Disclaimer: I have no rights to Kuroko no Basket.
Chapter 1: I'd sooner rip my tongue out.
To preface, Sugiyama Saeri isn't usually in the habit of lying to her two best friends.
"Yeah, it totally sucks but I promised Hiroki that I'd meet him today," she tells them through her teeth. When their eyes are back from rolling to high heaven, they exchange glances and she catches the can-you-believe-her curl of their brows which, though stinging and mildly alienating, is understandable. And no, it isn't that they don't believe her—they do. They just can't believe that she's ditching them on their only free, non-chaperoned day in Tokyo.
"Bail on him," Chiaki groans, clearly disappointed that Saeri is choosing not to. She has her arms crossed to match her mood. "I don't get why you have to see him today when you're gonna be seeing him plenty once he comes back for the summer holidays next week."
"Yeah, c'mon dude!" Beside her, Rikiya throws his hands up. "And nobody looks back on life and goes 'wow straight up, I had a bangin' time with my brother in my first ever high-school school trip instead of my superfly homies'! Do you really wanna be the first lame-ass to think that?"
No, she does not, and with seven billion people on earth she's pretty sure lame-asses like that already exist. It would've been a salient point nonetheless if Saeri is actually meeting her brother.
"Firstly, don't put 'bangin'' and 'my brother' in the same sentence again," she grits through their sniggering, "and when are you going to stop talking like that, Riki? It's not cool."
"Oh, he'll grow out of it as soon as we're back in Kyoto," Chiaki says when Rikiya is too affronted to respond, "unlike you with your brother complex."
Saeri's jaw clenches harder. "For the last time: I don't have a brother complex."
"Whatever, bro-conner. You're dressed like you're going on a date," Chiaki gives her a once-over, pausing at her shoes. "You're even wearing your pretty, red date-flats even though they give you blisters."
A prickle begins crawling up the nape of Saeri's neck. Right, her pretty, red date-flats—named so because they are pretty, red, and what she'd wear to a date. Even though she's never been on one.
But she will be. Soon.
Perhaps it's time to explain.
Saeri would never set up imaginary family appointments to get out of hanging with her friends for no good cause, but she had one. She had to free time up for what is going to be a very important, pivotal event in her life: her First Date with her first (and only) True Love. For the record, Chiaki and Rikiya would've totally dove out of her schedule in full support if she told them the truth. But she didn't—she couldn't—for the following ladder of reasons:
1. It isn't a Date as much as it is a Pre-Date. Like, you know, the awkward transitionary part that happens before a date. No, not the Invitation part, it's a little further back past that. To be specific, it's the Confession of Feelings part. So yes, yet another truth stretched. Why can't her friends know about this? See points number 2 and 3.
2. Her friends don't seem to like the guy she's about to go on a Pre-Date with. They are under the impression that she doesn't either, because they once asked if she likes him, and she very loudly and violently scoffed 'no'.
3. She once swore to them that she'd sooner rip her tongue out than tell a boy she likes him. She declared it in indignance during a heated debate in middle school about the ethics of girls making the first move (which started because she was complaining about the brazen little hussy she caught begging on all fours for Sugiyama Hiroki to go on a date with her). It was intense and she all but carved her words in actual marble. There is no way she can take them back now.
"W-What, this?" Saeri flourishes a hand at her white blouse and chambray skorts. "I just grabbed whatever I found in my suitcase. And I just got bored of wearing sneakers." Another lie for the books—her outfit is the painstakingly curated result of three focused nights. And her choice of the pretty, red date-flats over white Stan Smiths? Conscious and very deliberate.
To deflect the narrowing gaze of her friends, she pretends to pose in stiff angles and winks, "you think I look good? Chic?"
Rikiya gives her a conceding shrug. Chiaki gives in to another round of eye-rolling and a desire to end the conversation.
"Fine, go have fun with Hiroki-nii," she sighs, closing in for a hug. "We've been stuck together the past three days anyway."
"An awesome three days." Saeri returns her squeeze. "Thanks, you two. I guess I just miss him a lot."
Finally, some truth.
The prickle vanishes along with the tight grip of anxiety around her chest. Guilt starts seeping in its place, but it's a lot easier to manage so she doesn't feel as tense when she's telling her friends to light it up in Tokyo and she'll see them back in the hotel lobby they're walking out of. "Remember you guys, the curfew's at seven. We'll get in trouble if we're late and you both know our club can't afford trouble."
Rikiya clicks a finger-gun as they step out into the sunlit street. "Fo-shizzle, homeslice."
Chiaki doesn't bother hiding her cringe. "I'm muzzling you for your own good."
"What do you mean for my own good?"
Their bickering voices fade entirely once they disappear into a corner down the street of the hotel. Saeri has half a mind to peek her head from it and see if they're holding hands the moment they think they're out of sight, but she also has the rest of her life to figure out the existence of a hidden romance between her best friends. Right now, she needs to focus on hers.
And so begins her march towards Meiji Shrine, which is only a couple of stations down and where she will be seeing Him.
Let us circle back to point number 2: the boy who Saeri is currently risking her tongue and five years of platonic trust for. Let us recall that upon being asked if she likes him, she blasted chicken consommé soup through both nostrils and coughed till her lungs were at her throat in a mad rush to exclaim 'no'.
Out of all the lies she told, that is the biggest one.
The first thing Saeri sees upon nearing the austere, towering gate of Meiji Shrine's southern entrance is a wedding party streaming out of it. The bride and groom have their hands locked and twinkling grins stretched ear-to-ear, as if living on another plane of existence with no one else despite the cheering horde of family and friends around them. As Saeri passes the group, warmth spreads across her chest and leaves a light dusting on her cheeks. One day, she'll share the same grin with Him when they leave Meiji Shrine after their traditional wedding, which will be right before the western wedding, which will have an open dance-floor and a live petting zoo even though it's taking place at the Ritz-Carlton—
In a literal blink of her eyes, Saeri finds herself next in line at the reception of the Meiji Shrine Museum; transporting yourself to a fantasy world is always a great way to bleep out of time. She can barely remember walking to the museum under the summer heat, only her visions of walking down the aisle under the heated passion of His eyes.
She pays for a ticket to enter, but instead of heading straight for the exhibition, she seats herself down on a wooden bench in the lounge, angling her line of sight at the museum's entrance. She glances down at her watch—10:39 AM. 21 more minutes until He gets here.
So: Him, His, He. Has Saeri been daydreaming about a crush on God? Has she decided to save her body and her heart for His Divinity, who she is literally about to confess to in a shrine?
Actually, yes—more or less. It is quite possible that Akashi Seijuurou is a divine being. Or has at least dabbled in magical arts. Because when people say he has it all (which they often do, unprompted) they really do mean he has it all.
Saeri pulls out her mobile phone and taps through pictures of her friends, her dance club, café food, bad candid shots of Hiroki and cool dance poses to get to the one on her mind: a gorgeous shot of Akashi, mid-game, with one hand palming a basketball and the other pointing at a teammate. She didn't take the exquisite photo (though she'd love to thank whoever did), she simply screenshotted it off the school's online editorial on yet another basketball club victory. Quickly checking that no one is sitting close enough to peer into her phone, she pinches the screen, zooms in on his face and promptly melts into the knuckles she has propped against her chin.
Yes, Akashi Seijuurou has a face hand-chiseled by deities, but that is not the only reason why she cannot stop writing his surname over hers. It also isn't because he is bound to inherit a multi-billion-yen business and a bloodline stretching back to the Edo period—though it's a fact that does not hurt.
It's his suspiciously omnipotent ability to do everything with perfection. Needless to say, he has never submitted a test or worksheet that got less than an A+ and she's pretty sure every teacher has a picture of him on their desks. This is the guy who became both student council president and basketball captain within his first month in Rakuzan High—and till this date nobody can properly explain how he did it. He just showed up to campaign one day and before they knew it, students with trust funds and egos bigger than Hokkaido were checking his name off the ballot sheet with complete allegiance. Let's hear what some of them have said about him:
"Akashi-san can read minds. That's the only explanation as to why he has never lost a single match in shogi, chess, go and tic-tac-toe." ~ Tadanobu Hikaru, 3rd Year, President of the Chess Club.
"I've seen him dribble on grass as training. That's like saying I've seen him walk on water, which he can probably also do." ~ Higuchi Shouta, 3rd Year, Basketball Club.
"Akashi-sama raised the revenue of a dying market street near my house just by walking through it once. Don Don Donki is building an outlet there now." ~ Lunch Lady Mami, 3rd Floor, East Building.
"I heard the Imperial Family personally requested for an omiai with Akashi. He told me when we're making out on the rooftop of the North Building." ~ Whorey Hori, 2nd Year, Cherry Angels Hostess Club (according to hearsay).
"Akashi Seijuurou is, quite frankly, the best thing to happen to our school since its founding." ~ Principal Ichikawa, Rakuzan High School.
Okay, so what Whorey Hori said was obviously false (Akashi himself dispelled the rumour as soon as it got out of hand) but no one doubts the miracle that is Akashi Seijuurou. He's got looks, riches, talent and clout. You can't blame Saeri for wanting to plan significant life moments with this boy.
Tearing her eyes away from his picture, Saeri quickly glances around again before swiping to the next one, which is of visibly lower quality because she took it with her phone camera. This time, it's a shot of Akashi classily sipping a bowl of soup in the school cafeteria. If you zoom out, you'll realise that it's only part of the background of a selfie with her friends, which she may or may not have initiated with the purpose of catching Akashi on image.
And why won't Saeri let Chiaki and Rikiya know that she desperately wants to get it on with him? It's because—
"Sugiyama," greets a voice that would silence a crying baby, "you're here early. Did you wait long?"
Saeri, immersed in her thoughts of Akashi, is not expecting to see the real thing so quickly and her surprise manifests itself in the form of a slack-jawed stare. There he stands, as glorious as ever in his white shirt, light cardigan and slacks that probably cost more than a year of her allowance. And we do mean glorious—Saeri can almost see the intense aura that he naturally exudes as a faint glow around his being.
"N-No, no. Not at all!" she chirps when he blinks in mild concern at her lack of response. He nods, and his crimson-amber eyes start trailing to her hand, which she remembers with a jolt is holding a zoomed-in photo of him drinking soup.
"Thank you for agreeing to see me." She frantically shoots to her feet and hides the phone behind her back. Maybe he didn't see it?
"It's no trouble. You're the one coming out of your way to meet me here," Akashi says, showing no signs of disgust or discomfort. He didn't see the photo, and doesn't think of her as a creepy stalker! What a relief! "So, what is the matter? Is there something you want?"
Oh, no. Saeri is about to enter yet another stalled silence. She is usually good with words, but she needs a little more time figuring out how to say 'I want to go out on dates with you after school and eventually have our wedding procession here in Meiji Shrine and the party at Ritz-Carlton' with proper decorum.
"Can we," she starts, "can we go somewhere quieter first?"
Akashi nods again.
Somewhere quieter also happens to be somewhere more romantic. Saeri has led them to the porch at the back of the museum with a beautiful view of the tranquil greenery in Meiji Shrine. She is also relieved to note that they're presently the only two souls around.
It is the perfect moment to make a declaration of love at, but Saeri is not quite there yet.
"Have you bought your ticket to the museum?" she asks, procrastinating.
"No, have you?" Akashi sees her nodding. "You'll have to wait for me while I purchase mine."
"That's not a problem at all," she assures him. Her brown eyes float to his artistically tousled hair which shares, if you recall, the same shade of red as her pretty, red date-flats.
(Popteens Online once said that wearing something reminiscent of a boy's self will cause him to subconsciously open up to you. See? A very deliberate choice, indeed.)
"I'm sorry, I assumed that we would buy them together."
Buy them together? Of course, it is natural that Akashi assumed they would be touring the museum together. Especially when Saeri said 'what a coincidence! I too have been thinking of looking at Meiji-era relics!' when she asked about his plans in the hotel lobby yesterday.
Saeri still has her heart in her throat, but the thought of Akashi even considering doing anything with her deals a great boost to her confidence. That, and she had the good omen of spotting a wedding before this. Meiji Shrine is the Japan's mecca for weddings, but the chances of catching one isn't that high—it's got to be a sign, right?
Alright. She can do this. She just needs to calm down first—one breath in, one breath out, like what Hiroki taught.
Here goes nothing.
"I'm sorry for stalling," she begins, her fingers tangled in knots, "the truth is, I've liked you, really liked you, since—"
"Let me stop you right there."
Saeri's lips snap into a straight line.
Akashi steps closer to her, and her heartrate triples as he softly sighs through his nose. "I thought you might do this, but I was hoping you'd do it after the museum tour."
Wait.
What?
How?
Is this really happening?
"Why?" she asks, even though his answer is brewing at the back of her mind. Her fingers are starting to hurt from being squeezed so tightly, but it's a good distraction to stop herself from screaming in anguish.
"Because I don't return your feelings," his calm expression falters slightly at having to spell it out, "and it'll be… difficult to do the tour together once I tell you."
She swallows. "Did you know about it before this?"
"I've had my suspicions, which I confirmed when I saw my picture on your phone just now."
Saeri wants to puke and drop dead there and then.
But she also wants to know: "Why? Do you already have someone else in mind?"
Akashi almost looks surprised by her question, which comes as blunt as a club. In a measured tone, he assures her: "no, I do not. I simply think that I should be focusing on my studies and club activities."
Oh.
Saeri rips her gaze from his to bore holes in the moss-covered stones of the forest ground with her eyes, which are stinging with tears. To stop any from falling, she blinks so hard that she starts to get light-headed.
To be honest, Saeri had no real idea how her confession would go, but in all the scenarios she imagined, none of them ended in rejection. Simply because she thought she was a good catch herself, as the five guys who have asked her out since the start of high school can attest to. Maybe she should summon them to present a case to Akashi about why he should date her—no. Akashi has made his mind made up. And he probably thinks of her as a stalker who has a secret room wallpapered with photographs of him.
She doesn't know how long they have been standing around (a full five minutes, according to Akashi's precise body clock). She plucks the courage to face him once she's sure she will not burst into tears. When she sees him again, she notes that the impenetrable aura cloaking him has vanished.
"It's… alright. I'm dealing with it."
Akashi has never seen someone look so crushed, so defeated. And this is coming from a guy who obliterates hopefuls on a weekly basis.
"I'm sorry," he offers. If someone who knows Akashi Seijuurou had been listening in, they'd be surprised by the sincerity in his apology.
She fishes something out from her sling bag and holds it out to him: the ticket to the exhibition she bought just now.
"You can have this," she says as he takes it from her, "You're right. I don't think I can do the tour with you after being r-r-re…"
She cannot bring herself to say it. He understands.
"Anyway," Saeri sucks in a breath, careful not to meet his eyes again, "I have to go, uh, find my brother. So… see you around."
She scurries past him and out of view before he can reply, so Akashi is left standing in the porch, alone, to contemplate the ticket in his hand.
A/N: (If you're new to this story)
Welcome! So, a little background: this story is actually a re-write of an ongoing story, which can explain how you're seeing so many reviews on ghost chapters (yes, I know, it's a bit of a cheat...) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a comment about how you feel so I can scope out how this fic's going.
A/N: (If you're one of the old readers)
So, I've gone ahead and did the deed: re-writing Liar, Liar. I kept re-reading the old chapters and just could not move past how my writing is no longer what I envisioned it to be. There were many parts I didn't like about it: parts that didn't make sense, too many unnecessary OCs, purple and unoriginal ideas (I mean, wow, the number of disclaimers I had to put out about inspired scenes). I also didn't like how Chiaki was portrayed, and to some degree, Saeri. As I've mentioned before, Liar Liar has a place in my heart and I really want to do justice by it, hence this rewrite. I'd say that while the central plot (i.e. rejection, fake relationship etc.) largely stays the same, I'll be changing how it's driven so I guess things can still be fresh for you guys. Do let me know how you feel about the rewrite!
Anyway, if anyone's interested, I'll publish the old version on my tumblr. Because I know some of you like it, and I'm sentimental and I still wanna look back on old writings one day. It'll be under the tag '#liar liar V1'.
Oh, and if you prefer AO3, I've also published this story there. Until the next chapter, stay safe homeslices!
