Snapshots
A quick note from the author: this series of short one-shots is narrated by a third person party, so the main characters from Kuroko no Basuke might not be featured directly.
The crowd cheers and he misses the shot, too fixated by the game to press the button on the sleek black camera that belongs to the Photography Club. He still isn't used to snapping pictures on the spot, especially during high action events, such as sports. If he had a choice, he would much rather focus on the game as it progresses, recall the details later, and reproduce them in a picture with pen and paper.
For people like Natsume, such a thing isn't impossible to accomplish as long as they concentrate on their surroundings. Dejected that he has to settle for the camera, thereby missing subtle and probably important parts of the game, he lowers his gaze again to the wide screen on the device's surface. It doesn't matter that he isn't particularly athletic himself; he still appreciates the efforts of the players.
Their fledgling club is just lucky that all of their sports teams are fairly strong, for a newly opened school. The Photography Club often collaborates with the Newspaper Club, taking photos for them at various events throughout the year. Natsume just happened to be assigned their school's basketball team for this season, along with a few other first years and their senpai. It doesn't really bother him that he is constantly running from location to location to take pictures of each event.
He needs something to keep him occupied these days, after all. The longer he stays away from home, the better, so he always volunteers to attend the games. He still isn't very good at taking pictures at all the right angles, although his hands are notoriously steady. It's just another thing people envy him for, he supposes.
Only practice will make perfect, or so the saying goes.
If he had a choice, Natsume wouldn't ever perfect the art of photography. He is alright with staying mediocre, but knows that he will eventually advance. He was always very good at anything that had to do with art, so getting used to compositions shouldn't be too hard for him. It's only a matter of experimenting and looking at pictures with the correct angles and lighting.
Their school is losing against a very strong opponent, so he knows that their photos won't go to waste. The student newspaper will publish an article about the event, twisting their words so that people focus more on the valiant fight their school's basketball team put up than their loss. Their team is also full of skilled players, but in sports, one team always has to win.
Natsume thinks that he would like to draw them later - the players on the court, regardless of their team - but knows that he probably shouldn't. He joined the Photography Club to stop drawing so much, but in retrospect it probably only makes matters worse. He breathes a frustrated sigh that clouds up the camera's screen momentarily.
"Hey, Natsume, pay attention!" shouts his senpai, a second year who invited him into the club. Natsume frowns; the other boy is always critical of his work, but he supposes that he is a decent senpai in the end. He nods in response, bowing his head apologetically. "Look, I know we're losing, but the game's really heating up now."
Not that any of his pictures will be published, although they might decide to select one or two if they make for good prints to be featured in a calendar that the Photography Club sells every New Year's. He thinks that he should be happy that his work isn't yet good enough, that he has much to learn, but it makes his heart ache a bit. He is too accustomed to excelling in artistic venues, if nothing else.
Natsume isn't very knowledgeable about the various positions that the players assume, but he focuses on the area of the court he was assigned. A second year and another first year are also covering the same area, so that nothing will be missed. He supposes that it is a bit of an honor to be allowed to focus on the area directly in front of the hoop, but knows that this is also due, in part, to his own merits.
Even though he doesn't really have a sense for angles, Natsume is still better than the other first years at capturing lighting, and so he is allowed to take pictures of here.
No matter how hard their team tries, the opponents are just too strong. Their star player moves with such power and speed that the camera often can't catch his movements. Natsume's hands twitch, because he knows that his eyes can remember the scene faster and with much more clarity than the camera can, but he is limited to the stupid device that can't follow the twisting, speedy plays.
He frowns and adjusts his body, tapping the zoom button to focus on the two players battling it out on the court. From the stands, the overhead lights interfere with many shots, a glare always present from the opposite side of the stadium. It strains his hands and arms to position the camera properly so that none of that glare will reflect off the players in a negative way.
Their team is putting up a good fight. The Photography and Newspaper Clubs will probably take a comment or two from them later, but Natsume isn't so sure he will stay. He doesn't really have a reason to, when his senpai can take care of it. Still, he thinks that he will at least congratulate the players with his club before he goes.
They are in the fourth quarter and Natsume is pretty sure his school's team is at its limit. It's beyond comprehension, the amount of skill and natural talent they both have even if their school is losing quite badly at this point, but to some extent, Natsume can understand that.
Still, he thinks that he will draw them later, even if no one but him will ever see it.
And after all that, their school loses, but he guesses that it isn't so bad. Natsume turns off the camera and lowers it. He has never possessed the brutality of a reporter intent on catching every minute second of an event, and so he doesn't think it's right to take pictures of their team when they are down. Those pictures won't be featured in anything, anyways, so he doesn't see the point.
The match is over and Natsume is trailing behind his senpai. Some of the other first years have already left; they will return the cameras to the club room the next time they have school.
Natsume is shifting through the pictures he took to avoid appearing awkward as he stands behind his senpai, who are meeting up with the Newspaper Club to briefly talk to the players. It's never easy to overlook Natsume, given his height, but sometimes it works if the others are too occupied in what they are doing to care. He would rather it be that way.
He sees that he has taken some decent shots and some disappointing ones, and tries to convince himself that this is what he wants. No one likes a person who is perfect and never fails, after all. His second year senpai nudges him and motions to the camera perched in his hands. Natsume hands it over.
"You didn't take that many," he says disappointingly, to which Natsume shrugs as he takes the device back.
"That one guy was moving too fast for the camera to pick it up. Besides, I wanted to watch it, too," Natsume shrugs uncomfortably.
They don't keep the players long. They are exhausted and probably want to clean up and go home. Natsume lingers in the back, politely speaking with another first year who lightly jokes with him that Natsume has the build to play sports - something like basketball or volleyball.
Natsume exhales an embarrassed chuckle and shakes his head sheepishly.
"Me? Oh, no, I'm not athletic at all. I'm actually very clumsy, you know. I always trip over my feet when I run," he says. It's true. Anyone who shares a gym class with him knows this. "I'm just an observer."
He is already debating over which scene he should draw, his hands itching to hold a pencil, a brush, anything. It has been too long and he knows that he will have to practice in order to produce something that is worth the quality of a print. He thinks of which medium to select, how he will add color and life into the players. He already knows that he will select one of those impossible moves to draw - the ones that the camera couldn't keep up with. Somehow, he will find out how to make their player shine even though his efforts were for naught.
Briefly, he wonders who will look at the finished product, who will appreciate it, and who will envy him for it. Natsume always wonders these things, but every time he does, he immediately knows all the answers.
With a sigh that no one hears over the clamor of spectators leaving the stadium, Natsume waves goodbye to the others and leaves. Maybe things will be better for them after the summer break.
He thinks that he will follow their progress in the next tournament, which is unusual for him. Natsume is that person who will know when the art museums are changing their exhibits, but not when his school's sports teams are playing in such-and-such tournaments. He is kind of interested, not because he particularly likes sports or finds basketball photogenic, but because he saw how hard they tried.
This upcoming semester, though, he has been assigned the kendo team. He isn't quite sure how that will turn out, except that it will probably be much easier to take pictures of than basketball.
I'll probably only add on another chapter or so unless people like this for some weird reason. I know some tend to stray away from OC stories, but I don't want to butcher the KuroBasu cast. I'm still not familiar with them, since I only discovered this awesome fandom a few weeks ago by chance. I'm also trying out a new writing style, so sorry if it sounds a bit forced.
This guy featured here is Natsume Seiichi, some weird art freak who happens to have a photographic memory. Because of this, he tends to experience more grief than praise these days and is often troubled by it.
I know his name has the same "sei" as "Seijuro", but trust me when I say that I couldn't find any other name that works with Natsume that hasn't already been taken (like Natsume Takashi from Natsume's Book of Friends). His "prototype" name was Natsume Ryo, but that is also too close to Ryouta.
