Chapter Text
The gym lights were bright reflecting off the fresh shine of the court capturing the room in an illuminating glow. The court has just been cleaned in preparation for the next game, the finale one of the night. The de facto determinant of who would be the last advancing team to the National level.
Everything was set in motion: both teams had completed their stretches, filled water bottles, and talked strategy. So all there was really left to do was wait for the referee to call the players onto the court.
The Jaguars have had a solid season this year only doing better with every game but they weren’t about to call it quits just yet. Not when they were so close, the position for Nationals ripe for the taking. The suspense tied with the anticipation for the game to start was becoming too much to bear causing some members of the girls' volleyball team to act much like their predator of a mascot.
The libero and wing spiker were eyeing the competition in an attempt to get a feel of the players, stalking their every movement. The middle blockers were circling their area near the court, outside the line of course, they weren’t permitted to go on just yet. Each one forbearingly waiting to ambush both the court and their competition to take the winning title.
All except for one.
Off to the side, a bit away from the rest of the team, sat a singular player. The thirteen-year-old player sat on one of the many benches in the room. Her long wavy orange hair was pulled back in a low pony that contrasted heavily against the dark green and black uniform she wore. Her gaze was locked across the court but wasn’t really focusing on anything in particular, just mindlessly staring off into space. The small athlete was so lost in her mind that not even the familiar comforting smell of air salonpas could calm her down. What was keeping her grounded was her fingers messing with the lid of her sticker-covered green water bottle that had many of the stickers tarnished due to excessive use.
Her phone lay close next to her, unbuzzing, much to the girl’s dismay.
This was not her usual pre-competition routine. Usually right about now she would be right alongside her teammates either hyping them up or joking around with them to get any last-minute jitters out, but tonight was different.
Tonight she was expecting a message, a very important one at that, one she had yet to receive only adding to her nervousness. It's bad for her to be so stagnant before such a high-stakes game but she had to be close to her phone, which had to be by her bag.
As she stared mindlessly across the court she saw movement. Focusing on the scene across from her she saw that her opponents were moving closer together, forming a huddled circle. That could only mean one thing.
The game was starting soon, her time was dwindling.
“Shouyou.”
"AH! Oh sorry Coach, you scared me.” Shouyou said in fluent Portuguese, trying her best to play off the high-pitched squeal she just emitted.
“I’ve been calling you over for ages. What are you doing over here? Do you feel like you're going to throw up? I thought we worked past all that.”
Shouyou waved her hands animatedly. “No, no Coach, I feel fine no throw up bucket needed.” She laughed but her coach didn’t reciprocate.
Instead she just eyed the orange-haired player carefully. “I’m your Coach Shouyou, I can tell when something’s bothering you.”
“Well, I am feeling a bit nervous, but not about the game. Actually that’s a lie I do feel nervous about the game, but not how I usually am.” She eyed her Coach who by the look on her face, wasn’t following.
Shouyou let out a disappointed sigh. “Someone really important is supposed to watch me play tonight but I haven't gotten a text back yet and the games about to start soon and right now I just feel like ahhhh and blaahhh… I don’t know how else to explain it.” Explaining her feelings was always hard. Sometimes Shouyou just couldn’t formulate her thoughts into words properly so she had to use sound effects, which did not always work.
Luck was on her side tonight however for her Coach kneeled down bedside her placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I know having someone in the stands can be very important, but you have to remember the people there,” she pointed a finger to the stands.
“They don’t impact the outcome of the game. They don’t matter, the people who do however are your teammates. They are your lifeline out there and your biggest supporters. You have to be locked in for not only yourself but for them.”
Shouyou blinked as her Coach's words sunk in. She wasn’t wrong, if Shouyous mind wandered to whoever was, or wasn’t, in the stands then she’d be distracted, an open target for attack. Sabotaging the game for not only herself but for her teammates. Everything they’ve worked so hard for would’ve been all for nothing.
Shouyou gave a firm nod, followed by a mock salute, “You got it Coach.”
The gesture forced a smile out of the older woman. “Now come on we gotta circle up.” She said as she gave Shouyou one last pat before making her way to the rest of the players.
The orange-haired girl rose from her spot on the bench. Yes, her Coach’s words struck a chord with her and yes she does feel better than before the talk.
Yet she still can't help but feel, upset.
Fumbling through her bag Shouyou pulled out colorful hair clips to pin back the loose stands that freed themselves during her warmups. As she put in the last clip her phone buzzed to life. With no hesitation Shouyou lept over her bag, stomach now pressing up against the opening as she stretched her tiny arms to grasp the electronic device. Hands fumbling she flipped the phone open, the screen light reflecting on her face.
Copper eyes light up as she noticed the text she waited ever so patiently for.
__________
Volleyball Guru
>>Omw! Be there soon. Can’t wait to see you play. ♡
__________
The biggest grin spread across Shouyou's face as she read over the message. Before she sent a huge wall of text back condemning the timing of the message her Coach called her over preventing her from doing so. Instead she let her fingers fly over the buttons for a couple of seconds sending out a quick reply.
__________
Volleyball Guru
>> :) :) :)
>>Txt me when you get here!
>>♡
__________
Turning the ringer off she placed the phone back in her bag zipping it up, making a mental note to herself to check it during break.
Shouyou's smile didn’t fade as her teammates jokingly chastised her for taking too long. She paid them no mind however for she was finally able to get her head into the game. The determination to win was always there but now it just doubled. The feeling only grew as she listened to her Captain's pep talk.
“Remember girls if we win this we advance to the Nationals, now hands in.”
Three.
Two.
One.
“Vai equipa!” The team shouts in unison lifting their hands in the air. With the excitement running high everyone branched off to take their starting positions. Shouyou dashing up ahead onto the court taking her rightful position by the net.
Standing firm, she took a deep breath followed by a fast exhale. She was ready, no longer were her nerves taking control of her with her mind running amuck. Now standing on the court her adrenaline was kicking in full gear with her thirst to play at an all-time high. Her sheer passion for volleyball taking control of every fiber of her being. Shouyou always gives every game her best, but for this one, she had to be the best.
With the whistle blown the game commenced.
❂❂❂
Beep Beep Beep
A hand swiftly smashed the alarms off button, while the other threw away the covers allowing the athlete to leap out of bed. The clock read seven a.m. on the dot. Shouyou would have gotten up much earlier but her mother enacted a new house rule that she couldn’t go to the beach unless Shouyou told her in person. Sure it was a bit irritating waiting the extra hour for her Mom to wake up but today she couldn't care less.
The calendar above her desk told her it was the first of December, meaning today marked the first day of Summer. So not only does that mean no homework, no exams, and above all else no more stupid English, but now she has all the time in the world for beach volleyball.
Morning, noon, night, it would be practice, practice, practice; much like it has been for the past three summers. Beach volleyball does peak during the summer months so if she wanted to be able to participate in this year's FIVB Beach Volleyball U19 World Championship, then she's going to have to work for it. Sure Shouyou might’ve been introduced to beach volleyball at a young age, but that was back when it was a hobby, not her passion like it was nowadays.
Staring out the window her excitement only grew, Brazil always had the best summers. The sun was illuminating everything it touched, the streets were alive with laughter, and it was that perfect time when the tourists had yet to overcrowd everything.
It was the perfect summer day and there was a lot of work to do.
If she planned accordingly and kept competing in small competitions she’d be able to build enough of a name for herself for the first round of the CVB Championship. It’s going to be hard to find a partner again, but she’ll cross that bridge when she gets there.
For now, it’s just her, the ocean, and beach volleyball.
After throwing on a pair of workout clothes Shouyou quickly made work of her gym bag putting in some spare clothes and her plain light blue water bottle. Before making her exit she gave herself one last glance in her closet mirror. Her hair was sticking up in all directions clearly giving off the impression that she had just rolled out of bed. Giving it a quick comb over with her hand it looked less bed-headed and now just looked like its normal poofy self.
Back when she used to have it long she would always tie it back in a ponytail causing it to get tangled and knotty. It was also impossible to brush at that length being so thick the brush would often get stuck. One time she went to school with a comb sticking out of her hair because she didn’t have the time to detangle it. Cutting it was the best decision she ever made, plus keeping it short helped with keeping sand out of it so win-win.
After getting dressed she rushed to the kitchen only to find it empty. Which was odd her mom is usually up by now hands clutching a cup of cafezinho greeting her with her warm smile and a cheerful ‘morning sweetie’.
Even after a quick breakfast still no Mom and Shouyou was starting to get restless. Her leg was bouncing rapidly as she waited at the kitchen table hoping her mom would enter at any second. After a few more minutes the thought of waiting a second longer became unbearable.
“Mom you awake? I’m heading to the beach to practice with Kato.” Shouyou shouted from the kitchen table. No response. After letting out a groan she gets up navigating towards the hallway.
“Mom!” Shouyou shouts switching from Portugees to Japanese hoping that would get her mother's attention. Still nothing. If she wasn’t in the kitchen then there’s only one other place she could be.
Turning the corner she heard a soft voice, confirming that she was in her office. Shouyou was about to shout again only for her words to die on her tongue upon entering the room. The shades were still down preventing the morning light from brightening up the space.
Her mom stood rigid in the center of the room, back facing Shouyou with the phone held close to her ear. Shouyou couldn’t make out who exactly her mom was talking to allowing her to only hear her mom's side of the conversation.
“I see. I’ll talk to you soon.” Her mom quickly hung up the phone before turning around. Immediately loosening up upon seeing her eldest daughter. “Hey baby what’s wrong,” she asked softly.
“What's wrong with you?” Shouyou blurts out without thinking.
Getting a better look at her, Shouyou noted the bags under her eyes sticking out against her pale skin. She’s tired but that’s nothing new – she has been taking a lot of extra shifts at the hospital as of late.
Her mom let out a small laugh at her daughter's blunt question. “Yeah, I’m fine sweetie. Just got some bad news that's all.”
Shouyou figured that was as much as she was going to get. “I was gonna head to the beach. I just wanted to tell you, and you seem busy so I’m going to head out.” She quickly turned to leave.
“Wait, Shouyou I have to talk to you.” Shouyou stopped mid-stride, turning back to her mother.
Her mother placed her phone on the desk before continuing. “I’ve wanted to talk to you about this for a while, and you have a right to know.” She took a breath before continuing.
“We’re moving.”
“M-moving. Moving where?” Shouyou asked curiously.
“Japan.” Her mother firmly stated.
Shouyou's stomach dropped, moving usually means living in a different city or packing up to live in a different house a couple streets down. Not to a completely different country across the world. Japan is far, very far, like the other side of the world far.
Why on Earth would her Mom choose to move there?
Why now, right when Shouyou was just starting to get somewhere with beach volleyball. When everything in her life was just starting to feel normal again. Her plans for the summer, her training, her friends, her future she was just supposed to leave it all behind. The blood, sweat, and tears, the hours of dedication, the sacrifice: all of that for it to mean nothing.
“For how long?” Shouyous anger festered, but only under the surface. Doesn’t matter how angry she is she doesn’t ever dare raise her voice at her mom. Unless she wanted to be grounded for the rest of her life.
“I-I’m not sure.”
“Not sure!” Shouyou stampers out. “Wh-what about the house, our relatives, what about school-” not that Shouyou particularly cared about school but at this point she’d say anything to change her mom's mind. But her attempts for negotiation were futile, for once Hinata Izumi makes up her mind she rarely ever changes it.
“How can we just pack everything up and leave? What about your job, our friends, beach volleyball?”
What about everything I’ve worked so hard for?
“Shouyou my decision is final,” Her mom raised her voice, causing Shouyou to shut it. “We’ll start packing things up today, and I’ll have to get you and Natsu's passport renewed.”
Shouyou huffed. Guess she wasn’t going to the beach today or tomorrow. Or the day after that-
“Shouyou I know it’s a lot to take in and it will be a big change, but we have to move.” Her mother took a step forward placing a soft hand on her oldest daughter's shoulder.
“It’s about your Aunt Jun.”
Shouyous eyes snapped back onto her mother, heart sinking.
Oh no.
“Her condition is getting worse Sho,” her mother's voice cracked as she said the last part. “It’s gotten to the point that she can’t properly take care of herself.” Her mom's hand went to cover her mouth, eyes swelling up. “She needs around-the-clock care and with my job, I can transfer to a hospital near her to take care of her.”
Any anger Shouyou once had fizzled out immediately. Quickly being replaced with guilt for thinking so selfishly. Of course they would move to Japan because of Jun. Last time she saw her aunt she wasn’t exactly in the best condition but she was still active and lively. The doctors said she was showing improvement so Shouyou assumed she was getting better. Of course there was a perfectly logical explanation for moving to the other side of the world on such short notice. Shouyou mentally cursed herself for being so stupid, but that was nothing new. She’s not exactly acclaimed for her academic achievements – more so for the lack thereof.
“It’s okay Mom,” Shouyou steps forward engulfing her mother in a warm hug to which the latter graciously accepts, hugging her oldest daughter as tight as she could. As if something was gonna happen to her too.
It makes sense why Mom wants to be the one to take care of Jun. Her compassionate and selfless nature aside, she sees it as her job to take care of Jun. It’s an older sister's job to take care of the younger. Shouyou would do the same for Natsu in a heartbeat.
Mom needs this , Shouyou confirmed in her head as she held her mother close. Her mom has to be the one to take care of Jun, not because she doesn’t trust anyone else to do it – well that’s part of the reason – but because her Mom needs to see for herself that Jun’s being taken care of. Has to actually see that she’s getting better.
Mom can’t afford another heartbreak.
Shouyou let that thought die before it could finish processing. She couldn’t possibly think about that right now. If she did then she would start crying, something she really couldn’t afford right now. Right now she has to look after her mom.
An eerie sense of deja vu overpowered her. This scene playing out right now felt all too familiar, with only a slight difference. The last time this happened the roles were reversed: her mother being the rock while Shouyou was the one falling apart at the seams.
So there she stood holding her mom tight, keeping her grounded. Much like she did for Shouyou three years ago.
❂❂❂
The beach was Shouyou’s happy place, even long before she started competing in beach volleyball. Any stress, anxiety, worries she had would immediately dissolve the second her bare feet hit the golden sand. It was where she would go to clear her head, let loose, and above all else play some beach volleyball.
It was a safe haven for the athlete, and after everything that happened this morning – the revelation that they were moving, telling Natsu, packing, and telling all of her closest friends that she was moving – she was in desperate need of a mental cleanse.
It was also the destination of her last goodbye – well second to last – she did have one more stop after this.
“So … when are you leaving?” A gruff voice next to her asked.
Shouyou doesn’t spare him a glance as she responds. Opting to keep her eyes glued on the sunset in front of her. It was a beautiful golden orange with pink accents engulfing everything it touched in a warm tone. It was breathtaking as was every sunset in Brazil.
“Soon,” Shouyou says dejectedly. “Mom wants to get there as quick as possible.”
“That jetlag is gonna be bitch to shake off,” the man jokes in an attempt to cheer the young girl up.
It works and Shouyou lets out a small laugh. “I guess you would know from experience,” she teases as she turns to address the man sitting next to her.
Kato Lucio, her coach, mentor, and longtime family friend. Kato like Shouyou was also of Japanese origin, but unlike Shouyou, he was fully Japanese whereas she was only half. Kato had also lived in Japan long before moving to coach beach volleyball in Rio.
Despite being slightly older than both her parents they all got along well. They were some of the first people he met after his move. They welcomed him with open arms, showed him around the city, the culture and he’s been a part of the family ever since. He was especially close with Shouyous mother, the two often confiding in each other about their homesickness for their home country.
Kato had been there for nearly every milestone of Shouyou’s athletic career: holding her first volleyball, her first competition, her first loss, and countless award ceremonies. Even supported her decision to transition to beach volleyball. Personally taking her under his wing as his star pupil, giving her private lessons, and a personal training schedule. Even going as far as to help her map out a plan to get her to the CVB Championship, so much that plan does now .
Kato was like a third parent to her and she was going to miss him.
“How bad was it when you first moved?” She questioned as her hand played with the sand. Picking it up in chunks and letting it slip through her fingers, much like her future.
“Well, it threw off my sleep schedule for the first couple of weeks. I was wildly active during the night and would be half-dead by the time noon rolled around. Smart of your Mom to want to get you both acquainted ahead of time.”
Shouyou shifted under his glance. “Well it's that, but Mom also wants us to get adjusted before school starts. Something about connecting with the culture or whatever.” Apparently she needed time to learn proper Japanese customs before starting school which embarrassed Shouyou to no end.
Being mixed Shouyou was blessed with growing up in a two-culture household; however, living in Brazil and being surrounded by mostly Brazilian culture her entire life, she's always felt somewhat distant from her Japanese roots.
For starters the area she grew up in didn’t have any other Japanese kids she could relate with. Pretty ironic since Brazil has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan. Also living in her home country of Brazil she spoke Portuguese everywhere. At school, when she was out with friends, even with Kato. She only ever really spoke Japanese with her mom at the house which she never took that seriously. If it wasn’t for her mother forcing her to learn the language at a young age she probably never would’ve made the effort to learn it herself.
Why would she need to, she never planned on leaving Brazil.
Of course Shouyou knew the basic practices. She takes her shoes off before entering a house, well before entering her house that is. She kind of just walks into her friends' houses without taking her shoes off unless they specifically ask her to. But then again her house was the only one she knew that had a genkan. She likes some Japanese foods, she would never say no to it but it's not her fault her taste buds favor feijoada over her mom's cooked unagi. She’s worn a kimono a couple times in her life; the embarrassing toddler photos her mom displays around the house are proof of that, but she hasn’t worn one in years. Now that she’s older it would just feel wrong to wear one, feeling more like she’s wearing a costume rather than a ceremonial garment.
Back in elementary school Shouyou remembers her friend Carlos who was like her in many ways. He was also mixed with his Mom being Brazilian and his dad being full-blooded Italian. Yet unlike Shouyou, he was perfectly attuned with both sides of his heritage. Even making yearly visits to Italy to spend time with his extended family. She remembers feeling envious that he was so effortlessly able to embrace both parts of him fluently switching between Portuguese and Italian while at the time she still struggled to understand basic kanji.
She’s never even been to Japan before. As bad as it sounds other than the anime she watches and the manga she reads she knows next to nothing about the country. Her mother never talks about her childhood or what it was like living there, but Shouyou is partly to blame for that, it’s not like she’s ever taken the effort to ask.
Growing up that shame of not feeling connected to her Japanese side turned into resentment which made her feel even more ashamed of herself. It wasn’t that she was embarrassed of that part of her; she was mad at herself for being so disconnected from it. She’s spent her whole life assimilating into Brazilian culture so much so that most people don't even believe her when she says she's mixed.
“Speaking of schools,” Kato cocks his head. “Where will you be attending?”
Shouyou lets out a sigh “Mom said we’re going to move into Jun's house somewhere in the Miyagi prefecture so I’ll be attending the school closest to me. A place called Karasuno High I think.”
She turns to him. “Ever heard of it?”
Kato shrugs, “Last time I checked it was considered a powerhouse school. Pretty impressive for a public school, from the countryside nonetheless. But then again my intel might be a tad,” he let ough an exaggerated cough “outdated.”
“Great,” Shouyou huffed out, kicking the sand angrily as she fell backward. Slamming her back onto the cool sand forcing her to look at the orange sky that was getting darker by the second. She liked the word ‘powerhouse’ but couldn’t really savor it due to it being followed up by the word ‘countryside’. Last time she checked the countryside doesn’t exactly have an abundance of sand.
No sand means no beach volleyball.
This sickly feeling began to creep through her. It was a twinge in the gut that she couldn’t ignore. It was a powerful emotion that caused her entire body to tense and freeze over: fear. What she’s been carrying with her since the second her mom informed her about their move. Fear about her future beach volleyball career.
“I’m assuming Karasuno isn’t known for its beach volleyball.” She asks hesitantly, dreading the answer.
Kato let out a deep sigh, “Kid, I’m going to be honest with you. You won’t find that many people that play beach volleyball over there.”
Those words hurt more than a knife ever could. Taking a deep breath she lets the reality of the statement sink in. Her worst fear coming true: her beach volleyball career is over right before it even started.
“So that's it then I can’t play anymore,” she says dryly. Trying – and failing – to blink away the tears forming in her eyes. She can’t cry, not now, not in front of her coach. Well, former coach now. That realization just made her want to cry more.
“Hey I never said that.” He quickly reassures. “Now I can’t say much about Karasuno but I think I know a place that could benefit you.”
Shouyou cocks an eyebrow, “What place?”
Kato smirks “My old stomping grounds. Shiratorizawa.”
“Really! Does it have beach volleyball,” she shoots up from the sand with newfound interest.
Kato barked out a laugh. “No I don’t think you’ll find any school that has that,” he rubs the back of his neck.
“Then how does that help me?” Shouyou grumbles out, puffing out her cheeks in anger.
“Because it’s a powerhouse … in indoor volleyball.”
Oh no.
“Kato,” she said solemnly. “You know I haven't played indoor since–”
“I know it’s a sore subject, but hear me out.” He wraps an arm around her shoulder bringing her closer to him. “You said you’ll be there for a while right, or until your aunt shows improvement. Which she will .” He assures her which Shouyou greatly appreciates.
“During that time you will need to be active, keep those muscles moving and that mind active,” he said point to her temple.
“Besides if you’re going to play volleyball once again you might as well play with the best team in the prefecture. If you play on their team you’re almost guaranteed to go to nationals, that's how good they are. When you play on a team that makes it to nationals you’re bound to improve your skill set which will benefit greatly when you return to beach volleyball.” Shouyou nodded following along.
“Now I’m not going to lie, it won't be easy,” Kato continued with apprehension. “The entrance exam is nearly impossible and the head volleyball coach of the school, Washijo Tanji, is a grumpy old fart.”
“What and you aren’t,” Shouyou jabs with a devious smile.
Kato lets out a laugh. “You little brat I’m not that old,” he emphasized the point by punching her shoulder playfully, causing the younger to laugh.
“Well if the entrance exam is as tough as you say it is then I’m done for. There's no way I’ll pass.”
“Well yes, a lot of students get in because they pass the entrance exam but there is another way.” Shouyou was glued onto his every word. A way to get into a pristine school with a killer sports program without having to stress about an entrance exam. Sign her up.
“They are known to give out sports scholarships to those who they deem worthy and as cliché and elitist as it sounds, a letter of recommendation from an alum goes a long way.”
Shouyou’s eyes widened. “You’re going to write me a letter of recommendation,” she asks, unsure if this glimmer of hope is real.
“Coach Washijo is an interesting character to say the least. He’s grouchy, mean, and worst of all, incredibly stubborn about his views regarding volleyball. But if he sees a letter of recommendation from me, he’ll have to at least give you an interview.”
“This Coach Washijo is the girls' coach?” Shouyou questions tilting her head.
“Not exactly. He oversees both the boys' and girls’ teams of the school but he does more coaching for the boys. However, he does take pride in the girls' team just as much as he does for the boys. No one gets onto either team without meeting with him first.”
“Eesh sounds intense.” Kato laughs.
“Well it’s not a powerhouse school for nothing. I’ll start making some calls tonight but it might be a while till you get a response. Maybe I’ll emphasize that surname of yours to move things along quicker.” He finishes with a devious smile.
Shouyou snorts “I doubt anyone outside of the country will know who I am or who I’m related to.”
Kato shrugs. “You never know.” A strong hand then lands on Shouyou's shoulder.
“You go there dominate the indoor volleyball scene then come back and we’ll pick up right where we left off.” He finishes with a warm smile.
Without uttering a word Shouyou leaps forward tackling him in a hug. They both stood there for a while in silence just hugging because uttering a ‘goodbye’ would be too painful – for the both of them. Woldlessly they pull apart just as the last light was fading from the horizon line.
“I haven't told him yet,” Shouyou confesses. Breaking the silence that fell between them. Wrapping her arms around her knees hugging them close to her body.
Kato sends her a knowing glance. “He was my next stop actually,” she confirms.
“Do you want me to go with you?” He asks gently.
Shouyou shakes her head. “No, it’s okay. I want it to be in private anyways.”
Kato persists. “Let me drive you at least.”
Shouyou slowly rose from the sand. “I’d appreciate that thank you.” Time for her last stop and her final goodbye.
As the pair departs Shouyou abruptly stops. “Could you look after him?” Turning around to face Kato with desperate eyes. “While we're gone I mean.”
Kato once again sends her that heartwarming smile. “Of course kid. You don’t even have to ask.”
❂❂❂
Clothes took up the entirety of the living room along with many half-packed suitcases and duffel bags. The stress of travel was starting to get to Shouyou's mom and it was evident in how she was packing her suitcase. In the beginning she was calm and collected neatly, following up the clothes and gently placing them into the trunk, but now she's opted to throw whatever she could grab stuffing it into her suitcase hoping it would fit.
“That's the last of my stuff Mom,” Shouyou shouted as she dropped the duffel bag she was carrying.
“I’m trusting you that it’s full of essential items and not random junk.” Her mother remarked as she used her elbow to attempt to shut her own suitcase.
Shouyou rolled her eyes, “Yes Mom.”
Her manga collection was essential thank you very much. Besides she had room for them, all she packed were some clothes and her favorite stuffed animal. She had to pack light anyway to make room for the volleyball that's been in her room doing nothing but collect dust for the past couple of years.
Shouyou turned to look at her baby sister. “Natsu how’s your packing going?”
“Finished!” She exclaimed, holding up her lion backpack with pride. Shouyou smiled as she ruffled her sister's hair.
Unlike her older sister Natsu was elated about their sudden move. She wouldn’t stop talking about how excited she was to move thinking Japan was just like all the Ghibli movies they watched growing up. Hinata hopes her sister isn’t super disappointed when she can’t find a giant fluffy tree spirit and a catbus zooming around the countryside but who’s she to spoil her sister's fun. Plus Natsu still didn’t know the real reason why they were moving, nor of Jun's declining condition.
“Look at you go Natsu,” Shouyou praised as she picked up the plush backpack. It was light meaning Natsu probably just packed toys meaning Shouyou will have to repack it later.
“Oh, Shouyou remind me to order your uniform.” Her mother calls from across the room. Shouyou cringes inwardly after hearing her mother's statement. That was another thing she was not looking forward to.
Sure her last school had a dress code but it was pretty lax when it came to their students' uniform policy just a simple school-regulated shirt and pants. Karasuno's school uniform however is an actual school uniform. Boys were to wear black gakurans over their white button-ups and the girls were required to wear simple white blouses with skirts.
Now it’s not like Shouyou hates feminine things or anything. She loves a good sundress and likes to experiment with makeup in her free time but skirts were just not her cup of tea. People wear clothes that make them feel confident. A wardrobe is a way to showcase one’s empowerment and the clothes someone chooses to wear are supposed to make them feel happy – skirts never did that for Shouyou.
It would always frustrate her to no end that all of her friends would look amazing in their pretty flowy skirts but anytime she wore one it wouldn’t have the same effect. Instead of making her feel cute it would always just make her feel gross the way the fabric just hung onto her thighs making them look even more unflattering than they already were. Due to her years of being an athlete her legs showcased that dedication by being far more toned than her female peers who all had perfectly thin legs.
That's part of the reason she preferred loose shorts and athletic wear over a more cutesy style it just made her feel more comfortable in her own body. So she really wasn’t looking forward to wearing that article of clothing every day.
“Girls both of you lay out what you’re going to wear on the plane also don’t forget to dress warmly it's going to be cold where we land.”
Shouyou wordlessly nods as she makes her way to her room silently overhearing Natsu ramble on about how excited she is to meet all her new classmates with their mother listened half-heartedly as she continued to hastily pack.
Reaching her bedroom Shouyou swung the door open only to close it softly so as to not disturb her mother and sisters conversation. Using the closed door as leverage she leaned back to rest her head. Slowly closing her eyes letting the reality of her situation sink in.
The past month had been overwhelming to say the least. Instead of being able to enjoy her summer playing beach volleyball she's been cooped up inside preparing for the move, filling out school applications, even having to take an exam just to make sure she gets enrolled into Karasuno. She tried to hold off on taking the entrance exam hoping to hear back from Shiratorizawa but time was running out. The days were going by too fast and their travel day was creeping ever closer.
Applying to schools had also brought about another change in the young athletes life. A relatively minor one but still an adjustment she would have to get used to during her stay abroad. Keeping in theme her mother didn’t tell her until the day off when she received her acceptance letter from Karasuno
❂
“Hey Mom, I think they made a mistake,” Shouyou shouted as she held a flimsy letter in her hands.
Her mother came rushing in from the kitchen keeping quite as she did so with a sleeping Natsu on her hip. Gently the matriarch grabbed the letter carefully re-reading it twice over before handing it back over with a wide smile.
“No Shouyou there’s nothing wrong you got in, that's amazing. I’m so proud.” Her mom exclaimed in a hushed voice ruffling Shoyous hair.
Shouyou wasn’t able to soak up the praise although she desperately wanted to. The entrance exam wasn’t that hard per say but she still did struggle, refusing to see the final results out of fear that she only barely managed to pass. Her academic achievements were far and few between compared to her athletic accomplishments. Despite her mother being supportive of her daughters aspiring athletic career she’s never stopped advocating for Shouyou to get better grades. Never harshly though but Shouyou still sees the disappointment in her mom's eyes every time she returned with poor results.
Shouyou looks back at her paper then back to her mom. “But it says ‘Congratulations Hinata Shouyou’.”
At first glance it appears as if nothing was wrong, just a letter congratulating her on her acceptance into Karasuno. The only thing that stuck out was how her name was written, she wasn’t used to seeing a surname first.
But Hinata was not her surname.
Every homework assignment, competition sign-up sheet, journal, it’s been consistent for the past fifteen years of her life.
It’s always and forever has been: Shouyou Hinata Ramos, that's her name.
Her mother bore a guilty look on her face shifting her feet slightly. Her free hand that was once on Shouyous hair reeled back to hold Natsu while the other moved to the smaller girls head. Her mother softly stroked the sleeping child's hair gently as Natsu continued to drool on her mother's shoulder, completely unbothered by everything around her.
“When I was applying to hospitals for work I used my maiden name, Hinata Izumi. When I was applying both Natsu and you for schools I did the same. I had a better chance of getting a job and getting you both into schools if our surname were Japanese.”
Shouyou reeled back at her mother's answer, mindless confusion now replaced with a sizzling anger. “What's that supposed to mean?”
Her mother let out a tired sigh “I don’t mean it like that Sho. What I’m trying to say is that moving is going to be difficult for us. All of us, I'm just trying to make it a little easier.”
Blending in. That's what her mom wanted to say but danced around it. Her mother changed their names in hopes that they wouldn’t stick out. She just wanted them all to fit it to avoid trouble, to perfectly mesh into society, a very monoethnic one at that.
Shouyou couldn’t understand how changing a name would make a difference for her. Sure it would make things easier for her mom and Natsu but not for her. Her mom was full blooded Japanese who lived in Japan her whole life before moving to Brazil, she’ll be able to fit right back in as if she never even left. Natsu was just as mixed as Shouyou but favored her mother in terms of genetics. If it wasn’t for that mop of wild orange hair Natsu was practically a carbon copy of their mother. The only thing Shouyou inherited from her mother was her eyes, copper brown, the signature of the Hinata family. It was actually quite striking how much Shouyou and Natsu differed from each other, if it wasn’t for the matching hair people never would've assumed they were sisters.
So a name change wasn’t going to be much help for Shouyou. Sure it was still technically her name but it felt like lying in a strange way. Like she was playing the role of an imposter. Never once in her life has she been called Hinata Shouyou it’s always been Shouyou Hinata Ramos.
‘But that’s not my name.’ Shouyou wanted to bark out like a whiny child. She wanted to stomp her foot and demand her mother change it back. Beg her mother to change it to her rightful name. Wanted her to understand that too much was happening around her too fast and this was one more change that she couldn’t handle.
She doesn’t though.
Those thoughts remain in her head where they belong. Looking back at her mom she sees just how tired she was. She’s gotten even less sleep now than she had before. They’re not moving because Mom wants to. The whole purpose behind this move was to take care of Jun – who might not be around for much longer.
"Just trust me Sho.” Her mother's voice was soft and desperate. Once again Shouyou is reminded of just how selfish she's been.
A smile creeps onto her face as she responds to her mom. “I trust you mom.” The smile was fake but she had to comfort her mother somehow. It’s the least she could do.
Her mom slowly inched towards her placing a soft hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, I should have told you earlier I just got busy and things kept getting in the way. This move has me at the end of my rope I-... I promise I won’t keep leaving you in the dark. It’s only for a little bit sweetie.”
Natsu started to stir on her mom's hip. “Stay here I have to put her down, I'll be right back.” Without another word her mother rushes out of the room leaving Shouyou all alone. The smile dropped the second her mom left the room. Standing alone she crumpled the paper resting in her hand.
“That’s not my name,” Shouyou said to no one in particular.
❂
The whole move had Shouyou emotionally conflicted with the more she thought about it the more drained she became. Yes, of course she wants Jun to get better. She's not heartless and if moving was the only way that could happen so be it. Yet there was another part of her – a selfish part that kept making its presence known in her head – that was dreading the move. Everything around her was changing against her will. Her home, her school, heck even her name. All of this uprooted a sense of normalcy that she was just starting to create for herself after three long years.
Worst of all her future was completely uncertain to her. A once clear path changed abruptly because of this move. Ever since she was little, well littler, she’s wanted to become a professional athlete. To stand alongside champions, to play on the Olympic court competing against the best of the best. This move was throwing a wrench in those plans. How could she be a professional beach volleyball player if she was moving to a country that didn’t even recognize the sport.
Though she would never express these thoughts out loud, to her distraught mother of all people. There were times Shouyou thought about confiding in Kato about these feelings but she backed down every time out of fear of him seeing her as a self-centered asshole. How she’s more concerned about her athletic career than the well-being of a family member.
Would he even understand, would anyone understand?
Launching herself off the door she made her way to the tiny closet in her bedroom. She already had an outfit in mind for the travel day she just needed a jacket to tie it all together. Apparently it gets quite cold in Japan during the springtime, another adjustment Shouyou would have to get used to. Her mother had joked that they were lucky it was nearing the end of the season meaning summer was right around the corner so it would only be a couple weeks of an unbearable cold front.
Opening her closet her eyes immediately land on the one jacket she had in mind. A men's volleyball jacket decked out in green with gold accents with her country's flag proudly displayed on the sleeve. It’s about three times her size but it's her most prized possession. Carefully grabbing the jacket of its hook she held it in her hands before bringing it to her nose to give it a sniff. Her anxieties immediately disappeared as the familiar scent hit her.
After that she promptly shut the door making her way back to the living room to repack Natsus bag.
The days came and went and soon enough departure day was upon them.
“Shouyou come on we have to go!” Natsu shouts from the car window. Standing in the doorway of her childhood home was Shouyou who was tasked with locking up.
The car was all packed, mostly of clothes, Natus stuffed animals, and some other necessities that Mom needed for work. Anything else they possibly needed was already being shipped over. Paperwork was all up to code with the keys given to her cousins who were in charge of looking after the house while they were away.
It was early morning, so early the sun had yet to rise. They had a long couple of days ahead of them, traveling, moving in, taking care of Jun, getting ready for school, and pretending everything would be okay.
Shouyou let out a deep breath. It’s only for a bit, she reassures herself. Locking the door she drops the key in her pocket as she makes her way to the car.
She’ll be back soon enough.
❂❂❂
Kato was right as per usual the jetlag was a bitch to shake off. After spending nearly two full days traveling and running all around to catch connecting flights Shouyou opted to just sleep for the majority of travel. That ended up biting her in the ass for when they finally landed in Tokyo. Arriving at the hotel for the night she was fully awake. How her mother effortlessly was able to function Shouyou will never know.
The first couple of nights were the hardest. After traveling they stayed at some hotel while they waited for the rest of their belonging to be moved into the house. Shouyou had planned on spending the majority of her time sleeping while her mother was out looking for a rental car but Natsu didn’t want to sleep instead she wanted to explore, forcing Shouyou to go with her. Their mother enforced the strict rule that they were to stay in view of the hotel but could explore the little shops and convenience stores next to them.
This not only forced Shouyou out of her much-desired slumber but also drained her of any spare cash she had as Natsu wanted everything her eyes landed on. Shouyou couldn’t blame her every store they walked into was bursting with vibrant colors and charming personality: who wouldn’t want to buy everything in the store. Not to mention everything looked absolutely delicious.
As pessimistic as Shouyou was about the whole moving situation she found herself in complete awe of Tokyo. Sure it was crowded, very crowded, but Shouyou was used to busy city life. The city was clean and beautiful with breathtaking architecture. The buildings looked as if they touched the sky with pristine metals shining under the sun. The food was another plus, every night they went out to a new restaurant where Shouyou found herself downing her food as if it was her last meal. This caused her to get some glances from both her mother and her waitress, but Shouyou didn’t care she was starving. At every restaurant they went to Shouyou would have to order two of everything not only because it was so mouthwatering delicious but because she often found herself needing to down twice as much as the average human due to the insane amount of energy she possessed. Still not as good as Mom's homemade stuff but still pretty dang good.
Best of all everyone in the city minded their own business: people had things to do, people to see, so there was no time to stare at the stranger they were passing on the street. This made her feel slightly better about the whole traveling across the world thing. No one was looking at her or pointing at her, allowing her to slip under everyone's radar.
That was how her days and afternoons went by but the nights were a different story. As her mother and sister slept peacefully in their shared bed Shouyou found herself awake staring out the hotel window overseeing the lit-up city. Her body still confused about her sleep schedule and the daily naps she took during the days between her excursions with Natsu surely didn’t help. It was so used to being up and active at this point whether that be from practice or biking around with friends it felt strange to be stagnant at this hour. Her muscles aching for beach volleyball, for the ocean, for home.
But it wouldn't be all bad Shouyou lived in a city all her life; it wouldn't take long to get accustomed to live in another. She found herself falling in love with Tokyo in the short time she’d stayed here. As she explored more of the city with her family she found herself thinking maybe this move wouldn’t be too bad.
Shouyou could see herself going to a school here and if she was being honest, wouldn’t actually mind it. She imagined waking up early to catch the train, perhaps stopping by a cute convenience store to get a quick breakfast. All the Tokyo schools that she’s walked by looked clean and big making her actually excited to go to school. Plus a big school means a big gym which is great for practice. Then she could finish her day by walking home under the night sky to admire all the city lights.
Except her family didn’t move across the world to live in another major city, nope. The very next day their rental car was packed and they were driving off to Miyagi, the countryside, and Shouyou couldn’t be any more displeased. The Japanese countryside was very different from Tokyo. The first and most obvious difference was the fact that it wasn’t a major city. Rio had been her home for so long that she didn’t know how not to live in a city. The noise, the music, the streets that came to life when the sun went down.
It wasn’t perfect sure but no place was but it was home, her home.
That's not to say Miyagi wasn’t beautiful quite the opposite. The countryside was open as far as the eye could see with lush green everywhere in sight. The fields pastured many farm animals causing Natsu to shout ‘cow’ every time they drove past one. The mountains soared over the plains high and mighty housing more traditional-style homes compared to the modern ones in Tokyo.
It was beautiful but it wasn’t Brazil.
The second major difference was no beach. That was a given since they were inland but it was a new normal Shouyou was having trouble adjusting to. For so long the beach had been right there a mere bike ride away, now here, she was hours away from the closest beach. Being landlocked was a different type of pain it made her feel stranded. Like a bird forced to be grounded.
The rental car pulled up a dirt road finally coming to a stop, officially concluding their journey. Stepping out of the car with her airport bag, Shouyou eyed the house as she carefully shut the car door. It was cute, small but cute, perfect for a country house at the top of a mountain.
Shortly after arriving her mom drove off to get some groceries leaving Shouyou in charge of Natsu for the time being. Natsu was quickly put down for a nap allowing Shouyou time to start unpacking everything. The first box she opened was full of plates and cooking utensils, which confused Shouyou at first when she saw her mother pack them. Apparently Jun used to living alone so she wouldn't have enough cooking material for all four of them. Made sense on paper but that just meant more stuff for Shouyou to unpack.
After clearing a couple of the kitchen boxes Shouyou made her way to the first unlabeled box within the room. During the entail of their journey packing became more and more rushed so quite a handful of the boxes were unmarked, so it was anyone's guess as to what was inside. Shouyou opened the box to reveal binders and folders filled to the brim with papers. Confused she kept digging until she saw the gold nameplate with her mother's name inscribed on it.
Realization hit her quickly, this stuff must be from her mom's office. Made sense since Shouyou didn’t remember packing any of those items. Then that means the folder must be full of birth certificates or her mom's nursing degree or other important adult stuff. Carefully placing the name plate back into the box Shouyou was gonna leave it for her mother to unpack when something caught her eye. It was hidden underneath a couple more folders but Shouyou moved them out of the way to bring the object out of the box.
It was an old family photo with four happy faces staring back at her with Christ the Redeemer in the background. Shouyou traced over the younger version of herself remembering the exact day this was taken. She was ten at the time with Natsu just turning four. It was when Jun had first been able to visit Brazil so to celebrate everyone took Jun on a giant tour of the city hitting up all the touristy spots. Jun had taken the photo despite Shououy’s mom insisting she be in it but Jun declined saying she wanted to take a photo of the happy family.
Shouyou remembers that day fondly and just how excited she was to finally meet her obachan. Prior to that all communication she had with Jun was through phone calls or facetime. So to see her in the flesh for the first time was a marvel. Shouyou and Natsu practically dragged Jun by the hand to every corner of the city. Glancing back at the box Shouyou found another photo that was hidden under the previous.
The photo was smaller with the only people in it being her mother and Jun. This time the setting was at a restaurant on the beach. This was back when her mom had longer hair, less stress lines underneath her eyes, happier, Shouyou noted. Her mom was holding a fruity drink with the other arm around Jun. Both women had big smiles on their faces as Jun leaned into the embrace, both of her hands clutched onto a fruity cocktail decked out with a fancy umbrella.
Jun had copper eyes the same shade as her mother. Her hair was shorter and darker compared to her mom's. Despite the different hairstyles, age difference, and square-framed glasses resting on Jun's nose it was obvious the two were sisters, making Shouyou slightly jealous that Natsu and her looked so different.
Jun was younger than her mom by a lot, ten years to be exact making it quite difficult for her to travel. She was only twenty-two during her first visit to Brazil having scrapped together just enough money to buy a plane ticket. It was hard for Jun to travel, plane tickets were expensive and she had just left college to work full-time. Not to mention Japan and Brazil are quite a distance apart as Shouyou experienced firsthand.
But that was the only way they could see Jun for Shouyou’s mom refused to fly to Japan. Her mother's relationship with her home country was complicated. Her mom doesn’t really talk about Japan outside of some conversations she’s had with Kato that Shouyou inconspicuously listened too. She would always talk about how she missed the food, would name places Shouyous never heard of, and gush about some summer festival thing. Despite sounding homesick her mother never expressed any desire to go back, which always baffled Shouyou. It was obvious she missed the place yet she refused to go back. Probably never would have if it wasn’t for Jun.
It could be out of necessity. Jun traveled solo but her mom would have extra people to lug around and pay for making the trip a bit more chaotic, and traveling with kids – young kids at that – was always a hassle. While that could be a reason it wasn’t the real reason her mother never returned to Japan.
While Shouyou could never get it confirmed, she always figured it might have something to do with her Sofubo. Her mom never talks about her parents, like ever. While Shouyou has met with all of her family residing in Brazil when it came to her maternal side, nothing. Shouyou doesn’t even know what her maternal grandparents look like. Apparently they did visit once when she was little but she was far too young to remember anything that happened – or anything that was said. But the interaction must’ve not gone too well if it resulted in no contact that was only recently broken a couple months ago. Shouyou would go as far as to say that those grandparents probably don’t know Natsu even exists . Heck, they probably would’ve stayed no contact if it wasn’t for Jun’s declining condition.
Thinking about Jun, Shouyou looked back at the photo. Jun looked healthy compared to the next time she saw her only a mere three years later. She was thinner the next time she made her way to Brazil, paler too. Shouyou always thought it was the grief that made her look that way, funerals tend to do that to a person. She remembers how distraught her mom looked that day. Could only imagine how she looked.
It was only a couple months later that her mother pulled her aside to inform her that her aunt was ‘sick’ as her mother described it. Jun didn’t come back to Brazil after that needing time to heal, but Shouyou was told that she was getting better. Shouyou didn’t know what she could possibly look like now and frankly she didn’t want to.
Wanting to distract her mind Shouyou continued to unpack but not before placing both photos in their respective place. The family photo hung high in the living room with pride while Jun and mom's photo was placed in her mother’s bedroom.
Donning her favorite jacket Shouyou waved goodbye to her mother as she pulled out of the driveway to pick up Jun from the hospital. With their mother away Natsu and her decided to curl up on the couch to watch a movie. After the movie, Shouyou scooped up her sister carrying her to her bedroom tucking her in all cozy. From there she made her way to hers. It was small, being used as a study space prior, but she didn’t mind too much. Besides it’s not like she’ll be using it that much anyway all her time will be spent at school and practice.
That thought brought her to a halt.
Was she really ready?
She still had a good while till school started but the date was inching closer with her anxieties growing worse as each day passed. Beach volleyball and indoor volleyball are fundamentally different sports, while doing one sometimes benefits playing in the other she’s been prioritizing one for the past three years now what if she can’t switch back? There’s also the fact that she hasn’t even played in a real match since –
her hand instinctively fisted the oversized jacket.
Deep breaths, there was no need to worry, she still had plenty of time to prepare. Shortly after her second day in Tokyo she got a call from Kato. He wanted to check up on her to see how she felt after traveling but also wanted to inform her that his recommendation went through and she should hear back any day now.
Entering her room she stripped herself out of her comfort wear switching into her pajamas. With the jacket still wrapped securely on her she fell face-first onto her bed. She was tired, from traveling, moving, unpacking, her conflicting emotions: everything.
Her mind was active which was bad once her mind started going there was little she could do to reign her thoughts back in. Rummaging through her bag she pulled out her laptop scrolling through and looked up some of her favorite volleyball matches hoping that would distract her for the time being. Moving around she adjusted to lay on her side head planted on her pillow watching the match play out horizontally.
The room was cool yet she was too invested in the match to pull up the covers but she didn’t need them anyway. Her jacket was keeping her plenty warm like strong hands wrapping around her in an all too familiar hug.
❂❂❂
Shouyou got the news the week before school started. It was after a failed attempt to finish unpacking all her boxes and start hanging clothes up. With Japan having drastically different weather per season, reaching temperatures that Shouyou’s southern hemisphere body wasn’t built for, she had a bit more clothing to unpack than originally planned.
She couldn't help but stare at the giant puffer jacket her mom bought her for whenever winter rolled around. It was only spring and Shouyou was having trouble not shivering when going outside, her brain simply couldn’t comprehend the fact that temperatures would get so drastically low that it required an article of clothing so thick.
During her unpacking she also made a singular attempt to decorate her room. At first she didn’t really want to do anything to the room because she saw no purpose in doing so. She’d only be living here for a short while – or at least she hoped so she was still waiting for a timeline on how long she’d be here – so it would be pointless to decorate something that would just have to come down anyway. Plus she hoped she wouldn’t be spending too much time in it with the amount of practice she plans on doing. Why spiffy up a space she didn’t plan on being in for too long. Yet her mom commented on how empty the space looked and said how ‘good it was to have a space for herself’ or something like that.
So as she was unpacking her clothes she found a box that had some posters and photos in it. She began placing them on the negative space that overlooked her desk but looking at them it just didn’t feel right. Bedrooms were something people tended to have a personal connection to. This was why her bedroom back home was decorated to the max. All her trophies lay snug in the sticker-decorated cabinets. Every inch of her bed was decorated with stuffed animals. Sports, band, and movie posters of varying sizes were plastered on her walls. Knick knacks were scattered throughout and special little notes her teammates would write or doodle on were in the special place right by her bed.
The bedroom was full of memories of her childhood home, she had a connection to it. That was her bedroom, not this place. She didn’t want to make memories here, didn't want to be connected to this place. In a place where her aunt was potentially dying, her mother was being overworked more than she already was, where there was no beach to play her sport. No, she didn't want to be a part of this place.
Quickly she threw the items back in the box where she found them believing that if she kept it bare and devoid of personality then there would be no connection to it whatsoever. No way to grow an attachment to it.
Plus it would make packing for the travel back way easier.
So there Shouyou layed on her bed reading One Piece with her room in more disarray than before. As she was reading she heard her phone buzz to life. After marking her page she flicked the device open to reveal Kato was calling her.
Instantly she perked up. “Hey Kato, what's up.”
“Hey kiddo, how are you doing?”
“Oh I’m doing good, what about you? Isn’t it almost midnight back home?” She glanced at the clock by her bed that read it was a quarter till noon.
“Ah I was out with some friends, just got back, figured you’d be awake by now. How’s that jetlag holding up.”
Shouyou laughed, “It’s all good now, I had to sleep for a day and a half but I’m finally caught up. Perfect timing since schools right around the corner.”
“Ah speaking of schools how did everything with Shiratorizawa go?”
Shouyou paused. “What do you mean?”
“They told me after my acceptance went through that they would be sending you a letter. I was told it was sent out a while ago.”
“What!” She shot up from her bed, her manga flying off her chest.
“Yeah, did you not know? I believe it should’ve been delivered to you by now-” Shouyou didn’t hear another word for she was already halfway to her mailbox. “Sho? You there?”
Rushing to her mailbox she flicked it open grabbing everything inside before zooming back into her house. Back inside the house Shouyou made her way to the kitchen where her Mother and sister were eating lunch. Sliding down to the table she began shuffling through the mail much to the dismay of her mother.
“Shouyou what are you doing, you’re making a mess.” Shouyou didn’t respond, too locked in as she made her way through the pile. Shoving a health magazine out of the way her eyes locked onto the last piece of mail within the pile.
Displayed on the low table in front of her was an envelope but not any ordinary envelope this one was purple and white with her name displayed in fancy calligraphy. Carefully picking it up she flipped it over to see a giant white bird on the golden seal.
The mascot of Shiratorizawa.
Her mom quickly moved over to Shouyous side of the table, taking the seat right next to her. “Is that-” she started, quickly catching on to the situation. Shouyou nods confirming her mother's suspicions but makes no effort to open it yet. Opting to keep staring at it with her fingers gently toying with the seal not brave enough to break it.
“Why doesn’t she open it mamma? Does she not know how?” Natsu commented, crawling over to the empty spot right next to her older sister. “It’s okay Shouyou I can open it for you.”
“No Natsu this is Shouyou’s letter she’ll open it when she’s ready.”
Shouyou felt stuck in her own mind, desperately wanting to tear it apart to read what's inside but at the same time was terrified to find out. Letters have multiple meanings behind them; it could be a rejection just as much as it could be an acceptance letter. Just because she knew Kato doesn’t mean she was guaranteed an in.
If she didn’t get into Shiratorizawa then she won’t be training with the best of the prefecture. Sure Kato said Karasuno was good but she liked the safety net of being guaranteed to go to Nationals. It eased her mind knowing that if she played with Shiratorizawa she was assured to be playing a full season. All of which would be dedicated to expanding her skills, skills she could incorporate back into beach volleyball. Aka the only reason she was playing indoor again.
What was she supposed to do if her team got eliminated mid-season or even worse before the season even kicks off, then what was she supposed to do during all that time. Sure she could practice alone but she wouldn’t really know what to do, not without Kato. She’s been out of the indoor scene for so long she didn’t trust herself to be her own coach. Plus going at it alone didn’t seem like an effective method of improvement. Yes, athletes practice in private and are encouraged to do so but they still make the time to train with their teammates. Volleyball is about teamwork both indoor and beach. If she practiced everything alone without bouncing off someone she would probably be doing more harm than good.
Maybe worse comes to worse she could join another sport that’s what a lot of her friends back home did when football season was over but wanted to stay active. However, the only other sport she would have any chance of making the team would be track. She was fast she’ll give herself that, could probably outrun most of the juniors on the team already, but besides improving her speed – which was already at her peak – she didn’t really see how it could help her improve for beach volleyball.
Wanting the thoughts to stop she decided it was time to just rip the bandaid off. With newfound vigor she ripped open the envelope fumbling with the folded paper that rested inside. Unraveling the paper carefully glancing it over, then re-reading it again to make sure what she was reading was actually true.
“To Hinata Shouyou, based on past alumni recommendations your request for an interview–” a high pierced shriek erupted from her vocal cords.
“What does it say?” Natsu questioned, eagerly trying to snatch the paper clutched in her sister's hand.
“Coach Washijo wants me to come in for tryouts,” she announced triumphantly. This was perfect if she passed the interview with flying colors she’d certainly be granted a sports scholarship therefore no need to take a stupid entrance exam. Then she’d be playing at the best school in the prefecture. It’s not an acceptance letter nor was it a rejection letter, but it was a foot in the door. A step in the right direction.
“It says that I have until Saturday after the first week of school.” She informs reading the rest of the letter. “That gives me just two weeks to get ready.” Shouyou spat frantically, bolting upright nearly knocking over both her mother and sister.
Two weeks. Just two weeks to impress the coach of the best volleyball team within the prefecture that will make or break her future as an athlete. No pressure at all.
“I have to practice,” she shouts, zooming out of the room letter still in hand. “Sho you have to eat lunch.” Her mother insisted.
“Later!” She called out as she made her exit. It could wait she had more important tasks at hand.
Two weeks.
If she started now maybe she could breeze through the basics. Perhaps she could borrow her mom's iPad to Facetime Kato so he could help her with her form. That would have to be at night though where he was guaranteed to be awake. But she was willing to power though, practice morning, noon, and night if she had to. If she kept up a steady practice schedule, take it one day at a time then she should be in somewhat decent shape by the time school starts. By then she’d just practice with Karasuno’s team until it was time to go to the interview.
If Karasuno was as good as Kato remembers then she had nothing to worry about.
Chapter 2
Notes:
Alternative title: Hinata and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Beep Beep Beep
Shouyou let out a groan as she used her pillow to cover her face in an attempt to drown out the sound of the alarm blaring into her eardrums. When that didn’t work she let out an even louder groan into her pillow clutching the soft material as her frustration built up. When the noise got too much for her ears to bear she removed the pillow and slowly extended her arm to click the snooze button before returning it to her side. Last night was a long one with her shuffling around in her bed getting little to no sleep because she spent the entire night dreading her first day of school.
Not so much in terms of her volleyball abilities, she had spent the past week training like a well-oiled machine to prepare for the first day of practice. Was she in peak condition, no, was she better than she was a week ago, yes, but despite still being hesitant to practice with others just yet that wasn’t the main reason she spent half the night staring at her ceiling.
It was everything that was supposed to happen before practice that was causing her so much dread.
Not only was it the first day of the new semester, but it was the first day of the new semester at a new school in an entirely different country. The fact that it was also her first day of high school ever was just the cherry on top. Saying she was nervous was an understatement.
Now Shouyou was far from being the shy introverted type yet she couldn’t help but feel slightly intimidated. What if everyone already had friend groups formed and wouldn’t allow anyone else to join their click? Or all the incoming freshmen already knew each other from living in the same area their whole lives. All her closest friends were back in Brazil, on the other side of the world. Here she knew no one.
She's completely alone.
The ringing of her alarm clock brought her out of her depressive thoughts. She went to turn it off finally deciding it was time to start getting dressed. Shedding off her jacket and leaving it on her bed she trudged over to her desk where her uniform was lazily folded and began to carelessly put it on piece by piece.
At last her ribbon was tied hanging somewhat loosely around her neck over the typical cream-colored sweater vest on top of her collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Looking at herself in the full-length mirror she couldn’t help but fidget with her pleated grey skirt, already hating how it looked on her.
It clung tightly onto her waist and flared out at the bottom looking atrocious against her toned legs – not to mention grey never looked good on her. The skirt was small so it did little to hide much of her skin but anything longer would have gone past her kneecaps making her look like a nun. While she wanted nothing more than to be comfortable some silly part of her still wanted to look kinda cute which was stupid considering that she wasn’t trying to impress anyone or draw much attention to herself.
Shouyou had begged her mom to let her wear pants but her mom feared it would break the school's dress code. To make matters worse the skirt had no shorts built in forcing her to put on a pair of Nike Pros that visibly popped out from underneath the garment. She didn’t care how many uniform violations she’d be slapped with there was no way she was rolling up to school without any added coverage. The idea of wearing leggings entered her mind at one point but she ultimately decided against it. Sure it would be another protective layer on her but it would do little to actually hide her legs. The material would just cling onto her muscles and she feared it would make them look even more defined than they already were. Plus she didn’t want to deal with the hassle of taking them off before practice, it would take too long and she always liked being the first one in the gym.
So not only was she going to be self-conscious all day but biking to school down a mountain in a skirt was going to be quite the adventure for sure – another reason as to why she advocated so hard for the pants but her mom's word was always final.
Last was her hair to which she tried her best to transform the bead-headed look into a somewhat presentable one but as always the wild orange mane had a mind of its own. It’s days like this she’s thankful that she made the choice to cut it. While it still looked like a mangled mess keeping it short made it slightly more manageable. Putting the final touches on her hair she glanced back at her reflection one last time before turning to the door to leave.
Shouyou’s hand reached for the door but didn't open it, not right away. She hesitated, which is a bad habit for an athlete to have. Hesitation leads to mistakes which leads to poor performance which leads to losing. If she were in a competition right now she would have cost her teammate a valuable point and no one wants to pair up with a teammate that loses them points.
Yet she wasn’t in a competition with tensions riding high with adrenaline flowing through her body with determination ever present in her eyes. How she wished she was in that environment right now having attended so many in the past she knew how to navigate through them physically, emotionally, and above all else mentally. Yet this right now, standing in her room about to start her first day of high school, she couldn’t feel any more clueless. Once she left she would no longer be Shouyou Hinata Ramos, she’d have to be addressed as Hinata Shouyou. To everyone else, she’d just be another student but to her, she’d be playing the role of a liar. An imposter hiding a part of herself.
Her eyes quickly shot back to the jacket laying peacefully on her bed.
She should leave it here. She wouldn’t want to run the risk of getting it dirty or worse, damaged. Besides, it wasn’t even uniform regulated. It was best to just keep it here, she concluded as she slid the door open, she didn’t need it. Not even two seconds later she rushed back into the room snatching the jacket up from her bed.
It was cold outside anyway.
Making her way to the small kitchen she walked in on her mom by the stove decked out in her blue scrubs and polka-dotted apron. Natsu was still in her lion pajamas sitting by the table munching on her breakfast. Running up behind her sister Shouyou gave her a small kiss on the forehead before ruffling her hair.
“Bye Natsu, be a good girl at school for me okay.” Shouyou teased, causing the younger girl to pout. While a playful statement Shouyou did actually mean it, they didn’t need a repeat of her first day of second grade.
Some boy was messing with Natsu during class, taunting her and calling her all sorts of names. The teasing reached a turning point when he pulled on one of her pigtails during recess forcing Natsu to react reasonably – slapping the boy square in the face. The boy cried and tattled to the teacher and despite him getting in trouble Natsu got handed a demerit for ‘starting a fight’, which was total baloney if you asked Shouyou the little bugger had it coming for messing with her sister.
“No promises,” Natsu responded, plopping her spoon into her mouth.
“Sho sit down and eat something.” Her mother hummed sweetly from the stove.
“I can’t Mom I gotta get going.” Shouyou stood up, slinging her bag across her shoulder making her exit.
“But I made your favorite.” Her mom pleaded
Looking back Shouyou eyed the table. A fresh bowl of tamago kake gohan rested at her seat of the table waiting patiently to be enjoyed. She should eat something, she really should. Not only did she have a long bike ride awaiting her but she also had a long school day to prepare for. The school days here ended at three instead of one in the afternoon that she's used to, not to mention practice added ontop of that. Shouyou already had trouble paying attention so an extra two hours of school time was going to be hell.
So yes logically she should eat something but she didn’t really feel like she could stomach food right now. Her body didn’t crave food at the moment, it was too busy being stressed about her first day of school, so much so that food was more of an afterthought.
“I really gotta get going.” With that Shouyou bolted out the room.
“Wait Sho wait up,” her mother called from the kitchen just as Shouyou made her way out the door.
Outside Shouyou frantically rummaged through her yellow bag once more just to make sure she had everything. She did tend to get distracted easily so it wasn’t too unlikely that she probably forgot something when packing. School books, notepads, pens, pencils, water bottle, everything she would need to get through her first day, but why did she get the gut feeling that she was missing something.
“Shouyou,” her mother shouted as she swiftly opened the door, surprised to see Shouyou standing there and not halfway down the road on her bike. “You forgot this,” she gave a small smile as she raised a bento box wrapped in a cloth decorated with cute kittens.
Oh, that's what she forgot. “Thanks,” Shouyou mumbled, kindly taking the box from her mom with both hands.
“I put your breakfast in there. Just in case you get hungry after the bike ride.” Shouyou only nodded.
Her mom's eyes softened as she finally eyed her daughter's outfit.
“Your jacket.”
“Yeah,” Shouyou grabbed a first full of the material, clutching it tightly. Eyes failing to meet her mother's. “I was just gonna wear it for the bike ride down. I’ll take it off before I get to class.”
“Sho, I know you’re nervous.”
“I'm not nervous.” Shouyou shot back a little too quickly, voice cracking in the process.
Her mother gave her a sympathetic look. “It’s okay to be nervous Sho.”
She put her hands on her daughter's shoulders. “Moving to a different country, Jun’s condition, changing schools. It’s a lot to take in, especially for someone your age.”
Shouyou clutched onto her bento as she mulled over her mother's words. Is she so pathetic that she needed a whole ass pep talk just to go to school. Her mom hasn’t done anything like this for Natsu who was six years younger than her, does her mom really think she was that fragile?
“And I’m sorry.” Shouyou shot up, confused by the statement.
“I keep throwing you curveballs but you roll with every single one of them. You've been so compliant during this whole process, allowing me to focus on moving, taking care of both Natsu and Jun. I haven't really given you the proper time of day.”
Shame coursed through Shouyou, would her mother still be saying any of this if she knew how she really felt? Her selfish desire to stay in Brazil. That nearly every step of the moving process she’d been complaining internally. Praying something went wrong if it meant she could stay home for even just a little bit longer. How she’s constantly been putting up a front just for the sake of her mother’s wellbeing.
She should be the one apologizing to her mom, not vice-versa.
“This move has been harder on you than anyone but you’ve grit your teeth and bared through it. And I can’t thank you enough.” Her mom ruffled through her wild orange hair.
“I know it’s rough right now, but if you keep smiling through it. Continue to be my happy optimistic girl,” Her mom cupped her face softly rubbing her thumb over her cheek. “I know things will turn around. And who knows, you might actually enjoy your time here.”
Her mother’s words struck a chord with her. Perhaps she’d been a bit too negative about the whole move. With the resentment she harbored for having to stop playing her sport and being forced to face the reality of her aunt’s declining condition she never found any reason to view the move in a positive light because to her there was none, but looking at it now, she’s going to school in a totally different country. A new challenge on the horizon when one put it like that it sounded kind of exciting.
Shouyou forced a smile onto her face. “I’ll try Mom.”
Not only for herself but for her mom as well, she owed her that much.
“Oh, and I wanted to give you these.” Her mother pulled back grabbing a small cardboard box by her feet. Shouyou stared at it curiously as she tucked the bento into her bag. Her mom handed the box over to her gently as if it was made of glass.
Shouyou gently took the box, giving it a glance over before opening it her eyes widening as she realized what was inside. Gently reaching her hand in to take them both out of the box letting the cardboard fall to her feet. Her fingers caressed them gently to prove to her mind that what she was seeing was in fact real.
Inside the box were two shoes, once pure white now presented as tinted grey. The base mildly worn out with scratches resting on the soles proudly displayed from prior excessive use. The intricate red highlights were still as bright as the day they were bought. Resting inside the box was a portal to her past – her old volleyball shoes.
Originally Shouyou intended to use some old basketball sneakers that a friend gave her for the first couple of practices. Planning to buy an actual pair of volleyball shoes for the Shiratorizawa interview. One of decent quality that would hold together for a season or two but not one that a dedicated player would probably buy. She didn’t want to waste her money, for once this was all over she would be returning to a sport where players competed barefoot.
“You kept them?” Shouyou’s voice wavered. Her eyes nearly water as she remained locked on the shoes held tightly in her hands.
She never thought she would ever see them again. Not when she shoved them forcefully into her mother's hands, both her eyes and face red due to the amount of crying she’d been doing for days on end. When she demanded that her mother throw them away before storming back to her room.
That had been years ago yet here they were displayed proudly in her grasp.
“I couldn’t bring myself to throw them out. You bought them with him after all.” Her mom choked out.
Shouyou told herself she wasn’t going to cry, not on the first day of school, but after hearing that she faltered. Shouyou regretted the action the day after, the driving force behind such action had been anger. A rage that had blinded her so much that she couldn’t think properly as she made the demand to her mother. Simply not caring about the consequences or the heartache that would follow when the red mist eventually cleared from her mind.
Shouyou hugged the shoes close to her heart, fresh tears running down her cheek. “Obrigado mamãe.”
Her mother quickly locked her in a tight hug. Placing a soft kiss on her daughter's forehead before speaking softly. “Eu te amo.”
Shouyou leaned more into her mother’s hug.
The two stayed like that for a while before Shouyou finally pulled away. She did have to go to school eventually.
“Besides I’m sure they still fit. You haven't really grown much since you last wore them.” Her mom joked, wiping something away from her eye.
Shouyou laughed at her mother’s teasing as she carefully placed the shoes in her bag. Her mom wasn't wrong Shouyou definitely hasn’t grown much since middle school so fitting into them will be no problem. Waving her mother a final goodbye Shouyou made her way to her bike not looking forward to the long ride ahead of her.
❂
The bike ride to school wasn't as painful as she thought it would be, a mere thirty minutes to be exact from exiting her house to reaching the bike racks on the sidewalks of her new school. It was duly noted that the journey was downhill so it was going to be a different story heading back but that thought didn’t phase her at all. On the hot summer days that she and her friends weren’t on the beach they would often find themselves biking up and down the favelas to see who would be marked champion of the hills. Those summer days were the very reason she had no need for a leg day routine so biking up a mountain every day shouldn’t be a problem.
The hills weren’t the hard part though. No, the hard part was right now.
After scarfing down some of her breakfast by the bike racks Hinata made her way to the front doors of the school. Opening doors were supposed to be symbolism for ‘new opportunity’. Opening one usually leads to endless new possibilities. Yet for Hinata in this very moment standing at the doors of her new school it felt more like endless dread. Everything was hitting her at once. Every emotion as well as every ‘what if’ possibility ran rampant through her head. Then she remembered the conversation she had with her mom. The promise that she would make an effort to enjoy her time here, to remain positive throughout the whole ordeal. With a deep breathe she found the courage to open the door.
Immediate regret floods through her.
The second she started walking through the halls she felt all heads turn in her direction. From every nook and cranny of the school eyes were glued onto her. No matter where you go in cities despite them being so crowded people typically mind their own business. In the countryside however people tend to stop and stare.
Especially if you happen to look different than the majority of the population.
Choosing to ignore all the looks she was receiving Hinata proceeded to walk towards her homeroom, hands fisted into the pockets of her jacket as she walked down the crowded hall. Luckily she remembered the room number saving herself the embarrassment of fumbling around with her schedule in front of all her spectators.
Walking down the hallway she ignored the heat forming on her cheeks in response to all the looks she was receiving. Some people looked confused, some looked curious, and others were whispering back and forth stealing glances at her.
It’s not rude, people are just curious Hinata tried to reason with herself. She would have done the exact same thing if the roles were reversed. Plus no one was being outwardly rude about it so no harm no foul, right?
In trying to read the room numbers she wasn’t looking directly in front of her causing her to bump into a boy. Hinata quickly ushered out a quick apology trying not to make a scene but this only caused the boy to look at her oddly.
“You speak Japanese?”
Hinata shot him a confused look “Yes?”
“It’s pretty good for a foreigner,” he praised. “How did you learn to speak Japanese so well?”
Hinata blinked, “I’m Japanese.”
The boy's face morphed into a look of utter disbelief. “Really? You’re Japanese?” He spat out giving her a not so subtle look over.
Hinata cringed. It wasn’t the first time she's heard that statement and it definitely won’t be the last. Yet she could see as to why he asked that particular question, she doesn’t exactly ‘look Japanese’ as she’s been told in the past.
“Well actually I’m half.”
“Are you a transfer student?” A girl swiftly entered the conversation.
“Where you from, are you from America?”
The girl had no ill intention behind her question even asked in a cheery tone. She was simply excited to meet someone knew observing Hinata with big wide eyes. She was being nice but Hinata couldn’t help but feel as if she was being gawked at like some zoo animal.
The girl gasped, “I love your hair.” Before Hinata could react a manicured hand reached out grabbing a fistful of Hinata's signature orange locks.
“May I get a photo,” she asked phone at the ready.
“Uhhhhh-” was all Hinata could mumble out as she focused on detangling her hair from the girl's grasp.
Slowly one by one more students began to stop and look creating a semi-circle around them. Another boy soon buds in on the conversation.
"Where are you from?” Asking a seemingly genuine question.
Hinata took a step back as she freed herself from the girl's grasp. “Brazil.”
“That's so cool. Say something in Brazilian?” Another student eagerly asked.
“Actually it’s Portuguese,” Hinata corrects, laughing uncomfortably.
Amidst her laughter she felt a cold surface press against her back that she quickly realized was the wall. Which was odd she hadn’t realized she was walking backwards just like how she didn’t realize the amount of people around her had doubled in size.
Was she getting smaller or were the people around her getting bigger?
The staring didn’t stop and neither did the questions.
“How fluent are you in Japanese?”
“Can you speak English?”
“Can you even read Kanji?”
“You hear to play football?”
“Why do you not look like a model?”
“Do you have freckles all over your body?”
“Are those your real eyelashes?”
“Is your skin really that dark?”
Hinata began to freak out, her stomach was twisting up, nerves taking hold of her. People kept looking at her as she failed to answer the simple yet invasive questions being thrown at her. The eyes of her peers were becoming harder to ignore as they were glued onto her analyzing her every move. She felt like she was going to throw up, her hands began to shake with beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Nausea took over her along with a loud rumbling in her stomach.
She needed a bathroom.
Hinata burst through the circle formed around her booking it down the hall without looking back. She pushed and shoved her way to the bathroom door refusing to make eye contact with those around her. Once inside she tossed her bag off to prevent it from getting ruined, bending over the sink fearing she wouldn’t have time to make it to the toilet. She waited for her breakfast to reappear in front of her but to her luck nothing came up.
Hinata hasn’t been this nervous or overwhelmed since her first ever competition. To this day she still doesn’t know the exact number of times she threw up but she's way too embarrassed to find out. One was on the car ride there another was just after arriving but she stopped counting after that. It's been forever since she's thrown up from nerves and she had no intention of breaking that streak now.
Once her stomach settled she was able to regain her composure. Slowly she knelt down to pick up her bag she hastily tossed aside. With her bag returned to her side she got a clear look at herself in the bathroom mirror. As much as Hinata hates to admit it she does look different from her peers.
Thick messy cropped orange hair that just reaches past her neck is an eyesore in the sea of muted hair colors. Her freckled dark tan skin made her stick out like a sore thumb among all the other tones walking through the halls. Broad shoulders making her look more masculine than she liked paired with toned legs that she wanted nothing more than to hide away with a pair of pants.
Hinata shook her head, she shouldn’t care what people said or how they viewed her. None of that mattered what mattered was volleyball. All she had to do was join the girls team, keep up her athleticism, and expand her skillset. That way when she moved back home she could implement what she learned and this whole ordeal wouldn’t have been a huge waste of time. She can get back on track with her beach volleyball career. Flashes of the beach ran through her mind as she thought of home. Wide open blue skies with seagulls soaring high above. People playing football on the beach, the calming sound of waves crashing along the shore. What time was it now over there on the other side of the world?
You’ll be home soon, she reassured herself but until then she would just have to push through will all her might. Perhaps even attempt to enjoy her time here although that wasn’t looking too good after the disaster she just experienced but who knows practice could be fun.
She just had to remain positive. It couldn’t get any worse, right?
The flushing of a toilet broke her out of her thoughts. Turning to see where it originated her eyes landed on a …urinal. This caused her to do a double take.
Why was a urinal in the girl's bathroom?
Exiting the stall the horrified look of a boy was the answer to her question. Hinata ran out of there not a second later.
She couldn’t wait till practice started.
❂
“Hello students welcome to Homeroom. Since it’s the first day we will go around and introduce ourselves,” her teacher announced from her desk, a clipboard clutched firmly in her hands. From her tone alone Hinata could tell she was a no-nonsense kind of teacher. Meaning she was not going to like Hinata.
Even back home she never had the best school etiquette. Not saying she was the kind of student who pulled pranks on the teacher or ditched class to gossip in the bathroom, she just had trouble paying attention sometimes. It felt as if her teachers were just endlessly rambling on to the point where she couldn’t even comprehend what they were saying. Then she would get distracted by thinking about the beach and playing beach volleyball and how much better that would be than sitting in a stuffy classroom learning about subjects she couldn’t care less about or failed to understand no matter how hard she tried to focus.
The worst was that she had this uncontrollable need to constantly be moving. Whether it was bouncing her knee, fiddling with a pencil or even tapping the desk she had to be active. She blamed it on having an ungodly amount of energy – perfect for competitions not so much for school.
Essentially Hinata was doomed.
“Let’s start to introduce ourselves, starting with you.” Her teacher gestured to a girl in the front row. One by one her classmates introduced themselves: saying their name, a fun fact about themself, a hobby, the usual first day introductions. As the students were introducing themselves the teacher was writing on her clipboard making notes about every student.
Hinata zoned out after the first two introductions opting to stare out the window to admire the view. It was a perfect day despite it being a little too chilly for her liking. The sky was a pretty crystal blue with light clouds allowing the sun to shine. The cherry blossoms at the front of the school were in full bloom shaking lightly from the wind mesmerizing her completely, her mind getting lost in the calming movement of the branches.
It took Hinata a minute to notice the voices around her had stopped. An uncomfortable silence had engulfed the classroom. Slowly she lifted her head off the hand she was resting on to glance around. Once again like this morning all eyes were glued on her. Every student was glancing in her direction even the teacher was looking at her–
Crap it was her turn!
Hinata launched herself out of the seat in an instant. The motion of her action was so quick and powerful it knocked her chair completely over. Everyone around her either let out a snicker or a laugh. Everyone but the teacher who was giving Hinata a disapproving look.
If Hinata’s cheeks weren’t red before they were now.
“Um hi,” she started awkwardly, giving her onlookers a little wave. “Uh, my name is Shouyou Hinata Ramos–I–ImeanHinataShouyou.” She garbled out quickly to correct herself.
New name she reminded herself .
“Just, Hinata Shouyou.” It felt wrong to say. That last part was still her surname, still a part of her. It felt odd to just leave it out like it meant nothing. Her hand instinctively went to her grab her jacket only to touch her uniform instead. A harsh reminder that her jacket was now neatly folded in her bag until the end of the day.
“And uh, I’m not from here,” if you couldn’t tell. “And I play beach volleyball,” or used to .
The blank stares she was receiving started to make her uncomfortable. That feeling of nervousness was creeping back causing her stomach to grumble forcing her to mess with her fingers to keep her nerves down.
“And uh yeah that's about it.” With that she finally concluded the nightmare that was playing out before her.
“Shouyou that's an interesting name. For a girl,” her teacher noted giving her a look over. Hinata rolled her eyes internally.
Back home she didn’t really have to deal with this issue because most people didn’t speak Japanese but now living in Japan this issue has popped up quite a bit. So it was pretty obvious what her teacher was implying by her backhanded compliment. Hinata didn’t see what the big deal was, it wasn't that unusual for a girl to have a boy's name.
Hinata laughed. “Yeah well that’s actually a funny story, you see my–”. Her words slowly died off when she saw the displeased look on her teacher's face who seemed far from interested. Returning her glance to her clipboard she made some scribbles with her black ink point pen.
“And Ramos, is that a middle name of sorts?”
Hinata perked up. “Actually that's my surname. In Brazil sometimes people have more than one. Hinata is from my maternal side and Ramos is from my paternal side.”
At the mention of her home country whispers sparked around the room. Out of the corner of her eye Hinata was able to see the kids next to her sneaking glances at her as they murmured with each other. She shook her head choosing to keep her focus solely on her teacher. Despite her outward appearance remaining stoic her mind was at war with herself. She had a goal on her mind that’s the only thing she should focus on not the petty gossip of her peers. However some part of her had a glutton for punishment desperately wanting to answer the one question that was currently plaguing her mind – what were they saying.
Was it good, bad? Are they impressed, scared, mad even; if so why would they be, has she done anything to offend anyone. In her short time in Tokyo she quickly learned that some people have opinions per say about foreigners living in Japan. Hinata could understand where some of that bitterness came from. Some, no all but some, can tend to be quite disrespectful towards local businesses and tourists especially can get pretty entitled during their holiday visits. Hinata could empathize remembering some of the interactions she’s had when Brazil's tourism was at its peak.
She remembered one time when some family was getting quite hissy at her because she wasn’t providing distinct enough directions on how to get to Christ the Redeemer. It wasn’t her fault English wasn’t her first language. Besides it’s a giant statue that’s pretty hard to miss just follow it and you’d get there eventually.
Was that how her classmates viewed her. Just some mindless foreigner disrupting the peace. You are, her mind hissed at her. She was already disconnected enough from her Japanese roots that moving here only made her feel more lost. It didn’t matter that she was half Japanese she was no different than the clueless tourists.
“You said you were from Brazil right, I’ve never had one of those in my classroom before.”
Hinata winced at her teacher's comment. Her body stilled as the words hit her full force as if a brick was thrown at her. ‘One of those’ , the words echoed in her head. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, what did the teacher mean by that. She was a student just like everyone else not some token classroom accessory. Subtly she eyed her classmates who were just chatting amongst themselves seemingly unbothered by what had just occurred. Did they hear it too or was she just going crazy? Do they even care, of course they don’t care why would they it's not like her teacher directly called her a slur or anything.
She just had a very interesting choice of words.
“However I do know you people tend to get quite loud so please try to remember that this is a classroom, not a fiesta.”
“Portuguese,” Hinata stated firmly.
Her homeroom teacher slowly looked up from her board, her thin brow raised slowly. “I beg your pardon?”
“Fiesta, that’s Spanish. I speak Portuguese.”
“Are you trying to cop an attitude with me Hinata-san?” Her teacher slowly rose from her desk, eyes pinned on Hinata’s smaller figure.
“No,” Hinata waved her hands defensively. “I just wanted to correct you–” Hinata’s sentence was interrupted by her homeroom teacher slamming her hand full force on her desk. Her teacher now glaring at her sternly.
“In this classroom I do not tolerate disrespect of any kind. You talk back to me again I will not hesitate to send you to the principal's office. Do you understand?” Her homeroom teacher exclaimed, talking down to her in a tone one would typically use when disciplining a toddler, which pissed Hinata off more than anything.
“Now sit down, I don't want to write anyone up on the first day.” Her teacher said as she calmly sat back in her chair as if nothing happened. Gaze once again locked on her clipboard scribbling away with her pen by Hinata's name. Probably writing some note for the other teachers warning them of Hinata’s ‘outburst’.
Hinata's fists clutched onto the ends of her skirt, arms shaking. She wasn’t trying to be disrespectful she just wanted to correct her. Hinata would want others to inform her if she said something wrong or borderline offensive like her teacher had just done. It was getting harder for Hinata to defend her teacher’s actions. After all why should Hinata get yelled at for trying to defend herself when her teacher was clearly out of line.
“-ata-san Hinata-san,” Hinata looked back at her teacher.
“You may sit now.”
Hinata wanted to say something. Tell her teacher off, yell at her even. Perhaps then she would feel better. Instead she just wordlessly picked up her chair and quietly sat down as the next student introduced himself. Hinata tuned everyone else out deciding to just sit quietly at her own table. Her fists were still clenched to the point that her knuckles turned white. She tried to spend the rest of the period focusing on the pain in her palms instead of the wetness forming in her eyes.
❂
The bell rang and not a second later Hinata bolted out of the classroom. Reaching impossible speeds for someone of her stature with her bag flailing helplessly at her side. It had been quite the day to say the least. After the incident with her homeroom teacher Hinata opted to keep her mouth shut for the remainder of the day. Only talking when her teachers called on her and when she went to the club fair to meet with the girl's volleyball team. There were only two people at the table but they seemed very happy that Hinata expressed interest in joining. Both of them were very nice which was a welcome change from the day she’d been having.
__________
“No way! You’re the foreign student I’ve heard about.” A girl with short dark brown hair gasped as Hinata made her way to their table.
“Yeah that’s me,” Hinata laughed nervously. So is that what she's been reduced to. Although she shouldn’t really complain, it could be worse.
“I’m so honored you want to join our club.” The tall girl exclaimed as she ran around the table she was standing behind.
“Hinata Shouyou,” Hinata introduced, extending her hand out. Instead of shaking it right away the taller girl just stared at it.
“Oh crap sorry,” Hinata retracted her hand, now embarrassed.
“No no no it’s fine.” Michimiya quickly reassured, extending a hand of her own. “I’m the captain, Michimiya Yui, third year.”
Hinata smiled as she shook the captain's hand.
“And I’m Aihara Mao, also a third year and the team's ace.” Another girl stated proudly entering the conversation. She was tall, Hinata noted. Both third years were tall but Aihara was towering over both her and Michimiya, with her high ponytail only adding to it.
Hinata gawked at the girl before realizing Aihara had also extended her hand. Hinata shook it before she continued.
“I’m going to be honest with you both, I haven't played indoor volleyball in a while. Is that okay?” She asked nervously.
“Nonsense that’s perfectly fine,” Michimiya flashed her a bright smile, causing Hinata to smile the first time that day.
__________
They both informed her to meet in the gym at the end of the day to officially sign up and that was all she needed to hear.
Angry shouts were directed at her as she shoved her way through the crowded hallway but she couldn’t care less as her feet carried her through the halls as she weaved through the crowds and jumped downstairs to get to her desired location.
Emotions were running high at the moment: anxiousness, nervousness, dread. It had been forever since she's played on the court, and with other people nonetheless. Hinata just hoped she doesn’t completely embarrass herself in front of the rest of the team. However she would be a liar if she said she wasn’t somewhat looking forward to practice. Personal feelings about the sports aside it had been a rough day and she couldn’t wait to blow off steam.
Exiting the main hall led her to her desired location. Standing before her were two metal doors leading to the entrance of the court. Locking onto them she picked up speed, the world around her vanished, becoming irrelevant, meaningless. The only thing that mattered was practice – her journey to improve began now.
Not bearing to wait any longer she leapt towards the door jumping up the steps. The force of her jump brought her forward. Her fingers made contact forcing the thick doors open to reveal–
nothing.
No girls running laps for exercise, no one tossing a ball, no squeaking of sneakers, no net, no shouting, no noise.
Nothing.
The slamming of the heavy door caused her to jump. The sound echoed through the room reminding her that she was the only entity there.
The rest will be here soon, she convinced herself as she put on her volleyball shoes. She did run over here like a maniac after all, she’d just have to be patient. As she tied the laces of her shoe she couldn’t help but admire them. Slowly tracing over the red accents with her thumb. Even after all this time they still fit like a glove as if they were perfectly molded for her feet.
As if she never stopped using them.
Quickly she tied the other lace and shot up from the ground wandering over into the center of the court. It wasn’t too flashy but wasn’t super compact either, it was just what she needed. She continued to eye the room until she found what she was looking for – the supply closet. Might as well set up while she waited for everyone. Opening the door revealed a small room filled to the brim with clutter. Dirty mats, a couple of brooms with one that happened to be snapped in half, multiple standard-issue volleyballs, and finally the net. Set up didn’t take too long, but it would have been faster with teammates. After making sure the net was taught and at the right height she returned to the supply closet to drag out the cart filled to the brim with volleyballs. She let out an impatient sigh when no one still had yet to show up.
Rapidly her foot began tapping the ground. Hinata hated waiting, every second that passed was coasting her valuable practice time. Sure she may have gotten here early but back when she played in secondary school her teammates were always close behind her.
Glancing back to the cart her eyes landed on a ball. There was nothing particularly special about it looking just like every other ball in the basket yet she couldn’t help but be drawn to it. Before she knew it the ball was clutched in her hands giving it a firm squeeze.
It was heavier yet smaller than its beach volleyball counterpart. Made to move faster and harder for those indoor plays. Instinctively her eyes glanced over to the net then back to the ball then at the net once again.
She shouldn’t but her legs had a mind of their own. Before she could stop herself she was backing up to the edge of the court to the serving position. Might as well try to brush up while her teammates weren’t here for her to embarrass herself in front of. The entire week prior she dedicated all her free time to relearn the basics. Forms, tosses, anything she could do at home to get reacquainted but there's only so much you can do without a court.
A deep inhale through the nose followed by an exhale out the mouth the ball was tossed in the air – high.
Rushing forward directly underneath the path of the ball she picked up speed. Eyes glued onto the ball watching as it slowly descended due to gravity, her hand just itching to make contact. Like two magnets pulling towards each other. She couldn’t wait to spike it, practically begging the ball to fall faster already anticipating the sting on her palm.
Its been so long.
Her arms swung back into position ready to pick up momentum for the jump, legs ready for takeoff.
“H–hey?!” A voice called out from behind her. Suddenly a record player scratched in her head breaking her concentration.
“Huh?” she turned her head in the direction of the stranger's voice. In doing so sending her tumbling down crashing onto the synthetic floor. Immediately followed by the ball hitting her square on the head.
“Ow,” she yelped, rubbing her head softly.
After dusting herself off she readjusted her maroon tracksuit sleeve that fell during her less-than-graceful plummet. Once she was put together she returned her focus to the newcomer in front of her. The stranger wasn’t one of her fellow teammates. In fact the stranger wasn’t even a girl at all.
Standing in front of her stood a boy.
The first thing she noticed about this boy was his height. He was tall, practically towering over her as he stared down at her with a dangerous aura emanating from him. He was a first year – she concluded since he wore the same maroon tracksuit she had on – but he could’ve easily fooled her into believing he was a second or third year with that height.
The second thing she noticed were his eyes. They were sharp navy blue forming a glare that pierced into her copper ones. To match his eyes raven-colored hair with tints of blue topped his head stylized by a fringe alongside cropped bangs. While staring at him she rubbed her eyes to make sure she was seeing things right. It must have been a trick of the light because Hinata could of sword she saw a red velvet cape blowing behind him along with a lavish bejeweled crown resting on top his head.
King, she thought. The word echoed through her mind.
Subconsciously Hinata stood straighter in an effort to look taller. Sure he was scary looking and that glare he was giving her was terrifying but Hinata was never one to back down from a challenge: no matter how tall or intimidating the opponent may be.
“Uh, can I help you?” She asked eyeing him suspiciously.
The boy's eyes widened somewhat upon hearing the question but soon lessened.
“I’m here to join Karasuno’s volleyball team. I was told to meet here and wait for the upperclassmen.” His eyes then narrowed, it was his turn to ask the question.
“What are you doing here?” His voice was deep, masculine, and laced with arrogance.
“Eh? Would you believe me if I told you I was here for the same thing?” She joked, scratching the back of her head.
The raven-haired boy eyed her intensely giving her a lookover before reeling back. “You’re too short how could you possibly contribute to my team?” His voice was stern and unimpressed.
Excuse me, his team? He was a first-year he couldn’t possibly be the captain. Hinata's face soured.
“Hey!” She shouted utterly insulted. “I may be small, but I can jump. Jump higher than you’ve ever seen,” she confidently boasted in the boy’s face.
It was true she wasn’t blessed with the gift of height that most volleyball players had: both beach and indoor. It was a huge advantage to have on the court but not a requirement to play. What Hinata lacked in height she made up for in agility, speed, and above all else jumping power.
“Besides,” she continued pointing an accusatory finger in his face. “What do you mean ‘your team’ last time I checked volleyball was a group effort. Who do you think you are?”
Sure Hinata was here to join the girls' team but it was the principle of the situation. This random guy took one look at her, assumed she was also joining the team and immediately belittled and questioned her abilities based solely on height. Who was this guy to think that the boys team owed him anything? That he could just waltz in here and take charge.
The boy just stared at her with a disgruntled look on his face. As if she had just slapped him across the face which Hinata considered doing to get him to stop staring at her like that. Flabbergasted that she had no idea who he was: like he was some big shot of some sort.
“Kageyama Tobio. Graduate of Kitawgawa Daiichi Junior High. Setter.” The raven-haired boy shouted with pride standing up straighter now looking taller than ever. The shorter athlete scoffed at his answer. The fact that he had to announce his full name, position and his old school as if he was some celebrity.
Now could this guy actually be well known in the volleyball scene, probably, Hinata wouldn’t know. She did just move here; on top of that there’s been all the unpacking, getting adjusted to the area and she’s been in isolation practicing day and night. So there was never really any time to familiarize herself with the star players of the prefecture or key players from the other schools. Heck this guy could be the the top player in the country for all she knows. Karasuno is a powerhouse school so he applied here for a reason. Despite all that his attitude was pissing her off so she wanted to mess with the guy.
“Hinata Shouyou. Never heard of you.” She countered with indifference in her voice. Instead of a verbal assault like she half expected his face softened ever so slightly. Yet it was so subtle it was almost as if it hadn’t happened.
“Do you,” he hesitates slightly, “not know who I am?” Kageyama's voice was less hostile, gentle almost.
“Why,” Hinata questioned crossing her arms over her chest, cocking an eyebrow. “Should I know you or something, and why are you even here?”
Kageyama raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”
One of Hinata's rough fingers pointed down to the court floor. “This is where the girls volleyball team is meeting.” She explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Speaking of which, where is everyone?
Kageyama scowled, confusion and anger both present on his face. “What are you talking about?” He spewed out in anger, crossing his arms over his chest.
“This is where the boys team is meeting, and are you trying to join the girl's team anyways?”
Hinata stared coldly at the boy across from her.
“Isn’t it obvious?” She spits out, eyes narrowing.
Instead of a verbal response the boy just stared blankly at her. The gears obviously turning in his head but failing to come to a conclusion frustrating her even more. Sure the short hair throws some people off and the flat chest doesn’t exactly help but come on, she doesn’t look that much like a boy. After staring into his blank eyes for too long she finally had enough.
“I’m joining the girl's team because I’m a girl . Idiota.” Her cheeks reddened from both anger and embarrassment.
Comedically Kageyama's eyes widen, realization finally dawning on him. Blush begins to burn on his cheeks as well.
“W–well you’re still in the wrong gym.” He stammered out face now red as a tomato.
“Am not.”
“Are too.”
“Am not!”
“Are too!”
The two continued to bicker like children only stopping when the gym doors swung open accompanied by three unfamiliar voices. Both turned their heads to see three students all donning the signature black Karasuno volleyball jacket. They were tall, older (most likely all third years) and
… boys.
Okay so maybe Kageyama might have been right about being in the wrong gym but he definitely wasn’t going to get the satisfaction of her admitting that.
The tallest amongst them was the boy in the middle with short brown hair and a welcoming smile. He was big but not in the tall way more in the muscular kind of way. His jacket sleeves were rolled up allowing Hinata a peak at his built forearms. Next to him on his left was a beautiful male with silver hair matched with alabaster skin. He wore a soft smile paired with even softer eyes with a beauty mark resting on his left cheek. Giving an all-around gentle appearance except for the slight twinkle of mischief in his eyes. The boy on the far end looked less gentle having a more dangerous appearance – sporting a shaved head with his face morphing into a menacing glare – eyeing the two first years intensely. Without hesitation the bald-headed boy inched closer towards the pair forcing Hinata to bring her hands up in a fighting stance.
“Well, well, well now what do we have here–”
Suddenly he’s pulled back roughly by the brown-haired boy who seemed totally zen about the situation. ‘Baldy’ went limp in the taller boy's grasp – much like a lion holding its cub by the scruff of their neck – with an embarrassed look on his face.
Hinata probably would’ve been scared if she wasn’t so confused by the situation.
“Sorry about him, that upperclassman mentality has gone straight to his head.” The brown-headed boy explained, ignoring the limp body in his grasp.
“You Kageyama?” he asked as he let go of ‘Baldy’ who was wiggling to get out of the bigger boy's grip.
At the mention of his name Kageyama straightened with a serious look on his face, “Yes sir.” As the silver-haired boy went to talk to Kageyama, Hinata rolled her eyes at the first years formality.
“Dang you’re quite tall. How tall are you?” The silver haired boy asked stepping closer blocking Hinata from view.
“180 centimeters. ” The brown-haired boy then also joined in.
“We saw you at the Junior High tournament last year,” he praised. “You’ve got quite the skill set.”
So this guy was somewhat known, Hinata thought. That arrogance had some truth to it but she has yet to see anything so she’ll believe it when she sees it.
“Hey I heard of you,” a shout echoed through the gym. It took Hinata a second for her to realize the comment was actually addressed to her and not the first-year setter. Turning around she nearly jumped when she saw that ‘Baldy’ was pointing a finger directly in her face.
“You’re the foreign student I’ve been hearing a lot about.”
Great not this again, Hinata groaned, preparing for the onslaught of questions.
“That’s so cool,” Tanaka exclaimed shooting his fists up in the air.
Hinata blinked. “Really?”
“Yeah!” The boy explained with a toothy grin putting his sharp teeth on display. “Could you teach me some cool curse words? I want to be able to cuss out my history teacher without him knowing, I don’t know what happened to him over break but he’s been a total asshole.”
“Tanaka!” the brown-haired boy once again reeled him back by the collar of his jacket. “Don’t be rude, apologize now.”
Tanaka was forced into a low bow alongside the brown-haired boy, “My deepest apologies,” he blurted out with genuine remorse in his words.
The silver-haired boy quickly made his way over to them. “I’m sorry about him he doesn't know when to shut up.”
Hinata laughed as the brown-haired boy started chewing out Tanaka, making the former cower in fear.
“No no,” she laughed out. “It’s okay I’m used to the questions.”
The silver-haired boy sent her a sympathetic smile. “I’m Sugawara Koushi, but my friends call me Suga. I’m a third-year, setter and the vice-captain. The one trying not to kill the second year is Sawamura Daichi. The team captain, also a third-year.” He gestured over to Daichi who had just finished chewing out the younger boy.
“And you’ve met Tanaka.” Sugawara joked looking over at the now pale second year. A stark contrast to his ‘menacing’ presence from earlier.
“I think it's really cool that you want to play volleyball but what are you doing in the boys gym?” Daichi asked innocently as he walked over to join in on the conversation.
“You know I’m a girl?” Hinata asked in shock. Ever since she put on the stupid maroon tracksuit people wouldn’t stop confusing her for being a boy. Sadly Kageyama wasn’t the only one today who made that mistake.
“Isn’t it obvious,” Sugawara laughed out. “You would have to be an idiot or something to think you’re a boy.”
“Wait! You’re a girl?!” Tanaka shouted.
“I stand corrected.”
“Well in that case–” Tanaka shoved both Daichi and Sugawara out of the way interjecting himself in front of Hinata for the third time today.
“Tanaka Ryuunosuke, second year at your service. As your upperclassman it’s my duty to protect you and take you under my wing. You may address me as Tanaka-senpai, Ryuunosuke-senpai, Senpai, or whatever nickname you desire,” he finished with a goofy smile on his face.
“Please don't call him that. It will give him an even bigger power trip than he already has,” Sugawara pleaded from the background.
Hinata laughed. “ Hinata Shouyou, it’s nice to meet you Tanaka-senpai.” She chimed brightly, extending her hand to which the older boy shook happily with both hands. Long gone was the false intimidating persona he showcased when he first entered the gym. Instead before her was a sweet boy with a goofy grin on his face. Hinata smiled, she liked this guy.
“I’m trying out for the girls team,” Hinata confirmed as she let go of an overly enthusiastic Tanaka. “I was told practice was being held in the gym.”
“Ah, then you want to head to the East gym, that's typically where the girls practice.” Daichi informed her pointing towards the East-sided doors. “I know the team captain Michimiya personally. She’s really sweet, you’ll fit in great,”
Hinata perked up at the mention of the girls team captain, “Oh yeah I met Michimiya today actually at lunch. No she was really nice even when I-”
“Can we please forget about her and start practice already,” Kageyama interrupted in an infuriated tone. Throwing himself between the captain and the first-year girl.
“Why? Jealous the attentions not on you.” Hinata retorted, taking great pleasure in how riled up the boy got.
Kageyama's face darkened as he turned to her. “I don’t care that you’re a girl I’ll still kick your ass.”
Hinata snorted. “Funny I was about to say the same thing to you.”
“Hey let's all calm down,” Daichi quickly intervenes but was promptly ignored.
Kageyama growled, taking a step towards Hinata forcing her to take one step back. “What even makes you think the girls will let you play on their team in the first place.”
Hinata then sported a menacing glare of her own. “They will let me join the team because my skills can rival anyone's.” Slowly she took a step towards the now-raging first year.
“Even yours.”
Hinata knows she’s playing with fire. In the past when she played indoor nearly every day she could for sure back up her claim in full confidence. However now in her current state, she was nowhere near the skill level she used to be. Plus with all the praises this guy has gotten from the older boys he must be good. Yet she remains firm choosing to believe it when she sees it… and mostly because her anger was clouding her judgment and thinking logically was never something she was known for.
Kageyama's sharp eyes narrowed not pleased with her response. “What that fumble that I witnessed, that was skill?” he shouted with underlying authority in his voice. As if his opinion was the end all be all, just like her homeroom teacher, which made Hinata pissed .
Rage bubbled inside the entirety of her 162.8 centimetered body. “You broke my concentration, I was about to spike it before you barged in.” She countered, letting out a growl. If she were a cartoon character she could’ve sworn steam would’ve been blowing out her ears.
“There’s no need to fight we’re all under the same team. We’re all passionate about volleyball–” but once again Daichis reasoning fell on deaf ears.
“Your form was sloppy, that's why you fell. How can you possibly be an asset to a team if you can’t even get the basics down.”
“My form wasn’t sloppy.” Maybe a little rusty but far from sloppy.
“Hey Daichi’s still talking,” Tanaka barked, but like his captain his warning was ignored.
“Who are you to judge me? Why do you think you know everything? That you can control everything and everyone,” Hinata snapped, her eyes solely pinned on Kageyama letting everyone else phase into the background becoming non-existent as the two engaged in a verbal scrimmage.
What was this guy's issue? Why did he think he could be overbearing all in the namesake that he was better than anyone else on the court? He hadn’t even seen her play yet still believed he could reign over her. Hinata was so angry she thought she might explode.
“You overbearing, cocky,” she spouted as she jabbed him with her finger at every insult. “You-you-,” she was so mad she couldn’t think straight, mind failing to find the right insult.
Then all of a sudden there it was again, the trick of the light. Once again there was a flash, then there was that same thick velvet cape. Red as blood with the fur coating the edges white as snow. The embellished round crown rested perfectly on top of his dark hair. A lightbulb went off in her head. There it was, suddenly it all made sense. Of course, the temper, the need to be in control, the ego. On the court Kageyama was nothing more than a grumpy, oppressive–
“–King.” She spat out with full force.
The three boys around them went silent as they kept a wary eye on the raven-haired first-year who remained freakishly still after the insult was thrown directly at his face. By now Hinata was directly in front of him, finger still poking into his stomach as his bangs covered his eyes.
As he slowly started to lift his head Hinata immediately dropped her hand taking a good two steps back. If she thought he was scary before now he was downright terrifying. Kageyama's eyes were dull, intense, and blazing with anger. To this day Hinata could’ve sworn those deep blues turned red.
“ Never call me that.” His voice was cold. So cold that she felt goosebumps ride along her exposed skin.
“I never want to hear that nickname again.”
Wait! Was that deadass a nickname of his? Hinata stood dumbfounded. She was just free balling it did people actually call him that?
“What’s all the commotion? I can hear all this yelling a mile away.” An older voice enters the room causing all heads to turn.
“Oh shit, ” Daichi whispers turning to Sugawara “I’ll take care of him, make sure those two don’t kill each other,” he gestures to the first-years before taking off.
Sugawara slowly inched towards the two first years who had thankfully gotten some distance between the two of them. “Alright you two enough is enough. Please play nice at least until Vice Principal leaves,” the vice-captain implores. A smile was plastered on his face but his eyes meant business.
Sadly like Daichi, he was ignored.
“You should quit while you’re ahead,” Hinata raised a brow at Kageyama's statement.
“Kageyama-kun please don’t,” Sugawara pleads.
“I don’t know who you are or what you’ve been doing these past three years but you’ll never catch up in time to compete. Let alone go against someone of my skill level.”
Hinata should stop really she should. The boys – minus Kageyama – all seemed really nice and she would hate for them to get in trouble, especially on the first day, but she couldn’t allow this guy to get the last word in. Sadly one of Hinata's fatal flaws was rearing its ugly head. Whether it be practicing till way late into the night or talking back to opponents three times her size: she never knew when to call it quits.
“Prove it,” Hinata sent him a glare that rivaled his own. Pointing her index finger directly at him. “I challenge you.”
Kageyama simply raised an eyebrow.
Wordlessly Hinata tossed her bag as she made her way to the ball cart. Picking up the first ball her hands touched sending it flying towards Kageyama who caught it with ease.
“Toss me a serve.”
Kageyama didn’t need any further coaxing for the second his hands grabbed the ball he was making his way to the other side of the net.
“What are those knuckleheads doing?” Tanaka asked an irritated Sugawara, who merely grumbled for a response.
“Hey, that’s enough you two,” Daichi shouted from across the room.
“Can’t get your players in line?” The Vice Principal questioned side-eyeing the captain. “This could pose a problem.”
Standing on the opposite side of the net Kageyama held the ball out. “I’m actually kind of excited,” he admitted spinning the ball between his hands. “I’ve been meaning to test out my new moves.”
With that the ball was tossed into the air – high. Followed immediately by Kageyama who stepped forward jumping in the air. As the ball came down it perfectly locked onto Kageyama's winded-up hand that with one powerful hit was sent barreling towards her like a rocket.
A jump serve – a good one at that. Hinata hated to admit it but she wasn’t expecting that. Seeing it play out in front of her was mesmerizing to watch. Kageyama was living up to his talent, now it was time for her to do the same. With the ball zipping towards her she lept into action. Quickly moving over, feet steady, arms locked into position – thwack.
Merda that was bad. Hinata cursed internally as the ball made contact with her skin.
It was off-center and way too high up her arms nearly knocking her in the face but thankfully it ricocheted off her. Less glamorous than she had hoped but it managed to do the job nonetheless. While her receive was off she would more than make up for it by showing off her strong suit – her jump.
Legs kicking into full gear she bolted forward directly underneath the ball. From there her muscle memory took over. Arms swinging back gaining momentum only to shoot forward followed by the rest of her body leaping into the air. The second her feet left the ground her arms moved into place. One arm extended while the other reeled back, legs bent. A rush took over her, it felt as if she was soaring, flying even. By this point she was at the summit of her jump.
The view from the top but instead of looking down her eyes were glued onto the ball watching it descend due to gravity.
Its been so long.
The world slowed down as the ball came closer the rest of the world seemed to disappear leaving just her and the ball.
Three.
Two.
One.
Hand springing into action her palm made contact with the ball sending it over the net, crashing onto the floor beside her opponent.
“Yes ha in your face,” she shouts victoriously the second her feet return to the floor.
Adrenaline pumped through her in full swing. Her palm stung from the force of the hit but the pain was welcomed. It had been so long since she spiked something indoors and hearing the ball echoing throughout the gym only sweetened the victory. A carnal desire rushed through her like a beast unleashed from years of captivity. Her mind craved for one thing and one thing only. A feeling that won’t disappear until it’s satisfied.
More.
She wanted more.
Desperately wanting another toss she turned to face her opponent only to pause. Across the net her opponent remained frozen in place, eyes wide, mouth agape, body slack. Just looking at her with astonishment in his eyes. The gym had also suddenly gotten eerily quiet no longer hearing the Vice Principals condescending remarks or Tanaka's yelling. The room was still almost as if the people around her stopped breathing.
Daichi stood there utterly stunned next to an equally stunned Vice Principal. Sugawara was off to the side with an amazed look on his face with a wide smile next to a dumbfounded Tanaka whose jaw was practically touching the floor. It then dawned on her that no one had actually seen her legendary jump yet. For the past however many years she’s been surrounded by people who’ve become so numb to it that she forgot how impactful it was for others to see. It was quite the spectacle to witness for the first time.
“See I wasn't lying when I said I could jump,” she joked returning her gaze to Kageyama.
“Wow! You can jump shorty!” Tanaka manifests beside her.
“Have to make up for height somehow,” she joked nervously at her senpai's praise.
“Your jump may be impressive,” Kageyama shouts from across the net. His face back to his natural mean-looking face.
Hinata blinked at his words. Did he really just compliment her right now?
“But your form was messy-” Yup there it was. She should’ve known it was going to be a back-handed compliment.
“You got lucky,” he held up another ball. “Let’s see if you can do that again.” From there Kageyama set another serve forcing her to once again get in position.
Following the path of the ball she readied herself, knees bent, arms locked–
“Hinata there you are!”
Upon hearing her name Hinata whipped her head over. There standing by the doors was none other than the captain of the girls volleyball team, Michimiya.
Crap practice!
Hinata hopes she's not too late. She’ll just have to finish up here then she should be good to – smack.
The impact of synthetic leather meeting skin could be heard throughout the gym. The ball did make contact with her arms but shot directly into her cheek fast and hard being just as painful as it sounds. The collision forced her back landing hard on her bum with the ball flying off in the distance.
Five pairs of eyes followed the ball as it flew across the room towards the pair in the back or more specifically the Vice Principal. Hinata's eyes widened in horror as she helplessly watched the scene play out in slow motion. The ball slammed into the adult's face knocking his wig clean off only to land conveniently on a mortified Daichi.
No one moved.
Hinata knows it's a serious situation. They all could get in very serious trouble ranging from suspension to having the club disbanded. She tried, she really did, but the laughter escaped her lips before she could stop it.
“O-oi, shut up it’s not that funny,” Tanaka chastised, failing to suppress his own chuckles. His face turned red from trying to hold them in. Heads turned to the two as they burst out laughing uncontrollably.
Kageyama looked more confused than anything, “H-he was wearing a wig?” He gawked at the adult struggling to put his wig back on.
Hinata's hands clutched her sides as her stomach began to hurt from laughing too much. “D-don’t tell me you just now n-noticed,” she managed to let out. “Everyone at the entrance ceremony could tell.”
Tanaka could only let out wheezes he was laughing so hard. “Tanaka shut it!” Sugawara murmured in a serious tone.
“Captains. May I have quick a word?” The Vice Principal's tone was dead serious, ceasing all laughter in the room.
At the adult's command Daichi peeled the wig off his head sheepishly handing it back to the Vice Principal quietly following him as they made their way out of the room. The pair wordlessly moved past Michimiya who remained frozen by the door. Her hands covered her mouth, eyes still in shock as she turned to join them. The room became eerily quiet once more and Hinata wished nothing more than to evaporate on the spot. Maybe she could dip out before anyone realizes she’s gone but her conscience prevented her from doing so.
The whole ordeal was her fault, Kageyama may have served the ball but she was the one that allowed the ball to crash into the Vice Principal. Her hand brushed over her cheek which was a little red from the impact. It still stung but nothing she couldn’t handle. Hinata just prayed the boys don’t get in that much trouble. Helplessly she fisted her maroon pants in an attempt to ease herself. Maybe if she admitted the entire thing was her fault the boys wouldn’t be punished or would at least be given a lighter punishment.
The gym doors crack open just enough to allow Daichi’s head to poke through. Glancing around he scans the room until his eyes land on Hinata. “Vice Principal wants to speak to you.” Hinata sighed as she took a step forward.
“The both of you,” Hinata paused, turning around to see Kageyama who was just as surprised as her.
His surprised demeanor dropped the second his eyes made contact with hers narrowing back into their usual sharp glare to which Hinata responded by flashing one of her own back at him. The pair wordlessly made their way to exit the gym all the while keeping a safe distance between them. The tension between them was so thick that a simple accidental brush against each other could spark an all-out fistfight.
Once outside Hinata saw both captains off to the side with the Vice Principal standing in front with his arms crossed and wig sloppily placed back on his head. Hinata wanted to laugh at the Vice Principals half-assed attempt to look intimidating but the gravity of the situation was preventing her from doing so. As both first years made their way to their respective captain's side the Vice Principal spoke up.
“Now I know what you are all thinking so I’ll go ahead and say it, I’m not disbanding either of the volleyball clubs.” All four let out sighs of relief but the levity was short-lived.
“But a punishment is still warranted.” Hinata gulped.
“First years step forward,” Worldlessy the pair moved in sync closer to the principal yet still a safe distance apart from each other.
“I have half a mind to suspend you both from club activities for the entire month.” Both first years sucked in a breath.
“But since this is technically a first offense for the both of you, I’ll refrain.” Hinata visibly loosened up after hearing that. She felt better knowing she’d still be allowed in the club but she wasn’t out of the woods yet.
“Fighting and bickering amongst each other is not what Karasuno stands for. Kageyama-san,” The boy bristled at the mention of his name, straightening under the gaze of the Vice Principal.
“You are supposed to be a gentleman, it’s not appropriate for you to pick fights. Especially with a lady.” Kageyama downcast his eyes in shame as the adult tore into him.
Hinata internally raised her eyebrow at the Vice Principal’s comment. Kageyama was the farthest thing from a gentleman more like some rapid dog biting anyone who came within close proximity of him. Plus she didn’t like how the Vice Principal was insinuating that she was some meek defenseless girl who couldn’t take what was thrown at her. She could handle herself just fine ‘Mr. I wear fake hair’. Despite not really liking Kageyama she did feel a tiny bit bad for him at the moment. Technically she was the one who insinuated the fight, he shouldn’t get yelled at for something she did.
“And you young lady,” Hinata froze as the Vice Principal now turned his attention to her. “I don’t know what was considered proper where you grew up but here in Karasuno fighting is strictly prohibited.”
Hinata sucked in a deep breath. Was that how all the adults here viewed her as, some mindless foreigner who didn’t know proper etiquette? Newsflash toupée man fighting was also looked down upon at her old school; it's not strictly limited to just this one. But just like this morning, she didn’t comment on it. Her gaze shifted to the ground, hands balled up in fists by her side feeling the familiar sting of nails digging into her skin.
“Yes Sensei,” Hinata muttered.
“I believe the punishment should fit the crime. For the first week of school instead of attending morning practice you both will arrive an hour early to participate in disciplinary education.”
“WHAT!” Both first years yelped out.
“I’m not finished,” Vice Principal snapped forcing the two first years to shut their traps.
“The two of you will both check in with your club advisors and be dismissed when the hour is up. Missing a single day will result in an extra week of disciplinary education. Continue to do so then you will be pulled from your respective clubs. Am I understood?”
“Yes Sensei,” Kageyama said respectfully as his body bent down into a weird motion. Hinata eyed him curiously, flashing between Kageyama and Vice Principal, who was now eyeing her solemnly.
Hinata stood frozen in place as panic floods through her. Her mom might have mentioned how to properly bow during her school customs discussion but as per usual Hinata’s mind drifted off the second her mom opened her mouth. She didn’t mean to not pay attention but the fireflies she saw outside were far more interesting than whatever her mother was rambling on about.
Copying off of Kageyama she slowly mimicked his posture placing her arms by her side bending her body down at the proper angle. Eyes darting back and forth between her and the boy next to her making sure she was performing the bow correctly. Staring down at her feet she hoped to hide the humiliation creeping onto her face. Here she was getting mad at Vice Principal for thinking she was some mindless foreigner when moments like this proved everyone right. At the end of the day she was still an outsider who didn’t know the most basic of customs.
“Captains, I will leave it up to you to inform your respective club advisors of this arrangement.”
“Um Sensei,” Michimiya tentatively spoke up. “Amarie-sensei is no longer our club supervisor, so as of now the girls club does not really… have one.”
Vice Principal grumbled. “I guess Takeda-sensei will have to be in charge of them both.”
“It’s okay Michimiya I’ll inform him for you,” Daichi reassured.
Vice Principal nodded. “As for you two.” Kageyama shot his head up with Hinata quickly following suit.
“I expect to see you both early tomorrow morning.” Vice Principal began to walk away before turning around once more. “Also Captains’, I do hope we can keep this whole hair incident,” he lets out a cough. “Under wraps.”
“Oh of course Sensei,” Michiyma quickly responded.
Hinata rolled her eyes as the four of them made their way back inside the gym. So that's why the punishment was relatively light, well light in Vice Principal eyes. The thought of spending any amount of time with that asshole Kageyama sounded like pure torture to Hinata. The man still had to give out a punishment to not be seen as a pushover but nothing too extreme that they could retaliate by exposing his wig ‘secret’.
Hinata doesn't know why he even bothers all the students know about it anyway.
All four reentered the gym joining in on the semi-circle that was formed upon their reentry. Daichi was the first to speak up. “Well, the good news is he’s not disbanding either clubs.” Everyone but the four simultaneously let out sighs of relief.
“Wait what's the bad news?” Sugawara questioned.
“Well it’s not necessarily bad,” Michimiya follows up. “We’ve all just been sworn into secrecy and promise not to say anything. But Kageyama and Hinata have to-”
“We got in trouble because you couldn’t hit a serve,” Kageyama barks directly into Hinata’s face.
“I got distracted,” she harps out quick to defend herself. There they were budding heads again doing the exact same thing that nearly got them all in trouble in the first place.
“That seems to be a common excuse with you.”
“Listen here blueberry-”
“That's enough.”
Immediately the two first years jumped at the thunderous voice that scared everyone in the room. The voice belonged to Daichi who stared the two first years down. His arms crossed, giant form looming over the both of them despite Kageyama being slightly taller than his upperclassman. It wasn’t about height though standing in front of them Daichi stood, unyielding, solid and composed. Hinata saw why he was elected team captain.
“Hinata let me introduce you to the team,” Michimiya spoke up awkwardly. Now it was her cue to leave.
Kicking into motion she hastily ran over to grab her bag. Before following Michimiya however Hinata spun back over returning her gaze to Kageyama – who was staring at her as well. Once again angry navy eyes bore into copper ones. Their last match was cut short, not enough to determine who was better. Both players were equally determined and driven, this punishment was a mere roadblock in their path to succession.
There was no talking between the pair but there was no need for their eyes said it all – I want a rematch.
“You better watch yourself, King. You may rule the court now but I’m coming after you.” Hinata slings her bag over her shoulder turning to leave.
“And taking that crown for myself.”
With that statement a rivalry commenced: their re-match set in stone.
At the door Hinata turned back for one final glance. She saw Daichi and Sugawara talking to Kageyama and although she couldn’t hear what they were saying based on their facial expression she could get the gist of it. Kageyama bore a look of determination as both the captain and co-captain were talking to him. All the crap he was giving her now it was time for him to receive the same treatment – to prove his worth. To prove his skills to his team, ultimately determining what position he’d play but at the end of the day it won’t matter how good he is that attitude he harbors will hold him back.
Hinata could only pity his future teammates as she turned to leave.
“That was terrifying,” Michimiya commented as the pair made their way to the East gym. “When he called us all outside I thought both volleyball clubs were done for,” she laughed off her nerves.
“But how are you feeling Hinata? Hinata?”
The beach volleyball player didn’t bother to respond keeping her eyes locked forward, the interaction with Kageyama still fresh on her mind. Mumbling curses in Portuguese as she moped through the hallway. Her body still in fight mode getting even more agitated as she replayed the fight in her head.
I don’t know who you are or what you’ve been doing these past three years but you’ll never catch up in time to compete.
“What do you know about Tobio Kageyama?” Hinata asks ignoring Michimiya’s previous question.
The third year gasped. “Wait the other first year, that was Kageyama?”
“So you know him?” Hinata gave the older girl a heedful look. Her mind focused, ready to soak up any sliver of information about the blue-haired tyrant. If she was going to beat him she had to learn everything about him.
“Well I don’t know him personally per se,” Michimiya scratched the back of her head. “But I have heard a lot about him through other people, specifically Daichi when he went to scout out the Junior High players at the tournament last year.”
“Is he as good as everyone says he is?” Hinata questioned holding her breath as she anticipated the answer.
“From what Daichi’s said about him he sounds like a prodigy. He’s a determined player with an exceptional skill level for his age. Albeit a little cocky about it.”
Merda! Hinata cursed internally. She might have bit off more than she could chew, again. Well he wasn’t called King for nothing of course he was good. Who wouldn't be with a badass nickname like that. If she was going to beat him she had to get better.
Let alone go against someone of my skill level.
Hinata growled. It didn’t matter how good he was she'd beat him. She just needed to get stronger first.
“Although, I am surprised he’s still playing especially after the incident last year.”
Hinata shot her a confused look, “What incident?”
Michimiya looked uneasy as she pushed open the gym doors “Well-”
“There you are,” a familiar voice booms from the gym.
Whipping her head forward Hinata saw a tall girl with a blonde ponytail addressing them. She stood tall hands crossed over her chest as she stared at the two. Hinata immediately recognized her from the club fair. Aihara, if she remembered correctly. Third year, like Michimiya, wing spiker and the team’s revered ace.
“You owe me big time Captain,” the ace exclaimed as she walked towards the pair. “Not only did I have to remind everyone of practice but I had to keep Nishinoya reeled in. Which I remind you is a full-time job.”
“I’m sorry Aihara,” Michimiya laughs out. “I had to track down Hinata here who somehow wandered over to the boys' gym.”
Hinata's cheeks burned. “A-all the gyms look the same. It’s not my fault I got lost.” Aihara barked out a laugh.
“If you say so shorty.” The blonde glanced back at Michiyima. “Say Captain ready to start warm-ups?”
Hinata tilted her head. “You haven’t started warm-ups yet?” It had to have at least been ten minutes into practice by now.
Aihara shook her head. “Not yet, I was hoping to start when everyone arrived but there were a few stragglers I had to find. I managed to round up the twins but Aoki is leading a tutoring session so she won’t be able to make it to practice.”
Michimiya grimaced. “What about Watabe?”
Aiharah pointed over her shoulder. “She’s outside practicing with Nishinoya. He said something about ‘endurance training’ or whatever and wanted to practice dives on rough terrain. I swear that kid has some screws loose.”
Hinata raised a brow. He?
Michimiya frowned before shaking her head. “Right, round everyone up let’s begin stretches.” She said in her usual cheery attitude. A smile and determination now present on her face.
Aihara shot her captain a nod before addressing Hinata. “Come on shorty I’ll show you the changing rooms.”
Walking with the third year Hinata couldn’t help but notice how empty the gym felt.
“Is this everyone?” Hinata asked looking around. Minus Aihara, Michimiya, and herself there were only three other girls in the gym.
Aihara shrugged, “Pretty much.”
“What about the other applicants?”
Slowly a frown morphed onto the ace’s face, her eyes became somber as she turned back to Hinata.
“You’re the only one.”
Any excitement Hinata harbored throughout the day instantly died upon hearing those words.
❂
“Hinata here,” Chizuru Sasaki, the wing spiker, shouts as she tosses a ball high in the air. Eyeing the ball carefully Hinata follows its path jumping high in the air. Gasps erupted as her jump was put on full display.
The ball connected with her hand allowing her to spike it full force onto the other side of the net. Letting out a huff as she carefully landed back on the floor the all too familiar sting once again radiated on from her palm. After hearing the disappointing news that she was the only first year on the team she opted to throw herself into practice. Giving it her all hoping it would distract from the aching feeling rising in her stomach.
“Wow! What a jump Hinata-chan,” Michimiya shouts from off the court.
“Huh, oh it’s nothing,” Hinata dismisses feeling a blush arise on her face.
“No, that was really cool Hinata,” Sasaki quickly followed up.
“Yeah with you on the team we might actually get somewhere this year.” Aihara joked punching the first year in the shoulder.
Hinata was now red as a ruby as she stared dumbly at her third-year teammates. Getting praise for her jumping abilities was nothing new, but getting complimented by three tall beautiful volleyball players was a different kind of praise.
Hinata laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. “Perks of having natural athleticism I guess.” Did her voice just crack, God she sounded pathetic. “Plus it helps that I’ve been playing for a while,” recovering quickly.
“How long have you been playing volleyball?” The captain asked retrieving another ball from the cart.
“Oh uh I used to play when I was little, but I’m more of a beach volleyball player now.” Hinata admits while stretching her arms.
“Why’d you switch?” Michiyma asked innocently as she tossed Hinata the ball.
The ball ricochets off her body for Hinata made no attempt to catch it. Feeling the old wound in her heart become ripped open once more. Again and again she’s been asked this question by strangers who don’t know her story and every time she’s asked she reacts the same no matter how much time has passed.
It’s been three years, she thought she would’ve been over it by now but that's the funny thing about grief, it never really goes away.
Wordlessly she grabbed the ball that rolled by her feet holding it tightly as if it was going to disappear. There was a time when indoor volleyball used to be her pride and joy. It was all she would ever talk about, heck all she could ever think about. Sleeping, eating, school, all became a second priority to her, nothing else seemed to matter other than the sport. Always the first one in the gym always the last to leave. Practice wasn’t over until she was forcefully dragged off the court. It was her passion, her reason for living, a high that she never wanted to come down from. Endless determination tied with the infinite desire to constantly improve was going to carry her to the top.
Or it would have if it wasn’t for that day. The day she received one phone call that caused her entire world to crumble around her. A piece of her died that day as well as her love for volleyball.
After that nothing really felt the same.
The gym lights didn’t shine as bright as they once did and when they did it was more of an irritating glare unlike the luminescent wonder it used to be. The sting from the ball felt like a nuisance rather than a welcomed feeling and the shuffling of feet on the waxed floorboards was an infuriating pain to her ears. Worst of all winning had no feeling behind it. There was no pride, no euphoric feeling washing over after a good game, no sense of satisfaction. It felt like a task that needed to be done. Nothing more than a chore to be checked off before moving on to the next one.
It got the point where she couldn’t stand it anymore. So soon after that very day that changed her life forever she walked up to Kato begging him to coach her in beach volleyball. But like grief her love for volleyball never really left her. Maybe that's why she couldn’t part ways with the sport completely. Some part of her still wanted to be close to it without actually playing it. Beach volleyball is volleyball adjacent but still inherently a different sport. It had a different layout, different location, and different game structure therefore enough differences to trick her mind into believing she still wasn’t playing volleyball.
Hinata had her reasons for quitting but those reasons were for her and her alone.
“I don’t like to talk about it,” was all she could mutter out. Her gaze still locked onto the ball clutched in her hands.
Michimiya and Aihara shared a look before the ace walked over. “Hey how about you and me practice some jump serves? Let's put those legs into use.” She joked giving Hinata a good shake.
That put a tiny smile on the first years face. “Let's go.”
She jogged off with a newfound pep in her step across the court. It was a weird feeling being back on the court after so long but she would just have to get used to it. If she wanted to seamlessly transition back into beach volleyball then she can’t afford to waste a second of her time here so might as well give it her all for every practice.
Speaking of practice she was starting to question how the girls ran theirs. The twins have kept to themselves the entire time just chatting while holding a volleyball to give the allusion of doing something active. Their libero remains unseen for she was still outside practicing with that Noya guy she heard about. Plus there were no newcomers besides herself so it was only a handful of people actually participating. It just looked unorganized and seemed to lack commitment.
Hinata didn't press on it though it was only the first day of practice there was the whole rest of the season to see improvement but Hinata prayed she wasn’t going to be around to see it. There was still Shiratorizawa if she managed to land herself an offer Saturday then she was for sure going to take it. If the school was as good as Kato said then she had to be on their team.
That's the whole reason she’s here: to stay active and improve she can’t exactly do that if her team fails to make it to Nationals. To get to the top you have to be a part of the best and that's what Shiratorizawa is. Playing on their team she’s guaranteed to stay active throughout the entire season. Plus being miles away from that King was an added bonus.
“Alright girls I’m calling it,” Michimiya yelled clapping her hands.
“You heard the Captain,” Aihara barked out. “Get those mops moving and start packing up that net.” The girls around them kicked into gear, some making their way to the storage closet while others began to undo the net.
“And be here at seven,” Michimiya pleaded, desperation in her voice. “I’m serious this time girls, I need everyone to be at morning practice.” The rest of the girls gave half-hearted responses as they got to work cleaning the gym.
“Will you be joining us Hinata?” Aihara asked, nudging the first year.
Hinata deflated. “I can’t, I have a punishment to fulfill.”
❂❂❂
“Mom I’m home,” Shouyou shouts in Portuguese upon entering the house. Walking in she got smacked by a whiff of something delicious being cooked in the kitchen. A low rumble emerged from her stomach, she was starving.
“Nee-san!” Natsu came hurling around the corner tackling her older sister in a hug. Despite Natsu's size the little gremlin was strong locking onto Shouyou in a koala-like grip.
“Can you play with me Shouyou please please please?” Shouyou had to force herself to not look at Natsu's face because she knew damn well if she did she wouldn’t be able to resist her baby sister's puppy eyes.
“Sorry Natsu I have homework to finish.” Natsu let out a pout.
“But you can play next to me,” Shouyou compromised which seemed to please her sister. Making her way to the kitchen she kneeled down by the table upacking her bag as Natsu played with her favorite lion stuffed animal while her mom cooked them all dinner in the background.
“How was the hospital?” Shouyou asked as she whipped out her English work, hoping to get it over with as soon as possible.
“It was busy per usual. Guess hospitals are the same no matter where you are,” her mom joked as she chopped vegetables. “How was school?” she asked in her usual chipper attitude.
Shouyou’s lack of an answer caused her to look over at her oldest daughter. “Sweetie?”
“It was …,” many words ran through her head but it was hard to find the right one. Her whole day was filled with a wide array of emotions that it was hard to pick just one word to describe the day she had.
“That bad,” her mom looked at her concerningly as she turned the stove off.
“I like my school,” Natsu announced cheerfully. “Everyone was really nice and wanted to braid my hair.” She admitted as she continued to play with her stuffed animal without a care in the world.
“Did you make any friends at least?” Her mom asked innocently, placing a plate full of food right in front of her.
“No,” Shouyou said bitterly, picking at her food with her chopsticks.
“Well that's different.” Her mother laughed out taking her seat at the table.
Natsu was kneeling next to her mother already digging into her food. The spot next to Natsu, where Jun usually sat, was taken over by the lion stuffed animal. Shouyou remained seated across from her mother and sister with the spot to her right left empty.
“My Shouyou, the social butterfly, didn’t befriend half her grade on the first day of school.”
“It’s not that simple Mom,” Shouyou snapped throwing her hand on the table startling both her mom and Natsu. “It’s not like my last school. This place is different.”
Shouyou grasped her hair tightly. Everything was different. The people, the culture, the weather, her coursework, how practice was handled, all of it. It was all too much at once and Shouyou was struggling to play catch up. Why did it have to be so different why couldn't it be just like home? Where no one looked at her funny. The teachers didn't yell at her. No one whispered back and forth as she walked through the hallways. She could go about her day in peace and not have people ask the same questions over and over.
Where no one treated her like an outsider.
“Sho," Her mom started cautiously, a dangerous tone in her voice. "Did someone say something to you today? Because if so I’ll call that school right now-”
Shouyou shot her head up waving her hands frantically. “N-no no not like that.” Well yes like that, but there was no way she was going to tell her mom about that. She already had a lot on her plate Shouyou’s school problems didn’t need to add to it.
“It was just you know first-day jitters. My brain was just blahhhh all day and you know I have trouble sitting still in class.” Her fingers began to tap the table. “And I was just so ready for practice and then I went to practice and it was just… disappointing.”
Despite her reluctance to start indoor back up again a small part of her was excited to play again. How could she not it was a huge part of her identity for half her life. When she hit the ball at the apex of her jump she felt a rush flow through her. The power rush from the adrenaline. The sweet taste of victory on her tongue. Her muscles begging for more, for just one more toss. All of that she missed.
Yet it slipped away once she got to the girls practice.
At first she blamed it on the whole wig incident for killing her mood and getting punished certainly didn’t help but looking back she didn’t feel the passion run through her again once she began practicing with the team, it just felt like work. No matter how much effort she was putting into her spikes or power she put into her hits the feeling just vanished. Practice then just felt like an intense workout routine rather than the desire to improve herself. It didn’t help when half her team just seemed uninterested in participating. The only ones who she got decent practice time with today were Michiymia and Aihara. Other than that there was no one who she could really bounce off of.
Shouyou shook her head. “How’s Aunt Jun,” she blurts out hoping to change the subject.
Her mom let out a sigh, “She ate which is an improvement but she went to bed at noon and has been asleep since. She's been doing that a lot lately.” Her mom sounded tired, but Shouyou couldn’t blame her. Being a full-time caretaker and a mom on top of that would drain anyone.
“I guess we both had a bad day,” Shouyou joked, garnering a small smile from her mother.
The rest of dinner was uneventful mostly due to the fact that Shouyou had conveniently left out the part where she threw a ball into her Vice Principal's face and is now facing a week's worth of punishment. All for the sake of her mother's well-being of course, her mom didn't need to pop a blood vessel before work tomorrow. All of them washed their dishes and cleaned the table before parting to their separate rooms. Shouyou did a good amount of homework but when she was about halfway done she decided to give herself a break to go practice some more. A reward for working so hard.
Quietly she slid her door open tiptoeing her way to the backdoor. It was slightly chilly but nothing too bad with her oversized jacket on. The weather was warming up slightly every day so pretty soon she wouldn’t even need it anymore. She assumed Kato would be busy around this time so she opted to practice her drills alone. As the ball was tossed in the air Shouyou couldn’t help but admire the night sky. In the city Shouyou could make out some stars but due to the lights most of them were hidden. Out in the countryside the stars were everywhere with the moon illuminating everything around her, it was mesmerizing. Shouyou even took a break from her drills to just admire the night sky for a bit.
It was also quieter out here compared to Rio. No cars, no people singing in the street, no dogs barking. Just the peaceful sound of the wind and cicadas. Shouyou didn’t know if she liked this change or not but it was helping her clear her head from today's events. Sitting on the back porch she fumbled with the volleyball in her hand.
She should practice some more now while she can since she won’t be able to in the morning. That thought sent an ache to her stomach. Her interview with Shiritorizawa was this Saturday, she has to be attending every practice she can. She’s still nowhere near where she’d like to be skill wise and half of her practice today was wasted on a petty fight. Shouyou began to panic at that realization, forcing her to shoot up from the porch to pace around the backyard.
“Michiymia said practice started at seven,” Shouyou said out loud to herself as her hands still fumbled with the ball. “So maybe if I get up early I could squeeze in some practice time before I have to check in with the teacher.”
Now Shouyou was going to practice in the morning no matter what, the real question was if she should practice at home or bike down to the school and practice alone there. She’s used to practicing at home, that's been her routine for the past few weeks but there is the possibility that she could lose track of time and be late to attend her morning punishment. If she goes to school early she could just practice outside the gym or maybe even use the gym.
“But the gym would be locked,” she pointed out to herself, her mind flashing to the keys Aihara kept swinging around after practice.
Maybe she could sneak in through the window. That idea left her head just as quickly as it popped in. That action could get her expelled and she was already in enough trouble as is. So if breaking into the school was off the table then maybe she could ask Aihara to unlock the gym early for her, but that’s a lot to ask of someone and she doubts Aihara would be willing to get up at some ungodly hour just to unlock the gym for one person.
Well Aihara would be willing to do that actually, she’s been nothing but kind to Shouyou. It would be in character of her to agree to such a ridiculous request but Shouyou would feel super guilty to ask her to do something like that.
Shouyou bashed her head on the volleyball trapped in her hands, her frustration about the entire situation reaching a breaking point. Frustration about the punishment that was now going to have her work twice as hard during the afternoon meets to make up for missing the morning practices. Frustration at herself for getting herself into this mess in the first place, but most of all her anger was directed towards that damn King.
Shouyou growled as she thought of him. She wouldn't have been so agitated in the first place if it wasn’t for him and his stupid attitude. Now instead of improving her skills she’ll be cooped up in some classroom with that asshole. That mental image caused her to gag. There was no way she’d be able to keep her cool if she saw him again, especially not after her declaration of wanting a rematch.
How was she going to get out of this?
Just then her phone buzzed to life. Walking over she gently placed the volleyball down as she flipped open her phone. Clicking on the messages it revealed that the texts came from the girls volleyball group chat that Shouyou was added to after practice. A majority of the names were unknown except for Michimiya and Aihara since a majority of the girls left right after practice so she wasn’t able to add their names to her phone.
__________
Volleygirls
10:45 pm
Unknown ID >>Hey, I know Amarie-sensei is no longer our club advisor but do you think she’ll still be at school early??
Unknown ID >>I left one of my textbooks at school so I have to get there early to complete an assignment.
10:47 pm
Michimiya >>I doubt it since she no longer has to be there early for our morning practices. But I think Takeda-sensei might be there!! Daichi said that he’s usually there around 6ish so you’ll just have to get to school early :)
__________
Shouyou’s eyes scanned over the texts carefully. Reading every single word with extreme care to make sure she was reading it right. Takeda-sensei, that name sounded familiar. Wait isn’t that the teacher that she’s supposed to meet in the morning. He gets to school at six.
Realization hit her and an idea formed in her head. It was half-baked but if it worked out it could solve so many of her problems. The Vice-Principal did say she only had to be there an hour before school, he didn’t specify what hour that had to be. So if she gets to school at six then maybe she could complete her punishment then and still have time to attend the morning practice at seven.
Not only would she still be able to practice but she wouldn’t have to see stupid Kageyama's ugly face. It’s a win-win.
The plan was risky, Takeda-sensei could always say no, but worse case scenario she’ll just have to practice outside the gym until her punishment started. Then maybe she could beg Michimiya for the key tomorrow so she could practice in the gym early in the morning herself. With her mind made up, Shouyou gathered her things. Quietly making her way back to her room mentally preparing for the long morning she had ahead of her, praying everything would work out.
Notes:
Edit: I went back and polished it up a little bit since I posed at 3am last night and couldn't be bothered to grammar check.
Chapter 3
Notes:
Alternative Title: Hinata crashing out nearly the entire chapter
Hey y'all so sorry for the mini hiatus, I had two deaths in the family so I needed some time away from writing to be with loved ones, and I kept travelling to help with memorial/funeral arrangements. Thank you all so much for the comments and kudos; they truly mean the world to me. I’m hoping to return to my two-weekish schedule.
Life advice: Be careful, the AO3 curse is real, lolz :)
Edit: Also here are some doodles I made a while ago of how I imagined Hinata would look in this au, just a fun little treat :) https://ibb.co/fYYb3Zb6
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
‘Porra!’ Shouyou screamed in her head when the ref's whistle blew, mere seconds after the ball made contact with her side of the court.
Shouyou growled as she witnessed her opponents swarm together in a little victory circle. The captain slapping the backs of the opposing blockers, who had just managed to pull a fast one on Shouyou, allowing them to steal the winning point for the first set.
The move kept replaying in Shouyou’s head as a punishment for her stupidity. Her opponent had switched up on her at the last second, just like they've been doing the entire set. In all aspects, she should’ve seen it coming based on their playstyle, while the opposing team – which she’d come to learn was nicknamed ‘the Lightning Bearers’ by neighboring schools – lacked a solid defense, they made up for with a tight offensive strategy.
The strategy behind their success was that there appeared to be no strategy at all.
Anytime the Jaguars attempted to analyze their opponents' tactics, or thought a pattern was found, the Lightning Bearers quickly squashed that mentality with a surprise attack they had hidden in their back pockets. Players would randomly change positions, sheer gibberish would be shouted in the middle of the match, and they even went as far as to mimic the Jaguars own tactics.
Worst of all, none of the players ever seemed to remain still (which really made Shouyou question how her own teammates had managed to put up with her for so long). No matter who was playing or where the ball was heading, everyone on the opposite side of the net was always in a state of motion. The constant whirlwind of movement caused a strain for the Jaguars' eyes, distracting them from where the play was heading until it was too late.
At the beginning of the match, Shouyou’s team attempted to make sense of the chaos across from them. Her team's wing spiker and libero – the Jaguars' two main strategists – were working non-stop to analyze the opposing team, sadly to no avail. There was a time during the middle of the match when the pair thought they found something, believing the gibberish they were spouting was actually codewords to initiate a certain attack, only for their hypothesis to be proven false when the same word was used to initiate two completely different attacks.
With no pattern found, the Jaguars were just blindly playing against their opponents. Every attack was deliberate yet spontaneous, much like lightning itself. The energy was contained, but when let loose, sporadic. No pattern, no consistency, and no two plays were ever the same.
Guess the old saying rings true: lightning never strikes the same place twice.
The Jaguars' captain called the team over for a huddle circle to quickly reevaluate before the second match began. The captain, as always, spoke first. “Camillia. Fernanda. Anything?” The wing spiker and libero, respectively, just shook their heads defeatedly.
“We can’t keep wasting our time trying to figure out their playstyle,” one of the middle blockers intruded. “It’s too distracting.”
“Well, we can’t keep blindly playing against them; that's what caused us to fall behind in the first place. We were barely scraping together at the end.” Fernanda quickly snapped back.
"We fell behind because some people spent too much time trying to figure out tactics instead of just playing.” The middle blocker retaliated, eyeing Camillia and Fernanda harshly.
Shouyou doesn’t even consider putting her two cents into the conversation, despite the rising tension. While she understood both sides of the argument, it wasn’t her place to speak up. She never particularly cared for the tactical side of volleyball; all she really cared about was just hitting the ball. She’s an enforcer; her captain and upperclassmen tell her what to do, and she executes it to the best of her abilities.
“It’s only the first set, we still have plenty of time to figure things out.” The captain spoke up in her calming voice.
“Doesn’t matter, if we lose the second set, we’re dead in the water.” The team's setter pointed out, her pessimism ever present.
“Maybe we won’t lose the second set if we have all hands on deck.” The middle blocker muttered under her breath.
“You have something to say Ava?” Camillia roared, eyes locking onto the tall middle blocker, ready to pounce at any second.
"Enough!” Shouyou whipped her head around to see her coach marching towards the circle.
“You can’t think properly when you’re all frustrated, and you definitely can't afford to bicker with each other right now.” All the girls muttered out a sincere ‘sorry Coach’.
“Now make up and get some water. We only have two minutes before the second set.”
At the request of their coach, the girls broke off. Shouyou marched back over to her bag, picking up her water bottle to nearly down half of its contents in one gulp. She hadn’t realized how thirsty she was until now; it was always hard to tell with her body. Despite its ungodly amount of stamina, it still needed time to rest and refuel, especially after such a draining set. It’s a good thing they’re allowed this little break. Shouyou felt her muscles ache just at the mere thought of the next match. It was going to be intense, how could it not be with everything riding on it?
Shouyou slammed her water bottle down on the bench.
Only one set away from finally making her debut at National or losing it all. To then have to wait a whole year just to get this opportunity again. Nationals was so close Shouyou could picture the fluorescent lighting and smell the fresh air salonpas off the freshly cleaned court. Perfectly freshened up and ready for her to play on, as if it were waiting just for her. Her teams come so far, they can’t afford to lose now. But things weren’t looking too good.
The Jaguars were still nowhere near finding a loophole in the Lightning Bearers' offense, and the decision to continue was still up in the air. If they stopped now, they run the risk of floundering like they did for the first half of the first set, potentially costing them the game, but if they kept Camillia and Fernanda to do their jobs, they’d be wasting manpower.
It just seemed like a lose-lose situation, and the added tension on the team was certainly not helping. Guilt flooded through the middle blocker, selfishly, she was relieved Ava was directing all of her attention to Camillia and Fernanda, they may have been in charge of figuring out the tactics, but Shouyou was the one who lost them the final point.
What if she did it again, would they bench her? Would it be better if she were benched? How many times did she screw up without her realizing? How many more spikes could she have blocked if she were taller? If she were taller, she wouldn’t have this problem. She just wanted to support the team, not be the one bringing them down.
Shouyou let out a huff. She felt lost, which wasn’t a good sign because it meant her head wasn’t in the game. She had three minutes, meaning she had time to fix this problem, all she had to do was just confirm to herself that she was doing good and not completely fucking over her team by simply existing, nothing too bad. Normally, players would go to their coach during times like these, but that would be a moot point; her coach would give her words of encouragement that her brain would simply reject. She needed someone who knew her, could actually cut through to her, someone who simply understood her way of thinking to get the point across.
Without hesitation, her eyes whipped over to her bag, and not a second later, she was unzipping and digging through it frantically until she found what she was looking for – her phone.
__________
Volleyball Guru
>> :) :) :)
>>Txt me when you get here!
>>♡
__________
Shouyou’s heart cracked at the lack of a response.
Traffic, her mind reasoned, not here yet because of traffic. Her game did start later, around the time everyone would be leaving work, so everyone and their mothers must be crowding the streets right about now, definitely adding another thirty or forty minutes to anyone's drive. Her brain duly noted that traffic would only cause a delay in arrival time, not follow-up texts, but she chose to ignore that for her own sake.
“Listen up ladies!” Shouyou looked up from her screen to see her coach standing tall. The rest of her team had all sat down in small groups scattered away from each other, with her coach standing in the center of them all, arms crossed with a serious look on her face.
"I’m not going to sugar coat anything; this opposing team is tough.” Some of Shouyou’s teammates looked dejected, as if their loss was set in stone. “But my girls are tougher, so we’re not going down without a fight.”
That put a smile on her teammates' faces. “However, in order for us to be at our strongest, we need to be united as a front. We can’t afford conflict of any kind to get in the way of that. Whether that conflict be with each other,” her coach emphasized by glaring at Camillia, Fernanda, and Ava, who all looked away sheepishly.
“Or conflict from off the court,” she then whipped her head around, pinning her eyes on Shouyou. The intensity of the gaze caused the latter to look away in embarrassment, phone still firm in her grasp.
The coach then addressed the rest of the team. “Because at the end of the day none of that petty shit matters, what matters is each other, standing together, and supporting each other. If you let anything get in the way of that, it doesn’t just impact your performance but the entire team.”
Shoyou's coach then smiled. “Now will you all stand together?”
"Yes Coach.”
“Will you support each other?”
"YES Coach.”
“Will you tear that team apart like the killers I know you all are?”
"YES COACH!” The team screams in unison, jumping into action.
A new wave of passion shot through Shouyou as she stood from the bench. Her hands craved the sting of the ball, her legs begging to be pushed past the limit, just one more chance to touch the ball. Long gone were her past insecurities; now the only thing plaguing her mind was her desire to stay on the court as long as possible.
Hesitantly, she looked back at her phone that now felt like an anvil in her hand. Shouyou let out a huge sigh. Her coach was right; if she let her own problems overtake her, then she’d just be hindering her own team. She had to keep her head in the game, on the court where it belonged, meaning she had to get rid of any unnecessary external thoughts.
Quickly, she opened the settings on her phone, turning the ringer on vibrate before holding down the power button until the power off option came up. Methodically, she moved the button down, clicking ‘OK’, revealing a blank, dark screen reflecting back at her. Slamming it shut without a second thought, she buried the yellow device in the depths of her bag. Checking on it every break will just cause her too much distress, so she’ll turn it back on at the end of the game – after she wins her brain corrects, allowing a smile to creep on her face. Her confidence returned just in time.
Running over to join the rest of the starting line-up up Shouyou caught a glimpse of Camillia, Ava, and Fernanda all parting from a tiny group hug, slapping each other's backs as they jogged to the court. Shouyou’s smile only grew as she ran back onto the court with her team. There was no time to be distracted, not when too much was at stake. She can’t afford to think so negatively of herself, and even if she did, she shouldn’t be searching for validation from someone outside the court; she had her teammates, that’s what they're there for – to be each other's pillars of strength. They’ll fight with each other till the bitter end.
Returning to her spot, Shouyou caught a glimpse of the opposing team now looking more smug than ever. Hunger present in all their eyes, victory only a set away from them.
Her copper eyes hardened, forcing her lingering fears back into the deep parts of her mind. It was only the second set, her team hadn't lost yet. They were still in the game, still able to claim their victory, and at this rate, they were all going to have to work together if they wanted that ticket to Nationals.
At the sound of the referee’s whistle, the second set commenced.
❂❂❂
The sky was still dark when Shouyou quietly made her exit from the house, the morning dew getting on her shoes as she tiptoed over to her bike. She made sure to be careful while wheeling her bike onto the road, wanting to be mindful of all the other residents who were still asleep at this ungodly hour. Her watch read 5:30 am on the dot, so if she wanted to get there on time, she’d have to head out now and just resort to secretly eating the breakfast she stole from the fridge in the classroom. It was a good thing she was a morning person because to anyone else, this would’ve been a gruelling process, especially without coffee.
Back home, when it was her mom’s turn to drive her to morning practice, she would always tell Shouyou how envious she was that the young athlete could somehow manage to function so well so early while she required at least two cups of cafézinho to start the day. Shouyou would then joke how it was Avós fault she’s always hyper due to all the coffee the older woman gave her when she was little, which always got a chuckle from her mom.
Despite the annoying car ride, the long shift ahead, and the early morning grogginess, her mom never complained. Instead, she just smiled when she looked in the rearview mirror to see Shouyou jamming out to Shakira in the backseat. That was their routine for many years, one that Shouyou didn’t realize she missed so much up until now.
The chill spring air was a welcomed feeling against Hinata's face as she glided down the last big hill en route to Karasuno. Biking down a mountain wrapped in an oversized jacket on top of her uniform had caused her to get quite hot, so the crisp breeze was refreshing to say the least. Upon entering the school grounds, she instinctively drove to the gym before the bike racks.
Locked. Of course, she shouldn’t have expected otherwise.
So if this advisor didn’t let her complete her ‘disciplinary education’ – which was just a fancier way of saying detention – then she’d be practicing outside in the cold for an hour. It wasn’t until she clicked the lock around her bike that the two brain cells residing in her head activated to discover a massive gap in her plan.
She had no idea what this Takeda guy looked like.
Hinata composed herself, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Then, proceeded to scream out a long “poooooooorra” into the early morning sky. (1)
Her hands ran to her face before they pulled at her hair as she continued to groan in frustration. This is what she gets for jumping the gun and running on a half-baked plan. Why can’t she just stop and think for two seconds in her life? Now she’s going to have to wander the halls aimlessly, looking for some advisor whom she had no description for. She’ll spend the entire hour just looking for this guy instead of serving her detention. Meaning she’ll definitely miss the morning practice now, and this whole thing would have been a waste of time.
She wanted to scream again; she needed to kick something or someone. For some strange reason, the image of Kageyama popped into her head. Maybe it wasn’t that strange, he was a jerkface, who wouldn’t want to kick him.
Stupid Kageyama. Him and his stupid kickable face.
Okay, now she had to change the subject or else she would actually kick something, most likely her bike, and she really couldn’t afford a broken foot before morning practice. So she chose to think of the problem at hand.
“Okay, okay, okay,” she hummed to herself, as her hands combed through her hair before landing on her shoulders.
How the heck was she gonna find this guy?
Hinata made her way into the school as she thought of ideas, hoping the warmer environment would help her think. After slipping on her uwabaki, she plopped onto the first chair she saw to reassess. There was a simple solution to her problem; she’d have to ask around. Hinata groaned again, not from anger but uneasiness. Talking to strangers wasn’t the issue; Hinata loved talking to new people. Her mom wasn’t exaggerating last night; she does have a habit of making quick connections with people; it's like second nature to her. The issue was that the only souls wandering the halls at this hour were teachers. Now, Hinata’s not scared of adults, but the conversation with her homeroom teacher did some damage. The interaction still plagued her mind; the rude comment, the ignorance in the adult's voice, how her nose was stuck in the air the entire time when she talked down to Hinata.
Not all teachers are like that, her brain reassured her. None of her other teachers acted that way; her homeroom teacher was just a bad apple. Still, her stomach twisted at the thought of talking to another adult. What if the other teachers acted the same way? Or worse, what if this Takeda guy acted like her homeroom teacher – then she could kiss having morning practice goodbye. He’d probably take one look at her and chastise her for even considering the idea of asking to serve detention early. He would then call her a mindless foreigner who didn’t know anything. Probably would give her another week of detention just for the heck of it.
Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, or maybe not, how would she know how this guy acts, she’s never met the guy before – let alone know what he looks like. Which brings her back to her main question: how was she gonna find this guy? Maybe she could ask another student, but who would she ask? She considered texting in the girls' volleyball group chat, but she knew no one would be awake at this hour, and it was still too early for another sports club to be hosting practice.
The tapping of Hinata's foot echoed throughout the hall. The repeated sound burned into her head, and suddenly everything clicked. Perhaps she didn't need to ask another teacher. The class set up was similar to her old school, where the teachers came to the classrooms, so there had to be a teacher's room around here somewhere.
While it wasn’t a guarantee that the volleyball advisor would be there, it was a start. Frantically, Hinata looked back at her watch, which now read 6:02 am. She might as well start looking for it, or anyone at this point, if she wanted to have a chance of attending morning practice. With that, she shot up from the chair, gaining some air before taking off into a sprint.
As she wandered the halls, she couldn’t help but feel weird. It was strange being at school with the halls so empty, it felt like uncanny valley. It was probably just her nerves about meeting the teacher or fear of missing morning practice – most likely both. A volt of annoyance flashed through her. It was so quick it caught her off guard, despite the emotion being sudden, the feeling wasn’t foreign. In fact, it’s been a low-burning feeling she’s been harboring since she first landed in Japan.
Ever since she moved here, she’s been acting differently. She’s now more anxious, paranoid; everywhere she goes, she feels like she’s walking on eggshells. Her eyebrows furrowed. She was never this nervous back home, well, maybe except when she first started playing volleyball, but she grew out of that. She used to fear nothing, now she’s afraid of everything. Afraid to be loud, carefree, afraid to be well… herself.
You can’t afford to be herself , she thought bitterly. People already have so much ammo against her, no need to give them more.
Hinata hadn’t realized she’d stop running. Whipping her head around to assess her whereabouts, her eyes widened in shock. By some miracle, she’d found exactly what she was looking for, the teacher's room, which happened to be a mere two doors down.
Just four steps later, and she was face to face with the door. Mindlessly, she reached out to open it, only to pause midway, her homeroom teacher flashed through her mind.
I’ve never had one of those in my classroom before.
Her hand recoiled from the door.
What if he acted the same way , her mind harshly whispered.
Her grip tightened on her oversized jacket, the familiar feel of the material providing her with newfound strength. She didn’t have time for this; every second she wasted worrying about what other people thought, she’d get nowhere in life. Her training and sport were the only things that mattered, not some teacher that she didn’t even have class with. So what if this guy didn’t like her? It didn’t matter to her; what mattered was securing her morning practice. With that, she took a deep breath through her nose, exhaling through her mouth.
Not a second later, the door slid open with so much force that the sound vibrated throughout the hallway, scaring not only Hinata but the only other occupant in the room. It might be her mind playing tricks, but she could have sworn she heard a ‘yelp’ come from the stranger across from her. The stranger being a man who was staring at her with gaping eyes, looking like a deer in headlights.
He’s short, that was the first thing she noticed, looked to be just barely taller than her. If it wasn’t for the suit he wore, she would’ve easily mistaken him for a student. The teacher – she assumed, since he was in the teachers' room after all – had messy black hair pointing in all directions with big brown eyes, adorning square-framed glasses. A half-eaten protein bar stuck out of his mouth while both his hands were rummaging around his desk.
Silence passed as the two just blinked at each other.
“Uhhh, are you Takeda-sensei?” Hinata finally spoke up, not being able to bear the awkward silence any longer.
The man's eyes gleamed upon hearing the name. Nodding profusely as he tried to garble something out, completely forgetting about the protein bar in his mouth. Not a second later, he took the bar out of his mouth.
“Yes, yes.” Takeda blurted out, “Are you Hinata Shouyou?”
“Yes Sensei,” Hinata replied firmly, body snapping up right. Arms fixed at her side, shoulders back as if she were a soldier addressing a commander.
Takeda let out a laugh at such a display. “Oh, there’s no need for such formality. Please come in, sorry about the mess.” His voice was chipper and gentle, a complete contrast to the image of the advisor she formed in her head.
Hinata loosened up as she shut the door, stepping further into the room. It was a mess. Open folders everywhere, empty tea cups and energy drinks resting by computers, marked papers covered desks. Seeing the room in such disarray was strange. Hinata thought teachers were supposed to be neat, yet they seemed to be even more unorganized than the students.
“I assume you are here for disciplinary education from the altercation in the gym yesterday?”
Hinata faltered a bit. He was being too nice, sugarcoating, labeling it as a mere ‘altercation’, it was a fight. Yeah, punches weren’t thrown, but insults were exchanged, and she still acted barbarically, not the best first impression.
Her gaze shifted to the floor. “I’m sorry, Sensei.”
She really did mean it. For nearly costing the club to shut down, for getting Daichi and Michimiya involved, and for dragging this poor advisor into it. Even some part of her – that stupid empathetic part of her – kinda felt bad for that blue-haired jerk too.
Takeda sent her a reassuring look. “Hey, it’s okay, these things happen.” His tone was soft, no underlying hint of disappointment whatsoever. He then went back to digging through his drawer with a faster pace than before.
“Mistakes are bound to happen; it's an important part of growing up.”
Hinata looked at the man strangely. She didn’t know how he could take two teenagers getting into a fight and spin it into something profound, but she didn’t want to push her luck.
“I hope you don’t mind that I’m here early,” Hinata began to fiddle with her fingers nervously. “But I was hoping that I could talk to you about something.”
Takeda beamed, “Of course, just take a seat over there.” He gestured to an empty chair with his head, “I’ll join you in a second, I just need to – HA! Found you.” The source of the man's joy was a book with a volleyball on the cover. Hinata couldn’t read the title because the second the advisor had it in his grasp, he gently put it on his desk to take the empty seat across from Hinata, who had just sat down.
“I’m actually happy you showed up early. I wanted to have a chat with you as well.” Takeda revealed as he sat down.
Uh oh, Hinata thought. Was she in trouble, how? What could she have possibly done to get herself in trouble, again, between leaving practice and biking home? Did she bike on the wrong side of the road? Can the school punish her for that? How would they even know? Was it earlier in the day?
In rethinking everything she did yesterday, she almost missed Takeda's statement. “How about you go first?” He insisted, “You got here really early, so you obviously have something to say.” That comment would’ve sounded passive-aggressive out of the mouth of any other teacher, but from him, it sounded earnest and sincere.
Unconsciously, Hinata sat up straighter; she was prepared for this. Last night, she rehearsed her speech five times to her favorite stuffed animal, who seemed pleased with what she had to say. Hinata took a deep breath; she was ready for this.
“IwaswonderingifIcouldservemyhournowinsteadofatseven. IknowImadeamistakeandI’mnot askingformypunishmenttobeliftedbutIreallyneedtoattendmorningpracticeandtechnically IstillamservingthehourIjustneedittobeanhourealieristhatokay?” Hinata gasped for air the second she got the last word out.
That went well, better than her last three attempts. Yet the confused – and slightly concerned – look on Takeda's face said otherwise. The advisor simply adjusted his glasses, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.
“Pardon if I misinterpret your statement… but are you asking to serve your hour now?”
Hinata stared blankly at the man, “Yes.”
“Oh, of course,” his voice encouraging. “I’m always here early anyways.” He laughed, hand rubbing his neck nervously. Hinata cleaned her ears to make sure she was hearing him right. Did he say yes , just like that? Really? She had three more parts of the speech to get through.
“Well, thank you, Takeda-sensei.” Guess there was no need for it now. She couldn’t help but feel giddy. How could she not? Everything was finally on track. Now she just had to serve her time, then it’d be smooth sailing from now on. With newfound exhilaration, she jumped off her chair only to freeze when a hand shot up in her peripheral vision, signaling for her to stop.
“Wait a second, Hinata-kun, I still need to talk to you.” The euphoria left her body just as fast as it entered.
“Did I do something wrong?” She questioned, hesitantly sliding back onto the chair. Her body hunched over this time, her confidence now gone.
“I just want to confirm what happened yesterday. I already talked to the other party, the vice-principal, and even Daichi about the incident, but I wanted to hear it from you.”
It was as if a flip had switched inside the man; gone was the awkward yet tender personality the advisor had displayed. His eyes were narrowed, turning the once big doey shape into something sharper, something threatening. His tone was so dead serious that she couldn’t believe this was the same guy who had a protein bar comedically sticking out of his mouth only a couple of minutes ago. It was kinda scary how fast he could switch up from gentle to intimidating.
“Tell me what happened yesterday, in the gym.”
“Well, I wanted to be the first person at practice, so I got to the gym pretty early. At first, I thought it was the girls' gym, so I was pretty surprised when a boy showed up. That was Kageyama.” When she said his name, it felt like poison on her tongue.
“Anyways, we started bickering because he called me too short to play volleyball, like who the heck does he think he is. He just walked in and then started spouting out how I couldn’t contribute to ‘his team’, whatever that means.” Hinata’s hands began to talk with her the more she remembered the encounter.
“Then he started doubling down on how we were in the boys gym, and of course I didn’t believe him, yeah, he was right, but I didn’t know that at the time, but it was more of the principle of the situation–”
“Hinata-kun.”
Oh crap , now she’s rambling.
“Anyways, I challenged him to a one vs one. He sent the ball my way, I got distracted, so it hit me in the face, and then it went flying to the Vice-Principal. And the rest is history.” When she said it out loud, it didn’t sound too bad.
Who’s she kidding? It sounded worse every time she recited it, and why is he asking her? If he had already heard the story three times, why would her version be any different? Maybe the volleyball club did get in trouble, and he’s trying to pin the blame on her so the team won’t face any further repercussions.
“I’m sorry if I caused you any trouble. I really didn’t mean to harm your club.” She bowed her head in shame. Was she going to get expelled? Is that what this is? Of course it is, what else would it be? This conversation was just a formality.
A sting formed in her eyes, quickly followed by her vision becoming blurry. Her hands found the edges of her skirt, her brain opting to hyperfocus on the tightness of her grip in an attempt to prevent the tears from fully forming. It wasn’t working; any second now the gates would break and she’d be a sobbing mess, in front of a teacher, no less.
“Wow, wow, hey, hey, it’s okay.” A soft voice broke her concentration. Looking up, she saw the advisor leap out of his chair to grab a fistful of tissues, which he offered to Hinata, who murmured a ‘thank you’ as she retrieved them.
Not a second later, her was out of his chair, kneeling on one knee in front of her. Being eye level with her, yet still keeping a respectable distance away. Takeda sent her a warm smile, one that got rid of all the tension in her body.
“Don’t worry, I’m not accusing you of anything. You’re not in trouble.” Hinata blew her nose with one of the tissues he gave her. Loosening up her body, choosing to believe him.
“The reason I’m having this conversation is because I wanted to know, and I apologize for how direct this may sound, I've never really had this kind of conversation before.” That statement made Hinata raise an eyebrow.
“I wanted to know that if at any point during the exchange, you felt… attacked in some way or another.”
Felt attacked? Did he mean to ask if she got hurt? It was a fight, people get hurt in them, whether it be verbally, mentally, physically, that’s what happens when people well… fight. So why was he wording it so carefully and treating the conversation with such severity? It wasn’t that big of a deal; she would understand if noses were broken or teeth were lost, but that didn't even happen.
So what could he possibly be referring to?
“I mean… I was hit in the face by a volleyball, but that’s because I wasn’t looking where I should've been. So that was my own fault.” Which was true, she should’ve been focusing on her receive, not replying to Michimiya who was across the gym.
Takeda shifted forward, earnest eyes still watching Hinata. “I mean more along the lines of an inappropriate comment directed towards you. If at any point, the other party might have said something derogatory.”
Hinata pondered for a bit. Kageyama didn’t say anything vulgar if that's what he’s insinuating. What does he mean by inappropriate? Derogatory?
Oh.
Oh!
“NO! No, Sensei!” Kageyama’s a jerk, but she wasn’t going to run around the school accusing him of being something he’s not.
Not once did she pick up any xenophobic undertones during their exchange. In fact, unlike the rest of her peers yesterday, Kageyama didn’t really give a crap about where she was from or what she looked like – well other than height. In fact, he was one of the only people yesterday who didn’t comment about her origins or question her ethnicity.
“I’m happy to hear that.” Takeda's face visibly relaxed. “I’m sorry if it’s a touchy subject for you, but I just had to be sure. I know each and every member of the volleyball club; they all have good heads on their shoulders, and I trust them to make smart decisions.”
Hinata noted the twinkle in his eyes at the mention of the volleyball club. His voice ever chipper, his body giddy with delight just from talking about them. It was sweet. Most coaches she’s seen – especially for boys teams – were just blocks of testosterone shouting obscenities, all while having the mental capacity of a brick. It was refreshing to see one who was so connected with their team on a personal level, it reminded her of her old volleyball coach.
“What I didn’t know was this new first year, and I just wanted to be a hundred percent sure about him before allowing him on any team I supervise.” Hinata couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
Would he really not have let Kageyama on the team if he had said something bad? So much so that the advisor went out of his way to talk to her, asking how she felt about the situation. She didn’t know his reasoning for doing so, but some part of her admired him for it.
“I appreciate that, Takeda-sensei, but I’m being honest when I say nothing like that happened.”
“Please, you can call me Takeda.” He flashed her a smile, which she returned with one of her own. Eyes shining bring, no longer harboring any tears.
“Now, before we head up, I do have one last thing to mention.” Takeda still remained at eye level with Hinata as he talked to her. Like he was communicating with her, not down to her. Showcasing equal footing instead of emphasizing a power dynamic.
“I know the girls' volleyball club lacks an advisor, and while I have just as much faith in those girls as I do in my own team. If you ever need to talk, my door’s always open.”
Hinata pondered over his words carefully. “Thank you so much, Takeda. I’ll keep that in mind.” She finished, flashing him a small smile that she prayed looked believable, which made the advisor smile widely upon hearing her words, looking like a child on Christmas morning.
“Alright,” he clapped his hands as he rose up from the ground. “Let’s get going.” The pair both gathered their things before making their exit. Hinata retrieved her bag while the advisor swung by his desk to grab the book with the volleyball on it.
Not a second later, they were in the hallway, walking in sync. Hinata mindlessly followed behind Takeda as he led the way to the classroom. By this time, more teachers flooded the hallway, papers and a heavily caffeinated drink of some sort in hand. It wasn’t too long before the two arrived at a door.
“You know it’s funny,” Takeda started as he began to slide the door open. “You weren’t the first person to think of serving your disciplinary education early.”
A record scratch rang through Hinata’s head. “What?”
Takeda just smiled as he opened the door further to reveal an all too familiar boy sitting on a chair. His head turned at the sound of the door, only to freeze upon Hinata. Azule eyes locked onto her in a scowl, a routine gesture at this point.
Kageyama.
❂
Tick. Tick. Tick.
The rhythmic ticking of the clock emanated through the room as the three occupants remained dead silent, the tension rising with every passing audible tick. Takeda had his arms propped up on the desk, hands interlocked in front of his face in an effort to hide his nerves. In hindsight, he doesn't know why he bothered; it wasn’t like the two other people in the room were looking at him.
Ever since Hinata entered the room, the two first years have been locked onto each other, like two predators waiting to see who would be the first to strike. Their eyes never left one another, not even when Takeda instructed the girl to sit down. She just carefully navigated to the remaining empty chair by the desk, making sure not to be anywhere within Kageyama’s perimeter.
Takeda just sat back as he watched the two engage in a mental scrimmage consisting of stiff body language and narrowed eyes. Off to Takeda's left, Kageyama sat poised in his chair. Back pressed against the backrest, feet planted firmly on the ground. His hands were neatly resting on his lap, with his legs closed together. Gaze pinned on the girl sitting a good six feet away from him, her gaze matched in intensity. Hinata sat to the right of the teacher in a more relaxed pose, slouched in her chair with her arms crossed and legs slightly parted.
Takeda finally decided to break the ice.
“So the vice-principal just gave me a pretty vague answer as to why the two of you are here.” The email he received after his last class yesterday was a mere two sentences long, informing the facility advisor that two students had gotten into a scuffle and were punished for the week. Although Takeda would bet money it had something to do with the older man's ‘secret’ that rested on top of his head.
After working at Karasuno High for a couple of years, he’s slowly learned that the man dishes out ludicrous punishments anytime his hair is involved. Just a couple of weeks ago, Takeda overheard two teachers gossiping about the vice-principal who had just suspended a student for an entire week for breaking a pot. While at first it seemed like a reasonable punishment, with every detail Takeda overheard from the juniors he taught, the more skeptical he became of what really happened.
First off, the ‘priceless’ vase that was destroyed was just a plain old vase, a student placed there for a photography project, who wasn’t upset in the slightest because he already had the photos he needed. Second, the vase wasn’t destroyed in an act of ‘vandalism’ as originally described; it was merely an accident. The final nail in the coffin was when two junior girls in his third-period class were trying to convince another student that the vice-principal's infamous fake hair rumor was true. Takeda didn’t hear much of the conversation, but luckily heard all the important bits that came from one girl.
“I was there when it happened. The vice-principals' hair bounced on and off his head every time he went down to examine the vase.”
The facility advisor then discovered that the student's long suspension was only half the punishment. On top of being gone from school for a week, the student was banned from club activities for an entire month, which, in his humble opinion, was overkill. Punishing students to silence a rumor and to soothe an ego felt like an abuse of power, which is why Takeda agreed to the students' compromise in the first place. Besides, they are still technically serving their time, so no harm, no foul. (2)
“With that being said, I’ll do everything within my power to be as lenient as possible since he refuses to actually tell me what happened.” And because the reason for said punishment was utterly ludicrous. “On top of the fact that it’s a first offence for both of you.”
Takeda had hoped his words reassured the students that he didn’t intend to act like the crouchy vice-principal. While yes, they both will still be punished, Takeda personally believed it shouldn’t be as harsh as originally intended. Volleyball clearly means alot to the both of them so taking it away from them – even if it’s just their morning practice – boarded on cruel, especially because it was used more as a crutch to silence them from spread the wig ‘rumor’ rather than let them use their time to reflect on what they did wrong. They both messed up, yes, but their time here should allow them to grow, not be subjected to forced submission.
Sadly, the two first years didn’t seem interested at all in what he had to say. Not even sparing him a glance. Takeda’s confusion grew the longer he looked at the pair; his brain just could not comprehend the level of animosity between two people who had just met. From the way Daichi had described the two fighting, it led one to believe that their two families have been engaging in a bloody feud for centuries.
Hearing Daichi’s testament was the catalyst that ignited Takeda's fear that Kageyama might have said something out of line to Hinata – on paper, it didn’t look too good for the first-year boy – supposedly, this is the first time they meet, and he’s spouting insults. While yes, some people just do not mix for no real reason whatsoever, Takeda just had to find out for himself what was going on.
However, upon meeting Kageyama earlier this morning, Takeda couldn’t help but adore the first-year boy. He was nothing but respectful, kind, and truly remorseful for his actions. Over the years, Takeda had many students feign innocence after getting caught cheating on a test. He’s seen it all: crocodile tears, half-assed apologies, never truly meaning what they were saying, but Kageyama wasn’t like any of those students.
And while the boy might excel at volleyball – from what Daichi described yesterday, the boy has a long future ahead – it was evident that, in the kindest way possible, there was not much else going on up in that boy's head. But still, Takeda wanted to be one hundred percent sure. That’s why he sought out Hinata that morning, to have peace of mind.
Now that the advisor had all his questions about the altercation answered, it ironically left the advisor with more questions. Was all this aggression towards each other really stemming from their passion for volleyball? No underlying tones, no double meanings, just pure enthusiasm about a sport that Takeda had no understanding of whatsoever.
Takeda may be a teacher, but he will never truly understand teenagers.
So that left Takeda with the most crucial question to ask himself. What was he going to do with these two? The pair seemed to be like oil and water, similar traits and characteristics, but when mixed together, their differences couldn’t be more obvious. Separated, they seemed like well-behaved, civilized students with a passion for volleyball, but together, disaster was bound to occur. Any other teacher would have kept them separate for the entirety of the week to protect their own sanity. No one in their right mind would willingly want to listen to two hormonal teenagers yell at each other so early in the morning, with no added bonus to their paycheck on top of that.
But Takeda was determined with his decision, just like he’d been when he accepted Daichi’s offer to be the boy’s volleyball club advisor. He knew the team's potential; all they needed were people to just believe in them, but that could only take the team so far. Those boys trusted Takeda with his new title, and he was going to make them proud. He’d already tooth and nail with the basketball coach for gym space, had dipped into his own pockets for uniform contribution, spending all his free time learning up on the sport to at least help make a contribution since they lacked a coach (hopefully not for long, he could feel that blonde at the convenient store was starting to crack from his constant pestering). If he was going to be their advisor, he had to be prepared for every possible outcome.
For instance, two teammates not getting along.
Perhaps it was selfish of him to use these two as a way to gain experience, but it couldn’t be nearly as bad as punishing children over a toupee. A training exercise, that’s what this was. A simulation for what to do if, heaven forbid, there was tension within the team. Those boys were going to go far, Takedea could feel it, that chance couldn’t be ruined over petty high school drama. Yes, he was aware these boys were at the age that they could navigate these situations on their own. They are older and supposedly ‘more mature’, but at the end of the day, they were still kids who needed guidance.
Besides, what good-minded adult wouldn’t interact if team members were having conflict? (3)
So Kageyama and Hinata were going to be his own personal project for the week. It’s not like he’s asking them to become best friends, just to become civil with one another. In life, you will meet people you don’t like but are forced to interact with every day; it’s an important life lesson to be able to maintain a level head and a well-mannered relationship regardless of personal feelings.
And what better way to get two people to get along than to spend quality time with one another? Exposure therapy at its best. So long as the two participants don’t kill each other in the meantime.
“Now, what your punishment will be, on the other hand, I believe it would be best if you both–”
“Can I go first, since I got here first?” Kageyama finally blurted out.
“What! No way I got here first.” Hinata retaliated.
And so it begins , Takeda thought to himself.
“Nuh uh.” Kageyama shot the girl a look. “I got to school before you; therefore, I should go first.”
“NUH UH!” Hinata mocked back. “I got here way before you, I just couldn’t find the room.”
“So you got lost.”
Hinata scoffed. “It's not my fault this place is huge.”
“I bet a lot of places are huge to you, you know, with being small and all that.” Kageyama snarked as he leaned back in his chair, not even bothering to glance over to Hinata.
The girl's brows furrowed as her head snapped over to Kageyama. Arms untangling to grasp the back of her chair as if she was going to rip it off and throw it at the boy across from her. “How about you say that again to my face?”
“Gladly.” Kageyama then whipped his head around so fast that Takeda felt motion sickness, locking onto Hinata dead in the eyes. “I bet a lot of places are huge to you, you know, with being small and all that.”
Hinata growled, and Teakeda swore he saw her eyes dance around in their sockets. “Takeda-sensei, could I please go first. Kageyama’s being a jerk.”
“What, no, that’s unfair,” Kageyama whined, glossing over the insult. Overhearing this conversation from outside the classroom, one could easily confuse these two for kindergartners.
“I’m not missing my morning practice because of some jerkwad.” Hinata finalized.
“Well, I’m not moving.”
“Me neither!”
The two were at a clear impasse. Both stubborn and determined to get their way. Neither of them were getting out of their chairs, and Takeda firmly believed both of them would sit in those chairs all day to wait and see who cracked first. Neither of them would, and Takeda really didn’t feel like being here all day.
“Well, you two could serve the time, you know… together,” Takeda offered. That, in turn, was the wrong thing to say.
“What! I don’t want to spend time with him!”
“What! I don’t want to spend time with her!”
Takeda let out a huff as he adjusted his glasses. This was going to be a long week, but that’s exactly what he signed up for.
“Well, in that case, there are two possibilities. I can either keep track of the both of you for the hour. Or I can watch one of you while the other waits in the hallway for seven to roll around. But if that happened… one of you would miss your morning practice.” Both teenagers shot each other a look, but Takeda was quick to interject before a shouting match began.
“You two would alternate each day on who stays in the hallway and who stays with me. You know, to make it fair.” He flashed a wide smile to sell the deal.
“So which will it be?” Both teens looked at each other before both grumbling out a ‘fine’. Both had no other option; of course, they would say yes. Takeda smiled. His plans were already set in motion.
This was going to work.
❂
This was going to suck ! Hinata groaned as she shrank further into her chair just as Takeda got up from his desk, informing them to follow him.
Forced to serve their detention time together, the whole reason she concocted that half-baked plan was to avoid this exact situation. Now she’s going to have to spend the entire week with him. Could her life get any worse?
Hinata cringed inwardly; this whole situation felt like the beginning of a shity romance manga, which in of itself was ridiculous. If Shoyou Hinata Ramos was ever going to be the protagonist of any manga, it would definitely be a shonen.
Despite her groaning and moaning, she still followed Takeda out of the classroom. Speeding up a bit, just as Kageyama began to make his way out the door. Luckily, she got ahead of him fast enough to be right behind the Takeda, forcing Kageyama to take up the rear because there was no way she was going to trail behind that jerk. Petty, yes, but it was a matter of principle. She half expected him to make a comment, but to her surprise, nothing came up, and the walk to the next room was silent.
“For today, I need the two of you to clean this room,” Takeda announced as he flipped the light switch.
“Why don't the students using this space clean it?” Hinata questioned, more confused than ever.
Living in another country, experiencing culture shock was bound to occur. Her first few days living in Japan felt so surreal, with how out of place she felt. However, her biggest culture shock was on her first day of school when a broom was shoved in her hand along with all the other students, expected to clean the classroom.
“Well, yes, but this classroom hosts the performance calligraphy club, and their advisor’s notorious for being very hands off. The kids tend to have late practice, and sometimes cleanup is neglected.” There was a tint of disdain in Takeda's voice as he went on to describe the other teacher. Hinata was immediately intrigued. Was there some behind-the-scenes teacher drama? Or was he mad at the fact that the advisor didn’t interact with the club?
“So you both are tasked with getting it clean.” Takeda beamed as cleaning supplies manifested in his hands, and Hinata didn’t know when he had the time to get them. The teacher gleefully walked up to the stone-faced teens. Shoving a broom into Hinata’s hands right before handing a mop to Kageyama. Once both teens' hands were full of cleaning supplies, Takeda sat down at a desk, reading the book he was looking for earlier that morning. The first couple of minutes weren’t too bad. The pair had remained surprisingly silent, and to Hinata’s surprise, we're making good progress in the room. That was until Kageyama decided to ruin the peace.
Hinata was sweeping down the row of chairs, where she had been sweeping for the past five minutes now – a very important detail to know – until suddenly Kageyama popped out of nowhere, blocking her path.
“Could you move?” Hinata asked bluntly. The sooner she could get this room clean, the sooner she could rush over to practice, so of course, Kageyama made no effort to move. He just kept mopping like the asshole he was.
“I said, could you move?” She repeated a little louder, but the hostility still remained. She could feel the vein on her forehead about to pop. She knew he saw her sweeping in this area; this was one hundred percent intentional. He could pretend not to hear her all he wanted; he wasn't going to get her to move around him. That would mean he’d win, and she wasn’t going to allow that to happen. When Kageyama kept moping instead of using a fraction of his muscle ability to part slightly to the right, Hianat snapped.
“I said, move you lump of lard.”
Of course, that’s when he whipped his head around to sneer at her. “Who you calling a lump of lard, you walking tangerine?”
Hinata reeled back. “Tangerine? Work on your insults.”
“Work on your receives.” That admittedly was a good one. Good enough to cause Hinata to snarl in response.
“What are you even doing here anyway? There’s no way you were smart enough to come here early.” Some upperclassmen from his team had to have given him the idea, and she was going to find out which one it was and give them a piece of her mind.
Kageyama remained unwavering as per usual. His default angry expression rested on his face. “Smart enough to get here faster than you.” There was the smallest hint of mockery in his voice that just set her off.
“No, you did not! I got here long before you, I just couldn’t find the room.” Hinata admittedly shouted. On top of being short, the universe just had to curse her with being directionally challenged as well. It’s gotten her into a heap of trouble in the past, especially at volleyball tournaments. Her team almost got disqualified one year because she accidentally wandered onto the other side of the complex.
“Oh yeah, well I did. I won!” Kageyama’s glare remained the same, but his mouth twitched. Hinata thought he was having a stroke, but was quickly proved wrong when the corners of his mouth curved up. Hinata didn’t know he was capable of smiling, but this wasn’t a smile. Not a genuine happy smile but a satisfyingly smug grin.
At that moment, Hinata had a sickening realization: he’d officially one-upped her. He beat her. The scoreboard was officially 0-1 in his favor. Hinata vowed to beat him, and she’s already starting to fall behind. Was she only going to continue falling behind? Was her time here just going to be a waste? Was she to forever remain stagnant while Kageyama beat her to the top? That was Hinata’s breaking point.
“Oh yeah, well, bamb!” She yelled, flipping him the bird. Hinata expected the boy to curse, yell, or return the gesture even. His reaction, however, was none of the above. Instead he just stared at her dumbly, a pretty wild response to getting told to fuck off.
“What are you doing?” He asked in total disbelief about what he was seeing.
Hinata blinked. “What does it look like I'm doing? I’m flipping you off.” She knew this guy was dense but holy crap was he in an entirely different league. Her hand was in normal ‘fuck you’ postion, the pointer finger touching the thumb while all the other fingers remained flexed out. (4)
Kageyama scoffed. “That’s not how you flip someone off, this is how you flip someone off.” He emphasized by showing off his middle finger.
“Both of you, stop it! Put your fingers down this instant.” Takeda interrupted, his voice unusually high-pitched for a man of his age. Eyes looking like they were going to leap out of his sockets. The two went back to their sweeping in silence, but that hardly stopped them from glaring at each other. Takeda then decided to divide the room into two. Hinata had the right side, Kageyama to the left, to avoid any further interaction.
The floor in her area was finally swept, and all smudges were removed. Subtly peering over to Kageyama, she couldn’t help but notice how far ahead of Kageyama she was. Pride swelled through her. It seemed like the King wasn’t good at everything. She didn’t know what she would do with this information or how, in any way possible, it was significant, but the point still stood. She was better than Kageyama, and that’s all that mattered.
The only area that remained untouched was the chalkboard. Hinata didn’t have any wipes left, and the tool she needed to clean it wasn’t in its rightful place. Luckily, she saw what she needed resting on a desk right by her cleaning partner.
“Could you pass me that?” Hinata asked politely this time, not wanting to start yet another fight.
Kageyama looked around. “What?”
“That.”
“That what?”
“That.” Hinata insisted, pointing directly to the object this time.
“What’s that !” Kageyama hissed out.
“That! The –” Hinata froze. An eerie, icy chill crept through her body. She forgot the word. Well, not true, she knows the word… in Portuguese, her mind was completely drawing a blank on the translation.
To her classmates' – and a few of her teachers' – surprise, Hinata understood Japanese pretty well, although it was quite the journey to get to that point.
Despite being raised in a Portuguese-speaking country, that didn’t stop her mom from teaching her daughters Japanese. Growing up, at least an hour a day was dedicated to learning the language, but to Hinata, it felt more like an hour of torture. She already had trouble paying attention in school, where the environment was tailored to help you learn. So the fact that her mom wanted her to study in the comforts of her own home – a place Hinata associated with rest and relaxation – felt more like a punishment. During these study sessions, Hinata paid little attention to her mother's ramblings, choosing to spend the time daydreaming about anything else – volleyball mostly at that time.
At first, her mom tried to express how important it was for her to learn Japanese, with it being a ‘part of her’ or whatever. When the inspirational heritage speech didn’t work, her mother took to bribing Hinata by introducing her to manga, which, to Hinata's embarrassment, worked like a charm.
Soon enough, Hinata found herself motivated to learn. It was a slow process, but her mother's efforts weren’t in vain. Slowly but surely, Hinata got a grasp of the language, speaking it frequently at the house. As Hinata grew older, the lessons slowly began to die out due to a combination of reasons. For starters, this was around the time Natsu was beginning her own lessons, and Hinata didn’t want to sit around to relearn the basics.
Another factor was simply due to the fact that her mom's time was stretched too thin to play teacher for both her daughters. By that time, she began picking up extra hospital shifts, not returning home till real late in the night, often long after both Hinata and Natsu had fallen asleep.
The last reason was the straw that broke the camel's back. Hinata was entering her second year of middle school when her beach volleyball dedication was at an all-time high. When Hinata wasn’t in school, she was at the beach playing, abusing every second of sunlight before it got too dark to play. That was all surface level, though, on a deeper level, Hinata simply outgrew her desire to learn about her heritage. She felt so disconnected from it already that she saw no point in continuing.
Why should she continue was a question that protruded to the forefront of her mind a lot during this time of her life. There was no point to it, it’s not like people believed her when she said she was Japanese anyway. She eventually grew tired of constantly fighting tooth and nail to prove to random strangers who she was. It was a battle she’d lose every time, and there were better things to put her energy into – like beach volleyball.
So Hinata threw herself into beach volleyball, treating it as her sole purpose of living – because at that time it was. Her mom did try to invite her to join Natsu’s lessons, but Hinata would blow her off every time. One night took a turn for the worse. After a long day, her mother sweetly asked if Hinata wanted to join her and Natsu at the table.
Hinata still regrets how she reacted, but her mom caught her at a bad time. She had just returned after a long shitty day consisting of forgetting homework at home, flunking another test and dropping her lunch in a puddle. Yet worst of all, she performed atrociously at the beach that day. She didn’t earn a single point for her team, doing more harm than good. Her head just wasn’t in the game that day, which happens to every player, but it was happening a little too often for Hinata’s liking. No bad day is an excuse to snap at one’s parents, but that’s exactly what Hinata did.
Maybe it was the long day that had warned her patients thin, perhaps the sore muscles from riding her bike in the rain, or the emotions inside her that were already riding high, but for some reason her moms question just pissed her off to no end.
“I don’t care about that crap Mom.” She huffed out before running off to her room, isolating herself for the rest of the night. The hurt look on her mom's face still haunts her memory to this day.
She never asked Shouyou to join them again after that.
So yes, despite Japanese not being her first language, Hinata still understood the language pretty well, but that didn’t mean there weren’t some hiccups every now and then, just like right now.
She quickly tried to recover. “The, you know the thing.” She pointed to the board in hopes that he would understand what she was asking for. However, the blank stare she was receiving from the boy quickly reminded her who she was talking to. Guys already have trouble with subtlety, but Kageyama was a different breed entirely.
“What thing! There’s like five things,”
“The thing, the thing,” Hinata began snapping her fingers, desperately hoping the rhythmic noise would magically pop the word into her head. It didn’t.
“Just spit it out.”
“The apagador!” She finally yelled, the room going quiet. Kageyama just stared at her as if she had just spoken sheer gibberish. Hinata looked away, her cheeks burned red. Humiliation consumed her.
“I think she means the eraser, Kageyama-kun.” Takeda finally spoke up.
Kageyama rolled his eyes as he grabbed the eraser. “Well, why didn’t she just say that?” he snarked.
Hinata just gave him a stink eye as she went back to cleaning. There were so many things she wanted to say, but she was just tired. She had no bark left in her. Her cheeks still red, shame and embarrassment consuming her whole. She wanted to floor to swallow her whole. The rest of the time was spent in silence, and Hinata for once made no effort to break it.
After a couple more agonizing minutes, Takeda finally spoke up. “Well, the hour is up, so technically, you both are free to go –” Not a second later, Hinata was out the door, not daring to look back.
❂❂❂
The second the teacher walked out the door, Class 1-1 burst to life. Chattering and laughter filled the room, a complete one-eighty from the dead atmosphere it harbored minutes ago. A couple of students took the opportunity to stretch their aching muscles while others remained slumped over their desks as they talked to their neighbors. These breaks in between classes were always lively, but since there was only one more period till lunch, the classroom was even more animated, which was not the ideal setting for one to concentrate on schoolwork.
As the rest of the class was chatting amongst themselves, Hinata remained in her seat by the window, quietly writing down the teacher's notes that she graciously left up on the chalkboard. This was her punishment for daydreaming half of the lecture, but hopefully she could transfer it all down before the next teacher came in to erase it all.
While she could read what the teacher wrote on the board, transmitting it onto paper proved to be a difficult task. Sure, she could write it out, but it took some time since her hand wasn’t used to the motions of the scripts, but with the teachers talking too fast, it resulted in her quickly scribbling down her notes to catch up. As a result, her handwriting could easily be mistaken for that of a middle school boy– sloppy and borderline illiterate. That kind of handwriting isn’t the best when one typically studies late in the night after laborious practices. So to counteract this, she opted to write her notes in Portuguese and worry about translating them later.
Some would find the work tedious, but to Hinata, it was the opposite; she found it quite comforting to write in the language she grew up with. It tricked her brain into believing that she never left home. Instead of being on the other side of the world, she was sitting in some high school in the city with one more class left before she could high-tail over to the beach. And with the way the warm afternoon light glistened through the window, casting a soft light over her notes she had scattered on her desk, it almost worked.
Sadly, Hinata’s perfectly crafted illusion was soon broken when she noticed a figure standing off to the side out of the corner of her eye. Glancing away from her notes, Hinata saw a girl diagonally away from her, peering directly at the notebook Hinata was just scribbling on. When the girl noticed the pen no longer moving, she slowly lifted her head, face draining when her eyes met Hinata’s staring directly back at her.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn't mean to stare.” The girl squeaked out in a panic.
“No, it’s okay,” Hinata reassured. Having eyes glued onto her was just something she’d have to get used to, at least for the first few weeks or so. Eventually, people will get bored with her and move on to the next thing to obsess over.
“Did you have a question for me, or something?” Hinata asked directly, bracing herself for a bombardment of questions just like yesterday.
Her first day of school consisted of students crowding around her desk every break to talk to her, although it felt more like interrogations than a two-way conversation. Hinata didn’t mind answering her classmates' questions; in fact, she was pretty excited to meet all the new people. What annoyed her was the fact that everyone kept asking the same questions, over and over and over again, to the point that it started to slowly drive her insane. The same questions kept coming up without realizing it had already been asked (three times over). So for every break, there she sat, caged in her seat, repeating answers like a broken record.
“Where are you from?” - “Brazil.”
“Are you here to play soccer?” - “Football, and no.”
“Can you speak English?” - “No.”
“Are you really half Japanese?” - “Yes.”
“Can you read this?” - “...Yes.”
Not only did nearly everyone in her class come up to her, but people from other classrooms made their way over, some from other grades too. Hinata wondered if she was the first foreigner any of these students had ever met. It wouldn’t be that out of the realm of possibility, many foreigners tended to visit the bigger cities for their vacations or pick up residency there due to the work opportunities, leaving the countryside often neglected. So, being the only foreigner for miles on end wouldn’t be too outrageous.
Hinata looked back at the girl across from her, who just squirmed under her gaze, as if she was debating whether to answer. She was about Hinata’s size, maybe two centimeters taller, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail with a Cinnamoroll hair tie, face framed with sidebangs.
“I-I was just wondering what you were writing down. It doesn’t look like anything from the board.” She finally confessed.
“Oh, it is, I’m just translating it to Portuguese.”
The girl's face lit up, “Wow, so you’re bilingual bilingual.”
“Um, yeah?” Hinata responded carefully. She didn’t want to be rude and not respond, but she was also confused as to what the girl meant.
The girl panicked. “Sorry, I mean one of my cousins ‘claims’ to be bilingual because he knows like five sentences of Spanish, but I’ve never seen him do something like this.”
Hinata finally caught on. “Oh yeah, no, I get that. I taught a couple of my friends back home some Japanese, and now they ‘insist’ that they’re fluent.”
“Oh, what did you teach them?” The girl asked curiously.
Hinata smirked, “Curse words.” They both share a laugh.
“You’re Hinata, right?”
“That's me. And your name is…” Hinata gave a sheepish smile, embarrassed she couldn’t remember this girl's name despite her knowing hers. After the whole homeroom teacher yelling incident, she might have zoned out during the rest of roll call. Some re-introduced themselves to Hinata during the breaks prior to asking her a plethora of questions, but this girl wasn’t one of them.
“I’m Adachi.” She introduced with a shy smile.
“Do you want to sit down?” Hinata asked, head directing to the empty chair in front of her.
Adachi looked stunned. “May I?”
“Totally,” Hinata nodded enthusiastically. The owner of the desk was currently across the room, so she doubted he would mind if Adachi occupied it for a bit. Upon approval, Adachi carefully grabbed the seat, turning it around to face Hinata before gently sitting down with one leg over the other.
“Yeah, I’d love to be fluent in a second language. I’ve been trying to learn English for about four years now, and I still only know the basics. Even after private lessons and everything, it just won’t click. Guess no university in the States for me.” Adachi chuckled at her own joke.
“You’re already thinking about college. We’re only freshmen, there’s still plenty of time.” Hinata slid her notes away, completely disregarding them in favor of the conversation.
“Well, I’m not thinking about college per se,” Adachi revealed as she fiddled with one of the many bracelets on her hand. “I think I’m just using it as an excuse to travel.” Her eyes wandered over to the window.
“I’d love to go to college outside the country, it doesn’t even have to be in the States, anywhere with a beach will do.” Adachi flashed back to Hinata. “I want to be a marine biologist.”
“That sounds exciting.” Hinata praised. School by a beach sounded like a perfect deal, but she might have a bias. Anything by a beach sounded like a dream come true to her.
“You don’t think it’s,” Adachi shifted nervously in her seat. “Dumb?”
“No, why would it be?” Hinata questioned, brows furrowed.
“Well, I know you don’t have to go to a school by a beach to do that. And it would be more practical for me to apply to places in Tokyo or Sendai, or anywhere else within the country, but it’s what I want to do. I’ve been stuck in this prefecture for ages, I want to see the world.”
In that moment, Hinata was smacked with the memory of her mother telling her they were moving. She’ll never forget the emotions she felt in that moment: resentment, devastation, anger. In true teenager fashion, believing her life was over (in her defense, at the time, the reaction felt warranted). She wanted nothing to do with the move; she was perfectly content staying within her Brazil bubble for her whole life. Yet this girl was willing to drop everything and risk it all to pursue what she loved; it was very admirable.
“I think it’s very brave of you, wanting to travel to pursue your goal,” Hinata responded honestly. “It shows true passion.”
“Really?” Adachi questioned, sounding embarrassed.
“Really.” Hinata nodded.
“Thank you,” Adachi's face blushed slightly. “I'm happy it doesn’t sound too crazy. I’ve had some… friends in the past who’ve said otherwise.” The spark in her eyes instantly dimmed along with her smile. Her giddy nature swiped clean at the mention of one word.
Doesn’t sound like a friend, Hinata thought, but didn’t dare blurt out. From the way Adachi’s face scrunched up, it was obviously a sore subject for her. Silence consumed them both, leading Hinata to quickly change the subject.
“Do you know any good beaches?” Hinata questioned. “I’m trying to convince my mom to do a beach trip for break.”
Adachi let out a small laugh. “I'm afraid I can’t help you with that.” Hinata tilted her head in confusion.
“Okay, so here’s the funny part.” The girl returned her gaze back to Hinata, “I've actually never been to a beach before.” Flashing her own sheepish smile.
Hinata let out a gasp so loud, half the room looked in her direction. “You’ve never been to a beach.” Jaw agape, the look of pure horror planted on her face, as if Adachi had just told Hinata she had murdered someone.
Adachi shook her head with a smile, “Nope.” She revealed, popping the ‘p’. “I sadly come from a family that prefers mountains over beaches. Every break, every winter, every holiday, we go hiking, skiing, camping, every possible thing you can do on a mountain, I've done it. Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful to spend time with my family, and sure it’s cool, but it's just not for me. Plus, I hate the cold.”
“Me too!” Hinata leaped forward, hands talking with her. “I don’t know how people do it. I can barely manage this weather. I’m just praying I can survive till summer.” Maybe then she could finally go to a beach again, but her wish was highly unlikely to come true. Her summer and spring break would most likely be packed full of practice and training camps, leaving no time for a luxury excursion.
“I guess I’ll just have to wait till I go back home to play on a beach again.” She concluded out loud, disappointment prevalent in her voice.
“What are the beaches like for you back home?” Adachi asked earnestly, a gleam present in her eyes.
In that instant, Hinata was flashed with images of white golden sand and the crystal blue sky. The image was so vivid she could smell the salt water and feel the gentle breeze on her face. Hundreds, if not thousands, of memories flooded her mind, all beach-related. Her first day practicing beach volleyball with Kato. Making shell necklaces with Natsu. Early morning runs with her mom on the weekend.
All these memories played one after another, but one stuck out in particular. She couldn’t have been older than three when it happened, but it feels like just yesterday. It was sunset: orange, yellow, and pink painted the sky. A pair of familiar strong hands were holding onto her, slowly bringing her down to the ocean. Ever so carefully dipping her tiny feet into the cold water, forcing an exciting squeal out of her.
How she missed the water. The sand. Home.
A warm smile crept onto her face. “Amazing.”
“Really,” Adachi inched closer to Hinata’s desk, crossing both her hands on the desk to rest her chin on them.
“Yeah. I mean, sure, they can get crowded, but that's half the fun. You get to meet people from all over, can haggle with the ambulantes for a snack, even challenge strangers to a beach volleyball game.”
Adachi's eyes twinkled when Hinata continued to talk about her beach endeavors. So bright and full for something so trivial, but Hinata was never one to judge. That's how she used to act anytime someone uttered the word ‘volleyball’. Even if it was said across the room, Hinata would track the person down to talk about the sport with such passion. To others, it seemed silly, but to Hinata, it was her whole world… or used too.
Beach volleyball was her passion now, and she really does love it. But some part of her, the part that takes practice to heart, the part that bent over backwards to have her detention time changed just to be able to attend morning practice, the part that trained nonstop day after day to be in prime shape for a mere interview, said otherwise.
“Guess I need to set my sights on Brazil.” Adachi expressed once Hinata stopped her rambling.
Hinata beamed. “If you ever end up going, you have to give me a call. I can show you all the best places and take you to the best restaurants, not the overpriced touristy ones. Not to mention, I know where all the best beaches are.”
“Really!” Adachi squeaked.
“Totally!” Hinata reassured with a beaming smile.
“Promise to teach me some Portuguese as well.”
“Yeah, what do you want to learn?”
Adachi smirked, “Curse words.”
Both girls erupted into a laughing fit. The two were so swept up in their conversation that they hadn’t even realized that everyone in the room was looking at them like they were complete lunatics, but Hinata couldn’t find it within herself to care. She was having a nice time sharing a laugh with a classmate during her break. Something so mundane, but to Hinata, it was something major. For a split second, she felt normal.
Too bad all good things must come to an end.
Adachi was the first to recover. “Hey, my friends and I were gonna go to the school's convenience store for lunch. They’re all in a different class, so we’d have to wait a bit for them, but would you like to join?”
‘I’d love to.’ Is what Hinata would’ve said if she hadn’t been interrupted.
“What are you doing, Adachi?” A shrill voice approached the pair.
Hinata turned to the source of the voice while Adachi held her gaze on the desk, refusing to look over. Standing in front of Hinata’s desk stood a girl with short wavy hair, adorned with two gold clips holding back her bangs. Despite being short, she stood tall, with her hands crossed, looking down at the pair with a condescending look. Hinata subtly shot Adachi a look who seemed to have shrunken in her seat.
“Hey, Amari?” Adachi stammered in a meek voice. Not even looking at the girl, Amari, in the eyes as she spoke.
“What are you doing over here talking to her? ” Amari spat out. Her sharp eyes pinned onto Hinata as if the athlete had just cursed out this girl's entire family.
Hinata raised an eyebrow, not missing the hostility in Amari’s voice. “Uh, do I know you?” This girl was in her class but wasn’t one of the students who came up to her yesterday. Hinata didn’t even talk to her, so she has no idea what she could have possibly done to warrant such antagonism.
Hinata's eyes went back and forth between Amari and Adachi. They knew each other's names, so they must be close, right? Crap, what if they’re dating, Hinata hoped Amari didn’t think she’d been flirting with her girlfriend.
Wait! Is that even okay here? Even if it was, Hinata quickly pieced together that that definitely wasn’t the case between the pair. Not from the way Adachi was slowly inching away from the girl standing next to them. Shoulders hunched, her hands once again fidgeting with her many bracelets, avoiding eye contact at all times.
Now, Hinata is by no means a genius, but due to her extroverted nature, she’s been around the block when it comes to social cues. Middle school, as rough as it was, taught her a lot about friendships – specifically how to tell when a friendship was healthy or not, and from the way Adachi seemed like she was mere seconds away from a breakdown, told Hinata all she needed to know. Maybe this is one of Adachi’s friends she mentioned earlier.
“Of course you wouldn’t remember me, you think you’re so high and mighty. You’ve been acting like some big shot since the first day of school.” Amari hissed, jaw clenching so hard that Hinata could hear her teeth grinding against each other.
Hinata’s been in sports for a long time to recognize the emotion plastered on Amari’s face. Happens all the time when a first-year outperforms a third-year during tryouts. The tense muscles, the rigid pose, the mix of anger and sadness in the eyes. An emotion that’s sadly common in sports – jealousy.
What could Amari possibly be jealous of? Was it because people were talking to her yesterday? It wasn’t like Hinata was asking for everyone to crowd around her desk to ask her questions all day. If attention was what this girl wanted, then by means she can have it, no sweat off Hinata’s back
“Um, no, I don’t think that whatsoever. Hinata reaffirmed, her voice carefully neutral, not wanting to piss the girl off more.
Amari rolled her eyes. “Come on, Adachi, let's get away from this girl. I’ve missed talking to you.” She cooed, giving the girl big puppy eyes.
You weren’t even talking with her in the first place, Hinata’s mind screamed. Looking back over to Adachi, she noticed the girl slowly started to get up, forcing Hinata to intervene. “I think she's fine where she is.”
Adachi sent Hinata a pleading look while Amari snapped her head back to Hinata. The action was so quick that an audible snap was echoed. Sharp deep brown found themself glaring down at Hinata, just wishing she would disintegrate on the spot.
“What would you know what’s best for her?” Amari growled, “I've known Adachi for years.”
“Then why does it seem she’d rather be anywhere else than here?” She countered, not backing down in the slightest when Amari’s eyes darkened. It registered in her head that Amari was trying her best to be intimidating, but her attempts to do so were falling flat. It was off-putting, yes, but nothing compared to the terror that courses through Hinata when she’s on the receiving end of her mother's angered glare. Back in middle school, when she tried to sneak out for the first (and last) time to the beach after midnight, the look her mother gave her still haunts her dreams.
Soon, Amari concluded that she wasn’t going to get anywhere with Hinata, so she turned her attention back to Adachi. Grunting out a cold ‘get up’ as she nudged the girl with her foot. This time, however, Adachi didn’t move.
Hinata expected a range of different reactions from Amari, yet was still taken aback when a smile of all things crept onto Amari’s face as her eyes slightly narrowed. It was sick and twisted, mirroring a sly look in her eye.
“Don’t be like that, I'm just trying to look out for you, Adachi, you silly thing.” Her voice was sickly sweet. “Besides, you don’t want to get mixed up with the wrong crowd.”
Wrong crowd? What does that mean?
“What does that mean?” Hinata voiced firmly.
“Well, it’s true!” Amari snickered, shifting her hands from her chest to her hips. The gleam in her eyes grew, clearly satisfied to have finally gotten a rise out of Hinata. “I heard from a little birdy yesterday that the vice principal got attacked by two first years, a boy and a girl.”
Oh no.
Amari smirked. “One of which fits your description perfectly.”
It was Hinata’s turn to scrunch up in her chair, albeit subtly. Shame bubbling to her surface, the red growing on her cheeks as subtle murmurs whispered throughout the room. It only happened yesterday, how could it possibly be school-wide news by now? Trying to find out who spread the news was a moot point, once it gets out there’s no controlling it, it spreads like wildfire.
Amari picked her nails playfully, clearly enjoying herself. “I don’t know any other girl with such a description.” Amari then locked her eyes on Hinata, like a missile pinned onto its target.
“That’s what happens when you stick out.”
Amari didn’t need a knife for the words did the job just fine. Cutting straight through her, piercing her heart mercilessly. She didn’t even need to twist it, for Hinata’s own mind was already doing more damage. Even long before moving countries, she’d always felt different amongst her peers.
In school, her brain didn’t work like the other kids. She had trouble paying attention and following instructions. Learning basic material that all the other kids could complete in minutes took her up to half an hour. Her friends would express their desires to be in a relationship or indulge in gossip while Hinata wondered when she could pop in to talk about volleyball for the fiftieth time that day. She always opted to wear more baggy clothes because any time she attempted to dress more feminine, her broad shoulders and slight muscles made her look weird. Even within her own family, she stood out; half her childhood, she couldn't even walk into a grocery store with her mother without someone assuming she was adopted.
Here, it was so much worse, but the agonizing part was that there was nothing she could do about it. She could become fluent in the language, learn all the customs, change her last name even yet none of it mattered.
Anywhere she goes, he’ll always stick out.
In Hinata’s stunned state, Amari took the opportunity to loop both her slender arms around Adachi's, pulling her up and out of the seat. “Come on, Adachi, let's go. You don’t want to hang with her anyway, you know what they say about Brazilian women.”
Hinata eyed her dangerously.
Amari leaned in closer to Adachi, making no attempt to whisper her next sentence. “She's probably infested with diseases from all the people she’s slept with.”
Hinata launched out of her chair, practically leaping over the desk onto Adachi. No thoughts behind her actions, just pure, unbridled rage. Violence was probably not the best answer – especially since it got her into a heap of trouble already – but in the heat of the moment, Hinata frankly didn’t care. And in Hinata’s completely unbiased opinion, the girl deserved it. Once out of the chair, Hinata’s arms locked onto the girl in an iron grip by the collar of her blouse, Hinata’s eyes glaring directly into the girl's soul.
“Listen here, you cadela.” She spat directly in Amari's face, who had the audacity to look frightened.
“HINATA-SAN!”
Now it was Hinata’s turn to look frightened. The vicious, predatory mindset evaporated on the spot the second the older voice called out. Hinata cringed, ever slowly turning her head to the door only to lock eyes with her teacher.
She’s screwed.
“What are you doing!” The teacher all but screamed out. Hinata froze, eyes resembling that of a doe caught in headlights.
“I. But… She.” Hinata struggled to get out, at a complete loss for words.
“Release her and stay after the bell. We will have a discussion after class.” The teacher said coldly as she walked to her desk, heels clicking with every step.
Begrudgingly, Hinata detached from Amari, who was sending her the most smug look Hinata has ever seen, so much so that she was considering risking even more disciplinary time to smack it clean off her face. When Hinata sat at her desk, Adachi was already back in hers, not looking in Hinata’s direction. (5)
The rest of the class went on with no interruptions or outbursts. When the bell rang, everyone ran to lunch, everyone but Hinata. After a couple of minutes of being chewed out by the teacher, she was luckily able to walk out with a stern warning. Adaichi and her friends were nowhere to be found, leaving Hinata alone in the hallway.
❂❂❂
While Karasuno was not that big of a school, come lunchtime, it’s booming with activity. Everyone was off in their respective groups, eating together, gossiping, and laughing about who knows what. Most remained in their classrooms, some took to the roof, while others chose to eat in the tiny space that acted as a cafeteria.
There, Hinata sat barely touching the rice and beans in her bento, getting the occasional shove from the two girls fighting next to her. Rinko and Moe had been battling it out for about five minutes now over the last onigiri between them. Technically, it was Rinko’s since both sisters were provided with two, but Moe finished both of hers in rapid succession, so she asked for her twins since Rinko apparently ‘never eats it anyway’, causing the two to fight over the treat. The scuffle between them was getting quite loud, but no one at the table made the actual effort to stop them, instead choosing to enjoy the free show they were receiving with their lunches.
Michimiya was kind enough to invite Hinata over to her table, which consisted of the volleyball captain, the rest of the volleyball team, and some other third-year girls that she was currently blanking on their names. Secretly, Hinata was thankful Michimiya extended the offer to sit with her and the others, not only was it a good way to get to know the team members better – since some of them still had yet to attend practice – but also because Hinata was currently lacking in the friends department.
Maybe it’s her fault. It’s not that people have been outright mean to her, per se. Everyone in her class had been very pleasant so far, minus Amari. At the beginning of the day, people sent her smiles and waves, asking how her morning went. During breaks, students would crowd around her desk and engage in conversation. Yet the second lunch rolled around, she wasn’t drowning in invitations like she was with all the questions asking about her entire existence.
She was so excited that Amari asked her to eat lunch with her friends, but maybe it’s for the better that she didn’t go. Hinata had a gut feeling she’d just end up sitting there out of place. She wouldn’t really feel like she belonged with the group. She’d just stick out like she does in class. And the bathrooms. And the hallways.
Perhaps that's why Michiyimia invited her to sit with the team; the senior probably just felt bad for her. If it was out of pity, they all hid it very well. Every single one of them were really sweet despite Hinata not knowing them for long, but that's probably just them fulfilling their duties as upperclassmen.
Hinata shrugged it off, so what, she had no friends in her grade, no big deal.
What was a big deal, though, was that she had a sickly feeling that some tables were talking about her. On her way to Michiyimia’s table, Hinata heard the word ‘foreigner’ being tossed around. Looking at one table in particular, she noticed all its occupants were eyeing her before returning to hushed whispers.
Stares were nothing new for Hinata. She’s an athlete, of course, people will be looking at her when watching a game – back when she played beach volleyball on a public beach, a crowd was bound to appear. Yet those were manageable, the audience was tuning in to watch her play, to watch the game out of sheer enjoyment, and to root for the players. The stares she's been receiving from both peers and teachers were more suffocating.
The first day wasn’t too bad; people were observing her out of sheer curiosity. It’s human nature to stop and stare when you see something different. Looking in their eyes now, Hinata noticed a change: the eyes of some became colder. No longer was there a child-like curiosity in people's eyes; now there was a darker meaning behind their looks. Judgment, scorn, and pure disgust all lingered in their glances as they followed her every move. Some, not all, but more than Hinata liked, always keeping tabs on her, just waiting for the moment she messed up so they could pounce on her.
“-ata? Hinata?”
“Huh?” Hinata mouthed as she looked up from her bento.
“I was asking what you think of Shojo manga. Do you read any?” Moe asked with her newly won onigiri.
“Oh, well, personally, I’m more of a One Piece gal myself. I'm actually trying to collect all the volumes.”
“Hey, I’m reading that,” Watabe interjected. “No spoilers, I just started.”
“Dude, it’s been out for ages, catch up.” Aihara teased before going back to downing her lunch.
“Oh, that's so cool. Do you read them in Japanese or Portuguese?” Michimiya asked as she plopped some rice into her mouth, gaze still fixating on Hinata.
“One Piece, I read in Portuguese, but when I was younger, my Mom gave me some Dragon Ball manga to help me learn Japanese,” Hinata confirmed as she took a bite out of her lunch.
She laughed. “You know it’s actually funny, when I was younger, I never thought I would need to know Japanese. I mean, yeah, I spoke it at home, but that was about it. Pretty ironic now since I-”
“Hello.”
Hinata turned around after feeling a tap on her shoulder. Looking over, she saw two boys staring at her with wide eyes and even wider smiles. She had no idea who they were; they weren’t in her class, but they looked to be second years.
“Oh, uh, hi.” She responded, giving them a wave.
“Could you say something in Portuguese?” One of them piped up.
“Uh, like what?” Hinata questioned.
“Anything,” the boy insisted.
“Vocês dois são estranhos.” She said effortlessly, still perplexed at the two boys in front of her. It’s not like they were going to understand her anyway, so she took the opportunity to insult them.
“See the accent I told you,” One boy commented, elbowing the other.
“Sick, that's hot.”
Hinata's cheeks morphed into a bright shade of tomato red. Never once in her fifteen years of life had she been referred to as ‘hot’, or at least never to her face. The reactions of people finding out she’s from Brazil were like a pendulum: on one side, people didn’t like her being a foreigner, hence all the glares, while on the opposite side, some liked the fact that Hinata was foreign – liked a little too much. A part of her believed that she should feel grateful that some people actually found her attractive, but she still couldn’t help but feel icky when some of the senior guys began to take notice of her.
“How about you two perverts scram before I make your faces black and blue.” Aihara spat as she slammed her hands on the table, standing up to full height, absolutely towering over the two boys. The pair quivered under her stare before high-tailing it back to the other side of the cafeteria.
“You okay, Hinata?” Michiymia asked, sending her a sympathetic glance.
“I'm fine,” she lied. Keeping her attention on her food, which now looked unappealing.
Aihara kept staring at where the boys ran off to. “Do they do this often? Do you want me to take care of them permanently?” She finished the threat by cracking her knuckles.
“No, no, no,” Hinata waved her hands defensively. “They just asked a stupid question, no reason to get so worked up.” She said out loud to not only ease Aihara, but also to convince herself that it was nothing. It didn’t work as well as she hoped.
“You don’t have to defend them, Hinata,” Michiyima stated. “Even if they’re curious, it's still annoying to ask questions like that. Not to mention rude.”
“We can go with you to a teacher if they keep bothering you,” Moe harmlessly suggested.
“No!” Hinata quickly shot down. The thought of talking to a teacher about her situation was mortifying. What if they thought she was being overdramatic, or they thought she was misinterpreting their actions, labeling it as nothing more than a ‘cultural difference’. What if the teacher they went to was her homeroom teacher? That woman would probably listen to the story and make Hinata out to be the villain.
Her mind flashed to Takeda, instantly recalling their interaction this morning, how sweet he’d been. His kind words, his even kinder smile. He might do something, might actually care. Her mind shook away that thought as fast as it entered. She wasn’t some damsel who needed help. She was a big girl; she could fend for herself. Plus, it was no big deal.
It’s not like they said anything nearly as bad as Amari, whose words were still fresh on her mind. The words cutting deeper into Hinata's soul every time they’re replayed in her head. There was no way she was going to tell her team about that incident; Amari might end up missing. Which Hinata personally had no problem with, but she didn’t want to ruin the third year's chances of getting into college with murder in the first degree under their belts.
“I just,” Hinata let out a deep sigh. “I don’t want to cause any trouble. I just want to stay under the radar and play volleyball.” She concluded, finally focusing her attention on her lunch that was now cold.
The girls were all very sweet to stick up for her, so much so that it pained Hinata to think she could possibly be leaving them all for Shiratorizawa soon. If she got in, of course, again, nothing was set in stone. Although it wouldn’t be too bad if she got rejected, Karasuno's still a powerhouse in their own right. Kato did mention they went to Nationals, which is good enough for her. Besides, once the team gets its footing, it will be a straight shot to the top.
“That's a good attitude to have, Hinata,” Rinko exclaimed, slapping Hinata’s back. “And with a jump like that, we might actually get somewhere this year,” Getting a nod of confirmation from Moe.
Hinata looked over to the upperclassmen, confused. “Actually, get where?”
“In the Interhigh Preliminaries,” Moe answered. “We might actually advance past the first round this year.”
Hinata reeled back. Pass the first round, shouldn’t they be able to do that regardless?
“What about Nationals?” Hinata pressed. “Doesn’t Karasuno go every year?”
Aoki snorted, “Karasuno's volleyball club hasn't been to Nationals in ages, both girls and boys.” She then went on to resume eating her lunch, not noticing how Hinata stilled.
Hinata's mind wavered for a second, a faint sound of static filling her ears as her brain mulled over the words just spewed at her. “But isn’t Karasuno considered a powerhouse?” She prayed that she was hearing them wrong.
Michiyma's face dropped slowly, “It used to be, but over the past couple of years we sort of… fell off. I remember hearing all these stories about Karasuno’s volleyball team back in Junior High, how they were an unstoppable machine. It inspired me so much to come here, but they haven't been to nationals since.”
Suddenly, Michimiya perked up, her attitude more hopeful than ever. “But we can change that. If we keep up with a strict practice routine both morning and afternoon, then we should be able to– Hinata-chan, are you okay?” At some point during Michiyma's speech, Hinata had slowly risen from her seat at the table.
Orange locks covered her eyes as she made her way to the cafeteria doors. “I need some fresh air.” Exiting without another word.
❂
Finding a quiet spot was easier said than done.
Plenty of students were still eating their lunches in their little circles outside, which consequently made fighting back tears even harder than it already was. Luckily, everyone seemed too invested in their conversations to notice Hinata mechanically navigate around them.
Hinata crossed her arms, holding them tight against her chest. Her calloused fingers dug into the flesh of her arms, battling the glossing of her eyes and dryness in her throat. While aimlessly wandering around, she turned a corner, stumbling upon an empty area separated from the other students. Wordlessly, she sat on the curb in front of the vending machine, arms locked to her chest, forehead resting on her knees.
There, finally alone, she let it all out.
Globs of tears mercilessly rolled down her cheeks, crashing onto the concrete beneath her. Her throat let out a sob as the tears kept flowing, not loud enough for others to hear, but loud enough to break the silence surrounding her. There was no way she was going to be ready for her interview on Saturday. There was no dancing around it, not at this rate, not after finding out Karasuno's fall from grace.
The once mighty crows were nothing more than flightless birds with clipped wings.
She should’ve seen it beforehand; it couldn’t be more evident from how the girls practiced. Uncoordinated, unenthusiastic, and their members didn’t show up on time – some not even at all. It also didn’t help that there was no coach to motivate and inspire the team. To learn that they no longer held championship titles was the cherry on top.
Hinata gripped her arms tighter as the initial wave of grief washed over, with frustration now creeping to the surface. The new onslaught of emotions caused even more tears to spill out of her. Her mind said all the thoughts that weren’t able to leave her dry mouth.
It’s unfair. Her mind screamed.
Not only for herself, but for Michiyma and Aihara as well. Aihara works so hard, Hinata sees it in the way she stretches, exerts her full energy in every practice, even if most of the team doesn’t feel the same. Bearing the responsibility of the team's ace to a new extreme.
It’s even worse for Michiyma, the poor captain. Hinata sees the passion of volleyball ooze out of her during every practice. The way she talks about it, the way her eyes light up when the older girl sees the ball coming towards her. How hard she tries to get everyone to come to practice, but lacks the iron hand needed to reel them in. Michiyma sees the best in all of them, believes in them, pats their backs, providing words of encouragement for each team member. She sees potential in all of them. Firmly believes they all could do wonders, reach nationals even, if they just put in some effort.
Hinata’s frustration soon died down, tears stopped flowing, and her body stopped shaking. Her breaths became more even; the worst part of her breakdown was finally over, but now she just felt hollow. She didn’t have the energy to be angry anymore, nor sad, as of now, she just felt numb, allowing clearer thoughts to enter her mind. Thoughts not clouded by raging emotions.
It’s not their fault, her mind said calmly.
Sports were simply not their passion in life. The other girls had different goals that they poured their everything into. You can’t force someone to be passionate about something. It’s not like she can demand them to take practice more seriously. Much to her inconvenience, volleyball was not their thing. They didn’t have her desire, her drive; they had no spark. And who's she to be on a high horse when she’s the biggest hypocrite of them all? How could she rail on people for not being passionate about volleyball when she isn’t even eager about the sport herself? It's merely a crutch for her beach volleyball career; if anything, she’s angry at a team for not working hard enough to satisfy her own selfish goals.
God, she sounds like that awful King.
Of course, Hinata wasn’t mad at them. Never. She was just frustrated about the situation, more specifically her situation, that just seemed to keep getting worse. The tears shed weren’t just over the revelation about Karasuno; they were for everything. The move, no more beach volleyball, Jun’s condition, homesickness, the prying questions, her homeroom teacher, the Vice-Principal, the comments from Amari, the constant looks, the boys at lunch, the new environment: everything.
It all came crashing down at once.
Now her only saving grace, the one thing keeping her all together, was crumbling right before her very eyes. All her plans were falling down one by one like a meaningless game of dominoes. Lifting her head off her knees, she wiped away the tear tracks. She did feel slightly better after letting it all out, but that didn’t change the situation she now found herself in. Once her face was free from tears, she placed her chin on her knees, brain scrambling to think of a solution.
Perhaps she should just quit the team and practice on her own. That way, she’s not wasting precious time waiting for teammates that may hypothetically show up. Besides, she might as well be working alone, given how some of the members act during practice. Plus, in her interview, she’ll most likely be alone. Just her and maybe two coaches, throwing everything at her to see if she’s met their standards.
Then again, she could also be assigned to play in a small match composed of experienced upperclassmen to see if she brought any value to the team – or dragged them down.
Beach volleyball makes you more versatile due to the limited number of people playing. You have to be able to block, set, dig, and hit at any moment. In indoor volleyball, you have more people relying on you rather than just one other person. Meaning you have to follow the flow of the team. It didn’t matter if she was versatile; it mattered if she meshed well with the others. Normally, in beach volleyball, one rarely crashes into their opponent since it's just one other person. Hinata’s gotten so accustomed to seeing the ball and just going for it; yet in indoor, if she went for the ball when she wasn’t supposed to, it could cause a collision, losing the team a valuable point.
It mattered what you brought to the team as a whole, not individually.
Perhaps Hinata could beg Michiyma and Aihara to practice with her, that way she’d still be working with others. Both were driven and reliable players. Michiyma could finally practice with someone who’s driven like her, and Aihara could finally have a worthy opponent. If she could train with both of them, she could actually get somewhere.
But Michiyma would never abandon her teammates like that. She was a good captain that way, always looking out for others rather than her own desires. Even if she wanted to improve her own skillset, she would stick by the team, and Aihara was loyal to her captain. All three could try to make time after practice, but that was unlikely to happen, seeing as how tired they are after just one practice. While they may have the same passion as her, they lacked Hinata's stamina. Which wasn’t too unusual; it was hard to find people who matched her pace – one of the main reasons why she struggled to find a beach volleyball partner.
Closing her eyes in defeat, she continued to sit there as the cold spring air brushed against her exposed skin. She mentally cursed herself for leaving her jacket inside, but she was too lazy to retrieve it. The wind blowing on her tear-stained cheeks made her face cold, but nothing was going to move her from her current position, not until she came up with a solution. So there she remained seated on the concrete curb, nearly freezing to death with only one thought plaguing her mind.
What was she going to do?
Abruptly, a force collided into her side, sending her tumbling down onto the concrete. To her luck, her forearm managed to catch her fall, causing only minor scrapes instead of a full-on face plant onto the stone beneath her. It didn’t take Hinata long to realize that someone had bumped into her, as the figure next to her let out a small curse as they recovered from the collision.
Oh merda! What if it was a teacher, or worse, the stupid bald Vice Principal?
“I am so sorry.” Ushering out a quick apology as she picked herself up from the ground. Dusting off her uniform as she turned to address the figure directly. “I didn’t mean to block your way, I didn’t see–” At the snap of a finger, embarrassment morphed into blinding rage.
“You!” Out of all the people in the school who could have come tumbling around the corner, of course, it had to be him.
Standing before her, glaring at her once more with those sharp navy eyes, was none other than Kageyama.
The King himself.
“You.” It seemed he couldn’t believe it himself either.
“W-what are you doing here? Are you following me or something?” Hinata pressed, hoping her face looked intimidating and not like she had just been bawling her eyes out minutes prior.
Kageyama just eyed her before eyeing the vending machine before returning to her. Seemingly confused by her question, he simply pointed to the vending machine.
“Whatever, just leave me alone, I need to think.” Hinata spat before sitting back down on the curb. Arms crossed, one leg over the other, her face morphing into a scowl.
Hinata growled. She already has to see this asshole for an hour in the morning everyday, shouldn't that be enough suffering for her. Is this some cruel joke the universe was playing on her? Everywhere she goes, this guy was just gonna be thrown in her direction.
Oh god, she really was in a shity romance manga.
Kageyama awkwardly pressed forward, giving the machine his money, clicking the buttons, and side-stepping away as he waited patiently for his drink. The whole ordeal passed by with an awkward silence between the two as the vending machine rumbled in the background. Soon enough after what felt like an eternity, his drink finally dropped down, allowing Kageyama to retrieve it.
That would have been it, had it not been for Hinata’s impulsive mouth.
“How was it?” She blurted out before she could stop herself. Kageyama stopped mid-stride. Turning around to eye her curiously, wondering if he had heard her right.
“Practice, I mean.” Hinata reaffirmed, finally making eye contact with him as she asked.
A part of her was confused as to why she even asked the question to begin with. It's not like they were friends or anything; however, as much as she didn’t like him, some part of her was curious how his practice went. Aihara did say the boys' team also hadn't been to Nationals in forever, did he know this? The boy had talent, so much so that it hurt her pride to admit it. He showed obvious dedication and love for the sport, making her wonder how devastated he’d be if he found out the truth about Karasuno – if he hadn’t already.
Maybe that's why she asked, she needed to know if she was the only one being screwed over here. She just had to know if the boys' team was just as bad as the girls' or perhaps worse. Looking back, Hinata didn’t see that many people in the gym. Did they also have members not show up? Kageyama was the only one wearing a maroon tracksuit that day. Was he also the only first-year to apply?
Kageyama looked away, detaching his lips from the straw.
He was acting differently than he did this morning. This morning, he was angrier than the day prior. At first, Hinata thought it was just the situation that was causing such strife – heck, she wasn’t exactly a happy camper either – but now looking back, she wonders if it had something to do with how his practice last night must have gone, did it also not live up to his expectations? Hinata bolted out of the classroom the second she was allowed to leave, but she assumed he also went to his morning practice. Did people not show up to the boys' practice as well?
In the very little time she's known Kageyama – or been forced to interact with him – he appeared not to be the expressive type. The only time his face changed from his default scary-meanie face was when volleyball was involved, hence why his face loosened upon hearing her question.
Kageyama bore the look of one deep in thought, much like the one he had when he was serving her the ball yesterday. He seemed to have spaced out when recalling practice; those sharp eyes weren’t laced with as much malice as Hinata’s gotten so accustomed to seeing. They still looked angry, but a more tamed anger than bridal rage.
Irritation. Was he irritated at her for asking the question, or in recalling how practice went, Hinata pondered. If it were the prior, he surely would’ve said by now, he’s definitely not afraid to be vocal about his opinions. Another emotion lingered in his eyes: sadness. It wasn’t as strong as the former, but it was clear the boy was upset about something.
“It was-” he started, but didn’t finish. He seemed to have trouble finding the exact word to express the pain evident in his eyes.
“-disappointing.” Hinata answered for him.
A wide-eyed Kageyama turned to her.
Eyes locked onto each other as they came to the realization. Much like before in the gym, there was no dialogue between them. It was strange, for two people who had just met, they sure were good at reading each other. Maybe it was because their circumstances were similar. Both had high expectations about Karasuno, only to be let down in the worst way possible. Maybe that's why Hinata asked him; she selfishly hoped to find another who bore the same defeated nature as her. Someone who was just as determined and dedicated about something like her, so she didn’t feel like that much of a freak. A person who had a goal, wanted something so bad, but the plans were shot down before they even started.
Anyone she could relate to in an environment where she felt like a complete outsider in every way possible. It looked like she finally did find that person in Kageyama of all people, a surprise at first, but meeting his navy eyes, it confirmed that both first-years were thinking the same thing.
I feel the same.
Hinata, ever the talkative one, broke the silence first. “Wanna sit down?” Gesturing to the spot next to her with her head.
She somewhat expected him to refuse or at least scoff at the offer. Instead, for the second time today, Kageyama surprised her by walking over and awkwardly sitting next to her. Not next to her exactly, more like a good arm's length away, but close to say the least. A beat passed by before Hinata asked another question.
“When did you find out about Karasuno?” She posed.
“Yesterday,” he confirmed. “It wasn’t long after you left, actually. Daichi gave me the rundown. Told me that Karasuno fell off these past couple of years. So much so that other schools don’t even have practice matches with us anymore. Just call us the wingless crows.” The boy spat out the insult with disdain in his voice.
“Is that why you came to Karasuno? You also thought it was a powerhouse school?” Kato did mention that there were other schools close by that looked promising. Someone of his skill level surely would’ve been recruited to play there.
Kageyama hesitated before answering. “I wanted to go somewhere else, but I… didn’t pass the entrance exam.”
Hinata rubbed her arm awkwardly, “I feel that.” Academically challenged, guess that's another thing they had in common.
“But I heard rumors that Coach Ukai made a return. So I decided on Karasuno.”
Hinata blinked. “Coach who?” Kageyama sent her a glare before giving her a harsh shove. It was about time, too; the conversation was getting weirdly sentimental.
“Don’t you know anything you dumbass.” Kageyama roared. “Coach Ukai Ikkei. The same one who led Karasuno to Nationals. Probably one of the most well-known coaches within the prefecture.”
“Yeah, sorry pal, never heard of him,” Hinata grumbled out as she smoothed her shoulder.
“Just like how I’ve never heard of you.” She goaded, causing Kageyama to give her another harsh glance.
“If you haven't heard about me or Coach Ukai–” Hinata rolled her eyes. There goes that ego of his again, “–then you must not be from around here.” Kageyama concluded.
“Really, what gave that away?” Hinata deadpanned. The darker skin, the slight accent, the fact that she fumbled a word every now and then. It really was a surprise he hadn’t put two and two together. Kageyama must have, at that exact moment, finally come to the realization.
“I know what you are.” Oh god, here it comes, she thought . Hinata braced herself for the bombardment of questions, the possible scrutiny, the potential disdain about to leave his mouth.
“You’re from a different prefecture.”
Hinata blinked. “What?”
“Are you from Tokyo? What Junior High did you go to? Where did you learn to play volleyball? How long have you been playing? Did you ever make it to Nationals-”
Hinata just stared at the boy who was talking a mile a minute. Going breathless as he kept spewing out questions about her volleyball achievements, most likely to compare skills and experience.
Hinata couldn’t help but look at him dumbly. Did he really not know it was all over the school yesterday? With the amount of people looking at her, pointing at her, whispering about her, was this guy that much out of the loop, or just plain stupid?
Must be the latter.
Yet she couldn’t help but feel a warmth rising in her chest as Kageyama was spouting out questions like there was no tomorrow. He was so concerned about where she went to play volleyball and how good she was that nothing else seemed to matter. No personally invasive questions, no touching her hair, no asking why she looked the way she did, no pointing or whispering, no questioning her ethnicity, no questioning her entire existence. Just a simple conversation about volleyball.
Well, maybe a one-sided conversation as he was still talking and Hinata had yet to respond, but a conversation nonetheless.
Slowly, a smile formed on her face. “I guess you could say I’m new to the area.” She said calmly, interrupting the boy's mantra of questions, to which he merely shrugged upon hearing the answer.
Kageyama took a sip from his carton before asking another question. “What about you, why’d you pick Karasuno?” Hinata shrugs.
“Was told Karasuno was a good school for volleyball.” Other than that, she knew really little about the school. Everything volleyball-related was through second-hand information from Kato. Or in this case, outdated second-hand information. She should probably call him sometime soon to update him about Karasuno's situation.
“I actually just found out about Karasuno's reputation, Michiyma told me,” Hinata confirmed. That somber feeling was rising up once more.
“I knew something felt off after that first day, I mean, sure, some people didn’t show up, and it was pretty lax, but hey, it was the first day, no biggie. But then people still didn’t show up for morning practice today, and who knows who will turn up for after school.” Words then started spewing out of her mouth rapidly as her hands talked with her animatedly.
“I know some people see it as ‘just a club,’ but you could be somewhat respectful about it and have the decency to show up on time.” That somber feeling dissolved, getting more and more frustrated as she spewed her thoughts out loud.
“Like the least you could do is drop out and let people who actually want to play join, because of this two whole practices have been completely wasted. What about the people who actually care and have desires to go higher, who want something more? Can’t exactly do that with members who apparently couldn’t care less about where they are. It’s not like other people care about the sport and have goals to achieve. Whatever happened to being a team?” Hinata laughed hysterically as she finally cracked.
“How am I supposed to be ready for Saturday if I have no team to practice with ?” With that, Hinata slumped forward, both hands catching her face, feeling as if she might start crying again.
Kageyama simply blinks, not from horror at the display he just witnessed but from intrigue. “What happens Saturday?” He asked earnestly.
Hinata raised her head from her hands; it was her turn to be hesitant. “I-I’m thinking about … transferring school. To one that has a better volleyball club, I’m going to visit Saturday.” It’s not that Hinata doesn’t trust Kageyama to tell him the finer details; she would just rather keep the humiliation of failing an interview to herself – especially from Shiratorizawa of all places.
“Aoba Johsai,” Kageyama quickly blurted out. Hinata wondered if it was the cold weather that was playing tricks on her because Kageyama sounded kinda anxious upon asking the question. Meeting his gaze once more, she took note of his wide eyes and raised eyebrows.
“No, uh, some other school pretty far from here.” She quickly followed up, noticing the sigh of relief he let out when she answered.
Kageyama eyed the ground, “I understand, I would transfer too if I could.” He paused. “I also experienced some issues during my first practice.”
“What they didn’t let you take over,” Hinata teased.
Kageyama snarled, bearing his teeth as he shot her a threatening glance. “No dumbass!” His eyes practically daggers.
Hinata recoiled, almost jumping twenty feet in the air. No more teasing, duly noted.
Kageyama took a deep breath to calm down, returning his gaze to the ground. “Apparently, I have to play in a three-versus-three match on Saturday. At first, I thought nothing of it, but then they explained the stakes. If I lose–” his face contorted into a blend of anger and sadness, the cost of losing was too painful to say out loud.
It was weird seeing the angry boy so… vulnerable. Off-putting in a way. So much so that Hinata almost felt her heart break just by looking at him. The hate in his eyes diminished, that ever-present scowl no longer resting on his face. For the first time since she’d met him, she realized just how young he looked. Now that he was sitting, his height no longer gave the illusion that he was a mature put together upperclassman; now he looked like the lost freshman he really was.
“If I lose… then I can’t be the team’s setter.”
Hinata shot him a concerned look. If Kageyama can’t be the team's setter and other players have already cemented themselves on the team, then his options were limited. It’s either finding another position to play or it's the bench.
Hinata shivered. To be benched for an entire season, only getting slivers of gameplay when having to sub out another member, sounded miserable. That's even to say he’ll be the one subbed in, there are probably older members on the team that are just as eager, if not more so, to be queued in. To wait for the entire season to be over, for the third-years to graduate, only then be placed on the team – if you were worthy of the starting line-up up that is.
An entire season wasted, Hinata got anxious just thinking about it.
Yet that might be the fate in store for her as well. If she doesn’t pass the interview, she’ll be stuck here waiting for a new batch of players to join the girls' club, just praying that some of them are willing to take practice seriously. She has to use this time to grow and get stronger, can’t exactly do that if her team doesn’t get far in competitions.
“What about the other first years, can’t they help you practice?” Hinata reasoned.
“That's not going to work,” Kageyama stated firmly. “They’re who I’m playing against. It’s them two alongside the captain versus me and two other players.” He finished by taking an angry sip out of his milk carton.
“Besides,” he spouted, eyebrows furrowing. “The other first years aren't going to help me out. They’re infuriating to say the least. It’s like dealing with you, but worse.”
“Hey!” Hinata shrieked, kicking him in the leg as hard as she could. Kageyama let out a curse and immediately tried to hit her back, forcing her to scoot away to avoid his blows.
Once a safe distance away, she pressed on, now fully entranced by his story. “What about your two partners, can't they help you get ready. Unless it’s like a ‘no practice outside the gym’ policy.”
Kageyama rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Well, that's another problem. I don’t exactly have partners as of now.”
Hinata's eyes flew open in pure shock. “What? What do you mean?” Did no one else want to play the game with him? Was his attitude that bad ?
“The three versus three is supposed to pit the first years together to test out their skills and determine what position they would play. The other two have already been paired up, but there’s an uneven amount of new players this year.” Hinata nodded along. That was reasonable enough. Sure, she didn’t know the skillset of these two random first-years, but having two upperclassmen on a team alongside Kageyama would definitely tilt the scale in Kageyama's direction.
“Since it would be deemed unfair if I had two upperclassmen on my team, Daichi was hoping another first-year would join the club to make the teams even, but that's unlikely to happen. If people were passionate about the sport, they would’ve been there day one.” Hinata nodded in agreement.
“What happens if another first-year doesn’t join by Saturday?” Hinata asked, unconsciously scooting closer.
Kageyama deflated. “Then the match won’t happen.” He slowly closed his eyes, letting out a defeated sigh. “And I won’t be the team's setter this season.”
An ache reached Hinata's stomach as she sent him a sympathetic look. Sure, Kageyama was bossy, scary-looking, and could be quite mean, but she did find herself feeling sorry for him. It wasn’t fair, just like the position she found herself in. Kageyama would probably be benched, and Hinata would have to wait an entire year for new club members since there was no way she’d be ready for her interview at this rate.
“I guess both of us are in for a disappointing season then,” Hinata stated bitterly, curling in on herself. Both remained silent, lost in their own depressing thoughts. Each trying to navigate a way out of the shitty situation both currently found themselves in.
There has to be something the both of them can do?
At that moment, a lightbulb went off inside Hinata’s mind. It was crazy – like most of her ideas – but it was something.
“WAIT!” Hinata sprang to life. Jumping from the concrete now standing proud. Kageyama just eyed her curiously as he sipped on his milk. “I have an idea,” Hinata turned to address him, face beaming. “We should team up.”
“What?” Kageyama spat out.
“You need someone to partner up with for your three-on-three match, and I need to get some good practice in before Saturday. We can help each other out.” Hinata pointed her finger back and forth between them, smile ever growing.
“You’re crazy.” Kageyama snuffed, getting off the ground.
“Come on, think about it. I’ll play in your match, and in return, you can help me prepare for my interview; it’s a win-win.”
“There’s no way. I want to win, remember.” He turned around to address her once more, judgment ever present in his eyes as they pinned her down. “Can’t exactly do that with a volleyball player that can’t even hit a receive.”
Hinata growled, baring her teeth. “I was distracted! How many times do I have to say that for it to get through your thick, stupid head you–,” Hinata pinched the brink of her nose as she slowly took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down before she said or did anything she’d regret.
She does need him, so she can’t afford to kill him (well, up until Saturday after that it’s fair game), but it’s not her fault there was something about this guy that always managed to get her so riled up. Maybe it was because of his stupid, mean face that just looked so punchable.
Hinata internally huffed at herself; she knew that wasn't the truth. The actual truth behind her hostility towards Kageyama was messy, an ugly showcase of Hinata’s more unappealing side of her character. The ugly truth was that she was simply jealous of him. He was a walking embodiment of what she wanted to be all those years ago: his height, his skill, his recognition.
Sure, beach volleyball has taught her a lot, but she can’t ignore the fact that being off the court for so long has impacted her indoor game negatively, which shook her a little. She used to know the court like the back of her hand, now she’s fumbling serves and tripping over her own feet. Relearning the basics made her feel like she was in grade school again; it was frustrating, not to mention embarrassing. Kageyama was a bitter reminder that she could’ve been at his level if she hadn’t quit three years ago.
She shook her head. No, her reasoning for quitting were justifiable – or at least to her they were – and she can’t change the past (God, she sounds like Kato). All she can do now is try her best to improve herself, and in order to do so, she needed Kageyama’s help.
“Okay, yes, I’ll be the first to admit my skills aren't exactly what they used to be.” Hinata started off slowly. Admitting it was always the hardest step, but it needed to be said. Her eyes then locked onto Kageyama firmly. “But that doesn’t mean I’m completely useless. Admit it, you were impressed by my jump, I saw it written all over your face yesterday.”
Kageyama shifted uncomfortably, refusing to make eye contact with her. He could lie until his nose grew long enough to touch the shores of Brazil, but she caught a glimpse of the admiration plastered on his face when her jump was at its peak. “If you’re so desperate to train for your interview, why don't you just ask your own team for help?” He questioned.
Hinata hesitated before answering. “Everyone on the team has been super nice, don’t get me wrong, but for most of them, volleyball isn’t really their drive in life. Other than the captain and the ace, there’s no one I can really bounce off of, but their schedules are too packed to squeeze in extra practice time.” Finally, Hinata swallowed her pride as she addressed the boy across from her. “I need someone with talent and passion, two qualities you have.” That seemed to have piqued his interest as his eyes widened in surprise at her compliment.
“This season means a lot to me.” She confessed. “I have to make the most of my time here, and I can only do that if I land this interview, and I fear the only way I can do that is with your help. So if you help me get better, I can be a solid player for you on Saturday.”
Kageyama carefully mulled over her offer, seemingly evaluating both pros and cons of the deal before speaking again. “Jumping and agility can only get you so far in a match. It doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be a solid player for me to rely on.” He refuted coldly.
“I'm a fast learner, and with your help, I can be ready by Saturday. You just have to give me a chance.”
“A chance,” Kageyama bellowed. “You want me to risk this match and my position on the team all on a chance ?”
Hinata panicked internally; he was a tough cookie to crack. She had assumed that since his situation was so dire, he’d leap at the offer to have a third for his match. He didn’t exactly have the luxury to be picky, but then again, neither did she. So if he was going to be stubborn, then two could play at that game. Hinata decided it was time to deliver the final blow to seal the deal.
“Well, for your information, this chance right here,” she pointed to herself, “is the best bet you have to become setter on your team.”
Kageyama's eyes narrowed coldly. “What are you saying, short stack?”
“Need I remind you that you have to have a first-year player by Saturday, and you said it best yourself. ‘ If people were passionate about the sport, they would’ve been there day one ,’” she threw his words back at him in her best Kageyama impression. “So you aren't going to find any more first years joining your team anytime soon, so you can kiss that option goodbye. If that match doesn’t happen, sure, you’ll still be added to the team, but you’ll be placed in a different position or worse, benched.”
Kageyama stiffened upon hearing that word, as if it took physical form and threatened to kill his entire family. It seemed that the reality of his situation was finally dawning on him; the days were dwindling, and the time was ticking.
“Meaning as of now, I’m your best option to prevent that from happening. So it’s either you can accept my offer to help you, or you can choose which side of the bench you'll be sitting on during matches.”
A beat passed.
“Someone could still join by the end of the day.” Kageyama’s expression was neutral, but she could hear the uneasiness in his tone. Hinata smirked.
“And if no one does?”
Kageyama let out an annoyed huff before kicking the dirt. He took a deep breath before responding again, calmer this time. “Even if I wanted your help, you can’t play in the match anyway.”
Hinata tilted her head in confusion. “What, why not?”
“You’re a girl.” He said bluntly.
“Oi, what's that supposed to mean!”
Kagyema rolled his eyes. “It’s a boys' team, you can't play.” He stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Hinata dismissed him with her hand. “Blah blah blah Bakayama-”
“What did you just call me?”
“-it's no big deal. I’ll just play in the match, then leave, it’s not like I’m joining the team or anything.”
Kageyama raised a brow. “Didn't you vow to defeat me the other day?”
“For now, our rematch is put on hold. We have to face each other at our best. Can’t do that if we don’t play this season.” When Kageyama remained silent, Hinata persisted.
“Look, you just need another first-year to stand in with you for the match to happen, and I have to train with someone who knows what they're doing. We both need this.” Hinata finally extended her hand. “Deal?”
Kageyama eyed her, then to her hand, then back to her. Finally, and somewhat reluctantly, his free hand clasped onto hers in a firm handshake. Hinata smiled as he shook her hand, doing mental victorious fist pumps in her head.
There was still hope for her.
“Just don’t make me regret this dumbass,” Kageyama grumbled out as the pair detached.
“Have some faith, Kageyama,” Hinata whined. Soon, a bell rang in the background, meaning one thing: lunch was over. “Alright, I gotta go,” Hinata started running off.
“Oh,” she just remembered turning around, “We’ll meet up after practice by your gym.” She ran a bit more before stopping again. “Oh, and ask your captain if it’s okay if I can play. And if he says no, then uh, convince him to say yes.” Kageyama watched as the small orange-haired girl continued to spout out nonsense as she made her way back inside.
Kageyama let out a low groan, already regretting his decision.
❂❂❂
The setting sun brought with it a new cold front. The sliver of warmth the star brought was now long gone, leaving Hinata shivering outside the boys' gym. The girls’ club had let out a bit earlier, giving Hinata plenty of time to rush across the courtyard to stand at the ready by the boys’ gym. Luck, as per usual, was not on Hinata’s side, for it seemed that the boys’ practice was going into overtime, leaving Hinata shivering as she waited aimlessly outside the door.
The simple solution was to simply put her jacket on, but she knew the second she did so, that’s when the team would finally let out, and she’d waste time shrugging her jacket off and neatly folding it into her back. Time was a luxury Hinata simply did not have; every second mattered. She couldn’t afford wasting precious seconds taking a jacket on and off. The second she locked onto Kageyama, she planned on dragging him to the open courtyard to finally begin practice, chastising him for taking so long on the way – once again to save time.
To keep herself warm, she kept herself moving, stomping her foot, rubbing her arms, walking in small circles, anything to keep the body moving. She probably looked like a complete idiot right now. Who else in their right mind would risk freezing their ass off hours after school to get a mere forty five minutes of good practice squeezed in. Not to mention, said person had a whole thirty-minute bike ride up a mountain that she was definitely not looking forward to. Luckily, she’d already texted her mother that she’d be staying a little later, which was a challenge in itself.
Her mother already didn’t like the idea of her biking to school, but she most definitely didn’t like the idea of her daughter biking home late. At night. Alone. While understanding her mother's worries, there was no other option to get to or from school. It’s not like her mom could drive her with the hours she worked, and it’s not like Hinata had a license. Buses only went half the way to her house, so biking was her best bet.
She’s almost sixteen, she does her part around the house. Did almost all of the cleaning, assisted her mother with the cooking when she could. She was practically raising Natsu, making sure that child was doing her homework, brushing her teeth, and getting to bed on time. So why was her mother still treating her like a child?
While a terrible liar, Hinata was able to make up a story about practice running late, and someone already offered to take her to the bus stop. Which technically wasn’t a lie, she was staying later for practice, she just happened to leave out the part about not being with a group of girls, and that she’d be with a boy instead. Just her and a boy. Alone. Together.
Her mother could never know.
Not only would she be grounded for life for lying, but lying about hanging out with a boy, of all things, would send her mother into a spiral. Her mother would assume Kageyama was her secret boyfriend, which was the last thing Hinata wanted. Finding a partner was the least of her priorities; if anything, it would be a detriment to her goal. Hinata gagged; she didn’t like the train of thought she was currently going on. And did her best to ignore the fact that she just put the words ‘Kageyama’ and ‘boyfriend’ in scarily close proximity to each other. Rapidly, her hands slapped both her cheeks in a rhythmic manner. She had to focus because the boys could get out at any minute now. Any minute. Right now.
The doors remained closed, much to Hinata’s irritation. Behind them, all that could be heard were grunts, leather bounding of every surface, and the ever-familiar squeak of shoes on the court. Hinata’s heart beat faster. It sounded like a real practice in there, like passion, like volleyball. Unconsciously, her eyes darted to a barred window close to the doors. Before her brain could realize what she was doing, she was already right underneath the opening. She did have time to kill, plus observing players was a beneficial way to learning new techniques.
Effortlessly in one jump, she grasped the bars and managed to pull herself up, feet resting on the wall to keep her in place. She tried her best to keep her head low, but due to her vertically challenged nature, she had to pull herself up higher. Hinata would just have to be aware of her surroundings and bail at the slightest sound of noise. She apparently had a reputation for being aggressive; she really couldn’t afford people thinking she was a perv as well.
Eyes adjusting to the gym lights, she was able to soak up the view.
There were so many of them attending practice, the whole team must be in there. Not only did the gym seem packed, but everyone was actually participating. The volleyballs were being hit full force across the gym. Others were perfecting their form. No standing around. No gossiping. No tardiness. The captain would say something, and the players would follow through with the order. As fascinating as it was to watch a real practice, the admiration of it all didn’t stop Hinata from gripping the bars tightly. Envy flooded through her like a tidal wave as she locked in on the boys’ practicing.
They have it all. The numbers. The dedicated players. Not to mention, they had the kindest teacher ever to be their advisor, while the girls’ team didn’t even have a coach. She wondered if this is what every practice looked like. Everyone probably puts in the effort to show up on time. Do they waste half their time stretching, too, or do they just go straight into playing? Most likely, their coach has multiple practice games lined up for the whole season, while the girls’ club only had the Interhigh-Preliminaries.
How Hinata wished she was a boy. Never once has Hinata ever wanted to be one or expressed any desire beforehand, up until now. She’d gladly turn into a gross, sweaty, walking block of testosterone if it meant she could play on a team that cared about what they were doing. She’d put herself through a meat grinder if it meant she could be ready for Saturday.
Eyeing around the gym, she saw some familiar faces. The captain, Daichi, was chugging some water. Only to be slapped on the back by the creepy bald sophomore, causing water to get all over the captain's shirt. Right next to them was the silver-haired boy, Suga, who laughed at Daichi yelling at the bald boy before running back to his setter position. Other than that, she didn’t recognize anyone else. Which was odd, the one other boy she would recognize was surprisingly nowhere to be found. Her eyes navigated throughout the entire gym, but to no avail. From the stage, to the middle court, to the benches. Nothing. The room seemed to be Bakeyama-less.
Perhaps in the bathroom, Hinata posed.
A thunderous clap echoed throughout the room, followed by a shout. “Alright, that’s enough for today. Start cleaning.” Daichi’s voice boomed, which Hinata thought was weird because usually the coach was the one who called the shots like that.
Hinata didn’t have time to think about it because not a second later, the boys were running around, brooms and towels in hand. Instinctively, Hinata released her grip, landing firmly on the ground. Practice was officially over, meaning her practice partner was about to make his entrance. About time, too; she was freezing out here. Rushing back to the entrance, she kept her head low until she reached the stairs. Being small apparently had some perks to it. Since she was so close to the ground, she didn’t really need to crouch, so she easily pressed her back against the stairs away from the view. Hinata didn’t really know why she was hiding, but at the same time, really didn’t want to be caught.
Once again, didn’t want to be labeled as a perv, but she also didn’t want to make the boys uncomfortable by having them think she was spying on them. Okay, so maybe she was but not the creepy kind of spying, more so the ‘I have a desire to get better and in order to do that I wanted to observe your practice fueled by a mild curiosity on what your practice looked like, because of some slightly harbored jealousy’ kind of spying.
She’s not insane, right.
Yet here she was hiding outside the boys practice long after hours, freezing her ass off waiting for someone she only somewhat tolerated for an estimated forty minutes or less practice time. Yes, completely sane behavior. It would just be easier, and extremely less awkward, for all parties involved if she just stayed out of sight.
The gym doors opened with a bang , instinctively causing Hinata to shrink down a bit more. From her position, she was able to see boys exiting the gym one by one. Slowly, Hinata inched closer to the end of the stairs to get a better view, while still remaining out of sight. Her eyebrows furrowed with every new player exiting the gym. Most were tall – that was to be expected with the sport they played – hair colors varied, and all were worn out from a good day's practice. Yet none of them were the guy she was looking for. She waited and waited. Patiently watching as the boys chatted with each other, laughed, playfully shoved one another, all the way until they all dispersed.
Hinata’s heart sank at the sound of metal doors slamming shut once more. Once more, she was left all alone. The laughter of the boys grew ever faint as they moseyed on back to their homes.
Did he forget?
Hinata began to shake, but this time not from the cold. Her shaking hands fisted to her side, jaw clenching shut in an effort to control her breathing. She wouldn’t cry; she was too angry to cry. Not even angry, beyond angry. She was downright pissed off.
That jerkwad, her head screamed, as she felt her throat drying up.
Of course, the King himself wouldn’t follow up on his word. The King himself is too good to practice with people ‘lesser than’ him. Did he also forget that he needed the extra help? He could kiss her help for Saturday goodbye. He could find another player to fill in for the match Saturday.
Porra , he could spend his entire season on the bench for all she cared. As justifiable as that outcome may be, that wouldn’t satisfy Hinata. It wasn’t a good enough punishment to heal the pain that she didn’t know why on Earth she was feeling. She barely knew the guy. Merda, she didn’t even like the guy.
So why did this feel like an ultimate betrayal? There was nothing logical that could explain the hurt she was feeling.
Too blinded by her loud thoughts, Hinata almost didn’t register the weight that suddenly found itself on her shoulder. Hinata froze, the hairs on the back of her head shooting up, warning her of the possible danger to come. Her eyes slowly shifted to see an unfamiliar hand resting on her left shoulder. Instinctively, two years of self-defense classes kicked in full swing, literally. In a flash, Hinata spun around, slamming a closed fist into her attacker's stomach full force. A grunt erupted from the attacker on impact. The punch allowed her to get some distance between them. Just as she was about to deliver another blow, her attacker slowly lifted up their head to be none other than…
Kageyama.
There he was in the flesh, donning a white t-shirt and gym shorts. His gym bag was lazily resting across his chest. His blueish raven hair sticking to his slightly red face from a rigorous day of practice.
Hinata felt her heart flutter. “You came.” She didn’t know why she overreacted; they mutually agreed to meet up, and he was just fulfilling his part of the agreement. Probably just her worries dissipating now that he actually showed up and didn’t in fact bail, like she assumed.
Yup, that definitely was the reason.
“What the hell was that for?” Kageyama grunted out, both arms cradling his stomach.
“That’s what happens when you sneak up on people, Bakeyama.” Hinata reasoned, crossing her arms.
“Sneaking up?” He questioned, sounding almost insulted by the acquisition. Standing up tall, one arm still cradling his stomach. “You weren’t paying attention, you dumbass. I was calling out for you for like two minutes.”
“Oh. W-well, it’s still your fault for sneaking up on someone with their back turned.” Hinata justified herself once more, earning a scoff from the boy across from her. It’s not like she was scared or anything, just taken by surprise. A natural reaction to being addressed from behind. Speaking of which , why did he come from the back? Everyone else left from the main entrance, why didn’t he leave the gym with them?
Kageyama just rolled his eyes as he pulled a volleyball from his bag. “Whatever, let's start practicing, we’re losing daylight.”
Hinata shrugged, willing to drop the topic. They had more pressing matters to deal with. “Fine by me.” Time to get this show on the road.
What followed was a surprisingly useful practice. The pair weren’t doing anything extreme since they lacked a gym, and if they hit the ball too hard, it would end up flying into a tree (which already happened twice, and Hinata was the one tasked forced to retrieve it). Other than those two slip-ups, it went smoothly. Hinata used this time to fix the little things; footwork and fixing her receives. They were getting some good practice in, but Hinata couldn’t stand the awkward not-awkward silence. Kageyama didn’t seem bothered whatsoever; he was hyper-focused on the ball that the two had been passing back and forth for the past couple of minutes now. Hinata had half a mind that if she started talking now, he would probably snap at her for ‘distracting’ him.
She took the risk anyway.
“I just don’t get why you’re freaking out so much,” Hinata admitted, finally breaking the silence.
“What do you mean?” Kageyama shot back, his gaze remaining on the ball flying towards him.
“With the way you were talking earlier, I thought you only knew how to be a setter.” Hinata received the ball off her forearms before slamming back over. “But honestly, you could go for any position. Well, maybe not libero, but hey, I’d bet you’d make a great wing spiker.”
Kageyama’s face immediately soured. “Not interested,” he let out in a huff.
“Dang, you’re dead set on that position. Why do you even want to be setter anyway, doesn't the team already have one?” Her mind quickly thought back to the silver-haired third year. He seemed nice, but she highly doubted he’d just willingly give up his spot on the starting lineup – to a freshman of all people.
“Have you ever played setter?”
“Once,” she replied sheepishly, returning the ball. “Didn't work out.”
It was the summer before her first year of lower secondary school at some volleyball summer camp with a coach who had wasted half the day with running drills and switching positions around. When it was finally time to play a match, Hinata got so excited about touching the ball that she accidentally sent it flying into the rafters. It took the rest of practice to get it down. While mortifying at the time, she could now look back and laugh, but she doubted Kageyama would find it funny. The humor of the situation would go completely over his head. Plus, he would most likely take the opportunity to yell at her for ‘disgracing his position’ or something along the lines of that.
Does he find anything funny or is he too busy thinking about being a dick 24/7.
“Even if you don't play setter, I’m sure you can play a different position. You’re good. You can mesh into a new position easily.” Hinata tossed the ball up high in the air before shooting it back with all her strength. “Besides, spikers are way cooler.”
Kageyama remained wordless as he effortlessly caught the ball with both his hands. Fingers digging into the ball once in his grasp. “You don’t get it.” He huffed, not in an angry manner, which was a first. If Hinata was hearing things right, he sounded defeated. Upset even.
“Well, explain it to me then.” Hinata shrugged. They could use a break anyway, might as well hear him out.
Kageyama wasted no time explaining. “The setter is the team's control tower. It’s also the position that gets the most contact with the ball.” Hinata honed in on every word he said. The passion dancing in his eyes just by talking about the position. She had to look away. They reminded her too much of herself; it was like looking directly into the past.
“Yeah, but you don’t really get to,” Hinata kicked a rock away as she talked, her brown eyes focused on the ground instead of the blue ones in front of her, “stand out.”
“It’s less flashy than the other positions, but it’s one of the most vital. You’re essentially the ruler. Nothing in the game can happen without one. Without a setter to toss the ball, there wouldn't be any spikes for you to hit. No setter means the spiker can't get through to get the opponent to block and break the wall.”
Hinata finally found the strength to look Kageyama in the eyes again just as he was about to finish. “It's the most important, cool, and challenging position on the court.” He huffed out with pride. Gone was his typical mean face; in its place were softer features. Eyebrows raised, no longer glued to his eyes in a scowl. His blue eyes were wide, like a child hearing about Santa for the first time. He looked completely starstruck.
What a nerd , was Hinata’s first thought, but not in a malicious way.
The dedication and loyalty to his position were admirable. The sheer passion he had for the sport was respectable. But hearing the softness in his voice. Seeing the light in his almost always gloomy eyes drew her in. Kageyama, behind the scary face, the harsh words, and the ever-present scowl on his face, was just one huge dork for volleyball. When he acted like that, it was actually bearable to be around him. Fun even.
“Okay. Okay, I get it, you want to be a setter.” She joked out in a playful laugh. “I believe we can make that happen.” She turned to address him, only to be met with a somber expression. While he may have tried to keep his face neutral, his eyes gave it all away. Worry. Doubt. Fear. Understandable, although she was only slightly insulted that he still didn’t trust her. She’ll change his mind; she had the rest of the week to do so.
“And we will make it happen.” Hinata didn’t know if she said that to calm him down or herself, but she meant every word. They had a deal. He helped her, she helped him, and Hinata always followed through with her promises, no matter how bleak the situation looked. And while their situation wasn’t hopeless, it was hard to ignore that they lacked one essential element for their practices.
Hinata huffed. “If only we had a gym.”
A beat passed.
Slowly, both of them turned to look at each other. No words needed to be exchanged because they both had the same idea. Simultaneously, they both took off from their practice area, full on racing towards the boy’s gym. The two were neck and neck for a bit before Hinata fully let loose, gaining an edge over the boy next to her. As she inched closer to the gym, she noticed an alarming detail about the building that forced her to skid to a stop. Only for Kageyama to collide into her, sending her tumbling to the ground.
“Why’d you stop?” Kageyama demanded. Not even apologizing for knocking her over. In a panic, Hinata jumped from the ground, slamming both her hands over Kageyama’s mouth, much to the protest of the boy.
“SHHH” She hissed in a whispered yell. Eyes darted to the gym right next to them. Azule eyes followed, and he eventually caught on to the problem.
The lights were still on.
Kageyama slowly removed Hinata’s hands from his mouth. “Are there still people in there?” He asked in a whisper this time. Practice was long over, and everyone should be back home by now. Unless someone forgot to turn off the light and the two were freaking out over nothing.
Carefully, Hinata pulled away from Kageyama, quietly inching towards the window once more. Leaping into action, she grasped the iron bars once more, peering her head into the gym. Lo and behold, three people still lingering in the gym. Hinata turned back to Kageyama, giving him a nod.
“What are they still doing here?” She asked out loud, making sure to keep her voice low due to the trio being close to the window.
“I think I overheard some people yesterday say they were staying later for practice this week. Who is it?” Kageyama questioned, slowly inching closer.
Looking back through the window, Hinata focused on the last three figures remaining in the gym. “The captain, the white haired setter–”
“Suga,” Kageyama corrected.
“Yeah, him and that bald second year.”
“The creepy one.”
“Yeah, that's him.”
Kageyama let out an annoyed huff. Kicking the ground in frustration. “We’ll just wait them out and sneak in when they leave.”
“That won’t work.” Hinata jumped down. “Don’t they lock the gym every night?”
Kageyama hummed before looking around, eyes landing on the only window without bars. “How do you feel about sneaking in through a window?”
Hinata shrugged nonchalantly. “Works for me.” Before Kageyama could even offer her a leg up, a third voice popped up.
“Ahem!” The pair froze in place. Eyeing each other before looking back at the gym. Lo and behold, the creepy second year was there, back turned to them. Just when Hinata assumed the worst, he spoke up again.
“I forgot! We start practice at seven a.m. tomorrow, don't we?” He said in an unusual tone. It was robotic and loud. The weirdest part was how the sophomore was angled, tilting towards the pair outside. Hinata and Kageyama both looked back at each other. Both bearing the same look on their face, sheer confusion.
“Is he talking to us?” Kageyama questioned, returning his gaze to the gym. Hinata was so confused by the situation she couldn't even give him a response.
“Yeah, is that a problem?” A fourth voice popped up, but Hinata couldn’t decipher who it belonged to.
“Uhh, not at all.” The bald sophomore quickly changed topics. “Anyways, do you think Vice Principal's snappy rug made it out alive?” He joked before walking away from the window.
“We’re not supposed to talk about that!” An angry voice spoke out, and Hinata was able to recognize this time that the voice belonged to Daichi.
Hinata wasn’t sure what that was about, but it gave the pair a vital piece of information. Looking back over to Kageyama, it seemed he picked up on it, too.
“Alright, five a.m.,” Kageyama confirmed.
“Don't be late.” Hinata fired back.
As they both started their trek back home. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Kageyama begin to pick up his pace ever so slightly. In response, Hinata began to jog, getting a couple steps ahead of Kageyama, before he began to jog. They both kept that pace before transitioning into a run. In no time at all, the pair were running neck and neck. Running away together, getting faster and faster before breaking off into full-on sprints. Hinata was a good half a mile away from the gym before reality hit her.
“Wait my bag!”
Notes:
(1) There are times when I’m worried I’m writing Hinata too ooc, then I remember that man literally was screaming while running around the whole gym, sobbing after losing to Aoba Johsai in the Interhigh Preliminaries. Hinata’s dramatic af in every universe.
(2) The timeline for season one is a bit wonky, but I always thought Takeda became the advisor for the team after Nishinoya got suspended, so he doesn’t know Noya or that he is a part of the team.
(3) Yes that was a callout to the Kitagawa Daiichi Junior High coach, because I firmly believe the theory that half the reason Kageyama acted the way he acted was because his grandfather just passed and he was grieving and didn’t know how to navigate through his emotions and his coach WOULD DEFINITELY KNOW THAT but made NO EFFORT to help instead chose to further isolate Kageyama from the team who already had trouble connecting with people. You are working with kids under the age of fifteen you are an ADULT you should know what to do in these situations thats what happens when you work WITH CHILDREN and Karasuno is proof that talking and communicating helped Kageyama out for the better, I fucking can’t with that man, he’s my biggest confront character. I hate that bitch, I hate him. I hate that fucking bitch. Anyways.
(4) This is actually inspired by the time my Brazilian coworker flipped me off for the first time. Don’t worry, he’s chill.
(5) The bullying scene was loosely inspired by the scene from The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes.
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