I had promised another chapter soon. Here it is! :D
Thank you for the follows, favorites and reviews! :D
LuxKlara : Grazie per dire che il capitolo era fantastico, ma questo, non c'è qualcosa che arriva... Scopriamo la verità su KIku nel capitolo 31. :)
AnimeViolinist001 : I doubt OIkawa and Iwaizumi would ever NOT make up after an argument, they're too important for each other. And there's another tiny Kijime interaction in this chapter~
TheLadyMuse : Their relationship is going to evolve very quickly, very soon! ;)
Krisia : His heart did know that the only path he needed to take was to Kiku's~ I tried to make their loss to Shiratorizawa as epic, royal, and heartbreaking, as possible. ;)
Cooliceprincess : I agree that we don't have enough platonic stories about Iwaizumi and Oikawa, or even other characters. "Platonic friendship" doesn't seem to exist in this fandom! x) I'm trying to put as much of their relationship as possible, but considering it's an established friendship, that they know each other so well, for so long, I can't do much except showing how easy it is for htem to coexist. If you get what I'm trying to say...
pinkdoughtnuts : Confessinos... will come soon enough, don't worry. :)
Aquafin : This is what I like most about Iwaizumi, that he's all grumpy when really, he's so soft-hearted and kind~
FANFICTION
HAIKYUU! : QUIET VOICE
CHAPTER XXVII : Inter-High
"If you're not gonna go all the way, why go at all?"
― Joe Namath
"Play to win, not "not to lose"."
― Dondi Scumaci
"The greatest joys in life are found not only in what we do and feel, but also in our quiet hopes and labors for others."
― Bryant McGill, Voice of Reason
Sendai Gymnasium, first day of the Inter-high
Many gazes turned to Aoba Jousai's team in awe as they walked through the hall. Being the best team of the prefecture after Shiratorizawa Academy, everyone's attention was on them. The team, used to it, didn't blink an eye, walking confidently towards the stairs that would lead them to the seats.
The only one who felt uncomfortable at the attention given was Kiku. She was blushing and kept her eyes fixated on the floor – several people were curious about the new manager of Seijou after three years without anyone to take care of the boys.
"Is she a first-year…? Aoba Jousai didn't have a manager last year, right?" Someone whispered, but it was loud enough to be heard by the girl.
"I'd have expected better for Aoba Jousai – they have Oikawa-san on their team, after all…"
Kiku glanced around quickly, hiding her face behind her hair, then she ran in between Matsukawa, Kindachi and Yahaba – all three were so tall that she was easily lost in the white and turquoise. Feeling reassured, she looked up a little, the last two smiling to her gently while Mattsun pretended he didn't care – but he might have sent his "especially intimidating middle-blocker look" in the direction of the whispering people to make them shut up. They startled and quickly walked away from the Aoba Jousai.
"We need to watch them one last time. Especially the powerful quick of that first-year duo." Irihata said, leading the teenagers.
He glanced over his shoulder then stopped, everyone following his example as he looked at the team in confusion.
"Where's Oikawa?" He asked, an exasperated expression appearing on his face.
Kiku finally noticed the absence of their Captain, looking up at the boys as they discussed.
"Ah, uh…" Yahaba hesitated, glancing around nervously.
"What is it? Fess up." Mizoguchi asked, frowning.
"Girls of other schools have him in their clutches," He explained sheepishly.
No one was surprised, especially not the two coaches who were, unfortunately, used to this sort of events. Unflinching, Irihata spoke up with a stern voice:
"Iwaizumi."
"Yes." The Ace said with a hard voice.
Everyone startled at the dark aura surrounding him as he went back to the outside of the gymnasium, angrily stomping his feet as he looked for his friend.
"I wouldn't want to be Oikawa right now…" Mattsun murmured.
"We're lucky we have Iwaizumi-san, he's the only one Oikawa-san listens to…"
"I feel sorry for the team Oikawa will go to if Iwaizumi doesn't follow," Matsukawa added, Kiku glancing at him curiously.
She knew that Iwaizumi wanted to go to a different university and team as Oikawa, so they could evolve as individuals and mostly, so he could know his true value without the setter.
Aoba Jousai went ahead, not waiting for their Captain and Vice-Captain even if they were back faster than they had thought – Iwaizumi was still scolding Oikawa who was whining about how mean and unfair he was… The usual mayhem.
The team went to the seats right above Karasuno's match to observe their quick combination – Kiku had vaguely seen it during the practice match but her focus had been on Hajime and not the other team. She recognized the orange-haired boy who had been panicking most of the practice match but he seemed much better now, not phased much by the stress of the competition.
Talking about the stress of the competition…
Kiku glanced around nervously and, instinctively, inched closer to Makki and Mattsun, both glancing at her curiously as she forced the middle-blocker to move away so she could sit in the middle, clenching her notebook tightly.
"Aaah… I'm so nervous…! How can you be so relaxed, all of you?" She whined, hiding her face behind her book – her hair wasn't effective enough anymore.
"It's just the beginning of the preliminaries and we're a top four team," Makki answered with a shrug.
"We're secured for the first match. Even the second I think." Mattsun added.
"No need to stress, we'll go to Nationals," Hanamaki declared.
He didn't have a particularly strong voice or determined expression, but there was an easy-going firmness that immediately reassured Kiku. For the last three years the team had reached the finals and faced Shiratorizawa – this time, once again, they'll get there and this year, they'll beat Ushiwaka.
The two absentmindedly looked at Karasuno warming-up while Oikawa and Iwaizumi finally reached the rest of their team and leaned over the railing to greet the team of crows.
"Yoohoo~ Tobio-chan, Chibi-chan~ How is the freak duo doing~?" He asked with his usual happy-go-lucky voice, waving at the first-years a few meters downwards – and hiding Iwaizumi from view in the same time.
Hajime quickly slapped his hand away, glaring at him while he moaned in pain.
"That hurt, Iwa-chan…" He mumbled before his gaze was attracted to a player of Karasuno in particular, "Huh? They have a libero. He wasn't there for the practice match."
"And that big guy wasn't there, either," Iwaizumi added, noticing the number three.
They noticed a new coach working for the team and watched for some more minutes the warm-up of Karasuno. Iwaizumi was about to join Kiku (and the others) when he remembered something he had forgotten to do before coming here. He put down his bag next to Mattsun and turned to the others:
"I forgot to go get the schedule for the teams with the hours we'll have to go warming-up," he mumbled to himself.
"I'll go get it for you!" Kiku exclaimed enthusiastically, standing up suddenly.
She smiled up at Hajime, impatient to be helpful to the boys and she knew Iwaizumi wanted to watch Karasuno for as long as possible. He seemed grateful and after giving her the indication, she went off running down the stairs.
"Y'know," Makki started, noticing Iwaizumi staring at the manager going off, "Doing something for you… it's the shy way of sucking off your dick. You should ask her, she'd probably say yes."
Hajime instantly whipped around and glared, disliking whenever his friends made such suggestions:
"She would not say yes and I don't need to ask her and– and just stop that! She's just being kind and helpful!" He hissed.
"But she would still say yes," Mattsun remarked.
"You haven't noticed how she looks at you, Iwa-chan~" Oikawa said proudly.
Before Iwaizumi could answer, someone else arrived, attracting everyone's attention on the young woman who had arrived.
Kiku gathered all the papers Hajime had asked her, checked one last time she had everything, then went back to where Aoba Jousai was waiting. Not wanting to spend too much time away from him, she hurried, running up the stairs.
"Iwaizumi-san!" She called.
Two well-dressed women stepped aside as she ran in the middle, barely noticed by Kiku, her whole attention taken by Iwaizumi.
"Here is what you asked for! The hours of your match and the list of teams for the Inter-High! I added the hour you'll have to start warming-up!" The girl exclaimed happily, handing him some papers.
The Ace immediately grinned and nodded:
"Thanks, Akiyama-san. You're as perfect as ever!"
He froze, a deep blush appearing on his face while Kiku's heart sped up happily and she glanced down, just as blushy.
"I-I meant… your… uh… the… what you do… great job…" Iwaizumi stammered.
He lifted up one hand to give her a manly punch on the shoulder but decided against it and ended up not knowing what to do with his hand and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, so he read the papers she had given him but both were blushing too much to focus on anything. Kiku noticed his awkward behavior and couldn't help but smile – not only he was adorable but… he was being so because of her and nothing could make her happier.
The others snickered behind but neither the manager nor the Ace cared much about it.
Suddenly, while Kiku was busy staring at Hajime, he caught sight of something going on behind them and whipped around.
"OI! You two! Don't!" He screamed at Oikawa and… a young girl who was standing there and Kiku didn't know.
"We aren't doing anything, Iwa-chan!"
"Yeah, well, I know better! Have a look at this! You're the one who should have taken care of it considering you're the Captain!" Iwaizumi exclaimed, throwing the papers at his friend who caught them before it could hit his face.
"I was busy!"
"Busy flirting, yeah!"
"Oh my…" The girl murmured, stepping towards Akiyama, "Are they always like this?"
Kiku startled and blushed when this person she didn't know talked to her. It took her a moment to answer, and nodded to her question.
"T-they're… they're a l-little s-stressed… because of… the I-Inter-high… It's their last year to win against… Shiratorizawa after all…" She answered shyly, glancing quickly at the pretty girl.
"Oh… I'm Kanemoto Ayaka, by the way," she introduced herself with a smile.
"A-Aki… Akiyama Kiku… I-I'm… their manager… I suppose…" She continued, hesitating a little because she was still new to this job.
"I'm the manager of a flock of crazy volleyball players as well so I know how complicated it is…" Ayaka sighed, "There are two other managers, though. It must be really tough to handle it all on your own!"
"I-it's o-okay…" Kiku murmured, blushing and glancing down.
The two girls started glancing around – Ayaka at the team, and Kiku at the girl and her friends. Kanemoto Ayaka sounded familiar but… she didn't remember when and where she had heard this name.
Not realizing she had started staring, Ayaka turned to Kiku curiously – silently asking her why she seemed so lost. Blushing a little, like always with people she didn't know, Kiku spoke up hesitantly, glancing between Ayaka and Oikawa:
"A-are you… hmm… here to support someone…?" She asked hesitantly.
"Not really, not yet, at least," Ayaka answered calmly, "I'm here to have a look at the teams, perhaps find some promising athletes. I mostly want to see Shiratorizawa and Aoba Jousai playing – hoping they'll both reach the finals, but I'm not worried about that. After all, Shiratorizawa is the first of the prefecture and Aoba Jousai has Tooru-san and Iwaizumi-san, and the rest of the team is good as well."
Kiku glanced up at Ayaka curiously then tilted her head on a side:
"Tooru… san? Are you… his… his girlfriend?" She asked in a hushed voice.
Ayaka looked back at her then jerked her head backwards, laughing loudly.
"What a stupid idea! Tooru-san! Your manager thinks we're dating!" She exclaimed, turning around.
Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow but Oikawa laughed as well while Kiku felt like going to bury herself in a hole out of embarrassment:
"Kiku-chan! You've met my girlfriend, why would you think Ayaka-chan is another one? I have eyes only for my one and only~!"
"Your one and only of two weeks," Iwaizumi added but he was ignored by the setter who continued.
"Three weeks." Oikawa corrected calmly, "And Ayaka-chan is pretty but I wouldn't want my life to end – her boyfriend wouldn't like knowing people think us a couple!" He exclaimed good-heartedly.
Ayaka chuckled while Kiku blushed in embarrassment:
"I-I! I'm s-so sorry! I-I didn't mean! I meant! I-I didn't know…! Y-you had a b-boyfriend K-Kanemoto-san…" She stammered awkwardly, avoiding looking at anyone.
"It's all right, you couldn't know! It's just funny! Koutarou will laugh too – I hope. Otherwise he might come here to kill Tooru-san. I hope you don't need your setter too much?" She asked, turning towards the few players who were sitting nearby.
"H-hey!" Oikawa exclaimed at once.
"Not really, you can bring your boyfriend," Iwaizumi answered with a smirk.
"IWA-CHAN!"
"He's a top five Ace, right?" Seijou's Ace continued, ignoring his friend's whining.
Ayaka instantly perked up, stars appearing in her eyes as she spoke of her Bokuto Koutarou:
"Yeees~! He's so strong and talented! He's the number four! And I'm sure he could beat Ushijima-san because if he wasn't left-handed his power would be beaten by my Koutarou! Kou will be sponsored next year, you know? He's your future teammate, Tooru-san! But my Koutarou is so strong and handsome and powerful and skilled and–"
Ayaka's cheerful speech was cut by a whistle from a referee. She glanced down at the courts, undisturbed, while everyone blinked at her outburst of love – it had been as if talking about Koutarou had made flowers and stars appear all around her. Everyone's focus turned towards the court where the teams lined up, even if they had been quite stunned by Ayaka's sudden outburst of love.
"She could go on for hours, I'm sure," Iwaizumi whispered to Oikawa.
"Like you when you talk about Kiku-chan, then~?" He answered in the same tone.
Iwaizumi glared at him, but the flush on his cheeks made him less convincing.
"Miss Ayaka, you are expected soon," Hanae reminded her.
"I'll watch the beginning of the match of Karasuno then I'll go," she answered with a nod.
After the referee's whistle announcing the end of warm-up, all the teams about to play lined up for their first, and perhaps last, match of the Inter-High. A ceremonious atmosphere fell on the gymnasium, Aoba Jousai calmed down and both Ayaka and Kiku glanced at the courts.
Silence hung in the air, the usual excitement of matches resonating ceremoniously. Kiku remained standing next to Iwaizumi and her heart sped up – she had never seen first matches and it was so exciting, this atmosphere, how everyone was holding their breathes…
The referee breathed in his whistle once more and all players bowed at once:
"Let's play!" They all shouted.
After seeing the line-up of Karasuno, Kiku – as well as Ayaka – seemed confused. The black-haired girl asked outloud what Kiku was wondering in silence.
"Such a short boy plays Middle-blocker?" Ayaka asked, tilting her head on a side, staring at the orange-haired one.
"Don't underestimate him, he's got more speed and jump than most players, especially considering his height," Iwaizumi said, leaning against the railing he was close enough to Kiku for their arms to almost touch.
"Hmpf! He's nothing without Tobio-chan!" Oikawa commented, sitting in the seats.
Kiku knew she should have focused on the match going on down there but the only thing she could think of was Hajime's elbow touching hers. She regretted there were clothes in between but even through the layers, she could feel his warmth. It was comforting, soothing… She wanted to lean in closer and be wrapped into his arms and–
Kiku's thoughts were suddenly interrupted when she felt someone's foot pushing against her hip, towards Hajime. She bumped lightly into him – just enough for their arms to collide and if Kiku blushed, he didn't notice a thing, too absorbed into the match as he was…
"Wow, that's awesome power…" Iwaizumi commented after number three had marked a point.
Kiku looked down in a panic, realizing that Karasuno had marked the first two points without her noticing and couldn't help but intervene:
"Y-you're more powerful and reliable… Iwaizumi-san!" Kiku piped up, bouncing enthusiastically.
"R-really?" He said, blinking at her while flowers started appearing around them.
"You're in the top ten, it's obvious you're more powerful, Iwaizumi-san. Their play is rather ordinary." Ayaka continued, disappointed. "I don't see what's so incredible about–"
The number ten, Hinata, the short Middle-blocker, ran, jumped and BAM! The ball was slammed on the other side before any blocker had time to react or anyone had time to see anything.
Ayaka's mouth fell open and she blinked, not knowing what just happened. It had felt as if this tiny, black-clad player had flown in the air to mark the point, too fast to be seen.
Kiku blinked, she hadn't had time to see what had happened. The number ten had flown and then – the ball was slammed on the other side's floor.
"W-what… what just happened?!" Ayaka exclaimed, whipping towards Aoba Jousai's players for an explanation.
Iwaizumi chuckled, while Oikawa huffed, Kiku had already seen the freak combination from afar during the practice match – but it was so much more impressive up-close and during a competition… She hoped Aoba Jousai wouldn't have to face Karasuno…
"Kageyama tosses the ball directly into the shrimp's hand, he doesn't have to look where the ball goes, it'll land in his hand when he swings."
"I-is this even possible?" Ayaka asked in confusion.
"It is when you're a genius setter," Iwaizumi answered with a shrug.
Oikawa huffed once again and rolled his eyes but didn't add anything.
Reminded by her assistant that she had to go, Ayaka wished good luck to Aoba Jousai and after saying something to Oikawa, she left. Kiku watched her go then focused once again on the match going on. She felt the same push on her hip and this time, she bumped into Hajime's side. He barely wavered but looked down at her curiously, she looked away and blushed and he shrugged it off. As soon as his attention was off her, Kiku stepped away and glared behind her, at Hanamaki whose long leg was pushing her towards Iwaizumi. He chuckled and tried once again to push her but she kicked his leg right in the shin and he ended up curling up in a ball and whining while punching off Mattsun who was now making fun of him.
The team watched Karasuno for a good part of their match, Kiku taking notes and Hajime glancing over her shoulder to add his remarks as well – Mattsun told him to stop staring from above at her breasts which made him glare at the middle-blocker but either Kiku hadn't heard or she didn't care. After that, though, it was hard for Hajime to look over her shoulder in her notebook and not notice the curve of her breasts, even covered by clothes. It was even worse when she opened the zipper of her jacket – and the snickering of the three idiots in his back didn't help at all. Finally, the match ended, Karasuno easily winning against Tokonami.
"Do they realize they have another match this afternoon?" Kindaichi asked, still watching some players of Karasuno.
Kiku overheard this and stopped from rummaging through her bag, looking up at her boys curiously. She knew that several players had bad blood with some of Karasuno's – which might explain why they felt so concerned about this team, other than just the preoccupation of a possible future opponent.
"I mean, it was impossible for the other team to make a comeback, they should've conserved their energy–" Kindaichi continued before being cut by Oikawa who stood up from his seat.
"I'm glad they didn't. We got to see them be serious. Although, we didn't get to see the freak quick…"
"The match on that court's done, too. Datekou won handedly." Makki intervened, coming back from the match he had watched instead of Karasuno's.
They all glanced at Datekougyou's players meeting after the match and drinking water.
"So it'll be Karasuno versus Datekou. Who will win?" Kindaichi asked.
Kiku glanced around as no one answered until Iwaizumi straightened up and squarred his shoulders.
"Let's go. It won't matter if we don't win." He said.
They all followed him and after gathering all the players spread around the seats to watch the matches of their own wishes, they went to warm-up on another court.
"Oikawa, Iwaizumi," Mizoguchi called the Captain and Vice-Captain as the team started stretching their muscles for warm-up, "We'll watch the beginning of the match between Karasuno and Datekou. We'll let you handle the warming-up and be sure to watch for the clock. Kiku-chan, we're counting on you to help them out!"
"Oooss!" They answered.
"Y-yes!" Kiku squeaked, startling and flushing to have expectations put on her.
At ease, because as much shenanigans their team might cause, they at least had Iwaizumi and Akiyama watching over them, and they were used to be left on their own during competitions. As soon as Irihata and Mizoguchi were gone, Kiku whipped towards Oikawa and Iwaizumi and while they were stepping away, she grabbed their forearms, forcing them to an abrupt stop. The setter glanced at her curiously while the Ace blinked, flushing lightly at her touch.
"What did they mean by 'help out'? What should I do? Where do I go? What do you need? When do I have to do things? What–"
"Cam down, calm down, Kiku-chan~ We can handle the warm-up – just check one last time that we have enough water bottles and energy drinks for the match and keep an eye on what we do. If we do less good than usual, tell us, if we make mistakes, warn us…"
"Keep an eye on the time – we have to move in half an hour. If we spend too much time on an exercise in particular, remind us to go to the next one. You'll do good, and we're used to work on our own, don't worry about us." Iwaizumi added with a smile.
They moved towards the courts, giving orders to the team as they warmed-up. Kiku did as they asked of her and kept a close eye on the minutes ticking by but even if she wanted to be useful, they could handle it on their own. It was as if Iwaizumi had a clock in his head – every time Kiku's watch indicated that five minutes of practice of a certain exercise had gone by, he would announce they'd switch to the next exercise. At the moment, she felt useless and admirative. Useless because she wasn't doing much – all the balls were taken by players who weren't regulars, Oikawa and Iwaizumi could handle on their own and the team was so balanced that they didn't need her remarks. But for all of these reasons she was in awe – they all worked so smoothly, so effortlessly… They didn't need a coach to watch over them to know what to do, Oikawa and Iwaizumi were such a good duo that they didn't even need to talk to each other to know what to do next – they had years of experience working together to thank for.
Admiring from afar how well the team was doing, and mostly how Oikawa and Iwaizumi were moving and deciding as one mind, she felt jealous of their close relationship… She couldn't be like that with Hajime, only Oikawa knew him this way. Only these two could have such a fusional relationship.
When the time of the warm-up was ending, the two coaches came to take them on the court, they put their jackets on to not let their muscles cool and moved onto the court for the official warm-up.
Kiku noticed Oikawa, Iwaizumi and some other players, as well as her uncle and Mizoguchi, glancing at the court where Karasuno and Datekougyou were playing. They saw the freak-quick that stunned everyone for a moment before the whole gymnasium cheered for the incredibility of this quick.
"And there you have it, the monster quick!" Iwaizumi remarked, Kiku glancing up at them quickly.
"It sure is powerful…"
"It's scary, it's awful," Irihata added with an easy-going smile, not looking scared at all.
"That genius gets on my nerves…" Oikawa mumbled.
"Is it really that impressive? This quick and Karasuno's setter?" Kiku asked, finally expecting an answer about this question that had been on her mind for a while.
Oikawa and Iwaizumi seemed to ponder this question before answering:
"It hurts to admit it but it is impressive – the setter is such a genius that he can send the toss directly into the spiker's hand. It requires a level of skills that would take years of practice to reach, if it is even reachable for people like us…" Oikawa started with a pout on his face.
"Other than the setter's high skills, what is stunning is how fast this spiker moves. This number ten… you don't know what's happening that the ball has landed – it's annoying to not see it coming." Iwaizumi added, frowning at the reminder of the practice match against Karasuno some time ago.
Kiku glanced at Karasuno once again and even though the speed and skills were incredible… she couldn't imagine such a tiny spiker and a good setter beat Aoba Jousai. She hoped at least that her team was more complete and stronger than this reborn team.
The crows won the first set and it seemed that the entire gymnasium's attention was onto the number ten. It was hard not to notice him whenever he was moving back to the front – even without looking directly, his presence could sparkle throughout the entire gymnasium, his loud voice resonating every time he called for a toss…
"He just keeps screaming…" Kiku remarked, earning a look from the other third-years, "His mere presence is incredible, does he really need to call for a toss that much?" She asked, a little confused.
Sometimes there was no need to call for a toss – how many times did she see Oikawa tossing to a spiker who knew he'd be the one to spike without a single word uttered?
Oikawa stared at Kiku then back at Karasuno, observing closely Kageyama's perfect form and the shrimp's erratic moves.
"It can bring motivation to call for a toss," Makki remarked with a shrug, "Like, you're telling that you're ready to receive the toss and you feel ready to be trusted with the point. I suppose that for the setter too, it's not a bad thing. Right, Oikawa?"
"Mmm…" He hummed, his gaze still fixated on the breathtaking duo.
Kiku stared at him, stunned by his seriousness… It was so rare to see him so… himself. She was observant enough to know that Oikawa Tooru was keeping a mask for everyone – the charming, handsome and popular student who played the role he had been given: the Prince of Aoba Jousai. But when he was on the court, he was a King and it was probably the closest to his true self that he showed – but who was he really? She couldn't tell, perhaps Iwaizumi knew his friend's true self but even that, she wasn't sure… Oikawa Tooru, as easy to read as he was, remained a beautiful mystery.
Aoba Jousai only had one match for the day but the next one, they'll play either Karasuno High-School or Datekougyou High-school. Kiku couldn't tell which team she wanted less for her team to face. While the boys were warming-up, the sound of their calls and the squeaking of their shoes reassuring her, Kiku checked that everything was here and packed.
"Waterbottles, check. Energy drinks, check… First-aid kit, check… Switching cards, check… Food for the famished, check…" She mumbled to herself, glancing one last time that everything was here and within reach if anything was needed during the match.
"You're forgetting the most important thing."
Kiku startled and jumped on her feet, whipping around and flushing when she faced Iwaizumi. He was covered in a thin layer of sweat, his jersey giving him this aura of Ace, the number four proudly standing on his muscular chest. She was a little stunned by his handsomeness for a moment but then, his words hit her and she shook her head – partly because she felt confused and mostly to clear her head from thoughts that had nothing to do with the match to come.
She glanced over her shoulder and all around to check yet again…
Waterbottles. Energy drinks. First-aid kit. Switching cards. Food… She thought, mentally counting every item.
"W-what…?" She hesitated, not understanding and turning back towards the Ace.
He smiled, amused by her frantic and adorable behavior, desperately trying to please and be useful. Hajime stepped towards her and she froze at the sudden proximity but he put a hand on her shoulder then leaned down behind her. Kiku caught the scent of his shampoo and sweat mixing together, his warmth within reach. Her hand trembled, about to reach for him but just as quickly as he had leaned behind her, he was straightening up again.
Kiku stared up at him, and felt something in her hands… She kept staring, lost in his beautiful gaze. Hajime smiled and almost chuckled at her gaze stuck on him but before he could make a sound, he felt a nice feeling filling him. Something warm in his entire body – his cheeks probably blushed and he prayed it could pass for the effort of the warm-up. They stared at each other for a moment until someone coughed loudly. They startled and Hajime quickly stepped away from Kiku, the girl glancing down at what she had in her hands without quite remarking what it was. Both blushed and glanced awkwardly at Mizoguchi who was pretending to be watching over the team.
"Uuuh…" Hajime hesitated.
He was about to turn around and run away for cover (with his teammates even though he could see them mock him from here) but Kiku spoke up shyly, still staring down at what he had put in her hands after taking it from the bench.
"U-um…?"
He glanced back at Kiku then smirked at her confused expression:
"You're our manager, right? Take notes of everything happening on court – that's the most important thing for our improvement." He said.
She glanced up at him, fingers clenching tightly around the notebook he had put in her hands. He smiled then calmly walked towards his teammates as they lined up to shake hands with their opponents.
"Smooth move, back there," Makki commented while they waited.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Iwaizumi answered seriously despite the flush on his cheeks.
"As if you didn't do it on purpose to lean so close to Kiku earlier." Mattsun added.
"You could have at least try to grab something – her breasts, her ass, something. You're making me sad – such a wasted opportunity…" Makki sighed.
"You're a pervert."
"Yes, and proud of it." He smirked, glancing at his friend who, he knew, was getting embarrassed at the mere thought of touching Kiku.
The flush on his cheeks was enough proof despite his furrowed brows. The Ace huffed but then, Oikawa arrived at their sides and they fell silent.
The official warm-up reached an end and after Oikawa and the other team's Captain decided on who was to serve first – Aoba Jousai, Oikawa remarked that they were brave and should be treated worthily (Kiku shivered at his smile and was pretty sure that his serve would be explosive…) – they lined up. Kiku's heart was beating hard, it was the first time she was so close to the team and the match itself. She usually watched a match or two, usually the finals, back in the seats, as discreet as possible while everyone cheered loudly for their school. But now… being in the middle of the action, seeing up-close what was happening, she was taken in… She wanted her team to win. She had seen their training, their practices, their good and bad days, they had done so much they deserved to win. This first match, the next, every single one and go to Nationals and show to the whole of Japan that Aoba Jousai was that strong. They were a complete, strong team that deserved to be noticed as more than "the team that always lost to Shiratorizawa". Oikawa deserved this acknowledgment. Iwaizumi deserved it. They all deserved to be shown to Japan as the team that they truly were: a King leading his Generals with the skills of a maestro.
The whistle resonated and the two lines of players separated by courts and a net bowed down.
"Let's play!" They shouted.
Kiku, and the coaches, bowed to the other team's coaches and the match started.
As Oikawa had said… they respectfully treated the opposite team's bravery. As usual, Aoba Jousai's plays went smoothly and effectively, the points quickly racking up. Despite three weeks without playing, Iwaizumi was as powerful as usual and Kiku could see that over the time of the match he got more and more lively and confident – he hadn't admitted it but she had noticed that he was twice more careful about his wrist but now, he knew he was healed and could play to his utmost. The Great Ace playing to its best after weeks was a heavy toil for the other team but when the King threw his killing serves… it destroyed them.
The first set was won just as Karasuno won their match against Datekougyou.
"Keep doing what you do, you're doing well," Irihata said calmly to his players in between sets.
"Here, Iwaizumi-san," Kiku said with a smile, handing him a towel and bottle, "You're doing particularly well and your wrist is fine. Right?"
"I'm fine, don't worry, I'm as good as usual. As if I had never been hurt," he answered with a smile, his heart fluttering happily to know her concerned about his well-being.
"Great, I'm glad, then…" She answered with a huge smile.
"Get married already," Makki muttered as he walked behind them.
They froze and blushed and a moment later, while Iwaizumi was throwing his bottle at his head and screaming threats of death, Kiku turned around and ignored her uncle's long stare.
"Let's wrap up this match, shall we~?" Oikawa said with his usual singing voice, taking the lead as he walked back onto the court.
His team followed him with determined steps, ready to take the second set.
As expected, Aoba Jousai quickly racked up points whether it was from their set-up, team spirit, power or… Oikawa's serves (she jumped off the seat at every single one of them when it landed on the other side with a horrendous sound). The only one nervous was Kiku. She was carefully writing down everything happening on both sides but mostly focusing on her team and their results. It was not a surprise when Seijou calmly took the first set and advanced to their second without any stress whatsover. At this point, Kiku almost felt bad for the other team who kept panicking whenever Oikawa was serving but he wasn't sparing them. The setter was so different when he was playing volleyball – not just because he was serious but he seemed much more… more.
"Just one more point and we win…" Mizoguchi said with a satisfied smile.
Kiku glanced at the score and before she had time to look closely, Oikawa was serving once again, sending the ball over the net with a frightening power and accuracy.
The whistle resonated.
End of match – Aoba Jousai won.
"Time to see who will be our next opponent," Irihata started, standing up with an easy-going smile.
After comments for both teams from their coaches, they started packing away their stuff. Kiku lifted up her bag over her shoulder then glanced up, noticing Karasuno in the seats. From the looks on their faces, they had observed the last bits of the match of Aoba Jousai.
"Akiyama-san?"
She turned back towards Iwaizumi who was the last one, waiting for her and they followed the rest of the team.
"Karasuno High-school won against Datekougyou, which means that we'll face them next. We'll go back to the school then, we'll discuss today's results and make a plan for tomorrow's match." Irihata announced to the team gathered around him.
"OOSS!" They shouted.
After a quick interview Oikawa gave to the tv crews while Iwaizumi took care of guiding everyone into the bus, they climbed into the bus and rode back to the high-school, Kiku running to keep up with everyone's long legs as they moved towards the gymnasiums. After long discussions when they mentioned the rare mistakes of their players and what could have been avoided during the match, and tomorrow's plan against Karasuno's freak-quick, they moved to the changing-room. Once everyone was gone and only Iwaizumi and Oikawa were left, the Ace glanced into his friend's bag and noticed – without surprise – the recording of Karasuno VS Datekou's match.
"Hey, make sure not to stay up all night." He told Oikawa who turned to him with an overly sweet smile.
"Iwa-chan, are you my mom?" He asked gently.
Iwaizumi's face immediately turned murderous, the setter suddenly afraid for his life:
"Sorry, sorry, sorry! I promise I won't! I promise I'll arrive in top condition!" He exclaimed.
Knowing that he would watch to impossible hours the match but would make sure to arrive in ~top condition~ Iwaizumi decided to trust him.
"Stop being stupid, Crappy Oikawa." He started, grabbing his bag, "I'm shutting the club room doors, so get out of here, Trashykawa!"
"Don't shorten the insults!" He exclaimed back, grabbing his bag and running after him.
"Trashy Oikawa!"
"No need to rephrase it!"
While Oikawa whined about it, they left the high-school grounds but Hajime's attention was drawn to a familiar silhouette walking away, dragging her bike to her side. He opened his lips to call Kiku but she was already climbing onto her bike and riding off into the darkness. In-between whines Oikawa noticed this and stared at the girl then back at his friend who now looked like a kicked puppy…
"For someone who acts so tough, you really are just a romantic in the heart~" He said with a huge smile.
Iwaizumi grabbed his friend's jaws in his fingers, a dark aura surrounding him while he screamed.
"Waish, waish waish! I'm SHORRY IYA-SHAN!" Oikawa shouted, his handsome face deformed by his friend's hold on him.
"Just get moving! I wanna go home!" He muttered, letting him go and starting to go.
Unfortunately, yet again, not much happens... Two more IH chapters then, the next arc will start - and believe me, you'll love it.
NEXT CHAPTER : SETTERS' SHOWDOWN
Yours Truly,
May