Beauty and the Beast (A Haikyuu/ Tobio Kageyama Fanfiction)

Chapter Sixteen: What The Heart Wants

The boys began cleaning up the gym, and I headed outside, just so I could have a moment to myself. I sat down on the ground outside of the gym, watching the sky as the sun began to set.

I'm so annoyed with this whole thing. The only reason Oikawa even continues to mess with me is because I never fight back. And then the other day, with Tsukishima...I had no problem getting up in his face when he was ragging on Kageyama, but then the second he said something even the slightest bit mean about me, I completely shut down. 

I stood up, lightly slamming my foot back against the wall in frustration as I began the walk home on my own. I just get so anxious when the confrontation has to do with me. Defending other people is easy, because most of the time they're my friends. I know how awesome they are, and I can give you a whole list about why your negative comments regarding them are wrong, but when its me I just draw a blank.

Is it just the anxiety or...do I honestly not know whether or not their insults about me are true?

"Aina!" A hand wrapped around my elbow, and I jumped in surprise, looking up to see Kageyama standing there with a concerned look on his face. "I called your name like, five times."

"Sorry. I was just...lost in thought I guess." I said, gently pulling my arm out of his grasp. "What's up?"

We began walking again and I tucked my hair behind my ear before shoving my hands in the pockets of my new jacket.

"I just wanted to ask..." He trailed off, and I looked up at him, silently urging him to continue, "I know why me being the setter is one of the conditions but...why are you?"

I opened my mouth, the words building up in my mind. But as they did, anxiety crept up in my chest, beginning to make me feel like I couldn't breathe. I eventually gave up, letting out another frustrated sigh and hiding my face in my hands. I stopped walking, and based on the sound of his footsteps, Kageyama did too.

"Hey..."I felt his fingers on my wrists, lightly pulling my hands down off of my face and forcing me to look at him, "Are you ok?"

"I...apparently, I don't know how to answer that question." I said, shoving my hair out of my face with both hands. "Its like...whenever the emotional or physical state of other people is in danger, I am just overflowing with all this honesty and sarcasm and then the second its my turn..." He nodded.

"I noticed that the other day with Tsukishima." I nodded. "Is that what's going on? Are Aoba Johsai harassing you?"

"No, not Aoba Johsai as a whole, just..." I looked down at my feet.

"Its Oikawa...isn't it?" I looked up again in surprise.

"How could you possibly have known that?"

"Lucky guess," He said quickly, "What is he doing to you? Do you need to me to something, because-"

"Relax, tough guy. I appreciate that but its really not that serious. I promise," I told him, "Its not even really about that, I just...I don't understand why its so difficult for me to defend myself." I began to walk again, and he fell into step with me easily, seeing as one of my strides was only about half of one of his.

"That's not the kind of person you are." He said quietly, shoving his own hands in his pockets. 

"No offense Kageyama, but how do you know what kind of person I am. You've known me exactly a week."

"Well...I know that you practically threw away your first week of high school to help two guys you just met just because you knew it would help your friends." He pointed out.  "And I know that no matter how many times Hinata and I got in arguments and completely ignored your advice, you didn't give up on us. And you threw yourself in between both me and Hinata and Me and Tsukishima without a moment's hesitation."