The game was almost over.

It had visibly been a strenuous battle for both teams. (Name) (last name) anchored her arms on her knees as she stood, tired, but nevertheless prepared for the continuation of the match. With sharp investigative glances, she observed and analysed her surroundings. It had always been a habit of hers to pick apart every piece of not only her opponents, but her teammates as well. To her left, the ace of the team stood at the far edge of the net. She kept a straight face, but the light quivers in her legs betrayed the utter exhaustion she felt. Her tired demeanour was understandable, of course. The gold medal match entitled that the team was playing five sets rather than three, and the recent deuce had gone over 10 points further than a normal game would've ended. (Name)'s comfortable jersey had soon begun to feel much heavier than it should, the weight of her last name on her back along with that of her country adding to the pressure on the girl's body.

"Pay attention, (name)!" Her best friend Sara called suddenly.

With a jolt, the girl realized the referee's whistle had already sounded, signaling the other team's serve. She positioned herself toward the net, and watched the ball soar over the net.

"Got it!" her team's #8 exclaimed as she received the ball. It bounced from her forearms with a loud smacking noise. "(Name)!"

"Alright!" the girl's eyes followed the coloured ball as it soared moderately in her direction. She positioned herself to perform a jump set and briefly surveyed her surroundings. 'Two blockers to the right,' she noted. 'That means I should probably set to #6.'

A soft grin made its way to her face as the ball continued to approach her awaiting fingertips. In times like these, she could practically see things in a slower pace than that of the reality around. She was aware of every single little movement the other team made, yet her eyes remained focused on the inflated sphere that was growing closer, and closer...

...

"(Name)! Wake up already!"

"Huh?"

"Finally. I've been trying to get you up for, like, ten minutes already!"

The blurry images in front of (name)'s eyes began to focus as she rubbed them with her fingers. She came to realize that she was not at all playing in an Olympic volleyball match, but rather, she was still sitting in a somewhat uncomfortable airplane seat next to her brother. Yuuto flicked her forehead gently in a teasing manner as she sat up properly from her previously slumped position.

"Really?" she laughed a bit. "Sorry about that. Are we there yet?"

"Not completely," informed Yuuto. "But we're landing in a few minutes, and you need to tie your seatbelt. I'd have left one of the flight attendants to wake you up, but since I'm such an amazing big brother, I saved you the embarrassment."

(Name) rolled her eyes playfully. "Thanks, 'amazing big brother'."

"No problem. It's my duty." He puffed his chest out jokingly. "You drooled, by the way."

"I did not!"

The duo thus engaged in an important debate circling around the topic of (name) (last name)'s saliva. Once the playful bantering stopped and the plane landed, Yuuto helped the 'slimy' girl stand and handed her her crutches.

"Let's go! The sooner all that security crap is over with, the better," he exclaimed, stepping carefully into the alley between the other plane seats.

The casual chat between siblings followed them all throughout the excruciating process of customs. Some time passed in the airport as the two progressed through any and every procedure required for their arrival. They picked up their suitcases. They passed through metal detectors (that beeped when (name) passed through them, as she somehow forgot that crutches are made of metal, much to Yuuto's amusement). They also (quite reluctantly) filled in a few documents that they hadn't already prepared for their extended stay in the country. Finally, the pair was released from the proceedings of the area. They made their way to the entrance of the airport. Their foster family had informed them that this would be the place of their meet-up.

"Hey (name)?"

"Hmm?"

"What's the name of the family we'll be staying with again?"

"You asked that ten minutes ago, dimwit," she teased. "It's Shimizu. Their daughter goes to the same school that we'll be attending."

She then surveyed the room, before spotting a few specific people. "Hey, I think that's them over there!"

"Where?"

(Name) nudged her brother with one of her crutches and used it to point toward a trio on their right. Yuuto followed her gaze and spotted the older man and woman (presumably the parents) holding up a whiteboard. Next to them stood a gorgeous young woman who offered the siblings a small wave. Squinting slightly, (name) tried to perceive the characters written on the board. There were two messages on it. They read, as she could see, 'Welcome, (last name) (name) and (last name) Yuuto!' and 'We are the Shimizu family.'.

Yuuto nodded before tugging his sister's arm and bringing her toward their foster family. The combined weight of her backpack and the sheer force of her brother's tugging pushed her forward inelegantly. She stumbled a little, but managed to catch herself with her crutches. Suddenly remembering her injured state, her brother released her arm and gave a crooked grin as an apology, progressing forward alone. She shook her head playfully, and followed him.

(Name) smiled gently at the couple's shy-looking daughter as they approached. They arrived before the trio and bowed, greeting them and offering their gratitude for hosting them in their home. The mother smiled and greeted them back, welcoming them both to her home and to her country. After a few more exchanges of casual conversation, the three made five traveled to the Shimizu family vehicle.

As (name) loaded her luggage next to Yuuto's into the remarkably spacious vehicle, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She set down her last bag and turned to meet the gaze of the lovely young girl she'd be living with. Smiling, she shut the car's trunk.

"Thank you so much for letting me stay in your home," said (name), bowing once again.

"It's nothing," responded the girl, returning her new friend's smile. "I just wanted to give you a proper greeting since I didn't get to do it before."

"Oh, alright! My name's (last name) (name). I'm from (country) [1]. Nice to meet you!" (Name) extended an arm for the girl in greeting. Her counterpart lightly grasped her fingers and shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you too. My name's Shimizu Kiyoko. I look forward to getting to know you.

"Welcome to Japan!"

[1] if you're native of Japan, i apologize for this. the main character/the reader will be native of another country in this story, simply for the reason that there are more people living in the rest of the world than there are in Japan (and also because i am canadian and not too familiar with japanese culture). if this bothers you, simply ignore the parts in which the reader indicates her foreign nationality (i'll be sure not to mention it too much).

otherwise, to those that actually read these little notes, hello! my name is Kat and i'll be writing this story. the plot will include attachments (ohoho) with most of the haikyuu! characters. this story is made to be self-indulgent, so don't feel ashamed for reading it (haha). it will follow the general plotline of seasons 1, 2 and 3, with a few modifications and additions. it will also mostly serve as a way for me to practice my writing.

feel free to correct me if you see any grammar/spelling mistakes. also, as i am not familiar with japanese culture, please tell me if something i write doesn't correspond to the country's customs! and finally, please tell me if i get any volleyball rules wrong.

i hope you enjoy my story!