The Willful Sky -Chapter 3-
Clouds gathered somberly, looming in the overcast sky and shrouding the town of Yamagata into gloomy submission. The sun refrained from shedding streams of light, instead choosing to encase itself in the masses of gray overpopulating the sky. A smooth slate of ashes settled on the horizon as the skies bowed to the element of the clouds and its bearings. Pure, white flakes graced Yamagata's terrain, layering themselves anywhere they could touch: the roofs and sills of homes and buildings, boulders and rocks, and cemented, muddy or grassy paths. The dusting of snow was atop automobiles and bulky fences, along with animated things: humans, animals and the limbs of flowers and trees. Once the snow was tampered with - imprinting imperfection - it would just layer itself again, hiding any evidence of its deconstruction until something comes along once again to taint the simple beauty.
If the precipitation didn't fall under the category of snow, it was water crystalized into ice and lingering onto windows, leaving an impression of art that can only be experienced at that moment. Many of the crystallized facades created the impression of flora, while others showed the illusion of cracked glass, and still more showed the image of a forest, dessert or unnamed terrain.
A few took shelter in their homes, seeking warmth and a comforting ambiance in contrast to the cold outside, which seemed to reject any appeal to warmth. Working adults and active youths, however, ignored the cold, hustling and bustling to their destination with only an extra layer of cloth for protection. The time was between 9 and 10 in the morning, with some deciding to sleep in, others just waking up, and many already hustling to meet their schedules.
Kuroko's respiration was in perfect rhythm, his chest rising slow and steady. His body was tangled in blue sheets and blankets, overriding his entire being. He chose to snuggle himself into a pillow: a cheap replacement for his usual furry bundle of warmth. With slow movements and some flipping and turning, his wrapped body finally released itself from its cocoon, and slowly lifted itself up. The sheet that had been latched onto his shoulders fell to his side, lying next to his knees. Kuroko's body was partially hunched; he steadied himself with his right arm as his left hand wiped the sleepiness out of his eyes.
Cerulean eyes scanned their surroundings, feeling unfamiliar to the place he laid suit. After a second or two, Kuroko realized that he was no longer in his cozy home, in his cozy bed, lacking any appearance of his cozy, fuzzy pet, and no... It was just him sleeping at his uncle's guest bedroom. Once that realization hit, he started to replay yesterday's events, and it dawned on him how much he already missed his usual daily life. A pained smile planted itself on the dejected teen. 'And it's only been about a day or two.'
*Ring~*
Eyes flicked toward a familiar tune; reaching over to the side table, Kuroko grabbed his mobile. It read, "One New Message". Before proceeding any further, Kuroko heard a familiar sound, along with chimes and syllables calling him.
*Knock Knock*
"Tetsuya-kun, breakfast is ready. C'mon down~" A cheery voice ringed before the sound of rhythmic thumps was heard.
"I'm coming..." he spoke, clearly knowing that she probably didn't hear him. Any action before the appearance of Kuroko's cousin was forgotten, as Kuroko quickly stood and exited the room, common courtesy in mind. 'Better not to make them wait.' The existence of his phone was forgotten at that moment and left on his bed sheets.
*Ring~ Ring~* "Two New Messages."
As he was half-way down the stairs, a heavenly aroma filled the air, arousing Kuroko's appetite and making his mouth water. Off the final step of the stairs, Kuroko walked over to the dining room, finding multiple foods and a set of plates.
"Good Morning," Kuroko spoke.
At the table was his uncle Yoshizora and his cousin Minami, and in the kitchen was Aunt Ayu. The breakfast consisted of grilled mackerel, miso soup, takuan, natto, and hot steamed rice. Minami had already finished half of her breakfast and was watching the TV as she ate. His Uncle's menu had been about the same, with the exception of coffee and sugar cubes set to his right, and his distraction instead of being the morning paper. Aunt Ayu was stationed at the kitchen sink. The sounds of rushing water, metallic clanking, and harmonized humming filled the air. Ayu was cleaning up some of the pots and pans used to make today's breakfast.
"Ah, good morning Tetsuya. You surprised me." Ayu's smile said otherwise. Minami and Yoshizora issued their own hellos, accustomed to Kuroko's lack of presence already.
Kuroko set himself down, and with an "Itadakimasu..." Kuroko started to slowly eat.
"So Tetsuya, how was the trip into town. It wasn't hard to navigate was it?" His uncle put down his newspaper, resolving himself to start eating and making small talk with Kuroko.
"No, it was easy thanks to your directions."
"Ha-ha is that so." He smiled. "Did anything interest you while you were out?"
Kuroko looked thoughtful. "Yes, I guess you could say that."
"Do tell..."
"Well- Kyah!" Both males abruptly stopped their chit chatting and quickly turned their attention to the squealing female in horror. "He is so cool, and is extremely handsome~ I would give anything to meet him."
Upon the TV screen, a male teen was currently being interviewed; the sound of squealing fans erupted from both the TV and the seat right next to Kuroko. Cerulean eyes blinked in surprise at the familiar appearance currently occupying everyone's attention.
'Kise-kun?'
"Good Morning everyone, thanks for tuning in to our segment. Today's guest is a rookie in the modeling world, along with a well-renowned basketball player throughout his junior high and currently high school life. Everyone, please give warm welcomes to… Kise Ryouta!" Female screams and loud claps were voiced from the TV, while the blonde smiled and waved his hand in happiness. "Kise's popularity has been on the rise and today will give us a chance to get to know this handsome talent."
"I've been waiting so long for this to come out; I woke up extra early not to miss it!" Minami let out a delighted squeal while the males of the household sweatdropped. "Besides modeling, Kise is a member of the Kiseki no Sedai, a phenomenal group of basketball prodigies." Minami's words suddenly voiced over the hostess. "Did you know, not only is he athletic and handsome, but he's got such an upbeat personality that makes him the ideal guy to date. He's got it all~"
'I wonder if Kise-kun would be happy to hear that from a family member of mine?' Kuroko thinks as he pieced himself some mackerel.
Throughout the segment, a few more questions were asked, and then it came to the final question of the show.
"So Ryouta-kun, many fans out there are hoping for you to become a full out model. Do you plan on fulfilling their wishes?"
Minami's attention was suddenly switched into full drive (as if before wasn't her absolute attention), whit her body was leaning halfway out of her chair. Kuroko did a double take to realize that only two of the four legs was even on the floor.
'She's going to fall…' Kuroko smiled, his cousin's antics amusing, and already knowing full well of the blonde's answer.
"Is that what everybody wants? Well, sorry to disappoint, but doing modeling full time seems quite impossible." A huge amount of grumbles and whys was shouted.
"Why is that?"
"My passion is basketball right now. And my goal is to not only take my team to victory as their ace but to also beat a few individuals I respect."
"Care to detail?"
"My team has given me the job as Ace, and even though I'm just a first year, they decided to pass such an important baton to me. They didn't do it just because I was a basketball prodigy, but they did it because they trust me with this position. Believing in my abilities, I'm not going to make them regret their choice. As for the individuals, just this year I met new and old opponents, each pushing me to my limit. I also gained a lot from them. One person I met is Kagami-cchi. He suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and he rivaled us Kiseki. It's like he was one of us, just appearing during the wrong place at the wrong time. Then there is Aomine-cchi, he's a Ganguro. But, he's the whole reason I started basketball, the reason I drove myself so hard because I wanted to beat him."
"Actually, just recently there's been another person I've been thinking about. He was my mentor back in middle school. It's funny, every time I look back on it, I never would have thought he would end up the way he is today. But he exceeded everything people said about him, and I deeply respect him. I could say he not only taught me, but all the Kiseki themselves something, and we never been more grateful." The blonde gave a brilliant smile.
"Aww~" Coos and sighs were heard, and Kise scratched his head in embarrassment.
"Well, Kise-kun, who's this mentor of yours?"
The usual deadpan figure's face suddenly spread with emotion, his cerulean orbs wide. The smile gave Kuroko a familiar rush; his action and way of speech were ever so enticing, but how his eyes are the gateways to his soul gave out a completely different message. Kise was smiling, but Kuroko could see the pained expression in his arises, and he felt guilt wash over him. He grimaced and gave a slight clench to his woodenware.
"He recently left somewhere, trying new things. I probably won't see him for a long while."
"Well, he could be watching now! How about you say something?"
"Eh?" Suddenly cheers of encouragement rung throughout the station, along with a Minami that had completely gotten off her seat and was jittering in excitement; voicing her own words of support. "Ah, well… okay… then, to Kur-
*Flick*"
'Eh?' Kuroko blinked, both his and Minami's head turned toward the source of the switch off; there Yoshizora sat, a remote in hand.
"Wah-! Dad~ why did you turn it off? I wanted to see what Kise-kun would say!"
"Minami, aren't you late for school?"
"Eh?" He heads quickly whipped around and her eyes bulged out of their sockets once she read the clock's time. In a few seconds, she rushed out the door leaving a trail of smoke behind.
"Girls, huh?" Yoshizora said, giving a playful smile over to Kuroko.
Kuroko only nodded, trying to compose himself. Extremely embarrassed, he didn't realize how engrossed he was into the program.
'I was just as bad as Minami.'
Kuroko returned to finishing at least half his meal, and eventually his whole meal since his uncle forced him to finish, before retiring upstairs in the hopes of another day of exploring.
EternalWaltz: Co-brainstormer and editor here. We have two Natsume Yuujichou projects in the works right now: one written by each of us. See you then!
Made2352: Co-brainstormer and author here~ Like EternalWaltz said we have two new projects coming up, and I'm super excited about it. Not going to lie... kind of angsty but hey~ that's what we live for. ;D
Also, the next chapter look forward to a NEW OC! We've been working on our OCs for a long time now and we really developed them. Hopefully, you like them too!
