A/N: I'm surprised, actually, that there are so few fanworks for the fandom! So here's me doing my tiny contribution. I hope we get to see more Tarou x Hanako works in the days to come as simply waiting for both anime and manga chaps is just so grueling.
There are no dialogues here, just something written based on Kabakura's perspective/thoughts. I tried to adhere to a running theme, so please forgive me if it feels patchy or jumpy. I'll try to do better next time I write these two! I just need more manga material so I could develop a nice plot.
Anyways, please let me know what you think! x
There was something about her that made him afraid. Theirs was a fairly small high school and word got around pretty quickly. The news that a second year took the hat of the captain of the female volleyball team spread as soon as Koyanagi Hanako stepped up to the plate. Stepped up. She wasn't assigned; it was not requested of her to do so. Koyanagi Hanako raised her hand and took on the obligation without as much as a bat of an eyelash. It made him afraid because sports teams captains were expected to communicate and socialise on a fairly regular basis, and he was skeptical that he could handle such spunk.
And he couldn't.
The first time he saw her, she was sticking to her trainer outfit, eyes locked on him like a hawk zeroing on a prey. Even if it were several degrees hotter than normal, as it was just the tailend of summer, Koyanagi didn't seem to mind it. If she did, she didn't show it. The grimace that he was doing in his mind manifested on his face without knowing and the only thing that told him that he was wearing his emotion on his sleeve were the smug and entertained expressions in the faces of his teammates who were glad that they weren't dealing with the spitfire that was Koyanagi Hanako.
Naturally, his instinct was to retaliate against her wishes. After all, she stuck her claws on the court which he deemed as his territory. It was only expected of him to protect what was his own. Besides, he had to keep his reputation of being a hardass athlete hungry for wins. However, this storm called Koyanagi Hanako stirred the ground underneath him and actually blackmailed him into sharing the court. His ego, his reputation were on the line either way so he took the less evil choice and granted her access to the court.
Damn that ugly junior for getting the upper hand. She won't be getting away with that, he swore.
There was something in Koyanagi Hanako that made Kabakura Tarou afraid. Her vigour for the sport was almost lethal, and such was evident on the hours that she'd spend after practice, all alone and perfecting moves that she couldn't execute during training.
On the first few times, he ignored the sound of the rubber ball hitting the hard surfaces of the court, the sound of a powered hand meeting the rubber with a reverberating whiplash. He ignored the grunts in frustration and the stomps that accompanied with more frustrated muttering toward oneself. It wasn't his business to dip in the matters of other people if he could avoid it. However, that night, he heard a sniffle and a snort, before a series of sounds of flesh meeting flesh. He could only surmise Koyanagi was literally beating herself for whatever she couldn't do on the court.
The apprehension of approaching the budding storm still picked at his chest but it wasn't in his nature to ignore a comrade in need. After all, they shared the love for the same sport. They should be helping each other out instead of spewing fire against each other every time they meet. It took two more minutes of listening to the sounds within the court before Tarou sighed and entered it with an offer on hand. Said offer turned into a bargain when he finally figured out that jump serves were giving Koyanagi a rather difficult time.
Whatever he did in the few minutes after entering the court that night seemed to have flipped a switch within Koyanagi. From the electric, stinging persona that she always embodied around him, he seemed to have turned her into an awed spectator. It caught him off-guard and he certainly was confused on how to deal with her in the first few minutes. Then again, it made him see Koyanagi on a different light and for the first time, she smiled at him and they shared a laugh whilst cleaning up the balls that were subjected to their spikes.
He still thinks she is scary, but at least he was starting to figure out how to deal with it.
Koyanagi Hanako still scares him from time to time with the intensity of her personality. Her being unapologetic about it only made matters worse. The female volleyball captain was as fierce as he perceived her to be, never relenting and ever persevering. It led her to achieving several victories with the rookie team, even going as far as increasing membership count.
It gave him shudders whenever he tried to think about her persuasion-ahem-encouragement methods to liven up the female volleyball team, but the idea remained the same: Koyanagi Hanako brought life back to the struggling group. Kabakura Tarou could only shake his head whenever he spared time thinking about her. How Koyanagi managed to do so much for academics as well as after-school sports was probably one of life's greatest mysteries. Then again, he had better things to do than think about Koyanagi Hanako.
...like coach her one-on-one, for example. Like always, it took some persuasion from her side, which practically entailed her having to talk his ears off until she got him to agree. The first few incidents had them going up at each other's throats due to their short fuses, but the meetings thereafter were really productive and worthwhile ones.
Heck, she even watched anime, read manga, and learned otaku vocabulary so she could keep up with his method of teaching. If that didn't showcase Koyanagi Hanako's dedication towards a passion, then he wouldn't know what actually did. It scared him how much time she apparently still had on her hands, and what else she could do with it.
Nevertheless, she chose to spend that time with him on the court, trying to better herself as a player of the sport they both cherish. He had to admit that his apprehension towards this private coaching has turned into willingness and eagerness, though he couldn't exactly pinpoint when that happened. It was just that one day, he marched into the court with a spring in his step whilst he felt his whole face lighten up at the sight of her waiting for him on the benches.
It hurt to have lost his last game in volleyball back in high school, especially since their momentum had set them up on such pedestal. It hurt more that he'd have to lose face in front of her. Kabakura didn't dare look toward the bleachers, afraid that he'd see a look of disappointment painted on her face. He didn't even approach her afterwards, unlike his habit after the last few games he played.
Which was why he almost jumped in fright when the top end of a sports bottle was shoved towards his side. He was afraid of the words she'd say, the dismay on her face, and the scolding he'd receive. Kabakura was afraid he had let her down, but he didn't have time to wallow in the feeling as the first few drops of her tears sprung forth from her eyes. Kabakura was afraid Koyanagi wouldn't stop crying so he resulted in what he does best: teasing her about the whole scenario.
He received a few stomps on his worn feet and several punches on his chest, but he merely smiled through it all.
With college life dawning, he was determined to face it with vigour that he brought to the court. However, he was afraid how he'd do without her to light up a fire under his ass.
He was going to tell her a few words of encouragement during his graduation day, but there was something holding him from opening his mouth. Maybe it was the way Koyanagi Hanako stood before him that day, unsure of herself. Maybe it was the far-off thought that it could be the last he would ever see of the green-headed hurricane. As always, it wasn't in his personality to dwell on feelings so he merely retaliated by playing cool about the whole situation.
However, the quiver and uncertainty in her voice caused alarm in him. The next few scenarios were blurred; the next lucid memory he had was that they were both on the ground, him on his back and her on top of him. He couldn't pinpoint who said what, couldn't remember what was said, but he understood that they have entered an agreement to keep each other in their lives for a little while longer.