The sun's rays were shining over the clouds. Morning was here, as the sky was turning bright blue. The building was quiet, and nothing disturbed its peace. At least, not for long. Inside a room, a person was sleeping soundly under the covers. Their hair was fanned out on the futon as their breath was in a rhythm. When the light shield through the window, it hit on the person's face. Slowly their eyes fluttered open. They sat up, tiredly looking around. 

Yawn~ 

They covered their mouth and rubbed the sleep from their eyes. Today was a big day. So the person quickly rolled up the futon, got dressed, and headed to the other room. Jogging down the hallway, they found the room and knocked on the door. 

"Its morning~!" They slid the door open. They saw the others still sleeping. 

"Come guys, time to get up~" 

"Mm~geez~~....five more minutes, Hinata-san...zzzz..." 

"Oh, come on...." Yup. Hinata Mizuki, was trying to wake up the Nekoma boys. 

"Heh~...if that's how you want it, I guess you don't want me making breakfast~..." She glanced at them, and some immediately shot out of bed.

"Senpai?! You're making the food?!" Of course, Yamamoto was more excited than the rest. 

"Uh...pfft--!" The girl turned around and tried to hold her laughter in. That's when Yamamoto realized he had boxer shorts on. His face turned red. 

"Hurry up and change," she giggled, "I'll set up in the mess hall. Oh, and--nice hairdo...rooster-head." The third-year patted his hair. 

An hour later, everyone came into the economics room. Mizuki finished the rice, and set up different kinds of meals on the table. 

"It looks yummy~" Lev beamed. Yaku slapped his hand away.

"Wait until she's done." Mizuki put the bowls, chopsticks and other utensils not the side. 

"Alright guys. Dig in."

"Itadakimasu~!" The boys ate their meals. Coach Nekomata, Naoi and Shotarou were walking in. 

"Oh, hello Neko-okksan, Manabu, Shotarou-sensei. I made breakfast."

"Thank you, Mizuki." 

"Mizuki! Sit next to us." Kuroo waved her over. She sat across from him and Yaku on the edge of the table. 

"Today's the day, right?" 

"Hai."

"So who's coming?" 

"Other than Karasuno, there's three other shools...Ubagawa High...Shinzen High...and of course, Fukurodani High." 

"The first thing we do," Kuroo informed, "is our warm-ups...then we'll regroup and the teams will play each other in rotation. The team who loses their set, does a penalty lap of diving drills around the court." 

"I see," she nodded. 

"You'll be switching from team to team," Shotarou bellowed, "we need to test your game sense." She nodded.

'I'm so excited...' she smiled. 

>>>>>>>>>>>Fast Forward>>>>>>>>>>>>

In the gym, Nekoma was setting up the materials for the courts. Meanwhile, Mizuki was ordered to wait by the school gates for the other schools to show up. When she saw vans coming her way, she waved her arm, signaling for them to come in. She waited until all the volleyball teams were present. The coaches and the managers were the first to greet her. She then faced the boys. 

"Good morning everyone," she quickly bowed, "my name is Hinata Mizuki. I'm the assistant coach to Karasuno, and former high school volleyball player in America. Its a pleasure to meet you." She smiled brightly that they all blushed. 

"Please, follow me and I'll show you to the gym." And so they did. However, it didn't take long for one boy to greet her with full attention.

"Mizuki~!"

GLOMP!

"Ah!" Mizuki was pulled into a hug by the owl-eyed boy. 

"N-nice to see you, Bokuto-san."

"I missed you. Now we get to play volleyball together."

"Bokuto-san, you're crushing her."

"Hi Akaashi-kun. How are you?" 

"I'm fine." 

"Heh~Bokuto knows that cute girl," one boy whispered.

"Lucky..."

"Alright! Let's get started!"

"B-Bokuto?!" Suddenly, everyone was startled as Bokuto scooped Mizuki into his arms. 

"H-hey--let me go!" 

"But we're walking too slow," he pouted, "if we run, we'll have more time to play volleyball. So let's go~!"

"Aahhh~Akaashi--help me~!" 

"G-geez...Bokuto-san! Wait!" Akaashi ran after them. The others were following behind. 

"You think those guys are here, yet?" Yaku asked Kuroo. 

"Probably. Maybe I should..."

"Hey--hey--hey~!"

Everyone in the gym looked to see Bokuto with Mizuki still carried bridal-style.

"We've arrived~!"

"Ah! What are you doing to Mizuki--Bokuto?!" Kuroo shouted.

"Um...please put me down."

"Hai-hai~" He let her down while Kuroo jogged over.

"Lil' mandarin...why was he carrying you just now? Did you get hurt?" Kuroo asked. 

"N-no..."

"Lil' mandarin?" Bokuto blinked.

"That's Kuroo's nickname for me."

"Eh~? You're giving Mizuki a nickname?" Bokuto pouted.

"How come you're so familiar with her?" Kuroo questioned.

"We met a few times."

"Heh~?"

"Hey, hey, Mizuki....let me give you a nickname too."

"Why?" She asked.

"He doesn't want to feel left out," Kuroo smirked.

"Shut up," Bokuto whined, "can I...? I can come up with a good nickname."

"Um..."

"Then what would you call her?" Kuroo challenged him. Bokuto hummed as he scrunched his brows while thinking. Just then, he pointed a finger up with his eyes wide open.

"Ah!I got one! I'll call you... Momo!"

"Momo?" Mizuki, Kuroo, and Akaashi said in unison.

"As in, the word 'peach'?"

"Yeah...peaches have the same color just like your hair. I also like the way you smile and laugh...it reminds me of how sweet and colorful peaches are. So your nickname is Momo."

"Really..." Akaashi wondered. Mizuki hummed. 

".....I kind of like it."

"Eh?" Kuroo and Akaashi looked at her.

"I think its cute. So yeah, you can call me Momo." 

"Really? Yay~! I told you she would like it!"

"Calm down," Mizuki giggled, "we should start warming up, so I'll tell coach Nekomata you're here." She waved to them and left. Bokuto then puffed his chest out while doing a v-shape with his fingers to Kuroo. 

"How's that? She liked it!"

"Hai, hai..." Kuroo shrugged with a sigh.

"Hey Kuroo..." A boy with curly hair, from Shinzen High, called him. 

"What's up?"

"That girl....is she good as the coaches say she is?"

"Heh," Kuroo smirked, "she's so good it'll be a pain in the ass for all ya." The others were confused.

>>>>>>>>>>>Fast Forward>>>>>>>>>>>

The coaches watched while the managers and leftover players helped gather volleyballs. 

SLAM!!

"Left!" Kuroo shouted. 

"Cover--cover!"

"Kenma!" 

"Captain!" 

"Got it!" The two curly-hair boys jumped. However, their eyes widened when something orange jumped higher than them. 

"What--?!" 

Kenma tossed it to Mizuki.

WHACK/BAM!

The spike was so quick, the opponents didn't have time to react. 

FWEET!

The referee blew the whistle. Nekoma scored another point, which ended the set.

"Yosha!" 

"No way..." The boys wide-eyed at Mizuki. From the other court, Fukurodani was watching them. Bokuto's eyes gleamed. 

"Awesome~!"

"She really can jump that high," Akaashi was shocked.

"That was the seventh time she spiked," Komi gaped. 

"Hey..." Mizuki spoke up.

"Eh?" They blinked.

"What were your names again?" 

"A-ah! Daiki, Ogano." The boy with brown curly hair stiffened. 

"I-I'm Eikichi Chigaya." The black-curly hair boy bowed to her.

Mizuki put a hand out.

"Your team has good skills in using combos. It was nice playing with you." Hesitant at first, they each shook her hand. Afterwards, Shinzen did their penalty diving drills while Nekoma took a water break. Mizuki walked over to Nekomata and Shotarou. 

"So how was my game?"

"A lot better these past few months," Shotarou nodded, "but let's work on your libero skills, now."

"Yes, sir. Which team do you want me to join, now?"

"Ubagawa's team. This team excels on jump serves, plus their serve & block strategy. They'll need someone from the back to receive if needed."

"Understood." They fist-bumped before Mizuki went off. 

.

.

.

"Right!" 

"Got it!" 

"...." Mizuki eyed the opponents as they set up the ball. She saw Ubagawa's captain, Gora Masaki, and two others jump to block. However, Shinzen's ace faked them, and one of the middle blockers was on the other side. 

"Dammit!" Gora shouted.

DASH!

Mizuki dived and received the ball. She then used her hands to do a 180 spin to regain herself. 

"Gora-san!"

"Thanks!"

SLAM/BAM!!

FWEET~!

"Yes/Yeah~!" Ubagawa earned another point. Mizuki dusted herself off. 

"Nice receive," Gora smirked as he and Mizuki fist-bumped. Ubagawa's manager, Miyanoshita Eri, was amazed by the performance. 

"S-she's really good!" 

"Yeah," Shinzen's manager, Otaki Mako, agreed. 

In the end, they won the match. As for the next game, Mizuki teamed up with Shinzen, standing in as their ace. She was positioned in the back. They were going against Fukurodani this time, and both teams were only three points away from winning. Their managers, Shirofuku Yukie and Suzumeda Kaori, were gathering balls with Miyanoshita while watching. 

'They're amazing,' Mizuki thought, 'and their ace is an excellent player. No wonder Bokuto is one of the top five ace's of the nation.' 

Bokuto threw the ball up and spiked it. Mizuki grit her teeth from the impact, but was able to receive it. 

'That was powerful--but its up!' She thought. 

"Counter!" The setter threw the ball to the captain, but their opponents blocked it as it backfired. 

FWEET!

"Hey-hey-hey~!" Bokuto shouted while throwing a fist in the air. His team cheered, too. 

"Yosh~! One more!" Bokuto grinned as he grabbed a volleyball. He did the same thing, but Mizuki ran to the left and caught it. 

"Nice try!" She smirked. 

"She's fast!" Komi thought. 

"Focus!" Akaashi shouted. Suddenly, Mizuki was running towards the net, along with three others. 

"Watch out!" However, the setter was in position. The three did a fake, with Mizuki the only one left. 

'She's going for an attack!' Akaashi thought. Both he and Bokuto jumped to block. She smirked. 

"!?" Mizuki lightly tapped the ball, making it descend over their heads.

BOUNCE--BOUNCE...bounce...

FWEET!

"Alright~!" 

"S-she did a feint," Saruki gaped. Bokuto began to smile. 

"Wow...that was amazing, Momo!" He grinned at her as she wiped her sweat away. 

"Its not over, yet." She jogged back to her position. 

"I knew playing with her would be fun! Didn't I, Akaashi?! Right?!"

"Yes, yes..." the second-year sighed. The game continued, and it was becoming a close-call. Two of the managers were behind Shinzen as they played. Otaki was putting volleyballs into the cart, when one bounced out. 

"I'll get it," Miyanoshita called out. 

"Oh, thanks."

"Make it count, Bokuto~!"

"Yeah!" He started to run up. 

"Yosh...here we go."

"Hm?" Mizuki looked behind her and saw Miyanoshita kneeling to pick up a ball. 

"H-hey, Miyano--"

"Oooraaah!" Bokuto's hand made contact, but the projector of the ball was too far out. 

"Ou--!"

"Watch out!" Suddenly, the boys heard Mizuki scream. The ball was coming in fast, and Miyanoshita was too late to react. 

"Shit!/Oh, no!" Some shouted. 

"!..H-Hinata-san..!" Miyanoshita's eyes widened when seeing Mizuki kneel, with the ball slammed right dab in the middle of her abdomen. She clutched the ball from the impact, and soon fell to her knees while inhaling oxygen abnormally. Everyone stopped what they were doing and surrounded her.

"S-senpai!" Suzumeda shouted worriedly.

"Are you okay?"

"Hinata-san!"

*Cough-cough...inhale~~cough-cough--* She held her waist. Luckily Shotarou pulled her up by the arm. 

"You okay?"

"Y-yeah," she stuttered, "I-cough--..." Just then, Bokuto was making his way through the crowd. 

"M-Mizuki! I-I'm sorry! I'm so~sorry! I-I didn't--"

"Bokuto-san--calm down," Akaashi gripped his shoulder, "giver some space." 

"Its okay, Bokuto." She cringed from the pain as she gripped her sides. 

"Alright--its obvious that blow took a toll on you," Shotarou crossed his arms, "take a break...try to ease that pain until then." 

"...Okay..." Fukurodani's managers helped her while Miyanoshita followed. 

"Okay boys! Back to practice!/Come on!" Naoi and Nekomata shouted. Akaashi saw the guilt in Bokuto's face, but he managed to bring him back to the court. 

"I'm sorry, Hinata-san! Its my fault you got injured!" Miyanoshita bowed in guilt.

"Don't worry, Eri-san," she weakly smiled, "getting injured is part of the job."

"Here." Shirofuku folded some towels into a pillow, and helped Mizuki lie flat on her back. 

"Sorry about this."

"Don't worry," Shirofuku smiled, "we'll make sure no one disturbs you." 

"Okay. And...please tell Bokuto--it wasn't his fault." They nodded before leaving her be. She sighed to herself and then looked at the ceiling. Unaware to her, Fukurodani's captain was watching her, with a gloomy expression on his face.

>>>>>>>>>>>>Fast--Forward>>>>>>>>>>>

Most of the boys were waiting for dinner. For some, they were doing late night practice sessions. Bokuto, Kuroo, and Akaashi were walking to Gymnasium #3 to work on their blocking and spikes.

"I'm sure she's fine, Bokuto," Kuroo thought, "but I gotta admit--that shot was impressive. I'm surprised she didn't get knocked by her head."

"Actually," Akaashi interrupted, "Bokuto-san already did that."

"A-alright--don't have to explain it," Bokuto glared at him. 

"Come on, don't slow down!"

"Huh?" They heard the voice coming from inside. When they took a peek, they saw Shotarou standing on a stool while Mizuki was on the other side of the court. Her hair was messy, taking deep breaths, sweat dripped from her face, and her legs were almost shaking.

"Get ready!" Shotarou spiked another to the right. Mizuki ran for it. However, her right leg was slowing down.

"Ah!" Her left arm barely tapped the ball. She was now kneeling while catching her breath.

"We're not done, here! You got ten more to go!" Mizuki groaned as she got up. She positioned herself again. 

"Hup!" She dove for a back one, but with her arms so weak, she landed rolling on her back. 

"Remember, you're not in high school anymore," Shotarou gave a serious look, "what those college kids will do to newbies like you--some may drop out the moment they step into that court."

Mizuki slammed a fist on the floor. 

"I know," she tiredly bellowed, picking her upper-body upward. She gave a smirk his way.

"But I'm not gonna let that happen. You've put me through worse. Besides..." She stood up and wiped her face. 

"...its more fun when you're up against strong players. Come on, one more!" She readied herself.

"That's more like it," he smirked. Just then, his eyes saw the boys from the entrance. He gave a smile their way.

"Actually...let's stop," he started walking down the stool, "we can't take up their time." He pointed at them, with Mizuki staring right back. 

"Oh, right," she chuckled, "I'll just clean up here. Goodnight, coach."

"Goodnight." He waved to her and then the boys as he left. Mizuki sighed as she laid down on her back. Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akaashi came inside.

"Tired?" Kuroo smirked.

"Yup. I've been here since the afternoon."

"No wonder I didn't see you." He then glanced at Bokuto, and then at Akaashi, who nodded.

"Bokuto..."

"Huh?" Suddenly, the gray-hair boy was sitting on the floor after Kuroo forcefully pushed him down.

"Keep Mizuki company while we fix this place up."

"Don't run away, Bokuto-san." Akaashi and Kuroo went on the other side of the court, leaving the poor ace to defend for himself. He sweat dropped.

"Hi Bokuto." She saw him flinch.

"Eh..ah, h-hi..." He awkwardly smiled. However, he ended up putting his head down on his knees with his arms crossed. Mizuki got up.

"I'm not mad, Bokuto," her voice softened, "it was an accident...please don't be sad..." 

"!" He was surprised when Mizuki lifted his head, his golden eyes staring at her warm smile.

"Come on, where's that energetic-side of yours? I like the 'happy-little-owl' better than 'gloomy-owl', here..."

"Owl...?" He raised his brow. She giggled behind her hand, which he thought was cute. 

"Your new nickname...Little Owl..." He rubbed his neck in a shy manner. 

"But...I feel really bad about what happened." She sat in front of him.

"But I got hurt on purpose. Let's just call it even...we're all friends here, okay?"

"Uh...okay..."

"And since I'm too tired to move, can you tell me about your team? I'd like to know more about everyone else."

"...Sure! I got tons of stories, plus--I'm the captain. I know everything about them." From afar, Kuroo and Akaashi smiled while Mizuki listened to Bokuto talk on and on. 

>>>>>>>>>>>Next Day>>>>>>>>>>>

"Senpai~!" 

"Oh, hey Inuoka." Mizuki was in mid-stride when the first-year stopped her. 

"Your phone was going off a few seconds ago."

"Okay. Thanks." She walked over to her sports bag. She reached for her phone, and saw three missed calls. She read the caller id. 

"Eh...? Asahi?" She wondered why he was calling her. Mizuki dial his number and waited for the other line to pick up. 

[Hello?]

"Hey Asahi--its me."

[Mizuki. Hi there.]

"I got your calls. Did you need to speak to me?"

[Hai. Just wanted to say that we'll be coming today.]

"Oh, that's great. I really missed you guys."

[We missed you, too.]

"Hey, so how were the exams? I hope everyone did well..." Suddenly, things got quiet from the other line. Mizuki blinked in confusion.

"Um...Asahi? Are you there?"

[E-eh? Ah--sorry. Well...]

"Let me guess...the duo's..?"

[....H-hai....]

"Well, let's hope they're make-up exams will be better. Oh~which reminds me..."

And hour later.....

"Ooh~~! That's..." Nishinoya beamed.

"Is that..." Tanaka smiled.

"The Skytree?!" They unison.

"No," Kai implied, "that's a transmission tower." 

Kuroo was laughing himself off as Nishinoya and Tanaka were making an uproar. The other Karasuno members were coming out of the van. Asahi and Sugawara were looking around, Nishinoya was pushing a tired Tsukishima as they, along with Kuroo and Sawamura, walked into the school. Just then, a sudden outburst startled them.

"T...th..." Yamamoto went down on his knees. Shimizu was shielding Yachi as they watched him.