Periwinkle
A/N: Thank you to everyone who has continuously showed their support for Periwinkle! Please don't forget to read the A/N after the chapter, thanks.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no basket.
Chapter Ten: Yellow Water Lily
"See you in three days!"
"Likewise."
Kise waved goodbye to Kuroko, as his manager came to pick him up from the drop-off location. Kuroko bowed curtly and spun on his heels, eager to get back home. It was going to take a ten minute train ride to his neighbourhood, and then another ten to walk back home.
The others had already gone off their own ways via bus or subway. Kuroko contemplated with catching a taxi to his house, but he dismissed the thought when he realised he didn't have enough money to spare.
As he waited on the platform, he recalled the phone conversation with his mother just the night before. Fortunately, she and his father were coming back from their two-month long business trip just in time for his return.
His mind wandered off in thought as he boarded the train. The last time he had seen his parents had obviously, been a good two months. Before that, they were only home for a few weeks upon their return from a month-long business trip.
His parents worked at an internationally recognised interior and industrial designing company, where the CEO was his mother's younger brother. Namely, his uncle who loved to baby him whenever he got the chance to. Not that he really could though.
Suddenly, a yawn broke out from his mouth – breaking him from his thoughts. He hadn't noticed how tired he was. Neither had he noticed that the train had already arrived at his stop. Before the train departed again, he picked up his heavy bags and quickly scampered off.
It wasn't long, before Kuroko found himself already at the doorstep of his home. He unlocked the door with the spare key under the flower pot and walked in, taking off his shoes as he said, "I'm home."
Though, he knew nobody was home to reply to his return. His parents probably weren't going to be back until a little past dinner time.
Shaking off all thoughts, Kuroko threw his bags down, stripped off his jacket and collapsed onto his bed. Yawning for the second time that afternoon, he closed his eyes, deciding to get some rest before anything else.
o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o
By the time Kuroko had woken up, the sky had already turned dark. Groggily, he pulled himself up and glanced at his phone.
"6:32..." he murmured, yawning.
Suddenly, the house phone rang. He hadn't heard the house phone ring since almost half a year ago. Everyone relied on their mobile phones now.
"Hello, this is Kuroko speaking." he answered, as he picked up the receiver.
An unfamiliar voice replied back to him from the other line. He couldn't recognise the voice. He could however, recognise the other, frantic voices in the background.
His hands went cold and and his body froze like a statue - as he recalled something his father had once told him when he was younger.
'If a stranger calls home, hang up. Because surely, it'll be the harbinger of bad news.'
Midorima yawned, as he pushed up his glasses. It was still rather early in the morning for anyone to be up on a weekend. However, he had his oha-asa daily horoscope to watch - he couldn't possibly miss that.
"The lucky horoscope for today, is cancer! Today you'll be able to sit back and relax, like you couldn't do before! However, watch out for the flip side. Someone close to you might be feeling a bit down. Notice the subtle hints they give you and you might get closer than ever!"
Midorima glanced at the clock. It was still eight thirty in the morning.
"You're lucky item for today is a monkey strap!"
His phone had a small monkey phone charm decorating it. Either way, it was the same thing. All of a sudden, his phone started vibrating. He picked up the phone, wondering who on earth would call him at such an early hour in the morning. When he saw the caller ID, he rose a brow.
"Kuroko?"
Nonetheless, he pushed back every other thought and accepted the call.
"Hello?"
"Ah, good morning, Midorima-kun. Sorry for bothering you so early in the morning."
Midorima heaved a sigh. "It's fine. I'm already awake. What did you want?"
Kuroko seemed to hesitate. "Quite a while ago, you had a bottle of perfume as your lucky item. I was wondering if you could tell me where you obtained that."
Midorima's brow rose once again. "Mitsukoshi department store, on the third level." he paused, wondering if he should ask-
"Thank you very much, Midorima-kun. Sorry I bothered you. See you."
However, before Midorima could say anything else, the blue-haired boy had already hung up with a click. He pushed away his curious thoughts, noting that it wasn't worth his time.
Later in the morning at around ten, one could spot Murasakibara coming out of the convenience store with a bagful of sweets and snacks. To anyone who knew him, it wasn't surprising. To anyone else, it was a few curious stares here and there.
As he made his way back home past the station, he accidentally bumped into someone and knocked them down. Or rather in this case, someone out of his vision had bumped into him.
"Sorry, please excuse me."
Murasakibara looked down - only because he recognised this voice.
"Ah. Kuro-chin."
Said boy looked up, with his usual stoic demeanor. "Murasakibara-kun? Hello."
They stared at each other for a few seconds, as an uncomfortable silence passed by them. Suddenly, Murasakibara lifted his hand and placed it on Kuroko's head, ruffling the light-blue hair in every direction.
"Please stop that." Kuroko said, looking slightly irritated.
Murasakibara smiled. Or maybe it was a smirk. He knew Kuroko hated it when people ruffled his hair like that. Anyone could presume it wasn't about his hair messing up, it was about how it was as if he was being belittled.
"Where are you going?" Murasakibara asked, as Kuroko stepped back for distance. He was already feeling neck pain from looking up.
"To the department store. I have some business to attend to, so I'll have to excuse myself here. See you."
And with that, he walked off towards the station entrance. Murasakibara shrugged it off and resumed his return home as he tore open a bar of chocolate.
Like any other Saturday afternoon, every nook and cranny of the city was cramped with bustling crowds of people walking or hanging about. In the midst of this crowd, a small stature with light blue-hair had somehow miraculously gotten through into the department store.
As Kuroko rode the escalator up to the second floor, one would speculate that he was in deep thought or simply daydreaming. So it was only natural that he couldn't hear a voice calling out his name multiple times.
"Tetsuya?"
Kuroko's head snapped up, as his usual dull, blue eyes stared at the all-too familiar person he that knew was Akashi.
"Hello, Akashi-kun." he paused, "What brings you here?"
"Some business. Though, I should be directing that question back to you."
Kuroko looked around, before deciding to answer. "I came to buy perfume." his words held a hint of impatience.
Akashi stared at him, almost raising a brow in curiosity.
"I see. I suppose I'll see you soon."
Kuroko bowed a few degrees, as he somewhat hastily walked past his captain. Akashi spared a single glance back at his team mate from the corner of his eye, as he lingered around a few seconds longer after Kuroko's abrupt meeting and departure.
Like the missing piece of a puzzle, something was missing from the picture. With his eyes that could see everything, for the first time in his life, Akashi felt unsettled. No matter how well you fit the pieces together, it would be impossible to see the whole picture if completion in itself was impossible.
Despite his realisation that something was terribly off, he couldn't completely annihilate the feeling, that this time, he wasn't going to be able to predict or see past this situation.
A situation, that wasn't going to sit well with their newly reformed team.
Five days later
The Generation of Miracles initial return to the program had been two days ago, as the director had said. Hence, they had returned and found themselves thrust into another meeting.
All except one.
Yawns and tired groans could be heard from almost every person in the hall. It was a dark and gloomy, rainy day. Half a days worth of filming was cancelled due to the program's safety policies, and so, most teams had spent their morning sleeping in or lazing around.
"I really wonder where Kurokocchi is." Kise pouted, "He didn't turn up at the meeting spot. I wonder if something happened?"
Aomine yawned, mumbling a few incoherent complaints. He could care less about anything else other than sleep. "Who cares. He'll turn up sooner or later."
"I know, but..."
Kise trailed off, as he pushed away other thoughts. As he idly looked through his phone, the sound of the hall doors creaking open caught his ears. Only a few people near the back noticed or cared to spare a glance at the figure quietly walking in.
"Ahh!"
Kise's voice alarmed most. Aomine and Midorima shot him an annoyed look.
"You're noisy, Kise." Midorima said, clear with irritation.
Said model proceeded to ignore the shooter, as his mouth gaped open. Curious, Midorima, as well as the others, averted their attention to the entrance, where they realised the reason for his outburst.
"...Tetsu?"
Kuroko curtly bowed forty-five degrees, "Hello. I apologise for being late."
It wasn't Kuroko's presence that had surprised everyone. Nor was it he, himself. Rather, it was how he presented himself, that had everyone staring at him in great curiousity and interest.
"...what's with that getup, Kurokocchi?"
Simply putting it, Kuroko had adorned clothes in the merry colour of his name. From black pants, black leather shoes, a black button up shirt, and to an unzipped black safari jacket. The heavy contrast of his clothes to his skin and hair made him look sickly pale.
"Alright, quiet down!" the director ordered, as he clapped his hands together for attention.
Kuroko left his umbrella in the bucket next to the door and joined his team. He paid no attention to the curious stares people gave him.
o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o
"Is it strange?"
-was Kuroko's reply, when Kise had hesitantly asked about his all-black getup. Others were curious too, but tried not to show it on their faces.
"Well, uh...only because it's...a fairly new style for Kurokocchi."
But many had to say, it didn't look bad at all. In fact, the formal look quite suited Kuroko, save for his messy hair. Silence fell upon the group, as they walked back to their lodge, careful to avoid puddles of mud and water around the forest path.
"Then it's fine." Kuroko said finally, summing up their conversation.
As they arrived at the lodge, they returned to their rooms, with the exception of Murasakibara who walked towards the kitchen pantry to fish out some sweets to snack on. And rather awkwardly, Kuroko and Akashi walked up the stairs in silence, yet again.
"Tetsuya." Akashi said, as he paused at his door. His back was faced towards Kuroko, but he had no intention of turning around.
"Yes?" Kuroko turned around, with his hand on the door knob.
There was a momentary pause, as he waited for something to be said.
"No, never mind. I'll see you at dinner." and curtly as usual, he entered his room without a glance back.
Kuroko stared at Akashi's door for a few seconds longer, until he opened his door and walked in, locking it with a soft click.
o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o
"Kurokocchi, Akashicchi! Are you guys coming down for dinner?" Kise called out, from the bottom of the stairs.
Shortly after, Akashi, followed by Kuroko, descended down the stairs. Wordless, they walked into the lounge and sat around.
"So, does anyone feel like cooking tonight?" Kise asked, feeling the need to take lead. Of course, he had eyed Akashi carefully before he did so.
No-one answered. Taking that as an obvious 'no', he heaved a sigh and peered into the kitchen. Until now, they had always eaten at their lodge. To begin with, the cafeteria was quite a walk away from their lodge. Secondly, they had a perfectly good kitchen for their use, with an unlimited amount of ingredients and food from both the program and Kise's fans.
"I don't mind cafeteria food." Murasakibara said, as he for once, did not have some kind of sweet or snack in his mouth.
A silent agreement passed through the group, as they walked towards the door, a few running back to their rooms to grab a jacket. And yet again, Kuroko had dressed himself in black garments, almost camouflaging him against the dark of night. And to that, no-one said anything.
Lead by Akashi at the front, they arrived at the wooden building, walking down the hall past numerous vending machines as loud and boisterous chattering could be heard echoing from the open cafeteria hall.
However, the instant they stepped in, all the chatter and laughter died down, as almost every pair of eye glanced up at the entrance. Ignoring the reactions, the Generation of Miracles stepped into the cafeteria without a care, holding their pride as they did.
Whispers broke out, as many eyed them warily. Aomine heaved an irritated sigh, as he ordered an extra large bowl of tonkatsu ramen for himself.
"So bloody annoyin'." he grumbled, as Kuroko pushed him to the side to make his order.
"We should've seen this coming." Kuroko commented quietly, as he ordered a small pasta salad. Kise nodded in agreement.
Sure, they were so-called 'legends' or geniuses in the basketball circuit, and possessed godly, unrivaled abilities and skills. But that didn't change the fact they were still, merely high-school students who were, technically, rather normal in a sense. The other teams that were in the cafeteria, were all of their respective high-school teams, which they had left temporarily for this program.
Even Midorima felt irritation creeping up at him. Stupid Takao and his wordless gazes.
"Ehh, Kurokocchi, are you only eating that much?" Kise asked, as he stared at Kuroko's pasta salad in disbelief. It was a small serving, which he considered to be a side dish in portion.
"Yes."
The six sat down at an empty table at the front of the hall, which had exactly six spots to spare. With Kise starting some idle chat, they began to eat, as the tension in the cafeteria dropped down to quiet chatter.
"Oi, don't tell me your done already." Aomine said, glancing sideways at Kuroko who placed his fork down.
"Sorry. Please excuse me, I'll be returning first." Kuroko slid his chair back gently and stood up. His dinner had barely been touched, as he lifted up the tray to return it to the kitchen.
"Kurokocchi's been acting weird since he came." Kise whispered. He received no reply. Though, it was quite obvious that they all agreed with him.
Kuroko walked past the table, seemingly ignoring the people around him. Rather curiously, five pairs of eyes followed his every step, until-
"Tetsuya."
Kuroko stopped. He had to stop. After all, Akashi's hushed voice held great demand. For the umpteenth time that day, a wave of silence washed over them, as neither said a word.
"Turn around."
Slowly and hesitantly, he did. What he was met with, was Akashi's piercing gaze. Along with the mix of sincerely worried, curious and clueless eyes. A strange sensation washed over him, as he struggled to keep eye contact with his captain. His feet remained planted on the floor, despite his urge to break free and run. Run from this confusing predicament of few words.
"Tetsuya," Akashi finally began, "don't keep quiet."
A glass cup fell off a table from the opposite end of the hall; the glass shattered into tiny pieces, as the shrill of the impact pierced their ears. Kuroko's naturally dull blue orbs, shone with wetness as his eyes displayed shock; fear and uncertainty.
"...yes."
And as perplexed as they were, and as ridiculously unpredictable it was, not a soul uttered a sound nor word, as a single, glistening tear spilled over the brim of his eye. And down the sickeningly pale skin, another came falling down, imprinting itself on the cold, grey concrete.
To be continued.
A/N: Yellow Water Lily - 'Growing indifference'.
Next chapter - [Xeranthemum] - The Generation of Miracles learn to sympathise with Kuroko, through the story behind his tears and revelation of the truth. Change in one form or another, is bound on an express train straight to the core of their team.
Well, to begin with, I'd like to apologise for the slightly delayed update. Alot of things happened - my internet screwed up again, I've been stressed because of exams, I caught a slight cold, etc, etc.
I feel that this chapter is not written to my liking nor standards. I hit a wall of some sorts and had difficulty overcoming it, but alas, I've managed somehow to get past it. I am constantly trying to improve my writing, and I do hope that this chapter was worth the read.
On another note, I'd like to thank everyone who voted for their OTP in the poll. To those who did not want any romance of some sort in this story, I'd like to address you in later chapters. Oh, and PLEASE! do keep on voting for your favourite pairing. The poll will be taken down upon the next update, which I predict is going to be sometime next week.
Also, just a small announcement. I'm currently working on the sequel to 'Lascivious Joy, Fully Exposed', which will be titled 'Come and get me baby!'. It will be posted in the coming weeks, so please keep your eye out for it!
Thanks again for reading so far, I do hope that you'd leave a comment to share your thoughts. Adios~