Level Horizon (Haikyuu!! WingedAU)

Year One 8/8; Congruity

Love is the most powerful emotion, and that makes it the most dangerous. ~Sara Lance, 'Arrow'

Tadashi Yamaguchi watches the crow stir from where he's perched on a downed tree. Tsukki did get him pretty good, he muses.

By the time he'd gotten back on his feet, the ibis had already knocked the dark haired sentry out. It's been a good couple minutes, but he's finally coming around. The sentry's brow scrunches up as his dark eyes slide open with confusion.

"Iwaizumi, right?" Tadashi asks with a small smile.

The crow looks up at him with puzzlement before memory dawns. He jerks only to look down at his bound hands with shock. He tugs at the bindings on his hands and feet, his wings straining against the ropes that pin his wings shut.

"It's no use. Akaashi works with Bokuto on the docks and he's scary good at knots. Tsukki picked up a few tricks from him and not even Hinata can escape his ties." Tadashi grins and the crow looks back up at him quizzically.

"Hinata?"

"Yeah, the shrimp volunteered to let him practice the knots. He'd been being annoying all day, so Tsukki just left him there once he'd finished. It was hilarious... Hinata was almost hysterical by the time Kageyama returned an hour later— he was fine as soon as he was released, but your prince was livid the whole rest of the day. It put Tsukki in probably one of the best moods I've ever seen." He says with a laugh. The crow watches him balefully from his place on the ground and Tadashi's head tilts.

"For being a sentry like they are, you kind of surprised us." He murmurs. Iwaizumi looks away.

"What, not as good at slinking away from responsibility?" He mutters peevishly. Tadashi huffs lightly in amusement.

"No, not as smart." The crow's eyes snap to his face with dark insult.

"Excuse me?" He growls and Tadashi smiles benignly.

"For all your training, you seem to miss critical details when you can least afford to. We might not be sentries like you or the other Karasuno guys, but you seem to forget: we've been with the majority of that former unit for more than six months, the redhead and your heir over a year. It's foolish on your part to assume they've been in any way idle; they still run through all their combat drills every morning together expressly for an event like this— and so do we. We aren't as skilled in hand to hand, but you underestimate what we've picked up in that time.

"And since we shelter a fugitive prince and his unit, we are all in a perpetual state of paranoia; as such, we are exceptionally attentive. You nearly tripped twice on the uneven path out of town, which means you aren't used to wandering tougher terrain on foot. Your wings were also pulled at too high an angle, indicating how nervous you were— especially after we left Sheru Bay behind. We even knew you were following before we stopped last night. Because we're always on edge, we notice everything.

"And these things... the rest of Kageyama's unit would never have failed to take them into account. Everyone, even Noya and Tanaka with as impulsive as they can get, can all focus when the situation calls for it. If things get serious, they consider all facets, studying every side before making a decision, no matter how pressed or quickly they must do so.

"Perhaps 'not as smart' wasn't the right way to say it. 'Not as sharp' might be a better description."

The crow glares at him a moment more before straining at the ropes once again, trying to right himself. Tadashi sighs softly.

"It will be simpler if you don't do that. Tsukki will be back any moment anyway."

"My captors are child murderers, and you expect me not to struggle?" Iwaizumi growls and Tadashi blinks before laughing again.