Haikyuu!
Higher
Chapter 07: Cat

Aika didn't envy the decision that Coach Ukai had to make. She would never have been able to choose between the two setters. She could completely admit that Kageyama was much more technically skilled than Sugawara, but Sugawara was more acclimated to team play and was an overall kinder person.

It wasn't an easy decision. She liked both of them. They were both nice to her. Her heart would go out to the setter who would not be able to start.

Somehow, she knew that someone would be hurt.

She just hoped that everything would work out for the best.

"You're going to training camp today?" Aika didn't look up at her older brother, Shinji, as she tied her shoes. She simply nodded, standing and grabbing her bag. "Be careful, okay? Don't strain yourself too much, and be sure to get enough rest. Promise to eat well, and watch yourself around those boys. Or rather, those boys around you. Oh, and—"

She sighed exasperatedly. "Shin, I can handle myself. I'm not a little girl anymore," she grumbled, cutting him off with a stern look.

He bit his lip and ran a hand through the hair that fell into his face. "I know. I just… I can't help but worry. You haven't been this into volleyball since… well, since the accident. I'm glad, so I want you to keep having fun. But I want you to stay safe. Please, just call, won't you?" he requested, managing a weak smile on his handsome face.

Aika softened and turned away from the door. She wrapped her arms around her brother's torso, hugging him close. "I'll be careful. And I'll call whenever I have time," she promised softly.

Smiling down at his little sister, he twined his fingers in her long hair. "Good." He paused, holding her closer. "And you're wrong about one thing. You'll always be a little girl to me, Ai, even if we're only two years apart. After all, I've got to look after you. Who else will I take care of?" he joked.

She sighed once more and pushed away. "Get a girlfriend."

"You're so cold to me!"

Sugawara couldn't help but see the look on Ukai's face as he watched the practice. He was reminded of the decision that the coach had to make. He looked to Kageyama, who was working hard, tossing to his spikers as they slammed the ball down on the court, and felt his heart drop.

One of us won't be starting. One of us will be benched.

I don't want it to be me. But I don't want it to be Kageyama. This isn't fair.

Sugawara could feel the pain in his chest, where his heart should have been. He froze in place, his hands curling into fists at his side.

I want to play.

The small cottage that they were staying in was homely and open. It was big enough for at least two teams to stay in as the training camp commenced.

"Yamada." Aika looked up at Sawamura, who was smiling kindly. "Since you'll be the only girl here, you'll get your own room if you choose to stay. But Shimizu has offered you a place if you want it," he informed her, his smile never disappearing.

She sighed. "I'm staying. Shoyo needs me here," she replied bluntly.

Sawamura's smile still didn't vanish. "That's fine. You room is right next door to ours, so please call if you need anything." He didn't wait for her to respond, but turned towards the mess hall, where Takeda and Shimizu were preparing dinner.

She simply followed him, stumbling upon the mess of a team that she had agreed to work with. She stared at Tanaka and Nishinoya as they stared at Shimizu.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised anymore," she commented off-handedly to Sugawara.

He laughed, shaking his head. "Please don't be. They're always like this," he replied easily.

The two sat down at the table, next to each other as they prepared to eat. Aika's eyes trailed from Sugawara to Kageyama. She could see the wheels turning in his head and see the conflict raging in his eyes. She could tell that he wanted to play, but he believed Kageyama would be better for the team. He'd made his decision, but hadn't made up his mind to tell Ukai.

Looking down at her plate, she mumbled, "If you have something to say, then you should speak up. Feelings may be hurt, but you should think about what's important to you. Don't let someone else struggle with a decision that you've made."

Sugawara's astonished gaze didn't escape her as she began to eat, but she didn't dare speak another word to him.

This was his decision to make. She could only push him in the direction he was already headed in.

"Did you say that you're playing against Nekoma?!"

"Shin, I told you this ages ago. Weren't you listening?"

"I forgot! Besides, don't you know who goes to Nekoma?"

"No? I don't know anyone from Nekoma High."

"Really? You don't remember them?"

"Who the hell are you talking about?"

"If you don't remember, I'm not telling. But I'm sure you'll remember them. Be sure to say hi, okay?"

"… sure."

"Good. And good luck!"

Sugawara turned the corner of the hallway and froze. His hands curled into fists and he bit his lip. His heart was racing a mile a minute, an angry throbbing in his chest bringing him unspeakable amounts of pain. His mind was still arguing with itself, going back and forth continuously.

Ukai stood at the other end of the hall, his figure practically taunting Sugawara.

He knew what he had to do. He knew what was important to him, and he knew what his decision was.

But he was still scared. He was still uncertain of himself, of his own place. He didn't know where he fit anymore.

All he knew was that he still wanted to support Karasuno.

Steeling his nerve, Sugawara rushed forwards. "Coach!" he called out.

His decision was made.

The training camp proceeded as it should have, with few to no real mishaps along the way. There were a few minor bumps, but nothing that couldn't be fixed. Everyone was working hard, preparing themselves for their match against Nekoma, their school's biggest rivals.

As they prepared to battle against Nekoma the next day, Aika stood next to Sugawara and Takeda, facing the seven players on the team. Her arms were crossed and she stared all of them in the eye.

They were all determined, even those who were not going to stand against their rivals. There was a fire that couldn't be underestimated by anyone. They were all prepared to do whatever it was that they needed to do.

And all of them were clad in black and orange uniforms, their numbers in a bold white.

For once, they looked like a team.

"I'm not expecting a win. I'm not expecting some big, flashy play or some impressive skills that would blow away those who don't know the sport." Murmurs ran through the players. "But what I am expecting from you is to work as a team. I'm expecting all of you to remember the practice that we put you through and execute what it is that you need to do. I'm expecting you to make them remember us. Got it?"

"Yeah!"

Hinata was the one whose shout rang the loudest throughout the gym, but there were faint echoes of some of the other players, including Nishinoya and Tanaka. They were listening to her, and they would do as she asked.

They would give it everything that they had.

"Kuroo, I've never seen you so excited for a match."

Tetsuro Kuroo looked up from the papers that detailed the lineup that Karasuno would be using. He'd been studying what little data they had on the old roster, but there was an influx of names that hadn't been on the paper from the previous year.

One name was one that he knew very well. It stood out against the unfamiliar ones.

He grinned widely up at Kenma. "Yeah. There's someone that we know in Karasuno."

Kenma paused for a moment. "Would I know him? I don't know anyone from Miyagi," he replied quietly, his soft voice somewhat confused.

"It's not a him. And she's not a player. Well, she used to be, but now, she's on the boy's team as an assistant coach."

At Kuroo's response, Kenma's face lit up. He looked happier than he had in ages. He smiled the widest smile that he could, the corners of his lips turned upwards.

"She's here?"

Kuroo nodded. "Yep. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

He looked back down at the paper, his fingers running over the name "Aika Yamada" that was written right between the name of the coach and the name of the manager.

Aika watched as the two teams lined up outside the school, the twelve players on each team facing each other without fear. Her eyes narrowed a little, seeing some of the players of Nekoma.

They're strong. Much stronger together than apart. They're really a team, aren't they…?

"Oi, Aika!"

That wasn't a voice that she recognized. She looked away from the familiar-looking boy whose hair resembled pudding, and towards the tall captain with dark hair that stuck up. He was waving towards her, a warm grin on his face as he pulled away from his tension-filled handshake with Sawamura.

Pulling away, he ran towards her. "It's been what, eight years? You're still a pipsqueak. Have you even grown?" he bombarded her with question after question, making her eyes widen as she recognized that Cheshire smile on his face.

"Tetsu! Ken! Let's walk home together!"

Two boys, both of whom were older than her, turned around. One had dark, brown hair that fell to his chin, while the other had jet black hair that stood up, curving inwards as it lifted. They were a bit taller than her, so, as she approached, the black-haired boy placed a hand on her head and ruffled her short hair.

"Sure, Ai. Let's go home."

"Tetsu, what are you playing?"

The boy with black hair tossed a white ball up, caught it, and tossed it again. He grinned at the curious little girl, who blinked at him with her wide eyes, which were trained on the ball in front of him.

"It's called volleyball. I joined a recreational team with Kenma. Shinji didn't want to join us, the jerk."

"Can I play?"

Tetsu hummed a little, looking down at her as he tucked his ball underneath his arm. "You're a little short, aren't you?"

She pouted. "What does that matter?!" she shot back hotly.

He just laughed, ruffling her hair again. "I'll teach you. We'll play, okay?" he agreed, looking down at her with warm eyes.

"Tetsu? Is that you?" she asked, her eyes widening. "That means…" Glancing back to the pudding-haired boy, who was entertaining Shoyo, she blinked, realizing why he was so familiar. "That's Kenma, isn't it?"

Kuroo grinned widely and reached out, ruffling Aika's hair like he had when they were little, the warmth of his palm both familiar and comforting. She fought herself from reaching out to hug him, attaching herself to him like she had so long ago.

"That's right. Good to see you again, Ai. How've you been?"

For a moment, Aika hesitated. She wanted nothing more than to tell him about how she'd been the past few years, why she was here as an assistant coach, and what had happened to her leg, but she knew how much he'd overreact. She wanted to seek his comfort, but she knew that he'd only worry like a mother hen.

So, instead, she smiled serenely. "I've been well, thanks. I wasn't aware you went to Nekoma."

Kageyama looked at the side of the court, seeing the girl with wine red hair, pulled up in a ponytail, watching both teams closely. She seemed to be examining Nekoma's server and captain the closest. There was something different about her eyes when she was watching them.

They seemed more like the eyes of the Nekoma setter – the eyes of a cat.

Her eyes were sharp, glaring, as she examined both teams closely. She watched as Karasuno began to take the lead in the match. The tempo, controlled by Karasuno and by Kageyama, forced the Nekoma team to take a time out.

Ukai spoke to the team, telling them simple things, like which players seemed the strongest, and whose spikes needed to be looked for. Everyone nodded, knowing exactly what had to happen throughout the game in order to win.

But as Ukai's words turned to the setter, he trailed off.

"You're underestimating Kenma." All eyes turned to Aika. "He's the smartest person on that team. You're showing everything just to gain control, and Ken knows how to take that and turn it against you. I wasn't sure how much he's improved, but I can tell you this, though." Her sharp gaze turned to all of them, but Kageyama felt that it pierced through him the most. "He can read you like a book."

Silence fell over the flock of crows. Kageyama chanced a look back, his eyes landing on the cat-eyed boy. She was right about the fact that he was intelligent. The Karasuno setter sized up his Nekoma counterpart, and found that, despite the fact that there was nothing impressive about him, his eyes were off-putting. It was like he could see through everything that was happening.

It was unnerving.

The whistle blew before Kageyama could ask Aika to elaborate. Both teams filed back onto the court, taking their positions.

The game was back on.

Aika could tell that even when Karasuno seemed to have control of the game, even with the fast attacks, Azumane's spike, Kageyama's hawk-like accuracy, and Nishinoya's saves, nothing could stop Kenma from doing what he always did.

He always found a way to take over the game and turn it against his opponents. It was the one thing that made him the most fearsome opponent to face.

At Aika's first game, both Kuroo and Kenma showed up to watch her play. She was tossing well, setting up lots of good spikes, but it seemed like nothing was going through. The other team just had better defense, and was stopping everything.

"Ai." During one of the breaks, Kenma called her over to the bench, where he'd moved to almost five minutes earlier. She stopped in front of him, and he leaned in, whispering, "That number 5 is fast, but her blocking leaves much to be desired. Try delaying your tosses a little, just hold it for a second before you toss. Aim for her, and you'll get points."

Aika frowned. "But holding is against the rules."

"It's not against the rules to delay tosses to give them a bit more power." He paused. "Also, remember the dump I taught you? Try using that. They don't think you have any offensive power, but I know differently. You could spike if you wanted to."

He smiled softly at her before leaving, returning to his place in the stands next to Kuroo.

Needless to say, Aika exposed all of the weaknesses Kenma proceeded to inform her of. She learned to see them for herself thanks to him, and she took control of the game. Her team won easily, shutting out the opponents in the second set.

Kenma's cat-like eyes were on her the entire time.

Kuroo met Aika's gaze. She was observing the game quietly, the same way that Kenma had taught her. The two had always shared a scary similarity when it came to the game.

Their intelligence was unrivaled.

They knew how to expose the weaknesses of each player. But they knew each other so well that it was like they knew what the other was going to do. Aika's strategies wouldn't counter Kenma's, and Kenma's strategies wouldn't counter Aika's. They would just clash, and cancel each other out.

If Kuroo was being honest, there were only two players that he would never want to face on the court.

Kenma and Aika.

Facing them, having weaknesses exposed and exploited… that was nearly spirit-breaking for anyone.

Kuroo grinned.

Well? We figured out your fast attack, so what will you do? It's your move, Ai.