Story of Hope-Takao's verse: Promise

Day 2 : Karma

"Who are you?"

"Huh?"

There was a silence, as Midorima recalled twice about what did Takao say before.

"Don't joke around, Takao!" he finally said, feeling worried

"Huh, Takao? Who's that? Who are you? Where is this place?" Takao asked so many questions but his eyes looked blank, not as lively he used to be. He got up, and felt a little pain from his head. "Ouch"

Midorima stood very uneasy.

Could it be

Could it be?

"Takao! You don't remember me? I'm your partner!" Midorima grabbed Takao's shoulder tightly, trying to doubt this as a joke.

Takao flinched. His expression suddenly changed into a darker one.

"Nooo!" Takao screamed and pushed Midorima away with all of his strength, shaking strongly, as if Midorima was some monster trying to eat him up. His face was pale, and he was somewhat looked shocked. Midorima's ass stumbled by the floor.

"Ta..kao?"

What in the world just happened?

Does Takao really mad to him?

"Don't come near me! Don't touch me! Go away!" now Takao's expression changed again into an angry one.

"Why? What's gotten into you?" Midorima stood up, trying to get near Takao again, but Takao throw his pillow at Midorima's face, bulls eye.

"I said don't go near me!"

"Hey Midorima, I come again.. Has Takao..huh?" Ootsubo broke in right at the moment.

They were in such an akward situation. Takao was about to throw everything beside him and Midorima kept insisting. They stopped the moment Ootsubo came in, though.

"Ooh! You finally wake up! You've made the entire team worried you know, Takao!" apparently, Ootsubo brought the team with him there. It was Miyaji who said it, act harsh as usual, but kind of relieved.

"Senpai.." Midorima froze,

"..What are you doing?" Ootsubo came front. "Fighting again right after woken up?"

"No, you see, Takao is—" Midorima stopped talking when he saw Takao just ran and hid behind that big body of Ootsubo like a kid, but his eyes showed hatred toward Midorima.

He really hates me now?

"Heeh? What happened?"

The others seemed confused.

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Amnesia, most likely" the doctor had finished examining Takao. "Maybe because of the hit he got in his head"

"But his memories will come back, won't it?"

"It could, eventually. Though, we won't know what will that happen. I don't mean it, but I met cases like this, and usually it took years to recover the memory"

"You've gotta be kidding!" Miyaji yelled. Ootsubo hit him with his elbow so he would shut up.

"Well, you should try something that will trigger his memory, maybe that'll work" after the others nodded, the doctor said again, "Now I have to check on another patient, if you may let me go"

"Ahh, thank you"

The doctor left.

Everyone there were shocked. And of course Midorima, he was in the most shock. Why it'd turned out like this?

He was all okay before!

They turned back to see Takao was just staring into spaces. His eyes were cold, and he was not as chatty as before. The atmosphere got all depressed suddenly.

"Takao?" Ootsubo tried to seek a way. He patted Takao's hair, and Takao doesn't seem to mind it,even though he stared at Ootsubo with an unreadable expression. "How are you feeling right now?"

"My head hurts" Takao replied shortly. The others could just confused due to the sudden change of attitude

"I see, I'll just explain you the situation then, you are Takao Kazunari, a freshmen of Shuutoku High, our school. You got into the basketball club. I'm Ootsubo, your captain. They are Kiyoshi Miyaji and Shinsuke Kimura, your senpai. And the last is Shintaro Midorima, your classmate and partner, or maybe a best friend—" Ootsubo stopped, as he saw Takao's angry (or maybe disgusted?)face.

"No way" said Takao "He couldn't be my partner, I don't want to be with him"

There was silence for a moment. Midorima looked really hurt.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to!"

"That's not an answer, but whatever.." Ootsubo sighed. "Midorima, I need to talk to you"

They went outside the room. Miyaji and Kimura stayed with Takao.

"I'm asking you once again. Did something happened between you and Takao before the accident?"

"Eh.. that's.."

"Just answer me"

"..We got into a fight" Midorima sighed. "Satisfied now? So what if we fought?"

Ootsubo gave a big dissapointed sigh

"Have you noticed that Takao had been acting strangely these days?"

"Ah?No, he's just the same as always, making a fuss everywhere he go"

"You couldn't tell it?" Ootsubo was surprised. "He is your partner and you're always with him. I only met him at club activities, but I could tell that there's something wrong!"

"Huh? Something wrong? Well, aside from he suddenly yelled at me back then, he was surely fine"

"Was not" Ootsubo snorted. "Midorima, you don't realize that Takao's parents haven't come to see him?"

"Ah, now that you said it.. there's no one coming beside us"

"Huh..a block-head as always.. Okay, I will just tell you bluntly" Ootsubo took a deep breath. "Takao had been quite..in problems, recently. It started after we lost to Rakuzan. He seemed fine, but he was actually blaming himself for it"

"What? Of course not! Idiot!"

"But if it was just that, it should be okay.."

Midoima stared curiously at his captain

"..His parents were in a verge of divorcing, the two of them were working overseas, and they just came home to fight. Takao's sister didn't seem care at all, she chose to never being home, always going out with her friends and boyfriend. So Takao must be in a hard position, and very lonely"

"I didn't know that! He never tell me!"

"Yeah, looks like he was intended to hide it. I heard it from the consultary teacher that's worried about him, too. But he always acted like everything was fine" .

"Takao, he.."

"I heard his parents were in home recently, and they got into a big fight. He wanted to stop them, but they ended up saying bad things to him.. and I think that was the reason his mental grew more fragile. He was in an unstable mental condition all of these days and you, his partner DIDN'T know"

"It's not my fault! He didn't tell me! How should I know!"

Ootsubo sighed again, felt really hopeless talking with Mr. Heartless in front of him

"You should've know by looking at him you idiot! You're with him 24/7 and you didn't notice it, how dense can you be?"

"I.." But Takao never change in his eyes. He smiles like always, talking non-chalantly, the giggling and teasing, happy and no problem. Were it all..?

"You shouldn't have born"

"Huh?"

" What do you think his feeling was, when his parent told him that?"

"That's terrible!" Midorima felt really angry. What parents told their children that thing?

"Well, the fight was really big, even the neighbours knew about it. That was the consultary teacher said and that's why she wanted me to keep an eye for him"

"Why didn't you tell me before!?"

"Ah, I was going to, but this happened before I got the time.."

Why didn't that idiot told me? He said he is my partner! No, why didn't I realized it by myself?

"Ah, and I've tried calling his parents, but they acted like they doesn't care and won't come"

If only I realized it sooner..

"But, but.. Takao is always smiling.." Midorima was shaking.

"Shin-chann~! Good morning~!" he was always thought it as a normal thing, greeted by Takao with his warm smile every morning, everyday.. but what if inside..Takao wasn't smiling.. he was desperate..

Suddenly he realized something.

"That can't be.. he was strange back then because.."

"As for me, I think Takao only had you. The one he can depend and believes on. If you ever leave him, he'll.."

"Break down"

"I.. kinda thought that Takao maybe..it's not because of the wound.. I think he chose to forget everything. He wanted to erase all of his pain in his heart..he just chose to forget..unconcious, or conciously"

"No way!"

He chose to forget? That's ridiculous!

Because..because..

Is it because.. I abandoned him..?

Because I forgot what's important to him?

So I made everything worst to him?

Because he thought no one needs him..

Midorima's heart really in a great pain. Now that he realized it all, it was too late.

Midorima ran back to the room. There Takao was chatting with Miyaji and Kimura. Not as lively as always, but they seemed to enjoy it. Takao even smiled!

Midorima walked to him, but as soon as Takao saw him, Takao throw his look to another direction, with an annoyed expression, trying to ignore him.

"Takao" Midorima called, but Takao pretended like he didn't hear it.

Why?

Why he avoids me?

"Takao! Don't just ignore me!"

"So noisy~ I don't want you to be here, though, so I don't want to hear anything from you" he cover his ears with his hands

That stabbed Midorima's very depths.

Takao is..actually saying that?

But, but..

Wait

Didn't he do the same to Takao all the time?

"So noisy, shut up, Takao"

Takao was always just smiling after he heard it

His heart ached.

Is this what Takao felt?

He was always smiling, but.. what it was..inside?

Could it be..he's really hurt?

Takao didn't care for it and continued his chat with Miyaji and kimura

Midorima just stood there, confused

No

No

Takao, please don't ignore me

Look at me

Please look at me

Please

Like always..

"Maybe you should go home today, you stayed here from yesterday, right?" Ootsubo said from behind him. It looked like he understood Midorima's feelings.

"Hmm.." Midorima nodded and walked away, with a desperate aura.

When Midorima was gone, Kimura stared at Takao. "Why are you avoiding him, Takao? You used to be a very good friends"

"It's.."

They waited curiously for the answer.

"Well, I said I don't like him!" Takao turned away, blushing. The senpais sweatdropped. Why Takao turned into a tsundere like Midorima? Maybe his head really crashed.

"S.-so.. why don't you like him?"

.

"It's just.." Takao played his finger. "before I woke up, I had this really lonely and desperate feeling in my dream.. it disappeared after I was awake but.. I don't know why, I'm always feeling it, the same feeling, everytime he was around me..or even touch me.."

"Only around Midorima?"

"Yeah.. I'm scared.. if he come to me.. I don't want to feel it again.. I don't want to come back like that, it was really hurt, it's scary!" Takao gripped his clothes tightly. He looked like about to cry.

Ootsubo patted his back. "I understand. But he'll come for you for sure"

"No!"

"Don't worry, it'll be alright. We're here for you" he embraced Takao, who let out his tears to flow, trembling. Miyaji and Kimura just stayed silent.

Xxxxxxx

Midorima leaned against his bed, playing with his cellphone. What happened yesterday and today, he thought of it countless times. He stared at Takao's message for the hundreds times.

You don't remember?

He couldn't imagining with what face Takao wrote it, before he got into accident. What feelings he could have with him, after the fight.

Now that it came to this, Midorima didn't know what he should do anymore. Takao had hated him.

I want you to come back

To the usual you

It's really.. lonely

Without you

Then Midorima cam to this idea. He quickly searched 'that person's number on his phone and called.

"Shintaro? Is something the matter?" Right, the person he called was Akashi, his previous captain.

"Umm.. I want to ask you.." he didn't know how to put it all. "If you lose something important because of you..and you feel guilty of it, but it wont be with you again.. and you don't know what to do.. what will you do, Akashi?"

"What is this? A quiz?" Akashi grinned. "But of course, I will eventually take it back, no matter what"

"Even if it will hurt you?"

"That's right. I will have my important thing back with me, no matter what it cost. I don't care what others will say, but isn't that obvious? Even if we lose it, we can still run for it again"

"I see.." Midorima smiled. "Thank you, Akashi"

"I don't mind, but what's that supposed to mean?"

"I'll tell you later when I have succesfully take it back"

"Seems interesting" Akashi giggled again. "I shall wait for your report then"

The call ended.

Yeah, I should do it

What I can only do

I want to apologize to him

I want to tell him the truth

That I love him too

I want him to be beside me

I want to save him

"I'll have you back.. no matter what happened.."

Xxxxxxxx

Takao was sitting alone on his bed, reading a book. The book was his diary, not that the old him wrote at that everyday, though. He just filled it when he had the mood. And it filled with scribbles about everything went around him.

The diary was given by Ootsubo senpai, when he came to Takao's house to grab some clothes to change for him. The house was empty, and Ootsubo found that on Takao's table. He thought he should bring it to Takao, so maybe Takao could remember.

The diary was filled with photos, too.

Takao stared at them with cold eyes.

Apparently, the book had a name that mentioned the most. And a person that popped very mostly with him.

Me and Shin-chan won the match!

Shin-chan looked cute with his lucky item, a rabbit ears!

Shin-chan looks in a really bad mood today, I tried to comfort him, but it wasn't so easy

Shin-chan wanted to come to Seirin's match. Is he really concerned about that Kuroko?

When I'm with Shin-chan, I can forget everything's burdening me

But Shin-chan won't look at me, me and me only

"Shin-chan..was it?"

TBC