***Inspired vaguely by a piece of fanart***
***WARNING: This story contains high levels of angst. Please proceed with caution.***
…
At first, it was pretty 50 - 50 either way. Hinata received half of the balls, but the other half either went right over him or right beside him. Still, though, the fact that he was even able to receive half of the balls without actually being able to see them was an amazing feat in it of itself.
Kageyama still didn't understand how he did it.
As practice continued, Hinata got better and better at predicting where the ball would land based on the sound of the ball cutting through the air. Now, he hit at least seventy percent of all the balls that came his way. Of course he couldn't aim - that hadn't changed at all - but getting the ball up was all he needed to do. After that, the rest of the team could finish the play.
Needless to say, everyone was impressed by Hinata's newfound capability, including Hinata himself.
"It's weird," Hinata told Kageyama after practice, uncapping his water bottle. "It's like I can hear everything a lot clearer now. It's really cool! When I really try, I can actually hear people's feet leaving the ground!"
"But...how?" Kageyama asked, still disbelieving.
"No idea!" said Hinata, beaming. "But it works, right? Isn't that all that matters?"
Kageyama blinked, and then nodded in agreement.
"Maybe," said Nishinoya, sliding up beside them, having eavesdropped on their conversation, "since you can't see anymore, you notice things you weren't able to before. Maybe you were so distracted with what was right in front of you that the rest of your senses were dulled."
Hinata blinked in confusion. "Eh?"
"You can hear stuff better now, idiot," said Kageyama.
"Oh! Okay!" said Hinata, nodding in understanding. Kageyama rolled his eyes.
…
"We're having a practice match next week."
Daichi's announcement caught everyone off-guard, and they looked at their captain in confusion. They were in the gym, the day after Hinata's first blind receive, getting ready to start their after-school practice.
"A practice match?" Nishinoya questioned suspiciously, as he knelt on the ground lacing up his volleyball shoes. "With who?"
"A team from the next city over," Daichi answered, stepping through the door and sliding it shut behind him. "They're not an extremely popular team, so getting a practice match set up with them was reasonably easy."
Not a very popular team? Kageyama thought, blinking. I wonder who they are...
"Have we ever played them before?" Sugawara asked, moving forward.
Daichi shook his head. "No," he said, "but they're one of the lesser teams in the prefecture. Below us, even."
"So why are we having a practice match with them if they're not a real match for us?" Tanaka questioned, asking what everyone else was thinking.
"The main reason Takeda-sensei set up the practice match for us," Daichi answered, "was so Hinata had the chance to practice his receives against another team. His receives are sporadic, so it should be good practice for all of us."
"Yes!" Hinata cheered, pumping both fists into the air. "I'm feeling pretty confident today, so bring it on, random team from the next city over!"
"Speaking of Hinata's receives," Daichi went on, almost as if Hinata had never said anything at all. "I had an idea yesterday while we were practicing. Hinata, how hard would it be for you to memorize the sounds of different bells?"
"Different...bells?" Hinata looked confused.
"I'm thinking," said Daichi, elaborating, "if you can memorize the sounds of different bells, we can each have a different one on the court, that way you know where we are."
"Oh!" Nishinoya snapped his fingers. "That makes sense! If we tie bells around our wrists or whatever, then Shōyō will also know if someone else goes in for the receive, that way he can back off without colliding with them."
That makes sense, thought Kageyama. It was a good idea. Honestly, Kageyama didn't know they hadn't thought of it sooner.
"It's important to know where your teammates are," said Daichi, nodding, "so if you think you can do it, Hinata, I think it'd help you on the court tremendously."
Hinata was already nodding before Daichi had the chance to finish speaking. "I'll try anything once!" said Hinata, grinning. "Let's do it!"
...
"Sorry I'm late!" Hinata cried, stumbling into the gym, led by Kags. Kageyama turned, looking over his shoulder at the spiker as he entered. Hinata paused suddenly, one foot still in the air, looking confused. "Wait, am I late?"
"A little bit, but not really," said Daichi. "Nishinoya, Sugawara and Tanaka haven't showed up yet, either. But we don't have to leave for another couple of hours, so we have time."
Other than the three Daichi named, everyone else had arrived and were currently in the gym at Karasuno, awaiting their time of departure. They were holding the practice match at the opposing side's gym, which was an hour drive from Karasuno.
"So," Kageyama said, "have you memorized the different bells, Hinata?"
That was something else that was new: each member of the team was wearing their respective bells, tied to velcro and wrapped around their wrists (they had decided that, since they moved their arms the most during volleyball, that was where they should strap the bells).
Hinata nodded eagerly, looking just a little too proud of himself. "I think so, for the most part!" said Hinata. "It's easy to remember your bell tone, Kageyama, because you have such a low, brooding voice, like the bell is low!"
Kageyama rounded the spiker, inevitably jostling the bell strapped to his wrist. "I do not have a brooding voice," said Kageyama, glaring.
"He says with a brooding voice," added Hinata smugly, grinning. Grinning. Oh, sometimes Kageyama wanted to strangle this kid…
Sugawara arrived at that moment, stepping into the gym with his bell jingling softly. Instantly, Hinata spun around, waving his hands in the older setter's direction.
"No, don't tell me, don't tell me!" he said. "I wanna guess! You're...Nishinoya?"
"Not quite," said Sugawara, smiling softly as he switched out his shoes. "Good guess, though, Hinata! You were close!"
"How are Sugawara and Nishinoya close?" Tsukishima grumbled in the background, but he went ignored by the rest of the team - except for Daichi, who gave the blocker a stern look of warning.
"Aww! Darn!" Hinata said, smacking his forehead. "I was sure I had it that time! You and Nishinoya have such similar sounding bells…"
Sugawara frowned. "We do?" he inquired, looking down at said bell as if it were to blame. "I hadn't noticed. If you think it'll make it easier, I could find a different one and use that instead-"
Hinata shook his head and waved his hands again. "No, this is fine!" he said. "Honest! I have everyone else's down, so it's just you and Nishinoya left! I know I'll get it before the practice match!"
"The practice match is in three hours," said Kageyama, deadpan.
"Like I said! I'll get it in time! Just you watch!"
Kageyama clicked his tongue. "Good luck."
"Hey! You're supposed to be on my side!"
"Why would I choose to be on the losing side?"
"YOU WANNA FIGHT, KAGEYAMA!?"
Honestly, though, Kageyama didn't mean a word of what he said, and he was pretty sure Hinata was aware of this. Kageyama knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Hinata would be able to call each member out just by the bells on their wrists in no time at all.
If he could tell where one of Asahi's spikes were going to land, then he could memorize the different sounds of a few bells. Hinata had been working hard to memorize the sound of each member's assigned bell, and he had done well, considering how little time they'd had and how poor Hinata's memory was.
Now let's see if all his hard work pays off, Kageyama thought, even though he had no doubt that it would.
Kageyama frowned, suddenly noticing something he hadn't before. Something smelled...strange. Not necessarily bad, just strange. He looked around thoughtfully for a moment, and then turned to Hinata.
"Hey, do you smell bubblegum or something?" he asked, curious.
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Hinata flushed bright red and looked away, shifting his weight awkwardly. "I...erm…" he stuttered awkwardly. "I sort of…" What he said next came out so quietly that Kageyama didn't catch a word of it.
"You sort of what?" Kageyama questioned.
Hinata fidgeted for a moment or two before answering, all in one breath and just a bit louder than before. "I sort of accidentally washed my hair with my sister's bubble bath this morning."
Kageyama blinked at him and turned away. "Oh."
Instantly, Hinata rounded him. "YOU'RE SMILING," Hinata accused, pointing his finger.
"No I'm not," Kageyama lied.
"YES, YES YOU ARE!" Hinata shouted, still bright red in the face. "IT'S NOT FUNNY! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE ASKED ME ABOUT THAT!? IT'S A SERIOUS PROBLEM!"
"Just shower again."
"I TRIED! WHY ELSE DO YOU THINK I WAS LATE THIS MORNING!?"
"Oh," said Tsukishima; it seemed he had been eavesdropping the whole time, "so you weren't just slacking off as usual? How shocking."
Hinata looked like he would say something else, but he didn't have the chance - Nishinoya and Tanaka chose that moment to show up, lugging their duffel bags over their shoulders, their bells tied to their wrists.
"Good morning Karasuno!" cheered Tanaka, waving a hand at each member in turn. "So who's ready to kick some lesser-player butts?" He cracked his knuckles as if for emphasis.
"YEAHA!" agreed Nishinoya, nodding firmly.
Daichi sighed wearily. "It's too early for this…"
Nishinoya paused suddenly, a look of confusion crossing over his face, and he sniffed the air. "Hey, is someone chewing gum?" he asked, slipping his bag over his shoulder and onto the ground.
Hinata sighed heavily and buried his face in his hands, looking like he'd rather sink into the ground and never be seen again than answer Nishinoya's question. He turned to Kageyama, looking defeated.
"Can you please knock me out?" Hinata asked.
"No."
"Why not?" Hinata moaned.
"Because Kenma will kill me, that's why."
The argument lasted another five minutes, and when the bus was finally ready, they loaded up and headed off.
…
If there was one thing Kageyama hadn't been counting on, it was the gossip.
The other team would just not. Stop. Gossiping.
Kageyama wanted to pummel every single one of them, but Daichi was watching, so he obviously couldn't do that.
"Is he really blind?" the opposing team's number four whispered to their number five, just barely loud enough for Kageyama to hear. Kageyama spun around, just in time to see their number four lower a finger, which had been pointed at Hinata.
The number five looked over his shoulder at Hinata, who was standing on the other side of the gym with the rest of Karasuno. "I think he is," said number five. "Bummer. If we play our cards right, this game'll be a synch."
It was just a practice match, sure, but that didn't mean they weren't taking it seriously. Both teams were planning on giving it their all.
"Just try and aim your spikes at the blind kid," the other team's number five went on, and Kageyama clenched his teeth, "and we should be fine. He won't be able to receive."
It's just gossip, Kageyama thought to himself, trying to calm down. It's just gossip, it's just gossip, they have no idea what they're talking about, save all the fighting for the game, they'll probably bench me if I punch them in the face…
I could make it look like an accident.
But Daichi will notice either way...
"I feel bad," said the other team's number nine, but his sympathy sounded fake, and he eyed Hinata almost fiendishly. "Having that blind kid play middle blocker...it's kinda cruel of Karasuno, don't you think?"
"Well, they're the ones who decided to let him play," number four argued, "so it's their problem, not ours."
Kageyama balled his fists. Screw it I'm gonna punch them all in the face.
At the last second, though, Hinata stopped him by reaching out blindly and grabbing Kageyama's arm - the arm with the bell. Kabeyama stared at him in confusion.
"It doesn't matter," Hinata said, his voice low and somewhat hesitant. "I'm sure everybody we play against is going to think the same thing. It's okay. Besides…"
There was something doleful about Hinata's voice, and it only got worse as he continued.
"...I'm probably going to have to get used to being labeled as 'the blind kid' when we're on the court," Hinata said.
Kageyama winced. That hurt. "Hinata-"
"Well, anyways," Hinata interrupted him with a shrug, and the tone of his voice became somewhat more enthusiastic, "they're technically not wrong. It's not a smart move to have a blind person as your middle blocker."
Kageyama swallowed hard. "Hinata-" he tried again, and was once more cut off.
"At least," Hinata stopped him, putting up a finger, "that's what they'll think. But the more they underestimate me, the more powerful the blow is when I finally land it, am I right?"
Kageyama deadpanned. "Well, you're not wrong."
Hinata smiled, just slightly, and then, over his shoulder, "Tanaka, Nishinoya, I can hear you. You can stop trying to intimidate them, their comments don't matter to me."
Instantly, Tanaka and Nishinoya backed off, grumbling under their breath. Kageyama couldn't make everything out, but it sounded suspiciously like, "Either way, we'll show them who's boss."
Shortly afterwards, the players shook hands, and the game began. The opposing side was serving first.
From what I know about this team, Kageyama thought to himself, they're all strong servers, and that's about all they've got going for them. If we can cut off their serves on the first go, we'll have the upper hand.
The ball was served by the other team, and it rocketed over the net.
Kageyama watched its course, and then blanched. They aimed it at Hinata.
He should have been expecting it, really. After all, it made sense to serve to the person least likely to receive it. But it still filled Kageyama with anger.
Hinata paused a moment - and then, he put out his hands and received the serve dead-on.
"Ha!" Hinata said, grinning. "They aimed it at me! I knew they would!"
"I told you they would," Tsukishima corrected under his breath.
The other team was so shocked by this development that they completely forgot about the ball, which dropped onto their side of the court after Hinata's long receive.
After that, the game shifted entirely. The other team didn't underestimate Hinata after that, but that didn't stop them from aiming all the balls they could at him. Hinata received at least three quarters of them, and whenever he missed one, all he said was, "I'll get it next time!"
Honestly, it was pretty amazing. Kageyama already respected Hinata enough as it was, but as of recently, his respect for the spiker had at least doubled.
"Hey!" Nishinoya yelled, when another server aimed for Hinata - and Hinata received it. "I'm here, too! I wanna receive the ball! Bring it on!"
When it was Kageyama's turn to serve, he stood behind the line for a longer time than usual, thinking. Okay, let's see… he hummed to himself, looking over the other side of the court at each opposing member in turn. Which of you were the first to serve at Hinata…? Oh, that's right, number eight. Okay. Let's see how good you are at receiving a serve that's aimed directly at you.
"Kageyama! Serve them a nice one!" Hinata shouted at the setter over his shoulder, flashing him a thumbs-up.
Kageyama nodded in agreement. "Obviously."
He served the ball, directly at the other team's number eight. Just as Kageyama had hoped, he failed to receive it, and another point was added to Karasuno's score.
He wasn't positive, but he was pretty sure he heard Sugawara ask, "Is it just me, or was that serve a lot more powerful than usual?"
…
The game was over relatively quickly, 2-0 with Karasuno taking both sets. Honestly, Kageyama was far from surprised. Karasuno was already a more powerful school, and the other team made a lot of common mistakes - like underestimating their opponents, for example.
But still. Seeing one serve after another, sent directly at Hinata...it made Kageyama want to punch something (or, more over, someone). And this was, surely, the first of many times that teams would target Hinata. It made sense, but it still infuriated the setter to no end.
That, and as he'd been leaving the gym earlier, trailing behind the rest of his teammates, he'd overheard a conversation between the other team's eight and nine.
"Geez, I wasn't expecting that blind kid to actually do much," eight had said to nine, while scratching the back of his head.
"I bet most of that was just pure, dumb luck," nine had replied with a snigger. "After all, he's blind."
Kageyama wanted to punch them. He'd wanted to punch them, so badly, especially when he remembered all the pain Hinata had went through, every single disheartening, discouraging practice Hinata had barreled through, just because he was stubborn and wanted to stay on the court with his teammates.
He'd wanted to punch them. He'd wanted to scream at them. They didn't know. They didn't know what Hinata had been through. They didn't know what Hinata had faced, just because of some freak accident.
But Kageyama hadn't attacked them, as much as he wanted to. He knew it wasn't what Hinata would have wanted.
Either way, his fury was not quenched. He still wanted to teach the other team a lesson.
Kageyama was currently refilling his water bottle at a fountain for the drive home when he heard a bell ring just behind him - a bell he soon realized belonged to Tsukishima. ("Tsukishima's bell sounds edgy and irritating," Hinata described it, "so it's easy to remember, because it matches his personality," to which Tsukishima replied, "Then if you had a bell, it'd be the loudest and most annoying of all.").
Tsukishima stepped up next to him, and though he wasn't looking in Kageyama's direction, it was obvious that his intention was to speak with the setter.
Kageyama capped his water bottle. "Tsukishima," he said, nodding stiffly.
Tsukishima nodded back, equally stiffly. "King," he said. There was a brief pause before Tsukishima spoke again. "So," he said, examining his fingernail idly, "I'm sure you noticed the other team's treatment of Hinata."
Kageyama clenched his teeth. Tsukishima was probably as furious as Kageyama was about this fact, though the middle blocker did a better job of hiding it.
"You know," said Tsukishima, tapping his chin in mock thought, "I'm pretty sure the other team has another game soon. Wouldn't it be unfortunate if they suddenly lost all their gear?"
Kageyama pondered this statement, caught on with what Tsukishima was insinuating, and then nodded. "Consider it done," he said. "I'm sure you also got your revenge?"
Tsukishima nodded. "Of course," he said. Though he said it nonchalantly, there was a gleam in his eyes that could only be described as evil and maybe even twisted. "They'll be experiencing quite a few...unexplainable vehicle problems on the way to their next match."
"...Nice."
"Thanks."
…
Hinata was the first to crash on the drive home to Karasuno, with Kageyama sitting next to him on the bus and Kags the service dog curled at his feet, dozing. Up ahead, Nishinoya and Tanaka played cards up front, Asahi and Daichi talked, Tsukishima listened to music, Yamaguchi stared thoughtfully out the window...everyone was doing what they usually did on long, returning-home drives when they weren't too tired.
"He's sleeping," said Sugawara, and Kageyama looked up. The older setter smiled gently at him, his comment directed at the spiker leaning against Kageyama, resting.
"Well, yeah," said Kageyama. "It's probably a lot of mental stress, listening for different sounds like that…" Kageyama frowned, then sighed. "He's ridiculous. Doesn't know when to stop."
Sugawara laughed softly at that. "Yes," he agreed, "but that can be said about all of us, can't it?"
Kageyama nodded. Sure, Hinata was stubborn, but so was everybody else, so he fit right in. "...I still don't know how he does it," Kageyama admitted. "Listening, like he does. It's...it's…"
"It's amazing, isn't it?" said Sugawara. "Frankly, I don't know how he does it either, but since he mentioned it, I've tried listening, too. Sometimes I can hear the ball in the air, but only when there's an especially powerful spike or serve. The fact that Hinata's able to do it every time…" Sugawara sighed, and then said, in awe, "It's amazing."
Kageyama couldn't disagree with that, and he was sure nobody else could, too. He nodded, and then went right back to staring out the window, with Hinata's head leaning against his shoulder.
There was silence for a little while, and then, it was broken.
"...You're a good friend, Kageyama."
Kageyama blinked, confused, at Sugawara. "I don't know what you mean."
"I don't think you realize how much you've done for Hinata," Sugawara said. "Honestly, compared to what you've done, none of us have done anything."
"I don't understand."
"You and Hinata fight more than anyone else I know," said Sugawara, "but you understand each other, and Hinata trusts you. He may not act like it, but he does. After the accident...whenever he needed a friend, you were there for him. When he didn't think he had anyone to turn to, you made yourself available."
"...Sure," said Kageyama, "but isn't that what friends do anyway? What's the big deal?"
Sugawara shook his head. "You act like it's nothing," he said, "but really, it's everything. When someone suffers, from physical or emotional trauma, they need support. A lot of support, from their friends and family especially. You gave him that support."
"But you guys did, too," said Kageyama. He didn't understand this at all.
"Yes," said Sugawara, thoughtfully, "but none of us understand Hinata as well as you do. You weren't afraid to yell at him, to tell him what he needed to hear when he didn't listen to anyone else. He respects you. He's told me himself."
Kageyama looked down. "I've never really...considered myself a good friend." Truth be told, before Karasuno, he'd never really had friends. The entire concept of "friends" and real "teammates" was still relatively new to him.
Sugawara chuckled softly. "Hinata would probably call you an idiot if he heard you say that."
"He calls me an idiot anyway."
"Ah, true, true…but I mean it. You're a good friend to him. That's exactly what he needs right now."
Kageyama didn't know what to say for the longest time.
And then, "Thank you, Sugawara," he said.
Sugawara smiled. "You're welcome," he said. "And for the record, even though most people compare you and Hinata with oil and water, I still think you're more like gasoline and a blowtorch."
"I'll...keep that in mind."
...
About mid-drive home, the rest of the team finally gave into exhaustion and slept. All except for Kageyama, who stayed awake, looking out the window, thinking. Today's match had gone well, but it was only one out of the many matches they'd face in the future. They'd face stronger teams, teams stronger than the ones they'd faced today and teams stronger than themselves, too.
Well, it doesn't matter what we face in the future, Kageyama decided, shutting his eyes and leaning against the window of the bus.
As long as Hinata stays on the court with us…
...That'll be enough.
Author's Notes:
Aaaaaaand *hits "Save"* done. Nailed it!
Okay so this actually isn't "done" done yet. I'm still gonna post some "bonus" chapters sporadically so I mean you guys can look forward to that if you want.
BUT I STILL NEED IDEAS. *waves hands* ANY IDEAS AT ALL PLEASE. OKAY? PLEASE? PRETTY PLEASE WITH A CHERRY ON TOP!? NO BONUS CHAPTERS UNTIL I GET SOME IDEAS! ('Cause I'm fresh out of 'em that's why.)
I've already got a few requests, which I'm prolly gonna write some time in the near future, but the more the merrier, correct? :) So if you have any requests - anything at all - send 'em my way! :D
That's...about it, actually. I don't actually have much to say this time, oddly enough. :/
Oh, shout-outs! :D
Special thanks to 7thScythe, Ancient Glory, AnimeWolf56, ArchimedesAckermann, 27aquarrow72, BlueThief, Bluehawk4, CallofRanger13, Cardfighter By Maple, Dutchess Frost, Entity Rose, GAARA12223, GuardianWitchDemiGhost, happycookie2300, Hizuri Kyouko, Iris Patton, ItsHoodButItsGood, InsanityOwl, KyoRina97, .456, LostSilva, m is for mochi, Monki91, MysteryElv, NKelley756, Nona-96, 1, RepeatingSimplePhrases, Reyna di Angelo, Saphirabrightscale, TarantulaLove, Turtles18, Yukio4, ayyyrahh, monkey76, pantherlilly17, plomieniefeniksa, Lexihenning12, Lilithsleeps15, and LucarioLilySH! Thank you for favoriting/following this story! Let me know if I missed anybody!
And here's to the reviewers!
MysteryElv: I know, when I'm down angst is what I write the most so I mean I've got no idea. XD I'm glad you like the story so much! :D :D :D Thank you for the review!
Pawoon (Guest): Awww, thank you so much! :D I'm so happy you're enjoying it! :) Ooh, Bokuto! I'm definitely going to have to write his reaction in this story! Thanks for the suggestion, and for the review! :D
GuardianWitchDemiGhost: Thanks! I'm glad you like it! :D Those are both great ideas, and since a few other people have wanted to see Bokuto's reaction to all this, I'm definitely going to include that in one of the bonus chapters. :D Thanks for the review! :D
LucarioLilySH: Thanks! :D I know, I'm so proud of him! I had to let something good happen to him after all that angst. :) Thanks for reviewing! :D
ItsHoodButItsGood: Aww thanks! I know, I love writing stories like this, so I'm glad you like reading them! :D Thanks for the review! :D
ArchimedesAckermann: OH MY GOSH THANK YOU SO MUCH! :D :D :D :D I'M GLAD YOU ENJOYED IT! :D :D :D Thank you for the review! :D
RepeatingSimplePhrases: Oh I know. I'm so happy for Hinata. :D I love Hinata and Kageyama's dynamics (which is the main reason I wrote this story in the first place, actually), so it's good to know someone else is enjoying reading it! :D Thanks for the review! :D
FanWriter02: Hey there! :D Funny you should mention it, I've actually been considering getting back to writing HttYD for a while now. I haven't seen the new season yet, but I'm sure once I watch it I'll write at least something new for that fandom. :D I probably won't be able to write as much as I used to, because my schedule's kind of up in the air right now, but I wanted to let you know that I'm definitely considering it. :) Thanks for your review! I'm glad you like my HttYD stories! :D
LostSilva: Thanks! :D I thought it was pretty cool! :D Thanks for the review! :)
So, that's it! :) Jaa ne!
Cheers!
-BeyondTheClouds777
