"We lost the first set. We're struggling but managing to keep up for this one," Ennoshita explained the situation for both of them.

"Thanks," Suga was grateful for the information. Kitsuna was as well, but just nodded and kept her eyes forward. They were getting better at slowing down the crazy spikes, but serves were a losing battle. Kageyama was able to block a spike from Tendo, and the ball fell back to the floor on their side scoring the final point for the second set. Karasuno scraped a set out from under the superstar team, but there was a problem with that block. Kageyama turned around, and a spurt of blood trickled down from his nose where the block had hit.

"Shit! You go get checked out, and you can join when the bleeding stops," Keishin ordered. Yamaguchi dragged the irritated setter out, and Suga was up next. He was eager to get in, but after two injuries from the blocks he was feeling even more pressure than normal. Being a low blocker, he was guaranteed to be a target for spikers. His field of vision grew smaller and smaller, tunnel visioning as his thoughts took over during the huddle. He held his hands together, startled at how cold they felt despite everything. Warmups, that moment in the hall with Kitsuna. He was sweating, but ice cold. He closed his eyes, and felt something small and warm wrap around his hands. He looked up, seeing an unexpected face to match the unexpected gesture.

"Sh-Shimizu!," he blurted out. He spouted some utter nonsense about marriage and hand-holding. Daichi and Asahi threatened him and tried to force their hands over his instead of Kiyoko's. The rest of the team laughed at the shenanigans in front of them, the air much less heavy than before. They were sent out, and the benchwarmers returned to their waiting line. Kitsuna sat on the bench itself with Keishin and Takeda, at their urging. Part way through the set Kageyama returned. He was ordered to hang out and do some warmups, and Kitsuna was sent back to the others.

The set went much like the other two, until it came down to one final rally. The ball went back and forth several times, moving too fast for Kitsuna to keep up with from the side. Not that she was paying attention anyway, something else occupying her mind and making her glare holes into the back of someone's head. That someone saved a receive, with their face, and joined for a synchro attack. Noya did his new move, a set from the back row, and Hinata scored the final point for this set again.

Suga headed for a meeting before the next one started, and felt his nerves reaching all new heights now that his fight was done. He wasn't ignorant to the nasty look that had been trained on him since earlier. None of them were oblivious to it. But as he approached, Kitsuna simply found every other possible place to look than right at him. Kageyama took his typical spot again, and the set started. Kitsuna's demeanor changed a little, with her holding a hand to her chin as she watched everyone's plays and condition with intense care.

"So, um. Are you mad at me?," Suga finally asked. The others backed up a step or two and tried to keep themselves busy. Kitsuna didn't move, or look away from the court.

"Do I have a reason to be mad at you?," the girl asked back. Her tone was almost normal, and would have made sense with her hard focus on the game. But everyone near her felt their hair stand on end.

"I don't think I did. It's just that, well. It feels like you're really mad?," Suga really couldn't figure out what he would have done to set her off. Maybe she really was just focused, and upset over her situation. That didn't feel like all of it though.

"Did you get hit harder in the head than we thought?," Kitsuna remarked. She hit a low blow adding in the reminder of his last fumbled receive. Suga didn't have any more questions, and they all watched the match progress without a word about it.

Back and forth, inch by inch. Wham. Bam. An occasional crash as the ball or a player smashed into the side barrier or a bench. Ushiwaka's team took the fourth set. Now they were on to the fifth. Exhaustion was a real concern, despite the plentiful rotations for players to rest up. Sugawara was up again, Kageyama clearly too worn out and failing sets. The rest of the team was making mistakes they hadn't since the beginning of the year, their bodies just not keeping up. Finally Sugawara set for Asahi, and the ace slammed through the block to get one final point. There was silence for a solid minute as everyone processed what happened, then screaming from the stands and all of Karasuno's players rushed out with shouts of their own.

The third years hugged each other tight, sobbing. They had finally made it to nationals with that win, something they nearly gave up on so many times. The other boys were piling up by the net, tackling each other with joy and laughing out their exhaustion. Kitsuna got caught up in it too, and jump-tackled the huddled third years.

"Kitsuna?!"

All three shouted at her, surprised as she wrapped her arms around their necks as best she could. She just beamed at them all, laughing at their reactions.

"Congrats! You guys did it, and with all of you together," Kitsuna let go and held out her fist. The boys were stunned, and took a moment to register. But they did finally and all put their hands in for a united fist bump, beaming back at her with tear stained faces. They knew she was aware of their struggles. That she had put in nearly as much work as them to bring the team back to something just functional. She was equally a part of where they stood now, but she didn't take any credit as she helped them across the wood floor for the closing ceremony and final lineup.

Cool downs went slow, but were extra important after that long match. Kitsuna got help from Kiyoko for hers, where she wasn't able to do certain parts without putting pressure on her wrist. They loaded up and stopped at a restaurant for a hefty dinner, with some of the boys once again dozing off at the table. There was a final check over all the injuries, now including a busted pinky finger for Tsukishima, and they were headed home. They got off the bus tired, ready to unpack and endure a final meeting before they went home and collapsed. They were met with something else though, that snapped their tired bodies right back from the brink. Cheers. A lot of them. From several open windows of the school building. Teachers, students, even the vice principal. Cheering for them, and congratulating them on their triumphant return.

After a quick meeting, the team was dismissed and headed home. Once it was time for Kitsuna and Suga to split off, she remembered in full detail a certain other event of the day and her exhaustion paired with it to make her glower beside him. All the way to her door. Suga tried to excuse it as just exhaustion, or something else maybe. The same thing he'd tried to do for several hours now, but was unable to shake the feeling in his gut.

"Okay. For real. Did I do something to piss you off," he asked in a harsher tone than he meant to, his own exhaustion catching up with him. Kitsuna dropped her keys, or more like threw them when he spoke up suddenly. He picked them up and she stepped aside so he could try the lock himself, since she spent several minutes struggling at it before that. It clicked, and he pushed the door open for her. Then it was time to hand over her bag, which he instead placed just inside the door before turning toward her. Her face was even more tensed up, but more of a pout than a glare. Probably.

"You don't gotta be all desperate like Tanaka and Noya," she growled out.

"Huh?"

She ground her teeth at his pathetic reaction. He was smart enough that everything didn't need to be spelled out most of the time, but there were other times that he could be so dumb it pissed her off even on a good day. She rammed a fist into his chest, with enough force to hurt but not enough to take him out.

"You're not half bad, in the looks department. So you don't gotta jump at the first girl to give you some attention," she said through gritted teeth, and without looking at him. As soon as she said it she pushed past him and into the house, closing the door in his confused face.