As A Senior
Chapter 1: Sun and Moon
XxX
The light 'flomp' of a ball making its way through the net could be heard. The girls of their class were giggling and laughing as they tossed volleyballs to each other. The squeaking of shoes came from everywhere in the gymnasium, their young owners scattering for different games during the rare 'free' period they have. Most of them had already picked up some equipment of their choice. Everyone but him, that is.
He hesitated as he inched forward.
"Um-"
Flomp!
Another basketball made its way through.
The girls who were sneaking peeks melted and burst out in hushed whispers, quieting only under the stern gaze of their teacher. The boys in turn scowled and turned back to their games with renewed determination, petty dissatisfaction showing at one boy's popularity. Even the teacher sent him appraising looks before turning away.
Kuroko shrunk back, ready to be dismissed and ignored.
Only, he wasn't.
Ash gray eyes turned to him in attention. A soft smile blossomed on the boy's face as he retrieved his ball from the ground, grasping loosely at the orange projectile with both hands. Shoulders relaxed even under the not so discrete attention of his peers, the boy was the very epitome of elegance even as he shrugged lightly and wiped a bead of sweat away.
And ash gray eyes were fixated on where he stood, even when Kuroko thought he would look away.
"…Kuroko-kun?" A pause. When there was no reply, he faltered, looking down in dismay. "I'm sorry. Did I get your name wrong-? I'm still slightly foreign to the Japanese' culture of using the family name, so-"
"Y-You were correct." Kuroko stuttered slightly in his haste to stop the other boy's influx of apologies. And in all honesty, Kuroko silently admitted, that was what surprised him.
"I am?" Ash gray eyes widened marginally in relief. Himuro slumped, and another more sheepish smile replaced the disappointed look. "That's a relief! I was sure I had done something to offend someone else again." He hadn't, Kuroko frowned. It had been simple jealousy that brought on the wrath of his classmates. "Is there something you need…Kuroko-kun?" He said the name hesitantly.
"I- Um." Kuroko gulped. The pain from the last time he approached his classmates was still fresh. They had been playing hide-and-seek, and it was not until his parents came to the park calling for his name desperately that Kuroko realized he had been forgotten. They never apologized even when he had met them in school the next day. In fact, they never acknowledged him of their own accord since then. "I…Would you- Would you mind if I joined you in a game, Himuro-kun?"
"Really?" Ash gray eyes widened in delight, taking Kuroko aback. "Would you really join me in a game?"
"If you would have me." Kuroko tried his best not to stutter.
"Come on then!" Himuro laughed. A hand slipped from the ball and wrapped around Kuroko's wrist, wiping the slightly nervous expression off his face. A ball was pushed into his grasp, large in the small palms that both he and Himuro have. Himuro chuckled and slapped his back lightly, pushing him forward. "We'll play one-on-one when the group having the court rotates! For now, let's practice our shooting!"
Himuro never once forgot him throughout the entire game.
XxX
To be more exact, Himuro never did forget him even after that.
Rather, he had been the one who shamelessly wrote Kuroko's name in large kanji all over the board, yelled for his name in the midst of a crowd of fangirls, and even spent days waiting at the school gates all for the sake of an opportunity to find the teal-haired boy and make friends with him. Needless to say, Kuroko had been more than reluctant to appear, especially after Himuro's sanity is cast into question and he became more of an attention magnet than ever.
But.
If there was one reason why Kuroko would willingly step out of the shadows and into the light, it would be that the other teen did all those things for him selflessly.
(Then again, Himuro has always been somewhat of an eccentric, so 'selfless' may not be the most accurate term.)
Kuroko inhaled sharply, looked down at the gaggle of excited fan girls, excited parents, nervous new students, and predatory seniors and peers, and exhaled slowly with a long suffering look. A quick glance at the clock informed him that there was still twenty minutes to the open ceremony – and the representative of the new cohort was unfashionably late. He tapped his feet impatiently, intentionally dragging out time before he gave in with the softest of sighs.
If there was one thing Himuro had taught him back then, it would be that most people would not go to such lengths to find an invisible person like him.
He was reluctant, but there is no choice. He will have to search for Akashi Seijuro.
XxX
The hallways were crowded with people. New students were lost and volunteers for the Student Council were patrolling, offering directions to the stray kids. Clubs were all making preparations to attract new students after they are dismissed from their homerooms, while the Media club and the Orchestra club were rushing around, doing unneeded last minute round of checking on the speakers and instruments. The school's reputation is on the line, as the Principal too frequently stresses.
Kuroko made a beeline away from a familiar path, eyes dodging the crowd of new students who were already gathering to watch them play, and instead, he strayed purposefully towards the assembly hall.
"-most of the preparations are fully prepared, except there are still some teachers who have yet to arrive due to a traffic jam. You will probably have to tailor your speech on the spot, so-"
Ash gray eyes flickered away from the media club president, even as a smooth smile remained plastered to his face. Their eyes met, and Kuroko lifted his stack of papers, waving it gently mid-air expressionlessly. He fished his phone out of his pocket, and tapped it lightly against his ear with a nod.
Reluctant as he may be to walk into the light, Kuroko would do it, if only because he knew the amount of effort his best friend had put into making this event impeccable.
Ash gray eyes brightened to a lighter tint, filling with unsaid gratitude. A nod was sent to him, the smile becoming two levels more sincere, and Himuro turned to the stressed media club president, shrugging his shoulder in that usual casual but elegant manner of his. The relaxed act made the other teen's shoulders fall marginally, the obvious stress fading from his body posture.
"Have no worries, Fujita-kun. I am fully capable of doing an improvised speech." Himuro smiled, and Kuroko stayed no longer.
Tapping lightly on his phone, Kuroko watched the numerous groups he and Himuro were involved in buzz with messages. The staffs were talking a tad more panicky than usual about the jam and how it was because this year's cohort is an unprecedented size and there was a train breakdown somewhere. The students could feel the tension from their teachers, but were determined to support them and carry this event through even if they have to do it by themselves. The Student Council members and club representatives reported most preparations being completed.
Kuroko paused momentarily before his fingers were flying across his phone.
.
[To: Everyone
Kuroko Tetsuya:
As most have suspected, some of the staff are stuck in the traffic jam along the main road. It would be damaging to our reputation, however, if Teiko has to delay her opening ceremony after so many guests have arrived. If the students do not mind cooperating to fill in the holes for our teachers until they have arrived, I have an idea which could work.]
XxX
"Hello. You must be Akashi Seijuro-kun, right?"
Shockingly, the red haired teen did not jump unlike his aged chauffeur. Kuroko spared a moment to share a worried glance with the teen, aimed at the chauffeur, before Kuroko straightened and gave the lightest of bow – more a nod, really – to the well-bred teen and his chauffeur. He extended his hand, politely attributing the boy's lateness to the traffic jam and the lavish limo he arrived in.
"I am Kuroko Tetsuya, a representative of the Student Council. It is my pleasure to welcome you to our school." He did not smile. Smiles are for those with time on their hands and a single entity known as Himuro Tatsuya, and right now, he was neither of them.
"It is my pleasure to be in your school as well." Akashi shot him a smile, however, taking his hand firmly.
It was expected.
Kuroko nodded to the elderly chauffeur in respect, acknowledging the slight bow that the elder gave him with a hand to his chest, and silently made an assuring look to the elderly man that he would look after their precious heir. All these happened under the attentive and slightly exasperated gaze of the other teen. It was with without a worry that the limo departed.
Kuroko then turned to the other boy grimly, lips set into the faintest of a frown.
"Now, forgive my rudeness, Akashi-kun, but we are urgently needed right now. Please hide your head with my jacket. We must avoid being noticed at all costs."
"…Pardon? Could you please repeat what you said?"
"We must avoid being noticed at this point of time." Kuroko explained patiently. "While I may be able to slip the crowd's attention with my ability, your body language and your striking appearances are unfortunately difficult to miss in the crowd like this. While this may be unseemly to you, please wear my jacket and its hood to cover your head."
Granted, a gray hoodie suit jacket with the Student Council's shining emblem is almost as inconspicuous as red locks, but it helped that the media club had a somewhat similar club uniform to theirs.
XxX
Akashi Seijuro was embarrassed.
"Please hold on tight to me." He said.
"It would be troublesome if I lost you at this point- or otherwise." He said.
"Nobody is looking, Akashi-kun." He said.
Strike one had been arriving late. Living in a place that is far away from the school, Akashi had not expected the major influx of students the school has, and that by itself is already sufficient an embarrassment.
Strike two had been the promise his senior had had to make to his chauffeur. Like all teens his age, even Akashi was abashed at having to be taken care of like a child – by a boy a year older than him, no less.
Strike three was happening at present.
Akashi was fairly certain that despite his senior's – Kuroko – words, the sight of a teen in a gray hoodie suit jacket grasping on tightly to the back of another student's white jacket is an inconspicuous sight. It was more of an embarrassment and more eye-catching than walking around in his confident manner and with red locks being flaunted. If Kuroko was attempting to make him walk more timidly in this outfit, then he certainly has succeeded.
It was with much relief and much effort at not showing said relief that Akashi let his hand fall from the other's back when he announced that they would be taking a less known path.
With the ordeals the well-bred teen has been put through, it was understandable when he shot a look of disbelief and curiosity at the older teen along the much less crowded journey. For a member of the Student Council and especially with his striking teal hair, how had they not managed to attract more attention than they already had (in his mind)? Why did he come up with such a ridiculous idea? Akashi mentally added a note to avoid the senior henceforth if possible, because with all due respect, for all his emotionless demeanour, his sanity is clearly questionable at best.
XxX
Kuroko wryly checked the time with his phone as they entered the backstage of the assembly hall.
Six minutes to the start of the opening ceremony. It was a bit harried, but they were on time.
A small group has arrived at the backstage, calm murmurs resounding as students and an occasional teacher walked about, dutifully practicing, shifting, and preparing performances. Nobody noticed his entrance other than the very small handful of Student Council members whom he frequently worked with.
"Kuroko-san! The Traditional Dance Club, Modern Dance Society, and Taekwondo Club have all agreed to relocate their club performances to after the new cohort's representative finishes his speech. The Media Club has also made sufficient arrangements to cover them." The Media Club President and Secretary of the Student Council, Fujita Takumi, spelled out nervously, his features pale with stress.
"Do you need some medicine, Fujita-kun? Ah, and the teachers have been informed accordingly, with that perfectionist, unreasonable, infuriating Principal refusing to extend his speech, but Himuro-san has agreed to extend long enough for any late students to join in and still feel at home." Iwashiki Megumi smiled demurely despite her brazen words, looking every bit the Tea Ceremony Club Chairwoman and Welfare Representative she is.
Kuroko tried not to balk.
That is three adjectives she had tagged on to the Principal. It was sufficient to show the level of anger hidden behind that bright smile of hers.
Behind him, Akashi pulled off his suit jacket and pressed it into his hands.
Kuroko took it with a soft sigh and draped it over his forearm. Just carrying the object around brought unwanted attention to himself. He shot a sympathetic glance to the junior when he looked around, taking in the situation with comprehending eyes.
"The traffic jam was unanticipated." Akashi presumed, turning to him for a confirmation.
"Unfortunately." Kuroko sighed again, feeling the stress settling in, and tried to give a reassuring glance to the new student. "However, everything should be going fairly well with all these arrangements. Himuro-kun wrapped things up, I suppose?"
Iwashiki beamed, sipping her tea daintily, and nodded.
"Your presence helped a lot too, Kuroko-san." Fujita nodded, anxiously looking about the place.
That…was not very reassuring.
"…I could extend my speech as well, if you wish." Akashi offered lightly, to their surprise. "I am capable of doing improvisation if I have to. It should lighten the load of this…Himuro-san." He tested his name.
There was a moment of silence and shared glances were exchanged amongst the three seniors.
"There is no need, A-Akashi-san." Fujita stuttered, clutching his stomach. Iwashiki cheerfully offered him stomach medicine again.
"To put stress on our newcomers is not a tradition of Teiko." Iwashiki added with a bright smile. "Just relax and go according to your own script, Akashi-kun."
Seeing the red-haired boy's readiness to insist, Kuroko mindfully placed a hand on his tense shoulder and squeezed reassuringly.
"Himuro-kun is capable, Akashi-kun." He whispered softly, barely audible, but he knew Akashi would listen if only because of the confidence in his voice. "He is the sun afterall. And I, his moon, am equally capable. I have made the necessary preparations to ascertain that this is perfect, just as he did." He lowered his gaze outward at the stage and his eyes hardened in determination, shoulders squaring into a casually confident stance that he had subconsciously copied from his best friend. "When the two of us work together, we do not fail. Please trust us on this, if nothing else."
If he had looked, he would have noticed the red eyes widening at the sheer faith shining in his eyes.
Instead, he smiled softly, faintly, when the ceremony began, and Himuro took his seat onstage. Their eyes met across the stage. A small smile came to Himuro's lips, more a sly smirk than a smile really, and Kuroko dipped his head in a nod.
"My, did Himuro-san hatch out another weird plan again?" Iwashiki placed her hand to her smiling lips, eyes twinkling knowingly.
Akashi twitched, surprised.
"W-Well, we could only buy half an hour by using our club activities, so…" Fujita fiddled with his fingers.
"The bicycle club and saddle club should be ready." Kuroko stated merely, lifting his hoodie suit jacket to drape it over his shoulder.
"…You can't possibly mean…" Akashi's eyes widened at the insinuation.
"In the worst case scenario, we may get sued. On the other hand, those two clubs have a record for being the safest and for having the best control in Japan, so we should be able to pass for mere entertainers. Thankfully, the cheerleading club are also on stand-by." Kuroko states blankly, withdrawing from a childish huff. Himuro would have to repay him with some of that high quality ice cream to make up for this tremendous effort.
"Please be back soon! I don't wish to use the stage lights-failure plan; it'd be my head that'd be off-!" Fujita grabbed his head in frustration.
"The tea ceremony club is making refreshments for a 20 minute refreshment session after the performances, so please take your time~" Iwashiki even waved a hanky at him for the hell of it.
Akashi merely watched in bewilderment.
Kuroko sighed and left shaking his head, feeling sympathetic for the poor boy who just had his first dose of Himuro-eccentricity.
XxX
"Hello."
"W-Woah!"
A typical reaction. Kuroko stood amongst the huge group of cheerleaders, bikers, and riders, all gathered at the front of the school gates and most in their outside clothes. The other clubs were at his back, working on their already finished preparations with measured normalcy. It would not do for the parents to think that this huge crowd is anything out of the norm afterall.
"T-Tsukiyomi-san?" One teen asked after seeing the signature jacket lying on his shoulder.
Kuroko inwardly sighed.
"Yes, this is me speaking. While the Sun and Moon metaphor is an inside joke between me and the President, I hope you do not intend to call Himuro-kun 'President Akatsuki' anytime soon." He said flatly.
"Of course we won't! We just didn't expect you of all people to move into action, a-and…Wow." The bulky teen exhaled in awe, staring at him as if inwardly placing him on a pedestal.
Kuroko drew the line there.
"I apologize, but I am just a Student Council member, and I am normal despite all that you expect of me." He shifted uncomfortably when their eyes remain as bright as ever. The cursed jacket on his shoulder felt a million times heavier with all the attention it drew to him. "Unfortunately, we lack the time to talk about this now, so if everyone is ready, let's get to work."
They did not roar in agreement, knowing the attention it would draw. They are Teiko students despite everything. They're smarter than the average student. So instead, they punched their fists into the air silently, so that the watching parents think they're practicing a school wide cheering movement.
Kuroko felt the urge to facepalm.
"Let's go."
XxX
It was not so much eccentricity as it was with fascination that Akashi observed with wide eyes.
Perfection. Accuracy. Clean and spectacular impeccability born from immaculate plans.
Those were the things that Akashi had imaged when he was told he would be attending Teiko Middle School. This was his first school, a school that was chosen by his father and praised – an action that the noble gentleman did rarer than once in a blue moon. Coming from his esteemed father who respected perfection above all else, Akashi had anticipated a perfect school that was tidy, neat, and traditional, a school that never failed and will never do so.
Yet…the first sights he received were the opposite of that.
The school failed. It failed to anticipate failure, and that was its one flaw. However, as if a misstep in a series of choreography was part of its original dance, the school recovered quickly and took to further heights from its failure. It expanded its territory using its available pieces, strategically placing them where no normal man would think of doing. It's almost ridiculous how Teiko was doing it.
Akashi stepped out onto the stage and found himself meeting ash gray eyes. The Student Council President smiled wryly, sending him an elegant and almost demure glance from under his eyelashes and dipped his head in a short nod. Raven locks fluttered around his pale face as he did so.
So. This is the teen who laid those absurd plans. He is the one who maintained such close bonds with the various groups of the school, such that the Teiko community would bend its back for the Council if needed, all within a single morning. Alongside with the teal-haired senior who understood him with a single glance…
"They're called the Sun and the Moon of our Teiko, our guardian angels, you could say." Iwashiki had introduced to him with a mysterious smile when that teal-haired senior left. "They're the most important people in this school, possibly more so than the bastardly, haughty principal of ours."
Himuro Tatsuya smiled at him gracefully as he waved him over. Not a single movement was out of place, not even the flicker of his gaze to the new student population and a subtle tilt of the head.
Akashi smiled back and took his place on stage.
Teiko is interesting, indeed.
XxX
-Or, that should be what the Akashi heir must be thinking. How haughty indeed.
Himuro passed off that single shred of exasperation as weariness as he took his seat by the principal at the front of the audience where several stools were reserved for the main 'actors' and VIPs. Right about now, Kuroko should be a third of the way done with the teachers. Knowing his friend's nature, he would even dare say that Kuroko went to gather a few of the students he passed by. How overly generous as always – not that Himuro himself wasn't that way with the ladies, of course.
He maintained his smile as the principal gazed critically up at the Akashi heir, slit eyes cunning as always.
"You handled the situation moderately well, all things considered." The aged man commented without turning to him. "Although, by all means, such an affair should not have occurred in the first place if you did it perfectly."
Himuro's smile did not slip as he leaned back.
"Well, that is one experience we gained from a failure. Haha," He laughed.
"Absolutely revolting." The Principal sneered. "Do not threaten our Teiko's prestige again."
"…Between this show of independence from the student population and their inability to think clearly for themselves from before, I wonder what's really threatening Teiko here, Mr. Principal." A palm casually placed on his legs, crossed at the knees. Yes, a posture that strikes just the right balance between polite consideration and casual strength. Just like Kuroko taught him.
The aged man tensed. Himuro tortured him for a while longer before breaking the posture. Can't be too mean to elderly afterall. Kiyoshi taught the both of them that.
"Just kidding, Mr. Principal." Himuro chuckled. "I believe the both of us want the best for Teiko – even if our ideals are different."
"Just remember that I still have control over all the clubs."
A threat?
A shadow crossed Himuro's face briefly, his ash gray eyes darkening protectively.
"I wouldn't dare forget."
"Good." The man harrumphed. "I'd take my leave now."
"I look forward to meeting you again, Mr. Principal." Himuro lied through his teeth as he rose to show his proper respect as the elderly passed by.
"It was a great displeasure to see you, Student Council President." The elderly returned blithely.
"Likewise." Himuro beamed.
He counted the staggering steps until the Principal was out of the assembly hall. With a sigh of relief, Himuro leaned back in his seat, shrugging lightly at the concerned gaze Iwashiki shot him from the side of the stage. He was alright, though the man was infuriating as always. Using the basketball team and the other clubs against them like that…What a dirty method of fighting.
Himuro hummed as his phone lit up with a message.
.
[Kuroko Tetsuya:
Good job in fighting him. I bought a few milkshakes on the way to celebrate the end of the welcoming ceremony. We're on our way back right now.]
Below the words were attached a photo of a riding horse straddled by a riding club member and Kuroko, armed with bags of milkshakes while a familiar figure hang limpid between the both of him. It was a teacher, their first-year homeroom teacher – Sanada – at that. His face was understandably pale and his soul was hanging from his mouth as the horse rocked below him.
Himuro muffled his laughter with a hand. Even when they're far apart, it seems like Kuroko was still supporting him as always.
XxX
"Try your best."
Those were the words that Himuro Tatsuya grew up hearing.
When he was in school, it was his teachers who told him that. 'Please try your best to score the best you can.' When he was at home, it was his parents saying that. 'Please try your best to adapt to your new home.' When he was around his classmates – strangers who were always changing because they were always changing their house wherever and whenever his parents liked – his classmates also said it. 'You can try your best, but we'll never accept you, you weirdo!'
Himuro was nine but he understood. He understood that they were moving for his parents' jobs. He understood that trying his best was the only thing he could do to help alleviate their worries. But-
(-He was just so tired of trying his best when it was never enough.)
"…Hm?" What's…this?
One day, Himuro found a bag of cookies in his shoe locker. It was packed with a tiny blue note, scribbled in neat kanji that he could not understand. But…Since it was with the cookies, they must mean something good, right?
Himuro ate lunch that day with his cookies, a tiny smile on his face despite being alone. He would research the words when he gets home!
But by then, it was too late.
"Himuro-kun, thank you for always helping to clean the classroom whenever we're not around. If you don't mind, I would like us to eat lunch together at the school field this afternoon. – Kuroko Tetsuya."
…Ah.
So someone had tried their best to reach out to him, but it did not reach Himuro, because he did not know Japanese.
It's a stupid story of how two boys who tried their best failed to reach each other, because of language barriers.
Unbeknownst to him, he was the first classmate to try to recall Kuroko Tetsuya so hard that the name remained in his mind even though he lacked a face to match it to. Coming spring, even though he still did not recognize the boy, Himuro was happy to learn that Kuroko Tetsuya was in the same class as him. He made sure to pay extra attention to the introduction session on the first day of school, jubilant when he finally saw teal locks and blue eyes.
'It's him.' He thought. 'Now, I can finally find him and apologize to him…To tell him that I wanted to be friends with him back then.'
(Alas, the sun meets the moon.)
XxX
"Himuro-kun, I would smack you silly if you do not wipe that smile off your face right now." Kuroko frowned.
"…I don't usually like being smacked, but to see Kuroko do something so out of character sounds amusing." Himuro chuckled in amusement.
"Masochist." Iwashiki and Kuroko echoed in a deadpan.
"Ah-! Our broadcasting club still has so much equipment to move-OMPF!" Fujita fell flat on his face in his flailing.
"Ah." The Student Council echoed once more.
"Come on now, Fujita-san, please take better care of yourself." Iwashiki was the perfect image of a kindly mother as she lightly lifted the fallen boy, pressing a handkerchief to his bleeding nose. "Geez. You're always so helpless."
"…That aside, you should get moving, Akashi-kun." Kuroko sent a side glance at the first year. "Regardless of whether you were helping us out, you should be in your homeroom meeting your new class right now. There will be no exceptions."
The redhead paused briefly in his curious staring at the milkshake in his hands and looked up.
"About that, our class was originally supposed to have Sanada-sensei as our homeroom teacher, but another person took over it. Shirogane-sensei was the one who sent me here to pick up our wayward teacher…" His red eyes turned downwards to stare at the half-dead body on the ground in amusement. How motion-sick can one be to still be unconscious after such a long period?
Himuro and Kuroko exchanged discrete glances.
What do you think? Kuroko cocked his head mildly.
It's a challenge. Himuro concluded, shrugging as he turned his omnipresent smile on the redhead.
"Are you by any chance interested in joining the Student Council, Akashi-kun?"
Red eyes blinked slowly.
"…I beg your pardon?"