I should be doing homework but look where I am? Enjoy!


8 – saved for the bothersome

Satsuki opened with the line, "Aomine's hiding from me, and I need your help."

"On both accounts, why?" Yasuka's reply betrayed both irritation and amusement.

The conversation was being held in Yasuka's homeroom, where she sat and Satsuki stood. Ideally, the sun would have been shining in from the windows, though fate seemed determined to ruin good moods. The rain was pouring down, heavy sheets of thundering water to assault all exterior surfaces. Yasuka's single, good thought about the weather as that at least Rika would enjoy it.

"Well, first off, Dai-chan refuses to participate in team activities, and secondly, I need your help because he listens to you." Satsuki explained, sinking lower and lower as her dejection piled up.

"Since when has Aomine ever listened to me?"

"Did he ever criticize the size of your chest?"

"Yeah. Because he's a pig."

"Did you ever tell him not to?"

Yasuka answered just as easily. "Of course, I'm not going to let him get away with it."

Satsuki nodded as if this proved her point. The blank stare that was barely even a response prompted her to further explain, "And has he said anything about it since?"

A frown dawned. "…No?"

"My point." declared Satsuki, beaming at herself. Now that she had found someone Aomine would listen, and obey, she had a weapon of unimaginable power. The changes needed were just within sight.

Yasuka, who had been enjoying the thrilling tale of her latest school-assigned book, sighed and gave up on the possibility of enjoying her lunch. "Do I get anything out of this?" she wondered.

"Nope." Satsuki replied, confirming her suspicions. "Please still help me!"

"…Fine."

Surprise lit up on Satsuki's face. It annoyed Yasuka to think she had never been considered a selfless person – never mind that she really wasn't. She refrained from commenting, as Satsuki may have been thinking something entirely different, and the expression lasted only a moment longer. A smile was soon replacing the frown.

"I owe you." Satsuki thanked, tucking one side of her hair back behind her ear.

Yasuka simply nodded, doubting that she would have the chance to take Satsuki up on that offer. Wordlessly, she stood and left the room. Satsuki followed at a distance, almost skipping at the ease with which Yasuka complied.

"I'll go this way," the pink haired girl announced, nodding towards the left corridor, "Text me when you find him or something."

"Sure." Yasuka replied, managing a minuscule smile.

Following a mutual nod of agreement, they parted ways.

Having no real investment in the search led Yasuka's vigour to be a little lacking. She walked the halls at her own pace, shoulders almost but not quite stooped. If she ran into anyone, she wondered what excuse she might give them in place of the truth. An association with Aomine could damage her reputation; perhaps she could bring up the 'tutoring' lie again.

There was a long, exhale in the loneliness of corridor. Even if she did find Aomine, she had no idea how to convince him to do anything. She would rather avoid making him angry, because despite how much fun it was, their relationship was a precarious one. They walked the edge of a knife.

Fate had become both interfering and rude of late. Though they might try, it seemed impossible to avoid each other. Satsuki was no help. She still appeared to be under the impression that they were 'friends', that Yasuka even had friends – or friends like Aomine, at least.

Typically, it was Yasuka who did the using. She hated Aomine purely because she hated feeling used, and that feeling was all he had offered her so far. Yasuka, for the years she had been in school with and observed Aomine, had decided that he used others like stepping stones. What–

"Hey-!"

Yasuka was again cut short. Both thoughts and talk halted as confusion stepped in and the world became a blur. She was aware of the pressure on her arm – a hand, a glimpse of blue hair – before being dragged sideways. When Yasuka had the moment to reorientate herself, she realised she had been pulled straight into the boy's toilets.

"It smells like shit in here." She observed.

Daiki Aomine stood above her, scowling down. "Shouldn't you be used to this?"

"No." Yasuka retorted. "I'm a girl."

"Not all the time." He reminded her.

"Just because I dress like a boy doesn't mean I can't call myself a girl, idiot."

He stared at her, not betraying any real emotion. Moments like these made it difficult to tell what he was thinking.

Yasuka crossed her arms, still disgruntled from the experience. "So, why am I in the boy's toilets anyway?"

Aomine looked towards the door. "Satsuki."

"Figured. She asked me to help look for you."

"That's why you were walking around?" He guessed, to which she nodded. "Man, she can be so annoying sometimes."

"She's trying to help, isn't she?" Yasuka wondered, having no real idea what the problem was between them.

"Tch. She wants me to start practising basketball."

"So do it. She's your manager, listen to her for once."

"I don't need to practise." Aomine dismissed.

"Really? That's pretty arrogant of you," Yasuka teased, "Guess it explains why you suck so much."

Aomine took a step forward, glowering, and she attempted to move back – forgetting about the wall behind her.

"I crush anyone in my way." He declared. Aomine's hand met the wall above her head, resting there as a brace. He leaned close, as if there was any reason to. Yasuka couldn't think of one, but maybe he had.

Her lips twitched into a smirk. "Anyone?" she mocked.

He gave a near imperceptible nod. "I'll prove it. Next game we play, you come along and watch."

"Watch you lose? Wouldn't miss it for the world."

Their proximity ensured that she didn't miss much. Yasuka noticed how Aomine's eyes travelled from hers, downwards.

"Eyes up, pervert." She snapped. Her harsh tone caused Aomine to jerk backwards, creating a more appropriate distance between them.

Aomine's lips were pursued with words eager to be said, to which Yasuka raised a questioning brow. "What?"

"…Nothing." He decided.

"Good-"

Aomine interrupted her before she could continue. "Just that if you think I'll lose, you obviously haven't seen me play."

"I have, actually."

"Huh? When?"

Yasuka rolled her eyes, wondering how she had not expected this from him. "Well, it can't be that surprising Aho-mine, considering we've been attending this school together for a year and a half now, and we went to the same middle school."

"We did?" Aomine murmured.

"Yes." Yasuka confirmed, annoyed that he hadn't realised. As if it might prompt him, she added, "I had long hair then."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't remember."

"I'm surprised you remember anything that isn't to do with basketball, or yourself." Yasuka retorted harshly.

Pride was the one thing she held to, even if there was nothing else. To damage that was to open the gates to years pent up frustration and holding back on crude insults. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed one other thing opening as well; the door.

Acting more than she was thinking, Yasuka reached up and grabbed Aomine's collar. She yanked him forward, just in time to help him avoid the door. The problem was that now, he was a great deal closer to her and it was making it rather difficult to breathe.

"What the fu-" he began to exclaim.

"A-A-Aomine?!"

Aomine was too distracted to reply to the newcomer, struggling to step back against Yasuka's grip on his shirt.

"Sorry." She muttered, letting him go.

Aomine stepped back, and the boy behind him barely managed to move out of the way. He was short enough to be only a few inches taller than Yasuka, with plain hair and wide, brown eyes.

"Sakurai." Aomine greeted curtly, eyeing him carefully.

The boy bowed his head slightly. "Um…?"

Yasuka caught his train of thought. "It's not what you think," she reassured quickly, "I'm…tutoring Aomine."

"Like that makes it sound any better! Besides, you overuse that excuse." Aomine berated.

"I didn't think anything!" Sakurai exclaimed, "Sorry!"

Yasuka continued to stare at him, bewildered by his apology. "He's one of your teammates, right?"

"Yeah." Aomine sighed.

"Sorry." Sakurai blurted again.

"What the hell for?" Yasuka wondered.

"I, uh, I don't know- sorry! Shit, sorry for saying sorry!" Sakurai bowed in front of them again.

"Whatever, I'm going," she declared, "Just don't you dare tell anyone about this, Sakurai."

Yasuka secured a grip on Aomine's arm, the other hand reaching for the door handle.

"Hey, where-?" he began to growl.

"Satsuki still wants to talk to you." Yasuka reminded.

"Well, I can find her on my own."

"Oh, shut up, I'm not an idiot. Unlike you…"

Their argument echoed in the bathroom, a lingering memory of which was only one witness to. Sakurai had remained too stunned to speak, staring at the closing door for a while after they left. It almost made him smile to hear them still quarrelling from the hall.

Outside, free from the smell of toilet, Yasuka took a deep breath of clean air. She paused by the window opposite, leaning against the frame. Despite the passing time, the rain had continued to pour down.

"You know," she said, as Aomine wandered over, "It's your fault that I keep acting like this. I do have a reputation to preserve."

"Would it really be so bad if people knew that you were really a moody brat?" he argued in turn.

"Yes." Yasuka said it as if it were definite, as though she had evidence. "No one would like me otherwise."

Aomine scoffed at her. "Well I know the real you, and-"

She turned to him abruptly. "And what?" she inquired, green eyes narrowing.

"And," Aomine had to look away as he admitted this. It wasn't from the shame, although the feeling had that same, stomach-twisting effect.

It was strange, coming from him. "I guess…I like you."


Ah development. This was one of my favourite chapters to write.

Thanks for reading and as always, reviews are welcome :)

Next chapter: it is not unsual for Aomine to play basketball just as it isn't for them to argue. Satsuki's imagination is probably not that far from the truth. Yasuka would never admit it, but it's equally as hard to deny.