The Spark That Ignites

Chapter Four

Kuroo sighed, slipped the folder under the papers on his clipboard, and followed his boss out of the office.

~*~

By lunch time, the presence of the folder was driving Kuroo crazy with curiosity. So, instead of going home (which hindsight being 50/50, he should have done that), he went directly to the cafeteria and commandeered his favorite corner table. One of the managers from Ubugawa brought him a tray of food, for which he thanked her, surprised that someone thought to give him food. He slid the tray aside, but still in reach, and placed the clipboard and folder in front of him.

He'd just freed the folder from its place, and was about to open it, when he was invaded by the current crop of Karasuno third years. Kuroo refused to show his frustration at being disturbed, but he was happy to see them. He'd always have a soft spot for them. Especially one tall, blond middle blocker named Kei Tsukishima.

"We're hoping to make it all the way to the finals this year," Hinata said excitedly. "Everybody on the team is really good, and we have a great bunch of subs, too!"
"That's good to hear," Kuroo replied, genuinely happy. "How's being captain working for ya, Tadashi?" he asked the omega. It was rare for omegas to be in a position of authority, but Tadashi had the temperament and patience to be good at his captaincy.
"Most days are better than others," he replied carefully. "It was rough at first," he admitted. "The alphas outnumber the omegas, so it can be a little difficult getting them to listen to me. But Tsuki helps when I can't quite get control."
"Yeah, Tsuki makes the best co-captain!" Hinata chirped. "He's great at reassuring us omegas, and he doesn't take any sh..."
He slapped a hand over his mouth and looked like he was about to apologize profusely. Kageyama reached over and calmed him with a little back rub. No one said anything to the gruff, silent alpha, but it was clear he was concerned for his ginger-haired partner.
"What he means to say is that Tsuki doesn't take any crap from the alphas, either," Yacchan said quietly.
"Yeah," they all agreed, almost at once.
"Have you heard what happened?" Tadashi asked after a few moments of silence.
"Yeah. I was briefed as soon as I got here," he answered. "Do you know what caused it?"
"No, and until we were told this morning, we didn't have any idea of what he was going through. He never told us anything."
"Now, wait a minute," Tadashi said gently. "He might not have said anything outright, but he was having problems after dinner yesterday."
"How long has he been suffering?"
"Well, I wouldn't say he's ever suffered until now. Nothing like this has happened. If Tsuki was going through anything, it wasn't major enough for him to tell us."
"Okay. Well, all I know is that Nekomata went to pick him up from the hospital just before lunch started..."
"That's right! Come on, guys! We need to be out there to welcome him back!"

Kuroo watched as the four of them rose from the table, and three of them took off out of the cafeteria. Only Kageyama remained, and he looked at Kuroo with what looked like relief in his blue eyes. And then he bowed, startling Kuroo even more.

"Thank you," he said. Then he straightened up and went to go follow his teammates.

Unsure what he was being thanked for, Kuroo waited a few minutes more, collected his things, wolfed down a few more bites of his lunch, and then followed the third years. He didn't join them, but he did watch from a place where no one would see him. When the car drove up, Tsuki opened the door and got out. His movements were slow, almost sluggish, like he was relearning how to move again. His friends crowded around him, bombarding him with questions along with the loving reprimands. Tsuki took it all in, a small relieved smile on his pale, wan looking face. When he stopped, Tadashi and Kageyama carefully put his arms around their shoulders and helped him move again.

This group of third years were a lot closer to each other than any other he'd known, including his own class. And Kuroo, for all his happiness at seeing Tsuki out of the hospital and with his friends, wished he was out there with them.

~*~

Finally home, Kuroo was able to read the contents of the folder Nekomata had given to him. He sipped at his tea, and tried to make sense of it. He remembered being told the legend of a beta blooming into an omega, but that was during the last century. Nothing any more recent than that had occurred. At least, not that he was aware. In fact, the story even started like a fairy tale:

"Once in a blue moon, a beta might bloom into an omega. It's extremely rare, but it has happened..."

Excerpts from various historical books were given. Newsprint clippings were stapled to documents, providing irrefutable proof that it's possible. But still, it all sounded so fantastic that Kuroo couldn't quite wrap his head around it. Did all of this information mean Tsuki was another phenomenon waiting to happen? And how would they keep it from being the lead story on local news channels? Hell, how would they keep it from any national news broadcasts?
At the back of the folder was a handwritten note. Kuroo recognized Nekomata's writing. A dear friend of his, a long time ago, also presented beta, who eventually bloomed into an omega. It happened well over thirty years ago, and they somehow managed to keep it a secret, or at least out of the public eye. It could be done, and Kuroo was already set in mind to do the same for Tsuki. He had to protect him, that was his only mission.

Without a second thought, he set his empty mug down on the table, got up, and put his red and white jacket back on and grabbed his keys before leaving his apartment. His thoughts were so consumed with Tsuki, he didn't realize his feet automatically took him to the school, past the gym, and into the building where Karasuno was staying. He had at least one more question he needed the answer to.

The next blue moon was tonight. Exactly how was he going to be a part of all this?