Happy Birthday, Momoi Satsuki, my queen!
So this is it, huh.
Somehow, graduation day didn't feel as exhilarating and short as Satsuki had imagined it to be. In fact, it felt extremely long and uncomfortable. Since Satsuki's parents were abroad for a business trip, Aomine accompanied her to school it what might be the second-most awkward walk she'd ever taken with her childhood friend. (The most awkward walk was the one when Satsuki had to painfully explain the wonders of menstruation to Aomine after some oblivious questions.)
They filed into the gym two at a time, and somehow Satsuki had ended up walking alongside a puppy-eyed Kise. As if Fate had decided to work against her, she found herself seated behind Murasakibara; the following half hour was a constant struggle for Satsuki to maintain her rigid, polite seated position while also attempting to see the speakers.
Then came the actual distribution of the diplomas; Satsuki's walk up to the podium was accompanied by raucous cheers that were definitely not appropriate for a middle school graduation, Dai-chan!
And now, the principal was about ten minutes into a long, tedious speech about hard work and dedication. His speech would probably be followed by several students an several graduation songs. Satsuki inwardly groaned and reminded herself to not turn around to look at the clock.
"—Akashi."
Immediately, Satsuki glanced upwards and recognized the mop of red hair standing before the podium. Akashi looked calm and collected, as always; in retrospect, she probably should have predicted this. Akashi had the best grades in the student body: it was obvious that such a stellar student would be given the chance to speak.
"They say that in life, there are wins and losses," Akashi said softly, the speakers carrying his voice across the entire gym. Everyone in the audience was silent: their captain always had a gravitas to him able to silence and captivate at once. "In Teiko, some of us may have experienced some losses. But those losses made us stronger; those losses made us into who we are today. Those losses have given us the strength to do what is most important: win. Some of us have crawled from the very bottom to the top."
Akashi paused, his eyes flickering towards someone in the audience. Satsuki didn't doubt for a second that he was speaking of Kuroko. "Others," he continued, "started at the top and continued to push themselves past their limits. Even as we move forward into high school, our experiences in Teiko will remain with us. Wear your pins, the symbol of your victory over Teiko's seemingly insurmountable challenges, with honor. No matter which school we will be attending, we will always be students from Teiko Middle School. And no matter what kind of situations we may face, we will do what Teiko students are meant to do: win. So, go. Advance. Win. Conquer."
Akashi nodded at the principal, the silence in the room still audibly permeable. "That is all."
Although the speech sounded like a graduation speech...Satsuki bit back a laugh. It...it was so Akashi. (Not her Akashi, though.)
"Stop scowling, Daiki! Your frown will be permanently etched on your face if you keep doing that!"
"Stand a little closer, you two. How am I supposed to take a proper picture if you two are five feet apart?"
"Ugh, that's it!" Aomine growled, grabbing Satsuki's arm. "Come on, Satsuki. We're leaving these old geezers."
"Dai—Aomine-kun, wait!" Satsuki protested, stumbling after him. "Slow down, you jerk!"
The two trudged along the corridor in relatively comfortable silence. Satsuki was used to Aomine's parent-induced mood swings; they were usually too noisy and "bothersome" in his eyes. They turned the corner, only to see a group of girls squealing loudly. Satsuki inwardly moaned, tugging on Aomine's sleeve in an attempt to pull him back into the previous hallway, but it was already too late.
"Aominecchi! Momocchi!" Kise exclaimed, his expression openly conveying his relief as he managed to make his way past his group of fangirls. Directing a blinding smile at the girls, he explained sheepishly, "Sorry, but since today is my last day here, I'd really like to spend time with my friends. Thank you all for your support, though!"
"But Kise-senpai!" one of the girls piped up. "Who are you going to give your ribbon to?"
They were referring to Teiko's graduating tradition; since the boy's uniform didn't have buttons, the male students had taken to giving away their school ties instead of their second buttons as confessions.
"My ribbon?" Kise blinked, then shrugged and tugged his tie off his school uniform nonchalantly. Bounding over to Aomine and Satsuki, he plopped it right in her hands. "Well, I guess Momocchi's my most important girl~ Rather than my sis, of course, but she'd laugh at me if I gave it to her."
Satsuki tried not to shrink back under the combined force of his fangirls' glares. "Ki-chan," Satsuki scolded, the nickname unintentionally slipping out. She paused, shooting Kise a glare for the victorious grin he sent her. "Kise-kun," she corrected herself, "You're only supposed to give this ribbon to the girl you like."
"But I like you, Momocchi," Kise whined, slinging an arm over her shoulder. The position was somewhat uncomfortable since the blonde was growing taller at an exponential rate (as were the other boys, who had finally reached their growth spurts). "Who else would I give it to?"
Satsuki rolled her eyes, flicking him on the forehead contritely. Even so, she relented, "Okay, okay. I get it." With exaggerated movements, she placed the ribbon in her bag. "There, happy?"
"How can you be so nonchalant with my feelings, Momocchi?" Kise sobbed dramatically.
"Oi, Satsuki. Catch."
Satsuki blinked, but grabbed the flying projectile out of instinct; even though she rarely played basketball anymore, she used to catch wayward basketballs from Aomine all the time. "Not you too, Dai...Aomine-kun," she complained, examining her newly acquired ribbon. Unlike Kise's, it was much more wrinkled, a testament to her childhood friend's messy nature. She was preoccupied with putting away the ribbons, which was why she didn't notice him approach until he stood directly behind them.
"Momoi."
Immediately, all three of them froze. "Akashi-kun," Satsuki acknowledged, the first to recover. She turned around to face the red-haired basketball player. "Your speech was very inspiring; I think everyone immediately began planning to attend cram school so we'd meet your expectations."
"Of course: my orders are absolute."
Satsuki gave him a half-smile. "Is there...something you need, Akashi-kun?"
Akashi stared at her, and for a moment Satsuki thought that both his eyes were crimson instead of gold and magenta. "Your data...was a valuable asset to the team," he said reluctantly.
And although it wasn't a "thank you for your hard work," "I'll miss the evenings of coffee and tea when we would review data together," or even a "good luck in Touou," Satsuki found herself tearing up. It was easy to believe that they were back in the past with Aomine and Kise (Dai-chan and Ki-chan) standing rod-stiff in front of their intimidating captain, but the truth was that they weren't in the past. Time was moving forward...even if she wasn't ready to accept it.
Satsuki...she might not like the new Akashi as much as she liked the one she originally befriended, but ultimately, Akashi was still her friend (no matter which personality he had).
And she probably wouldn't see him for more than once a year, if she was lucky. With Akashi heading all the way to Kyoto and no team gatherings in the near future, this might be the last time she would see him...for...a long while…
Satsuki couldn't help it: her body moved on its own, leaning forward and wrapping her arms around her peer (her captain). "I'll see you later, Akashi-kun," Satsuki whispered, mortified to realize that her voice was suspiciously wobbly. She drew back. "Take care of yourself, okay?"
"I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Momoi," Akashi deadpanned. There was a brief pause that could even count as hesitation, but nobody would ever dare accuse the Akashi heir of such. "Take care of yourself, as well."
The four members of the basketball club lingered awkwardly in the hallway, unsure of what to say next.
Akashi spoke first. "Daiki. Ryouta. Remember our promise."
"Mm." "Yeah."
"...ne, Akacchi! Why don't you give Momocchi your ribbon, too?" Kise asked brightly, perking up. "We can all give her ours."
"Why would I intentionally blemish my school uniform for such a sentimental reason?"
"But Akacchi," Kise protested, his arms over his chest. Akashi observed Kise for a moment and probably realized that it was easier to give her the tie then deal with a sulking Kise.
Their red-haired captain gave a long, suffering sigh before swiftly removing his tie from his neck and holding it out to her. "Here, Momoi."
"Um, thank you," Satsuki managed. What was she supposed to do with three ties?
"Tie two of them around your wrists."
"Gahhh! Kurokocchi, you can't just pop up like that!"
There was enough tension between the basketball players that Satsuki could probably cut the atmosphere with a knife. "Momoi-san, please take mine as well," Kuroko intoned, handing her his neatly folded tie. "I believe Murasakibara-kun and Midorima-kun are just around the corner, if you'd like the entire set."
"Mou, Tetsu-kun, I'm not a tie collector!" Satsuki protested, shooting them all a glare. Everyone was going to assume things. Again! "It's fine. I should probably say goodbye to them, though...especially since Murasakibara-kun is heading to Yousen…"
"Ahh? Is everyone meeting without us?"
"I see you've collected a large amount of ties, Momoi-san. Ties are Taurus's lucky item for today. You should keep them close."
"Speak of the devil," Aomine muttered.
Midorima ignored him, turning to face Satsuki. "Momoi-san, ties are unlucky for Cancer today. Please take mine."
"I don't need mine anymore, anyways," Murasakibara said lazily, dropping his tie in her hands.
"Ah, wait! Mukkun, Midorin!" Satsuki protested. The pile of ties in her hands grew. "Really, I'm alright."
"Nonsense. Oha-Asa said that Cancers should act generously today if possible," Midorima refuted, adjusting the position of his glasses.
"Ties are annoying," Murasakibara complained. "If you don't take it, I'll just throw it away."
Satsuki deflated. "Alright...thank you…"
There was another pause in the conversation as everyone stared at each other, unwilling to make the first move.
"Sacchan!"
"Ah, Micchan, Acchan!" Satsuki exclaimed, relieved. Her two female friends paused, taking in the sight of the pinkette amongst her towering friends. To her relief, they didn't say anything demeaning.
"You must be Sacchan's team. I'm Arai Miki," Micchan said, nodding. Since the Generation of Miracles hardly paid attention to the second and third string, they probably didn't recognize the two former managers. "I'll be attending Touou next year with Sacchan."
"Kikuchi Atsuko. I'm heading to Fukuda Sougou," Acchan introduced herself. Then, she paused, a mad glint developing in her eyes that usually signalled an incoming shopping spree or fight. Satsuki knew that mischievous, excited look: nothing good came out of it. "Hey, while I'm at it...Miki and I have been arranging a Teiko get-together for next year. It's after your guys'...um, Winter Cup? Yeah. We can have Sacchan mail you the details, but keep an eye out for that!"
Satsuki blinked, having not heard of anything of the sort, but was smart enough not to question her friend. "Yeah...it'd be a lot of fun to see you all, again," Satsuki said warmly.
"Unfortunately, it depends on my schedule. Kyoto's quite far away," Akashi replied impassively. Satsuki knew that was his way of declining without being upfront.
"Same~ coming all the way over here is way too troublesome for some playdate," Murasakibara yawned. The rest of the players murmured their agreement. Satsuki tried not to wilt at the rejections, but her female friends noticed.
"Still, we'll have Sacchan mail you guys around that time. Who knows? Maybe you'll change your minds." Acchan shrugged, smirking at them. "Besides me, the only other student from Teiko heading to Fukuda Sougou is Haizaki, so I'd like to schedule a meet-up with our peers sometime to remind myself that not all of us Teiko kids are assholes."
"Atsuko, your parents are calling," Micchan pointed out, nodding at the girl's ringing phone. "We'll be leaving, now. Please consider our offer. See you next week, Sacchan: don't forget to bring your swimsuit."
"Ahh, right," Satsuki replied distractedly. "Bye, Micchan, Acchan."
"See ya!" Acchan called, waving at Satsuki and her male companions.
"You're heading to the beach, then?" Midorima asked after a lengthy moment of silence.
"Mm, Micchan's uncle lives in Kanagawa and he invited her to bring along some friends," Satsuki replied, shrugging nonchalantly. Her eyes still trailed after her friends' retreating figures. However, Satsuki wasn't oblivious to the way that Midorima's lips pressed downwards and even Aomine shifted with uncertainty. "What?" she demanded, eyeing the strangely quiet basketball team warily.
"You're weird, Satsuki," Aomine replied immediately.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she squawked, punching him lightly in the shoulder. "Just because I may not go out with them that often doesn't mean I don't have female friends."
"We were under the impression that you had no female friends, Momoi-san," Kuroko explained regretfully. "Especially since Aomine-kun usually monopolizes your attention."
His statement immediately elicited a flurry of protests and commotion.
"Uwahh, Kurokocchi's right! That's unfair, Aominecchi!"
"I don't monopolize her."
"You totally do, Aominecchi!"
"Ryouta. Daiki."
"Y-yes!"
"Stop acting—"
"KYAAA, IT'S THE GENERATION OF MIRACLES ALL TOGETHER!"
Simultaneously, they all paled.
"Oh shit, run!"
"Oi, Murasakibara! Use your height to distract them!"
"Ehh? Why?"
"Yeah, hurry, Murasakibaracchi!"
"But they're your annoying fangirls…"
"They're all of ours."
"I knew I shouldn't have worn my pin...Oha-Asa said that wearing any sort of floral designs was unlucky for Cancers today…"
"They wouldn't have let you graduate then, dumbass!"
"Shut up and run, Dai-chan!"
"I order you all to stop dragging me."
"Do you want to be caught by fangirls?"
"My orders are absolute."
"Agh, just hurry up and get in here, then. Close the door, Tetsu!"
"I'm not sure if—"
"Close it!"
Slam.
Silence.
"Oww, Kurokocchi, are you the one elbowing me?"
"No, Kise-kun. I believe that's Midorima-kun."
"Midorimacchi, move!"
"I'm already pressed against the wall, Kise."
"Then...Aominecchi!"
"I'll squish Akashi if I do!"
"But—"
"If any of you move one centimeter closer to me, I'll kill you."
Silence.
"Geez, way to ruin the mood, captain."
"Shut up, Ryouta."
"Dai-chan, stop messing with my hair!"
"That's not me!'
"Ahh, sorry, Momochin. The closet is too small."
"Whose stupid idea was it to hide in this dumb closet, anyways?"
"...it was yours, Aomine-kun."
"...right."
Silence.
"Ne...now that I think about it...it's been awhile since we've done this, huh?"
"I am fairly certain that it's our first time ever hiding in a closet together, Kise-kun."
"No, it's not that, Kurokocchi. I mean...we used to do all sorts of crazy things before, but it feels as if we haven't done anything in ages…"
"Fooling around does not contribute to victory."
"But Akashicchi...weren't those times fun?"
"They were obstacles preventing us from victory."
"Ah...yeah…"
Silence again, this time a bit more thoughtful.
"Ne, Momochin. Why'd you leave?"
Silence once more.
"...I'm tired of basketball, Mukkun."
"Cut the bullshit, Satsuki."
"...it's true, though." It tore us apart. (It brought us together, too.)
"So...will you be assisting Touou's basketball team?"
"...I don't think so, Midorima-kun."
"Tch, doesn't matter anyways. We'll still win: the only one who can beat me is me."
"Or, probably Akashi-kun."
"Shut up, Satsuki."
"...ne, Kurokocchi...why did...you?"
"I'm sorry, Kise-kun. I do not feel comfortable sharing that with you all today."
"Then...which school are you going to?"
"I'm afraid I do not want to disclose that information, either. I would like to live my highschool life without harassment, Kise-kun."
"Harassment? Me?"
"..."
"...how cruel, Kurokocchi…"
"...say, I think the fangirls have gone away."
"...now that you mention it, Momoi, it's quiet outside."
"...alright. Atsushi can go out first as our shield in case they're planning to ambush us."
"Ehh? Don't wanna."
"That's not a request. It's a command, and I am absolute, Atsushi."
"..."
"Also...we will never speak of this incident again. Understood?"
"Yes!"
Intentionally left the ending scene solely dialogue because it really does speak for itself. :)
It's very bittersweet and somewhat nostalgic; don't be fooled, though, our GoM are still jerks for now lol. Confused, dorky jerks, but jerks nonetheless. Also, thank you all for the kind comments! Momoi deserves love, and she is actually a reallg reat character.
Dedicated to our birthday girl, queen, and pink-haired Miracle.
Feel free to leave a comment ;)
