Strategize: Haikyuu Fanfic

Chapter 69: Nightmares

It all started as a hunch - an odd intuition where she felt as if she was being watched. At first, she thought nothing of it, assuming that it was just a figment of her imagination. The small seed of anxiety grew and soon started leeching the back of her mind. It also didn't help that she had trouble falling asleep again, waking up drenched in cold sweat after getting that same old nightmare.

Tonight was no different, her breathing built up in speed, coming fast and shallow. Pleading mumbles escaped her lips before her body shot itself up, her pupils widening for a split second and gasping for air.

She laughed weakly in relief, breathlessly murmuring to herself. "I need to get my shit together..."

The cold dankness of her her shirt made her get up and head to the closet to get changed, dragging herself lazily. After pulling on a fresh new shirt, she propped herself back on the bed. She forcefully squeezed her eyes shut, silently praying to the heavens to spare her another hour of sleep. It was four in the morning, and the skies were at its darkest.

She sighed heavily, shifting her position to where she faced the nightstand. Her phone sat near the edge, meekly calling her name. Tsukishima did tell her to start relying on him more often...

Hesitantly, she reached out to grab her phone and unlocked it. Her finger scrolled through her contacts, stopping at the name 'Blonde Trash'. She pursed her lips, her finger hovering over the call button before deciding against it, pressing the sleep button.

I need to stop burdening others...

***

Nevertheless, she still attended today's practice. Her eyelids were droopy, half closed from drowsiness as she continued to sloppily scribble in her notebook. The girl was attacked with harsh scolding from Coach Ukai, though she paid no attention.

"I told you to take the day off! Geez, you look horrible!" He said, snatching the notebook off her grasp. Finally, she looked up to see his face. Fortunately, her sleep deprived brain didn't affect her ability to sass others.

"Thanks for the compliment, boss." She replied sarcastically, her words slurred in her mouth, barely comprehensible. Coach Ukai's eye twitched as his mouth opened for a retort, which was interrupted by Takeda Sensei, much to her relief.

He laughed with a hint of uneasiness before speaking, "D-Don't you think you're pushing yourself a bit too much...?"

"I'm fine. I got three hours last night. New record..." She reassured, launching herself in Coach Ukai's direction to snatch back the notebook, making her topple over. Luckily, she shifted her body weight in time before losing balance.

It's a hopeless case, really. The two men sighed before finally leaving the girl alone in the benches, only to be replaced by the oddball duo soon after.

"Ayame! You look tired...!" Hinata pointed out, to which she replied with a lazy shrug.

"I heard."

"How did we do today?" Kageyama asked with eagerness in his tone.

"Always wanting feedback, huh... There's nothing wrong with that, I guess..." She mumbled, flipping though the flimsy pages of her notebook. In Ayame's eyes, the inked words shook tremendously along the lines of the page, making her eyes squint in hopes to rid the haziness in her vision. The throbbing of her temples grew steadily with each word she read.

"Today's quick success rate is eighty percent... Maybe if you- " She grimaced at the pain in her temples, taking the duo by surprise. Without giving them the opportunity to point it out, she continued. "...try slowing down your tosses a bit so that Hinata gets more time to review his choices in the air, it'll increase to ninety..."