Warning: Character death.
My eyes open. Slowly, carefully. They hurt. Have I been crying or something? I look around. Brooms. And a few volleyball balls, and dustpans. I find the door and open it. The air hits me and I smell it. The mixture of the court, the floor, the volleyball balls, the grass and flowers from outside. I step out. My teammates are practicing. Why didn't I hear them a while ago? Weird.
"Hello?" I ask aloud, unsure of anything that happened or would happen. Sugawara is the first to look, and he breaks into his usual gentle smile.
"Hinata, you're finally awake!" Sugawara says cheerfully, approaching me very slowly and carefully. What's with that manner of approaching me? He never does it too slowly. Did I do something? Did I get hit or something? Did I get injured? Why was I in the broom cupboard?
"What... what happened, Sugawara-san?" I ask as composedly as I could.
"Y-you don't...?"
Daichi walks to us. Looks at Sugawara in the eyes. They're keeping a secret. I want to know. What are they keeping? Did I fall down and forget most of everything?
Nishinoya approaches next. Says something. "Could you repeat that?" Hinata asks. Says it again. And again. And again. But for some reason, I don't understand. I can't hear properly. Did I get in an accident in regards with my ear?
Asahi comes and pats Nishinoya's shoulder. They also look at each other, and I know they have a hidden message. Someone tell me. Someone explain, please. I want to know. Now. At this very moment.
Tanaka refuses to look at me. He is speaking to Ryouko-san. Am I a monster? Am I harmful? Maybe some sort of transforming monster? Tsuki and Yamaguchi are just conversing in the corner. Of course they don't give a shit about me.
Someone is missing. Missing...
Who is missing? Someone is missing.
I look around some more. Sugawara is talking, but I can't understand. What is wrong? He looks worried. Worried. What is wrong? Am I wrong? "Hinata?" Sugawara asks. "Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm alright," I say. Grin. Laugh. I'm fine. "So, what are you doing now?"
"Just practicing. If you're okay, you can practice with us now too," Asahi says. And so I do my best to brush off everything and go with them. And I practice. Just practice and practice. One more time. And another. And once more.
It's unsettingly quiet. Too quiet.
Oh, he's missing.
"Where's Kageyama?" I ask. Everyone freezes.
The volleyball bounces. Once, twice, thrice. And then rolls. And halts at a corner. Where is my setter? My boyfriend?
More silence. It's too loud. It hurts.
"Where's Tobio?" I ask once again.
Why isn't anyone replying? Someone answer. Give me an answer.
Sugawara approaches me. Puts his arm on my shoulder and guides me to the locker room. I feel Nishinoya and Asahi behind me, just beside Sugawara, and Daichi follows last. The rest follow slowly, one by one. Only Tsuki and Yamaguchi are left behind in the court, sitting on the bench.
"Hinata," Sugawara says slowly as he kneels in front of me, like a mother. A mother. Suga-mama. "I hope you take this well."
I tilt my head sideways. I'm confused. What's happening?
"Kageyama... he's not going back."
Not going back. My boyfriend, not going back.
The world stops spinning.
"Why?" I ask. I want to leave. Follow Tobio. Anywhere he would want to be is where I want to be.
"He said he wants to play basketball instead. He said he tried it and he liked it more than volleyball," Daichi said. Noya-senpai refuses to say anything. He looks enraged. Angry. Asahi merely puts on a sad face as he pats Nishinoya on the shouder once.
"But I can't play without him," I say steadily. Shake my head. Then tears fall. Quietly. Like a silent waterfall. "A queen needs its king to rule a country, right?"
"N-no, Hinata, Kageyama said he wanted you to remain here, be happy playing volleyball," Sugawara said in a very unnatural voice. "He said... he said he'll drop by from time to time to see you. See you happily playing volleyball."
"I want my king," I say determinedly. Then everything slowly fades away.
I feel warmth. A very familiar warmth. When have I felt this before? It's very recent too. I smell something. A familiar scent. A scent of sweat mixed with some perfume of some sort. It feels much more familiar than ever. But who is this?
Don't let go, whoever you are.
I blink. Slowly, everything comes into sight.
Oh, that's why it was familiar.
I find myself drowning in the deep ocean of blue eyes. I don't ever want to look away. So I just stare. He says something. Something. "Shouyou?"
"Tobio!" I say, hugging him tightly. I don't ever want to let go. But I don't want to annoy him. Don't want to. So I let go after he pats my back a few times. I look around and see a different gym. Different gym... diferent...
"Are you okay Shouyou?" Kageyama asks. He's very gentle. I wish he could be like this more often. But I also like grumbly Kageyama. The way he is, the way I love him.
"Where are we?" I ask absent-mindedy, staring at the ring attatched to a board around 10 feet above the ground. I hope this is just a nightmare. I want to go back to the volleyball court. Go and play. With my king. Rule the court. Forever and ever.
"Hinata, I thought we talked about this. You're staying in volleyball, and I'll be here in basketball. It'll be okay, Hinata. If you want, I'll still toss to you, but only when we're alone," he says. But I want him only. Only he can toss well to me.
"No, I'll follow you in basketball. I'm short, but I can jump. Or I can be a passer!" I say, clinging to his arm. "Please, let me stay with you," I beg. I can't play without him. I need him, I want him.
"But you won't be happy here," Kageyama says, a little more forcibly now. "We'll still be together! I'll still be your boyfriend and we'll still have classes together, you idiot!"
"Please," I say, clinging to his leg now. I love him, want to stay with him, be with him. Praise me when I get a good spike. "Let me stay with you. I love you."
I look up with pleading eyes. I see warmth in his eyes. He sighs in defeat.
"Fine."
Kageyama stands still. Too still, in fact.
As still as the body of his dead lover.
Everything became eerily silent as the line of Hinata's heart rate turned into a straight line. The only sounds were a constant beep, and the doctor's announcement of the time of death. Hinata's mother was silently sobbing beside Kageyama, and he - he didn't know what to do. What to say. What exactly he felt.
Sadness? Anger? Sorrow? Pity?
Too many. Too many at once.
And so he went outside the room, quietly, shakily. No one was there. It was silent. Too silent. No nurse in sight. No patient, no guest, no anything or anyone. He wanted to go anywhere except here. Anywhere where Hinata had not been. Anywhere happy.
The tears fell.
He was so sure, so sure that Hinata would be able to fight. Hinata would wake up and he wouldn't die. They would be together forever. They'd play volleyball like the usual; him passing to Hinata, Hinata giving his all to hit the ball and score for them.
But something, someone took him to the other side. To eternal, peaceful slumber.
And he would forever curse whoever did so.
"Goodbye, my love," he whispers to the air as he goes away. Away from all sadness. Away from all sorrow.
And into a deep vortex of nothingness.
A/N: Sorry for breaking your heart, if I managed to do so. But as a terrible, heartless "author" I had to do so. Also, sorry for a little bit of OOC-ness, as I actually started this story like a year ago and only finished it now. Literally, right now. I didn't proof-read because I live the dangerous life lmao. ((Sorry.))
To those who don't understand...
Hinata's POV is where he's in a "world" in the middle of life and death, and where he would be fighting for his life unconsciously. In choosing following Kageyama (death) over staying in volleyball (life), he has failed to fight for his life. It shows that he "moved on to the other side" where everything's more peaceful.
Kageyama's world would be reality, where he witnessed Hinata die.
The last part is up to your interpretation. :)
Thank you for reading! Reviews are welcome. Please don't be harsh; if you wish to correct me on anything, do so politely. Thank you once more!
I love you all.