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

Chapter 34: The Train

Karasuno won.

The points dragged on and on, and there were so many moments where Mikaela wasn't sure how the game would go, because it just went back and forth and back and forth. Finally, Hinata nailed a back attack, and the volleyball bounced off the receiver's arm and flew to the back of the gym. Karasuno managed to take the fifth set, 21 - 19.

Mikaela screamed out loud and clapped a hand over her mouth as soon as she could, sinking into the railing. A hand on her shoulder steadied her, but Saeko seemed as frantic as she felt. Desperate for some sort of stability, Mikaela grabbed at Saeko and the blonde woman pulled her in for a hug.

"They won!" People were yelling, either in ecstasy or disbelief. Mikaela squeezed her arms around Saeko and then let go, steadying herself against the railing.

They won. They did it.

The players were hugging each other on the court, and Mikaela watched happily as the third years all collapsed in a group hug with tears running down their faces. Her seniors deserved this; they worked so hard and endured so much. This was amazing. She watched with glee as Tsukishima was tackled by Yamaguchi and Hinata latched onto Kageyama. The entire Karasuno team was a screaming, crying mess.

"I've got to go," she called, turning to Saeko. "I have a train to catch."

Saeko pulled her in for one last hug, then released her only to pull out her phone. "Wait, give me your number. I want updates on this boy issue."

"Seriously?!"

"Of course! If you need any help or an outside opinion, you can always talk to me," she said generously, holding her phone out to the manager.

Mikaela blinked, grateful, and thumbed her number into the keypad. "T- Thank you, Tanaka-san."

"Saeko! Just Saeko is fine." She clapped her on the shoulder. "I'll call you Kaisha-chan."

She laughed. "That sounds great! Thanks, Saeko."

Mikaela waved goodbye to her fellow Karasuno spectators and ran to the stairs, dodging past a few people that were leaving the game and turning towards the gym entrance. She shifted past a few people blocking the entrance, just in time to see the Karasuno team slowly migrating towards the door. To no one's surprise, she propelled herself at Kageyama and practically tackled him in a hug.

"You won," she mumbled into his shoulder.

"We did," he replied, letting her go. Mikaela felt something bloom in her chest when she saw how genuinely happy her cousin looked. Her grin widened as she was about to hug him again when someone tackled her side.

She gasped, trying to catch her breath. "Sh- Shoyo!"

"Kaisha! We won! We won! We won!"

"Yeah, you did!" Mikaela said with a laugh, twisting so she could hug Hinata back. He let go of her and grinned with a smile that looked like it was sponsored by the sun, then took off to go see his two middle school friends that had come to see the game. Someone called her name and she turned again, smiling so hard that her face was cramping up. "Yams!"

"Kaela!" They hugged briefly before Yamaguchi pulled back, his face red and his smile wide. "We did it!"

She laughed and ruffled his hair. "Your serves were fantastic!"

He beamed and turned to talk to the coach, and Mikaela realized her eyes were searching for the only other first year she hadn't seen yet. When she finally picked him out of the crowd of people, she slipped past some of the other players until she was next to him.