I just watched the first five episodes of Haikyuu! and I just loved it!
I continued to read the manga and as I was doing that, I found myself writing a fanfiction about it.
This takes place somewhere after Noya and Asahi appear but before the spring preliminaries.
About this chapter:
RATING: T (mentions of blood)
STORY: Hinata gets injured during a match. Kageyama is there for him.
Disclaimer: I don't own Haikyuu!

The match was intense.

Neither team was ready to back down, both aiming for the nationals, and definitely not ready to lose in such place.
Karasuno had been training relentlessly and their play had become better by the day and it could also be seen in the scores. They were winning the first set 23 to 15. Still, none of them were about to take it easy.

The opposing team had a very tall ace, and his spikes were nothing to be joked about. If it weren't for their bad team-play, Karasuno would really have been in a pinch. The ace seemed to be very bad-tempered and he was shouting at his teammates the whole time in a nasty manner.

Soon enough, the first set was over and the teams could take a breather.

"Hinata, Kageyama, well played. Keep it up!" Daichi said as the two first-years tried to catch their breaths.
"Osu!" the two shouted simultaneously.

"Still," Sugawara began with a serious tone. "That ace is something else. There is no way to block him. The only reason we are holding up is because their team-play is frankly horrible and because we can count on Noya to receive the ace's spikes if they get through our block." At this, Noya looked very proud of himself as the others nodded in agreement. "Let's not lose our concentration," Sugawara finished. The others agreed and so the next set was starting.

Unbeknownst to the Karasuno team, the ace of the Riyuuzaki team was boiling with rage as they moved into their positions.

'That god-damn chibi! What's his deal?! He is so tiny, yet he plays the Middle Blocker?! What's up with that?! And that jump-power... It pisses me off!' The ace, Kuroshima thought angrily. He watched the orange-head smiling at his teammates so child-likely.

'I can't stand him! I want to rip that smile off his face!' With those thoughts, Kuroshima walked to his position and glared at Hinata. The younger noticed this, and so did his teammates.

Hinata didn't want to admit it, but the big guy was intimidating. With his height, he could easily be a basketball-player and the angry look in his eyes could make anyone shiver in fear, and looking at him now, he had marked Hinata as his target. Hinata felt himself back down a bit.

"Oi! Hinata!" a voice shouted beside him. The orange-haired turned to look at the Setter, Kageyama. Though they had their differences, they were still a team. "Don't get scared. Focus. You won't lose as long as I'm here." Hinata looked at Kageyama for a while before managing a small smile and nodding. As he turned to look at the opposing team's ace, he was no longer afraid.

Without Hinata knowing, this action had just made Kuroshima snap.

–

The game started and Hinata wasted no time in finding the spot where there were no blockers. Like usual, Kageyama's toss was accurate and Hinata was able to make a successful quick set.

Then, however, the opposing team made their move.

The ball was on the Riyuuzaki team's side and was headed towards the wing spiker on the left side. Unlike Karasuno thought, however, the ball didn't go back to their side but got tossed to the setter, and from there to the ace.

Hinata saw that he was the only one who had any chance of blocking the spike and so he jumped with everything he had got. 'Please reach, even to slow it down!' he thought as he was in the air.

The opposing ace had other ideas. 'I got you now, you chibi!' Kuroshima thought as he too, jumped.

Hinata realized too late what was about to happen. Kuroshima wasn't aiming over Hinata- he was aiming straight at him. There was only time to take a short gasp before the ball collideded with Hinata's face and the younger was left falling from his high jump, unable to protect himself in any way.

The last thing he saw was the ceiling and the bright lights before he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and he passed out.

Kageyama's POV:

I saw how the bastard looked at Hinata before he made the spike. There was something unnatural about it.
I realized it too late that he wasn't planning on doing anything honest.

As Hinata jumped I felt a feeling of foreboding grasp my chest tightly. Everything seemed to slow down as I saw both of the players in the air, Hinata jumping higher than I had ever witnessed, trying his hardest to block the ball. Kuroshima had a dark look on his face and I soon understood why. The position of his hand-! Before I could think any further, a hard snap was heard as Kuroshima hit the ball, hitting Hinata straight to his face with obvious full force. Usually I wouldn't be too worried about him, but now as he had almost jumped over the net (even though that sounded impossible), I admitted I was worried.

I saw his body fall back from the impact, completely unable to try and avoid the inevitable. A sickening sound resounded through the hall as Hinata hit the floor head-first.

"HINATA!" we all shouted. I couldn't hear my own voice through my panic. Hinata had fallen completely limp. He wasn't moving. I ran to his side in an instant, as did all the others.
The match came to a halt. None in our team cared.

"Hinata! Hinata! Oi! Wake up!" I found myself shouting as I knelt beside the younger boy, shaking him slightly. The others had gathered around us, seemingly afraid to touch the unconscious boy. They were saying things to each other, but I wasn't listening.

I lifted Hinata's upper body up, trying to support him the best I could. My hand supported his head and I found my breath catching in my throat as I felt something wet and lukewarm. I moved my other hand to support his head as I looked at my hand. There was blood.

"Blood! He's bleeding!" Tanaka shouted in clear panic. I couldn't say anything. I was in a shock.

How did this happen so quickly? One second he was fine and the next he was on the ground, unconscious and bleeding.

A firm hand on my shoulder made me snap out of my thoughts.

"Kageyama, it's okay. We'll handle it from here," Daichi said and I could do nothing but nod hesitantly.

I rested Hinata's body gently down on the ground before I got up and moved away as Sugawara and Daichi brought in a stretcher which they put on the ground before moving to check on Hinata. The other didn't respond in any way and so they lifted him up as gently as they could and put him on the stretcher.

The way Hinata's head lolled as he was lifted up from the ground made me feel sick.

Hinata was a cheerful person, and in all honesty, he was a fun guy to be with. He was so innocent and child-like, yet there was a strong determination inside of him which drove him to always try his best. He had gotten hurt a bunch of times, as he was painfully clumsy, but this time it was different. It wasn't because of his clumsiness that he had gotten hurt. No, it was because of him.

I turned to watch at the opposite team's ace, and I felt my blood begin to boil. He was smirking. The bastard was happy about what he had done!

I stomped angrily before him, and to his luck, there was the net between us. If it hadn't been there, I would have been tempted to grab him and punch him.

"Oi," I started with a low tone. "What the hell do you think you are doing? You just injured our player," I hissed in anger. Kuroshima's smirk just grew wider.
"Oh, that little chibi. He was in the way so I got rid of him. Any problems with that, Setter?" he sneered.

I felt myself snap. I wasn't going to be able to hold my anger in. My fist, covered with Hinata's blood, curled into a tight ball. I was going to punch this guy.

I took a step forward with my fist raised, but I was stopped.

"Kageyama! Stop it!" Asahi almost shouted and held a firm hand on my shoulder. I noticed that I was shaking with rage. "That won't solve anything." Even though I understood, I just wanted to do nothing else but to punch Kuroshima's face in.

"He did it on purpose! Because of this guy Hinata is-!" Akashi interrupted my sentence.

"-Hinata is okay. What we need to do now is beat these guys in a fair match." After those words, I was able to calm down. 'Hinata is okay. He will be okay,' I thought and took a step back. I took a deep breath and faced Kuroshima again.

"We will win this match." It wasn't a threat, it was a fact. I would make sure of it.

–

Like I promised, we won the match.

A sudden fire had appeared inside all of us and we fought unlike ever before.

The outcome was 2:0/ 25-15, 25-8. Both sets were won by us, and the last one 25 to 8.

It was a crushing defeat for the opposite team, just like it should have been.

I felt myself relaxing after payback was served. Unlike usually, there weren't too many cheers from our side saying that we won. This time we just gave smiles off success, as the outcome was something that was necessary.

As we made our way to the lockers, I was happy to notice Kuroshima falling to his knees in defeat and his teammates leaving him behind.

–

When we arrived to the lockers, we saw Hinata resting on the middle benches, upon the stretcher he had been brought on. He looked a bit out of it, but he was awake and talking to Takeda, who had been taking care of him as the others were on the court.

As they heard the team coming into the room, they turned to look at them right away with waiting looks.

"How was the match?" Hinata asked with a tone that wasn't quite like his usual self. All of us gave a smile and looked relaxed.

"We won," Daichi announced, making a huge smile appear on Hinata's face before he shot up from his position on the bench. "Really?!" Before he could say anything else, his body swayed and he gripped his head in displeasure.
"Hey, lay down," Takeda said and pushed the younger back on the bench.

"Shouldn't you go to a hospital? That looks serious," Asahi said and walked next to Hinata before kneeling down to his eye-level.

"I tried to take him, but he was too stubborn to leave. He wanted to hear the outcome first," Takeda explained with a long sigh.

The conversation continued with the teammates saying how stubborn Hinata was being as the younger just seemed happy to be surrounded by his team.

I couldn't really hear what they were talking. I was just so relieved to see Hinata awake and talking. His unconscious figure had shocked me as we all knew that he was always able to get up, no matter what happened. This time had been different. It had honestly scared me.

"Oi! Kageyama!" The cheerful voice chirped. I looked up to see Hinata sitting up, his face a bit paler than usual, but his smile there like it should have. "Thank you for winning." At those words, I felt a bit embarrassed for some reason and so I averted my gaze, muttering, "Of course."

A silence passed over the room before the players started changing their clothes.

"Hinata, you need to change too. After that I will take you to the hospital to make sure you are alright," Takeda said. "Now, I have to take care of something. I'll be back in a moment." Saying that, Takeda left the room. I saw the serious look on his face as he left, definitely plotting some sort of revenge himself.

I had just finished changing when I saw orange-hair in the corner of my vision. I turned around just as I heard someone ask: "Hinata, what are you doing, lay down, you idiot!" Hinata was standing up and was walking towards his locker. He looked so unsteady on his feet that I found myself walking over to him.

"Oi, idiot," I called out for him and he turned to look at me with a sullen look. "Didn't you hear? Lie. Down." He just stared at me.

"I need to change," he stated, ignoring me. I was getting ticked off by him and so I grabbed his arm and shoved him down on the bench. I only realized my mistake as Hinata winced, making a grimace.

"Ah, S-sorry." I was happy that the other members didn't say anything about my actions. Hinata held his head before shaking it. "It's okay. Don't worry about it. I'm fine."

"You're 'fine' my ass. Look at yourself." I gave a long sigh, saying, "I'll help you."

Hinata looked at me like I would have just turned into another being entirely. "Huh?! You? Helping?" I had no idea how the kid was able to do it, but he always managed to anger me.

"What's so strange about that!?"

"Everything!"

The other team members gave a long sigh.

"Come on Kageyama, don't do that. Not now," Sugawara said with a serious tone, making me realize what I was doing again. I saw how weak Hinata looked again, definitely feeling worse after our little banter. He was pale, and even though he hadn't been running around the court, he was breathing heavily.

Without saying anything else, I walked over to Hinata's locker and pulled out his clean clothes. Hinata looked sullen as I went over to him. I gave a short sigh and tried to control myself. I couldn't get angry now. I would do it some other day when Hinata was feeling better.

"Hands up," I ordered and Hinata looked at me for a short while before complying. I pulled his damp uniform top over his head. Hinata looked red in the face as he was half-naked before me.

I suddenly realized how awkward the situation was and so I found heat rising to my face as well. I quickly helped him put the clean t-shirt on.

I knew that I had to continue what I had started as I noticed Hinata holding his head again and the way his eyes seemed to be unfocused. "'You okay? Do you want to lay down?" I asked with a softer tone that I had intended. Hinata didn't seem to notice the change in my voice as he took a few deep breaths and shook his head.
"No, I'm okay." I didn't trust his words, but I decided to help him change so that he could be taken to the hospital. I really hoped that he was alright and there was no serious damage done to his brain. The collision hadn't been light and the blood had been a proof of that. I suddenly noticed that there was no bandage around his head.
"You're not bleeding anymore, are you?" I asked. Hinata looked at me and managed a small smile. "No." Hinata looked at me with a strange look. "I'm okay, honestly. Don't look so worried!"

"Well, I am," I stated. Hinata stopped smiling and looked at me in surprise. I stayed completely serious. I knelt down to remove his knee-protectors and change his socks. Takeda had already helped him remove his shoes, which I was thankful of. As silence passed between us, I could almost hear what Hinata was thinking and feeling that moment.

"You know," I started. "You played well today. I know you're frustrated about what happened but, this time only, it wasn't your fault."

"What do you mean, 'this time only'?!" he snapped back at me, but I knew it was halfhearted.

"Well, you are really clumsy," I told him before silence fell again.

"Anyways, we won. Not only because we needed to do so in order to move on, but also because Kuroshima hurt you. There was no way we would let a guy like that win." Hinata was silent, probably due to surprise. I pulled his other sock off his feet before I reached for the clean pair.

I thought that it would be difficult to put on socks for someone else, but Hinata's feet were smaller than I thought, and so the socks slid in place easily.

I got up and looked into Hinata's eyes. There was a deep look in them which told about many feelings. Trust, Gratitude, and a kind of promise was passed through those brown orbs. No words were needed. Still, I could see even more through that strong gaze. Behind the obvious feelings was the feeling of disappointment towards himself, and the weakness he wished to hide.

I took Hinata's arm and draped it over my shoulder before slowly lifting us up. I instantly noticed how Hinata swayed before slumping against me, unable to stand on his own.

"Sorry, I'm..a little dizzy," he said and tried to straighten himself.

"No, it's okay," I said and reached for his shorts. I realized that it was such a weird action, that I had to ask for permission.

"Can..I help you with this?" I asked a bit hesitantly, and I noticed the orange-head push his lips together in embarrassment before giving a nod.
I carefully slid the shorts off, trying not to look at his underwear before I rested Hinata back down on the bench.

Hinata kicked the shorts off of his ankles before he reached for his jerseys. I waited until Hinata had pulled the fabric as high on his legs as he could while sitting, before I gestured him to lean onto me again. He gave a dangerous sway as he lifted himself upright and I had to grab his arm so he wouldn't fall over. "Seriously.." I muttered before I helped him to stand up again.
I held his jerseys up so they wouldn't fall before he had time to pull them up and he quickly grabbed them out of my grasp and pulled them up as far as he could with the one arm he could use. As I saw that he couldn't get the other side up far enough, I found myself grabbing the other side and pulling it up. A strange, surprised huff was heard from Hinata, but I decided to ignore it. There was no reason to make things any more weird than they already were.

Once Hinata was dressed in clean clothes and was finally able to sit on the bench, I could return to my own locker. I pulled out my jacket, which had our school's name on its back and put it on.

I had a nice and refreshed feeling. We had just won a game that had been unlike all the others we had played up until now. This had been deep in a whole new level. Now that it was settled, I felt like I could move on with a clear head. At least I thought so for a few seconds.

"Hinata!" someone shouted. I turned back in a flash to see Hinata sprawled on the bench, apparently having collapsed there. He was breathing heavily and he had his eyes tightly closed. Had he passed out again? I rushed to his side, like did many others.

"Hey, you okay? Hinata?!" I almost shouted, worry evident in my voice. I was relieved to see Hinata opening his eyes slowly.

"Sorry...I'm just really dizzy... Everything is so..." After saying that, Hinata's eyes fluttered closed, yet he still seemed to be conscious.

It was the perfect timing as Takeda walked in.

"Takeda, you need to drive Hinata to the hospital right away. I don't think he is alright at all," Daichi said while he was resting his hand on Hinata's shoulder to give him some sort of comfort. Takeda looked shocked for a while before nodding. He walked next to Hinata and was about to ask him something, but I butted in. "I'll help him." There was a shocked silence in the locker for a while before I tapped Hinata on his cheek. "Oi, Hinata." The orange-haired opened his eyes again and even though they were a bit unfocused, I knew that he was listening. "Do you think you can-" Before I even finished the question, I knew the answer. "-No, forget that. I'll carry you, okay?" Hinata just stared at me for a while, as if trying to figure something out, before giving a tired nod. As that was enough for an answer for me, I pulled the kid up so he was sitting. There was a grimace on his face again and he puffed his cheeks suddenly, before holding his hand before his mouth. Me and all the people around me understood what was going to happen.

"S-someone! The trash-bin, a paper bag, anything!" Tanaka shouted, and thankfully, the nearest trash-bin was quickly passed in front of Hinata before he threw up. It was no strange sight or smell for the members, but this time they felt even more sympathy for the boy.

One sure sign for concussion was feeling sick, and Hinata had now definitely shown them that. He was also feeling very dizzy and the fact that he had passed out from the hit for quite some time worried them all.

Once Hinata had finished and the others had made him drink some water and helped him clean up his face, I returned to my earlier task.

I knelt in front of the orange-haired so that my back was towards him. "Come on. I'll carry you." I was pretty sure that the kid looked dazed and unsure about everything that was going on. Soon I heard some shuffling behind me and the voices of the captain and some other members before I felt a weight on my back. They had helped Hinata on my back. I got up and repositioned Hinata slightly. I noticed that he was almost completely limp, possibly barely holding onto his senses.
"Hey, Hinata. Hold on tight, okay? And whatever you do, don't pass out." I felt a small nod on my back and it was enough for an answer. Takeda walked before me and opened the door.

"Kageyama!" Sugawara called out for me before I left. I glanced back at him. "Take care of Hinata, okay?" I noticed that all the members wore the same serious look as he did and so I could only nod. I would take care of him. It was just like the game had been- it was no guess or wish, it was a fact.

"Hinata! Welcome back!" I heard someone call during practice. I was just about to do a receive, but it got all forgotten and the ball fell right next to me as I turned around to look at the entrance.

There he was, smiling confidently and waiving at us. "I'm back!" he greeted, and by then, everyone had run to him, myself included. Well, you can exclude Tsukishima from that.

Nishinoya ruffled the orange hair while grinning. "You little idiot, getting us all worried!" There was a small blush of embarrassment on Hinata since being the center of attention, but I knew it was also due to the honest happiness of being back.

The kid got taps on his shoulders and back and was led inside by the team.

"So are you really well enough to be playing?" Asahi asked in worry. Hinata nodded, "Yeah, I'll just take things a bit more careful for some time but I'll soon be in perfect form again, don't worry!"

"You take your time, Hinata. We don't want you having a concussion again," Daichi warned.

"Yeah," Hinata said before stopping suddenly. "I-I'm really sorry for making you all worried and especially for not being in the matches lately..." There was a moment of silence before Tanaka gave a hard slap on Hinata's back, making him stumble forward in surprise. "What are you saying? You know you can count on us! We're not weak!"

"That's right. And those matches were won for you, that you could rest up without any worries," Sugawara said proudly. Hinata looked at him with wide eyes, as if asking if he really meant it. When he saw that everyone in the team looked the same, he understood that they weren't joking.

"Hey! Practice isn't over yet!" Coach Ukai called them suddenly. "Oh! Good to have you back, Hinata!" he then added. The rest of the team ran back to their positions, but I stayed next to Hinata. I saw him looking down at the floor, hiding his feelings.

When I understood that he was crying, I pressed my hand over his head before I ruffled his hair.

"Idiot. These people are your teammates. You would do the same for them, right?" I felt a small smile forming on my face as I felt a nod under my hand.

"T-thank you Kageyama." I removed my hand from his head but we still didn't move.

"Of course. I would seem pathetic if we were to lose just because you weren't there." An amused huff was heard from Hinata and I looked back at him to see him wiping his tears and look up to me.

"Well, for that, but I also meant thanks for what you did back then. I..didn't really get to thank you properly." The sincerity in his eyes made my composure sway a bit.

"Oh... Yeah. That." That day's happenings flashed inside my head again. "You're welcome."

Hinata flashed a really bright smile before he gave me a pat in the back.

"Come on! Let's practice!" he said cheerfully and ran off. I watched his retreating back with a smile, but at the same moment I knew that the way I saw him had changed drastically and was probably never going to change.

-Flashback-

We reached the hospital and Takeda helped me to lift Hinata on my back again. The boy was all limp now.

"Oi! Hinata! Get a grip! You can hear me, right?" I asked the other. Hinata didn't answer me and I got very worried but when I felt a weak grip on my shirt, I instantly felt better. He was hanging on.

We rushed inside and Takeda told me to wait there without jostling Hinata around any more than necessary. I nodded and stood there, watching as Takeda talked to a nurse before he turned around a corner and disappeared.
I was getting impatient. How many minutes had passed already? Maybe none.

"Hinata?" I asked. I clearly heard the panic in my voice, but I didn't care. However, the grip on my shirt was gone and the boy wasn't answering me.

I got so worried that I went over the the nearest set of seats before I knelt down to set Hinata down. I held his other arm so he wouldn't fall before turning to see him. I took a shaky breath when I saw him. He didn't look good. His brows were tightly furrowed and his eyes were closed in displeasure. I sat next to him and tried to give him a light shake on his shoulder.

"Hinata. Hinata!" I called him and I was glad when his eyes opened slightly. He just stared at me wordlessly.

"Are you in pain?" I asked, not able to think about anything else to ask. A bit breathlessly, Hinata answered, "Yeah..." This answer shocked me, as I had not thought about it before then. Obviously he was in pain. How could I have been so stupid that I hadn't thought about it?

"Wait here. I'll get you some water." I was about to get up, but a weak hand grabbed my wrist. I turned around just as I saw Hinata falling towards me. With my quick reflexes, I was able to catch him before he fell.

"Hina-" I was about to say, but the boy cut me off.

"-No, don't go. Don't...go..." His voice was wavering strangely. Was he... crying?
I held him upright by his shoulders and I was surprised when his hands found my shirt before gripping it tightly, pulling himself towards me. I soon found myself in the position where Hinata was resting against me as I just didn't know what to do with my hands. I stared at the messy orange head in shock.

"I'm scared. I don't-" Hinata gulped as his voice was wavering too much. "I don't get this. Don't go." After my shock finally subdued a bit, I was able to rest my other hand on his back to give him some comfort.

"Don't cry, you i-" As I noticed that I was about to insult him again, I snapped my mouth shut. This wasn't the time. Concussion wasn't something to be played with. Hinata was acting like this due to the confusion the impact had caused. He didn't need anything more that could make him feel worse, especially from me.

I gave Hinata a rub on his back. "It's okay. I'm not leaving." It was unlike me to say stuff like that, but I figured it was the right thing to do.

I was glad when I heard familiar footsteps.
"Kageyama, can you bring him here? I can ask for someone to bring a wheelchair or a stret-"

"-No. I'll take him," I cut him off. I turned to look at the younger. "Hinata, put your arms around my neck," I said with a soft tone to the younger. His hands let go of my shirt and traveled upwards before his arms were securely in place around my neck. He kept his face stubbornly against my chest as I put my arms under his knees and back before lifting him up.

I walked behind Takeda for a while before a nurse appeared and guided us to a room. A doctor greeted us when we reached the room and he instantly ordered for Hinata to be rested on the bed inside. I did like he told and put Hinata down as carefully as I could. I saw that his face was twisted in pain again.

The doctor walked over to Hinata before he touched his shoulder but at this action, Hinata gave a violent flinch and his eyes shot open in shock. He stared at the unfamiliar man before he shook his head and tried to move away.

"N-no! No!" he almost shouted. I understood what was happening and so I shot up and held him down. "Hinata! Hinata! Look at me! Oi!" At my words, the boy turned to look at me with begging eyes. "He is a doctor," I explained, "He will take care of you. Relax. Everything is okay." Hinata's hand grabbed my arm before he gave a hesitant nod. I took his hand into mine and held it. I knew that he needed the comfort now.
I gave the doctor a nod and he tried again.

"Hinata Shōjō-kun, can you tell me if you are in pain?" the doctor asked. Hinata gave a nod.
"I will have to take a look at that wound of yours. I will turn you to your side now." After those words, the doctor gently pushed Hinata to his side. I noticed that the younger tensed at the touch, but now that he was facing me, he relaxed.

I saw as the doctor inspected the wound carefully.

"It looks like the bleeding has stopped and the wound wasn't big. There will be no need for stitches." The doctor straightened himself before looking at Takeda.

"Has there been nausea?" Takeda nodded, "Yes, right before we left, he threw up."

The doctor nodded at this. "Did he lose consciousness?"

"For at least three minutes."

"Was there confusion after that?"

"Right after he woke up he seemed out of it more than usual. He had a trouble remembering where he was," Takeda answered calmly and professionally.

"Has he lost consciousness again after waking up?"

"I don't think so. He has seemed to be at the brink of losing it many times, however." The doctor nodded again. I was getting frustrated by the overly professional act he had. Hinata was in pain! I wanted him to do something!

"Any signs of memory loss?"

"No."

"Alright. There will be further examination later but for now we will hospitalize him and observe him for at least three days." I was a bit shocked. Three days? Was it that serious? Looking at Hinata's pained face, I knew that it was.

The doctor made a quick call to someone, but I wasn't listening. I just looked at Hinata. He opened his eyes and looked at me with those scared eyes. I rested my hand against his shoulder.
"Everything is okay. Don't worry about anything." Saying that, I saw him relax a bit.

There was a knock on the door before a nurse appeared.

"The stretcher is here," she said and the doctor nodded. He walked over to us and seemed to be about to lift Hinata up. I freaked out at the sudden action and blurted out: "No!" before I could even think about it. The doctor looked at me in surprise before I explained myself. "I- Can I do that? I think he's a bit..scared." The doctor then nodded and told me to bring him outside the room, where the stretcher was.

I lifted Hinata's arms around my neck again before lifting him up.

–

Seeing him sleeping there with a calm face was more than enough to calm me down after a long day. Hinata had been put through various tests and he had to change into hospital clothes among with many other things he had to do and the questions he had to answer. Finally, he had been given something for the pain, and now the kid was completely out of it.

I could finally rest.

Takeda looked pretty exhausted himself, and I knew that I didn't look any better. Hinata was not good with hospitals apparently. I wasn't sure if it was due to the fact that he had been just so confused about everything due to the concussion, or because he was bad with them in the first place. Still, it meant that I hadn't been able to leave his side for even a moment when he had been awake.

"Hey Kageyama, let's head home. Hinata's family will be here any moment." Hinata's family? Now that I thought about it, I had never seen them. Obviously the boy had one, even though I had never thought about it.

"Yeah. Let's go." As we were about to exit the room, I looked back at the boy, remembering his words from earlier: "Don't go." As I thought about those words, I swore that I would come back the next day. And even the next if needed.

After the door closed behind me, I knew. I would visit him as long as he had to stay in hospital, just like I knew everyone else in the team would.

–Flashback over-

"Kageyama! Stop spacing out!" someone called me and when I looked up, I received a ball in my face. The throw had been light and so it didn't really hurt. It just left me grumbling in annoyance.

I saw Hinata staring at me with hands on his waist, looking as if he had just done something admirable.
I walked towards him in slight anger, but it soon faded as his smile didn't waver. He knew I wouldn't do anything to him. He had noticed the change between us too. And maybe.. it wasn't too bad.

We shared an unexpected smile before Hinata turned to return to the court where we had been practicing.

"Hey, Kageyama," he then started, his voice all serious, "If something would happen again, I can count on you, right? You...won't go anywhere, right?"

I was surprised by his tone and those words, but even more about the slight fear I heard. I guess I wasn't the only one who had gotten freaked by his injury.

"Yeah. I won't go anywhere." I realized as I said those words that it wasn't the first time I had told them to Hinata, and as he turned around to give me a thankful smile, I knew that he remembered it too.

After that, the orange-head threw his hands up and ran while shouting: "YOOOSH!"

I gave a tired smile before I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"You have finally been completely sucked into his pace, haven't you," Daichi commented.

I gave a huff, "Definitely."

But... it was fine that way.

As I had not even been introduced to Coach Ukai when I started, his role was very very small. Uncharacteristically so.
I am not too certain about this story as I just seemed to write it for the excitement of finding a new series.
I hope you liked this story, be sure to leave me a review if you did and you might have a chance of reading more of these.