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spring-emerald · 5 years

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this thing called love

“You know, it’s really unfair that Stingyshima is popular,” Hinata says with a huff, lips pouted in disgruntlement.

Kageyama pauses writing, dragging his eyes from Yachi’s neat notes he’s copying from to Hinata. “What?”

Hinata shrugs, mechanical pencil balanced between his nose and upper lip, sliding even further in his seat as he insolently spreads his legs apart under the desk, looking like a real picture of laziness and an absolute dumbass who don’t have time to act carefree at the moment. Kageyama frowns and kicks him on the shin, startling him and causing the pencil to lose its balance, earning him a glare from the shorter teen.

“I’m just saying,” Hinata bends to rub his abused leg, “his personality’s awful and yet so many girls have a crush on him. I don’t get it,” he says as he finally sits properly before throwing his hands in the air.

Kageyama just rolls his eyes at Hinata’s antics and reaches over to thump him on the side of his head. “You really don’t have time worrying about things like that,” he says, nodding down at the notes with emphasis.

They’re on the cusp of failing a class again and he really, really doesn’t need that to happen and he really, really don’t want to take supplementary lessons for it and miss any training camps that might be scheduled during that.

“I know. But I get a little jealous! Just because he’s tall and-”

Kageyama zones out after that, pointedly ignores Hinata’s tirade about Tsukishima’s supposed popularity in favor of looking back down at the notes and try to find where he left off.

“-Don’t you get jealous, Kageyama?”

Kageyama knits his eyebrows together as he looks up at Hinata again, who now has his chin resting on his hand, head tilted curiously to the side. “No,” He says with a shake of his head then promptly returns to his task.

The thing is, after that particular conversation, Kageyama started to notice things about their schoolmates’ interaction with Tsukishima.

Like how the students part and give way and girls watch Tsukishima walk along the grounds with admiring gazes, very reminiscent of the way they sometimes do in shoujo mangas when a prince-like character is introduced. Or the way underclassmen, especially girls, would huddle together and giggle amongst themselves when they catch sight of him during lunch time rush in the cafeteria. Or how Tsukishima would be at the receiving end of assorted pastries like a small packet of freshly baked cookies, or a cup of pudding. Or that in some instances, Yamaguchi would arrive at their lunch spot without Tsukishima because he’s been held back by an underclassman, and arriving a few minutes later from the direction of the courtyard, looking a little annoyed and weary.

Kageyama never gets the chance to ask him about it, figures Tsukishima would talk about it if it’s really bothering him, but he does give him a questioning look, one that Tsukishima returns with one that Kageyama translates as ‘nothing, don’t mind it’ along with a light shrug of his shoulder.

-----

It boggles Kageyama, to say the least. Why people would suddenly react that way around Tsukishima. Not that he didn’t think that Tsukishima can’t be popular or that he doesn’t have the right to, but…it’s just Tsukishima.

Cool, aloof, unbothered Tsukishima, who walks around with his large headphones and chin held high as he casually pass by other people without a care for the world.

Tsukishima who prods and tease and sometimes annoys the hell out of people just for the heck of it.

Tsukishima who sometimes give solid and sensible advice, if approached seriously about matters that bother you.

He’s a skilled middle blocker and a national level player one at that, so he’s been shown in television and is probably well-known especially among volleyball fans. But Hinata’s gotten a little famous too, especially to those who see him as inspiration or those he’d ‘blown the minds of’ (Hinata’s words, not his).

He’s smart and belongs to the honors section, and had gotten academic awards despite his active participation in club activities. But so is Yachi and Yamaguchi. Kageyama’s relieved that he knows smart people because they’d been really helpful in keeping his grades afloat enough to participate in club activities.

He’s got other talents as well. Kageyama knows that he plays guitar and bass and can sing well. He’s got a channel where he covers songs, though they’re the only ones who knew that it’s actually him since he’s never really showed his face in any of his videos. So he’s kind of popular in a way, Kageyama guesses.

Ultimately though, it’s just Tsukishima doing what he usually does. So there’s no reason to act like that around him.

-----

Apparently, Kageyama underestimated how popular Tsukishima actually is.

Because, as it turns out, he’s really popular. If the screams and swoons of his names of most of the girls in the auditorium are to go by.

The music is already loud as it is but they decided to add more to the noise contained in the domed room.

Kageyama’s head and ears ached, and he even fills a little dizzy because of the shrill yell-singing happening around him and he’s somehow relieved to be pushed back by the throng of girls that went closer to the stage to get to where Tsukishima is currently performing with other third years students-an impromptu band formed for tonight’s concert to culminate the festivities of the school festival.

He’s playing guitar and singing an old but catchy English song that Kageyama doesn’t completely understand, but one that he’s heard and knows that is included in the playlist Tsukishima’s recently made for him.

Kageyama doesn’t know where the other three are, supposed they also got swept away by the crowd, but he won’t risk going back in there, and decided to just stand against the wall at the far end of the room. Not only was the volume more tolerable, it’s not cramped and hot, and has a good vantage point, a full view of the stage where Tsukishima seems to be having fun performing, especially for someone who claims to have been forced and blackmailed to do so. He must be feeding off the excitement of the audience, though Kageyama wished that they were less rowdy in showing their appreciation.

It’s kind of nice. Seeing Tsukishima like this that is. Kageyama’s only ever seen him be occasionally passionate about volleyball, and when he’s commenting and teasing them and their juniors about their idiocy. Watching him having fun while doing something else is a welcomed change.

The song eventually comes to an end, and the auditorium gets filled with even louder screams which Kageyama decidedly escapes from in favor of catching some fresh spring air.

-----

“So this is where you’ve been hiding, King.”

Kageyama stops humming and breaks out of his reverie upon hearing the familiar voice, noting the hint of relief and exasperation on the tone. He scoots to the side, giving Tsukishima space.

“I wasn’t hiding.”

Tsukishima plops down beside him. “The three didn’t know where you’d gone. They were worried when they couldn’t find you inside.”

Kageyama winces in guilt and sends a short mental apology to their friends. “I got pushed out by the crowd. And it was getting quite loud in there. But I only stepped out after you’ve finished. You were really good,” he says with a small, soft smile.

Tsukishima searches his face. “You didn’t leave because of anything else?”

Hinata had mentioned something about why Kageyama probably left when he came looking for him, though he’d taken it with a grain of salt. Hinata likes to assume things and make a big deal out of nothing most of the time after all.

Kageyama’s frown and unsure “No?” confirms this.

“So you didn’t leave because you were jealous?”

“Jealous? Of what? Why would I be jealous?”

Right. What did Tsukishima even expect? Kageyama’s obliviousness to things not related to volleyball is an impenetrable wall- hard to scale and harder to breach, unless one uses a direct method.

“Oh, I don’t know.” Tsukishima shrugs rather dramatically. “Maybe because girls were going crazy for me?”

Goodness, Tsukishima was already pointedly ignoring that, had been for the past couple of years now, but of course Hinata and even Yamaguchi dare to rub it in his face from time to time. He’d hoped his nonchalance and disinterest, which isn’t even a façade would turn them away, but as the years go by, it only seemed to have the opposite effect. Yachi anxiously remarks that after tonight though, they’ll be sure to be more obvious and aggressive and that Tsukishima needs to be careful about accepting gifts from them after Home Econ class because they might have slipped in some love potion or something.

Kageyama makes a face upon remembering how the female student population seemed to have collectively lost their minds over the band. “Ugh, no. I definitely don’t like that kind of attention.”

Tsukishima gives him a hopeless look, then softly snorts and eventually laughs. Kageyama startles and stiffens at his reaction and frowns deeper. “What? Why are you laughing?”

When Tsukishima stops laughing, Kageyama immediately catches on the teasing smile and glint on his eyes and tried to back away. But Tsukishima’s faster and he soon finds his face squished in between large hands, making his lips pout before it meets Tsukishima’s own in a quick, chaste peck.

“That’s not what I even meant, King,” Tsukishima says, shaking his head a little while squeezing Kageyama’s face harder before letting it go.

Kageyama rubs his cheeks and wills away the warmth that crept up his face at the sudden affectionate gesture. “Then what did you mean?”

Tsukishima just laughs again before pulling him into a hug, forcing his head and face to rest against Tsukishima’s shoulder and chest. “What I meant is that you’re jealous that girls are crushing on me, who is, you know, your boyfriend?”

Kageyama blinks. “Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh. But I get it. Your Majesty can’t be bothered to be jealous over such trivial things, since he’s above all the lowly common girls.”

“Well, I don’t get why they’re suddenly paying attention to you. It’s not like you’re doing anything special.”

Oh wow. Tsukishima feels his something inside his chest squeeze. “Ouch, my King. That actually hurts.”

Kageyama lifts his head and looks up at Tsukishima. “No, but Kei…” Tsukishima looks down at him, surprised at the use of his given name moreover the softness of it, though a little wary about what Kageyama’s going to say next. “You’ve always been doing great. You’ve always been admirable. So I don’t understand why they’re only seeing it now.”

Kageyama says it so matter-of-factly, like it’s that simple, a universal truth and oh wow, Tsukishima’s chest is squeezing for an entirely different reason. He will never get over how Kageyama can say these kinds of things easily, will never get over the way he naturally but unconventionally affirms his feelings for him. Until now, even almost a year of dating, Tsukishima still gets unbalanced, still gets flustered, by the King, of all people.

Tsukishima doesn’t bother hiding his wide, giddy smile from Kageyama before gently smooshing him against himself.

-----------

Tsukishima performing ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ won’t leave me alone.

#haikyuu!!#tsukkikage #tsukishima kei #kageyama tobio #hq fanfic

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technicolorheart9801 · 7 years

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All It Does Is Take: Chapter 4

Ritsu had been oddly subdued thus far, gazing at the complicated transmutation circle with a furrowed brow.

“Do you see something wrong with it?” Mob asked. “I’ve triple checked all of my calculations, but I could have missed something.”

Ritsu stayed silent for a moment, seeming to hesitate, before saying, “N-no. I was… just wondering about her soul. What do we have to offer that could possibly be equivalent?”

To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. And on that day, they lost more than their fair share. Now the Kageyama Brothers are on a mission. A mission that might cost them everything they have left.

Sorry for the short wait, but here's the new chapter! Enjoy!

When Mob slowly blinked awake from sleep, he felt dazed for a few moments, before slowly accounting for all his senses. He was on a soft bed, the covers pulled up to his shoulders, and he assumed that it was around mid-day, judging by the sunlight currently streaming through his window. Mob lay there for a moment more, debating whether or not getting up was worth the effort. Ritsu and Mom had always been early risers, but a Mob in bed tended to stay in bed until a great enough force acted upon him. Like the need for food. And the fact that he usually helped Mom out with lunch (Ritsu helped with breakfast, it was better for everyone that way). He also couldn’t wait to reveal to Mom what he and Ritsu had made for her with alchemy. Mob couldn’t quite remember what it was… but he knew he was ecstatic to show her.

So Mob rolled over, sitting on the edge of the bedside… and suddenly lost his balance, falling to the floor. His body spazzed frantically and he went to catch himself… but nothing responded to stop his momentum towards the ground. Mob ended up landing hard on his right side and a searing pain ripped through his shoulder from where it had impacted with the ground. Just his shoulder. Nothing else.

The thump his body had made when it had hit the wooden floor seemed to have attracted the attention of someone in the house, judging by the footsteps he could hear stomping up the stairs, heading to the room he was in. But that was about as far to the back of Mob’s mind as he could get it.

“Wh-what just…?” Mob panicked, using his left arm to prop himself up and try to get to his feet, but he didn’t have the strength to go all the way. He only managed to flip himself onto his back and sit up enough to look at the lower part of his body. He blinked once. Then again. But he still only saw half the number of legs that he should have. He slowly shifted his eyes to look at his right arm, but only saw a bandage, red now slowly spreading from the center of it. No arm to be seen.

… His mother was not waiting for him downstairs to start lunch. His brother would not be looking at him with an excited smile, ready to start their alchemy for the day. Because she was gone and Ritsu was… was…

“Oh,” Mob’s heartbeat echoed in his ears and there was a brief spark of an aura outlining his form, like a computer glitching out. Then all of what was left of his body drooped like a wilted flower, and he felt nothing at all.

~0%~

There was a knock at the door and Tome went to open it, muttering about stupid do-gooders who were unwanted and unneeded and obviously wanted nothing more than to ruin her day. Good ol’ Tome. Tsubomi was the one who generally handled the well-meaning neighbors who wanted to try and help by talking about how sorry they were this happened, and if they needed anything they could come to them. Mob didn’t understand why they were sorry for him. This was his fault after all.

But at the moment, Tsubomi was banging around in the kitchen, making lunch. Mob couldn’t help but think about how amazing she was, a great cook and a prodigious automail mechanic (and so beautiful). But also so happy, and optimistic. She had lost her parents when she was little, but she was okay, because Tome took her in, and cared for her, and now they run the automail shop Tsubomi’s parents left behind. Mob wished he could move on like she did. He wished he could be strong and resilient, and oh so very kind, like she was.

...But he lost his chance. He was forever marked, Ritsu was forever marked, all because of the irreversible sin he had committed. There was no redeeming himself. There was just this. Sitting, regretful and sad and oh so very b r o k e n until-

BANG!

Then the door was then slammed the rest of the way open from the outside while Tome gave the highest pitched shriek he had ever heard from her and a loud crashing sound came from the kitchen, a man with reddish-orange hair and dark eyes shoving his way through and giving the room a quick once over before focusing on Mob in his wheelchair.

Mob might have had a chance to feel a bit more uncomfortable (Mob had felt a bit uncomfortable with the fact that Ritsu had to be hurt-no, now is not the time) with that if in the next second the man wasn’t crossing the room in four quick strides and grabbing the front of his shirt to lift him to eye level.

“I went your house. I saw the floor. What was that? What did you do?!” There was a fire burning in the man’s livid eyes and Mob quickly looked away. Those eyes reminded him too much of Ritsu’s when he was feeling particularly passionate about something. Speaking of, Mob could hear Ritsu rattling from behind him. Mob wondered if there was a malfunction in the armor that his little brother hadn’t told him about.

Mob’s shirt was abruptly released, plopping him back into his wheelchair. “Wait a second, are you…?” The man’s fire seemed to have been temporarily put out, judging by the decidedly cool stare that was directed at them for a good ten seconds before the guy seemed to make a decision with a decisive nod of his head.

The man’s right hand suddenly starting making erratic circling motions before jabbing a dramatic thumb back towards his chest. “I am Lieutenant Colonel Reigen Arataka! But you can call me Reigen. I’m here to give you a proposition. But first, I need to know why exactly there was a human transmutation circle in the basement of your house.”

“Ohhhh… this is a… surprise to say the least. Don’t worry, it’s a good surprise.”

Mob was (already) a bit lost. Since when was hearing a story about two kids losing their mom, then committing a taboo to try and get her back and losing some very important things in the process a good surprise.

“I came to check out a report that said there was a brilliant alchemist living in this town.” Brilliant, huh? That’s weird. When Mob thought of something “brilliant” be thought of something big and bright. A light that could eliminate the gloom from the blackest of nights and give people something to hope (a clap, a colorful aura, the feeling of being completely alone-no, not now) for even in the darkest of times. Mob wasn’t brilliant. He was lackluster. Boring. Flat. His light had faded, and now all that was left for him was-

Ritsu slammed a huge metal hand onto the table in front of them, cutting off Mob’s thoughts. “I can’t believe this. Don’t you get it? Alchemy did this to my brother and I, alchemy created that-that thing in our basement, alchemy nearly killed us. And you want us to throw ourselves back into it? You want us to see hell again?”

Oh. It seemed Mob had missed something. Probably important things, because Ritsu didn’t usually get so worked up. He turned his mind pointedly back to the conversation at hand.

“I’m not going to force you, I'm merely offering you the possibility. The possibility of change, to better yourself and help other people, including each other. But the only way to do this is to stand up and seize the chance the military can give you,” Oh. So Lieutenant Colonel Reigen was offering them a place in the military. That explained a few things. The man had also stood, and was now facing them with a hand on his hip and finger pointed towards Mob. “Keep moving forward, seek out the answers you need. Become a better person and keep your eyes on your goal, whatever it takes,” The sunlight was streaming in through the windows, shimmering around Reigen’s form and casting his shadow over Mob, and Mob suddenly couldn’t help but think that even though his own light was dim, Reigen’s could probably illuminate an entire city with it’s intensity. He was brilliant.

Because Reigen said that there was a chance that Mob could fix this. There was a chance that he could get Ritsu his body back. There was a chance that he could right the wrongs he had done. There was a chance he could become a better person. And Mob decided that a chance was all he needed.

~25%~

“Are you sure you won’t regret this, Mob?” Tome asked him. “The surgery alone can take days, not to mention the rehabilitation, which will take around three years.” She crossed her arms and looked to be studying his expression before stating frustratingly, “Are you getting all this?! It won’t be easy, so quit acting so… indifferent!”

The nineteen year old girl seemed nervous enough for the both of them, though she was trying to hide it behind gruff words and vague expressions. Even Mob could see that much from the sweat lining her brow and the fact that he had known her practically his entire life.

“I’m sorry, Tome. I know this will be difficult… but this is for Ritsu. We have… things we need to do. And I need your automail to help me do it. Please,” Tome seemed exasperated, but also resigned by the end of his statement (he seemed to have that effect on people a lot of the time). Ritsu, who had been looming at his bedside, was shaking again, rattling his armor.

Tsubomi’s melodious voice joined in, sounding determined. “Well, since you’re sure, I will do everything in my power to help you,” Her voice then took on a teasing tone. “While you wear my automail, you’re stuck with me.”

Mob quickly shifted his eyes away from her, not answering. The last thing he wanted was for her to be stuck with him. He had already hurt her. He saw the way she gazed sadly out the window and had a frown on her face more often than not these days. He heard the nights she spent up and about in the room beside his. And now he was asking her to make him automail, and because she was a good and responsible mechanic and wanted to make sure that all automail she made was the best she could, she would waste her time on him. Mob decided the best course of action was for him to be sure that he gave her space. So, he just nodded to her before turning to his brother.

“Don’t worry, Ritsu. Just a little longer. I’ll get your body back.” Yes. Just a little while. And three years was too long. One year, then. Mob didn’t voice his thoughts aloud. It might make everyone upset.

Ritsu nodded. “Right, and yours too, Nii-san."

Mob didn’t notice the slight slumping of Tsubomi’s shoulders as she and Tome shared a mutually confused look.

~31%~

One year later, Mob was sparring Ritsu on the riverside, and losing, but that was okay. Ritsu always was the better fighter. And while Mob also put everything he had into learning everything his teacher taught him, hand-to-hand combat just didn’t come very naturally. His hand-eye coordination was lacking and he tended to be pretty clumsy more often than not. His fighting prowess was just generally very inconsistent.

Mob was doing better this time around, blocking Ritsu’s punch with an automail arm and kicking out an automail foot in an arc towards his little brother’s steel head. It didn’t work, of course, all Ritsu had to do was jump back a bit to dodge it. And as Mob went to step after him to continue the fight, he tripped over a rock and face planted into the dirt. A pretty typical ending to a Kageyama sparring match.

“Well done, Nii-san! You did a lot better that time.” Mob could almost see Ritsu’s encouraging smile. But only almost. “Seems like your automail is in good shape.”

The last sentence was said in an incredulous tone. Mob wondered why. He didn’t ask. He just nodded and said, “Mm. I think I’m ready to try for the state alchemist exam.”

Ritsu’s armor stood stark still for a moment, looking just like it used to before, in the corner of their basement when it had no soul in it and was only known as their mother’s spy and not his little brother. “I suppose… you should try some alchemy really quick.” Ritsu did not sound happy at the idea. “Just to make sure you’re completely ready. It’s been awhile since the last time you used it.”

A good point, as usual. Mob simply nodded and instinctively brought his hands - one flesh and one metal - together into a clap. The familiar blue lightning of alchemy fizzled through the air and Mob placed both of his hands on the ground, transmuting some of the dirt into a little cat figurine.

Mob gave a satisfied nod as he took the model from the ground and placed the it into Ritsu’s unmoving (disbelieving) hand. “Here. You can have it.”

“Nii-san!”

“Yes? Sorry… do you want something else instead?”

Ritsu was holding the tiny cat up to his face to get a better look. “What? No, Nii-san, that’s amazing. You did alchemy without using a transmutation circle!”

“Well, yes. You can do it too, right?”

“Me? No.”

Mob gave Ritsu a searching look. So… Ritsu hadn’t seen it. The Truth. That was odd, because it was obvious to Mob that Ritsu a paid the heavier price than he did. I’ve already shown you all that I can with the toll you paid… this seemed a bit unfair. Mob would have to look into it more.

But for now, Mob only said, “Well… I think I’m ready.”

Mob knew that even though he and Ritsu were trying to restore their own bodies, it was still human transmutation they were after, a forbidden science. If they failed the next time, there would probably be nothing left of them. But they knew there was no turning back. So, on the day they left, they burned down the family home, and all the familiar things inside. Because some memories aren't meant to leave traces.

~36%~

#mob psycho 100 #mp100 #fullmetal alchemist #fullmetal alchemsit brotherhood #fma #fma:b #fma au #crossover #my writing #cass' post #mob #shigeo kageyama #ritsu kageyama #reigen arataka #tome kurata #tsubomi #kageyama brothers

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spring-emerald · 6 years

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don’t want to wake up from you

For KuroDai Weekend Day 1: Ennoshita Productions – Final HQ Quest

This piece could be seen as prequel to this.

Kuroo first saw him in his crystal ball, when he was tracking the movements of the band of heroes.

The Grand King is being completely impatient, as to when his former knight, and former archer would get to the castle. Since The Grand King had better (or worse, depending on who’s asking) things to do than watch over people who are out to defeat him, he tasked his trusted advisor to do the job.

It’s a job he couldn’t well refuse, but truthfully, it had been boring him to death. The band of misfit heroes weren’t entertaining, to say the least. The most he could snicker at is when the stoic archer and the shorty hero get into ridiculous situations just because they’re trying to outdo each other.

Kuroo watches them with bored eyes as they enter the façade of what he believes to be the oldest inn in the village. Iwaizumi the Knight was the one leading the group, so he was the one the receptionist approached.

Kuroo sighs in utter boredom, and is about to call it a day and decides to just report whatever to the Grand King later on, when he catches the sight of Iwaizumi getting rather self-conscious in front of the guy who’s currently accommodating them. It was hard to tell really, since he’s just looking through a crystal ball and all, but he would recognize the gesture of scratching the back of one’s neck in a rather sheepish manner anywhere. More so since it’s someone like Iwaizumi doing it.

It doesn’t mean much to Kuroo to be honest, but, this little bit of reaction from Iwaizumi is something worth reporting since it could be something that Oikawa would want to know. So, he zooms in his crystal ball to get a clearer look, but instead of it focusing on Iwaizumi, he’s greeted by the pleasant smile of the inn’s receptionist. Kuroo understood at that moment, why Iwaizumi would react like so.

The guy, probably around in his early adulthood, is plain by all means. He’s got cropped, black hair, but he’s got a wide and sturdy built, if his shoulders are to go by. He doesn’t seem like someone who would stand out, but there’s something… disarming about his smile.

Kuroo slowly breathes out the air the he didn’t know he was holding and he has completely forgotten about his plan to pause watching as he kept at it until the moment the receptionist gives the wooden tab to Iwaizumi and ushered them to their room. He waves a dismissing hand in front of the crystal ball, clearing the image and making it translucent. He drums his fingers on the table, as he tries to organize his thoughts.

On one hand, he definitely needs to tell Oikawa about the arrival of the heroes. He’ll definitely ask about Iwaizumi, and probably Kageyama. It is pertinent information, and something that could still reach Oikawa’s ears, one way or another, even without consulting Kuroo. He’s got other sources for sure and not telling him first hand would be bad form.

However, there’s something nagging at the back of Kuroo’s mind, remembering the smile of the inn’s receptionist, and the way Iwaizumi reacted to it. It’s probably harmless, nothing to be upset about. At least Kuroo thinks.

But, it’s Iwaizumi. And despite him being technically Oikawa’s enemy, they have been friends and Oikawa could get quite possessive when it comes to him. Kuroo doesn’t want to think about what would happen to the poor guy.

The poor guy who got into trouble just because he’s got a disarming smile.

Kuroo stops drumming his fingers, then takes a deep breath and makes his decision.

———-

Kuroo kept on watching the group as they roam around the village, mingling with the villagers and trying to gather as much information as they could about the reign of the Grand King. Not that they’re actually succeeding.

Most of the villagers have become cynical about their situation. They go by their daily routine, but it isn’t exactly an ideal one. Some on the other hand, aren’t trusting of travelers, generally wary of newcomers. The only decent amount of information they could get is from the innkeeper and the receptionist guy, who’re always willing to extend their help to the group.

This means that they spend majority of their time at the inn which ultimately means that they spend majority of their time with the receptionist.

It also meant that Kuroo learned few things about him.

For starters, his name is Sawamura Daichi. He’s an orphan, adopted by the innkeeper and treated like a beloved grandson. He also works for the real grandson of the innkeeper as an assistant barkeep, although he only ever does that when they’re badly short staffed.

He’s generally amicable, although Kuroo had witness him lose his temper for a moment because of the two bickering heroes. He doesn’t seem scared of the monk the group is with. And he’s definitely earned Iwaizumi and Kenma’s trust.

He’d been friends with Kenma and although they’re on different sides now, Kuroo still knows him. He doesn’t open up to people, much less strangers easily, but he has seen Kenma spend some of his quiet time with Sawamura, whenever the shorty is out with Kageyama.

If Sawamura wasn’t so decidedly human, Kuroo would’ve thought that he’s got some magical powers as well.

Speaking of which, the images he’d been getting the past few days are getting blurry. And sometimes, when he’s not looking, the crystal ball will just be foggy and he had to increase the level of his magic just to keep watching them. Listening to conversations had been par for the course since the beginning, because of Kenma’s magic. And the crystal balls magic could only do so much.

But if they’re gradually becoming difficult to watch, its either something’s interfering with it or Kenma’s actually getting stronger. Whatever it is, Kuroo needs to resort to something else other than spying to gather more information.

Oikawa hasn’t been happy with his dull reports, and he doesn’t seem to be getting anything substantial from his other sources as well. Kuroo better deliver or else he’ll be facing the Grand King’s wrath and he’d rather not have that.

He gazes at the crystal ball again. If there’s just some other way to get some intel about the heroes. It doesn’t really have to come from them. It could be from someone they mingle with, someone they talk to…

The image on the crystal ball focused on Sawamura, who was hanging up the freshly laundered robes with the help of Aone.

Kuroo stops short as inspiration struck him. His eyes turned darker, but it glinted with mischief. His mouth curled into a devious smirk.

Time to pay someone a visit.

———-

Despite thinking that, Kuroo is actually unable to physically visit Sawamura.

It goes without saying that Kenma’s layered it with protective magic. Another thing is that glamour spell won’t work on as well. Kenma’s magic and status as White Mage means his magic is pure and it could see very well through any deceptive magic, at least when it’s up close.

Kuroo doesn’t hold any illusion that he’ll be welcomed warmly at the village in his true form. Kidnapping Sawamura and holding him hostage could work, but Kuroo’s not the sort to use brute tactics. He may be flashy sometimes, but he prefers to use subtle methods.

And so he chose dream walking. He browsed books about fabricating dreamscapes and projecting his consciousness into someone else’s unconscious. There are a lot of factors to consider such as the predisposition to hypnosis and rate of how one reaches an optimal altered state, among others. He also has to calibrate his crystal ball yet again, so that it would have laser focus to enter an unconscious mind and be strong enough to hold a make believe world at the same time.

It’s a lot of work, but he’s done preparing sooner than he expected. After all, he’s not the Dark Wizard for nothing.

All that’s left is enacting it to see how it would hold up. And tonight seemed like the perfect time to do so.

He already knows enough of Sawamura’s schedule, knows his ritual before going to sleep at the exact same time every night. Kuroo appreciates that he’s a man of habit, especially since its working on his favor.

Kuroo watches Sawamura as he cover himself with a blanket and close his eyes. He waits for a few minutes just to make sure that Sawamura’s already asleep, before he chants the spell that would enable his crystal ball to make a path towards Sawamura’s unconscious.

He closes his eyes and projects his consciousness while visualizing his dreamscape. Walking along the path that the crystal ball is trying to make is something like walking on a dark hallway, not different from the way to the underground dungeon.

While walking, he fabricates the image of the village with its low, clustered houses and bright red roofs. He thinks of the maze like structure of narrow alleys and sharp corners. He imagines the breeze, gently swaying the banners on the stores and making the installed pinwheels on some windowsills turn. Finally, there’s something bright behind his eyelids and Kuroo took this as a cue to open his eyes.

He finds himself in the middle of the street at the busiest part of the village, the market. Few villagers are walking by, most of them aimlessly. Some are pausing to look over at the produce, but no one is exactly buying.

He chose the village since its simple enough for him to recreate, and familiar enough for Sawamura to navigate. Besides, Kuroo isn’t sure how much Sawamura would remember about this particular dream, so he decided to lessen the unusual details, lest it would give him away. He wants to maintain the magic for as long as he could, while making it as realistic for Sawamura as possible so he wouldn’t suspect a thing while they’re inside it.

Looking around, he congratulates himself for mostly doing a good job. This is better than he expected, with the dreamscape livelier than it actually is and it mimics the village down to some finer details. He looks down on himself to check his appearance and noticed that he’s been divested of his long red coat and black outfit. Instead he’s clothed like a common villager. He brings his hands of his head and is satisfied when he doesn’t feel his horn.

This is actually working better than expected. However, the real proof that this worked is if Sawamura’s unconscious is actually here.

Kuroo isn’t seeing him anywhere near and he worries about the spell not working properly. He steps back, about to turn around to the direction of the inn when he collides with someone. Or rather, someone collides with him.

“Ah, sorry,” the person who bumped him says. Kuroo faces him properly, and he recognizes, even with his back bent in an apologetic bow and only the back of it showing, that this is Sawamura. It took a moment for Kuroo to realize that he finally heard Sawamura’s voice, and honestly, he sounds exactly like how Kuroo expected him to sound.

Sawamura stands straight and Kuroo’s finally able to see him up close. And he can attest that his crystal ball is not doing Sawamura enough justice.

Kuroo’s got the hair details and the body built right, but up close, Sawamura has more defined jaws and even defined arms. He has this air of kindness, but there’s also a hint of solid spine. And Kuroo already thinks that his smile is disarming, but he wasn’t prepared to look into Sawamura’s eyes, them being big, bright pools of brown.

“Uhm, are you alright?” Sawamura asks, head titled to the side, concern showing on his face.

Kuroo snaps his slightly parted mouth close and nods his head, not trusting himself to speak just yet. He wanted to meet Sawamura, but now he has, he lost his composure because the human isn’t what he was expecting.

Sawamura nods slowly. “I’m really sorry for bumping into you, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” he says, scratching his cheeks sheepishly.

“It-It’s alright,” Kuroo replies. “I wasn’t looking too.”

“Right…” They stand in front of each other with Sawamura shuffling awkwardly, while Kuroo is standing still, afraid to move.

“Anyway,” Sawamura breaks the uncomfortable silence first. “I have to go. I’m sorry again.” He bows his head and steps aside, starts walking away, leaving Kuroo behind.

This snaps Kuroo out of his daze. “Wait!”

Sawamura immediately stops and turns. Kuroo closes their distance but he doesn’t say anything. His silver tongue must have turned to lead. Sawamura is looking expectantly at him, and Kuroo blurts out the first thing that came to his mind.

“Can you show me around the village? I’m kind of… new… here.”

Sawamura blinks a few times, then “Yeah, of course. I don’t mind.”

Kuroo relaxes his shoulders that he didn’t know he tensed up and exhales. “My name is Kuroo, by the way,” he says, offering a hand.

Sawamura takes Kuroo’s hand on his own. “I’m Sawamura. It’s nice to meet you,” he says with a small smile.

Kuroo returns the smile with his own. But Yeah, I know, is what he really thinks.

———-

True to his words, Sawamura shows him around the village, adding bits of information about the places and the people. Kuroo all soaked them up, because there’s just something about the way Sawamura tells the story. There’s something mesmerizing about him and his voice. Not a lot of beings, much less a human, has this effect on Kuroo, but Sawamura has been doing it quiet effortlessly, and he doesn’t understand why.

Kuroo tries to figure it out all the while trying to keep up with Sawamura’s stories, that he almost lost track of time. It’s a good thing that his dreamscape was intuitive enough to turn the skies dark, which means that dawn is about to break at the real world.

He doesn’t want to do it, not ready to part with Sawamura just yet, but he has to. He doesn’t know what effect it would have on Sawamura if he breaks the dream because he’s gained consciousness.

“Sawamura-san,” he calls out. When Sawamura faces him, he’s met with Kuroo’s glowing eyes.

“It’s time for you to go back,” Kuroo commands. Inducement should be used sparingly as he might permanently alter something in Sawamura, because he’s the one trespassing his mindscape after all. But he’s got himself quite in a pinch.

Sawamura’s bright eyes dulled as the haze of the command took over him. Something pulled at Kuroo’s insides when he saw that, but it’s too late to take the command back. Besides, he really needs to wrap this up.

Sawamura turns around and walks sluggishly away from him, heading to the direction of the ‘inn’.

Kuroo closes his eyes and imagines the dreamscape folding towards him, the colors slowly disappearing as it turns the surroundings black. He opens his eyes and he’s back in his chamber, standing in front of his crystal ball, which was smoky at the moment. It clears after some time, now showing Sawamura turning in his sleep.

The spell took a toll on his magic and he’s sufficiently drained. It’s only then that he realized that he didn’t get the information he sought at the first place. He groans at his own foolishness, but he’s quite half-hearted about it.

After all, it just means that he’ll get to meet Sawamura in his dreams again.

#haikyuu!!#kurodai #kuroo tetsurou #sawamura daichi #kurodaiweekend #haikyuu #hq fanfic

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