REINCARNATE

Extra 1/3: FIVE AND SEVEN

Excerpt from Five and Seven:

"Move it dipshit!"

Ichirou was berating his teammates...again.

Ever since he'd been made captain his attitude had skyrocketed in the worst possible way. Kenta thought second year was bad, but third year Ichirou was enough to make him want to quit the team. He didn't even understand why Ichirou had been made captain in the first place, maybe it was because his father was a renowned volleyball player.

"That doesn't excuse him for being an ass though." He grumbled to himself.

They were a team of four third years, including Kenta, four second years, and three first years. Ichirou bullied the younger middles the most, mainly out of spite because they were to replace Kenta when he graduated.

"We need to talk." Kenta stormed up to Ichirou and pointed an accusing finger in his face.

The setter only glared down his nose in disgust. "No thanks."

"I wasn't asking, come on."

The two boys stood with the net between them, Kenta's angry golden gaze a high contrast to Ichirou's. As of yet, they were the two tallest members standing eye to eye at 6'3, but Kenta was pretty sure Kuroo would surpass him, the boy had grown a solid two inches since their first encounter.

"What? Don't waste my time." Ichirou sniped.

Kenta rolled his eyes and leaned forward. "Don't waste mine either, but I'll keep this brief for the both of us. I don't know what the fuck happened to you between last year and the start of this year, but you need to quit bullying your teammates. They're human beings too, and most importantly they're your teammates and you're their captain. Keyword, captain, not dictator."

"Who are you to speak, Captain America?" The setter was thoroughly annoyed at this point. Their voices echoed loudly in the gym, the other players lying low to avoid Ichirou's wrath. "As a captain, I want to make sure our team can make it far in Nationals, and that means discipline."

"Discipline my fine ass." Kenta snorted, barely suppressing his anger at this point. "There's a difference between discipline and bullying. You're going to break this team apart."

"You see, now I'm glad about choosing not to band with you Rattlesnakes." Ichirou spat at his feet. "You guys are all about team and family and other sticky sweet bullshit. This is why none of you are going to get far, because you're so attached to each other, especially that fucking setter of yo-"

Ichirou's words were choked off by Kenta's hand closing around his throat. The ace's face was calm but his eyes threatened something that was almost murder.

"What about her? What do you have to say about Akari hm?"

"You wanna know what the difference is between you and me? I know and have the qualities of a real captain, and guess who taught them to me? Saito Akari, who's a solid four inches shorter than you and only benches sixty pounds, who beat your ass fair and square and won the position of setter from you. The difference between a captain and a dictator is that a captain leads his team, he doesn't command them and shove them around, leaders uplift not only themselves but the people around them, they act on their best interests not only towards their goals but also their followers. Akari's a better setter and person than you'll ever be!"

"She's worthless!" Ichirou exclaimed, shoving the middle backwards. "She's nothing more than a stupid, preppy schoolgirl who weaselled her way in, she's nothing outstanding and nothing special! If you think she's so amazing why hasn't her team made Nationals this year, despite her being their captain?! Oh! I know! Because she's too fucking soft, she cares too much about the well-being of her players rather than focusing on honing their actual skill! She'll never make it into the professional league! The bitch can't even stand upright without her head reeling off her shoulders!"