CHAPTER 12: Event time

'On your marks,' Akaashi spoke nonchalantly like he always did. He had his timer ready. 'Get set.'

'Godspeed, Akaashi! My legs are begging me to sprint already!' Bokuto interrupted loudly.

Akaashi sighed inwardly. 'If you didn't interrupt me, the match would have started by now.' He replied.

Bokuto fell silent.

'I'm going to win the hell out of this and you guys are treating me for the whole day.' Kuroo beamed.

'Nu-uh! The winner will be me, that's for sure!' Oikawa disagreed with confidence.

'Oikawa-san, watch your mouth 'cause I'll be finishing this faster than you will.' Sorano interjected.

Kise snorted. 'Excuse me, people. I'm right here, your only hope.' He bragged.

'Enough chats,' Akaashi's voice was louder this time. They were quiet as told. He cleared his throat and held up the timer in his hand. 'Ready, go!' he simultaneously pressed the START button and the timer began counting.

The five of them began running at full speed, across the sand and into the ocean to grab the red flag that was partially buried further into the ocean. The first to grab them and come back would win but fighting is not a restriction. They can fight, they can punch, they can combat with each other and the last man standing would win.

'What are they, kids?' Shino sighed. 'I'm embarrassed.'

'I've been his friend for more than 10 years, I'm immune to his stupidity.' Iwaizumi replied, not even sparing a glance at the playful kids.

'Akaashi-san sure is taking it so well,' Kageyama commented. 'I'm going to buy some juices.' And he headed off.

'Yeah, he's kind of used to Bokuto's dramas so this is, so to say, only the beginner's level of stupidity.' Iwaizumi said.

'Look at his nonchalant face.' Shino laughed.

At first, Kuroo was leading since he owns a pair of long legs. Then Bokuto's determination pushed him forward and he was first. However, Sorano was right behind him, only inches away and she overtook him easily. Bokuto was defeated by Oikawa next, followed by Kise and then Kuroo was behind all of them, complaining unintelligibly.

Sorano grabbed the flag but she wasn't strong enough to lift it off the pile of sand underneath. Oikawa reached where she was struggling and easily snatched the flag from her.

'Oikawa-san!' she yelled and chased after her. When Kise saw Oikawa was running away with the flag, he made a U-turn and went after the two of them. Kuroo was smarter, he wasn't even halfway to the checkpoint and he waited for Oikawa to run past him.

When Oikawa did, he grabbed his sleeve and pulled him so hard, Oikawa fell into the water horribly, and Kuroo used the chance to steal the flag. Kuroo was successful and he ran back to the starting point to claim his prize.

But Kise was underwater, and he pulled Kuroo's legs as hard as he could. Kuroo fell on his knees and he lost his grip on the flag. Kise took the flag away and ran away as fast as he could.

Akaashi blew the whistle. 'Kise Ryouta wins!' he announced. Kise grinned widely. On cue, a ball of sand landed on his beautiful face, resulting in him backing off a few steps before falling on his butt. Everybody burst out in laughter except for Akaashi who merely shook his head at the violence.

It originated from Sorano and soon after, the contestants participated in the sand-throwing game. 'Go register yourself for Miss Universe Japan if you have that much of a beautiful face!' Kuroo yelled and threw the sand at him.

Meanwhile, Oikawa was struggling with the sand. 'How did you guys turn it into a ball?!' he grumbled furiously and attempted to shape it into a ball once again but the sand fell through the gaps between his fingers.

Sorano saw him and laughed loudly. 'Guys! Oikawa-san doesn't know how to make a sand ball!!!!' she shouted and everybody laughed at the poor brunette.

'Stop laughing! This is not funny and I'm serious! How the hell did you guys even—' he yelled and Kuroo threw a ball at his face. 'OI!'

'Approaching target!' Bokuto commanded. 'Fire in 3,2,1!!!!'

Kuroo, Sorano and Bokuto simultaneously threw a sand ball each at Oikawa and he fell on his back, dead like Kise.

'Good morning, everybody!' a cheerful voice abruptly yelled. 'What are you all doing?'

Kanzaki was walking towards the group, unaware of three murderous auras creeping to him from the sea. Akaashi backed away from his boss, bowing his head in the process. Kanzaki blinked in confusion but approached Kise nevertheless.

'Target heading towards dead Kise,' Bokuto whispered but it was loud enough for Kuroo and Sorano. 'Ready your weapons. I repeat, ready your weapons. The target is armed with a plastic bag from a convenience store and it could be a hand grenade for all we know.'

'Yes, sir,' Kuroo replied and his hands quickly found some sand to create a ball with. 'Disperse after attacking, he could kill us in one shot if it's grenade!'

'Roger that.' Sorano and Bokuto chorused.

Kanzaki knelt down to Kise who was lying on his back, as silent as a corpse. 'Kise-kun, what are you doing here... Are you okay?! Hey!' he shook Kise's body vigorously then turned to Akaashi, Iwaizumi and Shino who were grouped together and standing far away from him.

He had to shout to get his message across. 'Iwaizumi! What happened to him?!' and then Kanzaki saw Oikawa. 'OH GOD! Oikawa-kun! What the hell happened here—and why are you three so far away!'

The three of them saluted him and as if on cue, Bokuto's voice was heard. 'COMMENCE!'

Kanzaki frowned and looked up and before he could process anything, a big fat sand ball landed on his face and he went silent. He wiped the muddy sand off his face and was about to yell but another ball hit his face and this time, before he could do anything again, Sorano's ball hit his forehead at full speed and he groaned.

'PIN HIM DOWN! SEIZE TARGET!'

Kanzaki felt himself being pushed down on his back and the plastic bag he brought was yanked away from his grip.

'Target's mysterious object has been disposed! Leave the scene immediately! Target might counterattack!' Kuroo's deep voice resonated and the forces upon Kanzaki disappeared just like that.

The ex-soldier was ready to babble but if he opened his mouth, it'd invite the sand into it so he just kept quiet and lay rested in peace and tranquil. 'Curse you...'was all he could think of as a response.

-

It was 20 minutes until the arrival of guests and all were busy with dish and utensils preparation, and Kise, rehearsal. Usually, the Yozora members do not have to bother with serving foods but the hotels were short of servers at that time so they wanted to help.

Plates were once again checked for their cleanliness and quality while tables and chairs have been counted over a thousand times to see if it would fit the 72 guests. Tablecloths were evened out at each side and chairs were pushed in nicely.

'The MC will be babbling his shit in front and you should serve the appetizer as soon as the light becomes dimmer. When his cue ends, a choir team would be singing and you can rest, and then give out the main course as Kise performs. Lastly, we'll have another performance by the company workers, as well as a montage video. By then, serve the desserts. There will be cues but this is just so all of you won't forget what to do.' One of the hotel staffs explained to the Yozora Pub members.

'Yes, sir!' they chorused loudly and the staff was taken aback.

'Ok...'

The clock struck 8pm sharp and guests were filling the seats in just a few seconds. Shino Izumi in charge of table 7 stood straight and smiled at her guests as they settled down. She glanced at Iwaizumi just in front of her table, serving his customers as well.

An elderly couple sat along with their twin girls and two boys. Izumi guessed the elder brother was the tallest one wearing a suit while the youngest would be the small boy around 6 years old. The twin sisters looked identical and around the age of 13 to 15. The family didn't talk to each other at all.

5 minutes later, the guests have all been escorted to their seats and the MC was talking. The wife began to speak then, 'When is your speech?' she asked her husband.

The oldest man on the table neared his wife to reply but Izumi could hear it. 'Around 8.30.'

The wife nodded in understanding but it seemed like their first son had a problem with everything. 'When's the food going to be served?' he spoke, frowning.

'Please Hirai, do be patient and not make a scene. This is an important event.' the father said softly.

The eldest son Hirai rolled his eyes and huffed, leaning back against his seat like an angry kid. Izumi assessed his face and figure and thought he might be 25 and retarded. Nobody said anything until 8.30, where Hirai's father went to the front to give his speech.

'And how long is Dad going to take?' Hirai shook his head. 'This thing is taking forever.'

Izumi glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, mentally sighing at his behavior.

'This will be done in half an hour,' his mother said gently then motioned to the trays of foods ready to be served. 'Look, the appetizer's here.'

Izumi raised an eyebrow. 'What is he? A kid? He's a freaking grownup.'

She served the food and the father came back to his seat. He must be a prominent member in the company.

'I received a call from the Fujimoto.' His father spoke, grabbing his utensils to eat what was in front of him.

'Oh God, for God's sake!' Hirai hissed. 'I told you I do not want to get married!'

'I know you don't Hirai but this is important for you and my business,' his father insisted. 'And their daughter is lovely, you'll learn to like her.'

'I'm not a womanizer like you.' He snorted but his father didn't react. They were sitting opposite each other, with the youngest child between the dad and Hirai, which relieved Izumi or there would be a food fight or something. Perhaps the father was aware of other guests that could be watching.

'This has nothing to do with that,' he said calmly. 'I've already set the first meeting date.'

Hirai's hand was balled into a fist, about to punch something or somebody. 'Did you not hear what I said?' he uttered with ferocity.

His mother interrupted him. 'Hirai, please just try to meet her first and we'll talk again. If you don't like her...' she trailed off not knowing what to offer.

Hirai shook his head slowly. 'You two has never considered my feelings, don't you? I oppose to this marriage. You have none of my consent! I will sue you!' he was shouting a little at the end and his mother quickly hushed him.

'Sue me?' his father almost laughed. 'All of your money is mine, son.'

The choir team finished performing and it was time to serve the main course. Hirai was still arguing with his parents. Izumi presented the plate to the parents and went to the little boy last and the youngest was very fidgety. She guessed he was getting impatient and started throwing tantrums. He started crying for attention and pulled the tablecloth unconsciously while he did so. The mother tried to calm him down but the father was in the way and Izumi had no idea why she wouldn't stand up and go to her youngest son.

She was just done with the last plate when the boy pulled his dish and threw it to the ground. Izumi tried to dodge it but hit Hirai instead, who was coincidentally drinking water. The drink fell all over his shirt and his mouth was wide in shock and anger.

Izumi cursed under her breath and bowed. 'I'm so sorry, sir.' That was all she could offer, as she couldn't blame the child. The mother was finally running to her boy and wiping his dirty clothes while Hirai was fuming with anger. She was still bowing when something hit her head.

There was the sound of glass breaking and nearby guests whispering. Kise was still singing.

She gasped because it hurt but couldn't look up to see. Broken bits and pieces fell on the floor. It was the dinner plate. She held her breath, containing the pain.

'Oh gosh, Hirai!' the mother breathed. 'What did you do?!'

Iwaizumi was in front and he heard the noise. He took a quick glance and it was enough for him to figure out what happened behind him. Izumi was bowing and somebody with a wet shirt was frowning. Obviously somebody was mad at her.

'I'm clearly pissed right now and you just added fuel to my fire.' Hirai said.

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.' Izumi muttered.

The mother went to help her and she looked up. 'Are you okay, child?' she asked. Izumi smiled widely.

'Yes, ma'am I'm completely fine!' she assured her.

Hirai's father rose from his seat. 'You are to leave this hall.' He demanded.

'I am already walking away.' Hirai growled and headed out.

'Dear, you should go to—' the mother began but Izumi held her hand.

'I'm fine, really, now please excuse me, I'd like to clean the place a bit.' She said. The mother left her reluctantly, returning to her seat and Izumi bent down to pick up the pieces. Her head was throbbing in pain and she was seeing stars here and there but there was only 10 minutes left and no one could replace her so she had to hold on.

She cleaned up the mess, threw the plate and rushed back to the table. As if on cue, the video started playing and the desserts were set out. Ten minutes felt longer than it should but 9pm finally arrived. Guests left the hall completely around 9.05.

Izumi let out a sigh of relief and her legs couldn't stand still anymore. She fell down in fatigue and her man was quick enough to turn around and run to catch her.

'Call the ambulance.' Iwaizumi told Akaashi who was behind him.

'Already did,' He replied. 'Is she bleeding a lot?'

Iwaizumi felt his hand behind her head wet and nodded. By then, the girl was already unconscious.

'What in the seventh hell happened?!' Sorano appeared behind Akaashi and saw Izumi. 'Holy—'

'Relax, she's going to be fine.' Iwaizumi said.

5 minutes after, the paramedics arrived and brought Izumi away. Iwaizumi sighed inwardly and went to wash his bloody hand.

'He's going to track him down.' Oikawa commented abruptly.

Sorano flinched. 'When did you appear?!'

-

Sorano sighed as she bounced the volleyball up and down, sitting down on the ground. Oikawa was sitting opposite her, just staring into nothing.

'Without news on Izumi, I don't feel like doing anything. Did Hajime contact you?' Sorano asked.

Oikawa shook her head. 'Not yet.'

She sighed again. 'Let's go grab some drinks to freshen up. I feel exhausted.'

'Sure, but please stop sighing.'

-

Izumi opened her eyes almost abruptly. She was lying down on a rather uncomfortable bed and she had been bandaged around her head. She knew then she was brought to the hospital. That Hirai guy sure was brutal.

'Izumi.'

A pair of cold hands immediately wrapped around her left hand. She looked and smiled.

'How are you feeling?' Iwaizumi asked worriedly.

'Better,' she replied. 'I think you're supposed to inform the doctor when I'm awake.'

'Yeah, I better.' He got up from his seat and left.

Her head was throbbing in pain. Seconds later, Iwaizumi came back with the doctor and after some evaluations they were alone once again. There were several patients in the room but Iwaizumi had drawn the curtains for privacy.

'You could've excused yourself.' He said softly.

'I know but there were only ten minutes left. I couldn't trouble anyone with it.' She retorted.

His grip on her hand tightened and he let out a heavy breath of relief. He didn't say it but Izumi knew he was worried.

'I'm okay, Hajime, stop making that face.' Izumi frowned.

Iwaizumi forced out a smile. 'I'm sorry, it's just that...' he trailed off.

'I'm going to sleep.' She interjected.

'Sure, I'll wait here.' He nodded.

'I'm going to sleep.' She repeated.

'Yes, Izumi go on and sleep.'

'I'm. Going. To. Sleep.' She emphasized every word, wanting him to figure out what she really meant. 'Don't pretend you don't understand.'

Reluctant, he climbed up the bed and they cuddled up. 'Are you sure the nurses won't mind seeing this?' he asked.

'No,' Izumi giggled. 'If anything, we'll be scolded together.'

Iwaizumi smiled. 'Fine.' Then kissed her forehead before drifting to sleep. 

-

A/N: Finally an update after two (three?) long years. The plot is all outlined nicely but I just don't know how to put that into a proper chapter with additional dialogues and all.

To everyone who has been or is reading this story, I thank you so much, deep from the bottom of my heart. It's so touching to read your comments and I use them as my motivation to continue writing. 

I went into a bad hiatus where I lost all motivations and ability to think and write and that was a horrible era. I hope I'm still a worthy author lmao.

To IrishSeptember , your comment really moved me and I'm so glad someone actually thought of this story that way. With that, if you're still here, I hope you enjoy reading!

To FancyClazzy , thank you for liking my stories, perhaps this little update could be a reward? 

And others, thank you, thank you, thank you so much for reading! I actually have more lines to add to this chapter but I'm leaving for a holiday for around a week so I won't be able to update by then. That's why the ending's kind of weird. 

I LOVE YOU ALL READERS SO MUCH!!!!

Until then, by my leave, mortals....