Let it be known that Mina did not intend to invite Sugawara to the game, it was a pure accident. At lunch, she was so engrossed by her conversation with Kuroo, and after failing to attain her attention, her silver-haired best friend stole the phone from her hand. It was at this point where he learned that not only was her mother in town, so was that good for nothing ex. The vice-captain was angry pouting, refusing to hand the phone back until it began vibrating in his hand. It seemed that Kuroo was becoming impatient, having to wait even a few seconds for a response.

"Here." Sugawara reluctantly held out the device to its owner who was mouthing sorry.

After tapping accept, she placed the phone close to her ear but not against it – in case the Nekoma captain would begin by yelling at her.

"Don't leave a guy on read when we're talking about important stuff," There was no concealing his irritation. "When are you going again? I can be there in 5 hours. Make it 6, I'll grab Bokuto for back-up."

Mina appreciated the sentiment yet murdering or 'beating him to a pulp' would do little for her goal to conquer the past. Of course, she was not completely against the idea of watching Kuroo wipe the smile off her ex's face or having the extra support. But it was unreasonable for the boys to travel five hours for her personal problems, particularly when the Nationals preliminary was less than a week away. She was already battling guilt from having Oikawa miss practice, her conscience would crack under any more pressure.

"Tetsurou, you and Bo are not coming all the way here! I'll be fine. I thought you would be the one calming me down right now! What happened to Mr. Mature? I knew I should have texted Akaashi instead." After propping an elbow onto the cafeteria table, Mina rested her forehead against her palm. Ahead of her, Sugawara was continuing to pout and even mumbled something about how disloyal she was for not going to him first.

"… Are you sure? I know you and your mom have things to work out. But this guy if he does anything to hurt you… And I won't be there to stop him….I'll be pissed, little bunny." The pronunciation of his words was slightly altered, it seemed he was attempting to conceal his frustration.

She knew that his intentions were innocent, and if they were in person, she would have done something to reassure him – a smile, or a slap. Something!

"I'll bring Sugawara with me. Does that make you feel better?" She raised an eyebrow at her friend whose ears had perked up when he heard his name.

"No. Can't you bring glasses or even man-bun? Someone a bit more intimidating."

Sugawara leaned in closer towards his best friend to listen in on the conversation. Mina had to suppress her laughter as the male gasped upon hearing Kuroo's comment.

"I can be intimidating!" He purposefully stated it loudly, so that his words would be caught by the phone's microphone.

"He can, he can!" Mina added, laughing to herself.

Kuroo ran a hand through his messy locks, listening silently to the pair's futile attempt to convince him that this was above a subpar plan. He was originally informed that the Seijoh Captain would be escorting her, not that he had much faith in the guy. From what he gathered Oikawa Toru was a pretty face with admirable skills – but the guy was kinda a twig. Her plan was to go with Karasuno's mother-bear and a scrawny diva? Seriously.

Not that he could say much, at the end of the day, she picked Oikawa.

"Text me the entire time. Alright? And remember what I said before? I'd like to correct myself. If /anyone/ hurts you, come to me." The seriousness of the demand did not go unnoticed. It was difficult for Mina to object when he spoke that way.

"Okay. Now will you calm down?"

"No." There was no hesitation this time.

Mina scrunched up her features, pressing her lips together to not give life to the squeal wishing to sound.

"Please?"

"….Fine." The Nekoma captain was not one to pout, he would grumble a lot though.

"Thank you. I'll stay in touch throughout the day. Now I'm gonna finish my food. Cool?" Why did it feel like she was simultaneously speaking to a mother-figure and a boyfriend?

"Yes. Go eat your veggies, little bunny."

Mina rolled her eyes, mumbling a goodbye before ending the call. She had reached out to the captain in the morning when the confidence of last night had withered away. He had always been the one to console her during the training camp, she naturally assumed that would be the case now. Kuroo was tame for the part of the conversation involving her mother. However, when the conversation had shifted to Victor, any maturity that was present was overpowered and replaced by rage. Exhausting!

On the positive side, she was no longer dreading the upcoming confrontation. Kuroo's lack of faith that she could adequately defend herself only increased her resolve to prove him wrong.

Oikawa had texted Mina about her mother's unannounced visit to Aoba Johsai, purposefully leaving out the detail that the despicable woman brought her daughter's ex along too. It was a blessing in disguise, however. The team adored her; having their positive and chaotic energy was exactly what she needed to remain tranquil during the game.

Since Oikawa would be attending the game with the team, Mina and Sugawara had decided to meet them at the arena. Before they left, Mr. Saito quietly inquired if she required his presence at the game. He had been in a sulking state after learning that his ex-wife was in town. There was no way in hell that Mina would allow her parents to be in the same building. Her father was still in the process of healing from the damage that her mother had inflicted, there was no need to put salt on his wounds.

"Dad, I'll be with Koshi. You trust him, and you trust me. So, know that I'll be okay." She presented a thumbs-up motion towards her father, who in response provided a weak smile.

"Sometimes I wonder where you got all that courage from. It certainly wasn't your mother or I."

A melodic laugh had spilled gracefully from her lips at the observation. Kuroo would say that she always had it in her, that she only needed a push. She made a mental note to thank God for putting that man on her life path.

It took a thirty-minute bus ride to reach the arena, not that Mina noticed. She was too busy calming Kuroo and Bokuto down – they were now in a group chat. Kuroo had informed the Ace about the ex situation and now the owl-haired boy was sending weird emojis.

'Can you both CHILL? We just got here. And no, I'm not going to find him before the game. This is not a movie.'

Sugawara had to guide his best friend off of the bus, particularly on the steps, while she tapped away feverishly on her phone.

'I don't care when you do it, just don't let him get close to you.' The cold response was from Kuroo, no shock there.

'If he does, you know where to aim.' Bokuto added the two eyes emoji, as if his message was not suggestive enough.

"I can't with them!" Shoving her phone into her jacket pocket, a pout fixed upon her lips.

"They just care, Mina." Sugawara playfully nudged her side once they entered the vicinity. It was surprisingly full for a non-official game. After a quick visual search, they were able to spot Seijoh who were huddled at the B entrance. The Karasuno vice-captain was the slightest bit awkward, it was not his fault that he had practically no relationship with the team. There was something off about Oikawa's demeanour as well. The second the mocha haired captain spotted her, he refused to leave her side. If his fingers weren't tangled in hers, his arm would be snuck around her waist. Essentially, she had someone clinging to her on either side.

"Let's go get our seats." Coach Irihata instructed after exchanging a warm greeting with the two Karasuno students.

This is it, no backing down, Mina mentally commanded herself. It was time to face the music.

A/N: I know this chap sucks, I AM SORRY. Next one will be better.