The Cat and the Crow

Nationals (6 January 2013)

[Congrats, guys! Looks like we all made it to the 2nd round]

[TSUKI! HOW ARE YOU HOLDING UP?]

[What do you mean?]

[I WATCHED SOME OF THE REPLAYS ON THE NEWS. YOU LOOKED SO NERVOUS]

[Well, once Hinata got his shoes back, and Kageyama recalibrated, everything settled enough to not be too nervous]

[Your blocking was top-notch]

[Thanks, Akaashi. I had an excellent teacher]

[Stop. You're making me blush]

[At least he's modest]

[LOL! DO WE KNOW WHO WE'RE PLAYING NEXT?]

[Inarizaki]

[Sarukawa]

[Morikawa]

[WE HAVE OUR WORK CUT OUT FOR US, BOYS]

[Especially Tsuki. Inarizaki came in 2nd in the last Interhigh]

[AND YOU'RE PLAYING THE MIYANS]

[The Who?]

[Isn't that a band?]

[Stop]

[The Miya twins. They may give the weirdo duo a run for their money]

[Thanks for the warning. Hey guys, I gotta go. We're gonna eat and then have our meeting. Ttyl]

[Ttyl]

[TTYL TSUKI!]

[Call me later, love]

[Will do. Later, guys]

Kei pocketed his phone and headed downstairs. The team was going out to a little restaurant nearby, and he was one of the last to come down. He was followed by Hinata, who was moving a bit slower than usual. Kei looked at his fellow middle blocker, noting the light shadows under his eyes, and a slight bit of color on his cheeks. Maybe he had just come in from another run with Kageyama, Kei thought. The two had been running the same circuit as the first night as a way to calm down. Each time they went, they were told not to stay out too long, and to make sure they took a warm bath after. No one could afford to get sick.

Except, Kei was beginning to think he may have already caught whatever was going around, and he had only gone out with the weirdo duo once, and just for travel to and from the gym. For the most part, he felt fine. If anything, he was a little more tired, had a headache that was persistent, but not painful, and it took a little longer to warm up, even after a bath. So, he kept a close eye on Hinata, even while he kept up with his own health.

"Bundle up, everyone," Daichi was saying to the group as he reached the ground floor. "Coach says the restaurant is about a ten minute walk from here. It's not too cold now, but it will be by the time we head back."

Kei didn't think it was the best idea to walk out in the cold, but he wasn't going to complain. He retrieved his coat from the hook, took out his scarf, hat, and gloves. Properly bundled, he went out with the rest, and walked alongside Tadashi.

"How are you holding up?" his friend asked him after a few minutes.

"Well enough," he answered shortly. He realized he sounded grumpy, and sighed. "Sorry. I'm tired, my headache hasn't gone away, and I'm cold."

"It's okay," Tadashi waved away the apology. "I think we're all at varying levels of exhaustion, but Coach insists we eat decent meals, so here we are."

"I hope he doesn't pay too much attention to me, then," Kei said, still sounding grumpy. "I'm not really very hungry."

Tadashi stopped and scrutinized him. "You look a little like Hinata," he finally said.