A/N: I now present to you the first of (hopefully) many installments of The Rakuzan Volleyball Club, a work of complete fiction whose contents include but are not limited to an incredibly OOC Akashi Seijuurou, questionable spelling, a hell of a lot of OCs, characters from every sports-related anime that I can think of/have watched/have read, and pairings of both the gay and straight persuasion.
I encourage you to suspend your disbelief and believe me when I say that I have no intentions of pairing any actual characters up with my OCs.
I also encourage you to believe me when I say that none of these characters are mine, except for the ones that are.
Rated T because I am cautious, and also because language will probably happen eventually.
Enjoy.
On the first day of his first year at Rakuzan Academy, Akashi Seijuurou (and he will never admit this) made a near-fatal, life-changing and, in the beginning, unbelievably humiliating mistake.
For the rest of his life, he would blame it on an error in the paperwork – after all, there was no way he could have made such a mistake, right? And besides, the pamphlet actually had said Gymnasium 4, and if he had been just a bit too caught up in a shogi game he was playing with himself and deciding just how to completely force all of the second- and third-years to submit to his will, well.
That was just not important at all.
But the point remains that when Seijuurou opened the doors to Gymnasium 4, ready for a new high school career free of horoscope-obsessed nanodayo-ing idiots, other assorted children and one sullen ex-Teikou basketball player that stirred up feelings frighteningly close to guilt, he found himself facing a group of people that was most certainly not the basketball club.
For a second, Seijuurou was so shocked that he didn't even notice which sport it was, so mortified by the fact that he had messed up as he was. He just stood there, wrapped up in his thoughts – 'Wait, what is this, today was supposed to be my brand new start, Akashi Empire 2.0, actually working this time. Why are these people in my gym, I'm not in the wrong place, am I? No, that's impossible, I'm never wrong. I'm always right, but why are these people here, because I'm obviously not wrong, what is going on' – until someone was kind enough to bring him back to reality.
"Um…"
Seijuurou blinks once, twice, and suddenly registers the girl standing in front of him.
It's a pleasant-looking girl with gray hair pulled back into a high ponytail, long side bangs and bright gray eyes. She's wearing a slightly confused expression and the Rakuzan girls' uniform – a light blue pleated skirt with a white collared shirt and the dark blue tie of the third years', and it's accented with a navy blue cardigan tied around her waist. Surprisingly enough, she's not wearing shoes or socks, and there's a faint sheen of sweat on her forehead.
"Who are you?" she asks.
Before Seijuurou can answer, he's interrupted by a couple of whispers from two boys wearing plain white t-shirts and athletic shorts, and Seijuurou realizes that he must have interrupted the volleyball club's practice, judging from the volleyballs that the two are holding.
"Isn't that-?"
"Yeah, Akashi or something, right? I saw him at the opening ceremony this morning."
"Akashi? Really, someone like that at our school? I heard the rumors but I didn't actually expect it."
The gray-haired girl lets out a low grumble. She clears her throat loudly. "Kichirou-kun! Shouta-kun!" she calls, turning around. "Don't you two have laps to be doing or something?"
The two boys freeze at her call, mumbling out 'Yes ma'am's and tossing the volleyballs into a cart near one of the walls.
Seijuurou watches them go for a second, thoroughly but unwillingly impressed by the girl's control over her club members.
"Who are you?" she repeats, a touch of impatience in her voice.
"Akashi Seijuurou," Seijuurou says. "Who are you?"
She flashes him a grin. "Akashi Seijuurou," she drawls, completely ignoring his question. "The boys have been talking about you since the rumors first started. The famed heir to Akashi Corp. coming to our humble school, no doubt planning to take over the basketball club after that mess at Teikou."
"I-"
She ignores him. "So what do you want with us? We're just the volleyball club, aren't we? Or are you maybe looking for members to poach? I don't know, if I played basketball I wouldn't want any of us. Besides, you've got Reo-kun and Eikichi-kun, don't you? They're a handful, I know, but I heard they're good at what they do. Also Hayama from Class C's in the basketball club too, right? Isn't that enough for you?"
This time Seijuurou doesn't even try to say anything, choosing (wisely) to keep his mouth shut.
"But if you're not here for anything, you should probably leave." She smirks at him conspiratorially. "You went in the wrong gym, didn't you?"
"I did not," Seijuurou replies frostily. "I wished to look at some of the other sports clubs that Rakuzan has to offer."
The girl stifles a laugh, but nods in mock understanding anyway. "Don't worry, I get it, I get it. I'll show you around then, introduce you to some people?" she offers.
Seijuurou suddenly wishes that he had just admitted to the mistake and been done with it. It's too late to back out now while keeping face, and something about this third-year girl whose name he still doesn't have is intriguing.
"That would be nice," he accepts cordially, and her eyes flash in triumph.
"I never did give you my name, did I," she remarks offhandedly. "Mayuzumi Chisaki, third year class A. I'm the manager of Rakuzan's volleyball club. Reo-kun and Eikichi-kun are in my class, by the way, so if you need any help with them, you can just come to me."
Seijuurou vaguely remembers seeing the name Mayuzumi in one of the rosters for the basketball club that he got beforehand, someone on the third string, but before he can ask, Mayuzumi Chisaki answers his question for him.
"Also my little brother's on the basketball team. He's a bit of a dick, and he's kind of annoying, and you probably won't see him much, but he's cool once you get to know him." She frowns, pausing. "I think. I think he's awesome, but that might just be because he's my brother."
Seijuurou files away this information, marking a Mayuzumi on the basketball team as a possible person of interest in his mind. "Why has the volleyball club already begun practice?" he asks, scanning the other people in the gym. There aren't many of them, and they look like they're mostly second- or third-years, but the easy dynamic that fills the gym speaks of months of working together and growing together.
There's a sense of bitterness to watching them practice, though, because Seijuurou can't remember the last time he could feel this in the Teikou gymnasium.
He pushes the thought aside, though, and watches as Chisaki offers a tip to a sandy-haired boy practicing serves, demonstrating the motion with practiced ease. The sandy-haired boy bows slightly and thanks her profusely, calling her Chisaki-san and smiling widely. She smiles back, calling him Eita-kun with just as much fondness before walking back to Seijuurou.
"Where's your coach? And your captain?" Seijuurou asks.
Chisaki frowns. "Akio got hurt at the end of last year, I think he's taking the first week off or something. Also he's a little delinquent, so you can't expect much of him. Ezakiya-san was in America for a conference or something, I think."
Seijuurou takes this into account as well. A delinquent captain addressed with no honorific – a childhood friend of Chisaki's, most likely, and a coach who travels – either a man actively involved in the sports world or a more scholarly man, who indulges in his volleyball interests in his spare time.
"Chisaki-san! Chisaki-san!" One of the second-year boys from earlier comes running up, breathing heavily. "Chisaki-san, there's someone here to see you."
She perks up. "Who?"
The boy shrugs. "Said they were from Aoba Jousai, something about setting up a practice match?"
Chisaki lets out a small victory whoop. "Knew he wouldn't let me down. Take care of Akashi-kun for a bit, would you? Introduce yourself, play nice, show him how to do a good spike. You know the routine!" She shouts the last words over her shoulder as she dashes towards the gym doors, pausing by one of the metal benches to slip on her shoes, digging her phone out of one of the pockets in her skirt as she does so.
Seijuurou mentally assesses the boy assigned to 'take care of him'. He's tall, with long arms and long legs and a quick, slender build. He holds himself up on his toes, and he has light brown hair and cheerful black eyes.
"Uchiyama Kichirou, second year class D. Libero," he announces proudly. "Call me Uchiyama-senpai."
"Akashi Seijuurou," Seijuurou says in return. "First year class A."
"How much do you know about volleyball?" Uchiyama asks, bouncing eagerly up on his toes.
Seijuurou thinks for a second. "I know most of the basics. Libero is a receiving position, correct?"
Uchiyama nods excitedly. "Yeah, I save the rest of them when they mess up. I'm good at it too. Noya-san's better at it than me, but Chisaki-san says that if I keep at it I'll be really good because I've got good reflexes. Ezakiya-san said so too when he first saw me last year, and I'm good for teaching the kids."
Seijuurou nods absentmindedly, his gaze falling on a tall, well-built boy with long black hair pulled back into a low ponytail spiking at one of the far walls.
"That's Ichikawa Haruto," Uchiyama remarks, following Seijuurou's gaze. "He's our ace. Good at it too, but he's a little hard to speak to." He sighs dejectedly. "All of the girls love him. They come to watch our practice games just to watch him play."
Uchiyama scuffs at the ground with one sneakered toe, and Seijuurou watches, holding back his amusement. "No one ever appreciates a good receiver. Only Chisaki-san gets how awesome I am, and she's Chisaki-san, I can't date her or else everyone will kill me."
For not the first time, Seijuurou wonders just how much power this Chisaki has over her club.
At this point, the other second-year boy from earlier reenters the gym and jogs over to wear Uchiyama and Seijuurou are standing. "Hey Kichirou," he greets breathily before turning to Seijuurou. "Nomura Shouta, second year class D. All-around awesome person," he introduces.
Seijuurou smirks. "Akashi Seijuurou, first year class A."
Nomura looks intensely at Seijuurou for a second before shaking his head and turning to Uchiyama. "Look, Kichirou, I saw Chisaki-san on the way out. She said that Ezakiya-san just called her, said he just got off of the plane in Osaka. Gonna be here in maybe half an hour."
Uchiyama visibly brightens, a smile breaking out on his face. "Really? Yes!"
Nomura nods, his excitement level almost equal to that of his classmate's. "She said to find everyone and get them here by five minutes before."
"I'll go find Kaito-senpai and Hidekazu-senpai, then. Take care of Akashi-kun!" Uchiyama runs off, and Nomura realizes a second too late that he's just been stuck with babysitting duties.
"Sorry about this," Nomura apologizes, embarrassed. "It's just that Ezakiya-san's been away all summer and we're all really looking forward to him coming back."
Seijuurou hums in response. "It's no problem. I'm merely observing today's practice."
Nomura smiles widely and reaches out to tousle Seijuurou's crimson hair, oblivious to the younger boy's rising ire. "You're such a good kid," he sighs contentedly.
Seijuurou's eye twitches.
He ignores it.
Instead, he says, "Actually, I believe that I should probably head over to my own practice at this point. If you could point me towards the gym where the basketball club normally practices…?"
Nomura eyes him doubtfully. "Basketball practice hasn't actually started yet, but if you really want to know I guess I can show you the way."
The two pass by Chisaki on their way out of the gym, and she waves at them before rushing over to where the black-haired third-year – Ichikawa, Seijuurou recalls – and speaking to him, waving her hands around very emphatically as she does so.
Seijuurou is pointed towards the gymnasium at the end of the row of six, and he thanks Nomura solemnly before turning away and heading towards where he was supposed to be the entire time.
He checks his watch. Barely ten minutes have passed since he entered Gym 4, but for some reason it feels like it has been much, much longer.
As he walks away from the volleyball club's gym, he hears a high-pitched but distinctly masculine shriek, and puts thoughts of Teikou's team – his team – out of his mind.
He does not expect to encounter the volleyball team (or its manager) again.
A/N: Chapter 1 is a wrap! Expect chapter 2 sometime in the near future seeing as it is summer.
Next time: The volleyball manager and her precious little brother. The eccentric but beloved coach of the volleyball club. Also there have been reports of mass gatherings of crows in the area, stay tuned for further news.