Rigid Crow

The Clouds Part

A month later, Shō knocks and opens my bedroom door, all smiles.
"What? There'd better be a good reason for this."
      "T-T-To-Tobi. I'm gonna try j-jumping t-t-today."
     I freeze. "What? Jumping? Shō, are you ready for that?"
     "I've b-b-been t-training all week for it. L-L-Listen, I don't always need the c-c-c-c-crutches any-anymore."
     "But you're not totally off them! Look, I'm just afraid you're gonna hurt yourself, and you'll set yourself back farther."
His face falls. "T-Tobi. Don't ke-k-keep me from th-this."
I sigh, shaking my head. He's right. I never could.
His smile returns. "Thank y-y-y-you. You'll come, y-y-y-y-yeah?"
"Of course."
In the car, Shō gets a video chat request from Bokuto. He gleefully pushes accept, and his phone lights up with the faces of Bokuto and Akaashi.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Bokuto whoops. "Hinata! We just wanted to check in, make sure you were doing okay. You been good?"
Shō nods and smiles.
Bokuto beams back. "Awesome! Where you going?"
"Physic-c-c-cal ther-therapy. Gonna ju-ju-jump today."
Bokuto's eyes widen to the size of an owl's. "No way! That's awesome, man!"
"Good luck," Akaashi says in a gentler tone.
"A-Arigatō." He thrusts the phone in my face. "Say h-h-hi."
"Ey, it's Kageyama-kun!"
I shake my head, taking the phone. "Not anymore. Just Tobio now."
Bokuto laughs good-naturedly. "Okay, then! Ohh, yeah! You live with the Hinatas now, right? I think I heard that from Kuroo!"
Akaashi glares at him. "He is a Hinata, now, Bokuto-san. Kuroo-san told you that, too."
Bokuto waves him off like he remembered. "I know, I know! Anyway," he looks back at me, "make sure Hinata gets better as soon as possible! I may not be able to play him at Fukurōdani anymore, but one day on the big stage, right, kid?"
"Hai!" Shō chirps.
"That's what I like to hear! Okay, have a good time. See you later!" He ends the call.

                                 :::::::::::::

     "Hold my forearms for these first exercises, okay?" Jun tells him as Shō takes hold of his arms once we're in the physical therapy center. "We're going to do a couple of squats first. You've been doing your exercises at home, yes?"
     Shō nods. He has, and I can see the minor improvements. While he used to weigh about fifty-two kilos, when he first woke up, he was all skin and bones. He lost his hard-earned muscle and the little fat he had to spare. Ten kilos in all. But now, he's begun to gain it back. At his last doctor's appointment, he was up to forty-seven.
     Though he trembles a bit, he completes the squats, then moves on to lunges, eventually letting go of Jun and doing them on his own.
     Once they're done, Jun steps back and asks, "Do you want to try jumping now?"
     Shō nods vigorously.
     But no matter how determined he feels, no matter how hard he tries, he can't get his feet off the ground together. It's like he's forgotten.
     He gasps, hands on his knees as his chest heaves. Horror laces his gaze. "I-I-I-I can't."
     I walk up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You can. It's going to be hard the first few times, but you can, Shō.
     He takes a deep breath. Jun steps up to him. "Shōyō," he says with a smile. "You have always been one to exceed my expectations. You are my hardest-working patient, and you train harder than anyone else. You know by this point I challenge you first to things I don't expect you to be capable of, just to see what your body can handle."
     He goes to the side of the room and brings over a short, soft box made for box jumps. He tells Shō to step onto it. "We've done exercises to strengthen your thighs and calves. Now it's time for the knees, one of the most important parts in jumping. Hop off and take the momentum of your landing by a slight bend in your knees. I trust you will find it easier than what you've been attempting to do."
     With a gentle swing of his arms and bend of his legs, Shō hops off. He stumbles as he lands, yelping a little, his knees barely managing to take his weight. But he doesn't fall.
     "Good job!" Jun and I praise him together.
     He looks up at us, eyes bright. "I di-di-did it."
     "Yeah!" I encourage him. "Try it again."
     He does it a few more times, getting steadier and steadier. He looks at Jun, his eyes shining. "Ju-Jun. I want t-t-t-t-to tr-tr-try jumping ag-again."
     Jun nods. "Yes. Go right ahead."
     From the floor this time, Shō bends his knees, moving his weight to the balls of his feet. He takes one more glance at me.
     "You've got this."
     With a swing of his arms, he jumps.
     My mind reels back to the first time I saw him jump. He soared, flying above the net, determination evident in every inch of himself. He sprouted wings and flew.
     He must only make it a little more than a few centimeters off the ground, but he jumps. Or, well, hops.
    But he laughs, obviously pleased. It starts out as a giggle, then builds into full-out, delighted laughter.
     His laughs nowadays are few and far between. So when they come, it's like the clouds part and things are right again. The sunshine finally peeks through.
     Jun smiles, and so do I. Baby steps. That's what we're taking right now. But it's enough for him. Nothing could make him happier right now.
     Today he's barely off the ground.
     Tomorrow, he'll fly another centimeter higher.
     And one day, he'll soar again, leaving feathers in his wake.