"(name), wake up. We're gonna be late."
You groggily rubbed your eyes, hearing a voice coming from the room across from your own.
"Gomen, Tobio. I'll be up soon!" You told him.
The clock on your left read '6:25 am'.You prepared your things and took a short, hot shower. You slipped on your school uniform, admiring the Karasuno colours fit on your body. You thoroughly brushed your hair and clipped your silver locket around your neck, fumbling a bit with it and staring at the picture inside before you went to the kitchen to greet your cousin. His sister had gone off to college when you were around twelve, so you weren't really close with her. Though you were close with the raven-haired boy himself, it was very seldom you two casually talked, excluding your volleyball practices together. Since his parents were living in another province, it left just you two at the house. You had gone to Kitagawa Daichii with him for junior high, though that is a story for a different time. You did not want to remember the events that happened during those three years. You wondered if high school was going to be any better for you.
As the two of you set foot out of the door, both jogging your way to your first day of high school, you decided to ask him something.
"Ne, Tobio. You're joining the boys' volleyball team, right?"
"Yeah. What club are you joining, (name)? Probably volleyball, too. You are in the U-19, after all." He questioned, waiting for you to respond. (the U-19 stands for under 19, which means that only people from high/middle school can participate. I don't think anyone from middle school actually joined one of the teams yet, but just go with it for the plot) You stared down at the ground, continuing to pace yourself. Jogging was a norm for the two of you, both needing to be kept in shape. You both loved volleyball, and he was surprised when he found out you played it, too.
"Actually, that's the thing, Tobio. I think playing on the girls' team, playing for the U-19, and maintaining my studies is a bit much, don't you think?" You placed a fake smile on your face, peering back at him while letting out heavy breaths.
"Yeah, you're right." He smiled back at you.
"Maybe come with me to the gym right now? I need to do some warmups, and I need someone to help me practice." He asked hopefully.
"Sure, I have time."
You and Kageyama made your way to the gym doors.
"I think this is the gym.." He muttered.
He opened the doors to reveal and empty volleyball court.
"No one's here yet, huh?" You asked.
"Let's just rally for a bit, (name)."
"Yeah, okay."
You pulled out a hair tie, wrapping it around your (hair colour) locks to form a high ponytail. You slipped on your spare volleyball shoes and made your way to the opposite side of his court. He started off with a hard jump serve which you easily recieved and returned back to his side. He countered by spiking the ball hard into the ground. It touched the floor with a loud slam, and reached the wooden floor before you knew it.
"Nice one, Tobio. Your spikes are as good as an ace's, even though you're a setter." You commented.
"Thanks." He was slightly flustered, since a compliment coming from a pro like you made him feel happy. He was about to make another serve, you heard the doors slam open. He wasn't someone you recognized, but he seemed to know your dark-haired cousin.
"Y-YOU!!" He screamed, pointing a finger at Kageyama.
"Oh, Kageyama, I'll be taking my leave now. It seems there are people already coming in." You waved him off while grabbing your stuff and continued the rest of your day.
—
"WHAT?!! YOU'VE ALREADY GOTTEN IN TROUBLE?! BAKA!" You scolded him. You sighed.
"It's only the first day, and you knocked the vice principals' toupee off?" You said, clearly disappointed.
"Yeah. Sorry." He rubbed his neck.
"Sometimes I feel like your mom, scolding you like this. Anyway, it's fine, just as long as you don't pull any other stunts like this again." You saw him averting his eyes away from yours, and you knew that he was hiding something from you.
"What did you do this time?"
"I may or may not have challenged our captain to a match so that I can play setter for the team."
You glared at him, and just when he thought he was about to die and see Asahi- I mean Jesus- in heaven, you lightly punched him in the shoulder and let out a humph.
"You're not mad at me?" He asked, surprised.
"I am, but that'll be your mistake to fix. You better win, Tobio. Oh, and, who are you going to play against?" You questioned. The two of you started to head home.
"We actually don't know yet. All I know is that I'm on a team with Tanaka-senpai and that Hinata." He mumbled along.
"Hey, Tobio. Do you think we'll play against him?" You wondered out of the blue.
"Him..?" He tilted his head, confused.
You pursed your lips into a frown.
"O-Oikawa-san..." You whispered. He stopped and looked at you with caring eyes and grabbed your shoulders, forcing you to look up at him.
"Hey, don't let that bastard get to you. Just because he used you doesn't mean you're not worth it, okay? You deserve more than him."
"Yeah, you're right." You smiled, seething nothing more than lies to you, right in front of him.
"And to answer your question, if we do go against his team, I promise we'll crush him, okay? I expect you to come to our game." Little did he know, it would be coming up much sooner than he expected.
Around the corner, a certain orange-headed boy was staring at them discretely from a wall, snickering at them and wondering,
'Kageyama has a girlfriend?! Oh, man, it's gonna be priceless when I see his face.'
—
Flashback, second year of junior high
"Hey! If we want to win, then go faster! Speed is everything in a match!"
From the bleachers, you watched your cousin practice with all his other teammates, constantly yelling at them. Normally, people not on the volleyball team were not allowed to come during practice, but the coach allowed you since he acknowledged your skills and you were Kageyama's cousin. You wanted to calm Kageyama down, but you weren't really in the position to intervene because you weren't on their team, and even if though were their manager of some sort, you would be to afraid to tell him to take a break. You sat there, wondering why he turned from a sweet, innocent boy, to this, an egotistical tyrant.
'It's probably because Ojii-sama passed away recently.' You thought. You weren't particularly close with your grandfather, but you knew he was the main reason the raven-haired boy started playing volleyball. As your train of thoughts continued, you heard a familiar voice in the gym, believing it belonged to your senpai.
"Yahoo! Tobio-chan, I just wanted to check up on you guys!" He said in a sickly sweet voice. You knew he was hiding something, or just putting on a mask. It annoyed you, if you told the truth.
"Everyone, gather 'round! We had an alumni come here to teach you guys for a practice!" The coach yelled, which lead to the whole team half-encircling a bench.
"This is Oikawa Tooru, and today he'll be-"
"Ne, coach? Who's that pretty girl over there? Can you tell her to come over here?"
You widened your eyes and looked back up at them, blushing, realizing they were talking about you.
The coach sighed at his flirtatious attitude, but nonetheless gave you the signal to come down to the court.
"This is (name) (last name), she's one of the top candidates to play for the U-19. She's also Kageyama-kun's cousin-"
"Ehhhh?! How is someone like her even related to you?!" He exclaimed, pointing at the boy himself.
"Well, her mother was my auntie-" He bluntly replied, but was interrupted.
"Never mind that! Coach, can I come practice with them tomorrow? I want to spend some time with this cutie. She's on the U-19, right? I'm just gonna ask her some questions about it. I promise I won't get distracted tomorrow! It's just for today, I promise." He pleaded with his usual grin. The coach seemed extremely annoyed at this, but gave him the sign.
"Fine, go."
"Wahhh! Thanks coach!" He took your hand and began walking with you out of the gym while you struggled to get out of his grasp.
"O-Oikawa-senpai!"
"Heh, sorry. You wanna go out with me?" He asked bluntly.
You blushed a million shades of red.
'...EHHH?!' You thought.
"Oikawa-senpai- I-"
"Oh! Don't worry, it's just going to be fake dating. Please? Can you help me?" He asked, hopefully.
"Why do you need my help?"
"Er, it's just to make someone jealous. Please? I promise I won't bother you anymore after, alright?"
You pondered about it for a couple of seconds before coming to a conclusion,
'What's so bad about help my senpai out? I can't refuse..'
"All right, Oikawa-senpai. I'll be your girlfriend."
Oh, what did you get yourself into?
—
Timeskip, three months later
"Tobio-kun, I need to tell you something."
He whipped his head around to look at you.
"Yeah?"
You took a deep breath in.
"I'm dating Oikawa-senpai."
"..."
"What?!" His sudden reaction made you flinch. You felt a familiar feeling in your chest, similar to that when your father was still around.
"(name), what the hell?! Why are you dating that bastard?! He's not good for you! He's just going to hurt you! Break up with him!" He yelled.
When you came over to live with them, Kageyama was not informed why. He never questioned it, either. This was the first time the two of you had fought like this.
Your heart clenched and your palms went sweaty. You felt like throwing up. Was this another one of your panic attacks? You hadn't had one since that one incident with Kuroo and Bokuto at Tokyo.
You held you locket in your fingertips, gripping it as hard as you could while Kageyama was yelling at you. Even though he was yelling at the top of his lungs, you couldn't understand a word he said. Tears started streaming down your cheeks as you remembered.
You didn't want to remember.
'Shut up, you useless whore!'
Make it stop.
'Get me a beer!'
I don't want to remember.
'Stand up, you weakling!'
MAKE IT STOP, PLEASE!
That was the last thing you remembered before blacking out.
—
"Shit, (name). Are you awake?" You opened your eyes before you saw Kageyama's face. Everything else was a blur to you
"Tobio-kun..? What happened?" You stared at the floor in shame.
"I was lashing out at you, and then you just fainted. I'm really sorry for yelling at you." He apologized.
"You can date whoever you want, it isn't my choice. Just, please. Be careful with him. From what I've heard, he's not the best at keeping relationships. What I was trying to say is that you'll just get hurt, and I was angry because I thought you knew that. I'm deeply sorry." He apologized once more.
"I-it's okay, Tobio-kun."
You sat there in silence.
"Do you even have feelings for him?" He asked.
'Of course not! It's just a fake relationship, so there shouldn't be any feelings involved.' You told yourself in smite.
'Then why do I have this feeling around him? And Oikawa only? Do I like him?" You blushed.
'I can't like him! But..! But..!'
"I think I do, Tobio."
—
Third year of junior high
Time passed quickly for you. It was already the halfway mark of your third year. At the moment, you were in America at the finals for the U-19. You had been subbed in since the starting setter almost fainted of exhaustion.
You were playing against the American team, and it was the final set. Both teams were completely tied. Each of you had taken two sets, and the current score was a deuce, 14-14. All you needed was two consecutive points against the USA team, and Japan would win the Girls International U-19 tournament!
It was the other teams' serve, and this time, it was their ace. Your whole team got in a position to recieve the serve.
'Their ace relies on jump serves, and based on her other serves, she's most likely to hit where I am, so that I can't get the second hit.' You smirked. You didn't need to be the one that set it. Your whole team was just at talented at setting as you.
The girl on the other team served the ball spinning towards you hard, and everyone else was sure it would be a service ace. But only until you showed up.
You trusted them, and gave them the signals.
'Let's try that little trick we did in practice.'
They looked at you surprised, but nodded.
You slid in, receiving the ball on your forearms. Your teammates backed up, and the other team seemed surprised at your move. You had seen through the serve, and everyone else had backed off, leaving you to recieve. The ball was sent flying to your captain, Kayari, who was around three years older than you and played middle blocker. The other team seemed to doubt her skills, as you saw them relax. You started your run up to the net coming in from the other side. They had inevitably lower their guard, making it an easy hit for you. Two of their blockers ran up to you, preparing to jump.
Kayari set the ball, exactly as you did. That was her specialty. She could copy a move down to the smallest detail within seeing it two to three times, depending on the difficulty. It left her fingertips and flew straight for your palm, and you leapt in the air. The two other blockers jumped at the same time as you did, but they seemed to fall faster than you did.
It was like you were flying.
Their eyes widened as they looked up at you, superiorly staring at them from above. You had eyes of a killer, something they didn't see until now. There was something burning in your eyes, and they tensed up. When you stared at them directly in the eye, their mid-air balance seemed to disappear. They were both shaken. It was abnormal.
It was almost sinister.
Both of them fell on the ground backwards as they gaped at you soaring through the air and slamming the ball onto the court's floor. The whistle blew. You fell slowly, almost as if the air was carrying you down. The whole stadium was silent.
"W-what was that?" One of them stuttered.
"She made the blockers fall over! How did she do that?!" Another one exclaimed.
'She's a monster,' The crowd thought.
The score was now 14-15, in your favour. You looked back at the two blockers behind you, giving them a side eye. The bloodlust in your eyes dispersed, as you smiled at them.
"Gomen. That move was just in case, but I felt so riled up." You walked back to your teammates, feeling proud of yourself.
This time, it was your serve. You specialized in jump floaters. You threw the ball up and made your approach. You could feel the tension coming from the other side; if they couldn't recieve it, they would lose. It traveled to the other side, wavering. Their libero caught it between her arms, and it was an unflawed pass to their setter. She set it back over to the ace and she swung her arm. It was a sound like thunder; too bad you blocked it and sent it tumbling towards the ground. Their ace was too focused on hitting it hard enough that she didn't even notice your presence lingering below her, ready to strike. Her eyes widened like saucers as she heard a shallow thump on the floor.
The whistle blew.
Set 5
USA JPN
2 | 14 2 | 16
MATCH FINISH
JAPAN WINS THE INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT
The words were written boldly in front of you, yet you couldn't believe it. You fell to your knees, covering your mouth in happiness. Your team began cheering and running towards you, embracing each other, though you were all extremely sweaty. You felt the warm tears stream down your face as you felt something inside your chest, but in a good way for once.
'Why couldn't this have happened to me sooner?' But you knew it already did. You knew that somewhere in Tokyo, Japan, two certain boys were watching you on their screens, proud that they were, and still are, your friends.
Your celebration was cut short as the awarding ceremony was about to start. After the speech your captain had made, you headed to the bathroom to wash and cool your face down. You wanted to call one particular person; and who would it be either than the infamous Oikawa Tooru?
You pressed his contact and your phone began to buzz, but he never picked up. Instead, you had gotten a text.
Tooru
4:36 pm
Oh, congrats, (name)! You probably won, knowing you. Sorry I couldn't pick up the call.
4:36 pm
That's okay. Can I ask why?
Tooru
4:37 pm
Well, it's because I'm with my girlfriend! Oh yeah, we don't need to pretend date anymore. I made who I wanted jealous. Thanks for your help! Anyways, gotta go. I'm on a date with her right now. Bye
Seen
'Ah, that's right. this was all just a game to him. There's no need to get upset. He never liked you in the first place.'
You smiled at the mirror, repeating those words in your head. So then why did it hurt? You knew he didn't like you and was using you, so why was it shocking? Why was your face wet, and you were choking on air? You knew your answer deep inside.
'It's because I gave myself hope, right? If I didn't do that, I would be fine right now. If I didn't trust him more than I trusted myself, I would've come out of this mess unscathed. If I just took Tobio's advice, I would be fine right now. Hope? I don't want to do it ever again. I promise I won't do it ever again. Yeah, that's right. Just don't give yourself the satisfaction of even a sliver of hope, and you'll never be hurt.'
That day, you stepped out of that bathroom changed. And you were sure you would never, ever, be the same.
—
A/N
rtatata I WAS SUPPOSED TO PUT TSUKKI IN HERE BUT THEN THE CHAPTER GOT WAY TOO LONG AND NOW YOU GUYS HAVE TO WAIT ONE MORE CHAPTER I PROMISE ITS ONLY ONE MORE IM SORRY IM GOING TO START WRITING IT NOW