Never regret a day in your life. You might want to decide fast, but wisely. We live in a dangerous world. If you see the chance to be happy, you have to fight for it, so you have no regrets later. Even if it means, giving up something you love for someone you love.
ooo
"Hurry up Kagome-senpai, we're missing part of the game already!" Kagome nodded, walking a little faster to catch up with Lev. Ever since their visit to her parents grave the day before, Lev had been sticking to Kagome like glue as much as he could. Kagome didn't have the heart to discourage it, so she let him tag along with her. This however meant that he dragged her to go places as well, such as the Fukurodani game they were currently on their way to.
"Where are we sitting Lev?" Kagome asked when they had finally reached the bleachers. Lev pointed over to some seats close to the Fukurodani cheering section where Kuroo, Yaku and Kai were sitting. The pair walked down the steps, weaving around people going in the other direction, as they headed to their seats. As they came into the view of the two other Nekoma members, Lev waved his hand to them.
"What are you doing here?" Yaku asked, wondering why she was watching Fukurodani's matches. This was the second one that he had seen her at, which was more than he had expected.
"Lev brought me here." Kagome replied and Yaku gave Kuroo a look. It wasn't news that Lev was close with Kagome, seeing as she had coached him and was close with his sister. What they weren't expecting was for him to be with her all the time, barring their own team practice and studying time.
"Don't you have your own game soon?" Kuroo questioned, knowing that her team had made it to the quarter-finals of the tournament.
"It's in two hours, so I have a little time to spare. I thought I'd go practice but Lev dragged me here instead." Kagome told him. Kuroo sighed, shaking his head in a minuscule motion before pinning Lev down with a look.
"Lev, stop badgering her all the time. She needs to prepare for her own games, not be watching other people's games instead." Kuroo reprimanded the younger boy.
"But–" Lev cut himself off with a huff, knowing that he couldn't explain his reasoning. He just didn't want to leave Kagome alone the day after she had opened up about her trauma, especially when he knew that it was hard on her.
"It's alright. I needed a distraction from my own game for a moment." Kagome replied. Kuroo looked at Kagome for a minute before nodding and turning his attention back to the game. Kagome did the same, tuning her attention to the players that she was already familiar with.
"They're putting pressure on him." Kai said as the group in the stands watched Mujinazaka blocking and countering all of Akaashi's sets.
"Seeing the calm-headed Akaashi like this is new." Yaku added on, wincing at the obvious setter dump that Akaashi had tried to do. They watched as the Fukurodani Coach called for a player switch, pulling Akaashi out of the game and sending in their first-year setter.
"Akaashi's being benched!" Lev gasped out, watching as Akaashi walked and sat down on the bench next to their Coach, the two talking out of hearing range.
"He needs to calm down. The pressure that they're putting on him is causing his to make rash decisions." Kagome explained.
"That's true." Yaku mumbled. They watched as Mujinazaka took the first set, to the despair of the Fukurodani team and fans. Kagome watched the members of the Fukurodani team, noticing that Akaashi returned to his team, switching with the first-year setter.
"Is Akaashi back in?" Kai asked, and Kuroo nodded. With the shrill of the whistle, the second set started. Kagome was surprised by the change that Akaashi had undergone during his benched time. The first set, he played somewhat rushed, his movements and planning all rash decisions. However, watching him now, Kagome could tell that whatever the Coach told him or made him ponder seemed to have done the trick. He was able to set better, making the flow of his team's plays connect and earn Fukurodani points.
"He got himself under control." Kuroo said, watching as Fukurodani won the second set. The match was tight, both teams having taken a set each. It was all down to the final set.
"Who do you think will win?" Lev asked Kagome, making the girl ponder for a moment. While she knew Fukurodani's strengths having played against them, Mujinazaka was a new group of players.
"While I don't know too much about Mujinazaka, I can tell that their planning is good. They were able to put enough pressure on Fukurodani, forcing them to bench their official setter for a set. Their plays are very well planned out and executed efficiently. Not to mention, being able to block Bokuto is an impressive task. Fukurodani, on the other hand, is a versatile team. While their ace is a top spiker in the country, in the case that he falls into his dejected mode, the rest of the team is able to keep up their plays. Both their ace and setter are in top condition right now, not to mention their libero works best under high pressure situations." Kagome explained, pointing out details about each of the players during their plays so Lev could understand and learn from. She didn't see the Nekoma third-years giving her wide looks, wondering how she knew the team so well, seeing as they rarely met.
"I don't know how it is with other teams, but against this team…" Kagome started off, watching as the last point of the match was in play.
"I can be sure that Fukurodani will win." The thud of the ball hitting the ground sent the bleachers into a roar of cheers and applause as Fukurodani celebrated their win against Mujinazaka.
"Sugoi! Kagome-senpai, how do you know so much about Fukurodani?" Lev asked her while they watched the two teams line up and bow to each other.
"Analysis. Everyone has certain habits that come out during their playing, whether they know of it or not. For example, when you go to spike a ball, you tend to jump with more pressure from your right foot. It's something I have honed on during my years of playing." Kagome replied. Lev looked at her with awe. Kuroo looked at her from the corner of her eyes. Genius wasn't the word to describe Kagome, that was Kageyama. Kagome was another class of her own, building her strength with her pure blood, sweat and tears.
"I should head back to my team. We'll be having our pre-game meeting soon." Kagome said. The third-years wished her good luck on her game.
"I'm coming with you Kagome-senpai!" Lev jumped out of his seat, running after to join Kagome.
"Is something wrong with Lev?" Kai asked, not understanding what was going on anymore.
"I honestly don't know. He's been attached to her all day since yesterday." Yaku replied, watching as the Fukurodani team bowed in thanks to their supporters. The three of them clapped, congratulating their friends on their win.
"Do you think something happened between them?" Kuroo asked and Yaku gave him a strange look.
"Between Lev and Shirabu-san? I doubt it." Kai told Kuroo, gaining a nod of agreement from Yaku.
"What made you think that Kuroo?" Yaku asked with an incredulous tone. Kuroo shrugged his shoulders.
"I think Lev knows something." Kuroo said.
ooo
"Lev, you know you don't have to follow me everywhere, right?" Kagome asked Lev as they entered the main hallway.
"I want to make sure you are alright. You- you shared something important to you. I- I know that I'm probably not the one you wanted to tell, but I am glad you were able to share it with me." Lev replied, surprising Kagome.
"Arigato Lev." Kagome gave him a soft smile, to which he sent her a large grin. The two walked down the hallway, making their way to the hall of locker rooms where Kagome's team was going to start prepping for their game against Sakura Chou. Along the way, her attention caught on a small boy standing in front of the sign board, looking left and right for something. He looked familiar to her for some reason, but she couldn't remember where she had seen him before.
"Lev, this way for a second." Kagome said, heading over to check on the small boy. When she had gotten close to the child, she called out to him, causing him to turn around. Immediately locking eyes on the boy, she knew why he seemed so familiar. It was Akira, Bokuto's little brother.
"Ah! It's the koi nee-san from the festival." Akira grinned, running to Kagome. Kagome crouched lower, embracing Akira as he threw himself at her. She gave the boy a tight hug before pulling back slightly to check and see if he was alright.
"What are you doing here by yourself again? Are you lost?" Kagome asked and Akira shook his head.
"I told Okaa-chan that I was going to see nii-san." Akira replied cheerfully before looking up at Lev's towering frame.
"Ah, Lev-nii-san, you're here too?" Akira waved at Lev, gaining a smile and wave back. Akira had first met Lev when Kuroo decided to TP Bokuto's house with the team. Bokuto had been taking his brother trick-or-treating, returning to see Kuroo TP's his house and began to chase after his friend, leaving Akira in the careful hands of the Nekoma team.
"We're going to go past your nii-san's locker room. Do you want us to show you the way?" Akira nodded. Kagome stood up to her feet and held out a hand, letting Akira latch onto it. With that, the three walked down the hallway, making their way to the Fukurodani locker room.
"Did you watch your nii-san's game?" Kagome asked and Akira nodded. He began to explain the game to Kagome and Lev, moving his hands in big motions to describe some things. Lev joined the conversation, adding in other things that he had seen. Honestly, Kagome felt like laughing at Lev's childlikeness, watching him act just like Akira.
"Akira, I know you wanted to come see your brother, but next time, make sure to go with your okaa-san or someone else. Otherwise, you are going to get lost. Is that clear?" Kagome told the younger boy and he nodded.
"I'm sorry I made koi nee-san and Lev-nii-san worry." Kagome shook her head, ruffling Akira's hair and told the boy not to worry.
"Akira?" Kagome looked up to see Bokuto rushing over to them, catching his brother in his arms, with Akaashi walking behind them.
"What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be with Okaa-chan." Bokuto asked his little brother.
"I told Okaa-chan I was coming to find you. Then I bumped into koi nee-san and Lev-nii-san." Akira replied, pointing to Kagome and Lev.
"Thank you for helping my otouto again." Bokuto thanked Kagome, not forgetting the time she had found him during the festival last year.
"No worries." Kagome told Bokuto. Bokuto nodded before turning to Akira, telling his younger brother not to run off without an adult with him.
"Mind waiting here for me Akaashi while I drop Akira with my mother?" Akaashi nodded and Bokuto set his brother on the ground, taking a hold of the younger's hand.
"Koi nee-san, Lev-nii-san, are you coming?" Akira asked and Kagome shook her head, telling the younger boy that she had a match to play. Akira wished her good luck before turning his doe eyes onto Lev.
"Lev-nii-san are you coming then?" Lev was conflicted. He didn't want to say no to Akira, but he didn't want to leave Kagome's side. Lev knew that Kagome could handle herself, after all, she had been since the car accident happened. But that didn't mean that a friend by her side was unwanted, especially after she bared her trauma to someone who wasn't very close to her.
"Go Lev. Keep Akira company." Kagome said and Lev turned to her with a conflicted gaze.
"I'll be fine. Go." Kagome repeated. Nodding, Lev headed over to Akira's side and took the boy's other hand in his and walked with Bokuto.
"I'm sorry if Lev has been attached to you all day." Kagome turned her attention to Akaashi and shook her head.
"It's alright." Kagome replied. It was silent between the two as they stared each other down.
"Congratulations Akaashi-san. It was a good game." Kagome told Akaashi after some time.
"Thank you. Though it was mainly Bokuto-san who deserves most of the credit. Him and the others on the team." Akaashi replied.
"Not necessarily. You did well out there today." Kagome tried to lighten the mood, but it seemed Akaashi was still trying to piece his thoughts together about his playing in the match.
"Look. It's normal to make rash decisions in high pressure situations." Akaashi looked at her and for the first time, Kagome felt something flood through her.
"You're not the only person who has ever made mistakes during a game. Everyone starts off by making mistakes. That's how you learn how to do things and what not to do. So, it's okay to make mistakes." Kagome's voice turned into a grumble at the end as the memory of her junior high captain's wrath came to her.
"Anyways, you're still a second-year. You have more room to grow, to learn from your mistakes and to mature. Keep that in mind. You wouldn't be the official setter for Fukurodani if you didn't show promise." Akaashi nodded, a pensive look decorating his face, as he thanked Kagome for her advice. Kagome began walking to her locker room when she paused in her stride.
"Every failure is a lesson. If you aren't willing to fail, you are not ready to succeed." Kagome said before walking past Akaashi.
"Have you?" Akaashi's voice called out to her and Kagome looked back.
"Have you failed before?" Kagome nodded, unconsciously sliding her hand over her wrist, the motion catching Akaashi's eye.
"I served a ball to my captain's head during my first game at Nationals. She made me do laps around the gym until she felt like it." Kagome told him with a straight face, gaining a huff of laughter from the boy.
"Arigato Shirabu-san." Akaashi nodded in her direction.
"I have a game to prep for. I'll see you around." Kagome replied with a smile before heading to her locker room.
ooo
It had to be the sunlight streaming in from the window that was causing all her suffering. Honestly, that would be better than having to deal with her wrist, Kagome thought, as she stared at her reflection. Another jolt ran through her, causing Kagome to look down at her wrist.
"Not now." Kagome grimaced as she shook her wrist, trying to rid herself of the dull throb that race through her. She couldn't afford to be injured now, especially since they had the semi-finals today against Hisamitsu. Peeling away the tape, she stared down at her wrist before looking up at the reflection of herself in the hotel mirror. She squeezed her hand into a fist and then released it, repeating the action a few times to release the tension in her hand.
"Is everything okay?" Kagome turned to see Sango stumble into the bathroom, one hand trying to tame her bed hair.
"Just a little sore. Nothing that is major." Kagome replied. She stretched out with her left hand to grab Sango's brush when her hand spasmed upon contact. She took a deep breath, flexing her hand once more before picking the brush up and handing it over to Sango, who was now looking at Kagome with worry.
"That didn't look good." Sango told her. Kagome grabbed her own comb brush before proceeding to do her own hair.
"I'll ice it until the start of the game." Kagome said, brushing out the tangles in her hair. Once they were all gone, she set the brush down and began to pull her hair into a high ponytail.
"Kagome, you need to tell the Coach if something is wrong with your wrist." Kagome sighed before turning to face Sango.
"I will be fine. I'll get it checked it out after this tournament ends." Kagome said before walking out of the bathroom, leaving a concerned Sango following behind. The two changed into their volleyball suits in silence.
"If you insist on playing without getting it checked, I will be checking it before and after each game and sleep." Sango stated, saying it like a demand. Kagome went to argue but saw the determination on Sango's face.
"Here." Kagome held out her wrist. Sango took it in her hand carefully in her hand and looked down at it, noticing that it didn't have any make up covering the scar. She gently pressed in a couple different locations, testing Kagome's pain tolerance before moving on to mobility. After a few minutes of Sango checking over Kagome's wrist, she got up from her seat on the bed and headed over to her bag, pulling out a bottle of aspirin, water and medical tape.
"Here. Take this aspirin." Sango gave Kagome the medicine and water bottle, making sure that Kagome took the aspirin before gesturing for her to extend her arm again.
"I'll be binding the entire wrist, not just over the scar. If I see that the pain is getting worse, I'll make you wear the elastic wrist bandage." Kagome nodded, watching as Sango wrapped her wrist in the white tape until there was a long stretch of white on her lower arm.
"Flex your wrist and see if you can move your wrist properly." Sango told her and Kagome followed her instructions.
"This is good." Sango nodded before slipping the tape into her own pocket. She put the aspirin bottle back in her bag along with the water bottle before zipping it and slinging it over her shoulder.
"Promise me that you will update me on your wrist's condition." Sango asked and Kagome nodded.
"Thanks Sango." Sango pulled Kagome into a hug. Kagome reached her arms around Sango's frame, holding her friend tightly.
"I'll take on some of the weight. You have me, Oikawa, Iwaizumi, your brother, both Shiratorizawa teams, Lev and Arisa-san." Kagome nodded, let a few drops of water fall onto Sango's shoulder, before letting go of her friend. She wiped her tears away with her jacket sleeve before grabbing her own bag and slinging it onto her shoulder.
"Let's go." Kagome said and Sango nodded, the two walking out of their suite to meet the rest of the team in the foyer before they headed to the stadium for the semi-finals game.
The locker room was very quiet, all the players preparing for the game in their own way. Sango was stretching her muscles, making sure that she was relaxing her body for the big game. Mirai was clutching a lucky charm in her head, asking for a small blessing. Rin was pacing back and forth, mumbling under her breath, so to not disturb the others. Kagome was sitting on the bench, her elbows resting on her knees, running all the plays in her head like a movie reel. When Coach walked into the locker room, all the girls got up from their positions and waited to hear their Coach's instructions.
"Girls, you are on in 5 minutes. Let's no waste time and get straight to the point. Hisamitsu is an unknown team to us. We may have never played them, but you have gone through every video of theirs. Start hard, don't let them think you are taking it easy. Break their strategy down and come up with counter attacks. Lure them in, then cut them off with one go." Coach said.
"Yes ma'am!" The Shiratorizawa team piped in unison. Coach nodded before heading out of the locker room, leaving the girls to finish their preparations.
"Don't focus on Itachiyama, because if you do, we will not win this game." Kagome told her teammates, who all turned to look at her.
"If you're paying attention to someone else while you are on that court, you are not fit to be called their opponent. Keep your head in the game and focus on Hisamitsu." Sango nodded, before chiming in, giving the girls some last-minute details about their warmup.
"Let's go." Kagome said, heading to the doors, her teammates filing behind her, as they entered the gymnasium to the sound of roaring applause.
ooo
"It's the semi-finals. Can you believe it?" Hinata said in a voice of awe as he looked down at the four teams warming up for the matches. Kageyama nodded, his attention on Shiratorizawa, particularly Kagome. If he was going to get any better, it would have to be by watching those who were better than him. Alongside the quick duo was the rest of Karasuno and the regulars of Nekoma and Fukurodani. Since the girls' matches were occurring first, the Fukurodani team was able to watch the girls' semifinals before playing their own match.
"Is she going to be alright?" Lev whispered down to Hinata, gaining a shrug of the shoulders from him. Both of the players knew her wrist injury was severe and that it wouldn't make it past the tournament, so they were hoping that it would at least get her through the rest of the games.
The referee blew the whistle, signaling for the two captains to walk forwards. The boys in the stands watched as Kagome shook hands with the Hisamitsu captain before flipping the coin to see who served or received first.
"Who do you think will win?" Daichi asked his friends. The third-year didn't know much about both teams, but it seemed that many of the players that he had grown to like during the course of their training camps were friendly with the captain of the Shiratorizawa team.
"It'll be hard. Both teams have never played each other, so it will be trial and error for the first set." Kuroo replied.
"But whoever takes the first set will set the pace for the rest of the game." Suga said, his voice trailing off when Kuroo shook his head.
"Not necessarily. While that is true, the first set is each team trying to figure out what works well against the other team and what to brush up on in their own court. Just like with your match with Inarizaki, playing to see how the other team reacts to your plays." Kuroo explained.
"Kagome-san will be fine." Kenma replied, fiddling with the game in his hands. Kuroo sighed, wondering how his childhood friend was able to play a video game at such an intense game as this. Not to mention, whatever happened between him and Kagome seemed to have created a budding friendship or something between the two setters.
"It's not just her though." Akaashi said, watching the players get into position for the start of the match.
"Akaashi's right. If the whole team doesn't figure out how to work against Hisamitsu, it will be for nothing." Kuroo said, setting his elbow on the arm rest and settling his chin into his palm.
"It's starting." Lev piped out as the referee blew the whistle, signaling the beginning of the match.
From the get-go, Shiratorizawa was on defense. So far, they had been managing to push back Hisamitsu, but it was quite the struggle. Somehow, all their spikes were being intercepted by either their libero or another player. That didn't mean Hisamitsu was having an easy time though. Shiratorizawa's blows were efficient, keeping the ball out of their court.
It was a rough battle. Both teams gaining a point from each other, with neither team taking the lead. Not to mention, it was turning into a fast-paced game, something that could be detrimental to the outcome.
"Who's even winning?" Yamaguchi asked, his eyes straying to the score board. Both teams were at a deuce of 17.
"Neither. Both teams aren't getting an upper hand on the other. Like I said, trial and error." Kuroo replied. The whistle blew and the boys watched as the Hisamitsu team coach called a time out. Both teams shuffled to their benches, the mood very heavy amongst the teams.
ooo
"What's going on out there?" Coach asked, receiving silence from the girls who played on the court.
"I honestly have no idea Coach." Mirai finally answered, wiping the sweat off her face with a towel.
"Somehow, they are always one step ahead of us. It doesn't matter if we get past their blocks if their libero is just going to pick it up." Sango said, biting on her water bottle's mouth-piece. Kagome stayed silent beside Sango, running Hisamitsu's plays through her head, trying to figure out what the other team was doing that was so effective. Their blocking was good, but it was passable. The libero was able to pick up the balls, so obviously they had to fast enou–
"Their footwork." All eyes turned to Kagome.
"It's their footwork. No, it's the way that they are moving around the court. I just don't know what it is though." Kagome replied, tapping her finger on her chin, when Rin slammed her water bottle down on the bench.
"I'm surprised I didn't recognize sooner. They're using old martial arts techniques." Rin explained. The referee blew the whistle, ending the timeout. The girls headed back on the court, taking their positions. Kagome took a deep breath in and out as she spun the ball in her hands, remembering the giveaways about the techniques the other team was using.
"While they have the advantage of their skill with martial arts, they are still are regular high school players." Coach told the girls.
Kagome threw the ball into the air high, higher than her previous throws.
"Watch their footwork closely when the ball is on their side and it will be clear."
Kagome ran towards the base line, matching her pace with the ball's trajectory and speed.
"People have habits, and even if you train yourself otherwise, these habits will always show through. You just need to pick them out."
Kagome jumped from the ground, her arm swinging behind her as she watched the ball fall closer and closer to her.
"Shake them up and you will get your chance. Create an opening. I didn't train you girls for you to give up, so show me why you represent our school."
And it was over, the ball landed with a canon sound on the other side of the court. It was in, and the crowd applauded Kagome's service ace. The ball was passed to Kagome once more and she spun it in her hands again before performing another service ace, successfully bringing her team into the lead. Kagome huffed out a breath of air, catching her breath before punching her fist into the air.
"That's how you make a break."
ooo
"I'm not the only one who didn't see that, right?" Suga asked. Daichi and Asahi nodded. Many of the players were still reeling from the jaw-dropping serve that Kagome had performed.
"She's amazing!" Bokuto yelled from his seat, gaining a couple looks from some of the people around them.
"What else did you expect Bokuto-san?" Lev replied, his lips stretched into a large smile.
"I wanna learn how to do that." Kageyama gave a dark glare at Hinata, who had voiced out Kageyama's thoughts.
"What? You're not denying it." Hinata told him, ignoring the look he was getting.
"Do you think the Grand King taught her?" Hinata asked.
"When it comes to serves, both Oikawa-san and Miya-san have the most powerful serves. Kagome-senpai is very stubborn, so I don't know whether she got help with that serve or not." Kageyama replied.
"But you still want to learn it don't you?" Hinata let out a laugh, seeing the constipated look on Kageyama's face. It was true though, Kageyama thought. Oikawa clearly showed his dislike towards him, having been annoyed when Kageyama asked him for help about Hinata. Miya irked the living daylights out of him, so that was also a no. Kagome, on the other hand, was a no-go area. While their relationship might not be as bad as it was in Kitagawa Daichi, she was still someone he couldn't just go to ask, especially with Oikawa around her.
"I'll learn it on my own. And I'll go beat Oikawa-san with it." Kageyama told Hinata, gaining a surprised look from the shorter boy.
"That was rather mature of you. Are you alright?" Kageyama gave Hinata a glare, ignoring the sniggering coming from the others around him.
"As expected, they took the first set." Nishinoya said, watching as Shiratorizawa claimed victory of the first set. The two teams were switching sides of the court, making their way to their new bench area.
"Now, they just have to win the second set." And with that, the boys went silent, watching as the two teams took their break before setting up for the start of the second set.
ooo
The second set wasn't in Shiratorizawa's favor. Hisamitsu took the lead, gaining victory over the other team with a lead of 29-27. Both schools had one set each, meaning that it was up to the third set to determine who would be going to the finals.
The third set was the longest set out of the three. Between the constant rallies and the serves that were picked up, the ball barely touched the ground, causing the match to stretch out. At the moment, Hisamitsu was in the lead by a point, though it seemed to be constantly changing due to Shiratorizawa taking another point back. Both teams were getting worn down by excessive energy use, having subbed in new players to let their starter players get refreshed.
Hisamitsu started off with the next serve, sending to the middle area between Shiratorizawa's libero and wing spiker. The libero caught the ball, sending it into the air for Kagome to move under. Just as Kagome made contact with the ball, a ripple of pain went through her left hand causing her hand to spasm. The ball, as a result, didn't manage to reach Rin's hand. The whistle blew, signaling Hisamitsu's point. Instead of saying their apologies for missing the ball, the girls on the Shiratorizawa team were all watching Kagome.
"You alright there?" Rin asked and Kagome nodded before apologizing for the poor pass. Mirai looked a little dubious towards Kagome's response. It was one thing for Kagome to miss a serve or set, that could be chalked up to tiredness. But the serve missed Rin by a good meter, prompting her to worry.
"I'm good." Kagome replied. Sango ignored Kagome and signaled to the Coach. The whistle blew as Shiratorizawa's coach called for a timeout. The girls padded over to the bench and collapsed onto it, taking drinks and towels from their teammates. Once they had an initial moment of rest, Sango slipped two pills into Kagome's hand while their Coach was giving the girls some advice.
"What are these?" Kagome asked, though she for sure knew what they were.
"Pain killers. They should work in a little bit. They will numb the pain and keep it at bay until the end of the match. Then, you are definitely going to be icing and stretching your wrist for the rest of the night." Sango whispered, giving her a don't-disagree-with-me look. Nodding, Kagome popped them into her mouth and took a drink of water, swallowing the pills. Once she had, Sango took Kagome's left wrist in her hands and began to unwind the tape. Grabbing the role from Kagome's jacket pocket, Sango rewrapped Kagome's wrist, going further up the wrist area and wrapping around the thumb.
"I have your maximum wrist support brace. You'll have to wear it once the game is over and start tomorrow's game with the moderate wrist support brace on." Sango replied, getting a shocked look from Kagome. The way Sango had worded it… tomorrow's game, almost as if she knew that they would be going to the finals.
"I won't be able to toss with that brace on." Kagome replied, knowing how it immobilized her wrist, keeping it from being injured further.
"You have tomorrow morning to practice with it. The finals match is in the afternoon and we are playing after the boys team." Sango told her and Kagome nodded. The two turned to their Coach just in time to hear her last words before the whistle blew for the match to resume. As she walked onto the court, Kagome flexed her wrist, rotating it around to get used to the new positioning of the tape that was supporting her joint.
"Let's wrap this up fast guys. Quick efficient blocks. Make sure to fake your spikes well." Kagome told the girls, gaining a yes from them just as the whistle blew for their team to serve.
ooo
"What happened?" Tanaka asked. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, yet the Shiratorizawa team took the last timeout of the game.
"Nothing in particular." Asahi replied, looking down as Shiratorizawa's wing spiker served the ball to the other side.
"Lev, do you think it was-?" Hinata's voice came out in a whisper, making it almost impossible for Lev to hear.
"Mm. It's been getting worse lately, with the strain of playing and training for Nationals." Lev replied in a similar pitch, making sure that no one else heard his words.
"Then why did they take the timeout?" Yachi looked over at Shizune for a response, but the other girl shook her head in confusion as well. But not everyone was blind to the situation as the rest were. Both Kenma and Akaashi's careful gaze had latched on to the quick moment where Kagome's left hand had spasmed midway through the set, causing her to mess up. At first, Akaashi thought it was just exhaustion that caused it, but at the tug of his sleeve by Kenma, Akaashi realized that it was actually not the case.
Kuroo pulled Bokuto and Akaashi into the hallway, having been followed by Kenma. Making sure that there wasn't anyone too close, he asked them what they saw. Each of them confirmed that they had seen her wrist spasm while she went to set, resulting in Hisamitsu's point.
"Akaashi… is that the same wrist?" Bokuto asked. Akaashi was surprised that Bokuto had caught such a miniscule motion but nodded to the other, confirming that he had seen it as well.
"If it wasn't her, then there is only one other reason you would have such a thing." Kuroo replied in a soft voice, seeing as they already knew about the large scar on Kagome's left wrist.
"That's a surgical scar." Kenma's voice was quiet, but the impact of it was deafening. They hadn't thought of that, when they first saw the scar. For Kenma, it was a pure coincidence that he saw the makeup get rubbed off when she had come over for dinner that day.
"What happened to her?" Kuroo wondered, but then a thought flew into his head.
"Wait, could that be related to why she hasn't played on the professional court since junior year?" Kuroo asked.
"Most likely. But what volleyball injury could you get to wrist to have to need surgery on it?" Bokuto replied. Of all the years in his volleyball career, not once did he ever remember learning about any wrist injuries coming from the sport.
"Should we check and see if she's okay?" Bokuto asked, but a new voice piped into their conversation.
"Senpai is fine." The four of them turned around to see Lev standing there. While he seemed to look normal, Kenma noticed that his eyes had a hardened glaze on them, as if they had caught onto something they shouldn't have.
"Kagome-senpai is fine, so you don't need to worry about her." Lev replied again. Kuroo gave the younger boy an incredulous look.
"Lev, if she is playing on an injured wrist, she needs to stop before she ruins it. We need her to not play and go to the doctor." Kuroo replied.
"No, you don't. You need to let this go and forget you ever saw this." Lev replied in a tight voice. Akaashi caught onto the change in Lev's voice and called him out on it.
"Why Lev?" Akaashi asked. He agreed with Kuroo. If someone who had an injury that wasn't healed and continuously played on it, they would re-injure themselves and cause more damage.
"She's doesn't know that you saw that. So, keep it that way." Lev replied.
"Lev, you're being ridiculous here." The other three were surprised that Kenma had actually spoken out. It seemed that he and Kagome had more of a friendship than they knew of.
"No, I'm not. You can't fix this. What you can do is forget about what you saw till Nationals are over." It pained Lev to say this aloud, but he promised Kagome that he wouldn't interfere with her wish of playing and winning at Nationals. He knew everything about the wrist injury, how she got it, the pain of dealing with it, having to drop out of the professional circuit till she could play again. If she had to win at Nationals, then he'd let her do it, and would make sure to support her after she fell apart once the tournament ended. If he couldn't stop her, then the least he could do for the person he considered his friend and mentor was to support her decision and be happy for her.
"You are trying to interfere with someone else's business. Yes, she is a player so I can understand your concerns, but she is also my friend and my sister's best friend, making her almost a sister to me. That's why I'm asking you… no, I'm telling you to not bring this up with her." Lev said before walking back into the gymnasium.
"He knows something." Kenma said, his eyes watching as Lev's form entered through the doors to the gymnasium before looking up at Kuroo.
"So, what do we do?" Bokuto asked, feeling a little antsy after the confrontation. He didn't want to let things be as they were, especially if Kagome was injured or something was wrong. But Lev, someone who knew just how much an injury could kill a player's career, was standing against them. Not to mention, Bokuto thought, it was the first time he had seen such a tone in the young ace-to-be's voice.
"We let it go." Akaashi replied. Bokuto spun around, about to give Akaashi a piece of his mind when the setter continued.
"Lev is right. We can't interfere with someone else's business if they don't want us to. She's been making that very clear by hiding the surgical scar. Not to mention, she's not an idiot. I think she's carefully thought out the pros and cons of her injury and playing and came to her own conclusion." Akaashi told them before looking Bokuto directly in the eye.
"I know you want to help her, but in this case, I don't think bringing it up to her unless she is ready to talk about it will make it any better. We have to trust her and Lev, seeing as he knows what happened." Akaashi replied.
"I'll get it out of him." Kuroo replied, ready to stalk in to confront Lev. While he wasn't exactly close with the girl, he did consider her as a friend.
"Leave it. If Lev knows, that's because she told him. I'm not surprised, seeing as he is the closest one to her out of all of us. If he knows the truth, then we need to trust him on that." Kenma explained, tacking on to Akaashi's comment.
"Hmph. Just because you say it, doesn't mean I have to like it." Bokuto replied, but the two captains agreed to not talk to Kagome about the injury until she was ready to tell them about it.
ooo
It was a rough set, with both teams on wits end trying to gain a 2-point lead on the other. The score had reached to 30-31, with Hisamitsu at match point. At this point, Kagome's wrist was mostly numbed except for the slight odd feeling that she couldn't really explain. Around her, her teammates were becoming more and more exhausted with every rally that would go never-ending.
"A last resort… a last resort…" Kagome mumbled under her breath as she got into position, waiting for Hisamitsu to serve the ball over, when a training session with Sango came to mind.
"Sango, cover me." Kagome called out to Sango and the two girls switched positions. Sango went under the ball and watched as Kagome ran down the center of the court and jumped. While Sango wasn't a setter and was horrible at setting, the only set that she managed to do with some reliability was a straight set to the center. Sango set the ball, flinching with embarrassment as the ball didn't match up to Kagome's height. But it didn't matter. Within an instant, Kagome used her leg to propel her in the direction of the ball and dipped her body, her arm swinging almost at the level of the net and spiked the ball over.
"What the hell was that?" Rin cheered as she grabbed onto Kagome with a laugh as the girls celebrated their point and match point.
"Sango sucks a setting. The only one she can set is this awful one where you have to practically bend your body and swing your arm parallel to the net." Kagome replied with blunt honestly, a smile appearing on her face when she heard Sango's complains from across the court.
"Another one?" Rin asked and Kagome shook her head.
"Her reliability is about 20%. Wouldn't want to risk it again. We might end up giving Hisamitsu a point instead." Kagome replied, gaining another set of complains from Sango.
"And once again, the two teams have entered a deuce. Neither team is backing down. But who will take the next point, wait and see." The announcer stated again, probably for the 15th time since the beginning of the third set. Neither team had another timeout to take and all the players had been subbed in and out to the max.
"Kagome, the left!" Kagome heard one of her teammates yell and set the ball in her direction, watching as her third-year teammate jumped and spiked the ball. Hisamitsu's libero was unable to catch it in time, bringing Shiratorizawa into the lead with 31 – 30.
"Match point!" Kagome grinned, seeing her teammates around her hype up. But it was still too soon for them to be sure.
"Head in the game. We need to get this last point." Kagome called to her teammates and in unison, all of them dropped their cheery smiles, settling into what seemed to be a trance.
"One more point and we're going to the finals. So, let's wrap this up and show them who's the boss." Sango chimed in, rallying the girls together against the other team.
"Kagome, it's your serve." A ball was tossed in Kagome's direction and the girl reached out with her right hand to receive the ball. She closed her eyes and held the ball to her forehead, breathing deeply to cool her racing heart. In front of her, her teammates showed their backs to her. There was no need for hands behind their heads, because they had complete trust in her serves.
"Let's go Shiratorizawa! Shiratorizawa Shiratorizawa!" Kagome could hear the chants of their school and fans from the stands as she opened her eyes and spun the ball in her hands, letting the edge rub against her fingertips. At the blow of the whistle, Kagome threw the ball into the air and began to run for the base line. As the ball's trajectory fell into her path, Kagome jumped just in time for the ball to drop and her hand made contact with the ball.
It was not her usual serve, which knocked the other team off their usual game. The ball seemed to float across Shiratorizawa's side to the other, wavering right and left. The girls on the other team tried to reach the ball and the libero called it out, so they watched as the ball floated over their heads, waiting for it to hit outside the court. The court was silent as they waited for the referee's call.
Three whistle blows. And the crowd erupted into cheers and applause. The score keeper flipped the score, showing that Shiratorizawa had gained victory against Hisamitsu with that last jump floater which managed to land directly on the baseline corner of the court. Kagome grinned and joined her teammates as they formed a large mess of arms and bodies as they celebrated their win.
"And the slot for the final match has been determined. Tomorrow's girls' final will be Shiratorizawa vs. Itachiyama."
ooo
"Udon with shrimp. Now that sounds like a treat." Sango said as she walked out of the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. To celebrate their win and prepare for tomorrow's game against their rivals, Itachiyama, the girls were off to a local restaurant before hitting the books.
"Who has udon with shrimp? It's got to be ramen and shrimp." Rin replied to Sango, fueling another one of their petty fights.
"Coach, I need to make a phone call. Can I catch up with you in a bit?" Kagome asked. Coach gave Kagome a questioning look but nodded, telling the girl to hurry as soon as she could. Once her team was out of sight, Kagome took a seat on one of the benches outside the gymnasium and pulled out her phone. Her left hand was still in her volleyball jacket pocket, hiding the maximum wrist support brace that she had on. Sango had strapped her into it the moment they got out of the gym and into the locker room, making sure that the other girls weren't watching.
"Saito-ishi?" Kagome spoke into the phone.
"Kagome-sama, it's nice to hear from you. What is the matter?" Saito-ishi's voice crackled out. It was nice to hear his voice again. Being their family doctor, Saito-ishi was the main doctor that the Shirabu family went to for medical help. From there, he referenced them as the situation demanded to doctors that he knew.
"Are you busy tomorrow afternoon? Sometime after 12." Kagome asked the doctor.
"I should be free. Is everything alright?" Saito-ishi asked.
"I'm alright. I just need to get a checkup." Kagome replied. She didn't want to go into too many details, but it would be best to give the doctor as much as she could.
"My wrist is getting bouts of pain again when I play." Kagome told the doctor.
"Is it constant or every now and then?" The doctor asked Kagome. She replied, saying that it was occasional, but occurring more and more by the day. All of a sudden, Kagome heard her name being called and she looked back to see a couple of familiar faces, making them out to be a couple of the boys from the Fukurodani and Nekoma team.
"I have to go now. I will see you tomorrow. Thank you." Kagome said before ending the call, slipping her phone into her jacket pocket and heaving her bag onto her shoulder before standing up to the greet the incoming. Lev was the first to reach her, pulling her into a tight hug and congratulating her for the match. She was surprised to see Hinata in the mix as well, but instead of looking at her first, he looked at the hand in her jacket pocket before giving her a questioning look. Kagome gave a smile before greeting the group.
"What are you guys doing here? Shouldn't you be off studying for entrance exams? And you two, shouldn't you be resting and prepping for your game tomorrow?" Kagome asked, looking first at Kuroo, then at Akaashi and Bokuto.
"It's only a weekend off. I can start studying on Monday." Kuroo huffed out, before pointing out that she also had to study for them.
"I am. Have been. Unlike some people…" Kagome slid a jab in, laughing when she saw Kuroo and Bokuto's horrified looks as they told her that they were merely taking a break for the tournament.
"We should study together. It will be so much fun." Bokuto chimed out, gaining questionable looks from everyone but Lev and Hinata.
"Bokuto-san, you hate studying." Akaashi told Bokuto, who had a sudden realization and dropped his head.
"It can't to hurt to have someone else study with him. Maybe get Bo motivated?" Kuroo suggested to Akaashi. The setter thought on the matter before coming to an agreement with Kuroo.
"So, will you?" Kagome looked at Bokuto's puppy eyes and willed herself to reply without saying yes.
"I have a study group you know, with friends at Shiratorizawa. And yes, before you ask, that includes Ushijima." Kagome replied. Instantly, Bokuto, Hinata and Lev remembered Ushijima and their bare win against the team and the fact that he was in the Top 3 spikers category for the nation.
"You can have that one, and you can come to ours. Please?" Bokuto clapped his hands together and stared at Kagome.
"Just you two?" Kagome asked and Bokuto shook his head, telling her that it also included the other third years in the teams.
"We usually have to have a few second years there to make sure they actually stay on track. Since our finals are around college entrance exams, everyone just studies together." Akaashi replied, having been one of those people who was forced to come to the third-year study sessions just to make sure Bokuto actually studied.
"I still have classes, not to mention a one-day trip from Sendai to Tokyo and back is rough for one day." Kagome told them.
"Then you can stay at my place. We can have a big sleepover. My mom will be fine with that." Bokuto replied immediately, making Kagome wonder whether he could actually hold himself to the things he was agreeing to do. Chalking it up to excitement, Kagome shook her head.
"No worries. I have a place here so I'm good." Kagome replied. Akaashi wondered why someone living in Sendai and going to school there would have a house in Tokyo but didn't bring the matter up.
"Is that a yes then?" Kuroo asked. Kagome sighed and nodded reluctantly.
"We're gonna have so much fun." Bokuto told her.
"Keep in mind that I will only be able to come every so often. I have another study group not to mention classes that I have to go to." Bokuto nodded before grabbing her hand and pulling her and Kuroo into his muscled frame. The movement caused her left hand to slip out of her pocket and it soon became the center of attention as they all stared at the black brace that was showing from under the jacket sleeve.
"Is everything alright?" Kenma finally spoke, gesturing to her left arm. Kagome quickly shoved her hand back into her pocket and nodded.
"I strained it a little playing in the match, so I've got it in a brace to make sure everything's okay." Kagome explained, not going into full detail or giving the entire truth. Lev and Hinata didn't seem to be settled with the response, so she gave the boys a smile and told them that she had taken painkillers for it and that she would be fine for tomorrow.
"It'll be fine. I have to go now before my coach gets worried. Bokuto-san, Akaashi-san, good luck on your game tomorrow. We'll be there to watch." Kagome said, throwing them a wave before rushing to find her team.
"Didn't I tell you not to ask her about it?" Lev asked them once Kagome was gone.
"I didn't ask her about the injury. I saw the brace and I asked if she was okay." Kenma replied.
"Still…" Lev let out an irritated growl before stalking off to where the team was staying for the last night. Hinata said his goodbyes to the older boys before rushing after Lev, seeing as Karasuno's hotel was in the same area as Nekoma's.
"He definitely knows something." Kuroo said, scratching the back of his head.
"Why did you ask?" Kuroo asked Kenma.
"It wouldn't be uncommon to ask if someone saw a brace on another's arm. If we didn't ask, then it would look more suspicious that we didn't see it and ask. So, by asking, we let her know that we saw the injury and that we are waiting until she is ready to tell us about it." Kenma replied and Akaashi had to admit that Kenma had a point.
"Let it be for now. Like Lev said, she'll come to us when we are ready. Now, Bokuto-san, we need to get back to the hotel to go over tomorrow's plan." With that, both Akaashi and Bokuto took their leave, going the other way from Kuroo and Kenma who were heading back to their hotel.
ooo
"Can I switch it now?" Kagome asked impatiently, waiting for Sango's diagnostic test to be over. Kagome had told the girls to head onto the court first before letting Sango look over her wrist.
"It looks alright for now, a little redder than I was hoping for, but it should be better. You took the pills?" Kagome nodded. Sango ruffled through her bag and pulled out the moderate support wrist brace while Kagome undid the one she had on her wrist before allowing Sango to strap her wrist into the new brace.
"We'll keep the medical tape on underneath, but this is extra support just in case. You practiced a little this morning with it, but it will take a little while to get used to it on the court." Sango said before standing up with Kagome. The two walked to the door which led them to the gymnasium. The lights were gleaming down on them as their entrance was met with their school's cheering squad and screams from their fans. As Kagome walked aside Sango towards the net where Itachiyama was just about the finish warming up, she looked up into the bleachers to see the boys from Shiratorizawa along with her friends from Seijou. Oikawa seemed a little ruffled, having to sit next to Ushijima, but waved excitedly to Kagome once he caught her eye.
"Oikawa and Iwaizumi came?" Sango asked, looking up in the same direction Kagome was looking in. Kagome nodded. Once the two had made it to where the rest of the team was standing by, Coach had the regulars all sit down.
"Now, we have rehearsed these formations for some time now. It will be the first time playing them on the court outside our team, so make sure to keep your eye on each other. Sango, make sure you spike the ball with full impact. Mirai, Rin, lure the spikers in." One by one, Coach began to remind every player of their role on the court before landing on Kagome.
"Kagome, you are in control of each set. Make sure you get that ball where it needs to be as accurately as you can. Not to mention, keep those serves coming." Kagome nodded. The referee signaled for Shiratorizawa to start warming up. The girls ran onto the court and Kagome stood just in front of the net, waiting for her teammates to pass her the ball to set. It was a short warmup, but enough for the girls to get ready for the game to begin. Kagome was called to the referee stand where the referee was waiting for both captains. As she walked, she could hear the announcers giving the introductory remarks before explaining how both captains were meeting to see who served or received first.
"Shake hands." Itachiyama's captain stuck out her hand and Kagome grasped it, holding on for a few seconds before letting go. The referee then asked what the teams called for. Itachiyama's captain called for tails, leaving Shiratorizawa with heads.
"Receiving first isn't the best way to start." Kagome muttered under her breath as she walked back to join her team on the baseline as they introduced both teams, listing of the starting players. At the whistle, the girls headed to the bench and were given their last words of good luck and advice before the starting 6 members entered the court. It was a little odd to see her teammates in this formation, but this was the best formation that got the tallest blockers against Itachiyama's ace. However, that left Kagome in the furthest position from serving, meaning that they would have to lose a few points until it came time for her to serve.
"We will now commence the finals match of Shiratorizawa vs Itachiyama." Kagome licked her lips as she crouched along with Sango and their libero to receive the incoming serve from the other side.
'I won't regret this' Kagome thought as she watched Itachiyama's server throw the ball into the air.
'If this is going to be my last game, I'm going to fulfill my promise. I'm going to take Nationals!'