Of Cats and Crows (Sugawara Koushi)

Family Matters

Mitsumi was glad it was Sunday. It was the one day she had absolutely nothing. So, she could sit and focus on her homework. Her brown hair was tied up into a messy bun. She sat criss-cross on her chair and flipped her pencil between her fingers. The mid-morning light poured through her curtains. For as much as she wanted to sleep in, her body wouldn't let her.

"Hey Mom! What's up?" She accepted the video call and held her phone up so she was in frame. It wasn't often her mother would video call her.

"Nothing much. Just doing finances right now." The woman let out a groan. "Have you gotten in with the physical therapist yet?" She sighed in relief as her daughter shook her head.

"I haven't, why?" Mitsumi looked at her screen with a puzzled expression. "I haven't had the chance to call the office. Besides, they are closed on the weekends."

Her mom's usual cheery expression softened before twisting into an almost sorry look. She had been dreading the conversation. "Well... Our insurance company just switched and it turns out it isn't covered anymore. So, can you check with your coach to see if the university has any assistance? I know you really need this to play."

Mitsumi automatically went into panic mode. Her eyes widened and her heart rate shot up. "If I can't take care of my knee, then I can't play volleyball. If I can't play, I lose my scholarship. If I lose my scholarship, then I can't attend school anymore. And if I can't attend school, then my life is a waste." She was sputtering through her sentences to the point they couldn't be understood.

"Chie! Snap out of it and think rationally for a second. Your athletics department should have a program so you can get medical treatment. So, talk to your coach." Her mother attempted to get her daughter to stop overreacting to something so trivial. Insurance policy switches happened all the time. And she was a bit taken aback that her eldest had gone into overdrive.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. Mitsumi propped her phone and covered her face with her hands. "I'll talk to him tomorrow." She hung up the call and screamed into her hands. Her head was spinning and her heart wasn't stopping. So, she strapped her knee brace on and grabbed her running shoes.

The only way she could calm down without anyone around was to go for a run. Mitsumi charged down the sidewalk and aimlessly ran down the streets. At least the weather was still decent for now. She sprinted until she couldn't tell if her heart was racing from working out, or because of the adrenaline that made her go for a run in the first place. No, not today. I am not going to have one today!

Kuroo was on his way to the library to work on another project. He saw the girl sprinting down the road and picked up on her frantic signals. He picked up the pace and took off after her. "Mitsumi! Hey! Hold up!" She didn't hear his calls so he grabbed her shoulder as he caught up. "Hey, don't ignore me!"

Mitsumi was panting as she was pulled to a sudden halt. "Not right now, Kuroo." She put her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath. 

"What the flip happened?" He could see the panic in her eyes. It was as clear as day. "And don't say nothing." Kuroo carefully guided her so she was standing straight. "Get your arms on your head too, idiot. You'll pass out from the lack of oxygen bending over like that."

"Insur-" she was gasping for air for a second. "Insurance doesn't cover PT. Can't afford. Scholarship. School." Mitsumi could string together a full sentence. But it was enough words to get a general idea of what she was thinking about.

Kuroo shot a quick text to his group saying that he would be late again and put his hand on the girl's head. "Seriously, you're panicking over your insurance company switching and not being able to afford PT? You know the team has a guy that does it for free. Right?" He felt Mitsumi's body start to sink and caught her before she could fall to the ground.