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The first time they met, their names weren’t “Tooru Oikawa” and Hajime Iwaizumi”, and “Hajime” remembers that his first feeling upon seeing “Tooru” was one of intense hatred. A hatred almost as intense as the pain being caused by the arrow lodged between his ribs. In the dead of winter, the only way to survive was to kill or be killed. “Hajime” understood this, yet he couldn’t help but feel spiteful at the fact that a pitiful, two-legged weakling had to be the one to take his life. His last memories were of a gentle hand and whispered apologies in a tongue foreign to his ears.
The second time they met, “Hajime” claimed his revenge by hurling his spear through “Tooru’s” chest just as the battle raging around them was beginning to heat up.
The third time, “Hajime” didn’t even realize it was “Tooru” until his opponent removed his helmet, offering an apologetic smile despite the sword he was pointing at his throat. In the end, “Hajime” was taken as a prisoner of war, and he bit his tongue to save himself from the disgrace.
The fourth time they met not as enemies, but as acquaintances. “Hajime” helped her sister run an inn. Times were turbulent, and many strangers passed through their small village. “Hajime” always regained her memories when she turned twenty. It was a strange coming of age ceremony that she supposed, at this point, she was going to have to get used to. In the back of her mind, she’d hoped that she wouldn’t come across that man again, but as fate would have it “Tooru” came. It was a quick, friendly reunion and through their talks, “Hajime” concluded that it was he, and he alone, who could remember these encounters and these past lives. “Tooru” went as quickly as he came and they never crossed paths in that life again.
The fifth time they met, their names were Hajime Iwaizumi and Tooru Oikawa. It was in a strange little institution known as a school and, as fate would have it, both of them were five years old. Hajime would grow up with a tickling sensation at the back of his mind whenever he so much as glanced at Tooru. Deja vu, he would learn it was called, but he would never understand why.
They were more than classmates - they were neighbors. On top of that, their mothers seemed to have taken a liking to each other and, thus, a forced friendship formed between them. After a few years, the word forced was dropped.
The two became inseparable, both somehow managing to forge their own paths whilst at the same time following one another to the same schools as they moved up; from Kitagawa Daiichi to Aoba Jousai.
Despite being a total chick-magnet, Tooru Oikawa was terrible at confessions. In truth, he’d been making passes at Hajime since Tobio Kageyama joined their team at Kitagawa Daiichi. It took nearly five years for him to finally confess in a straightforward manner.
It happened a few months after they started their third year of college, in an apartment they decided to share after moving out of their parent’s homes. The confession was a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing brought on by both the heat of summer and the heat in his pants and even Hajime would admit that he was mildly surprised that he accepted. And as their disgustingly passionate kiss ended, leaving them both slightly winded, Hajime muttered, “It’s about damn time, Shitty-kawa,” and took his new boyfriend’s hand.
Two weeks later, on the 10th of June, Hajime turned twenty. If only Tooru knew that Hajime had waited five lifetimes, not five years.
Hajime doesn’t remember how he died. It was the fact that he remembered everything the moment he opened his eyes that bothered him. His old body lay mangled on the tracks of a subway station in the middle of New York. He’d been there for a business trip - he was a photographer for a big magazine company and was asked to stay there for a few weeks. Tooru had pleaded with him not to go, as he always did, or to at the very least take him along. Hearing the screams and understanding that he himself was no longer among the living...he’s glad he didn’t. He just hoped that he would see Tooru again in the next life.
“You’re terrible, Iwa-chan,” Tooru hums, his landing barely making a sound, “Always sending Tobio up to collect souls from the human world. Why not send someone more experienced?” Like me. The words are on his lips, Hajime can feel them, but they’re left unspoken.
“My orders are coming directly from Ushijima. You know that.” Tooru sticks his tongue out and Hajime rolls his eyes. “He must see something in Kageyama. Maybe the kid’s special.”
“You’re not gonna let him beat us, right?”
Hajime flexes his wings, slapping Tooru off balance. “Hell no, and you’re not about to make me do all the work.”
Tooru shrugs and laughs and kicks off. “Don’t worry, I have a plan.”