Chapter Text
Earlier that day
“I’m off to school Mum! Bye Natsu!”
“Bye bye Nii-chan!” Natsu said around a mouthful of rice, ignoring her mother’s mild scolding from behind her for talking with her mouth full.
“Be careful getting to school Shouyou,” Yuka said as she wiped Natsu’s face clean with a damp cloth.
“I will!” With that final confirmation Shouyou was gone in a flash, the only indication that he’d left the house was the sound of the front door closing behind him with a click. Yuka heaved a soft sigh as she continued clearing out the dishes. She’d stayed up a little too late last night trying to find out more about the person who gave their business card to her little Shouyou. Now that it was morning she was starting to feel the consequences of doing so, and her research didn’t figure out anything worthwhile anyways!
“Mummy, I’ve finished as well!” Natsu tugged on Yuka’s trouser a little as she held up her empty bowl triumphantly.
“Good job Natsu! Do you want to help me wash it?”
“Yes!” Natsu grinned toothily as she started jumping on her tippy toes, trying to reach the wash basin. Yuka laughed a little as she brushed her daughter’s fluffy hair down a little.
“Shall I do the washing? Then you can help me with drying.”
“Okay!” Natsu quickly handed over the bowl before grabbing the towel meant for drying the dishes and staring impatiently at her mum as she waited for her to finish washing it. “Hurry, hurry, hurry!”
“Oh? I gotta hurry?”
“Yes!”
“Hmm?” Yuka hummed a little, trying to hide a smile that was threatening to break out on her face, “Well, now I’m going to take it e-xtra slo-ow!” Just as she said that, she started to exaggerate her movements as if she were in a slow-mo.
“No!” Natsu gasped, grabbing hold on her mums’ leg once more, “Don’t go slow Kaa-chan!”
Yuka laughed a little as she returned to her normal speed once more, bopping her daughters’ nose and leaving soapy suds in her wake. Natsu stared a little cross eyed as Yuka did so, quickly wiping her nose against her mothers’ pants to get rid of the wetness. “Hey, my pants!”
Natsu burst out in giggles at her mother’s playfully affronted tone and promptly ran away.
---
It was a couple of hours later, after she had brought Natsu to elementary school for the day and finished a bit of work, that Yuka was able to sit down and take a breather. The card Shouyou had given her was burning a hole through her pocket. She took out the card and stared at it for a moment, contemplating what she was going to do when, with a sigh, she stood up and went to the phone.
It took a couple of rings before there was an answer.
“Moshi Moshi, Annaisha speaking.”
“Ah, Annaisha-san! Uhm, I’m not sure how to start, but you approached my son yesterday with an offer of some sort? I’m his mother, and I’m calling to find out what it was about.” Yuka said, gripping the card in her hand a little tighter, “I’m sure you can understand that, as his mother, I would like to make sure that any strange people he got in contact with aren’t a danger to him after all.”
“Ah! The little kid with bright orange hair, yes?”
“That’s correct, yes.”
“Right! I’m glad you called, ah- I’m sorry I didn’t catch your name Mrs.-?”
“Hinata Yuka,”
“Hinata-San, I can certainly understand wanting to make sure that your son doesn’t just trust any random adult willy nilly. That’s why I gave him my card in the first place, so you can be sure who I am.”
“Thank you for that Annaisha-san,” Yuka brushed a lock of hair back behind her ear as she leaned back a little, the tension in her shoulders easing up just a little. “I would still like to know more about, well, everything I suppose. And actually meet you first before I make my decision about whether to trust you with my son.”
“Of course, Hinata-san, you may also call me Anna-san! Let me know when you’d like to meet up and I’ll see to making some time in my schedule for you.”
“Thank you, Annai- I mean, Anna-san.” Yuka glanced at the clock on the wall, noting it would soon be time to pick up Natsu from school. ‘Didn’t Shouyou say something about wanting to meet up on Saturday…?’
“Actually Anna-san, if it wouldn’t be a bother for you, would it be possible for us to meet today?”
“Today?”
“Yes! I know it’s quite sudden, and I would understand if you can’t of course, but I think it would be best for Shouyou to know as soon as possible if he’d be allowed to, well, train with you.”
“Hmm… I understand Hinata-san, well then, I can make some time this afternoon.” There was the sound of paper rustling and a pen scribbling on the other line. “Let’s say in about two hours’ time?”
“That would be great!” Yuka bowed a little even though Annaisha-san wouldn’t be able to see it, “Thank you! Oh-! Let me give you my address.”
Soft laughter sounded through the phone, “Alright, thank you for calling, Hinata-san. I will see you in a couple of hours!” Yuka could almost imagine the grin the other woman must be wearing at the sound of her voice, before the sound of the dial tone filled could be heard as the other seemed to have hung up.
Yuka put down the phone as well before glancing at the clock hanging on the far wall once more. ‘I still got some time until I have to pick up Natsu from elementary.’ Mind made up, she gathered her bag and put on her shoes at the genkan before leaving the house as well.
‘I wonder if Anna-san would like castella cake?’
---
Two hours later and Yuka was anxiously cleaning the table once more as Natsu sat in the living area eating a small snack and watching some Doraemon.
It had become a nervous habit of hers, to clean things when she was trying to calm down. If she felt like she was getting anxious about something? Find something to clean, to keep her hands and thoughts occupied. It was as she was wiping down the chairs for the third time that day when the doorbell rang to notify her of her guests’ arrival.
Yuka stood up straight, brushed non-existent dirt off her shirt and went to open the door.
“Welcome!”
“Thanks for having me and sorry for the intrusion.”
Yuka blinked, a little taken aback as the other woman straightened out of her bow, ‘So tall!’
Yuka managed to compose herself quickly as she invited Annaisha in to her home, offering her a pair of guest slippers to use around the house. “Would you like anything to drink, Anna-san? Coffee? Or perhaps some tea?” She asked as she put on some water to boil in the kettle.
Annaisha smiled at her host, sitting down at the kitchen table as Yuka continued to bustle around the kitchen. “I’ll have some tea then, thank you Hinata-san,” Annaisha said.
Yuka gave a nod that she heard and quickly opened one of the cupboards containing glassware, “Would you like sugar or milk for your tea, or a specific kind of flavour?”
“Ah, no, that’s alright, thanks. Black is fine.”
A moment later and a steaming cup of tea and a slice of castella cake was set down in front of the fiery-haired woman. “Thank you, Hinata-san,” Annaisha said, leaning forward to put her elbows on the table as her smile was replaced with a more sober expression. “Well then, I’m sure you have some questions for me.”
Yuka took a seat across from Annaisha. She looked the other directly in the eyes as she stated, “Yes, I would like to know what your plans are for my son and why I should trust him in your care.”
They stared at one another for a moment, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife, before Annaisha gave the black-haired mother a grin. “I can see where your son gets his spirit from, Hinata-san!”
Yuka could feel heat rising to her cheeks at that, “I- well-!”
“It’s a good trait to have, honestly!” Annaisha picked up the small fork and cut off a piece of the cake gifted to her, “But in all seriousness, I can see a lot of potential in Hinata-kun, from the little I’ve seen so far. He’s enthusiastic and seems to be dedicated in learning to play his sport.”
Yuka stared, listening intently.
“The problem is, is that no-one is currently guiding him in his training.” Annaisha finally took a bite as she finished saying this, “Man, this is some good cake-!” She coughed a little as tried to get her composure back, “And, the problem with that, is that he’s either learning things wrong – which can cause injuries and bad habits – or will stunt his athletic potential.”
“Right,” Yuka said, as she frowned down at her tea, watching the steam rise in the air above it before glancing up at the red-haired woman. “And that’s where you come in?”
Annaisha nodded sharply at that, “Exactly, since I have the know-how to help him on the physical and mental side of training, I can guide him on what to do and what to watch out for. Of course, I wouldn’t be able to be there for all his training sessions during school time, but he’ll at least know what he’d have to work on and how to do so safely. The only thing I don’t know much about is volleyball itself, as I’ve never played it myself. But I believe I can figure out a solution for that, given some time.”
Yuka hummed, pressing her lips in a tight line. “I agree with you on the benefits for a personal trainer such as yourself, especially since I know my little Shouyou can get a little too hard-headed at times and forgets his own well-being when he gets like that… but I still don’t understand why you would want to help him? I’m not sure if we can afford your training fees, since you’re a professional Annaisha-san they must be fairly high...”
Annaisha gave a soft smile at that, raising her cup to take a small sip. “You don’t have to worry about that, Hinata-san. Since I’m the one actually suggesting my services, you won’t have to pay my working fee for it.”
Yuka gasped, standing abruptly as she stares disbelievingly at the woman sitting calmly at her kitchen table. “I can’t accept that Annaisha-san! That would be too much!”
Annaisha waved away her refusal, “I insist! Honestly, I can afford to, don’t worry.”
“But-!”
“I really do see a lot of potential in Shouyou-kun, Hinata-san. Please allow me the chance to bring that potential out of him.”
That quieted Yuka down, “… alright, I’ll hear you out.”
Annaisha smiled at her, “Thank you. From what I’ve seen in the short meeting I’ve had with him, Shouyou-kun has a lot of mobility and jumping power in him, even though he’s on the smaller side for his age. I will assume he got his height from you Hinata-san?”
“Ah, I suppose you could say that. Shouyou’s father is a foreigner, who’s a fair bit taller than I am. But I do know that height is quite important in volleyball, correct?”
“I see,” Annaisha said, “And yes, in quite a lot of sports height is quite important to be able to perform in the big leagues. Still, I do believe he has it in him to become quite good in volleyball, or any sport for that matter, despite the disadvantage his height gives him.”
“You do?”
“Yes, I do. He just needs a guiding hand to help him get there.”
It was quiet for a moment, as they let that statement sink in. Yuka was the one to finally break the silence, “Alright, I do believe you actually have the best interest for my son at heart…”
Annaisha looked at her, staying silent.
“I’ll allow the training sessions to happen -on a few conditions of course.”
Annaisha grinned at her, taking a sip of her tea once more. “But of course.”
---
They managed to hash out a plan and schedule that would work, Yuka making sure to leave in a stipulation that Shouyou would only be allowed to train if he managed to keep his grades up. Annaisha also added in that she would create a meal plan for Shouyou that he could follow, should they want to. Yuka agreed that she would make sure to cook according to that plan if Shouyou wanted to. She also added on that, since Annaisha wouldn’t be willing to receive any form of payment, she would make some extra meals for the trainer that Shouyou would take along with him on their training days.
Yuka would not take no for an answer regarding that, so Annaisha eventually allowed it with a grin.
Before long, they’ve discussed all that was needed. Yuka put another cup of tea down for the red-haired woman and they were simply conversing casually with one another when a small head of fluffy orange hair could be seen sticking out of from behind the sliding door to the kitchen. It squeaked and hid again as soon as Annaisha noticed it.
Yuka turned to the sound, before a soft smile graced her face, “Natsu, come meet our guest honey!”
There were some shuffling sounds before that small orange head showed itself once more and slowly started easing around the door into the kitchen. As soon as she noticed that Annaisha was smiling at her, she turned bright red and quickly ran to hide behind her mothers’ legs.
Yuka laughed as she patted her daughter’s fluffy hair, “This is Annaisha-san, she’ll be helping your big brother with his volleyball training.” Natsu peeked out from behind Yuka’s legs at that, “Won’t you say hello to her?”
“Hi!” Annaisha said with a toothy grin.
Natsu contemplated the pros and cons of greeting this larger-than-life lady in front of her, as she clenched and unclenched her hands in her mother’s shirt, when it seemed that the pros had outweighed the cons and cautiously answered a meek greeting in return.
Annaisha crouched a little as she addressed the small child, “It’s nice to meet you Natsu. I’ll be your big brother’s trainer from now on. But I’ll need your help with a very important task in order to make him the best volleyball player the world has ever seen.”
Natsu stared wide-eyed at that. “Really?”
“Really, really!”
She looked up at her mum for confirmation, after receiving an encouraging nod in return she excitedly turned back to Annaisha. “What do I do, Miss? I wanna help Nii-chan too!”
Chuckling at her enthusiasm, Annaisha replied, “Well, it will be your job to make sure he still has fun and takes some time to play, do you think you can help with that Natsu-chan?”
With a serious look on her chubby face Natsu gave her a nod as confirmation.
“That’s good! Thank you for your help Natsu-chan,” Annaisha said as she held out her pinkie, “It’s a promise then!”
Natsu wrapped her smaller pinkie around Annaisha’s and shook it vigorously, “Yes!”
Yuka smiled at the scene in front of her, feeling more assured in her decision to leave Shouyou in Annaisha’s hands. “Would you like something to drink Natsu?”
“Yes please! Can I have some lemonade Kaa-chan?”
“Certainly, I’ll go make a glass for you, you can take a seat in the meantime honey.” As soon as she was about to stand up to go make some, the sound of the front door opening and a clear “Tadaima!”
“Okaeri, Shouyou!” Yuka called out as she watched her daughter run out of the kitchen with a shake of her head. Sounds of commotion soon followed from the entry hall as Yuka and Annaisha both listened with smiles on their faces.
“You’ve got some good kids there, Hinata-san”
Yuka grinned toothily as she turned to her guest, “Thank you Anna-san, and you may call me Yuka, if you’d like.”
Annaisha chuckled at that, raising her previously forgotten cup back up to take a sip once more, “Yuka-san then!”
Natsu came bounding back into the kitchen right that moment, taking her seat again as she sat waiting for her drink.
“Mum, I’m home, you’ll never believe what happened today-“ Shouyou said as he walked into the kitchen, stopping and gaping at them once he noticed who was sat at their dinner table.
Yuka raised a hand to her mouth to hide a giggle as she turned away to pour a glass for her daughter.
“Heya Kid, good to see you again!” Annaisha said, Yuka could almost imagine the grin that was on her face. She turned back around to place the glass she was holding in front of Natsu, who immediately took a sip.
The sound of the glass hitting the table broke Shouyou out of his stupor, “I- Uh- Huh?” It took a couple of seconds to process what he was seeing, before he could finally manage something other than some vocal sounds. “Annaisha-san!”
Annaisha lifted a single, unimpressed eyebrow, “That’s me. And I told you to call me Anna, squirt!”
Shouyou’s face flushed at that as he sheepishly scratched at his neck. “You did, Anna-san. Sorry ‘bout that!”
Annaisha gave a snort at that, grinning mischievously at him, “Don’t worry too much about that Souyou-kun.”
“Right!” He grinned, took a moment to think and blurted out, “Wait a minute, what are you doing here Anna-san?!” Registering what he just did, Shouyou waved his hands around as he scrambled to make it sound less offensive, “I-I mean, I just didn’t expect to see you here!” ‘Oh Kami, she’s going to kill me!’
Annaisha burst into laughter, quickly putting down her cup lest she spill something. “Man, you’re hilarious Kiddo! Really, don’t worry, I’m not offended or anything.” She said, “It’s quite natural that me suddenly being in your kitchen would be quite a surprise to you.”
“Right…” Shouyou could feel his ears burning red.
He was surprised to suddenly feel a hand landing on his shoulder and turned to look up at his mother as she spoke, “I’ve called her here Shouyou, to discuss your training with her,” Yuka turned her gaze towards Annaisha who was watching them with a smile as she finished drinking her tea. “And after some contemplation…” Shouyou gazed intently at his mother as she said this, “I’ve decided to allow your-“ “ThankyouthankyouTHANKYOU!” Shouyou was jumping around the kitchen in joy, Natsu quickly joining in as she wanted to join her brother in his silliness.
“But-!” Yuka continued loudly, causing Shouyou and Natsu to both turn toward her. “There are a couple of non-negotiable conditions to this. If you fail to meet these requirements than the training is off the table, you understand Shouyou.”
Shouyou gulped at that, before straightening his back and giving a salute. “I’ll do anything, Okaa-san!”
Yuka looked her son in the eyes, noting his determination before giving a nod and a smile. “I believe you, Shouyou. We’ll discuss these conditions later after dinner, which I really should get started on before it gets too late!”
“Yes! Thank you!” Shouyou gave a bow, before straightening up and holding a determined fist up as he exclaimed, “Let me help with that mum!” “Me too, me too! I can help make dinner too!”
“Ah-? Such helpful children I have!” She gave them a closed-eyed smile as she was tying her apron on. “Then, Shouyou, can you help me cut the vegetables? And Natsu, please help me wash the rice?” A cry of “Yes!” and “Okay!” answered her as she started clearing the table of all the used glasses and cups.
“Well then,” Annaisha stood up, “I guess that’s my cue to leave.”
“Oh!” Yuka gasped, “I thought you might wish to join us for dinner Anna-san, as it’s my fault that you stayed here so late.”
“Thank you for the invite, but I really can’t stay for much longer.” Annaisha said, ruffling Shouyou’s and Natsu’s hair as she walked past them. “You both be good for your mom, yeah?”
Both puffed their cheeks out as they nodded, “Of course!”
Annaisha turned to Natsu, holding up her pinkie as she winked, “Remember our promise, yes?”
Shouyou gave her a confused stare. “Promise? Eh?”
Natsu held up her own pinkie, “I will!”
Annaisha laughed a little at that, “Then I’ll be counting on you, Natsu-chan! Make sure to take care of your big brother for both your mom and me!”
“E-eehhh???” Shouyou wasn’t quite sure what to make of that statement.
Annaisha turned to Shouyou then, giving him a wide grin, “I’ll see you on Saturday then Kiddo! Oh! Don´t forget to bring your workout clothes and shoes”
Shouyou straightened, “Yes, Ma’am!” he said with a grin.
Annaisha laughed at that, turning to his mother and giving her a quick nod, “We’ll keep in contact Yuka-san, if you have any other questions do give me a call.”
“Certainly!” Yuka said, giving Annaisha a deep bow, “Thank you for willing to help my little Shouyou!”
Shouyou gasped, before bowing to the trainer as well. “Thank you, Anna-san!”
Annaisha’s grin softened at the sight, giving them a nod of her head as she left the kitchen and the small family of three behind.
-
A few hours later, after they’ve finished eating and Shouyou was in his room finishing up his homework, “Wait- I don’t know where to go on Saturday!”
“Shouyou, quiet! You’ll wake up your sister!”