Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.
Training continued as usual for the four schools, though most of the boys noticed team Nekoma eying their petite manager with caution. Come to think of it, Bokuto and Akaashi were also giving her the side eye—they were a little confused by this in all honesty. The stair master was a terror to be sure, and the elderly priest at the top of the shrine stairs was a menace—but that doesn't explain the reasoning behind the looks that the pretty manager received.
As the teams took a break for lunch, the boys proceed to try to pry the missing puzzle pieces from their feline counterparts. They became nervous when the members of Nekoma looked around cautiously before leaning in and imparting the missing details.
"Kagome-chan is the mastermind behind the stair master. And given that Coach Nekomata is related to her and approves of her conditioning methods… Let's just say, you best be prepared to learn why we refer to her as the Tiny Tyrant when she's not around."
"Why do you call her the Tiny Tyrant? And why do you only call her that when she's gone?"
"Cause she chucks a ball at Kuroo's head every time he makes fun of her height."
The stunned nervous looks that graced the faces of all the boys was a sight to behold. Kagome always seemed to be a sweet girl with a spine of steel. She would have to have one to be a manager of a bunch of teenaged boys. Their own managers were the same way. But to find out that she terrified her team was a surprise, she didn't seem to have a mean bone in her body.
As the other teams contemplated the information that they were given, they never realized that the first part of their inquiry was ignored. The Nekoma team members all made eye contact and nodded. They may have given the others a small warning, but they weren't going to tell them everything. Chances were high that they wouldn't have to worry about it…right?
Saturday few by with little trauma. Nekoma proved to Ubugawa and Shinzen, that they were a much better team than their predecessor. They still struggled against Fukurodani unfortunately, much to Kuroo's irritation. Once dinner time rolled around, the cats all slunk off and made a break for the cafeteria with two persistent owls flying close behind.
All the boys settled down for the night, feeling a little more tired than they were used to. The majority declared that they would be sure to avoid the sneaky priest's attack in the morning—much to the amusement of the host team. There was really no point in telling them that there was no escaping Grandpa Higurashi. They've tried just about everything, but if the others can figure out how to defeat the sly elder then more power to them. But everyone had to learn that on their own at some point.
The sun began to rise the next morning faster than their tired muscles would have liked. And the teenagers dragged themselves down to breakfast, then prepared themselves for another run at the stair master. However, they sadly missed a key sign as they reached the base of the shrine steps. They were so focused on how they could dodge their nemesis at the top of the mountain, that they didn't notice the grins on the faces of Nekoma's coaches. What's worse, is that they didn't realize a certain manager was nowhere in sight as the all prepared to begin their sets.
First in line to begin the climb and brave the wrath of the elderly opponent was a trio comprising of a certain cat and two owls. The young men all took a deep breath, and tried to visualize how they would avoid any attack thrown at them. Releasing the air that they took in, they nodded at each other and dashed up the stairs together.
Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akaashi slowed down as they reached the top. They proceeded to scan the grounds carefully, and were more than a little baffled. There was no sign of the elder anywhere in sight. Taking another quick look to confirm that Grandpa Higurashi was not nearby to strike, the two owls heaved a sigh of relief. Kuroo on the other hand, frowned in suspicion—this was not normal.
"Hey, hey, hey! Looks like Higurashi-san decided to pass on dive bombing us this morning!"
"It does seem so…"
"I don't like this. He's up to something."
"You're just being paranoid Kuroo! He's not even in the bushes that he jumped out of last time!"
The trio looked around for the third time before turning to head down the stairs. Never noticing the short dark shape flying in their direction at speed.
Loud cries from the top of the stairs echoed throughout the early morning air, much to the amusement of the few neighbors and the odd pedestrian wandering by. The other teams looked to the top in amusement and trepidation as the first trio to run the stair master stumbled down the steps with looks of disbelief on the faces—well, what you could see of their faces. They were absolutely covered in ofudas.
"I'm telling you! He was on some kind of zipline! How did he even get that set up?! It wasn't there yesterday!"
"I'm pretty sure that was a rope that he swung by on…"
"I told you he was up to something. But did you listen? No. I was just paranoid."
"Shuddap!"
Kenma watched with a small smirk as he dreaded his turn up the stairs. The various yelps, shrieks and cries that drifted down proved that Grandpa was on top of his game that morning. He turned his head to share a smile with Kagome—only to see that she was nowhere to be found. As Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akaashi got back in line while attempting to dislodge their paper accessories, he frowned.
"Ne, Kuroo? Where's Kagome?"
Kuroo was currently focused on trying to pull off the ofuda without removing a layer of skin with it. "She's standing over by Coach Nekomata."
"No. She's not."
Jerking his head up, Kuroo winced as he accidently yanked the ofuda off with more force than he meant to. He rubbed at the raw spot as he darted his eyes over to see that Kenma was correct. His girlfriend was not where she normally stood during this exercise. Sharing a slightly panicked look with his shorter friend, he tried to think of a logical explanation.
"Maybe she stayed behind with the other managers to get ready for our return to the gym?"
"Maybe…"
Bokuto blinked at the concern. "Why would Kagome not being here worry you?"
"It's nothing… hopefully…"
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Bokuto-san, calm down."
"I am calm!"
"Clearly you aren't, airhead. You're bouncing around like a rabid chipmunk."
"Hey!"
Kenma shook his head and shared a small suffering look with Akaashi over the two captains' antics. He figured that Kuroo is probably right. Kagome was probably with the other managers at the gym. Unless? No, they wouldn't do that. Would they?
They were wrong. Horribly wrong. As wrong as wrong could ever be.
As the stair master came to an end and Grandpa Higurashi once again earning a perfect score against the boys. They were led to a place that was all too familiar to team Nekoma. Hearing the groans of despair Shinzen, Ubugawa, and Fukurodani became wary of the seemingly innocent Sports Center before them. The grins on the faces of all of the coaches were not entirely encouraging either.
Kuroo sighed in defeat. There was no escaping what was to come, but at least he would see the stupid owl face plant. Always have to find that silver lining. "Hey Bokuto!"
"Eh?"
"How do you like the taste of sand? Cause you're gonna be eating it in a minute."
"Wha?!"
Smirking at his friend and rival, Kuroo turned to his team. "Well, same rules as always. The one who falls over the least wins."
The team all grinned. "Ne, Kenma! I'm gonna beat you this time!"
Kenma shrugged as he glanced at Yamamoto. "Ok."
"Hey, hey, hey! Kuroo! What does that mean!?"
As the teams entered the gym, they saw all the managers standing inside with large smiles on their pretty faces. And they saw the large sand pit with several volleyball nets setup. Turning to the cats, they saw them shoot a glance at their manager before nodding at them.
'Tiny Tyrant indeed…'
All of the teams got into their places, and the mayhem began. Nekoma faced Shinzen first, and the sand really messed with Shinzen's ability to perform their combinations. Nekoma was steadier than all of the other teams much to their excitement, but spills still occurred. Their laughter and shouts of points to whomever fell at that time allowed for the other teams to loosen up and join in on the fun. There was of course still some frustration, but they didn't dwell on it as much as they probably would have.
The cats grinned and shouted encouragement to their rivals, giving pointers on how to balance themselves better. With Nekoma having the advantage of practicing on these courts before, it was no surprise that they won their set. The next set was against Fukurodani, and Kuroo couldn't wait for the small break to be over.
He had seen Bokuto do a spectacular face plant in the corner of his eye during the match with Shinzen, and that was something he definitely wanted to witness again. However, as much fun as it was to watch the other teams' trip all over themselves, it was a little disconcerting to see the managers giggling and wiping out their phones.
"Ne, Kagome-chan! Do you have any good pictures of your team practicing here?"
"Yeah, Kagome. I haven't seen you snap any pictures."
"Hm? Oh, no I haven't taken any pictures." Hearing this the cats collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Who knows what kind of horrors their petite manager could create with that material? "Ishikawa-san records the practices. I always get a copy of it from him."
Ok, they were doomed.
They match against Fukurodani was highly entertaining to say the least. Being that they were the strongest team by far of the group, and they were struggling against Nekoma in the sand pit. Bokuto was not able to jump as near as high as he usually could, and it took Akaashi a little bit of time to adjust his tosses to his teammates in the foreign conditions. That and with how calm and collected Akaashi usually appeared—it was hilarious to see the shock and panic on his usually placid face as he lost his balance. Regardless, Kuroo was just ecstatic to see Bokuto burry his head in the sand more than a few times.
"Hey Bokuto! Got enough sand in your hair yet?"
"Shut up!"
Kuroo cackled with glee as he watched his friend topple over again. As Bokuto popped up with a pout on his face, Kuroo grinned and attempted to give a few pointers between chuckles.
"How often does Kagome make you all do this?"
"Hmmm? About two or three times a week."
"WHAT?!"
"Yeah, you guys are gonna want to soak in the tub when you all get home. It's what we all do. But you'll need to shake off all that sand you're collecting first." All the owls groaned in agreement at that piece of wisdom.
The game continued with Nekoma pulling out a narrow win. Kagome stood on the edges of the courts with a wide grin on her face as she furiously scribbled notes down. She was proud of the team and how well they were improving. They knew they were getting stronger, but to go against the other teams and see and feel that growth for themselves? That was the best way to show them that there was a method to her madness.
As the day came to a close, muscles ached and energy levels were drained to almost zero, the teams wandered back to Nekoma High. Cleanup was mercifully quick and painless for the exhausted teenagers. Most of the cleaning had been done before breakfast.
They all ran around to make sure all their possessions were packed and loaded into the correct buses. The three schools waved goodbye to the cats with a newfound appreciation for the training that they had to undergo. And boy were they glad that the Tiny Tyrant was not responsible for their conditioning. One weekend of her reign was more than enough for them, and they could only hope that their coaches didn't decide to adopt any of her routines.
In two weeks, they will all gather at Shinzen for the Summer Training Camp. It will be interesting to see how much Nekoma improves by then.
One thing was for certain, they won't lose!
Author's Note: Sorry this took a while to get out. Life threw an irritating curve ball, and I wasn't sure how much I liked this chapter as a whole. Might come back and rework it later if it bugs me.
Kamijou Takako, sorry to say I don't think I'm psychic! I do get an itch in my brain that tells me to finish the chapter, stop obsessing, and just post the stupid thing. If that's you, then I recommend escaping it quick! My brain is a scary place to be! LOL!
