Haikyu!
Higher
Chapter 44: Starlight

The day's practice was rather uneventful, all things considered.

Tsukishima had begun to throw himself into volleyball, his eyes showing just how much he'd changed since the last time they were in Tokyo. If someone who didn't know him looked at him, they wouldn't see much of a change. But to people like Aika, whose job it was to watch the players and record their growth, it was obvious.

He was studying his competition. He was learning from the most talented blockers that he knew.

"You know, you could've just asked Tetsu to help you," she teased him, handing over his water bottle after their game against Nekoma, which they'd sadly, but unsurprisingly, lost.

He rolled his eyes, plucking the bottle from her outstretched hands. "Why would I want to ask him about anything?" he grumbled, glaring away from her, pursing his lips as he aimed his glare at the court. She curiously followed his gaze, her eyes landing on where Kuroo was blocking Bokuto's spikes, over and over again.

Giggling a little, she moved to stand in front of him. His golden eyes peered down at her over the end of his water bottle. "It's not a crime to ask for help, you know."

"I know." He glanced back to Kuroo and Bokuto, who were loudly challenging each other. "But this is something I need to learn how to do myself."

For a moment, she just stared at him. Then, an understanding smile came over her face. "Okay. Do your best then, Kei." She turned away, grabbing her bag filled with towels and water bottles, calling Hinata's name as she pulled his water bottle from the cooler she held, laughing a little as he ran up to her, his boundless energy and enthusiasm.

He thought back on what Aika had said to him the last time they were in Tokyo.

"I think that volleyball isn't something you can just let go of, though. Even if it hurts you, it's a game that keeps you always thinking that you can keep growing. And I think that's what's most important about it. Not winning or losing, but letting yourself keep growing."

He was beginning to understand what she'd meant by that. Even though the sport had nearly destroyed his relationship with his older brother, the person he'd practically idolized as a child, it also helped to restore it. If not for volleyball, if not for Karasuno, he might have spent the rest of his life trying to talk to Akiteru as little as possible.

And just the thought of that was painful.

He furrowed his brow as he leapt up to block, his arms straight above his head, staring Bokuto down with the only look he knew how to give an opponent as the third year prepared to spike. He saw the spark of anticipation in Bokuto's eyes, saw the fearlessness and the trust that the opposing team had in their ace. He saw the excitement and the passion and the unequivocal love for the sport that the other players had, something that he wasn't sure that he'd ever felt before in his life. Not just about volleyball, but really, about anything.

A small twinge of jealousy sparked in his chest as he bent his wrists just a little bit, sending what would have been Bokuto's powerful spike down to the court below him. He felt something else, something besides that jealousy, as he landed, watching as Bokuto's eyes widened, this time with shock rather than pure excitement.

Slowly, Tsukishima looked down at his hands, still feeling the sting of the ball against them.

A sudden urge to smile overtook him and, shocked by the wave of emotion, he suppressed it, turning back to his team - his team - and moved back to his original position, not saying a word, even as Sugawara congratulated him on blocking Bokuto's spike.

Aika slowly made her way over to where Tsukishima was sitting on the steps that led to the parking lot below the gymnasium, staring up at the night sky overhead. He was leaning back, a towel around his neck, and he looked towards her as he heard her crutches hitting the ground behind him, a blank, unreadable expression on his face.

"What is it?"

Although he sounded irritated, she shrugged off his consistently annoyed-sounding voice and moved so she could sit beside him. Without even needing to be prompted, he moved her crutches to the side as she sat, glancing at her as she stretched out her leg.

As soon as she was settled, she reached into her bag and pulled out a can of green tea. "Here. You look exhausted." He slowly took it from her, feeling the drink still sweating from coming out of a refrigerated area. "I saw you today. You managed to block Bokuto's spike. That's impressive, Kei." She leaned back, resting on her hands as she gazed up at the sky, where he was staring just a few moments earlier.

Tsukishima snapped the tab of the green tea can, taking a long few sips. "Well, I guess it was something," he drawled slowly, offering the half empty can to her.

She accepted with a nod and took a single sip, sighing in content afterwards. "Coach says you came to him for help the other day," she teased, handing the drink back to him. "Has his advice been helping you at all?"

Sighing, Tsukishima grabbed the can again, simply holding it in both hands as he stared out at the parking lot. "I watched those two morons play their matches today. Coach said that Kuroo was the best at blocking that we know. Just watching, I learned a lot," he admitted, sounding just a bit pained when he admitted it.

Aika nodded, a small chuckle coming from her. "I think even Bokuto was shocked when you shut him down earlier today." Kei managed his own smug grin as she looked at him. "Seriously, Kei. Where did all this come from?"

"Not sure," he replied after a moment of thought. "I've just been thinking a lot lately. About what everyone's been saying, and about what my brother's been trying to teach me."

For a minute, Aika was silent. She then leaned forwards, peering directly up at Tsukishima through her long eyelashes. "Kei, you let other people get to you pretty easily, don't you?" she asked softly.

He could feel a surge of embarrassment run through his body as he looked down at her. "Yeah, sure I do." His tone was abrasive as he attempted to cover his unsettled feelings through a heavy use of sarcasm, as he usually did.

"No, seriously, Kei." She leaned back again and reached into her bag, pulling out a video camera that she'd had on her for a few weeks now. She clicked a few buttons, and Tsukishima looked over at her as she adjusted the video screen, playing the video from the day's practice. "You've been improving for the last few weeks, and at a really rapid rate, too. Maybe it seems like you've been stagnant, but I can see it in you. Your entire posture has changed."

On the screen, he could see himself properly squatting as Nekoma's Lev leapt, preparing to strike the ball down onto Karasuno's side of the court. He saw his jump as his legs lifted him up, his arms stretched above the net as he lifted his arms above his head to block the silver-haired boy's spike. He watched Lev's shocked face as the ball fell to Nekoma's side, rather than to Karasuno's like he'd planned.

"You look more like a volleyball player now," she joked.

Tsukishima gently pulled the camera from Aika's hands, staring at the video playing with his eyes totally focused on his own form, doing things that he hadn't ever imagined himself doing, even as he'd joined Karasuno's team.

"Ai! We're headed home!" a voice drifted from the bottom of the steps, from the parking lot beneath the high school. Both teens looked up to see Shin standing there, with Kuroo, Hinata, and Kageyama standing at his side, looking up at the two expectantly. "C'mon! I've got hamburg steak waiting for you!"

"Got it!" Aika grabbed her crutches and slowly stood, making it seem graceful, given how used to it she'd become. Tsukishima still sat, still staring at the video that was playing on her camera, holding it gently, but still tightly, his eyes narrowed. "Kei?"

He still didn't look up at her, but simply asked, "Can I keep this for the night?"

With a small smile, she nodded. "Yeah. Of course." With only that, she began her descent down the concrete stairs, leaving Tsukishima to stare at the video camera as he sat behind her.

As she left, he pressed rewind on the camera, watching his form go in reverse, hating how, for once, he saw himself playing volleyball, and hating even more how, for once, he thought that he looked cool.

"Uwah! This looks so good!" Hinata cheered, drool practically leaking from his mouth as Kuroo set a plate of hamburg steak in front of him. He moved to dig in, his fork and knife hovering above the dish, but Kuroo reached out to slap the back of his wrist.

Looking down at the eager freshman, Kuroo smiled gently down at him. "Calm down, shrimpy. Wait til everyone's got their food to eat, okay? That's a rule in the Yamada house, remember?" he teased.

Hinata immediately sobered and nodded, setting his utensils back down on the table and folding his hands in front of him. Meanwhile, Kageyama and Aika sat on the opposite side of the table, Aika laughing a little while Kageyama only smirked in amusement at the overly-excitable boy as he clearly became antsy while trying to wait for his time to eat.

Kuroo walked back into the kitchen, where Shin was putting their meals onto plates. The taller boy wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, resting his chin on Shin's shoulders as he watched. "Need anything else from me?" he asked softly.

Shaking his head, Shin pulled away from Kuroo's hold and handed the plate to him. "Not for now, Tetsu. Go sit down, okay?"

He took the plate without much complaint, and slid past the divide and back into the dining room. He sat across from Kageyama, next to where Shin would sit at the head of the table. "It's usually pretty quiet. Just two or three of us," he admitted as he sat, leaning back in his chair. "I think it's a nice change of pace for Shin, having Ai here, and having Ai have friends over. He likes having company." He smiled at Shin, who came from the kitchen.

Shin finally took his seat at the head of the table, putting his plate in front of him. "It's true. I love having company over. But you guys should start eating. I can't keep you two forever."

"Eh?" both freshman boys asked.

"I got permission from your coach to have Aika stay here tonight, so we could catch up, but since I don't have permission from Shoyo's family or Kageyama's family, I can't keep you two overnight," Shin explained. "At some point, Tetsu will take you back to Nekoma so you can be with your team."

Aika, as she cut into her meal, looked towards Kageyama, who, like Hinata, had already begun to inhale his meal as soon as Shin sat down. "How is it? Shin's been cooking hamburg steak since he knew how to use a stove. It's kind of his specialty by now," she told him, smiling up at the dark-haired boy.

His cheeks were filled with food, making him look more like a chipmunk than a boy. He nodded quickly, swallowing as he looked down at her. "It's really good." He looked to Shin and nodded in appreciation. "Thank you for the food."

"Never a problem, Kageyama." Shin smiled at Kageyama. "It's just something small so I can show my appreciation for you and Shoyo taking care of my little sister. I appreciate it a lot. To know that I didn't make a mistake in leaving Sendai and coming here instead."

There was a moment in which Kageyama silently stared at Shin, who had turned his attention to Hinata, and was laughing and chatting with the more energetic of the two Karasuno players, while Kuroo interjected with some snide comments here and there. He glanced down at his half-eaten food, and slowly put his utensils down.

"Excuse me."

A sudden urge to flee had overcome him, and he quickly stood from the table and walked away from the lively scene, making sure to take his time as he walked, just so it didn't feel like he was running away.

He burst through the front door of the quaint house, one that was opposite of everything he'd ever known, and stood outside on the front steps, panting heavily from some form of adrenaline that he couldn't place where it had come from. He straightened after a few moments, and made his way down the steps, out of the front gate. Leaning against the wall in front of the house, he slid down, squatting as he stared at the street beneath him.

Within a moment, there was a shadow that loomed over him, and he looked up to see a familiar bolt of wine red hair.

"Kageyama? Are you okay?" Shin asked, his voice filled with concern, as he knelt in front of the younger male, who immediately looked back down. "Was it something I said?"

Kageyama slowly moved his gaze back up to Shin as he fell back against the wall, meeting his eyes. He didn't even think about the words until they were out of his lips. "I never had this. Family. All that. It's weird to have you thanking me for treating Aika nicely," he admitted, his words flowing fast.

Shin moved to sit next to Kageyama, leaning against the stone wall. "Are your parents busy or something like that?" he asked quietly.

"They're successful business people." Kageyama practically spat the words, his tone completely bitter as he spoke. "Constantly travelling. I'm grateful that they're busy and that they work and can provide for me, but I haven't properly seen them since I started junior high."

"Is it overwhelming? To be eating dinner with so many people?"

Kageyama slowly nodded. "A little. But it's nice. Your cooking is really good, and the people here are people I actually like. I'm grateful to be here. It's really… really nice," he spoke slowly, spoke softly, and Shin nodded in acknowledgement.

From his place beside Kageyama, who was much younger, but much taller, Shin reached up, ruffling his dark hair. For a moment, Kageyama was a bit shocked, but he soon closed his eyes, accepting the comforting gesture for just that, a comforting gesture. It wasn't anything more or anything less.

"Shin."

"Hm?"

Hesitation clear in his body, Kageyama, hugged his knees to his chest. He looked to Shin, who was looking back at him, waiting for him to talk.

"I like… I like Aika."

He was sure Shin was going to be upset. He was sure that he'd be getting the "big brother" talk, the angry declaration that he wasn't good enough for Aika. He was sure tha

t he'd be forced to give up on the person he liked so much because her brother didn't approve of him.

Fear shot up his spine as he felt Shin's hand freeze in his hair.

"I know."

Kageyama's eyes widened as Shin's response echoed in his ears. He turned slightly to see Aika's older brother with a small, serene smile on his face as he gazed at Kageyama.

"You… you do?"

Shin nodded. "I think it's obvious to everyone but Aika. Thank you for telling me, Kageyama. And I think you'll be fine. You're a good kid, and I think you'd be good for Aika. You brought back her smile when I thought she lost it at the beginning of the school year," he muttered.

"Does that mean that you're, uh, okay with me asking Aika on a date?"

"More than okay. If you told me that you were only her friend after that, I'd have to kill you," Shin joked. His laughter was what kept Kageyama from tensing, instead allowing him to relax even further, his shoulders falling as he sat next to him.

After a brief moment of silence, he finally said, "With your permission, I'm going to ask her on a date after our next game against Aoba Josai."

"On one condition." Kageyama looked to Shin. "You crush Oikawa and his team. You win all your games, and you go to Nationals. Got it?"

A small, fierce smile came over Kageyama's face.

"Got it."

Thank you for eight incredible years.