AUTHOR'S NOTE
This chapter ended up being really long, and I guess I should have expected it if I was going to add all that I needed/wanted to add. Unfortunately for everyone, this may be the only junk shipping mess chapter you'll be getting, because from this point on, we're moving forward for plot. Don't worry, there will still be tiny snippets of your ships. I just have the plot ideas for the next two chapters, and the next letter scene has, in fact, already been pre-written. I think I wrote it during chapter 4. The next letter reveal will be at the end of chapter 8 (just like Orange canon), because I managed to squeeze the entirety of the festival into one chapter. I believe many of you might have expected this one, though.
We are now at a solid 49 follows and 30 faves, and I thank you all so much! Please continue to read & review, even if you are logged in as a Guest. I still am enjoying everyone's reviews - so glad you all like this fic as much as I do! Of course, reviewing about how much this Miracle baby is precious may or may not help save your precious Miracle...
*Psychological Conditions: Dissociative Identity Disorder, Anxiety
JUNE 21
The week of the cultural festival came, and many students at Teiko were polishing their classrooms and performances to make it as perfect as they possibly could. Akashi, president of the student council, was making last minute rounds to each classroom and making sure that they knew their boundaries (if they were like a cafe or haunted house), or if they knew their performance time (stage plays and band pieces). Some of the student council members accompanied him in his rounds. Overall, he was pleased with the results. The cultural festival would definitely be a success.
Aomine and Kuroko were being featured in their class's play of Romeo and Juliet, a famous Shakespearean play. Akashi, when making his rounds, had seen a glimpse of their play. Luckily, it wasn't the scene that Kuroko was featured in, so the surprise was still in store for him.
Kise and Murasakibara class was doing a fashion show, since Kise was quite influential in his class's decision for the festival. It hadn't been Kise's idea initially, but he warmed up to the idea quickly and helped shape the direction that it was going in. Plus, his modeling skills was useful tremendously.
Kise was taking a girl to the festival, and the Miracles were not surprised at all. Not only had Kise told them that he planned on asking a girl, he even asked her last week and since then, it had been trending news at Teiko. None of the Miracles had not gone an hour without hearing about it. Even the lucky girl was crazy enough to continue boasting about it. Frankly, the Miracles found it quite annoying.
On the first day of the festival (there were 3 days total), Akashi and Kuroko were found running all over the campus, assisting many of the booths and classrooms in their crises. One classroom almost burned down, another happened to make a girl cry, and the other almost blew up the school. Akashi was not amused by any of them, but Kuroko had to stifle a giggle at the last one. Only his homeroom class would find a way to blow up the school.
"Akashi-kun, you cannot deny how stupid Aomine-kun," Kuroko said in between giggles. Akashi rolled his eyes, muttering about how Aomine would be strangled at practice. Kuroko didn't bother to defend the ace.
Nothing special was going on for any of the Miracles today. In the afternoon, after everyone had settled down into the routine for the next three days, they all met up to explore places together. Murasakibara dragged them all to Akashi's class first, since they had a cafe and he was hungry. Midorima could not fault him; his stomach was rumbling too.
After the cafe (Kise and his date enjoyed the decorations in the classroom a bit too much), they all headed by Kise's classroom to watch the fashion show. Though Kise would have loved to be a part in all three days of the show, his classmates restricted him to two. Since the basketball team had promised to put on a huge exhibition, Kise could not do tomorrow's show. Therefore, the Miracles spectated Kise as he strutted down the catwalk, making flashy moves. His date was highly entertained. Aomine sulked in his seat, bored as hell.
When Kise was finished with his last model walk, Aomine had half a mind to drag Kise out of the class so that they could go outside and do something more fun. Akashi suggested using the pool house (run by another class) on the rooftop of the school, and all of the Generation of Miracles hurried upstairs to use the pool. It was open to everyone during the festival, and it was a perfect way to cool off in the summer's heat. Kuroko is already sweating through his uniform.
As soon as they reached the rooftop, they eagerly searched for a swimsuit that they could each borrow from the school's collection of swimsuits. After they rapidly changed into them, they all bounded into the pool, splashing everyone as they cannonballed into the water. Everyone had volunteered Akashi up to pay for the entrance fee since it had been his idea, and he graciously accepted the proposal. Therefore, he had been last to jump into the pool.
"This feels nice!" Kise said, floating on top of the water. His date agreed, as she dragged Kise down under the water.
Murasakibara swam right into Himuro Tatsuya, one of the members on first string. Familiar with him, since they were in the same class, he greeted him. "Muro-chin," he said, using his pet name for him. "It's good to see you."
Himuro glanced at the purple haired giant. "Ah, Atsushi, it's good to see you too," he replied, smiling at him. "How are you enjoying the festival?"
Murasakibara looked away and into the clear blue sky. "It's okay," he answered, uninterested. Himuro suspected that Murasakibara was not enjoying himself at the festival. "But the food is good."
"That's good then," Himuro said. Seeing some of his friends take off to go see a show in the school's auditorium, he waved to Murasakibara. "See you later, Atsushi."
Murasakibara waved back. "Goodbye, Muro-chin."
The Miracles ended up staying on the roof for hours on end. When the bell rung to signal the end of a normal school day, Akashi was half glad that he had the sense to cancel practice for the day. The pool was simply to refreshing to leave now. The other Miracles agreed.
The festival soon came to an end for the day, and the group of seven were very tired when some teachers came to the rooftop to force them all to leave. Kuroko was sluggishly walking down the stairs, while Aomine was practically sleepwalking. Kise was making sure that the ace didn't walk into a wall, because it would be tragic and problematic if he did. Kise's date had left at the end of the school day, and to be honest, Kise was glad when she left.
"She's not my type," Kise explained. "I found that out today. She's really clingy, and seems to be eating my wallet."
"Is a wallet even tasty?" Murasakibara asked, chomping on a plate of riceballs that he bought from a food stall. "My riceballs are tasty."
"I don't think they are, Mukkun," Momoi replied. "I think you'd rather eat the riceballs."
"Sacchin's so smart," Murasakibara complimented. "She wouldn't make me eat ridiculous things." Mentally, Midorima thought that he was insane in the first place for even thinking that he could eat a wallet.
The next day was the basketball exhibition. Akashi, for the first half hour, was drilling everyone in doing warmups. The first hour or so of the morning (not including warmups) was dedicated to watching third and second strings play a match, and then the real champions (first string) would come out and play. The last hour was used for anyone who wanted to play basketball, and the Miracles would either play with or against them. Akashi thought it was a) fair, and b) entertaining on all sides. No one disagreed with him.
Since the Inter High was in full swing at the moment, Akashi decided to announce to the entire community watching the exhibition how Teiko had quickly risen to the top of their prefecture. Having won the championship league, they were in for Nationals beginning next month. Everyone clapped at the announcement, cheering about how their school would triumph at Nationals once again. It would mean a second consecutive win if Teiko won Nationals.
The third string versus second string match commenced, and no one was surprised that second string had beaten the third. The people that ended up on third string usually were people who didn't have the fundamentals necessary to get in second or even first string. When the second string won, they rejoiced in their win. The managers hurried them up to finish ritual so they could wipe off the court for the first string versus Generation of Miracles match.
It had been a thrilling match for the Miracles, save for Aomine. The first string's reserve power forwards was unable to close the skill gap between themselves and Aomine, so Aomine was literally scoring point after point for the Generation of Miracles. Akashi had sent ball after ball towards him, and Kuroko had redirected every ball to Aomine. Since the Miracles were up against people who were more knowledgeable about their abilities, they decided to use every card they had in their possession in order to secure victory. Of course, they won.
"That was a good game, Kurokocchi!" Kise squealed in the locker room, squishing Kuroko as much as he could. Kuroko complained about his inability to breathe, and Akashi sent the blonde boy death glares. If looks could kill, Kise would be on the floor, unmoving.
"In fact, well done," MIdorima commented, a small smile tugging on his lips. Kise let go of Kuroko to hug Midorima. The green haired tsundere moved out of the way sharply so that Kise would not hug him. Instead, Kise went flying into a locker door.
"Ow! That hurt, Midorimacchi," Kise whimpered. Midorima didn't pay him attention, as he grabbed his lucky item and walked out of the locker room.
Murasakibara was sitting on the bench inside the locker room, staring at his hands. Having scored about thirty points in their favor, he was wondering if something remarkable was happening to him. Usually the number of points he scored for the team was around twenty, just barely making it past the quota. Now, it felt like he could make basket after basket, and defeat anyone in his path.
Akashi glanced at his center, worried. "Is there something bothering you, Murasakibara?" he inquired.
Murasakibara turned to face his captain. "Aka-chin, lately I've been feeling like I'm getting stronger."
Akashi didn't think much of it. The others had been noticing their drastic improvements lately as well, but weren't bothered by it. Instead, they liked having more power and not being weak like they once were. "That's good, Murasakibara. Keep getting stronger."
"Okay, Aka-chin," Murasakibara answered. Since he had already changed out of his jersey already, he slipped out of the locker room, not noticing the look Kuroko was giving him.
Kuroko suspected something very, very wrong was happening in front of his eyes, and he vowed to figure out what it was.
The third day was the last day of the festival, which meant that tonight, the school administration would be shooting up fireworks to properly end the festival. Excited, everyone was chattering with anyone and everyone around them. Most people had a date to the fireworks; the hard part was finding a good spot to view the show.
"Akashi-kun," Kuroko began, emptying out his school bag, "I cannot find my tie." He looked at Akashi, panic and worry set in his eyes.
Akashi slowly removed his tie from his uniform. "Borrow this for today," he said. "I can go without it."
Kuroko glanced at the tie, then back at Akashi. "Are you sure, Akashi-kun? Wouldn't you get in trouble?"
Akashi smirked. "I'm the student council president, remember? I can pull some strings in my favor."
Kuroko raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't the student council president be in uniform, setting the standard for everyone at Teiko?" he asked teasingly. Akashi rolled his eyes, resisting the sudden urge he had to do more illicit things with him. They weren't dating officially, so he couldn't make scandalous moves.
"Don't worry about it," Akashi smiled, erasing all worries Kuroko had before. "I'll handle it."
"Whatever you say, Akashi-kun," Kuroko said.
Kuroko put on Akashi's tie, letting Akashi deal with the fact that he had no tie. He muttered a small thank you out of gratefulness. Akashi pretended not to hear it; he didn't need gratitude for a small deed. However, Kuroko's eyes widened when Akashi magically pulled out another tie from his school bag and quickly tied it on his uniform.
"Now I'm not out of uniform, Kuroko," Akashi said.
Kuroko had half a mind to smack his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Akashi, you can be very, very stupid sometimes." Akashi did not ask for more clarification; in fact, he knew what he was doing.
Kuroko later disappeared (using Misdirection and somehow getting past Akashi's stare) to meet up with his homeroom class. They were performing today, and their performance was scheduled in the afternoon. Nonetheless, he had to show up sometime in the morning to be dressed and put in full guy makeup. Plus, their class representative was already on edge and wanted a run through of the script before the actual performance. Kuroko found her as maybe too uptight.
Scurrying down the hallway, he almost bumped into a group of girls. Kuroko quickly apologized, but one of them grabbed Kuroko's wrist. The grip was strong and tight, so he could not worm his way out of it.
Araki's facial expression was unhappy and unamused. Her arms were crossed on her chest. Two of her minions were standing directly behind her, like a posse. Another girl, Aida Riko, had her hand firmly grasped on Kuroko's wrist.
Araki stared Kuroko down. Kuroko refused to let fear get the best of him, though. "Weren't you at the pool house with Akashi the other day?"
Kuroko was taken aback. This was an odd question to ask. "Yes," he responded.
Araki didn't hesitate. "Are you together?" She sounded angry, as if Kuroko was the reason he left her. This, of course, was partially true, but Akashi refused to hear any of it when Kuroko had adamantly blamed himself for their breakup.
Kuroko shook his head. No matter what they had looked like earlier, they were not together romantically. Their relationship was purely platonic. "No, we're just friends, Araki-san."
Araki got scary close in front of Kuroko's face, implying that she was threatening him. "Then you'll stay away from him, right? I don't want to see you with him." It took so much strength for Kuroko to not avert his gaze to the ground. Here he was, being belittled by a girl, but he couldn't do anything about it.
Araki contemplated that after scaring the poor kid, she could just walk away and move on with her life. However, the red pin on Kuroko's tie was eye catching, and only one person in the entire school was allowed to have said pin on their tie. Araki narrowed her eyes at it, then looked at Kuroko suspiciously.
Grabbing Kuroko by the collar, she pulled him a mere inch away from her face. "That tie," she spat angrily, "Where did you get it? Did you steal it, you retarded piece of crap?"
Kuroko had no words, especially for a girl who resorted to foul language to express her jealousy. To be honest, Kuroko almost broke down at the choice of words. They were the better choice words out of the selection, but that did not mean that it didn't hurt Kuroko just as much. The pang that shot through his chest ached in pain as the words repeatedly swam through his mind.
Someone slapped the cheek of Araki's face. Kuroko knew this, for through the teary eyes he saw a hand whip across her face. Araki's face moved in the direction of the slap. Kuroko was almost happy that Araki got what she rightfully deserved, though he would never do that to a girl.
"Momoi-san?" Kuroko asked, bewildered by the sight of her pink hair and angry eyes turned at another girl.
"What are you doing to Tetsu-kun?" Momoi half shouted at the group of girls. "You don't have the right to interfere with his personal life, so why are you doing this?"
Before Araki or her minions could respond, Momoi wrenched Aida's hand off of Kuroko and took him away from the scene. She hurried through the hallways, trying to reach the one safe place the Miracles have always prided themselves on - the basketball court. Momoi knew that Kuroko behind her was trying his best to not spill tears (and ruin his nonexistent reputation), but the sooner they reached the gym, the better for both of them.
Momoi reached the gym, and pulled the door open. Kuroko ambled inside. Having seen Momoi's defense against Araki and her clique, he felt a little better now. He felt less alone, less afraid that he would have to take her on himself. Kuroko didn't have to pretend now that everything was alright too.
"Tetsu-kun," Momoi said in a soft, gentle voice, "Are you okay?"
Kuroko nodded, sniffling a little. "Yes. Thank you, Momoi-san."
Momoi wiped Kuroko's remaining tears with a tissue she found in her skirt pocket. Disposing of the wet tissue in the garbage can, she held Kuroko's hand as they left the gym. Kuroko looked down at their intertwined fingers, but Momoi merely winked and reassured him that it would be okay for now.
"Akashi-kun's tie fits you nicely, Tetsu-kun," she complimented. "I'm glad you forgot your tie this morning."
Kuroko blushed. "Thank you, Momoi-san.I guess it's somewhere in my room, but I couldn't seem to find it anywhere."
Momoi giggled. "You should keep Akashi-kun's tie."
Kuroko shook his head, disagreeing. "It's Akashi-kun's, Momoi-san. Also, it would be mean to take his possessions without telling him, and I'm not the student council president. I don't deserve to wear this."
Momoi fumbled with the tie on Kuroko's neck, detaching the red pin from the tie. Kuroko stared at the red pin. "Now it's just a regular school tie. You can wear Akashi-kun's tie forever!"
Kuroko mentally gave a sigh. Momoi was not budging from her position. "At least give Akashi-kun the pin back."
At that moment, Akashi had been walking by, and he spotted Momoi and Kuroko speaking to each other in an empty hallway. Momoi's fingers tightly held the red pin, right where Kuroko's line of sight was. Akashi glanced at clock hanging on the wall. It read 3:47, which meant that if Akashi wanted a spot next to Kuroko when the celebration began tonight, he would have to act fast. Making a quick detour from his original destination, he sauntered over to the duo.
Kuroko saw Akashi out of the corner of his eye and spoke first. "Akashi-kun, hello."
"Hello, Kuroko," Akashi said coolly. Eyeing the red pin in Momoi's hand, he asked, "Why is the pin removed from the tie?"
Momoi offered it up to Akashi. "Tetsu-kun thinks that you should at least wear your pin," Momoi replied. "Put it on your tie, Akashi-kun."
Akashi supposed that he did not have much of a choice. Originally, he wasn't planning on taking the red pin back for the day, since Kuroko was wearing his normal school tie. However, due to the circumstances, his red pin was detached from his tie, Akashi had to take the pin. The red pin was important to student council presidents at Teiko High School because it not only signified their prestigious position, but it allowed him/her to have free lunches at school and a skip day per month. Akashi didn't mind having the privileges to use, but he could go without them. He had more than enough money to spend on his debit card, and he enjoyed learning enough to attend school.
Akashi accepted the red pin, saying a small thank you to both Momoi and Kuroko. He attached it to his blue tie. Kuroko was satisfied with this; now, Akashi was officially a student council president.
Momoi looked at the both of them. Remembering her letter (the one sitting inside of her blazer, away from prying eyes like the Miracles'), she said her goodbyes to the two of them and quickly fled from the scene. As she ran to find Aomine Daiki, a small, devious smile was forming on her lips.
June 24: Satsuki, you treasure Tetsu-kun a lot, and Tetsu-kun treasures you too. Make sure he's always happy, and be grateful for him, because he will be an important person in more ways than one.
Meanwhile, back in the empty hallway, Akashi took Kuroko's hand and brought the shadow closer to him. Kuroko was baffled by the sudden gesture and turned to face Akashi, about to question his actions.
"Are you questioning me, Kuroko?" Akashi asked, a tiny glint of gold flashing in his eye.
"Of course not, Akashi-kun," Kuroko denied.
Akashi didn't believe the lie. "Kuroko Tetsuya, please wait for me after the festival ends," he said, and Kuroko almost thought for a second that this wasn't a request, but an order. "Let's go see the celebration together." His fingers were locked with Kuroko's, and he was fiddling with them.
Kuroko didn't hesitate for a moment. "Yes," Kuroko replied, a smile on his lips. "Let's go watch the fireworks together, Akashi-kun." A blush appeared on his cheeks, but this time, Kuroko didn't bother to hide it.
The most stupidest thing about the cultural festival, in Aomine's opinion, was the Mister and Miss Teiko contest. It was basically a popularity contest about who was the prettiest and most handsome person in the school. For this reason, Aomine hated it with every fiber of his being, not that he cared.
From the winner's stage, Aomine watched as Kise Ryota accepted a bouquet of flowers and a huge box from the vice principal. Of course, the model had willingly signed up for the contest when he learned about the contest. He had won the past two years, and this year was no different. Kise waved happily to his fans in the crowd, who were all screaming over him. Aomine let out a 'tch' sound, angry that they got more attention than he did.
"You're just jealous, Aomine-kun," Momoi said, "that Ki-kun is getting more attention than you are."
Aomine jumped back, shocked at her presence. "Shut up, Satsuki," he muttered. He did not need her to reiterate what his brain was practically telling him already.
On the stage, Araki Masako was busy accepting her bouquet of flowers and prize box. Kise's fans quickly moved on from him and cheered for Araki, congratulating her on her victory for the second year in a row. By now, Kise has had enough of Araki, and stepped off stage to let her bask in her glory. Kise didn't want to be even two feet near her, not after what happened last month.
Now on ground level with everyone else, Kise scoured the audience for anyone that he at least remotely knew (other than his annoying fans). Spotting Aomine standing next to Momoi in the back, Kise jogged to meet up with them. Aomine's face was in a permanent scowl, and Momoi was leading him out of the room.
Panting, Kise called out for them. "Aominecchi! Momoicchi!"
Aomine spun around, seeing Kise's bright, grinning face making his way towards him. He frowned, wondering what the blonde had to say now.
Kise dumped the package onto Aomine. "Help me carry this, Aominecchi, it's so heavy."
Aomine glared at him. "What makes you think I can carry it?"
"Your hands were free," Kise shrugged. "Do you like my roses? They smell so good!" Momoi agreed, sniffing the flowers repeatedly. Aomine flinched, not even going to confirm or deny Kise's statements.
"Let's go, Kise," was all Aomine said. Overall, he just wanted to get out of there before Araki began her dumb, long, and fake speech that she prepared for the audience. Aomine had no intention of vomiting today.
In Kise's classroom, the three of them found most of the class tearing down the runway. The festival was practically over at that point, since nobody was hanging around to watch what's left. Tonight, the celebration would begin, complete with fireworks, and in order to attend, the place must be cleared of anything left from the festival. In other words, it was clean up time.
"Hey!" Kise cheered from the doorway, waving to the few girls inside. "I brought the prize!"
"Did you?" one girl asked. "Let's unwrap it!" The class chorused their agreement.
One of the guys in the class used their blade to open up the box, and the girls grabbed their package of juice. Yes, the classroom prize for winning the Mister and Miss Teiko contest was juice to share. It was incredibly lame, but well worth it when it was time to clean up. Most of their classmates were thirsty after three days of hard work and fun.
Kise thrust two juice boxes into his friends' arms. "We're going to have leftovers anyways, so have some." Aomine grunted a thank you to the blonde. Momoi accepted the drink, taking a huge sip out of it.
Midorima walked into Kise's classroom with Murasakibara in tow. "A delivery for you, nanodayo." Before anyone could react, Midorima held Momoi firmly by the collar of her uniform and dragged her down the hall to their classroom, muttering something about "responsibility for the class." Kise snickered.
Murasakibara grabbed one of the juice boxes. "Thank you, Kise-chin." Then, he retreated to a corner of the classroom, helping a couple of the smaller guys take down some fabric from the walls.
"See you tonight, Kise," Aomine said gruffly, giving the blonde a wave as he left the classroom. Kise bidded farewell to the ace, hoping to see him tonight at the celebration.
When Aomine left, Kise felt incomplete, like a piece of him was missing. He didn't bother with the empty feeling, however, and helped a few girls put the desks back in order.
Akashi and Kuroko headed upstairs to the rooftop. In his hand, Akashi was jingling the keys to the door. Being the student council president had its perks, he supposed. Right now, he was focusing on his little outing with Kuroko.
Kuroko was silent the entire way up to the rooftop. Both boys were dressed in their swim trunks, eager to use the pool as they watched the fireworks that night. The first round of the celebration had already begun, food and drinks plenty to go around. Akashi had his vice president look over the affair as the administration began preparing for the fireworks.
Akashi opened up the door to the rooftop, locking the door shut behind him after he and Kuroko got through the door. No one would interrupt their date tonight, not even Araki Masako. Kuroko immediately stripped off his shirt and dived into the pool without a second though. Akashi followed suit.
After splashing around in the water for a bit, Akashi got out of the water. Blowing up two inflatable tubes, he threw them both into the water. Kuroko climbed onto one of them. Akashi descended back into the water, but not without first grabbing the vanilla milkshake off the table beside the pool. Kuroko smiled serenely when given the milkshake.
"Well done over the past two days, Kuroko," Akashi thanked. "The festival was a success."
"Of course, Akashi-kun," Kuroko replied after sipping the milkshake. "But what's with the two straws?"
Akashi smirked and put his lips around the other straw. "Perhaps I wanted some of the milkshake too, but didn't have the funds necessary to purchase a second."
Kuroko hid his surprise from Akashi. Not only did Akashi fib (Kuroko couldn't point it out, otherwise he'd be a hypocrite), but Kuroko was wondering if this was what people called sharing saliva through a drink. It wasn't like an indirect kiss, but surely they were sharing some saliva. Kuroko wasn't bothered by it, though, and neither was Akashi. The teal haired shadow believed that Akashi had thought this through when he set this up.
Kuroko looked straight into Akashi's eyes. "Akashi-kun, that was the worst lie you've ever come up with," he said bluntly.
"Is it? How observant of you," Akashi replied. "Although yours isn't much better."
Kuroko winced. "I don't believe that is particularly mentionable, Akashi-kun." Code for 'don't you dare continue the conversation from there, Akashi-kun.'
Akashi got the hint. "Perhaps."
There was awkward silence between the two. Kuroko had never been a sociable person, and Akashi, for once in his life, didn't know how to proceed with the conversation now that it had taken an awkward turn. Kuroko continued to sip at the milkshake in his hands. Akashi was done with sweet things for the night. The vanilla milkshake was too unhealthy for him to consume a large amount of.
Kuroko, now finished with the milkshake, looked around the pool for one in sight. There was none to be seen anywhere. Akashi told him it was okay to wait to throw it out, since the fireworks would begin soon. Kuroko insisted on throwing it out now, since he had an urge to use the bathroom at the same time. Reluctantly, Akashi handed him the rooftop key so that he could come back. Kuroko thanked him and dashed away, leaving Akashi to stare at the night stars by himself.
Kuroko quickly used the toilet and washed his hands. He found a trash can in the bathroom and tossed the empty cup in there. As he left the bathroom, he ran into someone in the hallway, right when he wasn't focusing on his misdirection.
"Did someone just bump into me?" Aida Riko asked, brushing off the dirt on her shoulder.
Araki Masako scanned the hall, looking for a ghost that had walked straight past them. Seeing a foot turn a corner, she ran down the hall to catch up with the invisible person. She had a strange suspicion of what she just saw, and had a sudden intuition of who it was. A devilish smile appeared on her face, and she formulated a plan.
Grabbing a hold of Kuroko's collar, she brought him closer to her. "Stupid junior, come back here. I need your help."
Kuroko didn't want to turn around. Mentally, he was panicking because he knew exactly who he ran into, and somehow, he had incurred their wrath (again). He wanted to go back to the rooftop, back to where it's safe, back to Akashi. However, he was caught up in the hall, because now Araki was going to do something, and he didn't know what horrors she had concocted, and oh my, he needed to run.
"Kurokocchi!" Kise called out from the bottom of the stairs, bringing Kuroko out of his trance. His gaze met Araki's, and his eyes narrowed. "Are they bullying you?" he asked calmly.
Kuroko was immediately glad that Kise had been there at the bottom of the stairs when he was. He thought he might have cracked if he wasn't. "No," he answered truthfully. "She needed help, that's all."
Kise's eyes locked dead on with Kuroko's. He broke his gaze at Kuroko to glare at Araki. Grabbing Kuroko by the hand, he jerked him away from her. "I'll take care of it, Kurokocchi." Kuroko could not believe that for once, Kise could be deadly serious. He nodded to him, and headed back upstairs with the keys to the rooftop in his pocket.
When Kuroko had left their sight, Kise looked at the girls. "Is there something I can help you with, Araki Masako?" Kise pronounced her name like it was poison in his mouth and very, very slowly.
Araki shook her head. Her plan had barely begun and already failed. Luckily, she had a backup plan in the works right now, and she was going to execute it tonight. Smiling, she shook her head. "I'm sorry, Kise-kun, but I overestimated things. I won't be needing any more help."
Kise smiled back at her. "That's fantastic. Enjoy the fireworks tonight!" Then he descended back down the stairs, leaving her alone with her group.
Araki Masako's devilish smirk had yet to leave her face.
The fireworks were bright and beautiful in the night sky. Akashi saw red, orange, all the colors in the rainbow in every firework spark that glowed. They had begun with the absence of Kuroko, but Akashi, slightly worried about his shadow, still managed to revel in the beauty of the fireworks. The loud booms in the sky to the shining artificial lights in the sky were wonderful.
Akashi heard a click in the doorknob, and from his peripheral vision, he saw Kuroko open the door. Kuroko ventured next to Akashi and sat down in the floatie, his feet dangling in the pool water. Together, they watched the fireworks in silence, fingers lingering close to each other but rarely touching.
All too quickly, the fireworks ceased. Akashi's heart rate began to slow down; the fast paced speed of the explosions were taking a toll whenever they came with their sonic booms. Kuroko was smiling serenely, gazing at the stars in the sky. Akashi glanced over to see his peaceful face as he counted the stars in the sky (an impossible task).
"The stars are beautiful tonight, Akashi-kun," Kuroko said out of the blue.
Akashi had to agree. The stars were indeed beautiful tonight. "Yes, I suppose they are."
Kuroko brought his floatie closer to Akashi's, close enough for the two floaties to touch one another. Akashi looked at the shadow, curious as to what he might do. He noticed his pink face, wondering if the boy was getting sick out here. It would be a shame if he did. Little did he know that his face was pink because he was trying not to blush in front of Akashi.
"Akashi-kun, would you ever confess to anyone?" Kuroko asked out of nowhere. Frankly, it startled Akashi, and he replied a crisp no. "Even if you loved a person enough that you couldn't live with them in your life?"
Akashi didn't change his answer. "I think it is natural for girls to confess to me first. However, if the need arises, I would give it a thought."
"Akashi-kun, by that answer, you would end up as the girl in the relationship."
"I refuse to be seen as such, Kuroko."
Kuroko thought about his next question. "Then Akashi-kun, who would you confess to?" he asked, a tiny smile on his face. If Akashi didn't know better, he would have thought Kuroko was trying to provoke something in him.
"Out of everyone that we know?" Akashi asked, and Kuroko nodded. "I suppose I would confess to Midorima - " Kuroko let out a small 'oh', as if he was disappointed by Akashi's response. It was small enough that it slipped by Akashi's notice. " - as a friend. I don't believe our families would be pleased if we came out as gay."
"Then, as a lover?" Kuroko inquired.
Akashi hesitated with his response. "Out of the Generation of Miracles, I would confess to you in a romantic sense."
Kuroko's mouth turned wide into a grin. He was happy, no, happiness was pouring out of him. All Kuroko could feel was the fast thumping of his heart when Akashi said that, as if Akashi had indeed loved him like that. His cheeks were flushed red, but he didn't mind. Akashi had said that he would confess to him. "I'm happy, Akashi-kun."
Akashi smiled as well, and Kuroko noticed the redness on his cheeks. "I'm happy as well, Kuroko," he replied, and Kuroko could feel the happiness through his words.
The fireworks restarted right when Akashi said his line, and Kuroko and Akashi both watched the fireworks in bliss. Akashi's hand found its way to Kuroko's, and surprisingly enough, Kuroko failed to notice it through his own happy thoughts and feelings. Together, they held hands as the fireworks kept going for a another few minutes.
"Thank you for coming today," Akashi whispered softly to Kuroko. "I'm glad we watched the fireworks together. I will never forget today."
"Today was a complete happiness day," Kuroko replied, a smile still prominent on his lips. "Thank you for watching the fireworks with me."
The celebration finally ended, and Akashi and Kuroko left the pool dripping wet. Pulling on a shirt and not bothering to change into their uniforms, they headed downstairs to find the rest of the Miracles. Akashi knew that the rest of them would be waiting at the main entrance in the next few minutes, so he hurried Kuroko along so that they wouldn't be late.
The two of them reached the entrance within minutes, but they were the last to arrive. The rest of the Generation of Miracles were already waiting for them, including a familiar black haired boy. His hand was entwined with Midorima's, and it did not take Akashi and Kuroko long to put the pieces together.
"Congratulations Midorima-kun, Takao-kun," Kuroko said to the new couple.
Takao replied a thank you, while Midorima merely blushed furiously. The shooter had always been awful with words and emotions, so it was quite a surprise to everyone that they had gotten together. Nonetheless, the Miracles all supported them as a couple, since it was clear to them how much Takao had an effect on Midorima.
"Where is Kise?" Akashi said, scanning the group. No one had noticed when the blonde haired guy slipped away (or if he even showed up in the first place).
Nearby, the Miracles noticed a familiar tall blonde haired boy at the end of the hall, arguing with a girl. Murasakibara recognized her as the girl who was going to the festival with Kise. He urged the Miracles to go spy on the conversation, noticing that the situation was turning dry and against Kise.
Sneaking closer, Kuroko, the invisible phantom of the group, listened in to the entire conversation. Though he would normally not do such an act, he did it anyways since he himself believed that Kise was in danger. If you asked him, he would say it was a feeling in his gut.
"We were not dating in the first place, senpai," Kise stated. "And I never asked you to the fireworks. I was free to hang out however I wanted to during that time."
The girl huffed. It seemed like she wasn't going to make Kise guilty of what he did. "Okay," she said, pretending to accept it. Instead, she was resorting to plan Z. "You know what? I didn't even want to go with you to see the fireworks. Shuuzo was more than willing to go with me. And while we're on the subject, I never liked you like that, Ryota-kun."
Kise let out a sharp hiss, and Kuroko knew that this was heading dangerously south really quick. As much as Kuroko wanted to drag him away, he could not. One, he was not supposed to be there, and two, he believed that this might be something that's on her chest, and Kise should listen to the entire speech.
The girl continued. "I didn't reject you because you were the most popular boy, and I can't say say no to him. So I decided to play you, instead of you playing me. Ryota-kun, I never once thought that you were beautiful or pretty. Those were lies for me to keep my popularity spot. As a matter of fact, I think you're ugly and fat, and unworthy of being a model. You're despicable, Ryota, and I never, ever want to see your piece of shit face ever again." She slapped Kise. "Get out of my sight, and don't walk by me ever again." Then, she waltzed away, as if nothing happened between them.
Kise didn't move for minutes on end, not even when the Miracles all gathered around him protectively, as if Kise was a broken doll that seeked shelter.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
According to the polls, most of you had Kise in last place, so I don't feel too bad for hurting my precious like this. Anyways, I hope you all liked the AkaKuro and the little bits of AoKise, MidoTaka, and MuraHimu in here! I'm really excited for the next couple chapters, and I hope you all are too. Don't forget to review & vote in the poll on my profile!
