˗ˏˋ 𝑭𝑨𝑳𝑳 ˎˊ˗ ʜᴀɪᴋʏᴜᴜ ʀᴇᴠᴇʀsᴇ ʜᴀʀᴇᴍ

𝙃𝙄𝙏 𝙊𝙍 𝙈𝙄𝙎𝙎 ⁰⁰

( in which she breaks her wings and plunges )

𝑲𝑨𝑹𝑨𝑺𝑼𝑵𝑶's boys team were in the middle of a match, fighting to win against the team on the opposing court. In another gym, karasuno's girls team were fighting as well to have the upper hand but in another, a battle was already at its end. Somewhere else another protagonist was hustling across the court just so their journey didn't have to end yet.

The sad part about volleyball matches is that there were always winners and losers. When one person wins, the other loses and their battle ends there. Their world would fall apart and they can only watch blankly as another win was stolen from right under them. That's what people forget sometimes, when the spotlight isn't on the protagonist, the extras have just as much struggle and fight in them only they didn't make it as far as a main character would.

The opposing team smacked the ball, the blockers fingertips hindering the balls momentum just a bit as they called out for their teammates. One of the members received the ball, the fast hit ricocheted off of their arms and deviating out of range of the other players. They called out for their libero to save it and Somi took off. Her small frame hustled across the gym just to reach the ball, the world around her fading into a blur as she focused on the round object.

Three steps, she ran and everything around her felt like slow motion. Her teams screams and the schools chants falling deaf to her ears, the only noise she could hear was the squeak of her shoes. Her thoughts were blank but the phrase 'get the ball!' ran miles across her mind as she pushed herself to move faster.

Two steps, her body hurt like hell, her legs bruised from many bizarre receives and her arms throbbed from harsh hits by the opposing wing spiker. Somi's legs felt heavy as they slammed against the court in urgency.

One step, her body flung forward and her arms reached out to make contact with the ball. It was right in front of and she scrunched her eyes in hopes to hit it back to court, Somi waited for the impact but it never came.

Her heart dropped as she hesitantly opened her eyes to see the volleyball slowly bouncing and rolling away from her. For a moment she stopped breathing and placed her forehead against the court, her body was frozen as she replayed the scenes in her head. Somi's breaths were short and quick as she slowly pushed herself up, her brown eyes staring at her white volleyball shoes. She knew if she looked up to meet the gazes of her team she would break down.

The loud cheers of the opposing school filled the gym and masked her small whimpers of anguish. The brunette bit her lip as her heart ached and clenched painfully in her chest. She could feel the comforting hand of her team captain rub her back as a reassurance that she tried hard but just a reminder that her effort wasn't enough for the win.

The girls team lined up by the net and shooter hands, the brunette whispering a 'good game' to the player across of her. Somi was sure her eyes were red and watery from keeping in her tears. Soon after, her team had went to grab their respective bags, the defeated team quiet until the their captain, Akiko stood suddenly.

"We did good! We tried and we were close, we're sure to get them next time! We just need to train and practice and next time we have a match we'll be stronger, we'll-" her voice sounded cheerful as she tried to lift the teams spirits.

"I'm sorry." Somi whispered to her team, knowing all their hours of hard work went to nothing because she wasn't fast enough. "I'm so sorry!"

Her forehead touched the floor as she went on her knees to bow. She knew her team was filled with a bunch of dedicated people who grew up living around volleyball and putting everything they had overworking themselves to the bone. The team was quiet and although they didn't want to admit it, they blamed the girl just as much as the teammate next to them. They knew deep down that putting the blame on someone was wrong but they couldn't help it.

Somi raised her head slowly to see her team walking away. Just as they reached out of hearing range, the brunette broke down in sobs, her hand covering her mouth so they wouldn't be as loud. Her other hand was placed over her chest as her heart throbbed, no one was there to hear her cry.

"I'm sorry." She whispered once more to the empty room, her voice coming out hoarse.

She was so close the winning and she almost made it, but almost is never enough is it?

It seemed no matter how many hours she put in before or how hard she worked, the ending would always be the same, it was simple really, she just missed.