Author's note:
Hi! Thanks for choosing to read my fanfic.
Just something to remember before you start reading; Momoi in this fanfic is not from the original canon. She is an OC character, so don't get confused.
That's all. Happy reading!
Note: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke, nor any of the characters.
Chapter One:
"This is amazing, Sae-chan!" Momoi exclaimed.
"Really? You think so?"
"Yeah!" The girl moaned around a mouthful of food, nodding appreciatively. "Where did you get this?"
Sadie smiled a little and shrugged. "I was experimenting last night – you know, for the restaurant and stuff."
Momoi's eyes widened. "Y-you… Sae-chan, you made this?" She let out a little squeal of excitement, causing Sadie to jump a little. "Wow! You have so much talent! There's no way you won't have your own restaurant one day – especially with food this yummy. Just you wait," she said, winking at her friend, "Before long you'll be the top chef in Japan!"
"M-Momoi-chan, don't be silly," Sadie murmured, blushing at all the looks that were suddenly directed her way. "It's just something I made up; it's not even a proper recipe."
"And your point is? Sae-chan, this is the most delicious thing I've tasted in my life, believe me! You should have more confidence in yourself," her friend grumbled, taking another bite from the dumpling.
Sadie chose not to respond, instead picking up her own chopsticks to start on her low-carb lunch. From the corners of her downturned eyes, she noticed that people had begun to creep closer, and a few let out a small gasp when they caught sight of the extravagant contents of her lunchbox.
"Sadie-san, what's all that stuff?" someone asked her from behind.
She glanced up to see one of her fellow classmates, a boy named Shou, peering over her at the food. Sadie cleared her throat and placed the sticks on the table, eyeing the curious onlookers around her nervously. "It's just a little something I made last night… while I had some time on my hands. Low-calorie, of course."
"Low calorie, huh?" one of the girls to her right asked, tapping her finger against her arm with a raised brow. Sadie frantically attempted to remember her name, biting her lip when it didn't immediately come to her. Oh, what was it again…? Hikari! That's it!
Sadie smiled. "That's right. I made sure all the ingredients were low in fat." She gestured to her lunchbox. "Feel free to try some, Hikari-san."
The girl eyed the food in front of her sceptically, but reached out a hand and picked up one of the sour pork pieces. Popping it in her mouth, she chewed slowly, as though expecting to taste something awful – but suddenly her expression changed into something almost awed.
"Hmm – that's great!" The girl gestured emphatically to the food. "Seriously, guys, try some!"
"You don't mind, Sadie-san?" one of the other girls asked softly.
Sadie blinked in surprise before shaking her head. "N-Not at all. Help yourself."
They did.
As more and more hands closed the gap between their bodies and the lunchbox, Sadie watched with dwindling excitement as her fellow classmates wolfed down the food she'd spent over an hour preparing the night before. When there was just one dumpling left, she glanced around nervously and then slowly extended her hand.
A boy's hand flew in and swooped up before she even came close. "Hmm, good!" he exclaimed as he chewed. Sadie had to beat down a small flare of irritation as she watched him walk off, chewing merrily.
"Oh, Sae-chan…" Momoi shook her head sadly and dropper her chin into her hands. "You should stop being so nice! Those nasty vultures left you with no lunch!"
"I didn't mean it as an invitation for everyone to start digging in…" Sadie shrugged a little helplessly.
"That's just what people are like; give 'em an inch, they take a mile. You offered one person, so of course, all of them will want some!" And just like that, Momoi's aura changed completely, going from her normally cheerful self to a dark, brooding character that, on occasion, had been known to frighten even the teachers.
"They're just rats – no, lower than rats – cockroaches scampering around our feet like vermin –"
"Oookay Momoi-chan, let's… Let's just leave it there, shall we?" Sadie hurriedly began patting her head comfortingly. Momoi gave a sniff and allowed Sadie to stroke her hair while she scowled at the wall with murderous brown eyes.
Truthfully, she found her friend's odd fits of brooding anger quite amusing, if not a little concerning at times. Though she'd never personally been on the receiving end of her friend's dreadful anger, she'd seen the consequences of it; in fact, her friend's reputation had begun to suffer as more and more people started to notice her strange personality switch.
Toward the end of last term, other students had even begun to call her Mad Momoi.
But, Sadie was determined to end their last term in Yosen High with a positive light. Being their sixth week back, she had expected the other students to once again start picking up on Momoi's 'bad side', but after careful supervision Sadie was pleased to announce – to no one in particular – that she'd successfully prevented the outbreak of more nasty rumours regarding her friend.
Now, all she had to do was keep it that way –
"Hey, Momoi-chan! You gonna join the volleyball club again next year?" a fellow female classmate called from across the room.
Momoi grumbled once, and when she raised her head, her features were set in an annoyed scowl that immediately set Sadie's alarm bells ringing. "Anko-san, I'll only do it if I get the chance to annihilate you when we play –"
Her speech was abruptly cut off when Sadie snatched her around the mouth and pulled her into a struggling embrace. Anko looked confused, and Sadie saw with growing apprehension that the girls surrounding her were looking at each other strangely.
Oh, no, I'd better say something quick!
"O-Oh, Momoi-chan, you're so cute, I just have to hug you…!" She emphasised her point by squeezing her friend even harder around the neck, causing her to let out a little squeak – and grinning over at the girls. "Gomen, she said that she looks forward to playing with you this year! She's been training all holidays, so she won't let you down." Well, it wasn't a complete lie. She had been doing target practice – on small children who dared bother her.
The girls appraised Sadie with a look that didn't bode well, but was made worse when they turned away with a slightly raised lip; a grimace. Instantly her spirits plummeted. It seemed that over the holidays, Momoi's circumstances had improved a little – her own, however, remained the same…
Her arms slackened, and she released her friend with a small, guilty smile. Rather than being angry, Momoi rasped a throaty 'thank you' and stood up to go to the bathroom. It was often this way; whenever Sadie felt even a spark of anger, Momoi would speak up for her instead, and vented the anger that Sadie herself could never socially afford to do. In return, Sadie would rein Momoi in whenever she looked as though she was in danger of destroying her reputation, covering for her so the other students wouldn't look at them twice – or more than twice.
Yes, their friendship was strange, but they looked out for each other.
A small growl interrupted her musings, and Sadie glanced down at her stomach when it let out another groan of impatience. Sighing, she reached down, pulling her afternoon-tea out of her bag; it was nothing more than a small salad and juice, but it would have to get her by.
Suddenly there was a commotion at the door; when she glanced up, Sadie let out a small sigh of exasperation at the sight. Murisakibara Atsushi, member of the legendary Generation of Miracles and basketball star of Yosen High, was currently standing in the open doorway of the classroom with a pained expression on his normally vacant features. Evidently he'd just hit the panelling above the door with his forehead – again.
"You have to lower you're head a bit, Atsushi," a disembodied voice patiently instructed.
Murasakibara grunted in reply and bent his knees, finally able to step into the classroom. The girls from earlier giggled at the display – and probably because Himuro sidled in after him – but the purple-haired giant paid them no notice. Instead his eyes immediately sought out and landed on Sadie.
She couldn't help but shift a little in her seat when he beared down on her, as he was a very large boy, but relaxed a little when she realised his eyes were all over what was in front of her. Except he didn't seem pleased with what he saw.
"Sae-chin, what's that?" he sneered, eying her salad like it had personally insulted him.
Himuro stuck his head around his friend's lanky arm. "It's a salad, Atsushi."
He frowned, confused. "I thought they only existed in ads and fancy restaurants." When Sadie directed an 'are you kidding me?' glance to Himuro, he only shrugged; evidently he was experienced in these episodes of cluelessness.
"Mura-kun, salad exists in the real world, I assure you," she explained slowly.
"It looks gross."
She sighed. "It's not gross; it's healthy. People eat it every day." His mouth curled in disgust as he snagged a seat and fell into it – the boy to whom the seat actually belonged glaring at the back of his purple head – but he was still observing the food with some interest. Encouraged, Sadie said, "You should try some! It'll be very good for you."
Off to the side, Himuro sceptically raised his brows, but Sadie ignored him, focusing instead on trying to coax Murasakibara into trying a leaf. He eyed the offered food like it would bite him if he tried it and asked, "Does it taste good?"
"No –"
"Yes! In fact, many people like it very much!" she insisted, overriding Himuro and sending him a reproving glare.
He pursed his lips for a moment, and Sadie held her breath hopefully. This could be a defining moment in their relationship. She would become the first person to cause the purple-haired giant – who was notorious for consuming on average five packets of potato chips daily – to finally eat something healthy. Not even Himuro had been able to accomplish such a feat!
She ceased thinking when an overly large hand reached out and hesitantly picked up a piece of lettuce, and she watched with baited breath as he raised it to his lips. He popped it inside.
Grinning triumphantly, she shifted her gaze and raised a brow at Himuro. "See? Piece of cake –"
Abruptly he began to choke, coughing and spitting with an expression that suggested he's just swallowed something foul.
"That's what you should've fed him," Himuro replied sardonically, and stood so he could slap his friend on the back repeatedly. Amidst the chaos, Momoi thankfully chose that moment to walk into the classroom.
When she noticed the mayhem, she glanced down at Sadie whilst scratching her chin thoughtfully. "You know Sae-chan, if you wanted to poison the guy I think you just found the most effective way."
"B-but it's not poison!" she insisted helplessly. "It's organic! Clean! Downright nutritious, dammit!"
Momoi shrugged and gestured at the convulsing giant. "Try telling him that, then."
As she gazed guiltily at Murasakibara's heaving figure, Sadie reluctantly conceded her friend might have a point. Perhaps healthiness just wasn't some people's cup of tea.
When the day had finally reached its end, Sadie stood by her locker awaiting Momoi to come trotting over while her stomach growled an almost continuous string of protests. After having made Mura-kun positively ill with her lunch, her appetite had disappeared for a good portion of the day. But now it was back full force, and she nearly groaned with how hungry she was.
Finally, Momoi appeared at the stairs, bouncing down them two at a time to land in front of her. "Ready to go, Sae-chan?"
"You bet. I can't wait to get home." A particularly sharp pain in the stomach caused her to double over. "Ugh, how do girls manage to go so long without eating? Dieting these days is ridiculous!"
Momoi blinked at her. "Didn't you eat today?"
"Well," Sadie confessed sheepishly, "After what Mura-kun went through because of me… Let's just say that I wasn't too eager to dig in to what was left."
She snorted once. "Sae-chan, that kid is a big wuss."
"Momoi, his stomach hurt the whole day."
"His immune system simply didn't know what to do with a lettuce leaf. It's his fault for not keeping up a healthier diet!" she insisted.
GROOOOWWWL!
Sadie groaned again. "Whatever, it doesn't matter now. Can we just get home?"
"Yeah, sure thing –"
Suddenly, a voice called from behind her, "Hey, Sadie-san. Do you want to walk home with us today?"
Turning, Sadie caught sight of Himuro approaching them, a pleasant smile on his handsome features. Normally she would be happy to accompany him, but with the way her stomach was acting up, she wasn't sure if she'd get halfway home without devouring him.
"Um… Well, I –"
"Atsushi just went to get some snacks," he explained. "He says it's too long of a walk without them."
"S-snacks?" she echoed, feeling a strange sensation in her chest.
"Yeah…" Himuro cocked his head. "Hey, Sadie-san, are you feeling alright?"
Before she could reply, Momoi piped in, "She hasn't eaten at all today, so she's not feeling good."
"Oh. Well in that case, I'm sure Atsushi won't mind sharing his snacks, so long as it's you, Sadie-san. If you're hungry, I'll sneak some for you." He winked at her.
Slowly, Sadie shook her head, refusing to meet his eyes. "I-I can't. Thanks anyway, though." Then, as though to contradict her statement, her stomach let out a grumble so fierce it echoed all the way down the hall, turning the heads of at least five of her peers.
Before the giggling and chuckling started up, Sadie hurriedly explained, "Sorry Himuro-san, I'm on a diet. See you later!" And then she hastened away, not stopping her frantic pace until she was well past the school gates. Once the buzz of students leaving the school faded, she let out a small breath and slowed her pace a little.
"What a bother," she huffed, swiping sweat off her brow. It was then she realised that along with Himuro, she's left her best friend in the dust back there. Oops. Oh well, I'll make it up to her with some dumplings. All guilt dissipating, she was nearly at the subway station when she heard it.
"SAAAEEEEE-CHAAAAAN!"
She only just managed to turn to intercept the figure barrelling towards her, but still, she was nearly knocked flat by the force of Momoi's body mid-sprint as it collided with hers. Before she could even take a breath, her shoulders were caught in a fierce grip that wrenched her head around to meet a pair of familiar light brown eyes.
"Idiot! Stupid, insensitive Sae-chan! What'd you leave me back there all alone for?! Meanie!"
Wheezing, Sadie got out a choked, "Sorry!" before being swept down to receive a furious noogie.
"Don't just run off without me like that again! I had to run to catch up to you! I don't run after anybody unless I'm gonna kill 'em! You got that?"
"Please don't kill me!" she squeaked, futilely struggling against her friend's hold.
"Idiot, of course I'm not gonna kill you." As quickly as she'd wrenched her down, Momoi tugged her into a bear hug that nearly squeezed the breath from her lungs. "Your dumplings are way too good. You have to make me some for lunch tomorrow for making me run, got it?"
"S-sure," Sadie choked. Just get this crazy tiger off me!
She finally loosened her hold, and Sadie broke away gasping. Pretending not to notice, Momoi looped an arm around her neck and began to walk towards the subway. "So what made you take off all of a sudden?"
"I just didn't want to wait for Mura-kun," Sadie supplied evasively. "How'd you catch up so quick, anyway? Have you been training over the break?"
Not even pretending to pay attention to the question, Momoi cut straight to the point. "You didn't want him to laugh at you, right?"
"Huh? I don't know what you're talking about…"
"Bullshit. I'm not stupid, you know."
Sadie threw her a warning glare. "Watch your language, Momoi-chan."
The smaller girl shrugged, uncaring. "Whatever. You don't have to hide it from me, Sae-chan. Mura-kun can be an insensitive ass, but I can see why you might like him a little."
"What?!" she sputtered indignantly. "I don't like him! He's a friend!"
But despite her attempts to persuade her friend, Momoi only smirked and tucked her hands behind her head. And so, abandoning her attempts to convince her otherwise, Sadie asked, "What did Himuro say after I took off? I bet he wasn't very impressed…"
"That's not true. He was just worried, that's all. Asked why you ran off so quick."
Icy apprehension shot through Sadie as she asked, "And did you tell him?" Would she tell him something like that?
Momoi sniffed indignantly and turned her face away. "I said that if he continued to ask dangerous questions I'd have to kill him and hide his body somewhere no one would find him."
Sadie stared at her friend in shock for a few moments, and then dissolved into a fit of laughter. Momoi gazed at her shaking figure with increasing irritation, before finally bellowing, "What?! What's so funny about that?"
"Ha… Nothing… Haha!" Still giggling, she wiped tears of mirth from her eyes and, seeing the red rapidly entering her friend's cheeks, wrapped an arm around her neck. "You're just the best friend ever, is all."
Her scowl quickly fading into a grin, Momoi elbowed her once in the ribs. "Damn straight I am. Now hurry up, I want to get to your place and eat some dumplings."
Sadie blinked. "But I thought you wanted them tomorrow for lunch?"
"I do want them tomorrow, but for laughing at me, you gotta make me some now too! And I want some of those sour pork thingies you had today as well. Did you know that you gave everyone else one of those except me?! What kind of friend forgets to give her best friend food, while everybody else gets to pick and choose what they like….?!"
As she continued on in what could only be labelled a 'Major Momoi Rant', Sadie listened with growing affection for her friend, her previous hunger retreating to the forgotten corner of her mind.