Don't chapter 15
The car ride was filled with silence. Kageyama didn't say a word and Takeda wanted to give the teen a bit of space to think things through. A lot had happened the past few hours. Ukai had already shared his concern about the young setter and Takeda had to agree.
Kageyama was hard to read sometimes, he had put on a front, not wanting to show how hurt he was by what had happened. Kageyama was young, the whole situation must still be very overwhelming for him.
After Natsu arrived a bit of an awkward moment followed, where Hinata introduced everyone to his little sister. The girl looked just like her brother, a small physique with orange jumpy hair and big brown curious eyes. She was a lot shyer than her brother though.
Hinata had assured Ukai that his father had never hit or hurt the young girl and Takeda was happy to hear that. However, growing up in the situation that she lived in was far from ideal. She might not be physically hurt, but that didn't mean that she was mentally doing okay.
In the beginning everything that Ukai did scared her. Takeda saw the coach trying, but failing horribly. It was almost comical watching his friend trying to win over the little girl.
The overall mood was weird and no one really knew how to act. It wasn't like they lived through these situations on a daily basis. So, they all just kind of improvised. Ukai and Takeda had decided to stop talking about the abuse, unless one of the teens started the conversation. They had been through enough for a day and it was probably good to keep things light for the remaining of the evening. That way, the kids could safely get used to the new environment of Ukai's home.
Soon the coach decided that it was time for dinner and proposed to make some pancakes. That earned him the first smile of little Natsu, who happily yelled that pancakes where her favorite food. Seeing his little sister be happy, all Hinata could do was smile along. Soon the coach seemed a bit too eager to make the best pancakes in the world. Hoping that it would make both teens a bit more comfortable.
Kageyama hadn't said much since the moment Natsu arrived, but the teen kept a close eye one Hinata - as if he suspected that he could run away any second. Kageyama had never been a man of many words, so it wasn't that unusual. But Takeda couldn't help but worry.
Hinata had a few moments where his energetic self came to the front, mostly when Natsu giggled about something. However, it disappeared just as fast as it came, leaving Hinata with an expression that Takeda would almost call emotionless, where he was just staring in front of him. It was hard to pinpoint what was going on in his mind. It was weird to see Hinata that way, but it was also understandable. He was still processing everything that had happened, he would probably need awhile before everything would land.
Once dinner was over, Ukai and Takeda had a quick talk. There was no space for Kageyama to stay for the night. Plus, it was probably good for the teen to go home, just to have some space for himself. Kageyama disagreed at first, telling them that he could sleep on the couch.
Hinata observed their discussion and jumped in after a while. He gave Kageyama a grin and told him that it was okay for him to go. Kageyama still seemed reluctant to leave after that, but agreed with it anyway. Ukai asked Takeda whether they should tell Kageyama's parents about the whole situation. They would be able to keep a close eye on the teen, however Takeda didn't want to many people in the know about the whole situation until they had a bit more information.
So now Takeda was bringing Kageyama back home.
"Are you sure you are okay with your parents not knowing about all of this?" Takeda asked. It still didn't feel completely right to lie to a parent.
"What good would it do if they knew? It's not like they can change this situation." Kageyama said, while staring outside.
"Well, that's not completely true. They could support you, they could help you with everything."
"I don't need to support."
"Are you sure, because it is okay to not be okay, you know?"
"I know, the coach already had this conversation with me."
"Yeah, he told me about it, I just want to make sure that you understand what he told you."
"Well, it's just…Its…. I don't know." Kageyama started fidgeting. It was clear that the teen was struggling to find the right words. So, Takeda kept himself in silence, giving the boy the chance to collect his thoughts.
"I don't understand it. I mean, it's not okay and it hurts, but I don't why and I don't understand it. Hinata is the one who has been hurt for such a long time, he should be the one being sad, not me. It feels stupid that I feel like this, but the feelings don't go away and I don't know what to do with it."
Takeda bit his lip. It was rare of Kageyama to open up like this, but Takeda was happy that he did. This had obviously been eating him up and it was better for the teen to share these worries.
"I don't think it's stupid. I think it only shows how much you care about Hinata. This whole situation isn't something to be taken lightly. It changes a lot of things, especially for Hinata. But also, for you as his friend. I think you did an amazing job until now, but you also need to take care of yourself. Okay?"
Kageyama nodded and Takeda gave him a quick smile. "Good. Now I am gonna ask it one more time. Are you sure that I should not tell your parents about this whole thing? Cause if that is what you need, that is what I will do."
"I don't want to tell anyone unless Hinata is okay with it. So, I prefer to keep this a secret."
Takeda nodded, but wasn't completely happy with the answer. Kageyama showed that he thought about Hinata first, before thinking about himself at this moment. And although it was a good thing for the teen to care about his friend, it was important that he didn't forget about himself.
However, this just meant that both himself and Ukai would need to keep an extra good eye out on the teen. If there was even one sign that Kageyama was mentally too overwhelmed about this whole situation, they would be ready to step in.
Takeda went silent, giving the teen the space to decide for himself if he wanted to talk or not. In the end he didn't say a word and soon they arrived at Kageyama's house.
"Kageyama, just so you know, you can always call if you need anything or just feel like talking, okay? Both me and Ukai are here for you."
The teen gave him a quick smile. "I know, thank you." Then he shut the car door and disappeared into the house.
-Haikyuu-
Meanwhile, Ukai was helping both Natsu and Hinata to make themselves ready to bed. Hinata had proposed to help his little sister to the shower, so that gave him the time to put on two futons for them to sleep on. The second bedroom of his apartment was small, and he had stored a lot off boxes with old stuff in it, so it took him quite a while to get it ready.
"Ukai-san?" He suddenly heard behind him. He turned around. Natsu was standing in front of him. There was no sign of her older brother. The little girl had started to relax a bit after the pancakes, but it was clear that she wasn't hundredth percent comfortable with Ukai yet. Which was understandable, with everything that had happened to her.
"Yes, what is it?"
"What happened with dad?" Her big eyes innocently looking up at him. "I asked Shoyo, but he didn't answer."
Ukai bit his lip. What the hell was he supposed to say to that question? He didn't know how much she picked up from the whole situation, did she even know what her dad had done to her brother?
No, she knew. She might be a little girl, but there was something sharp and clever about her. This girl wasn't stupid, she was just too young to know what to do with it, but she knew.
So, he kneeled down — for probably the hundredth time this day — and looked her in the eye. "I don't know much and I can't really answer your question. The thing is that what happened at your home to you and to your brother isn't normal. It isn't safe and it should not be how kids grow up. So, I am going to try everything I can to find out a way to help you two. Okay?"
"But how do I know that I can trust you?" She looked at him with sharp eyes, suddenly appearing a thousand years older than her real age. A deadly silence filled the room.
To be honest, it was a logical question. She had been through a lot. He was a stranger for her. Plus, Ukai didn't really look kid-friendly to be honest. Damn it, he wasn't prepared for this. He wasn't ready to take care of these kids, who were both mentally hurt.
Just when he had the feeling that Hinata started to trust him a bit, he had to start over but then with his little sister.
How was he supposed to do this? He thought that he had calmed down, with Takeda present he was able to collect his thoughts and keep calm, but now the teacher was gone and this little girl was looking at him with those sharp big eyes, and Ukai could feel his confidence disappear.
He bit his lip, but there were no excuses. This was the situation and this was what they were supposed to deal with. So, after a few seconds of silence, he started to speak.
"It is understandable that you are scared and that you don't trust me. I wish I could find a way to make you feel safe and sound, but there is not much more I can do right now. Just give me a bit of time to show me that you can trust me, okay?"
It was almost as if he could see her thoughts spinning in her head, until she nodded. Ukai made a sigh of relieve, the girl still didn't feel comfortable with him, but this was at least the first little step.
Before one of them could say anything else, Hinata appeared from the bathroom. He was still wearing his regular clothes, since they hadn't brought anything along.
"Would you both like a shirt of mine to sleep in? It will be way too big, but it's better than nothing." And Ukai was right, it was almost like a dress for both of them, but it was good enough for the night. Tomorrow he would find a way to get some pajamas for them, with a lot of other stuff they might need.
"Guys, if you need anything, I am just one room next to you two. You can wake me up anytime. Okay?" He said when both the kids were under their blankets. They didn't say anything, but just nodded. Ukai expected that all three of them were probably not gonna have a good night sleep. Although his body felt tired, the thoughts in his mind were not gonna allow him any rest.
But they had to try at least, so he closed the door of their room and wandered to the bathroom to make himself ready for the night.
Before going to bed he remembered that he had to text Daichi. Hinata was important right now, but that didn't mean that he should completely forget about the rest of the team.
Hello Daichi. I hope that the training went well. I don't think I will make it to practice tomorrow morning, would you mind leading the training again? I have some exercises ready that you can use.
He typed a few training exercises that would be good for them and would fill up a morning training, before turning out his phone.
Ukai couldn't resist to peek into the kid's room. Surprisingly both of them were sound asleep. They looked so different when they were sleeping, they actually seemed a bit relaxed for once.
They looked so young and innocent. Ukai bit his lip. It was still all so fucked up. Only thinking about it made his blood boil, but there was not much he could do right now. He signed.
Seeing them sleeping, he realized how tired he was himself. It had been a weird day and tomorrow was going to be just as weird. Tomorrow they would need to find a plan how to handle this problem. He would need his rest. So Ukai tucked himself in his bed and fall surprisingly fast asleep.
-Haikyuu-
He woke up, he didn't want to wake up, but after 15 minutes of trying to get back in the unconscious state he was in before and failing, he opened his eyes.
To immediately close it again after a few seconds.
Everything hurt. From his lower back (probably because he fell asleep on the kitchen floor) to his head. It might be a good idea to stand up. Maybe to try to eat and drink something - although he would probably throw it up immediately - maybe even take a shower. Make himself a bit more human than he was feeling like at the moment.
But he just didn't care. What good would it do? It wasn't like anything mattered. There was not much left in his life to care about.
"You hit him, don't you? You hit your own son."
"Please Kageyama, please just leave."
"Look I am gonna make this plain and simple. I am going to take Hinata with me and you leave us alone. I will figure out what is going on, but if you truly abused him, I will make sure that you will never ever get close to him again. Understood?"
Memories of the events of yesterday flashed through his mind. They had taken his son away from him. Just like that. His wife was dead, his job sucked, and they took the one thing remaining. As if they understood anything about this whole situation. And Shoyo had followed them. Instead of staying with his own father, he had followed them.
A dark rage formed inside him. How dare they! Something deep inside him knew that it was his own fault, that this was what he had deserved. But that part of him was locked away at the moment. All he could think of was how everyone just left him.
The circumstances made him do what he had done, the kids should understand that. They should know that grief could do stupid things to humans. It wasn't his fault and now that idiot blond guy just took away his kids.
But he wasn't going to lose, he was going to get them back. They were his and his alone.
He tried to look up at the clock. It took him a while to be able to read it, his vision was a bit blurry — probably because he was still drunk. 6:30AM. He knew his kid pretty well, that stupid boy was probably at volleyball practice at the moment.
Yeah, he was going to show Shoyo whom he should listen too. Time to go find his son.
However, when he stood up, he felt a bit woozy. It took him almost a minute to steady himself. He needed a beer, even though there was still a bit of alcohol in his blood, he needed it.
He walked towards the fridge. It was stupid to keep drinking. It made him do and say stupid things - but his rational part was locked away at the moment. All he could think of was that the alcohol made everything so much easier. It got the edge of the darkest things. So, with new determination he stumbled out of his home and started the long walk towards the school.
-Haikyuu-
Meanwhile, Daichi was also standing outside. It was still early and it was pretty chilly. Soon he saw Suga and Asahi walk around the corner.
"Good morning!"
"Oh hey, good morning!" He yelled back at his friends. Like always, the three had decided to walk to school together. Soon they found themselves chit-chatting about irrelevant stuff, from school and homework, to the upcoming birthday of Suga's mom. The walk was only 10 minutes and before they knew it, they were standing in front of the club room.
"Oh, hello guys!" Nishinoya grinned, the guy had probably arrived a few minutes before them and was waiting on the stairs. Like always, the libero was beaming with an unhealthy amount of energy for such an early hour. "I am totally ready for this training. I can feel that I am gonna be awesome today. No, I feel that we all are gonna be awesome today. Whahaha!" He yelled out.
Daichi couldn't help but smile. The younger teen was a pretty good mood maker — as long as he himself was in a good mood. If Nishinoya was in a bad mood, well let's just say that the teen was even more a handful then when he was feeling happy.
"That's the energy we need Noya!" Said Tan aka, who had walked up behind them. "Let's be awesome on this beautiful Thursday morning."
"Exactly Ryu!"
The group of teens opened the club room and started changing. Soon Tsukischima — who was as gloomy as ever — and Yamaguchi joined. 5 minutes later and Ennoshita, Kinoshita and Narita walked in. Now they were only missing Kageyama — and Hinata of course, but Daichi doubted that the teen would come to the training. It seemed that he really had been serious about quitting.
As if Nishinoya could read his mind, the teen looked up and opened his mouth. "So, any news on Shoyo?"
Even though everyone kept doing what they were doing, it was clear they were all paying close attention to the new conversation. Daichi shook his head. "No, I wish I had something to tell you guys, but I still haven't heard back from Takeda."
"I still can't believe he actually wants to quit. It's so unlike Hinata." Tanaka said, while scratching the back of his head. "I mean, I know he has been going through some rough stuff, but still…"
"You can't disagree that he changed though." It was the first time Tsukishima opened his mouth. An uncomfortable silence followed. Daichi hated it, but he couldn't disagree with the first year. Hinata used to be a beam of light and energy.
Not that it was weird, his mom died for god's sake. Everyone would change after something like that. Daichi couldn't imagine having to lose his mom to cancer.
Hinata still had his moments that he would be happy and energetic, he would still giggle and smile during practice, he would still jump around and make jokes. But now that Daichi actually thought about it, it was different. The happiness felt almost forced and fake.
"I miss Shoyo." Nishinoya said while crossing his arms, almost looking like a little child. "And now Kageyama is also not here, just like yesterday."
"He could be late, you didn't get any cancellation from him, did you, Daichi?" Suga was done changing — normally the teen would already start with a warming-up in the gym, but the conversation kept him from away from leaving.
"No, he didn't notify me, so I don't know, he might be running a bit late." Everyone knew that that was far stretched. Kageyama was never late — normally the setter was the first on in the gym, if Hinata hadn't beaten him to it.
"Now that those airheads are not here, it does reduce the number of idiots in the gym from four to two." Tsukishima said with a grin, which gave him an angry look from both Tan aka and Nishinoya. Before one them could say anything, Daichi quickly clapped with his hands.
They needed to keep things focused, even if the team was missing two of their starting players.
"I know we are missing two important players, but that doesn't mean we can just slump away on the bench! We still need to practice, so that we can blow those two away when they come back!" He yelled. It seemed to motive everyone a bit more and now that he had their attention, all he had to do was put some fire under their buts. "We start with five labs of running than one lab of diving drills, then another five labs running with one lab of driving drills. I want you all to be ready in the gym in two minutes. Don't dare to slack off." He gave everyone his famous stern look and then sprinted to the gym.
Now that the coach and Takeda were not present it was his job to lead the team forward. Even though he himself felt uneasy with the new situation in their team, there was not much he could do right now.
He was almost a hundredth percent sure that both the coach, the teacher and Kageyama's absence in practice was related to Hinata's sudden decision to leave the team. From his conversation with Takeda yesterday, he knew that there was something going one that the teacher wasn't telling him.
And although he was curious, he also didn't want to intrude in business that wasn't his. It annoyed and worried him that he didn't know what was going on, but he also knew that if the coach and Takeda had got it covered everything was going to be okay.
Daichi really tried everything to keep everyone focused and motivated — even shouting more than he normally did. They were just twenty minutes in their practice when the door opened.
Kageyama was standing there, wearing his gym clothes. He eyed differently. His shoulders hanged a bit low, and he didn't really look anyone in the eye. He seemed tired, but not the kind of tired after a long run, more the kind of tired when you had a bad night sleep and long day ahead of you. The whole air surrounding him was just weird.
Okay, now Daichi was really sure that something was going on. This couldn't be coincidence, right? But it wasn't the time to ask questions, not when the whole team was breathing down his neck.
"Sorry that I am late." Was all the teen said.
"Ahh don't worry! It's good that you made it here. Why don't you start warming up, while we practice some serves." Normally he would scold the teen for being late, but Daichi was pretty sure that it was better to just let it go for now.
So, he clapped his hands together and let the rest of the team start with practicing their serves. After 10 minutes Kageyama had finished his warming up and joined them. The young setter hadn't said a word in the meantime — although that was actually quite normal for the teen.
Kageyama's serves were still good, but they lacked some of the sharpness that they usually had. No one commented on it though. It was as if the whole team knew that they should just let the teen be, even Nishinoya, who could be awfully blunt at times.
The team went through the training exercises given by the coach and soon there was only fifteen minutes left. Daichi wanted to let everyone start with a cool down, when the door of the gym opened again.
However, this time, the one standing in front of them wasn't someone they knew.
It was a middle-aged man, with orange-red wild short hair and a bit of a messy stubble beard. In one of his hands was a beer can, he used the other to support himself against the door — it looked like would fall down without it. Was he drunk?
Everyone fell silent at the unexpected visitor, even Daichi. Maybe it was because the guy seemed drunk, or maybe it was just the overall air surrounding this man, but Daichi immediately distrusted him. Something just made the captain feel on edge. So, he took a step forward, that way he was standing in between the team and this unknown man.
The guy eyed them all suspiciously and then opened his mouth. "Where is Shoyo?"
-Haikyuu-
So here is the next chapter! Sorry that it took such a long time! I hope you guys liked it! It's been a while since I ended a chapter with a cliffhanger, so I couldn't resist it!
In the meantime, I had a new idea for a fanfiction about the one and only Nishinoya Yu. I just posted the first chapter, so if you're curious, feel free to check it out!
Again thank you to animexwonder, Micam9, , doglover500, lemontarto, HOLAA913, 3, erikablair, Nightfury-of-Berk and all the guests that wrote a review! Thank you for putting up with my long breaks between the chapters!
I hope you liked this chapter! See you next time!
Stay safe and healthy!
XXX
-Meri