***Inspired vaguely by a piece of fanart***
***WARNING: This story contains high levels of angst. Please proceed with caution.***
***IMPORTANT: READ THIS! I just wanted to clarify for everyone reading that this is NOT going to be Kagehina. It's going to be platonic brother-like relationships all the way through. Just wanted to clear that up for all you guys in case you were wondering. :) Without further adieu, enjoy the chapter!***
…
There were times when the entire world just seemed out to get Kageyama. It was just his nature, he supposed, or maybe bad luck just followed him around wherever he went, always waiting for the right time to screw up an otherwise perfectly good day.
So yeah. He had bad days, days when everything was against him and nothing went his way.
But this...this far surpassed any normal "bad day" he could've had.
"I don't get it, how...how did you fail the exam!?"
Of course the one time he actually needed to pass his test was the one time he couldn't. They were supposed to be going to an over-the-weekend training camp with Nekoma starting Saturday.
And Saturday was the day the supplementary exams were taken.
Hinata and Kageyama were currently in the club room, surrounded by their more-than-a-little-shocked teammates, who only continued to stare after Sugawara's question.
This sucks, Kageyama decided. This really sucks.
But he wasn't alone in this feeling, either.
"Oy, idiot," Kageyama said to the dejected Hinata, who had his head down, staring at the floor like it had somehow betrayed him. "You studied like your life depended on it. How the heck'd you fail?"
Hinata turned, looking Kageyama right in the face (completely by coincidence, of course). "I'm blind, Bakayama," said Hinata matter-of-factly, raising one hand to point at his foggy eyes. "What's your excuse?"
Kageyama swung at him, and Hinata ducked.
"...Well," said Daichi, scratching the back of his neck, "it can't be helped. Don't worry, you two, there'll be other training camps in the future-"
"How're we going to get to Tokyo?" Kageyama questioned Hinata, as though Daichi weren't speaking at all. There was no way he was missing this training camp, and he knew Hinata felt the same. "Should we run?"
Hinata shook his head. "Nah, we need bikes."
"You're blind."
"We'll get one of those two-person thingies and you can steer."
"You guys are still planning on going!?" Sugawara said incredulously, and Hinata and Kageyama nodded firmly. "Bikes aren't going to work!" Sugawara exclaimed.
Hinata and Kageyama went back to looking at the ground. "I guess not. So the real problem is, how are we going to get to Tokyo?" said Hinata quietly.
"We'll think of something," said Kageyama. "We've worked too hard to give up now. We'll figure something out."
Tanaka tapped his chin, and then suddenly grinned, which was never a good sign. "Hey, first years," he said, jabbing his thumb at his chest. "I think I've got an idea."
Kageyama and Hinata whirled around in his direction, eyes wide.
"You can get us to Tokyo?" Hinata asked, leaping to his feet. He beamed widely, his eyes sparkling. "Tanaka-senpai!"
Tanaka laughed maniacally (Tsukishima turned and left the room with Yamaguchi). "You two just make sure you don't fail the supplementary exam!" said Tanaka proudly. "Leave the transportation to me!"
"Tanaka-senpai!" Hinata cried. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Sugawara sighed. "Now I'm worried."
…
Kageyama still couldn't believe they failed their exam, but he had faith in Tanaka. Really, having faith in their senpai was the only choice they had. Kageyama wanted to go to the training camp himself, sure, but he knew Hinata would be far more disappointed if it didn't work out. Hinata really, really wanted to go to the training camp. He'd always talked about it like it was the greatest thing in the world.
"I can finally see Kenma again!" Hinata had told Kageyama, right before they'd taken their exams. "And the rest of Nekoma, too! And there'll be tons of other powerful teams there, and we'll get to play a lot of games! I'm so excited! I can't wait!"
There was no way they were going to miss out on this opportunity. Failed exams weren't going to take away their training camp.
"Hey, Kageyama? What do you think Tanaka-senpai's going to do?" Hinata asked Kageyama as they walked down the sidewalks back towards Hinata's home, Kags leading Hinata and Kageyama making sure they were on the right track. The sun was setting, the sky an orange-yellow and the few clouds a slight pink.
Kageyama shrugged. "Dunno," he said honestly. "But, as long as we get to Tokyo, does it really matter?"
Hinata beamed. "Nope!" he said, shaking his head. "We're gonna go to Tokyo, no matter what! Oh, I'm so excited! It's going to be awesome!"
He says that all the time, Kageyama thought, but he didn't comment. He couldn't argue, because he felt the same way.
This training camp was going to be "awesome," just like Hinata said.
...
However, neither of them could've prepared themselves for the means of transportation Tanaka set up for them.
While the rest of the team left early in the morning on the bus, Hinata and Kageyama stayed behind to take their exams (which infuriated them). They worked harder and faster than ever before; they actually startled their teacher by their sudden enthusiasm, but they blocked out all her comments, only focused on the task at hand.
Then, exams passed and triumph in their hearts, Kageyama and Hinata raced down the hall and out of the school.
There awaited their savior.
"'Sup, flunkers!" cheered Saeko Tanaka, raising two fingers to her temple in a sort-of salute. "So you wanna get to Tokyo as fast as possible, am I right?"
Kageyama and Hinata exchanged glances.
"She's definitely Tanaka's sister," said Hinata. "Hey, what does she look like?"
Kageyama watched Tanaka's sister for a moment, then answered. "Imagine a blond, female Tanaka."
Hinata pondered this for a moment, then nodded, grinning. "Thanks!" said Hinata. "This is going to be great! If she's Tanaka's sister, I'm sure she's amazing!"
Kageyama, however, could see a dangerous, mischievous look in Saeko's eyes that put him on edge. Tanaka's warning came back to haunt him: "Unfortunately, the safety and comfort of the ride cannot be guaranteed."
Now that Kageyama was actually seeing Saeko, that line made a lot more sense.
Saeko stepped towards them, waving and beaming. "Hey, so you're Shōyō, right?" said Saeko to Hinata, though by the tone of her voice she already knew exactly who he was.
Hinata grinned and nodded brightly, blissfully unaware of the danger they were in.
"And Kageyama, too," said Saeko, grinning at him as well, which only served to unsettle Kageyama further. "Ryū's told me all about you two. I flunked my tests when I was your age, too, so I totally get the struggle. Anyways…" She clapped her hands together. "Let's go! I'll get you boys to Tokyo in no time!"
Kageyama swallowed hard.
…
Kageyama thought he was ging to die.
He literally - literally - thought he was gonna die.
Saeko's driving was...insane, and that was putting it lighty. He was thrown back and forth in the back seat (Hinata somehow managed to get to ride shotgun) as Saeko pulled off otherwise impossible turns while going at an illegal speed.
"Hold on!" said Saeko, and she bore right, speeding down the highway almost inhumanly fast. No one should have been able to drive a car that fast without crashing, and that's not to say Saeko didn't come close a couple times. She had to swerve to avoid a truck and almost plowed straight into a stoplight when she took her eyes off the road for a moment.
Kags, laying at Hinata's feet, didn't appreciated the rough driving, either. He'd yelp at sudden turns, though for the most part stayed quiet, trying to sleep (as Kageyama wished he could do).
Don't crash don't crash don't crash don't crash don't crash, Kageyama thought, over and over and over to himself. If they crashed now, it would put a real damper on the training camp.
When they finally got onto the freeway, Saeko calmed down, leaning back and stretching while Kageyama sat frozen in his seat, every muscle stiff. By the looks of it, Hinata was no different.
"Ah!" said Saeko, sighing. "See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"
"A-Are we s-still alive?" Hinata asked, and he sounded so honest and startled that it was comical.
"I hope so," Kageyama said quietly. "It'd be hard to play volleyball otherwise."
Saeko blew air out of her nose like a bull about to charge. "Y'know, you two could have some more faith in me," she said. "I got you this far, didn't I? The rest should be smooth sailin'."
Dang, I hope so, thought Kageyama desperately.
…
Once Saeko's driving slowed, Kageyama and Kags fell asleep relatively quickly, leaving Hinata and Saeko to enjoy the drive. It took a long, long time before Hinata's nerves calmed, and when they did, he turned his head towards Saeko, though he couldn't see her.
"Um...Saeko?" Hinata said.
"Call me Saeko-nesan," said Saeko. "You're a friend of Ryū's, which means you're practically family to me."
"Oh...okay, Saeko-nesan," said Hinata. "Thanks for taking us to Tokyo."
"Don't mention it," said Saeko, and Hinata could hear the smile behind her voice. "Anything I can do to help. So, you like volleyball so much that you're concerned about it?"
Hinata nodded instantly. That was something he didn't even have to think about. "Yes."
"Why did you start playing volleyball, Shōyō?" Saeko asked.
This was also something Hinata didn't need to think about before answering. "When I was in grade school," he began eagerly, "I saw the Spring Tournament on TV. It was right when Karasuno was playing, and..."
He beamed brighter.
"I saw the Little Giant!"
"You saw the Little Giant."
He paused, turning. Saeko and him had spoken nearly the same thing at nearly the same time.
"...Or something?" Saeko finished. Hinata gaped at her. "Ha, so I was right?" said Saeko.
"Saeko-nesan, you know the Little Giant!?" Hinata questioned, leaning closer. Now this was a new development that he hadn't been expecting, never in a thousand years.
"I think I actually went to school with him," said Saeko.
"WHAT!?"
"But I never spoke to him," said Saeko idly. "I probably would've known him better if he was the mischievous type that stood out."
Hinata blinked. "Were you like the sort of person who was friends with all the bad guys, Ne-san?"
Saeko actually laughed at that, loudly and very Tanaka-like. "Pretty much, yeah!" she said. And then, suddenly, her voice lowered as she continued. "But...I happened to catch one of their practice matches one time, and he was worse than most the scary people I knew."
Hinata frowned, confused but intrigued.
"More than scary, though, he was intense," said Saeko.
"...You mean the way he'd spike a ball?" Hinata asked.
"No," said Saeko. "Maybe he wasn't feeling like himself at the time, but he was being switched out. He's what you guys call the ace, right? The absolute pride and confidence of being the ace...you could see that rising up from his body. Actually…" Hinata could hear a smirk behind her words. "I almost fell for the guy."
And she laughed hysterically again.
She's definitely Tanaka's big sister, Hinata decided.
"But, y'know," said Saeko, "you remind me of the Little Giant, but honestly, if I'm gonna be frank, I think you're on a whole other level."
Hinata blinked. "...What do you mean?"
"I mean," said Saeko, "your courage. You're a lot like the Little Giant in your physical abilities, and I'm sure you'll be just as great as he was in no time at all, if not better. But as far as everything else is concerned, you're completely different."
He heard her take a breath and let it out.
"...Like I said, Ryū's told me everything about you," she went on. "And I think you, being able to push forward and keep going even after everything that's happened...that's huge. I know I wouldn't be able to do it."
Hinata didn't have to ask what she meant. The accident and his disability were no secret. Frankly, he'd be more surprised if Saeko didn't know.
"If you ask me, you're already a Little Giant, Shōyō," said Saeko, and she reached over and ruffled his hair. "You must really love volleyball to keep playing after everything that's happened, don't you?"
Hinata nodded. "Yes, I do," he said. And then… "Thank you, ne-san."
"You don't have to thank me!" said Saeko, and Hinata could tell she was grinning once more. "I'm just callin' it like I see it! Oh, by the way, if anyone tries to tell you to give up, or that you aren't good enough…you can come talk to me about it, alright? I'm your ne-san now, so it's my job to look after you."
Hinata smiled widely. "Okay!"
…
Kageyama cracked one eye open briefly, and then shut it again.
"Already a Little Giant?" he repeated to himself, recounting what he'd heard from Saeko and Hinata's conversation. Yeah...that sounds about right.
…
"Phew! We totally made it!" Saeko announced, pulling open the doors of the gym. "You guys're still at it, huh? Then we're just in time!"
"Ne-san!" Nishinoya cheered.
Asahi looked at Saeko, and then back at Nishinoya. "Is that your sister?" Asahi asked.
"No, she's Ryū's sister," answered Nishinoya.
"...So the stars are showing up fashionably late?" Kuroo said, glancing over at the doorway. "How annoying."
Saeko stepped back, and Kageyama and Hinata stepped into the gym, Hinata holding on to his service dog's harness (the poor dog was still a little unsteady on his feet from Saeko's driving).
"I'm relieved you guys made it," said Daichi, moving towards them.
"And in one piece, to boot," Tanaka said quietly.
The gym was big, something that Kageyama noticed instantly - but something else Kageyama noticed (something much more obvious) were all the stares he and Hinata were receiving from the other teams present.
Or, it wasn't really him receiving the stares.
It was Hinata. They were all staring straight at Hinata.
Kageyama knew it was bound to happen - after all, Hinata showed up to a volleyball training camp with a seeing-eye-dog - but that didn't make Kageyama any happier about it. He always hated it when people stared, even though Hinata didn't know the difference.
"He's...he's blind?" That was from Kuroo, Nekoma's captain. "Kenma! Did you know about this!?" Kuroo asked, whirling around to look at their team's brain and setter.
Kenma looked away shyly, shifting his weight. "...Yes."
"Why didn't you tell us?" said Kuroo; the rest of Nekoma, and the other teams there, looked absolutely shocked. "You said he was fine!"
"I said he was okay," said Kenma. "I didn't want to bring it up."
"Why not!?"
"Because I knew you'd react like this."
"It's not a big deal," said Hinata, and Kuroo stopped instantly. "Don't get mad at Kenma." He raised his hand and waved brightly, and Kenma said quietly, but loudly enough for Hinata to hear, "Hello, Shōyō."
"We have one more game for today," said Daichi to Hinata and Kageyama, ignoring the rest of the volleyball players present. Not for the first time, Kageyama was thankful for Daichi's level-headedness. "Are you two ready for a game?"
"Yes! Yahoo!" Hinata cheered, throwing his free hand into the air. "Who're we playing? Nekoma?"
Daichi shook his head. "We're playing Shinzen," he said. "I'll fill you in in a minute. Come on, let's get ready."
Hinata nodded and turned, and Kageyama led them over to Karasuno's bench, where Kiyoko and Yachi were waiting with their practice uniforms. They got suited up, and once everyone else was ready, Hinata left with Kags with Yachi, and the match began.
…
"He's seriously blind, huh?"
"I wonder why he's on the team. I mean, he's there for a reason, isn't he?"
"He's playing middle blocker? That's strange."
"Karasuno's not dumb, there's gotta be some reason."
Kageyama didn't really know which players were commenting; only that they annoyed him to no end. Sure, they weren't crap-talking Hinata, nor were they insulting him, but still, the fact that they were gossiping about it was enough to light Kageyama's short fuse.
There is a reason he's on the team, Kageyama thought, as Tanaka sent the ball to him and he got ready to set, jostling the bell strapped to his wrist in the process (he and the rest of the team were wearing their respective bells as usual).
Just you wait. You'll see.
Hinata ran, counting his strides under his breath, jumped, and Kageyama pin-point tossed the ball right into his palm.
BANG!
The ball hit the other side of the court, just like that.
"YES!" Hinata said, fist-pumping. "Kageyama, did you see that!? I spiked it!"
Kageyama nodded firmly, satisfied.
The rest of the teams only stared, completely confused, eyes wide and full of something that could only be described as complete and utter shock. Even Kenma seemed surprised.
And then, chaos exploded.
"WHAT!?"
"Did you see that!?"
"He spiked it blind!"
"Speaking of which, that toss was so fast!"
"How'd he hit it?"
"Whoa! No way! Did you see that, Akaashi? Is he really blind!? Man, that kid rocks!"
Kageyama smirked silently to himself. Hinata deserved those rounds of applause and encouragements.
In fact, with everything he'd been through, he deserved it more than anyone.
…
OMAKE: Volley Puns
"Wait wait wait I've got one!" Hinata said, raising his hand. "Volleyball definitely spikes my interest!"
Tanaka paused a moment, and then he laughed hysterically, smacking his hand against his forehead. "C-Crap, Hinata, that was amazing!" Tanaka said proudly. "How'd you come up with that one?"
"Yeah, totally! I really dig it," said Nishinoya, nodding proudly.
Tanaka laughed harder, and then, he tried to regain some of his composure. "Okay, I've got one now," said Tanaka, holding back laughter. "If volleyball was a subject in school, I'd ace it."
"OOOOOOOOH!"
"These puns are so bad, they're makin' me bawl," said Nishinoya.
"Anything else will only serve to make you feel worse!" said Tanaka, and they all laughed.
"This is too much," said Daichi, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Kageyama, please stop this."
Kageyama nodded seriously. "Yeah, you're right," he said. "This whole thing isquite...upsetting."
"OOOOOOHHHHH! KAGEYAMA!" said Tanaka, smacking Kageyama on the back while Nishinoya and Hinata cheered in the background. "I didn't know you had a sense of humor!"
Daichi sighed heavily. "I thought you were the normal one," Daichi said, putting his head in his hands.
"I worry about this team," said Sugawara, watching his kohais with a concerned frown. "Constantly."
Author's Notes:
BEFORE YOU ALL RUN AWAY, I HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION THAT WILL DETERMINE HOW THIS STORY ENDS. AND I NEED YOUR HELP TO ANSWER SAID QUESTION, SO PLEASE READ!
So anyways, by the way things are looking, this story's going to be catching up to the anime before another season airs - which means that it is eventually going to end. Even though I plan on catching up with the manga myself, I'm not going to continue this this story once I run out of anime-material.
Which means this story is going to end around the same time Season 3 ends. Going by my outline, it'll reach between 20 and 30 chapters before ending. When this story is over, I'll wait for another season of Haikyuu! and then write a sequel story, if anyone's still interested.
But anyways, even though there will be a sequel to this one covering the to-be-aired seasons of the anime, Learning to Fly With a Broken Wing is going to end.
Which brings me to the question:
Do you want Hinata's sight to come back?
I originally didn't consider this at all, but one reviewer (Sadie, Guest) gave me an idea and I couldn't really put it down. Before you give me your answer, I'm going to say a couple of things regarding this question:
1. The chapter will be labeled as an "OMAKE" and won't follow the story's proper timeline.
2. The chapter will be set shortly after Hinata graduates high school, so it'll be in the future, which means that Hinata will still be blind during the events of the anime/manga/sequel story.
3. There will be lots of tears of joy from the entire team/Hinata/Hinata's family. It'll overall just be a really, really sweet chapter.
So that's that. (And if you have questions, leave a review or PM me.) Now here's what I want YOU, as readers, to do:
LEAVE YOUR ANSWER IN THE REVIEWS! Do you want Hinata to get his sight back eventually? The outcome will be determined by the number of yes/nos I receive! So please let me know! :)
And now shout-outs, starting with the favorites/followers and moving down to the reviewers! :)
Here's to 3elizabeth, 7thScythe, 27aquarrow72, 1-10 were taken, Aurora M Borialice, BlueMoonChaos, Ancient Glory, AnimeWolf56, ArchimedesAckermann, angiecrevansalamero, AnimeXD801, Bibi2002, BlueThief, Bluehawk4, CallofRanger13, Cardfighter By Maple, CrystalSeker, Caleo Ignacium, CareBear0309, Dark Papercut, DemigodBooks, Dutchess Frost, Entity Rose, ErinGreen, GAARA12223, GuardianWitchDemiGhost, Hizuri Kyouko, HalfwayParanoid, HarryPotterObsessed44, Helafina, Hikari1994, horsegrl2000, InsanityOwl, Iris Patton, ItsHoodButItsGood, ImpsDream, KisunaFuji, KyoRina97, Lexihenning12, Lilithsleeps15, LostSilva, LucarioLilySH, NPham1, NKelley756, Olorin69, RandomFujoshi, Reyna di Angelo, Sebastian Michaeles, Saphirabrightscale, Slam'in Burst, TarantulaLove, Turtles18, tsukasa913, TimeTurner394, tista93, Yami no Ookami, ayyyrahh, kpoplover456, Meiyo12, Monki91, mangageek3, m is for mochi, meroku, MooseTalk, 3, pantherlilly17, plomieniefeniksa, MysteryElv, Nona-96, nanigirl15, RepeatingSimplePhrases, reveal13, Yukio4, happycookie2300, kaizyfordemwalt, XxYesterdayTodayTomorrowxX, ViolentOtaku, Kryste-Harte, allseer15, XxWinterFlowersxX, Cineka, QuestionablyCapableGhoul, Secretariat1, Pandamons, Kelly185891, Amusingly Disturbed, Blujay2113, Icebabe87, AlyZoe, mindofmonsters, Fallenangel5342, MonochromeFeathers, Lawrian, TDarling14, AnimeManga1234, Shakyla, Masks of JM and JS, mektp98, Daggerandcloak1513, and monkey76! Thanks for all your continued support! If I missed any names, let me know! :)
And now for the reviewers:
allseer15: WOW it sounds like you really like this fic so far! I'm glad! :D And those ideas are AMAZING I love them! Especially the one with the whole "memorizing-faces-by-touching-them" gimmick. I think that's amazing! :D So thank you for the review/ideas! I think I'll definitely use them in the future! :D
eisu: Haha, yep! Literally everyone is Hinata Protection Squad. XD Thanks for the review!
CallofRanger13: Hahahahahahaha that's an awesome idea! :D I think I'll do that, thanks! :D Thanks for the review! :D
PandaEyedSpectre: Thank you very much! :D I seriously need to just upload the rest of the chapters to AO3, so people can download it if they want. :) Oh, and I see you got an account! Awesome! :D Thanks for the review! :D
Iris Patton: Thank you very much! :D Haha, I'm glad I didn't post it while you were studying or anything. Sounds like I had good timing this time. XD Thanks for the review! :D
GuardianWitchDemiGhost: Thanks! I'm super excited for everything , too! I know I'm going to have a ton of fun writing all there is to come! :D And I love these characters to death. I seriously, seriously love them to death. :) Thanks for the review! :D
RandomFujoshi: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! I seriously don't know how to respond to that. XD Thanks for the review! :D
Zunifex: Thanks! I really do love the omakes; they give me a bit of a break when the main plotline of this fic is hard to write. :) And to answer your question, this story will NOT be Kagehina. I'm just going to keep it platonic. :) Thanks for the review! :D
QuestionablyCapableGhoul: Thanks a bunch! I love these characters so, so, so much. Hinata is too precious, too good for this world, precious sunshine child who must be protected. I seriously love all these characters too much for my own good. Really. :) Thank you for your encouraging review! :D
Daggerandcloak1513: HAHAHAHAHA YES YOU SAW YER NAME! I'm glad you like the chapter outline! :D Thanks for the review! :D
LostSilva: Thanks! And no, actually I just turned 1,247, but 80 was a good guess. :P (LOL JK) Thanks for the review! :D
Sadie: As you can see from above, I definitely took your thought into consideration! The moment you said "And he could be crying and his whole team would be there" all the ideas started flowing through and I couldn't get it out of my mind. We'll see how the vote goes! :D Thanks for the review! :D
Thank you all for your continued support, and I hope to see you soon! :D
Cheers!
-BeyondTheClouds777