fox on the run | miya osamu

the starting line

Suiren's ready. She already double-checked her shoelaces, the grip of her headband, her clothing, basically everything. And now, she's standing on the starting line, waiting for the starting pistol.

Her eyes wander at the sides, looking at the people watching from a distance. Banners here and there, a bunch of advertising flyers, but no sign of Osamu.

"On your mark," she hears from the speakers. It snaps her back to reality and she gets on to her proper position.

"Get set," echoes throughout the arena. She clenches her fists, trying to keep Osamu out of her mind. "I need to focus," she scolds herself.

"BANG!" The pistol signals the start of the sprint and despite her mind fleeting off, she gives it her all. It's just a 200 meter sprint, which meant she didn't need to save her energy unlike for marathons.

"WHERE'S TSUTSUI?" Meanwhile, Shinsuke arrives a little late for the race and he makes his way to the bleachers area. He rushes to his seat, the one indicated in his ticket, and once he's settled, he narrows his eyes, looking for her.

"Tsutsui, Tsutsui," he repeats.

"It looks like Tsutsui of Inarizaki is lagging behind, Hashimoto of Hyogo Girls' High School overtakes her for the first spot!" the announcer exclaims, making it easier for Shinsuke to see her.

"Oh, Tsutsui-chan," he mumbles, "Good luck."

"Oh! Inarizaki's Tsutsui first to pass through by the last curve! Currently first place again, will she make it?" a second announcer says.

"She's definitely one of the best in the prefecture, everyone's got high hopes for her," the first one adds.

"First place, I'm in first place," Suiren repeats to herself as she nears the finish line. "A few more steps and I'm number one," she says in her head.

With victory right in front of her eyes, Suiren forces herself to speed up even more. She visualizes herself past the finish line, with a medal on her neck, and of course, Osamu. His subtle smile, his voice and his warmth.

However, her euphoric train of thoughts suddenly comes to an end as she takes the last step towards the finish line, feeling a sharp pain wrenching her right foot.

MIYA RESIDENCE. As Suiren fought for a spot in the Nationals, Osamu, on the other hand, busies himself with cooking. Yesterday, not once has she brought up the topic about the qualifiers, nor has she given him any of the details.

"Aw, still grumpy?" Atsumu teases his brother while he grabs a snack from the fridge. Osamu doesn't respond, it's all too obvious already anyway.

"Well, did she dump yer ass already?" he asks, approaching his frowning twin.

"She's not dumping my ass," Osamu defends.

"I told ya, just go talk to her. Do a kabedon or sumthin', ya know?"

"I am not gonna frighten her and do a kabedon," he groans.

"Yeah, whatever. Whatcha makin'?"

"Something not yours."

"Hey, no fair, that's some stylish bento you're making. I want some," the blonde whines.

"Nu uh, none for ya."

"That for your senpai?"

"Who else am I making a damn bento for?"

"Me!" Atsumu jokes, "Gimme!"

"Come on, just a teeny bite won't hurt. Yer senpai ain't gonna notice either!"

"Whatever, 'Tsumu."

"So mean!"

Osamu places the cover of the lunch box he's making and he wraps it in blue cloth. It's a wild guess of her favorite color, seeing how all her shorts were blue.

"Samu, yer phone's ringin," Atsumu notifies him.

"Oh. Yeah," he mutters. He places down the bento on the dining table to get his phone from the living room. The ringing ends before he manages to get it and he sees a couple of new messages from Shinsuke.

"Chuunchun?" he mumbles upon reading the texts.

"IT'S GOING TO BE OKAY," Shinsuke says to the crying Suiren, lying down at the hospital bed. She's getting transported to another section of the hospital but the nurses already gave her the necessary painkillers.

"You're going to be okay," he repeats to her, rushing along with the medical staff moving her bed.

"It, it hurts," she cries out, tears running down her face. She graps on the white fabric of the bed in pain, her brows furrowed in anguish.

"I know, I know," he says, trying his best to comfort her in the midst of panic.

"Hurts," she mumbles in a pained voice, "It hurts, Shinsuke."