A/N: Hello, readers! Here it is! Ugh, I might cry while writing this. Enjoy!

edited on febuary 27th, 2021 @ 11:42am

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CHAPTER SIXTEEN - CAN'T WIN THEM ALL

TADAHIRO CRINGED EVERY TIME HE heard Seijoh's cheering squad from the stands. "Why is it always the powerhouse teams that have the most annoying cheers?" Tadahiro thought, drinking his water.

"Hey, you guys are amazing, Hinata, Kageyama!" Nishinoya grinned, patting the two on their heads as Karasuno smiled at them. Tadahiro just took a deep breath. He had to concentrate on the game if Karasuno had any chance of winning.

TWEEEET!

"Let's go!"

"Yeah!"

Karasuno headed onto the court, ready to win. It was Tadahiro's turn to serve as he bounced the ball up and down. Sugawara and the rest of his teammates were yelling encouraging words out to him, but he blocked them out, needing to focus on the game.

Tadahiro looked up and stared at Oikawa, who narrowed his eyes at him in concentration. Tadahiro soon tossed the ball up and ran forward, spiking the volleyball only for it to get saved, making him growl lowly.

Aoba Johsai jumped up to spike, but Karasuno blocked it, or at least, Hinata got a one-touch. "Chance ball!" Nishinoya announced as he received the ball back in the air, Hinata charges over and Kageyama tosses the ball to him as Hinata had spiked it down, Aoba Johsai's libero dived down to save it, sending the ball back up.

"Chance ball!" Daichi exclaimed as he saved the ball and sends it back up.

"One more ball!" Hinata announced running forward, Kageyama did the usual toss, but Hinata's spike was saved by the libero once more. Hinata runs back to Asahi's side to help him block, the duo jumped up to block but Hinata gets a one touch.

"Nice one-touch!" Daichi yelled as he sends the ball back up.

"One more time!" Hinata exclaimed to Kageyama.

Iwaizumi scowled a little as Tadahiro sees him following his junior. "I know you're getting the toss, so I ain't gonna leave you unmmarked!" Iwaizumi announced. Tadahiro widened his eyes when he saw that Hinata was trying to delay the jump, but his jump power and the timing was off.

"No!" Tadahiro thought, as they were going to lose a point against Seijoh.

However, Hinata did manage to softly hit the ball with his finger tips and send the ball over Iwaizumi's figure, Hinata slides across the floor but got back up to see the ball touched the ground and Karasuno was winning. Hinata was the first to cheer.

"All right!" Karasuno announced as Tadahiro sighed in relief.

"Shoyo!" Nishinoya exclaimed as he and Hinata high five, Tanaka came over and patted Kageyama on the back. "Hey! Hinata saved our butts!" Tanaka stated as he soon left the court as the game was starting.

"We're rushing them!" Daichi announced.

"Yeah!" Everyone replied as Tadahiro was serving once more.

He heard the whistle as he did a jump serve, the ball once again gets saved, but just barely, Aoba Johsai gets a point as they were neck in neck with Karasuno with both teams having 25 points. Tadahiro grumbled as it was Oikawa's turn to serve.

"His serves are monsterous. If we want to win, we have to stop them." Tadahiro told himself, his eyes darkening a little.

The referee blows the whistle as Oikawa did his usual powerful jump serve, the ball was heading straight towards Nishinoya.

"Nishinoya!" Daichi yelled out, however, Tadahiro saw that if Nishinoya just let the ball go past him it would be an out and Karasuno would get a point.

Nishinoya moved his head as the ball flew past him and out the court. Karasuno gets a point. "Nice judgement call, Nishinoya!" Daichi praised.

"Yes, sir!" Nishinoya exclaimed. It was once again match point for them.

Tadahiro was sweating, feeling the pressure. "We have to win. I want to stay on the court for as long as I can!" Tadahiro thinks to himself.

The game goes on as Iwaizumi spiked down the ball and got tied with Karasuno again, making Tadahiro growl to himself, as him and Tsukishima did try to block him.

"That evens the score. A point is a point either way." Iwaizumi told his team and Tadahiro saw them staring in awe at him, even Oikawa was amazed with his friend. Tadahiro scoffed and turned away in annoyance.

The game goes on as Karasuno got a point, but then Aoba Johsai gets a point, it was tense around both teams as they all got a point each time. It was difficult to make out who would win the set. Tadahiro's arms kept hurting each time he had to dive down and save the ball and his palms were red from all the spiking he did.

"It'll be worth it when we win. This won't be the last game I'll have with everyone! I refuse to have that happen!" Tadahiro thought, glancing at the scoreboard to see where both teams were at.

Karasuno

31

Aoba Johsai

31

"A tie again... how irritating." Tadahiro thinks to himself as he pants in tiredness, wanting this match to end already with Karasuno winning.

They were all getting exhausted as they all pant and sweat like crazy. Tadahiro leaned onto Daichi for support.

He sees that Oikawa was serving, making Tadahiro gulp. "One play and he's gone!" Daichi encourages Nishinoya who nodded in agreement.

"Yes, sir!" He replied back. Tadahiro narrowed his eyes. The mood around Oikawa seemed different. Relaxed? Focused? He couldn't tell what it was.

Tadahiro saw him throw the ball up, as he spiked it down, Tadahiro quickly moved and received it, only to give Aoba Johsai a chance ball.

"Shit, I'm sorry!" Tadahiro shouted out, running into position to help his teammates out.

"Be grateful that you even got that up in the air!" Asahi shouts back at him.

Tadahiro suddenly saw Oikawa toss the ball, going to the left for Kunimi to spike it. He spiked it down and Kageyama somewhat saved it.

"Chance ball!" Kunimi exclaimed as he runs to get into position. Kageyama stared at him with wide eyes.

Tadahiro saw Oikawa toss the ball to Kunimi again, Asahi and Hinata jump up to block, Tadahiro was a little surprised to see him do a feint, Kageyama went to save it but failed as Aoba Johsai was ahead of them with 32 points.

Tadahiro could tell that Kageyama was shocked to see his ex-teammate smiling and laughing. "I guess he's not used to seeing him so happy. If I remember correctly, Dai-chan told me Kage-chan wasn't the best team player back in junior high." He thought.

Tadahiro smiled when he saw Oikawa ruffle Kunimi's hair. "Huh, kinda reminds me of how I tried to cheer Taiga up when Seirin lost against Touou." He stated in his head, his younger brother popping into his mind. "Damn it... I really need to make another trip to Tokyo..."

Kageyama seemed fixed on Kunimi as Hinata walked over. "Kageyama?" Hinata called out, but the first year setter didn't respond.

"Kageyama?" Hinata said again.

"Kageyama!" Hinata yelled. Tadahiro couldn't help but get worried.

"Earth to Kageyama!" Hinata yelled again. Kageyama jumped as Hinata had a smug and teasing look.

"Hey, don't tell me you're getting spooked out. Lame!" Hinata teased, Kageyama didn't respond but Tadahiro smiled when he saw Kageyama just grab Hinata's face and squeezed it.

Hinata got free from his hold and glared a little. "Th-Think about it! Obviously, a Great King is gonna be better than a King." Hinata hissed.

"That goes name-wise too!" The orange haired male added. "Heck, he even looks smarter than you!" He insulted.

Kageyama still didn't respond and tried to hit his teammate again, but Hinata stepped aside and avoided it.

Kageyama went to grab Hinata again, but Hinata ducked down to avoid Kageyama's grip, Tadahiro couldn't help but be amused by his underclassman.

"I'm sorry, Kageyama!" Daichi apologized as Kageyama looked over towards the captain. "I'll get the ball back to you next time."

"Then we'll play it like usual and of the attack you think is best." Daichi added as Kageyama looked a little surprised by this.

"Kageyama, quit second-guessing!"

Everyone turned to Sugawara who shouts from the sides. "What is everyone on our crew?" Sugawara added as everyone, excluding Tsukishima, smiled.

"They're good at what they do." Kageyama replied as Tadahiro was taken aback.

"Well... he's certainly grown from his junior high days." Tadahiro thinks to himself as he glanced back at Aoba Johsai and frowned.

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"Okay, bring it!" Nishinoya challenged.

"Bring it on!" Tanaka yelled from the sides as Tadahiro panted, his eyes focused on the volleyball, as Oikawa bounced the ball. He then shivered when Oikawa stared at Karasuno with such intensity.

Oikawa threw the volleyball up and did his power serve. "Front!" Daichi exclaimed as he dived down to get the ball back up in time. However, they had to break formation, so Kageyama and Hinata couldn't do their fast attack as Kageyama receives the ball.

"Left!"

"Center!"

Kageyama sends the ball up to Asahi. "Left!" He calls for the ace, as their ace spiked it over the blockers. The ball goes in the air as the libero saves it in time. Oikawa then tossed it to Iwaizumi in mid jump, which Iwaizumi jumped to spike the ball. Tadahiro got in front and saved it, however, it went to Aoba Johsai's side.

"Do it, Kindaichi!"

Tadahiro watched as Kindaichi and Hinata both jump to touch the ball, Kindaichi spiked it back, making Shun freeze it place.

"Get it!" Nishinoya shouted.

"I got it!" Kageyama shouts as Hinata runs forward. Kageyama sets the ball to Hinata.

However, he was in shock when three blockers had stopped Hinata's quick as the ball comes back down to their side. Kageyama, Nishinoya, and Tadahiro all run to the ball, hoping that one of them could save it.

The ball gets closer to the ground.

"No..."

And closer...

"Don't touch the court..."

....and closer.

"We can't lose like this!"

SLAM!

The ball had touched the ground.

TWEEEET!

The crowd and Aoba Johsai cheer in happiness as Karasuno all stood in shock or were on the ground in defeat.

"We lost..." Tadahiro thought. His red hair covered his eyes as he clenched his fists. "Well, it's like I told Taiga... We can't win them all."

"Hinata, Kageyama, time to line up." Tadahiro heard Daichi say. He hated how emotionless Daichi sounded.

"Captain, I'm sorry." Hinata apologized.

"You didn't mess that up. No apology is required!" Daichi informed as Kageyama stood up with a sour look. Tadahiro stood up as well, his bangs still covering his eyes as his fists were still clenched.

They all soon lined up. Karasuno tried so hard to get where they were at and they lost to Aoba Johsai.

"I can't cry... not in front of them." Tadahiro thought, looking at his teammates.

TWEEEET!

"Thank you for the game!"

Karasuno bows, but they didn't yell as loud as Aoba Johsai. They head to shake hands with their opponents. Tadahiro looked at the hand that was stretched out for him.

Oikawa.

"Kaga-chan." He began, looking at him. "You played well. If anything came out of this match, it's my respect to you."

Tadahiro chuckled lowly. "Thanks, I suppose." He responded. "Hey, if you have time before your next game, I would like to talk to you and your team. I got some things I wanna say privately. Uh, nothing bad I promise. Quite the opposite actually."

"Sure, Kaga-chan."

Tadahiro followed his team off the court. "Form a line!" Daichi yelled as they formed a line to thank the supporters who came to watch them.

"Thank you for the game!" Daichi shouted and bowed.

"Thank you for the game!"

The crowd clapped for them, some from different schools.

"Well done!"

"That was a good game!"

Tadahiro tensed at these words. "Gather round!" Daichi called out as his team followed him. They surrounded Ukai, as Tadahiro saw Nishinoya had a comforting hand on Kageyama's back and Tanaka had a comforting hand on Hinata's back.

"We need to vacate." Ukai told them. "The next team has to start warming up. We'll cool down upstairs or outside. Seijoh will take a break and proceed to the quarterfinal." Ukai added as Karasuno glanced at the team they lost too.

They all had proud and bright smiles on their faces, while Karasuno had emotionless ones. Tadahiro followed his team out of the court.

"Dai-chan." Tadahiro began as his boyfriend looked at him.

"Yeah." Daichi replied, knowing what he was gonna say. "I'll tell the coach and the team. Don't forget to take care of yourself and take all the time you need."

"Thank you."

Tadahiro stood outside as Aoba Johsai came out. "What did you need to talk to us about?" Oikawa asked.

"Win, and then win some more. Win for us too." Tadahiro replied, passing the words that Ikejiri had told Karasuno when Tokonami lost to them during the first round. This shocked Aoba Johsai, including Oikawa, as they weren't expecting this.

After all, Karasuno had broken their promise to Ikejiri, Tadahiro only felt it was right to pass it onto Seijoh.

"Kaga-chan—" Oikawa started to say.

"I'm not angry, you know. In fact, Karasuno's lost just proved to me that even one of the top three spikers need improvement, and I need to improve if I'm to defeat Ushiwaka. Speaking of..." Tadahiro began.

"There's a chance you guys will go up against him and Shiratorizawa. So promise me you'll put him in his place. If not for your team, do it for me." Tadahiro continued.

"Yeah, I promise, Kaga-chan."

"Good. Hopefully, I'll see you and your team in the Spring, depending on if Dai-chan and the other third years on my team want to stay." Tadahiro said. "The next time we meet, you won't be so lucky, because you bet Karasuno will be adding revenge to our dictionary."

"We'll look forward to it." Oikawa said, smiling at the red head.

Tadahiro smiled back as he walked away from Seijoh so they could get ready for their next match.

Once he was far enough away from the team that Karasuno just lost too, he was silent for a moment. Then, he leaned on the wall, slid down, and just started sobbing uncontrollably.

"Could I have done something to change the outcome of the match? I can't let them down. I have to be able to put every one of my teammates into the Zone, and to do that, I have to be stronger." Tadahiro thought as he continued crying.

He was interrupted when he heard his phone buzz. He opened his volleyball bag to find that his younger brother had texted him.

"Shit..." Tadahiro cursed in his head as he clicked on the message.

Taiga 🐅:
> Seirin just won against Touou. We finally defeated Aomine and got our revenge. What about you Nii-san? Did Karasuno win?

Tadahiro smiled when he read that Seirin had got their revenge on Touou from defeating them in the Inter-High. But then frowned.

Hiro-nii:
We lost. <

Tadahiro was shocked to see Taiga calling him as he answered it. "Taiga, what—" He began.

"Listen here, you stupid red head!" Taiga shouted, making Tadahiro pull his phone back from his ear.

"Oi, Taiga. That's not how to treat your brother, you brat. And you're a red head too." Tadahiro sweat dropped.

"I'm only being harsh with you because I know you're over there, feeling sorry for yourself and taking the blame. I'm right, am I?" Taiga questioned when his older brother stayed silent.

Tadahiro heard Taiga sigh on the other line. "Remember what you told me when Seirin lost against Touou during our Inter-High?" He asked. "You told me that you can't win every match that you have. You have to lose at some point, because you have to be willing to fail to improve."

"Huh, who knew you could be so inspirational, Taiga. Did you get that from Hyuga?"

"S-Shut up, dumbass! I can be smart too."

Tadahiro chuckled. "You really know how to make me feel better. Thanks, Taiga. I needed that."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm only doing my job as your brother."

Tadahiro's phone buzzed again as he looked at the message from Daichi. "I gotta go. Dai-chan just messaged me saying our coach is treating us to food."

"You're away from your team?"

"Yeah, I didn't want to break down in front of them. So I let out all my frustration when I was away from them."

"I better let you go then."

"I'll make a trip to Tokyo soon, Taiga. Good luck with the rest of the Winter Cup, and keep me posted."

Tadahiro hung up and placed his phone back into his bag, zipping it up and swinging it over his shoulder, before meeting with his team.

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Tadahiro and his team all went to Sit Tavern, which was now closed but they were still inside. The food look amazing, but the air around Karasuno was depressing.

"Sorry to do this right before closing, ma'am." Tadahiro heard Ukai apologize to the Tavern owner.

"Think nothing of it! This used to be the norm for you, remember?" The lady kindly replies with a smile.

Ukai smiled before walking away, and looking back at his team. "All that running and jumping puts stress on the muscles and tears the muscle fiber. At the end of the game, your muscle fibers will be in tatters. You recover by eating." Ukai explained as to why they had a big feast in front of them.

"That's what gives you muscle. That will make you stronger." Ukai added as he held onto his words. "So, eat up." He said, sitting down next to Takeda. "Eat a proper meal."

"Thank you for the food."

"Please, dig in!" The lady announced as everyone grabbed their chopsticks and start to eat their food, no one spoke a word, their emotions clear in the air. Tadahiro was the one who barely touched his food. Which worried Daichi. Tadahiro normally ate anything since he had a high metabolism, so to see him so upset like this broke him.

"He's still blaming himself." Daichi thought.

Tadahiro couldn't take it anymore. "I'm leaving." He spoke, his teammates were crying as they looked at him in confusion.

"W-Wait, you can't just leave." Sugawara tried to say.

"Suga." Daichi said as he just shook his head. The third year setter understood as Tadahiro got up and left the Tavern.

Tadahiro wiped a tear that escaped his eye. If Karasuno wanted to beat Aoba Johsai in the Spring, he needed to put his teammates into the Zone.

And he knew just who to talk too.

Tadahiro fished out his phone from his volleyball jacket pocket and clicked on a certain contact.

Tadahiro:
> Hey, it's Tadahiro Kagami. Don't know if you remember me, but I trained with you under Coach Stevens?

It didn't take too long for Tadahiro to get a reply.

Jordan:
Tadahiro! It's been so long since you left America. What can I do for you? <

Tadahiro:
> I'm planning on making a trip to America. I need to see Coach Stevens. My volleyball team has recently lost against a powerhouse school. I need to get stronger and better if we're gonna defeat them.

Jordan:
Yeah, of course. I haven't seen you in a long time, and I'm sure Coach would want to see you as well. <

Tadahiro:
> Thanks, Jor. I owe you one.

Tadahiro pocketed his phone. Jordan Laurent was a friend of his back from his time in America. Sure, Kuroo was the one who made him who he was today, but Jordan was the one who got him into volleyball. They trained under the same coach.

Jordan eventually joined the National Team in America, where he became one of the top three spikers in America. Coach Stevens was the coach for the National Team there.

Tadahiro sighed to himself and continued on his way home.

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Tadahiro entered his apartment as he turned on the lights. "Home sweet home." He thought. He threw his volleyball bag on the side of the stairs and headed up to his room.

A few minutes later, he heard his apartment door open and close. Daichi was the only one with his house key, so he wasn't worried.

He heard feet coming up the stairs as his bedroom door opened. "Hey, you okay? I just wanted to stop by and check on you before I head home." Daichi said.

"I'll get over it eventually, Dai-chan." Tadahiro told him.

"I want you to know..." Daichi began as he sat down next to Tadahiro. "That no one on the team blames you, I don't blame you. Just like I don't blame Hinata."

"I feel like I could've tried harder. I should've tried harder. What's the point of Karasuno having one of the top three spikers if I can't even help us win?" Tadahiro questioned.

"Suga, Asahi, and I met up to discuss our next move. We knew you needed some time alone, so we didn't text you about it." Daichi informed. "The four of us are meeting up tomorrow after classes are done."

"Sounds good."

Daichi smiled as his patted his boyfriends shoulder and stood up. "Hey, Dai-chan." Tadahiro said as Daichi only hummed in response.

"I'm going to Tokyo for a day. Taiga and his basketball team are playing in their Winter Cup. I told him to keep me posted, so I'll most likely go to watch their finals." Tadahiro explained. "I was wondering if you'd like to come with me? You can meet my brother. It'll give us a chance to take a breather from volleyball too."

Daichi smiled. "I'd love to, Hiro." He replied before exiting his bedroom and out of Tadahiro's apartment.

Tadahiro got changed and collapsed on his bed. "Hopefully going back to America and training with Jordan and Coach Stevens will help me get stronger to open the second door." He thought.

"I just hope Dai-chan, Suga-chan, and Asa-chan don't want to retire early and leave the second and first years to get our revenge in the Spring..."

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A/N: Another chapter done! Please let me know if there's any mistakes! Hope you enjoyed!

Word Count: 3772 words.