~9~

Well, here's chapter 9! Hope you like it! I love Ukai's grandpa tbh; he's hilarious.

I want a cool grandpa like him.

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I skipped this chapter because I wanted to do episode 10, so it took longer.

Disclaimer: I don't own Haikyuu nor any of its characters. The dialogue may follow the episode, but none of the dialogue is directly copied from each episode unless clearly stated.

Normal POV:

The limousine pulls up silently to a simple, tall building. Hinata opens the door before the chauffeur could even get out and begins to run inside.

"Hey, Shoyo!" Mei yells, rushing out of the limo briskly. "Let's go around the building instead, kay?"

Hinata shrugs, obliging.

Mei pushes open a gate leading to the back, Hinata following at her heels. "Hey, old man! Got a visitor for ya!" she calls. She enters through the gate, running now.

"Heh? What're ya doing here?" an older male's voice responds. "Last time I saw you, you were bumbling about getting kicked off the national team er something of that sorts."

Laid out in back is a bare plain, a volleyball court drawn on the ground and a short net set up. Children of different heights and ages stand on both sides, one clutching a volleyball in his hands at the serving line. Right by the net stands a tall man, his hair a light grey with age. His sharp, chiseled face was pulled into a superior frown. He adorns a muscle tank, his rock-hard guns flexing with little motion.

Mei rolls her eyes. She grabs Hinata by the shoulders, pushing him in front of her to face the old man. "Old man, meet Hinata Shoyo. Shoyo, this is my old geezer of a grandpa. You might know him as Ukai Ikkei."

Hinata's copper eyes go wide as he processes this information. "You're Coach Ukai?!" he cries, a hint of admiration and awe in his tone. "Wait..that means..."

"You guessed it." Hinata turns to see Ukai standing there and putting his elbow on the disgusted Mei's shoulder. "We're cousins. Our moms are sisters."

Hinata pauses. "So you brought me here to meet your grandpa to help me and Kageyama?"

Mei nods. "Tobio probably knew I would take him to Ji-san so he didn't want to come." She glances at the old man who had resumed teaching the kids on the court. "He got that side of the family's temper."

"So did you." Coach Ukai wipes his face with a towel as the kids scramble to retriever a water bottle and quench their thirst. He puts his hand on Hinata's shoulder. "I've heard lots about you, shortie. What's the problem hmm?"

Mei leans against the wall of the building. "Well..."

"So you didn't know how to deal with their weirdo quick attack and ran away, huh, Coach?" the old man finishes. He hurls Ukai into the air. "That's your team, stupid!"

Hinata shudders. Mei lets out a sigh of relief, muttering, "Thank God it's not me today..."

Ukai groans from the ground. "You annoying old man..."

"P-please help me!" Hinata blurts out with an awkward bow.

"Heee? Whaddya want? I can't help you unless you tell me."

Hinata says, "I want to learn how to fight on my own. In the air, against blockers."

"Easier said than done," comments the old man as he takes a seat. "Especially when you're only that tall."

A fire lights in his eyes. "It's because I'm only this tall."

Coach Ukai smiles a bit. "Has anyone ever said this to you? That in what we call a quick attack, the absolute leader is you?" he asks.

Mei jumps up. "That's what I said! Haha!"

Coach Ukai kicks her and up into the air she flies. "Stupid! He wouldn't be here if you said that already!"

"It's true! Mei-san did say that to me!" Hinata says quickly.

Coach Ukai looks back at the small boy. "Why didn't you that before? You don't believe it?"

Hinata stares at his feet. "It's kinda hard when you work with a genius setter like Kageyama," he mumbles.

"Genius setter...what a stupid title for someone as idiotic as Tobio," muttered Mei as she returned.

Completely ignoring her, Coach Ukai inquired, "Okay, then tell me what you think. What do you personally about this weird quick of yours?"

Hinata hesitates. "Uh...well, I just kinda jump like whoosh...and the set comes to me like slash, and if wave my arm like swoosh, my hand will come in perfect contact with the ball like whack!" (This is a direct quote from the episode because I didn't really know how to change what he said haha)

Ukai nudges his cousin. "Did you understand any of that?"

"Who ever does?" replies she with a shrug, waiting for her grandpa's response.

"I get it. But no matter what you say, you're still taking the initiative in this quick of yours. Just get that through your head," Coach Ukai repeats. He heads toward the net where the children awaited him, ducking underneath it. "Lemme show you something. Try to block it."

Coach Ukai shows Hinata the routes of the three tempos, much to his surprise.

"So...it'll be different depending on how fast my approach is...," he talks to himself.

Coach Ukai nods, satisfied. "That's right. Which means..."

"I'm...the leader."

He gives him a thumbs up. "That's right. The setter is the one who matches the spiker."

"The setter is the one who matches the spiker...," Ukai repeats from beside me.

I look over at him. "Huh? What's up with you?"

Instead of answering my question, a spark lights his eyes. "I'm going to borrow your limo, Mei!" he cries out, breaking into a sprint.

"Huh? What for?!" He doesn't say anything, simply running toward where the limo was parked. "Don't you want the keys?" I throw them at him and he catches them easily, hopping inside and driving away like a maniac. If he gets in an accident, Dad will kill me...

The next day:

I make sure the distance between Tobio and me is close enough that we can talk but not too close that it'd feel intensely awkward.

"So...how's practice been before we go to Tokyo?" I inquire carefully as we walk on the sidewalk to the book store.

"Okay," replies he shortly without further explanation. Thanks for keeping that conversation from dying.

I try again, "I visited the old man the other day."

"Oh, is that so?" His voice lacks emotion or interest despite his words.

"He's doing great; thanks for asking," I spit, pissed. "He's teaching kids to play volleyball now."

"You took Hinata there, didn't you?"

"Yeah. You could've come too, you know. But you refused. I thought we went over the fact that you two should try to get along. Which leads me to my previous question: have you been practicing with Shoyo?"

He shrugs. "Not really."

"Well, well, well. If it isn't my precious kouhai and his oh-so-famous sister."

I start. That voice...it's far too familiar. I feel my body tense, my muscles taut.

"Aw, there's no need to be so nervous around me, poor Mei-chan," the voice says in a mock-soothing tone. "After all, we used to date."

I struggle not to waver in my voice as I turn to face the tall male. "What do you want, Oikawa-san?"

His right brow raises with an air of superiority. "'Oikawa-san'? Why, you can call me Tooru, like you used to." His lips purse into a thin smile.

"I'm alright, thank you," I say formally. "How did you know I was back?"

"I get around. Plus, I read an article that there was an incident at nationals, causing the captain of the girls volleyball team to suddenly disappear." He frowns. "I wonder what that's about."

I bit my lip. Hard. So hard, I taste the metallic taste of blood, but I keep biting, pushing away my anxiety in vain. I've been wanting to see him for forever...but why do I feel so distant from him?

"I wonder too," I mutter. When he doesn't say anything, I finally meet his eyes. Chocolate brown. Shining, alluring, as always. "Well, do you have something to say to me? Did you expect me to get back together with you the moment I came back?" Why am I getting mad? Why am I so annoyed when I should be so happy at the sight of his face? "I get around too, and I'm not blind. You've changed too."

"I didn't have that intention at all. And please, what could you know?"

I flinch. "Never mind; you haven't changed entirely. You're still a sadistic monster hidden behind a charming smile and a fake attitude."

"I take it back. You're still an insecure weakling hidden behind an indifferent expression and fame," he shoots back.

"Oi, don't talk to my sister that way," cuts in Tobio.

Toor-Oikawa-san grins. "Acting like the knight in shining armor as always, Tobio-chan. But this doesn't have to do with you. It's between Mei-chan and me."

"What do you even want from me?!" I scream, frustrated. "Did you come here just to laugh at me?"

"I didn't come here to see you. I came to see Tobio-chan, here."

Ouch. That felt like a stab in my heart.

Oikawa-san puts his elbow on Tobio's shoulder, much to his disgust. "A little bird told me there's some conflict between you and that shortie."

"That doesn't have to do with you, Oikawa-san." Tobio brushes the third year off of him.

"Well, I thought you might want a little advice from your almighty senpai, the great setter. Ever thought that the leader is the little shortie-chan?"

Tobio groans. "I don't want advice from you."

But Oikawa-san keeps going on. "You should give the shortie the kind of sets he wants. That's how a good duo functions; you give him a good set and he'll perform well."

"I hate to say it but Oikawa-san's right," I blurt out. Way to go, Mei. Look what you did, agreeing with him.

Thankfully, he ignores me. "Just think about it, okay, Tobio-chan?"

"Whatever."

"See ya!" Oikawa-san calls as he heads down the street.

"I hate that guy. What a total disappointment," I say, sitting on a bench. "Tobio?"

My little brother starts walking away, his step swift. "I'll be back!"

"What is he doing?"

Normal POV:

"Well this is a nice surprise," Ukai says genuinely. He slides a cup of tea in Kageyama's direction. "I actually had something to tell you."

Kageyama looks up from his steaming cup. "What is it?"

"You know how your sets always go to Hinata's hand at the highest point of its path?" Here, Kageyama nods. "Well, instead of doing that, what if it ends at Hinata's hand?"

"Hah? What does that even mean?"

"Meaning it would drop at where Hinata jumped. Like this." Ukai tosses a rock in the air. "Right there would be where Hinata would spike the ball."

Kageyama nods understandingly. "I think I get it..."

Ukai smirks. "This just might work..."