Set Me Your Heart

29

"Shit." You breathed out.

Yuki pat your back. "Come on, it's just one set. We can get them with the next one. Right now, we're even."

Momo groaned. "Man, we really are neck and neck with Niiyama girls. They're much stronger than they used to be."

Rei nodded, panting. "One more set. We can get this."

"Either way, we're not leaving the team until after the spring nationals." You replied, eyes focused on your current opponent.

It was the finals for the prefecture qualifiers for the inter high. Your team was determined to go again this year, not wanting to lose to any other team. You and your friends were already feeling tired, having already played two sets that ended up in a deuce. No matter how hard you attacked the opposing team, they always answered by getting a point in return. You had managed to take the first set, but Niiyama had taken the second set.

As the third set began, you and your friends heard some familiar voices.

"Come on, Aoba girls, you've got this!" Iwaizumi shouted from the crowd.

Oikawa was standing right next to him. "Y/n-chan! You've got this!"

The four of you smile at the boys' team, who were looking down at you as you played.

You shouted out. "Aoba Johsai will win!"

"Yeah!" Your team cheered after you.

The opposing team looked almost pissed that you had such confidence. But your team had never lost before, so why wouldn't there be some confidence? As you all got on the court, your eyes trained on the Niiyama girls' ace, who was serving first.

"Momo."

Your libero nodded, not looking at any of her teammates. "I've got this."

Oikawa beamed, looking down at you. "My girlfriend is so amazing. I can't wait to see her win. I'm gonna kiss her until she pushes me away."

Iwaizumi snorted. "Let's hope she pushes before you even start."

"Mean, Iwa-chan!"

Back on the court, the serve was coming over. Momo got it up perfectly, sending it right to you. You watch the ball carefully, noticing your teammates from the corner of your eye. You immediately send it to Rei, but it gets blocked. Luckily, the ball is going to fall in their court. One of Niiyama's players receives the ball, sending it to their setter. She set it for their ace, but all three of your blockers are there. Momo receives the spike, sending it to you once more. The rally continues on like this for a while. Until, finally, it comes back to you.

'This first point is the most important now. This will give us the lead, the momentum we need. Who should it go to?' You thought about giving it to Yuki, but noticed she might not do so well if all the pressure is on her. You knew what you had to do.

The ball was about to touch your hand, when you change your stance within a split second. You slam the ball to the other side of the net. As you land, you watch as players from Niiyama desperately try to receive the ball, but fail. Your team earned the first point. It was silent for a moment, then the whistle blew, indicating that your team scored.

Your team cheered. "Yeah!"

Rei grinned. "That's our setter!"

You beam at them. "I've got your backs. We got the first point. The momentum is ours. Let's take this, and keep scoring!"

"Yeah!"

Rallies kept going, continuing to be long. Your team was in the lead, the scores being 20-16. Niiyama called a timeout. As you all head to your coach, voices called out to you.

"You can do this!" Matsukawa and Hanamaki cheered in unison.

Iwaizumi cupped his hands around his mouth. "Keep giving it everything you've got!"

Oikawa looked at you, meeting your gaze. "I believe in you."

Your coach didn't say anything as you all arrived at the bench. What the boys had said was enough to give you the motivation to win this set. You all swelled with determination.

You turn to your team, a somewhat tired smile resting on your face. "You heard them. They believe in us. And I believe in all of you. We just need 5 more points. Keep pushing yourselves. Play like you have been. This set is ours. This game is ours. We've already won, we just need to the points to show it. I put all my faith in you guys, so give it your all."

The team remained silent for a bit. You almost seemed to be acting like Oikawa during matches. That wasn't a bad thing. It just meant you were able to bring your team together and win all of your matches. That's part of what makes you a strong setter. Right in this moment, your team felt their respect for you grow. They all believed they could win this set. All they needed was their setter to get back on the court, being the control tower for them.

As their captain, you inspired them. You make them work harder, just so this team could always win. That was how things worked. And now, you finally had someone that was giving you that same inspiration, that desire to do better than before. You look up into the stands, your eyes meeting Oikawa's once more. You held your fist to him, a grin on your face. He smiled, holding his fist out to you. No words needed to be shared. Everyone had the same thought running in their head.

"We're gonna win this."

The whistle blew, signaling the end of the timeout. You all walk back out onto the court. This was it. This would be the final stretch. You were going to win this.