Chapter Text
In the beginning of everything, there were only two gods, coexisting in a big void of nothing. Their first fight created the explosion that started life, the first war from which all the other wars would come.
They decided, after many quarrels, that they no longer could live together, and they claimed two different dimensions. One of them chose the sky and called it Heaven, surrounding themselves with white-winged angels. The other one chose what lies beneath the Earth, and so they took their black-winged demons with them and called it Hell.
They’ve lived in trembling peace, because sometimes the Gods can’t help but fight, and when Heaven and Hell are at war, there’s no safe place on Earth, nor prayer that can save it.
Kei woke up and felt like he hadn’t slept at all. His legs hurt like he had run a marathon, and he felt restless, like there was something important he was not doing. It was possibly post traumatic stress, he told himself.
The day before there had been a powerful earthquake while he was walking home on his own. Half the city had been affected, but he had somehow managed to get home safe and his family was unhurt, and that was all that mattered.
He changed into his volleyball uniform, brushed his teeth and went down to have breakfast. The school was intact, and Sawamura had said it was mandatory for all the team to attend practice unless they had suffered any loss at home, which Kei hadn’t.
His brother was already in the kitchen making breakfast for both of them. He put a cup of coffee in front of Kei and looked awkwardly at him.
“How are you feeling?” he asked him.
“Alright,” Kei answered uninterested. “I’m not hurt. I’m just tired.”
Akiteru nodded.
“Well, if you need to talk to somebody… about anything…”
Kei sighed, finished his coffee and left to school.
On his way, he only stopped once, on the corner between two seemingly random streets. He felt like he had to wait for something important, but he couldn’t remember what.
He sighed and kept walking.
When he got to the gym, the team was already practicing.
The gym looked empty, even though everyone was there: Hinata, the only first year that had joined the volleyball team apart from him, all the second-years, including vice-captain Ennoshita, and captain Sawamura, the only third-year in the team.
“You’re late,” the captain scolded him.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t sleep much last night.”
Daichi nodded and pointed at where Hinata and Nishinoya were practicing together. “Go help Hinata practice his spikes. I need to speak with Noya.”
“Yes, sir.”
He tossed at Hinata, but the boy was distracted and managed to spike few tosses.
Kei sighed. “We could practice your floating serves,” he offered.
Hinata frowned. “I don’t do floating serves, Tsukishima.”
“Then who does?”
Hinata shrugged. “I don’t think any of us do. Isn’t that the job of a pinch server? We don’t have something like that…”
Kei felt suddenly dizzy, like the world was spinning and the only thing he knew for a fact that was solid and steady was nowhere for him to hold on to.
“You look sick,” Ennoshita said behind him. “Why don’t you go and have some rest?”
“I’m fine,” he said.
Tanaka shook his head next to Ennoshita.
“Maybe you’re tired? There’s a little fridge in the clubroom. I think there’s some energy drinks left.”
Kei rolled his eyes but did as they pleased. He had to admit they were good guys, but he couldn’t deny the fact that they were annoying as shit. Maybe if he did what they suggested they’d stop being a bother.
The clubroom was empty. Kei looked at the floor, and his shadow looked lonely. What the fuck is wrong with me today?, he thought as he grabbed a can of energy drink from the fridge. He had to admit it did make him feel a little better. He supposed he’d have to thank Tanaka when he…
He frowned and left the half empty can over the fridge when something caught his eye. It was merely a volleyball jersey, but I made his heart clench. He took it carefully; it felt somehow too important to be held lightly. He spread it slowly, and when the white 12 stared at him two words fluttered in his mind, like giant eagle wings causing a hurricane of emotions inside of him. But the two words were simple, just a name:
“Yamaguchi Tadashi,” he whispered into the empty room and the words burnt his tongue. He felt a deep pain in his chest, like something had been ripped violently out of it.
He dropped the jersey to the floor and walked away of the clubroom, his half empty can of energy drink forgotten over the fridge.
He bumped into Hinata on his way out, and he was about to make a snarky about always being in the way and being too short to be noticed, but the boy covered his mouth with one hand and hushed him quietly.
Only then did Kei realize Hinata was standing just outside the door that lead to the Coach’s office, and eavesdropping a conversation between captain Sawamura and Nishinoya.
He was going to turn around and leave, but a name caught his attention.
“Yamaguchi too,” said Sawamura, and it was enough to make Kei pay attention. He looked worried. “I wouldn’t have guessed. It’s just… they’re too many, Noya. We only knew of Asahi, and, yeah, we were doubting Suga, but Hitoka, Shimizu, Yamaguchi, Kageyama…” He felt Hinata tensing beside him when he heard Kageyama’s name, but he relaxed almost instantly, paying close attention to the conversation. “Two is a large enough number for one place, but six is way too many.”
Kei frowned. He recognized Yamaguchi’s name with a sharp pain in his chest, but all the other names sounded somehow familiar to him, even though he didn’t even know any of them, not even Yamaguchi.
“Do you think they… left?” Nishinoya asked, and the last word seemed to have a deeper meaning.
Sawamura sighed.
“I kind of want to believe they did. If they didn’t leave, they were taken…”
Nishinoya kicked the desk and clenched his fists. “Six people, Daichi! We need to do something.”
“I know! And I’m going to call Iwaizumi, but he must be pretty damn busy.”
“It doesn’t matter! We know for a fact that Asahi-san and Suga-san left, so they’re probably okay. But what about the rest? If they were taken, they’re going to get killed!”
Both Kei and Hinata caught their breaths unable to move.
Sawamura rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not really worried about all of them. Kageyama and Shimizu aren’t the type of people they would take.”
“So you’re actually worried about…”
“Hitoka and Yamaguchi.”
Kei entered the room, with Hinata close behind. Nishinoya and Sawamura looked at them with a mixture of shock and horror.
“How much did you hear?” Sawamura asked.
“Enough. What do you know about Yamaguchi Tadashi? Who is he? What’s going to happen to him? You know him.”
“Of course we do,” Nishinoya replied. “The question here is how you know him. Or rather…”
“How you remember you ever knew him.”