...Only to be shaken awake.

He had only closed his eyes a few moments ago, too...

And then he was pushed onto his stomach. Kageyama yelped, grabbing onto the hair of his perpetrator.

"What that hell was that for?!" He yelled into apparently Hinata's face. Hinata, however, smacked his arm away.

"We're being attacked right now! No time to think about sleep!" Hinata shouted back, jumping up and sprinting out of the tent. Being attacked? Kageyama decided to check it out.

Holy shit, the morning is bright. Kageyama flipped the tent flap all the way, the bright light blinding him as he tried to adjust to the morning.

"Vision Hunt Decree! Hand over your Visions!"

His ears registered the new voice to his left. He whipped his head to see a Vision Hunter with his sword unsheathed, the blade glinting in the sun. Kageyama narrowed his eyes, manifesting Cryo energy in his hand.

The soldier cautiously stalks forward, blade towards the back, offensive side in front. Kageyama steps forward as well, Cryo energy getting stronger.

This guy's just a rookie. He won't be able to dodge this.

Ice suddenly protrudes from the ground, spikes forming a path right to the unsuspecting soldier, the ice then clumping into one around his body. The soldier could only yelp in surprise before his entire body was encased in ice.

Kageyama backed away, dusting his hands, then walking towards the rest of the fight.

Reinforcements must've come, because there were more soldiers running towards them, swords drawn and lances poised in the offensive position. Hinata spots them and makes a run towards them, but Sugawara manages to pull him back.

"You'll be surrounded if you charge forward without a plan," The Anemo user explained, lifting an arm at the soldiers. A tornado started to take form, sweeping up nearby soldiers. Sugawara waved his arm to the right, and the tornado moves in that direction rapidly, throwing the soldiers into the rock nearby. The rest of the army charges forward, ready to avenge their fallen comrades, only to be pushed back. The insignias Sugawara implanted on their bodies exploded, causing the air around the soldiers to push them farther from the Vision users, backs landing on the sand.

"Come on, let's make a run for it. There's an opening there," He gestures for Hinata and Kageyama to follow him, and runs off towards the beach. Hinata picks up Natsu from the tent and he and Kageyama quickly follow behind, as more soldiers start showing up.

——

Before noon, they manage to reach a beach near Ritou, when they see a small boat sitting on the sand. Sugawara perks up, speeding up to a jog. He stops in front of the boat, inspecting the whole thing carefully.

"It's completely undamaged, thank archons," Sugawara grinned, relieved. "Now I wonder where Daichi is..."

As if on cue, a boy with similar clothing to Sugawara's approached them with another guy behind him. The first had dark cropped hair and a Geo Vision on his knee guard, sporting similar clothes to Sugawara's save for the haori that's perched on his shoulders, held to his frame by a small sash tying the haori. The other guy had a shaved head and similar but more traditional clothes visible from some of the armor he is wearing, probably hailing from a small village on Watatsumi. There was a Hydro Vision hanging off an ornament on his belt.

"Daichi! Tanaka!" Sugawara sprinted at the two, bringing a fist to the Geo user's gut, the latter grunting in pain as he doubled over from the force.

"Where were you guys? You said you would stay by the boat." Sugawara inquired, poking the taller boy's side.

"W-well..." He started, placing a hand on his side to stop Sugawara, but the latter just poked somewhere else. "Tanaka thought he spotted a shogunate soldier nearby, so we went to check it out—"

"And then what?"

"Stop poking me—"

Hinata and Kageyama just watch in confusion as all this is happening. Sugawara had stopped abusing the poor guy and let him speak.

"Ugh, painful as ever..." he sighed, but regained his composure quickly. "Anyway. Tanaka said he spotted a shogunate soldier, we found said soldier and followed him to a small encampment."

"And yknow what we did? We beat the shit outta them, we sent them packing!" Tanaka, the shaved guy, boasted, throwing a peace sign at Sugawara, who gave him a deadpan face that said that he didn't really approve what he did.

It was then that Daichi notices the newcomers behind Sugawara. Walking towards them, he analyzes them carefully.

"Suga," he starts, lifting a hand in Hinata and Kageyama's direction. "May I ask who they are? One of them looks to be from the Tenryou Commission. Why did you bring them here? They could endanger our forces."

"No, you've got it all wrong!" Hinata starts, jolting Natsu awake. "We're running from the army, since they're after us."

"They're citizens on Narukami Island blessed with Visions in unfortunate times," Sugawara clarified. "Don't worry, I picked them up just as they were escaping the forest on the other side."

"Where, Chinju?"

"Yeah."

Daichi nods. "Alright. We'll bring you to our current encampment instead. We're currently settled in Yashiori, and we just received word of a bounty from one of our soldiers." He relays this information to Sugawara, who nods as he processes it.

"I see...so someone managed to disrupt the ceremony and came in contact with the archon, and now they're wanted across the country." Sugawara summarized, and Daichi nods.

"Precisely. We have to be careful if this person comes into our ranks seeking refuge. The Kujou Clan could use it to their advantage."

"Let's talk about this later. For now, we have to get to Kannazuka. There's been a lack of soldiers lately, and Sanganomiya had just issued a recruitment program. If we report the two of you to General Gorou, he might enlist you." Sugawara explains to the two younger boys.

"Wait a moment." Kageyama interrupts them as Tanaka steps into the boat, which is now resting serenely on the water.

"Yeah, what's up, blueberry?" Tanaka props his arms on the edge of the boat, not afraid of it toppling over.

Kageyama decides to ignore the nickname...for now. He has more pressing concerns at the moment. "Where exactly is this encampment?"

"Hm. I suppose you should know in case something happens." Daichi nods, turning fully to Kageyama and Hinata. "Listen up, now. It's currently near Fort Mumei on Kannazuka Island. It's not far from Watatsumi, but still far enough to require a boat."

Kageyama seems satisfied with this answer, noting it in his mind for later.

Sugawara climbs in the boat after Daichi. "Now come on, what are you two waiting for? We've got people to meet!"

Hinata seemed to be aboard on this idea, because he jumps in almost immediately (with Sugawara warning about Natsu's safety, with her still being on his back), while Kageyama takes time to register everything going on before he climbed in the (surprisingly) wide space.

"Okay, we're off!"

The ride was rather slow, considering it wasn't a speedboat of any sort; Daichi and Tanaka manned the oars while Sugawara, Kageyama, and Hinata sat next to them, with Natsu sitting on Hinata's lap, sleeping peacefully again.

Hinata decides to speak up now that they've been on water for a while. "Hey, uh, Daichi?"

Daichi looks at him while he rows the boat and nods.

"I uh...don't think we introduced ourselves yet."

This gets Tanaka's attention. "Oh yeah! We kinda forgot about that."

He places both oars in one of his hands and makes a peace sign with the other. "My name's Tanaka Ryuunosuke! I'm from Bourou Village, same place as Suga-san."

"Ooh! Really?" Hinata exclaims, excited. Tanaka nods enthusiastically.

"Tanaka, both hands on the oars!" Daichi glares at the Hydro user, who scrambles to comply.

"Alright, I'll take it from here." Sugawara laughs at what just happened, much to Daichi's indignation. "Daichi's full name is Sawamura Daichi, he's the captain of our little group. He lives closer to the shrine, but nonetheless..."

Sugawara smiles fondly at the two of them bickering around, especially at Daichi. Although, Kageyama, Hinata, and Daichi were all oblivious to it.

"Well anyway, now that we introduced ourselves," Tanaka breaks in, shaking everyone out of their thoughts. "What are your names?"

"Oh! I'm Hinata Shouyou, this is my sister Natsu, and this guy right here is Flying Fish Jerkface-yama—"

"OI! THAT'S NOT MY NAME, YOU DUMBASS!" Kageyama yelled at Hinata, who is cackling loudly in response. Natsu simply covered her ears.

Sugawara tried to stifle a laugh to no avail. Tanaka didn't even try, clapping Hinata on the shoulder and proclaiming that he likes him already. Daichi just looks mortified.

Kageyama scoffs at them. "It's Kageyama Tobio. Not Tobiuo."

Tanaka cackles harder. Daichi just keeps rowing, going silent in his thoughts.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, other than Tanaka chatting away every so often, Sugawara joining in on parts, and Hinata wanting to learn more about Watatsumi Island.

Soon enough, they were greeted with a beach leading up to an encampment surrounded by white and blue tapestries. It was raining hard too, with lightning striking down every so often. Sugawara motioned for them to step out and make the trek up. They all clambered out of the boat one by one, and after dragging the boat onto the sand, they went on their way to the camp.

The inside seemed to be protected by an invisible golden barrier that only became visible when someone or some element touches it. Rain was pouring from above, so the raindrops are absorbed by the barrier in small circles.

They passed the barrier with ease; it seemed to have no problem with non-hostiles.

Soldiers were frolicking about inside the camp; some were sparring with each other, others were training on their own. Even more were casually walking around, tending to the wounded, or taking short breaks in between.

Kageyama seemed to like the layout already, taking note of the entire camp the moment they stepped in. Hinata just wanted to dry off him and Natsu so neither of them got sick.

"Here we are. Kageyama, we're going this way," Daichi called to the raven boy, who almost didn't hear him.

The five of them walked up to a bigger construct than the tents they passed on the way here, a small house-like building with two Watatsumi war banners in the front. What looked like a boy with dog ears, a tail, and a Geo Vision on his back was talking to one of the soldiers, who saluted and left the building.

The boy turned around, and Hinata could see striking teal eyes and the very real dog ears on his head. He notices the newcomers and quickly makes his way down.

"Captain Sawamura. It's great to see you, Tanaka-san, and Sugawara-san in one piece. It seems you've completed your mission quite quickly." The boy smiled slightly, shaking Daichi's hand. He then turns to Kageyama and Hinata. "And who might you two be? From the looks of it, you're both Vision Bearers. Are you perhaps seeking refuge with Sanganomiya?" He questions, taking a long, hard look over the two.

"General Gorou! These two are two potential recruits, sir. I was hoping we could evaluate them in combat." Daichi states, clarifying the situation.

Wait. General Gorou? This dog boy is the general?

The first two sentences come out of Hinata's mouth. The last one comes out of Kageyama's. Daichi looks even more mortified than he did on the boat now, while Sugawara was silently telling Kageyama to shut up. Tanaka...well, he had left a long time ago.

"Hey! Looks don't always constitute a person's strength!" Gorou snaps before clearing his throat. "In any case, I would have objectives for soldiers to complete before we move to the next battle, but seeing as you two were sudden recruits, I implore you to wait a moment. For now, all we know is that Kujou's army is on the move right now, but we don't know the precise route she's taking nor the time it'll take for her to get here."

Gorou takes a few steps back in the direction of the building. "We still have some planning to do. If only Her Excellency were here...no matter." He shakes his head, dismissing what he was going to say. "Feel free to do anything you'd like for now. I'll be in here if anyone needs me, finalizing our battle plan. Just be mindful of others, okay?" With that he turns around and leaves. Sugawara turns and faces the two.

"Well, there you have it! Go on, do anything." The two watched on expectantly, so Kageyama made a straight beeline for the sparring field.

"Ah..." Hinata fumbled, so Daichi asks what was wrong. "What do I do about Natsu?"

"Oh! I'll look after her, don't you worry!" Sugawara reassures, giving the boy a thumbs up. Hinata brightens at this and takes off after Kageyama. Sugawara takes the time to dry Natsu off with a light wind.

Hinata steps onto the dirt just a little behind the Cryo user. Kageyama notices this and turns his head slightly back, as if asking what Hinata wants from him.

"Hey, Jerkface-yama, I want a rematch."

This is all he says, but Kageyama scoffs.

"It's not even been half a year since our last fight. What makes you think this would have a different result?" He asks the Pyro user. Hinata instead summons his weapon, planting the blade in the dirt and steadying it by the hilt.

"How about you fight me before assuming that?" Hinata counters.

Sighing, Kageyama summons his catalyst and lifts his arm forward. Cryo energy clusters in his palm and solidifies. Hinata braces himself for the hit, tilting the claymore to the side.

What happens instead is the icicles shoot out, maneuvering past the barrier and aiming at Hinata's back. Hinata notices this and imbues his blade with Pyro, swinging it back in a wide arc and melting the ice. He takes the opportunity to dart forward, enshrouding himself with fire as Kageyama recovers from surprise.

He seems to have gotten faster, and more fluid in his attacks. He's become a...formidable enemy. Kageyama jumps back, summoning ice barrier after ice barrier. Hinata just maneuvers around them when he suddenly couldn't track Kageyama. He decides to keep moving, seeing as standing still would result in the battle ending a lot faster.

When he was finding his way out of the icy maze, something equally cold breathed down his back. Hinata lifted his claymore when an icicle was about to drill into his back; the impact creating sparks as Hinata struggled to push back the attack.

The icicle shatters, pushing Hinata back with enough force to send him flying, crashing through multiple walls of ice. The claymore disappears in a flurry of fire before appearing again in Hinata's grip, the boy using it to create friction in the ground, allowing him to stop before he fell out of range. He looked up only to see more ice shards aiming towards him.

The ice hit before he could react, frost spreading across his arm at a slow rate. Hinata lets out a cry of pain, clutching his arm with his other hand.

"Are you done yet?" Kageyama's voice rang in his head.

"N-no..."

"Archons." Kageyama sighs again, and he could hear another icicle conjuring in his palm. Hinata managed to melt away the frost collecting on his arm, staggering to his feet with the claymore as support. His vision blurs as he stood, making him believe he might've hit his head at some point earlier.

Before he could react, however, the icicle was flying towards his face. A very, very sharp icicle.

Before it shattered into a million pieces.

Hinata watched as the shards rained down in front of him like tiny hail, stunned into silence.

...Was his life on the line that very moment? It seemed Kageyama was too into it as the fight progressed.

"Okay, that's enough! You're not killing each other." Gorou's voice barely reached Hinata, but it seemed to bring Kageyama back to reality.

Daichi and Gorou walked over to them, Daichi with an unreadable expression. Gorou shakes his head.

"Hinata, Kageyama, what was that?" Daichi asked, very much concerned for Hinata's well-being and Kageyama's behavior as the fight progressed.

"A-ah...apologies. I seemed to get ahead of myself." Kageyama bowed his head, surprising Hinata.

"That looked like more than just 'getting ahead of yourself', Kageyama." Gorou raised an eyebrow. "It's like you didn't see Hinata as a sparring partner, more like an enemy. And while it wasn't all that noticeable now, it can cause you serious problems if you ignore it."

Hinata bristled at this.

Gorou walks through the now wet battlefield towards Kageyama. "I don't know what it was you've been through, but I want you to know that nobody here is out for you. Everyone here is a Sanganomiya affiliate, all working towards the goal of abolishing the Vision Hunt Decree." 

Kageyama stays silent.

"All I ask is if you two can find a way to reach a consensus. If I see that you can't work together to better each other, then I can't let you on the field just yet." Gorou explains. "I'll give you the week to figure things out. If neither of you can by Saturday, then you'd be running errands for the army instead. Understood?"

"...I understand."

Gorou seems content with the whisper that left Kageyama. He pats the taller boy's back. "I see both of you have the potential. Your synergy works great with each other, but it'll remain untapped if you two can't stop fighting each other." He smiles encouragingly. "Take it one step at a time, okay? I've no doubt you'll unlock your full power soon."

——

Name: Sugawara Koushi
Height: 174.3 cm
Age: 18
Vision: Anemo
Weapon: Catalyst
Nation of Origin: Inazuma