It was amazing just how much one difference could change a person's entire life.
In such a short amount of time, Hinata's entire world had fallen apart.
It was the first round, Karasuno versus Shiratorizawa. Things had been intense, even though they were only halfway through. Shiratorizawa had a lead, too much of a lead, over ten points.
When Hinata looked back at his team, he could see that they were getting desperate. Things did not look good, not at all. This was it, their make or break moment. They needed to win, they had to!
There was a whistle, the ball flying into the air as it was served. Hinata watched and waited, prepared for his moment.
Kageyama turned and set it to him, and Hinata leapt into the air with his hand ready. He slammed down on the ball, watching as it flew across the court and towards the center with a satisfying noise he could never get enough of.
But then, his happiness was changed in an instant. His right foot slammed against the ground, and a sudden explosion of pain went through him like a bolt of lightning. His brown eyes widened, a scream involuntary being ripped from his throat.
The lights began to spin around him, voices echoing with no real words as his body crumbled onto the hard floor and his vision went black.
The next thing Hinata registered was throbbing pain, and the sound of something beeping. With a groan, the orange haired teen forced his heavy eyelids open.
Above him was the white ceiling of a hospital. Wait… Why am I in a hospital? He wondered, the last thing he recalled in that moment being the beginning of the volleyball game.
He pressed his hands against the cot, about to use his feet to push himself up further. But when he tried to curl his feet up, there was another explosion of pain, like hot needles stabbing his leg over and over.
He tried to put his leg back down, but all he got in return was another spike of burning hot pain. His hand flew up to his mouth, covering up the strangled cry he let out as wet tears tumbled down his cheeks.
The young teen didn't even notice the sound of a sliding door or the gasp that came from the doorway. He didn't notice anything other than the pain until two arms wrapped around him, enveloping him in a tight hug. "Shouyou!" He heard vaguely,"It's okay, it's me, it's mom… Shhh.."
"M-mom…?" He croaked, his shaking hands tightening around the fabric of the back of her shirt. "What happened… W-why do I hurt so bad? W-why does it hurt so bad!?"
She shushed him again, her hand running through his hair. "I know it hurts, I know it does," She whispered,"But you have to take deep breaths, you have to calm down, okay?"
Hinata's shuddered in her arms, gasping for air as he tried to follow her advice. Slowly, the pain began to fade to a small throb, and his breathing went from short bursts back to its normal level. Even after he calmed down, he didn't let go of his mother's comforting hold.
"Are you okay now?" He heard his mother ask, to which he gave the shortest of nods. She sighed in response, and then continued,"I'll go and get the doctor, okay? He should be the one to explain everything to you."
She got up and left the room, leaving Hinata alone with his thoughts. There was something about her tone and the way she hurried out of the room that scared him… No, no… Maybe he was just on edge. Yeah, that was it.
After what felt like an eternity, the door finally opened again, and his mother returned with a kind looking doctor.
He gave Hinata a quick look up and down before he softly said,"Hello Shouyou, I'm Doctor Takahashi. How are you feeling now that you've woken up?"
His words were cautious and carefully planned, making Hinata even more suspicious. He narrowed his eyes, staring the doctor in the face as he replied,"It hurts."
"What hurts?" The doctor asked,"Is it your leg or is there anything else?"
Impatience took over the teen. He was in pain, and his mother wouldn't tell him what happened but neither would the doctor. He wanted to know, and he wanted to now.
"What happened to me?" He firmly questioned, his fists tightening around the bed's sheets in an attempt to stop his shaking.
Doctor Takahashi's smile faltered, and he quickly looked down at his clipboard. "Well…" He slowly began,"At your volleyball game, when you landed, you sustained an internal injury inside your right leg. It was bad enough that you had to be pulled from the game and hospitalized."
Hinata cringed as the memories came rushing back to him, he remembered the fall now. It was the exact same pain he got when he tried to move it when he first woke up. "Oh…" He whispered quietly, lowering his head.
Then, he was overloaded with thoughts. Did they win the game? Did they lose? Where was his team? Had they already visited? But out of all those questions, there was one that was more important.
With a hopeful look in his eyes, he asked,"When will I be well enough to play volleyball again? How long?"
The mood in the room grew even more tense than before. His mother let out a quiet sob, and the doctor's look became even more morose than before. Hinata's heart started to pound in fear, he looked in between them before he quietly questioned,"I… I will be able to play again… Right?"
Doctor Takahashi have a sad sigh. "Shouyou… Your nerves and muscles in your leg are badly damaged. It's very unlikely that you'll ever even be able to walk on it again, let alone play a sport… I'm sorry," He softly explained.
In that instant, Hinata's heart fell into his stomach, and his whole body seemed to grow cold. His eyes began to blur with tears, and he began shaking his head. "No… No! You- You can fix it! Why can't you fix it!?" He demanded.
"Your injury can't be fixed, Shouyou… The ligaments in the back of your knee tore beyond repair and you gained a meniscus tear, or a torn knee cartilage from putting pressure on or rotating the knee joint during this," He elaborated,"All that combined with the nerve damage is irreparable. You may be able to get a knee replacement in a couple years, but even then you won't be able to play sports. I'm sorry…"
The world around him seemed to fade away, as did any emotion Hinata felt. His tearful eyes turned away from the doctor and then looked back down at his useless leg. "Oh…" He whispered, voice void of any emotion.
The doctor frowned, disturbed by Hinata's sudden change in attitude. He looked at the teen's mother and then back at Hinata. "I'm going to put some medicine in your IV now, it will help to dull the pain," He explained right before beginning to follow through.
Hinata didn't even respond, other than laying back down and turning his head away from the both of them so they wouldn't see the tears falling onto the sheet.
All his life he had been made fun of and laughed at for wanting to play volleyball. He had grown so used to hearing that he 'couldn't' play or that he wasn't right for volleyball. They hadn't phased him before, not even when they came from a team like Shiratorizawa, because he had been able to prove them wrong.
But now… Those words rang true. He really, truly couldn't play volleyball anymore. His passion had been ripped away from him by his own body, he would never be able to play again.
Hinata felt the throbbing in his leg start to fade away, the medicine was working… But he could tell that the clawing pain in his heart wasn't going anywhere.
About two weeks later was when Hinata was finally able to go back to school, but he returned with some… Additions.
Now he was fitted with a black brace around his injured knee, and crutches to help him walk. From the second he walked into the school, he got plenty of stares and whispers. He tried not to let them bother him, he had more important things to be excited about!
He found out while in the hospital, Karasuno had beaten Shiratorizawa! He was so proud of them, and he couldn't wait to see them all. Even though he couldn't play, he knew that they would still be there for him. After all, he would do the same for them anytime, anywhere.
Even though they didn't even visit me… He remembered suddenly. No texts or calls, not even an email! He sighed, forcing himself to shake those thoughts away. I'm just overreacting, they are probably catching up on schoolwork and stuff! And I'll never get to see them if I don't get to class!
Hinata, with a new burst of energy, forced himself forward as fast as he could. But he stumbled and nearly fell every few steps, still not quite used to his crutches. He got to his classroom much later than he would like, even later than he normally would be. If I could ride my bike I would have… He bit his lip, forcing the sadness at the thought of what he couldn't do back.
Thankfully, the door to the classroom was already open. He limped his way inside and instantly grinned at the sight of Kageyama. His friend and teammate was sitting at his desk, finishing up some kind of paper while waiting for class to start.
It was so good to see him again, the sight of a familiar face after two weeks in a stuffy hospital really made him feel better. He quickly moved over to near his friend's desk, his heart fluttering with happiness.
"Bakageyama!" Hinata exclaimed, letting go of the crutch for one moment to tap the desk. "How have you been? And the team? I heard about the win, I'm super proud of you guys!"
Kageyama didn't even look up, the only sign that he had noticed Hinata's presence was the split second where he slowed in his writing. The teen frowned at this, leaning closer and trying again. "How did Shiratorizawa react when they lost? What did it look like?" He asked, and again was ignored.
He didn't understand… Sure, him and Kageyama argued a lot, but they never acted like the other didn't even exist. It was making Hinata extremely frustrated.
"Hey!" He snapped again,"Are you even listened to me!?" He reached out, tapping on the edge of his desk a few times in an attempt to get the other young man's attention.
Instead of responding, Kageyama smacked his finger away forcefully, and then turned away from him. In complete shock, Hinata yanked his hand back and stared at the other in confusion.
Before he could attempt anything else, the door slid open once more and their teacher walked in. Students quickly scrambled over to their seats and Hinata, with one more confused look at Kageyama, limped over to his seat as well.
Even during the lesson, Hinata found that he couldn't focus. He kept glancing at Kageyama, wondering why his friend was ignoring him so harshly. They usually chatted or argued before class, that's what they always did. I didn't expect a welcome back party, but I didn't think I would be ignored either. Why isn't he talking to me?
Even though he so desperately wanted his question answered, Hinata was also worried about what that answer might be.
When class finally came to an end and they had their break time, Kageyama and the other volleyball players were instantly swarmed with what Hinata could only describe as adoring fans.
"Kageyama-kun! You and your friends should eat with us today! I brought extra food!"
"Me and the others girls have some extra bento we accidentally brought if you guys would like it, Yamaguchi-kun!"
"No no, please, share some of my homemade cake! It'll go to waste otherwise!"
Hinata struggled to climb back onto his crutches, practically hopping over and nudging his way through the swarm. "Hey guys!" He cheerfully said, hiding the nervousness in his voice. "Where are we gonna eat today?"
The fans stopped talking the second he started, all turning to glare at him as if he had invaded their space. Kageyama still didn't even glance at him, still packing up things in his bag.
Instead, it was Tsukishima who did the talking. The blonde crossed his arms and gave a condescending smirk. "And why would we eat with you?" He questioned.
The same fear he felt when he first realized that Kageyama was ignoring him came back. He frowned and tilted his head. "Um… B-because we're friends?" He nervously asked.
Tsukishima snorted and let out a short laugh. "Seriously? That's your best shot?" He asked,"After you nearly lost the game for all of us, you think we still want to be friends with you?"
"What!?" Hinata exclaimed, looking between the three players. "How did I almost make you lose? I didn't injure myself on purpose! I didn't want it to happen! And we still won, didn't we?"
"No," Tsukishima snapped, pointing at him. "You didn't win." He then pointed at himself, and motioned to Kageyama and Yamaguchi. "We won. You weren't there, you didn't do anything."
He then motioned towards Hinata's bad leg. "And with that cripple of yours, you're not even useful anymore," He insulted,"You didn't bring us any glory then, and you sure won't now."
Hinata, practically seething with anger, demanded,"Since when has playing ever been about glory!? This wasn't about fame! We played as a team, as a family!"
"It doesn't matter what you think anymore, Hinata!" Kageyama suddenly snapped, sending the shorter teen into a shocked silence. "You're a cripple now. You can't play volleyball, which means aren't on my team, you aren't my partner, and you're not party of our family. You're useless to us now, so just leave us alone."
"Yeah, you heard him!" One of the cheerleader-like fans said. "He said leave them alone! Get out of here!"
Tsukishima made an annoying noise and shook his head. "It'll take him too long to get anywhere, we'll just leave instead," He sneered, getting up and leaving with the other two. Their gaggle of fans quickly following after them.
Hinata, too shocked to even speak, limped after them as fast as he could. By the time he got out the door, they were already up the stairs and heading out of sight, none of them even looked back at him.
The teen's eyes burned with tears, his heart pained by what he had just been through. He was so confused, angry, and sad. What happened? Did the victory against Shiratorizawa change them that much?
Then, all of a sudden his ears seemed to overtake his other senses. He became aware of all the people around him in the halls who were whispering, staring, and pointing. They weren't trying to be quiet, either, he could hear it all.
"Look how small he looks on those crutches!"
"Haha, yeah, I bet he can't jump at all anymore."
"Eh, really? So then he's pretty much useless, right?"
"Yeah, he got kicked off the team I heard."
"Good. I heard that he injured himself on purpose to try and make our school look bad."
"Probably, He always did seem like the desperate for attention type"
"At least our volleyball team doesn't have to deal with him anymore now that he's crippled."
Those whispers and rumors were too much, he couldn't handle it anymore. He twisted around so hard that a sharp pain nearly made him tumble to the ground. But he forced himself to limp as fast as he could past the following eyes until he reached the nearest bathroom.
Once he found a stall, he shut it and locked the lock as fast as possible. Nobody followed him in, much to his relief. Now that he was alone, however, what happened finally began to sink in.
He leaned against the wall next to his crutches, the tears already beginning to stumble down his cheeks as his breath became short and panicked. He felt like he was going to throw up, he was so lost and confused.
Hinata had been tossed out, thrown away like spoiled food. All because of my stupid leg. Why? Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this?
Despite how painful his teammate's words had been to him, and a whole day of being ignored by them and watched by others like he was some sort of zoo animal, Hinata desperately tried to convince himself that he was just some elaborate joke or prank.
Yeah! Yeah that's it! He told himself. I'll go to the volleyball practice just like normal and then tell turn out they are just messing with me! They've played pranks before, this is just one of those times!
Somehow, even in the back of his mind, he knew that wasn't true.
When he got to the gym, the doors were already shut tight. He stood there for a second, panting hard from all the energy it had taken him to limp his way over. Once he gathered back some strength (and his nerves), he leaned forward, knocked on the door, and took a few steps back.
To his relief, neither Kageyama nor Tsukishima were the ones to open the door. Instead, he was face to face with Takana and Ennoshita. The sight of them made the innocent, hopeful smile rise back up on his face.
"Hey guys!" He cheerfully said,"Is there practice today? I was hoping I could watch-"
"This is a closed practice, volleyball players only," Takana quickly interrupted, narrowing his eyes towards the orange haired teen.
Hinata faltered, losing track of what he was going to say. After taking a moment to gather himself, he slowly replied,"But… I was part of the team…."
"Yeah, was," Ennoshita emphasized,"That means you aren't anymore, so you need to leave."
Despair and pain began to claw at his heart again. Was it true? Had the whole team turned against him? No, no that couldn't be true!
He leaned forward, trying to see inside as he asked,"Can I please just talk to coach about it? Please? I promise I won't even talk during the practice!"
"No!" Tanaka snapped,"Even coach said you weren't allowed. You're not part of the team, Hinata, so go away!"
They ducked back inside the gym, slamming the door shut before Hinata could get any other words in. The young man stood there for a long time simply staring at the closed door in shock.
So… It really wasn't a joke. They won, and the glory had completely inflated their egos. And… And they thought Hinata was useless? Maybe… Maybe they are right? Maybe I am useless. After all, they know me better than almost anyone.
Really though, was he good at anything besides volleyball? No… He couldn't think of one other thing, and now he was completely useless, just like they said.
He let out a shaky sigh, pulling out his phone and frantically texting his mom to come pick him up. He didn't want to spend another moment around the team, not when they were treating him like this.
Hinata's more optimistic side, which was becoming significantly smaller, suddenly piped up. It was the fame getting to their head, maybe when it all went away, they would apologize and everything would go back to normal. Yeah… Yeah that was it! All he had to do was wait!
Everything would be fine… Right?
It took Hinata only a month to realize that his one, tiny idea was completely wrong. Their fame hadn't dwindled at all, because they were still being invited out to tournaments and winning them too. Kageyama even got to join some fancy team, and that got him even more popular.
In their world, Hinata was nothing more than a spec. It was as if he didn't even exist. His mornings were spent alone, his lunches were spent alone, and after school he was all by himself… He was painfully, terribly alone…
Never before had he felt so ignored, so alienated in his whole life. The only attention he got was the whispers and gossip when people talked about him or his injured leg, and it only pushed him deeper into the dark pit of depression. He suddenly was struggling to sleep, constantly feeling anxious, losing sleep, and so much stress.
It was too much, it was all too much. Hinata has finally snapped, he was desperate. So desperate for even the slightest bit of interaction with his old team, with his friends, with Kageyama. Desperate enough to reveal the secret he had hidden for so long…
He waited until the end of the day, on a day where he knew Yamaguchi and Tsukishima were in charge of setting up. Kageyama was alone, packing his things. This was his chance, probably his only chance.
He reached out, grabbing Kageyama's sleeve just as he went to leave his desk and pulling him back towards him as hard as he could.
"Hey!" The taller teen snapped in anger, tugging harshly to try and get Hinata to let go.
"Kageyama, I need you to listen to me just one time!" He exclaimed, pulling back harder as Kageyama struggled. "I need to tell you something very important!"
The setter let out what sounded like a growl and rugged harder. "Let me go!" He snarled, nearly making Hinata drop his grip just from the venom in his old friend's voice alone.
But he couldn't, not when he was this close. He kept his bad leg off the ground and let go of his crutch, holding onto Kageyama with both hands. "Please Toboi!" He cried,"Please! Listen to me just this once! If you don't want to talk to me still afterwards, then you don't have to! But just let me get this out!"
The setter, surprised by the use of his given name and the determination in Hinata's tone, seemed to realize that Hinata wasn't going to let up. He sighed, relaxing his muscles and letting Hinata slowly lead him away from the classroom.
Hinata didn't want anyone to hear what he was about to say, so he took Kageyama all the way to the courtyard, where a lone cherry tree sat. There, they could be alone and away from prying eyes.
Once he stopped, Kageyama looked at the tree and then back at him with annoyance. "Well? What is it?" He sneered,"I have practice, remember? So hurry up."
The shorter teen's heart pounded as he stared up at his friend, taking in all his features for the first time in a while. He needed to tell him, now was his only chance.
"T-Toboi… I know you don't think I'm… I-important anymore but… But I wanted to- needed to tell you," He paused, taking a deep breath. "Th-that I like you…"
Kageyama was unimpressed, staring down at Hinata with a deep frown and a raised eyebrow. "Is that it?" He sneered,"You dragged me to this stupid tree to tell me about our old useless friendship? What a waste of time."
He turned to leave, and Hinata's heart instantly exploded with panic. He lurched forward, wrapping his arms around the taller teen as he yelled,"No! That's not what I was trying to say Toboi! I was trying to say that I- I LOVE YOU!"
Those three words seemed to make Kageyama completely freeze up. He slowly turned around, facing Hinata with narrowed eyes. "You… You what?" He demanded.
Hinata shuddered underneath the heavy gaze, but forced himself to remain strong. "I- I was going to tell you after we beat Shiratorizawa… But I got hurt and- and I never got the chance,``he admitted,"I- I felt this way for so long, ever since that game in middle school, you were just so strong and amazing and- and… Please…"
Suddenly, a hand hit his face, shoving him down to the ground hard. He gasped in shock, looking up to see Kageyama glaring at him in complete disgust. "Get away from me!" He snapped,"You homo!"
Pain and betrayal laced through Hinata's heart, and he desperately held his hand out. "Kageyama please! Don't do this!" He begged,"I've only ever loved you and-"
"Oh, so you're a stalker too?" Kageyama accused him, his glare growing even more venomous.
Hinata's eyes widened, and he frantically began to shake his head. "N-no! No I'm not!" He exclaimed.
"You fucking creep!" Kageyema yelled over him,"You think you're on the same level as me, enough to say that? Is that why you joined the volleyball team in the first place? Because you're a fag?"
"Why are you acting like this!?" Hinata demanded, his tears blurring the sight of Kageyama. "This isn't you, Kageyama! What happened to my best friend?!"
The taller teen didn't even acknowledge his questions as he continued,"You're disgusting, and I will never ever associate with a weakling like you. And neither does anyone else!"
"T-that's not true!" Hinata sobbed, not even trying to stop the tears. "It's not!"
Kageyema's lip curled in disgust. "Isn't it?" He asked,"Look at you! You're a cripple, a fag, and a creep! You could never compare to the rest of us, especially not now. I would never love someone like you."
The teen turned and began to storm away, but stopped. He looked behind himself and down at Hinata. "Why don't you just disappear already?" He asked,"You'd be doing us all a favor."
Then, he was gone, leaving Hinata alone underneath the single cherry tree. He lurched forward, burying his face in his hands and letting his sobs overtake his body. He felt horrible, he had lost his friends, his team, and his love… He had nothing going for him anymore…
It can't get any worse than this, can it?
Sadly, it seemed that it could.
The next morning, when Hinata arrived and opened up his shoe locker, a piece of paper was sitting in his school shoes.
He frowned, reaching out and unfolding it with one hand. His brown eyes scanned over the hateful scrawl on the paper, and it left him freezing up in shock.
'Faggot'
He felt fear begin to overtake him. He quickly crumpled the paper up, shoving it into his pocket and finished switching his shoes. He limped down the halls towards his classroom, and that's when he noticed something…
People were all staring again. But this time they weren't just whispering and pointing, they were laughing and sneering as well. It didn't take long for Hinata to realize exactly what happened.
Kageyama.. He told everyone…
The realization was overwhelming, making his eyes burn with the desire to cry again. But he forced himself to keep going, to get to his desk and ignore them all.
But some of the boys in the room were a lot harder to ignore. They were the ones always constantly being suspended and getting in trouble, causing fights after schools. They were always late, why were they so early today?
Hinata looked at them suspiciously, which turned out to be the wrong thing to do. One of them noticed, and instantly jumped to his feet and over to the orange haired teen.
"Wow, so it is true, you are a stalker," He sneered,"Can't help but check other people out, can you, you creep?
Hinata was so shocked by the sudden hostility, he found himself unable to even respond. This only angered the man further, he grabbed Hinata by the collar of his shirt and lifted him up. "Huh!? Were you checking us out!?" He demanded.
"No no no!" Hinata frantically exclaimed,"I wasn't! I promise! I promise!"
The thug sneered, leaning closer to him. "I don't believe you," He declared, dropping Hinata right into his bad leg. "Watch your back, fag."
Hinata quickly turned his eyes back onto his desk, biting the inside of his cheek in an attempt to avoid crying. He stayed hunched over in his chair for the rest of the lesson, too afraid to even glance upwards.
He thanked his lucky stars that were left when the bell finally rang. But when he went to get up, he saw the three thugs and their leader (the one that had grabbed him) sitting outside the classroom.
I can't go out there, I'll be dead meat… Hinata painfully realized. But the teacher was also supposed to leave… He needed to think of something fast.
Hinata stumbled up to the teacher's desk as quickly as possible. "Please- Um… Sir!" He called, stopping at the desk and catching his breath.
"What is it, Hinata?" His teacher asked politely, giving the teen relief. At least the teachers didn't hate him.
After he got his breath back, Hinata asked,"C-can… Um… Can you explain the lesson to me again? I- I don't understand it."
The teacher seemed surprised by his sudden desire to learn, and then happy about it. He smiled and replied,"Of course I can. Follow me to the teacher's office, we can talk there."
The teen let out a huge sigh of relief, nodding as he followed the teacher out. The bullies glared at him, knowing the stunt he had just pulled. Hinata didn't care, he made sure to not focus on them.
He escape the bullies, at least for now. He didn't know how long he could stall the inevitable, or if hiding with the teacher would always work… But it was all he could do.
Everyone has a breaking point.
Hinata reached his after two months of constant torture.
The harassment and bullying didn't slow down, it just kept getting worse and worse. Those thugs and others started spreading even more rumors, some not even anchored in reality.
Now people would whisper about how he was sleeping with the teacher, how he would have sex with anyone, how he stalked boys he thought were handsome. It was horrible, he hated it.
The bullying also became physical. If he wasn't careful enough, he'd get caught alone. They'd often knock him down, kick his bad leg, throw his crutches and leave him alone.
He had to start checking his shoes for tacks or nails, and there were almost always some. He only fell for it twice before he started being more observant. Sometimes people would leave notes, write on his desk, or throw food at him.
Hinata wanted so desperately to tell someone, anyone. But his bullies were smart, they knew where to go to attack someone without being spotted. They also made sure to threaten him plenty, making Hinata afraid to even utter a word about the pain he was experiencing.
The only safe place that was safe was with the teacher, not even his walk home was safe. Even when he was waiting for his mom to pick him up, he had to hide.
He couldn't stop the bullying, and he couldn't stop it from getting even worse.
It was starting to eat away at him, he wasn't sure how much he could handle. He was constantly filled with stress and anxiety, he could barely eat and sleep. He was falling apart, and he didn't know how to save himself.
All he could keep repeating was that there were only a few months left. Only a few weeks and school would end. After everything that had occurred, he could handle that.
After all, it can't get any worse, can it?
It was the end of the day, the rain outside matching Hinata's mood, the bell releasing students from their desks. Everyone quickly hurried out, and Hinata tried to follow them. He was stopped by his teacher calmly calling,"Hinata, please stay after class."
He froze with a cringe, slowly turning himself around and limping over to the desk. He forced himself to ignore the sneers and chuckles from his harassers, making himself as small as possible even after he got to the desk.
The teacher gave him a soft grin, and then glared over at the snickering students. "Don't any of you have somewhere to be?" He demanded.
"Oh, they want privacy," He heard one of the bullies whisper, making the orange haired teen shudder at the implication. "Come on guys, let's go."
The teacher waited until they were gone and the door had shut before he turned and smiled at Hinata again. "I just wanted to congratulate you on your grades, Hinata. You've really improved over these past few months, your exam scores were one of the highest in the class. That is quite an accomplishment," He said.
Hinata couldn't help the blush that rose up in his face. Ever since his accident, he had been focusing quite a bit more on his studies. He supposed that was a good thing… Especially if he was doing that well. "Um… Thank you, sir…" He quietly responded.
The teacher suddenly went silent again, seeming to debate something for a moment before he continued,"And, you know, with scores as high as yours, many others schools would be quite interested in a scholar like you. I know this year has been rough, so I thought you would like to know about these other schools."
He opened a drawer on the desk, pulling out a piece of paper and handing it to him. "These are the schools I found that are scouring for scholars such as you, and a few others that looked very nice to me," He explained,"They may send you letters soon, but I thought you'd like to know sooner than later about your options."
Hinata looked over all the schools as he held the paper on a shaky hand. They were in Tokyo, Gifu, Hiroshima, Hyogo, Kochi, Shiga, and sven Miyazaki. "They're all so far away…" He quietly examined.
"They are, aren't they?" The teacher agreed,"And although I am glad to finally have a first year that is interested in their education, I would be even happier knowing you were getting the best opportunities at a school where you are safe and happy, even if that school is all the way across Japan."
For the first time in a while, Hinata felt a smile climb up his face. His teacher truly did care, and that made his day infinitely better. "Thank you, sir! I'll be sure to look into it!" He promised, stuffing the paper in a safe place.
"Have a good day, Hinata," His teacher happily replied, obviously pleased at the sight of the wide smile the teen had.
He left the classroom with a small bubble of happiness within him, perhaps this day would actually going to have a happy ending. It was a thought he hadn't had in a while, and even the rain wasn't able to sour his mood.
He just had to get to the store he always met his mom at, and then he could tell her about it. Maybe things were finally-
An explosion of pain suddenly sent him tumbling backwards. Before he could fall, he was grabbed roughly by several hands and dragged on the ground. His vision was still spinning, he didn't know what was happening. What was going on!?
The next thing he knew, he was thrown back down to the ground, several things crashing down on top of him. He blinked rapidly, looking around frantically to try and find out what had happened.
He was in a storage closet, one of the ones outside the school. But that was all he was able to see before something wrapped around his eyes. He cried out in fear, reaching up to tear it off, but two pairs of hands stopped him.
"Well, well. Look who doesn't have a teacher to hide behind!" A voice sneered,"What happened? Did you get too used up for him?"
Hinata let out a panicked whimper, trying to scoot away from the sounds of the voices. He didn't get far before a callous pair of hands grabbed his bad leg, yanking him forward and making Hinata scream in pain.
"Don't try and run, you little fag," Another voice snapped,"You've avoided us for too long. It's time for you to get what you deserve. Right, boss?"
There was the sound of shuffling and some evil chuckles. "You know… At first I just wanted to kick the shit out of you,"The first voice explained,"But… Now that I have a better look at ya… You look a lot like a girl."
The shuffling came closer, and someone pressed their cold lips to Hinata's ear. "Maybe I should try you out," He whispered,"Just see how it feels."
Hinata's eyes widened, catching onto the implication. He screamed, trashing against their hold. "NO!" He cried,"HELP! SOMEONE HELP!"
His cries were cut off by a hand covered his mouth, while two of the people wrestled him to the floor. When he screamed behind the hand, a foot slammed onto the knee of his bad leg, only making him scream even more.
The leader chuckled at him. "We're only doing what fags like you want, you should be thanking us," He sneered as the sound of an unbuckling belt reached Hinata's ears.
He cried, sobbed, and struggled against them as much as he could but that didn't stop them. Those were met with more punches, kicks, and intense pain. It couldn't stop them… He couldn't stop them…
They took the last sacred thing Hinata had.
It burned, it burned so much. Everything hurt, Hinata's whole mind, body, and soul had been shattered. He lost everything, they had destroyed him.
The second those storage doors opened again, he collapsed into the mud. The rain pounded against his back and the laughter of the assaulters burned in his ears. His crutches, they were gone. But he needed to run, he had to get away, he had to get away.
Adrenaline pushed him forward onto his feet, ripping the blindfold off, and running as best he could on his legs and as far away as possible. He could hear those monsters still laughing, there were following him!? Why? Hadn't they don't enough?
Without even thinking, Hinata kept running. He needed to get away, he needed to get away! Before… Before-
His legs suddenly seemed to trip over one another, sending him faceplanting back into the mud. As soon as he hit the ground, his resolve seemed to vanish. Hinata let the sobs overtake him, curling up on the ground and as the rain pelted his battered body. He didn't care about anything anymore.
He wasn't sure how long he stayed there, unmoving on the ground. He had hoped that he would sink into the mud, suffocate, and die, but it seemed that the world wanted him to suffer even more. Why? Why can't you just let me die already?
There was the sound of footsteps slapping against the ground, and a shaky gasp. "H-Hinata?" A familiar, horrified voice asked.
Hinata didn't care to turn and register the voice, hoping whoever it was would just go away. But once again, the world seemed to just want to torture him. The footsteps hurried forward, and grabbed his arm.
Instantly, panic exploded through Hinata. Touches burned, touches hurt. He cried out in fear, thrashing against the hands holding him. Not again! Not again!
"Wait- Hinata! Stop! It's me, Yamaguchi!" The voice exclaimed again, those gentle hands that burned his skin still refusing to let go.
Hinata froze, his wide brown eyes finally turning to face the voice. It wasn't a lie, it was Yamaguchi. The freckled boy was in his volleyball outfit, kneeling in the mud with his wide eyes staring at the orange haired boy.
A sudden surge of shame and anger burst through Hinata. Why are you here? To laugh at me? To hurt me more? He wondered, but at the same time he didn't care. He stared at Yamaguchi for several painful seconds, and then let his head drop back down.
"Oh, Hinata-kun… I-I'm so so sorry…" Yagamuchi whispered,"I should have said something earlier but I- I was just so scared. Everyone changed so much after they won and- and… I never thought it would go this far!"
He reached down, pulling Hinata's scrawny form out of the mud and draping the skinny arm over his shoulders. "I'll take you back to your house now, okay? W-we'll get you back home and after that, if you don't want to have anything to do with me, I'll respect your wishes. But let me help you first… Please."
Hinata kept his head down, he didn't agree, but he also didn't refuse. So, Yamaguchi lifted the boy up, and started the painfully long and silent walk back to the Hinata household.
Yamaguchi couldn't stop the sigh of relief that went through him when he finally got to Hinata's house. Somehow, he managed to open the door and carry them both inside, their shoes making sloshing sounds on the cold genkan.
"Erm… Hello?" Yamaguchi called,"Is anyone home? I um… We need help!"
There was no response, not even a sound in the darkened house. Yamaguchi frowned as he kicked off his mud covered shoes and helped Hinata further into the house. He kept walking until he found the nearest bathroom.
Looking around, he turned on the light and sat Hinata down on the closed toilet seat. "Wait here," He told the silent teen. "I'll find a phone and a first aid kit and- and I'll do my best," He said, hurrying out of the room.
Hinata turned his head the slightest bit, watching as Yamaguchi hurried out of the room. Only after the sound of the other teen's footsteps quieted did Hinata grab the edge of the bathroom counter, pulling himself up to his feet.
He limped over to the medicine cabinet, opening it quickly. There were no pills to use, nothing sharp to cut with... Of course, his mother would never have anything like that laying around, not when Natsu was getting good at climbing. He growled in frustration, a burst of desperate adrenaline running through him as he raised his fist high. Why? WHY?! I just want it to end! I WANT IT TO STOP!
Yamaguchi had just found the first aid kit at the far end of the house, in the kitchen underneath the sink. He opened it up, intending to check on the supplies available when he heard it. A loud crash made him jolt up in shock. There was nobody else in the house, the only person who could have made that sound was...
"Hinata?" He called out nervously.
There was no response, and seconds later he heard a loud thud. Panic exploded through him, he grabbed the kit and ran as fast as he could to the bathroom. As soon as he turned the corner, a scream of terror left his lips.
The mirror was shattered, a shard of glass was held tightly in Hinata's hand, and both wrists were bleeding heavily onto the floor. Even with such horrible, grizzly cuts on his wrists, Hinata was smiling. Why? Why was he smiling!?
"HINATA!" Yamaguchi screamed, grabbing a towel and falling to his knees. "Oh god… Oh my god… P-please don't die! Hinata, can you hear me?!"
But even as he reached for the phone, desperately dialing in the number for emergency services, his cries were in vain. Hinata's brown eyes slid shut, and his body grew limp in Yamaguchi's hold.
"SHOUYOU!"
The next time awareness returned to Hinata, he was in a hospital again. For a while, everything was numb. He felt like he was fading in and out for hours before he finally was able to open his eyes.
Instead of only his leg, it felt like his whole body was throbbing. He felt so lost, so confused. What happened?
Suddenly, he registered the feeling of something tight around his hand. He slowly turned his brown eyes over, finding himself staring at the sight of his sobbing ex-teammate Yamaguchi and his mother.
She was holding his limp hand to her forehead, tears dripping down her cheeks. "Oh, Shouyou.." She whispered softly,"My baby…"
"Mom…?" He croaked out, making the older woman and teen freeze in shock. She turned, looking at him with wide, sad eyes. "Yamaguchi… What… Where?"
Neither of his questions were answered. Instead, she lurched forward and gathered him a gentle, tight hug. "Oh, my baby… My baby!" She cried,"You're awake! Oh thank god!"
He stared at her in confused, quietly asking,"What… Wh… Why am I here?"
The older women leaned back, staring at him in confusion. A feeling of frustration and anger rose up in Hinata.
"Why am I here?! Why… Why didn't it work?!" He yelled, turning to look at Yamaguchi. "Why couldn't you just let me die?!"
Yamaguchi and his mother gasped in shock. The teen then quickly hurried to Hinata's side. "Hinata I- I couldn't let you die! You deserve so much better! You can't let what those jerks did to you control you!"
Hinata lurched forward despite the pain it caused, pointing angrily at the teen. "They aren't controlling me!" He yelled,"That was my choice! I wanted to die, I chose to slice my own disgusting wrists! WHY DIDN'T YOU LET ME?!"
The volleyball player's eyes widened, tears tumbling down his cheeks. "Hinata-kun… I couldn't let you die. You're my friend…"
"If that's true, why didn't you help me sooner?" Hinata snarled in anger.
The words stung, but Yamaguchi didn't deny the orange haired teen's words. He knew it was true, he shouldn't have just sat by and watched everything happen. But the reminder of his failure only furthered his determined resolve.
Moving to Hinata's other side, he took the teen's free hand in his own. "I'm here now, Hinata-kun… And I'm not going anywhere no matter what happens``he declared.
They were simple words, but they seemed to chip away at Hinata's wall of anger, letting the sadness flood forward. He leaned forward, falling into Yamaguchi's waiting arms and sobbing violently into the young man's arms.
His mother leaned forward, gently rubbing his hair as he cried. Their comfort felt like the first kind touches he had gotten in a long, long time.
After a few quiet minutes, his mother quietly asked,"Shouyou…. Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me what was happening?"
"M'sorry…" The orange haired teen croaked,"I just… Didn't think it would help… And… I- I didn't want you to realize how disgusting I am and-"
She didn't even let him finish. "Shouyou, none of what happened will change that fact that you are my son. I'll love you to the ends of the earth, just like I always have," His mother declared.
He nodded against Yamaguchi, her words warming up his frozen heart even more. They went back to the awkward silence, none of them exactly sure how to breach what had happened.
It was his mother who brought up the big question. "Do you want to press charges?" She asked softly,"We have evidence, it might be tough since you didn't see their faces, but you can still do it."
"No," Hinata firmly responded,"I- I don't want to see them again. I don't want to see any of them again. I don't want to go back."
His mother gave an understanding nod. "I understand, don't worry," She replied,"You don't have to go back. I'll pull you out of school, we can do homeschooling for a while."
"No," Hinata replied again. "I don't want to go back home… I don't want to be anywhere near there ever again."
Thankfully, his mother caught onto his implications. Her eyes widened as she asked,"You want to move away? Shouyou, I don't think that's possible. My job doesn't allow me to move away right now, and your sister just started preschool-"
"I know!" Hinata interrupted, starting to get anxious. "I know… But… I- I just can't stay here anymore mom, I can't do it. Please, don't make me stay here."
Yamaguchi frowned as he listened. It was a bold declaration… But if he had been in Hinata's position, he wouldn't have wanted to stay either. Looking at the teen's mother, he said,"If he wants to leave, I'll go with him. I promised I'd stay with him and I intend to keep that promise, Hinata-san."
Hinata frowned, turning to look at him. "But… The volleyball team… Tsukishima..." He nervously stuttered out, anxiety barely hidden in his gaze.
The teen quickly shook his head, hugging Hinata a little tighter. "After all that's happened, I don't want anything to do with them or the school anymore. I don't care how close we were. Nothing will make up for what everyone did." He firmly stated.
His mother looked at Yamaguchi, and then back at her son with concern burning in her eyes. She bit her lip, a million thoughts burning through her before she finally asked,"Are you sure that's what you want?"
Hinata nodded firmly, making sure to face her as he did. He was serious, and he wanted to make sure she knew that. He wouldn't go back, he couldn't go back.
His mother knew that there really was no other option. Her son couldn't shine in Karasuno anymore, and she would rather have him be far away and happy than close by and hurting.
She turned her own brown eyes down and nodded. "I understand, Shouyou..." She said, looking back up at him. "If this is really what you want, I'll let you do it. But, only after the doctor has completely cleared you"
He sighed in relief, pulling away from Yamaguchi and hugging her tightly. "Thank you mom, thank you so much…" He whispered, turning into a puddle of tears all because of it. Her agreement meant the world to him, he would finally be able to escape his hell.
Hinata then turned to Yamaguchi, giving him a tiny, nervous smile as well. "A-and thank you… F-for coming with me…" He softly said.
Yamaguchi nodded in return, placing his hand on Hinata's own. He didn't say any words, but he didn't need to. Despite the things Hinata had gone through, and the fault that Yamaguchi had in it, they resolve together had already solidified.
Hinata Shouyou and Yamaguchi Tadashi were leaving Miyagi, and they were never coming back.