YEAR FOUR.50 1/2 Dyspathy
The wings of transformation are born of patience and struggle. ~Janet Dickens
~Seven Months Later, Early Autumn~
Keiji Akaashi moves into position for the set off Yaku's receive in the waning fall light.
It has been over eight months since the earthquake.
Sheru Bay is well on its way to being rebuilt, the beach crew having had a hand in supplying much of the muscle to do it. The docks have been restored and ships now come in again, several of the mainstay shops have been replaced, and almost a third of the homes stand once more. Ukai has his shop back as do Sugawara's relatives. A small section near the center of the docks where the main road meets the ocean had been set aside as a memorial for those lost, a Volley net erected there that sees daily use by the inhabitants of the small coastal town.
Saeko Tanaka had stayed close to a month, the blond woman a hurricane of a personality on her own let alone surrounded by the rest of them, and everything had seemed… quieter since she'd left. Akaashi hadn't minded the constant bickering with her brother and the other former sentries, had found it quite endearing, actually. It was fascinating to see a facet of the world the Karasuno group had come from, and it was somehow gratifying to instantly have been inducted into her line of fire—Akaashi knew that Bokuto'd been secretly stoked to have caught flak from her as much as any of the others for scarfing down a meal she'd made far too quickly to have actually tasted it.
They were all so used to the reserved Shimizu and flighty Yachi that having another female as loud and colorful as Noya and Tanaka was initially intimidating for everyone except the Karasuno unit. The female crow's ease in readily assuming an older sister role with them all—even Kuroo, which the black cat hadn't quite known how to handle—and the confidence with which she'd slipped into it had been slightly unsettling. She'd taken the reality of the unusual number of level pairs among them in stride, too, it seemed; she'd been appropriately flabbergasted for several moments when Tanaka had awkwardly explained his own situation, but she'd been largely unfazed by most of it.
Although, it had frankly been hilarious watching her catch Tanaka in a headlock and threatening him with monumental amounts of pain if he so much as looked at little Natsu wrong for the next several centuries as she was getting ready to leave. The bald crow had managed to look horrified in her chokehold while Natsu had simply stared at the spectacle with a bewildered expression. She'd had that kind of effect the entire month she'd spent with them—during which time they'd seen an unusual amount of Ukai as well. Word from Yaku was that there was a very good reason for that…
They'd finished rebuilding their beach house only last month in close to the same place it had been before. They'd done their best to keep it the same as it had been, but they had made the front room bigger to accommodate what seemed like an ever-growing number of people. Ukai had even pulled some strings and had a massive pane of glass shipped in for the big picture window— something Lev had been slightly less than impressed at. Among the many things Saeko had brought with her were cooking utensils, household items and everything that had belonged to the former first unit including bedding and clothing that had been sent along by their parents which helped to outfit and stock their new home.
The beach itself is much different than it used to be, though; much of the shoreline weathered away completely and the ocean is now closer to their front door. A new net had had to be set up on the other side of the small stream in order to avoid the high tide line, and it was almost out of sight of their new home. Once again, Ukai had come through for them and secured a sack of Volley balls for the town so they could actually use it.
It had taken Lev and Yaku about a month before they stopped glowing, indicating that they were completely recovered; Kuroo had taken longer. The black cat had glowed a brilliant red every night for close to six weeks, and it had made him a bit sullen; to be fair, it had been something of a blessing to have Saeko halfway filling that 'sibling' position while he'd been laid up. It had been like getting a glimpse of Tanaka's potential future, and alongside Daichi, she'd very much kept things running smoothly while the black cat had been restricted on movement. The first night he hadn't lit up, he'd gone for a cup of sake the next morning and had promptly joined the others in helping rebuild Sheru Bay.
To the surprise of everyone, no one had seen Tsukishima glow during his recovery. It had made the ibis completely salty when Bokuto had asked him about it and Yamaguchi had quietly explained that they weren't, in fact, levelers. And the quiet breath of pity that everyone had breathed around them had only served to make Tsukishima all the more cranky. Yamaguchi had once more pleaded for their austerity with their interest of any type into the matter, that they didn't need the empathetic looks and murmured sympathies. They were aware and they didn't really care whether they were levelers or not; they intended to stay together regardless. The one who'd managed to do just that the easiest had been Hinata. Akaashi had asked him about it one day and the redhead had turned to him with a thoughtful expression.
"I think they actually are. They aren't as physical as the rest of us, so I don't think they know how to initiate the 'binding' effect. But if they really aren't levelers, I would commend them for staying together when they are surrounded by the rest of us. I think it would take a lot of courage to do something like that, and to pity them in that case would be to insult that resolve."
Akaashi had been quietly surprised at the redhead's rather profound remark— and it had been easier to accept with his insight. Even so, they still had three glowing pairs, down from five at the beginning of the summer.
Asahi's wing had mended itself with impressive speed given how many places it had been broken. The large crow still couldn't fly, but he could bend the wing at all the right joints now, and they all were waiting for him to take to the air once more. Natsu still glowed obliviously, but she'd begun itching the ends of her wings something fierce, and they'd all been awed and ecstatic when the buds of new feathers had shown up. Hinata still glowed as he had every night for over four years.
All in all, it had been a full summer.
Akaashi sets the ball for Bokuto just a touch higher than normal, his gaze sharp and focused. The other owl still isn't quite set to hit after diving for a glance off a block as the ball leaves Akaashi's fingertips; the extra height will give him that split second he needs to analyze its path and line up his attack. As Akaashi drops his arms and sinks down for a block follow, the streaked owl's eyes snap to the floating target, his feet shifting into place without thought.
And then the muscles in his shoulders and back ripple, his arms leading his first step before whipping behind him on the next as his body coils to leap. There's a tautness in his wings, but they barely shiver as his feet come together, his arms driving forward once more. The owl leaves the ground, his back arching with steep inversion as his hand pulls back to swing. His body snaps forward, his hand connecting with the ball, his arm completely extended in perfect tandem with the toss.
Akaashi can't help but be awed at the fluid execution, at the way Bokuto's momentary lapse of balance compromised none of the power of the hit.
There's no way anyone can touch it.
He almost relaxes in his stance before he catches a glimpse of orange hair—and he's instantly back on high alert. The shrimp has massive hops and maddening hang time, and he reads hits well enough to be a threat… even with his performances slipping the way they have been the last few months.
It must be a good day, because he's well in place to slow down the hit. It pops up off his palms with a crack that follows the one from Bokuto's hand so fast that Akaashi is confident that if the redhead had been just a little faster and had his hands roofed correctly, he'd be eating it before Bokuto ever touched the ground beside him again. Instead, it flies high off his hands, giving Noya plenty of time to react on the other side of the net.
Akaashi is secretly relieved that they have Yaku on their side; the typical lineup on the other side is formidable in any capacity, Hinata's declining performances notwithstanding—and the small cat is truly a gift to match the unsung strength of the godlike reflexes of the smallest crow on the other side. The two back row players' sheer ability and skills are pretty even and Akaashi is glad they have an asset like that on their side, too.
The former Karasuno unit members frequently stick together, but they occasionally mix up the teams for variety. He'll set for Bokuto any day, could do it in his sleep, but Akaashi enjoys the challenge of trying to match sets to others besides the streaked owl. He regularly sets for Kuroo and Lev and frequently the thrush when he isn't rotating in on the other side, but switching it up keeps him sharper.
The ibis is collected and methodical and as long as Akaashi gets it up high enough for him, the blond can adjust and find his own stride. Asahi is frighteningly powerful, his hits echoing off his hands like Bokuto's, and Akaashi always feels a thrill in his gut when he can sync with the large crow. Daichi might not be the strongest hitter but he's steady whereas Tanaka is the opposite and a complete wildcard.
The bald crow reads sets well and can adjust to anything, so Akaashi has really struggled to pin down a good set for him. The slender owl's mouth sets just a touch. The last time he'd sent him a toss, the bald crow had hit it off his left hand and it had still flown as if it were his dominant arm… it had honestly made Akaashi's eyebrow twitch, and he'd been tempted to just throw his hands in the air and tag Suga in for the next play.
But there's one person he rarely sets for.
The only two that are never apart are the dark-haired crow setter and his fiery leveler. If Hinata is playing, Kageyama is right next to him, his designated setter— exclusively. Kenma has no issue letting the crow run through endless tosses with the redhead, and remarked on how he'd been only too happy to pass that task off when Kageyama had gotten used to not using his wings.
"I can't slack at all when Hinata is hitting… he'd know it." The golden cat had said simply, a quiet smile at the edges of his mouth.
Akaashi imagined that would make sense—Kageyama was always dead on with his sets, every one of them nothing less than perfect. The black-haired crow had even tossed a couple for him and he'd had to agree with the sentiments of Tsukishima… it was disconcerting to have the ball placed so perfectly for a hit every time.
That wasn't to say he didn't like them—they were freaking awesome and made you feel like you couldn't miss, but the eerie accuracy of the crow really made him wonder if Kageyama were somehow more than human. Tsukishima had hypothesized that his mad skills at Volley contributed to the reason for his personality deficit; he was that good at Volley so he had to fail at something else and that just happened to be human interaction.
The ball comes off Noya's arms with controlled precision and Kageyama barely has to move from his position. Akaashi's eyes dart between the Karasuno players, his mind racing to determine who's most likely to get the toss. Kageyama is up out of the back row so they have three front line hitters available, but Asahi's back row attack is still powerful in its own right. Tanaka's wild hits are always a gamble, but they can easily return results if misread. Daichi has mastered a swing hit that cuts across court and hits just in bounds almost every time. And of course, there's Hinata.
It hasn't happened as often lately with Hinata's growing limitations, but they seem to be clicking today. Which means the little bugger is damn hard to read and tougher to follow when he turns on a dime to find the hole in the blocking line. Kageyama's wicked fast and spot on tosses have the redhead scoring almost before their team can react sometimes.
But even if he's playing today, Shouyou's movements have still been pretty stiff, and they've only gotten off a couple real shots. The redhead zips forward regardless, before sidestepping to the right and Akaashi glances at Kageyama for any clue, but he's as collected and on point as ever, his eyes focused on the ball. Kuroo subconsciously shadows Hinata a half step and Akaashi knows Kageyama won't miss it. The ball isn't going to go to Hinata.
The ball leaves Kageyama's fingers as Hinata leaps… but it's heading for Tanaka. Akaashi wants to scowl. One on one, Tanaka can usually beat a single blocker; he hopes Yaku is ready to taste some sand for this one.
But out of the corner of his eye, he sees Kuroo's dark hair and a flash of smirk as the middle whisks to his side.
The cat faked out the crow.
Akaashi wants to grin. Kuroo has experience on his side and he's succeeded in influencing Kageyama's decision to toss to someone the black cat has an easier time blocking simply by taking that single step after Hinata. Tanaka winds up at the same time that they leap. The ball cracks off Kuroo's palms and snaps down on the Karasuno side. He, Kuroo, Lev, Yaku, and Yamaguchi cheer.
But there's one voice he's not hearing on his side, and he turns toward Bokuto who's not joining in. Akaashi wonders with annoyance if he got sucked in by Hinata's fake and is moping now, but when his gaze lands on the streaked owl, he's still got a bright smile on his face. He's just focused on the shrimp on the other side of the net.
"You might not have fooled Kuroo, but you still got me." The wing spiker says to Hinata who's bent forward, bracing himself on his knees.
He grins up at Bokuto, and Akaashi can't help but think they are a little alike. Akaashi himself would have been just fine letting well enough alone when they'd first stumbled on the beach group. He'd been actually rather alarmed when he'd seen a mass of people flood out on the heels of Hinata's screech when the streaked owl had obliviously pushed in too close in his single-minded curiosity—really, Feathers' freaky flat death glare had been quite chilling as he'd dropped between them with a murderous glint in his icy cobalt eyes. And he'd known when the redhead had extended the tentative challenge to play Volley with them masked as an invitation that Bokuto had been unable to help himself.
Akaashi didn't need constant human interaction to stay sane. He had no issues living with other people, and he'd lived for centuries completely alone, too. It didn't bother him one way or another whether he shared a living space with a roommate. At least it hadn't until he'd become the unwilling Velcro buddy to a certain streaked owl. Seriously, those first few years had been maddening.
Akaashi really has no idea how the relationship between himself and Bokuto ever grew out of that initial fracas. He'd even tried ditching the other once or twice early on only to be faced by an undeterred Bokuto who was surprisingly adept at tracking. The streaked owl never seemed put out—Akaashi almost wondered if he even realized he'd been aiming to shake the larger owl. He'd grudgingly resigned himself to being attached to the blasted avian for the foreseeable future after a third failed attempt where Bokuto had shown back up with food and a declaration that he would make sure that Akaashi was never lonely.
He doesn't know where along the line the streaked owl's occasional bouts of thoughtfulness stopped striking him as stupid. He has no idea how the utterly vexing moments where he seemed to occasionally lose all sensible mental function ceased to be infuriating and had become amusing—or at what point his mood swings had no longer been a chore to deal with. He doesn't know when the irritation at his presence had grown into something he didn't think he could live without. He has no idea how they've come so far… because he's never really needed other people like he does Koutarou; they were simply fixtures in the world.
But Bokuto… was far more like the shrimp spiker than most people probably realized. Akaashi had watched the other owl quite literally come alive in the weeks following that first tense meeting on the beach. He'd gotten so excited, so happy, so vibrant at simply being surrounded by other avians, that Akaashi hadn't had the heart to tell him he hadn't been as keen on staying. Years of wariness from other people had in turn made him uneasy around everyone; Bokuto, on the other hand, had thrived on the interactions of playing, eating, and conversing with the others without being ostracized or feared.
And Akaashi is grateful to the beach group for that; they'd given Bokuto something Akaashi never could have managed alone. Having gotten to know and love the rest of the beach crew probably almost as much as the streaked owl aside, he's gotten to see so many new faces of the streaked owl since, and he can't regret the decision to stay. He might have never learned that this occasionally childish, charismatic moron is his leveler—and the circumstance that led to that knowledge had been more terrifying than he'd ever admit. Seeing Koutarou speared through the chest with that rod had felt like he'd had his entire world upended; it was the first time he'd realized that he could no longer picture his future without the streaked owl in it. Without the beach crew, he might never have realized what Bokuto was to him.
But knowing Bokuto that well, he knows that with how volatile his moods can be, the larger owl would never be so jolly if he'd actually just been sucked in by the redhead's bluff attack, but if Hinata had said something similar to the owl, Koutarou would have puffed up in pride just like the shrimp is now.
Bokuto is surprisingly good at sympathizing with others, so Akaashi knows what he's doing now. He's constantly been buoying the shrimp up since that run in with the snakes with an urgency that sometimes makes Akaashi concerned that he's bordering on annoyance, but that's not what's happening this time. The other owl is humoring Shouyou, and the setter's gaze narrows on the redhead.
His shoulders are tense and his jaw is tight around his bright smile, a good indication that he's probably hurting. Bent over like he is, Akaashi can see the definite ridges that run down his back through his shirt.
They've really grown more prominent in the last year, Hinata's declining performances directly correlating with their rapid onset development. They've always been raised against his ribs and noticeable if you were looking, but Akaashi is positive their protrusion from his back has grown. The long bones beneath the skin are now accented with sinewy ligaments and muscles, their hardness tempered with the firm rope-like tendons that stretch from the main joint by each hip. If Hinata ever has his shirt off, it's almost possible to make out the outline of naked folded wings.
Hinata used to be able to bend and move—for the most part—normally. Those first few years, the bones used to just pull the skin and distort it into some freaky web-looking growth that everyone found both hilarious and disturbing when he'd bend, but with the appearance of the corded tissue for mobility and control, virtually all spinal movement had been gradually restricted to almost nothing. The inversion he used to get when he'd spike is nonexistent now and his back is always ramrod straight… to Akaashi, it seems to have entered into a permanent state of slowly worsening tetany.
A lot of the power he'd had was lost without the flexibility of his back and the muscles hadn't been legitimately stretched out in probably a year. There were days where Hinata could barely move because they were cramping so bad, and he couldn't sleep on his back anymore at all. It had steadily worsened until even the 'binding' connection with Kageyama wasn't always enough to completely ease the seizing muscles anymore.
Akaashi has never heard Hinata complain, but it's gotten bad enough that he's begun willingly subbing out and letting others play in his stead—there are days he's even begged out of Volley altogether. It's the single greatest indicator about how much pain he's actually suffering, because the kid lives to play Volley.
And all this has done nothing but frazzle Kageyama. Honestly, the crow setter was probably getting about as much sleep as the redhead. Akaashi had woken on more than one occasion in the last few weeks and found both the setter and small spiker awake at unholy hours of the night with eyes dulled by exhaustion despite the way Hinata's feathers still glowed.
A sleep deprived Hinata wasn't as sunny; a sleep deprived Kageyama was downright surly. The avian heir was so cranky with worry that he'd even bested Tsukishima in a battle of barbs a couple times. Akaashi can't help but feel sorry for the two—Hinata because he constantly seems like he's in pain and Kageyama because there's nothing he can do to fix it and he knows it.
No one can do anything… except wait. Akaashi wishes for the millionth time for Hinata's wings to hurry up and finish growing so they can break out.
The black-haired crow in question comes up behind Hinata with a feather light touch on his shoulder, a silent question in the tension at the corners of his eyes and mouth.
Are you okay? Akaashi can almost hear the unspoken words. Hinata glances back at him with a bright smile before straightening up—an affirmative—and Kageyama holds his silence and returns to his position.
Another couple plays, another rotation, and the shrimp and setter sync as if they've finally hit the same wave length. The little redhead gets two consecutive points off his hits, the first a complete misread on their side and the second a block out off Kuroo's hands that no matter how far Yaku stretches for, he comes up short.
Tanaka's serves are as varied and unpredictable as the bald crow himself and the next one chips the top of the net and Akaashi dives to keep it up. Kuroo scrambles and takes the set, sending it to the back row for Yamaguchi. The crow lines up and his hand connects perfectly. The ball whizzes past Hinata's block and down just in front of Asahi. Hinata is doing well; his hands were well above the net and he seems to be loosening up, but Akaashi has to smirk. The diminutive freckled crow at his back is a shoo-in for dynamite serves and his back-row attack is pretty close to one.
They rotate and in a moment where Akaashi is sure he's gone completely mental, he serves the ball straight into the net. Bokuto laughs and murmurs some encouragement but Akaashi scoffs as he lines up to receive.
"Shove it you streaked pigeon." He grumbles, irritated with his own lapse of concentration.
Hinata rotates into the back and his serve floats high. Akaashi quickly moves forward, letting Yaku and Lev cover the back line. Though nothing impressive, the lanky cat has gotten much better at receives– what with Yaku as his leveler—and Hinata's will be light enough that the owl setter isn't worried. As the ball pops up for him, he takes stock of the other side in an instant.
Tsukishima is in front again and the only one on their side who can legitimately outjump the blond is Lev who is back line at the moment. The blocker is clever and good at picking up cues so Kuroo will have a challenge to get it past him—especially if they pull in either side blocker for a double. But as good as the ibis is at reading hits, Daichi is better and Bokuto would be facing two blockers guaranteed unless the black cat could draw Tsukishima off, so his default to the other owl is probably less sound than Kuroo.
But… Hinata served so that means Noya isn't in again yet and with Kageyama setting, only the redhead and Tanaka will be guarding the back. The real threat is Tsukishima; if Kuroo can fool him, Akaashi can find one of the wing spikers. And since the longer set from his position—and therefore the easier one to read with more time to react—is to Bokuto, the optimal choice is Yamaguchi behind him. If the crow goes up against Asahi alone, he has a good chance of beating him.
Kuroo is very attentive and Akaashi knows he doesn't miss the motion when he ticks his left ear as he brings his hands over his head for the set. The cat lines up and rushes a step ahead of tempo, faking a quick… and Akaashi smothers his grin as Tsukishima bites. The ball leaves his hands headed for Yamaguchi and he hears the ibis swear.
He turns in time to see the crow connect, the ball just outside of Asahi's elbow and headed for center court. Tanaka dives and gets under it but it ricochets. Hinata's feet are flying before any of the other Karasuno members react. The ball sails far off-court and Noya whistles on the sideline, but the short crow grins confidently at the small redhead speeding toward it.
Hinata's nearly in the reeds at the edge of the beach when he turns to get a visual back on the court and swings, stopping his shoulders and arms to make the platform solid even as his feet and body keep going. Really his ball control and handling has improved immensely. The redhead stumbles backward as the ball leaves his forearms and there's a catch in Akaashi's head—like he's forgotten something—before the ball is heading straight back to the court almost on top of Tsukishima's position.
The ibis sets his feet and simply leaps, aiming for Lev's back corner. Akaashi knows the grey cat will never reach it as it slips by Kuroo and Yamaguchi and it drops before he can dive. The owl setter straightens and blows out a half sigh.
Tsukishima won't fall too often for Kuroo's slips. He turns back toward the net, resolved to try Kuroo this time as he waits for Hinata to serve again… but the redhead is nowhere in sight. His eyes snap toward the last place he saw him and he almost flinches.
That's what he'd forgotten.
There was a log firmly lodged into the sand after the tsunami amid the seagrass where the redhead had chased the ball down, the reeds almost completely hiding it from view. But the grasses are disturbed, the stalks broken and bent, and Akaashi knows the small spiker went over it. Kageyama is already headed his way and Akaashi notices Kuroo go rigid.
"Hinata?"
Kenma jerks to his feet from the sideline behind them, sand flying, and when Akaashi looks toward him, the golden cat's pupils are huge as his gaze locks with Kuroo. None of them can really see him, but the odd catch in the redhead's voice puts everyone on alert when he answers.
"K… Kageyama…" It's half whimper and sounds like he's in some steep pain and Akaashi automatically assumes he landed on his back. Kageyama is instantly hurtling over the log, his shoulders tense—and then he freezes.
"Shit." The expletive is out of his mouth almost too quietly to hear as he drops down and Daichi starts heading toward them with a frown that borders on anxious.
"Suga?" Kageyama's voice is full of fear and uncertainty as he calls for the thrush. "Suga, we need Kiyoko!"
The thrush nods and splits to go find the female crow while the entire Karasuno side immediately drift toward the terrified words of the other setter, Noya scrambling with panic.
"Better get Yachi, too." The black cat says and Kenma takes off without a backward glance, streaking toward the house. The owl takes quick stock of the other two cats and notes how they both look tense from head to toe.
"Oi." Akaashi says at Kuroo's shoulder. "What do you guys know that we don't?" He says uncertainly, because the black cat had sent Kenma for Yachi.
Yachi…that can only mean…
"Blood." Kuroo says heavily as he starts toward where the Karasuno unit huddle with horrified gasps around Kageyama's bent shape on the other side of the log.
"A lot of it."
A/N: Wah, an Akaashi chapter ^.^ I honestly wasn't sure how to write him, because my biggest impressions on him are polite, but occasionally blunt. And time skips. time skips everywhere in this story.
Thank you all for your patience while I tackled three days of insanity, you are all wonderful. I have spent the last twenty four hours in the company of an 18mo old and a five year old... yearly dose of birth control covered, lol. They are hands down honestly some of the BEST kids I've ever been around and I love them, but I'm never having my own. I don't know how their mom and dad have energy for ANYTHING, because I feel exhausted just having watched them be the amazing parents they are. If any of you people have children, I raise my drink to you, because I don't think I could ever do it.
So, looks like i'm going to have 37 chapters total. I currently have two chapters I still have to hash out, so I don't know if I can promise daily updates on those two, but I should have some down time and will be working to finish them on schedule. Again, you guys are the best. Have a lovely evening guys!