BLARGH. Ok, so this chapter was an absolute pain. Not only is there a LOT going on, but I was sick the week of Thanksgiving and then I got RAPH sick, and then this chapter did not want to be written and . . . not to mention, midterms and FINALS have struck again at the SAME TIME and I'm at my wits end….

So yeah. Sorry for the long delay. Promise it won't always take this long. (but it's bound to happen again, we are only human after all) But we have an extra long chapter to make up for it so, yeah! Please enjoy! (you better, cause long time or not, we still slaved over this)

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything.

"Are you sure you're okay to be coming to the game?" The blatant concern in Kageyama's voice should've made him pleased- instead, Kuroko worked to not become one with the chair in front of him that housed the black haired setter. This was the fourth time since he'd gotten on the bus that someone had asked him that question. He normally didn't get irritated easily, but this was getting ridiculous.

"I'm fine, Kageyama-kun," Kuroko insisted, not even bothering to raise his head this time around.

There was a beat of silence, the murmur of voices echoing around Kuroko's ears and Hinata's low breathing quickly lulling him back into lethargy.

"Is he still out of it?" Someone asked lowly.

"I think he's just resting," Kageyama said slowly. "Saving up his energy?" His tone lifted at the end, like he was completely unsure with his own hypothesis, even though he was completely right on both counts.

"Saving up his energy for what? He's not playing." The protest instantly snapped Kuroko back to reality. He wanted to play. That was the reason he was sitting on this bus.

"I can play," He insisted, bringing his head up and staring a concerned looking Sugawara-senpai in the face.

Sugawara shared a loaded look with Kageyama, before turning back to Kuroko. "Do you really think you'd be able to play like you are?" The words were said kindly, gently, letting him know he could say no and not feel bad in the least, but that wasn't what Kuroko wanted.

Not when he still had nightmares about the last time he sat out of a game.

He got so caught up in the flashbacks and overall feeling of nausea and dread that it took Tanaka's voice to cut through the chatter. He brought his head back up -when had he started resting it again? Had he missed part of the argument? Had he lost it?-

He blinked in the sight of Tanaka whacking Hinata on the back. "Well, we'll just have to rely on you instead, huh, Hinata? You and Mr. Genius Setter over there."

Suddenly, Hinata's weight shifted over onto his, reaching a trembling arm towards the window. Kuroko pushed back a little against the stifling weight, puzzled. He stopped immediately when he saw the state of his friend- Hinata's cheeks were tinged a sickly shade of green.

He whipped around. "Kageyama, the window-" he pleaded, but it was too late. Hinata's cheeks bulged and he spewed- all over Kuroko's lap.

His stomach rolled, instantly recognizing the stench of throw up and stomach rolling in response, despite his brain's pleas of -not now, please-

He closed his mouth, trying desperately to block the scent percolating through his facemask.

The thing about Hinata was, even though he had played countless practice matches against the Miracles, he still got nervous every time a real match came around.

So Kuroko wasn't all that surprised that Hinata had an upset stomach. What surprised him was that it was apparently bad enough to make the oranget puke. He'd never been that nervous back in Teiko.

Or maybe he was looking at it wrong? Maybe it was because it was their first official volleyball match out of Teiko that Hinata was so nervous?

An arm elbowed him, shoving past, and Kuroko didn't even care that his space was being invaded because the stench was literally staring him in the face, and the arm attached to the smell was opening the window.

And at that moment he didn't care that his sweatpants were still warm with vomit. He didn't care that standing so suddenly made his head spin because there was fresh air. He gasped it in, relishing the breeze that the still moving bus created.

"I'm really sorry, Kuroko," Hinata said. Kuroko turned, surprised by the sight of hunched shoulders, of the strangely despondent tone. He slowly sat back down, never taking his eyes off his friend. Bringing his face back into the bus only made it harder to breathe, but he had a facemask for a reason- he would stand it.

"I'm used to it," He said instead, putting in the effort to make his tone light. "When have you ever not been nervous before a game?"

He ran out of fresh air, then, and all the activity was making him vaguely dizzy, so he left it at that. After all, Hinata knew the rest, right? Knew how everyone at Teiko had always looked at them with nostalgic long-suffering every time one of them suffered a bout of nerves. How their teasing was meant well, how nobody really minded.

But Hinata only shrugged a single shoulder, moving to a seat a bit further away while Tanaka came forward, offering a bag for Kuroko's dirty sweats. He nodded his thanks, stripping off the fabric and stuffing it and the stench away.

His muscles began to shiver at the sudden absence of warmth, but he ignored it -He still had his gym shorts after all, it wasn't like he was naked-. He sighed and returned his head to its resting position on the back of Kageyama's chair. It would be fine. He'd just go through warm ups with the rest of the team- after all, what better excuse was there to do them than being cold? Nobody could really protest.

The thought made him smile. It would be nice to be able to do drills with them again, after all the time he'd spent sitting out yesterday.

In all honesty, Kuroko had gone into this expecting Hinata to run into someone at the bathroom.

Surprisingly, Tanaka found the opponent before Kuroko or Hinata did.

"Hey," Tanaka said, sneering at a couple kids wearing the white and blue jackets- jackets that looked so much like Teiko's jerseys he did a double take. "Don't underestimate us. Otherwise, we'll eat you alive." The words had a weight to them. A challenge that the players reeled back from, vaguely sheepish.

Don't underestimate us.

Kuroko blinked, surprise making his fingers twitch. Tanaka's words held the feeling of roteness that Kuroko's always had every time he appeared "suddenly". It was the tone of something that got repeated a lot.

Which begged the question: how often had they been called the Fallen Crows? How often had they been looked down on by schools like Aoba Johsai, were victims of mocking like the Miragens had made all of their opponents?

"Maa maa, don't do that scary face, Tanaka-san," Tsukishima mocked, sidling up beside him so he could glare better down his nose. "You'll scare the poor little elites."

Seeming delighted that he was playing along, Tanaka let out a savage grin. "Ah, you're right, we should save our trash talk for the match."

Kuroko shifted on his feet, eyes searching instinctively for Hinata even though he knew the oranget would be heading to the bathroom right about now. He would've taken to the trash talk with relish, no doubt.

Daichi came racing around the corner and berating them. Kuroko felt amusement curl in his stomach as he watched Tsukishima just up and walk away. He was just about to follow the team towards the locker rooms when a call from one of the other players stopped his feet cold.

"Oi, King, what kind of dictatorship do you run these days? I look forward to seeing it in the match." The words were cold and cutting, the smirk on the guy's face and the way his friend snickered telling Kuroko the guy knew exactly how hurtful those words were supposed to be.

Kuroko turned his feet, glaring at the Turnip head with all the energy he could muster. Turnip didn't even blink.

Kageyama didn't seem to understand the underlying message, because he simply nodded. "Yeah. See you in the match."

Kuroko continually glared, even when he followed Kageyama past them and into the school. He ran into the frame of the door, mistiming his entrance with how much space he needed.

Thankfully, Kageyama was so caught up in his thoughts he didn't catch Kuroko's moment of incoordination. Unfortunately, Kageyama's longer legs and Kuroko's recent illness meant he had to jog slightly to keep up.

"What did they mean when they called you King?" Kuroko asked after another moment of silence, trying to regulate his breathing.

The term had been bothering him ever since the confrontation with Tsukishima. The only people he knew who had titles in sports had done something special to earn them- and based on the way Turnip had said the word . . . well, Kuroko thought he had a right to be worried.

Kageyama jumped nearly a foot in the air, pressing a hand to his chest as he whipped around to look at Kuroko. "When did you show up? I swear you appear out of nowhere sometimes." He muttered. Then, like he had finally internalized the question, blinked and averted his gaze. "You . . . didn't hear about it?"

Kuroko shook his head minutely, lips turning down in worry. "The Little Giant's the only real volleyball person I know." He explained, trying not to feel sheepish, and Kageyama scoffed, shaking his head.

"Hinata," He said, like it was the answer to all of life's mysteries—or maybe the cause of them?

Kageyama stared at him for a second before sighing heavily. "I guess you wouldn't know, having been playing basketball when it happened. . ."

The setter's fists clenched, glaring out the hallway towards where the noise was coming from. What was it that had put those shadows in the setter's eyes? Surely—he felt a pang in his chest as Kageyama opened his mouth and confirmed his encroaching fear.

"Those guys, they used to be on my team. Last year, our last match . . . I tossed. They weren't there to spike it. They—they gave up on me."

Kuroko's heart dropped in his chest. He'd known—known the moment he'd walked past the gym back in middle school that something was going on with the setter. Knew from their experience with Tsukishima that his team had practically abandoned him. But hearing all the details—seeing the sheer amount of pain in Kageyama's eyes—that made his blood boil.

Why? Why did people insist on alienating talented people? Why did teammates—why did friends abandon each other?

It was a question Kuroko seemed doomed to ask eternally, because after all of this he still hadn't found an answer. Still, there were a couple key things he had learned that he was going to hammer into Kageyama's head if it was the last thing he did.

"That's stupid," he said bluntly, ignoring Kageyama's jerk. "You may have earned the nickname King for reckless tosses on the court, but that's no excuse to stop playing."

-No excuse to quit, no excuse to skip, you hypocrite you had everything Kageyama wanted and you threw it all away-

He grit his teeth. There was a reason he had left. It was the same reason Kageyama had the look in his eyes right now. "They may have abandoned you," Kuroko said, voice dropping, looking away from Kageyama's shocked face so the genius setter wouldn't see that Kuroko wasn't talking entirely to him anymore.

"They may have treated you like trash, may have completely ignored you, but we won't. We won't leave you behind," He promised, and then snorted. "I doubt Hinata would never give up on a toss from you. It means too much to him."

He paused. Where was Hinata? He hadn't seen him, not since the oranget had ran off the bus and towards the school, presumably looking for the bathroom.

"You know," Kageyama's voice said again, and Kuroko snapped back to attention, staring bewilderedly at the now sheepish setter. "That goes for me too. The abandoning thing, I mean. I won't leave you guys behind either."

Kuroko couldn't move, couldn't push words out of his gaping mouth. Bright red suffused over Kageyama's cheeks as he turned around, looking like he was trying not to run away towards the locker rooms.

Warmth that had nothing to do with the fever filled him.

Looks like trusting Hinata's choice in friends had paid off after all.

He'd gotten there too late, it seemed. Bouts of dizziness forced him to lean against the wall at some points, even though he wanted to keep sprinting.

How am I going to play if I can't even run?

By the time he'd hobbled to the bathroom, Hinata had already completed his run and was in the middle of his inevitable encounter with an opposing team member.

"His toss is amazing." Hinata was saying. Kuroko's brow furrowed. There was only one person Hinata spoke with that slightly awestruck slightly jealous tone of voice about- well, one person here. There's always the Miracles. You haven't forgotten he used to brag about them all the time?

Kuroko clenched his fingers into his palms. There was no reason Hinata would talk about the Miracles here- and definitely not with that tone of voice. But that still didn't explain- why was Hinata talking about Kageyama with an opponent?

"Wow, you've never gotten a toss from him in a game, have you?" The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but also so frustratingly arrogant that Kuroko peeked around the corner just to make sure it wasn't Aomine. "Listen, whoever he doesn't need, he discards. It's that simple."

A sharp breath. Kuroko felt the blood rush from his head, barely registering Hinata's greening face, not doubting for a moment that he looked similar. Thank goodness no one can see you. They'd never let you on the court.

Suddenly Tanaka's voice rang out in the hallway, booming confidence seeming to put the ground back under his feet, reestablishing equilibrium to the world. "That may be the Kageyama you knew back in Middle School, but he's changed since then. Just wait til the match, we'll show you- right Hinata?"

Kuroko leaned his head back against the wall, grinning slightly. Tanaka was always right. Kageyama had definitely changed since the moment Kuroko had seen him in Middle School. Sure, he might've ruled the court much like Akashi had back then -If it's so wrong why are you condoning it? You hypocrite.- but the setter had changed.

He repeated that last part multiple times to make sure it stuck.

Kageyama had changed- Hinata had changed him. That much was obvious just from the tone of voice Hinata used for him. So the annoying jerk was completely wrong.

"H-hinata?!" Tanaka cried, to gagging sounds and then a slamming door.

The Jerk was wrong, right?

"Yeah, we'll see him. I'm looking forward to seeing how his dictatorship works with people like these," the Jerk mocked, turning the corner blindly and running straight into Kuroko.

He didn't move. The Jerk's words were still reverberating in his ears. Dictatorship.

Is that what he thought? The guy- black haired, spiked up, looks like a turnip- had no idea what a Dictatorship was. Had no idea what it was like to be on a team with no agency. Had no idea what it was like for a team to fall apart out from under you.

"You were on his team." Kuroko said, voice frigid and uncaring. He didn't know if it was the sickness having a lingering effect on his mind or the sheer amount of anger that had been building since Tsukishima's barbed words before that fateful 3 on 3. He didn't know, but he didn't care either.

He didn't care that the turnip head was looking at him like he'd appeared out of thin air -he hadn't, and he was tired of people pretending he had- Instead, he did his approximation of a glare- the slight furrowing of his brow and downturn of his lips that had Turnip stuttering, putting his hands on his hips defensively.

"Sure I was. Idiot had the most reckless tosses you've ever seen," Turnip said, then dropped his arms, cocking his head at Kuroko, eyes firming. "What good is a setter who can't even set a ball the spiker can hit? Chances are Shrimpy-chan is gonna get dropped before the day is out." Then he shrugged, like abandonment wasn't a big deal, like it didn't matter.

"You're wrong." Kuroko murmured. He closed his eyes. It wasn't submissive, no matter how it came across. It was him trying not to breathe fire.

When he opened them again their stares at him didn't faze him in the slightest. He didn't care how badly he was covering up his emotions, didn't care how this might draw attention to him on the court. It needed to be said.

"Kageyama has changed since middle school. He isn't the same person you knew. He's gotten better, he's made friends, and he won't abandon them like you did," He nearly spat, tone frigid but eyes blazing. Turnip took a step back, but Kuroko wasn't done.

"We've done more to become a team in a week than you did for him in three years," Kuroko said, disgusted. He turned a shoulder away, but found himself unable to leave it there. "You might've known him back then, but you don't know him now- and if you go onto that court expecting to be facing the same setter, you're going to lose. Excuse me."

And with that he brushed past them, glaring straight ahead and nearly stomping towards the bathroom. He paused, turning his voice but not his head towards the still figure.

"I'm going to wait for Hinata, Tanaka-san. You can go on ahead." He said, tone still a little cool.

He didn't know what he was expecting, but a huffed laugh drew his attention. Tanaka was giving him a lopsided grin, backing up to lean against the wall. "You can be a bit scary, you know that, Kuroko-kun?" He commented.

He blinked once. Twice.

What?

Tanaka just laughed again, scruffing a hand against Kuroko's scalp before skipping off to the gym.

For a moment he could only stare at the retreating figure. Who in their right mind would call Kuroko scary? Not anyone who'd met Akashi, certainly. Or a hungry Murasakibara.

Then again, he thought, stepping backwards to lean against the wall next to the bathroom. Hinata would be out soon. None of them have met anyone besides Kise.

It would stay that way, if Kuroko had anything to say about it.

After all, none of them needed the past dredged up- it was enough that Kageyama had to deal with his old teammates. He didn't want to add any bombshells like the Generation of Miracles to the pile.

"Ah, Kuroko, Hinata, you're back!" Daichi called, glancing between them as if checking for injury. Kuroko was still wound pretty tight, but Hinata seemed less tense, shoulders relaxed in a way they hadn't been before.

"Is it our turn to practice yet? Can I hit a couple spikes? Hey, Kageyama, come over here, gimme a toss!" With that the orange blob was off to pester the setter. Daichi watched him go before turning back to Kuroko.

"Thank you," He said quietly. The amount of gratitude in his eyes made Kuroko shift a little on his feet.

"I didn't do much," he protested just as quietly. He really hadn't. He hadn't been in any shape to provide much emotional support, but when Hinata had come out of the bathroom looking nervous, all Kuroko had had to do was smile a bit and nudge the oranget's elbow. Hinata had perked right up, demanding they return to the court to warm up.

Daichi didn't seem to agree with this, though, because he shook his head, face kind but serious. "Tanaka told us what happened," He explained, putting his hands up when Kuroko stiffened. "I'm not berating you. I'm telling you why I'm glad you came to Karasuno."

He blinked.

What?

Daichi grinned again, lowering his hands to a more relaxed position. "You guys might be troublesome but you took the initial lesson seriously. I'm glad we can count on you to look out for each other."

Kuroko blinked again, barely managing a nod. The captain grinned, patting his shoulder before moving away to warm up.

His hand reached up to touch the shoulder Daichi had patted. "Sugawara-senpai?"

The setter looked to him, curious. Kuroko couldn't find it in himself to bring his gaze from the floor. "What did he mean by 'initial lesson?'"

"Oh, what he just said? I think he meant with the 3 on 3," Sugawara explained, propping a ball on his hip. "You guys had more tension between new teammates than most- I know I was concerned about it at first, but based on what I've seen . . . well, I don't think you'll have any more problems."

Sugawara waited patiently for a response, but Kuroko couldn't form words. Thankfully Hinata took that moment to come barrelling back to him, demanding to know if he felt well enough to warm up, with Kageyama yelling in the background to leave him alone to rest.

When he looked back again, Sugawara was smiling at the scene.

Kuroko didn't know if he could live up to the expectations the third years were setting . . . but he could try. He could try to fit in with this team.

After all, he thought, just slightly bitter, It's not like I can do much worse than Teiko, can I?

Hinata was tense.

He didn't know if anyone noticed- it wasn't like it was obvious. The extra clenching of fists, being a little louder, a little bolder.

Well, anyone but Kuroko, he conceded, glancing at his friend out of the corner of his eye. He seemed to be doing okay- Hinata had worried ceaselessly ever since Kuroko had nearly barfed out the bus window, but it didn't seem to be affecting him now.

Granted, Kuroko is the master of the poker face, a little voice whispered. He could just be hiding it from you. It wouldn't be the first time.

I know him better now, He thought back vehemently, spiking the next ball a little too hard and sending it careening into the other team. He didn't feel very sorry- not even when Daichi forced his head down in apology.

So yes, Hinata was tense, but not for the reason people probably thought. Sure this was his first real game, since Akashi had never set him loose on the basketball court. Sure, they were facing one of the best teams in the prefecture. Sure, maybe Daichi had had to have a pointed talk about trump cards and not wasting energy with them before coming.

(Granted that seemed to be directed more at Kuroko, who was probably itching to get out on the court right about now, because Kuroko didn't listen to anyone when it came down to playing or not. Most of the time he could get away with disobeying orders simply because no one could see him break them. Not that he ever used that skill for anything except basket- volleyball.)

So no, Hinata wasn't nervous because of the game.

He was nervous because that sixth sense- the one honed over years of hallway and bathroom encounters- the one that he'd deadened for a while because he was always surrounded by great players, because for all their arrogance the Miracles were prodigies, was going off.

He took a breath, stepping aside so Tsukishima didn't "accidentally" hit him in the head while practicing his serves. Which meant he was in perfect position to overhear a couple of girls talking as they walked past the open gym doors.

"Did you hear who's coming?"

"Of course! I can't wait- do you think I'd be able to get a picture with him?"

"Only if you get me one too! I want to be able to rub his good looks in Saki's face. See what she thinks about his modeling career then."

The hair rose on the back of his neck.

"Hinata?" Kageyama asked, holding a ball and staring at him expectantly. Hinata nodded vaguely, relying on the muscle memory they'd built to guide him through the drills as he focused his ears on the conversation.

"- greatest player on the team!"

"I can believe it- did you hear that he might be a prodigy? I can't wait to see-"

Dang it, Hinata cursed, diving forward to receive and ending up skidding on the floor, missing the ball completely.

"Don't mind, don't mind!" Daichi called, and Hinata nearly growled as he picked himself up off the ground and went to retrieve the ball that had gone askew. He couldn't hear the girls talking anymore.

Double dang it.

Girls who were excited about someone who was coming who just happened to be a model and a prodigy? Did the universe hate them that much? He thought Kise had agreed to stay away from them from now on.

Since when do any of them keep their promises? He thought bitterly, picking up the ball and clenching it in between his hands. Even Akashi didn't make good on his promise to let me play . . .

A familiar presence niggled at his senses, and Hinata brought his head up to meet Kuroko's baby blue eyes, fogged in concern. He summoned up a smile, tossing the ball to him before going to the end of the receiving line.

He was running away and knew it. Kuroko would know something was up. It made him uneasy- one the one hand, Kuroko had enough to worry about. On the other hand, Hinata didn't want Kuroko caught by surprise when stuff hit the fan.

Hinata didn't want Kise anywhere near here, but he especially didn't want him around while Kuroko was still recovering. The blonde would probably find some excuse to hang around and make another argument that he obviously wasn't doing well at Karasuno if he was getting sick, and that couldn't be allowed. If Kuroko was forewarned, he could duck out when the blonde menace showed his face.

But, on the slim chance it wasn't Kise, Hinata would keep his mouth shut. The last visit was still close to the surface- he didn't want to bring it up again if he didn't have to.

It was almost absurdly easy to channel all his frustration into the game. Easy to slip into his role as decoy. Easy to draw all the attention to himself, all the while only keeping half a brain on the game. Easy to see the growing concern on Kageyama's face as Hinata repeatedly smacked the ball with too much force.

It was also harder. Harder to ignore the way the frustration put blinders on him, how it served as a double edged sword. Harder to ignore Kuroko's fidgeting on the bench, knowing his friend wanted to play but still remain adamant in the fact that he couldn't. Harder still to remember how it felt to be on the bench watching other people play a sport you loved. Hard to remember to force his body to move that slightest touch slower, to accommodate Kageyama's toss speed.

Hard to deal with the bitterness that was tainting his enjoyment of playing in a game, of being part of a team.

"Hinata!" Kageyama called, and he blinked. The ball was going over there.

How long would it take to get there?

Two strides, bracing, springing, seeing the white of the net-

His muscles didn't feel the strain anymore as he bent backwards, snapping forward to propel the ball with all the momentum of the motion, straight down onto the court.

Is it supposed to be this easy?

Dull cheers in the background.

The colors seemed monochrome in his vision, breathing not even labored.

Is it supposed to be normal?

Hands whacking down on his back, celebratory grins as the score ticked up one more notch. They were at the set point.

Is this what it feels like, to be a Miracle?

He breathed, glancing around the court. A flash of blue- Dark blue, walking away from them, not needed anymore, too skilled to be challenged- concerned eyes.

He blinked harshly. In an instant, time sped up again, color returned to the world, and his ears were bombarded with sound.

Kuroko.

His team.

The game.

He was playing.

Kuroko was sitting on the bench, sitting straight up, one hand on the bench like he as planning on launching himself onto the court the moment someone looked away.

Tsukishima, Daichi, Tanaka, Ennoshita- they were all high fiving each other.

Kageyama was . . . still looking at him, puzzlement creasing his brow.

Like a dog shaking off water, Hinata forcefully brushed off his previous attitude.

He wasn't going to go back on all his progress just because of some girly gossip. He had no right to mope. Not with Kuroko still by his side, not with all the teammates that they'd met, not with Kageyama, literally the greatest setter in the prefecture.

With one last glance at Kuroko, he turned to Kageyama, grinning broadly. "Let's go get the next one!"

Kageyama blinked, then smirked. "Definitely."

In tandem, they looked over to see Dachi grinning at them, then proceeded to wave them over and huddled in, locking arms around their necks. "Karasuno, Fight!"

Hinata looked at their hands, all gathered together in the circle, and this time, his grin was real. Yeah, he had no right to mope. When had he ever had a team like this before?

Then, all at once, all the happiness drained out of him. All it took was the piercing squeal of fangirls. Hinata's back forced itself upwards, fists clenching as his head turned towards the source of the noise.

Here we go.

The team closed ranks, brushing against his shoulders, much like they had the last time. Like they were braced for battle. . .

"What?"

Ennoshita wasn't the only one feeling confused. Hinata had to blink several times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating the brown hair.

This guy, whoever he was, was not Kise.

"You're late," #4 accused, stalking up to not-Kise, vein throbbing at his temple.

"Ah, sorry, Iwa-chan, I got held up giving those cute girls some autographed pictures-"

"Idiot!" A shoe launched itself at not-Kise's head, and Hinata worked hard not to balk.

Yeah, are we sure Kise didn't dye his hair and join volleyball? Because this guy definitely looks the part, with his grin and utter disregard for punctuality- I wouldn't put it past him to infiltrate volleyball just to get at us- Hinata thought, rapid fire jumping from one conclusion to the next, each one getting more ridiculous.

"I'm going to kill him."

The blunt statement broke the tension cloying their throats, and there was a smack followed by a sigh. Daichi facepalming, probably.

"Tanaka, no."

"Tanaka yes," Tsukishima rebutted, disgust filling every syllable. "I'm irritated just looking at this guy."

Kageyama shifted at his shoulder, and Hinata looked up to him. The setter's brow was furrowed again, but the way his eyes followed not-Kise's movements . . . The way his fingers twitched, feet shifting . . . Hinata hadn't known him for very long, but he would bet Natsu's pair of lucky socks that there was history there.

"We're going to win," Hinata said, and Kageyama jerked, looking down at him in surprise. "That's what you wanted to say, right?"

Kageyama blinked twice, but then nodded, fire relighting in his eyes, resolve straightening his shoulders.

It didn't matter who they were facing. They'd beat them. Together.

Whoo! And done!

So a huge shoutout to all our reviewers and favoriters- we've got nearly 160 followers, and we passed the 50 reveiwer mark! I'm so impressed!

Since this is a big milestone, we're going to respond to y'all's reviews here!

Aquarius74: Thanks for your kind words! It always means a lot when people recognize the amount of time we put into these to make them just right. :) seriously you should see how hard this girl works, she loves y'all so much…..

CherepMikhailov: Honestly, I think we felt the same way when we first started writing this. It was hard to break Kuroko away from basketball, just because it's such a core part of his character. But he's going to have his own development that he's going through, and with all the Miracles, basketball is guaranteed to make another appearance!

Siera-Knightwalker: Love all the brainstorming you have going on! As for if Kuroko's going back to basketball . . . sorry, no spoilers! You'll just have to wait and see. As for Hinata, he did have the same training as the Miracles, so you're right in the fact that he's going to have increased agility. The part where he was clumsy was that he wasn't used to the net being there. That increased agility bled into volleyball, which is why we don't have him closing his eyes. He's at the point where he can sync with the ball without Kageyama doing all the work for him.

AriehXIV : You always leave such long and lovely reviews! I like seeing them because they're so in depth and it just feels great to know that people really understand all the subtext we have going on. But glad you enjoyed the chapter with all its angst, and hope this chapter lived up to the hype!

ZeAwsumOtaku: So part of the reason we started writing this fic is because there weren't really and long complete ones out there, so glad that we can supply that for you! We're trying to keep up the pace, but again it's been a hectic couple weeks. Sorry for the delay, and hope you enjoyed it!

Zentin: You hit the nail right on the head :) Misdirection is something we're going to address, but you're right- Kuroko doesn't feel exactly at home, not like Hinata is starting to.

Lunary: You're absolutely right, we will be seeing a lot more of the miracles- all of them. They play a pretty big role in the rest of the story. We're also pretty excited for the rest of the cast to make appearances- they're certainly going to bombshell their way into this story, that's for sure!

Yose Hyuann: Sorry that you didn't get to see Kuroko play this chapter! You were probably looking forward to it- don't worry though, we'll see him play again in the future!

PetiteEmporor4: Ahaha, sorry that we didn't update as soon as you probably would've liked! Hope you enjoyed it though!

RainyDayDreamer116: Oh I'm totally with you on the conflicted feelings. I'm all for just getting them better but then we'd be left without a story . . . plus Raph loves angst/comfort, so there's that. XD Also, no spoilers, but you're free to speculate on what the other Miracles' reactions are going to be! Who knows, we may use it as fuel for future chapters :)

and ThePsychoPath96: We actually hadn't thought of that! Thanks for the suggestion! (It actually sparked a whole new sidestory idea, so please, by all means, keep suggesting things. It only fuels more writing. hahaha)

I'm not nearly as good at individual responses, so I'll leave that to Mikey, but….it means a lot y'all. I love opening my email and seeing that someone else reviewed, and then Mikey and I get excited over text about it and it's like, the best part of my day. We love seeing all our hard work and brainstorming get you all so pumped, and we LOVE seeing you all speculate about what we're going to do with them next. It helps us see that the clues were dropping are being understood, and that's really important to us, because soooooo much of this story is tied up in the little things. We can promise that there is a VERY complex plot to this story, with very real problems and situation that get worked out by the end… let's just say, don't expect this to be a short story, or a simple one. Honestly… we're barely getting started. There is so, so much more to come. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say this story is maybe, MAYBE a fourth or fifth of the way done. And that's not counting the side stories, the spin offs and the song fics we've already started to go along with. Including those- this is just the tip of the iceberg. So for all you fans out there….hold on tight. This family is going to come ALIVE.

ALSO ! I thought we should probably tell you...we don't write romance. Neither of us are really into it, and it won't be a part of this fic at all. It's all completely platonic here, just a big happy volleyball bro family. Feel free to think what you want, we don't mind, but don't wait for it to show up in writing… sorry it's not gonna happen.

Don't let us rain on your parade- you can certainly ship to your heart's content, come up with your own headcannons etc- it's just not going to be part of the IYPN cannon storyline. Honestly there's so much going on I really don't think I could shove a pairing in there. XD