Hinata steps onto the court spitting rage, expecting Ushijima to brush him off again. But he had too many things to prove to too many people to let himself be intimidated- they would win, for Kouji and Izumi, for Nekoma, for Coach Ukai Jr. and Sr., but most of all for themselves. They were just a match away from Nationals. A breath away from no longer being 'Fallen'.

Was it strange he thought more about proving himself to Ushijima before collapsing into bed the night before?

He watches Ushijima spike while listening with half an ear as Kageyama muttered strategies and code words under his breath. Ushijima is undeniable strong. But they all knew that already.

What he doesn't know is how Ushijima watches him warm up, and calmly observes him slam the ball straight down without surprise. He's long since learned that Hinata was far more adaptable than most considered, and in the course of a game all bets were off. There was faith in his half-lidded eyes. Excitement stirred in his veins, and he idly wondered when Hinata's talent would be noticed by the rep teams. Ah, but for that, he'd have to make it to the finals... Maybe next year.

This was going to be a match to remember.

Asahi was starting to wonder who exactly Ushijima thought Karasuno's ace was, him or Hinata. He watched as Ushjima's eyes followed Hinata about the court after only giving him a cursory glance. He left his team to follow Asahi's movements while he stalked Hinata's every move by himself. It should have felt good to be underestimated while Hinata was being overestimated, like the perfect plan. But was it really?

The match continued, and after Hinata turned away, after Hinata scored the final point of the first round, Asahi swore he saw something black and orange in the corner of Ushijima's wide, excited eyes as Hinata wandered over to get a waterbottle. But...

Kageyama didn't like the way Ushijima talked to Hinata. When they'd first met he held a blatant (deserved) arrogance and hadn't thought they'd be able to keep up with him. He brushed off Kageyama's genius, claimed Oikawa had made the wrong choice, and hadn't considered Hinata as a player. Then Hinata swept in and stole the ball from him and they walked off before he could truly respond.

Now Ushijima talked to Hinata with a familiar bluntness, but the similar sort of respect to the kind he gave Oikawa. Brief words between panting breaths as they pass each other during each match point. His eyes spoke of consideration, maybe even the thought of convincing Hinata to come to Shiratorizawa next year. It was infuriating as it was (hopefully) useful.

He wondered if he was only angry because Ushijima didn't consider them a pair as everyone else had- hadn't thought Hinata depended on Kageyama's toss. But no. Kageyama himself viewed Hinata as his own person in volleyball now, what reason would he have to begrudge Ushijima the same thought?

Looking at Hinata, he watched the familiar amber and black gem disappear behind falling lids. Something in the back of his mind chimed he'd heard of that elsewhere, but why would he hear about a gem instead of see it? It lingered in his mind and nagged him when he thought about the other team, but he just couldn't place a finger on it.

Karasuno wins, and the crowd goes wild.

Hinata and Ushijima shake hands under the net, and they barely hear the flash of a camera.

"It's a shame we couldn't be proper rivals," Ushijima almost sighs as their hands separate, "I will be waiting for you in the professional circuit." Hinata's eyes sparkle at this remark, and Ushijima's gaze lingers on the half-familiar orange and black feather.

"Let's hope we don't end up on the same team like Kageyama and I have," Hinata laughs before they both turn away. Another flash, except they both see this one, eyes that were open wide for the barest second blinking. They think nothing of it as they return to their teams to celebrate or mourn what was.

Oikawa is too swept up in celebrating Yamaguchi's brilliant serve to remember to tell Hinata that Ushijima's gem matches his own. When Hinata finds out, he'll roll his eyes, and mutter about how he shouldn't have played matchmaker the day before, but it'll be with a grin on his face.

KARASUNO WINS THE REGIONAL MALE VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT is blared in the local newspaper's sports section, with a mention to look in their celebrities column for a related article. If you shuffle through to find it, you'll see a picture of Hinata and Ushijima smiling as they turn back to their teams where you see both their eyes clearly- and how the shape and position of their gems match. It's in black and white, but even so, it's enough for a small blurb about how this must be volleyball's new Romeo and Juliet, or maybe some romantic spin on Prince and the Pauper as Hinata is rumored to have stolen Ushijima's title as the 3rd best Ace in all of Japan even though he's a decoy and Asahi is the team's current Ace.

Ukai Keishi paws through that paper groggily the next morning, spitting his coffee to the side after spotting the picture. The rest of the team remains unaware, those who did read the paper satisfied with the headline before setting it back down.

Oikawa hears about it from his mother that morning, and ends up laughing so hard Iwaizumi comes over to check if he's died. He'll send Yamaguchi a snapchat of the article once he's stopped wheezing...