"Kita-kun." A voice called out, causing the dual hair-colored Captain to look back.

"Dazai-san." He acknowledged, a small nod. He waited for her to catch up to him.

"If it's alright, could we walk together for awhile? If you're not busy?" Y/N asked with a small smile.

As the sun began its descent behind the rolling hills of the Hyogo countryside, the sky transformed into a canvas of pastel hues, with streaks of pink, orange, and lavender blending seamlessly. Wispy clouds drifted lazily overhead, casting soft shadows on the landscape below.

The air was alive with the crisp freshness of spring, carrying with it the sweet fragrance of cherry blossoms and freshly tilled earth. A gentle breeze rustled through the budding trees, causing the delicate petals of the sakura to dance in the fading light. The occasional chirping of birds added to the symphony of nature, their melodies weaving through the tranquil evening air.

In the distance, the sound of a babbling brook could be heard, its soothing rhythm echoing through the valley. The occasional splash of a fish leaping from the water punctuated the peaceful serenity of the countryside. As twilight descended, the colors in the sky deepened, transforming into a rich tapestry of purples and blues. The first stars of the evening began to twinkle overhead, their faint light casting a soft glow on the landscape below.

In the distance, the faint hum of a tractor could be heard as farmers worked late into the evening, preparing their fields for the upcoming planting season. The rhythmic thud of hooves against packed earth signaled the return of villagers from a long day's work in the fields, their laughter and chatter carrying on the breeze. As darkness enveloped the countryside, the air grew cooler, carrying with it the promise of a peaceful night's rest. The distant call of an owl echoed through the trees, its haunting cry adding to the enchanting atmosphere of the Hyogo countryside in spring.

And so, as the evening drew to a close, the countryside of Hyogo embraced the beauty of spring, a time of renewal and growth, where nature's symphony echoed through the hills and valleys, and the promise of a new day lingered in the air.

"I have time to spare." Kita said as he checked his phone, deciding that it was alright if he had gone home a bit late today. His grandmother had gone to her knitting club and would not be back until later on, so, he was not in a hurry. Above all, he noticed the flint in the girl's eyes, Y/N was not someone who would seek someone out so eagerly.

"I know you said stay you wouldn't pry into why I moved to Inarizaki." She suddenly said as they kept walking. He hummed. The sound so quiet yet audible. A small bittersweet smile adorned her chapped lips, usually a glossy shade was now chapped. He looked forward as they crossed the small bridge.

"But, it's better if I tell you myself before you find out through anyone else. Perhaps," A pause in her voice, her words. Kita could almost hear a quiver, a hesitance in her voice. It made him think as to what could happen that would cause this strong-willed girl to feel so much reluctance.

"Perhaps, sharing this with you would lessen the burden on my soul." Her voice was airy but he noticed. Kita Shinsuke noticed the grave tone and the tired look in her irises. "Something happened, Kita-kun. I..." She took a deep breathe, Kita clenched his jaw and stopped, "You don't have to say it. It's fine. You do not have to force yourself."

He reassured her but it did nothing, only induced a small, weak smile from her. She shook her head, the wind of Spring bellowing pass them, the loose pieces of her hair tangling themselves. Kita could only stare at her as she looked at him in the eye. His eyes raked over her features. Glimmering emeralds now were akin to a deep, chive color. She had dark under eye-bags: something that she never had before, her face lost its healthy glow, her once glossy lips now were chapped and seemed to be bitten off, the edges if her eyes were red and seemed raw.

At that moment, Kita saw only a ghost of the girl he had come to know. Before he could prevent himself, words flowed, akin to a flowing stream, out of his mouth. "What did they do to you, Y/N?"

And Dazai Y/N simply smiled as she bared her heart open to Kita Shinsuke.

•••

Practice had begun as usual. Y/N walked towards the gym with a smile on her lips, her life feeling peaceful for the first time in awhile. Her hand reached out for the door handle and when she pulled open the door, her team smiled at her.

"You're here, senpai!" Hinata grinned as he ran over to her, the two of them jumped as they high-fived. Sugawara chuckled while Daichi and Asahi smiled at the scene.

After warm-ups were over along with the usual practice, Ukai called for a small practice match, 2 sets with 15 points each. He let the team decided amongst who wanted to play and who wanted to spectate.

Y/N, Kageyama, Hinata, Tanaka, Ennoshita were Team A.

Sugawara, Daichi, Asahi, Nishinoya, Yamaguchi were Team B.

The others : Tsukishima, Narita, Kinoshita opted to just watch them. Kiyoko and Yachi sat on the benches with small smiles while Ukai and Takeda kept the scores.

Half-way through the match, it started to pour heavily outside the gym. The skies were dark, muddled with gray clouds that removed any memory of the sunny morning.

In the midst of the volleyball practice match, the gym echoed with the sound of sneakers squeaking against the polished floor and the occasional smack of the ball against palms. Hinata, usually the epitome of sunshine and sweetness, was visibly agitated, frustration etched deep into his usually bright demeanor.

"Shōyō, it's okay! You'll get the next one!"

She smiled when Hinata missed yet another spike, another received while Y/N easily got them all. An ugly feeling began to bloom within his heart. As Y/N, his senpai, tried to offer encouragement and guidance, Hinata's irritation reached its breaking point. With each missed point, Hinata seemed more erratic. And each time, Y/N offered kind words.

Until the dam broke.

With a sudden burst of pent-up emotion, Hinata unleashed a torrent of hurtful words, each one sharper than the last.

"I don't need your advice anymore, Dazai-san I'm sick of constantly relying on you to tell me what to do. Maybe if I had someone who actually believed in me, I wouldn't be such a disappointment!"

His words hung heavy in the air, cutting through the tension like a knife. Y/N, taken aback by the sudden onslaught, could only stare in disbelief at the once cheerful Hinata, now transformed into a whirlwind of bitterness and resentment. She widened her eyes at his words, so did everyone else. A part of her felt hurt by his words.

"Hey! You're going too far, Hinata!" Yamaguchi, kind and sweet Yamaguchi, said in protest.

"Hinata." Ukai said in a warning tone.

"You think you're so perfect, don't you? Always acting like you're better than everyone else. Well, surprise, senpai, you are not! Maybe if you weren't so busy patting yourself on the back, you'd actually notice that not everyone can live up to your impossible standards!" Hinata didn't know why he was being so cruel.

Stop! He begged himself. Senpai is kind! She is amazing!

Her lips trembled as she stared at him with wide eyes. Hinata knew that he wasn't saying the truth but his mouth just wouldn't stop.

Someone! Please! He could only beg in his mind. Stop me!

Each word dripped with venom, fueled by a mixture of self-doubt and misplaced anger. Hinata's usually gentle tone had turned harsh and accusatory, their frustration boiling over like a kettle left unattended.

"And you know what the worst part is? I used to look up to you, senpai. I thought you were the greatest player on the team, someone worth emulating. But now? Now I see you for what you really are: just another arrogant jerk who thinks they're better than everyone else!"

Tears welled up in Hinata's eyes, a mixture of anger, frustration, and regret. But despite the pain in his heart, he couldn't seem to stop the hurtful words from spilling out, each one driving a deeper wedge between him and the girl he admired.

As the echoes of his outburst faded away, the gym fell silent, the weight of Hinata's words hanging heavy in the air. And amidst the wreckage of their fractured relationship, Hinata was left to grapple with the consequences of his own hurtful actions.

"I don't know what happened for you to behave so cruel, Shōyō, but, I don't deserve this." She said with a clenched jaw.

•••

Hinata had run off.

In the rain.

All alone.

Concerned overlapped her anger against the boy. Everyone was looking for him, even the grumpy Tsukishima who was dragged by Yamaguchi. The black haired girl, accompanied by Toya (who had decided to help Dazai when she told him about the situation), could only run through the heavy raining streets, their clothes and bodies soaked.

And when they found him, Y/N's world fell apart. Toya felt his mouth go dry as Y/N ran to the site.

Blood.

It was everywhere.

The rain pouring harshly over them did nothing to deter the blood from the boy's body. Y/N gasped as she pushed away the orange haired boy from her beloved's body, lips trembling.

"

No! No, no, no, no. Rin! Look at me, Rin!" She screamed as she cradled his head. Toya grits his teeth as he called the ambulance.

"Princes..." He grinned, his lips bloody.

"No, please, no..." She sobbed, her tears warm.

"Don't cry now..... you're breaking my heart....." He chuckled followed by a bloody cough.

"You'll be okay... The ambulance, Toya!" She called out to the alabaster haired male in despair, Toya, despite knowing it was futile, called the hospital again.

The ambulance would be too late.

Toya knew it.

Rin knew it.

Hinata Shōyō knew it.

Dazai Y/N did not want to believe it.

"No... please...! You promised me! You said we would return home together....!" She cradled his face.

"Hey.... it's okay.." Rin smiled.

"I saved the kid..... You wanted to see him shine.... Right..?" His voice was rough and breathy.

Hinata could only bow his head in shame, curling into himself more.

"That doesn't matter! I don't want to lose you!" She begged.

"Y/N." That was all it took for her to look down at his eyes once more.

He smiled, "I love you."

She sobbed, "I love you too."

And both of them knew, that, the kiss they shared under the rain, that day, the scent of iron with rain was the last one they would ever get the chance to have.

His hand dropped and she knew it.

Rin Matsuoka was gone.

And so, she cried. She cried until the skies tore open. Until her voice was gone. Until shivers went down any one who say her despair filled cries.

•••

The funeral was a few days later.

Y/N wore a black dress, her eyes empty as she watched his casket being lowered into the ground. She fell to her knees, watching him leave. Ichino sunk to his knees beside her and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into his grasp. And she let him, her eyes never leaving the white casket.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Y/N laughed as tears fell from her eyes. Her laugh was cold and without feelings. She was laughing at herself. Her fate. May the ones who lie have their souls ripped, for she never loved someone as she did love him. The audience or rather people who had come to pay their condolences, could now only stare at the remnants of the girl she once were. Were there any fragment of the girl they once knew alive anymore?

Strange how things are taken for granted until it's snatched from their grasps and they realize how much they have lost. A funeral for the dead it may seem. A funeral to pay their respects and goodbyes to the person in the coffin.

For her this may as well be her own funeral. What had she done for the Gods to rip her away from everything she had and leaving her with nothing but ashes. If despair be a human, it would be her. If sadness be a person, it'd be her.

If dead were a person, it'd be Y/N Dazai.

For someone who has lost her soul and fragments of her, could her mind ever repair itself. Where had it gone wrong? Why had it gone wrong? Why had she been the one to live? Why was it not her who lay in the coffin?

Her drenched silhouette that sat upon the wet ground as people looked at her in pity and guilt was something she had not thought of. She had fulfilled every task, every role, every demand so why was her only wish, her only desire, snatched away?

"It's time to go, Y/N. You'll get sick if you stay here any longer." Kiyoko said in a quiet, solemn voice.

How cruel it was that the voice that gave her peace now made her wish to vomit. Tell the Gods that she cried. Tell the Gods that she was done. For a woman who had lost everything and left with nothing, would destroy worlds for she had nothing to live for.

Rain drops felt like pebbles hitting her skin. Water drip from her body as her palms bleed. Beware a woman who has died inside and becometh a shell. Frozen be her heart, frozen be her soul.

"It was all your fault."

A whisper, harsh and cold. People flinched as the grips upon their umbrella's tightened. Green eyes blazing with hatred and anger looked up and God save those who were to fall victim to her gaze.

"You don't mean that...."

He never thought she would accuse him. Not like this. Not staring at him, as if he were some vile creature whom she had intended to kill.

"You are the reason for his death."

Voice as cold as the deepest of the oceans. Gaze unwavering as she staggered to her feet. Eyes filled with worry watched her as she pushed away any one who dares to help her.

"It wasn't his fault, Y/N. He's just a kid." Ukai said firmly yet with a rawness to his voice, he never expected things to turn out this way. Kageyama looked down at the ground as Sugawara stood by Hinata's side

"So am I." She said, voice filled with venoms so poisonous it made theirs throat feel parched.

"I'm sorry senpai-"

"Your pitiful, meaningless apologies will not bring the dead to life." She spoke and Gods knew how much it ached her as she gazed at those brown eyes that she once adored.

"I supported you, stood by your side when everyone thought you wouldn't make it. In return, you cause the demise of the reason I live."

He flinched.

"I should've left you to be drowned in your own despair! I shouldn't have given you hope! I should've discarded you!" She yelled at him, her tone venomous as Yachi and Yamaguchi flinched.

She looked up as silver hair came to her view and grabbed her shoulders.

"Snap out of it Y/N! You're hurting them with your words. Please don't do anything you'd regret." He spoke and his blue eyes widened as laughter erupts from her.

"You see Toya,"

He froze, everyone did. Her gaze cold as ice and the green within them seeming black. She was gone too far.

"I have no one and nothing to care about. You know what I regret?" She asked with an almost maniacal smile as she pushed away his hands.

"I regret ever meeting any of you."

That's when a realization hit all of them. Something that had not come to their minds before.

The moment Rin Matsuoka had died, the moment his body was lowered into the ground, his should leaving the land of living, Dazai Y/N had also died.

Dazai Y/N had died with Rin Matsuoka.

•••

Dazai did not come to school for two weeks. Ever since that day, she hadn't contacted anyone. She didn't see any messages. Even if anyone went to visit her, they would be met with silence at her door.

Team practice was put off for a week. Ukai stared at the picture in his store with a sigh. Everything had fallen apart. Like sand slipping through his fingers. Ukai could not hold together the team that made him love volleyball once again.

Practices began but there was no sign of the girl they all loved anywhere. Until one day, Ukai found a box delivered to his house, inside it lay two jerseys each with the number #18 on them along with the Karasuno Volleyball team tracksuit.

And then, came the news.

Dazai Y/N was gone.

She had left Karasuno.

She had left Miyagi.

And like that, Dazai Y/N left their lives just as she had entered it.

•••

Silence echoed through them.

And with a whisper, Y/N begged, "I'm tired, Shinsuke."

Y/N stood, hunched over, her shoulders slumped, hands trembling as she stared blankly at the floor. Every breath felt like a struggle, each exhale a painful reminder of the suffocating grip of hopelessness that held her captive. Kita, filled with a sense of helplessness, approached Dazai with cautious steps, his heart aching at the sight of her in such distress.

Abruptly he pulled her into a hug, his bag dropping to the ground. He felt his shoulder getting damp a d all he did was hold her. A hand on the back of head while the other rubbed circles on her back, soothingly. She stiffened at first, her body rigid with tension, but slowly, Dazai began to melt into Kita's embrace, the warmth of his presence a small beacon of solace in the darkness that surrounded them. Tears welled up in her eyes, silent rivers of pain and anguish that had long been held at bay.

For a long moment, they remained like that, locked in each other's arms, the only sound the gentle rhythm of their breathing. And then, finally, Kita spoke, hisrl voice a soft whisper against the silence.

"You've done so well, Y/N," Shinsuke murmured, his words carrying a weight of sincerity that cut through the despair like a ray of sunlight piercing the clouds. His voice was soft and quiet, a tenderness to it. Such a simple sentence. And yet, she could only sob harder as she clutched onto him for dear life. Desperate to seek comfort.

"I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but you've accomplished more than you