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“Fucking-” Kageyama gasped for air with long, shuddering inhales and hacking exhales that left him red in the face. Despite the numbness setting into his extremities, he kept a vice-like grip on the wooden bow in his left hand while the other clutched the front of his sweat-soaked, navy-blue kimono. “Dumbass bird!”
He stopped for just a moment to catch his ragged breath by leaning against the trunk of a gnarled tree. High above him, gliding effortlessly in the limitless sky, a familiar ‘caw’ cruelly taunted the twenty-year-old prince who was currently stalking it. Stormy azure eyes blazed furiously up at the offending creature through long, dark lashes and the fringe of pitch-noir hair that stuck to his clammy forehead.
This was more than sport. More than a hunt.
It was a personal vendetta that Kageyama needed to see to the end - with the end being the death of that damned bird.
Months ago, in what many considered his biggest blunder, Kageyama had made a horrifying spectacle of his botched proposal for Shouyou Hinata’s hand in marriage – something that both their Kingdoms had been painstakingly planning and anticipating since right after Prince Shouyou’s birth.
“Beautiful Shouyou Hinata, you’ve grown more radiant than I ever dreamed possible.” He spoke in the haughty tone typically associated with royalty. Shouyou hated it and wondered what was making Tobio act so formal.
“I ask that you make me the happiest Prince in all creation by accepting this marriage proposal.”
“What? Um…wait, what?” Left speechless, Hinata resembled a beached fish with the way he kept closing and opening his mouth. Of course he’d been expecting a proposal, but never in his wildest dreams had he thought it’d be so performative and shallow!
“What? You’re more than I ever imagined you’d be!” Kageyama dug his grave another foot deeper with that. “You’re stunning!”
“Uh– ...thank you?” Shouyou looked around the crowded room of eager, giddy people all expecting him to jump into Kageyama’s arms with gratitude. “But what else?” he prodded, hopeful that Tobio would at least try to come up with something more heartfelt.
“What else?” The older of the two Princes looked utterly confused as he searched Hinata’s face for clarification. “What do you mean ‘what else’?” This wasn’t going how he had expected it to. Shouyou was supposed to have already accepted and the celebratory party should’ve been well underway.
“Is beauty the only thing you care about?” Shouyou’s voice had a wary edge to it as he retracted his hand from Kageyama’s tightened grip. To the side, his mother ‘discreetly’ cleared her throat and shook her head curtly at Shouyou – begging him to back down from challenging Tobio.
“Tobio, answer Prince Shouyou.” Queen Regent Miwa Kageyama urged her younger brother with a saccharinely sweet voice, prompting him to say anything that’d salvage the proposal before it went up in flames. “What else do you love about him?”
Tobio looked between his sister’s dire expression and then back at the beautiful Prince standing before him, gazing up at him with pleading eyes. But his brain just didn’t understand what they wanted from him! And everyone was staring and waiting for him to say the right thing. But what was the right thing to say?!
“Ah…but…what else is there?”
Certainly not that.
Somewhere in the crowd of aghast, horrified witnesses, Tsukishima had doubled-over, holding his sides as he tried to smother his unbridled laughter.
Due to his ineloquence and severely stunted emotions, Tobio had managed to offend Shouyou Hinata so badly that it caused the younger Prince to reject him on the spot, in a huge ballroom full of their Kingdoms’ most highly esteemed citizens - including both the Queen Regent, Miwa Kageyama and Queen Mother, Minami Hinata.
In spite of their significant disappointment, no one really blamed Prince Shouyou Hinata for throwing a wrench in the grand plan by flatly refusing the poorly worded offer. Looking back, after months of ruminating on his failure, Tobio now understood how disrespectful and arrogant he acted in that moment. From an objective standpoint, he’d been a complete ass to say those things and still expect Shouyou not to react negatively.
However, the fact that Shouyou hadn’t trusted Kageyama enough to believe his terribly expressed feelings weren’t how he truly felt was a serious point of contention for him. They’d known each other for so long - since early childhood - and spent so much time together - every summer season of their entire lives.
How could Shouyou be so quick to condemn Tobio, when they were supposed to be best friends and know each other so well? Where was the trust that Tobio was owed?
It was the conundrum that he needed to resolve, but the only one who could help him was nowhere to be found. Shouyou had been missing - presumed dead by many - since his somber, heartbreaking departure from the palace shortly after rejecting Tobio’s proposal.
Their last interaction had been the all-too-short eye contact when Shouyou gave a forlorn look over his shoulder at Kageyama as he slowly rode away on horseback, surrounded by his sympathetic entourage. It was a two-week journey back to his Kingdom – no sense in delaying if there wasn’t a wedding to be planned anymore.
The pleading expression on Hinata’s face begged the stubborn Prince to give chase and make amends - wordlessly promising that things could be made right if he’d just swallow his arrogance - but Tobio had been too busy licking his wounded pride to even entertain the idea.
It was the second biggest regret of his short life – not running after his one true love – only overshadowed by the ruined proposal.
Unwilling to give his would-be-fiance the courtesy of a respectful farewell, he pointedly rejected meeting Shouyou’s tragically beautiful eyes that literally glistened with tears in the evening sun, and had instead stormed back inside the cold, unwelcoming Palace – where no one had any words of comfort or solace to offer. All thanks to his superior attitude and callousness, he’d become a pariah in his own home; as well as in his own Kingdom.
The only one who didn’t treat him differently was Kei Tsukishima - and that’s only because the salty courtier had always regarded the Prince with a notable lack of deference for their different stations in life. He was Tobio’s oldest and most trusted friend, though their constant verbal jabs at each other left many doubting the validity of that friendship. If anything, Kei Tsukishima was someone Kageyama could always trust to speak the unfiltered truth - especially if it meant putting the prince in his place.
“He asked you, ‘Is beauty the only thing you care about?’ and the only answer you could come up with is, ‘What else is there?’” Tsukishima asked the rhetorical question in his usual condescending way, but this time it was especially grating on Kageyama’s nerves. “I fear for the Kingdom if that’s the level of intellect and maturity our future ruler can aspire to.”
“That’s enough! I know I fucked up!” Tobio snapped angrily, but it didn’t faze or intimidate Kei one bit. If anything, it added fuel to the fire that made him ridicule the Prince.
“You should write a book.” Kei fixed the wire-rimmed, half-moon glasses resting low on the bridge of his nose with a refined press of his middle finger against them. “Title it - ‘How to Offend Your Better-half in Five Syllables or Less’. I’m sure there’s someone out there who could benefit from reading another cautionary tale–”
“Ugh! I didn’t know what else to say!” Kageyama interrupted when he definitely threw his hands into the air before dragging them through his pitch-black hair in a sign of frustrated resignation. “Everyone was watching me…”
Tsukishima wasn’t letting him off the hook that easily though. “How long have you had to prepare for this proposal? You’ve only known about it since you were ten years old.” He argued. “You could’ve written it on the palm of your hand if memorization was really too taxing.”
Tsukishima looked down at the pathetic Prince, brows furrowed and lips curled in pitious disgust. “There must be something other than Hinata’s looks that made you fall in love with him.”
“Of course there is!” Kageyama shouted. Kei waited with a bemused expression for his friend to expand upon the statement. “He’s got–...Then there’s that way he–...And his smile–...You know?”
A wordsmith, Tobio Kageyama was not.
Tsukishima made an exasperated noise and removed his glasses with a particularly irritated flourish. The other hand tried to massage away the migraine steadily developing behind his eyes.
After three days of enduring Tobio’s sulking and wallowing in self-pity, Tsukishima started to lose patience in dealing with the Prince’s insufferable depression. But just as the blonde was planning on doling out the verbal lashing of a century onto the angsty royal, he was interrupted by a frantic palace attendant with an urgent message for Kageyama.
The news she carried was devastating.
While a portion of Hinata’s massive retinue of attendants, guards, and courtiers had arrived back at his family’s palace, the Sunshine Prince was not among them. On the second morning of their twelve-day journey home, the royal caravan had been attacked by a mysterious beast that left many dead - including Queen Mother Minami Hinata.
Whatever it was, the creature proved impervious to steel, arrows, and fire. It easily managed to escape with Prince Shouyou in its clutches.
A lone soldier managed to flee the chaotic scene and ride back to Kageyama’s palace, making the trek in a fraction of the time it would normally take. He’d wisely banked on there still being enough fondness in Tobio’s heart for Shouyou that he’d help retrieve the beloved Prince before it was too late. With Minami dead and Princess Natsu Hinata too young to ascend the throne, it was left to eighteen-year-old Shouyou to step up as the Kingdom’s next ruler.
But beyond the surface-level notions of upholding loyalty to one’s reigning family, the soldier – and nearly everyone who the Hinata’s had peacefully reigned over for the past century – genuinely adored and respected the young Prince, their future King.
To know him was to love him – a concept that Tobio Kageyama was intimately familiar with.
News of Shouyou’s capture and unknown whereabouts instantly dissolved Kageyama’s feelings of resentment and shame about the events from three days prior. Even if they never resolved their differences and moved past the whole debacle – even if they ended up wedded to different people – there’d always be a sense of kinship and loyalty between the Princes that would remain impervious to the degrading effects of time or distance.
Tobio Kageyama knew that he was deeply, madly in love with Shouyou Hinata. That was a foregone conclusion. And in spite of his hurt feelings, he refused to sit idle while the fate of his beloved remained unknown. He’d move Heaven and Earth just to see Shouyou’s smiling face again.
The two Kingdoms mounted a joint rescue effort that spanned a massive search area all across both of their territories. But relying on the confusing, contradictory testimony of those who’d survived the attack made things all the more difficult. There were conflicting accounts of what’d even besieged the caravan. The best that could be surmised was that it’d been a ‘great beast’ – much too vague for Kageyama’s liking.
He led a charge of his own soldiers on exploratory hunts throughout the sprawling woods that surrounded his own Kingdom, pushing them to their limits of physical and emotional endurance. And when his men grew tired or dejected, Tobio only became more incensed with a ferocious determination and a thirst for revenge against whatever laid its hands on his Shouyou.
But that dogged inflexibility and the constant lashing out had the adverse effect of making Kageyama’s men resentful and disinclined to continue at his unrealistic pace.
Even at his worst, no one could ever keep up with Kageyama in terms of physicality and skill - except for Shouyou Hinata. The Sunshine Prince was the only one to keep Tobio on his toes and push him to his next greatest achievement. The two were a perfect match whenever they challenged each other at tests of ability in their mutual passion - archery.
But days of constant riding and hiking turned to weeks, then weeks turned to months, and all sides of the recovery effort soon ran out of steam to keep up the search any longer. When Tobio’s ruthless efforts came back with nothing to show for it, Tsukishima suggested they try alternative means of determining what could’ve taken the Prince.
“Both of your palaces have extensive libraries. Why not search the annals for whatever beast is even capable of capturing a fully-grown–...well…almost fully-grown person, in Hinata’s case, and vanishing without a trace?”
It was a good suggestion.
But Kageyama wasn’t a scholar. He was an archer.
He operated in a world of perfect timing and physical calculations to hit whatever target was in his sight. The deeper thinking was best left to those who thrived in such a boring, tedious environment – people like Kei Tsukishima.
“Good idea.” Kageyama nodded as he checked his trusted bow for any defects or points of weakness, not even bothering to look up from the task at the irked blonde standing next to him. “Take the men back home to rest and resupply. It’s only half-a-day’s ride back to the Palace from here. I have enough provisions to keep searching at least two more days on my own. Maybe three if I limit myself to just one meal per day.”
He hadn’t left any room for further discussion or negotiations, and Tsukishima knew when to pick his battles with the moody Prince. He did as commanded, and soon it was only Tobio Kageyama left stalking through the untamed forests. It mattered not where his search took him – it was better than retreating in defeat.
In his desperate pursuit of the mythicized beast, Tobio traveled to parts of the forest seemingly left untouched by man. With only his trusted steed to serve as company, Kageyama was disoriented by being truly alone for the first time in his life. From infancy, there’d always been someone nearby – either in the room with him or just outside the door.
Any feelings of unease were smothered beneath his greater concern for Shouyou’s wellbeing.
The solitude didn’t bother him either, not when his focus was entirely consumed with following every strange track or exploring each curious part of the unfriendly woods. Only in the dark of night would the Prince finally acknowledge any of his misgivings – when he lay on the uncomfortable ground, kept awake by unsettling doubt and creeping dread that Shouyou might never be found. Or if he was found, he’d already be dead.
That was always the thought that’d push Kageyama to shed a tear and roll over onto his side, facing away from the crackling fire that reminded him all-too-much of his Shouyou’s brilliant, sunrise colored hair and wild personality.
It was approaching noon on the last day of Tobio’s one-man search and the air was uncomfortably humid from the recent Summer rain that lingered well past the unexpected morning shower. The muddy ground threatened to slip him up with every dodgy footfall against the forest floor. But Kageyama refused to admit defeat in his chase of a winged creature who’d been pestering him since sunrise.
He’d woken to the sight of a massive crow hopping around his meager campsite, pecking incessantly at the hardened leather quiver that housed the remainder of Kageyama’s arrows. That irritating noise would’ve been enough to rouse the light-sleeper from his restless unconsciousness, but it was interspersed with energetic, discordant caws that proved impossible to sleep through.
When the stubborn bird wasn’t phased in the least by Kageyama’s half-hearted attempts to ‘shoo’ it away, the Prince was forced to use other methods to rid himself of the pest. He tried scaring it away by shouting and throwing clods of dirt, but the bird still remained annoyingly close for comfort, screeching at him in its grating voice.
In the early morning light that trickled through the thick canopy above, he could see a beautiful iridescent sheen in the majestic crow’s inky, midnight-blue feathers. Its size was alarmingly huge compared to what Tobio had encountered in the past. This specimen was unique and hauntingly beautiful – though still irritatingly persistent in its attempts to grab the Prince’s attention.
He successfully ignored it while eating an unfilling portion of tasteless, dried meat for breakfast; while dressing himself in the sullied, navy kimono he’d been wearing for a week straight; while tugging on his jika-tabi boots; while breaking down camp; and while finally readying his horse for travel.
During the entire process, his avian menace hopped about ‘caw’-ing and pecking at any one of the Prince’s belongings to get a rise out of him.
For the first half of the day, Tobio rode on horseback through the dense forest in a general direction he’d not gone before. His sharp, stormy eyes scanned the area for any signs of life or a new lead to follow. Earlier when the stubborn crow had stopped harassing him, Kageyama assumed it’d finally gotten bored and flew off to bother some other unsuspecting victim. But the moment Kageyama altered the direction his horse was trodding along, the damn bird swooped down and scraped its claws against his shoulder.
The sudden noise and Kageyama’s agitation spooked his horse to the point of making it rear back, sending the Prince sprawling onto the wet ground with a pained grunt.
“Get away from me! You great bea–” The wheels in Kageyama’s brain finally began to turn as realization dawned. Could it be possible that this strange animal currently bothering him was also somehow related to whatever had taken Shouyou? The logic wasn’t exactly sound, but Tobio was fatigued and desperate for any sign that’d point him in the right direction of finding his beloved.
So, without a second thought, he gave chase across an unforgiving terrain after the mysterious animal with his bow in hand and quiver of arrows hanging at his side. The crow flew above and ahead of him, drifting and banking from branch to branch, as if purposely keeping itself in Tobio’s sight – and in range of his deadly arrows.
More than once, whenever the Prince saw a chance to shoot the creature down, his arrow would narrowly miss its target when the crow unexpectedly rolled or dipped out of the way. It stoked Tobio’s fury every time until he was nearly blind with rage and down to his last few arrows.
The unbalanced game of their cat-and-mouse chase extended well into the afternoon. Each time Kageyama stumbled over a branch or grew too exhausted to keep up the hunt, the crow gave him time to recover by smartly waiting in the cover of the treetops. To the confused and frustrated Prince, he felt as if the animal was cruelly taunting him – all it did was fan his determination.
Kageyama was drenched in sweat, causing his white, cotton juban to stick to his muscular frame beneath the sullied, torn kimono worn over it. He’d taken another break to catch his breath and wipe the salty perspiration from his brow when the crow let out another caw, echoing through the darkened forest around them.
It was approaching evening and the sun had already begun to set behind the trees, casting everything in an ominous and intense orange glow. If Kageyama wasn’t such a capable hunter, he might’ve feared getting lost or stranded without the use of a compass or his horse to guide his way home.
“I’m gonna turn your feathers into a fucking cape when this is all over!” He shouted angrily up at the bird as it took off from the branch it’d been perched on. With a weary, snarling growl, he tore after it through a particularly cumbersome thicket.
It seemed to grow around the perimeter of something, but what it was Kageyama couldn’t tell. Gritting his teeth and ignoring the stinging pain of branches scraping across his exposed skin, the determined Prince pushed on. His eyes remained fixed on the crow as it flew ahead of him, nearly disappearing in the darkened evening sky and overlapping forest treetops.
It was officially night time - the sun had set, painting the sky in somber hues of purple and blue that would’ve revealed a sea of stars were it not for the heavy cloud cover.
After breaking through the unforgiving treeline full of brambles, Kageyama took less than a second to observe his new surroundings. He’d stumbled upon a wide, flat clearing with a lone tree sprouting up from the ground at the very center. Clearly dead, it was twisted and unsightly with its spiderweb network of barren branches and twigs. That, on its own, wasn’t enough to give Tobio pause though.
What did however, was the large accumulation of water that’d pooled around the tree in a wide radius. It was so still that the surface became mirror-like in the way it reflected the branches and night sky above. It was unnatural, but extraordinarily breathtaking.
And Kageyama had absolutely no time for it.
His sights were set on the crow, which was perched inconspicuously on one of the lower, heavier branches that jutted out of the tree nearly parallel to the ground. Relying on muscle memory to swiftly and expertly knock his last arrow, then draw it back in one fluid motion, Tobio aimed the deadly metal tip right at the crow’s chest. The strain on his exhausted, overworked muscles and the involuntary shudder of every breath caused his hand gripping the weapon to waiver.
“This is for Shouyou.” He spat out hatefully and began to let his fingertips release the bowstring.
Then, a mysterious wind picked up and the heavy clouds suddenly parted away to reveal the silver crescent moon’s eerie visage in the otherwise star-dappled night sky. It was all perfectly reflected on the water’s mirror-like surface, which highlighted the dead tree’s naked branches as they became washed in the pale moonlight.
Dim, yellow-tinted light peeked through the crow’s pitch-black feathers – the glow somehow emanating from within the mysterious creature itself. The light intensified as strong winds began to swirl around it like an invisible sphere of energy, pulling a few of its feathers loose in the process.
Utterly confused and a little frightened, Tobio watched the unsettling occurrence with a deeply furrowed brow. As if in a trance, his arm began to relax its draw as the other drifted to lower the arrowhead towards the ground. With each passing second, the glowing light and swirling wind grew until it turned into a churning, blinding radiance that overtook the crow’s body until it became entirely obscured. More and more feathers joined the swirling mass until a final burst of energy and light caused them to jettison away from the creature as a flurry of iridescent black.
The abrupt comedown after such a momentous buildup caused Tobio’s world to feel disjointed and lurching. Everything instantly went calm and still as the multitude of black feathers slowly drifted to the ground, as dainty and silent as snowfall in the winter. It was eerily peaceful.
Never once did Kageyama avert his eyes – too engrossed in the unfathomable encounter to even blink, lest he miss a critical moment. But what’d been left in the crow’s place had the Prince completely lost for words and doubting his sanity.
Sitting on the same branch the crow had perched itself upon was Shouyou Hinata, one hand braced against the thick tree trunk and bare feet dangling in the empty space below him. He was dressed in the same regal clothes that Kageyama last saw him wearing – a bright orange, silk yukata, cinched at the waist by a midnight blue obi, and a hem accented by white, hand-stitched silhouettes of crows in flight.
The array of dead tree branches fanning out behind him created the cryptic appearance of dynamic bird’s wings splayed open in a striking image that imprinted itself in Tobio’s stunned mind.
“Hi, Tobio.”
Shouyou’s voice trembled emotionally, as did his chin, from the force it took to hold back the many sobs that desperately wanted to be released. The glowing crescent moon backlighting his figure created a halo effect on Shouyou’s radiant sunrise-colored tresses, which were still wild and untamed in the unique way that Tobio adored.
Gods! How he’d missed stealing every chance he could to ‘discreetly’ run his fingers through that fiery mop. Having gone months without laying eyes on Shouyou’s entirely breathtaking countenance had been painful, but Kageyama hadn’t realized just how anguishing the time had been until the moment his heart recognized he was truly there.
The flabbergasted expression on his face must’ve been quite the sight though, because Shouyou went from barely containing his tears to practically doubling over with amused tittering. But upon closer inspection, the breathless laughter was interspersed with quiet sobs that made his shoulders bounce faintly.
“Sh-Shouyou?” Tobio’s chapped lips mouthed almost silently, as his hoarse voice had no breath behind it to create any sound. The adrenaline that’d allowed him to relentlessly pursue the crow – pursue Shouyou – finally tapered off in his bloodstream, leaving his overexerted muscles to lose all their remaining strength.
His bow dropped onto the dewey grass beneath his feet, along with the deadly arrow that only moments ago had been aimed directly at Shouyou’s avian form. With uneven, clumsy strides, Kageyama blindly stepped forward into the shallow, undisturbed water that encircled Shouyou’s tree - disrupting the reflection with splashes and ripples caused as he stumbled through the ankle-deep pool.
“Shouyou!” There was a desperation – elation – in Tobio’s voice as he cried out to the younger Prince sitting aloft on the high-up tree branch. He stopped just below and a few steps forward from Shouyou’s position, then beckoned him with trembling, open palms stretched up towards the sky. Tobio’s face contorted into an uncomfortable expression – one that flickered between astonishment and fear – which felt unfamiliar for his normally stern countenance to form.
It was as if his prayers had finally been answered, but there was a nagging doubt that it could all be a dream. If it proved so, this was the most exquisite fantasy he hoped to never wake from.
Instantly recognizing Tobio’s intentions, Shouyou confidently eased himself over the edge of the thick branch he was seated on. There was no doubt in his movements or in the joyous emotions on his face that Kageyama would catch him – their trust was still intact even after months of separation and a disastrous final moment together.
In a bustling flutter of bright silken robes, he fell towards Kageyama’s waiting arms, crossing the intimidating distance in less than a second before their bodies collided with a force that knocked the older Prince off his feet. Both of them let out similar sounding pained grunts that completely ruined the ethereal nature of their reunion.
“Dammit!” Kageyama cursed loudly as his legs buckled under Shouyou’s abruptly added weight, the momentum carrying through to make him fall backwards into the shallow water with a huge splash that left them both drenched.
However, neither Shouyou or Tobio paid any mind to their soaked clothes – they were much too wrapped up in each other’s arms to care about anything else. The smaller of the two landed in such a way that he was straddling the taller Prince’s waist, with both arms circled around his pillar of a neck. In turn, Tobio’s left arm looped comfortably around Shouyou’s slim waist while the right hand curled around the Sunshine Prince’s delicate nape. Their lips met in a desperate rush of open-mouthed kisses that were sloppy from the outpouring of their emotions.
It was more than a kiss to mark their reunion. This was the best way for either young Prince to fully express the novel of things he longed to say to the other. Without words, they managed to convey the range of their emotions – their regret, sorrow, forgiveness, and longing.
Tobio was finally able to apologize for his calloused words and arrogance, while Shouyou owned up to his lack of understanding and for not allowing Tobio any benefit of the doubt.
“I knew you’d find me!” Shouyou whispered after breaking the kiss for air, though he remained plastered to Tobio’s front in his unwillingness to have any distance between them. Smiling through the emotions that overwhelmed him, Shouyou’s watery voice matched the hot tears that streaked down his ruddy cheeks – Tobio had never seen a more breathtaking sight in his entire life.
“I did…I found you, Shou.” Tobio finally cracked a half-smile as his stormy blue eyes took in everything about that moment – committing it all to memory. The entire back-half of his body was submerged in cold water, but the irritating sensation didn’t even register for him. All he could focus on was the euphoric sense of Shouyou’s familiar weight laying against him, his bright voice ringing in his ears, and those gorgeous hazel eyes staring back at him.
“Took you longer than I expected, so I lended a hand– Er…a wing I guess is more accurate.”
Leave it to Shouyou Hinata to ruin a romantic moment with his smartmouth.
“I don’t–..How are you–..What the HELL was that?!”
As expected, Kageyama one-upped him by countering with unnecessary grumpiness.
“What happened?!” He shouted harshly as negative emotions finally began to spoil their joyous reunion. Tobio had a nasty reputation for having a short temper. Compound his taciturn disposition with a few months worth of anxiety, doubt, and sorrow – it was no wonder why his emotions got the better of him so quickly. “You were a crow!”
Shouyou didn’t appreciate being yelled at and treated like the guilty party, even if it was Kageyama’s attractive voice ringing in his ear. His face screwed into a pout and he reeled backwards, shifting all his weight to sit directly in Tobio’s lap as if it wasn’t the most inappropriate position they could be in. “Don’t yell at me! Baka-Yama!” He shouted back petulantly, folding his arms in front of him. “It’s not my fault I got taken!”
Tobio sat up on his elbows and kept a scowl aimed at the love of his life. “Of course I don’t blame you, Dumbass! But you didn’t make it any easier to find you!” Upon being reminded of Shouyou’s kidnapping and subsequent absence from his life, Kageyama was overcome with a desire to kiss those pouty lips again. He didn’t dare deny his body’s need for closeness and hooked one hand behind Shouyou’s neck before unceremoniously yanking him back down for another bruising kiss.
Despite still being rightfully upset over Kageyama’s harsh words, Shouyou eagerly responded to the rough demand by obligingly parting his lips for the older Prince’s tongue to breach. They kept at it for a few seconds to reassure one another that the misdirected anger was just the manifestation of their frustrations and was simply being channeled into combative attitudes.
“I’m sorry! I tried my best!” The Sunshine Prince complained in a whiney, but still disheartened tone. His hands cupped Tobio’s handsome jawline while Kageyama kept a firm hold on his waist. A sexually-charged silence fell over them as they gazed earnestly into each other’s eyes, conveying everything that words couldn’t.
Clearly, neither wanted to part.
“You kept moving around.” Shouyou sounded so small as his voice softened. “By the time I found you, it was hard getting your attention.” He explained, giving some insight into his version of the events.
Narrow-minded Kageyama humbly stepped out of his own world view and finally considered how terrible the past few months must’ve been for Shouyou Hinata – the one who’d survived a vicious attack and been kept prisoner all this time in the form of a crow.
“It doesn’t matter.” Tobio softened his expression and spoke in a kinder voice this time. He stole the chance to smooth back some of Shouyou’s damp, unruly hair – relishing in how the tresses still glidded between his slender fingers just as they did before. The younger boy closed his hazel eyes and leaned into the touch with a blissful smile. “You’re alive…We’re together and–”
“You have to leave.” Once again, their tender happiness was shattered when Shouyou uttered something so entirely unexpected and unacceptable.
“Leave? Like Hell that’s gonna happen!” Tobio retorted angrily, once again contorting his beautiful face into a displeased expression. “I’m never letting you out of my sight again, Shou.” He sat up in one fluid motion, causing water to drip and cascade off of him, and gripped Shouyou by his willowy upper-arms before giving a slight back and forth jerk to emphasize his resolve.
But Shouyou was already shaking his head, looking anxious and fearful as he spoke. “Listen, Tobio. It’s not safe for–”
“Hinata-kun~” A man’s voice pierced the fragile bubble of solitude that surrounded the Princes, calling out Hinata’s name from somewhere in the distant forest and drawing their attention away from each other.
Shouyou’s face turned ashen with a dire expression. “Oh, no.”
“Who’s that?” Tobio asked with an accusatory tone, already on edge due to Hinata’s dismayed reaction to the stranger’s interruption. “What’s happening, Shouyou?”
“Oh, Hi-na-ta-kuuuun~” The sleazy voice sang this time, making the Sunshine Prince shudder in disgust.
“Come with me!” Shouyou hissed under his breath as he scrambled to his feet. Kageyama swiftly jumped up behind him, the sudden movement causing water droplets to fly away in graceful arches. He’d only just found his balance when the younger Prince took Tobio’s wrist in his slender hand.
“Guh!” Kageyama let out an undignified grunt of surprise when he was roughly jerked in the direction Hinata wanted to flee, which happened to be towards the nearly impenetrable treeline just a few meters away. The rapid patter of their footfalls kicked up small splashes of water.
“He’s not supposed to come tonight–” Hinata thought out loud as he expertly followed along a hidden path through the brambles of stickers and overlapping branches. Pale moonlight barely penetrated the canopy once they re-entered the forest, making it nearly impossible to see the vague trail ahead of them.
But thanks to his petite body, it was slightly easier for Shouyou to weave and creep through than it was for Kageyama, who struggled to keep up because of his bigger frame and longer limbs. Every snag against his exposed skin triggered another curse to tumble past his gritted teeth and curled upper-lip.
“Who?! Who is he?” Kageyama demanded in a hushed tone, mindful of the person they were trying to evade.
Shouyou chanced a worried look at Tobio over his shoulder. “He placed a curse on me.”
The revelation sank like a stone in Kageyama’s gut as he stumbled behind Hinata. “A name, Shouyou.” He insisted gravely as they arrived at a small area tucked between some trees where they could comfortably stand without feeling encased by hostile plantlife. The overhead web of branches even opened up a little, allowing a beam of strong moonlight to cast them in a soft glow.
Facing each other, both Princes were slightly out of breath after the brief, but intense, physical exertion. Tobio’s hands shot forward to grasp Shouyou’s delicate shoulders, slightly jostling the smaller man from the force of it. “Give me the name of who’s done this to you!” He demanded firmly, leaving no room for argument.
“He calls himself ‘Daishou’.” Shouyou finally revealed, shaking his head as if to convey the futility of the situation. It sent small flecks of water flying from the sharp tips of his damp, tangerine locks. “But I don’t know if that’s his real name or not–”
“HINATA!” Daishou – Their pursuer and Shouyou’s captor – sounded much less amiable as his voice echoed throughout the woods.
Both Prince’s gave a cursory glance at the darkness that surrounded them, dreading to see another man’s figure appearing from any direction. Shouyou reflexively stepped closer to Tobio and fisted the material of his soaked kimono in both his small hands.
Kageyama pulled Shouyou into an unrestrained embrace that plastered their bodies together, and his sharp archer’s eyes kept scanning the area around them for any sign of movement. He possessively tucked the shorter Prince’s head beneath his sharp chin, stealing the chance to breathe in Shouyou’s familiar scent that’d begun to fade from Tobio’s memory.
“It doesn’t matter–” He asserted in a dangerous, determined voice that shook due to the effort it took to restrain himself from shouting his frustrations for the world to hear. Licking his chapped lips, Tobio’s overwrought and fatigued brain stuttered to come up with a feasible plan to get them both home safe. “I’ll put him down with an arrow through his fucking skull.”
Shouyou pulled back, craning his neck to search Kageyama’s severe expression for signs that he was only kidding – Surely, he had to be joking.
“W-what?” The ginger-haired Prince stammered dumbly before terrified feelings took the place of confused ones. He tugged roughly on the front of Kageyama’s disheveled kimono to force the taller man to finally look back at him. “You can’t fight him, Tobio. Don’t even try!”
Hinata had never pleaded to Tobio so fervently before – not even when they were children and he really, REALLY wanted to join Tobio and Tsukishima on their first overnight hunt that he was deemed too young for. But this was a much more dire situation and he desperately needed to convince the bullheaded Kageyama that retreat was preferable to fighting.
But Tobio Kageyama was nothing if not stubborn, and could be downright dogged in his resolve once he had a personal stake in the matter. “For what he’s done, he deserves nothing better.” Shouyou recognized the finality in his love’s stormy eyes and steely voice.
“No! He has magic, Tobio! Daishou’s too powerful for you to take on alone. I won’t let you!” He argued exasperatedly, bouncing in place a few times from the frantic energy coursing through his small body. With hands firmly placed on Shouyou’s shoulders, Tobio stoically watched his antics with a furrowed brow and fought another powerful urge to kiss the adorable Sunshine Prince. “You have to go before he catches you!”
That was out of the question.
“If that’s the case, I’m taking you with me.” He replied stubbornly before growing incensed over the perilous situation Shouyou had been subjected to all this time – left to fend for himself and at the mercy of someone so dastardly as Daishou. “I refuse to leave you with him!”
His words had the effect of nearly reducing Shouyou to tears. “I can’t.” From the doleful look on his face and the way his body slumped dejectedly, it clearly pained Hinata to divulge the next piece of information to Kageyama.
“The only time I’m like this – myself – is when the moon reflects on the water that surrounds that tree you found me in. By sunrise, I turn back into a crow.” A tear rolled down Shouyou’s flushed cheek, triggering more to follow. “Please trust me, Tobio. You have to get as far away as you can from me...from here. Go. Now! Before it’s too late.” He gave a feeble shove against Tobio’s hard chest, as if it’d be enough to ultimately push the dark-haired Prince to finally wise-up and make his escape.
The emotional anguish written across Shouyou’s beautiful, tearstained face – contorted into a gut-wrenching expression that the pale moonlight perfectly highlighted – broke Tobio’s heart even more than the months of separation had. The ill-fated, would-be lovers stared into each other’s eyes for a few moments when words again failed to come forward. The only sound to be heard was their labored breaths mixing in the narrow space between them. And for a moment, it seemed like they were both slowly leaning in to claim each other’s lips in another desperate kiss.
But it wasn’t meant to be.
“Hinata!” Daishou’s voice rang out once more as he called for the young Prince he’d ensnared. “Where have you gone? Why would my little crow hide from me?” He sounded maniacal, sarcastically beckoning Shouyou to him with fake playfulness.
Shouyou knew better than to trust it. He’d learned early on that no matter how tender or friendly Daishou might present himself and his intentions to be – it was never more than a ruse meant to needle his way into the Prince’s personal space.
Reminded that this really wasn’t the best time to bask in the glow of their reunion, Shouyou sniffled his nose and swiped the pads of his fingers over both wet cheeks. For his part, Kageyama fixed his jaw defiantly and glared back in the direction Daishou’s slimy voice had traveled from.
“Shouyou,” The taller Prince cupped his would-be fiance’s pretty, cherubic face in his calloused hands, gently angling Shouyou’s jaw so their eyes were forced to meet as he hunched forward slightly, touching their foreheads together. “There MUST be a way to break the curse.”
“There is!” Hinata gasped, eyes blinking wide in wonderment.
“Name it! I’ll do anything to set you free.” Tobio jumped at the chance to secure Shouyou’s freedom, no matter the cost.
Shouyou choked on something between a sob and a laugh when he felt the genuine determination and desire behind Tobio’s assertion. It flooded him with a rush of emotions he’d been nurturing during his time spent in Daishou’s clutches. Looking back on the unfortunate day of the botched proposal, Shouyou felt ashamed over his short-sighted foolishness that’d led him to actually doubt Tobio’s integrity and dedication.
He repeated the absurd caveat that Daishou had once divulged while he’d been under the influence of his intoxicating potions. “You have to promise your undying love to me and–”
“I did! I do! It’s all I’ve ever wanted!” Tobio interrupted, ardently trying to convince Shouyou of something he already knew to be true. But the older Prince’s impulsivity once again came back to bite him when Hinata finished the thought that’d been cut off before completion.
“–and you have to prove it to the world.” He said with an apologetic tilt to his voice, because Shouyou already knew what kind of reaction Tobio would have to that stipulation.
Kageyama’s face froze with a bewildered, irritated expression as his brain short circuited. “What? How!?” He barked angrily, forgetting the reason they needed to keep their voices low in the first place and startling Shouyou in the process. “That’s a stupid way to break a curse!”
“I know it is!” He agreed pacifyingly while keeping a watchful eye on the dark forest around them, waiting for Daishou to burst through the foliage at any moment. “But–”
“How does that even work, Shouyou?” Kageyama sounded distraught as he raked a hand through his damp hair, pushing back the short black locks that fell annoyingly in front of his eyes. He was beyond fed up with the entire situation and every new obstacle that cropped up out of nowhere.
“I-I don’t know!” Hinata shook his head dejectedly. “But I don’t think Daishou was speaking literally, if that helps at all.”
“It really fucking doesn’t, Dumbass!” The Prince snapped irately.
Hinata clenched his fists in Kageyama’s kimono again, but resisted the violent urge to thrash him back and forth. “UGH! Look! He didn’t bother explaining his entire plan to me, so you gotta figure it out yourself!” He then recalled something that caused him to enthusiastically nod. “Get Stingy-shima to help you!”
“HINATA! If I have to call your name one more time–” Daishou’s voice was much clearer and sounded alarmingly closer to them now, reminding both young men that they didn’t have time to fall back into their familiar pattern of bickering.
While Kageyama automatically enveloped Shouyou’s smaller body, shielding him from where they now knew Daishou to be approaching from, the younger Prince finally responded to his captor with a fearful tone in his strained voice.
“I’m coming!” He shouted over Tobio’s shoulder before circling his arms around the taller man’s neck and practically jumping into a final, bone-crushing embrace. Despite the risk of being caught at any moment, he refused to let Tobio leave without one more kiss – which could easily be their last.
The moment their lips met again, bruising and demanding like never before, both of them poured every feeling they had for each other into it. No matter how short it lasted, there would be no lack of passion. Kageyama moaned a desperate, emotional sound into the heated kiss as their mouths moved in a perfectly timed dance of lips, teeth, and tongue. He supported Shouyou with one arm around his tapered waist while the other hand cupped the back of his head, long fingers threading through the pillowy, soft waves.
When he tasted saltiness between their lips, Tobio pulled away to see fresh tear tracks coursing down his love’s heartbreakingly beautiful face. “Go now, Tobio. While you still can!” Shouyou implored in a wavering, raspy voice as he tried to stay as quiet as possible.
Kageyama’s dark brow furrowed and the corners of his lips pulled back into a reluctant, pained expression. How was he supposed to leave Shouyou in such a devastated state? And at the mercy of someone so dangerous?
But try as he might, he couldn’t devise any better solution than to heed Shouyou’s warning and trust his judgment. Just as he took the first few steps to disappear into the woods, a new idea finally revealed itself to him like sunlight bursting into a darkened room.
“The ball!” He whisper-shouted while spinning back around to face Hinata, who stood in the same place and was wiping away the remaining tears from his ruddy face. “Tomorrow night, we’re hosting a ball to celebrate Miwa’s birthday. Everyone will be there. Even Natsu! Can you make it in time? No. Not on foot, you can’t.” He spoke so quickly, like a madman on the brink of a discovery, that Shouyou struggled to connect the dots being laid out for him.
“I’ll find my steed and hitch him close by! You’ll travel faster on horseback after you’ve returned to normal. And tomorrow night, I’ll keep everyone busy – buy you enough time to ride over – and once you’re there by my side, I’ll announce it for all to hear!” Frantic and laughing under his breath, Tobio stepped back towards Shouyou and grasped his smaller hand, giving it a tight squeeze that matched the intense resolve that’d settled across his handsome face.
All Hinata could do was gaze up at him in awe, with tears still clinging to his pale lashes.
“I have always, will always, love you…My Shouyou.” Kageyama had never spoken with more genuine conviction in his entire life. If there’d been any residual doubt lingering in Shouyou’s mind about the man’s feelings for him, they’d finally been dashed for good. “I’ll do it right this time. I promise.”
“Tomorrow night – I promise I’ll be there.” Shouyou smiled through the sadness as he squeezed Tobio’s hand, both urging him to finally take his leave and begging him to stay. “I love you too, Tobio.”
“HINATA!!” Again, their reverie was broken by Daishou’s encroaching presence. The two held each other’s eyes for only a second longer before they pulled away in opposite directions, though their hands remained connected until the last possible moment.
While Tobio took off blindly into the forest, Shouyou scrambled back towards the clearing to hopefully stop Daishou from looking any further, giving Kageyama time to make his escape without being detected. It didn’t take long before he stumbled back into the open, colliding with the imposing, intimidating body of the man who invaded his every nightmare.
Daishou was dressed in the usual green and gold kimono that Hinata most often saw him wearing, looking disarmingly handsome as it contrasted attractively against his pale skin. His dark verdant hair was also just as perfectly combed to one side as it normally was, completing the image he wanted to portray of someone refined and high class. But Shouyou Hinata knew better than to believe the deceitful pretense that concealed just how maliciously nefarious Daishou truly was.
For all his charms, looks, and intellect, there was something cold and calculating in the man’s perpetually-narrowed eyes that sent a shock up Hinata’s spine whenever their gazes met.
“Daishou–” Shouyou gasped as he staggered back to put some space between them, but it was thwarted when the much taller and stronger man took his delicate wrist in a tight grip. The man’s prior irritation instantly disappeared under the disingenuous veil of slimy, smug affection.
“You’re all wet, Hinata-kun.” Daishou cooed as he pulled Shouyou towards himself, not stopping until their fronts were pressed against each other. Shouyou managed to put a hand flat on Daishou’s chest, though the limb was then trapped awkwardly between them. “So sorry I couldn’t be there this time to help you down from the tree.”
The evil, magically-inclined man curled forward to boldly capture Shouyou’s lips, but the Prince evaded the attempt by turning his face away – craning his neck to the point that his chin dug into his hunched shoulder. Daishou’s lips grazed his cheek and it felt like poison against Hinata’s flushed skin.
“Yeah, well, you said you’d be gone until tomorrow. I wasn’t going to sit on that branch all night.” Shouyou grumbled, keeping his eyes averted and face turned away – denying his kidnapper the respect of looking him in the face. “Why are you here?” He spat out defiantly, giving a tug against the vice-like grip on his increasingly numbing wrist. Even without magic, Daishou easily overpowered the petite Prince.
“I finished tomorrow night’s preparations early, just so I could be with you.” The snake-like man feigned a concerned tone. “I hate the idea of you being alone for so long, my love.”
The utterance of such an affectionate term coming from Daishou’s mouth gave Hinata the strength he needed to wrench his hand away. “Ugh! Don’t call me that!” He sneered in abhorrent disdain, backing away to get some much needed space. “I’d rather be alone for the rest of my life than suffer your company for a minute more.”
Shouyou openly glared at the smarmy conjurer, no longer crippled with fear of him. He’d become somewhat desensitized to Daishou’s detestable presence after being subjected to it for the past few months.
“Really?” Daishou tilted his head curiously, unperturbed by Shouyou’s spiteful words. The subdued reaction wasn’t what Shouyou expected though, and his pale brow furrowed apprehensively. “Whose company would you prefer? Maybe that of the strapping, valiant, and forgetful Prince Tobio Kageyama?”
Without preamble, Daishou made a swirling gesture with his hand and from a burst of green smoke an arrow appeared – pinched delicately between the man’s thumb and middle finger. “Found this laying on the ground, along with a very nice bow that had the royal crest carved into it. I can only assume how Prince Kageyama managed to find his way here, or why he’d leave these behind.” His eyes turned cruel as they raked over Shouyou’s trembling body. “You two must’ve been quite preoccupied.”
Shouyou’s horrified face drained of color as he realized what kind of mood Daishou was actually in – he was seething with jealousy and resentment. Just as he turned to make a pointless attempt to flee, Daishou had already conjured his magical powers to the surface. His other hand made a beckoning gesture towards the terrified Prince, and an unseen force shot forward to wrap around his tiny form.
It coiled a serpent, constricting his limbs so tightly that his arms were trapped at his sides and left Shouyou unable to take a single step in any direction. Then he was forcibly pulled back towards Daishou, causing his bare toes to drag roughly against the wet grass. Try as he might to escape, Shouyou was powerless to free himself from the unseen magical binds.
At the last moment before their bodies re-collided, he was swiftly spun around so that his back was caught against Daishou’s broad chest. The man’s long fingers slithered through Shouyou’s hair before curling into a painful fist, yanking the Prince’s head back so he was forced to look up at the vast starry sky above them. There was a sharp prick against the vulnerable jugular notch between his collar bones that made Shouyou’s entire body lock up.
“Let me guess–” Daishou’s mouth was against the Prince’s reddened ear as he spoke – breath hot, yet with words like ice. The arrowhead dug shallowly into the soft hollow of Shouyou’s throat, making breathing and swallowing a nerve wracking decision. “You shared with him the key to breaking my curse? Huh?”
Shouyou didn’t bother with an answer as he wept silently, eyes straining to find Daishou’s face in the corner of his blurry vision. It was getting difficult to hear anything over the thunderous sound of his racing heart and ragged breathing. His hands numbly opened and closed against the yukata’s wet fabric, his body still unable to budge a single inch. “Did you really think I’d make it so easy to be undone?”
From somewhere deep inside, a spark of courage managed to rise to the surface. Seeing his true love had reignited Shouyou’s fighting spirit and given him the boost of confidence to defy the dangerous sorcerer.
“It doesn’t matter!” He shouted with a slightly mangled voice due to the painful angle his neck was being forced into. “Tobio knows I’m still alive and how to find me! Nothing will stop him from lifting your stupid curse!” He gave another valiant struggle, but all it did was cause Daishou’s invisible constraints to bite deeper into Shouyou’s supple flesh, so that they were sure to leave full-body bruises after the altercation was over. “I’ll wait for him til the end of time before ever giving myself to you! You’ll never rule my Kingdom!”
Rather unexpectedly, the magical bonds gave way and released control back to Shouyou – leaving him reeling from the sudden relief and stumbling when his sore muscles couldn’t react in time to catch himself. He collapsed onto the ground with a pained grunt, and Daishou simply watched in disinterest as he staggered up to his feet again.
“Fine by me – I’ve grown tired waiting for you to see reason.” He mused flippantly, giving the arrow a hard squeeze that caused it to disintegrate into nothing. Shouyou backed away from Daishou cautiously, rubbing the bruises already starting to form on his upper arms.
“Took you long enough.” He muttered and cut his narrowed eyes at the man.
Daishou sighed with feigned weariness and crossed his arms, looking and sounding unnaturally casual as he further explained himself. “My new plan doesn’t involve you at all.” He gave another head tilt, only this time with a smug grin curling on his thin lips. “Have you forgotten all about your darling little sister? Aren’t you at all concerned with how Natsu has been faring in your absence?”
Upon hearing mention of Natsu, Shouyou felt like a bucket of frigid ice water had suddenly been dunked over him. “W-what?” He stuttered out, clearly horrified by the idea of Daishou having any interaction with his younger sister.
The Prince’s stunned reaction tantalized and amused Daishou immensely. He loved catching Shouyou off-guard and leaving him lost for words or thoughts, left even more at his mercy. “There’s word that a charming noble boy from a recently established house has captured Princess Natsu’s vulnerable, innocent heart. He’s been a shoulder to cry on, now that she’s all alone without a mother or brother to guide and protect her. She’s positively smitten with him~ There’s even talk of betrothal.”
Daishou was unabashedly delighted as he all but explicitly confirmed Shouyou’s worst nightmare – he was using magic to appear years younger and assume the identity of Natsu Hinata’s suitor, parading around in plain sight for all to see.
Shouyou’s brow furrowed and lips curled into an expression seething with unbridled contempt for the arrogant man standing just a few yards from him. His balled fists shook with fury and every part of him longed to attack. “I’ll kill you!” He shouted with a ragged voice that echoed all around them, disturbing the quietness. “Keep your hands off my sister, you sick monster!”
“Have no fear, that will never come to pass.” Daishou put a hand over his heart, as if any vow he made could be ever trusted. “You can trust that I have no intention to ever defile her body. No matter how beautiful she may come to be, my tastes lie elsewhere.” He intoned slyly, making Shouyou give an involuntary shiver from the way Daishou’s serpentine eyes once again traveled across his body. “I’m simply using her as a means to an end.”
“Why are you telling me all this?!” Shouyou implored angrily. “I’ll tell Tobio everything you’ve said to me as soon as I see him tomorrow night!”
“Ah yes – so you two found time to discuss Queen Kageyama’s birthday celebration.” Daishou nodded along, still behaving far too calmly in comparison to Shouyou’s emphatic shouting. “I too received an invitation – as Natsu’s escort.” He shrugged dismissively when the Prince made another enraged sound. “It’s unfortunate that you won’t be able to attend.”
Shouyou huffed out a bitter laugh. “Nothing in this world will keep me from going and revealing your entire plan to everyone there. You’ll have to kill me to stop that from happening.”
“No, I needn’t resort to anything so drastic.” An unsettlingly triumphant smile split Daishou’s handsome face, as if all the threads of his cunning plot were finally weaving together. “You’ve forgotten one very important thing that will prevent you from going anywhere.”
“What’s that?” A nagging concern tugged at the back of Shouyou’s mind, rattling his confidence and causing his determined expression to crack. It was the fear that Daishou had something else up his sleeve – a final gambit that’d foil his and Tobio’s plan to break the curse, and ultimately save both their families and Kingdoms.
“Tomorrow night…there is no moon.” Daishou’s voice oozed giddy satisfaction with every word as he made a flourishing gesture towards the thin, crescent moon that hung above them. Shouyou’s wide, horror-stricken eyes followed the motion as he gaped up towards the sky with a devastated look on his face. Moonlight poured over him, catching the fresh tears that glistened in his hazel eyes, stinging and blurring his vision before silently trailing down the sides of his face.
“You’ll remain a crow, stuck here while your devoted Prince Kageyama waits for your arrival to announce his undying love in front of everyone you both hold dear – your entire world.” Daishou gave a single laugh of cruel condescension as he watched the slow succession of intense emotions play across Shouyou’s face.
“Can you imagine it, Hinata-kun? How utterly broken he’ll be upon realizing you aren’t coming?” The conjurer gave a delighted shiver as he relished in Tobio Kageyama’s certain anguish. “It’ll be exquisite~”
The strength keeping Shouyou on his feet finally evaporated and he crumbled to the ground in a boneless, trembling heap. He doubled over, hugging himself as despondent wails tore from his open mouth. If what Daishou said was accurate – that the following night would be without a moon to shed light onto the water and temporarily lift Hinata’s curse – then all hope was truly lost.
Daishou took his leave then, glad to let his stubborn, defiant captive ruminate alone in self-pity and regret. Everything was coming together perfectly, and Shouyou Hinata would remain his until the day came that his utility finally ran dry. By then, all memory of the Sunshine Prince will have already faded to history and there’d be nothing to stand in his way of total domination.
“I’m so sorry, my Tobio.” Shouyou’s trembling voice barely spoke above a whisper. The words tripped past violent sobs and painful hiccups that wracked his slight body. Overwhelming emotions poured out of him like never before – because in very little time, he’d revert to the form of a crow that couldn’t speak or shed tears.
*~*~*~*~*~
“Come now, don’t give me that look.” Daishou sarcastically lamented to the beautiful, black crow perched atop the tree’s thick branch. “It pains me to do this to you, Hinata. I never wanted to cause you misery.”
It was the night of the ball. Just as Daishou warned, the dark starry sky was absent of the moon’s silvery presence. Shouyou Hinata was still suffering the curse’s effects and his oily-black feathers ruffled to the point of making him appear comically poofy rather than sleek and beautiful. His tapered beak opened wide to release a loud hiss at the ruthless conjurer, conveying every hateful sentiment that couldn’t be expressed with words.
As an added countermeasure, a black chain shackled him by the birdie ankle to the tree, removing any chances of Shouyou attempting to reach the palace and notify Kageyama that something was wrong. No matter how hard the Crow Prince pecked at the metal links or tried to pull his clawed foot free, nothing would give or budge. He’d been at it for hours and had only succeeded in giving himself a raw wound where the shackle wrapped around his boney leg.
Standing below the heavy branch a few yards away, Daishou looked utterly pleased with himself – watching with a smarmy look plastered on his face as Shouyou fruitlessly attacked the chain leashing him to the tree. But the grown man appeared entirely different that night, disguised as a younger version of himself that everyone now recognized as Princess Natsu’s beau. He was dressed lavishly, looking quite princely in layers of the finest silk.
In a final outburst of defiant hostility, Shouyou made an aborted jump off the branch with the intention of attacking. But the short length of the chain restricted him with a harsh yank when it became taut and painful around his talloned foot. The Crow Prince flapped his wings with wild abandon and cawed incessantly as if letting out a string of profanity.
Daishou was unphased by his pointless tantrum and merely chuckled in amusement.
“Alas, a King’s life is just a series of difficult decisions. At least you’ll never have to worry about carrying such a heavy burden – seeing as you were only ever going to be a trophy for the Prince who everyone actually expects to be a great King someday.” Daishou shrugged his shoulders and continued rambling off whatever he knew would most ruffle Shouyou Hinata’s feathers.
“Not that it’ll ever come to pass either. Before long, the world will be rid of the Kageyama royal bloodline and that Kingdom will have need for a new ruler. Power vacuums like that can be quite advantageous~” The blatant meaning behind his words renewed Shouyou’s vigor and he desperately thrashed about and loudly cawed to express his righteous fury at the threat on Tobio’s life.
“Oh no. I’ve gone and made you mad again, haven’t I?” The wicked magic-user shook his head in mock-dismay. “I’d hate to leave you like this, so upset and alone.” He extended an open palm out to the side, making swooping hand gestures that produced a swirling cloud of dark green smoke beside him. “Since you can’t attend the ball, here’s a consolation prize – a friend to keep you company!”
With a final abrupt motion of his closed fist, the billowing mass of opaque smoke dissipated to reveal the hunched over figure of a man kneeling on the ground beside Daishou. From his pained, wheezing breaths, abundance of scrapes and bruises, and the disheveled clothes, it was clear he’d been beaten recently. Shouyou flapped his wings and gave a surprised hop when he recognized the person from the shock of identifiable curly blonde hair atop his bowed head.
“Tsukishima!” He exclaimed, though it came out as a grating caw that neither Daishou or Kei understood.
Shouyou went berserk atop his tall perch, deeply offended by and concerned over his friend’s mistreatment. The ugly noises finally caught Tsukishima’s groggy, delayed attention and he looked up from the ground between his knees. The right lens of his bent glasses was fractured and the eye behind it had become purple and swollen from a single, powerful strike of Daishou’s fist. He looked dazedly around the clearing before finally turning his unfocused gaze up at the crow making such a ruckus.
“Found him earlier today, traveling through the forest as if he knew exactly where to find you. Kageyama must trust him a great deal to risk including him in your plans.” Daishou patted Tsukishima’s sweat-matted hair, which immediately pissed off the blonde and he ducked his head away from the offensive touch with a click of his tongue. “He’s a poor substitute for your one true love, but I think you two have plenty in common to keep you entertained while I’m away.”
Daishou’s evil laughter rang out as he again took hold of Tsukishima’s crown, gripping it with such an unforgiving force that it made the kneeling man groan painfully. But Kei bit down onto his bottom lip before an actual curse or cry escaped, as he was far too proud to give his captor the satisfaction of a greater reaction. Then, a yellow glow began to emit from between Daishou’s slender fingers, slowly seeping down Tsukishima’s face and neck before finally overtaking his entire form in a blinding radiance.
Overwrought with excruciating pain, Kei finally let out a single, guttural scream as he was transformed into a crow. Too weak to fight Daishou’s powerful clutch that wrapped around his neck, Tsukishima’s avian body was limp as he slowly recovered from the traumatic ordeal.
In the next moment, with another bursting cloud of acrid green smoke, he was magically transported onto the same branch Shouyou was perched upon – tethered to the tree by an identical metal chain. Not quite accustomed to his new body, Key struggled to find his footing. Shouyou carefully nudged his friend and offered support until he could stand confidently enough on his own.
True to their previous dynamic as humans, Tsukishima’s crow form was noticeably larger than Shouyou’s.
“Tsukishima…I’m so sorry this happened to you.” The Crow Prince expressed with a few sorrowful trills, which Kei fully understood now they were of the same species again.
“Hinata? Is that you?” He sounded rightfully confused and disoriented. “What the fuck is going on?” Tsukishima let out a short squawk of indignation.
“Now that you’re reacquainted, I’ll take my leave.” Daishou dusted off his sleeve and turned his back to the pair of crows. “As Princess Natsu’s escort, I can’t risk being late. Have a delightful evening you two.”
With a wide, graceful motion of his arm, Daishou disappeared from the clearing in a sudden flash of yellow light and burst of green smoke – though his peels of cruel laughter lingered even after he was gone from sight.
By the time all traces of the mad conjurer had absented, Tsukishima seemed to have gathered his wits and come to the right conclusions about the situation he found himself in.
“Well,” He stated, and Shouyou dreaded what was sure to follow.
“Don’t say it–” He implored, but Tsukishima wasn’t the sort to ever hold in a perfectly timed snide comment.
“This all could’ve been avoided if you hadn’t turned down Kageyama’s terrible marriage proposal.” He remarked bluntly.
Shouyou aimed a wild kick of his clawed feet at Tsukishima’s tucked-in wing. “You think I don’t know that?! Ugh!” His frustrated caws echoed throughout the empty space around them. “I knew you’d jump at the first chance to say something so mean! To think I actually missed you?!”
Kei avoided the weak assault by hopping aside, narrowly missing Shouyou’s curved talons. “I’m sure you had plenty of time to reconsider all your life’s mistakes.” He countered dryly. “What else was there to do other than eat bugs and shit them back out?”
“Vulgar! Why do you have to say it like that?!” Hinata whined childishly, reminding Tsukishima of all the similar interactions they’d had since childhood.
“Don’t get me wrong, Hinata.” He said in his usual sardonic tone. “I’m glad that you’re not dead like everyone assumes you to be. But this is my literal worst nightmare – chained up with only you to rely on for escape.”
A beat passed before Shouyou came back with a derisive reply. “Get that out of your system, did you?” He asked sarcastically. “Now help me figure out how to break these chains!”
*~*~*~*~*~
“Hey! Hinata! Wake up already!” Shouyou was abruptly woken by the loud sound of someone’s hand slapping his desk, right in front of his peacefully slumbering face. He’d apparently fallen asleep in class again, causing his cheek to adhere to the desk’s cold surface. With a violent jolt and startled cry, Shouyou’s body snapped into an upright position in his desk chair.
“What the?!” His hazel eyes blinked owlishly to adjust to the room’s bright lights, then looked up and to the side at the person looming there and casting a shadow over him. “Kageyama?”
Tobio’s usual disgruntled expression glared back at him, but all Shouyou could think about was how handsome he had appeared in his dream when they’d spoken to each other with such reverence and love. A noticeable blush began to creep up the back of his neck when Shouyou remembered how real their kisses had felt as well.
“Classes are over, Dumbass.” The setter straightened his back and adjusted the strap of his book bag that was slung over one shoulder. “You’re lucky I passed by and spotted you, or you would’ve slept through practice. Come on! We’re gonna be late.” Tobio ruffled Shouyou’s unruly ginger hair in the way he always did, only this time it made butterflies erupt inside the middle blocker’s uneasy stomach.
“R-right!” He jumped up and began gathering his things into his own book bag, acting way more flustered than Kageyama had ever seen.
“What’s up with you?” He asked dubiously. “You’re acting weirder than usual.”
Shouyou let out an awkward, strained laugh as he slung his book bag over his head. “Nothing!” He insisted loudly, which didn’t help quell Kageyama’s suspicions. “Just had a crazy dream, s’all.” He tried to downplay how much the dream had affected him, and ignore the feelings it seemed to have ignited.
Now wasn’t the time to panic about having finally realized his long-dormant, romantic feelings for Tobio Kageyama. They had practice to get to and nationals to remain focused on!
Maybe after they won the momentous tournament, Shouyou would find the courage to confess his feelings for his best friend and rival.
Til then, his fantastical dreams would have to suffice.