Quiet Voice

by LilweenGalatrass

Shy, socially-awkward Akiyama Kiku never was noticed by anyone. She didn't speak up and the gods forbid ever making eye-contact with anyone. So, she couldn't understand why Oikawa Tooru suddenly decided that she was the perfect match for his best friend. Iwaizumi Hajime would never admit outloud how grateful he really was to his friend. Iwaizumi x OC

29. Last Chance for the Nationals

The long awaited match against Shiratorizawa is finally here... It's a very long chapter and I tried to make their last match (because we all know the results and that, despite their wills to try again at the Spring High, it IS their last match and chance against Shiratorizaawa) as epic as possible! :D If it's our boys' last chance, it'll have to be as epic as it could be! :)

Thank you to everyone who followed, favorited and reviewed! :D

LuxKlara : Karasuno che perda è trista, ma sappiamo chi vincerà il Spring High... e chi perderà... Sono felice di sapere che hai piaciuto il bonus! ;) Siamo oneste, anche noi guarderemmo Hajime (o tutti i ragazzi~)! :D

Krisia: I'm glad you're excited, and I hope it's up to your expectations! :D

Aquafin : There'll need more than that to crush someone like Kiku! ;)

pinkdoughtnuts : They'll be very close again, very soon, things will accelerate~! ;)

AnimeViolinist001 : In Kiku's defense, we would have ALL stared. The girls supporting Oikawa and Siejou probably passed out in the seats if the boys changed in the middle of the court - that's why we don't see them again after, these poor girls... It was too much at once. But seriously, I get the whole "we have matches to finish so wrap it up boys" but... didn't they get the opportunity to go change in somewhere more prvate rather than in the middle of the gymnasium? I'm embarrassed for them.

forevertrash97 : I'm glad you smiled a lot - but unfortunately, you might not smile as much in the following chapters considering what's coming.

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FANFICTION

HAIKYUU! : QUIET VOICE

CHAPTER XXIX : Last Chance for the Nationals

"The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team."

― Phil Jackson

"Only by binding together as a single force will we remain strong and unconquerable."

― Chris Bradford, The Way of the Dragon

"We're a team. It's part of our job to help each other out, and to forgive each other quickly. Otherwise, we'd never get anything done."

― Jeramey Kraatz, Villains Rising

"Strong people don't put others down... They lift them up."

― Michael P. Watson

"I love you. I worry about you. I wonder whether I tell you enough how I love you and want you and need you and how I am diminished… when you are not with me and how I am multiplied when you are here."

— Pat Frank, Alas, Babylon

"Sometimes in life you don't always feel like a winner, but that doesn't mean you're not a winner."

― Lady Gaga, Lady Gaga: Born This Way

"There was a saying that a man's true character was revealed in defeat. I thought it was also revealed in victory."

― Alison Goodman, Eon: Dragoneye Reborn

"While one may encounter many defeats, one must not be defeated."

― Maya Angelou

"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, third day of the Inter-High – Finals

The silence was resonating in the bus as Aoba Jousai was going to Sendai's gymnasium for the last match of the Inter-High. They were in finals and they would face, yet again, Shiratorizawa Academy.

When they arrived, they ignored the way the crowd glanced at them – Seijou's students, Shiratorizawa's students, tv crews… Aoba Jousai was in finals and had other things to think about but cameras and journalists who were waiting to see how this finals would turn out – it was the exact same teams facing each other every year, but every year something new and exciting happened despite the result always being the exact same. Everyone was impatient to see this match.

"We still have some time before going to warm-up," Mizoguchi said with a strong voice, "Don't get overwhelmed because of the hype of the finals, ok? You can do what you want but be back here in half an hour for warm-up!"

"OOSS!" They exclaimed.

Most decided to stay here, but some went to stretch their legs, hoping to relax and get rid of the stress of finals. The first-years were especially nervous because even though Kindaichi and Kunimi always went to finals in Kitagawa Daiichi, this time, these were high-school finals – they were facing Shiratorizawa and Ushiwaka. It was a whole new different level.

Oikawa had decided to go have a walk, with a stop to the restrooms and because he didn't trust the Captain to be alone with so many of his fangirls around and ready to fly down on him, Iwaizumi accompanied him.

"Are you looking for someone?" Iwaizumi asked when he noticed his friend trying to break his neck looking around in the crowd.

"Ah? Uh… no, not really…" Oikawa answered absentmindedly, glancing around nervously, "Just… green eyes…" He added in a breath.

"Marika must already be in the seats," Hajime answered, surprised that his friend's thoughts would be turned towards hi girlfriend before the finals.

Oikawa turned to him, blinking as if he had totally forgotten about Marika. He seemed just as surprised.

"Oh. Right. You're right!" He exclaimed enthusiastically.

They continued moving and if Oikawa was being more discreet, it was obvious he was still looking for someone in particular from the way he was glancing around – the most curious for Iwaizumi was that he only glanced at Shiratorizawa Academy's students. He was about to ask another question when they noticed Kanemoto Ayaka nearby – the heiress of the Kanemoto Group that would sponsor them both the following year. But also…

"Ushiwaka…" Oikawa growled through gritted teeth.

Iwaizumi and Oikawa glanced at each other then, without a word shared, decided to go find their friend who was currently talking with Ushijima and Tendou.

"I'm here to encourage both Shiratorizawa and Aoba Jousai," Ayaka told them with a smile.

"Nah, encourage us only. Who cares about Seijou anyway? We're going to win! Right, Wakatoshi-kun?" Tendou continued with a wink.

Wakatoshi blinked then nodded:

"We will."

"Still overly confident, I can see!" Oikawa exclaimed as they arrived.

The little group of three turned towards a pissed-off Oikawa, followed closely by Iwaizumi, both glaring at the two boys from Shiratorizawa. Tension rose between the two duos of friends and if Ushijima and Tendou didn't show quite as much animosity – the first one because he couldn't understand the reason of Oikawa's anger and the second because nothing could shake his laid-back personality – there was definitely a showdown going on to who would stare and/or glare the longest and most ardently.

In the middle, Ayaka paled a little and swallowed hard, feeling as if she was standing between Bokuto and Sakusa. Probably worse.

"U-um…" She hesitated, glancing between the two teams that continued facing each other, "B-both of your teams… do your best…" She said with a tiny voice.

It broke the boys from their vicious staring and they glanced down at Ayaka. She startled at their determined expression even though they had tried softening their expressions when they had turned to her. But she still felt in danger.

"The six who are strong are stronger!" Oikawa exclaimed suddenly, turning back towards Ushijima and pointing a challenging finger at him, Iwaizumi looking just as intense behind him, "We'll settle this once and for all! On court! We'll determine the stronger team!"

Unphased by the challenge, Ushijima stared at the two before nodding ceremoniously. Tendou made a loud "Oh~!" with his hands on his cheeks as if he was taken aback by the tense atmosphere.

"Indeed. We'll see which team is stronger, Oikawa-san." Ushijima answered before turning around, followed by Tendou, even though the red-head walked backwards, pointed his fingers to his eyes then back at Oikawa and Iwaizumi in some sort of challenge – and finally waving his fingers in the air.

If it confused anyone, they didn't show it, used despite themselves to the antics of Shiratorizawa's middle-blocker.

Ayaka turned back towards Oikawa and Iwaizumi who were still tense. She could tell they were nervous from the finals and at everything it meant: it was their last chance to win a ticket for the National of the Inter-High. They would face their fated enemy once again.

"My words may not mean much from the manager of a National top eight team…" She started, stepping towards the two, "And for someone who has a close friendship with Ushijima-san and his team… but if every player going to Nationals were half as determined as you two are to win… sports competition would be completely different. You are strong – it's a different strength from Ushijima's, but it's still strength… and you have the same tenacity of souls as players who have played in Nationals, and you have the nobility of heart of the greatest players in the world. You deserve to win as much as Shiratorizawa, so don't give up no matter what." She said with a firm gaze, believing every word she said.

Stunned by her encouragement – not just for the finals, but for themselves as volleyball players whether they continued professionally or not – they could only feel their heart beat with more vigor from her words. They could only nod to her speech, determination flowing in their veins.

Ayaka smiled then left them alone to handle her own duties for the final day of Miyagi Prefecture's Inter-High Preliminaries.

The two stared at her then Iwaizumi glanced at Oikawa whose eyes were so focused and intense that he felt as if it wasn't his best friend but a complete stranger… and yet, this intensity was the same he's seen for years. It was the same familiar strength that Oikawa could show on court.

"Oikawa…" He started.

Iwaizumi took a breath in to continue but, without glancing at him, Oikawa interrupted him:

"Don't."

"You don't know what I'm going to say!" The Ace exclaimed grumpily.

"Keep it for after we've won, Iwa-chan." He said with a dangerously determined voice.

Iwaizumi stared at him then nodded. They joined their team to start warming-up while on the court, the referees were checking the last details to prepare the match.

"All right… Everyone is ready?" Oikawa called.

"Oooss!"

"Gather up!" Iwaizumi added.

The regulars all surrounded their Captain and Vice-Captain, Kiku and the two coaches nearby.

"Yet again we're facing Shiratorizawa and this damn Ushiwaka…" Oikawa started, looking at every single one of his teammates, "But this year, despite everyone thinking otherwise, we're going to prove who is the stronger team!"

"YEAH!"

"We're going to show everyone that mere power and strength isn't enough to bring down a strong team! We're going to show that Aoba Jousai is the strongest team!"

"YEAAAH!"

"SEIJOU! FIGHT!" Iwaizumi shouted as they all put their hands on top of one anothers.

"OOOSS!"

Their hands shot to the ceiling, like their determination.

Kiku felt her heart accelerate as the boys put on their jackets to keep their muscles warm then moved with determined steps towards the court. The moment they stepped in, half of the gymnasium – Aoba Jousai's cheers and students – erupted into cheers with many squeals destined to Oikawa especially. Some Shiratorizawa students clapped into their hands politely but for the moment, it was obvious that the entire gymnasium belonged to the blue team.

"Listen to them, they know just who are the best-looking ones around~" Makki hummed as he glanced up at all the fangirls who were screaming with blushed cheeks.

"Don't take your dreams for reality – they're not here for you but for Oikawa-san," Kiku muttered, putting down her bags and checking she had everything.

"Then why do I hear so much my name?"

"Because the cheers are going to scream everyone's names, idiot," she answered, unphased, "Speaking of… I've never seen him like that… not up-close at least…" She added, glancing up.

At first Hanamaki and the others who were around thought she was referring to Iwaizumi but then, they realized that Iwaizumi was the same as usual, perhaps a little more serious – it was Oikawa who was a thousand times more focused than usual.

"Oikawa-san is always serious and concentrated before a match, but when it's Shiratorizawa, he is…" Yahaba started, not finding a proper word for his senpai.

"Kingly." Kiku finished.

The others glanced at her then smirked.

"Well, I hope the King will finally rule the court he deserves – it's about long last we'll get our damn revenge on Shiratorizawa. They've won enough times." Hanamaki answered, smirking in excitement at the idea of winning.

"With luck, they're tired of seeing the Skytree." Mattsun added.

"As if you could get tired of going to Nationals!" Hanamaki exclaimed, rolling his eyes.

Oikawa and Iwaizumi talked quickly with their coach and the referee and then, they watched over their team from afar, hearing them chuckle and seeing their grins while Makki and Kiku were bantering again.

"It's livelier than usual," Iwaizumi remarked.

"Mm…" Oikawa agreed with a nod, "We're always so focused that everyone gets swiped in by our rhythm."

"It might not a bad thing if Kiku can remind us that we should have fun!" He answered with a sweet smile appearing on his face.

Oikawa nodded then glanced at the door from which Shiratorizawa should arrive. They were taking their sweet time these…!

"It's our last Inter-High."

Oikawa froze, eyes widening then he whipped towards Iwaizumi who was smiling a little sadly, his gaze melancholic, as if remembering the past six years they had spent going to every Inter-High.

"We'll have the Spring-High too," Oikawa answered, not wanting to think of it yet.

"But the Spring-High isn't the Inter-High – they're two different competitions. It's our last Inter-High, the last time we compete for this particular competition. Last year of high-school, last year on the same…"

His voice trailed off and he glanced at his friend who sighed and smiled lightly, hands on his hips.

"Last year on the same team – until we're both on the National team…"

Iwaizumi hesitated, not sure he could get emotional now, just before Shiratorizawa entered and the finals started but… he turned towards Oikawa with a smile.

"Y'know… no matter what you say or what the results might say – you're the best setter. Not Kageyama, but you. You deserve your place on the National team more than anyone else, Oikawa…" He said, for once, sounding genuinely kind and honest towards his friend.

Tooru was stunned for a little while, not having expected such words to escape his friend's lips. Even if he knew that Hajime thought of him as the best setter and disliked whenever he thought himself as inferior to Kageyama… it was comforting to hear these words just before their last finals of the Inter-High.

"And you're the best Ace… Not Ushiwaka, but you." He answered.

"I'm glad I got to play so long with someone like you, even though, I'll have to deal with you even more in the future…"

"Mean, Iwa-chan!" He whined.

He chuckled as answer before lifting up his fist.

"Let's win." He said simply but his determination was shining in his eyes.

Oikawa smiled back and put his fist against his.

"Let's win," he echoed with a nod.

Cheers erupted and they turned around just to see Shiratorizawa Academy's volleyball team entering the court with the absolute confidence of winners. Ushijima Wakatoshi was leading them, his eyes dark with determination to prove he was still the top three Ace of the country – the best Ace with the strongest team.

"There they are…" Oikawa started in a low voice, frowning and a dark smile creeping on his face, "They're so irritating…!" He hissed.

Aoba Jousai and Shiratorizawa faced each other and soon after, they started the official warm-up. No one on Shiratorizawa was impressed or surprised by the bits of skills and power Aoba Jousai showed – but so were the players of Seijou. Even the first-years knew about Ushiwaka, the rivalry between the two schools and had been long prepared by their senpais to face the showdown.

"Olaa?"

Tendou leaned forward with his body in a strange angle, observing Seijou from the other side of the court, attracting the attention of his teammates.

"Seijou has a manager~?" He asked, noticing Kiku running around to get balls back.

"Maybe she's a first-year?" Goshiki proposed with a shrug.

"I thought Aoba Jousai didn't have a manager because of Oikawa-san," Shirabu added, not much impressed by the sudden presence of a manager.

"She seems close to the third-years. Maybe she's Oikawa's girlfriend?" Yamagata asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I doubt a girlfriend would be allowed on a team, especially after three years without a manager," Leon answered with a smile despite his doubtful voice.

"It's not fair that Seijou gets a manager-chan and we don't~!" Tendou whined.

"We can't help it, coach thinks a manager would be distracting," Leon answered, keeping his usual smile on his face.

"I wanna know what sort of girl she's like to be on Aoba Jousai!" Tendou suddenly exclaimed.

"Tendou, no, don't–" Semi started, but as usual, the middle-blocker didn't listen to him.

He sighed deeply but thankfully, Tendou didn't do anything – Semi was too hopeful, though. When they switched to spiking practice, once he had spiked the ball, Tendou made sure to take the long road – just as the manager was grabbing a stray ball.

"And who might you be~?" He asked, keeping a safe distance between them.

Kiku glanced up and startled when she realized he was talking to her. She knew about this crazy-looking middle blocker and his frightening skills – the "Guess Monster" he was called. She blushed like crazy and looked all around, trying to hide her face with her hair but he remained there, waiting for an answer.

"U-um… I… I…" She hesitated, back to her usual shy-self now that she had to talk with a stranger.

Hands on his hips, Tendou broke the distance separating them with one long step, leaning towards Kiku with his head tilted on the other side until she felt like she was face to face with a creepy, broken doll (with awfully long limbs). She froze in terror, clutching tightly the ball and not daring to move or call anyone.

"Aaah~ I'm curious~ Seijou's team has a manager – I wonder hoooo~w you convinced that coach over there to let you on the team with Oikawa still there~ After all, a girl and this guy is a recipe for disaster~! Ahah~! You must be very special if–"

"Very special indeed, she's our manager. Now step off and go back to your warm-up."

Kiku startled and Tendou tilted his head on a side, his smile getting bigger when Iwaizumi was suddenly standing behind Kiku, sending a protective shadow over her – his silent way to tell Tendou to get away from his girl.

"Ola, ola? What's this, Iwaizumi~?" Tendou asked teasingly.

Unimpressed, Iwaizumi gave him a long look then looked down at Kiku, putting a hand on her shoulder and turning her towards the rest of the team – everyone was staring rather threateningly at Tendou for approaching their manager so shamelessly.

"Your uncle is calling for you," Iwaizumi told Kiku, pointing towards coach.

"O-oh, okay…" She answered, hurrying towards Irihata.

Iwaizumi sent another look in the direction of Tendou – his way of saying 'hands off the coach's niece' (and my girl) – but he was far from being impressed. He lifted up one hand in front of his mouth, amused by the situation.

"I hope you're ready to get your spikes knocked down again~" Tendou hummed as Iwaizumi was walking away.

Iwaizumi didn't acknowledge him and joined his teammates, but his only focus was on Kiku (she was hiding behind Matsukawa, Kindaichi and had forced Kunimi to go nearby to feel more secure with another tall boy).

"You're okay? What did he say? He didn't annoy you, did he?" He asked worriedly.

"Jealous~?" Hanamaki teased, earning a glare from the Ace but he only laughed.

"H-he's… he's overwhelmingly… scary…" Kiku whispered, still pale from her encounter with the middle-blocker.

"He's not that impressive, it's just his read-blocking that's freakishly accurate," Makki grumbled.

"And his blocking is good too, always the right timing and form. It's irritating." Mattsun added.

A long silence greeted these words. Oikawa was quick to pipe in with his usual singing voice:

"Come on~ come on~! We know that Shiratorizawa has good players and that this middle-blocker is particularly worrisome – but because we already know that and faced them, we have no reason to worry~! We trained and practiced with this goal in mind."

His smile disappeared, his face darkening, and if they weren't all already feeling the adrenaline of finals mixing with the determination to win, they might have shivered in fear – but they knew their Captain and more importantly, they shared his feelings and mirrored his expression.

"To break their wall and get more points to win this match." He said with a hard voice.

"OOSS!"

"Let's keep it up!" He exclaimed.

"OOOOSSS!"

The official warm-up continued until both teams had their time practicing the various moves and exercises they were used to.

"We serve first," Oikawa announced after the coin had been tossed by the referee.

"The line up will be announced soon," Irihata answered.

"OOSS!" They all shouted.

A moment later, Kiku was standing next to Mizoguchi, her heart beating strongly against her chest. It wasn't totally silent in the gymnasium with the crowd talking to each other and the referees preparing themselves, but the absence of the sounds of shoes or the balls hitting the floor made the atmosphere a little heavier, as if the absence of the activity for which the gymnasium existed made the place eery.

The teams lined up to be seen on the court and it finally started.

"We will now begin the Japanese National High School Volleyball Tournament, Miyagi Prefecture Qualifiers, Boys' Finals. Miyagi Prefecture Aoba Jousai High-School versus Shiratorizawa Academy." The woman on the speaker announced.

The two Captains faced each other to shake hands, their gazes unwavering.

"I'm going to crush you today. You'd better be prepared, Ushiwaka-chan." Oikawa said with a hard, dangerous voice.

"Stop calling me that, Oikawa." Ushijima answered, unphased by the tone his opponent had used.

Oikawa was tempted to tease him more by saying that they had something he didn't – a cute manager – but not only Ushijima would be immune to this teasing, but right now, they were shaking each other's hands too hard. They were gripping on each other as if wanting to show that they were the stronger.

"We will now introduce the Aoba Jousai starting lineup."

Kiku swallowed hard, a proud smile on her face – it was the first time she could see up close the boys as their names were announced. Usually she was in the seats with her eyes solely focused on Iwaizumi – but now, she was close to all of them and she was proud of all of them, not just her Ace.

"Number one, Oikawa Tooru."

Oikawa ran to them and smiled, reassuringly to a frozen Kiku. Lifting up his two hands he waited for her – she startled and lifted up her hands and he clapped them lightly before doing the same with Irihata and Mizoguchi.

"Number two, Matsukawa Issei."

He ran casually, clapping the three's hands – it was strange having three persons waiting there instead of the usual two coaches.

"Number three, Hanamaki Takahiro."

Instead of clapping Kiku's hands, he ruffled her hair, making her cringe and pout but at least, he had managed to relax her – and he was more relaxed too, if his teasing smirk was any clue.

"Number four, Iwaizumi Hajime."

Kiku wasn't sure what to expect, what to do, but when he arrived near her, he showed his hand and looked straight into her eyes. She approached her own hand for a little clap but before she could close the distance, he grabbed her hand. He squeezed, looking right into her eyes as she looked up at him with wide, awed eyes. It was only one touch but Kiku's hand squeezing back his was enough to fill Iwaizumi with even more strength and determination than before.

It was only when Irihata shoved his hand forward and coughed, raising an eyebrow that Iwaizumi remembered that he had to clap the coaches' hands and run to lineup with the rest of his teammates. Flushing in embarrassment, he ignored the way Hanamaki and Matsukawa grinned at him.

"Number twelve, Kindaichi Yuutarou."

The way he furrowed his brows as he clapped Kiku and the coaches' hands showed the slight nerves taking over him but Kindaichi was overall relatively calm. But nowhere near as calm as Kunimi that nothing could disturb.

"Number thirteen, Kunimi Akira."

He clapped their hands and ran for the lineup as if he did that everyday, as easily as he tied his laces.

"Number seven, Watari Shinji, libero."

Watari, despite his quiet and shy nature, seemed very comfortable with this – it wasn't his first finals against Shiratorizawa, of course, but his little smile and nod were strangely comforting for Kiku.

"Coach, Irihata Nobuteru."

Kiku turned proudly to her uncle as he gave a little nod. Then, it was Shiratorizawa's turn to be announced one by one, the ceremonious atmosphere surrounding everyone.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please cheer on both teams and wish them the best."

Everyone clapped, Kiku's nerves taking a hold of her so she decided to take her notebook and pencil to hold onto something, anything. Especially with Shiratorizawa's cheers that were resonating loudly in the whole gymnasium. Aoba Jousai was trying their best to be as loud as they possibly could but the drums were overwhelming. The players all showed their jersey numbers.

Silence.

The referee whistled the beginning of the match and Hanamaki went to serve, dribbling the ball a few times before, once again, the whistle resonated. He served – and the match begun. He had aimed for Ushiwaka but without surprise, Leon was the one to get the receive, sending it effectively to their second-year setter. Shirabu didn't have to move except to lift up his arms. Knowing damn well where it would go, Matsukawa, Oikawa and Iwaizumi all moved to stop Ushijima:

"Hold! …Now!" Matsukawa exclaimed, giving the timing for the block.

They jumped up with an almost perfect timing as he spiked. The ball hit Oikawa and Iwaizumi's hands. They almost got blown away by the power of the spike, barely landing on their feet. Kunimi tried to receive the ball but when it touched his arms, he fell on his behind from the strength of it and it rolled away…

0 – 1

The whistle resonated and they all looked at the ball then back at Ushijima who had just marked the first point for Shiratorizawa Academy.

"D-don't mind!" Kindaichi exclaimed from the sidelines as Kunimi got up.

"Don't mind, Kunimi-chan!" Oikawa exclaimed with a cheerful smile even though he felt his heart and stomach tight.

Kunimi didn't answer, he didn't show that he was annoyed by the lack of reception but, he was tense. Even from a distance, everyone could notice it.

"Don't mind, Kunimi!" Iwaizumi exclaimed as well.

The first-year finally acknowledged someone's voice and he gave a short nod but his gaze was focused on Shiratorizawa.

"And the first point~ Just forty nine more and it's our win~" Tendou hummed from the other side of the net.

The front players of Aoba Jousai glared at him then they moved to be ready for the next play. It was Ushiwaka's turn to serve and everyone tensed because they knew how powerful his jump serve was. He had power but he didn't have the monster accuracy of Oikawa so they wouldn't be impressed by Ushiwaka's serve. They had all trained receiving Oikawa's serve, and Iwaizumi's, who were their two most powerful players and servers. They could receive Ushiwaka's serve.

Ushijima threw the ball upwards, ran then jumped. The moment his hand hit the ball it flew through the court at a frightening speed.

"Makki!" Oikawa shouted when he saw the direction the ball was taking.

The third-year wing-spiker positioned himself and braced for the impact. It hit his forearms and he gritted his teeth before falling backwards. He immediately looked up at the ball's trajectory but it was already rolling on the floor.

"S-sorry…" He said through gritted teeth.

"Don't mind! You almost had it!" Iwaizumi answered while Mattsun was helping him up.

"This damn left-handed rotation…" He muttered with a frown.

"We're not used to it, it'll take us a while to get it up," Mattsun answered.

"We don't have 'a while'!" He replied, shaking lightly his head.

"Best to take our time than rush through things," Iwaizumi said from the front, "Another one is coming, let's get ready! We'll definitely get this one up!"

"OOSSS!"

Ushijima served once again and even though it went right between Matsukawa and Hanamaki, the latter was the one to shout to receive it. He went into position and even though like previously he fell backwards, this time, when the ball went up, Mattsun ran after it.

"Center!" Iwaizumi shouted.

Matsukawa sent the ball his way and after observing it for a little while, Iwaizumi ran up and hit it strongly. He met eyes with Tendou the moment the middle-blocker moved his hands to get the ball down. A bad smile appeared on his face as he felt the familiar and satisfactory hit of a strong ball hitting his hands and immediately going down. Hajime saw the ball going straight to the floor and he clenched his teeth because he knew he couldn't touch it.

Suddenly, Oikawa's hand slid just under the ball and everyone held their breath as the ball was going up yet again. Hanamaki ran to it and sent it back towards their Ace.

"Regroup, Iwa-chan!" Oikawa ordered.

Iwaizumi jumped and hit the ball against the wall – but it was sent back to their side of their court.

"Rebound!" Kiku exclaimed, not remembering when they had learned this trick.

Kunimi sent the ball back to Oikawa who finally got to toss. He lifted up his hands, fingers spread out as he tossed.

"Kindaichi!"

The first-year barely managed to hide his surprise to hear his name but he jumped and hit the ball anyway. Leon almost stopped the ball but he had underestimated Kindaichi's height and jump. It flew away and a short moment later, the whistle resonated.

"YOSSHAA!" Seijou exclaimed.

1 – 2

"Sorry!" Leon said, turning towards his teammates.

"Don't mind, it's Oikawa's toss, after all," Tendou answered, tapping his shoulder.

"Nice kill, Kindaichi!" Iwaizumi exclaimed, tapping his kouhai's shoulder.

"A-ah! Y-yes! T-thank you to trust me with this toss, Oikawa-san!" He exclaimed because he hadn't expected to be trusted with a toss so early in the game – and even less to earn Aoba Jousai's first point.

"They were focused on Iwa-chan~ It was the best choice~ But next time, don't be so surprised that I call your name, okay? You didn't jump to your highest point." Oikawa continued.

"Yes!"

"Push it, push it Seijou! Nice kill, Yuutarou! Hit it, hit it, Seijou!" The cheers shouted wildly.

Finally, it was turn for Oikawa's serve. He received the ball and dribbled it a few times.

It was his first serve of the match and even though his teammates were encouraging him and the public was cheering, he heard nothing. He was surrounded by complete silence and the only thing he could see was Shiratorizawa's court.

Tooru took a deep breath and closed his eyes, putting his forehead against the ball. It was his first serve for his last Inter-High. They had won every single match to this point, they had crushed Tobio. The only one left was Ushiwaka. Once he had won against Shiratorizawa, they could go to the Nationals.

The referee whistled.

Tooru opened his eyes, focused so intensely that even in the public, people shivered. Shiratorizawa's players, knowing damn well how exploding and frighteningly accurate his serve was.

Calmly, he looked straight at the only person he should aim at: Ushijima, the Captain and Ace of Shiratorizawa. Feeling the silent challenge, the Grand Ace got ready to receive because even though he was protected by the others to make sure he was ready to spike – he also knew that if Oikawa wanted to aim at him, the serve would reach him.

Tooru tossed the ball in the air, appreciating the beauty of the moment as he realized it was a perfect serve toss. He took a few steps forward then jumped, sending his arm forward. He hit the ball with a bad grin, knowing exactly where it was going and with how much strength.

It flew over the net with so much speed that Leon didn't even have time to move to receive the ball even though he knew where it would go. But Ushijima was ready, he bent down and received it with a grunt. The ball went back into the air but it was off.

"Push it in, Tendou!"

The middle-blocker jumped up to push the ball on the other side but Kindaichi was here and his hands touched the ball.

"GYEEH!" The red-head cried out, not having expected this first-year to stop him.

"One touch!"

Oikawa ran to it just as his Ace took a few steps backwards for momentum. Without a word, he tossed and Iwaizumi hit it for a quick. It had been so fast that it should have landed without trouble but Tendou had already moved and touched the ball.

"One touuuuuch!" He exclaimed excitedly.

Shirabu ran to the ball.

"Ushijima-san!"

The Super Ace ran and jumped to hit his favorite toss: high and away from the net.

"We're stopping it!" Iwaizumi shouted.

"OOSS!"

With Kindaichi and Kunimi, all three jumped up against the spike but it was too powerful. It broke through their wall. Hanamaki tried to get it but it brushed his hand before it hit the court and the whistle resonated.

1 – 3

"We jumped a little too early, sorry about that," Iwaizumi said.

"Don't mind! We'll get the next one!"

Kiku stared at her team a little worriedly. The score didn't worry her much, she knew they could come back but… they were facing an opponent they had never managed to vanquish.

"I-it's only the beginning but the rallies are so long, they're already all out of breath when it ends…" She murmured.

"It proves they're doing their absolute best to save the ball and continue the game," Irihata answered calmly, "They can win. If…"

His voice trailed off and she glanced up:

"If?"

"If they realize it. It's one thing to be determined to win, but they've spent years losing, they never got a chance to win against Shiratorizawa. If they don't realize they have the skills, power and possibility, they'll never be able to win." He explained darkly.

Kiku looked back at the team. It was true that they were determined to win, but there was something in their eyes that shone despite themselves every single time Shiratorizawa got a point – the lack of surprise, the bitterness of failing.

Her gaze rested on Iwaizumi, more worried for him than any other because even though he was the Ace, he still hadn't marked a single point, he had been stopped every single time…

"I-Iwaizumi-san! G-good luck!" Kiku exclaimed.

The Ace glanced over at her, the two coaches and a few more players surprised to hear her. She froze and blushed, realizing she had spoken so suddenly – she hadn't expected it.

"A-all of y-you too!" She quickly added even though they all knew her encouragement were mostly for Iwaizumi.

Once the surprise was gone, Iwaizumi felt much more relaxed. His shoulders dropped and a little smile appeared on his face as he nodded.

"Yeah, thanks," he answered.

"You heard the lady, Iwa-chan~" Oikawa hummed teasingly, making sure only his friend would hear.

Flushing, he glared at the setter who put his hands on his hips.

"Next time, you'll know what to do." He said with a strong gaze.

Iwaizumi blinked before grinning and nodding, knowing very well what his friend wanted. Heck, he felt the same.

Reinvigorated, the atmosphere lighter, Aoba Jousai smiled lightly to see their Ace glancing a few times at their manager before focusing once again on the game. Shiratorizawa served again and after the ball went over the net a few times, Oikawa finally got the opportunity he had been waiting for. After Kiku's encouragement Iwaizumi was burning to get one point in – it was time Aoba Jousai's Ace showed his worth.

"Bring it!" Iwaizumi shouted, running for his jump.

"Three blockers!"

But there was no way it could frighten Iwaizumi Hajime. If Oikawa Tooru was the best setter in the prefecture and everyone admired his set-ups and incredible serve, the one person who had always been by his side, who had been his Ace for over six years, for every competition and every match…

Kiku's heart sped up when she saw Hajime jump up, arm backwards and in a perfect position that made him look like he was flying in the air.

His burning, determined gaze, his confident expression… this was the true Iwaizumi Hajime.

He swung his arm and he put so much strength in his spike that the three blockers all felt swiped along with the ball. He landed back on the floor, sweat rolling down his face but he was standing tall and proud. No matter who they were facing, no matter the odds, he never ran away, he always faced the wall and he always broke through it when his teammates needed it most. This unwavering strength, his absolute confidence, the trust he put into his teammates and they put into him… This was why he was the Ace. It was why he was the Ace Oikawa Tooru had trusted all these years.

Whistle.

2 – 3

"YEEAAAAH!" They all shouted, Oikawa wrapping his arms around his friend who grinned proudly.

"Seijou too! We've got a Super Ace who can't be put down that easily!" Kiku exclaimed, standing up and clapping her hands together.

"It was just one point but it seems it gave everyone strength," Mizoguchi said.

"Mm," Irihata agreed with a smile, "That's why they trust Iwaizumi. Though… the one who gave him the confidence to break through the wall to begin with…"

He glanced at Kiku who was too busy sparkling and congratulating Iwaizumi to hear that. She didn't notice her uncle's smile getting a little bigger.

Iwaizumi glanced over at Kiku and just for her bright smile, for her shining eyes… it was worth it. She looked so happy and so proud… He'd break through walls any time if it meant giving her this expression on her face.

"Stop getting distracting, Iwaizumi!" Makki exclaimed from where he was, making the Ace startle guiltily.

"You're staring~!" Mattsun called.

"You're blushing, Iwa-chan~!" Oikawa added.

"I get it! It's enough! Shut it, all of you!" Iwaizumi hissed, glaring at them and now unable to glance in Kiku's direction – he was too embarrassed.

It was his turn to serve but his teammates kept glancing at him teasingly. He was so suddenly nervous that he almost messed up his jump serve. He gasped when it touched the net and fell forward after everyone got a heart attack. But Shiratorizawa's first-year player managed to get it up and a moment after, they immediately got another point…

2 – 4

"Damn it… did they get too excited and lost their focus?" Mizoguchi mumbled.

"It's all right, it's a close tie but they're holding on." Irihata answered, "It'll be fine as long as they won't break."

"They won't," Kiku said, surprisingly confident, the two coaches glancing at her, "If they were that weak they wouldn't have gone that far and they definitely wouldn't have faced Shiratorizawa times and times again. They won't break for two little points of lead."

The plays went on, both teams holding on and getting points but never getting a real lead. The tension was so high, everyone was on edge while the players were all giving it their all, not giving up and both determined to win.

Kiku startled when the alarm announcing the technical break resonated.

6 – 8

"You're doing great!" She exclaimed, giving them all water bottles and towels.

They were panting, out of breath even though they hadn't even reached half of the first set. She prayed their stamina would hold up.

They were calmly discussing strategies under the vigilant eye of their coaches.

"We'll just keep doing that – we have to get a break somehow!" Oikawa concluded.

"Oooss!"

Kiku suddenly received a bottle on top of her head, she looked up and saw Makki looking down at her with a hand on his hip.

"Why you look so gloom? If we don't have our manager encouraging us, who will?" He said, the others turning to the two of them.

She blinked before smiling, surprising Hanamaki enough that he had to hold back a startle at this sudden, unexpected reaction.

"You're right! You're the best! There is no way you'll lose!"

She thought back on what her uncle had said before before her smile got even brighter, turning to look at everyone so that they could realize she was talking to each and every one of them:

"You'll win if you believe you can!" She exclaimed, her heart beating strongly.

Some blinked, a little stunned at that, and before anyone could answer… Oikawa suddenly started chuckling. They glanced at him, worried looks on their faces because their setter looked like he had lost his mind:

"Ahah~! Aaaah! Ahahah!"

"You're creepy, stop that," Iwaizumi said with a frown.

"Ahah~! Iwa-chan~! Why would you say that? Aren't you moved by your Kiku-chan's words?"

"S-she's not–"

"W-we're not–"

"W-we, uh–"

While the two blushing messes kept stammering, Oikawa calmly continued, raising his palms to the ceiling in a laid-back manner.

"When it comes to pure strength or power – Shiratorizawa is stronger because they've got Ushijima. But a winning team isn't determined by one strong player only – the team with six strong ones is stronger!"

Iwaizumi stopped stammering and looked straight at his friend, his green eyes shining suddenly as he remembered what he had told him years ago. He was using it again now, when they needed more than ever to be reminded that a strong team isn't about one Super Ace – but about six players on the court who play together.

"And I know that no matter what the results at the end of the day might be – the best, most complete team, it's us!" Oikawa exclaimed, spreading his arms to show his teammates.

They all felt their hearts beat a little stronger before he continued:

"We all have to believe we'll win – and more importantly, we have to believe in one another! And I believe in you, guys!" He said with a hard gaze and confident smirk.

"OOSSS!"

"We're going to take this set!" Iwaizumi exclaimed, putting his hand on Oikawa's shoulder.

They made a circle, their hands on everyone's backs. Since the beginning of the match, more than any other time, they were all feeling the same emotions, they were all connected and it was this trust and strength they needed to win against Shiratorizawa.

"SEIJOU!" Oikawa shouted strongly.

"FIGHT!" They all answered just as the whistle resonated and they had to go back on court.

But this time, even more than before if it were possible, they walked on the court with the knowledge that they were the best and would win. They were all smirking confidently, following their Grand King who was finally feeling like he could rule the court.

The game continued, Seijou getting more points but so did Shiratorizawa. If Aoba Jousai used tactics and various plays, Shirabu just had to toss to Ushijima for the team to get the point no matter what.

"We'll stop the next one!" Matsukawa exclaimed.

Oikawa and Iwaizumi stood next to him, waiting for his signal to jump to block Ushijima.

"Wait… and… NOW!"

All three jumped, moving their hands forward to stop his spike. Noticing that he was spiking for a cross, Mattsun moved his hands and even though he was fast, it wasn't fast enough and with its power, he couldn't control the ball. It went up and they all stared at it as it made a big circle above everyone's heads and going straight towards the bench.

"Watch out!" Hanamaki shouted, trying to get to the ball but he couldn't get there in time.

Kiku just had time to raise her forearms in front of her face that the ball hit her and, with a startled squeal, she fell over and behind the bench.

"Kiku!" Iwaizumi exclaimed, already running to her.

Everyone gathered around the bench, Irihata and Hanamaki helping her up.

"Are you all right?" Her uncle asked worriedly.

"I'm fine…" She mumbled, massaging her red and already bruising forearms, "How can it have so much strength after it was touched by Mattsun? He's a monster…"

"Sorry, I couldn't control its trajectory…" Matsukawa said.

She shook her head and smiled to him but she blinked, feeling a little dizzy after such a violent hit she hadn't expected. She massaged the back of her head while the team, knowing she was fine, had to go back on court to continue the game.

Ushijima sent a gaze in Kiku's direction and when she looked up at him, he raised an eyebrow, giving a little nod. She was surprised he cared about whether or not she was injured but she nodded sheepishly and he seemed reassured – even though it was hard to know when he was emotionally constipated and never changed of facial expression.

Iwaizumi clenched tightly his fists and jaw, frowning and glaring at Ushiwaka. When they noticed the dark aura surrounding him, his teammates all shivered and stepped away.

"Now it got personal…" He hissed through gritted teeth, ready to smash the ball in Ushijima's face for hurting his Kiku.

"B-because it wasn't until now…?" Hanamaki asked, a hesitant smile on his face.

"Oikawa, give me the next ball. I'll be sure to get the point." He said with a strong voice, still staring challengingly at the Super Ace who didn't seem to notice anything.

The setter squealed and was quick to nod, even adding a little salute.

"O-ooss…!" He answered, knowing there was no way he would survive if he didn't give his Ace the toss he wanted.

On the other side of the net, Tendou suddenly had his creepy smile when he saw that. More importantly, he had noticed the glances Iwaizumi had sent many times over to their manager, how manager-chan was mostly focused on him and just now… the thought that she might get injured had sent him berserk. The match was almost about to turn into an Ace showdown, all because Iwaizumi was protective and so obviously in love of their manager-chan…

"How~ adorable…~!" He hummed.

Shirabu glanced over at Tendou and had to hold back the reflex to step away from how creepy he looked with this huge grin and mad gaze – after two years, he should be used to it but, he just couldn't…

"Oi, what do you have in mind?" He asked worriedly.

"Mm~ It'll be my pleasure to crush his heart so his manager-chan can see him at his weakest~!" He said with his singing voice, staring straight at Iwaizumi.

Shirabu noticed his gaze and pursed his lips together.

"I doubt you'll be able to crush his heart. Iwaizumi isn't that easily crushable, after all… you already tried."

Tendou startled at that, clenching his teeth and sending an annoyed look in his kouhai's direction. If there was one Ace and spiker he always dreamt of sending into depression just with his accurate Guess Reading, it was Iwaizumi Hajime. He might get annoyed, pissed off but his will and strength of heart never wavered. Iwaizumi always came back running towards the net with a burning gaze even though he knew that Tendou had guessed he'd be the one to spike. He'd challenge him head-on. He was one of these rare players he could never break and if Oikawa had the intention of crushing Wakatoshi – Tendou wanted to crush Iwaizumi.

Slowly, his lips curled up into a smile and he raised his hands towards the ceiling, looking down at Iwaizumi from the other side of the net. Satori's gaze was lit with a fire that could be taken for madness if his teammates didn't know him better – but it actually was excitement. The adrenaline to jump where he guessed the toss would go, seeing the surprised look on the spiker's face, killing his spike and getting the point, the way the spiker's gaze always shattered along with his strength and heart… A shiver ran along Tendou's spine and he started chuckling.

"Aaah~! I'm getting into it~!" He murmured, voice trembling from how impatient he was.

He couldn't wait to see this expression of absolute distraught on Iwaizumi's face~! It would be the best expression he had ever seen – the most challenging spiker so far~! How enjoyable it would be to finally break Seijou's Ace~!

"Keep on breaking them~… Wha~t, you say?" He started humming in a low voice, getting ready for the next play.

Kawanishi served once again, easily received by Hanamaki.

"Nice receive, Makki!" Oikawa exclaimed, going where the ball would fall and lifting up his hands.

He glanced very quickly at Iwaizumi who got ready to spike, starting his run-up with a determined expression on his face.

Tendou grinned and ran towards the Ace, Leon and Ushijima following his lead. Satori hummed to himself his favorite song as he went full stop to make sure to jump properly.

"Mm mmm~ Mm mmm~ Mmh mm mm~?"

The toss went towards Iwaizumi and his arm swung just as Tendou jumped, followed by his teammates, hands out to stop the spike.

"Their hearts...~!" Tendou whispered with a mad gaze.

"I have more heart than you, Guess Monster!" Iwaizumi exclaimed as he hit the ball.

He swung with strength, grunting and looking with fiery eyes right into Tendou's gaze. The ball hit the middle-blocker's hands strongly and his smile wavered when he was pushed backwards from the strength of the spike.

"Ola?" He murmured in confusion, looking up to follow the ball with his eyes.

Iwaizumi's spike went right through his arms despite the hands perfectly positioned and it flew up with a crazy spin. It went as high and as far as the opposite wall, hitting it with a detonating sound then falling back on the floor and rolling.

The gymnasium remained silent, everyone staring with wide eyes at the ball rolling silently. The moment Iwaizumi's feet touched the court, he straightened up with an unwavering expression on his face and all of Aoba Jousai erupted in cheers.

"Iwaizumi!" Hanamaki exclaimed, running to him.

"Push it, push it, Seijou! Nice kill, Hajime! Hit it, hit it, Seijou!"

"Iwa-chan! Your spike! It was so! SO!"

"Iwaizumi-san, so cool!" The first and second years all exclaimed in awe.

But instead of acknowledging any of them, Iwaizumi looked straight in front of him, at the three blockers who had tried to stop him but mostly at Tendou who seemed totally thunderstruck he couldn't stop the spike and worse, that Iwaizumi had marked such a beautiful point.

"Go ahead and try to break my heart, my spirit – I'll keep hitting you with more strength than the previous spike!" Iwaizumi exclaimed.

He planted his gaze in Tendou's as he smirked badly, gladly accepting the challenge.

"You're pissing me off…!" He hissed, frowning.

Iwaizumi huffed, unimpressed then turned away with absolute confidence.

His teammates continued congratulating him and tapping his shoulders while Tendou was childishly huffing and hissing about that last spike – and Iwaizumi in general.

"Seems that he still won't get broken by our Guess Monster, uh…" Leon told Ushijima thoughtfully.

The Super Ace who had been staring, a bit stunned and incredulous at Iwaizumi's last spike, nodded without a word, silently agreeing.

"Now…" Oikawa said with an excited grin, turning towards the score, "Just one more point and we can turn things around!"

18 – 19

"We'll get into 20s first!" Iwaizumi agreed.

He then turned towards the bench, his gaze quickly going over the two coaches smiling proudly at him. His whole attention was on Kiku and even if she had constantly encouraged and congratulated the boys, this time, she hadn't said a word. She was still stunned, staring at him with wide eyes, lips falling open. At first, Hajime was disappointed, thinking she hadn't realized what a spike it had been, that it had been for her but then… he observed her a little more. Her eyes were sparkling in awe and with something he couldn't quite understand – it was happy but soft, as if she was silently thanking him for getting this point after she had been hurt by Ushiwaka's spike. It was a gaze he couldn't stop getting lost in.

Realizing he was staring at her expectantly, Kiku blushed then slowly, she smiled. Hajime's heart missed a beat and his cheeks went aflame – she had never smiled like that to him, she had never looked at him this way and it made him burst. His mind went blank but he was filled with even more confidence and strength than before. She looked so happy, so soft, so tender – and it was for him and only him, she had never looked at anyone else this way before, she had never offered this smile to anyone else before. It was as if they were the only ones in the room and that everyone else, everything else had disappeared. This short moment, for this beautiful smile and shared gaze, it was as if eternity had gone by and yet, it still wasn't enough and they could keep staring at each other for the end of their lives. Even separated by so many meters, they could feel their hearts beating to the same rhythm, following the same symphony of love…

Hajime could never get tired of staring at–

He gasped when he suddenly received a tap in his back that was so strong it made him choke. Bending over he started coughing and breathing hard, his back burning before he looked up with a frightening gaze at Oikawa who had just hit him. The setter startled in fear but he lifted up his hands in fear:

"S-sorry, I-Iwa-chan! But you weren't listening!"

"Oikawa-san! Iwaizumi-san!" Kindaichi exclaimed.

Realizing the ball had just been sent over and that it was in play, the two friends turned towards Tendou as he spiked but the moment he did, he ended up facing a frightening (but unexpected) wall. He gasped when he saw a worried and nervous Kindaichi, a frightening Iwaizumi glaring at him as if he had been the one to hit his back and Oikawa clenching his teeth tightly to not let fear show (but he failed). Tendou turned his spike into a feint but it was saved by Hanamaki.

"Get your asses back in the game, you idiots!" He shouted after diving on the floor.

Oikawa didn't answer but run to get under the ball, sensing Iwaizumi's dark aura. But instead of jumping to toss the ball, at the last moment, Oikawa turned around in his jump and swung his arm. He hit the ball and even if Tendou jumped up and touched the ball, it was another point for Aoba Jousai.

"What were you doing, spacing out and bickering like children?!" Makki continued who hadn't missed a single bit of what had happened.

"Nice kill," Mattsun said calmly.

"Why did you hit me like that?! I almost fell into the net!" Iwaizumi hissed, turning to glare at the setter who startled and stepped away.

"B-but! You were daydreaming! You weren't answering to your name! At all!"

Iwaizumi opened his mouth to yell again but then realized that it had been his fault to begin with – he had been daydreaming and staring at Kiku instead of focusing on the game.

"Still! Did you have to hit that hard?!"

"I tried to nudge your shoulder but you weren't respond–"

Hanamaki suddenly grabbed their heads in each hands then forced them to look over at the score. Both blinked then their mouths fell open.

19 – 19

"Deuce…" Oikawa whispered.

"Then…"

"One more point and we can turn the score around…"

They glanced at each other then the realization that they had (miraculously) marked another point despite their bickering fell on them – and not any point, the one point that made them catch up to Shiratorizawa! One more point and they'd reach the 20s first and they'll turn it around!

They shouted, falling into each other's arms just before a cold aura made them freeze and shiver. They glanced over at their coach and despite the smile on Irihata's face, everyone stepped away, including Mizoguchi and Kiku.

"No more getting distracting like that, will you? We're not at any practice match, we're at the finals of the Inter-High," Irihata said and even though he sounded calm they all knew it was the calm hiding the storm.

Oikawa and Iwaizumi startled guiltily and everyone looked away.

"O-Oooss…"

Leon leaned towards Tendou with an amused smile:

"See? That's why coach doesn't want us to have a manager on our team."

Tendou couldn't help but snicker and snort at this, openly mocking the two third-years (and mostly Iwaizumi) for what had happened – they were both flushing in embarrassment at this point. Shirabu only rolled his eyes and shook lightly his head, calm and collected.

The next point would be determining but the light atmosphere that had surrounded the two teams disappeared at once. Everyone's gazes sharpened and they got ready to fight for this one point, the one that might change the flow of the entire match.

"We're definitely getting this point!" Oikawa exclaimed.

"OOSSS!"

Matsukawa served, it was cleanly received and almost immediately Shirabu tossed to Leon, but the blockers were waiting for him. They got the ball and Oikawa jumped up, his form perfect and not revealing a single clue of where it might go. Several players started a run-up, looking over at the toss. Tendou glanced at Iwaizumi, taking a step towards him before changing his mind.

No… It'll be…!

He jumped in the center, his hands touching Hanamaki's back attack. Yamagawa almost received it but he couldn't save the ball and it rolled away.

20 – 19

Seijou erupted in cheers, everyone shouting joyfully to have turned the score around, to get into the 20s first and have a chance against Shiratorizawa!

"Nice kill!" Iwaizumi exclaimed, clapping his hand on Hanamaki's back.

"Nice, Makki!" Kiku called from the bench before glancing down at her notes, "But I'm surprised… Oikawa-san always tosses to Iwaizumi-san when he feels pressured."

"Even though getting this point was important, Oikawa wasn't pressured – at the moment, Seijou was in control of the game and perhaps it's because Shiratorizawa knows our own team so well that Tendou expected the toss to go to Iwaizumi. Oikawa decided otherwise because it would have been an obvious choice – sending the toss to the Ace."

"Now, we're in the 20s – Shiratorizawa is definitely feeling our break on their spirits!" Mizoguchi said confidently – too confidently.

When they glanced over at the other side of the court, the players were still as calm and confident as ever – it was almost annoying that they never showed any stress whatsoever…

"It's a top 8 team, they know how to deal with stressful situations and one little point ahead of them isn't enough to sober them up. If anything, it's our team that needs to calm do…"

Irihata's voice trailed off when he looked back at Seijou. But they were just as confident and calm as Shiratorizawa, without the smugness. The head-coach blinked then smiled proudly. They might not have ever gone to the Nationals, but they had the aura of champions.

"Shirabu."

The setter glanced at the Super Ace, Ushijima staring at him with a strong gaze.

"Send it to me. I'll get the point back." He said, everyone immediately feeling reassured.

Aoba Jousai could feel that the next spike would be by Ushijima's, they were getting the timing right for the block, they had solid receivers in the back row but… ultimately, Ushiwaka's canon easily got Shiratorizawa a point back.

20 – 20

"Damn it…" Oikawa muttered, frowning.

The end of the first set got even more intense, every time a team got a point, the other would get it back. It was nerve wracking – and it was only the first set and yet it seemed they were playing for the match point. They were playing for the flow of the match. Whoever would get the first set had one foot into victory, one hand already grasping the cup…

22 – 24

"Aaagh, it's the set point for Shiratorizawa!" Kiku realized, nerves taking over.

Irihata had asked for a time-out just before Shiratorizawa got their match point but now, he didn't have any more time-outs for this set.

While Shiratorizawa's rotation had many choices in attack, Aoba Jousai didn't have as many options. Everyone tensed as Leon served, it was received easily by Watari and Oikawa was already ready to toss. He sent the toss to Hanamaki but Tendou almost shut down his spike if it hadn't been for Watari saving the ball, but it was off.

"Sorry, cover!"

Iwaizumi managed to get the ball, diving to save it at the last moment and quickly getting up but it was the last touch. Oikawa glanced quickly at the net – all three blockers were ready to stop him and he wouldn't be able to spike well enough to ensure a point. He might get blocked. He sent the ball over and Shirabu gasped when he was forced to receive it.

"You…! Goshiki!"

The first-year went for cover, sending the ball towards the other side:

"Tendou-san!"

The blocker tried spiking it Hanamaki and Kunimi jumped and touched his ball. It flew behind them and once again, on Iwaizumi's side. He ran desperately, diving on the floor to get it up, his hand connecting at the last moment.

"Nice receive, Iwaizumi-san!" Watari exclaimed.

"Kindaichi! Last!" Oikawa ordered.

The first-year middle-blocker tried to spike it but the other first-year of Shiratorizawa, Goshiki, touched the ball.

"One touch!"

Shirabu ran to go under the ball while everyone, and especially on Aoba Jousai, struggled to gather up, knowing that another spike was coming.

"Ushijima-san!" The setter called as he sent the toss.

The Super Ace watched up the ball as he ran and jumped, doing a back attack. Kindaichi, Kunimi and Hanamaki jumped to get the spike, it was touched and flew upwards. Oikawa moved his legs, his arms spreading out to get the ball but it hit his forearms. It hit his arms, brushing the skin off and went off again in a weird angle – Iwaizumi desperately took out his hand but the ball was already hitting the floor in the same time as his body.

Whistle.

22 – 25 – First Set Won by Shiratorizawa Academy

Iwaizumi got up, gritting his teeth. Oikawa felt the burning sensation on his forearms where his skin had been lightly damaged by the strong hit.

They lined up then bowed down for the end of the first set, brows furrowed bitterly.

"They won the first set but nothing is decided yet. You held on well against Shiratorizawa and you're doing better than at the beginning of the set – the timing for the block is pretty good, keep this up. As for the receive, even if it doesn't go back to the setter, bring it up no matter what!" Irihata said encouragingly.

"OOSS!"

Oikawa glanced at his arms, the burning sensation was slowly disappearing but he'd have marks – bruises, obviously, and his skin was slightly scratched where the ball had viciously spun against his skin. Seeing that, Kiku reached into the first-aid kit and took out aloe vera, hoping it'd make him feel better. She put some on cotton and put it on his arms. Tooru startled, having forgotten the rest of the world and even though it stung a little, the freshness instantly calmed his burning skin.

"T-thank you," He answered with a forced smile.

"Does it hurt? Will it be okay for the second set?" Iwaizumi asked, glancing down at his friend's arms.

"By the time we go back, I'll be fine."

"We'll cover up receive so you can ease the pressure on your arms. The last thing we need is our setter down."

"I wouldn't be put down for something so silly!" Oikawa exclaimed, feeling almost offended, "See? I'm good already!" He continued, taking of the cotton and slamming his palm on his forearm, "Agh, I've got cream on my hands now…" He mumbled.

While Kiku took care of helping him out, they discussed strategies, making sure everyone knew what to do and what was their role.

"Good luck…" Kiku said as they walked back on the court but they didn't seem to hear her, as focused as they were.

The beginning of the second set begun as intensely as the first, Oikawa getting the first point for Aoba Jousai with an unexpected second-hand attack. But Shiratorizawa was quick to get another point and equal the results. Just like the first set, for one point taken by Seijou, the white eagle's team would take it back. They were using Ushijima more than in the first set but Aoba Jousai was holding on and was just behind. It was only when Shiratorizawa marked three points in a row that Irihata suddenly called for a time-out, hoping to break their rhythm.

12 – 15

They wanted to share their ideas and find a new strategy but they had already used most of their tactics, if not all. They were doing their best, trying to keep the ball in play and the rallies getting longer and longer until their lungs burnt.

"What do we do to get back?" Makki asked, still panting from the last play.

Oikawa pursed his lips together, gritting his teeth and his fist tightening around the bottle so tightly it could have crushed it.

Something… I have to find something, I have to think of something…! Anything…!

"Don't get swiped in by their rhythm," Irihata spoke up, all of his players looking up, "Just because they got a break doesn't mean they'll keep it. Attack them calmly, think rationally and connect the ball. I know you'll do the right choice."

He turned towards Oikawa who squared his shoulders, perhaps a little nervously at first but as fast as he had felt weak, he remembered that he was Aoba Jousai's Captain and that he was the prefecture's best player. If he couldn't lead his team, who would?

Suddenly calm, Tooru turned towards his teammates with a gaze that was so focused it was scary.

"We will." He said just as the whistle resonated.

Kiku got a few bottles back in her hands, she looked up at them worriedly as they went back on the court.

Perhaps Irihata's words had reminded them of what sort of team they were, maybe Oikawa's calmness soothed them all but the next point was theirs.

13 – 15

"Nice kill, Yuutarou! Hit it, hit it Seijou!"

"Nice kill!"

The serve was Kunimi and even if he managed to aim at a good spot that threw off the positions and forced the setter to receive, their libero sent the ball to Ushijima who marked the point.

13 – 16

"Damn it…!" Kindaichi swore, staring bitterly at the ball on the floor.

"Don't mind! We'll stop the next one!" Iwaizumi exclaimed as the practical time-out resonated and they moved to the bench.

They drank and swiped away their sweat before going back to the court, Kiku staring at them with thin lips. She had been unable to find anything to tell them and they had been so busy talking strategies that she couldn't give them any encouragement…

They got into positions and waited for the next serve, all tense and observing closely Goshiki dribbling the ball. The whistle resonated and he sent a jump serve – fast and powerful, even though he was a first-year.

"Got it!" Watari and Hanamaki both shouted in the same time.

They glanced at each other in panic, realizing that Goshiki had aimed between them and they had both tried to get it. The second-year libero jumped but it was too late.

13 – 17

"Ni~ce kill, Tsutomu! Shi~ratorizawa!" The cheers erupted.

"A service Ace now… seriously…" Mizoguchi mumbled, frowning.

Makki and Watacchi had their shoulders down and tense despite their teammates calls and encouragements as Goshiki jumped for another serve.

"Got it!" Watari shouted.

He fell on his knees but he sent the ball back to the setter. Oikawa ran, hands already in the air to attack. He tossed to ball to Iwaizumi but he had a wall of three blockers in front of him.

"Chance ball!" Yamagata exclaimed, receiving the ball and sending it to Shirabu.

"Ushijima-san!" He called.

"Please! Stop it…!" Kiku murmured, clenching tightly her notebook because this point would be decisive at this point of the game.

He tossed to the Ace and despite the blockers, it didn't matter. Oikawa and Iwaizumi clenched their teeth when their arms were blown away with the ball's speed and power. Pure strength that destroyed all of their strategies and plays.

13 – 18

Oikawa clenched his fists, jaw tight and glaring at a point on the floor. Iwaizumi was just as angry, frowning furiously at their own incapacity to meet head-on Ushiwakas spike – no matter how good their blockers were, it didn't matter because he was too powerful. Wall or not, it didn't matter, he'd spike through it anyway. Watari looked down, feeling guilty for the point he had given them previously – how could he be Seijou's libero when he couldn't even receive a simple serve?

Everyone was looking down, their shoulders tense and trying to keep their hearts beating vividly, with the hope that they could still turn this around but… but Ushijima's strength was overwhelming… It was too much power, they couldn't stop him whether it was with their blockers or receivers…

With Seijou's mood darkening, even the cheers had gone quiet. It was been almost completely silent if it weren't for their hearts beating hollowly, frenetically against their chests – the proof they were giving their all but their all still wasn't enough…

Irihata realized that his team was breaking, he joined his hands to call for a time-out but before he could, Kiku suddenly stood up, fists tight.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

Her voice resonated in the whole gymnasium, covering even Shiratorizawa's regular cheering. Stunned to hear someone scream so suddenly, everyone turned to her. Some noticed for the first time Aoba Jousai's usually quiet manager. Most just stared at her with wide eyes, not quite believing this voice had come out of Akiyama Kiku's mouth.

Kiku took a deep breath and looked straight into her teammates' eyes, pointing her finger at them:

"Don't you dare give up NOW! You have no right to think you're inferior to Shiratorizawa or Ushiwaka because you're NOT! Your strength simply is different!"

Their mouths fell open and they kept staring like idiots at Kiku, even Shiratorizawa's entire school had turned silent in astonishment as everyone listened to what she was saying.

"Your voices aren't loud enough, call for each other and keep repeating what reassures everyone! Oikawa-san!"

The Captain startled, a squealed "YES!" escaping his lips as she turned to him in particular.

"You're Aoba Jousai's setter and Captain, damn it! You're the best player in the prefecture – you know what you're doing and you've vanquished everyone so far! Same for Ushiwaka! You're the Grand King so don't doubt you will win this match because if you can't win, no one else can! Go rule the court!"

She then whipped towards Iwaizumi, startling him.

"Iwaizumi-san! You're the Ace Oikawa-san has trusted all these years! You are not weaker than Ushiwaka! You're a top ten Ace as well, aren't you?! Then prove it so! Makki! You're the strongest player after Iwaizumi-san and I, better than anyone, know how much you evolved through the years! Mattsun, you know the timing of the block to stop Ushiwaka so don't get overwhelmed by his power and make sure it's touched to get a chance ball!"

She took another deep breath and continued shouting her advices and orders to everyone on Seijou – it was stunning but their hearts definitely beat faster every time she gave them encouragements. Her dark blue eyes were on fire – they held the hope and determination they had been slowly losing when point after point got to Shiratorizawa. Right now, she was the heart and soul of Aoba Jousai.

"Watacchi! Don't feel down for a few missed receives because you received so many more balls! And you're the only one who can safely ensure an attack if Oikawa-san can't! You're essential to the team!"

Watari felt tears in his eyes and Makki tapped his shoulder with a grin, feeling strangely proud for Kiku's sudden but grateful intervention:

"Kindaichi! Kunimi!" She suddenly called, making the two first-years startle and flush – Yuutarou even lowered his head.

But instead of screaming, her shoulders relaxed and she smiled encouragingly, surprising all of them yet again.

"You're the only regular first-years… Don't doubt what you're capable of – you're on par with all of your senpai or you wouldn't be here. Have more confidence, okay?" She said, almost softly to the most inexperienced ones on the team.

Their eyes widened, Kindaichi blushed terribly, lips trembling while even Kunimi seemed moved by Kiku's attention.

"Y-YES!" They exclaimed with nods.

Kiku then whipped towards the cheers of Aoba Jousai, the entire assembly startling as she glared at them fiercely, even from down on the court:

"And YOU! Voices! Louder! We need YOU to give strength to the players – don't let Shiratorizawa's cheers put down our boys' spirits!"

"R-right…" The leader of the cheers murmured before shaking himself and turning to the others, "O-OI! VOICES! LOUDER! WE NEED THEM TO HEAR US!"

"OOOSSS!"

They started chanting even louder than before and it took Shiratorizawa's cheers so much by surprise that they had a hard time answering to it, even getting out of tune and rhythm. Right now, Aoba Jousai was ruling the entire gymnasium… Or rather… Kiku was ruling it, the loudest voice, the clearest mind of all. The heart and soul Seijou needed at the moment – and perhaps it was the heart and soul they had needed to win for all these years.

But Kiku still wasn't done and she whipped with pouting lips towards the two coaches – they had been smiling, surprised by her speech, but they suddenly startled and lost their smiles.

"Uncle Nobuteru… where is your legendary calmness? And you Mizoguchi-san! Stop frowning and sending bad vibes to the boys! Cheer up! Encourage them!"

"Y-yes…!" Mizoguchi answered, too stunned to deny her orders while Irihata smiled a little awkwardly but relief obvious on his face.

Kiku turned back towards Seijou's team, they were still staring at her with incredulous expressions but their hearts were beating faster, stronger. They felt as if all of their stress and anxiousness had been turned into strength and determination. Kiku's unwavering faith in them was giving them the wings they needed to fly on equal footing against the giant white eagle that was Ushiwaka.

"I believe in you…" She said, her voice calmer but still sounded clear and loud despite the cheering battle happening above their heads, "You can win, believe you will. I know you will win this match."

Her voice was so strong and for the first time, she wasn't hesitating or stammering, her voice wasn't trembling, she didn't look away. She stared straight at them and perhaps she was shy and awkward with people most of the time but right now, she was the strongest and most impressive woman they had ever faced. They were facing an Akiyama Kiku they didn't know, but they needed her to encourage them and give them strength when they were doubting themselves.

Aoba Jousai might be lead by the Grand King but right now, they had a Queen believing in them and they would fight until the end to prove their worth – to her, to themselves, to everyone who thought that only pure strength could win in volleyball. Whoever was their opponent – they'll be the winners.

Slowly, Oikawa smiled, feeling reinvigorated, almost too cheerful for his own good. He turned towards his teammates, his natural and usual easy-going good mood back and lifting their spirits even more.

"Kiku-chan's right! We're Aoba Jousai! We don't let Ushiwaka or anyone take us down – we are the ones to rule the court!

"It's time to turn things around!" Iwaizumi exclaimed loudly, covering the cheers so that everyone, Seijou and Shiratorizawa, would hear them being pumped up and ready to get their rightfully earned victory.

They gathered quickly, Oikawa's hand on the center of their circle and everyone putting their hands on top of one another.

"SEIJOU!" He shouted loudly.

"Push it, push it, Seijou!"

"FIGHT!" They all echoed.

"Hit it, hit it, Seijou!"

"OOOSSSS!"

When they turned towards Shiratorizawa, they all shivered at the intensity with which Seijou stared at them, as if surrounded by a hungry fire that would burn them if they didn't win – the only other option was for this fire to burn their opponents.

"Waaah… that manager-chan knows how to talk…" Tendou said, an almost amused smile on his face.

"I'd think she was more of the quiet-type…" Shirabu said, blinking.

"She almost scared me when she started shouting," Yamagata admitted.

"But Seijou's in trouble…" Leon remarked because now that the players were listening to him, the referee glared at Kiku for interrupting the match and whistled, lifting up a yellow card.

She went back on the bench with red cheeks out of embarrassment, but no one else on Aoba Jousai seemed to care that she had caused them trouble.

"It doesn't matter, they're pumped up… It's almost scary how determined they suddenly are…" Goshiki muttered.

"No matter how determined they are…" Ushiwaka started, everyone turning to him, "We'll crush them."

His eyes were burning just as intensely as Seijou's players'. He had been just as invigorated as his opponents by their sudden wake-up call from their manager.

Hajime took a deep breath then breathed out, his entire body calmer now thanks to Kiku's words. She believed in them with such confidence that there was no way she was believing in the wrong outcome – they had to win, no matter what. Who were they to lose when they had such a lovely manager giving them hope? But that was what Seijou's Ace, the player was thinking about their manager's intervention. Hajime… Hajime felt his heart so big it was almost bursting from his chest and he had to hold back the urge to run to her and kiss her. He was so proud… She might have spent years on the cheering club, but she had never cheered with as much heart as she just did and he was so, so glad she was happy and confident and strong – thanks to Aoba Jousai's volleyball club. He loved all of Kiku's sides but this side of hers was definitely one that made him feel pride for everything she's accomplished in just a few months. From being ignored by everyone, she had become the heart of soul of the team, even for a short moment, she had ruled over the entire gymnasium.

She might be silent more often than not, she might be awkward and shy with people but… but she had so many words to share with the world. She might stay silent but her mind was so loud. Her voice… she didn't have a Quiet Voice.

She was loud and beautiful in this way. He had fallen in love even more with her to see her so bright and strong and confident, standing in the gymnasium during the Inter-High finals as if her words could wipe away Ushiwaka's power. Aoba Jousai might be the team facing Shiratorizawa's, but the one who had challenged them the most today was Kiku.

"Your girlfriend really is something, after all, Iwa-chan…" Oikawa murmured to him, a glad smile on his face.

Iwaizumi, reminded that he was still on the court and that the next point would determine the fate of this game, turned towards his friend. He blinked, as if realizing that he wasn't the only one in awe with Kiku's speech at the moment. Everyone was. And he might be the one who cared for her and was desperately in love with her… but at this moment, everyone was a little bit in love with the strong Kiku who had given them back their confidence.

"She really is…" He answered with a soft smile, his gaze burning bright.

Oikawa stared at him, surprised he hadn't reacted to Kiku being called his girlfriend… but Hajime's eyes at the moment were indescribable: they were shining with strength, confident and rage to vanquish, but also so much love, pride and softness… Tooru had never seen him like that. He was happy for him. But he couldn't help and feel a little bit envious. He barely realized that he glanced up at Shiratorizawa's supporters but just as quickly, his attention was back on the game.

"Let's prove she's right," Oikawa said.

Iwaizumi nodded and their fists connected just before the whistle resonated. Goshiki served once again, the ball was received by Watari and Oikawa went to toss. There was a short moment, when Oikawa stood there, hands in the air and fingers spread out, waiting for gravity to bring the ball to him. Everyone knew how important this point was, everyone held their breath. He jumped up just as his fingertips connected for a short moment with the ball, he barely had time to feel it that he moved. His form was perfect but everyone knew who would get the spike in. Iwaizumi had already made his run-up, his legs bent down, arms spread in his back like wings then he jumped. His left hand went up to aim while the ball came to him at such speed it was almost impossible to see it cross the court. His right arm swung and almost in slow-motion, he could see the blockers already there to stop him.

Like hell I'll let you get another point! I have to show my Kiku what I'm worth, who I am! He thought to himself, his gaze burning.

His palm hit the ball and it broke through the wall then landed on the floor with the sound of thunder, blockers and spikers all landing on the floor and watching the ball roll.

I'm Aoba Jousai's Ace! I'm Oikawa's Ace!

The whistle resonated and with it, all of Aoba Jousai erupted in violent cheers. Iwaizumi and Oikawa turned to each other and slammed each other's hands with excited grins on their faces.

14 – 18

"Nice kill!"

"IWAIZUMI!"

"Iwaizumi-san!"

He turned towards the bench, the coaches nodding at his spike, but the only person he saw was Kiku. She was hopping up and down, clapping her hands and screaming his name in pride and joy and encouragement. Hajime grinned just as happy and excited as she was and he held out his closed fist, towards her. She stared at him then she did the same, like an invisible fist-bump, a long-distance congratulation.

Makki surrounded his shoulders with one arm, using his other hand to ruffle his friend's spiky hair but for once, it made Iwaizumi laugh.

"Y'should have send her a kiss from your fingers! She'd have answer with a real one!" He murmured in his ear, making Iwaizumi flush.

Everyone's excitement was too great but this one point meant so much: Aoba Jousai was back and kicking ass.

Swiped in by Aoba Jousai's enthusiasm and sudden comeback, Shiratorizawa couldn't stop them from getting another point. Unfortunately, as easily as any other point they earned, Ushiwaka stopped Aoba Jousai's sudden break. It wasn't enough to destroy their spirits, though – not anymore. And not only the following point was theirs, but the rotation also got Oikawa at the serve – it was the best opportunity for Seijou to make a comeback.

16 – 19

"Let's stop them now before they got into their 20s…" Oikawa murmured with wide, excited eyes.

Aoba Jousai had started to take control of the game, slowly but surely with these last plays, ever since Kiku had given them the words they had needed. Like vines and plants slowly grasping a bird feet – now it was time to clamp down the white eagle's wings.

"Nice serve!"

The whistle resonated and Oikawa threw the toss upwards. He made a few steps, an agreeable feeling of satisfaction filling him when he noticed that the curve of the toss was perfect. He jumped and swung his arm, his excitement and pleasure of absolutely getting this point giving him even more power than usual.

It flew over the court before anyone had time to react. It hit the floor just before Ushiwaka and it went up again, rebounding and flying right past his ear. Eyes wide, Ushijima stared at Oikawa whose power over the court at the moment was overwhelming. He could still hear the banging sound of the ball, he could still feel the wind when it had flown past his head, he could still feel his ear burning from the way it had brushed so closely to him…

17 – 19

But Ushijima wouldn't be the Super Ace if he were to back down from a challenge. He frowned, getting ready to get the next one.

More determined than ever, Oikawa got ready for another Service Ace – just as Shiratorizawa called for a time-out. The Captain frowned and clicked his tongue annoyingly but Aoba Jousai gathered on the bench. The only one who sat on the side, closing his eyes to keep his focus absolute, was Oikawa. But the team could handle it without him – they were used to it.

"We're doing great! Just three more points and not only we would have caught up with Shiratorizawa, but we would have reached the 20s first!" Iwaizumi exclaimed, the others cheering at that.

"You are incredible! All of you! Keep doing that!" Kiku exclaimed, bouncing up and down excitedly.

Iwaizumi glanced at her very quickly, wanting to thank her for her words from earlier but he didn't want to break the atmosphere – and if he started staring for too long, or if anyone (read: Hanamaki and Matsukawa) had the bad idea of teasing him (as they surely would) it wouldn't be good. So he calmly looked back at the others as they grinned excitedly to feel like they really could grasp victory.

Once the time-out was over, Oikawa went back behind the serving line, his focus unshakable as he dribbled the ball a few times. Once again, he served perfectly and it flew over with power and speed. Ushiwaka thought it was coming straight at him once again and he braced himself to receive but at the last moment, it curved. Yamagata tried to get it but he was too late and it was another service Ace for Seijou.

18 – 19

The gymnasium seemed to be about to burst into flames from how excited it was – everyone could see that Oikawa was doing even better than usual.

"Sorry…" Yamagata said through gritted teeth.

"Don't mind! We'll get the next one!"

"Come on…" Kiku whispered, hands joined together, "One more point and we've caught up to them…"

"One more! Nice serve!"

Oikawa served but unlike all of his other serves until now, this one was short.

"Front! Front!"

All of Shiratorizawa's players who had retreated backwards ended up diving to save the ball but it was too late.

19 – 19

"Damn it…!" Goshiki hissed.

"Don't worry, Goshiki, we'll get the next one," Ushijima said.

"Y-yes…!"

There was yet another serve for Oikawa. He took a deep breath then tossed the ball up.

"I won't let you get any more points…!" Yamagata exclaimed.

He jumped just in the direction of the ball and received it, almost falling backwards from the power behind it.

"Got it!" Shirabu called, running to it.

"Center!" Ushiwaka screamed.

The setter glanced at him very quickly then tossed, calling for him. The three blockers jumped but the power behind Ushijima's back-attack was too much and despite the one touch, no one could receive it behind.

In the end, the white eagle just had to spread his wings wide to break the vines' hold on himself. He just needed one strong flap of his wings – and he flew off and out of reach of the plants.

19 – 20

"Damn it!" Oikawa hissed, glaring at the Super Ace who acted as if it was normal.

"Don't mind! We'll get the next one! We won't let them take a lead!" Iwaizumi exclaimed.

"OOSSS!" His teammates answered.

After that, despite Aoba Jousai's incredible break, the two teams came back to the rhythm of most of the match: for one point taken, the other team would get it back. They were neck-to-neck, neither taking a significant lead while the pressure and tension kept rising and rising… The more points Shiratorizawa was taking, even if Seijou was just behind, the closer they were to victory.

"Nice kill, Yuutarou! Nice kill!"

23 – 24

"One more point and we've caught up! We'll get this one!" Iwaizumi shouted.

"OOSSS!"

He threw a strong gaze at Oikawa who understood without a word, giving a sharp nod.

Leon's serve was received easily by Watari, sending the ball to Oikawa. He tossed to Iwaizumi but the blockers were waiting for him, Tendou's lips curling up into a vicious smile when he saw the Ace frowning.

"Chance ball!" Yamagata called, sending the ball to Shirabu.

"Ushijima-san!"

"We're stopping it!" Iwaizumi shouted.

"OOSS!" Kindaichi and Kunimi answered.

They got ready to jump to stop Ushijima's spike. They knew the timing by now. They bent down, waited, waited and then they jumped, holding their hands forward. The ball hit Iwaizumi and Kindaichi's arms and they almost fell backwards from the strength of the blow. Iwaizumi turned around at once, watching at the ball flew straight to the floor. Oikawa saw it coming, his fingers twitched but his body never reacted fast enough. The spike sounded like a canon. A final blow echoed by the whistle of victory…

No…! Oikawa thought, his eyes wide and staring at the floor where the ball had landed, just one meter from him.

23 – 25 – Match Won by Shiratorizawa Academy

There was a short moment where no one on Aoba Jousai's side moved an inch, just staring at the ball rolling away, not quite realizing they had lost. Again. They had worked so hard, for so long, they had tried their best, they had put their everything into this match… Loss hadn't hit them yet. They weren't ready to bow down yet. They wanted to stay on the court. They wanted to keep playing.

But they couldn't. They had lost, they had to line-up and they had to leave. The competition was over for them.

"All of our practices, experience and strategies are being broken by force… Well, I guess the actual path to victory doesn't really matter. The one that lets the ball fall on the court loses. That's everything…" Oikawa murmured with wide, angry eyes.

Slowly, still not quite realizing the loss, they turned around and moved to line-up. The moment they faced Shiratorizawa at the other side of the court, some started to feel their eyes tear up. Some had their hands tremblings. Others had to bite on their lower lip.

"THANK YOU FOR THE MATCH!" Everyone shouted, bowing down.

Aoba Jousai's bow was forced, slow and their voices barely came out of their mouths. It was when the first strangled sob resonated. They moved towards the net and shook hands with their opponents… More than opponents who had won this match, the finals… Shiratorizawa was the absolute rivals of Aoba Jousai.

Oikawa showed his hand but didn't move it much until it was suddenly grasped tightly by Ushijima who shook it firmly.

"You lost."

Oikawa froze, his eyes wide and he looked up at Ushijima who was staring back at him with an unwavering confidence. The confidence of victors. Tears filled Oikawa's eyes but the rage in his gaze was burning so hotly that the tears went away at once. His expression deformed by the weight of loss, by the regrets and the cold anger that everything he had practiced for had been useless, that the competition was over and that his time on the court was finished.

Before Ushijima could step away, just as his hand was slowly letting go, Oikawa's hand clenched tightly Ushijima's. So tightly that Ushijima frowned, tightening his jaw. Tooru's hand around Ushijima's was white from how tight he was clenching it.

"Next time…" He started in a breathy, harsh voice, "Next time… it'll be you…!" He hissed with a vicious determination.

Ushijima stared back at him then Oikawa forced himself to let go of his hand, turning away from his greatest rival. Iwaizumi had been waiting for him and had heard it all. His eyes were a little shiny but the moment he saw Oikawa walk away with his fists clenched so hard his muscles and bones were hurting, Iwaizumi felt the air cut from his throat. He took a shaky breath in, blinking away the tears and following his setter.

They lined up with the rest of their teammates, everyone holding back their tears, everyone keeping their lips thin and their anger and bitterness crushing their hearts. There was a moment of silence, Oikawa glanced to make sure everyone was here, his heart clenching even more when he saw Iwaizumi biting hard on his lower lip, silent tears rolling down his cheeks. Then, the Captain of Aoba Jousai turned towards the cheers.

"Thank you for cheering on us!" He exclaimed with a strong voice.

"THANK YOU!" His team echoed, everyone bowing down.

Their lips trembled, their voices were tied with sadness and bitterness and tears finally rolled down. Aoba Jousai had fought a beautiful battle. It was their final bow.

They went back towards their coaches and manager, Kiku silently crying but trying to hide it from the boys even though they didn't realize it, all busy sniffing and wiping their uncontrollable tears.

They glanced up at Irihata who watched them for a little while before speaking up calmly:

"You fought your best match." He simply said.

They all lowered their heads, more tears blurring their visions. At the moment, even if they knew their coach was saying that to lift up their spirits, it crushed their hearts to know that even when they were doing their absolute best, they still couldn't win…

"Don't forget to stretch, go breathe a little and be back for the award ceremony." Mizoguchi added, a little teary-eyed as well.

The two coaches nodded to their team, deciding to give them some time. Kiku hesitated, glancing between the boys and her uncle but they didn't seem to notice her. She started following the two coaches but a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. She glanced up at Hajime who, even if he hadn't moved other than his arm, had reached for her before she could be gone. He didn't look at her, too ashamed by the loss and the tears that didn't stop. He couldn't face her now… Not after she believed in them so strongly – they had failed her, he had failed her and it hurt more than any loss…

Kiku stared at the rolling tears and the way he kept biting on his lower lip until it drew blood. His hand holding her was firm but he didn't tighten his grip. He was shaking, his entire arm, his entire body… He was holding back the sobs, like everyone – it was as if they still couldn't register the total weight of their loss and their bodies were instinctively trying to hold back the flow of emotions.

Slowly, Kiku moved her hand until her fingers entwined with Hajime's. He took a shaky breathe and more tears flowed. She squeezed his hand for reassurance and he closed his eyes but when she spoke up, despite her tight voice, even if she was holding his hand, everyone heard and everyone knew she was talking to all of them.

"I'm proud of you."

They all started sobbing and crying even more than before, sniffing and hiding their faces in their shirts or the towels. Some sat down on the bench, others on the floor, most remained standing.

At some point, Kiku stepped away from Hajime and stopped holding his hand and started distributing handkerchiefs and water bottles, whispering comforting words to everyone, reminding them to stay hydrated, to wear their jackets to not catch a cold and to wipe the snot and tears – they had fought such a beautiful battle, they had to stand tall and proud when they'll receive their medals.

When they stopped crying, feeling a little dizzy and drunk from their own sadness, they stretched and went to clean their faces, partly because of Kiku's insistence. The cold water was waking them from their numb sadness but it only reminded them more of reality. They had lost. They had to wipe more tears and splash more water on their faces.

They lined up for the ceremony, bitterly receiving another silver medal around their necks. It went in a flash, or rather, no one had the mind to focus on what was going on. They all scattered to get ready to leave Sendai gymnasium.

Oikawa was leaning against the wall behind the gymnasium, surrounded by green grass and a few scattered trees. The sky was blue and it made him even more bitter to know that the sky seemed so happy when he had lost again. His eyes were still red and puffy and he felt exhausted – from the intense match and the emotions he had faced…

"Oikawa!"

He turned towards Iwaizumi who approached him, hands in his pockets and eyes just as red.

"I'm coming…" Oikawa answered, pushing himself off the wall.

He glanced over his shoulder and around him one last time, but when the person he had been hoping for still didn't appear, he gave up, his shoulders dropping a little more and his heart getting a little heavier…

Iwaizumi caught the signs but misinterpreted the reasons for it. He looked away, lips turned into an angry pout – at himself for not being an Ace good enough to be able to mark more points against Shiratorizawa, for not being better at blocking Ushijima, for being so… so weak… SO–

"I'm sorry…" He muttered.

Oikawa froze and glanced at him, eyes widening in shock. He opened his lips but Iwaizumi continued, tears shining in his gray-green eyes once again:

"I'm sorry I couldn't get more spikes in and that I couldn't–"

"Stop. Stop it, Iwa-chan!" Oikawa exclaimed suddenly.

It made the Ace startle a little and he glanced up at his friend who continued, looking absolutely furious:

"Don't think like that, Iwa-chan! You are an amazing and talented player, you are skilled, reliable and powerful! You're a top ten spiker! We lost! Again but… but it was…"

Oikawa's voice trembled and broke, tears filling his eyes once again. Both glanced down at the grass under their feet.

"But it was the whole team… Our team was weaker than Shiratorizawa's… that's why we couldn't win…" He whispered bitterly.

He put his hand on Iwaizumi's shoulder and what he meant to be a quick squeeze turned into a desperate grip.

"Don't burden this loss all on your own, Iwaizumi… we all lost… And… and I don't want you to think less of you. You're a great Ace. So… don't leave me behind…" He murmured to his best friend.

Hajime closed his eyes and clenched his fists, biting hard on his lower lip until he drew blood. Then, he nodded. A quick, sharp nod.

Only Oikawa knew about his inner conflict concerning his future after graduation. Hajime had many options and he couldn't really decide. The one thing that inspired him more than anything else… it was volleyball. But he was too confused about his own strength to be absolutely sure of his choice for his future. He was good, he was powerful. But there were better and more powerful spikers out there. He didn't want to particularly stand out but he couldn't remain in anyone's shadow either. He couldn't babysit Oikawa anymore… and he couldn't follow him this time.

"Don't leave me behind…"

"Let's go find the others…" Oikawa murmured, both walking slowly, with heavy steps back to the gymnasium.

Once everyone had been gathered, they walked out of the gymnasium. They looked up, blinded by the bright sun and breathing fresh air. They were changed and carrying their bags, walking back towards the bus that would take them back to Aoba Jousai, they'd discuss there their match. They were all walking slowly, their spirits worn-out, their muscles and bones aching from the intense match, their bodies heavy from the loss…

"Aaah~! We won, again~!"

The entire team tried to ignore the happy voice that was so unnerving. They clenched their fists, suddenly wanting to make a run for their bus. Shiratorizawa had to go out of the gymnasium in the same time, didn't they…?!

"Tendou, don't start–" Semi started, but the middle-blocker didn't listen to him.

Not having noticed Aoba Jousai yet, just a few meters away from them, Tendou ignored Semi to put on his headphone, his favorite song of victory starting. He chuckled, raising his hands to the sky as he happily hummed.

"Mmmm mm~ We aaaare the chaaaampiiooons~! Come on, Wakatoshi-kun, sing with me~! We aaaare the chaaaampiiooons~!"

Aoba Jousai froze in their step and it seemed to be just around the time Shiratorizawa noticed them as well. For a moment, they all stared at each other, the losers furious to be mocked this way (even though Tendou was unaware of their presence and was just being his happy-self) and the victors a little embarrassed to be caught with their middle-blocker singing "We are the Champions".

Semi reacted first, whipping around and hitting Tendou so hard he bent over, gasping in the middle of his singing.

"We are the Chaaam– PAAH! Semisemi! Why would y…"

His voice trailed off when he noticed Aoba Jousai glaring at him viciously. Tendou swallowed hard because even if he wasn't one to step away from his usual teasing… he knew what it felt like to lose and he knew how much it hurt. He knew how much Aoba Jousai was hurting at the moment and hearing him doing his usual post-victory singing must have been awful…

"Stop it! Come on! You're being rude!" Semi scolded, pulling at his teammate's headphones.

"Right, right… I'm stopping now!" Tendou answered stubbornly.

Iwaizumi gritted his teeth, wanting nothing more but to punch that ipod in his face. Oikawa was about to tell the others to ignore him and keep going when someone else spoke up.

"How…"

They all turned their attention to Kiku whose eyes were still red from crying. She was shaking from her spot, staring at Tendou – not with anger but enormous disappointment that he'd dare sing this song when they hadn't even left the gymnasium.

"How dare you…?" She hissed.

Tendou pouted and opened his lips to apologize when Leon elbowed him but before he could say a word, Kiku's bag suddenly dropped on the ground.

"Kiku… chan?" Oikawa called, blinking and not knowing what she was doing.

Then, she started walking with determined steps towards Shiratorizawa, hands turned into tight fists. She looked so furious their middle-blocker had hurt even more her boys that no one dared to do or say a thing, too stunned by the turn of events.

Irihata's eyes widened when he saw her walking like that towards the Guess Monster – and as brilliant as he was to read a toss, he had no idea what was coming his way…!

"I-Iwaizumi!" He called.

The Ace startled but understood that for some reason, Kiku needed to be stopped at all costs. He walked after her but she was already reaching Tendou, pointing a vicious finger at him but he only blinked in astonishment at the petite girl.

"You…! You! You are…! A! A mo-mons…!"

Not having the heart to actually call him a monster even though at the moment she hated him from the bottom of her heart, she snatched the ipod from his hands and lifted up her arm to throw it as far away as possible, not thinking of the consequences of her actions. Everyone on both sides screamed.

"O-OI! OI!" Iwaizumi screamed.

He grabbed her arm before she could throw away the ipod and grabbed the device, sending it back to Shiratorizawa – Yamagata caught it in time but Kiku was still furious.

"I can't believe you had the nerves to do such a thing!" She screamed, pointing a vicious finger at Tendou who startled, "I hate you! HATE YOU! You're an absolute hateful being! An asshole! A dickhead! A–" She shouted, trying to punch and kick him.

"OI! Kiku! C-calm down!" Iwaizumi exclaimed.

But she didn't, throwing insults and hits at the middle-blocker that remained out of her reach. Before she could actually hit him, Iwaizumi grabbed her waist and lifted her up on his shoulder and walked back towards Aoba Jousai's incredulous team while she kept on screaming insults to the middle-blocker.

"Kiku! What were you thinking?!" Her uncle scolded, but she crossed her arms and pouted stubbornly.

"He DESERVED it! Why did you stop me?!"

"Where do I start?!" Iwaizumi hissed, still keeping her on his shoulders because he was pretty sure that the moment her feet would touch the ground, she'd run after the red-head.

"Let's go before a murder occurs!" Makki exclaimed, pushing Iwaizumi carrying Kiku.

They hurried to their bus, Shiratorizawa remaining on their spot, staring from afar at the quiet but… surprising manager of Aoba Jousai…

"…Still think she's the quiet type?" Yamagata asked Shirabu whose mouth was still hanging open.

"S-scary…" Tendou whispered while he was being given back his ipod but the poor middle-blocker was still shaking – if Iwaizumi hadn't reacted in time, he would have been hit by the crazy girl.

"It'll teach you a lesson for singing 'We Are the Champions' when we're just exiting the gymnasium! Do it in your room – not in public, damn it!" Semi exclaimed, thinking that even if the manager had gone overboard, Tendou had somehow deserved it – karma.

"I don't want to face this girl ever again…!" Tendou whined, pale after the showdown.

"You faced the most powerful spikers of the country, how can you be scared of one girl?" Leon asked.

"Have you seen how furious she was…?!" Tendou hissed shakily.

They all remembered how she had motivated Aoba Jousai enough for them to make an amazing comeback. And how she had walked straight to Tendou with a murderous aura just for hurting her teammates…

Most shivered in fear and hurried in the safety of their bus, their coach sighing and shaking his head.

After a very quick discussion between coach Irihata and Washijo and their teams' Captains (Ushijima was as calm as ever and Oikawa had to bite the inside of his cheeks to hold back his laughs) concerning the last accident, their teams remaining in the bus but watching from the windows, they agreed to never mention it again because even though Kiku had been reckless, on the edge of dangerous (to use a gentle word)… Tendou shouldn't have acted so childishly either and had been riling the team up from the beginning.

"Shiratorizawa doesn't want any excuse for your behavior." Irihata said when he came back into the bus.

Iwaizumi sighed in relief but Kiku, who had been sulking on the seat with crossed arms, just looked away.

"But if you ever act like that again to the point of risking Aoba Jousai's volleyball team's reputation…"

The calm voice was so cold and threatening that everyone in the bus shivered and tried to hide in their seats. Kiku startled and paled a little, even started trembling but then, Irihata sighed and asked Mizoguchi to start the bus to finally drive back to the school.

Oikawa sat down next to Kiku instead of Iwaizumi, just a seat behind. The Ace raised an eyebrow at that and also at the unusually bright smile on his friend's face while Kiku moved away from him, eying him suspiciously.

"In the name of Aoba Jousai's entire volleyball team's, I, Oikawa Tooru, thank you Kiku-chan~!"

"For… what…?" She hesitated.

"For saving our honor! Of all people on the team, you're the only one who faced the Guess Monster and managed to get him to quiver in his shoes! Even the best players in the country can't accomplish that much! Even Iwa-chan failed to threaten him!"

Iwaizumi coughed loudly, glaring at Oikawa who ignored him. A chuckle erupted and the team turned towards Hanamaki who had his forearms resting on the top of Iwaizumi's seat.

"When I think that you were about to throw away his ipod! I don't know if I should be glad or regretful that Iwaizumi intervened in time!"

"O-oi! It would have been bad for us if she had thrown and broken it!" Iwaizumi replied.

"But he had deserved it, this asshole, constantly blocking us and then mocking us," Matsukawa continued with a shrug.

"I don't think he even knew we were here when he started singing, though…" Yahaba intervened hesitantly.

"Still! Their faces were priceless! Not just Tendou – but have you seen Semi and Ushiwaka?! They couldn't believe it!" Hanamaki exclaimed.

Smiles broke on their faces and several chuckled, their chuckles quickly turning into hysterical fits of laugh, tears appearing at the corner of their eyes.

Iwaizumi was laughing as well and sat back on his seat, Oikawa smiling almost softly to see his teammates laughing even if, after their loss, it seemed like they had gone mad. Kiku stared at all of them, blinking, confused about which part of this accident had been so amusing.

Oikawa got up and quickly went to sit next to Iwaizumi but his moves had attracted everyone's attention back to him despite the snickers and laughs.

"And also… you saved our honor by giving us the strength to keep on fighting when we felt down. Thank you… for reminding us that Aoba Jousai should rule the court and that we could have… that we can win…"

Kiku's eyes filled with tears, lips trembling a little. Everyone thought back on this moment with sad smiles on their faces. There was silence for a short moment. Then Hanamaki's chuckle resonated once again.

"When I think back… of their stunned faces when you suddenly started shouting… These fools should have understood they shouldn't pick a fight with you…"

He chuckled a little more, a few others following but tears were burning their eyes once again. Makki hid his face against his forearms, his shoulders shaking. The chuckles slowly turned into soft whines and the laughs turned into strangled sobs. If everyone had laughed, everyone was now crying. If everyone had shared the same amusement of how unique and shocking the situation had been, now everyone shared the same sadness. But they were a team and this was what team did: they fought together, they won together, they lost together, they laughed together, they cried together… And the shared the same burden, the same weight of loss.

Kiku wiped away some tears then turned around on her seat to face everyone sniffing and crying.

"Hey… you guys…" She started with a broken voice but a smile, "Thank you for giving me the chance of living so many incredible moments…! A-and… no matter what the results in the end say… for me, you're the real champions!"

They smiled. Awkwardly because of their tears still streaming. Thankfully for having their cute manager who could also turn into a demon to defend and protect them. Gratefully for everything she had done to them. Just happy to have Akiyama Kiku as part of the team…

BONUS

[When they were going down the bus, everyone calmed down…]

Oikawa watched Kiku walking away, teased by Makki, then he leaned towards Iwaizumi to talk to him in a low voice.

"You do realize that even if she appears all cute and is all shy and quiet… Kiku-chan actually is a beast and that when angry, she's frightening enough to make all of Shiratorizawa quiver in fear?"

Iwaizumi frowned lightly and sent him a confused look.

"You're still going to date her? I mean, the moment you'll make a mistake – which is sure to happen with you, Iwa-chan~ Ouch! Don't hit me! – you'll have to face her angry self…!"

Iwaizumi blinked then huffed, a little smile appearing on his face.

"And so? If she's angry at me, she'd probably have a good reason. And… everyone says she was scary but for me… she was just amazing…" He added with a soft smile and a flush on his cheeks.

Oikawa stared at his friend then, unable to help it, a teasing smile appeared on his face:

"Oooh~ Does this mean you like dominant girls in bed, Iwa-chan~? Because Kiku-chan surely will be one hell of a woman to handle under the sheets!"

Hajime froze in his steps, blushing terribly at the suggestive tone his friend had used – the embarrassment was too much and he couldn't handle the thoughts invading his mind. Even if it meant Oikawa laughing at him, he ran away from him.

BONUS 2

[That night, Shiratorizawa Academy…]

Tendou suddenly woke up, gasping and staring around in the darkness… He had just had a nightmare about Aoba Jousai's furious manager, haunting him even in his sleep. Something made some noise in his room (his roommate's foot hitting the side of his bed) but it made him jump. He lifted up the covers to his nose. He would never again sing 'We Are the Champions' he was now forever traumatized…!

---

I hope you enjoyed the match despite their loss, and that it was up to everyone's expectations. Considering Lux already knows this, I'll make it fair and will share the information with everyone: Chapter 31 we learn the truth about Kiku. Just so you konw what to expect! ;)

Don't hesitate to tell me what you thought! :D

Yours Truly,

May