His Warrior Queen: A Haikyuu!! Novel (Tsukishima x OC)

Chapter 25: I Think We're Alone Now

"Finally...I thought we'd never get out of the gym today..."

"Oh man...I know...I swear if Hayami-san had called for one more receiving drill I was so gonna..."

"Ugh...volleyball makes me hungry..."

"Naka-chan...where are you going?"

The sound of my shoes crunching against the gravel in the road as I started jogging across the street to the market.

"I'm just gonna run over and grab some snacks...anybody want..."

"NAKANO!! LOOK..."

The engine roar.

Nakano's eyes popped open as she gasped, shaking, sweating.  Where am I?

She took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself.  The damn dream.  She'd not had it for a long while.  She tried to sit up in bed, but something seemed to stop her from moving.  What the heck?

She lay still, trying to calm herself and stop her shaking.  It took her several moments to realize she wasn't shaking...something was shaking her.  She'd thought she was sweating, but she discovered only her right shoulder was wet.  Her brain fog finally began to lift.  She wasn't in bed, she was lying on the floor of a teacher's lounge in Shinzen High School.  Kei was spooning her - he was being the big spoon.

And it was him who was shaking and quietly sobbing on her shoulder.

"Kei?"  She tried to roll over, but he held her tightly, not allowing her to move.

"Roses," he sobbed, "Oh god, Roses, I'm so sorry.  I said such stupid damn things.  I hurt you so badly, Roses, I'm sorry, please..."

"Kei! It's alright!"  She rubbed his arms that were wrapped so tightly around her as to almost be painful.  "Kei, please, let me roll over, let me see you."  He relaxed his arms, she turned over to see tears running down his face.  "Oh my goodness, Kei!"  She held his face in her hands and kissed his tears.  

"Please, Roses, please...I was so frustrated and upset and I said stuff without thinking.  I'm such an ass...I took my anger out on the one person who didn't deserve it.  You...you have no idea how happy you've made me - how happy I am to have you in my life.  How grateful I am that you're still here.  You have to believe me.  Please, please believe me, Roses..."  His voice was barely a whisper.  He tried to stop crying and found he couldn't.  

"Kei, come on, take a deep breath.  I do believe you, of course I believe you.  I did the same thing, only far worse.  I exploded at you, dumped things on you so unfairly - things that had nothing to do with the actual situation.  I didn't even give you a chance to explain how you were feeling, I just...unloaded all my pent up rage at you.  I'm so sorry, Kei.  Please forgive me."  Tears welled up in her eyes, she tried to keep them back.

Tsukishima took her advice, taking ragged deep breaths, trying to calm down.  He saw the tears forming in her eyes, and brought a hand to her face to caress her cheek.  "My gods, you've got nothing to be sorry for.  Everything you said was true.  I was being a self-centered jackass.  All I wanted to do all afternoon was tell you how sorry I was.  And then seeing you in that alley...seeing that bastard touch you...thinking of what could have happened..."  He held her tightly to him again, as if he feared she might suddenly disappear.  "Thank the gods you're alright, that you're still here with me."

"I told you before, it will take a great deal of effort on your part to get me to abandon you.  I've worked too hard to find you, Tsukishima Kei."  She chuckled gently, running her fingers through his messy blonde hair.  "We really are a pair, aren't we?  Two people so used to keeping their feelings inside...and yet, when we're around each other, we can't seem to stop ourselves from letting those feelings out, often explosively."