Wohoo Chapter 6! For the record, I get my information from the Haikyuu Wikipedia since I want to stay true to the course of events. Anyhow, since I am slowly but surely creeping up onto the present status, I might pause until I need to catch up again. After all, I have other stories to write and continue. But this will not be forgotten. NEVER!
rheascarlet: That is exactly what I wanted to achieve. I am glad you like it and don't worry, there will be more ;)
PandaHee: I am glad that he is in character because he isn't easy to write. But I try to figure him out with the manga, since that is further ahead. Can't wait to see his laugh in the anime soon. It's going to be adorable! Tamiko has no easy live but we can all expect Tobio trying his best to ease her stress.
FujiwaraYuko: YAY THANK YOU!
LilweenGalatrass: I never thought I would include here either but I found an adorable pitcure on tumblr where exactly that happened. Natsu had followed Ushiwaka on a jog and ended up at the academy. It was too tempting *evil grin*
Guest Lili: Indeed they are. Fear the fangirls. I always think that Ushiwaka is good with kids, and Tamiko obviously as well. Well, I still don't know how he would react. I mean, he already knows that his sis knows Ushiwaka. If he would defend her, I still don't know.
Littlemisslazy: I made your heart melt? Awesome! And you are very welcome. Like I mentioned before, I was inspired by a tumblr image but I can tell you that she will show up again ;) Semi's feeling towards Tamiko will remain a mystery for a while but I have a lot of exciting stuff packed into it. SO MANY IDEAS, SO LITTLE TIME. That last scene is from my everyday life. I sometimes take naps during the day and them my husband strokes my cheek or head and it is just really calming. I am glad that you aren't the only one to see him as a cinnamon roll. I believe he is the biggest cinnamon roll ever! The fact that he looks intimidating but is blunt as f*ck proofed it for me.
Chapter 6 - A mystery
Behind every strong man
stands a woman who will not betray him
Tamiko paused in her steps while other pedestrians walked past her and through the doors before her. 11th of August. The first round of the preliminaries of the spring tournament was starting and all the volleyball clubs of the schools in the Miyagi region had come to the stadium. Tamiko was also there. As promised she had come to see her brothers team play and she wasn't the only one. When she reached the viewing platform, Yachi Hitoka and an old man were watching. She greeted the young blonde and gave her brother shout out and a wave when he saw her. Hinata Shoyo also spotted her and waved vigorously. Before the game began, another old man and two junior high kids also came to watch. She overheard him being addressed as Coach Ukai and she grinned to herself. When the match started, it was their ace's turn for the serve. It became a jump serve which scored the first point of the first set. Their captain managed to receive a ball which was a faint and over time Tamiko became more and more impressed. Especially when her brother got a point from his jump serve. But what really caught her attention was the hesitation of the opposing team. Somehow there was a lack of motivation she noticed from their body language. This was confirmed for her when she saw their reaction after Hinata's point gaining spike when he ran from one side of the net to the other. They began to slouch and defeat already crept onto their faces. During a timeout, a guy talked to them from the stands. Whatever he was telling them, it pumped them up and Karasuno gladly accepted their challenge. Tamiko couldn't help but smile at their sudden dedication, one of the player throwing himself into bottles to keep the ball in the air. In the end Karasuno won and Tamiko clapped not only for them.
Before the next game she stayed up on the balcony and talked with Ukai. She told him about coach Washijo and how he was still lively and bossing his team around. The old man had to laugh at that and told her how they both always had opposite philosophies in their training. Since he was not in any condition to take over Karasuno once more, he left it's future in his grandson's hands. When the court was prepared for the next game, more people started to gather. Tamiko heard them talk about a player who was 2 meters tall and she quickly spotted him. And he really was tall, at least a head taller than all of his teammates. When the match started she kept a close eye on the opposing team. She didn't know much about the sport but could tell that the tall guy was used for the a timeout and only one point gained, Karasuno changed their game. Hinata managed to get a point from a faint and then Tobio talked with the captain. Whatever they were talking about, it made Hinata anxious and excited at the same time.
"Huh? He's really sparkly." Yachi noticed.
"He looks just like my dog when he is really hungry." one of the boys noted and Tamiko laughed.
"I guess the show is about to start." she grinned.
And the events stayed true to her words. Hinata and Tobio unleashed their new quick and it stunned everyone. Cheers echoed through the hall and the game continued. Soon they caught up to the other team and Daichi had to shut his team up for cheering too loudly.
"Your brother is a very skilled setter, Kageyama-san." Ukai noted.
"He did have Oikawa as his senpai, so I am not surprised. He worked very hard to get this far." she replied.
In the end, Karasuno won two sets with Hinata hitting a wipe against the edge of the block. The whole hall vibrated with thunderous cheers and Hinata was lifted into the air like a child. She met up with the team after they had gotten changed and congratulated them.
"You guys did great." she told them. "You really jump all over the place, Hinata-kun."
He grinned proudly and clasped her brother against his back.
"I couldn't do it without Kageyama." he announced to her.
She was speechless. Never had she heard someone say that about Tobio. The others smiled and Tanaka ruffled up Hinata's hair. Kikyo, the third year manager of Karasuno commented on how difficult it had been between Tobio and Hinata at the beginning. Hinata trusted him 100%, something that Tamiko didn't doubt. Tamiko couldn't deny that Hinata had the same fire burning in his eyes as Goshiki, although Hinata asked who he is.
"He is a first year who wants to take the ace position." she explained. "He always tries to compete with Ushijima but he doesn't see him as a threat." she laughed.
"How mean." Tanaka growled.
"I heard he is very cold-hearted." Nishinoya said.
"Ushijima? Cold-hearted?" she laughed. "He is just so blunt that it becomes socially awkward. He is actually a very nice guy."
"Oh?" the two boys looked at her with big grins.
"You will see for yourself when you get into the finals. Don't disappoint me." she said with a smile.
That seemed more threatening than encouraging. But Tobio was the only one who caught the message in her words.
"We are not going to lose again." Tobio promised.
"I hope so." she smirked.
In that moment, her phone rang and she excused herself to take the call. She grimaced when she saw who called.
"What is it Ushijima?" she said with great annoyance and loud enough that Karasuno heard her.
They watched her as she seemed to argue with the most powerful ace in the region as if he was a child. Hinata was awestruck and the others just confused.
"Didn't you just say he was a nice guy?" Tanaka jokingly shouted while she was still on the phone.
"Shut up baldy!" she snapped back and he flinched.
"You shouldn't make her angry, Tanaka-san." Tobio whispered. "She gets possessed by the devil she gets angry."
"And you're telling me this now?" he asked with disbelieve.
Tobio just ignored him and watched his older sister. He knew she was somewhat befriended with the boys from the Shiratorizawa Volleyball club but that was it. How close she was with them, how much she knew about them, he didn't know. It made him feel a little uneasy but he didn't know why. Although she hated sports had no particular love for volleyball either, she was always drawn to the clubs. In junior high she was good friends with Iwaizumi, but unlike all the other girls, she hated Oikawa. It was a comical thing every time she had picked him up and Oikawa tried to talk to her. Tobio would guess that Ushijima would be on the same popularity level as Oikawa and the way she talked to him seemed to proof her hatred towards popular people. Except that she talked about him differently. This confused him a little. Especially when she finished the call.
"The monster coach needs me." she groaned. "I'll be home a little later."
Tobio nodded and she said goodbye to Karasuno. The club then headed for the bus with which they had come.
"Hey Kageyama. Your sister seems to be close to Ushiwaka." Tanaka noted.
"I don't know." he shrugged. "She doesn't talk about school that often."
"Maybe she is the manager of their club."
"I don't think so." Tobio dismissed that question.
"Ah well. I am glad she is on our side." Tanaka grinned.
"Tamiko-chan!" Tendou waved when he saw the brunette walk into the gym.
She gave him a short wave and walked over to Washijo who then talked to her for a few moments. After a while she nodded and sat down on the floor, watching, adjusting her glasses. From time to time she wrote down a few things and continued to watch. The boys were already used to this. Coach Washijo used her to find tendencies in the boys that he himself would never notice anymore and she usually agreed since it was good practice for her. For what she wanted to be, she needed to be able to observe and Washijo knew this. An eye for an eye. This time she concentrated on Semi Eita. In the end, nothing had changed in his movements or tendencies to which the coach nodded grimly. She took the liberty to prepare some drinks for the boys. They thanked her and drank as much as they could while Washijo told them to reflect on the matches they had today.
"So how is your brothers team doing?" Semi asked.
"They are doing really well. I was very impressed with their play. If they continue like that they might really make their way into the finals." she said proudly.
Semi ruffled up her hair and laughed, noting that she made a cute face when she was proud. She in turn gave him a soft punch against his ribs. The others laughed and Tamiko shyly hid her face by looking away. Semi and Tendou both continued to prod her and Soekawa saved them before she snapped. When the evening approached, the boys who lived in the dormitories said their goodbyes to the others who also left. Tamiko gave Semi a ride home.
"So, have you thought about what you want to do after high school?" he asked when they sat in the car.
"I have a few ideas." she shrugged.
"I can sense a big 'but' hanging at the end." he noted.
"But…" she continued. "If I go to Tokyo I don't know if mum can support us. It's already expensive enough to keep one house going. The US dollar is weaker than the yen but in comparison, Japan is expensive."
"I see." he nodded. "I guess you will have to marry rich then." he joked with a grin.
"Oh, shut up." she grumbled but smiled. "Life is tough." she sighed.
"I know. The only one who has a stable future is Wakatoshi." he muttered. "After high school he will become a professional player and knowing his skills, he will rise into the International League pretty quickly. He will earn a lot."
"A sport career is short. Most retire at an early age. He could become a coach afterwards." she reminded him.
"If he becomes a coach like Washijo-san, then it's still stable." he shrugged.
"True." she agreed. "If he ever finds a woman, she will be lucky."
"No, I don't think so." he disagreed.
"Why?"
"He isn't good with girls. And most of them are only interested in him because he is athletic and good-looking." he explained, gazing out of the window.
"I'm sure as he grows older, he will learn how to deal with one. And maybe he has never been in love before. That can really change a man."
Semi stayed silent for a moment, drowned in thought and from the corner of his eye he looked at her. She was still fixated on the road until she reached his house.
"Do you want to meet up tomorrow?" he offered.
"Are you asking me on a date?" she asked, slightly amused.
"Maybe?" he grinned. "We haven't spent any time together since Elementary. I thought we could do something together."
"Sure, why not. I have nothing better to do." she shrugged.
"Awesome. I'll see you tomorrow." he grinned and closed the door.
When she got home, Tobio was already there and busy in the kitchen. He was trying to make pizza, a meal that Tamiko was fond of. Before she helped him she gave him a big hug. Those were evenings she enjoyed the most. Pizza, movies and game with her brother in the living room. Over the years the two of them had slowly started to forget the presence of their mother. Tobio never knew their father. He had left mother for another woman. Tamiko could remember a man with curly brown hair and glasses with a beard. When she was little and with her father gone, their mother became more distant to Tamiko and was focused on Tobio and his wellbeing. You are a splitting image of your father, was the last thing she remembered her mother say about her father. From then on she had worked hard. She enrolled into the top school in the region, earned money for contact lenses and let her hair grow longer. The image change was subtle but the distance between mother and daughter started to disappear. Except for the fact that she had to work abroad a lot. Tamiko had the suspicion that their mother had found a love interest who she wanted to spend time with. The kids could fend for themselves. Sometimes Tamiko just wanted to cry herself to sleep. When she had cried in Ushijima's arms it made her feel a little better. She didn't want to cry in front of Tobio. She had to stay strong for him. Since Tobio was going to train all day tomorrow, she could stay at Semi's all day. The next day she did spent at his house. His mother was more than glad to see her and how she had grown up. Because of the sunny weather, they stayed outside in the backyard, Semi tossing a volleyball around.
"So how is your sister?" she asked after a while.
"Abroad and doing very well for herself. She is going to get married in a few weeks." he informed her.
"Will coach Washijo allow you to go to the wedding?" she wondered.
"I already told him. I will be gone for 3 days only anyway. Mum doesn't like going away for a long time because of gran."
"I see." she nodded.
The reason why Semi had moved away was because of his grandfather's death and his gran being unable to live without company. The poor old woman didn't like being alone and having her only grandson and daughter around made her days much brighter. Semi loved his gran, he always did. The old woman seemed to remember Tamiko ever so slightly. When she hid some of her hair to make it look shorter, with the addition of her glasses, his gran remembered.
"Eita-kun's little friend." she had laughed. "Oh, how big you have become."
When Semi's father came home the first thing he did was ruffle up her hair. He made a joke of his son finally bringing a girl home and Semi said they were only friends, although his red cheeks betrayed him a little. Tamiko ignored the remark and decided against joining the family for dinner since she had to make dinner for Tobio. She thanked them for their hospitality and the mother told her that she and her brother were always welcome. At least she wasn't alone with Tobio.
