Chapter 11 |

Word count: 6.6 k

🏐🏐THIRD PERSON P.O.V.🏐🏐

🏐🏐May 7th, 2012🏐🏐

Camp had been interesting so far. While there was no denying last night was chaotic, Chiaki had a feeling everyone had gotten a bit closer. But the teen had silently promised herself she wasn't going to go out of the building at night anymore. She didn't want to experience what she had last night anytime soon.

When Shimizu returned in the morning and found out what happened after she had left, the glasses female gently patted Chiaki on the head before ushering her to rest and said she would take care of most things.

So now, Chiaki sat at the gym corner with her medical kit, a textbook on her lap, reading ahead for class, and letting Shimizu do her managerly work. At first, she watched them all practice. But after seeing Ukai yell at them for the hundredth time, she lost interest, burying her nose in the knowledge of pages.

When she had just finished going through the fifth chapter from her textbook, Shimizu called out to her, the older girl quickly explaining that the boys would go out for road work. It was quickly decided then that Chiaki would be at the halfway point, waiting for them with energy drinks and her medical kit on her back just in case something happened.

Little did Chiaki know that the start of the road work for the Karasuno Boys' VBC had ended up being chaotic as Kageyama and Hinata fought with each other, speeding off before Daichi could stop them.

Neither boys wanted to lose to each other, running neck to neck, refusing to slow down, leaving the rest of the team gobsmacked, staring at their disappearing figures in disbelief before Daichi snapped out of it, ushering them to follow.

Chiaki released a loud yawn, the corner of her eyes tearing a bit as she smacked her lips. She currently leaned against the guardrail that separated the rice field to the dirt runway, the area lush green, filled with young sprouts. Silently, Chiaki wonders if by September, the green fields would turn to gold, the rice stalks ready to be harvested.

Lazily she scrolls through her phone, knowing that the boys would arrive anytime soon. So to pass the time, she checked her calendar and her schedule. A small pleasant hum leaves her mouth, her mood drastically getting better as she realized that Minato and her father would be back tomorrow afternoon. By the time the practice match with Nekoma ended, her whole family would be at their home, and with just that thought, it made Chiaki happy.

Chiaki briefly looked up, thinking she heard something. What she didn't expect was an orange-haired teen to run past her, her hair shifting a bit as his passing form caused a brief blow of wind. The silver-haired female blinked once, twice before pushing off the guardrail in alarm, realizing what just happened.

"H-Hinata-kun!!" She yelled in panic, hoping her voice would reach the boy.

Sadly, Hinata doesn't hear her, yelling at the top of his lungs as his somewhat sloppy form continued to run off until she could no longer see him.

Chiaki stood there silently in disbelief for a second, trying to process what just happened.

"T-That bōke.... Where did he go....?"

Chiaki whipped around, catching sight of Kageyama, who stood there panting, a look of displeasure on his face.

Kageyama panted, heaving a bit as he leaned forward, his hands on his knee as he tried to catch his breath. But he winces as a hand smacks against his back, forcing him to stand at his full height.

"Up, Tobi-kun. Don't lean forward like that, stand tall and raise your arms above your head to expand your lungs," Chiaki scolds gently before quickly handing him a towel and a bottle, the boy thankfully taking it with a silent nod.

Eventually, the other lead by Daichi and Sugawara catches up, the captain giving a questioning look at Kageyama and Chiaki as he panted, his shoulder moving up and down as a trail of sweat dripped down his cheek.

"Where's Hinata?" He finally questioned, somewhat catching his breath as Chiaki handed him a bottle, the female going around and passing it around to the other members as well.

"He ran past me before I could stop him," Chiaki admits, sending an apologetic look to the third-year who sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose tiredly.

Chiaki almost felt bad for Daichi but decided not to verbally say anything, moving towards the second-years and giving them their bottles as well.

"Good job, Chikara-kun," Chiaki smiled as Ennoshita, the said boy's cheeks flushing red from heat and exertion. In response, the raven-haired boy panted heavily, wincing as his legs screamed in agony. He gave the silver-haired girl a weak smile as she handed him a cold bottle.

As the female returns to the third-year, she can only release a weak giggle, noticing the irritated look on Daichi's face. "That idiot.... Where did he run off to?" The third-year captain grumbled, his lips twisting as wrinkles formed between his eyebrows.

"Knowing Hinata, he probably got lost somewhere," Tanaka snickered. However, the wing spiker flinched as Daichi glared at him, quickly zipping his mouth closed.

Daichi only looked even more stressed, shaking his head tiredly, "what is he thinking...."

"Maybe, from now on, we should tie Shouyo to a rope or something," Nishinoya suggested with a toothy grin, Tsukishima shaking his head in disbelief.

Sugawara and Chiaki shared a brief look before shaking their respective heads with a weak, wry laugh.

"Daichi, you lead the rest back to the gym. I'll go look for Hinata," the silver-haired boy suggested as he took a sip from the water bottle that Chiaki handed him, wiping the sweat on his face with his white shirt.

"I'll join you, Suga-senpai," Chiaki offered as she went around to collect the boys' water bottles, placing them in her backpack and throwing it over her shoulders.

Daichi sent them an apologetic nod and a quick thanks before he called out to the rest of the team, jogging away, leaving Chiaki and Sugawara, who moved to look for their missing first-year.

"I'm," Chiaki panted as she lightly jogged beside Sugawara, "so out of shape," the female winced, a sudden wave of dejection rolling over her as she realized how true her words were. When she was in her top shape, she could go for an hour jog with no problem, actually enjoying it and doing it at least twice a day. But after her surgery, even with everything healed, she was still reluctant to go out for jogs in fear of something going wrong.

"Are you okay, Aki-chan?" Sugawara eyed her in concern, his gaze subconsciously going to her knee that was in a brace as well as her hip where he knew she had her surgery,

"Peachy, I can do as many sit-ups and push-ups, but... my endurance for running," Chiaki groaned, feeling her heart beat frantically in her chest, "is shit right now," the silver-haired female silently promised herself to talk to her mother about what she could do with exercise.

Sugawara laughed at the expression she made, the corner of his eyes crinkling, "next time, we should ask Hinata to let you borrow his bicycle, that way you can keep up with us."

Instantaneously Chiaki nodded in agreement, liking that idea very much. And I'll get my exercise! Chiaki thinks in glee.

"Ah, there he is!" Sugawara was the first to find Hinata, waving his hand above his head, "Hinata! Over here!" The third-year yelled, his eyes briefly going to Chiaki, who tried to look nonchalant although her cheeks were red while she panted, trying to catch her breath.

Seeing his senpais, Hinata's expression brightened in relief as he bounded over to the two like a happy puppy. "Suga-senpai! Aki-senpai! I'm sorry! I got lost!" The boy admits as he sheepishly rubs at the back of his head.

Sugawara only sighs as he places his hands on his hip with a shake of his head, "we know. Just be ready for a scolding from Daichi when we get back," he warns, making Hinata release an "eep!" a look of concern spreading on his face.

During this conversation, Chiaki silently began to regret offering to come to look for Hinata with Sugawara. She wondered if she would even be able to keep up to the two boys as they jogged back to the gym on campus. She didn't think she would be able to, being very honest.

Unknown to Chiaki's inner dilemma, Sugawara squinted his eyes, brightening as he recognized where they were.

"Ah, Aki-chan, just go straight down this street and take the first right. It should be a short cut straight back to the gym. Hinata and I will go the original path that everyone else went down," Sugawara revealed. Chiaki silently said a quick prayer of thanks to the older boy in her mind as she nodded diligently as she waved the boys off with a smile.

The silver-haired female was able to return to the gym just as Sugawara said, getting greeted by the sight of Shimizu, who was getting off a phone call with someone. When the older girl noticed her, she waved at Chiaki with a smile, ending the call.

"Good timing, Aki-chan. I just got a call from the cleaners, and they said the uniforms are ready to get picked up. Can you help me get them? I don't think I can carry everything by myself," Shimizu explained, the two females quickly letting Takeda know where they were going before leaving campus.

Chiaki liked Shimizu. The female was quite friendly to Chiaki, although she seemed a bit cold to the boys. Or perhaps, she was more callous to Nishinoya and Tanaka. But either way, the two teens got along.

Shimizu didn't have to teach Chiaki many things. The younger girl already having a reasonably good idea of how things worked around in the club. And if Shimizu had to explain something, Chiaki usually got the hang of it quickly.

"Oh, Hinata is going to be number ten?" Chiaki asked in surprise, eyeing the paper that had a list of uniform numbers.

Shimizu nodded, seeming a bit confused about why Chiaki reacted to that information. Seeing the silent question on the older girl's face, Chiaki opened her mouth with a fond smile. "The little giant of Karasuno that Hinata admires, that was his number too when he went to nationals," Chiaki explained, knowing this information well, seeing as she had gone to the game to watch the games because Minato coached during that time.

Chiaki had a small smile on her face, already being able to imagine the orange-haired boy's excitement when he finds out that he'll be sharing the same jersey number as the ace he admired. When the two girls returned to the gym, the boys were all back, practicing on receives with Takeda picking up the balls for Ukai.

"Footwork! Work on your footwork and no stopping! Hinata, stop waving your arms around!" Ukai's loud voice echoed through the gym, Chiaki's eyes narrowing in nostalgia at the scene of volleyball practice.

"Sensei," Shimizu gently calls, catching the teacher's attention as she puts down the bags that contain the uniform with Chiaki.

Takeda turns around with a smile pointed at the two teenage girls, "ah! You two are back! Are those it?" The glassed male excitedly questioned as he came over with a beam on his face.

With a simple nod from Shimizu, the adult calls over the team, the sweating boys gathering around them in a small huddle.

"OOH!"

Daichi smiles as he holds up his uniform, eyeing the number with a proud grin. "We didn't have them when we faced Aoba Johsai, so it's nice to see it." The teen seems a bit touched, seeing the bold line under his number, suddenly feeling like the team's captain.

Hinata bounced on the ball of his feet, seeming to shake out of excitement as he eyed the black and orange uniforms, "that's what I saw on T.V! It's what the 'Little Giant' was wearing!" The ginger exclaimed with his eyes shining brightly, his cheeks flushed with awe. Beside him, Kageyama sent Hinata a look of annoyance, glaring at the boy who nearly bumped into him.

Chiaki watched on the side with fondness as the uniforms got passed out. Some of the boys like Nishinoya already changing into them. Like she had expected, Hinata had beamed in awe when Sugawara and Daichi revealed how the number ten used to belong to Udai Tenma. The said boy clutched onto his jersey with a look of pride in his eyes, hugging it close to his chest.

"Ibato Chiaki-san."

Chiaki blinked, looking at Takeda in confusion as the man smiled at her as he called out her name unexpectedly. She approached with puzzled, noticing how the rest of the team silently watched, a knowing smile on some of their faces.

"Yes...?" The female questioned, her head tilted to the side in confusion as the man smiled at her before reaching into the paper bag at his feet.

"Ibato-san, this will be your uniform," Takeda gently spoke as he handed the female in front of him a black jersey, Chiaki taking it with a shaky hand.

The silver-haired female's usually droopy grey eyes are wide in disbelief, her fingers tracing over the laminated zero on the black jersey. She finally looked up at Takeda, her voice breaking a bit, "m-my jersey? B-But I-"

"It was actually Shimizu's idea," Daichi finally spoke up, making Chiaki turn towards him. At his words, the female looked over to Shimizu, who looked a bit shy as she smiled at Chiaki. The silver-haired girl's gaze moved back to Daichi as she heard him cough.

The older boy seemed a bit bashful as he rubbed the back of his head, his cheek tinted a light pink, "we all knew how much volleyball means to you. You told us your dream of wanting to go to nationals in high school. And although I'm sure you know that you're part of our team, Shimizu felt like getting you a uniform would really be the proof."

"Zero is a legal number, but most players don't usually take it. And we thought it just made sense if that became yours seeing as you are in a special position being our team medic," Sugawara explained, the male smiling as he sees Chiaki clutch the jersey to her chest with her lips trembling. "Ah, it sucks that you can't wear it to an official game, but it's the feeling that counts, right? We thought you wouldn't mind so-"

Sugawara couldn't finish his sentence as Chiaki leaps onto him and Daichi, the two stumbling back a bit as they support her weight as she wraps her arms around them.

"Thank you! Thank you! I-I love it!" Chiaki's voice is heavy with emotion as she finally lets go, smiling brightly although her eyes are a bit red, incredibly touched by their gesture. She quickly went around the team, hugging each of the members tightly, leaving the boys flustered. Even Tsukishima gets a brief hug, the blond boy scowling as he looks away. Eventually, she reaches Shimizu, hugging the slightly shorter girl for the longest, thanking the older girl numerous times. Shimizu only laughs, seeming a bit embarrassed but, nonetheless, hugs Chiaki back, mentally thinking that she was glad she had suggested it to the team.

The others watch the two girls with a warm gaze, Tanaka and Nishinoya silently thanking God for the precious rare scene of getting to see their female club members like that.

When Chiaki calms down a bit, Ukai calls for the team's attention. Chiaki listens in. However, she can't stop herself from clutching the black and orange jersey to her chest, her fingers tracing the white zero with awe. It was her jersey. It was all mine...

"Hinata's idol, the 'little giant' was at this school, and during that time, Karasuno was at its strongest. But even back then, they weren't able to win against Nekoma. Not even once. It was one loss after another," the male grinned widely as he eyed his players, "go out there and clear our school's reputation."

The boys shared eye contact with each other, a look of determination on their faces. "YEAH!!"

"Oh, they have good spirits, not bad."

Everyone in the gym flinched at the unfamiliar voice, turning to the door in confusion.

Chiaki blinked in surprise while Daichi paled, his adam's apple visibly bobbing as he took a step back.

"W-Who are they?" Hinata hissed, gripping onto Kageyama, flinching a bit as he sees the two massive males that stand by the door, peering in. Kageyama looks down at the shorter boy in annoyance, trying to shake him off.

"Tai-nii, Kou-nii, what are you doing here?" Chiaki questioned, her eyebrows furrowing as she approached her two brothers in confusion.

The VBC boys all felt a different degree of surprise, Sugawara looking at Daichi for confirmation seeing as he was the only one who had personally met with Chiaki's older brothers. But the silver-haired boy doesn't need the confirmation as he takes in the far-away look in Daichi's eyes.

"We came to pick you up, Chi-chan," Taiga sweetly explains as he reaches out to brush a finger against her cheek, pushing a strand of hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear.

Chiaki cocks her head to the side, a look of confusion flashing in her eyes, "I thought I was going home tomorrow?"

"A change of plans. Minato and Dad want us to pick them up at the station early tomorrow morning because they got tickets for the earlier bullet train," Kouga explained as he ruffled Chiaki's head affectionately before turning a sharp eye towards the Karasuno VBC that watched them.

Daichi flinched as he had eye contact with Taiga, the glassed male looking a bit amused as the third-year captain looked a bit uneasy. "Ah, Daichi-kun, it's good to see you," Taiga chirped, stepping into the gym, moving to shake his hand.

"H-He's so tall! He's taller than Tsukishima!" Hinata hissed in awe, earning a look of distaste from Tsukishima, the blonde having a scowl on his face at what Hinata pointed out. Poor Daichi looked relatively small beside Taiga and Kouga, the said male's smile twitching nervously as he shook both of their hands.

Kouga's narrowed gaze traveled over the stiff boys before landing on two males. "Ah, Tobio-kun, it's been a while," the silver-haired twin's expression seemed to become a bit more friendly as he caught sight of the setter.

"Osu," Kageyama gave the man a brief bow, "Kouga-san, it's good to see you. You seem well."

Hinata gawked at his teammate in disbelief, not being able to believe how polite Kageyama was being.

"Haha, you're stiff and awkward as always. You know you don't have to be, we like you," Kouga laughed as he patted Kageyama's back before his gaze moved to Hinata. The said boy released a meep, looking like a scared chihuahua under Kouga's sharp scrutinizing eye.

When nervous sweat began dripping down Hinata's back, Chiaki stepped in, sending a warning glare at the twins who immediately pretended like they weren't causing fear amongst her team. "Stop intimidating my team. Sorry guys, the twins mean no harm."

I don't think so! All the boys think in fear.

Sugawara sent Daichi a pitiful gaze, suddenly realizing why his friend always looked scared when the topic of Chiaki's older brother came up. Sorry Daichi, I doubted you all along.... You had a reason to be scared...

"Oh, are these the bratty twins? They've grown," Ukai finally speaks in amusement, raising a single eyebrow up as he eyed the two men that were still intimidating the team when Chiaki wasn't looking.

Hearing him, both Taiga and Kouga turn to him, their expression souring a bit. "It's good to see you as well, Keishin-san. You've gotten old," Taiga comments with a pleasant smile, which immediately makes an irk mark to appear on Ukai's forehead.

The said man clenches his fist in front of his face, seeming to be trying to hold back punching the glassed male, "and you're as bratty as I remember...."

Chiaki sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers before sending an apologetic smile to her team. "Sorry, guys, these are my older brothers. They're twins," The silver-haired female quickly explains, sending another warning glance at the twins.

"I'm Ibato Taiga, and this is my twin Ibato Kouga," Taiga placed a pleasant smile on his face. However, many of the more observant boys in the gym could see that the man's eyes weren't as friendly as he gazed over them. "It's a pleasure to meet the team that our baby sister decided to join. I'm sure you've been treating her well, right?"

A simultaneous shiver ran all of their backs as they nodded their heads quickly in fear, already being able to see the promise Taiga was making if they gave an answer that was anything but a yes.

Kouga had a frown on his face as he peered into Chiaki's face, his fingers gently prodding at the corner of her eyes in concern. He completely disregarded Taiga's intimidation and turned all of his attention to his younger sister. "Your eyes are a bit red, were you crying?" He questioned, immediately making Taiga whip his head towards them.

Chiaki is quick to shake her head, knowing if she didn't, her teammates would be in danger, "they weren't sad tears. I was really touched earlier. Look, they made me a jersey too!"

Taiga and Kouga felt their heart clench as Chiaki flashed them one of her rare broad smiles, both brothers mentally clutching their chest at their angelic sister, almost going blind.

"Hm, is that so. As long as you're happy," Taiga nearly melted, giving his little sister a smile before eyeing the team, nodding at them in approval. Mentally, Daichi was giving a shout out to their manager, promising himself to treat Shimizu to anything the next time he has a chance.

"Uh, um! Um, excuse me!"

Daichi and Sugawara felt the blood drain out of their face as Hinata bravely stood in front of the twins, staring up at them. Don't say anything stupid, Hinata! Don't be an idiot! They all think, silently saying a prayer in their minds.

Even Kageyama felt a bit uneasy, knowing Chiaki's older twin brothers could be a nightmare when they were angered, having seen Oikawa at the end of it numerous times.

"Huh?" A look of confusion and surprise flashed across the twins' face, eyeing the small orange-haired boy.

"H-How did you two get this tall?! Is there some kind of secret food that makes you grow taller?!" Hinata's question is loud and clear, echoing in the silent gym.

Kouga and Taiga share a brief bewildered eye contact before they break into a peal of loud laughter, Hinata's cheeks flushing in embarrassment, thinking they were making fun of him. Taiga's laugh is more polite, snickering into his hand while Kouga throws his head back, the sound of his laughter comes out in loud bursts.

"Haha, sorry kid, we aren't making fun of you," Kouga snickers as he roughly pats Hinata's back, making the boy stumble a bit, "you just were so genuine, we were taken aback," the silver-haired male ran a hand through his short hair, the action making the piercing on his lobe visible for a brief moment.

Taiga released another chortle, adjusting his black-framed glasses higher onto his nose. He then brushes his slightly curly hair out of his face, his forehead getting exposed before his curly locks cover them again. "To answer your question, we have to thank our height mainly to our genetics. Our father is tall, and our mother is just a bit above the average height for a Japanese woman. As you can see, Chi-chan is also tall. But out of us all, our eldest brother is the real monster," the glassed-man explained, the corner of his lips tugging up.

At his words, Hinata becomes obviously dejected, his shoulder slumping in disappointment to find there was no secret like he had first thought.

"But I say, eating a well planned, nutritious meal, sleeping early, and exercising daily when you're growing helps," Kouga chimes in, crossing his arms over his chest with a grin, "Taiga and I are both turning twenty-two this year, but we're still a couple centimeters taller than last year."

At his words, hope is back in Hinata's eyes as he eagerly listens to the twins.

"Hinata has insane communication skills....." Asahi whispered to Sugawara in awe and disbelief, not believing that their freshman was having a normal conversation with the two men who looked like they could kill them with a glare just a mere minute ago.

A look of recognition suddenly flashed in Kouga's eyes as he got a better look at the small ginger. "AH! No wonder you look familiar! You're the shrimp we saw last year playing Tobio-kun! The one that jumped a lot, and Chiaki said you have the talent to become big!" The silver-haired man comments, a bright smile spreading across his face.

Hearing his words, Hinata and Kageyama whipped their heads towards Chiaki, the former's eyes shining brightly as it's revealed Chiaki thought he had talent. Kageyama, on the other hand, had a look of betrayal and disbelief on his face, sending a stink eye at the older girl before looking at Hinata as if he was saying, 'really? This shrimp?'

What shocked everyone next was that Kouga casually lifted up the boy from under his arms. "Have you gone a bit taller than when you were in middle school? You weigh awfully light, though."

Taiga sends an exasperated look to his twin, Hinata flustered and lost what to do as his mouth opened and closed while his cheeks bright red.

"I-I may be small, but I can jump!!!" Hinata stuttered in defense, only making Kouga grin, looking like a predator as his canine flashed. In response to the look, the younger boy released a weak meep, looking terrified.

"Hm, is that so, then let's see what you've got."

And that was how a quick two-on-two game between the Kageyama/Hinata pair vs. the Ibato twins started.

Chiaki pinched the bridge of her nose tiredly, Daichi standing beside her with his arms crossed over his chest. He eyes the tall female beside him with a frown, his eyebrows furrowing together. "Is this going to be okay?"

"I'm positive Tai-nii and Kou-nii will be perfectly fine. I'm more concerned about the mental state of Hinata-kun and Tobi-kun after the match," Chiaki admits, making the others look at Chiaki in surprise.

"EH? Are your brothers that good? But they're both middle blockers, right?" Tanaka questioned in bewilderment, looking back to the court where the twins lazily stretched in their jeans. Hinata and Kageyama, on the other hand, wore clothes that they can easily move in, their muscles already warmed up because of practice.

Chiaki's lips were pulled into a straight line, her eyebrows titled down in concern as she eyed her kouhais. "They prefer being middle blockers because that's what they're best at, but honestly, they're all-rounders," the silver-haired female pauses as she mentally thinks that everyone in her family was like although she doesn't think they birthed any liberos before. "They still actively play in college, and before that, they were on Shiratorizawa as their middle blockers."

A look of shock appeared on all of their faces, looking a bit pale at the information. Daichi, who already knew this, only nodded, his eyes closed as if he was silently praying for his kouhai's safety.

"W-Wait, a couple of years ago, wasn't Shiratorizawa really known for their defense...? Like people not only talked about their usually super powerful offense but..." Asahi trailed off, a look of realization appearing on his blue face as he shook like a chihuahua beside Sugawara.

"The 'Twin Demon Gate Keeper" of Shiratorizawa...." Sugawara finished in awe.

Chiaki felt her cheek flush in embarrassment as she closed her eyes. She silently wondered why these stupid nicknames seemed to always hang above all of their heads. But out of them all, she did think the twins had it the worst.

"We'll beat you!!!!!" Hinata yelled at the top of his lungs, his hands on his hips as he puffed out his chest. Kageyama only nodded beside him, but Chiaki didn't miss the look of slight concern in his eyes.

Chiaki knew precisely why. Kageyama had practiced with the twins before, knowing the ability they both had. And he had also witnessed Oikawa, who was the most influential person he knew at the time, get his ass beat by Kouga and Taiga. So, it was understandable why the setter was cautious.

Kouga and Taiga were nonchalant, seeming to find amusement from the two younger boys.

Taiga gave them a closed-eyes smile as he rolled the volleyball to them, not even bothering to take off the coat he wore. "You guys can go first, let's make it quick with just whoever scores ten points first.

Hinata and Kageyama briefly share eye contact, nodding to each other as they quickly decide they're going to do what they're best at.

As Ukai blew the whistle, Kageyama jumped and served before running to the net. The twins are relaxed, Kouga quite easily receives his serve, making the setter click his tongue in annoyance. Not only was it done as easily as breathing, but Kageyama could also tell the twins weren't going to attack seriously, seeming to want to observe what he and Hinata could do.

Having been twins, Kouga and Taiga move without a single flaw, the glassed male setting the ball to his younger twin, Kouga, in response spiking it towards Hinata.

However, the twin's easy-going expression disappears for a second, the two men blinking as the ball whisks past them, slamming to the ground between them.

"Oi, the shrimp's eyes were just closed right now," Kouga comments calmly, the corner of his lips tugging down as his eyes narrowed on the high schoolers who grinned.

Taiga hums in response, pushing his glasses higher onto his nose, "that was quite fast wasn't it? It seems like Tobio-kun has gotten better," the brunet comments as he gave his twin a side glance as if they were speaking to each other silently.

"Uwo! Looks like the weirdo combo works even against the Demon Twins! Isn't that amazing, Aki-san?!" Tanaka excitedly exclaimed, his eyes bright with pride, Nishinoya nodding his head in agreement.

However, when Chiaki doesn't respond, they all look at the tall silver-haired female who stayed silent, watching her twin brothers while biting her bottom lip.

"Aki-san?"

"They just need to see it a few more times," Chiaki finally speaks, watching as the twins whispered to each other as Kageyama prepared to serve again.

This continues for three more times, the twins casually returning the ball that Kageyama spikes before the two freshmen do their fast combo. But everyone in the gym watches in confusion as the twins just stand there, not even bothering to try to receive Hinata's spike, the point becoming 4-0.

"What's going on?" Yamaguchi questioned in confusion, whispering to Tsukishima, who had a frown on his face as well.

It takes another second before Tsukishima responds to the freckled boy, "they were throwing away those points to observe the two of them," the blond male comments, realizing what the twins were doing after the third point Hinata and Kageyama scored.

Chiaki, who heard the tall middle blocker nodded, "it should be about now that they..."

"Hey, Kou, are you ready?"

"Yeah, Tai, I got it. You?"

Taiga doesn't bother responding to his twin, only releasing a hum as his lips tilted up to a mischievous smirk that made many of them flinch.

Kageyama serves again, this time a bit harder, feeling the intent from the twins. However, Taiga has no problem receiving the ball and setting it to Kouga, who spikes it.

Both Kageyama and Hinata flinched, a look of shock appearing on their face as the twins were suddenly by the edge of the net, matching grins on their face as their arms blocked Hinata's spike, almost looking like umbrellas.

The twins fist bump quickly as their feet land on the ground simultaneously, seeming to look a bit nonchalant while the others look at them in disbelief.

Kageyama looked vexed, his fist balling into a tight fist while Hinata looked to be stunned, not having expected his spike to be stopped.

Chiaki sighed as she raised her hand up, pausing the game, "I'm stopping it here, I think that was enough."

Hinata and Kageyama opened their mouth to resist, but Chiaki's sharp look quickly made them close their mouth.

"Eh? That was only one point for us! We still have nine points to catch up," Kouga whined, acting like he would be able to take back the points he lost easily.

Chiaki shook her head before looking at Hinata and Kageyama, "no, that one point was enough to prove that Hinata-kun and Tobi-kun's attacks aren't invincible. You two, I want you to be thinking about it. The twins are above most high school players, but that doesn't mean there aren't other people who will stop you two in the future at inter-high. It's a good thing to think about if you want to get stronger."

Hinata and Kageyama lowered their head, a look of frustration seeming to enter their faces. Chiaki silently wondered if her words were too harsh, but mentally shook her head, telling herself that the boys needed to know the truth.

Seeing that it looked like there wasn't anything else Chiaki had to say, Ukai quickly told everyone to begin cleaning up; Chiaki approaching Takeda and asking him if it was alright if she left early, which she gets the okay for.

The short car drive home was silent, the twins deciding not to say anything at the thoughtful look on Chiaki's face.

EXTRA (Shenanigans At Night during Golden Week: Part 1)

Note: a day before the end of the chapter.... a little explanation of what the beginning of the chapter was talking about with the chaos.

🏐🏐May 6th, 2012🏐🏐

Chiaki is sitting in her private room, a pencil tapping against her lip thoughtfully as she did her homework that was assigned to her during the week break. She blinked, rubbing at her tired eye as she looked at her phone screen, realizing it was already 8 PM. She climbs up to her feet with a yawn, deciding to go to the restroom and maybe buy herself a drink.

Feeling relieved, she dries her hand on the handkerchief, moving to return to her room to finish the last part of her homework. However, the silver-haired female pauses, her head tilted on confusion as she hears the commotion coming from the boys' room.

She stands in front of the door with a frown as she realizes it sounded like they were all arguing with each other, which makes her eyebrows furrow in concern. At first, the teen wonders if it would have been wiser to just walk away, but the louder the voices became, her worry increased as well before she gave in.

Hesitantly, she knocked on the door. It became tranquil for a second before Chiaki heard a familiar voice say come in. Peeking her head in with a smile, she's taken aback at the dejected look she gains as the boys realize that it's her.

Even Daichi's expression falls, the dark-haired male showing a rare pout while his shoulders dropped.

"Uh, is everything alright in here?" Chiaki finally questioned, making her way to Sugawara, who released a weak laugh.

"Well... Not really," The silver-haired male admits as he scratched his cheeks, "we actually got hungry and sent Kageyama to go buy us food, but he didn't come back. And then we sent Hinata to go look for him too, but he hasn't come back as well..."

Looking around the room, seeing the miserable looks on boys' faces, Chiaki makes a mental note to talk to Shimizu tomorrow morning. Adding a late-night snack or meal for the boys would be necessary, seeing as it looked like they were not getting enough to eat with their exercise level.

Everyone freezes as a loud growl echo through the room. Daichi looks horrified as his cheeks turn pink as he looks down at his stomach as if it betrayed him. He releases an awkward cough as if he was trying to compose himself before looking at his team, "okay, let's go look for them."

With a frown, Chiaki looked at the team, suddenly becoming concerned for them all. And before she knew it, she was gripping onto Sugawara's hand, the male smiling at her, "ah, you're coming too, Aki-chan?" Which she nodded to.

But as soon as they all step outside, Chiaki was already beginning to regret her haste decision.

It was pitch dark. Which wasn't so unusual seeing as they were in the rural area of Miyagi where rice patches and crops were grown. They were in the middle of nowhere, and not a single street lamp was present, which made Chiaki's heart beat a bit quicker in her chest.

Instantaneously, she has a tight grip on Sugawara and Daichi, who are beside you, making them look at her in confusion. What they don't expect to see is Chiaki with her eyes widened, her shoulders hunched as she looked around anxiously.

Sugawara released a weak laugh, taking hold of her hand that gripped his shirt tightly, "are you sure you want to come with us, Aki-chan. You can stay back..." The male questioned, giving the younger female an option.

But Chiaki shakes her head, looking even more terrified at the idea of being left in the facility alone.

"Oh, is Aki-senpai scared?" Tsukishima snickered, his eyes shining in glee as he saw his senpai's fearful form. He covers his mouth as he snickers, grinning widely, "I can't blame you, they do say this used to be a war ground around a thousand years ago."

Chiaki flinched at the information. If her eyes were large earlier, now they're literally the size of plates, looking like they'll shed tears at any moment. Quite similar to Chiaki's fear, Asahi was shaking in his pants, clinging to Nishinoya.

"Ah! Tsukishima, stop making up useless things to scare Aki-san!" Tanaka snapped as he glared at Tsukishima, who shrugged his thin shoulders, "right, Noya? There's nothing like ghosts!" The wing spiker called out to his friend, looking confident. Unknown to him and everyone else, Nishinoya, the libero, was staring at something far away. Not that everyone noticed. Yet.

Not getting a response like he thought he would, Tanaka turned his gaze to his friend, his eyebrow furrowing as he suddenly lost confidence, "Noya?"

At that moment, something moved in the bush, making Asahi release a scared wail as he collapsed onto the ground. From Asahi tumbling, he smacked the single flashlight in Ennoshita's hand, making it pitch black. From there, it was a domino effect, the group falling into panic.

"AGHHHH!"

"OI OI OI OI OI!!"

"AHHH! I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE ANYMORE!!"

"O-OI! Everyone calm down! Where are you guys?!"

"UWAHHH! EVIL BE GONE! EVIL BE GONE!!"

To be continued to part II.

🏐🏐 A/N 🏐🏐

Hi guys!! I finally finished with all my college finals and I've entered winter break! 😭😭😭 *sobbing tears of relief*

18 units with 7 classes was like the worst decision of my life, OML, but I survived somewhat!

Anyhow, hope you enjoyed the chapter! The next update, Chapter 12| The Ibato Family will be coming out on the December 25th, right on Christmas Day so keep your eyes open! I'm going to go work on my one piece ff nowwwww!

Love you all!

-Ember