"Eh-ah. Hello!," Kiyoko's aunt was shocked at first, greeted by her niece with a taller and violent-looking person. It took a moment to realize it was a girl, from her niece's club. She laid out a nice and light dinner. Then it was bath time, and Kitsuna got stuck with the different shower handles for a good while. Then it was time to go to bed, since there was a pretty early start for the next day. Kiyoko turned off the lights, but sat on the edge of her bed in the lamplight instead of going immediately to bed.

"Hm?," Kitsuna studied her face, from her palette of blankets on the floor. Both girls opted for shorts and light shirts for bed, and both girls had a range of scars across their legs. Kiyoko appeared to be studying Kitsuna's, and the redhead blushed a bit.

"Um," Kitsuna tried again to get her attention.

"Oh, sorry! Uh, I just," Kiyoko wasn't one for many words, but she was extra bad at it right now. Kitsuna laughed, then remembered her company and apologized for being so loud.

"I have scars on my legs, from a track accident. But you do, too. You don't cover yours, or seem too worried about it though," Kiyoko glanced away, pulling her glasses off and placing them neatly folded on the table beside her bed.

"Hm. I guess, it's nothing to be ashamed about. Stuff happens, right? But," Kitsuna trailed off, dropping her bravado for just a moment. She stared at her palms, which were blistered from spiking practice, and the scars around her thin wrist.

"Those scars. They're from a few years ago?," Kiyoko asked. "Oh! Sorry, I don't mean to pry-"

"Huh?," Kitsuna looked at her, studying her face again. Kiyoko felt the intensity of her eyes, almost glowing in the dim light, and shrank back.

"I mean. There was a thing in the news a couple years ago. About a girl who had a series of pretty unfortunate events. Those scars, they match the injuries. And your red hair, it's not as noticeable as Hinata's but it stands out a little," Kiyoko explained.

"Hm. Right," Kitsuna stopped leering at the girl, looking down at her folded legs instead.

It was hard to read her face, and not just because Kiyoko took her glasses off. Kiyoko wasn't sure what to do, seeing the girl with hair curling around her shoulders so deeply lost in thought. Kiyoko put her glasses back on, and sat down on the floor behind Kitsuna. The girl flinched when something brushed her neck, glancing over her shoulder.

"Um, your hair. I thought it was pretty, and maybe it would help to do something with it before you go to sleep so it's not a hassle in the morning?," Kiyoko was unusually talkative, but there were still big gaps too. Kitsuna didn't say anything when she turned back around, but she didn't stop the other girl who raked her fingers through the waves of red with blackened tips. She managed to remove some of the tangles, then set to work braiding it and tying it off. Once she finished, she returned to her bed and reached to turn off the lamp.

"Kiyoko?," Kitsuna spoke up in the dark after a while.

"Hm?"

"Um. Thanks. And sorry, it was rough dealing with people's reactions to the scars at first. They always looked sad, but it wasn't anything that they should worry about. So, um, what I wanted to say earlier. It can be awkward, but you're really pretty already. So, don't worry about it damaging your reputation or anything. Or if you think they're ugly or something like that," Kitsuna's voice trailed off, and the rustling indicated that she had covered up and settled in to sleep finally.

Morning came, with the beep of Kiyoko's alarm clock. She rolled out of bed with little fuss, and found her entire floor taken up by the redhead. She looked over the scars again. There were burn marks that splotched her calves, and a set of neat scars across her knee and ankle. Her shirt was pushed up, flashing a mole or two on her stomach. And her wrist and shoulder showed more scars. Some messy, and one or two neat lines. Then finally up to her face, which was framed by a mess of red where hair slipped out of the braid. On the girl's cheek, breaking the pattern of freckles across her nose, was a thick and jagged scar under her right eye. She stirred in her sleep, murmuring something unintelligible, and Kiyoko laughed a little to herself before gently waking the girl up.

"Muh? Mornin'," Kitsuna sat up, her eyes clouded over with her sleep-clouded brain fuzz. Kiyoko had heard about this state from some of the boys, but it was definitely something you had to see yourself. It was kind of cute, in a way.

"Let's get dressed and get going," Kiyoko helped her to her feet, and handed over the half empty duffel bag Kitsuna brought with her. Kiyoko left for the bathroom to change, and Kitsuna slowly slipped out of her nightly wear and into gym shorts and a big tank top with thick straps. They headed out together, just after sunrise, and Kitsuna hummed a little tune as they walked.

"Sorry, I'm not great with words," Kiyoko apologized.

"Hm? 'S fine. I'm not either," Kitsuna went to smack Kiyoko's shoulder, still used to hanging out with the boys, but caught herself and settled on a light tap. They arrived at the cafeteria and started on breakfast prep with the other teams' managers. There were a lot of stares, and questions, with Kitsuna gaining a lot of attention all of a sudden. It was hard to deal with, making Kitsuna sort of glad when the boys started filtering in. She joined them to eat, and for morning practices.

"Hey, Noya," Tanaka pulled the short stack to the side during spike practice. "Is it just me, or does she look different today?"

"Huh? You're right. She's like, completely refreshed and stuff," Noya agreed with his brother in hormone-rich arms.