Burning Ice (A Haikyuu AU)

12. Information

(3rd Person Pov)

"How's the info going?" Suga asked, downing a bottle of water. He had been asked to drink water, much to his annoyance. 

Kenma looked up, hints of the hard work in his eyes. "Not much besides what we already know." He admitted. Akaashi paused beside him. 

Aya gave a tired laugh. "You need more, don't you?" She asked, standing up. "See ya."

Everyone hesitated. It was true, but...

"Aya, it's dangerous." Oikawa spoke up. Too late. She had already left, presumbly to go in a new disguise. 

Aya came out wearing a blue, flowery top, a green jacket and blue leggings. Her hair was twisted into a bun at the back, and the wisps of hair let out at the sides made her seem like a whole different person.

"Young girl, came back to visit her family." Aya concluded. "And don't make me put in contacts." She warned as she looked at Suga.

Koshi sighed. "Fine, but wear clips in your hair."

Aya thought about it. "I should put in some earrings too."

After the changes made, she set off.

(timeskip)

Aya gave a quiet, tinkling laugh, earning some looks of approval from the old women, the ones who are convinced that girls are made to be small, fragile, and like glass.

The real Aya was more like the rust on an old bicycle, but no one needs to know that.

She made sure her back was straight and her chin tilted. Playing the part of a young girl from a wealthy family required a lot, but it was useful when gleaning info.

"So," Aya giggled. "What is this talk about the new young men in town?" 

"Ah well, you see..." 

"From wealthy families too!" 

"Good matches for ya, my girl..." 

"Not like some of those other ones..." 

"Did you know that some girls now fighting like men?"

Aya nearly snorted. If only they knew.

"Oh there's talk of those gangs now... kids playing at grown ups!" One woman cut in, her fancy kimono swaying from side to side. Aya studied her discreetly in secret. She seemed like the kind of woman to spread strange but true gossips. 

Kids playing at grown-ups, huh. Bet you don't know how the police are scared of us?

Another white-haired lady looked at her disapprovingly. "Such a nice young girl! She doesn't need to know that!"

Aya laughed wryly to herself in her mind. She put on her best innocent smile. "Oh I've heard father talking about it!" Ignoring the stab of pain at the father she barely remembers, she continued. 

"Is it true they are bad?" Now for the looking down and twisting her hands bit. "It's a little scary."

"My good girl, you need to be careful." Koshi would definitely be laughing at this. "We'll tell you a little bit just in case."

The woman in the fancy kimono continued. "You see, there are the Ice. Such a terrible name!" 

Umm, escuse me, but we can call ourselves whatever we want. Aya sighed inwardly.

"And they are terrible, terrible people! Do not ever go near them, my dear, they will take you without thinking!" That is NOT true. "And there are the Flames. They are brutes, my girl, brutes!"

Aya hesitated in her discussion with herself. She would have believed that maybe a week ago, but after the way Iwaizumi had caught Kawa... She wasn't sure anymore.

(BONUS SCENE; How Aya and Cassy met: 2)

She moved on to looking at a lime t-shirt, all the while still eavesdropping.

"Well, did you know that they've caused trouble with the police too!" The more chatty one of the woman, the one with purple, huge earrings, shook her head, her earrings swinging from side to side.

The other one with fancy gold hairclips in her hair sighed. 

"A month later and they're still talking trash about us? How bored can they be?"

An annoyed voice drifted from behind Aya. She jolted. Getting surprised was a massive point of disadvantage for her, and she decided to work on that.

"Ledi, calm down." Another voice came, this one obviously a boy's. 

Aya looked around. Best to keep pretending.

Soon, the pair rounded around the corner. From the corner of her eyes, she could just see a girl, roughly about her age, strolling this way with the boy.

"Hi."

Aya sighed. Her luck wasn't great today. 

The girl, who was apparently Ledi, asked. "Who are you?"

"None of your business." She strained her ears to try and listen to the women.

"It is my business. That line is getting too old." - Cassy

"It's better than losing your nose. I think I found it in my privacy." - Aya

"So you're rude as well as unoriginal?" - Cassy

"It's not me being rude, it's me being honest." - Aya

"I'm so sorry, did I hurt your feelings? I'll make sure to do that again later." - Cassy

"Liar. You can't hurt something that's non-existent." - Aya

They continued to exchange blows, while the boy looked on, amused.

"Come on Ledi, your brother's gonna seriously hurt me if you fire another one." He sighed. 

Aya glared at him. "We're great friends, aren't we?"

Ledi readily agreed. "Yeah, get your facts right."

With a shocked expression, the boy watched as the two girls started bonding over annoying brothers. They seemed to have forgotten all about the argument they had seconds ago.

He watched for Daichi, who was off to somewhere.

After a while, he saw Daichi round the corner to the shop with another boy --- so that was what he was off to do. He waved half-heartedly.

"Cassledia Sawamura." Her brother looked exasperated. "Why on earth do you never listen when I say stay in one place?"

"I am capable of looking after myself, thank you very much." Cassy looked annoyed.

As Cassy got dragged off to have the 'don't wander' talk, with the new person, who introduced himself as Iwaizumi Hajime, the boy glanced towards Aya.

(continued in next chapter)