𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐖

viii - following

"Line up!" Daichi yelled the next day.

"If you could, please!" The Karasuno boys volleyball team bowed as they stood in front of Takeda and the bus they would be taking to play at Aoba Jousai.

"Hai," Takeda said, and so with that, they were on their way. As usual, Crow was snoozing away in the second to last row with Ennoshida sitting next to him. However, in the middle of the ride, he was given a rude awakening. "STOP!"

"Tanaka what the fuck--" Crow shouted, menacingly gripping the back of his chair and glaring at the cueball. Immediately upon inspection, the ravenette could no longer fault him, considering Hinata had barfed on the poor man's pants. "Oh. Nevermind then."

A few minutes later, the bus was parked and everyone evacuated. "Sorry... I'm so sorry Tanaka-san!" Hinata exclaimed as he bowed.

"I told you not to worry about it," He assured him, his ruined pants now in a plastic bag. "Forget me, are you all right?"

"Hai," The ginger straightened. "Lying down helped. I feel fine now that I'm off the bus."

"Stress piled with car sickness, huh?" Crow leaned against the side of the bus, drawing their attention. "Sounds like a pain."

"Ah, I'm sorry to you as well, Crow-san!" Hinata bowed to him. "I interrupted your nap..."

"It's good that you know," The ravenette patted him on the head. "Try not to let it happen next time, alright?"

"Yes!" He agreed enthusiastically, seeming to enjoy the feeling. Crow didn't seem to mind either way, though there was a slight twitch of his lips upward. Suddenly, there was a loud sound, and it was definitely coming towards them.

"Ah shit," Crow scowled, removing his hand from the ginger's hair as a bunch of people thundered over to the team. Lining up in front of the bus, they bowed.

"WE WELCOME CROW-SAMA TO AOBA JOHSAI, WE HOPE YOUR JOURNEY WAS PLEASANT!"

"Not again," Crow grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I thought I told those guys to spread the word to not do this cause it's burdening and bothersome. Focus that energy elsewhere from now on," He scolded them with an eye roll.

"YES SIR! THANK YOU FOR YOUR TEACHINGS, WE WILL BE SURE TO TAKE IT TO HEART!" The group continued to bow.

"Is this a normal thing?" Kageyama asked Suga, who nodded.

"Yeah, we see this a lot. He's got quite the following, and they hang on his every word," He chuckled before he suddenly paused, his facial expression darkening. "Though a great following does mean he has a lot of enemies as well..."

"Since you're here," Crow said to the group. "Can you show us the way to the gym?"

"WITH PLEASURE SIR!" They replied with gusto. Suddenly, Kageyama noticed a familiar face.

"Kunimi?"

"Hm?" The person glanced back at the mention of his name, only to scowl. "Be grateful you have Crow-sama on your team, Kageyama, you lucky bastard." He did a 180 as soon as he faced Crow. "I'm on the volleyball team, so I'll lead the way."

"Thanks," Crow yawned.

"What is up with this?" Tsukishima looked like he didn't know whether to hate it or love it, but was leaning towards the former as he said this.

"Crow's famous," Ennoshita told him, earning his attention and a raised eyebrow. "Only to delinquents, though, and those associated with alleys. He's been all over Japan, made a lot of connections, and made a reputation for himself."

"So he's a deliquient?" The beanpole scoffed. "How am I not surprised?"

"While most would say that if they hadn't been saved by him," Suga smiled. "No one will ever testify against him, or turn him in, because he has a heart of gold that everyone he's ever accidentally encountered could see immediately."

"That's so amazing!" Hinata bounced.

"It is, isn't it?" The setter agreed with a grin. "But anyway, we should go too, don't wanna be left behind, right?"

"Right!"

~*~

"M-massive!"  Hinata gulped, holding his bag strap tightly. "B-both the gym and the players!"

"Greet them!"

"Let's have a good match!" The Karasuno team bowed once they were all lined up.

"Let's have a good match!" The Aoba Johsai players bowed back briefly.

"I apologize about that, Crow-sama," Kunimi grimaced at his teammates. "They aren't expecting much from this game."

"Unsurprising," The ravenette yawned again. "Anyway, you should also go get warmed up, so see you later."

"Yes sir!" The first year bowed again as the Karasuno team walked off to put their things down and get changed into their practice jerseys.

"Aoba Johsai is a team whose players are all extremely good at both offense and defense," Daichi murmured to Suga as he stood beside him, watching the other team's players warming up. "It's full of guys who would be the star player on any other team."

"Plus they're famous as being great blockers."

"What's gotten into you two?" Tanaka grinned. "We've got Hinata here to throw a spanner in their works! Right?" He nudged the fear-stricken ginger. "But we know that you suck, so we've got your back," The cueball patted him on the shoulder. "Oh, but you'll be on your own while serving, don't you dare screw up." He laughed. "Just kidding! Who cares if you mess up a serve here and there? You don't have to worry about a thing, just--"

"You're talking to O2 molecules," Crow flicked the back of his head, causing the dude to winced and look around.

"Where'd Hinata go?"

"To the bathroom," Yamaguchi pointed.

"Not again!"

Hinata came back a while later, after everyone had gotten changed. Immediately, Daichi was on him. "Don't be so nervous, Hinata. Relax," He smiled.

"Hai! I'll do my best to relax!" He exclaimed, obviously being hyper aware of every movement from how tense he was. Crow sighed, trying to decide whether he should step in or not.

"Hurry up and change, Hinata."

"Hey," Daichi went to Kiyoko to seek some relief. "Could you say something to cheer that first year up?"

"Okay," She agreed before making her way over to the man in distress, who had changed into his practice jersey with the number five on it. "Could I talk to you for a sec?" She questioned as he turned his attention to her. Placing her hand on his shoulder, she said "I have high hopes for you."

"Not helpful," Crow grumbled as the man's face practically exploded.