YEAR FIVE.25 1/3 Resolve & Potential
It is in my nature to be kind, gentle, and loving, but know this: when it comes to matters of protecting my friends, my family, and my heart, do not trifle with me, for I am also the most powerful and relentless creature you will ever know. ~Anonymous
~Five Months Later, High Summer~
Tobio Kageyama lands lightly in the middle of the main road running through a small town, his leveler dropping beside him a little less gracefully. Lev appears out of nowhere with a grin, Yaku at his elbow.
"That was the longest flight so far." The tall cat says, his green eyes bright as they are joined by the owls, Noya, Asahi, Yamaguchi, and Tsukishima. This is the first trip they've taken away from home since last fall… since Hinata's wings ruptured into existence. Everyone had been going a little stir crazy over winter and spring, and it is probably well overdue now that they've hit summer and they'd had yet to take one.
The jaunt hadn't been entirely welcomed by everyone; Yachi had worried constantly the last couple days, and had extracted any number of promises from all of them that if Hinata was getting tired, that they'd stop. She'd insisted that he not be allowed to push himself too hard, and that they rest if he was having a hard time. Kuroo had forced them to plot out a course this time and then secured a commitment to send ravens every other day to let everyone back home know they were still okay, much to the cynical annoyance of Tsukishima. Daichi had told them not to do anything stupid, and Suga had sent along a few extra coins in case they hit a bind somewhere. The only one who'd seemed at ease with letting them go was Kenma. The golden cat had smiled happily with a small wave as they'd taken off right after Tanaka had told them they'd all better come back in one piece.
Natsu, on the other hand, hadn't been happy about being left behind at all. And since Natsu wouldn't be allowed, the bald crow had remained behind as well; when the girl would wake in the dark with panic because she was positive the snakes were coming for her, he was the only one who could reach her.
"I go, too." Tanaka had shaken his head at her even though he'd been put out about being stuck back home, too.
"You wouldn't be able to keep up, Munchkin. I told you this would happen if you didn't do those conditioning drills. Besides, you have lessons with Taji and his sister. You prove you can stay airborne for three hours, and pass your tests, and maybe you can go next time."
Yeah, that had gone over well. The girl had settled into a perpetual sulk before they'd left. Coercing Natsu had been necessary, though. She could fly now, but she'd opt to walk over taking to the sky if given the choice, so she lagged heavily in her flight skills.
And it had been disappointing to discover that she could neither read nor write. She'd never been given any type of schooling during her time with the snakes, so they'd promptly set her up to learn not only written skill, but also a verbal regimen alongside Suga's young cousins. They had no problem with she and Hinata conversing in their 'island babble', but for Natsu to be able to succeed in the world around them, she would have to be able to read, write and speak the crow lexicon like her brother. Hinata draws in a large breath and looks up at the grey cat with a grin.
"You guys are good rabbits! We almost lost you twice!" Hinata says with a laugh. Kageyama smiles slightly.
The trip isn't just to restore Shouyou's sanity and craving for adventure and human interaction. It's also to build his strength and condition his wings, to actually field test them and put them under stress. It is to push them without breaking them, to increase his stamina and control, to restore the redhead to his pre-grounded state.
'Catch the rabbit' was one of their drills that they'd been doing as they moved from town to town. A modified game of tag or hide and seek, the cats would zip along in an unpredictable and often chaotic pattern across the forest floors, the airborne group working to keep tabs on them. It was actually eye opening to see what they were truly capable of physically. They could really stretch out, their movements fluid and sleek, until Kageyama and the others would be pushing their upper limits on speed. They could stop and turn on a dime, something that really forced any of them with wings to use every muscle and skill to keep up with their switchbacks and banks. When the cover grew thick, they'd slow and test the avians' eyes and see if they could keep track of them in the heavy undergrowth.
And, skies, could they leap. Just the other day, they'd been pushing along at a clip and Kageyama had seen Lev clear a fifty-foot river in a single bound with ease. It had immediately dispelled his misconception that the river had stopped Kuroo when he and Shouyou had been headed back to the rookery after Hinata's grounding; he'd never underestimate their abilities in that department again.
"You look a little pale, Hinata. You pushed too hard, didn't you?" Yaku asks with a frown. Hinata beams at him, the smile a little too tight.
"Not at all! I could go all day!"
"Uh, huh," the small cat says skeptically before turning to Kageyama, "We should probably stop for today."
"We don't have to!" Hinata says hurriedly, but Kageyama is already nodding.
"Take Noya or Bokuto or someone and go find some lunch." He says and the redhead stops dead and turns to him questioningly.
"Where are you going?" The avian heir turns a bland look on him.
"Find some gingko leaves." He says flatly, and Shouyou's face scrunches into a scowl.
"They don't hurt that bad, Kageyama. Really." An eyebrow creeps up Kageyama's forehead.
The crow setter raises one hand and drives an index finger into the muscle on his shoulder. Hinata almost drops to get away from it and Kageyama gives him a pointed look. His face puffs into a sullen pout and the avian heir suffocates his amusement.
"I'll join you. I intend to get some basil, because you guys are all weird and can eat tasteless food twenty-four-seven." Yaku says.
"That's because you ate salt for decades at sea. You don't have any taste buds left." Noya says with a grin and Lev turns to the small cat.
"Is that why you're so short?" He asks. Hinata snorts right alongside Noya and Bokuto, and even Kageyama can't keep the smirk off his face. He's quite sure the lanky cat will never learn.
"You aren't getting laid for a week, Haiba." The short cat deadpans, and Noya bursts out laughing.
Kageyama's smile threatens to split his face as his leveler and the streaked owl quickly follow suit. Yamaguchi can't keep his own down and even Akaashi's mouth quirks. The only ones apparently not amused are the large bearded crow who just looks scandalized and Tsukishima who watches them with a very 'I have never met any of you, don't ever speak to me' look. Still, Kageyama can feel his ears burn just a bit; he still colors at vulgar comments from his companions, but he's gotten far more used to them— unlike Noya's leveler.
"Yaku!" Asahi protests and Bokuto waves him off.
"What's the matter? Natsu's not around right now so he doesn't need to mind his mouth. It can run all he likes; when they start gettin' friendly is when it'll be a problem. Let's find some food before Yaku goes back on that threat in broad daylight, Hinata." The streaked owl says throwing his arm over Shouyou's shoulder.
"Akaashi, control your idiot before I drop kick him." Yaku growls.
"That would be a wasted effort. The first and last time I tried that, I told him to get lost— you can see how well that went." The smaller owl says with a quiet smile before drifting toward Kageyama. "Bo, I'm going to head over with these guys. They find a shop that carries gingko, they probably have a decent tea, too."
"Maybe I could look for kukicha!" Yamaguchi says hopefully.
"Then I guess it's up to us to get the food. Anyone not with us doesn't get to complain about what we bring back." Noya says, waving at them as he turns with Shouyou and Bokuto to head down the street, Asahi trailing after them like a child's kite.
Kageyama feels that small pull in his gut that he always gets whenever he's left watching Hinata walk away from him. He intrinsically knows his leveler will always come back to him, but it doesn't make it any easier to let him wander around without him; he mentally thanks the streaked owl and large crow for accompanying the two short avians, because they are each imposing enough to be a large deterrent to anyone who might want to mess with them.
That small smile stays fixed at the corner of his mouth as he watches them start away, his leveler already arguing animatedly with Noya and Bokuto about what they should have for dinner. He's enthusiastically invested enough in their meal prospects that his face lights up and his wings twitch with anticipation. Kageyama knows that whenever Hinata is around, he's as easily distracted as the smaller boy himself… and right now, he should be looking for a place that sells ginkgo, but his gaze lingers on his leveler a few more moments.
Hinata without wings would never have been normal, but Kageyama has yet to get entirely used to them being back; it is still incredible to him that Shouyou is flying once again. Hinata's perfect, white ticked black wings have gained over another foot in spread since that day he'd taken his first clumsy flight again in almost five years. They continue to stretch, and Kageyama knows it's painful even if he never says a word.
Kageyama estimates that he probably has maybe another foot yet to go before they are back to the size they were before he'd lost them, and he still glows every chance the stupid bond gets. They have to be careful anytime they aren't at the beach house, and they still can't find sleep together. It has been particularly frustrating on this trip, and nearly everyone has had to remind them about it when one of them would subconsciously gravitate toward the other.
But… Kageyama would go through it all a hundred times over again just to see Hinata smile so freely like he is now. It's an expression they've rarely seen in the last two years, and one that has slowly been making a comeback. Kageyama can see the way the others brighten in subconscious response, especially the streaked owl.
Kageyama knows Bokuto has been fixated on Hinata, trying with all his might to bring back that obliviously sunny insanity that had perpetually fueled the redhead when they'd first met the owls. He knows that's the reason the streaked owl had been one of the first to step up to help him train in his new wings. He knows the larger man has acutely felt the difference in Shouyou since their run in with the snake nest… because Shouyou is different.
But Bokuto is wrong about two things.
Bokuto thinks that he's mellowed because he'd had to take a life… but that's not right. Kageyama had actually asked him about it once because it had bothered him, too, and Hinata had looked at him with surprise.
"That's not it at all, moron." He'd said frankly and Kageyama had frowned with confusion.
"But the nightmares since then—"
"They always end when you or Suga or Natsu or somebody dies. Kageyama… killing someone wasn't the nightmare, it was being unable to save someone."
"Then—"
"It's because we went after my sister in the first place. I barely remember her from before I came to the rookery. When we ran into her, I had no idea what she'd been through, hadn't even realized she'd survived. I do wish I never had to take lives, and I hate that I'm the reason that someone will never come home. But I don't regret it because Natsu wouldn't have been safe otherwise.
"What frightens me is that I readily placed all of our lives on the line for someone I didn't even know. She could have been a plant and it wouldn't have mattered because I'd have still tried to get her out. And that choice... we could have all died and we did nearly lose Sugawara and Sawamura. Two people to save one isn't an even exchange. And I know it's two for two in retrospect, but at the time, none of us knew she and Tanaka were levelers. It was an impossible call, because she's my sister no matter how much a stranger she might have been, and I know things all turned out fine, but Suga and Daichi… Kageyama, I gambled their lives— all of ours really— to try and save someone I couldn't have told you the first thing about.
"And it's scary because if we had lost them… I'm not sure I'd have ever been able to look at Natsu the same, knowing that she lived free by their sacrifice. I'm scared to death that I'd have held that against her, because you and everyone from Karasuno, the cats and owls and girls, and even Tsukki and Yamaguchi— they're family, and I love them all. I'm not willing to trade any of their lives for anything, and yet… I nearly did. And I did it with ease, no hesitation. I never thought I'd be someone who could do something like that."
Kageyama had been quietly stunned that Hinata didn't agonize over having killed snakes, but rather the illusion that he'd made the choice to endanger the others for the chance to save Natsu. Hinata was wrong about that notion, because they'd all made the choice to go after his sister, not just him, but it had tormented him all the same. And Bokuto never failed to pick up on that.
But he's been trying to restore the redhead's buoyancy in the wake of that emotional turmoil all along when it's never really been gone. Hinata is still Hinata, and that brilliant shining happiness that he'd always radiated… it's still there— it's just tempered by a brush with harsh reality now. It might not be as obnoxious as it was before, but it's far from gone.
He still gets ridiculously excited about the littlest things and he'll still exclaim over Yachi and Shimizu's meals. He still loses his mind when he gets one of their freaky fast hits off in Volley. He still avidly participates in pranks with Noya and Tanaka, and he still smirks right next to them through the rebukes from Daichi or Kuroo.
The difference is that Shouyou doesn't miss much at all anymore; it's not just Kageyama— he's far more attuned to those around him than he ever was growing up, and it's made him a little more quiet. But that brilliance that has always been his trademark is still there, and Kageyama can see it even now.
"You look like a lovesick idiot."
Kageyama blinks and turns a nonplussed look on the ibis as Yamaguchi stifles a chuckle, but he has no comeback. The blond has always been quicker on the uptake, his barbs always sharp and on point. Kageyama has never been able to rattle off insults as well or fast, but for once, it isn't his leveler rising in his defense.
"Better lovesick than love starved." Yaku mutters pointedly and a smirk tips the avian heir's mouth as Tsukishima rolls his eyes. The cat doesn't even give the ibis a chance to respond and ignores Yamaguchi's indignant squawk before he's wandering off in search of a place that will carry his basil, and Kageyama drifts after him without conscious effort.
"Speaking about a lovesick moron, you missed it Yaku. You should have been awake after we found you and Lev after the wave. He wouldn't let you go even to let Suga put his entrails back inside him." Akaashi says with a smile and Kageyama huffs through his nose, because the lanky cat hadn't released the russet one beside him for close to two days.
"No one ever said he was intelligent." Yaku remarks flatly.
"That was mean Mori. You told me just the other day I was a genius—"
"Shut up, Lev." The small cat snaps, taking a page from the blond he's just shut down.
Akaashi laughs easily and Lev's own mouth pulls into a covert smile. Kageyama has the distinct impression that the lanky cat knows exactly what he's doing every time he opens his mouth, and that Akaashi is far too comfortable with this conversation, because his own face is already burning.
"Mori, what about—"
"I will end you, you mangy mongrel feline."
They follow the russet cat inside a small shop, Lev still pushing his buttons and Yaku slowly developing the twitch over his eyebrow that signals a swift kick isn't long in coming. Which will soon be followed by a suspicious absence. Kageyama wonders if he should have stuck with his leveler instead of Yaku and his exhibitionist other half.
He has zero desire to ever be privy to their activities again, he's already had one front row seat, thanks. Seriously, he can totally sympathize with the expressionless look of distaste on Tsukishima's face… and isn't that bizarre. He and the ibis agreeing on something is like spotting a unicorn— it doesn't happen. Resigning himself to the coming mortification, he heads for the counter where an older man he assumes is the store's proprietor stands.
"Do you have ginkgo leaves? Also, opium lettuce?" He asks and the shopkeeper glances at him curiously.
"We carry both, but I wouldn't recommend them used together. They can have… unintended effects." He says.
"That's fine."
"Are you looking to trip your shrimp out or something? You're far more depraved than I thought." Tsukishima says from behind him and Kageyama's face drops into a glare.
"They aren't both for him, you degenerate. He isn't the only one who's frequently fielding pain. Natsu hates the taste of ginkgo, but she took to the opium lettuce much better." He says, tossing an annoyed glance back at him.
"Oh, that's right!" Yamaguchi says with a smile. "She was more willing to do flight drills when she got a good night's sleep and wasn't in as much pain."
Natsu might have had wings the entire time where Shouyou had lost them, but she'd never used them. At least Hinata's back muscles had had the muscle memory yet; she was starting from scratch and probably frequently in as much pain as his leveler. But where Shouyou would never complain as their rigid military upbringing had demanded, it was easy to tell when Natsu was hurting because she'd get cranky and Tanaka would in turn get surly.
"It's tougher to come by around Sheru Bay, so I'm going to bring some back now." He says as the door opens behind him.
"Will that be all then, Sir?" The shopkeeper asks.
"For me. The others might need time yet." He answers.
"Tobio?"
Kageyama mentally stumbles, his mind half-shutting down on him.
Tobio?
He blinks slowly, wondering if he's just hearing things, because he hasn't heard that voice in over five years. His cobalt eyes find the russet cat five steps away by the dried herbs, his brow pulling down into a frown.
There's no way he actually heard that. He's going to have to start taking some valerian like they give Natsu for sleep at night if he keeps hallucinating crap like this.
But the small feline is watching him sharply from the corner of his eye, a question in his expression, and Kageyama's thoughts finally starts clicking again.
"Tobio Kageyama." The call comes again, more certain, and his spine stiffens.
He hasn't heard that voice in five years… and he can't tell himself that he isn't hearing it now, because he will never forget who it belongs to.
His mind kicks into gear, mentally tabulating where everyone is at. The two cats, Akaashi, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi are all here with him… which leaves only Bokuto, Noya, and Asahi with Hinata. His gaze finds Yamaguchi over the russet cat's head, his hazel eyes also staring back. The ibis beside him is still fixed straight ahead at the shelves of herbs, but his jaw is a rigid outline, a dead giveaway that he's hyper aware of his surroundings. He can't find Akaashi or Lev over his other shoulder without being obvious about it, and he feels a muscle beside his eye leap. The freckled crow's mouth clicks shut, and he turns with a bow to the shopkeeper before heading for the door, Kageyama's unspoken request loud and clear: Find Hinata and the others.
They aren't prepared for this, how are they going to get out of it? Their first trip back out this year, their first since Hinata's wings have returned, and they just had to run up against this. They're scattered and out of combat practice, tired after a day of travel. Is there even a possibility at this point of them all escaping? Is there any chance they all come out of this alive?
Slowly, he turns to the doorway, his cobalt eyes finding the Grand King exactly where he knows he will, Iwaizumi just behind him. The rookery leader stands just inside, his face slack and eyes large as Yamaguchi slips past him and Iwaizumi. There are a few more worry lines in his face now and Kageyama might be mistaken, but he thinks he sees a few strands of gray in his wavy brown hair. He still looks the picture of health and poise, but… Daichi was right. He looks older somehow to the avian heir. The crow over his shoulder shares his expression and Kageyama's gaze skips over him with a single cursory glance of accusation.
What the hell, Iwa. We had a deal.
"Good Afternoon, Grand King." He says automatically.
He can't explain his need to draw their attention from the others in the room. Hinata might not be here, but he wouldn't be the only one in danger right now. Memories of Kuroo's threats on account of having lost friends and family alike to Kageyama's father make him want to do everything he can to keep the two cats in the room nothing more than background scenery. And the extra feathers that decorate Akaashi's face mark him as an owl… if he can be kept unnoticed as well, that would be ideal.
"You are alive." The Grand King says with marked amazement, and Kageyama tenses as Tooru takes a step forward. The others near him shift, and to keep the focus on himself, he also steps toward the rookery leader.
"Last time I checked, sir."
"All this time, you've been here, Tobio?" Kageyama's chin lifts, a spark of irritation slipping through his tension.
"No, first time. And I wouldn't have even been here if I'd known you were coming, Father. My source obviously dropped the ball this time."
He doesn't look away from Tooru, but he catches Iwaizumi's abrupt tension. He also catches the slight jerk Yaku does and prays that they all just stay silent.
If the Grand King doesn't realize they are connected to Kageyama, they might be able to escape this confrontation— because he's certain this will resolve in no other way. All he needs to do is keep Tooru's attention on him.
His father will never let him just leave, he's more than positive. They can't flee by air; the Grand King can simply follow. They can't go back home in case the rookery leader sets a tail on them. Even given the severely strained relationship between himself and his father, Kageyama is sure he'd never be able to kill him. Doing so would start a relentless hunt regardless, and none of them will be safe; their best option would be to somehow incapacitate Tooru and Iwaizumi— which shouldn't be that difficult if they all act, but he doubts they are here alone.
He doesn't remember a time where his father had left the rookery without a contingent of at least three units always with him, so he's fully banking that there are others in the near vicinity. Which makes this tricky: they aren't going to be up against some half-trained gutter snakes who don't know the first thing about battle efficiency and technique, these are all sentries who've had the exact same training they did. These people will be conditioned daily through all those drills, will probably have the upper hand because of that; the last time he'd sparred with the others was over a week ago and their skills won't be as sharp. The Grand King's head tilts with a slight frown despite the smirk that twists his mouth.
"You wear the same face… but I hardly recognize you, Tobio. Your voice and expressions— you don't even carry yourself the same. You've… grown up almost overnight. I'm disappointed to have missed it." He says, and by the time he's finished, that mask of a smile that Kageyama remembers so well has returned, all trace of his surprise vanished once more.
"Where have you been all this time, Tobio?"
"Wherever you are not." He says bluntly and his father's gaze fractures but that smile doesn't waver.
"That's awfully harsh, Tobio. And Shrimpy? Is he still alive, too?" He asks with that fabricated cheer that used to infuriate Kageyama.
"He is… but I doubt you really care about that. I have no desire to discuss him with you in any case." The Grand King blinks at him with a shadow of surprise once more.
"To the contrary, Tobio, he is the reason you left; is it so hard to think I'd have an interest in his well-being?" Kageyama feels his eye twitch at the way he phrases it, as if it does matter to him.
"I imagine his getting iced somewhere along the line would be ideal for you, wouldn't it?" He says before he can stop himself, unable to keep the bite from his voice. The Grand King glances back at Iwaizumi with a crease of… discomfort? But Kageyama can't decipher the look before it's sliding back under a layer of incincerity.
"Tobio, that's not—"
"I'm not coming back." He cuts him off, and Tooru's jaw hangs for a moment before it closes with a tight smile.
"You've definitely grown into your own person. The rookery could use you. You should return, Tobio." Kageyama's brow cocks, knowing already where this conversation is headed, knowing the Grand King will try and strong arm him into doing as the rookery leader deems. That can't happen. He will not fall prey to his father's manipulation.
"How many men did you bring, Sir?" He says more than asks and Tooru's brows crease in puzzlement.
"I'm here with Iwa's unit. Probably ten of us or so." Kageyama blinks, struggling to keep his surprise off his face.
That's it? It might be possible to escape then. Provided his father isn't lying.
Iwaizumi's been unusually quiet through the entire exchange, his sharp eyes flickering between himself and the others, and it makes Kageyama wonder if the sentry leader hadn't, in fact, foreseen this encounter. And when his dark eyes settle on him with a firm set to his jaw—unease, Kageyama banks that his father is telling the truth. One sentry unit; ten people. He settles back, sets his feet, his chin lifting just a touch. He knows there will be no doubt on where he stands with his next words.
"That's not nearly enough."
His father stares at him in bafflement, clearly unused to him pushing back. But his face quickly slips into a surprisingly real grin, and Kageyama realizes that Tooru's taken it as a challenge. The flash of joyful rally in his gaze sets Kageyama on edge, because he's never won a debate or argument with this man. But he's also calm; the rookery leader has nothing to coerce him with this time— all the people he could have used are no longer under his control.
"For what? Bringing you back? You are one crow; you yourself might be strong, but eight or even six will be far stronger." The Grand King says with a smirk. Iwaizumi shifts behind him and his attempt to intervene cements Kageyama's gut feeling that the sentry leader hadn't banked on this encounter either.
"Sir, we should maybe—"
"I don't think he realizes he's surrounded, Feathers." Yaku says and the room stills.
The Grand King's eyes flicker and they slowly drift to the russet feline. The avian heir can see an entire monologue of thoughts flipping through his orbs despite the neutral expression that takes over his face. Behind him, he can see Iwaizumi's breath still, the muscle in his arms go taught. Kageyama wants to smack the cat, because he's just undone any invisibility Kageyama'd bought the others by engaging in this verbal spar with his father.
Well, there's no helping it now.
"...Obviously." He drawls, hoping there's a way to salvage this situation. The Grand King glances at Iwaizumi for only a moment and looks back at him, his expression closed off.
"Tobio… that's a cat." He says matter of factly, and one of Kageyama's brows arches.
"Is it?" He asks, the sarcasm in his voice almost Tsukishima worthy.
"What are you doing with a cat?" Tooru asks, his entire face smoothing into bafflement. Kageyama almost smirks.
"Living." He distractedly hopes the ibis is paying attention, because he feels like he's on a roll at the moment.
"Sir." Iwaizumi tries once again to intervene, but Tooru's gaze skips around to the other faces in the room that all now watch him. He sees the ibis, his flat look as unimpressed as ever, notices Lev in all his lanky graceless glory, and he lingers on Akaashi, Kageyama certain he doesn't miss the decorative feathers.
"… and these others?" He asks, a note of incredulity sliding into his voice. Kageyama's head tilts.
"The same."
"We're all on his side. And this isn't even everyone." Lev supplies with a cheeky grin and once more, Kageyama wants to facepalm, because the tall cat is giving away information that is probably best kept under wraps.
"Really Tobio? Cats and owls and…" the Grand King trails away as he focuses on the ibis with scrutiny, "a gull?"
"Try again." Tsukishima mutters, and Kageyama's mouth almost quirks. Most people treated the Grand King with extensive respect; he's probably been subject to more scalding sarcasm in the last two minutes than the entirety of the last six months.
"You trust these people?" Tooru asks and Kageyama deadpans.
"They've had my back time and again where sentries and a rookery leader failed." He says defensively, and Tooru's eyes find him once more, a slight frown creasing his face.
"You don't have to live like this, you can come home." He says and Kageyama scoffs quietly.
Did the Grand King honestly think he hadn't had a choice in all this? Did he think he stayed with cats and owls and songbirds against his will? Did he think he was here by any other means than under his own power? And did he that actually bothered him?
"The reason I left would still be there." He says evenly and Tooru's face creases again, and Kageyama gets the distinct impression of pain at the words. It makes him blink in surprise, because it's something he's never seen from his father unless his mother had been mentioned.
"You can do whatever you want, Tobio. Live in the private sector as a civilian for all I care, but come back." Tooru says lightly, contradicting the deep look the line between his eyes gives him.
Kageyama bridles at the order cloaked in the guise of a peaceful request.
"Not a chance." He says, his response quick and sure and his father blinks.
"Why ever not? You don't have to be a sentry, you can do whatever you want." He says again, a note of sincere confusion sliding into the repeated proposition. Kageyama shakes his head slightly. Pity slips into his gut and he curses his flux of compassion towards his father's ignorance.
"Why?" He says softly, positive he's going to regret his next words. "You'd have killed my leveler."
Silence. The Grand King and Iwaizumi stare at him and he stares back. He catches the look his companions cast at him, the glances of covert alarm.
What are you doing, Feathers?
He can almost hear their panic, but he knows how his father will react.
"Your… your leveler, Tobio? Those were stories we tell kids. Don't tell me you believe them?"
Of course, he wouldn't know what it was to have a leveler. He might have loved her, but his mother had died and his father had remained; they hadn't been levelers. His father has never felt the burn of a breaking fight or the quiet content of a binding heal. He hasn't known the fear of dying because it will kill his other half. He hasn't watched another at death's door knowing that it won't be one person they bury, but two if they don't pull through.
"Stories. Stories… the only reason I would ever return to the rookery would be to visit Mother's tree and tell her of everything that's happened. I'd apologize for how I've missed the last five years and make her a promise to try to return sooner… but I'd never guarantee it." His father's face fractures, the mask completely cracking away. And in that moment, there's nothing but pain and sorrow.
"Tobio—"
The door bangs open and Kageyama wants to curse every deity when he sees who comes through it.
"Kageyama, I'm pretty sure I saw sentries, we should probably—" Shouyou breaks off as he finds the Grand King and Iwaizumi, his almond eyes blowing wide as the others crowd in after him.
"Shit." Noya spits, automatically grabbing and shoving the redhead behind himself.
The Grand King's eyes have already found them, though, Iwa's not a moment behind. Kageyama had never intended for them to meet again, never intended that they even had a chance to see one another. But they stare at each other now, Hinata's gaze solid and flat, the rookery leader's wide eyes taking him in from head to toe, from limb to wing, and Kageyama knows he's overwhelmed. But Hinata is calm.
"Grand King." He says with a formal nod, centuries as a sentry demanding the acknowledgement without conscious thought.
"Sh… Shrimpy?" He says, his voice half shelled. "You… your wings— how— "
"They're just stories, right Father?" Kageyama says, recalling Tooru's attention. His brown eyes snap back to him, stunned at a reality he's being forced to acknowledge.
"They were Mother's legacy. You can drag me back any number of times, but the only way you'll succeed in keeping me there is to chain me to the garrison floor. And if you so much as try to force me through him, I promise you, I will destroy the very empire you and Mother worked so hard to build. I am compromised, and I cannot lead, Father; find someone else."
Tooru's eyes flicker between himself and Shouyou, skips over the others around them, back to himself and his leveler before settling once more on him.
"Fine, Tobio. I won't ask you to bear that responsibility again. But you can come home. You and Hinata. They all can." He says in an oddly strained voice while gesturing to Noya and Asahi, and Kageyama sighs lightly.
"That can't happen. What message would it send to both your allies and enemies that you've welcomed back an heir and his unit after desertion? You would have an uprising. I knew the consequences when I left, and I know you do, too." He says, and starts toward Hinata.
"So what happens now, Tobio?" Tooru's voice is plaintive and he can't decide how much of it is sincere. He straightens and glances back at the Grand King.
"Ideally? You return to the rookery safe in the knowledge that I'm alive, and I return back home with my leveler and companions unhindered and unsupervised." He says and the Grand King's head tilts.
"You expect me to go along with that?" He asks and Kageyama hates the half-strangled sound of his voice. It's a sound he's almost never heard from his father, and it infuriates him that Tooru is using it now. Does he think he will be moved just because he's slightly altered his tactics?
"I do, because if you don't, we will slip through your hands once more and you won't see us again. I'd rather not since we are comfortable and safe where we live, but we are prepared to do whatever it takes to guard our lives." He murmurs, turning away from him, his gaze finding Shouyou's wide-eyed almond one like a lifeline. It's a threat that could make his father act to prevent their escape and throw them into a physical confrontation as much as force his father to back off. But Tooru does neither.
"I've only just found you again."
Kageyama curses his feet for pausing. He hates feeling like the Grand King is prodding at his resolve with that voice and those words, and he can't stand the idea of being manipulated anymore when his entire future stands by the door flanked by crows and an owl. He will not bend and endanger him again.
"That should put your mind at ease, then." He says evenly.
"He's kind of right, Feathers." Lev interjects and Kageyama turns a furious scowl on the lanky cat. He's not the only one either… the rest of them turn incredulous glances toward the grey feline, the least of which would be his father's.
What in all flaming feathered hell was going through his head? Did he somehow miss the part about this being his father? The man they've been hiding from for five years? The entity who'd have had Shouyou killed?
But Lev's green eyes crackle with perceptive intent that makes his feathers stand on end. His eyes hold that glint that makes him think the cat is actually two steps ahead and knows precisely what he's doing.
"It's been five years, Feathers, let him have more than five minutes. Give him a chance to see that you really are okay and content." The grey cat says and Kageyama can't keep himself from glaring with massive irritation. But he has to keep his control. His father is a master at exploiting weakness and to lose his temper would be an excellent opportunity the Grand King could capitalize on.
"What exactly did you have in mind, Lev? Do you propose we sit and drink tea over biscuits? I think you have the wrong impression of the kind of relationship he and I share." Kageyama growls but the grey cat's bright green eyes flash with devious triumph.
"How about Volley? There was a net on the edge of town—we could have a friendly match." He says. Kageyama blinks, blindsided by the suggestion.
Of course, it would be Volley. Everything began and ended with Volley. Damn that cat.
"What do you think, Hinata?" Bokuto asks and Kageyama's head snaps toward his leveler and the streaked owl.
The redhead glances up at Bokuto who watches him with an avid enthusiasm and the short spiker's head tilts. The smallest smile tips the corner of his mouth and he looks back at Kageyama, his eyes creasing with a telltale excitement.
"I'm okay with it."
Kageyama scowls darkly. This isn't helping them escape. In fact, he's quite sure this is doing the exact opposite. The rookery leader clears his throat lightly and he looks back at him, not relishing whatever input he's going to have.
"A Volley match would be... perfect." The Grand King says, a strangely skewed smile on his face.
It makes Kageyama think that the rookery leader is trying to pull the mask of fabricated enthusiasm back into place and failing. Like it hurts to say the words, but he will stomach them no less. Like he's not satisfied with that, but he will settle for it just the same.
Like he's reaching for even the barest threads.
The notion that his father might be agreeing just for the chance to see and talk to him is totally foreign to Kageyama, bizarre and wrong. The idea that he's willing to bargain for Kageyama's time makes his skin crawl because it's unnatural. This man had commanded his life for centuries, a tool structured and honed for a carefully planned out future. That he might actually want anything more from him… is irreconcilable for the crow setter.
"Tobio?" Hinata asks and he jolts at the name, the feeling he gets when the redhead says it completely different than the one he feels when Tooru does. The avian heir runs a hand through his hair in frustration.
How had this encounter been taken out of his hands so smoothly?
There are so many things that can go wrong. The Grand King could try to kill the cats and owls the moment they turn their backs and then it will be down to just the he and the other former sentries, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi. His father could wait until they've spent most of their energy on the match and then command that they all be taken prisoner when they have none left to fight. He could have them subdued and return with more sentries to ensure he succeeds in dragging them back to the rookery where they'd likely be detained indefinitely where they'd have no bargaining power, no means of buying their freedom…
Wait… wait. That… might work. That could work.
The idea hits him and he doesn't even give himself a chance to second guess it before he's turning toward Shouyou.
"You think you'll be good?" He asks quietly and a brilliant smile lights his face, anticipation skyrocketing in his almond eyes.
"For one match? I think so!" Kageyama's gaze narrows slightly.
Somehow, he didn't quite believe that. They'd just busted ass across the sky the first half the day; he's pretty sure his leveler is underestimating his level of fatigue.
A heavy sigh escapes him all the same, and he looks up at the Grand King.
"If we give you a match, do you give us your word that that you will leave us be?" He asks, banking like hell that his father will be up for making a deal.
There's a spark of joyful gratification in the rookery leader's eyes— as if he's won something, and Kageyama almost instantly wants to take it back. He wonders how much he's going to have to fight or promise to get what he wants.
"It's yours, Tobio." He says, a small smile, real and honest breaking his features, the mask forgotten completely and eyes sincere.
And for a moment, Tobio Kageyama doesn't even register that Tooru agreed without any hesitation—no conditions or reservations, because he can't breathe under that look filled not with deception or calculation, but pride, happiness, and more than anything, relief.
A/N: So... start of the end. I feel like it is going to be VERY lackluster after everything else, lol. This one didn't have more than like one rewrite and I think everyone is very out of character -_-
I hope it still comes across well enough. I'm sorry for being slow to post, these are all still being hashed out almost as I'm posting them so they are really rough and I apologize for mistakes/errors/boring. I'm currently home with family for the first time in years and being pulled in 8 directions which means I'm writing these when everyone else is asleep lol. I'm currently being summoned to go play rummy, so take care and have a magical evening guys!