Kuroo watched with mild amusement as Emiko entered the gym for the sixth time in the past half hour, let out a groan, only to walk right out. A few minutes later, she walked in again.

He leisurely strolled towards her and eyed her curiously. "What are you looking for Suzuki-chan?"

"My will to live," she grumbled.

"Now, now, Suzuki-chan why so dramatic? What did you lose? Maybe I can help. You know, there's not much you can see from down there."

She frowned, "I'm going to kill you."

"Emiko we talked about this. You can't kill off people when they mildly inconvenience you."

She turned around and nearly threw herself at the floor. "But Captain! He's so annoying, I think this is the one exception that you told me about."

"This doesn't count as self-defence Emiko."

She turned to Kuroo again. "You're lucky I respect Ennoshita."

"How rude Suzuki-chan," he pouted, "and to think that you're my favourite manager here."

She blinked, trying to decipher whether he was teasing her again or not. He sounded genuine but there was something behind that smirk on his face and that look in his eyes. She jumped behind Ennoshita.

"Alright, alright, I'll lay off," Kuroo walked away, "for now, at least."

Emiko turned her attention to the team. "Have you guys seen Mirae? I can't find her and she's not answering her phone."

"She was with Akaashi earlier," Shoji stepped forward. "Don't worry, I trust him."

Emiko frowned. Those two had been spending a lot of time together. She dragged her feet and made her way to the gym Fukurodani was practicing in.

"Um, Bokuto-san, I think you just missed our exit."

He glanced over and shrugged. "Oh I did that on purpose. There's this restaurant a few minutes away from here and their burgers are delicious, you have to try it!"

She didn't know what to say.

Bokuto had asked her for help sending out a package in the mail. He promised the errand would take a half hour at best but here she was, nearly two hours later, on the highway driving farther away from Shinzen High.

"But the team-"

"I can't drive back to Shinzen on an empty stomach, An-Chan." He groaned dramatically and patted his stomach, "I'll pass out and die!"

"Well we can't have you passing out and dying," Mirae bit her lip, "Alright, to the restaurant it is!"

"Sorry Suzuki-chan, I don't know where she could have gone."

"Was she here earlier?"

"She stopped by in the morning," Fukurodani's first year named Banko remembered. "She and Akari were organizing the storage room while we were practicing. Then Bokuto senpai came and she went with him."

Akaashi narrowed his eyes, a dozen scenarios running in his head. "I will call Bokuto-san and ask if she's with him."

The sound of pinball machines and dual-player combat games rang through the air like soundtrack to a teen-fiction movie. Mirae stepped closer to his side, flinching every time a random person bumped into her.

"Um, Bokuto-san, do we really have to play all the games?"

"Of course!" he cheered, yanking the tickets he won from the machine. His eyes were flowing in the dim-lighting of the arcade. He gestured to the prizes. "I have to win the giant owl for you. No one else can have it."

"It is cute," her eyes softened at the grey and white plush toy, "but we could come another time for this. I really should be getting back in case the others need me."

Bokuto turned to her with wide eyes. "You want us to come another time too? That's great!"

"N-no I meant-"

"Oh look, An-chan! We only need five thousand more tickets! Don't worry, I'll win you the fluffy owl, no problem!"

True to his promise, an hour later, he had won enough tickets for the stuffed owl. He shoved it into Mirae's arms and started exclaiming when he saw that it was almost as big as her. They left the arcade afterwards and jumped back into his car. Mirae paid extra attention to the road signs this time in order to guide them back to Shinzen.

"Bokuto-san that was our exit," she frowned. He had blatantly ignored her direction to take the off ramp onto the next exit. "Where are we going now?"

"Hm? Oh, this is a shortcut."

Mirae tried to look up from the giant owl sitting on her lap. "But this sign says the school is even farther away? That exit would have brought us directly to the school."

"I can't make a u-turn here, An-chan."

"The sign says you can."

"Oh I love this song," Bokuto cranked up the music and began to belt out the lyrics. "Sing with me, An-chan, this song is the best!"

Mirae smiled politely and just then, a sudden thought hit her. "Bokuto-san," she yelled over the music, "Are you kidnapping me?"

He slowed down to match traffic now that they were off the freeway. He smiled sheepishly. "Maybe."

"Why?"

"I noticed you were a little overwhelmed with managing the team," he scratched the back of his neck. "Kuroo noticed it too. That's when he gave me the idea to take you out for the day to get your mind off of everything. Plus, Yach-chan and Su-chan are more than capable of doing the work."

Her gaze softened at his confession. She couldn't remember the last time someone had acted considerately towards her like this.

"I was fine, really."

Bokuto glanced at her, the corners of his lips lifting. "You know, you're different than Rina."

"You've met my sister?" she asked in surprise.

"Last year at nationals. I could tell she was trying to be someone she's not, it was probably the stress from her game though."

Mirae sighed as she looked out the window. "Unfortunately, she's become someone she's not. I'm sorry if she offended you."

"Don't worry about it. Truth is, I went to congratulate her but she was angry about something."

"Rina could win a volleyball match but if she didn't like how she scored the points or if the points gap is too narrow, she gets agitated. I think at nationals her team barely made it to the semi-finals. She was really mad about it."

He nodded in understanding. "You're nothing like her, I'm glad for that, but you should still take care of yourself. It's okay to be selfish sometimes."

She blinked. "Did I really look that overwhelmed?"

"Well, you weren't smiling anymore. And your face was red, and you kept running back and forth trying to make sure everyone was being taken care of. But no one was taking care of you."

She hugged the plush owl tighter, her features relaxing.

Bokuto had finally decided to stop touring the city with random stops. He parked at Shinzen and they both made their way into the gymnasium. As they got closer, they could hear Emiko arguing with Kuroo.

"I know you had something to do with this."

"For the last time Suzuki-chan-Ow!"

"Damn useless," she growled, jumping around him and trying to reach for his phone. Kuroo held it above his head. "Give me his number."

"I already told you I won't- stop that!"

"Give me my friend!"

"Suzuki-chan, I think you lack Docosahexaenoic acid. I told you I don't have her."

"She lacks a lot of things," Mirae narrowed her eyes at Emiko. "Common sense is at the top of her list."

She walked into the gym, Bokuto trailing behind and eyeing them curiously. It was quite the sight to see. A small and short girl jumping barely a centimetre off the ground as a man three times her size waved a phone in the air. Occasionally, he'd wince when she pinched his sides or kicked his shins.

Emiko's bottom lip trembled. "Oh, there you are," she wailed and ran towards her, "I've been looking everywhere for you! I thought you were kidnapped and then turns out you were kidnapped." She glared at Bokuto.

He proudly grinned back.

"Never do that again, you hear me young lady? I was so scared and- wait, what's that?"

Their eyes shifted to the plushy owl. "Oh, Bokuto-san won this little guy for me at the arcade."

"That's right!" he cheered, "Su-chan you've got to make sure An-chan takes care of herself, yeah?"

Emiko frowned at the stuffed owl and looked at Mirae. "So you went to an arcade with him but when I asked you said no."

Kuroo draped an arm around her shoulder. "Suzuki-chan, I'll go to the arcade with you."

"Emiko calm down," Mirae frowned and took a step forward. "We didn't plan to go to the arcade. We were driving back from this Burger Shack and Bokuto went the wrong way and we happened to stumble upon it."

Emiko shrieked and pointed an accusatory finger at her. "Carbs? You ate carbs? Who the hell are you and what have you done to Mirae?"

"I eat carbs."

"Not willingly. Which means either you're an impostor or he forced you." She raised her fists and began to bounce on the balls of her feet, eyes glaring at Bokuto. "I will not go easy on you."

Kuroo stifled a laugh when Bokuto mimicked her actions.

|Note|

We would die for you, Bokuto-san

We haven't met the real Rina yet so anticipate an anti-hero coming soon.

Next chapter, concludes the Tokyo Training Camps

Please don't forget to vote! :)

|End Note|