Behind a strong man [Ushiwaka /Oc]

Chapter 55 - A distance

Love you guys! Hope you're all healthy.

Chapter 55 - A distance

The honking of a car ripped Ushijima out of his sleep. He grunted and sat upright, rubbing his temples and eyes. The darkness and silence of his small apartment was deafening. He could hear a few cars drive past his window but it was still a quiet part of town. He sat for one minute in silence when his alarm rang. He got up, had some cheap coffee and then got dressed for his jog. He still didn't like his jogging route in this city. There were far too many cars and people on the move even at that hour.

"Tch," he clicked his tongue as he dodged a man who was walking his dog.

This wasn't a normal scene back in Sendai. In Tokyo people seemed to be up much earlier than up north and most seemed to have a furry companion. It annoyed him a little more than he wanted. He made a mental note to re-evaluate his jogging route today. He had already lost count how often he had done that since he had moved here. After his jog he took a refreshing shower and headed to the Schweiden Adler's stadium for training. It wasn't far from his apartment with no need to take a train. Entering the stadium was like entering a world shielded from the bustling city and going to his locker to get changed lifted his mood a little. Yet no matter how much of a volleyball junky he was, he wasn't entirely happy with his current situation. But the reason he was here was worth all this.

"Alright guys," the coach called. "Time to hit some serves."

The team's training gym was one place where he could relax. Ushijima liked all of his teammates. They were all professionals, with him being the youngest and newest member. They had taken him under his wing and he was feeling very welcome. During the day he had a fire in his belly with training and working with the team. It was the mornings and evenings that were dragging. There was only one moment in the evening that he was looking forward to.

"Hey, Toshi-kun," came the familiar voice that he loved. "How was your day?"

"The usual," he told her. "I have to re-evaluate my jogging route. There are too many dog owners in my way."

"The problem is that you don't jog. You sprint," she noted. "Maybe try a route away from the park. I think dog owners prefer to walk their dogs there so you best avoid that area."

"I will try that. Thank you."

Ushijima couldn't help but smile. This was what he was longing and looking forward to every evening. Sadly it could only be done in the evening when both were at home. Tamiko always had something to tell him. Only a few days ago she told him about joining her old judo dojo again. Memories of their first meeting came flooding back to him after that.

He had been practicing spikes, getting acquainted with Semi as he was setting for him. Yamagata had tried his luck as a libero to catch his spikes when one ball veered off towards the opened fire exit door where two girls had been peeking into the gym. Ushijima, Semi and Yamagata could only watch on, as the brunette of the two got hit straight in the face.

Saito-sensei had immediately run after the boys, some of the other team members following. For Ushijima it had been the first time he ever injured someone while playing the sport he loves. He had watched as Saito-sensei had examined the girl that lay unconscious on the floor. The other girl on the other hand had been more than conscious.

Ushijima swallowed when he had heard her ask if she was bleeding. If she was bleeding then it was really bad. He knew he had a nasty and powerful spike that was difficult to be caught. It was his prideful skillset he had for this sport. He never wanted to injure anyone. At that moment he did and it hadn't even been an official game.