Akaashi's 18th (and the events that followed...)

41. The Last Witnesses

"Wow - I can't believe there are only four left."

Takeda's heart caught in his throat as he swallowed thickly. "Yeah," he replied, lips pressed together firmly. "I can't believe they're all going to up-and-leave us soon. First Daichi, Sugawara and Asahi-kun, then the vivacious lot below them, and now..."

"Hmm," Ukai replied, and Takeda caught a faint, glassy look in the coach's eyes before it was cleared away with a blink and a cough. "Well, time to start afternoon practice anyway."

"Hai, hai." Takeda shook himself from the net of thoughts, a future without any of the original reborn-crows looming over his head.

"Everyone!" Ukai Keishin stood firmly in the middle of the court, ready for them to gather around. He carried his board, and a pen tucked behind his pierced ears, ready to talk tactics.

That was another impending concern - once the freak duo had flown Karasuno, would Keishin want to coach the team anymore? Takeda's eyes watered at that thought almost as much as the thought of the third-years leaving. He wouldn't have been able to run the volleyball club properly without the help of Keishin and, over the two and a half years of working together, they had gotten to know each other well. Drank together, ran practices together, cried over lost matches together, discussed the future of the team together... he was a vital asset.

"Right, we have a practice match against Date Tech tomorrow, so we're going to split into teams for today's practice, and work on our attack technique. Hinata!" Ukai yelled, and Takeda laughed as he watched an orange head - which had been whispering to Kageyama - whip around to face the front.

"Hai!" he said, his face flushed.

"I'm about to explain some attack techniques for the new middle blockers, and I need you to demonstrate them as I speak. Kageyama?"

"Hai! On it, coach!" Kageyama sprung up, and the pair walked to the back of the court.

"Yamaguchi, Tsukish-"

"Hai hai," Tsukishima grumbled, taking his time walking to the other side of the net, ready to block, with Yamaguchi in tow. Takeda shushed a couple of first-years who were sniggering at the grumpy third-year's attitude. Ukai turned, nodding to him in thanks, his jaw squared with concentration and eyes intense. His hair was slicked back as usual, and his ear piercing glinted in the harsh overhead lights. Sometimes, Takeda enjoyed being a teacher.

"Now, blocking and attacking is not all about speed, but rather timing." Ukai's loud voice carried around the room, filling it with rich, commanding reverberations. Takeda had to admit, Keishin had grown into his role of coach, and the boys always showed him the utmost respect. "Hinata, Kageyama, let's show everyone a first tempo attack!"

Takeda's eyes followed the setup that had become almost as familiar to him as the athletes themselves. Although, some things were different. Hinata had grown, which Takeda felt was obvious, but more importantly, he was far more muscled. He seemed to be following in Bokuto's footsteps, to the point where the fabric of his sleeves was slightly strained by his biceps. He stood at the back of the court, taking an impressive run up, his speed astounding no matter how many times Takeda watched him. He didn't even hesitate for a second as he glanced over to Kageyama, both of their movements as fluid as if they were one person - an incredible attacking machine.

Hinata's jump, of course, was met with gasps from the first-years, and even a few second-years, despite being almost halfway through the school year. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi jumped together with incredibly accurate timing. They managed to match the peak of Hinata's spike, and Takeda felt his breath catch as the spiker's path became blocked. Far from hesitating, the ace of Karasuno wore a grin of pure joy, as the ball froze in midair for that fraction of a second - that small window of opportunity offered to him by one of the best setters in the nation. His arm swung back, slamming into the ball with incredible force, straight into the hands of the blockers...