It was an ordinary day for the Karasuno High Volleyball Club. All of the members were heading down toward the gym to begin another fruitful practice session in getting ready for the Fall Tournament. As one, Hinata Shoyo and Kageyama Tobio jogged down the steps from the clubroom with grins on their faces, eager to get started, believing that today would just be another ordinary day. However, they couldn't be more wrong.

As the two reached the gym, the two were greeted by their third year vice-captain, Sugawara Koshi, who waved to them, "Hey, Hinata and Kageyama! Ready for practice?"

The two bowed in respect, eager to please one of their very experienced mentors, and were about to get right to it, "Of course, Sugawara-sempai!"

The gray haired setter nodded,"Coach should be here soon, so get warmed up okay?" the two were about to just do that, but then Daichi, the captain approached the three, looking confused, noting that someone was missing from their group.

"Hey Suga, where's Asahi?"

Kageyama answered instead, "He's up in the club room still. He said he was held back by Kotoshi-sensei because he needed to take a retest because of the three days he missed last week when he was sick."

Their captain nodded in understanding, and the four entered the gym, noting something odd was going odd in that everyone on the team were not warming up, but distracted by looking at something, "Hey! What's going on here? Why are you all standing around?!"

Tsukishima, the tallest member of their team, and another first year replied, "There's somebody here…" and he pointed to a magenta haired teenager facing the opposite wall and dribbling a basketball, but it was clear that he wasn't a fellow student, his chosen attire was a white sports jacket emblazoned with the word Rakuzan on the back and white track pants. The teen turned around and immediately everyone recognized him, although they couldn't believe why he would come all the way from Kyoto to Miyagi.

A bald headed second year named Tanaka looked on with wide eyes and jaw dropped, stunned, "Isn't that?!"

Ennoshita, the Don of the Second Years, joined in, equally surprised at the appearance of the famous basketball captain of the team of prodigies that had won the last three National Tournaments and that soundly crushed all other competition. Everyone had heard of the famous team from Teiko Middle School, even those outside the world of basketball, but couldn't figure out why he would be in their gym, "Akashi Seijuro?! Why in the world is he here?!"

While all of Karasuno were confused at the appearance of one of the Generation of Miracles, one orange haired middle blocker remained in a horrified trance, frozen for a moment before his whole body began trembling where Yamaguchi, the last of the first years, who was standing next to him, noticed and asked in concern, "Hinata, is something wrong?"

Instead of answering, the middle blocker surprised his teammates as an aura of pure malice began to emanate from the first year. He then stomped up towards the basketball prodigy, his eyes blazing and teeth gritted in an expression of volcanic, explosive, terrifying rage that made even Tanaka and Tsukishima get out of his way out of shock as no one had ever seen Hinata that angry. His breathing became heavy as he failed to contain these unbridled emotions which only had one place to go as he demanded answers with a roar, "YOU! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

Unfazed by this reaction, Seijuro Akashi replied, imperious and every bit arrogant in a way that only further infuriated the orange haired volleyball player, if that were possible. "Shoyo, I've come to bring you to your senses…Enough with this rebellion, you will be returning back to us whether you like it or not!"

The volleyball player erupted, his aura now unleashing the proverbial image of fire and brimstone surrounding him as he hissed out, "I thought I made it clear that the next time that I saw you that I would punch you so hard that you would need dentures! I am NOT playing your games anymore AKASHI!" and he began running forward to do just that, but was intercepted by Daichi who tried to hold him back, grabbing his arms and restrained him.

The third year clearly concerned for his kohai tried to calm him down, not wanting him to do something that the first year would regret later and exclaimed, "Hinata, I don't know what he did, but calm-!" but he underestimated how strong the middle blocker was who threw off the volleyball captain violently and continued to bulldoze his way across the gym and ignored all amount of proper respect towards him, stunning his teammates into silence as he roared, "STAY OUT OF THIS!" and he continued his furious march onwards hoping to pummel the basketball prodigy into the ground.

Akashi narrowed his eyes and scoffed, "Enough with this illogical behavior. Your childish actions only prove that you need to be disciplined."

"Like hell that I care about my behavior when your attitude is far worse!" The orange haired teen seethed, "You are not welcome here! You will NEVER be welcome here! You will not manipulate my friends and teammates or me, and you will NOT bother us again! I cut all ties with you because you and the others will not get the message that you're all a bunch of selfish, egotistical jerks that ruined the love of a game for so many people, including me, and will not stop stalking me! I am utterly ashamed of all of you and I find everything that we did absolutely disgusting and unforgivable! NOW GET OUT!"

The Rakuzan basketball captain growled, allowing the first signs of his rage at his teammate's defiance, "Shoyo…!"

"I can't believe that you had the audacity to track me down and come here to once again order me, control me, abuse me, and to force me to give up the things I love!" the middle blocker shook his head as he declared without any hesitation, his hand shaking over his chest right over his heart, "No... never again! Absolutely not! I refuse to let that happen and I refuse to listen to you or obey any of your commands! I have no respect for you as my former captain or even as a former friend because as far as I'm concerned you lost that right!"

Gritting his teeth, the magenta haired basketball captain commanded, his anger appearing in a raised voice, "How dare you! Shoyo, there will be consequences for your defiance! You're coming with me!" He attempted to grab Hinata by his shoulder and drag him away which put Karasuno on high alert, but Hinata's earlier command, ordering them to stay out of this kept them from intervening.

"DON'T TOUCH ME." the orange haired teen snapped in a dangerous tone, immediately gripping the other's arm and twisting it, and he leaned in and hissed, "Akashi, here's what's going to happen. I'm going to be staying right here at Karasuno. I will be playing volleyball and I am NEVER returning to basketball. You are going to turn around and leave and never come back and I'm going to pretend that I didn't see you! If you don't, I will take you outside and beat you in the most humiliating way possible, into the concrete if I have to, like you deserve!"

Akashi, however, wouldn't take a hint, and he scoffed, "I'd like to see you try. It seems you've forgotten that my orders are absolute! Even being the former vice-captain doesn't exclude you from my authority! You're coming back with me Shoyo!"

It was at that moment that Hinata decided that he long had enough with Akashi's arrogance and allowed his anger to explode with a single well aimed punch to the face, slamming his fist right in the red haired teen's jaw and knocking him to the floor.

Akashi climbed back to his feet, his dichromatic gaze glared with hateful fury. Rubbing his bruised cheek, he hissed,"You'll regret that, Shoyo."

"Leave, Akashi. We have nothing left to discuss. This is your last chance, and I really thought you were smarter than this, confronting me in front of them." Hinata unfazed by his former teammate's threat, crossing his arms, holding the basketball player in absolute contempt, "You are embarrassing yourself far more than I ever did or could."

Akashi really wouldn't take the hint and continued to demand, "Really, you're serious about this?! What do you hope to accomplish with this nonsense?! Playing volleyball?! Trying to overcome the impossible?! Playing with this trash?! Ignoring who you are?! You don't belong here!"

Hinata stood tall, his voice confident and sure, and his words warmed his teammates' ears as he spoke proudly, "I do belong here! You think you're a king, but you're nothing more than a monster, you bastard! You're not the person who I respected, so I don't have to follow you if I don't want to! I made this choice, and it's none of your business to tell me otherwise! I already told you you lost the right to know about my life! It took me forever to see it, but I refuse, absolutely refuse to go back so long as you intend to try and control me, look down on everyone around you like the way you have, and refuse to show even the slightest amount of remorse for what we did!"

Akashi's response was stone cold and unrepentant, "We did nothing wrong Shoyo…"

Hinata scoffed, and contradicted him, making an uncharacteristic logical argument, "When the game of Teiko vs Meiko had a score of 111-11 and is now forever branded as the game that shall live in infamy, there's something wrong with our basketball. When our team was personally responsible for causing almost every single player that we played during the entirety of our third year to quit because we turned something that they loved into something that they hated, there is something wrong with our basketball! When we caused four players to end up attempting suicide, one of which was very nearly successful and I know for a fact that he can never walk again, there is something most definitely wrong with our basketball!"

"What?!" exclaimed all of Karasuno. There were rumors, of course, but to hear that the success of the Generation of Miracles had not only caused an exodus in the basketball world because of the championship match was certainly, but for Hinata to also admit that their actions had led to suicide attempts now made Hinata's furious rage make complete sense.

And to everyone's complete incredulous disbelief at the red head's lack of remorse, Akashi brushed off Hinata's accusations, "We've had this conversation before Shoyo…there is nothing more that can be said. They were losers. Get over it."

Hinata glared, "My best friend wouldn't even look or speak to me for a full two months after that game because of the fact that I participated in destroying one of his oldest friends who was playing for Meiko, which you knew about by the way, and you had me subbed in to do it! You destroyed Tetsu with that match, and you know it."

"That's where you're wrong. Tetsuya asked me to go all out. I simply obliged his request."

"THAT IS NOT TRUE! THAT IS NOT WHAT HE MEANT! WE DIDN'T JUST BEAT THEM, WE BROKE THEM! AND IN THE PROCESS YOU HAD ME BREAK TETSU AS WELL!" Shoyo exploded, tears finally falling from his eyes, "IF VICTORY MEANS DESTROYING THE PEOPLE I CARE ABOUT THEN I'D MUCH RATHER LOSE!"

"What?!" Akashi answered, his voice taking a dangerous edge, though he looked like he had been slapped. He couldn't believe the words that had come out the other's mouth. It was blasphemy. Hinata had basically rejected everything that Teiko stood for! He scowled, "How dare you?!" and he charged forth and started attacking his former teammate causing outrage from Karasuno.

"Shoyo!"

"Hinata!"

"How could you?!"

But Hinata held firm and ordered them with a roar, "I said stay out of this!" and to prove that he knocked Akashi back with a well timed kick, sending his former captain sprawling to the ground, where Akashi was able to carefully stand, returning the action with an equally furious glare.

"Shoyo!" he growled.

Shoyo's brown eyes showed nothing but regret, "I realize far more than anything else that so long as you live in the loneliness of your arrogance and self-righteousness, you will never be able to prove to me that you're worthy of my respect! You can beat me a thousand times! You can absolutely crush me 100-0, but it won't change my mind that character is far more important than talent or technical skill, or even winning! You may be a genius about many things, but if you sold your soul to get where you are, what do you have left when your basketball, your money, your power, your popularity, or your prestige eventually fails you?!"

The red haired basketball player scoffed, "Utter nonsense. You've grown weak Shoyo. You're pathetic! This will never be over!"

Hinata did not waver, and asked, "Then what are you going to do about it?! How far are you willing to go?! How low will you sink?! You trying anything more will only prove my point in how much of a monster that you have become! Accept the fact that you don't always get your way and you're not always right! I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU ANYMORE!"

"That is something that can be easily rectified!"

Hinata sighed, taking a shuddering breath and shaking his head, "I am prepared to take out a restraining order against you." Akashi widened his eyes in shock at that statement, and Hinata continued, "My dad has gathered enough evidence to have an investigation opened into Teiko's policies. The only reason he hasn't pursued it yet is because I hoped that leaving Teiko would save you! I hoped that Tetsu would beat you! I gave him that chance because I'm just as guilty for what we did as a team! I want him to right the wrongs that we committed as a team as he's the only one who can! It was wrong, wrong, wrong, so wrong! It turned you all into the monsters you are now, and the abuse all of us suffered as a result of what went on in that hellhole of a school, and the people that we have hurt as a result, I can't go back to playing with you, end of story!"

Akashi hesitated, confronted with the fact that Hinata was not going to waver, and that he had gone so far as to involve his father in a police investigation, knowing that Hinata's father was a person that he could not touch for a number of reasons that the two of them alone both knew.

The volleyball player crossed his arms and ordered in a voice that held no room for negotiation, "Last chance, Akashi! Leave. Now! And don't ever come back!"

Realizing that he was not going to get anywhere, Akashi clenched his teeth and stood like a wounded animal,"You will regret this!" the basketball genius hissed as he stalked out of the gym and slammed the doors with a tremendous bang. The sound shook the entire gym, leaving the usually rambunctious Karasuno in a stunned daze.

Daichi was the first to react after Akashi had left, and he started to approach the first year, "Hinata…"

"Leave me alone!" the orange haired teenager jumped not able to look at any of his friends in shame, "I'm sorry…I have to go. I'm sorry you had to see that, just please…please don't hate me…" and he bolted out of the gym so fast that none could catch him.

"Hinata-kun!"

"Shoyo!"

"Hinata, you idiot! Come back!"