A/N: Holy smokes folks! Thank you SO much for all of the love and support! I'm ecstatic to be able to continue this work! As we are nearing the climax of the story, I'll just drop this in... I'm working on the next installation of the series! Who knows what kind of trouble these kids (well, not kids anymore!) might get into! As we still have a long ways to go with this story, Enjoy!
Kageyama POV
It was dark when he arrived. Slowly he worked his way up to the second floor exterior catwalk, one step at a time. Along the way he'd taken multiple rests, and now that he was at the apartments, he wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed. Reaching the top of the stairs he could see it, his door, second from the end unit, number 205. In the dim yellow light coming from the wall lamps, he could see a small figure sitting beside his door, knees bunched up to his chest and chin resting on top of the kneecaps. The small man's hair wasn't styled, his brunette locks falling lazily past his ears, while a blonde tuft sat stubbornly between his eyes.
The small man looked up at the sound of Kageyama reaching the top step, and nearly flew out of his seat in excitement. He sprinted over with bubbling energy, and nearly tackled the man with a hug. Kageyama coughed at the sudden impact, and wobbled on his feet. "THANK GOODNESS!" Nishinoya shouted, burrowing his face in the man's chest.
Kageyama set a hand on his head and pat him twice, before coughing out, "I'm home…. Uh Noya-san… thanks for welcoming me… but… cough… can't breathe." Noya released him with a startled, oh! Allowing Kageyama to take a deep breath. His ribs still hurt him, but at least breathing was easier.
Noya was fast to take the bag from Kageyama, and then his spare keys which Noya had sent with Hinata (his original pair currently resided in the riverbed somewhere). He worked the lock, flicked on the lights and the pair was hit with a smell. "Ugh… one of us should have thought to come here earlier and clean. You've been gone for a while…" He closed the door and laughed. "Here, stay the night at my place, and I'll get Tanaka-san tomorrow and we'll do a clean of yours, yeah?"
"Mmm", Kageyama was too tired to argue. He was beginning to sway on his feet, so Nishinoya took him by his arm, and led him next door to apartment 204. Unlocking the door, Noya led him inside. "Thanks…"
"Do you want to bathe first? You look about ready to pass out." Kageyama nodded at Noya's words, and even allowed the smaller man to assist in removing some of his clothing. "There's already warm water ready, go ahead and use the spare towel on the rack."
Noya's small apartment was a mirror image of his own, as was almost every unit except the corner suites. One small bedroom took up the rear of the apartment, with a small bathroom directly off of the open kitchen that led into a dinning, and sitting area. It was a tight space, only meant for one person to live in, but Noya always had things such as dishes, towels, and pillows set out for two. Nobody questioned why- after all he and Asahi had been trying so hard to keep their relationship a secret, so everyone just played oblivious.
The raven haired man removed the last bit of clothing, and stepped carefully into the warm bath. Noya's hair had mostly dried by the time Kageyama had arrived, so the water was cooler than completely comfortable, however it kept him from passing out in the tub. He scrubbed his body gently, and was out in no time. The towel that was set aside was twice as large as Noya's, and extremely fluffy; it was probably just washed that same day, but there was no doubt that this was usually Asahi's towel. The giant never would have fit one of Noya's regular towels. After drying himself off, he opened the bag that Noya had left inside the bathroom for him so he'd have clothes to change into. Underneath the clothing was a small medical kit, courtesy of Yachi-chan. He applied the ointment as instructed, and bandaged the stitching before slipping into a clean pair of briefs, shorts, and a t-shirt.
Noya had set blankets out on the sofa while he was in the bath, and was already lounging on top of them. "Oh! Good, I was beginning to worry that you may have fallen asleep in there."
"Ah, no… um, thanks again." Kageyama mumbled before losing a battle against a yawn.
"Here, take my bed tonight, go get some rest. We'll have your place cleaned up before you've even woken up tomorrow!" Kageyama bowed slightly and offered his thanks before entering the dark room and immediately collapsing onto the mattress to sleep.
He'd dreamt about drowning again that night, writhing and panting in his sleep. Around two in the morning, his eyes had shot open from the usual nightmare, his hands feeling around in a panic for the comforting grasp of Hinata's hand. The space next to him on the narrow bed was empty. He wasn't at Hinata's anymore, the lack of the smaller man's scent was enough evidence of that. Kageyama covered his eyes with his forearm and breathed slowly, trying to calm down. Why is it that when he was scared, he instinctively reached for the man? He felt lost at sea, and Hinata was a life raft that he'd fight to reach. Even in the darkness, he could tell his face was red.
It took him a while to go back to sleep, and even then the only thing that helped him drift off once more, was his imagination. He used Noya's second pillow like a body, wrapping himself around it. In his mind's-eye, his cheek was pressed to the redhead's chest, his arms wrapped around his too-narrow waist. Slowly, he managed to drift off to sleep again.
He woke earlier than expected, looking at the clock he noted that it was about ten in the morning. Slowly, he untangled himself from the pillow and blankets, rising from the mattress. Remembering that he was not in his own apartment, he made the bed, and quickly got changed; throwing on a pair of loose jeans and an white t-shirt, he exited the room. The apartment was empty, however the front door was propped open. The day was warm and none of the units came with air conditioners unless the tenants decided to install them on their own. Both Kageyama and Noya had failed to do that, so when the pair were around it was common to see their doors open on one end, and the windows open on the other to allow for a cross breeze. The familiar sight, and breeze immediately lifted the man's spirits. He was finally home.
Kageyama exited the apartment, taking a peek to the left to see a short, busty woman leaning over the railing looking out at the small apartment yard. She had a cigarette in one hand and a white bandana tied around her cropped bleached hair. As if she could sense him, she turned around and offered him a huge grin. "Tobio! Here I thought I could finally snag an apartment of my own!" Her voice was happy, however her eyes looked a bit damp, either from dust or relief that he was home in mostly one piece.
Saeko may have been Tanaka-san's biological sister, but to the folks at Black Dahlia, she was everyone's sister. Both her and her brother Ryu shared the second floor corner suite, one of the four two bedrooms available in the two-story apartment complex. Despite being Kageyama's neighbor, he didn't get to see her often, as she was often out on assignment. Unlike Nishinoya, and Kageyama, she was an affiliated member of the Yakuza, under Ukai Ikkei.
Kageyama walked towards her with a brisk pace, and stood next to her, hands at his side. He'd been like this when they'd found him too, many years ago. Silently needy, but unable to voice, nor act upon his more subtle emotions. He'd missed them all, he'd been worried about them all; he was so relieved to see them unharmed and healthy.
Saeko offered a soft knowing smile, and flicked out the cigarette, blowing smoke away from the man, before closing the space and hugging him. Not gently mind you. If there was one thing to say about the Tanaka siblings, gentle wasn't a word often used to describe them. Strong? Yes, protective? Yes, caring? Yes, times ten. Gentle…. Not so much. The 155cm woman lifted Kageyama's 180cm form at least a couple of inches off of the ground as she squeezed him. He coughed, and she laughed before lowering him, offering a heavy pat on the back. Despite the ache she'd awoken in his spine, and ribs he couldn't help but smile. "I'm home nee-san."
"KAGEYAMA!" oh god. The raven-haired man braced himself, and closed his eyes. Another set of arms enclosed him, and again he was lifted off of the ground. He could feel his shoulder getting damp as the man blubbered with tears. Once he was lowered, Kageyama opened his blue eyes again, his face wincing as the repetitive squeezing actually started to bother his injuries some. "I… sniff… I was so worried…sniff" Tanaka Ryu was a mess of tears as he stepped back from the younger man.
"Baka, you're making a fool of yourself." His sister cackled, leaving the pair to talk. She straightened the bandana up over her hair again and went back into his apartment.
Ryu rubbed at his eyes with his arm, as he tried to calm himself. "When that shrimp came by and told us you were alive… I was so relieved…" He stated, his voice wet with emotion. He looked back up to Kageyama and let his eyes run over the man's form, "Are you okay though? I expected much worse- to be honest."
Kageyama pat his shoulder and offered a small smile, "I'm much better now that I'm home with everyone." Those words set Tanaka off again, hugging (less forcefully now), and crying once more.
"Oh! He's awake!" Nishinoya's voice found them, approaching from the stairs. Next to him walked the large bartender, his hair up in a loose bun as the pair carried coffees and food from a nearby cafe. Kageyama felt his stomach grumble at the sight. Tanaka pried himself off of the younger man to allow the others a chance to welcome him home. Nishinoya asked him a few questions regarding his health before entering his apartment to set out food for everyone, while Asahi returned from inside now with empty hands.
"It's good to have you back, Kageyama-kun," His smile was soft despite his appearance, as was the large hand he'd set on the smaller man's shoulder. Kageyama shared a nod with him, before allowing him to lead the small group inside to partake in breakfast. Saeko was called in, along with another man who Kageyama hadn't seen in quite some time. Apparently he'd been inside assisting with the cleaning while the greetings had been happening.
Blonde hair with dark roots was pulled back by a headband, leaving a set of piercings in one ear visible in the daylight. Kageyama stood up straighter as he approached the group, paper plates already being filled with pastries and jam.
"Here I was worrying for nothin'." The man was wearing a red t-shirt, a black outline of a flower stitched over his heart. His arms crossed over his chest as he looked Kageyama over for debilitating injuries. "How bad?" The room grew quiet. So far everyone had avoided asking specifics, to save Kageyama the discomfort of discussing the trauma, but this man held no punches.
"Boss! Uh, oh… not bad. Nothing to worry about…" Kageyama stumbled over his words, looking at the man's chest instead of his face.
"Is that so? You can carry a tray then? Having one of our servers out of commission hurt business pretty bad. Short staffing weekend nights never goes well." The man scolded.
The room was quiet, Kageyama remained tense. Suddenly The blonde man cried out in pain. Saeko had kicked the back of his knee hard enough to make him stumble. "Don't be an ass to cover up your worrying, freaking mother hen."
A blush covered his ears as he blinked at her, a few snickers sounded throughout the room. Kageyama couldn't help the small smile that threatened his composure. He held Ukai, and his grandfather with the utmost respect, after all it was them who had saved him from a life on the streets… but he always forgot that despite the position he held as a young boss of a business, and a yakuza lieutenant under his grandfather, he still was one of them; one of the ramshackle family they'd pulled together.
Ukai sighed, and rubbed the back of his head. "Seriously, I'm glad you're alright… but after you eat, and relax a bit, we do need to have a discussion about your health and where that leaves us." Kageyama nodded at that, it was a reasonable request, "Alright, enough of the doom and gloom, give me some coffee."
It took the rest of the morning to finish eating, and catching up, and then the better part of the afternoon to finish cleaning. Throughout the day, a few others stopped by to say hello before everyone had to depart for work. Once everyone except Ukai and Kageyama had left, the younger man recounted the experiences of the last few weeks for the blonde.
"Huh, this Yachi girl sounds promising, might have to keep an eye on her career." Ukai mused, smoking a cigarette.
"I'd… rather they not get involved." Ukai turned to look at Kageyama, who was leaning against the railing of the catwalk.
"Understandable. It's just hard to come by reliable folks nowadays, and skilled ones at that." He mused, taking a long drag of nicotine.
"I'm honestly a bit surprised to see you." The younger man admitted after a few moments of silence.
"What, you expected me to stay up north when one of our own gets jumped, presumably killed?" Ukai's voice was flat as he spoke, his expression shadowed by the roofing over their lounging spot. The sun was setting, and it was making the man's expression difficult to read.
"Well… I mean… I don't know. I'm not a sworn member, and you were up there for an important meeting with… them." He didn't know the specifics regarding Ukai's trip to Hokkaido, however he knew that a number of lieutenants from families within Sumiyoshi-kai were meeting to discuss some of their Tokyo business ventures.
Ukai sighed, and tapped out his dying cigarette, "Listen kid, it doesn't matter that you aren't Yakuza. You work in my lounge, which is an affiliated business. You not only are family, but you are also an employee of that business. As far as I'm concerned, those punks attacked the Ukai name, not just you as an individual. Those suits up north have been worrying about the escalating violence in Tokyo lately too, they didn't even bat an eye when I left- though that isn't to say I didn't offend the shit out of them by doing so." He took a step towards Kageyama and placed his hand on his shoulder, "If you think any of us are going to let this go just because you're safe, you're wrong. You aren't the first person to be attacked in Sumiyoshi-kai territory, whilst being under our protection. We're going to stop this so you will have been the last."
Kageyama blinked up at him, looking rather shocked. He was taking this far more seriously than he'd expected. "Why such a serious response? It was a fight that Noya and I started to begin with…"
"The punks that you fought with, you think it's normal for them to just roll up in numbers in a random park at night? Why not hit a club, or something? Why a park?" Ukai asked, removing his hand from Kageyama's shoulder.
The younger man pondered for a moment, and shook his head, "They were dressed well enough to have been going out, and had women with them… not exactly normal for hanging out in a park."
"Noya-kun saw some tat's on them too. They're affiliated."
Kageyama's eyes widened, "What? To who?"
Ukai pulled out his cell phone and swiped to open his camera. A few more swipes and he had a poor quality picture of a tattoo on his screen. Chinese characters decorated a delicate blade, which was stabbed through a black and white koi fish on a man's bicep. "Not local, that's for sure."
"I-I don't understand."
"How much do you know about organized crime?"
"Not as much as I probably should, living in this world."
Ukai lit another cigarette, "Well, judging by the characters, we're dealing with a foreign cell. Could be Yakuza operating outside of Japan, however it's highly unlikely. More likely we could be dealing with a Mainland China criminal organization, or even Triad."
That word rang familiar with Kageyama, who stuttered, "T-triad?"
"Yeah. I've got some connections in Hong Kong who are looking into the tattoo, along with some connections here. It's been a couple of days since we snapped this picture, and sent word out, but hopefully something will turn up."
"Where was this taken?" The lighting in the picture was warm, and a soft brown leather seat was visible in the corner.
"At the Dahlia."
"They were there?" He shouted, back straightening, "How long have they been attending?"
Ukai nodded, and took a drag, "They started showing up a day or two after your disappearance. I arrived the day after your friend came by. Yamaguchi-kun managed to get this picture while bussing the nearby table." Kageyama gulped. There was no way the fight was random then. For them to show up in force in a park nearby their homes, then to show up repetitively at the Dahlia… they were circling like sharks.
"What are they aft-" He paused mid thought. They'd been at the Dahlia repetitively since his disappearance. They'd probably been there when Hinata… "Hinata!"
Ukai blinked at him as Kageyama all but ran to his apartment, leaving the door open to look for his cell phone. He nearly slapped himself, remembering that his phone was living in the bottom of a river now. Ukai had tossed his cigarette and entered the apartment, "The kid's fine. Sugawara-kun called him this morning to touch base. We'll keep in contact with him every so often to make sure nothing's happened, okay?"
Kageyama exhaled a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. His ribs hurt from that small run, and panic. "G-good." Suddenly something was being handed to him. He looked down to Ukai's hand to see a small silver mobile phone.
"It's a cheap one, just use it until you get one you like. Can't have you running around without the ability to call for backup, yeah?" Kageyama nodded at him and took it. "Also, until things cool off, none of you are to be wandering about alone. Go in sets of three if possible, but no less than two. I'll be heading to the Dahlia once Ennoshita-kun and Kinoshita-kun arrive."
Kageyama nodded again, and smiled a bit. He'd yet to see his two senpai's since arriving home, as they worked the day shifts at Black Dahlia. The two of them shared one of the two bedroom apartments on the first floor, along with Narita. While they were all workers at the Dahlia, Narita often worked nights as a Line cook, giving them opposing schedules.
As if on cue, the sound of car doors slamming caught the pair's attention. Ukai sighed, "That'd be Saeko. Pray for me, would ya?" Kageyama chuckled and saw the man out. Sure enough a black sedan was parked haphazardly on the curb, and two men were approaching the compound. They saw Kageyama and waved, jogging to reach the pair faster. "Alright you three, you don't have to sleep together or anything, but keep your phones handy, and your attention peeled for trouble. If anything seems off, congregate in one of your apartments." The three all responded in unison, and offered the man a small bow. Saeko honked the horn, and Ukai rolled his eyes.
"Why is she the dedicated driver again?"
"It's almost more dangerous than the threat of an attack…"
"I regret my life choices." That one was Ukai, as he waved goodbye and head for the car.
The three of them hung out at Kageyama's for a bit, the two older men drinking beer, while Kageyama stuck to tea as to not mix alcohol with his pain meds which he was still taking, though measurably less.
Three days passed with relative peace, however again, Kageyama was going stir crazy. "Why don't you just come to the Dahlia and help out a bit if you're so anxious to do something?" Noya asked, tying his shoes outside the apartment so he could talk to Kageyama.
"Ukai doesn't want me straining myself for another week… That and I can't really carry any trays yet." He held up his wrist which was still wrapped in the brace.
"I'm sure if you showed up he'd find you something non strenuous to do." Narita had approached behind them, car keys in one hand. "Those two will be fine here on there own." He motioned to the compound below where Ennoshita and Kinoshita were tying up trash bags.
"You sure?" Kageyama asked, looking down at them, Ukai had said stick in threes…
"I'm sure. Go get dressed or we'll be late."
He was glad he'd come out. Being back at the Dahlia was nice, and had everyone pretty weepy, seeing him back at work. Ukai had him change roles with Sugawara that night, acting as a host, while Suga served tables. He mostly stayed near the front booth which they'd set up with a stool for him to sit on while people approached to pay, and he would seat them as they entered. By the end of the night Ukai had agreed to let him take on his usual shifts this way until he was given a clean bill of health. Finally things were getting back to normal.
What wasn't normal was that nobody had heard from a certain red head since the last time Suga called. Kageyama asked about it, but Sugawara had simply responded that it really wasn't that odd, he'd only ever called once or twice in the past, it was primarily Nishinoya who'd done the calling.
Kageyama sighed, but accepted that truth. Still, something sat odd with him about the silence. Perhaps Hinata really had only helped him, and was simply moving on with his life as if nothing had ever happened. It wasn't like they were friends or anything…
Three more days passed. Rain poured down the window as Kageyama sat on his bed, looking out at the damp world. It was a monday on a holiday, and the lounge was closed for scheduled maintenance. Whether that was true or just a cover for underworld doings, he didn't know. However, it made the compound a busy place. He could hear people conversing through the fairly thin walls, and the gang had proposed a potluck at Tanaka's place that night. Yeah, despite the rain, everyone was at full energy. Except Kageyama. While he looked out the window he held onto a soup can, and began exercising his wrist, rotating it around slowly. It was uncomfortable, and borderline painful, but he was improving.
Why hadn't he heard from Hinata? Had anyone tried to contact him? Ukai had said they'd check on him now and then, how often was that supposed to be?
He opened his phone and text Sugawara, "Hey, do you have Hinata's number? I think I should che"... He hesitated, then erased the message. "Hey, send me Hinata's number- might invite him to the potluck tonight. You know, as a thank you." He hit send. He didn't want to come off as a worry-wort.
An hour went by as he continued his slow exercises, making sure to work on a mixture of muscle groups while still being careful of injuries.
Finally his cell beeped, alerting him to a text message, "Hey! Sorry, was out shopping, here it is! # *** *** ****. I thought you didn't want him involved?"
Kageyama mentally face palmed before texting back, "Well, I'd rather he avoided the Lounge, but it should be fine here. It's not like I'll force him to come."
A few moments passed before, "Ah, yes, right then! ;P"
Kageyama stared at the text, visualizing perfectly Suga's face winking with the tongue out. His face got red, was he being teased? He shook the thought away and dialled the number given.
Click, "The number you have dialled is not available in this region, please phone an operator for assistance. The number you have dialled is not available in this…" He blinked, letting the automated message wash over him at least a dozen times before hanging up. He double checked the number Sugawara had given him. Quickly he shot a text to Nishinoya, asking the same thing. The number he received was identical. Why… His heart sunk into his stomach. Something had to have been wrong.
Quickly he shot up from his bed and exited the apartment, ignoring his bare feet. His fist rose as he knocked on the neighbouring apartment door. It took a moment, and he could hear scuffling inside, but soon Noya appeared, his hair tousled and his cheeks red. "Ah! Sorry, was just uh, practicing some grappling, you know in case those punks show up again!" Behind him Kageyama could see Asahi in the shadows throwing on a shirt.
Kageyama brushed all of that aside, even forgoing joking about the horrible excuse. "Noya-san I think something's wrong."
His brow rose, as he looked the taller man over, "With…. Your health?"
"No, with Hinata-san." He held out his phone and put it on speaker, then redialed the number. The automated voice sang out once more.
Noya frowned and looked a the phone, before pulling his own out of his pocket. He too dialled the number. Same outcome. "I don't... "
"Before I left, something felt off. Hinata-san kept getting random phone calls during the day but then nobody would respond, they'd just breathe into the phone. It had spooked him pretty bad, but I hadn't really thought much about it at the time. His number isn't publically listed or anything."
Asahi approached and stood behind Noya, frowning. "That does sound fishy. Anything else happen?"
Kageyama shrugged, "It's possible the tattooed guy was at the lounge when Hinata came by, they could have seen his face."
"He'd used your name out in the open that day too…" Noya mused, he was chewing his lip in thought. Quickly he used his phone again, dialing a number. "Hey Suga-san, yeah. Could you round up everyone a bit earlier than planned? We might have a problem. I'd like to get everyone together to discuss. Meet at the Compound asap."
With that he hung up and directed Asahi and Kageyama to get everyone out of their apartments who lived in the compound and have everyone go to Tanaka's.
It didn't take long to round up the locals, Saeko, and Ryu started making room for everyone immediately; Kageyama arrived with Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita in tow; while Noya and Asahi retrieved Tsukishima from his first floor apartment. A frown was creased on his face as he grumbled about meeting up early being a drag. They chatted lightly about any sightings of the tattooed brutes, or any weird happenings to take note of, and fairly soon the rest began to arrive. Ukai, Daichi, and Sugawara arrived together, and Yamaguchi arrived with two of the Dahlia kitchen staff, Takinoue, and Shimada. The apartment was noisy with chatter, and once everyone was settled, Ukai cleared his throat and clapped his hands.
Slowly silence fell, save for the small sounds of people sipping drinks. "Alright, as you all may well know, members of this family have been targeted by a foreign entity. We don't have any news regarding who they are or what they are really after, but we have reason to believe they are behind the near fatal attack on Kageyama-kun." He paused for effect, "that being said, the individual who rescued Kageyama might be in a spot of trouble." He sat down, motioning to the raven haired man to pick up where he left off.
Kageyama slowly stood, feeling uncomfortable with all of their eyes trained on him. He gulped. "Before I returned, Hinata-san received a number of strange phone calls. The person on the line never said anything. His number isn't listed anywhere, so I don't know who has been calling him, or how they got his number. On top of this, we attempted to make contact with him earlier today, but his line has been disconnected." Kageyama felt his hands shaking, so he pushed them into his pockets, "this isn't just about his safety. He's got a younger sister in high school too." His eyes travelled over their faces, every expression was serious and alert, even Tsukishima was leaning forward in his seat, hands clasped tightly.
Kageyama slowly sat again, unsure of what to say. The room was quiet as everyone pondered. Finally Sugawara stood, looking stern; "Kageyama-kun, can you think of any place Hinata may be?"
Kageyama thought for a moment, "He has a friend who is a nursing student, but I don't know how to contact her outside of contacting him… other than that, I know he's a sports science student at Waseda University."
"That's a good place to start. Okay. I think we should break into teams. Some of us go check on Hinata's home, some of us follow the Waseda lead." Suga was planning as if a disaster had just struck.
"That sounds like a solid plan. Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita you three will stay here and keep in contact with the multiple teams, and keep us up to date and organized," Ukai stood and began formulating the details, "Sugawara, Daichi, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi, you four are on Waseda." The four of them nodded, Daichi pulling his car keys out of his pocket. "Saeko, take Takinoue, and Shimada with you and go to the police-" her face looked like a mixture of offence, and disgust, "check for missing person reports. You don't have any active warrants on you right?"
"Just some speeding tickets," someone whispered, before receiving a death glare from her.
"Alright. Kageyama, Asahi, Nishinoya, Tanaka. You're with me. We're going to check out the apartment." Ukai stated. They were going to get to the bottom of this.
Kageyama managed to direct the group to the apartment in just under an hour. They found parking a few blocks away in a sheltered lot, inconspicuous, and out of the rain. The four of them had changed before leaving, donning disguises to make them appear like respectable people. Ukai wore a long-sleeve beneath a rain jacket to cover his affiliation tattoos, as did Tanaka, who had been sworn in earlier that year. Asahi wore a hat and a zippered sweater, while Noya, and Kageyama dressed as they'd assume college students would. Jeans, sneakers, t-shirts with bad band logos on the fronts, and cozy sweaters. Everything they wore was easy to move in, though if it came down to it, Kageyama knew he wasn't yet up for a fight.
They approached the apartment and did a quick look around the exterior of the building. Asahi was quick to find something, and he waved them towards the rear of the building. A metal door leading into the basement was partially open, the handle having been broken off. "So glad to see he lives in an upstanding part of town…" Nishinoya half joked, though his voice was nervous.
They opened the door to find it led into a small storage room. Another door sat across from it which also had a broken lock. The group carried on inside, passing through that door to find service stairs leading up to the main floor. This wasn't looking good. They moved quietly through the halls, and upstairs until they were on Hinata's floor. Some sounds of life came from a number of suites, but overall the building felt deserted. Kageyama stepped in front of the door and knocked.
Nothing. He knocked again. Still nothing. Frowning, he tried the door handle. The portal opened with ease. That door should have been locked. He pushed it the rest of the way open and was greeted with dark, diffused light and the smell of a place that hadn't been touched in awhile.
Ukai pulled on his shoulder, getting him out of the doorway and against a wall. He nodded at Asahi, who took his place holding onto a shocked Kageyama. "Keep him safe." The blonde mouthed silently.
Ukai entered first, carefully. From under his jacket he drew a gun, but he kept it at his side. Next was Tanaka who had a blade in hand, and the Nishinoya who was shaking slightly. A few minutes of quiet went by before Ukai's voice reached them, "All clear."
Asahi placed his hand on Kageyama's shoulder and led him inside the dark apartment. Immediately he knew his suspicions had been correct. For one, there was no power, for two, the apartment was in a horrible state of disarray, and for three… the bathroom door had dried blood all over the bottom half.
Kageyama felt faint, his knees wobbled, and thankfully Asahi was there to support him as he teetered, his breath coming fast. Ukai was suddenly at his side, holding his chin, "Kageyama calm down, we're going to figure out what happened, okay?" Tanaka worked together with Noya to flip over the couch, and together Ukai and Asahi got Kageyama seated on the cushions. "Just focus on breathing."
While he focused on calming down, the others began to take in the damage. "I don't think all of this was done in a fight, the kid is quite small… they probably ransacked the place to make it look like a robbery." That was Asahi, as he observed the broken lamp.
"This blood, it's been dried out for a while, a few days at least." Noya stated, sounding scared to voice this news out loud.
"They could have climbed through the window, but I figure they actually came in the same way we did." Kageyama looked up at Tanaka who was gazing out the broken window, his feet standing in a puddle caused by the rain.
Ukai finally sighed, "Kageyama, do you know of any where Hinata-kun may have held contact information for this Yachi-chan?"
Kageyama felt useless, he shook his head.
"Alright. Let's get out of here then, I'd rather not find out if they're still watching the place."
They reported via cell phone back to Ennoshita before making the trek back. Everyone was quiet on the way home. A call came in and soon Ukai was turning the car around. "What is it?" Kageyama asked, looking confused.
"That call was Narita, apparently they've located Hinata's friend, and sister."
They pulled up at a police station soon after, and hopped out of the car. Ukai and Tanaka stayed behind, and left to drive around the block. The three others ran inside, only to find Saeko's team talking to a small blonde girl and young redhead. The young high school girl flung herself at Kageyama immediately and started punching his chest as she cried, "It's all your fault! Oniisan would be safe if you hadn't showed up!"
Yachi quickly took action and pulled the young sister off of him, covering her mouth with one hand. "Natsu-chan! That's enough!"
"It's… she's right." Kageyama stated quietly. Everyone looked at him.
"Don't you dare say that." Yachi's voice dropped, she had tears in her eyes, "You didn't ask to be injured like that! It's nobody's fault but those who are behind this!"
Natsu had given up her attack in favour of quietly sobbing. Saeko approached and put her hand on Yachi's shoulder, facing the men, "What did you find?"
"T-the place was trashed… we don't know how long ago, there was blood…" Noya's voice shook. Yachi's eyes flicked to him, fear apparent. Natsu sobbed harder.
"He was supposed to-" She hiccuped, "call me in the morning… That was five days ago! We've been coming here every day asking for news..."
Kageyama went white. He'd been missing for that long? It must have happened just after he'd left.
"The strange calls had happened a lot right after you left Kageyama-san, but Hinata had been at school… He'd called before heading home and told Natsu to pack her things and come stay with me because he felt like something was going to happen." Yachi offered, hugging Natsu fiercy.
Kageyama pressed his palms against his face, and muttered "It's all my fault…"
"The cops aren't being of much help either," Shimada offered, shooting a disgusted look at the desk sergeant, "They said that they don't have enough man-power to look for every missing person out there, but I doubt they've even considered putting in any effort." It was well known that not only was the local police force understaffed, but they were fairly untrustworthy to boot. They'd play fetch if someone made it worth their while. Shimada pointed silently to a large cork-board filled with missing persons posters. Hinata's was the newest, his orange hair and bright smile catching the eye.
"Should we take them to the compound? It might be safer?" Saeko offered, her hand still resting on Yachi's shoulder, a comforting weight.
"Honestly I'm not sure, that might just put them in more danger…"
"Whoever is behind this might be after them next, we could at least protect them if we're near by…"
"Phone Ukai, get his take."
The group debated for a short while before finally deciding to bring the two girls back with them.
Once they returned, Kageyama set the pair up in his apartment, seeing as it had received a thorough leaning the most recently, and was positioned between two Dahlia employees. He sat outside the apartment door with his face buried in his arms which rest on his knees.
The waseda group had returned with some unsettling information. All they had to do was ask for Hinata's number because a family member had been in an accident, and the university staff had readily handed over not only his phone number, but they also had access to his address. They'd asked who else had received this number, and apparently an uncle had requested it some time ago. On top of that, their office had been broken into about five days ago, and some files had been moved around, including Hinata's.
They'd found him through his university. He'd gone to the Dahlia straight from school, he probably had something with the logo on it on his clothing or bag. Kageyama groaned into his arms. Why hadn't he predicted this?
A shadow crossed him as someone stood in front of the wall lamp, "Come inside, we've got news."
Asahi helped him stand, and led him indoors. A map was laid out on the kitchen table and everyone was pouring over it. "We've got some good news, cameras at the school picked up the identity of our dear uncle." Takinoue began, a small frown on his face, "His name is Maki Hiroto- he's a well known bruiser for a Lieutenant of Inagawa-kai branch." A few faces fell at the sound of that. It was one thing for a no-name gang to come after them, and another for a yakuza of the same branch to mess with them… but this was another family to which they might not have good connections with.
Ukai took over, "Our dear Lieutenant is Igarashi Tatsuo, a shipping tycoon that has his fingers in a lot of business." He tapped a port dock in the southern part of Tokyo Harbour, "Igarashi owns a number of shipping docks and warehouses here, and also some warehouses north of the city. If I were a betting man, I'd say he's making use of the docks, but the docks naturally would be primed with a heavier guard. Lots of illegal shipments come through here, so it's not a stroll in the park. However, let's be glad we've got friends in high places, yes?"
"Ukai-san, we got the green light from Nekomata-sama," Shimada supplied, approaching the table, stuffing a cellphone in his pocket. A few eyebrows rose.
"Those cats actually agreed to get their hands dirty?" Saeko asked, looking quite surprised.
"We need people who are experts at being places they shouldn't be. Nekomata-sama has a number of talented youngsters under his wing who know the city like the back of their hands." Was Ukai's simple response, "With their help we'll be able to cover more ground."
"He said he'd send over a couple of his boys to coordinate with us. They should arrive within the hour."
"Thank you Shimada. I'm sure we're going to develop quite a debt with that old man." Ukai grumbled, "Any news on our boys in blue?"
"You're going to involve the cops? That's dirty business!" Saeko snapped, slamming her fist on the table, "Those fucking pigs don't differentiate friend from foe! Once they help us, we'll be next on the menu!"
"Saeko…" Ukai warned, "You think I haven't thought this through?" She huffed, but let him speak, "We aren't involving the police on official business, but a few of those boys owe me. I'm cashing in. All they're going to do is give Igarashi a bit of a hard time, get him out of the way."
"You better hope they don't decide they'd rather a promotion than a settled score…" She muttered, looking royally pissed.
"I'm not going to lie, there is a lot at risk for this plan, and it is to save someone who isn't one of our own. I'm going to give each and every one of you who isn't a sworn member the chance to back out. This could get dangerous, and it could bring down a lot of heat on our heads." Not a single person moved from the table.
"With all due respect, Boss, Hinata-kun is one of ours" Noya stated over the silence. Kageyama gulped back some rising emotion, looking between all of the faces of his family. They had always been fiercely loyal. He wanted so much to be able to get a message to Hinata. We're coming for you.
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! That was a long one I know, but have no fear! Team Dahlia is on the way to the rescue!
(#savehinata) - me being extra as hell.
As always, feel free to leave some love! I'm always so curious as to what you are all thinking, and am loving the encouragement and feedback!
I'm also curious as to who in the Haikyuu-verse you all might want to see as a focus in some of the upcoming series installations! I literally have entire lives planned out for pretty much all of the characters in this Alternate Universe, so bring it!
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