Chapter Text
Daichi didn’t know what he expected, really, but he was steeling himself for the worst. He had been searching for Suga for days, going to neighboring villages to ask around and to get any information possible. When he finally got word from Nekoma that they found Suga, but couldn’t bring him to Karasuno, he prepared for the worst.
He didn’t, however, prepare for the boy sitting at the front of the bed, wide brown eyes glaring holes into Daichi’s chest. He had a spear in his hand, lips curled up in a protective scowl.
His hair was a shock of orange, dirty and matted with blood and every time Daichi tried to step forward to approach Suga, the boy’s eyes followed in a hostile way that sent shivers down Daichi’s spine.
“You know him?” Kuroo asked as he approached the tent, “He was with Suga when Kenma found him- figured they knew each other somehow.”
“I’ve never met him before.” Daichi swallowed, “What happened?”
“Dunno.” Kuroo shrugged with an apologetic grimace, “They showed up in the forest outside the village a week ago. The boy was carrying Suga on his back- refused to let anyone touch him but Kenma and Yaku.”
“Is Suga okay?” Daichi asked. He couldn’t get passed the red head without the boy readjusting his grip on the spear and looking completely ready to impale someone. Daichi was getting frustrated- he needed to see Suga, to hold him properly, but the human guard dog in front of him absolutely refused to move.
“He should be fine.” Yaku approached, “I looked over him when they first came in- there was a hell of a lot of blood, but no wounds. Suga hasn’t woken up yet, but he should be fine.”
Daichi felt the rush of relief course through him, but he still needed to see him, just to be sure.
“The boy was protecting him.” Yaku said softly, watching the redhead with a mix of wariness and sadness. “He wouldn’t let anyone near Suga until he realized we were trying to help.”
Kuroo saw Kenma approaching and nodded, pulling a resistant Daichi away from the tent. “Kenma can probably get the kid to stop guarding for a while. But we need to talk first.”
Daichi stopped resisting, noticing the tenseness around Kuroo’s eyes. “What happened?”
“I went back to where Suga and the kid were found. There were dead guards everywhere.” Kuroo grimaced.
Daichi’s heart fell. Suga had been very, very careful about his magic. He kept under the radar, never used his magic unless it was absolutely necessary. The Royal Guard had been cracking down on harder on practitioners in the recent months, burning everyone with even the hint of magic at the stake. Suga wouldn’t have used magic unless his life was in danger.
“How…” Daichi didn’t even know how or where to start.
“I think the kids a practitioner too.” Kuroo said after a moment. “There were a lot of soldiers there. Their weapons all had blood on them- there’s no way that Suga and the kid should have made it out of there alive. Their clothes were torn and they were soaked with blood, but there are no wounds. So unless Suga has started using high level magic without us knowing, the boy did something.”
Daichi nodded, rubbing a hand through his hair. “Why doesn’t he speak?”
“I don’t know. Kenma says he might be separated from his anchor, that’s why he’s so off balance.” Kuroo sighed.
Daichi gaped. When a practitioner had too much magic, they were usually tethered to someone so that they could balance themselves out. It kept them sane, but when tethered souls were separated for too long, the magic had a tendency to consume and upset their balance of humanity. Daichi didn’t want to think about how long the boy had been separated from his anchor to revert to an almost animalistic personality.
“You can come in now.” Kenma said from near the tent. “Just don’t make too many sudden movements.”
Daichi nodded and tried to control his movements. He found the boy still staring, but his spear wasn’t in his hands anymore. He had moved to the side of the bed, so Daichi could get a clear view as soon as he entered.
His entire body slumped with relief when he saw that Suga was in one piece. Besides the slight pallor of his skin, he looked okay. Daichi completely forgot about the boy watching and strode over to Suga’s side, gripping his hand in his and letting out the breath that he’d been holding since Suga went missing. He pressed his forehead against his best friend and lover, grounding himself.
“He’ll be okay.”
The voice startled him and it took Daichi a while to realize the boy was the one speaking. The boys eyes weren’t threatening anymore but looked tired and Daichi saw that he was older than he initially thought. Not a boy at all- probably in his late teens or early twenties. The feral edge to his posture was replaced by burdened shoulders.
“I had to put him to sleep for a while so it would be easier to move him. But he’ll be okay.” The boy (man?) repeated, resting his cheek on his knees. “You love him. You’re tethered. He’ll be okay.”
“How do you know we're tethered?” Daichi had so many questions but that was the first out of his mouth.
“You look exactly like he described.” The redhead said like it made perfect sense.
“You know him? And you saved him?” Daichi struggled with his words, afraid that the redhead would shut down again and stop speaking and Daichi just had so many questions, his heart beating into overdrive.
“He saved me. I’m Hinata.” He muttered, burying his face in his arms. Daichi vaguely recognized the name as someone Suga would bring up in fleeting moments of fondness but Daichi never got a description other than ‘loud and energetic’ and Hinata didn't seem like either of those traits. “Suga’s good. He's means a lot to me and he tried to protect me, even though I told him not to. But he'll be fine.”
“What happened?”
Hinata just shrugged his shoulders, turning his face away from Daichi. “If I wake him up, you have to make him stop.”
“Stop what?” Daichi was tired. The more Hinata opened his mouth, the more confused he got. He just wanted Suga back at their village and safe.
Hinata leaned forward and placed an unexpectedly gentle hand on Suga’s cheek, cradling. There was a flash of warmth and Suga slowly blinked his eyes open.
He immediately latched onto Hinata, wrapping his arms tightly around Hinatas neck and pulling him down onto the cot with him. There was a tremor to his figure, nearly imperceptible but glaringly obvious to Daichi.
“Suga, your mate is here.” Hinata mumbled, a flush of plink dusting his cheeks and neck. “Anchors are important.”
Suga clutched tighter and Hinata began to flail, losing that tense control of his limbs that Daichi had thought was his default.
“I told you to make him stop.” Hinata squeaked.
“Suga…” Daichi said softly after breaking out of his shock. Seeing his mate's liveliness was enough to send a shot of relief through his bones, but he could sense an undercurrent of wrong that set his teeth on edge.
Suga snapped his eyes to Daichi, not at all lessening the hold he had on Hinata. There was a hazy recognition but nothing past that. His eyes didn't light up and crinkle at the corners, the way they always had, from the moment they first met as kids. “You know me?”
Hinata’s eyes widened and he immediately tapped Suga’s forehead, making him slump unconscious against the cot again.
“No.” Hinata mumbled, hands fluttering nervously. “No this wasn't supposed to happen. You have to leave. You have a village, right? Go back. I'll take care of Suga.”
“What?” Daichi asked incredulously, “what the hell are you talking about? He's my mate , I'm not leaving.”
“He doesn't remember that you're his mate.” Hinata said bluntly, a steel to his eyes that felt a bit too personal. “You need to leave.”
“Hinata-”
“ Leave .” Hinata’s voice edged into hysterics and there was a sudden drop in temperature. All the hair on Daichis body stood on end and Suga’s brows pinched together in his sleep.
Kenma immediately bursted into the tent, eyes wide as he took in the scene.
“What happened?” Kenma hissed, grabbing and pushing Daichi across the tent and approaching Hinata like he would a rabid dog. His palms were displayed submissively, eyes level but head slightly bowed.
“Shouyou.” Kenma said quietly, intimately. “Hey, I'm going to need you to lower your magic levels.”
Hinatas eyes flickered from Suga to Daichi to Kenma and back. He was hunched protectively in front of Suga again, hand gripping the fabric of his shirt.
“He has to leave.” Hinata said and there was a crackle of cold energy in the air.
“Lower your levels,” Kenma said again and there was an undercurrent of panic to his voice that set Daichi on edge. Kenma, usually so composed, was quickly losing control and it was odd .
Hinatas eyes began to water. “He has to leave, Kenma. He has to.”
Kenma turned an icy glare to Daichi, “Get out.”
“I can't just-”
Before Daichi could finish, Kenma was tackling Hinata to the ground and covering his mouth. There were tears in both of their eyes and Kenma was whispering something, begging, while Hinata thrashed and edged further into hysterics, screaming for Daichi to get out get out get out -
Daichi was roughly dragged out of the tent and looked up to find Kuroo with a pained expression.
“We have to go.” Kuroo said, running a shaky hand through his hair. “Yaku, Taketora- Round everyone up and tell them to pack all their essentials. We have to abandon camp.”
“What the fuck is going on?” Daichi hissed.
“The boys levels are way to high.” Kuroo grimaced, “This place will be crawling with Royal Guards in a few hours. I'm surprised they didn't come earlier.
Kenma exited the tent, his hair stuck to his sweaty forehead, eyes bloodshot “He's asleep. We have to go.”
Kuroo nodded, “already on it.”
“What the hell .” Daichi began to lose whatever threads of patience he had left. His mate was unconscious and apparently didn't remember him, and he wasn't getting any substantial answers.
“You know him.” Daichi accused, only furthering his resolve when Kenmas eyes narrowed in response. “You know Hinata. You called him by his first name-”
“Kenma?” Kuroo asked cautiously. “What's he saying?”
“I've known you for as long as I've known Kuroo.” Daichi said, voice low and pleading. “I've never seen you lose control around someone before, you know him -”
There was a crackle of angry energy and Kuroo had to clamp down on their tether to stop Kenma from blowing Daichi to bits.
“What's he saying?” Kuroo asked, placing a hand on Kenmas tense shoulder.
“Shouyou.” Kenma said, looking away. “His name is Hinata Shouyou.”
Kuroos face went pale. “Kenma…”
“I couldn't leave him.” Kenma said stubbornly, no remorse on his face.
“You brought him to our village-” Kuroo laughed in disbelief.
“The only reason this village is standing in the first place is because of Shouyou.” Kenma said with a stubborn angry resolve that no amount of pleading or judgement would weather away. Daichi's head was spinning.
“We don't have time for this.” Yaku intervened, pack on his shoulders. “You can fight about it later. It doesn't change that we have to leave now .”
Kuroo grimaced and gripped Daichi’s shoulder. “I'm sorry. I promise I'll explain later, everything I know. I'll get Kenma to tell you too-”
Kenma scowled but Kuroo ignored him. “For now, grab Suga and take him back to your village. After Nekoma finds a safe place, I'll come to you.”
Daichi shook his head. “Stay with Karasuno.”
“It's dangerous-”
“My mates life is in that boys hands. And I have a feeling Kenma won't part with him any time soon.” Daichi said, nodding towards where Kenma was slinging Hinata over Lev’s back. “Besides, you’ve helped us when we needed it. It's only fair that I help you. It's partially my fault Hinata lost control, anyway.”
“You're right” Kuroo grinned, a twisted sort of thing.
-
The trek to Karasuno was uneventful, despite the air of tension bleeding around them. Kenma refused to speak to Kuroo so the answers Daichi were promised were short and only resulted in more questions.
All Daichi got was all the Kuroo knew- Kenma was saved by someone named Shouyou when he was ten. They had kept in contact, meeting once a year in private, and Kenma was oddly attached to him. The only thing that Kenma had told Kuroo over the years was that Shouyou was a high level practitioner but his tether was equally as strong so he was never caught and always kept level.
“Where is his tether now?” Daichi asked, looking to where Suga was sleeping against a tree trunk. (Kenma had rejected Daichi’s request to wake him- both Hinata and Suga’s magic were unstable for reasons unknown. When Daichi tried to bring up that he was his anchor and could keep Suga in check, Kenma had scrunched his face up and said “There’s a possibility he doesn’t remember. Shouyou will most likely be able to fix it, but I can’t wake him until we’re in a safe place.” They had made it out of the village and halfway to Karasuno in half a day, luckily managing to evade the guards that were no doubt swarming Nekoma’s previous camp, but they still had a way to go until they were anywhere near “safe”.)
“Don't know.” Kuroo grimaced in apology when Daichi's face twisted. There had been a lot of Don't Know’s throughout their entire conversation. “A few years back, Kenma came back from a meeting and didn't talk for weeks. His magic was unstable too. I got a feeling it has to do with shrimpy over there.”
Daichi sighed, leaning his head back against the tree trunk and rubbing at his eyes. “Do you think Suga really doesn’t remember me?”
Kuroo reached out and let Daichi grab onto his hand. He ran a comforting thumb over Daichis scarred knuckles and let out a solemn, quiet sigh. “I don't know.”
“Yeah.” Daichi whispered. He squeezed tightly. “Yeah.”
-
Daichi woke to Kuroo’s hand still tangled in his. Suga's head was on his lap and if it weren't for the situation it would be a good moment.
Kenma, for the first time since they started walking that morning, parted from Hinata (and Lev, since he was still carrying him) so he could hang back and awkwardly glance at Daichi every couple minutes.
“Do you need something?” Daichi asked awkwardly, adjusting Suga on his back.
“I'm sorry.” Kenma said, face turned away. “About earlier. Shouyou- Shouyou means a lot to me. But I should have been more sensitive of your situation. Or something like that.”
Kuroo beamed down at Kenma with raised eyebrows.
Kenma sighed. “I'm sorry to you too. I should have told you.”
Kuroo shrugged and slung his arm over his mate, “you can make up for it by telling us about what's happening. We just uprooted our village for that kid-”
“He's 22.” Kenma corrected, “Only a couple years younger than us.”
Kuroo looked as surprised as Daichi felt.
“And I can't-” Kenma continued as he chewed on his lip and glared down at his feet. “It's not my place to tell. Unless Shouyou gives me permission.”
“My soulmate doesn't even remember me and it has something to do with Hinata-” Daichi said impatiently.
“No it doesn't.” Kenma snapped. “Hinata was protecting Suga. He still is. Just like he protected me and every other god damn magic user in this region.”
“What does that mean?” Kuroo asked gently, feeling Kenma's rising distress through their bond.
Kenma pursed his lips and turned away. He seemed to struggle with himself, opening his mouth to speak but clamping his lips shut again. He eventually sighed, eyes strained, and began to speak quietly. “Do you remember around 6 years ago? There was a pair of tethered practitioners that kept causing problems for the Royal Guard.”
“Yeah, they were called the Oni and the Kanabo.” Daichi crinkled up his nose- it was impossible to not have heard of them. They were the only known tethered pair to both have magic. Practitioners were usually tethered to non-magic users, an unstable energy and a sturdy anchor. The Oni and his Kanabo were both unyielding forces, meshed together to form an unlikely stable bond that was terrifying. They tormented the Royal Guard, released magic prisoners and basically started a rebellion that lasted a good two years. Eventually, the Royal Guard regained control but started capturing and executing practitioners as a fear tactic to ensure that rebellions never happened again. Most practitioners went into hiding after that.
“That was Shouyou and his mate.” Kenma said quietly.
Kuroo and Daichi shared a look of shocked disbelief. They looked at the small and nearly feral boy hanging off of Lev’s back, small and fragile and nothing like the force that was described.
“All you have to do is take away the oni’s kanabo.” Kuroo said softly.
“But which one was Hinata?” Daichi asked after a moment. The monster or the weapon? The fire or the smoke? Daichi didn’t even know if it was possible to be one without the other.
Kenma’s expression closed off and he turned away. “We’re almost at your village.”
--
It didn’t take much to convince Karasuno to let Nekoma take shelter at their village. It didn’t take anything, really. They took one look at Suga slumped over Daichi’s back, the haggard expressions on Nekoma’s face, and began to set up extra tents without questions.
“Is he okay?” Asahi asked, eyebrows pinched together as he took Suga from Daichi’s arms and carried him to the nearest tent. Ennoshita immediately got to work in keeping the others away from Suga’s tent so that Daichi could have a moment of privacy. They all trusted him to explain later. “What happened?”
“I’m still trying to figure that out for myself.” Daichi said, not bothering to hide his worried and shaken expression in front of his friend. “Magics involved. I don’t think Suga remembers me.” Daichi’s voice broke.
“What?” Asahi sucked a breath between his teeth. “How is that possible?”
“I don’t know.” Daichi laughed, his tears finally spilling over. He didn’t know. He didn’t know anything and it was driving him crazy. He’d been struggling to keep it together since the moment he saw Suga and now, in the safety of his home, he felt himself begin to break. Asahi placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and Daichi felt himself relax under his quiet presence.
Kenma walked into the tent and froze at the sight of Daichi’s tears. He hesitated, one foot outside and the other in, unsure how to handle the situation.
Daichi couldn’t help the snort of laughter and he beckoned Kenma inside, wiping away his stray tears. “Can you wake him now?”
“Yeah.” Kenma nodded, avoiding eye contact. “I have to wake Shouyou first. Shouyou will wake Suga, since he’s the one who put him to sleep.”
Daichi nodded and Kuroo carried Shouyou in, gently setting him on the cot next to Suga’s.
Kenma gripped the back of Hinatas head and brought their foreheads together. He mumbled something under his breath and Hinata shot up, “Tobio” a gasp on his lips. Dormant energy began to stir in the room and Kenma placed both hands on his friends shoulders, forcing him to make eye contact.
A warring of emotions flitted across Hinata’s face- confusion, a searching fear, grief, realization, acceptance- before he seemed to grasp where he was. The energy settled and Kenma’s shoulders relaxed. “Daichi wants you to wake Suga There’s something wrong with his memory. It doesn’t feel permanent.” Suga’s magic energy wasn’t broken, just interrupted. His tether was still strong. It wasn’t like before, and Kenma tried to relay this to Hinata, to ease his obvious distress. “It’s something you can bring back, okay? It’s safe for Daichi to be in the room.”
Kenma continued to hold his eyes until recognition seeped in.
Hinata blinked before nodding. He stood shakily before leaning over Suga and tapping their foreheads together. There was a moment of absolute nothing where Daichi feared the worst, but then Suga let out a soft exhale and blinked himself awake.
Suga was about to begin asking questions again when Hinata grabbed his face in both of his hands, cradling, intimate, effectively cutting him off. There was silence, a flash of heat, and then Suga was turning to Daichi with relief flooding into his eyes.
“Hi.” Suga whispered and Daichi dove into his arms, burying his face into his mate's neck and not caring at all that he was leaking tears. Wave after wave of pure relief shuddered through their tether, Daichi was trembling, not aware of just how much he was afraid. If Suga never remembered him again, Daichi wouldn’t have been able to cope.
Hinata’s face crumpled in a mixture of emotions and he exited the tent, the others following him as they gave the couple their privacy.
“Is everything okay?” Kenma asked, reaching out to grab Hinata’s trembling fist.
“I’m glad it worked out.” Hinata said with a watery smile. It sounded like a lie even to his own ears and he hated himself for that. “I am.”
Kenma’s bottom lip wobbled and he pulled Hinata into an embrace, twining their magic together in comfort. Hinata’s magic wasn’t as warm as it used to be, always twirling and energetic, ready to accept others. Now it was cold, stagnant, and Kenma wished with everything he had that he was enough to keep it alive. “We’ll get Tobio back.”
Hinata flinched at the name, “Yeah.” There was no hope in his voice.
--
“Where the hell did you go?” Daichi muttered, not lifting his face from Suga’s neck and not untangling his arms from Suga’s waist. “You were gone for days , Koushi. And when I finally found you, you didn’t remember me and you were covered in blood. I- god, I was-” His voice cracked and he pulled Suga further into his embrace.
Suga made a shushing sound and extricated himself from Daichi’s grip so he could look him in the eyes. “I’m so sorry. It was only supposed to be a quick trip, I was visiting Shouyou and things happened and he temporarily had to wipe my memories. I’ll explain later, but first, when did I get back to camp?” The last Suga remembered, he was being dragged bodily into Nekoma’s village, Shouyou a heavy presence at his side, comforting but frightening in his intensity.
“Hinata lost control. Nekoma had to pack up and leave before the Royal Guard came-”
“Lost control?” Suga sat up straighter, brow pinched together. “Where is he now? Is he still here-”
“Koushi, yes, but-” Daichi sighed when Suga only began to search frantically around. “Why?”
"Hinata must have thought it was like before." Suga whispered to himself.
Daichi opened his mouth to ask questions, so many questions, but then everything clicked. Hinata’s response to Koushi’s forgotten memories was way too personal. He responded with a fear that can only stem from trauma- “Hinata’s mate isn’t dead, is he?”
“No.” Suga shook his head, eyes haunted and shoulders burdened. “He’s being used as a hunting dog for the Royal Guard.”