The King Fell and Needs Help Getting Up

Chapter 19

It was afternoon when Kageyama woke up. His eyes blink open to the sunlit room and he allows them to adjust before looking around. He could feel something, someone, behind him who had their fingers carding through his hair. It felt nice and he didn't want to move. However, it clued in that he was supposed to be practicing. He shoots up and Tsukishima follows.

"Kageyama? Are you okay?"

"We're late for practice, what time is it?"

"It's almost two in the afternoon, and we're not late, after last night we were given the day off. Do you remember last night? Your nightmare? Waking up? Anything?" Kei asks worriedly. He thinks about how Kageyama freaked out last night and wraps his arms around the raven setter.

"We have to go to practice..."

"Kageyama... we aren't supposed to go. You need to rest more, talk to me. What was your dream about? Do you remember? It must have been bad if it made you scream."

"... they found me..." he mumbles and Kei struggles to hear it but does. He stills and looks at the shorter boy in his arms. Although Kageyama has gained some weight to meet the health index he still looked so frail, shaking and shuddering breaths.

"They haven't found you... you're safe." He says squeezing Tobio gently to reassure him.

"They said they'd hurt you... they did hurt you..." Tobio says and curls up again, head in his knees as he begins to get worked up again.

"Hey... Hey, calm down... Take a deep breath... In, out." Tsukishima tries to guide the panicking setter but isn't having much luck with the Capricorn's head tucked snuggly against shaky knees. Tsukishima sends a text to Sugawara asking him to come and gently runs his fingers through Kageyama's hair, occasionally leaving kisses on his head. "It's okay, you're okay, I'm okay." He repeats over and over hoping to prevent a full panic attack as best as he could.

Suga walks into the room about five minutes later and looks at them with a soft, worried expression as he joins them on the floor and pets Kageyama's hair himself.

"Kageyama-kun, it's okay... you're safe, here in Tokyo, at the training camp you worked so hard to come to. Your parents aren't here, nor do they know where you are. If you can calm down, you can come and join us for a late lunch, we're having curry, your favourite right? But you need to calm down or you won't be able to eat. Can you do that?" Suga says and takes hold of Tobio's hands squeezing them. Tobio looks up and whimpers as he takes a huge gasping breath of air and coughs as he tries to stifle the sobbing. Kei kisses his cheeks as he begins to calm down and eventually he stops crying. He turns away from Suga to cuddle into Tsukishima, embarrassed his senpai saw him like that.

"Are you okay now Kageyama?" Suga asks and gets a small nod. Tsukishima rubs the younger setter's back as he lets the other adjust. "Alright, when you guys clean up, come join us in the dining hall. We'll make sure to wait for you before eating." Suga says and Tsukishima mouths a thank you. The third-year smiles and pets the blond's head as well before leaving.

Kageyama stays in Tsukishima's embrace, silently resting against him.

"Hey, King. What are you thinking about?" Kei asks and Tobio just shakes his head and stays quiet. Then a ringing can be heard nearby and Kei searches for the source. He finds Kageyama's cellphone and looks at the contact who is calling.

"Onee-san? You have an older sister?" Tsukishima asks and Tobio hesitates before nodding and taking the phone from Tsukishima and answering.

"YAH! Tobio! Why did you change your number and why did you tell me not to give it to mom and dad? They've been calling me to ask if you came to see me or if I knew where you were. What's going on?" Kei can hear a woman's voice that sounds oddly similar to Tobio's. However, as many questions she asks, Kageyama doesn't speak, he just breathes shallowly on the line and she goes quiet for a minute.

"Hey... what's wrong?" she asks and he takes a deep breath before responding.

"Long story... not up to telling it over the phone... I just need you to know that I'm not living at home and you aren't to tell them a thing about me. Not that you have my new number, not that you've talked to me, nothing. Are you busy today?"

"I'm not but Tobio, what's going on? Can't you give me some idea?"

"I ran away from home, I'm in Tokyo right now, I'll see if I can come to visit later today. For now, please, keep this from them." He says, taking a gasp on air. Tsukishima rubs his back and kisses his head.

"Alright.... But you better explain everything!" She says sternly and hangs up.

"So... how come she doesn't know..?" Tsukishima asks and Tobio sighs as he closes his eyes.

"She lived on campus at a private school and stayed with my grandpa when she wasn't. Then she moved to Tokyo for her job and she doesn't visit much. If I saw her, it was at my grandpa's." Kageyama says as he thinks back to his childhood.

His sister went to live with their grandfather when Tobio was 5, their grandfather living closer to the school she attended, then she lived on school grounds in high school. It's been so long that he sometimes forgets her face. His grandfather had passed away two years ago which his parents blamed on him.

'If you didn't ask him to play volleyball with you he wouldn't have gotten hurt.' they told him, regardless that he didn't get hurt or that he died from kidney failure...He easily accepted it was his fault, even if he hadn't seen his grandfather in over a year before his death.

"Even before my grandpa died when I was in the second year of middle school, I hadn't seen much of her, I think I'd forget what she looks like if it wasn't for the pictures she sends me." He says and Tsukishima squeezes him.

"Want me to come with you when you go meet her?"

"You don't mind?"

"I offered, of course, I don't mind King. However, let's get some food in you, you need all the energy you can get if we're going to be travelling around Tokyo." Tsukishima says and helps Kageyama stand then to the bathroom to wash up before changing and heading to lunch. Everyone was there chatting away and not paying attention to the two latecomers as they join the Karasuno table. No one mentions last night, thanks to the third years' warnings. Kageyama eats his curry in silence but feeling more at ease than he had before. It was after he finished that he approached Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei to ask them about going to visit his sister.

"Oh! Um, well if Tsukishima is going with you and you update your location with one of the third years I don't see why not as long as she isn't too far away."

"She doesn't, it'll be two train rides there and two back but travel wise from here it's maybe 30 minutes."

"Hm... alright, here's some money for the train and some for food if you don't get back in time for dinner but please be back before 8 pm," Takeda says and Tsukishima takes the cash he gave them and nod.

"I'll ensure we are." He says and the two head out, making their way to the nearby station.