target | kagehina

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Kageyama and Oikawa circled each other like vultures to their prey, standing ready with fists balled at their sides. The adrenaline running through them both was palpable, electrifying all those in the surroundings. Every second that passed was another blessed second unscathed. Kageyama had no intent to hurt Oikawa, only protect himself and throw a few punches if needed. He was an unexperienced fighter but he prayed his athletic build gave him at least a slight advantage. As long as they stayed on their feet, the conflict would be he in a matter of minutes.

When Oikawa took his first stride forwards, Kageyama jumped back. They were engaged in a tango of sorts, each person's step mirroring the other's. Only their feet moved. Cheers from Oikawa's supporters surrounded the area, but Kageyama was focused on the motions of his opponent. The ideal situation would be without bloodshed, but judging by the rage rising in Oikawa's eyes, he would not let him leave easily. He lowered himself into a standing lunge and spat out a hoarse "Faggot."

Kageyama's ears had heard many of the same curses before. His words did not sway him from his position, and his gaze did not waver. He stared at Oikawa's eyes with an intent glare, sending a message that he would not be affected by his petty threats. He did not need words to convey his thoughts.

Soon, the cheers for Oikawa became difficult to ignore. The sentences overlapped each other, but one thing was certain: the bystanders of this fight did not want Kageyama to win.

Oikawa rolled up his sleeves and narrowed his eyes when a soft voice from the left cried, "Tobio!"

Even over the crowd of screaming bystanders, Kageyama recognized Hinata's voice immediately. He looked up for a brief moment to catch his gaze. Hinata's expression reflected the deepest sorrow he had ever seen in him, his eyes begging and his hands trembling. Kageyama only comprehended his warning when Oikawa's fist connected with his face.

Kageyama stumbled back yet stayed standing. In the one second that he had been distracted, Oikawa had initiated the battle. Kageyama's lips throbbed, yet he felt no pain, only tasted the blood in his mouth.

Oikawa laughed coarsely. "Your boyfriend can't save you now. Look, he's running away! Back home, I bet!"

Kageyama understood that this was another attempt to distract him. He did not glance back to the left, where Hinata was still waiting for him. Kageyama spit out the excess blood and prepared himself once again, trying to predict Oikawa's next action. Every nerve in his body screamed at him to fight back, to hit him as hard as he wanted. Yet he refused. If Oikawa left without a scratch, Kageyama would be proven innocent. He refused to face consequences that he did not deserve.

"Are you scared? Come on, that's so pathetic. Don't you want to punch me? Come here, hit me, hit me!" Oikawa taunted. The crowd reacted to his words in ecstatic yells.

"Hell, no," Kageyama hissed. "I won't stoop to your level."

Oikawa raised an eyebrow, a cocky smile on his lips. His expression was relaxed, yet his muscles were tensed in position. He was ready to strike again.

"Always above the rest of us, are you? I've gotta say, you and Hinata are a perfect match. He's just like you, constantly–"

"Don't touch him!" Hinata interrupted. He pushed through the others watching the fight to reach the center and stood, panting, in front of Kageyama.

"Shoyo, leave right now. Don't get involved in this," Kageyama ordered, tugging on the sleeve of Hinata's shirt. His voice was commanding.

"No. If he wants to hurt you, I will hurt him," Hinata answered, his feet grounded.

Both Oikawa and Kageyama knew that he would not move unless forced to, which Oikawa quickly made his mission. Before Kageyama had the time to push him out of Oikawa's path, his hand collided with Hinata's stomach, sending him falling to the concrete.

Oikawa had shifted his focus to Hinata, delivering kick after kick onto every part of his body, still sprawled on the floor. Every injury on Hinata washed through Kageyama with a matching pain. His vision blurred from tears as Hinata stared at him. Even in this situation, he didn't look helpless. He never did.

Oikawa paused for a second, giving Kageyama the time to shove him off of Hinata. Kageyama kicked Oikawa in the side with enough force to make his own knees weak, causing Oikawa to roll to the ground. Hinata used the opportunity to run away as fast as he could, leaving behind a trail of dust. He ran until his lungs felt like they were going to collapse. After checking to see if he was safe, he leaned against the wall of a nearby building and grabbed his phone from his pocket. He dialed three numbers. Three numbers that would save Kageyama's life.

Meanwhile, Kageyama struggled to focus back on Oikawa. If he even blinked an eye, he could get injured again. Kageyama would not make the same mistake twice. In his peripheral vision, he saw Hinata running and mentally let out a sigh of relief. As long as he was safe, Kageyama didn't care how much Oikawa hurt him.

"I'm not finished with you!" Oikawa called, then lunged at Kageyama with the speed of a leopard. He dodged his attack, jumping to the side and barely missing him.

Oikawa sprinted towards him, determined to deliver another blow. Kageyama, weakened from the previous injury that was beginning to increase in pain, couldn't avoid his attack a second time. Oikawa targeted his face again, and hit the bullseye.

Kageyama's vision swirled as he fumbled with his steps, and eventually found himself on the ground. The pain came sharply, centering on his right eye. After a moment of Kageyama gasping for breath, Oikawa attacked again to his jaw. His head slammed against the concrete, a wave of pain surging through his body. He lay paralyzed, accepting every hit, every vulnerability exposed.

'If I die, I hope Hinata and his family move away from this hellhole.'

Oikawa's fists met Kageyama's jaw, stomach, side, nose. And yet, he refused to move. With his left eye, he could make out a sky filled with red and white stars, and the singing of sirens. He felt blood on his hands and cheeks, freshly trickled down like a slow river in the springtime.

Then the pain stopped, and he felt warm hands grasp his shoulders and legs. He winced at the contact, yet found himself laughing quietly.

"Are the angels coming to take me?" Kageyama mumbled, struggling in the grip of the unknown handlers. The strangers carried him off the ground, allowing him to see the scene playing in front of him. Through his uninjured eye, he saw a blur of navy floating to his right. On the left, a boy was held to the hood of a car. The sirens continued their melody, drowning out any other sounds besides a slight ringing in his ears. The blood on his tongue tasted like copper.

The strangers finally placed him on a soft mattress as the sirens concluded their song. Kageyama groped around blindly until his hands grabbed the familiar fabric of Hinata's sweater, holding it tenderly.
"Goodnight, darling," he whispered, and everything faded away.

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