DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything of KnB in this fic…apart from the twins.
So Not Gemini
2. Thoughts.
"Bingo!" Shouichi exclaimed all of a sudden, pausing in a particular page of the Zunon Boy magazine he had been flipping through. "Found him!"
"What?" His sister turned to him with a frown. "And pray tell, since when exactly did you become a fan of that fashion-lifestyle magazine?"
"I thought I knew that Mr. Blond from somewhere…turns out he—"
"Not another word about what happened on Sunday!" Shira hissed at him before ripping off the magazine from his hands and accurately tossing it into the trashcan nearby.
[Meanwhile somewhere, a certain blond sneezes and feels chills run up his spine.]
Shouichi who had recovered from being stunned, started clapping. "Whoa! Even Midorima-senpai would turn green with envy at that!"
The chocolate-brown haired girl rolled her eyes. For all she knew, her brother was simply obsessed with the school's basketball team's shooting guard. She did know it wasn't a good idea for him to sign up for the basketball club. "And we're going to be late for school if you don't hurry up…"
"Ah right!" Shouichi scrambled out of the couch in realisation. He was yet to change into his uniform, unlike his sister who was already done preparing for classes. He paused halfway and turned to face her with a look.
The look which told her that he was about to ask something stupid.
"Do you think I should give Midorima-senpai a bento or something?"
Shira shot him a deadpan look. "Are you gay?"
Ryouta Kise wondered whether he was going to catch a cold. Ever since the happy-turned-disaster Sunday, he had constantly kept on sneezing and shivering at random moments of the day, which was very unusual.
"KISE! YOU'VE BEEN CURSED BY NAKAMURA!" Mistuhiro Hayakawa declared as Kise sneezed for the nth time that day.
The ash-blond teenager pushed up his glasses and shot the loud power-forward a disapproving look. "I don't stoop that low Hayakawa."
"Ahahaha…" Kise laughed sheepishly as he sat on the bench and took big gulps of water from his bottle. He was tired. He hadn't gotten much sleep either. "Maybe I should just go see a doctor-ssu."
"But I do think you've had your run in with a bad and vengeful entity…" Nakamura casually stated in a matter-of-fact manner, making the blond choke on his drink.
"'B-Bad and vengeful entity'!?" Kise asked wide eyed. "What do you mean-ssu?"
Nakamura took the empty sit next to Kise wearing a smile that seemed more sinister than it should have been reassuring. Though he wasn't quite fond of the team's ace, when it came to his speciality, dealing with supernatural stuff that is, he was always glad to share information. "There's a saying that goes that when you walk into a vengeful soul, you'll be disturbed for the rest of your life until of course you give it an offering to cease its anger."
Kise felt his blood run cold on hearing his teammate's words. Those were the last words he'd wanted to hear. Were vengeful entities ghosts? He shivered. "But I don't even know whether I ran into one! Maybe it's just a cold-ssu!"
"However, there's a place in Tokyo —a shrine— where you can get rid of the supposed entity by offering it something you treasure most…" Nakamura continued completely ignoring Kise.
"Speaking of Tokyo," their coach, Genta Takeuchi suddenly interrupted as he approached the boys who were currently taking a break, carrying what seemed to be a pile of papers. Some sort of forms, to be exact. "There's a summer training camp which kick starts by the end of this month for three weeks. Even Seirin, Shutoku and Tou are among the participants."
Kise immediately brightened up, forgetting his current predicament on hearing of Seirin's participation. "Even Kuroko-cchi?"
Hayakawa frowned as he calculated the days in his mind. "DURING OUR VACATION?!"
"During half of our vacation." Nakamura corrected as he tried not to grimace at his teammate's sudden burst of volume.
"Alright! Do a few more shots and I'll fill you in on the details of the camp after we wind up!" Coach Takeuchi clapped his hands.
"Yes coach!"
"—and so I decided on attending it too!" Shouichi exclaimed in excitement.
Shira looked up from the book she had immersed herself into during the whole conversation which had clearly been one-sided. She shot him a questioning look as she tucked the said book back into the bag slung over her shoulders. "What were you saying again? You totally lost me from the 'I head dived' part…"
He sweat-dropped. "Shira! I never said anything about 'head diving'! Why don't you ever listen to me!?"
"I stopped bothering to listen to your stories ever since you fell-in-love with Midorima Shintaro." She shrugged casually with an eye-roll.
"It's not love! It's admiration!" Shouichi huffed as the two walked through the school grounds. "And don't regard him so casually, he's your senior! You should call him Midorima-senpai!"
"Oh look, Shin-chan! Your kouhais are talking about you!" A sudden voice chirped from behind the twins. "You're popular!"
"Shut up, Takao. It's none of your business to meddle in other people's conversations," was the swift reply given by the owner of the voice's companion.
"Midorima-senpai!" Shouichi exclaimed as he whirled around with a bright smile. "Takao-senpai!"
Shira reluctantly followed suit after her twin while muttering to herself. "Speak of the devil and ye shall appear."
"Ah! If it isn't the new freshman who adores Shin-chan!" The black-haired teen, who Shira identified as Takao Kazunari, greeted her brother.
"Takao…" Midorima said in a warning tone.
"Are you heading home senpai?" asked Shouichi completely ignoring Takao's words as he turned to the Midorima, his eyes sparkling.
Shira rolled her eyes at her brother. "No, Shouichi. He clearly isn't heading home. No wonder he's walking out of the school like every single one of us."
Takao shot her a quizzical look, seeming interested and amused at the same time. "And you are?"
"She's my sister Watanabe Shiragiku, senpai!" Shouichi exclaimed much to his twin's annoyance. "Forgive her for her rudeness!"
"I have a mouth for a reason." The girl shot back in return. "And don't forget I'm your twin sister, brother dearest."
"Oooh, someone's cranky…" Takao chuckled.
Shira sighed apologetically. "I'm so sorry for my brother's actions. He's just so obsessed with Midorima-senpai; he turns into a total creep and a stalker. I do hope you pardon him for his— is that the rare edition of 'Strategies in Shogi' written by Matsuo Shiki?"
Midorima slightly raised an eyebrow in surprise. The last thing he'd expected was for anyone to recognise his lucky item of the day. "Yes it is. And it's also the—"
"—lucky item for Cancers today who happen to be ranked fourth with their lucky colour as blue. Don't look so surprised. Shouichi wouldn't stop blabbering about it all day; I'm shocked I even remembered it. But wow— I didn't actually expect anyone to get it let alone own it…" Shira spoke so fast, the three males paused for a while to take in everything she'd just said.
Takao scrunched his face. "What?"
"Do you play shogi?" Midorima asked with mild interest. Only someone with great interest in the game can recognise the book.
"I am simply fascinated with how the game works; I have never tried playing it though." It was now the female twin's turn for her eyes to sparkle. "Can I— do you mind if I borrow it someday to go through it, senpai?"
Shouichi furrowed his brows with a pout. "Now who's the one obsessing with senpai?"
The chocolate-brown haired girl snapped at her twin. "I am not obsessing over him! I'm just talking to him about a book for crying out loud."
The black haired point-guard burst out laughing, earning looks from the other three. "What an interesting pair! You're so funny Shira-chan. I must say I've never seen anyone so entertaining, excluding Shin-chan over here, of course."
Shira's raised eyebrow twitched in irritation. Did he just call me 'Shira-chan'!?
"Takao, shut up!"
"Anyway…we better get going Shin-chan. The pachinko store won't stay open forever!" Takao exclaimed as he dragged the said green haired teen in a hurry.
"I'm only coming along with you to acquire the lucky item for tomorrow," Midorima said as he followed after his companion with long strides.
"Yeah, yeah…don't be such a tsundere Shin-chan." Takao rolled his eyes before turning to the twins and waving at them. "See you tomorrow my dear interesting kouhais!"
"I hope we don't…" Shira muttered under her breath. She didn't want to witness her brother's personality switch again.
An annoyed chocolate-brown haired girl stomped down the hallway during lunch-break all alone after her beloved brother had immediately left her side on catching sight of "Midorima-senpai!". The girl was fuming, and everyone around her automatically gave way for the raging storm to pass through without a second thought.
He was going to pay. The only person she knew and stuck to in school was her brother —who had just abandoned her for the sake of his own interest. She felt uncomfortable around other people without her brother by her side. Yes, she didn't like socializing unlike her twin who was friendly with almost everyone.
"Ah. If it isn't Shira-chan!" A familiar voice called out as she turned a corner.
She snapped her head in the direction of the voice only to be disappointed on seeing the black haired point-guard standing alone by a vending machine. "Oh, it's just you…"
Takao blanched comically at her blunt statement and dramatically placed his hand over his chest. "You wound m—"
"Have you seen brother by any chance?" Shira cut him almost immediately, making the point guard slightly pout. "He left me alone after spotting your 'partner'."
"Nope." Takao reached for the two cans of drinks he'd just purchased from the vending machine. "But I might have a good idea where he could be. Want a drink? It'll be on me."
Shira pursed her lips in thought. "Pineapple soda… please."
The black-haired teen had his trademark smirk on as he punched the button for the requested drink. "Strange taste…"
"Blame Rokudo Mukuro for my obsession with pineapples…" Shira muttered under her breath as she accepted the can he handed her. "Thank you."
Takao laughed, earning a puzzled look from the girl. "You're so different from all the girls I've come across."
"Honoured to be your first," replied Shira without missing a beat. "Though if this is an attempt to flirt with me, don't."
He just shook his head with another laugh as he began to walk, heading towards the gym. "Follow me."
"What's he even doing in the gym now?" Shira grumbled as she obediently followed her senpai.
"Haven't you heard about the training camp from your brother?"
"Does it have to do with him shooting off in another direction all of a sudden? I'm pretty sure he was going after Midorima-senpai…"
"Shin-chan was heading to the gym. The coach called for a brief meeting relating to the training camp since we don't have practice later today."
"…shouldn't you be over there then?"
"Nah. Shin-chan will inform me on whatever I missed out on. He sent me to buy his drink after all."
"Are you his minion?" She quirked an eyebrow up.
"NO!" Takao chuckled as he played with the cans. "Something to do with Scorpio being ranked lower than Cancer today…"
"Ah…" Shira nodded with understanding.
"Well, here we are…" declared Takao as he led her into the gym. "And there's your—"
"SHOUICHI!"
The chocolate-brown haired lad only had a moment to turn around with wide eyes.
THWACK!
"Ouch!" The chocolate brown haired male wailed. "What was that for!?"
"What was that for?" She repeated his question in a harsh tone. "What was that for!?"
Takao whistled as he handed the canned drink to Midorima who was surprised at the sudden assault on the junior he was speaking with. "He really shouldn't have said that you know."
The green haired shooting-guard frowned at the drink. "Wasn't there chilled red bean soup?"
"No, there wasn't. So I bought the closest thing I could find to chilled red bean soup…"
"Iced coffee?"
"Yep!"
"Are you an idiot?"
"Ye— hey!"
Shouichi whined as he tried to shove off his sister's hand that had a tight grip on the hair at the base of his neck. "Ouch, ouch! That hurts! Geez! I'm sorry!"
"You better be." Shira said as she finally let go of her brother.
The male twin was more than relieved that she'd turned up a minute after the meeting was dismissed. At least I wasn't humiliated in front of my teammates.
Shira immediately brightened because of a sudden thought that popped up in her mind. She turned to face her brother's "idol" with the best smile she could manage, making poor Midorima uncomfortable in the process. "I never really got an answer so, would you mind if I borrow the book from yesterday? I swear I'll take really good care of it."
Shouichi opened his mouth to tell his sister off but Midorima seemed to beat him to it. "If you lend me the Piyomaru key-holder in exchange, it's tomorrow's lucky item."
…
There was a moment of brief silence before Takao burst out laughing. "Seriously!? Shin-chan likes Piyomaru!?"
"Shut up Takao!"
"Uh-umm, sure." Shira shrugged, not entirely sure how to reply to her senpai's sudden request. "How did you know I owned it anyway?"
"I happened to see you come to school…" Midorima explained briefly earning a nod of understanding from the girl since the said key-holder dangled from her school bag.
"Shin-chan noticed a girl!?"
"Shira! How could you!?"
"TAKAO!"
The petite chocolate-brown haired girl had to give all she had to prevent herself from face-palming. Just how did I get myself involved with this crazy lot?
"I'm telling you! They're all crazy! Starting with…with Shouichi!" Shira exclaimed into her cell-phone's receiver as she tried working on her math homework.
"Hmm…so you're not happy with Shutoku, Shi?" The male on the other end drawled. "I told you that you should've come here…"
The girl sighed as she tapped the tip of her mechanical pencil on the open book in thought. "Well, sometimes I do wish I could…but you know I can't be separate from Shouichi no matter how absurd that sounds. Plus, he was the one who wanted Shutoku."
"What do you think of the basketball club?"
"I've only seen them play a few times while waiting for Shouichi so I'm not so sure, buuuut I think they're good."
"Hmm, and so you called me only to narrate the tale of how everyone around you is crazy?"
"Oh, not at all! I just wanted to ask you this question which has me confused. You do excel in chemistry after all."
"Go on, I'm listening."
Shira flipped open the chemistry textbook that sat on her desk. "The question says…"
Ryouta Kise woke up sweating bullets from a nightmare. He couldn't remember the details but he did know he saw a pale girl with chocolate-brown hair. The face seemed so familiar but the blond couldn't pinpoint just where he'd seen her.
Maybe she was from one of my photo-shoots or something. Not a ghost. NOT a ghost!
The model shrieked when a burst of heavy metal music started playing. He clutched his chest and almost smacked himself at his stupidity on realising it was just his phone. Kise sighed as he checked the caller id. "Nakamura? Why's he calling so late in the night?"
"Hello? Nakamura?"
"You have exactly ten days…"
"H-Huh!?"
"Ten days before the…"
CLICK!
Kise panicked as he stared at his screen wondering why his teammate had abruptly cut the call after sounding so spooky. "What the hell was that about!?"
The blond model quickly dialled his teammate's number without further a second of delay. "Nakamura! What was that!?"
"Hmm? What was what?" The ash blond teen's voice answered from the other line.
"You just called me a while ago!"
"…I did?"
"And you said something creepy about me having 'exactly ten days'!" Kise exclaimed in exasperation.
What if it was that girl from your dreams instead?
The model gulped as his heart rate quickened.
Shut up conscience!
"Oh. Wait." There was a pause. "I dialled the wrong number. That call was supposed to be for this one guy I hate— anyway, the curse won't affect you—"
"C-CURSE!?"
"—so goodbye and goodnight."
"YOU CURSE PEOP—"
CLICK!
"—PLE!?"
Kise sweat-dropped at the sudden end of the conversation between them. He did hear rumours that Nakamura was into occult, but he had just never brought himself to believe that it was true. Well, until a few seconds ago.
"Ryou-kun!" His bedroom door was suddenly flung — no, kicked open with a loud bang.
"Aaaaaah!" Kise scrambled back and ended up falling off his bed. "Nee-chan! Don't just barge in like that! You almost gave me a heart attack— why are you holding a knife!?"
The blond's sister wore a sheepish expression and laughed lamely as she scratched the back of her neck. "I heard you scream and make such a ruckus. I thought you were being attacked."
"Attacked." The model repeated in a deadpan.
"Yeah, you're a celebrity after all." His sister shrugged, casually putting the knife behind her back and away from her little brother's sight which seemed incredulous. "I just thought some fan of yours managed to get in through the window. Or worse, maybe an assassin sent by some angry and jealous fellow celebrity or something."
"We live on the twentieth floor!" Kise exclaimed. "It's simply impossible for anyone to climb up and get in here!"
"But—"
"Not even ninjas, Nee-chan! You should stop watching all those mystery-action movies!"
She sighed in defeat. "Yeah, yeah…"
The blond teen sighed as he climbed back unto his bed. "Look, I just had a nightmare, that's all. Now can you please close the door? I'm going back to sleep. Goodnight."
"Goodnight. Oh and don't forget. There's a pepper spray in the drawer by your bedside table in case someone—"
"Nee-chan!"
"Ok, ok! I'm leaving! Goodnight!"
Kise sighed as he shut his eyes. Why do I feel like I'm surrounded by crazy people?
A/N: Wikipedia says Nakamura is into occult and dislikes Kise, our favourite blondie has two older sisters and the mystery guy who Shira spoke to over the phone (a canon character, mind you) is best in chemistry among all his other subjects.
Oh! And apparently, Oha-Asa is real.
And thank you for reading!