Lovely Zero

1. Faith

A sigh escaped Tachibana Akihiko, a small smile playing at his lips as he leaned his head back to catch sight of the morning hues the sky still held. He might have hated waking up early, but the view sure was nice. Rust-colored hues flicked to the side where a sleepy female strode beside him, keeping up with his pace without a hitch despite the vast difference in height. She stood at 152 cm (quite proudly, he might add) with short, messy hair the color of cherries and eyes a less striking russet. Her build wasn't anything to look twice at - she sadly hadn't inherited much of her mother's physical traits aside from her hair - but it was for the better, as the redhead often voiced; a curvaceous figure like her mother's only would have hindered her athletically.

Akihiko coughed to cover up a snicker. That's what she liked to believe, at least. He was sure his friend would have been killer at sports regardless, but he wasn't one to poke the bear.

"Is there a reason you've been staring at me for the past several minutes, Akihiko?"

She didn't even turn to look at him. The carrot-top grinned, folding his hands behind his head. "Nope, no reason! Just admiring the view, Rei-chan."

"Isn't that a reason?" Rei finally glanced over at Akihiko and raised one eyebrow. She didn't appear very impressed with his answer and not the least bit phased.

Well, that was his usual reason for staring at her, after all.

"Ah, I guess it is..."

They lapsed back into silence, though it wasn't an uncomfortable one. The soon-to-be freshman was used to Rei's lack of conversational skills (something that she would firmly deny and prove all at once), and he didn't really mind that they weren't constantly talking. It was sort of nice in comparison to the friends he had who never ceased their chatter.

Plus Rei made up for it in her own way.

"D'you think Karasuno's gym will be really cool? Our school's gym was kinda dingy." Their school had never been very big on sports and chose to spend funds on academics rather than teams that were slowly but surely dying out. This would be their first time attending a school that actually valued their sports department.

"Of course it will be; it's a high school gym, and it's Karasuno," Rei's lips twitched ever so slightly. "I have no doubt their gym will be really, really cool."

"Oh? Are you actually excited, Rei-chan?"

"...Yeah."

Her answer was almost sheepish, bringing another grin to Akihiko's face. He didn't even need to ask as to why she was so happy to be attending Karasuno, or why she was so sure the gym would be cool just because it was Karasuno's gym. The orange-haired teen knew the reason despite Rei's silence on the subject because though she hadn't played for an entire year and swore she'd never play again, Kurosawa Rei had never stopped loving volleyball, and Akihiko knew for a fact that she was just as pumped as he was to attend the school of the so-called "fallen champs."

"You have to get up sometime, huh?"

"Did you say something, Akihiko?"

He waved a hand as if to clear the air of his mutter. "Nothing! Anyway, Rei-chan..."

"Hm?"

It took Rei a few moments to realize he was no longer walking beside her, and when she did, she merely turned her head to glance back at him. Upon seeing Akihiko look so unsure yet determined, though, she faced him fully, feeling her eye twitch. What's with that unattractive expression? Jeez...

"You're gonna play again, right?"

So that's why. A frown marred her features as her brow furrowed in response to the giant's question. "Aki-chan..."

"It's been a whole year, but this is a new school with new players! And you trained so hard," the carrot-top bit his lip before shaking his head so violently that Rei worried he might hurt himself. "There's no way you'd be rejected again - I know it!"

Rei didn't respond for several minutes, the sound of the wind billowing past them the only noise that dared break the silence. Her expression didn't change the entire time she made Akihiko wait, and just when she was about to respond, he cut her off with words that stunned her into silence.

"I have utter faith in you, Rei-chan!"

Russet orbs were wide in shock, a little misty from the honesty in the male's voice.

"If it's you, I know there won't be a lazy moment!"

She wasn't facing him anymore.

"I know you'll have everyone's backs!"

Had she been facing him, she would have broken her could-care-less image, and she just couldn't have that, could she? "You talk too much, Aki-chan. It's annoying."

And then she continued walking in the direction of the gym they so desperately wanted to see before the school year began. And Akihiko didn't stop her. She may not have answered his question outright, but that meant she wasn't completely opposed to the idea. In the past, he couldn't get even a few words in before she would abruptly end the conversation. But now...

"O-Oi! Wait up! Jeez, how can a shorty walk so damn fast..."

"I heard that, you overgrown weed!"

Now she was actually considering it.

"Did you really expect us to end up in the same class?"

Rei looked bored as ever as the giant of a freshman beside her whined and cried about how they weren't in the same class. She had been hopeful that they'd be placed together, but she hadn't let herself get too attached to the idea; there had been a good chance that they'd be separated. And they had been.

"Man, this sucks! I really wanted to spend all of first year with you." Akihiko breathed out, finally putting a halt to his blubbering. "Now we'll barely see each other."

"Only during classes. There's still lunch, before and after school, and clubs."

Rust-colored eyes focused on the floor. "Mm."

The air between the two shifted then, and Rei suddenly felt like she was choking. She refused to look at him, to look at the silver seat he sat on. Was she an idiot? Why did she mention clubs? Of all the thoughtless, insensitive things-

"Ah, class will start soon! We should probably get going, Rei-chan."

And just like that, his voice forced air back into her lungs. She appeared to be caught off guard by his change in attitude but shook it off to assume her usual unconcerned countenance. "'Kay. Do you want me to push you?"

Akihiko grinned, dismissing Rei's worry that she might've asked the wrong question. "Of course! We should bring some comic relief to everyone's tiresome first day."

She felt her eye twitch. "And why would me pushing you be funny, you giant?"

"Because you're so tiny, ya shorty! Whoa, no beating me up on the first day!"

"Tch."

She was probably going to worry over Akihiko all day, to say the least.

He hadn't been out of the hospital for very long, and she had no doubt that he was still having trouble steering his wheelchair. It couldn't be easy to endure everyone's curious stares and inquiries, either, nor the constant offers for help with the tiniest matters. A scowl overtook her blank expression as she sat down in an empty seat, oblivious to all of her classmates who were beginning to eye her warily.

"Is he alright?"

"He looks scary glaring into space like that."

She really did wish she could be in the same class with Akihiko. At least things wouldn't have been so hard on him then. Nothing was as bad as it could be when they were together. Although, she hadn't exactly been very sensitive about the situation despite her efforts to be; the redhead wasn't good with words most of the time - minding them or otherwise.

"Young man, just where is your uniform?"

Rei didn't register the voice at first, too deep in thought about the giant a few doors down and her own inadequacy as a friend to notice the teacher looming over her desk. Then there was the fact that he'd said, "young man," and Rei was more than positive that she was indeed a young woman.

Apparently the teacher wasn't.

"Young man!"

This time he startled her, his glasses flashing in an almost menacing manner as he placed his hands on her desk. She gazed up at her teacher with eyes that barely betrayed her cool aura, though her shock was a bit obvious by the way she was clutching her chest out of fright. "Y-Yes, Teacher?"

"Your uniform."

The cherry-haired teen glanced down at her clothing - a hoody and some basketball shorts - and back up at her teacher. "I fell in some mud on the way here, so I just changed into this. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Her teacher nodded, muttering something akin to, "It better not," under his breath and eliciting a sigh from Rei once he was at the front and diving into the roll call. She would be the one to irritate the teacher first thing in the morning.

The school day went by just as any other day in a rather anticlimactic manner. It wasn't much of a surprise that high school wasn't all that different from middle school, but that didn't lessen Rei's boredom any. At least she had gotten to eat lunch with Akihiko; that had been nice and refreshing after dealing with schoolwork that never seemed to interest her no matter how it was presented to her. He had complained that class was boring without her there to mess with, but he wasn't at all upset with the homeroom teacher he was stuck with. He'd gotten the "beautiful and elegant" Ms. Tsukino who, from what Rei was told, was one of the better teachers. And she wasn't too strict with the rules.

She was jealous, of course.

"You were mistaken for a boy?"

"Yeah."

Akihiko coughed loudly and turned away from the redhead, obviously trying to cover up a laugh. "Th-That's horrible!"

"Oh, shut up, you over-sized carrot," Rei hissed, cheeks just the slightest bit pink. "He probably couldn't see properly or something. He was wearing glasses, after all..."

"Mmhm, definitely! Who could mistake such a girlish figure for a boy's?" The teen grinned, gesturing towards her. "That's obviously the physique of a budding lady!"

"Sh-Shut up!"

It wasn't until the school day ended that things truly became interesting.

Almost as if the gym were a magnet and the two friends were pieces of metal, Akihiko and Rei found themselves in front of Karasuno's gymnasium entrance. Each wore very different expressions: the carrot-top's face remained relatively blank, save for his burning eyes, and the redhead found herself openly frowning. The gym was amazing. The gym was everything they had always wanted their middle school gym to be and more - it was the gym they had wanted so badly to practice in, to play in, to make memories in. It was going to be the one place they'd get to be together.

Akihiko clenched his fists, and Rei's grip on his wheelchair tightened until her knuckles turned white.

"Nice receive!"

"Thanks!"

How could that be when one of them could no longer walk?

Wordlessly, they entered the gym. It was almost cruel to do such a thing, to bring themselves so close to what could never be. But just for a few seconds...

"Wah! It's even bigger when you're inside!"

"...I knew it'd be really cool."

Just for a few seconds they wanted to come as close as they could. Together.

Akihiko waved his arm carelessly, attempting to get Rei's attention who, upon being nearly whacked in the face, growled out an irritated, "What?"

"Look! That's gotta be their ace!"

The redhead steered her gaze in the direction he pointed and, sure enough, there was a tall, muscular teenager already in midair and slamming his hand onto the ball that a grey-haired setter had tossed for him. Rei's mouth formed an 'O' shape, no sound escaping her, but her face gave her feelings away completely. Amazing! Russet hues continued to follow the ace's movements as he geared up for another spike - one that his teammate on the other side of the net was unable to properly receive this time around. Amazing!

Akihiko gave a content smile, turning back to face the volleyball players still unaware of the two freshman watching them. He was hurting, sure, but he was happy. He hadn't seen Rei look so excited about volleyball since year two of middle school. The fact that he couldn't play no matter how badly he wanted to... Well, it shouldn't cost Rei her happiness. Regardless of how much it hurt, how much he longed to play, he'd endure. For the friend who trained until she bled only to be shunned once again, for the friend who feigned disinterest to cover up her yearning for a game, for the friend who had always been by his side, for Rei - Akihiko would endure.

"Ah, are you here to sign up, too?"

Two startled sets of eyes glanced to the right to find a boy barely taller than Rei looking at the two with curiosity before he fixed his chocolate gaze on the redhead. Akihiko's teeth caught his bottom lip, rust-colored orbs focusing on the ground suddenly. It was to be expected that people would assume that he wouldn't sign up for any sports, but that didn't make the experience sting any less.

His discomfort didn't go unnoticed by the female behind him. She pursed her lips, brow furrowing and gaze becoming increasingly intense the longer the stranger maintained eye contact. He seemed to be growing more and more uncomfortable with the unexplained change in demeanor, though that wasn't Rei's intention, and she admittedly felt bad later on for scaring the spiky-haired teen. But she suddenly had a decision to make, and it wasn't one she particularly wanted to make. Or, she supposed, she didn't want to face the possibility of becoming responsible for a group of players again. It was terrifying to think about for even a second. What if she screwed up? What if she let everyone down? What if she couldn't have their backs?

"I have utter faith in you, Rei-chan!"

Her expression relaxed. Seemingly bored eyes glanced down at the orange-haired teen trying to cover up his hurt by way of her own disinterested method. Her lips twitched. It really didn't suit him. A sigh slipped from her lips before Rei met the eyes of the spiky-haired stranger who immediately stiffened. She gave one firm nod.

"Yeah."

"O...kay."

Akihiko twisted around to look at Rei, face displaying every bit of shock he felt. She didn't bother to look at him, choosing to walk forward with him towards the players they had previously been watching, stranger at their heels. His mouth hung open as he tried to collect the words. But she- Rei was-

"Rei-chan-"

"If it's you, I'll do it."

The giant just stared at her.

"If it's Aki-chan supporting me, putting all his faith in me and telling me it's gonna be alright," Rei finally set her eyes on him, a determined smile gracing her lips for the first time in nearly a year. "I'll play."

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds and tears burst forth from Akihiko like a new born baby, proving that it didn't matter if it was high school or middle school; he'd always be around to embarrass Rei like there was no tomorrow and inspire some tears while he was at it.

"St-Stop it, you beanpole!"

"Rei-chan is so cool!" He paused his blubbering, sparkles appearing out of nowhere as Akihiko put on what he would deem a "cool, Rei-like" expression. "'If it's you, I'll do it.' Reeeeeiiii-chaaaaaan!"

"Shut up! I take it back."

"Eh? No take backs!"

And despite the embarrassment, Rei found herself wanting to smile.

So I started Haikyu! just as a light-hearted break from Tokyo Ghoul, expecting to watch an episode or two before getting back to the literal man eaters I love so much, but two episodes quickly became twenty-five, and I was left with a lot of love for these characters and nothing to do with it, so I created this piece of work! Rei and Akihiko are two characters I already love a ton, and I know I've been kinda vague about their background and what happened between their early visit to the gym and the first day of school, but that's intentional. As the readers, you guys don't know too much because the people around them don't know too much about these two, either; as the characters learn more, you guys will too. This chapter is just an intro made to give you a feel for Rei and Aki by themselves while the next chapter should focus more on Rei and her interaction with our lovely crows~

And I know this is a bit of a cliche, what with Rei being mistaken for a boy and (as you guys have probably figured by now) proceeding to pose as a boy, but it's something I wanna give a go at. I think it could be a fun concept!

With that, I'll leave you guys and shall see you all again soon!

~1000WTBS