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It was tradition, the coaches said, that during the Aobajousai October camp-out, there would be a test of courage. The third years wore grim faces, like they were being sentenced to a battlefield, not a quick stroll through the forest with tacky props set up to try and scare them.
Yahaba and Watari exchanged a concerned glance, stepping closer together, whilst Kyoutani raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t been around in October for the first one, choosing to practice at the local centre instead of “wasting his time”.
Kunimi yawned, completely disinterested, pretending like his hand wasn’t being utterly crushed by his best friend. For a tall, intimidating guy, Kindaichi was actually a wimp. He was scared of the dark, he was scared of the supernatural, and he was terrified of chainsaw/axe murderers etc etc.
“Unlike last time, you’ll be forming groups based on what straws you draw~.” Irihata shakes the pot with 9 wooden sticks inside, the hidden bottoms in three different colours. Protests ring out, mostly from Oikawa and Hanamaki, but Irihata only smiles.
“Third years, pick your sticks.” Iwaizumi makes the first move, plucking out one with a red tip. Matsukawa’s draw is yellow, the same as Hanamaki, whilst Oikawa ends up with blue. From the second years, Watari and Yahaba both draw red, grinning at each other as they walk over to Iwaizumi, whilst Kyoutani scowls at the blue stick.
“... I’ll swap with anyone.” Mizoguchi gives him a stern look, pointing him towards Oikawa, and whilst Kyoutani only fully listens to Iwaizumi, he’s come to respect the secondary coach as well. Irihata shakes the pot with only two remaining sticks at the first years, and Kunimi reaches forwards and plucks one out with sleepy hesitation.
“Yellow.” And that leaves Kindaichi with blue. They move over to their respective groups, the 9 children standing at the edge of the forest in the moonlight, waiting for their coaches to give them the signal to go. Mizoguchi clears his throat.
“We’ll go in order of the draw, so red team are first, ten minutes later, yellow team will set off, and finally the blue team. You’ll have a map and a torch, plus an emergency flare to use in case of, well… Emergencies. Do not set it off for fun.”
He gives a pointed look to Hanamaki, who only shrugs with a small smirk whilst Irihata passes out the items. The team captains - Iwaizumi for red, Matsukawa for yellow, and Oikawa for blue get the map. Watari, Kunimi, and Kyoutani are given the emergency flares, whilst Yahaba, Hanamaki, and Kindaichi each get a small torch.
“Can we just go back to bed? It’s 1 in the morning.” Matsukawa pats Kunimi’s shoulder sympathetically, looking just as tired.
“Unfortunately, it’s tradition. If we hurry, we can get round the course in 20 minutes.” A glance at Hanamaki confirms that hurrying is exactly what they’ll do, since the team to complete the course in the shortest time gets a prize.
Last year, it had been a day off practice when everyone else came in early. The year before, it had been a whole hamper full of treats and goodies they usually weren’t allowed at training camp.
Mizoguchi gets ready to give the signal for red team to start when he grins deviously.
“Just so you know, it’s not just Irihata and I this year. We enlisted the help of several friends, so keep your eyes peeled because you never know what might come at you~.” He’s having way to much fun with this, Yahaba and Watari think.
“Red team! On your marks… Get set… Go!” Caught up in the atmosphere of the coaches, drawn by the pull of the forest, and lured by the prize, Iwaizumi, Yahaba, and Watari start off running, not even turning on the torch until they’re out of sight.
With ten minutes to wait until they’re allowed to set off, Kunimi and Matsukawa make themselves quite comfortable on the floor, leaning back to back and resting. Kunimi might actually fall into light doze, whilst Matsukawa opens one eye every now and then to keep watch of things.
Somehow still full of energy, Oikawa and Hanamaki run about the clearing, dragging sticks with them. It occurs to Matsukawa after a while that they must be drawing something in the dirt. Not-so-full of energy, Kyoutani slumps on the steps of the training camp house, flare next to him and generally looking annoyed at the circumstances.
Matsukawa’s tired gaze catches movement in the background, and he turns his head a little to see, careful not to disturb Kunimi. Full of nervous energy, Kindaichi paces back and forth as far away from the forest as possible, looking like he wants to bolt towards the nearby town.
Every time a scream comes from the forest, the red team apparently spooked, he jumps and freezes up like he’s weighing out the fight or flight instinct. Laughter that follows the screams stops him actually acting on it.
“Yellow team, you’re almost up.” Welp, no time to dwell on it. Hopefully, without Hanamaki to keep him occupied, Oikawa will notice something’s up and settle the issue in the ten minutes before they enter the test of courage.
“Kunimi, time to wake up.”
“Five more minutes…”
“The quicker we get this done, the quicker we get back to bed.” The words work like magic, the first year picking himself up and walking over to the entrance of the forest quicker than the team have ever seen before.
“What are you waiting for?” He glares at them impatiently, Hanamaki finishing off his masterful art with his tongue poking out the corner of his mouth before he jogs over to Kunimi and slings an arm over his shoulder, poking his side.
“I knew you’d get into the spirit of things~!”
“No, the only thing I want to get into is my futon.” Hanamaki snickers, and Matsukawa stretches as he joins them, checking the map quickly before they enter. After the initial straight walk, there’s a fork in the road, and they’re supposed to take the thinner, wilder route.
“Ready… Set… Go!” Mizoguchi drops his arm, and the trio set off, not sprinting like the red team did, but jogging so they keep pace the whole way round. Into the forest they go, and the light from Hanamaki’s torch doesn’t really do much. It’s spooky, and knowing the coaches have set traps and jump scares makes it all the more fun.
“Turn right up here!” Following Matsukawa’s instruction, Hanamaki leaps over a fallen tree like it’s a hurdle, whilst Kunimi plants his hand on it and vaults over, leaving Matsukawa to climb it normally.
“Didn’t know you were a gymnast, Kunimi~.”
“I joked about it once so my dad signed me and Kindaichi up to a 4 week lesson. It was hell.” Hanamaki cackles, but it quickly escalates into a shriek when something grabs his ankles through the bushes.
His reaction startles the others, but unlike him, they’re not the screaming type. Matsukawa even goes as far as to raise an eyebrow until something grabs him round the ankle.
“Oh shit!” He jumps away, and the bush laughs. Kunimi rolls his eyes and parts them to reveal one of the people Mizoguchi must have enlisted to help. The person waves, and Kunimi releases the bushes to cover them again, ready for the next team to come along.
“Kindaichi’s going to have a heart attack.”
Back in the clearing, he might already be working himself towards that. The pacing has gotten faster, his hands wring together, and he sweats, on the verge of hyperventilating. Oikawa finishes off the giant spider he was drawing with Hanamaki and glances over, grin morphing into a concerned frown.
“Kindaichi? You okay?” He jumps just at the sound of his name, breaking his pacing and laughs nervously, passing the torch from hand to hand.
“Y-Yes! No! I-... I don’t want to do this. I really don’t want to do this, senpai, please don’t make me do this.” Oikawa cuts off his rambling by slapping a hand on his back, trying to be encouraging.
“It’s tradition~! Besides, it’s really fun once you get going! You’ll love it, I assure you.”
“N-No, please, I really don’t want to do this, I can’t do this, I’m going to die.” His breathing quickens up and he hunches in on himself a little. Oikawa momentarily bites the inside of his lip, wondering what he can say to make it better.
He might be a good captain, but he’s still selfish, and wants that prize no matter what. A missing team member means disqualification. He rubs his hand up and down Kindaichi’s back.
“Just give it a try? You can hold my hand if you need to.” It takes a minute, but then Kindaichi nods. He’s too kind-hearted, too eager to please his senpai to say no, even though he’s so scared. Oikawa feels a pang of guilt for taking advantage of that fact when a scream from the forest has him jump.
“Blue team, you’re up.” Kyoutani grunts, stuffing the emergency flare into his hoodie pocket - he always sleeps with a hoodie - and skulks over to the entrance of the test of courage. He mutters about how stupid it is, how this shit should be forbidden, and he’s not getting up early tomorrow. Mizoguchi rolls his eyes at the attitude.
“Don’t worry, practice doesn’t start until afternoon tomorrow.”
“Good.” He waits until Oikawa drags a reluctant Kindaichi over, and Irihata looks like he’s about to step in and ask the first year if he wants to sit out, when Oikawa waves his hand to let him know it’s okay, he has it under control.
“Alright, any questions?” Kyoutani grunts, Oikawa shakes his head with a gleeful smile, and Kindaichi stares into the dark of the forest with a gulp. Shakily, he raises a hand.
“Umm… What happens if we die?”
“You’re not going to die. All the people we’ve enlisted to help have medical training, just in case.”
“What if one of them is secretly a murderer and we end up being cannibalised in an unknown part of the forest before our bones are used in a ritual to bring the end of the world?” The four stares he gets, in various levels of concern and ‘what the fuckery?’ have him dip his head shamefully.
“Happens on TV.” Irihata scratches his chin, wondering why on earth his parents would let him watch something like that.
“Yes, well… Those are scripted dramas.”
“Happens in the news.”
“... Kindaichi, I assure you, everyone in that forest is a close friend of either me or Mizoguchi and perfectly safe. They’re only there to do jump scares or make props move.”
“What if someone you didn’t ask to help is in there?” Irihata looks like he’s ready to slap a hand over his face, Kyoutani just wants it all to be over with, and Oikawa forces out a small laugh.
“Then the others were killed first and we’ll find the bodies~.” Probably not the right thing to say. Not the right thing at all. Kindaichi pales and holds back a whimper, squeezing Oikawa’s hand so tightly that he worries the first year might actually damage it.
“5 seconds! 3… 2… 1, go!” Oikawa drags him forwards, making him stumble over his own feet, and Kyoutani scowls at the coaches as if they’re forcing him into this before slinking into the forest, hands in his pockets and back hunched.
Mizoguchi watches them go, wondering if maybe they should have been a little less prepared. Maybe using recycled decorations from last year would have been enough, even if the third years, Yahaba and Watari had seen them before. Irihata claps him on the shoulder.
“Come on. We’d better get to the exit so we can greet those coming out.”
“Ah, yes. The red team should be emerging soon.” He checks the stopwatches around his neck, making sure they’re still working. It’s nearing 20 minutes, so Iwaizumi, Yahaba, and Watari should be finishing the Test of Courage anytime in the next 2 to 15 minutes.
Having walked around the course earlier, he coaches had estimated it would take between 25 and 35 minutes, depending on the teams. Iwaizumi usually powered through any challenge unrivalled, and Watari had plenty of stamina, but Yahaba’s strength was his endurance more than anything, so that might slow them down.
Hanamaki would race through, of course, possibly the most awake of all of them. With Matsukawa there, he would pace himself, so they’d have a pretty constant speed the whole way round. It all depended whether Kunimi would keep striving for his bed, or give up part way.
The blue team… Irihata wasn’t expecting them to come anything but last. Oikawa was tenacious, but Kyoutani didn’t listen to him and was apparently sulking, whilst Kindaichi would probably flee in the wrong direction if a leaf fell on him.
“Irihata-san, why did you print four maps?”
“Hmm? I didn’t.” Mizoguchi points to something stuck to mud on his shoe. He peels it off. It’s a map, with a blue border.
“... We have a problem.”
“I’ll go after them.” Mizoguchi passes over the stopwatches, telling Irihata which is which, before taking the map and shaking the mud off the laminated surface. It must have slipped from Oikawa’s pocket at some point.
Oikawa comes to the same conclusion, frantically patting himself down at the fork in the trail.
“I know I had it on my! I put it in my back pocket!” Kyoutani scowls, wanting it to be over already. He snatches the torch from Kindaichi, pointing it at the ground and looking around very intensely.
“There. Recent footprints. We follow these.”
“... Mad Dog is a hunter.” He sneers at Oikawa, trekking off down the narrow, wilder route with torch in tow. Oikawa is behind him, Kindaichi sticking awfully close since the Captain managed to wrestle his hand back. He didn’t want permanent damage.
“Wait.” He grabs the hood of Kyoutani’s hoodie, tugging him back towards the trunk they’ve just covered.
“What the fu-?!” Oikawa grabs his wrist and swings it towards the bush, catching movement. He smirks.
“Sorry, I’ve already seen you~.”
“Aw, shucks.” The man stands up, rubbing the back of his head.
“You the last group?”
“Yeah, we’re the last.” With a pleasant goodbye, he leaves, and Oikawa nudges Kindaichi’s arm.
“See? It’s just friendly people hiding in the bushes. Nothing to be scared of.” Comforted, the first year nods, though he still glances around nervously at the dark forest. It seems like they’re surrounded by darkness on all sides, and the torch Kyoutani holds steadily at the front of the group does nothing to chase it away.
“... I think we’re lost.”
“Wait, what?” All the fear comes flooding back at Kyoutani’s mumble, scanning the ground with the torch and not finding anything that can lead them along the same path as the others. Unbeknownst to them, in following the dirt trail to a dead end, they’d missed a critical turn off into grassy areas.
“No worries, we’ll just turn back and find another way~.” Oikawa’s awfully relaxed about this, until he turns around. There’s a hulking creature moving in the shadows down the trail and he knows what it is.
“... Actually, let’s carry on this way. Quickly and quietly. Don’t run, don’t make too much noise, try not to panic.”
“Oikawa-senpai…?”
“There’s a bear blocking the path back. It’s okay, we just need to stay out of its range.” He gently shoves the other two into the foliage, not that they’re resisting. Kyoutani uses his long sleeves to push back overgrown plants, creating a way for them to get through. If he lets a couple swing back to hit Oikawa in the face, well, that’s not his problem.
They head up-ground, through thick undergrowth, weaving between tangled trees and impenetrable bushes. The bear is left far behind them, but Oikawa insists that if they keep heading up, they should be able to get a vantage point of the whole area and plan their way back. The torch flickers.
“... We’re about to lose the torch.” Staring at the battery meter on the side, Kyoutani can see it’s at only a slither of power, and it flickers again, before sending them into pitch black. There’s a whimper that sounds more like a choked back sob.
“Ouch! Kindaichi, don’t just stop where you are! I think your shoulder blade just bruised my nose!” Kyoutani pauses in his climb, reaching behind him to find the first year. He manages to land a hand on his shoulder, which makes him yelp and definitely sob, and Kyoutani trails his hand down to Kindaichi’s own.
“C’mon. Once we get to a clearing, we’ll have moonlight.” It takes a moment, but holding shakily onto Kyoutani’s hand, the first year takes another step forwards. Once he starts, it’s easy to keep him in motion, though he seems to jump at every sound from the dark depths, every movement in the shadows.
Kyoutani understands. He has a younger sister, a ten year old who sleeps with a nightlight because she’s petrified of the dark. There’s no reason. There doesn’t need to be a reason. If someone is scared, then they’re scared. It’s not his job to pressure them into telling him why.
“We must be near the top now, surely.” Checking over his shoulder once more, Oikawa can only guess that they’ve walked quite the way. He wishes they could call out for help, because even above the screams of yellow team, they’d be heard, but he can’t risk that bear following their voices.
“Mhm. S’a breeze.” Pushing aside on laste bramble bush, Kyoutani exposes the clearing they need. It’s in front of a huge cave, but at the very least, there’s moonlight. Stumbling into it, the trio look like they’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards rather than just pushing through them.
“This is all your fucking fault.” Whilst Kindaichi finds the brightest possible spot to sit try and try to get his breathing under control, Kyoutani whirls around on Oikawa, snarling and pointing in his face. Calmly, Oikawa pushes the finger away.
“My fault? You were the one at the front of the group.”
“You’re the asshole that lost the map in the first place!”
“I was relying on your tracking skills!”
“What makes you think I was tracking?! It makes sense to look for footprints at a fork in the road!”
“But not the rest of the way?!”
“Not when the path is clearly marked!”
“Well, it was obviously the wrong one!”
“Fuck you! I’m setting off the emergency flare.”
“And draw that bear to us? I think not!”
“A bear would run away from it!”
“And what else would it draw towards us?!”
“Some fucking help!” Their argument is interrupted by a broken cry, strained and desperate. Kindaichi’s attempt to calm himself down had only made things worse, hunched over with his hands knotted in his hair, heaving and choking as tears hit the ground in front of him.
“Shit.” Oikawa and Kyoutani break apart from their argument, jogging over to his side. The captain kneels down in front of him, trying to get him to lift his head, to breathe, to stop pulling his hair, whilst Kyoutani stands behind, rubbing his back in slow, soothing circles. He recognises a panic attack when he sees one.
“Easy, kid, take a deep breath.” Kindaichi gasps for air, shuddering, and then the words starts spilling out.
“We’re lost, we’re lost, we’re going to die, I was right, we’re going to die-” A finger presses over his lips, silencing him, and his eyes flicker up to Oikawa’s reassuring smile.
“We’re not going to die, Kindaichi~. All we need to do is head down in that direction.” He points to where they came from, the skewed bramble bush pushed aside to make an opening. Just as everything seems to be coming together, Kindaichi sniffling and mumbling an ‘okay’ as he wiped his tears away, there’s a sound.
“... Please tell me that was you, Kyouken.”
“No? Do I look like I squeak?”
“Some puppies have squeaky toys~.”
“Oh, fuck off. I know it was you.”
“I- I don’t think it was either of you…” Kindaichi stares wide-eyed at the huge cave opening, and sure enough, there’s another squeak from inside.Oikawa goes to step closer to investigate, but Kyoutani pushes them both to the ground.
“Wha-?”
“Stay down!” Within the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of wing beats sound out, and flurry of something small flies out at them, one after another after another and it seems like there’s no end to the creatures flying straight overhead, creating a wind.
Bats. Some of them crash into the trio, but thanks to Kyoutani’s idea to push them to the ground, the impact is minimal. One gets tangled in Oikawa’s hair, but manages to tug itself free. It takes a full seven minutes for the hoard to thin enough that they can stand up.
“Good thinking, Kyoutani.”
“Now will you let me set the flare off?” Oikawa sighs, lamenting the prize out of reach, but even he can admit that he’s taken it too far. Kyoutani is pissed off, Kindaichi is still scared and shaking, and they’re all as lost as can be.
“Okay.” Taking the flare out of his pocket, Kyoutani holds it in his hand and sets it off as the instruction images show. Bright orange smoke pours out of it, rising high into the air. The three watch in awe, the smoke carried by the gentle breeze, drifting over the forest. If that doesn’t lead someone to them, Oikawa doesn’t know what will.
That said, they don’t know how long it will take, so they huddle together for warmth. Kyoutani reluctantly finds himself in the centre, Oikawa sitting against his back, and Kindaichi clinging to his side.
“There you are!” On the edge of falling asleep, their haze lifts as the thickets around them part, bright torch shining in their direction. They can’t see who it is because of the blinding light, but they’d recognise Mizoguchi’s voice anywhere.
“What were you thinking?! You didn’t come back to grab your map!” He doesn’t get an answer, two bodies clinging to him in relief, a third one shrugging and walking past towards the rest of the rescue group.
“... Alright, come on, let’s get you back to camp.” Oikawa releases the hug and skips over to animatedly talk to one of the people he recognises, an alumni they’ve trained with before. Kindaichi takes a little more convincing, but he eventually settles for walking alongside the coach, clinging to his sleeve.
He sighs, though he’s not mad. If anything, he’s glad the boys had the sense to use their emergency flare, preventing them from being lost much longer. Something suddenly catches his attention.
“... Kyoutani, you do know there’s a bat in your hood, don’t you?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Would you like to get rid of it, please?” Kyoutani tugs his hood round until he spots large, black eyes staring at him adorably.
“No.”
“Kyoutani.”
“His name is Shoichi.”
“Kyoutani!”