Level Pair; Day Nine 4/4
Love seeketh not itself to please, nor itself hath any care, but for another gives its ease, and builds a heaven in hell's despair. ~William Blake
Kageyama sees the flash of grey wing out of the corner of his eye just as the eighth hour call echoes across the rookery. He takes in a deep breath in the fading light and then moves.
There are four sentries around him, assigned to him to ensure he follows through on his end of the deal, he's sure. He must've seemed despondent because he catches two off guard. He slams one of his wings into the back of the head of one of the sentries who walks just ahead of him and leaps at the other.
Lucky hit, he notes as the first goes down.
He swings a fist into the ear of the second he'd jumped on and he, too, collapses. Kageyama knows this one's still conscious because he's grasping at his ear, but he's banking that the ringing filling his head will be enough of a temporary distraction and straightens to deliver another blow with a wing to finish knocking him out, too. He turns to see the other two staring at him in shock.
That's a mistake, he muses and launches himself at them.
At the last moment, the shadow of gray wings behind one makes him target the other. The sentry backpedals before resetting himself and taking a jab at him but Kageyama's blood is racing. His reflexes can't be beaten right now and he ducks and brings his fist up under the other sentry's chin. As he stumbles backward, Kageyama takes aim and lands another against his throat. The sentry goes down choking and he delivers one more strike to finish him off. He turns to where he can hear the other tussling with his accomplice.
He will have to thank Suga; there's no way he'd have managed to best all four in the open like this without help. The thrush is huddled up behind the last sentry, keeping the crow's arms pinned and still remaining mostly out of the way of his thrashing wings. Kageyama winds up and decks him solidly across the jaw. The sentry's head lolls in a daze and Kageyama brings a wing down across his skull to finish it. He goes limp and Suga lets him slide to the ground.
It's only been a matter of seconds but a quick glance ensures that all four are out. And then they are off, Suga streaking across the dimming sky in the lead. Kageyama's wing is protesting heavily, but his adrenaline is doing wonders at muting it.
"Do you think anyone saw?" The thrush asks just over the wind noise in their ears. Kageyama shakes his head once.
"I think they were more concerned about me." He says evenly.
For a moment, Kageyama doubts the thrush's choices, because they are heading directly back to the bulk of his father's military barracks and buildings. But when he skirts low around them, Kageyama realizes why.
Shouyou can't fly; Kageyama must go to him. Still, his nerves are on edge and he expects to be noticed at any moment. When they drop through the trees and buzz toward an empty launch platform, he has to marvel. The failing light must really hide their movement well. They land and a small form that he hadn't noticed in the air jumps slightly and rounds on them. Behind the covered figure, he sees Hinata's orange hair and almost breathes a sigh of relief.
"Kageyama!" The redhead says in a contradictory quiet exuberance with his eyes snapping with excitement, as if he knows he needs to use caution but can't keep it in. "You'll never believe this! This is my mom!" He says brightly and Kageyama can tell he's struggling to keep a low profile. Still, the words sink in and Kageyama blinks before turning toward with abrupt study. Hinata is right… Momma Yu's eyes—the same color as Noya's—stare back.
"Thank you for all your help." He says quietly with a bow, slightly out of breath from their race across the rapidly dimming sky.
"Kageyama, she took out at least three sentries. She's amazing!"
"I would hope so," Suga says over his shoulder in a soft voice. "She was upper military rank at one point. Noya gets it from both sides, you know."
Kageyama didn't know how Daichi would pull something together, hadn't asked. He'd simply left it in his hands and opted to trust him. And he intends to use the opening Daichi and Suga and Momma Yu have bought them.
"Sorry. We don't have a lot of time. We need to get going." He says pointedly.
"Wait! I don't get it, didn't we just get back? And what are you doing here?" Hinata fires off questions and Kageyama wants to curse at his inquisitiveness now of all times.
"I will explain later, but we need to leave." He says stiffly.
"Just because I'm grounded and won't be able to stay doesn't mean you have to abandon everything, too." Shouyou says with a hard edge and Kageyama turns a fierce frown on him.
"That's not it. I will tell you once we are safe." He growls.
"No."
"Hinata, don't—"
"The Grand King put a mark on you, Hinata." Suga breaks in softly. Hinata's face goes slack.
"What?" His voice squeaks out, pitifully small and bewildered.
"He can't stand me being around you so he wants you out of the picture— even if that means dead." Kageyama says, the bite in his voice making the redhead jump.
"This was always the backup plan, Hinata." Suga says in a mildly pleading voice. The redhead looks between them, his expression crumbling.
"Then why did we come back?" Hinata asks, his eyes glossing over with watery tears.
Kageyama scoffs and reaches for him, unable to stop himself. He hasn't seen Shouyou in over a day; the action isn't just for the other boy's benefit. He pulls Hinata into an embrace, his agitated nerves calming at the contact. He hugs the smaller redhead to himself, burying his face in his hair.
"Because I was an idiot and thought everything would work out. By the time I realized the board, everything was already in play and we were stuck. I won't let him banish you. I'm going with you." He says roughly.
A warning bell makes them all jump, and Suga's glancing around sharply.
"That's the infirmary. It won't be long before they notice you are gone, too. Your father won't be far behind." He says and Kageyama nods and pulls away from Hinata, though he doesn't release him completely as the smaller boy turns back toward Momma Yu with an uncertain gaze.
"Shouyou, you and Kageyama have to go, now. Be careful and be safe. We will see you guys again." She says urgently and quickly hugs him, her own gaze going misty while Kageyama glances at Suga.
"Let the others know when it's safer?" He asks, giving the thrush a deep look. Suga nods and follows them to the end of the launch platform.
"Go east until you hit the sea and then go south until the sun rises and sets over it. Once you get there, keep watch for a coastal town called Sheru Bay with green roofed houses and a thriving shell market. We will come find you there when it is safe." He says, grasping Kageyama's arm in a firm grip. Kageyama nods and secures the silent Hinata in his hold and leaps.
"Take care of him, Kageyama." The Nishinoya matriarch's words are barely a whisper over the wind in his ears but Kageyama hears them just the same.
With everything I am. He looks back once, but the platform is empty.
He spreads his wings and catches a draft and Hinata's own hands find his arms in a vice grip. His wing is protesting but he couldn't care less. He's had a couple real meals in his belly the last few days despite how ungrateful he was for them at the time so his energy levels are sufficient. And right now, he knows they are still much too close and anyone could spot them in the gray light. They have to get out.
Kageyama banks to head east as more warnings go up from the rookery and he curses darkly. They aren't far enough away and carrying Hinata, he will never be able to outstrip another sentry. Word will spread quickly and the hunt will be on. He pushes his wings forward, putting as much distance behind him as he can. He's closing in on a league out when a cry goes up behind him and he knows they've been spotted.
Dammit.
"Kageyama…" Hinata says, the fear catching in his voice. His wings automatically respond to the skip his heartbeat does and they strain a little more. How far can they get before someone catches them?
No. They can't be caught. All of this will be for nothing and his dad will kill Shouyou for sure then.
It's getting dark. Maybe they can put a little more distance between them and then drop down for the night through the trees. But then they have the issue of the forest crawling with his father's sentries when they wake in the morning. Even so, he surveys the landscape beneath them, the trees appearing black against the darkening gray horizon. Their prospects look worse by the moment and Kageyama swears colorfully. His only choice is to fly until he drops.
Something whips by him, so close that he can feel the 'whoosh' of air as it goes by his shoulder. Hinata jolts, jostling his hold.
"Oi! Don't jerk like that!" Kageyama barks, trying to reset his grip.
"That was a net Kageyama!" His voice is panicky and it prods at Kageyama's own nerves.
"I don't care! You flinching like that doesn't help my—"
Another zips by, clipping one of Kagayama's wings. He sucks in a breath and they careen wildly, his grasp on Hinata growing precarious in an instant.
"Crap!" He grunts when he feels him sliding from his grip.
The breath goes out of his lungs and he's terrified he's going to lose him altogether before his hands find purchase around Hinata's wrists. Kageyama struggles to regain control of their course, his wings trying to stabilize them. It doesn't work and they are fast losing altitude.
Kageyama can just make out the tops of the trees below him an instant before they punch through the branches. Hinata is wrenched from his grasp and he hears the other boy release a yip and then an outright cry. He plummets through the upper branches of an oak, their give slowing him just enough that he is able to half-ways right himself and roll out of the impact with the ground.
He's on his feet in an instant but he can barely see anything in the last lingering bit of light. He takes a deep breath and tries to listen over the racing pulse of his own heart. And then he hears it. Harsh breathing and a single whimper. It's not much but Kageyama zeros in on it and pushes blindly through the underbrush towards its location. He trips twice and catches a branch to the face more times than he cares to count but he finally drops over a fallen tree and there's Hinata. He reaches out only for Hinata to cower away from his touch.
"It's me, idiot." Kageyama half-whispers and reaches for him again.
Hinata is curled on his side, a hand grasping at his shoulder and Kageyama can feel the back of his shirt is wet. His gut twists.
Hinata is bleeding.
He must have hit the feather base and reopened the wound in his fall. The echo of wingbeats filters down through the trees from above them and Kageyama instinctively kneels over the redhead, his wings splaying with defensive aggression, his eyes uselessly scanning the sky above them.
"It hurts." Hinata whimpers and Kageyama glances down at him— he doesn't know why because he can barely see him and won't be able to decipher his expression anyway.
"It's going to be okay, I promise." Kageyama wonders if Hinata can tell how unsure he is… how frightened he really is.
A twig snaps off to their side and Kageyama faces the threat, tension flooding his limbs.
"This way." I quiet voice slips through the dark. They both go still. A long moment passes in silence.
"Who are you." Kageyama demands, never wavering from his protective stance over Hinata.
"They will come with torches soon. We have to go now." The quiet voice says back. Shouyou shifts and Kageyama frowns. The voice is probably right. If their quarry is a great enough priority, the sentries occasionally go out with torches to see by.
And what could be a greater prize than the Grand King's own son, Kageyama muses ruefully.
"How do you expect us to do that? We can't see in the dark." He grouses, still on edge. Shouyou gingerly pushes to his knees and Kageyama backs off just a bit.
"Hinata?" He asks with surprise.
"I can." He says softly, his breathing still ragged.
"What?" Kageyama asks, mentally tripping.
"I can see… not well, but…I can see your eyes."
Kageyama can tell by where Hinata's voice falls that he's looking toward the newcomer.
"Can you follow?" The voice asks. Hinata straightens beside him.
"I can try." He says, latching onto Kageyama's arm and pulling them both to their feet. Kageyama stumbles after him, bewildered beyond comprehension.
Hinata can see in the dark. As minimally as it is— because he's still running into bushes and shrubs and sticks which Kageyama then runs into in turn…it still sends Kageyama reeling, because he can't see a thing.
Maybe he's actually going off sound, he wonders.
But when Kageyama listens for their nocturnal guide, he can't hear anything above their own fumbling. Were Hinata's eyes always this much better than his own? Maybe that was why he always caught onto everything so quick— because he missed nothing. He's so lost amid trying to keep his feet under him and wondering how the heck he never knew this about the smaller boy, that he doesn't notice as time starts passing.
But he does notice the blackness.
Being blind is suffocating… and terrifying. He can feel Hinata's vice grip still on his arm but he can't see him. He can hear his breathing and feel the heat coming off his body, but he can't see him. He knows Hinata is there in front of him, still making steady progress step by step… but he inexplicably wants to see the redhead. The darkness is oppressive and it makes his gut pull in unease. All he wants to do is curl up with Hinata and banish the black weight in sleep.
The next time he looks up, though, his eyes catch glimpses of pinpricks of light in the sky through the trees. It gives him a measure of relief that he hadn't managed to fall into some world where he might never see again.
They've been walking— stumbling— along for what Kageyama is sure is hours when their guide finally banks off to the side. Hinata dutifully follows and Kageyama feels rock under his hands. Their steps echo off hard surfaces and he realizes it's a cave.
"Watch your head—"
Kageyama walks smack into a rock and drops backward. Hinata is quickly turning around to check on him as he sits up with a hand to the nice new cut on his forehead.
"Sorry, I wasn't quick enough." Their guide says before a stone click echoes through the cavern once, twice. A spark catches some dry tinder several feet away toward the back and as a fire blooms into life, Kageyama gets his first look at their savior.
Golden ears poke out of blond hair that frames a face set with golden eyes. He nearly swallows his tongue. It's a cat…a golden cat. They were lured out here to the middle of nowhere by a cat.
Cat, cat, cat.
Hinata jumps when Kageyama leaps to his feet. He latches onto Hinata's arm and starts pulling him backward.
"Kageyama, what the hell!" He grouches.
"It's a CAT!" He snaps but Hinata shrugs him off.
"I knew that." He says bluntly. Kageyama stares at him.
"And you still followed him?" He asks incredulously.
"We could've waited for your dad's sentries to find us." Hinata says blandly. Kageyama brings a hand to his head as it starts a steady throb.
"Don't you pay any attention to all the reports?" He growls.
"Sure, but he didn't attack us before." The redhead says as if it makes perfect sense.
Before. This was one of the cats that tailed them? In an instant, Kageyama's patience is spent.
"How can you be so stupid?" Kageyama sputters.
"You don't like it, you can always go back home." Hinata retorts with a deep frown and that one stings.
Kageyama's stomach flips on him. Maybe he wasn't as rested as he thought.
"You've got to be kidding. After everything I went through to get you out of there?" He complains, his eyes narrowing in stark irritation. Shouyou glares up at him.
"I didn't ask you to save me. You still have a perfect life you can return to, you know. You can leave whenever you want, I won't stop you." He says reproachfully, his eyes snapping with fire.
"Shut up, dumbass. I told you, I'm going to stay with you." He mutters crossly, but the words lack their bite. The very thought of Hinata not wanting him around has never occurred to him, and it knocks the air from his lungs.
"And I never asked you to, so don't treat me like I'm some obligation! You don't have to feel responsible for me because of some misplaced sense of duty! You don't owe me anything!" Hinata barks and somehow, the fact that the redhead even says it makes everything a hundred times worse. He's always had Hinata's blind faith; the sudden accusation is enough to render him silent and Kageyama blinks, realization hitting right alongside his emotionally painful recoil.
Kageyama's head is pulsing from the impromptu meeting with the rock a moment ago, it feels like his chest is constricted, and all of his muscles have been slapped with fatigue. He feels like hell both inside and out. It isn't just bodily exhaustion; he's almost ready to vomit. Hinata looks pale as well despite the impressive glare on his face.
'Breaking'.
If they keep arguing, they will both end up in dire straits. He lets out a sigh that's closer to a groan and it almost hurts. Trying to stem the urge to lean over in case he does throw up, he turns away from the redhead, a hand rising up to his brow. Everything aches. Kageyama can't help but think he's noticing it that much more now because he finally knows what's happening. He feels a mild pang of vertigo wash over him and reaches out to the cave wall to ground himself, his shoulders hunching a bit.
Did they really just ignore all this anytime they fought in the past? He wonders. For the life of him, he can't imagine how, because he can barely manage his mental thoughts at the moment, let alone his physical condition.
"Look Shouyou." Kageyama murmurs, knowing the redhead's first name will jar his attention. "All the training, the work, the missions, everything I cared about, I cared about because I was told to. There are three things that I actively chose to care about and only one of them wasn't mandated. I cared about Volley, I cared about our unit, and I cared about a stupid redhead. I'm sure you can figure out which one I wasn't supposed to."
His last words are sullen; he feels like he said more than he meant. Probably a lot more. But he can't bring himself to care, and Kageyama can imagine the shock on Shouyou's face— and if he weren't so frustrated and feeling like such utter crap, he'd find the thought both cute and endearing.
"Kageyama…" Hinata squeaks but the dark haired boy barely moves. He doesn't know if he can without just folding up where he's at. He just feels so tired.
"I made my choice, Shouyou, because it's what I wanted. Don't insult my resolve."
His face feels hot and he realizes it's probably coloring with a flush. It's dim and though he hopes on some level that Hinata will miss it, he's sure those almond eyes are as sharp as ever. They did make it all the way here because he was able to see the cat through the dark.
He absently wishes it was Shouyou's vision that suffered the injury instead before he rebukes himself harshly. Shouyou with no eyes would be as bad as Shouyou with no wings because those expressive orbs have grown on him just as much.
He tenses slightly and draws in a breath when small arms snake around his chest in a strong grip.
"Don't expect me to thank you, moron." The mass of orange fuzz says with a peculiar scratchiness against his back. "But… I'll stay with you, too."
The vertigo dissipates and Kageyama can't help but wonder if the contact is what did it.
"Um, if you guys are finished, you should probably get some sleep. It will be warmer by the fire, and I can keep watch." The cat says from behind them and Kageyama is chagrined on more than one level that he was conspicuously silent through their little argument. Given their excellent hearing, he's sure the little bastard probably eavesdropped through the whole thing.
Hinata lets go and Kageyama wants to grumble about that, too, before the redhead grabs his hand and tugs him toward the back of the cave. Still feeling like he's on the verge of collapse, he has no energy to fight. Pushing aside his aches and discomfort, he reluctantly follows, his eyes keeping tabs on the golden-haired cat who's crouched and tending to the low flame. Hinata waits for Kageyama to take a wary seat before dropping beside him with a small smile back in place, his knee close enough to brush up against him.
The redhead quickly starts up an idle conversation with the rather reserved boy. Kageyama learns his name: Kenma. And with how easily Hinata chatters away at him, it becomes a curse on his tongue. The cat is, however, pretty limited socially. He's forthcoming with answers to Hinata's incessant questions, but he lacks almost completely in providing much detail or emotion to most of them.
Apparently there used to be a much larger contingency of cats that had been largely eradicated in recent centuries, but there are still a few of them around. Kenma and his companion saw them the other day on their way back to the rookery and Kenma confirms that they pinpointed the crows' location because of Hinata's initial screech. Kageyama wants to demand where the other black cat is now, but Hinata beats him to it.
"Oh, Kuroo? He was out scouting today. He'll probably be back before first light."
It makes Kageyama wonder if the other cat will be back to gang up on them and kill them in their sleep. Hinata, on the other hand, isn't fazed in the least.
An hour later, he's talked himself out of the waking world. He's crashed out with his head on Kageyama's shoulder and the black-haired boy gently secures him against his chest. He must be a bit out of it as he protectively pulls him closer, because he completely blanks them being a level pair. Maybe it's fatigue or maybe it's the crazy hellish day they've had, or perhaps he is just too determined to keep a guardedly suspicious eye on their camp mate, but it completely slips his mind. Until the soft glow of Hinata's once again damaged feather base catches the cat's attention.
His golden eyes go wide, his mouth dropping for a moment and Kageyama tenses slightly as he realizes what happened, his mind starting to turn faster under the threat of this cat knowing their secret.
"Ah. That makes more sense now." The cat says with a nod. The remark is so offhand and confusing that Kageyama frowns in bafflement, all mental processing shattered.
"What?"
"You're a level pair. I couldn't figure out your dynamic. It's antagonistic but also oddly intimate at times." He says as he drops another log on the fire. "You are very lucky. Most avians never find theirs."
"If you breathe a word of it to anyone, Shouyou included, I'll skin you alive." Kageyama delivers the threat with an icy stare and Kenma blinks at him.
"Why wouldn't you want him to know? He's your leveler." The cat asks, largely unfazed by his animosity and it's unsettling.
Kageyama shakes his head with a frown, a wave of uncertainty washing over him.
"I don't know if I can bring his wings back. I won't give him false hope." He murmurs, looking down at the sleeping redhead. The cat's head cocks slightly.
"Eh… that makes everything much clearer and at the same time, no sense at all." Kenma remarks with an eyebrow arching slightly, before fluidly getting up. "I'm going to go keep watch. Let me know if you need anything."
A room with a door and a lock, Kageyama mentally grouses.
He can hardly believe that he is spending a night in a cave with a cat. He doubts he will find much rest tonight with the way his nerves are still pent up. But… Hinata is sleeping peacefully, his small patch of feathers glowing away.
For now, it is enough.
A/N: I felt much better about this chapter than the previous two... those were the bane of my existence the entire last week and I pretty much made no progress on the last chapter I still have to finish. Also, kudos to anyone who caught the subtle blindness nod to another of Craziiwolf's amazing AUs. You should totally visit her Tumblr page to find either the khwinged AU (the one this story was inspired by) or her khblindness AU. Or any of her AUs, all of her art is awesome.
Also, I was working on this one over my lunch break yesterday and a coworker pops over my shoulder and goes 'watcha doin?' and I was like, yep, nope, done trying to multitask at work. It's funny because I have no reservations about posting for you guys, but I'm petrified of what someone I see every day in a professional capacity might think- and they even know I write. Not everyone is as awesome as you guys, I guess. Hope you enjoyed; I'm going to go see if I can't kill off my motivation by arguing with that last chapter :)