Edit 4/27/15:

Fixed grammar mistakes and badly worded sentences.

I am sick in bed with a fever for 2 days, and when I leave for school, I am itching to get back to volleyball.

I was planning to run the whole way to practice, but halfway there I am left gasping for breath. I lay on my back on the side of the road and watch the sun rise, bitter disappointment filling me as I realize at this point Kageyama is probably already there. So much for surprising him... I relax, ignoring the tightening in my throat, and focus on the grass tickling my back. The slight breeze that rustles my hair and brings goosebumps to my skin. The vibrant orange streaks that sweep across the sky in strokes. My breath hitches in my throat and I am overwhelmed by the beauty of it all. My breath floats up visibly, the cool fall air nipping at my body. A shiver runs through me and my eyes wander around me, awed.

When I catch my breath, I reluctantly get up to jog the rest of the way to practice, painfully aware of how much my stamina dropped in just a few days of no playing.

"Welcome back, Hinata!" I hear Tanaka shout from inside. I walk through the door and wave to everyone, a wide grin on my face.

"I'm back!"

I get changed quickly, anxious to play, but when I get on the court, Kageyama seems reluctant to toss to me.

"Shouldn't you be recovering?" he looks me up and down.

My fists tighten, "Idiot! What do you think I was doing at home for 2 days? I DID recover!" I pout.

He finally agrees after some persuading and I grin as we run through our drills. By the third toss, however, my limbs start to feel heavier, and more effort is expended in every jump. I crouch down, panting, sweat soaking my uniform and look around to see that the rest of the team is barely warmed up. I am so disappointed in myself.

Suga looks at me in concern, "Do you need to sit out for a while to catch your breath?"

I stare at the ground, my cheeks burning, and feel a bead of sweat run down my chin. I watch it fall on the floor, and wipe my face, "Nah, I'm good, thanks though!" I grin at him, "I'm just a bit out of shape from my break I think," I give him a thumbs up and start running again.

By the time practice finishes, however, it feels like there are bricks strapped on to my limbs and every movement I make takes twice the effort. I feel the dull throbbing behind my eyes but ignore it desperately. I can't have another headache. I'm supposed to be better. I sit on a bench in the changing room, gasping for breath, and close my eyes. As I walk to the school building with Kageyama, though, I feel the pain in my head intensify and when I get to the classroom I reluctantly take the medicine I had brought to school just in case. Although my fever has gone away, I am still getting constant headaches, and I am so frustrated that my strength isn't back.

I struggle to stay awake in class all day; my energy seems to have been sapped from me in practice. School is finally over and it's time for another practice. I hate that I hate it. It makes me so mad that I am thinking things like 'I wish I could just go home' and 'this is so tiring'. I walk slowly to the gym and am soon joined by Nishinoya and Tanaka-senpai, who greet me energetically. I try to wake myself back up, pasting a smile on my face and running the rest of the way with them, chattering nonsense.

"We are going to have a practice match in 3 weeks with a school in Tokyo, so keep that in mind when you are practicing!" Daichi announces to the team when they are all inside.

We're going to pick up the pace of our exercises, and I am not sure if I am ready for it. My limbs still feel heavy from the this morning, and my headache is never completely hidden by the medicine. I spread on a smile anyway, running to the changing room to get ready. I slip my shirt off and realize I left my bag in the gym. I run out to go get it and Suga pulls me aside before I can return to the changing room.

Suga stares at my bare upper body, and I look down self-consciously. It is pale, and I am not particularly muscular. "Hey, are you eating right?" I raise an eyebrow at his question.

"Yeah... I think so? I haven't had much of an appetite lately, but I still eat..." my voice trails off, questioning his curiosity.

His eyebrows tighten, "do you know how much you usually weigh?"

"Around 115 pounds..."

Without a word, he pulls me to the weight room and pushes me onto a scale.

"Hey! Why this all the sudden?!" I stumble onto the scale, but look down curiously at the numbers.

The numbers settle at 99 pounds and I gasp.

"You are eating right?" he reiterates, raising his eyebrows, "You are skin and bones. If what you're telling me is right, you have lost 15 pounds on a regular diet. That is not normal."

I nod, "As I said, I haven't been that hungry lately, but I still eat most meals..." I realize why he is worried now. I heard about the effects of unneeded weight loss in health class. I am smart enough to know what is healthy and what isn't.

"I realize you were sick for a couple days, but this is really strange," he takes a deep breath and forces a smile, "I recommend you tell a parent about this..."

I nod and we walk out of the weight room. I quickly change into my uniform, self conscious now about my weight, and join the rest of my team in the gym.

Once again I am panting within minutes. I can see Suga's worried expression out of the corner of my eye and grit my teeth. I can't keep acting this weak. You're causing your friends needless worry. I shake my head and try to push the thought out of my head, forcing myself to continue to play even when my arms and legs are shaking from exertion. I call for another toss from Kageyama, to which he reluctantly complies.

And then I go down.

Yes. I just did a cliffhanger. Send me all the hate you want. Please review!