throat behind her. "Good Morning – can I help you?" Yona wheeled around and found herself face to face with the captain and the third year-manager of the boys team. Both were watching her with curious looks.
"H… Hello." Yona locked eyes with the boy and blushed.
Shimizu watched the both of them with a smirk. "Good Morning.", she interrupted, "come on inside." She surpassed the girl and opened the door. "Coach already told me that there was a possibility of you showing up again. Go and talk to him."
Had it been possible for Yonas blush to deepen, she would have reached a new kind of red. Instead, she started to stammer. "He… I… I mean… That… How…"
Shimizu shook her head. "Just come inside." With that she entered the gym without a single glance back.
Yona took a deep breath. Apparently, there was no going back now. She gathered her courage and took the three steps to the doors. Slightly hesitating she set one foot inside, then the second one, and eventually, the rest of her body followed and she entered the gym.
Loud greetings from Hinata declared that her arrival was noticed.
The captain, yanked out of his stupor by the sounds of his junior, followed the two of them inside. He couldn't stop a smile from appearing on his face. She came back – and he surely hoped she'd stay.
Hello, and sorry for the delay in Updating.
As you can see, I cut the chapter " Beating hearts" in two parts, sorry about that. But the second half still needs work cause I am not satisfied with it, and I wanted to give you an update. After all this weeks.
Well, please tell me what you think.
Till next tim!
