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Chapter Text

[Hoshiumi POV]

“Korai!”

His door flung open and slammed into the wall, jolting Hoshiumi up, causing him to release a squeak of fright (though if anyone ever mentioned it, he would deny it aggressively). His roommate and best friend, Sachiro, stood in the open door, sweaty and out of breath, looking more flustered than Hoshiumi had seen him since they entered high school and he had (annoyingly, he secretly thought) adopted the non-chalant demeanor that he was quickly becoming known for. He looked even more flustered than after their second-round loss against Itachiyama the previous week where he had been interviewed and given the hilarious moniker of ‘Immovable’ for his blocking performance. Hoshiumi scowled, his mind heading back to the loss, cursing Itachiyama and those annoying cousins for picking up his spikes like they were nothing. It would’ve been fine if they had simply beaten them then lost immediately after, but those annoying weasels went on to win the whole tournament and remove Hoshiumi from everyone’s mind as the best new rookie (and the less he said about those twins from Hyogo and their rising fandom, the better). Wait, Sachiro was saying something wasn’t he? He focused back on his friend.

“What? I wasn’t listening.” He said. A flicker of annoyance crossed the tall boys face but it quickly smoothed back into an excited, shit eating grin.

“I said, you’re going to want to see this.” He said. Something in his tone set Hoshiumi on edge, but he ignored it and got up from his bed, where he had been sulking the last week.

“It better be good, I was thinking about how to get better and beat down those Tokyo weasels.”

Sachiro patted him on the back pityingly, “You’ve been doing that since we lost, aren’t you tired of losing in your mind as well?”

Korai took a swipe at him and grit his teeth as he dodged and laughed.

“Come on, we’re watching in the AV room with the coaches.”

The AV room was packed, seemingly the entire team and coaches crowding over the tv. The room was filled with excited chatter and he even spotted the Head coach looking on in astoundment. He noticed Korai come in and his expression changed from surprise to amusement, trying and failing to hide a laugh behind a hand.

“What’s so funny?!” Korai asked, stomping over to the tv. The rest of the team looked on as he made his way through the crowd, some trying to hide their grins, others not trying at all, and a few looking on in anticipation. When he finally got to the front, he noticed they were watching a match, which wasn’t very surprising, but it wasn’t a replay of a match from their Spring Championship, nor was it any high school match actually, but a live broadcast of the Junior High Championship. Korai knew of course that it was going on currently, it always took place a week after the finals of the High School championship, and just last year he had been on the bench watching as their team lost in the semi-finals against some team from Saitama and their annoyingly flexible middle blocker (he wondered where that guy was, he hadn’t seen him playing in any match of the spring high). The match on the screen was between some team from Miyagi, Chidoriyama, he read, a team in bright yellow, and Dosho Junior High in half black half white. Everyone knew Dosho Junior, they were the best middle school over the previous years, producing players like Sakusa and Komori, and now Ryosei Kai, a tall middle blocker who had been interviewed in Volleyball Monthly the month before, labelled “The Next High School Phenomenon!” in an ego-boosting article. Speaking of Ryosei, the camera zoomed in on his sweaty face, and he looked… frustrated? Korai looked at the score and nearly squawked in surprise. 20-18 to Chidoriyama, and Dosho had already dropped the first set. It wasn’t that big of a score gap, but Dosho Junior had been expected to sweep through the championship, just as they had done the previous year and the year before that. For them to be losing to this random school from Miyagi… It was a shock, but he still didn’t understand why everyone was finding it so funny at his expense. His thoughts must’ve shown on his face because Sachiro pointed at the screen.

“Just watch.” He said. So, Korai took a seat.

Dosho served the ball, a nasty float serve, but a flash of orange and the ball was up in a perfect A-pass to their black haired setter. Korai nodded in approval. The tiny orange haired kid, their libero surely even though he wasn’t wearing alternate colours (though that happened sometimes in Junior High, not everyone could afford a different jersey or even a bib with an L on it, even powerhouses), was good. Even he might’ve struggled with that floater, though he’d never say that out loud. The setter set a high quick to their tall blonde middle, but Ryosei got a hand on it and it was received. Dosho’s setter tried a setter dump but again, Chidoriyama’s libero quickly got under it and the setter set to the left to their green-haired wing spiker. The ball smacked the chest of a Dosho player and flew back across the net for a free ball.
As the ball slowly got to the setters waiting hands, all Chidoriyama’s attackers moved in synchronization to attack. Who will the setter use? Wait… What?! Korai thought, as he watched the little ginger libero, who it seems wasn’t a libero at all, make a run up from the back row. The ball was set high, higher than it was even set for the middle, and for a brief moment, Korai thought the little number 5 was flying as he soared from the back row, hitting the ball over the block and down for a Chidoriyama point. He sat in silence, staring at the tv as the commentators raved and roared over the spike by the talented Hinata Shoyo, the new “Little Giant”. The entire room seemed to wait with baited breath as Korai leaned closer and closer to the tv before he broke with silence with a loud, animalistic roar of:

“What the ACTUAL fuck is that?!”

The rest of the Kamomedai sports department jumped in surprise as dozens of voices laughed as one from the Audio-Visual room.

[Hinata POV]

As the rest of the team celebrated making the Championship Finals after their triumph over Dosho, Hinata sat on his futon and thought about how very strange this situation was, a thought he’d been thinking since the previous year when he, and his four friends, had very suddenly and somewhat violently found themselves back in the past, occupying the bodies of their 13-year-old selves.

They were celebrating in a restaurant, the five of them, after he and Kageyama had come back from Paris with a Gold Medal. Yamaguchi and Yachi were already tipsy, shouting loudly to anybody that would listen how they had been in a high school team with not one but TWO Volleyball gold medalists, to the amusement of the other patrons who all knew them as they frequently ate there anytime they all found their schedules free at the same time. Tsukishima was eating his meal slowly, half taking care of Yamaguchi and half trying to hold a conversation with Kageyama about the upcoming season. He was busy trying to stop Yachi from ordering more alcohol while still trying to listen in on their conversation. It had been great, he thought at the time. The feeling of the medal on his chest, which he hadn’t taken off since he had gotten it placed around his neck (wearing it even to the shower, though only once as the wet cloth annoyed him) and being surrounded by his closest friends had made it all feel worth it. The orange restaurant lights were dim, and the sound of his friends laughing and talking, surrounded by well wishing customers and workers had made it one of the best nights of his life. Or it would’ve been, if not for the black out. It had been almost instant. One moment he had an arm wrapped around Yachi, who was struggling to escape his ‘stupid Brazil muscles’ laughing with Tsukishima and Kageyama as Yamaguchi drunkenly put his face in his plate full of food, and the next moment the lights started flickering, the restaurant went silent and his vision grew blurry. Next to him, he saw the others also start to slump over.

“Guys?” He had said, groggily, a suddenly feeling of weightlessness and exhaustion wrapping over his body. He had gotten silence as a reply, and the next moment, complete darkness enveloped him.

When he next opened his eyes, it was to a sharp, painful jolt between his eyes, and he was once again a twelve-year-old boy.

“I didn’t even drink that much.” Hinata mumbled as he got out of the bed. This dream… it’s so vivid he thought, looking at his tiny body, lacking the muscles and perpetual tan he had ever since moving to Brazil. He made his way out of his old room, barely remembering the directions of his old house, though to his defense it had been over a decade since he had last lived there. He simply followed the direction his nose was leading him, which was towards the smell of food. As he walked, it all slowly came back to him and he found himself in his kitchen. His mom stood by the stove, cooking, while his little sister ran around playing with her paddle ball. She looks so… young He thought. The last time he had seen her was the previous night, when they had both gone to see their mom after coming back from their Olympic campaign. They had both spent the night sporting their gold medal, arguing over who had a better campaign (She had scored more points, sure, and sure she had won the MVP while he hadn’t but he had won best receiver and his defense was stated to have ‘won Japan the Olympics’ so who was really better?). Natsu-chibi grinned when she saw him walk in and ran as fast as her little legs could carry her, ending in a leaping jump into him.

“Onee-chan!” She yelled. He instinctively gave her a squeeze, internally laughing about that little habit of hers to jump into his arms still hadn’t changed, even years later. I’m surprised I can remember all this so vividly, I thought my memory was worse than this. His mother, younger and more stressed, turned and shot him a grin.

“I’m almost done, just sit down, ok?” She said.

He sat at the table, where his plate was already in front of him, with some fried eggs and toast, just the rice and fish missing. He grabbed one slice of toast and put some of the hot eggs on it. Might as well enjoy a meal before I wake up. When he took a bite, he realized he miscalculated, the eggs still fresh off the pan and a bit too hot. The top of his mouth suffered for his mistake, as he gave a little startled yelp as his mouth burned.

“Hinata! I told you to wait!” His mom yelled over her shoulder. His sister giggled at his pained. As he grabbed a glass of orange juice to cool his mouth down, he froze. That burn… it felt too real. All of this, it feels way too real!?
He leapt up from the table, breathing hard, his eyes wide and startled. His mom looked over at him, concerned.

“Are you ok?” She asked. He didn’t say anything.

The smell of the food, the heat, the cicadas chirping, the pain… I’m not dreaming, am I?

He pushed away from the table, sending his chair flying to the floor.

“Onee-chan?” Natsu said, concern in her soft voice.

“Hinata? What’s wrong?” His mom said again, all thoughts of the food gone from her mind. He took one look at both of them, the concern on their faces, turned around and ran.

As he rode his bike through the hilly road, he felt regret for not bringing his phone with him. Kageyama had once told them, during their third year Inter-High, that he had had the same phone since he was in his first year of middle school (to the amusement of Yamaguchi and Hinata and the genuine shock and disgust of Tsukishima: “How do you even use that relic?”). He had the number memorized, and could’ve been on the phone with him right that moment. I saw them. They all looked like they were blacking out too. Surely, if this isn’t a dream then… they’re here too, right?! He biked quickly, his legs burning in pain from the pace and urgency he rode with. A body not yet used to this level of exercise. If there was one place that they’d all go to, one place, then it’d be there, surely. He rode on until he was there, sweaty and red and way beyond out of breath. Miyagi Prefecture Karasuno High School. The front gate was exactly as he remembered, though if it was a dream that wouldn’t be too surprising considering he frequently visited and had practice sessions with Coach Ukai and the team. He parked his bike in the bike rack, and all but ran to the court. As he got to the door, all he could hope was that they’d be there too. He pushed it open, a loud screech cutting through the morning silence. Inside the near empty gym, were three faces he knew all too well.

“Took you long enough, runt.” The baby voice of Kageyama said. The black haired boy stood in his blue and white Kitagawa Daichi track jacket and trousers. Beside him Tsukishima stood, headphones around his neck and Yamaguchi stood next to him, grinning.

“We’re in the past!?” He yelled.

“Well done, figure that all by yourself?” Tsukishima replied, his voice younger but not lacking the sarcastic edge that he had hones to perfection in his later years. Yamaguchi tried to stifle a laugh. He scowled at them. “Somehow, we’re back to just before our second year of middle school. We’re back in 2010 – My bloody valentine isn’t even out yet.” He said the last part heartbrokenly. Yamaguchi patted his shoulder consolingly.

“How? Why? What’s going on?!” He continued.

“We don’t know, neither does Yachi. We found her house number and called, and she’s just as shocked as we are.” Yamaguchi said.

“Then… what do we do now?” He said. For the first time since he woke up, he felt completely unsure of what to do next. And from the looks of the others, they didn’t either. They all jolted when they heard footsteps from the door.

“Hello? Middle school students shouldn’t be hanging around here.” It was one of the school guards.

“Sorry! My brother went here and I just wanted to show off to my friends the Karasuno gym.” Tsukishima immediately said, sounding innocent and childlike. It sent a shiver of fear through Hinata’s body watching him put on the act. The hard face of the guard relaxed and he gave a little sigh.

“I understand, but you can’t sneak into a school regardless of reason. You three look like you’ll be coming here, what, next year?” He said, looking Tsukishima, Kageyama and Yamaguchi up and down, and briefly glancing over Hinata’s short frame. “You can be here all you want when you enroll, so don’t do this again, ok?”

“Yes sir!” They all said in unison, running out of the gym.

As they made their way out of the school campus, Yamaguchi turned back and looked over the buildings, a contemplative look on his face. Tsukishima turned to look at him.

“What is it?” He said. Yamaguchi turned to look at them, a sly grin creeping up on his face.

“Guys, I don’t know if we’re suddenly going to get flung back into the future or not… but in the meantime, I think I know what we should do.”

And thus, they had all convinced their parents to transfer them to Chidoriyama before their second year of Middle School began (though Hinata had to first grovel and apologize for scaring his mom and sister by riding off without a word). It had been weird, talking to his middle school friends again and explaining that he was leaving their school to join Chidoriyama, a volleyball powerhouse. They had been sad, of course, but happy for him. They knew after all how much he loved volleyball, to an obsessive degree he recalled (he had really been kind of annoying about getting people to toss to him now that he thought about it).
Kageyama had had it worse, his teammates had accused him of betraying them for leaving when they needed him most, with Oikawa graduating the previous year. He had simply explained to them that his parents had wanted him to have a fresh environment, especially due to the passing of his grandfather so recently. They had backed off soon after that, giving condolences and goodbyes in sad quiet voices. Kageyama hadn’t liked using his grandfather’s death as an excuse like that, but he also knew there was really no other way he could explain his sudden departure without turning everyone on the team, coaches and all, into his bitter enemies.
Tsukishima and Yamaguchi had it much easier, simply telling their parents they wanted to go to a ‘serious volleyball environment’. Tsukishima, whose brother had already been heavily involved in the sport, had even been encouraged by his parents for following in this nee-chans footsteps. So, as the break passed by, the four of them kept meeting up to train and practice, hoping to get their bodied back into shape for their team try-outs, and soon, with no inclination of them going back to their time, the school year came by and they were second years.

Though it was undoubtedly unfair to the other kids, especially those that would’ve ended up in one of the four positions they usurped, after just a few practices their quartet found themselves in starting positions on the volleyball team, to the chagrin of some players and the absolute joy of the coaches, who boasted to anyone that would listen about how they ‘won the lottery’ with their four new players.
Hinata did feel bad somewhat, but it was a destined that they’d be chosen – after all between the four of them were two Olympians, one V-League Pro and one College level player. There really was no way they weren’t going to get in, despite the abysmal state of their younger bodies (the first few months of physical training had been utter hell, even to him and Kageyama). Their technical skills were still top notch and after a brief adjustment period to their younger, small bodies, they quickly were back to their (comparative) best.

Though Hinata had been wary at first over his own inclusion on the team. Years of being a pro had shown him that some coaches, despite him showing his technical skill and prowess, upon the biggest stage even, would always relegate him to the bench purely based on his physical limitations. He, of course, would prove them wrong time and time again, but it never eased the initial sting of watching them overlook him for bigger players. He had nothing to fear however, being the first chosen of the four of them (which he held over Kageyama). Hinata remembers the reactions of the other players and coaches after Kageyama had blasted off an absolute rocket of a serve that had Nishinoya, who was their senpai even earlier now and had somehow had been even smaller as a third year in middle school, pushed to his knees trying to receive it. Then there had been the moment everyone in the tiny gym’s jaws had dropped after watching him jump and spike a ball over a triple block in his first practice match. Or when Yamaguchi had sent the entire team wild when he scored 6 aces in a row with his float serve to win them a game. Or even when Tsukishima kept one of the best hitters in the prefecture nearly scoreless an entire set with his blocking in a practice match. Or when – well, you get the point. They were good- no, although time travel would definitely be a form of cheating in any rule book, he could say they were great. Point-blank, period. Something their senpai never let them forget.

“Morning, my four genius underlings!” Nishinoya announced as he walked into the gym. For someone so small, he was as loud as ever, his single blonde bang swaying over his face as he laughed. They paused temporarily in their setting up of the court and bowed, even as the coached yelled at Nishinoya for his loud entrance, which he simply laughed over.

“Morning Nishinoya-senpai.” Hinata yelled back, grinning. Nishinoya seemed to grow even prouder at that, his tiny chest swelling, a tiny blush spreading over his cheeks. The rest of their team watched in amusement as one tiny kid ruffled the hair of another tiny kid.  Ever since they joined the team, Nishinoya had seemed to make it his mission to talk them up to everyone, even though the entire team, coaches and probably the entire school and prefecture knew how good their quartet was by now. After all, hadn’t even Shiratorizawa and Aoba Josai sent scouts to watch their matches recently? Although they had also come to watch Nishinoya, something he didn’t seem to acknowledge in the slightest. Despite all that, he still proudly boasted about how ‘cool’ his genius juniors were to even his opponents during games, which had gotten him scolded more than once by their coaches.

“Nishinoya,” One of their other senpai, a middle blocker and vice-captain, called out. He walked over to them. “How did the talk go with the Date Tech coach?”

The entire team turned to pay attention now. It was no secret Nishinoya was wanted by every single powerhouse in the prefecture and even some outside. He had won ‘Best Libero’ two tournaments in a row now, and now after they had beaten Shiratorizawa in the final, would get to show off his talent to the whole nation.

“I told them no!” He yelled, grinning. The entire gym groaned. This was the fourth team he had rejected, fifth if you counted the second time Shiratorizawa had tried to convince him to join. Their vice-captain face palmed.

“Why did you say no this time?” He mumbled through his hand.

“They’re strong but they’re so boring! I don’t want a team that just plays for blocks. Where’s their passion of the ace?! The dedication of the setter, the faith in their opposite?! Nowhere! Just robotic blocking everywhere, no thank you!” He finished, striking dynamic poses to show each position and their ‘amazingness’. Hinata could see their coaches face grow red with embarrassment.

“Which team do you plan on joining then, Nishinoya senpai?” Kageyama asked, though he knew the answer.

“I was thinking…” the entire gym waited with anticipation, as Nishinoya placed a hand under his chin, striking a thinking pose. “Probably Karasuno!”

“What? Karasuno?”

“Isn’t that where demon coach Ukai works?”

“Haven’t they been kind of… sucky, recently?”

‘Didn’t Azumane from Seikodai go there?!”

“Why? Why there Noya?” Vice Capain-kun said, exasperated (Hinata felt bad for always forgetting his name).

“The girls’ uniform, it’s so cute!” Nishinoya said. Over to the side, their coach covered his face with his clip board, which could be heard snapping as he gripped it tightly.

Kageyama looked at them, a small smile on his face, before nodding and walking up to Nishinoya. What is he planning?

“Then I’ll go there too!” He announced. The gym went completely silent at that, everyone staring at Kageyama as if he had grown two heads, even their normally expressionless captain.

“Oh! Want to follow your awesome senpai huh?” Nishinoya grinned. Kageyama nodded sagely, as if he had been told a particularly great piece of advice.

‘Yes, I think following your footsteps would be great for me Senpai. As always, I’ll be in your care.” He said, bowing deeply in front of the short boy. Nishinoya whooped, using Kageyama’s shoulders as a platform to vault himself up in the air. Everyone in the gym watched on shocked as the prodigious level setter declared his intention to go to a declining High School simply due to the whims of his senpai.

“What?” Hinata said shocked. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi also looked equally as shocked at Kageyama.

“Don’t you think it’d be fun? Look we’ve been given this chance to play volleyball again, don’t you want to go against each other this time instead of with each other?” Kageyama asked.

They were standing by the side of the gym after practice. Kageyama had messaged them all to meet him there, asking to talk. Neither of them had expected this however. Kageyama wanted them to split up after their third year and not go to Karasuno like they did before.

“It’s… not a bad idea.” Tsukki said contemplatively.

“Yeah, it might be fun.” Yamaguchi agreed. They looked at Hinata to hear his thoughts.

“What about everyone at Karasuno?” He asked. He thought about his senpais, and how much they had helped him grow as a player and person during his years with them. He thought about the gym, their orange and black uniforms, about their trips to Tokyo and rivalry with Nekoma and especially about their banner, ‘Fly’ and how much it meant to him. How could they just want to abandon all that.

“I’ll take care of them, they’ll be as good as ever, maybe even better now that I know what I know,” Kageyama assured. “And besides, didn’t you say you want to play the best? Or are you scared you can’t win without us besides you?” He finished, smirking in a challenge. Hinata knew he had said that to get a rise out of him and get him to agree to something he still wasn’t sure of. He knew it because he had been played like this by him before. He wouldn’t fall for it, he wouldn’t, he wouldn’t.

“Oh, you’re all so on!” He snarled.

He fell for it.

After that it was all just a matter of which team they’d go to. Kageyama had already gotten the jump on going to Karasuno (a bit unfairly, Hinata thought, though he reasoned Kageyama would be the best bet for Karasuno to reach the heights they reached in the future). Tsukishima had laughed evilly after a few minutes of thought, setting them all on edge, before announcing he’d be going to Date Tech. Hinata, Kageyama and Yamaguchi had given each other terrified looks as they realized they’d have to face off against a Date Tech block duo of Aone and Tsukishima in the very, very near future. Yamaguchi had decided next on his team, deciding to go to Aoba Josai, reasoning that Shiratorizawa would be too hard for him to break into and every other team not being very appealing.

“Besides,” He had said to Hinata and Kageyama, “The look on your faces when I help Oikawa go to Nationals will be in my dreams the rest of my life.”

“If you win.” Kageyama had countered, though he was grinning beside himself. The more they thought about facing each other, the more excited they had gotten. Playing together was fun, but they remembered the thrill of facing each other on the V-League court (or watching it, in Yamaguchi’s case). Nothing could top that, and it’d be extra exciting with each of them facing off for that coveted single nationals’ spot.

“So, what about you?” Yamaguchi asked as they made their way to the club changing room. Tsukishima and Kageyama glanced at him to. Hinata thought about it. Wakunan might be good, but he didn’t see them being very competitive. Johzenji would be fun, they weren’t bad and most of the team would be second years when he joined. That would give him time and more chances to lead them to the national stage. He almost said as much until the other option, the much funnier and challenging option, lit up in his head like a flashbulb. Honestly, how didn’t I think of that before he thought, amused.

“Oh, I know exactly where I want to go.”

Chapter Text

A year and a half later [Goshiki POV]

Goshiki looked around the Shiratorizawa gym in awe. The gym was huge, way bigger than any gym he had ever played in, even the prefectural gym that had hosted their national qualification tournament. Hanging by the large windows, purple and white banners swayed gently, each signifying a year that the team had conquered the Nation. The chill of February was not able to find its way past the gym doors, pushed away by the excited voices and chatter of over a hundred soon-to-be high schoolers waiting around. Goshiki recognized most of them from the last two years of his middle school volleyball career (he felt a deep pride that he had been a starter since his second year of middle school, something most people there could not say). Looking in any direction, he could spot at least a handful of good players and one or two players even he wouldn’t hesitate to call great. Though of course, I’m the best here! He thought to himself. After all, none of them were here. Though, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t see them come April. It wouldn’t be a surprise of course if any of THE quartet had gotten exemption from having to take part in this team tryouts (it wouldn’t stop him from being frustrated however. He had been scouted as well, and was still told to come for the try-outs).
After a few more minutes of mingling, Goshiki having to calm down one of the other players around him after he had a nervous panic attack, the clock struck 3 and a sharp whistle rang through the gymnasium. Everyone turned towards the sound, and Goshiki felt a nervous thrum run through the room. At the front, holding the whistle was a tall assistant coach, and beside him, back bent and a sour look on his face, was the infamous Coach Washijou. Everyone in the room, especially those from Miyagi but even those from elsewhere, knew about the grumpy old coach. Having spent 34 years coaching Shiratorizawa, having made 17 finals and won 7 National titles during his tenure, he was a legend in High School volleyball. However, his achievements took a supporting role to the fame of his temper. ‘The Demon of Shiratorizawa’, he was labelled. Ex-players, those who had gone pro, all said the same thing about him.

‘His coaching made me who I am but it was like going through hell. I wouldn’t go through it again, not for anything.’

And from the way he was somehow glaring at all of them at once, the comments were not exaggerated in the slightest, nor did he calm down with age.

“Close the door.” He said. Despite his frail, old appearance, his voice was gruff and commanding. Two teens in purple and white track jackets ran to the gym entrance and shut the door with a heavy thud. The gym fell completely silent, the coach watching them with hawklike eyes for what seemed to be forever before clearing his throat.

“You all know why you’re here,” he began. “To play for Shiratorizawa is an opportunity most players in the nation will not get. That includes almost every single person in this room except for a select few that impress me and the rest of the staff over the next few days.”

Goshiki tried not to let the nerves get to him. I was scouted. This is just a formality; I just have to play my best. He thought, but it didn’t stop his palms from sweating or the steadily increasing thump in his chest.

“Now, first off we are going to- “

The heavy atmosphere of the room cracked apart with a screeching clatter as the gym doors flung open, the two Shiratorizawa players jumping to the side to avoid the white doors from slamming into their bodies. A blur of orange jumped in through the entrance, landing chaotically.

“Sorry I’m late!” The boy - he was tiny, maybe a middle schooler? – yelled. Everyone turned to stare at him. It was only then that Goshiki’s mind started to work a bit faster. The boy was panting, one hand on his knee, the other sheepishly rubbing his head, which was full of orange hair. Orange… hair. Orange hair. Goshiki thought in shock. A moment ago, Washijou had definitely been the most famous person in the room, but as the new comer looked over the gathered crowd, his face steadily growing redder, Goshiki thought that no longer applied. I’m also no longer the best player in the room.

“Biking up a mountain is hard you know!” Hinata Shoyo squawked, embarrassed.

Goshiki eyed the orange hair teen as they warmed up, though he knew he wasn’t alone in that. From up close, he really didn’t seem like much. He had been lucky enough to have not faced Chidoriyama during the prefecture tournament a few months ago, losing out in the quarter-finals against Kitagawa Daichi. They had gone on to lose to Chidoriyama in the finals, in straight sets. Goshiki hadn’t watched, though he had been surprised to hear that Chidoriyama had made nationals back-to-back years even without their genius libero. The previous year they had Yoko Junior High in the first round and had quickly and quietly lost in full sets. That, he had thought, was that and Chidoriyama’s miracle run was over, and next year things would go back to normal. But it hadn’t – because after Chidoriyama had won the prefectural finals, they had gone on to Tokyo and overpowered every team there, not dropping a single set. Goshiki remembered watching the finals, how Chidoriyama had easily scored point after point, racked up blocks and picked up receives like they were nothing. Of course, he had also watched with the rest of the country, as their tiny opposite, Hinata Shoyou, showed everyone his skills. Setting, spiking, receives, serves, blocks – he had been amazing at all of them, despite his height. If their team didn’t have that setter, Kageyama Tobio, he would have definitely won the MVP award. Despite all that Goshiki was… surprised, to see Hinata at the tryouts. Out of the Chidoriyama Quarter, he had been the last one he would’ve expected to see here.
It wasn’t a secret how Coach Washijou ran his school. He had stated in multiple interviews that ‘the bigger, the better.’ It was his entire coaching philosophy – find large, skilled players (or unskilled, if the potential was there) and polish them until they were the best at what they were already naturally good at. The number of middle blockers, libero’s and most especially nation renowned spikers that Shiratorizawa produced was significantly more than the rest. The team was known to build foundations that went far beyond just high school, its why Goshiki wanted so desperately to prove himself here of all places. For Hinata Shoyou to come here, to potentially get in, he’d put himself into a system that simply didn’t want for a player like him – Shiratorizawa didn’t use short non-liberos and they certainly didn’t care for jack-of-all-trade type of players. Why is he here?

After the warm up finished, and they had gone through a number of drills under the scrutinizing gaze of the coaches, they were all called to gather around. A whiteboard had been rolled in from somewhere beyond the gym, and on it were 7 teams, labelled A to G. Goshiki knew what this was about of course. After watching the players go through drills and warm ups for an hour and a half, the coaches got together and put the hundred plus players into teams, ranking from A, players who had the best chance of getting in (though not many did despite that), to G, players who might as well just give up then. Growing up in Miyagi, Goshiki knew that through the years only a handful of players had ever been accepted into the team from teams C and below, and only one player had ever gone on to qualify from team G – a Lucio Kato, who had gone on to be a pro in Beach Volleyball. Basically, being placed in Team G was a death sentence, at least to your chances of getting into the team via try outs.

“We will now place you all into your teams.” The assistant coach announced. A nervous silence rippled through the players. The coaches all moved forward, seven pieces of paper in one hand, markers in the other. After an awful minute of waiting, they finally all moved away and let the players move forward. Goshiki was one of the first to stand in front of the board and, though unsurprising, his name was also one of the first written – Team A. He let out a shaky breath, before defaulting back to his confident grin. Well of course I’d be in team A! He scanned the rest of the list, noting that the team was indeed very good, made up of the best players he had noticed during their warming up. Well, best except for one. He scanned Team B for the name, and faltered for a second when he noticed it wasn’t there either. Nor in Team C or D or E… it wasn’t until he reached Team G that he saw it, written in bright green marker. Hinata Shoyo.

It didn’t take long to set up the courts and get the players changed into various colored kits for each team. Team A were in deep purple, similar to the purple found on Shiratorizawa’s uniform and he felt a brief giddiness at the thought that, barring any terrible performance or accident, he too would be sporting that prestigious shade of purple come the beginning of the school year. Their first match went by quickly, his team sweeping aside Team C in an untroublesome manner. Goshiki had played his best, he was sure, and their setter had quickly realized he was their best attacking option, setting him majority of the time, leading him to score the most points for his team. It was glorious, players around praising him, even those on the sideline watching. It wasn’t till his match was over that he realized that the match on the other court was attracting more attention. A lot more attention. He couldn’t see what was going on with the players, both the try out attendees and Shiratorizawa reserves standing around blocking most of the game. He slipped through the crowd easily, people parting ways to avoid getting his sweat all over them and made it to the front. It was Team B’s match he realized, recognizing most of the players – and on the other side… Oh.

Team B’s middle slammed the ball down but with a level of speed and accuracy that middle schoolers really shouldn’t have, the orange haired champion picked it up in a seamless A-Pass. Without breaking a sweat, Hinata Shoyou zipped across to the right side of the court, where the ball was already coming down just in time for his hand to meet it for a perfect shot down the line. Point. The crowd cheered, even some of the coaches, at the amazing display of skill. Coach Washijou eyed the celebrating tiny player expressionlessly. Team B was still winning, a large point margin, but as the game proceeded it was clear to everyone that Hinata Shoyo did not deserve to be on Team G. Spikes that would’ve been scored against any other team were picked up by him, blocks that would’ve swallowed even his spikes whole were masterfully tooled. The setter received the ball? No worries, here comes a ginger volleyball gremlin to perfectly execute a back toss to a visibly surprised spiker. He was amazing. Even Goshiki couldn’t resist the feeling of awe at watching the all-around player drag his struggling team to actually put up a fight against Team B – especially since after every point, mistake or break, there he was giving advice and cheering them up. Goshiki couldn’t help but feel excited, because surely (there was no way he would be rejected, right?) he would be playing with Hinata next year. He could already see how much easier he’d make the game for him, for everyone really, if this match was anything to go by. Soon enough the game was over, Team B having taken the set by 4 points despite Team G’s best effort. Before he went over to his teams next game, he saw some of the coaches talking to the orange haired teen, who stared at them silently as they spoke, his eyes sharp, like a predator. Goshiki shivered and thanked the team arrangement scheme that he wouldn’t have to face Team G on court.

A few days later, the hall was virtually empty compared to the try outs. The hundred or so players that had gone to try for a spot had been whittled down to a single team of 13 – the best of the best. When he walked in, the first thing he noticed was a solitary figure sitting cross legged in the middle of the hall. Hinata’s eyes were closed, and he seemed to be sleeping? His chest rose and fell gently in a rhythm and he seemed peaceful. Goshiki walked in quietly, nodding to the other players there, before finding a wall sit rest on. Over the course of the next few minutes the remaining five players walked in, all varying degree of nerves, until they were all there waiting in silence. Finally, the door on the opposite side of the entrance opened up and the coaches walked in, led by coach Washijou. Goshiki noticed Hinata Shoyo finally get up, stretching as he stood from his strange position. So, he wasn’t sleeping? It was then that he also noticed that his eyes were locked on the doors, as were the other players, who all seemed surprised and… scared? Goshiki looked back at the doors, and nearly took a step back. As the last of the coaches trailed in, they were followed by tall, older teens, all laughing and chatting in their purple and white track suits. It only took a single look at the tall, brown-haired teen that was leading them in to know who exactly they were. Ushijima Wakatoshi looked exactly as intimidating as he did on the tv screen, maybe even more so, his expression blank even as the red-haired lanky guy (Satori Tendo his mind supplied him) next to him prattled on. The team, the entire team, walked in until the last of them stepped through the doors. They all quieted down as they stood in line behind the coaches. Finally, coach Washijou stepped forward.

“You all have been selected to join the Shiratorizawa volleyball team this upcoming year,” he stated, no nonsense. What should have felt congratulatory instead sounded damning. “As a congratulations, the coaches and I have set up an intra-squad match between you newcomers and the main squad, to evaluate the strength of both. Good luck.” He finished, turning away.

What?!

The main squad stared back at them as the coaches dispersed to the sides, ordering them to set up the court quickly. Goshiki couldn’t help the apprehensive feeling that crawled up his body, especially as he accidentally met the eye of the Guess Monster. Despite his confidence in his game, and confidence that the best of the best had been selected from the players at the try-outs, there was no chance they would even hold a candle against this Shiratorizawa squad. Though they had lost their third years from the Spring High a couple months back, the squad had already by then been mostly composed of second years, with only two third years – a middle blocker and one wing spiker – having been part of the squad. They had placed top eight in the nation, and many thought this upcoming squad was even better! Is this just a humiliation ritual? He thought gloomily as he set up the net.

“Hey!” A voice cut through the tension. Heads swiveled towards the source. Hinata Shoyo stood by the side, next to a box of water bottled, hands on his hips. It was, admittedly, an adorable sight, the tiny teen looking over them with sharp eyes.

“They’re not unbeatable, they’re just teenagers like us!” He yelled. Goshiki’s jaw dropped as he watched the teen glance over them one more time before going back to setting up. He looked at the rest of his new teammates, all with the same reaction, before sneaking a look at the Shiratorizawa main squad. Some players had their hands covering their mouth, trying to hide their laughs from the displeased eyes of coach Washijou. Others, like Ushijima and their serious looking setter, simply frowned at Hinata, eyes following him as he continued with the set up. The rest of the coaches seemed amused, smiling at one another and laughing openly. Goshiki couldn’t help but feel that a target had just been placed on Hinata’s back, or maybe on all their backs. Despite their relaxed nature of the players, Hinata’s words seemed to have had an effect, with even the laughing members looking a tad bit more serious. If Goshiki hadn’t been busy with the net, he might’ve gone over and throttled the ginger. Why did he have to say that!?

Despite his words, and his performance at the try-outs (Goshiki had been able to watch the entirety of Team G’s second match against Team D – Hinata had played somehow even better, and managed to get his team the win.), Hinata Shoyo was not a starter for the team. Goshiki watched him from the corner of his eye as he stretched, contorting his body into ridiculous positions that he knew he wouldn’t be able to do, ever. He turned back to the focus, trying not to look nervous as he looked at his opponents. Despite being just a few years older than him, the main squad looked huge, their years of training and competing having turned them from the scrawny middle school kids they must have once been to now the champions of Miyagi that he was facing. As the whistle blew signaling the start, he could only hope that it wouldn’t be so bad.

He was wrong – It was worse. Halfway through the first set, Goshiki could count on one hand the number of times his team had gotten off a clean receive, set and spike that resulted in a point. They were behind by ten points, the main squad just 6 points away from taking the set, and he wondered if they would even crack ten points on the score board, as the longer they played the more in rhythm their opponents seemed to get. There was nobody to blame, it wasn’t like they were making glaring errors, but the serves and spikes they were supposed to receive were a level of strength they had simply not experienced yet. Especially from Ushijima. The first time one of his spikes had come for Goshiki, he had tried (he really had) to prove himself as the next Shiratorizawa ace by receiving it somewhat well. Of course, as soon as the ball had contacted his skin, he had been blown off his feet, his arms forcefully split apart from the power of the spike, the ball flying out of bounds.

When he had gazed up, Ushijima had been looking at him from across the court, a silent penetrating glance for a moment before he turned back to face his team. It had been humiliating and demoralizing, and not even after he finally put the ball past their block and scored did he feel better. As the main team scored yet another service ace off their crestfallen opposite, their interim coach called a timeout.
They walked off the court, heads down, and tried to listen to the instructions they were given, though there was really no point. They were a team that had been out together for the first time that morning, fresh out of middle school, while their opponents were older, stronger, more experienced and had been playing together for pretty much three years. They were nothing compared to them. Even him. He clenched his teeth in frustration, gripping his towel tight.

“We’re making two substitutions,” their coach said. “Hinata-kun, you come in for Aoi-kun and Sawari-kun you replace Toji-kun, ok?”

“Yes sir!” The two boys yelled out. The players that had been substituted joined the rest of the team on the bench, the other players trying to cheer them up, to no avail. Goshiki, despite his growing frustration at the devastating score, still felt happy that he hadn’t been subbed out. Though they were losing badly, he could still say he was one of the better players on their side of the court. The whistle blew again, signifying the end of their time out, and they walked back on the court, a new opposite and middle with them, cheered on by their teammates. The server, Reon-san, threw up the ball and let loose another strong jump serve. In his head, Goshiki had already seen another service ace or at best a sloppy receive followed by a sloppy underhand serve. Instead, he watched as the ball flew down with a sharp trajectory, into the waiting arms of Hinata. Ball met arms with a heavy slam, Hinata absorbing the impact perfectly, rolling back and receiving the ball into a gentle arc straight to their setter. Goshiki tried not to be too shocked that he would forget his next action. Ball met setter, who tossed it perfectly to him, and he slammed it down for the point. His teammates on the bench exploded into cheers and without even thinking about it he ran, cheering, to Hinata with the rest of him team, glomping him.

“Nice receive!” He yelled. Hinata laughed, hugging them all back as best he could with his short arms.

“Now let’s go get another one!” Hinata replied, giving a toothy smile. Goshiki nodded, glancing back at his opponents. He noticed they were all staring at Hinata, not shocked but with a greater level of intrigue than they had showed the entire rest of the match. Goshiki, for the first time, felt like he could relate to their older squad. Watching him play in person and seeing it on a screen were completely different things. In person, the complete focus in his eyes and movement were much more… alien.

The whistle blew and their setter hit a float serve over the net, barely, making their opponents scramble, one of the rare times they had done so the entire game. The receive was messy, and had the ball flying back over their side. Only, their setter was nowhere to be found, a miscommunication from his teammates leading them to bump into one another and obstruct the setter from getting under the ball. Before Goshiki could even think about running over to bump it, a voice yelled out:

“I got it!”

Shoyou ran, bending his body under the ball with ease. Goshiki was moving before Hinata even made a decision – the ball was low, he’d have to lean heavily on the left, so obviously the ball would be sent to him. Even the blockers knew it, following just as quickly to meet him at the net. Only, the ball never ended up going left. With a graceful push of his fingers, Hinata sent the ball backwards, near the net, where their middle had been going up in a pitiful excuse of a decoy bait. The middles face was comically confused as he saw the ball heading his way, but he still managed to swing his arm decently enough to slam it down, too fast for any of the defenders to get it up. Whistle, point to them. At this point the entire gymnasium was quiet, shocked at the sequence of events that had just occurred. The only one that didn’t seem phased at all was the little opposite, who grinned at them same as he had always done, hand up waiting for a high five. Then, everyone erupted, their teammates in excitement and shock, their opponents in surprise and even the coaches shouted praise at the wonderful recovery set. All except for three people – Hinata himself, Coach Washijou who watched on with a critical eye and Ushijima, who remained as stoic as ever.

The remained of the match – a one set exhibition really – went on similarly. Despite Hinata’s occasional miracle receives, emergency sets and spiking clinic, they were simply too far behind to catch up, and twelve points later, the senior team captured the game with a sly setter dump when everyone was too focused on the middle. They had lost 25-14, a much better outcome than what he had predicted halfway through, but still a thrashing. The main takeaway Goshiki came out with was how much work he and his incoming teammates would have to do to match the rest of their seniors, and how much easier the game had become with the introduction of one grins-too-much volleyball monster.

“As you all could see from that practice match, the gap between you and the main squad is vast.” Coach Washijou began. They had all rested and cleaned up, now standing in line before the coaches and the senior squad, who looked like they had barely worked up a sweat.
“The following three years of your life will be grueling, full of hard work and misery. There are thirteen of you hear, some may crack into the main squad before their first-year ends. Others, in their second year. And ultimately, most of you will never appear on the main squad, and never step on court wearing our purple colours.”

Goshiki felt the energy shift with the words. They had been utterly embarrassed, any ego they may have come in with curbed to the ground. It was clear now that the coaches’ words were truth. There were thirteen of them, all vying for limited spots, spots held by older, better players, and next year, there would be new candidates, who might even be better than them. It was a very real possibility that most of them would never, not even once, get their time on the court as an official player. A shiver ran down his spine at the image, him in his third year, standing in the crowds cheering on his team knowing he’d never get a chance to actually prove himself down there. He silently shook his head of the image. Despite the days showing, he remained confident that he was good, good enough to earn a spot. All it would take is his effort, and he had that in spades. He snuck a glance at Hinata, who stood to his left.

He has the highest chance of making the first squad in our first year. He thought, feeling frustrated. I can’t fall behind. At least he play’s Opposite and not Outside Hitter.

“Now, before you’re officially made members, we first have to discuss your positions. Some of you shall remain the positions, while others we have deemed more suitable for a different role on our team. I shall call out your names and you shall come receive your jackets, position and placement in either the Main Squad, reserves, or training squad.” The assistant coach announced. Behind him, the two students who opened the door rolled in a cart full of purple and white jackets on them, thirteen in total. The assistant started calling names from a list and one by one his peers walked up to collect their jacket and, for some, new position. Only one of the first six called had a position change, from an outside hitter to a setter, which made sense. Goshiki remembered him pulling off some really great emergency sets during their scrimmages, and the player didn’t look too surprised either at his new position. Aside from that, nothing surprising was announced, with all the called names being placed either in the reserves or the main squad.

“Goshiki Tsutomu!”

He walked up, collecting his jacket from the tray.

“You’ll remain an outside hitter. You showed great performances in the scrimmage and jumping power and spiking technique good enough to score against our elite level middles. For that, we deem you good enough to be a part of the Main squad, though this can change if you let yourself slip up in ability.” Coach Washijou said, glaring at him by the end of his announcement. Goshiki felt he could hardly breathe, both from the fear he felt staring into the eyes of the bushy eyed Coach and from the excitement of the fact that had had made the main squad. Instead, he settled from a deep bow and quicky retreated back in line, holding his jacket tightly to his chest.

“Good job.” Hinata whispered from beside him. Goshiki flashed him a quick smile.

“Hinata Shoyou!”

The teen walked over, collecting his jacket. For a moment, the coach just stared at him, one of the only players there that he didn’t need to look up at to meet their eyes.

“Of all the players here, you are one of the more skilled ones, including the third-year members of our senior squad.” He began.  Goshiki wasn’t surprised to hear that. It was obvious Hinata’s skill was one that matched or even superseded the level of even most of the third years. Sure, he was small and still not as well built as the seniors but that would come with training and experience.

“For that, we have decided on placing you on the Main Squad.”

Knew it.

“As a Libero.”

Wait… what?

The gym was silent. Hinata stared at the old coach, who simply stared right back. For a moment, Goshiki felt he understood and even agreed with the coach. Hinata was amazingly skilled, fast reflexes, naturally athletic, could set, and even capable of receiving powerful serves with ease. Making him a libero was a natural decision, considering he was just too short to ever overpower national level blockers like Ushijima or Kiryu from Mujinazaka. Even players who tooled the blocked more often than not were still decently tall, and Shiratorizawa wasn’t known to recruit those type of players anyways either. But then he thought of the finals of the Middle School National Tournament, watching Hinata soar and steal points with force, and felt devastated for his future teammate.

He'll make a great Libero though. He thought, because surely, despite this terrible position change, there was no way Hinata was going to reject Shiratorizawa. He was confident of that, that is until he saw the Ginger teen drop his jacket on the floor and start heading for the door. Some players squawked in surprise, even some coaches too, as the teen kept walking away without saying a word.

“W-wait! Hinata-kun where are you going?!” The assistant coached asked hurriedly. Only then did Hinata pause. When he turned around, he had a contemplative look on his face. He even put a hand under his chin stroking it.

“Well, Johzenji already said they’d accept me with no issue, and so did Aoba Josai and Wakunan. But at the same time Ichibayashi sent me an offer a week ago and their try outs are in a couple days so I’m wondering if I have the time to go to Fukuoka or just hope they accept me without participating.” He said, still stroking his chin.

Goshiki felt his jaw drop. Hinata was really not going to accept Shiratorizawa. It was unheard of, especially considering three of the four teams he mentioned were in the same region and had no chance of beating them in the upcoming tournaments.

Well, they had no chance. Hinata’s addition to those teams could change that, couldn’t it. He thought, imagining Hinata with Oikawa’s monstrous setting or Johzenji’s unpredictability.

“You would reject Shiratorizawa?” The old coach asked, challenge in his tone. Hinata simply smiled back at him.

“I appreciate the compliments on my skill. But I’m not a libero, and therefore can not accept.” He gave a deep bow, before turning around again and continuing to walk away. It seemed like Washijou was ready to let him go until the last moment, his old voice called out once more.

“Then you may join as an Opposite. But you will be on the training squad until further notice.”

Hinata stopped, right by the open doors. He seemed to think about it for a moment or two, before turning back around. He walked over to where he had dropped his jacket, picked it up and slide it on, brushing it clean. He flashed a grin to the coaches, the senior members of the team and to his fellow first years, before once again going into a deep bow.

“I am pleased to join the team!” He yelled out, to the amusement of some and the annoyance of others, namely Washijou, who scowled deeply. Goshiki couldn’t help but grin.

This is going to be a fun three years, I guess.

Chapter Text

[Kageyama POV]

The Karasuno gym looked exactly like he remembered it. He hadn’t been back there since that fateful day when they had woken up in their pre-teen bodies, and due to the shock and strangeness of that day he hadn’t really taken the time to look around and soak it all in again. As he stood by the entrance of the empty gymnasium, he was filled with a pleasant sense of nostalgia. He could hear his old captains voice yelling at Hinata about his, at the time, awful dives, or Tanaka-senpai’s roar as he put one past the blockers, or even the crashing sound of one of the new first years falling into the net poles after Hinata had come flying into his sides in an awful attempt at a block. The polished wooden floors gleamed under the sun as it came through the blinds and the smell of old equipment and dusty curtains filled him with memories of his three eventful, amazing years as a member of Karasuno. He chuckled.

And now, another three years await.

Over the next few minutes, he hastily put up the net, a quick task if he wasn’t alone but bothersome by himself. A quick stretch routine, and a bit of ball control exercises and he felt good to go. Standing at the service line, he imagined himself facing all the players he had met before in his past. Sakusa, Ushijima, Hoshiumi, Hirugami. Hinata. Releasing a final breath of air, he tossed the ball up and forward, watching it spiral until it reached the peak, and started his run up.
The red, green and white ball came down, and he pictured the far-right corner as he swung his arm forward. Just as he was about to meet the ball with his palm, a loud throat clear snapped him out of focus and the ball, instead of flying into the far-right corner, instead hit the top of the net and rolled slowly down, landing on the other side. Mentally, he counted that as a service ace, not imagining any of the foes in his mind would’ve been able to react fast enough to save that. For a moment he felt a deep sense of déjà vu and flashes of a similar event came to his mind’s forefront.

It was Hinata, all those years ago, that had interrupted me on our first day. But as he turned to face the newcomer, it wasn’t Hinata’s shockingly bright red hair that met him, but a tall boy, with light, almost white, blonde hair. He had a satisfied smirk on his face as he stared at Kageyama, arms crossed. For a moment, Kageyama wondered if over the years he had somehow managed to forget one of his past teammates, as he couldn’t remember someone this tall or blonde (other than Tsukishima, who he obviously was not) on the team.

“Can I help you?” He asked, breaking the silence.

The boy’s expression faltered for a moment, before the confident, self-satisfied smirk settled back on his face.

“Everyone told me it was just a rumor you know, but I couldn’t help but gamble on this opportunity.” The boy said, nodding to himself. Something about his voice was familiar to Kageyama. Even the way he talked, a little tilt in his voice, full of pride and cocky assurance, rubbed him in a familiar way.

“Rumors?” He said instead of addressing these feelings of familiarity. “What are you talking about?”

“The rumors about you following your genius libero senpai to some past-its-prime school,” The boy replied. “Nobody believe that you would also do something so stupid, but after experiencing your insane plays first hand I realized that that’s exactly what someone as gung-ho like you would do.”

Experiencing my play first hand? Kageyama thought, then froze. Oh, that’s where I know him from.

Maybe it was the pride instead of frustration in his voice, or the black instead of the mix of white and black that had thrown Kageyama off.

Or maybe just the fact that he is NOT meant to be in Karasuno and the last time I remember playing him as an Adult was 3 years ago, before I moved to Italy? I should’ve remembered him for Junior Nationals though. He felt kind of bad for forgetting his face that quickly.

“So, I, Ryosei Kai, decided to join this team with a stupid genius setter and a stupid genius libero, and bless them with a genius middle blocker who is NOT stupid!” He finished, going through guts poses with speed and dramatic flair. Kageyama stared at him for a few seconds, in disbelief. The few times he had played against Kai in the future, he had shown maturity and humility, even after getting tide turning blocks on his spikers. Yet, just a few years beforehand he had been… this?

Well, I guess people really do get more mature as they age. Me and Hinata must be the outliers.

He walked over to Ryosei and stuck out a hand, ignoring the hilariously dumb poses that he had struck moments ago.

“I’m Tobio Kageyama,” he said, gripping the others hand in a strong shake. “And I’m going to take this team to nationals.”

Silence met his statement. Ryosei looked at him like he was an idiot and Kageyama was confused. What about his statement was so wrong that warranted him being looked like that. Suddenly Ryosei burst into laughter.

“You didn’t have to say that Stupid Setter-San. Why do you think I came here? We’re going to win it all!” Ryosei declared back, grinning widely. Kageyama felt his mouth stretch into a grin.

Yes, this can work.

Unlike the last time his senpai’s had walked in on him during his first year, Kageyama was not fighting with his Middle Blocker this time. He had heard his senpai’s coming, it being impossible to mistake Tanaka-san’s boisterous laughter, Nishinoya-sans high pitch chatter or Asahi-san’s defeated sigh even before they crossed the threshold to the gym. He hadn’t let the nearing voices distract him at first, setting another ball for Kai, who easily slammed it down. By then they had worked up a decent sweat, both boys huffing slightly after the successful attack.

It was only as they both briefly took a moment to catch their breath, that Kageyama’s mind fully caught up to his previous thoughts. Nishinoya-san? Asahi-san? They’re not supposed to be back yet. He remembered this very distinctly, not having a Libero or an Ace on the team until after their practice match with Seijoh. So, what were they doing here? He turned towards the door as his seniors walked through, Tanaka and Nishinoya both grinning and laughing, Asahi behind them looking just as exhausted as he always used to when around his two loudest juniors.  Nishinoya noticed them first. His already wide grin seemed to grow even wider as his eyes landed on Kageyama.

“Kageyama!” He yelled, barreling over to the two of them, though his focus only focused on the setter. As he got closer he reared his arm back and gave a heavy slap to Kageyama’s back, which if he had not been prone to experiencing before, might’ve knocked him over. For someone so small, Nishinoya-san had always packed a lot of punch. His other two senpai’s made their way over.

“Tanaka, Asahi, this is the junior I was telling you about.” Nishinoya said, gesturing to Kageyama, like a proud father. Kageyama felt a bit awkward at how Nishinoya seemingly didn’t realize that Kageyama had not been alone in the gym, Kai silently observing the interaction beside them.

“I don’t think you need to introduce us to him,” Asahi laughed, extending a hand out to Kageyama. “It was a surprise when Nishinoya, best Junior High libero in Miyagi, joined our little old school. It was an even bigger surprise when he told us that his genius setter junior was going to follow him the next year. And Nishinoya isn’t exactly a good liar so, I’m not surprised you’re here.”

Kageyama took the extended hand and shook it, marveling at the relaxed tone Asahi spoke with. All throughout his original first year, Asahi spoke with a nervous, resigned tone, all the way up until nationals where he had found a courage that seemed to emanate from that Tokyo gymnasium. Now however, his past (and current) ace seemed confident and secure with himself. It was only after he let go of Kageyama’s hand did he seem to realize that they had inadvertently been ignoring the other rookie in the hall.

“Oh! I’m sorry, we didn’t mean to ignore you-“ Asahi started but Ryosei interrupted him, reaching out and pulling his hand into a firm handshake.

“Azumane Asahi! I know all about you. I wasn’t entirely sold on coming to Karasuno even though that idiot,” He pointed to Kageyama. “Was supposedly joining so I decided to watch your match against Date Tech. Watching you in action sold my decision to me.” Kai gushed. Nishinoya, finally aware of the fifth person in the hall, whooped loudly at the praise for his senpai, with Tanaka also roaring his approval at Kai’s words. Only Kageyama and Asahi seemed somber at the blockers praise, Kageyama out of confusion and Asahi out of… frustration?

“We still lost.” Asahi sighed, voice tinged with annoyance.

At least that remained the same Kageyama though. But from what he could remember Asahi had gotten blocked all game against Date Tech. He had even quit after. So why was he now standing there, more confident than Kageyama had ever seen him, with a highly rated rookie blocker praising his performance. What had changed?

“Well… yeah, but you took them to full sets, and would’ve won too if your setter hadn’t messed up so badly at the end there.” Kai laughed awkwardly. As soon as the words were uttered, Kageyama knew his new teammate had messed up.

The mostly jolly atmosphere that had come with the senpai’s vanished in an instant. Tanaka and Nishinoya looked worried and nervous, glancing at one another and at Asahi. The powerful third year however, looked scary, unlike any time Kageyama remembered from before. Sure, he had heard other students in his year and above talk about Asahi as the scary third year, wild rumors always seeming to spring up out of nowhere about him (which were so hilariously untrue if you knew Asahi even a little bit). But now, Kageyama sort of understood where they were coming from.
Asahi glowered at Kai, the deep scowl on his face making the rookie take a step back and put his hands up as if to placate the other boy. Asahi, realizing his emotions had gotten the better if him, turned to face an empty part of the gym, which only further drove awkwardness into the already tense room. When he finally spoke, it was quiet yet it filled the entire hall.

“I know you’re just talking about the game, and didn’t mean anything by it, but,” He turned back to Kai now, his face less furious but still scary in a way Kageyama never thought it could be. “Don’t ever talk about Sugawara like that again.” He finished. He didn’t wait for anyone to reply, just storming out of the hall, leaving it in silence.

“I should probably…” Tanaka said, before chasing after the third year.

Kai looked terrified, his goofy demeanor having completely turned off for the first time since he had made his dramatic entrance to greet Kageyama an hour ago.

Shouldn’t run your mouth next time. Kageyama thought, but even he felt puzzled at the angry reaction of Asahi to Kai’s words. Sure, he could’ve worded it better, but he had really just made an observation about a players performance (though Kageyama hadn’t watched the match against Date Tech and felt very out of the loop on how exactly Sugawara-san had messed up in this time, and not Asahi as he had believed the previous time).

Nishinoya sighed, breaking Kageyama out of his train of thought. The short libero seemed exhausted and anxious, shaking his head silently.

“Nishinoya senpai… what was that about?” Kageyama asked.

“Yeah, I mean… I don’t think I said anything too rude, did I?” Kai asked nervously.

Nishinoya looked between the two of them and took a deep sigh.

“No, not really. Sugawara-san did mess up in that game, anyone that was there would say the same but… Asahi blames himself. If only he had scored more, if only he hadn’t been blocked as much. It’s always in his head. After all, with everyone blaming Sugawara and not Asahi, it’s not surprising Asahi is blaming Sugawara quitting the team as a personal failure of the Ace.” Nishinoya said, looking tired from rehashing the past.
Kageyama however had frozen.

Sugawara-san quit? The team?!

In the silence of the gymnasium, Kageyama stared at the door leading outside and wondered once again, just what in the world was going on in this redo that he had found himself flung in to.