When the Sun Stops Shining

Chapter Ten: Kings Sit on Thrones, not Regrets

That had been Kageyama's last meeting with his father. His father had also been his first ever kill. And now, he was standing in the medical area of Fukurodani Penitentiary, serving his remaining forty-three years of a sixty year sentence. He'd been charged for a lot of murders, but he'd somehow managed to get away with that one.

"I want to be here when Hinata wakes up," Kageyama repeated, clutching the small ace's hand. "He... he shouldn't be alone when he's hurt like this." Kageyama was somewhat able to see himself in Hinata. Even though they were entirely different in appearance and personality — Kageyama was quiet and tall, Hinata was loud and short — Kageyama still felt a strange need to protect the orange-haired man. Kageyama himself was far gone, but Hinata could still be saved. There was still a chance.

"You know the rules, Kageyama-kun. Inmates aren't allowed to be in here if they aren't injured."

"Medical budget," Kageyama said, putting heavy emphasis on both words. "Budget, Takeda-sensei. The budget."

"Okay, okay." Takeda sighed. "But don't be... you. It looks like he's been through a lot. Just... let him breathe, alright?"

"Yeah." Kageyama would've looked up at the doctor, but his eyes were glued to the still-asleep Hinata. The man's chest was still heaving. Kageyama could see the slight fall-and-rise motion of the blanket; Hinata's quiet breathing which sounded like music to his ears. "Could you go now?"

"Wait, Kageyama-kun."

"What is it?"

"Why are you so interested in Hinata-kun? Pardon me for asking, but it's rare to see you like this."

"I'm not interested. I'm just angry at myself," Kageyama answered, clenching his jaw. He couldn't defend people. He could only watch them die. Couldn't he do anything else? Couldn't he learn how to save lives rather than take them? He'd been trying to please his mother, but along the path, he'd lost himself. Would Mom be proud of me now? The thought popped into Kageyama's head before he could try to force it out.

"Angry?"

"Yeah. Angry." Kageyama sighed. "Are you done with your interrogation?"

"Oh, sorry!" Kageyama could hear the embarrassment leaking into the doctor's tone. "I... I never intended to interrogate you! I'm sorry; I'll go now. I'll be checking in though," the doctor warned. "So behave." Moments later, Kageyama could hear the sound of the door slamming shut. It reminded him of his first night in the prison.

***

Where did I mess up? When did everyone stop trusting me to lead them? Kageyama still couldn't believe that he'd ended up in prison. Prison. He was expecting to wake up any minute and find that he was still Karasuno's King. It had once been a name hailing his brilliance, his unrivalled skill. But now, it was mocking him. The "fallen king". The "dictator king". It was no longer a compliment.

The doors slammed shut. He wanted to cry. He was never meant to fall like this. He'd planned every last detail scrupulously. He was never meant to fail like that. But, he'd been betrayed. He didn't know who was to blame — in fact, he'd probably never find out. But when he'd gotten home that one fateful day, the police were there. They had an arrest warrant. His home was meant to be off-the-radar. It was meant to be impossible to find. But there'd been a whole army of police there, just waiting for him to return. The courts had hated him. He'd hired the best lawyers, but there wasn't much that they could do. Japan's police force had been hunting him down for so long; they wanted him to face the full brunt of the law. His lawyers had managed to stop the courts from giving him a life sentence, but forty-three years didn't feel much different. He'd die before he got out, that much was for sure.