The King Fell and Needs Help Getting Up

Chapter 9

It had been a couple of weeks and Kei thought he'd see Kageyama at school but he hasn't. No one has. Hinata wants to go to his house again. Kei doesn't want to. He doesn't want Hinata to go. He has no idea what Kageyama's parents did to him after living with Tsukishima for three weeks and he kind of doesn't want to know. He knows it must be bad. But as much as he didn't want to know, he also felt the need to. He wants to apologize and make sure the setter was alright. He plans to go alone. Not wanting the others to know about the situation. He throws Hinata off the idea by reminding him he needs to study. And that's how he found himself standing outside the setter's door. He hesitates before knocking on the door. He can hear banging inside before the door opens a bit to reveal a black-haired woman who Kei assumes is Kageyama's mother.

"Um, Hello. I'm your son's classmate and teammate. I've brought his homework, may I give it to him and explain it?" Kei asks pulling the worksheets out.

"Ah, unfortunately, Tobio has caught the flu. I cannot allow you to catch what he has. I'll give them to him." She says opening the door a bit more to take them from Kei. This allows him to see into the house more. He sees some knocked over furniture and broken glass. He makes sure he isn't noticed looking inside as he hands over the papers.

"Thank you, be careful on your way home." She says and shuts the door. Kei head
to Sakanoshita, it's only a few minutes from Kageyama's house and he waits. He knew Kageyama would probably have had his phone taken away so he left a message in the papers to meet. Now, Kei didn't know if Kageyama would be able to come or if he even wanted to but he decided to see and waits.

It's about an hour later and Kei was about to go home when he sees the familiar figure of the blue-eyed setter walking, limping and staggering, towards him. He rushes over as he sees Kageyama about to fall.

"Oh my god.. what happened to you? What did they do to you?" Kei asks holding the younger boy against him to give him support.

"I'm fine... I just shouldn't be moving so much."

"You're not fine. You can barely walk. And I saw broken glass, did you get cut?" He asks and Tobio shakes his head.

"Just tell me what you want... I need to get back." His legs were shaking and Kei couldn't stand to watch him try to stay standing. He hooks his arm under Kageyama's legs and carries him bridal style to a bench in the park.

"Hey! Put me down!" Kageyama shouts as the blond carries him. He sets him down on the bench, noticing how Kageyama winces when his ass touches the bench, and crouches down, holding the setters thighs down on the bench.

"I know last time didn't go well but I want you to know I didn't mean for it to happen like that. I don't want you to think you like me just because I helped you. It wouldn't be right. I also didn't help you out of obligation. I wanted to help you. If you will, you can come back to my house. My family misses you... I... miss you. Okay? I don't want you in that house anymore... I really don't. And if you don't want to stay with me at least go stay with Hinata. You also have to tell me what your parents did to you." Kei says and Tobio just stares at his lap, tears falling and body shaking.

"They... hit me, cut me with knives and threw plates at me. They... chained me up... I haven't eaten since I left your house and my father... he... he... Whatever... it doesn't matter... I can't leave.... they'll kill me next time..." Tobio says shaking his head that he had put in his hands before he started talking. Kei wraps his arms around the crying boy.

"I think that's the exact reason you need to leave. They'll kill you now. They're starving you, they're chaining you up. You're getting beaten and cut every day and they call you horrible things. If they don't murder you, they'll be the cause of your suicide. I don't want you missing school or practice. I didn't help you study for you to fail and you're our genius setter, the only one Shrimpy can do the quick with. I don't want you dead. I want to be friends, maybe after being friends, if you still like me, then we can try dating." He says and he feels hands gripping the back of his shirt tightly and hears sobs fall from the once silent boy.