Waaaaaah! Over 100 REVIEWS! THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE! :D
Thank youf or the follows and the favorites as well! :D
HaPPy2901 : The worst part is that Iwaizumi would want so badly for Kiku to be happy that he'd happily let her be with someone else if it meant she'd be happy. Oikawa and Iwaizumi will have a bit of a face-to-face at some point about Kiku! ;)
Guest : We'll know Kiku's relation to Irihata later. ;)
Tamani : Oikawa and Iwaizumi are too friends and too close to be pulled apart for a girl, no matter what happens. But that sure is interesting to see! ;) I can't wait to put Kyoutani in now! / Kiku is an unexpected professional in blackmailing - she'll definitely use it without any remorse against everyone on the volleyball team (except Iwa-chan because she loves him too much for that)
Houshikun001: There aren't much cliffhanger in this story - but there WILL be a big cliffhanger towards the end of the story! ;)
FanFictionAddiction4EVER : Oikawa's milk bread is essential for him to function normally. I am SO HAPPY that you can enjoy reading about Oikawa despite him being your least favorite character! :D It makes me very proud of myself! I hadn't thought of it, but I'll try adding some Aone and Kiku bonding moment! ;)
justanoddone : I'm honoured you reviewed MY fanfiction when you don't usually do so! Thank you! :D
pinkdoughnuts : It won't be a misunderstanding for long, don't worry! ;) And every time I read your reviews, I read "how does the couch know Kiku?" I was like "But wait Kiku and Hajime aren't together yet and even if they were and argued, he wouldn't send her ont he couch so what is she... oh. Coach. Ok. Oooooh!" (answer later ;D)
Yunrii : Thanks! Beofre Oikawa, there'll be Kuroo! ;)
Chancellor S : Ah ah, chacun ses préférences~ Merci beaucoup pour ton soutien! :D
FANFICTION
HAIKYUU! : QUIET VOICE
CHAPTER XII : Milk Bread
"There's nothing stupid about wanting to be loved."
— Nina La Cour, Everything Leads to You
"I'm always soft for you, that's the problem. You could come knocking on my door five years from now and I would open my arms wider and say 'come here, it's been too long, it felt like home with you."
— Azra T., My Heart is Full of Open Windows
"I was about half in love with her by the time we sat down. That's the thing about girls. Every time they do something pretty… you fall half in love with them, and then you never know where the hell you are. Girls. Jesus Christ. They can drive you crazy. They really can."
— J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye
"I believe that when two people are in love with each other, you can see it in their eyes. The way they look at each other, the way they stare at each other, it's all there. Their eyes are full of admiration, of attraction, of undying feelings for each other. Their eyes twinkle, their eyes are smiling. Even if they didn't t say a word about it, there's this invisible thread connecting them two."
— Anonymous
"I hide because there's more to me than what you see and I'm not sure you'd like the rest. I know that sometimes, I don't like the rest."
— Thomas lain, I Wrote This For You
At practice this day, to Oikawa, and most of their teammates' surprise, Iwaizumi seemed a little more quiet than usual. As if lost in his thoughts but whenever someone would ask him if he was all right, he'd shrug it off or say that nothing was wrong.
At some point, Iwaizumi was standing on the side, drinking water when he noticed someone entering the gymnasium. A girl. Akiyama Kiku. She looked around, two bentos in her hands, as if looking for someone. Hajime didn't dare move but his heart missed a beat when she noticed him in the distance and waved with a smile.
Forgetting what he had seen at the break earlier, Hajime couldn't help but wave back with a giddy, stupid smile.
"Ah, Kiku-chan!"
Iwaizumi startled as Coach Mizoguchi – who had just called Kiku so familiarly – walked past him. Mizoguchi glanced at him curiously and Hajime blushed terribly before quickly acting as if his hand had been up for rubbing the back of his neck – not at all waving at Kiku when she had been waving at Mizoguchi. It was so embarrassing to be wrong about such a thing, Iwaizumi didn't dare look at Mizoguchi or Kiku, or anyone…!
The young coach ran over to the girl and after exchanging some words and smiles, Kiku gave Mizoguchi the bentos. Then the coach turned around as Coach Irihata was coming and all three started talking to themselves.
"…How the hell does she know them? Why are they so familiar with Kiku?" Hajime grumbled, frowning as he glared at the two coaches from afar.
Oikawa and the other third-years glanced at each other before looking in the same direction as their Ace, realizing why he was so grumpy.
"Eh? You mean, you don't know?" Oikawa asked, but he wasn't heard by Iwaizumi, too busy glaring at Mizoguchi to listen to his friend.
Hanamaki and Matsukawa both grinned, trying to hold back their amused chuckles.
"Should we tell him or…?" Hanamaki asked in a low voice to Oikawa.
"It'd be cruel not to tell him before he starts imagining things." Matsukawa added.
The three third-years glanced at each other, silently agreeing to not say a thing to their friend.
"Ah, well, communication is essential in a couple – it'll teach Iwa-chan to talk to Kiku-chan~" Oikawa hummed, trying to find a good excuse to his teasing.
The others watched Iwaizumi growing more and more frustrated as he saw Mizoguchi touch familiarly Kiku's shoulder, many thoughts and theories going through his head in the same time.
"Oikawa! Iwaizumi!" Irihata called.
The Ace startled, too lost in his thoughts. He glanced very quickly at a smiling Oikawa and followed his Captain to their two coaches just as Kiku walked away without a look in Iwaizumi's direction.
"The Golden Week approaches and I was thinking to make the team have a practice match at the end of it. A team has requested a practice match for the Golden Week – Wakutani Minami High-school. You're both okay with it?"
"I see no problem," Iwaizumi grumbled, his tone making Irihata raise a curious eyebrow but he didn't comment on the Ace's bad mood.
"Wakutani Minami High-school has a rising level – their Captain is called the new Small Giant~ It'll be interesting~" Oikawa agreed with a nod.
"Though, Karasuno's number ten might quickly take over this title of Small Giant," Mizoguchi commented with a smile.
"I'll distribute all the papers for the Golden Week's information tomorrow then," Irihata decided.
"Yes!" The Captain and Vice-Captain exclaimed as answer before walking back to their team.
As Oikawa was talking about the nearing Golden Week and the practice match against Wakutani Minami, the teammates exchanged opinions and thoughts about the team. Only Iwaizumi glanced several times at the gymnasium's entrance, half-hoping he'd see Kiku come back. For him, this time.
The next day, for once, Iwaizumi had joined Oikawa for his morning run. They often ran together but there were times when Iwaizumi was too tired or didn't get enough sleep to go for a run – this time, even without sleeping much, thoughts of Kiku and Mizoguchi together haunting him all night, he needed running. Oikawa decided to change their usual running path and Hajime only followed, not really caring where they were running.
At the end, running did help Iwaizumi relax and empty his mind from all of his love troubles.
"Neh, Iwa-chan, we still have some time before having to head for home and go to morning practice, mind if I go get some milk bread?" Oikawa asked as they were walking, sweating from their run and checking the time.
"I don't care, you always take milk bread on the way home anyway. But is there any bakery around here?" Iwaizumi asked, glancing around.
He knew this neighborhood enough to not get lost but he had no idea if there were any bakery for Oikawa's milk bread.
"I know one! Come, Iwa-chan!" Oikawa exclaimed excitedly, walking forward eagerly.
Hands in his pockets, the Ace followed his friend as he turned a corner. Hajime blinked, recognizing some of the houses.
"Hey, we're near Hanamaki's house. Perhaps we could run around here more often to drag him in our running?" Iwaizumi proposed.
"Mm~" Oikawa agreed, a few steps ahead.
Iwaizumi didn't look twice, only followed Oikawa, into a bakery. The warmth and nice smells of the place woke up instantly all the senses of the two young men. Someone was behind the counter, kneeling to organize something and apparently, the little ringing of the door as Oikawa and Iwaizumi had entered hadn't been enough to warn the person of their presence.
"Kiku! Can you take care of the customers?" A woman voice came from a back room.
"Kiku?" Iwaizumi repeated, blinking and opening wide eyes.
The person behind the counter rose and Kiku met Oikawa and Iwaizumi's eyes. She stiffened before smiling brightly upon seeing them (mostly Iwaizumi).
"Iwaizumi-san!" She exclaimed.
"Kiku-chan~ What a nice surprise~ I didn't know you were working a part-time job~" Oikawa exclaimed as he approached the counter, ignoring the fact that she had eyes only for the Wing-spiker.
"A-ah, no! I-it's the family bakery, I-I'm only helping out my parents every once in a while…" Kiku murmured, blushing in embarrassment.
She looked down and Hajime swallowed hard. He recalled the previous day when Kiku had given Oikawa a paper bag with something in it – once again, she was acting shy and embarrassed in front of the Captain.
But then, Kiku glanced at Iwaizumi, his heart missed a beat and he realized that she wasn't acting shy because of Oikawa. But because of him?
"My~ That explains the name of this bakery, wouldn't it? 'Akiyama Bakery'?" Oikawa continued before walking near the patisserie and types of breads displayed.
But no one listened to him or reacted to his words. Both Kiku and Hajime were staring at each other, cheeks flushed and small smiles starting to appear on their faces.
Then, a memory from the day Kiku was bullied came back to Hajime and he crunched up his nose.
"Kiku-chan~! Tell me~ With flour, what else do you add to bake cake? Gross, sickening cakes!"
He looked back with slightly widened eyes at the girl, understanding falling on him.
"What the others said the other day…" He started, voice trailing off.
Understanding what he was referring to, Kiku smiled sadly with a little shrug:
"Because my family owns a bakery, people have a tendency of thinking I eat patisserie all the time, which would explain… this…" She said, pointing at her body.
The way she said 'this', the way her eyes darkened a short moment and how her smile faltered before it looked forced… Both Oikawa and Iwaizumi could tell she disliked her body as much as others reminded her constantly that she wasn't fit enough to their tastes.
Oikawa glanced at Iwaizumi to see his reaction, he was frowning and was about to say something to Kiku when she continued. She looked to the side, to all the bread and patisserie on display.
"Ah, well, I'm lactose intolerant and allergic to peanuts… Even if I wanted to, most of these things, I can't eat." She concluded with a smile that was closer to her usual one.
She still looked bitter though – for being judged when people didn't know she was allergic.
"I didn't know you were…" Iwaizumi hesitated, not imagining a world in which he wouldn't eat peanuts, almonds or milk.
"L-la… lactose intolerant?!" Oikawa shouted, a frightened look on his face and taking a few steps back.
Both turned to him as tears filled his eyes:
"T-then… you never… ate milk bread…?" He whispered.
"…No?" Kiku answered hesitantly, not understanding his reaction.
"T-this is…! This is so sad!" He continued while Iwaizumi shook lightly his head, "In the name of your bravery, Kiku-chan, let me eat milk bread for you!"
"You definitely don't have to…" Kiku said but Oikawa didn't seem to listen to her as he started walking near the window displays to look for the milk bread.
"We came here for your milk bread, idiot," Iwaizumi reminded him – once again, he was ignored.
"AH! Milk bread~!" Oikawa exclaimed happily when he found the breakfast of his dreams.
He grabbed some money in his pockets and smashed it down on the counter, making poor Kiku startle as Oikawa stared at her with wide, crazy eyes and a huge, excited smile.
"Give me all of your milk breads!" He exclaimed.
"Eh? A-all of it?" She hesitated, blinking.
"Even for you, that's a bit much, Oikawa," Iwaizumi said, frowning lightly before turning towards Kiku, "Give him only two, he won't keep up at practice if he eats too much."
"But! Iwa-chaaaan!" Oikawa whined, turning towards his friend with teary eyes.
"A-ah, all right," Kiku nodded.
She took a few steps away from the counter to prepare the order before hesitating.
"On the way or you'll stay here to eat?" She asked, making the tongs click together – Hajime thought it was a cute gesture.
"We'll rest here a bit if you don't mind," Oikawa answered, glancing at the tables and chairs around the room.
"Then, take a seat and I'll bring you your orders." Kiku said with a kind smile.
"Wah~ Thank you, Kiku-chan~" Tooru hummed before grabbing Iwaizumi's arm and dragging him to a seat.
"Do you want anything, Iwaizumi-san?" Kiku asked as she put the ordered food on a tray.
"Ah, uh… I'm not hungry, thanks," he answered, too embarrassed around the girl to eat anything.
She seemed hesitant, a little disappointed maybe? But Oikawa intervened then:
"Bring him anything other than my milk bread – they're mine – he'll eat it~ Iwa-chan isn't picky with his food~" Oikawa answered.
"Oi! Don't order for me!"
"All right~" Kiku answered.
"Wait! I didn't take money with me and–"
"It's on me, Iwa-chan~"
Kiku chuckled to herself as Hajime's face crumbled, but he couldn't say no after all of that. Some time later, the girl finally arrived with the trail in her hands, putting it down on the table for the two young men.
Hajime finally took the time to look at Kiku instead of glancing around and away from her. Her hair were into two pigtails that made her look the most adorable being in the universe. She was wearing an apron with written "Akiyama Bakery" on it.
Oikawa watched impatiently as she put down a plate with his two milk bread, a paper bag on a side. She put down a plate with some croissant for Iwaizumi before adding for each boy a cup of orange juice and a warm cup of cocoa.
"We didn't order these?" Iwaizumi hesitated.
"They're on the house. That's the least I could do for the volleyball team who will take our high-school to the Nationals, right?" She continued, holding the trail against herself.
Iwaizumi couldn't help but grin happily at her absolute trust that this year, they would beat Shiratorizawa Academy and go to Nationals.
He glanced back at Oikawa who was staring happily at the inside of his paper bag. Seeing his smile, it wasn't hard to figure out what was inside.
"I had told you to give him only two milk breads…" Hajime sighed.
"The ones in the paper bag are for after your morning practice," she answered.
"Unlike you, Iwa-chan, Kiku-chan is very kind and listens to my wishes~" Oikawa hummed happily.
"She's too kind to you, rather," Hajime muttered, shaking lightly his head.
Deciding not to listen to his best friend, Oikawa took his milk bread and bit in it happily. He munched joyfully, sparkling in joy to finally have happiness in his mouth. Iwaizumi would have expected Kiku to go back behind the counter after delivering their orders but she remained by their sides. She watched Hajime expectantly, almost bouncing up and down. He threw her a curious, slightly flustered glance, and finally she voiced out the reasons of her staying:
"I-I m-made these myself this morning…" She murmured, blushing even more and glancing at the croissant.
"O-oh," Hajime muttered, looking at the croissant on his plate.
He wanted to eat it in front of Kiku and tell her how good it tasted but Oikawa was staring at him knowingly despite his cheeks round and munching his milky bread.
Iwaizumi blushed and took the croissant before munching at it hesitantly. He glanced up at a blushing, nervous Kiku before smiling.
"I-it's delicious…"
Overjoyed, Kiku grinned and bounced up and down.
"Take all the time you need here! I'm right there if you need anything!" She exclaimed happily.
She was about to turn around and bounce over behind the counter when a back door opened.
"My~ Kiku! Who are these handsome young men?" A woman asked, coming closer after wiping off some flour from her hands on the apron.
"M-mom!" Kiku exclaimed, flushing in embarrassment.
Oikawa – being the curious being that he was – and Iwaizumi – who couldn't help but be a tiny bit curious about Kiku's family – both leaned in order to look at the woman. She was petite and had curly, light brown hair with kind brown eyes.
"Do you know them?" Kiku's mother asked, arriving near her daughter.
"A-ah, um… t-they're… um…"
Kiku looked down, embarrassment tying her tongue but her mother waited patiently for the girl to find the courage to talk. When her mother hadn't been around, Kiku had been able to actually talk without much stuttering to the two boys – proving that she was getting closer to them and feeling more at ease.
"I am Oikawa Tooru – Captain of the volleyball team, you may have heard of me~" Oikawa introduced himself confidently, standing up and bowing respectfully to Kiku's mom.
"Indeed I have!" She answered.
Iwaizumi had been about to stand up and introduce himself but hearing these comments made him stiffen. Did it mean Kiku talked about Oikawa to her mother? Did it mean just as Hajime feared? That Kiku might actually have a crush on Oikawa?
Realizing that he hadn't reacted at all despite all gazes turned to him, Hajime stood up abruptly, bowing too suddenly for his moves to be natural.
"I-Iwaizumi Hajime! Nice to meet you… Akiyama… san…" He said before glancing at Oikawa and Kiku hesitantly.
Kiku was avoiding his gaze, or Oikawa's, and was moving around nervously.
"Iwa-chan is one of Kiku-chan's classmate," Oikawa added with a smile, "He is also part of the volleyball club! He is our reliable Ace!"
Iwaizumi threw a "would you shut up now" glare at his friend who, as per usual, completely ignored him.
"Oh… I'm glad to meet some of Kiku's friends, at long last." Her mother said before remembering she hadn't introduced herself yet, "I am Akiyama Nanami, thank you for taking care of my daughter."
"Don't worry, she's in safe hands with Iwa-chan!" Oikawa exclaimed with a chuckle.
Iwaizumi's eyes widened as he glared at his friend, holding back a punch for this comment while Kiku looked as far away as possible, blushing terribly. Nanami watched the two boys, and especially Hajime closely, as if trying to figure out what sort of person he was and mostly, if he was good enough for her daughter but finally, she smiled.
"Then, I–"
"Nanami! Could you come and help me out with the dough, I'm still not…"
A man's voice trailed off as, after stepping out of the back door, he realized that his family was not alone. Everyone turned towards Kiku's father who stared defiantly at the two young men who were standing a little too close to his daughter (meaning in less than a twenty meters radius) to his taste.
"Who are these weaklings?" He asked in a hard voice.
"Dear, please, don't be so rude," Nanami scolded why Kiku looked like she wanted to bury herself.
Kiku's father came closer, into the room, and both Oikawa and Iwaizumi swallowed hard. They were volleyball players, they were taller than average and were confident about their imposing statures and strength. But when Kiku's father came and towered over them, they felt like tiny children who had misbehaved and should be punished. Imposing or tall weren't strong enough words to describe the giant of a man he was. He was well over two meters tall, shoulders so broad he was twice larger than Iwaizumi (who has already quite broad). The man had short dark hair, graying with age, and strong features. His neck and arms were so muscular it was a miracle his shirt wasn't exploding.
"D-dad…" Kiku whined, paling a little when she realized her father was giving the two boys his intimidating glare.
"H-hello… sir…" Oikawa started, a little less confident than usual because he was pretty sure a punch from this man would send him in the moon, and he actually looked like he wanted to punch him, "I-I am Oikawa Tooru, one of Kiku's… uh, friend… and this is…"
He elbowed Iwaizumi who startled out of his staring at the biceps of the man with a mix of envy and worry for his own life.
"Iwaizumi… Hajime…" He introduced himself.
He hesitated in adding something but Kiku's father frowned lightly, shutting him up before he could. It was rare Iwaizumi felt impressed by someone… but Kiku's father was definitely the impressive (read: scary) type.
"Akiyama Shouta. What are you doing here?" He asked suspiciously, glancing protectively at his daughter.
"Dad! They're customers! Don't talk to them like that!" Kiku exclaimed, "You have to finish the breads! Go, now! Come on!" She exclaimed, starting to push him back towards the door but the mountain of muscles was unmovable, "Please! Just go! You're embarrassing me!"
"Dear, let's go and leave them alone~" Nanami said, taking his hand and pulling him behind her.
"They're not scared enough," Shouta replied, glancing over his shoulder at the two boys.
"Don't scare them at all!" Kiku exclaimed.
"I am more than scared enough," Oikawa murmured, Iwaizumi nodding a little.
Finally, with Nanami's pulling and Kiku's pushing, Shouta went back in the kitchen. But the two parents definitely watched by the little round window everything that was going on in the front of the bakery.
"I… I am so sorry…" Kiku murmured, bowing in apology to the two young men.
"I-it's all right… um, just out of curiosity… what kind of sports does your father practice to have such muscles?" Iwaizumi asked, sounding a little envious.
"Rugby… He's very proud of his skills also. So don't talk about it to him, otherwise he won't stop talking…" She answered, shoulders dropping, "Also, he thinks that volleyball is a sports for little girls…"
"Of course he does," Oikawa said, blinking lightly, "You know what, we have to move. We need to go… take showers and get changed before morning practice." He exclaimed, checking the hour which was much later than they had thought upon entering the bakery, "Thanks for the milk bread! I'll come back for them! Iwa-chan, come on, we'll be late!" Oikawa exclaimed, grabbing his paper bag with milk breads.
"Ah, uh, yeah…" He nodded.
Hajime glanced quickly at Kiku, bowed to her, then left. He quickly caught up with his friend, sending him a harsh glare while Oikawa was innocently munching on his third milk bread.
"You decided to run over here on purpose, didn't ya?"
"Aren't you glad, Iwa-chan? You met your future parents-in-law!" Oikawa exclaimed.
"AS IF!" He shouted, blushing bright red.
Especially considering the way Akiyama Shouta had looked at him. He definitely didn't want anyone dating, or touching, or talking, or breathing near his daughter.
Kiku waved them goodbye from the bakery's door as the two boys had to run back home to be on time.
As soon as they were out of view, she immediately whipped around to glare at the round window where she saw her parents' faces. They startled and tried to get away just as she stomped over to the table recently left to put away all the cups and plates. A short moment later, Nanami and Shouta exited the back room, both looking a little apologetic.
"We're sorry, Kiku, we shouldn't have acted like that," Nanami started before elbowing her husband.
"Ah yes. I don't trust these kids, but… I shouldn't have done that."
"It doesn't matter anyway! They'll never talk to me again after that…" She muttered in painful embarrassment.
Nanami threw a harsh glare at her husband who opened wide eyes, looking almost dumbfounded as to why his behavior had been "too much".
"It's not my fault! I don't trust them, I can't help it! The first one was too pretty and the second one was too muscular! I don't trust them!"
"Shouta, dear, did you have a good look at yourself in the mirror?" Nanami continued with hands on her hips and a disapproval shake of her head.
Kiku ignored her parents' discussion as she went into the back kitchen to wash the plates and the tray.
Nanami and Shouta glanced at each other just as she came back behind the counter quickly, finishing to organize what she had been doing before the two boys had come in.
"Kiku… do they know about you and… your situation?" Nanami asked worriedly.
Kiku's hands stopped moving and slowly, she stood up before pulling at the apron's knot in her back.
"I have to get ready for school…" She murmured, taking off the apron and taking another door to go upstairs.
Her parents glanced at each other worriedly, Shouta rubbing the back of his muscular neck guiltily.
"She hadn't closed off in months… it's our fault…" Shouta muttered.
"Your fault, you mean…" Nanami sighed before going behind the counter as some customers came in.
Shouta didn't deny it.
Lots of things happening in this chapter~ Tell me what you think~
For the ones who don't read Sowlmates: here is the Hajime and Kiku's song "Rockbell" from CHiCO and the Honeyworks. ;)
Yours Truly,
May