Hi guys! It's been ten chapters since I started this, and this has almost a thousand views on here. That's kind of insane to me. Thank you guys so, so much for your comments and everything else. I'll be back with another update on Saturday. Onto the chapter!
His day went by in waves. Some of it went well, other times, it went poorly. The constant stage of confusion he was in was overwhelming- he had woken up in a world with no recollection of who he was supposed to be or what his life was like. He almost wished that these people charading as his family would leave and give him some peace, give him some time to figure out what exactly was happening.
At the same time, he felt guilty. His mother had practically lost her child, who was now replaced with a stranger. Him. The only thing that he could fully comprehend or understand was his conversation with that boy earlier. Kageyama Tobio.
That, he could tell, was real.
The thought of the other boy felt like an anchor to him, keeping him grounded in the sea of uncertainty he was drowning in. Kageyama didn't try to make Hinata remember, unlike the others, instead letting him be as he was. He seemed to understand that Shouyou was now an entirely different person from what everyone remembered.
It was only when he was asked a question by his mother did he realize that he hadn't been paying attention to his family, tuning them out in favor of his own thoughts.
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" He asked, preparing to be scolded for not listening.
"Would you like to open your gifts yet?" She gently asked him. He shook his head and continued staring at the wall. Hearing stories about who he was supposed to be had tired him out and left him feeling raw. The constant reminder that he wasn't the person they had known and loved made him think that he was just a broken object, a person who could be tossed aside as if he were trash. A knock sounded at the door, disrupting his thoughts.
"Come in," his father called, a bit too loudly for Hinata's liking. His head started pounding, sending him into a downwards spiral of pain. His vision became hazy as rested his head back against his pillow.
"Ah, Kageyama-kun," he heard his mother greet the tall teenager. Her voice sounded distant. "Shouyou, we're going to go and get some dinner. Would you like anything to eat?" He tried to respond, but every time he opened his mouth a wave of dizziness surged over him.
"Is it happening again?" He heard her ask, shakily nodding in response. "I'll get the nurse, hold on for a second."
Kageyama watched from the side, unable to help as a nurse came in, wielding a syringe. The small boy in the bed shook in agony, clutching his head with his hands. The sight of his family immobilizing one of his arms and the needle piercing Hinata's delicate skin made him stop breathing for a moment.
Dots of crimson bubbled on the ginger's pale arm. The dream he had before flashed back into his memory, the sight of Hinata falling to the ground, flightless and limp. The noise of a skull being crushed against the floor echoed in his ears, the sight of a red river flowing freely from that head splashing in his vision.
"Breathe," he heard Suga's voice whisper in his head. In and out, he remembered. The entire ordeal was over as quickly as it started, Shouyou visibly relaxed in his bed, his mother stroking his halo-like hair and murmuring soothing words. He felt his heart clench for a moment, a quick pang of jealousy flashing through him. Seeing Hinata's family made him realize what he never had.
"Kageyama, could you please come back at a later time?" Hinata's father asked, his voice low.
"No, it's okay, he can stay. I'm fine, really." Shouyou breathed, his voice wavering. He weakly pushed himself back onto his elbow, failing to prop himself up and falling back onto his pillow. "Okaasan, tousan, please go get dinner. You haven't eaten all day." He attempted to convince his parents.
"Also, if anything happens I have the nurses and Kageyama here. Please, I'll be fine," he flashed a strained smile at them.
"Alright, we'll be back in a little bit. Call the nurses if you need anything," Hinata's mother sighed warily, waving as she picked up her daughter and left the room, her husband following her.
They shut the door behind them, leaving the two teens alone in the darkened room.
"Does that happen a lot?" Kageyama asked, pulling up a chair and taking a seat next to the bed. The rasping screech of the chair against the tile was the only sound that filled the room as the other boy remained silent for a moment. Tobio wondered if he had fallen asleep.
"Huh? Oh, I guess," Shouyou mumbled. Sweat matted his bangs to his forehead, clinging to his skin. His eyelids continually fluttered open and closed as he fought to stay awake.
"I'm sorry, I'm just really tired. Maybe you'd want to come back another time?" He sighed. "The painkillers normally make me really drowsy."
Kageyama glared at the teen in the bed, his normal scowl crossing over his face. "If you think I'm going to leave you alone without anyone to watch you, you must really be an idiot." He grumbled. Hinata laughed meekly at the lighthearted jab, fighting the call to rest.
"Go to sleep, Hinata," Tobio told him, pulling the thin fabric of the hospital sheets over the groggy boy. He sat down with a sigh, watching Hinata's gentle respirations as he was lulled to sleep.
"I think I remember… sleeping… your bed," the small teen murmured as he drifted off, his lithe body surrendering to the release sleep provided. In the dim light of the room, he able to make out what looked like the tiger he had bought pressed into Shouyou's side, nestled underneath his arm.
Kageyama leaned back in his chair, unsure of what to do. Next to him, he found a disassembled puzzle, one of Natsu's toys he assumed. Out of boredom, he reached for the pieces and began putting them together again, piece by piece.
It wasn't long before Hinata's parents returned. The boy was still napping peacefully, his mouth slightly open. Kageyama signaled with his hands, putting his finger to his lips and motioning to their son. Natsu clambered onto his lap, loudly whispering "Konnichiwa, Scary-san." and tugging on his cheeks. He had to admit, the little girl could be endearing at times.
Hinata's mother walked over, scolding her daughter with a hushed tone. She turned to Kageyama before rummaging through a plastic cafeteria bag she was holding and pulling out some yogurt, offering it to the setter. Instantly, he refused the offer but she smiled, shoved it into his hands, and ruffled his hair.
"Please accept this as a thanks for taking care of our Hinata," she thanked him, dipping her head slightly. "I would give you so much more but it's all we could find at the moment." Her son chose that moment to wake, sleepily blinking and turning his head to look at the various people in the room. Natsu reached out for his hand, smiling.
"Oniichan!" She hummed, grasping his thumb with her grubby fingers. "Do you want to play with me?" She bounced. Her brother smiled sadly at her.
"Gomen, Natsu. Maybe some other time?" he murmured. She turned around, not deterred in the least, and latched on to Kageyama.
"Scary-san can play with me, then," she laughed, climbing on his long leg. Hinata sleepily laughed at the scene. Natsu's mother made her way over to scold her daughter once more, before Kageyama shook his head.
"It's fine," he told her, peeling the little girl from his leg and sitting down on the cold hospital floor with her. She grabbed an array of markers, opening them and scribbling on Kageyama's hand before he could stop her. Once he heard Hinata's gentle chuckles, though, he gave in and let her color his palm.
Not long after this art-creating began, Ukai knocked on the door and entered quietly with the intention of bringing Kageyama back to the hotel.
"Oh, forgive me, we haven't been introduced yet," he laughed gently, tousling the blond mop of his hair. "I'm Keishin Ukai, your coach." He smiled at the confused boy, beckoning for his setter to follow him.
"Oh, Ukai-san," Hinata's mother spoke up, grabbing the store-owner's attention. "I was wondering if you could bring the rest of the team over tomorrow. I thought it might be good for Shouyou's memory."
"What? I can't, no," Hinata stuttered. All of the heads in the room turned to him.
"Shouyou, it might help you remember," his father calmly explained.
"Nothing's helped so far, how are you so sure this will work?" Hinata demanded, fearful tears in his eyes. He didn't think he would be able to handle the disappointment in so many strangers' faces once they realized that he wasn't the same Hinata they knew. Kageyama, he was comfortable with. Kageyama hadn't once worn the same, saddened expression as his mother or tried to make him remember or become the person he apparently used to be.
"It will, and that's final," his mother firmly decided. Shouyou bit his lip, clutching the tiger in his hands.
"Kageyama, let's go," Ukai opened the door and waited for the tall teen to walk through, leading him back to his car. Tobio took one last look at the hospital, fully confused by the feelings that were surging through his head.
When Hinata's mother had messed with his hair and gotten him food, something had been unlocked in him. A yearning. When Natsu had ran to him, something had tugged at his heart. A longing. He had wished for a family for so long that once he had seen the true, loving connections between his teammate's relatives, his ache for a pillar like theirs became more prominent.
He sighed and pulled his hands out of his pockets, opening the passenger door of his coach's car and sitting in silence for the remainder of the ride.
The two pulled into the hotel parking lot as the same time as the team's bus. Tobio mixed in with the other team members as they headed into the hotel. Tanaka vocalized his complaints about the cold, cursing at the wind. Tsukishima laughed under his breath and muttered about how he might be warmer if he actually had hair, earning a stifled laugh from Yamaguchi and a scowl from the second year.
"Hey, Kageyama. How's Hinata?" Daichi rumbled next to him, catching the setter a bit off guard.
"Oh, he seems fine. His memory isn't back yet," Kageyama curtly and respectfully responded.
"Kageyama! We're going to be having a team gathering in our room. Want to come?" Suga fell into stride next to him, his smile gleaming in the low light of the winter day. He was about to decline the polite offer when he felt his captain's eyes on the back of his head. Tobio stiffened and uttered a quick "yes" before briskly walking inside.
The "team gathering" could really be considered more of a party. Snacks were set out all around the room, though Tanaka and Nishinoya hogged the majority of the food. The team lounged around the floor and beds, Noya managing somehow to clamber up onto the windowsill and sit with his knees hugged to his chest. He wore an oversized navy hoodie he most likely stole from Asahi or Tanaka. With his hands lost somewhere in the long sleeves, he looked younger than he really was.
Kageyama took a seat in the corner of the room, sitting and keeping to himself as he watched his teammates interact. Over the past few days, they had been through ups and downs together. With his own struggles he had failed to notice the others as they coped with the sudden injury of their bright spiker.
He failed to notice the way Tsukishima sent semi-concerned glances at his back, ones people who didn't know him would mistake as malicious in intent. He was oblivious to the way Noya had continued to try his hardest to make the others laugh, keeping the constant tears he held back for when he was alone. He didn't see how Yachi and Kiyoko had been speaking to Hinata's parents, already starting a fundraiser for the monstrous hospital bills that would surely come out of their son's treatment.
Blinded with his own issues he couldn't see how Hinata's life wasn't the only one that had been shattered. His fellow teammates were left clutching to the broken shards of all that they knew, scrabbling to work together and piece the puzzle that was their lives back together.
Suga, Ennoshita, Yamaguchi, Takeda- everyone had blamed themselves for the accident, blamed themselves for Hinata's worsening condition, though perhaps the thought had plagued Tobio the most.
His attention snapped back to the party when he realized that Suga had dragged out a board game, one he had purchased from a store earlier that day.
"Monopoly?" He read, confused. He had never really played the game before, but had heard that it was extremely popular both in America and Japan.
"I call the dog!" Tanaka roared, reaching for the shiny marker before it was snatched away before his very eyes by none other than his team captain. A passionate fire burned in Daichi's eyes as he silently proclaimed himself the owner of the game piece. Other club members reached for various pieces until only one was left.
Suga picked it out of the box and turned to Kageyama, holding it out as an offering.
"Want to play?" He asked, pushing the toy into the other setter's hand before he could refuse. Tobio looked at the piece of metal that was growing warm in his palm. A large ship. He followed the lead of the other players and placed his marker at the start of the board, being dealt paper yen.
"I'm going to crush you all," Noya announced, grinning evilly as he joined the others crowding around the board. He sat in between Kageyama and Suga, the latter of which reached over to affectionately pat him on the head.
"We'll see about that," laughed the grey-haired setter. They began the game, Asahi rolling first. The dark-haired ace lightly dropped the die onto the board, moving his piece to its new location and purchasing the corresponding house.
"You call that a roll?" Demanded Tanaka. "Let me show you how it's done." He plucked the cube from the brightly colored map, exaggeratedly shaking it, his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth. He hurled the die at the ground, rolling a five.
"My number! Take that!" He pointed at the third year, who leaned backwards in fear and distanced himself from the wild second year.
"Tanaka," Chikara laughed. "You landed on Asahi's spot." The wing spiker payed his teammate the due amount and retreated from the board in shame, gloomily taking a seat on the bed and sighing with defeat.
"It's just a game," Tsukishima boredly huffed as he stepped up to take his turn, pushing his dark-rimmed glasses farther up on the thin ridge of his nose.
Kageyama did his best to keep up with the other players. The game seemed relatively easy to grasp, though he saw little point to playing it as it involved mainly chance rather than skill. In the end, the blond middle blocker won, prompting vocal complaints from Tanaka and accusations of cheating from others.
The team erupted in laughter when Nishinoya charged at the younger teen, only to bounce back and land on his rear.
Maybe it was the warm atmosphere, or maybe it was the constant stress he had been under for the past few days, but Tobio found a light, quiet laugh bubbling out of him. Instantly, his team paused in their tracks and looked at their younger setter, who stopped laughing immediately.
"Kageyama, was that you?" Tanaka marched over, peering down at the raven-haired teen, who panicked, believing that he had done something wrong.
"Sumimasen," he apologized to a silent room. Suddenly, his team burst back into laughter, tears forming in the eyes of Daichi as he fell onto his back, holding his stomach. Kageyama became even more confused and puzzled than before. They were laughing at him, and then they were going to reject him like his old team, weren't they?
"Kage… Kageyama," Suga wheezed in between laughs. He wiped the water from his eyes. "You don't have anything to apologize for. I just don't think we've ever heard you laugh before."
"Such a soft laugh… out of such a scary-looking person," roared Noya, hiding his face in the fabric of his hoodie.
"You should laugh more, it suits you," Yamaguchi giggled, covering his smile with his fingers. "Also, what's that on your hand?"
"Hinata's little sister drew this on me earlier." He opened his palm to reveal the irregular drawings of Natsu, which had become smudged through the course of the day. The room sobered up at the mention of their injured teammate, quickly turning solemn. Somewhere nearby a phone buzzed.
"It's mine," Daichi slowly got to his feet and picked his phone off of the dresser, the blue light from the screen sending a spotlight onto his face.
"Ukai wants us down in the lobby. Apparently we're going to go meet Hinata."
Kageyama remembered the look of terror and panic that had crossed the smaller boy's face earlier at the mention of meeting the team.
No matter what happened, they would help Hinata through it.