Rain on the Windows | Kuroken

Chapter 9

Kuroo's graduation lasted hours. But it was all worth it in the end, seeing Kenma's smiling face after the assembly was released.

"Congrats, Kuro," Kenma did his best to give Kuroo a small hug but his ability was ultimately limited by his crutches. He still had casts on his knees but was growing able to walk better with the help of his physical therapy.

Kuroo hugged him back. "Thanks, Pudding," Kenma looked up at Kuroo with a smile and rolled his eyes. "I appreciate you being here." Kenma buried his head in Kuroo's chest, his way of accepting Kuroo's gratitude.

Kuroo spent the next half hour socializing with classmates, even meeting some colleagues that he hadn't taken any classes with.

He tried not to go too far, knowing that Kenma was trying his best to keep up with him. But he didn't mind.

It was a hot day, so naturally, lots of people either moved inside the university to continue celebrations or left to go meet up with friends and family.

Kuroo waved goodbye to a colleague as he felt a tug on his shirt. He turned around to face Kenma.

"Can we... Uhm... go now?" Kenma sounded slightly embarrassed when speaking. He felt out of place asking Kuroo if they could leave when he was here to celebrate Kuroo's success. "There are so many people."

Kuroo nodded. "Yeah, of course. I was about to ask if you wanted to head out, it's getting pretty hot."

They got to their car, and Kuroo immediately turned on the air, hoping to cool them both off. Kuroo slowly pulled out of the parking lot before remembering another plan he had for the day.

"Oh, there was one place I wanted to stop by before we go home. Is that okay?"

Kenma nodded his head from the passenger seat. "Sure. Where?"

"It's a surprise."

~~~

Nekoma High School was a twenty-minute drive from the university.

Kuroo had responded to his former teammate's text after he and Kenma had returned from Shikoku. Of course, he would play a match with his former classmates. How could he ever turn them down?

They pulled into the empty parking lot of the High School, much unlike the crowded one at the university. School had already been let out for the year, and Yamamoto had convinced their old coach to allow them to come back and play a game.

"Kuroo? What are we doing at Nekoma?" Kenma had tons of ideas as to where Kuroo could have taken them, but Nekoma wasn't one of them.

Kuroo smiled as he parked the car. He turned his head. "Remember when I got that text in the hospital?"

Kenma nodded.

"Yamamoto invited a few of the guys to play a practice match, to see if we've still got some skills." Kuroo did feel bad that Kenma wouldn't be able to play, but he figured Kenma wouldn't mind too much.

"Oh."

"I feel bad that you can't play," Kuroo frowned. Kenma shook his head.

"No, no, it's fine. I haven't picked up a volleyball in years. Let alone did any type of actual physical exercise. Plus, I can't walk," Kenma laughed after his last comment, making Kuroo feel better. "You go on ahead. I'll come watch in a minute."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks," Kuroo leaned over and kissed the top of Kenma's head before closing the car door and jogging over to the gym.

Inside the large gym, Yamamoto, Yaku, Lev, Fukunaga, and Inuoka were already warming up. As soon as he entered, Yamamoto's booming voice could be heard.

"Hey! Look who actually showed up!" The wing spiker ran up to his captain, punching his bicep playfully. "Let's see if you've still got the qualifications to be captain, old man."

Kuroo laughed. Yamamoto was only a year younger than him, so who was he to talk to? "Hey! That's no way to speak to your elders!" Kuroo crossed his arms and pointed his chin up. Yamamoto stuck his tongue out at the taller male.

"Prove me wrong!"

Kuroo laughed a ran over to where his other teammates were warming up. They performed their simple stretches, before grabbing the large bin of volleyballs from the storage closet in the back of the gym.

Fukunaga wheeled the bin in and grabbed a volleyball from the top of the stack. Decided moments before, the teams would be as follows:

Kuroo, Yaku, and Fukunaga against Yamamoto, Inuoka, and Lev.

The first serve would come from Yamamoto's team, but just as Yamamoto was about to serve, the doors to the gym opened. A strip of light flooded into the room as Kenma's crutches clacked along the slick gym floor. A few of Kuroo's teammates' jaws dropped seeing Kenma's state.

"Oh damn," Lev's voice was barely above a whisper, but Kuroo heard it just as clearly. Kuroo turned to face the middle blocker and glared. "Oh, Uhm, sorry. What happened?"

Kenma shrugged. "Car accident," Kenma replied as if it was nothing. "But, anyways, hey guys." A forced smile was placed on Kenma's face as he attempted to wave before hobbling over to the bench on the far wall.

Kuroo noticed that everyone had seemingly forgotten about the gameplay, and their gazes were now fixed on Kenma as he slowly tried to sit down on the small bench without hurting himself. When Kenma looked up to meet their curious faces, he smirked instead of grimacing as he normally would when he found people staring at him.

"The hell are you waiting for?"

Kuroo smiled and turned to the team. "You heard him!" Kuroo yelled. "Let's go!"