Four out of Six

~Chapter 10~

The Spring High tournament came and went. After a crushing defeat against Seijou the team went home in tears. The huddle was brief. Afterwards Daichi was quick to leave.

"Daichi?" asked Asahi.

"I'm going to call Koushi," he mumbled.

Suga picked up after two rings.

"Hey you."

"We lost."

"I know." The voice on the other line was gentle. "It was on the news. I watched the whole thing. It wasn't fair to Kageyama-kun, being the only setter. If only I could've been there so he could've subbed out."

"I don't want you blaming yourself!" Daichi said firmly. "Seijou had an insane new player. Second year. His spikes were something else!"

Suga laughed. It was weak-sounding. "I'm not. Blaming myself, that is. I just wish I could've been there. It must've looked odd to have number 2 missing in the lineup."

"Say," Daichi started. "Um, we have our team meeting tomorrow. Before us third years retire. And, um, well..."

"I'll be there," said Suga, determined. "We're officially retiring from volleyball. I want to say goodbye to the team as well."

"Okay. Want me to stop by tonight?"

"Please."

"I'll be there in twenty." After a brief moment's hesitation, "See you soon."

"Bye, Daichi."

Daichi hung up and took a deep, steadying breath. Everything was fine. He was on his way home when he heard a sound.

Tanaka was outside the gymnasium, crying.

"Tanaka? What's wrong?"

"Daichi-san!" He wiped his nose. "Oh, it's nothing."

Daichi waited beside him. After a few minutes Tanaka started to talk.

"I wanted to win this one...for Suga-san. I wanted for him to see us on that national stage. It was our dream! And Daichi-san, you're the one who got us close to there. It's not fair!"

"I know," Daichi said. "I know."

~

The next couple of months became less and less manageable.

Suga had stopped attending school altogether. His days were spent between the hospital a few towns over and his own home. It seemed the staff were accepting his wishes to live his last couple of months as normally as possible. His treatment was changed significantly to accommodate for that.

Daichi, meanwhile, was drowning in tests and extra studies for his college entrance exams. At least he didn't have to train for nationals. That bittersweet thought remained with him each day.

Almost all their communication was done through text messages. They usually consisted of Daichi sending Suga various pictures on his way to and from school. The majority of them were photos from the team, who insisted on meeting whenever they could. Hinata and Kageyama would asked about how Suga was doing every day, much to Daichi's amusement. Despite it now being the off-season, most of the underclassmen were already preparing for next year under Ennoshita's strict regime.

Only Noya and Hinata seemed overjoyed by it.

Yet as autumn came to a close and the winter wind picked up, it became so painfully apparent what Suga really meant when he said he wasn't getting better. He would occasionally visit classmates, teachers, and the team. His physical condition was something only Daichi would see.

Suga had lost a considerable amount of weight. He could barely keep food down and lived off of rice gruel, protein shakes, canned fruit, and his medication. Most days he spent staring off into space. Getting answers from him past a few grunts of sentences was bad half the time. He was weak and obviously on his last leg.

Yet his smile never changed. Always bright and genuine and comforting and there. Each team member made sure to spend time just sitting with their former vice captain, talking about anything and everything. Daichi would watch from the sidelines as each person talked, knowing what everyone was thinking each time.

This could be the last conversation I have with him.