Haikyuu!
Higher
Chapter 09: Faith

Aika glanced at the bracket for the Interhigh, studying all the matchups. There were only a few names that stood out to her, including Aoba Josai, Date Tech, and Shiratorizawa. There were a few schools that were up-and-comers, like Wakutani, and some schools who were well-known for not-so-great reasons, like Johzenji.

Their first match, however, was against none of those teams. They'd been placed against Tokonami, a relatively unknown school with a relatively small volleyball club. According to her research, they'd rarely ever made it past the first round of matches.

Aika traced her finger over the bracket, following the path of what would happen if Karasuno won.

Her eyes widened.

If we win… we go on to play against Date Tech.

Frowning, she traced even further, until one school stood out in her mind. Aoba Josai was the only other school that they would possibly face, since the others were in a separate block. If they won their match against Date Tech, Karasuno would most likely face Blue Castle and, with it, the feared and respected Toru Oikawa, well-known as the best setter in the prefecture. He'd already proven that there were weaknesses in their team, weaknesses reinforced by their match against Nekoma. That match would mean everything to the baby birds who were, once more, finding their wings.

She kept the paper in her hands, staring at it as she walked through the hallways. Her mind was frantically sorting through strategy after strategy, desperately attempting to figure out ways to bring her team ahead just a bit further, give them even the slightest edge over the competition. She couldn't afford to let even a single chance of victory slip away from them.

"Oi." A hand on her head caused her to stop walking and look up, searching for the person who the arm belonged to. "You almost ran into a wall there." Kageyama looked down at her, his face showing slight amusement, which then turned to surprise at the paper she held. "Is the tournament that important to you?" he asked softly, glancing at the tournament information, which she was clutching tightly.

She nodded, spinning so she wasn't facing the wall, instead looking directly at Kageyama. "It's our chance to prove to the world that we still have wings," she murmured softly, her eyes showing nothing but pure determination.

They called Karasuno a lot of things; "clipped crows" or "fallen champions" were the most popular. She heard them every time that she asked anyone about Karasuno. She was tired of hearing them, because they were more than just birds that struggled to fly. They were more than just champions struggling to regain their former glory.

The Karasuno team she knew was filled with intense, passionate boys who she knew could fly.

"I know you guys really well after all this, and I know you can get far." She smiled sheepishly up at him. "I don't tend to have faith in things, 'cause I don't want to be let down when my faith isn't rewarded. But if I have faith in anything, it's that you guys are going to work hard, and you'll get far."

For a moment, all Kageyama did was stare at her. His stormy grey eyes were fixed on hers, gratefulness and admiration showing in them. After a moment, he stepped back and bowed lowly, his body at an angle. His hair fell in his face as he pinned his arms to his sides.

"Thank you! I'll make sure your faith isn't let down!" he practically shouted, his voice echoing throughout the nearly empty hall.

Aika's eyes widened at his sudden bow, but her face quickly softened, a smile washing over her face.

"I know you won't."

Kageyama wiped sweat away from his brow, staring at where the ball landed on his side of the net. His eyes scanned the entire opposite court, his mind racing through all the possibilities of that spike being returned in an actual game. He needed a way to stop that from happening, to ensure that their team were always at least one point ahead. Winning was the only way to move forward, to stay on the court for just one more game.

"That toss was a bit too high," he murmured to himself, eyes narrowing as he wiped sweat from his face. He watched as the ball rolled to a stop after it hit the wall and bounced off for a moment. "It doesn't give the spiker any choice of where to aim."

He reached into the ball cart once more, turning around and tossing the ball up, watching as it slowed, then began its decent. His eyes were trained on the ball as it fell straight through the air, keeping it directly in his gaze as it landed in the web of his fingers. Shifting, he tossed the ball behind him, aiming for the direct point that Tanaka would usually be in.

In his mind, he could visualize exactly what would happen. The other side would think that he was tossing to Azumane, or even to Hinata, which would leave Tanaka open to attack. He could practically hear the spike landing with a resounding thud, a sound that would signify that Karasuno had earned themselves a point. That spike would put them ahead of their opponent, even if it was just a single point. It could be a game changer.

The ball landed, bouncing softly until it rolled, hitting the wall and bouncing off it.

But what if that spike gets blocked? a small voice in the back of his mind asked him, the voice worriedly running through the possibilities of failure in the coming match. What if Tanaka is blocked by the Iron Wall? What if that thud isn't on their side of the court, but on ours? What will you do then? What can you do to stop that from happening?

His mind raced, his pulse quickening. He bit his lip, frustration rising in his chest. He grabbed another ball, tossing it once again, repeating his motions. He furiously attempted to push his toss through, to ensure that it could – that it would – end in a spike.

"I'll make it," he muttered, glaring at where the ball landed. "I'll keep us all on the court."

The sounds of sneakers squeaking against the floor and balls rebounding off of skin or the court were like the soundtrack to a scene from a movie.

There were loud shouts as the lyrics, voices all around yelling words like "block" or "cover" or "chance ball." There were cheers from around the stands of family and friends of the players on either of the two courts in the gymnasium.

Aika's grip on her notebook tightened, a sudden burst of nervousness hitting her. The last time she was in a place like this, she'd watched as Hinata took on Kageyama in a frustrating match that lasted less than an hour. It'd been a hard day for everyone involved, filled with emotions and tears.

There was so much left to do.

She glanced to Hinata, who was shaking in what could either be nervousness, excitement, or both. She couldn't help but giggle at his eyes that practically sparkled. His hands were shaking as his fingers curled into his palms. His gaze was practically trained on the net. To him, this gym was a place to make his name stand out, to make people remember him, and remember Karasuno.

"Shoyo." He looked to her, only to see her glancing at the courts, too. "We're going to get far today. You guys have been working really hard for the past few weeks, and that says more than anything." She turned to him, her eyes burning with the same fire his were. "Make your statement here."

There's going to be a big wall in your way, but I know you. You've got the spirit of a Tiny Giant.

Tokonami wasn't a bad team.

They were good kids with a lot of heart, but they allowed their own self-doubt to cloud their judgment. It was clear to Aika that they wanted so desperately to play volleyball for just a little longer, just like her team did. There was such a vast difference in strength that the mountain was difficult for Tokonami to even begin to scale it.

It looked like most of them had given up before the fight even truly began.

"It's sad, isn't it?" she murmured.

Takeda looked over to her, seeing her gaze trained on the blue-clad team. Most of them looked downtrodden as they left the court. Their heads hung, their hair clouding their vision. Some were probably crying, attempting to hide their tears so to appear stronger than they felt.

"Some of those boys are third years. For some of them, this was their last game ever. Most of them probably won't keep playing in college, where sports get even more competitive. For some of them, their careers ended without much of a fight at all. That has to be hard…"

Aika stood without waiting for a response, clutching her notes in her hand, her fingers wrapped so tightly around her pen that she swore she might break it.

Some of them will never stand on a court again.

"Aika!" Sugawara's familiar voice called, her tone filled with worry as he approached her. She turned to face him as he stopped in front of her. "Is everything okay?"

The smaller girl took a deep breath, holding her notebook close to her chest. She avoided Sugawara's eyes as she nodded. "Yeah. Just thinking about how… after this tournament, even if we win, we might lose you and Sawamura senpai and Azumane senpai. And how… if we lose…" she trailed off.

A gentle chop to the top of her head caused her to look up. Sugawara's warm, brown eyes met hers as he smiled softly. She bit her lip, forcing herself to keep from speaking anymore. His hand fell, but as it did, it latched onto hers, squeezing reassuringly.

"Don't worry. It'll all be okay," he reassured in his softest voice. "We won't lose to anyone, so let's not think about that until the time comes."

Aika hesitated for a moment, then nodded. She stepped closer to Sugawara, feeling his warm presence in front of her. He felt her lean against him, her shoulders shaking, not with sobs, but with worry, with sympathy.

"You should be out there with us," she murmured.

He shook his head, gently resting his hands on her shoulders and pushing her back. "I don't need to be there. Just seeing them fly… that's… that's enough…" he lied, his voice faltering. He wasn't sure of anything, except for the fact that he was seeing his team fly after being the "clipped crows" for such a long time.

She shook her head, avoiding his clear eyes. "You're not, though. And you shouldn't be. You should be there, even if it's just for a moment."

"I am there, though," he argued. "I'm watching them win. And I'm happy with that."

Lies.

Aika slowly pressed the button for a green tea from the vending machine. She could hear the bottle thud as it fell to the opening, allowing her to grab it. She knelt, her movements almost clunky as she stumbled a little. Her knee shot with pain as she knelt, giving out as she collided with the floor.

Shit. I forgot my cane, she thought, cursing herself internally.

"Ah, it's Little Red," an obnoxiously familiar voice practically sang behind her. She looked up to see Oikawa and the intimidating spiker from Aoba Josai looking down at her. "Need some help down there?"

She rolled her eyes and leaned forward to grab her bottled tea. "No, I don't," she snapped in reply. "I don't need anything from you." She tried to sound strong as she pushed herself onto her shaking, pain-ridden leg. She winced, but smothered her squeak of pain as her leg nearly forced her back onto the tile.

She would have fallen if it wasn't for a pair of arms wrapping around her waist, pulling her upwards and leaning her against a strong torso. Her eyes widened as she looked up at the face of the person who'd caught her, simultaneously wanting to both thank that person for catching her and punch them in the face for touching her.

"Now, now, Aika." Oikawa grinned down at her. "It wouldn't do for the Control Queen to lose her composure."

Actually, maybe she would rather just punch him.

She struggled in his arms, trying to free herself from his strong grip. "Get off me, you creep! And don't call me that, okay?! How did you even know that name?"

Oikawa released her after she managed to land a hit on his shin. "Ow," he winced, the pain causing him to reach towards his leg. He straightened after a few moments. "I remembered your name. Aika Yamada. You were pretty famous a few years back. Everyone thought you'd be a real powerhouse, maybe lead a great team of girls to victory in high school. Then, you just fell off the face of the planet." His gaze darkened a little as his smirk grew. "Now, you reappear on Karasuno, and as a… what, a coach?" His teasing tone didn't go unnoticed by both his teammate and the girl in front of him.

Glaring, her own eyes began to burn with a challenging fire. "I'm the assistant coach for Karasuno. And I'm not the Control Queen anymore. I never wanted that title in the first place." Her hands curled into fists at her side. "A sports journalist gave me that title 'cause I was strong, but I don't like it." Her tense shoulders fell as the two Aoba Josai players stared at her with wide eyes. "Honestly, I'm glad that I'm not the one who holds that title anymore," she muttered.

"Oi, Shittykawa." A loud smack and a yelp of pain made her look up, only to see Oikawa holding the back of his head in pain. "You can't talk to a girl like that. Especially not a girl who could probably rip you to shreds and rebuild you," the boy wearing the jersey reading "4" snapped. He turned to face her, his expression much gentler than his counterpart's. "I'm Iwaizumi, Hajime Iwaizumi."

"Aika Yamada, but you knew that thanks to," she chuckled, "Shittykawa over there."

Iwaizumi laughed loudly, his laugh ending in a wide grin. "I like you." He patted her head, ruffling her hair a bit. "Karasuno has a strong ally on their side of the net. Keep them here until we get to crush them, 'kay?"

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say."

But she grinned up at him anyways.

From around the corner, Kageyama bit his lip to keep from angrily interrupting, stealing her back so they could return to fight Date Tech. Instead, he pushed himself off the wall, turning away and storming back down the hall, the way he came.

He would find her later to talk about strategy. She'd come back on her own. He knew she would.

Oikawa's sinister-looking smirk only grew wider as he watched Iwaizumi and Aika giddily chat about their favorite types of sets and spikes, what they liked the most on the court.

He could hear the retreating footsteps of his junior angrily making their way back to where they came from. He now knew something else that made Kageyama angry enough to take it out on him on the court, and anyone who knew him knew that he would, for sure, use it against Kageyama, and make him suffer for it.

A quick author's note from Chiyuki:

I apologize for the poor pacing as of this chapter (9 chapters in, and already at the second half of the first season), but this is being done to begin to shift dynamics and force character growth. I also feel as if "revealing" Aika's relationship with Kenma and Kuroo was done a bit hastily, but as I'm writing more chapters, I feel as if this was the correct choice.

As of Sunday (2/19), I have a new story published. For those of you who are intersted, it's a Parasyte -the maxim- fanfiction called "Symbiosis." It is a romance (surprise!), but also a character study. I hope some of you will read it and let me know what you think.

I also wish more people would review this story. I don't like to beg for reviews, but I would like some feedback on how people are liking this story. Perhaps it's because I'm not the most personable writer that people aren't feeling as if they can review? Either way, I do want to open up lines of communication with my readers, should they wish to talk to me. My tumblr is the best place to do so. If you'd like to speak to me about something (anything), please check xChiyuki on tumblr.

Anyways, I apologize for taking up your time. Please let me know what you think of "Higher."

-Chiyuki