Story Downloaded from Open Scrolls Archive (https://www.openscrolls.net)

Title: Moonrise (#4594)
Author: isilelensar
Chapters: 15

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Archive: Haikyu!!
Category: Alternate Universe
Description: Continuing the story from 'Stay With Me' The time to make their final move is at hand; it's time for Grandmother and her regime to be taken down. (I'll come up with something better, later.) Part 3 of Moonrise series
Published: 13 Jan 2022
Updated: 09 Apr 2022
Warnings: canondivergent, kurootsuki, implied sex
Type: Romance
Characters: Kuroo Tetsuro, Tsukishima Kei


Chapter 1 - Part One

[Kaashi, we’re coming to meet you]
[Bo? Why? Thought we had to stay separated?]
[Just got new orders, but… I’m going to modify them]
[Bo, last time you modified orders…]
[I KNOW! I’m reminded every payday]
[So, then why…?]
[I need a better idea of who we have, and I’m sorry, but larger groups do not make sense, no matter the specialties. That’s just asking for trouble]
[Understood. So, you want us all together?]
[Yes. Like in Himeji]
[But Bo..]
[I know. We got caught, and I’m taking a huge risk again. But I can’t help thinking larger groups will be worse off for us]
[Even if the order comes from the top?]
[Yeah. Even then. We’ll head your way, and then we can go to the villa]
[We’ll wait…]
[Okay. But we’ll have to split up from there. Too many to go all together]
[Right]
[Love you]
[Love you too. Be careful]
[Yeah. Same]

Akaashi shut the phone, stuck it in his pocket, and turned his attention to the group around him. They had been staying in a cabin in the farthest part of a campground in Saitama. Just yesterday, their number was expanded by one; So Inuoka had been sent by their Superior, and was currently chatting excitedly with Kuroo.

“We’re heading to the villa,” he said unceremoniously. That got their attention, especially Hoshiumi, Inuoka and Atsumu.
“But wait. I thought we were to stay in place until…” Atsumu said.
“Bokuto is modifying.”
“Like that went so well the last time,” Hoshiumi replied sarcastically.
“Yeah, well, the original orders aren’t sitting well with him, especially because we have more people being recalled to help. He wants to see us all and figure out who goes where.”
“He’s gonna be in so much trouble,” Eita added.
“Hopefully not. Even so, I understand his reasoning.”
“So, we’ll all be together again, just like in Himeji?” Aunt Yui asked, her arm looped through Kuroo’s.
“Yes, but hopefully not for long. As soon as Bokuto gets an idea of who we have, we’ll go from there. Besides,” he looked at Kuroo. “This will be beneficial for a few of us.”
“Damn right,” Kuroo replied quietly.
“All of us,” Aunt Yui added. “I know a pair of brothers who are probably itching for a good scuffle.” She glanced at Atsumu who grinned back at her.
“Anyway, we’ll leave in the morning. Early. Everyone get some rest.”
“Right!”

Nearly everyone left for their futons in the two bedrooms, except Akaashi, Kuroo, and Aunt Yui.

“Do you think it’s wise?” Aunt Yui asked seriously, this time. “We got caught in Himeji. I can only assume being caught at this… villa… would be much worse.” She almost said it like she knew what she was talking about. Tetsu glanced over at her, but said nothing.
“I agree,” Akaashi said quietly. “And it would be much worse. But Bokuto has a plan, and I think we should at least hear him out.”
“Do you think…?” Tetsu asked, but Akaashi shook his head.
“No. We can’t. Being able to keep both of you safe means splitting you two up. If you were together…”
“It'll make it easier for them to find us, I know.”
“I’m not going to say don’t worry, or that everything will be fine. Things have already gone sideways more than they should have,” Akaashi said gently. “We’re doing our best so that you two can be together again. Forever, if that’s what you want.”
“I’m guessing that’s what you want, too?” Tetsu asked softly. Akaashi just nodded.
“I like that idea,” Aunt Yui chimed in, nudging Tetsu. “I would have two sons to spoil rotten…” her voice faded away for a moment, and a strange emotion flashed over her face. Fear, maybe? Whatever it might have been, it was gone so quickly, it left the other two wondering if they’d even seen it in the first place.
“We’ll see,” Tetsu said slowly. “I like the idea, too, but… Well, we’d have to discuss it first.”
“Of course! Duh!” Yui exclaimed with a little nervous laugh.
“Okay. What now?”
“I’m sorry?”
“You look like you have something you want to talk about. Also, something up your sleeve. I’m not sure if I should be nervous… or scared. Or both.”
“Who me? Sweet, little, innocent ole me?”
From somewhere in the cabin:
“Did she just say sweet?” asked Eita.
“Did she just say innocent?” asked Atsumu.
“About the only thing that rings true in that entire statement is the ‘little’ part,” Eita said wryly.
“If you’re going to start accumulating children, Auntie, maybe you should also consider those two.” Kuroo jumped in with a smirk.
“Why not? I don’t have any that are rude, crude, and socially unacceptable. Could get interesting at family reunions.”
“Why did you even stick us with her, Akaashi?”
“She knows how to handle problem children.”
“Turncoat!”
“Go to sleep!”
“Yes, dad,” they both said at once.
“Anyhow, I suggest you two also try to get some sleep. Bokuto and his people should be here in the next few hours.”
“And you?” both Tetsu and Aunt Yui asked, concerned.
“I’ll get what I can,” he assured them. “You two try to do the same.”
“Right.”

Tetsu helped Aunt Yui to her feet and they found their futons ready for them. They settled in as quietly as they could, and then simply stared at each other for a few minutes. Then, Tetsu leaned over and kissed her on her forehead before turning over to go to sleep. Yui smiled softly, touched the spot he kissed, and turned the other way.

She had to figure out a way to tell him everything and hope he wouldn’t be too angry with her when she did.

~*~

“Do we have enough provisions for everyone?” Narita asked quietly. Nearly everyone was asleep already, except Kinoshita and Sugawara.
“I’ll go over everything again, but we should have enough to get through the next couple days,” Suga replied. “Didn’t expect Kawanishi to show up, to be honest.”
“Yeah, well, apparently things have gone sideways again, so our boss changed plans to hopefully get things back on track. That was a couple days ago.”
“So, what? Are we gathering in the same place? Again?” Kinoshita asked. He looked up from his latest project.
“We are. Bokuto is modifying.”
“Oh geez,” Suga said as Kinoshita groaned.
“Yeah, well, if what Akaashi told me is right, I think he has a point. We can’t have everyone traveling together, even if we split up and reform somewhere else.”
“So what’s his plan?”
“I’m not sure, but I have a hunch. We’ll see when they get here.”

A tiny click could be heard in the silence left when Narita stopped speaking. Kinoshita straightened up from the island they were sitting around, and was smiling happily. When he realized he had Suga’s and Narita’s attention, he picked up what looked like a pair of Crow earrings.

Narita lifted an eyebrow. “Are those…?”
“Tracking devices. For Kei and Kuroo.”
“Nice touch. I like them. But, how?”
“I modified,” he said with a grin. “Kei gave his phone to Shoyo after doing a factory reset. Sho gave it to me.”
“But that phone was supposed to be destroyed.”
“It was. After I salvaged the SIM card.”
“Okaaayyy… that still doesn’t explain…”
“I took info from the SIM card and loaded that info onto the microchips. If anything happens, we’ll be able to locate them.”
“Good idea. How far is the range?” Suga asked.
“I should be able to pick up the signal within a five mile radius, but I won’t know for sure unless…”
“Yeah, well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“Right.”
“People should be drifting in tomorrow. You can give those to them, then.”
“I will.”
“Well, let’s go get some rest. Tomorrow’s going to be interesting.”
Suga snorted as he slid off the barstool. “That’s putting it mildly.”
“Truth.”
They went upstairs and parted ways, Narita and Kinoshita going to the room they shared, and Suga going to the one he shared with Hinata, Tsuki, and Noya.

~*~

“Nagoya Port,” Oikawa said as he lined his speedboat up to the dock. “We have time for a short break and then another several hours to get to Miyazaki, sir.”
“Right. We’ll rest here for a bit and then get moving.”
“That’s fine. I need to gas her up and then I’ll go pick up some food. You want anything?”
“No.”
“You sure? I know you didn’t eat before we left, and that was at least six hours ago.”
“If you insist, then I’ll have a rice ball or something. Maybe some takoyaki.”
Oikawa snorted. “I’ll think of something.”
“Alright. I’ll be around here, somewhere.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll find ya.”
“Right.”

The blonde man started walking toward the nearest staircase, and up to the pier. He didn’t intend to go far, but he wanted a little peace before getting back into the boat. Oikawa was a speed demon, and he had a nasty habit of jumping waves. Even more so now that he knew he was going to be doing more to help out. Shaking his head, he sat down on a bench near the end of the pier and looked out over the bay.

It was night time, and not nearly as busy as it was during the day, so he had a modicum of quiet. The moon was merely a crescent in the sky, reminding him of the little moon toys he’d get for his boys when they were young. Those years were some of the happiest in his life.

Tucking away those memories, he pulled out his phone and looked at the latest message he’d sent. Akiteru still hadn’t replied, and he was starting to worry. Not only because it had been over a week ago since the man had gone dark, but because he needed Akiteru’s help with the operation.

He sent another message, hoping maybe this one would get a reply. He stood up and started pacing, thinking as he did so.

They were headed to the villa, seeing as how everyone else was going to be there, too. He chuckled a bit. Bokuto had a good head on his shoulders, most of the time, and he had called an emergency meeting of the entire team under the guise of “modifying” his orders. After fuming about it for a day or two, he had to admit, his advisors and Bokuto were right. Smaller groups would be easier for travel and concealment, as well as distraction and diversion.

If he had any sense at all, he’d guess Grandmother had already given orders to send out the Specials, which meant time was against them. The last intel he had from Akiteru on the Specials was that Tendo was the team lead this time, which meant they really had to be on their toes. The man had an uncanny ability to guess where they’d be next, and, on previous missions they’d only just managed to make it out before being caught each time.

Sitting down again, he checked his phone, even though he knew there was no reply.

“Dammit! Where is that boy?” he asked himself, his voice riddled with frustration.

Suddenly, a cardboard tray with a skewered ear of grilled corn appeared in front of his face. He looked up and saw Oikawa grinning at him. Huffing, he took the tray as Oikawa sat down beside him with his own corn. He set a bag between them, and also a modified drink carrier that held two crepes.

“Quite the feast,” he said as he took a bite of the grilled corn.
“It’ll do until we get to the villa,” Oikawa replied. They sat there for a few minutes eating, when Oikawa spoke up again. “Is that something you need me to find out? Where Akiteru is?”
“Yeah. And his mother.”
“His mother? Why?”
“I got a weird message from Yui. Hotaru hasn’t been in contact, or answered her texts, either.”
“Okay, so find out what happened to them,” Oikawa repeated. “What else?”
“Anything regarding the Specials, if they’d been released into the wild, or if they’re waiting for the order to go. And anything else you think might be important to us.”
“Tall order.”
“Yeah, but it’s something you’re good at. Report back to me as soon as possible.”
“Yes, sir,” he saluted with a wink, took the empty tray, and handed over the strawberry cream crepe, while he took the chocolate banana one. “Mind if I call in my own help?”
“If you’re thinking about Iwaizumi, then no.”
“But, sir!”
“You know why I want pairs to split up.”
“Yeah, but…”
“If you’re going to bring up the Tanakas, you know damn well they were married before they were asked to join us. Part of their contract states that it’s up to them when to separate and when to be together.”
“Yeah, but…”
“And you also know that they are apart more than they are together, so it works out.”
“I know, but…”
“Narita and Kinoshita are together by sheer virtue of both belonging to the same team, so consider that a happy accident.”
Oikawa snorted, aggressively biting into his crepe. “Not fair,” he muttered around another bite.
“Talk to Bokuto and Akaashi about unfair,” the man fired back. “And, even though they are recent additions, talk to Kei and Kuroo about unfair.”
“Hmmmm.”
“Tooru, if, no when, we are successful in bringing Grandmother down, then you and Iwaizumi can be together for as long as you want. Forever, if that’s your choice. But until then, I need you two to fulfill your duties. Separately.”
“Fine. But the very second this is all over…”
“You may take off, and with my blessing.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now, thanks for the food. Is she ready to go?”
“She’s as ready as she’ll ever be.”
“Right. Let’s get going.”
“Yes, sir.”

They made it to the speed boat, and were in the middle of boarding, when the man’s phone buzzed. Quickly, he dropped into the boat and sat down in his seat, buckling up before grabbing his phone and opening it. He heaved a sigh of relief, and Oikawa turned to face him from the cockpit.

“Akiteru?”
“Yes,” the man muttered absentmindedly as he typed a reply.
“Well?”
“Just go. I’ll tell you on the way.”
“Alrighty, then,” Oikawa turned back and revved the engine, taking it slow until they were in open water, and then opened it wide open, racing along the coastline, heading for Miyazaki.

~*~

*the text*

[We’re coming]
[Aki? Where the hell have you been?]
[Grandmother had our rooms searched. Found Mom’s phone]
[Shit]
[Exactly. She had Mom moved to her suite in the residence, and added more guards to ‘protect’ her]
[What about you?]
[Grandmother sent me on a scouting mission. To Karasuno, of all places]
[Karasuno? Why?]
[She’s under some mistaken impression that she’d be able to get people like our Crows to work for her]
[That took you a week?]
[No, a day. Ironically, no one accepted the ‘offer’ I made]
[So, then why…?]
[I had to get Mom out of there!]
[For a week? And no word to me?]
[I had to do it at a time when her guards were low, and use what influence I had to get rid of the others. Any communication would have been noticed, and caught. I couldn’t take the chance.]
[Understood. Well, then, see you at the villa?]
[Yeah. We’ll be there]
[Aki?]
[Yeah?]
[How is she?]
[She’s fine. Determined to keep up with the pace I’ve set.]
[Don’t overdo it.]
[We won’t. We’re not stubborn like you. Or Kei]
[I wouldn’t say stubborn…]
[Single-minded?]
[Stubborn somehow sounds better]
[Gotta go, sir. See you at the villa.]
[See you at the villa]

Oikawa careened through the water, and jumped another wave. Once he got the boat back under control, he glanced back at his passenger. What he saw made him smile. The man had slumped back in his seat, head against the hull, eyes closed, and a solitary tear trailing down the side of his face. The phone was still clutched tightly in his hands. He looked so relieved that Akiteru had finally contacted him; it was almost like a father finally hearing from a long lost son.

Redirecting his gaze forward, he kept his silence. For once. He knew the man’s secret, after all.

The only one who didn’t… was Tsuki.

~*~

“GONE?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘GONE’?!” a shrill voice echoed in the boardroom. Five people flinched; the three men at the table with her, and the two standing behind her. “SHE WAS MOVED TO MY SUITE! I PUT AN EXTRA GUARD ON HER! HOW IS SHE GONE??”
“We are still interrogating the guards who were supposed to be watching her, ma’am,” Washijo said calmly.
“So far, all we’ve been able to get from them is a bunch of denials and deflections,” Irihata reported.
“Are you applying enough pressure?”
“If by ‘pressure’ you mean torture, then yes. But these men were hired by us, so they also know how to keep quiet even under… ‘pressure.’”
“Keep doing it. Eventually, one may crack.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“What about my grandson? Where is he?”
“Also missing, ma’am. He went out for that scouting job, came back and reported to us. The next day, he was gone.”

The silence in the room was deafening. No one looked at anyone else. Because it was then they all realized: Akiteru and Hotaru had escaped together.

“They turned on me?” the elderly lady’s voice was thready.
“It appears that way, ma’am,” Washijo replied carefully.

The woman made a feral growling sound that would have turned into a scream if she hadn’t lost consciousness. Her body slumped forward, and her head hit the table with a heavy thud. The doctor and nurse came from their place behind her and checked her over.

“I-is she…?” Washijo whispered, looking sticken.
“No. Her pulse is faint, but it’s there,” the doctor reported. “We need to get her to her room. Now!”

The nurse carefully maneuvered the old woman back into the chair so that the doctor could pick her up. He carried her through the door they often hid behind, and then through another door into a secret hallway. No one else needed to know about her passing out. And no one needed to know that she was likely about to die from the long-term illness she’d been ignoring for years.


Chapter 2 - Part Two

Bokuto sent word early the next morning that they’d be arriving in small groups, staggered through the evening, starting around 5:15pm. That gave the Crows (and Kawanishi) time to get the villa ready for at least twelve more people. There was a possibility for a few more, meaning they’d have a sizable force under one roof. So to speak. At most, there would be twenty-five people.

Rooms within the main house that weren’t in use were opened up and aired out, dusted, and cleaned. They divided forces and tackled the bungalows, giving each the same treatment as the main house. They also made sure the power was working and that there were enough towels, bedsheets, pillows and blankets.

Narita decided they would figure out who would sleep where once everyone arrived, so they packed up their gear from the rooms they were currently in. The meeting room would be converted into extra sleeping space for anyone else not given a room assignment. Extra futons, pillows and blankets were stacked in the meeting room.

Suga and Kiyoko took Kei out to procure more supplies, especially in the way of foodstuffs. They bought enough to feed a small army, and then a little more, just in case. They had been given kitchen duty, since they were the best cooks among the Crows. Once they came back with the goods, they started making a hearty lunch for everyone, since they didn’t really take time to eat breakfast.

By 5pm, they had everything in order and dinner would be ready about midway through the arrivals.

By 5:15pm, they made their way to the front of the villa, ready to greet the first arrivals. Kei couldn’t help being a little excited; he didn’t know who was supposed to come when, but still, he was looking forward to seeing Tetsu again. But as they made their way up the path, he couldn’t help feeling disappointed.

“Tsuki!” Both Aunt Yui and Yachi ran up to him, swamping him in their arms. Surprised, but pleased, he returned their hugs.
“Thank goodness you’re safe!” Aunt Yui said, reaching up to frame his face with her hands.
“Thank you? Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Oh, nevermind me. I was just worried about you, is all,” she tried to backpedal. “I smell some delicious aromas! Have you been cooking?”
“Yeah. Well, Suga and Kiyoko, too.”

He was saved by the rest of his team, as they came over to surround them. Hinata and Noya managed to divert Yachi, taking her away to the side to talk. Narita and the rest swooped in to greet Eita and Atsumu, who had just stood by and watched.

“Come on inside and put your stuff down. We’ll be figuring out bed space once everyone gets here. We have some light snacks for you if you’re hungry, but dinner will be ready in about an hour, so don’t fill up,” Suga told them.
“So, the rumors were true, then,” Eita said with a smile.
“Oh? What rumors were those?” Suga asked, clearly knowing what Eita was talking about.
“They called you Sugamama during your third year, and Daichi was…” Eita’s voice dropped away. “Sorry.”
Suga shook his head. “Don’t worry. I’m fine. And he was known as Dadchi.”
“You actually let them call you that?” Atsumu asked, genuinely curious.
“Well, not at first. But then, we realized they were right. We did act a lot like parents of our teammates, so at that point, we just went with it.”
“They took it seriously, too,” Kei added as he walked up with Aunt Yui.
“Look at who we had to deal with.”
“Point for Suga.”
“Exactly.”
Kei laughed and then looked down at Aunt Yui, who was staring up at him with slightly narrowed eyes.
“What’s that look for?”
“You seem different.”
“Is… is that good, or bad?”
“Oh, it’s good. Just… different.”
“Well, why don’t you mull it over inside. Get you some food and something to drink while we wait on the others.”
“I think I just figured out what it was that’s different,” she said with a grin. “See ya later.”
“Right.”

They welcomed each of the arrivals each time, with everyone going to meet them. It was like a great big family reunion, and no one was safe from being hugged, jostled, or shoved around. It was almost as if they took a short trip back in time to when they were in high school. With none of the rivalries, of course. Well, unless one counted the little extra punch to the arm Hinata took from Eita and Kawanichi.

The last to arrive was Bokuto and Kuroo. By this time, the rest of them stayed inside, too busy talking over dinner and catching up with each other. The only two that came out to welcome them were Akaashi and Kei. Both of them guessed that Aunt Yui had somehow gone to everyone and told them to wait inside; to let them greet their lovers’ without a crowd surrounding them. Which suited them just fine.

As soon as Bokuto caught sight of Akaashi, he smiled so bright it would rival the sun. They met halfway and kissed deeply. There was no rush or hurry; they’d only parted this morning. Still, it was clear they were both happy to see each other made it safely.

Kei watched them for a few moments before turning his full attention on the man striding up to him. When he stopped, they were toe-to-toe, only inches apart, and neither of them looked away.

“Are you okay?” Tetsu asked quietly.
“Yeah. Fine,” Kei replied in kind. “You?”
“Same.” Tetsu’s hands came up and gently framed Kei’s face, then glided back to sift his fingers through golden blonde locks. “You didn’t change the color.”
“No. Not yet, anyway.”
“Good. I like it this way,” he said softly. “It’s normal. It’s you.”
“Yeah, well…”
“I know.”
Kei reached up and took Tetsu’s hands in his, lowering them from his hair.
“Are you going to kiss me, or not?”
Tetsu’s eyes widened in surprise, a pinkish hue lit his cheekbones, and then he smiled wolfishly.
“Only if you don’t mind kissing in front of an audience,” he replied, looking past Kei and at the villa.

Kei turned enough to look, and sure enough, nearly everyone in the house was crowded around the front windows. Including Aunt Yui, who undoubtedly also gathered everyone to watch them. Then, he turned again and looked past Tetsu, and saw Bokuto and Akaashi were also watching.

Sighing, he shrugged and looked back at Tetsu. “I mean, I guess we could. Can’t let our loyal viewers down, can we?”
“Didn’t take you for an exhibitionist,” Tetsu teased, his focus once again on Kei, and Kei alone.
“I’m not.”
“Okay, so why don’t we just…”
He tugged on Kei’s hand and started to walk, when Kei tugged back, stopping him.
“Tetsu?”
“Yeah?”
“Shut up and kiss me.”
“Here? You sure?”

Losing all patience, Kei started kissing him, with Tetsu laughing between moments when they parted before going in for another kiss. And another. Soon, they were kissing with wild abandon, and completely ignoring the fact that everyone was cheering loudly for them.

When their kiss ended, they held each other, and Tetsu tried (and failed) to glare the audience into going away. Still, he saw Bokuto and Akaashi going into the villa, and heard one of them telling everyone else to mind their business.

Bokuto stuck his head back out the door for a minute. “Hey guys, when you’re done, come inside. There isn’t much dinner left.”

Tetsu gave him a thumbs up, and Bokuto returned it, but before he went back in, he looked toward the direction in which everyone came up to the villa. Instead of going back, he called for Akaashi and Narita to join him, and the three came out and stood waiting. Tetsu turned and saw who they were looking at.

Coming up the path were Oikawa, Akiteru, and two people he didn’t know, the woman holding hands with the man. He felt Kei’s hand grip his a little tighter, and when he looked into those golden brown eyes, he saw a mix of confusion and anger.

“Kei? Do you know them?”
“Yeah.”

The woman, who had been minding the path in front of her, looked up at them. Her face lit up with so much joy. She instantly dropped the man’s hand and ran to Kei, wrapping her arms around him. She was both laughing and crying hysterically.

Oikawa went to stand with Bokuto and Akaashi, and Tetsu, not sure what he was supposed to do, started to go stand with them. But, Kei still held his hand, and wasn’t letting go.

“Kei?”
“Tetsu, this is my mom, Hotaru Tsukishima.”

She was still too hysterical for him to offer a proper greeting, so he just waited, because it looked like Kei was going to speak again. He was staring straight at the man, who was standing beside Akiteru. And, as Tetsu looked more, he began to see similarities between the man and Kei. The same blonde hair, both wore glasses, and both were roughly the same height and build. The man’s eyes were what cemented Tetsu’s suspicions about him; they were golden brown, just like Kei’s.

“And that’s my dad; Mitsuhide Tsukishima,” Kei finished the introduction.

~*~

A few hours later, after everyone had gone to bed, Tetsu and Kei sat up in one of the little bungalows apart from the main house. There was a TV and blu-ray player, but they weren’t interested in watching anything. Instead, Tetsu waited patiently while Kei thought his way through the earlier revelation: his dad was clearly still alive. Not only that, but it seemed everyone else knew who he was, but never said anything to Kei. Well, it wasn’t as if they could; the information had been classified. Still, that’s one hell of a secret to keep from him.

Kei hadn’t spoken another word all night, not to anyone. If he was asked to help with something, he did, but that was it. He helped serve dinner, helped make more because it wasn’t quite enough to feed everyone, and then helped clean up afterward. When asked, he helped people carry their things to their assigned sleeping quarters, but once everyone was settled, he took Tetsu’s hand and they left for their bungalow.

Now, they sat in the middle of the bed, Kei’s back to his chest, and Tetsu’s arms wrapped around him. They’d been sitting that way for at least an hour now, and still Kei hadn’t said a word. Tetsu was about to urge him to say something, but was interrupted by a soft knock at the door. Reluctantly, he let go of Kei and went to see who was there.

“Can we come in?” Akaashi asked quietly. Standing behind him was Bokuto and Narita.
“No, I don’t…”
“It’s fine, Tetsu,” Kei said from their bed. “Let them in.”

With a wry grin, he stepped back and opened the door further so they could come in. Kei watched them as they stood there and Tetsu closed the door behind them.

“You guys can sit down,” he said, gesturing toward the table and chairs. When they settled into their seats, he joined them at the table.

“We’re sorry,” Narita started. “We wanted to tell you, but…”
“Classified,” Kei said, his voice low.
“Right.”
“And yet, everyone clearly knew about it.”
“To be fair, you weren’t a part of our… organization,” Bokuto offered by way of explanation.
“No. I’m just his son,” Kei bit out. “That should have been enough clearance for someone to tell me my dad was still alive.”
“Would you have believed us if we had told you?” Akaashi asked quietly.
“Probably not. But is that still any reason to keep it from me?”
“We had orders, directly from…”
“I understand. Even my own dad didn’t want me to know.”
“And if you knew he was alive, what would you have done?” Narita asked carefully.
“I don’t know,” Kei answered honestly. “I don’t think it’s a matter of what I’d have done, but what he could’ve done.”
“And what do you think I could have done, Kei?”

Everyone started, and then turned to see the elder Tsukishima standing just inside the doorway. No one heard anyone knock, and no one heard the door open. One by one, they stood up and bowed, and with a look, each one left. But not before offering Kei a bit of support by gripping his arm or shoulder as they passed. Even Tetsu would have gone, but Kei reached out to stop him.

“Stay with me,” Kei whispered.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Alright.”

Kei faced his father for the first time since they arrived at the villa. Really, one could call it the first time in fifteen years.

“What do you think I could’ve done?” Mitsuhide asked again.
“I don’t know, sir. Maybe you could’ve kept our family together? Maybe you could’ve been there for us? Maybe you could’ve stopped Grandmother ....”
“Even before she exiled you from the family, she was well on her way to building her ‘empire.’ I was heir apparent, and expected to do what she told me. And I did. I was a good son. Up until my best friend decided to leave the organization. She wanted to be with her family, to help raise her son.”
“What happened to her?” Kei asked.
“It wasn’t what happened to her, but what happened to her husband. One day, he left for work, and never came home. They called it an accident, and it appeared to be one. Enough for the authorities to rule it as such.”
“Oh god.”
“Indeed. Once I found out what happened, I helped her escape, and made sure she and her son were safely hidden away, names and identities changed, until it was safe.”

Kei needed to sit down. He backed up to the nearest chair and sat down heavily. Of all the things he expected to hear about his dad disappearing, this wasn’t part of it. Beside him, Tetsu sat down too, propping his elbows on the table and looking out the window toward the villa. It looked like he was doing some serious thinking, and Kei wanted to know what it was about. Even so, he also wanted to hear the rest of his dad’s story.

“What happened to them?”
“For all intents and purposes, they disappeared. I couldn’t risk getting in touch with her, or vice versa, or we’d both be in hot water. It was a good thing no one suspected your mother. She kept me updated, and they became best friends as well.”
“Okay. So…”
“For a few years, a search was conducted, but we were unable to discover her, or her son’s, whereabouts.”
“You say that as if you were part of the search.”
“I had to be, so Grandmother wouldn’t suspect anything.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Anyhow, when Grandmother gave up looking for my best friend, she doubled her efforts to build her empire. She would do anything to elevate the Tsukishima name, and I began thinking that this wasn’t the same woman I knew anymore; it just got worse and worse. I finally had enough, and decided I had to leave too, to find a way to stop her.”
“So you left us?”
“Your mother was the only one who knew anything about it. Akiteru found out a few years ago.”
“But if you had stayed…”
“Do you honestly think I could have stopped her from exiling you?”
“Well, yes!”
“How?”
“You are her son and heir apparent…”
“A son and heir apparent with zero power or influence to do anything! I would not have been able to save you from exile, and I would not have been able to stop the hitmen she sent out after you. I left so that I could fight her in my own way. I left so that I could help you.”

Kei blinked hard. He’d been told something similar by Kiyoko. Sort of. Akiteru must have done the recruiting of his teammates before he graduated, and once he did and was forced to run, they were called for duty. And overall, it was his dad that got the ball rolling in the first place.

“But why didn’t you tell me?”
“I couldn’t. If you knew, and you were caught, my plans to dismantle my mother’s empire would be in shambles. Not only that, but everyone involved would be marked for death, too. Trust me, I hated leaving you in the dark, but as long as you didn’t know, then all of us were safe.”

Once again, it was silent in the little bungalow. Kei turned to look at Tetsu, who was still looking out the window. Tetsu turned his head and smiled gently, and then his attention was back to looking outside. Suddenly, he stood up, and turned to look at Kei’s dad.

“Your best friend. Who was she?”
“I think you know, Kuroo.”
Tetsu chuckled softly. “Yeah, I guess I do.”
“You don’t seem to be surprised.”
“Not really. I have a few questions for her, but otherwise, I’m not surprised at all.” Tetsu bent and kissed Kei’s forehead. “I’ll be right back, okay, Moonshine?”

Kei simply nodded, confused from the last conversation. He watched Tetsu leave, and then turned to look out the window. Tetsu was making his way back to the villa. Standing in the entryway was Aunt Yui.

“Dad?”
“Yeah?”
“Who was your best friend?”
“She’s still my best friend, Kei. But to answer your question, you know her as Yui Shibata. Her real name is Yuki Kuroo.”


Chapter 3 - Part Three

Tetsu walked up to the woman standing just outside the entryway to the house. For once in his life, she looked incredibly unsure of herself, which was so unlike her. Aunt Yui - no, his mother - had never once looked unsure of herself. At least, never where he could see it.

“Hi,” she said softly.
“Hi.” Tetsu smiled. “Mom.”
Her head dipped down for a moment, and then she looked up at him with a brilliant, if watery, smile.
“It’s been so long since I’ve heard you call me that.”
“Why, though? Why have I always called you Auntie, and not Mom or Mama?”
“I wanted everything to be as normal as possible for you, even if we were constantly having to move until it was safe,” she explained. “You were young enough that each time we had to move, you thought it was all so fun, so I did my best to help you keep thinking that way. Having you call me Auntie was just an additional layer of protection. At first, we made it a game. Eventually, you were calling me Auntie on your own, and I just never corrected you.”

Tetsu nodded. It all made sense. He couldn’t remember any part of his childhood that was particularly terrible. Not outside normal growing pains and puberty, and the anxiety of coming out. His auntie - no, his mom - was with him every step of the way; accepting him, loving him, and making sure he was happy with his life.

“Are you angry with me?” he heard her ask, her voice so quiet and small that he nearly missed it.
“No, why on earth would I be?”
“I just thought that you’d be angry because I’m your mom, and not your aunt. That I didn’t tell you first, and you found out through Mitsuhide. That… that…”
“I’m not angry, Mom. Please don’t cry!” He bent and caught her up in his arms. “You had your reasons, right?” He felt her nod into his chest. “You know, most of my friends in school thought you were my mom, and sometimes I thought so too. Finding out for sure isn’t that big a deal.”
“But, Mitsuhide..”
“His story was tied to yours. He couldn’t avoid telling us both.”
“Oh! What’s Kei going to think?”
“I’m going to think that you’re an amazing woman for raising your son the best way you knew how under the circumstances you were given.”

Tetsu turned to smile at Kei, who was standing a little bit away from them. Further back, he saw the elder Tsukishima standing half in the shadows. Tetsu gently pushed back from his mom, who was hastily trying to wipe her face.

“I’m not presentable. Go away,” she said half-heartedly.
Kei chuckled. “Not a chance.”
“Stubborn.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“It does run in the family,” both she and Mitsuhide said at the same time.
“So, am I going to officially meet Tetsu’s mom, or do I need to make an appointment?” Kei peeked around Tetsu to see Yuki smirking at him.
“You fell in love with a smartass,” she said to her son.
“To be fair, you’re the one who threw us together because you thought he’d be good for me. So, it’s really all your fault,” Tetsu added gleefully. “You’re not wrong, though.”
“I’m never wrong.”
“Maybe not, but you are a hot mess. I doubt you want anyone else to see you like that, so let’s go back to our bungalow, and we can talk there,” Kei said with a smirk.
“He’s also bossy,” she groused. But she went over to Kei anyway.
“Nice to meet you. Again.” She held out her hand in greeting.
“The pleasure is all mine,” Kei replied, taking her hand. But he gently tugged her into his arms. “So, do I call you Auntie or Mom?”
Yuki drew back just enough to look at him, fresh tears falling past her smile, and cupped his face in her hands.
“I’d love it if you called me Mom,” she replied happily. “But not yet, okay? The rest of our little army knew about your dad, but they don’t know about me. Besides, I think you officially calling me Mom would be a conversation you and my son would need to have first.”
“Okay. Auntie it is. For now.” He grinned at her.
“Great! Now, why don’t we go to that bungalow you mentioned so I can get cleaned up.”
“And you call me bossy,” Kei quipped as he took one of her hands in his. Tetsu came up and took her other hand, and the three of them walked back to the bungalow.

Mitsuhide smiled at them, and made his way to the main house, instead. A reunion would be nice, but not until everything was over and they could finally live in peace.

~*~

The next morning, everyone was gathered in and around the kitchen, eating the breakfast the ladies had made. Kei had tried to help, but Yuki banished him to go spend time with Tetsu, to which he offered no argument. Conversations buzzed quietly among the group; it felt like it could have been any normal morning gathering with a huge family. But eventually, everything quieted down on its own, and that’s when Mitsuhide and Bokuto stood up.

“I’m sure you all are wondering why we brought everyone here, and added a few more to our number,” Mitsuhide said as he looked at everyone. “Unfortunately, our plans have had to change. Originally, I wanted to keep everyone in large groups,” he started and then looked over at Bokuto.
“Which didn’t make much sense. Yes, there would be safety in numbers, but it would also mean those groups would be easier to spot, no matter how much we divided and regrouped. Example being Himeji.”
“So, we decided to break up into smaller groups again,” Mitsuhide added. “The ultimate goal is to regroup in Miyagi. If everything goes the way we want it to, we shouldn’t even need to fight our way in. Of course, things have already gone sideways more times than I care to count, so we need to be prepared for that, as well.”
“We’ll split you up into teams. Some of you will be on reconnaissance. We’ll need you to report back on any sightings of Specials. And they have been deployed, so keep your guard up,” Bokuto said. “Some of you will run interference; we need you guys to distract and divert anyone who gets too close to the last teams, which will be our guardians. You guys will be in charge of protecting Kei, Kuroo, and Aunt Yui. At all costs.”
“Wait,” Kei spoke up for once. “Not at all costs. No one dies.”
“Kei…” Suga said sympathetically from across the table.
“No one else dies,” Kei amended, but no less firmly.
“I have to agree with him,” Tetsu added.
“I understand,” Bokuto said quietly, taking a long glance at Akaashi before talking again. “But we all knew what we signed up for when we joined Mitsuhide and Akiteru. We all knew there was going to be a chance that we’d die. If that’s what it takes to keep you safe and stop your grandmother, then that’s what we’ll do.”
“Well then, I’ll fight, too,” Kei told them, and Tetsu grabbed his hand, looking at him like he’d lost his mind. “I’ll explain later,” Kei said quietly, squeezing Tetsu’s hand in reassurance.
“No. We can’t ask that…” Bokuto started but, surprisingly, Hinata spoke up.
“He can fight. He’s really good, too. He even beat me. We may need him to fight if it comes down to it.”
“Sho, to be fair, you’d already…” Kei started to say, but…
“How long do we have before we need to leave?” Noya interrupted, giving Kei a warning look.
“We’re going to stagger groups, so depending on how we divide you, that’s when you’ll leave,” Mitsuhide answered him. “But first, Akiteru will fill you in on the changes he knows about.”

Akiteru stood up from his place beside Hotaru, and looked around the room, his gaze finally landing on Kei. “She’s called off the hitmen,” he said first, and the room erupted into excited chatter. He waited for everyone to settle down, and spoke again. “That doesn’t mean this is over. She now wants Kei, Kuroo, and Yui brought to her.”
“Okay, but why the sudden switch?” Akaashi asked. “She’s been wanting him dead for a decade, now she wants him brought to her alive?”
“She never really explained herself beyond, ‘a family reunion, of sorts,’” he said with air quotes.
“I want to know why her sudden interest in Aunt Yui and Kuroo,” Eita spoke up from where he sat beside the Miyans and Kawanishi. “I know they were under our umbrella because of their ties to Tsuki, but now she wants them brought in, too?”
“She remembers who you are,” Akiteru said directly to Yuki.
“Damn,” was all Yuki said. Kuroo wrapped his arm around her, and Kei took one of her hands in his.
“Didn’t really answer my question,” Eita said, his voice laced with irritation.
“Yeah, yer only makin’ us even more curious,” Atsumu said.
“Instead of answerin’ our questions, yer makin’ more,” Osamu added.
“The story is hers to tell, guys, and it doesn’t change the fact that we’re protecting her, too,” Mitsuhide spoke over them.
“Yes, sir,” they said in unison.
“Grandmother has deployed what’s left of the Specials, except for Daisho and Futakuchi. That leaves team lead Tendo, Ushijima, and however many people they send out with them. We’ll need to be super careful, and always assume you’re outnumbered if you encounter anyone.”
“Ushijima’s mine,” Hinata growled, and nearly everyone turned their surprised attention to him. “No one else touches him. He’s mine.”
“Shoyo,” Yachi reached over and laid her hand on his arm. He would have snatched it away from her touch, but she didn’t let go. “Don’t you dare go on your own to hunt him down.”
“I’m not. I know what my job is.”
“Good.”
“At the moment, this place is still safe from detection, so we have some time to get ready. Kinoshita, Osamu, and Suzumeda, I need you to strengthen our protective barriers, and re-encrypt the scramblers. While you’re doing that, we’ll assign groups, and start sending the recon groups out by the end of the week,” Mitsuhide resumed their meeting. “Oikawa, you already have your assignment, so you can leave whenever you’re ready. If you still think you need it, you can pick anyone here to help you.”
“I just might,” Oikawa said, narrowing his eyes and looking around. “I need at least one or two people that could blend in, and aren’t easily recognizable.”
“Well, you are in charge of the project. Just let us know by this evening. We’ll be assigning groups then.”
“Sounds good.”
“Alright, everyone, the day is yours. Be back by dinner time.”
“Yes, sir, dad!” nearly everyone said at once.

~*~

A few hours later, they were in the clearing between the main house and the bungalows, going through a range of exercises to limber up. Nearly everyone had gathered around, curious to see what Tsuki meant by knowing how to fight. Plus, several were even more curious to know how he’d managed to beat Hinata, when then man was among the fastest to strike and stun his opponent before incapacitating them.

From beside him, Tetsu stretched quietly. Obviously, Kei had learned to fight out of necessity, but to what extent? Had he ever been in a situation where he needed to fight?

For all that it felt like they had known each other forever, there was still quite a lot Tetsu didn’t know about Tsuki. How did he even start asking questions about a time in Tsuki’s life that he would likely prefer to forget? Would Tsuki even answer any of them and not be angry that he even asked? Would any of those answers change the way they felt about each other?

“Still with us?” Kei’s voice interrupted his thoughts, a tiny smile curled the corners of his mouth.
“What? Oh, yeah,” Tetsu muttered, catching up to the rest in their routine. “Sorry.”
“For what?”
“Pardon?”
“Why are you sorry?”
“Let my thoughts carry me away.”
“Easy enough to do while stretching. Care to tell me what they were about?”
“Maybe not now,” Tetsu said carefully. “Your loyal viewers are curious about your fighting abilities.”
“Ah,” Tsuki said, nodding his head a bit. “You’re curious, too.”
“Yes, but not for the same reasons.”
“Right.”
“Be careful, okay?”
“Always.”

They finished with their stretching and everyone made a wide, loose ring around Tsuki, and he stood in the middle. Tetsu watched as his love just stood there, arms kept at his side, his feet about shoulder-width apart, his stance was calm, as if he were merely waiting. Which he was. The idea was that he wasn’t going to know who would attack until the attacker made their move. Blunted and/or unloaded weapons could be used, but this was meant to be more a hand-to-hand combat sort of demonstration.

“If you have any questions, please ask at any time,” Tsuki told them before they started.
“That’s if you’re not too tired, right?” Tanaka asked with a smirk.
“I don’t plan on being tired,” Tsuki replied calmly.
“Or, if you are unable to talk,” Kawanishi looked rather confident.
“I’ll be able to talk just fine,” Tsuki answered with the same tone as before.
“You think you’ll be able to last?” Eita joined in the questioning.
“I can end the fight in less than five seconds,” Tsuki said. “Without killing anyone.”
A ripple of murmuring passed through the group. Tsuki remained waiting.
“Have you killed anyone?” Hoshiumi asked quietly.
“No. Flight before fight. Fight only if absolutely necessary to save myself and get out of a desperate situation.”
“Has it ever been absolutely necessary?” Tetsu asked.
Tsuki didn’t answer right away. “Yes.”
“Why the pause?” Noya questioned.
“I can fight and win if I have to, but I don’t want to. I hate fighting. I’ll always choose to run first.”

Almost as soon as he answered that, Kawanishi came at him. He fully intended to shove Tsuki off his feet, but that never happened. In fact, Tsuki had slapped his arms down, shifted to the side, had both arms caged around Taichi’s head, and with one swift movement, had him face down on the ground. He reared back as if to punch him between the shoulders, but stopped just short of doing so.

Tsuki was back in his waiting stance before anyone had time to process what just happened.

“Holy hell,” Noya and Tanaka said, amazed.

Thinking it was over, no one guessed that Atsumu would rush him, but the next thing anyone knew, he had his hands around Tsuki’s neck, as if to strangle him. But once again, things moved at a fast pace. Tsuki swung low and hit Atsumu below the belt. As he let go and doubled over, Tsuki came up and hit him around the neck and started kicking, eventually pushing him back with enough force to put him on the ground.

“Are you okay?” Tsuki asked calmly, back to waiting.
“Yeah,” Atsumu said as he slowly stood up and dusted himself off. “Wounded pride, maybe.”
Tsuki simply shrugged. “It’s not like I can’t be beat. You just need to figure out how.”

Tetsu did his best not to let his jaw drop open at the ease Kei fought with. It was almost like seeing someone he didn’t quite know, and he wasn’t too sure how he felt about it. From time to time, he’d catch Kei’s eyes on him, and see a question in them, but then someone else would try their luck at trying to win against Kei, and being on the losing end. Even a couple of the ladies tried their hands at fighting him, but after the initial surprise of fighting women, he still ended up besting them.

The only two (well, three) that hadn’t yet fought him were Eita, Hinata, and Tetsu. The latter opted out automatically. He wasn’t much of a fighter compared to Kei, but he also wasn’t going to fight the man he loved anyway. Not because he knew he couldn’t win, but because he knew Kei would feel horrible if he hurt him, so he wisely stayed out of it.

“Eita, why haven’t you gone?” Kawanishi asked his friend and former teammate. “You were pretty badass in school. I bet you could at least land a hit or two on him.”
“Common sense,” Eita answered simply. “Why fight when you know you’ll get beat?”
“Now I see how you ended up in so many fights,” Kawanishi replied, wiping a hand down his face. “A simple question that can provoke just about anyone.”
“I mean, it’s just a question.”
“Sure, but it’s all in how you ask it. The tone of your voice; the look on your face that just screams challenge.”
“How many trips to the principal’s office did you make?” Tsuki asked, using the exact same tone and look on his face as Eita.
“A few,” came the reply.
“He was a regular,” Kawanishi added. “I swear, they knew each other on a first name basis.”
“Taichi, no giving away my secrets.”
“How much of a secret is it when the whole school knows?”
“Truth.” He turned back and smirked at Tsuki. “You really didn’t answer my question.”
“Why fight when I know I’ll get beat?” Tsuki repeated with a lift of an eyebrow. “Pretty sure I answered that early on.”
“Flight before fight. Only fight to get out of a desperate situation. Hate fighting, and will always run first.”

Tsuki said nothing, but his stance shifted from just waiting and seemingly calm, to something more… ready, if one could call it that. His gaze never left Eita, but Tetsu noticed slight movement in the ring of people. Hinata had somehow moved around behind Tsuki; Tetsu had never even seen him move. Hoshiumi had also moved, but made sure he was noticed. Same with Noya. Were the assassins going to gang up on Tsuki? Was Eita and Kawanishi just a distraction?

Tetsu had long ago set aside the thought that Tsuki’s former teammates wouldn’t fight him out of loyalty, and he’d be partially right. They were Crows; Crows were scrappy and had no problems fighting amongst each other even though they were close friends.

“Wait. I thought this was going to be one-on-one,” he said to Suga, who came up to stand next to him.
“Not every fight is one-on-one,” Suga answered quietly. “In fact, quite a few start like this. Corner or surround the target, keep their attention on one person so the others can get in position. Hope the target hasn’t noticed the others. Then, attack.”
“Okay, but why do this to Tsuki? Hasn’t he already proven himself?”
“Oh, he’s proven himself well enough. For single person combat. Eita is the one who suggested testing him like this.”
“And you agreed?”
Suga shrugged. “It wasn’t my decision to make. Consider me curious, though.”
“Curious? How so?”
“We know he beat Hinata coming here, though one could say he had the advantage before the fight even started. Anyone could have beaten Hinata that day,” Suga said cryptically. “But everyone is well-rested and back in top form, so now they’re all on a level playing field.”

Testu watched Tsuki carefully, and was equally worried and amazed. He could tell Tsuki knew he was surrounded, but hadn’t let on that he knew. Eita hadn’t moved from where he stood to Tsuki’s left; neither had Kawanichi, on the right. Hinata had ranged out behind Tsuki, and Hoshiumi had disappeared completely. Noya was directly in front of him, arms akimbo, and smiling.

“You know, don’t ya?” the former libero asked Tsuki.
“Directional points: north, east, south, west. Hoshiumi is…” he tilted his head a bit, and grinned. “Up.”
“Five against one.”
“Could be worse. What are the rules?”
“Does Krav Maga even go by any rules?”
“Not really, no. Like any martial art, or fighting, defense is preferred. But if, or when it comes down to saving my own life… anything goes. However, this isn’t a “them or me” situation.”
“Right. So, no killing, obviously, but also, no broken bones. We can’t have anyone out at this point in the game. You may knock anyone out. You are only fighting the five of us, and no one else.” Noya looked around at everyone left. “No one gets involved. No matter what. In fact, if you’re going to watch, we prefer if you do so from somewhere safe.”

For a moment, no one moved. And then, slowly, people left the ring and moved to the villa. Most found a spot to watch from the windows, but some had simply gone on to do other things. Tetsu was torn. He wanted to stay and be there for Kei, but…
“Noya, may I have a moment?” he heard Kei ask quietly.
“Yeah,” Noya replied with a gentle smile. Whatever passed between him and Kei, he understood the need for a brief time out. The shorter man turned to face Tetsu and Kei, who had stopped in front of him. “Just for the record, this was given the green light by both Mitsuhide and Akiteru.” His head jerked toward the house, and they both looked at the windows.

From the second floor, Tetsu could see Kei’s parents and older brother watching. Along with his mom. Both men looked impressed, but Kei’s mother was in tears. Still, she hadn’t moved away from the window. Tetsu’s mom stood next to her, arm around the other’s shoulders.

“Come on,” Kei said gently. “We should talk.”
“Do we have enough time?” he asked as they walked toward their bungalow.
“Don’t take all day,” Noya called after them. “We need to at least be cleaned up by dinner time.”
“Right,” Kei said, taking Tetsu’s hand and tugging. “We won’t be long.”

Once they reached the bungalow, Kei went in first, closing the blinds and curtains over the big window, and then turning on all the lights. Tetsu followed him in, closing and locking the door behind him. They met in the middle, standing close enough to touch, but far enough away that they could look at each other without going cross-eyed.

“Talk to me, Tetsu,” Kei said softly. “Please.”


Chapter 4 - Part Four

“I’m not sure how to begin,” Tetsu whispered as he looked away. “I’m curious, but I don’t want to ask anything if it’ll make you mad or upset.”
“I’m not made of glass, love. I won’t break.”
Tetsu turned back to look at him, his face flushed just a little, his eyes bright. Kei grinned, reaching up to sift his fingers through his raven dark hair. He rarely used endearments, but if this was the reaction he’d get if he did, then maybe he’d use them a little more often.

“Let me guess: the whole fighting thing is what makes you curious, and that just brought up a plethora of questions you’re just burning to ask.”
Tetsu shrugged. “Yeah. I want to ask, but…”
“You really are a big kitty cat, aren’t you?”
“I wouldn’t say that…”
Kei leaned forward and whispered, “I know how to make you purr.”
Tetsu’s hands found their way to Kei’s waist, under his shirt, and settled just where the top of his jeans ended.
“You might make me purr, but I can drive you insane.”
“Funny, that sounds like something I do to you, too.”

The kiss they shared was pure heat and passion, and was very nearly their undoing. They hadn’t kissed since Tetsu arrived, which - granted - was just yesterday, but traveling halfway across the country had made him tired, so they just fell asleep in bed rather than do anything else. And their time since hadn’t really been their own, especially with Kei meeting his family for the first time in years, and Tetsu finding out his aunt was really his mother.

“Ah!” Kei cried out, breaking their kiss, as Tetsu’s hands slowly played over his heated skin. Then, he realized they were in similar states of undress; naked from the waist up, and jeans undone and barely staying up around their hips. But he got his own back when he feverishly sucked a mark on Tetsu’s neck, causing the man to groan so low it sounded very much like a purr.

“We should stop,” Tetsu panted.
“We should,” Kei agreed. However, neither of them seemed willing to be the first to stop.

It wasn’t until they landed on the bed, Tetsu pinning Kei’s hands above his head and making Kei writhe underneath him, that they both eventually slowed down to a stop. They stared into each other’s eyes, panting and gulping for air. Tetsu let go of Kei’s hands, which came to rest on his upper arms, slowly gliding over his skin to his chest.

“When did you learn to fight like that?” Tetsu finally asked, searching Kei’s eyes for an answer.
“A question almost as effective as ice water,” Kei muttered, his hands dropping away from Tetsu’s chest. “Let me up,” he said quietly. When Tetsu didn’t move right away, he relaxed like earlier. “Let me up, Tetsu. Please.” When he still hadn’t moved, Kei looked directly at his lover. “I can get out, Tetsu.”
“Why haven’t you?”
“Do you want me to?”
Tetsu sighed and moved to the side. “No. Sorry. I don’t know why I didn’t move right away.” He laid a gentle hand on Kei’s chest and kissed him when Kei turned his head to look at him.
“I learned about a year or so after this started. From an Israeli man living in Kanagawa,” he explained. “I was cornered by some random thugs, and he came to my rescue.”
“Were you hurt?”
“Yeah, but not so much that it required medical attention. The man was able to patch me up, and he let me stay with him while I healed. He offered to teach me how to fight.”
“Kei…”
Kei laid his hand over Tetsu’s and weaved their fingers together. “If I found myself in another situation like that, or even against any of Grandmother’s people, I needed to know how to save myself. I couldn’t rely on the possibility that someone might come along and rescue me like Uriel did.” Slowly, he rose up so that he was sitting, and looking back at Tetsu, who moved so that his head was resting on his hand, propped up by his arm.

“What else do you want to know?”
“Would you be okay telling me?”
Kei shrugged a shoulder and smiled gently at Tetsu. “Wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t.”
“Right,” Tetsu replied, grinning back. “Oh, but first! I have something for you.” He levered himself off the bed, but not before leaning in to give Kei a soft, lingering kiss, and then went to a bag that had been left in the room. “Mom brought this for me. Well, for us,” and he brought the bag over to the bed.
Kei opened the bag and smiled up at Tetsu. He pulled out their quilt. “I missed this,” he said, getting up and spreading it out on their bed. “Our trophy quilt,” he said softly.
“Yeah. She wanted us to have it while we were here. Picked it up on the way.”
“I love your mom,” Kei said without thinking. But once he realized what he said, he smiled at Tetsu.
“I know she loves you, too,” Tetsu replied, happiness radiating from him. “Come on, we need to have that talk,” and he reached down to lift a corner of the quilt up.
“Alright,” Kei replied. “Give me a sec. I’m gonna talk to Noya, though I’m pretty sure he knows already.”
“Knows what?”
“That I’m not going to fight anymore today. That we’ll be in here until we decide to come back out.” He came over to Tetsu and slid his arms around the man he loved. “Are you good with that?”
Tetsu nodded. “I’m good with that.”

~*~

Twenty-four hours later, they joined the rest of the group in the kitchen for dinner. No one said anything, but both their moms looked incredibly happy seeing the two of them together. Since dinner was a serve yourself buffet style type affair, they grabbed a couple plates and piled each high with food, grabbed a couple glasses and a pitcher of juice, and sat down at the last table, in the seats left open for them.

Even then, they barely paid attention to anyone, still wrapped up in their own little bubble. Kei had answered all the questions Tetsu had for him, and Tetsu had done the same. They spent time relearning each other, almost like a second first meeting. They wore each other out, and simply slept, wrapped up in each other and their quilt.

They also decided on a couple things that concerned both them and the group overall, and that’s why they made an appearance at dinner. Otherwise, they’d have simply grabbed their food and drinks and retreated back to their little bungalow.

By the time everyone was enjoying dessert and coffee, Mitsuhide and Bokuto once again gained everyone’s attention.

“We’ve decided on our groups and will be giving you leave times and routes. You’re going to be traveling for a while, so be prepared for that. Ideally, we’ll all reconvene in Miyagi at the end of next month. You guys know what you need to do. Take your time, and be careful, alright?”
“Yes, sir,” they all said.
Mitsuhide looked over at Bokuto, who held a tablet in his hands.
“I’ll be calling out names for our Recon teams and the day you need to leave. But first, I have two things.” He looked at Oikawa, who leaned against the counter separating the kitchen from the dining room. “Have you chosen anyone to go with you?”
“Yeah. Akiteru and Kinoshita agreed to go with me.”
“Okay, wait. I thought you needed someone not easily recognizable,” Akaashi reminded him. “Akiteru is one of the most recognizable people in this room.”
“He wanted to go. We have a plan that would work much better if he went with us.”
“Alright. If you think it’ll be better, then I have no objections. Mitsuhide?”
Mitsuhide looked at his eldest son and, after a few minutes, nodded. “No objections.”
“Fine. Then, the three of you can leave whenever you’re ready,” Bokuto told them.
Oikawa looked at his teammates. “Tomorrow morning sound good to you?”
“Sounds good,” Kinoshita said. Akiteru nodded.
“With that taken care of,” Bokuto paused and looked at Yachi. “I know you haven’t worked with us in a long time, but I need you to be absolutely certain you want to join us again.”
“Hitoka, I thought you said…” Kei was visibly confused. “I thought you told me you weren’t involved unless they needed you.”
“That’s true. I left after… Well, I left. I only agreed to help out when they absolutely needed my help, and they kept that promise. They need me now, and I’m more than willing to help.”
“But…”
“Tadashi would want me to,” she said with a clear, strong voice. “Besides, I’m a Crow, too.” She laid one small hand over her heart, where her crow tattoo was. She smiled and looked back at Bokuto. “I want to rejoin,” she said simply.
“Done,” Bokuto said. “You’ll be working with Inuoka. I sent the travel route and departure time to his phone. I’ll need your number after we’re finished here.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ve also called someone else to help once you’ve reached your first stop. And actually,” he looked around at everyone else. “This is something we came up with last night. Just to mix things up, and to hopefully throw anyone off who follows you, I’ve called up a few more people. They will only be with you until you move on to the next place. And it will be someone different each time. They’ll meet you at each resting stop. I’m not going to tell you who they are, as that will make it a more believable random meeting.”
“Right,” everyone replied.
“So, we have Yachi and Inuoka in one group, Tanaka and Suzu in another, and finally, Hoshiumi and Suga. Routes and departure times have been sent to you. You guys will need to keep in contact with us. Twice a week is preferable, but also if anything comes up, alright?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Akaashi, Narita, Shimizu, Fukunaga, and Osamu will run interference for our guardians, if necessary. As with the recon groups, I’ve set up helpers along the way. They’ll meet up with you.”
“Right.”
“This leaves our guardian groups. I’ve got you split into three groups of three, and…”
“We’d like to stay together this time,” Kei spoke up, interrupting Bokuto. He tightened his hold on Tetsu’s hand. “I can teach him some of what I know before we leave.”
“Tsuki, I really wish I could…”
“I’m sorry, Kei. I can’t allow it,” Mitsuhide spoke up from beside Hotaru.
“Why not? If he can also defend himself, and I help protect…”
“We learned our lesson years ago,” he said quietly, and neither Kei nor Tetsu could ignore the way everyone went silent, some looking down or away. “By separating the three of you, we can keep you safer than if we put the three of you together. We can’t put you two together because it would burden those who would protect you.” Kei opened his mouth to argue, but Mitsuhide held up his hand. “What would you do if you saw Kuroo dead or dying? What would you do if you saw who killed him?”

Kei didn’t answer. He couldn’t. He remembered the fight he had with Shoyo. Shoyo, who was still broken and shattered. Shoyo, who, even after all those years, was still bent on revenge that no one could talk him out of. What would he do if the same thing happened to him? What would Tetsu do? There was truly no way to know exactly what either of them would do, not until (or unless) it actually happened. All he knew for sure is that he’d be as broken and shattered as Shoyo as the end result.

“I made an exception for one couple, but they also know the reason why they can’t be together on most missions, and they accept that. It sounds heartless, and I’m sorry, but I can’t let you two stay together. Not until this is over.”

Kei simply nodded, and he felt Tetsu do the same. The two of them looked over at Yuki, whose eyes were swimming with tears, but none fell. She nodded, too. Eita quietly handed her a handkerchief, and Atsumu slid a little closer to her. Kei could already guess who would be protecting Kuroo’s mom. He heard Bokuto take a deep breath and exhale. His eyes had been on Akaashi, and vice versa. The Tanakas were cuddled up together, and Narita was holding on to Kinoshita’s hand.

“Eita and Atsumu will stay with Yui,” Bokuto said quietly. “All of you should have the information you need. You’ll be the first to leave.”
“Yes, sir,” both Eita and Atsumu replied, still concerned over their charge.
“Kawanishi and I will be with Kuroo,” Bokuto said, his voice gaining a little more strength. “I’ll get with you two later. We’ll leave a few days after the first group.”
“Got it,” Taichi answered.
“Yeah. Sure,” Kuroo replied, his arms had found their way around Kei, and he held tight.
“Tsuki, you’ll be with Hinata and Noya. You’ll be the last group to leave.”
“Right,” Kei said, with a glance at his two friends - brothers. “A giant with two pint-sized assassins. No one will even notice.”
“No, they won’t,” Noya replied. “We know how best to blend in, and we’ll show you, too.”
“You mean, better than I already know how?”
“You wouldn’t have to change your appearance,” Shoyo told him. “We can also show you more ways to fight.”
“In exchange for what I know?”
“Well, yeah. Duh.”
Kei shrugged. “Alright. When do we leave?”
“The rest of the week is yours to do whatever you see fit to do,” Mitsuhide spoke over them. “Oikawa’s group will be the only one to leave tomorrow. On that note, good night and good luck. We’ll meet everyone in Miyagi.”

The group rose up and started heading to their rooms. Kinoshita, who had finished talking to Narita, came over and sat down in the chair across the table, setting down the pair of crow earrings in front of them.

“These are for you both,” he explained. Kei took the earrings and nodded. “They are tracking devices,” Kinoshita explained further. “Wear them, or at least keep them on you at all times. That way, if anything happens…” his voice faded a little. “They have a max range of about five miles, and I gave Bokuto and Noya access to an app that can track the signal on their phones.”
“Thank you,” Tetsu said.
“No problem,” Kinoshita grinned. “Good luck, you two.”
“Be safe,” Kei told him. “See ya later.”
“Yeah. See ya later.”

Kinoshita got up and left, meeting up with Oikawa and Narita. They were about to get up and leave, but Akiteru was there, looking like he wanted to talk.

“I’ll go back to the bungalow,” Tetsu whispered in his ear, leaving a little kiss in his wake. Kei wanted to protest, but Tetsu just shook his head and smiled. “I’ll wait for you.”
“Okay,” Kei replied softly, watching Tetsu put their dishes in the sink, and then rummaging around for snacks. He smiled as he watched, until his gaze clashed with his brother’s.
“I know it might still be too much to ask, but can we talk?” his brother asked. Kei watched him silently for a few minutes, unsure if he really wanted to stay or not. But in those few minutes, he saw the brother he once knew; the brother he grew up with, looked up to, and loved.
“Yeah, sure,” he replied. For once, Akiteru looked hopeful.
“Do you mind if we all talk?” Akiteru asked, and his eyes focused on something behind Kei. Turning, he saw his parents standing in the doorway of another room. Part of him was already on guard. It was habitual, and yet, this was his family. He should trust them. Right? Still, he had half a mind to follow Tetsu.
“Please, Kei?” he heard his mother’s voice pleading.

Perhaps this meeting was something he needed, too. Perhaps he still had it in his heart to trust his family. He still didn’t have their entire story, and he wanted some sort of closure. His mother’s voice, pleading for him to talk to them, even if she hadn’t said the words other than please, was what decided him.

“Okay,” he finally said. He rose up with Akiteru, and followed his brother into a bedroom suite, and the door was closed behind him.

From the other side of the kitchen, Yuki smiled. It was going to be a rough meeting for them, but Hopefully Kei would realize he needed his family as much as they needed him right now. And she met the gray-eyed gaze of her son, who had watched Kei leave with his family, too. Well, at least while they were talking, she could spend a little more time with her son. She got up and went over to him, and they left to go to the bungalow to wait for Kei.


Chapter 5 - Part Five

“I always hoped we’d all be together again,” Hotaru said quietly as they all sat around a small table.

Kei was caught admiring the master suite, which seemed to be the thrice the size of the entirety of his flat above the bookshop. He offered a small smile to his mother, and then turned his attention to his family. Reunited. This was way too much to take in, so he simply waited for someone else to start talking. If he learned nothing else on his ten-year flight around the country, it was patience. More than he had in school, anyway.

“Thanks for this,” his brother said gently, as if he was worried Kei would get up and leave at any moment. That was still an option, and he knew no one would stop him. “I want to clear a few things up, if I may?”

Kei simply nodded. His mother reached out to take his hand, and he let her, but only for a short time. She looked hurt, but he couldn’t let that get to him. Not yet.

“I want you to know that I was never under Grandmother’s thumb. Everything was just an act.”
“This sounds familiar,” Kei muttered, narrowing his eyes at his brother, and then turned them on his dad. “You said you had to act, too.”
“True, but while I couldn’t keep up the act anymore, your brother could. He had to.”
“Why?”
“I had to protect mom.”
“But not me?” Kei replied, his voice slightly shaky. He took a deep breath. “Why not both of us?”
“It’s going to sound convoluted, Tsuki…”
Kei snorted, and Akiteru raised an eyebrow.
“I was facing a choice. Protect you, or protect mom. I chose mom. She’d need help keeping up her own act, and Grandmother was already suspicious of her. Plus, at the time, mom needed someone close, someone she could trust. Dad was already gone, and declared dead. You were being thrown out. Mom needed me.”
“I needed you, too, Aki! I needed you both!” There went his patience. He looked at his mother, who was crying silently. Then, he looked at his brother, and saw one tear fall after another. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly.
Akiteru shook his head. “We deserve it. We failed you, and lost your trust.”
Kei sighed. “Not completely.”
“Right. You at least trusted us enough to help you as much as we could. Even so, once Grandmother started noticing funds missing from our accounts, and that you were being helped without her permission, that’s when we…”
“Stopped everything. With no word as to why.”
“We had to lay low, or else we’d be in trouble, too. We both had to keep up appearances. Me as the heir apparent, and mom as the fragile mother who wasn't too smart, and couldn't make her own decisions.”
Kei tilted his head back and sighed. “Couldn’t be helped, I suppose.”
“No. So when she started talking about having you hunted down and murdered, that’s when…”
“You recruited my teammates, and clearly some people from other teams around Miyagi, including one that’s split between us and Grandmother.”
“They told you,” his dad looked irritated.
“They did. Well, they told me as much as they were allowed to. Besides, they are family, too.”
“I’m glad you see them that way,” Aki said with a small smile. “Tsuki…”
“Might as well use my name, Bro. Tsuki sounds weird coming from you.”
“You’re the one who told me I had to use it. Still a pain in the ass.”
“It’s my job.” He let out a slow breath. “I guess I can finally forgive you.”
Akiteru held out his hand. Kei took it and they held on for a bit. “Thank you,” his big brother whispered.
“I’m not so stubborn as to keep placing blame on you. Or mom.”
“Thank you, Kei,” Hotaru said through fresh tears. She reached out for his hand, and Kei took it.
“May I ask something?” Mitsuhide asked, looking down at his hands.
“Sure,” Kei allowed.
“How… how did you survive with no money to pay for food or shelter?”
Kei was silent, waiting for his father until he lifted his head to look at him. “Do you really need to ask?” he replied quietly.

Kei gave his mother and brother a sympathetic glance, let his mother’s hand go, and took hold of his drink from the table. He sat back in his chair, loose-limbed, slowly bringing an old persona forward. He took off his glasses, his glass hung loosely from his fingers in his other hand, and he grinned suggestively, using the earpiece from his glasses to toy with his mouth.

His family understood immediately. Hotaru started crying again, apologizing for what she thought was all her fault. Akiteru had buried his face in his hands. His father looked pained, but was nodding.

“With no money, no desire to beg, and unable to take a job for any length of time, I did the only thing I could think of,” Kei explained, still in his persona of male escort. “I’d go to bars, clubs, anywhere that didn’t charge a fee for entry. I found other escorts who gave me tips and pointers.”
“Oh, Kei…”
“I did what I had to do, Mom.”
“But…”
“If you’re curious about my first time, I can honestly tell you that I don’t remember it. I was drunk enough to not care, anyway. But, it got me what I desperately needed. Cash. When it was over, I cleaned up and left, taking my money with me. I went to another bar or club, and did it again.”
“Oh god,” he heard Akiteru moan.
“Some nights were pretty good. I earned enough to stay somewhere decent, buy a train ticket, and move on.” Kei shrugged as if that part of his life meant nothing. He was thankful to have left it behind.

“What about your little bookshop?”
“I love that little shop, so before I say anything else, I’m going to do everything in my power to get back to it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Very. That place holds memories for me, and I’m not willing to lose them.”
“Ah, yes. Kuroo,” his father said with understanding.
Kei simply nodded, returning to himself, and smiling softly.
“We met there. He spent time with me there. I can’t imagine not keeping that dusty little bookshop.”
“Honestly, it suits you, Kei. You always had your nose buried in a book when you were little.”
“Right. Well,” Kei interrupted gently. “I met the elderly owner, who wanted to retire and live with her daughter. I told her I wanted to start my own shop. We made a deal.”
“What else?” his father asked.
“What do you mean ‘what else?’”
“What persona were you using with her?”
“Oh, right. I told her I was a graduate of Sendai University, majored in museum studies and minored in library science. She didn’t ask for credentials, but I have a photoshopped diploma on my laptop. If anyone asked to see it, and asked why it was on my laptop instead of an actual piece of paper, I just told them most of my stuff was destroyed in a fire.”
“You know, it’s probably the wrong time to say so, but I’m proud of you, son.”
Kei snorted. “Thanks. I guess.”
“How much of this does Kuroo know?” Hotaru asked.
“Everything. We started talking yesterday after I ended the fight.”
“Speaking of…”
Kei told them about Uriel. If anything, they all started looking quite proud of him.
“Look, I only did what I needed to do to survive. That’s all. After this debacle is over, I plan on going back to my bookshop and staying there.”
“What about Kuroo?”
“Not something I want to discuss without him here,” Kei told them with no uncertain terms. “Not to be rude, but are we done here?”
“Don’t you want to stay with us a little longer?” his mother pleaded.
“To be honest, no. There’s someone else I want to be with, and he’s waiting for me.”
“You must really love him,” Akiteru said wistfully.
“I do. May I leave?”
“Why are you even asking? Get out of here, son,” his father said, smiling.
Kei grinned and wasted no time. He was gone before anyone could think to stop him.

~*~

Early the next morning, Kei, Tetsu, and Yuki made it a point to be with Mitsuhide as they farewelled Oikawa and his team. They wished them luck, gave them food so they didn’t need to worry about that part of their expenses, and generally stood around to talk before leaving.

Kinoshita shook hands with Kuroo and Mitsuhide, and was surprised when Yuki just squished him with a bear hug. But he accepted it, and hugged her back, whispering something in her ear. Nodding, she let him go, and he started down the path, telling Oikawa he’d be waiting at the boat.

Next, it was Oikawa’s turn, and he made a show of it, as was expected. Taking his cue from Yuki, he just hugged everyone… including Kei, who was so shocked he didn’t know what to say.

“If you were ever wondering why I’m even here,” he heard Oikawa tell him quietly. “Iwa-chan and I joined voluntarily. I know we weren’t friends at first, Tsuki. But maybe later, okay?”
“S-sure,” Kei stuttered. “I’d like that.”
“Take care. Don’t get killed.”
Kei laughed. “I don’t plan on it. You stay safe, too.”
“I will. I can’t leave Iwa-chan alone, now can I?” Oikawa let go of him and backed up a few steps. He smiled that charming, bright smile of his, winked, and turned to go without another word.

“Guess I’ll see you in Miyagi,” Aki said after a moment. “Take care. Stay safe.”
“You do the same,” Mitsuhide said gruffly. He took hold of his eldest son’s hand and practically dragged him into his arms. “Don’t you dare die.”
“Like Kei said a minute ago, I don’t plan on it,” Aki replied, his voice muffled.
“Keep in touch like we planned.”
“Right.”

Mitsuhide let Akiteru go, and the younger man turned to shake hands with Kuroo, who wished him luck, and then Yuki squished him, as she had done for Kinoshita. She whispered something in his ear, and he sprung back, looking at Kuroo and his little brother. Yuki tugged him down and whispered something else, and Aki did his best to appear as if everything was normal. He failed. Miserably. But, to his credit, he kept his mouth shut. Until he turned to face Kei.

“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Well… you better take care of yourself.”
“I will. You, too.”
“Of course!”
He held out his arms and, after a few moments, Kei went into them, wrapping his own around his brother.
“You better invite me,” Aki whispered.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Smartass.”
“I come by it honestly, don’t you think?”
“He’ll have his hands full with you.”
“In more ways than one.”
“You’re shameless, too.”
“Stop. You’re making me blush.”

Akiteru leaned back and smiled at his little brother. Then, he let him go, bowed to the group, and left to follow Oikawa and Kinoshita. The four that were left waved until he was out of sight, and then stood around for a few minutes longer. Tetsu stepped over to stand with Kei, reaching over to take his hand. Mitsuhide smiled at them, and then turned to go back into the main house. The two of them gazed at Yuki accusingly.

“You told him, didn’t you?” Tetsu asked.
“I miiiight have said something, yes,” she said with a shrug. Her eyes danced with mischief.
“Mom, you promised to keep quiet until we told everyone.”
“Loophole. Not everyone is going to be here, and I believe Akiteru needed to know. Besides,” she shrugged again. “I didn’t say anything to Oikawa or Kinoshita, so I kept my promise.”
“I suppose so.”
“The next group leaves this weekend, so you two need to say something soon, anyway.”
“Right,” they both said at once. Yuki nodded, satisfied, and looking rather smug.
“Hotaru’s going to be so happy! She was just asking me what I’d think if the two of you got married.”
“What did you tell her?”
“That I’d be the happiest mom ever!” She winked at them. “The ladies back home will be delighted as well.”
“Oh no,” Kei groaned. “When they find out, we could be in trouble.”
“Well,” Tetsu said thoughtfully. “At the worst, they could send us back to Kyoto for a honeymoon.”
“What do you mean the worst?” Yuki practically screeched. “You both loved it there!”
“We did! And we’d love to go back,” Kei replied. “Or maybe…” he looked at Tetsu happily. “Maybe they could find it in their hearts to send us to Okinawa? Or Hokkaido!”
“Don’t push your luck, son number two,” Yuki muttered. Then she smiled so bright, it rivaled the sun. “Oh! I can’t wait til I can say that officially!”

They watched as she nearly skipped her way back into the main villa. Well, they had another day or two before they broke the news to everyone. The decision wasn’t that hard to make, after all. Tetsu brought Kei’s left hand up to his mouth, and gently kissed the ring finger. Kei did one better, and kissed Tetsu, deeply. They moved at the same time, and walked back to their little haven.

~*~

By the weekend, everyone knew that Tetsu and Kei were engaged, including Oikawa and Kinoshita, who sent back their congratulations. An impromptu party was held, and the two of them accepted all manner of well wishes, hugs, and hearty congratulatory back slaps. They enjoyed a grand dinner made by both their moms, Kiyoko, Suga, and Kaori.

No one said anything, but everyone kept an eye on Shoyo, who smiled and laughed with everyone, until no one was looking. Kei promised himself he’d be Hinata’s guardian on this trek together. When he looked at Noya, a slight nod was all he needed to know that he wasn’t alone.

By midweek, the first groups left. Yachi, Inuoka, and Kiyoko went first in the morning, and were followed by Aunt Yui, Eita, and Atsumu that evening.

A few days later, Tanaka, Kaori, and Osamu departed early in the morning. Evening came, which meant Tetsu was leaving. Bokuto and Taichi waited while Tetsu and Kei held each other. They didn’t say one word, but kissed until someone cleared their throat. Kei walked with them to the end of the property, and then watched until he couldn’t see his fiance anymore.

It was his turn to leave by the weekend. The Crows left grouped together and talked together, wishing everyone good luck and to be safe. Everyone was assigned the important task of staying alive. No matter what. They were joined by their lone Owl, Seagull, and Cat. The next morning, Akaashi, Narita, and Fukunaga left with Hoshiumi and Suga. That evening, Kei waved at his parents as he walked backwards, until they were gone from his sight.

“We’ll see everyone again,” Noya said reassuringly as they made their way down to the beach.
“Yeah,” Kei replied quietly.
“Keep on your toes,” his chosen elder brother told him. “Shoyo has a penchant for disappearing. He’s never too far, but he won’t always come when called, either.”
“Right.”
They walked in silence for a while. Then, Noya spoke again.
“Don’t worry. Your news didn’t hit him as hard as you think.”
“How did you..”
“Your eyes, Kei. They speak volumes when you don’t talk out loud.”
“I should work on that.”
“Oh, it’s not always that way. And so far as I can tell, only us Crows can read you.”
“I should work on that,” Kei repeated sarcastically.
“Like it would work,” Noya replied, chuckling. “We know you, lil bro. As long as you can hide it from everyone else, we’re fine.” He paused for a moment. “Well, everyone except Kuroo.”
“Yeah. Duh.”
“Smartass beanpole.”
“Keeps you on your toes.”
Noya laughed out loud. “This is going to be fun!”
“If you say so.”
“We’ll follow the coast for another few miles, then head inland. Our first checkpoint is just over the border in Oita.”
“Understood.”

They traveled for most of the night, and made it into Oita prefecture by dawn. Hinata finally showed up to join them, and the three of them wandered around Saiki, looking like tourists and somewhere to sleep for the next few hours. Noya found a hostel and paid for their lodging. Kei found a little place near the docks that was open and serving breakfast. Hinata kept an eye out for any recognizable faces. Someone was meeting them here, besides their recon group, which would meet them at the hostel.

They were almost finished eating when Shoyo tapped each of their shoulders and gestured out into the growing crowd.

“Well, well. Wouldn’t have thought we’d be meeting him,” Noya said with a smile.
“Didn’t even think he was in the country,” Shoyo remarked. “How the hell did he get here so fast?”
But the answer was never forthcoming as Yaku casually strode up to them.
“Haven’t seen you lot in years!” the former Nekoma libero exclaimed, reaching out to shake Noya’s hand. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Just passing through,” Kei smiled. “Visiting the nearest shrine, you know. Touristy things.”
“Right, right,” Yaku laughed. “Look, I know a place you guys can stay at, keep your stuff safe. Wanna check it out?”
“Sure! Figure you’d know your way around. Lead the way, Mori!” Noya said with the same enthusiasm as Yaku.

Later, they were all together in a small room in the hostel. They’d been joined by their five friends, and food was shared among them. Yaku told them he’d be with them until they crossed into Fukuoka prefecture. He gave each group a pre-loaded gift card for the ferry trip they’d have to take to Shimane prefecture in the Chugoku region.

“We should get some rest,” Kiyoko reminded them. “We have to get as far as we can before nightfall.”
“Right,” the rest of them answered.
“There’s a safe house, or rather, a cabin, we’ll stop at for the night. And then we’ll head out in the morning,” Akaashi told them. “We have provisions there, so we’re set for the night.”
“Good.”
“Will someone tell Kei what we just talked about before we leave?” Suga asked, smiling at Noya.
“Yeah, no problem,” he replied. He looked over his shoulder and tried not to laugh. Both Kei and Shoyo were sound asleep, snuggled up close. “Anyone get a picture of this?” he asked, and both Kiyoko and Suga held up their phones. As did Akaashi and Hoshiumi. Noya grinned at Yaku. “Send us a copy, will ya?”
“Done,” Suga said, already pushing the send button.
“Alright, guys. Nap time,” Akaashi reminded them this time.
“Right!”

Five minutes later…

“Someone set an alarm, right?”
“I did,” Kei’s sleepy voice answered. “Now shut up and go to sleep. And delete that picture, too.”
“Too late, buddy. We already sent it to everyone.”
“Remind me to kick your ass later.”
“Whatever.”
“Can we sleep now?”
“I don’t know. Give it a try.”
“This is going to be so much fun!”
“Shut up, Noya!”

Three hours, and another hot meal later, they were on their way to their next destination.


Chapter 6 - Part Six

The monitor beside the bed barely beeped. All her vital signs were so low as to be nearly non-existent. She had been unresponsive for the last two days; all they could do was wait. The doctor and his nurse had done everything they could to keep her alive, as she had wanted, but her sheer stubbornness to stick to her medications or rest when directed, didn’t help her overall situation.

Grandmother was dying. It was only a matter of time.

He’d notified Washijo and Irihata first, as directed, and they’d come to see her one last time. The doctor reminded them that they were now under strict secrecy: no one else could know. Whether they’d listen to him or not remained to be seen. They left a few minutes later, muttering to themselves about a will and if she’d made any changes to it in the last year. The conversation was shut off as soon as the door closed, so the doctor didn’t hear the answer. Sighing, he slumped in his chair beside the bed.

“You haven’t eaten since yesterday,” his nurse reminded him, none too gently, from his desk across the room.
“I know,” he replied. “Haven’t been hungry.”
“You know better.”
He looked over his shoulder at her. “You really need to work on your bedside manner,” he admonished.
“Why? Most of the patients I’ve been around didn’t need me to be all sweet and chipper.”

The doctor blinked. She had a point. They’d both been hired at roughly the same time, but she had been fresh from college. If there had been a time for her to learn a gentle bedside manner, working here had ruined it for her. He almost pitied her. Out of the numerous patients they’d had over the few years they’d worked here, all but one died. And there was no assurance that one would survive, now that he’d been sent back out before he was fully healed. He turned back to face Grandmother. Or rather, what remained of her. The monitor was showing him numbers, most in the low double digits, and a few had gone to zero readings.

“Fine. I’ll eat something. But not now.”
“Good. Anything in particular?”
“Not really. Maybe something light. Some soup, or something.”
“I’ll go to the kitchen.”
“Thank you.”

She left almost immediately, leaving him with the dying woman. With nothing else to really do concerning his patient, he rose to his feet and tugged the blanket a bit higher, and then walked over to the window. Without Grandmother’s… guidance… or her exact decisions, her three councilmen moved ahead without her.

They made the decision to put all their people out into the field, casting a wide net for their intended targets. The older men stuck to what amounted to her last wish from their final meeting: capture, not kill. However, from there, they really didn’t know what else they could do. She didn’t get the chance to give any further orders.

Omizu, naturally, had wanted to revoke her orders and continue with the mission before she’d changed it: kill her youngest grandson. Word got to the doctor that he’d gone so far as to assume control of the residence, though how he’d managed that with Washijo and Irihata agreeing was still a mystery. At one point, Omizu tried to demand entry to this room, but the doctor had absolute dominion here, and he denied Omizu’s demand.

Needless to say, the doctor was fairly certain he was already on the man’s bad side. Maybe not the first one on the man’s shit list, but a decent jump up into the top ten, surely.

Maybe once the old lady finally died, he should make himself scarce. Take the nurse with him. God knew the girl had an attitude that could get her killed, and he wasn’t about to let that happen. She was a good nurse, for the most part, and he’d hate to see all that potential lost. He’d ask her when she came back.

If they were lucky enough to make it out alive. If Omizu was truly in charge, then the odds were… unfavorable, since they both knew too much.

Just then, the doctor noticed movement beyond the tree line which kept Grandmother’s suite from full view of the main residence. His eyes went wide the moment he recognized who he’d just seen. In that same moment, he realized the room was silent. No beeping noise; nothing at all. Turning and moving toward the bed, he placed two fingers on her neck, and used his stethoscope to confirm what he knew had happened.

Grandmother, otherwise known as Ahma Tsukishima, was dead.

~*~

“Hisashi, you come with me. I know a way into her suite that only family is supposed to know,” Akiteru told the youngest of their team. “I have no idea if Grandmother changed her schedule, but we shouldn’t run into anyone.”
“Okay.”
“If anyone asks, you’re my new recruit from Fudai, who had recently graduated from Seijoh.”
“Hey now,” Oikawa sounded offended. “Isn’t it enough that we lost Mad Dog to Team Evil?”
“There were a few others, Tooru,” Akiteru reminded him.
“Yeah, but they were never on the team,” he dismissed them with a wave. “Joining Team Evil proves they weren’t that smart, in addition to being bad volleyball players.”
“Quite the speech,” Kinoshita said sarcastically.
“Guys, put a lid on it,” Akiteru interrupted. “Tooru, you’re going to stay hidden until you see the signal, got it?”
“Right. Gimme the phone, Kinoshita,” he held out his hand, clearly still fuming from the verbal scuffle, plus the fact that he had to hide. Nevermind the fact that he wasn’t even the leader like he thought he’d be.
“Oikawa…”
“Yeah, I know. Team player and all that. If I don’t see the signal in an hour, assume you both are either captured or dead and get the hell out of Miyagi. Call your dad first, and the others with phones after.”

Akiteru nodded. That was the basic plan, in a worst case scenario. If things didn’t go sideways, then Oikawa was to join them inside, and provide a distraction. Hisashi was to hack into the residence database and download everything he could find. They didn’t have long. They had to work fast, but their goal was to find Grandfather's will, and access any other information that could be used against Grandmother. Names, places, dates, orders, etcetera.

Pray to whatever higher power listening that nothing went wrong. Akiteru was banking heavily on the fact that he was still the heir apparent. But he wasn’t so stupid as to believe it would work for long. Leaving with mother hadn’t been his best idea, even if he thought so at the time.

“Once we’re done, and have everything we can get our hands on, we bug out, split up as soon as possible, and then meet up again at our rendezvous point. Hisashi, do you have everything you need?”
“Yeah. Couple of flash drives and I memorized the passwords you gave me. I’ll be able to take it from there.”
“Great. Tooru?”
Oikawa brandished his handgun, and cocked it. “Locked and loaded, sir.” Then he grinned slyly. “Also, these,” and he showed them his throwing knives and a set of shuriken.
“Hoshiumi?”
“The knives, yeah. Gave me a crash course on throwing them accurately. He was even impressed how quickly I caught on,” he preened.
“Okay, but the stars?”
“Oh, yeah. These are Hinata’s.”
“Hinata? Why would he…?”
Kinoshita looked panicked. “Gimme the phone,” he said, grabbing for the phone.
“You can’t call anyone, Hisashi. We’ll definitely get caught, and that would defeat the purpose of this whole operation.” Akiteru said urgently. “We have to go now if we plan on completing this mission.”
Kinoshita nodded. “Fine. Oikawa, you need to text everyone as soon as you can. Tell them you have Hinata’s stars.”
“Okay,” Oikawa sounded confused. “Why?”
“Look at them. You’ll know why.”

Akiteru and Kinoshita left, running through the trees until they had to sprint across an open area. He saw them disappear around a corner, and he took up position so he could see the signal. Before he put the stars away, he looked at them closely, trying to see what Kinoshita meant. It didn’t take long to find it.

“Shit,” he sighed heavily. “Shoyo, you goddamned idiot.”

Engraved on each star were the names Shoyo and Tobio, one etched more recently than the other. Shoyo had never once let anyone so much as touch them since his husband had been killed.

He flipped open the phone and texted Mitsuhide.

~*~

“You son of a bitch!” Washijo screeched, and nearly everyone in the room jumped. The elderly man almost never yelled, but when he did… Well, no one escaped unscathed. “Her last orders were to capture, not kill. You had absolutely no authority to change that order! What makes you think you had the right?”
“Okay, so after we caught them, and brought them here, what the hell are we supposed to do? Have a fucking garden party?!” Omizu fired back. “Grandmother gave us no further orders on the subject before she collapsed.”
“Both of you calm down,” Irihata’s voice was calm, but carried enough weight to shut them up, even Washijo. “So, you’ve already sent everyone out into the field, including Daishou, who’s set up at the remote base to facilitate communications. You’ve also sent them out with the order to kill Tsukishima, and anyone associated with him. Correct?”
“Yeah,” the younger man shrugged. “Well, except for the home guard. They’re still here. Anyway, it made sense to fall back on the previous order.”
Irihata growled. “You have a point. Still, it doesn’t negate the fact that you took command without the right to do so.”
“Someone had to! The traitor isn’t here.”
“Akiteru is no traitor,” Washijo grumbled. “We have no proof that he turned on us.”
“Do we need it?” Omizu asked. “What more evidence do we need besides the fact that he disappeared the same day as his mother?”

The door banged open as two men barged into the meeting. One, the subject of their current conversation. Two, someone none of them had seen before, yet somehow looked familiar. “This wasn’t part of our mission,” Kinoshita grumbled only loud enough for Akiteru to hear.

No one paid much attention to him, even after he commandeered Omizu’s laptop and sat down at the far end of the table. He opened it, typed in one of the passwords he’d memorized, and got in on the first try. Quickly, he inserted a flashdrive and began downloading as many files as he could and hoped to god they had any information they could use against Grandmother and her evil minions.

“Akiteru!”
“The one and only.” he replied sarcastically. “Now then, since you seem to be in the middle of a meeting, perhaps you can fill me in on, well, everything you’ve just discussed.”
“Why should we?” Omizu asked menacingly. “You’re a traitor! Guard….!” his voice was suddenly cut off as Akiteru held a gun to his head.
“Do I need to remind you of who I am?” he asked quietly.
“N-no, sir,” Omizu’s attitude had done a complete one-eighty. He backed away, and slowly sat down.
“Hands on the table where I can see them.”
“What? Why? I’m not a traitor…”
“I don’t fucking trust you, Omizu. Never have. Hands on the table. NOW!”
Omizu did as directed. He wasn’t afraid of the gun. He was more afraid of the look in Akiteru’s eyes. Never before had he looked like he’d kill someone and not regret it.

Washijo and Irihata had also sat down, and the two took turns explaining what had just transpired. Omizu stewed in his seat, looking like he was about to start gnawing the table. His hands had curled into fists, but they remained on the table.

“So, you’ve sent the rest of our men, as well as those left of the Specials, and given them the order to kill my brother?” Akiteru asked the younger of Grandmother’s councilmen. The gun had yet to waver; it was still aimed at Omizu’s head.
“That’s the gist of it, yes,” Omizu answered.
“Bold of you,” Akiteru said as he rounded the table so that he stood next to a now shivering Omizu. “Bold of you to assume you had the right.” The muzzle of the gun was now resting against the man’s head.
“Now, Tsukishima,” Irihata said in a calm voice. “Be reasonable.”
“I’m being perfectly reasonable, Irihata,” Akiteru said, as if this was a normal everyday occurrence. “This man has been nothing but a bane to this council, and a thorn in my side. It would be perfectly reasonable to kill him for his transgressions, don’t you agree?”
“Oh, put that gun away, before you do any damage,” Washijo said from his chair. “You’re not fooling anyone, young man.”
“Come again, old man?” Akiteru replied, swinging the gun around to point at him. “Do you want to test me?”

Washijo stared at him for what felt like years, but Akiteru never backed down. A tiny smile appeared for a brief moment, and then the elder shook his head, glancing at Irihata, who nodded.

“I’m not testing you. At least, not how you think.”
“Come again?”
“Have a seat,” Irihata said, pointing at the head of the table. “You’ve earned it.”
“I appreciate the gesture, but I think I’ll remain standing.”
“Fair enough.”
“Update me on Grandmother. I’d heard something about her health declining?” It was a total guess, but by the looks on their faces, he’d hit a nerve.

The men told him everything about that day, and as they talked, the door opened behind them, the doctor entering the room. The first clue they had for his presence in the room was the black armband he wore.

“Gentleman. She’s dead.”

~*~

[Update: Akiteru and Kinoshita are inside Grandmother's suite.]
[When?]
[Thirty minutes ago. I’m waiting like a good boy.]
[Stop it, Tooru. Act your age.]
[Right.]
[Anything else?]
[...]
[Tooru?]
[...]
*Ten minutes later*
[Tooru?!]
[Sorry, I had to scramble my position. There’s more activity than there should be.]
[Okay. Are you safe?]
[I am. I don’t know about Aki or Hisashi.]
[Shit.]
[My thoughts exactly.]
[What were you going to tell me?]
[Are you sitting down?]
[Just tell me, jackass.]
[... I have Hinata’s stars.]
[Oh my god]
[Yeah. Can you relay that message? I need to stay alert. This activity wasn’t supposed to happen.]
[I will. Keep me updated.]
[As soon as I can. It might be a while before I can text again, so don’t get all worried and ping me.]
[No promises.]
[I’ll put the phone on silent, then.]
[Fine. Just keep me updated.]
[Understood.]

Mitsuhide closed the phone and sat down, resting his elbows on his legs and gripping the phone between his hands. Hotaru came into their room and set a tray of food on the table, and poured a drink for him.

“Any news?”
“Yeah, and it’s not good.”
“But we just got started! How can it all have gone wrong already?”
“I don’t know. Just pray that we get through this on the winning side.”
“Okay. But at least eat something.”
Mitsuhide smiled wryly. “Always making sure we have something in our stomachs before we do anything.”
“Better than suffering a growling tummy while doing … whatever.”
“True. Look, give me a few minutes to text everyone, then I’ll tell you while I eat. Deal?”
Hotaru nodded. “Deal.”

~*~

Once Kiyoko received the message, she sat down and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. The rest of her group had made it to their second rendezvous point in Osaka, and met with their next contact, Shinji Watari. The others were all currently eating dinner at the cabin they were staying at for the next couple days.

Damn it! She’d hoped this wouldn’t happen, but apparently Shoyo wasn’t going to give up his thirst for revenge. Nor did he expect to make it out alive. It was curious as to why he’d given Oikawa his shuriken, but they didn’t have time to think about that. She had to let them know. Slowly, she rose from her seat and walked over to her current teammates.

“Guys, I have news, and it’s not good. Oikawa has Hinata’s stars.”

~*~

“Guys, we need to talk,” Bokuto told his team as they waited to meet up with their new contact. “But not here. Have we secured lodging?”
“Not yet,” Suzu reported. “Osamu is still looking.”
“Is it bad?” Kuroo asked, clearly worried.
“Yes. Very.”
“What’s up?” Tanaka asked as he came up to meet them. He had another with him, and Bokuto grinned.
“Good to see you again, Konoha!” he said, reaching out to shake hands with his former teammate. “What brings you here?”
“Sight-seeing with the fam. We’re going to Gifu castle later. Have you seen it?”
“Nope! Mind if we tag along?”
“Not at all! There’s a few openings at our hotel, too, so if you can book a room or two now, we can all meet up for dinner.”
“Sounds good.”

As they chatted and walked, Osamu caught up to them.

“I found a place, sir,” he told Bokuto. “A bit small, but we’ll fit.”
“Great. Hey, Konoha! Care to join us for a little bit before we go to the castle? We just got here and could use a little rest.” He leaned closer and whispered. “I just got some bad news. We gotta talk.”
“Sure!” Konoha said, keeping up the act. “Lead the way!”

As soon as they were all settled in their small, almost cramped, room at the hostel Osamu found, Bokuto made eye contact with each of his teammates.

“Hinata gave his stars to Oikawa.”
“Oh, shit,” Tanaka said, looking like Bokuto had just told them they had five seconds until the world exploded.
“Wait. I’m confused,” Kuroo said into the silence that followed.

Boktuo sighed and, with Tanaka, explained the story of Hinata’s stars.

~*~

Akaashi quietly closed his phone, and looked at Narita.

“Find Hinata,”
“Okay, but…”
“Just find him, please. Now.”

His words were polite, but his tone of voice brooked no refusals. Narita went to find the younger man, who had once again disappeared.

“What’s up, Keiji?” Hoshiumi asked.
“Shoyo gave his shuriken to Oikawa.”
“Wait. What?”
“You heard me. That little idiot’s planning to get himself killed.”
“Shit.”
“No kidding.”

Suga came up a few minutes later, walking alongside their contact while they stayed in Shimane prefecture: Takanobu Aone.

“Oh, the irony,” Keiji muttered as he turned to greet the quiet giant. He bowed respectfully as Aone did.
“Good to see you again,” Aone said quietly. “We have been given permission to stay at the nearest shrine. The monks prefer you to be there by sundown.”
“We’ll try. We have to find Hinata first.”
“Do you need help?”
“Yeah, if you don’t mind.”
“Wait. Why are we looking for Shoyo?” Suga asked.
Keiji looked at the older man apologetically. “He gave his shuriken to Oikawa.”
“Shit.”
“Pretty much our same reaction. Come on, let’s go.”
“Find Noya. He has a knack for finding Shoyo.”
“Right.”

Word spread to the other members of their group, and soon, everyone was searching for Hinata. Once Kei found out, and after Noya told him the back story of Hinata’s stars, he decided he was going to kick the redheaded shrimp’s ass thoroughly. Enough so he’d barely have time to think about getting himself killed, much less actually carrying through with it.


Chapter 7 - Part Seven

“Okay, men, we have a general idea of where our targets are. They’ve separated into four groups. The one at the compound will be taken care of shortly, the rest are for us to handle.”

Tendo, Ushijima, and Futakuchi stood up in front of a platoon of men from the compound, most newly recruited, and all of them itching for a fight. Well, they were about to get one, since those they were after were pretty scrappy, if he had to put a name to them. The unfortunate part was that at least two of their former teammates were with them. Tendo hadn’t guessed Eita to be a turncoat, but he was the first to defect. Kawanishi hadn’t been that far behind. No one else, to his knowledge, had even gotten involved, which suited him just fine.

“We’re going to split you guys up and send you off to the last known location of their three groups. We’ve had reports that they are currently in Osaka, Gifu, and Shimane prefectures. If they’re smart, and they are, they’ll be moving in a northern direction, towards Miyagi. We need to stop them. Orders have changed, again, and we are now on a manhunt. Kill or be killed, gentlemen.”

Ushijima stepped forward. “Three groups of sixteen men,” he said gruffly. “Tendo leads one, Futakuchi will lead another, and I’ll take the third. We’ll leave tonight. Get your affairs in order and meet us back here.”
“Yes, sir!”

The men rushed off to go do whatever they needed to, and once they were gone, another person crept out of the shadows. The three men turned to face him.

“Daishou. Thought you were staying at the remote station,” Tendo said, his voice questioning.
“Yeah, no. I’ve been kept back too many times, and I wanna have some fun, too. Besides, I have my own score to settle with one of our targets.”
“Oh yeah! You have some sort of beef with Kuroo, don’t you?”
Daisho nodded. “Yeah. I’ll go with that group.”
“The more the merrier,” Futakuchi said. He was in charge of that particular group.
“I’m going after Eita and his group,” Tendo told him.
“Ah. That leaves Ushijima to lead the one going after Tsukishima.”
“Right,” Ushijima confirmed.

What the former Ace hadn’t said was that he’d recently discovered Hinata was with Tsukishima, and he had a score to settle with them both. Two birds with one stone, to paraphrase the old saying.

Several hours later, the men were assembled once again, and then split into three groups. Armed with everything they needed, they left in thirty minute increments.

~*~

Oikawa was becoming increasingly concerned. By his count, fifteen men had come from nearly every direction and met in the clearing. This was the home guard, apparently, and one they had somehow forgotten in their plans.

“Fuck,” he mouthed silently. “Oh, fuck,” he breathed again once the men started going inside. He had no way to warn his team that they were about to be ambushed. Still, he waited out the final minutes of the allotted time Akiteru had given, stupidly hopeful that there’s be a signal… or something.

How could they have forgotten the damned home guard?

Checking his watch, he had five minutes left. That’s when shit hit the fan. He heard gunfire and men yelling. Swiftly, he jumped down from his place in the trees, and waited.

“Three minutes. Come on, guys.”
“Two minutes. I don’t want to leave you behind.”
“One minute…”

Movement burst from the side where he last saw Akiteru and Hisashi. Bloody and stumbling, Hisashi made his way towards the trees. He almost made it before he finally fell, and stayed down.

“No, no, no…” Oikawa carefully made it over to the younger man, who was just barely clinging to life. In one hand, he held two flash drives.
“Get these to… Mitsuhide…” he heard Hisashi whisper.
“I will. Akiteru?”
Hishashi shook his head. “Oikawa… Grandmother is dead.”
“Then why…?”
“Omizu. He’s taken… control. Irihata and Washijo… aren’t stopping him.”
“Okay. Anything else?”
“They’re going… to kill Kei. Tell Kazuhito I…” but he wasn’t able to get his last request out.

Oikawa sighed and closed his eyes. Fucking hell. Their first two casualties, and one of them the eldest of Mitsuhide’s sons. He reached down and shut Hisashi’s eyes, made sure no one was watching, and then ran as he’d been instructed. His boat was moored at Sendai port, and that was an hour away. Once he made it to his boat, he could be gone and on his way back to the villa at Miyazaki.

He could inform Mitsuhide as soon as he was a good distance away.
He just had to make it to his boat.

~*~

Later that night, three phones rang simultaneously. Kiyoko answered first, and she heard Bokuto and Akaashi pick up within moments of each other. So, a conference call. Mitsuhide told them to put the call on speaker, so everyone could hear. She collected her group, waking up those who had already fallen asleep, and they gathered in the kitchen around the table.

The first thing they heard was the soft sounds of crying in the background. And once Mitsuhide began speaking, his voice was rough and gravely, not at all how he normally sounded.

“Dad? What’s wrong?” Kiyoko heard Kei ask.
“Oikawa’s on his way back,” Mitsuhide managed to say before choking up.
“Wait. Already?” that was Bokuto.
“This can’t be good.” Akaashi.
“What about Akiteru and Hisashi?” Narita’s normally calm tone sounded… less so. By now, everyone had started thinking the same thing.
“They didn’t make it,” Kiyoko guessed carefully, saying it quietly, yet clearly so as to be heard.
A brief silence before Mitsuhide confirmed it. “No. They didn’t. Grandmother has also passed, but that doesn’t mean we can stop or lower our guard. Guys, you need to be careful. We can’t lose anymore of you. Yuki, I’m going to need you to go active for me. They’re going to need your expertise to help keep them alive.”
“Who’s Yuki?” Kiyoko heard several people across the call ask.
“I’ll do everything I can,” Yuki answered from beside her. Kiyoko looked at her; she wasn’t surprised, but Eita and Atsumu looked completely taken aback.
“Aunt Yui?”
“Otherwise known as Yuki Kuroo. My mom,” Kuroo responded for her. Then, “Kei, say something.”
“Sorry, Kuroo. He’s not doing well, if that’s what you wanted to know,” Suga answered for the younger man.
Mitsuhide interrupted. “Hinata?”
“Here, sir.”
“You are to stay with the main group. No going off by yourself, and no disappearing and not coming when called. Consider yourself grounded, kid. Hoshiumi and Noya can do the ranging. Narita?”
“Yes, sir?” Kiyoko grimaced, as did several others. His voice was shaky, but he was still able to reply.
“Go with Fukunaga ahead of everyone else. You two need to find out what the enemy is up to. Akaashi, give them the backup phone so they can contact you.”
Three voices answered, “yes, sir.”
“Weapons?” Fukunaga asked. Laughter rippled quietly across the call.
“As long as you don’t blow up any small houses, or towns, go crazy.”
“Take the C4 from him, Akaashi,” Tanaka yelled. Laughter again filled the call for a few minutes.
“I don’t think I need to remind everyone to stay alert and be careful. We are now the hunted rather than the hunters. Run if you have to, hide if you can’t run, fight back as a last resort. Avoid it if you can, but it’s kill or be killed.”
“Right!”
“Stay safe. Oikawa will help me as a point of contact, so it will be either of us calling the next time. Stay safe, okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Now, if you guys don’t mind, I need to speak to Kei.”
“Wait!” Kuroo called before Bokuto hung up. “May I stay on the line, sir? Mom and I are worried.”
There was a slight pause and then they heard a lighter voice say, “of course, sweetie. You both are part of the family now,” Hotaru’s watery voice told them.
“Thank you.”
“We’ll be in touch,” Kiyoko said as she handed the phone to Yuki.

Bokuto handed Kuroo the phone, laid a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, and then left with the rest of the team to give him some privacy.
Kiyoko gave her phone to Yuki, and accepted a hug from her before leaving with her team.
Akaashi handed Kei his phone, made sure he was okay, and patted him on the back, gathering up the rest and giving him some privacy.

~*~

“You don’t know how much I want you to come back here, son,” Kei heard his father say quietly.
“We just reunited our little family, and now…” Hotaru’s voice broke.

Kei still hadn’t responded, unable to trust his voice. His soon-to-be mother-in-law seemed to take his silence as some sort of cue, and began asking questions about his brother. What was he like? She’d only known him for a short time, and her gentle questions led to older memories, back when they were a happy family. His parents talked; clearly happy to be diverted.

He knew they were trying not to think too hard about Aki’s death, but… how could they? This was Akiteru! His brother who had done everything he could to help him, and he only just now realized how much it had cost him to do that. His brother, who he had looked up to when they were children, admired him when they were in school, and loved… even after his perceived betrayal.

Akiteru, who had never stopped loving him, either.
A sob escaped him, effectively halting the conversation.

“Oh, Kei,” he heard his mother say.
“Kei? Moonshine? Are you okay?”
“Obviously, he’s not Tetsuro,”
“I know that, Mom. I just want to hear…”
“I’m not okay,” Kei managed around a tight throat, fighting tears. “I wish you were here.”
“I know, baby. I know. I wish I were there, too.”
Kei cleared his throat and tried to pull himself together. “I’ll be alright. I have to be, don’t I? He’d want me to be strong.”
“And you are,” Tetsu’s voice had a soothing tone. “You’re strong in mind and body. For ten years, you’ve survived out there, doing everything you had to to stay alive. I don’t know anyone else who could do what you did for that long. And you are still strong, fighting to keep yourself and your friends safe. It’s one of the things I admire most about you. It’s part of the reason I fell in love with you.”
Kei was blushing now, and biting his lip to keep from smiling too much. “You big sap,” he said quietly.
“It’s true, though.”
“I love you, too.”
There was a brief silence before he could hear two things. Two women were gently chuckling, and his father was clearing his throat.
“I’m so happy I was right,” Yuki finally said. “Hotaru, I told you I was right!”
“Oh stop, Yuki. I believed you the first time you told me. At least I had a chance to see and hear it.”
“Now you stop. We have what’s left of an evil empire to crush and then plan a wedding.”
“Mom. Evil empire?”
“I can’t believe you just said that,” Mitsuhide was now laughing, too.
“Kei, are you really okay?” Tetsu asked while the rest of them were talking nonsense.
“No, but I will be. Thanks.”
“When this is all over, we’ll go back to your flat above the bookshop and…”
“Sleep for days,” Kei interrupted quickly. “We’ll sleep for days.”
“You really think we believe that?” Yuki chimed in.
“Yes,” Kei and Tetsu said at the same time.
“Because that’s pretty much how it’s going to happen,” Tetsu continued. “Too exhausted to stay awake. For anything. Anything other than sleep…”
“Tetsu?”
“Yeah?”
“Shut up.”

~*~

The next morning, three groups left their safe houses and started another journey to yet another prefecture. They were down by two Crows, though one was from an older generation. Still, Akiteru had been a Crow, and that was what mattered most.

It was tough, but when Narita went to leave with Fukunaga, the Crows in their group huddled around him. Everyone else gave them room, and they all appreciated the time they had left to mourn together.

“I wish we could all be together again,” Hinata said solemnly.
“We will be,” Noya tried to sound hopeful. “We’ll just keep an eye out for everyone even more than before.”
“Well, in Kazuhito’s case, he’ll have a cat to look after him,” Kei added helpfully.
“Or blow everything up,” Suga joked.
From off to the side, “I heard that!” from the Cat himself.
Soft laughter rippled through their little group.
“Stay safe, Kazu,” Suga said quietly. “Stay alive. You got that?”
“Yeah. I will.”
“Meet you in Hyogo.”
“Right.”
Everyone might have been content with a simple handshake, but Suga had to get the ball rolling and hugged him. The rest followed suit, except that Noya and Hinata took it a step further and tackled him. After they stopped laughing, picked themselves up and dusted off, Narita said his final goodbye and joined Fukunaga. They watched them until they were out of sight.

“Come on guys,” Akaashi said after a few minutes. “We gotta get going if we’re to be in Hyogo by the day after tomorrow.”
“Right.”

~*~

“Fukui prefecture, huh?” Yuki glanced up from their map at Kiyoko. “Well, the fastest way would be to cut through Kyoto.”
“Fastest and easiest, but also the best one to get caught. A more roundabout route would be a better option,” Kiyoko cautioned.
“You have a point. But they might be expecting us to take the road less traveled, too. Ugh! I really wish I knew how many were after us. That would give me a better idea of what to do.”
“How so?” Inuoka asked.
“Well, the more people after us, the larger the net they cast to catch us. We’ve been lucky so far, because they’ve only sent out a few at a time, but…”
“Right. Well, we’ll need to stick together for this portion of our trek,” Kiyoko said. “It’ll be easier,” she said ironically. “Once we get into Fukui, we’ll split up like usual. Sound good?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Eita and Atsumu, you learn what you can from Yuki as we go. Eita, your weapons will come in handy. Got any extra?”
“Yeah. A few.”
“Get with who will be comfortable carrying one, and we’ll be ready to go.”
“Right.”
“We’ll leave this evening, so get some rest and everyone be ready to go when I say.”
“Yes, ma’am.”

~*~

“Next stop, Yamanashi prefecture,” Kaori told them over breakfast. “One of the shorter legs of our journey.”
“Right. Let’s keep to the usual plan, but with a little twist. Osamu, you come with us. Tanaka, you stay with Kaori.”
“Adding more protection for Kuroo?” Osamu asked with a grin.
“Partially, though he did learn a few things from Tsuki before we left. He knows how to fight, if I recall a few stories from high school, too. And, if needed, he knows his way around a gun.”
“Oh yeah? Who taught you?”
Kuroo shrugged and smirked at their half of the Miyans. “My mom did, of course.”
“Kinda wish I’d been assigned to her group now,” Osamu said. “But, then again…”
“We can’t have you and your brother fighting with each other the whole time, Doofus,” Bokuto said. “Tomorrow morning, Kaori and Tanaka will take off. We’ll leave around lunch time. If nothing goes sideways between here and Yamanashi, we’ll meet up with you for a late dinner.”
“I’ll scout out a place to stay, again,” Kawanishi said and Bokuto nodded.
“Kuroo and I will wander around and wait for our next contact.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Kuroo said.
“We have a day to rest and get ready. There’s a shrine nearby, so if anyone feels the need to pray…”
“What time do you wanna go, boss?” Tanaka asked, and everyone looked at Bokuto.
“Are we all going?” He was met with a few nods and careless shrugs, and he smiled. “We’ll go before dinner, alright?”
“Right.”
“Until then, do what you need to do to prepare.”
“Yes, sir.”


Chapter 8 - Part Eight

For the next few weeks, six groups of people zig-zagged across the country, playing a deadly game of cat and mouse. For three of those groups, each person came to know what Tsuki went through for ten years. Especially when he was barely ahead of those chasing him.

Sleep was hard to come by. They grabbed what they could, when they could.
Eating healthy wasn’t easy. Meals were often cold and eaten while moving.
They didn’t always manage to stay hidden. Their pursuers were led by none other than the Guess Monster himself, so they had to move fast, and think faster, in order to stay ahead of him and his minions. The problem was that he always seemed to be a few steps ahead of them. The positive note to his uncanny ability was that Yuki also seemed to have the same power, and even without knowing their exact numbers, she’d get them out of trouble. Sometimes just barely.

At first, they kept in contact at least twice a day. Bokuto, Akaashi, and Shimizu made sure that their groups were intact. No one left behind, and no one hurt or worse. After, once the chase became more serious, it was once a day, or once every other day. They’d take turns keeping the phone in each group, and when they made, or joined, the conference call, an informal roll call was done. Business and events of the day were reported, and discussed. When they were done, a little extra time was given to those who were separated from each other.

Kiyoko and Ryunosuke.
Bokuto and Akaashi.
The Miyans (though it was kind of funny listening to them bickering, no one denied the brothers a chance to make sure they were okay).
Kuroo and his mother.
And, finally…
Kuroo and Tsuki. It was perhaps an unspoken agreement that they’d go last, and that they’d be given a little more time to talk. Most people suspected Yuki was behind that, but no one tried to confirm it.

For his part, Tsuki would teach his group what he knew. Everything, not just the fighting. How to keep an eye out for anything suspicious; his friends used to tease him about his travel paranoia, now they didn’t. How to look for hiding places and escape routes; he was the one to disappear a few times, and would return just before they panicked. How to assess the surroundings in order to blend in; he told them changing appearances helped a lot, but sometimes just knowing the crowd was all they’d need.

Tsuki admitted that this was his weakest point without changing clothes, dying his hair and wearing different contacts. His height worked against him, as he easily towered over most people. Plus, he hated crowds. Suffering a panic attack in the middle of one had happened, but he learned to avoid super crowded areas, and power through lesser ones.

Noya, Hinata, and Hoshiumi taught him how they could blend in without changing anything. It was more in the attitude, the way they carried themselves, that no one ever even looked in their direction. It was almost as if they were ghosts. Amazing, considering Hinata’s shocking red hair, Hoshiumi’s stark white hair, and Noya with that patch of blond in the middle of his forehead. If Tsuki hadn’t been watching them carefully, mentally taking notes, he’d have fallen for their trick, too.

When things were quiet, and they had eluded their hunters enough, Tsuki would spend a little extra time with Akaashi. The older man understood, a little better than most, what he was going through being apart from Kuroo. It wasn’t that he couldn’t talk to say Suga, Noya, or even Hinata. It was just that he still felt a little guilty talking to them about his fiance, who was still alive and well, while their partners… weren’t. And somehow, they understood his need to not involve them in this particular subject.

To say that each little group became their own family unit was entirely accurate. They made sure that everyone in their own group got as much rest as they could, ate what they could, and that any aches and pains (or minor injuries) were seen to and taken care of.

For three weeks, they managed to keep things from going sideways, as they steadily made their way to Miyagi. And then, everything started falling apart.

~*~

“Tooru, can you think of new routes they can use? We need to get them out of there before we lose anyone else!” Mitsuhide exclaimed as he ran into the villa and into the large meeting room they’d converted into an operations base. Large screens on the walls showed each team’s current locations, as well as the enemy’s.

“It won’t be easy, sir,” Oikawa replied, his voice drifting off while he thought. “Damn it! They shouldn’t have figured it out so fast!”
“Yeah, well, I’ve been told this Tendo is very good at what he does.”
“Tendo? Satori Tendo?”
“I believe that’s his name, yes.”
“Shit!” His head went back as he stared up at the ceiling. “If he’s leading, then I’m willing to bet Ushiwaka is also one of the leaders?”
“Yes, I believe so.”

The younger man went silent, lost in thought. Mitsuhide watched him, knowing that cunning brain was working to come up with a plan. Akiteru had chosen Oikawa personally, as well as Iwaizumi, impressed with his abilities to read the situation correctly and quickly act on a plan to his advantage. Both had a tendency to be loose cannons, but that turned out to be an asset for their side. Both had been on a team that could outthink their opponents fairly easily. The only two teams that managed to overcome Seijoh were Karasuno, and… Shiratorizawa.

“We need to know who’s leading the third team. We can assume Ushiwaka and his minions are here,” and he pointed to Tochigi prefecture, the last known location of Akaashi’s group. “I’m willing to bet Ushiwaka has his own agenda to go after that particular group.” His voice was almost a growl.
“You’ll need to explain that to me, but later. What of Tendo?”
Oikawa looked at another screen. “Niigata prefecture. That’s Shimizu’s group, yes?” He looked back at Mitsuhide who nodded.
“I don’t think he has any specific vendetta against anyone in that group, though…” he paused as he thought about it. “Well, no, wait. Eita is with them, right?” Another look back.
“Right.”
“Oh, well then. Most likely, he’s after Eita for joining us rather than Grandmother.” He was thoughtful for several moments. “I don’t think he knows Kawanishi joined us either. Or, that several others on his team have helped us peripherally. But then, he can only be in one place at one time, so there’s no telling what he’s really up to.”
“Right. And that leaves Bokuto and his group.”
“Last known is Gunma prefecture. Our three groups are fairly close together, which tells me that’s how Tendo guessed where to go.”
“How do we get them out?”
“Assuming they’re blocking us from heading north toward Miyagi, and from what I can tell, they are…”
“We have no way to get out easily,” Mitsuhide finished. “Not without losing ground and going back.”
“And if we want to finish this once and for all, we’ll have to fight our way through.”
“Goddammit!” Mitsuhide shouted, hitting the table with his fist. Hard. “Call them. Tell them what we’ve just talked about, and get their answers.”
“Why not you?”
“Do you honestly think I could send my only surviving son into a battle that could kill him? I don’t want to send him to his death,” he ended in a whisper.
“I get it,” Tooru said carefully. “Trust me, I do. But you’re the one in command, here. The only one. You also know that, even though they trust me, they’d still ask you for the final word. It has to be you, Mitsu.”

The room was silent for a long while. Mitsuhide sat down and folded his hands in front of his face, as if he was praying. And maybe he was, thought Tooru. There wasn’t anyone who hadn’t prayed these last several days, including himself.

“Mitsu, you’ve seen how he fights, and by now, he’s passed along his knowledge, as well as learned from his teammates. He has a better chance at survival than anyone else, to be perfectly honest. Do what you think you must, but I highly doubt Tsuki wouldn’t kill half of Ushiwaka’s crew before anyone thought to kill him. And you know he could.”
“But he’s never…”
“Something tells me he’ll handle it well.”
“He shouldn’t have to at all.”

Oikawa said nothing more. After another long silence, Mitsuhide reached out and pulled the phone on the table close to him. He pushed a few buttons, and then dialed each number for the teams. When he had the team leaders on the line, he had them gather their people and put him on speaker.

“Guys, I’m sure you know what situation you’re in,” he started, and received affirmative answers from everyone. “Unfortunately, we can’t see a route that will keep you safe and get you into Miyagi while avoiding the Specials currently blocking you.” He sighed. But before he could say anything else, Kei’s voice was clear.
“We’ll have to fight, right Dad?”
A short pause. “Yes. I’m sorry.”
“No, we all knew it would come to this,” Akaashi replied.
“We only hoped it wouldn’t,” Bokuto added. He could be heard talking softly to his group. “We’re as ready as we can be, sir. We’ll go first, if there’s any sort of order to punching through the line.”
“There’s no order,” Mitsuhide said quietly. “Do you know who’s leading on their side?”
“Yeah,” Osamu answered. “Futakuchi is leading, but there’s someone else in the group.”
“Oh yeah? Who?”
“Daishou,” Kuroo answered. “He’s had this chip on his shoulder for years. Thinks I somehow insulted him, and can’t be convinced otherwise.”
“Did you insult him?” his mother asked sternly.
“I teased him more than anything. Guess he took it the wrong way.”
“Tetsu…” both his mother and Kei sighed out loud, causing everyone else to chuckle lightly.
“Alright, guys,” Mitsuhide interrupted. “Go when you feel you will have the best chance at getting through. Do everything you can to stay alive. I don’t want to lose anyone else. Oikawa, Hotaru and I will be leaving in two days. We’ll meet you in Miyagi, at the residence, by the end of the week.”
“Right,” everyone answered.
“I pray to the gods that you’ll all be waiting for me at the residence,” he said solemnly. “Kei. Please stay safe.”
“I will.”
“Alright. Keep in touch as much as you can. I still want updates.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Thanks. Stay safe. Good luck.”
“You too, sir.”

~*~

“We’ll be fighting soon,” Tendo said over their own conference call. “I’d give it a day at most before they try to get through.”
“Be ready,” was all Ushijima imparted.
“I mean, we already are,” Futakuchi said sarcastically. “It’s not like we’re just gonna walk up and wait.”
“Shut it, asshole,” Daishou said angrily, then he asked, “are we going to be reactionary, or can we get the party started?”
“Wait for them. We are benevolent, after all. We all need a good night’s sleep.”
“Somehow, I think you’ll be the only one sleeping.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Satori. Too much confidence and pride,” Ushijima said quietly. “Don’t underestimate them.”
“This coming from the man so sure he could beat the weirdo duo.”
“To be fair, he did beat one,” Daishou reminded him.
“He wasn’t even aiming for Kageyama! He was gunning for Hinata. Kageyama just got in the way.”
“Quiet. Both of you,” Ushijima raised his voice enough to shut them up. “He’s not wrong, though.”
“Alright. Orders remain the same. No one gets through. No prisoners. Kill or be killed.”
“Right.”
“See you boys on the other side. Or back at the residence. Whatever.”

~*~

Just before sunrise the next day, Bokuto and his group made their move. The plan was to attempt sneaking by their front line while the enemy slept. From all outward appearances, they were still in their tents, and some on bedrolls on the ground. Their fires were banked, with only a thread of smoke still drifting upward into the soft morning air. No one moved. They were still asleep. But, Bokuto wasn’t stupid enough to believe that they were all deep sleepers.
“Move as quietly as you can, guys. If you can, go around. If not, tip toe quickly. Kuroo, Kaori, you two stay with me.”
“Sure thing.”
“You guys ready?”
“As ready as we can be, sir,” Kaori said.
“Fine. If you absolutely have to, run. Don’t stop unless you shake them. We’ll meet you at the rendezvous point at the border of Fukushima and Miyagi. Stay alive and stay safe, okay?”
He looked at each person, gave them a small nod and a smile. They returned the gesture, and as they had with their teams back in high school, they all put their hands into the center of their circle.
“See you later, guys.” Kawanishi.
“Good luck.” Kaori.
“Don’t blow anything up.” Tanaka.
“Fukunaga’s with Akaashi’s group.” Osamu.
“Atsumu’s with Shimizu’s group. Your point?” Bokuto.
“Fine. No blowing anything up.” Osamu.
“Are we good?” Kaori.
“Yeah.” Everyone.
“Let’s go, then.” Bokuto.

~*~

“Be extremely careful,” Kiyoko told her group at the same time, but in a different place. “We need to make it to the rendezvous point at the border of Fukushima and Miyagi. In two days.”
“Quite the haul, but we’ll make it,” Eita replied.
“As long as Atsumu doesn’t blow anything up,” Inuoka added slyly.
“Ya weren’t there, kid.”
“No, but I heard stories. And the sound wave.”
“The sound…”
“I was in the next prefecture.”
“Told you,” Kiyoko looked a little smug. “Anyhow, we have the pleasure of hosting the Guess Monster himself. And we can all assume he’s after you, Eita.”
“Yeah. Never forgave me for defecting to the good guys.”
“Well, you still need to stick with Yuki. Same with you, Atsumu. Yachi and Inuoka with me.”
“Right.”
“Since it’s still early, we can only hope they’re still asleep. Be quiet, be careful, and stay alive. Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Once you’re clear of their camp, run like hell. Don’t stop until you shake off any pursuers. Meet you at the border in two days.”
“Right.”
“Good luck, guys. Let’s go.”

~*~

“Kei, we need to go,” Shoyo said quietly from beside him. They’d just been told they were splitting up again, and it didn’t sit well with him.
“Have we heard from Narita?”
“Just a few minutes ago. Coast is clear, for the time being,” Hoshiumi replied. “You’re with Noya and Hinata.”
“Yeah.”
“Are you okay?” Suga entered the conversation.
“No.”
“We don’t have time to mourn, Kei,” Noya said, his voice cutting. When Kei turned to glare at him, he immediately relented. Noya’s eyes mirrored his concern. “We’ll mourn once we’re all back together again.”
“And if we…”
“Stop that!” Suga said sharply. “You can’t think that way, or they’ll win.”
“We’ll make it,” Noya assured him. “One way or another, we’ll all see each other again.”
“Fine,” Kei finally said, and he endured slaps to the back as they went to clear their area of any evidence of their residency.

As Kei carefully banked and buried their small fire, he settled into the one persona he never wanted to use again. Cold as moonlight, hard as diamonds, burying all semblance of the Kei his friends and family knew. This was pure survivalist mode, and even if he hated it, he’d need it to fight and stay alive. Most importantly, he’d need it to save his friends, and keep them from dying. Which meant that he would be extra vigilant over Hinata.

Once all trace of their fire was gone, and he could detect no more smoke, Kei went to help the rest. He spoke to no one unless they required an answer. Only once did he make eye contact with anyone, and Shoyo only nodded his acknowledgement. Well, it seemed one person recognized the change he made, and approved. Kei rubbed his hands together, and then went to join the group when Akaashi gathered them together.

“Narita and Fukunaga are moving again, so we need to leave now. Kei, you are with Noya and Hinata. Suga, you and Hoshiumi are with me. We have two days to get to the rendezvous point at the border of Miyagi and Fukushima. I don’t think I need to tell anyone to stay safe and stay alive.”
“That’s a given,” Noya quipped.
“Okay, well, run like hell, and try to stay ahead of our hunters. Do not start any fights. Don’t go looking for any, either,” he looked pointedly at both Kei and Shoyo.
“Understood,” they both replied. Akaashi gave them a skeptical glare, but left it alone.
“We’ll meet again in two days.”
“Right.”
“Good luck.”

~*~

“Sir, they’re finally on the move,” one of Ushijima’s men reported. “There are two further ahead, acting as scouts.”
“Thank you,” was all Ushijima said. The man bowed shortly and left.

Taking out his phone, he dialed a number, waited for the answer, and then dialed a second number.

“They are moving,” he said simply. “We’ll be in pursuit shortly.”
“Same,” Futakuchi replied. “We’re just waiting for them to get far enough ahead to think they’re safe.”
“Don’t underestimate them,” Tendo repeated. “You might be after the group that has only one Crow, but he has allies.”
“Well yeah. I know. A Fox, two Owls, a Cat, and… another Swan.”
“What?!”
Sounds from Futakuchi’s phone let them know it wasn’t in his hands anymore.
“Yeah. Kawanishi,” Daishou reported. “There were a few others seen with them, too. But mostly as guides or extra support through various prefectures.”
“Who?” Tendo growled.
“Satori,” Ushijima said, his voice a warning. Tendo ignored it.
“They betrayed us, Toshi. We can’t let that go…”
“We can. They chose their path. Just like we did.”
Silence reigned over the phones as Tendo remained quiet. No one knew his thoughts, and no one asked.
“Well, either way. Don’t let them get too far ahead, and don’t turn your backs.”
“Right.”
“Get back to me when you’ve completed your mission.”
“Yes, sir.”


Chapter 9 - Part Nine

The next forty-eight hours were absolute hell. Worse than hell. If this was the apocalypse, no one could tell the difference.

The teams weren’t allowed to communicate with each other, for safety’s sake. Sure, they could put the phones on vibrate, but who’d feel them when they spent a good deal of time running? Still, they did keep in contact with Mitsuhide and Oikawa, as requested. The problem they had was reporting their numbers as they knew them.

They knew they’d lose people. Even if they’d been trained to be the best, and they were, they still had to deal with members falling to the enemy. Still, for every one person they lost, they fought back, and several of their people were taken with them.

Mitsuhide chose not to say who was lost, at first. He felt that if they didn’t know, they would be able to keep their minds on their survival. That changed with each call to him. His teams wanted to know who was still with them, or rather, who had been lost.

Eventually, Mitsuhide handed this duty over to Oikawa, who was very nearly emotionless with each call, and seemed to handle it better. He would write down those who did not respond to the informal roll call, and then give them any orders Mitsuhide had for them. Once one call ended, another call came in, and the process was repeated. After the last call, he passed the paper to Mitsuhide, who would read it, and then hang his head. Tooru knew he did it from the pain of loss, and also relief that Kei wasn’t among those listed.
The older man grew increasingly afraid the next report would tell him he’d lost his last remaining son, and he couldn’t bear the thought. He stayed with Oikawa, though, unable to leave while his teams were still running.

~*~

Bokuto’s group was hit the hardest. Nearly all of his team was taken at various intervals through those forty-eight hours. Each of them sacrificed themselves to save someone else, and to see that Bokuto and Kuroo survived.

Kawanishi went back to help Tanaka, and was the first to fall. Tanaka, badly injured but still able to fight, saw to it that Osamu was able to keep going, and was able to take down Futakuchi with him in his final fight. In turn, Osamu pushed Kaori out of the way of a failed attack. He was able to save her, Bokuto, and Kuroo by not only taking out those immediately behind them, but anyone else by leaving small, but deadly landmines.

Wounded and unable to continue, he stayed behind to make sure no one else made it past him. One of his buried bombs caught the two men with Daishou, but he’d managed to escape somehow. Unfortunately, the shrapnel also caught him, and he could not follow Daishou. Kaori, who hadn’t been able to leave him behind as she was supposed to do, stayed with him until he breathed his last. She stayed with him, even after that, and when she knew it was safe to leave, she slowly followed in the direction Bokuto and Kuroo ran.

Daishou eventually caught up to the pair, and taunted Kuroo relentlessly. But nothing he said seemed to stop his quarry. Not until he mentioned Kei.

“He’s probably dead by now,” he yelled at Kuroo’s retreating back. “Your pretty boy couldn’t fight his way out of a wet paper bag!”
“Don’t. He’s trying to get you to fight him,” Bokuto tried to warn him as soon as he stopped. “It’s a trap. An obvious one, and sloppy, too, but still a trap. We gotta keep going. Ignore him.”
“Good riddance!” They heard Daishou shout. “I’m sure Grandmother is happy. Her disgrace of a grandson is dead and the Tsukishima name is no longer tarnished by him… and his kind.”
“Bo?”
“Yeah?”
“You gonna stop me now?”
“Nah. I don’t even know what came over me earlier.”
“Good. It’s his fault, you know.”
“Yep. Totally his fault.” After a short silence, he had to ask, “Are you sure you can…?”
“I lied before. We fought once.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Two hits. I hit him, he hit the floor. I got suspended for a week, but that was just a formality, and they kept it off my record. No one blamed me for kicking his ass. Besides,” and he winked at Bokuto as he turned to face Daishou. “I’m a fast learner. I remember everything Kei taught me. Everything.”
“Then do what you need to. I’ll back you up, if you need it.”
“Thanks.”

They faced off right there. Daishou repeatedly taunts him; Kuroo remains silent, waiting. Standing calmly, like Kei had shown him, and as he’d seen Kei do that day at the villa. He was ready. So, when Daishou grew more and more frustrated that Kuroo kept quiet, he finally snapped, and ran straight at him.

Kuroo waited til the last possible second, and then moved, bringing his hands down hard on Daishou’s arms, knocking them down and away from him. This also served to push Daishou off balance, but he recovered and came back. Again, Daishou’s arms were reaching for him, and again, Kuroo batted them away. But this time, he brought his hand up and hit Daishou’s chin, snapping the man’s neck back. At the same time, the palm of Kuroo’s hand slid hard into Daishou’s nose, and the man crumpled to the ground, bleeding profusely.

“You gonna stop, now?” he calmly asked Daishou, finally speaking.
“No. Why should I?” Daishou’s voice was muffled, but audible.
“Dude, this is the second time I kicked your ass. One would think you’d learn by now…”
“Learn what?” Daishou said, bleeding nose forgotten as he held a gun, aimed at Kuroo’s head. “I’m the one who’ll win this fight. Not you.”
“Kuroo! Down! Now!” Bokuto barked out, and Kuroo hit the ground immediately. At the same time, the report of a gun rent the air, and when Kuroo looked up, Daishou was lying awkwardly on the ground, dead from a headshot.
“You okay?” Bokuto asked after he came to help Kuroo to his feet.
“Fine. You?”
“Not my first rodeo, Bro. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay.”
“Come on. Let’s get moving.”
“What about Suzumeda?”
“She’ll catch up,” was all he said.

That night, after they made it to their safe house at the border, Bokuto reported that of his six teammates, only three were left: Kuroo, Kaori, and himself.

~*~

The next hardest hit group was Kiyoko’s. Unfortunately, she was one of the first among those lost. During an attack, she and Inuoka both fought to keep Yachi safe, who had never been a fighter, even while the Crows were still whole. She was their tracker, and helped the team with ops and logistics. Paired with Yuki, and the two of them managed to keep them all together until around the forty hour mark.

Yachi had been hurt, but not enough to keep her from running, which Kiyoko ordered her to do. Handing her the phone, an extra gun, and her own set of shuriken, Kiyoko ran with Yachi until the enemy began closing in. With a strong shove, she yelled at Yachi to keep going, to find the rest of their team, who had taken a different path in order to draw off some of their hunters. Then, she ran back to help Inuoka, who had already taken care of several attackers. It was the last time anyone would see either of them alive.

A few miles away from the safe house, Tendo met them, calling out to Eita for a fight. Eita refused at first, but was forced into it when Atsumu stepped into the line of fire: incoming knives thrown by an amateur, which would have hit him because he was too busy staring down Tendo.

Eita had not only been known for fighting (and winning) in school. His reputation was more from his temper, which had a very short fuse. Watching Atsumu fall, and hearing Yuki scream his friend’s name, was all it took to set him off. And Tendo suddenly looked like he both won, and lost, at the same time. Taking a risk, he ran, and Eita was behind him, gun in hand and firing. Perhaps it could be considered dishonorable to shoot someone from behind, but Eita had snapped. He fired his next to last bullet (in this gun, anyway), and Tendo fell.

Once Eita caught up to his former teammate, the man had the nerve to laugh.

“Seems you made the right choice, Semi Semi,” Tendo panted his nickname for the setter, holding the heavily bleeding wound in his leg. “I think you hit the artery.”
“Good. Means I don’t need to waste my last bullet.” Eita growled. “Besides, it wasn’t much of a choice. I know right from wrong, and Grandmother was wrong.”
“I don’t think so,” Tendo denied.
“Really? And how often were you able to be with Ushiwaka? Openly?”
Tendo was silent. The look of realization on his face was enough of an answer. Eita started to back away, leaving Tendo where he lay.
“I might not think like you do, or walk on the same side of the tracks. But Grandmother was completely in the wrong. And you were completely misguided by her.”
He turned and started leaving, when he heard the tell-tale sound of a gun cocking. He almost resigned himself to being shot in the back, but something flew past his face, and hit Tendo. He heard a grunt, and a low thud as Tendo finally toppled over and remained still.

“I’m not losing you, too, Eita,” he heard Yuki say from somewhere in front of him. She finally showed herself, and had Yachi with her. “We’re all that’s left,” her voice broke, but she held herself together. “Come on, son. We need to go.”

Eita holstered his gun and caught up to the ladies, matching his stride with Yachi’s. And if he just happened to take her hand in his, and held tight, then of course it was just a coincidence. Nevermind the older woman’s cunning smile as she led them to the safe house.

~*~

“Just a couple more hours, and we should be at the safe house,” Hoshiumi told them as they left what seemed like the smallest town in Japan. He, Suga, and Akaashi had caught up with them a few miles out from the town. The plan was to eat a real meal, and maybe get a couple hours rest, but that plan was scrapped when they were attacked on the outskirts.

Clearly, their pursuers had not only caught up, but passed them and waited. It was so much a Tendo maneuver, they almost convinced themselves that it wasn’t Ushiwaka leading this team. Still, they managed to slip through their net, and make it through the town without incident.

“If you guys don’t mind, we can eat and sleep at the safe house,” Akaashi said. “I’d rather not take another chance to get caught.”
“Good idea,” Suga replied. “You guys okay with it?” he asked the rest of their team.
“It’s fine,” Noya answered. Hoshiumi gave a thumbs up, and kept his eyes forward. Hinata merely grunted his answer.
“Kei?” Suga asked after several minutes with no reply. “You good?”
“What? Oh, yeah. I guess.”
“Distracted, much?”
“No. I caught some movement further up.” He pinned Akaashi with a look. “Still nothing from Narita or Fukunaga?”
“No, and I’m worried,” Akaashi replied. “We have to keep going, though, even if I want to go find them.”

At that very moment, he reached for his pocket bringing out his phone. He’d put it on vibrate while they passed through the town, and he hadn’t changed it back. Answering it, he started slowing down, until he stopped walking altogether. The rest of the group also stopped, and watched him. His face was pale, he’d pushed his free hand through his hair, and gripped it. He didn’t look good, even though his voice stayed calm, low, yet still strangely upbeat. The rest of them couldn’t really hear what he was saying, but easily picked up on his body language. And before Akaashi hung up, they’d all figured out what the call was about.

Noya went to stand on Kei’s left, and Hinata stayed in place on his right. Suga joined them. The rest stayed where they were, respecting their need to be together.

“That was Fukunaga,” Akaashi informed them. “They were discovered. Fought as hard as they could, but were outnumbered. Narita is gone. Fukunaga thinks he’s not too far behind. Warned us that Ushiwaka’s team is ahead of us again.”
“Are we all that’s left?” Kei asked quietly.
“We don’t know for sure,” Suga tried to assure him, though even he looked like he didn’t believe it. “Once we get to the safe house, we’ll know.”
“What do we need to do?” Hosiumi asked gently. “We can’t stay here, and we can’t backtrack. We’re too close.”
“Agreed. Unless anyone can think of a better idea, we’ll need to punch through. Again,” Akaashi said, looking at everyone, one at a time. When no one offered a second solution, he nodded. “Alright. We’ll split up again, but stay within hearing distance, and call out when you need help. Take out as many as you can; we can’t afford any of them chansing us to the safe house. Suga, you and Hoshiumi stay with me. Noya, you and Hinata stay with Kei.”
“Right.”
“Stay safe. Good luck. Most importantly… stay alive.”
“See you on the other side,” Hinata finally spoke up. Everyone glared at him, and he merely held his hands out with a little laugh. “Just a joke, guys! You know I meant the other side of our enemy.”
“Not funny, Sho,” Noya said lowly.
“I know.”

Kei stared down at the ginger-haired assassin. Hinata had never completely promised to abort his personal mission. No one had made him do it, either. It was almost as if they all knew he was going to go through with his vendetta no matter what anyone else said.

So, in a pure Kageyama move, he grabbed a handful of Hinata’s shirt and dragged him away from the group. No one followed, but they all kept their eyes on them.

“Don’t make me kick your ass, Shoyo,” Kei growled. “You know you aren’t supposed to go after Ushiwaka.”
“Let go of me,” Shoyo snarled back, quickly making Kei lose his grip on him. “I can’t promise anyone anything if he shows himself. He’s mine, Kei. He won’t get away from me again.”
Kei sighed. “Okay. I understand. I’ll help, but here’s what we need to do….”
“Wait. What?”
“You heard me. I’m going to help you. Since I can’t stop you, I might as well keep any of Ushijima’s minions from interfering.”
“And anyone from our team, too.”
“I’ll do what I can, but like you, I can’t guarantee one of us won’t try to step in and save your ass.”

Hinata was silent long enough for Kei to guess that Hinata didn’t want the help, much less anyone trying to risk their lives saving him as he risked his own. Shoyo looked up at Kei, and he saw nothing of the sunshine he used to be. Hinata didn’t expect to live, and he was fine with it.

“If you can, keep Noya and Suga away. Hoshiumi won’t interfere.”
“He knows?”
Hinata nodded. “The wild card is Akaashi. You may need to keep him back, too. I don’t know.”
“Done.” They said nothing else, and Hinata turned to go back to their group. “Shoyo?”
The shorter man stopped and looked back, a tiny smile lifting the corner of his lips. “Don’t worry, Kei. I’m not going to make it easy for him.”
“Just stay alive. Okay?”
“I’ll do my best.”

The last image of Shoyo Hinata that Kei would always remember, for the rest of his life, was the brief glimpse of his fellow middle blocker. Smiling, determined to succeed, aiming to beat the best in order to be the best. He caught a glimpse of the sunshine Hinata once was.

~*~

“Somehow, I knew you’d be waiting,” Shoyo said, his eyes locked on the huge former Ace of Shiratorizawa. “Can’t say I’m happy to see you, though.”
“Sentiment shared, Hinata Shoyo,” Ushijima replied. Then, he turned his gaze on Kei. “Tsukishima Kei. You still survive.”
“Yep,” Kei replied, nonchalantly. “None of Grandmother’s people have yet been able to kill me.”
“That will change.”
“I don’t think so. In fact,” he said as he left Hinata’s side and walked toward Ushijima. “If you survive your fight with Hinata, I’ll be happy to pick up where he left off.”
“Bold of you to assume I’ll lose!” Hinata hollered at him.
“Bold of you to assume you’ll survive to fight me,” Ushijima said, quietly threatening. He whistled loud, and several men came out, surrounding them.

Kei chuckled. “Oh, good. I’ve been needing a workout. These guys should be enough.”
“What do you…”
“Did you think I couldn’t fight, Ushiwaka? Did you think I’d just accept my fate and die like a good grandson would for his deranged Grandmother? Did you honestly think I wouldn’t also want to avenge my brother?”
“We had nothing to do with…”
Kei looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “You joined her. You worked for her. You can’t honestly believe that you had nothing to do with his death. Oh, you might not have done it personally, but you are most certainly guilty by association.”

Kei didn’t stay to hear anything the man had to say after that. He went back to Hinata and bent just enough that he could speak without being heard. “Kick his ass, Sho. Fight for Tobio, for our friends, and for us.”
Shoyo simply nodded and went to meet his nemesis. Kei stood to his full height, and turned to focus on the closest man near him. He stood at the ready, loose-limbed and prepared.

“Come at me, coward.”

~*~

As Kei took care of the men surrounding them, Hinata and Ushijima circled each other warily. They never spoke to each other again, either. The height disparity wasn’t as much as it was when they were in high school; Hinata had grown. Still shorter by several inches, he didn’t let that distract him. Nor had he ever, when matched against taller players.

Only one person saw the entire fight. Hoshiumi watched silently from his place above the fight. He saw when the two combatants met, bowed respectfully (something he never thought would happen, considering the circumstances), and then how both of them came up swinging.

Hinata got in the first hit, a sharp upper cut to the jaw. Ushiwaka shook it off, and grabbed Hinata’s shoulders, intending to throw him against the nearest tree. But, the younger man used one of the tricks Kei had shown him, and shook off Ushiwaka by jamming a finger into the soft part of the wrist.

It seemed the two were fighting rather honorably, not taking any shots that could be considered ‘dirty’. Not at first, anyway. The longer the fight continued, the longer it took for either of them to score a hit, the more they both grew frustrated. And then shit got real, once Ushiwaka pulled out a weapon.

Movement from the side caught Hoshiumi’s attention. The rest of their group had followed the sounds of the fight, and right now, Suga was doing his best to hold back Noya, even though it was plain he wanted to fly in to help his baby crow. Still, he held onto Noya, because Hinata had also drawn a weapon.

Akaashi, though, had eyes on both Hinata and Tsuki. More so Tsuki, as he was the one they were tasked to keep alive from the beginning. And yet, when Hoshiumi looked over at the tallest Crow, he’d disarmed and incompacitated all but two men, who were using some of the same techniques Tsuki was. It looked like Akaashi was willing to step in and help, if it looked like Tsuki needed it.

Metal clanged loudly, echoing around them. Hinata and Ushiwaka were fighting with foot long daggers. They flew at each other, nicking and striking, so that both of them were covered in bloody marks. Some were deeper than others, but not enough to stop them.
And then, Hinata ducked a strike from Ushiwaka, dove and sliced at the taller man’s left leg. Ushiwaka screamed in pain, and fell to his knees, dropping his dagger. Everyone stopped. No one made any moves. Hoshiumi’s full attention was on Hinata, who had moved back around to Ushiwaka’s front.

“I’m going to beat you,” he panted with exertion. “For Tobio. For my friends.”
“You still think you’re going to win?”
“I have the advantage.” Hinata almost sounded like he was bragging.
“The tallest are always the strongest,” Ushiwaka muttered.
“That would be me, now.”
“Come at me, Hinata Shoyo. I dare you.”

It happened so fast. Even Hosiumi had trouble following. Hinata rushed forward, slashing Ushiwaka’s chest and arms, but the bigger man ignored any pain, and snatched at Hinata. But suddenly, Hinata must have turned wrong, or slipped, or somehow made a fatal error.

Ushiwaka had him by the throat, and was squeezing. Yet, Hinata wasn’t going to give up, even as he was losing the ability to breathe. With one last swing. Hinata struck Ushiwaka, the dagger sinking deep into his chest. They remained locked in their positions, and time seemed to slow down. Finally, Ushiwaka dropped Hinata, and he fell to the ground, dead.

The first to reach Hinata was Kei. He was going to sport several ugly bruises, and it looked like he was favoring his left ankle, and the left part of his rib cage, but he ignored all that to reach Hinata.

“Don’t die, Shoyo,” he pleaded. “We’ll get you to a hospital, okay?”
Hinata couldn’t speak, but he shook his head slightly. His breathing was labored and whistled with each exhalation.
The rest of the team came to gather around them. No one was dry-eyed, including Hoshiumi.

He might not have been able to talk, but he mouthed words to each of his friends.

To Noya: “You were my favorite older brother. Watch over Kei.”
To Suga: “Second best Mom. Watch over Kei.”
To Akaashi: “You’re a great leader.”
To Hoshiumi: “I’ll be waiting.”
To Kei: “I’m glad we were finally friends.”

Before he left them forever, his face brightened, and it was as if they were looking at first-year Shoyo Hinata again. On his lips, and with just enough strength to whisper, they all heard him say, “Tobio.”

And then he slipped forever beyond their reach.


Chapter 10 - Part Ten

“Kuroo, will you stop pacing? They’ll be here.” Bokuto assured him for the nth time.
“What time is it?” he asked. Again.
“Five minutes from the last time you asked, dear,” his mother replied, completely nonchalant while she started cooking their dinner.
Kuroo didn’t bother to reply to either of them, knowing he was being a pain, but growing more worried as the minutes ticked by.
“Hey, Bo? Have you seen Kaori yet?” Yachi asked from her place beside Eita. “You said she’d be here.”
“I did,” Bokuto confirmed. “But no, I haven’t seen her, either. If I know her, she’ll show up when she’s ready. Pretty sure I know why she’s late.”
“Oh yeah?” Eita chimed in to the conversation. “Why?”
“Osamu,” was all he needed to say, and everyone remained silent.

What was left of their two groups had made it to the safe house before sunset on the second day of their flight. They were exhausted, hungry, and unwilling to make another move until everyone was there. Without any word from Akaashi, no one knew who survived from his group, and as time passed, everyone grew more on edge. Only Kuroo showed his worry outwardly. The rest kept it to themselves. Mostly.

Yachi and Eita huddled together. It seemed the grumpy former setter had formed an attachment for the tiny former manager at some point during their travels. He hovered over her constantly, making sure she was taken care of. And it seemed she appreciated his efforts, smiling shyly up at him, sitting close to him, even falling asleep against him right after they’d arrived.

Kuroo looked at them and grinned, and then caught his mother looking rather smug. Of course she’d have a hand in their new relationship. Yuki Kuroo was nothing if not a consummate matchmaker. Still, the love of his life had yet to arrive, and it was driving him crazy. Without another word, he walked toward the front door, intending to wait outside.

“Kuroo?” He heard Bokuto’s voice behind him.
“Yeah?”
“We can’t go out. Not yet. We don’t know if we were followed.”
“Wouldn’t they have done something by now, if we were?”
“Dunno. With two of the three leaders dead, anyone left who’s smart enough will likely disappear. Grandmother’s also dead, so there’s no reason to go back. Unless her ‘council’ has taken over, which I suspect they haven’t. That said, it’s still best to not give away our position to anyone who may not have gotten the memo.”
“Right.”
“They’ll be here,” Bokuto said again. He was about to say something else, when he suddenly reached for his phone. He took it out and answered quickly.

“Hello…?” Barely a heartbeat later, “oh, thank god!”
Kuroo’s full attention was on his friend, and Bokuto looked back at him. The smile on his face was blinding.
“Hang on a sec, okay? I’m going to put you on speaker.”
Bokuto quickly grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the kitchen, where everyone else was waiting. He put the phone on the table and pushed a button.
“We’re here, Keiji.”
“Hey guys! Thought we’d take the risk and call you. We’ll be there in about thirty minutes, give or take. Do you need us to stop for anything?”
“You make it sound like we’re all just here to party,” Eita said sarcastically. Yachi put her hand on his arm. “Sorry. Bring drinks.”
“Got it.” There was a long pause. “Who’s there, Bo?”
Immediately, the mood in the room plummeted. Bokuto sighed heavily and looked at each one as he said their names.
“Yuki, Eita and Yachi, Kuroo and myself. We’re waiting on Kaori, and you guys.”
Another long pause. “That’s it?”
“Yeah. How about you?”
“Kei, myself, Hoshiumi, Noya, and Suga.”
“Damn.”
“I know. Hey, look, we need to keep moving. Just thought I’d let you know we’re almost there.”
“Thank you. See you shortly.”
“See you.”

No one spoke for a long while after. Only Yuki moved to the stove to make sure nothing burned. Yachi had huddled closer to Eita, who wrapped his arms around her.

“I shouldn’t be surprised,” Bokuto said quietly. “We all knew he wasn’t going to give up.”
“He really wasn’t the type to let anything, or anyone stop him when he was truly determined,” Eita agreed.
“Still, he promised,” Yachi replied.
“I don’t think he did,” Yuki stated. “I mean, I don’t know that for sure. The only ones who can truly answer that will be here soon.”

Another long silence, and then Kuroo quietly excused himself from the group, going back toward the door. This time he didn’t stop; he opened the door, closed it, and took a quick walk around to the back of the safe house. It was pitch dark; there was no moon to illuminate their surroundings. Around the corner, he backed up against the wall and slid down until he was sitting. He drew up his knees and rested his arms over them, his head bent down as if he was exhausted. And, in many ways, he was. This was the first time they’d been able to stop for longer than a max of a couple hours.

“Kuroo…”
“I know. I’m sorry. I had to get out.”
Bokuto sighed and moved to sit beside him.
“You’re relieved, aren’t you?”
Kuroo nodded, but then spoke. “Yeah.”
“It’s okay. Your fiance is still alive, so you’re well within your rights to feel relieved. Happy, even. I feel the same, too.”
“Yeah, but…”
“You didn’t know Hinata the way we did.”
“Well, no, I didn’t. But I didn’t want to be in there, looking relieved and happy while everyone else….”
“It’s fine. We understand. This isn’t anything you’ve ever experienced…”
“And never want to again,” Kuroo interrupted. “Fair warning, Bo: I’m going to steal Kei away from all of you.”
“No argument here. To be honest, I’m going to steal Keiji away. Oikawa’s going back home to his boyfriend. I’m sure you noticed Eita and Yachi?”
Kuroo grinned. “Yeah. And I’m one hundred percent sure my mother had a hand in it.”
Bokuto chuckled. “Clearly, she has a gift.”
“Yeah, if that’s what you wanna call it.”
“Right. Anyway, after this is finally over, we might not see each other for a while.”
“How long is a while?”
“Don’t know.”
“Think we could stay in touch?”
“First, you tell me you never want to do this ever again, and now you ask to stay in touch?”
Kuroo grinned, hearing the irony. “I mean, if you don’t want to…”
“Dude, I think it’s fair to say that you’ll have a few new numbers in your contacts when we’re finally, officially, done. Whether you want them or not.”
“Thanks, Bo.”
“No problem.”

They stayed there and talked quietly until they were called inside for dinner.

~*~

“I am going to eat everything!” Noya exclaimed as he burst through the door of the safe house, roughly thirty-five minutes later.
“That’s one way to announce your arrival,” Bokuto exclaimed, rising from the table.
“Sorry we’re a bit late. We ran into someone at the store,” Keiji said, gesturing back at Kaori who followed him in.

Everyone else dropped their forks and hurried to meet the last of their teammates. Once they were all inside, everyone stood there, just staring at each other. Noya, Suga, Kei, Hoshiumi, Akaashi, and Kaori faced Eita, Yachi, Yuki, Bokuto, and Kuroo. Eleven of them. Less than half of what they started with. Not including the three they’d be meeting soon.

It was Yachi who started the welcoming, walking away from Eita’s side and moving directly to where the remaining Crows were waiting for her. Immediately, they gathered around her, wrapping her, and each other, up in their arms. This led to Bokuto and Akaashi joining Kaori, and Eita standing with Yuki, Kuroo, and Hoshiumi, watching the whole thing. Eventually, everyone gathered together in the kitchen, and Yuki served more food.

No one spoke about their fallen friends. Especially not Hinata. They kept talking about who they met along the way, and how they were looking forward to everything finally ending. Later, Yuki and Yachi helped everyone unroll the futons and get everyone settled for the night. This was something everyone had been looking forward to almost as much as the hot meal they’d just had. In the midst of the chaos, two people slipped away. If anyone noticed, they didn’t see fit to tell the others.

~*~

Tetsu had noticed something off about Kei the moment he’d walked in the door. It was hard to explain; it was as if he had become a different person. There were the normal reactions: laughing at something funny, smiling at friends, joining in to tell part of a story… nothing that would seem out of the ordinary. Kei’s eyes, however, were dull, lifeless.

Tetsu could hardly stand seeing him this way. That’s why he waited for the perfect time to sneak out with Kei. He almost had to drag him at first, which was also part of the difference he’d noticed. When he looked back at Kei, before they left the light from inside the house, he’d seen the way his love’s eyes tried to see into the darkness, scanning their surroundings.

When he reached his spot behind the house, he pushed Kei against the house, and stood in front of him. He could barely make out Kei’s face, and that was going to make things difficult.

“Kei, what’s wrong?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re… different. I can’t explain it, but something’s wrong.”
He felt more than saw Kei’s head tilt. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“Too late,” Tetsu muttered. “I’m already worried. You’re not yourself. Something’s wrong, and I want to help…”
“Nothing’s wrong, Kuroo-san. I’m fine.”

The fact that Kei used his family name and honorific instead of calling him ‘Tetsu’ was enough to worry him further. The fact that Kei’s voice was just as dull and lifeless as his eyes, was frightening. This wasn’t the Kei he knew, and he took a step back, unsure how to get his Kei back. Another step, and he knew this was more than he could possibly handle alone was hammered home. Kei didn’t try to stop him, didn’t reach out for him, remained silent and alert.

“I.. I don’t know what to do,” Tetsu murmured. “What can I do?”

Footsteps approached, and Kei grabbed his arm, roughly switching places with him. Tetsu hit the wall, and Kei had his back to him, and he was standing as if ready to attack whoever was coming. From both sides of the house, Noya, Suga, and Yachi appeared. All of them carried lanterns with soft light to lend them sight. They placed themselves a few feet apart from each other, as if surrounding Kei.

“We’ve seen this before,” Noya said first, as if to explain.
“Hinata was in the same state after…” Suga added. “But you’re right. This is different.”
“You heard us?” Tetsu asked, unsure if he should be irritated or grateful.
“Yes,” Yachi answered. “We noticed the difference, too. It’s like, he’s going through all the motions of normality…” her voice faded.
“... but when it came to fighting and surviving and keeping others safe… Well, we made sure to stay out of his way,” Suga finished.
“Did he…”
“Kill people?” Noya finished his question. “Yeah, probably. We didn’t go back to find out for sure, though.”
There was a long pause, and then Suga spoke directly to Kei.
“You can stop now, Kei. Your job is done,” he said calmly.
“I can’t, senpai. It’s not over. We’re not safe.”
“We are safe, Kei. We made it to our safe house. We’ll be meeting your parents and Oikawa soon. It’s over.”
“Suga senpai, it’s not over!”
Noya’s head dipped, and he sighed. “Mind if I try something, Suga?”
“I didn’t think he’d gone that far, but yeah. Might as well. See if your way will snap him out of this.”

Yachi had slowly made her way to Tetsu while Kei was distracted. She tried to get his attention, but he was too engrossed in the exchange between Kei and Suga. When she reached for his hand, he blinked hard and looked down at her.

“Come on,” she told him, giving his hand a tug. “If this is going where I think it’s going, you and I need to get out of range.”
“Why? What’s going to happen?”
“They might have to fight him.”
“But, he’d be able to beat both of them.”
“They aren’t alone…” she tilted her head, and Tetsu noticed that the others had come out, too. Only two carried weapons: Eita had a taser and Bokuto had a collapsible baton.
“Wait, no. I want to help him. I need to help him.”
“How? Your way wasn’t working before.”
“No, but there’s got to be a way to help without hurting him.”
“Kuroo-san, he’s buried any part of himself you might know. The only reason we recognize it is we’ve seen it before.”
“Right. Suga mentioned that. But he also said it was different.”
“Hinata changed because of grief and the need for revenge. Kei is also grieving, but as far as we can tell, he wasn’t out for vengeance. It’s something else.”
“Okay, I get that. But what?”
“Kei’s the only one who can answer that.”

Tetsu went with her and joined his mother and Kaori, who were mainly there for support. He hated having to stand aside, but if this was going to help Kei come back to himself, then he’d do what he had to. Even so, his mind was spinning with alternative ways to bring him back without hurting him.

“Snap out of it, Beanpole.” Noya’s voice was hard. “You’re done. You can stop.”
“I can’t, Noya-senpai.”
“Why the fuck not?”
“They’re trying to kill us! We have to live. I can’t let them kill you!”
“So, you think you can save us all?”
“I have to try!”
“Well, you did try, I’ll give you that. But you failed.”
“Noya…” Suga interrupted quietly. “What are you doing?”
Noya ignored him. “You failed!” he shouted. “Kinoshita, Narita, Tanaka, Kiyoko… Hinata! You didn’t save any of them! You failed!”
Kei blinked rapidly, but his stance remained the same. “I know! Don’t you think I know that?! I tried, but he wouldn’t listen, so I told him to fight. And I told him I’d help.”
“Oh. Oh no. I get it now,” Suga said to Noya.
“Yeah,” Noya agreed. “I thought that’s what it was.”

Tetsu was having a little trouble following, but he was starting to piece it together. Yachi’s hand, still holding his, was shaking. When he looked at her, he saw tears running down her face. Her other hand was covering her mouth. His mother had come up to hold his other hand. Her eyes were watery, but she hadn’t shed any tears.

“Mom?”
“Tell me what you think, Tetsuro.”
She always told him that when she knew he wanted to work something through out loud. She was his sounding board. He’d smile if he could, but right now…
“At some point, Kei shut himself away. At least, the part that we know. What he is right now must be who he was when he was on the run and alone. Someone who simply survives, and does what he has to in order to survive.”
“Yes. To a point.”
“Right. The difference here is, he wanted to help his friends in the way he knew how. That was his fighting.”
“Sounds about right.”
“And just now, he was talking about Hinata.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you think he’s blaming himself?”
“Among other things, yes.”
“Other things?”
“He may be thinking he sent Hinata to his death.”
“Oh god.”
“Tetsu, when I say the word, you go to him, okay?”
“Yeah.”

“Kei, Shoyo wasn’t going to listen to anyone. It’s not your fault,” Suga took over for Noya. “I’m sure he appreciated your help…”
“I told him to stay alive. I told him…” his hands went to his head and he started wobbling, as if he was about to drop.
“Go, Tetsu! Go now!”

Tetsu was running to reach Kei before she even finished telling him to go. Once he got there, he threw his arms around Kei and held tight, as if to keep him from flying apart. Around him, the others gave them their space. A few went back inside, including his mom. Noya, Suga, Yachi, and Eita, stayed outside with them.

“It’s alright, now, Kei. I’m here. It’s okay. Come back to me.”
“Why, Tetsu? Why didn’t he listen? I thought we were friends! He told me we were friends.” Kei’s voice faded to a whisper, and then broke as he started crying. Tetsu couldn’t reply, so all he did was hang on.

~*~

Later that night, after Tetsu had helped Kei back inside and tucked him into bed, he sat beside him and watched him sleep, holding his hand. A few minutes later, a mug of tea floated into his vision. He looked at it, and then up at the person holding it. Suga smiled gently, and Tetsu took the mug from him.

“How are you holding up?” Suga asked after he sat down next to him.
“Well enough, I think,” he replied, taking a sip of the tea. “Thanks for this.”
“You looked like you needed it.”
“Thanks. I think.”
Suga chuckled. “We’re all so concerned about Kei, so we didn’t think about how you were managing this.”
“To be honest, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I didn’t really understand what had happened to him.” Putting the mug down, he reached over and ran his fingers through Kei’s hair. “He called me ‘Kuroo-san.”
“As if he knew who you were, but not what you meant to him.”
“Yeah.”
“Sorry about that.”
“Why are you sorry?”
Suga took a deep breath, and then exhaled. “We didn’t let him mourn Akiteru’s death. We couldn’t. We needed everyone to stay focused. On top of that, Shoyo’s determination for revenge didn’t help either. I guess Kei decided that if he couldn’t stop Sho, he’d help out, instead.”
“What happened?”
“Shoyo and Ushiwaka fought each other. While that was going on, Kei kept anyone from interfering. He mowed down all but two of Ushiwaka’s men. Then, Shoyo killed Ushiwaka. But, Ushiwaka choked him, crushed his windpipe. He wasn’t able to speak, but he mouthed his last words to us. He told Kei he was glad they finally became friends.”
“It sounded like Kei thought they already were.”
“He probably did. Shoyo made it easy.”
“Oh.”
“I think he’ll be fine, now that you’re together again. That was another thing that affected him that we couldn’t let him dwell on too much; he missed you terribly. I apologize again.”
“It’s fine. I get why you had to do it.”
“I know I don’t need to tell you, but, help him out, okay? It’ll be rough at first, but he knows you’re here now, so that’s a big help.”
“I will.”
“Good.”
Suga smiled again and stood up, taking their empty mugs to the kitchen, and leaving them alone. Tetsu, finally letting his exhaustion win, crept under the blankets, snuggled up close to Kei, and held him in his arms. He was asleep in minutes.


Chapter 11 - Part Eleven

After reporting to Mitsuhide early the next morning, the survivors settled into their safe house for a few days. It was decided that they needed all the rest they could get, and they could take time to mourn the loss of their friends. Then, they were to meet Mitsuhide, Hotaru, and Oikawa, who were on their way up the coast, at the Tsukishima residence. But there was no hurry.

Hoshiumi and Kaori had gone out to get a few things for the group and discovered a small Inari shrine nearby. They suggested going after lunch, and when everyone was ready, they all made their way to it. The walk to the grounds of the shrine didn’t take long; thirty minutes at most. They kept chatter to a minimum, mostly out of habit, but mainly because they were all lost in their own memories.

Tetsu stayed close to Kei, who was steadily making his way back to himself. Kei’s memories were buried, but not too deeply, and not lost, which was a relief for Tetsu. It was kind of like piecing a puzzle together. Kei would remember something, and if anyone else had a similar memory, or at least knew what he was talking about, they’d “suddenly” remember it as well, and talk with him about it.

Watching Kei and Suga talk about their team when it was whole, with Noya and Yachi joining in, he could see the light return to those golden brown eyes. His reactions were more genuine than mechanical, and his smile was natural rather than forced.

Once they reached the ichi no torii, the group passed through it slowly. Everyone had settled into silence, partially in respect to the shrine, but also because they ran out of things to say. Tetsu and Kei hung back until they were the last ones to enter.

“Kyoto…” Kei whispered. He stopped walking along the sando, and Tetsu stopped a couple paces later. Turning to face him, Tetsu nodded encouragement.
“We were in Kyoto,” Kei said a little bit louder. “Your aunt - no, your mom - sent us, didn’t she?”
“You could say that. We won the trip as a prize.”
Kei smiled. “And you weren’t happy that our hotel room happened to also be the bridal suite.”
“Not at first, no.”

Kei laughed softly and shoved his hands in his pockets, continuing to walk past him, further down the sando, clearly pleased that he remembered something between them. Tetsu sighed, hopes dashed for a longer talk, and he turned to catch up with Kei at the temizuya. Bokuto and Akaashi grinned as they stepped up to the basin and waited for them to wash their hands and rinse their mouths.

The four of them walked past the guardian figures. Ironically, they were all kitsune, with little red bibs tied around their necks, and each one holding something different in their muzzles. Tetsu watched Kei’s gaze as it lingered on each statue. It reminded Tetsu of the smaller shrines they’d visited the first full day in Kyoto. Was Kei remembering that as well?

When they reached the haiden, where everyone else was waiting, they stepped up to the donation box and threw a few coins in, and Bokuto rang the bell. Everyone bowed deeply twice, clapped twice, and each offered a silent prayer. They bowed one more time, and then stepped to the side, and then turned to make their way back. Along the way, they met a priest, and Akaashi thanked him for allowing them to pray during off hours, handing him an envelope with a bigger donation.

On the way back, Tetsu and Kei walked a little slower than the rest, and when they were far enough away, Tetsu felt Kei touch his hand. It was the first time since they reunited that Kei reached for him, and Tetsu couldn’t help his smile. He didn’t look at Kei, not right away. Instead, he gently took Kei’s hand in his, bit his lip, and nervously put his other hand on his neck.

He knew he was flushed, but when he heard Kei chuckling, he finally looked at him. Kei was watching him this time.

“What?”
“Oh… nothing.”
“No, what? Is my hair a mess?”
“Your hair is always a mess.”
“It is not! I brush it.”
Kei stopped and faced him fully. “And yet, it always looks like the wind attacked you.”
And then he did something Tetsu never thought he’d do. Not this soon, anyway. Kei let go of his hand and reached up to run his fingers through Tetsu’s hair. It was a gentle touch, one that Tetsu had missed this whole time they’d been apart. Cool fingers softly sifting through his dark hair.

“I missed this,” Kei said, echoing his thoughts. “I missed you.” He whispered, his eyes held a far-away expression. Then he blinked, and it was gone.

He started to take his hand away, but Tetsu gently grasped his wrist. There was so much more he wanted Kei to say; so much he wanted to say. But he didn’t want to push Kei, not knowing how that would affect his memory.

“Tetsu, I… want to remember.”
“I know. I want you to remember too. But I don’t know how to help you remember any faster.”
Kei’s eyebrows scrunched. “I’ve already recalled more than before. It would take much longer when I was alone.”
“This has happened before?”
Kei nodded. “A few times. Forgot everything, except running, surviving. Kept going until I felt sure I was safe. I’d go through my things, and something would trigger a memory, and the rest would eventually come back. It would just take a while, though. Longer than this time.”
“What’s different about this time?”
Kei smiled. “I have people around me. People I know, and who know me. We might not have been around each other for years, but they remember things with me.” Tetsu was surprised again when Kei leaned forward and rested against his forehead. “And I have you. You being here with me, even if we’re not talking, is wonderful. And necessary. Don’t leave me.”
“I won’t. Ever again.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”

~*~

For the rest of their time at the safe house, Kei’s memories steadily returned. Good, bad, and ugly, he remembered. Through it all, Tetsu stayed with him, as promised. Of course, Kei rarely let him out of his sight, but that didn’t bother Tetsu at all. They were inseparable.

The survivors held a sort of memorial service for their fallen friends, past and present. They built a fire around sundown, after enjoying a delicious dinner, and took turns telling stories of their friends. They included stories of them while they worked to protect Kei, and even a few memories of them before they died. They talked well into the night, and only stopped when they were silent for long periods of time.

When Mitsuhide called them a day later, they were ready to leave. They took their time traveling, unlike before, which was nice. It only took a few hours, but they finally arrived in the small town that Kei had once called home.

It was bigger than he remembered; new buildings where none used to be. His favorite park was smaller than it was when he left, though somehow, his favorite spot still remained. Even Karasuno High looked different; but more so because of landscaping and some remodeling. Still, it felt different than when he’d gone there, and it tugged a few heartstrings.

When they reached the boundaries of his Grandmother’s residence, he stopped completely. An overwhelming sense of needing to run away, as far and as fast as he could, swept over him. Without realizing it, he clung to Tetsu, fighting an inner battle to keep from leaving.

Tetsu wrapped his arm around him, and whispered, “I’m here, Moonshine. It’s okay. Everything is going to be alright.” At that same moment, he pointed at the gated entrance. Three people were standing there waiting: his dad, his mom, and Oikawa.

“This is wrong,” Kei said softly.

Tetsu didn’t say a word. They all knew it should be Akiteru standing there, not Oikawa. Still, he wanted to go to them. For the first time in forever, he wanted to run up to his parents like the little boy he once was.

“I’ll be right here, love,” he heard Tetsu say gently, kissing his temple. “Go to them.”

Kei didn’t need to be told twice.

He ran like his life depended on it.
He saw nothing but his parents waiting for him.
He didn’t see Oikawa stepping aside and making his way to the others.
He didn’t stop until he was wrapped up in his dad’s arms, and his mom was hugging them both.

Not a single person among them had dry eyes.

Most of the group went inside to see what they could find, and if anyone had been left behind. As curious as he was to look around inside the house where they lived before his world shattered, Kei couldn’t bring himself to go any further than the large flower garden in the front yard. He doubted anything inside would be the same, anyway. Kei didn’t think his old room would be left untouched; his grandmother probably had it cleared and everything burned. He wouldn’t have put it past her to do it. And Akiteru’s room… he shied away from thinking of his older brother. It still hurt that he wasn’t here with them now.

“Beautiful garden,” Tetsu said from where he stood in front of a wall of rose bushes.
“Mom loves flowers, and this is the one thing Grandmother let her have for her own,” Kei replied. He ran his fingers lightly over the petals of a lavender-colored hydrangea bush. “Paid quite a bit for gardeners who knew what they were doing.”
“I’m surprised they’re still thriving. I would have thought they’d be dead or dying by now.”
Kei snorted. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the gardeners were still coming around. I met a couple that would have come without the pay. They loved the variety of flowers and plants, and the challenge of keeping them alive.”
“Hmmm,” was all he heard in reply.
Kei looked over at Tetsu, who was watching him. Slowly, he walked toward him, and when he was just a few feet away, Tetsu handed him a beautiful, perfect red rose.
“It was too perfect,” he said with a tiny shrug, a touch of pink dusting his cheeks. “I don’t think anyone will mind,” he said quietly.
“Even if they did, I don’t care,” Kei replied, lifting the rose and inhaling it’s rich fragrance. “I love it.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
A brief pause, and then Kei started giggling. “I bet Grandmother’s spinning in her grave right now.”
“Good, because I know something that would probably send her into orbit.”
Kei started laughing, tugging a smile from Tetsu’s lips at the sight. “The mental image alone is too much, Tetsu!”
“Yeah, well…” he shrugged. Reaching out, he grasped Kei by the waist and pulled him closer. “Let’s see if it works.”
“By all means.”

The kiss started slow, gentle, as if it were their first. And maybe it was; it was certainly the first since they left the villa. It was also their first since Kei’s arrival at the safe house. As moments passed, the kiss grew more passionate. Open mouths, tongues tangling, little moans as the kiss deepened. Kei’s arms were wrapped around Tetsu’s neck, the rose dangling precariously from his fingers. Tetsu had somehow worked his hands under Kei’s shirt, caressing the warm skin of his sides and back. This only made the kiss turn into something more hungry, desperate, and borderline out of control.

“Ahem.”
The voice startled them, but not enough to stop.
“I mean, I don’t care if you start making out in front of god and everyone, but I’m sure there are a few here who’d rather not see it.”
“I lost my eye mask,” someone else said.
“I don’t have enough brain bleach for this,” another chimed in.
“Guys, you’re ruining the moment.”
“Some moments need ruining.”
“Have we come at a bad time?”
“Obviously.”
The banter kept going until Tetsu finally eased back from Kei and glared at their friends.
“Seriously? You couldn’t have waited?”
“Until when? The way you two were going at each other, we’d have been traumatized for life,” Oikawa sniped. “Besides, we’re done here. Time to go.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, ‘Oh.” Suga said sarcastically. “We’re going back to the safe house. Thought you’d like to know.”
“Fine. We’ll catch up.”
“You sure? I don’t want to be sent back to get you and find you two…” Noya gestured toward the ground.
“Shut up, Noya!” Kei hollered. “We’ll catch up. Promise.”
“Five minutes.”
“Five minutes.”

~*~

Five minutes and a trip back to the safe house later, Kei and Tetsu were seated together with everyone in the kitchen.

“We didn’t really find much of anything,” Mitsuhide reported. “The main residence was ransacked, and Grandmother’s private suite was in even worse condition. We’ve given the authorities some of the information from Hisashi’s flash drives, and they’ll be going in later. Anyone still affiliated with her organization will be brought in for questioning.”
“That’s if they find anyone,” Bokuto muttered. “We didn’t see a soul where we looked.”
“You guys had the main residence, and outer buildings, right?” Oikawa asked.
“Yeah. Everything was a wreck. It’s amazing they didn’t try to demolish the buildings.”
“They didn’t have Fukunaga and the Miyans,” Eita quipped, and the group laughed fondly.
“Well, we found her councilmen,” Oikawa continued. “None were alive. One even committed suicide, from the look of it.”
“Oh yeah?” Noya looked intrigued. “Who were they?”
Oikawa took a minute, looking rather uncomfortable. He was about to say something, but shut his mouth, scrubbed a hand through his hair, and then looked directly at Eita.
“Washijo was one of them,” he said, and Eita winced. “He may have died of natural causes. There weren’t any noticeable wounds.”
Eita nodded, playing with Yachi’s fingers as he held her hand. “Can’t say I’m surprised,” he muttered. “He had a bad temper, and was set in his ways.”
“Who else?” Suga asked, trying to get things back on track.
“Omizu. He’s the one who committed suicide.”
“Who’s that, though?” Noya asked, looking genuinely curious.
“Head coach for Nohebi Academy VBC,” Kuroo answered. “Also not much of a surprise, considering Daishou was captain of the team.” He sighed and held Kei closer. “Really, I’m more surprised that their entire team didn’t automatically join Grandmother.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Well, yes and no. They didn’t all follow Daishou willingly.”
“Right.”
“Who else?” Kaori asked gently, noticing Oikawa had a troubled look on his face. When he didn’t answer right away, she said, “you knew him, didn’t you?”
Nodding slowly, he rubbed his hands over his face. “I knew him. I was actually tipped off about it by Iwa-chan, but couldn’t bring myself to believe him.”
“So, who…?” Hoshiumi asked.
“Coach Irihata.”
“Whoa. Didn’t think he’d get involved,” Noya said.
“Neither did I.”
“Alright, guys,” Mitsuhide interrupted. “I think we can safely assume that this is over. Your assignments are hereby concluded. Hotaru and I will be heading back to the villa, and our doors will always be open to any of you who want to visit or need a place to stay. It’s been a pleasure working with you, all things considered. You have my number, and Hotaru’s. Keep in touch.”
“I wouldn’t say it’s completely over,” Yuki spoke up from her place beside Suga. “We left most of our stuff at the villa, so we have to go back there, too.”
“Guess we’ll be together for a little while longer,” Hotaru spoke up with a smile. “I wasn’t ready to say goodbye yet, anyway.”

No one was, not even Oikawa, who had once told Mitsuhide he’d be gone as soon as they were done. For the next several hours, though dinner and past, they made plans to go back to the villa.

There were a few more things left to finish before they finally parted ways.

~*~

It was in the wee hours of the morning, in a darkened kitchen, where five people gathered quietly around the table: Kei, Tetsu, Mitsuhide, Hotaru, and Yuki. In the middle of the table, a small box, not much bigger than a shoe box, sat waiting to be opened. Hotaru slid it toward Kei, who looked at it suspiciously, and then at her.

“Some of the things in there are from your room, before Grandmother had it cleared.”
“Ah,” he replied quietly. “I kinda knew she wouldn’t want any reminders left of my existence.”
“We saved what we could without drawing too much notice.”
Kei swallowed past the sudden knot of feels in his throat. “We?”
“We. Akiteru and I. It was his idea to do it,” she told him quietly. “He hoped to give this to you himself, once you forgave him.”

Kei nodded, and held onto Tetsu’s hand, which had eased into his, weaving their fingers together. He leaned against his fiance, staring at the box. Kei reached for it, but took back his hand. He wanted to know what Aki saved, but couldn’t yet bring himself to open the box. His big brother had packed this box with things he thought Kei would like to have. But there was one thing Kei wanted most of all, and it was much bigger than the box. He really wanted his big brother back.

“Do you want to wait?” Tetsu asked him quietly, whispering the question in his ear.
Kei started to nod, but then shook his head. “It won’t matter when I open it, I’m still going to feel this way. Might as well see what’s in it now.”
“Okay, Moonshine.”
As Kei reached for the box again, his mother looked at Tetsu. She smiled gently and asked, “Moonshine?”
“I gave him the nickname while we were in Kyoto.”
“It’s a good one,” she approved. “How did you come up with it?”
“I remember asking you about it, and never did get an answer,” Kei joined in, diverted for the moment from opening the box.
“I seem to remember you saying something about giving me a nickname as well,” Tetsu teased.
“I’m still thinking of one.”
“Right.” Tetsu kissed him on the cheek and then looked back at Hotaru, who was watching them with the happiest little smile on her face. “We were at the Fushimi Inari shrine,” he told her. “It was after midnight, and we pretty much had the place to ourselves. We went all the way to the top of the mountain path. That’s where I told him I loved him.”
“Oh, how sweet,” she said wistfully.
Tetsu flushed. “Yeah, well, I have a picture of that moment on my phone. Anyway, the moon was shining just enough to make his hair look silvery, and his eyes were bright… the name just kinda popped in my head, and it fit.”
“You big sap,” Kei grinned at him.
“I’m your big sap.”
“I should hope so.”
“Hush it. Open that box.”
“Right.”

Lifting the lid, he looked at the contents. “Oh, Aki,” he whispered, carefully reaching in and pulling out a small toy dinosaur. There were several more in the box, each one had been a gift from his brother. He brought them out, and set them on the table. There were also quite a few pictures of Kei and Tadashi, through their years at school, through graduation. There was his own class ring, and several volleyball knickknacks he’d collected, including the medal he won after winning the Shiratorizawa game in his first year.

Lying at the bottom of the box was a small notebook, and the words on the cover were in Akiteru’s handwriting: “To my baby brother.”

“I don’t think I can read that right now,” he said quietly. “Not yet.”
“Understandable,” his dad said. “Read it when you feel you can.”
“Yeah.”

They spent a little more time around the table, just talking about whatever came to mind. This was his immediate family, now. Mom, Dad, future Mom-in-law, fiance, and him. Kei looked at each face, and for just a brief moment, he thought he saw Aki standing behind his parents, smiling as he always did when they were growing up. But it was gone in the next moment. Perhaps it was just his mind playing tricks on him, but Kei chose to believe it was his big brother saying goodbye, one last time.


Chapter 12 - Part Twelve

Once they were at the villa, they packed up their belongings and then went through the painful task of packing up their friends’ things. They packed each person’s effects into a box, and then labeled them neatly. After they were finished, they sat around the kitchen, discussing their plans for the immediate future.

First thing they all agreed upon was to deliver the things belonging to their friends to their family members. Mitsuhide pulled up their files and gave addresses for the solemn deliveries. Since there were so few of them left, they also decided that everyone would go, out of a show of respect and love for their fallen teammates.

Bokuto and Kaori would give the twins’ boxes to their parents.
Kuroo volunteered to give Fukunaga’s box to his little sister, and Inuoka’s box to his little sisters.
Eita would give Kawanishi’s box to his older sister.

The rest were Crows, and the surviving members of the original team were adamant about delivering their teammates boxes themselves. Of course, the rest would go as well, as support, but it would be up to the Crows who would hand over each box. The slight hitch they had was Kiyoko’s and Ryunosuke’s boxes. Eventually, they decided to give both boxes to Saeko, Tanaka’s big sister. They also knew the hardest delivery of all would be Hinata’s box to his mom and little sister. Kei insisted he be the one to give them the box, which after some grumbling from Noya and Suga, was agreed upon.

Second, they talked about where they’d be going after they were finished.

Eita and Yachi were going home to Sendai. They wanted to discover where their budding relationship would take them. Already, Eita was itching to get his hands on his guitar again, and Yachi wanted her mom to meet him.

Noya wanted to travel a little bit before settling down to something permanent. This was something Asahi and he had wanted to do anyway, so Noya was going to make his travels a tribute to his lover.

Suga and Hoshiumi had nowhere to go, nowhere to call home, so they were going to stay at the villa, and move into the bungalows. Mitsuhide offered them work, as he’d need help dismantling Grandmother’s organization, such as it was. They agreed.

Bokuto and Akaashi were going back to Tokyo. They promised each other to rest as much as possible, and they wanted to reconnect with family they hadn’t seen in years. Plus, wedding plans. Everyone was invited, of course.

Kaori was going home to her family in Chiba prefecture. She hadn’t really spoken much since rejoining the group, and no one forced her to. She was mourning Osamu and what they hadn’t yet been able to start before he was taken from her.

Yuki, Tetsu, and Kei would also be heading back to Tokyo as well. Yuki had to get back to her quilting club, if only to tell them all the stories she could about her time away. Both Tetsu and Kei groaned and buried their faces in their hands. There’d be no avoiding the club once Yuki was done with her stories.

Tetsu, unsure if he still had a job with the JVA, was going back to pack up his stuff… and move in with Kei, above what was to become their little bookshop. Like Kei, he’d formed an attachment to the little shop, and couldn’t imagine not having it as a place to call home. And, as far as Tetsu was concerned, Kei was his home.

But before they did any of that, Kei remembered something important: his backpack and carry-on he’d left in a locker at the Osaka train station before arriving in Himeji. Also his laptop, and his own keys to his bookshop. He only hoped everything was still in the locker, or with the station authorities.

After they ate dinner, cooked by Yuki, Yachi, and Kei, they spent another couple hours talking and hanging out, and then split up to go to bed. Kei and Tetsu stayed to clean up, and then Tetsu left to get things ready in their bungalow.

Kei was just about done when someone walked in, taking a seat at the table. He heard a soft clink of metal, and after drying and putting away the last dish, he turned to see Oikawa. The man wasn’t looking at him, but at the shuriken loosely wrapped in a faded orange cloth. A black leather bag sat beside them.

“Do you need anything,” Kei asked carefully. “There’s still some food leftover. Or maybe…”
“No. Thank you, though,” Oikawa replied quietly, slowly looking up at Kei. “Join me?” and he gestured to the seat across from him.

Kei paused slightly, before walking over, and then sitting down. All Kei remembered about Oikawa was that he was the captain and setter for Seijoh, and that there had been no love lost between their two teams. That said, the two of them had never really dealt with each other before, so this was not only piquing his curiosity, but also giving him a chance to meet the man who had shared second in command with his brother.

“What’s up, Oikawa?” he asked after several minutes’ silence.
The man grinned ruefully. “Call me Tooru. Oikawa sounds so… formal.”
Kei raised an eyebrow. “It’s also polite. I don’t know you that well.”
“True enough. Tsuki, I…”
This time, Kei grinned ruefully. “If I’m going to call you Tooru, then it’s only fair you call me Kei.”
“Fine. Kei.” Tooru looked a little irritated, and smirked. “Gonna let me talk, now?”
Kei sighed dramatically, and returned the smirk. “If you must.”
“I must.” His expression returned to what it was before: serious, and perhaps a bit concerned. Kei waited him out. “Do you know these?” he asked, nodding to the stars.
“I mean, they are shuriken.”
“At least you’re keeping up. Look closer.”
“Okay, but why..?” Kei did as he was asked, and then his eyes widened. He quickly looked up at Tooru. “Shoyo’s stars?”
“Right. I’m sure you knew I had them, yeah?”
Kei nodded.
“Hinata gave them to me for safe-keeping. He told me he wasn’t going to use them again, which really should have tipped me off to his end goal, but I wasn’t really minding what he said. The fact that he was letting someone else touch his shuriken was, honestly, shocking enough to stop all thought.”

Kei touched a corner of the orange fabric, and turned the stars toward him. Shoyo’s name was engraved in script on each star, with the numbers 9/10 underneath. Under the numbers, Tobio’s name had been etched, the writing a little less careful.

“They were a gift,” he whispered, his fingertip just barely touching both names.
“Yeah. Tobio gave them to him after their wedding.”
“But… Shoyo gave them to you, Tooru.”
“No, he asked me to hold on to them. He wanted someone else to have them.”
“Wanted someone… else…” and then it clicked. “Oh. No, I can’t…”
Tooru pushed the shuriken closer to Kei, who started to push them back.
“He told me he was going to give them to you. I asked him why, and wouldn’t that be kind of mean, seeing as how he blamed you for so long.” He took a deep breath and exhaled. “Shoyo didn’t see it that way. He told me he wanted you to remember them as they were, back in school, and that he was happy you were at least frenemies, even if you weren’t quite friends.”

Kei blinked, and realized he was crying. Tooru smiled gently and handed him a handkerchief. Taking a few moments, he patted his face dry, and gently wrapped the stars in the orange fabric, and then slipped them into the leather bag. He couldn’t trust himself to speak, and Tooru seemed to understand that. Kei nodded, and started to rise, intending to go to Tetsu. But the other man stopped him by grasping his wrist and slipping a piece of paper into his hand.

“Keep in touch, okay? If you need to talk, rant, scream, cry… whatever. I know we aren’t close friends. Hell, I’m not even sure we can consider ourselves friends, but still. It helps to have someone outside to talk to, right?”
Kei nodded. “Yeah,” he replied, his voice scratchy from tears. “But, for what it’s worth, and after everything we’ve just been through, I think we can be friends.”
“Thank you, Kei.”
“You’re welcome, Tooru. See you in the morning?”
Tooru sighed again. “No. I’m leaving soon. I only stayed long enough to give these to you. Mitsu promised me I could leave as soon as we were done, and I miss my Iwa-chan. I’m going home.”
“Tell him I said hi.”
“Will do. See ya around?”
“Yeah. See ya around.”

~*~

“I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this,” Kei said softly as he sat in the middle of their bed, on top of their quilt. The leather bag holding Shoyo’s shuriken in front of him. “I mean, I believe we were friends, at least as much as we could be, but… to give me his stars?”
Tetsu sat behind him, his arms wrapped around him and holding tight.
“Maybe he considered you a friend even before he said anything?”
“But he really didn’t say anything. Not until he…” Kei’s voice stopped.
Tetsu’s arms tightened just a little more.
“What did Oikawa tell you?”
“That Shoyo wanted me to have them. That he wanted me to remember them as we were in high school,” Kei repeated. “That he was happy just being frenemies.”
“And before he passed, Hinata said…”
“He was glad we were finally friends.” Kei sighed, and tilted his head back to rest on Tetsu’s shoulder. “I wish he had told me, given me the stars himself.”
There was a short silence. “Would you have accepted them, then?”

Kei picked up the bag, opened it, and carefully took out one of the stars. As far as he could tell, they had never been used. Even if Tobio had survived, he doubted Shoyo would have used them. The stars were simple, yet beautiful, which pretty much summed up how Tobio and Shoyo saw each other, even when they fought like a pair of tigers. Each star had four points, edges still razor sharp, and made of black stainless steel.

“No, I wouldn’t have. I was just as determined to convince him to stay alive as he was to kill Ushijima and die. I guess his will was stronger than mine.”
“In this instance, yeah,” Tetsu agreed. “You’re pretty willful yourself, though.”
“Am I?” Kei asked, leaning forward just enough so that Tetsu would loosen his hold. Then he turned so that they faced each other. “How so?”
“Let me see…” Tetsu smiled and brushed his fingers through Kei’s hair. “Someone I love traveled practically non-stop, all over god knows how many prefectures, practically driving himself into the ground, refusing to stop or be caught. I’d call that willful.”
“I was surviving.”
“You had the will to live.”
“Well, I had someone I wanted to come home to.”
“And you call me a sap.”
“You are. A bigger sap than I could ever hope to be.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.”

They were both laughing softly as Tetsu pushed Kei down on the bed, settling between his legs. Both of them groaned at the contact, even if they were still fully clothed. In their pajamas. Which could easily be removed.

“Why don’t we finish what we started in the garden?”
“I almost wish we actually started.”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah. I wanted to see Grandmother spin her way into orbit.”
“Smartass.”
“Tetsu?”
“Yeah?”
“Shut up and show me what you were going to do.”

Tetsu didn’t need to be told twice.

~*~

The next morning, everyone (except Oikawa, who had already left) met in the kitchen for a hearty breakfast. Their bags, and the boxes containing their friends’ effects, were all stacked by the front door. Mitsuhide had arranged transportation for them, and also called family members to arrange meeting times. It was going to be a sad journey, but one they had to make.

Mitsuhide and Hotaru saw them off, and took turns shaking hands and hugging the young men and women who had been a part of their lives for years. No one said goodbye; they all exchanged phone numbers and written down addresses, so that at any time, they could call or visit.

They finally left, sitting quietly in a private car on the train to Kitakyushu in Fukuoka prefecture. For most of the four hour trip, they napped, or talked quietly. From there, they hopped on another train, for the hour and a half trip it took to get to Yamaguchi Station. Another three hours later, they made it to the Miya residence.

Bokuto and Kaori each took a box and went to meet Atsumu and Osamu’s parents. But they weren’t expecting to see Kiyoomi Sakusa as well. He accepted Atsumu’s box and quietly took it inside. The group was invited inside, and they gladly accepted. They spent time remembering the twins, consoling their parents, as well as Sakusa and Kaori.

When they had to leave, Kaori told them she was staying behind. It turned out that Osamu (and Atsumu) had spoken of her to their parents, and they offered her a place to stay until she had to go home. She accepted, and now they were down by one.

The next day, they traveled to Nerima ward in Tokyo, and it was Kuroo’s turn to give Fukunaga’s box to his sister, and the same for Inuoka. These meetings didn’t last for very long, but they made sure to spend a little time with the ladies, making sure they were okay to go home after they cried. Before they left, Kuroo gave them his number and told them to call if they needed anything. He’d be sure to help them out as best he could.
Then they made the three hour trip to Sendai. Since it was later than they expected, they stayed over at Eita’s parents’ house. This was a benefit to him, as well, since he could introduce Yachi to his parents. No surprise to anyone; they loved her almost immediately.

Eita and Yachi delivered Kawanishi’s box to his sister the next day. Since he was relatively new to the group, only Eita could share memories with her, and those Kawanishi was with before he passed were able to share a few stories. She thanked them, and they were on their way to the next meeting.

In the time it took them to get to Sendai from Miyazaki, Tanaka’s sister Saeko had reached out to other family members. It just made more sense if everyone was there at once. The only two that couldn’t make it were Hinata’s mom and sister.

Because they’d already traveled far too much, and she took care of the survivors. It didn’t matter if they went to another school, either. They were now her family, by virtue of her little brother and his wife. With the help of other family members, the small group of survivors were fed and given a place to sleep.

Noya and Suga gave Kinoshita’s box to his younger sisters, and Narita’s box to his older brother. They also gave both Tanaka’s and Kiyoko’s boxes to Saeko and Kiyoko’s older brother. For the rest of the day, and half the night, they shared memories, told stories, laughed, cried, and overall became the family Saeko declared them to be. She also declared them all to be the new Crows, which suited them all just fine.

Before bed that night, the survivors discussed the delivery of the final box. Kei would be the one to give Hinata’s box to his mother and Natsu, but Noya, Suga, and Yachi also wanted to be there, as they were part of the original team, the original Crows. The others also wanted to go, as a show of support and solidarity, considering they were also Crows, albeit new ones. Of course, this led to them scrapping with each other, and Saeko smiled from around the corner, with tears in her eyes. Even if they hadn’t really thought of it yet, they were Crows in spirit, and she could just imagine those that were missing were looking down on them and laughing.

~*~

“How did he do this every day?”
“Coach Ukai said he had unlimited stamina. Guess we know why, now.”
“I still think we should have taken the bus or something.”
“Oh come on! It’ll all be downhill when we go back!”
“That’s if we survive this.”
“It’s only biking uphill, guys.”
“How the hell did he do this every day?”

This bantering continued all the way to Hinata’s house. They thought it would be a nice tribute to their sunshine to bike there and back again. However, they hadn’t considered the steep grade most of the way up. Still, they kept up with each other, and made sure no one gave up along the way.

Kei remained silent, however, determined to get to the top. Just like Shoyo had been in school. He also carried the small box with Hinata’s things, and around his neck, the leather bag of stars. He’d made a decision last night, and only told Tetsu about it. This last task motivated him more than anything.

Eventually, they made it, and found Hinata’s mother and sister waiting for them with chilled water and a light snack. This was what she had done for her son every day and each year of his high school career. It was the least she could do for his friends. When they were rested, and ready, they all stood up and circled around Shoyo’s family. Kei stepped forward and handed her the box. She was already crying, and Natsu had unshed tears in her eyes. Kei could barely stand it, seeing Natsu cry, but he kept it together for a little while longer.

There were so many memories and stories to tell, and Natsu shared many of her own, as did his mom. As they had the day before, they laughed and cried, listened and spoke. The one thing they all noticed later was that Hinata had left a huge impression on each of them, and they’d never forget the smallest Crow.

When he had the chance, Kei drew Natsu to the side, and hoped for a few minutes of privacy. He sat her down, and knelt before her, holding out the leather bag.

“Shoyo gave these to me,” he explained quietly. “But I think they should be yours.”
“Do you not want them?” she asked, looking genuinely curious.
Kei paused. “I’m happy that he considered me a friend, and trusted me to take care of them, but…”
“Then they’re yours, Tsukishima-san. If he wanted me to have them, he’d have sent them home along with Tobio’s things, don’t you think?”
He lowered his arms, the bag still in his hands.
“Tsukishima-san…”
“Call me Kei.”
Natsu’s smile was as bright as her brother’s. It was like looking at the female version of Shoyo, sunshine and all.
“Kei. Those stars are yours now. Shoyo wanted you to have them, to take care of them. I’m sure he had a better reason than that, but I also know he’d want you to keep them, not give them to me.” She bit her lip, and her eyes went to the bag. “Can I see them?”
Kei smiled back at her. “Of course.”

He carefully opened the bag and took out the orange cloth, unwrapping the stars. Natsu’s eyes flooded with tears as she read the names on the shuriken, and she gently traced the engravings with her finger.

“How about a compromise?” Kei suggested, and Natsu looked up at him. “There are several stars. We can split them in half.”

Natsu managed to look so happy through her tears, and she nodded, agreeing to his idea. From around the corner, her mother came and gave them another piece of orange cloth, and Kei took it to wrap up half the stars. Natsu made him keep the leather bag; she had something she could put her stars in.

Before they left to go back, Natsu went up on tip-toe and kissed Kei’s cheek, surprising him (and everyone else). She didn’t need to tell him why, but he still flushed scarlet, and only shook his head with each question fired at him as they coasted back down the mountain.


Chapter 13 - Epilogue (Part One)

The group stuck together still, unwilling to part ways just yet. So, they all gathered at Sendai Station, chatting and just being together until the last possible moment. But even then, the last train to Tokyo came too soon. Eita, Yachi, and Noya stayed on the platform, and waved at their friends, who were waving back as the train slowly pulled out and away from Sendai.

“When do you plan to come back, Noya-san?” Yachi asked, trying her best to look happy for him, but instead looking rather sad and concerned.
“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. In contrast, his expression was excited and determined. “It might be a while. We planned on seeing quite a lot, actually.”
“Keep in touch,” Eita said simply.
“I will. See you two later! Don’t forget to invite me to the wedding!” He hugged Yachi, and shook hands with Eita, both of them squeezing hard.

Laughing, he let go and took off, running to go to his house and pack up for his early morning departure, Noya looked back. He had the distinct pleasure of seeing a grumpy Eita Semi blushing and grinning shyly, and Yachi smiling up at him.

~*~

At Tokyo Station, those left disembarked and made the mad dash to another platform. They made it with a few minutes to spare, and they all grouped around Suga and Hoshiumi.

“Keep in touch, okay?” Bokuto asked. “Let us know what’s going on.”
“Just can’t keep your nose to yourself, huh?” Hoshiumi replied with a smirk. “Don’t worry. We will.”
“Calls and texts do go both ways,” Suga gently reminded them. “Besides, we’ll be expecting invitations to your weddings.”
“Of course! We wouldn’t have it any other way,” Akaashi assured them.
“We’ll be in touch,” Tetsu said with a smirk. He left it at that, though everyone noticed the way his arm tightened around Kei’s waist.

The announcement for the train came over the PA system, along with a pleasant chime. The train itself, however, blared it’s arrival with a loud horn. They walked up to the yellow line and kept saying “See you later,” as Suga and Hoshiumi boarded the train. Within moments, they were gone, everyone waving as they did three hours before.

“I guess we’ll be seeing you soon,” Akaashi said as they walked through the station. “We can get together for dinner or something.”
“Sure,” Tetsu replied with a smile.
“I’d like that,” Kei added. “It’s going to be weird not seeing everyone else in the morning.”
“Yeah,” Bokuto agreed. “It’ll be like that for a while.”
“I know!” Yuki exclaimed as they exited the building and walked toward the line of cabs waiting. “I’ll make dinner! What do you boys want?”
No one answered for a minute. When she looked back at all of them, her face went from excitement to understanding.
“Perhaps not tonight,” she said. But, not to be deterred, she brightened up again. “Tomorrow?”
“Mom, we’re leaving for Osaka in the morning to pick up Kei’s stuff and explore the castle,” Tetsu said gently. “We’ll be back the next day.”
“And uhhh,” Bokuto seemed a little less sure of what he wanted to say, his face uncharacteristically pink and his hand on the back of his neck. “Well, you see…”
“How about next week?” Akaashi suggested. “I think we need to get back in the habit of staying in one place again.”
“Oh. Right,” she replied. “And I’m sure you two need to rest as much as the rest of us do.”
“Yeah,” Akaashi agreed. “Call me tomorrow. We’ll talk and set something up.”
“Sounds good to me,” she nodded. “Well, I guess we should head home.”
“Yeah.”
“Right. Home.”

They stood there looking at each other for several minutes, again, unwilling to part. It was Yuki who finally got them moving, clucking about them like a mother hen, ushering Bokuto and Akaashi to a cab, and hugging them tight. Once they were off, she shepherded her two boys to the next cab in line, got them all in the cab, and rode all the way to her house in comfortable silence.

~*~ Six Months Later ~*~

“Congratulations, you two!” Suga said as he shook Eita’s hand.
“We knew you’d be the first to get married,” Kei said to Yachi as he hugged her.
“We thought you two would be the first,” she replied, smiling at him, and then back at Eita. “But, if I’m honest, I’m kinda glad we were first.”
Kei gasped dramatically. “You’ve been corrupted! Eita’s competitive nature has rubbed off on you!”
“Shut it, Beanpole,” Eita growled, his eyes glinting and his smile looking rather deadly.
“Geez, Eita, lighten up,” Tetsu responded, slapping the man none too gently on the back. “He’s not wrong, though.”
“Alright, already,” Bokuto came up, acting like the peacemaker, but looking like he’d join any fight ready to erupt. “This is a wedding, not a brawl.”
“It’s not even a brawl,” Akaashi chimed in calmly.
“Yet,” Noya and Hoshiumi said at the same time.

As the men started bickering, Yuki and Kaori swooped in and saved an anxious Hitoka, taking her over to the buffet table and giving her a flute of champagne.

“They’ll stop eventually,” Yuki assured her as they sat down at a table and watched.
“I didn’t think Kei would be the one to start it, to be honest,” Kaori said.
“He was always the antagonist when we were in school,” Hitoka told them, smiling. “But you know what?”
“What?”
“Kiyoko once told me that Crows will always scrap with each other, but when it comes to something important, they band together. Just like a team. And that’s what they are.”
The ladies all shared a look and a smile, and then sat back to watch the men continue fussing with each other.

~*~ Ten Months Later ~*~

“I can’t believe they actually thought of doing this,” Hoshiumi said to Noya as they walked to their side of the net.
“Does it matter? This is going to be so much fun!”
“Well, Koutaro was one of the biggest fools for volleyball back in high school, and he’s been playing part time on one of the V. League teams,” Tetsu tried to explain from the opposite side.
“And even though he isn’t as obvious about it, Keiji’s just as bad,” Kei added from beside Tetsu.
“Well, this is certainly going to be interesting,” Eita said, joining Noya and Hoshiumi. “Including myself, there are three setters.”
“Nah. I’ll be a wing spiker today,” Suga smiled at him.
“Still, it’ll be interesting. Who else besides the newlyweds have actually played since high school?”
“Well, we might be a bit rusty, but I’m sure it’ll come back to us.”
“God, I hope so.”

So, it was at the reception for Bokuto and Akaashi’s wedding that they played a long overdue game of volleyball. They’d split up into two teams of four: Bokuto, Akaashi, Tetsu and Kei on one team; Suga, Noya, Eita and Hoshiumi on the other. Kaori volunteered to be the net referee, Hitoka would be the manager for both teams, and Yuki would be the cheering section.

It went as expected. The newlyweds’ team won the set.
And they all decided to stop after that. Not because any of them would admit to being out of practice, but because Bokuto and Akaashi had a train to catch to start their honeymoon in Okinawa. They’d be late if Bokuto got his way and played another set.

The group saw them off with much cheering and throwing of steamers. They cheered even louder as the two kissed before boarding the train, and waved wildly as the train took off for the first leg of their trip.

“You two are next,” Noya said as they made their way out of the station.
“Yeah, I guess we are,” Kei replied, smiling at Tetsu.
“Set a date yet?”
“No. We’re going to wait until the time feels right.”
“Huh. Would’ve thought you’d be the first to get married. Every time you were together, it was like we couldn’t pry you apart.”
“We thought we should kind of… start over,” Kei started to explain.
“We’d only known each other for about two and a half weeks,” Tetsu joined them. “Even though we hit it off pretty quickly, we didn’t have too much time to get to know each other. So, we thought it best to wait a while before rushing in.”
“That, and we had to settle into our lives again,” Kei said. “That’s going to take a bit more time.”
“Got it,” Noya replied, grinning at them. “Well, when you do finally decide to get married, I want to be the first to know.”
“Well, yeah. Duh,” Kei answered him. “Wouldn’t be fair to keep my best man in the dark.”
“What?!”
“You heard me.”
“Well… okay…”

Kei and Tetsu smiled at each other, having successfully managed to make Noya speechless.


Chapter 14 - Epilogue (Part Two)

~*~ One Year Later ~*~

“Thank you,” Tetsu said as he handed over several books to their last customers. “Come back again soon.”
“Oh, we will,” the lady said with a gleam in her eye; her friend was blatantly staring. “This shop is too adorable not to visit again.”
“Much appreciated,” he replied with a smile. He looked past them at Kei, who rolled his eyes.
“Have a good evening,” Kei said, holding the door for them as they left.
“Thank you!” they replied without looking back.

Kei closed the door and locked it, started pulling down the shades on the door and windows, closed curtains, and tidied up, while Tetsu opened the antique register and started counting the money. It was routine, and could be considered mundane, but Tetsu loved it as much as Kei did.

They’d been co-owners of the shop for a year now, and Tetsu found it fun and interesting, which he never expected. He was often the face their customers saw when they opened early in the morning, while Kei would be the one they saw before the shop closed late at night. He was the more sociable of them both, so he would chat with their customers, and Kei would quietly help them find books and serve them tea and snacks if they intended to use the chairs and tables. Kei took care of publicity and put ads in the local newspaper and created a web page on the internet. Their little shop eventually gained a bigger clientele, and not surprisingly, most of them were women.

“You don’t even try to charm them, but they flock in here to see you,” Kei said cheekily from where he was reshelving books. “Lady-killer.”
“That’s because I’m good-looking,” Tetsu replied, looking rather smug.
Kei’s eyebrows shot up. “Debatable.”
“Oh really? I seem to remember you saying I’m handsome as sin.”
“Not even once!”
“Last night, Sunday morning, while we were at the store on Tuesday…”
Kei snorted. “I honestly can’t believe you keep track of that.”
“You’d be surprised what I keep track of.”
“Oh yeah? Like what?”
“It’s a secret.”
“Which basically means you don’t keep track.”

Tetsu laughed, put the money in the safe box and rounded the counter, walking slowly to where Kei was replacing books on the shelves. He caged his fiance in with his arms, and leaned forward so that his chest was against Kei’s back, and he whispered in his ear.

“I keep track of many things,” he said, his lips lightly brushing the shell of Kei’s ear, and his voice pitched low. He felt him shiver and smiled. “I keep track of your smiles, your laughs, the way you hum to yourself when you’re putting up books.” He pressed in further. “More importantly, I keep track of your shivers, your moans, and what makes you cry out when you…”
“Tetsu?”
“Yeah?”
Kei put the books he was holding in a death grip down, and turned so that they faced each other, and no space between them. He snaked his hands up under Tetsu’s shirt, sliding his hands up and up, over heated skin. Tetsu groaned, but kept his eyes locked on Kei’s.
“Let’s go to bed.”
“No argument here.”
“Since when do you argue about it?”
“Smartass.”
“Glad you’re keeping up.”
“In more ways than one,” Tetsu growled, and then kept Kei from replying by kissing him into silence.

~*~ Two Years Later ~*~

"Can you see anything?"
"Not through a sleep mask, and all the strips of fabric..."
A soft laugh and a quick kiss. "Okay, then. No peeking, either."
"Mmhmm... can I get another kiss?"
"Don't push your luck."
"Stingyshima."
"No using high school nicknames, Kitty Cat."
“I detect a new rule, and a new nickname.”
“Only one is temporary. How did you even find out about that nickname? Hinata was the only one to use it.”
“Noya told me.”
“I should have known.”
"Accurate, though."
“Shut up. We’re almost there.”

Kei smiled brilliantly at his perfectly blindfolded fiance, stole another kiss, and then sat back in his seat. They'd just been informed by the pilot that they were ten minutes from landing, and his excitement was increasing. He saved up for an entire year for this trip, and Tetsu's mom had helped (even after Kei insisted she didn't).

Even the quilting club had chipped in, or rather, they took over completely. Planning, making calls, and probably calling in years-old favors from other quilting clubs. Those meddling biddies were all still patting themselves on their backs for engineering his and Tetsu's first meeting two years ago. Which, of course, happened to be another, all-expenses paid trip. To Kyoto. As the grand prize for their raffle at the neighborhood carnival.

Kei had to admit, the club footing an all-expenses paid trip to Australia (for two weeks!) was a little much. He wasn’t even sure how they managed it, considering the cost. Of course, he asked. Of course, they told him nothing. It would not surprise him in the least if they were all secret agents or something. Maybe there was an International League of Quilting Club Matchmakers… or something. Fanciful thinking. Kei chuckled to himself, Living with Tetsu for the last two years had worn off on him. He lifted Tetsu’s hand and kissed it.

“I must have won the lottery.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Three kisses, so far, in the last thirty minutes.”
“I’ve kissed you lots of times before!”
“Not in public.”
“We’re the only ones on the plane.”
“Not including the pilot, co-pilot, flight attendants…”
“None of them saw us.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t sound sure.”
“Tetsu?”
“Yeah?”
“Shut up.”
“Make me.”

And Kei did make him. Their kiss lasted nearly as long as it took for them to land. Who even cared if they were seen?

Matchmakers, indeed.
Oh, but he was thankful. Incredibly so.

"Oh, no, dear. Let us help you! You just keep an eye on your little bookshop."
"A trip to Australia? I know just the place! Let me just make a few calls. You go spend time with your man."
“You keep saving your money, dear, so you can buy whatever you want. Oh look, Tetsu’s here for you!”
"Let us take care of the planning, dear. If we need anything specific, we'll get in touch, okay?"
"Oh! I have another gift idea, too! But, nevermind dear. Shoo, shoo!"

So, now he had in his carry on an overstuffed packet with the resort name, their reservation confirmation, suggested itineraries, coupons for food, tickets for nearby attractions, and numerous other things that the ladies thought they'd need. In his shoulder bag, he carried their cash cards, tickets and passports.

In another suitcase, he'd brought two quilts. One the ladies had made for the festival the year Tetsu and he met, and was given to them as part of their grand prize trip to Kyoto. The other was a brand new quilt, beach themed, of course. Perfect for their trip. Kei adored it. Tetsu was going to love it.

After somehow making it through customs, retrieving their luggage, and walking slowly through the concourse to the taxis, all with Tetsu blindfolded but laughing and having fun, they stood at the entrance of the small, private, resort the ladies sent them to. Kei quietly spoke to the attendant, in passable English, and their bags were taken away to their bungalow.

Once Kei secured the keys and the resort's welcome packet (with even more stuff!), he led Tetsu carefully along a boardwalk path until he came to the perfect stopping place. The ladies had told him of the beauty of this place, and they hadn't lied. It was suspicious how they knew of it in the first place, but right now Kei didn’t care. He took a few moments to take it all in, smirking when Tetsu huffed and tsked.

"Kei, I still can't see anything."
"I should hope not."
"I mean, if you're going to keep me blindfolded the whole time we’re here..."
"Your idea is not without merit."
"Tease."
"You love it."
"Yeah. I do."
Kei laughed and watched Tetsu’s face. He was trying to figure it out on his own. And he would; it wasn’t that hard to figure out. Still, he didn’t know where the beach was, just that it was out of the country.
"First impressions?"
"Well, I'm glad we're somewhere warm, and the breeze is refreshing. You brought me to the beach?"
"Yeah, but not just any beach."
"I mean we did fly almost ten hours to get here."
"You slept most of the way."
"I'm surprised you didn't."
"I'm too excited. You ready?"
"Ready for my Moonshine's Valentine's Day surprise?" Dramatic pause, and then a deadpan, "I guess so."

Kei laughed softly, leaned in and stole another lingering kiss, and then slipped behind Tetsu. Reaching up, he untied the two strips of cloth, and carefully removed the mask.
"Don't open your eyes too fast," he warned gently. "It's still early afternoon here, and very bright."
"Okay."

Kei moved back to the front so he could see Tetsu's reaction. And he was well rewarded. His fiance had an almost childlike wonder for new places, once he got over the initial nervousness of being in a new place. With his eyes finally open, that wonder was plain on his face.

Tetsu's eyes flitted over everything: the crystal clear blue water, white sands, gently swaying palm trees, and the rest of the boardwalk that led to their temporary home for the next two weeks. The bungalow was about the size of their two-bedroom flat in Tokyo, maybe slightly larger, but it was secluded, and absolutely perfect.

If Kei had thought ahead, he'd have taken a picture of this moment. Instead, he watched the way Tetsu smiled brightly, how a touch of pink colored his cheekbones, the way the wind played with his soft dark hair, and the way his beautiful gray eyes glowed. He might have missed his opportunity to take a picture, but the memory would last forever.

"Oh my god, Kei! It's beautiful!"
"I knew you'd like it."
"I love it! And we're here for two weeks?!"
"Yeah, well... I had a little help."
"Mom?"
"Yeah. I was working on plans when she dropped by. She figured it out, and kinda took over."
"Which means, the others quickly followed suit."
"Yeah. They insisted. In fact, once they started helping, everything was taken out of my hands. This is more their doing than mine."
"But it was your idea."
"Yeah."
"It's perfect! The perfect idea, and perfect place for our honeymoon."
"I thought so too... wait. What?"
"Our honeymoon."
"I heard you. I don't remember getting married."
"That's because it hasn't happened. Yet."
"Tetsu..."
"Plus, won't Mom and her gaggle of friends be surprised?"
Kei blinked, and then started laughing. "You know they'll be mad at us for not inviting them. We can't."
"Oh, but we can!"
"I get that. But, your mom..."
"Will eventually understand. Don't you see? They literally gave us the perfect opportunity! All we really need is someone to officiate. Everything else has been taken care of. They might be mad for a little while, but they'll be happy even more."

Tetsu looked so hopeful, and so happy, that Kei really couldn't say no. How could he? His fiance was right, after all. The ladies had given them the perfect opportunity to get married. The best part was, they didn't have to stress out planning it themselves. It really was perfect!

"Say yes, Kei."
"What, again?"
Tetsu nodded, biting his lip. Almost exactly like he did the day he proposed. He took a few steps forward, then turned and stood in front of Kei, leaning in to touch their foreheads together.
"I love you, you know."
"Yeah. I love you, too."
"Marry me?"
"You asked me that already."
They were both smiling softly at each other.
"Well, I'm asking again. Here, in this little paradise that's ours for two weeks. Marry Me?"
"I'll think about it."
"KEI!!"
"Oh, alright. Yes, I'll marry you. You big sap."
"You're just as sappy."
"I am not!"
"Are too."
"Are not. Prove it!"
"You had the most brilliant idea ever for a Valentine's vacation," Tetsu said as he pulled back. "Night before last, you surprised me by closing the shop early, and ordering a full three course meal. All by candlelight, I might add. Oh! And the camellias. Mustn't forget those."
A charming shade of pink colored Kei's cheeks and Tetsu was lost.
"I loved every moment, Moonshine. Now, let's go inside and find someone to officiate."
"What, now?"
"Why not? Once we're married and official and everything, we can spend the rest of our two weeks like we want."
"You're very persuasive when you want something, you know."
"Yes, I am. I want you. All of you. For the rest of our lives."
"Big sap."
"I'm your big sap. Get used to it."
"I already am."
"Besides. You want me, too."
Kei shrugged. "Maybe."
"Oh, you do."
"Maybe a little."
"Tease."

Later that night, while the newlyweds were in bed doing newlywed things, both their phones lit up with new messages.

[Suga] "Congratulations!"
[Hoshiumi] "What he said."
[Oikawa] "About time, losers!"
[Yachi] "We want pictures!"
[Kaori] “We want LOTS of pictures!”
[Noya] "I’m Kei’s best man! We need a do-over!"
[Akaashi] "Consider yourselves warned!"
[Bokuto] "Thinking you could get married without us there?"
[Eita] "Rude."

They soon found out that Yuki Kuroo knew just what her son would suggest to his fiance - well, husband, now - if given the perfect opportunity. And that she'd told not only her club, but also Kei’s parents, and all their friends, as well. All their efforts combined resulted in the newlyweds’ trip and subsequent, not-so-secret, elopement.

"Think we'll even be able to really surprise her?" Tetsu asked as they shared breakfast in bed.
"Never in a million years. And I wouldn’t change it for the world,” Kei replied.
“Neither would I, Moonshine. Neither would I.”

//Fin


Chapter 15 - Sun, Moon & Stars

“I love you, Nii-chan.”

The first time Kei heard Natsu say that, he froze. So did she. Neither of them expected it. It was just a slip, he thought, as she was hugging him goodbye. But still. She was leaving for the semester since university was starting back up again, and she was in her senior year.

When they pulled away, she was smiling up at him. She looked just like Shoyo; bright red-hair, caramel-colored eyes, a smile that could outshine the sun. Natsu Hinata had grown into a pretty girl, and would be breaking hearts if she wasn’t in love with volleyball. Just like Shoyo.

But Kei? Kei wasn’t even related. Not even distantly. The only connections he could claim to her and her family were being on the same volleyball team as Shoyo for three years in high school, and being on the same team of friends and former teammates during his run from his grandmother.

And Shoyo’s stars.

The stars given to him from Shoyo through Oikawa. The stars engraved with Shoyo’s name and Tobio’s. The stars that were never used, and will never be used. The stars that should still be Shoyo’s. Except, Shoyo was gone and would never come back.

She’d sent him pictures of the three shuriken he’d given to her, which she had mounted in a glass case and hung on her bedroom wall. It was a centerpiece of a montage of photos of Shoyo, of herself with Shoyo, photos of Shoyo and Tobio, plus several more from when Kei and Shoyo were in school. Nearly her entire wall was covered.

It moved him to do something similar, though he didn’t have as many photos. In fact, he only had two: one of them as third years, with Tadashi, Tobio, and Hitoka, all in their team uniforms. The other was the five of them on their graduation day. Before his world, and theirs, was turned upside down. Still, he sent her a photo of his own: both photos to either side of his three shuriken, placed in a little corner of the home he shared with Tetsu above his bookshop.

~*~

“I love you, Nii-chan!”

The second time Natsu said it was after her graduation from Tokyo University, with a huge hug for him and Tetsu, at the party they (and Tetsu’s mom, *and* the ladies from the quilting club) threw for her and several of her friends. Originally, Kei wanted to have the party at one of the local hotels with a small ballroom to rent. In the end, Tetsu pulled some strings, and the party was held in the main gymnasium at Nekoma High School. Complete with a volleyball net set up.

Natsu was just as much a fool for volleyball as Shoyo had been.

It didn’t take long before a game broke out, and she pulled him out on the court with Tetsu, all of them on the same team. Kei and Tetsu shared a look, and they played… but they let her shine. And shine, she did. She’d been the Ace on her team at Niiyama High, as well as her college team. But, she also excelled at being a decoy. Like her brother before her.

After the game, her smile was bright, and she launched herself into his arms. “Thank you, Nii-chan,” she said softly in his ear. “Best. Party. Ever!”

For the rest of the night, she stayed with them, telling them all about the scouts for several professional women’s teams that had reached out to her. Teams from Okayama, Saitama, Kurobe, and Himeji; all of them were interested in her, and extended invitations for try-outs.

“Which would you choose, Nii-chan?”
“Shouldn’t that be my question to you?”
Natsu shrugged. “I can’t decide. They all sound great, really. Their offers are roughly the same, so…”
“Well, tell me about them,” he suggested. Meanwhile, Tetsu had brought out his phone and was looking up where each team was located.

Natsu, ever the excited one, began to talk. She’d done her homework, gathered as much information as she could and came up with pros and cons for each team. Kei was smiling as she talked. Here, she was completely different from Shoyo. Natsu did well in school, her grades easily placed her in the top ten percent of her class in high school, and top fifteen in college. She loved learning, whereas Shoyo did only enough to pass. Volleyball was his lifeblood; Natsu found the balance between both.

“They all sound so good. And then there’s how far they are from here… I just don’t know what to do, Nii-chan,” she was smiling, but he could tell this was tough for her.
“Don’t let distance be the deciding factor,” he told her gently.
“We’ll come to as many games as we can,” Tetsu assured her.
“Why don’t you just go to the try-outs, and then decide.” Kei smiled. “You could add what you liked, or didn’t like, to your pros and cons. Then, see if your decision is any easier.”
She snorted. “You’re just telling me, in the nicest way possible, that the final decision is mine to make.”
“Yep. All yours.”
“Thanks a lot, Nii-chan,” she said sarcastically. Tetsu burst out laughing.
“She’s been around us too long, love.”
Kei snorted. “Obviously.”

Kei thought he’d be used to her calling him ‘big brother’ by now, but each time she said it, it startled him. Of course, he was honored that she thought of him as her big brother. Still, there was the tiniest feeling that he was replacing Shoyo, and it stung a little. He knew that she didn’t think that way, so his heart always felt a little lighter, too.

~*~

“I love you, Nii-chan.”

The third time she said those words was after a long night of consolation at the bookshop. Natsu had shown up at their doorstep one night after a game, face red and splotchy from crying, barely holding herself together. She was still in her bright pink and black home uniform for her team, her jacket open and showing the #21 in white numbers. Her team had lost, and she was absolutely certain the loss was all her fault.

Kei ushered her inside, glanced at Tetsu, who nodded his understanding as they passed him, and took her to their tiny kitchen in the back. She plopped herself into a seat and dropped her head onto the table with a thunk and a muffled “ow.” Kei kept his laughter to himself; Natsu was as dramatic as Shoyo, if not more so. He turned on the electric kettle, prepared two mugs for tea, and then went to the little fridge for ice cream.

“The usual?” he asked, already reaching for a pint of her favorite, rocky road.
“You know me so well,” she mumbled as he plunked the pint, carton and all, in front of her face. She lifted her head and gave him a watery smile, taking the large spoon he offered.
“Just keen observation,” he replied, pouring hot water over a sachet of orange pekoe tea. “Wanna tell me about it?”

And so, she did, explaining how she felt at fault for Himeji’s loss against Okayama. Missed spikes, badly timed blocks, and her jump float serve was an absolute wreck. The whole game was a crap-show, and it was all her fault. Kei listened to everything, handed her a handkerchief for the fresh tears, and made her a fresh cup of tea after she finished her ice cream.

“Want to know what I think?” Kei asked her after clearing away the empty carton and sitting down across from her. She nodded gloomily, but gave him her full attention. “As cliche as this is going to sound, this won’t be the first time your team will lose. It’s just the nature of the game. Of course, you’re going to want to win out and go to the championships,” he shrugged, remembering his last year in high school and making Karasuno third in the nation. “But one loss during the regular season won’t destroy your chances to make it to the qualifiers.” He smiled gently. “You’re going to have days when you’ll feel at the top of your game, one hundred twenty percent. And then you’ll have a day like today, absolute zero. Just stay with it; don’t give up. And if all else fails, you can come here and console yourself with tea and ice cream.”
“Does that offer extend to when we win?”
“Of course not,” he scoffed, earning himself a look of surprised confusion. Kei reached over and scrubbed his hand through her bright orange locks. “We’ll treat you to a fancy dinner. How’s that sound?”
Natsu swatted his hand away and laughed. “Every time we win?”
“God, no! We’re not that rich, good grief.”
When he came home after seeing her back on the train to Himeji, he found Tetsu waiting for him with a smile and a steaming cup of tea.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you sounded just like a dad instead of a big brother.”
“Kinda felt like one, too.” He grinned and took a sip of tea. “She’s a good kid.”
“She is, indeed. And you’re a good big brother.”
Kei was still conflicted. “You really think so?”
Tetsu took his tea from him, set it down, and took him in his arms. “I do.”
“But…”
“Kei, listen to me,” Tetsu said, leaned back to look at him, and gently cupped Kei’s face in his hands. “You’re not replacing Hinata. He was her big brother for most of her life, and he always will be. You came into her life when she needed it. You’ve helped her, listened to her, advised her, been there for her… like a big brother would be for their little sister. I’m not surprised she calls you big brother, or that she loves you.”

And this time, it was Tetsu who consoled Kei.

~*~

“I love you, Nii-chan!”

The fourth time she told him, Natsu had to practically yell those words in his ear, over the screaming fans in the arena. Victorina had won the Empress Cup for the first time ever, and Natsu helped score the winning point.

Kei and Tetsu had bought seats as close as they could get to the court, and yelled the longest and loudest when Natsu did, well, anything. They were her biggest supporters, after all, and it wouldn’t do to just sit there and watch. Of course, their cheering encouraged others, and soon it was almost too loud to hear anything, especially after Victorina scored a point. They wore all the team gear they could get their hands on, especially if it had her number on it, and held up homemade posters with Natsu’s name on them.

Every time she heard them, she’d turn in their direction, smile and wave both hands. And then turn back to her teammates and give them all a high-five. It was her way of spreading the luck, she’d told him once. She’d said Tetsu and he were her lucky charms. Having them there, for the championship game, meant the world to her.

It was Natsu who treated them to dinner, at her favorite little ramen shop near the arena and the share-house she lived in with her teammates. She spent the entire time regaling them with highlights from the game she knew they’d seen every minute of. In a few days, she’d be going home for a couple weeks for a well-deserved rest, and to see her mother.

“Tell her we send our love,” Kei told her as they stood at the gate to the share-house. “I’ll give her a call on her birthday.”
“I’ll tell her,” she said as she gave them big hugs and then used her key card to open the gate. Once on the other side, she turned back and looked at them. “Why don’t you two come up and celebrate with us? It would be a great surprise for her, and she’s really missed you, too.”
“I don’t see why not,” Kei said, looking at Tetsu, who nodded. “We could use a little getaway. Just let us know when we should show up.”
“Great! Talk to you later, nii-chan!” And she jogged to the door, and was inside before they had time to respond.

A week later, they were back in Miyagi for the first time in a few years, and Kamiko Hinata welcomed them both with smiles and hugs. She accepted their gift, and proceeded to treat them like her own boys. Heaping plates of food, insisted they stay at her house instead of paying for a room, and generally being a mom to them.

Natsu leaned back and gazed fondly at all of them, but Kei noticed the way her eyes shimmered, and kept glancing back at the little shrine in the corner of their living room: A picture of Shoyo, bracketed by a pair of white lilies, and a small bowl of incense in front. During a short lull in the conversation, she politely excused herself and left the room. With a squeeze of Tetsu’s hand under the table, he excused himself and followed her.

He found her outside on the back porch, crying quietly, and holding a beat up old volleyball. The porch floor creaked under his feet, and suddenly, he had a sobbing Natsu holding onto him. It wasn't the first time this happened, and he knew it wouldn’t be the last. But each time, she’d come to him for comfort, and he gave it. It was the least he could do; they both missed Shoyo terribly. Kei wrapped his arms around her and held her tight until the tears abated.

~*~

[Two Years Later]

Natsu waited in the bookshop, having come straight from the last game of the season. She hadn’t had a chance to see Nii-chan a lot lately, but she still kept in touch as much as possible, via phone call, text, or sometimes, video chat. He was always there for her, no matter the time. But this time, he’d reached out to her, asking her to come by. They had a surprise for her, and she was super excited to see what it was. Even if it was another quilt.

Uncle Tetsu had gone upstairs to tell nii-chan that she was here, but he returned alone, and told her to turn her back before going to the kitchen to make them a light dinner. Natsu grinned and did as told, waiting with only the barest amount of patience.

She heard nii-chan’s footsteps as he came downstairs, and a soft “shhh” as he came into the shop proper. Then, she heard the sibilant sounds of fabric on fabric, and something being gently set on the floor. And then, most curiously, it sounded like there were two sets of steps as they came closer.

“You can turn around now, little sister,” she heard nii-chan say.

It took her a few moments, because her heart had just burst. He called her ‘little sister?’ She heard him say it, right? That wasn’t just wishful thinking? Natsu pinched herself. Nope. Not a dream, either. She surreptitiously rubbed her arm and wiped away a few stray tears as she slowly turned around. And nearly fell over with a strange mix of stunned surprise, overwhelming happiness, and the urge to fall to pieces right there in the bookshop.

“Oh, nii-chan,” she managed to whisper, her hands going up to cover her mouth, more tears falling whether she wanted them to or not. “She’s beautiful!”

The little girl was no more than 5 or 6 years old, was a redhead (just like her), her hair up in twin ponytails tied with little pink bows, and was dressed in the cutest little blue pinafore with tiny strawberries all over it. Nii-chan was smiling, holding the child on his hip.

“Surprise,” he said quietly.
“W-when?”
“We brought her home a few days ago. Sorry we couldn’t make the final game of your regular season.”
Natsu shook her head. “She’s more important, Nii-chan.”
“You both are,” he gently corrected. Then, he set the little girl down on the floor, and crouched down beside her. “Natsu, this is Nami. Nami, meet Natsu. Do you remember me telling you about her?” The little girl nodded shyly.
“You told her about me, nii-chan?”
“Well, yeah,” he replied. “Why wouldn’t I tell her about my little sister?”

Natsu watched Nami tiptoe up to whisper something in nii-chan’s ear, even as another round of tears blurred her vision. He smiled, and then tilted his head toward her. The little girl faced her, and then took a few hesitant steps closer, until she was looking up at Natsu. A little hand reached up and tugged on the hem of her uniform shorts, and Natsu sniffled and smiled as she crouched down to Nami’s level.

“May I call you big sister, Nassu?”
She sent another surprised glance at nii-chan, who smiled gently. She looked back at Nami. “I’d love that. May I call you little sister?” Nami smiled and nodded shyly.

The two of them started chattering away, as if they had always known each other, and never noticed when Kei left the room.

~*~

“Finally called her little sister, huh?” Tetsu asked as they waited for dinner to finish cooking.
“Yeah. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it’d be.”
“Why do you say that?”
Kei shrugged and fidgeted with his fingers. “It didn’t feel right, at first, you know? By blood, we aren’t even related at all. But more than that, it always felt like I was replacing him.”
“Kei…”
“No, I know. I’m not replacing him. Just taking over for him because he isn’t here anymore. But still… It just didn’t feel right.”
“Understandable.”
“Do you think she liked it?” he asked, knowing full well that Tetsu had probably watched that part of the exchange.
“She loved it, Moonshine.”
“Really?”
“I’m willing to bet meeting Nami was a very close second to you finally calling her little sister.”
Kei blushed, but his smile was a happy one. Tetsu couldn’t help himself; he leaned over and kissed his husband.

~*~

[One Year Later]

“If I take their offer, I’ll have to move to Rio. Live there,” she sat at their kitchen table at the bookshop, Nami in her lap, as they shared a pint of rocky road ice cream. She’d asked him what he thought, as she did with most of the major decisions she made before.

Natsu nuzzled her face into the sweet smelling ginger hair of her little sister. Kei sat back in his chair, watching the two of them. He smiled gently, and glanced at Tetsu, who was leaning against the counter. Tetsu winked, and pushed off, going to stand at the kitchen door.
“Nami, time to get ready for bed,” he told her.
“Awww! But Daddy, I wasn’t finished!” she cried, holding up her spoon.
Kei reached over and plucked it from her chocolatey hands. “Go on, baby. You have school tomorrow.”
“But…!”
“It’s okay, Nami. I’ll see you next weekend, okay?” Natsu added, giving the child a huge hug.
“Okay,” she sounded so sad, but once Natsu slid her chair back to give her room, the little girl hopped off and went to take Tetsu’s hand. “Night night!” she said and waved as they left.
Once they were alone, Kei got up and started the kettle, preparing two mugs for tea. “Tell me about the team,” he said quietly.

As she’d done before, she gave him a list of pros and cons about the team that wanted her to join them. He listened patiently until she eventually stopped. He knew she wasn’t done, but had just reached the real reason she’d yet to make up her mind. Leaving Japan. Leaving everyone and everything she ever knew, and going somewhere completely new to her.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity,” he said, pouring hot water over the tea sachets. It was an herbal fruity blend this time, instead of their favorite orange pekoe. “I’m surprised you didn’t say yes before they were finished offering.”
“I almost did,” she admitted.
“So, then…?”
She scraped the pint of the last remaining bits of ice cream and ate it. Kei waited her out, adding honey to their tea and stirring it, before coming to join her at the table again. He passed her her mug of tea. They both wrapped their fingers around the mug and inhaled the aroma, and then took a tiny sip. When they put their mugs back on the table, she finally spoke.
“It all sounds so new and exciting and… I also don’t want to leave home. What would you do, nii-chan?” Kei opened his mouth, but she held up her hand to stop him. “I know the final decision is mine, but… I really want to know what you would do, what you think.”
“I’d be scared, too,” he finally told her, a half-smile on his face. “To leave everything and everyone I know, and move to the other side of the world? What’s not scary about that? But… I know I wouldn’t be able to let the chance slip through my fingers. I’d go.”
Natsu copied his half-smile. “You’re not just saying that to get me to decide to go?”
“Absolutely not,” Kei replied, looking steadily at her. “I answered your questions.”
“Right.”
“How long do you have to decide?”
“Another week.”
“Have you talked to your mom?”
She shrugged. “Not yet. I’m going home tomorrow, though.”
“Good.”
“Nii-chan?”
“Yeah?”
She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again. There was a suspicious twinkle in her eye, though, and Kei could only guess at what just went through her mind.
“Nevermind. Thank you for your help.”
“Anytime.”
“Nii-chan?”
Kei rolled his eyes and chuckled. Natsu laughed quietly.
“Yeah?”
“Can I stay over tonight?”
“Sure. You know where we keep the spare futons and blankets.”
“Thanks, nii-chan.”
“You’re welcome, little sister.”

She gave the team her answer within three days of talking to Kamiko, and after another week, had her tickets in hand. Natsu was going to Brazil.

~*~

They were all at the airport, right at the gate where she’d be boarding her flight. She was flying to Brazil to join her new team in Rio, and she was so excited to go. At the moment, she was carefully explaining to Nami how she wasn’t going to be able to play all the time anymore, and that she’d be really far away. Both of them had tears in their eyes.

Kei sat beside Tetsu, sitting forward with his arms on his legs, his eyes on the floor. Tetsu rubbed his back. He was happy for Natsu taking this once-in-a-lifetime chance. He really was. But, life wasn’t going to be the same. He was going to miss her terribly. It was the one thing he never told her, afraid it would influence her decision to stay home.

A gentle tap on his back, and Kei looked up to see Nami heading toward them. Natsu stood up and waved at them, gesturing for him to join her. She was holding a gift in her hands.
Kei gave Nami a quick hug and kiss before he went to stand in front of Natsu. Without a word, she handed him the gift.

“What is it?”
“Open it and see.”

Kei carefully slid the ribbon off, and did his best not to tear the paper. And very nearly dropped the entire thing. He caught it, and Natsu’s hands held his. They both breathed a sigh of relief, but Kei’s vision was starting to blur.

“You should take these with you,” he said, voice breaking through his tears.
“Maybe I’ll take them back with me when I’m more comfortable in my new home,” she replied quietly, wiping away her tears, and reaching up to wipe his away, too. “But, for now, I want you to have them. Keep them safe for me.”

Kei could only nod. In the box were the three stars he’d given her. Shoyo’s stars. He thought she would have packed this first, wanting something of her brother’s to go with her. He never expected her to give them back to him, even for safe-keeping. He nodded again, unable to speak, and she placed a white envelope on the glass.

“Open that when you get home, okay?”
“Okay.”
“I love you, Nii-chan.”
It would be the last time he’d hear her say it for a long while.
In person, at least.
“I love you, too, little sister.”
“Talk to you later?”
“Yeah. Anytime. I mean that.”
“I know.”

A few minutes later, she was walking away, down the boarding bridge, and she turned one last time to wave at them; Kamiko, Nami, Tetsu, and Kei. They waved back, cheering her on, and she turned again to enter the plane.

~*~

Back at home, after putting Nami to bed, Kei sat at the table in their kitchen and stared at the stars. He hadn’t yet opened the envelope. Tetsu quietly went about making them a snack, the coffeemaker busy making coffee. When he was finished, he set the plate of sandwiches, and cups of coffee, on the table.

“Miss her already, huh?”
“I started missing her when she told me she was going to go.”
“Same here.” Tetsu nudged the cup of coffee closer to Kei, and then tapped the envelope. “So. Are you going to open it?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Today, right?”
“No, I was thinking about opening it next year.”
“So snarky.”
“Why are you so anxious to see… wait. You know what’s in here?”
Tetsu nodded. “She asked me what she could give you before she left. I gave her a suggestion.”
“What is it?”
“Only one way to find out, you know.”

Kei snorted, but then took the letter opener Tetsu offered, and gently opened the envelope. Inside, there was a card, which had a picture of Natsu and Shoyo on the front. Inside the card, there was a message, and another picture. The one she took a few nights ago at the restaurant they treated her to.

He hadn’t thought anything of it at the time. She’d grabbed her phone, hugged him from behind, and snapped a picture. His face was all sorts of surprised, and hers was a veritable ray of sunshine. And they were both smiling. Kei blinked away the tears, and took the handkerchief Tetsu offered without looking. He set the picture down, and started to read the message.

Dear Nii-chan!

I’m going to miss you SO much! Mom, and Nami, and Uncle Tetsu, too, of course. But I’ll miss you most of all. Thank you so much for being my nii-chan. You were there when I needed you most. You helped me so much when I needed it. I’ll miss seeing you and Uncle Tetsu in the crowd, cheering for me, too. Anyway, be prepared for calls and texts and video calls. Also, I’m going to send you lots of stuff, so have a spot ready for all things Brazilian.

I love you, nii-chan!
Natsu

P.S. I have three pictures I’ll be framing first thing when I get there. One of Mom and me, one of Shoyo and me, and one of you and me.

I love you!

//end
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