𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐖

li - desperate

"Ahem," Takeda cleared his throat as he and Keishin sat in front of the boys. Crow, Kageyama and Hinata had returned a while back, right as it was getting dark, and the ginger had woken up halfway back to the school so nobody was the wiser. "About that trip to Tokyo..." The faculty advisor trailed off. "For now, we're planning to have it next month. For trips like these, we'll need your permission from your guardians; I'll pass out the paperwork later. As for the consent from our school, it's basically all right.

"However," His voice rose, signifying his next words were important. "As I'm sure you are aware, you have final exams starting next month," The reaction he got was not what he was expecting, causing him to repeat, "You are aware, right?"

The troublemakers looked away in sync.

"So, I think you know what I'm getting at, but if you fail any subjects, supplementary classes will be held that weekend, which means," His gaze was as sharp as the words he was voicing. "You won't be able to go to the away games."

And then, it was chaos. Nishinoya and Tanaka tried to run, but Ennoshita grabbed them before they got far. Hinata didn't know what a failing grade was. Kageyama stopped breathing, and Crow sighed with a roll of his eyes. "Since we said we're going to stay on the team," Sugawara spoke up. "We have to at least make decent grades."

"You shouldn't fail your finals," Tsukishima taunted the two caught second years.

"Nope," Ennoshita agreed.

"M-maybe if we beg the vice prinicpal as hard as we can--"

"You should try as hard as you can to not fail your finals instead," Tsukishima rejected with a smug smirk. Crow just moved so that he was laying on the stage, not particularly worried about how he would do. He figured he'd do as well as he always did, around the seventies.

"Even if we get the vice principal's permission," Takeda went off of Hinata's desperate measure. "If any of you have to take supplementary classes, those will take priority."

"COACH!" Hinata's final desperate measure was grabbing the adult, who instantly looked away.

"W-well, this isn't something you're gonna be able to avoid as a student.."

"BUT--"

"Don't give up!" Keishin encouraged. "You need to believe you can do it!"

"Mind over matter?!" Hinata looked like he wanted to reject that idea, but then shook his head. "No, that's fine. Please teach me!"

"Hinata," Keishin's voice turned grave. "I didn't really want to bring this up, but do I look like someone who got good grades?"

"I can tell you for a fact that he did not, and his dad beat his ass for it," Crow volunteered the information, causing his cousin to flash him the bird, thus insisting him to raise both middle fingers in return as he stuck his tongue out.

"Hinata, I'm sure you don't have to worry this much about it.." Suga tried to pat him on the shoulder, but the ginger's next words shocked him so much that he pulled away.

"I've never gotten a double-digit score on any of my quizzes, will I still be okay?"

"Huh?" The setter stepped back as if the person in front of him had just punched him. Even Crow was impressed, letting out a long whistle. "Hey, praying isn't going to help, you two!" Suga shouted at the two second years, who were on their knees with their hands folded in prayer. More shouting rose through the gym as panic ensued.

"Get a hold of yourselves!" Daichi yelled over the frantic dumbasses. "We still have time until finals. There's no way we can play our best without these four idiots!" He declared.

"Meh, it might not be our best, but it would be much simpler."

"Shut up Crow, you're not helping."

"I'm just saying~" He hummed, then paused as his phone thrummed. "Oh, I need to head out."

"Oh, okay, see you tomorrow," Suga nodded, seeing him off as he jogged out the gym door and into the darkness beyond it. Crow collected his things from the club room in a flash, and then he moved off of Karasuno high property towards his destination: home.

He got there quicker than usual, and what he found waiting for him made him scowl. "What are you doing here, yakuza bastards?" He demanded as he stepped into the light of a lamp post, causing the group of people outside his apartment to turn towards him.

"Hey, it really is Crow-sama," The lead gangster smirked as he moved his cigarette and blew out a puff of smoke. "Been a while, so long in fact that the bounty on your head has tripled. Does that answer your question?"

"Just my head, huh?" Crow mirrored the man's expression as he dropped his bag on the ground. "Sounds like fun. Why don't you come and get it, then?"

"Yeah, go and get it," The leader stepped aside, revealing Tenma with a gun pointed at his head and a knife in his hand. "Let your roomie cut your head off, or he dies."

"I'm sorry Crow," Tenma said, causing the ravenette to shrug.

"It was bound to happen at some point, don't sweat it too much."

"Ha, yeah," The male swallowed hard. And then, he stabbed himself in the neck.

"WHAT THE--?!" The lead gangster yelled, seeing his ingenious plan shatter before his eyes. Crow loosed four knives at the same time, all of which lodged themselves in the necks of the leader's subordinates. Bodies crumpled to the ground, blood splattering as the yakuza's eyes widened.

"Any last words?" Crow asked as the light flickered over him. The gangster's face was riddled with fear, regret, and hopelessness as he backed up, only to fall over one of the bodies on the ground.

"I-I'm sorry!" He cried, pleaded, but the boy did not change his course. Stopping in front of him, the light finally stopped flickering.

"Tenma was too, and look at where he is now," With that, Crow crushed the man's neck with his foot in one step, and it was finally all over. "Ah," He sighed, leaning his head back as the sky pelted his face with cold rain. "This sucks."