When you can't even count how many weeks have passed properly… ;_;
My deepest apologies for the late update…
Just a quick note, the chapter begins right after the last one's events!
Anyways… enjoy the update!
Chapter 4: 6%
"I'm really sorry that you had to put up with so much already on the first day." The volleyball team captain apologized while Yuzuki switched her shoes at the gym entrance.
"Don't worry about it, I was expecting something like this to happen sometime." Just didn't think it would be today… Her smile was tight thinking about her head shot.
"No I'm just embarrassed for how rowdy the first and second years were acting…" He sighed, his tone obviously hinting at the perpetrators.
Tsukishima used his headphones as an excuse not to hear while Tanaka was still unreachable from reality after the fatality of being hated on by Shimizu for laughing.
"Will you be alright?" Daichi questioned.
"Yeah I'll be fine—" She arched a brow seeing him raise a finger and pointing it past her shoulder.
"Will you be alright…?" He repeated in a more doubtful tone.
"Hinata-kun… I can hold onto the ice pack myself…" Yuzuki uttered over her shoulder.
"N-no…! At least let me do this as compensation! I got you hurt twice already…" Hinata apologized while balancing the ice pack carefully on Yuzuki's head. She waved the captain off, motioning that she'll find a way.
Hinata followed her out of the gym. As awkwardly as possible the two descended the concrete steps. Hinata still held the ice steadily on her head despite the weird descent partially thanks to their similar height.
Yuzuki stared at the boy for a moment. Then suddenly she broke out into a fast walk, making sharp turns here and there in the small field in front of the gym. She tried jumping but realized he could jump higher than her, much, much higher. For her final attempt she walked slowly for a few steps before switching into a quick sprint in the complete opposite direction.
Feeling the cold of the ice still on her head, she glanced behind her to see Hinata completely unfazed by her attempts while she was quite exhausted by the movement.
"Let's go! I can walk you to the station!" He beamed.
"Don't you ride a bike home? Plus how did you know I took the train?" She told the boy who supposedly just finished a 2 hour rigorous practice.
"How did you know I rode a bike to school?" Hinata replied with equal confusion tilting his head.
"Hinata~ the ice pack is leaking water!" Sugawara commented and removed the said object from Hinata hands who was going into partial paralysis for not noticing his clumsiness. His fingers twitched nervously in mid-air.
"You better get going soon Hinata, Kageyama's getting impatient waiting for you." The silver haired boy reminded.
"Urk?! U-um..! U-gh..!" Hinata's head swiveled back and forth between the two and the demon King who's aura was growing darker by the minute.
"I-I'll definitely treat to some Garigari-kun* some time!" Hinata bowed speedily to Yuzuki before running to receive Kageyama's hard knock to his head. Yuzuki's reaction was caught between concern and confusion.
"Don't worry about those two. You should hurry and head home before it gets too late too." Sugawara smiled kindly.
Yuzuki stared at the ice pack handed back to her that was now wrapped nicely in a handkerchief. Her eyes sparkled at the act.
"Sorry again about today. The team can get a little out of hand." The silver haired apologized.
"Its fine my head doesn't hurt as much anyways." Yuzuki stated tapping the said area. Her smile tightened from the self-inflicted pain.
"I see… do you want to walk together, it's still a little dangerous for you to walk alone." Sugawara's silver brows furrowed.
"I'm walking to the train station so it's not too far. I'll be fine."
Sugawara peered behind her quickly in the direction of the train station. His worry changed to a relaxed smile. Yuzuki looked over her shoulder as well but her expression wrinkled up in annoyance at who else was heading in the same direction.
"Alright then, I'll see you." Sugawara grinned and went to walk shoulder to shoulder with Daichi.
It was too late to accept his offer to walk together now. Armouring up in the sense of putting on headphones and blasting her loudest songs, Yuzuki began walking to the train station with the tallest player of the Karasuno volleyball team and his gentle friend.
Watching his back Yuzuki tried to bore holes in it which Tsukishima faithfully ignored. Speed walking past the two, her left earbud slipped off enough in the process for her to hear the entertained Tsukishima.
"Oops almost hit the moving target." He ridiculed taking a step towards her.
Go get some better glasses then… Yuzuki felt a vein swell. She quickly fixed the earbud back into place while tasting something bitter in her mouth. Yamaguchi glanced worriedly at Tsukishima for his comment and tried to patch things up.
"Yuzuki-san…! Is your head feeling…" His words drifted off as Yuzuki picked up her pace. Wanting to try again, he sped up his steps too. "Yuzuki-san! Yuzuki-san! Let's walk together! I'm sorry we laughed—"
"Yamaguchi!"
He immediately stopped his stride and turned to Tsukishima.
"Just let her be. It's not like we're the ones who spiked the ball at her." Tsukishima grumbled scowling at his friend's need to take the blame and pulling him into it too.
"Sorry Tsukki… But still…" Yamaguchi was happy to have another friend join the team.
Yuzuki didn't hear Yamaguchi at all and only focused on heading to the train station in hopes that she could catch the train and leave all her embarrassment shown today behind. Remembering that the train usually came early during this time she began to jog putting even more space between her and the two behind.
At the train station she disposed of the leaky ice pack while the number of swelling veins increased on her head from looking at the time schedule. The next train was set to be at least 10 minutes to be cynical. Her hand clenched the handkerchief Sugawara lent her as she waited at the platform. Letting out a deep breath that became visible in the night air, her anger also became visible.
Him and his stupid comebacks… Yuzuki ranted inside and chewed at her lower lip. But her thoughts leaned more to disbelief that he could say something like that in the first place he just met. Was she really that bad at perceiving people? She kicked a can farther away from her. Retrieving it she ached being so unreasonable. Her mind tried to find a more optimistic point of view to veer herself from a sense of bitterness sinking in. Perhaps, she should've have listened to the rumors.
The train really is going to come 10 minutes late of all days. More of her sighs were visible in the air.
Too make things even less in her favor, she underestimated how much ground long legs could cover.
Tsukishima picked out her red hair in the crowd in minutes and sauntered over with Yamaguchi following worriedly.
"What's the point of walking so fast when we're going to end up in the same place?" Tsukishima mocked looking down on her. The train flew past them the instant they were beside her.
Yuzuki felt an unearthly urge to rip off and snap those white SOMY headphones of his.
The train rattled on the tracks as the three stood close to one another with Yamaguchi being the middle man and none of them talking to the other. All of his efforts to reconcile the two tensions called Yuzuki and Tsukishima were ignored due to the music they were absorbed in.
Before Yamaguchi got off the train, he prayed that the two wouldn't kill each other by the sheer strength of glares they directed to one another occasionally. His sigh was embodied with worries.
For the rest of the ride the two kept the same distance from one another. Somewhere inside Yuzuki hoped that it was a light joke but the fact he was smirking every, single, time she hit her red head be it from someone else or by her own arm dangling from the grab straps…! Yuzuki pitied the middle schooler sitting in front of them that felt every bit of malice she emitted.
At the arrival of her stop she sent him her final glare which he answered with another condescending smirk just as agitating as the previous ones. Tsukishima watched Yuzuki's bitter charge off the train.
As soon as she felt the whoosh of the train's departure die down Yuzuki flattened a can near her with a strong stomp and cursed to herself regretfully.
"I SHOULD'VE KNOWN!"
XXX
"As people say, some things are better to be observed from afar than up close." Shiori stated holding up a finger from the other side of the phone.
"You don't understand…" Yuzuki muttered, face planting, into her pillow.
"Whaattt~? I can't hear you?" Shiori complained. "Come on don't worry about it I have tons of experience in these things." She laughed through the phone in static while making a v to her chin.
Yuzuki shot up from face planting.
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND YOU COULD LITERALLY SMELL THE CAKE BURNING FROM ACROSS THE ROOM." Yuzuki shouted into the device. "No matter how well I decorated it or how good it looks from afar SHE STILL KNOWS."
"Fake it till you make it is what I do it all the time." Shiori stated holding her cell far from her ear. "It's just one assignment for Home-Economics calm down"
"I can't copy your outlook in life Shiori I actually need Home-Economics to pull up my grade average as sad as it is…" Yuzuki mumbled.
"Well no matter how hurt you feel when the mark comes back it can't be as worse that spike to the head from the other day~"
"Right, volleyball is another thing that should be seen only from afar…" Yuzuki uttered with a blank face falling back into bed. Her sigh matched the "poof" her bed made as it absorbed her into it.
There was more static filled laughter from her friend.
"Hey, hey tell me more about what happened at the volleyball club. Yachi won't tell me anything after your head shot!" Shiori was still giggling.
"Of course, I've only been there for one practice what more is there to say." She muttered. "You've already received news of the biggest highlight there is."
"Nah I don't think so~" Shiori replied, her tone obviously hinting to gossip much more delicious than the ice cream she was plowing through.
"I think so, no one on the team is your type by the way."
"Aw that sucks." Her answer was sarcastic and half-hearted. "But what about you~? There has to be your type in the mix right~? How about that one with short black hair? OH! I know the super tall one with the blond hair?"
"There's definitely nothing to talk about there." Yuzuki answered in an annoyed tone.
"Aw come on there's bound to be something~ you sound so annoyed~ there is something."
Yuzuki ended the call. Oh my god… she furrowed her brows for thinking she let her mouth slip.
She saw the text message notification light flash in the top left corner of her phone.
"I'm glad! Continue putting lots of ice on it!
Hope you get better soon."
There were several smiley face emo-cons of different types that followed the two lines.
Yuzuki made a small side smile at the excessiveness.
"Thank you Yamaguchi-san:)"
Send… She pressed the button with some force before sighing. That clears things up with Yamaguchi although he's a bit of a worrier… Yuzuki liked that kind of a trait. At least she was able to patch things up with Yamaguchi again. One less thing to roll in her covers and think about.
Yuzuki flopped back onto her back again. Feeling the side of her head where a small bump had formed from when Hinata spiked the ball at her bullseye colored hair. Inside she wondered how much muscle was in that thin arm of his to deal so much strength. If she had that kind of power to muscle ratio taking the groceries home would be a breeze. Using it to punch a certain sneering tall blondy seemed like a good idea too.
Her cell phone vibrated again. Expecting a text to be from Yamaguchi she was slightly surprised it was from Yachi. In text messages, there was no one who could beat Yachi in emo-cons use. Almost after every word there would be a small little expression indicator. But thinking about it, Yachi did use a lot of gestures and expressions when she talked in real life. The huge amount of emo-cons just made it easier to imagine her tones and movements.
She replied back with a lengthily text to tell her everything was still fine and she was still going tomorrow. Seeing it send, Yuzuki shut her cell and threw it onto her night stand. She stretched a hand to feel around the bed and grabbed a round goofy stuffy to hug.
Volleyball practice…. That means I'll to see his ugly smirking face again… Yuzuki thought mentally preparing herself for the possible carnage he may deal. She chewed at her lip again. The clock on her night stand slowly ticked away towards midnight. But who knew volleyball would that cool to watch up close though…. Her thoughts drifted. It's definitely better than peering from behind a door crack.
Yuzuki fell asleep on top of her covers while hugging the goofy stuffy and felt a little bubbly inside.
"Yuzuki-san!" Yamaguchi called running up to her.
"Oh hey Yamaguchi! Look~ I brought a whole box of cold packs~!" She turned with cardboard box and all to greet back brightly until she saw Tsukishima behind him. He glared at her, she glared back unwillingly.
"I thought you weren't going coming to practice today after that accident." Yamaguchi voiced his worry while wearing a relieved smile.
"Of course not. I promised I would come to the practices."
"That's great, I heard we're doing spike practice again." Tsukishima interjected.
"All the more reason I should be here." Yuzuki countered in a dismissive tone. "You never know who might get a face-ball next or again." She could still see the small band-aid on the bridge of his nose.
"That's if the nurse herself doesn't get out first." He smirked.
"With 17 people in the club including me, there's about a 6% chance of getting hit and that's not including how big the gym is too which is a pretty good probability for me." She stated.
"You're math is pretty fast Yuzuki-san, but you're forgetting that some targets are more visible than others." Tsukishima glanced at her red-purple hair and entered into the gym.
"Like your blond hair is all that inconspicuous… Just go walk into a sign already…." Yuzuki seethed to herself.
"Sorry… he can be a little mean sometimes…" Yamaguchi apologized.
"Oh I know..." Yuzuki stalked off to the store room. I should break the cold packs he gets… She schemed.
XXX
Yuzuki threw a volleyball for Nishinoya to set to an imaginary target.
"How did you dye your hair Yuzuki-san by the way? I usually get my done by Ryu's nee-san!" The happy libero called.
"Is that so…!" She stuttered running to catch the ball. She had to take a moment to process and connect that Ryu = the rowdy Tanaka.
"Do you usually dye your hair yourself?" Nishinoya continued the conversation and expertly received a throw that was too low.
"Ah-ha… yeah… I try…" Her voice reflecting the little enthusiasm for the topic of her frizzy red-purple hair tied in loose pig tails. "My hair right now… is from a bit of a mess up…"Yuzuki's voiced trailed off as she recounted her fail of an attempt to pastel. She relived the horror she felt seeing her new hair color for the next four months the first time in 2.0 seconds. Gloom surrounded her.
"Yu-chan!" Yachi called from the gym doors.
"Yeah!" "Yeah?" Nishinoya and Yuzuki answered together. They looked at one another with mirroring blank faces.
"Yu-chan, do you know if I brought my water bottle into the gym yet?" Yachi continued completely oblivious to the discovery.
"Um… no, I think it's still in the change room." Yuzuki answered calmly.
"Thank you!" She bounced away.
The two turned back to staring each other.
"Nishinoya Yu." He pointed to himself, lunging forward
"Keina Yuzuki." She copied.
"I get called Yu-chan at home all the time!"
"Me too."
Their eyes shone at the sudden eureka moment and sparkles blew their minds.
"WE BOTH HAVE DYED HAIRED TOO!" Nishinoya bellowed doing the elvis point with both hands to her. His mind was blown.
"What? What? What's happening?!" Hinata sleuthed over to their earthshattering conversation after being fed up and taking a break from Kageyama's occasional oppressive kingly judgments.
"SHOYO YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT WE JUST DISCOVERED!" Nishinoya stated and began to blow Hinata's mind too over this matter.
Tsukishima watched the three in apathy as commotion broke out amongst them or mainly two of them. Behind his black frames Yuzuki looked out of place compared to the other two hyper active hotheads jumping around. She's making alliances in the team pretty quickly isn't she…?
"Should we go join them?" Yamaguchi suggested with a hopeful smile. Tsukishima quickly looked away from being found out. "It's great that Yuzuki-san is getting along with them isn't it?" Yamaguchi commented bending over to touch the tips of his shoes.
"They must've bonded well after realizing they were all the same height." He mumbled, focusing on his stretching.
"Tsukki..." Yamaguchi laughed along weakly.
"You're wrong Tsukishima." Nishinoya interjected pointing a finger to him. Tsukishima frowned being eavesdropped on. "Our bond is more than that now… for we are…." Kageyama who was asking Hinata for forgiveness was promptly pushed away.
"THE DYED HAIR TRIO!" The 160cm triplet stood in a triangle formation with Yuzuki in the middle and saying it in a much blander and quieter tone. The much taller boy's eyes remained apathetic and turned away while Yamaguchi giggled at the display.
"The heck Hinata?! Why did you push me away?!" Kageyama shouted immediately. Tsukishima took this chance to walk away from the congregation of idiots.
"It's not like you have beautifully dyed hair like us!" Hinata shouted back messaging his head where Kageyama's iron claw clamped onto.
"Dyed? Your hair's naturally orange isn't it?! If you can't even use adjectives right you'll flunk the next term test, we're gonna lose practice time again! Is what Yachi-san taught us already go out of your head?!" Kageyama yelled back.
"It's not like you remember anything she taught you either Bakayama!" Hinata retorted.
"WHAT?!"
"HA! I'm right aren't I?!"
"…!"
Yuzuki observed the two bicker with a volleyball in hand and was reminded of the couple in a drama her and her sister was watching the other day.
"Oy. Oy break it up you two." Daichi ordered entering the gym before Yuzuki could ask about their well-being.
"Oh Yuzuki-san you're here early!" Sugawara commented and sent a relieved smile to Daichi that they didn't lose the new member.
"Yeah, I met up with Hinata-kun in hallways and came straight here with him." She nodded with a smile.
"That's right, Yuzuki-san is a first year right?"
"Ah… I remember being that young and coming to the club for the first time…" Asahi reminisced earning himself slaps from Sugawara and Daichi to wince and tear- up a little over.
"Asahi if you keep this up you're going to end up turning 30 for you birthday this year!" Nishinoya teased.
"Is that a gray hair I see?" Sugawara commented ironically.
"EHHH?!" The ace of the team gasped and whimpered.
Hahaha…. There's no way this guy can be an Asian gang leader like in the rumors... Yuzuki thought laughing along with everyone while she remembered some rumors.
She looked over her shoulder to eye Tsukishima's back still walking away if not even faster than before. His tall figure showing not a flinch or attention the commotion happening. As if feeling her stare he looked back to smirk at the idiocrasy. Catching her glare he turned away again.
XXX
Yuzuki stared at the glowing phone screen without much interest. Inside she brooded over the fact that she couldn't escape riding the train with a certain pair. She had tried to speed walk faster than the two without too much suspicion. But clearly that failed for one she's riding with them this instant, two the annoying and obviously worse one of the pair made sure he mocked her for her efforts. It was good that Yamaguchi was the middle man between her and Tsukishima again.
"So is your class handing it in next Friday now?" Yamaguchi initiated a conversation in the reluctant silence. With a hold onto the hand strap of the cart, his thin figure swung unconsciously with the swaying of the train.
"Yup, I barely started it…" Yuzuki muttered.
"Our literature assignment got pushed back too right Tsukki?" Yamaguchi stated brightly to prompt his friend.
"Yeah they did." Tsukishima stated blatantly.
"A few extra days is always good." Yamaguchi nodded looking at the vinyl of the floor. Glancing up again he saw Tsukishima had fell out of the conversation to his music. The white headphones jolted another topic to talk about.
"Yuzuki-san what genre do you listen by the way?" Yamaguchi asked looking hopeful.
"I'm a rocker." Yuzuki made universal sign for the genre.
"Tsukki do you like rock then?" Yamaguchi quickly turning to Tsukishima again.
"I don't like any genre in particular." He answered coldly.
"Is that so…" Yamaguchi was discouraged by his tone. Yuzuki returned to scrolling down the newsfeed on her phone.
At least they're talking a little tense. Yamaguchi kept his thoughts optimistic. Not exactly the reconciliation he had imagined but it was progress. Connecting them together in a conversation was very near impossible. If only they would stop brushing me off so obviously… He sighed.
One more try…!
"It's your stop Yamaguchi." "Yamaguchi-san it's your stop." Tsukishima and Yuzuki stated in unison without looking away from their devices. The announcement for the stop dinged above them.
"U-h yeah… Have a good weekend you guys…" Do they even hear themselves…? Yamaguchi gapped at the feat. The two barely reacted. But rushing to the train doors to get off Yamaguchi felt a bit better about them. The possibility that the most important person to him in the world and his friend could get along grew a nanometer.
Tsukishima and Yuzuki both continued to keep to themselves as the peace wall called Yamaguchi disappeared between them. Still submerged to their own music devices they saw shuffling of people and seats they stood in front of them free up to only be quickly taken again. Yuzuki saw a granny coming from her right and stepped a little back to make room for her cane as she moved to a seat in front of Tsukishima. But from the left, a young man whooshed in and sat down on the open seat completely intrigued by his smart phone.
Yuzuki glared at him instantly. "This jerk—"
"People are degenerating aren't they?" Tsukishima announced looking at the young man. Yuzuki's glance to him was more of surprise than annoyance for cutting her midsentence.
"Yeah… especially in leg strength…" She continued in a sarcastic half growl.
"Their eyesight is getting equally as bad too." He added on.
"Hearing is probably up there on the list as well." Yuzuki faked a sigh.
"The generation has become rather weak." He made an emphasis on the last word.
"True, soon enough even elders will have better legs and physique than us. How pitiful."
"How embarrassing."
"How weak."
"So weak." The two said in unison glaring down the young man together.
"Alright I get! Don't need to be oh-so indirect and stuff!" He muttered getting up and sauntered away quickly from other judging eyes.
"Aww… and they get crushed so easily too." Tsukishima smirked to himself mischievously.
"Oba-chan (granny) you can sit down now." Yuzuki made way for her again.
Steadily, she sat down and smiled at the two.
"Youngster's tongues sure are scary when they team up." The elder commented.
"It was nothing." Yuzuki replied. It was a chance of unlikely teamwork.
"Is your knee alright ooba-san (granny)?" Tsukishima asked. Yuzuki's expression immediately became shocked at him and then at the elder.
"It was just a little push from the boy. My leg strength is much better than most youngster's right?" She smiled tapping a gentle fist on the said part.
"That's good…" Yuzuki sighed. On the inside she planned to ambush that kid later. He wasn't that much taller than her anyways. The announcement for her stop came on. That kid moved too.
Seeing her chance, Yuzuki bowed to the grandma before leaving. She peered at Tsukishima and tilted her head to make her glare stronger while he looked down on her without effort. The two ignored each other's existence again.
"I hope good things happen to her." The granny wished waving to the red haired girl.
"That would be bad on my part." Tsukishima muttered.
"It's about the perspective that matters. Cause and effects come later" The grandma smiled.
"Perhaps." He replied in a flat undulating tone watching the red hair walk into her weekend.
In the hallways of school again, Yamaguchi was all smiles with Yuzuki as support beside him. At least from what Tsukishima saw before entering the classroom. It had been a good long weekend for Tsukishima. Home alone with his headphones on for 75% of the time. Even now he still listened to the new playlist. With more tolerance than usual he waited for his brown haired friend.
"You really can't hate him right?" Yamaguchi grinned.
"Just go already!" Yuzuki pushed him forward teasingly. "I'll try not to curse him too much. Don't let those seven years get trumped!"
Smiling, Yamaguchi stood straight again and stared ahead to the person he wanted to look back him the most. He took a step forward.
Yuzuki stepped back and stopped in the hall. Observing them like she always had.
What was it that Shiori said before... The best friend is always better? Yuzuki recalled tilting her head up. Yamaguchi was definitely better than his partner she had to agree but that option is out the window swept into the deep sea now.
Over the long weekend she had rejected a certain null hypothesis.
Garigari-kun*: a popsicle brand that exists in the Haikyuu universe and also happens to be Nishinoya's favorite food!
Thanks for reaching to the end of that chapter!
The next one is already near the end of the planning stage.
Anyways until then…
If you got something to comment of the please do! Reviews are the best thing to get from you guys! :D
-Vince