Lovex2

Reunion

Hinata discovered volleyball in his junior high school years. Where he was united with Koji and Mori in their rundown school, Hinata couldn't get himself to face them. He avoided them as much as he could, but being stuck in the same classroom as them didn't help much.

Whenever Hinata looked over to the duo, they would look back perpetually. It has happened often throughout the school year, but Hinata made it his goal to avoid them as much as possible. He figured that it was the only thing he can do for the two of them seeing that they never got an apology from his father. Hinata was pretty laid back at the fact that he had no friends; the work in that class was enough to keep his mind busy in addition to volleyball. He just has to keep to himself and work around the clock so that he could leave the school without having to clash into them.

His reasoning and consideration for his friends were thrown mercilessly into a dumpster halfway into the school year. It was the end of September (their school year differs from ours) and the beginning of their 2nd trimester. Hinata was daydreaming on the side of the school building by himself- gobbling some meat bun while he crouched near the school's bushes. People who passed by would take a look over at the eerie picturesque view, but that was it. They didn't report it to the school nor did they yell at him. It was oddly weird.

Hinata on the other hand was dazed with hazy eyes. He doesn't have the nick for imagination, so he could only daydream about getting 1st in the national with his team. It unexpectedly made him overly excited to the point where he went leaping into the air to land perfectly on both feet, meat bun for naught as its content spilled to the ground.

"Woah, your jump is pretty high Shoyo." A familiar voice uttered behind his back. Hinata turned around on the ball of his feet, tripping in the process due to the fine sand under the sole of his shoes. A strong hand gripped his wrist and pulled him forward with a hard yank to make up for him almost falling entirely on his butt. Hinata grabbed onto their shoulder to balance himself and looked up. Brown hair and slant eyes, Koji looked exactly like he did when he first met him.

"Koji..." He drags nervously. The latter gave him a soft smile and released his wrist. Seeing the awkwardness emitting from Koji, Hinata also took his hands off of his shoulder. He gave the boy a giant smile and scuttled back a few steps.

"What are you doing here Koji? I thought you had class around this time?" Hinata asked him.

"Shoyo, we have classes together," Koji clarified with a strained smile. He nods his head in return with scrunched up eyebrows.

Instead of confronting him, Hinata tries to find an excuse to leave instead.

"Okay, I have some stuff to do. I'll be going first." It was so lame, Hinata cringed internally. With a brief goodbye, he turned around and walked away.

"Are you avoiding us Shoyo?"

Koji's voice from the distance seemed to echo in the spacious area and Hinata wasn't sure of what to say. Should he say that he didn't want his father to see them together or that he alone, was so ashamed that he couldn't even look at them without feeling guilty? It wasn't like Hinata had the most complicated life nor the most difficult choice. He could just turn around and talk to him, but he was afraid. Maybe about what would happen in the future, or what could happen now. It was diving into the unknown, and Hinata isn't brave enough to push his luck. He didn't have the guts to turn around and tell him he was sorry.

He thought he could continue walking away like nothing had happened, but even Koji didn't think him leaving was the solution to their problem either.

"Shoyo, please talk to us. It's okay if you don't want to be friends with us anymore, but tell us instead of avoiding us," Koji begged like it would somehow pass through the shorter's stubbornness. The teen grabbed his shoulder and turned him around, startled when he saw Shoyo's glassy, amber eyes looking back at him. It made his breath falter, and his brain became alert.

"Koji, I'm sorry" he whispered softly with a broken voice. If his father hadn't confronted them, then Hinata wouldn't feel as guilty as he did. For what his father had said to them, he felt partially at fault for it.

But Koji thought differently. He could see Shoyo was sincerely apologizing for something he didn't do, and Koji felt responsible for his tears. He'd never seen him cry before, but he couldn't get himself to watch Shoyo cry any longer.

"Hey, don't cry Shoyo. It's not your fault. It has nothing to do with you," Koji tried to comfort him in a panic. He rubbed his cheeks rather harshly before pulling Shoyo closer by the shoulder to give him a tight hug. Hinata wasn't sure if the hug meant something, but he willingly allowed himself to be embraced by him. After a while, his shallow tears began to drain out, and Hinata countenance returned to normal. Seeing this Koji released him and gave him a once over.

"Do you want to see Izumi?" He asked playfully, changing the subject because he wasn't going to try and pry. They were close back then, but that doesn't mean they were familiar with each other now. Shoyo kept silent but agreed amicably. It was one thing that Koji liked about him. He never hesitate when it comes to the people he cares for. If it meant confronting the inevitable, the older wouldn't ponder about it and dive head-on.

They turned the corner and spotted the front gate of the school. Amongst the students surrounding the school entrance, Izumi stood the farthest from them under an oak tree. They were on break, but the students here like to hang outside when they weren't in class.

Meeting his eyes, Izumi's own twinkled vividly, and he ran towards them. Hinata stumbled back when Izumi crashed into him. He didn't say anything, only pulling the shorter into his embrace. He hugged him so tightly that Koji had to push on Hinata's back to prevent the three of them from stumbling to the ground. He tried to tap Izumi so he could let him go, but Izumi only loosen his hold on him.

"What took you so long?" Izumi asked in a tone Hinata couldn't point a finger to. It was as if he was longing for something but also upset now that it's in front of him. He heard the sadness in his voice, so bittersweet that Hinata couldn't help but hold him a little longer as a form of an apology.

A sense of warmth appeared out of nowhere and wrapped itself around his slim arms. And like a golden snake, it slowly slithered its way up his wrist. The comfortable light was visible to the naked eye, but Koji didn't seem to notice it, nor did Izumi. Hinata looked past Izumi's shoulder and raised his hands curiously, seeing the thin sliver of light wrapping itself weakly around his fingertip before it rested there. When he moved his finger, the light also moved with it. In an instance, it solidified into something he was familiar with; a thin red string covered in fine yellow luster. The crimson thread wrapped around his index finger a few times before tying itself into a knot, permanently settling there. Hinata couldn't feel its binding force, but he could feel the heat emitting from it.

When Izumi finally pulled away, Hinata stared at him aghast. To his horror, the string that was attached to his finger was draping itself onto Izumi's figure. It was lax like an inanimate object, but its glow was strong enough to make him squint. Other parts continued to hang supply around Izumi, obsessed with him. Hinata was afraid that the string would hurt him, but it lied listlessly as if making a jest at Hinata.

It suddenly disappeared within seconds of making such a grand entrances, leaving him a little flustered and perplexed.

"Are you okay?" Izumi asked him worriedly. Hinata gazed into his brown eyes, but Izumi turned away just as quickly. He's distress, Hinata thought to himself. He couldn't figure out why though. Does it have something to do with the string?

"I'm okay. I'm sorry for avoiding you guys," he apologized. Koji grinned and patted his shoulder. Izumi on the other hand was fixated in giving him a lot of hugs. Hinata laughed freely, surprised at his odd behavior.

"Don't do it again." It was all he'd said, but Hinata could tell he was sincerely worried about him. So he patted his shoulder and hummed an agreement.