Chapter One: The End is Where We Begin
It was March of 2008 when our little story starts, and 11-year-old Shoyo Hinata was out riding his bike in the small town of Yamademura. But then something catches his eye, he stops in front of a small electronics store where a TV was on and playing a sports game or something of that nature. He stood there on his bike as another bike, with a white-haired girl and lilac-colored eyes that was around the same age as Hinata pedaling, came up right next to him and stopped "Hey Sho-Kun, what are you doing?" She asked, Hinata responded by pointing at the TV, now realizing what he was so intrigued, the girl gasped "Oh, the Spring Nationals, I guess it's that time of year again." The girl said with a smile.
"Hey, Hiroko, isn't the Spring Nationals a big Volleyball tournament?" Hinata asked the girl named Hiroko "Yep, High Schools from all over Japan compete. From the looks of the score, one of them appears to be in the lead." Hiroko said to him as they turned their attention back to the screen just in time to catch one of the players who set the ball to another pretty short player, but he was able to jump and hit the ball straight through three opponent players' arms earning his team a point. "Whoa! That was so cool!" Hiroko exclaimed in amazement as Hinata just stared at the TV with the same amazement look on his face "Awesome, I can't believe he was able to power his way through a triple block!" Hiroko shouted in excitement "Huh? What's a triple block?" Hinata asked, "A triple block is what they called a three-player block." Hiroko explained to him "Whoa." Hinata said as he turned his attention back to the TV.
"Yeah, and if I remember correctly, the player who scored the point is known as the Ace, it's another name for a wing-spiker in the left position. The ace is usually the player that handles the triple block, and the player that sent the ball over to the Ace is called a setter and the toss he threw was called a set." Hiroko said, "Wow, how do you know all of this?" Hinata asked, "Do you remember my cousin Gavri?" Hiroko asked him "You mean Gavriel Maguire, the one I met the last time I went to America with you?" Hinata asked back, Hiroko nodded "Yeah, he's a High School Volleyball player as well. When we were out playing, he decided to show me how to play as well as a few of the rules too. Afterward, we played a one-on-one match and I almost ended up winning." Hiroko said.
"Whoa!" Hinata exclaimed clearly in awe "I know right." Hiroko said smiling at him. Hinata then turned his attention back to the TV and listened to the rest of what the announcer had to say "…But the does not stop Karasuno's Tiny Giant from making a huge impact!" Hinata and Hiroko continued to stare at the TV "Oh, Karasuno from Maiagaru the next town over. They're not doing half bad." A man said to another man who both didn't hear anything Hiroko and Hinata just said. Hiroko giggled as another boy with dirty blonde hair rode up beside them and stopped "Hey Hinata, Hiroko; hurry up or we'll lose the soccer field!" The young boy called out to them.
However, neither of them was listening "Whoa; so that's Karasuno." Hinata said softly so that only Hiroko could hear him "Yeah, they're pretty cool, don't you think Sho? Especially that Tiny Giant." Hiroko said with a gleam in her eyes. "You guys! Stop Daydreaming and let's go before someone else takes the soccer field!" The blonde shouted at them finally getting their attention "Sorry Izumin." Hiroko said as she began pedaling once again "Ah, oh crap, I hope the field is still open." Hinata said as he started pedaling after Hiroko with their friend Izumin right behind them.
3 Years and 3 Months Later
Hinata, now 14, was running in the halls of a small sports arena. He was dressed in a light green volleyball uniform that had a number 1 on the front that was colored a darker green. "Hinata, slow it down would ya," Izumin said as he and some others were trying to catch up to him. Hinata walked into the gym and gasped in amazement "It's huge!" Hinata exclaimed just before taking a deep breath in through his nose "It smells like Air Salonpas!" Hinata shouted loudly and happily "Don't say dorky things like that Hinata." Izumin said, "Yeah, please don't be that guy." Another guy with dark brown hair said.
"Seriously Sho? The first thing you do when we get here is say something totally weird. But knowing you, it's not all that surprising." Hiroko, who celebrated her 15th birthday the previous month, said as she walked into the arena and you could tell the years had been kind to her the moment, she set one foot on the court. She was wearing a white t-shirt that had "Yukigaoka Middle School Girls Volleyball Club" written on the front the short sleeves showed her well-toned arms off which indicated that she was doing some heavy workouts. She had the same color light green club jacket that also had the school's name on the back, which at the moment was tied around her waist.
Though you could still make out the hour-glass-shaped physique she developed over time. She carried a large sports bag which she strung over her body and crossed her chest and breast area, which were not overly huge, but they were still well-rounded enough that it added more depth to her figure making it more voluptuous. She wore matching light green shorts that showed off her muscular but still slender legs which further validated her intense training, and her now long white hair was done up in a ponytail with a dark green knotted hair tie. "Oh, come on, give me a break. This is my first real volleyball game! I've waited three long years for this!" Hinata said with tears in his eyes "Well, that is true. I guess it is kind of amazing we made it this far." The brown hair guy said making Hiroko groan.
"More like a miracle, unfortunately." Hiroko said thought to herself with a deadpanned expression "Hey Hiroko, be honest with me." Izumin said as he whispered to her "Is it even possible for Hinata to win?" He asked her, Hiroko chuckled sheepishly "I don't want to say that in front of Sho." Hiroko said with a sweat drop "Yeah, I figured." Izumin said as he sweatdropped as well "Izumin, Koji…Thanks again for helping out our team." Hinata said as he turned around and looked at them, they both hummed in shock "Hey, don't go making it weird man." The brown-haired guy named Koji said as he pouted "Yeah, our games were the first to finish; so, there's no need to make a big deal out of it." Izumin said making Hiroko chuckle at his and Koji's cuteness.
"You two, first years. I'm so thankful that you decided to join the Volleyball club with me this season." Hinata said as he stood in front of three younger-looking guys as he places one hand on two of the players "Well that lasted for about .2 seconds." Hiroko said looking exasperated "Um, sure. We're pretty terrible at this whole thing but ok." One of the first years said looking a little embarrassed "Spare us the tears, Shoyo." Koji said looking rather annoyed "I'm not crying!" Hinata shouted trying to defend himself but not trying to cover the evidence that was leaking out of his eyes "Right, and I'm a tennis player." Hiroko said sarcastically "Quit picking on me!" Hinata exclaimed even louder "But you've got tears in your eyes Hinata." Izumin said as he smiled awkwardly.
Hiroko pulled her phone out of her bag and quickly looked at the screen "Well, anyways. I gotta be going to my match. Are you sure you're gonna be fine Sho?" She asked him sounding concerned as she placed her phone back in her bag "Of course, stop worrying." Hinata said to her "Well too bad, that ain't gonna happen. I care about you way too much to stop being concerned for your well-being." Hiroko said as she flicked his forehead while he yelped lightly at the pain then groaned in annoyance as he rubbed the spot "Anyways, I'll be going now. See ya and good luck Sho." Hiroko said as she made her way out of the arena "Alright, see ya Hiroko, and good luck with your match too!" Hinata shouted as he waved at her while she exited.
"Um; I don't mean to interrupt. But shouldn't we go and warm up now?" Another first-year said "Huh?" Hinata questioned not sure how to answer that "Yeah, come on Captain, you're in charge here." Izumin said, "He's right Shoyo, you are the one who dragged us into this tournament thing, and you haven't explained all the rules yet!" Koji shouted out "Uh, I know that!" Hinata shouted back at him "Even though we barely made the cut, we're here and we're gonna win this! Ok guys?!" Hinata said trying to get the team fired up "It'll be difficult to win with a team that has a bunch of rookies thrown together." Izumin said "So what? There's a still chance we can win." Hinata said loudly and with a lot of passion "Even so, Kitagawa will be tough. According to Hiroko, both the girls' and the boys' Volleyball teams are really good." Koji said trying to knock some sense into Hinata, however, it wasn't working out very well.
"Yeah, yeah. Hiroko told me the same thing. But even so, we'll still beat them anyway!" Hinata shouted with confidence this did not lift either Izumin or Koji's spirits as they both groaned at him, Koji on the other hand had a deadpan look. Though it quickly disappeared when he and Izumin noticed something behind Hinata that freaked the both of them out. Seeing the fear in their expressions Hinata turned around to see what they were so scared of and came face to face with a group of really tall guys that looked like mountains compared to Hinata, he screams out in shock and fear as he stared at one of them "Oh sorry, excuse us! Come on dude move out of the way." Izumin said and he and Koji pulled him to the side along with them and the others.
"Whoa, they're tall," Koji said as a few of the guys walked onto the court, however, one guy caught Hinata's attention distracting him as the guy's aura made him catch his breath and cause his heart to feel a little fuzzy. He stared at the guy's back as he walked further into the arena that's when he noticed the club jacket and saw that it read "Kitagawa First Boys' Volleyball Club" in kanji. Suddenly, a huge roar of cheers erupted from the stands that snapped Hinata back to reality. Hinata and his team ran into the arena further to find the source of the cheering. It didn't take them long as the source, which turned out to be a Kitagawa support group, was directly above them. "Kita go! Kita go!" The group shouted over and over again "Hey, Kitagawa First is here." A player said, "They're huge." One of his teammates said.
"Those guys scare the hell out of me." A player from another team said, "Well they are one of the best teams in the Prefecture." A player next to him said "Great, Kitagawa has the King of the Court on their roster." A third player from another team said, "The who now?" His teammate said "Huh? You seriously don't know who the King is?" He asked his teammate in shock "No." His teammate responded in kind of a snappy tone "Ok, that's what Tobio Kageyama, a setter, is called by. Supposedly, he's a genius setter and a child prodigy at that." The third player explained to his teammate, meanwhile, Hinata and his team were freaking out and with good reason.
"Ah, damnit, we're supposed to be going up against these guys?!" Koji shouted not very happy with the whole situation "Don't worry, it'll be fine! It doesn't matter how big or tough they are, I'll bust right through them!" Hinata shouted trying to reassure them "Yeah, maybe you're right; I mean, after all, you are a really good jumper Hinata." Izumin said, "Yeah, you got this." Koji said encouraging him until a weird gurgling sound was heard, Hinata's face went from beaming with confidence to an indescribable pain causing the others to be confused "Oh boy, where are the bathrooms at?" Hinata questioned then took off at the speed of light holding his stomach "Oh no, not again!" Izumin exclaimed whining a little.
Outside of the hallway, a few Kitagawa players were filling up bottles at the water fountain "So, have any of you ever heard of Yukigaoka Middle School?" Kitagawa A asked, "No, not at all." Kitagawa B said "Uh, I think I have, I believe their girls' team is extremely good. I'm pretty sure that's the school with the scary Demon Goddess." Kitagawa C said, "Whoa, are you serious?" Kitagawa A said shockingly "Yeah, I think you're right." Kitagawa B said, "Dude, that girl is almost as legendary as Kageyama." Kitagawa A said, "Not to mention almost as scary as him." Kitagawa C said as he trembled in fear "Bro, you have a death wish or something? Or do you want him to hear you?" Kitagawa B said frantically "Uh?" Kitagawa C said not sure how to respond to that.
"Yeah, that's what I thought." Kitagawa B said "Well, even if they do have a good girls team, their boy's team doesn't. I mean they all look pretty shrimpy and they don't even have a libero." Kitagawa A said "Yeah, this'll be a breeze. I almost feel sorry for them." Kitagawa C said "You three!" A voice called out, all three of them turned around to see a nauseated Hinata making his way to the bathroom "You three better not get too cocky…" Hinata said before grunting in pain "Because, once my stomach starts feeling better, I'm gonna wipe the floor with you jerks. So, I would be careful of what you say from now on." Hinata said then groaned in discomfort once again. The three Kitagawa players stared at him for a few seconds before bursting out laughing.
"Oh yeah, good luck with that." Kitagawa A said, "Aww, look he needs his mommy." Kitagawa C said in a baby voice "And he has the guts to wear the Captain's mark as well!" Kitagawa B said as all three of them continued laughing at him pushing his buttons "Ugh, they're making fun of me." Hinata said to himself as he growled "Hey, are you three Hyenas gonna shut up, or do I have to make you?" A girl's voice said causing the Kitagawa player to stop laughing and turned to the source. Hinata on the other hand beamed at the voice knowing who its owner was "Taiyoka-nee-chan!" He shouted with glee as he turned to look at Hiroko who was now dawning a white Volleyball jersey that had light green sides and had a dark green number one with the Captain's mark.
She also wore white shorts that had the same light green sides but this was outlined with the same dark green as the number she also had mint green colored Volleyball shoes that had neon green soles in her right hand. She glares at the three Kitagawa players as she walked closer to them "You know you really shouldn't backtalk to your opponents like that, you have no idea what he's capable of." She said as she stopped in front of Hinata "Whoa, so that's her." Kitagawa B said looking slightly amazed "Yeah, no doubt. That's the legendary White Demon Goddess in the flesh." Kitagawa A said, "Oh my god, Sho seriously, a stomachache again?!" Hiroko exclaimed with an aggravated tone which made Hinata groan in embarrassment "I can't help it!" Hinata cried out as he whined
"Yes you can, you always think the worse things possible. You need to relax, you're not on trial." Hiroko said to him with her hands on her hips when suddenly the three Kitagawa players started chuckling "Is there a reason why you three hyenas are laughing again?" She asked, "Sorry, but…um, you're the White Demon Goddess, correct?" Kitagawa C asked as his other buddies continued to laugh but tried covering it "My name is Hiroko Sawatori thank you very much, and to answer your question, yes I am the White Demon Goddess. What does it matter?" She asked them in kind of a snippy tone but she was irritated that they were not only making fun of Hinata but now herself "Well, we just pictured you differently." Kitagawa A said, "Yeah, your nothing like your name suggests." Kitagawa C said
"Though I can see where the white came from, because of your hair and I can see where Goddess came from, I mean, you are extremely beautiful, but "demon"? I just can't see it." Kitagawa B said "Excuse me! I would watch my mouth if I were you, I'm more than just a pretty face and I would gladly show you where I got the name demon from!" Hiroko shouted loudly and very clearly in anger "Uh, Hiroko, let's not do anything stupid ok." Hinata said trying to warn his best friend "Hey, second years." A stern deep voice called out getting their attention. The second Hinata turned to look at the source of the voice, his breath was caught in his throat and that same fuzzy feeling came back into his heart as he gazed at the same guy whose aura enveloped him, the guy wasn't standing that far back from them, he was very tall and had black hair. His dark blue eyes had a sharp glare to them which was enhanced by his furrowed eyebrows.
He was muscularly built and he had a permanent scowl on his face which made the sharp glare even scarier. He had on a Kitagawa Volleyball club jacket that was mostly white but the collar and sleeves were a dark blue with his shorts being the same color. The guy glared at his teammates completely ignoring Hiroko and Hinata "The official warmup's about to start, pick up the pace and get moving." The guy said in a calm but stern voice "Yes sir! On our way." Kitagawa A said, "Whatever you say Kageyama." Kitagawa B said as the three of them began resuming their tasks "Wait, did he say Kageyama?" Hiroko questioned lowly as she and Hinata stared at the guy who was the infamous Tobio Kageyama it wasn't long before Kageyama turned his glace towards Hinata and Hiroko, Hiroko just stared at him confused while Hinata flinched.
No sooner than that Kageyama turned around and began to leave "Huh, so that's Tobio Kageyama. He's a little bigger than what I imagined." Hiroko said very softly so that neither Kageyama nor the other Kitagawa players heard her, but because of his proximity, Hinata heard every word she said "Seriously, that's the first thing that pops in your head? And you have the nerve to call me weird." Hinata said, "That's because you are." Hiroko said making Hinata grunt in annoyance "Come on, hurry up! We still have two more bottles to fill." Kitagawa B said, "The game won't last that long, not against these dorks." Kitagawa C said which ticked both Hiroko and Hinata off "Yeah, good point." Kitagawa A said with a laugh "What did you say?" Hinata snapped
"Are you three water boys gonna shut up or do I have to go over there and knock your teeth in?" Hiroko asked them as Hinata snapped out of his anger and quickly grabbed her waist to hold her back "Oh yeah, you and what army?" Kitagawa C asked her in a mocking tone "Don't test me!" Hiroko growled as she tried to make her way over to them but surprisingly Hinata held on pretty good "Are you trying to get arrested?!" Hinata asked her loudly, because of all of the commotion, none of them realized that Kageyama had completely stopped walking "Look you three." Kageyama said to the Kitagawa player though none of them were listening "You're not even warming the bench yet. What right do you have to look down on the competition?" Kageyama asked them, getting their attention this time and freaking them out in the process.
"You can't hide behind our school's reputation." Kageyama said as he turned his head around and gave them the most terrifying glare that nearly turned his eyes black "W-we're sorry." Kitagawa A shouted as he and the other two ran past him completely horrified and all Kageyama did was just stand there and watched as the three entered the arena "Whoa!" Hinata said to himself as he stared at Kageyama in shock "Uh, thanks dude; I could've handled those losers myself but whatever…ouch!" Hinata shouted out when Hiroko bashed him over the head "Shoyo Hinata, you're blatantly lying through your teeth!" She yelled at him "Stop hitting me!" Hinata shouted at her as he rubbed his head a little.
"Then quit causing trouble!" Hiroko shouted right back making the redhead grunt at her as Kageyama finally turned his attention to Hinata growling at him which startled the fireball making him back up and clutch his stomach once more "Are you for real?" Hiroko questioned as she sweatdropped "They were only making fun of you because you couldn't handle a little stomachache. You've got no room to open your mouth." Kageyama told him a little rudely "Hey!" Hinata shouted snapping at him "Why did you participate in this tournament anyway? Just for fun or what?" Kageyama asked him "What?! No way, I came here to win!" Hinata snapped sounding offended "I highly doubt that anyone would participate in any sports competition just for fun, if they are then they're in for a rude awakening." Hiroko said as Kageyama stared at Hinata with great focus.
"You make winning sound so easy." Kageyama said ignoring Hiroko as he walked up towards Hinata which now made it obvious just how tall he was "Ok, 1) Are you ignoring me? And 2) He never once said that winning was easy and besides it's not like impossible!" Hiroko shouted extremely irked off "Ok Hiroko, that's enough." Hinata said trying to calm her down "But Sho…" Hiroko began to say "It's time for you to be quiet!" Hinata said a little more loudly as he cut her off, Hiroko however wasn't too pleased by this as she groaned in frustration "Look, I know I'm not very tall…but…I can still jump." Hinata said to Kageyama who just stared intensely at him "As long as you don't give up trying, there will always be a chance at winning." Hinata said.
"Yeah, well not giving up is a lot easier said than done!" Kageyama snapped back at him as he turned around "Oh so is it better that he just give up and whine like a baby?!" Hiroko asked him angrily "Didn't I tell you to shut up?" Hinata asked snapping at her "Does it look like I give a damn?!" She questioned snapping back "You're that White Demon Goddess." Kageyama said now finally paying attention to her "Oh so you could hear me, you just chose to ignore me." Hiroko said a little sassy which made Kageyama grunt "And by the way, it's Hiroko. But yes, I am the White Demon Goddess, you going somewhere with this topic?" She asked him "You have incredible skills from what I've heard." Kageyama said
"Yeah, I've heard the same thing about you, so what's your point?" Hiroko responded a little rude to be honest, but Hiroko didn't care at that point, she was angry at him "You could've gone to any school, and yet you chose to go to a school whose Volleyball team is mediocre at best. Seriously, what was your reason for choosing this middle school?" Kageyama asked her "Um, I don't think it's any of your concern about which school I chose to go to, and to answer your question, there isn't a reason. I chose to go to my middle school cause 1) It's closer to my house and 2) Sho decided to go." Hiroko said explaining to him "One of the reasons you went was because of him? Why choose this shrimp? I mean, he doesn't have any skills nor has any strength. So why hang out with him?" Kageyama asked "What did you say?!" Hinata snapped at him.
Hiroko however, had her head down and was grunting softly. Once Hinata saw this, his face went white and he had an "Oh shit." expression plastered on his face. Hiroko then looked up at Kageyama with a similar terrifying glare that Kageyama had, only her's was 10x scarier it was so scary that it made even Kageyama flinch a little. Hinata however, back far, far away. "You can mock me, you can mock my school, hell, you can even mock my skills. But the one thing I do not tolerate is someone mocking my Ototo!" She shouted very angrily, no, furiously at him, however, Kageyama looked at her confused "You two are siblings? You guys don't even remotely look alike." He said.
"Whoever said we were blood-related, and besides we grew up together, so he's practically like family to me. This means you better shut your fucking mouth, you have no idea what Sho is capable of, hell you don't even know him! So, why the hell are you….Ouch! What the hell was that for Shoyo!" Hiroko shouted when Hinata slammed his fist in her head "And you need to shut your goddamn mouth!" Hinata shouted back at her, Hiroko groaned now knowing to keep her trap quiet, she knew that it was time to stop when Hinata cussed. She watched her brother figure turn his attention back to Kageyama "Listen, today's the day I finally get to play a real Volleyball match with 6 players and on a real court. So, I'm gonna win, but not just the first round or the second. Heck, not even this tournament, but every single one of them!" Hinata said loudly with determination.
Kageyama stares at him for a few seconds before finally opening his mouth "From the first round to the second then to the finals, all the way to the nationals. I will be the one standing on the winner's court, understood!" Kageyama shouted at him turning to face him as the two boys stared at each other with fierce intensity for a good minute before Kageyama turned back around and finally leaving "Well, now we know why he's called the 'King of the Court'." Hiroko said "Huh? I thought that was because of his incredible skills." Hinata said sounding confused "With that attitude no way, I'm just surprised that 'cold' or 'heartless' was in the title." Hiroko said, "They can call him whatever they want, I'm still gonna beat him!" Hinata shouted out loud as Hiroko smiled at him.
"Huh? What are you smiling for sis?" Hinata asked her, Hiroko chuckled and shook her head "Nothing, it's just nice to see the fire back in your eyes." Hiroko said to him, Hinata stared at her for a minute then laughed "You know it's a good thing I can understand what you meant by that, you would've confused other people with that phrase." Hinata said making Hiroko groan "Are you f-ing kidding me right now, I was trying to say something nice and you had to go and ruin it." Hiroko snapped at him when suddenly Izumi popped from out of nowhere "Hey! What's your deal?!" He exclaimed loudly "Oh, Izumin." Hinata said as he ran up to them at full speed "Yo!" Hiroko shouted as he stopped in front of them "I thought you were going to the bathroom, why were you picking a fight with that Kitagawa guy?" Izumi asked
"We should head back, see ya, Hiroko!" Hinata shouted as he ran back inside the arena "Yeah, see ya!" Hiroko called back "Aren't you feeling sick? Hey, wait, Hinata!" Izumi asked shouted at him "Nope, not anymore!" Hinata said as he disappeared into the arena "Dude!" Izumi whined as Hiroko laughed "Funny how all he needed was a new rival to get him fired up." Hiroko said with a sweatdrop "Ugh, one of these days he's gonna kill me, I'll see ya later Hiroko." Izumi said as he ran towards the arena to catch up to Hinata "Later, do your best!" Hiroko shouted as he too disappeared into the arena "Tori-Senpai!" A girl's voice called out getting Hiroko's attention
Hiroko turned around to see another girl who appeared to be a bit younger than Hiroko, she had black hair that was cut into a bob and was wearing the same volleyball uniform as her, but she had the number 8 on hers and there was no captain mark (obviously) "Oh, Honoka-san." She said as Honoka stopped in front of her to catch her breath "I've been looking all over for you. Come on, the game is about to start." She said "Ah, that's right. We better start moving, don't lag behind kid or we'll have to wait on you." Hiroko said as she started running "Uh, right!" Honoka said taking off after her.
Time skip, brought to you by me and my laziness (I apologize for skipping this game. But this will be the only game I skip, Promise.)
After Game
The whistle blew loudly as it signaled the end of the game, Izumi and Koji just stood in the middle of the court as they looked at Hinata with a concerned look, "We didn't even win a single set." Koji said mentally, on the other side of the net was Kageyama who had a sour expression "I could barely keep track of him." Kageyama said to himself as Izumi and Koji tried to cheer Hinata up "There's no way he could've anticipated when that setter messed up the set. So, how the hell was he able to hit it that quickly? Is it even possible for a person to react so quickly?" Kageyama questioned in his mind "Hey, come on Hinata. We have to line up." Izumi said trying to get the redhead to move but also trying to be considerate.
"He has amazing athletic abilities and quick reflexes, not to mention speed and jumping power, and most importantly. The desire and determination to win, he may have all that…but…" Kageyama thought but stopped when he got closer to the net grabbing it "What have you been wasting your time on for three years?!" Kageyama asked Hinata aggressively, but unbeknownst to the setter, those words struck a cord deep within Hinata's heart "What Did You Say To Him?!" Koji exclaimed in anger "Koji, calm down!" Izumi said holding Koji back "You Don't Know A Damn Thing What Shoyo's Been Doing, Nor Do You Know What He's Been Going Through!" Koji shouted still hell-bent on fighting Kageyama "You can't pick a fight in the middle of the court!" Izumi shouted trying to stop him from causing a scene
"Watch me!" Koji said still very angry at Kageyama "My first and last real game in Middle School." Hinata said to himself as the referee called out to them telling them to line up and that the game was over "Come on Hinata, let's go." Izumi said calmly "We lost every set, from beginning to the end. The game only lasted for 31 minutes." Hinata said mentally as both he and Kageyama went to line up with their teams. Unknown to either of them, three older boys were watching the game from the balcony and on the back of their jackets was "Karasuno High School Boys Volleyball Club" written in kanji "So that's the 'King of the Court,' huh?" One of them said
"Yep, and he'll be a force to reckon with when he gets to High School, that's for sure." Another Karasuno guy said, "The little redhead seems promising as well." A third Karasuno guy said as he sat up "So, is there enough time to see the girls Volleyball match? I think that middle school's girls' team is playing and they have the 'White Demon Goddess' playing." The first Karasuno guy said, "Eh, no, we gotta get ready for our match as well Sugawara." The second Karasuno guy "Aww, that's too bad." Sugawara said, "Don't worry Suga, we've got plenty of time before she gets into High School." The third Karasuno guy said, "Yeah, hopefully." Sugawara said as he and the other two Karasuno players left the balcony.
After they said their formalities, both teams walked to the end of the court to gather their things. But Hinata quickly walked out of the gym and without his things, he had his head down and was sniffing. One of the younger players tried following him but was stopped by Koji, the first year turned his head around and look at him confused but all he got in response was a head shake. Koji then turned to look at Izumi as they both shared in each other's sadness. Koji sighed as he rubbed the back of his head while Izumi pulled his phone out and began pressing buttons. The other first-years looked at each other in confusion as Koji walked over and grabbed Hinata's stuff while Izumi stopped fiddling with his phone and closed it before placing it in his bag.
"Hinata was doing so good why did that jerk have to go and say something like that?" Izumi thought to himself as he, Koji, and the other first-year began walking out of the arena. Izumi grunted as he bit his lip looking like he was trying not to cry "You know it will be a while before Hiroko sees that text of yours, right?" Koji asked him snapping Izumi out of his thoughts "Yeah, I know. But she'll get it eventually. Besides, when it comes to Hinata, she's got this tracker that tells her that Hinata is in trouble." Izumi said solemnly "There is no lie in that statement, I just hope that Shoyo's ok at least, he's improved since last time." Koji said with the same tone of voice "Yeah, I was just thinking about that." Izumi responded, "Well, all we can do now is let Hiroko do her magic." Koji said, Izumi, smiled lightly as he nodded in response.
Hinata was sitting in a dark corner trying not to cry very loud, in his hand was a necklace with a small locket that had a star in the center with a small gem that made it look like it was bursting. Hinata swiveled the locket open and looked at whatever was inside of it and began to cry a tad bit louder "Shoyo!" A girl's voice shouted out to him making him snap his head towards the direction to where it was. There, not far from where he was, stood Hiroko with a worried expression as she glanced around the area looking for him "Shoyo, where are you?!" Hiroko shouted out as she continued to look for him as tears formed in her eyes. Hinata's tears trickled down his face as he softly said "Taiyoka-nee-chan." While it was soft, Hiroko could hear it, she quickly whipped her head around and saw him sitting in the corner, she sighed in relief as a smile appeared on her face as she ran up to where he was sitting at.
"Sho-Kun, I've been looking all over for you. I just got Izumin's text like 15 minutes ago, he told me everything that happened. I swear, Kageyama's gonna get it, he'll be sorry for…" Hiroko started when she suddenly heard him sniffing and had his head buried into his knees trying to contain his tears from coming out, apparently she wasn't confused at all. She looked at him with a sad expression as she knelt "Hey bro, you ok?" She asked kindly though you could still hear the sadness in her voice as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Hinata sat there in silence for a minute before shaking his head violently "No." He said as his voice started to crack, he then bursted into a crying fit as he lunged at her and hugged her as he cried out more loudly not caring if other people heard him anymore. Hiroko didn't seem to mind it though, she actually returned the hug and surprisingly began crying herself as Hinata started to bawl so loudly that he probably ended up with a sore throat the next day.
After Hiroko calmed Hinata down a bit, she walked him back to Izumi and Koji who was frantically looking for him. Hiroko told him softly that she had to go back to her team as their next match was starting soon. Hinata only nodded his head in response, Hiroko grunted softly as she debated on whether to stay with Hinata or not, but Izumi said that she should go as the girls needed her and that Hinata was gonna be fine as he and Koji would watch him, Koji nodded his head and told her to go and win their second game for Hinata. Hiroko smiled and said she would then left after hugging Hinata. The boys walked up the stairs to a section of the balcony where they sat and watched the girls go up against none other than the Kitagawa First Girls Volleyball team.
However, the match between them went on longer than the boys. The girls were more advanced and more skilled than the boys, it was a hard game for both sides, and in the end, the Yukigaoka girls team won by 2-1 sets. The girls cheered loudly for the success of their second win against the girls of Kitagawa who was also a top contender for the nationals. "Whoa, that was unbelievable!" A guy from up in the stands said "Man. that Captain from Yukigaoka was on fire!" Another guy shouted with excitement "Yeah, no kidding. But I guess that's to be expected, I mean she is the ace after all." A girl responded "Oh man, that was intense." said the same Kitagawa B player that teased Hinata earlier "I know right when she said she was more than a pretty face she wasn't kidding." Kitagawa C said, "Yeah, 'Demon' definitely suits her." Kitagawa A said as Hiroko and the other players of Yukigaoka gathered in a circle.
"Good work you guys. you all played excellently, I know the team is in good hands when I leave." Hiroko said, "Aww, Sawatori-Senpai, don't remind us about that!" One of the girls whined loudly "Yeah, we're gonna miss you." Another girl said looking like she was about to cry "Aww, that's so sweet of you girls to say that, but don't worry about it I'm not leaving until after we win nationals and that won't be until after December, that is if we don't win this tournament. But even so, I won't be leaving until the school year is finished, I gotta keep my abilities sharp and I also gotta make sure the new Captain is ready for next year." She said as she turned her attention to Honoka who flinched "Uh, yes ma'am." She said as she stiffened her body trying to be respectful to her Senpai.
But Hiroko just laughed at her, though you could tell it was only because she thought her Kohai was being silly "No need for you to be so formal Honoka-san, you know that I don't mind being called by my first name." Hiroko told her with a kind smile "R-right." Honoka said as she relaxed her body "Damn, how strong is that chick?" A Kitagawa girl said as she panted heavily "No idea, but I can imagine she'll be even stronger when she gets to High School." Another Kitagawa girl, who you could tell was the Captain by the line mark under her number, said "How are you holding up Hoshino?" The Kitagawa Captain asked the Libero cringing in pain as she held one of her arms "Yeah, bruised probably, but I'll survive." She said reassuring her Captain. "Umm, you might have gone overboard on your last spike there Captain. The Libero is still holding her arm and she looks like she's in pain." One of the Yukigaoka girls said with a sweatdrop.
"Oh no! I didn't break her arm right!" Hiroko shouted as she turned around to look at the Libero white-eyed making her teammates laugh at her "Oh Sawatori-san." The Libero of their team said, "That's our Captain." Another Yukigaoka player said with a smile "Wow, that Captain of theirs is pretty good." A Kitagawa male player said sounding impressed "Yeah, she's got pretty good ball control too." Another Kitagawa player responded, just above the two of them was Kageyama who stared at Hiroko in amazement "I always had heard that her skills were extremely good, but I didn't think that her skill levels were off the charts, that redheaded Captain of their boy's team had incredible speed and jumping power. While she does have those, they're not on his level, what she has is incredible flexibility and an insane amount of strength. No wonder why they chose her to be the Ace, even so, does she not realize that her spikes are extremely powerful?" Kageyama questioned himself as both teams line up to give their formalities.
Up where the Yukigaoka boys sat, Koji groaned as Izumi chuckled awkwardly "She forgot to hold back again." Koji said smacking his forehead "Well, what did you expect, it is Hiroko after all. Once she gets into a game she forgets everything." Izumi said when he heard someone breathe through their nose loudly, he turned to where it was coming from when he saw Hinata sitting not far from him as he leaned forward and rested his arm on the balcony railing to hold his head as he fiddled with his locket "Hey Hinata, are you ok?" Izumi asked his friend, Hinata sat up properly and shook his head "But I will be." He said to him, Izumi and Koji looked at each other then looked back at him in concern.
Later that day, just as the sun was setting. Hinata, Hiroko, Izumi, and Koji were walking down the steps of the arena making their way home "So, was that Kitagawa Libero mad you hurt her?" Izumi asked Hiroko "I believe she was at first, but I think I surprised her when I apologized." Hiroko said as she rubbed the back of her head making Izumi laugh "They don't know how much of a softy you are." Izumi said with a smile "You know, you could stand to be a little rougher." Koji said, "I can show you how rough I can be!" Hiroko yelled irked by the brunette's statement while Izumi groaned. However, Hiroko and Koji stopped their argument when all three of them realized Hinata hadn't said one word. They looked at each other with a worried expression "Hey don't feel bad, we never stood a chance anyway, I mean Hiroko did tell us that they were the heavy favorites for the nationals." Koji said trying to cheer Hinata up
"Koji's right, so don't feel bad for yourself, you did your absolute best," Hiroko said joining Koji as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Suddenly, the Kitagawa boys team appeared walking past them below the stairs. Koji had a look of disappointment on his face as one of the Kitagawa players was talking about how hungry they were and another one telling him that he was always hungry. "No matter how good or bad each team is it all comes down to winning or losing. If you lose then you have to step off the court." Hinata said then took a deep breath before taking off "Hey, wait up!" Izumi shouted, "Yeah, what's the rush?!" Koji shouted as well while Hiroko just sighed "He may be right, but I just wish he could understand that losing a game isn't the end of the world." Hiroko said before taking off after him leaving Izumi and Koji confused.
"Hold it right there Kageyama!" Hinata shouted getting the setter's attention, Kageyama just stared at the redhead who was trying to keep his cool "You might be the King who rules the court for now..." Hinata began to say while trying to fight back his tears but was failing "But one day, I'm gonna win and I'll be the one who stays on the court longer than you!" Hinata yelled through his tears, Kageyama initially looked surprised but that faded quickly as Hinata wiped his tears away "Only those who win, get to stay on the court...Only the strongest, so if you want to keep playing then you have to become stronger." Kageyama said to him "Oh yeah? And how is he supposed to become stronger?" Hiroko asked him as she stood just a few steps above where Hinata was standing.
"Is he supposed to gain more skill or should he gain more strength? I think you misunderstood what strength really means somewhere along the way. Being strong doesn't necessarily mean you have advanced skills nor does it mean you're incredibly strong. True strength lies within yourself." Hiroko said as she walked down the steps and getting closer to Kageayama "What the hell is that supposed to even mean?" Kageyama asked her dully "That's for you to decide on your own. So, I suggest you think about it good, hard, and long." Hiroko said to him, they both stared at each other for a good minute before Kageyama turned and left just as Koji and Izumi made their way down the stairs "So what am I missing?" Hinata asked himself before sighing then turning around "Thanks again for everything you guys," Hinata said to the two boys as he bowed to them.
They looked at him as they both got choked up "Dude, don't make it awkward. You don't have to thank us." Koji said trying to hide that he was about to have tears fall out of his eyes "Seriously?" Hiroko said with a sweatdrop as both he and Izumi sniffed "Huh? What are you guys crying for?" Hinata asked them "I'm not crying." Koji said with his voice cracked "Oh really, then why do you guys have tears in your eyes?" Hinata asked them as he teased them as they did right before the game "Don't tease us!" Izumi whined loudly making both him and Hiroko erupt with laughter, "Please stop laughing you guys." Koji said now whining.
10 Months Later
It was now April of 2012 and both Hinata and Hiroko were proud students of Karasuno, The High School of the Tiny Giant and they couldn't be any more excited. Hinata was assigned to classroom 1-1 while Hiroko was assigned to classroom 1-5. "AH! Why Are You In Class 5 And Not Me?!" Hinata shouted in irritation at the end of their first day both were in their Karasuno gym uniforms "Maybe it's because you said to our counselor that you weren't going to attend college. You do remember that classes 4 and 5 are for college prep, right?" Hiroko asked her brother figure "Yeah, of course." Hinata said tensing up "Not." Hiroko said finishing his sentence making him growl at her "Besides, I highly doubt you would be able to survive class 5, they're for students that are not just wanting to attend college but have also taken some college courses." Hiroko told him "Right, you've taken a Psychology course at the college level." Hinata said making Hiroko scoff but smiled at him
"Ok, now, it's time for Volleyball practice!" Hinata shouted "Wait Sho, I need you to...Hey, wait!" She shouted as Hinata took off, Hinata made his way down the steps of the halls as he ran excitedly through the halls of Karasuno "Sho, wait, come on Bro, I need your help to find the first gym!" She shouted trying to get his attention as she ran down the steps, but Hinata didn't seem to hear her as he kept running through the halls passing a bunch of people "Shoyo!" Hiroko shouted still trying to get his attention as they both passed the same Karasuno players that watched Hinata and Kageyama's game last year but this time a girl was standing in front of them. "Here, these are all the current applicants." She said as she handed a couple of papers to one of them "Thanks. Wow, this isn't very much. We used to get a lot more of these." One of them said
"I'm sure more will come Daichi." Sugawara said, "You're looking super gorgeous Kiyoko." The third Karasuno player said trying to flatter the girl, though she didn't seem interested as she just walked away without saying another word "Ah, I love it when she ignores me." He said gleefully and clearly not bothered that she just totally ignored him. Hinata busted open the doors to the school as he ran towards the gym. "Get ready, Karasuno cause I'm gonna blow you away! I'm gonna practice like crazy then challenge that King of the Court Kageyama, and get my revenge!" Hinata mentally yelled as he jumped into the gym.
But as soon as he landed he got a good look at the person who was already inside of the gym and just like that, his expression changed from happy to stunned as he saw the very same Kageyama who he was just thinking about "What? What are you doing here?!" Hinata exclaimed pointing at him as he broke Kageyama's concentration as he was trying to serve a ball. He stumbled as he landed but then turned to look at Hinata who was still in shock
"Sho, seriously, can you please..." Hiroko started to say when she noticed that he was staring at something "Huh? Is there something wrong? What's in there?" She asked as she walked closer to him and peered inside and was stunned. "Whoa! Tobio Kageyama...talk about a major plot twist!" She exclaimed as the ball came back down and hit Kageyama square in the head before falling to the floor "Ow." He said, "Though that was a bit anti-climatic." She said with a sweatdrop.
Time Skip (Back to the Year 2033)
Hinata was at the house going through a box sitting things down when he suddenly pulled an old photo of him and Kageyama out. He chuckled as he stared at the photo "He still has no idea how important our first meeting means to me." He said to himself, as he smiled "Hey Shoyo, I need you to...oh what's that?" A woman asked as she entered the living room and noticed that he was looking at the photo "Oh this? It's just a photo of me and Tobio Kageyama." He said holding out for the woman to look at it. She gently took it out from his hand and looked at it and chuckled lightly. "How old were you in this?" She asked him "Uh, I believe I was a month shy of my 16th birthday." He said to her "Wow, you look a lot younger than 16." The woman said laughing, Hinata wasn't offended as he just laughed along with her "I was a lot shorter when I was 16 though." He said
"Really?" She said shocked "Yeah, I think my height was almost to 5'4"." He said "My goodness, you were short. And you still played Volleyball?" She questioned him in shock, he smiled and nodded "Yeah, I ended becoming pretty well known." He said, the woman just smiled at him "Do you still see your old teammates, besides Tobio?" She asked "Yeah, from time to time. I'm hoping that since we have more time now we'll get to see each other more often." Hinata said "It must be tough that you guys don't get to see each other a lot." The woman said as she handed the photo back to Hinata "Sometimes, but we all know that each of us is following our path and making our dreams come true, so it's not as big of a deal as it would seem, all we want is for each other to be happy." Hinata said as he sat the photo on the entryway table.
"I see." The woman said to him "Papa!" A little girl's voice called out, the woman was about to go towards it but stopped her "It's alright. I got her, thank you again." He said, "Of course." She said as he jogged to the bottom of the stairs and found a little girl with strawberry blonde hair (Though it was more towards the red side) and dark blue eyes "What's the matter sweetie?" Hinata asked her "I can't get one of my toys out." She said upset "Ok, what do we say when we want someone to help?" He asked her calmly but sternly "Can you please help me get my toy out." She asked in a low voice, Hinata could hear her but he wanted her to be able to ask for help when she needed it and in a way, people could hear her. "Honey, you have to speak up, Papa can't hear you." He said
"Can you please help me get my toy out?" She said a little more loudly, Hinata smiled at her "Yes I can and I will, but first let get your other stuff unpacked ok?" He said as he kissed her forehead "Ok." She groaned out "Ok." Hinata said mocking her trying to be funny "You're not funny Papa." She said to him "Oh, I'm not?" He said as he scooped her up then threw her over his shoulder then began tickling her making her scream and giggle "No, Papa!" She shouted as Hinata carried her to her new room "Am I funny now? How about now?" He asked as he still tickled her making her scream again "Ok you're funny, you're funny!" She shouted as she giggled while he continued to tickle "What? Giving up already? I thought I taught you better than that." Hinata said sitting her down as his little girl tried to continue to pout but couldn't stop smiling.
"Oh, do I see a smile?" He asked as he tried to tickle her side but she moved away while still trying not to smile "Don't you laugh, don't you dare laugh." Hinata said still tickling her "I'm trying, but you keep tickling me!" She said as she giggled, Hinata laughed at her and picked her up "Are we angry now?" He asked her, she smiled and shook her head "No? Ok, good." He said and sat her down "Go to your room and I'll help you unpack." He said, she smiled and then ran down the hall before going into a room and disappearing from view "Hey, what did we say about running in the house?" Hinata asked her sternly "No running." She responded "Yeah, no running. You could slip and fall and hardwood floors are slippery than concrete, so don't do it again, ok?" Hinata said "Ok." She said, "Good, let's go unpack." He said and followed her into her room.