Chapter Text
It started with the shortness of breath. Hiori wasn’t usually out of breath after the gruelling training, having built up good stamina. But today he was, and he had to drink up his whole water bottle.
Weird.
The next day, it got worse, Hiori barely keeping up with Isagi, out of breath after only passing three times. He decided to tell Isagi he was tired, and went to his room without having dinner, wheezing quietly in bed.
On the third day this strange cough came to be, Hiori kept having to inhale more and more air in order to keep up with the passing and training. After helping yukimiya with an assist, Hiori doubled over, coughing his lungs out. He leaned against the wall, and limped over to his room, arm over his stomach. Entering his room, he collapsed over his bed and passed out.
When Hiori came to, he was on a bed in a room with a bright white light (it was brighter than the heavens and the skies above). Ego sat on a swivelling chair near Hiori, watching his plays and stats on the screens. He didn’t turn around.
“You’re not going to be participating in training until you’re better.”
Hiori sat up and immediately went into a fit of coughing. When he recovered, Ego was staring at him, with instant noodles in his lap.
“See?”
“Can I walk in this state?"
“You’re going to be escorted back to your room. Itoshi will take you.”
Hiori turned his head to the left, where Rin Itoshi leaned casually against the wall, teal eyes narrow and watching Hiori in silence. Why is he here? Hiori wondered.
“Itoshi found you passed out on your bed and carried you here,” Ego said, as if he could read minds.
Hiori’s ears turned pink. He didn’t think Rin would be the type to help someone, especially Hiori, probably a no-name midfielder to him. Whenever they were put in the same training group, Rin never spoke a word to him. Actually, he only ever spoke to state if something was lukewarm, and that wasn’t ever directed at Hiori.
“Wait…so what’s wrong with me? Why did I pass out?”
“We don’t know. You have something in your lungs. It will probably go away soon, so get some rest and recover. Absolutely NO training, you hear me?”
“Ok.”
Rin had stayed silent the whole time, watching Hiori with those striking teal eyes. Finally, he spoke.
“Let’s go.”
He went over and helped Hiori stand up, letting him drape his arm over Rin’s shoulder. They shuffled over to the door, and as they turned the corner, Ego watched with a wide grin.
“Let’s see how long you’ll stay oblivious…Hiori Yo. It strikes again…”
Later that night, when everyone was long asleep and a bright full moon was positioned above the blue lock training facility (although they couldn’t see it), Hiori Yo laid in bed, wide awake. He didn’t know what was wrong with his lungs so suddenly, and although he couldn’t train now, he was kind of glad to be away from soccer for a while.
He turned to face the wall of his room, and suddenly another round of coughing started up. Hiori felt like his lungs were being pulled out of his throat. He brought his elbow to his mouth, and that’s when it fell onto his palm.
A small, blue petal.