7. Russian Roulette
Their names and their positions.
That is honestly all that Kaga really needs to know, before switching off completely to the ongoing 'breaking' announcement that is taking place up front by their club advisor, Mamiya-sensei.
Kaga is only the least bit thrilled about having two new players on the team.
Looking around, she duly notes the sparkles glittering in the first and second-years' eyes, the way both Hiryuu and Souryuu almost seem to fizzle in excitement, and even Akagi, looks to be somewhat interested, neck craning forward ever so slightly.
Kaga just doesn't get it.
The hype, that is.
She sighs inwardly, her mind swirling and whizzing with all sorts of new strategies and plays, now made possible with their two new inclusions.
She supposes that if it all boils down to one, she may even have to study their skills and playing styles closely if it meant that they were joining the team as a regular.
It's a lot more of a chore for her, than hype, to say.
'You!'
So caught up in her train of thoughts, Kaga has failed to notice the sudden commotion— or lack there of—, and it is only when she feels the weight of multiple pairs of eyes boring down into her— and a light nudge against her shoulder from Akagi— that she finally looks up.
And finds herself greeted by a pair of wide appalled emerald eyes, along with an accusing finger held up to her face.
"Number Seven!" The girl in pigtails exclaims— more like screeches into Kaga's face— loudly as Kaga fights back on a wince. "I remember you!"
Kaga merely responds with a slow unhurried blink, features schooled into its usual blank and impassive façade. Regarding the newcomer coolly, she stares her down unflinchingly.
So this is our new middle-blocker…
Tall, notes Kaga with a hint of irritation that the girl nearly towers up to her eye-level, for a first-year.
"Do I know you?"
At that, the girl begins to tremble, face growing red with… anger?
"The finals of the middle-school Interhigh. The match against Kaito and Ishikawa…"
The girl manages to chew through her bubble of seething irritation, jade pools glowing in aggravation as the finger pointed at Kaga never once leaves her face.
"You're that annoying setter who practically saw through all of our fakes and play, eventually shutting us down and crushing us completely!"
And loud too, Kaga breathes an inward sigh of exasperation.
"Zuikaku," interposes a softer— far more pleasant-sounding— voice, in contrast to the annoying shrill one that is piercing through all of Kaga's eardrums.
A gentle hand is placed on the irate girl's shoulder, and for a split second, she relaxes, promptly withdrawing her accusatory finger, albeit reluctantly.
Kaga catches a flash of silver as their intruder skillfully wedges herself between Kaga and their new first-year, bowing deeply.
"Please, do forgive my younger sister here for her rudeness. She can be rather brash at times."
"But Shoukaku-nee—"
A stern look from the older girl immediately silences the younger one, whom— Kaga is surprised— despite her impudence, have at least half the decency to lower herself into a somewhat apologetic bow.
She stares hard at the both of them, eyes darting, inspecting and scrutinizing every little nook and cranny of the pair closely.
Zuikaku and Shoukaku.
It all jots an extremely hazy memory of the past that flashes fleetingly through her mind as Kaga vaguely remembers playing against a particularly annoying green-haired pig-tailed middle blocker, whom practically threw herself up into a block at every given opportunity in her attempt to read the direction of her sets— though, failing miserably.
And an equally bothersome silver-haired libero who would put herself through great lengths, fighting every tooth and nail, just to keep the ball in the game.
A wearisome duo…
Stepping up to the younger girl— Zuikaku—, footsteps resounding into a halt, Kaga surveys her critically as said-girl steals a peek up at her, defiant yet curious at the same time.
"My apologies," begins Kaga, not sounding especially sorry at all; eyes a steely cold amber and voice bland, devoid of any emotion, "but I'm not one to actively remember the faces of those whom I deem unworthy."
Words sinking in and registering, the younger girl launches forward, hands lashing out to grasp at Kaga's collar, though missing by a mere inch as the setter smoothly side-steps.
"Why you little piece of—"
"Alright, that's enough."
Coach Houshou interjects, her voice holding an uncharacteristic edge to it. She casts both Kaga and Zuikaku a hard look that manages to still them both in their exchange of glares.
To the rest of the members of the team, she sighs, almost in exasperation, "That's the end of today's announcement. Everyone, please get on with your training. Disperse!"
Turning over her shoulder to throw Kaga one last glower, Zuikaku makes to leave with her older sister in tow, but is halted in place by their coach once more.
"Hold up," Houshou says, looking to both Kaga and Zuikaku in disapproval— in a manner than almost causes Kaga to shrink back in shame. Almost. A frown mars her features. "I'd like to have a word with the both of you," she pauses, then adds in briefly, almost as an afterthought, "and the rest of the regulars as well."
For the rest of the training that day, Kaga has been spotted wearing a perpetual scowl on her face.
Needless to say, the talk with Coach Houshou went far less than swell.
"Kaga-san, you're scaring off all the juniors."
"Am I?" She murmurs— more like grunts— noncommittally, only briefly glancing up, meeting the gaze of an unfortunate group of first-years that immediately stiffens and shirks away in terror at the dark forbidding storm clouds that practically loom over her at the moment.
Kaga barely even bats an eye at all this.
Ever since her sour mood has been made apparent after their talk with Houshou, practically everyone apart from Akagi has taken the extra mile to avoid her.
Not that Kaga minds or anything.
It's a lot more peaceful this way, she supposes, without the constant swooning of their younger underclassmen surrounding them.
"Come on, cheer up. It may not turn out as horrible as you think it'll be." Akagi grins, brimming with ever so much of positivity. She lands a gentle touch onto her shoulder good-naturedly, passing her navy-blue water tumbler over to her on the bench.
But it only causes the scowl on her face to deepen even further.
Wrinkling her nose in disdain, Kaga frowns.
"Not only are we placed in different teams for tomorrow's practice match, I am also forced to play in the same team as that younger Ishikawa girl. Surely, this whole line-up for tomorrow is more than just disastrous." She grumbles, huffing, features darkening. She takes a large swig from the tumbler, in hopes to flush down the bitter bile that is climbing up her throat.
Beside her, she hears Akagi chuckles.
"Well, instead of disastrous, I think it'll be fun."
Kaga narrows her eyes, lips pulling taut into a straight line as she whips her head over to the girl beside her sharply.
"Fun…?"
Akagi shrugs her shoulders flippantly, towel dabbing at the beads of perspiration that she has managed to build up from their earlier drills.
"As far as I can remember, we've always played by each other," she starts with a musing hum, lips pulled into a soft sentimental smile, "so now that we're matched up against one another, doesn't that make things a little more interesting and challenging?" She says, with a lopsided grin, looking to her stoic counterpart with mirth twinkling in her eyes.
Kaga frowns then, tearing her gaze away as she lowers her eyes. She breathes a soft sigh.
There's an odd tightness to her chest; an ugly emotion that almost threatens to squeeze the air out of her lungs, smoldering her, stifling her.
And as she watches their teammates flitter past them, some straggling by the court to get that extra ounce of practice in, some lingering by the benches absorbed in animated conversation, she feels suffocated.
At every corner there's a pair.
Souryuu and Hiryuu.
Tone and Chikuma
Shoukaku and Zuikaku.
Akagi and Kaga.
To be faced off against her— her one and only partner—, it feels wrong.
It is wrong.
"But it's only by your side that I'm meant to be." Kaga whispers, fingers absently clenching into fists around the towel that is hanging over her neck.
Waist-buried deep in the turmoil of thoughts with her eyes downcast, she misses the fond affection that layers the shimmering pools of light topaz as Akagi gazes down upon her, reaching in.
Delicate fingers cradle the side of her cheek, brushing against Kaga in a soft caress, and it gently pries her gaze away from the ground, forcing her to meet the glittering topaz peering down at her.
"Oh my, have I made you sulk even more, Kaga-san?" Her voice is soft— soothing. Just like her touch. And Kaga all but wants to melt right into her.
But she knows better than to do so.
At least, not at the moment.
"I… I'm not in the mood for your teasing, Akagi-san." She murmurs, pointedly looking away, despite the light pink hue that paints her cheeks.
Akagi breathes a sigh, fingers ghosting over her cheek— trailing off her chin— as if to prolong their contact as long as possible before they fall back to her side.
Immediately, Kaga finds herself missing the warmth of her touch.
Stealing a fleeting glance up at Akagi, she notes the gentle lilt to her lips and the quick flash of emotion— a mix of affection and something else— that flits past her topaz pools.
And for some reason, it only causes Kaga's blush to intensify further.
"Fine, fine," she says, waving Kaga off lightheartedly. She takes a short pause, looking to Kaga meaningfully, then bursts into a small accommodating smile. "Well, it's only going to be for tomorrow. It's not like we're going to be separated forever. We'll only be a net apart."
"Hn," grunts Kaga sulkily.
"Come on, let's just enjoy the match tomorrow, alright?"
Kaga's features darken rapidly, frowning deeply. "With that younger Ishikawa girl on my team, there's no way I can enjoy tomorrow's match, you should know that much, Akagi-san."
A soft amused chuckle.
"Well, the least you could do is be a little more optimistic, Kaga-san." Grinning, Akagi scoots over closer towards Kaga on the bench, playfully bumping shoulders with her. "Take it as a form of team-bonding exercise?"
Kaga shudders and bites back on a grimace.
On the other hand, Akagi is struggling to muffle her giggles behind a dainty fist.
"Alright, alright. In that case, why don't we play a little game?"
Arching a curious brow, Kaga looks to the girl sitting beside her warily. Though, she could not deny that her interest has been piqued. Somewhat.
A giant Cheshire-like grin begins to slowly tear across Akagi's face, pale topaz eyes glittering radiantly, full of mirth and mischief.
"If my team ends up winning tomorrow's practice match, you'll make me bento everyday for a week." She declares fervently. "And if your team wins…" Akagi drawls, trailing off, allowing her words to ring indefinitely in the air before scooting impossibly close to Kaga, leaning in.
"I'll grant you any request within my limitations and capabilities."
"A-any request…?" Kaga stammers, blinking rapidly as she purposefully diverts her eyes down onto the ground, flustered by the sudden lack of distance between the two of them.
She can just feel the embarrassment pooling at her cheeks, burning at the tip of her ears with the throbbing of her heart pulsing so loudly in her ears.
"That's right,"
A long slender finger glides at the smooth skin along Kaga's chin, tilting her face up and compelling her to meet the hypnotizing topaz gaze before her. And for a split of a second, she is left entranced, only watching in a dazed manner as a smile flits past Akagi's face.
"Any request at all…" She whispers lowly, voice taking up an odd timbre mixed in between something sultry and playful.
Immediately, Kaga's eyes flicker down south to follow after the movement of those cherry-petal lips as a stray thought then stealthily enters her mind.
Upon catching herself, she promptly gives herself the biggest mental— and physical— shake, in her attempts to rid herself traces of any risqué thought that may or may not involve her best friend who is sitting merely inches beside her.
And if it's even possible, she's suddenly far more conscious of the warm, sweaty thigh pressed up deliciously against her, with that beautiful, beautiful face barely centimeters apart from her own.
She's so close that Kaga can even smell the light pleasant fragrance of her strawberry shampoo, and it's all making her so very dizzy.
She knows, she knows. She should have been long used to such form of closeness between them by now, especially with six years of history behind them. However, for one reason or another, Akagi has always had that kind of effect on her.
And it's something that Kaga will probably never get used to.
But all that suddenly lets up as Akagi abruptly draws away— painfully so—, such that they are now— thankfully— within a fair respectable distance, thighs and shoulders no longer touching or brushing up against one another.
And strangely enough, Kaga is left with a peculiar emptiness that doesn't particularly sits well with her.
Regarding her for a moment, eyes a light tender shade of pale topaz, Akagi releases a soft giggle. A small secret smile toys at the edges of her lips.
"But, Kaga-san, that is… Only if you can co-operate with Zuikaku-san to pull off an excellent play to defeat my team, of course."
Without missing a beat, Kaga's entire visage darkens.
"Please don't even remind me, Akagi-san." She frowns, amber eyes taking up on a frigid quality.
Chuckling lightly in amusement, the team's captain claps her hand together decidedly, sending the sour-looking setter beside her a breezy smile. She raises her knuckles up towards her in their usual ritual before the start of any match.
"Well then, Kaga-san, all the best for tomorrow's practice match!"
Sighing, Kaga bumps at her knuckles halfheartedly, a small smile forcing itself onto her lips.
"All the best to you too, Akagi-san."
As Kaga had expected.
The whole practice match is currently on track to becoming a major disaster.
Because what great way to open a match, than with— yet another— petty brawl with one of your annoying teammates.
It all started swell with a quick innocent run down of their team's formation and strategy, which somehow and somewhere along the lines, transgressed into a heated back-and-forth name calling, with Kaga purported to be a 'stuck-up, haughty Ice queen', and eventually ending off with the younger Ishikawa girl being a 'snotty, tactless little brat'.
Cue the shrill blow of the whistle and begins the match.
Ever since then, the younger Ishikawa girl has not once stopped to glare at Kaga, and it only fuels the grating of her nerves, her patience wearing down thin.
But that is honestly the least of her concerns for now.
The main focus is the match, and that is where her attention should be.
Kaga doesn't know how she'll do it, but she will win this match, and the supposedly 'game' that she's playing with Akagi.
More so, for her pride. And totally not for the reward.
Or so she keeps telling herself.
Despite the discord in her team's dynamics, they're still a good four points ahead.
But she honestly knows better than to get ahead of herself, especially with Akagi and Hiryuu against her.
Kaga palms at the ball, giving it an idle twist or two as she mentally readies herself for her serve. Glancing up, she fleetingly meets a pair of familiar topaz from across the court that is soon seconded by an affable placid smile.
And it's all that is enough to kick Kaga into high gear as she finally tosses the ball up into the air and breaks for a flawless serve.
The opposing team— Akagi's team— stumbles through with their receive, and barely pulls through, sending a chance ball over to Kaga's side of the court.
Everyone is one their toes, muscles tensed and taut, awaiting for the single chance to lunge for a score or a block.
For half a second, the world slows down for Kaga as she takes in her surrounding fully, registering the positions of the hitters and blockers on the court. Her eyes cursively flicker through Hiryuu, Akagi and Tone, all of whom are gearing up for a block.
Which of my hitters should I peruse…?
If the three of them really did know her as well as think they do, then in that case…
Arms folding in, Kaga prepares for a set, her eyes darting, seeking out for ash green twin tails.
And decides to go for a gamble.
"Zuikaku,"
The flash of olive that zips past her catches Kaga by surprise, and for a brief moment, she is left astounded by her speed, that nearly rivals that of Akagi's.
The girl leaps, launching right into the air as Kaga co-ordinates her set with her tempo. However, right before her legs lock in for her jump, there had been an imperceptible fumble to her footwork that did not go past Kaga's notice.
And again when she descends back onto her feet. It's extremely subtle, but Kaga had caught it. The slight stilt in her movement.
With Zuikaku's spike passing through the court seemingly flawlessly, it has inevitably earned them yet another point.
Call it intuition or gut feeling, but something about that spike doesn't particularly boils well with Kaga.
As a triumph grin erupts onto the younger girl's face, she turns to Kaga smugly, jade eyes looking to her tauntingly. A look that Kaga pointedly choose to ignore as she in turns, surveys her warily.
Maybe it's just a figment of my imagination…
However, as the match draws on, she realizes that she could not simply ignore the nagging at the back of her head.
So Kaga tries once more.
Another set.
Another spike.
And once more.
Set, and spike.
And once more.
Each set sent towards the younger twin-tailed girl, Kaga notes the growing lapse in between her jumps and her spikes— the disjoint in her movements that is all so very jarring. And eventually Kaga catches it.
A flinch right before she takes off into the air for the set that is sent her way.
The spike doesn't sail through.
And that is all that is enough to allay Kaga's suspicions.
Never mind it being a score for Akagi's team, they're only one point left to set point.
The game starts up again.
"Souryuu, could you give me a set please," requests Kaga quietly as the ball finally crosses over to their side of the court.
Souryuu blinks, surprised, but obliges nonetheless.
Kaga easily scores her team a point, and wins the set.
"Tch, show off," harrumphs the younger Ishikawa girl from the side, crossing her arms indignantly.
Kaga merely glowers at her with an intensity that is most unlike her usual glares. The glacial in her eyes pins the younger girl down, and it pierces her deep. So much so, that the girl actually recoils for the first time.
Lips pulled thinly into a deep-set frown, Kaga then huffs heavily through her nose, whisking off away to the side of the court for their short water break before the start of the next set.
Fingers pressed against her temples, she releases a deep sigh.
... That tactless little brat.
"I guess, I'll be having Kaga's homemade bento for the whole of next week then, right?" grins Akagi, sending Kaga coy side-way glance as she towels away the thin layer of perspiration glistening at her skin.
Kaga sighs, grabbing at their water tumblers as she passes Akagi her signature crimson red tumbler.
"Yeah," she nods, albeit glumly as Akagi lets off a soft tinkling teasing laughter.
As expected, Kaga's team had lost the match.
Which didn't really come off as a huge surprise. Nope, not at all.
Not that Kaga did not see it coming.
In fact, she had seen it coming ever since the end of their first set, despite them winning it.
All in all, Hiryuu and Tone's devastating spikes, paired with Akagi's impressive blocking had proved to be too much for Kaga and her team to handle. Even with Fubuki's inexperience sets, they had still managed to pull off a good enough game plan to take Kaga's team down.
It had been a good game.
And Kaga only wishes that she could have enjoyed it more, if it weren't for—
"You arrogant, stuck up… Witch!"
An all-too familiar ear-piercing screech slices through the air.
Sighing exasperatedly, Kaga makes to whip around, but is grabbed by the scruff of her collar in mid-turn, taking her off guard.
"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Zuikaku demands, fangs bared and jade eyes irate, dark and livid with anger.
"Please get your hands off me," is all that Kaga offers blandly, without so much of a blink at the younger girl's fervent show of rage before her.
The fist around her collar tightens; the air between them sizzles, crackling with charged energy as the younger girl draws in close, emanating a dark menacing aura that reminds Kaga of something raw and primal.
"You had no excuse to not give me a set then! I was open, I could have gotten a point in, no sweat!" She snarls, lips pulling, stretching as sharp canine flashes at Kaga viciously.
The sound of footsteps clustering over to them only scarcely registers as Kaga seethes through gritted teeth, thinly-veiled anger barely scratching the surface of her stoic facade.
"Get your hands off me." She says, firmly with more of a bite this round. But her warning goes unheeded by the younger girl.
Zuikaku clicks at her tongue, her free hand reaching in to claw against the fabric of Kaga's gym shirt. And for a brief moment, Kaga notices a small imperceptible shift in those darkening emerald eyes. In the midst of all that ire and fury swirling in those jade pools, she catches the smattered dots of confusion and desperation in them.
"Zuikaku!"
"Why…?" The younger girl questions— more like implores—, her voice cracking on its end, and it bears a certain hint of fragility to it.
Ignoring the placating calls of her older sister in the background, she hauls Kaga closer. So close that Kaga could just see the unshed tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.
"Answer me, why wouldn't you just give me a toss, damn it!" The hands clutching over her uniform gives her a couple of weak halfhearted shakes. The perplexity in her eyes beseeches Kaga and the anger in them demands the truth of her.
Admittedly, after their win of the first set of the game, Kaga had, indeed, ceased all attempts at sending the younger Ishikawa girl a set. Even going as far to alter their game plan in a way that required the least of the girl in the match.
Under normal circumstances, contrary to most popular beliefs that Kaga is an unfeeling ice popsicle stick, she would have felt the least bit sympathetic towards the younger girl.
But due to the current turn of events…
"Ishikawa Middle School…" Kaga begins frigidly, amber eyes boring down into emerald apathetically, "what with all their fanciful top-notch facilities and coaches. To churn out players such as yourself… I have to say, I'm rather disappointed."
Frowning, she casts the younger girl a withering look as she pries herself free from her vice grip without much of an effort.
Staring the girl down, Kaga proceeds on coldly, words cutting and acerbic.
"My tosses… They're only meant for those whom I feel are competent enough to receive them. You, on the other hand, are no where close."
"Why you!"
The fury blazing in those emerald eyes reignites almost instantly as white-hot anger sparks through her features. Gnashing at her teeth, she lunges for Kaga once more, but is thankfully held back by her older sister in time.
"Zuikaku!"
The aforementioned girl lets out a feral growl of frustration, struggling the push through the bodily barricade Shoukaku has established between herself and the stoic setter.
And it certainly does not help the situation any further with Kaga looking ever so goadingly to the younger girl that is thrashing wildly against the hold of her older sister.
"Just who the hell do you think you are? Talking so arrogantly like that, it seriously pisses me off! Just because you're older… Just because you're better, you think you can walk over me like that?" Zuikaku hollers, face a blowing red, marred with the white flash of unadulterated anger.
Her fists shake, knuckles blanching into a pale deathly white as contempt and resent sears through the emerald of her eyes.
If she wasn't incensed and enraged before, she is now.
"What do you even know about setting in the first place? You weren't even meant to be a setter to begin with! You're just an ex-hitter playing up to be a replacement setter, that's what you are!"
"Zuikaku, please. Calm down."
"Playing pretend all this while… The only reason you're a setter now is because Kaito didn't had a choice at that time!—"
"Enough." Kaga interjects through gritted teeth, hands balling up into fists. Beside her, she feels Akagi laying a soothing hand over her shoulder.
"Not when they had their official setter dead, crushed in a bus wreck en route to the preliminaries of the Interhigh, they don't—"
"I said enough!"
Stunned silence befalls the entire gymnasium in an instant upon Kaga's sudden outburst, and it's honestly the first and only time anyone has ever heard their quiet setter raise her voice.
Nor have they ever seen her abandon that usual impassive mask of hers either.
Eyes, a dark and stormy amber, brimming with a large array of emotions— mainly melancholy and anguish—, and features twisting into that of agony, Kaga stands in the midst of everything, shoulders heaving, breaths shuddering.
And right before anyone could regain the ability to speak or move, Kaga has already bolted right out the door.
"Kaga-san!"
A/N: And the drama begins! Hope you guys enjoyed this particular longer-than-usual chapter. Though, I'm pretty sure the next one would be even longer. LOL. But yep, we're finally back to our present day, high-school Akaga and the 5th car div is finally here to wreck some havoc. Haha. Thank you so much for reading this. Special thanks to those who have either faved, alerted or reviewed. It really means a lot to me and I totally appreciate it much!