TRAGEDY | Shouyou Hinata (Murder of Crows) ✓

CHAPTER NINE

Hinata managed to avoid everyone at school the following week. He didn't turn up to any of the volleyball practises and somehow managed to slip past Kageyama on the way in and out of class, disappearing before he could catch up to him, and never letting an opportunity arise when he could be cornered in the classroom.

He'd even managed to avoid you for the better part of the week, remaining elusive and difficult to flag down during breaks between lessons when you tried to find him. You finally managed to corner him on the Thursday lunchtime as he was getting something out of his locker. As soon as he'd closed the door, you were next to him, arms crossed, eyes bolted on his to keep him fixed in place.

"Hinata, talk to me."

The boy's face scrunched up and he tried to turn the other way, but you caught his arm, none too gently, digging your fingers into the tight muscle. "Please. Stop running away."

"You're the one who's running away," Hinata snapped back, his lip curling upwards, like a cold wave, betraying in its depth. "You're the one who pushed me away."

"I... I didn't mean to," you said softly, letting go of his arm and lowering your eyes. You could feel people staring, murmuring amongst each other, speculating, but tried your best to ignore them, pretend they weren't there.

"Did someone tell you to? Was it Tanaka? Did he tell you to stay away from me?" There was a strain in his voice and a paranoia flickered through his eyes like hazy lights, dimming and sparking all at once. "Why is everyone trying to take you away-"

"They're not, Hinata! Nobody's taking me away, not Tanaka, not the others, nobody's telling me to stay away. I just thought you needed some space to breathe, time to think, but I didn't want you to run away from us completely."

Clicking his tongue, Hinata's heel grated loudly against the floor as he turned and stormed away, people shying off from the look on his face. Apparently you'd riled him up even more in your effort to console him. With a sharp exhalation of frustrated breath, you set your head against the locker door and closed your eyes, wishing more than anything that things were back to how they used to be, wishing for time to unravel, unspin, and take you back to a time before all the tragedy.

"Uh, [L/N]-San?"

One of the second year volleyball players, Hisashi Kinoshita, was standing awkwardly behind you, looking as if he'd just witnessed everything that had happened between you and Hinata and wasn't sure whether to mention it or not.

Quickly recovering, you fixed him with a friendly smile that you hoped only the most scrupulous of observers would see through. "Ah, Kinoshita-San, how are you doing?"

He nodded slowly, shoving his hands deep into his pockets to refrain from fidgeting with them. You hadn't had much interaction with the boy, other than seeing him at practises and sometimes greeting him in the hallways. "I'm good. I was sent by Takeda-Senpai. He says the Principal would like to speak to you." You felt your heart give a little shudder in your chest, and Kinoshita must have seen a change on your face for he quickly reassured you that you weren't in trouble. "I think he just wants to talk, about... about S-Sugawara-San." The name stuck in his throat and your smile loosened slightly, like the turning of a screw. Everyone was still having difficulty talking about him after what had happened, already two weeks ago now.

"Thank you for letting me know. Have a good day Kinoshita," you said, bowing politely - which he returned without meeting your gaze - and hurrying off in the direction of the Principal's office. Your head spun as you wondered what exactly he could hope to gain from talking to you.