Breaking Down Your Walls (Haikyuu Fanfiction Series!!!)

1. Just the Start

Chiemi POV
(At the balcony of the first years' building)

I check the time on my cellphone and sigh. "Where is Haruka?" I mumble, exhausted from all the waiting. She was supposed to be here half an hour ago. I look at the text message that I sent that was unread. Why isn't she here yet? She was the one who wanted to meet here out of nowhere.

I sit down and lean my back on the wall as I continue to blast J-pop music through my ears to pass by time.

My name is Chemi Kanbe. I'm a first year in Itachiyama High School, or at least I am now for these next couple days before I become a second year.

I'm just a regular student who plays volleyball and focuses on her studies but my teammate, Haruka, calls me a typical perfectionist student but I'm sure she's just over exaggerating.

I skim through the internet and expect my recommended list to be J-pop music but instead it's videos on the results of the Spring tournament. I sigh. It's hard to get over our loss even after some time has passed. Well... at least for me it's hard.

When I came here my first year in Itachiyama, I met Haruka, who's known as ranked #6 in the nation. Her volleyball skills are amazing and her determination to be the best that there is, is unbreakable. It wasn't just that. Her passion for volleyball made you want to play alongside her and push yourself beyond your limits. With her on our team, we got pretty far into the Spring tournament but even so we only made it to the quarterfinals.

I still remember that day. The surprise by the crowd when Fukurōdani's volleyball team took first place in the Spring High Tournament and how Misaki was recognized to be ranked number #1 in the nation. It was expected that either Inarizaki or Niiyama Joshi would win because of their powerhouse players Kanon and Chiharu, but in the end they took second and third place.

Well we could've been in third place but we lost to Niiyama Joshi. It was frustrating but I was surprised how composed Haruka was after the match. She wasn't angry. She wasn't sad. Haruka only smiled and said next year we will beat them.

It was at that moment, I began to really admire Haruka. Not just her determination to win but also her willingness to improve for the better.

I wish I could be like that. Ever since I was little, I have always been the type to push myself to be the best that there is. Being the top in grades, always taking position as class president, and just doing everything right the first time. I don't hate how I am but sometimes I wish that I can be like Haruka and want to improve myself rather than linger over the littlest things like our loss against Niiyama Joshi.

A small smile forms on my face as I think about how Haruka was able to bring the mood back up after our loss. That's right with Haruka by our side, I'm sure that we will be able to get far next year as second years together—

The door suddenly slams open and I stand up completely startled by it. I look over and see the confident black hair girl that I can recognize a mile away, making her entrance.

A sweatdrop falls behind the back of my head. Haruka definitely has her moments at times, to the point that I'm not even surprised by something like this.

"Chiemi!" Haruka calls out to me.

I take off my earbuds. "You're more than half an hour later. What took you so long?" I ask and Haruka claps her hands together in apology.

"Sorry!" Haruka says as she bows her head down. "I know that you're a punctual person but I was late because I was held by the teacher."

I sigh. "What did you do this time? Sleep in class or accidentally flick the eraser at the teacher again?"