It has been a while, huh? I've been in grad school, teaching for my internship and it has all finally drawn to a close. Things have been crazy, and I've not had a lot of time to sit and devote to this fic. However, I'm so happy to see the support for this story – my first fic with almost 100 favorites and follows is unreal to me and I cannot thank you all enough for your support.
I think this fic shows I've grown as a writer – that I could get to 100 favorites. It's a really good feeling and I hope to continue to keep you all interested in my writing as time goes on. Sorry if there are any mistakes in this chapter – as I'm sure there will be.
As always, if you'd like, please review. If there's anything you'd like to see differently, let me know. Otherwise, I just hope you enjoy reading it!
Disclaimer: {Kuroko no Basuke, conceptually and character-wise, does not belong to me. I do, however, take credit for my OCs, specifically Yuki, Kimi, Shiho, and Ayako. The quote is from William Penn.}
Chapter 13: The Wheel of Time
"Time is what we want most, but what we use worst." – William Penn
"You think she'd let me get a cat?" Her sister is playing with her hair, twisting it around her finger while she awaits Yuki's answer.
"A cat?"
Ayako rolls over on her stomach, taking over even more of Yuki's bed while Yuki sits at her desk. "Yes, a cat. I think a pet would be . . . beneficial to this house."
Yuki looks down at the last of her Japanese literature work for school tomorrow. "In what way is getting a pet beneficial?"
"It just is, sis."
"I noticed you only said 'she' when talking about adopting a pet," Yuki turns around and gives her sister a smug look. "You think Otou-san would be on board?"
"Obviously. Why wouldn't he be?"
Yuki shrugs her shoulders before standing up to stretch. "Maybe because," stretch, "he's allergic to cats?" She lifts her arms above her head and tries to crack her neck before sitting and resuming her work.
"So?"
"So, good luck."
"Unnieeee!" Ayako practically screams out at her, having moved off the bed to behind where Yuki is sitting. "You have to help me adopt a cat."
Yuki's wanted a cat for years. Ayako knows about Yuki's soft spot for felines. However, Yuki also knows that unless they take a cat and bring it into the home and keep the cat there for a while undercover, there is no way they are keeping a pet.
She sighs.
"Don't sigh, sis. Come on. You know I'm right." If Ayako was willing to grovel at Yuki's feet over this "cat" dilemma, Yuki imagines she would be doing so right this very second.
A thought had been creeping into Yuki's mind for a short while now, but she had not wanted to vocalize it in case someone heard. However, Ayako's desperation was starting to eat away at her.
She whispers quietly to Ayako, "We could ask Kimi to help."
The two sisters share a look. No more words were said but said individual was going to be their third accomplice whether she liked it or not.
Aomine whistles at her. "What happened when you spoke to the coaches after practice yesterday?"
Yuki winces.
Aomine, Satsuki, Kise, and Kuroko were staring at Yuki, eagerly awaiting her response.
"Why do you assume that something happened?"
Everyone rolled their eyes. Satsuki decided to respond to her, "Because something did happen, right, Kiki-chan? We all heard the coaches pull you aside yesterday."
Aomine nods while adding it, "Nijimura wouldn't stop talking about it."
She face-palms. After willing away a potential migraine that she can practically feel starting to pulse over her right eye, Yuki says, "I thought we were keeping it on the down-low so that a certain someone might not catch on to whatever's going on in the basketball team."
Kise tilts his head to the side. "What is going on with the basketball team?"
One-by-one, everyone turns to look at Kise, with Yuki finishing the staring-session.
"Why are you all staring at me?" Kise practically whines out.
Aomine starts laughing. "You really are a moron, huh?"
"Dai-chan!"
"Satsuki, come on. This kid has no clue what's going on."
A soft mumble interjects, "Usually you have no idea what's going on either, Aomine-san."
"Tetsu!"
Yuki raises her right hand to silence them. "All right, all right, enough. Let me answer your questions, seeing as Kise's question goes with Aomine's." After seeing that she had everyone's attention, Yuki cleared her throat and began explaining.
She'd been sitting on the bench, having just filled the waters for the basketball team. While taking notes of who was practicing today, Yuki started to organize what she noticed from the players.
Nijimura-senpai had warned her already that the coaches wouldn't be happy with her, but Yuki wasn't sure how exactly that would manifest later on in the day. To prepare for that disaster, Yuki made sure that everything she did today benefitted the team so that at least the coaches couldn't nitpick her work ethic on top of it all.
"You're being summoned."
Yuki looked over to the third-string coach out of the corner of her eye. "By whom?"
He stares at her for a bit in what Yuki believes to be an attempt to gauge what her mood is for the time being. "Not a singular person but a collective group of individuals."
Yuki nods slowly. "In the main office, I'm assuming?"
After she's waved on to go over to the office, Yuki stands up and begins to proceed in that respective direction. She fiddles with her hair subconsciously.
"You like to disturb things, Yuki."
She turns around to look at the third-string coach again. "Not at all," Yuki says calmly. "I just wanted to bring some of my own thoughts and ideas into the team."
He shakes his head. "This team is not the one to test your luck with." The coach starts to usher her away from the bench again, "You don't want to make them wait for too long."
She knows from experience that tardiness is not something she wants to be recognized for after her last experience.
Yuki knocks on the door to the main office, two light raps against it. She knows she should feel nervous based upon the fact that both Nijimura and the coach she initially started working with on the team both advised her to be careful, but instead, Yuki feels eerily calm.
The door opens to Shirogane Kouzou and Sanada Naoto. She feels unbothered by their presences. They're the ones that wanted to speak with her after all. However, it's the red-headed flash by the desk that fills Yuki with unease.
"Why was Akashi there? Nijimura wasn't invited to this gathering but Akashi was?" Yuki thinks to herself.
She's so fixated on Akashi's presence as he stares at her with his calculating eyes that she fails to realize the fourth person invited to this discussion.
And it's not Kise.
Haizaki touches her shoulder gently. She's in a room full of people, so it's unsurprising that he'd prefer to come across more kindly than usual. Yuki refuses to look at him, but she can tell he's watching her as he moves to stand side-by-side with her.
"Close the door."
No one moves so Yuki quickly realizes that it's her that's being told to do the deed. She motions to close the door before looking back at the other faces present in the room. She's careful not to make eye contact – she feels she might break down if she looks.
"I'm sure you realize why you've been called in today?"
Yuki nods.
"Good. Then let's move on to the main point of this problem."
She starts twirling her hair nervously. Yuki can tell that Haizaki is watching her every movement and it feels like spiders are crawling up her neck. What Yuki really wants to say is that there isn't a problem, but she can tell from the moods in the office that anything she says can – and will – be used against her.
One of the coaches begins speaking, "It has been brought to our attention," he glances at Akashi, "that you've found a new member for the basketball team."
She nods lethargically. "I did."
"And this new member," the other coach interjects, "happens to be a potential replacement for our first-string member, Haizaki."
"Not a replacement."
Sanada responds in return, "But he could be."
"Certainly."
Haizaki exchanges glances with the coaches before looking at Yuki again. "Believe it or not, I wasn't informed about this."
Akashi inserts himself into the conversation professionally. He looks at the group before focusing in on Yuki. "I believe that no one was included into this decision Yuki made – save for Momoi Satsuki, Aomine Daiki, Kuroko Tetsuya, and naturally, Kise Ryouta himself." Akashi pauses, letting his statement set before he continues. "I believe this decision should not come as a surprise. This is not the first time she has attempted to do things that go behind others on this team."
His comments leave Yuki angry. Of all the times for Akashi to speak up, it's at the moment in which she is at her most vulnerable and then he decides to slam her as the leader of the guilty party. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see the smug grin stretching across Haizaki's face.
"Thank you, Akashi." Shirogane nods at him before turning towards Yuki again. "So, this is where we stand, Morine. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
"May I?"
The four look at her with varying degrees of annoyance – Akashi is the most unbothered of the group, Haizaki seems annoyed she's even getting the opportunity to speak, the one coach looks extremely frustrated by her question, and the main coach seems livid.
Yuki takes those looks as a 'Yes.' "So, I ran into Kise-san a few days ago. And he had been developing this habit of watching Aomine-san practice in one of the gyms after our regular practices. He wanted to play." Yuki fiddles with her fingers before continuing. "I just wanted to give him the opportunity."
She pauses again before looking at Haizaki, Akashi and then letting her eyes rest on the coach directly across from her. "Is that really such a problem? Inviting new blood onto the team?"
The two coaches share a look before answering her question. Yuki knows she's on thin ice, but she's read the handbook – more than once – and she knows the policies and standards that Teikou upholds. If she can play her cards right, she might make it out of this conversation unscathed.
"Obviously not, Morine," he sighs, holding his nose. "We are willing to take on students of varying skill and ability."
Yuki restrains herself from saying that the team is also more than ready to let those same students go as soon as they demonstrate lower levels of ability.
The other coach adds in, "We just feel that the decision has some ill will behind it."
"And why would that be?" Yuki questions, looking over at Haizaki.
Akashi answers for the coaches, "We can tell there's been an increased amount of tension between the both of you."
"Well, now, I've not minded Yuki's company. She's the one with the problem." Haizaki folds his arms behind his head. "I'm just tryin' to play some basketball, y'know?"
She's starting to feel a bit sick. He's got her exactly where he wants her, and Akashi is only fueling the fire. She decides to tell a white lie. "I have no issue with Haizaki-senpai. I have valued his efforts and contributions to the team."
"Ohh, is that so, Yuki?" Haizaki gives her a wolfish grin. "I had no idea you cared so much."
She knows she'll regret what she said later, but for now, she just needs to get out of here.
Akashi seems to scrutinize her. Knowing him? He's well-aware she's lying.
"Well, then, perhaps you could clarify why you felt that Kise was suited for the same position as Haizaki?" Shirogane asks her, having taken a moment to look at the reactions between the three students in his office. Out of the three students, he trusts Akashi and his opinions the most, so he gauges how to take Yuki's comments based upon Akashi's reactions.
"Just a feeling I had," Yuki shrugs nonchalantly. "I felt he suited the position after seeing him practice a few times with Aomine-san."
"A feeling?"
Yuki hangs her head a bit. "That's the best I have."
The coach places his palms together, interlocking his fingers, before looking at Yuki again. "Feelings don't belong in decision-making, Morine."
"I disagree."
"And thus, why you're not a coach." He pushes his glasses up his nose so that they rest better on his face. "You're merely an assistant on the team – a fledgling taken in after several months of rapidly declining test scores.
Why do you feel that your thoughts and feelings hold any merit on the lives of those on and involved with the Teikou Basketball team?"
Akashi intervenes, "Well, perhaps, we indulge her ideas and show her if they really do have any merit."
"What do you mean, 'indulge her?'" Haizaki inquires. "You seriously tellin' me you want this kid on our team?"
Yuki looks over at Akashi, still mildly in shock after everything that's transpired in the last minute. Her heart almost stopped after the coach said what he did in front of two of her greatest enemies. Akashi nods to Yuki subtly before answering his upperclassman, "I do."
It takes everything in her power not to have her jaw visibly drop in front of the coaches. "Y-you do?"
"Yes," Akashi straightens his blazer. "While we may not have seen if her efforts have borne any fruit with Kuroko Tetsuya, there has been considerable improvement in her work with Aomine Daiki and Kuroko."
The coaches glance at each other again, "So, then we must decide now if we feel that Kise Ryouta should join the basketball team. Rather than decide simply by vote, perhaps we should get a little more inventive with this."
"Huh? How?" Haizaki asks the questions Yuki wanted asked. A rarity.
"Well, seeing as Morine cannot restrain herself from having her opinions heard, maybe she should be the one to decide."
"I'd rather not."
"Oh, I insist."
"So?"
Everyone in the group was focused on every word that Yuki had said. She'd truly had them at the edges of their seats. Aomine was the one to ask the question, but Kise looked like he was about to burst with how intently he stared at her. Kuroko was as impassive as ever, but she could tell he was thinking about some of the comments that were said by the coaches.
She'd been thinking about them, too, sadly.
Yuki tucked her hair behind her ear, "So what?"
"Muu~ Morinecchi! What did you decide?" Kise whines out to her.
"You'll just have to wait and see." She turns and looks at Momoi – the two having a silent conversation with each other.
There'd be much to discuss going forward, that much was certain.
"Surprised you're alive." Nijimura places his right hand on the wall to brace himself as he looks down at Yuki.
"Same here, honestly," she grumbles out quietly. "Did you know Haizaki and Akashi were going to be in there?"
Nijimura shakes his head, "I would have told you otherwise, but I will admit, I had a hunch."
She sighs. "I was surprised they didn't include you." She fixes her bag on her shoulder before adding in, "I know you told me they might want to call me in, but I really hoped otherwise."
He scoffs, before removing his hand from the wall to start walking towards the gym. "Yeah, I'm not surprised – about both things."
Yuki cocks her head at him, evidently confused by his statement.
Nijimura shrugs at her. "Well, don't seem too shocked. They've been grooming Akashi to take over for me."
"'Grooming' him?"
"Yeah, you know? Preparing him for this? They know he's well-qualified for the job."
She twirls her hair, walking alongside him, "And you're not?"
"I am. I have been." Nijimura looks out the window that they pair continues to walk by. "I've just gotten a lot busier recently." He looks back at her and gives her a smile, "Don't worry about it; I'm just happy you're okay."
Yuki blushes. She can feel it growing in its intensity, but she can't stop it. Nijimura always knows what to say to her to stop her in her tracks. "Well, thanks."
He laughs. "Man, you're such a blockhead sometimes."
"How so?"
Nijimura just kept smirking before he ducked into the gym.
Yuki followed him before heading over to the bench. "Since when do we walk to practice together?"
The rosiness doesn't leave her cheeks for a long time.
Kimi's working with Kuroko. Yuki's sitting, reading, and occasionally checking in on the two.
After working on a few more throws with Kuroko, Kimi decides to take a break. She approaches Yuki on the grass and sits down next to her. "You're awfully quiet today."
Yuki ignores her and changes the subject. "Ayako wants a cat."
Kimi raises her brows. "Does she now?"
Yuki gently closes her book and rests it on the ground beside her. "She wants to initiate you into some secret group – the three of us, naturally."
"Naturally," Kimi releases her ponytail so that the wind can roam through her hair. "And what would this secret group be doing, hm?"
At this moment, Kuroko makes his presence "known," or at least Yuki decides she can really see him again. Yuki carries on, "Well, adopting a cat, of course."
"A cat?" Kuroko inquires. There's sweat on his brow, but he seems more content than usual. Yuki can only assume the breeze feels nice after as intense a practice as that was.
"My sister's always on a new mission to bring chaos into the household."
Kimi laughs, "Your father's allergic to cats."
"Yeah, tell me something I don't know," Yuki says while a smirk grows on her face.
Kuroko relaces his shoes and asks, "What about dogs?"
"Ohh! A dog!" Kimi holds her arms out and puts her hands together. "Oh, I love dogs. I've been trying to adopt a dog in the States for a long time."
"Dogs are nice, though my father is still allergic to their fur," Yuki smiles at Kimi. "Hey, Kuroko-san?"
He looks over at her.
"If you could get any type of dog in the world, what kind would you want?"
Kuroko seems to ponder for a little while. His blue eyes are shining in what Yuki can only imagine to be childish delight. He puts his chin in his palm. "A husky."
"Now that's a fine choice, I would say," Kimi smiles at him. "I'm more of a Shiba kind of gal myself, but I can see the appeal."
"Well, all dogs are appealing as puppies, I think," Yuki mentions.
Kimi nods, "Until you realize you have to take care of them – it's a big undertaking. Same with cats."
"I assume that's why you don't have pets, Morine-san?" Kuroko inquires quietly.
"One of the many reasons."
Kimi was fiddling with her hair, tying it up into a ponytail again. While she worked on organizing her strands, she asked, "So, Yuki, I thought you had a tutoring session today."
Kuroko looks to Yuki as well. She holds her hands up to motion the two to stop them in their thoughts. "Whoa, whoa. I'm not some delinquent over here. Midorima-san canceled today, that's all. Something came up at the hospital his father works at so he had to help out."
"Oh? I think I know which hospital his father works at." Kimi mumbles out, as she finishes tying up her hair. "The name sounds familiar, so I can only assume I'd heard it before."
"Why would the name sound familiar?"
Kimi waves her off. "It's nothing. I've had my share of times in the hospital." She adjusts her hair one last time before saying, "I'd been meaning to ask if you'd want to go with me at some point this weekend, Yuki."
"To the hospital?"
Kimi nods. "Not to exclude you, Kuroko," she looks over at him kindly. "I always enjoy your company, but this is a more personal visit."
Kuroko lightly smiles at her, "I actually was going to hang out with Aomine-san this weekend, but I thank you for your consideration."
Kimi starts to laugh and looks at the pair. "You two are so formal sometimes, it's unbelievable." Hair in place, she moves to rest her hands on her lap. "Who's this 'Aomine-san' anyways? Yuki's mentioned him a few times as well."
Kuroko seems to visibly brighten. "A very good friend of mine who –"
"Arguably his best friend," Yuki interjects.
Kuroko nods happily. "My best friend who's currently Teikou's ace on the team."
Kimi whistles. She seems positively floored to hear about a younger student doing so well on the team. "Do you even know how hard it is to get that title? The ace of a team? Especially one as cut-throat as Teikou? Sheesh, kids really do improve every generation."
"He's an excellent player."
Kimi looks over at Yuki after she said that. "High praise, coming from you."
Yuki shakes her head. "It's not praise; it's a fact. He practices daily with Kuroko just to keep working on his skills." She thinks back to all the practices she's seen Aomine in, as well as the private practices after class with Kuroko – and now Kise. "I've never seen anyone like him, well, at least at a middle school level."
A sigh comes out of Kimi, and you can see her visibly deflate a bit. Yuki's a bit confused by her reaction as most students are taught at an early age to value practice.
Kimi seems to acknowledge Yuki's confusion. "Those are the ones you gotta watch out for, you know?" Yuki looks at her, even more perplexed, while Kuroko remains unmoved. "What I mean is, they get burnt out in their own way – when you're that good. They need a higher degree of challenge than most."
"Is that a bad thing?"
Kimi shakes her head, her ponytail swaying behind her. "Not at all. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be challenged. But what happens when there isn't any?"
"Boredom."
"Egoism."
A single word comes from Kuroko, another from Yuki, and the three slowly cease from talking for a while.
There's an ominous feeling in the air.
Times are changing.
Waking up was always easy for Yuki. She was a light sleeper, and even the slightest of noises would rouse her. She rolled over to turn off her alarm before turning to lay on her back and stare at the ceiling. Today would be weird – she had decided that last night. Going to a hospital with Kimi wasn't exactly the norm for her.
Especially when Kimi refused to disclose what was going on at said hospital.
Yuki concluded that they were either visiting someone that Kimi knew personally or that Kimi herself had some check-ups to be had. Either way, Yuki was mildly confused as to why she needed to go with Kimi and not someone like her mother or her father, but if Kimi felt that Yuki was the one to go, then she would.
"Should we stop and get coffees before we go?" Kimi asks, leaning against Yuki's doorframe. "You see, I'm never one to turn down a nice cup of coffee before an eventful day."
Yuki looks at her and smiles. "Sounds good to me."
"Meet me in the living room when you're good to go." Kimi turns away and waves.
Yuki's starting to realize something as she puts on casual clothing, some older jeans and a sweater, and brushes her hair.
She doesn't want Kimi to leave.
"You think we'll see your tutor at the hospital?"
"Midorima-san?"
Kimi sips her coffee – a caramel macchiato – before responding. "Yes – yes. That one. I didn't realize you had such an elite student tutoring you."
Yuki sighs, looking at her coffee cup dejectedly. "I'm third in my class, y'know?"
Out of the corner of her left eye, Kimi looks down at Yuki. "You are?"
"Yes?"
"Huh. No wonder you're so stressed all the time."
"Yeah, no kidding."
Kimi smiles at her, before asking again, "Well, do you think we'll see him?"
"Knowing my luck, we probably will. I've been super unfocused in my sessions recently, so he'll probably be grumpy."
"Isn't he always grumpy?"
Yuki takes another small sip before alternating the cup to the other hand. "I think so."
Kimi shakes her head and starts staring at Yuki's coffee cup. "Your mother know you like to drink espresso?"
"Absolutely not," Yuki smirked, taking a sip. "I like coffee, but I don't get to drink it a lot."
"Right, of course, so when you do, you decide to pick one packed with a shot of energy," Kimi rolls her eyes. "You're unbelievable."
"Hey, my dad drinks it – "
"Black? Trust me, I know." Kimi starts laughing. "I've tried, but I need my cream and sugar."
"Hmm, my dad says that dilutes the original coffee flavor."
Kimi scoffs, "Coffee elitist over there, I totally bet he does." Kimi takes another sip as she walks. "I also bet when no one's home, he drinks two to three more cups than we realize."
The two glance at each other and laugh. After a comfortable silence, Yuki can tell Kimi wants to say something. "Is something on your mind?"
"I know for a fact you have absolutely no idea why I'm dragging you to the hospital."
Yuki nods.
"Personally, I'm not so sure myself," Kimi sighs. "I'm hoping bringing in some youth will ease the tension in that hospital room, but you're not exactly the brightest kid I've ever met."
Yuki rolls her eyes, "Jeez, thanks for that one."
She shrugs her shoulders before responding to Yuki, "Look, we value honesty here. I really do need all the help I can get."
"Well, who are we visiting, Kimi?"
"My mother."
To say she was a "frequent flyer" at the hospital would be the farthest thing from the truth. The last time Yuki had stepped foot in hospital was . . . well, when her oldest sister still lived with them.
As much of a klutz as Yuki is, that attribute has never landed her in a hospital bed – and she's only too grateful for that.
Hospitals are clean – this one is no exception. It has a very . . . sterile feeling. She never liked the feeling that hospitals put out. Too cold, too clean. However, she was with Kimi, so she put on a brave face and hid away those feelings. It's not like they were there for their own personal health.
"You see him?"
Yuki shook her head and then walked over to the nearest trash can to throw her coffee cup away. Her espresso left her buzzing, hands shaking a bit, but she was awake and ready to take on whatever came her way. She turned around and headed back towards Kimi after reading a sign on the wall that talked about maintaining a quiet decibel so as not to disturb anyone.
The two approached the front desk. One of the receptionists, a younger nurse with her hair tied up in a perky brown bun, took in their appearances and sent the two a small smile. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
Kimi nodded. "My mother's here at this hospital. I'm unsure what room she's been staying in, though."
The nurse trills out an, "Ahh," before moving over to her computer. "What's her name? I can check the system for you."
"Yokoyama Shiho."
The nurse types into her computer, her brown eyes scanning her screen after she hits the "enter" key. "Hmm, oh, yes! I see her. She's on the third floor, room 315."
"Uh, seeing as I haven't visited her yet in this hospital," Kimi scratches the back of her neck, visibly very nervous, "is there anything we should be aware of before we go to her?"
The second nurse at the desk, an older woman with dark black haired, tied in a low ponytail, remarks, "Nurses come in every hour or so for a check-in. Your mother's on the third floor so her check-ins fall more so every hour and a half, depending. Otherwise, just be mindful of the rooms around you. She is alone in her room, so you don't need to worry about other patients."
"Ahh, gotcha," Kimi bows to the both of them, a small, short bow. "Thank you both."
The two begin their ascent up the staircase.
"So, your mother has been staying here?"
Kimi nods.
"You never said anything."
Kimi pauses for a moment before continuing her walk up the stairs. "I did. Just not to you."
Yuki's a bit shocked, but she can understand why she wouldn't have said anything. She's her parents' close friend, not Yuki's. However, something isn't adding up to Yuki. "You've been home for a while now; you didn't want to visit her?"
"Not particularly." Kimi adjusts her hair and the bag on her shoulder before walking through the third-floor entry door. "Do you blame me?" She looks back at Yuki. "It's not like your relationship with your mother is outstanding."
The two walk the rest of the way in silence. Yuki can tell there's more to the story than Kimi's letting on, but she doesn't want to force anything out of her. She's intruding on someone else's life.
"315, right?"
"That's what we were told."
Kimi begins to look around at both sides of the hall. It seems odd-numbered rooms are on the outside, even-numbered rooms on the inside. "It'll be one of the rooms on our right, then."
Yuki nods even though she knows Kimi isn't looking back at her. After passing by one of the rooms, Yuki realizes she recognizes a flash of green hair. She turns to her left to see Midorima helping some of the nurses organize the room.
She can't help but watch for a few moments. It's so weird for Yuki to see him out of any element she'd originally seen him in, but he seemed comfortable enough at the hospital.
Yuki attempts to clear her throat, both loudly enough that Midorima can hear her, but softly enough that only Midorima, Kimi, and the nurses can hear her. He turns around, his glasses reflecting the overheard lights from the patient's room.
"Morine-san?"
Yuki nods to him. She sees Midorima turn over to the two nurses and whisper something before walking towards Yuki.
"Fancy seeing you here."
Midorima shakes his head. "I told you, I help out at the hospital." He pushes his glasses up. "I think the better question to be asked is why are you here?"
"I brought her," Kimi interjects calmly. "We're visiting a relative of mine."
Midorima looks at her critically before turning back towards Yuki. "Ah. I'll let you get back to that, then."
"So cold, absolutely brutal," Kimi says in between quiet giggles. "You really know how to talk to women, don't ya?"
A slight blush appears on Midorima's cheeks. "I see no point in bothering you two further. Excuse me."
"Sheesh."
"He's like that."
"No kiddin', huh? Hard person to learn under."
"Something like that," Yuki mumbles out. "He's gotten better over time."
"Ah, yes, like wine."
"Ahhh, Ame! It's been so long since I last saw you. You've let your hair grow out."
Yuki visibly flinches once she hears her mother's name come out of the older woman's lips. "I-I'm not – "
"Yes, yes, she's been growing it for a while now, Mom," Kimi responds on Yuki's behalf. The shock is evident on Yuki's wide-eyed face, but she decides to go along with it as there's probably a reason for Kimi's behavior.
Yuki nods, "I thought I'd look nicer with it longer, Yokoyama-san."
"Still as polite as ever," she smiles affectionately at Yuki, but she can tell by her slate gray eyes that she's looking through Yuki rather than at her. "Your parents raised you well."
Kimi motions for Yuki to sit in one of the chairs in the corner of the room. Once she sits down, Kimi's body becomes significantly less stiff. This is probably the most vulnerable the Kimi's ever looked to Yuki, and that probably is part of the reason why Yuki feels as on edge as she does.
She knows even adults have their share of problems, but she's not entirely sure what's led to the tension between Kimi and her mother.
A knock on the door interrupts her musing.
One of the nurses that was working with Midorima stops in. Midorima slowly follows her in but pauses on the outskirts of the room to give Yuki, Kimi and the nurse some space. The young brunette nurse starts to provide Kimi's mother with care. After a few seconds of watching her, Kimi bends over slowly next to Yuki. "My mother . . . has vascular dementia, Yuki."
Yuki gave her a confused look. She knew the basics of dementia, but she wasn't sure what exactly that meant to her. She whispers back, "I don't know what that is."
"She has had a share of silent strokes," Kimi brushed her hair behind her ears. "She forgets things sometimes."
Yuki could tell Kimi felt better sharing this information with her. She was visibly less tense.
"So, that's why she sees – "
"You as your mother, yes. Don't be afraid; she's doing well today – I can tell." Kimi gave her a small smile.
Yuki started to play with her sleeves. She mumbles out, "When did this start?"
"Her dementia?"
Yuki nodded, her hair swaying with the motion. "Yes, was it recent?"
Kimi gave a deep sigh. The nurse excused herself after fluffing her mother's pillow one last time. She looked to her mother that seemed to be dozing off before gazing at Midorima while he lingered in the room. "Would the both of you like to hear a story?"
Midorima's glasses blocked his eyes from view, but Yuki could tell he was a bit uncomfortable with the prospect of staying in the room. "I really shouldn't."
"You've helped my mother before; I'm sure we can say you were helping provide her with some personal care."
"Too personal for my liking."
"Oh, just sit, Midorima-san," Yuki splutters out as quietly as she can. She knows if this goes on any longer, Kimi and Midorima will continue to go back-and-forth until he decides to aggressively leave the room.
He glared at her but sat down anyways.
"I think we're too old for stories, Morine-san."
Kimi rolled her eyes at the two stubborn children. "You two are too alike. Live a little, would you?" She looked over at her mother again before staring off at the window by her mother's bedside.
"I was wild in high school . . . "
I was wild in high school. My mother said I was so problematic.
Actually, Yuki, I think your mom told me that, too. Multiple times.
Your dad and I . . . well, we liked to get into trouble. We had big dreams, but we also were big kids.
If your mom wasn't who she is, I'm not sure I'd have graduated.
Exams were the worst; I tried to get into really good universities in big cities – it wasn't in the cards for me. Your dad was struggling, too, but your mother really pushed him to work for it. They actually got into the same university, if you could believe it.
I looked into going abroad.
I'd always wanted to go to the United States. My father was a big supporter of travel – said that was one of his greatest regrets in life, not getting to go places.
Thought I'd travel for him.
My mother was extremely disappointed. I told her it was for my father – his dream – but also my own interests. I'd have better chances to play college ball in the United States. I had high recommendations from my high school team.
All I'd need to do was try-out. Play.
She told me to be more like Ame – more like your mother. I was embarrassing our family – I was running. That's what she said to me.
I told her I wanted to grow up. I wanted to get more out of life.
What I really wanted was freedom.
My last year of high school was unlike most people's. For the two of you, your final year will probably be different as well. I was focused on my application to go abroad. I'd had to prepare videos of my games that I participated in previously. Transcripts; essays for why I wanted to travel; financial aid.
I was busier than I'd ever been.
Your dad was so mad at me, Yuki. He didn't want me to leave. I saw the way those two looked at each other – how happy they made each other.
I was devastated.
I was ecstatic.
I couldn't make up my mind.
High school is so difficult. Being a teenager entering adulthood is even harder.
All I wanted to do was be an adult my whole life. I have it now, and all I can think about is how things might have been if I did them differently.
If I stayed.
Nonetheless, I got into one of the larger universities in California. I received aid – a pretty decent sum of money, too. I was able to dorm on campus and everything.
Most importantly, I got to play basketball.
So, naturally, at eighteen years old, I left. I hugged my mother good-bye the night before and I left.
It was the scariest time of my life – shoving my existence into a suitcase and hopping on a plane.
My English was shoddy at best. You and your mother are the ones with the affinity for languages, Yuki. I knew I'd struggle to communicate at points, but that's what gestures are for – hand signs and things. I could manage that much if communication ever got a bit rocky.
And it did. Oh, boy, did it ever. But that's for another time.
I won't bore you two with the details of my college life. You're too young to plan for that time in your life. I will tell you that it was probably the greatest decision I ever made.
I will also tell you that it led to many of the current events in my life today.
Your dad proposed to your mom at some point in their college careers. And naturally, they got married after graduation. I couldn't go. Not for selfish reasons, though I'm sure that crossed some minds. I had some big games to assist with around the time they were getting married – I was helping the coach with one of the men's teams while I worked on my master's degree – sports management.
I wanted to go back.
I couldn't face my mother though.
I'd written letters and things. Sent packages. She never responded.
Not even once.
I don't know, I guess I just shut down. I retaliated and bailed on Japan for a long while.
I missed out on the birth of your older sister.
I remember seeing pictures. She was beautiful. Such a sweet child.
I was there for your birth – though you definitely didn't remember me. Unsurprising, really. I'm sure your mom wasn't my greatest fan.
Your dad though? Well, who do you think sent me all those life updates? He was always keeping me posted. Writing me letters, sending me silly emails and things.
He knew I wasn't one to stay put.
He'd forgiven me.
You're probably wondering why I was there for your birth, Yuki. Well, I received some urgent messages.
My mother was ill.
It was time to come home.
Kimi looked to both Yuki and Midorima before ruffling her hair. "I had no idea, honestly. It's not like my family has a history of strokes or anything. I wanted to visit her before that point, but I felt so unwelcome."
She paused and looked down at her hands that she'd placed on her lap. "It was a lot for me to see her like that – like this." Kimi interlocked her fingers. "She was so strong, so stubborn. She's a fighter, and that side of her comes out whenever I stop by. If I don't stop by, one of my aunts does for me."
"You don't come to Japan often, even though your mother's ill?" Midorima asked her. Yuki couldn't tell if he was being cold, or if he just naturally wanted to ask her in such a blunt way.
"I pay for her services and things. I take care of her paperwork and all external duties that she may have originally been responsible for, but no," Kimi shook her head, seeming almost in a trance. "No, I cannot come home to Japan too often."
"That's why you're staying with us."
Kimi nodded, some strands of hair laying in a disorderly fashion from the movement. "I've got nowhere else to go. Really, nowhere else I'd rather be."
"What did you want us to glean from this story?" Midorima asked of her, as he started to stand up, his lucky item jutting from his pocket. Well, Yuki could only hope the small frog stuffed animal was his lucky item – it was just too cute.
"'Glean?'" Kimi started grinning. "My goodness, you two even speak ridiculously more mature than most middle schoolers." She began to stand up as well and straightened out her jacket. "There's probably several takeaways from my life that are applicable to you two. I can think of a few.
One, don't rush your life; things are significantly less fun when you're older.
Two, be mindful of the lives of others.
And three, don't waste a moment; what you have might not always be there tomorrow."
Kimi held up her three fingers, her grin having morphed into a gentle smile. "I'm not a perfect person – seeing as perfection is overrated. However, I think we can all agree about how important decisions are in our lives and the lives of others."
The two nodded at her.
Kimi looked over at her mother. "I'm trying my best while still staying true to me."
She slowly brought her gaze back to the two of them. "That's all I ask from the both of you."
A/N: 7,000+ words. That's a new high for me. I'll take it.
I've been really trying to dig into some concepts that I feel like are super important in people's lives – like people leaving home and not returning, illnesses, etc. I think it's also because I've been a little lost in my own way recently, making big decisions, getting my master's degree and stuff. Life's been very experimental and new recently. I feel like it's important for other characters to shine in fics because it makes stories more well-rounded, so I wanted to give Kimi some serious spotlight this time around.
I also wanted to poke at Midorima and my OC for using language that's above their own linguistic caliber (in my opinion). I was always super mature for my age, but the behaviors we see for Midorima and Akashi are definitely above a middle school level in the anime and manga. So, I like to capitalize on that and have someone older poke some fun at my OC and Midorima.