Kasamatsu and the 7 Miracles
Chapter Four: Recruiting
'Today is Friday.' Kasamatsu thought, staring blankly at the dry-erase board up at the front of the classroom. 'So far no one has come to start anything. Everything, except for that whole Akashi-ordeal, has been pretty much normal.' His thoughts lead him back to his previous musings.
'Who else am I going to get to join?' As of yet, no one has gotten back to him about joining the basketball club, except for Imayoshi, who had given him the form yesterday, saying that he would "love to join". 'I just need to find two more members. Then I also need to find the club an adviser and coach…' Kasamatsu sighed, moving his gaze from the white board to stare down at his arms, which were folded over his desk.
Kasamatsu put his head in his arms and closed his eyes. Everything went dark as he sat there in silence, passing time by occupying his thoughts of his best friends from middle school and basketball plays. By the time class was about to start, Kasamatsu dozed off and only realized it the moment he heard voices talking and people shuffling around him. He jolted into an upright position, staring dazedly ahead of him, just taking a moment to absorb the scenery provided. The raven haired teenager blinked tiredly and stifled a yawn, shaking his head. Still feeling tired, Kasamatsu rubbed at his eyes and managed to stifle another oncoming yawn, and twisted his body in his seat in order to crack his back. He paused, mid-turn, when he made eye contact with Imayoshi.
Imayoshi smirked at him, causing Kasamatsu to frown and turn back to the front of the class. Kasamatsu was determined not to pay him any mind, already knowing that Imayoshi would only try to play his annoying mind games with him again. So, Kasamatsu is now determined to ignore him for the entire day – starting now.
With his heart set on the task at hand, Kasamatsu kept his eyes glued to the board. He only flinched suddenly when he felt a tap on his should. The third year stiffened, twisting in determination to not look behind him. Just when he thought that he was in the clear and Imayoshi had given up, a neatly folded up piece of notebook paper flew over his shoulder and landed in front of him.
Kasamatsu stared down at it, the paper suddenly springing up a memory of how Moriyama would always pass notes in class to him and Kobori – ultimately getting the three of them into trouble. Kasamatsu smiled sadly at the memory, picking the note up on a whim. He opened it and read the contents of the note.
Find the remaining players you need, Kasamatsu? If you need any, I may or may not know some people who could join. – Imayoshi
The round-about way Imayoshi had written that only made Kasamatsu wish that he had just crumpled up the note and threw it away. Or even just have shoved it into Imayoshi's mouth (because of the little heart that Imayoshi put after his signed name). Kasamatsu got distracted by the teacher entering and shuffling around his desk, getting things in order before he would officially start class. The steel-blue eyed teen looked back down at the note still in his hands, thinking, 'I do still need members in order for this club to become official...' He held back a sigh and instead thought about it a while more before scribbling his words onto the piece of paper.
Kasamatsu chanced a look up at the teacher, who was currently facing the board, about to write some things down, and then he glanced back down at the note. Kasamatsu passed it back to Imayoshi before he could change his mind. The soft, smug-sounding noise that Imayoshi made in the back of his throat only served to piss Kasamatsu off even more. Kasamatsu crossed his arms over his chest and sunk in his seat, giving the chubby teacher his full, undivided attention.
About a minute later, the piece of paper flew over his shoulder once more, causing Kasamatsu to sigh. The third year picked it up and read it over quickly.
Alright. I'll meet you in the 2nd gymnasium after school. – Imayoshi
Kasamatsu frowned at the small doodled heart once more, writing furiously on the paper: Kindly stop with the fucking hearts, Imayoshi.
With that, Kasamatsu turned and slammed the paper down, purposely ignoring Imayoshi's amused and smug expression, as he turned back around to face the front. The teacher had stopped with what he was doing and cocked an eyebrow. "Is everything alright, Kasamatsu?" Kasamatsu responded with a brief nod, his cheeks dusting hues of red from the sudden unwanted attention.
'I swear. I'll hit that bastard…' Kasamatsu thought, already knowing that Imayoshi was smirking right behind him.
Now that it was lunch time, Kasamatsu took off, wanting to head to the spot where he could eat his lunch alone in peace. He passed by chattering students and eventually made his way into the music room. It was quiet, dusty, dark, and void of anything living – with the exception of Kasamatsu himself and maybe a few spiders.
He found this place yesterday, while searching for places to eat his lunch without the boisterous and distracting voices of the others. His new spot used to be the Music Room, but apparently from what Kasamatsu heard, some rotten students had trashed it. Now there is a new music room, located somewhere in one of the smaller buildings next to the main school building. The old one, however, has yet to be cleaned out from its dusty and damaged musical instruments. The only good thing is that no one really comes here anymore, as well.
Kasamatsu sat down on a dusty piano bench which had a few tears and rips in it, the stuffing on the inside partly in chunks. He put his bento box down next to him and sighed, the sound seeming louder because of the deafening silence of the room. Kasamatsu smiled to himself and began to eat his lunch. Once he finished eating, Kasamatsu put his empty lunch box to the side and looked around the dirtied, oddly monochromatic room.
The raven haired teenager brushed the dust from the piano keys laid out before him and settled his hands on top of the keys. He pushed firmly, releasing a breath he did not realize he was holding as the sharp sound left the piano. The steely-blue eyed teen smiled softly, pressing more keys with no particular order – creating something of a broken melody.
Feeling slightly amused in a sort of way, Kasamatsu did not even notice the moment someone had entered, until a loud bang from the door being slammed shut broke his intense focus on the piano. The raven head jolted back from the noise, immediately stopping as he craned his neck to peer at the sudden new arrival.
It was a blond kid, one that looked somewhat familiar (now that Kasamatsu got a better look). He stared up at him, the blondie not even appearing to realize that Kasamatsu was there in the first place. The tall blond was breathing hard, as if he had just been running, and wiping sweat from his face as he evened his shallow breath. Kasamatsu frowned and cleared his throat, causing the blond to leap backwards in shock.
"Uwah!" He yelped, moving into some ninja-like pose. The blond fell out of the ridiculous stance and took a step back, taking Kasamatsu in. Kasamatsu blinked and his eyes widened, recognizing the blond, realizing that he was the one he had seen on his very first day.
"Y- You scared me!" The blond spoke, his voice trembling slight as he tried to cover it up with a bright grin. "I didn't think that anyone would be in here – ah, not that I was running or hiding or anything…" The golden eyes sunk to the floor as he fell silent, pursing his lips into a pout.
Kasamatsu was quiet as he raised his eyebrow, staring cautiously up at the blond. "Are you serious?" He asked after a moment, unable to stop himself. "You must really be an idiot to think that anyone would believe you and that fake, dumb smile." Kasamatsu muttered out, casting his gaze elsewhere. He knew he should not be such a hypocrite (Kasamatsu was good at fake smiles, alright?), but the idiot standing next to him was beginning to really piss him off.
"Yo-! Wha-… Eh?!" The blond cried out in shock and confusion, disbelief written as clear as day on his face.
"Just saying." Kasamatsu added, as if it would make everything better.
"But… You can't say that to me!" The blond huffed out, falling onto the piano bench next to Kasamatsu.
The third year snorted, shaking his head as he inched away from the taller male. "Maybe, maybe not – however, I am your senior, you first year brat." He mumbled, glaring into those glittery-golden orbs.
"Ehh… Wait, how'd you know that I'm a first year?" The blond asked, pouting again. Kasamatsu motioned to the single golden star that rested above the school's crest on the left breast pocket of the blond's uniform. The first year blinked and looked down. "Oh." He stated smartly, his bright eyes leaving the single star to stare at the three golden stars on Kasamatsu's uniform. "…"
Kasamatsu stared at the blond, turning his head back to the piano keys. "What's your name, blondie?"
"Blond-! It's Kise. Kise Ryouta." Kise replied, pouting once more at when Kasamatsu had called him 'blondie'.
Kasamatsu eyed Kise for a moment then turned away, "Hmn. I'm Kasamatsu Yukio." He introduced himself almost inaudibly, standing up and wiping the dust form his pants before collecting his bento box. Kasamatsu turned and left without another word, choosing the ignore Kise's intent stare, burning into his retreating form.
The bell that signaled school was now over rung about nearly five minutes ago. Currently, all the students in Kasamatsu's class all left by now, including Imayoshi. The raven haired, glasses-wearing third year had given Kasamatsu a mock salute before departing, making Kasamatsu remember that they were supposed to meet in the second gymnasium after school.
Despite knowing this, Kasamatsu still sat at his desk, his stomach twisting into various little knots as he eyed the clock. For the past five – now six – minutes, he was debating on whether or not he really should go.
After another brief moment, the third year finally made up his mind and stood up. He gathered his things and once he collected everything, the steely-blue eyed teenager began to make his way to the second gymnasium before he could change his mind. He passed by a few students who were still either on their way home or heading to their club activities. As Kasamatsu made his way to the meeting place, he could have sworn he saw a familiar mop of blue hair in front of him but pushed the thought away the moment he saw the gym in his sights. Kasamatsu took a deep breath and released it slowly, all before he entered the gym.
"Kasamatsu-san!" Takao exclaimed the split-second the third year walked in. Kasamatsu nodded his greeting, mumbling a quick: "Kasamatsu-senpai." Takao only grinned cheekily, pausing when he noticed something, his grin faltering.
Kasamatsu noticed the brief flash of surprise on Takao's face, aimed somewhere behind him, "What?" He asked, turning to look behind him but saw nothing. He turned back to Takao, frowning.
"Eh? Oh, it's nothing." Takao replied as he shook his head, instead turning to look up at Imayoshi, who was busy cleaning his glasses. "We might have found new members to join, but–"
"Th- That's what I'm here for?" A small, brown haired teen interrupted shakily, looking rather distraught. "I- I'm already late, Aomine-san said–"
"Ehh… But Ryou-kun, Dai-cha- I mean, Aomine-kun said that he didn't mind you being a little late." A girl with long pink hair and matching pink eyes started, linking her arm with the brunettes. Behind them, standing next to Imayoshi, was a pale blond haired teen. He had somewhat of a scowl on his face, looking like he did not want to even be there.
"Yes, I'm sorry, Momoi-san. But I–"
"Chan." Momoi corrected, smiling sweetly at the brunette.
"– But I don't want to upset Akashi-san."
Kasamatsu blinked, surprised, watching as the brunette boy pulled his arm away from the pink haired girl, Momoi. "You know Akashi?" Kasamatsu asked before he even realized that he spoke.
The brunette – Ryou – turned and stared up at him, "Ah, yes. Sorry." He apologized, lowering his eyes. "We're in the student council together."
"I see." Kasamatsu nodded, turning away. 'I wonder if he knows about Akashi…' Distracted by his thoughts, Kasamatsu did not realize the pink haired girl walk up to him with her arms behind her back, a soft smile on her face.
"Hello, Kasamatsu-senpai!" She chirped, nodding her head in greeting. Kasamatsu jolted back, his expression darkening from the sudden close proximity of the girl. Either she did not notice – or she just chose to ignore the action, and instead took a step backwards as her smile brightened. "I'm Momoi Satsuki, a first year. Imayoshi-senpai said that you were looking for members to join the new basketball cub. I know I can't play, but I'd love to be the manager – if it's okay with you!"
Kasamatsu stared at Momoi, taking a couple steps back as his heart pounded uncomfortably in his chest, "You- I- uh, ar- are you good at being a ma- manager?" He managed to sputter out, face burning.
Generally, Kasamatsu was alright with women – he could tolerate their presence, mostly because he chooses to ignore those around him. It is a different story when girls decide to approach him and start talking to him, causing him to feel exposed and kind of vulnerable – not that he would ever admit that out loud.
Momoi nodded enthusiastically, "Dai-ch-… Ah, I mean Aomine-kun would play a lot when he was younger. I was always with him, so I grew up learning a lot about basketball, and…" The pink haired girl trailed off, her expression saddening. Kasamatsu twitched, his brain going on high alert as he internally freaked out on what to do if she started crying. "But he lost interesting when he entered this school. It was sudden, and confusing… But I hope by me joining he will come, as well." Momoi offered Kasamatsu a sad smile, making him falter.
He looked away, not wanting to see Momoi on the verge of tears and spoke, "I- I guess you could join." Kasamatsu uttered out in a quiet huff.
"Really?" Momoi's mood seemed to improve instantly, her rose-pink orbs glittering with hope. At Kasamatsu's nod, she squealed happily and took Kasamatsu's hand in hers. "Thank you, Kasamatsu-senpai!" She said, running off and leaving the gym.
"I- I'm going to go as well. Sorry!" Ryou interrupted the silence that Momoi had left in her wake, quickly making his getaway. Imayoshi and Takao shared a look before the glasses-wearing teenager faced Kasamatsu.
"Well, at least you got one player and one manager."
Kasamatsu arched his eyebrow questioningly, "I thought the kid didn't want to join?"
"What kid? You mean Sakurai?" Imayoshi snorted, waving his hand. "Not him. I was talking about this guy, Wakamatsu Kousuke."
"Hey." Wakamatsu spoke up for the first time, nodding his head at Kasamatsu as he put his hands on his hips. "I'm Wakamatsu, a second year."
"Kasamatsu Yukio." Kasamatsu introduced himself again, simply because it was the polite thing to do, despite his hunch that Imayoshi already told them his name.
"Oh, by the way," Imayoshi stepped forward, patting Kasamatsu's shoulder. "Ryou would probably join if Aomine joined. The kid does practically everything he says."
"I see." Kasamatsu thought it was a big odd, but who was he to judge anyone?
"So far we have Kasamatsu-san, Imayoshi-san, Wakamatsu-san, Momoi, and me!" Takao spoke, linking his fingers behind his head casually. "Hopefully we could find a few more members to join. It'd be great if you could get Aomine to join, cause then Ryou would most likely join."
"Who is Aomine?" Kasamatsu asked, feeling curious now since everyone keeps on mentioning him.
"Aomine has dark blue hair and eyes. Oh, he's also a part of the student council and he's pretty tall, for a first year." Takao explained with a smile.
Kasamatsu stared at the first year, drifting into his thoughts. 'Dark blue hair and eyes? Tall?' He questioned inside his head, thinking back to the day someone with that very physical appearance stepped on him. Kasamatsu's expression darkened from the sudden jolt of annoyance flaring up inside him, 'Please don't tell him that that is Aomine…' Takao poking Kasamatsu's cheek pulled him from his thoughts.
"Kasamatsu-san–"
"Senpai."
"– I think I may know one of my teachers who might be interested in being the coach." Takao continued speaking, as if he did not just hear Kasamatsu correct him. "He teaches my Japanese History class and I noticed that he seems to talk heaps about basketball during the last week. Also, he keeps making small hints and references about him used to being a really good player back in the day…"
Kasamatsu pursed his lips in thought, mulling over the information. "What's his name?" He asked, wanting to know because when Monday came – he will be asking that very teacher if he would become the coach of the basketball club.
Takao grinned, "Takeuchi. Takeuchi Genta."
Yeeeeey! I finally updated! Sorry if this story confuses everyone. Some of the characters know each other while some don't, and some of the GoM (more important characters *shot*) know each other, but some don't – it's weird. I'm weird. Hi. 8D
But! I hope everyone will still continue to read this and enjoy my Kasamatsu-centric-minded-stories *shot* That didn't really make sense, but shhhh… No one has to know.
*Note: Sorry for any confusion about the heart part! For some reason, the cute little hearts don't show up (curse you, fanfiction!), but on each of Imayoshi's notes, he put a little heart next to his name. xD
~WinterAssassin~