How to fly with clipped wings (English ver.) HAIKYUU!! FAN FICTION

Chapter 26: The Revelation

A/N I think this is the chapter everyone was looking for! Enjoy!

Mikaela went back to school the following Monday, after a week and three days of rotating between Kageyama's house and Tsukishima's house. She only stayed in Tsukishima's house two other times: when Kageyama's mother came back for the night on Tuesday and when his father returned on the Saturday. Both times, she'd barely spoken to Tsukishima. It almost seemed like he was avoiding her.

She felt like she was intruding, but Ayano insisted she wasn't. She helped clean up around the house whenever she could and tried to help making dinner (it didn't feel much like helping, but Ayano assured her that it was fine).

When she returned to school, it felt like everything was finally going back to normal. Sure, it was still hard to get through every day without thinking about her father. But getting things back to normal would help ease her through it. At least, that's what Tsukishima's mother told her.

She clung to Tsukishima and Yamaguchi like moths to a light. Whenever they weren't there, she made sure to stick with Kageyama and Hinata. Nobody talked about it, which helped- as soon as someone said something along the lines of 'I'm sorry for your loss' she was going to cry, she was sure of it.

Practices were helping. The team was sympathetic, but no one questioned her about it or brought it up. Coach Ukai muttered something to her about his condolences and she had to scurry away before she burst into tears.

Four practices later, the other shoe dropped.

It was a morning practice, right before school, and naturally Mikaela was there as early as she could be. No one showed up before Hinata and Kageyama, so she waited with them until Daichi arrived and unlocked the gym.

"Awake yet, Captain?" she teased, mustering a smirk.

He yawned, then glared at her. "It's too early in the morning for your sass, Mikaela," he said tiredly, shaking his head. "Let's set up."

"Yes, Captain," they chorused in unison. By the time she, Hinata, and Kageyama had managed to set up the volleyball net, the rest of the team had arrived, and started stretching to warm up. Tsukishima looked more tired than usual, but Yamaguchi managed to drag him along into the change room.

Then, Mikaela stepped wrong, and something broke.

She had twisted while walking in an attempt to respond to the questions of Tanaka, who was behind her, and stepped funny on her right foot. It didn't hurt- one of the benefits of having a prosthetic- but there was a short click and suddenly, it didn't feel quite as... attached. That wasn't the right word, but it would have to do. Something certainly wasn't quite right.

"Mikaela, can you grab the volleyball cart?" Sugawara called.

"Yep!" she called back, shuffling towards the storage room as quickly as she could. "Kageyama," Mikaela hissed through her teeth as she passed him. "Come with me."

"Why? You don't- hey!"

The dark-haired girl seized his sleeve and dragged him with her into the gym storage room, ignoring his protests. As soon as they had ducked in the room and were out of sight, Mikaela rounded on him. "Something's not right."

"With what?" Kageyama asked, his face riddled with confusion.

Mikaela sighed, sitting herself down on one of the wooden blocks in the storage room. "My leg," she said with a sigh, rolling her pant leg up and over her knee. "Something clicked and I don't think it was supposed to."

"Are prosthetic legs supposed to do that?" he murmured, bending down and narrowing his eyes at the metal.

She shrugged. "No idea. This is a custom made one, remember? Not like the ones in the handbooks we got. I have no idea what it's supposed to do."