* FALLING *

>> Chapter 42 <<

Hey guys! Another chapter for you!

Thank you so much for reading this story.

**

Oikawa Tooru didn't want his years in Aoba Johsai to end. He'd saved lots of memories of the team bonding, bantering and being battered by their coach in training. He gathered many treasures in his time as a student in this school and he'd also experienced numerous painful moments together with them.

His dark chocolate brown eyes watched with sadness, corners pricked with unshed tears, as the second years gathered around Iwaizumi, Matsukawa and Hanamaki, some crying and some holding their tears in. He too, wanted to cry and turn back time to play with them again but Oikawa didn't have that kind of power. No, he was, is, a human.

This was his last year, and today was his last day as a student here. His last day as a Captain for the men's volleyball team. Oikawa Tooru started disliking the word 'last'.

The word sounded wrong and a nuisance to his life. He wondered as he stared at Iwaizumi comforting a crying Kindaichi, why did this 'last' word exist in his life? Why did things have to come to an end? Can't he enjoy his time of being together with everyone far longer than this?

Oikawa denied himself of such thoughts when he noticed he was spiraling down the abyss, shaking his head to be rid of them and he marched forward towards the group of his friends and teammates. It took all the bravery and will inside him to not cry right then and there.

He'd always thought that he was ready to move on to college, that he was ready to leave Aoba Johsai's volleyball team and face volleyball that is on college level. Well, all soon to be graduates thought that they were ready and that graduating is just a formal ceremony of sending the students off to a higher education.

But now that he was experiencing it, now that he was graduating, Oikawa acknowledged that he wasn't ready at all. No, he wasn't ready for the onslaught of sadness, regret, and hesitation he didn't think that he would feel today. He wasn't ready for the tears and begging of his friends. He wasn't ready to leave.

The diploma he held now felt heavy, it's weight equivalent to the heaviness in his chest and Oikawa didn't enjoy that feeling.

"Kindaichi's gonna miss mommy Iwa~ Iwa-chan's going to miss Kindaichi too, right?" He tried to mask his tone with his usual teasing one, earning a glare from Iwaizumi to which Oikawa just shrugged off.

Kindaichi was a mess. Oikawa could see his red rimmed eyes and his nose with snot but the underclassman just continued crying. Oikawa didn't expect for Kindaichi to suddenly turn to him and extend his arms, clinging to Oikawa's frozen stuff body as he weeped yet again.

"K-Kindaichi... There, there," Oikawa couldn't offer any better words to soothe him, as he too, couldn't coax himself.

"Thank you for being our Captain, Oikawa-senpai. Even though senpai is trashy and flirty at times, senpai still helped us grow stronger and closer," Kindaichi cried and Oikawa's hold on his tears finally came tumbling down in heaps. Big fat tears rolled down his eyes as he separated from Kindaichi, though his lips quirked up in a reassuring and grateful smile.

"I had fun being your Captain, Seijoh volleyball team. You better achieve our goal for us, okay?" Oikawa sobbed, his hand extended for a fist bump and the others cried and gathered in a circle to join and bumped each other's fist as they promised to achieve their goal.