The Colors Screams [ Haikyuu!! ]

☼ Smiling but Fleeting ☼

Shouyou opens his eyes and smiles bitterly.

Shouyou smiles at the soft celeste blue of the ever-stretching sky, smiles at the bumblebee yellow of the ever-fiery sun as it slowly ascends its throne on the sky, smiles at the slowly dimming stars as the red giant basks them in its light. Prompting himself up, he smiles at the basil green of the nearby trees as they reach out to the sky, he smiles at the hues of grey and white of building complexes and houses, smiles at the lavender violet of belony, at the cyber yellow of corn marigold, at the macaroon cream white of the yarrow around him.

He smiles because for once, the gods answered his prayers; his prayers of seeing the different collection of reds and blues and yellows for the first time in years. He smiles bitterly because for once, the gods answered his prayers, at the very day he decided to let go.

Taking out his phone from his pocket, Shouyou frowned upon reading the time, 5:46 AM. He still has two hours before morning practice officially starts but he has to go back home and take a bath then bike over the mountain. Taking in the nuance of colors in front of him for the last time, Shouyou stood up and trekked back to his hollowed house, looking forward for the last morning practice he will attend.

Shouyou descends from his room on the second floor clad in his military black school uniform with his sweater tucked inside. After treating himself with three American bacon and ham sandwiches and packing his lunch, he hops on his bike and pedaled as he enjoys the scene around him. He greets the old lady tending to her garden of tulips, he greets the baker opening his stall, he greets runners clad in tights, he greets the policeman controlling early morning traffic. By the time he reaches the front gates of Karasuno High, it was 6:32 AM.

He doesn't hear shoes squawking or balls being hit in the court so Shouyou concludes that he is the first to arrive. He heads to the changing room and changed out of his school uniform and into comfortable sportswear. Upon returning to the court, he finds Tobio and Ryuunosuke standing by and conversing casually. He cheerfully tells the grumpy setter that he won. They squabble amongst themselves and proceeded to the court once it's open.

Morning practice was nirvana, for Shouyou. Knowing that it's his last, he gleefully shut down any ball that went his way. He radiated a fierce determination energy that had his teammates all pumped up. He spiked every toss down with such strength that their lead blocker, Kei, grumbled in annoyance. Coach Keishin marveled at the newfound energy and strength of the shrimp, calculating new moves with different tempos in his head. Ittetsu just watched everything and smiled fondly as he sees all his hard work pay off.

After morning practice, Shouyou headed towards his homeroom, sat down on his chair beside the window and looked out. He didn't listen to his classmates and moderator brainstorm for their booth for the upcoming school festival. He watched the gentle electric blue of the sky, watched the hickory brown of birds flying by, watched the sage green of the nearby trees. Shouyou did this with every subject, enjoying the scenery and paying his teachers no mind unless his friends starts up a conversation.

Lunch time came and Shouyou happily barreled out of his classroom and walked all the way to the roof before Tobio could show up by his classroom door. He eats his lunch as he happily watches the maya blue of the sky and the few daisy white of the clouds. Too soon for his liking, the bell rang. Shouyou packed up and trekked to his classroom and sat on his chair. Again, he ignores his teachers and stares out of the window. As time went by, he watches the sky turn from maya blue to carolina blue. The final bell rang and Shouyou jumped out of his seat and ran out from his classroom and went straight to afternoon practice.

Shouyou's blocking was on point, his spiking was monstrous, and his receiving was gut-wrenching. His teammates marvel at his excellent performance. With him performing like this, his teammates eyes each other and smiles. By the time Coach Keishin dismissed them, everyone beside Shouyou and Tobio were sprawled on the floor, completely exhausted as they tried to catch up with their freak duo. Before Tobio could ask his partner if he was willing to stay late for more tosses, Shouyou bounded out of the room with a quick 'See you tomorrow!' and left.

As he pedals towards home, he watches the azure blue of the sky, watches the pine green of the trees, watches the porcelain white of the stars. He wonders how the world could look so beautiful and colorful after four years of seeing hues of black, gray and white.

When he reaches home, he parks and chains his bike then went to his front door. Before entering, Shouyou notices a big, black rectangular box outside the door addressed to him. Hauling the box inside, he sets it aside and sets on with his after-school routine.

He took a bath first, scrubbing away his sweat and weariness from practice. He prepared himself his favorite food, tamago kake gohan and a coke. After inhaling his food, he washed his dishes and did the laundry. Shouyou ascended to his room and checks the letters he wrote yesterday on his desk. He made sure that everyone he cares about has a letter and made sure that there were no spelling or pronunciation mistakes. Shouyou double checks his will concerning the house and the money left inside his bank account after his family passed away. After triple checking everything, his cellphone vibrated from his desk. Picking it up, he grins when he sees the username that texted him.

Flopping down on his bed, Shouyou pressed the sender and their chat box opened. Reading the text his best friend and Nekoma's setter, Kenma sent him, Shouyou smiled. The anti-social second year was the only one Shouyou had confided on therefore the setter knows of his plans for the day. His phone vibrated again and Shouyou casts his attention back to the device and reads:

♣ KenKen ♣: Today is the day.
♣ KenKen ♣: Did you get it?
☼ Shou ☼: Get what?
♣ KenKen ♣: The package.

Shouyou bolts up his bed and ran downstairs to snach the black box he left in the living room. Tossing the box over his shoulder, he ran back upstairs.

☼ Shou ☼: I got it now.
♣ KenKen ♣: Open it.

Ripping the tape and flipping the flaps, Shouyou's eyes began to water when it sees a bouquet of full bloom bumblebee yellow of sunflowers with a macaroon yellow wrap. He gently lifts the bouquet from the box and cradles it. He wipes the tears that threaten to fall and grabs his phone.

☼ Shou ☼: Thank you, Kenma!
♣ KenKen ♣: May you finally find peace, Shou.
☼ Shou ☼: I will. Thank you for being my friend, Ken.
♣ KenKen ♣: Know that no matter what, even if we reincarnate to the different corners of the world, I'll always be your friend.
☼ Shou ☼: I know. See you in the next life!
♣ KenKen ♣: See you in the next life.

Shouyou turns off his phone and sets it on his desk. Craning his neck to read the time, 7:03 PM, he stood up and grabbed a hoodie from the floor. He walks out of the house and treks towards the field he was on earlier.

Sitting down, he looks around and soaks up all the colors. He soaks up the berry blue of the night sky, soaks up the pearl white of the present stars, soaks up the cobalt blue clouds, soaks up the ivory white of the moon as it sits on its throne. He hums the catchy tune of Phoenix by Chrissy Constanza as he hears the crickets playing their song.

He sat there, taking in everything he could.

His mind wanders to the dreaded day, to the soul-haunting screams of his loving mother and ecstatic sister, to the ear-piercing wail of ambulances, to the soft humming of heart monitors, to the salt white blankets covering his deceased family, to the day his world lost its color. His mind wanders, until he hears the loud croak of a frog.

Without batting an eye on the peaceful scene in front of him, Shouyou walks back to his house, heart heavier than before. He climbs the stairs and opens the door to his room. He walks to his desk and pulls on the drawer handle, revealing a half empty bottle of sleeping pills. He grabs the bottle, unscrew the lid and shoved its contents on his palm. Gulping down the pills, Shouyou lay on his bed, embracing the bouquet of sunflowers.

His mind starts to shut down and Shouyou welcomed it. He sniffs the flowers beside him and smiled. Everything felt so right to him. The soft vibration pf his fan, the cool wind brushing against the fabric of his curtain, the sound of crickets cricking, the mellow feel of his bed. Sleep calls to him.

And slept he did.

<<<->>>

Shouyou opens his eyes and gasps.