♥12♥ Temperature of Tears

                                    

                                          
"Line up!" Oikawa called out for his teammates to face the crowd and their 'Rule the Court' banner. 
                          
"Thank you very much!" 
                          
Aoba Johsai couldn't win the Interhigh preliminaries because they stopped on their tracks when they faced Shiratorizawa during the finals. The score of the two sets were 22-25 and 23-25, Shiratorizawa might have won both sets, but Seijoh proved to be a very troublesome opponent for them. After beating a formidable opponent like Karasuno, they were beaten by Shiratorizawa...
                          
"Let's go..." Oikawa said to everyone. 
                          
Hisui followed Oikawa's back, not saying a single word. She looked over her shoulder to see the tearful faces of her kouhai's. She knew instantly by that they all really wanted to win. However, the moment she noticed the stillness of the 3rd years and the down look on their faces, she can feel tears well up. She knew for sure they wanted to leave a legacy behind, a legacy where they won. She clutched her Seijoh volleyball shirt, debating whether to say it or not. In the end, she decided to say something the moment she turned her face away from them. 
                          
"Stop looking like it's the end of the world, kouhais!" Her shout got their attention for sure. "You all gave everything you had! You're still in the country's top 8! Let's go back with our heads held high!" When she said that, Kindaichi, Watari, and the rest of the younger members of Seijoh immediately wiped their tears away; why did they start crying the moment they lost? The ones who had the most rights to cry first were the 3rd years! If they didn't cry, how can the others cry?! They should be following the 3rd years' example! 
                          
"Yes!" The 1st and 2nd years said at once, finding her words to make a lot of sense. 
                          
Oikawa looked over his shoulder and he gave a tired smile. He reached out to touch her hair, letting it slip between his fingers when he walked away. "Thank you, Hira-chan..." 
                          


                          
The Head Coach decided to give everyone time to adjust to the loss. They will rest a bit in the gym's provided locker rooms before gathering to leave. He wanted them all to get the tears over and done with so they can leave with their pride at least.
                          
Hisui pressed for a cold drink and she took it out of the vending machine with a small, but sad smile. She wanted to see them win, she wanted to see the team win so they can tell themselves their efforts worth something all this time. 
                          
"Hm?" She saw Hanamaki walking through the backdoor of the gymnasium. She followed him, trying to be discreet about it, but failed. when she made a weird noise the moment the door made an eerie noise behind her. 
                          
"Hisui?" 
                          
"Gah!" 
                          
"Gah?" Hanamaki wondered if she was trying to be silent. "Don't tell me you're trying to be quiet. You're not doing a good job." 
                          
"...I wanted to see if Makki is okay." Hisui reasoned, "You don't have to hold back tears." 
                          
"What are you talking about, Hisui?" Hanamaki started to pat her head, "I am sort of like the mood-maker of the team after Oikawa. I can't get myself to cry..." 
                          
"Makki..." She tiptoed so she can pat his head. "It's okay...it's okay."
                          
Hanamaki tried not to but he ended up crying after all. It was so painful to know that once again, they failed to win against Shiratorizawa. Like Oikawa, he was passionate about wanting to grab victory from Shiratorizawa. This was his last year of volleyball, he wanted to win along with his friends...
                          
"There, there..." Hisui allowed Hanamaki to cry with his forehead against her shoulder. "You'll feel better when you cry it out. Though your eyes will look pregnant..." She ran her fingers through his hair, trying to comfort him even if it's little.