𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚 → 𝙩. 𝙠𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙮𝙖𝙢𝙖

⁰⁰ the end and the beginning

"i've never seen them, but then again they are about half an hour away. maybe they're as good as the girls" yamaguchi replied with a shrug.

they soon found themselves standing near a crowd of kitagawa first students as they watched the game in front of them.

"the games already started! see tsukki, we missed them warm up" sakura rolled her eyes in frustration.

tsukishima chuckled "well looks like we haven't missed much" he replied referring to the current state of the game.

the score was 9 to 0 and based on the last play, yukigaoka didn't look like they were going to catch up. sakura looked down at the polish on her nails, disappointed by the outcome of the game, when she heard a boy on yukigaoka call for a toss. they'd manage to get a clean pass up and the ball was making its way to the setter.

the setters toss was messy, you could tell that he hadn't been playing the position for long but that didn't seem to stop the short orange haired boy on yukigaoka to start up his approach and when he jumped, you could practically hear the audience gasp. he was short, no taller than 5'3 maybe? still, he had quite the vertical, but by the time he swung his arm to hit the ball, the triple block was already up and there was practically nowhere to swing but into it.

"woah that kid can really jump," yamaguchi said, shocked.

"ya but look at those blockers, he doesn't stand a chance" tsukishima replied. he wasn't wrong but sakura couldn't help but feel bad for him, you could see he was really trying. the way he'd run after every ball, even if it seemed like he wouldn't make it. he was so determined and she admired that in a player.

after a few more plays, sakura's pity for yukigaoka started to set in and she turned her back around, leaning it against the rail of the overhead viewing area.

"nope, can't do it, i can't watch." she said and crossed her arms over her chest, head hanging down low.

"oh c'mon you were the one who wanted to watch in the first place!" tsukki said.

"ya i know but look at them! they're getting crushed-" sakura stopped mid sentence after hearing some sort of yell behind her.

"pick up the pace! why aren't you guys taking this game seriously?!!"

"i- is he- yelling? at his own teammate??" sakura was at a lost for words. in all her years of playing she'd never seen someone yell like the way that boy did.

"yup"

"so that's the king?" yamaguchi asked.

"yup. i'm surprised he's not yelling more honestly, he must be in a good mood" tsukki said.

the king had talent, anyone with eyes could see that. his accuracy was amazing and based on pure skill, he was definitely the best setter in the junior high prefecture, hell he's probably better than some high schoolers.

but none of that mattered because of his attitude. he'd get angry and throw crazy tosses making it nearly impossible to hit.

"why didn't you run for it?! don't even let your guard down! don't stop playing until the game is over!"

there. he did it again. why is he yelling at his team? he threw up at an awful toss with absolutely no communication?? why is he mad at his own team!?!

he has all this talent and is just throwing it away.

"that toss was impossible! what's wrong with that guy?! if he ever yelled at me like that i'd slap him right across his stupid face!" sakura pulled her arm back and swung in a slapping motion, not actually hitting anything, just showing the boys what she'd do.

if there was one thing sakura hated more than losing, it was lousy teamwork.

"sakura stop. they're looking at you" yamaguchi whispered tilting his head toward the students who were wearing kitagawa first uniforms, they definitely saw and heard her. sakura just let out a strangled groan before turning her attention back to the game.

before you knew it the game was at match point.

the score was now 7 to 24 with kitagawa first in the lead, obviously. the ball went over the net and yukigaoka got a pass up but just as the ball hit the setter's hands, it went backwards.

a backset? no way, there all amateurs and even if they did know how to do that, they wouldn't bring it out now, so it must be a miss hit although the ref didn't call it a dribble.

just as sakura thought the game was over due to a terrible set, out of practically nowhere the same orange haired kid ran around the setter and swung. hitting around the block and down the line.

he doesn't look like he's been playing long and he's able to do all that? this kid is insane!

but when the linesman raised his hands up signalling the ball was out, that's all sakura needed to go off.

"are you blind?? that ball was obviously on the line! do you need a pair of glasses?!" sakura turned to tsukishima, grabbing the glasses off his face before waving them around in front of her "here take tsukki's, you clearly need them more!!" sakura's mouth was swiftly covered by a hand causing her to stop speaking.

"sakura stop yelling the games over ok?" yamaguchi told her with his hand still covering her mouth. tsukishima had a sour expression on his first as he grabbed the glasses from sakura's hand and started wiping them with the bottom of his shirt.

"and that toss was a dribble anyways kobayashi, you know that" he scolded as he put on his glasses.

he was right again, it was a dribble and even if they did win that point, yukigaoka still would've been down 9 to 24, but sakura didn't care.

she just wanted to see the two of them play, even if it was only for one more point.

sakura could tell that the king and the orange haired boy both wanted to win, badly. the game was unlike any she'd witnessed before. both of the boys were willing to push themselves as far as they could go in order to win, but unfortunately for the orange haired boy, it was too little too late. they both had the type of fiery passion sakura only ever seen in movies. the type she dreamt of having.

and even after years and years of playing the sport, she still lacked that those feelings towards the game. the feeling that made you want to play, instead of being forced.

"hey we better get going," yamaguchi said. he removed his hand from sakura's mouth and started walking away with tsukishima but sakura stayed put as she watched as the two boys have some sort of argument in the middle of the court.

"sakura c'mon"

she didn't move.

"fine we'll just get otoko onigiri without you" tsukki said and her two friends started walking away. that's when the boys on the court finally walked to the end line and she snapped out of her thoughts.

"hey! hey guys, wait up, i'm coming!" sakura turned around and started running towards yamaguchi and tuskishima flailing her arms
as she called out their names.

i wonder what they were arguing about.

─────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.🌸 .* :☆ﾟ. ───────