Because 2 Guests kindly left me reviews, here are my replies:
(Review received on 7th June 2014)
I'm glad you like Rokuro's character. I actually find her quite a lovable person myself. She has a lot of quirks, but that's what makes her interesting. Her relationship with Kuroko will also be further defined and developed as the story progresses, so please look forward to it! Thank you very much for the review!
(Review received on 22nd June 2014)
Thank you so much for your review! Please feel free to get in touch with those questions- I'll be happy to answer them! As for her meeting Imayo shi, I can't say that I haven't thought of it! ;D
Warning: There is some potentially objectionable content present in this chapter.
It's the first time I've had to put up one of these warnings, but I suppose I'm doing it to be safe. Nothing graphic of course, and well within the realm of the Teen rating- I hope...
Thanks to all those who reviewed, favourited and alerted! It's great to see so many people read my work!
By the way, just saying, this is my longest chapter yet. It seems that the more I post, the longer the chapters get...
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke isn't mine. Hachiouji Rokuro and any other of my own characters are though.
Kise grinned, wiggling his fingers cheerfully at a gaggle of gushing fans as he passed them.
He was in a notably good mood right now.
The magic show that his class had been scheduled to put on earlier in the day had gone by without a hitch. He wasn't surprised. As Midorimacchi would say, the show was fated to become successful from the start; His skill in replicating kinaesthetic movement made something like performing magic seem like child's play.
All he really had to do was watch a few online tutorials and get some tips from Kurokocchi, and voila! Instant magic!
The blond had no qualms about admitting that he was born and bred to stand on stage; he was good at his part-time job for a reason.
The first year paused to look down at his watch.
"Well, I suppose I could drop by Hachiouji-senpai's for a bit…" He considered carefully. Truthfully speaking, the second year Kaijou manager was the most entertaining person to be around right now. Not to mention the wild rumours currently running rampant throughout the entire school; it would seem that Class 2-A was doing a Maid café of all things. A detail that Hachiouji-senpai had conveniently left out in their last conversation.
'Besides, I think Kasamatsu-senpai would kill me if I showed up at his class anyway.' The blond had the foresight to consider, having glimpsed the group of stalkers currently trailing after him. He wasn't bothered by them in the slightest of course (It was an occupational hazard he had long since learned to accept, really), but he knew for a fact that his gynophobic captain wouldn't appreciate the sudden influx of giggly girls.
His smile widened automatically when he passed yet another group of his fans. There were more of them than usual with the Kaijou Cultural Festival entering full swing.
Kise took the opportunity to cast his amber eyes around: It truly was an interesting sight to behold, with throngs of students, families and friends alike flooded throughout the entire school. As a prestigious private institution, it was mandatory for one to gain entry to the festival through an invitation, thus keeping the entire event semi-private. That certainly didn't stop the massive flocks of people from trickling through their gates though.
'Speaking of which, I hope they're not going too crazy around here…' Kise thought in concern, keeping a cautious eye out for his two flamboyant older sisters. He dearly hoped that they weren't somewhere in a corner terrorising some poor high schoolers…
"Damn it Satsuki! This place is too damn crowded!"
Kise jolted at the sudden shout, recognising that deep baritone almost instantly. He turned to see a pair of people he never thought he'd ever see here at his high school.
'W-What are they doing here?!' Kise wondered in shock, his jaw unhinging in disbelief.
"Stop complaining, Dai-cha- I mean, Aomine-kun!" Momoi rebuked sternly, her slender brows furrowed in annoyance as she craned her head up to glare at her childhood friend. "You're the one who wanted to come, you know!"
"Hah?! Since when?!" The tall navy haired male was in his usual abrasive mood, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans with an irritated grumble, "There's no way I'd want to come to such a troublesome place." In emphasis of his point, the Touou student scanned his surroundings, his expression souring further at the stuffy crowd.
"You wanted me to find her, didn't you?!" The petite pink haired girl snapped, finally having had it with her idiot of a friend. "It wasn't easy getting these invitations! Not when you wanted to keep this whole operation 'private'!" The former manager made sarcastic quotation marks with her fingers, thoroughly unimpressed by the tanned male's attitude. "You're lucky that Sakurai-kun managed to get us tickets off of his cousin! For your information, they're extremely hard to come by!"
All Aomine did was roll his eyes with a derisive snort.
Said pink haired girl huffed in annoyance, puffing her cheeks and giving Aomine a light whack on the shoulder for his disregard towards her efforts.
"Ugh! This entire situation would've been so much easier if you'd just allowed me to call Ki-chan!" She whined.
Kise took a moment to grimace at the nickname before perking up in interest at her actual statement. Now that was interesting...
Aomine turned to glare at her.
"Satsuki, teme! I told you that that idiot can't keep his damn mouth shut! And come to think of it, you can't either!"
'Ah, this looks kinda bad...' Kise noted, witnessing Momoi literally snarl at her childhood friend, her hackles raised. He readied himself to step in. It wasn't often, considering that he'd just end up becoming the ultimate victim, but none of their friends (namely Akashi) were around to stop the inevitable chaos that was one of Aomine and Momoi's explosive arguments.
"Aominecchi! Momoicchi!"
As if burned, the two Touou students jumped, whirling around to stare at him as he approached with wide saucer-like eyes.
"Ki-chan!" Momoi greeted cheerfully, bouncing forward to greet the tall Kaijou Ace with a bright smile, being the first of the two to recover. "Aomine-kun and I were just talking about you!"
"No we were not! Shut it Satsuki!"
"Momoicchi, please stop calling me that." Kise whined out of habit, ignoring Aomine for the moment. "What are you two doing here anyway?" He inquired curiously.
"It's none of your business, idio-! Ack-! " Aomine emitted an airless wheeze, courtesy of the hard elbow currently embedded in his ribs.
"Nothing much really, we're just here for a visit!" Momoi interjected cheerily, before sending the navy haired male a dark look. "Don't be so rude, Aomine-kun." She hissed, "We're guests here after all!"
"-cough- D-Damn it, Satsuki! I'll kill you-!" Aomine spat, still sounding a little out of breath- The girl could hit hard, damn it!
Kise couldn't help but grin fondly, lacing his fingers behind his head as he watched the two slip into yet another one of their squabbles.
'Well, these two certainly haven't changed…'
"…Uh, not to sound rude or anything, but why are the two of you still following me?" Kise finally caved, coming to a stop. He pivoted around to regard his wayward companions curiously, honestly a little uncomfortable by their uncharacteristic silence.
The pair had been following him around wordlessly for the past few minutes, with Momoi's merry humming being the only thing to fill the awkward atmosphere.
It was quite frankly, downright creepy.
Hearing his question, Momoi gave the blond a wide-eyed 'kicked puppy look', appearing rather surprised. "Eh?! We can't…?"
"Well, not really." Kise paused, casting an inquiring gaze at his former manager. "It's just, don't you two have somewhere to be?" He queried.
They sure as hell weren't at Kaijou for him, as Aomine had so viciously insisted a few moments prior.
"Well, yes. That's true." Momoi conceded slowly with a blink, before grinning happily.
"But, I must say, Ki-chan! Your school is really huuuuge~!" The pink haired girl cooed, tilting her head to the side as she observed the vast area. Her unreserved statement caused some of the males in their vicinity to blush, unsavoury thoughts running through their minds.
"Please stop that Momoicchi, it's weird…" Kise responded instantly, a bead of sweat trickling down his face as he looked at the coy pink haired manager. Having much experience in dealing with girls, he wasn't quite as affected by her random use of disturbing innuendo.
From beside her, Aomine gave his childhood friend a look of poorly concealed disgust.
"So, what are you doing right now, Ki-chan?"
Kise cringed once more. He really didn't like that nickname. It was... awful.
"Uh, I'm going to visit a senpai's class." He answered uneasily, still confused as to why his two middle schoolmates were still, well, there. "Apparently they're doing a café."
"Oh, can we come along?"
Rounding a corner, Kise shrugged nonchalantly. He saw nothing wrong with it. "I don't see why not…" He trailed off when his eyes landed on the entrance of class 2-A, noting the long line that had built up outside it.
'Oh, wow.'
The line of people was winding in loops like a coiled snake, going as far as to take up the entirety of the hallway. There was even a hastily done signboard, which projected a waiting time of well over 45 minutes.
"Oh! They're real popular aren't they?" Momoi piped up with the obvious, peering from behind him with doe-like rose coloured eyes. Their prospects of gaining entry didn't look very good at the moment...
Kise eyed the girl briefly, before stepping forward with a decisive smirk.
"Eh, Ki-chan! Where are you going?"
Kise grinned down at the carnation haired girl, jerking his thumb at the crowd.
"In." was his short reply, before he bravely slipped into the mass of jostling people, his confidence practically oozing from his perfectly sized pores.
The two Touou students watched in avid fascination as a wild chorus of excited squeals and shouts erupted from the crowd, nearly deafening them with their thunderous volume, bodies parting for him like the Red Sea.
It really was quite hard to remember the sheer extent of Kise's influence over the general populace, considering the way he acted most of the time.
Rolling his deep cobalt eyes at the scene, Aomine scoffed.
"Tch. Bastard."
"Here you go, Kise-kun. There's a table right here!"
Kise smiled, following after the petite brown haired girl dressed in a traditional French Maid uniform as she ushered him towards an empty table. Her face was a brilliant red, much to his growing amusement.
She nearly tripped when the blond nodded back at her, causing him to stifle a laugh.
"Thanks senpai!" The first year flashed a blinding grin. He had gotten a table relatively quickly, much to his joy and relief. It was one of the perks of being a popular teen model, thankfully.
Sakurai Sae swooned.
'I wonder if I can get Hachiouji-san and Kise-kun in a picture together…' She hazily wondered, easily visualising such a lovely sight. The thought of two beautiful people together in a single photograph was enough to send her into a pile of mush.
Oh, she would definitely preserve such a treasure with her life!
Kise swallowed yet another laugh as the odd girl wobbled away, a dreamy expression on her face.
"Domo, Kise-kun."
"GYAAAH!"
Holding a hand to his heart, the blond whirled around, his saffron eyes widening to stare at the source of his scare in disbelief.
"K-KUROKOCCHI?!"
Kuroko nodded in greeting from his seat at the supposedly unoccupied table. He was dressed in a casual ensemble of black jeans, a graphic t-shirt and a light hooded jacket with dark grey sneaker boots.
"W-What are you doing here?!" Kise questioned, leaning forward in a mixture of shock and awe. The shorter boy was unusually well dressed today, forgoing his usual plain shirt and shorts.
'Is there a Teiko gathering I don't know about?!' His mind went on a tangent. He wouldn't put it past them to not inform him of such, sadly.
"Roku-nee invited me." The Phantom Sixth Man answered in explanation.
"TETSU-KUUUUUN!"
Like a whirlwind, Kuroko was swept up into a crushing embrace, practically squished up against an enthusiastic Momoi's expansive bosom. Kise winced in sympathy at the sight. However, he made no move to assist his distressed looking friend.
He didn't look very distressed anyway, now that he considered it. Seriously, what a blank face...
"What're you doing here, Tetsu-kun? Did Ki-chan invite you? Oh wow! How wonderful! You're dressed so cool today! What's the occasion?" The pink haired girl fired quickly, chattering up a storm. She slowed down when an epiphany struck her, stepping back to give the mute boy some much needed space (and air).
"M-Momoi-san..." Kuroko greeted her with a small cough, struggling to compose himself; not that she noticed...
"-I-yan~! Don't tell me! Tetsu-kun, are you here to see me~?" Her pale cheeks flushed adoringly, matching her lovely hair.
"Like hell, Satsuki. He probably didn't even know we were coming."
Kuroko felt all movement come to a halt.
Quickly, his aqua coloured eyes swerved, coming to rest on a person he hadn't seen in months. He noticed that the navy haired male before him stood even taller now, beating Kise by a few centimetres in height.
'That's not all though...' He realised, a heavy feeling settling in his stomach.
Kuroko was if anything a master of observation. It was one of the few talents he held great pride in, in fact. As such, he couldn't bring himself to miss the discomfiting changes in his former teammate- his friend.
The hints were everywhere, drawing his attention in like glaring red lights; that indolent posture, the hints of a frown etched almost permanently upon his tanned face, that unmotivated, sarcastic drawl and those eyes- He could never forget those dead looking eyes.
Kuroko stifled a shudder. He had expected to see such drastic changes in his old friend, prepared himself even. However...
"Yo, long time no see, Tetsu."
"…Aomine-kun."
...It didn't make the entire situation less disheartening.
"So, what brings you here?" Aomine drawled, a cocky smirk on his lips as he walked up to his former teammate's table.
Kuroko remained expressionless, at loss for words; the sudden appearance of the Touou Ace had thrown him for the proverbial loop.
"...He was pathetic you know."
All eyes drew towards Aomine as he spoke. Kuroko furrowed his brows, suddenly having an inkling as to what, or rather who, the navy haired male was referring to.
At the thought of that lame loser, Aomine's expression darkened, his eyes taking on that frightening soulless stare that sent shivers down their spines. Momoi tensed, biting her lip nervously as she fidgeted in her seat. She hated it when Dai-chan got like this...
"The fact that this idiot," The tanned male jutted his thumb at Kise in a condescending manner, a cold arrogant smirk on his lips, "and even Midorima, lost to the both of you is downright laughable."
Immediately, both Kuroko and Kise frowned, insulted by the Touou Ace's implications.
"Now wait just a minute, Aominecchi!" The blond cut in, considerably annoyed. He leaned his body forward, ready to give the other male a piece of his mind. Although their time of acquaintance had been short, Kagami was now considered a friend to Kise and an important rival. It was unthinkable to have Aomine insult him, and subsequently all of them, with his callous statement.
Unexpectedly, the potentially explosive conversation was brought to a halt by a new presence.
"Saa, it appears that this table is far more crowded than before."
Instantly, all eyes were drawn to the source of that smooth, sultry voice- some a little irritated (mainly Aomine and Kise, who were ready to launch into a fistfight at this point) at the sudden interruption.
"H-Hachiouji-senpai?!" Kise exclaimed, golden eyes widened to the size of saucers, his jaw dropping unabashedly. From beside him, Aomine gave a low whistle of appreciation.
Like most of her fellow female classmates, the tall, fair skinned second year was dressed in a French Maid uniform, which consisted of a black, button up lace dress with off-the-shoulder sleeves, a white black-drawstring corset, and a frilly white apron tied around her waist. The whole ensemble was topped by an ornate white hair band.
However, there were very drastic differences.
Due to Hachiouji's domineering height, her costume required certain modifications in order for it to fit her svelte but much taller frame.
As a result, she was wearing an addition of white-laced black garter-belts, thigh high translucent stockings and a pair of patent leather pumps. The dress also appeared much shorter on her (and all the more scandalous) compared to that of her other female classmates, revealing her long lovely legs and hints of teasing cleavage. Her silky champagne blond hair was pulled into a low tail, exposing some of her smooth cream coloured neck.
'T-That's way too erotic!' Kise inwardly exclaimed, feeling the blood pool in his cheeks as he continued to ogle the older girl. He wasn't the only one, with many of the males in the room following his example.
Kuroko cleared his throat sharply, effectively snapping his two ex-teammates out of their reverie.
Hachiouji tilted her head, directing a genial smile of acknowledgement at her childhood friend before turning to survey the new occupants of the table.
They flinched when her eyes opened to reveal a pair of vibrant vermillion orbs.
"My, my, isn't this a large surprise?" She intoned lowly, pools of wine red once more clashing with expressive midnight blue.
Aomine smirked in response, rather enthralled. He certainly did not expect such a welcome development, that was for sure.
"Heh. Likewise."
Tetsuya was feeling a little apprehensive of the strange atmosphere that had befallen him and his friends upon Rokuro's sudden appearance. Well more specifically, Aomine-kun's strange and suspiciously familiar reaction to her.
The tall girl did not linger long. She had been quick to jot down their orders and leave after a few short introductions, a slight emergency in the kitchen calling her attention away.
"Psst. Dai-cha- I mean, Aomine-kun. Was that her?" Momoi whispered not-so-discretely, her amaranth eyes shining with excitement as she continued to stare after the retreating form of the tall girl. Like Kuroko, she too had not failed to notice Aomine's odd interaction with their temporary server.
It was strange, seeing him so riled. Momoi had imagined her childhood friend's mystery girl to be just slightly over the average height measurement, not such an extreme outlier. She didn't really fit Aomine's ideal type either: Her build was slender and athletic, far from the soft exaggerated curves of a Gravure idol. Not to mention, she didn't have an overly large bust- A feature that the perverted idiot swears by, much to her shame.
That didn't mean that the older girl wasn't attractive. But, it did mean that her appearance was not of the traditional sort that was favoured by Japanese culture: cute and petite, like Momoi- She wasn't being narcissistic, it was simply proven fact.
"Shut up, idiot." Aomine hissed back heatedly, her question snapping him out of his self-induced daze.
"Wow! This is pretty good!"
The two childhood friends turned to stare at a joyful looking Kise, finally noticing that their orders had arrived.
Momoi raised a brow at the blond. Ki-chan had ordered a Vanilla bean Crème Brulee, the cute white ramekin it was served in complementing the dessert perfectly.
Kuroko hummed quietly in agreement from the seat over, happily indulging in one of his own desserts. He had ordered an Oeufs a la neige, also known as a Snow Egg, a dessert composed of smooth creamy vanilla custard served with fresh warmed raspberries, toasted almond flakes and crumbly meringue.
"These desserts are made by Roku-nee." The pale skinned boy observed in recognition. There was an unusual pink hue emanating from him, the magic effect of Vanilla no doubt.
"Eh?!" Kise nearly dropped his spoon, "You mean Hachiouji-senpai?!"
"Hai. I suppose she was assigned to make the desserts for today." Kuroko concluded mid-bite, ignoring Kise's stupefaction. He still had some choux crème and a large vanilla shake set aside, much to the astonishment of his friends.
Kuroko resisted the urge to quirk his lips in nostalgia. Growing up with Rokuro had made him an expert in identifying her handiwork.
Few knew that Rokuro's special talent was making pastries and sweets. Those who did though, knew that it was rare of her to bake with vanilla. She always made strawberry types, being the complete Strawberry Nut that she was.
'In hindsight, it's probably for the better.' Kuroko concluded forlornly. There were potential dangers that came with living right next to a vanilla dessert genius, if he said so himself.
For one, he'd probably never leave her house.
"Hmm. Only the desserts?" Kise inquired curiously, not missing Kuroko's exclusion. He inspected Momoi's vanilla sauce pasta in contemplation- The dish itself looked good. It was fettuccini in a white vanilla cream sauce, and appeared very appetising.
"Yes. I'm certain that the savoury menu was made by someone else." Tetsuya stated with conviction. He averted his eyes to the side, attempting to word his statement as politely as he could, "...Roku-nee...isn't very good at making savoury dishes." He provided solemnly, causing his blond friend to sweatdrop.
'I guess knowing one normal girl with decent culinary skills is a little too much to ask for.' Kise blandly conceded to Kuroko's point, spooning another mouthful of his little snack. It was hard to forget the older girl's special "Strawberry Okonomiyaki".
...Just the thought of it had him gagging.
Momoi and Aomine stared at the two conversing boys, completely baffled by the familiar way in which they were conversing about her.
'W-Wait, what's this woman's relationship to Tetsu-kun?!' Momoi wondered, momentarily slipping into a 'bout of panic. She was quickly overtaken by worry and unease- For someone to recognise the others cooking through taste alone meant that they had a special relationship, didn't it?!
"Oi Tetsu, you know that chick?"
Kuroko gave the Touou ace a cursory look of disapproval before responding.
"Yes. Like Momoi-san is to you, Roku-nee is my childhood friend." He answered. Kise turned his attention towards the two in search of a reaction. He was surprised that they hadn't behaved the way he did back at the Okonomiyaki place.
Then again, Momoicchi looked about ready to faint.
Aomine took a minute to absorb his statement, strangely calm.
"…Huh. Never knew you had someone like that."
The navy haired male did a good job of downplaying his shock. It was hard to imagine Tetsuya having any friends outside of the Generation of Miracles, let alone one that he'd supposedly known for his entire life. It was a fair assumption. Tetsu's overall lack of presence as an individual made it hard for anyone to imagine him having an extensive social life.
'Still, why haven't I met her before?' Aomine briefly wondered. Aside from that first eventful meeting at the park, he couldn't recall ever seeing her around.
"I suppose the matter can be chalked up to coincidence, or rather the lack of it." Kuroko explained, easily reading the taller boy's thoughts. Aomine resisted the urge to recoil at his sudden display of psychic powers. "She's a year older than me and she also attended a different middle school after we graduated from grade school, so we've had differing schedules for the last few years. But," The Celeste haired male paused, a strange expression overtaking his face. It was one Aomine couldn't recall ever seeing before. "I can't deny that she is still someone very important to me in spite of that."
At this point, Momoi was looking very much like the world had just ended, or someone had viciously stomped on a kitten's face right in front of her- whichever was worse. Her face was dramatically pale and she was looking a little worse for wear at this new development.
Was… Was Tetsu-kun in love with her!?
Aomine gave the pink haired manager a light nudge, growing concerned by the wild look in her eyes, "…Oi, Satsuki?"
"NOOOOOO! TETSU-KUN IS MINE!" Momoi suddenly wailed, throwing herself at her long time crush with all the enthusiasm of a raging elephant, nearly knocking their table over. The two men beside her jumped, Kise shooting his hand out to prevent his dessert from meeting an early death.
"M-Momoicchi?!"
"Nononononono! Tetsu-kun is MIIIIINEEEE! I won't let anyone take you away from meeee!" She continued her incessant crying, smashing her victim to her chest in a surprising display of strength.
"No one said anything about taking Tetsu away, dumbass! Now let go of him before you suffocate him to death!"
"…M-Momoi-sa-…" Kuroko managed to choke out, gently attempting to pry her arms away, but to no avail.
'…Someone…help me…'
"OI SATSUKI! YOU'RE GONNA KILL HIM, OI!"
A soft mewl left her glistening lips as he left a warm wet trail upon her slender neck with his talented tongue. His teeth scraped teasingly against the tender flesh, causing her to groan, the sound long and thick with desire. Her obvious arousal, willing or not, was music to his ears. He allowed an appeased hum, the sound reverberating low in his throat. The sensations he stirred within her were threatening to spill over, liquifying her insides and setting them ablaze at the same time. She was close to losing what semblance of sanity she had left, completely intoxicated by his scent. His hands were doing wonders, completely exposing her with indulgent ease.
This man was her unraveling. Hooded eyes shadowed and unfocused, she clawed at the silken sheets beneath her with unbridled desperation, a film of sweat coating her flawless pearlescent skin.
"P-Please," she panted, her once regal countenance losing all dignity, stripped bare. She was reaching her brink, her tongue darting out to moisten her luscious lips with a deep throated swallow."Please...Don't stop."
He released an amused huff in reaction to her plea, his dexterous fingers leaving a trail of fire down her abdomen as they dipped further and further dow-
"You really don't have a single ounce of shame, do you Hachiouji?"
Rokuro looked up from her novel, raising a brow at the unusual arrival standing before her. She certainly had not expected an interruption. The corridor she had chosen to slack off in was pretty secluded after all.
The second year plastered on her usual close-eyed smile, her posture straightening as she held the novel in question up with a single hand. "Well, the fact that you can identify this at first glance makes you quite the hypocrite, you realise."
"A-AS IF! THE TITLE ITSELF IS HIGHLY QUESTIONABLE! THE DAMN BOOK IS CALLED 'MIDNIGHT TRYST' FOR GOD'S SAKE!"
The sandy haired girl shrugged nonchalantly, for once not in the mood to entertain herself with another person's perturbation. She loosened her silk tie, happy that she was out of that maid uniform- The heels made her look way too tall for her taste. "So, what brings you here, senpai?"
"Cut the damn honorifics! I refuse to be called 'senpai' by the likes of you!"
"If you insist." Rokuro responded flippantly, not really caring either way. She allowed her smile to slip off her face, her eyes opening to stare at the shorter bespectacled girl standing in front of her humourlessly. "What may I do for you, Araki-san?" [1]
Araki took a threatening step forward, growling low in her throat. She did well to hide her unease at the sudden appearance of those intimidating scarlet eyes.
"Stop acting dumb. You know why I'm here." The raven haired girl retorted, her dark eyes narrowed behind silver frames.
"…I may have an idea." Rokuro admitted, crossing her arms over her chest casually. She leaned up against the wall behind her, painting a rather daunting image. "On the other hand, it is considered rather rude to make assumptions. So please, feel free to enlighten me."
Clearing her throat uneasily, the third year averted her eyes, attempting to maintain some semblance of her usual composure.
"W-We…" Araki hesitated, causing Rokuro to raise a brow. The tall second year was admittedly, deriving a sick sense of entertainment from the other girl's discomfort- It was a bad habit of hers actually.
Gathering a breath, the third year stated firmly, "We need you back."
A pause.
"…I see." Rokuro supplied shortly, expression unreadable. A tense silence engulfed them, one that sent Araki squirming in a mixture of agitation and displeasure.
"W-Well?!" The raven haired girl demanded hotly, clenching her jaw in sheer humiliation. She was disgusted at herself for even standing there.
Rokuro smiled gently in response, tilting her head to the side, appearing almost understanding. Araki allowed herself to relax, realising that this conversation could go smoothly after all. 'Maybe she's changed.'
"Good. You seem to understand." The dark haired girl bopped her head resolutely, quickly slipping into her vice-captain persona. She adjusted her glasses in a meticulous manner. "You can return to practice tomorrow after issuing a formal apology to the entire team. Remember that we did not take your previous behaviour lightly, and that you will be expected to comply wit-"
"Correct me if I am wrong," Rokuro cut her off with a candid air, causing the third year to tense up again once more, "but my, the team must really be in quite a state."
Araki glared fiercely, digging her blunt nails into the palms of her hands. She was no fool- she knew where the younger female was going with this.
The third year wouldn't put it past her: Hachiouji Rokuro was cruel at her best, and utterly deplorable at her worst. It was the reason she had been so agitated to approach the tall girl in the first place.
'Calm down, Kanae. This is for Niki.' She tried to convince herself.
"...What are you trying to say, Hachiouji?"
"Oh, nothing much really. I mean, who would dare imagine?" Rokuro mocked with a baleful chuckle, placing a hand to her hip in a cocky manner. Araki bristled indignantly. "The great Araki Kanae-san, vice-captain of the Kaijou Women's Basketball Team and current President of the student council, actually crawling all the way here to grovel…" She pinned her former vice-captain with an intent gaze, her Carmine orbs glittering scornfully.
"Tell me," The tall second year commanded, her silky voice dipping low and dangerous, "whatever happened to your esteemed pride?"
"Y-YOU FUCKING BITCH-!" Araki raised her arm, ready to take a powerful swing at the tall girl's cheek, only for it to be caught in a vice-like grip.
"Oh dear," The sandy haired girl intoned callously, completely unfazed by the sudden display of violence. She lowered the older girl's hand with a malicious smirk, "You should know that such savagery is highly frowned upon, Araki-san."
Red eyes scanned the aforementioned limb in boredom, giving it a light but firm squeeze.
"Saa, what would your dear captain say?"
"DON'T YOU BRING HER INTO THI-"
Araki's shout was interrupted by Rokuro carelessly flinging her hand aside, the force behind the motion nearly causing the smaller girl to stumble.
"Y-YOU-!"
Righting herself, Araki glowered venomously, her form visibly trembling with unadulterated rage. "You're utterly pathetic!" She spat, her face scrunched in disgust. "Abandoning the team at the height of our career is something only worthless cowards do!"
Taking a measured step forward, Rokuro leaned down to leer at the raven haired vice-captain, her vermillion orbs narrowed dangerously.
"You can whine all you want, Araki-san." The sandy blond murmured, "But I don't remember committing my very existence to your pitiful club. If you desire that championship so much then please, by all means, win it by yourself."
Rokuro slowly backed away, glancing out the hall window to get a semblance of the time. She pondered Tetsuya's whereabouts, feeling mildly concerned despite the fact that he was with his friends- He was her personal guest after all.
Perhaps it was about time she went looking for him?
"It would be awfully rude of me to leave him unattended." She mused to herself, arriving at a decision. She peered at Araki, giving her an unnerving smile.
"If you'll excuse me, senpai."
She pivoted on her heel to leave, abandoning a livid and shocked looking third year in her wake.
"GET BACK HERE! I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU YET!"
Rokuro ignored her, walking away without a single glance back.
"HACHIOUJI ROKURO!"
"HACHIOUJI-SENPAAAAAI!"
Rokuro stopped, raising a brow when she spotted the literal embodiment of sunshine and daisies waving enthusiastically at her from amidst the crowd. She hadn't needed to look too far for them it seems. She steadily approached them, humming in amusement as Kise continued to wave and gesture wildly for her to "hurry up".
'My, he really sparkles.'
"Lower your damn voice idiot! You're embarrassing us!"
"Eh?! But Aominecchi-!"
"I apologise. They're rowdy aren't they?" Rokuro heard from behind her. She managed to refrain from jolting in surprise, easily recognising the even voice of her childhood friend.
"Tet-chan." She greeted affectionately with a genuine smile, running her fingers through his hair out of habit. "You weren't with your friends?"
Turning away from her to stare at his embarrassing companions- Aomine was whacking Kise on the head with Momoi's cotton candy to shut the noisy blond up- Kuroko stated plainly, "I went to look for you."
"I see."
"Ah! So Kurokocchi was with you! He went off on his own earlier so we were really worried!" The blond abruptly proclaimed, recovering from the shock of getting candy floss in his hair quickly enough, much to Aomine's displeasure. The Kaijou Ace moved closer towards the newly arrived pair, pointing at Kuroko almost reproachfully. "You shouldn't walk off without saying anything, Kurokocchi!"
"I'm not a child, Kise-kun."
Kise laughed nervously, having caught on to said teen's irked aura. He'd broached a sensitive topic with that one...
"You guys seemed to have enjoyed yourselves so far." Hachiouji observed. Momoi was currently screaming at Aomine for the loss of her cotton candy while the male attempted to ward her off, shooting accusing glares at Kise all the way.
Said blond obliviously shrugged, "I suppose- Ack! Aominecchi! Not the face!"
"Tch, missed- Shut up fool, it was an accident." the navy haired male countered, lazily dodging Momoi's vicious swipes. He was wholly unapologetic about nearly elbowing the teen model right in the nose.
"Hey! I heard that-! GYAH! AOMINECCHI, DUCK!"
"HOLY SHIT!"
Slice!
"UWAAH! JUST WHAT ARE YOU DOING,MOMOICCHI?!"
"Damn it, Satsuki! You could have killed me!"
Momoi glared, brandishing a few dango skewers in her hand like senbon. She was obviously still mad about her ruined snack.
Rokuro snickered at the scene. She noticed Kuroko lift a hand to cover his eyes with an inaudible groan, exasperated.
God, they were entertaining.
"I must disagree with you there, Aomine-kun."
'…This cannot be happening.'
"Eh, why?! How can you not like it?! It's the best summer collection she's ever released!"
'...This really cannot be happening.'
"You should take into account the appeal of sensual winter wear. Being covered yet leaving nothing to the imagination is a far more sophisticated style for the likes of Mai-san."
"No way! Trust me, those collections don't show enough! It's all about the boobs! Mai-chan's charm point is her boobs!"
'FIRST OF ALL, THERE'S NOTHING SOPHISTICATED ABOUT GRAVURE IDOLS! AND SECONDLY, WHY THE HELL ARE THE BOTH OF YOU HAVING THIS DISCUSSION IN THE FIRST PLACE!?" Kise inwardly shouted, staring at the pair with wild frantic eyes as they casually proceeded with their conversation. It was the freakiest thing- hearing them debate about a random lady's boobs like they were talking about the weather. Didn't they have any sort of decency?!
He looked to the remaining people of his group for support, only to realise that Momoi had dragged Kuroko off to look at a craft stand nearby.
"Ugh, I'm starting to feel like the fifth wheel." He whined to himself, glancing between the two pairs unhappily.
"You're surprisingly prudish, Kirara-kun." Rokuro hummed, causing the blond to break out into a series of coughs. He stared at her after he recovered, incredulity rolling off of him in waves.
"W-What?! Just-! Argh! Please stop reading my mind senpai! That's really creepy! And also, my name is Kise!"
'Kasamatsu-senpai is right, she seriously isn't a girl! There's not one shred of delicacy in her body, not one at all!'
Rokuro pouted, a little affronted by his thoughts. They were clearly broadcasted all over his face. "How rude. You can't expect a healthy teenage girl like me to not be interested in sex, do you?"
Aomine swallowed before turning away. For some reason, the idea of a girl having such an...'open' interest in that sort of thing was rather appealing. Seriously, imagine his surprise when the tall girl easily identified his Horikata Mai cell phone wallpaper at a glance, even noting which collection the photo was from.
It was a jarring experience.
"S-Senpai, don't tell me that y-you're like that?!" Kise asked, strangely blunt despite his obvious stuttering. The blond had really jumped to some hasty conclusions there.
There was a pause before the sandy blond haired girl reacted, a coy smile stretching her pink tinged lips.
"…Oh?"
Smoothly, she approached the first year, peering at him through her lashes. Kise tensed nervously when she leaned in dangerously close, causing his breath to stall quite readily in his lungs. Dragging a slender finger down the tall male's muscled chest in a teasing manner, she breathed out through parted lips, cool air caressing his skin almost lovingly.
"Like what exactly…?" She murmured, her dulcet tones sending his pulse racing.
Aomine gaped at the sudden turn of events, mouth open like a fish.
Dear lord...
"U-Uh… Well…" For once, the blond model was speechless in front of a girl. He swore that his heart would jump out of his throat any second, or he'd just regurgitate it or something- Now wasn't that a morbid thought? He mentally prayed that she'd back off, lest his brain go into complete meltdown.
Did all girls secretly act this way? Or was it just her?!
Abruptly, Rokuro slunk back, chuckles reverberating her form as she took in the two males and their stunned countenances. Really, teasing them was so amusing.
"If you're asking if I'm of the homosexual persuasion, then my answer is no." She answered with a smirk and a delicate tilt of her head. "Trust me when I say, Kise-kun," Her voice melted into alluring velvet, "I very much like boys."
'Don't I believe it.' Aomine found himself thinking, neck-deep in complete stupor.
The blond swallowed thickly, unable to take his eyes off of her. He was too stunned to realise that for once, she had correctly said his name.
"Hachi-chaaaaaan~!"
The awkward silence was broken by a distant call of her name. Quirking a brow, Rokuro watched idly as Moriyama and a reluctant looking Kasamatsu arrived from a few paces away.
'...How does Moriyama-senpai find me all the time?' She wondered, watching the male wave enthusiastically at her like a three year old out on a field trip. The flirtatious third year had a knack for tracking people when they didn't want to be found. Not that she was avoiding him or anything. But, it was beginning to worry her how well he could play 'Find the Manager'.
'Well, I suppose I can live with it; so long as Kasamatsu-senpai doesn't use him to hound me while I'm slacking off.'
"Guess what! Guess what!" Moriyama approached her with a zealous bounce to his step, causing Kasamatsu to sigh heavily with a roll of his steel blue eyes.
The younger teens currently accompanying her observed the hyperactive third year and his chaperone with varying degrees of interest.
"Oh yeah, wait- First order of business." Moriyama stopped, bringing his fist to his mouth before clearing his throat. "Did you see any cute girls today? They seem to like you, so make sure you get their numbers for me, yeah?" He ordered seriously, waving a finger at her in a business-like fashion. "Since you're a girl too, they'll trust you. Just tell them that they'll find happiness if they do."
'THAT SOUNDS LIKE ONE OF THOSE FREAKIN' SCAMS, OI!'
"I hope you know how bloody creepy you sound." Kasamatsu commented, feeling genuinely disturbed by his friend.
"That's not true! This is called effective collaboration, Kasamatsu!" Moriyama insisted, before waving the Kaijou captain off. "Bah, you wouldn't understand!"
Rokuro resisted the urge to bring her palm to her forehead in aggravation. Instead, she settled for a strained smile.
The Kaijou shooting guard was simply a joy to interact with. Really.
"Anyway, you won't believe what I just did, Hachi-chan!" He cheered joyfully, unable to stand still in one place. He was hopping from one foot to another in a spasmodic manner, reminding her of an overly excitable rabbit on crack. "C'mon! Guess! Guess! Guess!"
Guh. It was excruciatingly hard to tell just who was older sometimes…
With a flourish, the raven haired male whipped out a piece of fluttering paper, shoving it in the crimson eyed girl's face with a devious, shit-eating grin. Rokuro stared at it, unsure what to make of the crumpled stationery due to his irritatingly excessive movements.
"I signed us up for the Mixed Basketball Tournament!" He declared, obviously quite proud of himself.
All movement ceased.
"…"
"…"
"…What?"
[1] Araki Kanae (荒木 愛恵) Vice-captain of the Kaijou Women's Basketball Team. Kudos to whoever identifies who she's related to. Hint: Her last name.
Author's Note: Aha! Rokuro is in a real bind now! Things will be heating up in the next chapter- Moriyama is more cunning than we thought! Also, now we know what sort of genres Rokuro reads... Haha! I've been hinting that her hobby was reading since a while back. Hopefully you've all noticed...
Sadly, there's no Q&A section this time 'round. Nobody wanted to ask any questions I suppose. Though, I can't decide if that's a good or bad thing. Would you guys like it if I posted random facts about the story and the characters (like Rokuro) in the form of the Q&A? Just to fill the section up and allow you to gain a better understanding of them.
I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! Critique and Comments are most certainly welcome!