As Long As You Need Me ~ Kageyama x Hinata

4 ~ The Set

The day started out as a normal Wednesday for Kageyama. He walked to school, leaving a half an hour early and stopping on the hill. He had begun to bring a snack to eat while he sat there around Thursday of last week. So he finished his grapes quickly, then when no one showed up he hurried down the hill.

His classes went the same as normal. And at lunch he bought his milk and talked to no one. It wasn't until practice that anything unusual happened.

"Okay team, we have two new members of the club joining us" Daichi said. "Oh really?" Tanaka chimed in. Kageyama had a bad feeling. He thought back to the first day of school and remembered the two boys talking about him.

Kageyama was still having trouble timing his sets to match the pace of the team since his sets were generally too fast and too direct. But he wasn't being called a tyrant. He also hadn't lost his cool yet.

He scowled as he saw the two boys step into the gym, the shorter one peering around the shoulder of the really tall boy.

"Hello, I'm Yamaguchi and this is Tsukishima" the nervous boy said quietly to Daichi who nodded and shook his hand. Tsukishima however, was not interested in shaking hands. He simply walked towards Kageyama.

"Oh your highness is here. Please don't throw me one of your royal sets, I like it when my team actually wins" he said smirking at Kageyama.

"Shut up" Kageyama said quietly. "Oh what was that? Sorry you will have to speak up, some of us peasants don't have great hearing" Tsukishima replied.

"Shut up" Kageyama said again, yelling this time. Tsukishimas smirk faded as he glared at Kageyama.

"You two cut it out!" Daichi yelled and the gym went quiet. "We are going to do a scrimmage, I want the first years to work together for this" he continued once there was silence.

"I don't want to spike sets from a tyrant" Tsukishima exclaimed. "Well I don't want to set to someone who isn't good enough to spike my sets" Kageyama yelled in response.

"Both of you leave the practice right now!" Daichi yelled "don't come back for the rest of the week. You two will work together or we don't need either of you" he said in a serious tone.

Kageyama stormed off on his way to go home. As he approached the hill he looked over at the forest. He remembered Hinata saying something about a great place to practice.

Might as well check it out. It's better than against the wall anyways.

Kageyama ventured into the forest. He came across a clearing, there stood two solid trees with a rope tied between them. The rope was almost exactly the height and length of the a real volleyball net. He stood there admiring the net when...

Thunk

He was hit in the back of the head by a volleyball. Kageyama turned angerly to see Hinata standing behind him. "Oops sorry. I really didn't see you there" he exclaimed taking a few steps back.

"You didn't see me?" Kageyama asked stepping towards Hinata. "Nope" Hinata said giving a cheerful smile. "Idiot" Kageyama yelled and when Hinata jumped about three feet off the ground just from that one word, Kageyama smiled almost letting out a laugh.

"So this is your secret practice spot?" Kageyama asked examining the homemade net a little closer. "Yep" Hinata answered cheerfully. Hinata then ran over to pick up the ball.

Noticing it Kageyama almost laughed again. The ball was old and beat up, it looked like it might burst at any moment. "Is that ball ten years old or something?" he asked it jokingly but still would have believed Hinata if he said yes.

"I've had it for a long time" Hinata said looking at it.

"So, I've got to know. Why haven't you been annoying me at school anymore?" Kageyama finally asked.

Hinata shrugged "you told me to leave you alone, so I did" he said. He didn't sound sad or mad, just normal.

"Hey!" Hinata said all of a sudden "can you please set for me?" he asked holding the ball towards Kageyama. Kageyama frowned "no" he answered once again.

"Oh come on. I promise I will hit any ball you set for me and I won't abandon you" he said being genuine.

"What are you talking about?" Kageyama asked feeling himself getting angry.

"While, last week I heard those boys talking about a king. And based off your reaction I figured you were that king" Hinata said tilting his head in curiosity "I personally think the name is really cool, but it's an insult, right?" he asked.

Kageyama wanted to shove him again and leave that forest. He didn't want to be there anymore but he surprised himself when a "yeah" escaped his mouth.

"You don't want to set a ball that no one will be there to spike. But I promise you that if you set me a ball I will spike it no matter what" Hinata said.

Kageyama yanked the ball out of Hinatas hand so suddenly it startled the orange haired boy. Then he tossed the ball in the air for himself to set it. He was a little bit frustrated so he sent a really fast ball he thought Hinata had no chance of getting.

To his surprised Hinata boosted himself off the ground jumping higher than Kageyama thought was possible of the short boy. Hinata then made contact with the ball smashing it down hard. Hinata looked proud of himself.

"I want to one day be good enough to call myself an ace!" Hinata proudly said when he landed. "Well you've got a long way to go" Kageyama mumbled. "Oh come on I'm not THAT bad Kageyama" Hinata whined.

In order to shut him up Kageyama picked up the ball and set him another one. They continued on until the sun had already set and it was hard to see around them.

As much as he hated to admit it, Kageyama really enjoyed setting to Hinata. It was weird to finally have someone who could hit his sets at full power. Usually Kageyama slowed down his sets for the spiker, but with Hinata he didn't have to hold back.

It was very dark now but Hinata hadn't even really seemed to notice. Kageyama finally spoke "I need to go home and eat dinner" he said. Hinata pouted "oh just one more set?" he asked.

"Fine one more" he said giving Hinata one last set to spike down. The two of them then began to climb the hill together. "Do you live up here?" Kageyama asked Hinata, who was clinging to his old volleyball.

"Yes I do" Hinata said telling Kageyama his address. As they both parted ways Hinata called out to Kageyama "wait, do you want to practice together after school tomorrow?" he asked not able to hide his excitement.

"Yeah, I guess we could" Kageyama said waving at Hinata.