Moonrise

For the next few weeks, six groups of people zig-zagged across the country, playing a deadly game of cat and mouse. For three of those groups, each person came to know what Tsuki went through for ten years. Especially when he was barely ahead of those chasing him.

Sleep was hard to come by. They grabbed what they could, when they could.
Eating healthy wasn’t easy. Meals were often cold and eaten while moving.
They didn’t always manage to stay hidden. Their pursuers were led by none other than the Guess Monster himself, so they had to move fast, and think faster, in order to stay ahead of him and his minions. The problem was that he always seemed to be a few steps ahead of them. The positive note to his uncanny ability was that Yuki also seemed to have the same power, and even without knowing their exact numbers, she’d get them out of trouble. Sometimes just barely.

At first, they kept in contact at least twice a day. Bokuto, Akaashi, and Shimizu made sure that their groups were intact. No one left behind, and no one hurt or worse. After, once the chase became more serious, it was once a day, or once every other day. They’d take turns keeping the phone in each group, and when they made, or joined, the conference call, an informal roll call was done. Business and events of the day were reported, and discussed. When they were done, a little extra time was given to those who were separated from each other.

Kiyoko and Ryunosuke.
Bokuto and Akaashi.
The Miyans (though it was kind of funny listening to them bickering, no one denied the brothers a chance to make sure they were okay).
Kuroo and his mother.
And, finally…
Kuroo and Tsuki. It was perhaps an unspoken agreement that they’d go last, and that they’d be given a little more time to talk. Most people suspected Yuki was behind that, but no one tried to confirm it.

For his part, Tsuki would teach his group what he knew. Everything, not just the fighting. How to keep an eye out for anything suspicious; his friends used to tease him about his travel paranoia, now they didn’t. How to look for hiding places and escape routes; he was the one to disappear a few times, and would return just before they panicked. How to assess the surroundings in order to blend in; he told them changing appearances helped a lot, but sometimes just knowing the crowd was all they’d need.

Tsuki admitted that this was his weakest point without changing clothes, dying his hair and wearing different contacts. His height worked against him, as he easily towered over most people. Plus, he hated crowds. Suffering a panic attack in the middle of one had happened, but he learned to avoid super crowded areas, and power through lesser ones.

Noya, Hinata, and Hoshiumi taught him how they could blend in without changing anything. It was more in the attitude, the way they carried themselves, that no one ever even looked in their direction. It was almost as if they were ghosts. Amazing, considering Hinata’s shocking red hair, Hoshiumi’s stark white hair, and Noya with that patch of blond in the middle of his forehead. If Tsuki hadn’t been watching them carefully, mentally taking notes, he’d have fallen for their trick, too.

When things were quiet, and they had eluded their hunters enough, Tsuki would spend a little extra time with Akaashi. The older man understood, a little better than most, what he was going through being apart from Kuroo. It wasn’t that he couldn’t talk to say Suga, Noya, or even Hinata. It was just that he still felt a little guilty talking to them about his fiance, who was still alive and well, while their partners… weren’t. And somehow, they understood his need to not involve them in this particular subject.

To say that each little group became their own family unit was entirely accurate. They made sure that everyone in their own group got as much rest as they could, ate what they could, and that any aches and pains (or minor injuries) were seen to and taken care of.

For three weeks, they managed to keep things from going sideways, as they steadily made their way to Miyagi. And then, everything started falling apart.

~*~

“Tooru, can you think of new routes they can use? We need to get them out of there before we lose anyone else!” Mitsuhide exclaimed as he ran into the villa and into the large meeting room they’d converted into an operations base. Large screens on the walls showed each team’s current locations, as well as the enemy’s.

“It won’t be easy, sir,” Oikawa replied, his voice drifting off while he thought. “Damn it! They shouldn’t have figured it out so fast!”
“Yeah, well, I’ve been told this Tendo is very good at what he does.”
“Tendo? Satori Tendo?”
“I believe that’s his name, yes.”
“Shit!” His head went back as he stared up at the ceiling. “If he’s leading, then I’m willing to bet Ushiwaka is also one of the leaders?”
“Yes, I believe so.”

The younger man went silent, lost in thought. Mitsuhide watched him, knowing that cunning brain was working to come up with a plan. Akiteru had chosen Oikawa personally, as well as Iwaizumi, impressed with his abilities to read the situation correctly and quickly act on a plan to his advantage. Both had a tendency to be loose cannons, but that turned out to be an asset for their side. Both had been on a team that could outthink their opponents fairly easily. The only two teams that managed to overcome Seijoh were Karasuno, and… Shiratorizawa.

“We need to know who’s leading the third team. We can assume Ushiwaka and his minions are here,” and he pointed to Tochigi prefecture, the last known location of Akaashi’s group. “I’m willing to bet Ushiwaka has his own agenda to go after that particular group.” His voice was almost a growl.
“You’ll need to explain that to me, but later. What of Tendo?”
Oikawa looked at another screen. “Niigata prefecture. That’s Shimizu’s group, yes?” He looked back at Mitsuhide who nodded.
“I don’t think he has any specific vendetta against anyone in that group, though…” he paused as he thought about it. “Well, no, wait. Eita is with them, right?” Another look back.
“Right.”
“Oh, well then. Most likely, he’s after Eita for joining us rather than Grandmother.” He was thoughtful for several moments. “I don’t think he knows Kawanishi joined us either. Or, that several others on his team have helped us peripherally. But then, he can only be in one place at one time, so there’s no telling what he’s really up to.”
“Right. And that leaves Bokuto and his group.”
“Last known is Gunma prefecture. Our three groups are fairly close together, which tells me that’s how Tendo guessed where to go.”
“How do we get them out?”
“Assuming they’re blocking us from heading north toward Miyagi, and from what I can tell, they are…”
“We have no way to get out easily,” Mitsuhide finished. “Not without losing ground and going back.”
“And if we want to finish this once and for all, we’ll have to fight our way through.”
“Goddammit!” Mitsuhide shouted, hitting the table with his fist. Hard. “Call them. Tell them what we’ve just talked about, and get their answers.”
“Why not you?”
“Do you honestly think I could send my only surviving son into a battle that could kill him? I don’t want to send him to his death,” he ended in a whisper.
“I get it,” Tooru said carefully. “Trust me, I do. But you’re the one in command, here. The only one. You also know that, even though they trust me, they’d still ask you for the final word. It has to be you, Mitsu.”

The room was silent for a long while. Mitsuhide sat down and folded his hands in front of his face, as if he was praying. And maybe he was, thought Tooru. There wasn’t anyone who hadn’t prayed these last several days, including himself.

“Mitsu, you’ve seen how he fights, and by now, he’s passed along his knowledge, as well as learned from his teammates. He has a better chance at survival than anyone else, to be perfectly honest. Do what you think you must, but I highly doubt Tsuki wouldn’t kill half of Ushiwaka’s crew before anyone thought to kill him. And you know he could.”
“But he’s never…”
“Something tells me he’ll handle it well.”
“He shouldn’t have to at all.”

Oikawa said nothing more. After another long silence, Mitsuhide reached out and pulled the phone on the table close to him. He pushed a few buttons, and then dialed each number for the teams. When he had the team leaders on the line, he had them gather their people and put him on speaker.

“Guys, I’m sure you know what situation you’re in,” he started, and received affirmative answers from everyone. “Unfortunately, we can’t see a route that will keep you safe and get you into Miyagi while avoiding the Specials currently blocking you.” He sighed. But before he could say anything else, Kei’s voice was clear.
“We’ll have to fight, right Dad?”
A short pause. “Yes. I’m sorry.”
“No, we all knew it would come to this,” Akaashi replied.
“We only hoped it wouldn’t,” Bokuto added. He could be heard talking softly to his group. “We’re as ready as we can be, sir. We’ll go first, if there’s any sort of order to punching through the line.”
“There’s no order,” Mitsuhide said quietly. “Do you know who’s leading on their side?”
“Yeah,” Osamu answered. “Futakuchi is leading, but there’s someone else in the group.”
“Oh yeah? Who?”
“Daishou,” Kuroo answered. “He’s had this chip on his shoulder for years. Thinks I somehow insulted him, and can’t be convinced otherwise.”
“Did you insult him?” his mother asked sternly.
“I teased him more than anything. Guess he took it the wrong way.”
“Tetsu…” both his mother and Kei sighed out loud, causing everyone else to chuckle lightly.
“Alright, guys,” Mitsuhide interrupted. “Go when you feel you will have the best chance at getting through. Do everything you can to stay alive. I don’t want to lose anyone else. Oikawa, Hotaru and I will be leaving in two days. We’ll meet you in Miyagi, at the residence, by the end of the week.”
“Right,” everyone answered.
“I pray to the gods that you’ll all be waiting for me at the residence,” he said solemnly. “Kei. Please stay safe.”
“I will.”
“Alright. Keep in touch as much as you can. I still want updates.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Thanks. Stay safe. Good luck.”
“You too, sir.”

~*~

“We’ll be fighting soon,” Tendo said over their own conference call. “I’d give it a day at most before they try to get through.”
“Be ready,” was all Ushijima imparted.
“I mean, we already are,” Futakuchi said sarcastically. “It’s not like we’re just gonna walk up and wait.”
“Shut it, asshole,” Daishou said angrily, then he asked, “are we going to be reactionary, or can we get the party started?”
“Wait for them. We are benevolent, after all. We all need a good night’s sleep.”
“Somehow, I think you’ll be the only one sleeping.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Satori. Too much confidence and pride,” Ushijima said quietly. “Don’t underestimate them.”
“This coming from the man so sure he could beat the weirdo duo.”
“To be fair, he did beat one,” Daishou reminded him.
“He wasn’t even aiming for Kageyama! He was gunning for Hinata. Kageyama just got in the way.”
“Quiet. Both of you,” Ushijima raised his voice enough to shut them up. “He’s not wrong, though.”
“Alright. Orders remain the same. No one gets through. No prisoners. Kill or be killed.”
“Right.”
“See you boys on the other side. Or back at the residence. Whatever.”

~*~

Just before sunrise the next day, Bokuto and his group made their move. The plan was to attempt sneaking by their front line while the enemy slept. From all outward appearances, they were still in their tents, and some on bedrolls on the ground. Their fires were banked, with only a thread of smoke still drifting upward into the soft morning air. No one moved. They were still asleep. But, Bokuto wasn’t stupid enough to believe that they were all deep sleepers.
“Move as quietly as you can, guys. If you can, go around. If not, tip toe quickly. Kuroo, Kaori, you two stay with me.”
“Sure thing.”
“You guys ready?”
“As ready as we can be, sir,” Kaori said.
“Fine. If you absolutely have to, run. Don’t stop unless you shake them. We’ll meet you at the rendezvous point at the border of Fukushima and Miyagi. Stay alive and stay safe, okay?”
He looked at each person, gave them a small nod and a smile. They returned the gesture, and as they had with their teams back in high school, they all put their hands into the center of their circle.
“See you later, guys.” Kawanishi.
“Good luck.” Kaori.
“Don’t blow anything up.” Tanaka.
“Fukunaga’s with Akaashi’s group.” Osamu.
“Atsumu’s with Shimizu’s group. Your point?” Bokuto.
“Fine. No blowing anything up.” Osamu.
“Are we good?” Kaori.
“Yeah.” Everyone.
“Let’s go, then.” Bokuto.

~*~

“Be extremely careful,” Kiyoko told her group at the same time, but in a different place. “We need to make it to the rendezvous point at the border of Fukushima and Miyagi. In two days.”
“Quite the haul, but we’ll make it,” Eita replied.
“As long as Atsumu doesn’t blow anything up,” Inuoka added slyly.
“Ya weren’t there, kid.”
“No, but I heard stories. And the sound wave.”
“The sound…”
“I was in the next prefecture.”
“Told you,” Kiyoko looked a little smug. “Anyhow, we have the pleasure of hosting the Guess Monster himself. And we can all assume he’s after you, Eita.”
“Yeah. Never forgave me for defecting to the good guys.”
“Well, you still need to stick with Yuki. Same with you, Atsumu. Yachi and Inuoka with me.”
“Right.”
“Since it’s still early, we can only hope they’re still asleep. Be quiet, be careful, and stay alive. Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Once you’re clear of their camp, run like hell. Don’t stop until you shake off any pursuers. Meet you at the border in two days.”
“Right.”
“Good luck, guys. Let’s go.”

~*~

“Kei, we need to go,” Shoyo said quietly from beside him. They’d just been told they were splitting up again, and it didn’t sit well with him.
“Have we heard from Narita?”
“Just a few minutes ago. Coast is clear, for the time being,” Hoshiumi replied. “You’re with Noya and Hinata.”
“Yeah.”
“Are you okay?” Suga entered the conversation.
“No.”
“We don’t have time to mourn, Kei,” Noya said, his voice cutting. When Kei turned to glare at him, he immediately relented. Noya’s eyes mirrored his concern. “We’ll mourn once we’re all back together again.”
“And if we…”
“Stop that!” Suga said sharply. “You can’t think that way, or they’ll win.”
“We’ll make it,” Noya assured him. “One way or another, we’ll all see each other again.”
“Fine,” Kei finally said, and he endured slaps to the back as they went to clear their area of any evidence of their residency.

As Kei carefully banked and buried their small fire, he settled into the one persona he never wanted to use again. Cold as moonlight, hard as diamonds, burying all semblance of the Kei his friends and family knew. This was pure survivalist mode, and even if he hated it, he’d need it to fight and stay alive. Most importantly, he’d need it to save his friends, and keep them from dying. Which meant that he would be extra vigilant over Hinata.

Once all trace of their fire was gone, and he could detect no more smoke, Kei went to help the rest. He spoke to no one unless they required an answer. Only once did he make eye contact with anyone, and Shoyo only nodded his acknowledgement. Well, it seemed one person recognized the change he made, and approved. Kei rubbed his hands together, and then went to join the group when Akaashi gathered them together.

“Narita and Fukunaga are moving again, so we need to leave now. Kei, you are with Noya and Hinata. Suga, you and Hoshiumi are with me. We have two days to get to the rendezvous point at the border of Miyagi and Fukushima. I don’t think I need to tell anyone to stay safe and stay alive.”
“That’s a given,” Noya quipped.
“Okay, well, run like hell, and try to stay ahead of our hunters. Do not start any fights. Don’t go looking for any, either,” he looked pointedly at both Kei and Shoyo.
“Understood,” they both replied. Akaashi gave them a skeptical glare, but left it alone.
“We’ll meet again in two days.”
“Right.”
“Good luck.”

~*~

“Sir, they’re finally on the move,” one of Ushijima’s men reported. “There are two further ahead, acting as scouts.”
“Thank you,” was all Ushijima said. The man bowed shortly and left.

Taking out his phone, he dialed a number, waited for the answer, and then dialed a second number.

“They are moving,” he said simply. “We’ll be in pursuit shortly.”
“Same,” Futakuchi replied. “We’re just waiting for them to get far enough ahead to think they’re safe.”
“Don’t underestimate them,” Tendo repeated. “You might be after the group that has only one Crow, but he has allies.”
“Well yeah. I know. A Fox, two Owls, a Cat, and… another Swan.”
“What?!”
Sounds from Futakuchi’s phone let them know it wasn’t in his hands anymore.
“Yeah. Kawanishi,” Daishou reported. “There were a few others seen with them, too. But mostly as guides or extra support through various prefectures.”
“Who?” Tendo growled.
“Satori,” Ushijima said, his voice a warning. Tendo ignored it.
“They betrayed us, Toshi. We can’t let that go…”
“We can. They chose their path. Just like we did.”
Silence reigned over the phones as Tendo remained quiet. No one knew his thoughts, and no one asked.
“Well, either way. Don’t let them get too far ahead, and don’t turn your backs.”
“Right.”
“Get back to me when you’ve completed your mission.”
“Yes, sir.”