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He was late again. This was the third time within a week that Daichi subsequently forgot to meet with you after volleyball practice. You were a very patient woman who could deal with even the most annoying of people, but now patience was a virtue you did not possess.
Practice ended nearly thirty minutes ago, and even after the rest of the team had bid your farewell, the Captain was no where in sight. Fed up with waiting, you decided to take matters into your own hands. Making your way to the gym, you peeked your head into the door, less than pleased to what you saw. In the center of the gym, Daichi was standing next to Michimiya, the girl’s volleyball captain. Although they were a little too close for your liking. At first, you didn’t want to burst in there with hellfire blazing, but you didn’t want to witness another girl cuddling up to your boyfriend. You went with the latter of the two.
You hadn’t meant for the doors to slam open, but the noise added to the effect of announcing your presence. The captains swirled around to find you, a smile plastered on their faces.
“Hey ____! You remember Michimiya, right?” Daichi asked, moving to the side in order for you to squeeze in on their little meeting.
How could you not know the girl? She was his ex-girlfriend. And every girlfriend knows about her lover’s ex. “Of course! How are you?” You feigned a smile, wanting nothing more than to leave with Daichi in tow.
“I’m doing good! Daichi and I were just going over some dates to coordinate with our teams. I hope you don’t have anything planned.” Her voice was smooth, but you could detect a hint of malice in it. Or maybe that was just the jealousy talking.
You turned to give Daichi a questioning look in his direction, but he just shrugged it off. “No, not that I’m aware of. Our anniversary is coming up, but there’s nothing set in stone yet.”
“Oh, well I’m sure that won’t be a problem,” Michimiya laughed, her voice lilted. Her gaze turned to Daichi where she appeared to look at him with a different emotion. “We can finish up later. Call me okay?”
If there was ever a time when you wanted to sucker punch someone, it was now. Since when was Daichi on such friendly terms with her? I mean, you understood that they were both captains of the volleyball team, but that didn’t mean they were all buddy-buddy.
“Sure, I’ll see you later.” He waved her off before focusing his attention back on you.
You raised an eyebrow at him, silently questioning the exchange. Many questions were running through your mind, but you could only get one out: What was that about?
He briefly explained that he thought it would be a good idea if the two teams started practicing with each other before the tournament. I guess that meant he would be spending more time with his ex. Now, you weren’t a jealous person and trusted Daichi, it was Michimiya you didn’t trust.
You sat on the bleachers next to Yachi, watching the practice session from afar. Everything was going smoothly. Hinata and Kageyama were getting along (for the moment), and Tanaka and Ninshinoya weren’t focusing on the girl’s team at the moment. Today was day one of the co-Ed practice camp. It was safe to say that you weren’t looking forward to it, but what could you do except wait for it to be over.
A sudden yell of “watch out!”, followed by a loud crash attracted the attention of everyone in the vicinity. You weren’t sure which you noticed first, but either didn’t have a pleasant outcome. Your eyes traveled to the pair nestled on top of each other, not looking too uncomfortable. Michiyama was on the floor, Daichi practically straddling her. The position was compromising to say the least.
“_____-san, are you okay? You’re shaking…” Yachi called out to you.
You hadn’t even realised that your body was shaking. Your knuckles were sheet-White from the grip you had on the edge of your seat. “I’m f-fine. I just need some air.” You excised yourself, and left the gym with a few worried eyes trailing after your retreating form. You made it as far as the vending machines before you stopped. What was with you? He just saved her from a rougher volleyball. It wasn’t like he meant to fall on her like that. It was just an accident. An accident…
After the incident, you decided against attending anymore practices for the time being. Being in the same room as Michiyama was insufferable. She made sure that whenever she encountered you and Daichi, to blantantky flirt with him. It unnerved you to think that she would be so rude to do so, but then again she’s probably do anything to get him back. The question was did Daichi feel the same way about her? He constantly reassured you that there wasn’t anything going on between them and the past was in the past.
You weren’t so sure if that was the case. Today was your two year anniversary with your boyfriend and you couldn’t be happier. Actually, you could be if said man was here himself. But he wasn’t because he was with the Devil herself. You wondered if he even knew what today was. Your gone out of your way to prepare a special dinner for him. However that was hours ago and now it was late into the evening. It was hard not to assume the worst, but in all seriousness, what could you think when your boyfriend disappears on your anniversary?
The door opening interrupted your thoughts that were spiralling into the pits of despair. Standing there was the man in question. Your orbs pierced into his brown ones as you looked upon him in contempt.
“Were you with her?”
Daichi brought his hand up to rub his neck. A nervous habit you learned to read from him. “I know you’re mad at me, and you have every right to be. I didn’t mean to get caught up this late with h-”
“Do you still love her?” The question was simple, but could have a lot of impact depending on how it was answered. The look that crossed Daichi’s face said it all. You should have realised it sooner. The fleeting touches and the longing glances. The excuses he formulated to be around her. Even the subtle flirtatious exchanges. You should have noticed. “So is that a yes?”
“_____, it’s not that simple. You know I love you.”
Your eyes never wavered from his. “Then tell me, is that a yes? Was everything you told me a lie from that start? I trusted you Daichi. I gave you everything I had and more. Love isn’t something I can give to anyone, you of all people should know that!”
“If I had known about these feelings I would have told you sooner! I didn’t plan for this to happen.” Daichi raised his voice.
“So you admit that you still have feelings for her?! So you just strung me along this whole time?” The tears were starting to sting your eyes, and it took everything in you to hold them back.
“Yes ____! Okay? I’m still in love with Michiyama!”
There it was, out in the open. You couldn’t believe it, yet you heard it from Daichi himself. It was ironic to found out that he was still in love with his ex on your two-year anniversary. You’ve been through thick and thin. You’ve seen each other at your best and worst; But the best he can come up with is that he didn’t plan for this?
Salty tears were streaming out of your eyes as you hurriedly made your way out the door. You hoped he wouldn’t follow, but fate was twisted.
“Where are you going?”
“I think we need a break Dai. At least until you can get your feelings sorted out snd your priorities straight.”
“You’re not just going to leave everything we’ve built together behind!”
“Yeah, well you should’ve thought about that before hand. Do you even know what today is?”
“What? No, I-”
A wry laugh escaped your lips. “Figures.” You muttered before you slipped out the door and out into the night. It was raining, but it didn’t affect you much. The cold was a pleasant touch to what reality was like. You didn’t understand. One moment you were in a happy relationship, and the next you weren’t. Which is why you couldn’t fathom how you ended up in the street.
You were chilled to the bone. The scale in front of you was blurred and you couldn’t tell if the sounds in front of you were closer or farther than they actually were. If you were to guess, this was probably due to the pain that was wracking through your body. And was that blood? Oh, it was. It certainly was seeping out of you at an alarming rate. Some say that you when you’re near death, you can see your entire life flashing by. But what you saw wasn’t your life. It was the previous fight that you had with Daichi. It’s kind of sad when your last moments of you losing someone you hold dear isn’t it?
When he received the phone call, he felt like he had been hit by a bus. The wind was knocked out of him as he listened to the police notify him that you had been hit by a drunk driver and were in critical condition. He didn’t care that you had a fight. None of that mattered. What was most important was getting to you right now.
He was surprised he didn’t have an accident himself with the way he was driving, but he made it to the hospital nonetheless. He rushed through the halls in a fanatic frenzy, thoughts consumed with your wellbeing. The nurses were helpful in steering him the right way, but he wasn’t able to see you until you were stabilised. The next few hours were spent pacing the lobby, carding his calloused hands through raven hair. He should’ve been honest with you and told you the truth. Then maybe this whole situation wouldn’t have happened. You’d still be well and unscathed. Maybe you two wouldn’t be together, but at least you’d be unharmed. The moment the doctor entered the waiting room, Daichi was at his side in an instant, battering the man with questions like “How is she?” or “Is she alive?”.
The doctor didn’t answer at first, instead gesturing him to sit down. The tension in his heart was straining him to the point where he couldn’t breathe. He begged the doctor to tell him what your condition was. He needed to know.
“Mr.Sawamura, we’re sorry to inform you that Miss _____ has been pronounced dead. Apparently she died at scene of the accident. We attempted to revive her, but we were unsuccessful in doing so. We’re very sorry for your loss.”
His ears were ringing, mind working at inhuman speeds in an attempt to process what he was told. His chest constricted painfully to the point where it was hard to breath. An animalistic sound escaped his throat as he collapsed into a heap on the floor, unable to accept this new reality. You were gone. The woman he loved was dead. It took death for him to realise the falsehood of his feelings for Michimiya. A dam in his mind broke open, memories that he created with you plaguing him like a sickness. “Can I p-please see her?” Daichi’s voice was broken and hoarse.
The doctor nodded solemnly, leading Daichi to the room that held your body. No matter how many times he mentally prepared himself, he wasn’t ready to face you. Not like this. Not in death.
His hand moved without consciousness, lightly tracing your cheek. He wanted so badly for you to coddle into his touch, just like you used to. But you didn’t, and you never will. Daichi will never see your smile, or hear your laugh. The way you’d scrunch your nose when you were embarrassed, or even the scent of your hair when you emerged from a recent shower. He missed you. And it took a fatal accident to come to the conclusion that it was you and it always has been you; Michimiya was just a placebo to supplement feelings that weren’t really there. Daichi clenched his fists, resisting the urge to punch the wall beside him, knowing it wouldn’t bring you back. He sat there for a while, simply caressing your cold hands or cheeks, thinking over everything he said to you moments before you left. One thing stuck in his mind, clearer than anything else. Before you left, you said to him, “Do you even know what day it is?” At first, it didn’t click within him. He pondered through his wreck of a brain until he checked his phone. March 28th, your anniversary.
“I remember ______. It’s our anniversary…”
If this wasn’t pain, then he didn’t know what was.