"Looks fine, but be more careful," the grizzled old doctor glanced over the x-ray and gave his assessment. He frowned at the girl's anxious fidgeting, practically bouncing on her heels.
"So, it's good? Yeah? Am I free to go?"
"Let me write a note, and you can go. Do some stretches while you wait," he ordered and left the room. Kitsuna did as ordered, and stretched her legs for the crazy sprint she would have to do to get to the school by noon. Newly appointed Coach Ukai, who she knew by Keishin, had already taken her stuff with on the bus. So she stuffed the note in her pocket and tore off from the waiting room. She slid across the gate's threshold just as Hinata and Kageyama made it to a stop in front of Tanaka's sister, and her old truck.
"Damn, all fired up huh?," the woman with bleached hair laughed, and they all climbed in. She took off with haste, the car bouncing the whole way and jeering across lanes. At some point, Kageyama fell asleep and toppled over into Kitsuna's lap. She held her breath for the last stretch, desperate to not repeat Hinata's last road trip blunder. They slid to a stop, and Kitsuna nearly crushed Hinata trying to get out before she hurled. She let loose on the ground beside the truck, and only gave a weak thumbs up at the boys before they all tore off to the gym doors.
"Let's go!," Hinata flung the doors open, stopping the ongoing match completely. Kitsuna fell into Kageyama's back, and the emotionally constipated boy flinched.
"Sorry," she headed for the bench and sat down, sliding her headphones on for an attempt at settling her nerves.
"Tanaka. I think you almost killed her," Tsukishima made a jab at the boy, who made a mental note to apologize later. Partway through the last set, Kitsuna finally recovered enough to stand up and cheer her team on.
"Another!," Hinata called out after the match. The Nekoma coach laughed, agreeing to a rematch.
"Hey, you go suit up too. You'll be fillin' in where they start to drop," Keishin barked at Kitsuna.
"Huh?," she looked at him confused, and Suga handed over her bag while giving her directions to the borrowed clubroom.
"What? You think you were a second manager or somethin'? Get movin', you gotta warm up," Keishin commanded her. She checked with Suga again for directions, then rushed off to change. Inside the bag, she found a uniform to match the others. Number 13. She slid it on, feeling out of place, and met back up with the others. She did several exercises while staying in place beside the other extra players. Suga was up for setter, giving Kageyama a break.
"You're up. Tsukki needs a rest," Keishin called her over, handing her the card to swap with him. She headed out, suddenly wracked with nerves as all eyes were on her.
"Huh? They've got a girl? And up front?," one of the opposing blockers, a guy with weirdly styled hair. Kitsuna snapped out of her nervous jitters then, giving him a nasty grin.
"Oh? Go easy on me, would ya?," she taunted. Suga chopped at her head, and her expression at least reverted to normal.
"Haha, sorry," she laughed it off, and got her game face on. She was able to block a few, but her big moment was when Suga set to her in a pinch. She jumped up, spiking the ball hard into the pointy guy's block. His arm gave way, and she managed to score a point with that.
"What the hell was that? You hit harder than Manbun back there! Go easy on ya, my ass!," the guy shouted, and Kitsuna stuck her tongue out at him along with Suga. Daichi's rage was boiling over at their antics from the back, so they snapped to attention. Suga was pulled out not long after, and then her. She managed a few good receives, but the stomach expulsion earlier left her low on energy. The matches carried into late evening, until everyone was completely beat. Almost everyone, that is. Hinata shouted again, freaking out everyone else.
"One more!"
"The hell's wrong with ya?," the Nekoma coach shouted in alarm. Everyone started to make their case, but it was Kitsuna who really snapped. She stumbled up and grabbed Hinata's head like a spare ball.
"Hungry. Hot. Tired. You followin' Mr. Pumpkin?," she squeezed his head, and he felt an intense wave of fear that tripped his fight or flight. Mainly, flight.
That got him to shut up, and they all lined up to finish up for the day. They held a short meeting, then headed out to get changed. Half of the boys started falling asleep in the club room, having to be dragged out by the others so Kitsuna could change. She had fallen asleep, too, and had to be woken up. They shuffled to dinner, and Kitsuna's reserves were quickly replenished just enough to talk again. She ate almost as much as Hinata and Noya, earning weird looks from Tsukki and Tadashi.
"What?," Kitsuna asked between bowlfuls of rice.
"Aren't you worried about gettin' fat?," Tsukki took over in the tactless words category this time.
"Huh? Fuck you, four eyes! I threw up earlier, so I'm starving," she snapped.
"Right! Uh, sorry about that. I guess I could have warned you about it better," Tanaka apologized with a clap of his hands in front of him. The others turned their dead fish stares at him, but Kitsuna waved it off.
"Whatever. Oh, Kiyoko!," she called out climbing off the cafeteria table seat and heading over to the girl working on clean up. "Where're the girls stayin'?"
"Hm? Oh, I'm going home. I live nearby," the girl took the dishes out of Kitsuna's hands and washed them immediately.
"I still don't like that," Keishin muttered from the end of the table. Daichi and Takeda placed hands on each of the man's shoulders, and all of the boys' faces went dark like a funeral procession.
"She'll be fine," Takeda assured him in the least assuring tone.
"Why you look like that, who died?," Kitsuna raised a brow at everyone.
"Wait, am I stayin' with you losers?"
"You can stay in the room with the teachers," Keishin offered. Kitsuna made a face of absolute disdain at that, switching roles with the guys.
"You don't gotta be that disgusted by it. Fine," Keishin gave in.
"You reek of booze, and snore too loud," Kitsuna complained. She took her leave, to shower first.