Crows Like Shiny Things (Hinakage)

When you try to be melancholic but your ace won't let you

Kiyoko stared at the tree in front of her, shocked. The trap Tanaka and her had set had gone off- and it was supposed to keep whatever ran in there rendered helpless in a net.

This net was now neatly dangling from the tree like it was supposed to and yet, there was nobody inside. No animal, no spirit and yet, Kiyoko could see something left behind.

Slowly, hesitantly, she stretched out her hand into the net.

It was a feather.

Not just any feather.

A white feather.

Beautiful and glistening and just so similar to the one she had found some time ago.
The girl swallowed. It was the same spirit, she knew it was the same, it had to be.

Almost immediately, she climbed up the tree and set the trap back in place. She hoped, whatever it was, would come back again. And yet, there was just one question on her mind.

How did it escape...?

***

Asahi was deep in thoughts on his way to school. He felt like everything had been pulled into utter chaos. Kageyama was confirmed alive yet living among the spirits- well, not spirits, but spirits (?).
One of those spirits was trying to court him and he was so not sure how to feel about this.
Tsukishima had a toddler with wings rushing to visit him.
Yamaguchi was trying to be supportive but seemed just as lost as everyone else.
Sugawara was trying to encounter a spirit for himself.
Daichi was somehow trying and failing to suppress the chaos.
And the worst thing of all, Tanaka and Kiyoko were whispering with one another whenever they could. He just KNEW they were up to something and knowing Tanaka's history of plans, this was not going to turn out good.

He had no idea how he managed to rope Kiyoko into one of his idiotic ideas.

Suddenly, Asahi tensed. There was someone watching him. Friend or foe? Asahi turned his head, expecting to see Nishinoya, but he didn't.

Asahi was locking eyes with no one else than Kageyama.

He was standing at the edge of the forest, leaning against a tree, staring at him from the shadows. There was something behind him, something that casted an enourmous shadow over Kageyama, an almost black mass- but Asahi knew at this point what it was.
The wings of a Winged Child.

"Kageyama!" Asahi called out to him, receiving no answer. The boy swallowed, he was getting nervous. The shadow behind Kageyama moved a little, and he could see glimming hazel eyes staring into his soul.
"Kageyama...!" he called out again, taking a sharp left to approach the forest.

Finally, Kageyama moved. He gave Asahi a small nod. That was all it took for the ace to drop his bag and run towards the forest, taking a huge leap across the small river and landing straight on the other edge.
Kageyama's hand clenched into a fist yet he allowed Asahi to approach him, not backing away.
"Asahi-san," he greeted in a neutral voice, and Asahi immediately wrapped his arms around him in a bear hug.
"Y-you're alive...! You're alive and well and- y-you're alive...! Kageyama, you have no idea how worried I was, how worried the entire team was-"
Kageyama gently moved Asahi off of him, a bit uncomfortable with all the touching.

"I... wanted to see the village again," Kageyama stated with a hint of awkwardness in his tone, and Asahi examined him from head to toe. His clothes seemed a bit torn and dirty; but he didn't seem malnourished or sick.
"I-I understand, of course..."
A bit of an awkward silence fell between these two, and the Winged Child behind Kageyama flapped gently his wings as he stepped next to him into the light.
"You're Asahi."

Asahi immediately paused, looking down at him. Orange hair, black wings, hazel eyes.
"Y-you're Natsu's brother," he blurted out and Hinata's jaw fell."
"How do you know my sister?!"
"She came to us when we were training, she wanted to see Tsukishima!"
"Eh?! When was that?!"
"Two days ago!"
"How the hell-!" Hinata cut himself off, gasping a little. Kageyama gave him a gentle smack to get him back into reality, before looking back at Asahi.
"Natsu's visiting you?"

"She seems to have taken a liking to Tsukishima. Last time she brought him candy."
"That little...!" Hinata mumbled under his breath. The candied peach he had pleaded Nishinoya's father to give to him to silence Natsu? Yeah, she had turned around and given it to Tsukishima.

Goddammit.

Asahi chuckled a little, then bowed to Hinata.
"Azumane Asahi. Nice to meet you. You're... not a spirit. At least Nishinoya says so."
A little surprised, Hinata bowed back to Asahi.
"Uh... No... I'm a Hinata. Hinata Shouyou."
The boy giggled and nudged Kageyama a little.
"I like this one! Is he your friend or something?"
Kageyama hesitated and Asahi chose to answer for him.
"Haha, we're playing volleyball together. Although... it didn't last very long."
His voice had turned a little sadder at the end and Hinata paused.
"Volleyball? Tobio's been teaching me, I'm getting a little better! It is  a bit hard playing with my wings being in the way, tho."

Asahi paused for a long moment. Kageyama could see the gears rotating inside his brain.
"I-I know this sounds... incredibly stupid."
A pause again, and both Kageyama and Hinata stared at him with curious eyes.
"And only if you're up for it..."
Another pause. They were growing antsy at this point.

"I can ask the others if they're down... but we could train together. As... well... a team."

Kageyama's eyes began to shine. Volleyball? Again? And he could be setter again. Holy fucking shit. Yes. A million times yes.
"Yes," he blurted out and both pairs of eyes turned towards Hinata, who let out a surprised chirp and backed a step away.
"Uhh... U-unsure... I'd have to ask Nishinoya if he wants to play. He never tried it, that's kinda been Tobio's and my thing. B-but if Nishinoya's fine with it I'll think about it."

Hinata hesitated a second, then looked up at the two boys.
"Are they... trustworthy...?"
Asahi let out a laugh. Oh he'd set his hand on fire for his team's loyalty.
"Suga's been drilling secrecy into everyone since Kageyama left. He's been really helpful in getting me to be brave enough to talk to Nishinoya. Daichi's the most team oriented person I know, and Tsukishima is babysitting your sister. I think we'll be fine."

Hinata chirped again, seeming to grow a little excited with the ace's enthusiasm.
"I'll ask Nishinoya! I-I'll let you know when you come back from school."
"Can't wait for it. And I'll rally up the others."