Distinguished

Ball 5. Caught

Miyazono Kaori

"Nice receive!" Daichi cheered on his team mates and continued the game. The ball flew to the opposing side with a spike from Hinata and earned a score for Karasuno.

"Yes!" The odd-ball duo exclaimed, earning glares from Aoba Jousai's players.

I smiled at the sight of them. 'They really are competitive.' I thought. Checking the time on my phone, my eyes widened at the sight of the numbers and immediately excused myself to head for the washroom, grabbing my bag before that.

"I'll be quick." I said to Suga and Kiyoko, who were eyeing me rather suspiciously.

I quickly looked for the nearest female washroom and locked myself in a vacant stall. Opening my bag, I fished out my afternoon pills and swallowed a number of them, drinking a gulp of water after that.

Sighing, I placed the small orange bottles back into my bag and went out the stall, only to see Kiyoko with widened eyes directing at me.

"What were you doing in there?" She asked me but I ignored her. "Are you on drugs, Kaori?"

This time, I faced her with a look of slight anger on my face. "I'm not on drugs, Kiyoko." I said with coldness on my voice.

"I heard a lot of bottled pills," She frowned at me, not moved one bit by my anger.

"They're just medicines." I said but Kiyoko still wasn't convinced. "Just drop it, okay? I can explain later."

Slipping past her figure, I went out of the washroom and made my way back to the gym, hearing lots of the Karasuno boys' screams of delight.

They've won the match and I missed it.

Shimizu Kiyoko

Three minutes passed after Kaori had gone and I was still in the washroom. I looked at the stall she was in earlier when I noticed an oranged bottled pill on the floor.

'This must be hers,' I picked it up from the tiled floor and examined the white sticker label on the front.

"Doxacurium chloride," I mouthed out the medical word only for realization to hit me. 'It is mainly used as a kind of blocking drug or skeletal muscle relaxant.' (A/N: I just searched up some medicines that are used relatively for leg paralysis. I'm not sure if I chose the correct one..)

'What kind of paralysis does she have?' I anxiously kept the bottle on my skirt pocket and slowly went back to the gym.

The boys were already packing and are helping to clean up the gym. I immediately helped Suga who was struggling to carry a net pole.

"Thanks," He mumbled after we placed it on its rack. I nodded and went off but he grabbed my arm before I could do so.

"What happened between you and Kaori-chan?" Suga asked me warily. I shook my head and avoided his gaze, but it only encouraged him to try again. "Shimizu. Tell me."

I sighed and slowly reached into my skirt pocket, revealing him the bottled pill Kaori had left back at the washroom.

He grabbed the bottle from my hand and looked at the label. "Doxacurium? Isn't this a paralysis drug? Why do you have it?"

He faced me once again, a concerned look in his brown eyes. "Don't tell you-"

"Kaori is the one with the paralysis." I blurted out, only to curse internaly because of my bluntness.

"What?"

I explained further. "I checked up on her after walking out the gym to go to the washroom. I heard multiple bottled pills when I came in. She has more of those in her bag." I pointed at the bottle he was holding.

"Multiple," He echoed the word from me and a disbelieved look crossed his face.

"Suga-san! Kiyoko! It's time to go!" Kaori startled the both of us in the store room. She looked more cheerful than our last encounter at the washroom.

'It's too fake.' I winced at the thought on my head. Suga kept the bottle on his pocket and regained his equilibrium.

"We'll be right there!" He called back and to me he said, "We should go."

I nodded and followed behind him, going out into the front of the Aoba Jousai school building where the bus was parked and waiting for us.

"Hey love birds! Hurry up or we're leaving you!" Tanaka yelled at the both of us. We blushed madly at his remark and denied what he had said. But that only makes it worse since there's not really a way to get out of it..

Going all the way to the back, I and Suga discussed about Kaori's paralysis and other possible things that relates to it.

"It could be any of her limbs since that's where common paralysis start. Doxacurium is considered a skeletal muscle relaxant." He pointed out while re-examining the label on the bottle.

"Her legs," I mumbled and Suga turned to look at me. "It could be her legs that's paralyzed. I don't know if this is going to relate but.." My voice faltered, not exactly sure whether I should tell him or not, but he encouraged me to go on. "She happen to had a sudden collapse on her very first violin audition when she was young. It was sudden as she just, abrubtly stopped in the middle of the piece and second chances aren't really 'allowed' as there is a certain time limit for each performance."

"So," He gave me back the bottle. "What do we do? We can't really help cure her paralysis."

I shrugged and looked out the window next to me. "I don't know. It's not our place to mingle on her issues and I'm sure she doesn't want us to."

"I guess we just have to wait."

----------

"Good work today, guys!" Suga patted each of the team members and complimented them.

"Kiyoko," Kaori appeared by my side. "I'm sorry for what happened back at Aoba Jousai."

"Are you willing to tell me now?" I asked her and she pursed her lips, nodding once.

"I know a park where we can stop by."

Suga suddenly came back towards our direction. "I'm coming too."

----------

"I had been having this paralysis since I was young. My sudden collapse back from my first audition was like a 'trigger' start for it. From then on, I've been having a lot of hospitalizations ever since and being taken care of like a disabled person should. But it's sometimes sickening because I'm not at the stage where I really need lots of caring help from everyone.

"Moving here to Miyagi, my parents were some how acting more protective of me. I didn't know the reason why, until I overheard them conversing with my consultant one day that.." Kaori trailed off, looked down and cleched the hem of her skirt tightly.

"I.. I don't have much time left."

We looked at her in utter disbelief. Suga had stopped eating the buns Daichi had bought for each of us, losing his appetite.

"Do you know how long?" I asked but she shook her head. "So it could just, happen suddenly?"

"Yes, and the thought of it scares me." She turned to face me and Suga, the rims of her eyes turning red with visible tears forming around them. "I don't want my life to be timed and controlled."

She hiccuped, causing her tears to fall freely past her cheeks, drop down from her cheek and to her lap. Suga was the first to comfort her by giving her a hug which she gave in to.

No words were spoken after that as it doesn't really help her case because sometimes, words aren't at their strongest to be said and actions are the ones that needed to be shown.