CHAPTER TEN: FIRST STEP

"Pain is only temporary, but victory is forever."

"Daisuke stop."

"But you look so cute! You're in shorts and you're wearing the sweater I gave you and -"

"Daisuke."

"- Your hair is in that cute little pony tail -"

"Stop."

"Saaa, Kuroo-kun! Kozume-kun! Doesn't Rin look -"

"Shut. Up."

Daisuke groaned, throwing his arm around Rin's shoulders, shaking her back and forth, "So~ cranky."

Rin growled at her brother, only causing him and Kuroo to chuckle at her lack of verbal response. She narrowed her eyes at the two, her shoulders slumping as her lips twitched into a pout.

She woke up completely unhappy that Daisuke had practically drugged her. She was even more pissy when she found out that Daisuke was completely serious about telling Kuroo. She felt utterly embarrassed that her brother had showed him the games and that Kuroo had watched her at her worst. Daisuke had then added to her discomfort by telling her that they were going to go play Volleyball with said boy that day. Needless to say, she was fuming the entire morning.

Rin wasn't sure what Kuroo would say about the video, she wasn't sure how he would react with her now that he's seen the video and the scar. She just didn't know. And the more she thought of how he would react the more she realized something.

Rin was scared to know how he would react. She was fiercely reminded that his opinion mattered to her. And she didn't know what upset her more, the fact that he knew everything or the fact that she had no idea why she cared so much.

But the moment Kuroo showed up at her door, with Kenma (reluctantly) in tow, he acted as if nothing. Happily greeting her and Daisuke as if he hadn't watched the videos yesterday. Casually calling her "Rin-chan" with that annoying smirk while dragging her out of the house as if he hadn't seen the ugly scar. He acted as if nothing was different, as if he was still blissfully oblivious to Rin's problems. She was too upset to ask him about anything, so she settled with remaining silent.

And, according to Daisuke, cranky.

Daisuke had practically shoved her new clothes in her hands. He had gotten her a few things from America, a cute blue shirt and sweatshirt with a paw print over the heart, as well as a couple pairs of running shorts. So, to please her whining brother, she put on the black crew neck and slipped on some new shorts. He had allowed her to wear the compression socks before they left the house, but told her that she would have to take them off when they got to the gym - so he could apply the athletic tape.

"I don't think I've ever seen your hair up, Rin~chan."

Rin shot Kuroo a glare, her cheeks puffed out and red from embarrassment.

It wasn't like she wanted to wear her hair back. Daisuke had literally forced her to wear it this way when she brushing it earlier that morning. The oversized bear had tugged at Rin's hair and pulled it back for her, saying that he "missed it." So, Rin's hair was pulled into a small pony tale at the nape of her neck - a bunch of loose strands falling around her face. She tried removing the hair tie once, and that resulted in Daisuke pulling her in a loose - but still firm - head lock.

She didn't try again.

"Here we are," Daisuke sang happily.

Rin sighed, rubbing the back of her neck nervously as she eyed the empty gym. Her grandfather had given them the keys to the gym at Nekoma, so they had the large gymnasium all to themselves. It felt a lot more spacious now that it wasn't occupied with the entire Nekoma volleyball team.

"So what -"

"Sit down."

Rin squeaked when she was pushed down by her shoulders and forced to sit on the bench by her brother. The older Nekomata quickly rummaged through the bag, he knelt down in front of her while Kuroo and Kenma took seats on either side of her - Kuroo looking at Daisuke curiously and Kenma engrossed with his handheld game.

"Ah, Kuroo-kun," Daisuke shoved the red knee brace into Rin's hands while talking to Kuroo, "Since I'll be going back to America in two weeks I should teach you how to wrap her knee so you can do it for her."

Rin's face flushed and she squeezed the knee brace in her grasp, "Hah!? Why can't I just do it myself?"

Daisuke grinned cheekily, "'Cause you probably won't wrap it tight enough 'cause you're a big baby."

Rin lurched forward, punching her brother in the shoulder - though, it hurt her more than it probably hurt him.

Daisuke snickered and tugged at the red athletic tape, using his finger to urge Kuroo to come closer to watch. Rin's face was burning, and she could feel the tips of her ears get warm as she squirmed in discomfort. Daisuke calmly and slowly explained the proper way to tape her knee up to Kuroo, who had his head tilted to the side the entire time. Rin would have laughed at him, telling him he resembled a house cat, but her discomfort and embarrassment were enough to keep her silent the entire time. She avoided eye contact, turning her head away from all 3 boys while she fidgeted in her seat (which would lead to Daisuke scolding her to sit still). She flinched at the tightness of the wrap once her brother was done with one knee. When Daisuke was done, Kuroo wrapped her other knee. Which caused Rin's face to burn ever brighter - if that was at all possible at this point.

"Alright! Put your knee pads on!"

Rin tilted her head over slightly, her cheeks still bright red as she pouted at Daisuke - still, she moved and slowly slipped both the knee pads on.

It was weird, wearing knee pads again. The tape made it feel odd too, though there was little to no pain in her knees. She hadn't really noticed it before, but her knees actually didn't hurt. Which was weird, usually she felt some sort of pain coming from them. But there was nothing. The tight wrap was a weird - but pleasant - pressure on her knees, and the pads were soft and comfortable.

"Rin is ready, let's do this!" Daisuke roared happily, his voice echoing off the walls of the gym.

Rin couldn't help but smile lightly, "You don't even know how to play Volleyball right."

Daisuke rolled his eyes, jabbing his finger in Kuroo's chest - causing the blacked hair male to choke on air from the harsh and sudden impact, "I just have to get the ball past him, right? He plays what you played right? I know how to serve it well enough. So, I just gotta beat him and you when it comes to being stronger, that's not hard."

Rin snickered, "Yeah, right."

Daisuke huffed childishly, grabbing the volleyball from Kuroo's hands, "Fine then, let's see."

Rin stood and smirked, but the realization hit her when she noticed Kuroo and Daisuke walk onto the court.

She couldn't play. She hadn't played in so long, a part of her even felt like she forgot how to play. And her knees, Daisuke said she could but she was scared. What if she hurt her other knee? Then what? Two ugly scars running down both knees, constantly reminding her of her failure as a Volleyball player? No, thanks.

"Let's stretch first."

Rin gasped in surprise when Kuroo tugged at her hand, pulling her down to the gym floor so they could stretch out their legs. Daisuke was loosely stretching at the opposite corner, but mostly trying to figure out how to serve on his own.

Rin pursed her lips together, her eyes darting up to look at Kuroo and then back down to the red tape at her knees.

"You're stretching wrong," Kuroo sniffed, he leaned forward and grasped Rin's wrist and pulled her forward lightly, forcing her to stretch her leg muscles even further, "Hoh? You're a lot more flexible than I thought."

Rin growled, her eyes narrowing at him in annoyance, "I have a clear shot to your manhood, Kuroo. Watch it."

Kuroo smirked, sending Rin a wink, "There's the Rin I know."

It took her a moment to register what he said, and when his words registered Rin blinked, the snarl falling from her lips and her entire face twisting into confusion.

Oh.

"Let's do this, Rin~chan," Kuroo smirked, standing up and stretching his arms above his head, "You say I can do better, but let's see you play."

Rin snorted, "Yeah right, stupid. Did you not see the video yesterday, I can barely -"

She cut herself off, her eyes widening in surprise when she realized she had easily just mentioned what she had been avoiding. Her eyes darted back to Kuroo, who was giving her his signature smirk, not a trace of pity or even disappointed in his eyes. Instead, he looked just as mischievous and cunning as ever. Rin didn't know if that pissed her off or gave her a sense of relief.

"Hoh? You scared?"

Rin blinked, still trying to figure out what she was feeling.

"Saaa~ Rin's scared?!"

Finally, she puffed out her cheeks, dragging her right arm across her chest so she could stretch it out. If she were paying close attention she would have noticed the mischievous twinkle in Daisuke's eye, and the small grin from Kuroo.

"Kenma! Serve it to Daisuke at least once!"

Kenma sighed, looking at Kuroo with a look of distaste. None the less, the boy stood and grasped the Volleyball from Daisuke.

Rin could feel her heart pounding against her rib cage when she noticed Kuroo get into a defensive position beside her. He was watching her, waiting for her to do the same - but he didn't say anything to goad her on. He was waiting for her to do that on her own, because that itself was a giant step for Rin. No one was making a big deal out of it, but everyone knew it. Rin was going to take this step. But she was nervous, she was scared.

"Ready!" Daisuke sang, rubbing his hands together and sticking his tongue out in concentration.

It was like her body was in control of itself at this point. Her mind went from overthinking to Volleyball in a split second, and her body followed suit. Rin lifted her hands and bend her knees slightly. Her lips were barely parted, and her cheeks were flushed from the whirlwind of emotions that raced in her mind and heart. The heart that was still beating rapidly in her chest. She was excited, nervous, scared - or was she just so numb she thought she felt all these emotions? She didn't know. But what she did know was that she had taken the step. Like a wolf that had licked it's own wounds, it stood up and had taken that first step. The wolf limped, but it had taken the step.

She had taken the first step.

Rin's eyes followed the ball as Kenma tossed it towards Daisuke. His form was sloppy, and wasn't anything professional. But Rin knew he was going to hit it hard enough anyway. Her breath caught in her throat when she jumped, Kuroo's figure following closely beside her own. Their fingers briefly touched when they lifted their hands above the net, the ball slapping against both of their palms and falling back towards Daisuke. A smile tugged at the corner of Rin's lips when she felt the tingle in her fingers, but when her eyes briefly caught Kuroo's and she was confused. Why was he looking at her with wide eyes? Why did Daisuke looked so concerned all of a sudden?

Ah....

It all felt like slow motion to Rin, the way she fell back down from the net. She didn't even realize it until Kuroo landed on his two feet and she still felt herself falling towards the floor.

When did I slip?

Kuroo reached out a single arm, wrapping it around Rin's shoulders and pulling her as close to him as possible. They landed awkwardly and were oddly entangled, Rin's legs mixing in with his own while he had his arm wrapped around her shoulders - her own arms were held tightly against her chest. Daisuke's face was contorted into a look of worry, which Rin never thought looked good on him. He was never serious. Rin didn't like the look on Kuroo's face either, she didn't like that he looked scared. His eyes were wide and he was looking at Rin with a look that harshly reminded her that he knew about her knees.

But even though she was receiving these looks she couldn't help it.

Even though she had completely and utterly failed at her first jump in what felt like a lifetime.

She couldn't help it.

Rin laughed.

Rin shut her eyes, her hands flying to her stomach as she let out loud and childish giggles. Tears sprung in the corner of her eyes and her cheeks began to hurt in the same way they did when she ate something sour. Her cheeks flushed and she let out a quiet snort once or twice.

Kuroo and Daisuke's face calmed.

"Why would you scare your big brother like that, Rin!" Daisuke whined, trying to stop the wide grin from spreading across his face. He failed, because Rin completely ignored him and continued to laugh. Her fingers were squeezing the fabric of the sweater right above her stomach. Her hair was tickling her nose and was a complete mess.

"What's so funny?" Kuroo asked, detangling himself from the female. She had lied down on the floor, her head resting close to where Kuroo was still seated. She tried to catch her breath a few times, but would fail and continue to laugh instead.

"I - I -"

She could barely put a sentence together without giggling at the end.

"Spit it out, idiot!" Daisuke yelled, stomping his feet childishly.

"I - I was so bad!" Rin laughed, her head tilting back a little as she continued to laugh, one of her palms slapping lightly against the gym floor, "I use to be so good and that block was so bad!"

"Haaah?!"

Rin ignored her brother and turned to look at Kuroo, lifting her hand to point her index finger at him. She lightly poked his chest as she spoke, still quietly laughing, "And you, even though I was bad your block was horrible."

"Hoh?" Kuroo grinned, lifting a single brow, "You wanna try that again then?"

A grin spread across Rin's lips, and Kuroo could see that the smile was completely different from the ones he's seen before.

He definitely liked this one more.

Rin slowly stood up, rubbing the back of her neck as she still chuckled lightly. Her cheeks and the tip of her ears were tinted pink and she had an impish smile on her face. She stretched her arms and nodded towards Daisuke and Kenma, "Let's try that again."

Daisuke sent her a smirk and she noticed that he winked in Kuroo's direction, but she didn't bother to ask why. She just assumed they were internally rolling their eyes at her.

Rubbing her hands together in the same manner Daisuke had moments ago she smirked, "Come on, Dai-nii, just act like you're dunking the ball or whatever it us that you do."

Daisuke snorted, "Dunking and spiking are totally different."

"They're both aggressive actions that earn you points," Rin shrugged, "Come on, I'll stop it either way."

Daisuke smirked, tilting his head to the side. He told Kenma to toss it once more and the boy grumbled an agreement. Rin bent her knees and lifted her palms to ghost the net in front of her. Her lips quirked upwards in a small smile. She was about ready to jump but let out a high pitched squeak when she rose into the air.

Because who the hell just lifted her up?

"Block it!"

Rin quickly raised her arms over the net and blocked Daisuke's weak spike - causing him to let out a loud and obnoxious whine. Rin tilted her head down to look at Kuroo, the bedhead was sending her one of his infamous smirks. He had picked her up by her legs so she was high enough to see over the net perfectly. Like she did when she was in her prime. Of course they noticed, on her first jump not only did she slip but she didn't nearly jump as high as she use to. She blocked Daisuke's spike because she had Kuroo's help and because Daisuke isn't a Volleyball player at all, he simply knows the basics. So, Kuroo had lifted her up and she blocked the spike on her own. She blocked the spike and she was as high up in the air as she was when she played with Okamiyasha.

Tears sprung in the corner of her eyes and she choked on a laugh, her cheeks flushing as she grinned widely again.

"How's the view up there?" Daisuke called, setting his hands on his hips as a grin made it's way onto his face.

Rin wiped at her cheeks, causing her to spread the fallen tears around her face. She gave her brother a closed eye grin, "Unforgettable."

{AUTHORS CORNER: FIRST OFF I WANNA SAY. I made a mix on 8tracks for Rin, the link to the mix is on my page! Go check it out if you actually care tbh but yeah thanks for reading! Under the headcanon I wanted to post some questions I've gotten about Rin through here and also on tumblr. I figured I'd answer them here so everyone can see! If you have any questions comment/message me here or on tumblr[juujisho]. Thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites! Enjoy!

ALSO, Rin's hair was honestly inspired by the Rin from Free! when he wears his hair in a pony tail.

Sorry if there are mistakes, please let me know, I got off of work and I really wanted to type this finish cause it makes me so happy so yeah. I swear I check my chapters like ten times but I still manage to miss my mistakes.

LASTLY, shout out to Bergliot because we practically wrote out our OC's futures and oh my gosh okay, it's perfect.}

(HEAD CANON SEVEN: Rin was born on April 24th, she's a Taurus.)

[BONUS QUESTIONS:

1. Why did you chose a wolf to represent Rin?

- I chose a wolf for a multitude of reasons. One, it's my second favorite animal tbh. But, besides that, a wolf has a lot of traits that I admire and I'm trying to portray those traits in Rin. A wolf can be a "lone wolf" or it can be an in a pack. Both with and without a pack, a wolf is strong. Okamiyasha was Rin's pack, but after her accident she became a lone wolf. Wolves never abandon a wolf in their pack, which is why I had Rin abandon Okamiyasha. Now, Rin was the Captain of Okamiyasha which means she was like the Alpha. Alpha's are strong, they're the leaders and they're the ones who take care of the pack. That's why when Rin hurt herself, she was unable to do Captain duties - unable to do Alpha duties. So, out of shame, she exiled herself. She is still currently a "lone wolf" or "lone alpha", but she will get a pack again. Can you guess who?

I'M REALLY TRYING TO MAKE THE PARALLELS STRONG WITH THIS.

2. Who is the unnamed best friend?

- I'VE HINTED AT IT BUT NO ONE HAS GUESSED SO I'M NOT TELLIN' JUST YET. You will find out eventually, though.

3. Rin's stats were pretty high.

- Not a question but I did want to comment on this. They're high because 1. She was on an All-Star team, meaning that EVERYONE's stat's on the team were high. 2. She was Captain of said team, so of course her stat's were going to be good. And 3. She was the Ace.

4. Was Rin close with all of her old team?

- Yes, of course! I haven't given a proper flashback yet. But I can tell you that there is one.]