WildFire

14

It felt so wrong: a stack of half-packed boxes beside you as you watched the clip Hinata had let you borrow.

Hinata wore a determined expression in the tape, staring down at the opponents who were clearly much stronger than him. His chin was lifted up and his arms by his side were oddly still as he walked into the court.

You couldn't see what his teammates were saying to him–or what he was saying to them–but it was obviously some sort of encouragement.

Then you saw him.

Blank-faced and taller than you remembered, you saw a familiar, otter-like boy pass Hinata.

Your heart skipped a beat as you studied his features–taking it all in. 

It somehow felt like he was the exact same person–but at the same time, different somehow. His scowl was still there, though there was a sort of hardness to it that made it seem like he had nothing to smile for. His eyes were sharp, but the glint in them was dulled–they didn't have the same shine you remembered.

You continued to stare at the screen, watching Hinata and his teammates slowly lose.

Hinata spiked a ball down suddenly, and you felt you heart do several cartwheels in agitation as the ball bounced off the blockers' fingers. 

Kunimi turned, ready to receive it. 

Your little traitorous heart jumped hopefully, praying that Kunimi would receive it--even though you were Hinata's unofficial mentor. 

But he didn't run after the ball. He just stood, watching it roll away. 

Then the camera zoomed in onto the Kitagawa Daiichi team captain–a dark-haired someone with a stern expression named Kageyama Tobio. 

He was facing Kunimi, and suddenly, you could make out the words.

"Why didn't you run after the ball?" he yelled harshly, shaking Kunimi by the shoulders with an unintentional violence.

"It was going out," he replied, staring straight back at him. 

Though it was a bit muffled, you couldn't help sucking in a breath. His voice was so...empty as he said the words. And it worried you even more when he added, "I'm not going to chase after a ball I know is going out. And look at the points! Unless a miracle happens..."

"But his eyes," you whispered, covering your mouth. 

You could remember them back then, when he had declared his passion for volleyball. Why wouldn't he run after the ball? Even if they were at match point and the opponent was far behind them, why wouldn't he chase after the ball if he loved it so much!

"Try harder!" Kageyama screamed. When Kunimi responded by rolling his eyes, he pointed straight at Hinata. "Look at him–he's trying harder than you!"

"When are you going to stop your dictatorship?" Kunimi snapped, resulting in a furious glare from Kageyama. He mimicked his voice, "Go faster! Your timing is wrong! My set was perfect! If anything, you're the one slowing our team down. Oikawa-senpai was wrong to let you of all people be the team captain."

The screen flashed away from them again, turning to Hinata, and capturing a spike that was so quick you gasped. 

Hinata had been there in a flash, his eyes shining as he slammed the ball down. It was out, and Yukigaoka had lost–but that only seemed to ignite the flame in Hinata brighter.

That you were proud of.

But you couldn't shake a heavy feeling as you remembered Kunimi's tired and frustrated eyes, and the argument with his team captain. 

A bugging curiosity was nagging you at the back of your mind, but you couldn't quite put it into words. All you could figure out was the first word: why?

Why, why, why? What happened?