|| Tucked Away || Haikyuu Fanfiction ||

Chapter 11 - Declaration

Mitsuko sat on the swing, kicking at the sand. Meanwhile, Oikawa shoved his hands into his pockets, staring up at the sky.

It was a bright, blazing orange colour as the sun was beginning to set. A slight breeze blew past the two, rustling the leaves. Mitsuko made a few more kicks, swinging higher and higher.

"So.. that day you were sick.. do you remember me visiting at all?" Oikawa asked, finally breaking the silence between the two.

Mitsuko thought for a moment. Did something happen then? Was it important? She had no recollection of Oikawa arriving at all, only finding out he had visited when her mother told her the next day. But from the way he was asking, it sounded as if it was important.

"No.. I don't. Did something happen while I had my fever?" She asked, looking at the older boy. She tried reading his face, looking directly at him for once. He looked back at her with honest, brown eyes that seemed to show a hint of disappointment.

The setter laughed. His face instantly changed to one with ease. And yet, it still sounded like there was something more to his voice. "I was just curious. You were babbling a bit." He sat down on the swing beside Mitsuko, and gently whispered. "You're Karasuno's manager, huh?" He took a seat on the swing beside  the girl.

Kicking her feet, Mitsuko swung on the swing yet again. "Yeah. It was complicated.. but.. yeah."

"I should've asked then.." the setter mumbled.

"Sorry, what did you say?" Mitsuko questioned. She was sure he had mumbled something but couldn't quite catch it.

Oikawa stared at Mitsuko, and decided he should be honest. When it came to this girl, indirect approaches never worked. "If.. if I'd asked you a few months ago to come to my school.. to become our manager.. would you?"

The girl opened her mouth, then shut it. What would be the best way to word it? She may not like Tooru but she wasn't the type to needlessly hurt someone's feelings.

The setter jumped off the swing. "You know what, nevermind. Your answer is probably no and you're trying to figure out a polite way to say it."

"No! I mean, yes! I mean-" shouted Mitsuko. She too, jumped off the swing. "I would've said no not because I hated you.. although I did at the time.." she mumbled. "But because it was a bad time for me!" She shuffled her feet, kicking the sand with her foot."

Oikawa, realizing he'd brought up the worst possible topic for Mitsuko, turned around abruptly. He clasped his hands together. "Sorry, Mitsu-chan! I didn't mean to bring that up." He straightened himself, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess.. I just got a bit jealous of Tobio-chan having you as a manager.."

"Eh, jealous of Kageyama?" the girl tilted her head sideways. "Why?"

The setter stared at the girl. "Why? You say..." He coughed. There was no way he was going to let her know.. at least, not yet.

"Its because I wanted a cute female manager too~" The setter said in a flippant tone.

"You... good for nothing flirt!" Mitsuko yelled, kicking the boy. She pouted, crossing her arms. "And to think I was beginning to believe he was a decent person" she thought.

Oikawa patted the spot where she kicked. "Ouch.. you really used all your strength, didn't you?"

Mitsuko turned away from the boy, and began walking towards home. "If you have nothing important to say, let's go home."

Within moments, she felt a firm grip on her wrist before being spun around. She came face to face with the setter, his brown eyes staring directly at her. His usual smirk was no where to be seen, all that was left in his eyes was a strong sense of determination.

"Tell Tobio -- Tell your team this.. the one to win at the Spring High preliminaries will be Aoba Johsai," the setter said with great intensity.

Mitsuko stood in shock before smirking. "That's only if you can beat us!" Before adding "Don't worry, I'll let them know."

The setter flashed his usual smirk, one that would surely annoy any of his oppenents. Turning around, the two began making their way back to the Aoyama household.

At the back of Oikawa's mind, he had made a silly challenge for himself. If he won, he'd gather up the courage and tell Mitsuko about his feelings, even if he was going to be rejected.