Crows Like Shiny Things (Hinakage)

Chapter 1

Kageyama frowned, body moving itself into alarm. He couldn't quite see it but whatever that thing was, it was huge and dark. The setter frowned.

Just on his way to Kitagawa Daiichi and his entrance tournament, Kageyama did not need this kind of distraction. His teammates sucked great dick; too slow and too unresponsive. It wasn't his fault those dumbasses couldn't hit his tosses!
He had enough to worry about without that thing joining his endless storm of thoughts.

Kageyama moved slowly away from the sidewalk and crossed the road to continue on the other side. He was going to avoid walking so close to this forest from now on. He couldn't help but feel watched, and while he clutched his gym bag with his uniform neatly folded inside, he could feel his heart pounding with anxiety, the knowledge that anything could happen, from a wild animal attacking him to something even more horrible showing up.

Kageyama used to think so little of the fairytails of huge black creatures roaming the mountains and forests around, until he had seen one of them just in the distance. He couldn't have seen it clearly, no, the shadows were too good at keeping its predator hidden, but he made out the biggest black mass of something he had ever encountered. Of course Kageyama had run for his life- what else was there to do upon seeing a monster within the forest?
That had happened nearly a year ago. He had seen it a few times more... always in near yet far away, always so close and yet so distant. Roaming near him, watching him, preying on him.

Kageyama wouldn't say he had gotten accustomed to the presence of this being, but he knew it was there and it made him feel on edge. So far it had kept its distance but Kageyama had noticed, ever so slowly, it was moving closer.
He would have to take a different yet much longer route if that would continue like this. Of course he told his parents, but they only flashed him that look of Oh sweet summer child and told him it was going to be alright.

Gosh no it wasn't!

Kageyama swallowed his fears and kept walking in a speedy pace. Even below the sunlight it was imposible to make out much inbetween the thick leaves of the forest next to the road, too much was blocked off from his eyes.

Rustling was getting closer to him, Kageyama forced himself to keep looking forward. If he ignored it it was going to go away. Silly, but it had always worked before, he had never been attacked.
The noises were getting closer, the same sweeping noise of something heavy and thick getting dragged across the ground, the old dusty road that separated him from the forest.

A quick glance left and right. There was no one in near, no one to help, no one to see. Kageyama swallowed again, trying not to shake. What was going to happen? Just don't look back. Don't anger it, don't trigger it, just keep walking.
Kageyama jumped a little as a huge and heavy mass of black slowly laid down on his shoulders. He stopped, taking a deep breath, eyes slowly wandering down. Feathers. A huge amount of feathers, growing from a pair of heavy and large black wings.

Kageyama tensed, bracing himself, as the wings slid further and further from behind over his shoulders, covering his chest, his stomach, his legs towards his knees-
His neck, his chin, his mouth.
Kageyama took a deep breath and clenched his fist. Don't do anything, just let it do what it always does.

And his vision went black, completely covered from head to toe in a warm and feathery mass. Kageyama could feel two more limbs, much smaller, wrap around him in a hug.
Was it going to do anything today? Or stick to the routine? Kageyama's thoughts went wild, he wanted to turn around and finally see what it was that always caught him like this nearly once a week.

It had never hurt him, never laid a hand upon him, but he felt a sense of danger radiating from this creature, whatever it was. Was it evil, kind, or neutral to anything? Would it react negatively if Kageyama turned around just now to finally see what it was?
He didn't know but also feared to find out as well.

His vision went white, blinded by the sunlight, within a blink the heavy wings left his body unprotected against the outside world. Kageyama inhaled sharply, stumbling, knocked away by a huge gust of wind as the creature seemingly ascended into midair before flying away. He needed a second to gather himself before whirling around, just as usual catching a glimpse of abnormally large wings carrying something away.

Kageyama released a breath he didn't remember holding in, falling down onto his butt. He needed a second. Again survived, again escaped unscathed.
He opened his hand and sighed, nose scrunched up in confusion. Another one of those pebbles inside his hand. Whenever the creature retreated, he would find a pebble in his pocket. Quite pretty ones, usually, or even smaller clams at times when he was especially lucky.

Kageyama stared into the distance, feeling the fear seep from his bones. It wasn't long until he got up, dusted off his clothes and continued to walk, at a brisker pace than before. He had to be punctual, after all.

***

"Of course I won..." Kageyama mumbled, playing with the shiny pebble he had gotten today inside his hand. The tournament was as easy as it had usually been, he crushed the other team. Even his own team mates played mediocre for once.
Kageyama smiled, placing the pebble down onto his nightdesk. He used them to help his mother decorate their small garden at times, it was fun to create patterns out of them to help her out. She enjoyed the creativity of her son, and he could spend some time with his mother. A win-win, wasn't it?

Yet his smile fell as he knew the next shiny pebble was first going to fall into his hands next week.