Chapter Text
The air inside Kageyama’s room was thick with tension. Hinata was pacing back and forth, his face flushed with frustration. The two of them were supposed to have a sleepover, like they always did after a tough match. It was supposed to be fun—an escape from the stress of practice, school, and everything else that weighed on them. But now, with every word they exchanged, it felt like a distance was growing between them.
"Why are you being like this?" Hinata finally blurted, his voice sharp, a mixture of hurt and anger.
Kageyama didn’t look up from his phone, tapping away at the screen, seemingly uninterested. "I’m not in the mood for this," he muttered, his voice cold.
Hinata’s brow furrowed. "In the mood for what? I'm trying to spend time with you, and you just keep shutting me out. What’s wrong with you today?"
Kageyama sighed heavily, clearly frustrated. "Can’t you just leave me alone? I don’t feel like talking right now."
Hinata’s heart dropped at his words. He’d never seen Kageyama so distant before, and it stung. He had been looking forward to this night, looking forward to hanging out with Kageyama, but now he felt like an inconvenience.
“You know, maybe I’ll just go home,” Hinata snapped, the words leaving his mouth before he could stop them.
Kageyama didn’t respond. He just kept staring at his phone. The silence between them was suffocating.
Without another word, Hinata grabbed his jacket and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He was angry, frustrated, and confused—he didn’t understand why Kageyama was acting like this, but he didn’t want to be around him if it meant feeling like this.
Hinata didn't even think twice as he grabbed his bike. The night was cold, but he didn’t care. He had to get away. He pedaled hard, the winter wind biting at his face as he made his way toward the mountain road that led to his home. The further he got from Kageyama’s house, the clearer the anger in his chest seemed to settle. He didn’t need to stay with him if Kageyama didn’t want him there.
But the storm was starting to roll in. The snow was light at first, dusting the ground like powdered sugar, but soon it became heavier, falling in thick, heavy flakes that blurred the road ahead. The wind howled through the trees, biting and relentless.
Hinata didn’t turn back. He just kept riding.
The mountains were far from the city, and the road wound precariously around sharp cliffs. As the snow thickened and the visibility dropped, Hinata’s breath became ragged, the cold seeping into his bones. He could barely see ahead, but he didn’t care.
He was alone with his thoughts, and it felt like the world was closing in on him.
Just as he rounded a curve, a car appeared suddenly from the opposite direction, headlights cutting through the storm. The driver didn't see him. The snow had blurred the road too much, and the tires slid as the driver tried to correct their course.
In the blink of an eye, the car swerved.
Hinata tried to brake, but it was too late. He lost control of his bike, and as the car narrowly missed him, he was thrown off the side of the mountain. The fall was sudden, violent, and it took him into the darkness.
His last thought before everything went black was that maybe this was for the best—that maybe being alone, far from everyone, was all he really deserved.
---
Hinata didn’t show up at school the next day.
At first, his absence was dismissed. It wasn’t entirely out of character for him to skip a day or show up late. Maybe he was just feeling sick, or maybe he had stayed home to cool off after the fight with Kageyama.
But as the day went on and there was still no sign of him, the others began to worry.
"He’s really not here?" Yamaguchi asked, glancing around the gym during practice. "That’s weird. He’s usually the first one here."
Kageyama didn’t answer immediately. He was focused on his serve, trying to block out the unease settling in his stomach. Hinata had stormed out last night. Maybe he just needed space.
But as practice continued and the hours passed, Kageyama’s worry grew. He could feel the weight of the silence between them. He hadn’t tried to reach out to Hinata last night, hadn’t even bothered to check if he was okay after their argument. It felt like too much effort to deal with it in the moment, but now, with Hinata missing, it didn’t feel like enough.
When Hinata didn’t show up the next day either, concern shifted to panic. The team wondered aloud where he was, but still, no one attempted to contact him. It seemed too awkward, too uncertain.
---
Hinata’s mother, Miyuki, had thought that he was staying with Kageyama. It was a usual arrangement after practice, and it was nothing out of the ordinary. But when he didn’t come home by the time she began to prepare dinner, her concern grew.
She tried calling his phone.
No answer.
Her stomach twisted with anxiety. She tried again, the phone ringing out, but no reply. Something felt wrong, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She wasn’t sure why she hadn’t thought to call Kageyama first, but now she did. She dialed his number.
“Hello?” Kageyama’s voice was groggy.
“Is Hinata with you?” Miyuki asked, her voice tight. “He hasn’t come home, and he’s not answering his phone.”
Kageyama paused for a moment. “No. He left last night,” he said. “He said he was going home. He didn’t stay with me.”
A chill ran down Miyuki’s spine. Hinata had said he was going home. But if he had, why hadn’t he arrived? Why hadn’t he called?
Miyuki tried calling the coach, hoping for some answers, but Coach Ukai hadn’t seen Hinata at all. "Maybe he’s just skipping out for a while," he suggested, though his tone lacked conviction.
Something was off. Miyuki felt it deep in her gut.
After trying to contact a few other teammates and getting no answers, she made the decision to call the police.
---
Three days passed.
Hinata had been missing for far too long, and no one had heard from him. By now, the search was in full swing, with the authorities combing the mountains for any sign of him.
Kageyama had been by the phone, waiting for any news, but he didn’t know what to do. He kept imagining that if he had only checked on Hinata last night, if he had only apologized for their fight, maybe none of this would’ve happened.
It wasn’t until the fifth day that they found him.
He had fallen off the side of the mountain, his body lifeless in the snow. The fall had been too much, and even the search teams could not reach him in time. The crash had shattered his body, and the storm had concealed his location.
---
Kageyama was standing at the edge of the mountain when the news came. His legs felt numb, his heart heavier than anything he had ever known. His hands shook as he looked out over the snow.
This was his fault.
He had been too proud, too stubborn, and too selfish to see what was happening.
If he had just called, if he had just tried—maybe he could’ve stopped this.
But now, it was too late.
Hinata was gone.
And the silence between them would never be filled.