Disclaimer: I do not own Haikyuu! or any of its characters. I only own my OCs.

Chapter 6: Curiosity May Kill the Cat

"Thanks, Sakai-san," Minako smiled at the stocky vice-captain, closing her notebook.

"No problem, Sonozaki-chan," the third year grinned back at her. "Write well about me, yeah? Make me so popular I can't breathe."

Minako chuckled, "No promises, Sakai-san, but I will write as best I can. Good luck with the rest of your practices."

"Thanks. Oh," he called out once more as they both started turning their separate ways. "If you're still around later in the evening, which something tells me you will be, then make sure Oikawa and whoever is still around with him head home, please? Last thing the team needs is for him to overwork himself again."

"Uh, right. I'll…do my best…" Minako's brow arched curiously.

Sakai nodded appreciatively and headed off.

Minako gripped the notebook of her hands. 'Overwork himself…again…'

Interhigh was just around the corner and the other members of the school paper were running around following the Interhigh journeys of the other sports teams. May was just about done—only the second month of school yet it felt like she was ages into her second year. She breathed a heavy sigh, rubbing her eyes with her hand, a slow tiredness creeping up on her. She couldn't imagine what these athletes were going through.

She made her way back to her club room, diligently typing away as she worked on her articles. The rhythmic clicks of fingers on keyboard continued steadily throughout the rest of the evening. It didn't seem like long, at least not on her standards, before she decided to head out earlier than normal, if anything to sate the exhaustion knitting at her eyelids and making it all the more difficult to keep them open. Out of courtesy to the vice-captain and his request, but mostly for her own curiosity, Minako took the route leading her past the gymnasium where she could peek in at the practice she was sure some people were still pushing through.

The gym was lit up, and dull noises could be heard through the closed doors. When Minako opened them, slowly and deliberately, she wasn't surprised at the sight.

Oikawa was methodically practicing his serves, with Iwaizumi standing off to the side looking agitated and ready to leave. The setter's muscles flexed every few seconds as he prepped his hands for every move.

Minako pursed her lips, peering at him for a few minutes as Iwaizumi berated him, and after some consideration treaded back a few steps, letting the door close.

"Hey, Sonozaki-san," a voice greeted from behind.

Minako whirled around, finding herself facing fellow second years, and other starters of the volleyball team, middle blocker Matsukawa and wing spiker Hanamaki.

"Came to interview us, hm?" Matsukawa asked, giving an entertained grin.

"Aha, not yet I'm afraid," Minako smiled.

"Oh, sorry, I thought you were here to see Oikawa?" Hanamaki laughed, joined by Matsukawa soon after.

"Please, let's not entertain such absurd notions," the girl sighed, exasperated.

"Believe me, it's already been entertained by most of the team," the light-haired boy smirked.

Minako groaned, shaking her head. "I don't…ever want to know, or hear, or think about that. Please. I just…" she stuttered, all of a sudden unsure of what to say or even why she was by the gymnasium in the first place.

"Relax, Sonozaki-chan, we're just teasing," the middle blocker chuckled, his droopy eyes glinting playfully.

"Besides," Hanamaki continued, greatly amused. "Most of us already determined that it's a match made in hell. Someone will most definitely end up murdered—not something we'd like to encourage with Interhigh right around the corner."

The girl frowned as the two boys smiled slyly at her. It seemed like the second year Seijoh volleyball starters all had the uncanny ability to be unnervingly grating. All except for Iwaizumi and blessings upon him for that, Minako thought.

"Sakai-san…asked me to get Oikawa to stop practicing and go home…but I think Iwaizumi-san is handling that," she said softly.

"Well, if Iwaizumi can't get him to relax, then you have no chance, sorry to say," Hanamaki mentioned.

"Was he like this last year?" she asked hesitantly.

"Oh yeah. And from what I know, he was like this all throughout middle school," Matsukawa affirmed.

"Because of Ushijima-san?"

The two nodded slowly, though they shared a wary glance with each other. Minako didn't fail to notice.

"Ushiwaka…well, none of us are big fans of the beast, really. But Oikawa took all our losses a bit more…personally…" Matsukawa said.

"Oikawa-san has the tendency to use others'…uh, abilities as his own shortcomings, doesn't he?" Minako remarked.

"Well, I don't know if that's necessarily the case…" Matsukawa pursed his lips.

The writer narrowed her eyes, "Then what is it?"

"Well," the wing spiker started, glancing uneasily at Matsukawa, "I mean…it wasn't just Ushiwaka…"

Minako's eyes widened, her intrigue suddenly heightened. "Oh?"

Matsukawa sighed, "We don't…really know any details, so don't put much stock on this…but apparently there was some genius first year setter when Oikawa was in this third year at Kitagawa Daiichi that…well, drove him to even more extremes."

"Genius…" Minako abruptly thought of the one lunch period a few weeks ago which she and Oikawa shared in the computer room.

'I am no genius.'

Minako was almost startled by the severity of his tone when he said it. Aside from that, she didn't think much on it then but was now starting to realize the gravity of his statement.

"We don't know much of the details…Iwaizumi does, I'm sure…But on top of Ushiwaka's natural talent and physique and Kageyama's genius, it kind of sent him off the edge…" Matsukawa explained.

"Sent him off the edge how…?"

The two shrugged, but their nonchalance was betrayed by the slight tension in their shoulders.

"Kageyama…" Minako whispered to herself, her mind trying to fit pieces of a puzzle together. She just wasn't sure what the picture was supposed to look like.

"Wonder what high school he'll be going to next year…" Hanamaki mumbled to himself.

"Doesn't matter, just means that Oikawa is going to be even more on edge."

"Yeah, up until he damages his knee more," Hanamaki huffed.

"What?" Minako's attention jostled at the curly-haired boy's words. "What happened to his knee?"

"You didn't notice?" Hanamaki asked. "His left knee, with the white brace."

"I thought that was just a fashion statement…" the girl mumbled.

The wing spiker snickered, "Well, I wouldn't put that past him. But no, it's a knee support. He hurt it sometime during middle school, as far as we know."

Minako wracked her brain for whatever minimal knowledge of potential knee injuries she had acquired over the few years, "Like…his ACL, or MCL?"

"Dunno," Matsukawa shrugged, "he's never talked about it. It isn't a regular problem—"

"—but he keeps overworking himself…" the girl interjected.

Hanamaki nodded slowly, pursing his lips.

Minako pondered for a moment, brows knitting tightly. "Right, um, sorry for asking so many questions."

"Not a problem, it's a good change of pace," the middle blocker grinned.

"Though next time it'd be nice if you asked about us, hm?" Hanamaki winked playfully.

The girl chuckled, cheeks flushing, "Of course… Thanks, Matsukawa-san, Hanamaki-san."

The two nodded at the girl, offering her an affable smile and taking their leave with a final wave.

'Ushijima-san…Kageyama…knee injury…'

For someone as smart as Oikawa—at least what was told to her by his teammates and fellow peers—his lack of consideration to his own body, for an athlete especially, irritated Minako. She didn't even need to know about his knee to assume the definite consequences his body would otherwise be suffering due to his arduous practice regime. But as irritated and…confused as she felt, she couldn't help but feel a pang of heartbreak at the thought that someone as talented and strong as him still drove himself to the point of breaking his own body. Out of what, desperation? Anger? Passionate devotion? It almost seemed like a detrimental case of tunnel-vision, and that thought concerned her for some reason.

And she couldn't help but agree with Hanamaki and Matsukawa's statement that Oikawa would act no different. It just seemed like something he would do, considering the image he put up to the public. Something like an injury seemed almost too arbitrary to impede someone like Oikawa. Minako's early thoughts on him didn't seem to be of naught—she knew that he wasn't all that he seemed, though she didn't expect it to be so…somber. Perhaps she was thinking too much into things, but it persisted, nagging her like an uncontrollable itch. Minako chewed the inside of her mouth, disconcerted.

She turned back to the doors of the gymnasium and opened them once more, peeking her head through.

Oikawa was setting tosses to Iwaizumi, who was spiking the ball unenthusiastically over the net, though he was clad in his track suit rather than practice shirt and shorts.

"Enough, Oikawa, we should head home. And you need to rest," said Iwaizumi firmly.

Oikawa didn't reply as he continued to tosses balls to Iwaizumi, who continued spiking them with a loud sigh. However, after picking his next ball he paused for a moment and turned his eyes slyly to the door.

"You know, I know you're attracted to me and all, but you don't have to try and be sneaky," he said coolly.

"Don't you ever get tired of being so full of yourself?" the girl spat, entering the gymnasium in full, hands on her hips and scowling deeply.

"No," Oikawa shrugged, grinning.

Iwaizumi turned around, "Oh hey Sonozaki-san. Want to entertain him for a while?" he asked, walking over to pick up his bag.

"Iwa-chan~," the setter whined.

"I entertain with pen and paper only," said Minako dully. "I've been instructed by your vice-captain to make sure you all leave and get rest. Go home."

Iwaizumi nodded and began bringing down the net as Oikawa pouted and stood aside awkwardly. "Let's go, Oikawa, you need to rest."

Minako eyed the setter carefully. He looked okay, seemed okay, albeit tired and worn-out. Her eyes trailed down his form, pausing at his left knee wrapped by the white knee support. She frowned, unable to imagine what kind of strain he was placing on the joint—it couldn't be good, she thought, especially considering how much strain was put on the knees in general with a sport that involved that much jumping and abrupt movement.

Oikawa sighed, relinquishing to the nags of his peers and heading out the door to the club room. As he passed Minako, he smirked and tugged playfully at her ponytail.

She swatted his hand away, glaring at him as he walked past.

Iwaizumi regarded them casually as he finished up, walking to Minako after he was finished.

"You're awfully quiet today," he intoned gently.

"Am I?" she asked halfheartedly.

"I was expecting more yells and jeers, honestly."

Minako shrugged, "Tired, I guess."

Iwaizumi arched a brow, "Everything okay?"

The writer was quiet for a moment, fiddling with the uniform ribbon around the collar of her shirt. "How long has Oikawa-san had his knee injury?"

The ace looked at her, surprised. "Uh, since 2nd year middle school…it got worse during our third year. Then he started taking better care of himself."

"But despite that he still pushes himself this hard?"

"Well, that's Oikawa."

Minako hummed thoughtfully. For a moment she considered asking about this Kageyama guy. But for some reason the words caught in her throat and nothing but air came out as she opened her mouth. It was a sign, she reasoned with herself, that this was neither the time nor place to bring up something as potentially testy as this first-year genius. Though in the back of her mind she knew that it probably wasn't in her place to ask anyway—the thought made her want to ask so much more.

"Well," Minako began, "I'll head out then. See you later, Iwaizumi-san."

"See ya."

Minako headed out the school grounds, buried in her own thoughts and contemplating what would happen within the next little while or so as the Interhigh preparations came to its climax.

'Ushijima-san…Kageyama…knee injury…'

Minako stared at the chocolate-haired setter in front of her, studying him carefully, while consequently the teenage boy squirmed under the girl's intense scrutiny.

"I thought interviews were for third years only?" he asked suspiciously.

"For now, yes," Minako affirmed. "But I'll be doing all starters eventually. I'm just getting ahead."

"So you're done all the third years?"

"Yes."

"Isn't there not enough time to cover all the starters before Interhigh?"

"I'll manage."

"Will you write about me as well as you did for Otsuka-senpai and Sakai-senpai, or will it be your regular insults and remarks?" Oikawa stared at her pointedly.

Minako shot him an exasperated glance, "Have I ever written ill of you?" She forcibly ignored her own brain as it reminded her of the very first article she had written for the team—the only article that had ever been admonished by her good-natured editor for its…less-than-tasteful remarks on a certain Seijoh setter.

"In your mind, I'm sure!"

"Just…answer some questions, please?" Minako sighed.

Oikawa pouted, slumping in his chair as he nodded in submission.

"Okay, this is more candid so just be yourself and relax, okay?" Minako glanced at him, offering as genial of a smile as she could.

"You shouldn't tell me that," he replied simply, shrugging.

Minako pressed her lips into a thin line, ignoring his words, and looked down at her notebook. "When was it you began volleyball, and what was it that drew you to the sport in the first place?"

"Hmm," Oikawa stared ahead thoughtfully. "Ever since I can remember, really. I used to watch games on TV with Iwa-chan when we were just kids. I remember thinking how cool it looked when the players moved the way they did, and I wanted to be able to do that."

"So you just picked up a volleyball and started playing?"

"Yeah, nothing to it. We just practiced tossing and receiving at first, then continued with serves and spikes. I guess I was hooked since then."

"But what specifically got you to the point where you were like 'Yeah, I love this sport'? Assuming that you had such a moment?" Minako asked genuinely. She had to remind herself how much she actually enjoyed talking to the third years about their volleyball experiences, and to try and carry it over to all the other players, despite her reservations with the setter.

"I guess…" Oikawa pondered, "that feeling when you hit the ball just right, when in lands right where it's supposed to, and the sound it makes as it hits the ground and the tingle in your fingers afterward…it's pretty amazing." He smiled, more to himself than anything, but it was completely natural and it softened his face in a surprisingly pleasant way. "And when you toss the ball just right, and your spiker hits it as precisely as they hoped. It's not something I can describe properly…I'm sure you would do much better with that."

Minako's gaze remained unwavering as she scanned his face carefully. There certainly were no pretenses in the words he said nor in the way his body spoke—his passion seeped through every crevice. Though her dubiety still remained, she had to admit she quite liked hearing him speak in such a way.

"So…" she continued, "you then decided to take it seriously, and joined your school team?"

"Yes, essentially."

"So, from there what inspired your famed work ethic?"

Oikawa laughed comfortably, "I don't know if famed is the right word."

"I'm sure everyone else would disagree."

The setter smiled at Minako, finally giving a shrug to the idea.

"What would you call it then?" she pressed.

"Dedication, maybe? As I said, I love the sport. Isn't it only natural to want to be better?" Oikawa pursed his lips contemplatively.

"Even to the point of injury?" The writer raised a brow, eyes quickly glancing to his left knee.

The brunette frowned, following the writer's gaze to his knee, before looking back at her with a hint of disdain.

Minako paused for a moment before sighing, "Of course, goals are what drives us all. Though there has to a particular goal you're working towards, no?"

Oikawa shrugged after a final glare, "Nationals has always been my goal."

"Anything else specifically?"

Oikawa gave her a knowing look, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Anyone specifically?" Minako fiddled with the pen in her hands as her gaze remained untrained on the setter in front of her. The library the two had settled in that lunch period had gotten eerily quiet, and the lingering silence only reminded Minako of the egg shells she was treading over. It seemed that the setter had heard its crunch.

The boy looked her over suspiciously, "Are these the kind of questions you asked my senpais?"

"I tailor my questions to the players," she stated.

"How thoughtful of you," he replied tightly. "Well, to answer it yes, of course there are players that I would love to be as good, or even better than."

Minako sensed that he wasn't going to drop any names, or any other specifics beyond that, but she couldn't help the gnawing curiosity that snarled at her like a rabid animal.

"Anyone…on your own team, even?"

Oikawa's face remained passive, though his eyes narrowed as he leaned forward slightly, scrutinizing the girl carefully. "What do you mean?"

"I think you know what I mean."

"No, I really don't."

Minako eyed him, annoyed. She realized that the art of subtlety and clever manipulation was lost on someone as blunt and straightforward as her; the setter's rigidity came as no surprise to her terse questioning. But her mind swirled with a multitude of thoughts and questions that seemed to unhinge at every joint.

Did she really want to open up this can of worms? Now? Why did she even care? Did she care? Rationality began flooding inside her in that brief moment and she started to wonder what it was she really saw in the setter, or what it was she wanted to see. Oikawa Tooru was the enigma, the itch that she so desperately and impatiently wanted to scratch, but in that moment she suddenly started to feel very foolish.

"Besides," he continued, "something tells me you already know enough. I don't know what you heard, or whom you heard it from, but that should be more than enough pertinent information for your—" he gestured towards her notebook, "—article."

Minako opened her mouth to retort, but she merely blinked and slumped slightly in her chair, "I wasn't going to…I wouldn't word it…I'm…never mind."

Oikawa chuckled mirthlessly, "You sure are a strange journalist, Sono-chan—strange and annoying."

The writer couldn't help but notice the underlying tension in his voice. Though cautious and suspicious, he seemed relatively unperturbed at the direction she went in her…questioning. She knew he didn't quite like it. It was masterfully executed, as he was quite quick to evade them all.

"Sorry," she apologized quietly. "That was…uncalled for, I supposed."

Oikawa snorted, "Why can't you ever ask normal questions, like a normal journalist?"

Minako glowered at him before gripping her pen tightly and positioning it over her notebook. "Fine. What do you like do do on your off days, when not playing volleyball or practicing?"

He grinned, "Well…"

"…Seriously? He's gonna think you're obsessed with him! Isn't that the last thing you feel about him?"

Minako sighed loudly into the mouthpiece of her phone. She knew mentioning anything of the sort would only rile her best friend's already hyperactive imagination, and no one could stop that one-way express train to crazy town.

"Honestly, I really do think you have some kind of thing for him," Matsui mused.

"I do not," Minako grumbled, aggravated. "I was interviewing him for the player spotlight."

"Those were some pretty personal questions for a newspaper article."

Minako shrugged, though the motion went unseen. "I was just…asking what I needed to."

"Oikawa-kun seems to be getting a lot of special treatment from you."

The writer snorted, "As if. I'm interviewing Iwaizumi-san tomorrow, and I've already gotten a few words from the other second years, if that makes a difference."

"Not really, no," Matsui giggled. "You really are something, Sonozaki-chan."

"So you've told me."

"Deny it all you want," Matsui let out a long, dramatic sigh. "But one day, you'll see it."

"And what is it that I need to be seeing?"

"You want me to spell it out for you?" she snickered.

"I think it's you that needs to do the seeing," Minako responded lightly. "Anyway, I need to go now."

"So soon? Eager to work on that article now, aren't you?" The amusement dripped audibly in Matsui's tone.

"Not exactly," Minako dragged her attention to the door in front of her. "I gotta go, talk to you later."

As Minako hung up the phone, she took another sparing glance to the door labeled 'Teachers' Lounge' before slowly pushing the handle and letting herself in.

The lounge was fairly empty, and those that remained were getting ready to take their leave. Minako earned a few strange stares as she glanced around the room, offering bows and apologies for her hasty entrance. In the corner of her eye, she saw the short mess of light hair that belonged to Coach Mizoguchi and she walked briskly towards him. He gave her a startled glance.

"Oh, Sonozaki-san, what can I do for you?" he asked hesitantly.

"Sorry to interrupt, Coach, but I just wanted to ask for a few more old tournament videos. For practice," she asked, bowing slightly.

"Oh, uh, of course. You already have last year's, right?"

"Yes, I was hoping for maybe the year before that, as well?"

"Yes, of course." He turned to a cabinet and began rummaging before producing a small handful of CDs. "There you go."

She smiled, reaching for the objects, "Thank you."

Minako turned to leave but her feet paused suddenly in their movement. Her brain started running faster as she remembered those words spoken by the two second-year starters.

'Kageyama…'

"Actually, Coach," Minako looked back to the man, eyes darting around nervously. "May I inquire for one more thing?"

Coach Mizoguchi canted his head, "Sure, what do you need?"

Her brain begged her to reconsider her next actions, and though Minako prided herself over her brilliance in rationality, it seemed that this new school year and the unprecedented circumstances she was thrust towards completely threw all of that out the window. Her curiosity seemed to beat that over the head repeatedly, and Minako found herself continuing with an ever-growing sense of trepidation hanging over her.

"I was wondering…if the team's video archives might contain copies of any matches from the middle school brackets?" Minako asked slowly, uncertainly.

"Middle school? Currently?" the coach looked at her oddly.

"Well, maybe from a couple of years ago, or something…"

Mizoguchi tapped his chin in thought, "Well, we certainly don't have every middle school's video footage, but there should be some. Which one specifically do you need?"

"…Kitagawa Daiichi."

"Oikawa and Iwaizumi's middle school?"

Minako nodded, swallowing the small, nervous lump in her throat.

"Uh…yes, I think we should have some. But why on earth do you want them?"

"…Curiosity, mostly," she answered lamely. There was no other plausible reason for her to ask of such a thing, and no easy way to lie about it either. Minako hoped that her simple, albeit strange, enough answer would suffice.

Mizoguchi's brow curved quizzically. "Uh, okay…?" He walked over to his desk, opening up a nearby cabinet and sifting through the contents. "A couple of years ago, you said? So Oikawa and Iwaizumi's last year?"

"Sure, that would work."

He spent a few more minutes thumbing through various binders and folders, before pausing and pulling out a few CD cases. He turned to the girl and handed them to her.

Minako accepted them with a low bow, "Thank you very much, Coach. I…hope I can hold on to these for a while?"

"Sure, we have no current need of them."

"Thank you so much," she smiled, and with a final bow she left the room, stuffing the CDs into her bag.

Minako reminded herself that her curiosity was a difficult beast to tame. In that regard, she pushed any potential blame that may arise from her actions to those that directed her to the pieces of information that had catalyzed her curiosity in the first place—'Sorry, Hanamaki-san, Matsukawa-san.'— and those that didn't satisfy them by answering her questions afterward. 'Not sorry to that ding-dong.' It was poor justification, she knew. But she willfully pushed that thought aside as she made her way back home, faster than normal and hyper-aware of every step, as if she had committed a first-class felony.

At home she went straight up to her bedroom after a quick greeting to her father. There was much to dwell on as she stared blankly at the video cases in her bag, though she wasn't sure where to begin. It wasn't entirely a lie that her request for them was out of a genuine want to get used to watching the games and get better at writing for them. But she knew where her true curiosities lay. Part of her felt guilty for trying to dissect Oikawa like some fictional character in a book, as if he were just another literature project for school. She resigned herself to a sigh before stuffing the cases in her drawer before her phone buzzed in her pocket. Pulling it out, she smiled softly at the caller ID.

"Hey loser."

"How dare. Do you have no respect for your dear older brother?" Koichi gasped dramatically.

"Maybe I would if he called more often," Minako replied pointedly.

"Fine, fine, have no sympathy for the struggling university student. You were always cold, anyway."

Minako chuckled, "How's it going?"

"Pretty good. Exams are coming up so I've just been studying and trying not to die—the usual."

"You'll be fine, Koichi-nii. You've always done well."

"Yes, but I'm still dying," his groan echoed loudly through the ear piece.

Minako rolled her eyes, "Well, if it makes you feel better, I will be in your position in two more years."

"Enjoy it while you can, imouto, high school is a cake walk in comparison."

"I suppose…" Minako settled into a chair, strumming her fingers against her desk.

The line was silent for a moment before Koichi piped up again, softer. "School's still tough though, no? I hope there's not too much on your plate."

Minako's gaze turned upward and she stared at the ceiling, "It's…manageable, for now. I guess I didn't expect the school paper to take up so much of my time and energy."

The eldest sibling chuckled, "Well of course; you're writing for a completely new topic, and pretty much managing another group of people."

Minako hummed in thought.

"Interhigh should be coming up, right?" he asked.

"Mhm."

"Yeah, that can get busy, I understand."

"It's earlier for the volleyball team than the basketball team, no?" she asked after a moment.

"Yeah, but the sentiments are all still the same," Koichi sighed wistfully.

"What do you mean?" Minako sat up straighter.

His chuckle echoed dully in her ear, and she could practically hear the nostalgic contemplation emanating off the older man.

"These tournaments mean a lot," he said simply.

"Elaborate, if you may."

Koichi was silent for a moment. When he spoke again, the tone of his voice had shifted. Minako could almost see and hear the memories he must have been reliving.

"It's an affirmation, almost, that all our dreams and hopes are…well, possible," he started slowly, speaking each word with careful deliberation.

"Go on," the writer urged, as she picked up a pen and opened her notebook.

He laughed, "Well, to a lot of people, sports is sometimes all they have—all they're good at. So many people's dreams, whether they're long term or not, ride on their performance at these tournaments. No one wants to see those dreams snuffed out as earlier as the first couple of stages of qualifiers."

Minako furrowed her brows, "Define…dreams."

"Well…it's different for everybody. Some just want to see victory with their friends, but others want to beat somebody…or beat themselves, who knows."

The words struck a familiar chord with the writer, as the image of a certain brunette setter flashed across her mind.

"I mean," he continued. "Can you imagine winning Nationals? How amazing of a feeling it would be, and to share that with the rest of your team? The whole country would see you as one of the best; you would have proved your worth to all those people or things that held you back. Not to mention the potential scholarships, sponsorships, positions on national teams; there are great career possibilities on the line, too."

"I get that, I really do, but to what degree can one push themselves to achieve those goals?" Minako asked tentatively.

Koichi let out a light laugh, "I'm the wrong person to ask, Minako, after what happened."

"Nii-san…"

"It's okay," Koichi reassured. "It's been a while. Regardless, everyone is different and things mean differently depending on who it is…what were we talking about again?"

Minako frowned, "I just…sometimes I want to know what peoples' motivations are…why do they feel that way, you know?" Her question came out more hesitant than she had thought, and part of her was left wondering why she was even bringing it her up to her brother.

Koichi was silent for a moment before saying, "Again, everyone's different. Human beings are strange creatures, sometimes it's just best to accept things the way they are and let it be."

"I guess…"

He chuckled, "Of course that's useless advice for a writer, but what do I know. Anyway, what is this really about, hm?" His tone had shifted to suspicion in an instant.

"Nothing," Minako muttered. "Just random thoughts…"

"Yeah, right," Koichi snorted. "Nothing is ever random with you. Does this have something to do with Seijoh's volleyball team?"

"No," she replied quickly.

"…Someone on the team…?"

"No!"

Koichi growled low, "I swear, if there's a boy bothering you, I'm taking the first flight out of Hong Kong and straight to Sendai and kicking his ass!"

Minako sighed, "Calm down, Nii-san. Sports has just been…a weird social study, if you will."

"Bullshit."

"I'm serious!" Minako pouted. "We'll talk more when you come to visit, okay?"

"You're avoiding the question. Tell me, or I'll tell Tou-san," he warned.

"Believe me, he knows more than you…" Minako muttered under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Minako tapped her pen on her notebook lightly, glancing through the words she had written that echoed her brother's previous words. "Listen," she started, "it's late, but I'm glad you called. I hope things get better for you, school-wise. You'll do great, I know it."

Koichi sighed, relenting, and smiled, "Thanks, Minako. And you, too. Don't take on too much, yeah? And tell Tou-san I say hi."

"Of course. Bye, Nii-san."

She clicked the end button on her phone, mulling over her brother's words and trying to place them within the context of Seijoh specifically.

It was difficult to understand the magnitude of their hopes and dreams. Nationals was simple enough, but talent was talent regardless of placements and awards—that would always be acknowledged and lead to payoffs.

But it was different with Oikawa. It was always different with him. There always seemed to be more—more than Nationals, more than simply winning. Did he really crave recognition and validation beyond that?

Minako sighed irritably, trying her hardest to push those thoughts aside as she glanced back to her phone, smiling.

It had taken a good while for her brother to actually call as frequently as he did now. The morbid silence that had once overtaken the lives of the Sonozaki family had been debilitating—heartbreakingly so. But things were starting to flow back to what it used to be, even with full awareness that things inherently weren't the same anymore. But Minako took it, for it was something.

School, the paper, volleyball, her family…everything was so different this year. But still…it was something. And not as terrible as she once expected.

A work in progress.

It seemed that life, nowadays, was full of those.

imouto = little sister

A/N: Despite all the edits made to this chapter, I still feel iffy about it. Then again, I feel iffy about everything all the time, so what do I know.

Life is still life, but I hope things have been well on everyone's front! There's a lot more of now, so there's so much more pressure to deliver something decent haha.

Thank you thank you THANK YOU to all that favorited and followed! There was quite a number this time around, and so my motivation was kicked into overdrive. So, again, thank you to all the new readers for tuning in! And a BIG thank you to thePotatoandtheEagle, Tora3, deborah-sucks, Dina Sana, and eunoiapaint for the reviews, and to angelcarstairs4679 for reviewing each chapter till now! I'm really glad the dynamic between Minako and Oikawa is resonating positively with everyone!

Until next time, take care!

-Anzu