F̶o̶l̶l̶o̶w̶ Fuck the Rulebook - Kenma Kozume

C10 - Catch

The last ball hit the ground with lightning speed, Akasuki’s eyes widening, the sudden eruption of Taketora’s cheers echoing through the gym. Wow, so that’s what a real game is like. Akasuki clambered to her feet instinctively, exactly like she would with Tatsuo’s games, Sō being the first to come into her sight. Her arms widened along with the grin on her face. Sō unexpectedly scooped her into his arms squeezing her tightly, muttering into her ear,
“thanks to the amazing words of our lovely manager.”
That’s sweet of him. She chuckled as she squeezed out of his arms, but that hug was longer than necessary. She playfully slapped him on the back, bee lining towards Taketora beside Kuroo reaching up to scruffle their hair,
“that was amazing!”
The second her hand lowered from their hair, Taketora’s face was red. Awe; simple things fluster this boy. Kuroo chuckled,
“thanks, we could’ve done better but you know, it takes time.”
Is he serious? They were amazing. Akasuki shook her head,
“whatever man,” she turned to Nobuyuki and Morisuke, “well done boys.”
“Thanks,” the pair beamed.
It was her pleasure. It was her first time seeing them win. It felt good. She noticed Kenma had already removed himself from the group to the bench, of course. She slowly made her way towards him, congratulating the others as she waivered through them. She arrived beside Kenma. Kenma’s position wasn’t one where he had to work hard, physically, she grabbed a bottle of water to pass to him, but it must be difficult on his mind,
“here.”
He glanced up at the bottle then at her, before cautiously taking it from her fingers, her chest thumping wildly at his touch,
“thanks.”
She hadn’t spoken to Kenma a lot since meeting him and Kuroo, and if she did, it wasn’t usually away from the others. She took a seat beside him. Maybe today was the day she would start to. The adrenaline pumping through her bones overpowered the nerves that had spurted suddenly. He took a sip returning to his game. Was he always this quiet? Is it just because it’s her? She went to speak but Yasufumi’s voice yelled through the gym,
“Akasuki!”
That was her, what possibly could he want with her? She climbed to her feet glancing at Kenma momentarily, he knows the game went well, but she couldn’t help but state the obvious,
“I enjoyed watching you play.”
His head lifted his eyes meeting hers. What? Her cheeks burned as she replayed the words in her mind. What did she just say? ‘I enjoyed watching you play’, Akasuki, what the hell? That, fuck, she hastily turned away making her way to Yasufumi. She couldn’t believe she just said that. She meant the team, fuck sake, she enjoyed watching the team play. That’s what she meant to say, right? She reached Yasufumi clearing her throat,
“yes sir?”
Yasufumi gestured to the two boys stood beside him that she hadn't noticed. Oh, it’s the ginger kid from earlier, Hinata and a slightly taller green tinged black hair with tender eyes, who’s this?
“Do you mind showing them to the toilets?” Yasufumi requested.
Such an odd request. Akasuki nodded smiling welcomingly as she started to lead the boys from the gym glancing at the pair. She should say something supportive. That’s good sportsmanship.
“You played well,” Akasuki spoke.
Hinata lifted his head to meet hers, his eyes cold and lifeless, what’s up with him?
“I could’ve done better,” he muttered.
The boy lightly patted his shoulder, glancing to Akasuki,
“thank you,” removing his hand.
She could understand how Hinata felt. Trying his hardest at something and still not succeeding. It’s a horrible feeling. She suddenly stopped outside a door,
“just in there.”
The pair thanked her as she stepped aside, leaning against the opposite wall. The adrenaline was fading now, the mental fatigue flooding into her mind. A moment went by until both boys came out. Akasuki gestured towards the way back with a smile, leading the way.
“So,” the other boy spoke up, “I couldn’t help but notice your confusion at some points of the game.”
That was obvious? Akasuki chuckled,
“I’m new to all this, if that wasn’t obvious.”
He nodded, understanding her words,
“Well,” he smiled, “I’m Yamaguchi, well that’s what others call me.”
What was his name in relevance to the game? She nodded slowly,
“Akasuki.”
She noticed the lack of enthusiasm in Hinata as they neared the gym, the teams clustered outside. What cheers a boy like him up? Think child. Oh!
“Wanna have a race?” Akasuki suggested. 
Hinata lifted his head,
“a race?”
Did she find it? She nodded. Hinata glanced at Yamaguchi who nodded at him.
“Alright, when I say go, the first one to,”
“Kageyama!” Hinata suggested with a sly grin.
Yamaguchi laughed,
“once you get to him, you have to say I’ve got the king.”
Whose Kageyama? ‘I’ve got the king'? These must be inside jokes between the team.
“Go!” Hinata yelled.
Wait what? Hinata started to sprint, Yamaguchi following more slowly. Fuck, Akasuki kicked off sprinting towards the group. Who the hell is Kageyama? She pushed her body further as she neared Yamaguchi, he glanced at her taken aback by the sudden speed. She might not do sports, she grinned, but it doesn’t mean she doesn’t train. She slipped past Yamaguchi. As she neared the teams, she slipped into the crowds, who is Kageyama? No, where’s Hinata? She tiptoed trying to search through the players, where is he?
“Who are you looking for?” a voice asked.
She glanced up at Shimizu, yes, she must know who is who,
“Hinata, no wait, Kageyama!”
She glanced around before pointing at a tall boy, with black hair to his ears with a fringe slightly covering his eyes.
“Thank you!” Akasuki grinned, diving into the crowd.
As she was an arm’s length away from Kageyama, a sudden ginger flash burst past her straight into Kageyama, the pair stumbling,
“I’ve got the king!”
Shit, Akasuki stopped moving, well she thought she stopped, her feet travelling forward at the same time Hinata and Kageyama were tumbling backwards. Oh, this wasn’t going to be good. A sudden hand grabbed Akasuki’s waist, yanking her harshly from her spot as Hinata and Kageyama fell straight where she was stood. Thank god. She let out a deep breath of relief, the hand lingering on her waist,
“thanks,” she turned to face her saviour, golden eyes filling her perspective.
Her mouth dropped open. Kenma? Out of everyone, it had to be him? Fucking Kenma. He pulled his hand away, turning away from her slinking into the crowd of players. Seriously? She glanced down at the mess of the two boys, observing Kageyama's angry face. Huh, so Kageyama is the setter. He shoved Hinata off,
“You’re such an idiot!”
Hinata rolled onto his back with a grin looking up to Akasuki,
“I won.”
She couldn’t help but laugh,
“you did,” she held out her hand to him, “you’re gonna get dirty if you stay there.”
Hinata took her hand pulling himself up. She turned to Kageyama,
“I’m sorry, that was my fault,” she held her hand out.
He glanced at her then to her hand slowly taking it as he pulled himself up, suddenly turning to Hinata shoving him,
“you’re acting like a child!”
Yamaguchi joined Akasuki’s side red-faced watching the pair bicker, chuckling,
“and that’s basically our team.”
It looks fun. But she glanced to the boys on Nekoma’s team where Sō was harassing Yūki as Nobuyuki and Morisuke were idly chatting, Kuroo and the others standing around, talking with the other captain and a few others. She had her team which was way better.
“Right anyway, earlier,” Yamaguchi spoke pulling something out of his pocket, “I meant like you can always message me if you wanna learn more about volleyball.”
She glanced at the phone in his hand. Learn more about volleyball? That’s, she glanced back to Kuroo, actually really helpful. She took his phone glancing up at him as she typed,
“thanks, I appreciate it.”
She handed the phone over to him, Yamaguchi smiling to himself as he gazed at the number. She stared at him, mentally connecting the freckles along his cheeks together, he’s kinda cute. Suddenly a voice burst out,
“Awesome! You play that game too!”
She glanced around catching Hinata's orange hair as he bounced around Kenma. Wow, she didn’t expect to see that combination. She wondered what they were talking about. She excused herself from Yamaguchi heading over. Hinata glanced up at her,
“do you play too?”
The excitement on his face was overwhelming. She glanced at Kenma his eyes fixed on the game, she couldn’t believe he actually stopped her from being crushed. She still couldn’t get her stupid words out of her mind. Is she going to be able to form simple sentences around him?
“What game?” Akasuki asked slowly, that’s better.
Hinata grabbed her arm, pulling her to Kenma’s side pointing at the screen. Ah, he’s so touchy, and energetic. She glanced at the game, wait, she recognised this,
“yeah, actually I do.”
She played this with the boys. It was an online hunting game. Hinata started to jump clinging onto Akasuki,
“we should play together!”
That sounds nice, but, Akasuki frowned,
“I can’t.”
Hinata stared at her in confusion,
“you said you play.”
“I don’t have the device,” Akasuki explained, “it belongs to my brother’s.”
“Don’t you have a spare?” Hinata asked switching his grasp to Kenma’s shoulders.
Even if he did, Kenma shrugged, she doubts he would lend it to her. Hinata frowned. She felt bad that she couldn’t play.
“I’ll get one,” Akasuki suggested, “just so we can play together.”
It wasn’t just for that. It might also be the stepping stone to forming a bond with Kenma. Hinata's frown turned into a grin once more,
“Yes!”
“Gather up guys!” a coach yelled.
Hinata glanced back at his team before turning to the pair,
“Kenma, message me yours and Akasuki’s handle,” before bouncing off to line up with his team.
He speaks as if he knows him. Akasuki pulled away from Kenma,
“are you two close?”
Kenma shrugged,
“he approached me on the street a while back.”
Wow, well not wow, she wasn’t surprised at that, he seemed like the kind of kid to do that.  Akasuki nodded.
“Guys!” Kuroo yelled.
Time to say goodbye. Akasuki glanced at Kenma who wasn’t moving. She won’t force him. She made her way to Kuroo’s side following the suit of others, shaking the hands of their competition. She reached Yamaguchi smiling softly. He held her hand a little longer,
“is it okay if I call you?”
Call her? Akasuki nodded,
“of course, who knows what kind of information I could give you?”
There’s no harm in that, right? He laughed with a nod,
“exactly, you’re the genius here.”
It’s only for volleyball stuff. She slipped her hand out continuing to the next players, the one beside Yamaguchi was a tall skinny blonde, who looked down at her through his thin-framed glasses. Does he, have a problem with her? She held out her hand smiling eagerly. A moment went by. Nothing. Is he serious?
“Tsukki,” Yamaguchi muttered elbowing him sharply.
The boy hissed through his teeth as he reluctantly shook Akasuki’s hand for a split second, instantly pulling away. That’s so embarrassing for her, why didn’t he just shake her hand? She moved on to the other players, eventually waving goodbye as they left.
“So, party at mine?” Kuroo grinned.
Party? Akasuki stepped back, she wasn’t invited obviously, it’s only a team thing. Sō suddenly grabbed Akasuki’s hands pulling her into him,
“I’m only going if Suki goes.”
There was the nickname once again. Kuroo looked at Akasuki, raising his eyebrows,
“you in?”
“I,” she frowned, “how will I get home?”
“you’ll sleep,” Kuroo claimed, “like the rest of us.”
“Right,” Morisuke scoffed, “a team of boys sleeping in the same house as one girl.”
Her exact point. Kuroo sighed,
“obviously you’ll sleep in my parent's room.”
Akasuki glanced at the others who were all nodding. Yūki stepped forward,
“I don’t do parties but I’m going.”
Very persuasive Yūki, Akasuki chuckled,
“let me ask my mum, okay?”
The team nodded. She pulled out her phone dialling her mother.
“Hello?” A male voice answered.
“Dad?” Akasuki blurted out.
Why was her father answering?
“Hey honey, how are you?” Her father asked.
She thought he was at work.
“I’m okay,” she spoke slowly, “wait, I thought you were working?”
He chuckled,
“took the night off to see your mother.”
Right. That makes sense, he sometimes did that, but normally he would tell her.
“What did you call for?” He asked.
“Right yeah, um, is it okay if sleep at a friend’s tonight?” she asked scanning the boys.
They were all grinning at her, minus Kenma like usual.
“Friends?” he asked, “is this the team you’ve joined?”
He knows about that? Of course, he does, mum would’ve told him,
“yeah.”
“An all-boys team?” he asked.
“yes,” Akasuki spoke.
“Any of them cute?” he asked.
“Dad,” Akasuki grumbled, one of them more than the others.
He chuckled,
“I’m joking. Of course, you can. Let me speak to the one in charge?”
“The one in charge?” Akasuki scoffed, “who said that wasn’t me?”
“Speaking like a lady in charge,” he chuckled softly, “whose are you going to? I want to speak to him.”
She reluctantly held her phone out to Kuroo,
“he wants to speak to you.”
Kuroo took the phone stepping away from the group as he spoke. What is he saying to him? Taketora frowned,
“unfair, he gets to speak to your father first, that’s like an immediate short cut to dating you!”
Dating her?
“I am not dating him,” Akasuki blurted out.
“Why not?” Morisuke asked gazing at Kuroo, “he’s like the perfect man.”
The perfect man. She glanced at him tilting her head as she stared,
“he's not my type.”
“Who’s your type?” Sō teased.
Certainly not any of these lot, not to her knowledge at least. She turned back to them with a sly grin,
“you’ll never know.”
Kuroo re-joined the group with a grin handing Akasuki the phone. Why does he look so pleased with himself? She lifted the phone to her ear,
“hi.”
“You can stay out,” he spoke slowly, “but I’m serious, behave yourself.”
“I promise,” Akasuki claimed, “thank you, dad.”
“Speak later, and have fun, okay?” He ordered.
“Alright I will, bye,” she thanked him, hanging up to shove her phone in her pocket turning to Kuroo, “how’d ya do that?”
She was suspicious. Her dad wasn’t necessarily strict but he wasn’t exactly easy going. Kuroo shrugged with a smirk,
“it doesn’t matter, you get to party with us now.”
“Let’s go!” Sō cheered.
Party, right, this should be interesting.