Injured (Hinata x Kageyama)

24

He was in no shape of playing today, but there was no way in hell he was going to tell anyone that. There were lots of cheers from respective fans, and some people Karasuno didn't even know.

And soon the match began.

Daichi was the first to serve and Kageyama knew he would no doubt get it over. But he had to decide his next move. With Hinata gone, he had less options. The team had decided to let Narita sub in for Hinata. The second-year was very capable but was not in any way as accessible as the absent first-year.

Narita had good game sense, but had trouble dealing with new setters and a new environment. He was no doubt very compatible with Sugawara, but he and Kageyama hadn't been training with each other that often.

Daichi had just served, so it would come off as a surprise to the other team to let him hit. However, it might be a bit hard on the captain, forcing him to do so much in one point.

Tsukishima was easily accessible in this situation but Kageyama wasn't sure if he could trust him to make the first move.

Tanaka seemed very hyped up today, and was bound to have lots of energy in him. Setting to him seemed like a very good option at the moment.

And of course, the trusty ace, Asahi. The nerves had gotten into him quite a bit, but his composure was there. But the team would surely expect the ball from the ace wouldn't they?

And sure enough the ball was received easily on the other side of the net, and hit back to this side.

The ball had been hit to Tanaka, and he had lost his balance so he knew he couldn't immediately set to him. The ball was a bit short, so Kageyama felt himself fumble with it. In a panic, any kind of reasoning he tried to figure out was gone, and his ultimate choice was right to the ace.

The set wasn't as high as he knew Asahi would have liked and he saw his face scrunch a bit, as he tried his best to get a running start. 

But the other team's middle blocker was quick to the scene, and blocked the ball straight on.

"Don't mind!" Daichi called out. He turned to Kageyama. "Hey, don't overthink it. Let your instincts take over."

But Kageyama was afraid that Hinata was a part of his instinct, so how could he use them at the moment?

The first point also set the tone for the rest of the game, and to have the ace not be able to get it over the net was a big slap to the face.

The other team's server was a tall and big player. He looked quite old, reminding Kageyama of Asahi, but something about him looked more mature.

His serve was strong and ended up being a no-touch ace. The Tsubakihara team cheered and high-fived each other.

And one after another, his serves dominated the court, scoring 6 points before Daichi finally picked up on of his serves. 

"On the left!" Tanaka yelled out. 

And the ball sure came to him, but was again a bit short. Tanaka managed to get it over though, and it luckily hit right on the out line.

Kageyama knew he wasn't doing well, but being greedy, he didn't want to get subbed off.

And the rest of the set was like this.

The more it went on, the sloppier his sets became, resulting the set to end with a score of 9-25.

He could hear the commentary on how Karasuno was really off their game. 

"Alright guys, we'll take back the next set," Takeda insisted. "That really strong server, number three, I noticed really picks on Tsukishima and Narita. When Nishinoya is on, Daichi and Nishinoya can cover more ground."

"He really is impeccable," Yamaguchi said in admiration.

"Yeah, he sure is," Tsukishima growled under his breath.

"Don't get discouraged, I know everyone is a bit worked up because of Hinata's absence but we can take back the next set."

And quickly, the next set began.

Number 3 was the first to serve again, and Nishinoya managed to pick it up on the second serve.

"Darn, sorry it's a bit long!" A libero as good as Nishinoya was sure to be annoyed at such an amazing server and spiker.

The ball was a bit too close to the net, but Kageyama managed to set it up high for Tsukishima. It was a lot higher than usual, so he wasn't sure if the middle blocker could hit it. 

Tsukishima groaned, but to Kageyama's amazement, jumped high enough to hit it, over the other team's blockers. The team cheered and Tanaka heartedly patted the blond on the back.

Kageyama realized that he usually set to the middle blocker around the same height as all the others on the team, but Tsukishima was quite tall, so he must have been half-assing all his other spikes before.

But even after this triumphant attack, the set still wasn't going great. The score was 11-19, and any chance of catching up seemed slim.

After an unsuccessful set up Kageyama tried to do with Narita, Takeda called for a time-out. The team all with slouched and discouraged backs, retrieved to the bench.

"This is not the time to break down, it's fricking Nationals!" Sugawara yelled, with obvious built-up frustration. "You guys need to get it together, and not feel sorry for yourselves.

But none of the team was looking at the third-year at the moment, as their attention was set on the person that appeared near the door and was walking towards them. 

"Seems you guys are having a bit of trouble without me."

Hinata, already changed into his full uniform, with his volleyball shoes and knee pads on, 

The coach looked like he was going to fly into rages at any point, and to be fair Kageyama felt the same as well. One half of him was so angry and so frustrated, but the other was relieved and overjoyed.

"Please, I know you all must be irritated that I'm here," Hinata said, his voice quiet as if he was terrified. "But I'd rather die than let you all down."

A/N: You guys are the best and deserve a better author :( I spent 3 weeks on this chapter, but I've really had a terrible writer's block.

Anyway,

how was your valentine's day? (I spent mine alone and trying to work on this chapter lol)