Scars || T. Oikawa Spin-off

19| Notebook

   For the first time since my parents died, I put on a dress. It's nothing special; plain, black with long, skintight sleeves and tights covering my legs. And for the first time since I quit volleyball, I'm wearing my hair up in a bun with a red rose tucked in it. 

   The boys are in suits, and Tatsuo's wife is here. She's surprisingly really nice. She even let me feel her baby bump, much to Tatsuo's displeasure.  

   I walk up to Chiyo's grave. Her name and other details are engraved on a tall stone, flowers, and incense surrounding it. 

   There aren't a lot of people here. Just myself, Sato and his brothers, Tatsuo's wife, Sato's aunt, and two of Chiyo's friends since high school. 

   Tatsuo's wife, whose name I really should remember, comes up next to me, putting her umbrella over my head, shielding me from the sun's wrath. The weather didn't get the memo today either. 

   "Were the two of you close?" she asks, eyes set on the flowers surrounding the resting place. 

   I turn my gaze to my feet, "Not really," I say, trying to tug my sleeves down out of reflex, "We only talked a handful of times." 

   She hums in response, "Sometimes that's all it takes to form an emotional connection with somebody," she smiles, "When she was still here, she sure talked a lot about you." 

   I raise an eyebrow. This would be the second time I heard something like this, "What all did she say?" I ask, looking at the woman with dirty blonde locks. 

   "Said that you reminded her of herself when she was a kid and that you had a fire in your heart that she liked. She said that right now, it's only a flicker, but it has the potential to turn into something extraordinary," she says, turning to me with a smile.

   I stare at the woman in astonishment; my lips pressed together tightly, "She had to have been wrong about that," I say, gaze falling back down. 

   Tatsuo's wife chuckles, "That woman was a lot of things, but wrong wasn't one of them," She begins, placing a hand on my head. Somewhere along the way, physical contact stopped bothering me, "And I know for a fact she wouldn't be wrong about something so obvious." 

   My lips part, surprised gaze turning back to the woman next to me, "Obvious?" 

   "Yup," she smiles, "It goes without saying that there's something tragic about your aura..." 

   Wow, thanks, lady. 

   "...But there's something different about you. Something that sets you apart from the rest. Like a hidden strength amidst a soul that's had to endure. There's something special about you. And when you find it, tell me," she preaches. 

   I can't help but feel a smile clawing its way to the surface of my lips, "You know, you could've done a lot better than Tatsuo Matsubara," I snicker. 

   She laughs. This probably isn't the first time she's heard it before, "Tatsu isn't as bad as you'd think. He's actually quite caring."      

   "I don't believe you." 

   "I don't blame you," she chuckles, "But in all honesty, he does have his family's best interests at heart. Even though he can be rude and selfish at times."

   At least she knows what she married.  

   "Maybe," I respond, giving her the benefit of the doubt. 

   Smiling, she walks off with the umbrella in hand, taking away my beautiful shade, "Anyway, I wish you luck with my brother-in-law," she teases.