Alright, chapter 8.
I enjoyed the latest Haikyuu! episode. And in the preview for the next one, it showed and Ushiwaka smile and we will probably see kid Ushiwaka and his dad.
How exciting!
LilweenGalatrass: Haha I like your thought, and I will come back to that. The moment when Ushiwaka realises his feelings will not be revealed yet. It was suppose to be as surprising to you as it was to the characters.
PandaHee: Yeah, Tamiko isn't very fond of popular guys and this chapter might explain why. And yeah Goshiki is a dork but he isn't stupid, at least I don't think he is.
Guest Lili: Ushijima just says what is on his mind, which makes him blunt but otherwise he would be boring. The Team doesn't have a manager and I guess they are jealous of the other Teams having female managers. She may not be an offical manager but then again, she helps out a lot.
Chapter 8 - A deciding Game
Behind every strong man
stands a woman with a past
The summer slowly turned to autumn when the middle of September passed. The next matches were starting on October 25th and Tamiko knew it was going to be a long weekend. If Karasuno won every match, she had to go to every match. As the dates first day of the four drew closer, Tobio became more and more excited. The evening before, Tobio was very elated and also anxious. Their next opponents were going to be a teams they have never heard of and knew nothing of, and should they beat them, they would have to face Aoba Johsai and Oikawa again. They had lost last time. She could tell from his expression while they watched television that he was not going to let that happen again. A sigh escaped her as she sank into the sofa, still knitting. The past weekends Tobio had spent in Tokyo and when she was alone she was still in a little state of awe. When she had returned from the summer training camp in August, she had been more than surprised to see the house still standing and the kitchen all cleaned. All she had to do was vacuum through the house, which Tobio had forgotten but that she could forgive. As a reward for his hard work she had cooked him his favourite curry and he even took over more of the chores. Now it was growing darker and gloomier outside as the seasons began to change.
The stadium was more packed than the previous games, mainly because Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa were still in the game. But Karasuno had also caught the attention of some spectators. Many came with the purpose of seeing the #9 and #10 combo. Tamiko's heart swelled with pride. Also seeing Tobio interact with his teammates made her happy as well. She could still remember the time when he had his last match at junior high where he had to sit out on the bench. He had refused to leave his room and was very aggressive, especially after he had been turned down from Shiratorizawa. She literally had to slap some sense into him and a week after he had started his first year in high school, his behaviour improved. It had been an emotional rollercoaster that had dragged her along but she had stayed persistent. And now, seeing the result, she was glad that she did help him. He was interacting with the others although he was still complaining and bossing them around but the others seemed to joke around with him. It was a much friendlier atmosphere than from what she heard when he was in junior high.
"Hello, Kageyama-san." Yachi greeted her.
There were also three other spectators. Two former players from Karasuno, who introduced themselves as Makoto Shimada, a dark haired man with glasses, and Yusuke Takinoue, with short messy blond hair. The older sister of Tanaka Ryunosuke was also there. Tamiko introduced herself to the three. The two men were very surprised.
"You are Kageyama's older sister?" Shimada repeated to make sure.
"I didn't think he had one. You two don't look alike." Takinoue noted.
"I know." Tamiko smiled.
"Do you go to Karasuno?" Saeko asked.
"No, I go to Shiratorizawa Academy." she said.
"Wow, it's not easy to get accepted to that school." Shimada commented.
"Yeah. You can even get kicked if you don't fulfil their standards."
"Geez, I wouldn't be able to deal with that pressure." Takinoue claimed and his friend laughed.
The first match passed nicely. Johzenji high school had a lively team and Tamiko enjoy watching the match. Their play was so unpredictable that Tobio took the ball to the face when he tried to block.
"Uh, that must have hurt." Tamiko laughed.
Kageyama was sent off to get the bleeding to stop but Tamiko stayed where she was. She didn't want to get him out of the zone and it was just a nosebleed. Nothing too serious. A more serious injury sadly hit the captain of their team, the following day. In the match against Wakutani South high school Tanaka collided with Daichi, shoulder against cheek. Without a captain on the court, it became a dire situation. But despite the missing foundation, the future captain, although being very nervous himself, managed to organise the team and they won.
After that match, it was Karasuno against Aoba Johsai on the same day. The stadium was even more packed than the days before. She recognised many of the faces on the other team and from their cheering squad. Most of them were former schoolmates, neighbours or even old friends. The chant of the school vibrated through the air. It was a little intimidating, since Karasuno had only a small number of people rooting for them.
"If you hadn't been accepted by Shiratorizawa Academy, where would you have gone?" Yachi asked.
"Aoba Johsai. It is the closest." Tamiko answered.
"Then you must know some of the players, right? You probably went to the same junior high as them." she guessed.
"Yeah. But Tobio knows them best. He is Oikawa's junior after all." she said with a smile.
"He learned from Oikawa?" Yachi asked.
Tamiko nodded when the Teams walked onto the court, Aoba Johsai received the most cheers, especially Oikawa. He smiled and waved to the girls cheering for him.
"He is very popular with the girls, isn't he." Takinoue noticed.
"He always was. Very annoying." Tamiko grumbled.
"Do you know him well?" he asked.
"I don't know if he has changed in the last 3 years since I have seen him, but he used to be very childish. A nice guy, but childish. Although, when he plays volleyball he becomes very serious."
Then the whistle blew to announce the start of the match. She was surprised that their captain was back in the game after that collision. At the same time she was impressed. The image of the fallen powerhouse slowly seemed to fade into memory. Especially when the game started. Karasuno won the first set but only just. It was clear that the matches were getting more and more difficult as the opponents grew stronger and stronger. The second set was taken back by Aoba Johsai and the atmosphere grew tense. Karasuno did almost beat them last time and all of the crows down on the court were determined to make the win this time.
The last set was more than nerve-racking but in the end, Karasuno won with Hinata's spike through the block. Cheers echoed through the hall and the teams lines up. She watched those familiar faces from junior high, stricken with grief and loss. She watched Oikawa smack his friends back in silence, Iwaizumi wiping away his tears. They have grown up, she thought with a smile. Her attention turned to Karasuno and the happiness displayed on their beaming faces. They have beaten one of the strongest team in the prescient and were now heading for the finals. The stadium slowly emptied and the teams got ready to go home. After having had a small talk with Tobio and his team, Tamiko got ready to go home when she saw two figures talk in the empty corridor. One of them she recognised straight away and stepped up to him.
"Oikawa." she said to the familiar back.
Oikawa turned around, his face crushed with defeat but then his eyes widened in wonder. The gears turned in his head as he started to remember her.
"Tami-chan?" he muttered.
Her nod and smile confirmed it. She could tell he was more than surprised to see her. After all, it had been three years since they had last seen each other and her appearance had changed quite a bit since junior high. They had been in the same year and attended separate schools since then. Oikawa's face grew soft as the surprise subsided.
"How is your knee?" she asked.
He looked down at his right knee. He was still wearing his knee supporter and the joint was a little swollen.
"You notice everything as always." he smirked.
"Of course." she smiled back.
Brief silence.
You look great. The last three years have been good to you." he noted formally with a tender smile.
Now that he stood before her, she saw him clearly. He had grown much taller since junior high, him now towering over her. He looked tired, his hair was the same. She could still remember the last words that he had told her and she was sure they were going through his mind also.
"I like you. Would you want to be my girlfriend?" he had said with confidence.
Back then she had rejected him. He was too childish but now, he seemed more grown up. It scared her a little and intrigued her at the same time. He seemed calm but she could see his fingers twitch nervously.
"Oikawa, I'm sorry for last time. I rejected you in a very immature way." she apologised.
At least she believed it was immature. After he had asked, she had just walked away without saying a word.
"I think I deserved it." Oikawa shrugged. "I probably wouldn't have treated you right, although I would have tried my hardest to make you happy." he insisted.
"I'm sure you would have." she returned a tender smile and he seemed to relax more.
There was a moment of silence again. Despite seeming all calm and collected when he was around his fangirls, he had always preferred her. She didn't swoon over him. He felt like a normal guy in her presence and he somehow missed it a little. He had always told himself, this is what i need. A girl who treats me normally and doesn't fake her personality. Unfortunately, Aoba Johsai didn't have those sort of girls. Now that he was standing before her again he felt a little nervous.
"So, you go to Shiratorizawa Academy." he said, trying to spark a conversation.
"Yeah." she nodded.
"How is it?" he asked.
"It's alright. Strict teachers but nice people." she shrugged.
"You probably have come across Ushiwaka-chan." he guessed.
"He is in my class." she told him.
"He is?" his eyes widened in surprise.
"Tamiko." they heard a low voice behind them.
They both turned around to see Ushijima standing in the hallway. Oikawa pulled an annoyed facial expression and turned back to face Tamiko when Ushijima talked.
"This a warning, Oikawa."
Oikawa clicked his tongue and turned around.
"Don't choose the wrong path again. There was a place you could have realised your true potential. Because of your worthless pride, you didn't choose it."
Tamiko frowned a little. She knew that Ushijima always thought highly of his team and his school. And that he thought highly of Oikawa. But Ushijima always said what he was thinking so she didn't say anything to diffuse the situation.
"So you are trying to tell me that I should have gone to Shiratorizawa instead of Seijoh, right? No team is guaranteed victory." Oikawa replied.
"If nothing else, I can say that my team is the strongest one here." Ushijima commented.
"Wow, I can see that you're still laughably confident." Oikawa laughed. "Worthless pride, huh? That's true." he spoke to himself. "Listen up, Ushijima. I never thought that my decision was wrong, and my volleyball hasn't ended at all. Don't ever forget my worthless pride." he glared with a grin.
This made Tamiko flinch. This was the Oikawa she never knew. The one that was always ready for a challenge and could threaten. Before he continued he turned to her and smiled.
"Sorry about that." he apologised.
Then he did something that she didn't anticipated from him. With a swift motion he gave her a small peck on the forehead and leaned towards her ear.
"Your brother is going to climb high. Nurture him well." he whispered.
When he leaned back she saw his smug yet mature smile. She was taken aback from this. He turned around and both students from Shiratorizawa Academy looked after him.
"Oh yeah." he remembered and turned around. "If you keep all your attention on me you're going to get stabbed from the direction you least expect."
"What's that suppose to mean?" Ushijima asked.
"My junior isn't smart, and isn't even close to my level yet. But now he's not by himself, he's strong. When crows flock, they might even kill a huge, white eagle." Oikawa said before walking away.
It was a fitting metaphor and both Ushijima and Tamiko exchanged glances. Tamiko was a little confused in that moment. Did Ushijima look angry?
"Wait, Oikawa." she called and ran after the setter. "I want to talk with Iwaizumi-kun."
"Alright." Oikawa smiled.
They started to walk together to the exit. Outside it was sunny but a little chilly.
"He calls you by your first name." Oikawa noted.
"Yeah." she nodded.
"Are you close to him?" he asked.
"Am I not allowed to?" she wondered.
"He just seems like the type of guy who kills puppies." Oikawa grumbled.
Tamiko bursted into laughter. Many saw Ushijima that way. He always looked so serious and intimidating, very numinous. But she knew how he really was.
"Did I say something weird?" Oikawa asked, confused.
"His teammates will all tell you otherwise. I don't even think he is capable of killing a fly." she giggled.
She followed him to a bus that was standing on the carpark. All of them were already seated when an adult came out of the bus.
"Oikawa, I told you not to bring fangirls to the bus!" coach Mizoguchi scolded.
"She isn't here because of me." he replied.
That caught the attention of the others and the boys all popped their heads out of the bus like meerkats.
"Long time no see, boys." she smiled and waved.
"Tamiko." Iwaizumi called.
"Tamiko-chan." the 1st years echoed.
The boys all greeted her and gathered, happy to see an old and familiar face. They made jokes, commented on her looks and asked how she had been for the past 3 years. She didn't tell them much, she was just glad that she made them smile after she had seen them all shed tears. Oikawa watched the reunion from a distance when the two coaches aproached him.
"Who is she?" coach Irihata asked.
"A former classmate from junior high. She sometimes went to our practices since she is Kageyama Tobio's older sister." Oikawa answered.
"Is she? Does she go to Karasuno as well?" Mizoguchi asked.
"No, unlike her brother she sucks at sports but is very smart. She got accepted into Shiratorizawa Academy." Oikawa smiled.
She said her goodbyes to them and walked back to the carpark where she had parked her car. When she sat down she received a message from Tōru, asking if she would want to meet up with him sometime. Now that she had surrendered her number he could reach her, and she started to regret it. She declined, as friendly as she could and was surprised to read that it was no problem and if she was going to watch the finals tomorrow which she confirmed. He told her that he would be there too with Iwaizumi. She sighed, knowing that the finals were going to be a lot of fun.
"What's wrong?" Iwaizumi asked as they drive off.
"Ushiwaka-chan always addresses people by their surname. But he calls Tami-chan by her name." Oikawa told him.
"So?" Iwaizumi shrugged.
"I think those two are very close." Oikawa mumbled.
"I feel sorry for her. That guy is blunt and stoic as hell." the ace noted.
"Or maybe she knows the side of him that nobody else does." Oikawa suggested.
"I don't want to know what that is like. He has probably never smiled in his life." Iwaizumi sighed before making himself comfortable for a nap.
"Who knows." Oikawa mumbled to himself, watching the sun set behind a horizon of houses.
