A/N: Haikyuu is absolutely one of my favorite anime's, and while picking my favorite character would be like picking a favorite child, Suga totally ranks on the top 3 of that list. This story is going to follow the highs and lows of the third-years final year. I'm going to follow the show (haven't read the manga yet) as closely as I can but please forgive any mistakes. I'm gonna be dividing it into 7 arcs and while I don't think I'll ever mention the year, it'll be closer to this year (sans COVID) than the original year. And yeah. Please enjoy and leave any feedback, suggestions, or requests of what you possibly want to see.

Arc 1: A Barren Plot of Land

Chapter 1

There was something about firsts.

First day of the New Year.

First day of school.

First boyfriend.

First kiss.

First-

Emiko Saito stopped her line of thought before it wandered somewhere she didn't want to go this early in the morning.

Anyways. She had a thing for first days. New beginnings. If she had had a bad year, she would pretend that the reset button had been hit and that nothing that happened that past year could touch her.

But this year was different. It was the first day of her last year of high school. Emiko tried to reason it out. True, it was a fairly simple concept but there was a sort of dissonance about it.

Last first day of high school.

Yep. It was dissonant.

And she wasn't sure how she felt about it.

A quick knock on her bedroom door finally brought her out of her deep reverie.

"Emiko~. Get up so you'll have enough time to get ready!"

A quick glance at the clock told Emiko that she had more than enough time to get ready and be at school on time. But her older brother Eichi was a high school teacher and he had this weird thing with punctuality.

The door cracked open slightly and her brother poked his head in, "You know," he began and Emiko knew exactly what he was going to say. At this point it was a tradition for first days. "It's not too late for you to transfer to-"

"-Aoba Johsai," she finished for him. "Yeah, yeah, I know. You've told me the same thing on the first day of every term."

"Just wanted to let you know it was still and option," he chuckled. "But for real hurry up so you can eat the surprise meal I made you."

"Is the surprise that it's actual edible?"

"You wound me, my dearest little sister," Eichi gripped his heart as if he had just been shot there.

Emiko laughed. "I love you!"

That interaction brought some harmony into her previously dissonant thoughts. It happened on every first day and that brought out more of the first and silenced some of the last on this last first day of school.

Eichi Saito taught math at Aoba Johsai and when Emiko started high school, he was shocked and baffled when she chose to go to Karasuno instead. She had explained that she didn't want to be known as the teacher's younger sister and she wanted some room to spread her wings. To call Eichi an over-protective older brother would be an understatement.

Emiko was only 6 years old when their parents died in a car accident. Eichi was just finishing his 3rd year of high school at Shiratorizawa Academy. The teen suddenly found himself at a loss of what to do. It was a scary and confusing time. His paternal grandparents from Tokyo had come to Miyagi and stayed with the siblings until Eichi graduated. Even to this day, Eichi believed that decision he made after his graduation was the hardest that he ever had to do. He had already committed to the Miyagi University of Education and he had always wanted to go there. His father had also attended that university and the little Eichi who had idolized his father had set his heart upon going there.

Eichi's grandparents had given him advice and ideas, but in the end left it up to him. And so he decided. Eichi attended the Miyagi University of Education and Emiko had gone with their grandparents back to Tokyo. Eichi worked extremely hard, garnering all types of awards and recognitions, and graduated with his bachelor's in four years. He was hired almost immediately by Aoba Johsai and worked and established himself for two years before bringing Emiko back to Miyagi in time to enroll her in middle school.

These traumatic experiences and hard separations had caused the siblings – although about a decade apart – to become extremely close. And Eichi to become extremely protective.

"You know," Emiko said as she walked into the kitchen, all ready. "You are the cause why I haven't made it past a first date."

"And even that first date is extremely rare," Eichi had an aura of pride emanating from him as he said that.

"Don't look so proud of yourself. You act as if teenage boys are going to swallow me up. Even to this day I'm surprised that you let me become the manager of our volleyball team," Emiko shook her head in disbelief.

"Ah, that was because Kiyoko-chan was also becoming one. I couldn't let her go into the lion's den alone!"

Emiko couldn't help but roll her eyes. Kiyoko Shimizu had been her best friend since middle school and upon entering high school they became the joint managers of Karasuno's Boys' volleyball team.

The rest of the morning passed quickly and soon the siblings parted ways. Emiko put her headphones on as she began her 20 minute walk to school, scrolling through her playlists and trying to gauge what she was in the mood for. Languages was one of her absolute passions. Besides her native Japanese, she was also fluent in both English and Spanish.

She finally decided on Taylor Swift's evermore and allowed the overall soothing ambience of the album wash over her as she walked. She enjoyed her solo walks to school. Emiko was a social girl but there was something about walking alone listening to music that did her soul good.

A few minutes before reaching school, she spotted Kiyoko waiting for her at their usual spot. Speeding up her gait, she went over to her best friend, stopping her music.

"It's dissonant," she said.

Kiyoko blinked, used to the other girl's sometimes random proclamations. "What is?"

"Today, it's our 'last first day'."

Kiyoko tilted her head in thought and Emiko took this moment to adore her friend's beauty. She didn't know anyone was beautiful as her best friend and totally understood why some of the boys on the team went absolutely berserk for girl, who seemed to be the perfect height and had all the right curves in the appropriate areas. The black hair added to her appeal and the beauty mark was the cherry on top.

Emiko was also quite beautiful in her own way. She claimed dark brown eyes from her father and waist length black hair that seemed to shimmer from her mother. Barely reaching 153 centimeters, she became the master of using her clothes to give the illusion of height. Even though she seemed oblivious of it, Emiko too had a very nice figure.

All in all, the pair made a stunning duo of goddesses. They definitely ruled the boys' volleyball team and were some of the more popular girls in the school.

"How many new recruits do you think we'll get?" Emiko asked.

"Hopefully quite a few, now that the old third-years have graduated we only have 8 players. Well, 8 to 6."

Kiyoko's statement made both girls turn introspective for a moment, both reflecting on recent events.

"They'll be back," Emiko said with conviction. "At least Noya will be, after all where else can he see us."

This managed to make Kiyoko laugh as they passed through the school gates. They chatted about other things. Projections for the volleyball team. Which of their classmates would pair up. Who would stay together. Who would break up.

They finally parted ways at Kiyoko's classroom. She was in Class 2 while Emiko belong to Class 4.

Emiko popped her head into her friend's classroom to greet people that she recognized. She made her way to her own classroom, greeting people along the way.

There was always a weird sense of anticipation before entering her classroom for the first time. Who would become her classmates? Would they become close friends?

Taking a deep breath, she entered. She had been in college preparatory classes for all of high school, so she recognized and knew basically everyone. But two people she knew extra well and they gave her extra joy.

"Daichi! Suga!"

The two boys turned to face her, their faces breaking into smiles.

"Well if it isn't our esteemed captain and vice-captain," she said, making her way over to them.

"And our lovely manager," Suga replied.

"So gentlemen," she lowered her voice conspiratorially. "What is our plan to absolutely obliterate every team and show that we are number one."

"Already thinking about winning nationals," Daichi laughed. "I like that mindset."

Koushi Sugawara profusely thanked whatever god had blessed him with the great fortune of sitting in between two of his best friends. Daichi on his left and Emiko on his right. Even though all three of them were in college preparatory classes, they had never been all in the same class. So it was a pleasant surprise to see Emiko walk into the classroom.

This year was shaping up to absolutely be his year. He was vice captain, official setter, in a class with his two best friends.

". . .now all I need is a girlfriend," he whispered under his breath. Daichi turned to look at him, eyebrow quirked. Suga swore that that man had supernatural hearing or something.

Daichi scribbled something on a scrap of paper and discretely handed it to his friend.

Keep saying that and you'll sound like Tanaka and Nishinoya.

Suga felt himself pale a little. There was no way he wanted to sound anything like those two. But. . .

Sugawara turned his face back to the teacher but he let his eyes drift to the girl on his right. Emiko and he had been in a class together their first year. They were both naturally friendly people and had gotten along very well together, even more so when she became the manager of the volleyball team and he had joined. The first two years of high school they had spent in an easy friendship, growing closer at the end of their second year.

They were both academically inclined, preferring to focus on their schoolwork and the volleyball club than dating. Sure, they had gone out with other people on occasional dates, but never had they really thought of dating each other.

And perhaps Emiko still thought the same, but recently Suga found that his outlook was changing. What sparked it? He wasn't really sure. But he had found his gaze lingering on her recently. He had become more aware of her presence and his eyes sought her out whenever she entered a room.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the class and the beginning of lunch. As the trio left the classroom, Suga voiced a thought that had come to him quite randomly, "Are we the lame sports club of Karasuno or something?"

"What?" Daichi and Emiko said simultaneously.

"I mean, just think about it," he pressed on. "No one in our club has a girlfriend, or boyfriend. Aren't athletes usually highly sought-after mates? Why aren't we flooded with confessions? Or girls crowding to watch us practice hoping to catch a glimpse of a shirt riding up our well-toned abs."

This sent his two companions into a fit of laughter.

"Just imagine," Emiko giggled. "Some timid first year coming to the gym to catch a glimpse of your 'well-toned abs' and instead making eye contact with Asahi and thinks that he's going to mug her."

This produced a new round of laughter. Their soft-hearted ace seemed to be cursed with people thinking that he harbored some ill will towards them.

"Nishinoya and Tanaka would short circuit," Daichi added.

The thought of what those two girl-crazy meatheads would do if girls were to regularly watch their practice was enough to send the group into a third round of laughter.

"Um. . .we don't do hazing, right?" Emiko asked.

"No?" Kiyoko replied.

"No tests of courage?"

"No?"

"No test to 'prove yourself worthy to join the volleyball team'?"

"Emi-chan, we've been managers the same amount of time, what's the matter?"

"Look." Emiko pointed to the strange scene in front of the gym as Kiyoko finally caught up to her. Two boys were arguing in front of the gym doors. One was pretty tall with black hair and the other was much shorter with a shock of fluffy orange hair. They seemed to have been banished from the gym.

"Huh," Kiyoko mused. "I guess we'll find out inside."

The two girls approached, but the boys gave no indication of seeing them until Kiyoko cleared her throat and said, "Excuse us, can you let us through?"

That caught their attention, and they seemed to have short circuited at the sight of the two girls, parting to allow them access.

Tanaka opened the door, and offered to carry Kiyoko's bag, and was promptly ignored.

"Oh man, I love it when she ignores me," he hugged himself. Emiko couldn't help but giggle at his antics and Suga shut the door behind her, leaving the two boys outside, mouths agape.

"Who were they?" she asked.

"Two first years who caused way too much trouble on their first day," Suga said. He explained what had happened earlier. Emiko laughed and wished that she had been there to see the vice-principal's toupee land perfectly on Daichi.

"Oh gosh, they got Daichi mad on the first day, poor kids we should make sure they don't need therapy now," she joked. Suga laughed and Daichi shot her a glare from across the gym.

"Wait, what were their names again?"

"The one with the orange hair is Hinata Shoyo, he's a middle-blocker. And the other one is Kageyama Tobio, he's a setter."

"Kageyama. . .That names sounds awfully familiar," Emiko tapped her chin with her finger. "Wait! Isn't he that genius setter from Kitagawa Daiichi?"

"Yeah," Suga confirmed.

"What's he doing here? Don't most kids from there go to Aoba Johsai? I thought that a genius like him would have gone there or to somewhere like Shiratorizawa."

"Me too, but he's here."

"Huh. . ." She suddenly thought of another thing that came with Kageyama's arrival. "But wait he's a setter too. . ."

As she trailed off she could see Suga tense up a little. She had personally seen all that he had undergone in order to become the official setter. She had helped him countless times after practice and recently there was an extra sense of pride when she watched him on the court.

"Yeah, he's also a setter," Suga's voice was deceptively nonchalant.

"Does that mean. . .?"

"It's just the first day, Emi. Who knows what could happen."

Their conversation was abruptly ended by Daichi yelling for Suga to keep working. And even though he left her with a signature Sugawara Koushi smile, Emiko could see a bit of tension behind it.

A/N: I know that a couple times the show mentions that Suga struggled with Kageyama joining the team, but I wonder what it must've been like right off the bat. It is mentioned that he was never a regular, and to have finally made it as the official setter to get this genius setter come in must've stug. But I digress.