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Sunrise in Rio

Summary:

Hinata moved to Brazil. Now what? Beach volleyball is hard and can change your body in different ways, but what happens to him when his mindset changes, when he misses the ones he loves, when his body can't cooperate, when he meets Oikawa, when he sees kageyama on worldwide television.
Hinata's POV MAJOR HAIKYUU TIMESKIP SPOILERS

Notes:

MAJOR HAIKYUU TIMESKIP SPOILERS!!!!!!
This story is mainly on how Hinata's mindset changed. I wrote this for my brother's college class. Enjoy!

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

The sand feels different from concrete. There is no stable footing, only the feeling of sinking whenever you push your feet down. You cannot travel as fast, reflexes become slower, the body becomes weaker, and sand becomes hotter. Playing beach volleyball rather than indoor volleyball can be different on many levels, but never did I think that it would change my perspective on life.

No wind, no sunlight, no sand.

Just a net, a ball, and fluorescent lighting.

Volleyball excites me. When I go in for a receive, my body has been trained to naturally move into a squat and prepare for the ball. I trained for many years to reach that level of skill, and muscle memory helps me perfectly align myself with the ball. I trained since middle school when no one even knew volleyball was a club. I trained with the ladies even though I belong to a boys’ club, I even rode up and down the mountains every day to reach my school where I only go because of volleyball. Volleyball has taken my life and gave it a meaning, to become the best version of myself while playing the sport I love. However, I did not think passion could be stripped away so easily by little specks of dirt called sand.

Whenever I think of Brazil, I think of sand, wind, and sweat.

“Hey, you okay, buddy?”

I looked up to see my friend, Pedro, standing next to me while I gasped for air with my hands on my knees and back slouched. I couldn’t see him clearly due to the rays of sunlight peeking behind him, but I can still see on his face that he cares for my health.

“Yeah… I’m fine. Just give me the next one,” I said, still gasping for air. I looked up to see Pedro still concerned, but I did not pay attention. I needed to get better, and this was the way. As I was gonna look up again, I was interrupted by Pedro.

“Dude, if you want, we can take a break. We’ve been here all morning.” Pedro never cared for anything besides his video games and manga, but when I did not have anyone to train with, he would gladly take the offer as he knew progress and results mean a lot to me. When I did not know any Portuguese, he gladly gave me a Dragon Ball Z Portuguese manga that I can use to learn a different language. After 4 months here, I still did not know how to order water in a restaurant, but I did know more about the Dragon Ball Z story by reading it in another language.

He stared at me waiting for my response, yet I could not say anything because my throat burned from my exhaustion. Yes, stamina from high school did help, but nothing compared to the gruesome heat of Brazil.

I didn’t respond to the question. Instead, I sat down on the beach and waited for my breathing to stabilize. Pedro could see that I was having trouble keeping up with this beach volleyball. I had to learn how to receive, set, attack, jump, spike, and land on my feet all over again from the basics. Yes, I had help, but in the end, no one helps you in your mind.

I took off my sunglasses and my hat while Pedro reached for the water bottle and handed it to me. I nodded as a response and reached to grab the water bottle from his hand. I was so distracted by the need to have water that I did not notice Pedro put the volleyball back into my backpack.

After drinking water, I finally got up on my feet again.

“Okay, a few more sets then we can go home,” I said while turning around to look at Pedro.

Pedro looked me straight in the eyes and laughed while saying “No.”

“No? Pedro, I need to get better before next week’s tournament. It’s my first one, and I still suck.”

“That’s why we are going home and recovering, so you can work hard tomorrow. You just died today, and it was not a pretty sight to see.”

“You’re exaggerating.” I extended my arms and looked at myself up and down. “See, no scratches. I’m fine.”

“Says the guy who couldn’t talk a while ago.” Again, Pedro looked me straight in the eyes and said those words with no emotion on his face.

“Okay, fine.” I was, of course, mocking him. “I guess we can follow your plan,” I said as I rolled my eyes. I knew Pedro was right. Physical and mental health are important factors to athletes, yet I couldn’t stop playing even if I needed to recover. I came to Brazil for one sole reason, to become better at volleyball.

“You know you have to rest. And go shower.” Pedro knew how stubborn I was about my love for volleyball, sometimes he had to drag me out of the beach and into our apartment so I could rest.

As I made myself a snack and prepared to “rest”, I realized how worn out my body really was. Soreness could be felt throughout my entire body, especially in my legs. My thighs were throbbing from all the pain, I rested my head on my right hand and drank my water with my left. I could feel the cold water expand across my chest as I drank it. Personally, it felt like heaven was being introduced, the relief that I felt was unimaginable.

 

After only 4 months in Brazil, I learned the importance of rest, health, and distance. Back in Japan, I was constantly suffocated by people left and right. People I knew always expected something from me, to be the best. Not only did I feel pressured by my rivals, but also by myself and my high expectations. However, no one knew me in Brazil, knew my past, my history, my story.

After losing my wallet, getting lost in the streets of Rio, and arguing with several people about what their food order was, I was drained. Volleyball did not feel like a sport, it felt like a chore. Constantly changing people, moving around, never having a steady team, I felt as though only I would lose if we lost and I would only win if we won. I want to play, I want to become better, I want to win, but it’s useless if I have no one there by my side.

My thoughts were running throughout my mind, bouncing back and forth as I maneuvered through the crowded streets and passed a small sho-

“19-year-old Kageyama does another service ace once again, ladies and gentleman. What an absolute monster this young man is on the court.” The faint, yet energetic voice from the sports channel could be heard from the TV. I did not understand the language much due to the language barrier, but when someone mentions ‘Kageyama’, my natural reflex is to look and pay attention. I saw Kageyama on the screen with his national Japan team playing a match.

19. He is 19. 19 years of working hard had led him there and what am I doing, in Rio delivering food to people. As I watched the TV, I could feel 4 things.

1. My mouth began to form a smirk.

2. My eyes not blinking and focusing on him.

3. My hands’ grip on the bicycle got tighter.

4. Another pair of eyes on me

Fuck this.

After my frustration settled down, I left my bicycle and stuff in my apartment and went to play volleyball on the beach with the locals. Being homesick, frustrated, alone, tired, sore, and a bunch of other things I can’t say, playing volleyball should bring some ease, right?

The locals always liked to play with tourists, sometimes even scam them, and have fun on the beach at night. People having beers, dancing to the loud music coming from the restaurants, or just enjoying the night sky were all over the place, the beach was never alone. I did not like to be alone. The feeling from middle school was always creeping back to me when I went to Brazil and my will to fight it was disappearing slowly. The feeling of not wanting to fight anymore feels horrible. You see your potential, but no results to show for it. Why should I continue if I have nothing to show for it? Why should I keep going when everyone is further ahead than me? I can never catch up now. Why would I even want to? After 4 months of constant defeat, why do I even care for this game when it’s only taking and not giving at this point? Kageyama is gone. Yamaguchi is gone. Even Tsukishima is playing with teammates. Why should I even care for this stupid game anymore?

I see the ball is set to me by an older man in the middle of our beach volleyball game. I do not have any more energy to spike the ball one more time, but before I even decide to not go for the ball my body is already jumping to spike the ball. My mind might be done, but my body goes the extra mile. I spike the ball and naturally, my smile becomes apparent to everybody.

Immediately, my body tenses up after hearing a similar sound. No. Not sound, but rather a voice. Japanese? I barely hear someone talk in Japenese anymore. It was a relief to see him across the court again. What had it been? 3 years? 4 years? Did not matter as soon as I saw him.

“The Great King?” He was here. “W-What are you doing here Gr- Oikawa?”

“That’s my line. I saw you earlier delivering food, shorty.” He says while staring down at me and seeing how much I had grown. After years of not seeing each other, my heart warmed when I saw him. We both exchanged words, experiences, talked about how our lives had been going and took a selfie for memories. I found out he continued with volleyball in Argentina, moved right after high school, and how he made the national team. We had lunch together at this cheap restaurant I took him to, but overall the best part of the whole interaction was playing with someone as talented as him.

We played beach volleyball until we were both dead from it. Oikawa was there. He was there, even if it was just a mistake or coincidence, it didn’t matter because he was there. Playing with someone who was from my hometown made me feel at ease and felt like I could conquer the world. Seeing someone try their absolute best just to play with me for a little bit warmed my heart. After days and nights of being defeated by my thoughts, being with Oikawa felt like taking a sip of water after spending nights in the desert.

“Goddamn it!” Oikawa yelled as his face planted into the sand. He was trying his best, but if he was still working on it. Of course, he would not be able to play perfectly after just 20 minutes of playing with me.

“This isn’t volleyball. This is a completely different sport.” Oikawa said as he stood up.

It didn’t matter what I said to bring him encouragement, but what he did brought me motivation. Still shaking the sand of his arms and legs, I started to speak without thinking.

“Today, for a second, just a second. I was depressed, but after meeting you, I’m feeling way, way, way better.” I said while bringing a huge smile to my face. Oikawa looked at me with a surprised face, I could tell he was shocked at what I said, but he continued to relax after a bit.

“Then buy me dinner next time”

I was shocked at his words. ‘Next time?’ Was he planning on seeing me again? Was he planning on playing more volleyball? Just thinking of playing with Oikawa made my heart bounced. Playing volleyball with such a talented setter by my side. Haven’t felt that feeling since high school with Kageyama.

Those next few days felt like paradise to me. We managed to win 3 games against locals who thought we were tourists. Granted Oikawa did fall on his face 5 times, but at least he tried. Honestly, just having someone there felt like a dream come true, not only anybody, but a rival and a person I look up to.

 

After 1 year and 7 months of being in Brazil, I started my day off how I usually do now, by meditating on the beach.

In high school, I was always considered to be a loud energetic teenager, yet now I am meditating on the beach in the morning while the sun rises across the ocean. It is funny how mindsets change with time, with distance too.

Fluorescent lighting became the sun, the wooden floors in a gym became the sand, the air conditioning in the back of the room became the wind. All things I thought defined my home, were replaceable. Indoor volleyball is always my favorite, but with learning from new experiences, I was taught the art of adaptability.

The wind changes every second and the sun changes position with time. You constantly have to be adaptable in beach volleyball, which helped me become a better version of myself.

Pedro taught me to properly rest after a hard workout, to appreciate the foods that I eat but he did it so I could adapt to his lifestyle just as I adapt to a different style of volleyball. Oikawa taught me to value the company and enjoy the game with friends instead of chasing results. Distance and time taught me that results will come on their own if you work hard and do not give up. While meditating on the beach, the sunlight warms my skin, I felt at peace knowing that I succeeded in my mission; I became better.

My biceps were bigger, my thighs were stronger, my mind was clearer.

The people in this new environment were special, they were the kind of people who lifted someone from the ground, who gave them food on the table if they needed it, who would not hesitate to share an umbrella with you.

My mindset was changed from the default stubbornness to the unusually adaptable.

 

After I went back to Japan, back to indoor volleyball, my body was completely new to the smell of a gymnasium. The wooden floors felt hard instead of smooth like the sand, the wind did not change like the natural ocean breeze, and the lights did not burn my skin like the heat from the sun. Everything felt familiar, yet different at the same time.

When the practice started, I could feel my reflexes become faster due to the ground not sinking me anymore, my eyes became clearer due to the sunlight being hidden away outside, the ball had a predictable route due to the lack of wind inside. I came back as one of the best players in that gym, yet all of us trained for the same amount of time, the only difference was the setting.

Outside vs inside.

If you do not change settings, you cannot see other perspectives. Back home, people value hard work over rest, often overworking themselves to fit their desired goals. Yet in Brazil, people prioritize rest and health to become better. All that new perspective came into play when thinking about volleyball and how it can affect other people. The adaptability that I gained from my new environment made me the person I am today.

Yes, air conditioning feels nice, fluorescent lighting looks nice, wooden floors are nice, but learning from other situations makes you open to new ideas. The different weather, temperature, and environment made me look at the world from a new perspective, but the sun rises the same way, the dirt still finds ways to sneak into my clothes, and water still gets on my hair. The sun and feeling the warmth in my skin serve as a reminder of improvement and different lifestyles.

“Hey, Hinata. Let’s go.” Kageyama said to me as he walked out of the gym. He walked while putting his water bottle in his backpack not even noticing me staying in the same position. He stopped to look back at me with a confused face as he held a volleyball between his arm and his hip.

The sun was beginning to set behind him. The gate, cars, pavement, trees, and grass all turned to sand and the ocean as I saw his figure. My partner, the biggest rival, was here playing with me, improving with me, setting for me.

“Dumbass? Are you walking with me to the bus stop?”

I blinked, brought back from my daydream, and began to walk next to Kageyama. He was about 1 step ahead of me since I lingered to see the sunset and him. I caught up with him and noticed that this time, instead of him being ahead of me, I was right next to him. Playing with him instead of seeing him through a screen.

Notes:

My Twitter is @earoikawa or Silkawa, I mainly do edits and memes, but I occasionally make fanfics because no one else will :)