My eye twitched as I watched Hinata marvel over every single thing in the house. The first day of training camp had just ended. The house we'd be staying in was close to school, so we'd have more time to practice. Today was just the first day of rigurous training and I was already feeling it.
I had to admit coach Ukai was a good one. He was strict and pushed us to our limits, but he knew how to play and how to coach us. Though, he still didn't seem to be really into it. A sigh escaped my lips when Hinata raced through the hallways, exploring every room.
"You need to calm down." Tobio said. His hands were snuggly placed inside his pockets as he had his bag on his back.
Hinata turned to look over his shoulder as he opened yet another door. "But it's my first time on training camp!" he exclaimed. His smile was so big I was almost afraid it could tear his face in half. The twinkling in his eyes was just creepy.
"I have to hang around this slovenly bunch all day." Tsukishima said. "What's so fun about that?"
I nodded in agreement. "I agree. Being in the same house as these guys seems like hell to me." I said.
The two of us looked at each other and sighed in annoyance when Tanaka said, "You bastards..." We ignored him as we walked passed the guy that was burning with hate.
"We need all the luck we can get." I said, putting my hands in my pockets.
Tsukishima huffed. "That wouldn't be enough." he said.
We all walked up to the dining room and took place around the table. I was seated between Yamaguchi and Tsukishima. I licked my lips when I saw all the food in front of me. "Thanks for the food." we chorused.
I broke my chopsticks apart and started shovelling the food inside my mouth. I managed to fit seconds, thirds and even fourths in there. I felt someone stare at me and looked up as I was on my fifth serving. "What?" I asked after swallowing.
"How can you eat so much?" Tsukishima asked. His eyes were shining with actual curiosity for once.
I shrugged. "I don't know. I've always been able to eat this much and still stay the same weight." I said.
He tilted his head to the side. "How are you not fat?" he asked.
I blinked at him. "I'm kinda fat, though." I said. I poked my stomach, which wasn't the flattest. Or at least not according to what society these days tells you. I was a bit chubby, which was for modern society already fat. "Well, according to all those photoshopped magazines." I said.
"You're not fat, though." Yamaguchi said. The boy smiled at me as he put his chopsticks down.
Shaking my head, I looked between Tsukki and Yamaguchi. "I know that, Tadashi-- Can I call you Tadashi?" I asked.
"Sure." the boy answered.
Nodding, I said, "As I said, I know I'm not fat. The rich and beautiful say I am." I looked down, thinking back to a conversation I had with my dad the other day. He said I had to lose some weight, because I was getting chubby.
"I agree." Tsukishima mumbled before standing up and walking off.
I rose an eyebrow as I narrowed my eyes at his retreating form. I turned back to Yamaguchi and asked, "What was that about?" Seeing Yamaguchi giggle to himself creeped me out even more. Putting down my chopsticks, I excused myself to go to my room.
I had my own room in the house, seeing as I didn't want to be sleeping in the same room as the guys. I was just checking the weather forecast when someone knocked on my door. "Come in." I said as I stared at the computer screen intently.
Tsukishima walked inside and said, "Your turn to bathe."
I nodded at him and bit my lip, not liking the weather of the coming night. I stood up and looked out the window, seeing dark clouds cluttering together in the sky. "Thanks for the notice." I said, looking over my shoulder.
Tsukishima nodded at me, raising an eyebrow. "What's gotten you so worked up?" he asked.
Shaking my head, I started collecting my things for my bath. "It's nothing." I said.
"Alright." he said. Then he turned around and walked back to the door, sliding it open. He looked over his shoulder, giving me a last suspicious look before disappearing and sliding the door shut.
A sigh of relief escaped me. 'If only that guy knew... I'd never hear the end of it.' I thought.
* * * * *
I watched Shoyo receive the ball successfully for the fifth time and smiled. "Good job." I said as he walked passed me. I yawned and tried to rub the sleep from my eyes.
"You look even worse than usual." Tsukishima said.
"Shut up, Kei. I'm not in the mood for this." I grumbled.
Tsukishima's eyes widened and his eye twitched. "Who gave you permission to call me Kei?" he asked.
I looked up at him, raising an eyebrow as I put my hand on my hip. "Did I call you Kei?" I asked him.
"You kind of did..." Koushi said. He looked at me concerned. "Are you okay?"
I nodded at him, waving a hand. "Yeah, yeah. Totally peachy." I said as I stepped forward to start my turn receiving. I crouched into position and tried to keep my eyes open. I hadn't had a wink of sleep these last few days of camp. The storm made sure I didn't sleep at all.
Next thing I know, I was on the ground and holding my nose. I didn't even have the strength to stand up from the surprisingly comfortable-looking ground. A sigh escaped my lips when a hand appeared in my vision.
After being pulled up, I looked at the person who helped me. "Tsukki?" I asked confused.
"Just call me Kei. It's better than Tsukki." he said. "Don't get used to it." he added before walking away to get a bottle of water.
I shrugged his behavior off, too tired to care at the moment. "Why are you so out of it?" coach asked me.
Looking up at him, I shrugged again. Coach sighed annoyed and said, "Go sit on the sidelines. You're not practicing when you can hardly stand straight."
Much to everyone's surprise, even myself, I simply complied and dragged my heavy limbs to the side of the court. I slumped down against the wall and let my head fall back. I closed my eyes, feeling sleep calling me.
When I woke up, the others were still practicing. It was already getting late judging from the darkness I could see out the window. I yawned and stretched before standing up.
"You're awake? Do you feel better now?" Koushi asked as he walked up to me.
I nodded. "Yeah, thanks, Koushi-senpai." I said. Sugawara blinked surprised. He raised his eyebrow and tilted his head. Realizing my mistake, I made a tiny, careless bow. "Sorry, I simply call everyone I acknowledge as trustworthy by their first name." I said.
"So that's why you called me Tadashi and Tsukki Kei." Tadashi said as he walked up to us.
Giving a small smile, I nodded at him. I looked around the gymnasium at the others. They stared back at me. "So, can I call y'all by your first name?" I asked bluntly. Instead of receiving glares like I anticipated, I got approving nods and gestures back.
I smiled a bit wider, feeling a sense of belonging wash over me. I felt at home with these people, just like with my elder brother. They had the same kind of family-vibe. "Alright, then. Let's clean up and go back to the house." coach said.
* * * * *
My eyes snapped open at the sound of lightning and thunder outside. I quickly sat up and wrapped the blanket around myself. I closed my eyes tightly as I let a tiny whimper escape my lips. My breathing quickened and my heartbeat picked up its pace.
I held my breath when I heard movement coming from the other side of the door. It slid open and revealed a tall guy. "Are you okay, Akira?" he asked.
I looked up to see Asahi staring down at me. The worry in his eyes was evident as he crouched down beside me. I shook my head quickly. "The day of the accident, it was storming as well. Everytime I try to sleep when it storms, I get nightmares of that day." I whispered. My voice cracked and I cursed myself for sounding so weak, but I knew I trusted Asahi. He was like my brother.
An arm wrapped around my shoulder and I was pulled into a chest. My eyes widened as I registered the happening slowly. Asahi hugged me. "There's no need to be afraid." he said. "Everyone's afraid of something. Don't be afraid to tell people." he said.
It felt weird to be hugged. I had missed being hugged by a brother figure. My brother was behind bars and my other brother had vanished without a trace. It was good to be hugged by a brother again. "No word of this to anyone, especially Kei." I said.
His name rolled off my tongue so easily, but had such a foreign feeling to it. I felt that familiar warmth come over me, rising up my neck and to my cheeks. Shaking my head, I untangled myself from Asahi's grib and laid back down. "Can you just stay with me until I fall asleep? Please?" I whispered.
"Of course." was the last thing I heard before darkness took over.
* * * * *
At the end of camp, the weather had cleared up and I was fitter than ever. We all had our bags in hand as we stepped forward to meet our Nekoma opponents. I stood beside Asahi, looking at our opponents before us.
The first one that stood out was a ravenet with a bed-hair style. He had a smirk on his face that could only be rivalled by people like me. I could tell this guy would be an annoyance. Then their was a smaller guy beside him. He had blond hair with black roots and hung flat around his face. He seemed to be the least athletic, yet somehow I knew there was more to this guy.
We all made our way into the gymnasium and started setting up the equipment. When that was done, both teams gathered. We stood in a circle around Daichi, waiting for him to start speaking.
"We've all just met." he said. "We're awkward and fragmented. But regardless, we're facing our first match. We know nothing about Nekoma's team, nor the walls we'll hit." he said. Then he looked us in the eye and smirked. "But when we find a wall, that's our chance to jump over it."
A smirk appeared on my face as I pulled my hair up in a ponytail. We lined up and faced our opponents. I faced Nekoma's second libero, giving him a look-over. The ravenet gulped and looked away, nudging the guy beside him. The guy beside him, number 7, looked at me and met my gaze. He gave a grin before looking back at the others.
All at once, we bowed and yelled, "Let's play!" We shook hands with each other before taking our positions. Nishinoya was libero in this first set, so I sat down on the bench beside Shimizu and watched over the guys. I kissed my necklace and put it back in my shirt.
"Where did you get that from?" Shimizu asked quietly.
I glanced at her before looking back at the court. "My brothers." I said.
"Wow!" Nekoma's number 7 said.
I followed his line of vision to see him staring at Shoyo. "Short!" he yelled soon after.
"Don't underestimate me!" Hinata yelled at the boy.
"I'm not underestimating you at all!" the boy said. He had a large grin on his face as he looked at Shoyo
"Really?" Shoyo exclaimed. His eyes gleaming when the boy nodded at him.
"At least underestimate him a little." Tobio grumbled. Tobio's eyes were set in a glare at number 7. His jaw was tensed up as he narrowed his eyes.
"Shoyo." Kenma spoke up. "I told you I thought we were a strong team. But it's not me that's strong. It's all of us together." He added with a small smile.
The match started with Nekoma's setter, Kenma, serving. Kenma served nicely and the ball flew over the net. Asahi quickly ran to receive it and passed it to Tobio. "Sorry, it was a little short!" Asahi yelled.
"That's what you get when you ditch a month, Asahi-san!" Nishinoya yelled at the older guy.
Tobio ran under the ball, hands already in a position to set the ball. Shoyo ran forward, making a sudden sharp turn before sprinting along the net. He ran to the other side of the court and jumped, closing his eyes as he awaited Tobio's spike. Tobio tossed it with the same accuracy as always, Shoyo spiking easily.
The court had gone silent, everyone was in shock at the quick that Hinata and Kageyama had just performed.
"Amazing speed. What the..." Inuoka, number 7, said with wide, shocked eyes.
"A fast attack from a place like that?" Yaku-san, Nekoma's libero, exclaimed astonished.
Kenma walked forward. "That was amazing. I'm shocked." Kenma said. Shoyo laughed awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head.
The whistle blew and it was Ryuu's turn to serve. "Here goes." He said as he served.
Fukunaga, Nekoma's number 6, received the ball neatly. The ball went towards Kenma, who set the ball for Yamamoto, Nekoma's ace. Yamamoto spiked the ball, the power behind it almost visible. Nishinoya quickly received it, sending it to Tobio.
"Nice receive." Tobio said as he tossed the ball. While the blockers jumped to block Shoyo, Asahi jumped and slammed the ball down. Nekoma's libero almost received it, but with his hand angled wrong, it bounced the wrong way and went out of bounds.
Nekomata laughed and said, "Well, that point was inevitable."
Then it was time for Noya to go out, and Kei to go in. I smirked and yelled, "I'm counting on you, titan!" He just looked at me and narrowed his eyes before walking further. I smirked widely and chuckled almost evilly.
"Don't be mean, Tsukishima." Noya said. He grinned and walked off the court, giving Kei a playful slap on his arm as he passed him. Kei looked at him annoyed, rubbing the spot Yuu had slapped. On Nekoma's side, Inuoka was changed for Yaku-san.
Yuu walked up to us, grabbing a bottle of water and taking a sip. "Their libero is trouble. He's never seen Asahi-san's spike, but still managed to touch the ball." he said. He looked over to Nekoma, studying their libero intently.
After a while, Yuu had to get back in the game again. "Excuse me, please grab this." he said. He pushed the bottle of water into my hands and ran off.
I narrowed my eyes at him and huffed, placing the bottle down. I crossed my legs as I let my eyes go from player to player. Ryuu ran up to the net and spiked the ball. Yamamoto failing to block him. Yaku tried to receive the ball, but failed as well. Ryuu landed and roared in victory.
The match continued with Yuu receiving, Tobio setting and Shoyo spiking that freak quick of theirs. After a while, Nekomata asked for a time out. "This is ridiculous." he said.
I watched as the team grabbed some water. I held up a bottle as Kei walked up to me. He nodded at me, taking the bottle before taking a sip.
"Good job." I said. "Well, for you." I added.
Kei narrowed his eyes and smirked at me. "At least I can say I've done something." he said.
"Why you..." I growled. I was about to say more when the whistle blew. I scoffed and crossed my arms, eye twitching. "At least make yourself useful." I said. I waved my hand to the court as I grabbed his bottle.
"As you wish, Queen." he said, walking off.
My eyes widened at his words and I felt my cheeks heat up again. My mouth opened and closed like a fish as I struggled to find something to say. As I saw his victorious smirk, I sighed and let it go. 'Honestly, this annoyingly charming guy.' I thought. A small smile made its way onto my face as I looked at Kei stand in position. My heart skipped a beat at the cocky smirk he sent me.
Shaking my head at my own thoughts, I stood up and put my hands in my pockets. "Where are you going?" Coach asked.
I looked over my shoulder and said, "Bathroom." Then I continued my way to the bathroom. When I found one, I looked in the mirror. The girl in the mirror didn't look like me. She was glowing, almost happy-looking. Her shoulders were relaxed instead of tensed up from stress. The girl in the mirror looked good. And I knew it was me, but I somehow couldn't see it.
Only in the girl's eyes I could see who I really was. Her eyes looked dull. The hidden stress, pressure and sorrow was visible only to those who took the time to look. A sigh escaped my lips as I thought back to my exchange with Kei. 'What's wrong with me?' I thought helplessly.