CHAPTER EIGHT: DAISUKE
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"Winning isn't everything-but wanting to win is."
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"Ma~an," Daisuke groaned, dropping Saruhiko's wrist after Kuroo took a step back. Saruhiko backed up, his eyes wide as he looked up at Daisuke. Her brother had definitely gotten taller, surprisingly so. She was sure that the doctors and medical trainers in America helped with that, as well as the obvious increase in muscle. His hair was disheveled and unruly, and the tight shirt he wore showed enough muscle to make Saurhiko squirm. There was one thing that remained the same about her brother.
He was still intimidating as hell.
"If I was a couple years younger I wouldn't hesitate to punch you right in the throat," Daisuke stated with a casual smile, "But considering I'm an adult, I have to let you go."
"Who - Who the hell are you?" Saruhiko stuttered, pursing his lips together as he tried to stand straighter.
"Hah?" Daisuke leaned closer to the 3rd year, pointing to his ear while he spoke, "Didn't you hear Rin? Daisuke. D-A-I-S-U-K-E. Did he hit you before I came in here? Or are you just dense?"
Saruhiko flushed.
Daisuke's aloof and (almost) comical demeanor was terrifying, his lips were pulled into a sly grin but his eyes narrowed so dangerously even Kuroo was scared, "Nekomata Daisuke, pleasure."
The color drained from Saurhiko's face, obviously Daisuke had seen him push Rin away and nearly swing at her. And if Kuroo was scared, he wasn't sure how Saruhiko was holding up (he really didn't care). Daisuke was nothing short of threatening. Just looking at him, he looked like the type of guy to beat your face in with a charming smile. Plus, Kuroo didn't remember the last time he actually had to look up at someone. Sure, the teen wasn't the tallest person in the school - but he had never met someone of Daisuke's height. The male looked to be well above 2 meters, it was no wonder why he played basketball in America.
Daisuke's bright blue eyes traveled from Saruhiko over to Rin and Kuroo, for a moment the two males locked gazes.
Daisuke's "serious" face dropped, and a large grin made its way onto his face, "You must be Kuroo-kun! I've heard a lot about you!"
Kuroo blinked, "Huh?"
"Daisuke!" Rin growled, her hand flying past Kuroo's face and straight towards Daisuke's chin. She really wanted to aim for his forehead like she use to, but he was taller than before and his chin was the easiest thing to thump with the heel of her hand.
Daisuke rubbed his jawline with a smirk, his eyes turning to look at Saruhiko almost lazily. The teen had attempted to take a step back in the little spat between the siblings, but Daisuke wasn't blind. The man grabbed the back of Saruhiko's shirt, raising a single finger and wagging it at the teen. His voice was light and almost friendly, but Saruhiko began to sweat even more at the tone. It made him uncomfortable, "Nuh uh uh~. You're coming with me, short stuff."
"W-Why should I?"
Daisuke grinned, and if Saruhiko was any less prideful than he already was, he might have pissed himself, "You're on the Volleyball team right?"
Saruhiko could only nod, afraid that he would stutter once more.
Daisuke clicked his tongue, "Well, there's a problem here. 'Cause Kuroo-kun is also on the team, and you just tried to knock his lights out. But that's not even the part that bothers me. You see, my sweet, lovable, little sister is the manager and I'm pretty sure you pushed her. I mean look at how fragile she looks, what if she's emotionally scarred for the rest of her life?"
Rin didn't even notice that she had clasped her fingers around Kuroo's upper arm, squeezing at the red fabric of his Nekoma jacket. Truly, her brother was an idiot at times, but even she couldn't deny the fact that he could be pretty frightening. Though, it did make her feel a lot better to know he was around.
"What I'm getting at here," Daisuke stood straighter, pushing his shoulders back and tilting his chin up as he smiled, "Is that you're going to go tell the old man that you're quitting. If not, I might just have to report you for assaulting my sister. How could would that look for college, third year?"
Saruhiko looked about ready to faint as Daisuke dragged him away, the taller male calling over his shoulder at the two, "It's Friday! Please join us for dinner Kuroo-kun, Rin is cooking!"
Rin and Kuroo both stood still for a couple seconds after Daisuke was out of sight, both in a surprised silence. Rin's brows were scrunched in the middle of her forehead and her lips were pulled up in an awkward grimace.
"..."
"Why do I feel like that was more of an order than a friendly request?"
"Daisuke doesn't ask questions, he gives orders that just sound like them."
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"Stupid, stupid, stupid."
Kuroo leaned his cheek into his palm, watching as Rin scrambled around the kitchen. The walk to her house was the first time the two had been in an awkward silence. Neither of them knew if they should mention what Saruhiko had said. Did Rin come clean and just explain what the hell actually happened? Did Kuroo openly ask? Both of them were unsure, so they just remained quiet about it all. Yasufumi had yet to return, and Daisuke was still missing while Rin had been scrambling around the kitchen for the past half hour trying to get dinner for 4 ready and served.
"Jerk wanted Yakisoba," Rin muttered, placing lids on the hot plates, "Stupid, stupid, jerk."
The two teens lifted their heads when the front door opened, following by a loud 'I'm home' from Daisuke. Rin scrambled around the kitchen and Kuroo lifted a brow as she ungracefully stumbled and rushed towards her brother. For a second he thought she was going to try and hit him again, but he was surprised when instead she wrapped her arms around him - hugging him tightly while repeating "stupid" over and over.
Though, once the siblings let go Rin didn't hesitate to punch her brother right in the stomach. She yelped, turning away with a pout and shaking her hand off while shooting him a lazy glare, "I told you the first think I would do was punch, but I lied. It was the third thing. You're so stupid, you know that! I thought you were coming next week! You said you got two weeks and now you - you got two weeks so you came a week early?! Why wouldn't you tell me! You're so stupid, you know that? How was your flight? Jeez, my hand is throbbing what are you made of? Did you see your room already? Wait, how tall are you now?"
Kuroo snickered at the amount of questions, and at the direction the questions flowed. Rin went from yelling at Daisuke, to asking him the things any curious sibling would. Daisuke didn't seem at all fazed, answering the questions in the order they came, "That was a good punch, work on that and it might actually hurt next time. I got an extra week, so I came early. I was suppose to surprise you - but that didn't go so well. Flight was good, I see you've gotten a little chunky since I've been gone. Have you been working out at all? Ya-jii showed me my room before I went to your school, oh! I have your gifts!"
"You forgot one," Yasufumi chuckled, stepping beside his grandson.
"Oh!" Daisuke grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, "Last I checked I was 204cm, I should hit 205 by the time I go back to America."
Kuroo's eyes widened, he was still growing?
"Ah!" Kuroo jumped when Daisuke stepped in front of him, "Kuroo-kun, it's a pleasure to finally meet you! I'm Daisuke, as I'm sure you know by now. Thank you for taking care of Rin while I've been gone!"
Rin placed her palm on the side of Daisuke's face, pushing him away from Kuroo. A light blush spread across her cheeks and her golden eyes narrowed at her brother, "You're so embarrassing, you know that? Can we eat first and talk after? I made Yakisoba."
Like a child, Daisuke sprung up and immediately agreed. A impish grin playing on his face as he pushed Kuroo and Yasufumi to the table. The dinner was mostly quiet, only Daisuke talking while Rin occasionally told him to "shut up" or just called him stupid. Kuroo could easily see why she was so fond of her brother. He talked animatedly and nearly made you forget that bad things happened throughout the day. Listening to Daisuke talk, the man bouncing from subject to subject, Kuroo had momentarily forgotten that Saruhiko had nearly punched his lights out. But even then, he didn't really care anymore. Daisuke spoke about Rin, telling stories he knew would embarrass his sister or get a rise out of her. Daisuke knew how to make someone comfortable and he knew how to keep everyone at ease. It was a trait that Rin lacked, that social trait that allowed her to be open and carefree with even strangers.
"Saaa~," Daisuke leaned back, placing two hands on his stomach and patting down, "That was so good."
Rin hummed quietly in acknowledgement, picking up everyone plates and bringing them to the kitchen. Daisuke babbled about getting something form his room and Yasufumi told Rin he would be retiring to bed for the night, leaving Kuroo to help her wash the dishes. The two remained mostly silent while they clean and dried.
"I'm sorry."
Kuroo lifted his eyes, Rin had stopped washing the dishes, her two hands were placed on the edge of the sink, her chin dipped into her chest while her eyes were focused down towards her feet, "I'm sorry about Saruhiko, he almost hit you 'cause of me."
Kuroo shrugged, turning away from Rin to place the last dish back. A smirk tugged at his lips as he spoke, "I think I would've looked good with a black eye, who knows? Maybe you'd compliment me then."
Rin glared at him half heartedly, trying to stop the smile from tugging at her own lips, "I can still give you a black eye if you want it that bad."
Kuroo chuckled, "I think I'll pass this time."
Rin rolled her eyes, a soft smile made its way to her face. She looked at Kuroo through the corner of her eyes and he raised a single brow at her when they made eye contact. Rin couldn't help the blush that rose.
"Rin~ Kuroo-kun~."
Rin sighed, running a hand through her hair nervously as she stumbled past Kuroo - he followed, not bothering to hide his snicker.
The two made their way to Daisuke, who was seated on the couch, a black duffle bag on his lap. Rin yelped when Daisuke thrusted the bag into her hands excitedly, a wide grin spread across his face, "Presents from America!"
Rin rolled her eyes, a small grin tugging at her lips as she sat down on the floor in front of the couch while Kuroo took the extra seat besides Daisuke. Rin opened the bag and immediately dug her hand inside, once her hand grasped onto the first item she looked at Daisuke with a questioning glance.
"Are these?"
"Custom athletic compression thigh highs," Daisuke grinned as Rin examined the black socks, "Specially made for someone your height, and with a little custom stitching."
Rin flipped over the socks, smiling softly at the small gray wolf that was stitched onto the two socks. Slowly, her smile faded and she looked away from both the socks and the boys, her lips jutting out in a pout, "Why do I need these?"
"Go through the bag first, then ask questions."
Rin sighed, setting the socks to the side and reaching into the bag again.
"Athletic tape and a knee brace?" Rin mumbled to herself, looking at the black tape and red brace. She was utterly confused at this point, just what was her brother trying to pull? Rin set the two items next to socks and reached in again. A frown was on her face at this point, and she wasn't sure if her brother was up to something or if this was some cruel joke. Why athletic supplies? She hasn't been athletic since the accident.
"What the hell is this?"
Daisuke made a sipping motion with his hand, "Take a sip, not too much! Just a regular sip."
Rin made a face as she eyed the clear container.
"Just trust me!"
The girl looked at the weird liquid, it was a hazy red and looked like goo. She unscrewed the cap and sniffed it, it was odorless - so it couldn't be that bad? Rin sipped the liquid, it was thick and felt like slime running down her throat. She gagged, closing the lid and choking on her words, "What - what the hell was that?"
Daisuke grinned, snatching the bottle from her hands and shaking it at her. Kuroo could only watch in confusion, being just as lost as Rin was in the entire conversation.
"You see," Daisuke's grin began to look a lot more conniving than pleasant, "I spoke to a lot of the sports trainers while in America. And while they agreed that you can no longer play Volleyball competitively, you shouldn't drop it all together. I gathered a few things in America that would lessen the strain on your knees."
Rin eyes widened as she looked at her brother. He looked so proud of himself, a smug grin on his face while his arms were crossed over his chest. Slowly, she frowned, her eyes darting from Daisuke, to Kuroo, and then back to Daisuke, "You want me to tell him."
Daisuke shook his head, leaning further into the couch, "I know you won't, even if I tell you to."
"Then?"
"I'm going to tell him," Daisuke shrugged, and Rin's eyes widened. She lurched forward, ready to punch her brother again. But she swayed, her eyes widening when she was overcome with a sudden rush of dizziness. Rin sat back, her hands resting behind her as she looked at her brother with wide eyes. Everything was starting to sway, and she felt like her clothes weight a thousand pounds.
"What the - ?"
Daisuke lifted the bottle she had previously drank from, shaking it beside his head so the liquid swirled around in the container. He grinned impishly, "Oh yeah, this? It's some new thing I got from the team medic, it's for aches and pains and typically used for athletes with sports related injuries. Take this the night before a big game or something, and you'll feel like a good man the next day. Only problem is it makes even the biggest of men sleep like a baby."
"You -," Rin stumbled over her words, her eye lids were starting to feel heavy and her whole body was relaxing even when she was yelling at it to stay rigid, "You jerk."
Daisuke chuckled, standing up and lifting Rin into his arms. She weakly tried to fight him, but ultimately gave up when he placed her on the couch right beside Kuroo. The girl swayed in her seat, but remained awake. Her cheeks were flushed from her mild anger, her face reminding Daisuke of her younger self when she would throw tantrums.
"There's one thing I can't show him that you gotta," Daisuke told Rin, turning his back to the two teens while he searched his bag for something.
"I don't - "
"Dad wouldn't want you to hide it."
Rin flinched at Daisuke's more than honest words, he wasn't trying to be a bad brother. In fact, he was just being way too honest. A trait the two siblings shared. Daisuke wasn't mentioning their father to rub salt on the wound, he was just only just speaking the truth. Her dad wouldn't want her to hide it. But she was scared to show Kuroo, she didn't want to show him. It was ugly and gross and she hated to look at it. But Daisuke's words continued to repeat themselves in her mind. Her dad wouldn't want her to hide, he would tell her it was a part of who she was. Her father had scars, Daisuke had scars, and she had scars. She wasn't ashamed of the scar, only the story that accompanied it.
Rin sighed before leaning over, she swayed and Kuroo had to grasp onto her shoulders so she wouldn't fall face first off the couch. She grabbed the end of her pants leg, lifting the red sweats up to expose up to her mid-thigh. Kuroo watched her silently, his eyes widening when he looked at her knee.
One long vertical scar.
It wasn't the prettiest of scars, running in the middle of her knee caused it to wrinkle and the scar itself was thick and bold. It was noticeable against her skin, she wasn't pale nor tan. But the scar was darker than the rest of her skin stood out. It was no wonder Rin only wore pants, she was not only hiding the scar, she was hiding the story.
"I got this scar from the surgery," Rin muttered, "If I didn't hurt my left leg too, I might've been able to continue playing Volleyball. But since my left knee is still susceptible to injury, I've been told no."
"Ah ha!" Daisuke grinned, shoving two blank DVD cases in Kuroo's and Rin's faces. The two teens leaned back into the couch, Rin letting the hem of her sweats fall back over her knee, "I found 'em!"
"What's that?" Rin's words were slurring together and it was getting hard to sit up. She felt herself leaning towards Kuroo, even though she practically begged her body to lean the other way.
"Couple of your games," Daisuke answered happily, turning around and opening the DVD player, "Kuroo-kun is going to watch then with me, since you'll fall asleep soon. Saa~ This was such a good game! Hmm, is your second year on this disk or this one? Ah! There we go."
Daisuke looked over his shoulder, only to notice that Kuroo was looking at him with a raised brow and Rin was fast asleep on his shoulder.
"I think she's asleep now."
Daisuke's smile softened, and it was the first time Kuroo thought it actually looked sincere, "Saaa, that's good. Tomorrow we'll get going to the park, get her to play Volleyball again. We're going to condition her so she can play, though she won't be able to like she use to. She might throw a tantrum 'cause of that."
Kuroo noted that Daisuke didn't even ask him if he was busy tomorrow, he was practically telling him he was tagging along.
"You've been awfully quiet," Daisuke commented, pushing a few buttons on the remote, "Rin told me you like to talk, so I'm surprised at how quiet you've been."
Kuroo couldn't help but snicker quietly, the fact that she talked about him to her brother, and the fact that she told her brother that he "liked to talk" was more than amusing to Kuroo.
"You can ask me," Daisuke continued, peeking over his shoulder with an impassive look on his face, "I know you want to. 'Why are you pushing Rin to talk' or 'shouldn't she tell me this'? You're thinking that, right?"
Kuroo scratched his cheek with his index finger, nodding his head.
Daisuke turned around again, staring at the tv as he forwarded through the match, trying to get to the desired place, "You might feel like Rin is opening up to you, and she might be. But as much as I love my sister, she really is annoying when it comes to facing things that scare her. That being said, she's scared to talk about what happened, and just by the way she's talked about you and the other guy - I can tell she really considers you guys good friends. Which means she'll never tell you what happened."
"Huh?"
Daisuke sighed, "Rin avoids things, pretends they don't happen. It's her way of dealing with things. If I don't tell you, Rin never will. And you have to know 'cause you want her to get back into volleyball, right?"
Even if Kuroo's answer was no - which his answer was yes - the way Daisuke worded it and said it, made him feel like the only thing he could say was yes. Her brother, although he had this childish nature about him, was as terrifying as a bear.
"I want to show you two things," Daisuke held up his index and middle finger, "The championship match she lost, and the match she got hurt in. I want you to see it 'cause then you'll have seen her at her worst when it comes to Volleyball. Rin took this loss harder than the rest of the team and it shows. I think if you see this, and she knows you've seen it - I think she'll open up to you a lot more than she already has."
Kuroo nodded his head softly, agreeing quietly.
Daisuke played the match, the focus of the camera was already on Rin. Her hair was much longer, instead of landing on her shoulders like it did now - it was pulled into a high pony tail that passed her shoulders. The volleyball uniform hugged her nicely, the jersey was a light grey with accents of brown on the arms and sides with the number '1' plastered to the front and back of her jersey. She wore grey knee pads and knee high socks to match. He could hear people in the background 'ooh' and 'aww' and talk about "the two aces in a team of aces".
The camera moved and Kuroo briefly caught a glimpse of the score.
Okamiyasha - 23
Hinotora - 23
Neither team scores for a bit. But Kuroo watches Rin's team move, they were quick to react and worked so well with each other. The libero was small, so he would dash back and forth across the court easily. The setter was tall and could see the entire team, her serves were harsh and her tosses quick. Rin was an excellent middle blocker, she jumped higher than even the boys on the team. Her arms hovering over the net and creating the perfect umbrella to block spikes. Kuroo flinched seeing the opposing team use a feint, earning themselves a point. Rin's face faltered for a moment before she composed herself.
"Don't mind! We can do it! Throw me the toss!"
The setter did just as Rin asked, and Kuroo even found himself amazed at the way Rin spiked. Her jump was high, and he was surprised the setter could toss to her so well. She slapped the ball, and he swore he's never seen a wider grin on her face. Rin's spike flew towards the ground, pushing roughly past the blockers fingers. The opposing teams players shook off their hands off, a weak attempt at getting rid of the burning sensation from her spike. Rin celebrated, throwing her hands up with a wide grin plastered across her face. Kuroo squinted at the tv when a familiar face popped up on-screen.
"Wait - "
Daisuke hummed in confusion, pausing the video and looking at Kuroo with a raised brow. Kuroo looked at the tv, a familiar figure clung to Rin as they briefly celebrated her point.
"I know him."
Daisuke's eyes widened and a wide grin spread across his face, he looked positively thrilled, "Really?!"
Kuroo's brows furrowed, "Uh, yeah, I met him last summer. Our schools get together during the summer for a training camp and -"
"Whatever you do don't tell Rin," Daisuke grinned, his index finger hovering above his lips, "We're going to keep it a secret and surprise her, alright?"
Kuroo couldn't help but smirk, Rin definitely seemed the type to hate surprises. So, surprising her sounded like a lot of fun, "Hoh? Sounds fun."
"He was her best friend," Daisuke chuckled, "I always thought they were an unlikely pair, but she was always so silly around him. They had a friendly competition going on, but she was the better spiker back then. I'm sure he's a lot better now."
Kuroo couldn't help the slight pang of jealousy, but the thought was quickly erased when he thought about the way she had smiled in the match. The look on her face when she spiked the ball, and the sheer look of happiness on her face as she hugged her teammate. He wanted to be able to see that side of Rin.
The video played once more and the fight between the two teams was intense. Sweat was pouring from all the players faces, but no one was willing to let the ball drop just yet. Kuroo knew how it was going to end, but a part of him wanted to see her win - he wanted to see how Rin was at the end of a winning match.
She was in rearguard when it happened. The middle blockers couldn't stop the hook shot, and Rin dove towards the floor - her arm stretched out in front of her. She landed roughly, and slid a couple of inches forward. The ball slammed against the floor centimeters away from her fist and the ref's whistle echoed from the speakers in the room. The opposing team was quick to celebrate, screaming and gathering in a group hug.
Rin remained on her knees, her back curved and her forehead resting against the floor. Her hands were balled into fists beside her head and Kuroo knew that she wasn't going to hide her tears. The player he recognized walked over, kneeling beside her and setting a hand on her back while he bowed his own head.
Daisuke paused the video, his back still towards Kuroo as he spoke, "That was the last match our dad saw before he passed away. He missed her championship during her first year because he was called to work in the middle of the first set. After he died she was dead set on winning the championship in her third year. She said he was always watching her, so she wanted to him to see her win her a title."
Kuroo remained silent as Daisuke forwarded the games once more.
"She practiced a hell of a lot," Daisuke sighed, "But she was so hell-bent of earning a title that she didn't take care of herself. She ended up ruining her knee's because of the way she practiced so recklessly. She would practice day in and day out without rest, she wouldn't wear he knee braces at time and after a while she even started to land funny. As a Basketball player, even I know theres a wrong way to land. One wrong twist and you're done for. With her, being a middle blocker, her sole purpose in the game was to jump - without that she would struggle."
Daisuke played the game again, a different one, and Rin was immediately calling for a toss. Her hair was short now, and held back in a tiny pony tail, a bunch of loose strands falling in front of her face. Rin jumped, and to Kuroo, it looked like she was jumping even higher than she was in the previous game. The muscles in her arms seemed more defined and her form when she spiked was nearly perfect. But he noticed it, the moment she landed from the spike she stumbled. She caught herself before anyone else noticed and immediately called out to her team.
"Alright! Let's do it again!"
The libero stopped the ball from dropping to the floor and the ball flew towards Rin, the libero calling out her name in a rushed manner - hoping Rin would hit it. Rin took a few steps, her chin tilted up and her eyes following the ball. She bent her knees and tried to push herself off the ground. Kuroo watched with a frown as Rin's knee's buckled and gave out, causing her to fall. She landed roughly, her hands on the floor in front of her as she breathed heavily. The camera shook a little, and Rin's teammates flocked around her quickly. She tried to stand, but the moment she did she fully collapsed onto the floor with a loud cry. The camera shook again and the feed gave out.
Daisuke heaved a heavy sigh, turning the television off and rubbing the back of his neck, "She made a lot of mistakes, and I know she realizes that. But the thing that Rin will probably never realize is that her determination to play was what made her a great Captain. Despite being awkward, when it came to Volleyball she was a natural leader. She can't give the game up, not when it makes her happy. I swear, out of all the smiles I've seen on my little sister. My favorite is the smile she wore when playing Volleyball."
Kuroo glanced down at Rin, she hadn't budged from her sleeping position at all. Her cheek was resting against his upper arm, she had her legs tucked in behind her and her fingers were wrapped around the fabric of his red jacket. Her cheeks were flushed punk and her hair was disheveled from being carried and then dropped on the couch by Daisuke. Kuroo lifted his head when he heard Daisuke begin to snicker.
"Saa~ I think she's drooling on your jacket."
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{AUTHORS CORNER: I listened to a BokuAka mix on 8tracks while writing this, ugh, it was really good. But hey! Dai-nii! I really love Daisuke because his personality is based off my little brother and my little brother is a lil shit and Daisuke is a lil shit but ah, so much love. When I think of Daisuke's looks I honestly think of Kiyoshi Teppei from KNB, so yeah. Thanks for all the reviews last chapter, and also thank you for the favorites and follows! You're all super hella. If you have any questions about Rin or anything you can ask me on tumblr - juujisho. Or if you wanna be my friend and talk to me you can follow me too I need more friends. Also! Daisuke is 22, 6 years older than Rin. Sorry if there's errors!}
(HEAD CANON SIX: FOR THIS HEADCANON I'M GOING TO POST RIN'S ATHLETIC STAT'S)
(BEFORE ACCIDENT:
POWER: 5/5
JUMPING: 5/5
STAMINA: 3/5
GAME SENSE: 4/5
TECHNIQUE: 4/5
SPEED: 3/5 )
(AFTER ACCIDENT
POWER: 2/5
JUMPING: 2/5
STAMINA: 2/5
GAME SENSE: 4/5
TECHNIQUE: 3/5
SPEED: 2/5 )