Haikyu!
Higher
Chapter 43: Daydreams

There were two months until the qualifying matches.

"Shoyo, can we watch this one?" Aika asked, holding up a DVD labelled "Johzenji" as the blanket fell from around her shoulders, revealing her tank top that was ratty and old.

Humming, Hinata reached over and pulled the fleece blanket up, over her bare skin. "I was thinking we could just watch a movie now. You've got a few months to scout, right?" He grinned sweetly, knowing that she was weak against that smile.

She groaned and dropped the DVD, flopping against the couch as she pouted. "That's mean, Shoyo. You know that smile gets me."

Giggling a little, Hinata picked up a DVD that he'd had next to him. "I've been wanting to see this for a while. Can we?" It was some romantic-comedy, a film she'd heard him gushing about before the Interhigh, several months prior at that point. It was an American film, but he'd been determined to see it, and he'd begged Aika to watch it with him.

A sigh came from her, but she smiled in spite of her defeat. "Of course we can, Shoyo. You won, after all. Let's celebrate."

The two sat in the living room of her otherwise empty house, all the lights off except for the television screen. Bags of snacks and half-empty glasses of soda were littered around the floor. There was a bag of popcorn in Hinata's lap, one that almost spilled when he sat up to crawl towards the DVD player.

It was sort of a tradition between them. After something good happened, or they hadn't hung out in a while, they'd gather at one of their houses and stay up late, watching movies and eating junk food. They'd talk and talk until they fell asleep, not even making it to a bed before passing out next to each other.

As the DVD loaded in, Hinata sat back, curling himself next to Aika.

There was a comfortable silence between them as the DVD started up, the old player Aika's family had slowly chugging along, its whirring being the only sound in the house.

"Hey, Aika." Hinata's soft voice broke the silence. He turned to her, his brown eyes filled with curiosity. "Why didn't you tell me that you liked Suga senpai?" he asked. There was clear hurt in his voice, but it was overtaken by the gentle kindness that he always extended to her whenever he asked about something that he knew was sensitive to her.

She sighed, knowing that he would have asked at some point.

"I was scared," she admitted. "I haven't felt that way about anyone for years. I didn't even know how to bring it up. I figured… if something happened concerning it, I would've told you. But by the time something happened, you were headed back here, and I was still in Tokyo."

He frowned. "You could've called or something. I only heard about it from Suga senpai, himself. But it was like… Tsukishima even knew. And Lev! Lev knew before I did!" he exclaimed, pursing his lips in a pout.

Tracing patterns in the carpet beneath her, she smiled weakly. "Honestly, Shoyo… I didn't want you to get mad at Suga senpai at that point. I know you." She grinned at him. "Remember that time in middle school when we went out for ice cream?"

"And you got harassed by those two high school guys." He growled, still hating that she'd been in that situation in the first place. "I wish I coulda punched them."

Her laughter caused him to look at her with wide eyes. "You almost did! If it wasn't for me begging you to come with me, I'm sure you'd have fought them," she recounted through her giggles.

Indignant, he crossed his arms, glaring at the DVD player that was moving too slow for his liking. "I was just trying to protect you. After all, I am a man!" he declared.

"You'll always be Shoyo to me."

His eyes went wide and he stared at her. She had a gentle smile on her face as she looked up at him. Reaching up, she ran her fingers through his messy, orange hair.

"You're my best friend, and someone I'll always be able to rely on. Sometimes, though, I'm not going to tell you things, but it's always because I care about you. I didn't want to be the reason you weren't getting along with someone on your team. Because it's important to you. I didn't want to take it away."

He grasped her wrist, looking down at her with determination in his eyes. His grip slowly moved to her hand, so their fingers were interlocked. The two sat there, staring at each other, neither willing to break eye contact.

"I care about Karasuno. I want to go to Nationals with them. But you're the person who gave me this chance in the first place. I wouldn't have them if it wasn't for you. So, you'll always be more important to me. Okay? Any time you have something to say, I want to hear it. I'll always make time for you."

He could see tears in her eyes, even though she was probably telling herself not to cry. She squeezed his hand, her head dropping and her hair falling in her face. He immediately reached up to tuck her short hair behind her ear.

"Okay, Shoyo. I'll come to you first from now on," she promised, grinning up at him through her teary eyes.

Instead of replying, he pulled her to him, wrapping her in a one-armed side-hug. He brought them back against the foot of the couch. The DVD menu had come up in the midst of his speech, and he was thankful that it hid his embarrassment.

"Shoyo?" He looked down at her again. She was fiddling with the remote, but he could see a little of her face, and there was a blush coloring her cheeks. "I like Tobio. Like… I think he's cool. And… and I want to be with him."

He smiled softly, squeezing her to him again. "I know."

She flushed even deeper. But she didn't say anything else. She just started the movie, and they sat there in silence. It was comfortable, familiar, and she snuggled deeper into her best friend's side.

Kageyama walked back towards Karasuno, hands in the pocket of his sweatpants. He kicked at a pebble on the ground, frustration overtaking him as he thought back on what he saw at Aoba Josai when he went to peek at their practice.

"Tobio?"

A familiar voice quickly reached him as he reached the Foothill Store right outside of Karasuno. He turned quickly, seeing Aika standing there, a bottle of milk tea in hand and a bag dangling from her arm. She smiled softly at him.

"Did you just get back from Aoba Josai?" she asked.

He jolted. "How did-?!"

"Yachi told me."

"Ah…"

Silence fell between them. She stepped forwards, out of the store, and walked right up to him, fiddling in her plastic bag as she did. She pulled out a carton of milk, the one he liked so much.

"Here," she explained. "You look like you've seen something unpleasant. Want to talk about it?" She smiled up at him, pushing the carton into his hand.

He gripped it tightly, looking anywhere but directly at her. "Can you walk back to the gym with me?" His request was shaky, and he looked down at the ground, like he was asking something impossible of her.

She simply moved to stand at his side, following as he started to walk back to the gym. She walked next to him, somehow managing to keep pace with his long legs. He was grateful for the silence as they walked. It gave him time to think. He was also grateful to have her next to him. Her presence was calming. It allowed him to view things more rationally, to calm down and really think, rather than just jumping to conclusions.

As he walked back into the gym, facing his team, he was immediately pounced on by Hinata, who'd been awaiting his return. Aika, meanwhile, passed out sports drinks and water to the boys, all of whom had been practicing for what seemed like hours.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to beat Oikawa."

The words were bitter, angry. It left a bad taste in his mouth to even say something like that. But it was every bit the truth.

He'd seen Oikawa fit into a team filled with strangers, people who didn't know him and didn't have any reason to trust him. He'd seen Oikawa bring out the best in each spiker, his tosses bringing things to the surface that perhaps the spikers didn't even know they could do. He'd seen Oikawa lead a team that he wasn't even really a part of to a certain victory, no matter who was on it.

To say it was a crushing realization to know just how easy that seemed to be for Oikawa was a huge understatement.

"So, you're just freaked out by the Great King again?" Hinata's eyes narrowed darkly, clearly unimpressed by how shaken Kageyama was.

That didn't matter. "Yeah… yeah, I'm freaked out," he admitted. But a smirk soon took over his face, feral and vicious. He was afraid, yes, but that wouldn't control him. "But I also want to beat him with everyone else. As a team."

From where he stood, he could see Aika and Yamaguchi standing together. An impressed look was on Yamaguchi's face, but Aika was only smiling proudly. She turned around as soon as their eyes locked, offering a bottle of lemonade to the pinch server. There was a tinge of color on her face, and she looked as if she was talking quick, like she was in a bit of a panic.

Kageyama couldn't help but laugh at her a little.

Cute.

"Hey, he's pretty cool, isn't he, Aika?" Yamaguchi asked with a teasing lit to his voice. He poked at her arm, laughing a little when she jolted from the sudden touch.

She swatted at him, although it was a playful swat. "Shut up!" she hissed lightly.

He walked away from her, laughing lightly as he cracked open the drink she'd given him. She aimed a joking glare after him, but she quickly looked back towards Kageyama, who had picked up a volleyball and was preparing to get to work with it.

Yeah… Tobio really is cool, Yamaguchi.

To: Iwaizumi
From: Yamada (Karasuno)

You guys should watch out.
Oikawa's riled Tobio up again.

Iwaizumi sighed, rolling his eyes at the message from Aika. He picked up a volleyball and immediately threw it at Oikawa, successfully nailing the setter right in the side.

"Iwa! What was that for!" he shouted, tears in his eyes from the hit.

The ace glared down at his friend. "You were breathing too loud," he replied, his face so serious that it was impossible to tell if he was joking or not.

"Aika."

From where she was putting the balls back in the bins, Aika turned around to see Ukai behind her. "Yes?" she asked, tossing another ball into the bin, then picking up another one that Hinata had rolled to her feet.

"We're telling everyone tomorrow, but I thought you should know first. Next weekend, we're going to Tokyo to visit Nekoma and the other schools for some practice. It's one of the two times we can go to visit them for practice. You should probably call your brother, but I'm sure he already knows, since Nekomata sensei was the one to reach out to us."

He grinned roguishly as she dropped the ball in her hands. Her eyes lit up and she grinned widely. For once, she looked like a fifteen-year-old girl, simply excited about seeing her family again, and not like she was trying to take on the rest of the world.

"May I be excused? I'd like to call my brother," she requested, bowing to him.

A boisterous laugh pierced the air, causing the rest of the Karasuno team to look up at the two. "Of course. Get out of here," he replied jovially, gesturing towards the door.

She immediately walked as fast as she could towards the door, fishing her phone from her pocket as she walked. She brought it to her ear, and he noticed a cat charm dangling from the bottom of her phone - probably a present from someone on the Nekoma team.

"Hey, Shin? Hey, guess what!"

Her voice trailed off as she walked away, shutting the door behind her.

Crossing his arms, Ukai turned to the remaining boys of Karasuno. "Once you finish cleaning up, I'll let you guys know what I told her," he promised. Immediately, the boys began scrambling to finish putting all the balls back and storing the nets in the storage closet.

He chuckled under his breath. The loyalty they all showed to her - and to each other - was so strong, and it made him proud to be the coach for the team. They were all important to him now, and he was glad that no member of the team went undervalued. Everyone was appreciated for what they contributed, even if they weren't regulars or starters.

Looking back to Takeda, who'd proudly held the team together since Ukai's grandfather had left his position as the coach, Ukai felt a sense of pride.

The difference between the team he'd seen then and the team that was before him now…

It was indescribable.

"Ai!"

Shin swept his baby sister up in a hug, holding her closely, her face squished into his chest as both Kuroo and Kenma stood behind the siblings, watching them in amusement. He clung to her as she wrapped her arms around him, as well.

"I missed you so much!" he wailed, brushing his fingers through her hair. His eyes were entirely gentle as he looked down at her with love brimming from his eyes.

She nuzzled further into his chest as her fingers wrapped around his shirt. "Missed you, too, Shin. It's empty at home without you I miss your food, and I miss watching movies with you after school." Her admission, although quiet, made his heart jump into his chest.

"I'll come home as soon as I can," he murmured. "Until then, why don't you have some of Karasuno stay over? Especially after a long day of practice. It's big enough to fit your entire team if you wanted."

"Shoyo stayed over the past few nights." She pulled away, looking up at him. "When you come home, will you make me hamburg steak?" Her eyes glittered with innocence, a face she'd learned from Shoyo, as she begged him to cook for her.

A giddy smile took over Shin's face as he held her again, squeezing her in a hug. "Of course! In fact, I'll make you some tonight, how about that?" he asked with a playful wink.

It seemed like the words "hamburg steak" had reached Hinata's ears, since he bounded over from where he was pulling his bag off the bus, bouncing up and down in front of Shin. His eyes shone brightly at the prospect of hamburg steak, wordlessly begging Shin to include him in the offer for dinner, too.

Laughing, Shin reached out and ruffled Hinata's hair, too. "Yes, yes, Shoyo. You're more than welcome to come. After all, you're more family than friend at this point." Hinata stopped his bouncing, enjoying the way that Shin's fingers ran comfortingly through his fluffy hair.

As the siblings and Hinata laughed, Kageyama watched, a softness on his face.

The thought crossed his mind that he wanted to be a part of that. He wanted to go to Aika's house after practice, he wanted to sit with her at her table, he wanted to be treated like he was family, too.

Determined, he walked over to the group, his fists clenched and his mind racing through what he was going to say.

Author's Note

Haikyu! ends on Sunday, with its final chapter being published on July 20th in Japan, July 19th in the US.
It's kind of bittersweet? I love this series with all my heart, and I'm excited to see it come to its conclusion. But I can't deny that I'll miss it.

Either way, I've found my answer to a question I asked pertaining this story, and I'm pleased to tell you that Higher will continue past the current point that the anime is at. It will cover parts that aren't seen in the manga, and will continue to the end of the series. I love Tobio and Aika so much, and I want to see their story through.

Love, Chiyuki