Capture The Captain

by SecretLeePsycho

The guys are off to training camp, but it's obvious they have multiple things they need to work on, their most crippling fault being their lack of teamwork! Coach Ukai is sick of the bantering and can't seem to make them get along, but day four provides an interesting opportunity. Six teams will compete in a special, day long game of capture the flag, can Karasuno get it together?

2. Capture The Captain

"Uh, maybe we could try playing a game?"

"We play matches against each other all the time, I don't see how that's going to help them to bond, Asahi."

The babble of voices and the warm the enticing scent of food wafted through the crowded cafeteria as the third years sat at Karasuno's designated table, anxious worry lines threatening to leave permanent marks on their foreheads. Pushing his food around uneasily, Asahi made meek eye contact with the restless captain and shook his head.

"I know that I was talking about a different kind of game... You know, like a- a… A team bonding game? Something that could help us to know each other a little better."

"Hmm… He might be onto something." Suga said, mumbling around a mouthful of rice and pointing at Asahi with his chopsticks.

"It's way easier to understand a person and get along with them if you know a little more about them. Maybe we could go around the table and share something about ourselves… Like a fear and a hobby other than volleyball?"

Crossing his arms over his chest and closing his eyes, Daichi nodded in thought.

"Maybe if they have something in common, they'll be more willing to tolerate and sympathize with each other. I guess it's worth a try."

Opening his eyes, the brunette sat up straight in his chair. Looking over his peers, Daichi raised his voice to speak above the others at the table and called for their attention.

"Alright, listen up everyone!"

Just like with Coach Ukai, it seemed the guys were too busy bickering to take notice of their captain trying to get their attention, Kageyama on a mission to stab Hinata with his chopsticks for stealing something from his plate as the redhead snickered like the thief he was, Tanaka, badgering a stoic Tsukishima for bringing their coach's wrath down on them. Right brow trembling with exasperation, Daichi let out a grunt and slammed his hand down on the table making his plate and utensils jump and clatter.

"Oi! I said listen up!"

Ceasing their bickering with Kageyama's hand buried in Hinata's hair and Tanaka's fingers twisted in the the collar of Tsukishima's t-shirt, the group of boys looked to their captain as if they just realized he was there.

"What's up Daichi, why are you shouting?" Noya asked from beside Tanaka, bits of food tumbling from his lips as he turned his head up from wolfing down his meal.

Shaking his head with a grimace, Daichi sighed for probably the hundredth time that day. Without an explanation, he got right into it.

"We're going to play a game while we eat, no it isn't optional, and yes you're all participating," Daichi said, eyes lingering on the tall blond first year before he could look away.

Rubbing at his chin, Ennoshita voiced a question.

"What sort of game?"

"It's a team bonding game, something to help us get to know each other better." Scratching at the back of his head, Daichi looked a little guilty. "Typically, this type of exercise is done at the beginning of the season, but with everything going on and our team scattered at first, I guess we kind of forgot."

Asahi slumped in his chair at that, but Noya having not a single bone of regret in his body, shrugged. "Yeah, that makes sense."

"So what do we do?" Yamaguchi asked Daichi with a curious tilt to his head.

"Okay, so here's how it's going to work. Each person will get a chance to talk, and we'll go around and tell the team one fear we have and one hobby. You can share whatever you'd like and name any hobby, but it must be something other than volleyball. When you're done sharing, pick someone to go next. Any questions?"

Looking back and forth at one another silently, Daichi took that as they understood and looked to his vice sitting beside him.

"Great, we'll get started then. Why don't you go first Suga?"

Pausing with food in his mouth, the setter looked surprised by the call out, but swallowed and nodded.

"Oh yeah, sure."

Setting his chopsticks aside, Suga cupped his elbow in one hand as the other gripped his chin.

"Hmm, one fear and a hobby… Let's see, well I don't' know if it's so much a fear, but I'm not good with blood. A few drops like a paper cut or scratch is fine, but any more than that and I'll start getting all lightheaded and nauseous, I'm not really sure why."

"Oh, you mean like that time you got nailed in the face with the ball! You got a nosebleed and passed the hell out!" Tanaka reminded his upperclassman loudly, crossing his arms over his chest and nodding.

Rubbing at the back of his head with a reluctant laugh, Suga nodded too.

"Yeah, that's right. As for a hobby… hmm, I guess this is harder than I thought. My parents are out of town or busy frequently, so if I'm not studying there isn't really much else I do besides volleyball… I do tend to bug Daichi a lot, so I guess you could say hanging out with friends is my hobby?" Sugawara asked, laughing lightly at his rather bland explanation of himself.

Smiling back at his friend, Daichi laughed too.

"What about bird watching? You're always telling me about the Swallows and Starlings you see on the way over, that could be a hobby."

Humming thoughtfully, Sugawara rubbed his chin.

"That's true, I enjoy watching them fly around. It's exciting when they dip and dive, kinda makes me wanna fly too, you know? Okay, now I have to pick someone to go next, uhh… Asahi, the floors all yours."

"U-uh oh, me? Well okay…" The large boy stuttered, sitting up ramrod straight and touching his index fingers together nervously.

"Uh, I don't have a whole lot of things I do outside of volleyball, but one thing I do enjoy is tending to plants... My bedroom has a small balcony and I filled it with different types of bonsai and hanging flower boxes. I like pruning them and uh watering them, it's very peaceful." The large boy said with a soft smile lighting his face.

"Watering flowers? Sounds kinda boring, but hey if you're into that sort of thing, good for you! Give those bontai your best, Asahi!" Nishinoya yelled, enthusiastically slapping the third year on the back and making him cringe.

"Er, it's bonsai actually-"

"Yeah, that's what I said, bonchai! Say a fear next!"

Refraining from correcting the libero a second time, Asahi sighed and gave a tired but affectionate smile before putting a finger to his chin in contemplation.

"Oh yeah, a fear… But how do you pick just one? I don't like spiders, but then I always get startled when someone shuts a door too hard and it slams… That's not as bothersome as cows though, why do they have such a penetrating stare? It's like they're plotting something, it could make anyone nervous! That reminds me, strangers can be pretty scary too… and teachers… has a really scary voice when she yells, kind of like Daichi when he's angry, but in an old woman's body-"

"AHEM. Are you saying I'm one of your fears?" Daichi deadpanned, crossing his arms and glaring at his classmate.

Eyes going wide and then looking away from the captain hastily, the ace gripped his neck and made a noncommittal noise as Suga cackled with laughter.

"U-uh, I didn't say that! I'm n-not afraid of you, that would be silly. Uh, anyway, I pick Noya to go next."

"Coward." Daichi muttered but was drowned out by Nishinoya jumping to his feet and proudly putting his hands on his hips.

"Alright, my turn! You underclassmen better listen close if you want to be half as cool as me, maybe you should take notes!"

"Cool, is that what he calls it?" Tsukishima murmured under his breath, pushing rice into a little pile on his plate as he leaned on one hand looking positively bored.

Shooting the blond an agitated glare as his nostrils flared, the libero curled his hand into a threatening fist.

"What was that you scrawny bastard?!"

"Noya-Senpai, what kind of things do you do for fun? I bet it's something totally cool!" Hinata exclaimed, looking to his upperclassman reverently and awaiting what was sure to be an impressive hobby.

Forgetting all about Tsukishima, Nishinoya let out a pleased laugh and grinned at the other boy.

"You're damn right! Okay, so get this. I'm a smaller guy, right? Well, that doesn't matter when you're a pro at climbing! There are like a whole bunch of wicked tall trees around the house my Gramps lives in, I've climbed to the top of every one of them!"

Eyes bulging out of his head, Asahi gripped at the fabric of his shirt where his heart beat painfully.

"Isn't that really dangerous?! What if you fall?"

Letting out a boisterous laugh, Noya plopped back down in his chair and scooped another heap of rice into his mouth before answering, grains spewing haphazardly as he chewed and talked at the same time.

"Oh, I have fallen! Broke my arm once and another time I had to get five stitches for a cut on my forehead. You can't let something like a trip to the hospital keep you from doing stuff, I just learned to check how sturdy a branch is before stepping on it. I got better and better and now I almost never fall, it's totally worth it to check out the view, you feel like a king when you're up that high."

"Wooooah that's so cool! Teach me how to climb trees, teach me!" Hinata begged, eyes sparkling as he listened to Noya.

"Alright, alright, tell us a fear and pick the next person." Daichi reminded with a smile, not looking surprised in the least.

"Oh right, you got it Daichi. Hmm… A fear… I know, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but thunderstorms actually really freak me out." Noya shrugged, the whole team making various startled noises and blinking stunned.

"You're kidding, what's with the whole 'rolling thunder' thing then? Why would you name your favorite move after something you're scared of?" Sugawara inquired; brows pulled together at the sheer absurdity of the confession.

"What do you mean?" He asked, head tilting to the side in confusion. "The big booms and lightning might be intimidating and scary, but thunderstorms are totally badass. I mean, who wouldn't want to be as loud and flashy as something like that, Rolling Thunder is the perfect name for an epic move!" The boy grinned and gave a thumbs-up as he snickered.

Shaking their heads, the upperclassmen looked at each other and laughed.

"You really are something." Suga chuckled, but then began looking around. "Okay, who's next?"

"It's my turn to pick and I choose Chikara! You're up, dude!"

Slapping the dark-haired boy on the back with far more force than necessary, Ennoshita sucked up a noodle too fast and began coughing as he inhaled it. Reaching a useless hand toward his sputtering underclassman, Suga fretted as he scolded the short player.

"Noya, careful! You're going to make him choke!"

"Huh? Calm down man, it's nothing to get worked up about, you just gotta say a fear and a hobby." Nishinoya reassured, leaning his face into Ennoshita's, the latter shoving him away and turning to finish coughing.

"I'm not worked up you idiot," He retorted, wiping away the tears at the corners of his eyes and then turning forward with a dull scowl. "I'm coughing because you slapped me in the middle of eating."

"You look fine to me, come on, I want to know what you like to do besides studying!" Noya eagerly prodded.

Shaking his head, Ennoshita let out a sigh.

"I study to get good grades so I can get into a decent university, not because I find it fun." He replied dryly but realizing his irritation had no effect on the libero, relented. Crossing his arms over his chest, he thought for a moment and then gave his usual small smile.

"I enjoy a few things like reading and cloud watching, but my favorite is horror films. I've got a pretty big collection and all sorts of genres."

"Ahh, that's right. Tanaka interjected. "We had a scary movie night at his place over the summer, he's gotta own more than a video store! You're into some weird stuff, bro, I'm still not the same after watching that black-haired woman eat a man whole…So…Many teeth…" Tanaka said, face going white and giving a disturbed shiver.

Smirking mischievously, the usually docile boy laced his fingers and rested his chin on them.

"You're not going to like when I make you watch the second one then, her sister is twice as beautiful but has twice as many teeth."

Blanching, the spiker shook his head aggressively and waved his hands. "Hell no, there's no way I'm watching that! Turning beautiful babes into terrifying monsters should be a crime, I don't need that in my nightmares." He muttered hugging himself.

Laughing, Ennoshita grinned. "Chicken."

"Oh yeah? Well why don't you tell us your fears, Mr.I'm not scared of demon women!"

Shrugging, he leaned back in his chair. "Sure. I don't like heights."

"Aw, what?! That's so lame!" Noya complained loudly, crossing his arms and shaking his head.

"Not everyone is eager to fall out of a tree, you know. Anyway, I pick Kageyama to go next."

Mouth full of milk after just having taken a large sip, Kageyama turned his dumbfounded expression up to look at the rest of his teammates. After he finished swallowing, he relaxed back into his usual indifferent expression and pointed at himself.

"You want me to go?"

Giving a small smile, Ennoshita nodded his head.

"Oh uh, no thanks. I'll pass."

Shaking his head, Daichi leaned over the table, so he could see the young setter.

"Nice try Kageyama, didn't you hear me say this wasn't an optional exercise?"

Brow furrowing as his brain worked to remember, the ink haired boy's face twisted up with contemplation.

"Er… I thought you were talking about the weather."

"The weather?" Daichi asked, now looking more perplexed than his underclassmen, because the boy seemed sincere in what he was saying… Even if it didn't make any sense.

"Yeah, you were talking about the rain."

Squinting in confusion, the captain was at a loss for words.

"The… Rain." Daichi stated more than questioned, wondering if saying it aloud would bring some clarity.

Before Kageyama could offer anything else, Tsukishima made a noise of agitation and scowled.

"He said 'participating' not precipitation, you idiot. Do you and Hinata honestly share a single brain cell?"

Brow spasming from the call out, Kageyama's cheeks tinted pink as he crossed his arms and looked away.

"I-I knew that. Obviously…"

Laughing and rubbing at his nose to try and hide it, Daichi encouraged the setter to ignore the jab.

"It's fine, Kageyama, just take your turn and pick a person to go next. One fear and a hobby."

Turning his face forward again, he folded his arms over his chest and huffed a little breath out of his nose.

"A fear. Drowning. A hobby… I watch professional volleyball matches on tv."

"He said something other than volleyball, or did you misinterpret that too?" Tsukishima drawled, leaning on his hand and shaking his head.

Grunting Kageyama sent the blond a seething glare and snapped back at him.

"That's different than playing volleyball. Just because you always stand around on the court and watch doesn't mean it's the same."

Stiffening with a flash of rage crossing his features, Tsukishima's face quickly melted into a sickly-sweet smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I not running around enough for you, Your Highness? You prefer the type that thoughtlessly jumps and sprints around wasting energy and effort, right? I guess I'll never be one of your loyal subjects, too bad." He said with fake mournfulness, giving a little sigh with a challenge in his eyes.

"Okay, that's enough." Daichi intercepted, Kageyama getting to his feet and nostrils flaring as his fingers gripped the edge of the table with excessive force.

"Watching it on tv isn't the same as playing so it's fine, go ahead and pick someone to go next. Sit back down."

Still glaring at Tsukishima, Kageyama grumbled to himself as Hinata's hand shot up and he began waving it around beside him.

"Oi! Kageyama, Kageyama! Choose me, I wanna go next, pick me!"

Not even bothering to turn his attention to the loud boy yelling beside him, Kageyama dropped back down into his chair gracelessly and crossed his arms over his chest. Narrowing his eyes further, he stared Tsukishima down.

"I want him to go next."

Scoffing, the blond leaned back in his chair crossing his arms as well.

"If you're hoping I'll say something as ignorant as you, I'm afraid that's not possible. My hobby is listening to music. I don't particularly fear anything, but I dislike getting lost."

"Oh, Tsukki!" Yamaguchi chimed in, eyes lighting up with a memory. "Remember that time when we were kids and missed the bus? We tried to walk home and got lost! It was getting so dark and scary, we ended up crying on the bench at the park until my Mom found us."

Cheeks flushing, Tsukishima scowled at his friend and threw a chopstick that bounced off the other boy's forehead.

"Shut up, Tadashi."

"HAHA, looks like Tsukishima wasn't always the salty jackass he is now, I bet you were still a lanky string bean even as a kid, weren't you?" Tanaka laughed obnoxiously, slinging an arm around the first year beside him and grinning ferociously.

"Get off me." The blond seethed as Yamaguchi sat up straight, rubbing his forehead after being assaulted with a chopstick.

"Don't make fun of Tsukki, being afraid of getting lost only makes him cooler!"

"Yeah, how's that?" Tanaka snickered, still grinning as the blond shoved him back into his own seat.

"Because, Tsukki never gets lost now! He can read any map and memorize it super quick, not to mention he always knows how to find north, it's really cool." The freckled boy bragged, looking to Tsukishima for approval as the taller boy looked away, refusing to take part in the conversation."

"Wow, that's really impressive, I wish I had a memory like that." Asahi offered from the other end of the table, smiling softly as he scratched at the scruff on his chin.

A few of the others nodded in agreement, but then Tanaka was slapping Tsukishima on the back like Noya smacking Ennoshita.

"Alright, your turns up, pick someone else!"

Lurching forward he gave Tanaka an irritated glance.

"Does it matter? Take your turn if you want, I don't care."

Smirking, the second year folded his arms over his chest and gave a satisfied noise.

"Picking me, are you? Alright, but hold onto your panties boys, if you think Tsukishima's lame map reading is impressive, my coolness will knock your socks clear into next week."

"Uh, I don't think that's how the saying goes." Suga retorted, a pained smile on his lips as Daichi sighed beside him and shook his head.

"Get on with it, Tanaka."

Oblivious to his captains exasperation, Hinata clenched his fists with excitement a couple of chairs down.

"Ohh, do you climb trees too?"

Giving a raucous bark of laughter, the shaved head boy disregarded his upperclassmen in favor of bragging."

"Nah, I prefer to keep my feet on the ground, but you can find me honing my totally badass skateboarding skills! I've just perfected a Kickflip and I've almost got a Darkslide down, I bet I could put a few pros to shame if I really wanted to." Tanaka grinned, soaking up all the admiration emanating from the redhead across the table.

"Skateboarding? That's a thousand times cooler than reading a map, you're the coolest guy I know, Senpai!"

"Hey!" Noya chimed, Hinata startling and quickly amending his mistake.

"I mean- You're both totally cool!"

Letting his head fall back as he laughed loudly, Tanaka jabbed a thumb at himself.

"That's right, with my mad spiking power and sick board tricks, I'll have every cute girl at Karasuno lining up for an autograph."

Raising a brow with visible doubt, his fellow second-year guffawed.

"Considering almost none of the people from our school come to our matches and I doubt they see you after class, I find that hard to believe." Kinoshita razzed.

Ego deflating at the jab, Tanaka simmered in his dejection as he crossed his arms again and pouted." Yeah, well what do you know? I could have a whole club of secret admirers; you can't prove I don't!"

Letting out a soft sigh, Daichi smiled as he once again had to keep his teammates on track.

"We get it, you're a super popular guy. Tell us a fear and let's move on to the next person."

Lips pursing in a sulky kind of way, the second year mourned the tainting of his spotlight and reluctantly moved on.

"Okay okay… My biggest fear is…" Clenching a fist tight and turning dramatic tearful eyes to the ceiling, Tanaka spoke in a wobbly voice. "Is never getting a chance to win the heart of my beloved Kiyoko! I'd die of heartache, no heartbreak! Kiyoko, my love!" Tanaka cried, bellowing his anguish to the sky as the manager paused to look over at their table, and then proceeded to carry her stack of dishes into the kitchen.

Shaking his head, Tsukishima who sat beside the shaved head boy, pressed a finger to his ear, and huffed irritated.

"You're going to make everyone in the building go deaf, pick someone else for god's sake."

Shooting the bitter first year a scathing look, Tanaka eventually ceased his shouting and scrubbed his arm across his face to dry his tears, looking between his teammates to see who was left.

"Oh! Pick me! Tanaka-Senpai, pick me! Please please, pick me!"

Hinata had bits of rice stuck to his face as he waved enthusiastically, hardly able to stay in his seat as he tried to gain the attention of his upperclassman. Turning his eyes to the small ginger, Tanaka grinned as he sniffled, then nodded his head at the other boy.

"Okay, Shorty Pants, you're up."

"YES!" Hinata exclaimed, joy radiating from him as he was finally called upon, then with sudden realization, blinked with a blank smile. A couple of seconds passed as the middle blocker stared forward frozen and silent, a weary squint to his eyes that confused his teammates.

"Uh, Hinata?... You okay?" Suga asked, leaning his head into the younger player's line of sight and waving a hand. "Earth to Hinata."

Suddenly snapping out of his stupor, he bowed his head to Sugawara and clenched his eyes shut tight.

"I- I'm sorry! I uh… I didn't come up with anything, I was so excited to take a turn… I forgot." Hinata admitted, face going red as he realized his mistake.

Thick brows jumping up, Sugawara let out a musical laugh and patted the decoy on the back good-naturedly.

"Don't make such a big deal out of it, it's only choosing something you like to do and something that freaks you out. It doesn't have to be extravagant, just say the first thing that comes to mind."

"The first thing that comes to mind…" Hinata repeated, hand raising to his chin as he turned his attention to the tabletop and thought. Suddenly, he popped up again and clenched his fists tight.

"Bathrooms! The biggest and most scary players are always lurking in the bathroom, it's like they're waiting to attack and now I get nervous whenever I even have to go." Hinata whined, sagging in his seat and looking morose.

Laughing lightly, Ennoshita looked to his underclassman empathetically.

"He does have a knack for running into trouble with other teams, I'd probably want to avoid bathrooms too."

"That's so pathetic." Tsukishima muttered contemptuously, Hinata sputtering and huffing with indignation.

"S-Shut up!"

"Tsukishima, don't you get tired of insulting those two? It's got to get boring at some point." Daichi asked as he rubbed the tense crease between his brows.

Shrugging, the blond shook his head. "Not really."

As the captain gave yet another sigh, Yamaguchi leaned passed Kageyama to see his fellow first year.

"What kind of stuff do you like to do for fun, Hinata? When I think about it, I can't really picture you doing anything other than practicing volleyball."

Perking back up, Hinata smiled back with excitement.

"Well I do practice a whole lot, but when I'm not doing that, I do a bunch of other stuff. Like playing games with Natsu."

"Who's Natsu?" Kageyama asked blandly, not appearing too concerned as he arched a brow.

"She's my little sister, Kageyama! I've told you this like five times, how don't you rememeber?" Hinata demanded as he turned to the boy beside him. "You really are pretty dumb…" He muttered under his breath.

Giving a strangled noise as his face pinched into a humorous expression, the setter barked at the shorter boy.

"Why would I need to remember the name of your sister, dumbass? And you're one to talk, you failed all your tests too, you're just as stupid!"

"No way, you failed worse than me, so you're definitely stupider!" Hinata yelled back.

"Maybe you guys shouldn't broadcast you flunked all you're tests…" Narita said from a few chairs down, ever baffled at their lack of shame.

Attempting to step up to the new shared responsibility the third years had Asahi tried to defuse the ridiculous argument.

"Uh, you said you do a lot of things, right Hinata? What else do you like to do, besides playing with your little sister?"

Distracted as easily as a child, the redhead turned his attention to their ace and blinked.

"Oh, umm… Oh, I really like manga! You don't have to read as much as a book because it's like a bunch of pictures! My favorites are the ones with super-strong heroes who save the day and have really cool powers, they come smashing through windows and kick butt! All the fight scenes are like WHAM, POW, BOOM! It's so cool!" Hinata exclaimed, but then remembering the game they were currently playing, sat up and began to look around.

"Oh yeah, I'm supposed to pick someone to go after me… Uhh… Your turn Yamaguchi!"

Startled to have his name called, the mentioned first year coughed after taking a sip of water and hunched his shoulders timidly.

"Me? I guess I haven't gone yet, have I? Um well… I know it's kind of lame, but I have a group of friends I play dungeons and dragons with online… I get to be the dungeon master this time, so I've been making up a whole storyline and get to be the leader, it's actually really fun." Yamaguchi said with a meek smile and a subdued excitement.

"That's pretty cool, good for you, Tadashi!" Sugawara praised, eyeing the others as he spoke, challenging them to contradict him. "It's important to find things we enjoy, there's nothing lame about that. Let's hear a fear next."

As the other boys did well not to anger their vice-captain, Yamaguchi appeared to gain more confidence and smiled brightly.

"Thanks Suga-san." He said cheerfully and then pursing his lips in thought, took a moment to consider his next answer before his shoulders drooped once more and he ducked his head, looking up at his teammates sheepishly.

"It's a bit embarrassing actually… I uh, I'm afraid of goats. When my elementary school went to the petting zoo for a class trip, I got separated from the group and was left behind in the goat pen… The next thing I knew, I was surrounded by like a whole heard of them and they started to bite at my hair and sleeves, one of them even grabbed my shoelaces and was dragging me around until Tsuki showed up. He jumped the gate and shooed them all away, but I lost my shoe and never did get it back. Ever since then, they've sort of scared me… Oh, and they have creepy horizontal pupils." Yamaguchi shivered, hugging himself with a grimace.

"Huh, what do you know, Asahi." Daichi said, eyes falling to his longtime friend. "Looks like we have another person afraid of farm animals. Well, at least he has a reason." The captain added, shaking his head at the ace admonishingly.

"H-hey, why are you picking on me?" Asahi sulked, pouting as his friend antagonized him.

As the team laughed, Yamaguchi was silently thankful he wasn't the butt of the jokes and looked around to see who remained.

"Um, did you want to go, Kinoshita?"

Still smiling as he chuckled at the third years, the light-haired brunette turned to the first year with open friendliness and nodded.

"Sure. I think about this a lot, well the fear part anyway. I've always worried that one day when I die, I won't be memorable, and I'll be forgotten really easy." He said a little bashful, shoulders rising as he reached up to rub at the back of his neck. "So because of that, I'm going to work really hard to do something significant with my life, even if it only makes a difference to a handful of people, at least I'll leave my mark on the world before I go."

The table went silent at Kinoshita's admission and for a moment, he thought he'd said something wrong. Prepared to take it back, he flushed lightly, and just as he opened his mouth, Tanaka jumped up from his seat.

"Man, Kinoshita, that was beautiful, Brah! I totally wasn't expecting you to come out and say something so impressive, way to be a man!" He yelled, covering his face to catch the powerful stream of tears that flowed, as Noya slapped his hands onto the table and leaned over to grab the stunned brunette's attention.

"I didn't know you were so cool, Kinoshita! If you're gonna have a goal like that, you have to back it up and beat Tanaka and Ennoshita to be a starting wing spiker! Show um who's boss and kick them to the bench!" Noya encouraged, an intense and profoundly serious expression consuming his features and startling the other boy.

"U- Uh- W-wait a second, calm down!" Kinoshita said, waving his hands back and forth as Tanaka's tears suddenly dried up and he dashed to the end of the table to grab the other player by the front of his shirt and growl in his face.

"Come at me, brah! I'll send you running with your tail between your legs! Just try it, I ain't scared!"

"Tanaka, sit down!" Daichi lectured, worried for the other second year as he was shaken senseless.

"Cut it out!" Kinoshita yelled, finally catching Tanaka's hands and managing to get a foot onto his chest so that he could kick the other boy away from him. "I'm not trying to steal your position from you, I didn't even say that!"

Falling onto his butt on the floor, Tanaka continued his mean-mugging and pointed two fingers at his eyes before turning them and pointing them at the other boy.

"Sure sure, I'll let it slide for now, but I'm keeping my eyes on you…"

"Honestly, you guys are way too much sometimes." Kinoshita said as he rubbed at his now sore collar bone.

"Sometimes?" Ennoshita asked.

"More like always." Narita sighed, shaking his head as their shaved head teammate got up off the floor, sticking his tongue out at them as he headed back to his seat.

Nodding his head in agreement, Kinoshita turned to face the rest of the team once more and scratched his cheek absently.

"Alright, where was I again?... Ah, a hobby. It's nothing exciting, unfortunately, a few buddies and I like to go down to the river and fish, honestly, I'm not even good at it, but it's a lot of fun." He chuckled, looking to the boy across the table from him and inclining his head in his direction.

"You're turn, Narita."

Sucking in a little breath, the last of the second years shrunk beneath the attention of all his teammates looking at him.

"Right… My turn…" Narita said, looking as though it pained him to speak with so many eyes on him. "My uh- My fear is public speaking, I don't like being the center focus…It's too much pressure." He admitted.

Eyes going a little wide, Daichi looked remorseful.

"I completely forgot about that, Narita, I'm sorry."

Scrubbing a hand over the stubble on his head, the younger boy avoided eye contact and stared at the table.

"It's okay, this isn't horrible since I know you guys… Anyway, my favorite hobby is Shogi. My dad taught me when I was little, and we play almost every night after dinner. I joined the Shogi Lunch Club last year and haven't lost a game yet." Narita lightly boasted, a small but proud smile making an appearance.

"Wow, that's actually really impressive." Kageyama spoke up, surprising everyone that he had an opinion on the matter. "I've tried to play shogi and I couldn't figure it out at all. You must be pretty talented if no one can beat you."

Temporarily at a loss for words after being praised by Kageyama of all people, Narita forgot his anxiety and blinked stunned as the others murmured their agreement.

"Uh, thanks, Kageyama. So um… I guess that just leaves Daichi."

Giving a grin, the captain sat back in his chair and crossed his arms.

"I guess it does. Alright, so a hobby I enjoy is working out, I find it really helps me calm down when I'm worried about an upcoming test or can't sleep because of nightmares some first years gave me." The captain said, eyes shifting in the direction of the freak quick duo and narrowing pointedly.

Freezing under the heavy implication of the vice-principal incident, Kageyama and Hinata bowed their heads guiltily and muttered their apologies.

"Aw, come on, you're being a wet blanket again, Daichi! This is supposed to be fun." Suga smirked, brows suddenly jumping up in excitement and then grinning deviously. "Oh, you should let me tell everyone your biggest fear, can I?" He asked although it didn't seem as though he was giving much of an option.

"Suga-" Daichi complained in a firm voice, but then was abruptly cut off and startled as the other boy slapped a hand over the brunette's mouth, stopping him from speaking further.

"No no, I wanna say it! Get this, Daichi is totally scared of clowns! I once saw him practically wet his pants when we ran into one at a festival over the summer, it was the funniest thing I've ever seen! I never knew he could run so fast." Sugawara chortled, releasing his hold on his friend to wipe a tear from his eye as he laughed.

Glowering at the grey-haired boy, as he flushed and the team stifled their snickers, Daichi managed to maintain his composure until Tanaka and Noya broke out into full-on laughter. The two snorted and clung to one another as they cackled maniacally. Even Asahi was unable to help himself, visibly struggling to keep his laughter behind his fist and disguise it as coughing.

"Alright, haha. Give it a rest, guys." Daichi muttered, face growing increasingly red as the obnoxious laughter echoed through the cafeteria and attracted the attention of players from other teams. Head ducking lower and lower gradually as the noise continued, the captain quickly lost his patience with the embarrassment and yelled angrily above his teammates.

"SHUT UP, YOU'RE MAKING A SCENE!" Daichi roared, rolling up a sleeve and getting ready to throttle someone as suddenly a familiar booming voice rained over the cafeteria.

"KARASUNO LOSERS, WHAT'S SO FUNNY?!"

Ceasing not only the laughter coming from their table, but the entire room also went quiet as all attention turned to a short old man giving a rather powerful frown. Seeing who it was, most of the team's blood ran cold and their eyes went wide, someone murmuring; "It's Ukai Sr."

Stalking to the front of the room as the coaches from each of the teams began to gather behind him, the elderly man put his hands on his hips.

"Is anyone going to answer me? What could be so humorous your noise disrupted the entire dining hall?" He demanded, shrew eyes scrutinizing each player as he awaited someone brave enough to speak up.

Just as Daichi was about to bite the bullet and give an answer, Sugawara beat him to it and got to his feet before bowing deeply.

"We're sorry sir, we were discussing our captain's fear of clowns."

Letting out a strangled sound, Daichi slapped a hand to his forehead and drug it down his face slowly as he silently vowed to strangle him.

"Afraid of clowns? Who's your captain, stand up." Ukai Sr. demanded, not particularly looking angry, but certainly not approachable.

Letting out a tense breath, Daichi cursed his horrible luck and got to his feet to stand beside Sugawara, doing his best to ignore the stares of the other teams, but feeling the unmistakable smirks of the other captains without even having to look.

"Me sir, we met last year. Sawamura Daichi. I apologize for the disruption; I promise it won't happen again." He vowed, bowing deeply and then straightening once more.

Appraising the unfortunate teen, the old man gripped his chin and rubbed at it as he looked Daichi over. After what felt like forever as sweat began to bead on the captain's neck, Ukai Sr. seemed to recall him and gave a single nod.

"Hmm, yes, I do recall coaching you briefly last year. You're the boy with the reliable receives, correct?"

"Er- Yes, sir." Daichi said with a firm nod, momentarily surprised the elderly man had taken note of him.

"Hmm… I see. You were a good choice for team captain, I sensed a great deal of dedication and was impressed by your commitment."

Straightening even more, Daichi felt his chest swell with pride and his eyes widened at the unexpected feedback but didn't get to revel in it long.

"That being said, a fear of clowns is absolutely absurd. If you've got a fear as embarrassing as that, do yourself a favor and keep it quiet next time."

Crestfallen, Daichi felt his remaining dignity drain out of him as his face went crimson and nodded miserably.

"Y-Yes, Sir..."

Seemingly satisfied with his scolding, Ukai Sr. waved a hand at the two boys, gesturing for them to go back to their chairs.

"Have a seat, we've got an announcement to make about the activity everyone will participate in tomorrow, do well to pay attention." He said, turning to the various coaches behind him, and approaching a board on wheels that was being rolled to the front of the room.

Letting out a quiet sigh as they sat down, Daichi sent Sugawara a withering glare with the promise of hell to pay later, as the setter gave a weak attempt at a remorseful smile.

"Sorry, Daichi." He whispered with a wince, shrinking away as the larger boy simmered.

"Yeah, you're gonna be."

"Alright, listen up, everyone! Tomorrow is your last full day of training camp, but it will not be spent in the gymnasium. Instead of another day of practice matches, everyone shall participate in a unique, day-long game of Capture the Flag."

As the announcement was made, confused murmurs began to drift around the cafeteria and players looked to each other perplexed.

"Alright, quiet down. I'm sure you've got plenty of questions, but my mostly competent grandson will further explain. Keishin." Waving Karasuno's disgruntled coach to the front, the blond's nostrils flared with annoyance as a few of the men behind him chuckled.

"Thanks for the grand introduction, Old Man." Ukai muttered, letting out a sigh but then putting a hand on his hip and turning his attention to the room of boys.

"Tomorrows exercise is designed to test team bonds and the ability to work together. I feel as though I don't need to explain the importance of this skill, it should be clear to everyone that volleyball is a sport that relies on the player's ability to connect with not only the ball but each other. To make this particular game of capture the flag more beneficial, we've decided to take advantage of the 10 acres of land Karasuno's camp has to offer. Instead of attempting to steal a single flag from another team, the goal will be to capture other players, most importantly, team captains."

Another bout of murmuring began to circulate throughout the cafeteria, but before it could get too noisy, Ukai approached the board that held a large pad of paper and flipped over the cover to revealed a list that was numbered and written in red.

"Listen carefully, I'm going to go over the rules. This exercise is called, Capture the Captain."