Hellow! NEW CHAPTER, YAY! :D I shouldn't post this chapter becasue I'm late in my writing, after I ersed by accident chapter 36 I had to rewrite it entirely and thus, I am late in my schedule... but well! I'll hurry to finish writing this arc then I'll switch to Sowlmates' next arc! ;)

LuxKlara : Non preoccuparti, la confessione arriva presto nonostante qualchi dubbi e paure! ;)

Krisia : Makki might be one of the decisive people to act for these two to get together! ;) I must admit that I'm a little impatient to zwrite about Kiku meeting once again Iwaizumi's dad, and for both of them to discuss so he'd realize she's not who he thinks she is.

starrat : I hope this chapter is up to your expectations! :D

cuddlebunny0330 : It's going to keep being a rollercosater of emotions, but not for the same reasons as the past fuor chapters! ;) I'm sure you'll love this chapter then! :D

AnimeViolinist001 : There will be some doubts and fears, but their relationship will only get ebtter from now on! ;) Lots of love and adorable moments, a few doubts, but love always wins. I hope your heart will be able to handle this chapter, and the few following ones! ;)

pinkdoughtnuts : I wouldn't say that he's oblivious per say, he just gets swiped into the moment anf forgets a few essential steps. Following chapter again very adorable! :D

YummoYaku : There is definitely something ahppening that you're going to like~! ;) And yes, when they'll be together there will be some nsfw moments, if you read Sowlmates you have an idea of what it'll be like! ;) ALll my fanfictions aren't just about falling in love but also keeping a relationship working and building a life together so obviously, being intimate is an important step for couples. :) You'll see how Kyouken-chan and Kiku's relationship will be! x) I promise it'll be great, he's like Iwa-chan's adopted son (like all the second an first years after all) and she'll definitely act motherly with him, like everyone else. Whether or not he's okay with htat... is another story. XD Thank you for tleling me that, I hope you'll love the rest of the story then! :)

mysteryalligator : It's even better than Kijime getting together~! ;) You'll wait as long as it needs,but I promise it won't be THAT long for them to get together. It's just a matter of a few chapters now! ;) As for the Kuroo and OIkawa's stories, I'll start posting them when I'll be a few chapters before the end of Sowlmates and Quiet Voice, respectively. I don't post them now to not be overwhelmed but I'll post it before the very end to make sure people know about it! :) I don't know if you've read Sowlmates but there's the introcution of Kuroo's story in it, and there's also a two-shots story centered on Akaashi that I started publishing called "Sowlmates the Owl and the Dove"! ;) Don't hesitate to check it out! :D

FANFICTION

HAIKYUU! : QUIET VOICE

CHAPTER XXXV : Magical Moment

"Sometimes love isn't fireworks, sometimes love just comes softly."

— Janette Oke, Love Comes Softly

"The thought of you consumes me like an uncommitted sin."

— VàZaki Nada

"I notice you, I want to say. Even when no one else does, I do. I will."

— David Levithan

"She scares the hell out of me and calms my soul at the same time. Maybe that's what love is—a total contradiction that somehow balances out."

— Tammara Webber, Where You Are

"And for some reason, I always felt a little more when I would hear you laugh."

— R.M. Drake

"Her laughter tickled my soul."

— Katie McGarry

"It all adds up to one thing: peace, silence, solitude. The world and its noise are out of sight and far away. Forest and field, sun and wind and sky, earth and water, all speak the same language."

— Thomas Merton

"Accepting help is its own kind of strength."

— Kiera Cass, The Guard

"Silence–awkward or comfortable–is a language too. Awkward silence screams, 'We have nothing in common.' Comfortable silence proves just how much we do."

— Erin McCahan, Love and Other Foreign Words

"Yes. Yes. Yes. I hear. Your silence is loud."

— Anne Sexton, A Self-Portrait In Letters

"I'm thinking the reason I've been so quiet all those years is only because he wasn't around yet for me to tell everything to."

— Jandy Nelson, I'll Give You The Sun

"Fall in love with someone who's comfortable with your silence. Find someone who doesn't need your words to know it's time to kiss you."

— Clairabelle Ann

"Hurry up!" Iwaizumi exclaimed, glaring at Oikawa for being so slow in the morning.

"Calm down, Iwa-chan! We're not late!" He answered, putting on his shoes calmly.

"Just hurry!"

"You know, I'm aware that you want us to hurry so you could cross path with Kiku-chan by accident," he mocked, following his friend who seemed unable to stay calm.

Iwaizumi huffed and rolled his eyes, but his blush betrayed him.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"So cute, Iwa-chan~"

"SHUT UP! HURRY UP!" He shouted, grabbing Oikawa's sleeve and dragging him faster despite the setter's laugh.

When they arrived near Aoba Jousai, Iwaizumi calmed down, even slowed down and even if he appeared as relaxed as usual, his eyes were vividly looking around, looking for someone. Just around the time they reached the gates, Kiku appeared at the other side for the street, riding her bicycle.

"Oh, look, here's Kiku. Let's wait for her." Iwaizumi said, pretending not to have seen it coming even though he had definitely been waiting for her.

Oikawa glanced at him, unimpressed by his pretended casualness. He held back the reflex of rolling his eyes at how ridiculous Iwa-chan was being, it was actually impressive he thought he was being discreet in his pining. The entire volleyball team was now sighing and rolling their eyes pretty much every time the Ace and manager were in the same room together.

Listening to music, Kiku didn't notice right away the two young men even though Iwaizumi gave a tiny wave at her before putting his hands in his pockets. Grinning, she joined them, stopping and climbing down the bicycle.

"How are you today?" Iwaizumi asked her with a smile.

"Great, and you, Iwaizumi-san?" She continued.

"Great," he answered.

They stared at each other, grinning like fools while Oikawa felt a little awkward. Was it how Iwa-chan always felt? Being the third-wheel when his fangirls surrounded him?

"I'm fine too! In case you're wondering…" He intervened with his usual cheerfulness.

Akiyama finally noticed him, glancing at him then smiling with a little nod.

"I listened to the songs you advised me, Oikawa-san. I really liked them!" She started, all three walking to leave her bicycle with the few of the others left there by student.

"What music?" Iwaizumi asked, frowning.

While Kiku explained quietly about how and why she and Oikawa had ended up talking about music, and the one he had advised her, in her back, Oikawa stuck his tongue out at Iwaizumi, knowing he was jealous of the girl's attention being on someone else than him. Before Kiku could notice the silent and petty argument going on in her back between the two friends, Iwaizumi slapped down Oikawa's hand for the gesture he was doing, showing his teeth angrily. As soon as she turned around, they pretended nothing had happened and followed the girl, both trying to elbow the other until Oikawa went down, coughing terribly.

"Are you all right?" Kiku asked him, turning around to help him up.

"F-fine, just… didn't swallow well…" he mumbled, standing up.

"Oh, I have a water bottle if you want," she said, suddenly pulling out something from her bag.

She handed him a half-drunk water bottle. Oikawa took it with a thankful smile but before he could even open it, Iwaizumi suddenly reached for it, pulling it away from him.

"You can't," he said with a hard voice.

"Why not?" Oikawa asked, knowing very well why Iwaizumi didn't want him drinking in this water bottle.

Iwaizumi narrowed his eyes, silently telling him to not drink in this water bottle. It was a water bottle Kiku had drunk in. Which meant indirect kiss, as silly as it was, Hajime couldn't bear the thought of his flirty friend's lips going to the same place as Kiku's.

"You said you were a little sick yesterday, didn't you? You'd give her your microbes, so you can't drink in this water bottle. Understood?" Iwaizumi said in a threatening voice, glaring at him.

"I'm feeling much better, thank you for your concern, Iwa-chan!" He answered, reaching out to grasp the bottle.

Iwaizumi kept it out of his reach while Kiku glanced between the two doing some sort of battle for the water bottle. Hajime seemed annoyed by something, whereas Oikawa was gleeful from teasing.

"It's all right, you can drink in it even sick, I'll just give it to you," She decided to interrupt their petty argument.

Both stopped and glanced at her, a little surprised by her intervention. She smiled then turned around to enter the school building and get changed. Hajime stared at her leaving then glanced down at the water bottle in his hands.

"I'll leave it for you, consider it a gift, Iwa-chan~" Oikawa hummed, walking towards the boys' changing-room.

Hajime narrowed his eyes at him but then looked back at the water bottle. It was still fresh and… well, perhaps he was still a little thirsty from his morning run. Yes, running so much had made him thirsty. He opened it and noticed that the cup of the bottle had traces of her lipstick. Not lipstick – lip balm. Pink, the kind that left lips soft, dangerously attractive with a hint of pink lingering even after hours. He felt that if he was drinking from this same bottle, he'd commit a sin.

He felt blessed by heavens when he drank and tasted a little bit of her lips, even if it was through an indirect kiss.

One sin or a thousands – he'd end up in Hell anyway so why not make the most of it?

Later this day, at lunch, he went with Oikawa and Hanamaki get some lunch, half-listening to what the wing-spiker was talking about – some story about how one of his classmates definitely had a thing for him, but who didn't, after all? On their way to the cafeteria, they walked past Kiku and Shinobu, the two girls talking vividly. If Shinobu flushed looking up at Oikawa, Kiku had eyes only for Iwaizumi. They smiled at each other before they continued their own way. He looked over his shoulder, grinning when Kiku had been looking at him as well. She smiled a little more and then Shinobu, noticing the shared gaze between the two, elbowed the girl and started teasing her, making her chuckle and blush. Iwaizumi looked back in front of him, his heart and stomach doing some happy roller coaster. He didn't stop smiling, holding back the reflex of hoping joyfully.

Hanamaki sighed, shaking his head, attracting the other two's attentions.

"Why aren't you asking her out on a date?" He asked, sounding desperate.

"B-because we're not dating!" He replied, frowning lightly.

"Then date her, it can't be so complicated. It's been almost two weeks already and all you've done is exchange smiles and pining. Just move your ass to get the girl, or the year will go by and you'll both end up crying at night, possibly to me or Oikawa, about how much regrets you've accumulated."

Two weeks already… It didn't feel like almost two weeks had passed since the whole mess of Kiku's revelation to Hajime. She was an adopted child and one of her foster family had abused her, leaving her covered in scars and dealing with ptsd. Hajime had reacted angrily when he had heard the story – partly because it had revolted him to hear what had happened to his Kiku, but mostly because he had felt like she hadn't trusted him before. He hadn't realized how much of a big step forward it was for Kiku to trust someone at all and tell him what had happened to her. And after some trick from his friends, he ended up running to the hospital and telling her he'd never leave her. But they still weren't dating, to their friends' great despair.

But knowing the whole truth had changed things between Hajime and Kiku: there was no more wondering what was her story, her secrets, what had happened to her… They both felt lighter – Kiku because she had talked about her past to someone other than her psychologists or her parents, and Hajime because she had trusted him out of all people. They both smiled more, brighter, they seemed happier, but there was one thing missing: the tiny and last step of confession before they'd finally be the adorable couple they should be.

Hajime had told Oikawa everything, and because he had involuntarily told Hanamaki some part of the truth, he too had ended up knowing most of the story. And because Matsukawa was left behind, they had told him as well. Facing Kiku to tell her he had told all four of them the truth (technically, only Oikawa, then Hanamaki had insisted and Oikawa had told him, then Mattsun had insisted and Oikawa and Hanamaki had told him) but for some reason, she hadn't been angry or sad as he would have expected. She had been a little awkward with the three others at first, nervous to know they knew the truth but they didn't change their behavior towards her (except maybe Hanamaki who was calmer and less teasing with her) and it was a huge relief for her. She was acting with them the same way she used to, perhaps even a little more open. She was laughing more as well, Hajime had happily noticed.

In the end, Kiku was the one who felt better and lighter – sharing the burden had only been positive for her.

It was obvious for everyone who knew the two that Hajime liked Kiku, and that she liked him back. It wasn't even "liking" or "fallen in love" at this point – it was being head over heels for one another. Hajime really shouldn't be scared anymore of confessing because Kiku had accepted him the way he had accepted her – the good and the bad and everything in-between. But it still took a huge leap of faith forward and he hadn't been ready. Not until now.

"I'm going to confess," Hajime suddenly said.

"Yeah, that's what we've been…"

Hanamaki's voice trailed off and both he and Oikawa stopped before whipping with wide eyes towards Iwaizumi who remained calm.

"WHAT?!" They both yelled.

"Why are you so surprised? You keep insisting I should confess." He mumbled, raising an eyebrow.

"Y-yes, but it's so… unexpected, Iwa-chan…"

"You were all 'no, I can't, I'm too scared' not long ago and you suddenly drop the bomb like that…"

"I do not speak like that." Iwaizumi growled at the high-pitched voice he had used to imitate him.

"Oh! Then! We need to prepare everything! It has to be perfect!" Oikawa suddenly exclaimed, "The best would be after practice, but make sure to take a shower and not stink, with the sunset and under a tree so that the leaves could fall around you while you confess – Kindaichi could climb in the tree to shake the branches! It'll be so romantic! And you'll have to–"

"Oi, wait, wait, wait!" Iwaizumi interrupted, "I'm going to do it my way! Don't intervene, and don't drag Kindaichi or anyone in this, okay?!"

"Your way?" Hanamaki repeated, raising an eyebrow, "Don't take it the bad way, Iwaizumi but… how do you plan to confess exactly?"

Hajime felt offended he'd have so little faith in him. He opened his lips but was suddenly out of words. He glanced away, confused and frowning to himself. It was one thing deciding to confess, it was another thinking of how he'd do it.

"Oh." He said, realizing he had no clue, "How… do you, should… I… what?" He asked, turning towards his friends.

"Just as I was thinking, let me handle everything or you'll mess up something once again!" Oikawa decided.

Before Iwaizumi could protest, he and Hanamaki were already discussing excitedly how they'd set up the confession. He let them talk, but swore to himself he'd never follow their instructions if he wanted to confess to Kiku. It'd only turn into a big mess.

Unfortunately, the hype was too strong and Oikawa had prepared an actual plan in several steps that he excitedly shared with Iwaizumi when the two classes moved for their last class of the day: physical education. Most of the time, two classes would participate in the same time, and thankfully – or unfortunately – Oikawa and Iwaizumi's classes practiced together. It meant the students mixed up together – the only separation was between boys and girls who usually practiced different sports.

"Iwa-chan!" Oikawa called.

Iwaizumi turned around just as Oikawa joined him and they continued their way towards the boys' changing-room of the high-school building along with their classmates.

"I prepared something!" He said, giving him a paper titled 'how to confess for Iwa-chan~!'

"What the fuck?" He mumbled, starting to read the whole thing that had nine steps.

His way of confessing, he has imagined it in a much simpler way: step 1) get Kiku alone with him; step 2) confess. He was considering a step 3) pray very, very hard that no idiot (read: anyone on the volleyball team) would come interrupt, or tease, or bother, or turn it into a mess.

"I'm not doing any of the… how do you expect a flock of birds to go off at this exact timing, seriously?" He asked, giving the paper back to his friend.

Oikawa's lips trembled, hurt by his words:

"But I worked very hard to find a plan that would fit you and make both you and Kiku-chan happy!"

"We'll be happy when I'll confess, and not through nine freaking steps coming out of a romantic movie! We are happy at the moment, anyway. Just a good old and simple confession, without any weird stuff, or stupid stuff, or cheesy stuff, and it'll be perfect." He decided, shaking his head.

Oikawa sighed, disappointed, but didn't reply anything. Yet. He was too stubborn to give up. At least on the sunset. The sunset had to be here.

They changed clothes before going for a basketball class.

"Ugh… why aren't we doing volleyball? I don't like basketball…" Oikawa whined as they warmed up.

"We did volleyball last week, and we crushed the basketball Captain. I think he wants his revenge on us." Iwaizumi said with an amused smile, glancing over at said-Captain glaring at them.

"Shall we crush him once again, Iwa-chan~?" Oikawa hummed, never refusing a challenge.

"Sure we will," he answered with a grin.

"Oh, looks like the girls will do gymnastics this week. Kiku-chan will do great, then!"

Iwaizumi glanced over his shoulder, watching the girls doing their own warm-up and preparing their side of the gymnasium. The class started, things quickly heating up for the boys with their mini-competition lead by the team of the basketball club's Captain, and the team of Oikawa and Iwaizumi.

"Go! Kiku-chan! Show them what you've got!"

The distant voice of Shinobu encouraging Kiku distracted Hajime. He glanced over and despite the little crowd and the net in between to separate the girls and the boys, he saw Kiku go for a run then make stunts and jumps. An amazing sequence of beauty and grace no one expected from her. But she was simply so beautiful and incredible, doing such breathtaking–

"IWA-CHAN!"

"Iwaizumi, watch out!"

He didn't have time to react that he received the basketball full force, right into his face and fell backwards. And ridiculously at that. At once, all the boys ran to him, Oikawa first of all. Moaning, Iwaizumi remained on the floor for a little while, lifting up his hand to his face.

"Iwa-chan! Iwa-chan! Answer me! Are you all right?!"

"What happened, Iwaizumi-san?!"

"Uuugh… Kiku…"

There was a long silence, everyone glancing around, stunned to hear such a thing.

"Kiku? Akiyama Kiku?"

"Who?"

"Why is he talking about her?"

"He was distracted by her, wasn't he?"

"Is this a joke?"

"Iwa-chan! Are you all right?!" Oikawa exclaimed, a little panicked and silencing everyone.

"I'm fine…" He mumbled, sitting up.

"You should rest for today, you received a pretty hard hit on the head, Iwaizumi," their teacher said.

"If I can receive his serves in the face, I can handle anything," he said, pointing at Oikawa.

"Not Akiyama, apparently," someone joked behind.

Several laughed but when Iwaizumi glared, they shut up.

"I'm fine, really," Iwaizumi told their teacher.

He planned to sit up to prove it, but the moment he put his hand on the floor to push himself up, he felt a familiar pain in the wrist. He winced and immediately looked down, cursing himself.

"The wrist you had sprained…" Oikawa mumbled, lips thin.

"I'm fine, it's not hurt, just…"

"You're going to the nurse," the teacher decided with a sigh, "Someone go with him!"

Several glanced at each other while Oikawa helped him up even if Iwaizumi kept repeating he was fine and didn't need help.

"Akiyama will! If he can handle anything, he can handle her too!" The basketball Captain joked.

The girls, who had stopped everything when they had heard the commotion, all opened wide eyes and turned towards Kiku who blushed fifty shades of red. Iwaizumi flushed as well, biting down on his lower lip. Several started whispering and laughing, mostly at the poor girl who looked as far away as possible from Iwaizumi. He was about to bark some insult when the teacher intervened:

"If you've got so much nonsense to say, you can say it while accompanying Iwaizumi to the nurse, Izumi!" He exclaimed, sending an annoyed look at the basketball Captain.

He lost all colors, people laughing at him now, while he stammered pathetically:

"B-but… basketball… I'm the Captain…" He said, as if it gave him enough reason to stay.

"We're in a PE class, not in a basketball practice for your club. You're not a Captain right now, just a student. And as such, you'll accompany one of your classmate who's hurt. Hurry." The teacher said impatiently.

Iwaizumi smirked, glad Izumi now had burning ears as he accompanied him. Served him right for making fun of his Kiku. As soon as Iwaizumi was at the nurse, Izumi went off and back to PE class. Iwaizumi didn't have a commotion or anything sprained but he should still go see a kinesitherapist to make sure his wrist wouldn't suffer with his intense training as volleyball Ace.

The following day being Saturday, he decided to go to his usual kinesitherapist. It was a kind woman who had taken great care of his wrist when he had gotten injured, the same who was helping out Oikawa with his knee. She had been advised to them by coach Irihata and she probably knew the whole volleyball team over the years with the amount of injuries they all got. When he arrived, the usual dinging sound resonated.

"I'm coming!"

A few minutes later, Kato-san arrived with a smile, surprised to see Iwaizumi here and after he explained his fall at PE class, she smiled.

"I can have a look at it, go in the usual room, Iwaizumi-kun," she said before disappearing.

She joined him a few minutes later then was massaging his wrist to check for injury and make sure he wouldn't force on it, she had already started a conversation, asking about how he was doing at school, how was Oikawa, their families…

"I've heard about your loss at the Inter-High, it's such a disappointment… You've worked so hard…"

She said, lips pouting.

"Yeah… we fought until the end though… Probably… partly thanks to our manager."

Kato glanced up at him and he continued, not realizing that a smile had started appearing on his face:

"She encouraged us a lot when we were a little desperate. I'm so grateful she is part of my life…"

"Girlfriend?" She asked teasingly.

He blushed and shook his head no, but didn't stop smiling. He opened his lips to answer "not yet" when someone knocked at the door:

"Auntie Tsubasa, I'm going to…"

Hearing a familiar voice, Hajime looked up with wide eyes, and Kiku's voice trailed off when she saw him here. They stared at each other for a short moment, Tsubasa's lips trembling as she held back a laugh.

"Kiku, how do you feel?" She asked, but by the tone of her voice her question was professional and not personal.

It seemed to shake Kiku back to reality and she turned towards her aunt, Hajime glancing between the two with wide, shocked eyes:

"Already better, thank you," Kiku answered.

Her eyes darted back towards Hajime and Tsubasa quickly stood up, cleaning her hands covered in massaging cream on a towel.

"You'll be fine, Iwaizumi-kun and I'm done with today's massage. Now, should I leave you two alone? I believe you are… acquainted, are you not?"

Kiku blushed, looking away as Iwaizumi finally reacted:

"W-wait! You! You two know each other?! Auntie?!" He exclaimed, still glancing between the two.

Aunt and niece glanced at each other then back at the Ace, looking at him almost sadly.

"Iwaizumi-san, this is Kato Tsubasa… My mother's sister and… coach Irihata's wife." Kiku introduced with a smile.

"I heard a lot about your team from my husband, obviously, and I know a lot about what's going between you two from my sister, and–"

"Auntie! Tsubasa… please?" Kiku exclaimed, half pleading to not be teased while Hajime flushed in embarrassment.

"B-but, your family name… Irihata…? Kato? I-I don't get it…" He stammered.

"Ah, I already had my office with my name before I met and married my husband. I decided to keep my birth name as a professional name," Kato explained calmly before raising an eyebrow, "Don't tell me that because I don't share the same family name as Nobuteru, you hadn't figured out I was Kiku's aunt until now?"

Hajime glanced at Kiku, then back at Kato-san, realizing how much of a fool he had been. Of course coach Irihata would tell his students to go to this "good kinesitherapist, not too far from here" AKA his wife. Of course, Oikawa (and pretty much everyone else but him) already knew because he knew that coach had a wife who was also a kinesitherapist. Of course it never occurred to Hajime that the kinesitherapist who had looked after Kiku, thanks to whom she had met Nanami (Kiku hadn't given the detail that the two were sisters, but it should have been obvious enough) also was the kinesitherapist/wife of his coach.

"I… I hadn't connected the dots until now…" He murmured, red in embarrassment and wanting to cover his face in shame.

Tsubasa whistled, then laughed loudly, hands on her hips as she remarked with a grin:

"Nobuteru had told me you were the only one with some brain cells on his team! I don't want to imagine the others!"

She laughed again and turned to leave the two teenagers who were too embarrassed to react at her teasing, but then, Kiku whipped to her and opened her lips:

"Um! U-uh… auntie Tsubasa… could we… could I borrow the car keys… please?" She asked hesitantly.

Hajime glanced between the two, Tsubasa looking at him then back at Kiku with a smile.

"Sure, just make sure to be back in time. You'll eat dinner with us tonight?"

"Y-yes," Kiku answered with a nod.

"Then, you know where the keys are!" Tsubasa exclaimed, leaving the two teenagers.

Kiku and Hajime glanced at each other, flushing before she started walking away. He followed her, not quite knowing whether or not he was supposed to but if she didn't want of him, she'd say so. She grabbed keys in her aunt's desk – her aunt, how could he not realize earlier that the kinesitherapist following him and Oikawa was coach's wife?! It was so obvious now that he knew it!

Just like it had seemed obvious after learning that Kiku was adopted that the Akiyama weren't her parents – coach or Kato-san, it's the same, they're not related to Kiku in the slightest… He thought to himself, a little lost in thoughts.

"You really didn't know uncle Nobuteru was giving auntie's office address to whoever would need a kinesitherapist?" Kiku asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Oh, uh… I never thought about it," he admitted, still flushing in embarrassment.

She smiled a little, amused by his obliviousness. She found it endearing that such obvious things for some, would go over his head.

Kiku went straight for a car and opened it without hesitation, climbing in. Iwaizumi remained standing there, a little awkwardly until she looked up at him and pointed at the seat next to her:

"Well? What are you waiting for? Get in!" She exclaimed.

He was too stunned to not execute her order but the moment he was sitting, seat-belt on and Kiku starting to drive, he frowned to himself.

"Wait, do you have a driving license?" He asked her.

"…Not yet, but I know how to drive. Uncle Nobuteru taught me." She explained with a shrug.

"You can't drive without a driving license!" He exclaimed suddenly, straightening up in his seat.

"I can still drive!"

"But! What if you get caught by cops?!"

"I never got caught by cops, it's fine!"

"My dad is a cop!" He hissed, raising his hands to the sky, "If we're caught and I'm in the same car as you, I'm going to get killed! Worse! He'll throw me in jail!" He exclaimed while Kiku chuckled at his over-reaction.

"Ending up in jail is wore than death?" She questioned, sounding thoughtful.

He remained silent for a moment, watching a little nervously the sides of the road where he knew cops were hiding.

"It can be worse than death, when I hear what my father says about what people do when they get out. Even if they're not such bad persons… they always end up with a shitty life because of their time in prison…" He explained.

"…Some people deserve it. Some would deserve death more than jail." She said harshly.

Surprised by her words and tone of voice – it was something he had never heard from Kiku… He turned to her with wide eyes, lips falling open. She glanced at him very quickly and despite the coldness he saw in her eyes, it quickly disappeared, leaving guilt and disappointment. Disappointment to have disappointed him, to have said such a thing…

"Sorry…" She whispered, lips thin, "It's… still not a good thing to say, or even wish…"

"Do you wish for his death?" He asked, trying not to let any emotion filter through his voice.

"Whose?" She asked innocently.

"You know whose," he replied, staring at her.

Her face didn't show anything, but her eyes were stormy from emotions. Then… she calmed down. Her shoulders relaxed, her lips tilted up in a soft expression and her eyes were just sad.

"I won't deny that I hate him for what he's done to me, but justice is done. Wishing for his death or for things to have been different won't change what actually happened. I just wish… for Himura-san to realize the mistakes he's done and pays for it. That he prays to be a better person and do better for his family… Not that I really care anyway, I haven't heard from any of them ever since your… ever since your father told me they were far away from me and wouldn't hurt me anymore. I don't even know the details of what happened to them."

Hajime hesitated, not quite knowing what to answer to that, a little stunned by her wisdom when she was only eighteen years old.

"He's in prison, so is his wife. And the son was in the system, he's probably on his own now. If… they behaved during their time in jail, they might be out already." He said in a low voice, glancing from the window.

He watched the faces of the people they drove by. Perhaps one of them was a Himura. Perhaps one of them was a victim of people as terrible. Or the culprits. There was no way to know.

"…I see." Kiku said in a low voice.

She glanced very quickly at Hajime then spoke up again, gaze back on the road:

"I'm sorry I didn't ask you if you wanted to come with me today. I should have. It's as if I'm a dragon kidnapping a prince from his kingdom! Oh, well, you'd be able to beat the bad guy, anyway."

Hajime was tempted to say that she was the princess hurt by a vicious dragon… and he liked the idea that he'd be her knight in shining armor, came to save her by slaying the beast. But Kiku was strong enough to slay the dragon on her own. She was good-hearted enough to kill it with kindness.

His line of thoughts left a smile on his face, and he looked around before speaking up:

"Where are we going exactly?" He asked because they were leaving the center of Sendai and were going straight towards the forest and hills surrounding the city.

"There's someplace I want to show you." She said with a smile, "You'll see, it's very pretty and… and we didn't get to talk, all alone, ever since… I mean, there's always been people around us or we were busy and…"

Her voice trailed off and she swallowed hard. Hajime couldn't help but smile softly, her eyes catching his expression and immediately reassuring her. They remained in a comfortable silence for a little while. Until they drove by a police car, Iwaizumi immediately trying to cover his face and hide behind the seat.

"It's acting so strangely that's going to get us caught!" She exclaimed with an amused smile.

"S-sorry… Is it really that easy to drive without a driving license in town? It's dangerous…!" He mumbled, checking over their shoulders to make sure the police car hadn't decided to follow them.

But knowing the police officers and cops quite well, he was pretty sure that whoever had been in this car would have been too busy eating donuts or dorayaki or something to actually look at the cars going by.

"My driving is that bad?" She asked with a chuckle.

He stopped and glanced at her. She had the calm gestures of someone who had driven for a long time. She was respecting the restrictions and her attention was focused on the road, the passerby, the other roads… everything.

"N-no… you drive very well…" He admitted.

Better than my father the police officer, he added to himself, half-tempted to tease his father about that.

"Do you drive?"

"Not as actively as you, apparently… But my dad taught me. I'll get a driving license next year." He explained.

She smiled softly, imagining the two Iwaizumi in a car, father teaching son how to maneuver such a machine.

"He tried teaching Oikawa too, but he doesn't have the patience and almost ended up crashing the car three times until dad gave up on him." He added with an amused smile, remembering the times his father had spent teaching them (mostly him).

Kiku's smile grew larger just as they quit the main roads and turned for a little road, it was surrounded by trees and they were going up on a big slope.

"Where are you taking me, seriously? It reminds me of the times Oikawa drags me for some alien sighting in the forest," he mumbled.

"Not that different, actually. Are all of your experiences in life associated to Oikawa?" She asked teasingly, glancing at him.

"We grew up together, so, most of it, yeah, unfortunately– keep your eyes on the road please." He said, pointing at the bumpy road.

"It's fine! I know what I'm AAAH!"

Kiku suddenly braked, screaming. Iwaizumi screamed as well, holding tightly onto whatever he could grasp. His scream continued, totally panicked, eyes closed, expecting a crash or to hurt or die or something… then, he heard a laugh. He whipped towards Kiku who was leaning against the car wheel, laughing at her own (stupid) joke. Mostly at his reaction.

"What the fuck?! It's not funny!" He exclaimed.

"Yes, it was! You didn't see your face! And your scream! It was priceless!" She exclaimed, still laughing.

He opened his lips to reply something but only huffed, still a little panicked after his fright. Kiku was still chuckling when she continued driving. Her eyes were sparkling happily and he couldn't help but smile, realizing he had missed her smile and laugh so much. Even if he had seen it just the previous day, even if he had heard this sound not long ago…

"For information, the only reason why I braked suddenly was because we are the only ones on this road and no one ever comes around. I wouldn't have done it otherwise." She explained, but her lips were still trembling in amusement.

"The main reason you did that was because you wanted to scare me," he mumbled.

"That, too," she admitted, nodding cheerfully.

She chuckled, remembering the face he had made and the unmanly scream that had escaped his lips. This time, he couldn't help but laugh softly as well, imagining what he must have looked like. Probably ridiculous, but as long as it made Kiku happy, he was okay with it.

After the long bumpy road, they finally arrived on a little platform, covered in grass and flowers of all colors and a circle of trees making it look like a suspended meadow. Kiku drove the car in a corner then exited the car, Hajime following her. They walked forward and he smiled, his heart missing a tiny beat when he saw the view under his eyes.

From here, they could see the entire city of Sendai but despite the gray buildings and boring streets, the few parks and shrines made the city look much more beautiful than it should have been. The sun was going down, painting the landscape in shades of orange and gold. Perhaps it was what made the view so beautiful. Or perhaps it was the meadow they were standing in, giving it a magical glow. Or perhaps what made the landscape so beautiful was simply to watch it with Kiku…

Hajime glanced at her, she was smiling softly upon seeing this view, her eyes sparkling. Her hair had caught the sunset's rays, giving a copper, almost reddish hue to her hair. Her skin was as pretty as amber. She wore jeans and an oversized white shirt, but she had never looked more beautiful than in this moment.

"Isn't it beautiful?" She said in a low voice, as if afraid it might break the moment.

"…You are…"

Kiku looked up at him, a little stunned by his words, not sure she had heard him well. She looked away almost as quickly, and observed the beautiful, magical landscape once again:

"I never talked to anyone about this place before, or even… brought anyone. I-it's my secret place where I come when I need to be on my own and away from the world." She explained sheepishly, flushing to admit to Hajime was the first to know about this place, "I… I first discovered it after I was adopted by the Akiyama. I… I was still being followed by Tsubasa for my back, even now I still am, and I needed exercise so I'd often walk around town, and one day I found the little road we drove on and… and I fell in love with this place."

Hajime didn't doubt it must feel like heaven when her past was haunting her or when the world was too cruel to her… It was a beautiful, peaceful place, relaxing and away from the stress of the city.

"You still… are?" He asked hesitantly, frowning lightly.

Kiku seemed hesitant, her hand going up to her shoulder by reflex. Where there was a scar. A scar left by Himura from the years of abuse during which he mistreated her…

"The whip he used on me didn't just burn away the skin and flesh to leave scars… It'd hit my column and sometimes even my ribs. Even if I've been treated in time, even if I do sports to keep muscles in my back… it still hurts. Yesterday's stunts at PE class hurt me a lot because I hadn't done any in a while now that I'm manager and so… I asked my aunt to give me some massage. I suppose that between that and my heavy breasts, I'll always have back pain." She explained with a little shrug.

She said it so easily – explaining what happened to her, why she was injured and still had to deal with the pain today, years after… But Hajime had seen her eyes letting rivers of tears roll down her cheeks, he had seen how hard it was for her to talk about any of this, how heavy her heart had been…

Suddenly, she let out a heavy breath and she chuckled, eyes a little teary despite the relief shining in them.

"Wow, I hadn't said it to anyone else… It's… it's such a relief, it feels so good talking about it without holding anything back…!" She realized, voice trembling a little.

He was about to tell her she could talk to him whenever she felt like it, whenever she needed it – he was here for her, forever, he had said so… but before he could say a thing, she spoke up, turning to him:

"Iwaizumi-san, I… I told you everything of my story but… I want you to know that you don't have to feel yourself forced to listen to my whines and cries, it's… it's not easy listening to these things and you are… innocent in all this. If it ever feels too much and you don't want to hear me complain, you can just tell me and I'll stop right away."

He opened his lips, closing and opening, looking stupid, until he found the right words to say:

"Do you want to talk to me? Do you need to?" He asked softly.

Surprised by his question, that he'd care about her well-being, her lips trembled and her eyes filled with tears. Though she couldn't tell if these were tears of sadness or joy. Her heart tugged almost painfully, realizing that she had needed someone to listen to her for all these years… but she shouldn't force the burden that was her past on his shoulders.

"I… I-I'm fine… I-I don't…"

"I'm here if you need to talk to me. I'm not going to break down just because of what you're telling me, I'm your friend and… I want you to trust me. I want you to have someone, a friend, to hold onto. Someone you'll never doubt of. A-and if it's me, then I'm glad… but you're not alone anymore… okay?" He said, looking at her with such vivid eyes.

With the sunset, his green eyes seemed to sparkle with bits of gold. She was breathless, thoughtless for a moment, entranced by his beautiful gaze so focused on her. Filled with softness and love – not pity, not anger, just… just everything she needed.

"You're the one I trust." She breathed out suddenly.

Hajime seemed relieved, a smile tugging at his lips. They remained silent, nothing else needed to be said. His hand reached for hers, hesitantly, his fingers brushing hers… Kiku startled and her first reflex was to move away… but he kept his soft, understand gaze on her and she finally approached her hand to his. His fingers entwined with hers, slowly, until he softly tugged at her hand and held it. It wasn't a desperate grip, but it was firm enough that she'd feel his rough, strong hand around hers. He was here. He was here for her.

Taken in by the atmosphere of the magical meadow, Kiku's words of trust to him that meant so much for both of them, their hands holding… Hajime hesitated before doing an awkward, slow move to turn towards her. His move, his gaze, the way he squeezed her hand, the way he blushed, was enough to reveal his intentions and even if Kiku's lips trembled, her gaze didn't waver. She didn't move away. Knowing it was her way of saying she trusted him, that she wanted this as much as he did, Hajime moved slowly towards her, leaning down, his eyes on her lips. He kept glancing into her eyes, both of them blushing terribly, but ready to stop at the slightest sign of fear or refusal from Kiku. But she squeezed his hand back, as if encouraging him and he almost laughed – out of excitement and happiness, realizing that they didn't need a single word to understand each other. She lifted up her face to him, closing her eyes. Hajime smiled, starting to close his eyes as well, getting closer and closer to her lips, to paradise…

A phone suddenly started ringing and they both startled. They looked at each other and blushed even more when they realized how physically close they were, how emotionally connected they felt. They stared awkwardly, not knowing what to do now that their attempt at a kiss had been interrupted by a phone ringing… The atmosphere was gone, the magic of the moment vanished.

Kiku was the first to look away, but she didn't pull away, just awkwardly stammering and staring into emptiness.

"U-um… y-your phone… is… it's… it's saying hello…" She mumbled in a low voice, trembling a little.

"R-right, s-sorry…" He answered.

He was forced to let go of her hand to take his phone but he stopped and looked back at Kiku who was observing him from the corner of her eye curiously. He smiled, raising an eyebrow:

"Did you… just say my phone was saying hello? It's an adorable way of saying it's ringing," he said with a soft, amused smile.

She blushed in embarrassment but he looked down at his phone, not surprised but already clenching his teeth to see it was a call from Oikawa. He usually sent him texts (which were on silent and would have been much better, not ruining his first kiss with Kiku) so a call was surprising, perhaps it was an emergency. But it was also Oikawa who would call him at random hours just when he was too impatient to receive the answer to his text. He was unpredictable. It'd better be an emergency.

"Yeah?" He asked, answering the call.

"Iwa-chan! Did you know there's Godzilla on tv tonight?!" His friend asked excitedly.

Hajime glared at an innocent tree, cursing Oikawa while Kiku stared at him curiously. Without answering and without feeling the tiniest bit of guilt for this, Hajime ended the call and turned off his phone to not be interrupted ever again by Trashykawa.

"E-everything all right…?" Kiku asked shyly.

"Yeah, just Trashykawa being a pain in the ass." He growled.

She glanced around and after awkwardness filled the silence, they glanced at each other, recalling very well what they had been doing before the phone call. What they had attempted to, at least. Feeling a little embarrassed, Hajime showed his hand, not quite knowing how to say "hey, let's try to have our romantic first kiss in the sunset once again!" without sounding… weird.

"Um… should we… shall we…? Continue… perhaps…?" He hesitated, blushing at his bad choice words – at least, it had the good point of being straightforward. A little too much, though.

Kiku blushed, hesitated, glancing around but before she could answer, her phone vibrated loudly. She jumped and went to dig in her pocket, reading the text by her aunt while it was Hajime's turn to glance around awkwardly.

"My aunt is asking when we'll go back…" She said, realizing that much more time had gone by than expected, "W-we should…"

She vaguely pointed at the car, her way of saying "we should go now, even if I don't want to" and he nodded, lips thin, his way of saying "the mood is gone now anyway, so let's go"… And so, they climbed back in the car and went back to Kiku's aunt's office in total silence. But it wasn't awkward, nor did it bother them. Quiet was their way of communicating, they didn't need words. If anything, they messed up whenever they used words. Quiet was much better.

Hajime insisted he didn't need to be driven back and he used the opportunity of walking back home to clear his thoughts. Despite his annoyance at Oikawa's unwanted intervention… it had been a good afternoon. He smiled softly, thinking back on Kiku's words – she trusted him. And it was one thing trusting him by telling her story, it was making everything more real when she actually said the words "You're the one I trust." They had almost kissed, Kiku had let him get close enough for a kiss – if Trashykawa hadn't called him then! He laughed to himself, quickly biting down on his lower lip when people glanced at him. He was grinning giddily when he got back and nothing could get him down from his cloud of happiness.

Ok. Maybe he is a little oblivious. A bit, to not realize who was Tsubasa before it was made explicit.

All right, one-two-three...! And everyone curse Oikawa! If Akaashi is Bokuto and AYaka's kissblocker, you can guess who is Iwaizumi and Kiku's kissblocker! ;D

NEXT CHAPTER : HAUNTING FEARS

Yours Truly,

May