The brunette's hazel irises were secured on the ground below as the Nekoma Captain led her down an unfamiliar path to an unknown destination. Mina did not protest the fact he refused to release her hand after lifting her off the ground. His skin emitted a warmth that she was desperate for after her icy exchange with Oikawa. But she could also not stop herself from comparing his hand from the one she was accustomed to holding.

Would she ever hold his hand again? Would she ever be graced with that dazzling smile of his? Would she ever be able to tell him how she really felt?

Her mind was consumed by uncertainties, and there was nothing she could do about it. She tried to focus on the male ahead of her instead, she envied him. It was quite obvious why he was chosen to be captain. It was impossible to sustain a wall when speaking with him, he was even able to get through to Tsukishima – perhaps the most stubborn person she had ever met. Kuroo was an endearing idiot with a kind heart.

"I don't think I have to say this since you haven't said a word since I found you, but keep quiet." The pair were at the edge of an empty meadow, the only nearby trees were the ones located closest to them.

"You're not going to kill me and dispose of my body, right? I mean I'm sad but not /that/ sad." She stepped closer to him, whispering as she pushed on her toes to reach his ear.

The black-haired male was initially surprised by her sudden choice to speak, but broke into a grin when what she said had registered in his head. Of course that was what she would say.

"No. Come here." Kuroo kneeled down near one of the taller trees, tugging Mina along with him. Within seconds a bunny popped out of a rabbit hole, prompting the girl to squeak. It was an infant, and barely the size of Mina's palm. The smaller bunny was followed by a larger one, who Mina presumed was the mother. To her surprise, the 'mama bunny' sniffed Kuroo, before pouncing onto his lap.

The brunette knew that she was instructed to remain quiet, but the image in front of her was hard not to react to. Curling her bottom lip, she swallowed the excited squeal that threatened to disperse.

Kuroo lightly petted the animal, then gestured with his eyes for the girl to do the same. She was hesitant at first, but then the smaller rabbit began sniffing her and her heart melted. So this is how he saw her – energetic and small. Something to protect. Brushing a finger against the animal's cheek, a smile tugged at the ends of her lips. How could she remain upset when she currently was doing something reserved for princesses in fairytales?

All the while…

Aobajohsai High's Captain was directing his energy towards the volleyball in hand, striving to perfect his serve. When the phone call ended earlier, the rage coursing his veins had redirected to himself rather than her. Did he really almost break it off with her over something so trivial? What would he have said if she didn't cut him off? How could he call himself her boyfriend when all he seemed to do what take from her and hurt her unintentionally? She was the one who supported him, who balanced everything in her life so gracefully. It was never him. What had he given up for her?

These were questions he never concerned himself with during his other relationships, but Mina was different. From the second he laid eyes on her, he should have known that she would change his entire world.

"Captain! You're still practicing?" Kindaichi had forgotten his jacket earlier and had only returned to retrieve it when he spotted Oikawa. "Isn't it a bit late?"

"Ah, don't worry about me, Kindaichi. I appreciate the concern." It was incredibly easy for him to present an artificial smile to the younger student. It was the same one he used for his fanclub.

"Um… Okay." The middle blocker's concern did not ease, and he mentally noted to inform the Seijoh Ace about this.

The smile secured over his lips vanished the second Kindaichi exited the gym. His caramel irises focused on the volleyball within his palm, right now he needed to concentrate on his serve. Nothing else mattered.

The next day there were large dark circles hanging below Mina's eyelids. After interacting with the rabbits, Mina and Kuroo had stayed outside, addressing a variety of topics. She was thankful that he didn't pry into the reason she was upset; his sole goal was to cheer her up. And he succeeded. But neither of them had kept track of the time, and resultingly, they were only able to attain a few hours of sleep. During breakfast, when she passed by the table Kuroo was sat at, she heard Bokuto tease him for being a 'sleepy cat'. But when the Ace had spotted her, he accidentally compared her to a corpse – which was much worse.

Throughout the day she periodically checked her phone – Oikawa had called her several times since the morning but did not leave a voicemail or send her a text. She refused to allow him to break up with her through the phone, hence the reason she ignored each call. But the adamant behaviour was beginning to distress her. By the evening, there were ten missed calls and Mina was on the verge of dunking her phone into a cup of water.

Little did she know /why/ Oikawa was calling.

After being alerted by Kindaichi that the captain was still practicing, Iwaizumi had dragged Oikawa out of the gym, only to realize he was /sulking/. After relaying the entire fight, some threats and nicknames were uttered, only causing the mocha haired boy to curl into a ball and sulk even more. But this morning, the Seijoh Ace had directed his friend to call his girlfriend and apologize.

Currently, at Aobajohsai High, Oikawa was once again sulking from being ignored the entire day.

"What? She won't take you back because she realized how shitty you are?" The Ace had a volleyball resting on his hip as he approached his best friend.

"No! She won't answer any of my calls." The caramel eyed boy wore a sad puppy dog expression, with his shoulders slumped. After a good night's sleep, he was quick to realize his mistake. All he wanted was to apologize and hear her voice.

"I wouldn't either after the shit you pulled." Iwaizumi narrowed his eyelids, unphased by Oikawa's usual dramatics.

"Iwa-chan! You text her!" He shuffled closer towards the Ace, hope sparkling in his hues.

"Ughh. Fine. Only because I don't want to have to stare at that face for any longer." Digging into his pocket, he retrieved his phone before sending Mina a message.

'Hey. You okay? Oikawa said you won't answer his calls.'

Mina was holding her phone between two fingers, allowing it to hover over her glass when she saw the message. She wasn't surprised that Iwaizumi had reached out, he was Oikawa's best friend after all.

'Hi Iwa. Please inform him that I will not deal with him right now. He can talk to me when I return home.' She was going to add that she refused to be broken up with over the phone but decided that much was implied.

"Oh, you really pissed her off, huh." He lifted the phone so that his best friend could read the response.

"She won't be back for another day!" Oikawa dipped his head in defeat, disappointed that he would be unable to speak with her tonight.

"Just make it up to her, idiot." The Seijoh Ace reassuringly patted the Captain's back. "If you love her, don't fuck it up."

A/N: More drama will be arriving, friends. This is the beginning!