REINCARNATE

31, rest easy, ace.

Y/n sat quietly and alone on the soft grass, her fingers gently brushing the cold stone in a soothing repetitive motion. The others had cleared out after the funeral, exchanging nervous glances when y/n stayed behind, she'd sunk down to her knees in front of the grave and hadn't moved since.

"Let her grieve, she lost her best friend." Y/n's mother had shooed everyone away, fighting to maintain a smile as tears dried on her face. 

It had all been a blur, the funeral, y/n didn't hear anything but the sound of crying. His mother had arrived, only to be the first one to leave because she couldn't compose herself any longer, breaking down until her irregular sobs were jarring to y/n's ears. Mei had arrived as well, to send him off, her eyes the hollowness of someone who'd lost so many and still hadn't come to accept the information. Her voice echoed in y/n's mind, doing nothing but sending blade after blade through her empty chest.

"I remember when I first met Tanaka Kenta, he walked into the gym like he owned it, charged with energy and a smile brighter than the sun itself. He was an amazing teammate, the pride and joy of the Hokkaido Rattlesnakes, and a hardworking student with enough potential to inspire others to push hard as well. My fondest memory of him was during his third year of high school when he marched into the gym one day, sporting a red Nekoma jersey with the number one on his chest, bragging to anyone within earshot that he had been made captain. He was so proud, as expected of a person who always strived for the top.

I took care of him during his recovery from the Miyagi landslide, and he fought so hard to get back on track, even when he broke down night after night, afraid of where his life was going to go after his spark had dimmed. But one thing he told me was that he wanted to be able to go home, face his friends, his mother, and say "Hey! I'm back! I'm getting better, I'll make you proud."

He came back to visit me after a while, a couple months ago, and I couldn't believe my eyes at how much he'd changed. However, even as his body became frail and his skin paled, he remained strong, starting every conversation with a cheesy joke and a heart of pure gold, reassuring the people around him that everything would be just fine."

"May you find peace, and the closure you so desperately craved in reuniting with our lost ones." Mei paused then, her voice broke in the last bit. She took a moment to compose herself before saying the final words.

"Rest easy, ace." 

Tanaka Kenta was more than just y/n's best friend, everyone knew. Since the day they met he had been by her side unconditionally, he knew her better than her own parents, he was her brother from another mother. Y/n will never know but Kenta had even gone as far as putting his own feelings aside when he realized that she would've been happier with Nakamura and later Suna. 

Losing him hurt more than anything.

Y/n hadn't shed a single tear since Suna and Atsumu rescued her from the alley. She felt as though some cruel thing had torn away everything that made her smile and laugh and cry, leaving her a cold empty shell of numbness. Even when her friends would periodically come and keep her company y/n felt as though she was trapped in a glass box, it always got too quiet too quickly.

Her hands clutched the note that he had written for her before he went. The crinkled paper felt warm against her cold chest and seemed to latch onto her heart, keeping it beating.

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