one step further // haikyuu x OC

what a real mother is like // 45

~NOTES FROM AUTHOR~
Hi lovelies! I wanted to use this opportunity to thank everyone so much for your support on this story! One Step Further finally hit 10k reads! I am so so thankful for the progress I've made. When I started this fic a year ago, I never thought it would get the love that it has today; so thank you from the bottom of my heart!!! You all are awesome and I love interacting with you in the comments!

To say thanks, I'm releasing this chapter a couple days early ;)

I hope to keep seeing you further down the road! And be on the lookout for a new fanfic I have in store >:) especially if you guys love MHA :3

As Always,

Lemon <3

Now onto the next chapter...

XXX

Everything was dark. And my body was warm, a slight breeze was tickling my skin. After some effort I was able to open my eyes against the blaring sun to observe where I was.

Where am I?

Kids of different ages were running and playing at a playground. Some on the swings, many in the jungle gym having a make-believe adventure... but why was I there? I looked down at my clothes, I was in my Karasuno uniform crouched in a sandbox.

"What the hell...?"

"Toshiko! Toshiko!" A little boy's voice was calling for me. And I looked up to see a young boy running towards me, holding onto his paper hat. Despite the cap, I could see his bright hair and dark-colored roots peeking out from underneath. When he jumped into the sandbox, his shorts revealed his busted-up knees covered in bandaids. I waved the dust out of my face.

"Who... are you? How do you know my name?" I asked. To which he only gave me a wide grin and the boy grabbed my two front fingers with his small hand. He began tugging me to turn around.

"Let's go play over here, Toshiko!" He blurted. And when he had me fully turned around my eyes caught a woman sitting on a bench, observing us with a sad smile. The woman from the photos in my dad's hidden box.

"...Mom?"
.

.

.
I woke with a start, filling my lungs with air and looking around anxiously. I was still in Natsu's room, the pale blue light of dawn was beginning to seep in through the window. Birds softly sang in the distance. Slowly, my heart stopped pounding against my ribs.

It was just a dream, just a dream. I'm still at Shouyou's house...

It's like that reoccurring dream I used to have when I was a kid, how long has it been...?

"Toshiko... what's wrong?" A groggy little voice at my side startled me further. Natsu was laying next to me on my futon, curled up at my side and looking up at me. With the tip of my finger I wiped away the small tears pooling at the corner of my eyes.

"Oh nothing... I was just having a weird dream."

"Really? I was having weird dreams too..." She shuddered.

"Were they scary dreams?" I asked, and she nodded aggressively. Natsu buried her face in my arm.

"Whenever I have scary dreams I run to my big brother's room and he scares the monsters away."

Shouyou is such a good big brother, I wonder what it must be like to have a sibling... Would I be a good sister?

"Don't worry, Natsu! I can scare off the monsters too." In that moment I covered our heads with my blanket and whispered, "No monster can get us under this blanket! It's one of their biggest weaknesses."