Equally Lost (Kyohaba)

Chapter 5

A week went by and everything seemed to be normal. I haven't daydreamed enough to skip class like on my first day. Thank goodness! It seems like everything was going to be fine this year. Well, everything but my lovely soulmate Kyotani. 

His attitude has only gotten worse. And he hasn't been happy about being benched during our practice matches. No matter what I do, he will not work with this team. Even Iwaizumi, who he seems to look up to, hasn't been able to help him. I don't think we will have an ace next year if we can't sort him out. 

Nobody new has shown up, the other second years aren't ready to be ace. Our new first years, Kindaichi and Kunimi, have exceeded many of our second years and put themselves into the starting lineup. But they still don't have the training or power to be our ace. Why did Kyotani have to be a jerk? Otherwise, we could have started training him to be my ace right from the start!! The Inter-High qualifiers are coming up, so we're going to need at least a candidate by then.

We have a practice match at the end of this week.  It's currently Sunday. If Kyotani doesn't shape up by then, Aoba Josai won't have any potential ace players. Fun right? I should probably sleep now.

I fall asleep, worrying about the future of my team.

...

6:00. I still haven't changed the song on my alarm. Who knew music could get so annoying if you wake up to it? Well, good morning Earth! I guess today's the day we finally start to whip Kyotani into shape. 

Making sure that the gauge on my arm is wrapped tightly, I head off to school early. It's really quiet, not having Oikawa blabbering on about whatever he feels like talking about or Iwaizumi scolding him for it. 

I finally reach the gym. Changing into my practice clothes, I make sure that my gauge is still intact. Can't have anyone seeing that even if my long sleeves roll-up. Now to begin practice. I work on receives and serves until the door opens. Thinking it's Iwaizumi and Oikawa I turn to greet them. Then I stop.

It's Kyotani. 

What do I do? Well, I turn around and continue to practice receives against the wall until I hear.

"Yo, Cream-puff. I know you saw me. Stop ignoring me. Or do, it's not like I care. Tsk."

I continue receiving practice.

He sounded hurt. Is it because of me? I know I haven't been the nicest to him, and benching him in all of our practice games does take a toll on a spiker... But it was the best option for the team! It's not like I can tell him, "Kyoken, your horrible attitude makes it impossible to put you on the team so I'm going to keep benching you!"

"...You're the reason I'm benched?" There was genuine pain in his voice. It scared me. He slumped into the locker room, leaving me alone again. 

I said that out loud, didn't I. God I mess everything up! I don't receive the ball properly and it hits me in the face. I end up just sitting on the ground trying to figure out how to talk to Kyotani. I mean, it's my fault he's like this. What would a good captain do? They'd probably apologize, explain themselves, and then to help him. I should do that. 

I enter the locker room to find it to be empty. Kyotani's belongings are nowhere to be seen, and neither is he. I go over to his locker to find a sticky note on it. It's in his handwriting. It says, 

"I'm going to go for a while. I can't make myself change into the person you need. Don't come looking for me. I'm sorry. Love, Kyoken."

I look at the time and realize that practice starts in ten minutes. That means that Oikawa and Iwaizumi will be here any minute. And now I have to explain to them that I made Kyotani run away. And right before a practice game too! Sure, he wouldn't have been playing, but even the loss of a benched player puts everyone on end. And does go mean volleyball club or school? I sure hope it just means club.