(Haikyuu!!/IwaOi Reincarnation AU) Control

Chapter 1: First Meetings

"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break."

IWAIZUMI

"I wouldn't leave if I were you."

Iwaizumi scowled as me mumbled curse words to himself, which earned him some strange looks from the people around him as they passed him in order to walk home. He ran a hand through his dark hair, letting out an irritated sigh. "And why shouldn't I leave?"

He waited for about five minutes in front of his locker, the blue color used to paint it long ago still fading, and soon, it would be reduced to nothing but a stale gray. He picked at the fraying paint with his fingers before punching his locker in frustration, looking around the hallway once more to see it was empty before doing so again. Ever since he was a child, he had always had a female voice in his head, speaking to him in times of need, giving him advice when he was in distress, but he never found out who she was, and whenever he asked, she would disappear.

Now, she was popping up less frequently, and it bothered him. Not a day went by where he wondered if he had done something wrong, or had done something to upset her. He had even tried hanging around with some of the more troublesome kids, hoping she would come back to chastise him, but he received no response. He could still remember the first time she had spoken to him, also known as the day when he first found out he was different.

He had lost his mother at the early age of five, about two years after they had moved to the United States, but even at such a tender age, the loss weighed heavily on him as it did to the family dynamic, with his father resulting to drinking and leaving for days on end, often leaving Iwaizumi to fend for himself.

He spent most of the time locked up in his room, eating only what he deemed necessary in case his father remained gone for another day. He often kept up the facade of being a regular, happy five year old, but as his life continued to fall apart, he became depressed, and instead of being able to enjoy his childhood, he had to grow up faster than the other children in his life. He bottled up his emotions well enough, forcing himself not to cry, holding on to the belief that one day, his father will come home for good, and that remained his belief until he realized he never would.

There came the time when he hadn't returned for months, and Iwaizumi only received word from him in his occasional letters containing vague information and money, and when the last letter came saying he had called his aunt to take care of him from now on, that was when he broke.

He became detached and unresponsive, skipping his meals until he became bony and frail, and only coming out of his room when he saw fit. In spite of her best efforts, he made sure his aunt couldn't get to him, locking himself inside and speaking to her rarely.

He had become the worst version of himself, and had that voice not stopped him as he looked at his scissors with dead, tired eyes, he didn't know if he would have lived to see himself become not the best version, but definitely a better one. He let out a small smile as her words came back to him, leaning against his locker as he did so.

"I never thought I would see you become like this. You were always such a happy boy."

He had covered his ears, thinking it was his mind playing tricks on him again, letting his small body sink further into the mattress. "Go away."

"I think it's time we had a little talk, Hajime."

"Who are you?"