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project-sekai-facts · 5 months

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Hey I've been wondering, could you explain Akito and his death symbolism? It's been constantly mentioned or implied in his recent focus songs and VBS covers (getting lines about "death" or "dying" and the likes)

It's just because the fandom is using that to mischaracterize him as an overly depressed and suicidal guy (another Mafuyu copy; pls save him and Tsukasa) and I just don't think that's what the writers mean to say and the point of his whole character!!!

(prefacing this: I'm aware there was a thread about this going round twitter a while ago, I haven't read it specifically because of this ask and if anything is the same that wasn't intentional and I apologise)

A large part of Akito's character arc is his difficulty with improvement and his sheer determination and passion that goes alongside it. He had always viewed his lack of natural talent and unrefined skills as something that made him inferior, which only led to him pushing himself to his extremes, and trying to face things independently and head-on. This is something that's touched on heavily in the STRAY BAD DOG event, where we get to see him learn to rely on his teammates more and realise that he isn't alone. Find A Way Out continues his arc of personal development, with him realising he's actually not so different to the people he looks up to, and finally learning to accept and feel confident with his improvement instead of just pushing forward almost desperately. It's that idea of him finally realising that he won't always be a step behind everyone else and good things are actually coming with his hard work.

Building off that idea, it's like a sort of rebirth. And that's where the links to Kashika come in. Kashika is a song about death and longing which gets horribly misinterpreted and has led people to believe Akito is suicidal which is simply untrue. The thing that's dying in this context is Akito's old self. The child who had no talent and was falling so far behind everyone. The child who worked so, so, so hard to be perfect is dying. And that sounds like a negative thing but it's really not. It's a metaphor for Akito reflecting on himself and moving on from the past and breaking new ground.

The 2DMV adds another layer to this with its marigolds, which not only symbolise death, but also can symbolise a renewal. And in this case, renewal refers to Akito's growth following the events of FAWO. He finally faced up to his past mistakes and overcame them, but even then he won't let himself feel relief. It's only with the help of Taiga's story about Ken that he's finally able to be more satisfied with himself and how far he's managed to come. He's finally able to break out from that belief that he's forever going to be stuck behind, and he's able to have faith in himself. Realising that Ken was just like him and managed to get to such a high level of skill and be so respected by those around him finally lets Akito believe that he too can reach that same light.

The butterflies in the background again symbolise renewal or transformation. It's not about death as per se, it's about change. Change and growth and transformation are recurring themes in prsk's character writing, and Akito is no exception. While on a surface level, Kashika is about death, if you put it next to the story, it's about regeneration. Akito is moving forward and leaving the old him behind, he says as much in the FAWO story.

If you actually read the lyrics to Kashika, it's genuinely kinda shocking to me how much people misinterpret its connection to Akito as a character. Like I get the song talks about death a lot and wanting to die, but particularly in these extracts you can see some of the key points of the FAWO event - Akito's determination, passion and self-acceptance. It's a song about Akito growing up, physically and emotionally, and saying goodbye to his past self.

Now as anon pointed out, the marigolds previously appeared in his card from Light Up The Fire. And while in the case of this event, it was most likely drawn to connect with the story surrounding Nagi's death, but it's worth mentioning that every character had their own flower, so the marigolds are specific to him.

As I mentioned in today's fact, aside from being associated with death, grief, and mourning, marigolds can also have positive connotations of optimism and passion based on their warm and vibrant colors. One of the key elements of LUTF was despair and grief, shown through more ways than one. Whilst the truth of Nagi's death came as a shock to the VBS and the others, the following battle with Taiga crushed their hope to the point that everyone except VBS gave up. VBS decides to keep trying for Nagi, and again there's that idea of a renewal. They know the truth now, and are going to come back and get better. Now while this is more general about VBS, the marigolds are still specific to Akito, considering how he's always been the most determined one who has taught himself that the only way he can succeed is through sheer perseverance. Whilst it applies to all of VBS in this instance, it applies even moreso to him.

Also it leads very nicely into his fes card story, which follows after the events of LUTF from his point of view. Something notable about his fragment sekai is that it's a completely barren wasteland. It's dead. And to top it all off, he gets amnesia. However the whole point of his sekai is to remind him of his determination, remind him that he has never once given up on this dream, how he's fought and fought to hold onto it and shouldn't let what happened with Taiga and the truth behind RW strike him down. Despite the area being dead and barren, and despite the fact he can't even remember who he is at all, he still pushes forwards and keeps walking through the dangerous environment because he knows he can't just sit around, he knows he has to do something. He knows it's not a choice, it's a necessity for him to persevere, even if he can't remember why. In the end he does remember, and finds a single flower that is managing to flourish despite the harsh conditions, and he even compares himself to it because truthfully they're one in the same. Even in a hopeless situation, Akito manages to pull through. In a metaphorical sense, he can't truly die, he still finds a way to thrive even if the world is against him. His determination truly is the core of his character.

And that leads us nicely to BURN MY SOUL, which I would consider to be the end of his first character arc. Despite having learnt a lesson about his true strength and potential in FAWO, he still hasn't reached that full potential, and he still believes that he needs to keep pushing and keep working. Through Ken's advice, he's able to realise that he's been so focused on perfection that he's bottling up all the passion inside of him. Because he's so passionate about music and it's this passion that fuels his resolve that is ultimately his core, his soul. And especially after everything that's happened, the fact that there's still a lingering sense of despair after the incident with Taiga, he needs to truly let that passion burn and realise that his true potential has been inside of him all along. His role as assigned by Ken is to light up a fire amongst the people again, so he let's the fire within him burn freely for the first time, and it works exactly as needed and is able to rekindle hope throughout the town and in one of his teammates.

Back to that idea about how metaphorically Akito cannot die, I really like the symbolism of fire within VBS and Akito in particular because it's framed in such a way that the fire lit by RW is a flame that can't burn out. Even with things such as CRaZY's "I'm so ready to die" and the "I'm going to pry it open like I'm going to die" voiceline that plays when you pull his WL card, it's not meant in such a way that he wants to die, but in a way that he's going to put his all into it as if it is the last thing he'll ever do. Akito doesn't want to die, he wants to live to see things through to the end. He's too determined to let anything snuff out his flame, and even then that makes me think of the original usage of snuffing out a flame, which was actually to trim the wick so the flame could burn brighter. If you care enough about that dumb candle analogy, you could say that Taiga/the events of LUTF tried to extinguish Akito's flame, only for him to come back from the dead (and quite literally considering the wasteland in his fes card), and now he's only burning brighter and stronger.

Akito's death symbolism isn't a negative thing. Akito isn't someone who wants to die, he's too determined to die. No matter how much the universe tells him to give up he'll never stop pushing and never stop breaking down the walls around him until he sees his dreams through. All his death symbolism is equally tied to the idea of rebirth or even just living. Kashika is about him leaving his past behind and moving forward, his fes card is about his passion counteracting despair, and Burn my soul/CRaZY/Break down the wall are all about him being so fired up that he's going to act as if it's his final day. He's learning to be satisfied with his life and where he is. He's ready to live and to say he wants to die is a great injustice to his character arc.

#sorry this kinda just became an akito character analysis but. i think atp you're all just used to it #asks #mod talks #akito shinonome

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madman479r · 9 months

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At Junior's bar, Jaune and Yang were seen sitting at a booth and sharing a laugh.

"Damn, VB, I never thought you could be so funny." Yang chuckled with her eyes closed.

Jaune took the moment to look at Yang and appreciate her beauty. The way her nose scrunched up, how contagious her laugh was and how her golden hair seemed to glow like a low fire in the light.

When Jaune first arrived at Beacon and saw Yang, he thought she was drop dead gorgeous (but then again all the girls at Beacon were, was looking like a super model a requirement?) and wanted to try his luck with talking to her.

That was until he barfed all over her boots, yeah not a great first impression. And when he saw how she carried herself, her confidence, her charisma, Jaune knew he had no chance. Yang was probably asked out a lot by guys. Better looking, better fighters. What chance did he have?

But at least he could be her friend, and enjoy moments like this with her.

Jaune manged to gather himself in time as Yang's eyes opened again once her laughter calmed down. "Yeah, one could say I'm funnier than you." Jaune regretted his words immediately after saying them.

'What the fuck, jaune?!' The Knight thought to himself. 'You don't say you're funnier than a girl who likes her jokes!' Now he had surely blundered this whole night.

But strangely, Yang didnt seem upset. If anything, she smirked at Jaune and took a long swig of her drink.

Jaune watched as a drop of the drink escaped the glass, running down her rosy cheek, down her neck, past her collarbone and into the depths of her bust.

Jaune snapped his gaze back to Yang, hoping she would think his red face was just from drinking.

But he caught her eye, she had watched him. Jaune felt shameful, anticipating the jaw breaking slap she'd give him for being a perv.

But no slap came, if anything she had a tinge of amusement in her beautiful eye.

Once she downed the burning liquid, Yang smiled at Jaune, the smile made him feel like she was a predator and he was the prey.

"Oh really? Well how about this one? I'm sure it'll leave you speechless." Yang challenged and leaned in towards Jaune.

Jaune had to focus on Yang's lilac eyes, doing his best to not give into temptation and let his eyes wander to her inviting cleavage. Again.

"So, there's three boy mice and a girl mouse, they're all stuck in a room with no doors or windows. One of the boy mice asks the girl mouse how to get out, and the girl replied with "sleep with me tonight and I'll tell you in the morning". He does and the next day, he is gone. The second boy mouse askes the girl mouse how to get out, and she says "sleep with me tonight and I'll tell you in the morning". The next day, he is gone too." Yang said before giving Jaune an intense look.

"Do you wanna know how the last mouse got out of the box?" She asked.

Jaune nodded, though he expected to hear some cheesy punchline or something.

What he didn't expect was for Yang to move closer to Jaune, practically pressing herself to him, half sitting on his lap. Jaune made to question her with a stuttering voice and red face until he felt Yang's warm breath against his ear, making him shiver as she finishes the joke.

"Sleep with me tonight, and I'll tell you in the morning.~"

Yang pulled away to face Jaune, her eyes looking deep into his own as she bit her lip.

Jaune, in fact, was speechless, so he simply nodded with a open mouth, letting himself be dragged by a giggling Yang off to somewhere else.

The next couple of minutes were a blur to him, up until they reached a hotel.

In the morning, Jaune forgot to ask how the mouse got out, but he'd certainly never forget the night they spent together.

#rwby #jaune arc #yang xiao long #jaune #yang #jaune x yang #jaune arc x yang xiao long #rwby dragonslayer #dragonslayer

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getwonderhoyd · 1 year

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next vbs focus event leaks

#hi. im scared.#lee posts #project sekai #proseka #prsk #prsk leaks #proseka leaks #project sekai leaks #vbs #vivid bad squad #an shiraishi #toya aoyagi #akito shinonome #rin kagamine #kagamine rin #this events gonna tear my heart out i know it

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yesloulou · 9 months

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pleaseee sort all drivers, i am here for this crossover!

thank u for this ask i had so much fun i acc made a lil graph for it lol

first of all. daniel is a slytherin 100%!!! see tags on this post:

max -> hufflepuff: he's hard working (training in the rain) he's patient (waiting all those yrs at rb for a winning car) he's loyal (actually said he'll retire at rbr) and he's extremely fair (ad 22 when he refused to block charles to help checo his teammate get p2 in wdc)

(my chirlie mutual started hate shipping lestappen after this lol)

checo -> hufflepuff:the fact that his loyalty still lies with force india/racing point to this day... also the fact that he's able to maintain a surprisingly good relationship w daniel even though every day 20730847 articles come out talking about daniel taking his seat?? (according to c horner max and checo actually get on better when daniel is there). i feel like this is bc checo is a compassionate person (he had been in daniel's shoes in 2020) and he sees that it's fair daniel will ofc take the chance if he's able to get his old rb seat back.

charles -> slytherin: 1. the ambition of envisioning himself driving for ferrari since he was like a fetus 2. the being comfortable with lying for the greater good 3. the following jules his god father who was a first gen FDA driver pretty much step by step (heritage) 4. and the resourcefulness of getting himself endorsed by the Todt's at age 14.. that mouse is a slytherin!!! in fact. did you know he's affectionately known among the italian tifosi as 'viperella 🐍'? plz refer this brilliant scholarship by @dhufflebee.

carlos -> hufflepuff: when he said 'i was very good i was very fast today' with barely suppressed tears.... when he said his penalty was 'not deserved it is TOO SEVERE i said please please please please to wait to wait until the race is finished and speak to me'........ that was a man trembling w rage bc he was treated unfairly and his hard work was not valued

lewis -> ravenclaw: he's obviously either ravenclaw or slytherin and i think the fact that he likes to distance himself from his peers a lil bit to focus on racing puts him in the former. also whenever he's asked about things happening on the grid (daniel losing his seat, seb's retirement...) i get a feeling that he's very cordial yet doesn't get involved all that much.

george -> slytherin: you would think he has a similar family background to lando's bc of the extra posh accent he maintains and the way he dresses so well... wrong. you're actually looking at a man who values heritage more than you might think. he's ambitious and prepared and driven yet subtle about it (suffered all those years in williams for the merc oppurtinity). he's also a very prideful person imo (see: flipping vb the bird immediately after portugal 21 crash). slytherin thru and thru

fernando -> slytherin: next

lance -> ravenclaw: i can see the slytherin argument bc he comes from money but i feel like he values truths and facts more than he is prideful or unrelenting. see: fact checking max over 180 cm height (where the iconic 'he claims that?' came from). see also: 'ask george about my vegas tag junior win in 2012.. ask him about it.. yeah hahaha ask him about it...' also he has a certain calmness and resignation that comes from valuing facts and observations above else. see:

lando -> slytherin: i love him but the amount of times he whined on the radio so mcalren would team order daniel to maintain position and not fight..... the cunningness, the being comfortable with exaggerating his situations to his engineer... the benefiting from his heritage (the millions of pounds of norris money injected into mclaren).. the resourcefulness of somehow getting z brown involved with his personal brand quadrant which subsequently established mclaren and himself as a package deal... he's a slytherin. he makes fernando alonso proud.

esteban -> ravenclaw: idk esteban that well but the fact that he used to count checo's sins to every media post race back when they were teammates at racing point, then go on twitter with receipts knowing full well it wouldn't change a thing bc checo had the sponsors he didn't... este speaks with facts and he embodies ravenclaw's signature 'resigned cynics'

(the 'perez tried to kill me 2 times!' 😭)

pierre -> gryffindor: suzuka 22 post race where he hesitated but then started talking about jules anyway ("i don't think what happened today was respectful towards jules and his family"). he got a very heavy handed penalty from the fia afterwards which to me feels retaliating. that's a very brave boy. also he is not afraid to show his temper (example) and doesn't easily back down (the alleged shouting match with, and i kid you not, adrian newey). he is very gryffindor.

yuki -> gryffindor: he's obviously passion driven, hence temper <3. also i think the fact that he and pierre became such good friends despite being teammates and having incidents on track rlly speaks for how much they trust and are loyal to each other

alex -> hufflepuff: idk alex that well but the whole concept of drs train conductor is so very hufflepuff coded. i worked hard i was patient i dragged my tractor in front of yours so you're not overtaking me. it's all fair game.

logan -> slytherin: i mean obviously this was taken right outside of their commom room

– end –

p.s. shout out to @tyrannosaurus-maxy for organizing the sort the grid polls you're truly our trend setter!!! ✨

#asks #*#hp stuff #f1 #f one #daniel ricciardo #max verstappen #charles leclerc #txt

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daily-kohane-azusawa · 3 months

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Day 344! Wow I love Taiga and Kohane’s mentor student relationship, i hope nothing happens next vbs focus event that effects everyone’s perception of him and the rest of vivid street :)))))

#project sekai #proseka #vbs kohane #kohane azusawa

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pjsk-writin · 1 year

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Omg hi😭 can I request a thing? The boys realising they have feelings for reader after rejecting them? Like imagine the akward. Also it's up to you if reader still loves them or not👍

Thanks:)

OOF I'm gonna leave it ambiguous on the readers side....hope u like this ! <3

♡ REJECTION...WAIT - Akito Shinonome, Toya Aoyagi, Tsukasa Tenma and Rui Kamishiro x Reader

Akito:

In all honesty, Akito probably rejected you because he had feelings for you. He just didn't realize it.

He was a bit brash and blunt with his rejection, waving you off like he really didn't care about your confession

It took him sitting alone in his room, staring at one of the trinkets he got from you, to realize that he had fucked up.

He couldn't tell why at first. Why was he regretting that?? He was just speaking his mind...Right?

No matter how much he thought it over, he was right to react like that. Except...He wasn't.

It takes a long time for him to admit to himself that yes, he likes you. And god, he messed up his opportunity to ask you out big time.

You can tell that something's off about him, but he refuses to tell you. You can just...Notice him looking at you whenever he thinks you're not going to notice.

Toya:

Toya thought he saw you as only a close companion, so he turned you down rather politely. As expected of him-

In his eyes, you were just a close friend. He could never imagine himself with someone as perfect as you...

Now hold on a minute. Did he just describe you as perfect?-

He was confused at his thoughts, all of them hitting him while he was drinking coffee. It took a talk with VBS for him to realize that he actually did like you back-

Of course, the moment he realizes it, he wants to take it back. He wants to take you to the WEEKEND GARAGE and just laugh with you about how dense he was

But...He also knows that he probably messed up his chance to do that. Way to go him.

He spends more time with you after the rejection, pretending like everything was the same as always. But you both knew it wasn't.

Tsukasa:

Tsukasa always thought that he would be too focused on becoming a star to date anyone, so he rejected you to focus on stardom.

He's at practice with WxS, working on a script for a new show quietly. That is when everyone knew something was wrong

They ask him about it, and he shrugs it off, saying he was fine. Honestly, he didn't even know why he felt so...Down. It wasn't like this future star!

It took one of them mentioning you for him to feel his heart drop. Ah. So it definitely had something to do with you...But what?

He looks at the script he was working on, and realizes that...The love interest in the script? He had based them off of you

It makes sense to him now. He had feelings for you too, he just let stardom block his mind to it

He apologizes profusely the next time you see him, but refuses to elaborate on why he's apologizing in the first place

Rui:

Rui thought it was a joke. Did you really think you could prank him like that? He was quick to reject you, saying to waste your time on someone else.

He walked away feeling...Frustrated. He hated when people played with his feelings, all for a good laugh.

He never expected you to be one of those people...In fact, he never thought you'd be like that at all.

He thought it all over, tried to consider what you said, how you looked. It occured to him that you...Actually weren't joking.

Why would someone like you even like someone like him? It didn't make sense. And why was he so...Upset that he told you no?

He felt guilty, crushed. Without even realizing it, he had pushed away the one person he would've willingly opened his heart up to

He grows distant towards everyone afterwards. He just feels so bad, he doesn't know if he could ever make things right again...

#project sekai x reader #pjsk x reader #akito shinonome x reader #shinonome akito x reader #toya aoyagi x reader #aoyagi toya x reader #tsukasa tenma x reader #tenma tsukasa x reader #rui kamishiro x reader #kamishiro rui x reader

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youmarin · 5 months

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Now Recruiting! ft. Inarizaki VB Boys - Part 8: Inarizaki v.s. Itachiyama

Summary: It’s time for the Summer Interhigh Tournament. Rivals face each other. And after, what will the next semester bring to the boys and Miss Manager?

Word count: 3,690 + Extra 12 (214)

previous, series masterlist

“Oi! I’m leaving, you know! Exhausting yourselves won’t help you out.”

“Just one more.” The setter said as he made his starting run. One. Two. Three. Four. Jump floater. Suna, who was on the other side of it, wasn't able to discern the real trajectory - or maybe he was already tired and began to half ass-, and took position too far up front. He received it. The only problem is he did so with his face. “Holy fuck!” Atsumu cursed and ran over to him.

“Suna!” You dropped the other volleyballs you had picked up on the cart - didn’t want to risk anyone tripping on one and getting injured. One’s never too safe- and ran over to check up on the dark haired boy lying on the ground.

“Are you okay?” You leaned over him from one side. He was blinking, probably trying to make out what had just happened to him. And there were three of you looking down on him. If he wasn’t worried by the simultaneous numbness and hurt he felt on his face he might’ve thought he was having a dream.

“He should be okay. If it were a spike serve he might’ve passed out.” Everyone finds reassurance differently, you guessed.

“I’m fine.” He tried to sit by grabbing the hand Osamu was offering. He missed it.

“Think you might’ve given him a concussion?” Osamu tried again and gently helped him sit. Suna’s head spun for a moment but it slowly came back to focus. “What day is it?”

“2nd of August.” Suna answered as you inspected the red spot on his forehead, brushing his hair away from his face.

“Who hit ya straight on your snout?” No answer. “Oi. Suna, I’m speaking to you.”

“What?” He briefly looked away from your concerned eyes and looked over to where Osamu was by one side before returning to look at you. “Oh. ‘Tsumu did.”

“Okay, y/n, Imma need you step out for a moment.”

“What?” You looked at him, confused.

“You’re clearly distracting him. I can’t consider the integrity of this test if I don’t know if he’s concussed or just crushing on you.”

“Well, okay.” You left, still worried yet a bit flustered. “I’ll bring the first aid kit.”

Kita gave the team a fearsome earful for not going home after the countless times he told them to, making them warm up properly before leaving -and 10 extra laps to make things interesting-. After making sure that Suna was okay -Suna’s punishment got a rain check, but for now he was staring at his fellow second years, Akagi and a couple of first years, thinking he was on the clear- , you took care of his nosebleed, sitting on the court’s left side bench. He felt so lame right now. “I’m glad it wasn’t anything serious.”

“Of course it’s serious.” Suna answered, “Atsumu could’ve broken my nose or ruined my face.” You laughed.

“Well, he didn’t. But someone else might someday if you’re continuing this career path.”

“Not if I actually receive with my arms.”

You fell in a comfortable silence as you worked. You tilted his head and moved to wipe the blood off his lips and nose .

“How are you feeling?” You asked after a while. Suna straightened up and seeing as he wasn’t bleeding over his face and t-shirt anymore you considered it safe.

“I’m okay.” He nodded, trying to ignore how his surroundings blurred when he did. But when he stood up, you noticed the gone look that flashed in his eyes for a second.

“You’re still dizzy, aren’t you?” you quirked a brow, then chuckled softly, “Here.” proceeding to wrap one of his arms around your shoulders and put one of yours around his torso.

***

Everyone was busy. From afar, you could hear the faint melodies while the school band rehearsed. The cheering squad gathered their team and practiced their routines and mottos - the captain even asked if you were interested in joining them like last time-, and as every year it was expected that a great part of the student body would attend to support their team. It was a big moment for the whole community. Thankfully, the boys were used to all of it, and rather than feeling pressure over it, they couldn’t be more excited. They knew the extent of their capabilities and their responsibility. And as their team captain always said: There’s no point in being nervous if you know what you can do.

***

“Where’s y/n?”

“She has a talent of disappearing without anyone noticing.”

“It’s quite scary if you think about it.”

“She hasn't left. Her stuff’s on the bleachers.”

“I can’t wait to get over with this.”

“I know. I bet it’s been awfully hard for you to keep your mouth shut.”

“Guys,” They all turned when they heard you, “c’mon, we have to leave soon. Don’t even think of extra practice time today- Wait. What are you up to?” You eyed them warily. The boys were all huddled in a group, each set of eyes looking in your direction pairing with innocent smiles - which inspired the opposite of innocent intentions. No one could blame you for being suspicious -.

“We have a surprise for you.” Osamu said, stepping up. His twin grabbed what he was holding and didn’t give him a chance to protest before he was handing it over to you.

“A-A what? Why?” After all, you thought you were the one supposed to prepare them a gift given the occasion. You stared at the box with a little bow on top, then straight to the blonde’s smiling face and at the rest of the boys, at a loss for words.

“When someone offers you a present you don’t ask such questions. Just accept it.” Aran encouraged.

You reached for it, brushing hands with the setter as you grabbed it. “Thank you.”

“But since you asked,” Osamu started after glaring at his brother as you opened it and saw it, “We wanted you to know, if you still hadn’t figured it out, that you are as important to us as any of the members of the team.”

“We appreciate all the work you do, your kindness and you taking care of us.” Kita added.

In your hands, you held a familiar fabric of equally familiar colors. It was a shirt like the ones they used on their official matches: black, with the name of the team written in white bold letters on the front and your name on the back.

You felt warmth spreading all over your chest. They could be a handful sometimes, but this was your team and also your friends, and you were so proud of them.

You hugged the blonde boy in front of you , taking him by surprise yet he was quick to return it. When you pulled back, you beamed at him, and he was thankful the other guys joined for a hug and stole your attention from his burning face and pounding heart.

Morning came, and this morning was not one to wish to stay five more minutes in bed or to sit at the edge of it with your head lost in space. You were up in a beat, turning off your alarm before it could go off and dashing to the bathroom to get ready. Getting out, you got dressed up, your Inarizaki tee shirt under your jacket.

“Good morning.” your mom saluted, looking at you oddly for how animated you appeared this morning.

“Mornin’ mom.”

“Wait, you’re not having anything for breakfast?”

“Uh no,” you said, adjusting your bag on your shoulder before balancing on one leg while you put on one shoe, then doing so the other way, “I grabbed something for later though. Want to get to the club room before the boys to double check that everything's in order.”

“You have everything you need?” She asked and you ran over your mental note.

“Yeah, I think so.” You kissed her cheek goodbye when she came over to see you off, “I’m heading out. See ya later.”

“Good luck!”

All the boys were quiet during the ride over to the gymnasium where Interhigh Tournament would take place, and by all it means even Atsumu was sharing his earphones with his twin and was sitting quietly, bobbing his head softly to the beat of his music. He was lively, could even describe him as wild sometimes, but you could count on him to remain sober and serious on such big moments. Suna was nodding to whatever the captain was saying to him. It was a bit amusing and also endearing seeing him look a little nervous listening to Kita. Ginjima was speaking with his upperclassman Aran, while Omimi and Akagi chatted with the first years, which seemed to be the most nervous.

The gym was a large building, fit for the several matches that would be taking place simultaneously. You went with the coach and you were quick to find your section upon your arrival, leading the team inside. Bright lamps on the ceiling met your eyes as you looked up, taking in the scene, while the chilly air from the air conditioned space hit your face. Other teams were heading to their respective areas and some of the first contenders were already warming up on their side of the court.

Dropping their bags, the boys took off their school jackets and changed their tees to their uniform. Some put on their knee pads and arm sleeves before they all headed over to the court to start their warmup routine. Warmups and drills had also another purpose besides, well, getting ready for the game. It was also a time to show off; show your confidence, your skill to the opposite team, and what they were about to confront. If you knew how to do it, and the Inarizaki boys were infamous for that, you could lead them on with a bit of intimidation.

“C’mon show me your best one, ace.” Atsumu encouraged Aran, who gave his start before jumping in the air with excellent form and slamming the ball on the floor to the other side of the net with booming force. Smiling, the setter watched the ball bounce off, making eye contact with one of the players from the other team when he looked up, smile unwavering.

Other players achieved to make their rivals uneasy without meaning to. Kita was that type. As he carried out with his drills, purpose-set as usual, boys from the other team stared at the captain move seemingly effortlessly. Reputation also helped, as the known middle-blocker Suna Rintaro moved on the court with such familiarity as if he were back on the Inarizaki High gym.

Of course, they didn’t reveal everything then and there. It was only a taste before the real thing started. The boys were also good with the element of surprise.

The stands above began to fill up with students from the different schools of the prefecture and from outside, and volleyball fans overall. These sort of events always attracted people from all over, ages ranging from the youngest to the eldest.

You recognized your school, the band standing in their place and the cheering squad hanging the banner you had made on their spot. Soon enough, the ref blew his whistle calling for the coaches to hand him the information of their respective starting lineups and player positions. After, it was just a few more minutes before he called for the captains to decide which side served first.

When the boys’ first couple of matches were over and they’d won without major inconveniences, you rushed over to watch the other matches and keep track of the bracket.

“I think Inarizaki should be over too. You think they did alright?”

“Dunno. But if Miya plans to defeat us they better have.” The blonde may not be his favorite person, but the rivalry was there. And things wouldn’t be as interesting or fun without it.

At that moment as they turned to head over the court where your team’s match had taken place, Sakusa saw you coming.

“Y/n!” Motoya waved at you, “Good to see you.”

“Hi, guys.” you smiled, happy to find friends out of the multitude. They were carrying a towel around their shoulders and you took it as their most recent match had just finished as well. Sakusa’s otherwise neat kept locks were a bit messy, slightly damp by his sweat. His dark eyes emitted friendliness as he acknowledged you, even a small smile threatened to take over his features.

“Did you guys win?” He asked.

“Yeah.” You responded with a satisfied tone and knowing smile. “Did you?”

“You really had to ask?” Motoya said jokingly.

“So that means that if we both win our next matches,” you looked down at the papers on your clipboard.

“We’ll face each other.” Sakusa finished for you. “So you better make it.”

And both teams did make it and were bound to face each other.

The other matches had gone alright. The team never underestimated any of the others. Sure, someone could get a little over its head and there was a little taunting, but it was normal for players to mess with opponents psychologically.

But considering these two teams knew each other better, they felt as if there was this responsibility for each other to go all out for it to work and have a good match. Both teams didn’t seem as exhausted as they saluted each other in the middle of the court before their match started.

During the first minutes of the first set, the team made a few mistakes while the coach told them to get themselves together. He had to call for a time out before Itachiyama could further their lead. After that, things fell into a good rhythm for them and they took the first set.

The game went downhill for them from that point on. Itachiyama’s defense surpassed them, not letting a lot of the boy’s attacks land and prolonging the rallies. Even when both Suna and Aran were on the court they couldn’t earn enough points to steal another set. They knew how to find their weakest spots, and who to target. And things only got worse as the game continued and they grew more fatigued and frustrated.

Atsumu set the ball for Suna, but the latter wasn’t fast enough in his approach and had to hurriedly make the pass, without as much force as he would’ve liked.

“Feint!” Motoya called and another of the players called for the ball, easily receiving it. They spiked it over and Kita was there to readily pass it to Atsumu, who set it for Aran. The ace tried to hit over the blockers that were marking him, but the hit lost power as it hit one of the blockers' hands.

The road for Inarizaki ended with none other than Sakusa sending a spike over to their side.

The beginning of the second semester. Your second semester in your new school, and this time it wasn’t as daunting. Now, you had the boys from the volleyball team. You reached the school gates, and not long after crossing them, you found your fellow second years.

“Y/N!” Gin noticed you first.

“We gotta take a group photo.” Atsumu stated, leading Suna to ask a random student to take a picture of you. Awkwardly, the boy accepted Suna’s phone.

“Do we really have to?” First mistake.

“Are you saying you don’t want to take a photo with us? Do you even like us?”

“No! Of course not!- Wait. Hold up,” Nothing you were saying was coming up straight judging by his face. Even the other three seemed to deflate a little. “What I mean is that I do like you.” You said looking straight into the setter’s eyes. And why were his cheeks burning all of a sudden?

“Then why not take a picture?” Suna, who kept a digital record of everything he could, asked you. “It’ll be nice to look back at it.”

“I just don’t look very flattering in front of a camera.” you shrugged, trying to play down your insecurities. “Plus, we have taken plenty of photos together.” During games they always made you.

Of course, some of them had noticed you’ve been shy regarding the topic. But that wouldn’t be the end of it. “But we don’t have one of this moment.” Osamu said.

“If I may say, I think you’re very pretty, Y/n.” The boy, still holding Suna’s phone, nervously said. Suna quirked an eyebrow.

“Oh. Thank you.” Receiving compliments was nice. You wished you knew how to take them. It made you feel a little bad that you didn’t even know the boy’s name. But to be honest, you were bad with those too.

“Yes, she is. Glad your eyes are working dude. Now take the picture.” Atsumu shared his opinion but wasn’t thrilled to hear the boy shoot his shot right in front of his face. You ended up apologizing for him. Someone was a little on edge today.

They all looked at you, their expressions all saying, Please?

“Fine.”

Now, the other problem was picking where they would stand. Osamu ended up pushing his way between you and his twin, while Gin stood on your right. Since Suna was the tallest, he stood behind you. He whispered something in your ear, which made you smile and your face heat up.

After looking through the pictures, complaining about how he looked on some of them, the blonde finally broke down, “Did ya see that nonsense about a ceremony to recognize the team for our representation at Interhigh?”

You looked at the others searching for clues regarding the cause of Atsumu’s newest outburst, which was somehow related to the ceremony. Osamu’s expression denoted some sort of pain (now you had no doubt Atsumu was the cause of this pain), Gin hung his head, while Suna turned away, whistling. Thanks a lot, boys. Finally, your eyes settled back on the setter. “Uh… Yes, the coach sent me an e-mail about it. That’s great!-“ Osamu started gesturing and shaking his head. What? Did you say something wrong?

Okay, so the school wanted to recognize the volleyball team’s job in the tournament. Of course, there were some mixed feelings about it. The team had lost. But they’d reached semifinals and that landed them a spot at Spring High Nationals. They might’ve not won but still their hard work paid off. So that was good, right? That was what you thought before this conversation and the scene unfolding at the moment.

Second mistake.

“Oh yeah. Right. I mean, after all, the important thing is having fun. And second place is great.” Atsumu’s words were dripping with sarcasm. “We are the second best.” He gestured with his hands, making an arch. “It isn’t enough that we lost. No, they have to rub it in our faces calling us shitty names. Just outright call us a bunch of losers.” He muttered the last part. For a moment you had forgotten who you were talking to. Atsumu was one of the most competitive people you’ve ever met.

But still, he was dismissing a lot. “Okay, I get it. Second place might suck for you but you can’t just brush away all your and your teammates' sacrifice to get where you are.” There you were. They boys could always count on you to knock some sense into them. “But it’s good that you don’t settle. It makes you keep aiming high.” You smiled at him.

Atsumu stared at you for a moment. That funny feeling from the other day kept creeping and blooming all over his chest. And what was that fluttering on his stomach?

Osamu looked at him, waiting for his brother to speak again whether it be another complaint or another snarky comment. But when it took a few beats more than usual, it clicked to him.

“But…” Atsumu’s voice wavered a bit as he regained his composure and started walking behind you as you made your way to your classroom. The bell would ring soon. The rest followed you two. “It doesn’t mean I have to attend, right?”

“Uh, I think you should. You don’t want to be rude.”

“You’re saying that to one of the rudest, meanest people here.”

“I’m not mean!”

“Remember that girl that tried to give you homemade cookies she made herself and you said you weren’t interested in buying them?”

“It was a misunderstanding, Gin.”

“Sure it was.” Suna snorted, “And right after when she clarified, you didn’t accept them saying you had to take care of your weight.”

“We’re athletes. It’s very important to look after what we eat, and I didn’t know what she put on those.”

“You were stuffing your face right after eating pudding. And one of those was mine.”

“I told you I didn’t eat it!”

“Okay. That is pretty rude, Atsumu.”

“Whatever.” He frowned, “I’m not interested in any of those squealing girls. And this is besides the point.”

“Well,” you said, swerving back to the topic, “Think of it as a rehearsal. Years later, you become a pro player and something like this happens. You dislike it, but you go, show your face, be grateful,” You emphasize that point, “and then you leave. Even if you truly hate it. You can still complain all you want and we’ll hear you out.”

“ “We” sounds like a lot of people. I don’t know.” Ginjima scratched the back of his neck.

“Count me out.”

“I’ll hear you out.” you fixed.

“I guess I will too.” Osamu added. He didn’t think he'd have much choice. “And who knows, maybe one day you’ll learn about good sportsmanship.”

“Fake it ‘til you make it.”

“So you want me to be fake.” Atsumu stated.

“No.” you glared at Suna, hitting him in the arm - it felt more like a caress to him.-, making him chuckle. “Just,” you raised a finger, “Don’t be rude,” another, “be grateful,” the finale, “and go to your classroom you all.”

Extra 12: Shirt on or shirt off? [word count: 214]

“I’ll walk you to your dorm. I just need to arrange some things into the storage room first.” You said as you walked behind Suna towards their locker room and stood in the doorway while he grabbed his stuff, insisting on seeing him off safely.

“I feel better now. And it’ll be more late for you to get home. Who says I’ll let you go if you go with me?” Suna tried reassuring you and, why not, teasing you a little bit.

With lack of a response, he turned to look at you to find you blushing and mouth open to answer back, but settling on frowning.

Then your eyes traveled to his sweaty t-shirt, sticking to his chest and torso. A white tee, basically see-through at the moment, and the bloodstains on it. “Take your shirt off.”

Suna nearly knocks down the rest of his things. “What for?” Just how fast the tables turned. And the thing was you weren’t even trying to get him flustered.

“The blood. I might be able to get it off.” Then you turned around to give him privacy.

“Right.” He did as told. You reached your hand back for him to hand you the shirt, making him chuckle while doing so, and you were out of there.

A/N: Hello, dear readers! It’s been a while - a year 💀-. Happy 2024! I hope you’re all well and safe. I’m happy to see people are still enjoying and showing love to this series. And here we are with part 8! Funny, I started writing this part the day I posted part 7 and it took me this long to finish it. The extra was just added. I got a little confused with the tournaments’s stuff lol but I figured shit out (I think). Not that anything needs to be accurate but yk, helps the writing flow. Happy reading and see you next time, whenever that is! **slow updates**

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