Autor's Notes: Heeeyyyy! So it's been a hot minute since I last posted on this story. Sorry about that. But now that everything in my new place and new job has settled and I finally got the story down the way I wanted, I got a new one for you! I have a second chapter that will probably be going up tomorrow as well. A 2 for 1 special if you will. ;).

As always critics are always welcome. Let me know what you think!

Chapter 6: Facing the Inevitable

Tobio startled awake at the sound of the bell, sluggishly lifting his head to see his classmates already leaving the room. He felt the pit that had been growing in his stomach since Takeda-sensei announced the practice match with Seijoh. No matter how many times he reminded himself that it would happen eventually anyway and tried to prepare himself for the inevitable, he couldn't help the anxiety that plagued his mind every time he thought about his previous teammates, not to mention his estranged soulmates.

Oh god, his soulmates. What were they gonna do? At this point he was one hundred percent sure that one them was his mystery texter and while he wasn't sure which one it was (though he suspected that it was Iwaizumi since his relationship with Oikawa was volatile at best), he knew without question that Oikawa was the one that had requested the match. Considering the terms of the match it had Oikawa written all over it. The real question though was why Oikawa would want a match with his team in the first place. Tobio had been tossing and turning in his bed every night with this question bouncing around in his head, along with possible answers, each one more ridiculous and nonsensical as the last.

Maybe Oikawa was just testing him? After the last match in junior high he had confronted Tobio about his play style so maybe this was a test? But why would Oikawa bother with testing his abilities and growth when he seemed to loathe even the ground that Tobio walked on? It would have made more sense if Oikawa did everything he could to avoid running into him. So why the match then?

Was it just another form of torment, meant to show off just how far behind Tobio was when compared to Oikawa's skills? But that couldn't be either since he was already well aware of his shortcomings and knew he had a long way to go if he ever wanted to beat him, and considering how amazing Oikawa was at reading people and their skills there was no way that Oikawa wasn't aware of Tobio's faults. Plus despite the hostility he harbored for Tobio, Oikawa wasn't a cruel person. A cocky bastard for sure, but a cruel monster? No, not at all. Tobio could still remember the early days of his first year at Kitagawa, Oikawa had actually been kind to his juniors, including Tobio at first. He always slipped in a comment to boost his own ego, but his goal in every interaction with his teammates seemed to be to bring out the best in them, not to tear them down. Hell, Oikawa had even been giving Tobio pointers to improve his sets. At least he was before their relationship soured. And even after Oikawa had become rather hostile towards Tobio, Iwaizumi had always been there to ease the tension, occasionally knocking some sense into their captain. But then that led him back to the original question;

Why did he request a match with Karasuno?

Maybe Iwaizumi put him up to it? That would explain the texts that warned him of the match. That seemed like something Iwaizumi would do since he had always been so considerate as opposed to Oikawa who's actions more often than not flared on the dramatic. It would honestly make more sense if Iwaizumi asked to meet him since, besides the fact that Oikawa hated him, there was never really any bad blood between him and Tobio. Their relationship could honestly have been considered friendly in a way, though they were never actually friends. Iwaizumi had always been the caring senpai, always looking out for the younger members on the team and always willing to help whenever anyone needed it or had a question. He wasn't sweet about it by any means, in fact he often came off a little grumpy and hard headed but Tobio had learned in the year that he had gotten to know him to read between the lines of the blunt comments and teasing. All things considered Iwaizumi would sound like the best candidate except for the requested match and the terms that had been set. Tobio knew that if Iwaizumi ever actually wanted to meet him for whatever reason, he would never go about it in such a roundabout way. He was always the type of person to get straight to the point so he would have just met up with him somewhere. No, the request definitely reeked of Oikawa.

And once again he was back to square one. He just kept going round and round in his head about it and by the end it would always leave him with a headache. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a calming breath. No matter who requested today's match or what the reason was, he knew one thing for certain. That after the match there would probably be a confrontation and if he was being honest with himself, he just didn't feel ready to meet his soulmates again. He had made it a point to let everyone know that he was expecting to meet them eventually, and that much was true, but that didn't mean he was okay with it. Even just thinking about the possibilities of what they would say to him had his stomach rolling with trepidation.

"King." Tobio started, having been so lost in his head that he didn't realize that he had already arrived at the gym. He turned to see Tsukishima standing next to the entrance, leaning against the wall next to the door casually.

"What?" Tobio grunted, not in the mood to be teased by the blonde for whatever reason he decided to. To his surprise, when he looked at Tsukishima's face it wasn't marred by his usual demeaning smirk, but instead was serious and if Tobio didn't know any better he seemed… Concerned.

"Just making sure you're still with us." Tsukki said simply. He pushed himself off the wall and started towards the meetup spot, handing Tobio his gym bag as he passed. Tobio stared at his bag in surprise.

"What?" Tobio couldn't help but say again, utterly confused. Tsukishima stopped, turning to look back at him.

"Today, for the match…" he trailed off, breaking eye contact and looking at the ground, as if hesitant to continue.

"Yeah?" Tobio urged. Tsukki eyed him before he sighed.

"Just… Be careful." Tobio's eyes widened and he found he couldn't say anything back as Tsukki continued to make his way towards the bus.

Since when was Tsukishima ever nice to him? Or anyone for that matter? He figured people might treat him a little differently when they found out about his condition but the last person he expected to care was the blond middle blocker. Before he could dwell on it further their coach was yelling at them to hurry up and get on the bus. Tobio sighed in resignation before trudging up the steps of the bus, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. He knew that if he did he would see knowing looks, maybe looks of concern, and he was trying his damndest to pretend that this was just another practice match with another random school and not the possible apocalyptic/potentially life changing event that his tired mind kept trying to make it out to be.

He only looked up when he felt a gentle squeeze on his shoulder. He knew who it was before even making eye contact with him. Ever since he had come clean with his captains about his situation both of them had taken it upon themselves to watch out for him, especially Suga. Suga had dropped by his house unannounced on more than one occasion, sometimes helping him with homework, sometimes just to have a chat, sometimes even with Daichi tagging along, but he almost always brought food with him. While Tobio did mention his grandfather's death a while ago, he never told anyone that he lived alone. He didn't really go out of his way to hide it though either and Suga was pretty sharp so he probably surmised what was going on based on the utter lack of photos throughout the house and having never seen anyone else there other than Tobio and occasionally Hinata.

"We got you." Suga whispered, giving him a reassuring smile. Tobio didn't really know what to say to that so he just nodded before heading to the back of the bus to sit down. He sunk into the stiff cushions of his seat, trying to build up his resolve so he could get through this match and go home. He felt the calming waves through the bond before he felt Hinata sit down next to him. He felt a hand on his knee, only then realizing that it had been bouncing with all the nervous energy built up in his body. He looked at him and saw the tentative smile on Hinata's face. Tobio knew that his friend was just as nervous about this match as he was, so he appreciated Hinata's best efforts to calm him, even if he was accidentally sending his own anxiety through the bond too.

Tobio tugged the sleeve of Hinata's jacket, not really knowing how to calm the ginger, but apparently that was all it took to bring a real smile to Hinata's face and they both slouched down in an effort to get more comfortable so they could sleep.

At least, that was the plan.

Unfortunately for Tobio, and frankly for everyone on the bus, Hinata was more nervous than they thought. So much so that he actually threw up all over Tanaka when he tried to crack a window. If Tobio himself wasn't so nervous for this match he honestly would have found it funny (but gross). Luckily Tanaka was very nice about it and asked if he could help him calm down as they got off the bus and walked up to the entrance of the school.

What was even more unfortunate was that nothing that anyone on the team did could calm him down. Daichi tried to tell him to relax and that it wasn't a real match but Hinata just took it as he should work harder so he could relax which made no sense. Honestly Tobio was at a loss for what to do about it but before he could say anything he overheard a few voices coming from around the corner of the school building.

"Yeah, I don't even know why he wanted this match anyway." a voice said, and Tobio knew without a doubt it was Kindaichi. "I mean, it's not like Karasuno is any good."

"Doesn't everyone call them the wingless crows? Pretty sad, if you ask me." another voice said, this one Tobio didn't recognize. They turned and sure enough it was Kindaichi and some kid that Tobio had never met standing outside the gym.

"Oi." Tanaka growled, startling the two. "Don't underestimate us crows too much. We'll eat you alive."

They both had the decency to look embarrassed and were about to leave but Kindaichi stopped when his eyes landed on Tobio. He gave him a heated glare before walking away, not saying a word.

Tobio had expected as much out of his ex-teammates, but that didn't make it hurt any less to feel the absolute disgust in Kindaichi's eyes when he saw him. He didn't have much time to dwell on it though; They had a game to win after all.

The team entered the gym and immediately started warming up, the other team having already started. Tobio looked around and was surprised that Oikawa seemed to be absent, but said nothing, worried that he might jinx it. He saw his other ex teammates and he quickly looked away, not wanting to get caught staring. As he was warming up Tobio shoved all his feelings down and locked them away to look at later, or at least he tried to but froze when he accidentally made eye contact with Iwaizumi as he reached over to pick up a flyaway ball.

Iwaizumi gave him a small smile, "Hey Kageyama."

Tobio nodded in greeting, having no clue what to say to the third year. That didn't seem to deter him though, and Iwaizumi's smile widened slightly, though he seemed to feel about as awkward as Tobio felt. "It's been a while." No shit, Tobio couldn't help but think. "How have you been?"

How has he been? How has he been?! Was this guy serious? After no contact for years and no attempt at reconciling with him at all he had the gall to ask how Tobio was doing?! Tobio's grip on the volleyball tightened so much that he was sure it would pop. What was he supposed to say to that? What could he possibly say to that? He felt himself panic a little as he tried to come up with a response. He didn't think he would have to talk to one of his soulmates before the match. How the hell was he supposed to keep his composure?

Thankfully he was saved when Suga interjected, grabbing his shoulder. "Come on Kageyama, time to huddle up."

Tobio nodded his head, so unbelievably grateful that he had interrupted. Suga smiled at him before fixing Iwaizumi with a reproachful look. "I think you should get back to your own team, Iwaizumi-kun."

Iwaizumi's eyes flashed with surprise at Suga's tone but it was only for a second before his face became neutral again, giving a small nod of his own before turning and walking away.

Tobio let out the breath that he didn't know he was holding. He felt a gentle hand on his and watched Suga take the ball from his hands, resting it on his hip.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

"Thank you." Tobio mumbled, still feeling a little too raw from the unexpected encounter. Suga ruffled his hair before guiding him back to his team. Tobio took a deep breath, turning all of his energy towards the game ahead, putting the thoughts of ex-teammates and soulmates aside so he could play well.

He stepped onto the court and immediately felt a calm wash over him. Volleyball had always had that effect on him. It was funny how the court felt so much like home when he had gone through so much pain because of it, but he also knew that no matter how bitter he still felt about the past that it could never take away his love of the sport. He would always stay after practice, going for as long as he could before he had to stop. People may have called him a genius, but the truth was he practiced everyday to get better and better. It was his comfort, his security blanket. So long as he still had volleyball, he could keep going.

If only the court had the same soothing effect on Hinata.

For the entire first set he was a nervous wreck, making the stupidest mistakes that he normally would never make. As much as he could understand where he was coming from, Tobio was getting fed up with him the longer the match went on. He reached a boiling point when on the last serve Hinata sent the ball directly into the back of his head, losing them the set. He heard a few people laughing, even Tsukki and Tanaka joined in after a beat. Tobio whipped around and glared at Hinata, who looked about ready to pee his pants.

"Hinata, what are you so worried about?" He asked menacingly. Hinata shrank with fear, his body shaking slightly. "Is there anything that's scarier than hitting me in the back of the head?"

Hinata's eyes were impossibly wide, seemingly terrified by the look on Tobio's face. "I can't think of anything at the moment…"

"Good. Now quit screwing around and play like you normally do!" Tobio shouted, nearly shoving Hinata back onto the court as the small break between sets had already ended.

Hinata still seemed a little nervous but despite that he was able to actually play this time. Tobio couldn't help but smirk at the other team's reaction when Hinata leaped into the air, but the pride immediately dropped when he realized he messed up the toss. He turned to Hinata and was surprised that Kindaichi was already talking to him, but then it clicked.

That was why Hinata was so nervous.

Yes, this was his first match on an official team, but Tobio had noticed that when Hinata had returned from the bathroom before they started he seemed to be freaking out even more, and now he knew why.

Kindaichi had probably told him about what happened last year. Based on how his final conversations with him in junior high had gone, Tobio could guess the conversation was about him and how he treated people badly. It made him a little sad that Hinata would believe a stranger over him but he didn't dwell on it for more than a second since he knew Hinata well enough to know that once he worked himself up logic and reason went out the window. With that in mind, he knew how to fix it and get Kindaichi back for being a jerk.

"Hinata." He called. Hinata jumped and hesitantly met his eyes. "My bad, that toss was off."

Both Hinata and Kindaichi's eyes bugged out, utterly astounded by the apology. Tobio couldn't help but smirk slightly at Kindaichi, knowing he had gotten back at him in the best way possible. But in looking at Kindaichi he accidentally made eye contact with Iwaizumi, who was looking at him with what seemed like pride, which made literally no sense and only proved to confuse him so Tobio looked away and shoved his feelings back down so he could refocus on the match.

Thankfully Hinata seemed to have made a full recovery and they were able to execute their crazy quick, surprising the hell out of the other team. Tobio felt a grin nearly take over his face as he looked at the scoreboard, which now showed that they were now one to one, going into the third set. The feeling immediately dropped when he heard some girls screaming cheers from the stands. He closed his eyes, hoping that he was wrong and it wasn't who he thought it was but luck was not on his side this time. He opened his eyes to be met with the intense gaze of Oikawa Tooru.

"Ah, Tobio-chan! Great to see you! I see that you've been giving my team a run for their money while I've been gone, guess you're not a dictator anymore!" Oikawa said cheerfully, his signature self-satisfied smirk adorning his face though his tone sounded almost… Relieved?

What the hell was going on?

Tobio refused to acknowledge the sinking feeling in his gut and merely glared at Oikawa before turning to his team. All of his teammates were looking at him with varying levels of concern, but Tobio paid it no mind so he could say what he needed to say.

"Oikawa is their starting setter. I learned nearly everything I know from him." he hated to admit it, but even though Oikawa had often refused to help him practice when they were younger, he had learned a ton just by watching the brunette play. He felt a ghost of a smirk twitch his lips when he thought of something else. "His personality sucks though."

"How bad is it?" Hinata asked, looking worried.

"Worse than Tsukishima." Hinata shuddered in horror. Tsukki gave him a well deserved glare and it took everything in his power not to snort at that. In the back of his mind he registered an indignant squawk and someone laughing from the other side of the court but he wasn't paying attention enough to recognize who it was. Tobio turned to Daichi to add one last piece of info.

"His serves are dangerous." Tobio warned. Daichi nodded and adjusted their rotation so that he was in the center of the back row whenever the setter was serving since they weren't sure if Oikawa would join in the game or not.

Apparently they needn't have worried since Oikawa didn't join in the third set, much to Tobio's relief. Iwaizumi had already fried his nerves enough, he didn't need both of them on the court messing with his head.

Karasuno continued to play well, and were just narrowly in the lead when Tobio jumped up with Tsukki to block Iwaizumi, successfully stuffing his spike. Tobio looked at the ball smugly.

"What're you so excited about? I was the one that blocked it." Tsukki said, immediately killing his good mood.

"The hell do you mean? It hit my hand, asshole." Tobio growled. Tsukki sneered at him, tilting his head up in superiority.

"Um." Tobio whipped his head around to look at Iwaizumi, suddenly feeling tense. "It did hit Kageyama's hand."

Tobio was flabbergasted. What in the hell was Iwaizumi trying to do?! He was suddenly so talkative with him and kept trying to get his attention throughout the entire match and he honestly just wanted to go home at this point.

"Excuse me, but I don't believe we were asking you." Tsukki said rudely, surprising the hell out of Tobio. His jaw nearly hit the floor when Tsukki then proceeded to push him away from Iwaizumi to shift their team's rotation. Tobio eyed the blond warily.

"Uh, you feeling okay?" He couldn't help but ask. Tsukki rolled his eyes at that.

"Are you?" he answered with another question, which was fair to ask in all honesty. Tobio shrugged, trying not to think about it. Tsukki nodded and got into his own position.

"Uh." Tsukki turned, waiting for him to continue. Tobio suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable. "Thanks."

Tsukki snorted. "That sounded like it hurt coming out."

"Fuck you." Tobio cursed, but couldn't help the tiny twitch of his lips as he turned to the net. Never in his lifetime did he think that he and Tsukki would ever get along, but the fact that he willingly stood up for him made him feel like Tsukki saw him as more than a teammate, even if it was by the smallest of margins.

That notion along with more encouragement from the rest of his team carried him all the way to match point, but the warm feeling died when Oikawa stepped onto the court as Seijoh's pinch server.

He bit his lip hard, using the pain to try and focus his mind on the match but failed when Oikawa locked eyes with him, giving him a small wink before getting into position. He spun the ball in his hands before tossing it up, leaping in the air gracefully to meet it with a powerful swing of his arm. Tobio couldn't help but feel awed by it. There was a reason he always asked him to teach him the serve when he was a first year. It was an ah-inspiring sight to see.

Unfortunately for Karasuno, Oikawa had already found their weakest receivers and had been aiming for Tsukki and managing to win his team three points before he was finally able to receive it properly. Sadly the force sent it soaring to the other side of the court, giving them a chance ball. Luckily Narita was able to one touch Kindaichi's spike to slow it down so Daichi could pass it to Tobio perfectly, giving him the best opportunity for their final attack. He knew where Hinata was headed and immediately set it to him, knowing that this would win them the game.

He blanched when he saw that Hinata's eyes were actually open this time. Hinata smashed the ball, sending it right past Oikawa at the back line, winning them the set. Tobio cheered with his team, but knew that the win was partially due to luck since Oikawa hadn't been on the court most of the game. If he had, well… Tobio didn't think they would be able to win as they were now since they had so few members and they were still getting used to each other's play styles at this point. Even so, a victory was a victory, so he would take it.

He grabbed his bag and had just thrown the strap over his shoulder when out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kindaichi heading to the bathroom. He hesitated for a moment, but decided to follow him so they could talk. Regardless of how it went down last year and how much it had hurt him, he had hurt the entire team with his actions, and even worse he had pushed away his only friends at the time, hurting them too. He owed both Kindaichi and Kunimi an apology and he'd be damned if he was going to chicken out this time.

With that in mind he swung the door open. "Kindaichi."

Kindaichi glared at the sink he was in front of before facing Tobio head on. Tobio was about to open his mouth but Kindaichi beat him to it.

"Don't bother apologizing, cause I won't either." He blurted, fists clenched. Tobio's eyes widened in surprise but he nodded in acknowledgement. "As far as I'm concerned you're still a dictator, and the next time I see you on the court we'll beat your team."

Tobio held in a flinch at the 'dictator' comment, but decided to let it go. Even though it sounded harsh, Kindaichi in a roundabout way was saying to leave it in the past. He was saying that they both were at fault but that it would take time to forgive him, which Tobio could understand, since in all honesty he had treated his friends horribly, never giving them a reason as to why he had suddenly changed, even when they tried to help him. He wanted nothing more than to leave last year behind and become a better person. He didn't know if he could ever mend the friendship that had been so heavily damaged, but he was more than willing to try if they would let him.

Before he could reply, he heard Hinata's shrill singing voice approaching, singing about going to the bathroom for some stupid reason. Tobio didn't bother to turn around when the singing suddenly came to an abrupt stop, indicating that Hinata had realized that he was intruding on his conversation.

"Next time, we'll win." Tobio said, and with a nod turned to follow Hinata out of the gym.

"Are you okay?" Hinata asked, eyeing him worriedly. Tobio gave him a small smile.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Is your chest feeling okay? Do you need your inhaler?" Hinata fussed, reaching for Tobio's bag so he could pull it out. Tobio shooed his hand away.

"I'm fine Shoyo." Tobio huffed with amusement, amazed that after all the running around Hinata had done during the match he still had the energy to bounce around as he was now. Hinata huffed and crossed his arms, a pout on his lips.

"Well excuse me for caring." Hinata said, purposely exaggerating his irritated tone. Tobio chuckled, shaking his head at the dramatics.

"Idiot." he muttered, the insult long having turned fond. Hinata grinned and began walking in front of him.

"You wanna go to my house after we get home? Natsu has been harassing me every day, asking when 'Tobi-nii' is coming to visit again." They both chuckled at that. For some reason Natsu had taken an immediate liking to Tobio, so much so that she refused to leave his side and constantly demanded his attention every time he visited the Hinata household.

"Sounds good." Tobio confirmed. Hinata grinned and started his usual babble, but accidentally bumped into Tanaka since he was walking backwards. Tobio smirked and was about to tease him until he laid eyes on what had stopped the rest of their team on the way to the bus.

Oikawa was leaning against one of the entrance posts, obviously waiting for someone. Tobio could feel the nervous glances of some of his teammates but he didn't say anything and just kept staring at his old senpai, waiting for the inevitable.

"What are you doing here pretty boy?" Tanaka asked rudely, jutting his chin out in determination. Hinata spun around and gripped the back of Tanaka's jacket, as if afraid of the other setter, but that didn't stop him from backing Tanaka up, though it wasn't very intimidating when he was still hiding behind the second year. "You wanna fight?"

"Now now, I'm not here to fight." Oikawa pacified, standing at his full height.

"Then what are you here for?" Daichi asked sternly, purposely stepping in front of Tobio, crossing his arms and giving Oikawa a 'no nonsense' look. Oikawa held his hands up in surrender.

"I'm just here to give some friendly advice." Oikawa answered evenly, though his eyes flicked to Tobio with obvious interest.

"Why would we take advice from you?" Hinata said, finally working up the courage to step out from behind Tanaka. Oikawa shifted his gaze to him, and he let out a small squeak. Oikawa smiled.

"Ah, Shrimpy-chan! Those spikes of yours were pretty amazing." Hinata's cheeks flushed and the praise. "But your receives are terrible." Hinata blanched at that.

As uncomfortable as Tobio was at that moment he couldn't help the snort that escaped at the comment. He immediately regretted it though since Oikawa's eyes flicked to him for a second, an unreadable look on his face, before turning back to Daichi.

"While the team has some decent attacking power, that alone isn't going to get you very far." Oikawa locked eyes with Tobio, and he suddenly smiled, making Tobio's stomach drop with apprehension. "Tobio, make sure your team makes it far in the tournament so we can have a rematch with our starting set up. It would be interesting to see how far you've come."

Tobio felt someone grab his arm, giving it a comforting squeeze. He didn't bother confirming it was Suga since he didn't want to break eye contact with Oikawa. For some reason he felt like if he did… Well, he wasn't sure what he thought would happen but he couldn't fight the instinct he had. Oikawa didn't look away either, his ever present smile still there though it didn't quite reach his eyes, before turning his attention to Suga and Daichi. Before his eyes left him Tobio could have sworn he saw apprehension reflected in his gaze, but he shook that thought off the minute it came to his head. Oikawa was never one to hesitate, never one to show fear, so there was no way he would be nervous about talking with him…

Right?

"If you don't mind Suga-chan, Dai-chan, but I need to borrow your baby crow for a bit." Excuse him? Baby crow? The hell was that nickname? He may be the youngest but if anyone was the baby of their team it was Hinata. "I promise it won't take long."

Both captains narrowed their eyes at Oikawa in distrust. They turned to Tobio, silently asking if he was okay with it. He hesitated for a moment before nodding his head. As much as he didn't want to go with Oikawa, he knew that this conversation was going to happen at some point today and running away wouldn't make it go away, it would just delay it. His captains nodded back in understanding before fixing Oikawa with a glare.

"See that it doesn't." Daichi warned, his face dark and menacing. Meanwhile Suga was all smiles and rested a hand on Oikawa's shoulder, squeezing harder than he needed too, making the Seijoh captain wince slightly.

"You have ten minutes. If I don't see him on the bus or at least heading to our bus in one piece you can kiss your volleyball career goodbye." Suga threatened, his bright smile clashing with his icy tone. Tanaka puffed his chest out, nodding in agreement.

"I don't think this is a good idea." Hinata protested, sending Tobio worried glances.

"It's okay Hinata." Tobio said quietly, shifting his hand slightly to tug subtly on his sleeve, hiding it behind Tanaka so Oikawa wouldn't see. Hinata bit his lip in apprehension.

"But-"

"Shoyo." Tobio interrupted, surprising the others. He blushed slightly, forgetting that he had never used Hinata's first name in public before. Tobio shook it off and just stared at Hinata, making sure he had his full attention before continuing. "I'll be fine."

Hinata was still hesitant to leave him, but with a tug from Yamaguchi he reluctantly followed the rest of his team to the bus. Tobio watched them go, touched that they would go so far for him, but he knew he had to do this. It was going to be hell and it would probably cause more pain, but he had to get through this. For his own sake.