Moonrise

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.