Haikyuu!! Short stories!

Graduation Day - Kuroo & Kenma

Kuroo sat beside Kenma on the swings down at the park just a few streets over from their high school. He was gently swinging back and forth with his feet on the ground, his high school diploma in his lap. His school uniform, once clean and crisp a few hours ago, was a now bit wrinkled with the tie pulled loose around his neck. "I'm finally done with this place." Kuroo spoke, stretching out his legs as he looked up to the cloudless blue sky. It was meant to come out sounding light hearted and something of relief but he couldn't force the infliction, instead it came out sounding sad and disheartened.

He looked over to Kenma who had been unusually quiet today. Not that he wasn't usually quiet, but this type of quiet unsettled Kuroo. He could tell something was up.

Kenma had set down his game and was staring down at the mulch beneath his school shoes, the pieces having shifted as he had been slowly moving his feet to dig an impression. "I think I'm going to quit volleyball." He finally spoke.

Kuroo couldn't say he was surprised. He had always been Kenma's motivation for playing volleyball. He just thought that it would be a good thing to get him involved in. It got him out of the house and he was able to make some good friends who really cared about him. This was what he had been afraid of since the start of his last year began. He didn't want him to isolate himself.

Kenma had always been someone that needed something to keep his mind entertained. He liked challenges and most opponents they played against didn't give him the sort of hard challenge he was after, but he also had the habit of keeping people from getting close to him. He knew he had only kept playing because of their friendship. But kuroo could see the spark he got in his eyes sometimes when they played. And, while he tried his best to hide it, he saw that faint smile that he would give sometimes when they hung out with the rest of the the team. He seemed happier and he didn't want him to give up that support system he had now.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do, but I know you. Probably more than anybody else in this whole world, and I know you enjoy it. At least most of the time. Are you really ready to say goodbye to the team? Are you willing to let them go off to nationals without you? The blood without the brain? The heart? What about Hinata? I know you love playing against him. Next year he's only going to come back stronger. Our teams good, but they'd have a better chance of beating his high flying ass with you there. I was hoping you'd get to see him and kick his ass for me at nationals." That was a game he'd love to see.

Kenma finally looked up to him, his feet falling still. He looked at him with the same impassive expression his face always held, but Kuroo had known him too long not to notice the shift in his eyes. He was conflicted. "I don't know."

He wasn't going to push him. He'd never make him uncomfortable like that. He knew volleyball wasn't Kenma's passion like it was his. "It's your decision, Kenma. I hope you'll at least go watch a game every now and then for me." That's right, he'd be off at university, far away from his team and his best friend. He didn't let the thoughts trouble him too much. It wasn't like he'd never see them again.

Kuroo looked up and sighed. "Let's go home. You can think about it later." As if on cue his stomach growled and he laughed. "I'm starved." Kenma smiled ever so faintly and stood up, taking his game with him, and followed him home.