Akaashi's 18th (and the events that followed...)

26. A New Beginning

Iwaoi recap:
Iwaizumi and Oikawa agreed to meet up before the end of the school year, but Karasuno beat Aoba Johsai in the finals and Sejoh couldn't make it to Spring Nationals. Meaning Oikawa and Iwaizumi haven't seen each other in person since the New Year, and now - in the March holidays - they finally meet up back in Japan...
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"Seriously Okāsan?" Oikawa stared up at the rockface, his expression one of both incredulity and disdain. Ever since yesterday, when he had boarded the boat, Oikawa had felt more than a little apprehensive. Not only had he been whisked away to Kinkasan island a mere three days before the holidays ended - at which point he and Hajime would be parted for the next fourteen weeks - he had also been forced to sleep in a shrine overnight (albeit a very comfortable one).

"Hajime's mum and I thought it would be good if you two did something active together. This is the third consecutive year they've visited the island!"

Iwaizumi-san nodded. "Your mother's right, Tooru-kun. Hajime and I have visited the Koganeyama Shrine each year, and prayed to the gods. After this year, according to tradition, we won't have to worry about money for the rest of our lives!"

Oikawa paled. Another tradition. He glanced behind Iwaizumi-san, to where her son stood, shrugging. Neither of them had inherited their parents' superstitious nature. Oikawa still felt his heart soften as he realised that Iwaizumi had come here for his mum for the past two years.

Oikawa stared closer. Hajime looked so... rugged. His hair, normally spiked up and mussed, was blowing gently across his forehead in the breeze. Oikawa glanced down to the man's shorts, which revealed the large calf muscles of his legs, cutting just above the knee in such a way that he could see his lower thigh muscle - excruciating painful for Oikawa's rapidly rising pulse.

Well, if his Iwa-chan could stomach a weekend of bouldering and praying, then he could too.

Both mums waited until the time for the instructor to arrive, then they hugged both of the boys and left, waving and yelling to be careful right up until they were out of sight.

By that point, the sun was setting over the cliff, and the water ebbed away from the rocks as the tide withdrew. Their side of the island was now shrouded in shadows, and Oikawa suddenly realised how windy it was on the rocks along the beach, suppressing a shiver by folding his bare arms over his chest. He flinched as some spray from the waves battered him from the back, making his legs tremble in the cold as the subsequent wind whipped them dry, bringing forth a cluster of clouds overhead. Everywhere he looked, he met greys and blues. Grey skies, dark blue ocean, grey rocks, grey-blue limbs.

Dusk was the worst part of the day; it was the end of all the opportunities the shining dawn had brought. His hatred was worse now - as he stared at the sun setting over these cliffs each day, he was yet again reminded that another day with Iwaizumi was over.

"Captain?!"

Oikawa broke away from his thoughts and whipped around at the familiar voice. "Yahaba-chan? What're you doing?"

"I'm an instructor here during the holidays. My uncle owns the equipment, and I've been climbing here since I was eight."

"Ah, my kouhais seem to impress me more every day," Oikawa smiled, his gaze falling on the girl beside him. "And who is this?" He raised an eyebrow at her, making her laugh and smile.

Oikawa felt Iwaizumi tense beside him, but he ignored it. He wasn't in the mood to think for hours about what that might mean. He would save that painful passtime for when he got to bed, laying down on his back and gazing pitifully up at the ceiling, not thinking about the other single bed a mere metre from his, where Iwaizumi lay, fast asleep. "Oh yeah, this is Sofía, she's going to college in Sendai. We know her family, so she's staying with us."

"Sofía?" Oikawa's ears perked up as he addressed the girl. She was really quite beautiful - long black hair, dark brown eyes and slightly tanned skin. She looked almost like Hajime, if he had a foreign sister. "English? Francais? Española?"

"Española," she said, grinning. "You have a good accent, but please speak to me in Japanese, I'm here to learn the language."

Sofía gave him a long stare; she had figured him out in an instant. Dammit. His flirting might not work on this girl after all.

"Which route do you want to take?" Yahaba asked with a cough to break the tension, gesturing to the multiple juts and ridges of the cliff.

"This one," Oikawa stated, nodding to the one straight in front of them. The angle was steep, but it didn't look as difficult as the others.

'What's this one?" Iwaizumi asked, and Oikawa clocked his narrowed eyes. Was he not impressed with Oikawa's choice?

"It's called 'Quarry Boy'," Yahaba answered.

"I mean, what difficulty rating?"

"Eto... I think the guides class it as a 15.7."

"And on the Kyuu scale?"

"About two kyuu...?" Yahaba studied it hard before giving an affirmative nod.

"Two?!" Iwaizumi's eyes widened.

"Let's do it!" Oikawa chipped in, optimistic.

"Shittykawa you can't be serious - have you ever even climbed before?" Iwaizumi shot him a warning glare, but Oikawa sensed a note of worry underlying it.

In truth, Oikawa had no clue what the Kyuu scale was, nor did he know if one kyuu was easier than two or if three was. Well, he would find out. "I've been running and keeping fit - I have to go back to my team in the shape I was when I left," he grinned. In fact, as the island was only twenty-six kilometres in circumference - or so the tourist leaflet said - Oikawa had managed to run the width of the island both days, around eight kilometres to the shore and back. "And I've climbed... things before." Yeah, his grandma's matsu tree, which he fell off and sprained his ankle. But Iwaizumi didn't have to know that.

"If you're sure..." Yahaba and Iwaizumi exchanged a knowing glance that Oikawa didn't like one bit.

"Alright, gear me up, Sofía-chan~" Oikawa laid on the 'chan' with extra emphasis, amplifying his charm with the signature flick of his fringe that always seemed to catch Iwaizumi's attention, albeit seemingly only for a second.

Sofía rolled her eyes, nudging Yahaba on the way to where he and Iwaizumi stood. Oikawa checked to make sure his best friend was looking before he began phase two of 'notice me, Iwa,' but when his eyes found his best friend, the sight in front of him made him feel physically sick...

(Word count: 1055)
(Total word count: 29,441)