|| Tucked Away || Haikyuu Fanfiction ||

Chapter 12 - Truth

"Say.. How do you know Oikawa-san?" Kageyama asked, peering above the seat.

"EHHHH-" The team yelled, asking a barrage of questions. It was a miracle they even managed to hear Kageyama -- they were on a bus on their way to another training camp and the members were being rowdy as usual.

Mitsuko shrunk back in her seat. She wished that Kageyama had asked her in a more private time. She did however, anticipate that the boy would ask and so, she had already prepared an answer.

"We've modeled together a couple times." She stated simply. This wasn't a complete lie.. but it also wasn't the complete truth.

"EH-" the team shouted again "you model!?!"

Mitsuko blinked at them blankly. "Wasn't it obvious when I showed up all dressed up at the first training camp?..

"Now that you mention it..." Daichi muttered, while Suga and Asahi nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Nishinoya and Tanaka held blissfully happy expression. "Our managers are truly top-tier in their beauty.. aren't they?" The two boys chimed.

"Wait, how come you dress so differently in your casual clothing then?" Asked Hinata. "Even your hair is super different!"

Mitsuko scratched her head. Now this.. this wasn't a question she was expecting. "It's.." she trailed off, before speaking again. "It's mostly for convenience. It gets a bit troublesome if people know who I am. I want to be able to have a normal school life."

"Ah, that makes sense!" Hinata exclaimed, sitting back in his seat.

Soon enough, the bus came to a slow halt. The team got off and unloaded their bags, excited for the training camp. However, there was still some tension within the air due to what happened previously.

"Oya, oya, what's with the tense faces, eh~" Taunted an all too familiar bed headed captain. Following closely behind him were Bokuto and Akaashi.

"Let's go, the gyms over this way." Kuroo pointed behind him. With Daichi in lead, the rest of the team followed.

Walking near the back of the group, Akaashi grabbed Mitsuko's wrist, secretly pulling her away from the group.

"Hey, wha-"

"Be quiet." Akaashi whispered, distancing the two from the rest of the group before walking. "Its important."

Puzzled, Mitsuko walked alongside the boy. What could possibly happen for him to be so worried? It must have been something big, as his usual poker face wasn't in sight.

"I saw an article. What happened in Canada?" He asked.

Mitsuko's heart dropped. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"You.." he sighed before pulling out his phone, showing an English article translated into Japanese.

"The recent disappearance of an ac- WHAT" Mitsuko screeched.

The entire group turned around, staring at the two. Kuroo, finding this to be a perfect chance, decided to make things a little lively.

"Eh~ Akaashi-kun are you asking her out on a date?~" he teased.

"WHAT," Noya and Tanaka shouted, their devil faces showing quickly. "We need to protect our manager from all the  beasts!"

Akaashi glared at the captain, before letting out a sigh. Should he play along with his antics for once? Maybe it would make things simpler.

"If you know already, would you leave us alone? Let me spend some time with her."

Mitsuko looked at Akaashi in shock. He was actually playing along with what Kuroo said? Was she really talking  to Kei-chan? Meanwhile, Nishinoya and Tanaka were looking like they were ready to pounce on Akaashi.

"Look," she panicked, hoping to calm them down. "I just wanted to catch up with Kei-chan! You know, since I haven't been able to see him in years."

Akaashi shrugged, looking at Kuroo. "And there you have it. Now really, leave us alone."

Puzzled, the rest of the group turned back. Even Tanaka and Nishinoya, with some coercing from Shimizu, finally calmed down. Soon enough, the atmosphere had turned to what it was before.

Looking forward, Mitsuko lowered her voice. She knew she would have to tell Akaashi. The article gave away too much and she couldn't hide it any further.

"We'll talk later. Tonight at the vending machines. 8pm."

The setter nodded, and the two quickly joined the rest of the group. Of course, for Akaashi, there was slight teasing from Kuroo, and whining from Bokuto.

--

Buying themselves a drink, the two sat down at a nearby bench. The day was eventful - Kageyama was trying a new toss whilst Hinata had improved greatly. The rest of the team wasn't falling behind either, they each had their own self-practices as well.

After several silent moments, Mitsuko finally spoke up. She decided it was best to start from the beginning - when she said good-bye to Akaashi 4 years ago.