Author's Note: Hello there! So here's the new story I promised you guys. And yes, it's Aomine/OC, yay! This story is, so far, the longest of my KnB fics, at approximately 38K words. I've completely written and edited it so I should be posting regularly. Like most of my stories, this focuses a lot on the romance and a little bit of drama. I've enjoyed writing it and I hope you enjoy reading it!
Chapter 1
Aomine Daiki is the biggest laziest jerk to ever walk the planet.
Naturally, that means I'm always stuck with him on group projects.
"What is this?" I demand, slamming his paper back onto his desk.
His eyes rove over me with a bored expression. "What is it now, Kaminari?"
"Don't use my first name," I snap at him. I point at the paper again. "Why is this all in katakana? Haven't I told you before to write it properly?"
He glances down at the paper, then covers his mouth to hide a yawn.
Fury rises inside of me.
"Pay attention!"
"I am, I am! Geez. What are you, the teacher?"
I glower at him and lean halfway over his desk so I can point out his mistakes. "See this?" I say, and I tap two words on his paper with the eraser of my pencil. "These are the only words on the whole paper which should be in katakana. Everything else should be in kanji and hiragana. So before you turn it in, you'll need to rewrite the whole thing. Don't even think about making me do it, because I'm not. I'm only supposed to let you know my opinions and tell you if there's anything that you should improve. Have you looked over mine yet —?"
"Tsuchiya, did you change your shampoo today?"
I jerk away from him, my face going red. "W-what are you talking about?"
He turns his face slightly, and leans back into his desk, hands going behind his head, eyes closing. For some reason, I get the idea he's repressing another yawn. "You smell different today."
"T-that's none of your business!"
He opens one eye to look at me. "Oh? Well, carry on then. You can pretend I'm listening."
Whatever discomfort I'd been feeling a moment ago vanishes. I pick up his paper and slap it straight onto his face.
He nearly leaps out of his desk. "Ow! What on earth? What was that for?"
"Jerk!" I shout.
And that is the relationship that currently exists between Aomine Daiki and me.
"Kami-chaaaaaan!"
Before I can dodge, my cousin Tamura Hana, throws herself onto me. I manage to keep both of us from falling to the floor by throwing my hand out onto the nearby wall, but my bag slips off my shoulder, my books and things spilling out.
"Hana!" I scold. "Look what you've done."
"Sorry," she says, not looking sorry at all. "Kami-chan, have you heard about the new transfer student? Have you seen him yet? He's suuuuper cute. And I've heard he's really smart, too. I bet even you'd like him."
"I don't have time to deal with things like that," I say, bending down to pick up my things.
She joins me, oblivious to my comment. "He's a third-year, so he's probably more mature as well. His name is Matsuzaki Takatsugu."
"Is that so?"
"How come you aren't showing any interest at all?" Hana picks up the last book and hands it to me, glowering. "We're in high school now, Kami-chan. You should really be paying more attention to boys. There are all sorts of them at Touou!"
"I think the main point of school is to learn things," I say, frowning at her, "not to goggle at boys and argue over which ones you think are the best-looking."
She rolls her eyes at me. "Of course you'd say that. But you should give somebody a chance someday. You'll be an old crone before you know it."
I tap my head and grin. "At least I'll be a wise old crone."
Despite what she just said, she laughs with me, and as we walk together to the entrance of the school, we talk about the day's events. She gives me the latest gossip about boys (what else), and I tell her about my latest problems with who I believe to be the laziest student in school.
"He can't be that bad surely," Hana says. "I have someone in my class who I swear picks his nose half the time and then sticks it under his desk! And let's not forget about the one who I don't think has even taken a shower in two weeks!"
I wrinkle my nose. "Okay, maybe he's not that bad. But why do I always have to be paired up with him?"
"It's probably because your teacher thinks you're the only one who can handle him. Teach him something. All the other kids probably would just join in his laziness, wouldn't they? You're the only one who doesn't put up with him, so obviously that's why Sensei grouped you with him! Because you'll whip him into shape!"
"Hana, I hate that idea, but I suppose it actually makes some sense."
She beams at me. "See, I can be smart sometimes, too!"
"Well, we are related. I'm sure that if you put some more effort into your academics rather than magazines and boys then you'd be at the top of the class with me as well."
She sighs. "But that's just no fun. I want to enjoy my youth!" As she and I slip off our school shoes to exchange them for our normal ones, she asks, "Are you stopping by the bookstore today?"
I nod. "You coming along?"
"Not today, I don't think. Mom wants me to make dinner. She's having some people from work over or something. Wants me to whip up a dessert." She shoots me a grin. "Been bragging to all her coworkers than I can make one mean pie."
"That may be true, but to me, your homemade fudge will always be the best," I say, shutting my locker, and smiling at her.
"You obsessed chocolate lover."
"Are you kidding? Chocolate is the best thing ever! And you make the best fudge in the world!"
She shakes her head slightly, but she smiles from the praise. "Whatever. I'll see you tomorrow!" She waves and dashes off.
I adjust my bag on my shoulder and begin walking away from the school. The bookstore isn't too far from where I live, so I usually stop by after school before taking the train home. Hana says I'm obsessed with the small little shop at the corner of the street, but I think she secretly enjoys the time we spend there, too.
I first discovered the bookstore when I'd gotten lost in the city while trying to find a grocery store on the way home. After that, I began to immediately frequent it. As an avid reader and someone who disliked loud noises and busy crowds, it was a perfect fit for me. It's a small, cozy place with tight and narrow shelves, but a horde of books to be perused through. The wallpaper is fading and the carpeting could be redone, but I sort of hope they never remodel. I like it the way it is, the peaceful way it currently feels.
The owner, Arakaki-san, has become quite familiar with me. Some days, when I have time, I'll just browse the shelves and pick a book off at random to start reading. Others, I'll sit down for a long chat with him and a cup of his hand-brewed coffee (a special for valued customers, he says). He's full of knowledge and wisdom, and has the best and widest taste in books, always with another story lined up for me to read once I've finished the last he suggested.
Today, as I walk into the store, I actually have a book in mind, instead of my usual wandering. "Arakaki-san!" I call, announcing my presence.
I hear a shuffling from the back room and the door swings open to reveal Arakaki-san. He's fairly short, only being a few inches taller than me in his older age. He has glasses, but only for reading, so whenever he's not using them, they hang around his neck on a chain. Very old-fashioned, but you could say that that's the epitome of Arakaki-san.
"Kaminari-chan!" he says, his voice full of glee. "I bet I can guess why you're here today!"
I grin. "And what would that be, Arakaki-san?"
"The latest book of your favorite series?" he says, drawing the words out, a gleam in his eyes.
My grin widens. "You would be correct. Do you have it?"
"Ordered one just for you, my darling."
"You always do know the way to my heart."
He shuffles to the back room and after a few moments, a few exclamations of, "Oh, where did I put it?", he emerges with a brown paper-wrapped package.
Despite myself, I let out a squeak of excitement as I take the book-shaped object into my hand. "Thank you! How much?" I begin to dig into my bag, but he interrupts me.
"This one's on me, Kaminari-chan."
"What? Are you serious?"
He nods, bowing his head slightly. "I've really enjoyed the time I spend with you. It's been very precious to me. Consider this just a small token of my thanks."
I give him a smile. "Thank you so much, Arakaki-san! I'll go home and read it immediately."
He laughs. "Don't forget your homework."
"Well, maybe not immediately," I amend. "But I'll at least get in a few chapters tonight!"
"You do that. Enjoy!"
I'm practically shaking with excitement by the time I get home, my hands itching to rip the paper off and dig into the book. But I try to never do more than glance at book and read its summary before actually starting it, and since I've been so hyped up for this one, I decide I will not even tempt myself with opening it in the store. Rather, I will wait until I have a good chunk of time to read it before I even open it.
So, like the dutiful girl I am, even though I want to begin reading right away, while away the night in my warm bed with my cat, Marshmallow, I carefully lay it on my desk, and try to forget about it enough to focus on my homework.
I manage to get in a good hour done before Mom and Dad return from their work for dinner. Mom knocks on my door, three short taps. "Kaminari? Your dad and I are home."
I open the door for her and put on a grin. "Hey, Mom! Dad's here, too? He's early. Sorry, I didn't get dinner started —"
She waves a hand. "That's fine. You've been working on your homework, haven't you?"
Nodding, I say, "I should only have to do a bit after dinner."
"That's great. I'm glad you're putting so much effort into your work, but you can relax a bit sometimes, you know?"
I perk up at the thought, thinking about the unwrapped book on my desk, but then shake my head. "It's my goal to get into a good college. I have to start now. The sooner I get a handle on things, the more prepared I'll be for the future."
"That's very wise of you, but you're also still just a kid. Kids just need to have fun sometimes. Don't forget that."
"You sound like Hana."
"Well, she is my niece." Mom slaps a hand onto my shoulder and grins. "Come on, then. Let's go fix your dad something for dinner. I'm sure he's starving by now."
Considering my dad's endless pit for a stomach, it's probably not far from the truth.
After a quick dinner, I head back upstairs to finish writing a paper and read a short chapter for English. And then, and then . . . !
I take the package into my trembling hands. Finally. I slit the tape carefully, trying not to rip the paper, even though I want to tear through it with all my might. Hana thinks I'm nuts for getting so excited over things like this, but I don't think she understands. How stories are so powerful, how they can creep into oneself and change you forever, for better or worse.
The wrappings fall off. I stare at the cover, and I'm fairly certain my mouth has fallen open. It's so beautiful.
The cover is fairly simple, with a swirly heart and the title, but it's so shiny and pretty, and it's brand-new and mine. I love it already.
Even though I already know what the book's about, having stalked the author's social media page for months, I flip the book open and re-read the summary. It tells of the continued story of a girl and the boy she loves; he's moving, and she doesn't quite know how to express her feelings to him now that they're going to be apart for a long time. What will happen?
I desperately want to know, so I turn to the first page, and am sucked into the story.
A/N: So, thoughts on the first chapter? In case any of you are interested, Kaminari is slightly inspired by my sister. Aomine is her favorite character so I essentially wrote this story for her. Some elements of her personality I wrote into Kaminari and then exaggerated them. I've read this story to her while I was editing it and she said she liked it a lot. (I hope you guys do, too.) Thanks for reading, and until next time!
~ J. Dominique
