This is the last chapter I have done but it's suuuupeeeerrr long. Enjoy . Please favorite, follow, and review if you like it.

Edited: 22/12/2017

"You did all your exercises in the morning, right Kagehoshi?" Keishin asks and she nods. "Okay! Everyone here?"

"Yes!" Karasuno yells.

"The Nekoma practice match is in four days. Inter-High preliminaries will be soon thereafter. We've got no time but you guys are full of holes. Since that's the case there's only one way for you to win. Practice, practice, and practice. Save the ball even if you have to barf. Kagehoshi will be serving to you and we'll keep going until you get it right. Kagehoshi, just a simple serve, got it?"

She nods. She's standing on top of a platform that increases her height, even so her eyes are barely over the net. Kagehoshi can sense the team's' eyes on her but ignores them to just focus on Yamaguchi. She throws the ball up and serves the ball, it is directly aimed to him. Yamaguchi misses the ball.

"T-That was aimed right at him!" Kageyama stutters, as if he doesn't have the capability to do the same thing.

"Kagehoshi, don't tell me you're a freak too!" Keishin sighs.

"W-What?!" Her cheeks flush, "I just have good aim! It comes with years of practice, not whatever dark magic calculations Kageyama-san does in his head!"

Tsukishima sniggers at her insult to Kageyama and said setter looks a bit wounded.

"Okay, well don't forget to aim at other areas around the court besides Yamaguchi. This is receiving practice after all," Coach tells her.

"Yeah, okay, got it." Kiyoko gives Kagehoshi another ball. They keep going until everyone manages five receives which is recorded by Kiyoko. Kagehoshi sighs, "Hinata-san and Tsukishima-san are the ones who need the most help with receiving, Keishin."

He nods, making a mental note to drill those two especially hard. "Alright! Spiking practice next!"

Kagehoshi doesn't need to help for the next exercise as they are evenly paired. Her and Keishin observe and they continue to be surprised by Asahi's and Hinata's spikes.

"Looking good!" Coach yells, his adopted niece nods in agreement. From the corner of her eyes, Kagehoshi notices Sugawara looking at Keishin's amazement.

Their training for the day continues until way past nightfall. Hinata is amazed by everything at the training camp, jumping around in childish excitement.

Tsukishima is annoyed, "I have to hang all day with this slovenly bunch," he says while looking at Tobio and Shoyo who are standing in front of the bathroom door.

"Tsukishima, you bastard!" Tanaka yells.

"Kiyoko-san and Kagehoshi-chan are within 500 meters of us. How can that be slovenly?" Nishinoya says with fire in his eyes.

"Shimizu-san's home is nearby and she invited Kagehoshi-san to stay with her so they aren't staying here," Sugawara breaks the news to them. Nishinoya and Tanaka fall on the ground in despair.

"Kagehoshi-san huh? Hey Hinata, you've talked to the new assistant coach yet?" Tsukishima smirks.

"Huh? Kagehoshi-chan? Why?"

The blonde raises an eyebrow, "Ohh...You mean, you don't know?"

"Know what?" Kageyama asks, also confused. Tanaka and Nishinoya are too sad to pay attention but even Yamaguchi doesn't know what Kei's talking about.

"So none of you know? You really don't recognize her, Yamaguchi?" Yamaguchi shakes his head. "Hmmm...Well I guess I shouldn't say more," he chuckles darkly. Everyone takes a step back from his menacing aura.

Takeda comes out of the dining hall to see Nishinoya and Tanaka on the ground, looking like they are on the edge of death.

"Take-chan, we can't go on," Ryuunosuke says.

Kiyoko and Kagehoshi walk by with an apron over their tracksuits and plates in their hands. Light from the heavens shine on them, in the two boys' perspective, as they look at them in confusion. Yu and Tanaka revive.

"Thank you for the food!" The whole team yells as they prepare to eat.

Kagehoshi is sitting between Takeda and Kiyoko, which also happens to be in front of Sawamura and Sugawara. They decide to take this opportunity to get to know her and more importantly slowly find out why she doesn't like volleyball.

"So Kagehoshi-san," Daichi begins, "How long have you played volleyball for?" The whole team is listening eagerly while trying to act natural.

"Oh, umm...Let's see, my parents really loved volleyball so it was always a part of my life since we'd go watch volleyball games a lot. Well that and it was their job...They worked for a sports magazine, my mom as a writer and my dad as a photographer. I-I only played competitively for about a year and a half but my brother was a volleyball player in high school and I'd go to his practices often." The curly haired girl shifts uncomfortably. "Him and his teammates taught me everything I know and even the coach would help me out...Now that I think about it, it's almost as if I was privately tutored in volleyball. So I guess overall, in practice, almost five years?"

Daichi chokes a bit, she has the same amount of experience as he does. Suga gently pats him on the back, "What position were you?"

"I was libero?" They look at her strangely. "Err...You see my junior-high team was an odd bunch. None of us were really exceptional on our own but all of us were equally skilled at more than one position. So we were pretty well-rounded when it came to passing and receiving. We'd switch starting positions a lot during practice matches to try out different strategies with different people. And our position for one tournament would change for the next tournament. For the first Junior-High tournament I was libero but then for the Spring one I was setter."

The Captain's brows furrow in thought, "But wouldn't that throw the team's rhythm off?"

Kagehoshi's dark curls bounce as she shakes her head, "Not for us. Like I said, we didn't have any gifted players so no one really had the desire to focus on one thing. It helped alot with our teamwork actually. We all learned how to serve the ball specifically to the person, like this person likes it a little faster than usual. Or when it came to receiving, this person always makes there's a little high so odds are you need to move closer instead of farther. I don't think it would work for this team though, most of you are shit at receiving."

The temperature drops as depression hits most of the team hard.

Kagehoshi regrets nothing as she picks up her plate, "Seconds anyone?" Their sadness is forgotten as they eagerly ask for more.

At Kiyoko's house the two girls are silent while they get ready for bed. "Are you enjoying assisting Keishin-san in coaching the team?" The beautiful manager asks.

The younger ravenette smiles, "It's hard for me, but I really enjoy how much they enjoy it."

Kiyoko nods in understanding. "...Kagehoshi-san, I know that we haven't known you for very long but you can always talk me or the two captains. About anything."

Kagehoshi can tell that the manager is talking about her way-to-revealing speech after the match with the Karasuno Neighborhood Association Team. She chooses not to respond to Shimizu's gesture. She's thankful really, but her problems are her problems. "Ahh, Kiyoko-senpai, I always go and exercise in the early morning so I will try my best not to wake you up when I leave, okay? I'll meet you back in the gym."

"Be careful." She tells her, not showing the slightest bit of disappointment that Kagehoshi dismissed her offer to talk. Kiyoko's voice and expression are soft. Kagehoshi can tell that she means it, about her being careful. It's strange for her to have someone she barely knows show concern for her. It's almost as if they're friends.

It's been awhile since she's had friends.

In the early morning, Kagehoshi is running late to volleyball practice because on her way there her brother calls her.

"Kagehoshi!~ I know it's early but I'm going to be busy because we're on our way to a training camp so I want to talk to you before we board our plane."

"Okay," she says walking briskly instead of running like she had planned to do.

"You hung up on me last time! Maaaa~ that's so mean."

Her eyebrow twitches, "You were being annoying!"

"You were hanging out with boys! Of course I was being annoying! They were taking my precious little sister's attention away from me," she can hear the pout in his voice.

Kagehoshi sighs fondly, "Idiot brother."

"What do you call me that? Remember when you'd just call me big brother? You'd use those puppy eyes on me whenever you wanted something and say, 'Big brother, please, please, please.' You could get away with anything. Like when Coach Ukai first scolded me for bringing my little sister to practice but then you won over that cold heart of his with your puppy eyes! You still call him grandad?"

"Yes I do, and I call you idiot brother because instead of getting smarter as you got older like you're supposed too you stayed an idiot."

"Not when it comes to volleyball!~ Anyways! You're the smart one Kagehoshi.~ You're getting A's on all your tests and assignments, right?"

"Of course," Kagehoshi steps in front of the gym doors.

There's some rustling noise, "Oh? Are we leaving?" Her brother sighs, "Okay looks like we're boarding. I'll talk to you as soon as I can alright?"

"Yeah, okay."

"Kagehoshi...I'm-I," a yell for him to hurry up comes from the background and her brother sighs again. "Take care," he hangs up.

She sighs before entering the gym. "Excuse me," she bows to the team, "Sorry for being late my brother called me on the way here." Kagehoshi is wearing her workout clothes that consist of a white t-shirt and tight black shorts, her physical education uniform. All of the boys are shocked by it, all they've ever seen her in is her baggy red tracksuit. They can't help but notice that Kagehoshi has a naturally plump, healthy build and that her t-shirt seems to be stretched out a bit in the chest area. However, when she stands up straight they see small tears prickling in the corner of her eyes. All immediately forget their inappropriate observations of their Assistant Coach to run towards her, except for Tsukishima who walks at a normal pace.

"Ahhh! Kagehoshi-chan is crying!" Hinata, Nishinoya, and Tanaka yell out while they start to cry themselves.

"U-Uh...What do we do?" Kageyama is exceptionally lost, his hands raised up in a surrender position and twitching.

"I'm crying?" She raises her hand to the corner of her eyes, "Oh, I am."

"Kagehoshi-san, whatever it is you can always talk to me about it," Sugawara tells her kindly while laying a hand on her shoulder.

Daichi comes up to her and sets a hand on her head, "You can talk to any of us about it." He gives her a closed-eyed smile, "None of us want our Assistant Coach to be upset, after all."

She shakes her head while wiping her eyes, "Ahhh...No, it's okay. I was just talking to my brother, I don't really know why I'm crying."

All of the team are struck by confusion due to her answer. How could talking to her brother make her cry? What kind of brother would make their sister cry?

Keishin comes up to Kagehoshi with a duffle bag and she pushes the captains aside to grab it. "Go get changed and when you come back you can do the serving," he ruffles her black hair. "We're going to talk about this later though," he tells her firmly. A parental side Kagehoshi rarely sees and the team is surprised to observe.

Kagehoshi gives him a watery smile and nods before leaving to get changed.

Once she leaves, Keishin turns around, giving off a dark aura. The team remembers their reactions when Kagehoshi first came in and gulp. Keishin uses them as an outlet for his anger of how they looked at her and how her brother made her cry. Bless the poor soul who ever takes a romantic interest in her.

When she comes back the boys are out running. Takeda and Keishin are waiting for her.

"What happened with your brother?" Keishin says in a no nonsense tone, arms crossed.

She shifts and looks down, "His team is going to be having a match sometime soon so they are flying out to a training camp. He won't be able to call for a while."

Keishin's brows furrow in anger, "He's your brother and you're living with a complete stranger. He should be calling you everyday, not once a month, not once every few weeks, not once a week. Do your parents ever even call you?"

"My parents are dead," she whispers, never looking up. The two adults don't know what to say. "I'm thankful that you never asked Keishin but I think you need to know how I ended up in your care and Takeda-sensei too since he's part of the faculty and has access to my records anyways." She takes in a deep breath, "My parents died during my third term of my final year in elementary. My brother became my guardian. Before their death, he was accepted and given a volleyball scholarship for a university in America. He wanted me to move with him but I didn't want to leave where I grew up and I didn't want him to give up his future for me." She finally looks up. Keishin and Takeda can see how strongly she cares about her brother. "Ukai-san was my brother's Coach in high school and helped him petition to be my guardian. I was close to him as well since I spent my last three years of elementary school crashing their practices because my parents were always out of Miyagi. I talked to Ukai-san and we made a different plan so that my brother could go to America. He didn't like it at all at first, but Ukai-san and I convinced him to let me stay in Miyagi by saying that I'd live with Ukai-san."

Kagehoshi smiles fondly remembering her time with her grandfather figure, "I was hardly ever home because I'd always be at practice and Ukai-san often told me not to over do it. He was a lot like Keishin, packing me lunch even though I'm never really hungry around lunch time, and he'd still help me with volleyball. My morning exercise was actually designed specifically for me by him...I moved out once I transferred to a school in Tokyo during my second year. My brother knew better than to argue with me and Ukai-san understood my reasons. Before I moved in with Keishin, I lived in a small apartment by myself that Ukai-san paid for despite my brother's and mine protests. My brother gave me weekly allowances for groceries or whatever I needed."

"Together Ukai-san and my brother gave me no choice but to go back to Miyagi and attend Karasuno," her expression turns to annoyance. "Ukai-san even had plans to make me his Assistant Coach since he went out of retirement. When he collapsed I wasn't able to visit him but I called him and the first thing he told me is that this is an example of why he would always tell me not to overdo it. Because of his hospitalization Ukai-san wasn't able to take me in so he arranged something else for me. Which is how I ended up living with Keishin and funnily enough, led to me being Assistant Coach anyways."

Keishin doesn't really know what to say, her story is not exactly tragic but it sounds incredibly lonely. And she didn't even tell them the whole story: like how her parents died, or why she transferred schools, or why she doesn't like volleyball, or why her relationship with her brother seems distant.

Takeda is the one who steps up, "It goes without saying that everyone has their own story and I will admit that when you first said that you didn't like volleyball I too was confused on why you had agreed to be our Assistant Coach. If Ukai-san was you brother's coach then he must have gone to Karasuno and I'm glad that you are here. Crows are often remembered to be a symbol of death and change but there is much more to it. Kagehoshi-san, you have immense knowledge on the changes of the circle of life and despite your dislike for volleyball you were able to look into yourself and find the heart to help us. You are a crow, therefore, there is no better home for you than here in Miyagi, in Karasuno. Like every other member of the volleyball team you have immense potential, you just need to channel that power to will your wings to fly. And when you do, you will find the answers to your questions and finally be free." He immediately grows flustered, "A-Ah, I'm sorry! T-That must have been confusing! A-And I-"

Kagehoshi shakes her head fiercely and hugs the teacher. Tears are prickling her eyes and Ittetsu is surprised at first but slowly returns it. Keishin comes up to the pair and gently pats her head. "That was really beautiful Takeda-sensei." She quickly pulls away, flustered that she practically attacked the teacher. "Ugh, when did I turn into such a crybaby," Kagehoshi mumbles while wiping away her tears. "Keishin, you, and this stupid team make me want to do more. If it were any other sport it would be easy for me but volleyball is...It's hard."

Keishin lowers his arm to place it on her shoulders, "I know you don't feel comfortable with the rest of the team to let them know about this and that you're only telling me and Sensei about it because you think you need to. While we kind of did, don't let anybody pressure you into telling them, okay? Go at your own pace."

She nods. "So, have you decided on a setter yet?"

Keishin lets her change the subject and shakes his head, "In terms of ability Kageyama is my pick...But Sugawara is experienced and has played with an ace since his first year...However, Kageyama is talented enough that he will be able to surpass all that experience in no time...But Sugawara has been playing for a long time, his teammates depend on him."

"Perhaps another reason why you can't pick Keishin-san is because Sugawara-san is in his third year...'The third year is his last year,' that's what you're thinking...Oh! I'm sorry! I'm overstepping my bounds," Takeda apologizes quickly.

"Nah, I think you're right. When I was a third year I remember the anguish I felt at not getting picked. But since I'm temporary coach now I can't base my pick on their feelings."

Kagehoshi snorts at the term temporary, knowing that Keishin is already too attached to back out. The big softie. "You're over thinking this," she crosses her arms. "Take a page out of my old Coach's book, you don't need to use the same setter for every practice match. You just need to pick one for this one. Sugawara-san is a great setter and his teamwork with the rest of the senpais is what my old Coach strived for. But for now, we need Kageyama-san and Hinata-san to perfect their quick attack and what better way than a practice match? For the other third years it may seem a bit harsh, but I don't think Sugawara-san will look at it that way. I think it'll motivate him to improve."

"For the Nekoma battles, this will be our starting order." Keishin holds up a board that has 7 magnets on it and a diagram of a volleyball court drawn. Below the line that represents the net there's three magnets that show Sawamura as left wing spiker, Hinata as middle blocker, and Tanaka as right wing spoiler. Under those magnets there is another line with four more magnets below it that represent Azumane as the back left wing spiker, Nishinoya as libero, Tsukishima as middle blocker, and Kageyama as setter. "It's a configuration you're barely used to so I'm not expecting you to synchronize right away. We have an amazing libero and the ace has returned but don't think that guarantees victory. Victory goes to the game that connects. Let's see how this configuration works."

"Yes!" The team yells before going to clean up.

"Asahi-san!" Nishinoya yells out to the ace and he turns around nervously. "I don't need to mention Suga-san of course, but you're probably feeling bad for Ennoshita-san and the others, right?" Said player gawks and Yu puts his foot down, "The strong stand on the court, that's how it works."

"Um..Asahi-san," Ennoshita says with a smile, "I can't say I've always been a devoted player. There was a time I quit, even. So…"

"If they become stronger than the ace in mind and body, they will rightfully steal the regular position from right under you, Asahi-san. Or if a regular position were to be stolen, maybe it would be Ryu's first," Nishinoya teases.

"You've got some nerve!" Tanaka yells at Ennoshita while grabbing him by his shirt.

Kagehoshi giggles quietly at their antics from her position by Keishin. She wonders why Ennoshita quit at that time and why he came back, though if he quit during the time her grandfather figure came out of retirement she can understand. His training isn't for everybody.

The next day, the team is going through serving practice. Kagehoshi is trying to formulate a way to improve Hinata's terrible serving when Kiyoko comes with a few bags in her hands. She gives Kiyoko a small smile before helping her hand the uniforms out. She stops when she sees jersey number 10.

"Is everything okay?" Kiyoko asks.

Kagehoshi picks up the jersey, "It's nothing, just this jersey...I'll give it to Hinata-san."

When Hinata holds the jersey his eyes shine bright, "T-Thank you Kage-Kagehoshi-chan!" He sees that he has number 10 and Kageyama has number nine, "Agh! Kageyama is one notch higher than me!"

"I knew he was going to say that." Tanaka and Kei say evilly.

Kagehoshi's eyebrow twitches.

"I guess you don't remember that number," Daichi laughs at Hinata.

"Because you one saw it once on TV right?" Sugawara says.

Kagehoshi sighs with a hand to her forehead, "Hinata-san, the Little Giant was number ten."

Hinata gasps, "Was this you're thoughtful idea Coach?"

Keishin shakes his head, "Nope. Kagehoshi is the one who gave it to you."

"Kagehoshi-chan, are you a fan of the little giant too?!" Hinata stands directly in front of her, forgetting about his usual embarassment in his excitement.

"I-I guess you can say that," she scratches her cheek nervously. "Umm...It's just that...I-I think that the Little Giant played on the best team Karasuno's ever had and I believe y-you all can r-reach the-them." She blushes heavily and tries to hide her face. The team bursts into tears, minus Tsukishima.

"Even so Karasuno has never won a match against Nekoma!" Keishin's yell brings them back down from their emotional rollercoaster. "I want you to turn the tables on them! Okay, so let's start practice!"

With vigor the team starts running.

"Nekoma must be very talented," Takeda says to Keishin and Kagehoshi.

"Yes and no?" Kagehoshi answers.

Keishin nods, "I don't know about now, but in the past, the team had very solid receivers. It's not that they had outstanding players. They just had no holes. They were the opposite of our team."

"My middle school Coach compared us to Nekoma in that we didn't have exceptional players but were a great team nonetheless. I've seen Nekoma play when Karasuno would have practice matches against them and they really do live up to the cat name. They're flexible and fast," the first year adds.

'Don't those two go to Nekoma?' Kagehoshi loses her train of thought when a volleyball comes flying her way, "Oi! Hinata, I know your setting is shitty but can you at least try not to hit me in the face!?"

Hinata takes a few steps away from her in fright before dropping down to his knees, "Y-Yes, Kageho-hoshi-san!" He bows his head sharply, "I'M SORRY!"

'Scary,' everyone else thinks.