Chapter 1: Yukigaoka Volleyball Team

(Disclaimer: I'll probably get the rotations or something wrong sometime. Or I might accidentally make a guy backrow hit frontrow.)

---------------------------

The air was cool and fresh, with a faint scent of lemon too. The small group nervously walked into the seemingly giant expanse of the gym, shuffling about nervously. They varied in height but mostly seemed to be on the smaller side.

They wore floppy light-green jerseys, with large square numbers painted on both sides in darker olive green. On their backs, a line of kanji read: "Yukigaoka Junior High". At the front of the group, stood two young boys.

One of them was an excitable short child. Quite a bit shorter than the rest of them, he was lanky and skinny, with a sharp chin, and a small pointy nose. His skin was pale-ish for the most part, with a few cuts and bruises along his knees. He had large light-brown eyes, filled with excitement and curiosity. His hair was a bird's nest of wild orange, coming down short down to about his ears.

Next to him, was a significantly taller boy. He was the tallest of the bunch, a bit taller than your average fourteen-year-old. He was what one would call a pretty boy, with pale unblemished skin, and large almond-shaped eyes a speckled-cinnamon hue.

He was also quite muscular, with long legs and small biceps. His face was quite handsome for his age, with a hardened jawline, and a slim elegant nose. His lips were slightly chapped and curved, with piercing straight eyebrows.

His hair was an inky black, coming down to his neck, with long bangs combed aside his face. A small excited grin painted his lips, and his fingers trembled in anticipation. It had been quite a long time since he'd stepped onto a court like this.

His name was Fujin Hayato, the third-year setter of the Yukigaoka Junior Highschool Volleyball Club. But he also had a secret. You see, he was not originally from this world. Quite a few years ago, he had reincarnated in this familiar new world, which he had quickly discovered to be where the volleyball manga, Haikyuu took place.

Born in dear old Miyagi once more, into a loving family, at first he'd been confused. Who wouldn't after all? Past lives and reincarnation weren't exactly that easy to handle, but he'd had much time to pawn over that as an infant. And as he grew, becoming able to walk, and then talk properly, and finally able to run, he understood.

This was a second chance, given by who knew what….. But more than that, it was an opportunity. For him to jump into the air again without feeling the sore of old age, he could see above that net again. His legacy could live on in this new world, as his new self. Volleyball had been his world, and to play it again, what more could he ask for?

So now, on this fateful day, he, alongside the deuteragonist, and his best friend of many years, the excitable orange-head, known as Shoyo Hinata, would play together on this court for the first time.

It was enjoyable, playing on the court with the overly energetic kid. The only slight inconvenience was his position as a setter. While he was mostly a jack of all trades, his most preferred was Wing Spiker.

It was a little disappointing having his first grand game as a Setter, but it couldn't be helped. This position would help bring out the best in his "gun", Hinata. Making his way down the side of the many courts, Hayato looked down at the paper, before beckoning for the rest of the team to follow. They had four third-years and three first-years.

Most of them didn't have much experience playing beside him, which would be a problem. For the past week or so, Hayato had taken charge as the "coach" of sorts and drilled the basics into all of the player's brains. Despite his best efforts though, Shoyo Hinata was still…. Unsatisfactory at passing a ball correctly. It was definitely better than in the original manga, but still sorta bad.

Plopping a duffel bag on the ground, Hayato turned around, staring over the rest of his teammates. They honestly, for the most part, looked like elementary students. Hinata had gone to the restroom, saying he was queasy, and the rest also felt pretty nervous. There were, of course, the two fellow third-years, who he was good friends with too.

Koji Sekimukai, and Yukitaka Izumi. Koji was of average height, with spiky jet-black hair and squinty eyes. He had long eyebrows, along with a bridge-like nose. Wearing the Yukigaoka uniform, he adjusted his shoes, nervous. He was from the Yukigaoka Middle School Football (Soccer) Team. The outside hitter, his vertical was decent, and he could somewhat hit, though they were all easily stuffable.

The other of the pair, Izumi, was a friendly-looking fellow. A moderately handsome kid, he was of small build, with sweeping auburn hair that came down to his neck and large coffee-brown eyes. He was from the Yukigaoka Middle School Basketball Team.

In canon, he had been the setter, but due to Hayato's outside interference, he was the Opposite Hitter (Right-Side). With decently average passes, he could set overhand pretty well due to being on the basketball team.

Both people in question had their teams eliminated early on in the tournament season, so now they were here, helping fill in spots on the Volleyball team. Izumi seemed to be taking deep breaths, a little nervous, while Koji was flipping about a sheet, attempting to memorize the rotations.

The rest of the team was even smaller. The first-year trio was a nervous wreck, with all of them fidgeting and pacing about as they stared at the court in awe. They were as followed:

Saiya Suzuki, 1st Year, Libero. He had large oval-like eyes, and thick floppy brown hair, alongside rosy-peach skin. Sloppy receiving skills.

Yuki Kawashima, 1st Year, Middle Blocker. He was timid, with dark hair shaved to a crew cut, along with thin eyebrows. Sloppy receiving skills, bad blocking, and surprisingly average serves.

Tatsuya Mori, 1st Year, Middle Blocker. He was a plain-looking boy, with black hair that stuck to his face like a peach. Sloppy receiving skills, and weird badly-timed blocking.

He'd tempered them a bit, so they could barely keep the ball in the air, but with the pressure in the air, they were nervous wrecks. Hayato would have to try to keep their confidence up for the whole duration of the game. After all, their opponents were…. Kitagawa Daiichi Junior High School.

They were a powerhouse, with very skilled players, though none more so than the King Of The Court himself, Tobio Kageyama. Thankfully for Yukigaoka, at the moment, the guy was a jerk with unnecessarily complicated sets. It would be easier to watch for tips and such.

A few minutes passed, before above, a loud noise permeated the area. It was the bell. Hinata flinched, jumping in the air slightly.

"Relax, captain…. Go talk with the ref. I'm betting on tails." Shrugging his shoulders, Hayato clapped the orange-haired kid on the back, sending him on his way towards the net. It was customary in most volleyball games for the coin toss. It determined the serve-receive and the warm-up order.

Looking out at the court, he kicked the ground, letting out a loud screech. The court floor was a little dusty. In volleyball, a good court was one that let you grip the floor with ease but was smooth enough so that you could dive for a ball and not go flat. But it also depended on the jersey.

The rest of the Yukigaoka players were quite nervous as a few fidgeted around with the old volleyballs they'd taken out. Borrowed from the girl's team, a few of them were a little flat, but for the most part, they were fine.

Spinning one on the top of his finger, he stretched out his arms, bumping the ball in a dull rhythmic motion. The ball flew up, and down, with virtually no spin. Hayato's ball control was very good due to his extensive experience.

Setting the ball over his head with a flick, the ball bounced to the floor with a stop. Turning, Hayato watched as Hinata scrambled back over, a smile on his face.

"Hayato-San! We won the toss!" Bounding up and down in excitement, Hinayana grabbed a ball, turning to the other players. "We're on first! Serving too! Come on!"

The rest of the players looked at each other, before following as a crisp whistle blew through the air. Hayato smiled as he walked up to the net, ball in hand. They quickly began, the players pairing up as they tossed the ball about, attempting to bump it back to each other.

Being the wonderful upper-classman he was, Hayato was going about, attempting to point out and fix mistakes. "Don't stand straight up, it'll go straight back over the net. Suzuki-kun! Stop swinging! Remember to snap your wrist everybody!"

Most of the mistakes being committed were expected, things that most beginners would do when they first started off with the sport. Inspecting the surroundings, he watched as they went off to serve. Mori threw the ball up behind him as he craned back, smacking the ball into the net.

Hayato turned, watching as the Kitagawa Daichi players laughed and joked around casually, their eyes filled with disdain.

Nearby, the team's wonderful and illustrious captain, Shoyo Hinata followed in his kohai's footsteps, nailing the ball into the net, his left foot kicking off the ground as he did so.

Sighing, Hayato found himself looking at the best other server on the team. His hand shooting out, Kawashima slapped the ball straight, watching as it spun before landing in the middle of the court.

"Guess I shouldn't let all the young'uns show me up…" Smirking, Hayato casually tossed the ball into the air before him. It spun about, arcing beautifully. He took off in an approach, launching into the air, his arm blurring as it made me contact.