Haikyu!
Higher
Chapter 33: Home

Kageyama carried his bag off the bus, his eyes darkened as he stared at whatever was in front of him. He didn't look up at anyone else as he tried his best to squeak past his team without looking at or talking to anyone. His earbuds separated him from the noise of the world around him, from the rumbling of the bus to the loud shouting of his team, something for which he was grateful.

He didn't want to have to face anything right now.

It was kind of strange how one weekend had changed everything for him.

He hadn't realized that two days could form such harsh realizations in his own head, could force him to confront his own shortcomings and weaknesses as a setter and as a person. Just two days had taught him more about himself than nearly all of his junior high career had.

They all told him the same thing: you need to evolve.

As a volleyball player, as part of Karasuno, and as a human being.

He needed to learn how to understand others just a little bit more in order to fix the things that this past weekend had told him were broken.

"Shin, you stayed for me?"

He nodded as he pushed her wheelchair along the Tokyo sidewalks, smiling as he watched her play on her phone, informing Hinata of her results from the day's physical therapy. "Of course I did. I was busy working for the past few weeks, so I wasn't even able to come for your surgery. I still feel guilty about it," he admitted.

She couldn't help her smile as she peeked up at him through her bangs. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard of her phone as she looked around, glancing at the city dyed in the golden hues of the sunset. The city seemed the same as it had only years ago, even though things had changed for the siblings. It was a warm, familiar sight.

Blinking, the girl hummed, taking in the familiar scenery around her, a feeling of warm nostalgia washing over her.

"I have a surprise for you," Shin finally spoke up, grinning down at her. As she looked up at him again, curiosity sparkling in her eyes. "We're not going to be staying with Kenma for the rest of the summer."

"Wait, what?"

He chuckled at her confusion and panic. "Nope. I didn't want to intrude." He whistled softly, fully aware of his sister's gaze on him. "They've already done so much for us, and I'll always be thankful for that. But I can't ask anything else of them. Housing me would cost too much, and it'd put extra strain on Kenma's family," he explained softly.

Aika frowned. "Where are we staying, then? We're not staying in a hotel or something, are we?" Her eyes widened, and she demanded, "Are we going to stay with Tetsu?!"

Nearly choking on air, Shinji sputtered. "What?! No!" He coughed, forcing himself to calm down with several quick, deep breaths. "No. No, we're not staying with Tetsu. I got us somewhere else to stay, so don't worry."

"Where are we going?" she finally asked.

Shinji just grinned widely. "You'll see."

"What happened to Aika that made her cry so hard?" Yamaguchi quietly asked his long-time friend as they walked along the streets, pulling their weekend bags with them.

Tsukishima stared straight ahead, a look of hesitation just barely visible on his face. To those who didn't know him as well as Yamaguchi, it would've looked like indifference or boredom, but the freckled boy knew better than that.

"You saw what happened, right?" His voice was soft, almost sad.

"Yeah. It's none of our business, though." The taller boy looked away, like he was trying to avoid his friend's prying eyes. "It's between her and two of our stupid teammates. We shouldn't get involved in their personal business."

Even as he said those words, it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than Yamaguchi.

"Tsukki…"

A sharp look from Tsukishima shut his friend up. "I just happened to be there. I wasn't asking to get wrapped up in it, and I don't want any part in this stuff," he deadpanned, a spark of irritation in his eyes and voice.

The air between the two fell into silence, and Yamaguchi sighed softly, his fist clenching around his bag strap. He looked up to Tsukishima again, only to see him pulling his headphones up and over his head, something he did when he was upset about something or he just wanted time to himself to think about something.

Tsukishima knew what had happened between Aika and someone else on their team. He'd seen one of the many fractures in their fledgling team form, and he couldn't do anything about it. Besides the parties involved, he was the only one to know exactly what happened.

He just didn't know what to do about it.

"That quick got blocked today, against Nekoma, and against Seijoh!"

As Hinata walked home with Yachi, both of them silent after the fight between the orange-haired boy and his setter, he couldn't help the disappointment that was settled in his chest, like a weight on his heart.

"Are you saying it was because of my toss?!"

The bandage on his face was just a reminder that he had to get stronger, even if other people didn't support him in his quest to be able to stand on his own. Even if Kageyama wasn't there to perform that quick with him, he could still learn to be strong enough.

"It was perfect, but that's just it! It still got stopped! If I'm not as good as your toss, it won't work on stronger opponents!"

The town was eerily silent, save for the clicking of his bike's wheels as he pulled it alongside him. It was like the rest of the world was giving him space to let him remember his words to Kageyama what felt like years ago, but in reality, was probably about an hour prior.

He wasn't wrong in what he said.

He knew that.

He knew he was weaker than Kageyama, than Azumane senpai or Tanaka senpai. He wasn't an ace, and he wasn't good enough to help carry the weight of Karasuno. Not on his own, at least. Since he joined the team, he'd been relying on others to help carry him.

But Hinata couldn't bear to put more weight on his teammates, to perform a quick that would only give points away to teams that were strong enough.

"H-Hinata, my bus stop is just over there, so I'll be fine from here."

Yachi's soft voice broke through the silence of the dreary town. Hinata turned, seeing her face filled with concern, and that weight on his heart settled even further, digging into his chest.

"Yachi, I'm really sorry."

Even though she tried to wave it off, he could still see that she was bothered by the fact that he and Kageyama hadn't made up. She was concerned, especially after one thing that Kageyama had said, one thing that had nearly caused Hinata to snap fully.

"What would Aika say if she were here, huh?! She'd tell you the same thing that I'm telling you now! Our quick is about the setter's will, not the spiker's!"

Hinata wanted to disagree. He wanted to tell him that if she'd been there to hear it, she'd have told him that it was fine to want to stand on his own. But she'd said something to him right after he'd collided with Azumane senpai earlier that day.

"You're becoming Karasuno's Icarus. Do what you can, but don't try to push yourself."

That was so vague, just like she always was.

Honestly, he didn't know who she'd side with in their argument. She'd probably call them both stupid and just let them be, tell them to figure it out on their own.

It was then that Hinata decided that he'd take the advice she was sure to give him if he'd asked.

He'd do his best on his own, then figure it out with Kageyama.

"Shin… Shin, this is…"

Aika's wide eyes began welling with tears as she choked back a sob. Behind her, Shinji looked down at her with a gentle smile on his face, all the love a man could muster in his eyes. He held onto her shoulders as she began to sob quietly, tears streaming down her face.

"Yeah. It's our home."

The white house in front of them wasn't anything really special. It was the two-floor family home that most kids in Japan grew up in, as long as they lived in a town and not in a big city. There were stairs leading up to the front door, a door that was painted a deep maroon with a more western-looking lion-head knocker on the front of the door.

Right in front of the house was a gate, with a nameplate right next to the mailbox.

"Yamada," the nameplate read.

As Aika's shoulders wracked with silent sobs, Shinji simply began to push through the gate, pulling a key out of his pocket. She wiped away her tears as he lifted her out of her wheelchair, holding her in his arms and making his way towards the door.

The door swung open as Shinji unlocked it, revealing a familiar sight behind it.

Everything was in the exact same place as it was when she'd left all that time ago. The couch she and Kenma used to sit on as they watched television together, the table she and Shinji messily ate lunch at, and even the pillows that she used to hide in whenever they all played hide and seek with each other.

It was like time had stood still in the tiny house.

Another wave of tears crashed over the girl who sat in her brother's arms, and she bit her lip, trying to hold it back.

Once again, Shinji held onto her, holding her as tightly as he possibly could, tucking her face into his neck. He could feel her tears leaking out, falling onto him, and he couldn't help but smile at how his strong little sister was so moved to tears.

"We're home, Aika."

Kageyama tossed the volleyball towards his ceiling, letting it fall in his outstretched hands, frustration clear in his body from the day's events. His fingers bent a little as he tossed it again, watching as it flew above his body as he lay in bed, staring at the ball like it had all the answers to life's greatest mysteries.

There were a lot of questions he wanted answered.

He wanted to understand why Hinata wanted to be able to fight on his own so badly, when he had other people who would help carry him to the end. He wanted to know why having their signature quick, the one that had gotten them through more tough spots than he could remember during their short partnership, wasn't enough for him anymore.

Perhaps the greatest mystery to Kageyama was that of how his feelings were obvious to everyone but to the one person who mattered most.

"Call it intuition. Most guys can figure out when they have a rival. And from you, I get that feeling. Maybe you don't know it yet, but when it really hits you, you'll understand."

He wasn't surprised at all that Sugawara knew how he felt for the girl. The upperclassman was always observant; sometimes, it felt like he knew things about his friends before they did. After all, he'd figured out Kageyama's feelings before Kageyama had even begun to sort them out in his head.

But when Sugawara said "rival," Kageyama didn't understand before. He hadn't realized why the other setter was calling him a rival.

Now, he knew.

Sugawara liked Aika, too.

And he was right. When the feelings of "I like her" hit the black-haired setter, they struck like a bullet train to the face, like his heart trying to claw its way out of his chest.

"Anyone can tell you like her. Except maybe Ai-chi. You should tell her, you know. Before someone else snatches her away from you,"

He couldn't help but wonder how Lev – someone he'd barely talked to – knew that he was struggling with his feelings for Aika.

"I'm telling you 'cause it's pretty obvious that you like Aika. I'm not surprised that you do, and I think it's different than how I liked her. She's my sister, and the best friend I could ever ask for. But you… You look at her like she's all you can see."

Even stupid Hinata knew. The least observant person he could think of, the one who Kageyama always scolded to read his surroundings better, could tell Kageyama's feelings before even he himself could.

Sighing, he let his hands fall, holding the volleyball against his face as he closed his eyes. Even though he was in his home, in his bed, he still felt like he was somewhere far away, somewhere that was much different than where and when he was.

For a moment, he could see his future.

He could see himself standing with Karasuno on the national court, holding a trophy in both hands. He could hear all the people in the stadium cheering for them, clapping for their victory over whoever their opponents were. He could feel the warmth of someone right next to him, and when he turned his head to look at that person, his eyes widened.

A glimpse of wine red hair and a bright smile.

It was enough to make his heart race outside of his daydream.

Eyes snapping open, he tightened his grip on the volleyball, remembering what he'd said to her rooster-haired friend while she laid in the hospital, recovering from her surgery. He'd promised that he'd be Aika's wings.

I made a promise. I said I would bring Aika to nationals so she could watch her team win. So, I like her. That doesn't change anything. The end goal is still the same.

Kageyama took a deep breath, letting his hands fall to lie near his head. The volleyball he held rolled away, falling to the floor with a soft thud. It barely registered as he stared at the light above his head.

Right?

All the siblings' luggage was moved in within a day.

School continued as usual, but for Aika, life after school had suddenly become much different. Shinji was always home for her after practice, waiting with open arms.

Having been accepted into his dream school in Tokyo, and finished his final exams, he technically no longer had any reason to go to school until after summer break ended, which meant he could be with Aika in Tokyo for as long as she needed him, helping her on the road to recovery, which still had a ways to go.

As for the house, because it was in their parents' names, the Yamada siblings, more specifically, Shinji, inherited the house once he turned eighteen, which he had back in May. There was some legal process that he had to go through in order to get his name on the papers, but it all turned out fine, thanks to their aunt.

Of course, Aika had to explain all this to Kenma, who was more than a bit confused at why she was no longer living with him as she recovered, especially since no one had told him anything beforehand.

Once she did, Kenma was just as excited for her as she had been, in his own, Kenma way, of course, when Shinji had surprised her. He'd proceeded to take her home every day after practice, wheeling her along the streets.

For some reason, Kuroo never came with them.