He takes a deep breath. His eyes closed, the screeching of the non-marking shoes on the hall boards rings in his ears. The light and quick steps behind his back tell him that Hinata is running up on the right side of the net.

"Toss, now!", he shouted.

In a split second the redhead will be at the highest point of his jump, expecting a perfect pass as always.

Kageyama Tobio opens his eyes.

The king of the court has work to do.

When Kageyama first met the boy who was to become his best friend in less than a year, he was pissed off to no end.

In fact, the small redhead with his loud voice and giddy behaviour were beyond annoying. And when that guy actually had the nerve to challenge him and proclaim that he intended to win the game they were fighting, he nearly snapped – the audacity!

As annoyed as we was, when Kageyama watched the redhead jump to spike that one match point... Even though the ball did miss, even though the other team did not score, Kageyama was shocked. He was shocked into respecting Hinata.

So, after the match he could not stop himself from snapping at the small opponent. But what Hinata mistook for anger at his failure was at least halfway admiration.

"What have you done the past 3 years?!", Kageyama remembers shouting. The redhead froze in shock, scared by the anger on Kageyama's face. Because of his fear he could only open his mouth silently and stare.

Both have forgotten by now, but Hinata still owes his dark haired friend the answer to the actual question: "How did you become this good, how are you this talented? Why have you never been to a match before?!"

Only a few months later they met again.

And this time around it was Hinata who really wasn't happy about how things had turned out. Hadn't he just sworn to himself to get stronger and then win against that "king"?! How dare he try to join the same team as Hinata!? It quickly turned out that not only did he have to deal with the tall, dark haired broody boy, he had to cooperate with him.

But Hinata is not one to give up his goal. And after all what he really wanted was to play in a championship as the best spiker of the team.

So he had to prioritize.

The decision was easy: He wanted to join the Club more than anything.

An apparently so did Kageyama.

So, every day, every free minute, they practised.

Their sempais were so nice as to help them and they even got to play on the real court, which made Hinata very excited. And the "king of the court" didn't turn out to be such a bad person after all.

He helped the redhead as much as he could. He wasn't always nice about it and never forgiving but Kageyama, too worked to his limits. And although he was very reluctant about it, he did finally toss that one pass for Hinata. And it had felt so good. The moment his hand connected with the ball, the thrill of the jump and the rewarding sound of the ball hitting the wooden boards. After nearly a week of being trained by his sempais and the setter he had gotten Kageyama's approval. He was somewhat proud of that, though he would never ever admit it.

But it wasn't just that one pass.

During their game against the other first years Hinata realized something else.

The moment Kageyama turned to him and told him to jump and go for the spike no matter what, Hinata was annoyed again. That seemed to be quiet the thing with him and the black haired boy.

How could that idiot think he would believe and trust him that deeply just like that? How could that cold bastard just stand there and ask him to make a fool out of himself?

"No.", he suddenly though. " Kageyama wouldn't do that. He wants to win just as much as I do, if not more!" He had realized that to his team mate the stakes of this game were even higher: He was risking his chance of ever playing the position of the setter again.

"You better be good, Kageyama.", he thought.

So Hinata closed his eyes and jumped to meet the ball Kageyama was tossing to him so perfectly. It was at that moment that the redhead realized this:

Kageyama was a very good setter. If not the best he had ever seen or heard of.

He, Hinata, was now fully dependant on said boy to do the spike attacks he so loved.

He realized the potential their connection held, even if it meant that he needed the other to play.

He also noticed that he really didn't mind too much.

In the following weeks their bond continued to grow stronger and stronger. Kageyama and Hinata were practising every day and sometimes stayed behind after practice to work on the synchronized quick spike some more.

And if one were to ask the other team members what they thought of the duo, they would have said something along the lines of: "I can't believe how those two are actually two separate people. It's freaky scary!"

It wasn't just on the field they seemed to have synchronized.

Every time Hinata saw Kageyama walking somewhere, he would challenge him to a sprint. He never had to say a word in order to do so.

They ate lunch together in school and walked home together as far as they could, sometimes not exchanging a single word. Although the redhead seemed to prefer talking.

Kageyama was never too fond of how Hinata seemed to become hyperactive every time something excited him. So he would (silently) tell him to stop and stop he would. At some point thought Kageyama stopped stopping his friend. "One really can get used to anything.", he mused.

Because friends they were now.

Running to the same beat, breathing to the same rhythm, acknowledging the other's achievements and remarking upon his mistakes. All the way never forgetting to bicker whenever they could.

Hinata never minded, because after all this time he had somebody to bicker about volleyball with. And he could feel how he got better at playing everyday.

Kageyama stopped caring, because somehow he enjoyed being the redhead's friend. Any differences between them seemed to disappear when Hinata yet again asked for "Just one more!"

Their minds focused as one, their hearts beating as one.

Jump. Toss. Score.

The volleyball touches Kageyama's fingers, then his whole hand. He lowers his arms slightly towards his face. A split second he spends thinking of Hinata. Where his feet are at that moment, already stretching for the jump. His right arm raised behind his head. Kageyama's arms stretch out, his whole body slightly lifting off the ground.

The ball flies in a straight line and connects with Hinata's hand, already swishing through the air. Again it is a perfect pass and before one can blink the pang! of the ball on the other side on the net signals a point for the two friends.

But it isn't just any point this time - it was the match point of their practice match.

Ecstatic Hinata is jumping up and down, cheering for himself and the team.

"I've done it! We've done it! KARASUNOOOOO!", his face splits into the broad smile it sports so often.
This time even Kageyama can't quiet hold back the happiness.

"Oi!", he hold his hand out to Hinata, smirking at him slightly. It takes a moment for the redhead to register that his grumpy friend is asking for a high five. His smile broadens further to a point you wouldn't believe it to be possible. He holds his hand out in the same fashion, still slightly unsure if he interpreted the gesture right.

But a loud clap echoes through the gymnasium and Kageyama's dark eyes sparkle before he turns around to fend of Tsukishima's snide remark on royal emotions.

Hinata, left on his own, can't help but notice the stinging sensation in his right hand.

Mesmerized he stares at his reddened palm.

"It feels just as good as one of the perfect spikes.", he thinks. "Just as good..." But before he can dwell on that any further Nishinoya jumps onto his back to celebrate their victory.

With another smile in Kageyama's direction Hinata clenches his right fist to keep the prickly feeling there as long as he can and punches it into the air in celebration.