The attack came at dawn.
Hinata woke up to see Kuroo pressing a dagger into Suga's hand as he left the tent, leaving the two captives and Kenma to huddle together. Suga placed himself in front of the other two, slipping easily back into his parental role, but both Hinata and Kenma were too interested to see what was going on to sit quietly.
When a body fell against the side of the tent, Hinata leapt up and ran outside, Suga calling after him.
It was just light enough that Hinata could see Daichi's soldiers fighting with the unknown attackers. Hinata recognized Ennoshita and a bald man named Tanaka fighting side by side, surrounded by enemies. Bokuto was riding around on his horse, reins loose and bow in hand, shooting arrows into the fray and taking enemies down with each one. Kuroo was perched on top of a wagon, casting flames down around the attackers and trapping them.
Oikawa and Iwaizumi were fighting back to back, so in sync Hinata couldn't help but watch them in awe. Oikawa would swing his sword around and Iwaizumi would duck out of the way before dealing the finishing blow. They worked off of the other's attacks and covered each other's weak spots, until...
Someone smashed the hilt of their sword into Oikawa's knee. His right leg buckled and Hinata thought he would go down, but Oikawa just grimaced and fought on. Iwaizumi attacked with fervour, and when the last of the enemies fell he guided Oikawa to sit on the ground and inspected the damage.
Someone barrelled into Hinata, and he met dark blue eyes when he looked up. Kageyama huffed and shot him a glare.
"Get out of here, dumbass. You're unarmed, you'll get yourself killed," he said.
"What about you?" Hinata exclaimed, anger flaring up despite the battle raging around him. "So are you!"
Kageyama drew a short sword from beneath his cloak and put a hand on Hinata's arm to push him away. They both froze as their surroundings suddenly came into sharp focus and movements into slow motion.
Someone was running up to them from behind Kageyama. Hinata didn't recognize them, and tensed up in preparation for the fight, but Kageyama was already there, swinging his sword, meeting the attacker gracefully and taking them down.
There was no way Kageyama could have seen them coming.
They stared at each other for a moment before Kenma grabbed Hinata's arm and pulled him away, back into the tent. Suga looked ready to kill, and Hinata decided he wouldn't bother him with the strange events of mere moments ago.
It was only after the fight was over, survivors questioned and dealt with, and things cleaned up, that Hinata realized they had missed an opportunity to escape.
Was it Stockholm Syndrome? Hinata wondered. They had only been with Oikawa and his crew for a few days, certainly it was too early for that to have set in. Besides, he felt no loyalty to any of them, though Kenma and Kuroo were very kind, and Bokuto seemed cool, and Daichi and his soldiers weren't too bad...
We just got caught up in the heat of battle, Hinata decided.
When loading one of the wagons, Hinata heard quiet voices floating from between two. He poked his head around the corner to see Oikawa sitting on the back of a wagon with Iwaizumi standing beside him, heads bowed to whisper to each other as Iwaizumi ran gentle hands across Oikawa's knee. It trembled beneath his fingers, and Oikawa would involuntarily flinch in pain every so often.
"I'll kill those bastards," Iwaizumi was saying.
"We already did," Oikawa replied, leaving the flat joke in the dead air.
"Shut up, Shittykawa."
Hinata made to move away but his foot caught on a rock and he stumbled. Both Oikawa and Iwaizumi looked up immediately, startled, and Oikawa slid off of the wagon and raised himself to full height when he saw Hinata. He winced when he put pressure on his right leg, but was otherwise composed and smiling as always.
"Ready to go, Chibi-chan?" Hinata nodded. Oikawa grinned in response. "I saw you and Tobio-chan in the midst of battle, but Shrimpy, you didn't fight. Why not? You seem like you'd have some spirit in you."
Hinata shuffled. "Suga-san never really taught me to fight, 'cause he's a healer. He said it would be counterproductive."
Oikawa threw his head back and laughed. "Of course he did. Well, Chibi-chan, we'll have to teach you. Get Bokuto to show you some moves today, I'll send Tobio-chan along too. Can't let him get too cocky."
"Really?!" Hinata exclaimed, eyes going wide. "Like, with a bow and everything?"
"Bokuto-san is a fantastic teacher," Iwaizumi added. "But if you want to learn swordplay, you can always ask myself or Sawamura-san."
"Uwah! Thank you Oikawa-san, Iwaizumi-san!"
Hinata was practically bouncing when he found Bokuto and relayed his request. Bokuto clapped him on the shoulder, which kind of hurt, but agreed wholeheartedly, promising to teach him to shoot that afternoon.
During the morning ride, Hinata was bouncing in the saddle in pure excitement. Though he admired Suga's pacifist ideals, he had always wanted to learn to shoot and use a sword.
When Bokuto rode over to him and sent him a grin, Hinata's excitement tripled.
"Come on, we're going hunting!" He looked over his shoulder. "Kageyama! You're coming too!"
Looking a bit grumpy, Kageyama joined them. He tossed Hinata a bow and quiver of arrows, which he slung across his back. The three branched off of the main group, heading to a nearby forest.
"We'll meet with the rest later today," Bokuto explained. "They'll make camp in the forest farther down, but for us to get good hunting in we'll need to be quieter than that group."
Hinata cocked his head at this, aware of how loud Bokuto always was, but trusted his judgement anyway.
They dismounted after a few minutes and proceeded on foot. Hinata clutched the bow in his hands, tense with excitement and nerves. Though he knew the basic concepts, the idea of actually shooting was a little nerve wracking. Kageyama remained stoic and calm, watching carefully for any sign of their prey. Bokuto chattered on quietly, explaining different techniques he used for precision shooting.
"So you see, if you hold the bow like this, it gives you more control-" TWANG.
Thud.
Kageyama slowly lowered his bow as the arrow hit home in a large oak tree. The white tail of a deer could be seen bounding away beyond it, obviously startled by the arrow. Kageyama swore and stalked over to retrieve his arrow.
"You're too fast, Kageyama. You need to slow down and think about the shot before you shoot," Bokuto said with a grin.
"Speed is key," he said gruffly.
Bokuto laughed. "Speed is one thing, but accuracy is more important."
Kageyama muttered something under his breath but didn't argue anymore.
Bokuto instructed Hinata on the proper way to hold the bow and knock his arrow and then let him have a few practice shots. Try as he might, none of them hit where he wanted to, all falling short of his target.
"Again." Kageyama was standing behind him now, watching him closely.
"Don't push it too hard, Hinata, it just takes a bit of getting used to!" Bokuto said with a huge smile.
"Or you just suck," Kageyama muttered.
"Hey!" Hinata spun around and dropped his bow in an instant, jabbing Kageyama in the stomach. "I don't suck! I just haven't learned yet!"
He didn't improve much over the next few shots, and eventually Bokuto suggested they call it a day and actually get some hunting in. "You'll figure it out soon enough!"
When they met back up with the others, they carried two deer and several rabbits on the backs of their horses; courtesy of Boktuo and Kageyama. Hinata also had a bag full of herbs that he was going to give Kenma and Suga for medicine, for which they were both very grateful.
"Come on, you need to practice if you're going to be of any use in a battle," Kageyama said, dragging Hinata away by the arm. They walked a few minutes away from camp, to avoid accidentally hitting anyone, where Kageyama selected a tree as a target.
"Hit it ten times in a row and I'll believe you're ready for battle," Kageyama said, standing back with his arms crossed.
It took four tries for Hinata to hit the tree once, but he knew it was a fluke. It was too far away, the bow too big, Kageyama too grumpy...
"Again," Kageyama said gruffly.
"I'm going," Hinata said, slowly drawing another arrow.
Kageyama huffed. "Faster, you idiot. If you're in battle you have to shoot in quick succession!"
Hinata didn't reply, but knocked his arrow and let it fly within seconds. It fell several feet short.
They went on for hours like this. Hinata's arms were burning and he was getting very frustrated, but now he had something to prove. He had to show Kageyama that he wasn't incompetent.
"Another round!" Kageyama called as Hinata retrieved his arrows.
"You're still at this?" someone said from behind Kageyama. They both spun around to see Daichi standing there, arms crossed and a small smile on his face. "You know, some people just aren't meant to shoot."
"What do you mean?" Hinata asked, running back to the two of them.
"I can't shoot a bow to save my life," Daichi said with a soft chuckle, "but very few can best me with a sword. Maybe you're similar to me, Hinata."
"Uwah! Really?!"
"I suppose it would be worth a try," Kageyama said quietly, making Daichi roll his eyes.
"Here, try this on for size," Daichi said, un-sheathing his own sword and offering it, hilt first, to Hinata. "It'll be a bit big, but it should give you a taste for what it's like."
Hinata took the sword with an expression of awe on his face. Though big, the hilt fit comfortably in his hand, much more comfortably than the bow ever had. He grasped it with his other hand to heft it into the air and held it aloft for a few seconds, fighting the weight of it.
It felt right in Hinata's hands.
When the tip of the sword fell to the ground, Hinata looked up to see Daichi beaming at him. "I think swordplay will suit you well." Hinata returned the sword to Daichi, who easily maneuvered it with one hand. "Come with me, let's find you a sword."
Suga was talking to a tall (and kind of threatening if Hinata was honest) man with hair pulled back into a bun when they arrived back at camp. Suga's chatter faltered when he saw the three of them approach, but smiled at Hinata kindly.
"Asahi, Sugawara," Daichi greeted the two. Asahi offered a nervous smile (which threw Hinata off), and Suga raised his eyebrows slightly, looking unimpressed. "Sorry to interrupt, but Asahi, we're looking for a sword for Hinata here."
"A sword?" Suga asked as Asahi nodded and walked the few feet to his wagon full of weapons. "I thought your heart was set on bows?"
"Daichi-san suggested I try a sword, because the bow wasn't working for me," Hinata said, a little ashamed.
"You were doing okay!" Daichi assured him.
"He sucked," Kageyama said, earning an indignant "Hey!" from Hinata.
"Asahi, I think a shorter sword would be good for Hinata," Suga suggested, smiling down at him.
Asahi nodded and selected a sword. He returned to them,inspecting the small sword carefully. "This is a bit smaller than I would usually give you, but I think it'll work well for you to learn with," he said, handing it over to Hinata.
"Okay Hinata, want to try it out?" Daichi asked, grinning.
"Yes!" Hinata exclaimed, bouncing in place.
Suga looked on, smiling gently to himself.
Daichi showed him some basics of how to hold the sword, attacks, and blocks, then suggested a quick spar.
"Nothing too serious, but just to get you used to the feel of it. You can practice with it more later on." Daichi handed Hinata a wooden sword the same size as his new sword. Daichi replaced his own sword for a wooden one as well.
They squared off and suddenly Hinata wasn't as keen on sparring. Daichi was a lot bigger than him in every way, and his wooden sword was very menacing with it was turned on him.
"We'll go to yield," Daichi said, and Hinata nodded.
Kageyama started them, Daichi lunged and Hinata tried to block, and then suddenly Hinata was on his back, Daichi's sword firmly planted in the ground beside his head.
"Sorry, Hinata. That was a bit much for your first time," Daichi said, extending a hand down to help him up.
"No no, it's fine! Let's go again!"
Hinata got a block in, and even made Daichi block one of his attacks. Their spars went longer and longer, though Daichi always won.
"One more!" Hinata asked, breathing heavily but a huge smile on his face. They had amassed a small crowd, mostly consisting of Daichi's soldiers. Tanaka and Nishinoya were cheering from the sidelines, while Ennoshita tried to rein them in.
"Okay, last one though," Daichi said, readying his sword.
"Begin," Kageyama said, and Hinata pounced. Daichi blocked him easily and Hinata rolled away, popping back onto his feet in seconds. They carried on for a minute or two, neither attacking solidly.
Hinata backed off to regroup for a moment and suddenly everything went into slow motion. He could see Daichi shifting between his feet, trying to determine the best way to attack without actually hurting Hinata. Hinata noticed that Daichi seemed to be favouring his left side, maybe he was injured? Without contemplating it too much and feeling a great surge of power and energy, Hinata lunged towards Daichi.
Time sped up again. Suddenly, somehow, Hinata's sword was on Daichi's left side and his right foot was hooked behind Daichi's knee. Daichi hit the ground with a thump and then stared up at Hinata with disbelief.
Tanaka and Nishinoya were hooting and hollering from the sidelines. Ennoshita, Narita, and Kinoshita were clapping politely, and Ennoshita even called a snide remark to their commander. Suga was grinning, obviously pleased. "I told you," he said quietly to Asahi.
"How did you move that fast?" Daichi asked as Hinata pulled him to his feet.
"I don't know!" he said, looking down at his sword with disbelief.
Then Hinata met Kageyama's gaze. He was staring at him with wide eyes, mouth slightly agape. "How did we do that?"
Notes: Hope you enjoy this chapter!
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