Kageyama Tobio will kill Hinata Shouyou.

At least, that's what's supposed to happen.

Or, Kageyama and Oikawa are assassins that can't do their job right.

"Your target is Hinata Shouyou," the administrator says. Kageyama nods at him, keeping his face carefully blank, and ignores the tiny pang of wrong that he feels in his chest at the name. A why is at the tip of his tongue, as it always is, but it isn't his place to ask. He nods stiffly and rises from the hard chair, turning towards the door.

They aren't going to give him any other information, that much he knows. The meeting was two minutes at the most, as it usually was, and Kageyama left the room with more questions than answers.

Such was the life of an assassin, he supposed.

For some reason, Kageyama is angry today. He's not entirely sure why, but he has a strange urge to punch something.

That tiny sense of wrongness hasn't gone away.

He's probably just frustrated. In his line of work, he's surprised he doesn't feel like this everyday.

Being an assassin is... stressful.

Oikawa is waiting for him outside, with his arms folded across his chest and a smirk on his face. The hallway is fairly busy today, and Kageyama doesn't wait for Oikawa, surging out into the crowd and ignoring the scathing looks he gets from other assassin students.

Of course, Oikawa follows him.

"Tobio! Did you get a new assignment?" the older boy says cheerily, weaving his way through the crowd to fall into step directly behind Kageyama. The younger boy ignores him (as usual), glaring at him out of the corner of his eye. Oikawa isn't intimidated, and puts a little bounce in his step. "Is that a yes? I'm not going to leave you alone until you tell me, you know."

Kageyama grunts at him and keeps walking, stomping past the cafeteria and ignoring the surprised looks he's getting—well, it's more that they're both getting—Oikawa Tooru and Kageyama Tobio are the two highest ranked assassins in the organization (Oikawa is first, a position that he seems to brag about daily), and it was a bit… odd to see them together without fighting. Kageyama was constantly challenging Oikawa, but so far he had been unable to defeat the older boy.

"Kageyama… oi, Kageyama! Kageyama! KA. GE. YAM—"

Kageyama spins around and throws a punch at Oikawa's face. Oikawa catches it, as expected, but at least it shuts him up… if only for a split second.

Oikawa scrunches his nose and huffs, staring at Kageyama's fist in his hand.

"Someone's in a bad mood," he says lightly, completely unaffected by Kageyama's attempt to break his nose. Kageyama hisses in frustration and yanks his hand out of Oikawa's grip.

"Go away," he snarls, and lashes out with a kick aimed to swipe Oikawa's legs out from under him. Oikawa leaps over them easily and shoots forwards, fist flying. Kageyama is forced to step to the side to avoid the hit. Oikawa misses him, and his eyes go wide as Kageyama throws another punch, this time aimed for the older boy's stomach.

Kageyama knows the hit won't land, but it was worth a try, at least. Sure enough, Oikawa catches his balance almost inhumanly fast and backflips out of the way, landing on one knee with his arms outstretched. When he lifts his head, there's a dangerous glint in his eyes.

By now, students in the hallway are starting to give them a wider berth. Kageyama and Oikawa's fights are supposedly legendary, but no one wants to be around when they occur. Kageyama glares in Oikawa' direction as the other assassin rises onto both feet.

"What's got you so riled up, Tobio?" Oikawa asks, holding his hands at his sides placatingly. "Attacking me out of the blue like this is weird, even for you."

Kageyama ignores the question and reaches into the small pouch at his side for a handful of throwing knives. Without a second thought he launches them into the air, and Oikawa dives around them, charging Kageyama fearlessly. Kageyama swears, digging into his pouch again for another knife, but Oikawa reaches him before he can get a good grasp on a weapon, and he's forced to match Oikawa's furious hand-to-hand moves with his own.

Oikawa's every movement is perfect. Not a sliver of motion is wasted-he only moves when he has to, no more, and no less. He fluidly switches from one set of offense to another, flowing through different fighting forms like he's dancing. His skills are perfectly honed through years of practice, smooth and precise.

This is why Kageyama will lose to him, every time. His own skills are extremely high-nearly equal to Oikawa's, and definitely higher than anyone else in the organization. He's second best for a reason, after all.

But, try as he might, he can't match the easy, stunningly perfect way that Oikawa moves (yet).

It's infuriating.

Kageyama narrows his eyes and makes an attempt to concentrate on the fight. He's incredibly angry (for some reason, he still doesn't know what possessed him to attack Oikawa here) but he's absolutely furious, and his anger is making him reckless, slow to react. He knows Oikawa notices, because his eyes narrow, and suddenly he's way too close—!

Oikawa places both of his hands on Kageyama's chest and shoves, sending the younger boy tumbling onto the floor.

Kageyama has lost. The second Oikawa placed his hands on Kageyama's chest, it was been over. If that had been for real, he would have been killed.

Oikawa stands over him, and offers a hand. Kageyama shoves it aside with an irritated growl and stands on his own, but Oikawa isn't bothered by it. Kageyama attempts to brush past him, but Oikawa stops him with a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Tobio… are you feeling alright? You don't usually go down that easily."

Kageyama had expected the words to be accompanied by a smirk, but when he looks up, Oikawa's face is sincere. He isn't worried… that's not the right word for it, but some sort of emotion flashes across his face for a brief moment too fast for Kageyama to identify before it is quickly shoved back under Oikawa's invisible mask.

"Tobio."

Kageyama suddenly realizes that he's been staring at Oikawa's left ear for the past thirty seconds, lost in thought, and jerks in surprise.

This isn't like him at all. He never zones out, and he can tell the older assassin is thinking the same thing.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Oikawa asks, and Kageyama looks away from his searching gaze petulantly.

No, he doesn't want to talk about it. He doesn't really know what's wrong, really, either. He is still simmering with anger-at who, he's not entirely sure… at Oikawa, at the administrators, at himself-

He still can't shake that feeling of wrongness from earlier.

He's never had a problem with this before. He has always been loyal, effective, and lethal. Kageyama doesn't have "second thoughts".

But for some reason… some strange, unknown reason-the very name of his target, the name of the next person he is assigned to kill-fills him with dread, and unexplainable anger.

Kageyama, for some reason, does not want to kill Hinata Shouyou.

But it's not like he has a choice in the matter.

Karasuno High School isn't as big as other schools Kageyama has been to, but it's nothing to sneeze at, either. The grounds are nice enough; he can appreciate that.

It had been easy to get enrolled. From the information Kageyama has gathered about his target, they are approximately the same age (something that wouldn't normally bother him, but it does this time), so he hadn't even needed to fake his birthday. That was a nice change.

Kageyama walks into the classroom and sits down onto the first chair that he sees is open. He's almost twenty minutes early, but that's intentional—he wants to scope out the class, and identify potential… problems.

The first students start trickling in about fifteen minutes before class starts. Kageyama observes, but he doesn't make any attempt to interact with them. He isn't here to make friends.

More people flood into the room when there are five minutes left, and Kageyama is glaring at a girl who had stared at him for a bit too long so intently that he almost doesn't notice the tall blond boy who is staring down at him.

Almost.

Kageyama slowly looks up to meet the giant's scathing gaze. He supposes it would be intimidating if he was anyone else, but Kageyama has taken down people much scarier than this ill-tempered blondie. He's only a little bit taller than Kageyama, anyway.

"You're in my seat," blondie says tonelessly, but there's a fierce glint in his eyes as he speaks.

Kageyama still isn't impressed.

"I don't see your name on it," he grunts out, speaking for the first time since he's arrived. "So I'm pretty sure it's fair game."

Blondie actually growls at him, and his glasses glint as he turns his head to regard Kageyama with contempt.

Kageyama lifts an eyebrow at him and does not move.

If anything, this makes blondie even more furious. For a split second, he slips, and Kageyama sees rage flash across his features before his cool and uninterested expression returns.

Interesting.

Kageyama believes that this kid would make a good assassin, if he were to be trained properly. He's remarkably good at hiding his emotions already, and it would be simple for him to learn the last few tricks he needs to become seemingly completely emotionless.

But he isn't here to recruit, so he simply stares up at the taller boy, keeping a look of unentertained boredom on his face.

"Tsukki!"

Blondie flinches at the name, and Kageyama turns his head to see another boy approach and latch onto Blondie's (Tsukki?) arm.

"Stop intimidating the new student, idiot," the new boy scolds, although there isn't any real bite to his words. He has a kind smile, and after dragging Tsukki back several feet, he extends his hand out for a handshake. Kageyama, after a moment's hesitation, does so.

"I'm Yamaguchi Tadashi," he introduces himself. Kageyama nods at him politely, ignoring the way Blondie scoffs at them.

"I'm—" he starts to say, and freezes.

There's a head of vibrant orange hair just out of the corner of Kageyama's eye.

Hinata Shouyou.

He prances into the class like he's on cloud nine, grinning and with a spring in his step. Kageyama stares at him for a long moment, and wonders what he's done to anger an organization of assassins.

"Um…" someone says behind him, and Kageyama suddenly remembers that Yamaguchi is still standing behind him, waiting for his name.

"Ah—Kageyama," he says, and then freezes again.

He's not suppose to give out his real name, but it had slipped out—a momentary lapse in concentration.

Yamaguchi smiles at him, oblivious to the panic that is racing through Kageyama's veins.

"Nice to meet you, Kageyama. Where are you from?"

Kageyama doesn't want to talk to him right now, but he doesn't really have a choice. Hinata has plopped down into a seat on the opposite side of the class, and the teacher has finally sauntered in. It would look suspicious if Kageyama were to move now.

He swears inwardly.

All he wants to do is talk to Hinata. He needs to find out more about his target if he's going to do anything, but the teacher is standing now, beginning the class.

He grits his teeth in annoyance as Yamaguchi drags Blondie away to seats a few rows behind him.

It isn't the end of the world. Kageyama hasn't been given a time limit, so he can take all the time he wants-however, Kageyama has never been known for his patience.

With an annoyed huff, he slouches in his seat and prepares for the torture that is known as school.

By the time classes end, Kageyama is ready to rip his own hair out.

He hasn't been in a normal school for years, and it's so. Incredibly. Boring.

The school he's attended for the past several years (the assassin one) has days consisting of firearms, combat, and physical training. To sit in a tiny classroom for hours all day is pure torture. He wonders how normal people his age put up with it.

But it doesn't matter now, because school is finally over. The second the bell rings to signify the end of the school day, Hinata moves, or rather flies, bolting out of his seat and dashing towards the door in a streak of orange. Kageyama stares after him for a moment before he moves, too, brushing past Tsukishima on his way out.

He can't run after the other boy, because that would look slightly suspicious, but he does keep Hinata in the corner of his eyes as he follows him around corners, down a set of stairs, and finally out into the open air.

Most students are flooding towards the school gates on their way home, and Kageyama expects Hinata to go that way, but instead, the smaller boy dashes in the completely opposite direction, weaving through the crowd with ease. Kageyama moves to follow him again, frowning in confusion, and curses softly when Hinata disappears from sight.

He'll need to remember this when he's ready to make the kill—Hinata can disappear easily, and without even trying, because of his size.

Not that Kageyama's worried about it, though.

(He's still ignoring the fact that he doesn't want to kill Hinata, and pretending that everything is fine-that he's on a normal job. He wonders how long he can get away with it before it starts to affect him.)

Kageyama glowers at the students around him and stomps through the crowd in frustration. He doesn't care that he's making a scene—in fact, he couldn't care less, actually. After a few minutes of shoving his way against the flow of the crowd, he's finally out in the open again—

But Hinata is nowhere in sight.

He swears again, out loud and more violently this time.

"Whoa," someone says from behind him, and Kageyama whirls around.

There's a boy standing behind him, with silver hair and a tiny mole by his right eye. He has a duffle bag slung over his shoulder, and there's a pleasant smile on his face.

"That didn't sound too good. Everything alright?"

Kageyama blinks at him in confusion for a moment, and the boy's eyes widen. He lets out a tiny laugh and extends his hand.

"Oh, sorry! I'm Sugawara Koushi, a third year. You can call me Suga, if you want. It's nice to meet you…?" he trails off with a hopeful smile, and Kageyama sighs, shaking his hand.

"Kageyama Tobio," he bites out. He's already given out his true name once, and it's too late to change it now.

"Nice to meet you, Kageyama. Now, can I ask about the explosive swearing? You're new, right? Are you lost?"

Kageyama shifts awkwardly. He needs an excuse, and blurts out the first thing that comes to mind-

"Bathroom."

Suga blinks at him.

"Oh," he says. "Well, there's one where I'm headed, if you'd like to join me? It's a lot closer than any of the other ones."

Kageyama inwardly sighs. He's lost Hinata for sure now, so he nods and follows Suga towards a large gym with the doors slightly propped open.

Suga pauses outside the door.

"The bathroom is to your left, in the changing room," he says with a friendly smile. Kageyama nods, and then, because manners are important even when you're an assassin, bows.

"Thank you," he mutters, and Suga grins.

"No worries. You're new, right? If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

Kageyama shakes his head as he heads down the hallway to the bathroom. He's going to be staying away from Suga at all costs, after this.

He opens the door to the locker room and is immediately slammed into by something small and orange.

Hinata Shouyou lets out a startled squeak as he stumbles backwards. The impact barely even shifts Kageyama, but Hinata nearly loses his balance, only just catching his footing in time to avoid a rough collision with the wall. He groans and shakes his head, and Kageyama's eyes widen at the way his hair seems to fluff out even more at the motion.

"Ow, Tanaka! That—"

He freezes when he looks up and realizes that Kageyama is definitely not Tanaka (whoever that is).

Hinata's mouth falls open dramatically, and he points at Kageyama firmly.

"Who are you?" he demands. Kageyama frowns at him.

"Kageyama Tobio," he says (again repressing a hiss of displeasure at having to use his real name). And then, just to be sure, he replies, "And who are you?"

He already knows, of course, but it's always better to check before you strike.

Hinata draws himself up and jabs a thumb at himself proudly.

"Hinata Shouyou," he announces with a grin. "The ultimate decoy and soon-to-be ace of Karasuno!"

Kageyama blinks in confusion at the unfamiliar terms, and Hinata must catch his confused look because his smile fades.

"You… don't know what I'm talking about, do you."

"No," Kageyama confirms slowly, and watches as Hinata deflates.

"Oh," the tiny boy says.

Kageyama suddenly realizes that they're still alone in the locker room. He could strike, right here and right now, and be done with the job on the first day.

It would certainly save him a lot of trouble, and get him plenty of praise from the higher-ups back at the organization.

(Never mind that he doesn't want to. He's going to have to get over this feeling eventually anyway, so he might as well crush it before it starts to get in his way.)

The knife handle is cold against his hand. He narrows his eyes as he feels the familiar weight in his palm. Hinata is still standing in front of him, chattering about something anxiously (volleyball?) and Kageyama can see at least twelve spots where he could drive the knife home and finish this before Hinata could even scream.

"...and so we're definitely going to win! Hey... wait a second."

Kageyama blinks as Hinata suddenly goes completely still, and all of a sudden there's a surprisingly dangerous gleam in his eyes. It's unsettling, and Kageyama's grip on the knife loosens for a moment before he clenches his fist around it again.

Hinata steps closer, and despite his small size, Kageyama shivers at the ferocious glare Hinata is sending him.

"What are you doing here? I haven't seen you around before… you're not from another team, are you? Spying on us?" Hinata's voice has suddenly gone deadly serious, and Kageyama sighs inwardly. He's been found out.

It's time to act.

He's literally in the process of pulling the knife into open air when suddenly the door opens behind him, and more voices fill the locker room.

"Hey, hey, hey, Hinata!"

"Heyooooo, Hinata!"

Kageyama slips the knife back into it's hiding spot in his pocket and spits out a whispered curse, turning to face the newcomers.

"Tanaka, Noya!" Hinata cheers, racing to exchange a series of high-fives with the two arrivals. One is shorter than Hinata himself, and the other is taller than them both, about the same height as Kageyama and nearly bald.

He frowns. Interacting with others wasn't ever part of his plan. All it was going to do was make his job ten times more difficult than usual.

He waits impatiently for them to finish their loud banter, and the shortest one is first to notice that he's standing there, suddenly rounding on him with a suspicious look in his eyes.

"Who're you?" he asks bluntly, stepping forwards and glaring at Kageyama suspiciously. "You aren't from another team, are you? Because we had to chase away one of those last week, and I'm perfectly willing to tackle you to the floor, too."

Baldy grins and pounds his hand with his fist enthusiastically in agreement. Kageyama glares at both of them.

"For your information, I do go here," he says to them haughtily. "I'm new. And I was just looking for a bathroom, so I'll be leaving now."

He moves to brush past them both and scowls when the two block the door.

"Yeah, yeah, a likely story!" Baldy crows, making a strange face at Kageyama that makes him look somewhere in between constipated and insane (he thinks it's suppose to be a leer, but he's not completely sure). "We've heard it all before!"

Kageyama is honestly weighing the pros and cons of just killing all three of them right here and now (Hinata has been strangely silent throughout this whole ordeal, staring at him quizzically) when he hears yet another voice approaching, this one familiar. The door behind Shorty and Baldy opens.

"Hey, guys! Are you ready for—" Suga begins to say cheerily, but he cuts himself off with a frown when he sees the leering (?) faces of the other boys, staring down Kageyama angrily.

"Oi, Noya, Tanaka! What are you two doing?" Suga snaps out, and Kageyama chokes down a laugh at the way they both jump to attention.

"Oh… uh, Suga—" Noya starts to say sheepishly, turning to face the silver-haired boy, and he and Tanaka yelp when Suga pounces on them, dragging them away from Kageyama.

"Sorry," Suga apologizes over the sounds of their complaints. "They're a bit of a handful, but for the most part they're harmless."

Kageyama ignores the offended squawks from Suga's captives and shakes his head. Neither of them would have been able to do anything to him even if they tried. He hadn't been worried about that.

"Are you really a new student?" Hinata suddenly asks, and Kageyama blinks at him.

"Yes," he says. "I'm in most of your classes, actually."

Hinata's eyes widen.

"You noticed me, and I didn't notice you?" He looks absolutely mortified, and Kageyama keeps his face carefully blank.

You wouldn't be so offended if you knew why I was here.

But of course, he doesn't say that out loud.

"You're kind of hard to miss, with that color of hair," he grunts out instead, but Hinata still looks horrified.

"I'm sorry!" he says, bowing slightly (Kageyama could have stabbed him in the neck, just then, but there were too many witnesses around). "I can't believe that I didn't notice a new teammate on his first day!"

Kageyama's eyes widen in surprise, and suddenly the gazes of the other three boys are on him, as well.

"Teammate?" he says in confusion, and Hinata nods at him enthusiastically.

"Yep, teammates!" he declares again. "For the volleyball team! I mean… that's why you're here, right?"

Kageyama freezes underneath Hinata's gaze.

His eyes are so bright. It's like looking into a pair of twin suns.

(Kageyama Tobio doesn't want to kill Hinata Shouyou.

Even more so now that he's actually seen him in person.

But he's going to have to get over it, eventually. He can't fail a job, or he'll lose his spot as second best in the organization, and Oikawa will tease him for months.)

"Is that true, Kageyama?" Suga asks, and Kageyama sees an opportunity and runs with it.

"Uh-yes, it is," he admits (lies) quietly. "I was planning on trying out, actually, but I didn't know this was where you practiced… or that you were on the team, Suga. That was just a coincidence. I was actually looking for a bathroom."

Kageyama knows the general rules of volleyball, and he's fairly certain that it won't be that hard to figure out. He's not particularly worried about it.

Suga's smile is blindingly bright, but still not as bright as Hinata's.

"Awesome!" the ginger shouts, bouncing up and down in excitement. Suga tilts his head to the side.

"Yeah, that's fantastic, but Hinata… practice starts in…" he checks his watch, "three and a half minutes. Everyone else is already out there, shouldn't you get changed? Daichi won't be too happy if you're late." He releases Noya and Tanaka, and nods to them as well. "You too, guys, I'd hurry up if I were you."

They all freeze in horror for a second, and a shiver runs through the room.

Kageyama wonders how terrifying this "Daichi" must be and hopes that he won't be forced to kill him.

The three teammates dive into action, and clothes go flying. Suga grins at Kageyama.

"Well then! Wanna show us what you can do?"

Kageyama can do nothing but nod in agreement.

He's introduced to the rest of the team, the manager, and the two coaches quickly. Kageyama instantly memorizes their names and faces, and gives each player a quick once-over. He's a bit dismayed by the presence of Tsukishima, and the blond seems similarly annoyed. Other than that, none of them seem particularly threatening (well, Asahi had seemed at bit intimidating at first glance, but Kageyama had taken one quick look at his body language and immediately determined him to be harmless), and for that Kageyama was grateful. He can simply focus on killing Hinata, now.

(Why doesn't he want to kill Hinata? Kageyama isn't even so sure that he knows why himself.

It's sort of a gut feeling, something he can't explain without sounding completely crazy. He's felt it ever since the first time he was told Hinata's name.

He still doesn't understand it, though.)

Joining the volleyball team will give Kageyama many more opportunities to make his move. He's determined to get in, because every minute he spends in close proximity to the ginger is another minute to plan the kill, to decide on a method, to get over the stupid voices in his head that are telling him not to go through with it.

He'll complete his job.

He has to.

...eventually.

Coach Ukai gives Kageyama his own once-over, and Kageyama stays completely still under his scrutiny. Finally, Ukai nods.

"You're tall, but do you have the skill?"

Kageyama shrugs. He doesn't know, but he bets that he can figure it out.

Ukai sighs.

"Fine, then. Daichi, Suga, come and help me over here! The rest of you, get started on your warmups!"

There's a smattering of groans from the rest of the team as they leave the gym-to go on a short run, Kageyama assumes-and Suga approaches him, with Daichi a few steps behind. Daichi, as Kageyama has found out, is the team's captain, and he seems lighthearted enough. However, Kageyama doubts that the captain can afford to be friendly all the time, especially with spitfires like Nishinoya and Tanaka on the team.

Luckily, he hasn't seen the other side of Daichi yet, but he'll keep an eye out for it, just in case.

"Alright, first, let's see how well you can receive a ball," Ukai instructs, nodding to Daichi meaningfully. "This is just for me to take a quick assessment of your basic skills, so don't feel too pressured about it, alright?"

Kageyama nods curtly and prepares himself as Daichi fetches a volleyball from the cart. He knows what the proper receiving form is, and clasps his hands together with his arms straight out in front of him. Daichi nods in approval before he throws the ball forwards.

Kageyama watches it come closer, and suddenly realizes how much the world has slowed down around him.

Well, not really. Kageyama knows that it's just his own comprehending ability that's increased, the ball hasn't changed speeds at all. His mind is racing, anticipating where the ball is going to be, the best way to get to it, how quickly it's spinning-

It's actually remarkably similar to how Kageyama reacts when he's under attack. His brain kicks into a higher gear, trained to be able to take in as much information in as little time as possible.

He hadn't anticipated it coming in handy during volleyball, of all things, but he's not complaining.

The ball is easy to receive, and Kageyama sends it back to Daichi with perfect accuracy. Daichi doesn't seem that surprised (it hadn't been that difficult of a throw) and receives it back to Kageyama again.

They get a volley going, and Daichi steadily increases the speed and spin on each ball. Kageyama keeps up decently well, until Daichi starts giving him balls that he's forced to dive for. His limbs are just too long, and get in the way each time he attempts to dive along the floor. By sheer luck he manages to return one of them, but it's not on target and Daichi is forced to dive forwards to prevent it from hitting the ground.

Ukai stops them after that, stepping in between them and catching the ball as it flies past his head. He nods, and Kageyama sees a glint of approval in his eyes.

"You're no libero, but you can receive, I'll give you that."

Kageyama blinks at him, unsure if he should reply or not, but before he can say anything Ukai is turning to Suga.

"Toss to him for a bit. I wanna see if he can spike."

Being tossed to is a bit awkward at first. He misses the first few balls that Suga sends him, and growls in frustration. Suga sends him a soft smile.

"Don't mind, don't mind," he says in English (which, for a moment, really confuses Kageyama, since he actually can speak English). "Spiking's not for everyone."

Kageyama huffs angrily.

"One more," he says firmly, and Suga's grin widens.

"Of course," he replies. Ukai throws him the ball, and Kageyama races for the net.

It's taken a few minutes, but he thinks he's gotten a feel for where Suga's tosses go. He isn't a bad setter, on the contrary, he's quick to adjust and plenty fast. Kageyama leaps into the air, and this time, he feels the world around him slow again.

Now he'll get it.

He sees the ball, and sees the other side of the net. He knows where his hand needs to strike, and even though there aren't any blockers, Kageyama can clearly visualize them in front of him, with their arms outstretched.

He sees the opening, and brings his hand crashing down.

It isn't a perfect spike, not by a long shot. His form is messy, and the ball probably would have gone straight to one of the receivers.

But there was plenty of potential. Kageyama lifts up his hand and stares at it for a moment. It's bright pink, from the incredible force he had hit the ball with.

He blinks, and suddenly his hand isn't pink, it's red.

Crimson red.

Bloody.

His breath catches in his throat, and he blinks again.

Pink.

"Nice kill, Kageyama!" Suga compliments him, and he completely misses the way Kageyama shudders when his name is called. "Do you want to do another one?"

Kageyama looks back at his hand warily, and when it stays the same, glances up to Suga.

"Yes," he says.

(Kageyama doesn't understand why this is happening. He's never been bothered by his body count before.

Maybe Hinata has something to do with it.)

They continue to practice, and Kageyama's getting better with each one. He's not bad at all at spiking, just as he wasn't bad at receiving, but it just… doesn't feel right.

Something is missing.

He's still trying to figure out what it is when the rest of the team returns from their run, sweaty and out of breath. Ukai gives them a few minutes before he claps his hands, beckoning for them to form a circle around him. They do, and suddenly Kageyama realizes that Hinata has somehow wriggled his way through the group to sit directly next to him.

His fingers twitch for a weapon automatically, and he ignores the sensation.

Ukai divides everyone up for individual practices. The team separates smoothly, and Kageyama watches as different drills for receiving, serving, and blocking form in different sections of the gym.

Suddenly he realizes that he's standing alone in front of Ukai.

"Just watch for a minute, alright?" the man says. "See if you can pick up anything from the others."

Kageyama nods once, because it's not like he can say no.

He takes to the sidelines and watches as the spikers practice (not just because of Hinata, he attempts to convince himself, but because he wants to get better at it) and observes them quietly for a moment. Suga is tossing, and for the most part, Kageyama can see that they aren't bad at all. The second years show plenty of potential, especially Tanaka, and Asahi's powerballs impact with the floor with twice the amount of force as the usual spikes do.

However, every time Hinata spikes, Kageyama sees… something wrong.

It's extremely subtle, so it takes him a few minutes to realize that Hinata is holding back. He isn't moving quite as fast as Kageyama senses that he can, not using his speed to his full potential.

It annoys him, for some reason.

He stands up, takes a deep breath, and calls to Suga.

"May I try setting?" he asks politely, proud at the pleasant tone that escapes from his mouth. Suga halts in surprise and looks to Ukai. The man shrugs and extends a hand in a gesture that clearly says, "Go for it," and Suga nods.

"Of course!" he says. "Good luck!"

Kageyama positions himself in the proper places and prepares himself.

He had timed his entry right so that Hinata was the first one up to spike his toss, and the second Ukai throws him the ball, he sees it again.

Hesitation.

He doesn't wait, and instead tosses the ball the instant it's in his hands, as fast as possible. It rockets across the court, and Hinata isn't even at the top of his jump when it goes past him. He does take a frantic swipe at it with his hand, but it might as well have been miles off target.

The ball bounces off of the wall and falls to the floor dejectedly, and Hinata turns and looks at him.

It's intense. Hinata isn't frowning, but his eyes are wide, and there's a glint in them that Kageyama recognizes-determination, and recognition.

"Don't hesitate," Kageyama says to Hinata quietly. Hinata flinches as if he's been struck, and his intense stare disappears. In it's place is shock, and just a tiny bit of awe.

"You're fast," Kageyama says. "You could have hit that, right?"

Hinata bristles, like a tiny porcupine.

"Of course!" he says indignantly. "I can hit anything!"

Kageyama leans in closer to him.

"Then prove it."

Hinata hisses, and stomps back to the end of the line.

Kageyama uses the next few team members in line to get the hang of setting. It's feels oddly… natural to him. He sends up ball after ball, and over and over again the spiker's hands connect, sending the ball smashing into the court on the other side of the net.

It is extremely satisfying.

Setting just feels right.

Hinata is up next, and when Ukai throws him the ball, Kageyama can instantly see the difference in Hinata's approach. He streaks forwards, and he hears the other spikers gasp at the speed. They mutter that it's too fast, that Kageyama won't be able to make the toss.

Kageyama smirks, and the world slows down.

Hinata's feet leave the ground, and Kageyama's hands touch the ball.

Here. Here is where it's most important that Kageyama pays attention, because if he's off by even an inch, Hinata won't be able to connect with the ball. His eyes zero in on his target area-right where Hinata's hand will be.

It's not that much different than aiming when he's throwing a knife, actually, but Kageyama is pretending like that has nothing to do with it.

He makes the toss.

It's on target, and Hinata is soaring now. The ball gets closer and closer, and Kageyama can feel it, everything is going to-

Wait.

Hinata's eyes are wide open.

He's watching the ball intently, like it's the only enemy he's ever known, and he swings.

He misses.

The ball goes flying past him, and hits the wall just as it did before.

Kageyama can't help it, he groans.

So close!

Hinata's eyes are wide, and he looks confused.

"Why… why didn't it…" he says, trailing off, and Kageyama doesn't have an answer for him.

Suddenly, he realizes that the whole gym is frozen, and everyone is staring at them.

"What was that?" Ukai suddenly demands, and Kageyama shrugs at him. Ukai shakes his head. "No, don't shrug your shoulders at me. You've got natural talent at this, so what did you just do?"

Kageyama inclines his head.

"Hinata's fast. I was trying to utilize his speed, but I don't know why it didn't work."

Ukai stares at him for a long moment with his eyes narrowed.

"Hinata," he suddenly barks, and Hinata jumps.

"Yes!" he squeaks, and Ukai turns to him.

"Do that again," he says. "But this time, don't look at the ball."

Hinata, and the other spikers who have gathered around, all make various noises of disbelief and protest, but Ukai brushes them off.

"Kageyama has been pinpointing the exact place where your hand will swipe, and tossing the ball to that exact spot," he says. Kageyama is impressed that he was able to tell; Ukai seems to be more observant than he first realized.

He stows that information away for later.

The spikers are staring at him in awe, and Kageyama shifts uncomfortably underneath their stares. Hinata is readying himself for another attempt, and when Kageyama looks towards him, their eyes meet for a split second.

Ukai throws the ball, and Hinata darts forwards.

Kageyama tosses him the ball, and this time, Hinata's eyes are squeezed closed. Kageyama is surprised, because that means that Hinata is giving Kageyama his complete trust.

Kageyama would never do that for anyone. He ignores the tiny little twinge of jealousy that he feels in his chest, because at least Hinata has the choice to give others his trust. If Kageyama made the mistake of trusting anyone from the organization, he'd probably end up dead.

But, Hinata isn't looking, and his hand connects solidly with the ball. There's a satisfying thwack that fills the entire gym as it slams into the floor on the opposite side of the net.

The gym is silent.

Hinata, not surprisingly, is the first to break it.

"WHOOOOOAAA!" he cheers, leaping into the air in excitement. "That was incredible, Kageyama! You were just all, pwaa, and then bam! But then it was all gwaah—!"

Kageyama blinks as he attempts to decipher Hinata's excited babbling, and eventually decides that it's hopeless. The rest of the team is in awe as well, eyes wide and incredulous expressions on their faces.

"Did you see that?"

"How did they—"

"So fast!"

"Hinata, Kageyama," Ukai calls, and Kageyama turns to see that the coach has a confident smirk on his face. "You think you can repeat that?"

"Of course," Kageyama says, almost offended, and Hinata chimes in positively as well, hopping up and down in place from excitement again.

Ukai chuckles.

"Good," he says. "Because if we can utilize this in a match… we'll be unstoppable."

Kageyama believes him.

(He doesn't forget that he's suppose to kill Hinata—how could he? But he's still putting it off, and now that he's seen the life in that tiny body of his-

No. Hinata Shouyou will die. Those are his orders. Kageyama is determined to get past this, this stupid mentality of his.

He will kill Hinata Shouyou.

Just… not today.)

He has to report in daily, after he returns to the small safehouse that the organization has set up for him in one of the neighborhoods by Karasuno High School. It's the first thing he does when he gets there, setting down his school bag and pulling out his cell phone.

"Report," the cold voice says as soon as he dials, and Kageyama lets out a breath.

"I made contact with the target, and took steps to place myself in the ideal position for the assassination. However, due to unforeseen activities, it may take a bit of time for the assignment to be completed."

He says it in the most toneless voice possible, and for once, is grateful that the organization doesn't care for the fine details. He isn't required to add any more information than that.

"Very good," the voice says. "Keep in mind, agent, that although there currently isn't a time limit on this assignment, one could easily be put into place by the client if he or she sees it necessary. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Kageyama says respectfully.

"Excellent. We expect your next report tomorrow."

There is a click, and the line goes dead.

Kageyama sighs. This is getting ridiculous. He is required to kill Hinata. He's killed dozens of other people, so why is he having so much trouble with the thought process of killing this target?

It's pathetic. Kageyama is a better assassin than this, for Pete's sake. He's perfectly capable of blocking out his emotions in favor of following orders.

With a sigh, he rummages around for the "homework" that he's expected to do, in order to maintain his cover as a student.

Tomorrow, for sure, he'll be able to put aside his doubts.

He's sure of it.

A/N: Hello guys!

Yes, yes, I know I've been gone a while. Sorry! I needed a break after all the craziness Luthor's Assassin put me through! And I also had to catch up on like a billion shows and watch a and stuff...so. Yeah.

Behold! Another assassin AU! WHO WOULD HAVE GUESSED THAT MERIDIANPONY IS WRITING YET ANOTHER ONE?

And I have determined that Haikyuu! is possibly the most fabulous show ever.

So sorry if you don't even know what it is and notifications for it start showing up in your inboxes. Ah, well, it can't be helped. You should watch it, if you haven't, though. It's fantastic!

Anyway, updates on other stuff are coming. I'm finally getting back into the fanfiction-writing world after my break, and it feels spectacular! Do you see this chapter, guys? 7k words without an episode as a cheat-guid-thingy! I'm very pleased, if you couldn't tell.

I think I'm going to put this up on ao3, too? We'll see. I probably will. Haikyuu fanfics get more publicity on that site than they do here. I dunno why...

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and if you're waiting on other stuff to be updated, I'm nearly done with the next chapter of Owls in the Night, so bear with me a little longer! Sorry it's taken me so long! Please review, and give me any criticism you can! I want to improve myself as a writer, so hit me with your best shot!