Sunset Ghost

First Sunrise

サンセットゴースト
Sunset Ghost
__________________________
第1章
初日の出
__________________________

"Great job, Kageyama! But you're still throwing them a little too high. Let's toss a few more before the sun sets." 

Kageyama nodded at his team captain, going complacently to retrieve a volleyball from the pile they'd set up by a tall oak tree. He picked one up and paused a moment to stare out at the horizon, where the sun was hanging low in the sky. It would probably set completely in about twenty minutes.

"Kageyama, come on. We're wasting daylight!"

"Sorry." He turned and jogged over to his captain, tossing him the ball. The taller boy took a few steps back and threw it in the air, sprinting forward as Kageyama lowered into setting position and tossed it to him. His hand made contact, sending it flying. It struck the ground with so much force, it bounced and rolled away down the hill. 

The captain cursed. "Sorry!"

"I'll go get it," Kageyama offered quickly, straightening and jogging after the stray ball to save his senpai the trouble. It was nearing April, and rain from the previous night still lingered on the ground, the grass shining with dew and little streams running in curved rivulets down the sides of the street. This didn't help stop the ball's momentum at all; in fact, it began to pick up speed, and Kageyama struggled to keep up with it.

The sun was finally beginning to set now, and its bright golden rays were blinding him, making it even harder to track the spirited ball. He didn't think he would be able to catch it. Oh well: It didn't really matter. It was just one volleyball. It wasn't like it was irreplaceable.

But then he heard something. 

Out of nowhere, the sound of running feet; a flash of bright orange. Kageyama's eyes widened. Brighter than the sunset. A blur shot past him, so quick he could barely blink before it was in front of him. There was the sound of feet skidding through water, and in a flash, Kageyama found himself staring at someone; a boy whose hand had just shot down and grabbed the volleyball. How the hell did he...

Grabbing the ball securely with both hands, the boy straightened, and Kageyama stared at him in incomprehension. Everything stilled to slow motion; the sun was setting, and from a distance, there was the faint sound of a bird's call. Sakura blossoms floated down from above, landing in the dirty puddles that littered the road; a short boy stood in front of him; orange hair; amber eyes; wide smile. Who was this kid?

"Hey, is this yours?" The boy held out the volleyball nonchalantly, nearly knocking Kageyama in the chest with it. 

He blinked slowly, feeling as if he had just woken up or had pulled his head out of cold water. "Oh, um... yeah." He took the ball from him and tucked it safely under his arm, studying him warily. "How... did you do that?"

The mystery boy blinked at him in confusion, wearing a naïve smile. "Do what?"

Kageyama scoffed in annoyance. "Catch the ball like that. Duh."

"Oh. I guess I just..." The boy made a slicing movement with his arm. "I just went like voom! and then jumped and fwahh! grabbed the ball before it could roll away!" He held out his arms with a giggle. "It was pretty fun!" As Kageyama nailed him with a look of utter confusion, the boy frowned in thought, placing his hands on his slender hips. "Hey, wait a second, how come you can see me, huh?"

"What?" Kageyama glared at him and crossed his arms, unintentionally mirroring the shorter boy. This kid utterly perplexed him. "Of course I can see you, dumbass. You're standing right in front of me." This was all very confusing. This whirlwind of a boy just ran by, saved his volleyball, and was now asking weird questions. What the hell was going on?