A Leap of Faith

Shapeshifter!AU

Kageyama x Hinata

Rated T for animal violence and swearing.

Chapter 2: A King's Wish

The next day brought with it a snowstorm so fierce that not even Kageyama, with all his pig-headed stubbornness, dared to weather it. When the temperature in the den harshly dropped, everyone was forced to shift into their secondary animal forms and huddle up together in a haphazard dogpile in the middle of the largest room to keep themselves warm. Being the only two shapeshifters with fur, both Hinata and Kageyama formed the edges of the pile while all the crows bunched up between them.

It was chaotic in the beginning. Kageyama snapped at Hinata several times because the fox's bushy tail kept flicking into his face and making him sneeze, Hinata snarled back because Kageyama's own tail kept smacking him in retaliation, and Tanaka tried to claim superiority over his fellow crows by struggling his way to the top of the dogpile. There was much noise and confusion involved.

In the end, Daichi had to shift back into his human state and yell at them to "shut up and go to sleep, damn it, or so help me I will sit on all of you until you do!" The den was blissfully quiet after that. No one wanted to bring Daichi's wrath down upon their heads.

Kageyama cast a last, sleepy glance at the sight of his fellow shifters settling down to wait out the storm, and allowed himself to wonder if it was worth it. If he didn't earn his place here, would he be cast aside again? Even though Suga had said they wouldn't, Kageyama was no longer so open with his trust. That had nearly cost him his life last time. He wasn't keen on repeating that experience so soon.

He closed his eyes, willing himself to doze off before he could sink any deeper into his own head. Fragments of memories mixed with the ambiguity of dreams began to float across the surface of his mind.

There had been a time, once, when he had been wholly accepted by his pack. A time when Iwaizumi would grin and slap him across the back after bringing in a kill, when Oikawa would actually smile at him instead of smirking and taunting every time he lost a spar.

"Nice catch, Kageyama!" Kageyama might be dirty and scuffed up, but he would beam in the face of praise.

"Hey, I'm Kunimi Akira. Your name is Kageyama, right? Nice to meet you." That was when he first met Kunimi and one of the only times he'd ever see the other wolf smile at him, no lingering animosity or bottled hostility between them.

The memory faded away into wisps of mist, leaving Kageyama in the darkness. A bloody moon hung in the sky overhead, casting an eerie light over the scene. He saw himself lying pitifully in the snow as Kindaichi towered over him, his face warped with sheer loathing.

"You're a disgrace to all shapeshifters, so go rot in hell, King." Kindaichi's eyes glowed with an unholy light. Kageyama's red, red blood was splattered down the length of his jaw and neck.

Suddenly Daichi's face was superimposed over Kindaichi's, his eyes like deep, dark black holes boring into Kageyama's soul. "You're unreasonably bull-headed and disobedient, we don't need someone like you in our family." He reached out with a single feathery hand as if to slap the wolf across the face. Kageyama flinched back automatically.

Before Daichi's hand could make contact, a pale arm shot out of the darkness and gently turned him away. Kageyama found himself gazing into Suga's warm gray eyes. "We're not here to judge, shun, dismiss, or condemn you," he said, his voice echoing and bouncing off invisible walls, patience, resignation, understanding, and sorrow woven into its soft timbre.

As Suga's face faded away, a bright light flashed before his eyes, forcing him to close them. When he opened them again, he was sitting in a grassy field, surrounded by colorful wildflowers. The sun was pleasantly warm against his fur. Hinata and Tanaka were chasing each other around, laughing gaily and occasionally dragging the other crows into their little game. Suga and Daichi watched over them fondly from a distance.

Can I have that? Am I allowed to hope that I can have that? Kageyama watched and wondered, an outsider looking into a domestic scene. He was bruised and beaten and hurting, surely… surely he could hope that one day, he would be accepted.

The sky turned black in an instant, lightning and bloody rain falling down upon him. Bullets screamed through the air, the agonized cries of his brethren filling his head as the humans advanced through the forest. "Run, Tobio! Run!" He was a young and helpless pup when his birth pack was eradicated by humans, the beat of their war drums and the sounds of their death march mowing down and burning the only home he's ever known forever ingrained in his mind.

"Tobio, I know it hurts, but you must not cry. You must not show weakness, no matter what." It had been a struggle for his mother to raise him alone, as they were the only survivors of that tragedy.

"This is what loss is, Tobio. Remember it. Burn it into your memory. And become stronger, so that you will never lose again." Those were his father's last words before the world erupted into flames, the ashes of their home and the other wolves' bodies falling down around them, the blood of the shapeshifters staining the snow a deep, dark crimson color.

In the blink of an eye, Kageyama found himself watching in abject terror as the same fate befell the crows. And he could not, and would not, allow that to happen to the people who so graciously saved him from certain death.

Hinata's furious, but devastated face appeared in front of him, making him take an involuntary step back. "Kageyama," the fox shapeshifter choked out in a grief-stricken voice. "I hate you." That was all he said before he was swallowed up by the blaze that claimed his family's lives, leaving Kageyama alone.

Always and forever alone.

Kageyama jerked awake in the darkness of the den, tears trailing down his snout. Everyone else was fast asleep; all except one.

A lone gray eye blinked open, its owner reaching out and gently brushing away his tears with the tips of his white feathers. Suga uttered a soft, questioning croon.

Are you alright?

The wolf slowly shook his head.

I'm fine. Just a bad dream.

The white crow didn't seem convinced by his reply, because he began to quietly hum a soothing lullaby. Daichi made a noise next to him and unconsciously snuggled closer. Suga looked fondly exasperated by the action, but he didn't stop humming, and soon enough, Kageyama found himself drifting back off to sleep. This time there were no more dreams.

The snowstorm howled throughout the night, finally abating under the weak morning light of early dawn. The landscape gleamed pure and white, the ugly, gnarled gray tree trunks rising out of the snow like citadels of evil, their bare branches jutting up towards the sky. The evergreen bush covering the entrance to Hinata's den parted with a hiss as the little fox poked his head out to observe the state of the scenery.

He spied a large snowdrift not too far from him. It looked so soft and fluffy and inviting, a powdery pile of perfection that begged to be ruined. Well, Hinata was never one to pass up a good opportunity for fun. He took a flying leap out of the entrance, letting out a squeal as he sank so far into the snowdrift that his whole body disappeared from sight.

He burst out of the snow next to the giant pile, furiously shaking his fur free of the icy crystals. He heard a muffled snort and glared in the direction of the den, where he could see Kageyama casually slinking out. His charcoal-black fur stood out against the snow like night and day.

Hinata sat back on his haunches and watched him, his curiosity winning out over his pride for the moment.

The wolf was eyeing another snowdrift a little farther away. He coiled the powerful muscles in his legs, tensing for a brief second, before he jumped from his position. The snow at his feet exploded from the force of the leap, as did the snowdrift that was his target. Snow went everywhere, some of it flying far enough to hit Hinata and bury him a second time, much to his ire.

When he fought himself free, he glared at Kageyama, who was sitting in a ruined pile of snow, pretty as you please, with the biggest, smuggest smirk a wolf could make. I win, his eyes said.

Hinata blew him a raspberry. He then proceeded to hop all over the place, destroying smaller piles of snow and kicking some in Kageyama's direction. The wolf boredly flicked the assault attempts away with a nonchalant sweep of his tail. Hinata came to stop a few yards away, pouting at his inability to faze the other shapeshifter.

Several voices came from the den, alerting the two predators that the crows were coming outside.

Feeling mischievous, Hinata bounded over and used his bushy tail to launch a wave of snow in their direction. Ennoshita and Suga, who were at the front of the group, caught the brunt of it. Suga gracefully dodged, not a single strand of hair out of place. Ennoshita fell over spluttering.

"Hey, hey, don't involve us in this!" he protested, flailing upwards. Hinata rocked back on his hindquarters and let out a barking laugh.

"Aw, don't be such a partypooper, Ennoshita!" Tanaka said, bending low to the ground to scoop up a handful of snow. He packed it together between his hands. "Let's see you try to dodge this, Hinata!" He cocked his arm back and threw the snowball forward with all his might, pitching it towards the diminutive fox with the force of a cannonball.

Hinata burrowed under the snow just in time. The snowball exploded against a thick tree trunk behind him, leaving a sizable hole in the bark. The fox popped out a little farther away, shifting back to his humanoid form so that he could holler back, "You're on, Tanaka-san!" With a big, shit-eating grin taking up a good portion of his face, he squatted down to scoop up some snow.

The boisterous young crow turned to Kageyama where he still sat in his ruined snowdrift. "You too, Kageyama! I challenge you guys to a snowball fight!" he exclaimed, shaping another snowball with his hands.

Kageyama bared his teeth with a wolfish smile. It only took a second for him to switch to his humanoid form. "Challenge accepted," he said, a competitive gleam shining in his eyes.

As dense clumps of snow began to hurtle back and forth between the three shifters, Daichi sighed and shook his head ruefully. Honestly, he felt like he took care of a bunch of children sometimes.

"Don't forget that we came out here to look for food, you idiots," he groaned in exasperation.

"Now, now, let them have their fun," Suga placated soothingly, patting him lightly on one muscular arm. "Besides, it's the middle of winter. We won't be finding much anyway."

"Ah, Narita, Kinoshita, and I can go foraging while you guys stay here," Ennoshita offered. "Wouldn't want to get caught up in Tanaka's little three-way war over there."

"I heard that, Ennoshita!" A snowball came flying in their direction, but the thrower's aim was slightly off, and rather than hitting its intended target, it swerved and smacked Daichi straight in the face.

There was a moment of ominous silence as everyone froze in place. The partially-melted remains of the snowball seemed to slide off Daichi's face in slow motion, revealing his shadowed eyes and the downwards slant of his unsmiling mouth. When he looked up, he growled the guilty party's name darkly, enunciating each syllable with tightly-controlled rage, "Ta-na-ka…"

Tanaka blanched. "Run away!" he yelped, trying to make a fast getaway into the woods. Daichi advanced on him at an alarming rate, seeming to loom over the other shapeshifter even though they were roughly the same height.

Hinata fell backwards into another snowdrift, laughing loudly at Tanaka's panicked expression. However his laughter quickly turned into an indignant squawk when the snow perched precariously on the bare boughs above his head fell off and buried him. The fox launched himself out of the pile, landing near Kageyama's feet. He shook his head to get all the snow off, using his hands to pat white clumps from his unruly orange hair, his ears twitching in discomfort.

"What an idiot," Kageyama snorted, rolling his eyes as Hinata shook the snow out of his tail.

"What was that, you jerk?" Hinata snapped, glaring up at the larger shapeshifter. He hastily scooped up some snow and launched it right into Kageyama's face, making the wolf sputter at the impact. Hinata stuck his tongue out and flashed a victory sign to Suga. The pale crow watching them from the sidelines laughed.

When Kageyama wiped the last of the snow from his face, he turned his murderous gaze onto the little fox. Hinata squeaked in terror and tried to run away as fast as his shorter legs could carry him. The wolf pounced, making Hinata face-plant into the snow with a loud wail.

"Got you," Kageyama said, showing off his incredibly sharp teeth with a deadly smirk. He proceeded to mercilessly sling snow over Hinata's flailing form.

"Ack! Get off!" The fox rolled away from the assault, switching to his animal form in a flash and slapping Kageyama in the face with his tail hard enough to make the other shapeshifter rear back with a disgruntled look. Then the little fox darted away into the scraggly underbrush.

Kageyama snarled loudly, also changing back to his animal form, and chased after him. He wasn't going to let Hinata get away with that!

"Psst, Asahi. Wake up."

"..."

"Hey, Daichi-san and the others are back. Don't you want to see them? Hey, Asahi, answer me."

"..."

"Asahi. Wake up, you stupid overgrown furball!"

The great brown lump snoring away on a pile of dead leaves in the middle of the cave didn't so much as twitch at Nishinoya's kick, to his ire.

"Asahiii," Nishinoya huffed, annoyed. He proceeded to jump on the other shapeshifter's furry back and climb up to the top. Then he lightly slapped Asahi on the snout several times. "Wake up, damn it!"

Asahi let out a loud snort, but didn't wake up. Then he rolled over, making the smaller shapeshifter lose his footing and fall off. Nishinoya landed in the pile of leaves with a loud crunch.

Visibly irritated now, Nishinoya got to his feet and let the spines growing out of his back bristle outwards. He eyed Asahi's exposed flank. That should be good enough.

"Rolling… Thunder!" he shouted, taking a running leap and cannonballing into the other shapeshifter's side, making sure his spines pricked—but didn't pierce—the skin beneath all that fur.

Asahi grumbled at the unexpected assault and finally opened his eyes. He heaved himself up with a bit of effort, letting out a sleepy, questioning growl when he didn't sense any threat.

Nishinoya relaxed his spines. He swatted Asahi's nearest leg to get his attention. "Asahi, Daichi-san and the others are back! Let's go see them!" he said excitedly, pumping a fist into the air.

At his words, the bear perked up and nodded. He lumbered over to the entrance of the cave, which was neatly blocked off by a large boulder and some strategically placed vegetation. Nishinoya watched as the other shapeshifter pushed the boulder to the side with ease. He pouted for a moment. He could never do that, being the hedgehog shifter that he was.

But, he thought as he jumped onto Asahi's back, that was why they were hibernation buddies. In his animal form, he was small and fairly vulnerable, his spines being his only form of protection against wild, non-shifter predators. But nobody would dare to attack him while he was with Asahi, because they would risk a fully-grown bear's rage.

Asahi let the smaller shapeshifter cling to him without protest as he trooped outside into the frozen world of the woods.

The chilly air hit Nishinoya's exposed skin and he shivered. It was freezing out here! If it wasn't for his desire to see Daichi and Suga and all the other crows again, he would have stayed with Asahi in that nice warm den until spring. He switched to his animal form and burrowed into the thick fur around Asahi's neck, using his tiny claws to hold on. Asahi seemed to notice the change because he walked a little slower and made sure not to dislodge the hedgehog. Nishinoya was grateful for that.

It wasn't long before they heard the sound of a fox yipping in fright and the deep, menacing growl of an adult wolf. Nishinoya thought the fox sounded like Hinata. After all, there were very few of them living in this particular forest. If there was a wolf nearby, Hinata was probably in danger.

Asahi seemed to think so too, because he began to lope towards the noise at a faster pace than before, albeit still mindful of Nishinoya's precarious position against his neck.

Just through a small grove of bare brown trees not fifty feet from them, they saw a large black wolf leap into the air and tackle a small orange fox to the ground, the snow flying up around them. Hinata's squeal of surprise was muffled as he was buried beneath the icy flakes. All of Nishinoya's animal instincts immediately screamed threat. His friend was about to die!

He quickly returned to his humanoid form, yelling desperately, "Asahi!"

The bear shapeshifter roared furiously at the sight and began to rush towards the wolf. The meaty thud of his giant paws pounding against the snow almost made the ground quake from the force. They burst through the trees a moment later, Asahi poised to strike the other apex predator with his deadly claws.

"Get away from Hinata, you beast!" Nishinoya shouted.

The wolf saw them coming and instantly jumped backwards, a guarded look coming over its face. Good, it could tell that it was clearly outmatched. There was some other emotion lurking in its dark-blue eyes—curiosity, perhaps?

Hang on, since when did wolves have eyes that particular shade of blue? Was the wolf another shapeshifter? Nishinoya slid off Asahi's back and regarded the black wolf with a narrow, pointed gaze. Asahi was still bristling beside him, his teeth bared and claws unsheathed, but made no move to attack again with the other predator now away from his friend.

There was tension in the air as the wolf, the bear, and the hedgehog all stared at each other.

The silence was broken when the snow exploded upward and Hinata tumbled out in fox form, shaking his fur out. He looked up and saw Nishinoya first, joy lighting up his furry face. The spiny shapeshifter couldn't deny that both he and Asahi relaxed the moment they realized that Hinata was completely unharmed.

The fox switched to his human form, greeting them with uncontained enthusiasm, "Noya-san! Asahi-san!" He flew towards Asahi and jumped, clinging to the bear's furry belly with a huge grin. He rubbed his cheek against Asahi's fur contentedly. "I thought I wasn't going to see you guys until spring!"

Asahi let out a good-natured huff, one giant paw gently patting Hinata on the back of his auburn robe. Nishinoya puffed his chest out. "And miss seeing your squinty face all winter? You wish!" he said, putting his hands on his hips. He turned his head back to the wolf, which was passively sitting on its haunches and watching them with a neutral expression. "What's the deal with this thing anyway? Asahi and I saw it attack you, but you don't look any worse for wear."

Hinata let go of Asahi to explain, "That's Kageyama! He wasn't attacking me, we were actually having a snowball fight earlier! Then he was all gwahh and it was scary, so I had to go whoosh! And then you guys were all rawr out of nowhere, which was pretty cool, but you almost hurt Kageyama and that's not cool."

Nishinoya could swear he saw the wolf's nonexistent eyebrow twitch. In a second, the black wolf was replaced by a humanoid form with charcoal-black hair, dark-gray ears, and a long, swishy black tail. "What kind of idiot speak was that just now?" he asked, scowling. "Gwah and whoosh and rawr, what does that even mean?"

"Rude!" Hinata stuck his tongue out and threw snow at him. Kageyama dodged and retaliated with a crudely-shaped snowball.

Nishinoya watched the exchange with a smile. So this Kageyama was another shapeshifter, was he? The name sounded familiar, but where had he…

WAIT A MINUTE. Kageyama was a wolf. The King of Wolves?!

"No way!" he blurted out, unable to help himself.

Everyone gave him puzzled expressions, Hinata and Kageyama each holding a snowball ready to fly at a moment's notice.

"You, Kageyama! You're the King the Wolves, aren't you? What are you doing out here so far away from your pack? And why're you with Hinata? You better not be trying to lure him away, or I will make you regret it!" the spiny shapeshifter declared, pointing a single shaking finger at the aforementioned black wolf.

Kageyama flinched at the accusations and his whole body seemed to droop a bit, his ears flattening against his skull, his tail hanging limply behind him and no longer swishing. The snowball fell back down to join its brethren as his hands clenched into fists. Nishinoya instantly felt guilty. Both Hinata and Asahi gave him reproachful looks. How the hell did a bear manage to pull off such an admonishing expression anyway?

"Noya-san," Hinata began, looking somewhat upset, "Kageyama's pack betrayed him. He's… staying with us, now."

Way to make him feel like a monumental asshole. Nishinoya turned to Kageyama and dipped his head, saying loudly, "Sorry! I didn't mean it like that, I swear. I just wanted to make sure you weren't trying to hurt Hinata!"

The wolf shapeshifter muttered, "It's fine." His fists uncurled and now hung by his hips. He still stood apart from them, but he looked less like he wanted to disappear into the ground.

Hinata forgave him the moment he apologized. "Thanks, Noya-san!" he chirped, a sunny smile gracing his face again.

Nishinoya inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He looked around, "Now that I think about it, where's everyone else?"

"Oh! They're probably wondering where we are," Hinata said, wincing. He gave Kageyama a small glare. "This is your fault for chasing me all the way out here, you jerk."

"Hah?! Like hell it is, dumbass. You're the one who kept running away!" Kageyama snapped back, scowling darkly.

"Who wouldn't run with a mean, nasty wolf gunning for them?!" Hinata exclaimed, the fur on his tail bristling with indignation.

"Why, you—" Kageyama made a flying leap and tackled the fox into the snow again, completely forgetting about Asahi and Nishinoya. Hinata snarled at him. They began to tussle on the ground like children, snapping at each other and rolling around in a blur of fur and fangs.

The hedgehog shifter sighed. "We're going nowhere with this," he complained. He gazed up at the bear with a pleading gaze. "C'mon, Asahi, a little help here?"

Asahi nodded and transformed into his tall, scruffy humanoid form, draped with furs. He strode over to the two fighting shapeshifters, grabbing each one by the back of their clothes and hoisting them both into the air with ease. Both Hinata and Kageyama yelped at the sudden change in height, dangling comically from the bear shapeshifter's hands like ragdolls in the wind.

"Stop fighting, you two," Asahi scolded them. "We want to get a move on, alright?"

"Eheh, sorry, Asahi-san," Hinata said sheepishly, lifting one hand to the back of his head. Kageyama crossed his arms and grumbled. He hadn't been picked up and admonished like this since he had been a young pup; it was kind of embarrassing. This was all Hinata's fault, of course.

Asahi set them back on their feet. "Sorry, I shouldn't have picked you up without asking first," he apologized, his glass-hearted demeanor returning. It bewildered Kageyama to see the bear shapeshifter hunching into himself a little. Where was the fierce predator that had nearly taken his head off earlier?

"Let's go! I want to see Daichi-san and Suga-san!" Nishinoya declared, marching forward. He stopped after a few steps, shivering. He turned back to Asahi and jumped onto the other shapeshifter's back, clinging to him tightly.

"Noya," Asahi sighed, his muscular arms coming around to hold Nishinoya up so he didn't fall.

"What? I'm cold," Nishinoya said. "And you're warm, so deal with it."

"Fine, just don't poke me with your spines."

"I know, I know."

The four of them started trekking back to Hinata's den, following the trail of destruction Hinata and Kageyama had made during their chase. Both of them had switched back to their animal forms to keep themselves warm as they bounded across the snow. They occasionally flicked snow at each other, but managed to keep themselves from full-on fighting with Asahi there to act as a mediator.

It didn't take much longer for them to finally return to the den. Hinata yipped loudly when he didn't see anyone outside, coming to a halt outside the bushes hiding the entrance of his home from wandering eyes. The bushes rustled for a second, then a pale, feathery head popped out, letting out a questioning caw.

"Suga-san, we're back!" Hinata greeted him upon returning to his humanoid form. "Look! Asahi-san and Noya-san are awake!" He gestured to the bear and the hedgehog behind him.

The white crow let out a surprised squawk, and disappeared behind the bushes. Not three seconds later, a disorganized group of shapeshifters burst out from the entrance, Tanaka yelling, "Asahi! Noya! I can't believe you came to see us in the middle of hibernation season!"

"Surprise!" Nishinoya shouted back, sliding off Asahi's back to greet Tanaka with a hearty fist-bump.

"Asahi! Good to see you," Daichi said warmly, clapping the bear shapeshifter on the shoulder. "I'm surprised you're up and about right now. What's the occasion?"

"Noya wanted to visit you when you returned from your long journey south," Asahi explained, giving the two crow leaders a bashful smile. "I'm glad you two are looking healthy as well."

Suga returned his smile. "Noya's energetic as ever, I see," he said, glancing over to where Tanaka and Nishinoya were having an arm-wrestling match with Hinata and Ennoshita cheering them on. His smile faltered upon seeing Kageyama standing away from them, his arms crossed. He acted like an outsider looking in on an intimate scene.

Daichi and Asahi didn't miss the slight frown that briefly crossed the white crow's face. "Daichi, Suga, can you tell me what happened to him?" Asahi asked, his voice dropping quieter to avoid being overheard. "When we met Kageyama, we thought he was attacking Hinata, and I could have killed him when I attacked back. Hinata mentioned that he'd been betrayed?"

"We don't know all the details," Daichi said, scratching at his cheek absently. "Kageyama has been close-mouthed on the subject and I want to give him his privacy. It's his choice whether to tell us or not. But we believe his pack betrayed him. He gets anxious and uncertain whenever someone brings up his title. The night we found him, he was on the brink of death, and his injuries could have only been made by other wolves."

"He almost didn't make it," Suga whispered. "It was only thanks to Kiyoko's help and patience that he's even able to be here at all."

Asahi was horrified. "Oh god, I feel terrible for attacking him," he groaned, clutching at the furs laying over his chest. "I'm a bad person. He's probably scared of me now."

"Don't say that," Suga reassured their glass-hearted friend. "I'm sure Kageyama doesn't hold it against you."

"Besides," Daichi cut in, smiling and giving a single nod to the other group's direction, "Hinata's not going to let him be alone anymore. I think this will help both of them heal from their scars."

Suga and Asahi both turned to see Hinata challenging the wolf to an arm-wrestling contest.

Kageyama seemed to refuse at first, but quickly got roped into their antics by Hinata taunting him and jeering, "Scared you're gonna lose?"

That was the snapping point. Kageyama growled, "I'll show you who's scared!" They squatted over the nearby tree stump that Tanaka and Nishinoya had been using, hands clasped firmly together. Ennoshita gave them the signal to start, then they began to grunt in exertion as they tried to one-up each other in a show of manly strength. All the other crows crowded around them, whooping and cheering.

Suga turned back to Daichi with his usual angelic smile. "I think they'll be just fine," he said.

The three of them watched on as Kageyama triumphed over the fox, giving a victorious toothy smirk in response to Hinata's pouts and half-hearted accusations about Kageyama cheating with his wolfish strength. Tanaka nudged Hinata over and challenged Kageyama next. Due to Tanaka's boisterous nature, the wolf couldn't refuse.

Afterwards, they all squeezed into Hinata's den to chat more with the bear and hedgehog shapeshifters before they returned to their own cave to resume hibernation until spring.

As Kageyama stepped through the entrance, Suga pulled him to the side. "Welcome home, Kageyama," he expressed warmly, patting the taller shapeshifter on the head.

The wolf froze where he stood. Home…?

He shook Suga's hand off, his ears flattening against his skull. His tail flicked behind him in sudden agitation. "Sorry," he muttered, stepping past the crow with downcast eyes, "but this isn't my home. I don't… have a home anymore."

It was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head. That one word was a reminder that Kageyama was an outsider, and he shouldn't wish for another place to call 'home' after what had happened with the last one. If he got too selfish again… no, he couldn't let that happen. He didn't deserve such kindness.

Suga didn't stop him as he walked away. "You'll see, Kageyama," he murmured, laying a feathered hand over his heart. "One day, you'll see that home is always where the heart is."

And in comes Asahi and Nishinoya! No Tsukishima or Yamaguchi yet, but they'll come soon.

Please leave a comment before you go!

MangaFreak15