Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters. Any use of the anime or manga in this story is not mine either. They belong to their original creators.


After Karasuno's first year duo managed to figure out how to do a regular fast attack, the game became a bit more interesting to a degree. Kagome watched as Hinata was still getting used to the change in rhythm of the tosses while still being an effective decoy for his team. Their ace—Asahi she believed is his name—was a strong spiker, but he was not at Bokuto's level so the boys were able to keep the majority of his spikes in check. Yamamoto seemed to find a kindred spirit in the crow's number five player, Tanaka—though she didn't think the two teens realized their similarities at this point in time. Instead, they were more annoyed with the other and saw each other as a challenge.

Shibayama watched in awe as Yamamoto called for Kenma to give him the ball and spiked it past Karasuno's triple block. "Taketora-san is more into it than usual."

"It could be because there's someone a lot like himself at Karasuno." Coach Nekomata observed with a grin. This was a great match up, and he was thrilled to see the best being drawn out of his team. "Or maybe he's being inspired by the battle between Inuoka and their number 10?"

Kagome had a wide grin across her face as she furiously scribbled notes down in her notebook as she nodded in agreement. Hinata was impressive for a beginner. His athleticism was getting him by with the support of his team and setter, but he needed technical improvement from what she could see. Once he learned that—combined with his jumping ability and speed—he would then have the potential to grow into a player to be feared. It was exciting and interesting to watch the boys feed off of each other as they played. There were more facets of both teams' skills being drawn out that she wasn't sure that would have been revealed going against anyone else—she might actually run out of pages in her notebook at this rate.

"They influence one another in on-the-edge of combat, and occasionally draw out more power than their talent allows. These are truly worthy adversaries."

Smiling down at her notes, Kagome agreed with Coach Nekomata. "But now that we are aware of the depths of their talent, we can find ways to permanently draw it to the surface."

Nekomata chuckled with pride, "Ah yes. The boys will be forever grateful to Karasuno for their contributions to their advancement. Ne, Kagome-chan?"

Shibayama paled at Kagome's wide grin. He had a feeling that the first years were going to fully learn what the upperclassmen warned them about in the upcoming days.

Ignoring the rookie's wilting form, she lifting her head from her frantic notetaking as she heard Inuoka being called to the back row to serve. Kuroo then rotated to the front, and she watched Hinata's determined demeanor changed into a more unsure one as the taller third year stared him down. She knew Kuroo as a scheming goofball—but to those who didn't know him, he could seem intimidating. And when Kuroo got serious or excited when facing a strong opponent, he was a force to be reckoned with. So, she guessed she could in a way understand the wariness that crept into Hinata's eyes.


Kuroo stared down the shorter middle blocker with a stern face before placing his hands on his hips with a sly grin. It was time to start poking at the smaller crow. "Inuoka's 8 inches taller than you, but you're more than a match for him. That's amazing, Small Fry."

Yeah, he could just feel Kagome rolling her eyes and sighing at him from the side of the court. Ignoring the sensation of an all too familiar deadpan stare coming from the pixie, he grinned as he watched Hinata get wound up and try to claim that he was the real 'small fry' while pointing at him. Before he could decide if he should try to antagonize the younger player more, Karasuno's setter yanked Hinata back by grabbing the collar of his jersey.

"Hmm? I wonder what they're planning?"

Despite keeping his eyes on Karasuno's Small Fry and the ball, Kuroo was ill prepared for the speed of the super quick attack that was performed while the kid jumped sideways. Blinking several times, he tried to process just how fast that attack was. Part of him was a bit flattered that they switched to that attack instead of the regular quick that they were currently learning. It just showed that he was viewed as that much of a threat.

"Ne, sorry about that guys. I'll be sure to stop the next one."

"Kuroo-san! You can do it!"

Kuroo smiled at Inuoka's vote of confidence and then winced slightly at the aura of smug amusement radiating from the side of the court. Oh, he just knew she would needle him for this if he failed to stop any more of those attacks—while she increased his conditioning of course. Shaking off the feeling of doom, he turned his focus back to their opponents.

"He really is amazing. He's the dictionary definition of the word "superhuman." All right then, let's take it back."

Grinning at Karasuno, Kuroo was determined to leave them in their dust. As impressive as they were, his team would not lose to them this day. It was time to start pulling out some of their own tricks. As Hinata served the ball, Yaku easily received it and then it began. Kuroo, Kai, and Yamamoto rushed in to lure Karasuno's blockers—drawing them to believe that Yamamoto would be the one to attack. Only for them to realize too late that Kenma was setting for a pipe, and Fukunaga attacked from the back row once their wall began to descend.

Kuroo had to admit he was a little surprised at Hinata receiving the ball with his face—even felt bad for him, cause getting hit in the face was never fun. As the ball floated back to their side of the net, Kuroo called out "chance ball" as he sent it to Kenma to set it up for a quick attack A for him to score.

The next serve from Yamamoto was sent back with a spike from Karasuno's ace. Yaku received the ball with relative ease now that he's seen the spike a few times. It was time to throw the crows off again. Kenma set the ball for Kuroo, but instead of jumping right away as the blockers believed, he jumped after they had reached their max height. Completing a flawless delayed spike. He was inwardly glad that he got Kenma to practice that move with him when they were kids. It's certainly been handy in their matches—and just like Kagome always says, "it's best to have multiple weapons in your arsenal."


Kagome watched closely as Karasuno slowly clawed their way closer to Nekoma's score. As both teams reached the twenty's the rallies became more intense. Once the cats were at the match point, with Karasuno right behind them, the intensity was immense. Hinata and Asahi were in the front row, giving Karasuno a higher attack percentage. As the ball flew to the crow's side, their wing spiker, Tanaka received it high. Their setter, using Hinata as a decoy, tossed the ball up for their ace. With a powerful spike, the ball was sent over the net and right to Yaku. Unfortunately, the receive went long and sent the ball back over the net, giving Asahi the chance to do a direct hit. Fukunaga received the attack, and once again sent the ball back to the opposing sides court.

Shibayama watched anxiously as the final rally drug on. "It's their chance ball again!"

Coach Nekomata was serene as he watched the game continue. "That's fine. Even if you look sloppy or can't make an attack, as long as the ball is kept in play, you can't lose."

The trio watched as what felt like the final moments of the set played out. Hinata flew out with an impressive amount of intensity and his setter responded in kind by giving him the toss. The smaller crow hit the ball, and Yaku dove to keep it in play. The ball was knocked into the net with force before falling away and Kai awkwardly tried to get it back up high. However, the ball merely ricocheted over Kai's arms and began to descend to the ground once more.

"It's not that the most powerful spike wins." Nekomata observed as Kenma showed his competitive spirit and dove for the ball, managing to get the last hit and send it back to Karasuno's side. The ball was sent flying to the back of the court where there was no one to receive it. They all watched as Hinata and the libero ran to try to catch the ball, only to miss it by inches. "It's whoever drops the ball loses. This is what it means to keep the ball in play."

With that last bit of wisdom, Naoi blew the whistle to signal the end of the match—the final score being 23 to 25. As the cats cheered their win and celebrated Kenma's spectacular dive that won them the game, they were suddenly interrupted. "One more time! Let's play one more time!"

Looking to the crows they could see the determination on Hinata's face. Coach Nekomata grinned at the first year, "Yeah, I plan to do just that! Practice games are all about playing all over again."

The boys all grinned as they prepared to start again. Playing set after set until the sun began to descend into its slumber and the sky turned a dusty orange. As the sixth and final set came to an end, Nekoma remained undefeated, and the boys were exhausted. Kuroo and several of the cats remained on their feet, as did Karasuno's ace and captain—though they all looked like they would collapse at any moment. Kagome grinned as she finished some of her notes, the conditioning that they've been doing has done wonders for their stamina.

"One more!"

Kagome blinked in shock as she looked at Hinata—he was definitely determined; she would give him that.

Coach Nekomata was stunned by the overly energetic first year, "What? You haven't stopped moving the entire time! What batteries are you using?"

Laughing softly, Kagome watched as Coach Ukai lifted Hinata by the collar of his jersey and told him to knock it off. "Those batteries are pure will and a single-minded drive to win. Karasuno will be an interesting team to watch as they grow."


After the coaches gave the opposing teams some words of wisdom and advice, the boys all began to clean the gym while Kagome and Kiyoko both left to clean the water bottles. As Tanaka hung one of the net's support poles on the rack, he heard a voice call out behind him.

"Oi!"

"Huh?" Turning around he came face to face with Nekoma's ace. Tanaka frowned heavily and prepared himself for a battle with the other teen. "What's up, eh? You want to rumble again? Eh? Eh, city boy?"

Yamamoto felt awkward and somewhat flailing as he felt the blush creep up into his cheeks. "Um, actually…It's about your… Your man… Your female manager… What is your manager's name?"


Kiyoko and Kagome's discussion about the boys' match was interrupted when Kiyoko suddenly sneezed.

"Eh? Are you all right, Kiyoko-san? You're not coming down with something are you?"

Shaking her head, the older girl waved off her concerns, "No, I think I'm fine."

Kagome nodded as they went back to chatting about their previous topic.


Tanaka saw red at the other boy's question. How dare he try to make a move on his precious Kiyoko-san? He had his own highly attractive manager! Why is he making eyes at his team's manager? Wait until he told Nishinoya about this!

He grabbed the ace's jacket to give him a good shake, "Why, you! Are you planning to make a move on Kiyo—the manager of our team, when you have your own? I'll run my finger through that ruffle or yours!"

However, the stoic and distant expression on his face that gave Tanaka pause, "No. I do not have the courage to talk to her."

Slowly releasing the other boy, he was confused yet understanding of his position. Kiyoko was gorgeous girl that was difficult to reach. "Kiyoko-san. Her name is Shimizu Kiyoko."

As the two boys gushed over Kiyoko's name matching her beauty, Tanaka revealed another little piece of information, "It also took me quite a while to speak to her so I know how you feel. However… it's not so bad to speak to her and be flat-out ignored."

Poor Yamamoto's eyes were about to pop out of his head as he was struck by lightning. "No way, that bar is way too high for me!"

"Well, I'll be! You're not so bad!"

"You too. I'm Yamamoto Taketora."

Tanaka grinned at his new friend and rival, "Tanaka Ryunosuke. Um, out of curiosity. What's your manager's name?"

Yamamoto blinked for a moment, "She's Higurashi Kagome."

"Eh? She's awfully pretty."

Giving a solemn grin, Yamamoto agreed, "She's pretty all right. But there are things you need to know about her." Seeing Tanaka's curious look of confusion, as he glanced over his shoulder to see Kagome talking to his captain. He pointed at the couple behind him, "She's lethal, and most importantly she's very much taken."

"Huh?" Tanaka looked around Yamamoto just to have his head drop and tears began to fall. "So not fair…"


Kuroo was watching Inuoka and Hinata bounce all over the gym as they praised each other in volleyball sound effects when he noticed Karasuno's tall middle blocker.

"What is that conversation?"

Kuroo grinned at the blonde first year, "That isn't the conversation of high schoolers. But I think you could try goofing around more like a high schooler." Honestly, the kid was way too uptight.

"I'm not good at it."

Watching the boy walk off with his head held high, Kuroo grinned slyly. "You're so young."

"And there you go again talking like an old man."

Kuroo yelped as he nearly jumped out of his skin and whipped around to look at Kagome standing behind him. "Geeze, Kago-chan! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Kagome snickered at his dramatics, "Guess that would help you match the age you try to sound like then, ne?"

Giving her an amused frown, he pulled her into his side and held her close. "And what would you do if I dropped dead? You would feel horrible!"

Kagome rolled her eyes slightly as she looked down at her notebook. "Hmm… I guess I would, but then I would finally be able to run off with Bokuto. So, it would all work out in the end."

"WHA—?! I'm way better than that airhead!"

"Hai, hai. I know."

"You're so cruel to me, Kago-chan." Kuroo sighed as he stepped behind her so he could rest his chin on her shoulder and look down at her notes while he hugged her small form.

Kagome laughed softly as she reached up to pat the top of his head. "And you love it."

Grumbling under his breath a bit he tried to once again decipher the notes that she held. "So what horrors are you cooking up now, you menace."

"Nothing you need to worry about yet dear."

Kuroo groaned as his muscles flinched with a sense of foreshadowed doom. Deciding to try to hide from the thoughts of what was to come he could feel the eyes of the crows upon them. It was time to put their rivals on notice—Kagome was his. He grinned slyly and placed a kiss by her ear. "You know, Kago-chan. I have to admit that your evil streak is kinda hot…"

Kagome's face flushed as she looked at her boyfriend from the corner of her eye, "Flattery will not get you out of any conditioning changes, Tetsu-kun."

Chuckling as he glanced around to see a bunch of dejected and jealous looks. "Come on now Kago-chan. Would I do something like that?"

"With you? Who knows, but I'm just saying it won't work."

"Yes dear."

Off to the side, Kai stood next to Sawamura Daichi and laughed. "There he goes again."

"Eh?"

"Looks like some of your teammates were looking a little too much at Kagome-chan for Kuroo's liking. He's making sure to stake his claim."

Curious, Daichi looked back at the duo in question. "I guess it's safe to assume that they're dating then?"

"Practically engaged." Kai smiled at the captain's stunned form, "Though if you ask Kuroo, they have been engaged since they were kids. Kagome occasionally tells him that he has to ask her again now that they're older."

Daichi blinked in shock. He had to admit that there was a part of him that was envious of the other captain's luck, Kagome seemed like a real catch.

Kai chuckled before walking off to help pick the last few pieces of equipment. "Though she might just kill him when she finally realizes what he's been doing. The wrath of the Tiny Tyrant is something to be feared."

He nodded absentmindedly before Kai's words penetrated his brain. "Wait, what?"


The gym was finally clean and everyone stood outside. Kagome shared a grin with Kiyoko as some of the boys chatted excitedly with each other—however the crying fest that was happening between Tanaka and Yamamoto was a little strange.

Kenma was baffled by the scene they were making, "What the heck is that?"

Kuroo sighed as he tried not to look too closely at the duo, "Beats me. Don't look at them too much."

He was thankfully distracted from the train wreck when Karasuno's captain approached him. The two teens smiled with gritted teeth and squeezed each other's hands. "We won't lose next time."

"We won't lose next time either."

Kagome raised a brow and chuckled as Yaku and Sugawara both called out to them, "Stop it! You're scaring us!" Only to realize the very same interaction was happening behind them between Coach Naoi and Coach Ukai.

"The next time won't go down like it did today."

"I really hope so, or it won't be much of a practice game!"

Sugawara paled at the coaches, "It's catching!"

"That's so immature!" Yaku cringed.

Kagome shook her head at the madness that was unfolding and Kiyoko managed to keep a stoic expression. The two managers exchanged pleasantries and moved to begin rounding up their players. As she tried to corral the wayward felines, she saw Hinata approach Kenma once more.

"Kenma!"

"Shoyo…"

"Remember when we met on the street the other day and you said that you really didn't like volleyball that much?"

"Oh, yeah."

"How about today? How did you like winning?"

Kenma looked down and away from the excitable first year. He never could get used to people looking or staring at him. "It was just the same old thing."

Hinata frowned a bit before he steadied himself, "Next time… I'll make you desperate to win… and we'll win. And then I'll make you say, 'I hate losing!' or 'That was a blast!' You'll start talking differently about the game!"

Kenma was shocked, but there was something about Hinata that made him think that the boy just might be able to succeed in his claims. "Ok, I'll look forward to that."

Kagome smiled at the duo. She could see the beginnings of a great friendship forming between them. More than anything, she was just glad to see Kenma branching out and connecting with more people. "Ne, Kenma. It's time to go. Hinata-kun, I look forward to seeing your growth with your team."

The younger boy's face flushed a bright red, "Ha-hai!"

The cats began their journey to the train station and waved goodbye to their newfound friends and rivals. As the team reached the station and everyone settle down onto their seats in the train, Kagome pulled out her notebook once more. Kuroo looked down and suddenly noticed something that he missed when he looked at her notes earlier. There were a lot of pages that were filled.

"Eh? Kago-chan? Just how many pages of notes did you take?!"

Any exhaustion that the team felt suddenly disappeared and a chilling sense of doom descended upon them.

"Well, I took notes on both teams, so about…" she flipped through the pages quickly, "six pages on you guys, and ten pages on Karasuno."

"…is that all…?"

"Yeah, now I just need to review my notes so I can start planning how to expand your conditioning regime."

The boys could all feel the souls slowly begin to escape from their bodies as the train began to leave the station.

'We're all going to die…'


Author's notes: Hurray this chapter is complete! I'm not sure how fast I'll get the next one out, since other story ideas are bouncing around my brain and distracting me. I'm hoping that if I write down notes for some of them, then I'll be able to refocus on this one.

Thanks again for reading, and reviewing! Until next time!