The pain in her head rattled her senses, driving her to the brink of insanity. She pushed the throbbing pain aside, feeling the cage doors close further in on her, as she stood on the base line, ball in hand.
ooo
Kagome almost dropped the phone. Her head was reeling from what Kenma had just asked her. She pulled it away from her ear to make sure that it was actually Kenma who she was talking to before bringing it back to her ear.
"I'm not sure I heard you correctly. Did you just say that you need me to be your girlfriend?" Kagome asked.
"Yes. Well, not a real one. More so, I need you to pretend for a formal dinner with my parents." Kenma replied.
"Are you alright Kenma-san?" Kagome asked, worried that something was wrong with Kenma for him to have to ask her this.
"Yes." Kenma replied.
"Is there any reason why you asked that? Is everything alright at home?" Kagome asked, still reeling in shock.
"My mother has been trying to match me with someone. My older sister just got engaged so she has switched their attention to me. She's been trying to match me with a blind date, and I told her that I was already romantically invested in someone." Kenma replied.
"But you're not." Kagome said.
"Indeed. My mother is very hard to sway after she's put her mind to something." Kenma told her.
"So just a dinner? I can do that. When is it?" Kagome agreed.
"This Saturday. It'll be at my house, so I will send you the address."
"Alright. I don't see why not. Though, Kenma-san, you shouldn't get into the habit of lying to your parents." Kagome scolded him.
"I know. Thanks, Shirabu-san." Kenma thanked her.
"Just call me Kagome." Kagome said. Once pleasantries were done, Kagome ended the call and leaned against the building. Everything felt muddled in her head. Here she was, a secretly engaged woman, going on a fake date with one of her friends?
"As long as no one else finds out." Kagome grumbled under her breath before heading back to the gym to see Hinata face-planted on the ground in front of the door with the rest of the players finishing their practice for the day.
"What are you doing?" Kagome asked Hinata after he had picked himself up from the ground.
"I have to learn to hold my own weight." Hinata said before racing back over to the others to ask them to stay up later to practice.
"Kagome-senpai, will you be joining us?" Kagome looked over to see Goshiki walking up to her with a ball in his hands.
"Not for long. I have to go train with my team for Nationals, seeing as I am here with you boys during the day." Kagome explained. Goshiki nodded and seemed to fumble over his words, his face turning pink as he tried to ask Kagome to play set with them.
"Could you play a round with us?" Goshiki finally managed to ask. Kagome smiled and nodded. Goshiki grinned before calling over to the others to let them know that she was playing with them.
"Who's team am I on?" Kagome asked the remaining players who stayed behind for extra practice. Goshiki pointed over to Koganegawa and Tsukishima, who were already on their side of the court.
"Are you on our team, Shirabu-senpai?" Koganegawa asked and Kagome nodded. Seeing as they had taken on the roles of the wing spiker and setter, she told them that she would be the libero. It was a short game, but in the end, Kagome's team managed to win because she was able to pick up their spikes better than the other team.
"Why are you a libero if you are such a good setter? Were you a libero in junior high?" Koganegawa asked and Kagome flinched at the reminder. She put a hand on her wrist and her face twisted into a scowl. The two from Seijou and Goshiki immediately cut into the conversation, Kindaichi pulling Koganegawa away to set him some spikers.
"Sorry about that Kagome-senpai." Goshiki said, bowing with Kunimi. The three of them were the only ones at the training camp that were privy to her more personal matters, seeing as she was close friends with them through her brother and childhood friends. While they didn't know the exact details about her injury, they learned that it was an unspoken rule not to ask the details about her days as a libero.
The first time someone had asked about it at Seijou, Kagome had gone into a shock, and it had taken both Oikawa and Iwaizumi to coax her out of it. After the matter, Kagome had told the regulars at Shiratorizawa and Seijou a little bit about her past, how she had been a setter in junior high but had to change to libero for a year before she could return to being a setter. She had shown them the injury that she had acquired, revealing that she was forced to play libero until the doctors had given her permission to return to setter. No one had the courage to ask how she got the injury.
"It's alright. I should be able to answer an easy question like that without difficulty." Kagome replied, thanking both of them as well as Kindaichi for stepping in.
"I'm going to head over to my practice now. If you need anything, the assistant coach of the camp is in the dorms or I'll be in the gym next door."
ooo
"If you are going to spike the ball, then spike the damn ball. Don't cower once you've jumped!" Kagome was shaken out of her thoughts to see Washijo-sensei yelling at one of the players, who quickly bowed before heading back to the court. It was four days into the training camp, yet every player seemed to jump in fright when Washijo-sensei yelled at them.
"I see Washijo-sensei hasn't let up on the yelling." A thin pair of arms slipped around Kagome's shoulder and she looked up to see Tendo standing next to her.
"And you still cling to me like you haven't seen me in days." Looking around, she greeted the rest of the Shiratorizawa regulars who had joined the training camp for the past two days.
"I can't leave my Kagome all alone surrounded by these hormonal beasts. I have to protect you from them." Tendo exclaimed.
"You do realize you are also one of these 'hormonal beasts', right?" Ohira told him.
"I'm dating her twin. What, do you want me to have both?" Tendo teased and Kagome slapped him on the arm, having heard that more than once.
"You need to stop saying that Satori. Someone is going to get the wrong message one day." Kagome told him before looking for her brother to see him talking with Ushijima.
"Shoo, go bother Kenjiro." Kagome waved Tendo off her shoulders and shoved him in her brother's direction before turning to the other regulars who were crowded around the score keep.
"How are they doing?" Kagome asked Semi as he flipped the number of the score keep.
"Alright. Some of them have a distinct play that they are refining, such as that short one from Seijou and Goshiki." Semi said before moving on to the others.
"A couple such as the other from Seijou and Karasuno are developing their play styles. By the end of the camp, they should have the foundations of how they want to play down." Semi said. He tacked on a couple other players into the different categories, before shifting his gaze over to the ball boy.
"As for that chibi from Karasuno, I don't know what to say. He's fast and is a good decoy, but that will only work for so long. He will need to build up a play style that allows him to be a decoy but also contribute otherwise if that fails." Semi explained and Kagome nodded.
"We've got a good batch. It will be interesting to see how next years' matches are like." Kagome told him. Both of them were third years, so it would be their last year with their high school team.
"We shall see. I assume you'll come back to visit from Tokyo?" Semi asked her.
"It's not like I've gotten in yet, but yes, I'll visit. Have you decided where you are going?" Kagome asked the silver haired setter.
"Tohoku and Kyoto. Both schools are good. My dad would appreciate if I left for Kyoto, said I need to get some experience and stop living on my couch." Semi replied.
"Best of luck with your exams then." Kagome told him just in time for Semi to get called onto the court.
"Kagome-san, we will be able to wrap up the rest of the training camp so you can join your team for practice." Saito-sensei told her. Nodding, she slipped the number jersey and set it on the side of the score keep before leaving for the other gym, waving her goodbyes.
"Stop spiking the balls at my face. I can't pick them up!"
"Well, learn to. It's not my fault that you can't receive them."
"Just shows how much you suck at playing libero!" Kagome groaned, hearing the shouting coming from inside the gym and slid the door open to see her team practicing with Sango and Rin yelling to the side.
"You two. 10 laps around the grounds, now!" Kagome yelled at the yelling pair, who immediately snapped their mouths shut and ran out of the door. Once they were out of sight, Kagome let out a breath before joining the girls on the court.
"Thank you. They've been arguing nonstop." One of the younger girls told her and Kagome nodded before telling her to focus on her set. When they had finished their mock set against each other, Kagome had her team huddle up.
"Everyone's watched the videos, right?" Nods came from all the players and Kagome smiled before moving on with business. She had two of the players go and pull out the white board while she discussed the plays with the other girls, making sure that everyone understood what the practice was going to look like.
"We'll start with finalizing the plan for countering Itachiyama's plays. Remember, while we are aiming to stop Itachiyama, we can also use their plays to our advantage." Kagome explained. By the time the white board had been brought onto the court, Sango and Rin had returned from their suicide laps, joining the other players on the ground. Turning her back to the girls, she drew out one of the plays that Itachiyama used frequently and began to critique it, having her teammates pipe in with advice if they had any.
It had taken them a good hour, but the girls had finally decided on how to counter Itachiyama.
"Split into two teams. Blockers, make sure to keep your arms firm and slightly in the front, like an umbrella. Make sure that the ball cannot be used against us." Kagome told them before turning to her liberos.
"Make sure to duck low enough that you can prop the ball into the air without letting it bounce too far off your arms. They have some good spikers, so we need to keep the ball from flying back to their side."
"Spikers, make sure to put your full arm's strength into you hand and propel the ball to the other side. Break through their walls. Everyone but Sango and Rin, head onto court." Kagome sent them off before staring Rin and Sango down with a stare.
"You two, must you argue all the time?" Kagome asked them. Rin looked as if she was going to open her mouth to argue but Kagome cut her off with a look.
"I understand you two have your differences and I will not get in between that. But do not argue on the courts. Is that clear?"
ooo
"Again, what are you doing?" Shirabu asked his sister as she dug through her closet to pick out clothes to take with her to Tokyo.
"A friend needs me to have dinner with them to throw off any potential blind dates. They helped me when I was in trouble, so I have to return the favor." Kagome told him. She looked into her closet and realized that she didn't really have anything formal in there. For that matter, there was nothing formal in their apartment, seeing as they had left most of that stuff at their house in Tokyo.
"I'll have to stop by home to change into a formal outfit." Kagome said, stepping out of her closet and into her room, where both her brother and Tendo were sitting on her bed.
"Must you go?" Shirabu asked and Kagome gave him an incredulous look.
"You do know that I have no romantic inclination towards him right?" Shirabu grumbled under his breath causing Tendo to laugh. While he had been on the same page as Shirabu, Tendo wasn't as worried about Kagome, already knowing that she wouldn't get into a relationship behind her betrothed's back, even if he didn't know.
"You seem to have you mind set on this. Anything else we can do to sway the decision?" Tendo asked and Kagome shook her head.
"it's just a formal dinner with his parents. After, I'll spend the night at our place before taking the first train back here. I'm not staying there for long, seeing as I have practice the morning after." Kagome explained.
"Doesn't mean I have to like it." Shirabu pouted, looking away from his sister. Shirabu didn't know what to think about the whole situation. It had always been just him and his sister after their parents passed away. Then, slowly his teammates were added into the group, along with his sister's childhood friends. Shirabu didn't realize that Kagome hadn't ever talked to him about bringing in another male or female, especially if it was someone that she was going to start dating. Kagome noticed that her brother was caught up in his thoughts and walked up to him, poking him on the forehead when she was close enough.
"You will always come first. You know that right?" Kagome told her brother. Shirabu looked up at his sister with a look of wariness.
"Kenma-san is just a friend, so you don't worry about him. I'm just helping him avoid something that his parents are trying to force him into. If I ever find someone, you'd be the first person to know. You can have your man-to-man talk with him and everything." Kagome said. While she wasn't lying, she wasn't exactly telling the truth either. She still hadn't told her brother about her betrothal. It wasn't that she was trying to hide it, more the fact that she knew he would try and break the contract or replace her signature with his. Even if it meant losing his boyfriend, he would do it for her.
ooo
"Kagome, I wasn't expecting you here. What's the matter?" Obaa-sama asked as Kagome greeted her grandmother upon entry.
"I need to pick up some clothes. My friend asked me to come over for dinner and I need a dress to wear." Kagome explained, leaving out that it was a boy's house. Obaa-sama could tell that there was more to the story, but let it slide, letting her granddaughter head to her room. Kagome walked down the long hallways of the building, passing by large portraits and closed doors until she made it to her bedroom.
"It's been too long." Kagome said, a hand on the chair of her study table as she walked around the room, reminiscing of the memories she had in the house. She could see the collapsed frame son the dresser, remembering her emotional fit after returning from the hospital for the first time. Shaking her head, she headed over to her closet, opening to doors and stepping inside to inspect what outfit would be good for a formal restaurant.
Eventually, she decided on a navy dress. It was a strapless heart line dress, with lacework creating sleeves and covering the majority of her chest. Embedded were small gems that twinkled when the light hit them. The dress ended at her knees, hugging her body like a glove. Grabbing a pair of silver heels, Kagome left her closet and headed to her vanity where her makeup sat. While it had gone unused for about a year, she realized that her grandmother had bought her new makeup and scents while she had been away in Sendai. She pulled her hair into an elegant twist, letting it curl along the side of her face and down her front. Taking a black knee-length coat from her coat rack, she slipped it on. Once ready, she slipped the heels on and grabbed a silver purse before heading out of her room.
"Will you be returning here before you head back to Sendai?" Obaa-sama asked as Kagome re-entered the parlor.
"Yes. Is Haru available to take me to their house?" Obaa-sama nodded, telling Kagome that the car had been pulled out at the front.
"Don't stay out too long dear." Kagome smiled, waving goodbye as she left the house. Walking down the steps, she saw Haru standing next to a shiny black car. He opened the door for her to get in and closed it once she was inside before slipping into the driver's seat.
"Where to, Ojou-sama?" Haru asked and Kagome rattled off the address. It was about a 15-minute drive before Haru pulled into the drop-off location. Getting out of the car, he opened the door and held out a hand. Kagome grabbed his hand and exited the car, making sure that her dress hadn't ridden up in the process of her getting out, before looking at the house. It was a fairly large sized house.
"Do you need me to escort you in, Ojou-sama?" Kagome shook her head, telling Haru that she would call him later. Haru bowed to his lady before getting into the car, deciding the wait until Kagome had entered the house before leaving. Kagome walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. The opening of the door pulled Kagome out of her thoughts and she raised her head to see a middle-aged woman standing in the doorway with a dark red dress on, her hair twisted into a bun.
"You must be Shirabu Kagome. It's nice to meet you. I'm Kenma's mother. Please, come on in." Kagome bowed to Kenma's mother before stepping into the house. She took Kagome's coat from her, hanging it in the front closet before gesturing for her to take her shoes off and put on the indoor slippers. Not even five steps into the house, Kagome heard a thunder of footsteps coming from above and looked down the hall to see two small girls come rushing up to her. One of them wore a blue dress while the other wore a green dress, both of their hair styled into a ponytail.
"Kaa-san, is that nii-chan's girlfriend?" The girl in the blue dress asked, her hand latched onto her mother's dress.
"Girls, be polite and introduce yourself." Kenma's mother told the two girls. The girl in the green dress walked closer to Kagome and bowed before giving the elder girl a large smile.
"I'm Kozume Kaede." Kaede introduced herself. Kagome gave the younger a smaller smile and followed in courtesy, introducing herself.
"Nice to meet you Kagome-nee-san." Kaede smiled before looking over at her twin.
"Kikyo, aren't you going to say hi?" Kikyo, the younger twin, held tighter onto her mother's dress, hiding herself from Kagome's sight.
"Kaede, why don't you go get your brother?" Kaede nodded and headed back down the hall, waving to Kagome before turning a corner.
"Gomenasai. Kikyo takes after Kenma a lot. Please don't take any offense to her." Kenma's mother told Kagome, who shook her head.
"No worries." Kagome replied before crouching slightly down so that she was at a closer level to the younger girl's height.
"You've got a pretty blue dress on. Looks like we match, don't we?" Kagome asked the little girl. Kikyo peeked her head out of from behind her mother.
"Kireii." Kikyo mumbled, blushing when she realized what she had just said. Kagome let out a small laugh before nodding to the girl.
"You do look very pretty in that dress. Like a little fairy." Kikyo, mesmerized by Kagome's gentle tone, managed to pull herself away from her mother and closer to Kagome. Kenma's mother stood back, watching with surprise as her youngest child warmed up to her son's girlfriend.
"You must be hungry. Please come on inside. Kikyo, you want to show Kagome-san to the dining room?"
ooo
Dinner had been quite a rambunctious affair, mostly due to the twin's chatting. Kagome indulged the two girls, hiding the fatigue from having to put up with their energy. She was surprised that Kenma noticed it and tried to direct the attention from her to a different topic, to which she was grateful. Once dinner was over, Kenma's parents cleaned the table up while Kagome talked quietly with Kenma and his younger sisters before they were sent upstairs to their room while she and Kenma sat down in the living room to talk with his parents. The first couple minutes had been quite tense as Kenma's mother had basically interrogated Kagome about their relationship, but so far she had managed to keep her cover.
"Kagome-san, I don't know how to put this, but are you sure you two are a couple?" Both Kagome and Kenma slightly flinched at the question.
"Why?" Kagome asked, trying to stead her voice.
"It's just… Kenma's never given any interest in dating or anything. All of a sudden he brings someone home that we've never heard about. Doesn't that seem strange?" Kenma's mother asked.
"I mean, we did only meet a couple months ago and live in different cities. It doesn't give us much time to meet up with each other, especially since we are both in sports." Kagome replied.
"What about next year?" Kenma's mother asked, ignoring her husband's looks towards her.
"What about next year?" Kagome asked.
"You'll be entering university next year, meaning that you will be surrounded with new people and be busier than you are now. Not to mention, you could meet someone else." Kagome gripped her hands together, her fingers turning white from the amount of tension in them. She had been so caught up in trying to help Kenma that she forgot momentarily about her betrothal.
"She's not my girlfriend." Kagome's head snapped up as she looked over at Kenma.
"Kenma-san!" Kagome bit out in a whisper.
"I only asked Kagome-san to do this as a favor for me, so please stop interrogating her. I don't want a girlfriend now. I'm not ready for that sort of commitment, besides, it's seems like troublesome." Kenma told his parents.
"We knew the whole time, Kenma." Kenma's father spoke for the first time since they sat down. Kenma gave his father a look of surprise before turning to his mother for an explanation.
"Give us some credit Kenma. We did raise you after all. You never seem to raise a question against our wishes, but it looks like you've found your voice after all." Kenma's mother told him before looking at Kagome.
"Sorry that our son dragged you into this. But thank you for going along with his request." Kagome shook her hand out.
"No worries. I owed Kenma-san a favor anyway, so it worked out in my favor." Kagome replied. Seeing as it was getting late, Kenma offered to wait with her outside on the porch while Haru came to pick Kagome up. Thanking Kenma's parents, Kenma walked her to the door where she put her heels back on and took her coat from Kenma's hands and put it on.
"Thank you for having me over. Please tell your girls I said bye." Kagome said, bowing to Kenma's parents before heading over to the porch swing where Kenma already sat, bundled in jacket with a game in his hands.
"Thank you for doing this for me." Kenma told Kagome in between battles.
"No worries Kenma-san." Kagome replied, texting Haru to come pick her up from the house. A couple minutes went by of Kagome watching Kenma play his game before she leaned back in her seat, tilting her head to look up at the clear sky above her.
"Nee Kenma-san?" Kagome called out to the boy. Kenma, not looking up from his game, told her that she didn't have to add honorifics to his name before gesturing for her to talk.
"Do you believe in fate?" Kagome asked. Kenma paused his game and looked up at her before looking out at the sky.
"Why the question?" Kenma asked.
"Sometimes I wonder whether everything that happens is happening for a bigger reason. Whether the events that happen were already pre-written for me to follow." Kagome said.
"Not really. I'd only do the things I enjoyed." Kenma bluntly pointed out. Kagome huffed quietly, having already seen enough proof of that before shaking her head, telling him not to worry.
"There's something else, isn't there?" Kagome's eyes widened as she looked over at Kenma.
"What do you mean?" Kenma gave her a blank stare and closed the game, setting it in his pocket.
'When my mother asked about college, all of a sudden, you became tense, almost as if you didn't want to talk about it. Have your parents chosen something for you that you don't want?" Kenma explained.
"And what are you going to do with the information if I tell you?" Kagome asked.
"Not much. There's nothing that I could do. It's all your decision anyways. But you might want to lean on someone else, otherwise you'll only collapse." Kenma told her.
"Did Chibi-chan teach you that?" Kenma's ears flushed pink and he twisted his head away, gaining a laugh from Kagome. She pulled her purse from her pocket and grabbed a card before handing it over to Kenma.
"What's–" Kenma cut himself off once he had read the content. It was a business card for Sakura Industries, a multinational business. It had only taken him a few seconds to connect the dots.
"Family business?" Kagome nodded to Kenma before looking back out ahead. She watched as a black sleek car pulled up to the front of the house.
"I'm the heir apparent. As I'm sure you know, things in my world are more political than in yours. Especially when it comes to the heir of such a big business." Kagome replied, giving Kenma a sad smile as she stood up, watching as Haru stepped out of the driver's seat.
"Karma must be coming to bite me back. If only my parents were here…" Kagome mumbled under her breath, unaware that Kenma heard what she had said.
"My ride is here. Thanks for inviting me over. And think about that, okay?" Kagome told him, nodding in the direction of the card.
"I'm only a second year in high school." Kenma replied.
"It's just an option. Think over it." Kagome replied and Kenma nodded, thanking her for the opportunity.
"Don't tell anyone about this conversation. Not yet." Kagome waved a goodbye before heading down the footpath towards Haru.
"Everything alright Ojou-sama?" Haru asked as he held the door open for Kagome.
"Mm. I'm good. Let's go home Haru." Kagome said to her butler before looking out the window, remembering the conversation with her grandmother.
"There's one more condition to your request Kagome." Obaa-sama's voice came through via speaker. Kagome asked her grandmother what the condition was, hoping that it wasn't too much of a hassle on top of what she already had to do.
"If I hear that you are in pursuit or currently in another relationship with someone, for whatever reason, your request will be void and he will be notified immediately."
ooo
"We're really here." Sango said, looking up at the venue for the Nationals tournament. Kagome stood beside her, staring up at the dome, reminiscing on the last time she had come here for a Spring Tournament.
"Let's go." Kagome said, striding towards the building. It was loud inside, with teams from various places all over the country all in the same room. Her team immediately spread off, finding friends of theirs from other places.
"Kagome-san, you're really here." Kagome turned to see Komori and Sakusa walking up to her.
"Ah Komori-san, Sakusa-san, you two look well." Kagome nodded to the two cousins.
"It's been so long since we last saw you. I didn't think you would reject another invitation to the U18 Youth Training Camp. How have you been?" Komori asked her. Around them, whispers started to grow as people wondered who the girl standing next to the libero and ace of Itachiyama.
"That's Sakusa Kiyoomi and Komori Motoya from Itachiyama."
"Who's the girl with them?"
"You don't know? That's Shirabu Kagome. She was the #1 setter during junior high."
"She's been invited to the U18 Youth Training Camp?"
"I was busy with coaching another training camp. Since it was a direct order from my Coach, I couldn't exactly refuse." Kagome replied before asking how the camp went.
"Sakusa got along with Kageyama. I'm sure you know of him, seeing as you two went to the same junior high." Kagome nodded. While Oikawa couldn't put his dislike towards Kageyama away, Kagome had seen the improvement and growth that Kageyama underwent at Karasuno. That didn't mean she liked him though, only tolerating the younger setter.
"I don't know how many times I had to make sure he didn't pick a fight with Kageyama. Then again, a lot of other people picked on Kageyama too. Hoshiumi and Miya confronted him as well. " Komori ruffled his hair, ignoring the glare that his cousin gave him.
"Miya Atsumu?" Kagome questioned, though she hoped she was wrong. It's not that she had anything against the elder Miya twin, but he was quite a hassle to deal with. Especially when it came to Oikawa. Kagome regretted letting Oikawa go for the U18 Youth Training Camp his second year at Seijou. She couldn't count on her hands the number of times that she had heard complaints about Miya Atsumu from Oikawa, an impressive number considering neither schools had played against each other before.
"Yes. He kept riling Kageyama up for no reason." Komori replied. Hearing his name being called, he looked over to see their captain calling them over.
"We have to go now. See you around." Kagome nodded, saying her goodbyes to them. Once they left, she turned to find Sango when a flash of silver entered her vision.
"Kagome-senpai!" Lev bounced up to her, greeting her with a large smile. Of course, she had ended up walking to close to the area where the Nekoma and Fukurodani teams were standing around.
"I hope you've gotten better Lev." Kagome told the younger teen after he had finished telling her about his training.
"Of course I have. Watch me senpai. Your training won't have been for nothing." Lev replied and Kagome nodded.
"Then you have to watch our game too." Kagome looked behind Lev to see Bokuto standing with Kuroo and Kenma.
"If I have the time." Bokuto nodded in acceptance. Kenma, upon seeing Kagome, bowed his head in a greeting to which she mirrored. It hadn't taken much effort for Bokuto and Lev to pull her into the conversation when Kuroo asked a question that she wasn't prepared to answer.
"Why were you at Kenma's house a few weeks ago?" Kagome's eyes widened and she looked up at the taller captain.
"Excuse me?" Kagome hoped that what Kuroo had asked was just a fluke, because if he really did see them, that would create a lot of unanswered questions.
"I saw you at Kenma's house a few weeks ago. You two were dressed rather fancy. Wait, were you two on a date?" Kuroo asked. Kagome went to shake her head when someone came up from behind her, asking the same question again, making her blood freeze.
"Who did what?" Kagome turned around to see Akaashi looking her. Kagome swerved her eyes away from his, not realizing that Kenma caught her miniscule action.
"Didn't you hear? These two went on a date." Kuroo replied, when he got cut off by Kenma.
"It wasn't. It was a family dinner." Kenma explained, making up on the spot that his parents knew Kagome's parents from their university days.
"You would have known that Kuroo, if you had listening to me in the first place." Kagome told him, still reeling over the fact that it almost went public. It was one thing for them to joke about it, but they didn't know what it would do to her life and the one she was betrothed to.
"You alright?" Sango asked Kagome as they formed a line of their players and stood with the other teams as the entered the gym one by one. Sango knew Kagome's past, having been the one to wait in the hospital ICU for Kagome to come out.
"Yeah. It's just been a while." Kagome shook her left wrist slightly, trying to ease the tension in her limb. From her place at the front of her school's line, she could see the familiar faces of Bokuto and Kuroo, along with Itachiyama's female captain.
"With that being said, let the Spring National Tournament begin." Cheers and applause echoed in the dome as all the spectators cheered on their respective teams. Shiratorizawa was immediately escorted to their locker room as they were in the first round of matches, playing against Fukurodani. Once the girls had removed their tracksuits and donned their gear, the team proceeded to enter the gymnasium once more, hearing the screams from their fans and cheering squad as Shiratorizawa walked to the middle court where the Fukurodani girls' team was already warming up. Beside them on the other courts, various other schools were warming up for their respective games.
"They have about a minute left. Warm up as usual. Do not over do it." The Coach told them, particularly eyeing Kagome. Kagome nodded meekly, momentarily fearing for her life. The whistle blew and the teams switched out. The three minutes were short, but it was enough time for the Shiratorizawa team to get their players warmed up for the game.
"Captains, please come forward." Kagome felt pats on her back as she left the comfort of her team to the referee stand where the referee was waiting for both captains. Upon reaching the referee, Kagome waited until the Fukurodani captain had reached them as well before holding out a hand.
"What will you be choosing?" The referee asked the two girls. Fukurodani's captain asked for tails, meaning that Shiratorizawa was heads. The referee flipped the coin and it landed on tails, meaning Fukurodani had the choice of serving first or receiving.
"We'll serve." Fukurodani's captain said and Kagome nodded. The two nodded to each other before heading to their respective teams, lining up on the base line. The referee blew the whistle, announcing the beginning of the match. As the two teams huddled up, Kagome began to her captain's speech.
"We've played them before, but do not underestimate them. They will have grown since their last defeat. We'll play as usual, with our new formation." Kagome told them, eyeing each one of her teammates, the people she had spent the last two years training, laughing and crying with. Sango started off their chant, ending with the girls throwing the arms in the middle and cheering loudly.
At the sound of the whistle, the starting players walked onto the court while the remaining regulars waited in the substitute box. Each player took their place, adjusting to the new formation in such a large dome. At the second whistle and referee's signal, the server from Fukurodani threw the ball up starting off the game. Shiratorizawa's libero received the ball, setting it over to Kagome.
"That's one." Kagome grinned when Sango spiked the ball past Fukurodani's block, scoring their first point.
"Let's keep this rhythm going."
ooo
It had been a hard fight, going against an improved Fukurodani, and using their new formation for the first time in a game. But it was worth the while hearing the applause and cheers at their victory against Fukurodani. Since it was their only game of the day, the girls were dismissed for the rest of the day, agreeing to meet up later that evening to prepare for their next match, seeing as it was against Inarizaki.
Kagome and Sango spent the rest of the morning watching the other matches taking place before meeting up with Rin and Mirai for lunch at a sushi restaurant that Rin had been dying to go to for some time. Afterwards, Kagome decided to go take a walk around the dome, weaving through the crowd of people that had come to watch the Nationals.
"If it isn't Shirabu Kagome herself." Kagome felt a headache hit her, recognizing that voice. Turning around, she saw Miya Atsumu walking up to her with his younger twin, Miya Osamu.
"Miya twins. What can I help you with?" Kagome asked the two brothers. Atsumu suggested they take the conversation to a quieter place and Kagome went along with it. Osamu decided to leave his brother, having not wanted to be there in the first place. It wasn't long before the two setters were in an empty hallway, void of any peeping.
"If it's about Tooru, you'll have to take it up with him." Kagome cut in before Atsumu could open his mouth. She had had enough of their petty fights over the most stupid things.
"That's not what I wanted to ask about, so don't worry Shirabu-chan." Kagome's brow twitched at the honorific.
"What do you want?" Kagome asked. While the two weren't very close, they held a certain level of respect for each other, both of them being setters. That was what their 'friendship' was built on: setting and his petty rivalry with Oikawa.
"Why did you miss the U18 Youth Training Camp? It's the second time that you rejected the invitation." Atsumu asked her.
"I was asked by my coach to coach another training camp." Kagome explained.
"That's not a reason for the first time though. What happened to you? I remember hearing about you in junior high. Shirabu Kagome, the number 1 setter in Miyagi." Atsumu questioned. Kagome remained silent. It wasn't that she was trying to avoid answering, more like come up with the reason why without delving too far into her past.
"Is it because of your injury?" Kagome's head snapped up and she looked into the golden eyes of the other setter.
"What?" Kagome whispered out with disbelief. No one else knew of the incident, so how was it that he did.
"Your wrist. I've watched enough of your games to notice that you always have medical tape wrapped around your wrist, and only your left wrist. You didn't do that in junior high. Not to mention, you used to serve with your left hand." Atsumu replied.
"I'm surprised that you figured it out. Yes, I declined my spot last year because of my wrist. Injury comes with being an athlete after all." Kagome exclaimed. She didn't think anyone would have taken notice to the change of her serving hand.
"That's not a sport injury." Atsumu told her and Kagome gave him a wary look.
"I'm not an idiot. I'm a setter just like you, so I've had injuries before. But nothing to the extent where I have to switch from serving with one hand to another." Atsumu replied.
"What's the point of this conversation?" Kagome finally snapped out, her emotions rising with her panic.
"You're pushing your wrist too far. I did the same with my knee and had to do rehab for it. I don't know what your injury is like, but what I can tell you is that you are going to ruin your ability to play if you continue on like this." Atsumu replied. Kagome had heard the same thing from her brother, Tendo and her childhood friends, all who told her that the new formation her team was working on was pushing her wrist to its limit. They had seen her on those late nights when she sat on the couch with an ice pack on her red tinted wrist and the days where she bound extra medical tape around her wrist, wrapping further up and down her arm.
"This is the end for me." Kagome finally told him, accepting the truth. She could feel the cage doors starting to close in on her. Her wrist wouldn't be able to handle the strain of playing in university. It was already getting worse each game that she played, an honest miracle that her wrist had made it this far. It had taken her quite a while for her to accept her scar and injury.
"You… you're not playing volleyball in university?" Atsumu asked her and Kagome shook her head. Atsumu was confused. He knew that he wasn't too close with Kagome, but they did have a mutual friendship when it came to volleyball. Having met her through Oikawa during his first year, he had gotten to know her whenever they were in the same area for volleyball. He knew she was getting offers from universities to play for them, so her decision was definitely not what he had expected.
"5 bones shattered, 7 broken. Nerves damaged beyond repair. It's a miracle I have any function at all." Kagome unwrapped the medical tape of her left wrist, showing Atsumu a large healed scar on her wrist. It was a pale white color, taking up a large portion of her wrist, surrounded by smaller thin cuts. Atsumu's jaw fell open, having not expected such a severe injury. What on earth did she do for her wrist and hand to have accumulated that much damage?
"Does Oikawa know? Wait, does your brother know? Does anyone else know about the injury?" Atsumu asked.
"They know about the injury, not about university though." Kagome told him.
"Then why did you tell me? It's like we're the closest of friends." Atsumu exclaimed.
"Because I know you wouldn't treat me any differently when I did tell you." Kagome replied, looking down at the scar on her wrist, tracing over the waxy white skin with her thumb.
"I trust you'll keep my secret." Atsumu nodded, looking back down at her wrist with a pinched expression.
"I'm sorry." Kagome blinked in surprise and cocked her head with confusion.
"Sorry for what? This wasn't your fault. It was mine." Atsumu gave her a questioning look but she shook her head.
"You still need to make sure you don't push it too far. You don't want to lose all function completely after all." Kagome nodded. Atsumu gave her a smirk, ruffling her hair before heading back to find his team, leaving her to fix her hair in the hallway alone.
"I ended up sharing more than I wanted to." Kagome mumbled to herself as she rebound her wrist with medical tape. Satisfied with her work, Kagome put the tape back in her jersey pocket and turned to head back to the main hallway when she stopped in her path, looking in horror as Lev and Hinata stood across from her, their facial expressions mirroring hers.
"How long have you two been here?" Kagome managed to choke out. It looked like it was long enough, judging by Lev's pained look when he looked at her wrist before turning his attention her face.
"You're injured?" Lev asked in a hollow voice and Kagome couldn't deny the fact. After all, he had heard their conversation. He knew how bad her wrist was.
"Kagome-senpai, you… you'll be able to set to me after Nationals, right?" Lev asked her, his eyes pleading her to say yes.
"I don't know Lev." Kagome told him. Hinata had been quiet the whole time, his eyes locked on her injury.
"Does it hurt a lot?" Hinata finally asked. Kagome shrugged her shoulders.
"It flares up here and there. But that is to be expected." Kagome told him. Hinata flinched, and Kagome realized that he had never actually seen a sports injury this bad.
"Sports injuries aren't as bad as this Chibi-chan. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful. That means no over-practicing." Kagome exclaimed. Hinata nodded, his face still pale from what he had just overheard.
"Both of you promise me that you will not a soul about what you heard." Lev wanted to argue but Kagome was adamant. And so, both boys nodded their head in acceptance, promising that they wouldn't tell anyone about her injury or her future as a volleyball player.
ooo
The second day had come and gone, with Shiratorizawa winning their game against Inarizaki, moving to the third round of Nationals. Karasuno had also won against Inarizaki, moving to the third round where they would be facing against Nekoma. Fukurodani had also secured a spot in the next round, having won against Morikawa High. Lev had walked up to her later that day, telling her how his school would be going up against their rival school, Karasuno. As she had promised to do so, Kagome told him she would come cheer for him tomorrow before wishing him a good night.
And so here she was, sitting in Nekoma's bleachers, watching as Nekoma and Karasuno warmed up for their match.
"Milaya, you're here!" Kagome smiled, accepting Arisa's hug as the older girl pulled her into her arms.
"Of course. I told Lev that I would watch his game." Kagome replied. She then noticed a smaller girl standing to Arisa's side.
"Ah, this is Akane-chan." Arisa introduced Kagome to Yamamoto Akane, the younger sister of Nekoma's ace. They chatted quietly amongst themselves until the warmup had concluded and the teams were lining up. Arisa and Akane both left Kagome in the spectator stands as they headed to the front of Nekoma's cheering squad.
It had been a very exhilarating game. Kagome was very surprised at the growth that both teams showed. Lev had managed to clean up his blocking and was helping receive the ball in difficult situations, much better than where he had been at when she was coaching him. Karasuno's quick duo, as usual, had managed to push their quick to a new level. Kagome felt a pang of jealousy towards Kageyama, for the boy would be able to play the position she desired to, even in university, but quickly squashed the feeling, knowing it wasn't good to start going down that path. Hinata, on the other hand, was bouncing around as usual. She wasn't surprised to see that his jumping was higher now. Kagome had been shocked to see Kenma finally being invested in winning the match. It was the first time she had seen so much emotion on the younger setter's face as he faced off with Hinata. Kagome noticed that Tsukishima had managed to polish his blocks, his defense being of help to his team. However, as much as growth could help both teams, there can only one winner. Kagome looked at the faces of the Nekoma players as they bowed to their fans. None of them could really manage to lift their heads up to see the people that had cheered for them.
"Will they be alright?" Kagome heard Akane ask Arisa as she walked down to the front to see Lev. The younger Haiba's frame was shaking, probably trying to hold back tears.
"They will be. It only hurts for a moment. And then they will pick themselves back up again." Kagome told Akane. It was then that Lev had managed to lift his head, his eyes looking around the crowd, spotting his sister and locking onto Kagome's. Kagome nodded to him, silently telling him that he had done an amazing job. His libs wobbled as the Nekoma team thanked their fans once more before shuffling off the courts to the locker room.
It was silent in the locker room as the players moved around, changing out of their uniform into their tracksuits and packing up. Their Coach had told them to return to the hotel where they would have a team meeting. Lev could hear the crying of his teammates and himself as he replayed the match over and over in his head, wondering why he had made so many mistakes.
"Lev, I think you have a visitor." Inuoka had told him as they were leaving the locker room. Lev looked in the direction that Inuoka was pointing to see Kagome standing with her back to the wall. Noticing that he had come out, Kagome pushed herself off the wall and waited, knowing that Lev had to come to her.
"I'll catch up in a bit." Inuoka nodded before running off after the team, leaving Lev with Kagome. Kagome took in his red eyes and asked if he wanted to take a walk outside with her.
"I watched your match. You were amazing, Lev. You've improved so much. I'm very proud of you, as your mentor and as your friend." Kagome told him once they had sat themselves on the steps outside the entrance of the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
"But we still lost. If I hadn't made so many mistakes." Lev's voice tapered off with a sob. Kagome pulled Lev closer to her, his head resting against her shoulder as his body shook with cries.
"Mistakes are normal. Did you know that the first time I played in an official match, I managed to serve every ball right to my captain's head? Imagine how much she yelled at me for not paying attention to my surroundings. I can still remember how sore my muscles were after the punishment I had to do." Kagome smiled, feeling the shaking of Lev's body decrease and laughter coming from the younger boy.
"The point is, you are still a young player. You have so much room to grow. And you will become an amazing player Lev. Yes, you made mistakes, but those mistakes will help you grow." Kagome told him.
"But you won't be there. You won't be able to set to me or coach me. How am I supposed to become strong?" Lev mumbled out.
"Who said I wasn't going to be there?" Kagome asked and Lev lifted his head to look at her.
"I will be there until you graduate from Nekoma. I don't know if I will be able to play, but I will be able to help you if you need it. But you know Lev, you became this strong without my help. Did you know that? It was your determination and strength that got you all the way here." Kagome replied.
"You promise?" Lev finally asked after a minute of silence. Kagome nodded, holding out her pinky. Yes, it was childish, Kagome thought. But it was something that she knew Lev would trust and hoped that it would raise his spirits.
"I promise." Kagome smiled. Lev finally smiled for the first time since his team's defeat. Kagome reached up, using her sleeve to wipe Lev's tears away before standing up.
"Shall we go? I'm sure your team is worried about you." Kagome asked, holding out a hand. Lev grabbed her hand and stood up. And so, the two began to walk to the hotel that Nekoma was staying at to see Kuroo standing at the entrance of the hotel, frantically speaking on the phone to someone.
"Oi Kuroo." Kuroo looked up to see Lev walking beside Kagome and spoke into the phone once more before snapping his phone closed and putting it in his pocket. He walked up to Lev before smacking the younger boy on the head, berating him for going off without telling him. Lev went to complain but was cut off by Kuroo's pat on the head.
"Thanks for walking with him here." Kuroo told Kagome, having ushered Lev into the hotel so that he could join the rest of their team.
"No worries. You guys played well today. You're leaving your team in good hands." Kagome replied. Kuroo nodded, agreeing with her statement.
"You're playing the quarter-finals tomorrow. Good luck." Kuroo held out his hand and Kagome shook it, thanking him.
"Let Lev know that he's free to come watch my game if he feels up for it." Kagome told Kuroo before heading back to her hotel, returning just in time to shower and get ready for her team's meeting. They decided to meet in Kagome and Sango's room. The Coach was there in the beginning to go over tactics and possible plays before calling it a night and telling the girls to sleep.
"They came in third place after us during Interhigh. They'll be a tough opponent." Sango commented after watching the tape of Yunokawa's game today. Kagome nodded, a page in her notebook scribbled with notes from the game.
"I'm exhausted." Rin flopped back on the bed. Most of the team had headed back to their rooms to catch up on sleep. Mirai and Rin had stayed to go through the videos, though Mirai was fast asleep in Kagome's bed, having dropped out during the first video.
"It is getting late. Why don't we end with this?" Sango asked and Rin nodded, curling up in her place on Sango's bed, much to the other girl's ire. In the end, Sango was too tired to do anything about it and ended up sharing the bed with Rin. In the end, Kagome was the only one awake. She flicked through another video of Yunokawa's game with Itachiyama from Interhigh before calling it a night herself. Padding across the room, she entered the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. Grabbing the toothpaste with her right hand, she opened the cap and reached out to grab her toothbrush to squeeze the toothpaste on.
A flash of pain flickered through her wrist, resulting in Kagome dropping the toothbrush on the counter. Kagome looked down at her wrist, setting the toothpaste down and massaging her wrist with the other hand, trying to ease the knots. Once Kagome had brushed her teeth and washed her face, she returned to the room and grabbed an ice pack from the fridge before getting into her bed. Undoing the medical tape on her wrist, she threw it onto the bedside table and lied down in bed, letting the ice pack sit on her wrist as she fell asleep.
ooo
It had been a rough game, Kagome had to admit. Yunokawa had improved in bounds since their last game. It had been a close game, but in the end, Shiratorizawa claimed victory 2-1 against the other team. Her wrist had managed to make it through the game, though it was only due to the fact that it was completely numb from the constant icing.
"You're going to visit them right?" Sango asked Kagome as they left the locker room for the day. Kagome nodded, having changed into regular clothes instead of her team's jersey and sweats. Originally her brother was supposed to go with her, but he had caught a cold and was stuck in bed. Kagome was glad that Tendo had to deal with her brother instead of her, especially since he turned into such a child when he got sick. He was so much like Oikawa in that manner.
"I'd go with you, but Coach is having me go through the tapes with her. She's mad that I lost some of that paperwork still." Sango told Kagome.
"It's alright. I don't mind going by myself." Kagome replied.
"Kagome-senpai!" Kagome looked ahead to see Lev walking up to her, a large grin on his face. She smiled, glad that Lev was feeling better than yesterday.
"Congratulations on your win. Kagome-senpai, you were amazing today." Kagome thanked Lev for the compliments before asking how he was feeling.
"I'm doing okay. What are you doing after this?" Lev asked. Sango cut in before Kagome could say anything.
"Can you go with Kagome to visit someone? She's going all alone." Kagome gave Sango a look.
"Sure." Lev immediately agreed. Kagome looked at Lev's bright smile and sighed. She hadn't planned on going with anyone else, since she hadn't told anyone about her parents.
"Sango…" Kagome let out a harsh sigh, pulling the girl aside momentarily.
"I know you don't feel good talking about what happened, but I don't think your parents would want you to hide this away forever. Remember, it's not your fault." Kagome went to counter Sango's statement when the girl continued.
"Let us in Kagome. You don't need to be afraid. None of us are going to turn you away because of what happened. I think this is the best way that you can come to terms with it." Kagome let out another sigh. She wanted to argue, to yell, but she knew that what Sango was saying was true.
"Fine. Go, I'll be fine." Sango gave Kagome a quick hug before running down the hall, waving goodbye.
"Who are we going to visit?" Lev asked as they left the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
"My parents." Kagome told him. She stopped by a flower store close to the funeral home, buying a bouquet of white roses and pink carnations.
"Oh, I remember you telling us that you look like your mother. She must be just as pretty as you are." Lev chirped by Kagome's side, missing her sad smile.
"I look exactly like her. And my brother looks more like our father, except for the brown hair. That's all my mother." Kagome replied. Lev asked some questions about her parents, to which she responded as best as she could. Minutes later, they had reached the funeral home, not that Lev had realized it. He was too busy handling the flowers that Kagome had given him to look at.
Kagome signed both herself and Lev into the building before walking through it, guiding Lev through the glass doors in the garden. It was then that Lev's attention turned away from the bouquet to the garden.
"Kagome-senpai?" Lev's voice came out quietly, having come to the realization of where he was standing.
"Come on." Kagome tugged Lev gently by the arm further into the garden. Unlike the last time she had come to visit, the wind didn't blow. The sun shone down on the ground, warming Kagome's face in the cold weather. When they had reached her parent's grave, Kagome took the flowers from Lev's arms and crouched down, setting the flowers in front of the gravestone. She brushed her hand against her parents' names before standing up.
"Okaa-sama, Otou-sama. I'm back. Ah, I brought Arisa's younger brother, Lev, with me this time." Kagome spoke softly before turning to Lev, who was still standing stiffly beside her.
"You didn't have to take me with you. If I had known you were coming here, I wouldn't have imposed like this." Lev told her.
"It's okay. You've already met my parents in the past before, so you're not a stranger to them." Lev looked at her with a confused look.
"It was roughly around the time that I had met Arisa. You were just a few months old at the time." Kagome replied before introducing Lev to her parents.
"Hi Kagome-senpai's Okaa-san and Otou-san. I'm Arisa's younger brother, Haiba Lev. It is nice to meet you again." Lev introduced himself to her parents, making her smile briefly.
"Okaa-sama, I'm playing in the Spring Nationals, just like I told you I would. I wish you could be here to see me play. You as well Otou-sama. My games have been going well. I think Tooru is jealous that I made it to Nationals again and he didn't." Kagome let out a small laugh.
"What happened is still in the back of mind. Sometimes I feel like it's going to crush me. I know that some of it is my fault. Sometimes I wish that I could go change how things were done." Kagome spoke out, pausing to collect her thoughts. Lev stood silently by her side, giving her the emotional support that she needed to continue.
"I'm managing to get over what happened. It's not that I will forget what happened. I probably will never be able to. But I will try not to blame myself anymore. I'll live a happy life, like you wanted me to. I'll make sure to honor our family's legacy. I hope you are in peace wherever you are and continue to watch over me." Kagome ended her small conversation.
"Thank you for raising Kagome-senpai." Kagome turned her head in Lev's direction, making no move to stop her friend.
"She's really good at volleyball, like amazing. She helped coach me because I just started this year. I wouldn't have made it to Nationals without her. And she always sets me a ball when I ask. I'll miss playing with her when she stops, but she said she will still coach me, so I'm happy about that." Kagome felt tears welling in her eyes as Lev's voice tapered off.
"For the longest time, I blamed myself for their deaths." Kagome finally spoke.
"What do you mean Kagome-senpai?" Lev asked.
"My parents both had busy lifestyles. Despite that, they tried to make time for me. As I grew older though, my mother became more distant, working longer hours and flying in and out of the country for conferences. It had come to the point where they had missed my brother's birthday that year. It was just before the Spring Tournament started that I had called in some favors to get them in the country at the same time to watch me play. My mother wasn't so pleased that I had changed her schedule. My father was already in the country at the time, so it was easier with him. Both of them were quite furious with me. My mother demanded that my father take us to the airport, and we were on our way." Kagome started off. Her knuckles were white from having her hand scrunched onto her jacket.
"I was arguing with my parents, getting mad at them for not having any time for me or my brother. My father was trying to calm us down, but it didn't help. About halfway into the car ride, everything went black. I don't remember anything from around that time until I woke up in the hospital a day or so later." From where she stood, she could tell that Lev was slowly piecing the events of the story together.
"When I asked the doctor what happened, he told me that the car I was in had a collision with a drunk driver. When I asked what happened to my parents, the doctor told me that the collision struck our car on the driver's side. Both my parents died instantly. I asked him why I was okay since I was sitting in the window seat behind the driver." Kagome brushed her hand across her mother's name on the stone.
"The doctor told me that my mother had gotten out of her seat and protected me from the collision, saving my life and ending hers."