Hello again, thanks for reading this far into the story (I know it's only been a chapter, I've never written more than 1 chapter before though so this is an improvement for me.) We're back at it again, this chapter's gonna mostly be a filler chapter introducing Kaida's family and stuff. Apart from that no further notes, I think, so enjoy the next chapter!
~CavaKel
(P.S.: All bolded text in quotation marks is non-Japanese speech, usually English. Other languages will be specified immediately after the bold stuff.)
I do not own Haikyuu. Only my OC.
-Kaida POV-
Kaida pedaled as fast as she could, wanting to get rid of the ache in her chest and trying to get as much distance as she could between herself and Tsukishima. She didn't care where she was going. She didn't want anyone to know yet, because if they did they'd just treat her like glass that could shatter at any moment. No. She didn't want anyone's pity or condolences. In reality, if anything, she was tempered glass: strong and could hold itself together when hit head on, but if you hit it hard enough or in a certain spot, it'd shatter immediately. But she didn't want that either.
She kept pedaling, slowing down a bit as she tired, before looking up and realizing that she'd rode on autopilot to a familiar iron gate, one she hadn't seen in years. She hadn't planned on visiting until the weekend, so she hadn't brought flowers like she usually did when she was here. Instead, she picked a few roses from a rosebush outside the main gate, barely noticing when the thorns left cuts all over her fingers and palms. The red of her blood on her hands matched that of the roses.
She followed the path through the cemetery, then went off the main path and onto another, smaller one, her feet steering her 10 paces down the path and another 16 to the left, finally arriving at a simple white tombstone marked with the typical engravings on a headstone: Minasaki Akane, born 12 September, 1973, died 3 October, 2008.
Kaida could still remember the day that she was told her mother was dead. Her mother had been a music professor at a college in Sendai, but when Kaida was 6 the Minasakis moved to Tokyo, and her mother would sometimes go to a teacher training program in Osaka. One day her mother had missed the last train out of Osaka and was low on cash, so she'd stayed at an old inn nearby and planned to take the next train in the morning. That was the night that the inn caught on fire, and she'd been rushed to the hospital only to die 2 days later from severe burns. 2 other people were killed in the fire, including the innkeeper, and the inn was reduced to a charred mess of ashes and metal.
Kaida wasn't allowed to be there when she died, because the nurses thought she wouldn't be able to stomach seeing her mother's injuries. Kaida was 10 when her mother was pronounced dead, when they lowered her mother's body into the ground in the same cemetery that housed Kaida's maternal grandparents, when she had to say a tearful goodbye to the Hinatas, Kenma, and Tetsurou, and when she moved with her father and brother to the US to take care of her paternal grandparents. The very same spot she was standing at right now. And now, 4 years later, she was back in Miyagi after saying a similar goodbye to her short time in America and the very few friends she had made there. Fate works in mysterious ways, she thought bitterly. She placed the roses in front of the grave and kneeled down on the grass.
"Hi, mom," she said with a sad smile. "So much has happened since I last talked to you. Dad, Toshi, and I moved to America to take care of Baa-chan and Jii-chan, and Toshi's been in college in Tokyo for three years now. He's studying to be an English teacher, and I want to be one too."
She paused. "Dad's dead, too. Toshi was in Tokyo already and Dad and I were going to the beach. We-" she felt a lump in her throat. "W-We got in a car crash. The other car hit Dad's side of the car and we flipped over and somehow I only broke my wrist and tore my ACL. I'd like to think I survived because you were protecting me, but you know I always think of fantasy things like that."
She gave a teary laugh and continued. "I still do, and I still think you saved me, no matter what anyone else says. So if it really was you, thanks, Mom. Um, I'm going to Karasuno now, with Shoyo. I would have gone to Nekoma, but Toshi's too busy and says I need someone in my year to support me and stuff during school. Both Kenma and Tetsu are my upperclassmen, so I wouldn't see them as much. So I'm living with Aunt Midori and Shoyo and Natsu. Toshi used to go there, he played on the volleyball team. Shoyo's on the team now, too, and I'm their manager in training. There's also-" she continued on, talking about all the players on the volleyball team, what they did, what they were like.
She told her about her first day of school, about her class introduction fiasco, about anything and everything that had happened in the last few years. By the time she'd finished, the sky was a deep blue, and she scrambled to her feet. "Sorry, it's late, I have to go. I'll visit you this weekend, too, and every weekend I can after that. I love you, Mom." Kaida blew a kiss at the silent tombstone that she'd poured all her thoughts and feelings into, then ran out of the cemetery and biked home, ignoring the tears that were still leaking out of her eyes.
Kaida arrived back at the Hinata residence 2 hours after she'd left the Sakanoshita store. Shoyo greeted her at the door and almost looked ready to cry, and she could see the worry in his eyes and face even as he yelled at her, "Kai, where have you been? We've been looking all over for you, you just up and left and disappeared, you were biking too fast for me to follow you, and when I got home you still weren't home and-"
"Relax, Sho, I went on autopilot and biked to the cemetery. I was talking to Mom and lost track of time. Sorry about that," she replied sheepishly.
"Oh. It's alright, I overreacted. Also," Shoyo said over his shoulder as he headed back into the house, "Hitoshi called earlier to check in on us, but you weren't there. He asked me to tell you to call him sometime tonight so he can check up on you."
"Alright. Thanks, Sho!" Kaida took off her shoes and bounded into her room, deciding to skip dinner for the day. She dropped her school bag next to her desk, then pulled out her phone. 27 missed calls. Shoyo was really worried, huh?
Kaida pressed on her older brother's number in her phone, and after a few rings Minasaki Hitoshi picked up. "Hey Kai! How have you been?" Her brother asked.
"Better, considering everything that's happened. How's college going?" Her brother responded with a groan, and she laughed. "That bad, huh?"
"No, no, it's great, the classes are really good and I've only got one more year to go before I get my teaching license. Then I'll come to Karasuno with you and teach you for the next two years, and you can join me when you've gotten a license, too."
"Looking forward to it. But also why not a different high school? Seijoh, maybe? You'd make more money." Kaida smiled. She already knew his answer.
"Hell no, if anything it's either Nekoma or Karasuno, but I don't want to leave you alone for any longer than I have to. Maybe I'll even be the faculty advisor for the Karasuno volleyball team."
"We already have one, Toshi."
"Wait, really? But I heard the last one retired!"
"No, we got a new one. Takeda-sensei, he's the Japanese literature teacher. He's really nice."
"Oh, nice. Do you guys still have Coach Ukai?"
"Technically, yes."
"Technically? What's that supposed to mean?"
"The original Coach Ukai retired a few years ago, I think, but his grandson coaches us now, and he also runs the Sakanoshita store at the bottom of the hill. He looks a bit scary at first, but he's actually a really good coach and he and Takeda-sensei do a really good job of motivating the team. And with the lineup we've got, we're going to nationals this year for sure."
"I'll do my best to be there for your matches, then. What's your main lineup like? I know Shoyo really wanted to be the next Tiny Giant, is he on the team?"
"Oh, yeah! He's on the main lineup as a middle blocker, and he jumps really high. He's basically our new Tiny Giant, but he lacks technique. And there's this other amazing first year from Kitagawa Daiichi, I think, that does this freak quick with Shoyo. His name's Kageyama, he's got incredible accuracy and speed. And then there's Nishinoya, he's our libero, and he's amazing, I've seen him perfectly receive all sorts of difficult shots, it's so cool." Kaida continued and described everyone on the team, saving the asshat Tsukishima for last.
"Tsukishima? What does he look like?"
"Blonde, glasses, beanpole. He's got too much snark and sarcasm for it to be healthy. Oh, he lacks motivation, too, though I have a feeling that if he actually tried he could be a terrifying middle blocker."
"Does he have a brother?"
"I dunno, he doesn't talk about his family that much, if at all. Why?"
"I played volleyball with Tsukishima Akiteru in middle school, before we moved to Tokyo. The Little Giant took his position about a year after I started high school at Nekoma, and I have a feeling you know my best friend's baby brother."
"No way. Really? Was Tsukishima's big brother a crabby dude, too, or is that just his personality?"
"Far from it. I've kept in touch with Akiteru all these years and he's a pretty cool dude, so I think his little brother is just crabby for crabby's sake."
"Huh. So Tsukishima's an asshat of his own accord and not because someone taught him to be this way?"
"I guess. You could probably ask him. I've never really met the kid, but I do remember him coming to see our matches sometimes. The kid was pretty outgoing back then, though, and based on your description I think he's changed quite a bit. Has the kid made any friends yet?"
"Just Yamaguchi, as far as I can tell. Based on their interaction I think they've been friends for a while, maybe 5 or 6 years or more. I've never had a friend that's lasted that long, it must be nice."
"What about Shoyo? He's your friend, too, and he has been since you can remember."
"He doesn't count because even if he weren't my friend he would have no choice but to still interact with me. If someone unrelated to me were to be my friend for that long, it would mean that they chose to stay my friend for that long. Shoyo could hate my guts and he'd still be stuck with me because our moms were sisters."
"True, true. Have our old neighbors talked to you yet this week? Kuroo and Kozume?"
"Tetsu and Kenma? Yeah, Tetsu called me on Saturday, Kenma was with him so he said hi too."
"It's nice to know you do have friends who have been there for years. It's been about 8 years since you made friends with them, right about when you wanted to be a cool girl ninja, no? Do you even still do parkour and martial arts and stuff? I know for a fact you stopped taking classes."
"Yeah, I still practice, though I don't take classes anymore, and I still wanna be a cool girl ninja. Sort of. At least the physical aspect of parkour and martial arts and stuff, not the dishonor suicide. About your earlier question, at this point Kenma and Tetsu are much more than just my friends, so to me they don't really count either."
"Oh? Is there a love triangle I don't know about, Kai?"
"No, of course not! I meant they're like the big brothers I never had."
"Hey, what about me? I'm your big brother too!"
"You don't count, they're nicer than you."
"Oi!"
"Kidding, I'm kidding. You're a great big brother."
"Thanks. Hey, have you made any new friends yet?"
"Other than the majority of the volleyball club no, not really. I think everyone just can't be bothered to approach me after the initial introduction. I'm not all that interesting, so that makes sense."
"Well, maybe they were scared away by your RBF or something, Smaug."
"Oi. I'm not that bad, am I? And why Smaug?"
"No, just joking, your name literally means 'little dragon' so I decided to call you the name of a big dragon. Can't believe I didn't think of that earlier. Anyway, what's wrong with them not wanting to be your friends? The goal isn't to be friends with everyone, and it isn't even to be on everyone's good side. If any of them want to be your friend they'll say so, and if not you still have pretty much all of the volleyball team. That's a pretty good deal, in my opinion."
"Yeah, I guess so. Thanks for that. I miss you, Toshi."
"I miss you too, Kai. Well, I've got homework to do and I know you do too, so I'll talk to you soon, okay? Bye, love you!"
"Bye, Toshi. Love you, too." Kaida hung up, then crossed the room and sat down at her desk with a sigh. Alright, she thought to herself, time to catch up on homework, then we'll go see if Shoyo needs help with his.
An hour or so passed before Kaida pushed her completed makeup work to the side and stretched, yawning. She looked at the time on her phone. 9:30 pm. Wonder how Shoyo's doing? As if on cue, she heard footsteps and a knock at her bedroom door. "Shoyo? Is that you?"
Shoyo opened the door and pushed his head into the room. "Yeah, are you done with your- OH MY GOD KAI WHY IS YOUR DOORKNOB BLOODY WHAT HAPPENED?!" he screamed, nearly falling over, after he noticed the almost-dried blood on the doorknob and on his hands.
"Oi, shush, I thought Natsu was asleep already!" Kaida whisper-shouted, and Shoyo covered his mouth with his bloody hand, then quickly switched hands. "I didn't plan on visiting my mom this early so I didn't bring flowers like I used to," Kaida explained. "I stole some roses from outside the cemetery and roses have thorns, so I got cut up a bit. Don't worry, I'm fine, I patched everything up right after I got home. Sorry, I should probably clean that up, huh?"
"Yeah, probably," Shoyo said, visibly calming down. "Anyway, as I was saying, are you done with your makeup work? Can you help me with English?"
"Yeah, sure! I'm pacing myself with my makeup work so that I have some time after I'm done to do other things. I should be all done by tomorrow night, maybe even sooner if I do some work during school. That's more of a last resort, though. Anyway, what bit of English do you need help with?"
"Uh, the better question is what bit don't I need help with?"
Kaida smiled. "Alright, let's go over to your room, I can't help you if I can't see what you're doing."
Kaida and Shoyo cleaned up the blood on the doorknob and their hands, Kaida joking around and mocking Lady Macbeth as she washed her hands while a confused Shoyo stood to the side, having already washed his hands. The two stayed in Shoyo's room until nearly midnight, Kaida patiently guiding Shoyo through English grammar and spelling and testing him occasionally to see how much he had learned so far. He was worse at it than she had expected, and Kaida found herself enjoying the challenge to get Shoyo's knowledge of English to at least decent so he could pass his exams. After all, as Karasuno manager she was inevitably going to Tokyo with the team, and it was only natural that she wanted Shoyo and Kageyama, the team's dynamic duo, to come with them.
Hello once again, and thank you to those who followed and favorited this story! Also yes, I'm making her friends with Kuroo and Kenma because I think that's a fun group dynamic, what with one person on each side of the social skills scale and one in the middle-ish. Just a quick bit about how I planned to write Kaida: My initial idea was to write a story with a main character similar to one already on this site, How to Fly with Clipped Wings, but also kinda mixed that idea with the main character from Big Sister Fujioka over in the OHSHC fandom, because I think both of those characters are really cool and I wanted to try writing a character similar to them. I'm trying to not make Kaida a generic Mary Sue main character by sort of giving her some of my own personality and mentality and stuff, but I still did give her a lot more skills and hobbies than I could probably ever have in my lifetime, so in that sense, yeah, she's kinda overpowered. I have her as a sort of very toned-down Kyoya Ootori (fun fact, OHSHC was the first anime I ever watched, heh) with just a tiny bit of his people analysis skills and such with a bit of Hinata's personality mixed in there, but also sort of the Big Sister friend. So, actually not very Kyoya Ootori at all. Anyway, as I said in the last chapter, thanks for reading this far, stay tuned for the next chapter, and feel free to leave a review of what you'd like to see in terms of pairings, plot, character interactions, and so on. See ya!
~CavaKel