Image Source (Original): https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/222928250285413643/

A/N: This is the special ending to The One That Got Away. Please read it first before proceeding with this. 

.....

It was glorious. 

Spectacular. 

Awe-inspiring. 

Because of a short man with great skills, the peak of success was reached, was landed on, was held. Because of Nishinoya Yuu, he and his comrades survived the jungle full of conniving foxes, powerful bears, and mischievous snakes. 

The jungle known as the Olympics. 

After basking in the limelight, the flashes of cameras, the interviews of media, and the fight against exposing discomfort, the Karasuno graduate found himself driving a car down the roads of Miyagi. Turning the wheels like a pro, he headed to a destination forever etched into his mind. 

Twenty minutes passed and an orange vehicle came to a halt in a parking space beneath a mountain. Noya then left the car not before heading to the passenger seat and grabbing the bouquet he personally ordered from a fellow athlete who runs a flower shop. Despite the package being over-the-top, he handled it quite well, save for a few minor missteps up the stone steps along the mountain. 

When he reached an open area, a wooden red Torii gate towered over the athlete, signaling him that he was almost there. A few careful steps followed soon after and when he reached a particular stone monument, his own two feet stopped. His body turned a sharp 90 degrees to the right. 

He was now standing in front of his destination: the stone grave of his childhood friend, Mishima [Male Name].

The male glanced from beside the big bouquet he held, a faint smile present on his face. 

"Nice to see you again, [Male Name]."

 After their kamikaze of a visit to his friend on the day his tear gates came crashing down, he promised to visit the grave once in a while. To be more accurate, before and after something big happens to the libero. His last visit was two days before his flight to the tournament in a resolve to calm down his washed-up nerves. 

It's been at least a week since then. 

He first placed the set of flowers down before grabbing available grave-cleaning tools. He first filled a bucket full of water and, with his sleeves and pants rolled up, he commenced. 

Cleaning wasn't really a bore nor was it a tedious chore for him since it hasn't become too dirty since his last visit. Once he was satisfied with his hard labour, he emptied the bucket, put the things back where they belonged, and decorated the freshly-cleaned stone marker with his purchased flowers. 

He placed himself facing the grave, sat in seiza, and clapped his hands before he began to pray.

"You know, it's almost eight years since you left, with the anniversary being around the corner and all," the man spoke softly, completely different from his usual cheerful disposition, once the prayers were finished. 

"If it wasn't for Kiyoko-san, I may still have second thoughts about visiting you here."

"B-But, that's not it anymore. You know that right?" A nervous laughter then escaped the man's lips. "And you've heard of this story several times already, you must be rolling your eyes by now."

A hand reached for the back of the libero's neck, rubbing it slowly in sheer embarrassment. 

"Well, [Male Name]. I'll be back in a few days. And this time, I will really be able to come here. No need to show yourself during one of my games like last time. Although, it would be nice if you could watch. Anyway, see ya, [Male Name]."

And with a soft bow, Noya headed back to his car, fully confident that he can return to the area after some time. 

As his car came in sight, another vehicle was about to park near his. And with a close glance, it sparked an inkling of familiarity within Noya. As soon as a woman emerged from the vehicle, there and then, it clicked. 

"Mishima-san. Nice to see you again." It was his friend's foster mother, Mishima Naomi. 

A certain face then glowed in recognition before a faint grin ran across it. Beside the woman in her mid 50s, another lady appeared. A much younger one. And this person also had Noya's attention. 

"Ki-Kiyoko-san!"

"Oh, hello, Noya-san."

A pair of grey orbs then trailed themselves onto the shirt and pants the person walking towards her and her aunt had. 

"It seemed you still got ahead of us and cleaned [Male Name]'s grave, huh."

"I don't like to brag, but, it just doesn't seem right for me if I visit him without cleaning the marker."

"I appreciate the thought, I really do," Naomi expressed. " But, you don't need to go out of your way, Yuu-kun. We could have done that."

The male quickly waved his hands. "It's not a bother at all, Mishima-san. I'm doing this with my own free will. No need to be worried."

"Okay, then," smiled the older lady. "But, your mother's been telling me that you haven't been visiting her lately. Have dinner with us later. Tonight, we're all eating in our house since it's shabu-shabu night. Even Kiyoko-chan will be coming."

Slanted, brown eyes then glanced at the younger woman.

"I have free time and Naomi-obaa-san invited me."

"Well, Yuu-kun? Will you join us?"

"I guess I can go. It's been a while since I had shabu-shabu with you and my folks, after all."

The two women then beamed. 

"That's settled, then. I'll contact your mum later. See you at 7, Yuu-kun." And the two women headed off. 

Later that day, Noya came true to his word and enjoyed dinner along with his old neighbours, his family, and his former upperclassman. Laughter and smiles were here and there. Even the normally stoic blessed the dining table with hearty chuckles from time to time. 

The night was dark but full of pleasure. 

Since it was almost 10 when the once-in-a-blue-moon bonding experience ended, Noya ended up sleeping in his old room. After having breakfast with the other Nishinoyas, he bid them farewell and drove back to Tokyo. 

Not before returning to [Male Name]'s grave for his last few words. 

It was a simple storytelling of what happened hours prior coupled with a heart-felt goodbye. The athlete didn't take an hour in the cemetery. However, when he returned to his orange vehicle, he was met with an unexpected welcoming committee. 

Although it was just one feeble black cat sitting on the bonnet of his car, its tail swinging lazily.

"Hey there, little fella," Noya cooed as he wrapped his hands around the young animal's waist and lifted it to his eye level. "What are you doing here on my car?"

As he was talking to a kitten, the quadrupedal mammal simply meowed in response, slightly giving the male in his mid 20's a faint sense of satisfaction. He purred along with the feline, pressing his nose against the fluffy ball of cuteness.

Upon closer inspection, the kitten's peculiar eyes trapped the libero in a trance. The shade of sunset in the left paired with a reflection of the skies in the right gave the man an eerie sense of curiosity, tilting his head in thought.

"What an interesting eye colour you have, neko-chan." And the kitten meowed with a happy tone, as if grateful to the compliment it heard.

"Tell you what. I just can't leave you here since I think you're all alone," uttered the athlete as his eyes scouted the vicinity. Indeed, it looked like the kitten was all on its own.

"So, how about I bring you back with me to Tokyo? Would you like that? It is a bit boring with me all alone in my condominium, after all."

And the kitten meowed non-stop while rubbing its head on the male's wrists. Noya simply thought of it as the mammal's simple way of thanking him for adopting it.

"Okay. That's settled, then," Noya proudly declared with a huff as he slowly headed for the passenger's side of the vehicle.

As he slowly opened the door with one hand, he also gently lowered the young fluff onto the chair. As heterochromatic orbs stared at the libero, a smile of satisfaction slowly appeared on Noya.

"I'll give you a name once we arrive at Tokyo. Of course, we'll buy you some cat food and other stuff along the way as well, so you better expect being spoiled, you cute, little neko-chan."

Starting then, as Noya did express, his days alone in Tokyo brightened. Focusing more on volleyball, Hikaru the kitten, and his family back at Miyagi, Noya continued to fire his passion at saving balls and raking in points for his team.

For him, winter was yet to come.

.....

"It's been a while, Tamako-san."

"Oh, [Male Name]. Indeed, it has been."

Once someone or something dies and is willing to pass on, they enter a world not part of their old one - the Afterlife. A world full of numerous magical creatures, it also housed an object of high significance. The mechanism responsible for the return of dead souls into the living world - the Wheel of Reincarnation.

At that moment, [Male Name] found himself walking in the streets of the shopping district of the Afterlife, the busiest district within short distance from the Wheel. As he was about to march back to the red circular mechanism in the sky, a certain Death God eating dumplings in a nearby food stand caught his eye. 

(Left: Tamako; Source: https://www.zerochan.net/2345987)
(Right: The shopping district. The red circle in the sky is the Wheel of Reincarnation)
(Anime: Kyoukai no Rinne)

"You'll be reincarnated again? It hasn't been months since the last one."

"Well, unlike your husband, Tamako-san, although I was also reincarnated as a fish, I was easily hunted and served on a hot plate."

"That's too bad. And here I thought your life before this old one was the quickest."

"Although, I was very lucky that that life also ended within short notice. I mean, being peed on by dogs, cats, and humans is not someone wants to add on their resume. I've seen a lot." And the young male crouched himself, shaking as horrid thoughts from his previous life as a plant flashed in his mind.

"But again, it's very weird that you recall your past lives. Not a lot of souls can do that. Not only that. Every time you come back here, you are in your human form, not in the other forms you had. You must be a special one."

"If I am special, how come I couldn't remember my life before being the human named [Male Name]?"

"How come, indeed?"

As the grandmother placed her now empty plate on the counter beside her, he straightened her kimono and faced the male.

"Shall I assist you to the Wheel?"

"It could make the short walk more entertaining. If you don't mind that is."

"Of course, I don't."

And the two headed to the direction of the wheel, to where the other souls who have passed on queued before riding the escalator into the Wheel, the two continued to converse.

"I wonder what kind of creature I will be reincarnated into this time?"

"We Death Gods don't normally know that, but if we do, we can't really tell you."

"I know that. I just wish I wouldn't be someone or something being taken for granted again. Experiencing the life of a castaway is harrowing enough."

The old lady beside him simply grinned. "Don't you worry. I'm sure you'd experience happiness yourself. If you won't in this life, maybe in the next one. You know the procedures already, anyway."

"Well, I can't deny that."

After a few minutes, the two arrived at the end of a queue. Old ladies, middle-aged men in suits, and some teenagers were standing in front of them.

It was the queue for the Wheel of Reincarnation.

"Well then, I guess this is it, [Male Name]."

"Thanks for the company, Tamako-san. Say my regards to Rokudou-kun and Mamiya-san, is that okay?"

"Sure thing." And the woman began walking back to where she came from. Not before stopping a few steps away from his old companion and declared a thought.

"Enjoy your next life. You will surely like it. I hope you make the most of it. It may not be your last, but make it your best."

"I will."

A few souls later, it was [Male Name]'s turn to step into the red wheel in the sky.

I wonder what new life I will be having now.

...

"Meow".

.....

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