As The Rain Comes Down (Haikyuu Kuroo X Kei)

Drowning

As The Rain Comes Down

Chapter Five: Drowning

Kei Tsukishima's POV

The ride up was as obnoxious as usual. Hinata, Tanaka, and Nishinoya couldn't stop talking about volleyball and all of the new games they couldn't wait to play with Nekoma. It was enough to keep Tsukishima awake and with a pounding headache. Ever since he woke from that nightmare he was racked with fear. A new found anxiety rushed through his veins and he was glad no one had noticed the shaking in his hands; he was even gladder that no one sat next to him. Yamaguchi had sat in the front with Yachi and only occasionally looked back at the blond, worry creasing his brow. Everyone else seemed completely oblivious to him. Which made his heart rest a little easier, knowing that not everyone suspects that something happened to him.

Every time he closed his eyes the darkness he dreamt of remained. It felt consuming and suffocating, making his stomach hurt. So he kept his eyes opened and rested his head against the cool glass of the bus window and tried to ignore the screeching voices of his team mates that he could hear past his music. He tried to keep his mind completely blank. Tried to just focus on the lyrics, but it was hard. His mind felt as though it was stuffed with cotton. His thoughts were trapped in one place, bubbling and growing till it pained his heart. The weight of it all was heavy on his chest. That's why he was more than ready to get off the bus, hoping the fresh air would clear this all up.

When they arrived at the camp Tsukishima waited until everyone had stepped off the bus before he stood. Grabbing his bag, he pulled his jacket closer around his body and followed the rest of his teammates. He kept his headphones on and hardly heard anything that Daichi and Ukai said.

"Okay guys, gather up your stuff and let's take them to our room and then we'll meet up with Nekoma in the gymnasium." Coach Ukai called out as him, Sensei, and Shimizu stood in front of the restless Karasuno team.

"It's so beautiful up here!" Sugawara smiled as he looked over at their Captain who returned the gesture.

"I'll race you there!" Hinata hollered to Kageyama as he took off towards the building, his backpack weighing heavy at his side. Kageyama shouted obscenities towards the orange haired boy as he ran after him. Tanaka and Nishinoya wasted no time in running after the two Kohai, on Daichi's orders to calm them down.

The rest of the group though, including Tsukishima, walked at a normal pace. The 2nd years chatted amongst themselves as Asahi joined at Suga's and Daichi's side. Yamaguchi stayed back with his best friend, who constantly glanced up at the taller boy in the attempt to make absolute certainty that he was okay. Tsukishima had his headphones still on and tried his hardest to ignore the stares from the smaller boy. His skin crawled with each shy look and he was tempted to turn around and head back to the bus, not even caring if that is where he spent the rest of the trip. In the end though, he stood his ground and walked all the way into the air conditioned building.

The cool air was like a gift from above, it soothed Tsukishima's nerves and he felt a little bit prepared to remove his headphones and take in the full sounds of his teammates. The room they were staying in was like all the other ones that came with training camps. It was massive enough to fit all of the members plus some. Futons were folded under the bay windows that lit the whole room with a special type of warmth that only the sun could provide. Everyone had placed their bags all over the place, choosing to fully organize later that night. Tsukishima on the other had walked over to the far right corner and dropped his duffle bag on the ground.

With hesitant fingers the lanky teen slowly removed his headphones and took his MP3 out of his jacket pocket. Placing the devices on his bag, he turned to see that everyone else was getting ready for the long days' workout. That's when it hit him, the bruises on his body. Fear shook him to the core as his eyes grew wide.