His Warrior Queen: A Haikyuu!! Novel (Tsukishima x OC)

Chapter 94: Kuroo: This is It

Well friends, this is it.  The day has finally arrived.

The Trash Can Showdown.  The Battle at the Garbage Dump.  The Cats versus the Crows.  Call it what you want, but it's finally time.

Today, we face our friends and rivals across the net in a real game.  A game where one of us is going home afterwards.  Winner takes all today - there's no second chance.  I gotta admit - I'm excited.  We've been waiting for this for a long time.

The excitement is palpable as we enter the arena.  We've got a lot of fans here today, and things feel almost electric.  Everyone on the team seems a little extra excited - even Kenma, and that's saying something.  We go through our regular routine of preparation for a game, and across the net from us, Karasuno is doing the same.  I can see Tsukki and Nakano going through their own little ritual - he steals a kiss from her as she's trying to get everything set up.  I look up into the stands...but I can't find Amalie.  Well, there's an awful lot of people here, that's not surprising.  I know she's here, though.  She wouldn't miss this for anything.  Over on the sidelines, the Boku-bro has arrived with Akaashi.  Fukurodani has a game today too, but I know they'll stay as long as they can.  After all, it's Bro-sketeer against Bro-sketeer today, and that's gonna be worth watching.  

It's time.  I call my team together, and we huddle. 

  "We're like the blood in our veins.  We must flow without ever stopping.  We must keep the oxygen moving so that the mind can function at peak efficiency."

I pause, looking at the guys.  We're ready.  There's nothing else we need, nothing more we could possibly do to prepare.  This is it.

"Karasuno..." I mutter, gathering my strength for a roar.  "We're gonna eat you alive!"

On the other side of the court, Karasuno finishes their huddle.  As we all move into position, I hear it.  

"SEXY TREE!!!"

I look up, as half my team laughs, mocking me, while the other half is practically manifesting heart eyes.  There she is, laughing and waving and making a heart with her hands.  Ogawa Amalie is flat out crazy, and doesn't seem to care who knows it.  

She's amazing.  I throw her a kiss, and get myself into position.  Kenma looks at me, the tiniest little smirk on his face.

"Don't you dare sass your captain right before we start a game, Kenma," I say, giving him a glare.

"I didn't say a thing, Kuroo," Kenma responds, getting himself ready for Kageyama's serve.

And then, all of a sudden, the whistle blows, and the game begins.

It's a long rally right out of the gate.  These are not the same Crows we've played against in practice matches so many times.  I know that, objectively, just from watching the games they've played in here at Nationals.  

And yet, that knowledge somehow does not prepare me entirely for the reality of playing against them myself.  

The long first rally ends with Shoyo and Kageyama busting out the freak quick attack.  As many times as I've seen that, you'd think I'd have gotten used to it.  But seeing it happen in front of you, it's stunning, every time.  

They've evolved, of course.  They have to.  Heck, they're Crows...the very nature of their team, their very strength, is the ability to adapt, to adjust to the opponent they face across the net.  And they will adjust to us quickly, as they've faced us before, they know us...just as we know them.  Kenma sees it well.  He knows Shoyo is evolving, has prepared a strategy that takes that into account.  They've opened with the freak quick, reminding us of the power of that weapon.  And now...Hinata will use the very existence of that attack - the mere possibility of it occurring again - like a decoy.  Making us commit resources to preventing an attack that never comes.