A Co-Captain's Doubts

Reaching The Limit

"Get up, get up, I don't want to fucking die, let's go." Number five hissed hurriedly, he was yanking on Kanda's arm to get him to his feet, but the large bleeding boy wasn't moving fast enough.

"Five." Daichi counted in his low voice, fingers curling into fists once more as he looked to Tanaka and Nishinoya, nudging his head to the side in a silent command for them to get off the third player.

Doing as they were instructed, the two snarled their reluctance but freed number seven and watched as he scrambled to his knees, lurching in the direction of the other two and pulling at Kanda's other arm.

"Four."

"Shit, give us a second, we're going!" The two muttered flustered, but Kanda looked less than terrified as he was hauled to his feet, in fact, he looked pissed.

Blood running over his lips and dripping from his chin to his jersey, Kanda turned his darkened eyes to Daichi's which raged with a vengeful fire, and glared back. He didn't flinch as Karasuno's captain continued to count, but he allowed himself to be urged into a standing position as he was practically drug passed the other third year. Locking eyes as he came within arms-reach, the black-haired boy muttered his parting words as Daichi counted to three.

"Better hurry, your loser is calling."

Daichi's lip raised in a growl as his tone somehow managed to grow more dangerous.

"Two."

By one, Kanda's teammates had managed to force him around the bend in the hall and were berating him vehemently for trying to get them killed. There was a pregnant silence when Kita Wasaki's players could no longer be heard, then a soft moan and a whimper from the ace who now stared at his hand as if it were a cobra instead of a fist.

"I can't believe I did that- I don't know what came over me..." He said with awe, his eyes large as Nishinoya came jumping to his side and slapping him on the back with boisterous encouragement.

"You were damn scary for a minute, nice hit, Asahi!"

"I- I can't believe I did that..." He repeated, Daichi scoffing as he snapped out of his own trance, and quickly made his way to the small redhead who crouched over Sugawara.

"I'm mad you got to do it, I was hoping they took too long so I could get my turn."

Sugawara heard the captain approaching before he saw him and in no time at all, he was ushering Hinata to move over and crouching beside the setter as he remained hunched on the tiled floor. He'd managed to catch himself mainly on his hands and knees after Daichi ripped the other teen away, but now he fought to not collapse as he blinked stars out of his eyes. Placing a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder as he swayed, the captain spoke softly and bent to see his face.

"Suga, are you alright?"

"Probably shouldn't-"Sugawara took in a hissed breath as he put too much pressure on his dominant hand and gracelessly shifted so that he was sitting. "Answer that."

With a distant awareness, the aching player acknowledged a burning pain in his knuckles and stifled the urge to moan at yet another injury. Beside him, Daichi placed a firm hand against his friend's back to keep him upright but grabbed his right wrist to examine the jagged gash that ran the length of his knuckles.

"Damn, this looks like it's going to need stitches. You put everything you had into that punch, didn't you?" Daichi asked with what sounded to be a mixture of surprise and approval.

Looking at the brunette with a grimace, he tried to give his voice more energy than what he felt capable of but still sounded quiet and hoarse.

"Didn't think I'd get more than one."