19

Semi looked worried at the aura Ushijima was emitting. For some reason, he was letting it all out with his spikes and serves.

"Semi, send it all to me." Was what his glare told the 1st year setter. Honestly, it scared him and everyone else. But his spikes, his jumps, and his run ups were so terrifyingly amazing that it put him to ease.

Still he was worried- something had to be bothering Ushijima.

Nishida patted the back of Ushijima. "You're on fire today, Ushijima! Before the semester ends, you'd probably take the title of Ace." He laughed. He waved over at the current ace. "No offense, Akihira!" The 3rd year Ace, Yamauchi Akihira, shrugged and returned to his spikes.

Ushijima bowed at the captain and returned to his spikes. Nishida's playful smile turned upside down. "Mou, why are all our Aces so blank…? They're no fun." Knives stabbing his back made him return to his spikes as well.

Ohira was practicing his receives with Soekawa and Yamagata. Semi was not the only who noticed Ushijima's rather sudden enthusiasm to the sport. He had always been fiery, but this was just another level of fire.

"I think something happened between Yoshikami and Ushijima…" Yamagata concluded, after passing the ball to Soekawa.

Soekawa nodded, tossing the ball to Ohira. "Yea, Yoshikami was avoiding us the whole time. She doesn't even eat lunch with us anymore. She said something about hanging out with other girls."

Ohira received the ball and passed it back to Yamagata. "She doesn't even try to talk with Ushijima and I during class. She always disappears during breaks as well." He sighed.

Silence loomed over them, but they continued passing the ball to one another. It bound them together; their strings of friendship solely reliant on the ball that they could barely touch.

"I'm not really feeling well, Coach. I think I'll head home early." Yoshikami bowed before her coach.

"Oh, alright. Take your medicines, got that?" She shrugged and stalked off. She just wanted to leave early so she wouldn't bump into them.

By the time she arrived at the gate though, she froze upon seeing the familiar eyes. She recognized her of course. It was her assumed to be Ushijima's girlfriend- though he never really told her. This sends her heart hurtling.

Maybe she was really his girlfriend- and he was really playing with her feelings.

Her feet resumed walking, wanting to not interact with the girl in question. But cold fingers grabbed her arm into a firm grasp. The shiver was hard to stop.

"You…I know you." Her voice was velvety, but venomous. It would have sent her reeling to the floor if she had not gone through her father's teachings. This was low in comparison.

"Yoshikami Hoshi." She tried to shake off the hold. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to go home." But the hold only seemed to tighten.

Yoshikami was getting annoyed and turned to glare at the girl, but froze. There was just this blankness behind the hazel orbs. Just like the feeling behind her hand, her face was of icy cold and the voice matched the very expression on her cold-stricken face.

"It was you!" The snarl was evident. It happened all in slow motion. The slap echoed loudly in the late afternoon. The short girl, not expecting it at all, fell to the ground with a loud thud. Her hand slowly and hesitantly touched her cheeks and she flinched.

She glared up at the girl. "The hell is wrong with you?!" She tried to stand up or at least back away from this deranged girl. But her icy fingers snatched hold of her hair. "Ow! Stop it!"

"I knew you were a demon! A succubus at that! Is that how you took away my fiancé? By bewitching him?!" Yoshikami didn't understand a single thing she said. The pain was becoming unbearable. She dug her nails deep into the girl's fingers, having had enough.

There were whispers around them- no one lending a helping hand. Yoshikami had almost forgotten this feeling. Being surrounded by her friends, the memories of her past was slowly fading. But it's back now.

And this time, she wasn't going to let them torment her.

While holding in the pain, she shoved the girl to the ground. Her hair was finally freed from her grasp.

Yoshikami stood over the fallen girl's form and glared at her. "I have no idea what you're talking. You got the wrong person." She tried to leave again, but she fell into someone's embrace.

It was warm, familiar, but wrong.

"Hoshi, are you okay?!" Came her cousin's worried voice.

She didn't even look up and just sink into his embrace. "I just want to go home, Satori… I'm tired…" She whispered, hoping he heard it.

"This isn't done, you cheating demon! This isn't over!" She ignored the screeches of the mad girl and walked away with Tendou.

They stopped by a convenience store- Tendou insisted so that he would treat her. So, there she was, sitting inside on one of the available seats of the store, hiding her face in her arms. Her head ache only seemed to get worse by the second. She had to take her medicine.

She felt the tap on her head and looked up. Tendou grinned at her and showed her the ramen cup noodle. The delicious seafood smell wafted to her nose and she accepted the hot noodles gratefully.

"Careful, it's hot." Yoshikami nodded, but opened the cover anyway and mixed the noodles and seasonings.

There was only silence between them- she was glad for it. She had no energy to talk to anyone at the moment.

Unfortunately, her wishes could only grant a few seconds of silence.

"Hoshi, you know…" She sighed, hearing Tendou. "…you look better with a smile. I won't bother you, but a smile would help." The red head made a face and it caused a small smile to appear on her face. "There you go, there's my Hoshi." He patted her head after saying that.

She blushed. "Thanks, Satori. I really needed this…" She sighed, and began devouring her noodles.

Tendou watched her the whole time, granting her the silence. When she'd think too deeply, he'd pull her out by making faces and cracking jokes.

"Hey, Satori… why are you doing this? I know we're cousins, but still, you didn't have to do it." Yoshikami smiled at Tendou.

"Have you forgotten, Hoshi? I like you. Not because you're my cousin. I like you to the point of not wanting to let you go." The words sent her heart to a freeze.

What did that mean?

She laughed hesitantly. "I don't really get what you mean, Satori."

It was unexpected- if she'd known, she would have stopped him. But it was already too late. The deed was done.

Yoshikami touched her cheek in shock. The feeling of his lips lingered as her fingers brushed the place where he had pecked her.

Tendou grinned at her, patting her head. "But I'm not that type to steal my cousin away from the person she likes. So, if he breaks your heart, I'll be right here, okay?" He stood up and held out his hand. "I should take you home." Her heart hammered in her chest. She was doubtful to accept his hand, but his eyes were honest and pure, so she did and stood up.

"No hard feelings, Satori, but I can only think of you as my cousin…nothing else…" She whispered, her other hand still on her cheek.

Tendou hummed in response, but never did he let go of her hand. Even as they walked down the street to her home.

Was it right though? She stared at his back- he was still wearing his gym clothes- did that mean he ran to her aid and never even changed? He could be sick…

Yoshikami kept quiet though. Her mind was too muddled to even say it right. She hadn't seen Tendou for nearly three years. After that incident, she refused to remember anything from that time. His name and face completely forgotten.

But he never forgot about her.

The guilt attached itself to her chest.

Again, was it right though? He just confessed liking his own cousin, her. They were barely blood-related being third degree cousins, but the fact stays that they were cousins. Her hand touching her cheek grasped her front uniform tightly.

Her eyes flickered to his hand holding hers. It was warm, protective, just like how older brothers would hold their little sister's hands. That's how she felt.

She didn't want to give Tendou mixed signals, but at that moment, after what happened with Ushijima, she wanted to stay by Tendou whose emotions she could clearly tell.

She returned his firm hold with her own. "Thanks, Satori…"

"For you, Hoshi, it's nothing."