Himeko Kuroko laid on her bed, her head throbbing and eyes puffy. She had sobbed for hours that day. She had cried more than she had ever cried in her entire life. She hadn't realized anyone could cry that much, could cry so... violently.

She had hiccuped, choked, and wheezed until she was too exhausted to do anything else but lay on her back. She felt she had emptied herself of all her emotions over the past years. She thought there was no way she could ever be filled up again, no way she could ever cry again because what was left?

Nothing.

There was nothing left in her.

There was a knock at her door.

She figured it was her dad, but she didn't want to answer. She tiredly rubbed at her eyes, the ceiling above her blurry. It was hard enough to see without her glasses but coupled with her tears she might as well have been blind.

"Hime," whispered her father. He slowly opened the door. "Are you asleep...?"

"No," Himeko said quietly, rolling over so he couldn't see her eyes. She hugged her pillow, burying her face.

"Are you okay to talk now?" Tetsuya Kuroko asked his daughter.

"Yeah," she said, sitting up. She continued to hug her pillow, keeping her gaze down. She used her short gray-blue hair as a curtain to help hide her puffy eyes.

"It's big," he said. "It can wait until tomorrow."

"No... let's talk. What's going on, Dad?"

Tetsuya quietly stepped into the room. "I got an offer. It's out of the country."

Himeko sharply raised her head up at that. The surprise made her forget to cover her eyes. She couldn't clearly see her father. She floundered in her attempt to quickly grab her glasses. "What? Where?"

"America," he said, kindly not remarking on his daughter's swollen eyes. "It's not permanent, but... it'll be over a year long."

Himiko tucked a strand of her shoulder-length hair behind her ears. "Wow."

"I know you have your heart set on Aob—"

"No," Himeko sharply cut in. "I'm not going there anymore. I—I want to go to one of the backup schools."

Tetsuya shifted his weight. Himeko's father always had a serene poker face. If judging only by his facial expressions, he'd be a difficult man to read. But Himeko had grown up with him, so she could spot the subtle way his brow furrowed and the thoughtful glint in his gaze. He calmly asked, "Are you certain?"

"Yes. I don't want to go there."

"Did you have a fight with T—"

"Dad," Himeko said firmly, feeling her throat clench painfully. She chewed hard on the insides of her cheeks. She didn't want to cry again, certainly not in front of her dad. Her voice cracked. "Please."

Tetsuya nodded slowly. "Okay. Do you want to come with me?"

She shook her head. "That's—That's too big."

"I don't want you to be here alone," he said softly. "I was going to suggest staying with the Oi—"

"Not them," she said quickly. "C-Can I stay with Grandma? Or—Or Auntie?"

"We can ask," he said. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes. If I stay with Auntie, I can go to that school near the gym," she said.

Her father and his twin sister had opened up a chain of gyms across the Tōhoku region. Himeko's aunt, Tamiko, managed one very close to one of the backup high schools Himeko applied to.

"Okay," Tetsuya said. "I'll call her tomorrow morning."

"Thanks, Dad."

დ

February 8th, 2012

For the past two years after school, Himeko had gone straight home and waited for the boy next door.

That day she didn't.

That day she stayed on the train and rode it out to the town she'd be living in starting in March.

Her aunt and uncle had generously agreed to house her while her father was gone and she attended Karasuno.

She wanted to see the town, get used to where things were.

At least, that's what she told her dad.

In truth, she just didn't want to be alone in her room. Painfully aware that the boy next door wasn't there and wouldn't be missing her. She'd meet up with her father at the gym and they'd go home together.

Himeko turned the volume up on her music. She stared out of the train window, wondering if maybe the new town would make her feel better.

She was doing this for herself—by her own choice. Everything was done by her actions.

So why did she feel so... empty?

As if every tear she shed the previous night had drained her of energy. She was listless. Despondent. She went through the motions of the day without paying much attention.

She closed her eyes, turning the music up even louder.

She wished... for something.

Anything.

დ

Being in a new town did not ease her. If anything, she only felt anxious. She had been to the town a few times to visit her cousins, but never on her own.

Himeko methodically walked out of the train station. She moved without purpose, simply wanting to move. Her mind blanked out as she put one foot in front of the other. Her music blared in her ears, but she couldn't really hear it.

Even with her mind gone, her body knew where to go. She found herself only a few blocks away from the family gym after fifteen minutes of walking.

Should I head there now? No, I said I would explore... but I don't really want to anymore. I just want to sit down and do nothing.

Himeko lowered her gaze as she continued to walk.

What am I doing? Why am I doing this? It won't matter. None of it will matter—

That was as far as her thoughts went when suddenly something hard slammed into her side. She flew to the ground, hitting it with a painful thump. Her glasses were knocked off her head, and she dropped her phone which pulled harshly pulled out her earbuds.

From numb to instant pain. Everything ached and throbbed. Himeko blinked back the dizzying sensation.

"Wha," was all she could manage to say. It took her another few seconds to realize her glasses were missing, she hurried to find them. As soon as she put them back on, she looked to see what had slammed into her.

It was a bike and boy. The boy looked about her age—and height—with unruly orange hair and almond eyes. He winced, rubbing at his nose. He opened his eyes and noticed Himeko on the ground. His cheeks turned into cherry tomatoes. "A-Ah! I'm sorry—I—uh—you—"

"No, no, no, I'm sorry—" Himeko hurried to stand up so she could help him. A sharp pain shot through her hip, but she ignored it. "Are you okay?"

"Ahaha, yeah, yeah. Sorry," the boy said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "Ah, wait, you kinda look the same age—?" His eyes widened with glee. "Are you going to Karasuno?"

"Um, yes. I start in April," she admitted shyly.

"Me, too!" he chirped. "I'm going to join the volleyball team!"

Volley—

Himeko swallowed needles, unprepared for the sudden memories of that boy.

That wasn't good.

A sport was all it took to remind her of him now?

You came here to get away from those thoughts, Himeko scolded herself. She couldn't make an hour into her day without thinking of him. How dumb could she be? Gross. Pathetic. Why was she like this? She hated—

She brushed off the dirt on her uniform. The boy looked over his bike, then glanced at her again.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked with concern.

"Yeah," she lied. Nothing was bleeding or broken, at least. That's all that mattered, right? That's all anyone would care about, right? She forced a small smile. "You said you were going to Karasuno? You seem pretty excited about it."

His whole demeanor lit up as if she had told him he had won the lottery.

"Mn! I can't wait to play," he said, bouncing from one foot to the other.

"Wanna play now?" she asked, not entirely serious.

"Really? I'd love to!"

"Ah—um—" Himeko flushed. She had not at all anticipated a complete stranger would want to play with her. What if she was someone dangerous? How could he feel comfortable doing that? Where did he get that courage? What did Himeko say in response? He was looking forward to playing on the team, so he'd surely be disappointed to learn that Himeko was not much of an athlete. "I'm not—er—I can really only serve."

She had intended to make sure he understood she couldn't be much of an opponent, but her words only seemed to elate him further. His brown eyes widened with childish glee. "You can serve?!"

"Yeah," she said, flustered by how the conversation was being steered. "Uh—um—there's a gym nearby. W-We can practice there."

"Really? I had no idea," said the boy. "To be honest, I came here to get a feel for the route."

"M-Me too," was all Himeko could squeak out. "F-Follow me? Um—wait—um—"

Himeko cleared her throat and bowed sharply. Her glasses promptly fell back off and hit the ground, mortifying Himeko but she couldn't stop.

"I—I'm Himeko Kuroko. Pl-Pleased to meet you."

The boy laughed. He picked up her glasses. "Oops, forgot about introductions, huh? I'm Shōyō Hinata. Nice to meet you, Kuroko!"

She gratefully accepted them back, awkwardly smiling.

She lead Shōyō Hinata to the gym, nodding at her aunt who noticed them come in. Thankfully, there was a portion of the court available and Himeko was able to set up the public net with Shōyō's enthusiastic help.

If nothing else, she was killing time.

Who knows.

Maybe she'd even have fun.

She had served a lot over the past years. When the neighbor boy first got into volleyball, he was terrible at receiving. After school, if he didn't have practice that day, they would instead go to the community gym and he'd receive her serves. She was terrible at first, but got the hang of it a few months in.

She wasn't the athletic type. Things like moving her body this way or that way didn't come naturally to her. She could trip on a flat surface if she got too distracted.

But do something long enough, and even a monkey could learn to be decent at it.

She bounced the volleyball once, twice, then tossed it up and at him.

Shōyō dove for it, his arms reached out to hit it.

To Himeko's surprise, he hit it... far away.

"Uh," she said, watching the volleyball soar above his head and out of sight. "Did you—did you mean to hit it that way?"

"Ehehehe."

"L-Let's try again," she said as he rushed to get the ball. Maybe I should soften my serves until he can control it.

Again and again. He was enthusiastic but clumsy. He reminded her of a dog fixated on catching a Frisbee even if it meant jumping into a lake. He tumbled and fell more times than she could count, but he always popped right back up with a smile on his face. Himeko found it hard not to get caught up in his genuine joy. He clearly loved the sport.

Somehow hours went by. Before Himeko even knew it, her aunt was blowing the last call whistle and it was time to clean up.

She hadn't served that many volleyballs in a long time. The boy next door didn't need her for practice after he entered high school with their friend. Her arms felt like jelly, and her hip still ached from the collision earlier, but...

Himeko wasn't upset.

Rather, she felt disappointed that it was ending so soon.

To her surprise, as Shōyō helped her put away the net he excitedly asked her, "Can you keep serving to me?!"

"Can you help me?" the boy next door asked her.

Himeko fumbled with untying the net.

That's not fair, she thought. I came here to get away. Why do I have to be reminded of you? That's not fair. That's so not fair.

A question—a simple, innocent question should not immediately make her thoughts jump to her old crush.

How stupid. How stupid!

She wasn't him—her life shouldn't revolve around one boy! That was why she was doing this—she needed—she needed—

She needed to be Himeko, not the lovesick girl next door.

But who was Himeko?

She didn't know. For too many years, her thoughts had revolved around the neighbor boy.

Outside him—who was she? Her likes, her dislikes?

She didn't know.

What could make her happy—happier than that boy?

She didn't know.

She wanted to find out.

Shōyō was earnest, bright, and cheerful. In the face of those shining eyes looking at her, she found it difficult to say no to his request.

But she couldn't let herself go down that rabbit hole again. She didn't want to help another boy without getting something in return.

Even if the boy seemed so sweetly nice, she couldn't do that to herself again.

She fidgeted anxiously, butterflies in her stomach. "I-If you help me."

"Mn! Anything!"

"I came here—I want to—" Himeko clutched at the volleyball tightly, uncomfortable, hot, and fluttery. Her voice lowered and cracked as she lost what confidence she had already scrounged up. "I want—I want—to—be your fr-friend."

She couldn't look him in the eye when she confessed that. It was too much for her, and her gaze lowered to the ground. She wanted to turn away and leave, wanted to avoid the rejection, avoid the inevitable—

"Haha, me too! I want to be your friend too," he said cheerfully.

Her head snapped up, eyes wide. "R-Really?"

"Mn!" He held out his hand to her, grinning. "Thanks, Kuroko."

Himeko shakily accepted his hand. "Himeko."

"Huh?"

"Friends u-use first names, right? Please call me Himeko."

"Then call me Shōyō."

Himeko beamed.

დ

He met her again the next day, so sincerely joyful to play with her, she found it hard not to smile. Like before, they played in the gym until it was time to leave. He asked her to come again, and Himeko gratefully agreed.

For the first time in a long, long time Himeko was looking forward to something after school. How long had it been since she was able to play with a friend and have it only be that? No nerves, no expectations, no hopes, just...

Just Himeko and Shōyō playing volleyball.

"What made you interested in volleyball?" Himeko asked Shōyō on their third night together.

"The Little Giant!" he exclaimed. He was not a dog, but she thought she could see a tail wagging behind him with how happy he was. "I saw a match with him and thought I wanted to be like that—no, to be better than that." He tossed the ball to her. "What about you? What do you like to do? Are you going to join any clubs?"

"To be honest... I don't know what I like," she said, bouncing the ball on the gym floor. "I don't know what I want to do, or... anything. I moved out here to find out." She tossed the ball to him. He caught it and tossed it back. "I think it's amazing you've found something you like so much that you'll put this much effort into it."

"Eh? You haven't done something like this before?" Shōyō asked. The way he tilted his head in confusion reminded Himeko of a puppy.

Him.

"Kind of," she whispered. She smiled at Shōyō. "I wasn't nearly as pure-intentioned as you."

Shōyō's cheeks turned rosy. "Pure?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Mmm... but you came here to find stuff out? About likes and dislikes? Er, did I get that right?"

"Mm-hmm."

Shōyō tapped at his chin in thought. "Ah! I've got a great idea. Come on!"

"Huh? Where are we going?" Himeko asked, nervous they were going back out when it was already so dark.

"Convenience store, c'mon!"

"Ah—uh—"

Himeko didn't have a chance to scrounge up a reason not to venture out late at night because Shōyō had already grabbed her hand and started to pull her along.

How does he still have so much energy? Himeko thought in a panic.

Thankfully, there was a store just across the street. Himeko could still see the gym behind them, so she felt more at ease running around in the dark.

As soon as they entered the store, Shōyō let go of her hand and raced down one of the aisles. Himeko took that opportunity to catch her breath, more exhausted from the surprise than from him actually running.

She moved her blue-grey bangs out of her face. She had inherited her father's hair and eyes. She kept her hair short, at shoulder-length, because she found it easier to manage.

Himeko noticed a smear on her glasses and went to clean them. When she was done, Shōyō had returned with a bag he had purchased. He had a big grin on his face. "Heheh, ready?"

"For what?" she nervously asked.

Shōyō pulled out a bright red package: Chocolate covered shrimp with peanut chunks.

She stared. "What?"

"Try it," he said, holding out the package.

"But that—"

"Sounds super gross, right?" he chuckled. "You won't know for sure unless you try it."

"No, I'm pretty sure that'll be disgusting regardless—"

"Don't think about it, just do it," he encouraged. "C'mon, I'll try some with you."

Mollified he at least would suffer alongside her, Himeko reluctantly accepted the package. She and Shōyō walked out of the store as she opened it up, and picked up a piece of...

Her upper lip curled back in disdain. "It smells terrible."

"Yep," he said, reaching into the box and pulling out his own piece. "Ready?"

"Ehhh."

"One," he said.

"Two," she whispered.

"Three!" he shouted with glee and the two bit into some kind of chocolate seafood peanut disaster.

"HURRRK."

"UUURRGH."

Both of them froze, the piece of nastiness still in their mouth as they struggled to swallow it. It was revolting. It had the salty tang of seafood mixed with bittersweet chocolate and to top it all off a crunchy nutty flavor.

Chocolate and peanut, sure.

But adding in a shrimp?

No.

Just, no.

Through the sheer power of will, they were able to swallow.

"Geh," Himeko whimpered.

"That was terrible," Shōyō said, running his fingers through his unruly orange hair.

"I feel sick."

"Yeah, me too." He grinned, his eyes warm and sweet like hot chocolate. "But at least you can say you did it, right?"

Despite her nausea, Himeko smiled. "Yeah. I did."

დ

On the ride home, Himeko stared out the window. It was a silent drive for several minutes. She and her dad were always comfortable in silence.

"Today I ate the single most disgusting thing. It was gross. It was beyond gross. It transcended the word grotesque, I thought I might die trying to swallow it," she said, staring out the car window.

Her dad frowned.

"But I did it," she said. "I wouldn't have done it if it weren't for my friend. I wouldn't have even considered it. But I did it. Today I did something new and scary and I... I did it."

Her dad tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. Thoughtful silence filled the car as Himeko thought about the past few days.

"I think," she said, "that's what I want to do. I want to try new things. All kinds of things. I want to make more friends. I want to experience... to experience life outside of—outside of what I just knew."

"I hope you can," her dad said.

Himeko smiled.

დ

I know some of my readers will ask if this is a reincarnation story - it is not.

This is a stand-alone story I wrote for fun, completely unrelated to my other stories.

Watties, do we want character pictures? Yay or nay? Edit: The yays have won. hugs and kisses. Himeko was drawn by the lovely Candy (@cantrona_ on Instagram / Tik Tok)

Question: If you were a major character in a sports anime, what would your chosen sport be?

Reviews are love!