Courting Victory | Oikawa | Iwaizumi | OC | Split-Routes | Haikyuu

CH14 - Return

Late November 2012

The girl nimbly pressed her apartment's floor number as she glided her suitcase across the tiled floor of the elevator. Her movements on autopilot since she left Australia, like a lifeless body moving on its own and not an ounce of sleep during her hours-long flight.

Celeste watched absently as the numbers on the panel illuminated with each floor passed. The ascent was painfully slow as the exhaustion grew heavier with each passing moment. 

The elevator finally slowed down to a halt, signaling her floor. This transition from motion to stillness only made her stomach churn from fatigue.

The metallic doors slowly slid apart and revealed a dim-lit hallway. The ravenette adjusted her hat lower and bowed her head. Her silky shoulder-length hair glided smoothly as she pushed her suitcase out of the elevator towards her private flat.

Too engrossed in her own world, she failed to notice the two young men who stood in front of her apartment. Their conversation came to an abrupt halt as the sound of wheels reverberated softly as it rolled across the carpeted hallway.

"Ce-chi?"

The girl stopped in her tracks and lifted her head, her gaze was met with surprise as she came face to face with her bestfriends. Time seemed to pause in that instant as overwhelming emotions played out in their eyes. 

Confusion, relief, anguish, anticipation, guilt. All in the moment.

Once the shock has set in, a single tear escaped Celeste's eyes as she struggled to contain her grief. She bit her lip to suppress an incoming sob then took out her key card to open her door.

The two men followed suit quietly. Worry evident in their striking features.

"Hey.." Hajime whispered as he took hold of the girl's wrist delicately. The touch sent her into a spiral and the sorrow she has been attempting to quell burst forth, letting the tears fall rapidly.

 The man wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back in consolation.

Tooru clenched his hands unsure of how to comfort his bestfriend from the torment she was feeling. He leaned with his back on the wall and looked at his feet, his eyes watery from hearing the girl's cry of distress.

The passing of Aunty Eri was a bolt from the blue. Although the two men weren't close to the departed woman, the brief moments they spent with her were full of fondness. 

Their heart ached for that loss but knew it couldn't compare to the hollowness their best friend felt.  Like a piece that has been carved away and may never yield even with the passage of time. For the two shared a strong kinship so unlike the estrange relationship Celeste had with her mom Amelia.

Although the true birth mother was Eri, Celeste reluctantly kept this gut-wrenching revelation, the weight of the truth heavy on her shoulders. 

She trusted her best friends with her life but she was fearful of what the secret entailed. Her illegitimate origin, born out of her father's infidelity, to which she will forever be its prisoner.

This inconceivable truth will only worry her best friends and she has had enough of her own selfishness. This time around, she will need to be the one who comforts them and make up for her absence during the time she was needed.

Celeste wiped away the last of her tears and forced herself to smile, "Thank you for being here for me."

Hajime affectionately ruffled her hair and returned a smile. Forcing away the many questions still lingering in his mind. He believed that in time she will have the courage to speak about the turmoil imprisoning her.

Tooru on the other hand, though his intention pure, couldn't help but poke further, being the inquisitive man he was.

"You briefly told us the smallest of details over a single call. I'm not sure I understand why Aunty Eri suddenly passed."

Hajime gave his friend a warning look but Tooru missed it as he crouched down in front of the girl. "How are you coping up?" He asked in a low tone, concern evident in every word.

Celeste shook her head, she can at least talk about this. "She hid her illness from us for many years. No one knew except for her and her doctor." The girl hugged her knees and rested her chin on top of it. "She managed her symptoms well, and passed it on as insignificant."

"Did she not get treatments for it?"

"She did but not only did she develop heart complications, her multiple sclerosis has already advanced to the late stage."

"I thought sclerosis wasnt fatal?" Hajime expressed.

"Not on its own. Her early diagnosis indicated it to be benign that's why she hardly showed mobility issues." She let out a small bitter laugh. "I shouldve known. She was already displaying some cognitive impairment earlier this year."

"But you wouldnt have known it was serious." Tooru consoled as he sat beside her.

"It progressed too quickly. She didn't tell me this but apparently she retired as surgeon in August because her symptoms worsened. She suddenly collapsed in the OR from a heart attack."

"And still no one in the family knew?"

"Papa found out because he was the emergency contact."

Tooru furrowed his brows, "Shouldn't Aunty Amelia be the contact because they're sisters?"

Celeste bit her lip hard, her tears threatened to spill once more. "It hardly matters."

Hajime sensed the tension grow, "Ce-chi you don't have to keep talking about this. We understand."

The girl let out a heavy sigh. "The past months has been difficult for her. The week before she passed, she had multiple myocardial infarction. They tried a bypass surgery on her arteries but in the end her heart didn't make it."

The silence that followed was insufferable and spoke volumes. Though with it echoed an unspoken truth, the loudest was the weight of shared burden and understanding.

It offered the mourning girl solace in the quietude and somehow at that moment she didn't feel so alone anymore.

 Celeste crunched her nose after a long exhale of relief and stood up. Her next words an invitation to move forward and a silent plea to end the harrowing conversation.

"I'm hungry."

The two men chuckled and in spite of the previous heavy atmosphere, proceeded to indulge their best friend.

"Should we eat out?"

"Unless you want ice for dinner, I have no food in the fridge."

"Your eyes could use some honestly," Tooru pointed at her puffed eyes.

His joke was met by a slight thump on the head from a frowning Hajime. The brown-haired man only stuck his tongue out not wanting to aggravate him further.

Celeste giggled at the sight and the two men paused, genuine smile etching across their lips.