Disclaimer: I own neither Inuyasha nor Haikyuu! and make no money from these writings.

Home Is Where the Heart Is

Chapter Two

When Kagome's phone alarm went off, it was still dark outside. After a few minutes of lying in the quiet of her room, she was able to roll out of bed with only a small amount of groaning and questioning of why she did this to herself every morning. Rummaging through her dresser until she had a handful of clothes, she opened her bedroom door and cringed at the squeak in the hinges that she still hadn't fixed and wondered if it was really as loud and noticeable as it seemed in the early morning hours.

After padding her way down the hall to the bathroom, she brushed her hair and pulled it up into a ponytail before getting dressed in her running gear. Paranoia that she was certainly being loud enough to wake up the entire house prompted Kagome to peek out into the hallway before quickly slipping back into her room to grab her running shoes, phone, armband that held her phone, and earbuds.

Footsteps muffled by her socks lead her into the kitchen where she grabbed a bottle of water to drink before she set about making a small pre-run snack; a couple of pieces of toast and a banana. She was about halfway through her first piece of toast when a deep voice said from behind her, "Good morning."

If it weren't for the mouthful of toast that muffled her startled scream, Kagome may very well have woken the rest of the house. Taking a few moments to bend over the kitchen counter and cough up the bits of toast she'd managed to inhale, Kagome finally got her breath back and turned to face the person who'd nearly given her a heart attack. "Good morning," she smiled a little tensely at Ushijima. Giving him and his track suit a quick once over, she managed to make her smile a little more genuine as she asked, "Going for a morning run?"

"It's what I usually do," Ushijima answered. "I want to keep my routine while I'm in Tokyo."

"Want something to eat before you go?" When he nodded in both answer and thanks, Kagome went about putting another couple of pieces of toast in the toaster. Picking up her unfinished piece of toast, she turned back to Ushijima. "So do you already have a route planned out for your run?" It would be impressive given that he'd just moved to the city, but not impossible if he'd looked up a map online.

"No," Ushijima shook his head. "I'll take today a little slower than my usual pace to find the best route for my runs."

Kagome grabbed another bottle of water before handing it to the much taller boy. "Well, you can come with me on my run, if you want," she offered with a smile. Her smile faltered, however, when Ushijima seemed to make a face at her offer. It was barely there - the tightening of his mouth, a small crease in his forehead - but she noticed it. Really, she doubted he even realized he did it. "Is that a no?"

"Most people can't keep up with me," he finally told her bluntly.

Kagome snorted as she walked back to the toaster to pull Ushijima's golden brown toast onto a small plate and hand it to him along with a banana. "Okay," she started as she sat at the kitchen table with her remaining food and watched Ushijima follow her example. "One, I think you just insulted my pride and honor as a runner," she laughed. "Two, you were planning to take today slow anyway, weren't you? You can just see where I run, since it's a pretty simple route that's easy to remember, and then do your own thing after today. And three, don't flatter yourself, Wakatoshi. I'm sure you're fast, but there's a reason Toudai offered me a spot on their track and field team."

Ushijima watched Kagome as they both ate. He was going to apologize in case he'd offended her, but from the smile she was giving him, he had the feeling that she was teasing him more than anything. While she seemed relaxed around him - which was much more than he got from most people he'd just met - he still wasn't sure how to act around her. He was very aware that he had the tendency to offend and upset others by speaking his mind, but he didn't want to get a bad start with the people he'd be living with. He'd gotten used to his teammates brushing off his sometimes brutal honesty, knowing that he usually didn't mean any offense. But now that he was around people who didn't know him, he felt the need to be a little more careful in what he said. It all made him very tense, so he'd been looking forward to his run as a stress release.

"You don't have to come with me if you don't want to," Kagome finally spoke again as she finished her banana. When Ushijima looked at her in question, she smiled, "You hadn't actually answered me yet about whether or not you wanted to join me or go your own way. I didn't want you to feel like you had to say yes. It was just an offer, so I understand if you want to go your own way."

Feeling some of the tension ease out of his back and shoulders, Ushijima realized that even though he didn't feel obligated to join Kagome, part of him still wanted to. Part of it was due to the fact that she knew the city better than he did, but it was also because she was the person he felt most comfortable around so far. They'd probably had the least interaction, but that was because she wasn't going out of her way to get to know him. She wasn't pushing, but just letting their interactions come naturally.

"I'll follow you," he finally answered. "I can go back to my usual pace tomorrow." He watched as Kagome nearly spat out the water she'd been drinking before she swallowed and started to laugh.

"How gracious of you," she giggled while shaking her head and replacing her bottle's cap. Once Ushijima had finished his banana, Kagome stood, stretched her back, and put their plates by the sink. "Ready to go warm up?" She asked with a smile.

Ushijima stood and followed Kagome to the entryway by the kitchen where they both slipped on their shoes before heading outside. He was prepared to follow her lead, but he had to stop and watch as the first thing she did was give a long exhale from her mouth to watch the wispy steam of her breath.

"It's still pretty cold out in the mornings," she said as she bounced on her toes a few times. "Come on," she waved for him to follow her as she started walking across the yard to the nearest gate to the actual shrine grounds. It was still mostly dark out with just the gray haze of morning light creeping up from the horizon. The dim light, cold and foggy air, and lack of people made the shrine seem both peaceful and a little creepy.

Kagome stopped in front of the large tree he'd stopped to look at the previous day and fell into a routine of basic stretches, so Ushijima followed suit with his own warm-up.

"So," she started as she lifted one foot behind her to catch her ankle and balance on one foot for a few seconds. "I usually use the steps as a warm-up," she said as she released her ankle and repeated the stretch with the other leg. "Up and down, five times total. Walk down them at an easy pace the first time, come back up a little faster, back down at a slow jog, and just repeat two more times getting a little faster with each go. By the time we hit the bottom on the fifth pass, we'll be at a run and can get right into my usual course. When we get back, it's the same thing but in reverse for a cool-down. Does that sound okay to you?"

Ushijima nodded and followed Kagome when she started down the shrine's stairs. As they walked down for their first pass, Kagome plugged her earbuds into the phone she'd already strapped to her upper arm and went about getting them adjusted in her ears. "I usually keep the volume pretty low," she explained, "so I can still hear any nearby traffic. If you need something or have a question while we're running, you can just ask. I'll be able to hear you." She smiled up at him and pressed a button on the side of her phone to start her music as they hit the bottom step, turned around, and started up the steps a little faster than they'd gone down them.

Kagome had been right, Ushijima thought. The stairs made a good warm-up. By the time they reached the sidewalk on their fifth pass, he felt ready to start the run in earnest.

He'd expected to need to slow his pace with Kagome by a lot considering what he was used to on his runs and just how much longer his stride was than hers, but it really wasn't that bad. She kept a good and consistent pace, he partially suspected she was keeping time to a playlist she'd made specifically for running, and it didn't feel all that different from one of his usual runs.

They stayed on the edge of the sidewalk for a few streets, jogging in place as they waited for a couple of crosswalks, before they finally got to a path along a river. It was still early in the morning and there weren't many people out yet, but there were still a few that they passed by while running along the river trail who waved at Kagome and gave him odd looks. After it happened for a third time, Kagome took out one of her earbuds and turned her head to look at him as they continued to run. "I never run with anyone this early in the morning," she explained, her voice hitching a little each time her foot hit the ground. "They're probably just surprised that I have a running partner today."

Ushijima nodded, accepting the answer. But hearing it, he wondered if it also had something to do with the fact that he was a large man running with a very small woman who usually ran alone. Though he quickly let it go because the staring didn't really bother him one way or the other.

The run lasted a good while before they reached a turning point and doubled back. By the time the shrine steps came into view, the streets and sidewalk were considerably busier with the early wave of people leaving for work. Up and down the stair five times until they were walking up the last few steps to finally stop in the shrine's courtyard.

Kagome was smiling, slightly winded and taking deep even breaths, as she pulled earbuds from her ears and asked, "So what do you think of my route?"

Ushijima was looking out over the shrine, covered in long shadows and an orange glow from the morning sunrise, as he said, "It's a good run." He followed Kagome again when she nodded and started making her way back to their home. "I might use that route again," he finally spoke again. He hadn't had much time to look around the shrine when he'd arrived the day before, and now that he was finally able to look without feeling rushed, he found that he liked it. It didn't feel like they were in the middle of a large city. It felt old and traditional and reminded him just a little bit of home.

"Well, I try to make that run twice a day," Kagome said as she spun around to walk backwards and talk to him at the same time. "I like to go once in the morning and once in the evening. I always go at least once though, if I don't have time for both." She was quiet for a few awkward backwards steps before she offered, "You can come with me again tonight if you want. Or stick to whatever schedule you're used to. Whichever, I just wanted to extend the invitation." Turning back around without ever losing her smile, Kagome picked up her pace and trotted the rest of the way to the house.

Sliding open the door and bending down to untie her shoes, Kagome called out, "We're back!"

"Welcome home," Risa answered from the kitchen. "How was your run?"

"It was good," Kagome continued the conversation as she slid her feet into her slippers and moved out of the way so that Ushijima could step into the small entryway to do the same. "Wakatoshi went with me. I showed him the route I usually take."

Risa finally stepped out of the kitchen, brushing her hands off on her apron and smiling at them as she said, "That's so nice! I'm glad to see you kids getting along already."

"We're not best friends yet, Mama," Kagome laughed as she kissed her mother on the cheek in greeting. "Just showing him some of the city."

"I know," Risa waved her daughter off. "But I still think it's a good start. Help me with breakfast?"

Kagome nodded before turning back to Ushijima. "You can go ahead and use the bath if you want. I'll take one after breakfast, and Souta won't even be up until he smells food."

"Okay," Ushijima agreed easily. As he passed by the kitchen he saw Kagome and her mother moving around each other with practiced ease as they went about getting breakfast ready, and it reminded him of when he lived with his own mother. It was just the two of them for so long and he was so quiet by nature that by the time he was in high school, they rarely even needed to speak to each other to know what the other wanted or needed. But it was always a comfortable silence, something warm and happy.

As he again longed for that level of comfort in his surroundings, he felt an odd tightness in his chest. Pushing away his inner discomfort, Ushijima made his way up the stairs to the house's second floor and down the hall to his room so that he could get a clean change of clothes. The bathroom had a simple layout and it was easy to find everything that he needed, but it still wasn't his bathroom. The tile was different and the shower was on the opposite side of the room. The towels were a different color and didn't smell like home. He was in a home but not his home. And it wasn't until he was rinsing the shampoo from his hair that Ushijima realized he was feeling the beginnings of homesickness.

It was an odd realization because he'd never really experienced it before. Even when attending Shiratorizawa and living in the dorms, he'd never felt homesick because he knew that home wasn't far. It was a few minutes by train, and he could easily visit on the weekends or even during the week after practice from time to time just to have dinner with his mother. But now his mother and home and everything familiar wasn't just right outside, it was miles and hours away. And the realization made him feel incredibly lonely for what was probably the first time in his life.

Not a passing feeling of loneliness. Everyone got lonely from time to time. Ushijima knew this. But this new feeling, loneliness mixed with isolation despite knowing he was surrounded by people, made him truly and deeply miss his old futon and his old room and his mother and the way she always smelled like the herbs she grew in her garden.

Turning the hot water almost completely off, Ushijima flinched when cold water sprayed over his head. He forced himself to stay under it for a few seconds to clear his head and dispel his more sentimental thoughts. He could accept missing his home, but he was in Tokyo now. It was difficult for the moment, but he would persevere and overcome. This was where he was supposed to be and it was where he would stay.

Ushijima quickly finished up his shower and dried off before getting dressed and making his way back downstairs. In the kitchen, he took a seat at the much smaller dining table, chairs pressed close together to fit everyone in the family. Across from him sat Souta, still trying to wake up but slowly coming around.

"Morning," the younger boy mumbled, rubbing at his eyes and trying to focus as Kagome and Risa brought food to the table.

"Good morning," Ushijima replied, voice deep enough to seemingly snap Souta into the world of the living.

"How long have you been up?" Souta asked noticing his step-brother's damp hair.

Finally taking her seat next to Ushijima, Kagome said, "He was up early enough to go running with me."

Souta made a face, clearly appalled at the very idea of getting up at such an hour. "Why do you do that to yourselves?"

Risa ruffled her son's hair as she sat down saying, "It might do you some good to get up early with them and go running. I'm sure it'll help get you prepared for when your club starts back up with the new school year."

"She's right," Takashi chimed in with a smile. "If you're going to keep playing volleyball, the cardio will help build your stamina which is something you'll need as you get older. Right, Wakatoshi?"

Ushijima nodded with an affirmative hum, quietly eating his food and listening to the conversation.

"If you don't want to go running," Grandpa Higurashi chimed in from the other end of the table, "you can always get up early and help me around the shrine. It'll be good practice for when you join the priesthood and take over this place one day."

Before Souta could argue, Kagome beat him to it as she said, "We've talked about this Gramps. Souta doesn't want to be a priest. That's why I'm going to take over the shrine one day."

"What a wonderful granddaughter you are!" Grandpa Higurashi said as he reached over to pat Kagome's arm. "I suppose Souta can still help out around here on the weekends."

Ushijima watched Kagome roll her eyes but still smiled as she cast a glance towards Souta and mouthed "I tried." Souta bit back a laugh as he took another bite.

The conversation gradually shifted towards what everyone's plans were for the day.

Eyes lighting up, Souta focused completely on his new big brother as he asked, "Can you show me some volleyball stuff today?"

"Souta!" Kagome cut it. "He just got here yesterday. Give him a little time to at least finish unpacking, jeez."

"It's fine," Ushijima answered Souta's question, looking between the siblings when they both turned to stare at him.

"Really?" They asked him in unison, though in two very different tones. He nodded and watched as Souta stuck his tongue out triumphantly at his sister and Kagome wrinkle her nose and made a face right back at him. They both got a gentle reprimanding from Risa before apologizing - to their mother and the rest of the table, not to each other - and getting back to their breakfasts.

It was true that he was still pretty far from settled. Ushijima still had a few boxes to unpack and he was still settling into whatever his role in the house was, but the prospect of volleyball sounded nice. It wasn't with a team and sounded like it would be outside instead of on a court, but it would be something familiar from his past to tie to this new place. Maybe it would help him feel more at home. At the very least, he thought it might work off a little of the tension he could still feel lingering inside his chest.

When breakfast was finished, everyone split up to go their separate ways. Risa stayed in the kitchen to do the breakfast dishes as Kagome headed for the stairs to finally get her shower. Grandpa Higurashi made his way outside to get his day tending the shrine started, and Takashi helped Risa with the dishes, mostly drying and putting this away. Looking around, Ushijima noticed that Souta seemed to have simply vanished.

"Souta's probably upstairs getting his shoes," Risa mentioned over her shoulder. "Unless you want him pulling at your arm the entire way outside, I recommend beating him out there," she laughed.

Feeling out of place with nothing else to do at the moment, Ushijima decided to follow her advice and make his way outside. He slipped his running shoes back on, not wanting to get his volleyball shoes dirty, and stepped outside. Ushijima wasn't sure where they would be practicing, though he could hazard a guess that it would be to the side of the yard where two poles were set up for a net to be tied between them. Not knowing where the net was, he set into a series of practiced stretches to warm up his arms and shoulders. He still felt good from his morning run and was ready to get in a little practice. It felt like it had been forever.

Ushijima was moving through the last of his stretches when Souta came barreling out of the house, a wide smile across his face. "This is gonna be so awesome!" He shouted, making a straight shot for a small shed behind the house. He returned quickly, carrying a large plastic bin filled with several volleyballs and a folded up net laid on top.

"We have to tie the net up first," Takashi chuckled at his step-son's excitement. Turning his attention to Ushijima, he picked up the net from the bin and asked, "You take one side while I do the other?"

Ushijima nodded as he extended his hand for his side and helped his father get the net set up. Once both sides were even and securely tied, he walked to the bin and picked up a ball, only to squeeze it and toss it in the air a couple of times. It felt good, properly inflated and ready to take a beating. He didn't say anything as he walked to one side of the net and looked to Takashi.

"Why not show us your serve?" Takashi suggested, hoping it would get the ball rolling. He really wanted the kids to bond and for Ushijima to feel like he belonged in their family. His son already seemed to be building a connection with Kagome, but Takashi suspected it might be more difficult with Souta due to the age gap and Ushijima growing up an only child.

Squeezing the ball in his hands one more time, he waited for Souta to be clear from the other side of the net before tossing the ball high and following through with the powerful jump-serve that he'd practiced and developed over the years. The ball slammed into the ground, kicking up dust and dirt and causing the sound of the impact to echo off the surrounding trees. The ball bounced hard and went flying, causing Ushijima's jaw to tense when it almost collided with some potted plants near the gate.

Okay, maybe he would have to work on holding back a little bit.

"That was awesome!" Souta shouted as he ran after the ball. When he came running back up to Ushijima, his eyes were wide and shining in admiration. "There's no way anyone would be able to stop that!"

"No one is invincible," Ushijima told him, and when Souta frowned like he couldn't imagine someone being able to stop a serve like that, Ushijima remembered his game against Karasuno and the first time he could remember not making it to nationals. "In my third year, a libero about the size of your sister was able to cleanly receive my spike."

Souta's eyes went the widest Ushijima had seen yet as he asked, awed, "You mean I could learn to receive spikes and serves that strong?"

Nodding, Ushijima had to admit that he liked seeing this sort of reaction to volleyball. To Souta, everything was new and there were so many moves and techniques he still didn't know and so much time to perfect and hone his own takes on them. And part of Ushijima wanted to help him reach that potential. Souta still had a lot of growing to do before he would reach Ushijima's level of training though.

"I can help you when I have time," Ushijima offered.

Souta was practically vibrating at the thought of getting tips and advice from someone ranked as one of the best rising players in the country. His teammates were going to be so jealous.

They spent the next several minutes with Ushijima critiquing Souta's stance and form while Takashi tried to rephrase his son's blunt comments to have a more positive spin. It was while Ushijima was showing Souta a position for a more reliable receive that the door to the house opened and Kagome stepped out to join them in the mid-morning light.

"They've already got you playing volleyball with them?" Kagome laughed as she walked towards them while tying her hair back with a white ribbon.

Ushijima looked up and was a little surprised to see Kagome dressed as a traditional priestess. He suddenly remembered what she said at breakfast about eventually taking over the shrine and it made a little more sense.

"Well," she continued, "I have some chores around the shrine to take care of. If you get tired of practice, come find me and I'll give you a tour of the grounds." With a small wave, Kagome was off, through a gate nearest the shrine itself, and disappearing around a corner.

"You should take her up on that," Souta said after another moment. When Ushijima looked down at him, he rushed to add, "Not right now or anything! Because I'm learning a lot! But later, you should let her show you around. Kagome knows a lot about the shrine. She has even has more stories than Gramps. Hers are more interesting too." Souta smiled, clearly proud of his big sister.

Their practice continued on for more than another hour until Souta finally called for a break, tired and in need of some water. While the younger boy made his way inside, Takashi was coming out of the house with another bottle of water for Ushijima. "Since you're taking a little break, why not go take a look around?" He suggested.

Not having any good reason not to, Ushijima accepted the water and made his way to one of the gates that lead to the shrine grounds. Again, he thought how nice it was. It was kept clean and cared for. The buildings were old but obviously well maintained. He finally caught sight of Kagome, broom in hand as she spoke with who he assumed were some visitors. Pointing this way and that, she finally gave a short bow as the visitors thanked her and waved before heading to another part of the shrine. When she turned and caught sight of him, she smiled and waved him over.

"Snuck away, huh?" She asked as she resumed her sweeping.

"We're taking a break," Ushijima explained.

Kagome laughed, "Well, if I know Souta, that won't last long, so enjoy it while you can." It was quiet between them for a stretch before she paused and looked back up at him. "Did you want to take me up on that offer to show you around?"

"If you have time," Ushijima told her, not wanting to disturb her work if she was too busy.

"Sure," Kagome smiled happily. She set her broom aside and dusted her hands off before motioning for him to follow her. They toured around the grounds, Kagome explaining some of the recorded history of the shrine; when it was built, when additions were made, which parts had been damaged or destroyed and rebuilt over the years, how long her family had been caring for it. She showed him the main shrine and pointed out the shrine's storage building. She pointed out the old well house from a distance, explaining that it was off-limits to visitors and guests and pretty much everyone. She easily answered the few questions that Ushijima asked and was honestly an excellent tour guide. It was obvious that she did this fairly often.

"And this is my favorite place," she explained as they stopped in front of the large tree that always seemed to catch Ushijima's attention.

"My father said the same thing yesterday when we got here."

"Well, to be fair, I think this is a favorite spot for a lot of people who come here," she smiled up at the old tree. "It has a very calming presence, don't you think?"

Ushijima nodded at her question. The tree was large and old and loomed over everything around it like a watchful guardian. The spring breeze rustled through the leaves and made a calming static background noise as Ushijima asked, "What happened to the bark?"

Looking between Ushijima and the scar he'd indicated, Kagome smiled, even if it was just a tiny bit sad. "Ah," she said. "The story behind that is...kind of a fairytale here at the shrine. It's not in the official history or anything, but do you still want to hear it?" When Ushijima nodded, Kagome's smile brightened just a little as she spoke, "More than five hundred years ago, there was a priestess. She was very powerful, even though she was so young, and that's why she was entrusted with safeguarding a certain jewel. The jewel was said to grant the wish of whoever owned it, any wish their heart desired. So of course there were tons of demons and power-hungry humans that were always after it, but she defeated all of them. At least until a half-demon came along."

Kagome paused for a moment, took a breath, and continued, "He wanted the jewel so that he could become fully demon. The priestess stopped him, but she didn't kill him. Time and again, she let him go no matter how many times he tried to steal the jewel. Eventually, they started talking. They got to know one another and became friends and even fell in love. But there was another demon, an incredibly evil one, that wanted the jewel. He watched them and came up with a plan to make them turn on one another. He disguised himself as each of them, met them separately, and made them think that the other had betrayed them. The priestess was injured and the half-demon was angry. He went to steal the jewel again and succeeded, but before he could get away with it, the priestess showed up and used the last of her strength to shoot him with her sacred arrow and pin him to this tree, where he would stay sealed in sleep forever. She knew that she was going to die and instructed the jewel to be burned with her body so that nobody could ever use it for evil again."

After Kagome finished her story, Ushijima thought on it for several long seconds before he finally spoke, "If he was supposed to be sealed to the tree forever, where is he now? The story has a plot hole."

Kagome's smile was a little tight as she tried her best to laugh and say, "It's just a story, Wakatoshi. A fairytale. You don't have to take it seriously."

He wasn't entirely satisfied with the answer, but he could tell that something had changed in Kagome's attitude after telling him the story. He was debating on whether or not he cared enough about the change to ask when Souta called out across the shrine for him to come show him more about volleyball.

"Go on," Kagome shooed, her usual smile making its way back onto her face. "See if you can wear him out now. If you don't, he'll try to get you to play video games with him once it gets too dark to play outside."

Ushijima accepted the advice and made his way back towards Souta as she similarly went back to her sweeping. The rest of the day passed uneventfully as Souta finally tired enough to call it a day. Ushijima went back to his room to do some more unpacking and organizing until Kagome finished her chores and asked if he wanted to join her on her evening run before dinner.

The route the took was the same as the morning, but there were considerably more people as they ran along the river, more people to wave at Kagome and give him odd looks. Dinner was similar to breakfast, happy conversation around the smaller kitchen table, and Ushijima was beginning to see how the family acted together, what their lives were really like without the hectic preparations for his arrival to throw them off.

It was nice, he thought. If he could eventually find a place here, the next several years wouldn't be so bad.

Days passed and new routines were established. Ushijima joined Kagome on her runs more often than not. He was still impressed by her stamina and ability to keep pace with him. He would practice with Souta some days, but Souta would leave to see friends on others. On those days, Ushijima would ask if there was work he could help with around the shrine. Grandpa Higurashi had instantly taken a shine to him after that. As the start of the new school year got closer, college textbooks ordered online for both Kagome and Ushijima arrived at the house and they got their new school supplies (and athletics bags) in order for their first day of classes.

Their first day came quicker than they felt it should have, but like they were getting used to, Kagome and Ushijima left the house together in the morning so that Kagome could show him the most efficient way to the campus.

Things were a little crazy when they got to the school gates, new students everywhere looking at maps and checking them against their schedules, usually before rushing off in a panic over being late. Kagome had patted him on the arm before wishing him luck on his first day and joining the fray. She was small enough that he lost her almost instantly in the crowd and he was left on his own.

He managed to navigate his first day of classes without too much trouble. He was neither shy nor hesitant about asking for help or directions to where he needed to be. And really, for him it was all leading up to the end of his day where he could make his way towards the volleyball team's gymnasium. He got changed for his first day of practice with his college team, slipping his volleyball shoes on once he was actually in the gym, and looked around.

Oddly enough, there was a sign taped to the wall instructing the team's first years to gather in that spot and wait for the captain. As he walked that way, he recognized a few faces of players already leaning against the wall or sitting in the floor or just horsing around with each other. The loud wing spiker from Tokyo's Fukurodani was there playfully shoving a tall and lanky young man that Ushijima only vaguely recognized, not sure if they'd ever actually played against one another. He was pretty sure he would have remembered hair that wild. And then, surprisingly enough, there was also Karasuno's old captain trying to get them to knock it off before they got the group in trouble. When they made eye contact, Karasuno's captain looked a little uncomfortable before he tried to wave good-naturedly.

Ushijima lifted a hand in return just as the rest of the group turned to look at him, and Ushijima realized that he recognized another face. He was surprised he hadn't earlier, even the the other man's back had been to him, because the hair should have been enough of a giveaway.

"Wakatoshi-kun!" Tendou shouted as his face lit up and he quickly jogged over to greet his friend. "We're on the same team again!"

"I thought you were going to quit volleyball after high school," Ushijima said, surprised to see Tendou anywhere near a volleyball court, much less at the same school he was attending all the way in Tokyo.

"Well, I was," Tendou sighed, rolling his head from one shoulder to the other before slinging an arm around Ushijima's shoulders and leading him back towards the rest of their peers. "But then I got offered a spot here and my mom lost it a little when I said I was probably going to turn it down. So after much yelling and many guilt trips and threats of bodily harm if I dared to stay home when this was being offered to me because of my, honestly superior, talents, I decided to keep playing for a few more years."

When they got back to the rest of the first years, Tendou made short work of introducing him to those who had already gathered. There was Fukurodani's previous ace and captain, Bokuto, and Nekoma's previous captain, Kuroo, along with their libero, Yaku, all of them Tokyo natives. Then of course Ushijima was already well acquainted with Tendou, and he made a point of remembering that Karasuno's previous captain was named Daichi. About the time Tendou's introductions was finishing up, another voice was heard approaching them.

"Ah~, my new teammates. I look forward to working with all of you," the happy voice practically sang out until Ushijima turned around to look at who he already knew was behind him. At that point, all the cheer in the atmosphere dropped cold and dead as he and Oikawa stared at each other. Oikawa's face was a mix of shock, irritation, and outright disbelief before he lifted both hands in the air and proclaimed, "I quit."