kiddo

chapter nine

"You almost done?" Sato, the manager of Nekoma, asks from a neighboring sink.

Turning off the tap and screwing the lid on the final waterbottle I reply, "Yeah, just finished."

She nods, "Okay, then go on ahead, I still have a few to fill up."

"See you there," I smile, picking up the holders filled with bottles. I walk down the hallway and into the courtyard, quickly crossing it and stepping into the gym. The squeaks of sneakers and loud yells meet my ears and I can't help but smile, eyes widening as I catch a glimpse of the ongoing practice game.

I just stand and stare for a few moments, watching as the Karasuno team continuously tries to score, but Nekoma won't let a single spike land. After a few volleys, Kenma feints a set, scoring as the rival players attempt to receive it. Daichi and Noya are on the ground, having dove for the ball, and seem to be at their physical limit. Sweat paints their faces and matts their hair, but they get up quickly anyway, going back to their position and reading themselves for more.

Glancing at the scoreboard I grimace, noticing the vast difference in points. Nekoma almost has a match point, so the game is basically decided already.

However, as I look back at my team, I'm immediately struck with their resolve and determination, despite their predicament. Their fighting spirit puts a smile on my face and I set the bottles down, jogging back out of the gym and to the bus to get some towels, suddenly experiencing a surge of motivation.

I hear a whistle blow as I head back, and I rush to get inside the gym, handing out towels and bottles to the exhausted players.

"What's with Hinata? He seems, well how do I put it... excited?" I ask Suga as I hand him the yellow bottle.

He smiles and shakes his head, "Someone has been able to consistently keep up with him and block his freak quick attacks."

"And that's a cause for excitement?" I question, eyebrows raised.

"He loves a challenge," Daichi mutters simply as he wipes off his sweat.

"I see," I say lowly, glancing over at the tangerine boy, who is bouncing up and down annoying Kageyama.

I walk over to them and offer them some water, and as I extend my arm to give Kageyama his bottle, I see his eyes flicker to my neck. He freezes, seemingly petrified, and Hinata immediately takes notice.

"Kageyama, what is it?" he asks.

Kageyama shakes out of it and grabs the bottle, averting his eyes while muttering, "Nothing."

"I saw you looking at Takinoue, what was it?" he persists, his voice getting louder.

"Shut it, boke!" Kageyama growls, trying to stray from the subject.

"You're so mean!" he cries, and after looking at me he starts, "There's nothing off about Taki so what were you-"

He suddenly stops talking and I see his eyes widen, shock painting his face as he notices my marked neck. I blush and try to pull my jacket up further, but Hinata grabs my arm.

"Did someone hurt you?" he asks in complete sincerity, his voice low and quiet.

I laugh and reply, "No Hinata, I'm fine."

Kageyama sighs and grabs his collar, dragging him away as he shouts, "Boke, Hinata boke!! You stupid little- do you not know what those are? You are an absolute moron. I swear if I have to be the one who explains this to you..."

His voice trails off as they get farther away, but I chuckle and turn around, surprised when I'm greeted with a tall obstacle in my path.

"Tetsu," I say as I look up to him towering over me, "What's wrong?"