The next day, Nishinoya was unusually early to go to school, despite his lack of being responsible and his overwhelming love for his bed that he grew attached ever since he was born. Not only because of early practice that made his body fidget all morning, but it was because of the sudden news that his goddess—the Ronin—would be spending her freshmen year in Karasuno if ever she was able to stay in the school without getting expelled.

Entering the entrance of the school building, Nishinoya went through the shoe lockers and later found himself checking if there were new names attached on the lockers. Disappointed, he realized he didn’t know the real name of Ronin which was—as mentioned before—Shina Tomoe.

He thought that maybe the swordswoman didn’t want to attend classes, based from the certain events from yesterday that the Ronin tried to stop her grandmother from enrolling her to high school.

Baffled, the libero made his way to his classroom in hopes that maybe Shina was just late for class and settled that he could check the first year’s classrooms later.

…

“C’mon Tomoe! Give me a break!” Raiden screamed across the room while using the turned upside down table as a shield.

Shina ignored his feeble cries and went to throw a wooden chair at him that he blocked using the table again. She’s been like this since the evening she went home and poor Raiden had to take in her anger.

“Gina wants the best for you! Couldn’t you at least understand her?!” the poor gangster’s bribery wasn’t affecting Shina’s psychological stableness. She continued throwing furniture at him.

Their headquarters was one by one being torn down by their own leader.

It only stopped when the silver haired elder; Gina, arrived at the scene only to see what Raiden’s state is. The poor helpless man had been cornered by Shina and was overly glad to see he was saved by the Ronin’s grandmother.

“Gina-san!” cried Raiden, running over to Gina, but before he could reach her, a glass mirror was thrown at the halfway boundary between him and the old woman. “Damn it Tomoe!”

“Tomoe, what are you doing?” Gina sternly questioned her granddaughter who settled down the television she was about to throw at Raiden who hid behind Gina in fright.

“I had to take out my anger on someone” answered Shina plainly.

“You do not take anger on someone. And especially in that method of yours; put that television where it was originally placed” Gina ordered. “Now” of course, Shina had to obey since she respected her grandmother to the fullest. She was the one who took the girl when her mother died in the house fire while his father was in jail—up until now.

She plugged in the TV and turned it on, quietly sitting on one of the stools and anticipated the upcoming nagging she’ll get from her grandmother.

“Say what you must” said the velvet haired.

“I will” replied Gina and took a deep breath before continuing. “I don’t understand why you’re being like this Tomoe. I’m only doing this for your sake. I only want what’s best for you yet you… you throw away the chances of you having a normal life” Shina bobbed her head upward to look at her grandma direct in the eyes.

“Even before I was born, those chances were never there to begin with” the cold tone, those piercing emotionless orbs, and the passive personality that Shina gained from her terrible past has been badly affecting how she thinks and decides what’s right.

Gina couldn’t blame her; losing her mother at a young age without having anyone—her father was in jail—their relatives at her mother’s side had disowned them and her father side wasn’t really the right people to live with. Gina was the only decent one left.

Gina’s eyes softened at what her granddaughter is now. She was far different from the child she was. Jolly, cheerful, lovable; that kind of Shina Tomoe was gone.

Shina stood up from her spot after concluding that Gina had nothing to say to her.

She left the headquarters on her motor and placed her bag under her seat. Little did she know that Tamotsu put her school uniform in it, in secret.

Shina rode her motor at a far distant area of Miyagi where a particular cemetery was located. She forgot to buy flowers so she picked flowers that grew just around the fences of the lonely place.

“Oka-san” she spoke quietly, caressing the carved stone that says Shina Osami. The soft breeze of wind brushed through her face as her long red velvet hair swayed along. She fought back tears that were about to escape and tried her best to not look weak in front of her mother. “I talked back to grandma again…

…why is it that she never gets tired of a child like me…?”

Shina looked up the sky blue atmosphere and remembered the days she had with her mother as they determined the shape of the clouds during the summer days while eating watermelon out of their old traditional Japanese house. She smiled at the memory but told herself those days wouldn’t happen again. Never of her beautiful memories in her childhood would repeat themselves in the life she had now.

“She enrolled me to a school… I’m a first year now but I… don’t want to go” slowly, Shina opened up about her life that she rarely does to anyone; never in her life that she was truthful to other people with the exception of her mother.

“A guy proposed to me the other day too…” added the swordswoman and stared at the grass pricking her skin. “He attends the same school Gina enrolled me to. He’s a loud person like his friend”

Shina smiled to herself, her hand clutching the middle of her chest. It’s a pain I don’t get a chance to know him better. I never had someone close to me before.

…

“Achoo!” Nishinoya let out a sneeze as he ate at the Foothill store with his teammates. Tanaka handed him a tissue while gobbling onto his meat bun with his mouth full and his cheeks puffing like a chipmunk’s. The libero wiped his nose, staring up the now scarlet sky, displaying a beautiful sunset. The day had passed and he didn’t even see Shina making an appearance at the campus. It made him a bit down inside but didn’t let it show to his other teammates; although his closest friend: Tanaka was able to determine the look on his face.

“What’s wrong? You’ve been acting strange ever since I saw you in morning practice” Tanaka said out of nowhere, joining Nishinoya in staring up the sky.

The shorter player had his guard down for a second before his uneasy shoulder relaxed and he exhaled his deep breath.

“Please don’t tell me it’s about your goddess” that remark of Tanaka made Nishinoya flinch. The bald guy sighed. “Thought so…” he muttered.

Nishinoya’s lower lip rose forming a pout pairing up with red flustered cheeks that conclude that he was thinking about Shina.

“I was just thinking about why she wasn’t in her class…” admitted the libero before grabbing another bite of his bun.

“So it is about her” Tanaka stated. Nishinoya twitched uncomfortable in his spot, trembling hands gripping on his squeezed bun. “You’re worried about the Ronin but she doesn’t care about you. You’re entering a one-sided love relationship Noya-san. Or rather, there’s no relationship at all”

“Oi Ryu. Don’t jump to conclusions that I want to be in a relationship with her! Just because I’m worried doesn’t mean I—” Nishinoya, defending himself, was put into a cut when he noticed a familiar figure walking down the dawned cover street. The shadow portrayed a shape of a long katana hanging from a female body’s shoulders. His cat-like orbs couldn’t move away; it was like it was a magnet glued to another magnet.

“You proposed to her though” Tanaka’s talking was omitted when Nishinoya had dashed away from the store, leaving his teammates behind and followed the familiar woman that he caught sight of.

“Noya-san! Where are you going?!”

…

“Goddess! Goddess!”

Shina heard a faint scream of that word just as a stung of worry and nervousness invaded her chest. Could it be…? To find out the owner of that loud booming voice that she didn’t like, Shina rotated her neck to see a short figure sprinting to her direction; quickly recognizing who that latter was.

She readied herself and draws her sword out of his sheath and used it to create distance between her and Nishinoya who was now a few feet from her. The distance declared on how far he could go near her.

“Goddess!” Nishinoya repeated.

“My title exists for a reason” Shina stated with a monotonous tone.

“Ronin-sama!”

“I hate suffixes on my name”

“Ro-Ronin!”

Shina finally lowered her guard and pointed her sword at the ground, showing that she was slightly felt secured.

“What do you want?” questioned the Ronin, putting her sword back behind her.

Nishinoya’s shoulders rose in amazement that the girl he fell in love—he was attracted to was now talking to him. “Ronin!” his start wasn’t good because of the loud voice he had yelled in front of the swordswoman’s face. He recalled she didn’t like loud people. “Sorry! Ronin! I was wondering if… I mean why… Uhh… you were…”

“You’re asking why I didn’t go to school?” assumed Shina since she found Nishinoya predictable. She’s good in reading people; though we cannot say that people could do the same to her.

Nishinoya nodded at her presumption and tensely waited for her response. Shina saw how uneasy he looked and turned away. “I simply don’t want to” she gave him his answer and started to walk away.

“Ro-Ronin wait—!” Nishinoya grabbed her wrist and he swore—it was the first time he saw a reaction from her. But it wasn’t a good one; she looked so pained. Not the emotional one but the one like he hurt her wrist. “Gah! I’m sorry!”

As Nishinoya let go of her, Shina rubbed her wrist soothingly to ease the pain. The libero felt guilty for latching onto her like that and apologized repeatedly.

“Please let me treat your wounds!” he pleaded.

“You don’t need to…” Shina trailed.

But the Ronin couldn’t argue; Nishinoya was persistent and insisted to treat her. They end up going to a convenience store to buy a remedy for Shina and sat outside where a bench was placed as Nishinoya carefully damped the treatment on Shina’s wrist. She noticed how his hands were shaking since he was holding hers. He did manage to finish though but after a while, he noticed Shina’s eyes trailing around the area in weariness.

He wasn’t able to ask though; Shina already decided to leave and didn’t bother to say goodbye.

Nishinoya watched the girl’s figure go farer to where he is. He pulled up his bottom lip once again and shouted at the girl. “RONIN! YOU SHOULD RECONSIDER GOING TO SCHOOL TOMORROW! I’LL EVEN TOUR YOU MYSELF OKAY?!” and after that, he deeply regretted it.

Shina’s death glare was indeed terrifying up to the point that he froze in his spot. He somehow thought that she was part medusa.

The Ronin nodded her head to the side, giving Nobuo a sign to go follow Nishinoya and make sure he walks home safe. Seeing them together in a public is dangerous for the libero’s life.

Shina looked up the now dark sky and recalled all the words that have been told to her that tried to convince her in thinking about the future she thought there never was for her.

She remembered the words her mother told her before her life came to an end. Tomoe, live on a happy life. A promise she thought she would never fulfill might have been put through at the second thought that was mingling inside her mind.

Should I…? 

Huehuehuehue. A chapter right there :^) Noya x Shina moments <3 Hihi sorry it took a while to update this xD But HFOM tho--I have yet to update Karato's crazy life story... hehe maybe on friday I'll finish the chapter :B Hahaha so for now, please read and enjoy this. :D So vote and tell me what you think! :D Feedback pls <3