Eclipse

2

Okay, I'm gonna tell you right now, any Russian used in this story is from google translate because (sadly) I don't know Russian, so if you see any errors, don't hesitate to tell me in the comments.

Thank you.

---

"You may be out there alone, but you're not alone in this competition. Got it?" Yuuri asked, sending him a thumbs up.

"Yeah, thanks." He laughed, continuing to lace up his skates.

"If you screw this up, you have to buy me as many pork cutlet bowls as I want tonight." It was Yuri this time.

"Sure." He laughed. He'd never had to before, and he wasn't about to start now.

"Oгонь, don't listen to him. Just try your best. Don't be worried about winning. Don't stress. Just challenge yourself to do the best set you ever have." Viktor told him, wrapping him in a hug.

These were all customary send-offs before a game. Hinata always liked Viktor's the best. They were both people who liked physical contact, so the hug always helped calm him down.

That was the night. The night of the accident. Even though the doctors said he didn't, Hinata was sure he had a concussion, because he didn't remember anything after going out onto the ice. Nothing except the pain, the ice, and the voices.

---

Hinata still couldn't bring himself to watch the video. He couldn't bring himself to see his failure. It had to have been bad for his mind to block it out like that. He had looked it up multiple times, hovered his mouse over it, then chickened out. He hadn't called his coaches or Yuri since then either.

They probably didn't want to talk anyway. He wasn't worried about them judging his move, they would never do that. He knew that much. What he was worried about, was facing them after running away. He had promised never to give up. He had broken that promise, and that was one too many.

Hinata shook his head as he rode to school. Tomorrow was the day they would be going to Shinzen High for a week-long training camp. Some of the best teams in Tokyo would be there, and he was really looking forward to using that new quick-strike they had come up with.

Even if it wasn't quite polished.

They were gonna kick задница with it.

Hinata had made new friends at the last training camp, and he was looking forward to seeing them again. He had been most excited about meeting Lev, who was apparently half-Russian. He had been excited to meet someone who might know the language Yuri had taught him, but in the end he only knew Japanese.

To his surprise, he had come up to Hinata later, asking if he would be willing to teach him some. So, they had bonded through that. Hinata found out later that the taller boy knew a few words, like a greeting and how to introduce himself, because his parents had decided he at least needed to know one or two things. These lessons had only cemented their friendship.

"I'm glad we could all make it." Coach Ukai announced as the team gathered around. "I have some news concerning the training camp tomorrow. There was a lice outbreak at Shinzen High School, infecting all the carpets and futons, so they have decided to hold the camp somewhere else.

"Luckily, a school in the Saga Prefecture heard about this from one of the nearby schools participating, and has decided to let us use their school."

Hinata flinched when he heard about the prefecture he used to call home, but relaxed after a moment. It wouldn't be Hasetsu.

"Where exactly in the prefecture?" Suga asked, ever the responsible one.

"Oh, yeah. It's in a small castle town called Hasetsu."

Hinata almost choked. Why was life so cruel?

Maybe he could get out of it. Maybe he could pretend to be sick. But that wouldn't work, and he knew it. They would question why he wasn't even trying to convince them to let him go, and he would have to tell them how much of a coward he really is.

The only people he could talk to were Kenma and Lev.

Kenma, as a principle, was overly cautious of people. Especially new ones. He had done a deep web search of Hinata (as you do) and found his past. He hadn't asked about why he stopped or what happened, and promised not to watch the video until Hinata gave the okay. He was glad to have such a considerate friend.

Lev wouldn't give up on asking exactly why the small Japanese boy knew Russian, and was about to start spreading ludicrous theories around the volleyball clubs. His own club didn't even think he knew how to speak Japanese very well, let alone Russian. So, in the end, he had caved, and made Lev promise to tell no one. And, despite his boisterous personality, he kept the secret very well. He told people his parents had been teaching him Russian, and told his parents a friend had been teaching him.

So, at least he would have them.

"Hinata, are you okay? You look a little pale." Suga asked, once again taking up the role of team mother.

"If you get sick now, I'm gonna murder you. Do you hear me, dumbass?" Kageyama yelled from behind him.

"I'm fine," He lied, almost too easily. "I just didn't get much sleep last night. Too excited to see Kenma tomorrow, I guess. Haven't seen him in a while."

"You saw him a week ago, idiot," Kageyama called out, and he could hear a hint of something other than annoyance.

Hinata had to get out of there. Luckily, Suga must have read his mind, because he informed him that he should head home early to get extra rest. After some half-hearted arguing for realism, he rushed out of there so quickly, they could feel the breeze as he went past.

He should call them. Tell them about what he had done while he was away. It seemed better than the alternative of them rambling on about why he quit in front of a bunch of people who didn't know.

When he got home, he pulled out his phone and went to the contacts list. His finger hovered over the name before he flipped it shut. He couldn't face them. Not now. Not yet.

---

So, this training camp is not the one with the bar-b-que at the end where Bokuto teaches Hinata how to feint. This is my own made-up one that comes after that. Sorry if I fucked up the timeline.

TRANSLATIONS

огонь = flame/light

задница = butt/ass