A/N: Someone prompted me to do this and I blame them. Oh yes I do.

I meant to write a five thousand word fic and just post it, but this thing has metastatized. It is fic cancer. I don't know how big it is going to get. Could be just one more part of about five thousand words. Could be several. The next scene is already in the bag. Wait and see what happens.

I'm sorry the title is stupid. Actually, I'm not. Once it occured to me, nothing else would satisfy me.

"Hinata? Are you okay?"

Yamaguchi's voice was soft but insistent. Hinata, kneeling exhausted by the toilet, didn't bother to lift his head or raise his voice to be heard through the door. "I'm fine."

"You don't sound fine." Yamaguchi's voice was closer now, as if he was pressed against the door. "I thought I heard vomiting noises. Were you throwing up?"

Hinata was silent, unable to come up with a way to lie that wouldn't be transparent.

Yamaguchi took that as confirmation. He knocked his fist on the door, hard and demanding. "Let me in. C'mon, Hinata. Let me help you."

"I'm okay," Hinata said, but somehow he was already pushing himself up from the toilet, taller on his knees, and reaching for the lock on the door of the tiny, closet-sized bathroom. He had been lucky to find this little room, actually. Just in time. It was tucked back behind the kitchen of the inn where Karasuno was having their winter holiday retreat, and when his stomach had started rolling, he had lurched for the door and barely made it before everything erupted.

His hand was shaking. Hinata set it on the lock and stared at it for a moment, frowning. Wait. Had he locked the door in the first place? Yamaguchi sure was polite. He hadn't tried the handle.

Hinata sat back on his heels. His head was spinning now, and he sincerely wanted to throw up. Again. He knew his stomach was empty, though, and if he tried to heave it would just burn his throat. He gagged at the thought, his mouth still disgusting, sour and awful. "Uh. You can come in. Door isn't locked."

The door flew open, and Yamaguchi stood there, panting, staring down at Hinata with enormous eyes. Wow, Yamaguchi was...super tall. Hinata squinted up at him. And up. "I'm okay," he said, because it seemed like the thing to say.

Yamaguchi raised one eyebrow in skepticism. "Sure you are."

"No, really. I just...my stomach started hurting all of sudden. I must have been thinking about the tournament and got nervous without realizing it. It's done now." Hinata's entire body seized as his gut cramped, and he slapped his hand over his mouth to keep anything from coming out. After a second, the sensation passed, and he loosened his hand. "I think."

Yamaguchi rolled his eyes. He went to the sink (it only took him one step) and started wetting some paper towels in cool water. "Yeah, of course. You get nervous enough about tournaments that are still months away to have to suddenly run and throw up in the emergency toilet. That makes sense."

He moved over to Hinata and knelt on the floor in front of him. Hinata was grateful that he didn't have to keep looking up at him, since the dizziness had been getting bad. Yamaguchi shook his head and pressed the wet towels to Hinata's forehead, then dabbed them along the sides of his face.

"You look really awful, Hinata. Your face is...I think 'green' is what people call it when someone gets sick to their stomach. I always thought that was an exaggeration, but it really does look like there's a greenish tint to your skin. It's super weird."

"I'm okay," Hinata protested once more. But he couldn't help closing his eyes in appreciation at the coolness on his forehead and cheeks. It felt amazing.

"You just don't want to miss the practice later today," Yamaguchi said. He was so wise. Hinata had never realized how wise Yamaguchi was before. "But if you got sick from breakfast, do you really want to test how your stomach will do on the court? No one wants to clean that up. If you're feeling sick, you should go back to bed."

"But we're only doing practice today," Hinata said. He could hear the whine in his voice, but he was too desperate to feel bad about it. "The rest of the retreat is supposed to be... Actually, I can't remember what we're doing here."

"It's a vacation, Hinata," Yamaguchi said. His voice was patient. The towels were starting to feel less nice, though, as the heat of Hinata's skin leached away the coolness and they turned into a soggy wad in Yamaguchi's hand. After a bit longer, he gave up and tossed them into the trash can next to the sink. "We're having a team vacation. It's about bonding and relaxing together. It's not that big of a deal if you can't practice."

"But I want to."

"But you shouldn't. Not if you're sick." Yamaguchi climbed to his feet and reached down a hand to Hinata. "Come on, let's go to the kitchen and get you something to drink. And then you should go back to bed until you feel better."

"I don't want to go back to bed." But Hinata's hand was reaching out for Yamaguchi anyway. Yamaguchi wasn't just tall-he was strong, too. He got Hinata to his feet with just a quick heave of his shoulder.

Dizziness struck Hinata more strongly as soon as he was upright, and he swayed, blinking hard as he tried to orient himself. Yamaguchi wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him out of the tiny toilet room. "Don't worry," he said kindly. "I've got you. Let's go to the kitchen."

As soon as they hit the hallway, though, they were inundated with senpai. "Hinata! Yamaguchi! What's wrong?" Tanaka and Noya all but ran into them like too-eager dogs racing down the walk to bowl over visitors. Yamaguchi tightened his arm around Hinata's shoulders, holding him steady when Noya bumped into him.

"It's okay," Yamaguchi said. "Hinata just got a little sick to his stomach, that's all. We're going to get him some tea and then he's going back to bed until he feels better."

"Tea!" Tanaka roared, as if it was his idea. "Yes! That will do it!" He turned right around and rushed off down the hall, hollering for Kiyoko-san to come to the kitchen and create the perfect cup of tea for an upset tummy. Noya continued to hover around Yamaguchi and Hinata as they made their slow way down the hall, radiating an anxious desire to help even as it was clear that he had no idea what to do.

"Is it your head, Shouyou?" Noya asked, fear tightening his voice. "Did the symptoms of your concussion come back? The doctor said it could take months and it could come back at anytime... Is that what this is?"

Hinata almost halted in his steps, blinking in shock, but Yamaguchi's arm kept him moving forward. "Umm..." Hinata scratched his temple with one finger. "I don't...I don't think so? It's just my stomach, mostly. Though I do feel kinda dizzy..."

Now that he thought about it, it did seem like a sudden wave of vertigo had overwhelmed Hinata right before he started feeling the need to throw up. He had almost keeled over and had to grab the wall for support before he groped his way to that little toilet. But surely that had nothing to do with something that had happened months ago.

"That's bad!" Noya's hands shot out and wrapped around Hinata's upper arm. "You gotta sit down right away!"

"Noya-san, please, we need to go to the kitchen," Yamaguchi said, trying to tug Hinata away.

"No! Sit down before you fall down!" Noya hauled on Hinata's arm, attempting to be gentle but not quite succeeding.

"Noya-san..."

"Shouyou..."

They were playing tug-of-war with him. Hinata's dizziness grew exponentially, until he thought that his eyes must be spinning like an anime character's. All of the jostling was threaten to ignite his stomach again, too.

"Hey!" The new voice was sharp and strong, instantly assessing the situation and taking control. Yamaguchi and Noya stopped moving, which left Hinata to reel shakily between them. He lifted his head and found Suga-san standing in the hall, hands on hips, a harsh frown tugging down his mouth.

"What's going on here?" Suga demanded. "Hinata, are you okay? You look white as a ghost."

Hinata gulped, unable to continue to pretend, even to himself, that he was anything like okay. He shook his head, which only made his dizziness worse. His knees started to buckle, and Yamaguchi and Noya instantly broke off their tense stand-off and dove to catch him.

"Hinata!"

"Shouyou!"

Hinata's vision flickered black for a second, and then Suga was there, having somehow crossed the space between them in less than a blink. Hinata stared at him, struggling to comprehend what was going on. Suga's hands were on his shoulders, holding him up, even while Yamaguchi and Noya held his arms.

Suga's frown was deeper now, but the irritation had vanished from his eyes, replaced with concern. "Hinata." His voice was softer, too, just for Hinata. "Do you feel sick?"

Hinata considered nodding his head, then decided not to. "Yes." The word was quiet, ashamed. He didn't want to be sick. Not on a team vacation with his favorite people in the world, where he ought to be playing volleyball and card games and laughing and telling stories and having pillow fights, not throwing up into a toilet and then almost falling over in the hallway.

"I thought maybe...tea..." Yamaguchi's voice was uncertain now, beginning to waver.

Suga cast him a glance, and his face softened for Yamaguchi, too. "Thank you for taking care of Hinata. Tea is definitely a good idea. But I think it's more important right now to get him somewhere he can rest." Suga straightened and looked back down the hall toward the kitchen. "Tanaka! Stop bothering Kiyoko-san and come help me!"

Tanaka's bald head popped out of the door to the kitchen, his eyes wide. "Aye, aye, Suga-san." He hustled down the hall back to them, instantly ready for whatever command their vice captain gave him.

Suga-san smiled and ruffled Hinata's hair, even while he looked to Tanaka. "Hinata needs to go to bed. Can you give him a piggy-back ride?"

"I would be delighted!" Tanaka roared. He turned his back to Hinata and crouched down, holding his arms behind him. "Hop on, little kouhai! I, your noble steed and senpai, will bear you to your bower!"

"What? No! I can walk..."

Suga-san frowned. Tanaka looked at him over his shoulder, still grinning. "C'mon, Hinata. I want to."

Hinata hesitated for a moment, swaying, but Tanaka raised his eyebrows and wiggled his fingers. So Hinata broke. He grinned, slow and weary, giving in, then kind of just fell forward onto Tanaka. Tanaka let out a surprised little "Oof!" at the sudden weight, but steadied himself right away. He wrapped his arms under Hinata's legs and shifted his shoulders, settling Hinata on his back, then rose smoothly to his feet with only the slightest grunt of effort. Hinata wrapped his arms loosely around Tanaka's neck and let his head hang over his right shoulder.

"I don't want to go to bed," he said in Tanaka's ear, half a mutter and half a sigh.

"Suga-san says so, so you gotta," Tanaka said. His voice was implacable, but not without sympathy. "You'll feel better after some rest. In fact, I bet the harder ya rest, the quicker you'll get better. So ya gotta rest really hard, okay? Cuz we all want to spend time with ya and everyone's gonna be sad till you're okay again."

This had a certain amount of logic to it. Or maybe Hinata's head was really mixed up and weird, for real, because this made sense. He nodded, his hair brushing the side of Tanaka's head. "Okay. Carry me away, noble steed."

Tanaka guffawed deep in his chest, the sound rumbling through his back to shake Hinata, too. He hefted Hinata up higher on his back, then trotted down the hallway toward the dorm area. Suga and Yamaguchi and Noya all followed somewhere behind, though Hinata immediately lost of track of them. Hinata's head was drooping, his eyes heavy, and he had a feeling like he was missing a lot of things going on around him.

He was vaguely aware of running into more team members in the halls, all of them surprised and startled by the sight of Hinata being carried by Tanaka, then concerned when Suga or Yamaguchi told them why. Well, most of them were concerned. Tsukishima and Kageyama just looked annoyed and constipated, respectively, but that was normal for them, so Hinata wasn't bothered.

In the boy's room, someone was already setting up a futon for Hinata when they arrived. Hinata thought, fuzzily, that it was rather a shame. They had just tidied all of the futons and pillows away a couple of hours ago when they woke up, and now someone was undoing all that work. Then Tanaka carefully lowered himself down by the readied futon, and Hinata rolled off Tanaka's back and into something that felt like a cloud, and then he didn't care anymore.

Kiyoko-san brought him a cup of ginger tea, which was really nice of her, and Yachi had a first aid kit, and someone took his temperature, and someone else gave him a pill, and Hinata saw Daichi frowning and Asahi chewing his fingernails and Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei discussing something in the doorway, and none of it mattered very much. His stomach was settled enough, after all the throwing up and the herbal tea, and the pounding in his head had subsided. And everyone was being super nice to him. And being in bed was actually...really great. Suga-san was the smartest.

Hinata told him so, too, his voice sounding high and far-away to his own ears. Suga-san's face appeared over him, smiling and calm. "It's all right, Hinata. Go to sleep." Something cool touched his forehead, and for a moment Hinata was surprised that it didn't feel as soft as the cloud he thought he was lying in, but rough and hardened by work. Not in a bad way, at all, just...strong. It felt strong. Then Suga-san leaned back, and Hinata realized that it had been his hand.

So he rolled over on his side and went to sleep. It seemed like the thing to do. Suga-san told him to, so that was just the way things had to be.

X

Hinata woke an indeterminate amount of time later with a feeling that he was being watched. In his sleep he had curled up in a little ball on his side under his covers, hiding from the outside world, but there was a feeling of radiant heat on the lower part of his body, like the sun was shining on him through the window. It was a very odd sensation, since Hinata almost never napped during the day and most of his sleeping was done when the world was pitch dark.

His mouth was dry and there was a bad, sour taste in the back of his throat, and his head was pounding. He lay there stupidly for a long moment, just staring at the wall as he tried to figure out what was going on. He didn't recognize his surroundings, and his head didn't seem to want to cooperate with his attempts at thinking. More than anything, he really just wanted to go back to sleep, but something was preventing him from doing it.

Ah, yes. It was that sensation of eyes on him that was making him uncomfortable, trapping him in the waking world when he would rather fade out of it again. Hinata's eyes began to focus, at last, and he became aware of a shadow before him on the floor. That was why the sunlight only seemed to be striking his lower body instead of his face. He was grateful for the shadow, actually. He was pretty sure light in his eyes wouldn't feel good right now.

But who was it? After another moment to gather himself, dragging his strength into a tight coil, Hinata finally pushed his hands against the floor and rolled himself over onto his back. There he lay, panting and exhausted, staring up into the face of the person who kneeling at his side and shielding from the sun. "Ka...Kageyama?"

Kageyama didn't blink. His face was grim and still. "Good morning, dumbass."

"Good morning." Hinata wasn't insulted. This was just normal. He raised one fist to rub at his eye, then pressed his palm against his forehead. Wow, he really didn't feel good. It felt like there were bees in his head buzzing around. The movement hadn't done any favors for his stomach, either. "What's going on? Why are you sitting here? Don't you have anything better to do?"

Kageyama raised his eyebrows. "You're sick."

"Yeah, I know." Hinata let his hand fall beside his head and stared up at his friend. It was coming back to him, now, the way he'd thrown up in that little bathroom, then Yamaguchi had found him, and Suga told him to go back to bed, and Tanaka carried him here. He remembered crossing paths with Kageyama in the hall on the way back, but he didn't think he'd seen him after that. "What does that have to do with you sitting here instead of practicing or whatever?"

Kageyama let out a little grunt of disgust. "Someone needs to sit with you while you're sick, dumbass. So I'm doing it."

Hinata stared at him. "That doesn't make any sense. Just because I'm sick, that doesn't mean everyone else's vacation should get ruined. Go have fun with the team. I'll be fine by myself."

Kageyama just looked at him. "Are you thirsty? Does your head hurt? Do you feel hot?"

This was almost too much to contemplate all at once. Hinata's stomach gave another twitch of unease, and he grimaced and swallowed. There was only one answer he could give. "Yes."

"Then I'll get you some water. And medicine. And a cold compress." Kageyama shifted his body to stand up.

"Wait." Hinata's hand shot out and caught Kageyama's arm, preventing him from moving. They both stared at his hand for a moment in surprise. Hinata swallowed again, fighting back the nausea. For the first time, he noticed the bowl of water next to Kageyama's thigh, a damp cloth draped over the side. Hinata met Kageyama's eyes again. "Are you... Have you been taking care of me? Like with the concussion?"

Kageyama nodded slowly. "I'm used to it now. It's not a problem."

Hinata frowned. "You don't have to do that. This isn't like that time. I just have the flu or something. I'm not gonna die, and you don't have to worry about me getting freaked out or anything. I don't need you to take care of me."

Kageyama stared at him, his face blank. He had obviously not even considered this possibility. "But...what if I want to take care of you?"

Hinata had no response to that. Nothing at all. He went completely still, just staring at Kageyama in confusion. Kageyama sat there in silence, just looking back at him. He didn't seem to mind that he had made Hinata's brain blue screen.

"You...want to take care of me?" Hinata echoed at last, very faintly.

Kageyama nodded as if this went without saying. "You're my friend. I got pretty good at taking care of you last time, so I thought I could do it again." He frowned suddenly, as if something had just occurred to him. "Am I doing a bad job?"

"What? No!" Hinata was so startled that he bolted upright, then abruptly groaned and folded over in half, his arms wrapped around his stomach, when his gut lurched and his head reeled. "Ugh, no, bad idea..."

"Hinata, you dumbass." Kageyama's growl did not hide his concern. His hands shot out and caught Hinata's shoulders, holding him when he might have collapsed on his own. "Lie down again, you dumbass. King of the dumbasses. What the hell is wrong with you..."

Kageyama carefully guided Hinata down flat again, his hands strong and steady. Hinata curled up on his side again, this time facing Kageyama. His eyes were squeezed almost shut, and the room was blurry. "Sorry..."

"I'm gonna get you that water now." Kageyama made it up onto his knees.

"Wait." This time, Hinata didn't reach out and grab him. But his voice was enough to halt Kageyama in his tracks. Kageyama paused in mid-motion, hovering. Waiting, just like Hinata had requested.

Hinata rocked his head back and squinted up at him. "You're not doing a bad job. I'm sorry I made you think that. I know you're not used to taking care of people, and you're trying really hard. You did a good job with me last time, and you're doing great now, too. I'm just stubborn, that's all. Thank you for being kind to me."

Kageyama swallowed visibly, then nodded, rough and hard. "Of course." His voice was barely audible.

Hinata smiled.

"Do...do you want some water?"

Hinata sighed and let his eyes drift shut again. "Yes. Please. Thank you."

"I'll be right back." Kageyama finally made it to his feet and left the room, his steps so quick that Hinata could have been excused for thinking that he was running away.

He wasn't though. He was just Kageyama being Kageyama. Hinata smiled into his pillow, fuzzy and somehow content, despite the ache in his body and his head. Kageyama never ceased to surprise him. What a guy.

By the time Kageyama returned, though, Hinata was asleep again.

X

The next time Hinata woke up, he was really, really miserable. Again. His stomach was churning, and his head felt like there was a tiny animal inside trying to chisel its way out through his skull. He sat up with a lurch, hand already flying to his mouth as his stomach rolled in protest. He felt so horrible that he just wanted everything to stop. This whole day. Just...let him start the entire thing over again, this time without being sick.

"Hinata!" Yachi's voice, high and nervous. Hinata slowly turned his head to look at her, one hand pressed to his stomach and the other to his mouth. She was kneeling next to his futon, an open book in her lap. Maybe she'd been reading before he woke so abruptly. "Are you okay? Do you need the toilet?"

Hinata nodded woozily. He started to clamber to his feet, which was a lot harder than it should have been. It felt like the world was swaying, and he spread his legs to compensate like a sailor on a ship. He kept one hand over his mouth the entire way up. Yachi took his arm with both hands, trying to support him, and he tilted toward her so hard that she had to take a step back and brace him with all her strength. "Oh, Hinata, you poor thing..."

He felt bad about burdening her, but he couldn't help himself. He...really couldn't stand straight on his own right now. They started to stumble their unsteady way toward the door.

Before they made it all the way there, and also before Hinata overwhelmed Yachi's strength to the point that both fell to the floor, Takeda-sensei appeared in the doorway. "Oh my. Let me help you, Hinata-kun, Yachi-chan." He reached them in a few quick strides and disengaged Yachi from Hinata's arm, then took her place supporting him. "You need the toilet, right? It's just a little way down the hallway. I'll get you there."

Hinata let him lead the way. He was so dizzy and out of it that he could barely keep himself upright, never mind remember the path to the bathroom. Takeda-sensei got him there in time, as promised, then stood outside the stall as Hinata leaned over the toilet bowl, heaving.

Nothing came up. He retched for a few minutes. Awful, heaving cramps coiled in his abdomen like angry snakes, and his throat burned and ached. He tasted a nasty taste at the back of his throat, like he'd swallowed insect repellent or something. But he didn't vomit. Finally, the nausea began to subside, and Hinata leaned back on his heels, breathing hard. His headache was even worse. He hadn't thought that was possible.

"Hinata-kun, can you come out?" Takeda-sensei's voice was gentle, but with a hint of urgency. "I need to talk to you about your symptoms."

Hinata groaned, but he forced himself to lean over and push the stall door open, then hauled himself to his feet with his hand on the wall and inched his way out. Takeda took his arm again. "Ah, let's go back to your futon, first. Lean on me. It will be all right."

"My stomach hurts," Hinata whispered.

"I'm sorry you're feeling so sick, Hinata-kun. I think I have an idea of what might be causing it, though."

Hinata grunted. They made it back to the room, where Yachi was waiting, wringing her hands, and the two of them settled him on the futon again. Hinata pushed the blankets aside and lay with his limbs spread, staring up at the ceiling. He very much would like the room to stop spinning, please.

Takeda-sensei knelt next to the futon, his hands on his knees. "Hinata-kun, you only threw up once, is that correct?"

Hinata started to nod, then changed his mind. He closed his eyes, hoping that might make the dizziness go away. "Yeah."

"Does your body hurt? Muscle aches and pains?"

"Nah."

"Hmm. Your nose doesn't seem to be running, either. Does your throat hurt? Have you been coughing or sneezing?"

Hinata hummed. "No coughing. My throat aches, but I think just from the heaving."

"I see." Takeda-sensei sighed. "I was afraid of that. We had thought that maybe you had a one-day flu or some other kind of minor illness. Mostly, though, you just seem tired and dizzy. Does your head hurt?"

"Yeah. Really bad."

"Did you have trouble sleeping last night? Have you been anxious lately?"

Hinata thought about it. He hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the night before the trip, but that was just because he was so keyed up about going on vacation with his team. Last night, their first one here at the inn, he had slept like Natsu after a long day at the playground. He had been worn out from traveling, which was always a little uncomfortable for him and his unruly stomach.

As for anxiety... Maybe. Hinata didn't think it was unusual, but maybe Takeda-sensei would disagree. He told his teacher all of this, hoping it might help.

"All right, thank you, Hinata-kun. Just a couple more questions, and you can go back to sleep if you want." Takeda-sensei lifted a hand to shield Hinata's eyes from the sunlight coming through the window, which he'd been squinting against without realizing. "Does the light bother you?"

"Yeah." Hinata relaxed a bit. Just that little square of shade seemed to lessen his headache. His closed his eyes with a tiny sigh, relaxing into the futon.

"And the nausea, did that happen after or before you started feeling dizzy and your head started hurting?"

"After."

"All right." Takeda-sensei sighed. "Yachi-chan, will you please pull the shades closed on all of the windows?"

"Yes, of course!" she squeaked, and Hinata heard her scramble to obey. He didn't bother to open his eyes. After a few moments, though, he sensed the light in the room dim quite a bit, and he dared to crack his eyelids again. It didn't hurt. Not as much, anyway.

Takeda-sensei lowered his hand, offering Hinata a gentle smile. "Yes, I think that's it. I'm sorry to say this, Hinata-kun, but I think this is because of your concussion."

Hinata blinked at him. "But that was months ago. I haven't had symptoms for months."

Takeda-sensei nodded. "I know. And we are all glad for that. But the doctor warned us that sometimes these episodes can return weeks or even months after the initial injury. It is terribly unfortunate that this is happening to you now, when we are such a long way from home, but I promise that it is not serious. We will take care of you, and everything will be all right. We just need to wait for it to pass."

Sudden tears pricked at the corners of Hinata's eyes, and he lifted a hand to cover his face to hide this embarrassing display. He had thought that it was over. It was over long ago. That guy... That guy was in jail. Hinata was safe now. Everyone said so. Everyone had made it so. But now…

When would it be over?

Takeda-sensei's hand touched his shoulder, then laid flat against it, warm and comforting. His voice had lowered to a murmur. "Again, Hinata-kun, I am very sorry this is happening to you. It is not fair, and it is not your fault. We will do everything we can to make this easier for you, even in the smallest ways. Isn't that right, Yachi-chan?" His voice, so serious and strong, lightened at the end.

"Yes, sensei!" Yachi chirped, and Hinata dared to believe it.

This really, really sucked. But at least he wasn't alone. Hinata had a feeling that this would be much worse if he was alone.

"Well." Takeda-sensei sighed. "I should really get to the gym next door and help out with practice, at least for a little while. I wanted to stay behind and talk to you first, but I think you should sleep now if you can. Yachi-chan, will you stay with Hinata-kun?"

"Of course!" She sounded honestly surprised that he would ask.

Hinata opened his eyes a sliver, just enough to see Takeda-sensei laugh gently and ruffle her hair before he rose and exited the room. Yachi watched him go, then turned back to Hinata, still smiling. She saw him watching and blushed faintly, then settled down next to the futon again.

"I was reading a book." Yachi lifted the book from where she had set it on the floor and showed it to him. "Would you like me to read to you? It might help you relax."

Hinata took his hand off his face and managed a nod. He didn't ask what the book was about. He didn't really care. "I might fall asleep. It's not because you're boring, I promise."

Yachi laughed sweetly. "That's okay. It would be good for you."

"Will you wake me up when the others come back?"

Yachi nodded. "If you want me to. I think you'll wake up anyway, though. Tanaka-san and Noya-san will be noisy."

Hinata smiled. "They always are."

Yachi lifted the book, raising her eyebrows. Hinata nodded and closed his eyes. He relaxed as much as he could. Slowly, softly, she began to read.

It was one of the Anne of the Green Gables books, a later one than the first one, which Hinata had read in school several years ago. He had no idea what was going on, since Yachi was already in the middle of the book, but he recognized the characters and the style. Yachi's voice seemed suited for the small-town eccentricities and whimsical adventures of Anne and her companions. She read easily, liltingly, without a hint of nerves. Her voice seemed to smooth over the achy feeling in Hinata's head like a soft hand smoothing the covers on a bed.

Yachi would be a good mom someday, Hinata thought incoherently, already fading. It would be fun to listen to her reading bedtime stories. It would be fun...

He was gone.