Finally, we're here at the finishing line. After about a month or so of writing this story, it has come to an end.

Thank you so much for all of your support! To everyone who even just decided to click this story to check it out, thank you for giving your time to going through this story. I feel blessed to be able to have the chance to let people read my work and to those who enjoyed it, thank you for sticking out for me until the very end.

This was by far my most favourite chapter to write and what I included in it just came into being when I was writing it without much of a plan going on in my head. I think this is the best way to end the story and I hope you guys enjoy reading it.

Now, hope you enjoy the final chapter of "Onto the Road of Recovery".

I don't own the characters.

Japan Olympics July 2020 : in a stadium in Tokyo…

The Olympics had finally arrived in Japan at full swing and Hinata had to say, the party was on!

Everywhere he went, tourists and fans of various sports walked about wearing their national team's uniform, most of them having traveled thousands of miles just to watch their national team play. The entire country was in an uproar with team spirit and rivalry seeping into the lives of the locals who even as they tried to avoid getting caught up in the festivities and excitement of knowing who will win the 2020 Olympics, can't help but find themselves drawn to various sports some of them haven't even heard off before.

Hinata sat in the train, for once glad that he was small as he got squished between two large foreign men, the two of them talking about volleyball in English (the only reason Hinata knew that was because he actually knew what volleyball was in English). While they talked animatedly about the sport, Hinata tried to see which team they were supporting when they finally got off the train, the mechanical voice speaking to them in Japanese above their heads as majority of the crowd funneled out into the train station, Hinata using his old speed and size to his advantage as he darted through the crowd with ease before coming to a stop in front of a large advertisement running along the wall.

Kageyama's face shone with concentration as he set a ball into the air, the laughing face of Bokuto standing behind him as Ushijima stood with his back to the camera, his Team Japan jacket flying in the wind. Miya Atsumu had a leering grin on his face, his eyes boring straight into whoever was looking at him as he held a ball in his hand. Hinata could barely keep himself together as he turned to take a selfie of himself standing in front of the picture before sending it to Kageyama and posting it on his Instagram page with the hashtag "going to see my bro Kageyama!" "go team Japan!" "got VIP seats!" at the bottom.

After the counselling session had ended, Hinata had received a ticket in the mail along with a message written on a single script of paper on top of it, the handwriting much worse than Hinata's chicken scrawl. Hinata had nearly slammed his head into the ceiling from jumping too high and too much when he saw that Kageyama had made the team and had sent him a VIP ticket for a front row seat to the games. Grateful since the tickets cost a bomb and that he would be able to see his friend live in the game, Hinata had been waiting in anticipation for the game for months, booking his train tickets ahead of time and making sure Yachi would know he wouldn't be at work for the next few days.

Hinata was a bit curious how he managed to find his house address and that he could have just sent him an eticket or messaged him through the phone.

Over the past few months, Hinata had the pleasure of palying with some of the best players in the country, now majority of them representing their homeland in the games. What was supposed to be a one time playing for fun event with Kageyama turned into a weekly event, with them pairing up most of the time on the court when it came to games. Hinata had never felt so alive on the court, even when he had the chance to play on an official team during his Karasuno days. While he couldn't complain about Suga being a good setter, Kageyam was a new level of mad when he was on the court.

When he had first set to him, Hinata had barely been able to hit the ball but over time, with his max speed and Kageyama's ability to pinpoint exactly where he hit, they had quickly become a formidable duo on the court. Even Ushijima had been shocked at Hinata's jumping levels, asking him why he hadn't gone to a better school when Yamaguchi had to hold back Suga from pummeling Ushijima for saying that. The silver-haired setter loved his old school and didn't hesitate to make anyone pay if they ever so much talked bad about them. Luckily for them, hey had quickly come to recognize their skills on the court, even Yamaguchi, who had a hard time playing back in the day but managed to polish his jump-float serve over time to become a formidable pinch server.

When Hinata stepped out onto the streets of Tokyo, his eyes were blinded as he stared up at the stadium where team Japan will be facing their foes. Today's match was going to be an insane one, with the reigning champions going toe to toe with the Japan team, an event that is said to be a battle between demons. With japan boasting a new generation of formidable players and Brazil having won the previous Olympics, this might very well be the match of the century.

"Hey Hinata! Over here!" a voice called as a silver and brown cowlick waved in the air as it detected Hinata. Suga and Yamaguchi waved at the entrance, Yamaguchi looking much too cluster phobic for his own good with so many people around while Suga was smiling widely.

Both of them had gotten tickets as well, Suga's coming as a surprise from Ushijima and Yamaguchi having gotten one from Kageyama since the guy had spare tickets. Yamaguchi had been complaining about Tsukishima not going for the game but Hinata was partially glad the spectacled man wasn't coming since he drove him up the wall whenever he complained on how loud Hinata was during games; not like Hinata couldn't agree with him on it.

"Yo!' Hinata yelped as he gave both of them a high five before they walked into the stadium. Luckily for them, they got past the long line of people waiting to get in, waving their VIP tickets as they got into the stadium. The place was packed with people of different nationalities, although waves of Japanese people and Brazilians dominated the population. Many of them wore their country's uniform, some of them singing the national anthem and waving the flags in the air as they waited for the players to come out. Hinata wasn't sure if they were going to do an autograph session but now that he knew most of them off the court, he could get one anytime he wished.

He made an internal fanboy squeal as Yamaguchi groaned.

Once they settled in their seats, they each took turns rushing to the toilet or getting snacks and drinks for the games. Hinata ended up buying a bag of onigiri sold by one of the Miya twins, Osamu who was now the proud owner of a food stall that's seemed to haunt his other half wherever he played, chuckling at how Atsumu must feel whenever people talk behind his back on how he could be selling food right before the game. The poor man had bawled his head off once at how his brother always got mistaken for him and would often be considered more hardworking while he was considered slacking off the job for selling food when he wasn't.

"Man this is going to be exciting!" Suga gushed as he texted Daichi and Asahi. Both of the two seniors were somewhere in the crowd since they had to get their own tickets while the other members of Karasuno were working. The crowd was getting thicker as the time of the game starting drew closer and closer, the anticipation rising in the air until at long last, the announcement of the starting lineup came.

"Can we please welcome the teams playing today's match, Team Japan vs. Team Brazil," the announcer spoke, their voice sounding bored from having done too many announcements across the month as the crowd went wild, screams filing the air as the members walked in as their names were called.

"Playing inside hitter for team Japan, number 11 is Ushijima Wakatoshi."

A wave of screams followed as Ushijima ran onto the court, the team Japan sign blazing on his chest as he walked, his eyes staring at the court in front of him. Hinata could have swore he heard Suga swooning next to him alongside majority of the female fans as the next player was announced.

"Playing outside hitter for the team as number 12 is Bokuto Koutarou!"

A wave of yells followed as a bunch of guys wearing the Fukurodani team uniform yelled his name, pumping their fists into the air as the wing spiker did cartwheels on his way out, earning laughs from the crowd as he yelled, "Hey hey hey! Whats up people?!"

Akaashi, who was seated quite a ways from them gave a small smile along with a sigh as he clapped for Bokuto's entrance, the wing spiker somehow noticing his friend's presence as he blew a kiss at him that made the man turn beet red from it.

"Playing the main setter is number 20, Kageyama Tobio."

"Kageyama, fight!" Hinata roared as he got up to cheer, the noise rising from the crowd higher than ever before as the setter walked onto the court, waves of screams and cheers filling the air as Kageyama raised a hand to the crowd. That increased the screaming even more as Kageyama's eyes darted through the crowd, managing to connect with Hinata as he gave a smile that sent a wave of fangirl screams through the female fans.

"Hey, you think he's got a thing for you, Hinata?" Suga smirked as Hinata waved back at Kageyama. Somehow, he had managed to connect with the setter really well and although he wasn't exactly to be in that much contact with his client after counselling, Hinata couldn't help but get drawn into the world Kageyama belonged to that he so desperately wanted to be part of all those years ago.

As the teams stood on the court, Hinata could almost imagine himself standing beside Kageyama on the court. If, maybe in the past, Kageyama had gone to Karasuno and played for them there, they could have been a freak duo no one had ever seen before and played all the way to nationals. Maybe, just maybe, he might have seen the view he had always wanted to see.

Before his eyes, it blocks his path. A high, high wall. What sort of scene is on the other side? What will he be able to see there? The view from the top. a scenery that he will be never to see on his own; but, if he not alone, then… he might be able to see it.

Even though Hinata never got the chance to see the view from the top from the court, at least now, standing high above the crowd, he could share the same sight Kageyama now saw.

Together.

…

Kageyama breathed as they got ready to walk out. He had been on high nerves since the previous day, barely able to chug down any food he needed even when the others were able to plow through plate after plate of food. As excited as he was, he couldn't help but feel nervous at the same time of not being able to perform to the best of his ability.

That was when he mentally gave himself a slap as he told himself that no one was expecting anything from him. He was there on the court because he wanted to be. He deserved to be there after all the hard work he had put in to get there.

He was going to play his dream on the court.

That night, he dreamed of himself standing in a high school gym, the gym small, standard of an average high school. The windows were drawn to let the light stream into it, hitting the volleyball net set up in the middle of the court. He spun the ball in his hands, letting the ball spin slowly before tossing it up into the air, taking a slow breath as he got ready to spike when he heard a shout coming from the door.

"What are you doing here?!" a voice blurted as Kageyama came to a stop, landing on the court as he turned to stare at the owner of the voice.

It was a younger version of Hinata, although he barely changed much over the years. He was slightly shorter and his hair was more wavy than as an adult (was it possible for his hair to be that bright orange when he was younger?!) but his energy was still as much as he had as an adult. Kageyama had seen too many times on the court just how loud Hinata could be and he had thought how he managed to get into a career that involved being poised and calm.

There was a thumping sound as a ball fell onto his head, the ball rolling to lie forgotten on the ground as Kageyama turned to open his mouth when the scene changed.

He was now standing on an orange court, the lights shining above his head as he wore the black and orange colours of Karasuno high school. He had the number 9 printed on the back of his jersey as he looked forward, the air filled with the claps and shouts of spectators raring to watch the game. As he looked on his left, he saw Hinata wearing the same uniform, albeit with the number 10 on his back as he grinned.

"Come on, Kageyama! We have a game to play!" he grinned as more people began to step onto the court. Kageyama recognized a few of them as Suga and Yamaguchi from the practices Hinata had with them on the court, Suga all smiles as he gave him a whack on the back before standing beside him. Yamaguchi gave him a small nod before going to stand beside Suga when a loud voice called out to them.

"Come on! Don't look so down! Let's have a good game!" a boy who was shorter than Hinata grinned as he bounced on the balls of his feet, his hair spiked up as he wore the uniform of a libero. The guy next to him laughed, his bald head shining in the light as he grinned serrated teeth.

"Onward to pleasing Kiyoko-san! Oraaa!" he yelled as someone snapped, "Calm down, Noya! Tanaka! We're about to play a game!"

A boy with the number 1 walked to stand beside the bald boy, a scary grin on his face as the two boys froze in their spots before shuffling to get into position.

"Daichi, don't be so loud. You're making me scared with your face," a man with a beard and hair pulled back in a bun and hairband stammered as he stood beside his captain, the number 3 painted on his back as a boy with the number 8 stepped beside him, "Asashi, calm down. We'll be fine."

"But…" Asahi stammered as Nishinoya laughed, "Come on Asahi! You're the ace so don't look like you're going to cry all the time!"

"Noya!" Asahi wailed as a person sneered, "I guess kids just can't stop being kids on the court."

A tall lanky beanpole of a player now stood beside Yamaguchi, a smirk that made Kageyama's skin crawl as he pushed back his black glasses against his face in an irritating manner. He wore the number 11 on his back and his face both spoke volumes of how irritated he was with his teammates as well as how much he wanted to tease them and make things worse.

"Why you… Tsukishima you beanpole," Tanaka growled as Kageyama looked at what may have had been his team.

"Hey Kageyama! Whatacha spacing out for?" a voice asked as Hinata stepped into his field of vision, a grin on his face as he spread out his arms.

"Come on! We're all your allies on the court now! Let's go play a good game and see the view from the top!" he grinned as Kageyama's chest warmed up, his eyes watery as he tried to blink back the tears as he nodded.

"Yeah. Let's do it."

When Kageyama woke up, he felt as refreshed as he could ever be as they went to have breakfast and go to the venue, the crowd cheering their names as the team went to the locker room to change. Atsumu was groaning at how much noise Bokuto had made while talking on the phone to Akaashi and causing him to have fitful sleep while Ushijima was telling him to get his mind into the game. Rei, Kageyama's captain from the Schweiden Alders grinned as he tried to rally the guys together and cobbling their spirits up as Kageyama looked around him.

Somehow, he couldn't get the image out of his head of playing with Karasuno, the players from his dream consisting of people he had never met but somehow, if he was put with the same team as team, he would have no problem playing with them at all. In fact, he felt that they would be the only team he would ever want to play with for the rest of his life, the feeling of them being able to cover his back at all times settling his nerves as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You ready for this?" Ushijima asked as Kageyama nodded. For years, it had been his dream to play for his country and now, he will be doing so.

With this team consisting of friends and foes of his past, he will be facing the most powerful volleyball team in the world.

He looked forward to the challenge.

"Come on team! Let's do this!" Rei shouted as the locker room filled with roars, Atsumu yelling as Bokuto pulled him into a headlock while Sakusa looked at them as though they were going to infect him. Ushijima took a moment to run his thumb over a good luck charm he had received from the former Shiratorizawa third years, who were somewhere in the crowd now before closing his locker.

When the attendant came knocking on the door, the boys gave one final yell as they walked in a line, onto the battlefield called the volleyball court.

On the way out, Ushijima turned to walk beside Kageyama, lasting a few minutes until they got onto the court. The words he said made Kageyama feel more at peace as his senior clamped his hand onto his shoulder, giving him a tight squeeze as he said.

"I'm glad to be able to have you set for me on the court."

Kageyama nodded as Ushijima stepped forward, the stadium going wild as his name was called. One by one, the players were called out and Kageyama could feel his nerves on edge as he waited for his moment. The corridor he was standing in was dark, the feeling he always had whenever he was on the court all those years, unable to connect with the people around him and understanding their feelings.

As Kageyama heard his name being called out and he ran onto the court, his eyes were blinded by the light shining from above him along with the faces of people dear to him popping from the crowd.

His parents sat in the VIP box, waving the Japanese flag as Kageyama Sasuke tried not to cry with joy. The big man was wearing a shirt with his son's scowling face printed on it with the words "I love Kageyama Tobio" printed in red, Kageyama making a mental note to make him throw the shirt away after the game while his wife sported a Team Japan uniform with her son's number on the front.

He managed to make out the faces of the Shiratorizawa third years sat in one corner of the stands, shouting and clapping as their former teammates ran onto the court, the Shiratorizawa flag flying high and proud in the sky as they roared. Kageyama spotted Coach Washijo seated beside them, a proud smile on his face as he watched his students fulfill their dreams.

He even caught a glimpse of Kindaichi and Kunimi, both of them waving Japan flags in the air. By some miracle, he had managed to get together with them through the magic of Oikawa's charm and after a pretty awkward hour of just staring at each other fro across the table, he had finally managed to apologise for what happened in middle school. Although Kindaichi had said it wasn't necessary to bring it up since they don't even play volleyball anymore, the turnip head had to admit that deep down, he had hoped that Kageyama would have seen the error of his ways. Kunimi only let out a small grunt, indicating he was satisfied with the outcome and didn't wan to venture into the matter.

From afar, Iwaizumi had to make sure Oikawa wasn't mad enough to try and take pictures of them, saying he was so proud of his little kids being all grown up now like a mum while Iwaizumi tried to rein him back to his senses. Once that episode was over, Kageyama had truly managed to come to terms with everyone from his path, becoming a new man in the process.

As his eyes moved through the crowd, he thought he saw the two older versions of the players he had seen in his dream. The two of them were shouting his name as they waved the Japanese flag, Kageyama giving them a wave as his attention turned to the bright orange flame burning in the VIP box.

Hinata bounced on his feet as he waved and shouted his name, squished between Yamaguchi and Suga as he jumped up and down. He stood out like a sore thumb with his hair and his shouts, making Kageyama grateful he had such memorable hair as he shot up a thumbs up to Hinata, who gave him one back.

When all members finally stood on the court, Kageyama could feel the similar sensation of standing with the players in his dream. A land of orange and black stretched out in front of him, the other team large and menacing as Kageyama's heart beat against his chest. For a moment, he felt he was alone in this, the only person having to face off the team of giants standing off in front of him.

Before his eyes, it blocks his path. A high, high wall. What sort of scene is on the other side? What will he be able to see there? The view from the top. a scenery that he will be never to see on his own; but, if he not alone, then… he might be able to see it.

Slowly but surely, his vision began to brighten as the silhouettes of his teammates came into view, smiling and grinning as they stood as one, ready to tackle their enemy as one team. Kageyama smiled as they bowed to one another, wishing each other a good match as he put a foot forward to get into position.

Even as Hinata and Kageyama stand in two different worlds, fate brought them together to show each other a sight they had never seen before.

In an alternate reality, on a small island in the middle of the ocean on a far corner of the world, two players are ready to face each other on the court, once rivals on the same team, now rivals on the opposite side of the court.

There is the sound of cawing as a murder of crows take flight into the air, signaling the flight of two players who met on the court. No matter where they were, fate will always bring them back together.

Always.

Thank you so much for reading this story! I'm planning to finish my Owari no haikyuu story soon (will rewatch the anime and then go back to it feeling pumped and refreshed with the feels) after abandoning it for months.

Until then, ave atque vale and until we meet again, sayonara.