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"I wonder how many more years it'd take for me to actually hate the color white."

That thought popped into Kageyama Tobio's mind out of nowhere, just like any random thoughts he usually had when left to his own devices without any orders from his superiors. Just like usual, too, he'd continue playing with that thought, mindless about where it'd lead him to. More often than not these thoughts would end up at the same place anyway. To the beginning of it all—or, to be more precise, the beginning of his very existence.

"Let's see, I'm around sixteen years old now. My first memory is when I was around... two years old, I guess. So that means it's been... fourteen years that I've been surrounded by these white walls," Kageyama held up his fingers to help the counting. "Huh, that's enough time to be fed up with something as bland as the white color."

It really was. Fourteen years were enough time to be fed up with most trivial things, not least the whole whiteness of this room. So, normally, he should hate the color already.

"Ah, but then again, I'm not normal."

Kageyama spoke as if this was a new revelation for him (which it was NOT). He stared at his upheld fingers for a moment longer, expression set on frowning, before shrugging in the end and dropping his hands.

"Nothing new today either."

Because today his thoughts ended up in the same place as usual. To his status as an abnormal human.

Though nowadays, being abnormal wasn't really peculiar. In the age where technology had improved so much, humans were no longer sufficient to describe their species. No, humans were now divided into three categories instead: Normals (which were the human beings known long before the age of technology), RCR—short for Rapid Cells Regenerator—who had extraordinary self-healing ability, and Divers, the very few people who could sneak into people's mind and take over their free-will.

Kageyama Tobio was not Normal. He was a Diver. The government's best kept secret weapon—or one of them at the very least—so maybe he shouldn't be surprised his thoughts weren't like normal people's either.

"I wonder what being normal feels like."

This was also something he'd often said. Sometimes to his colleagues and superiors whenever they came to visit, but mostly to himself. Because Kageyama had never felt normal. He wasn't allowed to be normal.

Even his conception wasn't something that could be called natural.

Unlike normal humans, Kageyama wasn't born from a woman's womb. His whole birth was designed by other humans' hands. He was a pure designer baby, born from a special egg cell and many, many selected sperms. After that 'he' was placed in a special incubator for around ten months—longer than a normal human's pregnancy would be—until finally he was truly 'born' into the world.

Ever since then this white room had become his home. If you could call a windowless room with only a bed and a bedside table as home. Kageyama wasn't really familiar with the concept of prison, but Oikawa Tooru—his mentor—had once called this room as Kageyama's very own prison.

To be honest, Kageyama's situation didn't bother him much. True, he rarely could get out of this building and even when he did so, it would always be to do the jobs his superiors gave to him, but this was a life Kageyama had always known. In a way, he was grateful he had never tasted true freedom before, because he couldn't long for something he had never had, right?

There were three things Kageyama was very sure of in his life:

1) He wasn't a Normal human.

2) He was supposed to obey every order his superiors gave to him.

3) Freedom was something he could only dream of.

"Still, I wonder how it'd feel to have true freedom. I wonder how it'd feel to be normal."

Sometimes Kageyama would entertain this thought. He'd like to play pretend if he could, but unfortunately his imagination had never been a rich one. He was raised to be practical, so he didn't have the time to dwell on things that weren't real. Thus he usually would stop thinking altogether after a while and found other things to focus on, like training.

However today he couldn't even finish his thought. A sudden explosion shook the whole building and jolted Kageyama out of his daydreaming. He immediately sprang up to his feet, his whole body alert to the ruckus he could hear faintly.

There were shouts followed by the sound of gunshots. Kageyama gritted his teeth. He wished for nothing more than getting out there to find out what actually happened, but his room was code-locked from outside and only his superiors were able to unlock it.

"Damn it!"

A rare curse slipped out of his lips in a hiss as Kageyama felt a sense of uselessness surrounding him. He should be able to destroy those intruders easily—because that was Kageyama's main order: to destroy all of his superiors' enemies—but he was forced to take on the bitter fact that he was incapable of even doing that without permission from others.


"HINATA! Leave this room to Ryuu and Noya! We'll go ahead and check out the other rooms!"

"Roger that, Suga-san! We're counting on you, Tanaka-san!"

"Ouh! Leave it to us, Hinata! Make sure you protect Suga-san's back!" Tanaka Ryuunosuke gave a quick thumb up to Hinata before focusing his attention back at the guards in front of him. Though apparently Noya didn't need much help from him.

The government's research laboratory outline was quite straightforward. There were no secret passages, but the higher up Hinata and Sugawara went, the more guards they had to fight too. It was quite obvious whatever important secret the government decided to keep would be guarded on the topmost floor. Which meant that was where Hinata and Suga should go.

Thankfully the government facility they had decided to 'visit' was just a small one. Nothing fancy and even more guarded compared to the main facility in the Central City. There were only a few skilful guards here and Hinata could easily overpower them. Of course, Daichi's order to not kill anybody was making this mission harder than it really should be, but still Hinata and Sugawara reached their main target relatively fast.

The last room they hadn't checked was locked with an access card, just like the other rooms. Hinata stepped back the moment Sugawara gave a nod. A few quick shoots from Sugawara, a small explosion could be heard and then a mechanical hiss followed as the iron door in front of them slid open.

Both Sugawara and Hinata waited for a moment. When there were no immediate shooting, Sugawara gave Hinata a signal which was received by a quick nod. With his gun ready in hand, Hinata dashed into the room. His eyes immediately captured his surroundings—just a normal, if a bit bare, room with no windows, no sign of weapons found—until finally his gaze fell on the only occupant in the room.

Something akin to an electrical shock ran through Hinata's body as he found 'him'. His eyes widened for a second, breath caught in his throat as he took in more details of the boy in front of him. A boy who didn't look all that older than Hinata, with hair as dark as the night sky and equally dark eyes which were staring right at Hinata with no sign of fear at all.

The moment was gone right after that as Hinata heard Sugawara stepping into the room a few feet away from him. All that was left in Hinata was the sole knowledge that this boy was the reason they did all of this.

Right there and then, Hinata knew without a doubt that they had found their treasure.

KAGEYAMA knew the intruders were getting closer to him. He knew that very well from the shouts that kept getting louder and louder. What he didn't understand was why nobody had come to fetch him first. Sure, he didn't really have any weapon in his room, but at the very least his power should be able to hold those intruders back. In Kageyama's logic, he really should be out there, fighting with the other guards.

Maybe there was nobody left to take him out? The thought was dreadful, but Kageyama also knew most of his superiors here were mere scientists.
The facility which was also Kageyama's home wasn't a military base like the one in Central City. This was just a small facility which mainly worked as a laboratory. Upstairs were the scientists' office and residential area—also Kageyama's own room—while the two basements were dedicated to the creation of Kageyama's 'siblings'. Although to Kageyama's knowledge, none of his siblings actually lived through the experiment.

So the thought that all of his superiors were already killed was dreadful but not surprising. Which left Kageyama in a bit of a predicament. He would never let himself be killed without a fight, of course, but if the enemies outnumbered him, his chance of actually surviving was akin to none.

Kageyama took a deep breath when there were shootings right in front of his door. He fiddled with his black gloves, heartbeat pulsing loudly in his ears as slowly the door which separated him and his enemies slid open with a heavy hiss. He took on a defensive stance, glaring straight at the doorway, ready to face anyone who came in.

There was a moment of tense silence which felt like an eternity. Then Kageyama saw a movement, something quick dashing into the room. The first thing he saw after that was a gun held forward and ready in the hand of the intruder. The sight made Kageyama's hackles rise up. He lifted up his gaze to meet the intruder's wide bronze eyes, the only things he could see clearly from the intruder since the bottom half of his face was obscured by a black masker. He saw something glinted on those orbs, something that made the intruder freeze up.

Kageyama didn't know what that something was and frankly he didn't care. What he saw was a chance instead and so he took it immediately. He knew his move was fast—his mentor had often complained about how he couldn't stand still to be caught—so he'd expected the surprised look on his enemy's face as he got into his face.

"Shit-!"

That was all the orange haired boy could get out before Kageyama's punch landed square on his face. Not a second after, Kageyama had spun and kicked the gun out of Hinata's hands. It went down with a clatter but before Kageyama could dive for it, Hinata had regained his bearing and retaliated by grabbing Kageyama's shirt and giving him a solid headbutt.

Kageyama hissed in pain. He could feel blood dripping from his nose. Damn, that kid's head was as hard as a rock. Thankfully, this was nothing compared to things Kageyama had experienced in a real battle. That little smack only managed to make him stumble instead of falling flat on his ass, and once he'd righted himself, Kageyama launched his own counterattack.

They brawled for a while. It was obvious Kageyama had the upper hand though since Hinata's attacks were too sloppy and predictable. He still managed to land a hit or two, but Kageyama always returned them in double. Still, no matter how beaten up he was, Hinata didn't seem to feel it at all. His attacks become more aggressive instead and Kageyama couldn't help the growl that slipped out of his lips.

Once he had the chance Kageyama tackled Hinata to the ground and pinned the smaller boy with his own body. He bared his teeth when his gaze met with determined ones—without a sign of weakening or giving up—before punching Hinata's face again. The gasp that could be heard after that brought satisfaction to Kageyama. He lifted his hand again, readying a second punch, but he never managed to deliver it.

"That's enough!" Sugawara Koushi barked out. The silver haired man hastily grabbed Kageyama's wrist and manhandled him until he moved away from Hinata. His usually kind eyes were hard as he struggled to restrain the boy in his arms. "Stop fighting! We're not here to hurt you!"

"Liar!" Kageyama spat. He squirmed and punched furiously at Sugawara, but the man didn't budge at all. Kageyama gritted his teeth. This man was stronger than he looked. Guess he had no choice but to use his power instead.

"I'm not lying! Listen to me! We're not here to hurt you!"

"Shut up," said Kageyama in a hiss. He stopped squirming for a while, waiting until Sugawara's hold loosened a bit—which it did even just for a second—before twisting around so he could grab at Sugawara's wrist. He stared directly into Sugawara's startled eyes as he gave out a command:

"Let go of me."

Immediately, Sugawara's eyes glazed over. His body became slack, almost like a puppet with cut strings. Without words he released Kageyama from his hold and took a step back. Even then, he was still looking at Kageyama attentively, as if waiting for the next order.

Kageyama contemplated his options. He could release Sugawara from his power immediately—because Kageyama had seen Sugawara's thoughts and they were too pure to be tainted like this—or he could order him to finish his friend. It might be low, but then again they were enemies. Enemies should never be shown mercy.

"YOU BASTARD!"

The shout startled Kageyama so bad that he almost jumped, but it was nothing compared to the way his body was suddenly slammed down to the floor and away from Sugawara. He and his assailant fell down with a heavy thump. Kageyama screwed his eyes shut when the back of his head hit the marble floor with enough force to make him dizzy afterwards.

"How dare you dive into Sugawara-san like that!" Hinata shouted again.

He was overtaken by fury as he grabbed Kageyama's shirt roughly and rained him with continous punches. He didn't care where his hits landed. All that mattered was that he hurt Kageyama badly for taking away Sugawara's free will, even if just for a moment.

Kageyama automatically held his hands up, trying his best to protect his face from Hinata's punches. His mouth was filled with the taste of blood now and it was disgusting. He spat some out when Hinata's punches started to decrease. It was obvious the orange haired boy was still angry, but he was starting to get exhausted. His moves were getting sloppier and Kageyama was quick to seize his chance. He caught Hinata's wrist and, once again, stared straight into Hinata's eyes as he repeated his previous order:

"Let go of me."

Kageyama waited expectantly for Hinata to obey his order, but Hinata's eyes were still clear as ever. There was no sheen of glaze there. Those bright bronze orbs were still glaring at Kageyama fiercely. For a few more seconds Kageyama waited, thinking that maybe Hinata was one of those stubborn people whose minds were always harder to take over, but when Hinata's grip on his shirt became tighter instead Kageyama knew something was very wrong.

There was still no glaze in Hinata's eyes. Those big orbs were still as clear and full of anger as before. Kageyama's own eyes widened in disbelief. Impossible. He had never met someone who could resist his ability before. That kind of people didn't exist! They shouldn't exist!

Seeing Kageyama's expression, Hinata's eyes glinted almost smugly.

"Your stupid ability won't work on me, bastard."

Those words were enough to make Kageyama's breath stop for few seconds. His whole body wasparalyzed by shock and a bit of amazement. He could only watch as Hinata lifted his fists again before closing his eyes in anticipation for the beating he was about to receive.

"Hinata, that's enough. Remember our orders."

That calm voice cut through the thick tension in the room and it sounded far closer than it should be. As Kageyama opened his eyes, he realized the silver haired man from earlier was already standing near Hinata. In fact, he was near enough to grip Hinata's raised wrist in a gentle yet firm hold.

"But, Suga-san! He tried to control you! I couldn't forgive that!"

"He was just defending himself. Besides, our leader will be angry at us if you really beat him too badly. Surely you don't want that to happen."

Hinata gulped nervously. Sawamura Daichi was a kind leader most of the time, but he was very scary when mad. Reluctantly the orange haired boy nodded. His grip on Kageyama's shirt loosened up as he lost his anger.

"Alright, but I'll still knock him out if he dares to do something like that to you again."

"That's a good boy." Sugawara released Hinata's wrist and gave him a pat on the head as a reward. Then his gaze shifted to Kageyama who watched the exchange with silent curiosity. He took a few steps towards the dark haired boy, pulled down his own black masker and squatted so that he'd be more-or-less on thesame eye-level as him.

"Hi there. I'm Sugawara Koushi and this boy here is Hinata Shouyou," said Sugawara with a big, disarming grin on his face. "I know we've had a rough start, but I'd be very pleased if you'd come with us. As you can see, we don't have much time for small talk here."

Kageyama narrowed his eyes. "How can I know you're not going to trick me?"

"Well, I can give you my word, but it's up to you to trust me or not. However, I know you have questions and if you come with us, I'll at least give you some answers. That's a promise."

Sugawara looked sincere with his words, but Kageyama still had doubts. Being sheltered from the outside world didn't mean he was naive. He had learned, from the times when he was given his missions, that putting your trust in someone was risky. Especially if that someone was a stranger with a gun in his hands.

Still, he was indeed tempted. Kageyama had a lot of questions, starting from the most obvious one—like who the hell these people actually were?—to the most intriguing of them all: Hinata Shouyou. Kageyama's superiors never told him about his power's limitation—that someone who could actually resist his influence like Hinata existed—and up until now Kageyama never had any doubt about his ability.

What Sugawara offered was not only a chance to see the outside world, to figure out what freedom actually tasted like, but also a chance to know more about himself and his power—two things his superiors would always refuse to answer whenever he asked.

In the end, Kageyama knew he never really had any choice from the start. He longed for answers. He'd always been like that even before these intruders barged into his room like this. So there really was no other answer Kageyama could give to Sugawara besides a firm nod.

"Alright. I'll come with you."

And as Hinata's bronze orbs pierced him with that answer, Kageyama could feel a shiver run through his whole body. There was no turning back for him now. Whatever happened next, Kageyama could only hope he hadn't just made the worst decision in his life.


HINATA Shouyou was supposed to be a Diver. He was one of the successful experiments. Or at least that was what the scientists once thought, because Hinata was actually strong enough to 'hatch' from his incubator. He was raised within a government lab in the 9th District until it was time to awaken his Diver ability. Which actually meant hours and hours of grueling and painful tests just so Hinata could dive into the scientists' minds to force them to stop.

He never could do that.

Sure, he was angry and sad and confused each time he took the tests. Sometimes the pain was too much and Hinata would hope he could order them not to stop but to die instead. He hoped and hoped and hoped until finally he figured there was no use in hoping anymore. He was tired. He had tried his best and still failed so there really should be no use trying anymore.

Hinata Shoyo was prepared to die when he was twelve. All because he knew what'd happen to those who failed the experiments. Children like him were especially dangerous since they had known the government's top secret since their birth—heck, they were the secret itself—and if words about the experiments leaked out, another rebellion was sure to follow. It was a risk the government just couldn't take.

Though Hinata had always thought there was some kind of mercy in the way the children were disposed of. At the very least they never felt pain. They were simply injected by some kind of poison that would let them sleep forever. Hinata had seen it few times. The kid he was still laughing with at dinner would suddenly be taken away by the scientists in the next morning. Their unconscious face so peaceful like they were still sleeping but there would be no life left in the body.

Hinata Shoyo had accepted that fate, but apparently Fate Herself was rather fond of him.

During his time in the lab, Hinata was really close with the Division Head. He was a kind man who always smiled so gently. He was the one who would find Hinata whenever he couldn't sleep after the tests, only to sit down beside the boy and often hugged him until he was asleep.

When Hinata's name was put into the list of defects, the Divison Head took action swiftly. He called for his friend in the 10th district, someone called Ukai, and the both of them made a plan to sneak Hinata out of the lab. It was a risky move. Hinata himself wasn't told anything about it and perhaps that was wise. If he had known of the plan, Hinata probably would've blown it simply because he was too excited—or anxious—to keep quiet about it.

Back then, no one actually believed that reckless plan would work, but Hinata was a special kid favored by Fate, so by some miracle the Division Head actually managed to sneak Hinata out and then his friend carried the confused boy back with him to the 10th district. Hinata had not seen the lab again ever since. The last memory he had of the Division Head was of the man's gentle face as he smiled at Hinata and told him everything would be alright. That Hinata wouldn't feel pain anymore; that he'd soon find a new home—a new family.

The man hadn't lied.

Ukai ran an orphanage in District 10. It was rather small, only fit for ten or twelve kids at most, but everyone in the orphanage was warm and kind. They welcomed Hinata immediately without asking questions. Shimizu Kiyoko, the oldest girl there, even let Hinata slept with him the first few nights when Hinata's sleep was still disturbed by nightmares. Yachi was his first friend. Suga-san was very gentle and always answered Hinata's questions patiently. Daichi-san looked scary sometimes, but he was kind and he helped Hinata whenever he got into trouble—he was like a father figure.

The orphanage was very different than the lab Hinata'd known as his home for his whole life. It was a lot warmer and full of love. It was very easy for Hinata to connect himself with the people in there—to think of them as his own family, just like the Head Division said, and he promised to always keep his family happy at all cost.

Thus, when he found out that Daichi was actually leading a small rebellion faction called Karasuno, he immediately offered to help. He was flat-out refused at first. Daichi said Hinata was still too young—to which Suga then playfully pointed out Daichi was only three years older than Hinata himself—and that their mission was too dangerous. However, Hinata was determined and nothing, absolutely nothing, could win against a determined Hinata.

Sure the mission Daichi gave to him was sometimes difficult, but Hinata always had a partner with him (mostly Suga-san or, sometimes, Noya-san) so he'd never failed one before. He didn't mind. Besides, he did it because he wanted to protect these people who gave him a place to actually live his life. These people who took him in without question, who praised him for his absurd power—because as far as Hinata knew, he was the only person in this world who could resist a Diver's power—and who cherished him as if he was precious.

Yes, Hinata was going to protect everyone in Karasuno and the orphanage. Thus, he really couldn't help the sour look on his face as he knocked at a guest room which currently held their most recent... well, guest.

For a moment, only silence greeted him. That was fine. Hinata even hoped Kageyama Tobio hadn't woken up yet so he didn't have to face the annoying Diver. He still hadn't forgotten how Kageyama used his ability on Suga-san. The painful throbbing on his face and body also wouldn't let him forget how Kageyama had beaten him up too. Although, to be fair, Kageyama was currently resting with more-or-less the same amount of bruises on his body. All courtesy of yours truly.

"Oi, are you awake?" Hinata called out with another series of knocks when a minute had passed in silence.

Still no answer. Hinata frowned. He put his ears to the door and listened. The orphanage was old and they didn't have enough money for a renovation, so the door was rather thin. He could faintly hear the sound of shuffling feet from inside, which meant Kageyama had woken up.

"I'm coming in, alright? Make sure you're wearing clothes because I don't want to see your naked body!"

With that Hinata pushed the door open. As he stepped in, he could see Kageyama still sitting on the bed. He was not wearing a shirt, but the bandage wrapped around his torso made his appearance bearable enough for Hinata.

"So you are awake! You should've answered me earlier then!"

Kageyama glared. "Thought you were going to enter either way."

"True, but it's common courtesy to answer when someone's knocking on your door! Geez, you don't even know that? As expected from a stupid Diver who's lived as a lab rat his whole life."

"What's that?! What do you know about how I live, huh?! You stupid, simple-minded shorty!" barked Kageyama. His glare intensified as he stood up from the bed to face Hinata.

"I know a lot more than you think!" Hinata glared right back. Without even realizing it he'd approached Kageyama and they were already standing so close to each other. "I know that you have no knowledge whatsoever about the world. I know you were always locked in your own tiny room without ever needing anything. I know you are just a mindless tool who could do nothing without orders from your superiors! Divers like you are built to destroy people's happiness! There's no way I'm gonna accept you willingly! If not for Daichi-san's order, I'd rather leave you in that rat hole back then!"

"Ugh," There was nothing Kageyama could say to that. He gritted his teeth in frustration instead, curling his fists into balls in order to control his emotions. He knew what he was even without Hinata pointing it out loud, so the boy's words sounded even more infuriating to him.

"Like you're one to talk," said Kageyama once he'd managed to gather his wits back. His dark eyes narrowed while his lips curled into a derogatory smirk. "I've never met someone who could resist my ability before. What does that make you, then? A freak?"

"You—! BASTARD!"

Hinata made a move to swing at Kageyama, but the sound of the door slamming open made both boys jump spontaneously. Not a second after the light from the hallway filtered into the room and something jumped in.

"ROLLING... THUNDER!"

That something shouted out after literally rolling into the room, standing back up and striking a victory pose. This could very well be the strangest thing Kageyama had ever seen in his life. Scratch that, not thing, but a... person? A boy to be exact—or a young adult? Kageyama couldn't really tell—with spiky brown hair and a grin so big it looked almost ridiculous.

"NOYA-SAN! That was so COOL!" Hinata exclaimed with sparkles inside his eyes. He immediately ran towards Noya and babbled about how Noya's movements were so bwaah and gyaah. It wasn't a conversation Kageyama could follow, but apparently Noya was on the same wavelength as Hinata since he replied to every word with equal passion.

"What the...?" Kageyama could feel a headache coming. He just couldn't get his head around his current situation. Looking at Hinata and the newcomer just made it worse so he decided to turn his head around towards the doorway, only to find there was another person standing there.

"Yo, you're Kageyama aren't you?" The man asked in intimidating tone. He had a scary face too. One that immediately reminded Kageyama of some yankee he'd seen when doing a mission. "I heard you dived into Suga-san. Do you think we'll forgive you that easily, huuh?!"

Kageyama flinched. Now he was really in trouble. With Hinata, he knew the boy was more bark than bite, but this man in front of him now looked like he seriously would beat Kageyama up for what he'd done. He had figured out how important Suga was for this group and he could understand that. Suga really was gentle. Even his heart was so pure Kageyama actually felt guilty when he dove into the man, so it was only natural some members were still holding grudges against him.

"Aww, stop your tough act, Ryuu. Daichi-san told you not to scare him, right? We're here just to greet him!"

"But, Noya-san! Don't you feel mad about what he's done to Suga-san too?!" The one called Ryuu protested, although his face didn't look as scary as before.

"I'm a bit upset yeah, but Suga-san himself said it was fine, so it's fine. Besides, he doesn't look like a bad guy to me." He approached Kageyama, still smiling from ear to ear even as he held out a hand. "I'm Nishinoya Yuu. Just call me Noya. Nice to meet you, Kageyama!"

"O-oh, nice to meet you too, Noya... san," replied Kageyama. He hesitantly held out his gloved hand too and shook Nishinoya's. That one simple gesture made Nishinoya's smile widen even more.

"See, Ryuu? He's a good boy!" Noya released Kageyama's hand and pulled Ryuu closer. "This guy here is Ryuu! He might look scary, but actually he has a soft heart. Don't be fooled by his appearance, Kageyama!"

"Yeah, but I still can kick your ass if you dare do anything strange."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Kageyama seriously. He was sure Ryuu really meant what he said.

"But Noya-san, why are you here? I thought you still had to report to Daichi-san about last night's mission?" Hinata inquired once all the introductions were done with.

"Ah, I've given my report. Then when I asked about Kageyama, Daichi-san suggested that I come here instead. He said something about preventing you two actually hurting each other again? Really, Hinata, you should've known better than making Daichi-san mad! Haha!"

Hinata pouted. "Not my fault Kageyama's so annoying."

"What did you say?" Kageyama glared at Hinata immediately. He could feel his temper rising again.

"Hahaha, seriously you two just don't know when to stop!" Noya laughed openly. "Come on, save your quarrel for later. Daichi-san wants to meet you, Kageyama, and I think we shouldn't make him wait any longer or we will really miss breakfast."

"Ooh, I heard Kiyoko-san and Yachi are cooking pancakes today! There's no way I'm gonna miss it!" said Ryuu right before he ran out of the door in lightning speed.

"Ack! Ryuu! That's cheating! I won't let you eat Kiyoko-san's food first!" Nishinoya yelled as he chased after the bald man. Not long after there was a shout and pained exclamation from Ryuu. Apparently Noya had tackled him down in the hallway and then left him behind.

The room suddenly felt far too quiet with Noya and Ryuu gone. Both Hinata and Kageyama still incapable of doing anything except staring at the open door, still dumbstruck by the duo's sudden departure. For once the silence between them felt comfortable. At least until Kageyama spoke up again.

"Are they always like that?"

"Well, yeah. Noya-san and Ryuu-san are so cool, right? They're always so full of energy!" Hinata answered with a grin. It took him only a moment after that to realize he was actually speaking and grinning at Kageyama though, and that made him freeze immediately. Heat gathered up on Hinata's cheeks. He coughed to cover up his embarrassment before busying himself by searching for a clean shirt. He found one inside the drawer and promptly tossed it at Kageyama.

"Anyway! You heard what Noya-san said. Hurry up and wear that. We're going to see Daichi-san after this!" Hinata instructed then ran out of the room. He closed the door and leant back against the door frame. His head made soft thumping noise against the wood. He had grinned at Kageyama. For a second there he'd actually felt relax enough to let his guard down around the Diver. That was sloppy and dangerous and Hinata really should've known better.

"You can't trust Divers, Hinata," he whispered to himself. "You can never trust them."