chapter nine

50 5 8
                                    

Skie saw these "childhood friendships" as one of the best and most beautiful things in the world, and Yaku was one of the reasons why.

   At first, their friendship consisted of planned playdates (courtesy of their parents) and platonic hugs and lots of tickle fights, since, apparently, kids loved tickle fights quite a lot.

   The word "platonic" meant a lot to Skie—the both of them, actually. At that age, it never really mattered, which made their friendship seem even more magical.

   They spent majority of their time at elementary school together, despite their age gap—which caused them to be in different year levels, even in preschool. Their parting before reaching junior high was a tough time, especially since Skie would be moving all the way to Miyagi, leaving Tokyo behind.

   By that time, their childish experiences and secrets became one of their most cherished moments—too many and too important to be left behind and forgotten—so a part of Skie always felt as if it belonged in Tokyo. 

   She would visit a few times year—most of which were out of mere impulse—while making a few more friendships with other students at Nekoma, which was a very interesting ride. Eventually, they and her friends from Karasuno were able to grow fond of each other, and Skie found that to be a very big accomplishment. (Getting different groups of friends together is more of a challenge than it seems.)

Once the two engulfed Skie in a group hug, she began laughing—a bit too hard, actually, because she felt warm tears brimming on the corners of her eyes.

   "I missed you!" Hatada Ayano exclaimed.

   "I miss you too," Skie replied. "Gomen, I wasn't able to visit last time."

   "Skie, are you eating enough?" Yaku asked. "You haven't grown much since last time."

   He flinched at her glare.

   "That's seriously the first thing you say when I come back," Skie mentioned, causing Yaku to burst in a fit of coughing.

   Once she noticed the volleyball Club looking expectantly at her, she gave them a sheepish grin and gestured for them to go ahead.

   "The others are coming here in a bit," Skie said giving Ayano an excited grin, knowing that her friend has become especially fond of Alex, Luka, and Himiko throughout their small visits. "We can go somewhere after the match!"

   "Oi, what about me?" Yaku said.

   "You're coming too!" Skie exclaimed.

   "Take Lev and Kuroo with us!" Ayano suggested. "And Kenma!"

   "I think Kenma is good at being done with us," Yaku said.

   "I know that!"

   "Especially with you, though."

   "Wait, why?!"

   "You used his game console, died, and didn't even save his progress like he told you to, so he had to start again," Yaku explained.

   "Sugoi," Skie muttered.

   "Urusai!"

   The three began walking towards the volleyball court, Ayano in the lead as the other two talked non-stop—mostly about volleyball and a certain crush Skie had in junior high ("He honestly looked gay," Yaku sighed. "But I was relieved that you had a teeny fraction of a love life, even if you look like a child.") He also mentioned Sugawara, who Skie would constantly mention in their emails, stating that he acted a lot like Yaku (a mom, she specifically said ).

clear skies ; a haikyuu!! fanfictionWhere stories live. Discover now