New Beginnings (HaikyuuxTPN)

Connie Look Alike

After Afternoon Practice

Tsukishima agreed to help me and Kageyama studied after afternoon practice. Ray joined in too because he didn't know what we covered throughout the year, though he would probably do fine regardless. I'm sure he would be able to figure things out better than I can. "Okay, let's try the next one." I looked done at the problem. Question 6, complete the proverb, Even the heartless can shed tears of compassion. Even a demon can cry. This question is easy enough, but math is where I really struggle. My brain just knows the answers to the problem, so I don't really know how I go about 'showing my work.'

"Is this really on the test? Why are you failing, Sho-chan? We learned this when we were 6 at Grace Field." Ray looked down at his paper.

"I know how to do all the stuff, but as soon as I take the test my brain goes blank. I can't focus, and I feel like I'm about to die."

"It sounds like you have test anxiety." Sugawara turned to talk to us. He was helping Nishinoya with his school work.

"So how do I make it go away?" I lean forward. If getting rid of the anxiety is all that it takes, I will do anything to make it go away.

"Well what do you think about during the test?" Images of the tests at Grace Field flash through my head. The sinister meaning behind the tests caused a feeling of fear to well up inside of me.

"Ummmm..."

"I thought you said that it was safe here. Why are you still getting scared over these silly tests? It's not like they're gonna decide your life this time." Ray puts his hand on my shoulder.

"I know that logically, but like, my body still reacts that way."

"Nothing bad is going to happen. I promise." Sugawara says. I give a slight smile. "When I'm nervous on a test, I always just take 3 deep breaths, and I feel a lot better. You should try it next time."

"Ok!" I nod. I'm smart enough to take these tests, I just need to keep a cool head, and I'll pass with flying colors. Just like at Grace Field.

Practice the Next Day

"I'd like you all to meet the next potential manager of the team." Ray looked up from his book to see a small girl with blonde hair.

"You found a new person! That's so awesome!" Shoyo ran up with the team, crowding the two girls.

"Ummmm...My name is Yachi." The girl called out nervously.

"It's nice to meet you, Yachi. You kinda look like one of my friends. She was the sweetest person ever." I smile at the thought of Connie, trying to push the bad thoughts about her down.

"Really?" Yachi asked quietly.

"Mhm."

"She does look like Connie." Ray walked over. He is slightly taller than me now, but only by a few inches. Yachi quickly covers her face and goes behind Kiyoko.

"Come on guys, don't crowd her. She doesn't know you!" Kiyoko defends the girl. I watch as Yachi retreats towards the door and leaves. I give a small wave, but it goes unnoticed.

"She seems nice." I say. Ray nods.

Back at the House

"What's the point of these math problems? The answer is 3, why can't we just say that?" I whine. Ray was actually good at showing his work. I probably could be good, I just haven't tried to learn until now.

"Just do it. It's not gonna kill you." Ray dead panned. I rest my head on my desk.

"Ugh." I groan. "I wish everything had multiple choice like with the tests at Grace Field." Ray ignores me. "Say, Ray, what happened when you were in the forest." He hadn't talked about the forest or really anything about the past since he's gotten here.

"What do you mean? The same thing that happened to you happened to me." Ray avoids the question and turns back to his homework.

"I doubt our experiences were the same." I hear Ray sigh, but he stays quiet. I sat silently, not deterred by the uncomfortable silence that filled the room. Ray's pen clicks, retracting the tip of the pen.

"I left to find some more water. Our rations were low, and in a few more weeks, there wouldn't be any left." I turn my body to face Ray. "While I was out, one of those monsters found me. I was able to evade them, but I got too far away from the base to find my way back. I was able to survive for a few days, but one day I just..." Ray drops the pen in his hand. The pen rolls to the floor, making a small wobble sound before eventually adding to the stillness of the room. "Gave up. I sat down on the floor, the demons surrounded me, and I accepted my faith. Then..." Ray puts his hand on his head, as if trying hard to remember the next details. "Everything is fuzzy in that moment, but then this guy named Nils saved me. He brought me back to his hideout. He said that if he saw me try to throw my life away again, he'd kill me."

I could see Ray shake slightly during the pauses in his story. "He taught me how to kill the demons, and how to survive in the forest. He said that we would escape together then look for you guys, but it didn't work out."

"What happened?" I asked knowing full well the ending of the story. I didn't want to believe it though. I wanted to believe that somehow, there was a way to get out of the forest with skill alone, that I wasn't just lucky, but that is too good to be true.

"He died. Obviously. I tried to save him, but he told me to run, and I listened. I ran and ran. We were so close to the end of the forest too. Just a few more miles and we'd be there." I cringe at the similarity of the story.

"That's how Norman went too. The demons got him, and he told me to run. The worst part is, I listened too. I guess we escaped in pretty similar ways, huh?" Ray just nods. Silence envelopes the room.

"But I know that everyone would want us to be happy. They wouldn't want us crying for their deaths and not working toward our own goals. They would want us to live out our dreams in this world, cause they all dreamed about living here. We need to live out our dreams on their behalf." I see Ray crack a rare smile.

"Yah." I nod. "I'm going to be the best volleyball player in the world. Then all of them can be happy for me."