Childhood friends

1. Childish Misunderstanding

"Y/n!" The small 7 year old boy ran up to you, immediately engulfing you in a hug.

You smiled while returning your best friend's hug. "Taichi!"

Kawanishi beamed at you, happy to see you once again. "I missed you!"

You giggle. "I missed you too. Let's play together, ok?"

The light brown haired boy smiles at you, walking over to wrap his arms around you. He hums in delight as your smaller body is completely encased by his own. "I learned how to play volleyball, I even go to a place where other kids learn to play. Hey, would you mind passing the ball back and forth with me?"

You tilt your head to the side, a brow raised in confusion. "Volleyball? What's that?"

"A sport where you use your arms to keep the ball from touching the ground. There are six people allowed on the court at one time, but there are seven players per team in each match. There are middle blockers, who are mainly used for blocking opponents spikes, but they also spike the ball. There are liberos, who's main job is to keep the ball in the air, getting it to the other players on their side of the court. There are wing spikers, who hit the ball to earn points for the team. And then there are setters, they use overhand passes to get the ball to spikers."

You keep a confused smile on your face. "I don't really understand it, but I'm willing to learn more about it for you. You can teach me volleyball and I can help you practice. Oh, maybe I can invite Riko over to play with us!"

Kawanishi tilted his head in confusion. "Who's Riko?"

"She moved in just across the street from my house! She's really nice, is our age, and she and I are friends!"

The boy frowns. "You have a new best friend? What about me?"

Your eyes widened as you realize what he was implying. "No! She's not replacing you! You're my best friend! She's only around whenever you and I can't spend time together. I love being around you way more than anyone else! Only you can be my best friend!"

Kawanishi smiled. "Good. Only I can be your best friend."

Internally, you were frowning. You only kept a smile on your face so he wouldn't think anything is wrong. 'Do I have to only have him as a friend? Taichi is going to be getting busy with volleyball and I don't want to be all alone. I need someone to keep me company. Will Taichi leave me?' You get lost in your thoughts, not noticing when your best friend pulls out a ball and holding it in his hands with an excited expression on his face.

Kawanishi frowns. "What's wrong, Y/n?"

You felt tears building in your eyes, starting to blur your vision. "Are you gonna leave me? Will volleyball become your favorite thing in the whole world, and make you forget about me? Will I just be all alone because you're too busy for me and I can't really make other friends?"

The brunette panics, thinking he made you feel bad with his jealousy towards you making a new friend. "No! I'd never leave you! I'll give you all of my time. Maybe... hey! You should come with me and we can play volleyball together!"

You look up at him, hope in your eyes. "Really? You think we could play volleyball together?"

Your best friend nods. "Of course! Let's play volleyball together. Let me teach you how to do receives, and we can pass the ball back and forth since it's just the two of us right now."

You offer a sweet smile. "Ok! Teach me more about volleyball then. Oh, when do you go to the volleyball place?"

"Everyday after school, and sometimes on Sundays, like today. You should ask your parents if it would be ok for you to join me at the volleyball club. It's fun, and the adults there make sure none of the kids get hurt. I think you'll like it there."

You hum, thinking as the ball hits your arms and flies back to your friend. "I guess I could give it a shot. Are there other short kids there?"

Kawanishi hesitates. "Well, not really. Volleyball is normally a sport played by taller people. Height is a bit important, but you have a pretty high jump, and I think you'll grow to be much taller as we get older!" He desperately wanted to cheer you up, not wanting you to get upset since you're currently shorter than him. "All you need to do is work hard, and you'll probably be one of the best player our age."

"I see." You keep your eyes focused on the ball, not wanting to let it hit the ground. Your receives were already pretty good, considering you just started learning them.

Your best friend was impressed by how well you were doing. He was hoping you'd grow to love volleyball like he does, maybe you two could continue playing as you go through middle and high school. "Say, Y/n, do you think you'd be willing to join the volleyball clubs in middle and high school?"

You shrug, moving to the side to keep the ball in the air. "I dunno. Maybe. If I like playing it after learning how to play it better, I might. I mean, it'll keep me busy since you'll most likely be playing volleyball. Maybe I could convince Riko to come with us. Having another girl around with me might help. Oh, but she's a little shorter than me and I'm not sure if she's any good with sports."

Kawanishi frowned, not liking that someone else was in your mind. He wanted all of your attention, and he wasn't willing to share you with anyone. "I see. I guess you could ask her." He missed the ball, having lost focus. The ball bounce and hit him in the face.

Your eyes widened, slowly walking over to him. "Are you ok? Did it hurt when it hit your face?"

The boy let out a sigh. "I'm fine. It would've hurt more if an adult spiked it to my face. Do you want to talk to that girl and your parents?" He grabbed the ball from the ground, keeping his eyes trained on the spherical object in his hands.

You beamed, jumping up and down. "Yeah! I'll go say something to all of them now! My parents are still at Riko's house! I'll see you tomorrow, Taichi. Bye bye!"

"Bye." He muttered loud enough for you to hear. The brunette boy watched your back as you walked away from him. Jealousy surged through his veins. 'I'll never let anyone have her attention. Y/n is mine. I'll make sure she stays by my side for the rest of our lives.' He retreated back to his own house, quietly greeting his parents as he walks through the house. He heads to his room and lays on his bed.

That night, Kawanishi tried thinking of ways to keep you by his side.

The future has much in store for the two of you.