Red Winter - /Haikyuu/

16. Selfish Fiend

(I'm gonna start putting art of the characters in the Red Winter world! Yes, I did draw them. Pleaseee don't judge them lol)

Hinata was never good at lying. He couldn't keep a secret for long, it took everything in him to keep his mouth shut.

But, now, as him and Natsu started their short trek back to the mall, he mulled over what to say to them. He had never been this quiet before.

Hinata had a tight grasp on Natsu's hand, as they walked through the debris and silent chaos.

"Shoyo...?" Natsu mumbled softly, and Hinata's pursed lips parted slightly, a shaky breath escaping him despite his will to stay strong for her.

"Yeah?" He asked back with a quiet voice.

"My arm hurts." Natsu was teary eyed, clutching her shoulder, the bite mark disguised by her sleeve.

"I know. Think of something that makes you happy." Hinata attempted to comfort her, and normally he would be good at that task, but with the blank worry running through him, he couldn't think of much.

"What would you think of?" Natsu asked, but before he could reply, she continued. "Volleyball, obviously. Volleyball makes me happy too! I wanna play volleyball with you when I get older." It felt like someone just stabbed him through the heart. She wouldn't get older. And she would never get to play volleyball with him.

"O-Oh." His voice trembled in unison with his shaking shoulders. He desperately held the tears in, but they threatened to spill over. "Maybe one day-" Hinata's voice faltered, he cleared his throat, "maybe one day we can play together." No, they never would. Not unless...

"Can we play today? Please?" Natsu questioned, tilting her head as she held the rabbit stuffed animal they took from the store.

"I'm sorry, Natsu. Not right now. It's too dangerous." Hinata lower lip jutted over, his eyes glossy as his grip on her small hand started to loosen. "Remember, keep quiet about the bite. Please."

"Okay." Natsu spoke dejectedly, lowering her head with disappointment. A sniffle left him and he stifled a sob, quickly rubbing the tears from his eyes.

They didn't say another word, and for that, Hinata was thankful. If he kept hearing her talk so excitedly about the future, he was sure he would burst into a fit of tears. And he didn't want to scare her any more than she already was. But...

But maybe. If Hinata could get his hands on those pills of Yamaguchi's, then maybe Natsu could have a shot at life. Yamaguchi would understand, right? She was a mere child, she needed them more than Yamaguchi. Yes, he would understand, wouldn't he?

Despite his attempts at convincing himself of this, the voice in the back of Hinata's mind called bullshit. There was absolutely no guarantee that Yamaguchi would give him the pills. Would Hinata have to steal them?

He didn't want to, really. But with how the situation was looking, it seemed like there wasn't many options.

The duo stepped inside the store, and for a reason unbeknownst to Hinata, dread trailed behind him like the shadow of a ghost.

"I see you're back. And you've brought nothing." Nagisa glared down at Hinata, making the small boy shrink back in fright. Those eyes. So reminiscent of Sergeant it terrified him. Still, Nagisa seemed nice enough, right? Not right, actually.

"W-We had to leave quickly, there was- erm, complications." Hinata stammered out, heart pounding against his ribcage, threatening to pop right out of his chest. God. There goes his awful lying skills. Natsu glanced around, tightening her grip on Hinata's hand.