Moonrise

“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