***Inspired vaguely by a piece of fanart***

***WARNING: This story contains high levels of angst. Please proceed with caution.***

…

Hinata got a new bruise every day.

He'd only been home from the hospital for a couple days, and the house which he'd grown up in was now a new, mysterious place. He bumped into tables and chairs too often for comfort; he'd taken a dive down the staircase once on accident; he didn't know where the walls were, which became problematic really quickly.

His entire house was like a minefield. He didn't think he'd ever get used to it.

He spent most of his time sleeping off the pain medications his doctor had prescribed, and after the first time he tripped and tumbled down the stairs, he and his mother had decided it would be best if he slept on the couch until he was a bit more used to his surroundings. That was okay. Hinata didn't mind it.

He just wished things could go back to the way they used to be.

There was nothing he could do on his own anymore. Not unless he wanted to bash into the wall and end up with another bruise (which he didn't). He relied on his family, and he didn't like it. He didn't like having to rely on them. He felt like he was wasting their time.

After all, they had lives and stuff they had to get done. His little sister had school, and his mom worked; or, she used to work, before she took time off to look after Hinata after the accident.

Hinata didn't like it one bit.

He spent most his days sleeping, and when he wasn't doing that, he just...did nothing. There really wasn't anything interesting he wanted to do. Normally he'd go outside and play volleyball against the side of the house or something, but he didn't even know if he'd be able to play volleyball anymore. He hadn't touched a volleyball since he was hospitalized.

There really...wasn't anything for him to do. There was nothing he wanted to do that he'd actually be able to do.

Not anymore.

…

"Nii-san, what does 'blind' mean?"

Hinata sucked in a sharp breath, biting his lip. He and his little sister Natsu were sitting on the couch in the living room, one of Natsu's favorite TV shows playing in the background. Their mother had stepped outside for a business call, so they were alone.

Hinata swallowed thickly. He couldn't see it, but he could feel Natsu's eyes bearing into him. She was curious. Just plainly curious, and there was nothing wrong with that, but...but he wasn't ready to answer the question. She didn't know that being asked that question felt like salt in a wound.

But he didn't say any of that. "If someone's blind, it means...it means they can't see," Hinata said slowly, keeping up his best "cheerful" tone of voice although he was sure he did a poor job of it. He could already feel his facade cracking.

"Is that what happened to you, Nii-san?" Natsu's voice, small and curious, now sounded concerned and questioning. Hinata swallowed again.

"...Yeah, Natsu," Hinata said. "That's what happened to me."

"...Don't worry, Nii-san!" said Natsu suddenly, making Hinata jump. He heard her stand up on the couch dutifully. "You'll be able to see again soon, won't you? You don't have to be sad!"

No. No. He wasn't ready to accept this. He didn't want to tell Natsu the truth, because...saying it himself...it would force him to accept reality. If he spoke it, if he actually said the words, he wouldn't be able to keep pretending that this was some kind of mistake. That this was some kind of dream or hallucination.

But he also couldn't let Natsu keep living with a false sense of hope. No. He was her big brother; it was his job to look after her. He wasn't going to let her keep believing a lie, not when it meant the truth would crush her even more when she finally realized it.

"Natsu..."

The doctor's words flashed back in his mind: "I'm terribly sorry to be the one to tell you this, but...your visual cortex, a section in the occipital lobe of the brain, sustained serious damage. I'm sorry, but…"

"...I'll never be able to see again."

He'd said it. He'd said it, and he hadn't wanted to say it, but he'd gone and said it anyway. He didn't speak again after that, waiting for Natsu to take this in.

It didn't come quickly, but when it did…

"What!?" Natsu shrieked, leaping on him and shaking his shoulder. "Nii-san, what do you mean? You're joking, aren't you? You can't never see again! How can you play volleyball if you can't see?"

That dealt the deathblow.

Hinata shot to his feet, turned, and bolted out of the room before Natsu could see him crying.

…

Hinata didn't really know how he did it, but he'd managed to get up the stairs and into his own room. It was probably the only place he felt completely alone, especially since he couldn't see when other people were in the room with him.

He face planted his bed to muffle his sobs, trying (and failing) to get ahold of himself. This was stupid. It was so. Freaking. Stupid. He didn't know why, but everything was just suddenly so wrong for him. He felt physically and mentally out of everything, and his emotions were all over the place. He didn't even know what to feel anymore.

He didn't know if he was angry, frustrated, sad, or a combination of all three. He just felt so…

...So lost. And alone.

His phone, sitting on the side table beside his bed, suddenly rang. He swallowed thickly, sat up, and grabbed it blindly. He didn't know who the caller was, so he just flipped it open and accepted the call. "Y-Yes?" "Hey, Shōyō, it's your awesome senpai!"

"Oh, N-Nishinoya…" Hinata used his free hand to rub furiously at his eyes, hoping his tears weren't evident in his voice. "W-What are you calling for?"

"It's a senpai's job to look after his precious juniors!" Nishinoya answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "That, and...well…" The tone of his voice dropped considerably, "...I've been worried. Haven't seen you since you were discharged, so I thought I'd see how you were doing."

"Oh, erm...I'm fine," Hinata lied.

"...Well...if you ever need someone to talk to," said Nishinoya, "you've got a whole bunch of people on stand-by. The entire team's pretty worried. So, if you need help, we're here, okay?"

"Okay." He didn't want them to worry. He didn't want to burden them.

"Alright. Well, I'll talk to you later, Shōyō!"

"You too, Nishinoya-senpai…"

Click.

Hinata lowered his phone, closed it, and wiped at his eyes again. He appreciated Nishinoya calling to check on him, but...at the same time...it reminded him yet again that this was indeed reality.

He really was blind, and nothing would change that.

There was a knock at his locked bedroom door, and Hinata jumped, not expecting it.

"Dinner's almost ready, Shōyō," his mother's voice said, muffled slightly by the door between her and Hinata.

"...Thanks," Hinata said quietly. "I'll...I'll be down in a little bit."

(But he never was.)

…

He slept in his own room that night, and then when he nearly killed himself trying to get down the stairs (again), he decided he'd officially move to the couch until he could maneuver himself around the house a little better.

"Nii-san, I'm going to help you not bump into the tables anymore!" Natsu proclaimed that afternoon. Hinata couldn't see her, but he imagined her with her hands on her hips, ready for action (it was a pose she struck up often).

"...Okay," said Hinata.

"So, you spend most the time on the couch, right?" said Natsu. "So what I'm going to do is help you count how many steps it takes to get to each room!"

Hinata blinked. "That...might work."

"Mm-hmm!" Natsu grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet before he could protest. "Now, if you go that way," she started walking, pulling him along, "it takes...three, four, five, six...seven steps before you hit the staircase!" Natsu said proudly. "It takes ten of mine, but seven of yours! Don't forget it! And then if you go this way from the couch...one, two, three, four..."

They spent the remainder of the day counting how many steps it took to get around the house, including where each coffee table was so Hinata could avoid them.

Natsu had always been a person of action, and he was proud of her.

…

It was hardest at night, when his family was sleeping and Hinata was left alone with only his thoughts, which were not very good company. For the most part, he tossed and turned, trying to sleep and just being unable to do so. He hoped that, whenever he closed his eyes, he'd open them up to something other than darkness.

But he was wrong every time.

He never felt more alone than he did at night. The house was silent, which made his own thoughts even louder and harder to ignore. In fact, he downright hated the silence, because it gave him plenty of time to think to himself, which was not what he needed.

Just when he considered getting up and doing something else (anything would have been better than lying awake at this point), he heard a door open and close, followed by the sound of soft, tiny feet against the floor.

And then, something was poked his shoulder repeatedly.

"Nii-san, scoot over."

Natsu. He'd known it was her from the get-go.

"What?" he asked, confused, and she finally stopped poking him.

"Scoot over, Nii-san," Natsu repeated. This time, Hinata did what she'd said, and a moment later, Natsu climbed onto the couch and laid down beside him.

"What are you doing, Natsu?" he asked her.

"I'm going to stay with you tonight," said Natsu firmly. "Mom told me that you get sad sometimes, and that's why you lock yourself in your room, but when I'm sad I don't like being by myself, so I thought you don't either. So I'm staying here."

Hinata didn't know why, but hearing that from his little sister just...broke him.

Not in a bad sense, either.

Tears dripped down his face, and he raised a hand, trying to brush them away. He didn't...no, he couldn't let Natsu see him crying. He was supposed to be her big brother, he was supposed to protect her and look after her, not the other way around. He didn't want her to see him…

...Like this.

But he couldn't stop his tears. Try as he might, his willpower just...wasn't there. He'd lost all sense of fight a long time ago, and that hadn't changed.

Natsu wrapped her arms around his waist suddenly and hugged him tight, tighter than she'd ever hugged him before. "It's okay, Nii-san," she told him. "Crying's not wrong. You're still the best Nii-san in the world."

Hinata choked on a sob, then hugged her back equally tight. He'd been afraid of looking weak in front of his little sister, because he'd always wanted to be strong for her, but it turned out, he didn't always need to be. He wasn't invincible, and he didn't have to pretend he was.

"I love you, Nii-san," Natsu told him firmly, in a voice that left no room for objections.

Hinata released a shaky breath, squeezing her tight. "I-I love you, t-too, Natsu…"

She nodded, then closed her eyes, never once releasing her hold on him. For a moment, Hinata felt ridiculous. He was supposed to be her big brother, and here she was comforting him.

"Thanks...Natsu…" he murmured.

She didn't answer; she was already sleeping. Hinata closed his eyes and took in a deep, shuddering breath, drowsiness beginning to overwhelm him.

He fell asleep, a sudden weight having lifted from his shoulders.

Author's Notes:

So I'm back! :) I know it's been a while! Sorry, guys! I didn't mean it, I promise! I really love all you guys, and you all were so nice and encouraging the last chapter (and every chapter for that matter) and awww, I love you guys so much. *hugs for everyone*

So, finally we get the training camp chapter! Next up! :D I can't promise an official "release date" for the chapter, since I'm still dealing with migraines/doctor trips/whatnot, but it'll be out sooner than this one. :)

Again, thanks so much for all your support on this story! I really do love you guys! :) Since it's been a while, I'm just gonna leave this here and cover the shout-outs in the next chapter, because you guys definitely deserve it! :D Until next time! :D

(P.S., I'm still editing this chapter, so it's probably not perfect, but I'll catch everything eventually! :D)

Cheers!

-BeyondTheClouds777