The Broken Crow

Chapter Three - Teamwork

"Don't ask," he mumbles, his voice forlorn, void of any anger. He is facing away from Hinata, so he can't tell what kind of expression Kageyama has, but somehow Hinata can imagine. He's heard that voice, that loneliness, many times before; mostly in his room, head buried in a pillow. That's the kind of voice born from someone who has been rejected and isolated. Hinata doesn't know how Kageyama came to acquire such a voice, and for once he doesn't ask. It's not an easy subject to broach, and an even harder one to tell. Instead, Hinata changes the subject altogether.

"Let's do it," he declares. Kageyama locks eyes with Hinata, each reevaluating their opinions of the other. Hinata can see a trace of sadness still lingering in those icy blue irises. The guy clearly had a past, but so does everyone. The past is the past, and doesn't have to affect the present. An unhappy backstory doesn't give him the right to be a jerk now. Still, Hinata can feel his opinion softening slightly, only slightly, with empathy and understanding. Being ostracized isn't a pleasant experience.

On the other side, Kageyama stares into Hinata's chocolate brown eyes, always bright with some kind of energy. There's a fierceness in the crippled crow that Kageyama has to respect. Though the loudmouth is still a shitty player who Kageyama would rather chuck into a closer than let him even step foot on the court. But Kageyama doesn't have a choice now, he has to play with the obnoxious guy. Play and win if he wants a chance to play volleyball. He just has to cram the basics into Hinata and hope he doesn't hold him back during the match.

"Then let's get to it," Kageyama says.

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The duo take a few minutes to rehearse what they're going to say. As soon as the two feel adequately prepared, Kageyama knocks on the door once more. The door slides open, reveling Sawamura, an expecting gleam to his dark eyes. Sugawara and Tanaka hover nearby, curiosity winning over them. The first-years whisper a countdown to each other.

"Please play a match with us!" the two shout in unison, bowing slightly.

"We could hear you countdown, though," Sugawara mutters to himself in amusement. Beside him Tanaka snickers at the display. Sawamura smirks. He thought something like this would happen.

"Actually, we have two other first-years joining us," the captain muses out loud. Hinata tilts his head in confusion at the seemingly random statement, while Kageyama's brows knit together in suspicion. The lion raises a finger into the air in a 'ah ha' moment. "How about you have a three-on-three match with them. If you two win, I'll let you practice with us again." Hinata's eyes brighten, a wide smile crossing his face. Kageyama mentally smirks. He'll win easily, even with his orange-haired handicap. "But if you lose, Kageyama will never play setter for as long as the third-years are here."

"What!" Kageyama cries in outrage. Hinata switches his gaze between the captain and Kageyama, bewildered. 'That's it?' he thinks, not understanding why the crow is so upset. Sure, he wouldn't be able to play the position he wanted, but he could still play, so what does it matter? Hinata would be satisfied just being able to play in matches, regardless of what he played.

"Kageyama, aren't you overreacting a bit?" Hinata says cautiously. "I mean, you'll still be able to play, even if we do lose-" Kageyama is on Hinata before he can even finish the sentence. His stark blue eyes turn red with fury. It doesn't take a genius to figure out Hinata has stepped on a land mine, one of the many on the battleground that is Kageyama Tobio.

"I am a setter!" Kageyama shouts, like it's the most obvious thing in the world, because to him, it is. He would rather quit volleyball altogether than play a different position. There is no compromising on this. "To ask me to play a different position is like asking a wing spiker not to spike." Kageyama's eyes are raw with emotion. Anger, shock, and panic war with each other, all visible in Kageyama's expression and posture. Him not being a setter simply doesn't compute in his mind.