Chapter Text
Fifty years ago, Karasuno was under attack.
A small group of malevolent spirits terrorized the village, sending much of it up in fire and smoke, accompanied by blood and death. Karasuno saw frequent spirit activity; Karasuno did not see attacks.
The worst of the spirits was the one they dubbed Sanzanki, Harsh One. Even with the others of its group exorcised, Sanzanki terrorized Karasuno for days. It moved as swiftly and violently as a wind-storm, slicing its way across lakes, and rivers, and through mountains. It toyed with anyone who crossed its path, and kill anyone who attempted to stop it. Sanzanki ripped into bodies, and souls, possessing them entirely and forcing them to do its bidding with a cruelty that had been previously unheard of.
Karasuno tried so hard. Even possessed, they struggled courageously until finally Sanzanki took their breath away and left their bodies lying empty and cold on the village road. But Sanzanki was not without harm. Weakened considerably, it could not withstand another wave of attack upon Karasuno and fled south where all mention of it died.
It took ten years for Karasuno to recuperate. The youth were trained in how to destroy malevolent spirits, being sent to near-by villages to learn their skills. At Datekou, they learned how to communicate. At Aoba Jousai, they learned how to treat the wounded. At Shiratorizawa, they learn how to exorcise. Some even went as far as Edo to study magic at Nekoma, or to become scholars at Fukurodani. For several years they trained in their fields, coming back to Karasuno slowly but surely, and starting families of their own as they took care of the spirits that came to bother them. They trained their own children, and their children trained their own children.
And now, Karasuno's team continues to protect their beloved village.
-*-
It was a beautiful day out, the breeze refreshing and the stream cool on Suga's feet as he read his book. It was nice, he supposed. The water felt good on Suga's sore ankle; hopefully it would be good enough to allow him back out in the field. He'd been good so far, Kageyama assuring him that sitting out for a week or two would see to it that he was just fine. But for as patient as Suga was, he was not a saint. He was at the end of his rope.
He pushed those thoughts aside with a quick sigh, and set his book to the side to lay back in the grass and enjoy the warmth of the sunshine. He grinned, letting his eyes slide shut. Maybe if he napped, time would pass faster, and the team would be back....
"Sugawara!"
Surprise jumped onto Suga's next heart beat as his eyes flew open to see Michimiya hovering over him, smiling widely at him. She laughed as Suga placed a hand over his heart. He sat up, turning some to look at her as she floated elegantly over the earth in her ghostly form. "Michimiya," he greeted. "How are you?"
Michimiya's smile turned into a grin. "They're on their way back." She gave two thumbs up. "Pretty quick one!"
Suga's eyes widened momentarily. "Already? It hasn't even been three hours, has it?"
Michimiya shook her head, letting Suga step out of the stream, and pat down his yukata.
"They're getting better, then!" he praised. "Ah, I'm so glad...."
Suga grinned, excited to go meet the team as they made their way back into the village. But as he stepped forward, his ankle gave a twinge in pain, making him wince. He glanced sheepishly at Michimiya; she suddenly busied herself with a flower, grinning innocently. Suga was grateful for her feigned ignorance, and his next steps were far more careful.
Michimiya was the ghost of Karasuno. There were no others. She was around when Suga was born, and they were friends before he could remember. She had always remained a constant in his life. She was there for him when he was down, or needed help, or advice. She would teach him things, and tell him stories. She would laugh with him. And in return, he would comfort her and offer his opinion, or assistance; he would teach her things she hadn't grown up learning, and share (admittedly terrible) jokes with her. Suga wasn't entirely sure how he would feel if Michimiya were to have to leave. Or rather, he wasn't sure he could imagine how sad he would be. She was his confidant.
But happier things were on his mind, like their team returning. Still with precise footsteps, Suga and Michimiya hurried to the village entrance just in time to see the team emerge from the edge of the near-by woods. Pride and relief swelled in Suga, and he let out a sigh, smiling forward towards them.
"Hey!" he called, waving his arms. Michimiya did much the same, only jumping up and down in smooth, ethereal motions.
The team took their time, but when they reached the gates, they all (or at least, most of them), gave Suga and Michimiya fond, tired smiles.
"Hey," Daichi exhaled fondly.
Suga's heart skipped in the best way. He narrowed his eyes in a mocking manner. There was sweat at Daichi's temples, dampening the bit of hair there. Along the entire length of his hairline, actually. "Daichi, so out of breath after such a short excursion? That's not setting a very good example for the rest of the team, is it?" he teased.
Daichi laughed softly, lowly in his chest.
Suga took an inconspicuous breath he knew Michimiya (and at least 3 others) would tease him about, he was sure.
"It was pretty fast. And small. Kind of a tricky one."
Suga peered beyond everyone to one of their shorter teammates. "You exorcised Hinata?"
Said teammate looked surprised and shocked. "W-what?!"
Daichi laughed a little more loudly, and Suga fell just a little more in love.
-*-
When Suga sat down at the table and gazed at his team, he was overwhelmed with a sense of pride.
Their newest additions were Hinata Shouyo and Kageyama Tobio. Hinata had been born just outside of Karasuno, but had longed to help destroy the spirits that tormented the nearby villages. Karasuno, he had decided, had been the place to do that. There was something about him that Suga couldn't quite place, but he was a nice kid, and ready to take on the world.
Kageyama had come to Karasuno when he was only 7 years old. He'd come from the east, with a little bit of medical knowledge being taught to him by his parents. He was no master, but for what he had available to him, he was the best Karasuno had had in a long time.
Joining them a little less than a year ago were Tsukishima Kei and Yamaguchi Tadashi. They hailed from Edo. Supposedly they were from around Nekoma and knew some rudimentary magic. Yamaguchi was usually nervous about using it, but when he did it was something to behold. As for Tsukishima, he preferred to not use it unless absolutely necessary for some reason or another. When asked about it, he just shook his head and walked away. It was a work in progress, Suga had decided.
Suga's attention drifted towards Tanaka Ryuunosuke. Tanaka was a force to be reckoned with, but in the best way. Tanaka was an amazing person; someone Suga felt was an excellent role-model for their younger acquisitions. (In. Some ways, anyway.) He did his job, and he did it efficiently.
Next to him sat Ennoshita Chikara, a natural-born leader although timid and modest. Or so it seemed, but Suga knew better than that. He'd seen Ennoshita in action; he knew how Ennoshita kept order during training—even hunts. He had family in Datekou, and during visits trained his psychic abilities with the other mediums there. He was a valuable asset and friend.
Scarfing down his food in time with Tanaka was Nishinoya Yuu. Noya stayed low, setting up traps, or picking up where others had left off. He liked his role, Suga supposed. He bragged about it often enough.
And then there was the empty seat on the opposite side of Daichi. It was reserved for Azumane Asahi. Asahi had been gone for two or 3 weeks, now. He had been ready to strike a spirit during a hunt, but the spirit dodged and Asahi's momentum had started a small chain of events, leading ultimately to Suga having his ankle injured enough to keep him out of hunts until it was healed.
Thanks, Asahi.
Despite Suga's reservation about his ankle, the last week had consisted of Suga trying to convince Daichi that he was perfectly fine and ready to get back to hunting. Daichi had taken one look at Suga and grinned that stupid grin, revealing that he'd spoken to Kageyama, who had shaken his head in a definite, "No, not yet."
He knew Daichi was just looking out for him, but he felt so useless like this. In retaliation, he had done his best to hide what remained of his limp, walking only when he had to in front of Daichi.
And now, at dinner as everyone was busy talking to someone else, Suga saw his chance and seized it.
"Hey, Daichi...."
"Hm?" Daichi had his mouth full of noodles, several of them stringing from his lips to the chopsticks in his hand.
Suga had to refrain from snorting, instead clearing his throat. "I was thinking," he began. "It's been two weeks that I've stayed away from putting stress on my ankle; I should be okay to get back out there with you guys for the next one, don't you think?"
Daichi slurped up the rest of the noodles, one of them slapping him between his eyes. "We'll see," he said, wiping off his face. "I did notice that you're walking a bit better recently."
Upon hearing the words, Suga smiled and felt, probably, the best he'd felt since he hurt himself. But he had to be careful; Daichi could still decide against it, and Suga wouldn't put him past it. Still though. Positive thinking. "Really?!"
"I said we'll see. That's not a yes." Daichi said quickly.
Suga laughed. "Out of you, it's still better than I might usually hope for."
"I'm not that mean—"
"I said better than I'd hope for, not mean," Suga shot back, grinning.
Daichi grinned back, and went on eating with a small shake of his head.
Suga supposed it would be one thing if he was out there and not fighting, but could still see everyone. Yet at this rate, he couldn't even cheer them on, or offer advice, or provide them a strategy. He was determined to prove how ready he was. He would just have to do even better to hide his limp; it was the only way he was getting back out there in time for the next spirit.
"Hey, Suga-san!" Tanaka called from the room's entrance. (When had he left the table?)
With him were Ukai and Takeda. Ukai helped train a lot of them with whatever their weapon or skill was (unless they had studied elsewhere, of course), and Takeda made sure everyone was okay, convincing surrounding villages that the noises they were hearing were perfectly normal, nothing to see here.
Carefully, and hopefully smoothly enough, Suga moved to stand, straightening his yukata as he stepped aside from the table. Careful steps, careful steps.... Although to be fair, it was a tad more difficult when you were giving orders to your team mates, like, "Kinoshita, if you're going to fall asleep do it in your room," or, "Hinata, don't you dare throw your food!"
The distraction was an error on Suga's part.
His next step faltered, and it became evident as the foot of his injured ankle began to come down. There was a twinge of pain, and the second any of his weight rested on it, that twinge of pain wrapped forcefully around his entire ankle and he collapsed, folding down to his knee with a hollow thunk. Suga hissed in pain as he rolled to his side, sitting up. Along with the pain of a previously-and-newly-twisted ankle traveling through his entire nervous system, the possibly-even-more-excruciating embarrassment rolled right along with it.
Suga heard the calls of his name in the back of his head, but mostly his mind was focused on how to play this off like nothing had happened.
With his face burning, Suga smiled. (As best as one could while heaped on the floor with a twisted ankle, surrounded by the entire team, anyway. And also—when did they leave the table?!) "H-Hinata," he tried. "I said not to throw your food!" he laughed. Ish. "People trip on it."
He caught sight of Hinata looking ashamed, but not because he'd thrown his food for Suga to slip, but because he hadn't.... "S-Sugawara-san ... I stopped when you told me, I didn't throw it...."
"Suga."
He refused to look towards the voice. He couldn't; it would confirm everything.
"Suga..." Daichi repeated. "Why don't you get your ankle looked at again.... We'll see about you joining us later."
We'll see.
It meant no.
-*-
It wasn't at all that Suga disliked Kageyama. Suga very much liked Kageyama. He was good at what he did. Raised in a village of healers and medicine, Kageyama had a surprising ability to know who needed what for whatever ailed them. "This will help with swelling." "Use this on a burn." "There's no cure for dumbass, Dumbass!"
Some diagnoses were more accurate than others, but. Still good.
Not only was Kageyama great at medical work, he was great at what he did out in the field. He and Suga shared many of the same skills while out, and it almost killed Suga at first to admit how much better than him Kageyama was. But, the team was a team, and he had to step aside where necessary for the good of said team.
Except right now, he wanted back out there. And hopefully, he could convince Kageyama to help him out. When he worked up the nerve. He wasn't sure how well this conversation would go with one leg tucked beneath the other, his foot propped up before Kageyama with Michimiya wincing every time Kageyama poked at it.
"It's not broken," Kageyama said plainly, moving it carefully. Suga could tell he was doing his best not to address Michimiya's worried breathing. "You rolled it, that's all. But I'd say your recovery time's extended at least another two weeks."
"What?!" Suga asked loudly. "Not—it's already been two!"
"Sugawara...!" Michimiya started.
Kageyama stared blankly back at Suga. "But you rolled it again."
Suga groaned. He knew Kageyama wasn't wrong; he just wanted him to be wrong. Such was his fate. At least he could recognize it. But he had to do something; there had to be something he could do. He could either sit around the village, moping and being lazy and spiteful as he healed (and really, part of him would relish in that), or he could fake it. It meant getting to go out on a hunt and actually being of some kind of use to Daichi and the team, and protecting the village. All he was doing now was being annoying, and a nuisance....
"I think you should listen to Sawamura-san," Kageyama announced after a few moments of silence. "With you hurt like this, there's a greater possibility for you or someone else to get hurt. It's bad enough with you out right now. Something like that would only lengthen the time of recovery, and your absence. Sugawara-san ... I can't really take your place. We have the same skill-set, but you have a different relationship with everyone. I don't—want that to be lost, and if you don't take care of yourself, I'm afraid of what could happen."
Suga was dumbstruck. He stared at Kageyama—same as Michimiya. He couldn't remember ever witnessing Kageyama being so open about his thoughts or feelings in such a kind manner. He wasn't sugar-coating the truth of the matter, but it was a stark contrast to how he might illustrate other truths to other members of their team. (Say, for example, Hinata.)
But if Suga was being honest, he wasn't completely calmed about it. If he was being truthful, to himself, a streak of jealousy sparked through him. Even if Kageyama had said that they both had different qualities, it still pushed Suga to want to prove himself even more.
He stared down hard, glared, at the ankle. It would get better. He'd make it.
"Kageyama."
"Yes, Sugawara-san."
"Wrap it up good. Put a splint on it if you have to."
Suga and Kageyama stared at each other for a few moments, and despite the clear disapproval in his and Michimiya's eyes, Kageyama did as told.
Suga was going to prove he was just fine to return to the team.
scene 02
In Daichi's opinion, no news was good news. It was excellent, even. It meant that there was no need to go out and hunt down an evil spirit, to go out and risk peoples' lives. He trusted everyone to be smart about how they performed when fighting so they didn't get hurt, but accidents happened, and that was understandable.
But Suga, and his insistence... Ever since he'd hurt his ankle, he'd begged Daichi to let him get back out there. But in no way was Daichi allowing that, not while Suga couldn't even walk properly.
Daichi shifted the salt pouches back to the corner. Best kept dry.
He glanced about the rest of the room assessing what needed cleaned, or maintenance. Thankfully the room wasn't used too much, although inspection was necessary. Probably not as necessary as Daichi practiced, but he supposed he just liked the atmosphere of the room. It was away from the rest of the building, cool, open to the edge of the forest; he could hear the nearby stream Suga liked to frequent, and he could hear the birds, and on a clear night he could see stars and hear crickets in the gardens. If he could, the accessory room would be his bedroom.
Thankfully, the night was just that. A dark midnight sky spotted with the diamonds of stars and lit with the glow of a waxing moon. He was easily attracted to it, stopping his hand from picking up a talisman in favor of sliding the door open to enjoy it on the engawa. He took a seat, relaxed, and just stared up. He sought out his favorite stars, and reveled in the clouds of their galaxy.
His mind wandered, wondering what else was out there in the universe. How much better might it be than here, fighting ghosts and spirits? But he knew for certain that, no matter the answer, he would stay put, at home, because only home had one of the few things he would never give up.
He knew Suga knew it. And he knew it was mutual. But the few weeks had been tense between the two, both of them understandably upset and frustrated for the same, and differing, reasons. Things had yet to calm down and diffuse between them to really venture further on more ...intimate ... paths. If Suga would just stop being so insistent...!
It had been a week since Suga had fallen in front of everyone, and yeah. It killed Daichi to have to tell him no, he didn't care how well Kageyama wrapped and splinted up his ankle, he still wasn't going until he was completely healed. Suga had been happy precisely zero (0) of those times, and part of Daichi died inside every time he saw the excitement flicker out of Suga's eyes. It was harsh, but dammit, Daichi just wanted him to feel better and be safe!
Daichi sighed, pushing the thoughts away and focused again on the sky as a breeze drifted through. It carried the scents of flowers and earth, easing him into a more relaxed state as he leaned back on the heels of his palms. He would just enjoy what nature had to offer him for the short time he could.
"You know if you stay like that, a bear will probably come by and decide you'd make a pretty tasty dinner."
Daichi peeked an eye open, grinning to see Suga standing there and grinning down. At least he seemed happy. (So far. This had played out enough times to where Daichi thought a script would be useless.) "The bear wouldn't want me. I'm probably tough, and taste bitter."
Suga snorted. "I can't back that up, yet."
That part wasn't normally in the script. Suga was going to be the death of Daichi.
"What's up?" Daichi asked, immediately distracting himself from Suga's comment.
Suga stepped over to take a seat next to Daichi. "I came to show you something!" he announced, scooting even closer. "Yamaguchi made this for me."
Before Daichi's face Suga dangled a bunch of flowers and herbs tied delicately together to create a sphere. He couldn't name any of the plants, that wasn't his forte, but it ... looked pretty? "What is it?" he asked.
"A kusudama?"
Daichi rolled his eyes. "Okay?"
Suga took the fragile ball gently back into his hands. "It's for protection against possession. Yamaguchi said he thought it might be beneficial for me to have one."
"How is a bunch of flowers supposed to stop a possession?"
"Magic is about intent, he said." Suga shrugged. "The flowers help channel it, apparently."
"Why, though? Why would he give you something like that?" He didn't really want to know the answer.
Again Suga shrugged, but he grinned. "He just said it was a hunch."
Yamaguchi's hunches usually weren't wrong, and that was what unsettled Daichi. Yamaguchi was trained in magic, not to be a psychic. "I don't see why you would have need for one while you're injured and out of danger." Yeah, that logic worked. Take that, Yamaguchi.
"I could be, soon, and he said it was just a hunch!"
Daichi shook his head. "I already said not until Kageyama gives his approval."
"What part of I'm fine are none of you understanding? My ankle is sore, not broken. I'm not useless." Suga glared at him, getting defensive.
Daichi groaned. Why did it always devolve to this? "We're not having this fight again."
"You're absolutely right. We're having a discussion." Suga shifted to face Daichi.
Daichi watched for a moment, then sighed and did the same. He rested against a beam of the colonnade, just continuing to watch. Suga looked handsome in the moonlight. He glowed; looked like a spirit—although much kinder and benevolent than what they normally dealt with. He spoke calmly, looking Suga in the eye.
"I'm not saying you're useless, Suga. I'm trying to keep you safe. If the enemy knows you're hurt, they'll exploit that." And oh, there it was. Suga's hopes dying out.
Suga remained quiet for a moment as he looked down, playing with the kusudama. "You're not always right, Daichi."
"I don't have to be right, but I know I'm not wrong about this. If you got hurt again, or were killed, and I couldn't do anything to stop it, I'd be devastated."
Suga was back to glaring at him, joy, and once more Daichi had to suffer the guilt that rose up every time he crushed Suga's hopes. He honestly wished he could give Suga a different answer, and see that happiness return to his smile.
"Suga, it's ridiculous at this point to keep fighting. If you want to get back out there, then relax, and let yourself heal. You could have already been back out there...."
"I can be back out there now—"
Daichi was already prepared to retort, but there was a heavy thundering from back inside of the room. Both he and Suga stared at each other before looking over, to see Ennoshita hurry over to them.
"Daichi-san, Sugawara-san," he exhaled. "We—forest."
Daichi sat up straighter, not blind to the worry and fear in Ennoshita's eyes. It wasn't often that Ennoshita was quite this shaken. Daichi wasn't ignorant to Suga's attentiveness, either.
"Something terrible is on its way," Ennoshita said. "We received a messenger from Yukigaoka who received word from Izumitate who received word fro—"
"Yes, we get it! What's happening?!" Suga demanded.
Ennoshita gulped. "We think it's Sanzanki."
Daichi froze. Sanzanki was just a historical event to most in Karasuno, but a memory still fresh in the minds of a few. For Daichi, it was a potential catastrophe, and he had no time to waste. He jumped to his feet and marched back into the room. Ennoshita stumbled out of his way.
"Get everyone ready," Daichi commanded. "Have you tracked it, yet?"
Ennoshita moved to head back towards the exit. "No, I came to you first. I'll see what I can do."
"Good. Have Michimiya do a sweep of the forest, too. See if she can't find anything."
Ennoshita nodded dutifully and ran out, the thundering of his footsteps dying with his increased distance.
Daichi's attention was right back on the talismans he'd ignored only moments ago, grabbing those and a pouch of salt. He had no idea what they were really walking into, though. Should they have more salt than that? What was going to work against Sanzanki? They were going in blind.
"Daichi."
Daichi's shoulder's slumped some, but continued on, not saying anything.
"Daichi." Suga's voice was firm.
Daichi tensed at his name; he wasn't sure he'd ever heard that kind of conviction in Suga's voice. He knew what Suga was going to say.
"No," he immediately answered. "If it really is Sanzanki—"
"You'll need every bit of help you can get, Daichi! And with Asahi in Datekou, who else?!"
"I said no. I'm not changing my mind."
From behind him, Suga pulled on the sleeve of Daichi's yukata. "Daichi—!"
Daichi spun around, grasping Suga's face and kissing him. He felt bad for doing it in a moment like this, but he needed to get his point across, and if it really was Sanzanki, he refused to die without ever having kissed Suga, and actually admit his feelings.
Suga's lips were soft, if not a little chapped, and he trembled just slightly against Daichi. But he wasn't pulling away; he just relaxed. And Daichi wasn't entirely sure how he felt about it. Happy, because yay Suga was okay with this? Or boo, because no this meant the stakes were higher?
Daichi pulled away, shaking his head and turning back around to finish grabbing his things. "I'm sorry, Suga." Whether for kissing Suga without permission, or for not budging in his decision was up for Suga to decide. Both were true.
"That's not fair," Suga said slowly.
"I'm sorry."
"Stop saying you're sorry when you're not!"
"Yes, I am."
"For what? Telling me we'll see about going back out with everyone? Treating me like a child? As if I'm unable to make my own decisions? For taking advantage of my feelings? Thinking I'll give in just because of a kiss? Like that's going to change my mind?"
Well with a list like that, Daichi was doubly sorry. (He really was.) He turned. "Suga—I'm sorry my actions have made you feel that way, I—"
His words faltered, finally really looking into Suga's eyes. Suga may have been angry and hurt at Daichi's decisions the last few weeks, but he hadn't seen this before. It wasn't hatred, but ... betrayal, sitting in fittingly beside the anger and hurt.
"You what?" Suga spat.
"I want you safe, and that I won't apologize for. I didn't kiss you just so I could try and get my way. I don't want you safe only be—"
"Shut up," Suga interrupted. "Let me decide what to do for myself. You're not my guardian."
Daichi stared. Suga ... wasn't wrong. He wasn't wrong in the least, about any of this. Yeah, Daichi thought it was still a really bad idea, but. Suga wasn't wrong. Daichi didn't truly have the authority to keep Suga out of this. Suga was just acquiescing before.
And didn't Daichi feel terrible about that.
He sighed. "Fine, you can go," he surrendered. "Just—please, promise me, you'll be careful."
All of the anger and despair on Suga's face slowly faded away to nothing, replaced then by surprise, and joy. "Yeah!" he breathed. "I promise. I'll go get my things together...!"
Walking past Daichi into the hallway, Suga didn't seem to be hiding his limp as much, now that he was given clearance. But Daichi grinned just a little as Suga disappeared from view. He shook his head gently, turning back to finally grab his items. He couldn't let himself think on that kiss; he couldn't have that distraction right now—
"Daichi."
Daichi's gaze snapped up, looking around. Suga's voice, but where was he....?
"I was thinking...."
Around the corner, still in the hall, but out of sight.
"I'll let you kiss me again when we come back from this one."
Followed by the quick, soft thumping of Suga's gait.
...Well, dammit.
scene 03
Suga was....
Ecstatic wasn't a good enough word. Nor was enthralled. But he was just really, really happy to be allowed back out on a hunt. Really, his ankle was feeling better. Yeah, it probably needed another couple days of rest and healing, but for the most part he was good to go.
And, on top of that, things finally looked like they were progressing between himself and Daichi. Suga had almost died when Daichi had kissed him. It hadn't been quite how Suga had imagined their first kiss going, and maybe he was a little mad that Daichi chose that moment (of all moments!) to do it, and maybe Suga thought Daichi had been trying to manipulate him with it, but. He hadn't. Instead Suga had finally convinced Daichi to let him go.
And, there was a promise for more.
Really, Suga probably would have run, and jumped back to his room to grab more of his things, but ... ankle. He did have to be careful. So he ended up just walking really fast and punching the air instead.
And for all his excitement and eagerness, and (mostly) everyone's happiness at seeing him join them once more, his ankle was starting to get a little sorer. But he pushed the concern aside, joining everyone at the village's exit.
"Suga-san!" Tanaka greeted with open arms. "You're back!"
Suga smiled widely, hugging Tanaka back. "I am! Now you have to obey orders."
Tanaka almost balked. "I never—!"
Suga shut him up, rubbing his scrubby head and punching him hard in the gut. "You ready?!"
Tanaka coughed as Ennoshita snorted in the background. "Y-yeah, I think so...."
"Okay, okay! Everyone quiet!" Daichi announced, clapping his hands and calling everyone's attention. Suga had missed this so much.... "According to our sources, what we're facing is Sanzanki. You all know the story of what happened, and what Sanzanki is capable of. You need to be on your highest alert. Keep a clear head. Be prepared for anything. If it's not Sanzanki, then all the better." Daichi took a breath, exhaling loudly. "Ennoshita, Tsukishima. If you wouldn't mind?"
To the front of the group, Ennoshita and Tsukishima stepped forward, leading everyone off towards the forest. Ennoshita, being a medium, could (with a little bit of work) find the general area of where their target was. And if not, Tsukishima could try to draw it a little closer with some magic, or concentrate Ennoshita's focus.
As they approached, Suga was welcomed back by several of the others. Hinata was happy and excited, along with Narita and Kinoshita. Noya was almost literally bouncing around him as Yamaguchi inquired about the kusudama he'd given Suga earlier in the evening. ("If it really is Sanzanki, I guess it may come in use. You're probably a psychic, Yamaguchi!")
Kageyama had only inquired about Suga's ankle, in a kind but respectful manner.
Daichi had kept a little bit of distance between them, though occasionally Suga caught him glancing back at him. Maybe Daichi thought he was being sneaky and covert, but he wasn't, and it was a little charming. Suga grinned, remembering earlier, and what awaited them when they returned back to the village, victorious over Sanzanki. He'd get to properly kiss Daichi, actually tell him how he felt, and if things went further than that, well.... He wasn't going to complain. Just one look at Daichi, though—those arms. Those legs. Something inside Suga shuddered at the thought.
"Suga-san? Hey! Suga-san!"
Suga turned bright red, as if he'd been caught reciting his daydream aloud. "Y-yes, Tanaka?" he asked quickly, voice cracking.
"You okay? You look like you're sleep-walking. But like. Happy."
"Hahaha, y-yeah, I'm fine! Just lost in thought." Inappropriate thought.
"What were you thinking of?"
"Nothing, Tanaka."
Tanaka stared. "Lies. But I trust you. But lies."
That made no sense, but okay. Suga kept himself focused, fighting down the heat in his face and looking wherever Daichi's biceps weren't. He was pretty sure that Tanaka (and probably just about everyone else in Karasuno) could easily deduct anything between Suga and Daichi. And probably more Suga to Daichi than anything else. But again, blaming it on Daichi's thighs. And biceps. And ugh, his pecs—
There was a powerful rush of wind, loud, and cold, pulling from trees some of their leaves and brittle twigs. Suga winced and covered his face as well as he could with his sleeve, the others doing much the same. It continued on for a moment until it stopped suddenly, abruptly. It was too still. Suga slowly lowered his sleeve, glancing about. There wasn't much he could see clearly in the dark, the only reliable light from the moon and stars....
"Everybody be on the ready," Daichi ordered. "We know what we're dealing with."
Suga readied himself, glancing to Kageyama. For a spirit like Sanzanki, they would need to double-up. Suga stepped over to Kageyama.
"It's not going to manifest right away unless we make it. We can't wait." If it was Sanzanki, if the stories were true, Sanzanki had plans; plans to play and taunt them for as long as possible before showing itself. They needed to interrupt that. Normally they might wait; set up the quarters for backup, just in case Ennoshita and Tsukishima were unable to manifest the spirit with their psychic abilities or spells. Normally, the spirits they encountered weren't worth the waste of salt and talismans.
Kageyama knew the risk of setting their trap too soon. Sanzanki was a spirit. It didn't mean Sanzanki was stupid. It would undoubtedly notice what Sugawara and Kageyama were up to. It would target and attack one of them, if not both.
"I'll run the wider perimeter," Suga said. "That way it's more focused on me. If it attacks, I'll be the target, allowing you to run and finish the quarters."
"Sugawara-san," Kageyama said coldly. "I can't accept that."
Suga shook his head. "You start in the shrubs there, away from its attention. You're faster, anyway."
"I can't accept that! I can't let you accept that!"
"Kageyama! You make it sound like I'm going to get hurt! Daichi won't let me out, Yamaguchi makes me a kusudama...." Suga smiled, but it didn't seem to appease Kageyama although he did as told. He turned, ready to go grab what he needed for his quarters from their make-shift 'priests'.
Luckily for him, he turned right into one.
"Daichi! It's like you knew I needed you!"
"I heard your plan. I can't allow it."
Suga snorted. Of course. "Daichi, I'll be fine. I promise. I have everyone protecting me and a long night to look forward to," he teased, although Daichi didn't seem terribly amused by it. "I'll be careful."
Instead, Daichi appeared troubled; conflict was evident in his eyes, and his hesitancy spoke volumes. "I do have faith in you, Suga. I really do. But we don't know what Sanzanki is capable of. You can't plan for something like this." He paused, and Suga allowed him silence, to think. "It would be one thing if you got hit and knocked down for few bruises. But it's something else entirely if you're killed."
Suga took pause, considering Daichi's words. His concern was flattering, and he really did understand where Daichi was coming from. "What do you suggest we do, then?" he asked. He asked honestly, because really: what else?
"Let's try to manifest it, first—"
"You know that won't work. It's a waste of time and energy unless we have the quarters in place."
"We don't know that."
"And we don't know that it won't work," he pressed, giving Daichi a quick smile. He carefully grabbed Daichi's fingers with his own, holding them loosely. "I promise, I'll be okay. Trust me."
"I do."
Suga smiled. "Good. May I have those talismans and a prayer, please?"
Daichi sighed, but gave in. He chanted a quick prayer, and handed off the talismans to Suga. "Take this, too. Keep a handful ready, just in case." He handed a small pouch of salt to Suga.
"Yes, Daichi. I've done this before."
Daichi huffed just a little, and Suga nodded to Kageyama just in time for the next gust to start whistling nearby. It would strike them soon.
Kageyama stepped into the brush, setting down his talismans with precision, and instructing Hinata to not move. Suga, meanwhile, took his items and took off for his first quarter as Kageyama rustled off towards his second.
But as Suga went, the wind hit them, picking up and more powerful than the last. Suga gasped as his body was forced forward, almost falling face-first to the ground, but he twisted to keep himself upright, and if his ankle started reminding him of its pain, well....
"Sugawara-san!" Tsukishima yelled. It was a little difficult to hear him over the increasing din, but Suga began his march over to the mark. Tsukishima was already preparing some kind of manifestation spell with Yamaguchi several yards away at his own mark and doing the same thing. Meanwhile, Kageyama was already staking down an anchor and defense at Narita's station.
And Suga hadn't even gotten to Tsukishima.... He burst into a run, still ignoring the now-constant stab of pain in his ankle with every footfall. Get the anchor. Set down the defense. Get the anchor. Set down the defense.... There was a crackle, a shock of electricity from the center of the (would-be) quarters. The Manifest was working—
Suga spun behind Tsukishima, setting down the talismans, anchoring them to the earth and throwing the salt around Tsukishima and the talismans. On to Yamaguchi.
Where Suga saw Kageyama departing already, and running towards him as another burst of energy started getting ready to explode.
"Kageyama—!" he yelled. "Get down!"
Kageyama did as told, diving down. Just as the crack ignited, the boom just beginning, Suga let himself land across Kageyama, shielding him.
The burst was hot, and Suga winced but his grip and cover on Kageyama remained. The sound subsided, but a faint ringing remained in Suga's ears. He groaned with another wince, shaking his head as he crawled off of Kageyama, rustling him. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Kageyama nodded. "Yeah.... Thank you, Sugawara-san...."
"Don't thank me, just get ready."
Kageyama nodded, scrambling to his feet in time with Suga to run back to the head of the field.
Tanaka, Ennoshita, and Daichi stood ready to go, Kinoshita and Noya behind them as Kageyama and Suga flanked them.
Ennoshita, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi were all focused, staring hard at the center of the field where the energy continued crackling. Until finally two booms later there was a foggy figure trapped in the quarters.
It wasn't terribly large for what Suga had been expecting. Perhaps 3 meters in height, hunched over. It stood on two long, thin, knobby legs, its feet more akin to a hare's. Its arms were almost equally as long as its legs, almost reaching the earth it stood on. It didn't have much in the way of a hand, but four terrifyingly long fingers on each, with sharp-looking claws (nails? claws...?). Its spine was rigid, looking as if it was ready to rip from the skin stretched over it.
That's all it had, was skin; grey, decrepit skin. It had barely a trace of hair, or fur.
And its head resembled more of a starved, sickened dog. The eyes seemed maladjusted, the teeth, rotting and yellowed, bared beneath wrinkled flesh as its saliva dripped into nothing.
In the silence, Suga could hear it breathing. The breath rattled, shaking past him, unsettling him. He knew. This wasn't a mere spirit; this was a demon.
"Is that ... Sanzanki...?" Kinoshita whispered, his voice vibrating with fright.
No one answered him. It didn't matter if it was Sanzanki. It needed to be gone.
Somehow.
There wasn't much time to think; Sanzanki hunched itself further down, digging its fingers into the ground.
"Tanaka! Kinoshita!" Daichi yelled, just before Sanzanki bolted smoothly, speeding towards them at a terrifying pace. It glided without a sound.
Kinoshita jump in the front line with Tanaka, both sending out a chant to Hinata and Tsukishima, strengthening those lines of the quarters and preventing Sanzanki from crossing. The lines sparked.
They had never sparked before.
But that was what Noya was for. He was the shortest of their team, but one of the fastest, after Hinata. He bolted towards the shivering defense to reinforce the flow of energy, before heading back around to Tsukishima to do the same as Sanzanki continued recovering.
It wasn't long. With a shake of its head, Sanzanki refocused its blind gaze, and reared back as if taking a breath. Suga's foot stepped back, almost repulsed that Sanzanki's torso didn't expand. But the repulsion morphed to fear as that same, empty gaze landed on Suga. And even if Sanzanki couldn't see, it was looking right into Suga's soul.
A terrible chill gripped Suga, and he watched in fear as Sanzanki let out a shrieking roar. Suga covered his ears, but it only seemed to amplify the terror he heard. Then he noticed that he was the only one doing so. Could no one else hear it...? Everyone else looked more confused than anything....
As Sanzanki's screaming stopped, an uncomfortable tugging began in Suga. Like Sanzanki's hellish claws and fingers were inside of his soul, pulling out what it could. But ... it wasn't working. No matter how hard it was pulled, it stayed in place, and Suga realized: Sanzanki was trying to possess him, but it wasn't working.
Suga gasped, pulling from his yukata the kusudama. It was comfortable and warm in his hand as it worked hard to protect Suga. Suga grinned, sending a silent thank you to Yamaguchi.
Even for all his silent thanks, Suga still felt unsettled, and sick, and his attention was back on Sanzanki, who appeared even less pleased than its grotesque form would let on. But as it continued staring at Suga, its mouth morphed into a drooling, toothy smile, and turned.
Suga's heart thumped as he ignored the churning in his gut, it wanting to empty itself. Now was not the time.
Instead he watched in horror as Sanzanki focused its attention on Daichi now, grabbing his gaze and reeling back for another terrible shriek. Suga froze in fear as he realized—he couldn't hear the sound Sanzanki released. His breath seized, and before he realized it he was screaming, himself. Suga watched as Daichi was hit with whatever Sanzanki had attacked him with. He stumbled back, catching himself before falling to his knees and wrapping an arm around his front.
"DAICHI!" Suga screamed. He dashed towards Daichi, watching him with a frantic stare. His feet landed hard on the ground. He had to get to Daichi and stop this, Sanzanki was possessing him but this looked so much worse and Suga's heart gave a pang as he saw Daichi's eyes begin to glaze over.
With all of his concern on Daichi and stopping Sanzanki, Suga had no time to worry about his ankle until it screeched back to his mind. Suga stepped incorrectly, his foot folding inwardly under him. He yelled and let out a brief cry as he plummeted down, but still he had no time to worry about his ankle. He shuffled forward, back on his feet quickly and ignoring the begging of his ankle to just stop.
He fell voluntarily this time next to Daichi, covering him much the same as he had Kageyama. Daichi was already cold to the touch, something missing.
Suga knew no particular prayers like most of the others did; he came up with game plans. How to move, when to attack, what to do. That was what he was good at. And now all he could do was pray. Pray that Sanzanki would just disappear to never return; to leave Daichi's soul alone, to leave him alive. And he wished this with all his heart, with every bit of conviction he could muster. Every ounce of love he held for Daichi was felt as he wished, as scared, stressed tears poured from his eyes to Daichi's yukata.
Suga snapped his gaze back to Sanzanki, glaring with wide eyes despite their burning. "Leave...!" he begged, silently and unheard over the roar of wind. "Please leave...!"
There was a warmth near his chest, and with the second scream he heard from Sanzanki, Suga collapsed on top of Daichi.
-*-
The first thing Suga felt waking up was an immense headache. Following quickly was a burning in his throat. His mouth tasted like bile. He was weak, he could barely lift his arms. And there was a terrible throbbing in his ankle—
Daichi.
Suga's eyes flew open with a gasp as he sat up, just to get dizzy and fall right back down.
"Sugawara-san!"
Suga groaned, taking stock of what else he felt. A futon. A pillow. So he was inside. Clearly the battle was over. He peeked his eyes open again, peering around. They were back at Karasuno, in his room.
"Where's Daichi?" he asked desperately, eyes finding Kageyama next to him.
"Drink this tea."
"Daichi."
"Tea first," Kageyama demanded, and he didn't look like he was willing to take no as an answer from Suga ever again.
Suga sighed, being much more careful about sitting up this time. Everything hurt, and he was tired. But he managed (somehow) to sit up straight and take the tea from Kageyama.
He stared into the cup, and slowly looked back to Kageyama. "Kageyama...."
Kageyama stared back in response.
"...Are you sure this is tea?"
"Yes."
"...You're positive."
"I made it myself."
Suga shuddered, eyeing the 'tea' once more. "You're sure it should um...." Really, how did he describe this?
Kageyama nodded. "It's tea with herbal poultices boiled in. Ennoshita-san said you suffered many spiritual wounds."
Suga grinned. "I'm not sure that would really call for something meant for external, physical wounds...."
But Kageyama's stare didn't let up. So Suga sighed once more, bringing the cup to his lips and downing it all in one go, without time to taste it. Now he just had to ignore whatever texture he'd felt as it went down, and push back the after-taste.... He shoved the cup back into Kageyama's hands. Never again. (Although now the taste of bile was gone, at least.)
"So," he said, smacking his lips. "Daic—"
Initially, Suga was caught off by a loud pounding; someone was running towards his room, and soon enough his door slid open, revealing Michimiya and a face Suga hadn't seen in weeks.
"Sugawara! You're awake!"
"SUGA!"
"Asahi!" Suga greeted, smiling.
Asahi looked winded, his eyes full of regret and worry. "Suga...!" He stepped and sat quickly next to Kageyama. "Suga, you're okay! I've been so worried!"
Suga smiled. "Of course I'm okay. Who do you think I am? You?"
"Suga...!"
Suga laughed with Michimiya, patting Asahi's shoulder. "It's good to have you back. What made you come back so suddenly? Why didn't you let us know?"
Asahi hesitated. "Suga.... I've been here for 2 days. Some people from Datekou and Seijou are here, too."
Kageyama stiffened, glaring now at the floor. Suga looked at everyone, waiting for elaboration. Kageyama finally took over. "The fight with Sanzanki ended, and you and Sawamura-san were passed out. That was 5 days ago. You've been in and out since our return."
Suga straightened up at the mention of Daichi. "Passed out? So Daichi's okay? He's okay, right?!"
Michimiya relaxed, sitting down next to Asahi. "He's alive."
Part of Suga relaxed. Another part of him began worrying more. "And...?" he prompted.
Kageyama didn't answer immediately. "His pulse is weak, but sustained. He's in no immediate danger...." He trailed off, and Suga waited for him to continue, but it didn't seem like it was coming.
"Where is he?"
"In his room."
Suga moved the blanket from himself, and suddenly he felt very cold, despite the jinbei he'd been changed into. And also ... restricted, and not even because Kageyama and Asahi were shifting to block him.
Looking down, his ankle was bandaged quite heavily. "...Did I break it?"
"No," Kageyama said quickly, and somehow he managed to make it sound like that was the end of that conversation. "Sawamura-san shouldn't be bothered."
"I'm not bothering him, I'm checking up on him."
"Suga, your form of 'checking up' on someone is a kick to the back of the knee."
"He's not wrong."
"Then good thing I can't kick right now. Let me go see him."
It was probably one of the worst combinations, Kageyama and Asahi being the ones to block Suga. Not because they would Definitely Stop Him, but because they were Probably the Worst at Stopping Him. Kageyama would give into Suga out of respect. Asahi would give into Suga because he valued his health. And Michimiya wouldn't do anything because she knew it was useless when Suga had a goal.
With some help and gentle (read: threatening) persuasion, Asahi helped Suga walk-hop-stumble towards Daichi's room. It wasn't too far, but with one foot (and consequently leg) out of commission, and being as weak as he was, even the next room felt like forever away. He almost just told Asahi to carry him.
When they reached the door, Asahi took pause. "You're sure?"
Suga nodded. It really couldn't have been nearly as bad as they were making it out to be.
Asahi slowly slid the door open, and—really, what was bad about this? Daichi was laying there, as Suga had expected. (Still disappointed, though.) And yeah, there were talismans pasted all around the room, and Ennoshita sat in silence, Tanaka on his right and someone Suga didn't recognize on his left.
"Sorry to interrupt," he said, breaking the awkward silence. "Ennoshita, Tanaka. And...?"
The other slowly looked up from under his fringe. He carried an air of superiority; one he could see clearly bothered Ennoshita.
"Futakuchi Kenji, from Datekou. I brought your ace back. He's distracting my partner in crime."
Suga glanced to Asahi, who turned just a little more pink at that. Clearly there was a story he was going to have to inquire about later.
"Your friend's soul is almost, pretty much, destroyed," Futakuchi said nonchalantly.
Suga would nonchalantly rip his fingers off one by one.
"But, Ennoshita and I did some work. It's mostly together. I gotta say, you did some pretty good magic during that fight, if your team's telling the truth."
Suga blinked. "Magic...?" he muttered. "I don't use magic."
Futakuchi snorted. "Yes you do, everyone does, and I'm saying you did a good job. Take the compliment. You managed to save his life."
Suga stared, waiting for elaboration. He was determined to get something. Some kind of answer.
Tanaka spoke up. "The kusudama Yamaguchi gave you protected you, but when you ran to Daichi-san, it protected you both. Ehhh, kinda. Sanzanki had torn part of Daichi-san's soul away, and then what the kusudama could catch it caught. But there's still a little bit left of it in Daichi-san's body."
Suga's eyes were wide with the succinct explanation. "I saved him...?"
Ennoshita grinned. "You saved everyone. When you spoke to Sanzanki, it wasn't long before it left. The quarters had broken just then, the timing was convenient.... But yes. You did."
As the seconds ticked on, Suga stared at Daichi's prone form, covered beneath blankets. He carefully dislodged himself from a worried Asahi, limping forward and - with a great deal of difficulty - sat down next to Daichi. Even if he wasn't dead, he still looked like he was just one moment away from it. How had this happened...?
"Will you leave, please?" he asked. No one moved for a moment, but Suga wasn't going to ask again.
In silence, Tanaka, Ennoshita, and Futakuchi stood to take their leave, Asahi following along behind them and sliding the door shut.
It wasn't much longer before Suga was crying to himself, drawing his knees up and holding them as he bit his tongue, stopping at least the sobs.
Behind him, Michimiya came up, gently and softly. "Sugawara...."
How did this happen? How could he have let it happen? This was his fault—if he hadn't tripped and hurt his ankle, he could have gotten to Daichi on time. If he had just been faster at setting up his quarters, they could have trapped Sanzanki sooner and dealt with it then. But no, he had hurt his ankle again, further. He hadn't been faster, instead finding Kageyama had already finished three to Suga's 1.
Suga sniffed. "It's my fault," he said. "I promised I'd be careful, and I wasn't."
"No, no, no!" Michimiya said. "You were so brave out there, none of this is your fault!"
This time Suga snorted. "Thanks, but ... no.... Can—can I be alone, now?" he asked quietly.
Michimiya nodded. "Of course. If you need me, let me know." And she slowly left, disappearing elsewhere into the house.
With her presence missing, everything came crashing onto Suga. He felt incompetent. Like he couldn't do anything right, like keeping Daichi alive. Or keeping his village safe. Or just listening to orders.
But what would have happened if Suga hadn't been there.
Suga almost cried louder at that, the idea of Daichi actually dying threatening to seize his heart. To combat the thoughts, Suga tentatively, almost weakly, reached for Daichi's hand, just holding his fingers, tangling them together as if the tangible proof alone could fight the idea back.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered pathetically. "This is my fault, Daichi, I'm so sorry. I don't know what to do, tell me what to do...."
Tears continued clouding Suga's vision, and he sniffed several times, wiping the tears away from his face with his free hand as they fell. More than once or twice more Suga apologized, blaming himself for not being fast enough and not just letting his ankle heal properly as he was told to do.
Suga's fingers moved carefully to trail down the side of Daichi's face, wishing some kind of magic would happen. Magic was just concentrated intent, right? But the more he tried to concentrate this 'intent', the more distraught he became, because why wasn't it working. He just wasn't cut out for magic, it didn't matter what Yamaguchi or that Futakuchi said.
Frustration welled up furiously within him until he finally properly grasped Daichi's hand. It at least offered him some kind of comfort.
Looking at Daichi's face, even for as tired and ... half-dead as he looked ... Daichi appeared peaceful. And Suga saw why, glancing just a little to the side of Daichi's head. He sniffed as he noticed it. The kusudama. He took his free hand, picking it up.
It was still warm, and the flowers seemed ... almost refreshed and livelier after their ordeal almost a week ago. The flowers should have been wilted....
His spirits lifted just slightly, Suga set the kusudama down to where it had been—if it was helping Daichi, he didn't want to hinder that. He kept his hold on Daichi's hand confidently and securely.
He would bring Daichi back, no matter the cost.