{14}

trigger warning: gradual death of a loved one

promise me a place in your house of memories

Noya had always seemed strong... With his large smiles and seemingly endless energy...

Seemed.

Everyone had always thought Asahi was the fragile one.

Seemed.

Noya is the fragile one.

Seemed.

Noya is the one that is delicate as glass.

Seemed.

Noya is the one that is as delicate as glass, on the outside and inside.

But MOSTLY the inside.

Seemed.

"...And then Daichi yelled, 'IF YOU DON'T STOP YELLING RIGHT NOW WE'RE GOING HOME.' He was so angry that Kageyama, Hinata, and Tsukishima were scared into silence... They became so scared that they forgot that they spilled juice on Tsukishima's lap... That is until we got off the bus and a little kid, who was walking with their mother, pointed and Tsukishima and shouted, 'LOOK MOMMY HE PEED ON HIMSELF!' It was really funny..." Asahi can't help but chuckle at the memory... He can't help but chuckle as he tells Noya the story.

Or rather, Noya's body.

Noya is in a coma.

He ends up crying.

Noya SHOULD have been there! He should have been there to see it! He SHOULD be part of the memory!

But no...

BUT NO.

A tumor.

A brain tumor had to take him away.

Seemed.

At first, it seemed that the tumor was removable... After all, it was attached to a small part of his brain.

Seemed.

It spread throughout Noya's brain faster than a wildfire.

Seemed.

Now that Asahi thinks about it, Noya may have sensed it... May have sensed the tumor spreading throughout his brain. After all, there was that strange morning...

"Asahi, will you promise me something?" Noya asks him, as Asahi makes them Omurice for breakfast. Asahi, who can barely hear him over the sizzling of the pan just nods. He has a feeling that it is something foolish... Like "promise to buy me candy on Valentine's day" or "promise to give me a piggy-back ride on my birthday". For a while... For a brief amount of time, all that can be heard is the even louder sizzling of the pan... The sizzling that is occurring due to the hot pan's contact with the cold eggs. "Promise me a place in your house of memories." Noya speaks in a serious manner... A somber manner.

"I promise," Asahi says, and a bit worried about Noya's strange request he soon adds, "What brought that request on? You're getting your tumor removed soon, right? I'm sure the surgery will go well..." I hope it goes well...

Seemed.

Although they, due to spreading, weren't able to remove the tumor, it seemed that there was a chance he MIGHT recover.

Seemed.

In only a month, Noya fades... His once tan skin turning white.. His hair losing its shine...

He grows thin. He grows unrecognizable...

It seems as though Noya will only live it his memories.

In only a month, Noya loses his life.