Thisis basically a sister work/prequel to setsumiya-kami's Falling Leaves so you can go check that out as well! Enjoy.

The tension completely seeped out of Daichi's shoulders as he pulled his arms above him, while his feet carried him towards his house. Today's practice had been a good one. Even at the start of a new term as captain, he could tell that it was going to be a good year as long as volleyball was concerned. There was the fact that two of the first years, Hinata and Kageyama, didn't get along at all and he knew that was going to cause him a couple headaches. Other than that Daichi felt pretty confident.

A soft sigh from the person beside him caught his attention. Now that was one thing that concerned him. His teammate and now vice captain Suga had been off for the whole week and it was really starting to worry him.

He shifted his gaze and watched as Sugawara ran a hand through his hair; his eyes and expression were completely unfocused.

"Suga," Daichi said, the other's eyes finally focusing. "Make sure you get a good amount of sleep tonight.." He felt like a broken record; repeating what he said earlier that day. However, Sugawara didn't seem to mind it as a small smile spread across his face.

"Yes yes, I will." He replied. "Oh yeah.." His eyes widened a bit in surprise. He began rummaging through his school bag then pulled out a single piece of paper. How the paper stayed completely immaculate Daichi did not know.

"I got this from Shimizu." He passed over the paper then quickly closed his bag. "It's the information on the new first years."

"Ah, perfect." Daichi said as he briefly looked over the page.

"It's alright." Daichi replied in an understanding tone. By the state of his focus it wasn't difficult to believe that something like that would've slipped his mind. "Thank you."

The rest of their short walk continued in a comfortable silence along with some idle conversation, like they always did. Soon enough they came up to the corner where they usually split up. After saying their quick goodbyes Daichi continued towards his house.

His feet kept moving but his mind was on everything but the world around him. Even though Sugawara still held his bright and gentle demeanour, Daichi could tell that his vitality had drained from him. It wasn't like him to miss nights of sleep and be so unfocused; Sugawara didn't even scold him for being so concerned about it like Daichi expected he would.

He knew he was probably being pushy by constantly asking if he was ok or not, and if Sugawara didn't want to tell him it was none of his business, but he just couldn't help it. He cared; he cared too much he often told himself. He cared about his team and the people he came in contact with but Sugawara had always been a special case.

Ever since he met him, Daichi had always felt a certain pull towards Sugawara: like he couldn't help but get swept up in his pace. Whenever they were hanging out or playing volleyball or having lunch together or anytime they were near each other Daichi would become consumed with a brilliant warmth; like he was basking under a ray of sunlight that never allowed itself to be covered by any cloud. These feelings that he held, deep within his chest, only became stronger as their time together went on. If it were a year ago, Daichi would have shrugged off his feelings and convinced himself that he was just really fond of the other. However, in the past year he had learned that his feelings went deeper than that, that he loved Sugawara, and if something was wrong, in any way, Daichi wanted, needed, to know if there was some way he could help.

He didn't even notice that tension had seeped back into his shoulders. Daichi exhaled and relaxed once more. That was when he realized that the paper in his hand, the one he had received from Suga, was completely crushed.

"Damn…" He sighed at the paper before beginning to straighten it out, unfolding it from its tight ball. After the paper was back into a semi-decent state, Daichi went to put it into his school bag. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind ripped it from his hand and down one of the dark side streets. Without thinking, he ran after it.

The water-worn buildings blocked the strong wind and Daichi was thankful that he was able to get the paper back without too much of a fight. Even though he ended up a fair distance away from the main road, he still had sight of it and could get back with ease. After picking the paper up, Daichi began to make his way but a noise unlike any he had ever heard before arose from the darkness around him.

An undeniable chill swept through his body and Daichi was immediately frozen in his tracks. The unfamiliar sound reached his ears again; harsher and more potent than the first time. The sound was low but it surrounded him with a nauseous air and, with adrenaline beginning to pump faster through his veins, Daichi was able to pick up the subtleties within the sound. Harsh crunches reminiscent of small tree branches snapping; wet squishing akin to someone sloshing their way through mud. His stomach dropped as he realized how close the sound actually was. Daichi thought that since it was so quiet maybe, just maybe, the sound was farther off than he believed it to be but that idea was quickly shoved from his mind when a harsh tearing sound came from his left. This time, however, Daichi could detect soft gentle breaths among the mix. Someone was there.

It was in that moment that Daichi couldn't help but remember all the small whispered warnings exchanged between his classmates. Whispers of being careful when walking home: being careful of the ghouls. He had heard many conversations about the rise in their area's ghoul population and programs regarding this had been on the t.v. whenever he looked.

Even with these thoughts flipping through his head, Daichi couldn't help but want to turn and look. He knew he was being too curious. He should have been moving back to the main street and back to his house where he'd complete his homework, have a warm bath, eat, and finally curl up on his bed. But his body moved on it's own. Daichi turned to his left and, when his eyes adjusted to the scarce bit of light, his mind went completely blank.

There were two human shaped figures. One strewn out, lifeless and ribcage completely torn open, and the other was hovering over their mangled body. The smell of iron hung heavy in the air when the other tore a large chunk of flesh away from the corpse. The nauseating sound that accompanied it made his stomach twist and bile threaten to rise in his throat. His heart began to pound, faster than it ever had before and, with every beat, he could feel his pulse pound against the walls of his skull. However, he couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of ease; almost like he was secure at his distance.

His eyesight became sharper as he continued to observe. The ghoul had a slim but strong frame and their soft looking hair was ruffled and clung to the nape of their neck. Daichi pulled out of his observations as the ghoul in front of him tore off an arm of the body with a chaotic ease; reminding him where he was. You need to leave, Daichi's mind ordered, now, but no matter what his mind told him his body wouldn't move. He was completely welded in place as his mind began to plead, to scream for him to move, to leave, and to make his way back home. Instead, he stood transfixed as the ghoul continued to tear apart and consume the lifeless human, bit by bit.

He tried to tear his eyes away from the scene but Daichi unconsciously slipped back into his observations. The ghoul was completely dressed in black and Daichi could make out little bits of white lettering on the back of their jacket. When he was able to read them, his eyes widened and he struggled to take his next breath. It read 'Karasuno High Volleyball Club', the letters on the back of his own jacket. He couldn't see their face but the silvery hue of their hair that shone even in the dim backstreet light gave him enough information.

When the pieces all fit together Daichi wondered why his heart didn't just give out right there.

Suga...

This was only supposed to be a small fluffy one-shot, not a four part au. I don't know what happened. Hope you enjoyed!