Eleven Red Lotuses | Kageyama Tobio | S/H

Nothing More than a Demon

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     Kageyama groaned to himself when he walked into class.  There was Hinata, standing by his desk like a lost puppy.  This was not the way to start a Friday.
     "What do you want?"  He grumbles as he sets his stuff down and gets it settled.  
     "I wanted to meet that girl you guys were talking about."  He says cheerfully.  Kageyama sighs.  Hinata really must be an idiot; he was going to get hit.  
     "You wanted to meet Onibi?  And talk to her?"  The name caught the attention of everybody around who stared with wide eyes at the statement.  "If you want to die, Hinata, we can do that right now."  
     "Kageyama, you're so mean!"  He whines, completely oblivious to the stares.  "She could be really nice and you'd never know!"  
     "She bit the skin off of somebody's nose.  Maybe you should reconsider your plan.  If you get an injury, you can't compete for a while."  Hinata frowns.  He didn't like the idea of not being able to play volleyball for a bit.  Still, he was willing to take the chance.  
     "I'm gonna do it."  Kageyama heaves yet another sigh.  
     "Go ahead, dumbass.  I wish you luck that you do die because the alternative is worse."  He states before sliding into his seat.  Hinata waited as the class shifted around and continued to fill, but with only 40 seconds left to get to class, he rushed off.  She hadn't shown up. 
     Hinata ran up to him at practice with worried eyes.  "Do you think Onibi is okay?  Did she ever show up?"  Tsukishima and Yamaguchi looked over at the pair in confusion.  
     "Why are you still worried about it?"  Kageyama asks, but Hinata didn't answer him.  "I'm sure she's just fine.  Onibi misses school a bunch, it's not new."  
     "Is she sick?"  
     "No, Hinata, she's trouble."  Daichi cuts in.  Kageyama looks over at him, surprised by the stern facial expression.  
     "What?"  
     "I don't want to control your life, but don't try to talk to Onibi.  She's dangerous.  She has no sense of morals.  A single punch from her can cause serious damage.  If she hits you right, you might never be able to play volleyball again.  I don't want you to get hurt because you were too nice.  For once, Hinata, let it go."  Daichi says in a drawn-out and worried voice. 
     Hinata's eyes sparkled with sadness.  If even Daichi said somebody was bad news, it was probably true.  

     Hinata decided that it was in his best interest if he didn't speak to her.  He did want to at least see what she looked like, so he waited in Kageyama's class once more on Monday morning. 
     She was a bit shorter than he was.  Her (H/C) hair was shiny and (H/L).  Her eyes were a lovely (E/S) (E/C).  Kageyama had been right.  While she was overall (S/T), her legs were dotted and covered in bruises, mainly on the front of her shins.  She was walking with a slight limp as if she couldn't stand on her left foot for long.  Her knuckles on her right hand were purple.  It looked painful.  
     At practice, he didn't mention anything about her, but he still wondered.  He thought it strange that she had just up and decided to punch a wall.  As he rode his bike home, he wondered about it.  
     Sliding to a stop outside of a small store, Hinata sucked in a deep breath.  It was pretty nice outside after the summer sunset.  He went inside, picking up something he could consider a dinner and a snack for later if he woke up hungry in the middle of the night.  
     He turned towards the front of the store to buy his stuff, but he stopped dead in his tracks.  Onibi was standing there, hands wrapped up in what looked like bandages.  She was only wearing a sports bra and some shorts.  Her wrapped hands trembled slightly as she slid them back and forth along the rows of dinner foods and snacks he had glanced at.  
     Hinata's heart picked up speed as she looked over at him.  He was terrified to say the wrong thing.
     "Hello?"  She asks in a sharp voice.  
     "Um... hi."  He mumbles, unsure of what to do.  She stared at him for a moment, glancing him up and down to see if there was some reason he stood there.  
     "Do you need something?"  She asks.  
     "N-No."  Hinata stutters.  Onibi narrows her fierce (E/C) eyes.  She was imposing; she had a powerful aura.  
     "Are you following me?"  The question hit him like a sack of bricks.  "I saw you in my class this morning staring at me, and then you left.  What do you want?"  
     "S-Sorry.  People keep talking about how mean you are and they gave you such a mean nickname, but I wanted to meet you because I don't think the rumors are true."  She let out a low chuckle before cocking an eyebrow at him.  
     "You wanted to meet the fire demon?  How bold of you.  Don't be stupid."  She turns forward again, pausing to pick up a container of fruit and a package of two dumplings from the shelf.  "Nobody speaks to demons."  She mumbles.  
     "What's your name?"  Hinata asks.  "I know that people call you a demon but I don't want to.  It's mean."  She stared at him for a moment, waiting.  
     "You can learn my name when you stop tensing up every time I turn towards you."  She says calmly.  "If you're going to be scared of me like I'm a demon, you don't get to know me as anything but a demon."  
     Hinata watched in slight awe and slight sorrow as she turned and left.  She quickly paid for her things and exited the shop.  He followed suit, but when he glanced around outside, she had already disappeared.  

     "I talked to Onibi last night,"  Hinata says softly.  He and Kageyama were headed towards the school for an unofficial Saturday practice.  
     "Now why the hell did you do that, dumbass?"  Kageyama huffs.  "Sawamura-san told you not to."  
     "I really didn't mean to!  I ran into her in a store and she started talking to me first."  He defends.  He then looks down.  He felt bad.  "She thought I was stalking her so I kind of had to explain myself.  She seems really depressed."  Kageyama sighs a bit.  
     "She might be.  She's completely alone from everything I've seen."  Hinata pouts.
     "Maybe we should be her friends.  She needs some."  He looks over at the sky, recounting her words.  The way she had said them felt so sad.  "I asked her name.  She said that if I was going to be scared of her like she was a demon, I didn't get to know her as anything else.  I mean, you know what it's like to have a bad nickname.  Not to be mean and bring it up, but I'm just saying, you can be sympathetic to her.  Unlike you, she's let herself sink into it.  It's depressing."  
     Kageyama stares forward.  He couldn't imagine succumbing to his nickname.  His wasn't known much outside of high school volleyball fans, and even still, most of them thought it was a good one.  For Onibi, absolutely everybody in her life knew her nickname, and they knew exactly what it meant.  
     "I can't imagine I'd be able to live in a school where everybody knowingly called me king, and I especially can't imagine being so worn down that I just let it happen.  She clearly doesn't like the nickname, so she's probably just given up on life."  Kageyama says.  Hinata seemed a bit surprised he had actually thought about it.  
     "Do you think she's in danger?"  Hinata asks in a sorrowful voice.  
     "Danger?"  
     "Like, do you think she thinks about suicide?"  He inquires.  "I'm serious.  I've never been in a situation like that.  I think you can understand a bit better than me."  Kageyama sighs and shrugs.  
     "At this point, I can't say yes, but I can't say no.  She very well might."  He replies calmly.  He didn't want to rile Hinata up with bad news.  "If she's submitted to such a terrible world, I can't say that she wouldn't submit to death."  
     "I'm going to be friends with her,"  Hinata says proudly.  
     "Alright,"  Kageyama replies.  Hinata grins.  He wasn't arguing, which meant he agreed that Hinata should be friends with her.  
     "Will you help me?"  The dark-haired setter cocks an eyebrow.  "She won't tell me her name because I'm scared of her.  I think it was because I tensed up, but if I try to explain that it's just social anxiety, I don't think she'll believe me.  You're not scared of that stuff so she'll probably be more open to you!  So, will you help me?"  Kageyama sighs.  Finally, the gym was in sight.  
     "Sure."