Fly (Keishin Ukai) - COMPLETED

1 - Assistant Coach

Four years later

Yuki Nishinoya, now twenty-two years old, sat in her room. Her long black hair straightened, and fringe lengthy meant that her face was barely visible. Her head was low as she sketched in her notepad. It was of the world just outside her window; of houses that continued down the busy street of parents and kids walking. She lived close to an elementary school, so every morning she'd watched the commotion that was her road.

Everyone lived such different lives, and with every child and parent, she saw she tried to think about how it would be going for them. Some parents were obviously exhausted but put on a broad smile for their kids who always seemed the happiest. While other parents were stuck with phones to their ears, their child trying to get their attention but ultimately ignored, she wondered what those children would be like in a few years.

This had become a typical morning for her over the last few years because she had nothing else to do. Her room was meant to be a sanctuary for her but felt more like a prison in the end. Her parents - despite their good intentions - had practically kept her away from the real world. Only in the last month was she allowed to leave the house alone, and that was only to see her brother at volleyball practice.

"YUKI?!" Yū, her little brother yelled, opening the door quickly and making her jump. "Are you still coming down today? To see about the coaching?" He was always so full of energy, and she nodded to him. "Yes! I'll see you then! I've got to go; otherwise, I'll be late. Bye!" He was practically bouncing up and down as he left and she watched him run down the street, bumping into many people on the way. The side of her lip twitched watching him. She used to be like that, bursting with energy all the time. She used to run to school every day, excited for the day ahead. Excited to see friends and eager to play volleyball with her teammates. She sighed deeply. Those were the days she missed the most; the days she knew she'd never experience again.

"Honey I'm going to the shops. I will be back soon. Would you like anything?" Yuki's mother popped her head into her room and asked, her voice high pitched and sickly sweet.

"No, I'm o-okay, thank you," Yuki replied, her voice quiet and removed. Yuki saw her mother's face slowly drop into the same look she had been giving her for the last three years. Yuki knew that her parents had struggled just as much as herself; they also missed their old bubbly child. Slowly her mother made her way into Yuki's room.

"Are you still doing that coaching thing later today?"

Yuki knew her mother did not approve of it - said it was dangerous, that if she got hit in the head, she could go back to the hospital. At first, the idea scared Yuki. Being back there. She was surrounded by nothing but white walls that slowly felt like they were closing around her; suffocating all her energy and spirit. She may have left that place a few years ago, but part of her felt it still had a hold of her. After three years, though, her own bedroom walls started to feel the same. Each day they got closer in. Each day she was closer to losing her mind. Each day she realised she was not living but surviving. She could not do that anymore, no matter how scared she was, she had to get out. She wanted to feel alive again, and volleyball was the only way she remembered how. Nothing ever came close to the feeling she felt when playing. She could never play again, but coaching was the next best thing.

"Uh - y-yes, I am," Yuki whispered, her eyes avoiding contact with her mother's. Yuki knew that her mother would try to talk her out of it again, and the younger woman was worried she would not be able to argue it. Since the accident her mother had been the voice of reason, the person always by her side when she needed it, so now, going against her wishes was a struggle for her.

"Let her go, darling, this will be good for her," Yuki's father was the one saving grace she truly had. He entered the room and placed a hand on her mother's shoulder. "She will make a great coach, and can keep an eye on Yú for us." He argued on her behalf, giving her a wink as he spoke. Yuki's father found it the hardest, in the beginning. Thinking he lost his little girl would drive anyone to the edge, but he realised as time had gone on he lost his little girl anyway. The only way to get her back was allowing her to refind herself.