Takito tapped Hinata on the shoulder for the sixth (or was it the seventh?) time.
"Dude. Focus."
Hinata jumped. "S-sorry, Takito!"
"Nah, it's fine," Takito turned back to her notebook. "But seriously. What's bothering you?"
"Nothing is bothering me..." Hinata gulped.
She sighed, pulling her hair back into a messy ponytail and securing it with a bright orange elastic. "Nope. Something's up. Trust the Takito-sense, man." Takito tapped her head knowingly. "Spill."
Hinata shook his head. Takito sighed, emptying yet another can of soda.
"Isn't that your fifth can of soda?"
"Nope. Sixth." Takito reached for the plate of meat buns, but Hinata slapped her hand away.
"Hey! Those are mine! And you've already eaten enough..."
It was true. Takito ate so much food, Hinata failed to comprehend how she didn't explode from how much she consumed. Takito always complained she was hungry, to make things even more insane.
"Well, if you tell me what's bothering you, I won't eat anymore." Takito pouted and rubbed her flat stomach.
Hinata glared at Takito. "No way."
"Then say goodbye to your meat buns, Shōyō." She wiggled her fingers towards the plate.
"No! Fine! I'll tell you." Hinata pulled the plate away from Takito, but she was too fast. She grabbed a bun off the ceramic plate, and shoved it into her mouth.
"Too late," She announced, mouth full. "But anyways, tell me?"
Hinata groaned inwardly. "It's just a dumb argument with a dumb friend..."
"First of all," Takito leaned forward, swallowing the meat bun.
"Don't call any of your friends dumb, unless it's me. I don't really care. And second, dumb arguments with friends don't bother you this much. Three years ago, I punched you in the face because you said my project was stupid, and I said your cooking sucked. But the next day, we were playing volleyball together in the back yard. So no. It's something worse."
"How you do you know this much?" Hinata sighed.
Takito shrugged. "As I said before. Takito-sense."
"You've got no other sense besides that..."
"Whatever," Takito cracked open another can of soda. "Who's this friend, anyways?"
Hinata's heart did the strange thing again at the thought of Kageyama.
"Um... Tobio Kageyama? He's a second year."
Takito jumped up from her seat. "Kageyama? He's in the nationals, right?"
"Um... Yeah?" Hinata nodded slowly. "Why are you so excited?"
"My father is his wing brace technician!" Takito explained. "And his costume designer," She added on proudly.
Hinata raised an eyebrow. "Really? Cool."
"Yeah, I know. I have his braces at my house right now. They're so fancy. Anyways, what were you doing hanging out with Tobio? Not to be offensive or anything." Takito sat back down, professional once more.
Hinata explained his rooftop encounter patiently, waiting about five minutes for Takito to stop laughing after he told her how he fell off the roof.
"I'm sorry..." She said between giggles. "Just... That's hilarious, Hinata..." Takito broke down into another fit of laughter.
"So yeah," Hinata finished. "That's what happened."
Takito snapped her fingers, making him jump. "So that happened today... And that's why you were in that tiny room, crying. And that also explains the feather. Wow. I could write a whole book on your love story here."
"It's not a love story!" Hinata stared at his feet.
Takito waved her hand dismissively. "Whatever. So you're sad about Kageyama?"
"He called my wings tiny, Takito." Said Hinata, bitterly.
Takito ruffled her wings, leaning back and stretching. "Alright. So you're mad at him?"
"Well, not really," Hinata shrugged, wings twitching with confusion. "I just feel bad."
"Like, guilty bad? Or some other kind of bad? Like, evil bad?"
He shook his head. "No. Not evil bad. Just... I want him to be my friend again, okay?"
"Alright," Takito nodded. "So you want him to apologize to you?"
"I... I want to apologize to him." Hinata sighed, burying his face in his hands.
Takito frowned. "Hey, Hinata. Don't hide on me like that. Come on. I think you both should apologize to each other..."
"Are you sure?" Hinata peeked out from between his fingers. "I won't see him until Monday..."
She rested her hands on her elbows, thinking. "Alright, then you can go over to his house and apologize. Actually, maybe the shop. He's got to pick up his braces for the practice tomorrow, so that would work perfectly."
"What?" Hinata's wings snapped open at the very thought of seeing Kageyama again.
Takito crossed her arms. "Not now, stupid. And I'll come with you; moral support. Maybe tomorrow."
"Um..."
"Great! See you at eight, tomorrow. And thanks for all the food." Takito grabbed her bag, shook out her wings, and marched out the door.
Hinata jumped up. "Takito, wait!"
She turned, hand on the doorknob. "Yeah?"
"I-I'm sorry..." He hung his head in shame.
Takito's hand slipped from the doorknob. "What are you talking about?"
"I dragged you into this, didn't I? And now Kageyama's going to hate you." Hinata sighed again.
Takito shook her head. "No. I volunteered. I want to help you, Hinata."
"You actually want to help me?" Hinata smiled. "That's strange for you!"
She grinned, but it was forced. "It just hurts me to see you so sad, Hinata. You're usually like the sun, so bright and happy. Exuberant. So when I see you all depressed and angsty... I just have to do something."
"Alright. Goodbye, Takito."
"Sayonara, Shōyō"
Kageyama woke up suddenly, in the middle of the night. His phone was buzzing.
Who the heck would be texting me at four in the morning?
He grabbed it off the floor, where it had been charging. It was Nishinoya.
"What even?"
Then he remembered. Noya was away someplace for an exchange program. So it was probably three in the afternoon where he was.
What's up, Kageyama-kun? The message read, are you doing okay?
Kageyama groaned. Noya had to text him now. And ask how he was doing.
Because I'm doing just great, Kageyama thought. Just great.
He began to text back, telling Nishinoya all about his issues with Hinata, but decided against it. Kageyama deleted his text, replacing it with,
I'm fine.
There you go, Tobio. Lying again. Of course you're fine.
He stared out the window, fully awake after staring into the bright light of his phone. Even though it was four, Kageyama could still see the dusky stars in the sky, just before dawn.
The sky was a dark blue, with a tiny ribbon of pink against the east, indicating a sunrise soon.
Kageyama still looked out the window, watching the pink ribbon grow to a line, then a stripe, like a stroke of a brush. Before he knew it, the sun was fully up, and Kageyama was still sitting straight up in bed, having stayed up almost all night. It was seven thirty.
Oh no! I have practice today!
Kageyama leapt out of bed, landing with a huge thud on the floor. He groped under the bed for his practice clothes.
No, no, NO! I'm going to be late, and I still have to pick up my braces from the shop!
Kageyama thundered through the kitchen, probably waking up everyone in the house.
"I have to go pick up my braces from the tech shop and I have practice! I'll be back at seven!" He yelled, to no one in particular.
He grabbed a random piece of fruit from the fridge and stuffed it in his bag hastily, in a giant rush. Kageyama also shoved half a granola bar in his mouth and washed it down with a huge sip of milk.
Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up!
Kageyama sprinted out the door, panting for breath. Outside, the sun had just come up, and it was still really cold. He shivered, rustling his wings around him to keep out the cold.
Great. It's really cold outside and I forget to bring a jacket.
He took off from the sidewalk, soaring into the air. Kageyama looked for the tech shop, a small building about ten minutes away. The raven flew over the park Hinata and him were at yesterday, and he closed his eyes, trying to push the painful memories out of his head.
Whatever. The past is the past, and the past is just the past. Right?
He glided over Karasuno silently, and spotted the machine shop, just a few blocks down from the school. Kageyama gave a powerful beat of his wings and dipped down into a steep dive.
He had to remind himself that this wasn't a competition, and he didn't have to worry about swooping really close to the ground or keeping his hands in the right position.
Kageyama bent his wings inwards, slowing his descent and fluttering lightly to the ground. The tech shop as he called it, was a modest building, short and compact. Inside was cozy and crowded with all sorts of equipment and costumes.
I think I'm picking up my costume today, too.
He pushed the door open, inhaling the welcoming smell of musty feathers and wood. The bell above the door tinkled cheerfully, and a welcome blast of heat hit him in the face. Kageyama had to fold in his wings to duck through the narrow door.
Mr. Mitaichi's daughter, Takito, was already at the front desk, setting up a display stand for the newest pair of braces. He watched as she folded the braces in perfectly and place them on the shelf.
She turned. "Oh, hey, Kageyama. What can I get for you?"
Kageyama glanced around the shop, taking in the various pieces of equipment and costumes illuminated by the warm, but dim light. "I think I'm here just to pick up my stuff."
Takito leaned forward on the desk. She was wearing a black jacket and jeans. And eyeliner.
"That's new." Kageyama pointed out.
Takito batted her eyes. "I know, right! My mom got it for me, and I just got kind of excited and put it on this morning. Does it look okay?"
Kageyama nodded slowly. "I have no knowledge on makeup, okay?"
"Hey, maybe you should wear eyeliner in the Nationals! Part of your costume. That would look really cool. Here! I'll put some on for you!"
She rummaged through her bag and pulled a black stick out triumphantly. "Aha!"
"Um, Takito," Kageyama took a step back, a little overwhelmed by Takito's enthusiastic demeanor. She was usually excited about things, but today, maybe someone had a little too much sugar?
"I don't think I need... eyeliner."
"Oh, come on. You can take it off if you don't like it. I just want to try... Please?"
Kageyama groaned. "Fine. But I'm taking it off as soon as you're finished."
She shrugged, uncapping the makeup. "Okay, whatever. Hold really still."
Kageyama muttered something about not trusting Takito so close to his face with a sharp tool, but obliged anyways.
Takito brandished the pen dramatically, and a few minutes later, Kageyama's new look was complete.
"There we go!" She took a step back to see how things went.
Kageyama opened his eyes. "Um... Thanks?"
"I know we have a mirror here somewhere..." Takito frowned. "Here!" She pulled a small mirror out of a nearby box.
Kageyama grabbed it from Takito and peered at himself. His jaw dropped.
"Takito! What did you do?" He handed the mirror back to her.
Takito placed the glass back down on the desk. "What? Do you not like it?"
"No! No... I think it's fine!" Kageyama grabbed the mirror again, just to make sure he wasn't imagining things. "You know; I think I'll wear this in the nationals."
Takito jumped up and down, wings fluttering in delight. "Yes! I knew it! Anyways, your stuff."
Kageyama pried his eyes away from the mirror. "Yeah. My stuff."
"Be back in a minute." Takito ducked into the back room, and he heard her muttering to herself, tossing things aside.
"I thought was in box A1... No... I'm looking for a size 16B. What am I doing? Okay... that's not what I was looking for... Ew, what even? Aha! That looks like Yama-kun's!"
Takito came back with dark blue box. "This is your stuff."
"Thanks." Kageyama bent down to pick it up, but Takito stopped him.
"No, not yet. I'm getting it out. We have to tune your braces." She pulled out the black metal and set it on the desk, grabbing a screwdriver.
Kageyama sighed. "Well, I'm glad I got here early."
"Yup!" Takito began to tune the braces, making sure the tension was right. A properly tuned brace could make the difference between a good score and an excellent one. "Go try on your costume. You haven't even seen it, have you?"
"No..." Kageyama reached inside the box.
Takito pulled a stray screw out of his braces. "What was that doing in there? Anyways, let me get it for you."
She pulled a silky black garment out of the blue box.
Kageyama gasped. It was majestic. "Wow..."
"I know, right? Honestly, I have no idea how you would lose in this thing."
The costume was a full-body leotard, all black with silver streaks along the arms and legs. The rib-line was decorated with small feathers, ruffles, and sparkles that shimmered in the light.
"Takito, your dad really outdid himself with this one."
She smiled. "Well, don't mention it. He's not even here to receive your praise. We designed it together. It's supposed to match your nickname."
"My... nickname?" Kageyama frowned. "You mean, Yama-kun?"
Takito laughed. "No! Your Nationals-name. We're calling you 'Black Lightning', because you're so fast, and your costume is black."
"Oh... so that's why Mei's nickname is Blazing Thunder?"
"Well," she shrugged. "I have no idea. I've never seen her fly."
Kageyama clutched the costume to his chest. "Can I try this on?"
"Go ahead..." Takito pointed to the back room, and turned back to fixing the braces.
He ducked into the back room, hearing a sharp ping! and Takito cursing.
"Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid! I get hit with a screw in the face! What is with today? Ow!"
Kageyama pulled on his costume, making sure his wings were in the correct spot. He glanced in the long mirror leaned up against a stack of boxes and gasped.
He barely recognized himself. The costume fit perfectly, which was no surprise, and like Takito said, there was no way he could lose in this costume. Kageyama spread his wings excitedly, wanting to see what he would look like. But instead, he knocked half the boxes over, and a bunch of stuff spilled out.
Whoops.
Takito stuck her head in, hands over her eyes.
"What did you do? And are you decent? Like, can I open my eyes without being scarred for life?"
"Um... I knocked over a few boxes. And yeah, you can look."
Takito opened her eyes and glowered at him. She picked up most of the boxes and stuffed random things back inside, muttering something about categories and serial numbers.
Kageyama pulled at the hem of his costume. "Thanks, Takito."
"Thank my dad, not me. I just designed it." She shrugged.
"Yeah, okay, whatever," Kageyama sighed. "Am I supposed to wear this to practice?"
Takito nodded. "Yup! Oh, and your braces. Stupid screws. Let me get them for you."
She exited the room, leaving Kageyama alone. He shook his wings out. Kageyama reached into his bag and brought out Hinata's feather.
But at that moment, Takito came back, holding a large pair of matte black braces.
"Here they are... What are you holding?" She frowned at the tiny feather in his hand.
Kageyama jumped. He shoved the feather into his bag. "Nothing!"
"Come on, Kageyama," Takito put her hands on her hips. "It has to be something."
"It's nothing!" He retorted defensively.
She shrugged. "Okay, whatever. Here are your braces, fully tuned!"
Takito had learned how to tune braces from her dad, and it turned out she had a hidden talent for tuning. Competitors would often come to the shop to get their braces tuned just by her before the Nationals.
Kageyama clicked the braces on, and Takito stepped behind him, adjusting the tension to perfection.
"How does that feel? Be honest, here."
Kageyama bent his wings, and the braces held his wings in place stiffly. "They're a little tight."
"Alright, well I'll loosen them. " She flipped a hidden knob and the braces sagged.
Kageyama turned around. "Too loose!"
"I know. I have to loosen them all the way in order for me to tighten them properly!" She produced a screwdriver from her jeans pocket and fiddled with the brackets.
"Okay, how's this?" Takito stepped back.
Kageyama bent his wings again, and the braces were perfect. They still allowed his wings to move, but if he tried to over-extend them, the brace would hold the wings in place to prevent injury.
He spread his wings, carefully this time, trying to get used to the feeling of metal against feather. "These are perfect. I still have no idea how you pull this off."
"I have no idea, either. It's based off how you feel, though, not me. I just get your settings in the right area then adjust." Takito shrugged, twitching her wings.
Kageyama frowned. "What model are these?"
"Um... Sabre 1950?" She checked the model engraving. "Yeah. Size 16B National use approved, X-wing special edition, platinum."
He gasped. "Sabre 1950? X-wing platinum?"
"Yeah. Why?" Takito slipped the tool back in her pocket.
"Sabre Platinum's are really rare in a size 16B," Kageyama explained. "Are these custom?"
Takito shook her head. "Not really... I had to do some modifications in order for these to be compatible for competitions, then send in, like, a million applications for these to be suitable for the Nationals. Yeesh!"
"So you modded these?" Kageyama asked.
"I guess," Takito checked the clips on the braces again. "They're my first mod. Are they okay? I took the parts from other Sabers and added the crossbar in the back to make it okay for dives."
"You should sell these in the shop! They're really good!"
"First, these took eight months to make, second, these are probably the only custom modded braces in the Nationals. Wouldn't you want to feel unique?" Takito shrugged.
Kageyama thought about this. The only pair of modded braces in the Nationals. Competitors often all bought the same brand and model to make their groups look uniform. But since he didn't do any group acts, it was fine. Besides, Takito was right. He felt special.
"So, you applied to get these braces?" He asked.
Takito turned around from sorting things in boxes. "No, I made them, then applied so you could use them in competitions."
"Oh."
"And, guess what? These are only certified for use by you." She pulled an official-looking paper out from a drawer full of folders and papers. Takito handed the sheet to Kageyama.
Brace: Modded Sabre 1950, Platinum X-wing edition
Registered brace number: 1446708
Modifier: Mitaichi Takito (mod no. 1446733)
Only certified for use by competitor no. 144670 (Tobio Kageyama), U20 Junior Class.
"Wow..." Kageyama noted. "That's official."
She nodded. "Super official. They don't want anyone else using these things but you. And, they would probably only fit you."
A pleasant jingle told Takito there was another customer.
"Stay here," she warned. "I don't want this shop being mobbed because the famous Tobio Kageyama is here. Again."
Last year, Kageyama had come to get his braces fit before Takito started to modify them, and someone had tipped the press that he was going to be coming to the shop. The whole news crew had shown up, and Takito's father had to resort to swatting them away with a rolled up sheet of Christmas wrapping paper.
Takito hopped out of the back room, making sure the door was firmly shut behind Kageyama.
"How can I help you?"
Kageyama listened though the door.
"Oh, yes, of course. I've been waiting a while."
He heard someone close the front door, and Takito telling them to sit down on the brace fitting bench.
"Oi, Kageyama! Someone wants to see you!" She called out.
Kageyama stiffened.
"It's not the press or anyone special," Takito promised. "Chill. Come on out, Tobio!"
He took a deep breath, and twisted the doorknob, stepping back into the shop. Takito was turned away from Kageyama, staring at the customer.
She stepped aside. "Kageyama, this is Hinata. I presume you've met?"
Kageyama gasped. "Hinata? What are you doing here?"
Hinata looked up, golden brown eyes dark and sad.
"We... we have to talk."