I'll post Sowlmate's chapter tomorrow and here is the one for Quiet Voice! :)
Thank you to everyone who followed, favorited and reviewed! :D
Houshikun001 : There is some tiny bit of fluff in this chapter, but mostly... a view into the characters, perhaps? You know what I just came back from watching once again Beauty and the Beast and I loved it even more! :D
AnimeViolinist001 : Ahah, there are some more animals very quickly in this chapter! ;) I hope you'll love this chapter as well! :)
Krisia : When I was looking for inforomation about birds, I had the urge to adopt one but well, not for now! XD No one iwll ever manage to get Makki to admit he cares for Kiku, he'll die before that, ahah... x) (I'm so sorry I keep forgetting to call you Krisia! ")
Redninjalass19 : I'm glad I wrote the birds well! :D I'll keep in mind that fun fact you hsared with me! ;) I hope I won't disappoint you with the Oikawa and Kuro stories, so many people wait for these, it's making me nevous! /
LuxKlara : (sorry if I answer to you in English but it's almost 2am and I'm dead tired) I'm so glad you liked last chapter! I love writing abotu the birds, and I'm so proud of their names! XD Yeeees, definitely lots of animals in their future house... so many, Oikawa will go there and spend moer time with the tiny farmhouse/zoo/Jurassic Parc that Iwaizumi an Kiku will be left alone to watch him being an idiot... XD Both - veterinarian and taking back the bakery - are options Kiku considers. But she dislikes the sight of blood, organs, injury or hurt animals... if she were to cry everytime an injured animal came to her, she woudl'nt be a very effective veterinarian (the gods forbid ever having to tell that the animal is dying and having to give it the needle to let himr est in peace... she'd break...) The matter of orientation post high-school will start being mentioned in the next two chapters (moslty centered around Hajime)
pinkdoughtnuts : I'm glad you found them cute, btu when are they not? :) I hope you have a good time on holiday! :D
Reader fan : Someday Kiku might just show up at his place (address given by Oikawa or a helpful Makki) and Iwaizumi will lose it because "holy fuck Kiku is in my bedroom, what do Ido? What do Isay?Is there anything weird in my room at the moment or anything? Holy fuck, I'm not breathing, I can't think, what's happening?!" Oikawa would probably spy on the whole thing but another room of the Iwaizumi apartment. She DOES know about Kiku's feelings for hajime - she'll mention it in this chapter! ;)
FANFICTION
HAIKYUU! : QUIET VOICE
CHAPTER XXIV : Secrets & Denial
"You're getting older, and you'll see that life isn't like your fairytales. The world is a cruel place. And you'll learn that, even if it hurts."
— Pan's Labyrinth. Dir. Guillermo del Torro
"You never have to say "I love you" in order to love someone."
— Unknown
"How beautiful to find a heart that loves you, without asking you for anything, but to be okay."
— Khalil Gibran
"Because what's worse than knowing you want something, besides knowing you can never have it?"
― James Patterson, The Angel Experiment
"Let no one who loves be called altogether unhappy. Even love unreturned has its rainbow."
― J.M. Barrie, The Little Minister
"There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds."
— Laurell K. Hamilton, Mistral's Kiss
"I thought about how there are two types of secrets: the kind you want to keep in, and the kind you don't dare to let out."
― Ally Carter, Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover
"The best way of keeping a secret is to pretend there isn't one."
― Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin
"Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love."
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
"Most men would rather deny a hard truth than face it."
― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
"You can't get away from yourself by moving from one place to another."
― Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises
"There is no point in using the word 'impossible' to describe something that has clearly happened."
― Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
"Damn you, Trashykawa!" Iwaizumi grumbled as he checked that he had everything on the list for the club.
The two had been supposed to go buying the material for the month but the moment they arrived in town, some acquaintance of Oikawa interrupted them and after a few minutes, he told Iwaizumi to go ahead. Hajime had thought that a few minutes later, Oikawa would catch up with him but it had been over forty minutes ago – the setter had probably taken the opportunity to ditch him.
He was in a particular bad mood because he had been forced to go shopping but it had meant interrupting the music he had been listening to – music Kiku had sent him so he could listen to it but he couldn't enjoy it fully while in town and constantly putting on and off his headphones for the sake of being polite. He couldn't think as much about Kiku as he wished.
Once done with the shopping list, Hajime decided to walk around town. Perhaps he'd walk into Oikawa. Or into something interesting… it wasn't long until he received a message from Oikawa.
Iwa-chan! I'm looking for you everywhere! Where are you?!
Iwaizumi sighed, tempted to tell him he was home already but he wasn't mean enough to do that and gave him his location. While Hajime walked to the meeting place, he went into a bookshop for some notebooks he needed for school. He was walking towards the checkout when he stopped and stared at a table covered with fancy school materials – notebooks, pencils, pencil cases… All colorful and with meaningful sentences written with pretty drawings. It was the sort of things that Oikawa fancied. But what had attracted Iwaizumi's gaze was the very simple, totally black notebook with a single sentence written in white and in English:
"For all the things… I can't say outloud…" He murmured to himself in his native language, hoping he got the translation right.
He stared with narrowed eyes at the notebook. He grabbed one and took one step to the checkout before stopping and grabbing a second one. Once he exited the bookshop, he glanced down at the two copies of the same notebook he had bought.
"Iwa-chaaaan!"
He startled and quickly let the notebooks drop in the bottom of his bag just as Oikawa arrived next to him, unfortunately, he had seen the notebooks.
"What did you buy?" He asked curiously, leaning to take a hold of the notebook but Iwaizumi slapped his hand away.
"Nothing for you, I needed notebooks for school. I'm running out of pages." He answered frowning.
Oikawa stared at his friend curiously while massaging his hand, pretending it hurt more than it actually did. Something told him that there was something else than regular notebooks in this bag. Not only Tooru had seen that it was with a black, glassy cover – too fancy for his friend – but his reaction was particularly strange.
"Mmm…" He murmured thoughtfully.
"How did you find me, anyway?" Iwaizumi asked, giving one of the bag he was holding to his friend – he was the Captain of the volleyball team and if he didn't take his responsibilities he could at least help carry the bags.
"I was at the other side of the street when I saw you enter the bookshop, by the time I arrived you were exiting already." Oikawa explained, pointing at the direction he had come from.
"Let's go home," Iwaizumi said, already advancing forward.
Oikawa followed, talking about this classmate from Kitagawa Daichi he had talked with for far longer than he had intended. Iwaizumi glanced around absentmindedly and froze completely. He suddenly whipped around and grabbed Oikawa by the shoulders, dragging him in the closest back street until they were both hidden behind trash cans.
"I-Iwa-chan! What the!" He exclaimed, offended to be treated so roughly so suddenly – for once he didn't even deserve it!
But before he could ask anything to Iwaizumi, the Ace covered his mouth and glanced at the street all the while remaining hidden. Oikawa stopped struggling when he saw Kiku walking by with some girl… The two girls hadn't noticed them and as soon as they were away, Hajime sighed in relief and let go of Oikawa before approaching the street and observing from afar Kiku walking away.
"It's Kiku-chan, why don't we–"
"No."
"I didn't say anything yet!" Tooru whined, earning a light glare from his friend.
"I know what you're going to say and it's no, we're not going to bother her today. She's with someone already, let's not make ourselves known."
Tooru rolled his eyes with his hands on his hips before speaking up again:
"You're just being a coward! You can't even face the girl you like without being prepared for it! It's ridiculous! You'll never get anywhere with her if every time you have an opportunity to spend time together, you run away!" Oikawa exclaimed, sounding scolding which didn't fit him at all.
Iwaizumi huffed and ignored him, turning to look at the retreating figure of Kiku once again.
"Yeah, I won't take any lesson from a guy who's never even fallen in love…" He murmured.
He hadn't meant to sound mean, and he didn't even realize it but it made Tooru almost wince, feeling a little hurt by Hajime's words and his lack of trust. It took him a second too late to actually come up with a reply:
"Because pining from afar and hiding in the middle of garbage is so much more effective!" He mocked, earning a glance from Iwaizumi, "At least take a lesson from the guy who has dating experience!"
Before Iwaizumi could reply, Oikawa went out in the street and called loudly:
"Kiku-chan!"
The one who first turned around actually was Kiku's companion, glancing over her shoulder suspiciously and blinking in surprise to see Oikawa, followed by a sheepish and embarrassed Iwaizumi. Then, Kiku turned around, blinked and flushed upon seeing the Ace:
"Iwaizumi-san!" She exclaimed when they arrived to their level.
"H-hey… how are you?" He asked with a shy smile.
"I'm the one who greeted you first, Kiku-chan," Oikawa remarked with a slightly forced smile because he wasn't used to feel invisible.
"Ah, sorry! Oikawa-san! It's nice to see you too! What are you doing here?" Kiku asked eagerly, quickly turning to the setter before looking back at the Ace.
"Just some club shopping," he explained, raising his bags, "We were just about to–"
"Go have a drink!" Oikawa piped up excitedly, attracting everyone's attention on him, "Right, Iwa-chan? We were about to go have a drink when we saw you and… your lovely companion here."
He turned a charming smile towards the girl, taller than Kiku, rather pretty and of athletic built, who stared back at him, unimpressed.
"Oikawa-san, it's been a while," she said with a polite smile.
"Way too long to my tastes, Yuu-chan~!" He continued.
Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow at the blatant flirting while Kiku glanced between the two, confused.
"You two… know each other?" She hesitated, tilting her head on a side.
Oikawa turned to her to answer:
"Sato Yuuna, yes! She is the Captain of the volleyball team from one of the girls' top four teams of Miyagi!"
"Oikawa-san and I spent a lot of time whining about the fact that we never seem to win against the big teams we're up against – Niiyama High for me and Shiratorizawa Academy for him." Sato added with a sigh.
"Oh…"
"Why don't you both join us to have a drink?" Oikawa asked cheerfully the two girls with a wink.
"I don't think…" Sato started before glancing at Kiku.
Her voice trailed off when she saw the blue-eyed girl glancing very quickly at Hajime from the corner of her eye, a flush appearing on her cheeks. Yuuna smiled to herself before turning back towards the two boys.
"Why not? If you're up for that, Kiku…" She said, glancing once again at her friend.
Kiku flushed and glanced down at the ground, playing with the trap of her bag before nodding, trying to not appear too enthusiastic but her lips turned into a joyful grin at the idea of spending time with Hajime.
"It's settled then! Let's go!" Oikawa exclaimed happily, taking the lead.
After a few steps, Oikawa and Sato pulled ahead so they could leave Hajime and Kiku together to talk.
He glanced at her quickly, noticing a little braid in her hair. She glanced up and he looked away, but they were both smiling.
"They… seem to get along well…" Kiku remarked, glancing at her two friends.
Yuuna was chuckling at something Oikawa had just said, the latter smiling proudly of the result.
"Mm, I've never met Sato before, I had only watched one of her match when we were in our first-year. From what I understood, Oikawa and her talked this day and since then, he's had a bit of an obsession with her."
Kiku looked up worriedly at Hajime, suddenly afraid for her friend. Understanding her worry, Iwaizumi quickly spoke up again to clear up the confusion:
"Ah! Not like that! Not that sort of obsession! Oikawa is a lot of things, mostly annoying, but he's not a creep! He's very respectful of women! It's just that Sato and Oikawa have a lot of common points – both setters, they've both played for years against the same team they want to beat but they always get crushed by the power of the Ace…"
"Niiyama's Ace… seems more… approachable than Ushijima-san…" Kiku said thoughtfully but Ushiwaka was too scary and tall for her to even think getting within a thirty meters radius.
At the mention of his rival for years, Hajime frowned lightly.
"Yeah, well, doesn't change the fact these two are so damn strong. And tall…"
"Ah, it's true that many players of Niiyama are taller than you, right?" Kiku continued.
A low growl escaped Hajime's throat and he looked away, making Kiku startle, suddenly afraid she might have hurt his feelings…
"…Yeah, they are." He mumbled, unable to deny this fact.
Knowing that girls were taller than him was so annoying – especially when everyone around, on his team, kept growing taller and he was stuck seven millimeters from 180cm. Seven millimeters…!
"Y-you're still… v-very tall… a-and, y-you're much more muscular…" Kiku said hesitantly.
Hajime glanced at her then flushed, looking away when he noticed the flush on her cheeks.
"Mm… um, y-yeah… Also… Sato is the only girl who ever rejected Oikawa – he asked her on a date several times but she always refused. He keeps saying she's playing 'hard to get' but I just think he's just not her type."
"It's strange… Yuuna never told me anything about that… I didn't even know she knew Oikawa-san…" Kiku continued thoughtfully, glancing at her friend curiously.
"A-and… you and Sato, how… do you know each other? You seem pretty close?" Iwaizumi hesitated.
"Ah… Yuuna is my best friend!" Kiku exclaimed with a smile, "We've met at a volleyball training camp years ago – I was only accompanying uncle Nobuteru at the time, but Yuuna and I became friends very quickly and we spend almost all of our time outside school together!"
Hajime glanced back at Kiku then smiled upon seeing her joy just talking about her friend. When he had first met her, he had assumed she didn't have any friend – and it was the case at school. Classmates, the cheering club… everyone treated Kiku so cruelly at worst, as if she didn't exist at best… But knowing that despite all of these terrible persons, she had had someone to rely on all of these years was comforting.
"Are you coming or not?" Yuuna exclaimed with a smile, waving at the two from afar.
The four took some drinks and spent a good time together, everyone enjoying the moment. Then, they all went to a nearby park because Kiku had to feed the ducks there like she did every week. Of course, Tooru had to join and the both of them were near a pond where ducks had gathered. Either because they had recognized Kiku or because they knew food was coming. Kiku was explaining to Tooru what food to give ducks – not bread, it was bad for them and explaining how to give it to them while Hajime decided to go sit on a nearby bench. He was keeping a watchful eye on Kiku and his friend to make sure the latter wouldn't do anything crazy when Yuuna suddenly arrived at his sides, sitting down and staring at him so intensely he couldn't ignore it.
Feeling uncomfortable, he glanced at her curiously:
"What is it?" He asked, trying not to sound rough.
"…You look grumpier than what Kiku told me. She talks about you all the time, you know. Hajime-this, Hajime-that… she never shuts up…" Yuuna stated.
Hajime flushed but then, an idiotic smile appeared on his face:
"She talks about me? She uses my first-name?" He asked for confirmation.
Yuuna chuckled at this then sighed, glancing back at Kiku and Tooru laughing.
"I wanted to thank you for a while now, for taking care of Kiku and not leaving her alone. She told me everything you did for her since you've become classmates and I'm thankful you two ended up on the same path, finally…" She said with a soft smile.
"I-it's… it's normal…" Hajime answered, glancing down at the grass at his feet in embarrassment.
There was a moment of comfortable silence with only the laugh of Kiku resonating – a lovely sound that warmed their hearts.
"Oikawa… is a nice guy…" Yuuna said suddenly, a smile still on her face but it seemed a little more distant than before.
Hajime raised an eyebrow at that before shrugging:
"Yeah, I suppose he is. As far as narcissistic idiots go."
"You're saying that but you admire him more than anyone – I know because Kiku told me so," she mocked with eyes twinkling mischievously.
He huffed and rolled his eyes, a playful smile appearing on his face:
"Don't let him know that or he'll never shut up about it…" He sighed.
"I'm sure you know but he kept asking me out on dates – he's very persistent, isn't he?"
"You have no idea…"
"Today, he hasn't yet, though." She continued, now staring curiously at the setter.
Hajime glanced at her and hesitated before speaking up again:
"If he were to… what would you say?"
"Still no, why would I change my answer?" She asked with a laugh.
"People change, their feelings change." He answered before blinking and glancing at Kiku, "Perhaps Oikawa hasn't asked you out today because he has a girlfriend and even if he charms everyone around… he doesn't want to hurt her and he respects her."
"If he's happy with her, then I'm glad he finally found someone he likes." Yuuna said with a smile.
But she dropped it when Hajime chuckled and shook his head.
"He doesn't dislike her, but I wouldn't say he likes her… it may sound stupid from someone like me who never had a girlfriend, but Oikawa knows so much about people and yet, he had never fallen in love. He knows about flirting and dating but he has no clue when it comes to love…" He explained.
Yuuna stared at him, a little stunned by this revelation before glancing back at Oikawa from afar. He was smiling so much, he was always happy and joyful and he had a natural charm that drew people in but it also meant that he had so many people around him that he didn't have a one and only…
"It's… actually kinda sad…" She noticed, earning a strange look from Hajime, "Loved by everyone but not by the one… it sounds… lonely."
Hajime blinked before glancing at Oikawa and back at Yuuna. If there was one word he wouldn't use to describe Oikawa it was 'lonely'. He always had so many people around, he always had a girlfriend no matter how fickle he was in his relationships. It wasn't like he had never had a crush or liked anyone before, Oikawa had always… he had always…
Hajime glanced down, realizing that no matter how much he tried to remember, his friend had never admitted once that he had fallen in love, or had liked anyone. It had never been more than a crush. He knew that Tooru had never loved but… there must have been some point in his life when he felt love, right? There was no way someone like him could live seventeen – almost eighteen – years and never feel the slightest bit of love for someone? Or… could it be that Tooru had kept it a secret from him?
No. No way, he wouldn't keep such a secret from me. If anything, he'd brag about it day and night… or… would he…?
He knew better than anyone than whenever Tooru was serious or scared about something, he kept it to himself – it was what had happened years ago when Kageyama had appeared and threatened to overshadow Oikawa with his natural talent. It was what happened every year when they had to face Shiratorizawa and Ushiwaka. If Oikawa had ever been serious about a girl… about anyone, he'd… probably keep it silent. Silent from everyone and silent from his best friend.
Yuuna observed closely Hajime then, realizing he hadn't been aware of all this about his best friend until now, her lips fell open in shock.
"…I thought you two knew each other? That you were best friend?" She asked, sounding doubtful.
"…So did I…" Hajime murmured to himself, blinking because he felt as if the man standing a few meters away, the one he had grown up with, suddenly was a stranger.
"How can you think you understand him at all if you don't even know about his love life? How can you not talk about that with your best friend?"
"Do you talk about who you like to Kiku?" He replied, sounding irritated.
Yuuna stiffened and didn't reply right away. She glanced at Kiku then back at Hajime, frowning lightly:
"I don't get to receive lessons from someone who can't even understand his best friend. If you're not aware of your closest friend's feelings, I'm not going to let Kiku be with you. In the long run, you'll hurt her and I don't want that for her." She declared firmly.
There was a moment of hesitation in Hajime's eyes before he frowned lightly and straightened up, an annoyed, challenging light appearing in his eyes:
"Are you saying you won't let us be together?" He asked, sounding almost threatening, "What right do you have to decide of our relationship?!" He exclaimed before realizing he had raised his voice when he shouldn't have.
He glanced quickly at Kiku and Tooru but they were still too absorbed with feeding the ducks to realize the tension slowly rising between Hajime and Yuuna.
"No, I won't! How can I trust Kiku's heart to you when you don't even know what you're going to do? For her, for your best friend, for yourself?"
Before he could reply anything, she stood up abruptly and stared down at him:
"You're saying that Oikawa doesn't have a clue about what love is – but so do you!" She exclaimed before turning around and joining Kiku.
Hajime stared at Yuuna, mouth hanging happen and even if he was angry at her words and the fact that she believed she had any word to share in his and Kiku's relationship… Doubts seeped in. Not only he wasn't sure what to think about Oikawa, his best friend's feelings, but… what if Yuuna was right? He had never fallen in love before, he had never dated, he had no idea what he was doing or what he should do when it came to Kiku. How was he supposed to know what love was?
When Kiku and Yuuna said they would go home, Oikawa insisted on walking them home. Kiku was too happy to spend more time with Hajime, even if he seemed a little lost at the moment. Just like when they were walking earlier, both Oikawa and Sato made sure that Hajime and Kiku would walk together to have the opportunity to talk.
"…I heard you have a girlfriend… at long last." Yuuna started, sounding a little mocking even if she knew that Oikawa had had girlfriends before.
"Aaah~ Are you disappointed because you missed your chance with me, Yuu-chan~? I'm so sorry~" He said with an easy-going smile.
She shook her head at his stupidity but then, Tooru slowed down to a stop, turning to her with a surprisingly serious expression on his face:
"I truly mean it. I know that all these times I've asked you out, I've been very persistent and it probably made you very uncomfortable, so I'm sorry for not listening to you the first time you said 'no'." He said, his voice not ringing of the usual light-heartedness Yuuna usually heard.
Surprised, she turned to him completely and raised a curious eyebrow:
"I forgive you but… what a change. I hadn't expected this from you, Oikawa… what made you realize you were just fooling yourself and that you and I would ever work?" She asked, honestly curious about what answer he'd give her.
He seemed to think about it for a while, glancing around until his gaze landed on Iwaizumi and Kiku who were discussing with happy smiles.
"I realized that there was something missing," he started, looking back at Yuuna, "Something in the eye or the heart, a sparkle, an excitement, something… that makes a relationship worth it. It has just never existed between us, no matter how much I tried to convince myself it was the case."
Slowly, Yuuna smiled and put her hands in her jacket's pockets.
"I'm glad you realized that but… you're wrong. There is no excitement in love, there is only peace. And it's not something you should look for – but someone… and I think you… might have already found this person… am I right?" She continued softly.
Tooru stared at her with wide eyes, looking totally thunderstruck by her words. But when she mentioned 'someone' his mind immediately flickered to the one person he was trying not to think about. Too frightened by what it meant, he chuckled but it sounded forced and unnatural:
"I… don't see what you mean, I have a lovely girlfriend waiting for me! I have this… one person with her!" He exclaimed with a forced smile.
Yuuna smiled in a knowing way before glancing back at Hajime.
"You should tell your best friend how you feel because he's starting to doubt himself as a friend. You don't want your best partner out of shape just before the Inter-High, do you?"
Oikawa blinked and glanced at Iwaizumi before sighing.
"He may be our resilient Ace but Iwa-chan is more fragile and tender than he appears to be… no one notices, not even himself but he's not as confident as he should be."
"Someone noticed, though," Yuuna said with a shrug, "That's why she likes him, after all. Because he's more than he appears to be."
Both glanced at Kiku who was watching Hajime with eyes filled with admiration and love, her eyes sparkling with the something Oikawa was looking for.
"It was nice catching up with you today, Oikawa," Yuuna said with a smile.
"Can I ask you why you've told me 'no' all this time? I wasn't your type? Or is it because you already like someone?" He asked curiously, tilting his head on a side.
Yuuna flushed and smiled, glancing down before nodding softly. Oikawa couldn't really blame her for rejecting him so many times if her heart was already taken…
"I wonder who is the lucky one…" He mused to himself.
"I think you know." Yuuna answered with a sad smile.
Then, she turned to stare at Kiku and the realization hit Tooru so suddenly there was a short moment when he couldn't breathe. The sparkly eyes, the flush on her cheeks, the softness in her gaze as Yuuna stared at Kiku… he had been so blind, it had been so obvious. It was the exact same way Iwa-chan looked at Kiku and the way Kiku looked at Iwa-chan…
But Tooru smiled tenderly, watching from afar the couple-to-be. Kiku was obviously not aware of her friend's feelings for her… it must have hurt Yuuna so much – hearing for as long as she's been in love with Kiku that Kiku was in love with someone else. And yet, she never left Kiku's side, she never stopped supporting her when she was going through something difficult and now, even if Kiku and Hajime's love was finally blooming, Yuuna was still supporting them. Because she loved Kiku so much that she only wanted her happiness.
Tooru frowned lightly, opening his lips to speak up once again:
"Earlier, you and Iwa-chan… you argued… didn't you? Did you fight for Kiku-chan?" He asked, sounding almost teasing.
Yuuna's lips turned into a thin line and she frowned lightly.
"Not really. I think he misunderstood why I am so protective of Kiku… it's just… I've known him from what she's told me for years and it was such a wild contrast from what I… what everyone knew of Seijou's Ace and I'm worried for Kiku, you know… He's not… he doesn't appear to be a kind or soft person and I don't want Kiku hurt. But… I don't know what I was expecting, that he'd show his true self – the parts of himself that Kiku loves even to a stranger like me? That he really wasn't the tough Ace everyone takes him to be?"
"But you know he isn't like that, right?"
"I know, but today I just found out that… he barely grasps the concept of love – even less wrap his mind around the fact that he's in love with Kiku and what he should do about that…"
Yuuna paused, frowning lightly and swallowing hard as if it hurt her to say these words – it probably hurt like hell:
"If they're happy together, then I'm fine but… if he doesn't know how to treat her well after what happened to her… how could I possibly trust him with Kiku's heart?" She continued, shaking lightly her head.
Tooru hesitated before frowning as well:
"Wait… what happened to Kiku-chan exactly?"
Even if he knew something must have happened to her, he didn't know what exactly and as far as he knew, Iwaizumi was just as lost as him.
Yuuna seemed just as thunderstruck by that because she blinked at Oikawa.
"You mean… you don't know…? I thought… I had assumed that she had opened to you… both of you…" She asked with a little voice.
Oikawa shook his head no but Yuuna looked away, lips thin and a worried frown upon her face.
"Now that explains why she hasn't confessed yet…" She mumbled to herself.
"Yuu-chan, I know I shouldn't ask you this of you but, what happened to Kiku-chan? Is it something… grave? Something she wouldn't talk about even to Iwa-chan? He's the person she trusts most on the team, she loves him so why…"
His voice trailed off when Yuuna shook her head to interrupt him:
"You don't get it, do you… It is because she loves him that she can't… listen, Oikawa, you want these two together, right?"
"…Yes?"
She turned to him sharply, a serious expression on her face that made him understand that she wasn't joking.
"No matter what, make sure Iwaizumi doesn't confess. Not yet. I'll make sure Kiku tells him the truth before it's too late but if he confesses before that then she'll… they might never have a chance together. You have to tell him to not confess until… he'll know when but, make sure to tell him that? Got it?"
She wasn't saying any of that because she was in love with Kiku and definitely didn't want to encourage her rival but for the sake of Kiku's happiness… for both of their happiness, she was asking this of Oikawa. Whatever had happened to Kiku… it might be worse than Oikawa had initially thought.
Have I been right to push Iwa-chan to fall in love with her at the beginning of the school-year, after all…?
"Got it?" She repeated, impatiently.
"Y-yeah… I'll tell him that…" Oikawa nodded, a little taken aback by the events that kept taking him by surprise.
Yuuna seemed reassured just a little, but enough to worry even more Oikawa. He swallowed hard but then, Kiku turned around and smiled.
"Yuuna! Le's go! We still have to go rent the dvd to watch tonight!" She exclaimed.
"I'm coming!" Yuuna exclaimed with a smile so bright it was hard to believe she was heartbroken and smiling to the girl she liked but didn't like her back.
Oikawa followed and even if there was just a few minutes during which the boys accompanied the two girls to the neighborhood where they were safe and sound, his silence was enough to make Iwaizumi glance at him curiously. They waved goodbye, Yuuna sending one last hard glance at Oikawa to remind him of his duty before she followed Kiku. Before disappearing, Kiku glanced at Hajime one last time then turned with a bright smile towards Yuuna.
"Hey… you're okay there?" Iwaizumi asked when they went down their bus some time later, "You've been awfully quiet since you talked with Sato. Something happened? She rejected you again?"
"Iwa-chan," Oikawa called suddenly, stopping just a few dozens of meters from the apartment complex where they lived, "You have no intention of confessing to Kiku anytime soon, right? As in… by tonight or tomorrow soon?" He asked.
Hajime was so taken aback by the sudden question that he barely felt flustered by the question itself.
"Uuuh… no? I don't think so?" He answered hesitantly, glancing around awkwardly.
"Good, keep it that way! I'll explain to you tonight when I get home!" Oikawa exclaimed suddenly, turning around and running off.
"Wait! Where are you going?! Oikawa! OI!" Iwaizumi called, not understanding what just happened.
Oikawa turned around just before the corner to scream his answer:
"I just remembered! I have to go see Mari-chan! I'll see you tonight!"
"What…?" Iwaizumi muttered as his friend disappeared.
He had wanted to talk to him about what had happened with Yuuna… what the hell did she tell Oikawa to turn him into such a weirdo? Not that he was usually sane, but this behavior just took the cake… Also… Hajime didn't have anyone else to turn to and ask questions about his trouble caused by Yuuna… He was confused about Oikawa's feelings and mostly, he was confused about what he was supposed to do next…
"Confessing… uuh…" He whispered to himself, cheeks suddenly burning.
Oikawa had sent a message to his girlfriend, Marika, to tell her he would visit soon. The moment she opened the door, his arms surrounded her body and made her waver backwards.
"T-Tooru!" She exclaimed, blinking in disbelief.
"Your parents aren't home?" He asked in a hushed voice, a little out of breath after his running.
"N-no, but why did you suddenly send me a message saying you needed to see me?" She asked.
"I…"
Tooru closed his eyes and swallowed hard, glad that she couldn't see the expression on his face.
"A friend of mine told me to think of… someone… and…"
I should have thought of you… why didn't I think of you…?
"And I thought of you…" He breathed, hoping the tremble of his voice would pass for emotion and not the shame of lie.
I miss her… Why do I miss her?
"I miss you." He finished, putting his lips against her ear and feeling a shiver run up her body as she clutched to him, probably just as shocked to hear these words from him as he was to lie so openly to his girlfriend.
He had never lied to his past girlfriends, they knew he was with them for their bodies just like they were with him for his looks. But… he didn't want of this fear, this possibility that his someone might be the last person he wanted to… to l-like… He couldn't, it was just… impossible, even for him, it was so… so… SO RIDICULOUSLY STUPID.
Why?! Was all he kept thinking while his girlfriend kissed his lies away, believing these words had been for her even though, for the entirety of the time they spent together this evening, the face of another haunted Tooru.
So we learn about Yuuna, we know that Kiku is keeping secret what happened to her, and as I had said, this chapter was a bit Oikaaw-centric with the whole "he never had a one and only" and the ~her~ he thought of is his future lady in his future story - it was a way to introduce her through him even if we won't, theoritically, meet her until the actual Oikawa story (but there is a chapter in Sowlmate where she appears very quickly)
I hope you enjoyed it! ;)
NEXT CHAPTER : MUTUAL INSPIRATION
Don't hesitate tot tell what you thought! ;)
Yours Truly,
May