The Queen of the Crows {Haikyuu!!}

30

When we get back from the weekend at the beach, I see a vast improvement on the court. They are quicker, stronger, more agile, and their jumps are high. When Hinata first gets back jumping on the wooden floors, he couldn't stop marveling at his jump. He would just jump over and over again making noises of excitement. 

We practice with the Fukurodani academy group and Nekoma countless times. Each time we take the court, we get better. When I took up the offer of co-coach, I had no idea the potential this team has. For us, nationals isn't as unreasonable of a goal as many. Monitoring the progress of each player I notice a sharp incline from Tsukishima after the summer training camp. He even asks for pointers on his blocking. I can say for sure that I'm proud to be apart of the Karasuno boys' volleyball team.

~~~

"I draw my hand as far as I can before I even attempt to hit the ball," I pull my arm far behind my head, showing Hinata how to increase the power behind his spike. He imitates my movement, "Pull your arm back, cup the ball when you actually hit it, and use your wrist to direct where you want it to go," I flick my wrist down and to the side. He mimics me until I finish the 'spike'.

"Now do you wanna try it out?" I ask. He sucks in a deep breath and nods his head once. I walk back a few steps before turning around and jogging over to the ball basket. "I'll toss to you," I go back and get into position.

I bend my knee slightly while Hinata backs up away from the net. He bounces on the balls of his feet before throttling himself forward and up. As his feet lift off, the ball leaves my hand. His arm is drawn back further and he slams it, a lower pitched sound echoing from his palm. It sounds less like a slap and more like a boom. He lands; knees bent and his arms tucked in.

The air feels like it gets sucked out of the room in the following moments. He stares at his hand while I stare at him in amazement. He turns to me, still looking at his hand, grinning like a kid in a candy store. He looks up from his hand briefly and at my slack jaw, "Like that?" I try to respond but my words fail. I nod dumbly instead.

~~~

Now we stand in the parking lot of Sendai City Gymnasium. We wear all black tracksuits and scowls. "We're definitely getting our vengeance,"  Hinata reminds me of the losing point I saw so long ago. He breaths in deeply. "UOOOOOH!!" he takes off running to to entrance. Kageyama hot on his tail shouts, "YOU'RE NOT GETTING A HEAD START ON ME DAMMIT!"

"Yeah sure, you guys go on ahead." I stand beside Ukai and Kiyoko in the front of the group. "Glasses-chan make sure you tell me your number today!" a cheerful voice brings my eyes to the boy who harassed her at pre-lims. I frown, opening my mouth to speak only to be cut off by two wild second years running at him. They pounce, but mid jump a brunette bows and apologizes for his behavior.

"Wow, they stopped mid air," Tsukishima drawls. 

Without further interruption we continue into the lobby of the gym. I push open the glass door and walk into a sea of powerhouse players. My eyes look forward, not bothering to try looking up.  Under the shield of menacing volleyball boys, I wear a well known face.

Aoba Josai, Shiratorizowa, and Date Tech proudly display their team colors while looking standoffish. A couple of familiar faces pass by on the way to the stands. But they remain passing.

We set our gray bags down in our seats to save them. I snag a seat on the end of the row and set my bag down. I unzip it to grab my wallet and earbuds. I shove the earbuds in and trot down the stairs to grab a drink from the vending machines, dodging people timidly along the way.

I locate the vending machines and begin thinking of what I want. Energy. I slip in front of the row of machines and browse the drinks. I spot a berry flavored energy juice and undo the metal closure on my coin purse.