Rigid Crow

A New Beginning

Shō leans close and murmurs, "Sh-Should I c-c-c-c-come w-w-with y-you? W-Will you be o-o-o-o-o-okay?"
     I guess it's pretty obvious to him that I'm going to speak with them.
     "Thanks, but I'll be fine. This is something I have to do alone."
     He nods, leaving for the courtroom.
     I look back to my parents. Their faces are hardened toward me. I walk up to meet them. "Ohayo."
     My mother about explodes in response. "You've embarrassed us beyond belief, Tobio," she snaps, her eyes steely. "You took your family name for granted and brought shame to your parents."
"Are you kidding me? Do you understand what happened to me back at the beginning of November? I almost died! You did nothing to help. You didn't even come to see me. You cut me off and you didn't tell anyone. You have to renounce your rights. You will, won't you?"
They look at each other, their gazes hard. Okaa-san looks back at me. "I won't give you away to another mother. I could take care of you just fine. Think how that will reflect on me? On us?"
"That's the most selfish thing I've heard in my life. On you? What about me? It doesn't matter if you could physically care for me. Have you? No! Just let me have this. I'm sure the judge will decide to terminate them within the month no matter what you say, so please, don't make it any longer."
My father steps in, a hand on Okaa-san's shoulder. "You want this? Fine. Don't say we never did anything for you. We will terminate our rights on one condition."
"Yes?"
"You will change your name. I don't care if it's to Hinata or something else, but you will never be referred to as a Kageyama, as anyone in relation to us, ever again. If you choose to forsake us, we do the same to you. Do you understand?"
I fight not to cower under the strength of his words. This is what I want. They're caving.
But to give up that name? To be wholly taken into a different family?
I realize it doesn't matter. So what if I have to be called differently? I'm still me, no matter what name I have.
"I would gladly be Hinata Tobio. I trust you'll keep your word."
He nods stoically. "I'll see to it that we do." They turn and walk away without another word.
     I take a seat. I feel mentally exhausted after that.
     Shō comes to find me after a few minutes. I hear the clacking of his crutches as he approaches. "T-Tobi? The h-h-h-h-hearing is ab-ab-about to s-st-st-start. You okay?"
     "I'm coming. And yeah, I'm fine."
He keeps throwing worried glances my way, but he doesn't push.
     "I have to change my name," I say softly. "To yours. Those were my parents' conditions for renouncing their rights."
     Shō's eyes light up at that. I don't know what I was expecting his response to be, but my stomach is still churning from the encounter. "R-R-Re-Really?"
     "Yeah. Hinata Tobio, I guess." I groan and bury my face in my hands. "How can I just do that? What do I tell the team? Will we both be Hinata?"
     "W-We'll fig-fig-fig-figure it out." He smirks. "The Mi-Mi-Miya twins do it s-s-s-somehow."
     I laugh. "I guess they do."
When we get to the courtroom, Shō takes his sister and sits with her in the front row. I take a seat next to Hinata-san and Hinata-sama at the table in front of that. My parents take their seats at the other one across the room.
The hearing goes smoothly. My parents say what they promised.
     We go over details of the Hinatas' new responsibilities concerning me, and my name change, which can also be done during this hearing. We do the necessary paperwork and turn it in.
     At long last, the judge makes the final declaration we've all been waiting anxiously to hear. "Hinata Reo and Hinata Yui, from this point forward, you are recognized as the legal adoptive parents of Kageyama Tobio, who will take on the name Hinata Tobio. Kageyama Haruto and Kageyama Minoru, your parental rights have been permanently terminated. This hearing is adjourned."
The Hinatas cry out in joy, and I am enveloped fist by Hinata-sama and Hinata-san, then Natsu and Shō join the hug.
"Thank you, Hinata-san, Hinata-sama."
Hinata-sama tearfully shakes her head. "Call us by our first names now."
"R-Reo-san and Yui-san?"
Shō shakes his head this time. "Kee-Keep the -sama. A-A-A-All wo-wo-women should b-be treated li-li-li-li-li-like queens."
"Reo-san and Yui-sama."
They smile.
I look to where Okaa-san and Otou-san were sitting, but they're gone. Left without a word. Oh, well. That's all for the better.
All of a sudden, a loud cheer erupts from the back of the room. I jump, turning to see not only the entire Karasuno team, but other friends as well. Iwaizumi and Oikawa. Kenma and Kuroo. Even Suga, Daichi, and Asahi. Everyone's here.
I go back to meet them, stun still rattling my core. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Not missing one of the most important days of your life, that's for sure!" Nishinoya caws, a large grin spread across his face.
"How'd you all get in without me even noticing?"
Ennoshita glares at the guys around him. "It was tough keeping everyone quiet." His stare lands on Noya and Tanaka specifically. "But somehow, we did it. And with a few extra friends, too."
"Tobio-chan, congrats!" Oikawa chirps.
"Why are you here?"
He throws a dramatic hand over his heart. "And miss my dear kohai's most tender moment of childhood? I'm much too great a senpai to miss that, aren't I?" Iwaizumi whacks him in the back of his head. Oikawa cries out. "Iwa-chan! Ow! Not so hard!"
"Kenma wasn't here mentally," Kuroo tattles. "Pretty sure he was playing a game this whole time."
"Was not," Kenma mutters in a tone that totally gives away that that was just what he was doing.
     "You all came," I say, completely dumbfounded.
     "Of course we did, Tobio-kun," Suga says with a smile. "To offer our congratulations on a new beginning."
     It is a new beginning. For me, for Shō, for the whole Hinata family. A new beginning. A new start. A new life.
     I can't wait for what comes next.