CHAPTER FOUR: HE REMEMBERED

"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't."

"So, how was your first official school week at Nekoma?"

Rin looked up from her phone to glance at her computer screen, her bother was looking at her with a lazy and tired grin. His brown hair was tousled and messy, a few strands landing in between his eyes. He had the same sharp and pointed facial features she had, giving him an all too handsome look. His eyes, much like her fathers, were a daring icy blue. From the position of his camera she could see that he was bigger than the last time she had seen him in person - which was roughly only 3 months ago. His shoulders were broader, and she could only assume he grew a couple inches as well.

"It was okay," Rin shrugged, glancing at her phone again when she heard it ding.

"Is that the Captain?" Her brother asked, leaning forward slightly and wiggling his eyebrows, "Saaa, you're getting close. You haven't had a close friend since -"

"I'll end the chat right now if you continue to talk," Rin answered in a sing-song voice, looking at the text. Kuroo was planning out their weekend, he had told her and him and Kenma were going to "kidnap" her on Saturday and no matter how many times she asked, he wouldn't tell her where they were going. She even texted Kenma, swearing she would still act surprised no matter where they went. But not even he budged, "But yes, it's him - and another friend."

"Saaaa~," Her brother grinned childishly, bringing his palms to his cheeks, "You said friend!"

Rin scowled at the screen, causing her brother to snicker as he spoke once more. His tone was still light but his words carried a seriousness that caused her to sigh, "I really am happy you're making friends. As much as you don't want to hear it, I'm going to say it. After the accident during the Championship game you pushed everyone away, even your own teammates. Even... Well, you know who. I know you feel bad about it because we never did find out where he moved."

Rin frowned, her shoulders slumping forward. She appreciated that her brother avoided saying names, it would only increase her guilt, "I know, I know."

"It's good that you're making friends," Her brother offered her another smile, "It genuinely makes me happy."

Rin covered her face with her hands, her words muffled, "How can you say that with such a straight face, it's so embarrassing!"

"No one's listening to me say it!" Her brother snickered, "Besides, it's not embarrassing to speak the truth."

"You find a way to make it embarrassing," Rin groaned, removing her hands, "Besides, you act like I've never had a friend."

Daisuke shrugged his shoulders , "I know you have, but the point is that it was past tense. I want you to have friends now, since I'm not there someone has to keep that smile on your face."

Rin lightly tugged down the skin under one of her eyes and stuck out her tongue "You're so serious, lighten up."

Her brother laughed, his nose scrunching, "Ah, sorry, sorry. I'm just tired, practice kicked the hell out of me this week."

"Are you starting?" Rin asked, perking up slightly.

Daisuke rubbed his eyes and hummed, "Yeah, starting Center for the Brown, Brown Bears. Aren't you proud?"

"Of course, I can't go around telling people my brother sits on the bench," Rin teased, "But, I'll let you get some rest, Dai-nii."

Her brother gave a single wave towards the camera, "I'll see you in a couple of weeks, we'll talk soon."

"Bye bye," Rin waved, clicking the end call button on her computer. She flopped back into bed, her head resting on Ko's stomach as she brought her phone up to her face. Her fingers pressed up against the touch screen as she replied to Kuroo's text, she was typing out her address so he could come by and get her in the morning with Kenma. Rin tossed her phone aside and sat up, stretching her arms above her head as she glanced around her room.

Her room was fairly simple in design. Pictures scattered her entire wall, they were the only thing that really added flare to her room. Besides the pictures, her room was plain. She had no band or movie posters, her sheets were a plain black and her the walls were painted a simple steel grey. She didn't even have a t.v. in her room. Rin tilted her head, her eyes scanning the set of photos she kept by her bed. The three photos were hung and framed unlike the rest that were taped to her wall.

These photos were her favorites.

The first was a picture of her brother and her as children. She had her cheek squished up against his, large grins spread across both of their faces. Daisuke was about 11 in the picture, and since he was 6 years older that made Rin about 5. The two had chocolate smeared all over both of their faces, teeth, clothes and hair.

The second picture was of her and her father. He was grinning ear to ear and not looking straight at the camera, his eyes were focused down towards a younger Rin. In the picture, she held a small trophy in her hands - her cheeks and eyes were red. She had forced a smile onto her face, but the redness on her face was enough to make it obvious that she was crying. It was the first match she ever lost with her team, and she was a sore loser about the whole thing.

The last picture was of Rin and an old friend and teammate, their arms slung around each other shoulders. The two were covered in sweat and were clad in their black and brown jersey, large smiles on their faces. Their heads were tilted in together and they both tried to add "bunny" ears to the top of each others heads.

They were Rin's favorite pictures, out of all the random pictures she had on her wall. Raging from Daisuke's graduation, to Rin first getting Ko, to even her fathers promotion party. She adored all the pictures on her wall and, as she looked around, it made her realize that it's been a while since she's taken any.

Rin sighed and grabbed her phone and checked her messages, one from Kenma that read that him and Kuroo would be at her house around 11 in the morning. And the second was from Kuroo, telling her to be comfortable because they would be at the whole day. Tossing her phone on the bed once more Rin stood up and walked over to her closet, she pulled on a pair of black skinny jeans and tossed them onto her night stand. She began to fumble through her shirts, mumbling a 'what to wear'. She plucked a bright green tank top from her closet, it had thick straps and was loose around her body when she put it on. It always floated nicely when she wore it, and it would be good to wear since the week had been warm. Rin set the shirt down her with the pants and looked back at Ko, who was staring at her with a tilted head. She gave the dog a thumbs up, "I pulled an outfit together quickly. Aren't you proud of me, Ko?"

The dog wagged it's tail, his tongue rolling out of his mouth goofily causing Rin to roll her eyes. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, "Well, I should get to bed. Who knows what those two have planned. Maybe I should make myself coffee in the morning?"

Rin slid into bed, Ko snuggling closer to her after she switched off her lap. She slung her arm over the dog's body lazily and drifted.

BEEP BEEP.

BEEP BEEP.

Rin groaned, blindly reaching for her phone as it rung. Her hand smashed against her night stand and she cringed, opening her eyes a little so she could grasp onto the flashing and beeping phone. She clicked the answer button without even looking at the name.

"What?"

"Morning, Rin-chan!"

Rin groaned and rolled over, she began to realize that Kuroo only added the -chan to her name when he was either a) being annoying or b) up to no good. She wasn't really in the mood to figure out which one it was right now. Rin rubbed her eyes roughly, blinking them open and pulling her phone away from her ear to glance at the time.

9:27 AM

Rin placed the phone on her ear again, turning over into her pillow. Her voice was slightly muffled as she spoke, "Why are you so perky in the morning?"

She heard him laugh, "I'm in a good mood because I get to see you today, so why don't you wake up?"

Rin groaned, stuffing her face further into the pillow, "Why do you say such embarrassing things?"

"Because your face gets red," Kuroo teased, "Now get up, I'm walking to Kenma's house soon and then we're going to your house straight after. Get ready! See you soon!"

Rin sighed and dropped her hand, hitting the end call button while she sat up. She yawned and stood up to stretch her limbs. Ko followed her off the bed and she drug her feet through the house, opening the backyard door to let the dog out before she headed towards the bathroom. Rin brushed her hair, and straightened it lightly - only getting the annoying baby hairs that seemed to stick out in front of her eyes. She changed into the black pants and tank top and slipped on a pair of black converse. Rin walked towards the kitchen, scratching the back of her head lazily.

"Morning, Rin."

Rin plopped down beside her grandfather tiredly, he chuckled and slid a cup of coffee in front of her - immediately causing the girl to perk up. She reached for the sugar, practically dumping half of the container into her coffee. Yasufumi chuckled, "Your sweet tooth is just as bad as your fathers was."

Rin shrugged, adding creamer, "I don't like the bitter taste, it tastes a lot better when it's really sweet."

"I think that's one of the few things that you and Daisuke don't have in common," her grandfather chuckled, "He prefers bitter while you detest it."

Rin made a face, "Daisuke is an oddball, that's why."

"Are you going out?" Her grandfather asked, realizing that Rin wasn't slumped over in her PJ's like she usually was on Saturday.

The hummed, sipping the hot coffee before she responded, "Kenma and Tetsurou are taking me... somewhere. They won't tell me where yet."

Her grandfather smiled genuinely, "I'm glad. Have fun - Oh! Did you need any money?"

Rin shook her head, swirling her spoon in her coffee, "I still have some of my own money from my last birthday, no worries Jii-chan."

Her grandfather stood up and patted her head, walking towards his room, "Well, I'll be going out tonight -"

"You go out and drink sake more than Daisuke does," Rin rolled her eyes, grabbing her cup and walking towards the sink, "Seriously, should a man your age really be drinking so much?"

Her grandfather chuckled, "I'm fine, I'm fine. Go have fun today, don't be out too late!"

"I know, I know," Rin called over her shoulder as she cleaned the cup, "I'll be home by the time you do, plus it's not like you don't know who I'm going with. If I don't come back just blame Tetsurou and Kenma."

Rin wiped her hands on the towel beside the sink and walked towards her room, grabbing her phone and sticking the money in between the phone and the phone case. She was much too lazy to hold onto a purse and a wallet was too bulky for her pants. She lifted her head when she heard rapid knocking on the front door, causing Ko to begin barking like mad from the backyard.

"I heard you, I heard you!" Rin called, walking towards the back door. She slid the screen open and let the dog run in, a mass of black fur pushing past her quickly. She rolled her eyes and made her way towards the front door, running a hand through her hair as she did so.

Kuroo had a wide grin plastered on his face when Rin peaked the door open, Kenma shifting at his side quietly like he usually did. Rin was holding onto Ko's collar with hand while holding onto the door with the other, she sighed and called over her shoulder, "I'm going now, Jii-chan! Make sure to put Kougami back outside before you leave!"

Her grandfather called back and agreement and Rin slipped out the door, slamming it shut so the wolf-like dog wouldn't chase after her. She sighed, turning around to face the two, she offered them a sheepish smile, "Sorry about that, Ko get's excited when he hears someone knock on the door. He always seems to think it's Daisuke."

Kuroo grinned and threw his arm over her shoulder, dragging her down her driveway, "Don't worry about it! Besides, I didn't know you lived so close to Kenma and I?"

"Huh?" Rin tilted her head in confusion, before it clicked, "Oh yeah, you and Kenma are practically neighbors, right? I almost forgot about that."

"Oh~," Kuroo grinned, looking between Kenma and Rin, "So, you two have been talking about me?"

"Hardly," Kenma muttered, plucking his phone from his pocket.

Rin resisted the urge to laugh, a small smile tugged at her lips and she shook her head as she pulled away from Kuroo, "Anyway, where are we even going?"

Kuroo leaned forward slightly, taking in Rin's appearance. She raised her eyebrows in question, causing him to give her a closed eye smile, "I was expecting something girly-er. But I forget that even at school you wear the boys pants."

Rin shrugged her shoulders, "If you were expecting me to wear a skirt, don't hold your breath."

Kuroo grinned, "We're going to take the train. You said you've never been to the Aquarium in Tokyo, right?"

Rin tilted her head, "I mentioned it once, yeah."

"Well," Kuroo grinned, pointing to himself proudly, "I remembered, so that's where we're going."

Rin blinked at him a couple of times before turning to look at Kenma, "Did he really remember, or did you tell him again?"

Kenma's lips twitched slightly and Kuroo whined in the background. The younger teen shook his head, "No, he remembered on his own."

Rin turned to look at the Captain who was standing proud again, a small smile on his face. Her lips twitched upward and she could feel her cheeks warm up, she chuckled and placed her hands behind her back. The three walked the distance towards the train station in a mostly comfortable silence. Kuroo speaking up a couple of times to tease Rin and Rin purposely ignoring him to ask Kenma about a video game. Once the three arrive and were finally settled in the train Rin frowned, hating having her legs feel so scrunched up.

"You mention Daisuke a lot," Kuroo stated, tilting his head at her. She was seated in between the two boys, Kuroo to her right and Kenma to her left, "But I feel like I still don't know anything about him except that he plays Basketball in America."

Rin shrugged, a small smile on her face, "Well, Daisuke goes to Brown University. He says he plays Basketball for fun, but I think he can make a career out of it if he really tried. He's really good."

Kuroo hummed, "He must be tall then?"

Rin nodded, "Last time I saw him he was 198cm, but I wouldn't doubt it if he got taller. When I talk to him on skype he always seems to get bulkier, it's no wonder no one bullied me as a kid."

Kuroo snickered, tilting his head up, "You two got along really well, huh?"

Rin nodded, hunching forward slightly as she looked at Kuroo, "We do. We've always been close, it feels like it's always been just ... us."

Kuroo looked at Rin from the corner of his eyes, and Rin could tell he wanted to ask more but he remained quiet. She chuckled softly, looking towards the floor, "For being so talkative you sure do get quiet when you're unsure on a subject."

Kuroo shrugged his shoulders lazily.

"You can ask," Rin rubbed the back of her neck, "About my parents, I mean."

Kuroo hesitated, and Rin noticed that he lips twitched down slightly. It was odd, really, just seeing the almost-frown made her want to frown herself. She was so used to seeing the black-haired teen with a smile on his face - whether genuine or sarcastic, it was just always there. She sighed, "It's odd, really. How much trouble I have talking about Volleyball. But when it comes to my parents... it's easy."

"You don't have to tell me," Kuroo shrugged, "Besides, Kenma and I are here as your friends - not to interview you. Right, Kenma?"

The boy nodded, not looking away from his phone as he hummed an agreement. Rin chuckled and leaned back into the seat, slumping down a little, as she thought about what Kuroo said.

Friends?

Rin felt like a child, she knew her eyes were as bright as the younger children around her and she had a grin on her face so wide that her cheeks would no doubt hurt later on, "This is amazing."

"We're not even inside yet," Kuroo laughed, patting the top of her head childishly. She swatted his hand away and continued to look around the outside of the building. It was huge and she couldn't wait to get inside to see, she was so distracted that she didn't even know Kuroo had bought his and her ticket until it was too late. The raven haired girl frowned when the piece of paper was shoved in her face, "Here."

"Wait let me -," Rin shook her head, pushing his hand away from her face so she could grab money. Kuroo hands quickly reached for her wrist, stopping her from reaching into her pocket. She looked up at him with a frown, but he was smiling at her as he, once again, shoved the ticket towards her.

"My treat," He shrugged once she finally took the ticket. Rin opened her mouth to object but Kenma spoke up before she could.

"He rarely pays for anything," Kenma told her, offering a smile.

Rin sighed, a smile slipping on her lips as he excitement took over, "Well, I don't want to stand outside the whole time - let's go."

Getting into the aquarium took a little longer than she would have liked, and since it was a weekend it was full of people - both young and old.

But when she finally received her wristband she grinned and rushed in, quickly becoming enveloped in darkness. The lights from the fish tanks had her wide-eyed and for a moment she completely forgot she was there with Kuroo and Kenma. Rin walked towards the first tank, gingerly placing her fingers on the glass as she peered inside.

"You're a lot more childish than I thought."

Rin jumped, looking to see Kenma staring at her. She huffed and look towards the tank again, tilting her head as her eyes followed the small fluorescent fish, "It's just, well, I never really got to do much of this when I was younger. My dad was a police officer so he was always working, and when he wasn't working he was helping Daisuke or me with sports. We never really went anywhere - I know I said I've never been to the Tokyo Aquarium. But the truth is I've never been to one at all."

"Well, then I'm glad we decided to bring you here."

Rin turned and smiled at Kuroo, "Ah, me too."

Rin took her time walking around, genuinely amazed and excited about everything. She had pulled out her cell phone to take pictures, asking Kenma to take pictures of her with certain exhibits. She asked Kuroo the first time, but the Captain decided to take pictures of himself instead of taking any of her. (Needless to say, she wasn't excited when she looked and only saw close-ups of his face.) So when she handed off her phone to Kenma, Kuroo decided to force himself into a couple of her pictures, holding her in place with both of his arms or just by hugging her shoulders tightly.

Her flustered face in the pictures was enough to get Kenma to crack a smile.

She was wide-eyed when it came to everything, and she was sure that Kuroo and Kenma both thought she was being ridiculous - but then again, they did bring her here. She looked over her shoulder, the two of them were standing a bit away as they looked at another tank, Kenma was scolding Kuroo as the taller male tapped against the glass. She shook her head and made her way towards them.

"We're getting close to the end," Kuroo stated once he noticed her step beside him.

"I want to see the big tank," Rin answered, bringing a finger to her lips as she furrowed her brows, "Is that at the end?"

Kuroo nodded.

"How long have we been here?" Rin ask as they made their way towards the tunnel tank. The dome-like structure immediately causing Rin's mouth to part in delight.

"Four hours."

Rin nodded absentmindedly and walked slowly, her eyes wide as she watched a small nurse shark swim above her. She heard Kuroo laugh, but he didn't bother to tease her this time around - she seemed to be enjoying herself far too much.

By the time the trio reached the large tank, Rin looked as if she were about to burst into tears. A pair of whale sharks were swimming in front of the large open space of tank and Rin didn't hesitate to take a picture. But after two quick photo's her phone was plucked from her hand, a small whining noise escaping from her. Kuroo turned away from her quickly and Rin looked at him oddly as he spoke to an older male and female, pointing to the phone and then over his shoulder at the tank. The male he spoke to nodded and grasped onto Rin's phone, confusing her even further. She squeaked when Kuroo dragged her to him by her shoulder, grabbing Kenma with his other hand.

"Get ready for a picture," Kuroo grinned and Rin blinked.

She was shoved against his right side, while Kenma rested to his left - Kuroo's arm around Rin's shoulder while his other arm rested on top of Kenma's head. She heard the man with her phone begin to count and she turned, a large smile making it's way into her face. The flash blinded her for a moment but Rin was far too happy to even care that she might have blinked.

Kuroo was right. They were definitely friends.

[DISCLAIMER: I do not own Haikyuu! or any recognizable characters. The only characters I take claim over are Rin, Daisuke, Saruhiko and some students that I'm going to conjure.]

{AUTHORS CORNER: I feel like this chapter sounds really filler-y but I swear it's not. I want to build her friendship with Kuroo and Kenma, considering I keep saying she's bad with people and I do mention that she has pushed people away from her. So, friendship is something that doesn't come easy to my dear OC. But, as you just read - she's calling them her friends. And, for the record, I know nothing about Aquariums in Japan and I'm pretty sure the one I'm thinking about is in Okinawa and not Tokyo but bear with me.

Also, keeping up with the animal theme that goes with the anime/manga - Daisuke goes to Brown. Which, like I said, is the Brown Bears. CAN YOU GUESS WHERE I'M GOING WITH THIS?

Anyways, thank you for reading! Also, thank you to those who take the time to comment after they read! It really does make me suPER happy to get the email/notification that someone commented/followed/favorited the story. It's 2AM, I read this three times but let me know if I messed up. OTL}

(FF USER - Savage Kill - To answer your question, yes. I do plan to show Rin's temper, just not yet.)

(HEAD CANON TWO: Rin has shown her openly goofy side with only 2 people.)