Back On His Feet

After the breakfast debacle, Shun got ready to return to school.

As he got ready, he checked his condition.

Shun: "Minimal muscle ache and the tiredness has also faded away for the most part. I should still not go to the club for one or two days."

Shun did a final check in the mirror and was satisfied with his uniform.

He picked up his bag and headed out to school.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

When Shun entered the school premise, and just as he took in two steps into the school, he felt a pat on his back.

Shun looked back and saw a student he didn't recognize before Shun could say anything the student spoke.

Student A: "Good game, man."

Shun was surprised and could only say.

Shun: "Thank you."

The student smiled and walked ahead, leaving behind a surprised Shun.

As Shun walked towards the building gate, he would be called out by many students.

A group of guys called out to him and said.

Guy A: "Dude, the game was awesome!"

Guy B: "Mad skills brother!"

A pair of girls praised him as they walked past him.

Girl A: "Kageyama-kun, you look cool in your jersey."

Girl B: "I really enjoyed the game."

Some of the third years talked to him in the staircase of the school building.

Senpai A: "Kouhai-chan, you did well."

Senpai B: "Man now that I look closely, you sure are tall. It was a good game."

As he walked in the second year corridor, the students leaned out of their classroom windows and called out to Shun.

Student B: "Kageyama, those dunks were dope."

Student C: "Man, you sure can run. I got tired just from watching you."

A couple of girls handed Shun get well soon cards.

Amidst all that, Shun could only say one sentence over and over again.

Shun: "Thank you."

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

A surprised and absent-minded Shun opened the door to his classroom. He was brought back to his senses by a loud shout.

Inuzuka: "Kageyama!"

He looked up to see his friend running towards him, arms spread wide, coming for a bear hug.

Shun's reflexes blared, he grabbed Inuzuka and put him in a headlock by pure instinct.

Shun: "Woah, don't surprise me like that."

Shun let go of Inuzuka immediately, and just as Shun was about to continue, Inuzuka put him into a bear hug.

Inuzuka: "It's good to see you well."

Shun sighed as he hugged his friend back with one hand and patted his back.

Shun: "Yeah, now let go of me. People are watching."

Inuzuka hugged Shun tighter for a moment before letting him go. He wrapped an arm around Shun's shoulder and led him into the class.

Once again, many of Shun's classmates praised Shun for his performance and told them that they were happy to have him back.

Shun set his bag on his desk and walked to the corner row, where his group usually mingled at Shikamaru's desk.

Shikamaru had laid his head on his desk, he looked up at Shun and said.

Shikamaru: "Good Morning. How are you?"

Shun walked to the wall beside Shikamaru's desk and leaned against it.

Shun: "Good Morning. I am fine. Just a little tired. Why, were you worried?"

Shikamaru yawned and replied.

Shikamaru: "Yeah, if you don't remember you collapsed, and then when we called to see if we could visit you, you said that there was no need. That in itself was a reason to worry."

Hikigaya sat his bag on his table. He had listened to Shikamaru and Shun's conversation and spoke.

Hikigaya: "If you didn't notice. Inuzuka arrived early today. Of course, we were worried. By the way, Good Morning."

Both Shikamaru and Shun said in unison.

Shikamaru & Shun: "Good Morning."

Shun crossed his arms and said.

Shun: "What happened yesterday?"

Hikigaya then explained the material they covered yesterday, and they continued to talk about other things till the start of the first period.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

After school Shun in his school uniform walked into the first-string gym. He was not going to practice today and was just there to show his face.

Shun looked at the people in the gym and found Kaitani in his practice clothes stretching in one corner.

Shun walked towards his teammate, and when he reached him, he asked.

Shun: "Kaitani, I can't see Mibuchi-san or Aone-san. Where are they?"

Kaitani looked up to see Shun in his school uniform and stayed silent for a moment before replying.

Kaitani: "All the third-years are taking a few days off. There last middle school tournament ended, so I think they will take this week off before returning to practice."

Shun noticed his friend's pause before he spoke, and he guessed the reason for it, so he sat down beside him and asked.

Shun: "Why the pause?"

Kaitani stopped stretching and stayed silent for a while, before laying down on the floor beside Shun.

Kaitani: "Except Mibuchi-san, we were useless in the game. All the training, long hours that we put in, all the plays that we practiced became useless. Even when you got the ball to us, Teiko was able to stop us every single time."

Kaitani looked at the ceiling and continued.

Kaitani: "To keep us in the lead, you began to play solo, then you ended up collapsing. You don't know how it feels when you see your teammate collapsed on the court and know that it is your fault. It's heart-wrenching."

Kaitani sighed as he revealed.

Kaitani: "I didn't sleep the night after the finals, I kept thinking about the game. Yesterday, I wasn't able to think of anything else than you collapsing.

The only way I was able to keep myself from not thinking was to train here, then go home and drop onto my bed to sleep."

Shun stayed silent for a while and then spoke.

Shun: "I will be honest with you. Somewhere in my mind, the game wasn't Tokiwadai vs. Teiko. It was me vs. the generation of miracles.

From the day we got the tournament bracket, I focused on how I could beat them. It was all about me in my head."

He looked at Kaitani and asked.

Shun: "Do you remember when I started to play solo in the game?"

Kaitani thought about it and nodded, so Shun continued.

Shun: "I started to play when we were still in the lead, I gave up on the team too quickly. I wonder if things would've been different if I waited and trusted you guys more.

Then in the latter part of the third quarter, I became a little angry because of a comment made by Akashi from Teiko and ended up playing way too aggressively.

I don't regret playing aggressively, but I wonder if I had focused that aggressiveness on just defense and maintaining the point-gap rather than trying to overwhelm them and increase the point-gap even more.

But, that came to bite me in the ass, and I ended up exhausting myself.

My collapse is primarily my fault and the consequences of the actions I took."

Shun got up from the floor and extended his hand to Kaitani.

Shun: "But, there is nothing we can do about it now. Come on, get up."

Kaitani looked at the extended hand and grabbed it to lift himself from the floor.

Shun smiled at his friend and asked.

Shun: "Now tell me, did Sora cry?"

Kaitani laughed and spoke.

Kaitani: "Three times. He ended up crying three different times."