Archive of Our Own ^beta

"Hinata."

It's around two in the morning when Shouyou wakes up to the insistent shaking of his arm. He groans irritatedly, partially because he's exhausted from playing four rounds of practice matches with a neighbouring countryside school, and also because last nights horror session with his teammates had drained the last bit of energy out of him. Brain fuzzy from lack of energy, Shouyou shoves the large hands off his arm and settles more comfortably on his futon.

He's about to drift off again, lulling slowly to the sound of soft snores that surrounds him when—

"Hinata. Wake up." Large hands settle on his shoulders now, nails digging in sharply as his tormentor aggressively presses down on him. "Hinata, I swear if you do not wake up in the next—"

"BWUH?" Shouyou jolts awake with a shout, his arms reflexively shifting in a fighting stance. It takes him a good minute to calm down and he blinks sleepily up at the shadowed figure looming above him. "What the heck?... Kageyama?"

"Tone down, moron." Kageyama hisses, looking around them to make sure their teammates haven't woken up at the commotion. "You're gonna wake up the entire fucking building."

There's a protest rising in Shouyou's tongue as he wipes the sleep from his eyes. He's still disoriented—hell he's not quite awake yet either, so lord forgive him if he's about to foam at the mouth, on the verge of biting someone’s arm off. Hinata Shouyou can and will throw a tantrum, anytime, anywhere. Let it be known.

Sensing the feral rabid energy, Kageyama moves back to give the shorter boy some space.

"What the heck, Kageyama." Shouyou repeats, with less venom and more grouch this time, curiosity lying underneath. His voice comes out with thick gruffness and he clears his throat to get rid of it. "What do you want?"

There is a pause where the spiker yawns, stretches his arms to shake the last bit of sleep from his system, and waits for the setter to speak. But the other boy remains silent, motionless as he stares at Shouyou. Seconds tick by as they continue to look at each other.

Finally losing his patience, Shouyou reaches forward and pokes Kageyama in the middle of his forehead.

Kageyama swats his hand away.

"Well?" Shouyou prompts, annoyed at the prospect of having his sleep ruined because Kageyama's a massive jerk who likes to steal his food and throttle people in their sleep. There's a very high perchance that he woke Shouyou up just for some late night entertainment. Shouyou grits his teeth in preparation for some chomping he might have to do.

Finally, Kageyama mumbles something unintelligible, bowing his head over his folded legs, hair moving to conceal his face. Shouyou can barely make out his features in the dark but he can distinctly feel the embarrassment oozing off of him. Interesting, he wonders dazedly as he leans in to hear.

"—room...?"

"What? Sorry I— Kageyama, what?"

"Bathroom." Kageyama grumbles a little louder this time, shifting on Shouyou's futon and glaring somewhere towards his left.

"Bathroom what, Kageyama?"

"...Do you have to use the bathroom?"

"Uh... No."

"..."

"...If you woke me up just to make fun of my stomach issues, I swear—"

"You wanna go use the bathroom?"

"What? No?!" Shouyou whisper-screeches at the other boy. This is making absolutely no sense to his sleep-addled brain and while Kageyama acting weird is a normal occurrence in Shouyou's life, he's definitely more cracked up tonight than usual.

But Shouyou likes to think he excels at Kageyamalogy with as much expertise as any well renowned researcher. Noting his partners reluctancy, he draws his own conclusion accurately. "Kageyama, do you have to use the washroom—? Did you not go the washroom earlier? With the rest of the team?"

After Tanaka-san's haunting tale of a woman's ghost targeting young men and Nishinoya's terryifying accounts of real haunted places had them all shitting their pants, the team had gone to the toilet in groups. Shouyou had grabbed onto Tsukishima's arm and had all but dragged the poor boy into the stall with him as well, only to be told off gently by Ennoshita-san that he's safe. That there's nothing an evil spirit can do to harm them while they're in groups. Shouyou had loosened up at that, the mere idea of a ghost haunting him amidst his teammates was laughable now, though should the situation were to arise, he had Tsukishima within an arms length, ready to be used as a shield and a mournfully necessary sacrifice.

He also vaguely recalls Kageyama going to the bathroom with Narita-san and some of the other first years.

He needs to go again?

"I have to pee." Kageyama looks directly at him, his stare piercing even in the dark.

"...And you need me...?

"Don't wanna go alone."

Ah.

See, Shouyou thinks he's matured enough when he doesn't outright laugh at his partner's face after his admission. He's distinctly aware of his body shaking from suppressed laughter though, and he hopes desperately that Kageyama doesn't notice. He's in no mood to get hair-pulled tonight.

But much to Shouyou's surprise, the other boy only peers at him questioningly. There's not an ounce of rigidity that binds Kageyama's body at the moment like it usually does. When his limbs are always too gangly and awkward, as if their setter has yet to learn to fully control them outside the court. His fingers would constantly twitch, as though to touch something, his hands forever moving restlessly to hold.

Now, Kageyama is barely moving, barely fidgeting where he sits next to Shouyou on his futon. His earlier discomfort nowhere to be found.

If there's anything Shouyou knows better than volleyball, its how uncomfortable and disturbing a bladder pressure can be. 

Shouyou narrows his eyes.

Good Lords above, if this is a prank, he's actually going to kill someone. Preferably, Kageyama. Or maybe not, he needs his tosses. Maybe Tsukishima.

Well, now he's contemplating. On one hand, if this isn't a prank and Kageyama does indeed needs to take a leak, then Shouyou sympathizes with him; if he were in his shoes, he'd be cursing his own existence. He'd be on Kageyama's futon too, insisting that they go to the toilets together. On the other hand, he's tired and scared and lazy; and the comfort of his sheets clinging to him is hard to part with.

But as he watches the disappointment and rejection settle in on his partner's face, he determinedly sets up his mind. "Fine."

Kageyama startles at that, a little surprised, a lot skeptical—as though he's waiting for a 'but' to come next. Shouyou scoffs harshly, offended.  Wow, asshole-yama. Did he really think I would stoop so low as to bribe him?

Kageyama continues to look doubtful, eyebrows raised in inquisition "...But?"

"Ack!" Shouyou squawks indignantly as his suspicions are confirmed, waving his fist threateningly at the setter. "There's no 'but' stupid! Do you really think I'm the asshole between us?" 

"Yes."

"And just for that 'yama, you'll have to treat me to some meat bun when we get back."

"You're saying that as if you weren't already planning to ask me."

"No?!"

"Yes."

"Let's just go, you smartass."

Kageyama grumbles something unintelligible at that and Shouyou quips back just as condescendingly, unintelligibly.

Well let’s just get this over with, he thinks as he gets up dolefully and leaves the comfort of his futon.

As soon as they step outside their room, they shut up instinctively.

Like a universal rule settling in on their brains, reminding them to be as quiet as possible.

They made their way down the hallway, pressed close together as their surroundings grew darker and darker ominously. Every squeak of their movement has Shouyou pressing even more into Kageyama's side.

There's no way in hell he's risking the chance of them separating. He can hardly make out their path in this darkness and if he were to be kidnapped by some wayward spirit with whatever level of evil intensity, he might as well take Kageyama with him.

great, he thinks as he peeks outside the window, its a new moons night we're so cooked.

It's also eerily silent, Shouyou notices. There's no sound to be heard other than their footsteps. No creek of the wood, no wind rustling outside, no cicadas calling out to each other in the dead of the night.

Now Shouyou's not the most spiritualists among his peers nor is he a hardcore skeptic, but he's seen enough scary movies and he's heard enough tales (screw you senpais) to know when to not fuck with the unknown.

He manages to tame his loud breathing, inhaling and exhaling slowly to calm his heartbeat and his sanity. Somehow, it doesn't feel right to be making a lot of noise at this hour. It's like the world had stopped, halted in its momentum to create an evocative frame for the two boys on their journey down the hallway. It's creepy. It's haunting. It's everything Shouyou thought would be like straight out of a horror movie.

Except, we are NOT separating under any circumstances, like those stupid people in those stupid movies, Shouyou thinks harshly, paranoid and upset that his mind is creating all sorts of scenarios where they could end up being possessed. Or worse... killed.

Ugh, he's getting goosebumps already.

So he attempts to do one the thing he always does to calm his nerves. Talk.

Even when his angel and devil conscience are teaming up for the first time, telling him to shut up!

"This would make a perfect horror setting, right?" Shouyou starts with a joke, his body trembling ever so slightly.

Kageyama doesn't give him any response. Like usual, he ignores the shorter boy when he makes no sense at all. But now Shouyou wonders if its because Kageyama's even more scared than him.

And rightfully so.

Shouyou finds this particular ryokan odd. He’s stayed at many ryokans ever since he became a part of the Karasuno Volleyball Club, going to numerous cities for tournaments and casual matches, had resided in the sketchiest of inns with his teammates. Yet, never had any previous places of residence had ever struck him as odd as their current one.

They turn the corner to descend down the stairs where there's a joint bathroom for both floor one and two.

"Hey, you've heard of cold spots, right?" Shouyou asks as he turns to look at his companion. He's only just now noticing the chilliness around them, goosebumps rising along his body.

Kageyama still doesn't answer him, but he does turn his head a little to give him a look. Shouyou stares back, daring him to call him an idiot.

The jab never comes.

"C'mon I'm trying to make a conversation here. It's so quiet, I'll go insaaaaane." He whines as they reach the end of the staircase, turning left towards the bathroom.

"Kageyamaaaaa, talk to me."

"Sshhh."

"Don't shush me."

"Then shut up."

"It's so cold, d'you think we found a cold spot?" Shouyou asks instead, doing the opposite of shutting up, rubbing his arms and looking around for any possible monsters lurking nearby.

He presses close to Kageyama for body heat... but the bastard's freezing cold himself. Shouyou is distracted mildly from their current disposition, concerned whether his partner is really cold blooded or not.

They enter the bathroom and Kageyama turns on the light. The spiker sags in relief as soon as the room is illuminated, air whooshing out of his lungs visibly as the light blankets them in comfort. 

The bathroom's impressively big—bigger than their own schools anyway, with a mirror on the left spanning above the sinks, and rows of stalls on the right. It's actually bigger than the third floors bathroom that we went to earlier, Shouyou thinks, looking around inquisitively.

"Stay here." The setter's voice interrupts his thoughts and Shouyou turns around to gape at him.

"Stay here." He mimics back with a high pitch and a twist to his mouth, like the little shit he is. "Like I'd go back out there alone."

The other boy only stares at him, a look of contemplation on his face that can easily be read as—if you run off without me, there will be consequences. With one final quirked eyebrow, Kageyama disappears behind the stall and clicks the lock in place.

Shoyou’s stands alone.

Right in the middle of an empty bathroom.

With a gigantic creepy mirror on the wall, facing him.

There's a prickling sensation on his forehead, as though someone is pointing their finger at it. Shouyou blames his imagination, his mind is of course, milking every scenario out of his fear, taking him back a few hours ago where he had sat cross-legged with his teammates, exchanging horror stories around the circle.

'What had Tanaka-san said about the mirrors again? that they act as some kind of door for.... spirit realm? hah, that's funny...'

There's a pause when Hinata takes in the information. And within seconds, just like that, it strips away all the comfort from his body.

He stares at the mirror where his reflection stares back, looking sacred and harried—pale as if he's already seen ghosts. All the sleep and tiredness had evaporated from his body and mind, replacing itself with survival instincts and intuitions.The more he stares, the more his reflection seems warped, as if something's squeezing the image on the other side.

There's an aura to it that discomfits him. He wishes that Kageyama could hurry up with his business so they could leave this creepy place behind and he can snuggle back in his warm blankets.

Never had Shouyou imagined he would ever come to crave his blankets in this hot August month.

He shuffles on his feet, looking anywhere but in the direction of the sinks. The reminder of his warm futon has him antsy and fidgety, almost making him bolt out of the bathroom.

ding ding

"Holy sh—", Shouyou almost jumps right out of his skin as a clock chimes thinly from somewhere in the building. The sound is faded, not too loud or blaring, just a simple ding to address the hour. He curses it out thoroughly, colorful expletives that would shame not only his mother but his father as well, ringing out in the silence.

"Kageyama?" He whines after he's done throwing verbal hands at the unseen clock. "Are you done? Can we leave?"

There is no answer.

Typical of kageyama. Very in character of him to ignore Shouyou at the worst of moments.

The bathroom was getting colder and colder through every passing second, the hair on the back of Shouyou's neck rises with each cold chill moving agonizingly down his back. 

Shouyou's one half of brain immediately signals him a bright red flag, urging him to abandon his post, grab Kageyama and make a run for their room. The other part though, the more rational and analytical part of him—the one that lived in realities and not in some made up fiction to scare away guileless teenagers, tried to convince him that its all coincidental. That it's night time—of course the air will be crispier, and the cool hard tiles of the bathroom probably aided the in the cold.

Making a timely decision, he calls out to the other boy. "How long are you gonna take?"

Silence.

"...I'm gonna stand outside in the hallway. The mirror's creeping me out." He shudders as he speaks.

"Wait, Hinata—", Kageyama's panicked voice comes through, echoing in the silence and Shouyou winces.

"I'm just out here." He reassures the setter, his voice taking on a softer note to convey his genuinity.

And when he receives no reply, Shouyou takes the silence as Kageyama's begrudging acceptance, and walks out of that vicinity as fast as possible.

Out in the hallway, it's much better, he thinks. The light spills out from the open doorway of the bathroom and partially lights the corridor. He's not in complete darkness but he's not exposed to the brightness either.

He's still high on his nerves though, fidgeting where he stands. 'It's fine,' he thinks, 'Just take a deep breathe and don't think about monsters. It'll be absolutely fine. If anything, Kageyama's more vulnerable right now than me anyw—

No.

Think about something else, Shouyou!'

Releasing a frustrated sigh, he counts the seconds. Distinctly, he remembers the clock hitting the hour and realises it's probably 3 in the morning now, which means it's witch hour—but on the bright side, it's also much closer until sunrise. Sweet. He can get through this. He can survive this out and live a day where he would tell his juniors how he had protected their prized setter from...

Pause.

PAUSE!!!!

He's backtracking rapidly on his thoughts—his mind clicking on the 'witch hour' at the exact moment as the lights inside the bathroom started flickering. There's the buzz of electricity tgat follows the flashing of lights. Amidst this, Shouyou's heart lurches in his mouth.

Ah fuck.

Saying he's sacred shitless is an understatement, even to his angel and devil conscience.

It's so serious Shouyou 'F word' cursed in his head.

AH FUCK.

Oh he's so not surviving the night.

Shouyou sends a silent prayer to whichever deity he could remember in his moment of panic and uproots his heavy legs off the ground.

The lights overhead are still flickering, and Shouyou manages to turn towards the bathroom when one of the bulbs shatters above. He yelps. Shards of glasses flies all over the entrance and Shouyou barely manages to avoid them.

The scene is nothing less than a cut from the scary movies he's seen. It's unnervingly horrifying when he finally takes a step inside and instantly feels the chill around him. "Fuck."

There's another fear gripping him, one that his rational part of the brain is refusing to acknowledge. There has to be an acceptable reason why Kageyama hasn't been calling out to him, right? Maybe he's not scared? Maybe the lights go bonkers here once in a while? (His rational part reminds him that the reason they're here in the first place is because Kageyama was too scared to go alone.) Whatever may be the case, Shouyou wants out ASAP—not without Kageyama though.

"Kageyama?" He forces out, keeping an eye out for the mirror. It's fogging up slowly, the white covering up the reflection on it second by second. "Kageyama? Shit—answer me!"

No response.

"Kageyama? Please, open the door!" Stopping short in front of the stall, he hesitates. "Kageyama, I will break it down I swe—"

Okay, fuck this.

He bangs on the door, hard. And prepares to bang some more, oblivious to the unsecured lock, when it suddenly swings open revealing the inside.

It’s empty.

Nothing could have prepared him for the way fear gripped his entire body, rendering him immobile. Nothing could have warned him about the cold vines entering his system and seizing his warm beating heart in a tight grip.

Not to be deterred—because he's not leaving Kageyama alone, Shouyou moves on to check the next stall and the next, and the next. All the while, another one of the bulbs shatters somewhere. He flinches, hard. 

With every passing second, he grows antsy. There's no sign of his setter.

Dread curls in his stomach and he only barely stops short from passing out. His mind buzzes with questions that were unanswerable.

The lights are still flickering on and off around him but now there's an eerie hum accompanying it. It makes him jump out of his numbness and make a run for the exit.

It's a cacophony of whispers, hushed out from all corners, hurled at Shouyou as he pushes his leg to run as fast as possible. The sound of his heartbeat gets lost in the rythmn. He thinks he could be losing himself too but the pinprick of goosebumps keep him on the edge.

Kageyama… His mind screams at him to turn around, to go back and find his partner—but if he does, he might get stuck himself. And if he's stuck, he can't help Kageyama—can't save him. He's so out of his senses that he can't even fathom the feeling of losing his friend, the guilt being overshadowed by the fear of being chased by some phantom crowd of horrors.

He'll bring him back, Shouyou promises to himself, running up the stairs, taking two steps at a time. He'll bring him back somehow, they couldn't have taken him far. He's still probably in there somewhere...

It takes everything in his power to not think about how... whatever entity it was that's haunting the bathroom, could've dragged Kageyama inside the mirror to whatever realm that lays beyond. Shouyou shudders to think what could've been happening while he was standing outside in the hallway, oblivious.

He shakes himself out of his negative thoughts. No! He bounds up the last few steps and rounds the corner. Kageyama's gonna make it alive. He has to. I just gotta wake up the others and—

Sliding open the tatami door where the other second years were sleeping, he skids inside and slams it shut.

He's safe here, he knows it.

He knows it because the cold didn't follow him inside. Instead the warmth engulfs him as he falls to his knees, chest wracking with dry heaved sobs. He's still shivering though, the aftermath of the chill lingering on his skin.

Kageyama...

Right, he stumbles back on his feet, no time to waste. On weak legs, he makes his way over to the light switch. Shouyou flips on the light, flinches away from the brightness for a second but falls straight towards Tsukishima's futon.

He's blubbering some nonsense he doesn't understand, nor he cares—he just hopes he's making enough noise that his two friends wake up and….

And...

Shouyou's breath hitches as his eyes adjust to the lights and they skid over Yamaguchi next to Tsukishima, over to his own empty futon next to him, and over to the futon that was supposed to be Kageyama's..

Where he's lying.

Motionless.

The world stops for Shouyou. The eerie hum returns.

No way….

Kageyama's here. On his bed. Unmoving. Like he never woke up. Or disappeared down in the bathroom.

Minutes pass as he stares at the sleeping form of his partner. Minutes pass as Shouyou tries to make sense of the situation he's found himself in. Minutes pass as the stillness of the night continues, silent and deadly.

It feels... surreal.

Shouyou stands up again, robotic in his movements this time. His actions are slow, unbelievably slow where one part of his brain commands his limbs to move and the other forces them down on the floor. His eyes are trained on his partner's face, beautiful in its peaceful state, messy hair fanning out on the pillow.

He's breathing, Shouyou notes evidently—so he must be sleeping.

It doesn't make sense. It's mindfucking. Shouyou stands and shakes and digs his nails in the flesh of his palm to tear himself out of whatever nightmare this is. It doesn't work.

Still trapped in a trance, he's suddenly on his knees over Kageyama, shaking him awake. A mantra of 'please holy shit please holy shit please holy shit' repeats inside his head. "K—kageyama… KAGEYAMA?!"

Kageyama shifts around, mumbles something incoherent in his sleep but doesn't rise. Shouyou slaps him awake the very next second.

Even in his sleepy state, Kageyama roars as he sits up abruptly and charges at Shouyou, but the shorter boy is fast. Seizing him by the collars of his shirt, Shouyou shakes him some more.

"Kageya—"

"What the hell is your problem?" The taller boy grouches as he clasps Shouyou's shaking arms and stops him. "You want to die or something, you bastard?"

"Tell me it's you—" Shouyou babbles. He can't even make sense of what's coming out of his mouth. "Shit, K-kageyama— it's you. You're here but that's not—"

"What the hell. Is your. Problem."

"T—thats impossible. You were t—there with me but… you're here now… Kageyama tell me—"

"I'm going to kill you."

"HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?????"

"Hinata." Kageyama is the one shaking him now. Taking hold of his shoulder, the setter notes that his partner is trembling. There's a crazed look in his brown unfocused eyes. "Hinata!"

"Wha—"

"..... What's wrong with you, idiot?" His voice takes on a dubious tone.

Shouyou's eyes finally zeroes in on him, his already widened eyes raking him up and down.

Maybe he had a nightmare, Kageyama thinks. The lights are on, their futons are messed up and Hinata is very very sweaty… like he had just run a marathon in this August heat.

"Hinata... What's wrong?" He asks again, now fully alarmed at the state of the room and the boy shaking underneath his palms.

".... You were with me." Shouyou's eyes finally settle on Kageyama's own, his stare unfathomable. "You were with me and then… you were not."

"....You're not making any sense."

Shouyou pulls him close with fists tight on his shirt collars. "You woke me up. You told me you wanted to use the bathroom so you dragged me with you—"

No?? Kageyama's head is shaking even before the other boy starts explaining. There's bits and pieces he catches as Shouyou rambles on—words coming out fast and stumbling—but the other parts fly over his head.

It's only when he's talking about how 'he' , apparently, went inside the bathroom stall—that Kageyama cut him off.

"No. No, Hinata, I've been sleeping here this whole time." He snaps, shaking his head when he sees Shouyou start to speak up again. "No, listen to me. I would have known if I was walking around with you, right?...Unless you think I was sleepwalking, which by the way, I have neve—"

"Noooooo, that's the thing!!" His partner has never sounded so distressed as he does now and Kageyama struggles to mask his own rising panic tagging along with annoyance.

He doesn't know what's happening but there's a heavy sense of foreboding settling on his nerves and he can't have them both freaking out at the same time. "You weren't sleepwalking. You were there—awake. Y—you were talking to me like you always do."

Shouyou stares at him, wide eyed and afraid. "You were so real." He swallows around the bile on his throat. "And then you disappeared."

"....Can you… calm down, please?" is the only thing Kageyama could say to Hinata's hysteria.

Goosebumps rise across his arms at the spiker's words and he tried to regain control of the situation. But, for that he needs Hinata to calm down first.

Silence reigns over the two boys after the words hang in the air between them. It's prolonged and stuffy and filled with sizzling static. Kageyama doesn't know where to look, doesn't know if he can take Hinata's frazzled expression any more than he can take his broken, scared voice. He sounds so wrong. So 'there's-something-bad-in-the-world' wrong. His loud teasing lilt echoes in the deep crevices of his head as Kageyama fights within himself to take the shorter boy in his arms, to block out whatever nightmare is haunting him. He decides not to. Not right now.

As the quiet stretches on, Hinata's shaking slows down to a slight tremble until he takes a deep breath and exhales loudly through his mouth. His eyes clear out, though they still hold some edge. But there's the usual fiery sort of glow to them now tinged with exhaustion. Kageyama admires the change silently, still at a loss of words.

It's only then, that he notices something uncannily unsettling about their situation. He looks around, at their sleeping teammates, at the night sky out the window and again back at Hinata who looks, somewhat, not so frazzled anymore.

"Oi." He calls out to get his attention. "Why… hasn't Yamaguchi and Tsukishima woken up yet." At Hinata's questioning stare, he explains. "We were pretty, uh, loud there, right?"

"H-huh? Oh." They turn back to stare at the other two second years, who haven't stirred from their original position throughout their entire tirade. Which is….pretty uncharacteristic them both, now that Shouyou thinks about it. So unusual, that he automatically jumps to the worst conclusions possible. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi are both extremely light sleepers, even a small huff of breath from the infamous quick duo, in the dead of the night, would have the bespectacled boy to strike wrath upon them.

"Huh. I… made a lot of noise when I ran back here. Someone should've woken up at this point….." Shouyou mumbles off, eyes glazing over as he recalls his ragged panting, his stomping footsteps echoing around the walls and the loud bang of the door when he slid it shut behind him. He had been exceptionally loud about it. Yet…. not even their coach seems to want to check in on them. It's as if……..

"....They can't hear us." Kageyama finishes his thought.

The silence that follows after Kageyama's statement is thick as the two boys stare at their teammates.

Shouyou doesn't know what to do. He doesn't know if he should be concerned for his friends or happy that they aren't living this nightmare.

But if there's anything he's learnt from the previous ordeal, it's that he's extremely wary of any living being right now. Which includes—

"You're the real one… right?" He asks, eyes narrowed as he stares down at Kageyama.

"Huh? Of course I am, dumbass," Kageyama roars, offended, his voice rising with each word. "You want me to cut my finger and show you my blood?"

"No need." Shouyou replies distractedly, he remembers holding Kageyama's collar earlier and noting that he's significantly warm, very unlike the Kageyama who was walking alongside him earlier. He shudders the more he thinks about it, his brain supplying him with dreadful images of the other Kageyama. To think he was with someone else this whole time…. someone who probably wasn't even alive, was probably not from this world either.

There's a pause where they gather themselves.

"So…. what, what do we do now?" Kageyama asks tentatively. Where do they go from here? He still has no idea what's going on, and doesn't think he's fully grasping the situation.

He definitely thought Hinata went cuckoo on him earlier, rattled by nightmares, but now, as he moves on to pinch Tsukishima's nipples and watches as their middle blocker lays dead to the world, he's not so sure anymore.

"Wait, how did you manage to wake me up then?" He asks suddenly, turning back to Hinata. It's bizarre to think how he's the heaviest sleeper amongst them all and yet….

Unless....

Of course there's a variety of probability here which Kageyama refuses to indulge in. 

Shouyou, on the other hand though, had different plans. He rubs his faces tiredly and thinks aloud., "I don't know, I just…I have a theory." He sighs, looking forlorn. "I could be wrong here but I think you were supposed to be one of the targets too."

"... What."

"I'm just guessing." Shouyou continues. "I can't really think of any other possibility as to why they would spare you from… whatever this sleep coma is. I woke up too, remember?"

"Yeah, 'Cuz somebody woke you up!"

"Somebody who looked and acted hella like you!"

He's chewing on his lips and Kageyama mirrors his action subconsciously, utterly spooked out. "Hinata, you do know what you're implying here right?"

"....Are you serious?! I'm– I'm real!…. Do you want me to cut my finger and show you my blood?" Shouyou whispers harshly, throwing his words right back at him.

"...Yes."

"..."

"..... I'm kidding, of course, you don't need to prov— holyshit whatthehell, Hinata!?" He shrieks.

Shouyou holds out his left punctured thumb, his right hand holding a safety pin that he had retrieved hastily from the front pockets of his bag. "Are you happy now?"

"No I'm not happy, the fuck??" Kageyama grabs his left hand and wipes the small dribble of blood from his thumb. More blood oozes out of the punctured skin and he feels weirdly sick. "What is wrong with you? Why would you do that, you idiot?"

Shouyou retrieves his hand from the other boy's grip and sucks on the wound. "It's fine. I just wanted to do this for both of our sakes."

Kageyama's downturned look of disapproval is the only response he gets. Shouyou ignores him. Instead, he focuses on their two friends again.

"I…. can't sleep at this rate, knowing the entire building is probably like this and we are the only ones... sort of alive." He turns back to his partner. "I want to go back there and check something."

"You're joking right? You want to go back out there knowing something's probably waiting for us and we can't have help because everyone's in some…" Kageyama waves his hands around in a vague display of struggle,"...in some ghost induced coma?"

"You can stay behind if you want." Shouyou's already standing up, and Kageyama marvels how this is the same guy who was shaking like a leaf, and was short of puking his guts out just a few minutes ago. He does take note of Hinata's trembling limbs though. "I think….", he takes a deep breath here,"....I think I have an idea and I want to check it out."

"Like hell you're leaving me here alone then." Kageyama stands up to join him. The unspoken I'm not letting you go alone rings loud in the room.

The spiker looks surprised, although the poor attempt at hiding relief does not go unnoticed by the setter. Kageyama scoffs, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly. Did the dumbass really think I would leave him alone after that?

"Do we need weapons?" He asks instead.

Shouyou smiles weakly in response and together, they slide open the door and step out again.

Shouyou gets a sense of déjà vu as they make their way down the corridor.

It feels the same as the first time, no sound, no movement, no anomaly. There's no hint of whispers that had followed him all the way from the bathroom to their room. Shouyou almost thinks his frightened brain might have conjured that up on its own. The more he thinks about it, the more his brain supplies him with possibilities of happenstance. It's like it's his own mind comforting him that everything's okay.

Though this time, there's warmth next to him. Shouyou presses close to Kageyama, seeking comfort in his body heat, in his breathing, in the fact that he's alive and real. Kageyama presses close to him in return.

It's only when they reach the stairs and Shouyou moves to make his way towards the ground floor that he is stopped.

"Where are you going?" Kageyama asks him.

"Downstairs?" Shouyou poses his own question, confused. "That's where the bathroom is…?"

"Um…no?" Kageyama shakes his head. Shouyou can't make out his expression but he thinks the other boy might be confused as well. "We've been using the 2nd floor one this entire time, remember?"

"Yes, but we went downstairs earlier so…"

"No Hinata, we've been using the 2nd floor one because the ground floor bathroom is locked. Takeda-sensei gave us clear instructions." He tells this as if it's the most obvious thing in the world right now. "That bathroom was always locked, didn't you notice?"

"I—", Shouyou struggles to grasp this new bit of information because, in all honesty, no he hadn't known about it. It's true they've been using the 2nd floor bathroom ever since they got here, but it never occurred to him that there was a reason behind it. Earlier when that clone(?) Kageyama led them downstairs, Shouyou had unknowingly followed.

A full body shiver wracked through his entire system. It fills him with alarming apprehension to think he'd been somewhere… someone shouldn't be.

"I… don't wanna go down there anymore."

"...Okay, let's go back."

They stare at each other. Then together, makes their way downstairs.

Shouyou doesn't want to make any noise, afraid that his heavy labored breathing would be enough to trigger those lost whispers. It was haunting enough to have heard something that horrifying once, he doesn't think he can handle it again without breaking down.

Kageyama, on the other hand, has no such reservations. "What if…. whatever it is out there is, let's say, bloodthirsty. Then why did you prick your finger like an idiot?"

"It's not bloodthirsty."

"How do you know that?!" He returns vehemently.

"Because, stupid," Shouyou gives him the most disbelieving face, "ghosts aren't vampires."

"....I thought we were dealing with some shapeshifting monster."

"They aren't vampires either, Kageyama." The shorter boy rolls his eyes and, although it's dark, Kageyama still smacks him on the head for that.

Its almost laughable how the tables have turned from the last time.

"You're stupid if you think something that isn't human can't smell blood from miles away." Kageyama grumbles under his breath, obviously put out that Hinata's besting him in a conversation.

"Shut up."

"You don't get to tell me to sh—"

"Are you seeing that?" They reach the landing of the stairs and Hinata points towards the end of the hallway where the bathroom is. The door is still open, though the lights are off and it's too dark to see if there's anything lurking inside.

"Holyshit, it's actually unlocked." Kageyama whispers next to him, amazed.

The lights flicker on for a moment (they startle and almost run for their life) but it goes dark again, like it blew the fuse on its own. They wait for it to light up again. It doesn't.

"What are we doing here again?" Kageyama barely opens his mouth when he asks that, he's frozen in place and looking like he's hardly breathing.

Shouyou didn't speak for a while, he stared straight ahead intensely at something, so focused, he barely heard the question. "The mirror." He finally says, turning once to glance at Kageyama. "I know there's something wrong with it. Whatever is happening, it's somehow connected to that giant mirror in the bathroom."

"I– I don't understand, what are you gonna do?" He's desperately whispering at the spiker, hoping to God, praying at this point, that Hinata doesn't do anything reckless. " What can you really do?"

"I'm gonna break it."

Kageyama stares.

If it were anyone else, he would've scoffed real hard and turned his back on them, knowing they're bluffing. Looking at Hinata now, with the same fiery glean in his eyes, that he wears when he challenges opponents much larger than him, a stubborn set to his jaw, and Kageyama knows he's absolutely serious when he says those words. So he watches stupidly as his partner turns around and moves towards the fire extinguisher that's hanging off the wall. Watches stupidly as Hinata unhooks it and decidedly starts walking towards the bathroom.

The lights started flickering, as if, to welcome them.

He counts to five, to ten and then takes two big strides towards Hinata. "You're stupid," he says even as he walks a little ahead of him to peer inside the bathroom, to see if any danger lurks inside so he can make a run for it, grabbing Hinata in tow.

The eerie sense is back as soon as they step past the door, their shallow breaths echoing along the four walls. The flickering stopped too, lights bright enough to be uncomfortable to the eyes, exposing them like the theatre lights. It's still cold, but there's no fog in the mirror now, Shouyou notes.

He moves in front of Kageyama, wielding the fire extinguisher with the expertise of someone who's had experience using it as a weapon before. Kageyama shudders at the thought. He watches as Hinata moves forward, leaving him by the door. "You stay here", he says and walks right up to the mirror, threateningly raising his arms with the butt of the extinguisher pointing towards his own reflection.

Kageyama should've figured out the stillness was just a trap, a quiet before the storm, should've known nothing would be easier involving supernatural forces who might be bloodthirsty, for all they know. He watches as Hinata strikes the first blow to the mirror, a sickening crack echoing around the four walls, and then after a very chilling beat of silence, the flickering of the lights start.

Much to Kagyeama's horror, it's accompanied by whispers this time, harsh echoes of nonsense infiltering their head with a loud buzz. It's like, thousands of voices mashed together in one big ball trying to force its way through the narrow tunnel of their ear. If Kageyama could cover his ears, he would. But he's rooted to the spot, unable to move, unable to think, unable to decipher what's happening around them.

He watches as Hinata stops mid strike, panic evident on his features and they make eye contact for a brief second before he turns back and hits the mirror again with as much strength as he could muster. It's then that Kageyama sees the fog, clogging up the reflection on the vast surface and his brain screams, screeches, at him to run and grab Hinata, to put as much distance between them and that mirror and run for their lives.

There's too much happening all at once and Kageyama struggles to maintain his grip on reality. The room is starting to fog up too, mist filtering through the walls. The echoing whispers are so loud, so pitchy in its volume, that it's starting to hurt his ear drums. Kageyama whimpers. He's very close to fainting, he thinks he sees shadows in the corners and his brain immediately shuts down.

He takes a step forward, towards Hinata, who's still hammering the mirror, his grunts resonating with the murmurs of the shadows. Each strike brings Kageyama out of his paralysis, making him want to move, run and help Hinata. His own mantra starts to ring up inside his head, a discorded mix of 'help him', 'get him' and 'Run'.

It's then, out of the corner of his eyes, he notices a slight movement and it's only his athletic reflexes that helps him retract his step and flung out his arm, stopping the door from slamming shut.

Amidst the confusion and panic, the bells start blaring in his head, loud and alarming, unnerving. The severity of the situation finally sinking in.

It's trying to shut us in, he thinks panickedly, its trying to fucking shut us in.

Kageyama digs his feet on the ground as the force of the door pushes him back. Its strength is so oppressive, almost that of an elephant's tenacity. Kageyama breaks into a stream of sweat, doubled by both fear and exertion, his arm muscles pulling in an effort to keep the door open.

He doesn't know what will happen to them if they're shut in the bathroom. He doesn't want to wait and find out either. His mind screams at him to hold out until Hinata's done vandalising.

At that, he looks up to see that Hinata is almost done with the mirror, sharp shards flying and scratching him as he slams the extinguisher with every grunt of his breath.

The more the mirror breaks, the louder the noises get. The louder the noises get, the harder it is to keep the door open.

"Hinata, hurry up!" He calls out, the force of the door pushing him back further and further. He fears that if he gets thrown out, Hinata will be locked in, and there's an insistent tug on his heart, which tells him that if he loses sight of Hinata now, he'll lose him forever.

Hinata doesn't seem to hear him.

Of course he doesn't, the whispers are now an incessant bluster of screams, overlapping voices yelling angrily at them. To stay? To run? To stop with their struggles? They don't know and they don't intend to find out either. Blocking the noises is a lot more difficult but Kageyama focuses on his breathing, on his own matter at hand. Literally.

It's hard to see now too. His vision is either getting blurry or it's the mist fogging up the entire room.

But then suddenly, Hinata screeches, loud and piercing, and Kageyama's attention diverts to the scene before him.

Goosebumps break out along his arms as he watches a hand, skin greyish and dead, emerge from the mirror. Its movement halted and slowed. Sluggish.

Shouyou hesitates, a whimper making its way out of his mouth. He trembles and backs away.

Kageyama doesn't blame him, his gaze is transfixed at the hand, inch by inch exposing itself. Broken nails, discarded skin, jutting bones. The thing is not alive.

The noises take on an appreciative hum, as though, singing praises and welcoming their lord and savior.

"Hinata…" Kageyama calls out weakly, urgently.

'break the goddamn mirror.' He wants to say, but his tongue refuses to move any further.

He thinks he's about to pass out, his dire need to run and escape is extinguishing second by second. The door has him pushed almost out of the room, his arm on the brim of giving out.

Kageyama feels a tingling sensation at the back of his neck and he almost gives in to the urge to retract his hand and scratch at it.

He shakes his head instead just in time, to clear the tingling as well as keep the fuzzy sensation away. 'Just a little bit more, c'mon.'

And with a loud yell, he pushes back with all his might. There's a mirroring yell from Hinata as he throws the fire extinguisher one last time at whatever bit of glass that was left hanging on the wall. Right at the one where the hand was protruding from. He stumbles back, shielding his face as the glass shards ricochet off at the impact, and then without looking, he runs.

He throws himself at Kageyama at the door and they both lose their footing, tumbling down as the door slams shut with a force so mighty, the ground rumbles underneath them. Without missing a beat, Shouyou jumps to his feet, grabs Kageyama's hand and together, they run unceremoniously back to their room.

The journey back is short and fast. All they remember is the sharp thap thap of their feet and the loud beating of their heart. The echoes of screams get further and faded, the faster they run upstairs. They don't feel safe or secure even when they enter the room abruptly, slamming it shut and backing up to the farthest corner of the room.

The whispers are still audible outside, barely though, as if they're retreating from whatever space they came from. The two boys slump to the ground, breathing harshly in the fading chaos.

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi sleep throughout the entire ordeal, not a hair out of place.

Minutes pass, perhaps even hours as Kageyama and Shouyou catch their breath, huddled up in the corner. Their eyes are trained on the door, ears trying to catch any squeak of noise. They don't talk nor do they look at each other, fearing that seeing the other in a frazzled state would confirm the abnormal reality of their situation.

They only move when they hear the faded ding of the clock somewhere, and with it comes the first sign of normalcy of that night.

Shouyou looks at the setter when he hears the calling of the cicadas in the stillness of the dark, ringing loud one by one, as though, whatever entity was out there blanketing them before, is now gone. Kageyama stands up when he hears the familiar sound of Tanaka-san snoring in the room next to them, followed by Nishinoya-san mumbling in his sleep.

It takes them a whole minute to process that, the ordinary-ness of their situation. Shouyou quickly walks up to where his phone lays and lights up the screen. 04:02 am.

They don't speak as they stare at each other, a mutual understanding passing between them. It's only half an hour until the sunrise, two hours until everyone starts waking up. They silently contemplate whether to go out and check downstairs or not, to see if the worst of the worst is finally over, until Kageyama lets out a whoosh of breath and makes his way towards his futon.

Shouyou watches him quietly as he punches his pillow a couple of times and settles in, drawing the blanket all the way over his head. It's too hot for that but Kageyama doesn't seem to be too bothered by it. Soon after, Shouyou follows his example, righting his own futon and settling inside.

Can't sleep, he thinks as soon as he gets comfortable underneath his blanket, choosing to secure his limbs by pulling them as close to his body as possible, ignoring the heat of the July night.

His mind is a storm, images of events of the last two hours play in his head. Vividly, he remembers every detail, every sensation, every sound that haunted him.

Hinata Shouyou never would've thought his bathroom mishaps could ever get worse than bumping into jerks and starting a miniscule drama for the audience, yet here he was, making enemies with the ghosts of the unknown.

Countless instances arise behind his closed eyelids, every possibilities of what if…… what if they had gotten locked inside. Would they've been able to escape? What was that thing inside the mirror? What if it had gotten hold of them before they could escape, before Shouyou could completely shatter it? What if, earlier, with the clone Kageyama…. was it to lure him inside? What would've happened if he were locked inside? Would they have possessed him? Use him to lure the real Kageyama next? And what about the screams… were they the victims of past hauntings?

He shivers at that, a full body shudder rocking his entire frame.

"Can't sleep?" Kageyama's muffled voice comes from underneath his blanket.

"Take a guess." Shouyou's own voice is lifeless, mumbled against his pillow, counting seconds until sunrise.

The next time Kageyama speaks, his voice is clear. He had emerged from his cocoon and was facing the spiker. Shouyou could feel his stare burn through the blanket. "Are we…." he breaths out a shaky exhale before continuing, " Are we gonna talk about what happened?"

"I don't wanna."

"Hinata…"

"Maybe tomorroow, or… or when we're back in Miyagi I don't know, anywhere but here."

"....Okay."

And just like that they settle in the silence, neither of them any close to sleeping, fighting their own inner battles to rid themselves of their nightmares.

Close to sunrise, Shouyou kicks off the blanket, the heat getting too unbearable for him, and moves purposely towards the setter. He pulls off his blanket too and settles in next to him. Kageyama's arm automatically comes up to wind around him, pulling him close and Shouyou's own arm secures around the setters back. They don't speak as they shift around to get comfortable.

Even as the sunlight filters through the window, they don't move. Sleep never claimed either of them, the alertness in their system too on edge for that, but the security they felt in each other's arms was enough.

At around 7 O'clock in the morning, they make their way downstairs. They turn the corner with dreaded bravery, only to find the bathroom heavily locked with chains and two locks.

At 10:00 am, the Karasuno team, after a light breakfast, prepares themselves for departure.

Shouyou has already packed up his belongings, being the first to get up, along with Kageyama and tidying up their beddings right as they hear the owner of the inn unlock the main door. They don't talk about it, fearing they might trigger the supernatural anomaly if they mention it so close, so soon.

Their quiet mannerism does not go unnoticed from their peers and superiors.

They also notice the scratches on Shouyou's arms, though the short spiker reassures them that the wounds aren't too deep. Kageyama doesn't say a word from the sideline, aware that he's lying. After all, he was the one who helped Shouyou clean up the remnants of dried blood outside in the wee hours of the morning, water drawn up from a nearby well.

No one had questioned them about their whereabouts, drawing their own conclusion that they'd only been out for a run, and as usual, had fought along the way, probably getting injured in the process.

He also sends a quick silent apology to the ryokan staff, who probably has to deal with their bloodied beddings later. Hopefully, they'll be on their way to Miyagi by then.

As of now, Shouyou watches Takeda-sensei talk with the inn owner and thank him profusely for leisurely charging them a low price for one night.

Every once in a while, the owner would glance in his direction, fleeting over to where Kageyama is standing, and then look away. Shouyou wonders if he should ask him about the bathroom, about the mirror. His brain is hungry for information, to know if the bathroom stays locked for a reason. If something like this has happened before, or not. There's history there, he knows that much but struggles to put words to it.

When all is said and done, the team gathers behind Takeda-sensei and bows to the owner. A shout of appreciative gratitude follows and the man laughs.

"No need to be so formal. I should be the one thanking you instead." He speaks jovially. "It's been a while since I've had a large number of guests staying here."

"Ah no, we're equally thankful for your kind services, Okimoto-san."

Shaking hands one last time, Takeda-sensei and Ukai-san called out for everyone to form a line and board the bus.

Shouyou is about to make his way behind his teammates when the voice of the owner stops him in his tracks. "You shouldn't have done that."

"Wha—", he whirls around, eyes wide.

"You shouldn't have broken the mirror. You have angered the spirits who reside here."

Too stunned to speak, Shouyou only stares at the man before him.

He looks… sad, exhausted as though he carries a weight on his shoulder unseen to the naked eyes. The cheeriness is gone entirely from his features, replaced with weariness and reproach.

Behind Shouyou, there's chatters from everyone as they board the bus one by one.

"They are angry that you destroyed their means of portal." The man is looking him straight in the eye, unblinking, and Shouyou backs away slowly.

"I—"

"They will take their anger out on me. After all, I let you stay. And now, I am letting you go."

"Oji-san, I-I have no idea…"

"It's okay." And now, the owner is donning a smile, which… doesn't quite reach his eyes. Instead, they look guilty. "I have handled them before…. though, I've never felt them this angry…"

The silence that follows is uncomfortable, unendurable. He wants to say something, anything, ask him how he knows about the events of last night, about the origin of such a phenomenon. He wants to ask him about what he means by dealing with these spirits before. How had he done it?

But he's at a loss of words. His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. Instead, his brain supplies a 'i'm sorry', that never quite leaves his mouth. He stays numb, even as Kageyama grabs him by the sleeves of his shirt and drags him away from the man.

They board the bus silently, the loud chit chats of their teammate clouding his eardrums as they settle in on their seats. Shouyou has so much to say, so many dots to connect and make a clear picture out of it but he struggles internally.

When he looks out, the last image of the inn owner sticks with him. His solemn grey and forlorn expression is so out of place, sticking out like a dead fruit amidst the bright green surrounding of the countryside. As if, he's already resigned to a fate far worse than death.