(A/N: I wouldn't touch much on the matches that Karasuno had as they are based on the anime/manga. As for the match between Aoba Johsai and Karasuno, I would mentioned some parts I feel that is important to the story plot. Other than that, you can watch or read the match for yourself. Thanks and let's jump straight in!)
***
Part 1: Chapter 9
"(nickname)-chan?"
You were looking through your notebook when you heard a familiar voice calling your name. You whipped your head around to see who had called your name and to your surprise, you were met with a familiar spiky haired male.
"Hajime-kun? Is that you?"
You glanced up to the viewing stands where Iwaizumi Hajime was at, sporting Aoba Johsai's blue and white volleyball jacket. Needless to say, you were excited to see your childhood friend that you have not seen in years.
"(name)-chan, you know the ace of aoba johsai?!" Hinata shouted in surprise as everyone in Karasuno stared at you with curious or shocked looks.
You tilt your head as you explained yourself, feeling confused. "Yea. Why wouldn't I know Hajime-kun, my childhood friend? What seem to be the problem?"
Before any of the Karasuno's boys could answered you, an annoying voice that you know too well interrupted.
"(nickname)-chan, is that you? Long time no see!"
You let out a groan, feeling so stupid. How could you forgot about Iwaizumi's other half? (*wink wink* to all those iwaoi fans out there) Plastering a fake smile onto your face, you turned around to face the flamboyant captain of Aoba Johsai's boys' volleyball team.
"Shittykawa, how nice of you to join us."
"Waaa! Why are you so mean? Iwa-chan, (nickname)-chan hates me."
You watched with a blank look as Oikawa threw himself at Iwaizumi, crying crocodile's tears and whining about how much his precious (nickname)-chan hates him. Iwaizumi punched Oikawa on the head as he screamed at the setter to get off him. At this point, you were used to the duo's usual behaviors. No wonder they were perfect for one another.
Ignoring Oikawa who was in a corner muttering about how his childhood friends were so mean to him, you faced Iwaizumi. "What are you guys doing here?"
"We are participating in the Inter-high prelims as well. But our match doesn't start until later."
You nodded your head before turning to your brother to ask if you could hang out with Iwaizumi and Oikawa for a while when he spoke up, his eyes not looking up from the clipboard. "Go ahead. Just make sure you're back before the second set starts."
"Thank you nii-chan! I love you!" You hugged your brother as a huge smile appeared on your face. Afterwards, you left the gym and headed for the viewing stands. Everyone watched as you left before shifting their attention back to the two Aoba Johsai volleyball players.
"How do you know (name)-chan?" Kageyama demanded from his middle school seniors.
"If it isn't Tobio-chan. It's none of your business whether Iwa-chan and I know (nickname)-chan or not." Oikawa gloated before sticking his tongue at his all time rival.
Iwaizumi glanced at his childhood friend in disgust before hitting him on his head. He ignored Oikawa's cries of outrage as he replied Kageyama's question. "(nickname)-chan used to be my neighbor before she moved away. Oikawa and I used to play with her when we were younger. I hope that answer your question. Now if you will excuse me."
The Karasuno boys' eyes followed after the duo as you approached them and pulled them into a hug. You shift your attention to the boys as you shouted. "All the best for your first set! I will be down to support you guys during the second set. Meanwhile, I'll be up at the viewing stands to cheer for."
With that, you followed Oikawa and Iwaizumi to where the rest of the Aoba Johsai team was seating at. They watched as you tried to defend yourself against Oikawa who was attempting to hug you while Iwaizumi kept shouting at the setter to behave himself.
First Nekoma, and now Aoba Johsai. Just how many volleyball teams are you friends with?
***
"Hello everyone, I'm Ukai (name). Nice to meet you."
You bowed as you introduced yourself to the rest of Aoba Johsai's team. The volleyball players' cheeks pinked at the sight of the smile you gave them, thinking how cute you were. Oikawa who noticed the looks on his teammates' faces, placed an arm around you as he glowered at them.
"Now now, (nickname)-chan is off limits. She's mine. Ain't that right?"
Irk marks appeared on your forehead at your childhood friend's behavior. You pinched Oikawa's arms which caused him to release you, a look of irritation on your face. "Shut up Trashykawa. I don't belong to you or anyone of that matter."
"But (nickname)-chan, I thought you love me." Oikawa wailed.
You blinked at the third year with a blank look on your face. Sometimes you really wonder if this guy is a third year or not. Oikawa was ignored by both you and Iwaizumi as you strike up a conversation with the rest of their teammates.
You were surprised when you learned that Kindaichi, Kunimi, Oikawa and Iwaizumi. You also found out that Aoba Johsai and Karasuno had a practice match before you came to Karasuno. When you found it was Oikawa who requested for the practice only if Kageyama was the setter throughout the entire match, Iwaizuimi had a very hard time preventing you from clawing out his eyeballs.
"(nickname)-chan, my beautiful face. You're gonna ruined it." Oikawa screamed as he tried to escape from your death claws.
"I COULD CARE LESS ABOUT YOUR BEAUTIFUL FACE. THE MOMENT YOU HURT MY FRIENDS, YOU SIGNED YOURSELF A DEATH WARRANT!"
"But I am your friend as well!"
"SCREW YOU AND YOUR PERFECT HAIR, SHITTYKAWA!"
"WAAA! IWA-CHAN, HELP ME!"
"You deserve this."
"IWA-CHAN, YOU'RE SUPPOSE TO BE ON MY SIDE!"
All heads turned to the viewing stands where they could hear screams and shouts coming from. They were surprised to see a female attacking the famous Oikawa Tooru of Aoba Johsai. Well, this was rather amusing and surprising as the handsome male was always being chased by girls, not being attacked by them in this case.
"Wait, isn't that girl from Karasuno?"
"Yea, that's the Karasuno's volleyball jacket."
Whispers could be heard as the Karasuno boys felt all eyes on them. Daichi turned to his teammates with a blank look before saying. "We don't know that girl."
The rest of his teammates nodded their heads in agreement and turned their bodies away from the viewing stands, returning back to their warm ups.
"OI! DON'T YOU PRETEND YOU DON'T KNOW WHO I AM!"
You sat down, a pout on your face as Iwaizumi patted you on the head to comfort you, the rest of his teams giving you sympathy looks. You could not believe that your own friends had ignored you. Tch, so much for being friends.
"(nickname)-chan, may you should quit Karasuno and come to Aoba Johsai? We wouldn't ignore you like them." Oikawa said in a sing-song voice as he placed an arm around you.
"I would rather be ignored by my teammates than been seen with you, Trashykawa." You muttered as Oikawa's teammates snickered at what you said.
"All players get ready."
You turned your head to the court as you watched your teammates got into positions. You smiled at Hinata amd Kageyama who gave you a thumbs up, you returning one of your own. You grinned as you watched the first serve was being made.
You watched with anticipation, but you know that deep down, Karasuno can win.
***
Your ears rang as the whistle blew, indicating that Karasuno had won against Tokonami. Your mouth stretched into a huge grin as you jumped to your feet, cheering at the boys' victory. You turned your gaze to Kiyoko and Takeda whose expressions was filled with happiness at the boys' victory. Your brother was seated on the bench with his arms crossed, but you can tell he was proud of the boys.
"Good job everyone!" You praised your friends as you and Kiyoko gave out towels and water bottles to them.
Everyone thanked you as you handed out the towels while Kiyoko handed out the water bottles for the boys to rehydrate themselves. Takeda began to praise the boys as they gave him victorious grins, the adrenaline of winning their first match still running through them. You couldn't be more proud of them.
Keishin began to comment on their first game before they started to plan for their next match. As they were discussing, you and Kiyoko went around to collect the sweaty towels and empty water bottles. Let's just that touching a bunch of sweat-soaked towels was not a pleasant experience. How earth does Kiyoko do this continuously until you joined the volleyball team was beyond you.
Once the discussion was over, the boys began to collect their belongings, ready to leave the court. You checked again to make sure that nobody left anything behind, muttering to yourself. When suddenly Kiyoko tapped you on the shoulder to get your attention.
"Are you ready to go?"
You gave a nod before hauling the basket of water bottles onto your shoulder, your bag hanging off the other. Kiyoko watched with concern as you struggled to carry the basket of water bottles plus your bag. Being the concerned senior that she was, Kiyoko offered to help you carry.
"(name)-chan, do you need help?"
"Nope, I will be fine on mine own. You can go ahead."
"If you say. Please be careful."
You nodded at Kiyoko to reassure her that you'll be fine before walking (more like wobbling) after everyone else. You have only reached the entrance of the gym when suddenly you felt someone removing the basket of water bottles from your shoulder. You turned around to be only with Tsukishima who has already walked off, the basket slung on his right shoulder.
You blinked at the middle blocker in surprise before chasing after him to demand him to give you back the basket. "String bean, what on earth are you doing?"
"I'm helping you to carry the basket. Maybe you should get your eyes check since you couldn't see that for yourself."
"My eyes is 100% fine, unlike yours. My question is why are you helping me carrying it? I can do it myself."
"Sure, you can carry it yourself. That's if you want to look like an idiot waddling like a penguin."
"Shut up string bean! Give it back to me. I can't let you carry it. You must be tired from the match earlier."
"Is this how you thank someone for helping you, munchkin-chan?"
"Argh! For the last time, stop calling me that!"
"It suits you."
"You know what, forget about it!"
You threw your hands up in annoyance at how stubborn Tsukishima could be. Not wanting to waste your saliva arguing with him, you crossed your arms and pouted as you walked beside the smirking male.
"You owe me now." Tsukishima whispered into your ear.
"HUH?!" You exclaimed as you faced Tsukishima whose smirk widen at the incredulous look on your face.
"I said, you owe me now."
"Why should I when I didn't ask for your help?! You stupid beanpole!" You angrily said, not understanding Tsukishima's motive at all.
Tsukishima being the sadist that he was simply grinned evilly as he went on. "It doesn't matter whether you ask for my help or not. It matters that I help you, so you owe me now."
At this point you were too tired to argue with Tsukishima. So, instead you decided to just go with the flow. "Fine. What do you want me do?"
Tsukishima stared at you for a long while before replying, "I'm not sure yet. I will let you know later."
With that, he walked off and leaving you behind to pout. At first, your heart warmed at the fact that Tsukishima helped you out. But then again, this is Tsukishima we are talking about. You should have know better than to expect that the blonde will help you out of his kindness. Now, you owe him a favor. Hopefully he would not ask you to do something you hate.
"(name)-chan, are you okay?" Suga asked his junior, seeing the pout on her face.
"I'm just peachy. Don't worry about me, Suga-senpai." You sarcastically replied.
"Okay, what happened between you and Tsukishima?"
"Nothing!"
"I don't believe you."
"..."
"..."
"I owe him now."
"Ohhh. Wait, what?!"
***
"GO! GO! LET'S GO! LET'S GO DATEKO!!"
Dateko's loud cheers resounded through the gym, giving the spirit and support to their schoolmates. The loud cheers echoed throughout the gym and it was starting to overwhelm some of the players. You held onto Tsukishima as you pulled yourself closer to him, as though hiding behind his tall frame would shield you from the overwhelming cheers. Tsukishima looked down at you, ready to say something snarky when he saw the look on your face.
To be honest, you looked like a scared puppy. Instead of teasing you like he usually does, Tsukishima pulled you closer to his side, your entire body leaning against him. Your blinked your eyes in surprise as you take a glance up at Tsukishima, only to be covered by his hands.
"I can't believe you would get scared so easily. I thought you would be used to it." Tsukishima teased, trying to cover up the fact that he was embarrassed.
"It's really intimidating..." You muttered under your breath.
"It's as though they have taken over the entire gym." Takeda added on, his eyes widen in disbelief.
You glanced at Asahi with worry written all over your face. You were worried for your senior when you heard from Suga that the last match Karasuno had with Dateko left a very bad taste for many of them, especially their ace - Asahi. You could see that everyone minus the first years were feeling nervous and anxious for their upcoming match against Dateko.
You were wrecking your brain to see what you could do to encourage the second and third years when suddenly you heard Nishinoya shouting his famous catchphrase.
"Rolling.... THUNDER!" Nishinoya shouted as he perfectly did a rolling receive. "Again!"
Keishin caught the return ball in his hands and everyone stood where they were, not moving a single muscles. The crowd had went silent, even Dateko who was surprised by Karasuno's libero move. You simply face palmed as you asked yourself time and time again, why do you know people like that?
"That was perfect!" Nishinoya exclaimed with pride, his noise in the air and his hands placed on his hips.
"Noya-san, nice receive. It was a perfection itself, except for the name itself." Tanaka snickered as he covered his mouth, trying not to laugh at his teammates."
Veins popped on Nishinoya's head as he defended himself. "The name is perfect!"
"Teach me! Teach me the Again version again!" Hinata begged as he jumped up and down, his eyes sparkling with awe.
Meanwhile, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were laughing as Kageyama gave a baffled look, muttering. "How was that different from the usual one?"
"Shut up! Anyway, there's nothing to worry about." Nishinoya confidently said as everyone else stared at him.
"All of you, keep your eyes forward. Because you have me guarding your backs." He went on as he faced his teammates, his arms outstretched with a huge grin on his face.
"A-awesome!" Tanaka, Hinata and Kageyama said, their eyes shining.
Asahi smirked after hearing his teammate's words, knowing that his back will be guarded as long as he keep fighting the battle on the front. You smiled softly as you looked at your senior with admiration, amazed at the fact that he managed to restore the team's confidence.
You turned to the boys as you encouraged them. "As a libero myself, I can truly say that Noya-senpai would guard your back as long as you believe in him. So, keep your eyes forward and fight the front battle for him!"
"Karasuno... FIGHT!" Everyone cheered as they walked towards the court with smirks on their faces.
You grinned as you could feel the spirits rising among the boys, ready to face their monsters that had been haunting them ever since the match they lost against Dateko. Cupping your hands around your mouth, you shouted. "Show them what it means to go against us crows!"
***
You glanced at the score anxiously, it was currently 22 to 24 with Karasuno at match point. If Dateko scores two points, it will be a deuce and you know that exhaustion was slowly catching up to the boys.
"Come on, come on. One more point." You muttered under breath as you leaned forward, your attention fixed on the ace of Karasuno.
'Asashi.' You thought to yourself at the look of slight panic in Asahi's eyes. On the outside, he looked calm but you can tell that Asahi was slowly starting to panic, especially when Karasuno is at match point.
'What kind of ace am I, if I can't score the last point?' Asahi thought to himself as he ran after the ball that Kageyama set the ball for him.
"We've defeated the spiker once already. We're no Iron Wall if we can't do it again!" Moniwa, the captain of Dateko shouted as they jumped, blocking Asahi's spike again.
Your (e/c) eyes widen with horror as it followed after the ball which was heading towards the back of the court where there was no one there to receive it. You closed your eyes, not able to stand the disappointed looks on your teammates' faces.
"He saved it!"
You eyes flew open when you heard the whole gym shouting. Apparently, Nishinoya had managed to save the ball, giving his team another chance to score the last point. Your face split into a huge grin as you shouted, your voice reaching Asahi.
"Spike it! Keep spiking as long as the tosses keep coming!"
Asahi gritted his teeth as he heard your shout, not wanting to let you down after all the hard work you put in for them. "Left! One more!"
"Azumane-san!" Kageyama shouted for the ace as he set the ball for Asahi once more.
You gasped when you realized that the ball was tossed too close to the net. However, Asahi jumped with no hesitation to spike it but only to be locked in a joust with Aone, the white-haired Dateko volleyball player. Tears began to appear in your eyes when you realized that Asahi's hands slipped, the ball falling on to the side of Karasuno.
Everyone watched with anticipation, wondering what was going to happen next. You shift your attention to Nishinoya who remained frozen on the spot, the ball too far away from him to save it. You clenched your fists in frustration, your nails piercing into your skin.
You understood the dilemma that Nishinoya was going through since you were in that spot once. However, you believed in Nishinoya. You threw your arms into the air, cheering at the top of your lungs when Nishinoya saved the ball with legs, the gym echoing after you.
"ONE MORE!" You, Suga, Hinata and Nishinoya shouted in unison.
You were on the edge of your seat as your eyes followed after Asahi who took off after Kageyama set the ball for him for the last time. That was the best he could do at that time.
"Go, Asahi!" Suga shouted from the sideline.
"Blast through it, Asahi!" Daichi's shout following after Suga.
"Go!" Everyone else shouted.
With tears streaming down your face, you shut your eyes as you shouted with all your might. "ASAHI-SENPAI! GOO!"
Asahi jumped for the very last time as he spiked the volleyball with all his might. You smiled when you realized that the Iron Wall that had blocked the ace's view of the opposite court has finally opened for him.
Asahi has finally overcome his fears.
The whistle blew as Karasuno won the match against Dateko. Asahi let out a huge cheer as everyone else joined in, elated that they have won against Dateko. You let out a laugh, reveling in everyone's joy. After they shook their opponents hands, you rammed yourself into Asahi with your arms wrapped around him.
"You did it, Asahi-senpai! You finally did it!" You half cried and half laugh.
Asahi gave you a soft look as he patted you on the head, saying. "It's all thanks to you, (name)-chan. I could hear you from where I was. You encourage me all the way."
At this point you was inconsolable as you stood there with tears streaming down your face. Everyone laughed at the sight of their assistant coach crying, happy that they made her proud.
"You looked disgusting." Tsukishima gave you a disgust look.
"Waaaa! But Asahi-senpai did it. I'm so happy!" You wailed as more tears and snots trailed down your face. You were quite the ugly crier to be honest.
Tsukishima who still gave you a disgusted look took a tissue from Kiyoko and pressed it to your nose, grunting. "Blow. You are so disgusting."
You blew into the tissue paper as Tsukishima looked away in disgust. After throwing away the snot-filled tissue, he took a new one and began to wipe your tears. "You're such a crybaby you know."
You sniffed as you glanced up to Tsukishima with teary eyes. "You did a good job out there."
Tsukishima's face pinked as he turned away from you, saying. "Tch. Whatever."
You laughed and smiled with your teammates as all of you left the court, preparing to head back to Karasuno when you heard screams coming from the next court.
"Oikawa-san!"
You watched as Oikawa easily scored the last point for Aoba Johsai, winning the first set easily. You stared at Oikawa with an unreadable look on your face as he turned to you, a smirk on your face. Looks like you have more work to do tonight if you want Karasuno to go to Nationals.
***
All Karasuno's volleyball players focused their attention on the match happening before them. Currently, Aoba Johsai is the lead with a major points difference between them and their opponents. The entire gym cheered as Iwaizumi easily spiked the ball, earning another point.
"How do I put this...They've got a very smooth transition." Suga exclaimed with awe.
"Oikawa-san and Iwaizumi-san, that #4 on the left. Apparently these two have been on the same team since grade school. They're linked, both mentally and physically." Kageyama explained as everyone watched the duo.
You gave a small smile as you looked at your two childhood friends. "Tooru-kun and Hajime-kun have been best friends since they were born. They were always together no matter where they go. If you see one of them, you know the other is not too far."
"The Great King is so awesome! I want to hurry up and play him!" Everyone turned to Hinata who for some reason was so excited to play against Oikawa.
"Yeah! I hope he aims his serves at me!" Nishinoya joined in.
As Nishinoya and Hinata made a lot of noise, a staff member looked up at them and said. "Hey, now. You two junior high- maybe you're grade school kids? Quiet down a little."
You laughed along with everyone else while Nishinoya and Hinata had a blank look on their faces as they apologized. You turned your head back to the match where Oikawa was serving with Aoba Johsai at match point. At this rate, Aoba Johsai is going to win with no difficulty at all.
You and your brother turned to face each other, a look of dismay on your faces as Oikawa's monster serve scored the last point. Looks like you wouldn't be getting your sleep tonight.