Chapter 2 – The haunting
Hi! I hope the first chapter was interesting and didn't bore you. I have so much spare time now so I will be updating as much as possible. Here is chapter 2.
I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING FROM KNB
Sora rose with the sun.
She woke before the roosters crowed. The scarlet rays beamed through the gap in the drapes, casting a rosy light onto the beige walls. Rubbing her tired eyes, Sora staggered to her feet and headed to the washroom. The small rectangular mirror reflected Sora's melancholic expression, one of foreign faces. Judging from the red and puffed up eyes, she had been crying in her sleep again. She never remembered any of her dreams but only woke with remnants of numbing grief that left her saddened and confused. What did I dream about that could possibly leave me in such a state?
"Eh? Sora? You awake already? I forget that you like to wake early."
Riko muttered as she rolled around on the floor, reluctant to get up.
"I'm sorry I woke you up. It's only dawn."
Riko shot up and groaned in frustration. She didn't need to be up for another few hours. Riko was always amazed at how Sora could always get up so early and be so full of life, well, on the inside anyway.
"It's fine…I should start learning to get up early anyway. Since I'm already up, I may as well stay up. Are you going to the market?"
Sora gave a short nod as she changed from her simple night gown into her trousers and blouse. Females were not allowed to wear pants as it was deemed masculine and wrong but Sora never really cared what people said about her. If it was comfortable, then she would wear it. Riko was the same but was let off more easily as she trained the guards and soldiers and that wasn't possible in a dress.
"Gah, people are going to start yelling at you again."
"Riko, you know I don't care. Besides, it's just you and I this morning. Father left last night saying he wouldn't be back until tomorrow. Some business thing that he didn't elaborate on. So I thought I might as well wear these clothes so we can just head straight to the training grounds."
Riko let out a sigh as she too got ready to head out. The girl had a point. Sora made sure to lock up all the windows and doors as the two walked side by side towards the market near the coast. Seirin was position near the coast for easy trading by ship.
"Good morning Sora-san and Riko-san."
Riko gave a cheerful good morning while Sora nodded at the lovely baker's wife.
"The usual I presume?"
"Not today I'm afraid. I'm going to be feeding the rowdy boy scouts. I'll have 9 loaves. How is your daughter?"
Riko frowned and whined at the comment that her sister had made about her precious team members,
"They are not boy scouts!"
The baker's wife smiled at the two sweet girls. Sora may seem cold and frightening at first but she was a genuinely sweet girl. Although Riko was indeed the more approachable one.
"She's growing up fine. As healthy as an ox but as sly and wild as a fox. I think she takes after you Sora-san. Untamable."
A small smile plastered itself on Sora's lips. She had met the little girl a few times on her morning rounds and she could vouch for that statement.
"That's very good to hear. Give her some candy and I'm sure you'll be able to train her just fine."
The lovely lady burst into laughter as she handed Sora the bag containing their breakfast. She was glad that Sora was warming up to her. The first time they met, they only exchanged a few words 'Good morning', '3 loaves please' and 'good bye'.
"I'll be sure to take your advice O wise one."
"We have to get going. It's unfair that they listen to her more than they do me!"
As if to add more salt to the wound, the baker's wife covered her mouth with her hands in mock shock,
"Oh that is rather sad. Don't worry, I'm sure if you feed them they'll listen to you. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."
Sora stared at Riko who looked a bit unsure about cooking before snickering. They both knew how Riko's cooking usually turned out. A mad blush spread across Riko's face as she began to pummel Sora with weak punches to stop the snickering and utter humiliation.
"I guess that's why she brought me with her today. Have a nice morning!"
"Oh thank you! You too!"
Dropping by the butchers for some beef and ham and then the fruit market for some apples and vegetables for tonight's dinner, the two walked to the training grounds where they were greeted by Hyuga and the others who had just arrived.
"Yo Riko! Wait! Y-you brought Sora-Chan today!?"
The guys blanched as they saw the blunette stroll towards them.
"It's nice to see you too Hyuga-kun."
Hyuga blushed, partially because he was embarrassed at his reaction to seeing her as well as her comment. The girl greeted the others who stuttered their hellos before her lips curled into a sweet smile that oozed a dangerous aura.
"I heard that you've been slacking off. Riko is far from inexperienced so I suggest you pick up your game and get to it."
They straightened up and flinched at the tone in the girl's voice. Sure, she was younger than them but she carried around with her an air of power that threatened to smack them into shape.
"If you take your training properly today, I'll make you lot something to eat later."
The thought of eating Sora's food caused them to salivate and drool. It was heaven on their palate. Riko huffed at how Sora could twist them around her finger so easily but Riko knew that between Riko and Sora, they preferred Riko any day.
"Right! Let's start with 20 laps around the grounds, starting now!"
The bunch raced off around the block as Riko and Sora placed the groceries on the table for Sora to get started on making lunch. Sora didn't see the red head or blunette anywhere.
"Where's Kuroko and Kagami? I didn't see them."
Riko frowned and agreed. They were late.
"Those two! I'll beat them to a pulp!"
Sora stepped outside of the small building and glanced around to see if she could find the red head or blunette. And sure enough, racing up from the west side was the duo with Kagami scowling as Kuroko followed slowly from behind.
"OI! Kuroko! Move it before Riko catches us-"
"I'm afraid that she's already noticed. I hope you two have a good explanation as to why you are 5 minutes late?"
It was more of a threat than a question and Kagami went white as a ghost upon seeing the passive expression on Sora's face.
"Ah! It's you! Why the hell are you here?"
"I heard that you two were causing trouble for Riko so I came to make sure that you don't and it seems like you two aren't off to a great start."
Sora turned to the quiet Kuroko who was staring at her with that same expression that he does each time. It may have not been shown on his face but his eyes said it all. Those beautiful, soulful blue orbs of his reflected an odd sadness that she couldn't quite explain. Whether that sadness was directed at her, she didn't know but it struck a chord with her.
"Good morning Sora-san."
"Yes, good morning to you too Kuroko. Now go and apologise to Riko for being late."
After being forced to kneel on the spot for an hour while the others did more warm ups, Riko gathered the group to announce some news.
"We've finally been recognized and invited to compete in the annual Summer Trials."
The gang beamed. This was a real surprise and honour as Seirin only established it's team 2 years ago and for them to be able to invited to compete in this event was amazing. It meant that the Counsel had recognized the team's abilities.
"This year, it will be held at Rakuzan since last year was Shutoku. This means that we have to work hard because the main capital will be watching us, and possibly the Royal Family. So for the next month, I will be tripling your training and adjusting your regime to bring out the best in your abilities. Work hard so we can show them that we are not to be underestimated."
"YOSHH!"
There was a loud roar as the gang began to take to their individual training with their weapon of choice. Most of them opted for broad swords and weapons that delivered quick blows as they were a Run-and-Gun style team, meaning they were an offensive type team. They took turns sparring with each other. The rules were simple, first one to yield, fall to the ground or receive a fatal blow would lose.
Wiping her brow as the sweat began to form under the hot Seirin summer heat, Sora continued to chop up the vegetables while stewing the beef with her special curry sauce. Riko had insisted that she used a whole bunch of vitamin, protein and iron rich food to help build muscle for her beloved team members. It wasn't cheap to get such good products at the market and almost made Sora regret coming here…after all, it came from her budget. Taking a small spoonful of her curry, Sora took a sip and smiled in relief that it turned out well. All she needed to do now present it and cut the loaves into halves for each person.
"Riko, I really don't think this is enough, considering how much Kagami eats."
"It's fine. They usually don't have big lunches anyway."
Riko walked outside and whistled to call the squad in, like calling in the hounds. It was amusing to see how they flocked to Riko like chicks to their mother hen. Seeing that image made Sora chuckle earning the confused glances of the crew.
"You've done well today, so Sora and I will be treating you to some curry. Eat up and we'll go back to training! Good work!"
So Sora began to hand out the bowls of her curry and handed each member half a loaf which they took with gratitude.
"Man! This is crazy good!"
"I forgot how delicious Sora's food is!"
Sora could feel her face grow warmer at the compliments but for the sake of her stoic and intimidating appearance, she turned around and pretended to busy herself with cleaning up. This didn't go unnoticed by the gang as they snickered at the girl's reaction. Sure she was somewhat cold at first but deep down, she really was just a sweet girl.
"Neh, Sora-Chan! Thanks for the food!"
"Yeah! It was good!"
Sora mumbled a reply. She felt a soothing presence behind her, instantly knowing that it was Kuroko.
"Is there something you needed Kuroko?"
"No, I just wanted to thank you. It was delicious."
Like how you use to make it back then. Kuroko wanted to say but his mouth clamped shut as if his body was trying to tell him not to say anything. She doesn't need to know. To his surprise, she turned towards him, her eyes looking into his as if she was searching for answers, as if subconsciously, she knew something about her was missing. Thankfully, she didn't ask him anything of the sort.
"Thank you. If you like it, you should come to The Den with the others after practice for dinner. I'll make you something. It's closed for a few days until my father comes home so it'll be okay for you guys to drop by."
Kuroko nodded in agreement, a faint smile seemed to appear on his face but was once again replaced by the sad almost disappointed expression. Sora wanted to ask why he always made that face at her but she knew it would be rude to do so; she let it slide once again.
After Riko and Sora cleaned up the bowls and cutlery, they watched as the boys continued to train as the sun began to set. Sora walked down the hill to a soft patch of grass and rested against it. She gazed up with a soft smile across her face. The sky was beginning to fade from the cool blue into pink, purple, orange, yellow but most prominently, crimson. The sunset was one of her favourite things to look at. She loved how all the colours mashed together and soothed the heart. It was truly a beautiful thing to see. However, something about that crimson made her heart hurt ever so slightly.
"Oi!"
The sudden shout startled Sora as she turned around to see that Kagami was walking towards her. The fading sunlight illuminated his sweat sheen body. She wasn't flustered at the fact that all of them were topless but Kagami's body was impressive. Every prominent muscle looked perfect on his body with nothing out of place, like a sculpture.
"What are you staring at?"
Sora turned away to face the sinking sun.
"The sunset."
"Every time you're here, I always see you stare it."
"I like the sunset. Is that a problem?"
Kagami huffed and sat down next to her and stared at the sunset, trying to see what fascinated the girl so much that she would stare at it like a lost lover.
"I was just asking! You didn't need to be so fricking cold all the time."
"Sorry."
"Say that like you actually mean it!"
"Sorry."
"Man, you're infuriating."
The two continued to gaze up at the sky as the sun eventually vanished below the horizon and the sky became a dark navy. Navy…
"I finally found you Kagami-kun, Sora-Chan."
Kagami jumped up and fell on Sora who grunted at the sudden weight on her body.
"GAH! Kuroko! Don't sneak up on people dammit!"
"Sorry Kagami-kun, Coach was looking for you and Sora-Chan. We're all about to head home now."
"Kagami, please get off me. You're crushing my arm."
Kagami leapt up and stuttered his apology over and over like some incantation. The trio began to walk back to the training grounds where they were dismissed. Riko took Sora's hand and together they walked to their home. Upon approaching, they noticed two strange cloaked figures standing at the front and trying to peer into the window.
"They don't look familiar."
Riko whispered to Sora who nodded as the two slowly approached the strangers.
"Can we help you?"
The two figures visibly flinched as they slowly turned around to face the two girls who were alert and cautious.
"Do you know Aida Kagetora? We are looking for him."
Sora frowned, trying to read their body language to see if they were dangerous but she couldn't feel any evil intent.
"He is currently away on business. Why do you need to see him?"
"I see…Is there a possible chance he will be home soon?"
Riko began to size them up. She must have seen that last question as some sort of threat,
"Answer my question first. Why are you looking for him?"
Once again, they avoided the question. Whoever they were, they were adamant to find Kagetora and Sora edged forward, ready to take them down if it became necessary.
"We are from Rakuzan. We heard that he was training the Seirin team so we are here to speak with him."
Sora and Riko looked to each other, unsure how to tackle this situation. Sora nodded and turned to the figures.
"Fine but first, tell us who you are and show us your faces and proof that you are from Rakuzan."
The two figures nodded and pulled the hood off of their heads. The faint lighting from the oil lamps outside the bar revealed two young men. One of them was a tall rather feminine looking guy. He had medium length ebony hair and a rather flirtatious smirk on his face. The other one had light orange hair and cat-ish grin. He was relatively shorter than the ebony haired one. Both revealed a badge to show that they were indeed from Rakuzan. The familiar crest with a phoenix soaring into the sky.
"My name is Mibuchi Reo. And this is Hayama Kotaro. We are members of the Rakuzan team."
"Alright, please come inside. I'll get you a drink. You can tie your horses to the posts on the side. Don't worry, no one will steal them or any of your belongings."
Sora thought it was odd that Mibuchi referred to himself as a female but using a feminine style of speaking (the way females would speak). The other odd thing was that the two didn't seem worried which surprised her, nevertheless, she invited the two inside and brought out two mugs of warm hot chocolate. The aroma wafted around the room and Mibuchi and Hayama almost lost their composure to the rich chocolate smell.
"Thank you very much um…"
"Sora, Aida Sora."
"Thank you Sora-Chan!"
She frowned at Hayama with confusion. Why is he acting so familiar? Is he just naturally friendly? Sounds like Koganei.
"I'm afraid you are mistaken because our father is not the coach of the team. My sister Riko is the coach so if you are here about the Summer Trials, then you will be speaking to her. Are you hungry? I will make you something while you speak with her."
Mibuchi and Hayama looked at each other in shock. They probably didn't expect Riko to be the coach of the team, after all, it was very strange to have a female coach.
"No, that's quite alright Sora-san."
Sora nodded as she headed upstairs while the three conversed about rules and other things that didn't really interest Sora. Sora didn't really need to know about these things, after all, she wasn't going. Someone had to stay behind to look after the place.
"Sora! Can you come down here for a second?!"
Just as Sora was about to hit the bed and rest, she was summoned and with a groan trod down the wooden staircase.
"What's wrong?"
Riko patted the spot next to her as she faced the two Rakuzan members.
"The team needs a manager to help with organizing all of the paperwork and to take care of our members. I was wondering if you would want to be our manager."
Sora sort of expected this kind of question. Riko couldn't cook, take care of the paperwork and train the boys all by herself…it would drive her insane. The hesitation in Sora's response brought a worried look on Riko's face. If the team didn't have a manager, then they wouldn't make it far into the competition at all
"Sure, I wouldn't mind but who is going to look after The Den? With father gone, there isn't anyone to look after it."
"Father said he would be back tomorrow right?"
"Yes. But would he be back in time for us to leave and arrive at Rakuzan in time for the competition?"
Mibuchi could see the concern on the girls' faces. Riko was afraid that the team wouldn't make it without a manager while Sora was worried that something might happen to their home if she went. Gah, what a pickle this is. Although, I am surprised at how responsible these girls are. Nothing like the riff raff back at Rakuzan who only care about wealth, looks and being appealing enough to attract all kinds of suitors. It would be a shame if they couldn't come.
"It took Reo-nee and I about a week to travel here by horse. And the Summer Trials aren't until another 2 weeks right?"
"Yes, so you will have plenty of time. It would be a real shame if Seirin couldn't make it."
Sora knew the importance of her decision and the fact that this competition would be their first proper battle against other teams since forming the team last year.
"Alright. I'll be the manager. Can you tell us which path you took to get here?"
"Of course! If you continue to follow the street, you will eventually reach a forest. Stay on the path and when you reach the first fork in the forest, take the right path. Keep going along that path and you will eventually reach the end of the forest. I suggest, you stop there and take a rest because further on, you might not get a chance to rest for another day or so. The path will become quite dangerous since you will have to cross a mountain pass and I heard that there are some dangerous creatures there. We were fortunate enough to not come across any. There will be a marked path that you will follow. It will be indicated by large arrow carvings in the mountain. Only follow the ones that have been marked with a red slash underneath. If you follow them correctly, you should get down the mountain and arrive at flowing fields of green hills. From there, the path is very simple, you continue to follow the gravel road that has been paved and it will lead you straight to Rakuzan. You can rest after you cross the mountain as it is safe due to the wards."
While Mibuchi was rambling on, Sora made notes of what he had said exactly so they wouldn't get lost or worse, killed.
"Thank you very but Mibuchi-kun. Have you got a place to spend the night?"
"Yes, there is an inn just further up the street. Thank you very much for the hot chocolate Sora-san, it was delicious."
Sora's lips perked up slightly at the compliment. Sora may seem like a complex creature but she was actually very simple. She often blushed and felt happy when someone compliments her cooking. Mibuchi noticed that the entire time, Sora didn't even take her eyes off them or smile or show any emotion until he complimented her hot chocolate which caused her to go pink and smile. How adorable. Although, she somehow reminds me of him.
"Yeah! Thanks for the hot chocolate! It was super good! Also, you look super cute when you smile!"
Sora's smile began to fade at Hayama's last compliment about her appearance. I guess she only likes it when someone compliments her cooking. Her expression returned to its natural passive state and Mibuchi almost hissed at Hayama for ruining the moment.
"You are most welcome."
"Mibuchi-kun and Hayama-kun, when you will be returning to Rakuzan?"
"Tomorrow actually. We were only sent to tell you about the competition and the way to get to Rakuzan. It would have been easier if Akashi had just sent a messenger falcon instead of us."
Akashi? Who is that?
"Who is Akashi?"
Mibuchi and Hayama froze and stared at Sora in shock.
"You don't know him?"
"No, is he your coach?"
The two looked at each other again before turning to Riko who was looking at her sister in a very confused manner.
"No, Sei-Chan is our captain but he is also the heir to the throne. He is the crown prince."
"Seriously?! You didn't know about Akashi-sama? God, I thought you did."
Sora glared at her sister before turning to the two men in an attempt to explain why.
"Look, I know about the Crown Prince because I hear the customers talk about the royal family sometimes, however, his name is never mentioned. People only refer to him as 'Crown Prince' or The Young Lord. You should also know that I don't dig my nose into other people's businesses or conversations. I don't eavesdrop."
Riko pouted at Sora's explanation because she knew that Sora wasn't lying. Sora was honest to a fault and never liked to eavesdrop or gossip. She only knew things when people told her or if she saw or read it herself.
"Anyway, thank you very much for coming Mibuchi-kun, Hayama-kun. I'm sorry if it was of any inconvenience for you to come here."
"Nah! That's alright Riko-san. It's nice to sometimes get out and explore. We'll be going now! Bye Bye Riko-san! Sora-Chan!"
Mibuchi and Hayama stood up and headed outside. They grabbed their horses and headed to the inn.
Sora grabbed the empty mugs and cleaned them while Riko made sure to lock all the doors and windows in the bar. The crown prince, Akashi Sei-Sei….Hm…his name doesn't ring a bell. I've lived here for 5 years now and yet, this is the first time I heard his name.
"Since I'm the team's manager now, I guess I'm going to have to come with you to each training session right?"
"Yeah, I think you should brush up on the rules. You already know the playing styles of each person already so it won't be a problem to help me with coming up with training regime and dietary plans. Also, you might need to learn some basic first aid just in case someone gets hurt."
"Alright, since you are quite skilled in first aid, I'll be learning from you."
"Sure. Anyway, let's get to bed. It's almost midnight."
Sora hopped into bed next to Riko who had already, miraculously, fallen asleep. She placed a quick peck on Riko's forehead before drifting into a pleasant sleep.
A young boy stood outside on a balcony, staring up at the sun as it slowly disappears beneath the horizon. He hears some quiet footsteps approach behind him. He recognizes those footsteps so he doesn't turn around. The person stood beside him and glanced up to watch the sunset as well.
"Neh, why do like looking at the sunset so much?"
"No reason…It's beautiful, but you like looking at it too."
"I guess so. I also think the setting sun is beautiful but that's not the reason why I look at it."
"Then tell me why you like looking at the sunset."
The figure turns to face the boy, a refreshing and innocent smile plastered on her face as she stared straight into his eyes and in them, she saw the entire world.
"Because it reminds me of your hair."
End of chapter
So…How was that chapter? Was it alright? I think by now, you guys can somewhat guess who Sora is and her connection to the Crimson Haired boy. Although, I haven't exactly decided if I should pair up Akashi with Sora or if I should do Aomine with Sora or Kise and Sora or maybe Kagami and Sora. I dunno. Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter because it will be coming soon. THANKS FOR READING!