the angel and the ace | cswolf and din

[din.]

shiratorizawa is a well oiled, nationally acclaimed machine, but nobody can predict how the machine reacts to new cogs. with a new wave of eager additions to the team, everyone must figure out where they fit in.

[cswolf.]

Yamada Murai {Everyone calls him Murai}
15 years of age
Male
Closeted Homosexual
Shiratorizara's ace, first year, number 8 {his lucky number}
Tall {5'11}. He is also broad and has quite a bit of muscle upon his frame.

Murai is a hard working individual, on the court at least. He can be easily distracted with other things but he often always finds a way to be focused upon the court. He does have a tendency to be cocky however because he became the ace of Shiratorizara quite quickly. He is nicknamed "The Prodigy" by the coach and is seen as one of the top players of the season. He loves having attention upon him and often forgets that there are other people on the court with him. He does appreciate his team-members however and will always encourage them.

[din.]

---
---

♚ ♚ ♚

dai matsuda
17 years old
second year, shiratorizawa
setter/right side hitter
number 16
-------------
dai is about as average as they come, in his mind. he lives in
a medium sized house, with both of his happy parents, and a
small fluffy white dog. he get's straight A's and B's, and has
been encouraged to pursue a dull career in business his
entire life. how very... average.
the only thing that sets him apart from the other boring, blurry
high school boys is his ability. his teammates like to boast that he's
got angel hands- he handles a volleyball with such lightness and
grace it's baffling.
dai isn't exactly a boastful player, but he takes immense pride in his ability
as a setter and right-wing spiker. he's always the one to lead the team into
the center of the court to cheer for a scored point. he lightens the mood
when the team is having a difficult time during a game. dai is perfectly happy,
always the one with a clear head. until...

[din.]

kata nakamura, captain
third year
number 27, middle blocker

nakamura took to the captain's position like a duck to water. in his
third year, he's determined to make this year his greatest, and leave
a lasting mark on the team. he's not a mean captain by any means,
just... an intense one.

ni yukosama, little spitfire
third year
number 22, libero
Ni has been the libero ever since half-way into his first year and the
original libero he learned much from became ill and had to leave the
team. The team took the loss of their libero hard but once Ni stepped
up to the plate, they never looked back. Their old team member comes
back sometimes to check on them. He's a fast boy and often descibed
as a firecracker, ready to blow.

--------

eryu watanbe - third year, outside hitter, number 3
watanbe, more commonly called wata, was a starting outside hitter. he's proficient
in both hitting and defense, but his specialty is the killer serves he can deliver.
a generally happy guy, wata is dead set on making a place for himself on the
court, and plans to have fun with his last year in volleyball

hamada laito - third year, right side, number 6
laito has a no give up attitude. he's got a great jump ability and often is the one that
tries to go out of his way to get a ball nobody else things they can spike. he is seen as
the team's decoy and loves a good dump shot. he's a cocky little brat and it has gotten
him in trouble once or twice. he gets away with it during practice as he has come in
clutch a few times.

akido kai - second year, setter, number 13
kai is a well practiced setter. he is a focused and driven man who has pin-point accuracy.
he has a tendency to get overwhelmed though so he doesn't often start out. he tends to
be the secret weapon in the secondary half of the game as he is a quiet assassin.

seiko tori - second year, outside hitter, number 15
tori serves as the source of mischief on the team. always first to tease, always first
to jokingly chastise his teammates. he has a certain likable quality that prevents anyone
from truly getting angry with him, though. as far as skill goes, tori has some to spare.
he's got a nasty hit and a wild jump. tori does mean bird, after all, and tori lives up to
the name

ryuchi ikeda - first year, outside hitter, number 7
ikeda is eager to learn, and eager to play. old teammates have said that he hasn't a
cocky bone in his body, and is akin to an eager puppy. he's fairly stoic, except for
when on the court, and possesses outstanding natural skill in defense and blocking.

usaku kudo - first year, right side/defensive specialist, number 4
kudo wants nothing more than to win, and win, and win some more. he came from
a fairly elite middle school, where he was flexible in what positions he could play.
he is still flexible, but feels most at home in the back row, throwing himself on
the ground after a ball. he idolizes liberos, but enjoys hitting too much to commit
to the position.

sushima kenjii - first year, middle blocker/defense specialist, number 25
kenjii is a shy, but tall, male. he prefers to help talk strategies for the team but when
he is on the court he works best as being tall up front to take down balls trying to come
over the net. When attending middle school, he was often the one that spotted ruses
before they continued as he almost had a sixth sense for their opponent's trickery.

[din.]

________________________

✦✦✦
matsuda dai || worried setter

i'm so down to earth
and you're up in the stars
i'll show you the sea
if you take me to mars
________________________

the wind whistled by, swirling cheerfully around dai's ankles. it was chilly nowadays, the air crisp and cool, and the sky varying shades of grey and blue. dai didn't fret, though, as it'd be summer before long. every year he made it a point to enjoy the cool while it lasted, as scorching summer practices brought about nothing but heat stroke and despair.
dai tilted his chin down into the collar of his jacket, and squinted his watery eyes against the wind. the bike ride from his house to the gym took no more than ten minutes, but choosing to walk that day had nearly tripled the time it took, what with the wind and traffic. dai was never late, but this was cutting it close...

he turned a corner, and finally the gym was in sight. he could feel his heart rate spike, and the grip on the gym bag slung over his shoulder tightened. before every practice, dai got a surge of adrenaline and nervousness. it was not a bad feeling by any means, but it was a stark difference from his usual level-headed and happy demeanor. every practice in that gym was an absolute rush, and his body had been conditioned to respond as such.
he picked up the pace, a smile creeping onto his face as he neared the towering building. he could see the lights on, hear the soft thud of volleyballs as his teammates played around before practice. dai was about to break into a run, fearing he'd miss too much of the pre-practice banter and peppering, but was stopped in his tracks by a deep voice behind him.

"matsuda!" it called, loud but not threatening.
dai whipped around and came face to face with nakamura, the team's captain. they wore the same clothes- a thick school jacket, loose athletic pants, and they even carried the same bag with the school's name emblazoned on the side.
"yo, nakamura!" dai cheerfully greeted him, shifting to walk at the captain's side as they made for the gym. he and nakamura weren't particularly close friends outside of school, but they were definitely friendly. the school year had ended and now shiratorizawa was on break, the team only getting a few days of respite before getting summoned to practice.

still, the aura of the place was different. dai was now a second year, celebrating his seventeenth birthday within a few weeks. nakamura was a third year, and of course the third years from the previous season were nowhere to be seen. dai would mourn them, despite most of them going on to top universities or even professional teams.

"we're getting new first years today." nakamura mentioned casually after a few moments of walking in comfortable silence. dai turned and looked at him, surprised for no good reason. he hadn't even considered that they'd be getting new players. that's how teams worked, after all.

"wow, i totally forgot about that. do you know anything about them? are there any setters? are they good? well of course they are, but like how good? i heard that-" dai turned his head so he could barrage his captain with questions while looking at his face, but he was shut up by a firm hand on his mouth.

"please, matsuda, my ears are going to fall off." nakamura said, not without a smile.
"i know a little about them- coach snatched em' from top middle schools across the country. that man is a vulture." he chuckled, looking to matsuda who looked unsatisfied with his answer.
"let's see... we got a middle blocker, some outsides, some right sides, and i heard a couple of them double as defense specialists and setters. a fairly diverse group, i've been told. also... there's this one guy-" nakamura was cut off by a booming shout that seemed to resonate right in their ears.

"hey, hey!" dai heard the familiar, excitable voice of seiko tori yell, then felt a firm grip on his shoulder as tori seemed to manifest out of thin air behind the two. his teammates apparently doubled as ninjas...
"are we ready to work, boys?" tori barked, a manic grin on his face. his dark hair flopped into his eyes, and tori rushed to shove it back.
dai and nakamura laughed, nakamura making a show of elbowing tori in the gut.

"coach would flay us if we weren't." dai said good-naturedly, holding up a fist for tori to bump. tori enthusiastically complied, then settled in between nakamura and dai.
"ain't that the truth. i'm scared of the first years, guys. i know i was awful." tori said with exaggerated fear in his voice, bringing a worried hand to his face.
"i raised hell for mura-senpai, and now some little kid is going to raise hell for me." he fretted, looking to his captain for support. he only found a deadpan stare, and heard the threatening crack of knuckles as nakamura made a fist.
"yep. you were annoying, you are annoying, and you will forever be annoying." nakamura agreed solemnly, tanking tori's light punch to his shoulder.
"at least matsuda knows when to shut his mouth." the captain said vehemently, and tori feigned hurt.

"i always knew mura-senpai favored you." tori said sadly to dai, barely concealing his grin. dai shrugged, an expression of exaggerated pride on his face.
"what can i say, i'm just a bett- ah!" he yelped as tori jabbed four fingers into his side.

"i thought you said matsuda knew when to shut up, mura-senpai" tori laughed, bumping his shoulder against nakamura's, who didn't budge in the slightest.

"be good this time guys. coach wouldn't want us to scare his shiny new recruits." nakamura said firmly yet not unkindly. "and tori, i'm your captain now." nakamura grinned. "call me captain-senpai."
tori and dai barked a laugh, but were met with nothing but an icy stare.

"... yes captain-senpai." they both said quickly, stunned at how quickly nakamura broke into a wide grin.

the trio was at the gym doors now, and all of them were feeling the adrenaline.
"we love fresh blood. let's work hard!" tori cheered, pumping a fist before pushing ahead of the two so he could open the doors with a flourish.

[cswolf.]

"Mura-chan!" A familiar voice was heard on the other side of the captain as Ni came up beside him. He nudged the captain with a grin as he looked up at him. He was a third-year as well as Nakamura and was an asset to the team as much as he was a goof for them all. He looked over and gave a wave to Dai. "Oi, Dai! How's it?" He asked the other man with a grin. "Feelin' older?" He asked as he remembered that the other male had just celebrated a birthday. He nodded as he listened to the talk of the new first years. He laughed as Nakamura described the coach as a vulture. "Ah, yes, I think I saw him circling a couple of the middle school games picking out his prey." He joked with a smile. "I heard that the coach had to argue with the coach of Aobajohsai and Nekoma for one of the first years we got..." He grinned, eyes alight with the promise of gossip coming soon to a gym near them. He looked over as he heard the familiar voice of Tori and laughed, waving to the other man. He continued to laugh with the others as he listened to the bickering that was going on amongst them both. He remained close to the captain, however. He and Nakamura seemed to have a fondness for each other that the team recognized but nobody commented on or acknowledged. Maybe this year would be the year for them to finally admit their feelings. He smiled as he spotted Laito. He greeted him as well before settling to listen to them all. He grinned as he spotted the gym doors.

"Oi, captain-senpai!" Laito grinned as he poked the other man in the back as he came up behind them, bag jingling with the familiar bell he had upon it, a gift from a friend at another school. He smirked as he spotted his partner in mischief, Tori. They had become close friends last season. He leaned down to poke Tori in the cheek. "Oi, not going to greet me Tori-chan." He teased him. He smiled and looked forward as the gym came into sight for them all. He entered with all the other second and third years and looked around at the new meat.

Murai was already in the gym, working away with the other first years. He was practicing his serving as well as his receiving with a wall. The coach had asked the first years to arrive at the gym earlier than the rest of the team so that they could surprise the older members of the team. Since Murai was a hard worker he ended up being one of the first ones to arrive at the gym and begin practicing. He hadn't been scouted as one of the top players of the season for nothing but it required practice and dedication to get him where he was today. He paid no mind to the other first years, he knew he was good but he didn't need to focus on the stares. He loved the attention, however. He looked over as the doors of the gym were opened and the older members of the team got the first look of the newbies and the newbies got the first look of the older members.

[din.]

________________________

✦✦✦
matsuda dai || worried setter

i'm so down to earth
and you're up in the stars
i'll show you the sea
if you take me to mars
________________________

it had only been a few days away from practice, but dai realized that he'd missed his teammates immensely. the beginning of this new season felt special to him, as it was his first one on a team where he felt he truly belonged. he found comfort in the way tori and laiko poked at each other and relentlessly preyed on everyone they saw, and he couldn't help but feel yukosoma's contagious excitement and pep. it was also comforting to know that he was being led by nakamura this year, a player equally if not more capable than the previous captain, who had graduated already.

the only thing he was unsure of was... the "fresh meat" that tori and nakamura were so excited about. he looked around at his teammates and wondered if they felt the same. he chastised himself for thinking such things- it was selfish to go into the gym with such a mindset. he was sure that he'd come to like his new teammates, and he had absolutely no reason to doubt that their skill would be up to par with the rest of the team.

when he and his teammates entered the gym, dai felt his stomach churn. there they were... the first years.

they were greeted enthusiastically by coach ito, a fit man in his early fifties. their coach was a very wise man, having played on the world stage with so many other legendary volleyball players. not only was he a genius, dai was proud to say that his coach was one of the most supportive around. he was firm when he needed to be, of course- he did coach one of the most reputable teams in japan- but he was also a very kind man.

"welcome back, boys!" coach said jovially, looking up from the clipboard he had been studying. behind him stood a large whiteboard, and various training equipment.
"it's good to see all your sweaty faces again. i'm not sure if you've noticed, but these are the new recruits for this year!"

the five new first years quickly stopped whatever they were doing, and rushed over to line up courtside in front of the team. some of the other second and third years milled over from various places in the gym to join the upperclassmen group, and then the gym was silent.

nakamura was the first to break the silence. he stepped forward and held up a friendly hand to the first years.
"i'm kata nakamura, your captain for this year. let's make it great, eh?" he said, plastering a friendly smile on his face. dai knew that he was only doing it for show, and before long, nakamura would be whipping the first years into shape.

the rest of the team stepped forward closer to the first years, greeting them and asking too many questions.

coach ito's voice rang out, "ok, ok! let them breathe." he laughed, glancing down at his clipboard.
then one by one, he started listing the names and positions of the first years.
ikeda, outside hitter. kudo, right side and defensive specialist. kenji, middle blocker and defensive specialist. samura, setter and right side. and finally murai, outside hitter.

[cswolf.]

Ni grinned as they entered the gym with the other second and third years. He was confident and was sure that all of them would be able to whip the first years into the shape required to take back their legacy in volleyball. He gave the coach a smile as they spotted him. He always felt safe and like he could do his best work when he was around him and the others of the team. He looked over as the new recruits rushed over to line up in front of the second and third years. It was always an interesting feeling to be in the presence of such untapped potential. The first years were always so excited to prove themselves and Ni was sure he was just the same way all those years ago. He stepped forward and smiled giving a wave to the first years and flashing a wink and a smile. "Oi, I'm Yukosama Ni, your resident libero!" He introduced. "Let's have fun and become close, eh?" He grinned. He has a mischievous twinkle behind his eyes, however. He stepped back and listened to the coach as he listed names and positions. He was relieved to see that they had gotten quite a bit of defense this year, as most of the current team specialized in the offence.

Murai had rushed over with the other first years and now stood there. He gave a nod and a proper bow of his head as the captain was introduced. He listened the introductions of the other second and third years and made note of who they were. He was calm as all the first years were introduced. He gave a small wave when he was introduced so that they all knew who he was. He didn't know how much the coach had told other people of his diversity and skills but he was content to be referred to as an outside hitter for now. His diversity would come later and he was sure his positions would change.

[cswolf.]

{bump}

[Virixin]

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