The Queen of the Crows {Haikyuu!!}

11

The sick, hollow feeling on the pit of my stomach that has been there since the beginning of golden week training as only grown over time. But now it is at its peak as I stand in the full body mirror in my coolly lit room. The shadow of a tree branch decorated the left side of my face as I look into my reflection.

I see someone in a black track suit with a duffle on her shoulder with business clothes in it. That's me isn't it? I shake my black head of hair, attempting to snap myself out. "Chi, I'll drive you to the school if you're ready,"

I slowly turn my head away from my eye bags to my cousin and nod. A sympathetic smile greets me as I approach the exit. The trip was silent, tension thick, and felt a lot longer than it should. When we arrive at the school and open the passenger side door and throw my duffle over my shoulder. I look up and my cousin nods. I nod back and push the door closed.

I enter the gym and eyes lock on me. I push my bangs back and look to the floor as I shuffle over. We load the bus and I sit by myself again. I yawn, reminding myself of the lack of sleep in the recent days. I try to distract myself with music and fiddling with the nylon strap on my bag.

Third POV

A tense air shrouded Chihiro. The players cast worried glances her way but don't say anything. The girl with apparent lack of social skills outside of the gym stares at her lap. "Is Chihiro okay? She looks pretty nervous," Nishinoya leans over to Tanaka. He shrugs.

"Probably because of the tournament," The worrier of a third year doesn't buy it.

~~~

First POV

We walk in a small mass of black sweats to the entrance of the gym. Passing words of Karasuno's fallen crow reputation flit by. I squeeze through the tall players from all over the prefecture to get a look at the match line up.

"Karasuno? I heard they're mediocre at best, they shouldn't be a problem," I hear beside me. I turn and look up with a scowl. "Huh?!" an annoying voice calls out. I glance behind me and see the rest of the team with deep set scowls looking at the two players. "U-Um!" one of them stutters out before they both scuttle away.

I sigh, "Looks like we have something to prove," I mutter. I read the brackets. Our first opponent is Tokonami, a pretty average school. They don't stand out much. I walk into the foyer of the gym once I notice Kiyoko walking further. Rumors about Asahi being a delinquent and Nishinoya being an all-star libero are the first things I hear.

"Karasuno's long-haired manager is pretty hot. I'd wanna tap that,"

"You should go ask for her number!" I overhear. I quickly take Kiyoko by the arm and weave us through the crowd and away from them. Once we get a fair distance away, I stop. "You good?" I ask softly. She nods. "You didn't have to do that. It happens all the time," she shrugs with her hands clasped in front of her.

I shake my head, "Doesn't mean it should happen all the time. Besides,  we girls have to watch out for each other. I mean who else will?" She smiles softly. "You have a point, thank you," she bows slightly. I wave her off, "No problem. Now let's get back to the guys," I suggest.

I follow her lead through the tall crowd of male volleyball players. I poke my head out from behind her and see a white hair, eyebrow-less giant pointing and glaring at Asahi. He casts worried looks at his teammates. The natural scowl on my face deepens as I approach the situation.

Their captain quickly pushes his arm down and apologizes. "Sorry! He likes pointing out the ace of the team," he explains. I raise an eyebrow, surprised that he knew exactly who our ace is despite his timid nature. "I'm surprised you help it together like that," Sugawara pats Asahi on the back. All of his confidence melts away once the other team leave. "T-that was terrifying," he whispers loudly.

I pinch the bridge of my nose as we proceed to the gym to warm up. "I-I gotta go to the bathroom," Hinata mutters, clutching his stomach and pushing his way to the bathroom. I look at the team and notice their tense shoulders and locked jaws. They're all so nervous.

I set my bag behind the bench and pull out my clipboard. "Stretch first," I remind them. I check my phone and I have an hour before my cousin picks me up. I yawn again as I survey the gym again. A startling change in atmosphere directs my attention to the tall bleachers for spectators as well as all of Karasuno's. A hoard of white-jacketed players file in. I squint and push my glasses up, hoping to get a better look.

I spot turquoise detail on their tracksuits and recall two tall players I ran into while I was getting knee guards and elbow guards. "Iwaizumi and Okikawa? Are those their names?" I mutter.

"You know them?" Kageyama asks with a scowl. I nod, "They commented on my Karasuno jacket at a sports equipment store before golden week. The one with the brown hair doesn't sit too well with me if I recall correctly," I respond. He doesn't say anything else as he continues warming up.

"Before you were here, we played a practice match against that team, Aoba Josai and Kageyama's middle school sempai is Oikawa," Sugawara pipes up. I nod. I observe Hinata return to the gym in a jittering state. "Maybe you give them some words of encouragement," Takeda-sensei offers. I turn to him with a confused look.

"Like what? Do your best and don't screw up?" I ask. He shrugs. "I'd probably omit the 'don't screw up part'," I nod. My thoughts flip from the volleyball court to the court of law to my lack of sleep and back again.

~~~

The game is about to start and the players gather around Ukai, Takeda, Shimizu, and I, making me feel notably smaller. "Alright, This is the start of our first game on our path to national, let's make it count," Hinata and Asahi shudder and Ukai's words. I purse my lips thinking of what to say to lighten their nerves.

"There are a lot scarier things to be scared about because this isn't that scary because you already know what scary is..." I trail off, realizes my rambling. "And that stuff," I end. I scoot backwards during the awkward silence. I feel my face heat up with embarrassment. Ukai and Takeda finish the mini spiel as the game started.

I glance back at my phone, I had thirty minutes.