Any favour from her mother was riddled in strings that would always leave Mina tangled in a mess. She considered who should bare the blame now – her mother for withholding the key detail or herself for allowing this to occur in the first place. The intensity of her stare had compelled Victor to shift his careless gaze to her, once he had registered who was gawking at him, surprise had sparked to life in his piercing irises as they roamed her figure hungrily. He resembled a vulture who caught sight of his prey.

It was clear that the male was itching for another round. This time he assumed there would be no meddlesome bystanders, or so he thought.

Kuroo had witnessed multiple of Mina's emotional episodes, her vulnerability could be detected in various manners – the way her voice quivered, the glaze that would wash over her usually bright hues and most evidently when her shoulders raised to an unnatural pose. His gaze travelled from hers to the person that had instigated her disarray. Could it really be him? Had fate truly given him a chance to exact revenge on the boy who broke her heart?

"You are not leaving." The captain's voice had sliced through the smog that had swallowed her thoughts, reluctantly she ripped her attention from Victor. Leaving had occurred to her – it was safer to receive nothing from someone with hidden intentions than to receive a perfectly wrapped timebomb. Sure, the opportunity would be wasted but was this really a risk she needed to take?

"Kuroo – I…" The words had died out as Victor proceeded closer to the pair, a knowing smirk intact to provoke his once target of affection. Instinctively, Mina tensed up on the couch, unsure whether to move or not. What happened to her strength? Where had it gone?

"Oh, mon amour. What brings you here?" In a fluid movement, the foreign male had thrown his lanky legs over the couch, before sliding down beside her.

The brunette immediately moved away from him, and closer towards Kuroo, disgust and bewilderment clear in her features.

"Why do you look so afraid?" The question posed sounded innocent with that accent of his, yet the Nekoma captain grimaced, finding it insulting.

"Maybe because you're invading her personal space? Back up, eh." The words were stated through gritted teeth, he was seconds from changing positions with her – an attempt to make the unwanted male feel uncomfortable instead.

Victor tilted his head curiously; it had only now occurred to him that she was with someone. What interested him was that it was not the boy from their game. What furthered his attraction to the subject was the way his arm was placed behind her, if he had not known about Oikawa, he would have assumed they were together.

"And who is this? Oh no, do not tell me that you have been a naughty girl." The teasing comment had Kuroo grinding his teeth and directing every piece of restraint to his hand that was itching to land a blow.

"Shut up," The insulting accusation had renewed Mina's courage, shifting her body on the couch, she narrowed her eyelids. "Keep talking and I'll tell Kirei everything about you. If I were you, I would leave. I don't care if you're in Japan. Just stay away from me."

"Ah, calme-toi, tigresse!" Chuckling, Victor raised a hand, supposedly in 'surrender'. "You should consider being more… what is the word… Civil? Soon you and I may become closer whether you desire it or not." The foreign male dipped an eyelid into a wink smugly, illustrating that the situation was worse than she originally thought.

"What are you blabbering about?" The retort came from the Nekoma captain, whose patience was running thin.

"I see you do not know. You were not the only one to be recruited, nor was I. It seems a tape of some sort was sent on behalf of your last boy-toy. Oink? Is that his name?" Settling his hands behind his head, Victor adjusted himself on the couch, struggling to find a more comfortable position. "Much better. Now where was I….Ah yes. The tapes. It seems our friend Kirei is interested in having us both play on one of Japan's national leagues. How wonderful, hm?"

A mixture of emotions had washed over her – confusion laced with disbelief. Oikawa had never mentioned anything of this sort, not when her mother left nor when she informed him, she would be leaving for Tokyo. Now the idea of him playing alongside Victor… it was nauseating.

"Communication has never been your strong suit, mon beau." Humourless laughter rose from his throat, increasing the strain that had developed in her head.

"Mina Saito? Mr. Suzuki will see you now." As the unfamiliar woman called out her name, Mina weakly rose to her feet. Kuroo had whispered some encouragement but she was unable to comprehend what it was. All this time she was hating herself for becoming twisted in her mother's weaves, but had Oikawa willingly jumped into them without consulting her? The fact he agreed did not bother as much as the fact he hid this from her. Did he not trust her?

Regrettably, she would have no answers until after the interview.

The interview had surprisingly gone according to plan, Mina hid her feelings with laughter and humour, a tactic she had picked up from the captain waiting outside. At the end of the interview, Kirei had informed her that she would be called in after graduation for their try-outs, but if she played anything like the videos he was sent, she was sure to be accepted. The second she exited the room, the façade had dropped, despite feeling joy from the prospects of her future, her interactions with Victor had drained her.

"Oh shit. Did it go that bad?" Kuroo was at her side within seconds, without waiting for a response, she was brought into his arms for comfort.

"No. It went amazing. I'm just tired." She responded to him between sniffles before hiding her face in his shirt. Once again, Victor had secured a win over her. All because of her mother. Well, technically also because of her boyfriend. A detail she was struggling to accept. After opening up to him the day her mother arrived, she thought he understood her predicament. She thought they had improved their communication. But she was wrong, and now Victor had the last laugh.

The plan was to have dinner with some members of Nekoma and Fukurodani after the interview, but after the whole debacle with Victor, Mina was considering bailing. However, Kuroo had even managed to drag Kenma out of his house for her, and Bokuto and Akaashi were already at the restaurant. She was upset, but that did not mean she would insult her friends. On the way to the restaurant, she had received a message from Oikawa inquiring how the interview went, she ignored it. The 'read' symbol had caused the Seijoh Captain to call her, but once again the call was ignored. Right now, she wanted to celebrate the success of her interview with her friends. If she spoke to Oikawa, there was too high a chance she would begin bawling again. It was a chance she did not want to take.

"Hey hey hey! It's the bunny herself!" Bokuto's cheer had earned him some 'hushes' from those around him, but he remained unbothered.

"Hi everyone. I feel so loved! You came out for little old me." Stealing a napkin from the table, she tapped it against her cheeks with a sniffle. At least these would be happy tears, rather than sad ones.

"We wouldn't say no, at least not for you." The Fukurodani setter had the tiniest hint of a smile on his lips – a rare sight, one that caused her eyes to sting.

"I mean… you're kinda cool, Saito-san." Kenma shyly added, his gaze on the empty plate ahead of him. Mina swore her heart might explode at hearing his words.

"Kenma likes me? Oh, I can die happy!"

It turned out Kuroo was correct once again. Attending the dinner had lifted her spirits and for a moment, her worries had slipped away.

A/N: a relationship without communication, smh. always for volleyball!