I know I promised not to… But I took breaks in between studying and this was done before I knew it… Enjoy!

Chapter 12: Practice Battle at the Garbage Dump

Two teams lined up, facing each other in front of the local gym. Haru looked them over from the side, comparing. While overall height was almost similar, there were many differences. The Karasuno team somehow seemed more serious, and kind of scary. Compared to their previous opponent, they looked stronger. Then, a short boy with bright colored hair yelled out, pointing at Kenma.

"You!" He shouted, eyes wide. The coach called out for the team to enter the gym, but the shorty ran after Kenma, calling him by name. Haru stood on the sidelines, waiting to see if she would have to interfere. However, Kenma seemed rather comfortable with the loud, she determined, first-year.

"Hey, hey!" Yamamoto was the one to break up the conversation, though, the Karasuno baldie facing him with a similar, intent on intimidation attitude. The words 'city boy' that oddly sounded like 'shitty boy' had Haru in giggles soon enough.

"I'm sorry about them," Haru turned to find a girl standing there, speaking in a soft, polite tone. She wore glasses and had a rather attractive beauty mark on the side of her mouth. She was gorgeous, in short. Instantly, Haru felt her self-esteem plummet.

"It's alright." She smiled, reassuring the girl. The beautiful manager offered her a polite nod, before heading into the gym. Wordlessly, Haru followed. The girl's presence, though, brought absolute havoc to the Nekoma team. Yamamoto was crying, Inuoka and Shibayama were celebrating and Kai seemed rooted to the spot in shock.

"We're looking forward to it, too." The words had Haru looking over to the two captains shaking hands after she'd entered the gym, too. She immediately noticed Kuroo's overly bright smile and rushed over, tapping him on the shoulder. The third-year, though, didn't let go of the other boy's hand.

"Stop that," Haru whispered, her hand going to break apart the too-strong grip the two third-years had on each other. "I'm sorry." She bowed to the Karasuno captain, who offered her a smile.

"It's nothing, please don't worry about it." Then he wandered away to his teammates. Kuroo turned to her, an unreadable expression on his face.

"That guy is the crafty type," the third-year told her. "Be careful."

"Of what exactly?!" Haru startled as the captain left her standing there alone. She walked away from the middle of the gym with a shake of her head, going for the bench and settling into her usual duties. The manager of Karasuno met her at the outside sink, also filling the water bottles for her team.

"Have you been a manager for long?" Haru asked, making the girl nod. "Oh, you must be a third-year, sorry, I've been talking informally with you."

"It's alright," the girl had a very soft tone whenever she spoke, making Haru feel awkward for being so loud. "Shimizu Kiyoko." Oh, that's her name? Haru smiled, nodding.

"Sakurano Chiharu, I go by Haru." The girl mutely nodded, and they walked back to the gym, bottles in hands. Instantly, Yamamoto and the bald boy from Karasuno were next to them.

"Two Goddesses!" Taketora seemed to have reached his limits, offering shaky hands to help her with the bottles. "Heaven!" Haru giggled, already used to his antics. She handed over some of her cargo, the boy eagerly accepting.

"Your manager looks really exotic, is she half?" Haru heard the Karasuno boy ask as the two girls began arranging the bottles on the benches, next to the towels.

"Half Cuban," Yamamoto answered with a proud nod. Haru shook her head, tuning out the conversation and focusing on her task instead. Soon enough, Nekomata called for the team to round up and assemble at the court line. The match was about to start. Haru smiled when she saw that Kenma was talking with the short boy from Karasuno on his own. Yet, she was surprised to find him at the position of a middle blocker. Inuoka and Yaku had mostly familiarized her with different roles, so she knew that all of the vanguards were supposed to be tall. However, the reasons behind the position were proven in the first few seconds of the game.

Kenma served, and the ball got returned with an impossibly quick shot from the short boy. Haru jumped up from the bench, mouth open and eyes wide. The boy had had his eyes closed while hitting the ball, not to even mention the height of his jump.

"What the-" she murmured, looking at the small boy.

"Uwah!" Shibayama exclaimed from next to her, in shock. "What was that? That's fast!" Haru nodded, completely focused on the match. Their team also seemed startled by the action, making the manager worry about how they would counter it. But, the look on Kenma's face told her that they would be alright. He was thinking, processing, as always.

From the small bits of information Shibayama gave her as the match progressed, Haru found out that Karasuno was a rather capable team. Their libero, a short boy with a dyed streak of hair, was amazingly good. The spikers had power and precision. And, most of all, their setter was extremely accurate in his tosses. He was a genius, Nekomata confirmed.

The rally continued, Karasuno scoring against them heavily. Yaku was doing his best, picking up as many balls as he could, but he couldn't be in all places at once, so he missed quite a few shots. The super quick attacks which the short middle blocker did scored quite a few points. Finally, Nekomata broke the exchange physically, calling a time out.

"Ah, water," Haru rushed to give all the players their bottles, making certain that they got their towels, as well. So far, Yaku seemed the only one breathing a tad hard, the rest of the team letting Kenma do his magic before they would counter attack. The team discussed a strategy on the sidelines as she went around, collecting the water bottles when they were done.

"Number nine and ten are, in a manner of speaking, an oni and his iron club," Nekomata told the boys. "For starters, we steal the oni's iron club." The coach instructed them, making the boys nod. Kenma gave final thoughts on the best way to deal with the attacks, moving the blockers to one side only and letting Inuoka do the hard work of keeping up with number 10. They all turned to Haru, who found herself flustered at the attention.

"Do your best." The girl encouraged, making the team cheer before returning to the game.

"Inuoka, follow number ten closely," the girl heard Kenma instruct as the whistle blew, the ball flying up. Instantly, Haru noticed the change. With their blockers on one side, the small number ten kept running to the free side, attempting to spike from there. But, Inuoka didn't let him do so easily. He kept following, making the space from where the boy could score smaller and smaller. Yaku, on the other hand, was right behind him, picking up the balls which managed to fly over to the Nekoma side. Yet, Karasuno still managed to score. Kenma and Yamamoto proved that they could both do some sneaky attacks, pulling back on the power in order to force their opponents to rush forward and dig for balls, receiving them awkwardly when they could.

"Wow, he's really good," Haru murmured, amazed when the Karasuno setter called for a toss, hitting it into the Nekoma court side with pinpoint precision. She giggled when the boy turned to number nine, his partner, lecturing him about tosses and how to hit them.

"We may lose the first set." Shibayama said from his seat next to her, watching as the other Karasuno members also proved useful. The tall blonde with glasses switched up his attacks, also, hitting soft and hard balls and making Yaku and Fukunaga run all over the place to try and catch the shots. But, Haru wasn't too worried about him. She could see Kenma watching, deducing, mapping out the best course he could send the balls on. He was figuring out how to play the game with these new characters he'd been given. If Kuroo's smirk was anything to go by, and it usually was, Kenma was close to figuring out the strategy to this game.

"He's a superb strategist, don't you think?" Nekomata asked her, making Haru look over to the coach.

"Kenma?" She asked, looking at the court and the setter, whose eyes kept following one player after another. "He's amazing."

"He had quite a few problems after joining the team, though," Nekomata sighed. "He's not very athletic, but he has a good head on his shoulders. I heard that the previous coach, while I wasn't well enough to be here, didn't let him play."

"Ah, I heard about that," The previous few years Nekomata hadn't been there, with the team, at all times. Due to heart problems the old man had had to step down at times, letting their PE teacher do most of the coaching. "The sempais gave him quite a bit of trouble." Kenma had been forced to sit on the bench, watching as their team lost, the older boys not wanting to hear his strategies.

"A pity, if you ask me," Nekomata nodded. "They were wasting his potential." Haru nodded.

"I hope Teshiro is watching and learning," she mused, eyes going to the score board where their spare setter was standing. "He will soon need to do that, after all."

"Indeed, we will need to make some changes to the team next year," Nekomata hummed. "Perhaps we could do a two-setter strategy?"

"Perhaps." The points kept rolling. Haru couldn't help but watch Kuroo as he dived for balls, spiked and connected with his teammates in any way they needed him to. He truly was an all-rounder, in a sense.

"All we need to do is keep connecting," the coach said to the girl, smiling. Haru couldn't help but think back to the team's motto which Kuroo reminded them of before every game. We're like the blood in our veins. We must flow without stopping. Keep the oxygen moving and our minds working. While embarrassing the first time, it made sense then, to her. It was all about the defense. It was all about cooperation. Kenma's abilities could shine only if the team supported him. Finally, they pulled ahead, with the score of 24-22.

"They really are amazing," Haru gasped as the whistle sounded, Inuoka blocking the short number ten's spike with ease. "They've cleared the level." She nodded, hopping up to get the water bottles for the team.

"Now that the oni doesn't have his club," Nekomata told the boys after they all gather around the group on the bench. "Show them we have some attack power, too."

"Osu!" The boys yelled out, bowing, and heading back into the game for the second set. Again, points racked up, this time for their side. Inuoka kept shutting down the small vanguard, denying him spike after spike. Haru looked over to the Karasuno coach, wondering what he was thinking. If it had been her, there, she would've switched the boy out, trying a different attacking pattern.

"He needs a solution," Nekomata caught her looking.

"Eh?" Haru asked.

"This is a practice match and Ukai needs a solution for that quick being stopped in an official match." The coach explained. "He's sacrificing this game for a victory in the long run. He needs that genius setter and the small one to figure out a way to evade this situation in an official match."

"Ah, I see," the girl nodded, eyes going back to their team. "That's smart thinking."

"Indeed," Nekomata replied. "I like what you did with them during the training camp, too." Haru blushed at the praise. "They move more easily now, because of all the practice they did on the sand and in the mountains. And their stamina is good. I was worried about that."

"We will have to keep them running, though." Nekomata nodded, making Shibayama drop his head into his hands.

"Please, don't leave us alone with her again." The coach and the manager laughed at his fears.

"Oh, that shorty is something!" Nekomata made Haru look over to the Karasuno side again. True enough, despite being blocked so many times, which would discourage any spiker, the small number ten was smiling. "He's smiling!" Nekomata laughed, tapping his leg. "I quite like Karasuno this year, they have guts."

"Is that good or bad, Nekomata-sensei?" Haru giggled at the obvious passion the old man had for volleyball.

"Both." The coach nodded contently to himself. Then, the Karasuno side called for a time out. Haru looked over at their bench, finding the coach asking something of the setter.

"Haru, water." Kuroo's voice made her refocus on her own team, rushing to give them the bottles. "You could always give it mouth to mouth, though." Yamamoto almost died at those words.

"That's sexual harassment, sempai." She didn't even blush, but gave Kuroo a cold stare and an even tone.

"My heart just went cold." The captain gripped his match jersey just where his heart was, rather dramatically. Yet, the team atmosphere went from tired to laughing, which had probably been the third-year's goal.

The points kept rolling. Haru noticed a change immediately, though. There was something different in the way the number nine and ten worked on the Karasuno team. The tosses seemed slower, somehow. Still, the small vanguard struggled to get the ball across the net or past the blocks.

"Is there something different in their strategy, sensei?" She asked the coach. He nodded with a hum.

"They've switched from direct to indirect delivery," the old man explained. "That means that the sharp, pinpoint tosses which the setter has been giving number ten so far have been replaced with a softer, floatier ball."

"Oh, to give him time to switch the course?"

"Indeed." Nekomata smiled, looking over to the other bench. "Ukai junior isn't that bad of a coach." He mused. Haru had found out that Ukai, the original Karasuno coach, was quite the famous person in his time. He had played volleyball, then coached it, for years. His training methods and policy of a team being a coherent unit working together had made him appear on TV and in a number of newspaper articles. He was famous for his rivalry with both Nekoma and Shiratorizawa, the other powerhouse and the current reigning champion in Miyagi.

"Time out!" Naoi called from his spot as the referee, the Nekoma boys walking over. Haru distributed towels again, giving praise to Inuoka and Yaku. She ruffled Kenma's hair, which he instantly began smoothing down, and grinned at Kuroo and Fukunaga, who smiled and nodded back. Their team was in good shape, having a double of Karasuno's points. As the whistle rang out again, signaling the end of the time out, Haru looked at the Karasuno bench. The team seemed in high spirits, despite the score.

"They seem happy." She commented with a smile.

"Team mood is essential in any sport," Nekomata told her. "If just one person gets frustrated or depressed, the cogs of the machine will fall out of place. It is fatal for that to happen in a match." Shibayama nodded along.

"We had that happen to us in a game before," the libero explained. "It was just before you joined us, Haru. Yaku-sempai twisted his ankle in an odd way, and had to sit on the bench for the remainder of the practice game. I didn't manage to stay focused and keep my spirits up and we lost the game because of it." He seemed sad about that past event, making Haru reach over and ruffle his hair.

"You've learnt from it, right?" The boy nodded. "That's all that matters." He gave her a bright smile. Haru looked back at the match, just in time to see the small number ten toss the ball into an out.

"Oh, he's doing good," Nekomata said, grinning.

"How so?" The girl asked, eyes going to the Karasuno side. She noticed that their own side was amazed by what had just been done, but she didn't understand what had happened. "It was an out?"

"But, it was a complete change of course, in order to evade the block, midair." Nekomata told her, making her nod. The points kept rolling, both teams surprisingly fired up to battle each other. It was like a showdown in similar skills, Haru mused. Between Inuoka and number ten in aerial combat. Yamamoto and the loud baldie in racking up points. Kai and the Karasuno captain in saving difficult stray balls. Kenma and the tall blonde with glasses had their own moment of trying to outthink one another. Yaku and the loud libero from the other team were having their own match of picking up balls that seemed impossible to save.

"Once that little number ten gets a nice set of solid skills, things will change," Nekomata told the group on the bench. "They will cease to be an oni and his iron club and become a pair of oni."

"A pair…" Shibayama murmured, his face paling. "of oni…" he shivered, looking over at their manager. "I don't ever want to see another pair of oni, sensei." Nekomata and Haru laughed. The girl jumped up in her seat as the small number ten completely missed a receive, the ball hitting him in the head instead. However, he didn't stop, calling for a toss almost immediately after the exchange. The person who got it, however, was the baldie, who smashed the ball into the block, making it bounce towards the bleachers. Haru sat back down slowly. She made a mental note to check both teams for injuries after the match was done.

Nekomata commented how it was good to have this match. The two teams were quickly becoming rivals in every sense of the word, pushing each player to do their absolute best on the court. They were evolving, competing and absolutely astonishing the spectators. One more, one more, the boys kept calling for balls.

Haru saw the rotation move, bringing Kuroo against the small number ten. She spotted the captain saying something to the boy, which made the Karasuno middle blocker explode. Finally, the number nine setter dragged him away from the net.

"Oh, gosh, does he ever stop?" Haru hit her forehead with her palm in exasperation.

"Kuroo-sempai is the master of provocation." Shibayama chuckled. "It's a good thing, though. Messes up the dynamics of the other team." However, Kuroo's provocation proved fruitless as the Karasuno weirdo duo did their super quick set-up, leaving the captain unable to react. Kuroo apologized to his teammates, but Haru could see that his inability to counter it, while Inuoka had, was making him annoyed. That didn't seem to faze him, in fact, it fueled him more, from what Haru could tell. Their players got all jumbled up, all spikers jumping as if to hit the ball, finally Fukunaga getting it from the back and slamming it into number ten's face without problems. Karasuno's blockers had fallen for their feint, the strategy working. Haru made another mental note to definitely check that small boy for a concussion.

"Woah!" The girl jumped up form her seat, watching as Kuroo racked up points, doing one trick after another at the net. They reached 20 points with the captain shining as a vanguard.

"He's good at the net, isn't he?" Nekomata asked the girl who slowly lowered herself back into her seat. Haru nodded. She'd seen Kuroo play before, in practice matches, but none of them hade made him pull out all of these tricks so seamlessly. "Once he does an A quick. Then, he switches it up with a timing change. And that grin of his always keeps the opponent wondering. I'm waiting for some big team to scout him by the end of the year."

"He's that good?" Haru asked.

"Better," Nekomata confirmed. But then, the coach looked at the Karasuno bench, seeing their own teacher fretting and grinned, making the younger man flustered and annoyed. "He's panicking, he's panicking!" The coach chuckled. However, the younger man didn't stay in his panicked mode. He stood from the bench, yelling to the players, encouraging them to move, to make up for mistakes to keep on attacking.

And, the girl instantly saw the change. It was like the coach had released a bunch of villainous, hungry ravens on Nekoma. The spikers moved quicker, attacking. The blockers were faster in getting their hands into position, stopping the less experienced first and second years with ease. The point gap was slowly closing and Haru found her hands in fists.

"It's time for a time out, I guess." Nekomata said, deciding to break the Karasuno momentum physically. Haru jumped up, going for the water bottles. They were almost empty, but she still handed them to the boys and after they gave them back, she didn't replace them on the bench. It was time to go for a refill. Haru left while the coach was still talking to the team, telling them not to rush anything, despite their opponent speeding up their own pace.

Haru walked over to the sink, placing the bottles down and emptying them, rinsing them out, then refilling. She had made each of the boys sign their own name on the sports drink container in a waterproof marker. As she filled each bottle, the girl inspected the kanji they had written. Yamamoto had a bit of a messy writing, the edge of his first name slipping off to the side awkwardly. Kai's was surprisingly neat, the letters perfect, as if printed. Her repetitive motions stopped at Kuroo's water bottle. She traced the kanji of his first name slowly. Two letters were used to write it, the first meaning iron and the second one being a bit more flexible. She knew that it could be translated as serene, melodious or even cheerful. Haru's mind wandered to what her mother had told her about a number in a person's name and how it gave them balance in life. She wondered if Kuroo's name had balance. Her own was supposed to have it, yet she felt completely out of control in her own mind sometimes. Perhaps, numbers had nothing to do with it.

"Crap!" Haru quickly screwed Kuroo's water bottle shut and rushed to grab the others as well, running back into the gym. She entered to see the ball flying high as Yaku received it, giving her just enough time to glance at the score, 23-24. If Karasuno scored, it would be a deuce. Haru didn't know for how long she stood at the gym door, unable to move, simply watching the amazing rally. The two teams were fighting fiercely for the single point. Finally, Kenma dived to hit a rather shaky ball, able to score the last point of the game. Instantly, there was rejoicing and yelling and generally havoc.

Haru smiled, walking over to the bench and placing the bottles down. She spotted Shibayama running to the group which had been playing fiercely to rejoice with them. Then, just as she was done arranging the water bottles, there was a call form the Karasuno side of the court.

"One more time!" The small number ten asked, looking at the Nekoma team. Haru spotted Kuroo's disbelieving expression and Kenma's almost annoyed one. "Please, one more game!" Hinata Shōyō, Haru reminded herself of the name of the small middle blocker from what Kenma had told them. She rather liked the boy and his enthusiasm. He seemed like an optimistic young thing, the kind of people which Haru liked being around.

"Yeah, I'd like that." Nekomata answered for their team, making the boys laugh or give him looks of desperation, in Kenma's case. "A practice match is there so that we can say 'once more'." And, Haru sat down without being able to keep a smile off her face, watching as the teams got ready to play yet another long game. She kept her clipboard in her hands, noting down the points, mistakes their side made and jotting down small scribbles as to what they could do to ensure another victory. They played six sets in total, Nekoma winning every game. In the end, Shōyō proved his endless stamina by asking to play yet again, even though everyone else seemed ready to topple over. His coach had to step in, physically holding him back from going for the balls, saying that they needed to catch the train back home, on both sides.

"You played a good game," Nekomata praised the Karasuno team which had walked over to their side for after-game comments. He continued talking, but Haru wasn't following. Instead, she took the chance to inspect each of the players slowly, remembering their faces and connecting them to the names they had given. The speech ended with a promise to meet at the Nationals and make it a great Battle at the Garbage Dump. Haru giggled at that, getting ready to help with clean up as the boys dispersed. However, the baldie who played wing spiker stayed behind, looking nervous.

"Can I help you?" Haru asked when she realized that he wouldn't speak first. The Karasuno libero was hanging back too, listening.

"Ah-um-well- Could you tell me your name, please?!" He bowed low, the libero mimicking the motion from the back. Haru giggled, extending her hand.

"Sakurano Chiharu, but most people call me Haru." The baldie wiped his palms on his shorts before he grasped her hand as if it was made of gold, gently shaking it.

"Haru-san!" He bowed again, this time speaking at the same time as the libero. "Thank you for existing!" And the two were off, running to clean up. Haru stayed still for a second, looking after them, before giggling to herself.

"What was that?" Kuroo asked walking over and helping her pack up. "Did they give you any trouble?"

"No," she smiled at him. "I quite like them, in fact." She couldn't stop thinking about what the two had said to her for a while. Thank you for existing.

I really enjoyed rewatching these two episodes and giving Haru's point of view from the bench… I hope you weren't bored despite the rehash of the episodes :D I tried to be as inventive as possible (I don't like overly detailed rehashes, so I've stayed away from the matches so far)
Looking forward to your feedback!

Reviews:

Yesitsjennifer:
Hi!
I know what you mean about the Captain Squad xD I need me some more Haikyuu captains in casual situations, please… I need a poster! Please, I need a poster too! The only ones I have are from the most famous anime so far, like Fairy Tail and FMAB, etc. I think I even have one of Kuroko no Basuke, too xD
Akari and Kuroo will definitely have their moment later on. I have the scene in my head already, it's bad xD She is a total Kuroo supporter now, though xD I'm glad that you like the fact that I made a small snippet of that switch :)
Confusion confusion, I like it! Well, I'll touch more on that topic later… However, the gist is kind of like this: Haru hasn't done any clubs or afterschool activities in a while, except work. She spends her time alone watching TV shows or listening to music or studying. Long story short, she's really lonely when alone and falls into a kind of depressive mood when she's not around people. It's especially that switch, from being around the rowdy boys and their constant chatter to going back home, into her 'reality' that put her in such a mood. I hope this explains it a bit?
Kuroo? Sweet? Does he have that mode? xD Joking, of course he does! But, he doesn't miss a chance to tease Haru, ever. I loved writing that bit of fluff, glad you enjoyed it :D
Yesss research research! It makes my head explode and my computer very slow (I constantly have xxxxxxx tabs open in google chrome), but the rewards are too good! I'm always so excited when someone takes note of all the research I do while writing :D
Maybe? Maybe there will be makeovers… Perhaps… Hahahhahaha There will be drama, there will be fluff, oh gosh, I can't wait to write that!
I hope I did justice to them in this chapter… I'm going to do my best with them in the future, too, but they still scare me!
Thanks! We don't celebrate it here, but all my USA friends do, so I feel somehow included :P
I'm having issues with myself… I usually spend quite a bit of time on the laptop, and these days all of that time had been typing, typing, typing xD I actually have a cramp in my left wrist which makes me take breaks, which has proven great for my studying xD
Best!

AmIValid2:
Hi! I'm glad that you enjoyed the last chapter and I hope I lived up to expectations with the Karasuno-Nekoma + Haru interactions :D It was only brief, but I promise that there will be more 1 on 1 interactions with Karasuno members during the training camp later with Fukurodani Group :D
Thanks! My studies are killing me, but I have this masochistic way of enjoying them too xD I must be wrong in the head xD
Good luck to you too, we know best we need it xD Cheers!

Omake:

Haru sat on the train amongst a group of snoozing boys. They were all very tired from their last few sets with Karasuno, so it was only natural. Yaku was sleeping against her shoulder, talking in his dream about 'nice' and 'cover', which made her smile. Opposite of them, Kuroo and Kenma sat, the small setter's head in their captain's lap as the boy curled in on himself like a cat. She glanced around, finding Lev with his leg propped up on Inuoka's seat, wrapped in bandages. That had been the most drastic injury during their few days of practice games. In the end, she had checked both their team and Karasuno's for concussions, as she had promised herself, getting a comment from the other team's coach about her professionality. He had been quite impressed. With only Lev spraining his ankle and Kuroo jamming a finger on an awkwardly spiked ball, they had done quite well, in her opinion.

She reached for her Japanese History book, deciding to study for a while until they reached Tokyo. As the pages turned, they fell open in the front, where a single red amaryllis lay in between two sheets of notebook paper. She didn't know why she had placed the flower in her bun that day, intertwining it into the rubber band. But, it had made Kuroo smile in such a different way from his usual smirk that she was glad that she had. She knew why she had decided to press it, though. She wanted to save it, just like she wanted to save the memories from this trip.

With a sigh and a small smile, Haru opened the page she needed and began revising.

That's all for now!