Is he really there?
Those words plague Kuroo Tetsurou's mind. They were inked on his wrist in messy writing with scratch marks as if his soulmate's hand was never stable. It was such a strange question.
"Stop looking at it, you look like an idio...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
・・・ ・・・ ・・・
"Ah, there you are, (N/N)!" The use of a nickname was strange, making her pick up her head quickly. "Oh, sorry, am I allowed to call you that?" he asks. "It's fine," she says softly. "You should give me a nickname, too. You know, since we're friends now." (Y/N) cocks an eyebrow as Inuoka sits across from him. "We are?" "I'd say so." (Y/N) watches him for a moment before shrugging a little to herself. He seemed nice enough, nicer than Hana sometimes, so what could be the harm? She could use the extra social interaction. "Alright. I'll call you Shiba then," she states firmly. "Shiba?" "Shiba Inu...oka." Inuoka smiles, chuckling a little, but he kept his voice down to not disturb the other students scattered around. "Ah, I see. You're creative. What are you reading?" He lifts the cover of the book a bit before confusion pulls his face. "A dictionary?" "Yeah," (Y/N) says with slight embarrassment. "I'm not very good at Japanese so my... teacher recommended I try to read a dictionary. It's actually kind of fun knowing random words, especially when you see someone use it." Inuoka nods a bit. "So you don't like language classes?" he asks. Quickly, (Y/N) shakes her head. "No, I love them!" she says hurriedly, trying to make sure she doesn't shout. "I actually really love Japanese and English class, but I can never concentrate. The reasons are out of my control. I'm hoping that in about 2 months, I'll be able to join the rest of my class when they do those. I'm trying to catch up before then." "Do you need a study partner? I have a friend who's got pretty good grades and plenty of time on his hands," he offers. (Y/N) shrugs. "I spend all the time I can studying, it's not that I really need someone there, I just need this medication to hurry its butt up and work. Once that's accomplished, I'll be just fine. Thanks for the offer, though." Inuoka nods. "Well, that's good. I hope you'll get to join your class soon, it seems like something you're anticipating." She happily bobs her head. "When are you leaving? School, I mean. You're not going to sit here all night, I hope." (Y/N) smiles and shakes her head. "I don't really have a set time, probably around 6:30? I have a friend I usually walk home with who leaves around that time, but she also might leave me behind. She usually stays after but sometimes she doesn't." Inuoka stares at her for a moment, wondering what kind of friend would do that. "Sounds a little weird, but okay. Anyway, I've gotta head off to practice so the captain doesn't make a fool of me for being late." "I wish you well in your practice, Shiba." He gives his goodbye before jogging away, (Y/N) immediately returning to her dictionary the second he moved away from the seat. "Where the hell were you?" Kuroo asks with a cocked eyebrow as Inuoka rushes into the gym with his jersey only half over his head. "Chatting with a friend. Sorry, Captain." Kuroo heaves a sigh. "You children..." he mutters.
(Y/N) makes her way down the stairs, watching them intently as she does. Nighttime was starting to set in later, which was nice. The library lights could be quite bright. All of the classrooms were dark, and the hallway lights were only half on. The school power shut off completely at 7, so at 6, they started to push students out as much as they could. It was even darker outside, only one far-off lamp lighting up the courtyard connecting all the gymnasiums. (Y/N) makes her way to the tennis court but of course, it's empty. She sighs to herself. She really wished Hana wouldn't leave without her. She begins back towards the gate. She had been seeing a man following her around the city a few times, mostly when she walked home from school. Since being diagnosed, she attempted to ignore it. Hallucinating people was something she had done a few times before, most likely, like the boy at the crosswalk. Of course, they couldn't be 100% sure, but who just says stuff like to someone they don't know? Not many people. "Oh, there you are." (Y/N) almost jumps out of her skin at the voice. Turning the side, a boy emerged from the gym in a Nekoma jacket. His hair was brown with a strawberry tint to it, his eyes a rich walnut color. "You must be... shit, he only called you (N/N). What's your name?" "Who are you?" (Y/N) blurts. "A friend of Inuoka's. He had to head home, but he was worried you'd try to walk home by yourself for... whatever reason. I don't really remember. I'm Yaku Morisuke." She nods her head a bit. "(S/N) (Y/N). Can I... touch you? Just real quick." Yaku cocked his head to the side, offering a hand for something like a high five. (Y/N) gingerly reached out to poke it before sighing in relief. He was real. "Thank you." "Uh... yeah, no problem," he says with narrowed eyes. "Anyway, we should probably get leaving. I don't want either of us to be late." (Y/N) and Yaku were both mostly silent as they trudged the city. Yaku found it a little strange she used the subway, most were close enough to walk. However, when they crossed the river, he realized it would take almost 2 hours to ride a bike from her house to the school. He of course wondered why she attended somewhere so far away, but he didn't ask. It wasn't his business.
