A/N: WARNING: DETAILED DEPICTIONS OF VIOLENCE THROUGHOUT ENTIRE CHAPTER (TW- Strangulation, beating, breaking bones, mild mutilation)
If you are uncomfortable with depictions of violence this is not the chapter for you. See end of chapter notes for a TL;DR
Hinata POV
Eyes opened slowly, itchy from crusted tears. He didn't move, instead he slid his eyes across his surroundings, noticing first that he was no longer in the dark. The building he was in was similar to the one they'd left, however it looked newer, less run down. High ceilings were lined with metallic rigs used for lifting boxes onto trucks, large bay doors were closed, and the small windows were painted black to dissuade anyone from peeking in. He sat on the cold cement floor beneath a set of metal stairs that led to a second story catwalk; an old metal lamp, the bulb aged and dim shone down upon him. He was seated with his back against the wall, his arms lifted slightly across his body. Handcuffs were locked around his wrists, keeping him bound to a metal Pipe in the shape of a sideways U that jutted out from the wall. There was evidence of dried blood beneath him- Hinata was able to deduce that this spot was used frequently for… unsavoury guests.
The cool bite of handcuffs was extremely uncomfortable on his raw wrists, the skin badly damaged from the zip-ties. He hurt all over, his head, wrists, ribs, stomach, well… essentially everything was a ball of ache.
Footsteps sounded on the catwalk overhead, causing Hinata's pulse to spike. He began frantically looking around for something, anything to use to defend himself. Nothing, he was completely at a loss. By the time the feet became visible to the young man as someone descended down the stairs, he was shaking so much that his teeth were clattering,
"Ah, so you're awake." Was the velvet voice of his captor. Igarashi crouched down next to the smaller man, reaching out and lightly running his finger across Hinata's cheek. Hinata could not physically push himself further against the wall as he shied away from the man. "With looks like yours, I'm sure I could get a pretty penny…" He mused, biting his lower lip. A small squeak of fear escaped Hinata's throat at the thought of being sold off on the sex market.
"P-please, I haven't done anything! Why are you doing this?" The words tumbled out of his mouth before he'd even considered speaking.
Glinting emerald eyes smiled as he moved his finger off of Hinata's cheek to ruffle his hair, "Haven't done anything? Oh child, you sealed your fate the moment you became involved with the Black Dahlia. Did the baby crow explain nothing to you?"
"So you make a habit of kidnapping and beating every Patron that enters the establishment?" Hinata spat, glaring daggers at the auburn haired man, "It's a miracle they're still operating then."
Suddenly Igarashi clenched his fist in Hinata's hair, pulling his face close. Hinata yelped at the painful sting of his scalp, but didn't drop his glare, "I'm afraid my underlings acted rashly, you after all we're not our target."
Hinata had figured as much, after all, what information could they hope to gain from someone unaffiliated to the yakuza or the lounge? "K-Kageyama?"
"Bingo," Igarashi sang, releasing his hold on Hinata's hair, "It appears we were too late. However I'm sure there is some sort of information we could pry out, so it may not be a complete loss.."
As if on queue, a number of men exited a room off to the side, one of them was rolling a cart covered in strange tools. Hinata, began hyperventilating. Muffled cries sounded along with the sounds of shuffling and struggling, and suddenly another form was revealed, bound and gagged, being dragged from the neighbouring room. He was a short man, much like Hinata, with light brown hair, and brown eyes. They bound him with handcuffs behind his back, a support beam for the stairs resting against his spine holding him in place. He was fairly roughed up, blood visible on the cloth gag, and in his hair. Igarashi stood between them, a disgusting grin on his face as he looked between his two "guests".
"This was the punk that was sniffing around the dock warehouses, boss," One man in a suit stated, bowing his head slightly as he spoke to the auburn haired man.
"Interesting… Increase the number of guards at the docks…" He mused, tapping his chin. Igarashi reached into his haori and drew a small blade, crouching before the newcomer. He hooked the blade into the collar of the man's black shirt and yanked, cutting the fabric with ease. He cut until the shirt peeled away, revealing the man's chest and shoulder. A black and white tattooed image of a cat stalking a snake was revealed, taking up the better part of the man's peck and shoulder. Igarashi made a number of tsk sounds, shaking his head. "Now, now, what could old Nekomata-sama have up his sleeve to send one of his precious kitties out into the snake's nest?" The man bound to the post remained silent, simply glaring at the man.
One brute reached down and removed the man's gag, however instead of speaking, the man simply spat a gob of blood onto his captor's feet.
Igarashi wasted no time, lifting his wooden sandal to push against the man's throat. A gargling strangled sound erupted from the maw of the bound man, as he writhed in his bindings. "How rude, this all could have been taken care of in a civil manner you know…"
The man gurgled more, apparently trying to speak this time. Igarashi released his foot, his arms folded within the draping sleeves of his kimono. "You've never-" The man burst into hacking coughs as he tried to clear his throat of blood and fluids, "been one to act with civility Igarashi-san."
Their captor laughed, deep and in his chest, his back arching slightly with the action. "Hmm, I'm sure my dear Nekomata-sama has regaled you with countless tales of my youth- I did after all make quite a name for myself and my family."
Hinata felt at a loss- he had no idea who this Nekomata was, or what it was exactly they were talking about.
"My underlings blunder has turned out to be rather fortuitous indeed!" He mused in a singsong voice, "To think, a sly cat would wander so quietly into my domain so soon after our dear Hinata-kun goes missing? Coincidence? I think not!" The bastard was enjoying this, and it made Hinata's skin crawl.
"The kid's got nothing to do with the Yakuza, why bother keep him?" The bound man asked, his eyes now looking over the small redhead, pale, bruised, and shaking.
"Hmm? Well, it's fairly simple kitty-kun, have you ever gone fishing?" The man crouched in front of Nekomata's pupil, who remained silent. "You see, sometimes you need to catch a little fish, to draw in the big one." He used his hands as puppets to demonstrate a small fish getting tailed by a larger one. Hinata was confused by this man, at times he seemed like a scary, calm, composed Yakuza leader… and others, it was like he mentally snapped along the way, treating everything like a game. It made him rather unpredictable, and even more frightening, "He wasn't the little fish we were hoping for, but he seems to be doing the trick, all the same."
"So you kept him as bait? Too bad all you got was a hungry cat then." The man grumbled.
Their captor sighed heavily, "Kitty-kun… no, what's your name?"
The bound man hesitated, simply staring at Igarashi, "Yaku."
"Well, Yaku-kun, I'm not idiotic enough to believe that Nekomata has any real interest in our bait, unless for some reason someone else involved him." He began reaching forward, poking Yaku with a long finger. Every so often he'd find some spot that was extra tender, which would cause the small man to flinch or gasp in pain. "No, I'll wait for the crows to come get their shiny object." He mused, looking over his shoulder at Hinata.
Igarashi stood, and approached one of the brutes, "Is everything prepared?" the nameless man nodded, "Good. No point in wasting an opportunity. If the main prize doesn't show up with the rest of the flock, we need to know where he's hiding. Get what you can from them." The man bowed as Igarashi began heading towards the stairs once more.
"Sir!" Another man barked, entering from a door that appeared to lead outside. "You've just received a call, apparently one of the ships scheduled to leave for Hong Kong has been detained by two members of the special gang task force." Igarashi halted, and scowled, turning to walk towards the man.
"Interesting development. Alright, I'll handle this. You lot be on guard, an attack could happen at any time." Igarashi changed directions and headed towards the man with the phone, wagging his fingers to request that he was to hand the phone over. Hinata didn't get a chance to listen into the conversation however, as some of the men in suits began taking off their jackets and rolling up their shirt sleeves.
A mixture of tattoos surrounded them, some of them had Japanese characters, while some looked foreign, with chinese lettering, and a different style of tattoo design. Yaku was staring at Hinata, his body visibly shaking, however his face remained stoic. "Don't worry Hinata-kun. It's going to be oka-" One of the men brought his boot down over Yaku's knee, meeting the joint with a sickening crack!
Hinata blanched as Yaku wailed in pain, his eyes wide and watering as he cried out until he ran out of breath, sagging in his bindings. One man with chinese tattoos crouched down next to the man with a hooked blade in hand. Another began to speak in Japanese, "Where is the head of the Ukai branch?" Yaku sobbed, but said nothing. The man with the blade moved slightly, so he was closer to Yaku's back. Yaku still didn't respond. The man with the blade shifted behind the bound man, but Hinata couldn't see what he was doing. Yaku began screaming again, his voice harsh and torn from strain. Hinata was feeling faint. He closed his eyes and sagged in his bindings.
The two gang members proceeded to cut into their captive, and ask questions, however after nearly half an hour, Yaku was close to unconsciousness, and they'd gotten nothing from him. A third man stepped forward, thin and tall compared to the two brutes. "Change of tactics. Bind his wounds, don't let him pass out." His japanese was rough, with a hint of an accent, however he wasn't showing off his tattoos. Instead he remained dressed in his suit jacket, hands in his pockets.
The two brutes followed his command, and roughly stopped the captives bleeding before splashing water on his face to rouse him. Yaku coughed, and rolled his head, trying to focus on his surroundings. The tall man nodded towards Hinata, and like obedient dogs the two brutes closed in on the redhead. "Tell me Yaku-kun, where have the Sumiyoshi-kai Lieutenants been meeting?" Yaku blinked lazily, trying to focus. "Where have they been meeting?" The man's voice was even, and controlled. When Yaku remained silent, the man nodded once.
Hinata was staring at Yaku with wide eyes as the two brutes closed in on him. Suddenly there was something around Hinata's throat, a rough rope pulled tight, hooking up underneath his jaw and cutting off his ability to breathe. Hinata immediately reacted, squirming, and kicking as he gasped for air which never came. In that moment he suddenly thought of Kageyama, writhing in his sleep, gasping for air as he dreamt of drowning. He thought about how he'd reached over in the night, and held onto Kageyama's hand, running his thumb in soothing circles over his sharp knuckles. Hinata stopped thrashing, however his body remained tense as he focused on the memory. Suddenly the rope was removed, and he was able to draw in a burning breath.
"Let's try that again. Where do the Lieutenants meet?" Yaku looked more alert now, his eyes wide with rage and pain as he glared between the three gangsters. Still nothing, "When did the meetings start?"
Hinata was shaking as he stared up at the brute with the rope in his hand, his heart pounding so loudly in his ears he could hardly hear the taller man speak.
"You do realize, we don't need the boy alive yes? When we found you, you revealed to us that the rest are soon to follow. They'll show up whether he's dead or alive." Yaku's eyes widened slightly at that realization. The tall man nodded again. The moment the brute with the rope began to move, Hinata began kicking again, crying out any insult he could muster, however most of it came out as a mess of sobs.
The air cut off from the young boy as the man pulled tight on the rope. Hinata could hear his heart pumping blood, rushing through his body and overtaking his auditory senses. He could taste bile on the back of his tongue, and was slowly losing feeling in his extremities. Blackness started ebbing into his vision, as the pounding in his ears slowly turned to ringing as he lost control of his thrashing limbs. As his eyes slowly began to flutter, he could barely see Yaku, shouting something though the sound never reached his ears.
Then the rope was gone. Hinata felt it, and yet there was no instantaneous breath of air. He sagged against the wall, unmoving, the darkness creeping in closer and closer. The brute with the rope knelt and leaned Hinata forward, pounding his flat hand across his back. Hinata coughed roughly, suddenly inhaling. The ringing in his ears doubled as he began coughing once more, sneaking breaths where he could. His body was a twitching mess, and his throat felt like hell. But he was breathing again.
"Hokkaido? Is it just the lieutenants at these meetings? Or are there heads of family there as well?" The tall man purred, his accent muddling his words.
Yaku bit his lip, glaring daggers at the man, "I'm not privy to that information."
Hinata heard a sob escape his damaged throat, he could imagine the man with the rope inching closer again. "P-please…. No…"
The rope closed in around his throat once more.
He was on his way home from class, yawning as he leisurely peddled his bike along the path. Course selection for the following semester was coming up, which meant he'd need to start thinking about how to pay for the semester ahead. He was already working two part time jobs, but perhaps he could take up a third. As it was, he was at least a year behind everyone else, if not more because he couldn't afford to take a full course load. His degree was going to take twice as long as usual due to his scheduling and funding. That wasn't to say it was completely uncommon, he had a few acquaintances in similar situations, so he found solace in that unfortunate comradery.
He picked up the pace a bit before slowing down as he reached the river. It was dark out, no need to take risks by pushing his speed next to the water. Brown eyes quickly glanced down the hill to the dark waters before he continued his travel.
Suddenly he slammed his bike to a halt, his eyes returning to the water. Had… had he just seen something move down there? Hinata dismounted his bike and set it against the barricade, not worried at this hour about theft, or strangers wandering by. He looked down again at the water, squinting.
Sure enough a dark shape bobbed down the river, every so often the moon catching a flash of something pale like skin. Hinata had jumped the barricade before even deciding that he was going to investigate. He threw his backpack next to his bike before sprinting down the grassy slope. The body was floating further away from him. He reached the edge of the grass and squinted at the retreating figure. He couldn't tell if the person was alive or not, but it was definitely a person.
Hinata jumped into the water towards the body, surfacing after a moment to move himself towards the floater. He thought back to his mother's teachings, getting an arm around the person's shoulders, and flipping them over so their head rested on his own shoulder before swimming to the nearest edge. Hinata was a fair bit smaller than this person, and their clothing was heavily waterlogged. He struggled to pull the man to the edge, swallowing a fair amount of water himself before managing the trek. Finally he got there, pulling the two of them onto the grass. He heaved and coughed before quickly turning his attention to the prone figure.
Brown eyes watched the man's still chest. He pressed his ear to the man's chest, hearing a very faint, buh-bump, buh-bump…
That was all of the motivation he needed. He tipped the man's head back, and opened his mouth clearing his airways before kneeling next to his chest. He stacked his own hands on top of one another, placing them in the center of the man's chest, he began to push. One, two, three, four, five… he pressed hard maintaining a fast rhythm. After thirty compressions, he moved to the man's mouth, tilting the chin again and looking into his mouth. Nothing. He pinched the man's nose, and brought their lips together.
The man's skin was cold. Hinata locked his mouth against the strangers and pushed air into him. Once, twice, three times. He watched as the man's chest barely moved with each breath. Quickly he returned to chest compressions. He continued this back and forth until his arms burnt, and a resounding crack sounded as a number of ribs fractured under the pressure. More breaths, then back to compressions. On the third time around, there was finally a response. The man began coughing and choking.
Hinata helped him tilt his body to the side a bit so he could cough out the water. Pretty soon he was breathing somewhat normally on his own, his dark blue eyes, like the depths of the ocean slowly opening.
Kageyama...
Water splashed over his face. Hinata blinked and sputtered, his throat feeling wrecked. He didn't know if he could even speak with the amount of pain his throat was in.
"Has Nekomata-sama and Ukai-sama met in the last month?"
"I DON'T KNOW!" Yaku wailed. Hinata could see him straining against his bindings as tears streaked down his face, "STOP IT! HE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS! I DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION YOU WANT!"
"Then we have no use for him."
"DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE! I'LL KILL YOU ALL IF YOU TOUCH HIM!"
"Such big words for a man incapable of doing… well, anything." The tall man nodded again.
Hinata didn't have any energy to struggle. He stared straight ahead at Yaku with eyes that displayed defeat.
This was it. This was how he'd die. Strangulation in some off the map warehouse, surrounded by strangers at the hands of the Yakuza.
The brute crouched again, this time with an elegant looking blade in his hand. He lowered the blade to Hinata's thigh and sliced deep. Hinata's eyes grew wide, but he made no sound other than a high pitched, inhuman sounding whine in the back of his throat. He hardly felt the cut, but the sight of blood bubbling so thickly out of the wound had him transfixed.
"I wonder, how long will it take for a boy that size to bleed out? He doesn't look like he's been eating or drinking much lately either…"
"Son of a bitch, when they come for me, and they will… I'm going to cut you open and display your corpse."
"Ohh, such colourful threats!" The tall foreigner mused, "Where is Ukai-sama."
"Listen! I'm not some cold hearted gangster that can just sit back and watch some innocent kid bite it! I'd fucking tell you if I knew!" Yaku growled, dangerously.
The man nodded again. This time the blade opened a long cut down Hinata's left side, running against his ribs, down to his hip. Hinata's head rolled on his neck as the burning heat that accompanied splitting flesh found his senses.
"What is Sumiyoshi-kai planning with the recent acquisition of the floating vessel Hiroshi, and the north eastern docks?"
Yaku's eyes were wide despite his own fatigue, flicking rapidly between Hinata who was slowly growing more pale, and the tall man. He was stuck, even Hinata could tell he was holding back on information now, silently measuring the worth of the information in comparison to Hinata's life.
The man nodded again, "You're running out of time, Yaku-kun."
The knife cut diagonally across Hinata' chest, the man having to reach through the younger's arms to gain access to the fleshy spot. Blood began to dye his shirt in a dark bloom.
Fading. He could feel himself growing colder by the second.
Yaku closed his eyes, and looked to Hinata. "I-I can't… I don't…"
Gunfire erupted outside the building, and everyone sprang to action. Weapons were drawn from within jackets as the men all dispersed to find the culprits, leaving Yaku and Hinata alone with the tall foreigner. He took a step towards Hinata, and tilted his head, his dark hair pushed back from his face, to reveal his mock saddened expression. "A pity, your friends got so close, only to lose you anywa-" The left side of the man's head exploded violently. The gunshot echoed noisily through the building, leaving Hinata's ears ringing once again. His body was all but dead wait, as he basically hung by his wrists. His limp body trying as hard as it could to be horizontal on the floor.
"K...yma….k...ym.." Hinata croaked desperately.
A/N: TL;DR - Hinata taken to a warehouse, along with a captured member of the Nekoma group. Igarashi's men torture both Yaku, and Hinata for information, revealing the location of the Lieutenants meeting. Hinata learns that Igarashi's family is interested in the recent acquisition of a large vessel along with a section of Tokyo's north eastern port. Hinata is grievously injured and is bleeding out rapidly when the counter attack comes, killing the strange foreigner who was questioning them.
ALRIGHT! Woohoo! #savehinata is underway! Hopefully this chapter makes some sort of sense, I'm dead tired from work, school, and weddings, so it also could be rubbish.
Thank you everyone SO much for your support, it literally brings me to tears to see people enjoy my /
Remember to follow me on tumblr Failsoup I'd love to chat about Haikyuu and other stuff with you all!
Also, just a random squee moment for me... My cosplay wigs and such arrived! (Well, ish... they're at the delivery point, but that's not open until monday, and I can't get it until wednesday, so SOON I will have Kageyama Tobio and Atsushi Nakajima cosplays for Vancouver's FanExpo which I will be attending in November! SQUEE
Excited to write the next chapter! Come on Team Dahlia! You can do it! Save our little ray of sunshine!