Haikyuu Mom Squad ~ A Little Problem

Chapter 12 ~ Too Much to Handle (Pt. 1)

      As the stars hung like tiny lights in the sky and the noise of the cities died down to a quiet hum, the hotel grew dim and faded into the silent night. The players were deep in their sleep, impatient for the next day to arrive to start the tournament. The sun crept up the sky inch by inch, bathing the valley in a brisk pink glow. In this peaceful morning too early for the quick risers, a hallway in the hotel creaked with padded footsteps. In a room on the Fukurodani floor, Akaashi and Tsukishima rolled in their beds, with Yaku sprawled over the couch. Drooling on the floor beside them were the six kids.

     As the light sound of footsteps drew closer, a pair of curious bright orange eyes opened, and Hinata poked his head up. Yamaguchi woke up from Hinata's shuffling and blinked the sleep out of his eyes. The chain reaction quickly woke the other kids, and they sat up, staring at the massive door to the hallways. The footsteps outside stopped, puzzled.

     The ever-excitable Lev jumped up and padded over to the door, the other kids following him. They tried pushing open the door to no avail. Kuroo pointed at the handle, then at Hinata and Lev. A wide smile grew on Hinata's face and he jumped onto Lev's back, stretching for the handle. He grabbed it in his small hands as he slipped off Lev, his weight pulling the handle down. Bokuto and Kuroo grabbed the edge of the door and pulled, creaking the door open as Kenma and Yamaguchi watched, heads cocked in curiosity.

     Lev poked his head around the door first, staring down at a kid. The kid had a wide, adventurous smile on his face, and he gestured the other kids to follow him as he raced down the hallway. Lev and Hinata ran after him, Kuroo and Bokuto not far behind, with Yamaguchi following a little more timidly and Kenma following after a tired sigh.

     Kuroo nudged Bokuto and pointed down a different hallway. Bokuto nodded, and the two captains split off from the group. Yamaguchi and Kenma quickly fell behind as the three energetic kids tore down the hallway without them.

     As the edge of dawn crept through the windows, the open door creaking, a strange aura filled the hotel.

     An aura of trouble.

~~~~~ 30 minutes later ~~~~~

     "What do you mean the kids are gone!?" Akaashi had to clamp a hand over Sugawara's mouth to stop him from waking the entire hotel.

     "Tsukishima and I woke up and they were gone. The door was jarred open and there was no one in sight." Akaashi's usual calm tone was laced with panic.

     Sugawara paced around the room. "What if someone took them? What if they got lost, or left the hotel, or someone sees them, or-"

     Tsukishima, who had been poking his head into the hallway, closed the door and rolled his eyes. "I'm not surprised the energetic idiots managed to run off. Why Yamaguchi followed them is beyond me."

     Yaku came in from the other room. "It's confirmed, the kids are gone. No one is hiding under the beds or in the drawers."

     "How did they even get out?" Sugawara glanced at the door. "Even Lev is too short to grab the handle with enough weight to pull it down."

"And they're not smart enough to understand how doors work. Probably tried pushing a pull door." Tsukishima had to hide a smirk.

      "They must have worked together," Yaku said.

      Sugawara clapped a fist to his palm. "We need to find them before they get hurt, are seen, or cause any trouble."

     "Good luck with that. Yamaguchi will find his way back here soon." Tsukishima started to sit down, but Sugawara grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the door.

      Tsukishima sighed, pushed up his glasses, and followed the three team moms into the hallway.

     "We should split up; that way we can cover more ground before anyone else wakes up," Sugawara said. "I'll take the cafeteria, the lobby, and the gym. Akaashi, you take the Fukurodani floor. Yaku, take the Nekoma floor, and Tsukishima, you take the Karasuno floor."

     "Why do I have to help," Tsukishima grumbled. "Yamaguchi is smart enough to find his way back without looking."

     "Because Yamaguchi isn't the only kid that's run off." Yaku said. "Besides, those dumb cats aren't getting back on their own, and we need to track them down fast."

     "Fine."

Akaashi

     Akaashi scoured the Fukurodani floor for any signs of the kids. The windows were tinted with pink from the sunrise, and he picked up the pace as time started running out.

     A faint sound filled the silent halls, and Akaashi stopped, listening. It sounded like... crying. Akaashi followed the noise, turning the corner to find Kenma curled by the hallway radiator with Yamaguchi crying beside him.

     "The others must have rushed ahead and left Kozume and Yamaguchi behind."

     Akaashi scooped up Yamaguchi, who stared at him through watering eyes, and patted him on the head. Yamaguchi sniffed and hugged Akaashi's arm.

     Kenma trudged over and sat on Akaashi's foot; he was so warm from the radiator that he was like a hot pack. Akaashi picked him up, and started back down the hallway to his room, hoping that the others had found the rest of the kids.

Sugawara

     On the other side of the hotel, Sugawara slipped into the cafeteria. The room was empty, almost ominous in how silent it was. Although, Sugawara supposed, that was better than the alternative; bustling with staff.

     Something moved in the corner of Sugawara's eye, and he turned in time to see a blur shoot under a table. The cloth quivered with energy, and Sugawara smiled. He quietly edged toward the table, not wanting to startle the hiding kid.

     He crouched by the table. With a swish, he pulled the tablecloth away, staring directly into the eyes of... no, it couldn't be.

     Sugawara was staring into the eyes of a three-year-old Nishinoya.