6 years later
"Alright guys!" I blow my whistle, making the team stop their drill and look at me. "Gather around and sit please."
My team jogs over to me, and plop onto the floor, trying to catch their breaths. I sit in front of them, looking at my clipboard.
"We all know what tomorrow is, right?" I look up at them, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes coach!" They all yell, making me grin.
"Our match against the Sendai Frogs." I say, though they already know. "I'm really sorry about this one, but because of my other job, I've been more busy than usual and so I wasn't able to get any videos of them to watch." To be honest, I won't even know their starting line up until tomorrow.
I feel horrible, usually it's our tradition to watch videos on the other team before our practice.
"Don't worry about it Coach! We all took the initiative to do some research on our own. We could only find a few short clips online, but I think we got this!" Seiji, our team captain says. I look at them all in appreciation.
"I love you guys." We all laugh. "Okay, let's get serious now." I say, my lips pressing into a thin line.
"The Sendai Frogs...although I wasn't able to get videos of them, they've been the talk of the league lately. I heard they've got some huge players. They've been doing so well that if they keep it up, there's been talks of them getting moved up to Division 1." I pause, a small grin coming over my lips. "So do your best, stay focused, and crush them."
"Yeah!" The boys shout, all grinning and hitting each other on their backs.
"We totally got this! We've been winning a lot too!" Hisashi, our libero, stands up. "Put your faith in me to guard your backs, and I'll leave the rest to you tall bastards! You better make them piss their pants with your spikes!" Once again, the boys hype each other up like they always do.
"Alright, alright, alright." I laugh. "Though, it may not be as easy as you all think. We still need to play seriously tomorrow. Keep your guards up. Now, everyone go home and rest. Please eat proper meals." I stand.
"Thank you Coach!" They line up, yelling the words. I smile, looking at each of them. This truly is the best part of my day.
How the hell did I get to this place in life?
I make sure every one of my players are gone before I leave the gym as well.
Sendai Frogs. What do you have to offer?
~
"We're here." I say excitedly, turning back to look at my team before we enter the gym. "How do you all feel?"
"We feel great coach. Better than ever. Even though Haru isn't here, I feel like we'll do well." Seiji says, a determined look in his eyes. "Let's win this for Haru!"
Haru is our team's ace. He got sick a few days ago with the flu, so he's been bedridden since. This game is definitely going to be tough without him, as much as I hate to say it. But we really do depend on that guy most of the times.
"Yeah!" The team yells, and then walks past me to enter the gym.
"Um...Coach Amaterasu?" Yui, our pinch server comes up to me. I look at him, shocked. This guy doesn't talk much so I'm really surprised that he came up to me.
"Yes?" I smile.
"I don't want to sound rude, you're a great coach, and you're friendly but you also push us hard during practice." He looks down, playing with his fingers. "But do you know when Coach Ben will be back? He promised that we'd work on my serves but he...he's been gone for a while."
Ben was the head coach of this team, and I started off as the secondary coach. But around 2 months ago, he had a family emergency and had to return back to the U.S. I guess things have been pretty bad since then, he hasn't said he has plans to return any time soon.
"He's still taking care of his family right now." I put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "If you want, I can help you." He looks up at me, a sparkle in his eyes.
"Seriously?" He asks hopefully.
"Of course." I grin. "Now let's go inside."
He jogs off inside the gym and I follow suit. As I walk through the doors, I check my phone. We only have 20 minutes to warm up. I start to feel a little anxious about the game. I don't doubt my boys's abilities, they pull off some insane plays at times, but I wonder how they'll do against this supposedly raising-in-the-ranks team.
I sigh, sliding my phone into my back pocket. I guess we'll just see.
I look up at my team, making sure they're practicing, then look at the other team.
Sendai Frogs. Geez, they do have some really tall players. But we do too, it looks like it's going to be a battle of strength and height today.
My eyes land on their number 17, and my entire body tenses.
There's no way...there's no way in hell it's actually him.
But the letters on the top of his Jersey, and that blonde hair I once found comfort in, says differently. Just then, he turns around and we make eye contact. He freezes in place, looking shocked.
You know what he also looks? Good. He looks good. He's toner than in high school, hair slightly longer, and he definitely grew. He has to be 195 cm, at the least.
Tsukishima Kei.
"Coach! I need to talk to you." I'm ripped from my trance as Hisashi calls me. I quickly divert my gaze away from my old friend and walk over to my team.
Today is going to be interesting, to say the least.
Warm up time goes by fast, and the first set seems like it's going by even faster.
"Connect!" I shout as Hisashi dives for a tip, successfully getting it up.
"Seiji!" Tadao, our setter, calls for our captain. He sets up for a quick, and I bite my lip. There's no blocker, it's a free point.
Or so I thought. Tsukishima jumps out of nowhere, hands up and that man is grinning at Seiji. A face that says 'I got you' without any words being spoken. How the hell did he move so fast?
Tsukishima is definitely not the same player he was in High School.
Seiji isn't one to panic though. He sees an opening, and he takes it. Apparently, Tsukishima saw it too because he quickly moves his hands to where Seiji hits, the ball falling back onto our court, Hisashi barely missing it even though he dove.
Shit. I think to myself. This is not good at all.
I realize that I seriously underestimated them. I was foolish enough to think that since we were on a winning streak with our games, that we could defeat a team who's rising to the top without too much trouble. But I was seriously wrong.
I remember when Tsukishima thought, just like I did, that volleyball was just a club activity.
I guess we both matured.
"Don't mind! Let's get this next point!" I try to encourage my team. As soon as their spirits get down, it's over.
And with a score of 20-22, us down by 2, we cannot afford to make any more mistakes.
Slowly though, we are getting point by point, and giving those damn frogs a run for their money.
"Hisashi, go!" Tadao sets to the back row and it throws the other team off because it didn't look like that's where he was going to go with the ball. Hisashi jumps right behind the ten foot line and hits the ball. It lands in the very right corner of the court, earning us a point.
Tadao has been practicing this for a long time. He sets and faces his body towards our opposite hitter, and it honestly looks like he's going to toss to him, but then at the last second changes the course of the set. To see them actually pull it off in a game makes me so proud to see their hard work pay off.
Though, we lose the first set 24-26, the second set came a lot easier. My boys hate losing more than anything, so they were extremely focused the entire time. The score ended up being 25-19, shocking the Sendai Frog's coach and the audience. Nobody has had that much of a point gap win on them for a while.
I thought we'd be able to pull that off in the last set as well, but I was sadly mistaken. We got to see the true potential of the Sendai Frogs- why they're the talk of the league and the reason they may get moved up to division 1.
They were...scary. Really scary, oddly calm and focused as well. The set ended up being 16-18, us losing.
Both teams line up, saying their thanks before we head into the locker room.
"I'm really proud of you guys." I start off by saying. "You guys did extremely well, and surprised me like you always do in the second set. I hope you're all proud of yourselves too."
"We lost." Hisashi grits out, his fists clenched. "There were too many balls dropped that I should have been able to get up. 26 in the first set, 19 in the second set, and 18 in the third! That's, what?" He stops and does the math mentally.
"63 points they got today. 63 balls I let fall onto our court. What's there to be proud of?" He huffs out in frustration.
"I, I, I, I. Is that all you can say?!" Seiji stands up, glaring at Hisashi. "You do realize that you're not the only one on the court, right? So stop being so selfish. We all could have done better."
Hisashi goes quiet and I bite my lip. We don't lose often, but when we do, their spirits get low.
"Seiji is right." I say, diverting their attention to me. "We all have things to work on, but we have to remember that we're not out there alone on the court. Let's take this anger, and hurt that we feel into our next game and do better alright? Now get changed." I smile at them all and leave the room.
Slowly, one by one and in pairs, the boys leave to go home. I sigh, standing outside the room for a second even though they're already gone.
I feel like part of the loss is my fault. I wasn't able to do research, we should have practiced more. At times like this, it makes me wonder if I should even be a coach. At my age, I could just go and join a team if I wanted to.
I huff out a breath, pushing myself off the wall and back out into the gym. I grab my bag and walk outside. As soon as I do though, I see someone waiting for me.
"Katsumi." Tsukishima says my name, a smile coming over his face. He's no longer in his uniform, but in a practice shirt with his team logo on it, and some grey sweatpants.
"Tsukishima Kei." I grin, closing the gap between us and taking him into a hug. His long arms easily wrap around me, and I'm instantly warmed at his touch.
"It's been a long time." He whispers, chuckling.
"Too long." I laugh, agreeing. After a moment, we pull away from each other. I look up at him, shaking my head, a smile on my face. "You're huge!" I say, making us both laugh.
"I grew a little, yeah." He smiles.
"A little? You seem way taller than in high school." I look at him up and down in awe.
"And you're still short. Did you even grow a little bit?" He teases, looking at me.
"I'm not short! You're just abnormally gigantic." I huff out a breath, laughing. "I still remember you making fun of me for being tall when we were first years." I say, lightly hitting his chest though the smile doesn't leave my face.
"Oh...I'm really sorry about that." A look of guilt passes over his features.
"No, don't be." I chuckle, shaking my head. "You've apologized already for all that. There's no need to do it again." He bites his lip, nodding.
"What have you been up to? We lost contact after high school so I don't know much about you anymore. How the hell did you become a coach?" He tilts his head curiously.
"Ah, well. Since my 3rd year of high school I was doing training with a professional volleyball player, Erika Araki. I continued until around 6 months ago, when I became the secondary coach for this team. The head coach is from America and had to go back for a family emergency, so as of now I'm the head coach. I'm a senior in college, and I'm working with my parents now. I promised them that I'd get my degree in business before I fully take over the company." I reflect on my life, thinking about my parents. I'm very grateful for the opportunities they've given to me.
I hope I'm making them proud.
"Wow, you're doing pretty amazing. I'm really proud of you." His eyes light up and he gives me a gentle smile. Old feelings are resurfacing, and I can feel those butterflies again.
"Me? What about you?! You're playing professional volleyball. That's way more cool! I'm so proud of you for getting to this level. You're scary on the court." I say, my voice expressing my excitement.
"Yeah? Maybe that's why we beat your team." He teases.
"Oh come on..." I roll my eyes.
"Hey, it's getting late. I don't want you going home alone any later than this, so you should get going." He says, then he's the one who pulls me into a hug this time.
"Aw, you don't have to worry about me. But yeah, it is pretty late so I'll head home now." I let out, hugging him back.
I expect him to pull away, but he doesn't. I don't want to either, so we stay like that. In silence, for God knows how long.
"Sumi." Tsukishima says, being the one to break the hug and look at me. He doesn't let me go from his embrace, but pulls away just enough so that I can see him.
"Yes?" I look up into his golden eyes, the eyes I once fell in love with, the eyes that belong to someone I once endured so much pain from.
"What are you doing tomorrow night? Let me take you on a date. Let's go to dinner or something- on me. It doesn't have to be romantic or anything, I'm not sure if you have a boyfriend or..." He trails off, looking at me expectantly. I furiously shake my head, not wanting him to think that.
"Okay, good." He laughs.
"Do you have a girlfriend?" I tilt my head.
"No." He grins, and for some reason a light tint of red covers my cheeks.
"Cool" I say lamely, making him laugh.
"Then I'll pick you up at 8? Is that okay?"
"That's good." I nod.
"Okay. I'll see you, Katsumi." He leans down, kissing my cheek. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight." I can't help the smile that takes over my face. We let go of each other and go our separate ways.
Damn you, Tsukishima Kei. How can you make me feel this way even after all these years?
The next day went by tantalizingly slow. School and work went from 7am to 3pm, and practice went from 3:30 to 6:30. The entire time, all I can think of is what is going to happen tonight. I'm going on a date with Tsukishima Kei. A real, official, date between us. The thought makes me giddy, but also extremely nervous as well. What if he hasn't changed at all? What if things go the same way as in high school and we're just starting all over again.
Oh my god, shut up. He literally just asked you on a dinner date, he didn't say he planned on seeing you at all after that. He just wants to catch up, you haven't seen each other in 4 years, since you were 3rd years in high school! I tell myself in my head.
4 years, isn't that so pathetic? Even after 4 years I think I still like this guy. Even if it's just a little bit.
I get home and quickly take a shower. Anxiety fills me as I think of what I should wear. Once I get out, I dry myself and wrap my hair in a towel, going through my closet and rummaging through the potential outfits. I haven't bought anything new in a while...
I throw on a cream colored long sleeve turtle neck, and a velvet burgundy overall dress on top of it. I hope this is a casual date...
Just as I finish doing my hair and makeup, my doorbell rings. I quickly put my shoes on at the door and open it.
"Hi." Tsukishima Kei stands at my doorstep, looking so beautiful I might cry.
"Hi." I smile, walking out.
"You look...really good." He shoves his hands into his pockets.
"Thank you, you look handsome yourself." I say and we both laugh, walking to his car.
He opens the passenger door for me and I slide in. He jogs around to the drivers side and we soon take off.
"Where are we going?" I question.
"Do you know the restaurant Sushi Yui?" He glances over at me as he drives. My eyes widen and I look at him, in shock.
"You mean the only restaurant to get 2 Michelin stars in Sendai?" My mouth hangs slightly open.
"Yes, that's where I'm taking you." He grins.
"No...oh my gosh no. You can't do that." I shake my head. "That's way too much, that's too expensive."
"I think you deserve it. I don't mind spending money on you." He sucks his teeth, looking over at me once again.
"Kei..." I sigh.
"How about this then." He perks up and I look at him. "I take you to a cafe or something today. And you promise me a second date, where I can take you to wherever I want. Wherever- including Sushi Yui."
I look away from him, a blush coming over my cheeks. I don't want him to take me there, or waste that much money on me. But I do want a second date, even though we haven't even started our first one yet.
"Okay." I say softly.
"Okay? Cool." He chuckles. "Then we'll go to a cafe."
The rest of the drive was short, and soon we arrive at Date Cafe O'rder. As we order, and take sips of our drinks, we end up talking about the game again.
"I swear, if we had our ace playing, we would have beaten you." I laugh.
"There's no way, I refuse to believe that. You guys have some powerful hitters already, and I still blocked them." Tsukishima grins.
"I don't care, Jiro would have gotten past you. He doesn't just blindly hit, or look for an opening. He can change courses at any given time, and if he needs to he can switch the hand he hits with midair." I picture Jiro, our ace, and how incredible he is when he plays.
"He sounds scary." Tsukishima laughs.
"He's...definitely a beast." I agree.
For the rest of the night we talk about all sorts of things, and it feels like we're long time best friends. Our conversations don't feel forced, and it's so relieving to be with him.
After we eat, we sit at the cafe for a little while longer before taking a walk around town.
"So why don't you play instead of coach? I mean, especially at our age, don't you feel like you're missing out?" Tsukishima asks as we walk side by side, our shoulders brushing with every movement we make.
"I used to...but I got used to it. I feel like coaching allows me to be part of something I've grown to love, without having all the pressure or high expectations on me like the players do. When I first started training with Araki, I felt guilty. Like I didn't deserve to be on a court because I used to think of it as nothing but a game. Being surrounded by people who have taken it seriously all their lives, when I didn't, wasn't sitting right with me. But I got over it, mostly, and decided to find a position to coach. Coach Ben was from America, and I think he only hired me because I speak English well. But in the end it worked out." I smile, looking down at my feet.
"Oh, sorry...I rambled." I look up at Tsukishima, blushing.
"I don't mind. I enjoy hearing you talk about your life." He nudges my shoulder playfully. "Though it's later than I wanted to get you home by. We should go now." He looks at his watch.
"Sure." I nod and we walk back to the cafe where his car is.
On the way to my house, we don't talk much. Music flows through the air, making the silence comfortable. I lay my head against the window, looking at the scenery as we pass by.
Maybe I'm getting way too ahead of myself, but I hope we are able to have more nights like this. I did agree to a second date...the thought of it makes me smile. Maybe this was fate. Maybe we truly did meet each other at the wrong time in high school.
Soon enough, we pull up to my house. Tsukishima gets out and walks me to my door.
"I had a lot of fun tonight." He smiles, his face illuminated by the porch light. "I hope I can take you on that second date soon."
"Me too. Thank you for everything." I say as Tsukishima grabs my hands and holds them in his own.
"Can I say something? It may sound weird now...but it's something I still regret not telling you in high school. It bothers me to this day." He bites his lip.
"Sure, anything." I nod. "What is it?" He stays quiet for a moment, diverting his gaze somewhere else. But when he finally finds his words, he looks at me with an unfamiliar glint in his eyes.
He leans down, and I think that he's about to kiss me, but instead he rests his forehead against mine.
"Your name. Amaterasu Katsumi. I really like it. I think it suits you very well. Amaterasu means sun goddess, and it's so fitting to be your last name. You've filled my life with nothing but light since I met you. Even though I was absolutely horrible to you, you were the best part of my day. I never knew how to tell you. And Katsumi means victorious beauty." He reaches a hand up to cup my cheek. "And you are the most beautiful girl I've ever met in my entire life. Whether you're happy, sad, crying, angry- whatever it may be - you always made it look so flawless. It's unreal how beautiful you are, you're just so perfect in every way. I hardly called you by your name during high school and I regret it so much."
I close my eyes as he talks, tears slowly rolling down my cheeks. I don't want to cry, but hearing him sound so hurt about his actions makes me realize how much he's grown since then.
"Kei.." I whisper.
"Please, let me finish." He says, his voice shaky. That's when I realize he's crying too.
"That day...I'm sure you remember. I promised that I was going to become a better person, so that I can properly be in a relationship with you. We both acknowledged that we needed to work on ourselves before being able to commit to each other. I made you promise that you'd wait for me, and I promised that I'd wait for you. I understand that it may have been just a silly high school promise to you, but it was more than that to me. I worked on myself and my relationships with others. I rekindled my relationship with my brother as well. I became better, and I owe it all to you. So thank you, Amaterasu Katsumi. Thank you for pushing me to become a better man. Although we graduated high school 4 years ago, and we made that promise when we were first years, I just want you to know that I waited for you. You probably think I'm stupid for waiting that long. Especially when we didn't talk all this time. But I waited. I trusted that God would allow us to meet once again. That, or I'd just have to go find you myself." He finishes, letting out a shaky laugh.
"Kei." A trembling, tender laugh falls from between my lips. "I waited for you too." I whisper.
It's at that moment where I feel him pull his forehead away from mine. I look up at him and he cups my face with his other hand, wiping my tears away. I reach up and do the same to him.
"You have no idea how happy I am to hear that." He murmurs before pulling me to his chest and kissing me longingly. I smile in content, all the emotions I used to reprimand myself for feeling for him in high school, now resurface. This time, I don't push them down.
Little by little, the kiss turns more eager, however, not enough for either of us. We want more.
"Um.." I pull away, panting. I look away for a second, a blush covering my cheeks. "D-Do you want to go inside?" I bite my lip. A grin comes over his features and he pecks my lips.
"I would love to." He answers. I quickly take out my keys and unlock the door.
As soon as we're inside, he attacks my lips again. I blindly close and lock the door, not wanting to break away from him. I lead him to my room and he picks me up without breaking the kiss, laying me down gently on my bed, hovering over me. He soon breaks away though and stares down at me. I can hear my heartbeat in my ears, and I reach my hand up to place it on his chest. His is beating just as fast as mine. He smiles down at me, grabbing my hand to kiss my knuckles.
"You're so perfect. I should have told you that a long time ago." He says before leaning down and kissing me again. "I'm going to show you just how much I care about you." He mumbles against my lips.
Piece by piece, our clothes slowly came off. Tsukishima Kei made me feel loved, and taken care of. He truly did show me how much he cares, and I made sure to do the same thing for him.
"You're mine."
"I'm going to hold on to you. I'm not going to make the same mistake of letting you go this time."
"You're so beautiful. So perfect."
He whispered into my ear, and many more things through the night that made the butterflies in my stomach double.
So many emotions filled through me, but one thing was for sure. I still love him. I am so utterly in love with Tsukishima Kei. The only difference is this time I'm ready to tell him.
"What are you thinking about?" He murmurs, hugging my bare body to his. We've been laying like this for the past 10 minutes, neither of us bothering to put clothes back on after our fun little activity.
"You." I admit, snuggling up to him.
"I'm thinking about you too." He presses a kiss to my temple. I smile at that, looking up to meet his eyes. I reach up, placing a hand on his cheek and rubbing my thumb against his skin, sighing in content.
"Will you be my girlfriend Katsumi?" He asks gently. My small smile slowly grows, eventually reaching my eyes, and I chuckle.
"I've been waiting hopefully for you to ask me that since yesterday." I tease. "Of course I will."
"I was honestly thinking about it." He laughs. "But I didn't want to scare you. When I seen you come into the gym...I just wanted to run over to you and hug you." He smiles. "Everything just comes to naturally when I'm with you. I love it."
"Me too. It's nice." I smile, leaning up and placing a chaste kiss to his jaw.
"Now that you're my girlfriend, I can't wait until the day I can make you my fiancé, then one day my wife." He smirks, causing a quiet laugh to rumble from my lips.
"Talk about moving fast." I snort.
"I can't help it. I lost you once, I want to be sure that never happens again. I remember you saying that you believe that we met at the wrong time. At first, I hated hearing you say that, but I knew it was true. Right now though...I know it's the right time. It's the perfect time, actually. We both have our lives figured out, we've matured...can't you feel it? Things are finally starting to click in place for us. I'm so happy I found you again." He leans down, kissing me for just a moment.
I wish I could kiss this man for all eternity.
He's not mean to me anymore. He's so gentle with me and he's genuine about it. This is who I wanted him to be for me in high school.
"I feel it." I smile. "I feel the same way. I think we found each other at the perfect moment this time. I love you so much Kei." I lean up, kissing him passionately.
He quickly pulls way though, eyes wide, causing me to frown. He sits up at the speed of lighting and pulls me up with him. The blanket falls down at the sudden movement, leaving my torso and everything above it exposed. I don't have time to react though, as Tsukishima cups my face and talks hurriedly.
"What did you say?" He blinks as if he can't believe something.
"W-What?" I place my hands on his chest.
"Just now. The last thing you said. Repeat it, I'm not sure I heard it right." He bites his lip, searching my eyes.
"I-I feel the same way? We found each other at the perfect moment?" I say, though it comes out as a question.
"After that. Say what you said after that." His expression turns to one of excitement. I frown, confused. I replay what I said in my head and my eyes widen in realization.
"O-Oh, that." My cheeks heat up. "I didn't mean..."
"You didn't mean it?" He raises an eyebrow.
"No! No, I did mean it. But I didn't mean to say it out loud. I know you probably don't-" I panic, starting to ramble.
"If you meant it, then say it again." He says eagerly. "I want to hear you say it."
"I'm embarrassed now." I mumble and he chuckles slightly.
"Don't be. I just want to hear you say it one more time." He says gently, rubbing his thumb over my skin.
"I-I..." I stutter, feeling nervous now. "I'm in love with you Kei. I love you more than you know, more than I probably should. I've loved you since...forever." I say, and at my words he closes his eyes, sighing in content.
"God, you just-" He opens his eyes, pure bliss shining through them. "I love you too. I love you, I love you, I love you. I wish you'd let me tell you that in high school. I've been in love with you probably since the day I met you, and I know that sounds cheesy. But god, I really do adore you, Katsumi."
He looks down at me, his eyes full of love. I can tell that he means every word he's saying. My heart has never felt so full. I'm on cloud 9. This man...I feel like we were truly meant for each other. I'm the sun, and he's the moon. I don't know what I'd do without him.
I throw my arms around him, taking him into my embrace, and he does the same.
"Promise me this time we won't let each other go." I mumble into his ear. I feel him tighten his hold on me at my words.
"I promise. With everything in me, I promise."
(Hello, so this was very very long, almost hitting 5,500 words without this note lol. I wrote this chap the middle of writing this story, at this point in time I only have 6 chapters written for this but I decided to write the ending already since I got the idea for this ending yesterday night. It's 11/14/2020. I probably won't get done writing this for a long time, and I probably won't post it for even longer after. So by the time, if anybody reads this at all lol, it'll be the future! Kinda cool, right? Anyways, I would like to thank you for sticking with me this far into the story. It really means a lot, even if there's only 1 person seeing this. It means everything to me, so thanks!
Also, let's pretend that liberos attacking isn't illegal for the sake of this chapter lol