The Sun in a Sea of Darkness

Owls

    "Hinata!" a familiar voice cried. Hinata spun on his heels quickly, almost stumbling when a tall man with frosted tips came into view. A smile grew on Hinata's face, relieved it was just Fukurodani's ace.
    "Bokuto!" Hinata jumped, almost as if he was spiking a ball. He hadn't seen the captain since the training camp that Karasuno had participated in. He landed on his feet, a confused expression contorting his face. Why was Bokuto at the hospital? Hinata walked over to the taller man. "What are you doing here?" Hinata questioned, his voice laced with subtle concern. Bokuto placed a large hand on the younger one's head, ruffling his hair.
    "'Kaashi has an eye appointment. I think he's getting glasses," Bokuto crouched down, meeting Hinata's eye level, as if he wanted to whisper something, "and I'm his getaway driver." Bokuto stood up, concluding with a giggle. The elevator dinged, ushering the two on. The elevator was uncomfortably crowded already, someone being the person who operates the buttons. Both Bokuto and Hinata chose floor 2. Bokuto initiated conversation with Hinata in the eerily quiet elevator.
    "Wait- little man, why are you here?" The older one asked. Hinata tensed up, but just started blurting out without thinking; something he would do even when talking to an opposing teammate about their attack signals.
    "Well Kageyama and I were coming home from practice..." Hinata started, continuing without hesitation until they reached the second floor. By the time the doors opened, he was still talking and Bokuto seemed to be going to the cafeteria too, so the redhead didn't intend to stop.
    It wasn't until they actually sat down with their food at a table in the cafeteria when the story stopped with, "and now we're here." Hinata shrugged his shoulders, seemingly unfazed, but a minor headache beginning to brew. Bokuto blinked owlishly at the smaller ones attempt to bring up what happened within the past twenty-four hours, his brain still racking from all of the information he just had to take in. Bystanders walked on with their day, doctors, nurses, and visitors alike, seemingly unfazed; but this tiny highschooler whose only love was to play volleyball with his setter, couldn't do what he loves anymore. Bokuto's expression grew somber, almost twisting into hatred. Hinata raised a brow, only seeing such a look on the Owl's face when he had made a mistake on the court. He stayed silent for a while, not even touching his food. Hinata did the same, but just looking at Bokuto, expecting some sort of reaction. After about three minutes, Hinata looked down and took a bite of the food he had gotten from the hospital cafeteria. It was a small portion of ramen and a cup of fruit. He quickly realized the ramen was too hot, so he let it cool.
    Bokuto mumbled something incoherently. Hinata perked up, looking up from his cup of ramen. "Did you say something?" Bokuto sat in silence again for a few seconds before speaking up again.
    "Why do bad things always happen to good people?" he uttered. Hinata straightened up, taken aback by the question. He had never thought of it because he really never needed to. Other than being made fun of for being super short and being a middle blocker, he never had really any hardship in his life. Hinata blinked, unsure of what to say.
    Hinata shrugged, "I guess we'll never really know why." He poked at his ramen, now cooler than before. The background noise of the breakfast crowd clouded his mind, isolating the question Bokuto had just asked. Why did bad things happen to good people? Kageyama, sure, pushed Hinata around sometimes and called him names when he had made a bad play, but he wasn't a bad person. He was a teenager in highschool who played volleyball. He was essential to the team, and now he's getting tested for why he suddenly turned a supernatural version of blind. The question made sense, and was logical, but the answer remained unclear.
    "You don't even seem remotely upset," Bokuto confronted. Hinata snapped up from his ramen, meeting big brown eyes with furrowed brows. The redhead grew slightly angry at this. Of course he was upset. His best friend, setter, and partner is now blind and can't do what he loves anymore. Hinata shook his head.
    "Of course I'm upset. My best friend is blind," Hinata countered, putting his chopsticks down on the table, "This is like if Akaashi went blind and the only thing he can see is a white blob." Hinata threw his hands up, his voice slowly increasing in volume as the sentence went on.
    "Then why can't I see it on your face?" Bokuto responded, sitting back in his seat, crossing his arms. Hinata blinked again, his stomach rumbling because he hadn't touched his food.
    "I don't know why, but I can assure you I am upset," Hinata shrugged again before picking up his chopsticks and began to eat. He heard Bokuto sigh, and begin eating as well. Both boys were too hungry to argue.
***
    "Akaashi!" Bokuto waved, calling for the younger setter. Hinata and Bokuto were now sitting in the lobby, just making casual conversation about the upcoming tournament Tokyo. Though it was just turning spring, they were already talking about it, both teams coming up with new plays and plans to fool the other competitors.
    "Oh, Hinata. Nice to see you," Akaashi said to the smaller boy. Hinata looked up at the older one, smiled brightly and nodded in return. Akaashi was wearing dark sunglasses, but not really sunglasses. That plastic kind that once you're done with them, you throw them away. Bokuto stood up and swung his arm around his setter, completely engulfing him.
    "Ready to go?" Bokuto asked. Akaashi nodded, rubbing his forehead. The glasses aren't doing much work to his now light-sensitive eyes, giving him a headache. Hinata stood up too, getting ready to head back to Kageyama's room. The couple began walking away, Bokuto leading Akaashi. He turned back around and shot a quick wave with a big smile back to Hinata. The redhead gleamed back and waved, turning on his heels towards the steps. He looked at his feet hitting the ground, combining the sight with the sound. He looked up just as he reached the door to the stairway and pushed it open. He froze once the door closed, realizing he didn't count how many flights of stairs he went down. Other than completely losing it, he calmly turned around and walked back out and to the receptionist again.
               "Excuse me," Hinata said, hopefully loud enough to be heard over the other receptionist talking on the phone. The receptionist took no notice to the small teenager standing at the desk, and Hinata decided he had no patience for this, so he turned back and went straight towards the stairway again. He swung the door open, and started climbing.
             While he was climbing, the only thing he could think about was Kageyama's blindness, and how he could help with all of this, especially with him playing volleyball. The lingering thought that he would never be able to play again spun in his mind without end. Surely he'd still be able to play. He can hear, which is a big part of it for calling plays. If people try to communicate with him then they can do so. He just won't be able to see the ball, where it is, where the players are, and where the opponents are. Hinata grew sympathetic, heart throbbing at the fact that he might not, in fact, play again. He stopped on about the fourth flight up, and held onto the railing for balance. Could Kageyama really never play volleyball again? Hinata stood there for a second. He rubbed the back of his head, trying to calm himself down but it didn't work.
          He pushed the door to the fourth floor open, slamming shut behind him. In big blue-green letters, the words "Neuroscience Institute" were on the wall. He never knew the name of the floor because he couldn't remember much after hitting his head. Even if he did remember anything because everything was a blur, he wouldn't want it running through his head. He didn't know what neuroscience meant nor did he want to know. He looked around the lobby-like area, seeing two bathrooms, one of which he came out of, a waiting room, and then doors to either side of him. He looked up to his right side, seeing a sign above the right door, reading "4A - rooms 1-30". People were walking in and out of that section as they pleased, whether they be an employee or a visitor. The other side, however, was close to empty, and if anybody, only seeing employees coming in and out of the doors. He looked at the sign above the left door. It read "4C - rooms 31-60". This side was a little different. It had a phone attached to the wall next to the elevators Hinata assumed led to the lobby. The employees that went into this section had to swipe some sort of card in order for the doors to open.  Hinata furrowed his brow confused.
           He walked up to the doors of 4C and knocked. He took a few steps back in case the doors would've flung open. Soon after, a lady in navy clothes opened the door. She had brown hair pulled back and pieces hung in her face, like she was just doing something and didn't have time to fix it.
            "Can I help you?" She questioned. Hinata stiffened up and felt his face turn a light pink out of embarrassment.
            "Uh, yes. I believe Kageyama Tobio is a patient in here? I was the guy that came in with him," Hinata squeaked. The lady blinked and continued to stare at Hinata. She seemed to be waiting for something. Hinata stared back and blinked as well, darting his eyes from the wall back to her. They stared at each other in silence for a little bit, before she turned back, and closed the door. Hinata could hear her talking to someone, and peered into the small window that was on the door. After about a minute, the lady opened the door again, and held it open.
             "Hinata Shoyou?" She asked. Hinata quickly nodded and she motioned for him to  come into the section she was guarding. She turned on her heels and started walking down the hallway. Hinata followed and couldn't help but look around. In almost all of the rooms, at least one person was hooked up to some version of a machine. Some of them were surrounded with tubes, some wires, and a few were sitting on the side of the bed. The lady suddenly spoke up, "I'm Kageyama-san's nurse, Izumi. This is the neuroscience intensive care unit, or ICU." They turned a corner, and she stopped in the middle of the hallway. To the left, she motioned to a room. "Here is his room. He's getting tested right now so he should be back in a little bit," she pointed to the side of her with her thumb, "I'm going to be at the nurses station just outside, so call if you need anything." She once again turned on her heels and went back to work. Hinata bowed and turned into Kageyama's room.
                He was met with an empty bed and silent monitors. The silence was somewhat peaceful compared to the bustle down in the cafeteria. He looked down and hastily stepped on only the white squares, as navy blue ones were dotted on the white canvas. He slowly sat down in the chair he was in previously, and took a deep breath. Once again, the chemicals embedded into the hospital walls invaded his nose, but not as harshly. He had gotten slightly used to them. He took some time to slump back into the chair he was sitting in, watching the sun rise slowly from a room across the hall. The golden rays set aglow anything it touched, even Hinata's skin once it reached his legs. The warmth was comforting, as if the sun was trying to tell him he wasn't in the situation he was in at the moment. He didn't take this warmth for granted, since he knew that once it was gone, he would have to wait forever to feel the warmth again. Hinata closed his eyes and enjoyed it while he could have.
      This moment of paradise for Hinata was soon interrupted by a chorus of beeping coming from outside Kageyama's room. It wasn't a light beeping like the heart monitor had been. It was a rough, ear piercing sort of beeping that played in the same pattern each time. One long beep, then two quick ones, then another long one, repeating the process. Hinata's eyes shot open, as three nurses or doctors raced out of the ICU, clearly having a destination in their head. Hinata stood up, making his way out of the room cautiously, not knowing what to expect. Worry contorted his face, wondering if Kageyama was okay. Picking at the cuticles of his nails, he slowly walked up to the nurses station. Other than the receptionist in the main lobby, Hinata didn't even have to say anything before he received a response; a very, blunt response.
        "That was for your Kageyama-san. Something went wrong during his testing, so we sent down three members of this floor to check on him. I'm sure it's minor so I wouldn't worry too much about it," the nurse explained. Hinata picked harder at his hands, the words said so bluntly not helping.
          "Is he okay though?" Hinata asked, his voice raspy to keep himself from crying. The nurse looked back up at him and held eye contact for a moment. Hinata held his breath, waiting for a response.