The training wrapped up with a sort of mock tournament between all the teams. Karasuno was up first, against Bokuto's team. The sets ended up tied, until the third. Hinata pulled off a move that Bokuto had taught him, faking the team out and taking the final set. The frost-tipped boy got some playful bullying from his team for that move, and they cleared out. There was another game in between, so Karasuno headed outside and was given some free time. Kitsuna started to wander off by herself, but Daichi's side eye was so intense that Sugawara and Yamaguchi tried to join her. Daichi grabbed Suga, who let out a pathetic squeak of protest before getting shut up with a glare.

Kitsuna smiled and waved back at him, but didn't try to save him at all or deny her intent. Some other boys noticed the cross-gym interaction, but nobody was giving any indication they were going to answer questions even if asked.

"You! You're vice-captain. Act like it and quit playing favorites!," Daichi shook Suga by the shirt. The silver haired boy saluted his captain, then the last part hit him and the tension faded away.

"Huh? Favorites?," Suga looked back, and Daichi released him. He gave Suga a blank stare, as did some of the onlookers.

"Seriously," was all Daichi could say in response to his friend's complete lack of awareness.

Outside, Kitsuna wandered around to a new hiding spot. A space behind the school, where some bushes obscured a tiny section of wall. She crouched down, lighting up where no one would see the smoke either. Only then did she notice the other pair of shoes to her left, and followed the form upward to land on Yamaguchi's face.

"What're you doin' here?," she asked, startled somewhat. Yamaguchi stumbled over his words, his voice rising in pitch with each missed start. Kitsuna laughed, holding a finger in front of her toothy grin, and he quieted down.

"I'm not mad or anything. Just not used to anyone hanging around when I do this. Wait, you aren't about to try and start up, are you?," she asked an unexpected question this time.

"Eh? No, no. I just," Yamaguchi was speaking clearer now, but he wasn't able to get his words out quite right.

"Good. Don't if you can help it," she took a drag and exhaled with a huge puff of smoke. Then she stood up, and swapped sides with her surprise break buddy, so the wind blew the smoke away from him.

"Why'd you start it?," Yamaguchi was suddenly curious. Well, all of the boys were by now, but there was never an opportunity that felt right to ask. Kitsuna's eyelids fell, and it was as if the light didn't reach them. She puffed on the cigarette for a few minutes, the wind blowing their hair around with the smoke and stray blades of grass.

"Some of the guys think I don't get stressed out easily," she glanced at him with that comment. He flinched, trying to recall if he had said anything like that before but came up blank.

"It's not that I don't. But I've been through…situations," she glanced at the brace covering her wrist scars. She did that from time to time, as if the scars were some sort of repulsive bug that was suddenly there.

"You mean, like that report mentioned? I think it was after the Prelims, with Seijoh."

"Yeah. I guess it's hard to avoid that coming up. Was in the news a few years ago too. Bigger places won't care, but small town news will grab anything it can get," she flicked the cherry of her cigarette, watching to make sure the flames didn't spread out. Yamaguchi noticed a few older cigarette butts, and a spot where the grass had been packed down into the dirt.

"That's, um. Sor-"

"Don't."

"I'm sor-I mean. I don't really know what else to say here," Yamaguchi nearly apologized for his attempted apology. He was definitely the type to apologize way too often, but Kitsuna didn't hate that about him. She put out her cigarette, grinding it into the dirt, and stood up. She stretched big and tall, arching her back a little bit for the full effect. Then her arms fell to her sides, with a bit of spring as her heels reconnected with the earth.

"My bad. I'm sure there's not a lot to say to it, it's a lot. But I hate when people say sorry for no reason. Nothin' for you to be sorry about, wasn't you who caused the problem," there was an intensity to her voice. One that showed her distaste for random pity, but a hint of something else too. It was hard to place, but Yamaguchi felt a sense of peace from her. She bounced on her heels a few times, then settled down and turned her gaze on him. Sizing him up, it felt like, then she let out a big yawn and pulled her hair behind her ear. Yamaguchi studied the piercings that lined the lower lobe, and the metal bar that went through two points at the top. They glinted in the sunlight, dull bronze in color.

"I do get stressed. Turned to a bad habit to deal with it, like a ton of others do. Booze, smokes, or worse. It's mostly my own fault, for bottling stuff up and not being honest with myself. Or open with others. But you're pretty easy to read, and that's a good thing really. I like that about all the guys on the team actually. If you have big feelings, you just let it out. In your own ways. It's cool," she smiled a wink. It was a really roundabout praise, and not just for himself, but Yamaguchi still found himself feeling flustered.

"Well, thanks for hanging out I guess. Oh, also my bad. Tsukki hates the smell, so he might not wanna be around you for the rest of the day. Next time leave your jacket at the gym or something, and don't stand in the wind," she snickered at him. He rebounded immediately to feeling a sense of dread at the Tsukishima part. She punched his shoulder, laughing hard at his face.

"Hey, where the hell did you go! Game's starting," Keishin called out from the gym doors. Both stray team members flinched at that, and Yamaguchi started to walk out from their hiding spot. Kitsuna stopped him though, and asked him to run around the gym to the other side with her with the added excuse that it would be a good warmup. They rounded the opposite corner and nearly collapsed in front of the rest of the team.

"You stink," Tsukishima hissed during the pregame meeting, at both Kitsuna and Yamaguchi. Sugawara elbowed the blonde in the side, gently. They earned a glare from Daichi for not paying attention, and Keishin snapped at them too. Nervous laughter came from three of the four troublemakers.