Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I just own my OCs and the plot.
Chapter 11
Existence!
A long silence filled the room which pushed Takao to say, "Howdy!"
Kiyoshi smiled widely at the Shutoku's players and said, "Good to meet you. I'm Kiyoshi Teppi, Seirin's centre."
"My official introduction-" Takao was cut off by a scream from his teammate. Riko had taken a chance to hit back Haruko when Hyuuga had loosened his hold on her. She yanked Haruko, who had cowered on the floor, by his shirt and yelled into his ears, "We will talk after you explain your rude behaviour."
He immediately flinched, with wide open eyes, and yelped, "Yes!"
Riko gave her devious smile, which made sure a chill runs through the spine of every guy present, as she dragged Haruko to the couch and dumped him in the corner seat and said, "Comfy here?"
"Yes!" Haruko didn't think she would take a 'no' for an answer and the only thought that floated on his mind at that time was, 'Girls surely are weird.'
Takao moved away from the duo and settled at the far end of the room, near the window, Kiyoshi and Hyuuga felt comparatively less intimidated by Riko so they sat near her.
"I, uhm, didn't know how to initiate the meeting." Haruko chose his words carefully because he didn't want to tip off Riko, he still remembers her clearly and, 'She hasn't changed much.' He could obviously see few changes though especially the way she looks and the strength has, probably, gone up a notch.
It was Hyuuga who intervened, again, to save Haruko while Riko stayed silent, "It is good to see you, Haruko."
"Same here, Junpei-san." Haruko smiled and his lazy eyes showed the warmth that Takao also recognized.
"Is that your answer?" Hyuuga said and it was then Haruko noticed how Riko's palm was ferociously balled into tight fist.
"Uhm, I mean it guys. I just didn't know how to-" his words was caught in his throat when he felt someone pulling his hair and saying, "You cut your hair and it is messy." He looked towards Riko and grinned, "Ain't it cool?"And as expected he was punched in his gut.
Takao knew that Haruko would say something stupid when talking to a girl but to say some narcissist dialogue was something unlike. Though he was happy to see his friend not being down around his old friends and seeing him grin like the olden times, but he wanted to know something too, 'why did Haruko pretend to be stranger? If he didn't want to meet them he could have easily refused me? Why didn't he say anything even to... me?' his eyes narrowed but anyhow he said with a smile, "Kill the suspense already Haru-chan."
The metaphorical daggers that were thrown by Haruko's usual lazy eye towards Takao had him chuckling. To this fire Kiyoshi also added oil, "Don't leave me out of this."
Haruko had no problem telling Riko or Hyuuga about anything but Kiyoshi was a stranger and he wasn't completely honest to Takao either. He knew that if he tells his reason, Takao would definitely feel dejected, 'Couldn't this day go any worse.'
Kiyoshi, an air-head most of the time, did have some sense about reading the situation so he got up, "I will get something to drink for everyone. It is happy hour." He gave a long goofy smile to all and then took everyone's choice of beverage.
Usually Takao would have said something in the lines of 'let me help you too' and would have left but this time he wanted to know. For the first time he didn't care how Haruko felt, this time he wanted to know why his buddy didn't share anything with him. There was a tiny voice inside Takao that said to leave and let Haruko decide when it is good for discussion. He wanted to listen to the tiny voice and go accordingly but when he looked at Haruko, those magenta eyes showed guilt. He hesitated for a while seeing Haruko but then gathered himself and said, without looking back, before leaving, "I should be helping Kiyoshi-san."
Haruko wanted Takao to stay but he also wished that he could hide his cowardly self from his best friend. Both of the options that were presented to him didn't make him feel at ease and he appreciated the fact that Takao always knew what to do in difficult, especially social, situation. The tension faded away from his muscles when he heard the door closing.
He stared at the two people sitting by his side and continued to remain silent, his shouldered drooped and he leaned his back against the armrest of the sofa as his eyelids felt minutely heavier. He knew that they would not be able to immediately recognize him; he didn't think he could fool his childhood friends easily with a change of hairstyle. He nonchalantly touched his messy locks as he thought, 'Back then I surely was much obsessed with my hair.' He then mentally laughed at his younger, much enthusiastic and naive self even though he knew that the new him was no better than a pathetic mess. The one to break the fallen silence was Riko, "You have changed quite a bit."
He knew he had gone a tremendous change but he wanted to know how he was perceived by his childhood friends, "Yeah."
"How often do you comb your hair?" Hyuuga also felt at ease with them being left alone so he wanted to ask the first thing that hit his thought.
Haruko smiled but it was a weary one which surprised the others though they kept their astonishment well hidden, "I don't keep tab."
"Why did you even cut it? You loved your hair." Riko said and she internally had always been envious of Haruko's soft slightly longer, wavy, hair. She cussed her younger self for, sometimes, being mean to him.
"It was a hindrance." He tried to reply calmly but the actual reason for his change kept popping up in his mind and cutting of his hair was just the beginning.
"Will you at least tell us the reason you cut contacts with us?" Hyuuga was gobsmacked by Haruko's change; he wanted to reach to the root of his predicament swiftly so he could lend a hand.
"Yeah." Haruko didn't know how to start so he thought this would be a great answer but he couldn't fool them.
"I don't have the time for round about answers." Hyuuga said that while his forehead showed few popping veins and his eyes was veiled with a hint of irritation.
"Say Hyuuga-kun, should I do the Boston-crab hold on Haru-chan?" Haruko knew the smile that appeared on Riko's face; the one she gave when she was furiously pissed and obviously wanted to kill someone. He had been on the receiving end of her Boston-crab hold few times and he would do anything to not have his limbs cracked.
He really had no idea how to confront them; he had avoided them for some time. During the Inter-High they had been busy to notice him and he didn't stand out much in the training camp for them to realize. When he played against Seirin he thought they might recognize him at an instant but they didn't, 'Maybe it is true that I have drastically transformed.'
He felt hurt when Riko and Hyuuga didn't recognize him but he also didn't want to confront them about his sudden absence of contact. Then suddenly from the appearance of a weird girl, Takao took off to meet Seirin. He wanted to avoid them but at the same time he wanted to see if they had actually forgotten about him if they had an interaction, 'Thank God. They remember me.'
So he did feel secure to tell them the side of his life that he has kept hidden from Takao, his best friend, but he wanted to skip the part for today. After having a one-on-one talk with coach he didn't feel like looking at anyone. His self indulgence let him behave rudely, even for his awkward self, toward a girl, even though he found her to be weird. And the decision to come to Seirin was not regrettable. He reunited with his friends who still remember him after the loss of contact and their actions drips with concern for him; he doesn't have such a thick-skull.
"Let us meet after the camp in Tokyo and talk freely. We all are tired from the long day." Haruko wanted to come clean but his intentions for coming to Seirin was not to mend broken friendship but to see if there is any trace of memories left. He was content for today and he had no energy left for any more drama. He also has to go back and hopefully find a girl and apologize.
Riko and Hyuuga looked at Haruko and then at each other before Riko spoke, "Then give us your e-mail and phone number." The silent understanding between the Seirin's duo was sturdy and it was evident that they couldn't jump into Haruko's life and demand answers. They respected Haruko's decision and whatever he thought was right to disclose. Riko was feeling culpable for not recognizing him even with her gifted eyes and Hyuuga felt dense for playing against Haruko and still not identifying him. This even meant that they had ignored his presence during the times they had come against Shutoku.
Both parties felt blameworthy and said nothing further. Riko silently focused her professional eyes on Haruko's body. The data that she inferred was appalling; Haruko had a built and strength comparable to regulars of Seirin, maybe a tad better, and she could bet that Haruko has grown taller than Hyuuga, 'He is after all in Shutoku, I must have expected this.' It was a little baffling to see her friend change so much but after this reunion they would have lot of time to get to know. For today this much was enough.
They chatted a bit about their notorious pranks till Kiyoshi and Takao came back with some cold beverages. They settled down for small talks about their school, basketball and about the summer festival. Riko was excited, "Let's go to the festival together." And Haruko caught the drift and he nodded while Takao happily accepted the generous offer.
Not much time had passed before the players' bodies started protesting due to fatigue from the day's carnage. Haruko was dilapidated mentally as well as physically hence he was the first to initiate leave, "Will meet you tomorrow." He got up and then the extent of stress in his muscles became evident.
"Sure. Goodnight Haru-chan." Riko smiled at him while accompanying him and Takao to the doors.
"Goodnight Riko-san, Junpei-san and Kiyoshi-san." Haruko bowed despite the pain shooting up his spine and the same was followed by Takao.
Takao had already stepped out of the room when Haruko turned and said the last thing he wanted to convey, "I'm Saionji Haruko now." He did not wait to see their reaction and soon followed Takao into the dark night.
~~0~~
Meanwhile on the shoreline a tall, bespectacled greenette stood astounded. He wasn't as stunned from the proposition given by her as much as he was about the right course of action from his side. Should he give into what she asked for? It is a simple thing to do. Then again, she is a girl after all and he had seen his fair share of soap operas. Even though he is determined to do everything humanly possible to handle the situation with a spirit but now he doubted what humanly possible implied in this situation. 'It is physically possible to do so but does this have any further implication.'
The look on his face made Ayame regret her action albeit her resolution to face any kind of repercussion. The silence between them extended as no one made a move.
This time Midorima took the initiative, "Why?"
That one word made her mood go from regret to glee in a split second. While swarming in her delight she forgot to reply hence she couldn't remember what her initial motive was.
He felt confused seeing her hand, still, extended towards him. He waited for her to stop smiling and answer him but something told him that he had to remind Ayame about her request, then again, if he doesn't remind her she would not hold his hand. It didn't feel right to deceive her so he called out again, "Why do you want to hold my hand?"
She heard him crystal clear and this time she panicked about her answer. Was she supposed to tell him about her awaken sensation? Wouldn't he feel repelled by her then? Though she kept repeating the doubts in her mind and nothing good came out of it. She decided to lie, "I mean, uh, to give an ice treatment to your sprained hand, ya know." She looked up to see Midorima's emerald eyes intensely focusing and it made her nervous so she continued, "Ya know, I just asked because..." Now she was stuck, she couldn't come up with a proper excuse to explain her situation without creeping Midorima.
He more or less understood the fact that she wanted to mean well and might be concerned about his insignificant injury, he had seen far worse. However he wasn't able to shake off the feeling he got just a while ago when her eyes dilated with desire, he might have considered the fact that she wanted to hurt him like an evil spirit, until he heard her words of concern which made him feel less tensed. He nodded for the approval albeit the raging commotion inside his head.
'A nod!' She didn't waste a single moment in moving to his right side and took his right hand gently in hers and prepared herself for the wave of commotion to hit her. At the same time Midorima embraced himself for another bout of goosebumps.
The wind, which usually passed through her like all the other, hit her face ferociously and pushed her ever motionless hair in the swirling vortex as the wind shredded against her skin. Her eyes started to flutter involuntarily along with the moistening of her eyes, for the first time since she has woken up. She couldn't help but hiss out of fulfilment when she underwent the most delirious sensation ever. She had to curl her toes into the sand to anchor herself to the same place. The turbulence of the waves mixed water and sand on her feet making her toes tingle with consciousness. Not just her toes but her fingertips itched when the air broke along her body. Experimentally she opened her lips to taste the ocean. To her surprise her continually dry mouth that was also devoid of taste started to salivate making her aware of her surrounding in a diverse way. Her mind was being overloaded with extravagant, according to her, sensation and she was at loss of words to describe her immediate psyche. As a result of the overpowering and overflowing senses, she felt her knees buckling and the waves crashing against her legs didn't help much hence she tightened her hold on Midorima's hand.
When he felt the pressure on his right palm increase he glanced slightly towards Ayame which he was avoiding from the moment she held his hand. He had felt his cheeks getting hotter than usual so he looked away and he also tried to cover-up his goosebumps. As his jade orbs advanced its gaze on the spirit the first thing he noticed was her messy strands of hair swaying in the wind along with light quivering of her clothes. Just yesterday he had spent the whole day noticing the spooky features of Ayame particularly her unwavering attire and hair. At that instant, unconsciously through his instinct, he tried to pull his hand away but her iron grip held him.
Ayame was much engrossed in the new wonder of her afterlife as to be able to notice a pair of green eyes analyzing the physical change incurring. He had a knack for observation with apposite efficiency since he was first to see the changes in Akashi although he choose to ignore. The same reliable senses noted the transformation suddenly inducing in Ayame, a new but a strong presence in his life. Under the soft moon lit night he noted that the usually motionless spirit seemed more human. The changes he noticed were the swaying of her hair and clothes, the previously prominent veins around her exposed neck had vanished, the waves which used to pass through her kept crashing against her just like it did for him, her swinging bangs did obscure his view of her eyes but he was certain that he had seen her usual dry eyes glistening. To top all of this he could clearly see her cheeks sprinkled with crimson along with her pale skin showing a bit of complexion.
Midorima was never the one to break silence in the room indeed he enjoyed the absence of clatter but right now he wished there was some noise to distract his mind. From the time he had allowed Ayame to hold his hand he knew that the following time would be awkward but knowing and dealing is two separate, non-intersecting hemispheres. He heaved his right arm heavily in order to catch the spirit's attention while thinking about various stuffs concerning her. He was curious to know why she even existed in the first place. Will he be seeing more of such spirits? And more importantly, why is her appearance changing now? He had answers for none and also had no clue where to start. They are strangers to begin with so commenting about her behaviour , would be illogical, 'Wait! Do we have an appropriate term for a human and a spirit interaction?' he kept his mind occupied while looking away from Ayame and into the horizon where the sky and ocean appeared to converge.
While he chose to immerse himself in his world of doubts, concerns and deductions, Ayame had her attention pulled away from her eternal bliss by the nudge provided by Midorima. Her eyes scanned his right arm first where she clearly saw his hair standing as if struck by immense electricity. But she knew the reason behind the goosebumps on his hand; it was her. She still remembered the time when she would walk through the glass doors of few shops and there would be sign of frost left in her wake. It took her time to notice but soon after she put the pieces together, using mangas and fictional novels she read during the night as a base, it was evident that her body would be cold, since she is dead and has no body functions to keep her warm. Today she was happy for the fact that she could use her cold body to help someone but then seeing the terrible goosebumps reminded her about her true nature.
Even though she was aware of the fact that her cold body was causing Midorima discomfort, she wasn't able to let go of the fulfilment she was now feeling. The injury was minute and there was no need for an intricate attention but he allowed Ayame to do as she wished. She was grateful to him and she decided to not exploit his kindness any further. Even then she wasn't able to let go of his hand. Maybe if she distracts herself she would be able to pull herself away from the awoken sensation, "Midorima, when are you leaving?"
He didn't budge his head when he replied, "Day after."
"Where do you stay?"
"Tokyo."
"How far is it from here?"
"About 60 kilometers."
"I see." That ended sooner than what she had expected. Midorima surely isn't amongst the 'chatty Cathy' ones. This posed a problem. She hasn't been able divert herself enough to let go of his hand.
He had not intended to end the conversation quickly and fall back into the silence. Strange enough; now he didn't find the silence uncomfortable or comfortable. This time he wanted to start asking few of his own reservations, "How did you have hiccups, normally it is not normal?"
He never knew himself to have framed such an unexplainable question but before he could correct himself Ayame spoke, "Maybe because that is a way I react when," she paused to think about a proper answer to something she also experienced the very first time, "honestly, I'm not sure. It could be because of overwhelming turn of events."
If he thought his question was vague then her answer matched him head-on. Both were clearly uncomfortable asking and answering the recent occurrence and maybe she had no idea what was happening. He decided against dwelling on the particular topic, though he made a permanent note in his mind, and continued to his next query, "Is the other person who can see you Saionji Haruko?" he didn't mean to enunciate Haruko's name the way he did, with a little uneasiness, but anyhow he did.
Her chocolate eyes sparkled with surprise and amazement and suddenly her mind was taken off from the consciousness of the ocean, "How did ya know?"
He could have said lucky guess but he is always certain about his decisions, "I know."
"Oh c'mon! How?" instead of her grip loosening, it tightened around his hand and he knew that he has to answer.
He looked intensely at her and said, "I have my reasons." And she respected that. She has her reasons for not telling him everything even though he is a part of her growing curiosity about herself as a ghost.
"Fine by me. I have to admit that you do have an excellent brain under the pretty face of yours." She had to admit that after seeing Midorima solving so many problems from his school work as well as deciphering a person who could see her and not to forget his basketball skills.
He wasn't sure how to take her statement as, probably a compliment. He mentally murmured a 'thank you' and looked away from her and towards the endless stretch of the ocean. He felt fidgety after her compliment, now he was sure of it being compliment, so he used his free hand to take his cell phone out. Whatever things about Ayame were hovering in his mind came to a certain end after looking at the time. The screen flashing 11:30 pm jolted the very being of Midorima. His schedule was thrown off the track and he could imagine the morning hassle already, 'If I sleep for 8 hours I can't make it on time for practice.'
Without another word and with a very irritated scowl he started to move out of water. Ayame was towed along as she refused to let go of his hand and he wasn't bothered to ask her anymore. She guessed the reason behind his sudden take off would have been his R.E.M sleep cycle, 'Is it that late already?'
Her mind was busy churning in the sensation of the dry sand grains that stuck to her feet once they were outside the water. He grabbed his shoes that he had put aside and without so much as a pause he started taking long strides.
Normally it would have been easy for Ayame to float next to Midorima while he was in a hurry but now she had to move her legs hastily to be able to barely keep up with him. The walk on the shore proved difficult to Ayame because unlike Midorima she didn't have a strong foothold. Few small grains took a trajectory to hit Ayame's leg, behind her knee, as she walked down the sandy path, it was not a smooth experience but she enjoyed the bearable pain. She soon realized that she couldn't float like she used to and out of inquisitiveness she looked back. She saw two pair of footprints on the sand and she definitely could identify hers'. A small smile bejewelled her face as she continued glaring at her footsteps, her first carving in the world of living. Those dimples on the sand marked her existence, maybe she belonged here or maybe she didn't but at least she knew one thing; Ayame existed. She now faced the broad back of the reason for her happiness, 'Thank you, Midorima, even if it was unintentional.'
She could have thought more but she concentrated more on keeping up with his pace with the silent echoing of their footsteps. A simple touch by him made her human and she wouldn't relinquish this moment, ever.
~~0~~
They left the Seirin quarters and Takao persistently nagged Haruko whether he enquired about Ayame. Haruko dropped the subject by telling Takao that in the midst of talking with his old friends he forgot to mention her. Takao felt dejected but he soon said something that Haruko hadn't expected, "I will be here to support you Haruko. You don't have to shoulder all your troubles." As much as he was happy to hear his best friend say it, he was still unsure to trouble Takao with his life, 'Kazunari, you have your own problems to deal with. But in due time, we will shoulder each other.' With that silent vow to someday open up his closed heart they both walked towards their bed not having any more strength to find the weird girl, 'We will try tomorrow.'
Takao has passed before his head touched the pillow, like always, not before enquiring about Midorima's absence. He couldn't fight the tiredness and sleep so he didn't bother much about 'Shin-chan'. Haruko took his futon away from Takao and towards the window and found his sweet spot to sleep.
About half hour of sleep Haruko woke up with the slight sensation of bile churning in his stomach. Without wasting a single second he swiftly moved to the toilet and emptied his stomach into the open bowl. His vomiting was not over in a single stroke neither was he the only victim. He was quickly joined by his teammates, 'Maybe dad went a little overboard.' He sweat dropped at his dad's temper while he had another spell of queasiness. As far as he could count in his unstable state, the whole Shutoku was there to dispel dinner.
After having hurled his insides he felt tad better but unlike the rest of his teammates, who soon hit the bed, he decided to take a walk outside and have a cool drink, as a precautionary measure for probable late night nausea. The vending machine was across the guest house overlooking the seashore. He grabbed a can of iced tea and took a small winding path along a makeshift basketball open arena near the parking lot and towards the shore. He sat down on a wooden plank that he found on the beginning of the beach.
The supple light of the moon made everything look hushed and serene. The gentle wind lapping over him and the sound of the waves made him feel rejuvenated. After a long and eventful day, a cool drink and a comforting surrounding was what he needed to relax himself. All the upsetting thoughts about his failures, his parents, his miserable self and him abandoning his friends came crashing to him in a day. He closed his eyes, sipped mouthful of tea, stretched his limbs and allowed a tear to roll down his cheeks in a meagre effort to wash away his mayhem.
"Slow down Midorima! Please." A loud feminine pitch broke his train of thought. He snapped his eyes open because he recognized the voice. He whipped his head around to spot two distinct figures, not too far away from him, treading through the sandy terrain of the sea shore.
The bigger of the two, who seemed to be leading without any problem on sand, looked back and screamed at the other, "It is your fault."
Haruko soon realized that the bigger one was indeed Midorima, since the moonlight was enough for his eyes to adjust. Haruko had noticed the newcomers but the same couldn't be said about the running duo. Midorima was in a frenzy and wasn't willing to slow down but unfortunately the weight of the other person, whose hand he was holding, didn't let him do as he pleased.
Haruko didn't feel like masking the dismay that etched on his face when he saw Ayame being dragged while holding Midorima's hand. Her little footstep fell and submerged itself in the sand before kicking off some grains into the air. She ran with huffed breath closely behind Midorima and her tired face was lit up with a toothy grin.
Haruko, at this point, knew that disappointment was an apparent part of his life. He leaned his head back and let the sweet sea breeze wash away every thought in his head.
Thanks for reading and supporting!
A/N: I know I was very late in uploading but on the bright note I completed day two. Things will be clarified later but you can always post your doubts. I'm hoping to increase the pace of the story :3 :3
Big thanks to Waremono Iv for her support and pointing out few mistakes, which I corrected. I hope you enjoy this chap too :3 :3
