Author's note: Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Do not own Kuroko no Basket.
Hachiouji watched with growing amusement as the Kaijou Basketball team scrambled away in a mess of flailing limbs and panicked shouts, desperate to return themselves to practice. None of them were willing to mess with a truly pissed Kasamatsu Yukio. His wrath was pretty much legendary and those who'd experienced it never wanted to repeat the ordeal again.
The nationally renowned point guard was captain for a reason.
"...Hachiouji."
"Hai, senpai?"
"Go and keep an eye on the second string. I don't need you loitering around here and causing any more trouble." Kasamatsu ordered sternly, forcing himself to calm down from his previous outburst. The shorter male crossed his arms over his chest in an authoritative manner, glaring up at the tall champagne haired female assertively.
"Of course, captain." Rokuro responded compliantly. She was largely unfazed by Kasamatsu's harsh tone. However, the fact that she was obeying him in the first place spoke volumes of her respect. The Kaijou manager smiled almost wistfully, walking away to grab a familiar clipboard from a nearby bench with intent on doing as she was told.
She studiously ignored the prodding gaze coming from a certain pair of golden eyes from afar.
"Kasamatsu-senpai."
"What is it Kise?" The third year huffed out, dabbing tiredly at his perspiration with a towel. Today's practice was even more strenuous than usual, as it should be. The captain was not willing to let his loss against Seirin yesterday go. Not to mention, there was the upcoming Inter-High.
"Ah, well, about Hachiouji-senpai..." The blond haired first year started off, his golden eyes swiveling to glance at the second year girl from across the gym as she conversed with one of the second string members, her ever present smile on her face.
It was unnerving how she never seemed to do without it.
"Ha? What about her?" Kasamatsu raised a brow.
"…A-Ano, she's uh, different, isn't she?" Kise threw in casually. The teen was incredibly curious about the captain and Hachiouji's…odd relationship, if it could even be called that.
After all, Kise had personally witnessed Kasamatsu's weakness with girls, and the fact that the Kaijou captain was acting so forward was seriously bothering the inquisitive first year. He could still remember the day when he stumbled upon his captain's 'secret'…
Kise hummed in content. He had taken the opportunity to wander around the school, having managed to escape his fans for once. Despite often being the one to encourage all the attention, it did get a little tiresome when they attempted to maul his clothes off, an occurrence that happened one time too many.
"A-Ano, senpai…"
'Whoops!' Kise took a step back, hiding himself behind the corner closest to him. It would have been bad if he had accidentally stumbled into something awkward.
Unable to contain himself, the blond poked his head out of the corner in avid interest. It was an act that would have earned him much chiding from Midorimacchi and Kurokocchi if they were here.
'Well, I guess it's a good thing that they're not. Huh? Wait a minute, is that Kasamatsu-senpai?'
The first year blinked as if to reconfirm the odd sight. Indeed, he had stumbled across his new-found basketball captain, who was currently in the company of an unknown first year girl. It was hard to forget the person who had so blatantly put him in his place at the basketball club induction meeting three days ago.
'It's a confession.' Kise automatically thought with no small amount of certainty, taking in the girl's anxious behaviour. It was hard not to assume, considering the isolated hallway and the serene yet romantic backdrop that the wide windows provided.
Although not quite understanding why such a delicate and regular looking girl would go for the hard-ass captain in the first place, the blond was interested nonetheless. He didn't really have much of a boundary when it came to privacy, especially when it concerned those who interested him.
'…Does he even look at girls?' The golden eyed male briefly wondered. Honestly, Kasamatsu didn't seem like the type, considering his overly serious nature. He was what Kise would classify as a 'stick in the mud' really.
Kise perked up when the girl began to speak, focusing his attention once more on the scene.
"...A-Ano, do you happen to know where the faculty room is? I'm sorry, but I'm rather lost." The unidentified girl asked nervously, fidgeting slightly with her hands.
'Oh, she's just asking for directions.' Kise frowned in deep disappointment, realising that his brilliant idea had been incorrect.
There was a brief silence from Kasamatsu's end, probably the third year mulling over an answer.
"G-G-!"
The blond model blinked at the strange sound coming from his captain.
"…S-Senpai?"
"G-G-G-ugh!"
…Seriously, was the man choking?
"G-G-!" Kasamatsu perspired profusely, mentally fumbling over his words and suddenly feeling strangely asphyxiated.
From his corner, Kise blinked. The third year's usually healthy complexion had grown a concerning red, and his wild unfocused eyes reflected that he wasn't quite alright up there either.
'...U-Um, s-senpai? I-It's okay. I'm sorry for the trouble.' The girl hastily said, taking a step back cautiously.
She'd apparently sensed the third year's instability.
Seeing this, Kasamatsu moved forward to stop her, obviously intent on helping her despite his current nerves. However, in an unusual display of clumsiness, the steel blue eyed male abruptly tripped on his feet, his head colliding with the glass window adjacent to him painfully.
BANG! CRASH!
"KYAAA! Are you alright?!"
...Needless to say, the first year didn't get her directions, and Kasamatsu had been rushed away to the infirmary in a frenzy.
Which thus draws Kise back to the present, three weeks later...
There was a brief pause as the raven haired captain absorbed the blonde's odd statement. It was full of implications, ones that the point guard wasn't sure he liked.
"…What are you trying to say, Kise?" He asked suspiciously.
The usually composed teen model squirmed uncomfortably, suddenly feeling rather nervous. For the first time, Kise cursed his nosiness; indeed, the entire situation had the potential to escalate into a world of hurt for him.
"W-Well, I was wondering why…"
Yukio narrowed his eyes at the blond male, grabbing his water bottle with the intent on hydrating himself. The chalybeous eyed male inwardly debated if he should kick him or not. The first year was up to something, he could feel it.
"I-I mean, uh, I… I heard from Moriyama-senpai that you were bad with girls! S-So..." The blond haired male blurted, mentally apologising to his flirtatious senpai for dragging him into this. No doubt the repercussions would be large for the shooting guard.
The basketball team captain choked on his water in shock, turning to cast a quick but effective glare at his fellow third year standing innocently a ways away. 'Damn that Moriyama!'
"…Ano, senpai?"
"I-I'm not bad with girls, idiot! Besides, Hachiouji doesn't count!" Kasamatsu rebutted, flushing heavily as he turned pointedly away from the first year. Quickly, he threw his towel over his head, attempting to conceal his embarrassment. The last thing he needed was for Kise to think he was an idiot.
"That woman isn't a girl!" He added hastily, not caring how rude or contradictory he sounded.
There was a pause as Kise eyed the older male sceptically.
"Saa, that's pretty mean, senpai." Both men jumped in surprise as the resident female manager suddenly joined in on their conversation, easily sliding her arm around Kasamatsu's broad shoulders in an overly familiar manner. Kise swore that she had appeared out of nowhere.
Leaning heavily on Kasamatsu despite his heavily perspiring form, Rokuro continued, "I cannot believe your words of hurt."
...This girl obviously had no qualms about invading personal space either.
"G-GYAH! GET OFF OF ME, HACHIOUJI!" The third year captain flailed, wide-eyed and understandably agitated.
The sandy-blond haired female faked a small pout, causing the Kaijou captain to glow positively red.
"You should treat me more delicately, senpai. Contrary to what you think, I am a girl, you know, well, since the last time I affirmed as such."
"L-L-LIKE HELL YOU ARE! N-NOW GET OFF OF ME, DAMN IT!" Kasamatsu shouted.
Abruptly, the light slate-blue eyed male reeled, swallowing thickly when he spotted Rokuro's slender fingers lift an edge of her grey skirt up almost dangerously high, exposing more of her smooth alabaster skin...
"Y-You! W-What do you think you're doing?!" He demanded, near-hysterical.
"Well, if you insist on claiming otherwise, then I guess I have no other choice but to prove it to you..." The sandy-blonde smirked darkly, moving her lips to his ear, "…Would you like to see?" She whispered seductively, tugging at her skirt in a suggestive manner.
"GUAGH! STOP THAT!" Kasamatsu flailed, hastily cupping said ear and squeezing his eyes shut. It took all of his self-control not to shove the tall female away from him. Really, his mother's teachings were infinitely troublesome sometimes!
Seeing this, the second year girl released the flustered point guard, taking a step back with a low snicker.
"Y-You-!" The raven haired male began in indignation, struggling to find words through his heavy panting. "JUST WHAT KIND OF GIRL ARE YOU?!"
"Ah! So, I am a girl after all, senpai?" Rokuro grinned foxily, unaffected by Kasamatsu's furious state.
Kise Ryota gaped at the scene, utterly aghast.
"You must be the first year that I've heard so much about. It's a pleasure to meet you." Hachiouji greeted Kise. The blond gawked at her, amazed. She was strangely composed, despite having just endured one of Kasamatsu's infamous lectures.
Seriously, those lectures made grown men cry for goodness' sake.
"It's Kasa Ryuji-kun, right?"
Kise sweatdropped before correcting her, "It's Kise Ryota-ssu."
"Don't bother Kise," Kasamatsu cut in, his expression reflecting how exhausted he was feeling from dealing with her, "this woman never gets names right."
"Saa, I'm sure I'm not entirely hopeless, Kamamatsu-senpai." She denied in her usual polite fashion, causing the third year to glare fiercely at her.
"YES YOU ARE! AND IT'S KASAMATSU, DAMN IT!"
"Haha, my mistake." Hachiouji replied, not sounding very sorry at all and causing the silver blue eyed male to positively fume.
Kise briefly wondered if she enjoyed making their captain lose his temper.
"So, I hear you're pretty good at basketball, Kira-kun."
"Y-Yes…Though that's not my name-ssu..."
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry." She apologised politely, though truthfully, it sounded sarcastic, "It's Kiku-kun, right?"
"It's Kise, Hachiouji. Kise. Ryota." Kasamatsu sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "He just told you a few seconds ago."
Kise inwardly grimaced as the strange second year began to chuckle. It wasn't that he couldn't handle the eccentric woman per se… Heck! He'd dealt with quite the odd bunch back in middle school if he said so himself. It was more of the fact that he had never dealt with such an odd girl before, not to mention one so damn unreadable- Also, what was with her and names?!
Honestly, Momoicchi was mild compared to her.
'This person is seriously weird…' Kise concluded, completely ignoring his inner gentleman, who was nagging at him for thinking of a woman in such a way. Meanwhile, Kasamatsu had proceeded to inflict her with another lecture about her strange inability to remember people's names.
The second year merely smiled amicably, obviously not taking the third year captain very seriously.
'...Yup, insanely weird…'
"…So, why did you become Kaijou's manager, Hachiouji-senpai?" Kise asked as they made their way home after the day's practice. Coincidentally, the three of them, namely Hachiouji, Kise and Kasamatsu, were all headed in the same direction. Despite her weirdness, the blond had decided that she was rather entertaining to be around, especially while in the presence of his captain.
She was also very polite, in a rather mocking, yet clever sort of way. It was an interesting change of pace from the bunch of rowdy teenage boys and squealing fan girls Kise usually dealt with.
'She really is…smiley, though.' He thought, recalling the fact that not once had he seen her eyes. Her expressions had a sly foxy quality to them, which highlighted her mischievous nature perfectly. Kise as usual, was curious. He was eager to find out more about this strange second year. After all, they'd be working on the same team from now on, it only made sense that they got to know each other.
"Saa, I apologise, Kenta-kun, but unfortunately, it's a long, heartbreaking story filled with despair, drama and tears. It might leave you uncomfortable, and I'd rather that not happen, considering this is our first meeting." Rokuro replied, earning a look of confusion from the blond and a derisive snort from the raven haired third year accompanying them.
"It's Kise. Get the kid's name right already, Hachiouji." Kasamatsu lightly reprimanded, adjusting the straps of his sports bag on his shoulder, "And tears my ass, you were smiling like you always do when you first became manager."
"You never know senpai, I might have been crying on the inside. After all, if memory serves me, it was you who recruited me for manager, and you were pretty forceful about it too ~!" Rokuro finished with a suggestive tone, glancing at the older male.
"Stop saying things that will cause misunderstandings!" Kasamatsu snapped, "Also, as I recall, it was you who asked me if you could be manager in the first place!"
"Maa, you really don't have any delicacy, senpai. No wonder there aren't any girls who like you."
"STOP BRINGING GIRLS INTO THIS!"
The light-sand haired second year grinned impishly once again. Obviously, she enjoyed getting under the eldest of the three's skin.
"So you asked Kasamatsu-senpai for the position?" Kise piped in. Although entertained by their banter, he was quickly feeling left out of the conversation that the two older students were having. It was obvious that they were good friends, despite their rather odd and dysfunctional relationship.
"Yes. I had nothing more productive to do with my time." Hachiouji answered, looking straight at the path ahead.
"…I see." The blond blinked, unable to stifle his growing curiosity. He glanced at his captain for confirmation.
...Going by Kasamatsu's unusual expression, there was definitely more to the story than the second year female was willing to let on.
"By the way, senpai, the second string's overall performance has declined in comparison to last semester." The sandy-blond haired female stated out of the blue, "I assume it's because the new first years are unable to cope with the intensity of the training."
'She changed the subject,' Kise noted. It was done almost seamlessly too. The blond haired model was rather familiar with conversational tactics; he was pretty adept at it himself considering it came with his part-time job.
"I see. I expected as much. I'll leave you in charge of adjusting the second string's training plan. I need to go over our own as well, we need to step it up if we want to win at the Inter-High." Kasamatsu replied seriously as he glanced up at the tall female. His quick uptake to her statement meant that the raven-haired third year was content with letting the entire subject drop.
"Not a problem. Ah, that's right senpai, I would like to request a burger set from Maji Burger."
"H-Huh?!"
"I don't really mind a strawberry parfait to go with it either. After all, I did work rather hard today."
"W-What?! What the hell are you going on about?!"
"Eh, that's strange. You're not treating me today?"
"W-Why would I be treating you?!"
"Worry not, senpai. I doubt you have a girlfriend to treat anyway~!"
"Y-You-! For the last time, Hachiouji! Stop bringing girls into this!" The raven haired male shouted as he stopped to glare fiercely at the younger girl.
Kise's liquid gold eyes alternated between the bickering pair with a mixture of contemplation and amusement on his face.
There was certainly something mysterious about Kaijou High's female manager.
"The team was working unusually hard today." Rokuro commented, glancing at her companion with a curious look on her face. Kasamatsu returned the look with a knowing one of his own. The pair had left Kise at the last intersection, seeing as how it was the blond haired first year's route home.
"Might it have something to do with your loss from yesterday?" She asked, referring to the Seirin practice match.
"Tch. Don't ask about things you already know the answer to, idiot." Kasamatsu retorted.
"Saa, Seirin must have taken you by surprise." His champagne haired companion hummed in contemplation
"You don't sound all that surprised yourself, Hachiouji." Yukio observed calmly, "Were you expecting this or something?"
"Well, who knows?" She replied, her smile once again slipping into place.
Seeing this, Kasamatsu grumbled under his breath. He really hated that stupid mask of hers.
"But from what I've seen of today's performance, the loss against Seirin can only be a good thing for Kaijou." She continued.
It was true, no one had taken the loss lightly at all. It had only motivated them to practice harder- particularly, Kise. The basketball captain had a good feeling that the male would only improve from now on, something Kasamatsu secretly anticipated. As annoying as he was, Kise Ryota was still a member of the highly revered Generation of Miracles, and his growth would only contribute to Kaijou's victory.
"Ah. From now on, the stupid idiot can only work harder." Kasamatsu stated.
"Hm? 'Idiot'? Oh, you mean Kirara-kun?" Rokuro questioned.
"Y-Yeah. Him." Kasamatsu managed through a snort of laughter, not even bothering to correct her.
The raven haired male tried to contain his amusement, he really did.
...But, really, Kirara-kun? [1]
"You seem rather fond of him, senpai." Rokuro observed, noting the usually stern male's blatant amusement. Her statement caused the shorter male to pause in his stride, looking up at her inquisitively.
"What do you mean by that, Hachiouji?"
"Oh, nothing, really." She sang, "I just hope you aren't cheating on me~!"
The Kaijou manager grinned when she saw her current companion flush a deep crimson in a mixture of embarrassment and anger.
"S-SHUT UP! WHO THE HELL'S CHEATING ON WHO?!"
[1] Kirara: Similar sounding to the Japanese sound effect "kirakira", which is used for glittery, shiny objects. It's also a female name, therefore Kasamatsu's amusement.
