REINCARNATE

6, baby steps.

"Why do I have to come to your practice? I don't even play volleyball." Y/n whined as they waited for Osamu to pack his things. She sat on her desk, her legs dangling freely as she hoisted her backpack onto her shoulders.

Suna dropped his gaze, "I can't say, but you'll know when you come."

"What if I choose to just run off right now hm?" She teased.

"You know you can't outrun us, you wouldn't even make it out of the classroom." Osamu smirked.

Y/n huffed, glaring at them defiantly and slinging her backpack tightly onto her shoulders. She smirked evilly, 

"Bet." She spat into their faces and booked it. Y/n vaulted cleanly over the desks in her way and zipped out of the classroom, making a beeline for the gym.

Suna and Osamu glanced at each other in brief shock before rocketing after her. They ran up to where she was waiting a couple feet from the staircase. Suna made to call out when she backed up and leapt down the entire flight, landing neatly and bolting towards the gym, not even breaking her momentum.

"What the fu-" Suna stressed as they ran after her. 

Running liberates your soul, or so she had been told once. 

Y/n loved the burst of adrenaline that lent speed to her legs and wind to her back, and even when she found herself out of breath far quicker than she expected, she relished the feeling of her muscles burning and blood pumping, it made her feel charged up with energy. Her heart remained that of an athlete's, the kind that quickened in the face of competition, at the prospect of a glorious victory.

Her eyes locked with Suna's when they caught up to her and for a split second they were stuck staring like what had happened earlier today, though y/n ripped her gaze away quickly and proceeded to smooth her uniform out. Her hair had come out of her ponytail and it lay loose and tousled, framing her flushed face.

'Nice' ran through Suna's head before he quickly directed his focus somewhere else.

"Dumbass." He drawled, "Now you're sweaty."

"Shut up." 

The others were already inside the gym when they entered. Y/n stayed behind for a bit, unsure of whether she should enter as well or wait to be invited inside. Osamu sighed, grabbing her arm and pulling her into the big gym. "Come on."

Inarizaki high school was extremely well-funded to say the least. Their hallways were open-concept and classrooms well-stocked and clean. However, it was their gyms that y/n found the most impressive. It strongly reminded her of the gymnasium where she used to play, a deep spotless court with a vast air-conditioned ceiling, large enough for her to serve a skyball and still not hit the top. 

"I didn't realize how much I missed this sight." Y/n breathed, her thoughts slipping out before she could stop herself. 

"I know, it looks a lot like our old gym doesn't it?"

An extremely familiar voice sounded from the centre of the gym where the other players had gathered. Her gaze wandered around the gym to where the players parted to reveal the owner of that voice. An extremely tall young man with dyed golden blonde hair to match his eyes. He wore a pair of black shorts and a white sweater, the right sleeve knotted at his elbow where a forearm used to be. 

Y/n's vision tunnelled, her breathing shallowed so much she felt her heart drop. She could hear the head coach start to introduce himself but when the boy opened his arms she couldn't stop her feet from moving as she launched herself into him, ignoring the curious faces that watched her.

"Heyhey, watch it, I can't catch you the way I used to be able to." 

"Kenta? You're supposed to be in Tokyo??" She was so happy to see him that she felt tears threaten to spill.

"I wanted to make my visit a surprise, so I requested for Miya to get you to come."

Kenta gently wiped her eyes with the back of his hand and rested his chin on top of her head, their embrace familiar and comforting. The last time he'd seen her, she'd just come out of the hospital, smelling like medication and looking like a corpse. Now she smelled like strawberries again and she smiled, he could still feel the grief that weakened her from inside but she had improved so much in such little time. 

"This is her?" The head coach asked.

Y/n quickly broke away and bowed, introducing herself and apologizing profusely for the intrusion. The coach chuckled before waving her off lightly, he instructed the boys to begin their warmups and their drills while he pulled Kenta and Y/n to the side to talk.

"Tanaka told me what happened, I'm truly sorry for both of your loses. It is an honour to meet and work with you." Though he faced Kenta, his words seemed to be directed towards her.

"L/n, I initially invited Tanaka here for a few days to assist in coaching the boys but he told me about you so I am formally and humbly requesting that you join him in assisting. Inarizaki's boys volleyball team has always been favourites in nationals, you'll find that we have much raw talent to hone."

Y/n bit her lip, she didn't know how to respond. She wanted to refuse but the coach was being so polite and straightforward. "I, haven't been playing for a while. I might not prove as adequate as you might assume, I'm sorry, I have to refuse. I'm not the kind of player you think I am."

"Y/n, I can do the coaching but I just want you to stay and watch, I'm not expecting you to play or anything, just stay. You need this."

Y/n understood what Kenta was trying to say and nodded, taking a seat on the bench.

Kenta let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, "I really thought she was going to refuse."

The coach nodded solemnly, "I expected her to refuse as well, but we have to take this slowly. First we got her into the gym, we'll have her watch the boys practice until she starts feeling that itch to get on the court again. Baby steps."

"Regardless of how or where you are now, you'll never stop feeling the pull towards something you expressed genuine passion for, not when you see others living out what you once devoted your heart and soul to. I know." Kenta agreed.

"I saw you." The man smiled thinly. "In your third year, you have quite the presence."

"Had." Kenta corrected, bitterly glancing down to his right arm. "I had, quite the presence. Too many things changed after I was put out of season, so please don't conflate how I am now to when I was a third year."

"Very well." He answered simply, watching the boy smoothly walk away to join y/n. Even amongst the Rattlesnakes, Kenta had been considered elite, with the natural instincts of a leader and a prideful heart to boast. The difference between him and y/n was his carefully disciplined strength, the understanding that he needed to follow through with his words even when motivation abandoned him.

Yes, I've seen her. L/n f/n and Tanaka Kenta, the only survivors of the accident that wiped out the Rattlesnakes. They are a powerful influence, if only they could play again. I will do this, not just for the improvement of my team, but for my nephew who died so gruesomely so that l/n could stand here today.