Sleep still didn't come easy for Kageyama. He was restless, and anytime he was able to find sleep, his dreams were plagued with nightmares that felt so vivid.

"You can't run forever, Tobio-Chan~" Oikawa taunted, his eerily saccharine voice sending chills down the fleeing teen's spine, "you'll pay for what you've done~"

It was just a nightmare that much Kageyama knew, but he still ran the losing battle against Oikawa and the shadowy bodies behind him that he assumed to be the rest of his school's volleyball team. That was until he rammed into a tepid, sturdy surface.

"Kageyama…"

Dead coffee eyes stared back down into his own. It was Iwaizumi, his neck still broken and his arm as limp as a puppet's, "Kageyama… It's not your fault. Don't look so sad."

"How can you say that even in a dream?! You dumbass!" he screamed, tears streaking down his face, "I killed you! I ended your life! Stop acting so nice to me!" By this point, both he and Iwaizumi were encircled by Oikawa and his team. None of them however paid the latter any mind. They only saw Kageyama.

What happened next could only be left to his imagination as he was awoken by something kicking at his side. Cracking open an eye, he was greeted to the sight of Kenma's red- clothed leg pushing exhaustedly at his ribs. Kenma himself was trying to worm himself out of Kuroo's arms, making Kageyama wonder if he just kicked him by accident.

"You were shouting in your sleep."

Well that answered his thought. "S-sorry, bad dream. Real bad dream."

Kenma didn't say anything as he finally got free of Kuroo's grasp and wandered into the kitchen. The raven haired boy didn't know what to do as he waited for him to return, he ended up just looking at Kuroo who had moved into an interesting position. He was lying on his stomach, ass in the air while he pressed two pillows to his head. He had to wonder if he could breathe, but again his thought was answered by Kenma as he handed him a cup of what he presumed to be tea.

"He's fine. He sleeps like that so I can play video games at night. He's a heavy sleeper anyways," to prove his statement, he flicked on the TV to show a paused game.

"Oh." Kageyama ended up moving closer to Kenma and the TV as he waited for his drink to cool. The game the other teen played didn't particularly interest him. The game's world, while colorfully designed, was sparing in things to do in it other than fight the occasional enemy. He did, however, think the characters looked nice enough.

"So you're a mutant right?" the dyed blonde asked as he started what Kageyama assumed to be a boss fight with an oversized dragon and its lackeys.

The younger just nodded before he took a tentative sip of his drink. It had the taste of dishwater.

"You know, you're not the first mutant Kuroo brought back here. The seventh, I think. Four of them are dead now. They were killed by the Aoba Johsai."

Kageyama pursed his lips. He still had no idea what the Aoba Johsai even was.

"I take it they hate mutants?"

The blonde nodded, his eyes never leaving the TV screen, "people don't like change. They don't like the idea of someone being better than them. Mutants don't really have rights. It's ironic if you think about it. Mutants aren't born, they develop. You live your life like everyone else until they emerge, then you're considered an outcast. People don't care if you live or die. But even then, gangs like the Aoba Johsai crop up to 'take care' of mutants. People actually donate their money to them to wipe Japan clean of mutants. Sometimes they don't just kill them, they capture them and do who knows what. But the news never talks about it. They just say how the Aoba Johsai are heroes and how mutants are evil baby- killing monsters, ignoring the fact that they're just as guilty of murder as anyone else.

"Um, Kenma-san, are you a mutant too?"

He shook his head, "no, I'm not. I've just seen it all first hand. How people look at Kuroo. Before he dropped out of high school, he was at the top of his class and our school's volleyball captain. Once it spread that he was a mutant though, people said that he cheated to get to where he was and it was a good thing that he didn't graduate, all the while he was trying to support the both of us… Oh, game over…" His eyes appeared to have glazed over with what Kageyama could assume to be tears.

The game's fading blue text only seemed to mock both of the teens.

It was mid-morning by the time Kuroo arose from his futon with a loud yawn and a scratch to his ass to find that both Kenma and Kageyama had crawled under the kotatsu and fallen asleep. Smiling, he ended up collecting the dishes and wandered to the kitchen.

He wasn't exactly as quiet as he could have been, as he ended up waking Kageyama, who realized he needed to use the bathroom rather badly. As he got up however, he couldn't help but hear Kuroo talking to someone. While he was curious, his bladder ended up having the final say, but that was only until he got close enough to hide behind the bathroom door where he could hear the older man more clearly.

"Akaashi, he's my friend too. I know, I know. Akaashi, listen to me, I'll do what I can for Bokuto. No, I remember Alisa. Wait, she what? Ugh, life just keeps getting even more complicated…" By the time he had hung up, Kageyama had already shut the bathroom door as quietly as he could manage.

Kageyama didn't know what to think on the matter. He knew he shouldn't have listened to Kuroo's private conversation, but he couldn't help his concern that even surprised himself. He wasn't exactly used to showing concern for others. He usually liked to keep to himself, except for when it came to volleyball, and even then he had a horrible time interacting with anyone other than Iwaizumi. The thought of Iwaizumi brought on a headache, much to his confusion.

He ended up sitting in the bathroom, hoping it would go away until there was a knock at the door.

"Hey kid, you okay in there? I made some breakfast and I have some clothes for you too if you like. Shorts and a t-shirt aren't exactly fall material," Kuroo called to him until the door opened and the teen poked his head out.

"I kind of got a headache. Can I just take a bath and eat later?"

The messy haired man shrugged, "fine by me. These are for you by the way." He handed him off a long-sleeve sweater and a pair of familiar red and white sweats. "I don't think my jeans will fit you and I know Kenma's won't, so it looks like you're gonna a part of the Nekoma volleyball team for the time being."

Upon entering the bath, Kageyama was greeted by his mirror image, startling him until he realized that it was only his reflection. "Great. I'm scared of my own reflection now…," he muttered as he stepped up to it to get a better look at himself. From a distance, he could tell he looked horrible and being up close only confirmed it. His skin looked translucent and the dark circles under his eyes didn't help. His normally silky ebony hair had dulled, standing up in awkward angles, while his clothes just looked plain grungy and his headache certainly wasn't helping. He ended up covering the mirror with a towel before he got into the tub.

While the water was relaxing, his headache remained, as did the thoughts of Iwaizumi. Frustrated, he sunk under the water until only his eyes remained closed above the water. The thoughts that crossed his mind however had nothing to do with the previous day. They were of his first year of middle school when he joined the volleyball team. Oikawa had wanted nothing to do with him, as he didn't care for another setter trying to take his place. Iwaizumi on the other hand was nice enough to practice with him while Oikawa trained with the others. He remembered after that practice, Iwaizumi bought them both meat buns and how his infatuation grew for the ace.

The thoughts ended when he heard something drop into the water. Eyes snapping open, he saw a small owl bath toy floating in the water that he vaguely remembered had been sitting on the bath edge. Allowing it to float over, he picked it up and squeaked it, snorting when it actually sounded like a hoot. By that point, he noticed it had a little etching in its side. The handwriting was atrocious, but he was able to make out: 'To Kuroo, owl love you forever bro, Bokuto.' He had to wonder if it was the same Bokuto from Kuroo's phone call, but he didn't put much thought into it as he returned it to the edge and unplugged the tub. His headache had gone and his stomach was growling at him angrily.

By the time Kageyama stepped out of the bathroom, Kenma was gone and only Kuroo remained. He was staring at a black cat that had wandered onto the balcony of his apartment.

"Kenma says he sees no difference between me and black cats," he mused as Kageyama took at seat. "Sorry for my ramble. How's your head?"

"Better. The bath was nice and warm. Where's Kenma?"

"Oh, he went back to school for practice. The camp gets cancelled and he still has practice the next day. I myself have to get going soon anyways. I got 'business' with a client in two hours."

He had to wonder if he meant his job or business with the person over the phone, but that thought ended up being pushed to the back of his head as he started to worry about being left alone.

"Hey kid, you look like you've seen a ghost. You okay?"

Kageyama bit his lip, "I'm fine."

"Kid, you're about as easy to read as a picture book for two- year-olds. If you don't want to be alone, I can call up Kenma and ask him to end practice early. I'm sure he won't mind."

"N-no. I won't inconvenience you two."

Kageyama, however was just waved off.

"I want you to feel safe here and if you're not, I want to change that. Kenma told me what he told you last night and I want you to know that I will do anything in my power to keep you safe."

He couldn't look Kuroo in the eyes, "you're just saying that…"

"No, I'm always this nice," Kuroo smiled reassuringly, "now let me go reheat your breakfast."