Rushing from the club room, Chihaya calls after Kana, "Thank you, for today!" She's a little loud and very desperate but Kana turns, eyes wide, a picture of surprise which then pulls into a smile and is followed by a nod.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Ayase-san," Kana replies, keeping to her regular volume instead of matching Chihaya's exclamation. "It's nice to be working with you." Her mouth twitches up into an even happier smile before she ducks her head and turns back to continue her walk down the hallway, cutting off any awkwardness that would probably happen if she let Chihaya say more.
Tomorrow. Chihaya returns to the club room where Taichi's flipping over cards to check his memorisation.
"She's coming back," she tells him.
He sighs. "Of course she is, she knows you won't let her go now."
Chihaya shakes her head, she wouldn't let her go but that's not what she means. "I think she wants to stay, I think she might love karuta."
Laughing, Taichi goes back to flipping cards. "If there's anyone who could make her fall in love with karuta, it's you." While she agrees, she doesn't think Taichi really understands what she means. Kana loves the cards already and loving the game is only the tiniest step from there.
Chihaya offers to put the tape on for one last match before they leave, Taichi glances at the clock but reluctantly agrees.
----
"That was-" Kana breaks off, her eyes alight and her cheeks the colour of roses. "You were amazing, Chihaya-chan."
Somehow, Chihaya finds her eyes brimming with tears and, when she speaks, her voice is thick with them. "I remembered what you taught me, Kana-chan, I couldn't do it without you." She moves forward and wraps Kana in a hug to hide her face, though it's obvious to everyone that she's crying, and hopes that her tears won't fall on Kana's kimono. Kana doesn't stiffen for an instant, instead winding her arms around her middle, making soothing noises.
"You did it on your own, Chihaya-chan. I wasn't playing out there with you."
Chihaya shakes her head so her tears spring loose - please don't ruin Kana-chan's lovely kimono - "I could hear the pictures, they were so beautiful. You helped me hear them properly."
Kana's forehead only reaches Chihaya's shoulder when she's wrapped around her like this, and when she tilts her head to press a little closer, Chihaya wonders if anyone has heard Kana's voice so quickly after she begins sounding the words. "Thank you, I'm... It was lovely to be a part of something beautiful."
----
They're grown now, and Chihaya receives more compliments on her looks than ever. When she stops by Kana's store, with a smile and a wave, a set of poems tucked hopefully in the pocket of her bag, she thinks that Kana deserves far more praise than she does, she's radiant in her simplicity. All her clothing fits traditional lines, even when she's heading out in casual wear, as she is today.
"Kana-chan," Chihaya says, pleased that she timed her visit right and isn't interrupting any business. "You look lovely." She matches the store, or the store matches her, she's changed things ever so slightly so that it's hers as well as her mother's and her family's and she never looks more at home than she does here amongst the ornamentation.
Kana blushes and smooths down her skirt. "That's nice of you to say, Chihaya-chan."
"Are you busy? I don't want to interrupt anything!" Kana shakes her head before she finishes her sentence.
"I was going out, but it can wait. Would you like some tea?" Kana ushers her deeper into the shop and fetches her tea set - the one her mum got her when she graduated - with only the slightest affirmation from Chihaya, she loves sharing her delicate fondness with anyone she knows will listen, now more than ever.
They chat away, about Kana's business, Chihaya's study and the few mutual people they've stayed in contact with. Kana's grown into herself, her old way of filling herself with pride until she's so puffed up it looks like she's about to take off has relaxed into a warm confidence that comes from knowing who she is and who she wants to be and - the thing that Chihaya's still working on but can almost taste some days - how to get there.
"Sometimes I miss the club," Kana says and halts Chihaya's admiration. "It was nice being part of something like that, and-" she hesitates, Chihaya wishes she could hear the words that are sitting on the tip of Kana's tongue, but she ducks her head back down to her tea cup with a tiny shake and sips even though this round is still too hot for Chihaya's tongue.
Chihaya puffs on her tea to cool it, she doesn't mind sitting in silence these days, waiting for a thought that Kana, or any other partner for conversation, will care for, rather than saying the very first thing that passes through her mind. Eventually, one surfaces. "I miss being part of that with you."
Kana's cheeks are red from steam as she makes eye contact with Chihaya for a second, then darts away, back to her tea, polite as ever to divert from the wistful expression plastered all over Chihaya's face.
"I could come to the karuta institute some time, and read for you." She sips, but Chihaya waits, hearing the words that Kana hasn't yet said. "Or, just for you."
(sorry to cut this off here but otherwise I just know I'd keep going until they end up living together and chihaya gets kana to to do readings until her throat is raw!)
FILL: Team Haikyuu!!, G
Word count: 931
Rushing from the club room, Chihaya calls after Kana, "Thank you, for today!" She's a little loud and very desperate but Kana turns, eyes wide, a picture of surprise which then pulls into a smile and is followed by a nod.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Ayase-san," Kana replies, keeping to her regular volume instead of matching Chihaya's exclamation. "It's nice to be working with you." Her mouth twitches up into an even happier smile before she ducks her head and turns back to continue her walk down the hallway, cutting off any awkwardness that would probably happen if she let Chihaya say more.
Tomorrow. Chihaya returns to the club room where Taichi's flipping over cards to check his memorisation.
"She's coming back," she tells him.
He sighs. "Of course she is, she knows you won't let her go now."
Chihaya shakes her head, she wouldn't let her go but that's not what she means. "I think she wants to stay, I think she might love karuta."
Laughing, Taichi goes back to flipping cards. "If there's anyone who could make her fall in love with karuta, it's you." While she agrees, she doesn't think Taichi really understands what she means. Kana loves the cards already and loving the game is only the tiniest step from there.
Chihaya offers to put the tape on for one last match before they leave, Taichi glances at the clock but reluctantly agrees.
----
"That was-" Kana breaks off, her eyes alight and her cheeks the colour of roses. "You were amazing, Chihaya-chan."
Somehow, Chihaya finds her eyes brimming with tears and, when she speaks, her voice is thick with them. "I remembered what you taught me, Kana-chan, I couldn't do it without you." She moves forward and wraps Kana in a hug to hide her face, though it's obvious to everyone that she's crying, and hopes that her tears won't fall on Kana's kimono. Kana doesn't stiffen for an instant, instead winding her arms around her middle, making soothing noises.
"You did it on your own, Chihaya-chan. I wasn't playing out there with you."
Chihaya shakes her head so her tears spring loose - please don't ruin Kana-chan's lovely kimono - "I could hear the pictures, they were so beautiful. You helped me hear them properly."
Kana's forehead only reaches Chihaya's shoulder when she's wrapped around her like this, and when she tilts her head to press a little closer, Chihaya wonders if anyone has heard Kana's voice so quickly after she begins sounding the words. "Thank you, I'm... It was lovely to be a part of something beautiful."
----
They're grown now, and Chihaya receives more compliments on her looks than ever. When she stops by Kana's store, with a smile and a wave, a set of poems tucked hopefully in the pocket of her bag, she thinks that Kana deserves far more praise than she does, she's radiant in her simplicity. All her clothing fits traditional lines, even when she's heading out in casual wear, as she is today.
"Kana-chan," Chihaya says, pleased that she timed her visit right and isn't interrupting any business. "You look lovely." She matches the store, or the store matches her, she's changed things ever so slightly so that it's hers as well as her mother's and her family's and she never looks more at home than she does here amongst the ornamentation.
Kana blushes and smooths down her skirt. "That's nice of you to say, Chihaya-chan."
"Are you busy? I don't want to interrupt anything!" Kana shakes her head before she finishes her sentence.
"I was going out, but it can wait. Would you like some tea?" Kana ushers her deeper into the shop and fetches her tea set - the one her mum got her when she graduated - with only the slightest affirmation from Chihaya, she loves sharing her delicate fondness with anyone she knows will listen, now more than ever.
They chat away, about Kana's business, Chihaya's study and the few mutual people they've stayed in contact with. Kana's grown into herself, her old way of filling herself with pride until she's so puffed up it looks like she's about to take off has relaxed into a warm confidence that comes from knowing who she is and who she wants to be and - the thing that Chihaya's still working on but can almost taste some days - how to get there.
"Sometimes I miss the club," Kana says and halts Chihaya's admiration. "It was nice being part of something like that, and-" she hesitates, Chihaya wishes she could hear the words that are sitting on the tip of Kana's tongue, but she ducks her head back down to her tea cup with a tiny shake and sips even though this round is still too hot for Chihaya's tongue.
Chihaya puffs on her tea to cool it, she doesn't mind sitting in silence these days, waiting for a thought that Kana, or any other partner for conversation, will care for, rather than saying the very first thing that passes through her mind. Eventually, one surfaces. "I miss being part of that with you."
Kana's cheeks are red from steam as she makes eye contact with Chihaya for a second, then darts away, back to her tea, polite as ever to divert from the wistful expression plastered all over Chihaya's face.
"I could come to the karuta institute some time, and read for you." She sips, but Chihaya waits, hearing the words that Kana hasn't yet said. "Or, just for you."
(sorry to cut this off here but otherwise I just know I'd keep going until they end up living together and chihaya gets kana to to do readings until her throat is raw!)