CHAPTER SIX
The day of the Inter-High prelims was finally here and Misaki was up too early.
She wouldn't lie to herself. She felt strangely jittery for some reason and the nerves had caused her to have strange dreams she no longer remembered. Just...they were strange dreams. And now, she was awake, at a time that was too early. She lay still on her bed, staring at the ceiling overhead.
'What time is it?' Misaki sleepily thought. Yawning, she reached for her bedside table and grabbed her phone. When she checked the time, she felt like punching herself. It was 4:15 in the morning and it was too early for tournament days. She put her phone back, let out a small yawn and buried herself in the pillow. She had to fall asleep now, otherwise, she would end up sleeping on the bus ride. The last time she had done that, Makki ended up taking pictures of her sleeping with her mouth open and drooling and send them to the third years' group chat. Never had she felt more humiliated than that moment.
(Of course, she had gotten her revenge on Makki later - but that was a story for another time)
She buried herself further into her pillow. 'Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep.'
She repeated the words in her head over and over again till she felt her eyes falling shut. She was on the verge of falling back asleep when her phone rang. She swore, very loudly and nearly fell off the bed as she went to grab the stupid little thing and yell at whoever was calling her.
Steadying herself, Misaki picked up the call, barely glancing at the caller ID. "If you don't give me a proper reason as to why you are calling me, I will come over to your house and break every bone in your body so that you never play volleyball again."
"Aren't you being a little too violent in the morning?" Iwaizumi said, as he yawned.
"Well, someone decided to call me, didn't he?" Even if it was Iwaizumi, Misaki would not spare him. "Why are you awake and calling me? Shouldn't you be sleeping right now? Go back to sleep and leave me alone for the next hour or two."
"I just called to give you a warning. Stupid Oikawa woke up because he's too antsy and then woke me up. Trust me, I'm feeling just as murderous as you today. The only reason he isn't dead yet is because we need him to set for us."
"I'll murder him, Iwa. I'll really murder him. Why is he like this?"
"I don't know, but I'll help you hide the body if you do end up killing him."
"Yeah, thanks, I guess. Go back to sleep and don't wake up before time."
"Sure."
As soon as Iwaizumi hung up, Misaki threw her phone on the bed where it disappeared under the pile of blankets. This also happened every year. Oikawa always woke up freakishly early on tournament days, then pestered Iwaizumi. Iwa would call her and they would plot murder on their annoying captain. Then Oikawa would call her and she'd yell at him before falling back asleep. Though this year, she had woken up because of the nerves she was feeling.
Misaki swore she would murder him. (Not actually though)
Underneath her blankets, her phone rang. Misaki went to grab it, ready to yell at the idiot who had basically destroyed her sleep.
"Misa-chan! How are you? Are you awake? Did I wake you up? Sorry if I did."
"Oikawa, I am going to hit you in the face with a dictionary so that you understand the meaning of the word sleep and also rest."
"Will you come outside then?"
"Why would I....Oikawa, I swear I'll kill you if I see you outside my window. No joke."
Groaning, Misaki pushed the blankets off her body, walked off the bed, walked over to her study table and turned on the lamp there to have even a faint source of light. Then she pushed open the window that was right above it. Outside, it was still dark and a few stars twinkled in the sky.
In the faint light coming from the lamppost in her driveway, she saw Oikawa leaning next to it, looking up at the window. When he saw her, he waved like he was a little kid who was seeing a friend after years.
Misaki face-palmed. "Don't move, I'm coming."
Just why was he like this? The answer to this question was one Misaki would never know. Damn that unreadable idiot.
It didn't take her too long to put on a jacket. She walked downstairs, careful to walk with slow steps that would not wake up her parents. She put on her slippers, turned on the lights near her door and opened it. She stepped outside and shut the door behind her.
Once she was outside, she sat down right in front of the entrance. Oikawa sat right next to her.
"Why do you do this every year, Oikawa? The coaches specifically said no one should wake up before it's the time to get ready and leave for school and yet here you are."
"Sorry," Oikawa said, though he did not look sorry at all. "I'm just a little bit jittery today."
"Not nervous?" Misaki asked, though it was a pointless question.
"Nervous? Have you ever seen me nervous?"
"Iwa told me you were a little nervous when you guys were meeting that Argentine setter."
"That's completely different. And besides, that was ages ago," Oikawa lightly shoved her shoulders. "You were the one who was always nervous and shy when we were young. You even cried a lot."
"That's because you pulled on my hair and teased me about my crooked teeth. By the way, I'm still mad about that." She took a deep breath in and then released it. "Why are you here, Oikawa?"
"I am not sure actually," Oikawa answered. Misaki glanced at him and for once, she understood by the look on his face, he felt a little confused and maybe, just maybe, a little nervous. "Maybe it's because this could be our last tournament."
'Is he worried about that? Is that why he's awake this early?' Misaki pinched the bridge of her nose. "I don't why you're thinking like that."
She flicked his forehead. "Are you worried your serves won't be enough? Are you worried that your tosses would suck? If you are, then we can sub you out for Yahaba. At least, he is sure of himself."
Misaki grabbed both of his hands and covered them with hers. Not completely though, since his hands were much bigger than her own. This was something her mom used to and still does with her, anytime she showed the slightest amount of worry regarding a test or an event.
"I will keep on saying this to you till it sinks inside your stupid head, but you have no reason to feel insecure. You are, as I've said a million times before, an incredible player. You have incredible serves, incredible tosses and you know exactly how to bring out the best in your team. You are no ace like Iwa, but you have your own good qualities that make you the player you are." Misaki paused for a second, then continued. "I'll keep on seeing this again and again, but we'll do this. With this team, we'll definitely kick Shiratorizawa's ass. Sometimes, you just need to believe in yourself. Otherwise, I'll just knock some sense into you."
(How many times would she have to reassure this boy?)
She was used to doing this by now, but sometimes, she wished there were ways she could make all his doubts and insecurities just go away. She was protective of him like that. So was Iwaizumi. They were the only people who were allowed to make fun of Oikawa, in the way they did. If anybody else even tried that, both Misaki and Iwaizumi would hunt them down.
"You keep on doing this, Misa-chan," Oikawa said, barely moving. He switched the positions of their hands, so now his hands completely covered hers. She swore her stomach didn't do a flip because of that. "I feel like I owe you a debt now and I should do something for you in return."
"If you wanna do something for me, go home and take a rest," Misaki answered, suddenly conscious of how warm Oikawa's hands seemed to be. "And win at the tournament. That's all I ask."
"We'll do it."
"Hell yeah, we will."
Misaki was ready to pull her hands away. But Oikawa suddenly surprised her (really surprised her) as he raised both of her hands to his mouth and placed a soft kiss on her fingers. Her stomach definitely did a flip at that. Her face also heated up. She turned away from him. "Go home and rest," She hoped that her voice sounded normal. "And sleep. The tournament's barely a couple of hours away."
Oikawa let go of her hands. She pulled them back, letting them fall at her sides. He stood up and so did she. He ruffled her hair and she swatted his arm away with an annoyed smile. Saying goodbye, he walked away. He probably was not going to sleep, but in some way at least, she hoped she had reassured him.
But holy shit, his hands were warm. And holy fucking shit, what did he mean by kissing her fingers? This boy was so confusing and Misaki did not like it at all.
Aoba Johsai's boys volleyball team had long earned the reputation of being an incredible team filled with incredible players. With that came certain perks and that included a massive, comfortable bus that could carry the entire team (and not just the regulars and those on the bench).
Yuki, sitting next to Misaki on the bus, looked rather nervous. "It's finally here. The tournament is gonna happen now. I don't know if I should be feeling this jittery." She quietly whispered to Misaki, not wanting the team members to overhear. "Should I be feeling this jittery?"
"Don't worry, I was the exact same way," Misaki whispered back, sending her a reassuring smile. "You'll be okay. If you still feel nervous when we get there, we can just take a moment."
"Uh-huh."
Misaki turned away, but Yuki kept looking at her through the corner of her eye. The reassuring look disappeared and a rather stern, hardened look replaced it. Yuki wondered if she was worried about things, but was hiding it rather well. Misaki seemed to be that type of person; by that Yuki meant, the type of person, always ready to assure and comfort and help the other person, but never asking for a thing in return. She supposed that was what made her a good manager.
'What are we supposed to do now?' Yuki thought as they finally arrived at the Sendai City Gymnasium. The bus stopped and parked, and the whole team started to deboard. Misaki-senpai, Oikawa-san and the coaches took the combined responsibilities of making sure everyone had everything with them. (And if not, Yuki and Misaki were there to help)
The sky was surprisingly clear today, colored a strangely bright blue. Even though they were still a little distance away from the entrance, Yuki realised there were many teams there. Much more than she had ever seen. Plus there were students of other schools too. Some even appeared to stare at the Seijoh team. That was a little strange.
"Alright, is everyone prepared? Do you have everything with you?" Coach Mizoguchi asked. The entire team responded with a resounding 'yes'.
"Good. Let's go then," He added.
Yuki steeled her nerves as she started walking with the team. She caught pace with Misaki and started walking besides the senior, who for some reason, seemed to be humming something under her breath. Yuki shrugged, then turned her attention straight ahead. For some reason, people stepped aside as Seijoh walked through. Though the first-year manager felt confused, it was probably because of the fact that most teams felt intimidated by them.
Inside the stadium, it was crowded. Players of different high school teams were scattered here and there; spectators had gathered here too.
"Taking in the sights, are you?" Misaki asked as she looked at Yuki.
Yuki, suddenly feeling embarrassed, blushed a little. "I guess so. It's different being a part of a tournament rather than just watching it on TV."
"Yeah it is," Misaki answered, a strangely fond smile on her face. "You'll love it."
She didn't say anything else and walked forward with the team, not noticing that one player (the most important one, actually) was missing. But that realisation would come just a few seconds later.
Coach Irihata suddenly stopped walking and turned around. "Where's Oikawa?"
Misaki looked back in surprise as she pulled up her bag over her shoulder. Oikawa was not walking with the team. He hadn't just disappeared into thin air, had he? (That was just sarcasm. She had the slightest feeling about where he had gone.)
"Well, you see," Yahaba suddenly looked embarrassed. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
"What is it? Spit it out," Coach Mizoguchi asked.
"He was hijacked by girls from another school."
Misaki facepalmed. Oikawa, his pretty face and his popularity were really a curse on her life. The coaches had a pretty similar look.
"Iwaizumi, Misaki," Coach Irihata said.
Looking at each other, the two said in unison. "Yes?"
"I don't get why this has to happen every time before a tournament."
Misaki was fuming. So was Iwaizumi, but he looked angrier. They had been dealing with these kinds of things for ages, but still, it got on their nerves. And every time Misaki saw Oikawa surrounded by a bunch of girls, her stomach did angry backflips and she felt the sudden urge to kill him. But she wouldn't do that today.
Iwaizumi, though, looked battle-ready, with a volleyball in one hand. Once they arrived outside and saw Oikawa surrounded by a bunch of girls from different schools, Iwaizumi suddenly looked ready to kill.
She could hear the conversation carried between the pretty setter and his fangirls. 'Handmade cookies? I thought mine were supposed to better,' She thought bitterly. 'Stupid, annoying Captain.'
Iwaizumi threw the ball at Oikawa. The girls surrounding him let out surprised cries. And Oikawa yelped in pain.
"Ouch, not even the coach hits me with the ball," He started to say, turning around. But when he saw Iwaizumi and Misaki there, both glaring at him intensely, his protests died down instantly.
"Sorry, let's take photos next time," Oikawa apologised to the girls, who suddenly looked unhappy at the prospect of not getting a photo with him.
'Sucks to be you; I have multiple photos of him and I,' Misaki thought with a slightly smug grin. Then she stiffened when she realised how that thought could be taken if anyone ever heard it. 'It totally isn't like that. It so isn't like that.'
As Oikawa neared the two, Misaki got on her tiptoes and flicked his forehead. "Oikawa, the team's waiting. We've got a tournament to get too."
(The tournament...the tournament which was going to be very different from the previous years. That strange combination from Karasuno; they were going to cause some ripples across this place.)
Okay, I know I'm making Oikawa a little too vulnerable in this fic, but I think, with his friendship with Misaki and Iwaizumi, he trusts them with everything. And if he's ever unsure about himself, he just has to go to them and they'll know exactly how to cheer him up. Plus I think, after reading the manga and watching the anime multiple times, Oikawa can be insecure and I want to show that part in this fic because you don't usually see male characters like that. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
As always, please check out my bio/message board/comment section of this chapter for carrd links you can see to check out petitions that you should sign! Keep on spreading awareness and doing what you can because there's so many issues out there that need to be highlighted!