~Back In The Game~

~Chapter Twenty-Two~

-Small Timeskip, After Practice-

You, Hinata, and Kageyama are standing together as the two boys are drinking from the water bottles that you brought them.

"Hey, Kageyama? I wonder...if Asahi-san comes back, will everything work out with Suga-san and Noya-san?" Hinata asks.

"Heck if I know." Kageyama replies.

"Suga says Asahi tends to feel responsible for something, but I think he is like that too." You interject.

"Yeah, I bet both of them are thinking that it's their fault." Kageyama starts. "But y'know? You can't win a volleyball match by yourself."

"!?"

"!?"

"What, you're really gonna say that?!" Hinata exclaims while pointing at Kageyama accusingly. 'Oh boy. Here we go...' You think. "I still clearly remember your most famous line, y'know!!" Hinata pushes his hair down to look like Kageyama's and begins speaking like him. "I think I'd rather do it all myself. All the setting, spiking, serving– everything!" You giggle at the boy and see that Kageyama isn't happy.

"Would you just freaking drop it?!" Kageyama yells while picking Hinata up by the collar of his shirt.

"I'd rather do everything myself!" Hinata continues. This causes KAgeyama to throw the boy. Hinata spins in the air a few times before landing perfectly on his feet. 'How in the...?' You think. Still in the position as when he landed, Hinata speaks seriously.

"Even though everybody on this side of the net is supposed to be an ally...I don't like it when all of us on "this" side are all awkward around each other."

"I don't either. It doesn't feel right." You add.

"I wonder if there's anything that we could do to get Asahi-san to come back." Hinata says. 'Hmm...' You think.

-The Next Day, Lunch Break-

"E-Excuse me...?" You say standing in the doorway of classroom 3-3. A student comes up to you and asks if there's anything they can help you with.

"I-I'm looking for Azumane-senpai..." You reply shyly. The student points to Asahi and you thank them before going over to the third year. "Asahi?" The said boy looks at you surprised.

"(Y/N)? What are you doing here?" Ashai asks.

"Hi, to you too." You say jokingly.

"! I-I'm so sorry! I didn't-" Asahi panics.

"It's okay! I was just joking!" You hear a sigh of relief from the boy. "I'm here to talk to you."

"About what?"

"...The volleyball club..." You instantly see his mood change.

"I don't really-" He begins.

"I know you don't want to talk about it." You interrupt. "You don't have to say anything, but please just listen to what I say!" You finish with a bow.

"...Okay." He hesitantly says. You stand upright and continue to talk.

"I don't know exactly what you're going through but I do know what it's like to not want to play. I've had my doubts about not being good enough and the feeling of holding everyone back." He looks at you with slight shock when he sees the defeated look on your face. "I didn't want to go back for the reason of thinking my team would be better without me. That thought clouded my mind for longer than I'd like to admit." You say with a slight chuckle. "At that time I wouldn't touch a volleyball. Every time I looked at one it would remind me of my team, and it hurt."

"What did you end up doing?" He asks. You smile.

"I got pulled out of my head and back to my senses by my friend..."

-Flashback-

You were sitting under a tree outside the school having lunch. It was peaceful and relaxing, yet you weren't relaxed. You were troubled. You were sad. But mostly, you were scared. You had forgotten the feeling of a volleyball in your hands. The feeling of the sting of receiving a spike, the feeling of saving the ball from touching the ground, the feeling of the pain when your knees would hit the ground when you would dig for the ball. The worst feeling was you forgot the rush of a game, the joy of winning, the heartbreak of losing, and the feeling of being a part of a team. You're pulled out of your thoughts when a shadow blocks your view. You look up to see your friend looking at you nervously.

"Can I sit with you?" She asks.

"Sure." You answer before she sits next to you. There's an awkward silence before she speaks.

"The team misses you. I miss you."

"I doubt the team missed me. All I ever did was hold you guys back..." You say sadly.

"What?!" She looks at you shocked. "That's what you think?!" You look at her with wide eyes. You've never seen her this worked up, even in a game, she's always calm.

"It's true!"

"You can't be serious. You're going to listen to what those girls said?" You think back to when two of your upperclassman teammates told you that you were worthless after losing a game. During this game, you couldn't receive a majority of the spikes from the other team. They said it was your fault that the team lost. And every day at practice they made sure to remind you.

"I-"

"No. It wasn't your fault. The other team was solid and powerful. They were just better."

"..."

"...Please come back to the team. We need you."

"I don't know..."

"Those girls aren't on the team anymore."

"..."

"Please (Y/N)... At least think about it." She says as she gets up. You have your head hung but know that she's standing in front of you again. "We want you back." She finishes before walking away. "(Y/N)." You look up to see her holding a volleyball. But it's not just any volleyball, it's the one your sensei gave you. "Catch." She says before throwing the ball at you. You catch it and as you're holding it you realize how much you miss volleyball. You look away from the ball only to see that your friend is no longer in sight. You look back to your ball and smile.

-Flashback End-

After telling Asahi about your past you look at him only to see he has an unreadable expression. This makes you worried that you shared too much which causes you to blush and get nervous.

"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have bored you with my pity story." Ashai was about to respond but you continued talking. " I should get going. Thank you for listening to me." You bow and head for the classroom door, leaving Asahi stunned. You stop in the doorway and speak one last time without turning around. "Please consider coming back. Your friends miss you. And if you have forgotten the feeling of breaking through the wall...just try to remember how happy you were when you would spike and earn a point. Also the feeling of celebrating with your team, your friends." With that, you continue out of the classroom. Ashai sits at his desk shocked. 'How...' He thinks not being able to finish his thought due to your head popping into the doorway.

"Oh! I'd love to get to know you better! So pleeeease consider coming back to the team!" You say cheerfully, shocking the third year. He feels his heartbeat quicken at your words. 'I need to take a walk to think and calm down.' He thinks as he gets up. He walks toward the hallway only to be met with two familiar faces.

"..."

"..."

"...So..."

~To Be Continued~