BIG THANKS FOR ALL THE FOLLOWERS, FAVS AND REVIEWERS! XD
Sorry that I never replied your reviews, but seriously, I'm super thankful of your supports (especially asada xinon) I'm sorry for being this late to deliver you this chapter.
And, for those who already knew and had yet to know, I apologize for the changed chapter 3 (around late December). Ugh. I'll try to be careful next time I upload a new chapter…
The writer's block came out greatly and I have so much preparation tests for my national exams. Then, I also can't stop fangirling too much on tumblr and here. I'm really living up to my username.
Let me say that I have a feeling, with the Teikou arc chapters that's still ongoing, this story will be go on different way than canon.
Well, I hope you enjoy the new chapter!
Pairing: Akashi x Fem!Kuroko
Genre: Romance, Friendship, Drama, Humor
Rating: T
Warning: genderswap, AU, OOCness
Chapter 4 : Training Camp
Let's conveniently skip to four days later.
Clapping sound echoed through the first gym, diverted every attention to the first-year basketball club's captain and the middle-aged man who was standing beside the boy. Without saying anything, the two got all exhausted, all-sweaty first string members gathered around them.
"The Winter Cup preliminaries will be held in another month," standing in front of the gathered members, Akashi Seijuurou started to speak. "So, we will have a training camp for one week starting from Sunday."
At that very moment, almost all of them tensed and groaned in eerie. The only people who didn't make any response were Kuroko Tetsuya, a girl in boy disguise, and Murasakibara Atsushi, the tall center who had finished his umpteenth snacks.
The reason for Kuroko's calmness, beside that was how she was, was she had been a third-string member when the first training camp —before the preliminaries for Inter-High— for the first strings had been held. Aomine had just trained with her few days after that last training camp.
So, it was natural that she didn't know how hellish the training had been and would be.
Though, from considering Akashi's personality and seeing how her teammates reacted, let alone the giant at the back of the crowds, Kuroko could expect how spartan the training would turn out.
But, Kuroko thought if she were to do her punishment from the said redhead… she would die at the very first day of training camp for sure.
Kuroko had just passed her first bloody days.
God must have known just how tired she was, even without all the basketball matter.
"I haven't finished speaking yet."
Silence immediately crept up the gym as the members stopped chattering and turned their attention back towards the redhead captain.
"Good. And, Tetsuya." Akashi shifted his gaze to the bluenette before him, calm yet infuriating. "It's rude to daydream when someone is speaking."
Kuroko merely blinked. Was it looked that obvious? "I'm sorry, Akashi-kun."
Akashi turned back to stare at all the first string and regular members of basketball club. "This also applies to you all. When a person is speaking to you, you must hear until the end before interrupting. I won't kindly let the matter the second time."
All the members nodded in unison.
"Good. Then, back to the training camp matter, you have to follow the rules applied at the place where we are going to do the training camp and at the lodgment. Behave yourself and follow the schedule properly there; otherwise be ready for some punishments I and coach have prepared for you."
"Yes."
Afterwards, each of them was distributed two sheets of paper. As some were ready to faint at the sight of the tight and heavy schedule they were going to overcome, Akashi said, "You're free from club activities for tomorrow. It's all I got to say. Now, you can go home and prepare yourselves well."
At the last sentence, they cheered and rushed for some refreshing shower.
Six of the teenagers remained in the gymnasium as the coach went out to do his other assignments.
Murasakibara with his endless stocks of snacks, Midorima with a pair of gleam silver shears as his today's lucky item, Aomine with a basketball above his forefinger, Momoi with her crushing hug to her previously crush, Kuroko with her impassivity to Momoi's attempt of reducing the supply of oxygen to her lungs, and lastly, Akashi with his leveled stare.
They stood in awkward silence for a moment later, before Momoi released her hold on Kuroko and chose to cut in with her squealing voice.
"Hey, you guys! Do you want me to prepare a lunch for all of you in the training camp?"
Everyone paled at the offer in a matter of second —well, you couldn't tell much from Kuroko and Akashi, but even one could see clearly that the latter furrowed his eyebrows in displeasure.
"No way, Satsuki! You gonna make us die of food poisoning!" Aomine retorted, as the terrible, traumatic experience of tasting Momoi's cooking the first —and hopefully the last— time in his life years ago came into his mind.
"What do you mean, Dai-chan?! My cooking skill isn't that horrible!"
"The hell—"
"I'm grateful with your offer, but you don't have to, Momoi-san," Kuroko calmly interfered, put a stop to the two's bickering. "You are already helping much with being work as our manager. All of us don't want to put any burden to you."
That only gave Kuroko more crushing hug and declaration of love from one Satsuki Momoi while the others let out a sigh and inwardly thanked the bluenette for saving their life.
It's funny to see how all of them, save for the redhead who had known firsthand, ate up Momoi's usual lovestruck act to Kuroko and didn't realize anything was wrong with it.
It's also amazing how Momoi pulled her act perfectly, like everything was the same.
When it wasn't.
Actually, it made Kuroko feeling guilty all again.
She assumed she wouldn't ever be able to relieve this nagging feeling off.
"Why are we staying here, anyway?" Murasakibara asked. It seemed that his snacks already run out, because he finally stopped to eat and put attention more to the world.
"I don't know why I waste my time in here," Midorima stated, pushing his glasses up with his finger at the realization and turned to the hallway to the locker and shower room. "I'll excuse myself now."
Murasakibara followed suit. "Mido-chin, wait. I'm going to take the shower too."
Aomine put down the basketball he had been played and clamped it between his arms, walking towards the exit. Scretching the collar of his shirt a bit, he said, "That's right. I'm feeling like my shirt stuck all over my body since forever. Hey, Tetsu, Satsuki, I want to put this ball back first."
Momoi immediately took the bottle of water in the bench, which was Aomine's, and then followed Aomine to the gym's door while Kuroko glanced to the redhead who still stayed in his place, looking at her.
"Akashi-kun?"
"I want to talk to you for a while, Tetsuya."
She nodded and looked to Aomine and Momoi who stood beside him. "You can go first, Aomine-kun, Momoi-san. I'll catch up later."
"Well, don't take too long," Aomine nonchalantly replied while Momoi only sparing Kuroko a worried look.
"Okay."
Aomine gave one waving hand as a pair of childhood friends then went outside to the storage room. Once they had gone from Kuroko's and Akashi's sight, the former opened her mouth.
"What do you want to talk about, Akashi-kun?"
"Your punishment," he answered, quite disturbed with how he had forgotten to calculate this big event before. "You should do it after the Winter Cup is finished, since we will get busier and I don't want you to force yourself too much before the tournament."
It was unexpected how fast Kuroko got the answer of her concern just few minutes ago.
"Oh. Okay. Thank you, Akashi-kun."
The corner of Akashi's lips curved a smirk. "It's the one occupying your thought when I was explaining the training camp matter, was it?"
"Yes," Kuroko honestly replied, not feel at least bothered with his statement nor his calculating gaze. "Because I know that I won't be able to survive if I have to do those on the training camp. Is there more you want to say, Akashi-kun?"
"Get enough rest and take care of your health properly. You are going to have a tough week from Sunday and I cansee you're not get good sleep these days."
"Okay. If that's all, I'll go after Aomine-kun and Momoi-san. Thank you for your concern, Akashi-kun," The bluenette nodded then bowed in gratitude. Lifting her face, she smiled. "See you tomorrow."
He responded with a nod. "You're welcome. Be careful on your way home."
With a yellow towel slung over her shoulder, Kuroko went outside, bringing her bottle of water in one hand. Akashi also took his leave few seconds later after checked there's nothing more in the gym.
"I'm home."
Silence was the first thing that greeted her as she entered her house that evening. Even knowing that she wouldn't get any response, she couldn't get away from the habit.
Kuroko aligned her shoes neatly in the entryway before took her slippers from the rack, wore it, and going to her room.
After randomly picked something from her closet, Kuroko threw aside her uniforms and wore what her hands had brought to her: a plain black shirt and a pair of knee-length shorts.
Ignoring the clothes lying helplessly on the floor beside her desk, Kuroko threw her body to her bed, feeling the soft fabric under her face and skin. The drowsiness really took much hold of her concern than anything these four days, what's with the girl's day of month and all.
Then the cold air hit her uncovered skin, Kuroko snuggled to her blanket and moved into more comfortable position.
Closing her eyes, her consciousness slowly drifted to dreamless but peaceful sleep.
Starting Sunday, it would be a big week to be looked forward.
After all, chaos and unexpected events were surely bound to happen once more.
I just went back to read my previous chapters and I realized how I was really suck at grammar —and just get a tiny little bit better now. I also feel my writing skills become rustier, seeing I haven't updated for some time and just read other fanfics… =="
As always, any reviews are always appreciated! :)
I will try to reply each of your reviews from now on, though it will take some time…