A/N: To MoonShadows717, this update took almost a year! I'm ashamed! I just. . . I wrote this draft a long time ago . . . but got distracted so- Don't worry, I'm planning to give them a happy ending. I want to appease you with this short chapter 3 and I'll say this now, I'm not planning on dropping this series of one-shots! BECAUSE HINATA AND YACHI DESERVE IT! *High fives* I hope you are still reading this, and I wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart on how grateful I am to your feedbacks, Thank you MoonShadows717! You're awesome. :)

To helloladycat, two unanimous guest, , Une juene ecrivaine, well, here's the update! To Bangtanyari, I'm glad for your very encouraging words. I'll try to maintain this balance until the last chapter. :)

To Maerynkawaii, thank you for leaving a review for every chapter! I appreciate your feedback. I would try to update the last chapter as soon as possible. :) And also, I'm a really Hinata x Yachi shipper so I get what you're feeling, it saddens me as well that there are only few fics about them.

To Yazi, thank you! You make me happy with your words as well! To Nyoy, I know what you mean. I really wanted to read a Hinata x Yachi myself. To Kiriha-chan, here's the next chapter! I hope you'd feel the fuaaahh and ruaaash in this update as well. :)

To elladu64, …your words, I'm touched by your words. I'll wrap this part of one-shot up as soon as possible. I hope you would continue loving this pairing as much as I do. :)

And to those who follows and favorite this story, thank you very much.

Disclaimer: I don't own Haikyuu!

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CHAPTER 5
Part 3

Xx..That kind of Selfishness..xX

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It was still raining when Hinata called again.

The phone was vibrating against her comforter. Her phone lit up and illuminates the otherwise dark room. Her eyes were heavy but slumber deprives her. Yachi turns on her side and stares at her phone warily. 2 seconds, 3 seconds. It stopped ringing. She waited for a couple of beats but it doesn't ring again. She buries her face back to her blankets and murmurs a sad sigh.

Hitoka's clothes were drenched when she got home. Her hair was wet and sticking to her cheeks, her eyes glacial, and her nose red. Fortunately, her mom wasn't home when she arrived.

She took her shoes off in a daze and placed it neatly by the door, lost to the agony of her thoughts. Yachi couldn't put in into words.

The hurt was there but the right words to describe her feelings deluded her. Yachi heads straight towards her bathroom in a trance, leaving her school bag by the door. She stands under the shower and let the warm water caress her clothed skin. She'll do the laundry later. For now, standing still and staring at nothing, in particular, eases something in her heart. Even after she changed into her pajamas, she couldn't quite place what she feels. Does she felt helpless? There's the shame . . . and lots of guilt as well.

She also felt numb and stupid.

Does it matter what she feels?

When the night fell, her mom knocks on her door and Yachi refused dinner with a hoarse whisper. Her mother let her be although Hitoka knew, she stayed outside her door and contemplated if she should ask her daughter what happened. After a while, she left though, and just tells her that she made sandwiches for Hitoka in the kitchen. She was thankful for that.

Her phone buzzed again around 9 in the evening, and she jerked awake this time, albeit a bit startled. She must have fallen asleep without realizing it. Wearily, she pulls her phone towards her, her vision still blurry from sleep. Hitoka looked at the screen indicating Hinata's numbers. He was still calling? How many calls does that make?

Distracted by her dreary feelings, she answered the call.

"H-hey." Hinata stuttered, startled that she answered the phone this time.

She didn't reply—couldn't. Hearing his voice woke her from her reverie. It all came back; the pit of dread, the swift pain of agony, and the bittersweet memories. A lump started to form on her throat. She can't trust herself to speak without her voice shaking.

"Hitoka?" His voice was quiet and sad. He doesn't sound like his usual self at all, or maybe she's making things up again?

She did a silent laugh. It eases almost abruptly as dismay sets in. It was funny how stupid she can be- how she can notice things that were not there at all. Her way of thinking put them in this current predicament and now she's making Hinata through this injustice suffering. How selfish can she be?

Hitoka inhaled deeply and did her best to sound like her usual self.

"Hinata? What is it?"

Shouyou pauses at her use of his surname but recuperates easily.

"You're not answering your phone. I was worried."

It surprises her that his immediate concern hurts her. "I-I'm sorry."

". . . Can we talk?"

"It's late already," her lips pressed into a thin line, she couldn't talk about what happened earlier right now. "Do you need anything?"

"Please? Can we talk? I need to tell you something." he pleaded. It pains her that she was having trouble to refuse him outright.

"Okay. . ." she relents and hated herself. "Sure. What is it?"

"It's about what happened this afternoon. You were about to cry—"

"Everything is okay," Hitoka gently interrupted, the lie easy on her lips. "Don't worry about it. There's nothing to talk about."

"Let's talk. Please." He repeated, dragging his words, desperation clinging on his voice. Of course, he'll be like this. Doesn't she love him because she admires his perseverance?

Her heart hurts for him and herself. It was a mistake answering his call – like her confession was a mistake. The timing was never right, the feelings never returned. Hitoka plays with her blanket distractedly. She remembered the red of his ears that day when she said she loves him, and the way his gaze wavers but instantaneously settles back at her.

'Can you let me think about it?'

Her lip trembles at the memory. When she finally speaks, her voice was in whispers.

"Can we talk in the morning?"

It was a plea but Hinata ignored it.

"Your mom won't let me in."

Upon hearing those words, she nodded not quite hearing it. Realization settles in after a while and Yachi sat up abruptly, startled at his statement. "What? Won't let you. . ."

"I wanted to see you. Please, can we talk?"

Yachi's gaze went towards her bedroom's window. The wind was harsh outside and the rain was still beating down the window's glass. Concern won over everything and she was walking towards her closet to get a jacket before she could stop herself. "Are you still outside?"

"Yeah."

Hinata must be shivering in cold right now. Yachi can imagine him perfectly; standing in front of their apartment, hugging his arms to regain some sort of warmth, his other hand clutching the phone tightly to hold it against his ear just to constantly, repeatedly, hear her rejection.

Hitoka pauses to her door, the image of him had her stopping from her tracks. If she was to meet him now . . . if she takes this agonizing step right now, would this scar between them ever heal?

"Shouyou . . ." she grieves. Their last conversation was still haunting her, replaying like some broken recorder, and she doesn't know if they will be back to what they are before if she gives in now.

"What is it?"

Hitoka sat back to her bed, the disregarded ruffled coat clenched tightly in her fists.

"Go home. I can't see you today."

"No. I wanted to—"

"I don't want to see you. I'm sorry."

The words were harsh, frank and a bit mean but it was anything but honest. He never listens to anything less. Hitoka knows it now and grieves on how much she knew him.

Silence met her ears. Guilt devours her heart by the absence of his usual instant reply. Shouyou was hurt because of her. Again. She bit her lower lip to stop herself from assuring him. If she didn't put the distance now, when would she?

Hitoka was about to plead again when he exhaled a deep shuddering sigh. "Okay. Just listen."

"Look, Hinata. Please just go home." She couldn't see him—wouldn't, because she knows that just one look from him, just the very sight of him, would slice her into pieces. "I'm okay and you won't be if you'd continue standing under the rain. Ennoshita-senpai won't like it either."

When Hinata didn't answer, her fingers tighten over her shirt above her heart. "Please."

Her voice at the end is a whisper, but the message had gone across.

". . . I see. Good night, Yachi."

Lightning pierced through the sky, the battering rain was still hammering at her window. Her brow furrows.

"Do you have your raincoat?" She asked before she could stop herself. It was too late to take the question back now and so, she waited for his answer.

"Yeah."

His voice was stiff and pinched. It was a lie. Her hand fisted at her blanket.

She wanted to ask if he would like to borrow an umbrella but he beat her to it.

"It's okay. I'll be fine, Yachi. Don't worry. I. . . I'll be back to whom I used to be before you knew it. I swear that to you."

"Just please take care on your way home, Hinata." She repeated, and Hinata gave a quiet hum before he ended the call.

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xXx

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The next day after class, on her way to the school gym, her eyes were still bulging and Hinata was wearing a face mask, walking a few steps ahead of her. He probably caught a cold.

She hated him for it. And she hated herself.

It would be better, much better, for everyone in the team if she remained Hinata's friend while maintaining a wise distance from him.

As he said, they would go back to who they are before eventually.

Hinata hadn't seen her yet and she kept her slow pace, not wanting it to seem like she was purposely avoiding him but also wanting to keep enough distance from him so he wouldn't notice her.

"Operation: survive this day without any heartbreaks. Commence." Hitoka murmurs to herself as she enters the school gym after Shouyou.

A/N: Part 3 was supposed to be the last part but I cut it off to half so this chapter would only focus on this specific conversation. I left a clue somewhere in there, a hint on what would happen to the next chapter, did you guessed it? What do you guys think of this chapter? Reviews are deeply appreciated. :}

The next update(part 4) will be the end of this part. Any guess or suggestions for the next chapter would be greatly appreciated.