The Sun with A False Eternity

A New Training Plan

Ugh finally over, Kageyama thought, standing up from his desk and pushing his chair in. Not that he had really paid attention, but the idea of sitting in that classroom for a moment longer made him want to throw something. He was more than ready for practice, and he practically leaped out of the room the first chance he got.

When Kageyama arrived at the gym, there were only three other people inside. Kiyoko was in the middle setting up the net, Asahi was over in the corner attempting to work on his serves, and Sugawara stood on the court close to the entrance, setting the ball to himself. Kageyama set his water bottle and sweat towel down in the corner where they usually placed them.

"Are you ready for practice?" Sugawara asked, signifying to Kageyama that he saw him walk up with a glance. Kageyama nodded, looking at the cart full of volleyballs in anticipation. This had become the thing that was most important to him. Before he had nothing. Back in middle school, he was alone. He had volleyball still, but it was different back then. Back then it was him and the volleyball versus everyone else. There was nobody but the king of the court and his "loyal" subjects.

He would never forget the moment when he realized that he was truly alone. He had never been that smart socially, but he still had fully believed that his teammates wanted the same thing he did. They wanted to win, they wanted the victory. And Kageyama had just been pushing them towards that. He thought his words were encouraging, trying to help them get better. He thought they had realized that.

Bam, Kageyama shivered as the ball hit the floor behind him. He had subconsciously picked up a volleyball from the cart and set it, completely lost it thought. But as the ball hit the floor, memories of his past continued to surface. That wasn't the first time nobody was there to spike his set. His mind whirled as he remembered the darkness that had overwhelmed him at his teammate's betrayal. The day that a hole had opened up in his heart, the day that a gap was torn between him and everyone else. Though, the more he thought about it, the more he realized the gap had always been there.

I had just always failed to notice it, Kageyama desperately shook his head, trying to get rid of the thought that threatened to overtake him. He didn't want to remember, he didn't want those feelings to come back. He stared and the volleyball that had just hit the ground. It was slowly rolling away towards the gym door. Someone reached down and picked it up, and Kageyama shifted his eyes up to see Hinata, now in his gym clothes, holding the un-spiked volleyball.

"Uh Kageyama? You dropped this," he teased lightly, water bottle and rag tucked under his arm. He threw the volleyball back towards the setter, who caught it and began walking towards the young teen.

"Shut up dumbass," Kageyama rolled his eyes. His mind was still slightly shaken, but having his closest teammate there made him feel more reassured. Hinata set his stuff down, yawning.

"Class was so boring!" The first year groaned, reaching down to touch his toes. His hair fell in his face in a fluffy pile, covering his eyes from Kageyama's vision.

"Maybe it wouldn't be so boring if you paid attention," Kinoshita teased, walking over with Nishinoya and Yaichi. The three of them set their stuff down and headed out onto the court, greeting different people or beginning to work on different techniques.

Everyone was now there, they were just waiting on the coach. Kageyama flashed Hinata a glance and the small boy nodded as if he could read Kageyama's mind. The two of them rushed the court in sync, and within seconds the ball that Kageyama had been holding was up in the air, being passed back and forth between the two of them.

"Alright guys I got plans for today," Coach Ukai called, stepping through the door ten minutes later. Everyone paused what they were doing and looked up, both nervously and with excitement. Kageyama was curious, usually, they did something interesting when Coach Ukai came in with a plan. "We're gonna play a game with our team. A six-on-six game, there's enough of you here. Nothing too serious, just a way to test your skills and add in a bit of fun to mix up your usual training."

A six on six game? Kageyama looked around the room, counting his teammates. Sure enough there were twelve of them there. Their expressions ranged from joy to anxiety. Hinata looked ecstatic, whereas Narita looked tenser than usual.

"All right!!" Kageyama heard Tanaka cry in excitement. Sugawara laughed, and Kageyama barely registered the sound of Tsukishima sighing.

"The shop was barely busy today, so I already wrote out the team assignments," Coach Ukai continued when they had quieted down. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small scrap of paper. "Team one will be Kageyama, Asahi, Narita, Ennoshita, Yamaguchi, and Daichi," he read off the list. "Team two will be Sugawara, Tanaka, Nishinoya, Kinoshita, Tsukishima, and Hinata.

Huh this seems like an odd match up, Kageyama thought through the teams. Usually he and Hinata worked together as a pair, and this was splitting them up. What is the coach thinking?

"I want to test both your guys' adaptability and your skills as individuals. Some of you have a person that you work well with, and I want to see how your skills play out without their help." He looked over at Hinata as if directing that last comment at him. "Alright we don't got all night, you guys have five minutes to discuss with your teams before we begin," Coach Ukai finished the announcement and walked over to the scoreboard where he stood to wait.

Kageyama raced over to where his team for the game was beginning to meet. Daichi was talking rapidly to Yamaguchi, giving him instructions on something. Narita was already there, and Asahi got there about the same time Kageyama did. Ennoshita joined them shortly after.

"Alright guys," Daichi began once they were all gathered. "This isn't like a normal game, we're up against opponents whose strengths and weaknesses we know, and they know ours," Kageyama watched as Daichi's eyes scanned the group, assessing their abilities. "It'll be difficult for sure, but I have no doubt we can win." He put a hand on both Yamaguchi and Narita, the two players closest to him. "I want Kageyama, Narita, in the front along with Asahi," he decided after a brief pause. "Me, Ennoshita, and Yamaguchi will take the back positions as we start."

"Kageyama will play setter, right?" Narita asked Daichi, as if he was just reassuring himself. Daichi nodded.

"I know Coach wants us to test our abilities, and I agree with that," he explained looking directly at Kageyama now. "That being said, we should also focus on training the abilities we're going to use. So for you Kageyama, this will be a challenge for you to set to people other than you're used to."

Narita, Yamaguchi, and Ennoshita will be the biggest variables, he thought, looking at each member in turn. They don't usually play and I don't know their strategy styles yet. He turned his gaze to Daichi and Asahi. It's good to have those two though, I can always rely on them if things get too out of hand.

"I can see you're already working hard," Daichi tilted his head toward Kageyama with a smile. He then turned his attention to Yamaguchi. "I know you've played before, and you do well in practice. That being said, your serve is your strong point. Regardless, this is a chance for you to work on your other skills. I'll have you serve the first ball, and then after that, I want you to focus on your receives and attacks. I doubt Kageyama will give you anything you can't hit, and the rest of us are here to back you up, okay?" Yamaguchi swallowed and nodded. It didn't take a genius to sense that he was nervous.

I'll have to be careful setting to him, Kageyama noted in his mind. One wrong move could damage his spirit, hindering his usefulness in the game. Kageyama was distracted from his mental ramblings by Daichi's voice once again:

"Now, you two," he looked at Narita and Ennoshita in turn. "I know you don't get many chances to play on the court. Well, this is your time," he smiled confidently as if attempting to transfer the feeling upon the two second years. Show me what you're made of." Ennoshita nodded determinedly and Narita took a deep breath before smiling.