Little Monster 1

By: TheDeadGirlRisen

Beta'ed by: N/a

Author Notes: The start of a brand new journey. Mostly because this idea would not leave me alone. I will use honorifics only for characters speaking. Junior High and Middle school are one in the same, just in case there is any confusion.

Word Count: 2,146

Date Written: 3/5/20 -3/9/20

Date Posted: 3/9/20 (Ao3) 3/12/20 (Fanfiction)

A Demon for a Friend

"You're such an idiot!" a kid shouted at him, one of his new bullies.

He didn't know their names, not yet anyways. Eventually he would learn them, that is if he didn't end up moving again, but his father had promised it was the last time. That from now on he would just fly out and rent an apartment while he was gone.

So he was at a new school, with new people, new kids who he didn't know. Yet, he was already labeled as the 'idiot' kid. And it had only been a week and a half. Just because it took him longer to understand stuff, didn't mean he was dumb.

"Dummy. Dummy!" They taunted him.

"I'm not an idiot!" Shouyou protested, hands clenching into a fist as he heard the familiar words.

"Just like you're not short," The main speaker replied and the others laughed.

"Just you wait! I'll be taller than all of you!" He replied, scowling.

He watched warily as the main kid walked closer to him, but he didn't back away. He kept his eyes on the boy. He knew what the boy was going to do, but he also knew that trying to run would just make the bully keep targeting him. The boy, who was in his year stood only a few inches taller than him, honestly Shouyou wasn't too much shorter than the other kid. The kid scowled at him glaring as he raised his hand.

Shouyou moved his own arms to block, but stopped as he saw another kid moving to defend him.

A kid he had never seen before today, he had red hair in a bowl cut and was taller than him by half a foot. "Hey~! What are you doing?" The kid asked, stepping in front of Shouyou. His head was tilted to the side, but Shouyou could not see his face.

"It's the monster!" One of the girls screamed instantly fleeing. The other kids shuffled backwards. Shouyou looked around the mysterious kid to see that the main leader had seemingly become paralyzed in fear.

"Run far away~" The red haired kid sanged out a small grin coming across his face.

The main kid did. The other's seeing their leader fleeing choose to run away.

"Who are you?" Shouyou asked as the red haired kid turned towards him.

"Tendou, Satori, and you?" The boy asked his eyes wide as he stared down at Shouyou.

"Hinata, Shouyou," he responded.

"Nice to meet you, do you play volleyball?" Tendou asked suddenly.

Shouyou shook his head, "Only tall people are allowed to play volleyball."

"Anyone can play, come on, I need someone to play with anyways," Tendou said grabbing his arm and dragging him off.

It was the start of their friendship.

What started as a simple activity quickly became something he looked forward to, it was where he could spend the most time with Tendou after all. The only other time he saw the older boy was at lunch.

The older boy always seemed to bring him something interesting, whether a new beverage he had never drinked, or american candy. He asked Tendou where he got the stuff from once and his friend had grinned and explained that his parents always brought him stuff whenever they came back.

Shouyou loved trying the new items, though some were truly horrible. Tendou was also good at finding him as soon as school ended, keeping the bullies away. Soon enough the bullies started leaving him alone, with mutters about how someone could be friends with the 'demon'. He hated hearing them call Tendou that.

"Why?" Tendou asked him tilting his head and staring at him with his wide eyes.

"Because you're not a demon," Shouyou replied staring up at his friend.

"I don't mind."

"You don't?" Shouyou questioned a frown crossing his face, not understanding why Tendou was not upset.

"Why should I? It's just a word and it's not true. So why should I let it bother me?"

Shouyou hummed in response as he thought over the answer, "I suppose that makes sense Tendou-senpai."

Tendou pouted, "How many times do I have to remind you to call me Satori."

"Sorry!" Shouyou responded ducking his head down.

When he was first called a monster he didn't know what to think. Didn't know what to feel. So he ignored the students, ignored the whispers of him being the demon's monster. At least until he met up with Satori.

"The kids are calling me a monster," He stated spinning a volleyball in his hands.

"Oh? Does this bother you?"

Shouyou frowned as he thought about it, "No?" He finally replied in a confused voice. "It's just a word, right? So I shouldn't let it bother me."

Satori nodded, "If it does bother you though just let me know."

He gave a slow nod before he threw the ball towards Satori. The two passed the ball back and forth for a little bit. Shouyou caught the ball and said, "I think I liked it."

"Oh?"

Shouyou gave a slow nod, "They called me the demon's monster."

With a grin that frightened everyone but Shouyou, Satori reached over and ruffled Shouyou's hair.

Shouyou gave a smile back.

Satori may be a demon, but that was okay because Shouyou could be his monster.

The kids started to stay away from him, even more than before, but Shouyou didn't mind. He didn't need them, he had Satori. He spent most of his free time with the older boy and they practiced volleyball, usually having to find a middle school to go visit and play with because their elementary school didn't have a volleyball club. The middle school's were pretty accommodating for them, letting them join their practices.

Well some of them were, the more serious middle schools never let them join in. Shouyou and Satori both practiced blocking, and soon learned that the way they blocked was called guess blocking.

A lot of the coaches at the middle schools told them to do read blocking instead. Satori refused them, saying that guess blocking was more fun.

Still even with all that the two were usually able to practice with middle schools once or twice a month. Most of the time they just practiced with the two of them.

Shouyou knew it would happen eventually, but it still seemed too soon, that the school year was coming to an end and Satori would be graduating to middle school. He was a sobbing wreck, the only consolation he got was when Satori promised he would still come visit him.

The next two years passed with periods of slowness and fastness. When he was able to spend time with Satori the time seemed to speed by. When Satori wasn't around it dragged on and on.

He never did make another friend. The other kids were too scared of him, thinking of him as a monster. It hurt, a little bit, but he could ignore it because Satori was his friend.

Finally though he would be able to join middle school and see Satori more often.

It was only after he talked with his mom that he realized he wasn't going to the same middle school as Satori. That because of the way the districts were located they went to separate middle schools.

They still managed to visit each other.

It was his first year of Yukigaoka Junior High and he made a couple of friends, Koji, who was a member of the soccer team, and Izumi, who was part of the basketball team. They stuck by him despite a few of his old year mates calling him a monster. He had also decided he wanted to become a spiker after he saw a showing of the little giant on tv.

It had been amazing seeing how high the kid jumped, seeing him spike the ball down. Seeing his teammates congratulate him.

Satori helped him practice, when no one else would practice with him Satori would.

He learned how to jump, how to hit the ball down.

At the end of the year he learned that Satori would be going to Shiratorizawa.

"You know, people wouldn't be so scared of you if you smiled more," Izumi commented as he reluctantly helped Shouyou.

"Eh?" He questioned tilting his head.

"You look scary, that's why the other kids stay away from you. If you smile more though then they won't be scared of you."

"Why should I care if they are scared of me?"

"Someone might actually join the volleyball club if you didn't seem so scary."

"I see."

It took him a while to get used to smiling in a non scary way. He didn't really see any effect until he went to his second year and the new first years came in. They were happy to chat with him and be friendly with him.

It was interesting the effect one's facial expressions could have on those around them and it was fun watching people react.

One year later and his school finally had enough members to enter the Junior High Athletics Meet. At least he was with the help of Koji and Izumi. He entered in spelling the scent of air salonpas. His first time being on the court.

He was excited.

He was nervous.

Satori made it seem so easy. Yet, actually standing on the court for the first time was nerve wracking. Still he had the three first years so he turned to them grinning, "Alright let's win this thing!"

"You're thinking of winning this?"

"Of course!"

He couldn't afford thoughts on losing. A sudden hush fell through the hall and Shouyou looked over to where everyone else was staring. Their first opponents, apparently the favorite for championship and had 'The King of the Court' with them.

"Eyyy! Shouyou!" Satori rushed over waving at him.

"Satori, what are you doing here?" He questioned his friend, surprised.

"I decided to come visit my precious kohai! Give it all you got!"

Shouyou nodded a large grin coming across his face.

Satori stepped closer and ruffled his hair, then he turned and trotted off singing in a taunting fashion, "Go and break them and shatter them and watch them despair~"

Shouyou grinned, ignoring the frightened looks of the first years, "You heard Satori-Senpai! Let's crush our opponents!"

Koji sweatdropped, "Your friend is scary."

Shouyou tilted his head staring at his friend who twitched slightly, "I see where you got it from now."

Soon enough it was time for the first match. He gave a sharp grin as he stared at his opponents, he would win this even if he had to score all the points himself. He would block them and spike points.

The match started and soon enough he was in a fray of watching and jumping and running.

Their points slowly crawled up point by point. But, for every point Shouyou managed to earn his team, whether by blocking or spiking, it seemed that his opponents managed to score two more.

They were unraveling though, especially that 'king' who was shouting at his teammates more and more. Shouyou tilted his head slightly, staring intensely at them, knowing from his friends that this expression was one of his creepiests.

"M-monster," One of his opponents whispered out.

That word was like music, it was as if he could hear a rip coming from his opponents as they stared at him. He turned to his team, "We can do this!"

It was the second set, they might have lost the first match 25-13, but they could still take this second set.

5-1

8-5

13-8

18-12

22-17

25-20

Shouyou clenched his fist, they had lost.

He went to go line up but was startled by the opposing setter clenching the net and yelling at him, "What have you been doing for 3 years?!"

Shouyou tilted his head turning back to meet the eyes of the 'king.' "Training," he replied with a smile, before walking off to line up with his team.

He vowed he would get stronger, that next time he would be able to beat the 'king' whose name was apparently Kageyama Tobio. He studied for high school, and despite how much he wanted to join his friend at Shiratorizawa he knew he shouldn't.

Satori told him how much Shiratorizawa's coach valued height and power. Shouyou would not be tall enough for them. So he decided to go for Karasuno, the school that had once housed his inspiration, the little giant.

3 months passed in a flash and soon he was standing outside the doors to gymnasium two. He was going to train hard and become stronger, he would eventually face off against Satori and beat his senpai, and he would also defeat that Kageyama for the defeat. He took a deep breath and prepared to enter the gym.

But, he didn't enter alone.