Hidden Beauty

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Basket Eleven: First him, now you!?

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Kuroi made her way home, kicking at the small pebbles that littered the streets, passing by some people. She shivered, the cold pricking at her exposed arms, and shoved her hands further into her pockets, wanting the cold to go away.

"Stupid wig." She whispered to herself, the damn thing was starting to make her head itch, so she couldn't wait to take it off.

Once she made it back home, she sighed loudly as she entered, her parents greeting her.

"Kuroi, you were gone for a while. What did you do all day?" Her father asked, blinking at her curiously.

"Uhh, hang out with a friend?" She shrugged, slipping her hood off as pushing her shoes into the corner where they wouldn't be in the way.

"Well, I think it's good that you're making friends. But make sure to dress warmer next time." Her mother demanded sternly, dishes clattering noisily in the kitchen.

"I will." Kuroi replied, heading upstairs to her room.

Once she got inside, she groaned thankfully and ripped the wig off, scratching her head. "I thought you were good quality." She kicked it, taking her sleeveless sweater off and hanging it on the chair by her desk.

Glancing at her clock, she collapsed on her bed, yawning again. "Man, it's only 7:40 and I'm already tired. Oh well, I blame the game against Seirin." Kuroi hadn't paid much attention, but now that she did, her body was still sore, but not as bad as it was when she woke up.

After deciding to take a quick bath, she put her wig back on when she was called down for dinner.

"Did you have fun today?" Her mother, Kayate, asked as she put a plate full of vegetables and fried chicken in front of her. Kuroi stared at the barrage of colors, before looking up at her mom.

"Yes, I had fun." She replied, smiling. She grabbed a steamed carrot with her fork, easily biting into it.

You see, Kuroi and her family are used to eating more... American-style? Yes, they use forks and spoons and knives mostly and rarely use chopsticks. She has been used to this ever since she could remember.

"How was work, dad?" Kuroi asked after a while, peeling bits of pieces from the chicken wing.

"Mmm, it was the same as usual." Mikoto answered. "Oh, my company is throwing a family BBQ next weekend, and we're going. So don't plan anything, alright?" He added, poking Kuroi's cheek.

"Okie dokie." Kuroi grinned. Her father's company events were always so fun and entertaining; they even had giant teeth walking around. She still remembered a time when she was younger, and she got to participate in one of the events. Kuroi had been a giant tooth brush. Although, that's a secret she'll keep forever. She finished her dinner quickly, and excused herself and went to take a bath. Afterwards, she retreated to her room, and eventually gave into her sleepy state and fell asleep, covers pulled over her body.

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Kuroi woke up surprisingly early the next day. It was a quiet morning with the sun burning in through her window; she could feel the warm heat on her body as she pushed the blanket off of her.

She yawned and stretched, ruffling her short hair, and settled for sitting there for a few more minutes, oddly content.

Eventually, Kuroi stood from her bed, and changed into black shorts and a light purple t-shirt. She pulled ankle-high socks on, which were decorated with little basketballs, and fixed her wig until she looked presentable.

The purple eyed girl went downstairs and into the kitchen. She rummaged through the cupboards, finding some brown sugar pop tarts. She sat at the table and ate silently.

After her pop tarts, Kuroi stood and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, taking a long sip of the cold water. She went to the front door and shoved her feet into her sneakers; before she took off outside into the warm sun, to begin her jog.

Kuroi jogged towards the mall, water bottle tightly grasped in one hand, as she mentally counted the seconds it took to reach the mall.

She wiped away the sweat, taking another drink, and sat down on a nearby bench. She rested for five more minutes and began to stretch shortly after. Kuroi yawned, and decided to jog to the park that was near the mall.

On her way, she had rounded a corner, and bumped right into someone. "Sorry!" Kuroi apologized, taking a couple breaths.

"I- its okay..." Kuroi paused, blinking. 'That voice...' She looked up, and her eyes widened in shock.

"Ka- Kasamatsu-san?!" She cried, staring in shock at her team mate.

"Eh! How-.. How do you know me?" He gaped at her, visibly shaking.

"Oh... I uh, just happened to read about you in an article." Kuroi cursed herself inwardly, wanting to face palm or something. 'Seriously. First Kise and now Kasamatsu!? Who next, Hayakawa?' She sneered, crossing her arms in a fury.

"Uhm, it's nice to meet you, I guess..." Kuroi blinked at her Captain's shaky voice. Now that she noticed it, he was still shaking, if only a little bit. 'What's wrong with him?' She thought, raising her eyebrow in questioning. 'Don't tell me...' Kuroi fought the oncoming grin, and cleared her throat.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, goodbye, Kasamatsu-san!" Kuroi smiled, laughing inwardly when he flinched once she patted his shoulder. She took off in a light jog, deciding to just head back home.

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It was now Monday, another day of school. Kuroi- now Kuro, had been thinking on her way to school, about the new information on Kasamatsu she had. His reaction when he first saw her, the girl her, was very unexpected. Since he usually just bosses every else around (he is the Captain) and throws threats around like it's not a big deal (when it isn't)... His sudden change or personality shocked her, in the least.

She also found it very amusing, and cute in a way.

Kuro made it past the gates, staring at the ground as she made her way to her classroom. She was dreading school; the only good thing about it was basketball, after all.

"Yasuhirocchi!" Kuro paused mid-step, turning to face the blond who was running up to her. "Hi, Kise." Kuro nodded in greeting.

"Did you miss me?" Kise smiled expectantly, his duffel bag hanging by his side.

Kuro twitched, and turned her head away. "No." She replied, deepening her voice just a tad.

Living as a cross dresser is hard, Kuro decided. She coughed, and continued on her way to her class.

"Ne, I saw that girl again! She was on the train!" Kuro paused, looking at the model out of the corner of her eyes. "Really?" Kuro asked, frowning.

"Yup! Though she refuses to tell me her name..." Kise huffed.

"Too bad." Kuro muttered, stopping in front of her classroom. "See you later." Kuro said as she waved Kise away to his class.

She walked inside, running thin fingers through her short hair, and made a bee line for her seat.

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The end of the day came quickly, and Kuro stood hastily from her seat, swinging her duffel bag over her shoulder as she did.

She zoomed out of her homeroom and headed straight to the gym, ignoring the passing squealing girls.

Kuro ran into the boy's locker room, happy when she didn't spot anyone. "Yes!" She rejoiced, happy that she was the first one to be here.

This meant that she could change quickly, and get it out of the way, without her looking that suspicious.

Sheer Genius.

Kuro practically ripped her uniform off and put on her shorts and t-shirt, along with her runners. As she finished tying her shoe-laces, the door opened, and mostly all the second and third years entered, even a few of the first years.

Smiling smugly, Kuro tilted her head politely at her upperclassmen. "Sempai's." She acknowledged, keen on making her voice deeper. She saluted them, and quickly exited the changing rooms, before it got too M rated.

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Hooray, chapter 11!~ *is happy and content* Thanks for reading, everyone! And for the reviews/favs/alerts! You fill my non-existent Heart with Pure Joy!

~Love me or Hate me~