Haikyu!
Higher
Chapter 35: Rift

"Because you like her. It's real obvious when you look for even a second. It's best that you know so you can figure out what to do."

The volleyball made a resounding thud against the floor of the court, barely missing the water bottle that Kageyama was aiming for. Gritting his teeth, he looked to Yachi, who was holding another ball, prepared to toss it to him.

As she did, his own words from the day before echoed in his head.

"What do you think I should do?"

He couldn't quite believe that he'd been so lost that he'd had to ask Tsukishima, of all people, for help in understanding his next step. Even though he now what the source of Aika's tears was, he didn't know what to do with that information.

Yachi tossed the ball to him, and his eyes followed its trajectory through the air. Lifting his hands, he formed that familiar cup, just like it was second nature to him.

"I'm not you. I don't know what you would do. Figure that out yourself."

He'd thought about it all of the previous night and even throughout the day's classes. It distracted him from his daily routine, consuming his mind as he desperately attempted to figure out how to proceed.

The volleyball landed once more with a thud, just barely missing the bottle again.

He liked Aika.

Now that he knew that, figuring what to do should've been easy. He didn't have a lot of people to speak with concerning matters of romance.

Honestly, he didn't quite trust many of his teammates to be of any help. Tsukishima was clearly unwilling to help him, as he'd said the night before. Sawamura might have been able to help, but he didn't seem like the type of person to concern himself with his team's personal lives. Tanaka and Nishinoya weren't going to be of any help at all, and he doubted Yamaguchi or Azumane had ever actually had a romantic relationship.

The only people he knew he could talk to, especially concerning Aika, were Hinata and Sugawara.

Hinata was out of the question, since he and Kageyama weren't speaking.

Sugawara was Kageyama's only other option.

"Ai-chi! You're walking!"

Lev ran up to Aika, his green eyes seeming to sparkle, as she entered the gym, a worried Yaku at her side. She held onto her crutches, but nodded with a small smile.

"I got the okay from my therapist yesterday. I'm slow, and I can't do stairs, but my leg is starting to recover properly," she explained, the three students making their way over to the bench, Yaku watching Aika's movements with careful eyes.

Lev nodded, his smile only growing bigger. "That's good! Don't strain yourself, and make sure you rest if you're hurt! Ask if you need help, okay?!"

If he had a tail, Aika was sure it'd be wagging at a thousand miles per minute.

Unable to help her laughter, she nodded. "I will, no need to worry. Can you do me a favor and get Tetsu over here? I need to talk to him about something." She paused, then added, "And, Lev? I noticed that your wrist seemed to be hurting you by the end of practice. Work on receives today instead of spikes, and ice your wrist so it doesn't get any worse."

The tall silver-head gave her a thumbs-up before jogging over to the rooster-haired captain.

Yaku placed her bag on the bench next to her as she sat down, sighing in relief from the lack of strain on her still-recovering leg. He hummed a bit, sitting next to her. "How's everything else going for you, Aika?" he asked softly.

Her smile turned a bit sad. She knew what he was talking about, as he'd weaseled it out of her the day after Karasuno had left. She'd confessed that she'd been rejected by the person she liked, and he was a bit surprised, having still thought that she liked Kageyama.

When he learned it was Sugawara, he was both surprised and enraged.

"What an idiot!" he'd complained, crossing his arms angrily. "He seemed so nice and so responsible, but he's got to be even more of an idiot then Lev to reject you!"

From there, from his loud complaints of Sugawara's idiocy, the rest of the Nekoma team quickly learned what happened. Lev had been very vocal about his disappointment, while Kenma only burned with quiet rage. Tetsuro, on the other hand, had been silent.

He hadn't said anything about her crush, but had looked at her with the most sympathy a human being could muster, then had proceeded to ask her about the day's drills instead.

Yaku had been the only one not to drop the subject, knowing how sad it'd left her and not wanting to leave her alone. Even though it'd only been a week, he'd made sure to check on her, sometimes even asking her how she was coping with it. At one point, he'd even walked her home, allowing her to tell him as much as she wished.

"I've had crushes before," she'd admitted. "Everyone has, right? I used to have a tiny crush on Ken, way back when we were kids. But I always pushed it away because there were other things to focus on. I think… this was the first time that I really thought I could have both volleyball and romance. This would've been my first confession. If I hadn't been rejected before I could even say anything."

Yaku had just quietly listened as he wheeled her home, allowing her to say all the things that she couldn't really trust other people with. "Why are you telling me this? Why not Kenma or Kuroo?"

She'd shrugged. "They'd get angry and worried, and they wouldn't listen to me because of it. That'd be like talking to my older brothers. But talking to you, you're a friend rather than an overbearing brother." As she'd said this, she'd smiled up at him, seeming just a bit more vulnerable than she had before.

He'd only blushed a bit at the praise, knowing that she was so vulnerable at that moment, her defenses down in a way that they hadn't been before then. She'd chosen to open herself up more than she had since she'd joined the Nekoma team, and she'd chosen to open up to him, of all people.

"I appreciate the trust. I still think that Sugawara is an idiot for rejecting you, but I'm sure he has his own reasons, too. Getting over something like that isn't going to be easy, I know that. But I think this is going to make you stronger in the end."

From that moment onwards, Yaku had shifted into the role of being Aika's closest companion during school. He would always check on her throughout the day and staying near her during practice. He'd easily slid into the place that Kuroo had once occupied, but no more.

The captain jogged over to the two as they sat together, shooting a look at Yaku, who was setting Aika's crutches against the bench. "You called?" he asked dryly, his seemingly bored eyes landing once more on his friend.

"Mm." She nodded, pulling her notebook out of her bag and flipping through the pages, clicking her pen over and over as she leafed through the book. "Yaku, would you mind leaving us for a while? I'd like to talk to Tetsu alone for a little while," she said softly, not looking up at either of the boys.

Yaku and Kuroo exchanged glances, both of them warning each other without words to treat Aika well. For a few moments, they were silent as they exchanged these looks, but Yaku was the first to pull away, obeying Aika's words. Kuroo stayed where he was, standing less than a foot away from the bench, waiting for her to say something. She simply continued to flip through the pages, making him fidget a little bit as he waited.

Her eyes pierced him as she looked up. "I may be clueless when it comes to myself, but I know you better than you'd like." He felt his heart jolt at her words, but she continued, "You and Shin are complete idiots. Both of you."

"How did you-"

Once again, she cut him off with a roll of her eyes. "Look. You said that you liked someone, but you didn't think they liked you back. That's Shin, isn't it?" she asked softly, her demeanor unchanging, but her tone softening.

Kuroo looked down, not wanting to see the knowing look on her face. "It's not that I like him…"

"But you do." He jolted at her tone, looking down at her with wide, surprised eyes. "You and Shin were always close. Remember when we used to play house? You were the dad and Shin was the mom. Always."

His face was blank, expressionless, as he remembered when they were just children. They had played house multiple times together, before most of them were sucked into sports. And, being the two oldest, Kuroo and Shinji were always parents to the two younger kids.

"That doesn't mean that I have any special feelings for Shin," Kuroo attempted to defend himself, but his voice sounded uncharacteristically weak, even to himself.

Sighing at her friend's stubborn streak, one she was sure that she'd learned from him, Aika closed her notebook. She looked up at him once more, her gaze knowing. "Don't treat me like I'm stupid, Tetsu. Shin told me about you pretty much bolting from him during the training camp weekend. Said you were trying to avoid him or something," she droned.

"I…"

"And he said that he still had to reply to something you'd said years ago, but he didn't think you'd listen. Said you were always stubborn that way."

Kuroo looked away, something akin to sadness filling his chest. He sighed, echoing Aika only moments earlier. Without another word to his childhood friend, he turned away from her and faced the courts instead. He clapped his hands, returning to the persona that he wore when he was Nekoma's captain. His voice, shouting orders to the rest of the team, echoed throughout the large gym.

The only person who didn't immediately scramble to begin practice was Kenma.

Kenma, who stared at Kuroo, a knowing look in his cat-like eyes. He gazed over to Aika, who met his eyes and shook her head sadly.

His shoulders falling, Kenma turned back to practice wordlessly.

"Sugawara senpai."

The silver-haired setter turned to see his younger counterpart staring at him quietly, a fire in his gaze that burned with determination. He nodded to Tanaka, a small smile on his face, as he turned to face Kageyama fully.

"What is it, Kageyama?" he asked softly. "Did you need something from me?"

Kageyama faltered for a second, but quickly regained his composure and bowed deeply, surprising his upperclassman. "I… I'm working on something, and I need help, and I don't know who else to go to!" he practically shouted, his voice reverberating through the nearly empty gym.

For a moment, Sugawara looked surprised at Kageyama's willingness to ask for help, as did the other people who were in the gym, Sawamura, Nishinoya, and Hinata.

"Um… yeah, sure. What do you need help with?"

Kageyama glanced around uncomfortably, not fully comfortable speaking with other people around them. He bit his lip, hesitating for a moment. "Can we… maybe talk outside?" he asked quietly.

Seeing the other people in the room, the elder understood. "Of course. Follow me."

The two exited the gym, Kageyama trailing after his upperclassmen almost timidly, something uncomfortable to witness for those who knew him. They walked around the gym, towards the back of the building.

"So? What is it you wanted to ask me?"

The taller boy shifted on his feet. "It's… it's actually not about setting practice," he admitted after a brief second. "It's about Aika."

Sugawara's blood ran cold, and he swore that he forgot how to breathe.

"I… I like her," Kageyama admitted. "But I don't know what I should do now that I know how I feel. I don't know if I should tell her or even if she feels the same way."

Sugawara still said nothing, only staring silently at the younger setter.

"She was crying the last time I saw her. Tsukishima said that someone hurt her, and Lev said that someone broke her heart. I… I don't know, though. And I want to find out what happened to make her so sad like that."

It was impossible for Sugawara to ignore the guilt he felt in his chest, just like a weight that pulled at his heart. He simply stayed silent, his eyes on the ground. If he even looked at Kageyama, he knew he'd break.

It was me, he wanted to confess. I was the one who hurt her, and I'm still angry at myself for it. I didn't want to make her cry. But I tried to do what was best. You understand that, don't you, Kageyama? You'd do the same for her, wouldn't you?

"Sugawara senpai?" a deep voice asked.

Only then did he look up at Kageyama.

Kageyama stared right back for a moment, his eyes searching for something within Sugawara's. It felt like an eternity before either boy moved again. Kageyama moved first, his eyes narrowing as he took a step back. His hands shook as he stared at his upperclassman with what looked like betrayal.

He knows.

That was the only thought that Sugawara managed to think before the explosion happened.

"You were the one who hurt her, right?" Kageyama was deadly quiet, so quiet that he was almost threatening. "You made her cry?"

Sugawara simply looked back down again, his silence the only answer that Kageyama needed to hear.

"Why… How could you?"

The silver-haired teen managed a weak smile. "It's because I'm not the right guy for her. There's someone who's right next to her who's just… so much better. After all, I'm going to leave soon, and I don't know where I'll go. She shouldn't have to wait for me to come home," he confessed quietly, his voice filled with sadness at his own realizations.

"Bullshit." Kageyama's voice, dangerously quiet only moments before, was now filled with fire. "She liked you back. She chose you."

"She chose me because I was the first one she saw. But I'm not the only one."

"I'm sure she knows this. She's not stupid, so why would you treat her like she is?"

Sugawara hesitated for a moment. "I know she's not dumb. But she's really young, and she hasn't thought about the future yet. Dating someone older, like me, would take away a lot of options for her in the future."

Kageyama was unimpressed. "You're less than two years older than her."

"Two years doesn't sound like a lot, but it's much longer than you probably think," he muttered.

"She likes you. She probably still likes you. I don't know how you broke her heart or anything like that. I didn't even know she liked you until now. But I do know that she's a smart girl who knows what she wants. You think she can't make decisions because she's a bit younger than you? Maybe you're the one who can't think far ahead."

Sugawara's eyes widened as he saw the rage burning in Kageyama's very being, looking like he had fire erupting from behind him.

"You're an idiot, Sugawara senpai. And I'm not going to let you forget it."

Sawamura silently frowned, knowing that Kageyama was right. Sugawara had pushed away someone who had liked him because of who he was. He'd pushed away a girl who had given him a good chance at happiness, no matter how short-lived that happiness might have been.

He pushed away from his place against the wall, one that was just around the corner from where the two setters were speaking.

Maybe Sugawara was right when he said "everything is going to change now." It looks like it's already begun to change.