I've given up and am totally using this story to cope with my pre-exam anxiety… It's such a nice way to take a break!

Welcome to even more drama and enjoy!

Chapter 13: Confession

Haru's head hit the edge of the bathtub softly as she completely relaxed, laying back. She let out a low sigh, the warm water moving as she settled perfectly in the coconut foam she loved using in her bubble baths. This, truly, was a piece of heaven, even if it was five in the morning. Nekomata had told them the previous day that they would forego the morning training, so she was luckily free of rushing to finish her morning routine and get to school on time to help the boys. She finally had some time for herself.

That illusion was quickly broken as her phone rang from the closed lid of the toilet seat. With a low groan, Haru decided to ignore it. Whoever it was, they could wait. Finally, the cellphone stopped ringing. She sighed, relaxing again. Then, the sound rang out once more and she realized that whoever was calling would be as persistent as a woodpecker. Haru pushed herself up, wiping one hand on the nearby towel and then picked up her cell. 'Kurosaki Work', said the screen name. With a raised eyebrow, Haru picked up.

"Am I waking you up?" Satoshi's familiar tone, groggy from sleep, asked from the other end of the line.

"No, I'm up already," Haru smiled at his deep tone. Satoshi had never been good in the morning, for as long as she'd known him. He was a heavy sleeper who liked his bed more than life itself. Yet, calling her at that hour told her that the topic must be rather important. "What's wrong?"

"Wrong?" Satoshi asked, confused. "Oh, nothing, it's just that I wanted to see if you had some free time to do some overtime?" At that, Haru instantly perked up.

"Do we have a nice gig again?" She asked, one hand lazily going through the foam and playing with the warm water of her bath.

"Yes," Satoshi sounded excited, despite his grogginess. "It's that dance group from before, they need a more permanent photographer on site for a while. They asked for us, because of the good work we'd done on their calendar."

"Oh, that would be great for us!" Haru was then overflowing with excitement. She'd been texting with the girl from the group, but nothing about work had come up in their casual conversation. "When do we go?"

"Today, if you can?" Satoshi asked. "I'd come pick you up in-" he trailed off for a second, "half an hour to do the prep. We could go this afternoon and do the shooting." Haru looked at her bath water, a little sad to see the calm morning go.

"I have school today." She told her manager.

"I'd take you there when we're done." Satoshi promised.

"Alright, I'll be ready in twenty." And after getting a confirmation from him, the girl hung up. One last time, she looked at the warm, cozy bath and sighed. So much for some peace and quiet, when it was finally welcome. Haru placed her phone back on the lowered toilet lid and rose from the foam, warm water splashing everywhere. It was time to work.

Kuroo was waiting in front of the school gates as students walked past him, some greeting him and others wishing him luck in the upcoming tournament. He was waiting for Yaku to make final arrangements about some new set-ups for the team. Kuroo had gotten quite a few ideas from watching Karasuno.

A sleek, metallic blue car pulled in front of the school, catching quite a bit of attention. The music blasting through the open window got quieter, only the bass audible. Kuroo was honestly curious to see who it was from their school that had such a rich boyfriend dropping them off in the nice car. He almost fell to the ground when the passenger side door opened and a familiar mess of curls rose from it.

Haru was leaving the expensive car. She shut the door and then leaned in through the open window for a while. He saw her pull back, her book bag in hand. Her hair was a mess, down for once, making him green with envy. He wanted to know who it was that got the privilege of seeing her like that, so off guard. She gave a small wave and turned to leave the car and its driver behind. However, a male voice calling her by her familiar nickname got her attention again, making her stop. Kuroo moved a bit closer, to the side of where he'd been standing, in order to see the driver who was chatting with Haru so familiarly.

He was a young man, maybe a bit older than them, so in his twenties. He had dyed his hair a paler color, getting to an almost blonde hue. From what Kuroo could see of his face, he was handsome, in a youthful way. The shirt that he could see had an army camouflage print on it, with short sleeves and there were multiple bracelets on the wrist that kept moving, the driver explaining something with his hands. Kuroo caught sight of a single necklace, glittering silver around his neck, the pendant falling down to the man's chest. In short, the driver was the complete opposite of himself. Stylish and with a tastefully arranged head of hair, yet a bit on the wild side with his appearance.

"Who's that?" Yaku had joined him in his inspection, neck craning to see better.

"Who knows." Kuroo shrugged. The small libero frowned.

"Did he drop Haru off?"

"Just now." Yaku's frown deepened.

"I didn't know she had a boyfriend." The libero commented, making the deep pit of dread in Kuroo's stomach intensify. He had denied that word to himself, despite the obvious signs of a relationship. One didn't just drop off a girl at her school in an expensive car if there wasn't something there.

"Neither did I." Kuroo spoke in a low tone. "Let's go, we have some plans to make." Yaku gave him a pensive look, almost worried, but didn't comment. Instead, the libero followed him towards the school. What the third-years missed was Akari bounding over to the car window, as well, to greet the driver familiarly.

The unease Kuroo felt at the scene he'd witnessed that morning just wouldn't leave his head. He could barely focus in class, taking messy notes and attempting to listen. Yet, the image of Haru with her hair loose and messy kept invading his thoughts, and not in a nice way. He couldn't see her anymore in the dark ocean, illuminated by moonlight. Instead, he kept seeing the bright smile she'd given to the driver of the sleek blue car.

So, when lunch rolled around, Kuroo decided to try and put himself at ease. He collected his money, got his anpan from the school store and headed for Kenma's classroom. He already knew by heart where the setter typically spent his lunch, right at his desk, gaming. And, when he opened the door to the second-year class three, causing giggles and whispers among the female population inside, Kuroo wasn't surprised to see his friend sitting, eating his lunch with one hand and gaming with the other.

"Hey, Kenma," the captain greeted, nodding to the giggling girls as he passed them. He sat down in front of his friend, the wrong way around on the free chair. "New game?" Kenma nodded. Kuroo had known the boy long enough to be able to deduce that he had to be concise and precise with his words, or the other wouldn't register them. "Do you know if Haru has a boyfriend?" So, he came straight out with his question.

Kenma paused the game, lowering the PSP on his desk. The analytic eyes which had been so focused on figuring out the new strategy were now fixated on Kuroo. The captain waited, letting his friend process and then reply on his own.

"No…" Finally, the setter's monotone broke a silence. Kuroo, though ended up with his head falling down, hitting the table with his forehead softly.

"No what?" the third-year whined, in a very manly way in his opinion. "No, she doesn't? No, you don't know?" Kenma's head titled a bit to the side.

"I don't know, but I don't think she does." The setter replied. Kuroo knew that Kenma wasn't comfortable in this conversation. He didn't like the to talk, to begin with. And, this was an overly sensitive topic which he usually didn't care for. The setter was doing his best for his friend.

"See, I thought so, too," Kuroo's head rose, the boy pulling in his chair closer to the shorter one. "But, some older guy drove her to school today." Kenma's head tilted to the other side. "You don't just get dropped off at school in an expensive car for no reason." The third-year elaborated.

"So…" Kenma mused. "It's a problem because the car was expensive?" Kuroo groaned, shaking his head, then stopping and nodding. "Or because the guy was older? Or, was it the fact that it was a guy who dropped her off?" Kuroo's head exploded.

"All of the above! None of the above? I don't know." Finally, the third-year gave up, his hands rising to mess up his bedhead further. "She had her hair down." Kuroo mumbled, making Kenma squint at him. "She never wears her hair down unless she's comfortable with whoever she's with at that moment."

"She's worn her hair down with you?" Kuroo nodded and he saw Kenma's confusion visibly increase. "So, she's been off-guard with you, too? Then is it a problem that she's also off-guard with some other guy? That you're not special to her?" The third-year groaned, his friend hitting bullseye, as always.

"It's everything, all of that," the captain was a mess. His head wouldn't stop going through scenarios which he didn't like one single bit. "She had her hair down, she was talking to him so chattily, with a smile and he drove her to school."

"So, you think it's her boyfriend?"

"I don't know!" Kuroo's hands flew up in desperation. Kenma thought for a while in silence, eating his lunch soundlessly.

"I can ask her?" The setter suggested. "Or Akari." Kuroo's eyebrows furrowed.

"Who's Akari?"

"Her best friend." Kenma told him.

"Ah, the scary short girl she's always with?" Kenma nodded. "Would you?" Kenma shrugged. Kuroo nodded. His brain was still churning, but he would accept the setter's generous offer. "Thanks." And then, Kuroo opened the packet holding his anpan and started finally eating, his stomach growling once his primary worries were all fixed, for the time being.

But, despite Kenma's efforts to calm Kuroo down, the third-year's brain wouldn't stop giving him possibilities and options and scenarios, each worse than the previous one. So, the captain decided to do what any sane man would do – consult a woman about womanly problems. It was in between math and physics that he reached forward from his desk, tugging the end of a single, this time, long dark braid gently.

"Calling Misaki, the Goddess of third year," Kuroo teased from his desk, fingers playing with the edge of the neat braid. The girl who always sat in front of him didn't reply, but chose to ignore his need for attention. Kuroo wouldn't be thwarted so easily, though. "This peasant humbly seeks your wisdom." At that, the girl whirled around in her seat, glaring at him from behind her glasses.

"No, Kuroo, I won't give you my notes," she scolded. "If you want good notes, take them yourself." Kuroo had her. He knew when she reacted like that that he had her. He knew exactly what to do. He would gladly make a devil's deal if it got him what he wanted.

"I'll lend you my bio notes for your thoughts?" Takahashi Misaki was good with any subject. She knew almost everything before it was even taught in class. Kuroo didn't know if she sat at home, reading the textbooks in her spare time or if she was just that knowledgeable, but she always seemed to know everything. There was only one subject which she didn't do well in. And, as luck would have it, he was superb at it. That was the basis of their friendship over the past three years, give and take.

"Okay." Misaki turned to sit completely sideways in her chair, giving Kuroo her full attention. "What's got your mind so busy?" When he raised an eyebrow, she laughed. "I noticed you going from brain blowing up to mumbling to yourself in class today." Kuroo groaned. Then, he sat up straight, towering over the girl in height despite them both being in chairs.

"So, hypothetical situation," Misaki nodded. "Your friend, a girl, is dropped off at school by a good-looking older guy in an expensive car," the girl nodded again. "Who do you think it is that dropped her off?" Misaki sat for a moment, thinking.

"Her father?" Kuroo shook his head. "Brother, relative?" The third-year wondered about that for a second. Did Haru have any pure Japanese relatives? Probably, on her mother's side. "But, the most likely answer, which you probably don't want to hear, is her boyfriend." Misaki was watching the despair on his face with an amused look. "Are we talking about that second-year beach bunny you've been bugging?"

"She's our manager…" Kuroo mumbled and Misaki raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay, I like her, too. But, she's our manager."

"Just ask her," Misaki shrugged. "Or a good friend of hers. Stop that head from making up insane scenarios, I can practically see them like they're a movie playing in the background in class." And with that, the third-year class president left her friend in an even more desperate mood. She did take his biology notebook, though.

Class ended for Kuroo after what seemed like days. His head was a mess and he couldn't keep any focus on the lectures. He just wanted to see Kenma and ask if the boy had found anything out. Either way, Kuroo wanted to know. If Haru had a boyfriend, he had to back off. If she didn't, he had to go in while he could. Due to the way the girl behaved, without much interest in anything besides her schoolwork and part-time work, he had deduced that he had time. Time to decide what he wanted, what to do. However, now that the possibility was on the table, it scared him to no end.

He grabbed his books and gym bag, walking towards the lockers to change his shoes. He knew that he didn't have much time. He was a third-year. The following year, he would be in college or abroad, playing for a volleyball team. Haru, on the other hand, would still be in high school, surrounded by boys her age. Yet, he'd waited, giving her time to get to know him and giving himself time to muster his courage and not mess up their good new set-up with a manager.

Kuroo opened his locker on autopilot and took out his outside shoes, a note falling onto the ground. But, if that driver wasn't her boyfriend, he wouldn't wait passively anymore. He would do something about his feelings, end result be damned. Kuroo picked up the note, unfolding the paper.

Please, hear my confession

I'll be waiting by the girls' basketball gym after school and won't take much of your time because of your practice

Kuroo's head titled to the side, considering. He didn't get many of these confession notes or love letters. In fact, he didn't think anyone did anymore. It was a rather outdated way of expressing your feelings. Nowadays, with cellphones and social media, there were easier ways to tell a boy or girl one liked them. But, Kuroo had to admire and respect the bravery of the person who'd been so bold to leave the note. And, he was a tad touched that they had been careful to tell him it wouldn't take much time, because of his practice.

He spotted the girl nervously standing next to the basketball gym easily. She was short, with dyed hair that looked almost natural. It was puffy, but neat, in a side ponytail. She wore her uniform shirt short, in a tasteful way, showing off her long legs. Kuroo walked up to her, giving a small awkward wave.

"I got your note." He told her and she offered a bow to him.

"Thank you for coming, Kuroo-sempai." Her voice was soft and girly somehow, too. Everything about her was feminine. "I'm Nishimura Megumi, class 2-3." Instantly, recognition sparked in his brain. That was the girl who had started all the rumors about him and Haru a few months ago. He had never seen her face, but he'd heard her name plenty of times. He frowned a bit, not sure where that interaction would go anymore. "I understand that you might not want to talk to me now that you know who I am," the girl said, looking at her feet shyly, surprising him. "So, you can leave now if you want to."

"Nah," Kuroo laughed. "What did you want to tell me?" The girl looked up at him in surprise.

"Errr I-" she shook her head, a soft scent of flowers wandering up to Kuroo's nose from the motion. "I wanted to explain." The girl was one surprise after another. "I wanted to apologize, firstly, for starting those rumors in April. I was jealous," she looked back down at her feet, and Kuroo gave her time to collect herself and talk at her own pace. "Sakurano has always had the attention from boys, because of her looks. I was jealous that she caught the eye of a boy I liked again." Kuroo's eyebrows rose even higher. "So, I'm sorry, and, I like you Kuroo-sempai, please consider going out with me." The girl bowed and Kuroo was left with his brain not functioning properly.

Suddenly, all of those pieces of the puzzle from back in April fell into place. Nishimura had been jealous of Haru getting his attention, so she'd retaliated in the only way she knew how, with rumors. She'd lashed out because of honest feelings. He couldn't fault that, despite all the grief the action had brought. The girl had had honest reasons for doing it. His mind wondered briefly back to the scene from that same morning, Haru leaving the expensive blue car, and Kuroo felt an odd feeling in his stomach. On one hand, he wanted to reward the girl in front of him for being brave, on the other, he wanted to stop that jealousy in his gut. He wanted to be wanted, too, not constantly wondering if he was.

"I'll tell you what, Nishimura," Kuroo had made a decision. "I don't condone what you did, nor do I like those actions. I think that they're very underhanded." Megumi's head dropped in defeat. "But, I'll go out with you at least on one date, to get to know each other. How does that sound?"

He swore he could see a light shine from the second-year girl at that very moment.

Kuroo sought Kenma out as soon as he entered the boys' locker room. The small setter was changing at his locker, the captain's right next to his. As soon as Kuroo walked over, Kenma's head rose, their eyes meeting.

"Haru isn't dating the man who dropped her off," the setter told him without having to be prompted, for once. "As far as Akari knows, but she said to just ask Haru straight up. She doesn't know if her friend is interested in Satoshi-san." Kuroo began taking off his uniform, changing into practice T-shirt and shorts.

"In other words, we don't know if they're dating." The captain concluded and Kenma nodded. Kuroo saw the way the setter had his brows furrowed and he knew that the boy was holding something back. "Is it important?" The captain asked, making Kenma look at him pensively.

"I can't say," the setter murmured, his gaze wandering to his hands. "I've been sword to secrecy on the matter."

"On the pain of being hit by a book bag?" Kuroo laughed, remembering his own incident with Akari. Kenma nodded.

"Probably being kicked in the shin, too." The setter got his things and closed his locker. "I'd rather not risk it, knowing Akari's record." He got ready to leave when Kuroo pulled his shirt on, closing his own locker.

"I'm going to go out with Nishimura." Kenma stopped short, turning to look at him with calculating eyes. "She apologized for the mess she caused and asked me out. I couldn't say no." The third-year led them out of the locker room. Kenma didn't speak for a while.

"If you think that's best." Kuroo didn't know if it was disapproval or general indifference that he heard in the boy's tone.

"Haru!" Taniyama Nana was a relatively tall girl, in her twenties, with beautiful long, straight dark hair. She had a pale complexion, like snow almost, and pouty lips which always seemed to be in a wide smile, showing off her perfect teeth. But, Nana wasn't all natural beauty. She also had style that seemed to accent each of her good assets. The girl wore short skirts or shorts, with tight shirts or blouses that looked simply breathtaking on her. With a bit of natural makeup, she was a sight on the cover page of a magazine.

"How are you?" Haru smiled at the girl, fighting her exhaustion as both her and Satoshi entered the large photo studio. They had booked it that morning after pouring over ideas for the next photoshoot with the models from the dance group.

"I'm great!" Nana came over, hugging the younger girl tightly. She instantly offered to help with the equipment Haru was carrying. "It's going to be so great working with you on a regular basis! I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it, our manager told us to let him arrange everything." Haru waved away the help, but kept chatting as the dancer followed her, showing her where to set up.

"It's alright, I'm glad to be able to take more pictures of you guys." Haru giggled. "You are really one of the best gigs we've had in a while." Nana gave her an inquisitive wide-eyed look, which made her face look attractively small. "We mostly get those artistic ones which focus on nature." Haru explained.

"Oh, that must not be as fun as us!" Haru shook her head.

"I prefer live models, if I have the option to choose." Nana gave the girl another excited hug, leading her to the main room where the rest of the group was chatting with Satoshi. Haru could swear that she saw a hint of a blush on his cheeks while he was surrounded by the eager girls. He seemed to breathe a breath of relief when he saw the second-year.

"Haru, you're with Nana-chan and Shiori-chan today," Satoshi instructed, taking a small bag that Haru was very familiar with and handing it to her. "Go out while there's still a bit of good light and catch as many shots as you can before you get swarmed." The girls giggled at that.

"Satoshi-kun, we can't help that we always have a crowd, you know that." Ayame told him from the group that was staying with him inside.

"I know, I know." Satoshi smiled at her. "But, it's better to have some shots without a crowd around you, if possible." Haru gave him a nod when he turned to her and tossed her bag onto the nearby chair, taking out her wallet and phone, before meeting the two girls at the door.

"Ready?" She asked and the two models nodded. They left the studio and hit the street, looking for good spots with natural sunlight still available. "How do you girls feel about some dance shots today? All stretched and ready?"

"Yes!" Nana grinned. "I remembered that Satoshi-kun asked us to dance last time, so we made sure to stretch well. What do you need us to do?" Haru took out the camera from the black bag at her hip, setting it up. It was a nice Nikon with a 50mm lens, perfect for the shots she was planning to do. It seemed that Satoshi had read her mind, knowing that she would make the girl do some jumps and movements from their routines while she took pictures.

"Okay, let's start with a shot in the street, are you okay with that?" Haru asked and the two dancers grinned at each other, before nodding to her.

"Let's stop some traffic!"

I hope that I managed to get you all excited with the nice title before crushing those dreams with more drama xD I'm sorry!

I've been made aware that my headcanon of Kuroo living only with his mother is not canon, how do you guys feel about me going off-canon with this detail? I like the idea of him being a momma's boy, I'm sorry xD

Reviews:

KirikaAndo:
Hi and welcome to reviews! Thanks so much for leaving me a comment!
For some reason, this review is only in my mail, but not on the website… so odd… Anyways, my exams are this weekend and then the following one, as well xD I hope to do well, but who knows… At this point I'm just stressing xD Thanks for the support :)
I'm not promising overly quick updates, but I'll do my best. I'm in a mood to be obsessed with this ship hahahaha
Happy to have you hooked! I'm so glad I can keep your interest, it's really the best compliment an author can get!
Kuroo frustrated? Check. Rivals? Well, check? Fluff? To come after the drama, I promise xD
Love ya too!

Kimikokimono:
Happy to give you food for recharging :D
Progress? Regress? I promise both xD I'm gonna start being very frustrating with one step forward, two back xD I'm sorry!
But, I promise some nice, concrete stuff soon :D
Cheers!

yesitsjennifer:
Right, right? The omakeeee gosh, Haru you stupidhead, go climb him like a tree for god's sake! xD They both frustrate me… I can't wait to write the romance… Please, romance already… Why do I keep wanting romance and making drama instead xD Urgh!
Thanks! I'm super nervous about them and I'm so glad that they came out alright so far :) I seriously love that team…
For now, not yet, I don't think Haru, Hinata or I can handle it in a scene on paper xD But, next time, I promise some Hinata and, hint hint, Kageyama time. It's gonna be fun! For now, I had my fun writing Tanaka and Noya :D I just love those two! I think Tanaka says a lot of very important and cool things on a whim, so I wanted him to be the one to give Haru the words that she needed… Somehow gives me the warm fuzzies :P
I. Have. Pacing. Problems. I'm either on fire, writing every day, or I'm sulking and not writing a word xD It's bad… Really bad… I'm glad that you're enjoying the ride I'm on, though :P
Oh gosh, right in the feels… Thank you for existing!
I feel like I need to elaborate a bit, I'm not diagnosed, but I'm pretty sure that I have depression, since I go through really down and unproductive periods. At those times, it's the little things like this website that keep me going. It really means a lot to hear from you guys about how you like the work I do.
thank you so much!

Rosto'sGirl:
Hi! Welcome to reviews :D
I'm glad that you like my ship! :D I can't promise more romance right now, but there will be drama and more developments, for sure :D
Can't wait to hear your thoughts :)

Valen Goncalvez:
Hello! Thanks so much for commenting :D
Tanaka and Noya are like urgh, I wanna adopt them xD they're such nice, girl-crazy freaks who are so modest about their skills! Yamamoto is a fav, too xD
Kuroo is an idiot. But we love him. I promise that he will get a bit smarter in the future and will be attentive :P
Cheers!

Omake:

Haru had just left Satoshi's car after he'd dropped her off at her house, when her phone rang. She fished it out of her back pocket, fingers shaky. She was dead tired from running all over the city and taking numerous photos. She was happy with how they had turned out, though. Most of them she could use with a few minor touch-ups.

"Hello?" Haru picked up her phone as she was unlocking the front door.

"Hey there, little spitfire." The familiar deep voice almost made her drop her keys.

"Papa!" Haru grinned wide. "Aren't you in Germany?" She frowned as she entered the hall, toeing off her shoes and turning the lights on.

"Just a short phone call, I promise," the man laughed on the other end of the call. Still, she could hear the loud background. "Sorry about the noise."

"What time is it there?" Haru asked, going to the kitchen and tossing her bag on the kitchen table.

"One in the afternoon, I have a small break before the next game." Dalian hesitated, but then continued. "Listen, since I don't want to rack up a big phone bill, I'll just get to the point. There is a sports meet and greet next week, right before your Inter-High."

"Scouting?" Haru asked around the piece of food in her mouth.

"Yeah," her father confirmed. "It's a formal event where you will need an invitation to enter. I managed to get you one. I don't think I'll be there, but you should go. Also, take the team with you." Haru lowered her chopsticks, looking at the rice in front of her in thought. "You can take only third-years or all of them who are interested in going pro, but take them. It's a good chance to meet some of the big names in the industry."

"Okay," the girl nodded, even though her father couldn't see it. "Can you send me the details?"

"Already send you an email," Dalian was grinning. "Do me proud, kid." There was a short pause where Haru couldn't help but feel the pressure on her shoulders. One wrong move and she could ruin her family's reputation at that event. "Remember, you're a Caballero woman. They're there to own the room and take what they want. Never forget that."

"I won't, papa." The line went dead after her father wished her goodnight quickly because someone was calling him on his side. Haru stood in the kitchen for a moment, looking at the rice and meat in front of her. Then, she picked up her chopsticks, determined. She could do this. She was a Caballero woman, after all.

Hope you all enjoyed!