Eleven Red Lotuses | Kageyama Tobio | S/H

A Pine or a Maple, Yet the Sap is Still the Same

・・・　・・・　・・・

     "How is school?"  He asks.  She watches him shuffle about to find a bottle label in one of his many desk drawers. 
     "It's fine.  Boring and confusing as it usually is."  He nods his head.
     "Do people date in high school these days?  I see all of those American TV shows and they're always making out.  We never did that when I was in school."  She thinks for a moment, shrugging.
     "I'm dating someone, but most people don't from what I've seen."  He nods his head as he labels the small vile. 
     "You always have been mature for your age.  I'd think you were 25 if I didn't know any better.  Alright.  We'll get this tested and I'll tell you if anything weird shows up.  Have any problems been increasing more than normal?  Any new ones?"  He turns to face her, quickly noting down that she was still steadily growing paler. 
     "Nothing more than the average, no." 
     "That's good to hear.  So why are you dating when none of your peers are?"  He questions, turning to face her as she slides out of the chair.
     "I'm sure you know why."  The man chuckles and nods.  He pauses as he pulls in a deep breath.
     "I don't wanna scare you,"  He starts, making her stop in her tracks.  "I'll just say... if you're going to miss an appointment, please come in and cancel it at the desk.  At the very least, call.  Texts only show words and we need a lot more than that."  She bites her cheek, nodding slowly as her lips trembled.
     "Because if I miss, you'll assume I'm dead?" 
     "Yes." 
     "Okay."  Her voice was meek as she mumbled a thanks and opened the heavy door.  She stood in the doorway for a second to take catch her shaky breath before stepping out.  He watches the door until it clicked shut.  He immediately looked down at his notes that he had been scribbling since February.  If she made it through winter, he'd be shocked, and if this pattern continued, she certainly wouldn't last through the next.

     "There's only two and a half months until nationals."  She says with a smile.  "How exciting!  Look how shiny."  She giggles softly as she grabs the medal that was in his hand.  She leans up onto her toes to put it around his neck.  (Y/N) smiled as her eyes flickered between the medal and his face.  
     Kageyama breathes out a long sigh.  When he opened his eyes, a smirk pulled his face, copying the exact one that played (Y/N)'s lips.  "Why don't we celebrate?"  She glances down at the medal before slyly pulling it closer and kissing its shiny gold plating, staring up at him the entire time she did.  
     "I'm gonna need more than that from you."  He says coolly.  She chuckles and twirls her fingers around the medal's sturdy strap.  She drags it down, pulling him in with it.  
     He remembered the first time they had done something like that.  He'd gone to shower and for the first time in a little while, she had decided to just stay in their room rather than sit on the counter and chat with him like she usually did.  He'd gone back to grab his phone so he could listen to music instead.  Kageyama was surprised to see her already pawing at herself with a soft whine of his name.  It was a long shower.
     Yeah, that had been a fun night.  Who knew the demon of Karasuno liked her face being shoved into the sheets?  Nobody at school would ever guess she was a beggar.  And who knew that the volleyball team's sweet setter would enjoy listening to it so much?  Shaking red thighs and collapsing with a heavy sigh was definitely a sign of a job well done.  A fun night indeed.  

     "I hate winter."  (Y/N) mumbles, arms wrapped around herself as she shivered.  Puffs of condensation billowed out of her mouth like the chimney on his neighbor's roof.
     "Why's that?"  He asks with a small laugh.
     "It's too cold.  All this walking in the snow makes me tired by the time I get to school.  And the lotus is closed."  He nods his head at her reasoning.  "The birds are gone or shivering.  The dead petals shake and the leaves are missing, leaving behind their soulmates rooted in the ground.  It's all very depressing."
     "You're shaking too, Petal."  He says with a chuckle.
     "I hope I don't die during winter.  Imagine trying to hold a funeral and spread ashes and bury an urn in this weather.  I at least want to wait until spring."  Her head was dipped back as if she was telling the universe this as well as him.

     She leans over and away from him, gripping his sleeve so he wouldn't leave as she began to cough and wheeze.  He tried to help her, but she continued reassuring him she was fine with a raspy voice between choking.
     After a few minutes at least, she stood back up, one hand over her mouth with a disgusted and pained expression.
     "Petal, are you okay?"  He asks.  She doesn't acknowledge his question for a few moments as she gulps.  Then, she nods, her hand dropping back to her pocket.
     "Yeah.  See?  I told you I hate winter.  I feel like I can't breathe in this cold air.  It's like a knife in my lungs."  She states.
     "Yeah.  My mom used to hate winter, too, but they don't let most patients outside in the cold like this so she doesn't remember how bitter it is."  He states.  Cold air could trigger her psychosis so she wasn't even allowed outside of her room in case there was an open door somewhere.  Her psychosis was terrifying, as they'd told his father.  The mental hospital, that is.
     "We should visit her.  I'd love to see Terumi-san again."  She states.
     "Thursday?"  She shakes her head softly.
     "I have to do something Thursday, but we should Friday afternoon.  Then we don't have to leave early for any reason.  She said she likes it when we visit on Fridays, we always stay longer."  He watches her eyes trail the roofs of the houses, piled with snow with frozen drips of ice.  
     (Y/N) breaths out of a heavy breath.  
     "What are trees to you?"  She asks softly.  
     "Hm?"  He hums in confusion, only getting the question echoed again.  "Um... foliage, I suppose.  I don't really know what you're asking me."  
     "When you look at them, what do you think?  What do they symbolize to you?  What do they represent?  What makes trees different from every other type of foliage?"  Kageyama looks down at her, (E/C) eyes flittering over everything the world had to offer.  
     "I don't know.  Why don't you tell me?"
     "I love trees."  She whispers.  "They're strong and enduring.  They spend weeks cultivating love with the leaves.  They work in perfect harmony to build each other, make each other grow.  And then, when winter comes, those perfect soulmates simply leave.  People are like trees.  All of their lovers are slightly different versions of a very similar existence, a 'type' if you will.  But one bad move and it's all lost, gone to the ocean's wind.  
     "That's what soulmates are.  There is no such thing as predestined partners.  They find one another because their souls long for the touch of only one person.  But nobody treats their soulmates like they're something special.  They simply let them go."  
     She frowns to herself.  He could only give her a quizzical look.
     "That's why I like pine trees."  She states.  "They don't concern themselves with searching and searching.  They simply wait, focus on what needs to come first like growing out their roots.  That is when they will find their soulmate in the pines has already arrived.  
     "No harsh winter can destroy them.  Not because soulmates cannot be broken, but because they won't let the world take what's theirs.  They grow together for years until they can reach the skies and touch the clouds."  She breaths in a deep sigh.  "But pine trees don't live forever."
     "(Y/N)?"  He murmurs, but she didn't seem to hear him.
     "Because when their soulmate is gone, they die.  They wilt.  They might try to stand, but they will crumble like overthrown kings."  She looks over at him.  "So I suppose I'm more like a pine tree than you are.  Maybe I should've called you Maple.  Because not every person is the soulmate of theirs."  
     He immediately stops and grabs her by her shoulders, forcing her to turn and face him.  Kageyama leans down and kisses her softly.  
     "I don't know if you were my soulmate before this life, but I know you are now.  Nobody could replace you, my pines."