On Black Wings

Chapter 1: Crack in the castle wall

It only takes one little mistake- one accident- to have everything you have invested your life in to burn before your very eyes and crumble to ashes. For Oikawa Toru; it was volleyball, the one thing he lived and breathed for more than anything else other than life itself. The star setter of Aoba-Johsai is robbed of the one thing that he lives for and the reality of it has come crashing down on him, Iwaizumi; his best and childhood friend struggles to get him back on his feet and begins losing faith in getting the old Oikawa he once knew. That is until a couple of crows from Karasuno drop in and attempt to lift the conceited and prideful setter and put him back on his feet once again.

Inspirational, Slight AU due to no specific time after the Spring-High Preliminaries, rated for blood and mild language.

A/N: It's been a while since posting anything but I had to get this idea out of my head. I may continue depending on demand since I'm Haikyuu(Oikawa, Kageyama, and Hinata) crazy right now. I seriously can't pick one to be my favorite character so why not write all three of them as main characters in a story. Suga came so very close to being up there but three is a crowd already. Some things are subject to change but not the plot. Feel free to point out any mistakes and errors so that I can fix them, I try to keep characters in character and everything cannon except for the story idea. Read and Enjoy.

…

"'O'-! Observant Setter! 'I'-! Intelligence Unmeasured! 'K'-! Competition Killer! 'A'-! Attractive Hitter! 'W'-! He is our Winner! 'A'-! He's Aoba-Johsai's Victor! Go, go, gooooo- Oika-GAAHHHWA-!" Oikawa's singsong voice was abruptly halted after a strong palm nailed the back of his head and nearly had him stumbling forward on the concrete street that he was happily waltzing down. His hands were splayed out in the air and the earbuds to his music device were clearly knocked right out of his ears from the strong swing, only one person ever hit him so roughly to be able to do that. He immediately caught himself in his stagger and managed to regain balance on his heels before he swung his head back around with a hurt expression to see none other than Iwaizumi and his casual irritated expression. "Iwa-channn-" Oikawa dragged out the name with a hurt tone of voice while softly rubbing the now sore spot. "Why do you have to be so mean?" He finished with a light 'concerned of being hit again' smile.

"Stop singing that ridiculous song, it's seriously pissing me off." Iwaizumi exclaimed with an irate tone, his arms were now crossed and he seemed a little more pissed than usual.

"Oh, is Iwa-chan jealous of a song made from me by a group of my adoring fans?" Oikawa asked with a bit of a childish voice, he beamed haughtily and daringly elbowed his friend with a hint of caution. He was just enjoying the newest song on his music-playing device and his friend wasn't too excited about it, or perhaps the singing along to the tune out aloud part. But all in honesty; Oikawa just couldn't help but to sing with pride, the beautiful voices and jovial rhythm embellishing his talent and strength was just too hard to resist not singing to. Plus it was a song dedicated to him, to not sing along with it seemed a little rude to the group of girls that worked so hard on a song 'solely' for 'him'. "I can't help it, the beat is so addictive, and the voices; amazing."

"Hmph that's bullshit, you just like the lyrics Shittykawa cause they all glorify you. You've been singing it ever since practice yesterday, just give it a rest already. Damn I swear, if your ego gets any bigger you might just float off into the sky... or explode."

"Egotistical? Me? Silly Iwa-chan, I think you're just jealous. But it's okay, you're definitely the second best of the team. A song should be made for you too, and if you want I can ask the girls to make another but for you so that we both have one." Oikawa made a way too friendly smile and gestured his friend with a soft flick of the wrist, it was hard to tell if the smile was genuine or not but it did look as if it was. That was a bit of a surprise to the wing spiker.

"Second best? You getting sick or something? Or has that stupid song put you in that bright of a mood?" Iwaizumi asked with an eyebrow furrowing, he sure wasn't the second best of the team; yeah he was the Vice-Captain but a few other members of the team did a little better than he did at most of the games. The ace is nothing without a good team. Or that was how he saw it at least, but then again Oikawa was the team's control tower and 'observant Setter'. 'Stupid song!' He cursed to himself, now it was stuck in his head. "Unlike most teams we have our numbers for a reason, idiot! Head coach Irihata chose us accordingly to our skills and game-playing statistics!"

The arrant volleyball captain waved off the comment with his hand and placed his hands on his hips. "Psfff, that was a couple years ago. He doesn't care for numbering anymore, not since we became regulars at competitions." He then lifted one hand and pointed to the air and spoke with an overoptimistic tone. "And if you recall we took the places of third-years at the end of our first one, that's how great we were and still are. Silly Iwa-chan overthinking things again. It's an unhealthy habit of yours that I've been trying to tell you about."

"What was that?" Iwaizumi narrowed his eyes and sneered.

"It's the truth! I promise!" Oikawa said carefully as a bead of sweat formed on his forehead. "Besides, I know my team Iwa-chan, I know you. I've watched all of our games many times over, you've improved every match or so and almost always respond well to other players on the court and do great against our opponents too, and you do get better; even if it is by a little each time. Aside from myself, I couldn't pick anyone else to be as reliable and skilled as you."

Oikawa opened his eyes and made an even lighter smile, there was something a bit different from this one Iwaizumi noticed; he couldn't tell what it meant exactly but it was genuine unlike most fake ones he often displayed to the public. It was sort of one that the setter made when he was a child, like the time he first became friends with the little alien-and-volleyball-loving geek. Oikawa didn't have any friends until he came along, but Iwaizumi too was also a geek and considered weird for his strange hobbies like bug catching when he was a kid. It's amazing how times have changed, Oikawa was now a built player on a fame-train and moving on up in the world with his passion for volleyball and hard work with many fans supporting him. College would be very different without his best friend, so he might as well eat up what time he had left with mister popular egotistical 'victor'; even if the current trend of Oikawa was just damn annoying.

Hajime mentally shrugged it off and sighed, he moved his arms up to cradle his neck and head as they continued walking down the street. "Whatever, I don't need songs of praise. It's a shitty- but 'kind' offer, I could do without the cheery and obnoxiously loud music beating at my eardrums. So no thanks. Anyways, just enjoy your stupid song; but more quietly please. It's embarrassing to hear you shout about yourself, people are giving us weird looks ya know?"

"I wasn't paying any attention to them."

'Of course you weren't. Dumbass. Your big head is too high up in the clouds to notice the ground.' Iwaizumi thought to himself.

"Still, I know you better than anyone but your mom; but that's only because she's overprotective and so worrisome." Oikawa shrugged, holding his pose as he walked, he felt bad for his friend but took pride in knowing him more than most.

That smartass grin and stupid pose made Iwaizumi's eyebrow twitch, Mr. Know-it-all was attracting unwanted attention and by using his mother at that, there wasn't many people on the street around this late time of the day but what few there was had eyes on him and Oikawa's loud mouth. It was times like this that he would send a kick Toru's way; he was very tempted to, or he could get Trashykawa back tomorrow. "Oikawa, what did I say about mentioning my overbearing mother in public conversations?" Iwaizumi warned.

"Other than her, I know you best though! Seriously!" He replied with his posture slacking and his hands going up before his chest in defense. "I also know that you've gotten to a point in volleyball that you might be a big threat in the future, it might be strange to go against you; but to underestimate you would result in a catastrophe."

"You're just saying-"

"No really." Toru spoke a little more loudly and with more seriousness, he even pointed at the ace. "Your improvements have gotten us so far and have made you a true key player; especially with our first years that is why our match with Karasuno in the Spring-High Preliminaries went as far as it did. You not only kept Mad Dog in check most of the game; which is an impressive feat on its own, but you also built up team support and remained as a solid backbone and backup powerhouse for our team ninety percent of the time. Without you we might have fallen apart and lost much more disgracefully."

All of that came from Oikawa and all in modesty too, it was so unlike him but he remembered well that it was his best friend who had his back and supported him first; even in that bitter defeat. Then everyone on the team gave him a pat on the back even though he felt like he didn't deserve it. Iwaizumi turned his head to the side and smiled faintly. Oikawa must be in a very good mood today. Truthfully, not even the most prideful make that far of a stretch unless they can push even a little bit of self-pride to the side; which is a rare thing. Well, being best friends... and it being possibly the last year together as a team... maybe that had something to do with it too. He almost wanted to punch the brunette captain in the shoulder as a way of saying thanks, but he resisted seeing as practice had been rough as usual. Besides, he already knew that Oikawa was going home to practice more and/or watch recorded games for more insight and playing improvements, he was going to need that shoulder. "Thanks, that means a lot." He spoke softly.

Oikawa nodded. "Even if we go to different colleges and be on different teams, I will watch your games and give you some tips to improve if necessary or help get a good team layout if anything." Oikawa said as he patted the now again irate one on the back and made a peace sign with his fingers. "You can count on Oikawa-kun."

Of course that prideful, big-headed, egotistical dunderhead always had to ruin the moment.

"Really?" Iwaizumi asked with sarcasm dripping, a small vein popped up on the side of head. "Oikawa, are you my coach?" He tilted his head to the side and grinned faintly with one of his eyes twitching in an intimidating glare.

Oikawa took a swift step to the side after he received a peeved smile from his friend, he moved should his buddy get the idea of smacking upside the head again, head-butting him, or planting a foot in his spine. "Only if 'necessary' Iwa-chan! Don't take it in a bad way. You're a great player and a pillar of strength yourself, this is why I said that you are currently the second best! I meant it, you learned much from me but much more on your own." The lightly concerned setter waved carefully.

Hajime's expression fell back into his regular default one and he thought for a moment before he grinned. "Well if you really think so... then any encounters against you will be the ones worth looking forward to the most."

"Yeah." Oikawa beamed back more sadly. "I'll miss you too."

"Errr... We're still on the same team, our time in the volleyball club hasn't ended just yet you moron." Iwaizumi softly gaped when he noticed how quick Oikawa's demeanor changed, he was caught with a bittersweet expression.

"True, but I am not afraid to admit that I'll miss our team and all of the hardships we've endured once the time comes to leave. It's been so fun working out the kinks, adjusting to each individual, and wining match after match, making so many improvements, changing our styles, and gaining the best experience together. The first and second-years still have much to learn without us but I know they'll be alright; they've learned from the best of us third-years after all." He jabbed a thumb at himself, his grin strengthened with pride being his current mask. "Plus, a new step up on my career sounds exciting and a little challenging; I can't hardly wait. I'll get a whole new team and get to study new teammates and games and get even better!" Oikawa coiled his fists in anticipation and slightly in anger. "Plus, since Shiratorizawa's third-years are leaving to the higher steps too... I'll still have my chance for revenge, especially for Ushiwaka-chan. I will not lose to him anymore, I refuse it; I'll refine the best team in the country or even the world if I have to in order to beat him."

And so much for the light-hearted and bittersweet feelings of reminiscing the years of volleyball at Aoba-Johsai, Hajime preferred Oikawa's sentimental appearance over the heated over-confident and assertive one.

"Don't go and get too worked up yet, it's only Thursday." Iwaizumi said blankly, it always annoyed him how Ushijima and the rest of 'Shitty-torizawa's' team always riled up Oikawa so much; much more than Kageyama did. Admittedly, the players of both Shiratorizawa and Karasuno get him a little riled up himself, even just the mention of the names of the schools gets him agitated. Thankfully, he had more composure when it came to rivalry; Oikawa hardly shows it in public but he definitely has bones to pick with both teams. Karasuno's players are much more tolerable at least, a now formidable team that isn't exactly genius and overpowering but certainly an equal to his team. Shiratorizawa's team though... they rarely encountered them but those guys really know how to rub salt in the wounds and go all out with old fashioned power attacks like simpletons, they annoyed him much more. Karasuno barely beat them at the finals, it's a shame that his team didn't get a rematch and revenge like they would have hoped.

The setter loosened up his stance and placed the earbuds of his music device back into his ears, Iwa-chan was right; there was no need to get antsy ... at least not now. And if Iwaizumi did happen to face off with him in a match on a different team then... he'd have a new rival.

... But at least this one he actually wanted to face on friendly terms. Personally, he kind of wanted to have at least one familiar face on his future team; he wouldn't pick anyone better than the guy right next to him. It's not for him to decide though, Iwaizumi can make his own choices and has his own road ahead. He had to respect that.

The two came to their crossroads at the end of the street and stopped, they were both ready to go their separate ways for the day; the usually habitual routine of saying hello or bye when meeting up to walk to school or going home. "You know Iwa-chan?"

Iwaizumi looked over at his friend, the prideful setter had a broad and determined grin. "When we do finally go to the college level teams- lets promise to rise to the top and fight for the grand championship; let's show the world that we're the next best and crush our enemies into the dust." He fully turned around to face Iwaizumi Hajime, his expression still fixed with dead-set confidence. "I promise to be there, so how about you?" He held out his hand in a gesture for a handshake. "You in? If so, shake on it."

Aoba-Johsai's number four took number one's hand and shook firmly. "It's kind of an early promise, but you can count on it. I promise to be there too so your ass better be or I'll come and kick it up there myself. Got that?"

"Yeah." Oikawa nodded.

"Good. Now you take it easy and don't push yourself too hard tonight okay."

Oikawa's grin warped after hearing that and a drop of sweat rolled down the side of his face with his eyes narrowing a bit. "Iwa-chan, you're not my mom. Stop that."

Number four cocked his head back and laughed; he was in a pretty good mood himself now, not many people can get a reaction like that from Toru Oikawa. "We have a game this upcoming weekend, just take it easy is all I'm asking; we still need you idiot. And if you bust up that knee then I'll bust your ass, got that? So no over-doing it!" He finished more loudly.

Oikawa rolled his eyes and placed a hand on his hip coolly. "Alright fine. I won't overdo it 'mom', I promise."

"Good. … Hey! I'm not your moth-"

"Well okay then! See ya tomorrow Iwa-chan!" Oikawa quickly waved goodbye as he turned towards the street across the road that would lead him to his home and moved in a light jog.

"Bye! Oh, and keep an eye on the road!" He added as the over-confident setter started crossing the street with his music now beating so loudly that Iwaizumi could hear it several feet away. "Just be careful and pay attention!" He finished and turned towards the direction of his house and began onward.

...

Oikawa had slowed and walked down two blocks since the last turn off and he had his music still going loud and strong, most of the way he had tried to avoid singing at all since it was 'embarrassing' as Iwa-chan had put it. He let a few words slip here and there with his mind solely focused on the amazing lyrics, he had never heard a song so empowering it almost made him want to run and get home already to practice his serve spikes and tosses before going over their last game for any improvement options and maybe even watch a sci-fi movie before heading off to bed. He felt psyched that he was getting so close to going pro in his favorite sport, so eager to become the best and put Ushijima- Ushiwaka in his place once and for all.

Honestly, he felt like Hinata right now. Like when Short-stuff really wanted to jump and run super-fast to block or do that crazy and chaotic god-like quick. It was creepy to imagine himself that enthusiastic but it was a great feeling no less, Iwaizumi's talk only made him feel more driven and ready to practice. Yeah so they didn't get to play against Shiratorizawa and go to the nationals, but as he told that taller brute of an ace; his career was far from over… and it certainly was just beginning. He just had to train harder and become better than before, also he needed more interactions with the team too; although that would have to wait until next practice. Right now though, it was his time to perfect his plays and build more control over his powerful serve-spikes.

He hadn't felt this excited since the match against Karasuno in the Spring High-Miyagi Prefecture Preliminaries, well they lost but before that he was looking forward to taking on the representing team of Japan; Shiratorizawa and conquering them after their last defeat by them. He'd be lying if he didn't say that the match with the crippled crows didn't get him riled up in the first set though, not that he was going to dwell on that loss.

'Ushiwaka-chan, next time we meet on the court you'll be the one to fall in defeat. I will have my revenge. And someday, to you too Tobio-chan and Chibi-chan.'

"He's Oikawa! Oikawa! Oikawa! Who can stop him? No one can! He's Oikawa! Oikawa! OIKAWA!"

Oikawa felt himself now moving in a quick sprint, dodging passersby on the street and desiring to get home soon and get as much practice in before sundown, the power of the music's rhythm and chanting had him in a trance-like state. They were chanting his name like he was the star of the show, it felt as though he was in a match and he was getting ready to make a good serve-spike. He could almost see himself surrounded by a crowd on the grand court, most of them were cheering him on.

His name was everywhere.

He could see his house on the other side of the open street, the small backyard volleyball court was also somewhat visible from the side and he yearned for it. He's almost home!

"Hey kid wait!"

Oikawa was so fixated on the house and so in tuned to the loud music that he didn't see traffic signals nor the crossing signal to wait on, all he saw was an empty street from his point of view and his home a few blocks down on the other side of the roadway. He also didn't hear the loud horn as a vehicle came right at him at a fast speed, the third-year volleyball player pushed onward in his run; not paying attention and moving too fast to avoid. Auburn colored orbs finally caught a glimpse as something huge and black coming right at him from his left, he titled his head to the side a bit but was too slow to fully react as it closed the short distance between and barreled right into his side as it tried to veer away to avoid him.

There was an explosion of pain in that very short instance, it reverberated throughout his body but the wind was knocked right out of his lungs so he couldn't shout from the abrupt force. His world had literally turned upside down and spun for a short moment as he was forcibly rolled up and over the car's hood and over the cab from the collision, he then whirled down from the top and smacked headfirst into the hard pavement before rolling over onto his back. He crashed right on the road only to hear loud truck horns sounding at him and the sounds of tires screeching. It was too quick to react to, there was a loud crash of metal and then everything seemed like a blur. There had been another explosion of pain that almost seemed intensely sharp but only for a second to one of his legs; a heavy weight had rolled right over his right leg and made a loud 'thump' as it passed over before coming to a stop right at his left. But sickly enough, as the crushing weight passed over he felt a bone splitting crunch and then he couldn't hardly feel anything afterwards.

"Oh my God! Someone help him!" Came a shout of a woman in fear.

Everything was fading to black, his head spun.

...

"He's been hit!" Came another voice; but this one was male.

Oikawa opened his eyes for a brief moment before gluing them shut, he felt so stunned and in so much pain.

Kaaahhhh!

...

Dazed eyes pried open once more to a mix of sounds surrounding him, he could hear loud sirens, people talking and shouting from the streets sides, and a small recognizable tune coming from his music-device lying several feet away from him; it was still playing on repeat and surprisingly still in one piece with the headphones attached. He felt a warm substance slip from the corner of his mouth when he inhaled sharply for air, his chest felt terribly heavy and ached painfully with each breath. He also felt a large globule of lukewarm fluid pooling through the floccules of his hairline and seeping down his face and the side of his head in a slow and itchy manner. His left leg also had the silky substance gathering around and his right was still very numb, the vehicle was still there and it was annoyingly pinching the skin of his left leg some so he assumed he got hit and may be pinned by it a bit. Oikawa first tried to sit upright and survey the damages and see if he could wiggle his sore limb free but his strength failed him and he couldn't even get two inches off of the pavement. His body felt heavy and sort of stiff; surely the adrenaline had kicked in and blocked off most of the pain but he still seemed paralyzed with his heart beating fast and loudly against his ribcage and his muscles remaining tense from shock.

This was not an experience he's ever had before, it was far greater regarding pain than the time he pulled his knee and tore a little of the muscle from overworking it; right now it felt as though his whole body had been stretched a little too much and slammed to the ground like a wad of putty. His head spun and hurt like hell continuously, everything that he could make out that was in his line of sight moved from side to side; moving so smoothly and making everything that stirred look as though it had doubles. The numerous movements only made the splitting migraine he now had worse, thankfully the disorienting spinning slowed as he blinked. The volleyball player attempted again to sit up, his arms shook and one of his eyes burned from the crimson that was now taking over his vision, he cried out from the burning sting and then felt a hand land on his shoulder and hold him down to the roadway as he tried to raise his limb up to wipe at his eye.

"Don't move kid, you're in a real bad shape." A gruff but soft male voice spoke to him but he couldn't make out the face nor see much of anything but the form on their knees at his side, Oikawa's head kept spinning to his disgust; he was horribly disoriented and slowly fighting his weighty eyelids that wanted to close and stay closed.

"Daiyukai, Kosei, we need the stretcher and quick! We'll need a good tourniquet too, swiftly now; he's losing a lot of blood fast!" The man grunted quietly. "Let's hope we made it on time."

"Yes sir!" Two other voices off to the side said loudly in unison. What more that Oikawa could hear was doors opening and things being jostled about, and his music... it was still playing.

"-'W'-! He is our Winner! 'A'-! He's Aoba-Joshai's Victor! Go, go, goooo- Oikawa! ... Oikawa! Oikawa! Oikawa! There's no other! Oikawa! No one can do any better! ..."

Kaaaaahhhhh!

'What was that? It isn't part of the song.' Toru thought to himself, the sound was oddly familiar though. Damn his head hurt so much.

"This is medical responder Kasamatsu Yukio of the emergency medical response team number four." The man said aloud to a small radio that was clipped to the collar of his uniform.

"Oikawa! Oikawa! Oikawa!"

"This is Miyagi Trauma Center, we copy." A feminine voice came from the radio.

"We have reached the hit pedestrian of Katsu Gairo and ready to load before transport; damages are serious and possibly life threatening. There's a lot of bleeding and his leg... he's pretty messed up right now. Get a medical team ready stat, this kid's is in a bad shape and surgery is assured."

"Alright, we'll have three surgeons prepped and ready upon arrival. Over and out."

'What did he say?' Oikawa thought to himself, he stared vacantly at the only thing he could make out clearly in his line of vision and that was his arm stretched out to his side, it had scrapes, bruises, and red trickled down his skin in a few places. He could barely lift it but managed to as his head spun more, he was so tired that he didn't know what was going on anymore.

Kaaahhh! Kaaahhhh!

The familiar cawing sound had the injured setter now turning his head and looking directly towards the sky above, he remained flat on his back and watched as four black winged forms flew overhead and landed on a telephone post high above where there were a bunch more roosting; they were terribly hard to see with one eye losing clear vision but he knew the sound and shape of crows very well. He narrowed his open eye and sneered. The stupid birds, as if he needed mockery by Karasuno's team mascots at a time like this. Oikawa grimaced and mentally tried to shoo the birds away since he could hardly move let alone speak, out of sheer determination and the power of will he managed to raise his arm up and sling it to the side with distaste. "Go aw-way… st-stupid birds!" He managed to shout with a hoarse tone but then ended up coughing violently in return when he accidently swallowed some blood.

"Hey, hey kid, just take it easy and don't move; we're going to get you on the stretcher here in a second so just be very still now. We'll get you to the hospital as soon as we can so work with us. ... Hmm..." The guy blinked. "Wait, have I seen you somewhere before? You- you're from that local volleyball team aren't you? Aoba-Johsai? The team's incredible setter right?"

"Oikawa! Oikawa! OIKAWA!"

Kaaaahhhh!

Kaaahhh kaaaaahhhhh!

"Damn it." Toru managed to curse as he grew much more tired after the coughing fit, he was starting to feel incredibly weaker second by passing second. His eyelids were like heavy bricks and his lungs felt nearly empty of precious oxygen. His head- there was no way of describing how it hurt, the pain felt numb but also sharp in places at the same time. He also thought that he was seeing things; the medical responder appeared a little fuzzy but from what he could perceive the guy looked like Iwaizumi, dark-short spikey hair and thick eyebrows of someone serious all of the time. He suddenly wondered if Hajime made it home yet.

The man sighed heavily and messaged his temples with frustration before moving down towards the teen's legs. "Now this might hurt a little." He said, carefully pulling the left limb free from the tire; Oikawa could barely feel anything but a slight scrape against the pavement. "I'm so sorry kid, I wish- I wish it wasn't like this. I've seen plenty of sports career ending injuries, but not one this bad."

What? He was losing focus fast.

"The tourniquet sir!"

"What took you guys so long?! Hurry, he's barely conscious now! Kosei I'll need help on his right leg, secure the knee please!"

"Securing sir! Sorry it took so long, we couldn't find the standard tourniquet that we had issued in the medical inventory so we had to make one with one of the seatbelts and spare bands. It was my idea by the way."

"Smart thinking, it'll do. Call for an inventory restock when we get back."

"He's Unstoppable!"

Oikawa couldn't fight trying to keep his eyes open anymore, as soon as the two men applied pressure slightly below his right kneecap he finally fell out of consciousness and his barely hovering weak arm landed back on the pavement. The last he heard was that one word and it repeated in his mind with the sirens and cawing as the darkness consumed him.

Unstoppable!...

Unstoppable...

Unstoppable... ... ...

...

Iwaizumi tapped his pen against the desk he had in his room, he sat at his computer with a pile of papers at his side. Frustration was clearly lining his expression. His brows were narrowed, he had a deep frown and his eyes stared relentlessly at the computer screen. On the monitor was a list of universities he was researching and he had a list complied of which ones had the kind of classes and sports teams he was wanting most. Well actually, the classes were no big deal; his mind was more focused on the ones with great teams that he can go with.

It was just a matter of choosing which one was fit for him more.

With a loud exhale of annoyance, Hajime slumped his head against his hand and rested his elbow next to the keyboard. He couldn't help but wonder which team the 'great king' setter would choose or if a collage drafted him for his awesome skills. So far, Trashykawa hadn't mentioned any schools; probably trying to make everyone on Aoba-Johsai's team more relaxed until end season. Still, there hasn't been any word whatsoever just yet.

'That bastard is still probably trying to decide.' The ace player thought to himself with a smile, Oikawa sure was picky. He had applications to fill out for the college he was deciding on but wasn't sure just which one he'd get yet. Maybe one that is tough and strict or one that's renowned. There's many choices.

"Tch, I might not even be accepted into most of these stupid schools." He bitterly spat and stood up the desk and computer chair before heading over to his bed, he had spent way too much time researching the right school that it was already half past eight o'clock; two hours just wasted. He could have watched some television or visit his grandmother. Hell, taking a walk would have been better than sitting and getting pissed off. He was a great player in volleyball, a hell of an ace! But he's not the best in academics so getting into a prestigious and known named university with great volleyball teams would be difficult.

The wing spiker laid down on his steel blue sheets and moved his arms up to cradle head, he stared vacantly at the ceiling and he couldn't get that list out of his mind. His range was pretty limited and his chances of finding a good synchronized team that he would benefit was even more so. He wondered what he was going to do.

The sudden small and short chime of his cell had him blinking before turning to his bedside to see his phone on the nightstand next to his alarm clock, the ring wasn't anything fancy but it did annoy him from time to time as did all of the ones that were default for messages.

Sitting up and reaching a hand over to the mobile device he tapped the screen and raised a brow. It was a text message and by his coach which was terribly unusual, only Oikawa ever texted him or called him around this late time of the day to discuss what he finds in the game match tapes or just to annoy him for hell's sake; but Sadayuki?

Something's definitely not right.

He sat up on the mattress and clicked the message button hesitantly and read the text.

Hajime one of our team players got struck by a vehicle just a few hours ago and it's looking very bad. It was Oikawa. You need to come to the MTC Emergency Hospital as soon as you possibly can.

It took a long minute to grasp what he just read, his eyes traced the words over a couple times but this didn't appear as a joke and he certainly wasn't seeing things. It was only a small text but in that message was a sense of terror and dread, something he never wanted to see. Chills ran up his spine, he wanted his eyes to be seeing things but this was not the case. Each and every word reread seemingly made the world spin much slower to his disgust, he almost felt sick to his stomach. And what was the most shocking part was what had happened was no less than two hours ago, right when he said goodbye to the cocky setter and told him to be careful and pay attention to the road. Seeing that it's very bad by the coach meant that it might even be a life or death situation, he couldn't afford to stay put while his friend could die.

Iwaizumi clenched his phone tightly and shoved it into his pocket, he then jumped up off the bed and grabbed his volleyball jacket off of the back of the computer chair before bolting out of his room and down the stairs.

… … …

It felt like an eternity, just standing in the double doorway and looking in on the patient that was cloaked in whites and teals that were stained with red and resting on the hospital bed with multiple tubes attached to the battered body. There were also a few surgeons and nurses surrounding his friend, all of them were busy attending to the hit and run victim; all five of them had bloody gloves and surgical equipment in hand. One nurse was patting away the blood from the top corner of Oikawa's head and the other four were stationed around his legs; they blocked off any kind of view of the torso and limbs. It was as if his world was shaken loose and bricks were slipping from the foundation of his life; his best and longtime childhood friend was now in shambles, he could possibly die! That very thought had Iwaizumi shaking visibly.

Loud repeating metallic beeps indicated Oikawa's lifeline as the doctors tended to him, each beeping sound made added to the intensity of the situation; every second becoming much more critical. And the odor of the room, it reeked with blood and the stale scent of alcohol and various sanitizers. It made Hajime sick to his stomach, but nothing could make him feel more ill than the sight of his friend before him in that condition. He didn't know what he could do but stand and watch in horror as Oikawa was breathing by a machine and being put back together under bright lights. But he had to be there, that much he knew. He'd be damned if he let Trashykawa die alone!

"Hey, kid! What are you doing in here? This is a surgical procedure, get out of here now before you contaminate the area!" One of the nurses took notice of his presence and noted it aloud momentarily distracting the other nurse and the three surgeons attending to the patient's leg.

"I told you that we have to wait Iwaizumi, you're not allowed in here now so come on!" Sadayuki exclaimed aloud from behind and grabbed the volleyball player by the arm and started pulling the shocked teen out of the emergency room.

He fought back and took a strong stance.

"I can't! I can't leave him like this, damn it!" He spat back and glared at his coach for the first time; one whom he greatly respected for the time he spent with at Aoba-Johsai at that. His green eyes were wide and nearly waterlogged, tears were threatening to fall but he fought them back too.

Sadayuki glowered back and sneered. "There's nothing we can do for him right now and you know that! I called you first because you're his closest friend! I called you before I even called his parents, I thought that you would be more understanding and patient than this!"

"You cannot be in here, leave immediately!" One of the surgeons warned.

"Now Iwaizumi."

The spikey-haired teen hesitated. "I-"

"Now!"

"Oikawa!" Iwaizumi shouted as he was pulled through the doors by both his coach and now someone from the emergency medical staff, he took one long last glance of the bloodied and bruised patient before the doors came together and completely blocked sight of the young man on the hospital bed. Oikawa looked so peaceful despite the ivy drips and the breathing tube, not even the crimson stains ruined his current state of rest. It was almost surreal.

This was perhaps the worst day of his life and it had absolutely nothing to do with himself at all. Seeing Oikawa like that planted in his mind a sense of total dread that he couldn't shake off, the kind that killed any hopes he could have of the idiot setter ever playing again. But what haunted him more was the thought of Toru never being the same stupid and showy moron that he's always been, that his friend will close off to the world once more and hide behind fake smiles; like he did for a few years when he lost to Ushijima in middle school. He still wore fake expressions from time to time and eventually got better, but with this case however; he feared that it might be much worse and that there may be no return of the Oikawa he's come to know so well. He was going to lose his friend again.

No, he refused the idea; he was going to beat that bastard back into shape himself if he had to! No matter how long or how hard he had to try, Oikawa was going to laugh and smile like he used to. The tears finally gave way from his forest green eyes and fell freely.