Hello, everyone! This is the prologue of For My Dream! This story is a REVERSE HAREM, MULTI-PAIRS, MULTI-COUPLE (however you want to say it) story. That means the main character is going to have multiple people who like her. Also, this is going to be mostly action/sports related in the beginning but gradually go into romance. If you DON'T LIKE these types of stories, I suggest you click away now.

Summary: Kou Tatsumi is a 1st year in Tsuneo High school. Her twin brother Kou Hatsumi died, so now she makes it her dream, her duty, to fulfill his dream of becoming the best volleyball player in the world. Tatsumi is a girl but can't possibly beat the strongest players like her brother could because he's a boy. So, she dresses as a boy. Guess life couldn't get any more hard for her, could it? Wrong. Teams from all over Japan center around her and for some reason, some of them are attracted to her! What to do?! "Why is he so cute?!" "Small... wonder if you're small down there, too?" "I didn't notice you before... why is a girl here?" "I'm not gay, so why is my heart beating so fast... for... for that chibi!"

Disclaimer: I don't own Haikyu and I never will.

And without further ado, let's commence with the chapter!

For My Dream!

Prologue

Why Do You Like Volleyball so much?

"Who do you turn to when the only person in the world that can stop you from crying, is exactly the one making you cry?"

"Why do you like volleyball?" Tatsumi asked her brother, tilting her head when she saw the ball bounce off the wall of a cave hitting Hatsumi, her brother, in the head. He crouched and rubbed his head in pain.

"Ouch..." Tatsumi heard him mumble. She stifled a laugh by placing her small hand on her mouth turning sideways so Hatsumi wouldn't notice. Apparently, he did.

"Hey, don't laugh!" He yelled standing up and pouting, his chubby cheeks turning red.

She coughed and turned to him, tilting her head. She asked once more, with more force, "Why do you like volleyball so much?"

Hatsumi stopped pouting and gazed at her with confusion. "Why wouldn't I?" His eyes were widened in a sort of creepy way showing off his dark blue irises that were, a number of times, compared to a dragons' own eyes. They were nicknamed the Dragon Twins after all.

She swallowed and watched him pick up the white volleyball, a present he got last year for his birthday. He, again, started throwing the ball against the wall of the cave. Hitting back every time it bounced to him. Sometimes, he would mess up, and sometimes he would succeed, and when he did, a sparkle of happiness would gleam in his eyes, making him appear more childlike than ever before.

Tatsumi didn't understand how Hatsumi could love and be dedicated to volleyball... it was just a stupid sport. What was so great about it... that he'd spent more time with that dumb white ball... than her?

She gritted her teeth and stomped out of the cave. She expected Hatsumi to run after her, asking her what was wrong... but, of course, he didn't. Not like he used too.

*..._One Year Later_...*

Tatsumi walked from the bus stop stuffing her phone and bus pass in her pocket. With a scowl on her face, she scanned the streets for a sign saying: Oto Gymnasium.

After she found it, she waited for the walk sign to glow green and the cars to stop for her. Once they did, she scurried across the street, and entered the gym. The first thing she noticed were the kids her age or older milling about with uniforms from different junior high schools. Oddly, enough, they resembled high schoolers more than juniors.

They were tall and had more muscle than the average junior high boy would. She also saw tall females prancing about in short shorts with different colored jerseys. The gym smelled of sweat, heat, and a slight undertone of deodorant. Or was that perfume? She couldn't tell but shrugged it off.

Tatsumi ducked around and in between the volleyball players not getting noticed due to her small stature. She knew a major part of volleyball was height. So, she wondered again, why was Hatsumi playing volleyball? He was short, the same height as her: four foot ten. Although, he always insisted he was a few centimeters taller than her.

She shook her head at the thought of his antics. They were definitely the same height, they were, after all, twins. Same dark brown hair, and dark blue eyes that resembled dragons. Their hair styles were different though.

Hatsumi's hair is separated into two parts at each side of his head both spiking slightly upwards. The right side isn't exactly the same as the left side. The hair on the right is slightly lower than the hair on the identical bangs frame his face with evenly cut bangs that fall just above his eyes giving him a clear look of the volleyball court.

Tatsumi's hair is just slightly spiky, with the left side being spikier than the right side of her hair. Only one noticeable piece of hair on the right side of her head is slightly sticking up. The rest of her hair falls down to rest at mid-back length. The left side of her head has two noticeable strands of dark brown hair sticking slightly upwards while the rest flows down straight.

In order to tame her bed head of hair, Tatsumi simply clips down the spiky pieces of hair and braids it. Straightening doesn't do anything for the spikiness of her head.

I'm glad my hair isn't as spiky as Hatsumi's... Tatsumi thinks while shuddering and thinking of the time they tried to straighten his hair for one of his volleyball practice matches to try a new look. Of course, it was all Tatsumi's idea to straighten it.

However, Hatsumi ended the horrific outcome of trying to straighten his hair by exclaiming, "I look fine and unique as a spiky head! There's no way I'm changing my look! But you... you should change yours..." To which, of course, Tatsumi didn't take sitting down.

She rose from her chair and charged at him chasing him around the whole house and even in the back yard until the neighbors screamed at them to shut up. After that, they laughed it off and watched TV.

Tatsumi came to a stop in front of the paper nailed to the wall next to the map for the gym. The paper held the junior high volleyball teams and which one was going against who. She scanned the paper and found her and Hatsumi's school: Yoshiro Junior High vs. Yutaka Junior High.

She glanced at the map of the gymnasium. This was her first time her at Oto Gymnasium as well as her first time at one of her brother's first match. Tatsumi usually avoided coming to the gym in their school when her brother was in it practicing volleyball or playing at school or whenever he invited her to one of his matches that he didn't play in. She didn't want to see her brother immersed in some stupid sport or club activity. It just made her angrier.

Angrier that he spent more time with that stupid volleyball then her. Back when Tatsumi and Hatsumi were in their fourth year in elementary school, Hatsumi was really active and liked all sorts of sports. However, he couldn't do all of them but he couldn't choose a sport he liked best either.

However, one day, when Hatsumi left something at school,and went back to get it, something happened that really shook him. When he came back his cheeks were flushed and his eyes looked more alive than anything she had ever seen.

Being the shy person she was, she didn't remark on his apple red cheeks or ask him what happened on the way home.

Ever since then he's submerged himself in volleyball almost everyday unless Tatsumi talked Hatsumi out of practice which didn't happen 90% of the time.

He would practice volleyball at a cave near their house. It was near an abandoned road that no one used anymore. The reason for the road being closed is unknown but the road travels down and disappears into a thick forest that no one really visits except the Kou family. They're known to hike their every summer. It's annoying but Hatsumi likes it. Tatsumi doesn't see how it's necessary.

She identified the gym that Yoshiro and Yutaka Junior High were using. It was gym 4. Tatsumi started in the direction of the gym. She discovered the door labeled Gym 4 and entered surprised at the amount of sound. There must have been a lot of people up there in the audience. If she walked directly straight to the ending where an opening was, she would arrive in the match area, however, if she turned left it would lead to the seating area for the audience.

Tatsumi walked and turned left, climbed the set of stairs, and took a seat in the front seating area. Because of her height it was hard to see over the railing so she stoop up and stooped against the railing to get a closer look. God, why did I agree to this? Tatsumi thought as she, instead of focusing on the stupid volleyball match, thought back to how Hatsumi convinced her to come to his final match this season that he got to play in.

Flashback

"Please, please! This is my first game in volleyball! You have to come and watch us win!" Hatsumi pleaded, getting down on his knees, and showing his puppy dog eyes.

"N-no w-w-way!" Tatsumi stuttered out, gulped, and turned her face away. Hatsumi crawled in her line of sight and batted his eyes, pushed his lips out, and forced a fake tear to roll across his cheek.

"Please..." He pleaded and came closer to her face showing off the big, sparkly, puppy dog eyes to her.

"Fine, I-I'll go!" Tatsumi shouted indignantly and stood up turning away from him.

Hatsumi jumped up, grinned, and celebrated, "Yaaaay! Thanks sissy!"

"Don't call me sissy! You make me seem like a coward!" She yelled, glaring at him.

He smirked in a condescending way, and said, "Yeah, but you are a coward for not wanting to come in the first place! Bleh!" He stuck out his tongue in a childish fashion.

Tatsumi didn't take that insult sitting down so she chased him down the hall.

Hatsumi reached his bedroom before she could capture him and slammed the door, shouting, "Don't forget! Tomorrow at 3:00!"

"Whatever!" She shouted back angrily.

Flashback End

She focused back on the game in front of her identifying Hatsumi's number 3 jersey in the throng of tall players. His jersey was a lime green with accents and lines of baby blue and sky blue. At the upper right corner in sky blue were the words Yoshiro Junior. His shorts were lime green with two adjacent lines of baby blue trailing down only to end at his upper thighs.

He jumped up and tried to smash the ball to Yutaka's side of the court only to fail because of the three blockers in front of him. It smashed backwards and hit Yoshiro's side of the court. There was a chorus of "Don't mind!" being said by the taller players surrounding Hatsumi.

This is why I don't play sports. You get sweaty, tired, and height plays a big part in most sports. Which in the case of the Kou family, we aren't abundant in.

Tatsumi looked at the score board and saw they were on the second set. 8 to 4. Judging by their faces, they didn't win the first set. Tatsumi deduced. And the one in the lead was Yutaka.

Tatsumi watched her brother try and try again to get past the tall blockers but it wasn't happening. After a while of watching, she became frustrated and then anger set in.

Why...why would he like a sport that isn't kind to him?! Why would he like a sport... that he's losing at?!

WHY?!

Truth be told... she didn't like volleyball. It took Hatsumi's attention and play time with her away because of his practice and club activities. The days he didn't have practice, he'd always go to the cave and practice by himself. He always tried to invite Tatsumi but she always refused.

It was a stupid sport that only focuses on someone's height! Hatsumi doesn't have that... so why?!

She slammed her hand on the railing and unbeknownst to her scared away the couple next to her. She centered her attention back on the match and saw the score. 14 to 7. Tatsumi scowled under her breath. I hope he loses! She scowls in her mind. Maybe then he'd realize how stupid volleyball is and that his height is no match for it!

She scanned for Hatsumi and found him standing still in the middle of the court, a hand held over his mouth as his shoulder shook and heaved. His eyes were scrunched up in pain as he desperately tried to stop coughing. Her eyes widened.

Immediately, she knew something was wrong. She turned around and ran for the stairs taking two at a time almost bumping into someone who was making their way up the stairs. She ran for the entrance to the volleyball court area and skidded through the entrance nearly slipping and hitting her head on the floor.

Everything turned to slow motion for Tatsumi. Hatsumi. Hatsumi. Where...? She turned her head slightly to the left and to the right trying to catch a glimpse of her brother. There.

Standing in the back, holding his mouth, his knees trembling as the ball slowly came towards him.

No, I have to stop it!

She remembered back to the receiver of the ball. The Libero, she thinks, was standing right there, but he didn't try to receive he tried to toss it from the white line on the court directly in front of the net.

She played the toss over and over in her mind, again and again, in a split second, then before anyone could notice she was already at the white painted line near the net. She crouched, jumped, and tossed.

Perfectly.

Everything went back to normal time as she landed on her feet and turned to Hatsumi to see his hands fall from his mouth and rest at his sides. Hatsumi gave her a lopsided smile and spurted blood from his mouth. She gasped and everyone in the audience and volleyball court became silent. Hatsumi fell over, his back hitting the hard floors of the volleyball court making a resounding smack.

Tatsumi raced over to him and sat down on her knees and grabbed Hatsumi's body with her thin arms. She screamed, while hugging Hatsumi, tears dripping down her face, nose congested,

"HATSUMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII...!"

That changed everything...

"Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease... what the heck is that?!" Tatsumi screamed at the doctor.

Tatsumi's mother and father grabbed their daughter and pulled her back. "Stop being rude to the doctor! He's doing the best he can!" Kou Izanami admonished her daughter shaking her index finger. However, Izanami started to bite her lips and look at the doctor questioningly.

Tatsumi stood in the hospital room a little bit away from Hatsumi's hospital bed.

"Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a group of lung diseases that block airflow and make it difficult to breathe." The doctor explained pushing up his glasses to fit in the bridge of his nose.

Tatsumi gritted her teeth and glared at the doctor. "How long?" She spat out glancing at Hatsumi with concern but with a slight undertone of anger.

"Eh, you didn't know he made visits every week to the hospital? I mean I did think it was pretty weird that his parents never showed up..." Tatsumi let the doctor drone on and on listening to her parents' gasp and the crying of her mother.

Tatsumi clenched her fist and fell to the floor punching it with the force multiplied every time. Everything got tuned out and blurry as tears fell from her eyes. You've made weekly visits to the hospital because of a disease... you never told me about?!

You played volleyball even with this... did your team mates know? Volleyball made you like this.

Volleyball... I hate it... I HATE IT!

I never quite got how Hatsumi liked volleyball or more over why... Until...

Tatsumi stood waiting outside of surgery room, clasping her hands together and praying... praying for the best. So that he can live... so that Hatsumi can live...

The sound of sliding doors hit Tatsumi's ears but she didn't turn around. It may have been her mom or dad coming from the lunch they served here at the hospital... but she could care less about lunch, or food, or sleep... Tatsumi may have been here in this same position on the floor facing the emergency surgery room for a couple of hours... but... her brother's life... was simply too precious and important for her to put off.

"Ano... I'm sorry!" Tatsumi stiffened and tried to identify the voice that was speaking. She couldn't match it to a face so she turned around and saw a decent sized boy who was wearing a lime green volleyball jersey matching Yoshiro Junior high's colors with the number 14 on it. Tatsumi stayed on the ground staring at the bowing boy.

"For what?" Her voice came out husky and dry. She hasn't been drinking any water the past few hours so her throat was very dry.

The boy peeked up and gasped when he saw the eyes of a dragon. Oh, wait... that's right, it's a girl... Hatsumi's twin sister. "Kou-san! I'm very sorry... a-...about your brother...Hatsumi."

"Did you know... about his disease...?" Tatsumi asked standing up facing him full on. He swallowed and a cold shiver swept through him. Number 14 stood up straight or rather he tried to but under the piercing gaze of Tatsumi, number 14 couldn't help but to slouch.

"D-disease!?" Number 14 shrieked, clasping his hands around his mouth. Silence seemed best for this tense situation.

"Then leave." Tatsumi spoke coldly. She turned back around and resumed her previous position.

Number 14 looked backwards towards the automatic sliding doors that had windows. Behind these windows were the rest of Yoshiro Junior high's volleyball team urging number 14 to ask the question they all have been wanting to know.

"Ano... how is... Hatsumi?" Number 14 asked quietly, keeping his eyes glued to Tatsumi's hunched form on the ground.

He was tense and honestly freaked out from her eyes. They're out of this world... like from a movie, or a book... it was terrifying the crap out of number 14 who rarely glimpsed those scary looking eyes from Hatsumi. Hatsumi was all sunshine and fun, who enjoyed volleyball from the depths of his heart to the tips of his fingers.

Being so immersed in his thoughts, he didn't notice Tatsumi march up to him and push him to the ground only when his back painfully hit the ground. Tatsumi grabbed the collar of his jersey ready to smack some sense into him when the resounding thud of the automatic doors in front of them reached their ears.

Just at that moment, the other volleyball team members came bursting in from the back sliding doors ready to break the scuffle up. They paused when they noticed Tatsumi standing in front of the doctor with a grim look on his face.

Everything was silent. No one gasped, breathed, blinked, or moved.

Please.

Please.

PLEASE.

"Kou Hatsumi... has passed. I'm sorry for your loss." The doctor said, bowing and walking past Tatsumi followed by a gurney with a white blanket over it and a copious amount of blue dressed nurses.

Tears spilled from Tatsumi's eyes as she screamed for her loss.

Until, now.

Tatsumi lay still on Hatsumi's bed in the darkness. Her hair greasy and her cheeks unusually taunt from not eating or showering. No comforter covered her and her parents were to busy mourning at the death of their son, Hatsumi, to pay attention to Tatsumi's well being.

As it was, none of Kou family could do anything to help each other. Tatsumi stared out into the blackness of Hatsumi's room. Everything was still, and silent... especially in her heart. She couldn't and wouldn't move. Everything was so dark... everywhere she looked... it was so dark... no one was there for her... Hatsumi wasn't there for her anymore... she felt betrayed by him because he wouldn't tell her he was sick. How could he have not told me he was sick?

More importantly, how could I have not known? Some days he looked unusually pale or had a lot of sweat coating his body. Once, she even heard wheezing coming from him. She always attributed those trademarks to him practicing to much or hard. She gritted her teeth and buried her head in Hatsumi's pillow. His cold pillow.

A dry sob wracked her body but no tears would fall. She was all dried up. She didn't have the motivation to do anything. Tatsumi was broken, her heart was broken. She didn't feel anything... rather she didn't want too.

Now suddenly angry at the pain Hatsumi was causing her she stomped up and stumbled towards his bookshelf pushing it down and wrecking it.

Why...

She grabbed one of his toy trophies and broke it in half.

Why!

She walked to his dresser and pulled out the first and second drawers.

I keep asking these questions but I'm not getting any answers!

Tatsumi pulled the third drawer from the dresser and watched it fall forward and hit the carpeted ground with a thunk.

It's contents spilled on the floor showing underwear and boxers of all colors and shapes and sizes. She grabbed the fourth drawer and was about to whisk it out when her knees buckled and she fell to the boxer covered floor shaking like a kitten out of water. Hunger pains jabbed the inside of her belly and the smell of her own sweat made her gag.

Her hair spikier than usual bristled when she felt something jabbing her left knee. Her knees were in the pile of underwear, so, why would I be feeling something hard jabbing at my knee? Tatsumi thought confusingly as she tried to regain her breath and energy to reach for her left knee.

Tatsumi groped for the object her finger sliding over something hard but smooth at the same time. She grasped it in her palms as much as she could and pulled. Out came a 5 inch notebook that was brown with a string coming out one end of the book. Tatsumi blinked in shock and grabbed the string pulling it open to a page with the date of yesterday on it.

The day of the match...

Tatsumi read the first sentence.

Dear Tatsumi, my twin sister,

If you're reading this, whether it's right after I wrote this or a few years after then I'm probably already dead. There's no way you'd be caught dead in my underwear drawer unless it's for the funeral ceremony, Tatsumi, pretty smart, huh?

Tatsumi's eyes widened and her grip tightened on the notebook or rather journal. He knew... he knew he would die...

Anyway, back to more important matters. I have Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD which you probably already know. I'm not entirely sure how it came to be or what happened but I found out in our 1st year in Junior High. Yeah, I know a lot of time has passed and I should have told you... but I couldn't, Tatsumi.

Tatsumi I want you to know... that I love you. Yeah, I haven't been spending a lot of time with you because of volleyball and I'm aware of your dislike for it... however... I love volleyball. And nothings going to stop me from playing it or loving it.

You might be wondering why I love volleyball so much. Remember in our sixth year in elementary school? That time in the cave you asked me why I liked volleyball so much and I said, "Why wouldn't I?" Yeah, not a very satisfying answer but to me... it was perfectly fine. Why wouldn't I like something as great... fun... and awesome as volleyball?

Volleyball is amazing. Volleyball is so fun... anytime you spike the ball... it's like your flying and when you get through blockers... it's an amazing feeling... it's like you stabbed through an iron wall and found your way through a maze! Tossing is another marvel as well... it's like... like... you've become a light tower that shines and paves a way for the spiker! And receiving is also amazing. You become one with the ball and it's trajectory... just... simply... insanely... amazing.

That's what volleyball feels like to me and why I like it so much. So, Tatsumi, you have to understand that to me, telling you or anyone about my disease is the the same as losing. Losing volleyball. And that isn't an option. I have a match tomorrow and if I die after that... I die a happy man. Because I got to play... volleyball.

In our fourth year of elementary school, that day when I left something at school, I quickly went back to get it but because traffic was heavy and I was afraid you'd worry, I turned left instead of riding straight like we usually do on our bikes. There on that street you'll find... the most amazing thing you could ever see in your entire life.

Last but not least... my dream is to become the best volleyball player in the world! I don't care what obstacles I face like height, or power. I... just want to play volleyball... to the utmost of my ability!

I'm sorry... tell mom and dad I love them...

and one more thing...

I hope someday you can see how great volleyball really is.

Tears started to coat her eyes but she refused to let them fall. Not yet. She forced herself to stand up and trudged her way to the door and opened it. She exited and slid her way down the hallway shaking every step of the way. She pushed the front door open when she came near it.

It creaked open and allowed her to exit albeit clumsily. She walked bare footed down the street and turned right making her way straight down. There wasn't much traffic so it was easier for her to maneuver herself in the direction of their elementary school. Once at the end of the street, Tatsumi would normally have to keep going straight, however, she turned left this time.

Tatsumi gazed at the cluster of shops and stores and beauty salons crammed on one street. All the buildings looked pretty old and battered except for one. The one labeled: Volleyball Gym. She started for it walking across the sidewalk to reach the adjacent sidewalk. So... close... almost there.

Tatsumi stood in front of the opening to the gym, the glass doors being pinned back by a cement block to keep it from closing. She gazed inside hearing the thumps of volleyballs and the chorus of "Don't minds" and "Nice kills." She saw a man getting ready to do a jump serve and when he did, he hit the ball straight on, sending it flying in the direction of the other side of the court. It bounced off the floor of the opposite court and came rushing towards her.

She wasn't fast enough to react but a small man a few inches taller than her appeared out of nowhere. He jumped up. He jumped up so high in the sky and hit the ball back. It flew through the doors again... and somehow hit the opposing side of the court from which it was from.

His jump... what... what was that? He was... flying. Her eyes widened. Her heart rate speed up and the tears that welled in her eyes previously fell making the man in front of her startle and ask what was wrong, "Hey, what's wrong?"

She took a few sobs and sniffs then answered, "Can I watch... watch you play volleyball?"

"Eh? U-uh, oh, yeah. Sure. Come on in...?"

"Kou...Tatsumi." She whispered wiping her tears but her eyes remained blurry.

"Kou-san, then."

I hope someday you can see how great volleyball really is.

Maybe.

*..._Four Months Later_...*

Tatsumi knelt in front of the grave where her twin brother Hatsumi was resting at. She placed his journal, whom she had shown to her mother and father before, and a white volleyball in front of him with the initials of every player who went to the volleyball gym.

"I got this for you... I'm slowly... slowly... learning as much as I can about volleyball. To have an understanding of what you were talking about. Slowly..." Tatsumi whispered to the grave placing another item on it. This time it was a bouquet of sun flowers wrapped in plastic.

"And I'm starting my third year over again because I missed a lot of days and didn't do my work. But... I can also take that time to study and learn more about volleyball... maybe even try it. I'm doing this for you, Hatsumi. I'm doing this... because I want you to be happy up there watching me win." Tatsumi spoke to him again, sighing, and standing up dusting the dirt from her knees.

She turned to walk away...

"And also... I'll become the best volleyball player... ever."

So, yeah, a bit of a long prologue but, meh, I wanted you to have an understanding of her personality and what she's been through. By the way, the little parts in the middle with just a sentence or two is the future Tatsumi talking.

Also, let me explain further about Japanese schooling and how old you need to be for each year. However, Hatsumi and Tatsumi are in different years because Tatsumi is very smart! It'll be explained more in the first chapter so stay tuned!

This is normal school age for each school and Hatsumi's ages in his schooling:

Hatsumi - DOB: 3/3/00

Elementary school years' ages

1st year:7
2nd year:8
3rd year:9
4th year:10
5th year:11
6th year:12

Junior High School years' ages

1st year:13
2nd year:14 (Hatsumi only ever got to his 2nd year in junior high :()
3rd year:15

High School years' ages

1st year:16
2nd year:17
3rd year:18

Tatsumi - DOB: 3/3/00

Elementary school years' ages

1st year:7
2nd year:8
3rd year:9
4th year:10
5th year:11
6th year:12

Junior High School years' ages

1st year:12 (as soon as she got in the school she had outstanding grades and moved to 2nd year in the second semester)
2nd year:13 (she moved to 3rd year in the school because of her grades in the 2nd semester as well)
3rd year:14/15 (failed because of lack of determination and doing work and skipped classes-had to repeat this year)

High School years' ages

1st year:16
2nd year:17
3rd year:18

If you're curious about anything ask me in the reviews! Please tell me what you think!

Goodbye for now!