They were dumbfounded by the Russian Team. They all seemed so intimidating, and yet they were mostly only a couple of years older than them. Perhaps it was because they were an Olympic team, literally the best in their field in the whole of Russia.
Daichi shook hands with the captain, Aleksandr Kozlov, who had long chestnut hair with blonde streaks added pinned back by a hair band (much like Ukai's). The other team members were extremely famous in the volleyball world - There was Slava Fedoro, or simply The Monster, who was known for his on point blocking skills, as well as Sevastian Bogdanov, the 7'1 beast, whose hands were rumoured to be as big as dinner plates, and as strong as steel.
Despite all of the great players that they were met by, Hinata seemed entranced by a rookie who had only recently joined the team called Dymitri Klepakk. As he watched him practice his spiking, he wished so badly that he could challenge him, after all, Dymitri was only 5'1, but had a spiking reach over Hinata's.
A familiar face was also there, which took everyone by surprise.
"Eryk?!" Tanaka called, as Suga and Asahi embraced him.
Eryk Korda explained how he was in fact a Russian citizen as well as Polish, and so applied for both and got into both. Karasuno looked at him in shock. His ability was out of this world to be offered a place at two elite teams at such a young age.
After some brief introductions, they got into the game, Hinata sat with his hands on his lap next to Ittetsu and Ukai. His eyes were focussed on how Dymitri played. It seemed the tiny man, even though he was new, was respected within the team due to his reliability and perfect spiking ability. A smile crept across his face as he realised that what he was watching was similar to how he played.
His tired eyes followed the ball everywhere it went, and whenever his team scored a point, he would clap enthusiastically.
Russia managed to take the first set, but this was to be expected. As the rest of the team headed towards the bench for a break, Hinata held a bottle of water out in front of his for Kageyama to grab. Thanking him, he gulped down the cool water, some tiny droplets spilling out of his mouth as he did so, and wiped away the sweat under his fringe.
Hinata gazed at him lovingly. The lights of the gym surrounded his frame, lighting it up and casting a shadow of him onto the floor next to his feet. His own shadow was slumped next to his, a hunched and broken shadow indeed.
How he wished that his shadow could run away with Kageyama's, leaving behind its doomed owner and beginning a life that the real versions of themselves could not have. Those shadows would be happy. So very happy. Kageyama's shadow would laugh and smile and live, instead of being tied to a body that was obliged to look after his sick friend. His own shadow would run and jump and spike whatever volleyball he could find. It would be free, instead of being confined to tag along in a wheelchair, and soon, confined to only a bed.
But he knew that this was a fictitious thought.
-
The game continued, and after a third set, the Russian team were victorious. Honestly, Karasuno were just proud they managed to steal one set off those monsters.
Afterwards, both teams were sat with eachother on the floor, stretching and chatting about their lives. Tanaka and Noya had become particularly fond of Russia's libero, Yulian Dementyev, who seemed to be their brother from another mother, matching their strange personalities to a tea.
Kageyama was sat on the bench next to Hinata, his eyes sparkling from the adrenaline that coursed through his veins. Tsukki and Yamaguchi were also sat nearby, occasionally leaning over and joining the conversation.
"Oi Hinata, you still owe me that ¥1500 you know." Kageyama joked, elbowing him gently in the ribs, although even that caused Hinata pain at that point.
"Oh sorry King, I'll have my servants deliver it to you at their earliest convenience." He laughed, nudging him back.
They both laughed in each others face until Hinata started to cough into his palm, his eyes squeezed shut as each cough pained his small frame.
"D-do you want your oxy-" Kageyama began, but was interrupted by Hinata holding a hand up to his mouth to quieten him.
"Tobi, if...if I have to put that stupid oxygen thing up my nose one more...more time, I'm going to scream." He replied chuckling between gasps.
Kageyama just gave him a weak smile, and a warning to not call him Tobi.
Ignoring this, Hinata asked, "Hey Tobi, would you mind setting a ball to me?"
Kageyama's eyes widened and his mouth contorted into different directions, not knowing how to reply. Hinata explained that he wasn't going to do it for long, but he just wanted to try and spike a ball.
"Well uhm, do you think uh...you should be doing that-"
"Oh stop being a spoil sport Kags. It doesn't take a genius to set the ball to a guy in a wheelchair, heck, even Yamaguchi could do it!" Tsukishima chuckled, pointing a thumb at his friend, who was sat with his arms crossed and his eyebrows furrowed at Tsukki's comment.
Kageyama reluctantly agreed, and grabbed a ball from the crate they were kept in. Yamaguchi wheeled Hinata to centre court, and faced him towards the net. By this point, the hall had become silent apart from a few whispers, as they all wanted to see what they were doing.
Hinata's eyes were fired up for the first time in a while and looked towards Kageyama who was just about to toss the ball. Up it went; Hinata gazed at the twirling ball in midair. As it dropped, he lifted up his right hand and lurched it forward as hard as he possibly could.
BANG!
An insane echo reverberated off the walls of the room, and all the players and coaches watched as the ball bounced from the floor and up to the ceiling. The ball obviously didn't go over the net, but it seemed that all the power he had when playing was still within him. Deep within him.
Instantly, Hinata stood up from his wheelchair with his hands in the air, screaming in excitement. Both teams crowded around him, forcing him back into his seat and congratulated him, telling him how insane that was.
The hustle and bustle was interrupted by sounds of sobbing. They all stopped and looked towards the noise. It was Kageyama. He had his hands over his face, but the tips of his ears were red and his body moved up and down violently, allowing groans to exit his lungs.
Tsukishima stood with his mouth open at this sight, in fact most of Karasuno did.
"That...that was the b-best spike you've ever done, Shoyo!" He eventually announced, and ran over to him, and hugged him tightly.
YOU ARE READING
A Life Without The Sun
Fanfiction"The black sky was dotted with hundreds of bright lights, like tiny spotlights. They twinkled and sparkled, almost as if they were each signalling something to them in morse code. Rippled across the inky abyss above were flashes of deep purple and b...
