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"Random Subject Prompts"

Chapter 041: Yukio Kasamatsu

Anime: Kuroko no Basuke

Prompt: First Date/Nerves

Chapter Warning(s):

Author's Note: Today is my birthday, so I decided to update early! :D I hope everyone likes it!

KH*YK*KH*YK

Kasamatsu took a deep breath in, held it for three seconds, then exhaled with a gusty whoosh. No matter how many breathing exercises he tried, he could. Not. Calm. Down. For the life of him, his hands wouldn't stop shaking and he swore he was going to sweat right through his clothes due to nerves. And that would be extremely embarrassing, especially since today was so important. But when he thought about today for any length of time, the nervous sweat would start again.

It was a vicious, vicious cycle. One he was stuck in unless he could calm the heck down.

Rubbing an exasperated hand over his face, he sighed. His thoughts couldn't help drifting to the day everything had changed for him…

KH*YK*KH*YK

Flashback:

Kasamatsu felt his brow twitch in annoyance when he caught Kise Ryota texting on his cell phone. Basketball practice wouldn't be over for another ten-minutes, but the blonde first-year was already fooling around. He certainly had guts.

"Kise!" the Captain yelled, kicking the younger male from behind. "Stop slacking, and get back to practice! Your fan girls can wait until afterwards, damn it!"

As expected, Kise went tumbling, crying dramatically, "Hidoi, Kasamatsu-senpai!" He rolled back onto his feet, practically shoving the phone's screen into Kasamatsu's face. "I'm not texting my fan girls. I'm texting Kagomecchi! She's coming by Kaijou to visit me. You should meet her, Senpai."

Just the thought of a girl interacting with him had his cheeks reddening and palms sweating. He would rather do anything else but that. Put a tough basketball opponent in front of him and he was good. But a girl? His flight instincts immediately kicked into high-gear.

"Quit fooling around, Kise," Kasamatsu reprimanded. "You can text your girlfriend when we're done. Get back to practice."

Kise pouted. "She's not my girlfriend…" But it was obvious he didn't mind the idea.

It inwardly amused the older male that there was a girl in existence who would reject the good-looking blonde. She may even be the first. Although he was absolutely terrified of the opposite gender, it made Kasamatsu wonder who 'Kagomecchi' was and what her personality was like.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he pushed the unknown girl out of his mind and rejoined his team on the court. As the captain, his responsibility was to lead the other members even if it was only for practice. He had to set a good example, and be their pillar.

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A few days later, Kasamatsu was mentally going over the drills they would be working on during practice that day when he abruptly halted in his steps. The corner of his lips twitched, and sweat immediately beaded on his brow. His hands started shaking from nerves, and he swore his palms were dripping. This could not be happening, not right now!

Standing in front of the gym doors was a raven haired beauty that had the most amazing amethyst eyes he'd ever seen. Her skin was pale like moonlight and smooth without a single blemish. She was petite, maybe five-foot-three, with the supple curves to match. Her legs were long and toned, while her hands were feet were delicate.

Currently, she wore a forest green pleated skirt that ended several inches above her knees, with a white, long-sleeved dress shirt tucked in, and black leather Mary Janes on her feet. Her stockings were enticing, the dark material stretching up her legs and ending right where her skirt's hem swayed. Around her neck, dangling from a long chain, was a pinkish bauble that somehow tied the entire outfit together.

Amethyst connected with steel blue, and Kasamatsu gulped audibly. His flight senses were kicking in. He even took one step back before completely freezing when the unknown girl started approaching.

He was so screwed.

"Hi," she greeted brightly, "You're Kasamatsu Yukio, right?"

He could feel sweat trickling down his spine. How did she know his name? "Y-Yeah," he answered.

She continued speaking as though she hadn't noticed his obvious struggle. "My name is Higurashi Kagome. I'm a friend of Ryota-kun's. He's told me so much about you and the other members of the basketball team."

Oh. So that's how she knew who he was. Kise told her about him and the others. Kasamatsu's mind raced. Was this 'Kagomecchi'? "Okay…?" What else had that fool told her?

A cute blush stained her cheeks, and she suddenly found it hard to look him in the eye. It made his own cheeks darken, wondering what he'd done wrong. This was why he shouldn't be allowed to interact with girls. He had no idea what he was doing.

"Um," she hesitantly started, shuffling her feet nervously, "Ryota-kun told me that it's best to only ask you yes or no questions. Something about the girls at Kaijou taking pity on you…"

His brow ticked in annoyance. That blonde idiot was getting it the next time Kasamatsu caught sight of him.

Despite his irritation, he stuttered, "Y-Yes." Kami-sama, this was so humiliating. Seriously, where were the other guys when he needed them? He needed some sort of buffer. Kagome was just way too cute and pretty. As it were, he would need to run double the normal amount of laps during practice to work off his flustered emotions.

Kagome's eyes seemed to gleam with determination as she gazed back up at him. "Senpai… Would you like to go on a date with me this weekend?"

Kasamatsu felt his brain stall. What? What had she asked?! Him? She wanted to go on a date with him? This weekend? But… But they didn't even know each other! They had just met barely five minutes ago!

Insanity. This entire situation was sheer insanity. He must be dreaming. Reality wasn't this crazy. Or was it?

Crap, how do I respond? He inwardly panicked. He didn't want to reject her, but he didn't want to say yes either. His emotions were conflicted, raging one way then the other. He didn't know what to do in this type of situation. Things like this never happened to him. Crap, crap, crap! What did he do?!

"Sen—"

"O-Okay," he blurted out, cheeks flaming the reddest they had ever been.

Kagome appeared surprised. She wasn't the only one. Kasamatsu was equally shocked that response had popped out of his mouth. But he couldn't take it back. It would be rude and insensitive.

Secretly, a part of him didn't want to take it back if he could.

"I'm so happy," the raven haired beauty said, smiling brightly. "I was so afraid you would say no. Then, let's meet in front of the train station at ten. How does that sound, Kasamatsu-senpai?"

All he could do was nod. His face was going to be permanently red. And he needed to learn how to expand his vocabulary around girls. This entire conversation was pathetic on his part. He shouldn't be planning his first date with one-word answers. Kagome didn't seem to mind, but he did. It was a matter of pride.

After cementing the details and exchanging phone numbers – which he managed to fumble through beautifully, he might add – Kagome waved a cheerful goodbye before taking her leave.

Kasamatsu watched her go the entire time until he could no longer see her figure in the distance. Kami-sama, what had he just done? And by his own doing, too. He was positive something would go wrong, and he would ruin everything. What was he going to do?

"Ah, Captain, there you are," one of his teammates said from behind. Various footsteps accompanied the voice, announcing the arrival of the others.

Moriyama asked, "What are you doing just standing there?"

Emotions already raging, Kasamatsu turned and bellowed, "Where the heck were you guys?"

"AAHHH!"

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End Flashback

Kasamatsu sighed again. He didn't regret accepting Kagome's invitation, per se; he just wished he was more confident. From first impressions, she seemed like a bright and cheerful girl, with a pleasing personality. She definitely had more self-confidence than him. Then again, she was Kise's friend. Did that mean she was also a model? Kasamatsu supposed in that field of work, one had to have self-esteem in spades.

So, why did she choose me? He wondered, not for the hundredth time since meeting Kagome that fateful afternoon. He didn't think he was anything special. He enjoyed basketball and spending time with his friends. He took his responsibilities seriously. What was so great about him that a girl like Kagome would want to go on a date with him? He wasn't putting himself down, but he was honestly curious.

"Kasamatsu-senpai," said raven haired beauty greeted. He turned to face her, and his throat went dry. His earlier nerves came back with a vengeance. Sweat pooled at the small of his back, making him uncomfortable.

Kagome wore a cream colored, off-the-shoulder sweater dress that ended right above her knees, exposing her long, toned legs. On her feet, she wore black leather ankle booties, which matched the wide leather belt cinched around her waist, adding emphasis to her curvy figure. Around her neck, he noticed the pinkish bauble she'd worn during their first meeting, and slung over one shoulder, she carried a tote bag with an anime-style cat depicted on the front.

Next to his attire of a blue and white polo shirt, dark denim pants, and sneakers, he felt significantly underdressed.

"Sorry for making you wait," Kagome continued, catching his attention away from his wardrobe observations. "I hope you weren't waiting too long."

Were his cheeks already flushed? He had a feeling they were. "N-No," he answered, inwardly sighing at how lame he was being. He was on his first date with a very cute, very attractive girl and he was blowing it. He should have asked his teammates for some pointers and advice. Moriyama was always trying to pick up girls; he would've known what to do.

Then again, maybe asking his good friend for advice wouldn't have been the smartest thing to do. Knowing Moriyama, he would have stalked Kasamatsu the whole day.

Closing his eyes and swallowing thickly, he said, "S-Shall we get going, Higurashi-san?"

"Only if you call me by my first name," she bargained, smiling sweetly. "Higurashi-san makes me look for my mother. You don't have to be so formal, Senpai."

Kasamatsu nodded in understanding. "In that case, please call me," he swallowed again, "Y-Yukio."

"Yukio-kun," she tested. In the next second, her entire expression warmed, became soft. He swore he felt his blush spread to the tips of his ears. "I like it. Yukio-kun."

"R-Right." One hand rubbed the back of his neck, nervous. His gaze couldn't meet hers. "Let's go… K-Kagome-chan."

He really liked the way her name rolled off of his tongue.

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"It's been so long since I've been to this part of the city," Kagome commented, her eyes darting left and right as she took in the sights. "There are more stores than I remember." She focused her attention onto her companion. "What places do you like to go to, Yukio-kun?"

"Ah…" Would she think he was boring? "The… music store."

"Really?" Her amethyst orbs sparkled. "Me too. Let's stop by over there, okay? There's a CD I've been meaning to buy."

He made a noise of agreement and began to lead them in the right direction. His walk and stance were stiff. He knew it, his joints knew it, but did she notice? He hoped not. He was trying his hardest to relax. Maybe visiting one of his favorite places would help. Being surrounded by a familiar setting should loosen him up.

But she was still a very cute, very attractive girl.

He was so screwed.

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From the corner of his eye, he watched as Kagome hummed while flipping through the selections. She had already found the CD she'd wanted, so was currently browsing. He would admit to being impressed with her taste in music – classic rock. He personally liked that genre too. He'd pegged her as the type to like candy pop. This was the first time he was glad to be disappointed.

"Yukio-kun," the raven haired beauty called out, catching his attention, "do you play any instruments?"

As if on cue, his cheeks blushed again. "Yes," he answered. This time, however, his steel blue eyes were able to connect with amethyst. "I can play the guitar." It was a great tool for stress relief, especially when playing basketball wasn't an option.

"That's so amazing," she said. She grinned sheepishly. "I wish I could play something like that. The best I can do is play a few simple songs on the piano."

"I could… show you sometime." He quickly added, "If you want, I mean."

"That would be great. Thank you so much, Yukio-kun," she beamed.

Yeah, his cheeks were going to be stained red for the rest of his life after today. "S-Sure. You're welcome, Kagome-chan."

"Do you want to grab something to eat after we finish here?"

Kasamatsu nodded as his only answer. Maybe food would calm the nervous butterflies in his stomach. Or make him puke.

He really hoped it wasn't the latter.

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They chose a café that was casual but elegant. The atmosphere was welcoming, warm, and comfortable. The tenseness that had been present in Kasamatsu's shoulders lessened, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe now he could salvage the date instead of coming off as some type of brainless robot. And maybe he would stop getting so flustered every time he even looked in Kagome's direction. He could hope.

"Have you been here before?"

Kasamatsu nodded. He opened the menu to look at the lunch specials. "With my teammates. We come here sometimes after practice. The prices aren't bad, and the food is good."

Kagome hummed as she scanned the items. "The last time I was here was with Ryota-kun," she mentioned.

He stopped reading to look at the raven haired beauty seated across from him. Kise? His heart thumped heavily in his chest as he experienced an emotion he wasn't familiar with. Was he jealous? Envious? He didn't know. His feelings had been messed up since the day she had stepped into his life.

"Kise?" Wasn't the blonde basketball player/model also interested in Kagome?

Kasamatsu's hands tightened around the menu unknowingly.

"Yeah," she answered, like she was commenting on the weather. "But it was almost two months ago. Honestly, I've been so busy with my modeling career, I haven't had time to just go out and have fun." At the last, she sent a smile in his direction. "Which is why I was really happy you agreed to go on a date with me, Yukio-kun."

This time, he didn't mind the way he blushed at her words. Somehow, knowing she wanted to spend time with him was enough to erase all of the negative emotions that had started to build up with his self-doubt. She could choose anyone, yet she chose him. If that knowledge wasn't enough to boost his confidence, he didn't know what would.

Riding on that boost, Kasamatsu said, "I'm happy you asked me to go on a date with you, Kagome-chan." And he smiled, not feeling awkward or nervous for the first time since the date started.

It was Kagome's turn to blush and avoid eye contact with him.

He chuckled, finding the expression completely adorable.

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Epilogue – One Month Later

"By the way, Kagome-chan," Kasamatsu questioned, staring at the raven haired beauty seated across from him in the library. They had decided to study together, especially since Kagome was having trouble in math, and that happened to be his best subject, while he needed help in history, which happened to be her best subject.

Kagome stopped what she was doing to focus her attention onto her boyfriend. She smiled. "Hm? What is it?"

His cheeks heated the slightest bit – something he knew would never go away. "I've been meaning to ask, but…" He paused for a second. "Why did you decide you wanted to date me?" It had been bugging him for a while. He'd asked Kise, but the idiot had no idea either.

"Oh…" she trailed off, blinking, before continuing, "I actually saw Kaijou play a basketball game a long time ago. Ryota-kun had invited me to cheer for him. I, uh," she stammered, blushing prettily, "I noticed you right away."

"Y-You did?" Great, he was back to stuttering. Soon, he'd be back to answering with one-word responses. Although it was still true with any other girl, Kagome was the exception – as she should be.

Kagome could no longer look him in the eye. Her gaze darted left and right, her fingers fiddling with her mechanical pencil. "Well, yeah," she said then muttered, "It was hard to miss you… with the socks you wear."

It took a few moments for her words to register and then sink into his brain. But when they did, all Kasamatsu could do was incredulously shout:

"WHAT?"

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, and added this list of prompts to their favorites list! All of your comments and continued support really know how to make a girl blush~! (:

As mentioned above, today is my birthday, so this is my present to all of you :D Hope everyone liked it!

*NEXT PROMPT SPOILER: Melon pan

Please look forward to it, and don't forget to leave a review at the bottom!

XOXO,

Celestial Law