"Target locked," a static-filled voice said in Hinata's ear. Daichi Sawamura, the team leader. "A-team, move forward. B-Team, hold your position and keep watch. C-team, drop back and do a quick sweep before rendezvousing with A-Team." He was on B-Team, so he could afford to stay put.
Like crows the A and C teams swooped from their positions, closing in on the grand hotel expanse in front of them. The gun felt heavy in his hands. He definitely didn't sign up for this shit when he joined the Karasuno High School volleyball team.
"You okay?" He jumped slightly at the voice behind him.
"Ah, Sugawara-senpai." Koushi Sugawara. Setter on the team, and team sharpshooter. He had the sixth sense that allowed him to read both his team and his targets in order to achieve whatever goal he had. "I'm fine." The third-year stood upright slightly behind him, hands on his hips. The all-black tactical gear gave off no shine under the bright moon, leaving only his silver hair and pale skin to reflect light and indicate his presence.
"Everyone's shaky for their first mission. I'll bet Kageyama-kun and the rest are just as nervous as you."
"As if," Hinata muttered, his eyes avoiding his Sugawara. Kageyama and Tsukishima were poised as ever when they departed from the school earlier that day. Hinata, on the other hand, couldn't sleep the previous night and suffered severe diarrhea on the way to the stakeout. It was almost as bad as his first volleyball game.
"Well, B-team is lookout, so nothing too scary should come our way. We usually start the first years on B-team so they'll acclimate to the job." He talked about it so freely, so easily, that it sent a chill down Hinata's spine.
"Say, Sugawara-senpai…" He paused, playing with the words in his head, trying to find the right way to say it. "Why… why is the volleyball team sent on these missions?"
Sugawara finally dropped to a crouch. "Why indeed," he mused. His voice was distant, as if asking some authority far away. Hinata didn't dare turn around and see his face. He was afraid of the answer he might see.
"Fuck!" The static broke through the silence that hung between them. It was Kageyama-kun. Unlike Hinata, he was on A-team, the main offensive meant to take down their target. "He's not there."
"Scope the floor. C-team, check one up and one down. He must have caught wind of our presence." There was a slight shuffle over the com as the two teams broke out.
"Sugawara-senpai, what now?"
"Well that's no good," Sugawara almost purred. "No good indeed." He pressed his finger to the device, changing channels to the direct line for B-team. "B-team, keep a close eye. He may attempt to leave the building." He terminated the communication. "Hinata-kun, follow me. I think I know where he's heading."
The two scaled down the side of the building into a dim alleyway. As soon as he hit the ground, Sugawara took off running through the alley and into the back streets away from the building. "I told Daichi, but he just doesn't believe me, does he?" he mused as he navigated tight turns in the labyrinthine streets. Hinata wasn't quite sure where they were in the dark, but his eyes were trained on the silver-haired assassin leading him through the streets.
"Uh, Sugawara-senpai?"
"Almost there, Hinata."
"Almost where?"
"See, the target has a relative in the area. A cousin or something." They pressed close to the wall, as far from the lights as they could. They were in what appeared to be the shopping district. "And even though he's a higher-up, family is family. It's comfy and cozy."
"Sugawara-senpai?"
He pulled out a handgun from the holster. Hinata was still too unfamiliar with guns to recognize it, but as he loaded it, the heavy sound of the bullets seemed to amplify in his brain. "The reservations were a distraction method. Dammit, this is what we get for being students. We couldn't even confirm his presence. I'm gonna murder Daichi later."
"Sugawara?"
Suddenly he stopped. "There," he declared, pointing upwards. They were standing in front of a convenience store. The second floor appeared to be residential.
"Where?" But even Hinata wasn't that stupid.
Sugawara slid the gun back into the holster and pulled up his half balaclava mask before entering the convenience store. Hinata hurriedly did the same before following him. An elderly man was watching the shop front. "Oi, what do you think—" He never got a chance to finish.
Hinata stared in horror. He had seen movie deaths and game deaths aplenty, but the real deal was something else. The gunshot seemed to deafen him, despite the slight muffling effect the com had. For good measure, Sugawara jumped behind the counter and sent another bullet through the shopkeeper's skull.
"Upstairs. Hurry." No longer was it the friendly, smiling senpai from volleyball who encouraged him to work through his problems with Kageyama. It was a Sugawara that Hinata had never seen before, a chilling, short-spoken man of business. Hinata felt his legs turn to jelly, unable to move forward and follow upwards. "Hinata." The intonation too was unfamiliar. It wasn't warm or familiar like the normal Sugawara. It wasn't irritated and frustrated like Kageyama. It wasn't like any other time someone had called his name. It was like some cold, unfamiliar charisma called him forward, and he felt his feet move towards the stairs.
"There shouldn't be too many witnesses to deal with." Sugawara was now speaking in the com, a direct line to Hinata's ear, as they creeped up the stairs. "His wife and child are—watch your step. That one creaks." Hinata managed to stop his foot right before it landed on the offending step and instead went around it best he could, careful not to bump into the wall. "Anyways, no known kids or women. Should just be our guy now, maybe a few guards."
Sugawara stopped at the top. "Hey, you doing alright, Hinata?" And for a second, it was the familiar Sugawara, the warm Sugawara that welcomed Hinata into the volleyball team. He nodded mutely. "Good. Remember, if you find him, take him out. No hesitation allowed."
No hesitation allowed. It echoed in his head.
Sugawara eased the door open. It was surprisingly unlocked, probably because of the relative downstairs. The living space was small, consisting of a tiny kitchen and a general living space devoid of furniture. There was another door, probably leading to a bathroom and bedroom. Nobody was there. Sugawara headed towards the door and opened it easily too. He pointed in the opposite direction, a clear directive for Hinata to go on his own while he headed the opposite direction.
Hinata crept slowly down the narrow hall, which somehow seemed much longer than it really was. He was vaguely cognizant of Sugawara, who nimbly made his way to the other side. He heard another gunshot go off. Mentally, he chided himself for acting like such a newbie. Well, he was a newbie, but in front of his senpai he should have been even the slightest bit more reliable. He was moving too slow, showing too much weakness. He shook his head, as if to clear out the thoughts, and approached the first door, throwing it open with a dull thud.
It was a closet, altogether unimpressive. A few coats, a stepstool, some other paraphernalia difficult to identify in the dark.
And a small child.
A boy, couldn't possibly be more than six. Curled up in a ball, sniffling and trying in vain to stifle his tears. Tucked in the corner of the closet, home phone in hand. No sound emitted from the device. Dead.
Hinata felt something rise from his stomach, and he put a hand over his mouth, already obscured by a half balaclava. He knew what he was supposed to do. He knew what he was supposed to do, but…
Even so…
He felt like his hands couldn't move. He was acutely aware of the blood pulsing through his wrists, acutely aware of how alive he was. He could hear a pounding in his ear—his heartbeat perhaps?—threatening to drown out everything. In that moment, he felt so alive as someone else teetered on the slim edge between life and death.
Slowly, his hands started to move. He leveled his gun to the small child, locking eyes with the young boy. Suddenly, the tears started to fall again, and a kitten-like mewl escaped the boy's mouth. Hinata dropped his hands as his mind wandered to thoughts of his little sister Natsu. Natsu, who was probably tucked in bed right now, whose only concern in life was whether she had enough time to play with all her friends. Natsu, who was probably exactly like this boy crying in front of him.
He couldn't do it.
Not to Natsu.
The gun fell from his hand.
"Looks like we've got a bystander here." Hinata jumped at the voice behind him. Sugawara had clapped a hand on his shoulder. "And he's so young too. Ho hum, what a situation."
He dropped to a squat, his eyes level with the young boy's. "What are you doing here?"
"V-v-visiting," the boy stuttered.
Sugawara stood up. "Man, I didn't account for this." He leaned against the wall, looking up at the ceiling as if seeking consolation, dropping his gun as his eyes turned upwards. "And I really hate when kids are around." He closed his eyes, as if pondering what to do next.
There was a slight shuffling below. Hinata managed to move his head enough to see the kid scramble up and start towards the exit. He bent down, conflicted. He really didn't want to kill the kid… but the mission…
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sugawara reach for the holster on his leg. "Wait!" he called out at the kid.
Time slowed down around him. He saw the bullet exit the gun, its trajectory clear, its aim true. The kid fell forward. Sugawara walked over to the kid, used his foot to turn his head slightly, and sent another bullet through the back of his head. Hinata winced this time, unable to bear the sight a second time. As the smell of gunsmoke diffused through the house and the ringing in his ears died down, he chanced a look at the scene.
Instead, Sugawara was standing right in front of him, filling his vision. "Are you some special kind of idiot or something?" Hinata vainly stuttered, trying to craft some explanation to soothe the angered upperclassman. "No. Fucking. Hesitation. Was there something unclear about that?" His voice wasn't loud, not like when Kageyama got mad at him. It was cold and slimy, worming its way through his ears and under his skin. A hand went to his throat, pulling down his mask. "Did you think this mask protected you? That any of this gear could protect you from being identified?"
Hinata finally managed a word out. "P-police—"
"Yes, they're be on their way." He felt fingers dance on his carotid artery. "Feel that? That's proof you're alive. You've survived your first mission. Congratulations." Hinata felt like the blood was draining from under Sugawara's touch, fleeing somewhere far away, leaving his body chilled and desolate. He felt himself being dragged down the hall. "And see that? That child didn't survive." Hinata couldn't look, closing his eyes and turning away purposefully.
Sugawara growled. "Don't be a fucking pussy. I said LOOK!" He fisted Hinata's hair and dragged him to the floor, eye level with the kid. His other hand picked up the kid by the hair. "I want you to see what these missions entail. You can't have success with survivors. No witnesses." Hinata stared in horror at the kid's empty eyes. A thousand thoughts flew through his head, but all of them were erased by the slow trickle of blood from the back of the kid's head.
Sugawara dropped the kid, also letting go of Hinata. He pulled off a glove and dipped his exposed fingers into the growing pool of blood. "This is proof, Hinata-kun." The sudden use of an honorific jarred him back to reality. That was his senpai standing there, blood staining his fingers. This wasn't a dream or game or movie. This was a cold hard reality, where the volleyball team acted as assassins for some godforsaken reason. It was almost enough to make him laugh. Almost, if he weren't on the verge of tears. "Proof that we won. You've made your first kill. Relish in the victory."
Hinata felt the overwhelming urge to throw up again, but he swallowed it back. He didn't want to risk angering the upperclassman anymore. He felt a hand press to his cheek. "All good now?" Something wet pressed against his artery. He didn't respond, but he pushed past Sugawara, leading the way back to their initial post, the wet feeling of blood on his skin plaguing him even after it dried up.
That night, he took a long, scalding-hot shower. He couldn't seem to wash away that wetness from his neck.
"What's this?" Sugawara looked over the crumpled paper forced into his hands.
Hinata gulped. "R-resignation. I—" He paused, taking a deep breath to steady himself "—I'm quitting the volleyball team."
He had cornered Sugawara in the halls during passing period. The bell had rung, and the two were late, which didn't seem to bother the silver haired boy. The black uniform was too reminiscent of the tactical gear they had donned that night. It brought back memories, terrible memories that he was now trying to outrun by quitting the team.
"Huh, and you were showing such promise too…"
"It's just… I mean, you have to understand, Sugawara-senpai—"
"I do, Hinata-kun." The air hung heavily between them, the silence threatening to swallow them whole. The silence was cut through by the clear sound of paper being ripped.
Hinata watched in horror as Sugawara tore the resignation form up before his eyes. He felt a crushing darkness surround him, and all of a sudden he was back to that night, that horrible night where he watched the life leave a small child.
"You must be stupider than you look or something," Sugawara leered. It was the same voice, the same tone of speaking from that night. The way the words crawled under his skin, like worms ready to be picked from the ground by birds. "Don't you remember what I said that night?"
"You can't have success with survivors."
"There's only one way out of this club. I think you're smart enough to figure that out."
Hinata dropped to his knees as Sugawara walked away, the paper shreds scattering around him. So that's how it was, was it? He was trapped in this club, in this murder of crows, a farce against the game he loved so much. He felt something wet drip down his face, and for a split second he was afraid that it was blood again. Tears. Just tears.
Ho hum, what a situation. What a situation indeed.
So, this is meant to be a oneshot. I was trying to jog the writer in me. Anyways, I'm kinda iffy about the ending, but what did you guys think?