Haikyuu!
Higher
Chapter 08: Crow

Aika could tell that the pace was being stolen by Nekoma. Everyone on Karasuno was getting anxious and getting reckless. They weren't thinking clearly, and they were making mistakes that she swore that they had ironed out.

Her notebook was being crushed in her hands as he r anger boiled over. Anger not at her team or at Nekoma, but at her own inability.

There has to be some way I can counter Ken… but what? He's dismantling our strategies, making Shoyo completely useless… Number 7 isn't fooled by him anymore, and neither is anyone else. We're just barely keeping up, but then, they throw something new at us… What can I do? What can any of us do?

Her eyes followed the wild motions of the ball, trying to pinpoint a weakness, a flaw, in any of the Nekoma players that she could expose. She needed just a single opening, and she could allow her team a backdoor to slip through Nekoma's defenses and take the game back from Kenma's crazy high intelligence.

But it seemed like Kenma had been smarter.

Any weakness in the Nekoma team had been well-covered by the other players. They worked well together, something that was learned, and was not natural. It was clear that Kenma and Kuroo's influence was a huge part of their successful teamwork.

And the whistle blew.

Karasuno had lost the first set, and Aika was still clueless as to how to stop number 7 from blocking Hinata and Kageyama's freak quick. She had no idea. For once, she was at a loss for words and ideas, and she couldn't stop worrying for her bright, warm friend.

"I… I can't do anything."

The words escaped her lips softly as the whistle blew again, signaling another point for Nekoma during the second set. Another of Hinata's strong spikes stopped by one blocker who could keep up with his speed.

Sugawara looked to Aika. His eyes widened in shock as he saw how horrified she looked. Her emotions were almost never visible like that, almost never so easy to read. But the look of sheer guilt and terror that was on her face was impossible to mistake as anything but.

"Shoyo… I don't know…" Her entire body was shaking, anger and sadness at her inability to defeat Kenma, her teacher, taking over her being. "I'm so sorry."

Sugawara wanted to reach out for her. He could figure out how Hinata was feeling.

Hinata had been blocked, over and over, by people who were taller than him. He'd been defeated in the first round in middle school and stopped by Tsukishima in order to make the team. He finally found his own strength with the help of an old rival, but now, there was another high wall in his way.

And Aika had seen it, struggled with him.

She'd lost her ability to play, and had pinned her hopes of seeing Nationals on the orange-haired boy. She'd taught him and helped him, nurtured his skill into what was passable, but helped him find his own strength. She'd watched him defeat Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, watched him lose to Kageyama in middle school, and win the match against Aoba-Josai.

For him to break now was unthinkable.

"Aika… are you alright?"

She shook her head, her trembling not stopping. "I'm not on the court anymore, so I can't help him. I can't think my way out of this. Kenma's always been smarter than me, so I know… I know that there's nothing I can do to help." She looked back to Hinata, who was leaping once more. "This is up to Shoyo. It's up to him to not break."

Kageyama could see Aika's trembling from where he sat. He could see that she was beating herself up inside for not being able to help them anymore than they had. Seeing her like that, the girl who had helped them so much, made his blood boil.

He had to give it his all. He had to win.

As the timeout was called, Kageyama kept his gaze on Aika, even as she was still trembling. She was writing notes with a shaking hand, her normally neat writing all sorts of messy. He couldn't help but be concerned.

Tossing lightly to Hinata didn't take much of his concentration. He could toss all he wanted to him without thinking about it. He mostly kept his eyes on Aika, who was beginning to straighten out after taking several deep breaths. She was becoming less worried, and that sharp, cat-like gaze that was so similar to the Nekoma setter's was returning to her eyes. Her comfort level was rising.

She was figuring something out.

"Shoyo."

Everyone turned to look at Aika.

"Spiking with your eyes open is like how you used to spike against the wall. Remember how we used to practice? You had to spike it so I could receive and return it?" Hinata slowly nodded. "Choose a single spot. Don't try to get around the blockers for now. Just focus on spiking with all your might."

It was simple advice this time, but it seemed to work on Hinata. A smile spread across the orange-head's face, and he nodded furiously. She then looked to Nishinoya and instructed him on the movements of number 1 and his spike, Kageyama watching her the entire time.

Hinata seemed to cheer up a lot from the advice. He tried harder and didn't lose any of his determination. He was trying to spike as hard as he could, and was slowly learning as he did so. His spikes were becoming focused and filled with the same spirit as the spiker.

Aika watched, a small smile playing on her lips.

Let's fly, Shoyo.

Hinata's palm hit the ball, his wrist twisting the slightest bit in order to aim away from the spikers. The ball twisted and spun, spinning until it landed on the court.

Out.

But he still hit it.

"Do you think we can come back from this?" asked Sugawara suddenly, glancing at the score with slight worry on his face.

Aika shook her head. "No. Nekoma is far ahead at this point, and Shoyo is learning his new skills. Kenma has us figured out, Kageyama is struggling to adjust to Shoyo's new style, and… well, there's just very little that we can do." Even as she said this, she was smiling.

"That doesn't seem to upset you though."

"Of course it doesn't. This team is a train wreck as it is. There's a lot of tension between our teammates, and there's a lot that each of us need to work on. Teamwork is the biggest thing that we lack, but Nekoma excels in. What this match is doing is forcing the best out of every single player on the court. We're even in skills – maybe even better in terms of technical skill – but what sets us apart is that they are a true team."

Sugawara nodded, knowing exactly what she was talking about.

Nekoma was consistently pulling off crazy attacks that could only come in high pressure situations where they could thrive with teamwork. Especially between the setter and the captain, who had clearly been a team for a long time. It was like they knew each other well enough to know what the other was thinking.

"I remember both Ken and Tetsu being able to control the game very well… plus, since they've been playing together for something like ten years, they're bound to be able to synchronize well." Aika paused, looking at the pair of Hinata and Kageyama. "Although our first-year duo work well together, their teamwork is rough. It leaves a lot to be desired. I think this will only make our team stronger."

Sugawara turned his gaze downwards, glancing at Aika's notebook. She had the Nekoma roster sitting on her book, with several matchups written in her neat handwriting.

Shoyo Hinata (10) vs. Sou Inuoka (7)

Yu Nishinoya (4) vs. Morisuke Yaku (3)

Tobio Kageyama (9) vs. Kenma Kozume (5)

Ryunosuke Tanaka (5) vs. Taketora Yamamoto (4)

Daichi Sawamura (1) vs. Tetsuro Kuroo (1)

"They're very similar, aren't they?" He met Aika's eyes, seeing her currently cat-like gaze staring back at him as she smiled softly. "The pair with the most differences is made of the setters, Ken and Kageyama. But what's similar about them is their intelligence. They can control the game with a single glance."

"I see what you mean. They're both able to size up their opponents and fake them out if they need. They make really good decisions based on who they're facing," Sugawara admitted.

Aika shook her head. "It's not just that. It's also that they both suck with people." She stifled a small giggle as she pointed to Kenma. "Kenma hates interacting with people, 'cause they're always mean to him. But Kageyama hates interacting with people, which leads him to be mean to them. It's why Ken melds so well with his team, but Kageyama struggles. Honestly, I can't see those two ever getting along, but they probably will have a mutual respect for their playing abilities," she replied, tapping her notebook.

The third-year couldn't help but stare at the girl as she continued to scribble in her notebook. She was able to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses not just through play, but through personality. She was able to see things that only extremely experienced players would normally be able to see.

She's some kind of amazing.

In the end, Karasuno put up a great fight, but wasn't able to take the win. They had managed to thwart a lot of what Nekoma threw at them, but they never managed to force the ball to hit the floor on Nekoma's side.

"Every single one of us could learn something from Nekoma," Aika commented bluntly. "We put up a good fight, but they just fought better. After all, it's a team game, not a game for single players."

She closed her notebook and placed it on the bench, standing as Ukai faced the Nekoma boys. She stood next to him, her eyes locking with Kuroo's. She grinned a little at him.

"Aika." Ukai saw how she stood right next to him, as if she was claiming the spot reserved for assistant coaches, placing herself as a teacher to the boys. "Do you have anything to say to them about their play?"

Nodding, the shortest of the figures turned to the boys in red uniforms. "It's like Tetsu says. Your team is like the human body, as weird as it is. Well taken care of, with every part in working order. Your offense is experienced, but not as strong as, say, Azumane senpai. Your true power really is in your defense, but there are some things that you could work on… mostly from your individual play. Be sure that you're as good as you can be. And," she paused, a small smile coming over her face. "Thank you for being our rival."

Kuroo smiled right back at her from his place in front of her, reaching forwards and ruffling her hair. "We're ready to take you on at any time, just as long as you're ready to lose," he replied teasingly.

She just stuck her tongue out at him, her actions reflecting their childish relationship. He just laughed at her, his loud voice filling the gymnasium. Irritated by his response, Aika only aimed a kick at his shin, which cut his laughter off as he glared right back at her, while she was the one attempting to hold back her own smile.

Everyone laughed at their captain, who had managed to provoke their rival's assistant coach.

"Ken!"

Kenma turned around from the ball cart, seeing Aika rushing towards him. She stopped right in front of him, and he noticed that she was now shorter than him when, only a few years ago, they had been about the same height. He paused, seeing that her wine red hair was now falling all the way to brush against her legs, even as it was pulled up in a ponytail.

"Your hair is a lot longer…" he commented offhandedly.

She flushed a little, tugging at her ponytail self-consciously. "And you grew a lot. You're taller than me now. Your hair is bleached, too," she replied softly, gazing up at him.

He hesitated for a moment, then stepped forwards. He slowly hugged her, his arms wrapping around her back. "It's good to see you again, Ai. It's been a really long time." He paused, then added, "I missed you," in that soft way he always did, although his words were no less sincere than they should have been.

"I missed you, too, Ken." She pulled away, a sincere smile on her face for once. "Tetsu managed to convince you to stay with volleyball even through high school, did he?"

He nodded. "I knew you wouldn't give up, either. Even if we haven't talked in years, you're still here. But you're a coach now…" he murmured, something like confusion and worry in his tone.

Aika paused for a moment, debating on whether or not she could really tell him. She could feel her leg tingling a little as she thought about it. "I can't play anymore. I completely destroyed my leg. I can walk again, but it took a long time… and I'll never be able to play competitively again," she finally admitted, only to trigger Kenma's face falling to worry.

"Ai… Have you told Kuroo this yet?"

"No… honestly, I don't think I should. He'll freak out and worry way too much." She bit her lip, her eyes meeting Kenma's worried ones. "Seriously, it's no big deal!" She held her notebook to her chest. "If I didn't join this team, I don't think I'd have seen you and Tetsu again. That means a lot to me…"

Kenma nodded. "Me, too," he said.

The bus ride home was quiet. Aika had her headphones in as she watched the scenery passing by outside. The sounds of soft rock played in her ears, just barely managing to block out the loud snoring of the boys around her. She looked to Shoyo, who was sleeping peacefully next to her, his head lazily falling against her shoulder.

She smiled softly at him, reaching up to run her hand through his abnormally brightly-colored hair. It was soft against her fingers, and the motion caused him to stir slightly, shifting in his sleep. Her hand dropped to her lap as she returned her gaze out the window.

Her hand unconsciously rubbed at her leg, her fingers brushing against her brace, the one that was hidden by her sweatpants. She could feel Shoyo breathing through her sleeve, his breath warm and somehow comforting. It let her know that he was still there.

We lost today. We didn't even stand a chance. And there are stronger teams out there then Nekoma.

Her hand curled into a fist as she grinned a little, the music in her ears like a backing track to her.

We'll win next time. We'll be strong enough to take them all on.

From his place across the aisle from Aika, Kageyama lazily opened one eye. His headphones were in, his arms were crossed, and his body was slouched. Everything looked as if he was sleeping, but he was acutely aware of everything that was happening.

He fixed his one-eyed gaze on Aika, whose fist was shaking as she stared out the window, the last rays of sunlight hitting her face, lighting up the determination in her eyes. He cracked the smallest of smirks, one that was almost invisible, as he closed his eyes again.

There was no need for him to worry. She still believed in them.