Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/3650253. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage Category: M/M Fandom: Haikyuu!! Relationship: Kuroo_Tetsurou/Tsukishima_Kei Character: Tsukishima_Kei, Kuroo_Tetsurou Stats: Published: 2015-03-31 Updated: 2017-07-04 Chapters: 8/11 Words: 18265 ****** As The Rain Comes Down ****** by EchoXMatsuyama Summary He should have took Yamaguchi’s offer to spend the night. Packing could wait one more day, thinking of Nekoma could wait one day, but no he wanted to go home. He wasn’t thinking about the monsters that lurk at night. ***** One Rainy Evening Pt.1 ***** As The Rain Comes Down Kei Tsukishima X Tetsuro Kuroo Summary: He should have took Yamaguchi’s offer to spend the night. Packing could wait one more day, thinking of Nekoma could wait one day, but no he wanted to go home. He wasn’t thinking about the monsters that lurk at night. Disclaimer: I do not own Haikyuu!! Or any of its characters. All that is mine is this story so please don’t take it. Warning: This story is going to have some very strong content that is not suitable for most readers. Read at your own risk, no flames please.   Chapter One: One Rainy Evening “Are you sure you don’t want to stay the night? It’s pretty bad out there.” The small brown haired teen spoke as he stood behind the crouching blond who was putting his white tennis shoes one. “Yeah Yamaguchi, sides’ I have to finish packing for the trip.” The blond turned to look up at his best friend to give him a reassuring smile. “Okay Tsuuki, but at least take this umbrella with you.” Moving to the corner of the archway where the front door was he took hold of a black umbrella and handed it to his friend. “Thanks, don’t worry I’ll text you when I get home.” He stood after the last knot was tied and turned to take the umbrella. “Kay, but you know,” A pout fell across Yamaguchi’s lips, “The trip isn’t for another two days.” Tsukishima gave his smaller friend the, as Yamaguchi likes to call it, the piss off look, “I know, I just want to get a hard start.” Yama blinked a few times before a smile crossed his lips, “Oh, I get it, you just can’t wait tell we spend three days with Nekoma, huh?!” It was hard for Tsukishima to conceal the small blush that crossed his cheeks. He hasn’t told anyone about what had happened the last time they were with Nekoma on a training expedition, even Yamaguchi his best friend. “Shut up Yamaguchi.” He said turning his head from his friends view. “Ah, fine, fine I’ll see you tomorrow then.” His voice was filled with humor as Tsukishima walked to the door and opened it. “Bye.” With that Tsukishima walked down the street with the rain pouring around him; okay maybe pouring was too strong of a word. It was a light drizzle that pattered against the umbrella above his head. This was usual weather in the spring and Kei actually enjoyed it. Especially at this time of night when the street lamps cause the already wet ground to shimmer and reflect causing this beautiful scene out of a picture. He let out a sigh as the events of earlier played in his mind, he was a little mad at himself for blushing when Yamaguchi brought up Nekoma. He thought he had more self-control then that. Still what he can’t believe is that he even gave that ass hole his num- Bring! Speak of the devil and he shall appear, or at least text. Kei took out his phone from his back pocket and flipped it open to see his message appear. ‘Tsuuki!! Can’t wait 2 see u, it’s been so long!!’ Kei felt his face grow hot, why does this idiot have to use such words, but even if he calls Tetsuo Kuroo a baka he can’t stop the smile across his lips or his fingers moving across the key board as he quickly text back. ‘Baka, we still have 2 days.’ He messaged back, but he kept the small device in his hands because he knows the older man won’t take long at all to reply back. He returned to watching the street before him. He wasn’t that far from his home, just a couple of blocks to go. The only down side was that he had to walk through an ally that was almost pitch black. If not for the street lights at the end he wouldn’t have been able to see at all. ‘I no, jus wanted 2 tell u I cant wait 2 see u! ‘ The smile he was wearing faltered as a question filled his mind; why is Tetsuro Kuroo talking to him like this? Most of all why is he enjoying it? There was no real answer he could get to before he realized he was lying on the ground and a stinging pain erupted from the back of his head. He fought to focus his vision and to pull himself to his feet, but all he could manage to do was push his body onto all fours and look up to see a tall shadow leaning over him. The rain poured over his body and he had to blink every few seconds to keep the water out of his hazel eyes. What? It was as if his brain was bouncing around his skull; it hurt and he couldn’t focus his thoughts. As he sat there looking up at the shadow he couldn’t make a coherent thought. It bounced from what he was doing on the floor to what he should text Kuroo as response to his blunt flirtation. “Wow! Would you look at this! Tozin, we caught ourselves a pretty one!” The person’s voice, who he now realized belonged to a man suffocate his head as his words had nowhere to echo because of the rain. “Drag him further in.” The other voice came from further down the alley, it made Kei think of a predator, hiding in the shadows waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Just as he was becoming more coherent he felt two strong arms take hold of his shoulders and lift him to his feet. It finally hit him, this is bad and he needs to get away. He didn’t want to die in some filthy alley way for some stranger to walk by and find his mangled body. He fought! He brought his arms up to try and get the guy to release his arms, but no matter how he moved the man’s grip only seemed to get tighter to the point he thought his arms would snap in half. Tears brimmed his eyes, but he refused to let them fall as well as keeping the scream he so desperately wanted to let out in his throat. “Whoa! This one is a fighter, been a while since we had a rowdy one like this.” The man commented, his hot breath ghosting over Kei’s neck causing goosebumps to rise along the skin. “Let go!” Kei shouted, he needed to gain someone’s attention, “Help! Help!! Somebod-“ His words were cut short as he found himself hitting the ground once more and the headache he already had seemed to only get worse. The puddle he landed in soaked the front of his jacket and made its way in to reach his shirt and skin. “Shut the fuck up!” The man said, and Kei was suddenly turned on his back. He began to gag and hit the guy as a rag was pushed into his mouth. Stars appeared in front of him and he could feel a sharp pain in his left cheek, “Fuckin’ brat.” The man said and Kei could hear the sound of tape tearing. He could no longer scream, even worse it was hard for him to breathe. The man had taped his mouth to keep the rage inside. He couldn’t figure out how the tape was even staying with the rain that was pouring down. As the stars slowly started to disappear he was turned on his stomach and let out a sharp scream that was muffled by the rag as his arms were forcedly pulled behind him. His chances of fighting back had just became zero. “Can I get started Tozin, please I want to feel him first.” As soon as the words reached his ears his eyes widened and he was filled with a new burning hope to get away. His legs weren’t tied which means he could at least try and run away. “Shut the fuck up Ken, I go first like always” The man named Tozin spoke, his voice deep and rough and it cut the air like a jagged piece of glass. Now he knew both of the bastard’s names. The one named Tozin stepped out of the shadows so that he too was leaning over Kei. He was taller than the one named Ken but had a smaller build. He was lanky like Kei but his hair was a dark brown and reached his shoulders. His mouth was pulled into a thin line as he locked his jaw; to Kei he seemed angry, menacing, or even on the brink of a breakdown. What made him even more threatening was the way the rain stuck to his skin and the lights casted even more shadows than usual. Kei was scared, but he wasn’t going to let it show. He couldn’t; he would not give these guys the satisfaction of seeing him break. He wasn’t too sure on what they have planned, but whatever it is he was going to keep his eyes open for a chance to run. “No fair Tozin.” Ken spoke, his voice hurt. Ken was a heavier set man, who to Kei looked to have eaten way too many pork buns. He had a burly beard and small coal black eyes that shone with annoyance. “Shut up fat ass,” Kei winced at Tozin’s words and at his steps as he moved closer, “But you are right, we did get a cute one.” Kei grunted as the man took ahold of his chin, bring his head up so that they locked eyes, the umbrella that was over Tozin’s head blocked the rain drops from hitting his face. Kei held his glare. He was not going to back down, it’s going to take a whole lot more than a sharp look to make him weak with fear. “Now then little wet kitten,” Tozin began, Kitten? “I’m going to tell you the rules here, and what I say goes and if you decide you don’t want to comply then let’s just say you are going to be in a lot of pain.” His tone was condescending causing Kei’s eyes to narrow in rage. “Hmm, you sure are going to be real fun to crack.” Kei’s eyes widened as he was suddenly forced onto his back, a scream was muffled by the rag and tape over his mouth as pain ran along his arms and burned in his sockets as his arms were crushed under his own weight. He tried to lift his body but before he could even get his bearings Tozin roughly pushed him back against the dirt. “Now, now little kitten.” He spoke his grip on Kei’s shoulder tightening. Kei grimaced and chocked back the tears that wanted to fall from the pain that continued to run through his arms and shoulders. “Ken! Hold the umbrella correctly, you fucking idiot!” Tozin shouted, the plumper man grumbled some incoherent words that got him a stern look from the thinner man, but none the less he moved the umbrella so once more Kei was shielded from the down pour. Tozin wasted no time as his wet hands made for Kei’s belt buckle and began to pull the leather out of its bindings. Kei tried his hardest to twist and move his hips to prolong the inevitable. He knew what was going to happen, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t try his hardest to make it difficult for his rapists. And so with muffled grunts he brought his knee up and was surprised to see that he landed a blow. The blunt of his attack hit Tozin right on his right cheek. The man let out a yelp as he fell backwards on his ass. Kei wanted to celebrate the small victory, but he knew that this was his chance. Gathering what strength he had left he turned his body onto his side and placed his chin against the gravel. His chance was short lived; before he could put his strength into pushing his body to his knees and then to his feet he was roughly kicked in his side. He wanted to scream, but all he was capable of doing was groaning and squeezing his eyes shut from the searing pain that rushed through his body. He had never felt such fire hot pain such as this. To him it was as though he was being stabbed by little push pins well-being roasted over a fire. A weird description, but to Kei it was all but real. This time he really was close to tears. “YOU. FUCKING.PIECE. OF.SHIT!!!” Each time a word left Tozin’s mouth was another kick to the stomach Kei received. Something inside the young blond snapped and crumbled to an end. This is it he thought. He was going to be raped and most likely killed and some poor sap was going to find his body and then everyone would know how weak he was for ever getting in this kind of situation in the first place. The tears flowed easily as the blows kept coming and the insults and slurs about how he is nothing but a toy and a fucking filthy slut for his enjoyment and if he knew what was good for him he would stop fighting back. From the blows he found himself on his back again and for the first time the whole night, well in his life for that matter, he just laid there and came to the conclusion that he will not fight. He racked his brains on what he should do, but he felt broken, shattered is more accurate. He kept coming back to the same sentence, why didn’t I stay with Yamaguchi? He felt hopeless and lost; not a single shred of hope filled his heart. Releasing a straggled moan that if the rage and tape was not over his mouth would have been filled with pain. Closing his eyes he allowed his head to loll to the side where the tears that still flowed from his hazel eyes slide down his cheeks over his nose and down to his ear were they made a small puddle. It was all over, ever- He couldn’t even finish his sentence as he opened his eyes and right in front of him laid his cell phone. The screen was still flipped open but it was dark from inactivity. Suddenly a new spark filled his heart. There is hope. His message was with Kuroo was still open so all he had to do was somehow get it and SOMEHOW text. With each word that entered his mind about the new plan was like a balloon with a small hole; slowly but surly it will deflate fully. His eyes squeezed shut tightly as the blows finally stopped and he felt the aftermath of white hot pain flowing across his now bruised skin. The tears flowed freely, leaving glistening stains behind and his breathe came in ragged gasps as it felt as though he was being crushed by a boulder. His one and final hope was to get to his phone, so well Tozin wiped at the small line of drool that made its way down his chin and turned to his partner Kei started to push himself backwards. His idea was that it would just look like he’s running away and he could get the phone under him and somehow text someone to help him. He kept his eyes glued to the men arguing in front of him, but their words were quickly drowned out by the beating of his heart. Just a little closer… His body moved more and the men argued more. Almost there… “Fucking bastard, if you’re going to bitch just remove the cloth in his mouth and use that hole.” Shit… Tozin turned around and his eyes shinned with amusement at the site of Kei trying to flee, “There’s no escape little kitten, you mind as well just gi-“ he stopped mid-sentence as his eyes landed on the small cell phone that was directly above Kei. “Oh I see, so that’s what you’re doing.” Kei’s eyes grew wide as those words left the man’s mouth. No he couldn’t have figured it out that quickly, to the teen his world was over. Tozin walked over and reached down to pick up the phone. Pressing the silver button in the middle the phone lit to life. A slight chuckle left his lips and he looked down at Kei who wore a completely defeated expression. “Is this your boyfriend or something, huh kid?!” He asked, more as a rhetorical question, “Why don’t we send him a little picture of how sexy you look right now.” He stated rather then asked. Kei’s eyes grew wide and he tried to push his body back even more, but with the accumulating mud it was harder than ever. Tozin pressed some buttons and then walked over to him, since he was a few feet away now, and grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up so that his face was lit up in an orange glow from the street light at the corner of the ally. “Perfect!” He said as he quickly snapped a picture; the bright light from the flash blinding Kei’s eyes. Blinking a few times at the rain drops that hit his face he let the tears flow freely. “Now then, let’s send this pretty face to him shall we.” He smiled and dropped Kei to the ground where he landed in the dirt with a squishy thud. His heart was breaking in two, he didn’t want Kuroo to see any pictures this ass hole was going to take. His mind swam with what he would tell him when they go on their summer trip together. He wanted to cry out, to let his voice carry his pain away, but with the rag in his mouth and the tape over his lips it was near impossible. “Now then, what else should we take a picture of?” He asked more to himself. Ken moved closer with a wicked smile on his lips to hold the umbrella over Tozin and Kei. “How bout’ of that sweet ass.” Ken said with a low menacing tone. “Great idea.” Kei slumped into the mud with dead eyes, this was it. Last hope gone. The only thought that crossed him mind was, I want to die. ~End Of Chapter One~ A/N: Sooo, um *Awkward silence* Gomen TT^TT Stay tuned though I promise it’s going to get better after I hurt Kei in the next chapter. ***** One Rainy Evening Pt. 2 ***** Chapter Notes I'm soooooooo sorry it took me so long to get this out TT^TT I hope you guys like it As The Rain Comes Down Chapter Two: One Rainy Evening Pt. 2 ~Start~ What the fuck, that was all that came to mind as Kuroo scrolled down his screen. A small picture of what appeared to be a slender chin with a piece of silver tape over the person’s mouth. His brow furrowed in confusion as he saw that Tsukishima was the one who sent it to him. What was that twig doing? Just before he could reply and ask what the hell is going on his phone vibrated in his hands, indicating that he has a new message. He felt his legs turn to jelly as he took in the next image. There was something wrong; Kei wasn’t doing this because he wanted to. Kuroo fell backwards on to his bed. His brown eyes hazing over in anger as he couldn’t take them off the screen. Kei’s face was pressed into the mud with his hands tied behind his back with his ass pointing right at the camera. His pants and underwear were pulled down around his ankles and Kuroo could see the youngers pale skin glistening from the rain. Kei His blood began to boil as he dropped the phone to his side and stood up. He began to pace across his room, he needed to do something; he needed to save Kei! How he was going to he hadn’t the slightest idea. They are far from each other that he would take too long to get there if he ran; well there is no way he could do that. His eyes found the small digital clock on his nightstand. The trains and buses are no longer running and it’s not like he has a car! “Fuck!” He yelled, squeezing his hands into fists. There had to be something! Just before he was about to stomp out of his bed room his phone buzzed. Quickly he rushed to it and scanned his eyes over the message. ‘I hope u like the pics babe! Just 4 u XOXO’ His brow furrowed in confusion. What is this? The previous pictures were of him bound and gagged; is this just the person who is hurting his Kei playing a sick joke on him or is it really Kei sending him these?! Another buzz, this time it was another picture with a caption. The picture was of Kei looking towards the camera with a small smile on his lips; his normally hazel eyes glossed over. This time the tape was gone and he no longer looked like he was in pain, but he was soaking wet from the way his blond hair stuck to the sides of his thin face. The caption read, ‘can’t wait 2 see u, bye ;)’ Kei what is going on!? Kei Tsukishima’s POV “See wasn’t that fun!” Tozin said as he nuzzled his nose into Kei’s cheek. His hot breath causing the younger to shiver. Kei felt dead to the world. He just wanted all of this to end; he doesn’t have the strength to fight back any longer, he didn’t even scream once they removed the tape and cloth from his mouth. “Now then, time for the real fun little kitty.” Tozin made quick work of pulling off Kei’s pants and underwear, tossing the articles to the side where they landed in a puddle. Kei’s head lulled to the side, his eyes hazed over. The only thing passing through his mind right now is how he just wants to go home and sleep. Hopefully never wake up. Tozin ran his hands down the inside of Kei’s thighs, goosebumps rising along the skin from the cold and the man’s touches. To Kei it felt like he was in a dream, the hands that roamed his body nothing but a numb pressure he felt from far away. He let out a soft groan of pain when Tozin came to his flaccid cock. He couldn’t get hard, not from this, but that didn’t stop Tozin from pumping his shaft a few times the rain making it all the much easier. “His skin is so soft! I bet he feels like this on the inside too!” Ken spoke with glee as he had walked around Tozin and ran his fingers along Kei’s chin and down his neck. Going even further he grabbed the hem of Kei’s shirt and lifted it tell it was restricted by the teens armpits. Kei threw his head back when Ken started to flick and pinch his already hard nipples, but Kei was gaining no pleasure like the other two men. To him this was plain torture. He wanted to scream, but his throat was dry making it hard to even groan in disapproval. Tozin moved in between the blond’s legs, spreading him wide. Kei’s cheeks flushed a bright red as the man now ran his middle finger down the side of his balls and to his puckered hole. This was all so embarrassing and demeaning that he wished he was dead; how could anyone do this to another human? “Ho! Would you look at this! The kid is a virgin!” Tozin shouted and before Kei could even brace himself Tozin slammed his finger into him. A pain that felt far worse than a kick in the stomach ran up Kei’s spine. A scream ripped from his throat as he arched his back, trying to make the pain go away. “Shut him up Fat ass!” Tozin snapped. Ken did just that. Tozin removed his finger, allowing Kei to breathe, before he was suddenly flipped over onto his stomach. Tozin forced Kei to get onto his knees. Kei’s whole body felt like it was made of cement. Ken stood into front of the ragged blond who was covered in mud, and he unzipped his pants. Kei’s eyes grew wide as he tried to back way, but with Tozin right behind him it was impossible. Just as Ken released his thick hard member Tozin jammed two more fingers into Kei. His scream was short lived as Ken shoved his cock into his mouth. The head almost touching the back of Kei’s throat. More tears fell down his face as he was now being face fucked. Kei tried his hardest to keep from gaging on the force and because of the stench. Ken had tangled his fingers into Kei’s hair and that was helping keep Kei up right enough for the man to slam his dick into Kei’s mouth since his hands were still bound behind his back. “Hmm~ you’re such a good little kitty.” Tozin cooed as he removed his fingers and stood on his knees. The skinny man ran his fingers along the globe of Kei’s ass before he brought his hand back and spanked the pale flesh. Kei groaned into the cock that was still forced between his lips. Kei squeezed his eyes shut as he heard Tozin unzip his pants, here it comes. Kei had to force himself to not bite down, as much as he wanted to, he knew it would cause him even more pain then the burning tearing of his ass as Tozin forced his way inside. The two fingers he had stuck inside Kei was nowhere near enough preparation for this, and Tozin knew that. “Ah! Fuck! Ken, this kid is tight! Just like a fucking pussy!” Tozin threw his head back and slowly pushed his cock the rest of the way tell he was balls deep inside Kei. He wanted to enjoy every second that Kei’s ass had to give. “I wanna try~” Ken whined as he was now moving slower inside Kei’s mouth. He didn’t want to cum just yet, well not in his mouth at least. “Yeah, yeah, dip shit, when I’m done with him. “ Kei’s mind began to grow foggy and his eye lids heavy. The pain that ran through his body was unlike anything, at this point he doesn’t even care if these two kill him. He wanted to be dead, he wanted this to all be done with. Feeling of having this fucked up man brutally tearing him apart was making Kei want to throw up. But that wasn’t going to happen, his limbs were becoming heavy and it was getting harder and harder for him to keep focus. “Take this! You filthy fucking slut!” Tozin yelled as he slammed into Kei again and again. “What are we going to do with him after?” Ken asked as he finally pulled out of Kei’s mouth, slapping his dick against the youngers cheek. “Hmm~ That’s a great question, what do you say Kitten, want to become my new fuck toy?” Tozin barked. Kei couldn’t even reply, his mind was fading into darkness. Unable to keep his eyes open any longer he let them droop closed. His whole body going limp. His final thought, ‘Hopefully I die.’ But the last thing he heard was the most menacing laugh that sealed his fate to whatever they decide. ~+~+~ It was the sound of silence that woke him. Kei tried to open his eyes, but he could feel that there was stuff coving it, like glue. He groaned as he forced a hand up to his face, that’s when he realized that whatever was on his eyes was crusted. He stifled the moan he wanted to release as he forced himself to sit up. Using both hands this time he made quick work of what was blinding him. Blinking a few times he came face to face a brick wall. He looked around him too see that he was still in the ally. The yellow/orange light at the end evidence of that. His head was pounding and his body felt stiff, his joints hurting as he tried to push himself to his feet. That’s when he realized that he was missing his pants and underwear as well as his glasses. The cold night air hitting his skin and making goosebumps rise only worsened his situation. The tears came and they did not stop. They flowed down his cheeks as he moved to the other side of the ally and picked up his pants. Through blurry eyes he looked down at the wet article of clothing and then to the sky. To the world the rain had stopped, but to Kei it was coming full force. The sun was just coming up, casting the sky in a ray of pink and orange, soon they will fade into a bright baby blue dotted with white. His house was still quiet, everyone still sleeping. No matter how much pain it caused him he moved as silently and softly as he possibly could through the house to the bath room across from his own room. The door closed with a click that sounded extremely loud to Kei. Flinching he turned on the lights and he instantly regretted it. He met his reflection in the body mirror that hung on the door. He looked dead. His eyes looked as though they were sunken in, the life sucked from them. He brought a hand up to graze over the purple bruise that was on his cheek. The stuff that was blinding him earlier was actually all over his face, a white/yellow substance that made Kei want to throw up. Turning around he moved to the shower and only turned the hot knob.   “Ah~ Fuck~” He groaned as he lifted his shirt over his head and tossed it into the hamper. When he looked into the mirror he looked like shit. His chest was littered with bruises, some already a deep purple like the one on his face, others barely forming. A lump formed in his throat as he felt so broken inside. He was scared. Steam began to fog the mirror and dance around him as he unzipped his still soaking pants. His lower back burned with a hot pain as he bent down and when he lifted his legs. His eyes immediately made contact with the large handprints that were imprinted into his upper thighs and hips. He rushed into the shower to try and scrub himself clean. To rid his body of any evidence of what had happened to him. Using a cloth he wiped it over his body and face that left his skin a raw red and a fading burn that he welcomed. At least it meant it was riding his skin of their filth, but that didn’t change the way he felt inside. They attacked his brain like a virus, eating away at all that was him. He felt broken, bits and flashes of what they had done to him came flooding into his mind. His hazel eyes squeezed shut as if that would make them disappear. ‘You like that don’t you’ A stinging pain fell across his cheek, ‘You filthy whore!’ He fell to his knees, the pain barely registering. His hands went to the floor of the tub in tight fists as the hot water cascading around him. The tears that fell from his cheeks landed between his hands and mixed with the hot water from the shower, all of it going down the drain. ‘You’ll never be the same kitten,’ Tozin stood, ‘Don’t worry you’ll thank us.’ ~+~+~ Tsukishima couldn’t even bring himself to answer his mother’s pleas for him to come out. He stayed curled up under his blankets, trying his hardest to block out the sun that flooded his room in a warm light. He just wanted to die. He could still feel their hands roaming his body. The heavy, rough fingers that tore him apart limb by limb. To him this was worse than the action itself. Now he has to continue to be alive, hardly, but he was still breathing and to him that was worse than Death. He had to live with their faces burned into the back of his eyelids, so that every time he wanted to close them and sleep they would be there and they wore those slick smirks that only brought him pain. “Kei, Honey? You have a friend here to see you.” Tsukishima’s eyes grew wide at his mother’s words. A friend? Who? He prayed over and over in his head, hoping that it was not Kuroo. That was also one of the things that plagued his mind. What was he going to say to Kuroo? He had left his phone in the ally and hasn’t went to get it, he can’t get it. That ally is nothing but death to him now and he refuses to even step foot near it, the mere thought making his skin crawl and his body shake. Fear. That’s all he felt now, that and exhaustion. His eyes drooped shut but were immediately snapped open when he heard his bedroom door open, the hinges squeaking, hurting his ears. He pulled the blanket tight over his head as if that would make him disappear. He didn’t want to see anyone, not right now. He hasn’t figured out how he is supposed to act around them. Should he just be himself, make it seem like nothing has happened? Maybe he should just tell them what had happened to him, maybe they will catch those demons and then he would be free of them…maybe? “Tsukishima?” He knew that voice, but why was he here? “I got a call from Kuroo, he wanted me to come check on you.” The door closed with a soft click that was followed by light footsteps that stopped at the side of his bed, “I also found this on my way here, it was in an ally way.” Slightly out of curiosity Tsukishima peeked out from under the blanket to see that it was Daichi-San who was standing before him. His eyes traveled to the older man’s hand where he was handing Tsukishima’s silver cell phone. The device was covered in mud with the small screen on the front broken. He reached out a shaky hand and took the phone. “Kei! What happened!?” Daichi asked as he fell to his knees and took hold of the blonde’s wrist. Tsukishima flinched as pain shot through his arm, the cell phone falling to the floor with a dull thump. He tried to take his hand back from his senpai, but the other was not giving up, instead he rubbed his thumb over the deep purple bruise that wrapped around his slender wrist, “Kei, tell me what happened? Please, you can trust me.” Daichi said as he looked down at the younger, his eyes narrow and his brow furrowed. Tsukishima though was not going to say anything. He couldn’t say anything. All words were trapped in his throat as tears burned his eyes, wanting to fall. He ripped his hand from Daichi’s grasp and quickly shuffled to the wall his bed was against, the blanket being pulled tight around his body. That’s when Daichi saw the purple/yellow bruise that was on his cheek. “Why won’t you tell me? Please Kei, talk to me.” Daichi was scared, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to hear what had happened, but he needed to. He needed to know what he can do to help his younger friend. “No-nothing,” Tsukishima’s voice was raspy and dry, “I fell…yeah I fell.” The words seemed to have come from nowhere. Tsukishima wasn’t really thinking as he said that. He just wanted Daichi to leave him be. “Really?” Daichi asked, worry all over his face. “Ye-yeah, I’m okay.” The younger spoke forcing a smile, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Daichi knew he wasn’t going to get anything out of the younger and with a heavy sigh he stood. His eyes stayed on Tsukishima who was still giving him that forced smile. He knew it was forced, he knew something had happened, but he just nodded his head. “Okay…okay, get some rest Tsukishima, and I will see you tomorrow morning.” “Yes.” Tsukishima spoke. With one more worried look directed at the younger boy Daichi turned and took his leave with the final thought that he will try tomorrow. Tsukishima though has come to the conclusion that he isn’t going to say anything. He didn’t like seeing that look on his Senpai’s face, he didn’t like seeing the pain and worry. The only way to not see that anymore is by keeping his mouth shut and going back to how he was before. As that thought passed through his mind he fell into the mattress. The soft plush of his blankets enveloping his body like a cocoon making his body feel like lead. His eyes closed and reveled in the silence, slowly falling into the black abyss of his mind, hoping that he doesn’t get plagued with nightmares. ~+~+~ “Kei, honey?” The voice was soft and full of worry, “I’m coming in.” Tsukishima had opened his eyes and hadn’t fully registered what was happening till his mother was already walking in with a tray in her hands and a warm smile on her lips. He was enveloped in a special type of heat, the kind you can only receive from a loving parent. Tsukishima felt a little guilty from keeping this from his mother, but he knew it would break her heart if she found out. He moved to a sitting position, moving the blankets with him. “I brought you some lunch and your old pair of glasses since you lost your new ones.” Walking over to her son she placed the tray on the nightstand and then took a seat, reaching out a hand she gently ran her fingers through his hair. “You don’t have to tell me what happened to you tell you’re ready,” She started, “I just wanted to let you know that I love you.” She moved her hand and gently placed it on her son’s bruised cheek, “I love you and I’m worried about you so please tell me soon okay?” Tears pricked at his eyes, threatening to fall. All Tsukishima could manage to do was nod his head before turning out of his mother’s grasp and falling back into the blankets. His mother stood from the bed and with one more worried glance at her son, like Daichi had done, she left the room. Tsukishima squeezed his eyes shut, everything that had happened to him came rushing to mind. How was he supposed to live on like this? ‘I just need to pretend, pretend to be alright. Then all this will go away! To- tomorrow I will just be the same old Kei Tsukishima and no one will suspect a thing.’ And that is what he left it at. His only thought was to keep this pain to himself and then no one will worry and no one will find him disgusting. That’s how it’s going to be. With that mind set he fell asleep once more. Chapter End ***** Heavy Clouds ***** Chapter Notes Heyo im so sorry it took me sooooo long to get this out and im sorry its so short. I just thought that where i ended it was a perfect spot. Thank you thank you to everyone who left comments i really really appreciate it and love it. thank you. As The Rain Comes Down Chapter Three: Heavy Clouds Kei Tsukishima’s POV Tsukishima woke with a start, his heart pounding against his rib cage in a desperate and erratic attempt to bust free. He reached a hand up and clawed at his shirt, as if that would reduce the squeezing pain. Tears slid down his cheeks and fell into the blanket he was tangled in. It was becoming extremely difficult to breathe as if his lungs were crashing under the weight of his heart. His stomach twisted and scenes of the other night came rushing to memory. Squeezing his eyes shut he huddled his knees to his chest and rested his head on them. He was tired of this, being woken by night terrors every time he finally fell asleep. He had finally broke free of the blanket and kicked it to the ground. He sat there with his back against the head bored just looking around his room. Not really wanting to fall back asleep; the clock read 8:34 PM. He was really dreading tomorrow; he wanted to call Daichi-senpai, but he knew he couldn’t skip out on this training, not with the spring tournament coming up. He just could not do this to his team. Sighing he wiped the stray tears form his cheeks and reached to the bed side to put on his glasses and check his phone. He was surprised to see the thing still worked, especially after it beign left out in the rain all night. He flipped it open to see that he had 38 missed calls and 42 texts. Immediately going to the text message he was surprised to see that most of them were from Kuroo, then a couple form Daichi as well as Yamaguchi. The ones from his teammates were the general I hope you made it home, I hope you feel better, and we’re here for you if you need us. But the ones from the Nekoma were completely different. What’s going on!!! Call me, please. I need to know you’re ok What happed, why aren’t you answering. I asked Daichi to come check up on you! Those pictures, what were they? Tsukishima could feel the tears threatening to fall and his heart hearting. Why did this have to happen? He just couldn’t take that short cut, come home, get rested for a couple days, and then go on a training trip with his friends? Sniffling he moved on to the missed calls which like the texts, most were from Kuroo. There was only one thing he could think of doing to help make this all go away. He pressed a button and placed the phone to his ear where he could hear it begin to ring. “Hello? Tsuki, is that you?!” He wasn’t prepared for Kuroo to answer that quickly and he scrambled for what to say. “Hey-um…Hi, yeah it’s me.” “I was so worried! What happened? What was up with those pictures?!” Tsukishima could feel his throat begin to tighten, his resolve to continue living crumbling at the tone of his friends voice. He was worried, so worried and here Tsukishima is ready to lie to him. “Um, yeah” He’s beginning to choke “Do-do you think you could just forget any of that ever happened, please?” He pleaded. “But Kei-“ “Please!” Tsukishima’s eyes squeezed shut, he didn’t mean to yell, “Please, please~” He heard Kuroo sigh, his heart aching a little more, “Okay, okay, I can but if something was wrong you’d tell me, right?” This was becoming too much for the young teen, “Of-of course, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Quickly he hung up and tossed the phone aside. He didn’t mean to lie he just wants everyone to stop worrying. If they don’t know then they can’t get involved. Then again, what could they even do? Wiping away the tears that slid down his cheeks he stood up and shakily made his way to his closet. His body hurt so much, the bruises ached and throbbed well a burning sensation shot up his spine. He wanted to cry out, to ask for help, but that was impossible now. He closed himself off, told everyone he was ok, so now he has to suck in a deep breath of air and move on his own. It took him a lot of effort and a lot of pain, but he finally managed to pack his small duffle bag full of 4 days’ worth of clothes. As he neatly folded his shirts his mind raced with thoughts of how he was going to survive the next couple days. Just standing here folding was making him hurt and feel dizzy, the pain blinding. Maybe he should bring a bottle of pain killers, and just pop a few before every practice. He wanted to cry at the feeling of hopelessness that filled his heart, but he wouldn’t allow himself to; like a mantra in his head he repeated the words, I will be ok, what happened was nothing. ~+~+~ Kuroo’s POV Anger and hate filled my veins like poison and his eyes clouded over; in one swift movement he through his phone across the room where it had hit the wall and fell to the floor on top of a pile of clothes. Probably saving it from completely breaking. The teen let out a frustrated yell before he plopped down onto his bed. He was angry that Tsukishima wouldn’t tell him what was wrong, angry that he wasn’t there is person to just BE there for the other boy, angry at his own powerlessness. As for hate, he hated who ever hurt the blond boy. Kuroo wasn’t dumb he knew something bad had happened but he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. How was he supposed to prove that someone had hurt Tsukishima? All he has is those pictures, but the text doesn’t imply someone hurting him, Kuroo though, Kuroo knows that’s exactly what happened. Someone hurt him, someone hurt him so bad that he doesn’t want to say anything to anyone. With those thoughts alone Kuroo made up his mind that when he sees the boy tomorrow he is going to force him to tell him who had hurt him. He’s going to make them pay. ***** Hidden Sky ***** As The Rain Comes Down Chapter Four: Hidden Sky A/N: So im so sorry for the last chapter being so short. This one is longer and im finally getting into Kuroo figuring things out. Enjoy. Tetsuro Kuroo’s POV “Mom, I’m heading out now!” The tall cat called out, his voice bouncing off the walls of the entryway of the house. “Ok sweetie, have fun!” She called back. Without responding Kuroo hoisted his bag more onto his shoulder and left the house, Kenma already waiting outside on the sidewalk. Kuroo waved to the small boy and jogged up to him, wrapping his arm around Kenma’s slender shoulders. He just rolled his eyes. “You ready?” The taller Nekoma member asked, a smile forming on his lips. “I guess.” He said as he took out his portable game device and started pressing buttons. Why he always playing games is something Kuroo would never fully understand. Their conversation didn’t go further than that; the two walked in comfortable silence to their school. They are supposed to get on a bus there and then head to the training grounds, which are somewhere in the mountains. It’s going to be nice getting out of the big city for a couple days and just play volleyball with Karasuno. He almost faltered in his steps when a certain blond crossed his mind. Kei Tsukishima. He still hasn’t figured out what he’s going to say to the 1st year. He spent hours on the subject, just wracking his brain on the best way to word things; the bags under his eyes prove just that. He knows that he would have to be gentle and he probably would do more damage than anything if he came right out with what he was thinking. He didn’t want to hurt Tsukishima, he wanted the boy to know that he cares and that he just wants to help. “Are you alright?” Kuroo snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at his companion. “What?” He asked. “You had a worry some look on your face; I was wondering if you are okay.” Kenma closed his game and stuffed it into his jacket pocket before looking up at his best friend. “Oh, um…yeah, I’m fine.” A sly smile came to the cat’s mouth. Kenma had stopped walking, Kuroo’s brow rose in question as he turned to look at the smaller boy. Kenma smiled, that thin smile of his that was real, “I know you’re worrying, but just be there for him and give him some time. I’m sure he will open up to you.” Kuroo’s eyes widened at his friends’ words, his shocked expression though quickly turning to his usually sly smile. He loved that Kenma was able to read him and give him the right advice he needs to move on, “Thanks.” He said as continued to walk, Kenma following right behind. Kei Tsukishima’s POV Be normal, act normal, and no one will find out. Like a mantra, Kei repeated those words in his head as he pulled on his coat. His body was feeling a little better, still the bruises hurt and the soreness was still there, but it was a little more bearable now for the young teen. He didn’t feel like throwing up just by turning his body and the pain killers he found in the medicine cabinet were actually working this time; numbing the pain in his wrists, hips, and shoulders. Stuffing the small bottle of pain killers into his bag he hoped it would be enough for the next three days. He even packed a couple bandages for the deep bruise that was on his right cheek. The swelling had gone down, but the small cut that was made from the constant direct hits to that side of his face remained, he needed to keep it covered so it would heal properly. Plus, he figured if he had a bandage over it his team mates might be less worried seeing as they can’t see exactly how bad it really is, but he couldn’t really put a bandage over the small scratches on his chin. With a small limp to his step, he carried his bag, and walked out of his bedroom and slowly down the stairs. Slight numbing pain shot up his back with each step he took, but he pushed through it, grinding his teeth down. “Oh! Kei! Honey!” His mother called as she saw him standing in the door way to the kitchen. She was happy to see her youngest son out of bed and quickly moved to give him a hug, but the young boy placed a hand between them, stopping the women. “Sorry, I don’t want a hug right now.” He said as he turned his head to the side, feeling shame course through his veins. His mother’s expression dropped, her lips turning down into a frown and the air around them immediately felt suffocating to the teen. “Oh, that’s- that’s okay. Here why don’t you have some breakfast, before you head out? It’s going to be a long trip.” She said as she forced a smile, moving to the stove where she already had some food cooking. “No thanks, I need to get going.” Tsukishima said with a cracking voice as a shot of pain moved through his body, though he couldn’t tell which wound it came from. His mother’s smile faded once more and she looked up at her son, pain in her eyes. Tsukishima wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Seeing his mother like this and knowing that he was the one who made her feel like that, hurt. It hurt so much, a worse type of pain then the bruises that littered his skin. Biting the inside of his mouth he turned around towards the front entrance. “Oh, alright. That’s okay.” His mother spoke in a small voice. “I’ll see you when I get back.” Tsukishima opened the door where his shoes were and easily slipped into them without having to bend down. “Kei,” His mother moved to the door just as Tsukishima was about to walk out. The teen stopped, “I love you.” Swallowing a lump in his throat he told her that he loved her too. +~+~+ Tsukishima was the last to show, his other team members were already placing their bags under the bus. The teen hesitated for a moment as thoughts filled his head. What was he doing there? He should have stayed home. They were going to figure it out. Fear bubbled in his veins and his heart pounded against his rib cage in a rhythm he was unfamiliar with. His mouth ran dry and it was as if he was frozen. He couldn’t tear his eyes from the others, but he wasn’t seeing them, too trapped in his mind. He didn’t even notice when Yamaguchi started walking towards him. “Tsukki!” Yamaguchi called out as he jogged up to the taller teen. Tsukishima’s trance was broken and he tensed as his friend stood in front of him now. “Yama-Yamaguchi.” Tsukishima nodded his head, his body not loosening up just yet, every muscle in his body stiff, as he threaded his fingers together. A habit of his when his anxiety was too high. “Are you alright Tsukki? I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for the last couple days. Daichi said you weren’t feeling too well. What happened?” Tsukishima racked his brain on what to say, not really sure on how to handle this situation. “Oh my gosh, what happen to your face?” Yamaguchi cried as he reached a hand up, but the taller teen easily stumbled back from the touch, his hands moving to his sides to help him keep his balance. Yamaguchi’s eyes grew wide and his brow furrowed in concern. He wanted Tsukishima to tell him everything that happened, to just let him in. Hurt filled his eyes when the boy moved back andTsukishima looked away. “Don’t worry about it, I just fell is all.” Tsukishima said with confidence he did not have. He felt weak as he stood there lying to his best friend, but he couldn’t tell Yamaguchi. He knew the teen would blame himself for this and he just couldn’t have that depression on his hands. “But Tsukki-“ “Drop it.” Tsukishima interrupted as he took a deep breath in and stepped around Yamaguchi and continued to the bus. Yamaguchi stood behind for a moment as he watched his best friend walk to the bus, and handing his bag to Coach Ukai. Yamaguchi took notice of the small limp Tsukishima had and the way he completely ignored the others as he quickly climbed onto the bus. Worry weighed on his shoulders and tears formed in the corners of his eyes. Something was wrong with Kei and he knew it. Tsukishima let out a sigh of relief as he plopped slowly into a chair near the back of the bus. That went smoother then he thought. He figured he would have to talk to the others, interact with them and he knew he wouldn’t have been able to handle that. So being able to breeze past all that stress calmed his nerves some. As he sat there he put his head phones on and blasted the current song so that the world around him became silent and he was numb to it. He looked out the window to see Daichi giving a small speech before they all turned to get on the bus. His eye lids were growing heavy and he just wasn’t ready. Closing his eyes, he figured he might as well try to get some sleep, and as the darkness slowly crept up on him he prayed that he would not have a nightmare. Tetsuro Kuroo’s POV “Ah! Finally, we’re off that fuckin’ bus!” Kuroo stretched his arms above his head. The others filed off the bus, most doing the same. “The mountains are amazing!” Lev gleamed as he took in a deep breath of fresh air, his eyes glittering. “Is this your first time being in the mountains?” Yaku asked looking up at the taller man. “Yeah, it’s so beautiful up here.” He smiled. “Yeah, I love it up here.” Inuoka chimed in as he flung his bag over his shoulder. “This is going to be the best training ever!!” Yamamoto roared as he flung his arms over Inuoka, and was grinning like fool. “Yeah, this is going to be fun.” Kuroo smiled, his eyes narrowing as he took in the sight of the medium sized building right in front of them. Their new home for the week, one that they will be sharing with the members of Karasuno. Karasuno. Tsukishima. Kuroo’s smile faltered for a second as the blond came to mind. They should be here soon and that’s when he was going to get some answers. Kuroo turned form his team mates and moved to the bus to help Coach Naoi pass out the bags, it’s his job as Captain after all. He kept the smile on his features and made sure to hide his worrisome aura from the others, it’s not like they need to know that something happened to their rival’s blond middle blocker. “Okay guys listen up!” Coach Nekomata called out gaining all of their attention, “I want you all to take your bags inside to the room you guys will be sharing and get ready for some practice. Karasuno should be showing up soon so I want you all to be ready for when they get here. Understood?!” “Yes sir!” Nekoma responded as they placed their arms at their sides. “Alright, go on.” With that Kuroo moved alongside Kenma to the building. Kei Tsukishima’s POV Darkness surrounded Tsukishima as he continued to run. This kind of darkness was consuming; he couldn’t see the arms he stretched out in front of him in hopes he would reach a door, instead he felt completely detached from his limbs. Still he continued running, moving forward, he couldn’t stop. Even though his lungs burned every time he sucked in the stale air of the world around him, and even though his leg muscles throbbed for him to stop. He just couldn’t, not with those creatures chasing him. He could hear them, their feet pounding on the floor with thunder like steps. Their laughter caught up to his ears and made him wince. Sweat slid down his face as well as making his clothes stick to his skin, the breeze that passed by him chilling his skin, causing goosebumps to rise. He knew he was shaking, with fear, with shame, with complete desperation. He squeezed his eyes shut, but it was a mistake, he shouldn’t have done that. Tsukishima lost his balance and went crashing to the ground. It was hard and bruising; he cried out as his head slammed into the hard material. His heart pounded as all of this felt like so familiar, the dizziness that racked his body. “Well if it isn’t my little Kitten.” Tsukishima’s eyes widened as he recognized that voice. Whimpering he tried to crawl away, his fingers digging into the ground that seemed to be softer then when he landed on it a moment ago. “Aww, look Ken, he thinks he could get away.” Tozin, his name was Tozin, laughed. His laugh was shrill and made Tsukishima wince. “Wow! What a fucking idiot!” Ken laughed along with the other man. Tsukishima felt tears beginning to fall as he continued to try and get away, but it was as if his legs weren’t working. He needed to get away, to run, he had to run. The darkness was against him though. With the piercing black surrounding him he couldn’t see where the two men stood, even the numbing sense most people would have, the sense that would let them know where the stares are coming from, was gone. It was swallowed by the darkness and if he didn’t move he was next. “You’re just as I remembered, Kei.” Tsukishima cried as he felt Tozin press his legs against both his sides. He was practically sitting on top of the teen. Tozin had grabbed Tsukishima’s chin and pulled his head back so that he could look into his blood shot eyes. Tozin could see him, Ken too, they are a part of the darkness and as if it was as bright as day in this world they looked down at the mess of a boy with deadly gins, “Were gonna have some fun, for old times’ sake.” “No. No, please…no!” Tsukishima yelled, the vibrations of his scream bouncing off the darkness shattering his vary being. Tsukishima woke with a jolt; his eyes snapping open and his skin slicked with sweat. He could feel his pulse racing as he quickly looked around. His music was still playing as he notices that no one had sat next to him, which he was grateful for. He sucked in a deep breath of air and settled back into his seat. He reached a hand up to wipe at his face. His brain worked over time as it tried to calm his body. The only thought that came to Tsukishima’s mind was: Fuck. Chapter End A/N: I’m so sorry!!!! I know it took me forever to get this out!! And I deeply apologize!! I stayed up really late to get this out for all my readers and I hope you all enjoy it. In the next chapter we will finally have Tsukki and Kuroo be with each other face to face!!! ***** Drowning ***** Chapter Notes Omo!! I am so sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out and that it is so long. I just want this to be perfect and all. Still no excuses TT^TT I am already working on the next chapter so hopefully it doesn't take me a long time to get it out. Im sooooo sorry im a slow updater. But i would like to thank everyone who has commented on my story, because of you guys i get motivation to continue with this story. So thank you sooooo much it means a lot to me. Sorry for any mistakes. Also i updated chapter four because i messed up with some details. It''s nothing major just that the training camp will be only 3 days and not a week. As The Rain Comes Down Chapter Five: Drowning Kei Tsukishima’s POV The ride up was as obnoxious as usual. Hinata, Tanaka, and Nishinoya couldn’t stop talking about volleyball and all of the new games they couldn’t wait to play with Nekoma. It was enough to keep Tsukishima awake and with a pounding headache. Ever since he woke from that nightmare he was racked with fear. A new found anxiety rushed through his veins and he was glad no one had noticed the shaking in his hands; he was even gladder that no one sat next to him. Yamaguchi had sat in the front with Yachi and only occasionally looked back at the blond, worry creasing his brow. Everyone else seemed completely oblivious to him. Which made his heart rest a little easier, knowing that not everyone suspects that something happened to him. Every time he closed his eyes the darkness he dreamt of remained. It felt consuming and suffocating, making his stomach hurt. So he kept his eyes opened and rested his head against the cool glass of the bus window and tried to ignore the screeching voices of his team mates that he could hear past his music. He tried to keep his mind completely blank. Tried to just focus on the lyrics, but it was hard. His mind felt as though it was stuffed with cotton. His thoughts were trapped in one place, bubbling and growing till it pained his heart. The weight of it all was heavy on his chest. That’s why he was more than ready to get off the bus, hoping the fresh air would clear this all up. When they arrived at the camp Tsukishima waited until everyone had stepped off the bus before he stood. Grabbing his bag, he pulled his jacket closer around his body and followed the rest of his teammates. He kept his headphones on and hardly heard anything that Daichi and Ukai said. “Okay guys, gather up your stuff and let’s take them to our room and then we’ll meet up with Nekoma in the gymnasium.” Coach Ukai called out as him, Sensei, and Shimizu stood in front of the restless Karasuno team. “It’s so beautiful up here!” Sugawara smiled as he looked over at their Captain who returned the gesture. “I’ll race you there!” Hinata hollered to Kageyama as he took off towards the building, his backpack weighing heavy at his side. Kageyama shouted obscenities towards the orange haired boy as he ran after him. Tanaka and Nishinoya wasted no time in running after the two Kohai, on Daichi’s orders to calm them down. The rest of the group though, including Tsukishima, walked at a normal pace. The 2nd years chatted amongst themselves as Asahi joined at Suga’s and Daichi’s side. Yamaguchi stayed back with his best friend, who constantly glanced up at the taller boy in the attempt to make absolute certainty that he was okay. Tsukishima had his headphones still on and tried his hardest to ignore the stares from the smaller boy. His skin crawled with each shy look and he was tempted to turn around and head back to the bus, not even caring if that is where he spent the rest of the trip. In the end though, he stood his ground and walked all the way into the air conditioned building. The cool air was like a gift from above, it soothed Tsukishima’s nerves and he felt a little bit prepared to remove his headphones and take in the full sounds of his teammates. The room they were staying in was like all the other ones that came with training camps. It was massive enough to fit all of the members plus some. Futons were folded under the bay windows that lit the whole room with a special type of warmth that only the sun could provide. Everyone had placed their bags all over the place, choosing to fully organize later that night. Tsukishima on the other had walked over to the far right corner and dropped his duffle bag on the ground. With hesitant fingers the lanky teen slowly removed his headphones and took his MP3 out of his jacket pocket. Placing the devices on his bag, he turned to see that everyone else was getting ready for the long days’ workout. That’s when it hit him, the bruises on his body. Fear shook him to the core as his eyes grew wide. “Okay guys, remember it’s really hot today and I don’t want anyone to get heat stroke so fill your water bottles and take a rest when you need to!” Ukai called out, breaking Tsukishima’s daze. It was extremely hot out today, he knew that if he did keep his jacket on he would definitely faint and then they would definitely find the bruises. “Tsukki, are you okay?” Said boy turned his head to look down at Yamaguchi. The small boys’ brow was creased with worry and his eyes held the same emotion. Yamaguchi knew there was something wrong with his best friend, but every time he wanted to ask Tsukki what’s wrong the words would get stuck in his throat. “Um, um…yeah. I just-I just don’t feel too good.” As soon as he spoke, Tsukishima realized just how dry his throat was from the fear ripping at his insides. His voice didn’t sound like his and it scared him. Yamaguchi’s eyes widened, “Are you sick?!” His voice carried and a couple of the others stopped what they were doing and turned to face the two. “Now that you mention it, you do look a little pale Tsukishima.” Suga said in a worried tone as him and Asahi walked a little closer to the tall teen. “I don’t think he should play today.” Daichi spoke next as he stood next to Suga now. “I agree, I’ll go and tell the coach.” Suga said and before Tsukishima could protest his senpai walked off. Tsukishima wanted to tell his Senpai that he was okay, and that he could still play, but Sugawara was already out of the room. Most of the others had also already left the room, probably going to bathroom to get ready for practice. The only ones remaining were Yamaguchi, Daichi, and Asahi. To the blonde, having only these 3 here was a lot less suffocating, but he still felt very guilty around the captain and his best friend. He was in a lot of pain when Daichi came to visit him. To the point he was on the verge of passing out the whole time, and he had a hard time fallowing everything he was saying; but he couldn’t forget the look in the other man’s eyes. The way Daichi’s brown orbs held so much worry and pain. He knew the captain wanted to force him to say what had happened so that he could help, but even with the aching feeling he had in his chest he couldn’t tell him. As for Yamaguchi, his best friend, he couldn’t even look him in the eye. Tsukishima turned his head to look out the window. But that didn’t stop the smaller boy from continuing to look at him. Yamaguchi knew something was up from the moment Tsukishima wouldn’t return his texts and seeing his friend this morning confirmed his thoughts that something bad had happened. “Do you feel like throwing up?” Daichi asked. Tsukishima just shook his head no, not trusting his voice anymore. “Maybe it’s just the heat, it’s way hotter up here in the mountains then in Miyagi.” Asahi chimed in, looking from Tsukishima to Daichi. “Could be.” Daichi started before the door slid open and Sugawara came back into the room. “So the couch want’s you on the bench today. He said he did notice you looked a little ill this morning, so he wants you to rest up and you can play tomorrow.” Sugawara said, walking up to Daichi. “Good. Now then, Yamaguchi and Asahi go finish getting ready.” Daichi looked at said two boys who nodded their heads and walked towards the door. Yamaguchi looked back one more time at his best friend before finally leaving. “The gym is right down the hall, go ahead and go there. The couch and Sensei are already there.” Sugawara said to Tsukishima who had turned to look at his senpai. Tsukishima nodded his head before lowering his gaze and making his way to the door. He felt completely exhausted and didn’t want to fight wither or not he played. If anything it’s a good thing he isn’t playing. He could rest his body some more and he won’t have to worry about hiding his bruises since he will be on the bench and be able to keep his jacket on without it being weird. One day at a time. The blond walked out into the hall way and down to the set of double doors at the end. Sucking in a deep breath of air Tsukishima opened the doors and walked in. No one even noticed that he had even came in. All of Nekoma were catching up with Karasuno. Everyone was already dressed and ready for practice besides Daichi and Suga who were probably changing right now. Without really realizing it Tsukishima’s gaze landed on Kuroo. The taller player had his harm draped over Kenma’s shoulders as they talked to Hinata and Kageyama. He was smiling at something and for some reason it made Tsukishima angry; His chest felt tight and he could feel tears fight to come out. He couldn’t stop looking at the four players. “Tsukishima!” Snapping out of his gaze he turned to see Coach Ukai walking over to him, “You get to sit on the bench today, and if at any moment you need to rest just let me know okay.” “O-okay.” Tsukishima nodded his head. His voice sounded a little better, not as horse. “Good. Now go sit down okay. We’re about to start.” Tsukishima nodded his head and walked around their coach to the bench, where Yachi, Shimizu, and Sensei were already sitting. He was thankful that they left the end spot free, so that he wouldn’t have to be in between any of them. Taking a seat, he nodded in recognition at the two girls before looked over at Coach who had called everyone in, seeing as Sugawara and Daichi just came in. Coach Nekomata had also called in his team on the other side of the court. Tsukishima looked from both teams as the coaches began giving their pep talks. He wasn’t too interested in hearing what Ukai had to say seeing as he wasn’t playing anyway. He even thought of telling Coach that he wasn’t feeling good and he wanted to go lay down. Which was pretty true; he could feel the pain killers he took this morning begin to wear off. The stiffness in his shoulders coming back and his hips ached. Sitting on a wooden bench wasn’t helping too much either. Tsukishima threaded his fingers together in front of him as he looked off into a corner of the room. He needed something to focus on as he tried to breath. That’s when he felt it, someone was staring at him. Turning his head straight he came face to face with the cat like stair of Kuroo. The taller teen’s brow was furrowed and his lips were turned down into a frown. Tsukishima felt uncomfortable under his gaze but he couldn’t really bring himself to turn away. Even if he did he knew that wouldn’t stop Kuroo from looking at him. Tsukishima felt like throwing up as he squeezed his fingers tighter together, the joints feeling numb. He knew this was a mistake. ***** Isolated Storm ***** Chapter Summary This chapter is dedicated to AlexandriaArlene!!!!! I love you, so read this darn story. As The Rain Comes Down Chapter Six: Isolated Storm Kei Tsukishima’s POV “Okay guys! It’s time for a break.” Coach Ukai shouted after blowing his whistle. Tsukishima cringed at the shrill noise, his body stiffening. He stood slowly, his hand resting on his lower back as if that would ease the pain and soreness from the wooden bench. The starting team, plus Yamaguchi who was filling in for Tsukishima, stopped playing and walked over to the bench where Yachi and Shimizu were passing out water battles and towels. Tsukishima stood in the back and only a few of the players actually looked his way; including Yamaguchi. Tsukishima’s legs felt a little unstable as he stood there watching his team down their waters and wipe the sweat from their foreheads. He wanted to sit down, but the wooden bench wasn’t helping his pain. With a low strained sigh Tsukishima scanned the giant gymnasium; for some unknown reason his heart pounded in his chest and he turned his gaze only to lock eyes with Kuroo. The taller man was also wiping his forehead with a towel, but the whole time he did not take his gaze from Tsukishima. The tall blond flinched at the concerned gaze and turned away and walked over to the metal rack that held the now empty water bottles. Picking it up he just walked out of the gym; not even bothering to see if anyone was going to question him. He felt nauseous, his stomach doing flips as he walked with a slight limp to the outside sinks located under a giant tree not even 10 feet from the gym doors. Setting the metal carrier on the rim, he leaned against the sink. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe; his heart was pounding against his rib cage and he felt completely shaken. He didn’t expect to feel this way; thinking that those two days of rest would be good enough for him to pull through the rest of the trip. “Hey, are you okay Tsukki?” The young blond whipped around to see Kuroo standing in front of him and immediately stood up straight; his brow furrowing in pain from his lower back at the sudden movement. “Wh-what?” He asked, his voice a little hoarse; his brain hadn’t fully comprehended what the Nekoma Captain had said. “Are you okay? I mean…What happened?” Kuroo came a little closer to the tall teen, but stopped the moment Tsukishima tensed up.   “I-I’m fine.” Tsukishima replied, regaining what little composure he could. He didn’t really know what to say, his mind had been too numb these past couple hours that he didn’t think on what he would tell Kuroo. Said man though wasn’t buying it. He knew there was way more to the story then what the blocker was saying. “Are you sure?” He asked again, hoping maybe this time Tsukishima would answer honestly. “Yeah, I’m alright…just tired.” Tsukishima said, his voice a little strained. He just wanted Kuroo to leave him alone. He turned his eyes away from the Captain, trying to calm himself down. His anxiety was rising from the questions and the way Kuroo’s eyes burned into his skin. Kuroo’s eyes scanned Tsukishima from head to toe, finally stopping at the youngers wide golden brown eyes. “Why aren’t you telling me the truth?” Kuroo’s voice was small and filled with hurt and it ripped at Tsukishima’s heart, “I know you are lying Kei! I can see it. The way you limp and those bruises! Why won’t you just tell me the truth?!” Tsukishima flinched and pushed back into the sinks at the rising tone of Kuroo’s voice. His legs felt shaky, as if they were made of jello and he was having a hard time maintaining eye contact with the taller teen. Kuroo had taken a step closer, his blood was boiling with thoughts on what could have happened to the blonde and he was just dying to hear the truth so he could do something instead of standing around and watching the other suffer alone. “I-I am telling the truth…I’m fi-fine.” It was as if someone was squeezing his throat, Tsukishima couldn’t get the words out as tears threatened to fall. He hated this. He wanted to keep it all to himself, all the pain he was feeling was his and he didn’t want to tell anyone, especially Kuroo. To Tsukishima, Kuroo already knew too much. “No, no you aren’t.” Kuroo said, an authoritative tone to his words. “I am,” Tsukishima said the usual scowl coming back to his features, “Why don’t you go worry about someone else.” He didn’t mean for his tone to come off so harsh, but he was already becoming upset with Kuroo’s persistence. Kuroo’s expression dropped and his heart sank to his stomach. Tsukishima has never spoken to him like that. He’s never heard the blond raise his tone like that and in all honesty, it scared him. So, he did the only thing he felt was right, he balled his hands into fists at his sides and glared at the younger, straightening his back and trying to make himself seem more intimidating, hoping Tsukishima will get the picture that he isn’t going anywhere so he better spill the story. “Kei, please…please tell me what’s going on!? Who hurt you?” Kuroo snapped, his tone just as harsh, “I know something happened to you! I have those pictures!” Tsukishima froze. He didn’t know what to do anymore. He stood there staring at the other man, no longer shaking with anger and anxiety. No, to him he felt like his whole world was ending. Everything was crashing down around him with every word Kuroo spoke. “Something happened! I KNOW something happened to you and you need to tell me what it was.” And that was it. The moment those words left Kuroo’s lips Tsukishima knew his life was over. Tears started to fall down his cheeks and a lump swelled in his throat. He was mad at himself, he was mad at what had happened to him, he was mad that Kuroo confronted him like this, he was mad at himself for even exsisting. “Tsukki, please don’t cry.” Kuroo’s tone was soft again and his brow furrowed in worry. He realized that he had done something wrong. He didn’t want to make the boy cry, but he felt so hurt and so angry that he couldn’t help but lose his cool. Kuroo moved forward with his hand out stretched, he wanted to pull the younger into a hug. He wanted to make all of his problems go away. “No! No! Stay away from me!” Tsukishima shouted, his body began to shake again, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, just stay away!” Tsukishima pushed off the sink and ran towards the building. He could hear Kuroo yell after him as he ran, but he couldn’t make out what he was saying. Everything was too loud and jumbled for him to process anything. He just wanted the world to be quiet. “Tsukishima! Where you going!?” Daichi called out as the blond passed him, Sugawara, and Asahi. He paid them no mind. His vision was clouded by pain and tears. The only thing he could manage to do was run. He didn’t know where he was going, he was letting his legs carry him. As long as it was away from everyone he didn’t care. Tetsuro Kuroo’s POV He felt like shit. He stood in the same spot and just watched as Tsukishima ran off, he didn’t even see the others until they were standing right next to him. “Kuroo, what happened?” Daichi asked as he moved in front of the taller man. The captain’s brow was furrowed in worry and his lips were pulled down into a frown. “I, I don’t know.” Kuroo spoke, his voice low. He was still trying to figure out why Tsukishima had just run off instead of trusting him, “We were talking and then he got mad at me. I was just trying to help him.” Kuroo’s gaze came back into focus and he looked at the other captain. His throat felt tight and he too just wanted to cry out, but he couldn’t do that, not with Tsukishima being in as much pain as he is. He couldn’t be the weak one right now. “Why was he mad at you?” Sugawara asked, his face too was filled with worry. “He won’t tell me what’s wrong! Come on you guys are his teammates! You know that there is something wrong and he’s not telling any of us!” Kuroo felt that rage come back, his blood boiling to just know the truth. Daichi, Sugawara, and Asahi looked guilty. They knew that something was up with their teammate, but they just didn’t know what to do about it. They figured they would treat him the same tell the tall teen was ready to talk. But now they realized that they should have pressed him, they should have sat him down before they started practicing and asked Tsukishima what was wrong. Ask him why he was covered in cuts and bruises. “I’m going to go talk to him.” Everyone looked at Asahi, surprised that he was the one that said that. Tsukishima had never been close to the 3rd years, but they were sure that Tsukishima had hardly said one word to the Ace. “Are you sure Asahi?” Sugawara asked, eyeing the taller man with apprehension. “Yes.” Asahi knew what he was going to say, and he knew he was the only one who the words should come from because he had never once pushed the teen into talking. Kei Tsukishima’s POV Tsukishima’s body shook uncontrollably and his legs felt like rubber as he tried to run down the hall; tears streaming down his cheeks. He didn’t even know where he was going, he just wanted to get away from people, get away from Kuroo. He couldn’t even wrap his mind around what to think about what Kuroo had said to him. It all seemed like a horrible nightmare to him. He didn’t want his teamamates or Kuroo to know anything about what happened to him. He knew it was his fault; he should have just stayed with Yamaguchi, but no. He was too excited to see Kuroo that he just wanted to pack that night. But now he can’t even look at Kuroo. He felt too ashamed, too dirty. He grabbed the handle of the first door on his left and quickly rushed inside, closing it behind him. As he pressed his back against the door he noticed he was in complete darkness. With a shaky breath and slow movements, he reached his hands out and felt around him. He was in a broom closet. He could feel shelves stacked in front of him with bottles and buckets. He turned and locked the door and then slid down against the wall to the left of it. As he sat there he pulled his legs to his chest and sulked back into the wall, trying to become one with it. He couldn’t even cry anymore, tears dried against his cheeks. He could feel his eyes sting and his chest felt so tight as if it was going to burst open at any minute. Tsukishima rested his head on his knees and closed his eyes, it helped a little with the burning pain. He had even forgot about the immense pain his body was in until he sat down. He didn’t know what to do anymore; he still needed to clean some of the wounds that had bandages on them. He couldn’t bring himself to get up and leave the closet though. Everything seemed too difficult and hard on his body. And so he sat there in the dark closet trying to collect himself as the world crumbled around him. “Tsukishima-Kun?” Tsukishima’s head shot up and he turned his head toward the door, the light coming in from the bottom was shadowed as someone sat down against the door. Tsukishima said nothing and kept his eyes focused on the door. He knew that voice. “It’s me Asahi, we saw you running,” Asahi started his tone filled with worry, “We wanted to make sure you were okay.” “I-I’m fine.” Tsukishima said, his voice weak and dry. “Tsukishima,” Asahi started and Tsukishima knew what was coming. He knew Asahi was going to talk about how that’s a lie and he’s probably going to hound him until he tells him what’s going on. Tsukishima didn’t know if he could handle that; especially not after the talk he had with Kuroo, “All of us care about you and if you don’t want to talk about it we won’t force you. But I want you to know that we are here for you and we will never judge you, never. “ Asahi’s words had eased a little of the pressure on Tsukishima’s heart and he relaxed back into the wall. He couldn’t see Asahi, but he was sure that his senpai looked sad. Why wouldn’t he? Tsukishima is hurting and won’t open up to them, so how is he supposed to be a pillar of strength without knowing the details. “Talking about it will actually help, I know it’s hard and I’m willing to wait tell you’re ready. So just know im here for you, we’re all here for you. Just take all the time you need, we won’t see you any different.” Tsukishima could see the shadow move. Asahi stood up, “Go back to the room and get some rest. I’ll tell Coach that you’re not feeling well. Don’t worry everything will be okay.” With that Asahi started walking back to the gym. Tsukishima took in a deep breath of air, he had a lot to process and his head felt as though it was stuffed with cotton. A nap would do him good, so he stood up and quietly opened the closet door. He stuck his head out to make sure there was no one around and when he saw the coast was clear he slipped out and made his way down the hall to their room. His body ached and his head was pounding, all he wanted to do was take some pain killers and sleep. ~Chapter End~ A/N: I’m so sorry that it took me forever to get this chapter out!!! I love you all, you’re comments and kudo and reads just give me motivation to go on with this story!!!!! ***** Flash Floods ***** As the Rain Comes Down Chapter Seven: Flash Floods Tsukishima Kei’s POV Hard grunting filled Tsukishima’s ears and it felt as though his eyes were rolling back into his head. His whole body was numb at this point, but that didn’t stop him from feeling the pressure that was being put on his back or the sharp dig of rocks under his torso. Tsukishima ground his teeth together and shut his eyes as Ken now thrust in and out of him, the man’s monstrous hands gripping his hips in a crushing hold. He just wanted to die. Everything that was happening to him was too much for his body and soul. “Tsukki!” The blonde’s eyes snapped open and he whipped his head to the side. There standing in the pouring rain was Kuroo, but he was not alone. Yamaguchi, Daichi, and Asahi all stood there gawking. Their eyes were wide and their mouths hung open. Shame ran through his veins and it felt as though his heart was going to burst right through his ribcage. “What the fuck?” Daichi mumbled. “Oh look what we have here Kei!” Tozin bellowed as he walked in front of Tsukishima, “It looks like his little buddies came to watch the show.” Tozin reached out and took a hold of Tsukishima by his hair. The blond groaned at the slight pain and looked up at Tozin. The threat of a man was there but still he couldn’t help but looking in horror back at his friends every now and again, the shame like train wreck you can’t stop yourself from looking at. “Tsukishima, how could you do this?!” Asahi asked, his features completely mortified. “That’s right, Tsukki. How could you do this to them? Making them watch you in such a wanton state?” Tozin clicked his tongue as he shook Tsukishima’s head. The teen cried out, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Tears came to Tsukishima’s eyes and they didn’t stop. He was in so much pain. He could feel it in his joints and in his muscles, but most of all he felt it in his heart. His heart felt like it was being crushed under the weight of the world, more like the weight of the guilt he felt at even putting himself in this position. “I hate you Tsukki.” Kuroo said, his face painted and tone painted by enmity. In an instant, it stopped Tsukishima’s tears. His whole world shattered around him.   Tsukishima woke with a start and bolted upright in bed. He gripped his sweaty t-shirt and felt his heart pounding away behind his fist. It was like the other day. It was hard to breathe and his vision became dotted with black spots. He couldn’t understand what was happening to his body, but he hated it. His arms pulsated with pain and the small cuts along his body stung. Pulling his legs up to his chest, he tried to breathe in through his nose and out of his mouth, but it felt as though his lungs were the size of peanuts. “Breath, breath, breath.” It became a mantra he repeated in his head as he tried to calm down. It took almost half an hour for his heart to finally settle. He sat there with his eyes closed and focused mainly on his breathing. Of course, the dream he had weighed heavy on his shoulders and it twisted his stomach into knots. He gripped the blanket that covered his legs and pushed it to the side. As he moved to stand, he winced in pain. He was starting to feel the burning pain in his joints again and the bruises ached. Bending down, he reached into his bag and pulled out the small bottle of painkillers. Taking a few, he put it back and grabbed the fresh bandages to change the one on his face. Slowly, and still with a small limp, he made his way down the hallway to the bathroom. As he walked he couldn’t hear any of the athletes which eased his mind a little. He couldn’t look at anyone right now, he needed to stop the pain. Once in the bathroom he launched himself at a sink so that it could support his weight. Popping the pills into his mouth, he turned on the faucet and with great difficulty he bent down and drank some water. The pills didn’t go down too easy, seeing as he still had a lump in his throat from the dream. He stood up straight and glanced at himself in the mirror. In his reflection he could see the reason why everyone was so keen on pestering him about his health and state of mind. He truly looked how he felt inside, dead. His eyes had dark circles under them and they looked sunken in. His lips had cracks from being dry and the bandage on his cheek had an end falling off, slightly showing the deep swollen bruise he had there. Small cuts still covered his chin, but they looked as though they were already healing as they weren’t the same angry red they had been earlier. Tsukishima was so focused on his haggard appearance that he didn’t realize someone was coming in till the bathroom door made a loud bang as it closed. Tsukishima turned to the side with wide eyes, but his coiled muscled began to unwind as he realized it was Sugawara that came in. The other teen was just as surprised to see the lanky blond standing before the mirror. “Tsukishima,” Suga said as a soft smile graced his lips, “I’m glad you’re up. How are you feeling?” Tsukishima kept his weight rested on the sink, fearing that if he let go right now he would fall to the floor. He forced a small smile, “I’m good. I just needed some sleep.” “I can see that. As soon as dinner is over it’s straight to bed with you.” Suga walked further in and closer to Tsukishima, “What are you doing?” He asked eyeing the bandage and then looking back at Tsukishima’s face. “I-I was…” Tsukishima was at a loss of words. The bruise on his cheek was a badge of shame- embarrassment- and he would give anything for others not to see it so prominently on his face. It just felt so wrong to him that he couldn’t even tell Suga. “Don’t worry, I get it.” Suga kept that same soft smile of his and nodded in understanding, “Here, let me help you.” Suga extended his arm and moved closer to the teen; he made sure to keep his movements slow as to not make Tsukishima nervous. After a second of debating in his mind he reached out his hand with the bandage and gave it to the older teen. Suga moved closer and accepted the white cloth. We soft and slow movements he grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser near the sink and wet it a little with water. The bruise on his cheek only had a small cut that was already healing; the main damage was the yellowing bruise that just took over. Dabbing the wet towel over the small cut, he hummed a small tone. It was the same song his mother would hum to him when he had injured himself as a boy. It was a soothing sound and it calmed Tsukishima’s anxiety. He felt completely fine allowing Sugawara to touch him like this, in fact it made him feel as though everything was normal; that he was normal. “There, all better.” Sugawara placed the bandage over the cut and made sure it would stay in place with the adhesive that lined the sides. The older teen smiled up at Tsukishima and then turned so that he could wash his hands, the thing he came into the bathroom for the first place. Tsukishima watched as his senpai washed his hands. He was surprised that he had yet to say anything about the bruises. “Thanks.” He said. He just wanted to be treated like he used to and Sugawara did just that. “Of course, now come on. Wash your hands, dinner is ready. And when you’re done take a bath and get some more sleep.” Sugawara smiled once more before he turned to the door and left. Tsukishima stood there for a second just relishing in the feeling of having someone care for him like his senpai just did. But just as those warm thoughts filled his mind they were quickly over shadowed by the dream he had and the pain that filled his body. That’s not what he deserves, he doesn’t deserve to have such kindness put his way. “Shut up.” He said to himself before he washed his hands and slowly made his way out of the bathroom. He didn’t even bother to look at himself one last time before he walked out. He wouldn’t have been able to stomach it. Tetsuro Kuroo’s POV The cafeteria fell quiet for a small moment when Tsukki walked in, but Sugawara was quick to start up a conversation again making everyone else continue what they were doing. Tsukishima moved to sit next to Yamaguchi who had waved at him when he walked in. Kuroo assumed this would most likely be the case when small brunette boy had gotten two trays from the food line instead of just one. Kuroo felt a pain in his heart. He knew he hurt Tsukishima. It was his words and actions that caused the one he loved to run away with tears in his eyes. So, he just sat there picking at his food while keeping an eye on the blond boy. There was no way he was going to let him out of his sight, he knew something was wrong. Tsukishima would never act like this with him, every single time a problem arose Tsukki would use that sarcasm of his as a defense mechanism and an hour later he would spill his guts to Kuroo. And that is why the captain knew something was wrong, really wrong. His eyes narrowed as he watched the blond slowly bring food to his mouth. Tsukki winced as he chewed and swallowed, his movements were slow and strained. The bandage on his cheek was new, and Kuroo knew there was something bad under it. He could even see small scratches along his arms and then there was those deep purple, almost yellow, bruises on his wrists. It felt as though rocks were filling his stomach instead of food and his mouth ran dry. He knew what happened, there was no other way he could possibly explain what those pictures were and how Tsukki had wound up with those marks. Tsukishima, the man he was in love with, was raped. He was guessing that the other members on his team had suspected something similar, so he couldn’t figure out why no one was confronting the teen and forcing him to go to the doctors!? He could feel his blood boil as he watched Tsukki attempt to eat more of his food. He wanted to end whoever laid a hand on the blond. Kuroo decided that he will confront Tsukishima again tomorrow, and this time he will hear the truth from Tsukki’s mouth.   Chapter End. A/N: I’m so sorry guys, that it’s taken me this long to get this chapter out. But I will work hard to hurry the other one up. Thank you for reading! Much love. ***** Eye of the Storm ***** As the Rain Comes Down Chapter Eight: Eye of the Storm Kei Tsukishima’s POV He didn’t eat much at dinner, he was filling full three bits in, so when he left he made his way to the bath house. It was a small room at the end of the hall next to the restroom; there were wash stations with buckets and towels to the side and a door at the end of the room leading to the actual bath tub, judging by the steam that clouded the glass window on the door he knew the tub was already filled with hot water. With a sigh, he walked over to the cubby off to the right and slowly started to take off his clothes. He started with his shirt, as he grabbed the hem he pulled up slowly. His body was tensing and the bruises that were all over his chest and back throbbed in pain. Next was his pants, as he unbuckled the button he couldn’t help but think of everything that had happened in the past couple days. He tried his hardest to push the thoughts to the back of his head; he couldn’t afford to think about it. He knew that he had to keep it together, for the sake of the team and for the fact that he didn’t want anyone to find out. He thought that if he just pushed it to the back of his mind then it would go away eventually and all he had to do was push through the pain till the physical marks healed. Once he folded his clothes and put them in the small cubby he wrapped a towel around his waist and walked into the actual bath area. Sitting on one of the small stools he turned on the water to one of the hoses and made sure it was the proper scolding temperature before he began to bathe himself. His moves were automatic as he just sat there thinking. He felt so emotionally drained from the dreams he kept having that he was worried about going to sleep again. He didn’t want to see that scene again. Placing the shower head back where it goes he stood up with a slight shake to his frame and walked into the bath. He will try his hardest to have no dreams tonight. ~+~+~ The Next Day Tetsuro Kuroo’s POV Kuroo felt like shit, his bones ached and his eyes burned from a restless night. He knew it was affecting their training as this was the second time Nekoma lost to Karasuno and it was only going to be noon. As the captain, it was his job to lead the team, but with the lack of sleep and worry that coursed through his body it was hard too. To his surprise, Tsukishima was playing today. The tall lanky teen wore sweat pants and a short sleeved black shirt. Since this was just training the coaches didn’t care what type of clothes you wore as long as you could move as freely as you could in uniform. Kuroo could already tell that Tsukishima was getting hot, the youngers cheeks flushed a bright red and his moves were very strained, he wasn’t at his best today either. Kuroo couldn’t get a wink of sleep last night, his stomach refused to settle and his heart ached from the events of the day. He knew Tsukishima was in pain and he had only made it worse. He felt like the biggest jerk in the whole world. Of course, he wanted to figure out what had happened, but after he laid down for the night and his mind began to race with everything that happened; he knew he couldn’t go with his original plan. He couldn’t just corner Tsukishima again and demand that he tells him what happened. He had to think of another way. He looked over to the bench and that’s when his eyes came across Sugawara, and that was it! When lunch time came around he would go and talk to Sugawara; he knew that their vice-captain must know what to do. “Tsukki!” The whistle blew and Kuroo snapped his head around to look at the other side of the next and his stomach sank. Tsukishima was lying on the hardwood floor his cheeks a flushed red and his eyes screwed shut. Without a second thought, he rushed under the net and dropped to his knees next to Tsukishima. “Guys, give him some space!” Coach Ukai called out as him and the other adults rushed over, “We need to get him to the infirmary.” “I’ll take him.” Kuroo quickly slid his arms under the blond and lifted him. Everyone around him moved out of the way and gave him room to follow Coach Ukai and Takeda Sensei. Kuroo looked down at the man in his arms and felt complete panic come over him. Tsukishima was out cold, his bangs sticking to his forehead from the sweat that formed on his brow. His heart ached as he rushed down the hallway to the infirmary. He noticed that Kiyoko had already beat them to the room and had the door held open. With a nod of his head, he rushed inside and made a B-line to the bed. “Set him down, and put a couple pillows under his legs, we have to get them elevated,” Kiyoko said as she followed behind Kuroo, Ukai and Takeda followed after the two. “Why did he faint?” Takeda, “Is he sick?” Kiyoko moved over to the side of the bed and sat down, she reached a hand out to gently place it on Tsukki’s forehead. Kuroo felt a slight pain in his heart at the sight of Kyoko touching him, he wanted to reach out and slap her hand away. But instead of acting on that he took a step back and turned to the adults in the room. “Kiyoko, take care of him the best you can, I’ll call his mother,” Takeda- Sensei spoke with an uneasy voice before he walked out of the room, his phone in hand. “I'm going to head back to the gym, we’ll take a break for now.” Karasuno’s coach said as he gave the kids one more glance and walked out after the teacher. “I need you to take off his shirt, we got to get him in a comfortable state,” Kiyoko said as she gestured for Kuroo to do what she just said. Kiyoko, on the other hand, sat at the head of the bed and gently tapped Tsukishima’s cheek. “Tsukishima, I need you to wake up.” Kiyoko said in a slightly raised voice, “Come on Tsukishima.” The blond-haired boy stirred under Kiyoko’s touch, his eyes slightly fluttering open. He made a couple of groaning noises before his head lolled to the side, his eyes closing. Kiyoko placed her other hand on Tsukishima’s other cheek, “Come on, you need to stay awake.” This time Tsukishima managed to keep his eyes open, even though he looked completely exhausted, it looked as though he wasn’t even registering the things going on around him. “There we go, I’ll get you something to drink okay.” Kiyoko stood up and made her way out of the room. Kuroo was left there to finish what Kiyoko had told him to do. He felt ashamed of himself as he pulled up Tsukishima’s shirt. The bruises and marks that littered Tsukishima’s normally pale flesh caused Kuroo’s stomach to turn. Swallowing the lump in his throat he pulled the shirt up and over the younger's head, with careful hands he pulled Tsukishima’s arms through the sleeves. When it was finally off he draped it at the end of the bed. “What happened to you?” Kuroo asked more to himself than to Tsukishima. The blonde’s head lulled to the side and his eyebrows knitted together. He stood there taking in the sight, all the mark, and the pain written on the youngers features. He didn’t even hear the door opening when Kiyoko came back. “What happened!?” Kuroo turned to look at Kiyoko. Her mouth hung open and her body trembled slightly at the sight of the younger man on the bed. “I need to talk to you and Daichi,” Kuroo spoke with a somber tone. He turned and started to cover Tsukishima with the thin blanket that was folded at the bottom of the bed, “I’ll take care of him if you would please go get your captain.” Kiyoko walked closer and handed the juice she brought to Kuroo before nodding her head and taking her leave. Kuroo, on the other hand, pulled up a chair and sat next to Tsukishima. The blondes’ eyes were slightly open, but he seemed to be in a daze. It was like he wasn’t even registering what was happening around him, and Kuroo was a little thankful that. He knew Tsukishima wouldn’t want him to say anything about the marks on his body. Kuroo slid a hand under Tsukishima’s head, his fingers threading through the blondes’ soft hair, and he lifted his head. With his other hand, he brought the cup to the youngers’ lips and helped him take small sips. “Come on Tsukki, just a little. You need to drink this okay.” Kuroo spoke in a soft tone, and to his surprise, Tsukishima was listening to him, he slowly drank some of the juice, “Thank you Tsukki, this will make you feel better.” With a heavy heart, Kuroo stepped out of the infirmary about 10 minutes later. As soon as he closed the door and turned around he saw Kiyoko, Daichi, and Sugawara standing against the wall. Kuroo stepped away from the door and stood in front of the other, “You guys are the only ones I can turn to about Tsukki, I don’t know what to do about those marks on his body.” Kuroo’s tone was powerless and it filled the air around the four. “Let’s start with what you know,” Daichi said. ~Chapter End~ A/N: I am so sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out, I’m just so terrible at updating!!!! I hope you guys enjoyed this really short chapter, the next one will be longer. Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!