Serendipity: Haikyuu Fanfic

Chapter 24: The Aftermath

There's no moment of hesitation— Jun drops the fishing rod and sprints over to the rocky ledge. She takes off her jacket and dives into the harsh, unforgiving waves.

Tsukishima hears the loud splash when Fukui's body hit the water. He turns around to find a faint figure from afar, swimming quickly towards Fukui.

They hurry over to find the nearest club members — luckily it was Kuroo and Akaashi. They had been resting after a particularly long lap.

"There's an accident," Tsukishima says.

Kuroo's heart sank. His gut told him that it's Fukui— she doesn't know how to swim. Immediately, Kuroo and Akaashi hurries over to the other end of the shore.

As they approached them, Kuroo sees the two from the distance — they're both on the ground. Drenched and dripping in seawater, Jun sits on the ground next to Fukui. She breathes heavily from swimming against the current. Fukui, on the other hand, lays on the sand, unconscious.

Jun leans down to check Fukui's pulse as they approaches the scene. There's an evident look of worry in Kuroo's eyes as he rushes to Fukui's side.

"She'll be okay," Jun reassures. Akaashi gently drapes a towel on Jun's shoulders, covering her chest. She's wearing a dark shirt underneath — so it's not particularly obvious. Nevertheless, there's still a risk.

"You should go get dried up," Akaashi says.

Jun hears voices approaching, particularly Bokuto's outcry among the other club members. She takes Akaashi's advice and flees just before they arrived on the scene.

-*-

Kuroo hadn't spoken to her since the accident until evening. Jun feels more exhausted than usual, she rests by one of the countertops by the class windows. She's not napping however— she's sitting up as she watches the summer breeze pass by the leaves from outside.

She hears the door slide open — Kuroo leans by the doorframe, arms crossed. "Dinner's ready."

She politely declines. "I'm not hungry, but thanks."

Kuroo doesn't move. Instead, he frowns at Jun's dismissiveness.

"You should've just asked for my help," Kuroo finally says.

And there it is. Jun sighs— she dreaded that Kuroo would be like this. "A thank you would've been an appropriate response."

"I am thankful," Kuroo says coolly. "But you gotta admit, there could've been a better way to handle it."

Jun looks away. "You have a funny way of expressing your gratitude, then."

Kuroo's frown deepens. "I'm serious. What if I wasn't the first one to get there? What then?"

Irritation is now apparent on Jun's expression. "Gee, Kuroo. I guess people would find out about who I am. But if someone's life is at risk, it doesn't matter so much."

And with that, Jun leaves the classroom in a bad mood.

-*-

When everyone settled down for dinner, Yaku and the rest noticed Kuroo's uncharacteristically quiet and withdrawn behavior — and Jun's absence. The chair usually occupied beside Kenma is empty.

Halfway through the meal, Akaashi stops eating, suddenly rising up from his seat. It prompts confusion in Bokuto and the other club members. Akaashi prepares another plate of food before he leaves the cafeteria.

Later he joins Jun's company, and she would thank him for the polite gesture. That night, Jun eats dinner on a soft, grassy patch underneath the tree with her new friend— quietly watching the bright glimmering stars in the skies.