Clawed & Flawed: A Nekoma Story

Chapter 8

Sunday – 2 P. M.

Kuroo saw the object in his peripheral vision, turned his head, and caught it with one hand. He struggled to suppress the gasp that was desperately begging to be let out and stared down at the ball on his hand.

'I caught it. It was in the air flawlessly just a second ago. The ball was tossed from a difficult angle, yet the set formed a perfect arc. Was that a fluke or is this what you're truly capable of?'

"Agh! Sorry, did I scare you again?"

"What do you mean again?! Didn't you see my quick reaction? I saw the ball in slow motion and moved accordingly," he stood up and walked out the door.

"Are you ashamed to admit that I'm a surprisingly okay setter?" Shiro peered over Kuroo's shoulder to tease him before locking the gate.

'Just okay? Is he kidding? No, he looks like the type to mean every word he says,' the tall middle blocker continued to walk ahead.

"Heh, humble, aren't you?" he managed to utter.

"Uhm, is your friend coming? And where are we going?" the setter put their hands in the pocket of the tracksuit pocket.

"No, he has something else going on. It'll just be the two of us. Now... " Kuroo smiled sinisterly.

"Oh god. Are you gonna kill me or something? What's with that face," Shiro wore a weary face.

"I'm gonna show you where Kenma and I usually practice outside of school."

"Oh no, are you making me play?"

"You're a setter!"

"Not in your team, I'm not!"

"Why are you so stubborn?! We're already halfway there, it'd be a shame if we don't play at all. The weather is nice too. I promise I won't make you spike or block."

"Fine," the junior harrumphed.

'Hehehe... For someone so enigmatic, he's still no match for my persuasive offers,' the captain sighed before he started to sprint faster.

"Hey! Stop running! Why do we keep on running everywhere?"

"We have to warm our body up before playing, right? Don't wanna get injured before the Inter High."

All that the other could respond with was a grunt. They ran all the way to the Yukiyagawa Riverbed Park and began to do their stretches. The started their practice session by exchanging spikes and sets with each other. Being a middle blocker, Kuroo had not had many chances to practice any fancy type of settings. Unlike his attacks and receives, it was the skill he lacked the most.

Shiro managed to send out quick spikes and feints although they were no match for Kuroo's defensive skill. But the setter began to realize that the captain had been avoiding a change of pace whenever it was his duty to return the set; a typical high arc overhand set. The exchange made way for Shiro to learn more about their senior's way of thinking.

Kuroo caught the ball and spun it on his hand, "Your receives are not bad at all for a rookie. I'm impressed. You performed better than Karasuno's new starting players, but it's still a shame that you won't be playing for our team."

"Are you still trying to persuade me, coward-senpai? I know you've only been doing textbook sets. We're just practicing with each other anyway, why don't you try things out? I've seen your delayed spike, so I was surprised you didn't get creative with your setting."

"Ugh, you're really a decent setter for figuring me out. I'm just not precise with overhand passes, so I compensate with my spikes, receives, blocks, and serves. It'll just disrupt the balance if I overtake the setting duty too."

"You never know when you'll need it, but if you're able to toss a quick set over the middle just in case the setter gets the first-touch, you'll boost the team's morale."

"Hmm... I've never thought about it that way," he tossed the ball over Shiro's head.

"If you're not confident with the usual two-handed toss, you can always-" the setter tossed the ball with one hand. "Do that."

Kuroo jumped and spiked the ball from a back-attack position, "Woah, the blockers would totally have bitten into that attack."

"And I still think I'm a better asset for the team if I stay outside the court for more than one reason."

"Fine, if you say so. Teach me how to set more accurately then. Give me suggestions on what's wrong with my form."

"No, keep up with the jump serve for now. Yesterday was full of flukes. I'll try to bump them."

"Grr... I know you mean well, but the bluntness of your true statements still pisses me off."

As the cloud sprawled over the apricot-colored sky, the streetlights began to light up as the darkness triggered the sensors. Thuds and pounding continued to fill the air. Drops of sweat flew around as both players continued to run and jump; covering the whole ground.

The jump serve accuracy had gotten better. As the setter had mentioned, the successful target practice during their previous practice was a mere fluke; a beginner's luck. Kuroo had missed about 60 percent of the target at the beginning of the outdoor session but managed to increase the success rate up to 80 percent of the time.

Shiro decided to stand behind where the lines would be to be able to bump the ball back to Kuroo's side or call out on a miss. For someone who didn't look particularly athletic, the mysterious member seemed to be keeping up with the other well enough. They had been zipping left and right to keep the ball in the air, yet they still had plenty of energy left to accurate bump it to the captain perfectly each time.

"Let's take a breather," Kuroo caught the ball. "Good job at keeping up. You might be well-suited to accompany Bokuto."

"Huh?" Shiro sat on an incline.

"Nothing. He's a friend from another high school. A stamina monster. Nobody wants to help him during self-practice," he sat next to the junior.

"An Ace, I bet. What about his setter?"

"Oh, I think he felt inclined to oblige. They're like an inseparable setter-spiker pair."

"Lucky guy. But you and Kenma-kun are like that too, right?"

"Yeah, I guess. But he rarely does extra practice beyond the compulsory ones."

Shiro laid on the grass with hands behind their head; eyes straight to the sky, "I get it. I'm starting to regret moving that much in one day."

"You did a great job though. I think the rest of the team will appreciate your work too. Show them what you've got during tomorrow practice. Going to the Nationals is really possible after all. Three years I've been waiting. Maybe the hard work is finally paying off."

His companion stayed silent. Kuroo turned to find the exhausted teen napping with the sunset reflecting off the droplets of sweat running down their face; drenching the pale silver fringe that framed their face.

"Heh, spent every last of your energy in one game, huh? You still have a long way to go," the captain joined and rested his head on the grass. "Karasuno, just you wait."