•Book 1 • To Defy Fate • KageHina•

•16•

I want to open my eyes, but my body doesn't listen. Everything hurts, especially my head. Maybe I should keep my eyes closed. A nap would be nice..

I groan softly as I turn to my side. While I expect to get peace and quiet after this, it brings me chaos instead.

'Kageyama? Are you awake...?'

Should I react? I don't want to. I'm too tired.

'Please wake up.' It sounds a bit sad.

'Nn,' I answer. I'd rather stay asleep.

'Please?'

After taking a deep breath, I try opening my eyes to see who is bothering me. The light that shows both hurts my eyes as well as my head.

In front of me is a blurry orange blob. Must be Hinata. I have to squint; the sun is too bright in this white room. This seems to be the nurse's office. I rub my eyes, hoping it'll help.

After my vision is restored, I find myself looking right in Hinata's eyes. There's a pretty deep frown on his face. 'Huh? When did you get so close? Get away, idiot!' I yell at him. My head immediately starts pounding from my own screams.

'Gah! Sorry!' He stumbles backwards. 'How are you feeling?'

'My head still hurts, but I think I'm fine.. What happened?' I push myself into a sitting position and rest my back against the wall.

'You suddenly collapsed in class. It was really scary!' The orange haired boy says just a bit too loud.

I place a hand on my forehead. 'Please calm down..' I sigh. 'How long have I been here?'

'School just ended, so I came to see how you were doing.' Hinata looks away while saying that.

'Where's my bag?' I ask, knowing he's not telling the truth.

He hands it to me. The first thing I grab is my phone. The time shows 5:30, well over an hour after the last bell rings. 'Liar.'

'Uh, I mean.. I was worried, alright?' His voice suddenly becomes really soft. 'I was scared you might die or something...'

Never before have I seen him so... pessimistic and serious. Even when he was talking about his friends. He simply looks sad.

'I am not going to die.' It sounds more harsh than I intended, probably because I have been telling my family the same thing a thousand times this week.

Upon seeing him flinch at this, I add 'But thank you for watching over me.'

'Should I walk you home?' he asks.

'Maybe if you stop being gloomy,' I huff. 'Really, I'm okay. It was a simple lack of sleep.'

Though still looking concerned, Hinata seems to buy it. 'Alright. Can I talk normally, or does that hurt your head too much?'

'Seriously, stop worrying. How'd the exam go?' I hope changing topics will finally brighten his mood.

'It went pretty well! I finished the questions just in time, and they were all easy.' He gives me a normal smile. Finally. 'What about you?'

'I don't know. I finished it, and I hope I'll pass.' I shrug.

We stay silent for a second after that. So, I decide to get up. Hopefully, the parts of the strings I watched are already overdue.

My head still feels heavy, but I manage. I have my bag, I have my phone... 'Wait. Hinata, where is that tiny bottle I was holding?'

'Bottle? I don't know, you weren't holding anything when you fell,' he answers. 'Do you want to go look for it?'