I said on my other fanfic (From Evening to Dawn) that I would write either an Oikawa or Bokuto fanfic. Bokuto it was then! :D

FANFICTION

HAIKYUU! : SOWLMATES

CHAPTER I : Prologue

"Remember tonight... for it is the beginning of always."

― Dante Alighieri

"And suddenly you know: It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings."

― Meister Eckhart

The beginning of a new school year was always full of events and emotions. Second and third years would find their friends again while first years would look confused and lost, trying to find their marks.

It was the case for Kanemoto Ayaka who kept glancing around nervously. She had gotten lost and had somehow ended up in the middle of the huge court at the entrance of the Fukurodani Academy where every club was trying to get new members.

"Would you try the club of literature?" A girl asked her eagerly.

Ayaka startled and stepped backwards, waving hesitantly her hands.

"A-ah, huuh…"

Walking backwards, not knowing what to answer to the girl from the literature club, she hit someone in her back and quickly turned around.

"I'm sorry!" She exclaimed.

But her quiet voice was smothered by the huge man she had just hit, she squeaked as he leaned towards her with a huge smile.

"Hey! Wanna be the soccer club manager?" He asked, a little bit too enthusiastically.

"N-no, I… uh… I'm sorry…" She apologized but people were so loud that she wasn't heard.

"What?" The soccer player asked, getting closer to hear her better.

"I'm sorry!" She exclaimed before turning around and trying to escape.

Walking through this maze of excited and screaming human beings was hard enough but she was struggling to find her way to the second gymnasium specifically. Once she was away from the crowd, she walked around, trying to orientate herself on her map, but she was terrible at reading maps.

She bumped into someone and gasped, quickly stepping away and bowing forward.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" She exclaimed.

She glanced up and saw three boys looking down at her.

The first had tousled dark brown hair and a monkey's mouth. The second was smaller with a brown undercut. The third one, the one in which she had bumped, on the other hand was… well, he wasn't exactly discreet… He had spiky, black and white hair and his eyebrows shot high. He vaguely reminded her of something but she couldn't tell what.

"It's all right, it's all right!" He said with a loud voice that made her cringe.

He didn't seem to notice her discomfort and turned completely towards her when he noticed the papers in her hands.

"Oh? You're a first-year? You're lost?" He asked, stepping closer.

"I… uh…"

Before Ayaka could answer though, he took her map on which was circled the second gymnasium.

"If you need to go to the second gymnasium, you just have to continue straight ahead and after the corner of this building, you'll find all the gymnasiums," he explained enthusiastically.

She stared at him, blinking in bewilderment. He grinned happily and she smiled shyly.

"T-thank y–"

Ayaka never got the chance to thank him properly because suddenly, hands on hips, he jerked his head backwards and laughed loudly.

"Hey hey hey! I'm a senpai now!" He exclaimed proudly.

So that's why he helped me…? Ayaka thought to herself.

"I'm so glad I can finally say that!" He added with his loud voice.

"I'm surprised you passed to your second-year." The shorter one of the three boys said.

Without quite knowing how it happened, the three boys went off, talking (loudly) about the perks of being senpais. Ayaka glanced down at her map and realized she still hadn't thanked him. Not like he needed the acknowledgment. It probably was the sort of thing that would go into one ear then go out of the other a moment later.

Kanemoto Ayaka startled, realizing she might be late if she didn't hurry. She walked faster and just as the boy had told her, she easily found the gymnasiums. Once she was at the entrance of the second one, she stopped. She heard the scratching of shoes on the floor, the ball being spiked on the ground. She remained still a moment at the door upon hearing these sounds then took a deep breathe and entered.

Many volleyball players were already practicing and Ayaka noticed a girl taking notes further away, probably a manager, talking to an elderly man who probably was the coach. Not far from where she was standing was a little group of four boys in training gear. They looked around awkwardly and she quickly understood that they were first-years.

The coach and manager must have noticed them all because they came closer, calling to the already practicing team for a break.

"You must be the first-years," the coach said with a smile to the entire group of new members, "Did you all give your registration forms?" He asked.

Several nods from the new members and the manager gave the coach said papers but he didn't look at them right away despite taking them in his hand.

"I am Yamiji Takeyuki, the coach of the volleyball team. Today, I just want to make sure everyone who applied is there and you will start training by tomorrow."

He opened his lips to add something but a group of boys suddenly ran into the gymnasium. And loudly.

Ayaka's eyes widened when she saw the three boys from earlier, all wearing their sport gear.

"You're late!" The coach scolded but he didn't seem much angry, only annoyed – he was probably used to that.

"Sorry, sorry!" The white and black-haired boy apologized, a hand behind his neck, "It won't happen again!"

The coach didn't look convinced just as the overwhelming second-year approached, eying at the group of new members:

"Are they all the new members?" He asked excitedly, gaze passing on each and every one of the first-years.

His eyes finally met Ayaka and he jumped, pointing at her suddenly. All the first-years looked confused at his behavior but no one else was surprised by his antics.

"AGH!" He shouted, "You're that girl! The one who got lost! You were coming here?! To the volleyball team?! Why didn't you say so earlier?!"

She hesitated, opening her lips to answer but the two other boys from before came into the conversation:

"You didn't let her speak, idiot," the monkey one said, "Also, you are the one who pointed her to the second gymnasium. Don't you know by now that we are the ones using this gymnasium?"

The strange one looked slightly embarrassed, more out of confusion than anything else. The manager sighed deeply while the first-years glanced at one another nervously. Only one boy didn't seem much phased, or annoyed, he didn't seem to be there at all.

The coach sighed before continuing:

"As I was saying before being interrupted… Tomorrow you start training and you will make temporary teams mixing all years. Then, after-tomorrow, we will have a practice match to see what you're made of. And you, I suppose you're here to become a manager?" He asked, turning to Ayaka.

"Ah, yes," she answered.

He nodded before the first-years started introducing themselves.

"Kaba Shun." A blond-haired one said.

"I'm Hoshino Yoshiro." Another, with glasses, said.

"Honda Takeshi." One with a shaved head said.

"Akaashi Keiji," said the stoic one.

"I-I'm Kanemoto Ayaka, nice to meet you…"

The coach and several players stopped and blinked at her.

"Kanemoto, you said?" Coach Yamiji asked.

"Y-yes…"

Ayaka lowered her head, flushing in embarrassment under everyone's gazes. Only a few didn't seem to know what made her name so particular, and among them the spiky-haired boy who just blinked at everyone – even just while blinking, he didn't stop turning his head all around.

The coach finally smiled then gave a short nod:

"Then, welcome to you all in the Fukurodani's volleyball team," he said, turning towards all the first-years.

"We look forward to working with you!" The first-years all exclaimed in the same time, echoed by the rest of the players.

Ayaka straightened up and her eyes met the strange, over-excited player's ones. He grinned and she realized that even after only a few minutes of conversation with him, she already felt tired.

Manager in the volleyball team promised to be exhausting with such a player among them. But who knew? Perhaps it was also the beginning of the best years of her life.

I created lots of OCs/names for the first and third year players but they won't be important-important to the story so...

Thank you for reading!

Yours Truly,

May