The Cat and the Crow

Vs. Fukurodani

Honestly, he didn't know why he'd gone through the trouble of trying to forget, but Kei was at a loss. When the bus pulled up to the curb at Nekoma High, the first person he saw was the captain. Dressed in a black t-shirt and red shorts, his dark hair still messy, and that smirk on his face... nothing had changed about him. And from what he could see, the captain was watching everyone as they got off the bus. Surely he wasn't looking for him? They'd only met once, and briefly at that, two months ago.

"Tsuki, you okay?" Tadashi asked from beside him. He was already standing, waiting for him to move. "I know you didn't sleep much last night, but you were able to sleep on the way here, right?"

If only he knew, Kei thought as he looked up at his best friend. "A little bit," he said, which was mostly true. He slowly rose to his feet, retrieved his bag from under the seat, and followed Tadashi off the bus. He made a show of yawning, and Noya-san started pushing him from behind. Kei could literally feel when the captain looked at him. He shivered and felt his face heat up; he almost looked back.

Instead, he hid behind another yawn.

Another Nekoma player came up and escorted them to the room they'd be spending the night in, and after everyone had changed and put their things up, he and Tadashi made their way down to the gym. It looked like the other teams were warming up, ready to start camp.

"I'm so nervous," he heard Tadashi mutter from beside him. "But also, kind of excited. I still can't believe we've been invited to play with these powerhouse schools."

"Yeah, same," Kei replied, though not necessarily for the same reasons. He started to go join the others for warm-ups, but he was stopped when Tadashi grabbed his arm. When he turned to face his friend, his arm was released.

"Sorry, Tsuki," Tadashi said, mostly out of habit. "But... something is up with you, and I don't know why you're not telling me."

Had he really not told Tadashi? Usually, he'd be the first person to go to when Kei needed to talk. They'd practically grown up together, and lived within walking distance of each other. But thinking back on it, it was clear he'd kept it all to himself.

"Sorry," he apologized. "There isn't really too much to tell, but I promise I will once I figure things out."

"Okay."

Moments later, Daichi called for everyone to gather around Coach and Takeda. As they jogged over, Kei noticed Tadashi looking at Yachi, a slight blush on his face. Well, now. They really did need to talk, it seemed. He grinned at his best friend as he glanced around at all the other teams again. For a few moments, his eyes met those of the Nekoma captain, and he quickly looked away.

[We need to talk]

"Hey, Tsukishima," Suga got his attention as he was swapped out for Tadashi. Kei entered the warmup box and stood next to the upperclassman. He said nothing, but waited patiently for whatever Suga needed from him.

"You seem to have caught the attention of Fukurodani's setter and ace," he mentioned casually. "Any idea why?"

So, he wasn't the only one to notice, though to be fair, the two hadn't really been that secretive about their curiosity. During each rotation, when he'd be opposite one (or sometimes both), the two would ask little questions, or offer tidbits of info. They were brief exchanges, and sometimes Kei would reply, but the game was only a set long, and he wasn't about to be the slacker of his team.

Kei shrugged. "None, really," he answered Suga. Although, by now, he'd gathered that those two were friends with the Nekoma captain.

Suga merely stared at him, and Kei knew he wanted more of an answer than what he got. Team Mom, indeed. Kei noticed Tadashi had served another ball, but it grazed the net. Fukurodani saved it, and the rally started. He didn't have much time. "I think we have a break after this set, yeah?"