Navigating their way out of the forest wasn't what Hinata had expected to be the hardest part of their journey to find Ukai Senior. Kageyama was confident that they were at least still in Karansuno, given that the forest ended at the outskirts of Nohebi's territory. Nohebi wasn't a kingdom but had resided in the large expanses of fields on the outskirts of Nekoma for thousands of years and there they remained. As they hadn't found the end of the forest going south, Kageyama decided they were still in Karasuno.

Still, the forest was full of switchback paths and dense underbrush, making continuing on one heading impossible. Just as they'd feel they had come close to the western edge of the forest more dark trees would stand in their path across the edge of a clearing. After the third instance of this, Kageyama swore.

"These fucking woods are working against us!"

Hinata snorted. "They're just trees, Grumpy-yama. I don't think they can work against us. Show me your compass again."

Hinata urged Sho to stand level with Artemis and snatched Kageyama's compass from him. Ignoring Kageyama's indignant "Hey!" Hinata studied the face of the compass. It showed a steady northwest heading for all of five seconds, then whirled around to face northeast, south, southeast, then due north. Hinata shook it, cursing, but it remained pinned on north.

"Something is wrong with your compass, you idiot!" Hinata shook it again, waiting for Kageyama to retort, but he remained silent. "Kageyaaaaama," Hinata whined, looking up at Kageyama, but Kageyama's gaze was focused directly in front of them. Hinata followed his line of sight to the other side of the clearing, where a young woman had stood up, clutching a basket of herbs to her chest.

"She wasn't there when we arrived," Kageyama whispered and Hinata nodded slowly, staring at her. She looked to be a few years older than Kageyama and Hinata, closer to Suga's age. Her blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail on one side, a few dainty flowers clipped there. Her dress was simple and her apron pockets full of flowers, herbs, and glass vials.

Hinata glanced back down at the compass, still pointing directly towards the young woman, and handed it back to Kageyama. "Hello! We seem to be lost; do you think you can help us?" he called out to her. She stiffened in fear, eyes wide, as Kageyama shushed him.

"This isn't a good idea, idiot."

Hinata rolled his eyes. "The compass was pointing to her. If the forest is magic, then that's a sign. I didn't grow up with a Seer to not learn how to recognize those." He dismounted and slowly walked towards her. "My name is Hinata, and that's Kageyama! What is your name?"

She shook her head rapidly, eyes trained on the sword on his hip, and Hinata stopped.

"Oh! Sorry, here." He unbuckled his sword belt and put it down on the ground. When she didn't move, he glanced back at Kageyama. "You too, dumbass."

Kageyama gave him an incredulous look but dismounted as well, placing his bow and sword on the ground, mumbling "You're the dumbass."

"We aren't going to hurt you, we're just trying to get out of the forest. May I know your name?" Hinata put his hands up in a sign of surrender.

The woman relaxed. "Yachi… Yachi Hitoka."

Hinata smiled warmly. "Hi, Yachi-san! Nice to meet you. Do you live around here?"

Now that he was less of a threat, Yachi seemed to be more curious about him. "Who… who are you?" she asked, ignoring his question.

Hinata glanced back at Kageyama. "We're, ah, refugees." Well, it wasn't totally a lie. "Our village got attacked by-"

Yachi waved him off. "That's not what I meant… are you a magician?" She was looking between Hinata and Kageyama now, brow furrowed.

Hinata paled and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well, ah, no, not technically…"

Yachi slapped her own cheeks quickly and brought herself to full height, which was still smaller than Hinata, and took a deep breath. "Follow me! Kiyoko will know what to do."

Kageyama gave Hinata a look that said, "if we die, it's your fault." Hinata shrugged and scooped up his sword, quickly leading Sho into the trees after Yachi. He could hear Kageyama grumbling behind him but following nonetheless.

After several minutes, Yachi paused by a tree and held up a hand to stop Hinata and Kageyama. She made several complicated hand motions and pressed her hand to a knot in the tree, waiting for seven seconds, before she waved them forward.

"We have wards up to stop unwanted visitors," she explained quietly. "It simply redirects them around us."

"You're a magician too!" Hinata exclaimed. "We have a friend who is a magician!"

Yachi smiled at him gently. "Witch, actually. I suppose the difference is minor, but we're a little more… hands-on in our magic."

As she spoke, they approached a small clearing with a cottage nestled in the middle. A dark-haired woman was tending to a garden in front of the cottage and she stood up at the sound of footsteps.

"Hitoka…" she said softly, casting a wary eye at Hinata and Kageyama. Yachi hurried forward and whispered to her urgently, waving a hand back at the two of them as she spoke. The other woman's eyes widened, then her brow furrowed, and then she nodded as she looked at the two of them. Hinata cautiously looked at Kageyama, who huffed and pointedly looked away from him, toward the two women.

The dark-haired woman finally spoke again. "Welcome to our home. My name is Shimizu Kiyoko. Hinata-kun, Kageyama-kun, Hitoka-chan tells me that you are lost and claim to be refugees. You are welcome here as long as you need, but I can sense you are eager to continue your journey. Please, feed and water your horses, we will prepare a meal and you can tell us your story."

Kageyama and Hinata both bowed and Hinata beamed. "It's nice to meet you, Shimizu-san! Thank you!"

Yachi pointed out a small stable to the side of the cottage where two bay mares grazed, and as Kageyama and Hinata cared for their horses, Yachi and Shimizu disappeared inside the cottage. After about twenty minutes, Yachi began bringing chairs and stools outside, setting them up amidst the flower garden.

"Do you need help, Yachi-san?" Hinata asked, stowing away his last saddle bag and walking towards her.

She squeaked and stood up straight. Having forgotten to put down the stool she was carrying, she flushed and put it down quickly.

"Ah! Well, yes, if you don't mind actually! We wouldn't all fit comfortably in the cottage, so I thought we'd eat outside…"

Hinata grinned. "Sounds great! Bakageyama, come help!" Kageyama jogged over and they followed Yachi inside the cottage.

Shimizu was tending to the fire on one end, a large pot bubbling above it filled with a delicious smelling stew. The walls were draped with dried herbs and flowers; strands of garlic and cloves dangled from the ceiling, and pots of fresh herbs lined the windows. A pot was scrubbing itself in the large washbasin set into the counter on the back wall. A whole variety of candles flickered from odd places: above the mantle, on a side table, atop a stack of neatly piled books. A smaller pot hung from a hook near the fire, green contents bubbling with no apparent heat source, and a heavy tome bound in purple silk floated next to it. The book was open, but Hinata could not read the words on the pages. Across the cottage from the fireplace sat two cozy armchairs, upon which a black cat was fast asleep. An open door to the back of the main room showed a comfortable looking bed with a purple and teal quilt covering it.

Yachi pointed to the round table in the middle of the room. "If you could take this out to the garden, Hinata-kun, Kageyama-kun, we'll bring the bowls!"

As Hinata and Kageyama lugged the table out of the cottage, Yachi and Shimizu followed with bowls of stew in hand. Shimizu set out several candles from her pockets as Yachi ducked inside, returning with a steaming pot of tea and teacups. As Shimizu passed a hand over the candles she had set out, lighting them, she smiled at Yachi with a look of adoration in her eyes. "Hitoka-chan, if you would get the lights?"

Hinata and Kageyama exchanged a confused look, but Yachi waved her hand and several globes of light illuminated, as if she had caught tiny balls of fire in a sphere. They floated around their heads, casting a soft glow across the table.

"To new friends, enjoy," Shimizu said softly, raising her teacup.

After the meal, and several cups of tea, were enjoyed, Shimizu gently laid her hand over Yachi's and looked at Hinata intently. "So, what is your story, Hinata-kun? Your real story?"

Hinata hesitated for a moment, but something in him knew he could trust these women. "Well, I grew up in a small town on the outskirts of Karasuno, living with and learning to be a healer from a Seer named Sugawara."

Hinata told them his story. How Oikawa and his men had raided their town and kidnapped them, how they'd become friends with Kuroo, Kenma, and some of the soldiers, how he had been taught to swordfight. He hesitated when it came to telling them about the pendant, about how he was Sun, so instead described the rising tensions between Oikawa and Suga, what the plan was for Suga, and how he had run to avoid any fallout as an 'expendable' prisoner. He explained his and Kageyama's escape into the forest, their confusion about what to do next, their run in with bandits, and finally, their decision to find Ukai Senior to aid them in their plan.

Yachi gasped or cheered out in all of the appropriate moments, but Shimizu remained silent during Hinata's story. Even after he finished and the sky had gone dark around them, leaving them illuminated by the candles and glowing spheres, she contemplated him quietly for a moment.

"Hinata-kun, I have a feeling there is something more that you haven't told us. Hitoka-chan was right, I can sense a great power." Seeing Hinata's uneasiness, Shimizu smiled softly. "I promise, you are safe here. No harm will come to you."

Hinata nodded and slowly reached for the chain around his neck, gingerly pulling the Sun pendant from under his shirt. It glowed softly in the twilight This time, both Shimizu and Yachi gasped, Shimizu's hand leaving Yachi's to gently cover her mouth.

"You… know what this is, then?" Hinata asked. Shimizu stared at him, wide-eyed, and nodded softly.

"Hinata-kun, no, Hinata-sama, Sun, we are honoured-" she began, but Hinata quickly jumped up and held his hands out to stop her.

"No! Please, just call me Hinata, please. I'm not that special." Kageyama snorted into his teacup and Hinata hit him.

Yachi still looked shocked, but Shimizu laughed softly, a light, tinkling laugh that rang into the night. "I'm sorry, Hinata-kun it is. We were just very surprised. I knew there was power with you, but neither of us had any idea that it would be this."

Hinata quickly dropped the pendant back under his shirt. "Do you… do you know any more about my powers? Suga-san gave me a brief summary but didn't have time to explain more."

Yachi nodded gently. "Yes, we are familiar. Let…" She trailed off, looking at Shimizu as if for confirmation, who nodded, "Let me look for a book, it should be somewhere… I can try to explain in the morning."

"Thank you, Yachi-san!" Hinata grinned, feeling hopeful.

Shimizu shifted her gaze to study Kageyama. "You say you're looking for Ukai Senior, correct?"

Kageyama nodded. "We want to discuss possible ways to save Sugawara-san, and Moon, from Shiratorizawa. Ushiwaka already has Moon, according to Oikawa-san."

"And save our friends from the army!" Hinata added quickly.

Shimizu narrowed her eyes, contemplating him. "A valiant effort. Tell me, Kageyama-kun, if what Hinata-kun explained was correct, why did this Oikawa-san bring you up as his successor if he had such disdain for you?"

Kageyama looked like he'd been slapped. "Excuse me?"

Shimizu steepled her hands in front of her and watched him closely. "I would guess that he may have had an ulterior motive for keeping you with him, to keep you away from Shiratorizawa."

"His family raised me after my mother was taken. I grew up following he and Iwaizumi-san. I… I don't know why he always kept me around. He said I should be thankful."

"Hmm." Shimizu nodded but said nothing more on the matter. "Hinata-kun, Kageyama-kun, I know you have a tight timeline, but I will need a few days to gather the information you need, and Yachi san will need the same to help Hinata-kun explore his powers. Would you spare us some time? We would be happy to help you on your journey."

Hinata was nodding before Kageyama could say a word. "We will still have just under three weeks until they get to Shiratorizawa! Plenty of time!" Hinata assured Kageyama, who grumbled but nodded. "Thank you, Shimizu-san, Yachi-san!"

Yachi settled on a wide stump and crossed her legs under her, a large book bound in black and orange in her lap. She sat facing Hinata, who stood in the middle of the meadow, far enough away from anything flammable in case of accidents. Kageyama sat several feet away, sharpening his sword.

"Okay, Hinata-kun, you know about the legend, right?"

Hinata nodded. "Sun is supposed to bring…" He thought for a moment, "Life and warmth?"

Yachi nodded. "And happiness! Also plague and chaos, but let's not focus on that!"

Hinata laughed nervously but nodded. "Moon is health, calm, and… safety?"

"You've got it! And, you know, death and war," Yachi spoke quickly, as if getting the words out faster would lessen their terror. "So, you said you were able to alter emotions a bit, and control small flames?"

Hinata nodded excitedly. "Even woodland animals will come to me if I concentrate enough! The only one I can't seem to affect is Yamayama-kun." He stuck his tongue out at Kageyama, who ignored him.

"Let's try this!" Yachi pulled a dried and dead leaf from her apron pocket and handed it to Hinata. "If you can bring life, it's worth a shot to see if you can bring this leaf back!"

Hinata stared at the leaf for a moment. "How?"

Yachi smiled sheepishly. "I… I don't know. But I can explain how I interact with natural magic?" Hinata sat down in front of Yachi's stump and stared up at her. "Well, usually I try to feel the energy of what I'm trying to affect. Everything has energy, and if you listen hard enough, you can let that energy flow through you." She pulled the flower from her hair. "I let my mind clear, focus on my target, and then-" The flower petals closed, then opened once more. Yachi let go of the flower and it hung in the space between them. "That's magic."

"Yachi-san! That is so cool!"

Yachi blushed. "No, no, it's nothing, really…" The flower shuddered and fell into her lap. She quickly tucked it back into her hair.

Hinata brought his leaf to his face and concentrated. He even stuck is tongue out, thinking hard about the leaf.

"Do… do you feel the energy?" Yachi asked cautiously.

Hinata stared harder for several seconds. "No."

"Oh." Yachi looked downcast. "How do you work with fire then?"

Hinata dropped the leaf and waved his hand. A small flame appeared in his palm. "It's just kinda… fwoosh!"

"Fw-fwoosh?"

Kageyama snorted. "Fire must be the chaos part of your powers, then."

"Shut up Kageyama!" Hinata called, the fire in his hand flaring larger. "It's not like you could do better!"

Kageyama stalked over to them and palmed Hinata's forehead. "You're the big shot. Watch your flame, dumbass." As he spoke, the flame shrank to a tiny spark dancing between Hinata's fingers. Kageyama let go of Hinata's face and rolled his eyes. "Don't go straight to the shitty part of your powers, idiot."

With that, Kageyama walked away. Yachi looked nervously between them for a moment before carefully producing a bright green leaf from her pocket. "Here, Hinata-kun. Let's try this instead. Just see if you can get a feel for its energy first."

And so Hinata concentrated. After a while Yachi left him to help Shimizu with chores and Hinata took her spot on the stump, working to clear his mind and open himself to the energy of his leaf. He stopped trying to stare at it after half an hour, his eyes watering with the effort, and instead closed his eyes and held the leaf gently in his hands. He had made no progress by the time footsteps approached him, but Hinata was determined and didn't open his eyes. Whoever had approached stopped, waiting to see if he would acknowledge them, but when Hinata didn't move he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Suddenly, colour burst behind his eyelids. The air around him hummed, singing strands of energy, strings of life weaving around him. Hinata allowed a little of his energy to reach out and brush against the others, and a harmony of life greeted him. Keeping his eyes closed, determined to maintain this moment, Hinata thought about the leaf in his hands rising. A moment later, the weight in his palms lifted.

His eyes shot open to see his leaf floating at eye level and Hinata beamed. "Did you see that?" He turned to see whoever had touched his shoulder, but they had gone, leaving only a hot bowl of soup and a slice of bread next to his stump as the daylight faded into dusk. The leaf floated gently down back into his lap.

Dismayed no one had seen his first attempt with his new powers, Hinata took the dead leaf Yachi had given him that morning and tried to repeat what he had done before. Now that he had been given a taste of it, the touch on his shoulder having apparently grounded him enough to finally feel, to see the energy around him, he found it more easily.

He could feel the nearly silent hum of energy in his dead leaf, a low steady thump of its quiet death. Hinata prodded it gently with his own energy, and the hum bounced a staccato before returning to its quiet state. Remembering what Yachi had said, Hinata focused on the leaf, a clear purpose in mind on what he wanted to do and willed it to happen with another nudge from his own energy. He watched in awe as the leaf in his hands slowly changed, from its stem to its tip. First red, then orange, then yellow, until the entire leaf had uncurled and was lush and green in his hand.

Hinata whooped, leaping from where he sat. A few crows soared from their roosts, disturbed by his cry. Kageyama, Shimizu, and Yachi came running towards him and he brandished the leaf, beaming.

"I did it! I was able to see the energy and I did it!"

He expected cheers, a congratulations at least, but all three were looking at the leaf in his hand, horrified.

"What?"

Yachi pointed nervously, her hand shaking. "Hinata-kun…"

Hinata looked at the leaf and, to his horror, rot was spreading across the leaf, leaving holes in its center and eating away at the edges until it crumbled to dust in Hinata's fingers.

"Life," Shimizu said quietly, looking grim, "and plague." She chewed on her bottom lip. "Without Moon, it seems that your powers may go… unchecked."

Hinata's soup remained beside the stump, forgotten.

Notes: Oh, HEY, sorry for the chapter dump and also for any formatting issues, I've seriously forgotten how to post here. Sorry for the long (4 year) wait, I appreciate anyone who's still into this story! Just so you know, I am far more active on ao3 and am not likely to update here frequently, though I will still probably dump post chapters for this as I go. This is currently on hiatus (until I work through my My Hero Academia hyperfixation). Come hang out on Tumblr if you wanna see what else I'm posting!