Sunshine...?

91

Everything was not alright.

You stared in shock at the sigh before you. Your nerves came back, your heart sinking into the pit of your stomach. "Oh no."

Yachi was trembling, her fingers spread out over her face as if she were trying to not see what just happened. She peaked through her fingers, hoping that something was happening. "Do - do you think everyone's alright?"

You shake your head. "Daichi-san looks dead. Is - is he still alive?"

The blonde girl beside you tensed. "You don't really think he's dead, do you?"

You turn, preparing to head downstairs. "I don't know, but I want to check on things myself. Come on, let's go take him to the infirmary." You walk down to the first floor with the girl. You pause in the doorway leading to the court.

Daichi gets up off the floor, and is soon led to where you and Yachi were waiting. His eyes widened upon seeing you. "Are you two coming with me?"

You nod. "Come on, Daichi-san. Let's get you to the infirmary. Hitoka, if you want to go back into the stands, go ahead. I can handle this myself."

She shakes her head. "I'm coming with you."

The three of you leave, heading to the infirmary. You glance at Daichi, keeping an arm close to him so you can support him in case he starts falling. "How are you feeling, Daichi-san?"

He looks over at you. "My head hurts a little, but I think I'm fine."

Yachi lets out a sigh. "I sure hope it's nothing serious. I wonder how well the others are going to do without their captain."

You feel your nerves getting a hold of you again, a sick feeling taking over your body. "Don't say that, Hitoka. I think I'm gonna be sick."

Daichi's eyes widened as your face paled. "Are you alright, L/n?!"

"I think the guys are gonna lose. I don't feel so good."

Yachi panics. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you worry, Y/n."

You wave your hand at them. "No, no. It's fine. I didn't expect us to get that far. I don't like getting my hopes up."

Daichi puts a hand on your shoulder. "L/n, the team will be fine. They can play well, even without me. Ennoshita will take over for me, and I have full confidence that nothing bad will happen. After this match ends, we'll have time to rest. Then, all of us will be going to the semi finals and face the next powerhouse. Tomorrow, we'll take part in the finals. Right now, most of those guys are giving volleyball everything they've got. They all want to head back to Tokyo, but this time have official matches. So many of them put their nerves aside and have gained confidence in themselves. And do you know why?"

You feel less sick, but still use on hand to grip your stomach. Your other hand was still close to Daichi in case something were to happen. "Why? Hard work? Determination?"

The captain shakes his head. "It's because you always show us that you believe in us. You've never given up, even when you passed out while playing. You always insisted you could go back in, proving that you want to help us get better. You always cheer everyone up, get them back on their feet. It's because we have you that we've grown. Yes, we all wanted to get better so we wouldn't lose again. But that was all possible because we had your support. It's time for you to get back on your feet, regain your strength. We need you now more than ever. You need to be the glue that holds this team together."

You felt tears brimming your eyes, the sick feeling disappearing completely. "Daichi-san. Th-thank you so much!" You burst into tears.

Yachi flinches, getting ready to freak out. "Y/n?! What's wrong?!"

"I never get told anything that sweet! I'm so happy that the whole team likes having me around."

Daichi pats your shoulder, leading all of you through the halls. "Ok, stop crying. I thought you came down because you were worried about me."

You start drying your tears. "I am worried about you. But I didn't expect you to tell me all that. I didn't know just how important I was to everyone."

The third year smiles. "Everyone in the club is important. We couldn't be Karasuno volleyball club without everyone that's a part of it."

The three of you finally arrived at the infirmary. Yachi opened the door, as you helped guide Daichi into the room. A nurse tells him to sit down on a chair, and he does. You and Yachi remain on either side of him, waiting for results.

***

"Hurry! We might be able to make it back while the game is still going on! Hitoka, you should hurry to the second floor while you have the chance."

Yachi nods, breaking away to go back into the bleachers. "I'll see you later."

You nod, grabbing Daichi's arm and pulling him to the doors of the gym. "I think - yes! The match is still going on! You can head back in." You start to push him towards the door.

Daichi doesn't budge. Instead, he remains still as he looks over the court. "Actually, I think I'll sit the rest of the game out. It'll give me more time to recover before the semi finals."

You look at him, sighing. "Fine. I'll respect your decision. But I'm staying right here with you. There's no way you're gonna be on your own after getting injured, even if you're technically good enough to go back into the game."

He chuckles, eyes not leaving the court. "Fine. I won't force you to leave. This is actually a nice view. You never really get to see us play in actual matches from the ground."

You nod. "I got used to watching from above. This is amazing. I'm kinda surprised that they've been able to hold their own just fine without you, but it's a good feeling. Now I'm ok if we ever need to replace you in a game."

Daichi glances at you. "So you want to replace me more often?"

You shake your head. "No way. I'd prefer if you remained on the court for as long as possible. It's just comforting that we have options in case something happens."

"I get what you mean. I'm proud of everyone on our side of the court. They really have come a long way. Now, they're not relying on their captain for everything. This victory but have the strongest impact on the team."

You nod, smiling as you see the boys celebrating after finally winning the game. "I really love this team."