DISCLAIMER: Images, dialogue and plot all belong to the author of haikyuu at 3am which you can find here: http://03xlimit.tumblr.com/

Chapter 7: Sunset

How to let the sunshine heal

Daichi's eyes snapped open in panic, a yell escaping his mouth as he gasped for air.

"No!"

When his vision cleared slightly, Daichi noticed 9am's teary face above him, tears landing on his face as their orange hair moved with every slight shake of their head.

"You're alive Limit! You're alive!" They sobbed, wiping away their tears with their sleeve.

"9am?" Daichi questioned, slowly sitting up and looking around. Ghostly hands slid back under the patio at his movement as golden fireflies floated around the whole area. "Wait...Where am I?"

"This is Dawn Palace!" 9am exclaimed, supporting Daichi as he sat up.

"Not...Dusk Palace? What happened?" Daichi asked, frowning. 'Did I pass out again?' He thought, listening to 9am as they started to tell him about what had happened.

(Time Master A/N: waking up to the crying sun)

"I came back from my shift and searched for the both of you nearby the Midnight Palace when I heard fighting...and I saw 12am's body on the ground."

9am froze, looking at the blood pooling around 12am's head as he gently rolled the older Dream Catcher over.

"I'll survive but... 9am, that Limit... won't stand a chance... go help them...I can't move..." 12am wheezed, the ticking of the clocks in Knowhere increasing in volume as 9am glanced around frantically.

"After I found them, I found 3am and followed a bloody trail...I saw you being dragged away by 11pm, of all Dream Catchers. The gateway closed and I had to take a longer route to the Dusk Palace, because I don't have the ability to summon portals."

9am summoned a crow, flying towards the Dusk Palace. They landed and snuck into the palace, overhearing 11pm yell at Daichi.

"After I arrived, that's when I heard them explain everything."

9am was trembling as they hid behind a pillar, listening to 11pm throw books to the floor and yell 'Shut up' to Daichi.

'I'm t-too scared to move...b-but Limit...' They thought, racking their brain for a way to  save Daichi.

"But then, they got too close..."

'It's quiet now??' They thought, peeking out from behind the marble pillar.

They saw 11pm push Daichi into the pool of stars, jumping in after the Limit as 9am gasped in horror, running out from behind the pillar.

"NO!"

9am dived into the pool right behind 11pm, hearing them faintly yell, 'Sweet dreams, my love!' to Daichi. They tackled 11pm, pushing them away from Daichi as bubbles clouded both the Dream Catchers' vision.

"What the- you?!" 11pm exclaimed as 9am looked up at them with furious eyes.

"LEAVE THEM ALONE!" 9am snapped, shoving 11pm further and further away from Daichi. They eventually propelled both themself and 11pm out of the starry pool, sending the older Dream Catcher flying.

Right into a large rock.

The force from the impact created cracks, spiralling out from behind 11pm as 9am was sent tumbling, holding a sword in their hands. 11pm's sword. Leftover bubbles floated up as 9am breathed heavily, clutching the sword tightly in their hands.

They summoned back their crow, which carried the unconscious Daichi on it's back. Small bubbles rose from both the Limit's and 9am's mouths as the Dream Catcher leaped on beside the motionless Limit.

"Volex, corvo!" 9am yelled as the crow screeched before flying away. The orange-haired male turned around, noticing 11pm slowly waking up as they yelled up at the disappearing Daichi and 9am.

"THAT LITTLE- YOU'LL REGRET THIS!" They yelled, tears appearing in the corners of their eyes. 9am felt their face turn into one of horror as they turned back around, urging the crow onwards and hearing 11pm's final yells. "I'LL MAKE SURE OF IT - ALL OF YOU AND THAT LIMIT WILL REGRET EVER CROSSING ME!"

[]

"Now 7am and 10am are here helping us heal."  9am finished, jabbing a thumb in the direction of a lanky male with silver hair and a pretty raven-haired female.

"I patched you both up. Doesn't it look great?" 10am grinned, as 7am glanced over.

"10am, pay attention, please." They sounded like they were done with 10am being distracted as the silver-haired Dream Catcher turned back around with a hasty, 'Ah, sorry, 7am!'

From what Daichi could see, 12am was lying on a bed of pillows infront of the other two Dream Catchers, their right arm covered in bandages. A simple cloth with gold string covered their neck while a black eye-patch hid their right eye, the one that guardian-mode 4am took out. A jagged scar could be seen poking out from either end, stretching from their forehead to their cheek.

"But Limit, you've seen the danger upfront. I can't warn you anymore. 11pm can't go into any other palace besides their own, so they're probably waiting for you out there somewhere. You don't have much time." 9am said, gesturing to 12am as they spoke.

" If that's the case, then so be it. If I have to meet them again, I will. I don't have much time, but I'm not going until 3am is okay."  Daichi murmured, looking out at the bright garden.

"I guess I dug you further into this... I feel really bad for telling you about the Library. I thought 11pm was trying to help both of you..." 9am said sheepishly, scratching the back of their head. They turned to Daichi with a bright smile, Daichi couldn't helping but smiling back. "Though now your attachment to each other is so strong, 3am must have discovered your name while watching you in the world of Limits, something we're not supposed to do. 

"They would often come back and tell all of the Dream Catchers about how much they liked you and your liking for the paranormal. It's no wonder how you can stomach the Nightmares.

"I'm not so sure in what order, but we Dream Catchers were born one at a time, designed to learn from one another's secondary powers. 4am was 'protection', 12am was 'teamwork' and I was 'tenacity'. 

"Before 3am, we never knew what 'emotion' was. We would watch our Limits and feel nothing for them. Observing them from far away. Everything in our chests felt heavy no matter what we did. We couldn't cure it, we could never identify the source of our pain or even understand what it was."

9am would always watch their Limit, one that went by the name of Kageyama Tobio. They felt a certain rush of emotion when they watched them play the sport known as volleyball.

"After 3am, we finally started living through our Limits and the emotions they gave us from watching their lives - lives we could never have ourselves. We were happy to be around 3am for teaching us so much. We all wanted to be like them. But 3am handed us a double-edged sword when they taught us how to love our Limits - but not how to stay further away."

Was it happiness? Or was it love? Or was it just 9am being proud for the Limit, their Limit.

"We learn how much their dreams affect them, and how we wanted to keep fighting for Limits, even though we would eventually become Nightmares.

"I can't imagine what I'd do if my Limit saw me become a Nightmare - would they still like me as much as I like them? Would I be able to face them again? Would I feel lonely again?

"I don't want to be alone. I don't want any of the Dream Catchers to feel lonely. I didn't know, but 11pm must have been so hurt - so isolated!" 9am exclaimed, their small body shaking with sobs as tears ran freely down their cheeks. "11pm was never around us. They never learned how to deal with the greed and pride inside of them - like how we were able to embrace our good and bad feelings because of 3am. We needed all the emotions to understand our Limits - to help us connect with them. All Limits have this pain - but you- you still cared enough to fight for us and still never worried about yourself, even after knowing what we will become. 3am is lucky to have you. You're brave, strong, but look at you - you're not immortal." 

Daichi glanced at the number on his shirt, which had changed from a 07 to a 06.

"No matter what, you have always fought for them. You never abandoned them or tried to keep your distance-" 9am's voice faded into silence, only one word echoing in Daichi's head.

'Distance...'

'...Distance...'

'...Distance...'

'...Distance...'

'...Distance...'

The sound of his heartbeat increased until it was the only thing Daichi could hear. The male was struck with inspiration as he shakily stood up, wincing. 7am and 10am turned around, confused about the Limit's actions.

"I think that's it!" He limped over to the sword, grabbing it and continuing his way to the door.

"Limit - wait! As soon as you step out of the palace with that, 11pm will be able to find you-" 9am's warning was cut off by Daichi crouching down infront of him and engulfing the small Dream Catcher in a hug, feeling their soft orange hair brush his ear.

"It's fine. My time is almost up. So please, just let me go... Let me handle this. So you can all make it through this fear." Daichi said, reassuring the Dream Catcher that was slowly tearing up (traaash a/n: fuck im tearing up as well afjdaslfj) in Daichi's embrace. "Thank you so much, 9am."

"Limit, no! What are you about to do?! I wasn't joking, you really shouldn't leave! It's dangerous!" 9am shouted, trying to stop Daichi from leaving.

"Yes, very dangerous. But this countdown is almost over and you're going to have to trust me when I say I'm going to do what you all should have done for yourselves a long time ago." Daichi said with a peaceful smile, pushing the doors of the Dawn Palace open before letting it shut on the shocked Dream Catchers.

"LIMIT, NO!" 9am's yell was the last thing Daichi heard before the doors slammed shut.

Inhaling deeply, Daichi clutched the sword tighter, bracing himself to yell.

"11PM! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

(Time Master A/N: ...the final countdown...)