Finals

The following weekend was the final match prefecture playoffs and the atmosphere was electric. Rei, Serena, and Ami were in the middle of a bunch of students from their school and Serena was bouncing in her seat. Rei was sure that once the teams came out of their locker rooms Serena would be up off of the bench and wouldn't sit again until the whole thing was over. She was also sure that she and Ami would be right there next to the blonde cheering on their friends.

Fans of the opposing team were on the opposite side of the court. They were making a lot of noise, at least as much as the fans alongside Rei. At the same time they looked pretty relaxed- at least more relaxed than Rei felt. Rei knew from their conversation earlier in the week how tough this team must be. Even Minako had lacked her usual bravado.

A roar from the crowd around her and a particularly piercing screech from Serena signaled the two teams' entrance to the gym. Each team set up on one side of the net and started warming up. Even from the stands Rei could tell this was going to be a different kind of game for the players. They were more tense, more serious than they had been before their other games. Minako especially looked more focused and less playful than before. In fact Rei was sure she had seen that look in her eye before, directed at her from the other side of a volleyball net. Minako wanted to win badly, and was about to do everything in her power to make it happen.

Warm ups ended and the starters took the court. The other team had the ball to start the game and a tall girl with short-cropped blonde hair took the ball to the service line. As the only blonde on the other team Rei figured that that was the rumored Haruka. She quickly scanned the other team and found a girl with long green hair positioned front and center. That would be Michiru. Then Haruka threw the ball high in the air, got a running start, and jumped and smashed the ball over the net. If she hadn't seen Minako's serves before Rei was sure she wouldn't have been able to track this one. But someone on Minako's team managed to bump it and Minako got under the ball. She set it perfectly for Makoto at the net who rose up to spike it only to be blocked by Haruka. The ball landed at Makoto's feet and a point was awarded to the other team.

"She's strong if she can block Mako so easily," Serena said.

Ami nodded. "That must be one of the girls they were talking about, Haruka."

"I can see why they were worried," Serena said. She was wringing her hands. "This is going to be so tense."

Rei grabbed the hand closest to her. "Remember what we promised?" she asked pointedly.

Ami grabbed her other hand. "We're going to blow the roof off of this gym," she said.

Serena looked from one of them to the other, squeezed their hands, and nodded resolutely. The game continued with Serena's, Ami's, and Rei's voices cheering on their friends.

But the next few points were no better for Minako's team than the first point had been. The next serve was knocked up and set for another Makoto spike which was blocked again by the short-haired blonde. The serve after saw Makoto try to tap the ball over Haruka's arms, but it went too far and landed out of bounds. On the serve after that Minako set up a different teammate to get away from Haruka. That teammate managed to hit it past the other team's defense, but Michiru was there to bump the ball and keep it alive. Another teammate set it to Haruka who spiked it with a vengeance, blowing through Makoto's defense. The sound of her hit echoed through the gym like thunder, echoed by the sound of her spike hitting the ground. Minako called a timeout.

"They've never had to call a timeout so early before," Ami said anxiously.

"Goes to show how tough the other team is," Rei said grimly. Hearing Minako and Makoto talk about these players hadn't done them justice. Haruka especially was like a force of nature. Serena squeezed her hand.

"Come on guys, we have to make them hear us," the blonde said.

Out of the timeout the teams took their positions again and Minako gave Makoto a couple of firm pats on the back. Makoto nodded in return and on the other side of the net Haruka served again. One of Minako's teammates bumped it to her and Makoto set herself up a few steps back from the net. She started her run up to the net as the ball came down and jumped as it reached Minako's hands. Minako set it, but along the length of the net to a different teammate, who jumped just in time to spike it. The other team was caught flat-footed save for one player. Michiru was in the perfect spot to bump the ball, as if she knew all along what Minako's team had planned. Another player set it to Haruka who jumped up for the spike. Makoto jumped to meet her but at the last second pulled her hands away. Haruka's spike screamed over the net unimpeded but Minako was there. The way she bumped it took most of the speed off and let a teammate set it quickly for Makoto, who jumped again and spiked it herself. Haruka was there but the ball careened off the side of her arm and out of bounds. They were on the board, but Rei was sure it wasn't in the way they intended. The amount of effort they needed to score once when the other team already had four points also gave her a bad feeling about the outcome of the game.

Her intuition turned out to be right. When Minako served, the other team set up Haruka for a spike, and she knocked it past Makoto for another point. The game continued that way, with Minako's team struggling to score and quickly giving up service when they did. The other team scored two or three times for each point Minako and her teammates scored. The first game ended with a score of 25 to 12.

"That was… that was rough," Ami said, voice shaking.

Serena brought their hands to her chest and looked between them. "They've never lost by that much, what do we do?"

"The only thing we can do," Rei said. "Keep cheering."

Serena nodded and started yelling out Minako's and Makoto's names. On the court the two were too focused to notice Serena's yells. The entire team was huddled around Minako, who was gesturing from player to player. She was animated, passionate, and even from the stands Rei could tell her team was getting fired up. They weren't out of fight yet.

They took the court and Minako set up to serve first. After a deep breath she threw the ball up and forward, took a running start, and leapt into her serve. Her hand connected with the ball with a loud smack, and Rei was sure she had never seen a volleyball move so fast. It must have had wicked spin on it as well, because when the defender tried to bump it straight up it instead went back over her head. Another defender had to hit towards the net. Michiru could only set it over the net without being able to set up Haruka for a spike.

Instead Minako's team got to set up Makoto. A quick bump and set and Makoto was in the air, directly opposite Haruka. Makoto swung straight into Haruka's defense. She forced the other girl's hands back and the ball fell on the other side of the net to give Minako's team the first point of the game. Serena immediately erupted in joy.

"Did you see that? They could barely keep up with them," she yelled over the crowd. Rei nodded quickly, too invested in the game to find words to say.

The next serve was just as hard as the first, and the other team couldn't handle it smoothly either. Makoto forced another spike past Haruka, but Michiru was there to hit it. After a quick set Haruka spiked the ball past Makoto, but another teammate recovered. Minako called out some orders and they set up a different teammate for a spike. She got it past the opposing defender, and neither Haruka nor Michiru were in a position to save the point.

But the other team wasn't in the finals for nothing. Minako's next serve was handled by Michiru. Where her teammates struggled, Michiru seemed to know exactly how to bump the serve to cancel out the speed and the spin. A teammate set up Haruka whose spike glanced off Makoto's arm and out of bounds. Then the game began in earnest.

The teams traded points, sometimes forcing a spike past defenders, sometimes feinting and getting the ball around them. Haruka and Makoto were the focal points of each teams' offense, but everyone was involved. Minako's team especially, under her yelled orders, mixed up their attacks. It was a necessary measure when Haruka was blocking Makoto more often than not. But even with a varied attack, they struggled to score consistently.

It was Michiru more than Haruka who stymied Minako's team the most. It was readily apparent why the tall blonde was so feared, but during the second game Rei began to appreciate why the green-haired girl was feared as well. After the early points, it was like she flipped a switch. Not only could she negate Minako's serves, but she seemed to know where the next attack was coming from. As unpredictable as Minako's team should have been, Michiru did a great job of predicting them.

On the other side of the net the players Rei had grown used to seeing were playing with a fervor she hadn't seen before. They had always worked well together and had always hustled, but they now seemed to reach another level. At the heart of that change was Minako. She was everywhere, diving for deflected spikes, sprinting to errant hits, and after every point she clapped and yelled and encouraged her teammates. Her energy seemed to feed the entire team.

Both teams hit 20 points and continued to trade points. Minako's team hit 25 first, but the other team had 24. For either team to win they would need two more points than the other.

Rei felt Serena squeeze her hand. "This is too tense," the blonde said. "I don't know if I can watch."

Rei knew exactly how the other girl felt. She was so nervous for the outcome that she almost felt sick. If this kind of tension came with rooting for a sports team, Rei couldn't understand why people did it so much. She could only imagine how the players were feeling. Although from the look of her, Minako at least was completely focused.

The teams traded points a few more times, neither able to get two points in a row. A breaking point would have to come, and Rei feared it would go against Minako's team. The two teams were still tied at 28 and Haruka took the ball to serve. Rei saw Minako get behind Makoto and give her a tap on the small of her back. Makoto nodded without taking her eyes off of Haruka. Minako had something planned.

Haruka served and Minako ran to bump it. She got under it and hit like Michiru had earlier, robbing the ball of its momentum and placing it at the perfect height near the net for Makoto to spike. Makoto was already in the air when the ball got to her, and she swung before Haruka could even get to the net. Makoto hit it away from Michiru and took the lead for her team.

Minako took the ball and Rei held her breath. The blonde served and the teams entered a long rally. It was a sight to behold. Makoto and Haruka clashed again and again at the net and Minako made some spectacular diving saves. At some point Rei's chest started to burn and she had to take a breath. At the end of the rally Makoto stopped a spike attempt and the ball fell to the ground on the other side of the net. The stands around Rei exploded in noise. Minako's team had won the second game.

After the cheering subsided Rei turned to her friends. "They can do it," she said. "They can win this." She hadn't realized how hoarse her voice was until she spoke, a side effect from all the cheering she had been doing.

"This is so exciting!" Serena yelled back. Her voice was equally hoarse.

The third game started with the other team serving first. As tense as the second game had been, the stakes had been raised for the third. Both teams were playing their best, and neither could pull away from the other. As the game went on Rei's elation from the victory slipped away, replaced by her earlier tension. The other team was the first to hit 20, but Minako's team tied them shortly after. The teams exchanged points to stay tied at 21. Then 22. Then 23. A Haruka spike gave her team the lead and she took the ball back to serve. If Minako's team lost the next point they'd be behind again, 2 games to 1. Rei held her breath again and Haruka served the ball.

Minako set up the same attack as before, but Makoto couldn't avoid Michiru. The blue haired girl darted to the perfect spot on the court and returned the favor. Her bump placed the ball at the front of the net for Haruka, who sprinted forward and leapt into the air. This time it was Makoto who couldn't get into position in time, and Haruka spiked the ball past a different girl. Minako dove but was too far away, and the ball smacked the ground, signaling a victory for the other team.

Serena groaned in disappointment. "They can still win this, right guys?" she asked.

"After the first game they were pretty even," Ami said. "It might come down to luck."

Rei wasn't so sure, but she didn't say anything. Minako looked to be out of energy. During the other breaks she had been up and down the bench, hyping her team up, but now she was only standing with her hands on her hips gulping down air. Her team was in worse shape. Most of them were seated on the bench, sweating and breathing hard. Some others were worse still, hunched over with heads turned down as they tried to catch their breath. And on the other side of the gym the other team looked, at worst, like they had been practicing hard. They were sweating and drinking water, but no one was hunched over. Haruka and Michiru were even chatting and laughing together.

Only when the whistle blew signaling the start of the fourth game did Minako try to get her team moving. The energy she had been giving to her team was spent, as were all the players on her team. They had reached a new level of play in the second and third games, but it had cost them. Whether it was a mismatch in talent level or a lack of experience, Minako and her team were running on empty.

The fourth game started as the first had, with the other team taking an early lead and Minako's team struggling to score. As the game continued the other team only extended their lead. Minako's team tried to stay in the game, but they just couldn't. With each point their play grew sloppier, their hits grew weaker, and the stands around Rei grew quieter. The fourth game ended in a rout and the other team and their fans exploded into celebration. They had won their third consecutive championship at the expense of Minako's team.