Chapter Text
Karasuno's bus pulled into the gymnasium in Tokyo where practice would be conducted. It was a long drive, but most of the team was rowdy with anticipation, so only a few members actually slept.
Suki followed her team off the bus, her grey eyes narrowed against the sun as she lofted her medic gear over one shoulder. Suki grinned when she saw Kuroo approaching from afar, his teammate joining him.
"Is that...!" Nishinoya was gazing up at a red and white radio tower in the distance.
"Could that be...!" Tanaka's fists clenched in excitement.
"The Skytree?!" The two boys shouted.
Kuroo and his vice captain, Kai, stared at the two blankly.
"No, that's just a transmission tower." Kai smiled, sweat-dropping.
Kuroo hunched over, clutching his stomach as he burst into laughter.
Tanaka and Nishinoya payed them no mind, facing the giant gym. They screamed loudly, getting fired up.
"Here we are, Tokyo!"
Suki winced as she walked up beside them, and her team unloaded behind her.
"Oi," The medic tugged at her ear. "Keep it down, will you? You'll make our ears bleed with that racket."
"It's a good thing you'll be able to tend to yourself if that were to happen, Doc."
Suki whipped around, grinning at the familiar deep voice. Kuroo stalked up to her, smirking with his arms at his sides. His spiked raven hair fell down over his face.
"Captain!" Suki's grey eyes flashed playfully up at the older boy. "Long time no see, eh?"
Kuroo grinned wolfishly down at her. "I see you haven't grown."
Suki's pulse ticked. However, she smiled sweetly. A little too sweetly. "And I see you still look like the Golly Green Giant."
"Nani?"
Nekoma's vice captain laughed beside the two, shaking his head. Glad to see Kuroo found someone with as sharp as tongue as his.
Asahi exited the bus beside Sugawara, looking drowsy.
"The scenery's not that different from Miyagi." Their ace said, his brown eyes tired. Sugawara smiled beside him.
"Well, we are in the suburbs." The grey-haired setter said. Behind them, Yamaguchi was rubbing his eyes as he walked behind Nishinoya, who was pushing a tired Tsukishima forward.
"Walk faster!" The libero demanded as Yamaguchi yawned.
Sugawara yawned also, rubbing his own eyes. As he did so he felt an immediate presence beside him, and not even a second later, was stumbling forward from a hard smack to the back of his head.
"Ow—!" The setter cried, whipping around as Asahi stared behind him with wide eyes. "What—!"
Suki stood behind him, staring up at him with a wide grin.
"Wake up, baka!" The medic grinned. "We're here to play, not nap!"
Sugawara glared down at Suki. Suki kept his fierce hazel stare, her grey eyes challenging. Asahi sweat-dropped from beside them, beginning to shake.
"U-Uh... guys..." Asahi slowly lifted his hands, smiling uneasily at the intense aura radiating from the two friends. "M-Maybe we should—"
With a shout, Sugawara jabbed the medic in the stomach. Suki yelped, cursing as she leaped for the boy.
"That hurt Suga!"
"So did—agh! So did your hit!"
"You're a guy!—ow! No hitting girls!"
"You shouldn't hit me either—ee!"
"Let go of my bag!" Suki wailed.
"Let go of my hair!" Sugawara yelped.
Asahi scrambled around the two, flashing back and forth as he tried to tug them away from one another, panicking. From a few feet away, Daichi stood watching the commotion with Kuroo, both captain's sweat dropping.
"T-That..." Daichi sighed, disappointed. "Happens a lot more than I'd like to admit."
Kuroo laughed. He suddenly noticed the bus, realizing no more players were exiting from it.
Nekoma's captain leaned down toward Daichi. "Oi, come to think of it... aren't you missing some people?"
"Actually..." Daichi thought, sweat-dropping.
Embarrassing as it was, Daichi explained the story of how Hinata and Kageyama failed their exams. As he explained, the teams began to make their way toward the gym, walking together. After Suki and Sugawara's showdown, Suki ran on ahead to catch up with Kiyoko and Yachi. Kuroo and Daichi walked behind them.
"Eh?" Kuroo cocked his head, chuckling after Daichi finished with the story. "So the power duo's taking some supplementary exams right now?"
"Yeah..." Daichi smiled. "But, well..."
The two boys suddenly jumped at the sound of a loud shout, filled with despair.
"G—G—G—Girls!" Yamamoto from Nekoma collapsed kneeling to the floor in front of Kiyoko, Suki, and Yachi. Immediately, Suki and Kiyoko raised protective arms in front of the first-year.
"There are three of them now! As if two wasn't enough!" The ace cried. He spread his arms, sobbing towards the sky. "Now they've got pretty ones and a cute one!"
As he cried out despairingly, Tanaka appeared next to him, his face shadowed.
"Do you see, Tora?" Tanaka's face was dark. Evil.
Suddenly, the girl's stumbled back as Tanaka flashed in front of them, raising his arms as a bright light seemed to radiate from the four.
"This is what Karasuno's true ability looks like." Tanaka declared passionately.
Yamamoto winced, looking away. "So bright!"
Tanaka burst into triumphant laughter. Suki's pulse ticked, and she rose a hand.
Kiyoko covered Yachi's eyes as Suki smacked Tanaka across the back of his head, and the boy yelped, his head bending forward with the force of the hit.
"Idiot." The girl rolled her eyes.
Kiyoko glanced down at Yachi. "Let's go."
"O-Okay..." Yachi stammered, and the two girls walked on. Suki stayed behind, staring blankly.
She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see the two captains standing with Asahi and Sugawara, all sweat-dropping. Suki rose a brow.
"Anyways." Kuroo stated, moving on quickly. "When you're ready, come to the gym." He motioned toward them, and then to the entrance— smirking. "The other guys are already in there."
Suki felt excitement pulse through her, oblivious to the challenging and intense aura now surrounding her teammates.
"Well, what are we standing around out here for, then?" The medic grinned, and the boys stared at her. "Let's go!"
Kuroo smirked at the girl. He nodded, and the group headed inside.
Karasuno entered the gymnasium as a group, standing tall side by side. The courts were loud with play— volleyballs slammed into the floor and shoes squeaked, followed by shouts and grunts.
On the court where Nekoma was warming up, Kenma turned to see the team enter.
"Wait..." The setter said quietly to Yamamoto. "Where's Shoyo?"
"Apparently he had a supplementary exam." His team's ace told him, sweating with a ball in his hands.
"Oh..." Kenma murmured.
Suki stared in awe at the rowdy gym, feeling excitement bubble inside her.
So many teams! She thought as she stopped beside where Daichi and Kuroo stood. This is so awesome!
"Once we're done with our warmups, we'll regroup and the teams will play each other in rotation." Kuroo was telling her captain, his hands on his hips.
"Right." Daichi nodded.
Kuroo turned to him. "After each set, the losing team has a penalty of one lap around the court, flying."
"Flying?" Yachi and Kiyoko appeared besdie Suki. Yachi's brown eyes were questioning.
Suki smiled down at the girl. "It's like how they move for a flying receive where they're intercepting the ball in the air. They'll slide across the floor on their chests, with their arms stretched out in front of them."
Yachi stared at Suki with wide eyes, nodding quickly.
The games eventually began, with Karasuno up against Fukuradoni first.
"Number 7!" Daichi called as the whistle blew.
"One blocker!"
The opposing team's serve cannoned into Nishinoya, who received the ball smoothly. The score with 16 to 24, with Fukuradoni at match point.
"Nishinoya, nice receive!" Tanaka called.
Fukuradoni's ace eyed the ball with wide eyes, smirking.
"Left! Go left!" He shouted to his blockers.
Their blockers jumped just as Asahi did, and the ball slammed against their hands and cannoned back to ground on Karasuno's side. The whistle blew.
"Damn it!" Asahi cursed, sweating.
Suki stood from her chair on the sidelines, her two coaches and two managers mirroring her actions.
"They're as strong as we expected." Takeda said, gazing at the court.
"Yeah." Ukai nodded seriously.
"One flying lap!" Daichi called to his teammates who lined up behind him.
"Right!" The boys shouted.
Suki watched with glimmering eyes, smiling a little.
"It's not even like we're doing badly." Ukai continued on as they watched their team do their penalty lap. "This is just what you would call national level players."
"Nice serve!" A shout from across the courts suddenly brought their attention swiveling in front of them.
A team donning green jerseys served the ball, their player cannoning the ball straight into the other team. The team in purple had no chance against the powerful serve.
"Damn it, Tarako!" A boy with curly brown hair cursed, sweating.
Yachi shivered, horrified bedside Suki and Kiyoko. "Eeeeh! Their arms are gonna snap off!"
"I think my arms snapped off just watching that." Suki muttered.
Kiyoko chuckled at them both. "Everyone on that team is a very strong server."
Yachi nodded, looking less scared. "The manager from Ubugawa did say that they put a lot of effort into their serves."
"Yeah," Kiyoko nodded, and Suki listened. "I think it's a bit harsh how they have to do a hundred serves at the end of their practices."
"One hundred?" Suki shuddered. "No way!"
"One more, nice serve!" The green team shouted, prepared to serve again.
"Ubugawa High School—" Kiyoko introduced them. "Serving is their ultimate offense."
Karasuno watched on as their game went on, intense.
"But if you can hit that serve back, just once..." Ukai smirked from where he sat, watching.
"Bring it!" The purple team managed to receive the strong serve, rushing forward immediately.
Yachi watched with wide eyes. "Whoa! They're all moving at once?"
A player on the purple team leaped up, faking a spike, and another leaped behind him.
"Over here!" He slammed the ball into the green team's court, and the whistle blew.
Suki's grey eyes sparkled. "That was an amazing combo!"
Yachi looked dumbstruck, her face red. "P-People are flying out everywhere, and I can't tell who is going to be hitting the ball..."
"Artisans of combination—" Kiyoko introduced the purple team. "Shinzen High School."
The group of five turned to face the team behind them.
"And then we have our fated rivals..." Takeda said.
They watched as Nekoma's libero dove for a ball, saving it.
"Yaku!" His teammates called.
"Those are some excellent receives, as usual." Ukai remarked with a smirk.
"The school that's known to pick up the ball, connect, and wait for the perfect chance to counterattack—" Takeda said. "Nekoma High School."
"Double block!" A shout behind them.
"Sorry, cover me!"
"And..." Ukai said as they turned to the light-blue team.
"Akaashi!" A deep voice yelled.
"Bokuto-san!" A boy with curly black hair received the ball back toward the other.
"Just like Ushijima..." Takeda continued as the boy with the spikey grey hair soared into the air. "One of the top five aces in the nation."
The ace slammed the ball down into Nekoma's court, scoring. Suki watched, her eyes wide in shock.
That was incredibly powerful!
"Tsukki!" Yamaguchi shouted in worry as the ball rocketed toward the tall blonde, walking behind the court.
Tsukishima glanced up as the ball cannoned towards him, throwing his wrist in the air at the last second to protect his face. His features immediately twisted in a pained scowl.
"Hey, Kenma, don't run from that!" Nekoma's coach shouted at the setter.
Kenma stared blankly at the old man. "That would rip my arms off."
"They won't rip off!" Coach Nekomata's teeth gnashed.
"Alright!" The boy called Bokuto rose up, shouting. "I'm so awesome! Hey, hey, hey!"
"We're so lucky..." Takeda said. "Fighting nationally, a powerhouse with their great ace— Fukurodani Academy. To be able to fight teams like this..."
"Yeah.." Ukai agreed.
Suki had appeared beside Tsukishima, so she didn't catch the end of her coach's words. The boy was still scowling, sweating as he rubbed his now red arm.
"Oi, Tsukishima!" The medic grabbed his arm and flipped it over, gazing at it with narrowed eyes.
"S-Suki!" The blonde spluttered, his face growing red at the girl's boldness.
"Go to the bench and ice this now! It'll give you a nasty bruise if you don't!" Suki demanded.
"What?" Tsukishima glared down at the girl. "It barely touched me. I'm fine."
"It almost ripped your arm off!" The medic announced.
"No it didn't!" Tsukishima's teeth gnashed at the girl.
Suki glared up at him, her grey eyes suddenly molten hot. Tsukishima immediately stopped, sweat-dropping as he grit his teeth.
"When I tell you to ice something, Tsukishima..." Suki stepped closer to the boy, who stared at her with wide eyes. "You ice it." The girl tugged at his jersey, and the boy yelped as he was pulled down to her small height, level with her burning gaze.
"Understand?" Suki glared into him with such a high level of intensity that the blocker immediately back pedaled.
"Y-Yes, Suki-senpai." He muttered, his face red as he straightened up, trembling slightly. "Gomen."
He turned to make a bee-line straight to the bench for ice, and Suki grinned as she watched him go.
"Thank you, Tsukishima-kun!" The medic called sweetly. Tsukishima flinched, but kept walking.
He made it to the bench and sat down with a huff, digging into the medic's bag for the portable ice-packs. He squeezed it to activate it and dropped it on his arm, scowling.
Snickers suddenly sounded behind him, and the blonde whipped around to see Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Yamaguchi holding in their laughter.
Tsukishima glared at them fiercely. "What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing." The boys immediately chorused, their hands slapping over their mouths.
Tsukishima rolled his eyes, a pulse mark pounding in his temple. He focused back on the court, the coldness of the ice cooling down the swollen flesh on his arm.
Karasuno went on to play more sets against the Tokyo teams— losing— and also against the team of strong servers, Ubugawa, but ended up losing their set 20 to 25.
"Alright!" Daichi called his team to line up once more. "Alright! Flying, one lap!"
"Right!" The team called, less enthusiastic as the losses have piled up.
Suki clapped, smiling brightly. "Shake it off! We'll get them next time!"
"How many losses has it been for them?" Two players from Shinzen and one from Fukurodani watched the Karasuno boys do their penalty lap around the court.
"They're not exactly weak," One of the players pointed out, his hands on his hips. "Just sorta mediocre."
The Fukurodani player turned to them. "Who are the first-years that Nekoma had such a hard time with?"
From across the court, Suki sweat-dropped beside Kiyoko and Yachi as the three girls overheard the conversation.
"Maybe the guys from Nekoma overestimated them or something?" The third player questioned.
Yachi's face burned red, and she turned to scowl at the boys angrily. Suki chuckled as Kiyoko turned to the first-year.
"Hitoka-chan, hold it back." The manager calmed her down with a smile, sweat-dropping. "There, there..."
"It's okay!" Suki told the girl, smirking with her grey eyes glowing. "If what Tanaka told us was true, then it shouldn't be much longer."
Until those two show up, the medic thought mischievously.
As if her words summoned them, the gym doors suddenly creaked open.
"Oi, they're still at it!" A familiar voice echoed through the gym.
Suki whipped around to see Tanaka's older sister, Saeko, leaning against the doorframe, sweating.
"We totally made it." The older girl smirked. "Not bad at all."
"Saeko-kun!" Suki waved energetically at Tanaka's sister. The medic had made quick friends with the rowdy girl when they first met at one of Karasuno's matches the year before.
"Huh?" Saeko turned at the sound of her name, her eyes brightening and her face splitting into a grin as she saw the young medic. "Hey, Suki-kun!"
"Big sister!" Nishinoya called, his eyes shining like stars.
"Wait, that's your sister?" Asahi questioned, tying his shoe. Sugawara crouched beside them, breathing heavily with his hands on his knees.
"No, she's Ryu's sister." Nishinoya told him, grinning.
"Now that you mention it, they do look alike." Sugawara noted, sweating.
Tanaka was breathing heavily also, but his eyes narrowed in on his sister with a wide, tired smirk. "Glad they made it in one piece."
Saeko smirked behind her, moving to let the two first-years in through the doors. Suki rose up, her grey eyes excited as she recognized her two close friends.
"Oi, Hinata-kun! Scaryama!" The sound of the medic's voice brought all eyes in the gym to the door. "It's about time! We were getting our asses wiped without you two!"
"Hey!" Karasuno rose up behind the medic, their teeth gnashing. Suki just laughed.
On the court opposite them, Kuroo stood with Kenma, the two looking toward the doors. Kuroo was sweating, his dark hair hanging in his face as he smirked.
"So the stars are showing up fashionably late?" Nekoma's captain grinned, gritting his teeth as his eyes narrowed. "Pisses me off."
The rest of the teams stared at the two boys, eyes both curious and challenging.
Kageyama and Hinata stood tall, breathing heavily as they stared out onto the rest of them. Suki grinned.
Now we're talking.
The matches commenced as the sun disappeared, and it was dark outside.
"Nice serve!"
Karasuno was playing against Shinzen. The opposing team's serve cannoned over to Karasuno, and Nishinoya received the ball cleanly into the air.
"Nice receive!" Tanaka shouted.
Hinata rushed in, leaping into the air as the ball rose overhead. Kageyama tossed the ball perfectly to him, and in a flash, Hinata slammed it into the other team's court. The whistle blew, and Karasuno erupted into cheers.
Along the sidelines, Fukurodani watched their game with wide eyes, sweating and drinking water.
"Hey, what was that?" Their number 7 looked shocked.
"So fast!" Their number 12 breathed.
Their number 11 smirked. "I've never seen a quick attack like that."
"We're stopping the next one!" A player from Shinzen cried, facing Karasuno.
"Right!" Their team took up the shout.
"Nice serve, Kageyama!" Suki called as the whistle blew. The dark-haired boy's eyes gleamed as he tossed the ball forward, rushing after it and leaping into the air, slamming the ball over the net.
Shinzen's number 11 clumsily received it into the air, breathing heavily.
"Sorry! Cover me!" He shouted.
Bokuto and his setter, Akaashi, watched Karasuno play. The ace crossed his arms over his chest, smirking.
"Wow!" He said. "Nice serve! Not bad!"
The ball eventually came back to Karasuno, and Hinata and Kageyama quickly ended it. With a fierce slam, Hinata cannoned the ball down over the net onto Shinzen's side. The whistle blew, and Karasuno won— 25 to 21.
"Damn it!" Two players from Shinzen crouched to the ground, sweating and worn out. "I was able to graze it, but I couldn't catch up!"
The curly-haired one sat up, his eyes wide and frustrated. "What the hell is up with their number 9 and 10's quick attack?!"
Kageyama and Hinata stood tall on the court, breathing heavily with narrowed eyes as they dramatically wiped their faces.
Suki rose up behind them, and both boys yelped as the medic swung her arms around their necks, bringing them close into her.
"Nice job, guys!" Suki grinned as the two first-years blushed, still breathing heavily. "Feels good to finally have a win under our belt!"
Kageyama and Hinata grinned at the girl, looking ecstatic at her praise. Then, Tanaka rose up from behind the three, a dark aura sprouting from him.
"Don't be showing off, flunking tardy boys." Tanaka growled.
Kageyama and Hinata's faces grew shadowed at once, their smiles wiped off instantly. Suki sweat-dropped, patting their backs in comfort with an awkward chuckle.
As Karasuno gathered around, Suki made a bee-line straight to her bag, tossing the boys towels and water bottles as they thanked her graciously. In the background, Shinzen began their penalty lap.
"We finally got our first win in our ninth set." Suki heard Daichi say as he approached tiredly, followed by Asahi, Nishinoya, and Tsukishima. All boys were sweating profusely.
"This is the first time we didn't run the penalty lap." Their captain finished.
Noya flung his head back in despair. "I'm starving!"
Having heard them, Suki approached the boys with a plastic bag, rifling through it as she walked. "If you guys are hungry, I made a run to the vending machine before the matches! I got gummies, cookies, chips, granola bars, oh! And those crackers you guys really like—!"
"Suki!" The girl stopped short as the boys shouted, rushing toward her with wild, hungry eyes and flailing arms.
Suki stumbled back, yelping in terror as the boys surrounded her on all sides. Their sweaty clothes and arms pressed against her as they fought for the bag, shouting at one another and thanking her at the same time.
"Sweaty—!" The girl wailed as she disappeared underneath the starving team.
"Oi! I want the cookies Kageyama!"
"You had them last time!"
"Nishinoya! Get your hand off of the gummies!"
"You guys will eat them all!"
"I want some!"
"Ow—! Did you just bite my arm, Tanaka?!"
Kiyoko and Yachi stared with wide eyes at the scene. Yachi trembled, horror washing over her face.
"W-What happened to Suki-senpai?!" The girl cried.
Kiyoko narrowed her eyes, and approached the group. She rushed in, shooting her hand inside— only to pull out their teary-eyed and flushed medic.
"S-S—" The girl shuddered, her hands empty. "So much sweat."
Kiyoko sweat-dropped as Yachi rushed toward the second-year in worry.
Eventually the team calmed down and ate their snacks, apologizing to their terrified medic.
The last game ended, Nekoma winning against Ubugawa, all eyes on their new grey-haired giant, Lev. The teams eventually said their goodbyes, before being dismissed for the night.
Tired and worn out, Suki headed to the girl's section with Kiyoko, Yachi, and the rest of the team managers present after dinner. They all made friends quickly, talking about their teams and the games played earlier in the day.
After showers, Suki quickly changed into her sweats and her old Kitagawa First sweatshirt that still fit her. She slipped on her sneakers and slipped out of the girl's dorms, on her way to find her favorite cookies. Her teammates had eaten every last pack earlier, which angered the medic. She was really looking forward to those.
Suki hummed as she walked the dark hall, finding the vending machine across the building quickly enough. She punched in the number and slid in the change, waiting for her cookies. They dropped, and she grabbed them, sighing happily as she opened them up.
The medic turned, munching quietly as she made her way back toward the designated girl's side. She hummed as she turned a corner; but then almost dropped her cookies as she immediately slammed into a hard chest.
"S-Sorry! I wasn't—!" Suki stammered as she gazed up. Immediately, she relaxed.
"We have got to stop meeting like this, Doc." Nekoma's captain grinned down at her, his dark eyes swimming with mischief.
"You're the one who's six foot something, captain. You'd think the extra foot would make it easier to see who's walking in front of you." The medic scoffed. She then noticed the other presence beside the captain, and her face pinked slightly as Kuroo smirked.
"Who's this?" Suki looked to the tall boy standing next to Kuroo. He had spiked black and gray hair, with gleaming hazel eyes.
"This is Bokuto, the captain and ace of Fukurodani Academy's volleyball club." Kuroo answered, looking between the two. "Bokuto-san, this is Suki, Karasuno's medic."
"Oi, you're one of the top five aces in the nation!" Suki couldn't help exclaim in excitement, her nervousness fading away. "That's amazing!"
Fukurodani's captain grinned slyly, his hazel eyes gleaming as he rose his fist.
"That's me!" He smirked, and Suki immediately decided she loved the boy's energetic aura. "It's nice to meet you, Suki! I didn't know Karasuno had a medic."
"No one ever does." Suki chuckled, her grey eyes bright. "It's nice to meet you too, Bokuto."
As Bokuto grinned, Kuroo cocked his head, his eyebrows furrowed.
"Oi, Suki. This is the boy's section, isn't it? What are you doing walking around here?" Nekoma's captain rose a brow.
Suki stared up at him, unbothered. She tossed another cookie into her mouth, munching away.
"You guys have a better vending machine." The girl answered through her cookie, shrugging. Kuroo laughed as Bokuto smirked.
"You have to keep an eye out for her, Bokuto-san." Kuroo turned to whisper slyly to the ace. "She's not your normal medic."
"Oya?" Bokuto rose a sharp brow, smirking widely.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Suki shot at the captain.
"Nothing, nothing." Kuroo said smoothly, his dark eyes dancing. "I was only referring to your skills on the court as an ex-volleyball player."
"Oi, you used to play volleyball?" Bokuto grinned, interested. "Awesome! Where at?"
"I played in junior high at Kitagawa First." Suki answered, smiling as memories engulfed her. "I stopped during my second-year."
"Eh?" Bokuto pouted. "That early on? Why'd you stop?"
Suki was quiet for a moment, something that Kuroo immediately noticed. His dark eyes watched the girl closely as she smiled at the ace, but it didn't seem to reach her eyes.
She acted this way when I asked her, too. Nekoma's captain thought. I wonder what made her stop?
"I changed my passion." Suki grinned. "I decided I want to be of help outside the court, not inside."
"I'm sure you're an amazing medic!" Bokuto grinned, and Suki found herself returning it sincerely. "Could you help me wrap my fingers before we play, tomorrow? I'm not the best at doing it myself."
"Of course!" Suki smiled, her eyes bright.
Kuroo watched the girl for a moment, glad she was getting along with Bokuto. But then again, it was Suki, and the captain knew she could make friends with anyone introduced to her.
"Anyways, boys, I should probably head back to my side." Suki crumbled her now empty bag of cookies. "My business is finished here."
"Are we boring you already?" Kuroo smirked, his eyes mocking sadness. Suki scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"Of course not!" The medic shook her head. "But I'm tired— and you two should be too!" She suddenly glared at them both, and they froze. "You've been playing all day! Go get some rest so you can be ready for tomorrow!"
"She's scary." Bokuto whispered to Kuroo, who nodded, still staring at the girl with wide eyes.
Kuroo suddenly saluted dramatically to the girl, staring straight ahead. "Aye, aye, Doctor! We'll do just that!"
Bokuto laughed as they began to walk forward past her. He turned back, casting her one final smirk, his hazel eyes gleaming.
"Goodnight, Suki!" The ace grinned. "I'll be expecting your help before our matches tomorrow!"
"And I'll be there!" Suki promised, offering a thumb's up. Bokuto smiled.
"Night, Doc." Kuroo nodded at her, smirking. Suki thought he was going to turn away, but the captain's eyes lingered on her for a moment longer.
His lips tugged up. "By the way... I like your hair like that."
Suki's cheeks pinked immediately. She lifted a hand to touch her hair, flowing down over her shoulders instead of being tied into a ponytail, as she showered.
"Oh shut up." The girl stammered, her face flushing at the random compliment. Bokuto laughed loudly as Kuroo winked at her, and the two captains disappeared down the hall.
Suki's face was still burning by the time she made it to her room. Most of the girls were knocked out already, but Kiyoko perked up when Suki wandered back in.
"Suki?" The girl's soft voice whispered. Beside her, Yachi was snoring. "Where did you go?"
Suki settled in her blankets beside the older girl, yawning loudly. "I went to get some cookies, Kiyoko-kun. The boys ate the ones I bought."
"Oh." Kiyoko chuckled. "I'm glad you got them, then."
Suki smiled, yawning once more. "Thanks! Goodnight, Kiyoko."
"Goodnight, Suki-kun."
The two girls settled into their beds. Suki pulled the covers over her face, sighing and relaxing finally. It had been quite the day.
Kuroo's words still lingered in the back of Suki's mind as she drifted off to sleep. She replayed them in her head, over and over again.
"Suki!"
The young, reddish-brown haired girl shifted in her bed, pulling the covers closer to her.
There was a pause of silence, and then what sounded like a shower of small pebbles was hitting her window.
"Psst! Suki-kun! Open up!"
Suki's eyes snapped open. Groggily, the girl's tired eyes fell to her alarm clock.
2:46 AM.
"You've got to be kidding me." The girl muttered, ripping off her covers and making her way over to the window.
Another few pebbles hit the glass, followed by a familiar whine. "Suki-kun~!"
The young girl opened her window up, thrusting her head through and gazing down. A couple of feet below stood Oikawa, still dressed in Kitagawa First's training gear. His brown eyes brightened when he saw the girl.
"Suki!" He grinned. "Good, you're awake!"
"No thanks to you!" The girl shouted in a whisper, her grey eyes annoyed. "And keep it down, will you? You'll wake up my mom!"
Oikawa grunted as he climbed up toward Suki's window, his brown locks fluttering in the breeze. Suki shrank back as he popped his head through, swinging his legs inside next.
"Kawa-kun!" The girl shouted again in a whisper as her best friend landed inside her room, dusting himself off. "What are you doing here? It's two in the morning! You're supposed to be asleep! You're gonna get me in trouble!"
"I couldn't sleep!" Oikawa whispered, his brown eyes wide. "And I'll be quiet, I promise!"
Suki rolled her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Oh, alright."
She made room on the landing by her window for the boy, who sat heavily next to her, his legs pressing against hers. Oikawa stared at the girl, his brown eyes filled with excitement and not at all tired.
"So why can't you sleep, Kawa-kun?" Suki questioned, brushing the hair from her face. Her grey eyes were no longer annoyed, just gently curious.
"I'm too excited!" Oikawa whispered, his olive features brightening the dark room.
Suki grinned. She settled more comfortably against her best friend. "To go to Aoba Johsai?"
Earlier that day had been the volleyball ceremony for the Junior High league. Kitagawa First's volleyball team had come in second behind Shiratorizawa, and Oikawa had gotten the best setter award.
Oikawa's eyes were filled with anticipation. "Exactly! I just know we're going to finally beat Ushijima once Iwa-chan and I take over the team."
"I know you guys will." Suki grinned.
Oikawa smirked at her, his eyes shining in the moonlight. "Don't worry, Hiro. We won't get injured until you make it to Aoba Johsai with us."
"With the way you push yourself, I don't think that's possible Kawa." Suki shoved his face away from her and he laughed quietly.
Oikawa suddenly quieted, staring at the girl with an unreadable expression in his eyes. Suki felt herself growing warm under his intense stare, her stomach doing somersaults inside her.
Oikawa suddenly cocked his head. "What did you do with your hair?"
"What?" Suki flushed, stroking her hair with her hands. "W-What do you mean? You've seen my hair down before."
"Yeah, but..." Oikawa shook his head. "It's wavy this time. Not straight."
"My hair gets wavy after I shower." Suki explained, still flustered. Her chinks were pink.
Oikawa stared at the girl. He couldn't help but admire her, his hidden feelings for her rising inside his chest.
"Well, I like it." The brunette smiled. "You look pretty."
Suki short-circuited. Her face flushed red, and she was glad it was dark.
"I-I—" The girl punched his shoulder. "Idiot!"
"Ow—! Hiro!" Oikawa whined. "That hurt!"
"You can't just say things like that out of the blue!"
"Why not?"
"B-Because I said so!"
"That's not fair!"
After the two best friends calmed down, Suki's face still red as Oikawa rubbed his shoulder, they stared at one another. Slowly, their faces twitched, and they laughed together quietly.
"You know, Hiro-kun..." Oikawa spoke quietly after the laughter died down. "I don't think I could have won anything without you."
Suki turned to her friend, her grey eyes wide. "What?"
Oikawa kept his gaze on her, his brown eyes soft. They were always soft when it came to the grey-eyed girl.
"You believed in me even when I couldn't believe in myself." Oikawa whispered. "I know I pushed you away, and I'm sorry for that. But you've always been there for me, no matter what, and that hasn't changed."
Suki gazed at the older boy, her heart pounding. She cocked her head, her eyes soft.
"I'll always be here for you, Kawa-kun." The girl promised her hand coming to rest on the boy's hand. "And nothing you ever do is going to change that."
Oikawa gazed at the girl, emotion stopping his words and filling his heart. He stared at her intently, like he was analyzing every feature on her face.
Suki stared back, her grey eyes widening slightly. Slowly, Oikawa was leaning closer to her, his hand tightening around hers as his face drew nearer, and nearer. Suki kept his gaze, her heart in her throat and her breaths coming in quick, quiet draws.
Just as Suki felt the boy's windswept locks tickle her forehead, his brown eyes burning into her with the most intensity she'd ever witnessed— there was a pounding on her door.
"Chihiro?" Her mother's voice echoed through the door. "Are you talking on the phone? It's late!"
Suki panicked. She shoved Oikawa out the window, and the boy yelped as he fell the few feet, crashing into the grass below.
"What was that?!" The pounding intensified.
Suki gazed out the window down to her friend, who sat groggily up.
"Sorry!" Suki hissed in a whisper. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
Oikawa rubbed his head, lifting his chin to stare up at the girl. The breeze was making her wavy hair flutter around her, like a princess.
Oikawa smiled, looking at her in awe. His heart was pounding. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Suki grinned. She shut the window, turning back inside and opening the door.
"What's going on?!"
"Nothing, mom!"
Suki's eyes snapped open.
Around her, the team managers were rising, yawning loudly. Sunlight filtered in through the windows.
"Good morning, Suki-kun." Kiyoko smiled at the girl, bent over and shaking Yachi's snoring form. "Time to get up, Yachi."
The medic didn't answer. She lay in her cot, her grey eyes focused intently on the ceiling with unknown emotions swirling inside her. Her heart pounded as a certain captain's face flashed across her vision; his brown eyes narrowed at her in challenge.
Why did I dream about him?
