WildFire

31

Perhaps school pride had gotten to you a little bit, since despite your adoration for Hinata, you couldn't help but feel a little bitter at Karasuno's victory–and a little mad at Oikawa's stupid, egotistical ankle for twisting.

After a while at the chaotic position of part of the girl's volleyball team in Aoba Johsai, you had learned quickly to disrespect the male setter. Even Ai, who seemed so shy in the beginning, now had no trouble criticizing the social man. You supposed that's what happened when you were popular–people liked you, whether it was in the form of affectionate violence or affectionate insults.

Despite the small disappointment and Seijoh's loss, you were quick to wrap your arms around Hinata–in a sisterly way, of course–when he leaped towards you.

"You're all covered in sweat," you complained after letting him go.

He grinned sheepishly, "sorry."

You smiled back, ruffling his fluffy ginger hair (you could be an opportunist if you wanted to) as you asked, "Starting lineup, huh? One step closer to becoming the new Little Giant."

"Yeah!" he chirped cheerfully. Then, he pouted as he looked over at Kageyama's scowling face, "I have to play with Kageyama all the time though...he gets really grumpy sometimes."

"Hinata..."

You laughed as Kageyama turned around in an instant, his eyes almost glowing with anger, and assaulted Hinata in a variety of punches and insults, as his sharp ears had apparently picked up what Hinata was saying about him.

In normal circumstances, you'd be worried for Hinata, and would be currently trying to pry Kageyama's furious form off the ginger right now. You would've thought Kageyama might've been seriously trying to harm the boy after witnessing his aggressive nature, but you could clearly see there was a playfulness as the two tackled each other, shouting nonsense at each other.

At least you were pretty sure it was there.

"Don't mind them," you jumped, startled, as you felt a hand pat your shoulder.

His face was gentle and his hair a soft gray like a koala of some kind. A little ahoge stood up, trying to be different and apparently defy gravity, and his grin was contagious.

You thought he looked like a popular kid, perhaps not one anyone would crush on, but one that everyone knew they could depend on no matter what. You hadn't seen him play in the game against Aoba Johsai, so you wondered what position he would've played.

"Oh, um," you paused, trying to rearrange your words in a way that people could understand. "Yeah."

"I'm Sugawara Koushi," he introduced, giving you a closed-eye smile. "What's your name?"

"[Name]," you stated, neglecting your surname once again. You gave him your own shy smile, nervous about meeting someone new, though you didn't really let it show. "Nice to meet you, Sugawara-san."

"You're Hinata's friend from junior high, right?" he inquired.

You nodded, and he laughed brightly, "he was excited about you coming here to see the practice match. Which school do you go to?"

Ah, right. You glanced down at your uniform, thinking it was your usual 'Aoba Johsai' cyan t-shirt. Would it be weird to tell him that you were from the school they were just playing against as an opponent–coming to support someone on their team? Probably. But you should tell him anyway.

"Is that a girl?"

You turned rapidly to find two boys–one of them bald and the other the famous Nishinoya libero–running towards you at an immense speed, arms wide open to hug you as if personal space was a nonexistent concept to them.

You flinched as they stopped last second, a few feet away from you, eyes wide and on the verge of tears. You wondered inside what you could have possibly done wrong, glancing nervously at Sugawara, who bonked both the boys on the head with a sweet smile towards you.

"This is [Name]," introduced Sugawara, still smiling. "[Name], this is Tanaka and Nishinoya. Please excuse their idiotic behavior."

"[Name], are you single?" Nishinoya asked, his eyes filled with hope as he stared up at you. His eyes were warm chocolatey brown, and his unlimited energy was what you had not been expecting from the libero.

You supposed you were expecting someone a little more like you–someone you could relate to a little more. Instead, Nishinoya Yuu was in a whole other category that confused you just looking upon it. You definitely did not expect this impulsive, fired up boy that wanted to know your relationship status.

"Ahhh, [Name]-chan!"

You turned around, putting on your annoyed face when really, inside, you were quite happy. Of course it was Oikawa Tooru: he wouldn't miss a chance to greet someone he knew, even if they pretended or actually disliked him.

The members of Karasuno tensed up as he approached towards you, waving a hand excitedly in your direction.

"Do you know him, [Name]-chan?" Hinata inquired, eyes wide while staring at Oikawa. You supposed his serves left an impression on the tangerine boy. "The Great King–you know him?"

You had no idea where that nickname had come from, but agreed, "if you mean Oikawa, yes."

"You go to Aoba Johsai?" Sugawara asked curiously, putting a finger on his chin thoughtfully at your nod. "That's cool."

"Yep!" Oikawa chirped, putting a hand on your shoulder firmly as if telling them without words where your alliance was like the petty jerk he was. He narrowed his eyes at the karasuno volleyball members, "[Name]'s the best libero in the Seijoh Girl's Volleyball Team!"

"I'm the only libero, Oikawa," you scowled, not bothering to acknowledge the third-year with respect. "And just because I go to Aoba Johsai doesn't mean I can't support Hinata."

"That hurts, [Name]-chan," Oikawa complained. "Kunimi-chan would be hurt too if you go supporting the enemy. In fact, he's probably a little irritated right now."

"Kunimi?" you echoed. Why would he be irritated that you had a friend in Karasuno? Jealous that you were going to replace him or something? "Why?"

Iwaizumi stopped Oikawa before he could say anything else with a nice punch, "Don't meddle, Dumkawa!"

You didn't particularly care though. You now scanned the gym, looking for Kunimi's bored, brown ones. He was staring at you, a mix of emotions in his gaze. But when he caught you looking at him–he quickly turned away with an arrogant tilt of his head, avoiding your eyes.

This seems familiar.