Burning Ice (A Haikyuu AU)

35. Picnic

(3rd Person)

"That's not all of it." Carter said, his face in a smile, threatening to morph into a grin. "You're missing a fairytale book, belonging to one of our very promising recruits."

Atsumu looked up sharply. "We didn't take a fairytale book."

"Oh, and I believe four files with some of our..." Carter continued, as if he didn't hear Atsumu. "...less promising recruits."

Atsumu looked towards Daichi, who was quietly contemplating in the corner.

"Right." Daichi said, seemingly reaching a conclusion. "We'll be back."

They departed, quietly, strategically.

"Listen up." Daichi said, aimlessly pacing with his mug in his hands. "If we didn't take it, and Carter doesn't have it, who are the only other people that could have taken it?"

"Ice." Iwaizumi said. "What's the plan?"

Daichi sighed. "Semi, think you're gonna get anything from our guest down there?"

"I doubt it." Semi said.

"Time to return him, then." Daichi said. "Cassy? Contact Sugawara."

"What ---" Cassy's eyes went wide. "You knew?"

Daichi shrugged, a small smile on his face. "I know a lot of things." His knowing glance cast towards Semi for a moment, before shifting back towards the plan at hand.

-----------------------------

"You've got to be kidding me." Aya threw up her hands, indignation clear as day. "What, the Flames suddenly just went 'Oh yeah, we kidnapped him, but you can have him back, and we're just doing that out of the goodness of our hearts because we're such kind people'. No! I think the fuck not! There's a trap in there somewhere."

"They requested a meeting." Akaashi said, drinking out of his mug of tea, poring over the text Cassy sent.

"The audacity." Aya was still fuming.

"You never told me you and Cassledia Sawamura were friends." Koshi noted, from the doorway. Aya froze.

"I was going to tell you." She tried.

Koshi was studying his nails. "I knew anyways. Vio, you're a culprit as well? That's shocking." 

Vio froze as well. She picked her next words carefully. "It wasn't a safety issue."

Koshi sighed, grey eyes piercing through their souls. "No next time."

They both snapped to attention. "Okay."

From his place on the couch, Kenma said, "focus."

"Kenken, you're playing animal crossing." Oikawa pointed out, his reading glasses on, analysing the four files and the fairy tale book that Vio had taken. "So do we agree or not?"

"Well." Suga sighed. "They've offered something we can't refuse."

-----------------------------

The meeting place was strategically chosen. Right in the middle of their two territories, almost as if a line had been drawn straight through and a spot chosen on it. 

It was a familiar looking park, Oikawa noted. Then he saw the boy with green eyes and the memories hit him like a bullet train, flying through his brain at disconcerting speeds. 

Aya huffed. Of course they'd pick the spot where she had to literally fight Cassy's older brother. Really not how she had imagined meeting the family.

And also, Suna was recalling a particular night walking down the lane by this park, and someone stabbing him. That someone was looking around now, dyed grey hair fluttering in the wind, looking more handsome than he had any right to be.

Extremely strategically chosen --- though probably not on purpose.

Vio's face finally relaxed into a genuine smile when she saw her brother, looking pissed as usual, but unhurt. Semi's hands were placed on Kenjiro's shoulders, very casual, probably to prevent him from spinning around and stabbing someone.

"Evening." Daichi greeted, eyes on Koshi. 

"Vio?" Koshi ignored him. Vio handed him the four files, plus the heavy volume on top. "Before we do this, let's sit down and chat."

Daichi raised an eyebrow. "Chat?"

"We haven't had enough time to analyse these." They've copied everything down, but it's not the same as actually having the volume in their hands. "So we'd like to propose an alternative solution."

"And that is?" Daichi said, smiling now.

"Not give in to the damn bastards? What else did you expect?" Koshi shrugged. "Aya, you can lay out the blankets and the picnic now." He threw her the car keys.

Aya grinned, catching them with ease, the familiar weight of metal warm in her hands. "Aye aye, Captain."

(BONUS SCENE; Eita and Kenjiro: 1)

It was a warm, sunny day when Kenjiro tried for the first time to leave. 

Vio had agreed to cover for him, however begrudgingly. "Where are you going?" She had asked. He had shrugged in response.

Away.

It has never been in his nature to stay still, after all. Vio was the one who made friends, who greeted everyone with her sunny smile, who settled down with ease no matter the new situation they're thrown into. 

Him, on the other hand? He's 'quiet', if they're being nice, 'a snarky bitch', if they're not.

So that's how he found himself wandering around aimlessly, in a field of sunflowers, growing on a hill. They were Vio's favourite flowers. You should be called Sunflower instead of Violet. He remembered joking.

"Watch out!" A frisbee had swerved, nearly hitting his head. "Sorry!"

It was a boy with greyish hair, chasing after his frisbee with an apologetic smile on his face.

Shirabu, against his will, laughed, the sound filling up the air. He hadn't laughed like that in a long time. "Are you playing frisbee by yourself?"

"Shut up!" The boy fell over dramatically, hand on his heart. "That's a sensitive topic!"

Shirabu laughed harder.

They ended playing frisbee together, partly because Semi was very persuasive, partly because Shirabu missed having someone to laugh with and insult.

"You suck!" Was the general sound going over to his direction.

"Not like you're any better!" Was usually his response.

Afterwards, when they were both tired, lying down in the sunflowers, letting the sun shine on their faces, Shirabu would tell Semi about being abandoned. Semi would tell Shirabu about having a single dad and him being in the police force.

"I don't like being left." Shirabu had said, reaching up a hand as if to touch the clouds in the sky. "I really don't like being left."

"Neither." Semi had said. "Let's not leave each other, okay? Come play frisbee with me every day."

Shirabu had smiled. "Not everyday. Maybe every weekend."

"Deal."