CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

JULY

      Sometimes, Misaki wondered how time had gone by so damn fast. One moment, she was busy preparing for the University of Tokyo's entrance exam with Hanamaki and Matsukawa; the next, the three had given the exam and cleared it with pretty good marks. Not that their passing the entrance exam was ever in question. All three had already found a cheap apartment in Tokyo, about ten minutes away from campus.

       Surprisingly, Misaki's mom had agreed to this arrangement. After all she knew Hanamaki and Matsukawa and both of them were pretty damn nice; when they weren't teasing Misaki, that is. Given how the three of them had chosen the furniture of the apartment (six rounds of rock-paper-scissors), living together would be a lot of chaos and a lot of fun.

      As happy as Misaki was about that, there was a certain part of her that was wallowing in sorrow. In what was a very freaky coincidence, both Iwaizumi and Tooru were leaving on the same flight. Iwaizumi would fly to California, to the UC at Irvine, and Tooru would also fly there, but take a connecting flight to Argentina. Them leaving at the same time? That broke Misaki's heart. Just a little bit.

      Just a little bit.

      Okay, maybe more than a little.

       The three of them had been together for so long; almost their entire lives. And now, all of them were going their separate ways. Iwaizumi to California, Tooru to Argentina and Misaki to Tokyo. At least, Iwaizumi and Tooru would be in time zones that were close to each other. She would be more than 10 hours ahead of both of them. Weird. Weird. Weird. But also annoyingly sad, she thought.

      No more staying out till late at night, playing volleyball together. No more teasing the shit out of Tooru with Iwaizumi. No more teasing Iwaizumi about the rather dazed way he looked at Yuki. No more of that. No more crazy, spontaneous dates with Tooru. Nothing.

      Misaki wouldn't be able to hug Tooru again for a long time. That was the worst part. Because that annoying and lovable idiot she (proudly) called her boyfriend happened to give the best hugs she had ever received. He really had to go on and ruin hugs for her. Stupidkawa.

       Walking to his house to see him, the night before his departure...that was another kind of pain. She didn't even have to knock. It was like Stupidkawa knew she would be coming. In his usual flamboyant manner, Tooru opened the door. "Ah! My lovely Misa-chan came to see me!"

       He pulled her into a tight hug, practically lifting her in his arms. Misaki didn't even bother to resist, letting herself get lost in the feel of Tooru's arms around her body. Best. Feeling. Ever.

      "Huh?" Tooru peered down at her. "You aren't saying no to the hug? Are you okay?"

      "What? I'm allowed to appreciate your hugs, aren't I? Dumbass," Misaki said, slightly glaring at him.

      Tooru pouted, then let go of her and poked her cheeks. He grabbed her hands and pulled her inside, before kicking the door shut. Misaki looked down the hallway of his house, trying to add to her already deeply entrenched memories of this place. She wasn't going to get to see this in just a few days. Sounds of utensils being washed in the kitchen and the TV in the living room playing late evening news...all sounds Misaki was too familiar with.

      "Mom! Dad!" Tooru yelled down the small hallway. "Misa-chan's here! I'm taking her up to my room!"

      "Okay!" Satomi-san, his mom, yelled back. "Let me know if you two need any snacks or something to drink!"

      "Say hi to her for me!" His dad yelled back.

       "Okay!" Tooru yelled again. He smiled at Misaki, who smiled back. They slowly walked up the stairs, Misaki leaning her head on Tooru's shoulder. It didn't take them long to get to his room.

       The moment they stepped inside, Misaki was struck with how different it looked. About two weeks ago, the room was littered with boxes as Tooru started to pack for his very long stay in Argentina. Now, it was empty, with most of the boxes already shipped. Even the picture frames in his room were gone, all packed in a box. It was all too different; it was like pieces of Tooru's personality had started to fade away already. His stupid crowded desk was empty; the chair didn't have any hoodie hanging off it as always.

      Tooru led her to the bed, which was the only thing that was still the same. Nothing had changed about it. He sat next to her. Instinctively (or intentionally), Misaki leaned into him.

      "You've been acting so strange, Misa-chan," Tooru said, as he put his arms around her shoulders, gently tugging open her hair. "What's going on?"

      Not 'Are you okay' (because she wasn't). But a 'What's going on?'. He was just too perfect.

     But still...

     "You're really asking me that?" Misaki said, looking up at him with a mildly incredulous stare. "Tonight of all nights? Stupidkawa."

      "You're not gonna stop with the insults, are you?"

       "Never, not even in a thousand years."

        Misaki sighed deeply, as she grabbed the corner of Tooru's t-shirt. "It's just...everything's changing so fast. We've graduated and we are moving on with our lives. And you and Iwa are both leaving at the same time, on the same damn flight. And that...it feels odd. I mean, it would just be weird not seeing both your faces on a daily basis. And you...you've ruined hugs for me. I don't really get why you have to give the best hugs in the world. No one's gonna ever be able to give me the type of hugs you do and it's so annoying. It just sucks. I know I won't be able to hug people, without thinking about you."

      "That must mean you love me the most," Tooru smiled at her, rather goofily. "And you know I love you too."

       "More than milk bread?" Misaki asked cheekily, her heart feeling a little less heavy.

        Tooru pulled away, gasping in mock outrage. "You can't make me choose! That's outrageous! I'm not going to say a thing!"

       "I knew milk bread is your first love. Can't say I'm surprised."

       "You are the meanest person in the world for making me choose! No more kisses for you!" Tooru huffed and looked away. She knew he was joking though.

       "Really? I give you a grand total of five seconds before you kiss me," Misaki said, teasingly. "You know you can't resist me."

        Maybe five seconds were too much. It took Tooru less than a second to turn around and grab her by her shoulders and pull her in for a kiss. A win for her that she would proudly accept.

        "You're my whole world, Misa-chan. You know it," Tooru murmured against her neck as he pulled away from the kiss. "I love you."

        Slight dazed, Misaki pulled him closer. Well, more close than before. "You cheesy bastard. I love you too. More than you know."

       "I love you more though."

       "No, I love you more."

       "No, I do."

       "No, I do, Tooru."

      "No, I love you more, Misa-chan."

      "It's not a competition."

       "It can be."

        "Oh, you're so on."

        No goodbyes were said. No goodbyes would ever be said.

TOMORROW

       At noon, the airport was always busy and very noisy. Planes flew overhead, either landing or taking off. People entered the airport, saying goodbye to their families or people exited the airport, excited to reunite with their loved ones. The airport was a place where you could see all types of people, from all age groups. But it was also a place that Misaki melancholic and sorrowful.

      Because being at the airport meant saying goodbye to two people she was the closest too. She was thankful Hanamaki and Matsukawa had come too; if they hadn't, she was sure she would be crying. And be utterly broken hearted.

       Tooru and Iwaizumi's parents had already said their goodbyes and were now standing just a few feet away from where they were standing. Hanamaki and Matsukawa were the ones talking to them now. And then it would be Misaki's turn. The airport suddenly felt too loud.

      When she looked up, Hanamaki and Matsukawa were done and were walking to where she was. Instead of teasing her like he always would, Hanamaki squeezed her hand slightly. His eyes looked shiny. Matsukawa had a similar look as he patted her head.

      Misaki sniffled a little, but with a determined breath, she walked forward.

      "Iwa," She looked at Iwaizumi first, who looked rather steely, but all that was clearly a mask to hide his emotions. "You better facetime and text regularly. And start being active on your socials. And if you ever need something from, you better text me, okay? And I wanna hear all about what California is about. So you better tell me everything."

      "Yeah, yeah, I will," Iwaizumi answered stiffly. Misaki stepped forward and hugged him, wrapping her arms around his torso. He hugged her back, a little too tight, but that was okay. He gave pretty nice hugs, though they were nothing compared to Tooru's. "You take care too. If those two idiots trouble you too much..."

      "I know," Misaki's voice was muffled. After a few moments had passed, she pulled away from the hug, raising her hand for a fistbump. Iwaizumi promptly obliged.

      And then...

      Tooru had been rather quiet; with Makki and Mattsun he had been pretty loud and just the same as always. But when it was her turn, he had gone quiet. As she turned her attention towards him, Iwaizumi quietly stepped away, walking over and standing next to the pile of their luggage.

      Misaki took a step closer, and another, till she was standing right in front of him. He stared at her with the softest expression she had ever seen. She got on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. Tooru's reaction was instantaneous. He kissed her back, arms instantly slipping around her to pull her close. This was nothing like the makeout sessions they had been having for the past week. It was just a simple, normal and utterly soft kiss. When they finally pulled away, foreheads touching, Misaki felt a tear roll down her cheeks. Tooru immediately wiped it away.

     His hand immediately found hers. Fingers intertwined and promise rings bumping against each other, they held hands for those few, precious moments.

     "No goodbyes between us, Misa-chan," Tooru murmured. "Let's not say goodbye."

     "No, never. That would be too much. It's always 'see you later' for us."

     "Yeah."

      "But...I will say...I love you, Prettykawa," Misaki looked at him, smiling as brightly as she could.

     "I love you too, stupid Misa-chan," Tooru lightly flicked her forehead. But Misaki didn't bother to push him away. Instead, holding onto his hands, she turned around.

     "Come on," She looked at Iwaizumi, Hanamaki and Matsukawa, who were all standing together. "One more group hug for all of us." Never one last group hug. Because there would always be more.

     "Oh yes!" Hanamaki said, slapping Misaki and Tooru's shoulders with a grin. Both glared at him. "Group hug time."

     "Never change," Matsukawa said with a laugh.

     But now they were all locked in a group hug, the noise from the airport fading into the background. Things would change. Life would move on. But this chaotic group of friends would always be the same. Annoying the crap out of each other and caring for each other...Misaki couldn't have asked for a better group of friends.

    Suddenly, the future didn't seem as scary.

HOW ARE WE ONE CHAPTER FROM THE END? HOW?? 😭😭😭

I'm emotionally not ready to let go of Misaru, not yet😭🥺 Originally, the airport farewell was going to be another chapter in itself, but that turned out to be much shorter than I thought so I combined it with this chapter. 

So the next chapter (chapter 30) will be the final chapter; the epilogue of the book that is. But I'll do a Q and A about this book, so you can ask me anything you want about this book, any headcanons for Misaru you wanna know, how I planned and you can even ask about my other Haikyuu fics.  And also, I can promise you that the final chapter is a loong one (I'm already at 4.5K words with part one and there's three parts to the chapter in total).

I definitely experienced a whole range of emotions while writing this chapter; it really made me feel things 🥺 But I'm really proud of how this turned out and I'm excited to share it with you.

Also, quick shoutout for JustSav who's been a constant supporter of this book. Honestly, without her, I don't think the fic could have gotten to where it is now. Sav's a really awesome person and I definitely recommend reading all her fics; they're all so amazing!!

I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Let me know what you think of it in the comments! 💖💖