Quick Note:
Thank you to JjThereforeIAm (yourqueenjj) for posting this prompt on tumblr: oK SO LIKE SOULMATE AU WHERE WHEN YOU ARE BORN OR WHATEVER HOWEVER THIS WORKS YOU GET A DOLL THING THAT LOOKS LIKE WHAT YOUR SOULMATE LOOKS LIKE WHEN YOU MEET THEM AND THE DOLLS SUPER REALISTIC AND LIKE ITS LIKE KEYCHAIN SIZED SO EVERYONE LIKE ALWAYS HAS IT WITH THEM AND AHHHHHH

This one's to JJ and Celia, who was the first to read it (mirimih on FFN).

"Every person gets a figure of their soul mate the day that they turn five..."

It's not practical, not at all. Hinata stared at the little doll lying on his palm. The thing was so familiar yet it was distant. With deep, dark eyes and jet black hair and a hint of a smile, the little figure had entranced him since the day of his fifth birthday. It's no bigger than the size of a keychain, but it represented something that was larger than life.

The fragile little thing in his hands was a projection of his soul mate. He wanted to meet this person. Who wouldn't want to? The person you were meant to be with was depicted, there was no doubt as to whether or not you should want to spend the rest of your life with them, but was there?

They were supposed to make you happiest. Hinata would later find out that they were the ones who would fuel you with so much emotion and so easily, sadness.

Most people married their soul mates and lived out the rest of their lives. But there were cases in which people chose not to and that was okay- just a little depressing. However, what if the decision was inevitable? How do you meet the person you were supposed to be with if you were born halfway across the world from each other? Fate has its way with bringing people together, but this isn't one of Hinata Shouyou's concerns; his problem was far greater than that.

For 14 year old Hinata, Kageyama Tobio was just the person on the other side of the net. He was an opponent to beat in the first (and last) volleyball match of his middle school career. The other boy was menacing and needed some help in the teamwork department.

When the match ended, the redhead was frustrated, so, so, angry with the results. The Kitagawa Daiichi setter was upset with Hinata too. He yelled at him for not being at a real match in his middle school years (because he needed an opponent worthy of hitting back his tosses.).

And when they're leaving the stadium, Hinata promised, promised so genuinely that he'd never forget, the next time they meet, he'll definitely beat Kageyama. It was a sight to behold, really. With tears streaming down his face and snot threatening to leave his nose, the older boy was yelling at the top of his lungs.

With the game still replaying through his mind, Hinata was at home sitting on the floor of his bedroom digging through his sports bag for the figure of his soul mate. When he took the doll out and was scanning over the features, a wave of fear and disbelief came crashing into him. He dropped the doll in shock and a scream had escaped his lips before he even knew.

He was thinking "how can your soul mate be someone that you hate?" because there was no way that Hinata could like someone like that. Images of Kageyama with devil horns and a pointed tail grinning evilly while the fires of hell burn in back of him are conjured from his overactive mind. Hinata gave another short yelp and was startled, very startled when his younger sister slammed the door of his room open. "Onii-chan! What's wrong?"

His face was sheepish as a blush was creeping up his neck and he could feel the red heat radiate across his face. The boy was okay physically, but he couldn't say the same for his mental or emotional health, so he decided to assure Natsu that he was fine and "everything is alright."

She closed the door slowly after she walked out and was eyeing him strangely, but chose not to question it.

Hinata sighed as he dropped back lamely onto his bed. "Out of all the people in Japan, in the world, it's gotta be him." He let out another puff of air. Another one of his stupid, bizarre ideas hit him -they ought to be copyrighted as Hinata's ideas because they're so originally unthinkable- while he turned over onto his stomach.

What if he has a twin? Hinata popped up on his mattress enthusiastically and it left his comforter wrapped around him in the weirdest way. He'd even put the blanket into turmoil.

Kageyama's twin would be the opposite of his brother (except he would keep that really nice facial structure). All warm smiles and didn't yell at people. He would be really nice to Hinata and they would laugh all day long at jokes that either one of them made. Hinata wouldn't mind the other Kageyama being his soul mate. This time, he sighed in content, breathing in the nice citrusy scent of his room and closed his eyes imagining bliss. He was in his cozy pajamas and his bed was warm and fluffy. That thought was a great way to end that day. If he had to describe that moment with a color, it would be a pale, welcoming yellow.

The next time that Shouyou and Tobio meet, their promise isn't fulfilled. There's no court for them to stand on opposites sides. They were on the same side of the net.

His mouth was wide open as his accusing finger jabbed in the direction of the black-haired setter. The expression on his face was a joke.

"What are you doing here?" was the mutual question between the two.

They're on the same team: Karasuno High School and they aren't enemies in the game this time around. While Kageyama was still staring dumbly at him, Hinata took the time to turn around and hover over his book bag. His fingers stumbled to find the doll in the special compartment he kept it in. It took a moment for him to calm down when his hand grazed the top of the figure to realize that it's still there and that nothing has happened to it. Taking it out into the sunlight, he was talking to the nonliving thing.

"Oh I wish I knew your name. I can't give you a nickname like Natsu baptises her Barbies; you're a replica of a real living person. Are you Kageyama or someone else entirely?" Hinata was frantically hunched over, mumbling to the doll in his palm. In all honesty, the boy could have passed for an wizard from those fairytales chanting spells and curses. It might have even been voodoo for heck's sake. However, his train of thought soon broke off when the other male in the gym shouted at him.

Hinata impulsively responded back with a "Hey! Do you have a twin brother?" His hands were getting clammy and the question sounded even dumber aloud than it did in his mind. This was way too embarrassing. (He had a feeling that if he was friends with Kageyama in the future, that the dark-haired boy would never let him live it down.)

Fortunately, Kageyama had a blank expression and slack features; there was no sign that he was going to make fun of Hinata. "What?" he simply stated- it almost wasn't even a question anymore with his flat tone.

"I said: 'Do you-' nevermind." The ambitious spiker decided last minute not to make a fool out of himself (again), but ended up crossing his arms and let out a deep breath.

"I heard you the first time, shrimp. Why the hell would you think I had a twin brother? I'm an only child," Kageyama said with an exasperated sigh.

"Oh," Hinata breathed out lamely and he thought a little piece of himself died (his soul mate is not Kageyama's twin). He's in a state of comatose shock and didn't realize that he was called short again. When he usually responded with "I can jump," he had just let it slide. Tobio's words passed through his mind over and over but any smart comebacks should have been retaliated by now- it would have just been awkward if he said anything at this point. Instead of speaking, he lifted his head up to see a slight flicker of disappointment on Kageyama's face in his own lack of response. Somehow, it made him feel something in his chest and he couldn't pinpoint the feeling.

And that's the second time that they meet.

While Kageyama and Hinata seemed to lunge at each other's throats in the beginning, slowly but surely, they get closer. Their volleyball partnership made them gravitate towards one another. Like the way that the volleyball's natural track was the floor, the duo came together as easily. But got pulled apart in the same way; bumped back up by their feelings of denial and insecurity.

Kageyama Tobio got increasingly frustrated as each day passed. He couldn't deny that his soul mate is Hinata, but he did futilely, anyway. (He wasn't sure if it was due to the fact that he wanted to keep his walls of solitude up and defended.)

His damned figure had a cheerful smile and that signature mop of red hair. It was mocking him; he swore.

The little thing -both the boy and the doll- pushed him over the edge. The vending machines could probably feel the frustration that came off his body in waves. Even if the vending machines couldn't, the other students wanting to buy a drink could. Their wide-blown eyes stared in horror as Kageyama emitted rays of anger and crushed his milk carton. It drove home the feeling of fear when he threw it perfectly away into the little garbage can.

And crap, Kageyama felt something when Hinata would call his name for another set. He felt like he could take on anything- as long as his red-haired decoy was there. They can face anything in this wretchedly, beautiful world. But he would never admit it. He was too scared.

Kageyama never addressed the issue, because he and Hinata are definitely not soul mates, teammates at the least and best friends when pushing the limits. That was what he told himself.

They constantly tip-toed around the topic. It's never mentioned but it was there in the pauses in between conversations. This is a hit or miss topic (but Hinata's doll was surely one that looked like Tobio, right?) and he knew better than to put everything at risk. He was honestly more scared of the result for himself than Hinata. Somewhere deep down, the shadows and walls hadn't all been melted or spiked through by Hinata's brilliant sunshine-like personality. He was scared of becoming a dysfunctional person; lost in past relationships.

It's so hard to put down that subject when Nishinoya-senpai and Tanaka-senpai were so obsessed with the idea that soulmates were real, yet they were constantly contradicting themselves the moment that Kiyoko-san walked into the room. Who were their soulmates?

Did it mean that they didn't care about it as much as they said? Was it alright to really date someone other than your soulmate? Would Kageyama be jealous if Shouyou were to date that brunet that sat three seats away from them in literature class? Would it be okay to hope that someone's relationship doesn't work out?

Hinata and Kageyama being together alone was painfully awkward. Naturally full of energy, the middle blocker felt a need to fill the heavy silence with noise, but words seemed to like dying on his tongue.

He wanted to tell the setter how he feels, but he was so terrified of commitment, scared of being dragged to the ground. Crows are meant to fly freely in the air.

What if soul mates change every lifetime? What if a piece of your soul left you every single time you didn't find the right person and believe it to be them?

What if Hinata was so completely, wholly in love with Kageyama Freakin' Tobio? So much that it was crushing his chest, pressing into his rib cage, enough for his heart to want to beat out its way out of his body?

Hinata had never revealed a rosy blush whenever Kageyama touched him. When he was younger he used to blush so often, he could describe how it felt like: waves of red warmth travelling to his face. He had trained himself not to (and it was worth it since he would have given himself away ages ago).

However, that didn't mean his pulse rate didn't speed up. It was especially true when he spiked those tosses Kageyama threw in his direction. It wasn't even physical contact with the other boy, but it made no difference. The sting of the ball on his pink palm wasn't annoying; it gave him a sense of victory. He touched the volleyball- he was getting it somewhere. And he flushed when he remembered who could make him feel the way that he did. Thick-headed, intimidating, and anti-social Kageyama made his mood light, like a feather.

Since when were Hinata's standards so low? But somehow, he didn't care. He didn't care if it was corny that love is blind.

The big question still standing was, if he didn't care- why didn't he tell Kageyama how he felt?

Maybe there was a difference in not caring about whether Hinata should like someone and not caring if said person found out that he liked them.

Why was confessing inner feelings so difficult? It wasn't as if Hinata's affection was a fleeting little crush. There was nothing temporary about it. It wasn't going to leave soon.

There was something about that specific practice that was unlike any other from before. It wasn't just the fact that the third years weren't there because of their college exams.

No, it was the atmosphere. It was everything yet nothing at the same time. Kiyoko-san wasn't there but there was always happy, enthusiastic Yachi and Takeda-sensei. Nishinoya and Tanaka were loud. Yamaguchi was practicing hard and improving while complimenting "Tsukki", who as usual was still making snide remarks. Ennoshita was diligent in his mediocre way. Kageyama was being himself except less harsh on everyone around him. It was nice for a change, but he missed the sound of Kageyama yelling his name from the other side of the gym as he went to hit the volleyball over. He wanted to hear Kageyama's voice desperately and he understood what they meant when they say love makes people crazy.

The end of practice came around earlier than Hinata thought that it would. It was 5 PM already and clean up was the daily chore for the volleyball team. It might have been the peaceful, lulling mood or fate, but Shouyou decided to do it all by himself which was a handful to be honest. The volleyballs were littered all over the gym and the net was yet to be taken down.

Hinata had told everyone to leave and put it upon himself to put everything away. He told them that he needed some time alone when they looked doubtful of just leaving.

Tanaka, who was apparently the temporary captain, had looked happy to accept the offer after saying that the team would help take down the net together (truthfully, at Hinata's height, he wouldn't be able to do such a thing anyway) and gave Hinata the keys to lock up the gym. It was a multi-person effort. After doing their cool-down exercises, the Karasuno crows flocked out of the gym. Kageyama had disappeared sometime after storing the net. Kind, shy Yamaguchi had asked if he wanted some help once again even after being told it was alright and Hinata politely declined with a smile. (Hinata was sure that when Yamaguchi left, he mumbled something about catching up with Tsukki. Hinata could hear the footsteps of someone running when Yamaguchi was out of sight).

Hinata busied himself, serving volleyballs back into their respective baskets and he soon reached the entrance of the gym. A shaky "hey" came from behind him and startled every single cell in his body. His senses were on high alert and instinctively, he threw the ball in his hands in the direction that he heard the voice from.

The grin that hung on Kageyama's lips fell off of his face quickly as the airborne object came flying at him. He effectively caught it and put it under one arm as his free hand burrowed its way into his sweater pocket. This was how people made looking athletic seem like a breeze.

"Why are you here? I thought I told everyone that I've got everything under control." Hinata questioned like he was in trouble. The middle-blocker was just so confused; it was why he needed to be alone, not with the boy who made him feel a flurry of emotions.

Hinata wiped his hands discreetly on his volleyball shorts as he stood up.

"I'll leave," Kageyama said after a pause. If the person delivering the line wasn't the dark-haired boy, it would seem like he was flirting.

Tobio has started walking away before Hinata called out unexpectedly, even to himself. "No, wait. Stay."

The shorter boy wasn't even prepared to say anything, but he knew with a gut feeling that now was certainly the time. He hadn't planned anything, but he would never get the chance again. He was sailing on murky waters, full of waves. The ship bobbed in the rough ocean while being surrounded by thick fog.

This was a ship on a collision course.

Kageyama was shocked and it might be in the good way when he saw the look on Hinata's face. It's a strange mix of distress and exhilaration and it made Kageyama feel better because he's not the only one who was disoriented.

"Kageyama Tobio! I hate you so much! You make me want to see you the moment I wake up and before I got to sleep. And when I do, it makes me want to hide away. Why are you doing this to me, King of the Court! Do you have voodoo or something?

"Give me an explanation of why I feel this way! I'm demanding it."

Hinata's cheeks were all flushed from speaking so loud and it's exhausting yet sent a thrill through his body.

"Don't ask me! I have the same problem, Hinata Shouyou. You have no idea what you do!" Kageyama said passionately.

Hinata almost stumbled backwards and down on the floor at the backlash.

"Do you like- wait let me rephrase that- do you have your soulmate figure with you?" Kageyama asked.

"Of course I do," offended, Hinata answered indignantly.

"Alright. Take out the doll," Kageyama continued. He dug around through his bag for the figure.

"Give me a moment!" Hinata called as he ran towards his bag which rested on the bleachers. He didn't like leaving his things in the locker room after everyone left. It was creepy and lonely. Shouyou grabbed the doll which he was sure was made to resemble Kageyama and hurried back to where the other boy was waiting.

"Everyone gets a figure of their soulmate at age five and when the two partners decide to be with each other, they exchange the figures."

Hinata recalled the legend's tale that his grandmother used to tell him about. Is that what Kageyama wanted to do? Exchange figures?

"Hinata, I like you little shrimp so much. Would it be alright if we went out on a date this weekend to that movie that you've been whining about non-stop for the past two weeks?" Kageyama wasn't looking at Hinata when he was speaking and it was so like him to not even know how to confess to his crush properly. He covered his face when he's done, but Hinata could see the red that colored the tips of Kageyama's ears.

And once again that night, Hinata threw something at Kageyama.

"God damn it, Hinata. It's barely been 15 minutes and you're back to throwing things at me." Any other words that Kageyama wanted to say doesn't make its way off of his tongue. In his hands were both his and Hinata's dolls.

He strided across the distance between them and handed Hinata the doll that he'd been holding onto for 10 years. The red-head flashed a smile at Kageyama.

"It's a date then?" he asked and the genuine look of confusion on Tobio's face makes Hinata laugh.

"Yes."

The two melt with a poof of smoke and fall down to the floor, completely deflated of anything else to feel but embarrassment. There's nothing else to say. They have just confessed. Just what else could have happened?

However, slowly, Hinata got up and reached for the ball that was closest to him and Kageyama decided, that his foolishness needed to end. They just stared at each other for a moment before chuckles tumble away beautifully from their lips.

And they were both laughing while spiking volleyballs back into the basket and failing horribly with their own focus in different places.

When they're all done, Kageyama's face was so bright and warm when he smiled fondly at Hinata. Hinata's stupid stomach flips and he felt like he was liquefying under that gaze. He could kiss Kageyama right now just seeing how happy he is, but that's illogical; he's never kissed anyone (and neither has the other boy). The thought of kissing Kageyama leaves Hinata feeling breathless and self-conscious at the same time- he's as red as a tomato. But his brain snaps back to the pictures of a smiling Kageyama Tobio in his mind.

"You did it!"

"What?"

"You were smiling. Do it again!" Hinata urged.

A creepy twitch of the lips was what Kageyama considered a smile when he was conscious. Hinata jumped from where he was and winced when he settled down.

"We need to work on your smile," Hinata said as the distance between them became smaller.

"Glad you'll help," Kageyama said as he rested his forehead on Hinata's and that little, beautiful smile is on his face again. And Hinata got to kiss him when his own lips met his boyfriend's cheek.

Author's Note:

I hope you enjoyed it. I loved writing about these awesome volleyball dorks and everything. It took me at least 1 month to finish ( I wrote it on paper and made so many changes.) It started as a prompt that I started elaborating in at the elementary school park by my house, then I continued it when I got home and for any New Yorkers out there, at my school during SHSAT testing. It didn't take long to write out a plot, but the editing and proofreading was the part that fleshed everything out.

I don't think I captured Kageyama's POV well enough (it was OOC a lot), but if you leave comments and constructive criticism, it is sure to help my writing improve. ﾐ(o*･ω･)ﾉ

TRIVIA: -A potential name for this fic was "Not Bargained For"
- I didn't have a title for this thing until I wrote and typed the whole thing up. (I came up with the name with help from the thesaurus.)
- The draft took up 6 pages of looseleaf paper front & back
- I had trouble deciding how each person would get the figure of their soul mate
- I totally ignored the fact that the prompt said that the dolls were supposed to be "super realistic"

Date Completed: November 13, 2014
Updated: 11/16
There were way too many mistakes I made when typing this up. I'm sorry to everyone who read this when it was a terrible mess.

If anyone wants to talk to me about anime or generally anything (I'll listen.) PM me here or inbox me on tumblr- kikunakamura.