Mono No Aware
(n.) bittersweet awareness of the passing moments of life

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Akaashi Keiji pressed his head against the steering wheel of his car. He didn't even need to go to the indoor concert. He didn't like popular clubs. They were flashy and the music gave him headaches. Worst of all, he was so incredibly claustrophobic he didn't think he could really even take being in one very long. Could he even manage to go? He could always sit in the hotel and design characters for his new manga. He groaned loudly, his head resting harder against the wheel, and a small honk bleeped out, and he shot up straight.

"Oops..." He muttered to himself. He hoped he didn't scare the others, or worse, rush them. If he accidentally caused them to forget something they would unashamedly force him to turn around to go back for it. He shook his head as dumb and dumber slammed the house door open and sprinted away from the house to the white jeep as if their lives depended on it. Yamaguchi Tadashi yanked open the front passenger side door open and Yachi Hitoka literally dove into the backseat onto her stomach.

"Sorry! So sorry, Sho is coming out in like three seconds!" Yamaguchi panted out, hunching slightly as he shut the door. Yachi rolled onto her back and lifted her knees up so her feet were braced on the back seat. The skirt of her dress hiked up, but she didn't bother fixing it.

Contrary to her normal, terribly unsocial self, when with friends close to her, she was quite the character. Yet, her anxiety and constant worry about people trying to kill her held on for dear life.

"He'll have to move me... I haven't ran that fast since I thought that cat was trying to eat me..." She gasped out, clutching her chest dramatically.

Akaashi laughed. "Are you kidding me?"

Yachi turned her head to face him, her half ponytail flopping about. "No, I'm actually totally, pathetically, deadly serious. They've ruined my lungs."

Another new thing about Yachi. One of the main reasons she was ever coaxed out of her shell of nerves was because of Hinata, Kuroo, and Bokuto pushing pot onto her at a party. (The only reason she actually tried it was because Kuroo 'made a scary face and threatened her life.') That was before she moved closer to Akaashi and Yamaguchi to live with Kiyoko.

Akaashi and Yamaguchi were roommates. Yama was still in med school, wishing to be a pediatrician. When he wasn't in classes or lectures, he worked as a waiter at a local restaurant chain and made decent money, and not to mention he got free wireless internet on breaks and could study.

He began to chew at his lip anxiously, and Yachi mirrored Akaashi's face, knowing full well the accidental nudging of a spike of anxiety. They all knew since they had announced the trip that Akaashi was drowning in his nerves.

"Oh..." He was friends with the entire band, yet he hadn't seen one, save Tsukishima and Kenma on occasion, in quite a long time.

In the time span of six years, many things had changed. He graduated early, due to previously earned credits, and struggled with himself. For a few months, he worked nonstop at the restaurant with Yama so they could even keep the apartment. He lost sleep, days of sleep, weeks of sleep, to the point of hallucination, and until Yams intervened. He sold his dark art and other various creations until one day a man named Takano Masamune contacted him about his short stories he'd been sharing with Kiyoko Shimizu, who worked for the Sales division for Marukawa Publishing.

This show of kindness on Kiyoko's part led to Akaashi moving to Ikebukuro so he would draw Shoujo Manga for Marukawa Publishing and had been since successful, and never once dared to missed a deadline for fear of Takano. Later, Yamaguchi moved in with Akaashi again, due to financial concerns.

He knew everything about his closest friends now. Hinata, Yachi, Yamaguchi, and Kiyoko took care of him. They all took care of each other. Yet, he truly loves his friends from the past just as dearly, but the way he changed was almost for the worst, and he didn't want them to see that of him, he didn't want outsiders to notice his fragility. But those four from the past, they had all changed in their own ways.

For Kenma, speaking to people still took serious effort, but he didn't withdraw anymore. He made awful small talk, but he's apparently loud at times. Hinata vouched for this, seeing as they have been together for about two years.

Although, the opposite occurred to Oikawa. It's said by Yamaguchi that he became quieter, more introverted, but on the stage, his energy returned from hibernation to please the crowd. Yamaguchi often tells Akaashi he believes Oikawa was still longing for Iwaizumi to return from studying abroad.

Tsukishima apparently stayed about the same, much to Hinata's dismay and Yamaguchi's relief. His snarky comments came and went, but Tsukishima still was the same old Tsukishima. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima had a secret relationship, but it wasn't really even a secret. Everyone who needed to know knows, and no one seemed to care much either. Yamaguchi also never left a single detail untold to Yachi and Akaashi. One night, Yamaguchi told them about their hot sex in the shower. His description was so intimately detailed, Yachi stood and left the room, screamed, and returned.

Although, Akaashi didn't really care for the other's personality shifts. His worries lied in the fact that he was about to see Bokuto Koutarou, his sort of life long best friend, and Kuroo Tetsuro, someone who jumped on later in the game. Akaashi did miss his two best friends in the entire world. Yet, apparently, their personalities barely survived the tests of adulthood.

Akaashi couldn't bear the thought of Bokuto's eternal loudness and Kuroo's witty remarks, and their bromance and their weird phrases coming to an end.

Of course, Akaashi could not deny that his own social interactions had changed subtly. Before, he was simply didn't care to speak much to others. When he did, he was blunt and sometimes even rude. Ever since his downfall after college, he stood weakly. His foundations could easily be shaken up, and he spoke shyly and cast his eyes down, due to all the time spent alone working on his manga.

He felt Yamaguchi's hand on his shoulder, tugging the sleeve of his turquoise mountain twill jacket.

"Oh, um— I'm sorry. I zoned out a second there.," he said, mentally shaking himself from the coma-like state.

Hinata climbed into the back of the car, grinning with thumbs up. "Good to go, Cap'in!" Hinata joked, using a pirate voice.

Akaashi laughed and turned the key in the ignition. "You guys look great. I really like your dress Hitoka. Is it a gift from Shimizu?"

"No, actually, I just bought this dress, like last week, and when Sho called and was like, 'Hey we're going to see Irusu,' I was like no way. So, I decided I'd look cute for Shimi." Yachi babbled quickly.

"Yes, Hitoka, when Kozu called, I was all, 'GWAAAH', I haven't seen him in a whole month." Hinata exclaimed, bouncing up and down so much, the clips in his hair began to slide, and Yachi leaned over to fix it. "Oh, ah, thanks..." He blushed. "By the way, I really like your sweater, Yama."

Yama smiled broadly. "Do you really like it? I felt a bit silly at first, but the roshes and the shirt are the same green." He said. Yachi poked the back of his head.

"I like it, it's really good color coordination." She praised.

"You know, I like Sho's little outfit. His booty shorts are gonna make Kenma pop a boner on stage." Yamaguchi said, flicking his wrist out with his palm facing upward, and in response, Hinata squealed.

Akaashi grinned at their outbursts, shaking his head lightly. His fear of the impending meeting evaporated. "Okay, you little fucks, let's hurry up so we can check into the hotel and pregame." There was a chorus of cheers from his friends, and he pulled his hippy glasses down from propping his long bangs up. In the light, they glinted blue. He reversed out of Hinata's driveway, and they were on their way.

"Ne, are we picking up, Shimizu?" Hinata asked, shooting a false glare at Yachi, who sat with her tongue out.

"No, she's driving herself. Why?" Akaashi said, glancing at Hinata through the mirror. He didn't seem serious. Akaashi waited for the punchline of Hinata's little question.

"Well, I really didn't wanna sit back here while they have lesbian sex all over your back seat..." Hinata winked at Yachi, who laughed.

"Don't be such a homophobe!"

"I'm gay, you twat." Hinata laughed, shoving Yachi by the shoulder.

"Fuck... That's right..." Yachi sucked her teeth and laid her head in Hinata's lap.

"This is going to be the longest trip of my life..." muttered Yamaguchi.