June 15th, 2012
The day was upon them. The Spring InterHigh Preliminaries.
Some games were already underway as the teams of Aoba Johsai got off the buses.
Other competitors began to stare with some of the fans gawking.
"Wow look at them-" A few fan girls gasped
"Just amazing~" One of the girl's clasped her hands together eying the boys team
"And their girls are smokin' too!" Some of the volleyball players from Johzenji High freaked, making Leila frown. Feeling uncomfortable, she moved through the boys team to walk in line next to her boyfriend.
"Okay you guys this is it-" Coach Irihata spoke as he eyed both teams
"The girls are in Gymnasium B and our headquarters are here-" He nodded as the boys and girls turned to face each other
Tooru, Iwa, Leila and Mei all locked eyes.
"Good Luck!" Mei toothily smiled as Iwa and Tooru grinned making the rest of the boys team blush
"We got this Mei Mei, now you girls go get us a win!" The cocoa haired brunette smiled throwing up a peace sign making all the female first years swoon
"Will do Tooru." She nodded as the rest of the first years followed her in pursuit to the gymnasium leaving one specific blonde...
Leila and Tooru shared a longing glance, their eyes telling a million words without anything being said.
After a few moments, she smiled turning on her heel towards the gym leaving Oikawa gawking at her exit.
Her long blonde hair tied in her signature high ponytail swished in the light breeze. The sun was fully shining as it looked like (well in his eyes at least) she was glowing. No, she wasn't just glowing... she was beamingly glorifying to look at.
Beautiful.
Breathtaking.
Outstanding.
Tooru couldn't find the right word.
"Come on Shittykawa, stop gawking like in idiot-" Iwazumi
"T-There's nothing wrong with it!" The setter cheekily pouted
Sendai Gymnasium
"Come on, I want to take a good look at them. I want to see those Karasuno first years do that quick attack of theirs-" Coach Irihata began as the team followed the man inside the gym
"Sir!"
"Woahhh, hey, hey-" Two best friends nudged each other watching the team enter the gym
"Aoba Johsai's here-"
"Those guys are tall... and they look pretty tough too-"
"Well it depends, a big part of how good a team is... is it's setter-" The boy looked around
"Wait, where is he?"
"Where'd Oikawa go?" Coach Irihata turned noticing the missing captain
"H-He... Uhh-" Third year number two, Issei Matsukawa stuttered
"Tell us! We don't have all day!" Coach Mizoguchi spazzed
"...he kinda got bombarded by a bunch of girls from different schools..." He scratched the back of his head as Irihata and Mizoguchi stood still taken off guard
"Iwaizumi..." He muttered turning to their ace
"Got it-" Iwa turned cold
Outside
"Mmmm! These are amazing! and you made these yourself?!"Tooru took a bite out of the delicious treats one of the girls made for him
"Y-Yeahhh, I stayed up really late last night baking-" The raven haired one stammered
"Well that makes me feel really special, thank you-" Tooru smiled
Five fangirls were clustered around the six foot setter.
"Eeekkk! I-It was n-nothing!" Another squeaked
"C-Can I take a photo with you Oikawa?"
"You want a picture of me?" He leaned forward pointing at himself before putting up a peace sign
"Absoul-ARGHHHHH" He held his head in pain as the girls began to scream
"Unbelievable! Not even the coaches ever hit me!" The boy snapped before turning around noticing the expression plastered on his best friend's face
Iwaizumi's terrifying yet haunting glare.
It made shivers run down the setter's spine.
"Sorry ladies I'll have to take a rain check on that photo..." He waved off the girls walking over to Iwa as they groaned
"You know if Leila saw you she'd freaking kill you-"
"W-What d-do you m-mean Iwa-chan? I-I w-was just b-being nice!" Tooru whined as Iwaizumi grabbed him by the collar full on dragging him to the gym with a scowl
Sendai Gymnasium B
"So... what team are we facing first?" Mei began as she dropped her bag on the floor waiting to see if one of the girls caught a glance at the match ups
"Date Ko... " Number three, Ami pointed at the board
"Please tell me they're an easy team to beat-" Haruka, number ten prayed
"Hmmmm... I don't know-" Leila put a hand up to her chin
"Date Ko is known for their Iron Wall in defense... and that doesn't just go for the boys team..." She began as the first years begin to shrivel in fear
"But don't worry too much you guys, there's no wall we can't break down~" The blonde smiled trying to relax their nerves
"We have some killer serves and spikers, and what Date Ko lack's is speed-"
"Hey, you know Makoto wants to go to Date Ko Mei?" Leila turned to the setter
"No way-" She gasped
"Apparently he thinks they have a better soccer team then Aoba Johsai-" The blonde put her hands behind her head relaxing
Mei's eyes widened when she saw a familiar figure walk to the duo's direction.
"What's wrong?"
"Mei?" Leila leaned forward in concern
Noticing the brunette's worry some glance, she turned to follow what had the girl so distracted.
"Hey, Hey, Hey Aoba losers-" The female captain of Fukurodani crossed her arms as she mischievously smiled
"Leila don't-" Mei jumped grabbing a hold of the blonde's arm
"What the heck are you doing here Misa?" Leila shouted
"This is the Miyagi prelims, you're in the Tokyo Prefecture-"
"So you're with Oikawa huh? I'm surprised he'd go for someone like you-" She ignored the blondes question taunting and eyeing the libero head to toe
"Eh?"
"Wait- you're telling me you came all the way out here because of that?" Leila cocked her head to the side
"N-NO!"Snapping, Misa flamed red in anger
"I'm here to scope out the competition obviously~" She said slyly
"Scope out the competition?" Mei repeated
'Yeah that's definitely a Misa Sato move...' She sweat dropped
'Damn it...What the heck does she have that I don't?' Misa glared at the libero
"When on earth did that happen?" The raven haired beauty narrowed her eyes putting a hand on her hip
She was wearing her Fukurodani team captain jacket that had accents of white, gold and black. Hair tied back in a sleek bun with a few strands down framing her porcelain doll-like face.
'Wow, I must've really gotten into her head-' Leila smirked before she hysterically burst out in laughter
"Oh-" The blonde put a hand on the girls shoulder before walking back to her team
"We've been together a lot longer than you've ever been captain-" Leila spoke as she swung her hips full of confidence to Mei and the first years leaving a steaming Misa
"L-Leila?" Mei turned in confusion noticing the large grin on the blondes face
"Mei Mei, let's win this!" She put up a peace sign making the setter match her smile
.
.
.
"Go, Go, Let's Go! Let's go, Dateko!"
"oOoOooOoooooOOOOO SEIJOUUU! SEIJOU!"
"You hear that ladies? The sound of our lovely school cheering us on~" Leila's eyes sparkled standing in front of the students cheering for them in the stands
Mei sweat dropped, remembering the confrontation between Leila and Misa.
The libero was on cloud nine.
They went to their bench putting their things down grabbing water bottles.
"W-Wooahhhh-" Sakura, number four shook
"T-There's a lot of p-peoplee-"
Sakura slapped her cheeks together to shake out the nerves catching the attention of the other first years.
"Okay girls! Let's do it for Oikawa!" She jumped as the others soon followed in pursuit
"Yeah!"
"And after, he'll fall in love with me and we'll live happily ever after!" Haruka twirled
"Who said Oikawa-san will be with you?" Sakura crossed her arms pouting
"Ahem-" Yuki, number six cleared her throat
"Oikawa-san will definitely be with me-"
"H-Hey y-you guys..." Mei quietly chimed in as the girls turned to face the captain
"...You are all first years so you probably don't know..."
"But Leila and Tooru have been together since the beginning of second year..." She sweat dropped nervously as the girls jaws dropped to the floor
"WHATTTT?!"
"How did I not know this?!"
"No way!"
"And she didn't say anything?!"
"If anything, he's head over heels for her..." Mei crossed her arms
"HEAD OVER HEELS?"
"IN LOVE?"
They all looked over to the blonde libero doing warm-up receives with Ami on the court.
"Leila didn't say anything because she didn't want to upset you all..." The brunette setter went on leaving the girls in awe
"SHE DIDN'T WANT TO UPSET US?!"
"L-Leilaaaaaaaa~~" They comically cried sniffling
"She truly is the queen of Aoba Johsai-"
"WE'LL WIN FOR LEILA TOO!" The girls shouted
Mei began laughing seeing the determined fire in their eyes. This was perfect.
After both teams warmed up, it was time to start the match. Aoba Johsai headed to the left side as Date Ko took the right.
They lined up before getting into their positions as Mei and the captain of Date Ko shook hands.
"T-They a-are s-so t-tall-" Sakura shriveled as she held the ball being the first one up to serve
"It's okay Kura, just breath and get the ball across the net" Mei smiled
"Right!" She nodded profusely
Sakura Hatsumo- number four, ace of Aoba Johsai girl's team. Mei was the ultimate server on the team. Man, something about setters having amazing aim. Though, Sakura was a close contender to taking that spot. The power behind this girl's spikes was incredible being the ace and all... Mei taught her the best serves she possibly could.
"You can do it" Leila smiled as Sakura gained more confidence
The whistle blew, thus starting their first official match, Aoba Johsai vs. Date Ko.
The first few points went to Date Ko as the girls adjusted to their playing style.
"Jeez we just can't get past them-" Haruka number seven, groaned in frustration as sweat began to drip down her forehead
"Don't panic, it's still the beginning" Mei turned to the middle blocker next to her
"They're just so tall..." Haruka whispered as the setter looked over to the opposing team
"It's a chance ball!" Leila shouted receiving the ball sending it to Mei
"Over her Mei!" Sakura pleaded
"I'm open!" Number five, wind spiker Kagura jumped
The setter's eyes narrowed as her fingers touched the ball preparing to aim it at Sakura... but no one expected her to do a setter dump right off the bat.
The volleyball hit the floor as the whistle blew making the crowd go crazy.
"AHHHHH!" All the girls screamed as the captain toothily rose up a peace sign
"I told you, we got this!" Mei cutely smiled
"Okay! I'm ready! Send me the next one for real!" Kagura stretched pointing at the setter making Leila smirk
'And that's why you're captain Mei Mei...'
The game continued on, and Date Ko took the first set. They didn't have a very big lead... Aoba Johsai was only 2 points behind, but this made the girls competitive spirits go into overdrive. Now that the first years got over their stage fright, they'll be able to avenge themselves in the second set.
And that's exactly what they did.
The whistle blew indicating the end of the second set as the girls headed over to grab their water bottles.
"That was so good you guys!" Ami jumped full of adrenaline
"Amazing!~" Mei clasped her fingers together
"I'm so proud of you guys!" Leila cheered
"Don't let it get to you, but the third set is when you really feel the pressure-" Mei began
" Let's just concentrate on winning this" The blonde shook out her arms
"Yeah!" Sakura stood up as Haruka soon followed
"For Oikawa!"They shouted
The two first years had sparkles in their eyes as they pictured the tall six foot setter in their imaginations.
"They really are something else aren't they?" Mei sweat dropped
"If Tooru's their motivation for this one, then by all means let them have him for now-" Leila said sarcastically grabbing her water bottle as Mei began to giggle at the remark
The whistle blew once again and it was time for the next set to start.
This is where everything is going to turn around, especially with Mei being the first one up to serve.
"Rack up some points for us Mei Mei!" Leila cheered from the side as the girl smiled back at her before putting all her concentration into the ball.
'Woah-' Leila gasped watching the girl smack the ball as it swished across the net
That was like one of Tooru's serves...
The crowd cheered as the girls began to freak.
Mei served again, scoring yet another point.
One thing about Mei... She's the most caring person in the world, but when she steps onto the court it's like she turns into a total badass.
A third time she tried the jump float, Date Ko was able to dig it up.
The game went on as now they were at match point.
The next point declares the outcome of the match.
Win or lose it was up to this.
Date Ko served and Ami caught it with a wicked receive.
"Mei!"
"I got it-"
"Over here!" Kagura jumped catching the setters attention
The fire in the first year's eyes, she's pumped.
"All yours-" Mei set the ball to the girl
"I'm going to GET IT!" She jumped up smashing the ball through making the other members of Date Ko wince
Everything felt like slow motion as the volleyball touched the ground. The referee then pointed, ultimately declaring Aoba Johsai the winner.
The crowd roared as the girls all jumped up running to hug each other.
"WE DID IT!"
"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!"
"KYAAAA~"
Mei giggled "Okay everyone, time to line up!"
Leila and the rest of the team nodded.
"Thank you for the game!"
"Ladies, that was fantastic!" Coach Yamamoto Cheered
"What a way to start off the first day of the preliminaries!"
"Thanks coach!" Mei smiled
"The boys are still playing, think we can sneak in and watch them?" Haruka whispered to Sakura as their eyebrows rose
"There's not need to sneak when we are ALLOWED to go watch-" Mei teased as the girls turned to stone making everyone else laugh
"Leila-chan~~" Kagura skipped over to the blonde who was in the middle of was drinking her water
"Why didn't you tell us you and Oikawa-san are dating?" She questioned making Leila pull off a spit take
Over hearing, each one of the girls' heads turned to her direction.
It's like they were all predators staring at its prey. This was not looking good for our esteemed libero.
"I-I thought you all already k-knew-" She stuttered trying to get of this uncomfortable state
"ALREADY KNEW?" Sakura repeated
"HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT?!" Haruka shouted
Leila sweat dropped. Her and Tooru didn't exactly hide their relationship. They were as open as any couple at Aoba Johsai was. But I guess with all the girls being first years, the third years were kept separated as were the second years.
"You have to tell us everything Abarai-san-" Yuki walked over
"Is he a good kisser?" Sakura pushed
"What do you do on dates?"
"I bet he sweeps you off your feet-"
"Isn't he gorgeous shirtless?"
"You felt his abs before right?" Kagura jumped
"Yeah, yeah! What do they feel like?!" Sakura and Haruka pushed as Leila looked over to Mei for help who was dying rolling on the floor in laughter
'What kind of best friend are you?' Leila scrunched her face watching the captain
"Okay ladies that's enough, give Leila some room-" Mei walked over holding her stomach
"We won and you guys deserve it, so let's go over and watch the boys play-"
"YEAH!"
Next Chapter Title: Guardian of Karasuno
A/N: I picture Haruka and Sakura being like Noya and Tanaka when they go crazy because of Kiyoko, but swap Kiyoko out with Oikawa. I tried my best to write out the action sequence, but I hope it was okay! Thanks for reading.