At the End of the Sun, Ch 15: Consequences
Can also be read on AO3!
Rating: Chapter: T; Whole Work: E
Fandom: Haikyuu!!
Pairing: Kagehina (Kageyama/Hinata)
Characters: Shoyo Hinata, Tobio Kageyama, Tooru Oikawa, Miwa Kageyama
Word Count: Chapter: 3.7k; Whole Work: 160k
Summary: Morning brings a dreaded arrival.
A/N: Originally published on AO3 on March 11th. Further author's notes can be found there.
âŸ
âOikawaâŠheâs coming.â
Shoyoâs blood turned to ice. ââŠWhat? How do you know?â
âThe curse. It helps him find me. He didnât bother before, but now that Iâve failed, heâs going to come for me. IâŠI have toâŠâ Still leaning on the doorframe, Tobio stumbled over the threshold and into the house, leaving Shoyo to hurry after him.
His breath caught when Tobio made his way towards the room theyâd sharedâŠand turned to the door across from it. It was the door to the only room in the whole house he hadnât seen, the only promise heâd managed to keep despite everything. Heâd always been aware of the latch at the opening edge of the shoji screen, but not the minuscule keyhole below it.
Tobio plucked an even smaller key from the top of the screen and fumbled to fit it into the hole, his hands shaking as he finally got it to click into place and slide open the screen. He began to step inside, only to pause when his eyes landed on Shoyo and widened, as though heâd forgotten about him in his clumsy panic. âUmâŠyou can come in,â he muttered, his cheeks growing pink beneath his averted eyes. Shoyo could only nod and silently follow him in.
Inside was an almost-perfect mirror of his own room: the same dresser, the same lamp on top, the same closet and small window. But where Shoyoâs room had come to feel lived-in over the months, this one feltâŠcold, even a bit dusty. The only signs that the room had been used were the hastily-folded blankets in the cracked-open closet and the bow and arrows propped in the corner. A chill slid down Shoyoâs spine at the realization that those were the bow and arrows that had killed the shape-shifting man and gotten Tobio cursed.
Shoyo was silent and still as a statue while Tobio bustled around the room, digging out a pack from the closet and shoving items from the dresser into it. Once he tied it closed, he knotted a leather strap around his neck and took out a fine set of clothes. When he pulled on the hakama that went under the matching kimono and turned around, Shoyo wasnât surprised to see a familiar blue stone hanging from the necklace.
His attention was quickly pulled to Tobioâs face at the sound of a soft grunt, and he found him grimacing as his hand rose to his chest. His movements had loosened the wax from the wounds it had burned into his skin, but the burns themselves were still there, pulling tight every time he tried to raise his arm.
Guilt was sour on Shoyoâs tongue as he hurried over and lowered Tobioâs hand. âLet me,â he whispered, taking the clothes from his hands. Tobioâs tense features slowly relaxed as Shoyo helped him slip into the underrobes and the deep blue kimono over it. âIt was yours,â Shoyo realized, looking up at Tobioâs confused expression.
âWhat?â
âThe kimono you gave me. Thatâs why itâs big on meâit was tailored down from yours.â
Just like that, Tobioâs confusion was replaced by a bright red blush and averted eyes. âUmâŠyeah.â
âDid you want us to match?â Shoyo asked innocently as he belted the obi around Tobioâs trim waist.
âI didnât want to ask Nee-san to get a new kimono,â Tobio mumbled, keeping his gaze fixed on Shoyoâs busy hands instead of his eyes. âAndâŠI didnâtâŠmind matching with you.â
His gruff bashfulness was so much more endearing when Shoyo could see it creep over his human features. He loved him so much, he almost couldnât breathe from it, and he couldnât resist leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek. âMe too,â he whispered, smiling when Tobio finally met his gaze with wide eyes.
With the last ties secured, Shoyo smoothed down the folds of the kimono with a quiet, âAll done.â
Before he could step away, Tobio caught his face in gentle hands and pressed a sweet, chaste kiss to his lips. âThank you,â he murmured with another kiss. He winced as he let Shoyo go, his hands leaving his cheeks to rub at his own chest over his heart. âShitâŠheâs almost here.â
He scooped up his pack with one hand and grabbed Shoyoâs hand with the other, leading the way back outsideâŠonly to freeze on the engawa.
He suddenly turned to face Shoyo, who could only watch him with wide eyes. âShoyo,â he muttered urgently, gently holding his cheeks, âgo back inside and stay there. When he gets here, he canât see you. I donât know what heâll try to do to you.â
âWhat? No! Iâm not hiding!â Shoyo didnât care about how childish he soundedâhe only cared about staying by Tobioâs side and keeping him safe.
âYouâre not hiding. Youâre letting me protect you.â
âI donât need protection!â He grabbed at Tobioâs hands, keeping them pressed to his cheeks. âIâm a samurai, Iâve been training, I can fight!â
âI know you can, but not against him.â
âJust let meââ
âQuit arguing and listen to me, dumbass.â Despite everything, despite his panic and annoyance, there was still a note of affection in Tobioâs voice. âWhen we leave, wait for an hour, and then go home. Take care of your family, of Natsu. Go back to your work, be a samurai, live your life again.â
âWhat about you? How will I see you again?â
That made Tobio pause, doubt and grief flickering over his face before he shook his head. âYou canât. I donât know what Oikawa will do to me, but he canât see you. He canât know who you are.â
Shoyo shook his head furiously, clinging to Tobioâs hands at his cheeks. âNo! No, Iâll come find you, I can save you, just like you saved Natsu!â
âYou canât, Shoyo. Even if I wanted you to, itâs impossible. Oikawaâs palace is at the end of the sun. No mortal human can find it, not unless he wants them to.â Tobio rested his forehead against Shoyoâs, his sigh ruffling his ginger strands. âIâm not worth it, Sho. Go live your life again. Soon, thisâll all just be a distant memory.â
âThatâs bullshit and you know it!â Shoyoâs throat was growing tight around the threat of tears, but he didnât care. He just needed Tobio to believe him. âDo you want to see me again?â
âWhat? Yeah, of course I do. Butââ
âThen Iâll come for you. I donât care what it takes, Iâll come for you, I swear.â
Tobio pulled away and stared at him, eyes flickering over his features as though he were trying to memorize them, before he pressed their lips together in a deep, lingering kiss. Then, before Shoyoâs eyes could fully open again, he was being pushed back further into the house. By the time he stopped stumbling over the mats, the doors had slid shut, and he could hear the sound of the storm panels closing as well.
He moved to wrench the screens open, when thunder rumbled over the house. Light flashed through the tiny gap between the closed doors, bright and quick enough that Shoyo wouldâve believed it was lightning if he hadnât just seen the clear sky.
âOh myâŠIâd forgotten howâŠquaint your little home away from home was.â
âOikawa-sama.â
âWhy, hello, little prince.â The new voice was smooth, charming, with a venomous edge that made a shiver run down Shoyoâs spine. âMy, arenât you handsome in the sunlight? Iâd almost forgotten. Although the moonlight really does suit you so well.â
Tobio remained silent. Shoyo wished he could see what he looked likeâall he could imagine was his wolf form, sitting with his ears flat against his head and his fur rising around his neck.
âYouâre being awfully spare with your words.â
âWhat is there to say?â Tobio finally answered, his voice low and rough. âIâve failed the conditions to break the curse. Arenât you going to take me away somewhere and punish me more?â
âGoodness, princeling, show some patience. Weâll get to my lovely abode, all in good time. Let me look around, see how youâve settled in. It really has been so long since my last visit.â
Princeling? Little prince? How strange. Tobio could be a bit gruff and demanding sometimes, but Shoyo didnât think that warranted so many nicknames.
âThereâŠthere really isnât much to seeâŠsir. L-like you said, itâs a small home.â
âThen thatâll make it easier for me to find what Iâm looking for.â
ââŠSir?â
âLetâs see hereâŠâ
âSirâŠsir, wait!â
A gust of wind suddenly blew Shoyo back, sending him sprawling over the floor as the shoji screens and storm panels opened with loud clacks.
There, standing in front of a stricken Tobio, was a tall, handsome man. âHandsomeâ didnât feel quite right, though. âPrettyâ suited him better: soft chestnut hair fell over his face in a careful tousle, and glinting brown eyes peered from beneath. His smooth skin, free of any scars or blemishes, straight nose, and delicate pink lips made him look even more regal than Tobio.
His kimono only added to the air of royalty about him, with its intricate gold embroidery sewn into glistening silk. Shoyo had only once seen a color quite like it: not quite green, not quite blue. It was like the sea on a sunny day.
Like the candle his mother had given him.
âThere you are,â the man murmured in that charming, frightening voice. He stepped gracefully onto the engawa, his raised sandals clicking across the dark wood before the sound became dulled on the tatami mats. Shoyo couldnât move, helpless to the manâs approach.
âOikawa-samaââ
âQuiet.â The word was curt and firm, with none of the false charm that had colored his voice before.
Part of Shoyo hadnât wanted to believe that this was Oikawa. When heâd imagined the cruel, powerful sorcerer who had cursed Tobio, heâd imagined someone much older and more frightening, not this pretty young man now standing in front of him.
âWould you look at that hair,â Oikawa murmured with something like awe. He crouched in front of Shoyo and played with a lock of his hair, as though he were a doll and not a living human. âIâm amazed you managed to go so long without seeing our princeâthis hair could have lit up even the darkest of rooms.â
Words were beyond Shoyo, not that Oikawa seemed interested in what he had to say. He grasped Shoyoâs chin and tilted his face up, looking over his features with an almost clinical gaze. âI suppose you are handsome, in a humble way. And you must be strong, if youâre a samurai. Ah!â Oikawa suddenly looked over his shoulder with a dangerous smile. âIs that why you chose him, princeling? Wanted a bit of home with you?â
Home? Shoyoâs gaze finally drifted from Oikawa to Tobio, who was standing, frozen, on the engawa. âN-no, I didnâtâ he was justââ
âIâm not a ronin,â Shoyo finally spoke up, his voice hoarse from fear. âI serve the daimyo of this domain.â
Oikawa didnât look upset at being corrected. No, he lookedâŠdelighted. âYou donât know?â
âOikawa-samaââ
âTell me, little samurai. Do you know his name?â
Indignance flared in Shoyoâs chest. âOf course I do. His name is Tobio.â
âAnd his family name?â
âIâ! IâŠâ He looked back at Tobio, his heart sinking at the look of pure fear on those handsome features. What was his family name? Why hadnât he told him?
âHis family name is Kageyama. The same Kageyamas that you so proudly serve.â
A shard of ice sliced straight through Shoyoâs heart. âWâŠwhat?â
âOh, yes. Your lovely companion here is Tobio Kageyama, grandson and heir of the daimyo.â The grandiose nature of Oikawaâs words made an unnerving contrast to the disdainful curl in his lip. âIâm not in the habit of cursing any given person. No no, only spoiled heirs who kill the love of my life and wonât have to deal with any consequences.â
Another piece in this whole, confusing puzzle snapped into place, making Shoyo feel sick with how foolish heâd been. Of course, of courseâŠit all made sense. That was why his name had sounded so familiar: not only because he was a friend from a distant memory, but because he was the daimyoâs heir. Heâd only ever heard of himâby the time Shoyo was old enough to be allowed to work directly with the daimyo and his family, the princess had already gotten married and the prince had gone missing.
The fear on Tobioâs face was quickly giving way to a dark, silent fury aimed at the back of Oikawaâs head. If the sorcerer noticed, then he simply didnât care. But at Shoyoâs quiet, âTobioâŠ?â, those dark blue eyes snapped to his, and he watched the fury melt into guilt. âSho, I didnâtâŠI couldnâtâŠâ
âAll this time? Even when we were kids?â
âIâm sorry,â Tobio whispered, entreaty shaking in every word. âYou were the only one who liked me, not my position. IâŠI didnât want you to treat me likeââ
âOh, do spare me,â Oikawa cut him off with a sigh. âI think weâve lingered here long enough. It was aâŠdelight to finally meet you, little samurai. Well done tolerating this murderous, sniveling fool.â He stood up in a quiet, musical ruffle of his silken kimono, deliberately bumping into Tobioâs shoulder as he went back outside. âCome, Tobio-chan.â
Tobio started to follow him, only to abruptly freeze. Shoyo still wasnât used to reading his human body language, didnât know what to make of the slow ascent of his shoulders.
Then Tobio whirled back around and surged towards Shoyo, falling to his knees in front of him. âTobiâ?â
He didnât let Shoyo finishâhe pressed their lips together in a slow, tender kiss that made Shoyoâs eyes sting with tears. Tobio pulled away with a breathed, âI love you,â and then, before Shoyo could even finish saying his name, he hurried back outside to stand next to an impassive Oikawa.
âW-wait!â Shoyo choked out, scrambling across the floor to the porch. It was too late: a single snap of Oikawaâs fingers was all it took for the sorcerer to disappear with Tobio in tow, with another flash of light and a thunderous rumble.
Shoyo could only stare at the now-empty space, not yet able to comprehend what had just happened.
He was alone. He had broken his promise, ruined Tobioâs chances at breaking his curse, and now he was alone.
And the worst part was, he was lucky. Tobio could have run off as soon as Shoyo broke his trust, but instead he stayed, explained everything, held him and kissed him and whispered tender words to him. It had almost been enough to let Shoyo forget the danger, but then the shock of Oikawaâs arrival and Tobioâs departure with him was made that much worse.
Frustration filled him when he felt tears welling up againâhe was a soldier, a samurai, why was he crying so much? But no amount of anger with himself could keep the tears from overflowing, nor could it keep a sob from bursting forth.
His whole body ached from the sobs wracking through him. It was like every heave of his shoulders, every tremble of his chest, and every quiver of his lips and clench of his jaw were chipping away at his heart and leaving behind a deep, gaping, hollow space. He had never felt such pure, devastating heartbreak before. He didnât know it was possible to hurt so much without a scratch on his body.
Shoyo didnât know how long he stayed curled over the floor, soaking the engawa with his tears and clutching at his chest to drag in air between his sobs. Time meant nothing. Even when he had nothing left to cry, he didnât get up; he just fell into his own tears and let his exhausted body pull him under.
The sun had reached the peak of the sky when the sound of hooves roused Shoyo from his sleep. He shot upright, and his heart leapt with hope at the sight of dark hair and blue eyesâŠonly for him to realize that they belonged to Tobioâs sister. âSorry Iâm back so soon, I completely forgotâ Hinata-kun? Is everything ok?â
Shoyo tried to speak, tried to greet her, but when he opened his mouth to say âHi, Nee-san,â all that escaped was a hoarse sob.
âHinata?! Whatâs wrong?â She quickly dismounted and hurried to kneel next to him on the engawa, taking his face in her hands and gently swiping away his tears with her thumbs. When Shoyo couldnât get the air to speak, understanding and dread slowly fell over her face. âHinataâŠwhereâs my brother?â
âNee-sanâŠNee-san, I messed up. I was so stupid.â
âShhhh, donât say that. Tell me what happened.â
So he did. He told her about his visit home, and his mother sniffing out the truth about the wolf. He told her about the candle, and how heâd held strong after coming back, only to give in to the anxious urge to light the candle after a month and look at the impossible man heâd fallen in love with.
âHe was upset,â Shoyo murmured. âOf course he was: Iâd broken our promise. But he stillâŠhe still stayed, and he still tried to explain everything. I broke our promise, and he still stayed with me until the morning. But then the sun started rising, and he said Oikawa would come looking for him, andâŠand he did, he was right, he came and he took him away. I donâtâŠI donât know if heâs ever coming back. What if he gets killed? What if we never see each otherâ?â
âOh, Hinata-kunâŠâ
Maybe he shouldâve felt foolish, allowing his tears to be wiped away and his face to be pressed into a warm shoulder as if he were a baby. But nothing could ease the guilt and grief rushing through him, leaving him hollow until all he could do was cling to her as she drew soothing paths up and down his back. âIâm sorry,â he wept, words muffled in her warm, finely-embroidered hanten. âIâm so sorry, Nee-san, this was all my fault.â
âNo, itâs not.â Her voice was surprisingly firm, as were her hands as she took Shoyoâs face and pulled him away just enough to stare into his eyes. âItâs not solely your fault. Yes, you broke your promise, but it was an unfair promise to ask of you. You came to my brother and stayed with him, accepted his transformations and dodgy explanations, and let him sleep next to you without ever seeing his face, for months. I donât think I could have lasted that long, and heâs my baby brother.â
Her thumbs brushed gentle curves over his damp cheeks as her dark eyes flickered over his face. Whatever she saw made her sigh, before she murmured, âYou did so much, Shoyo, and on top of all that, you loved him. And he loved you, too. He loved you so much that he couldnât believe you could feel the same for him. He didnât think he was worth it.â
âBut heââ
âI know. I know what he did for you. And I know what you did for him. YouâreâŠyouâre the best thing that could have happened to him. I feel awful asking more of you, butââ
âMore of me?â Shoyo interrupted, tendrils of hope breaking through his guilt. âIsâŠis there something I can do?â
She bit her lip, doubt creasing her face as another sigh heaved out of her. âDid he tell you not to follow them?â
âYes.â
âAnd you still want to find him?â
âOf course!â
âHe was right to try and stop you. No one knows where the sorcererâs palace is. Even if they did, it doesnât mean theyâd actually be able to reach it. The journey there could be long and dangerous, and it could all lead to nothing. Do you still want to go?â
Shoyoâs jaw clenched as he nodded resolutely. Guilt-ridden relief spilled across her face, and she pressed a kiss to his forehead. âThen go,â she whispered in a harsh plea. âFind my brother. Bring him back home.â
âOkayâŠI will, Nee-san. I promise. But I have to go home first.â Dread and anticipation clashed in his chest at the thought of returning home and telling his mother everything that had happened.
âOh, of course! Go pack. Iâll take you.â
âReally?!â
âYes.â A kind, sad smile pulled at her lips. âWith the terms of the curse being brokenâŠwe don't know how long the magic in the stones will last, if at all. If we hurry on horseback, we might be able to get you back before itâs too late.â
Adrenaline flooded Shoyoâs veins, and he jerked his head in a nod before running inside. Heâd never before changed so quickly, shoving off his scant nightclothes in favor of warmer robes and haori, before stuffing his few belongings into his pack. Only two things gave him pause: the candle and Tobioâs bow and arrows.
Take them, some part of his subconscious whispered, you donât know what they could mean to Mom and Tobio.
And so, with his stomach tightening into a knot, he wrapped the half-melted candle and tucked it into his pack, and slung Tobioâs bow and arrows next to his own. When he stepped back outside, bearing two bows, his katana and dagger, and his pack, Tobioâs sister raised her brows. âI figured youâd packed light,â she remarked as Shoyo swung himself behind her on the horse, âbut I didnât think you mostly had weapons.â
âOne of the bows is Tobioâs,â Shoyo murmured.
ââŠAh. ThenâŠthank you. For keeping it safe.â
âOf course.â
With that, she nudged her horse into motion. Shoyo turned back to gaze at the house for as long as possible, but once they crossed into the forest, it didnât take long to vanish from sight.
Gone was the house that had become a home for him and Tobio. Gone was the place where they had fallen in impossible love. He didnât think about when he would see it next, or if he would ever see it again. He didnât think about it at all.
If he rested his head on Tobioâs sisterâs shoulder, and if her hanten slowly grew damp from his tears, wellâŠneither of them said a word about it.











