It has been a long, long time since I last updated, but with how things are lately, I have more time on my hands than I know what to do with. The good news is, I'm considering picking DoL again, but there are too many chapters I have to re-read because I don't remember everything that has happened there. Anyway, this is a fresh-out-of-the-oven work! It may not be fully refined, but I had fun writing this. I wish you all in good health!
Edit: This chapter has now been edited, with more contents and hopefully better than before.
Pairings : AkashixYume
Warnings : DoL Universe!
Disclaimer : I own only the OCs.
Chapter 43.6 - Dreams of Life: To you, from me
Ten years has gone by rather peacefully for one certain brunette. Time has eroded her self-doubts and naïvety to form the confident-woman she is now. It has been years since she lamented the chaos that comes with having the friendships of her magnificently, rainbow-coloured friends.
By now, she barely notices what goes on in the background every time they meet-up—she has taken to them as nothing but mosquito-noises.
Manai Yume is twenty-three years old this year, and her life is quite set. Working for NASA, she is in-charge of maintaining communication with the astronauts boarding the spaceship who lives in the outer space.
The job is demanding, both physically and mentally, but she enjoys and takes pride in it.
"Tsutomu-san, how are you doing today? Did you see anything interesting? I had quite the encounter on the way to work this morning..."
Living so far away from home has surely taken a huge-toll on the astronauts, they are cut-off from the happenings on Earth and they have little ways to maintain contact with their beloved ones.
"Yeah, isn't it really something? We received your package just now, it's currently in the lab—the scientists are hyped-up, it's almost like they had adrenaline rush."
For the weary astronauts whose dreams push them to depart for the unknown, the daily communication with their operator in-charge is considered irreplaceable. The brunette is their only constant connection to their lives on Earth.
"Mm. I have included everything you all asked for and those I know you will need. Tsutomu-san's, Lin-san's, Tyler-san's and of course, Jameson-san's!"
It is not an exaggeration to say that those astronauts believes her to be an angel-like existence.
Nevertheless, her days has been normal—nothing out of the ordinary.
And she likes it that way.
The same can't be said for the people around her, who has been the busy-bees these days. They bustle here and there from early-morning to late-night, to the point that she can't help but feel tired in their places.
This includes her—maybe—boyfriend too.
There is no telling with him, the brunette sips her warm-milk, liking the friendly-temperature and familiar-taste as she gets ready for bed.
What they have between them is certainly far too affectionate even for the best-of-friends, yet they never made it official if they were dating.
It's fine this way, in fact, I think perhaps this is for the best, she finishes her cup of milk with a certain finality to it, shaking her head a bit before heading for the sink in the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face.
With how they are, she can honestly deny her fathers' inquiries about her relationship with him—just-friends, not dating.
It isn't hard to convince them, considering the way she behaves around him ever since middle-school. Even she herself wonders when it has gotten to this point between the two of them.
The brunette gently towels her face, making sure they are nicely-dried before she plops herself, face-down, onto her soft-soft bed with great-relish.
Ting!
Next to her pillow, her cellphone vibrates quietly. It's incoming text message and at about this time, she knows who sends it—him.
From: Him
Drink your milk. Rest well. I will see you tomorrow.
She doesn't even have to fully unlock her phone to read out the message, it has always been like him to send a short-and-brief message.
It's not romantic nor it is affectionate, but it always puts a smile to her face and soothes her worries.
Even if he is busy and the time they spent together when they met short, she treasures the little-things like this text message.
The arrival of the text message concludes her night-before-sleep-ritual. It doesn't take long for her breath to even-out, as the cup of warm-milk has never failed her.
Her last clear-thought before sleep takes her has been of him—the familiar-feels of his guiding-palm on her hand and the magnetic-quality to his voice brushing her ears as he instructs her.
It's thus not very surprising when she wakes up on Thursday morning, to find her dream that night had consisted of him.
"...I can't even escape from him in my own dreams," the brunette sighs rather forlornly, with a touch of warm-affection.
Yume knows best how much and how long has she tried keeping her distance from the man that may-be-her-boyfriend. Nowadays, she has surrendered all-fight against the numerous 'coincidental' meetings between them.
She has learned to go with the flow and accepts the 'coincidence' as such, even if she knows that he knows that she knows there is nothing coincidental to their encounters.
He does it anyway.
The brunette shakes-off both her drowsiness and wayward-thoughts before steadily making her way down to the kitchen to get herself a cup of tea—she has never been a fan of the bitter-tasting coffee, a trait she shares with him, although he tolerates it better than she does.
"—beautiful! Also, this package has five-stars-hotel-stay included—for five whole days too!"
...it's too early for this, she doesn't want to believe that voice to be her bestfriend's.
"Hmm...it sounds fantastic, I admit. But! Don't you agree Asahi-chan's wedding is the best we have ever gone to? It takes a longer time to prepare, but it's cost-effective too! I like this plan better!"
Ah, that's Riko-senpai, the brunette finally resigns herself to early-morning debacle.
From what little she heard, it appears the two women are having discussion they both are interested in—wedding planning—which is good, because there will be less bickering.
About time too, she inwardly thinks, happy for her long-time senpai-slash-friend.
Hyuuga-senpai has taken far too long, she recalls how arduous the road has been for her bespectacled-senpai to confess his feelings to the now-long-haired senpai.
"I know! But, Riko-chan, you look at this brochure—the beach! Imagine it, warm-orange-hue sunset reflected on ocean-blue seas and the golden-yellow sand on your feet! How picturesque!" the pinkette continues to gush about one brochure more than the others.
"Satsuki-chan, you are really really set on this one, huh? Look, I kno—eh? Yume-chan! You're awake!" the sighing sound stops the moment the older-woman spots the owner of the apartment on the stairs, just waking up from sleep, she's sure.
The pinkette immediately snaps her eyes towards the stairs, peach-pink eyes shining to impossibly-bright.
"Yuu-chan!" she chirps, sounding so-awfully-cheery far too early.
"Come sit with us! We are talking of the wedding! We need your opinions too!" she motions eagerly for the other woman to join, patting the cushiony-seat next to her.
The brunette dearly wants to refuse, she is not willing to have discussion with two clearly-invigorated women before ten o'clock, at least not without her morning-tea.
Unfortunately for her, she can see the teapot she can bet contains her oh-so-warm-and-delicious tea sitting on the coffee-table where the two women are sitting by and talking of a wedding. There's even an extra teacup she has no doubt prepared for her participation on the table.
"...sure. It would be nice, must be indeed," she murmurs her replies as she walks closer to early-morning-chaos. It's the tea she is interested in, although she may as well listen to the planning the two women have on the wedding.
From she gathered, her bestfriend has been pushing on a certain wedding-package for her senpai's wedding, but her senpai prefers Asahi-san's wedding-style. She believes the two women can settle the wedding by themselves, they are both very organised and very capable women.
So really, it's the tea where her participation lies in.
"Asahi-san's wedding was great, I know, but this is not Asahi-san's wedding! We have to make an even more amazing wedding this time! And this Bahama wedding-package is just that!" the pinkette restarts her campaign, waving the brochure around as if it will convince the other party.
The older-woman nurses her throbbing-temple at the non-stop promotion of one wedding-package when there are so much more they can choose from.
"Okay. I mean, Bahama's great, sure. But this is not your wedding, Satsuki-chan, so can we please discuss the next—"
"Yuu-chan! You agree with me too, right? You want to go to Bahama, right?" the pinkette is quick to search for ally, turning her focused-gaze on the brunette who is enjoying her morning-tea.
"Mm. Bahama's great," she replies without much thought. Knowing her bestfriend, it's best to agree first so they can move on towards the other options her senpai is sure want to discuss the pros-and-cons of.
And really, her senpai needs to know all of her options. A wedding is once a lifetime after all—unless the unexpected happens, that is.
"See? I know Yuu-chan agrees with me! So we are keeping this Bahama plan here, okay? Now we can discuss the next one!" the pinkette grins happily, the width of her smile mirroring her tanned-childhood-friend.
Riko gives up. Since the brunette says so, she can't refute. They are finally moving on from that damned-Bahama too, it's all the pinkette talked about for the last fifteen-minutes. So yes, just keep the Bahama.
The wedding discussion thus goes on in similar-fashion. With her bestfriend so enthused in one certain plan, her senpai's reluctance to agree and her offhanded approval to end the current discussion so they can get on to the next one.
"Bora Bora looks great too! The seas so clear, you can see everything in it! This is a keep!"
Although she offers her opinions without much fanfare, it is done with the most honesty she can manage in the early-morning. It is her senpais' wedding, she has to do that at the very least—it's a happy occasion too.
"...really, what is it with you and beaches, Satsuki-chan?"
They discuss the popular destinations for the wedding and the honeymoon, the less popular ones, and the unique, straight-out of the world's-strangest-places too.
–-—❦—-–
As minutes ticked on, with more and more plans rejected and few placed aside for further comparison, the brunette is more-awake and less-dazed. From the stacks of brochures however, she knows it will take a while to get through them all.
A whole day at least, she surmises rather defeatedly. That must be the reason why her bestfriend and her senpai barges into her apartment so early in the morning today when she has the day-off.
The two women are determined to get through the brochures today and her apartment is the most convenient place for the discussion, considering how often they gather here—and by they, she knows the whole-group would soon arrive.
Ting! Tong!
And there they are, she nearly smiles at their on-time arrival. No doubt her may-be-boyfriend is amongst the group, with how 'coincidental' their timing was.
"Finally! They sure took their time!" the pinkette complains grumbly as she stands up and makes her way towards the entrance to unlock the door.
Soon the brunette can see the familiar brightly-coloured heads of various heights entering the living-room, with her bestfriend in the lead, glaring at her other bestfriend who is also the pinkette's childhood-friend.
Must be about how late Dai-kun was, she deduces rightfully. It never gets old, the bickering.
"Yume, just finished your tea?" the ever-mesmerising voice of her ravenette-senpai sounds out the moment he steps on the living-room and sees the empty-teacup she is nursing on her hands.
"Senpai," the brunette still can't help the slight-heat creeping up her cheeks at the greetings, even now, a grown-up woman, her senpai still has that affect on her.
She quickly shakes her head to ward-off the heat, "No, it's been a while actually. Do you want a cup, senpai?"
"Sure," Nijimura smiles easily as he accepts the offering. He walks towards the coffee-table where the women are around and sits himself on the sofa adjacent to the brunette.
As she has known the group would make their appearances sooner-than-later, she has taken out seven more cups and placed them on the coffee-table. She has made another teapot of tea too, since the one she is sure Riko-senpai brewed has been emptied.
From the seven cups, five are teacups and the remaining two are for coffees. She has long learned that there are two individuals who would not accept tea in place of coffee. Of course, they can brew the coffee themselves.
Like always, the brunette pours the tea into the five teacups herself. She is nevertheless the host, no matter whether she is willing or not. It is a courtesy her grandparents instilled on her person.
"Here, senpai," she hands the teacup along with its cup-plate to the ravenette who smiles and nods in thanks.
Then she does the same for the remaining four and gets the reactions of: a smile plus polite thank-you, a thank-you plus a quiet-nod, a wordless-smirk and a dazed-thank-you.
As for the two empty coffee-cups, she can hear the grumpy rambling down the kitchen and the cheery cajoling which follows in their attempts to serve themselves that bitter-awful drink.
When the men all have their cups filled with their respective drinks, the pinkette excitedly commences the discussion with a resounding clap and gummy-wide smile.
"Now that we're all here, let's continue! We have set aside several brochures, you guys can give them a read first, but do participate in the on-going discussion too, okay? We have lots to do, so be quick about it!"
Since the discussion topic is about a wedding planning, the brunette is quite certain the men have little to contribute. And what little they do, is sure to face the firm-rebuttal of either her bestfriend or senpai, if not both.
"—but Bali looks good too, it's mainstream, I know, but it works. Yuu-chan likes all the beach-options, so I think we can keep this too."
Sure enough, as the discussion goes on, the brunette spots the frown marring her ravenette-senpai's features. He looks unhappy and his expression is quite fierce.
"Yes, yes, okay. I personally prefers mountains than beaches, but you don't really hold a wedding reception on a mountain, so I guess beaches it is."
Which she finds strange, as although he isn't a morning person, the ravenette is rarely cranky in the morning even when waken-up. It appears that the discussion is what upsets him.
"Mountain, why not? Maybe we can hold the reception on top of Mount Fuji! That will be a grand, once-in-a-lifetime, never-done-before wedding reception!"
I know men generally aren't as enthused as women when discussing all the details in planning a wedding, especially one that is not theirs, but senpai usually wouldn't show his dislike so obviously, the brunette lifts her eyebrow in confusion.
"Satsuki-chan... I don't know how to dissuade you, so just add it to the pile over there, Mount Fuji, whatever. It's not like what I said matters to you anyway..."
This is so unlike her senpai that she worries if there's something she is missing here. Riko-senpai is here too, it's her wedding after all, and she is precious to the brunette. Although the ravenette is merely a passing-acquaintance with the older-brunette, he always treats the friend-of-a-friend rather well.
"Ehh? It does matter, Riko-chan! We are doing this together! I know that between the three of us, we can plan a wedding so amazing even Asahi-san's pales in comparison!"
So why...? she can't help wondering. The brunette can wonder forever but still understand little if she doesn't even ask her senpai, and seeing as the two women are embroiled in their discussion, she may as well strike a conversation with her senpai, if only to sate her curiosity.
"Senpai? Is everything alright?" she turns her soft-lime-green eyes on him, concerns brewing on the marble-like surfaces, "…you seems out of it."
Just like how she can't resist the blush on her cheeks whenever her senpai speaks to her, her ravenette-senpai has his own helplessness when he is faced with her worry-filled lime-green eyes, not that she is aware of it.
"I'm just a bit tired," Nijimura eases up on his frowns to smile at her like he usually does, he isn't being fully truthful, but it's enough. "I had to finish all of my pending work in the hospital so I can make the time for today," he explains with a careless-shrug.
…it seems everyone is in the know that a discussion on wedding planning is due on her apartment today but her—the apartment's owner.
Times like this, the brunette wonders if her friends colluding with each other to surprise her as often as possible is worth the friendships.
Her friends, her two bestfriends who are childhood-friends especially, declares her nice-peaceful-and-stable life to be boring and lacking in excitement that life should have.
It thus falls on them to spice up her days with just enough chaos, a cup of surprises, a spoonful of company, a teaspoon of chatters, a dash of pranks topped with lots and lots of jokes.
"You must have accepted more patients than you can handle, senpai. A day-off shouldn't be the reason behind being overworked," the ever-friendly greenhead chimes in rather thoughtlessly with his this-is-a-fact-tone.
Even with years knowing the epitome of eccentricities that is Midorima Shintarō, the brunette still finds herself being surprised by how lacking the man is in making amiable-conversations to build-up relations.
Last she heard from the cheery Takao-kun, the greenhead has plenty of associates he works just fine with, but a total of nil persons to spend the days-off with that aren't his acquaintances from when they were playing competitive-basketball.
"Dealing with the psychologies of patients are much more complex and time-consuming, Shintarō-san. They each need a specialised-care and there's no barely any guidelines for us to follow, similar cases maybe, but we can't always follow it, reference works, but that's it. I'm not saying your work as surgeon is less difficult, every surgery you handle comes with high-risk, I know this," the brunette explains gently but clearly.
As a psychologist herself, she doesn't like the perceived-slight against her job. While her ravenette-senpai focuses in sports and makes his career there, caring for athletes, the brunette shifts her studies deeper into the field as is required by her employer for the astronauts' well-being.
The moment her last word leaves her lips is the moment when the ravenette pats the brunette on the head, much like he would a child and just like how he always does when she does something he finds endearing.
"Thank you for defending me, Yume," for this adorable-kōhai of his, Nijimura is always indulgent. Towards a certain greenhead-kōhai who knows tact as much as Aomine knows manners, he has patented the hannya-like smile which he then directs to said kōhai.
"It's okay, Midorima. I will surely instruct you all the differences in our jobs when I have the time," he says with even-tone, void of any anger and irritation he may had.
Midorima suppresses the shudder of fear that runs through his spine—he is no longer that freshman who has a healthy dose of fear towards his captain. At twenty-three years old, he is an accomplished heart-surgeon in a well-known hospital in Japan. He has to maintain his composure, as well as his dignity.
While Akashi still has that damnable-smirk on his face as he listens to the three's conversation with one ear, Kuroko has his usual-blank expression as he looks chidingly at the greenhead for offending their senpai.
To which the greenhead merely sips his tea in response, not saying another word on the matter. Clearly, his opinions are not appreciated here, in the middle of his associates since middle-school, whereas his words weigh gold amongst his doctor-acquaintances.
The brunette withholds a sigh, even after years have passed and how close they are now, this particular-combination has been nothing but volatile. Without the presence of others or a certain goal in mind, these hot-blooded males would be at each other's throat.
It is at this time that her eyes catch sight of her other bestfriend, whose disgruntled-frown was not unlike the ravenette. Then again, it is nothing new on him.
If her pinkette bestfriend is all-smiles nearly twenty-four-per-seven, then her tanned bestfriend is the opposite, with a bitchy-resting-face, just as long.
"Anyway, why are we not considering hotels or other well-known buildings for wedding receptions? They are a great choice since they are more orderly, less work too."
As the sudden silence—other then the background-chatters of the two women discussing the wedding—is not good for her continued health, the brunette decides she may as well prods her tanned-befriend, even if she already have an idea what he is unhappy about.
"Well, sure, with Akashi-kun's connections, I'm sure we can hold the wedding reception in any of those big-shot buildings in just about any time we want, but I want it to be more in touch with nature. I mean, it's boring to be cooped indoor!"
"What is it this time, Dai-kun? Did Kagami-kun do something Kagami-like again?" she finally asks, truly feeling sorry for their coach who has to deal with two-overgrown-brats in the same team with miraculous-talents but terrible-attitudes.
Instead of answering her inquiry, Aomine tsks and stares into her lime-green eyes. The intensity of his gaze is starting to unnerve her, and he doesn't even speak a word as he does so. It's almost like he is trying to tell her something she is clearly not getting.
After what feels like forever, the tanned teen turns his head away and slouches.
"Baka," he grouses grouchily, as if it is her fault.
Several years ago, the meek-and-quiet brunette would never even consider smacking another's head for their stupidity. But as a tick mark makes its home on her temple, the brunette has to inwardly chants the calming sutra she has learned from the monk back in Kyoto, lest she gives in to violence.
The sutra she was taught that summer in Kyoto has became her cushion to fall on throughout the years, especially when she needs that extra bit of patience. It really shows how much her friends has greatly affected her character.
SMACK!
A resounding-thwack echoes in the room, effectively stopping the two women's heated discussion for one-solid-second before it continues like it never stops after determining it's another of Ahomine's moments.
"…Tetsu," Aomine growls menacingly as his forehead smarts real good from the none-too-gently hit the bluenette palmed him with. He is dead-certain the quiet-male has smack him like he would a basketball when they were in high school.
There is no remorse reflected in her book-friend's blank-look, in fact, she can see the subtle amusement dancing across his baby-blue eyes. Knowing a fight is about to erupt, the brunette is about to settle it before it begins by placating her tanned-friend.
Murasakibara has another thought however, and he shows it by shoving a cookie far-too-big to be considered bite-sized straight into Aomine's agape mouth, choking him into compliance.
…brutal but effective, as expected from Atsushi-kun, the brunette can't help staring at her tallest-friend whose expression doesn't even change after committing the crime everyone is witness to.
While the purplehead returns to enjoying his chocolate-chip-cookies and cup of sweetened-tea, Kise takes pity on his fellow coffee-lover. He thoughtfully-palms the athlete's back to help him dislodge the blockage while offering the man's cup of coffee which was on the table for him to drink.
All the meanwhile, no one else offers further assistances towards the still-coughing man. With a skilled-surgeon sitting in the same room, his life is not in danger. Letting him to suffer his dues however, is a consequence he has to shoulder.
Also, before the brunette can do anything to care for her idiotic-bestfriend, her may-be-boyfriend discards his teacup onto the coffee-table before standing up from his seat. Without saying any other word, he then takes ahold of her shoulders and nudges her towards the balcony next to her kitchen.
Maybe it's a reflex that has been ingrained into her after years of knowing each other, but the brunette doesn't even complain in her heart at his abrupt behaviour and allows him to lead her around her own apartment.
Still, she wants to asks why he takes her here, just the two of them.
A pair of familiar hands puts her question to rest, caging her in place where she is standing with her back close towards the wall. His palms are plastered on the wall, with her head deliberately situated right in the middle.
This action alone is enough to kill her voice before it even makes an appearance, and yet as if it's not enough for him, he leans down right into her personal space.
After years of exposure, the brunette knows she is not as easily flustered as when she was thirteen. The one tell she can never change seems to be the heat colouring her cheeks—he knows this and he enjoys the sight immensely.
"W-What?" she questions, trying to be bold and barely succeeding thanks to her accumulated-experiences.
The oh-so-familiar-smirk makes its way to his lips, one she can read containing a hint of delight and more of mock-anger.
"That there was the first word you have said to me today. Why is that?" he leans even closer to her, their noses nearly brushing each other.
Had she not known him any better, she would believe he is expecting her to answer when he purposefully puts her in this situation. As it is, she knows him far too well to realise he is doing this because he enjoys her reactions that have greatly-diminished as she grows older and learns to better maintain her inner-calm.
The quiet-chuckles reverberating his stature means she assumes right and the loosening of his hands around her head signals the end to this matter.
"Well, I am sure we will have a lot more to talk about soon. I will be going in first," as he says this, he makes his way towards the sliding-door into the apartment, his back facing her.
Him being him though, he doesn't immediately enters, instead he turns around to stare meaningfully into her eyes. There is something she can't name there, present in his gaze. It's stronger than friendship and more than just affections.
Friends aren't an apt description for the relationship they share, and yet it is far too ambiguous to be termed as lovers. He never says the word and she doesn't even try to clarify it.
The rhythmic-beating of her heart tells her what she is experiencing around him is more than a puppy-crush, the daily text messages and calls he never fails to make shows he thinks of her differently from the rest of the group.
And yet nothing changes.
Maybe this is for the best, she thinks, after all there's no need to rock the boat. Just before he finally left her on the balcony by her lonesome, she manages to catch that damnable-smirk on his face. Almost as if he knows what she's thinking.
Perhaps, he does know. He knows and he doesn't think anything of it, just like she does.
The brunette stays for a while, staring into the rising sun and the lights reflected on the windows etched into the buildings around her.
I should get back, lest Sat-chan comes to drag me by herself, she smiles at this, her bestfriend has clearly been influenced by their other friend despite her denial, as the pinkette would sometimes act first before she places much thought into it.
With that in mind, any thoughts on her may-be-boyfriends ceases, and the many available destinations for wedding receptions filled her brain.
I do love beaches, but since it's Riko-senpai's, maybe we should just go with what she decided, she hums as she leaves the balcony to rejoin her friends around the coffee-table.
–-—❦—-–
"There's a reason why wedding reception is generally held in indoor venues, Satsuki-chan. They offer acceptable options for the catering, responsible organiser, after-event-cleaning, and the likes."
The brunette returns to the heated-discussion of whether indoor or outdoor wedding reception is preferable. Both comes with their own pros and cons, personally, she believes it all boils down to the bride's and groom's preferences.
"But don't you love Asahi-san's wedding reception? Hers is outdoor! Only in a moderately-sized garden, yes, which is why this time, we will select a larger, much more beautiful location!"
Which is why, shouldn't Hyuuga-senpai, said-to-be-groom, be in attendance too? It's likely that her ex-captain is with her goofy-senpai, no doubt he is taut with tension since he finally proposed to Riko-senpai after years of dating.
"In a garden—small enough to be manageable, with a gazebo in place of wedding altar. And while the chairs are directly placed on the grass, the venue comes with wall-less hall just a walk-away!"
Maybe there will be another session of discussion with the rest of the ex-Seirin-basketball-members. Planning a wedding is hard-work, it takes lots of time and efforts, and Riko-senpai is sure to get all the help she can get. Their former basketball-team-members are a great source for free-labours.
"Ehh? But it's nothing but trees and flowers, they are rather sparse in number too. Most of venues like that are pretty much the same. I much prefer we go outdoor all-out. Maybe even next to a waterfall? That would really be amazing!"
There's no doubt they will help, even with all the endless-complains they will utter for every action they did, big or small. After all, the after-effects of being trained under the Demon Coach from Hell is traumatising enough to last a lifetime.
And this is indubitably said Coach's—
"Just keep the option open, okay? I don't really mind whether it's indoor or outdoor, as long as you like it. After all, you know best."
—wedding? ...eh?
"Gee, Riko-chan! Be more excited, you are the only one I can talk to about this, Yuu-chan is more like fine-with-everything. There, I will keep the hotel-options at least."
The brunette would have spit out her tea had she been drinking. After all the opinions she has offered with her senpais in mind, the abrupt realisation that her ex-captain may not have proposed to her senpai rattles her far too much.
"What are we, chopped-livers? Why did you even call us here, Satsuki?"
If it's not Riko-senpai's and Hyuuga-senpai's wedding...then whose is it? she is hit with a sudden-chill, she knows she should have confirmed her suspicion first, but she was far too drowsy when they began.
"I believe you are merely invited to complete the cause, Aomine. There is nothing you can contribute to this discussion."
There are plenty of her friends currently in relationships, but the more likely wedding to happen soon can only be Riko-senpai's, which means Hyuuga-senpai's. The brunette is certain her pinkette bestfriend is single at the moment, even with the subtle flirting she and the other had had going on for a while now.
"There are little we can do to help, Midorima-kun. Murasakibara-kun can help with the catering while Kise-kun can act as MC relatively well, and Akashi-kun has his connections. Other then the three of them, we are quite useless."
Could there be a sudden movement she is unaware of? While she has quite the lax-schedule these past weeks, the same can't be said for her friends. In fact, this is the first time in a month since she has last seen several of them. The brunette has kept close-contact through the uses of cellphone, but it's hard for them to meet-up since the other was busy.
"Eh? Okay, I don't mind making the wedding cake for Sa-chin and Mana-chin."
There are ten of them seated in her living-room, and from these ten, she has confirmed one in a stable-relationship—Riko-senpai—two in that 'some' relationship—Sat-chan and him—lastly, it's her and him with their non-official-maybe-lovers relationship.
"I'm all for it too! It's been a while since I MC-ed, but sure, why not? It's a great honour to help!"
Then... it must be Sat-chan's?! the brunette doesn't know what expression she is showing, but she hopes she keeps it well under-control, at least until she discovers whose wedding it is they are planning.
"Naturally, the same goes for me."
From the subtle, miniscule-smirk she can spot barely-hidden behind the teacup the redhead is holding, she must have failed. Or maybe he just knows her tells that well. No surprise there, considering one of his sparse hobbies is to rile her up.
"Well, I will do what I can to help. It's my duty as your senpai."
No, no, back to the wedding, the brunette subtly shakes her head, ridding herself the distraction, if it's Sat-chan's and his wedding, then the reason why I wasn't told is to make it a surprise? Considering the both of them, it's not unfounded.
"Great! Maybe we can put Dai-chan in security? He is scary-looking, so it would work! Nijimura-san can be the man of honour, that is, the best man! Then Midorin can be the on-call first-aid-provider! Tetsuya-kun, you will be my escort, won't you?"
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...wait a minute. It's not Riko-senpai's. Sat-chan asks Tetsuya-kun to be her escort. Which means we are not planning Riko-senpai's wedding nor Sat-chan's...
If it's not Riko-senpai's...
...nor Sat-chan's...
...then...
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.
"Err...are...are we planning a w-wedding?" the brunette manages to mutter, her voice so tremblingly-weak it's embarrassing. She hasn't done this for years!
While there is little doubt that a certain redhead finds her reaction as amusing as ever, it is not him that answers her question.
"You must have fallen-off the bed and hit your head rather hard if you're so out of it. Maybe you should follow me to the hospital so I can run a CT scan on your head," Midorima not-so-helpfully grumbles, his emerald-green eyes boring into her lime-green ones.
That was a yes, in the greenhead's language, she quickly realises. The moment she does, somehow, time seems to slow down and it's like her brain refuses to function.
It's not Riko-senpai's...
With dread heavily-lacing, to the point of dripping from her every word, the brunette finally asks the one-million-dollars-question.
...nor it is Sat-chan's...
"...and this w-wedding we are talking about, is not Riko-senpai's...nor Sat-chan's...but...mine...?"
It has been a long, long years since the brunette has sounded so meek, like a little-lamb waiting for slaughter. She has thought the time has passed and wouldn't make a return—clearly she thought wrong.
"Why yes, of course!" is the resounding reply to her inquiry.
Oh. Oh, her head is spinning now and her ears are ringing rather unhelpfully from the shock. Who is sitting in front of her again? Her head is a mess, but she thinks she knows who it is.
The one person who must have started all of this, from ruining her morning to surprising her senseless. No...he begins much earlier. Teikō, that's where it all began.
Who? Who is it? she suddenly can't remember.
"...who am I marrying again?"
There, a subtle-curving of his lips in a manner so similar to a cheshire-grin despite the gaping-difference in both appearance and character.
"Me," the redhead, aka, Akashi Seijūrō, answers with enviable, nonchalant-ease.
The Demon King, Mr. Perfect, the All-knowing Captain, His Holiness, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, her maybe-boyfriend—Akashi Seijūrō, answered.
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On one chilly-Thursday morning, one Manai Yume wakes up with a dying-scream on her throat and a hard-tumble down her bed.
There is no mistaking the cold-sweats plastering her smooth-fringe to her forehead, while her lime-green eyes are wide-open yet dazed.
It's all but a dream.
A dream far too much like a nightmare, needless of the people who star in it. At the very least, she is absolutely against learning her own wedding from a ridiculous situation like the one in her dream.
Ting!
The cellphone vibrates— it's another text message. Thursday is shown on the screen of her phone, confirming that she is now wide awake and no longer dreaming.
From: Him
Have a good dream? Get ready. Be there in a while.
The brunette heaves a sigh of relief, if she was doubting whether she's still trapped in that stupid dream before, she is assured now.
In that dream, she wakes to find her bestfriend and her senpai in her living-room, the text message, no matter how ironic, is a sign of reality.
Yume stretches herself languidly, humming unconsciously as she makes her way towards the bathroom to get ready for the day. Today is her day-off and she is going to enjoy it to the brim.
Hmm, I did remember him saying we will meet today, she momentarily stops her toothbrush as she is struck with confusion, but I don't remember promising him?
Oh well, she shrugs it off. If there's anything, he will tell her. If not, then she doesn't need to know, no need to complicate things.
If she later finds a certain redhead on her door all-suited-up like he is about to attend an important occasion and he then notes her underdressed-state, which he follows up with needing to rectify it in a moment as in taking her to one of those overly-luxurious salons, then she knows nothing.
If she notices the uncharacteristic fidgets said redhead makes as he leads her somewhere she has no ideas of, then she says nothing.
After all, a dream is a dream and nothing else.
So yeah, how is it?
Reviews are very much appreciated!
Next time, it is Chapter 44 which is already-done but waiting for Chapter 45 to be written for it to be posted!
