Authors Note: Probably my favorite chapter rewrite so far! Why do I like writing mean Oikawa so much? Hope you guys enjoy too! I remember that when I wrote this, I was so excited to reach certain points that I sacrificed the quality of the relationships. But I hope I did it justice this time! Let me know what you think! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroko no Basuke or Haikyuu, the characters or make any profit from this story. All characters and concepts belong to their respective owners. I just like writing. Please support official releases.
Chapter 3: Cats, Owls, Gorillas and Hummingbirds
Outskirts of the Citadel
The messy-headed brunette hummed as he wandered the new area. Iwaizumi warned him not to wander too far away from base alone, but this was more for the safety of any poor soul that Oikawa Tooru happened upon than for the perpetrator himself. But who knew when they would get to come here again? It didn't feel right to be holed up in their hideout all day. He wanted to find something he didn't get to see often.
And his search didn't end in vain. He had never seen a blooming flower in his 13 years of life. He never even imagined that trees could even have flowers. But when he found the tree with delicate, purple blossoms, he was so glad that his sneaking away had a payoff. Such luxuries in life didn't find him often, so he had to make use of it before it was dashed again by the shitty existence he lived.
And lo and behold came the executioner of his short-lived peace. Oikawa heard her before he saw her, the sound of soft footsteps approaching him from behind. As he stood up to greet her, he turned to face the grating new presence in the form of a pretty girl with vibrant blue eyes and hair as dark as night.
She was short and healthy-looking, if not pampered, despite the way she tried to present herself otherwise. Oikawa took in her well-groomed appearance, her soft, bouncy hair, clean skin, and the soft scent of rose that he could inhale with the gentle breeze of clean air. And it pissed him off that he felt his stupid teen hormones swayed.
To know that he would never know of such pleasures in life that this stranger was all too familiar with. He had to remind himself that anyone would look nice if they had it as good as her. It made him want to bully her, and so he did. He wished for her to be angry and bitter, just like him. How did she end up so lucky, to live like this? Oikawa had so many questions for this girl, but he couldn't bring himself to ask a single one. But the happier she was with her life, then all the more he wished misfortune would befall her.
His bitterness swelled with pride when she tried to hit him with her book, despite the fact that he noted how cute her slender, trembling arms were. Her eyes shined with the beginnings of tears, but were hardened like sapphire, a fine jewel he had only ever read about in scraps of old advertisements he found in the kindling for their fire on a cold winter night.
That's right. Hate me. So I can hate you. That's how this world works, after all.
It would justify the ways he wanted to hurt her. But he also felt an immense relief when Iwaizumi stopped him, the look in his childhood friends' eyes doused the fire raging within him.
I get how you feel, but this isn't how you should deal with it.
I know, Iwa-chan. Oikawa's anger simmered down just before boiling over, but the fire was still raging. Even if I tell myself she didn't do anything to me, I still can't stop being mad at her.
Out of concern for the situation escalating, he conceded and let the encounter he go with a few more mocking words and a sly grin, fully expecting to walk away victorious. He wasn't a good person, no, and he wasn't above this kind of behavior. He reasoned that he was just a kid, after all.
What he didn't expect was for this small girl, who smelled like roses and spent her time reading books under a tree whose name he didn't know, to respond the way she did. Her eyes seemed to pierce his very soul, as she spoke her name in a voice louder than before, her posture still straight and head still held high.
He was vaguely reminded of a book that Kuroo showed him.
"The hell is that?" He asked questioningly as he pressed a dirty finger to the page. Kuroo smacked his hand away with a small glare.
"You can look at things without touching them. That's a hummingbird."
"It's so small..." Iwaizumi commented as he peered over Oikawa's shoulder. "How could a small bird like that survive in the wild?"
"Well, they're gone now, so they didn't survive at all." Oikawa huffed. "That's just how things are in a world like this."
"Well, it was able to keep on living for a while, maybe." Kuroo added. "They're super territorial, after all."
"So? A much bigger animal could tear that little rat with wings apart." Oikawa insisted. "Small things like that are better off in a cage to keep the world out and itself safe."
A frail little thing, whose heart was ready to give out from how frantically it flapped its wings to stay afloat.
Kuroo grinned and shook his head, sighing. "You lack imagination, Tooru-kun~ Animals don't just exist because they're allowed to. They fight to survive, like us." Oikawa pouted, unable to say anything back to that.
"How does something like that fight?" Iwaizumi asked curiously, his eyes widening as Kuroo pointed to the hummingbird's long, sharp beak.
As he returned with Iwaizumi, Oikawa found himself glancing back towards the plum tree, his expression quite thoughtful.
"Oi. You're really gonna meet up with that girl again?" Iwaizumi asked incredulously. "You better not. She's obviously someone important."
"Eh? Iwa-chan, are you my mom?" Oikawa joked, despite knowing that it wouldn't end well for him.
"I'll kill you." On cue, Iwaizumi snapped at him with a sharp glare. But Oikawa ignored it, as his expression became thoughtful again.
"Hey, Iwa-chan…" Iwaizumi was taken aback by his friends' serious expression. Though he had a tendency to become lost in thought, it was always so sudden and at the strangest times that his longtime friend got like that. He always seemed much older than 13 when he did. Oikawa brought a hand to his chin before he spoke.
"I think she had a crush on me." His expression returned to general disdain. No, never mind. He probably was never thinking anything important when he said stuff like that.
"I think you've finally lost it." Oikawa chuckled, looking up at the sky, the bright sun beating down on his skin.
"Just kidding. I was just thinking I'd like to get back at that girl, since she looks so cute when she's mad."
"Well, you probably won't be able to go tomorrow. We've got things to do."
"We do?" Oikawa shrunk away as Iwaizumi raised a threatening first. "I was kidding! I remember, I remember!" He whined.
"So, you're not gonna go tomorrow, right?" Oikawa nodded. As much as he joked around, he was serious about his job. "You're gonna leave her hanging?"
"Yeah. It feels good to know that she's going to be waiting for me while I do more important things, anyway. It's a good revenge plot."
"Scumbag." Iwaizumi deadpanned.
"You're a bully!"
Akashi Residence
"Kotomi-chan!" Kotomi ran past Momoi with a brilliant grin. Three years seemed to have passed so quickly. It's been so quiet in the halls she grew up in. And Starting today, they would be empty no longer. They were home!
"Guys!" Her voice was light and louder and more childish than she typically allowed, but her pores sang with adrenaline as the days under that lovely little tree were within sight once again.
"Kotomi…?" She wasn't sure whose voice spoke her name so quietly as ran towards the front door. For some reason, she could see their silhouettes through the crack of where the wooden entrance met the floor of the foyer. That was unusual, as there was a tad too much space between the door and the marble floors. But she didn't think too long about it. What was important was that they were here. They were here with her again.
"Welcome hom—" All sound in her throat died as she threw the door open mid greeting. The smell of metal and rot hit her nose so hard it was the same as being hit by a truck. Kotomi's eyes widened in abject horror at the bloody scene before her. She couldn't even distinguish what was what, what was who.
All she could see was red.
She covered her mouth and took a step back, her foot came into contact with something soft, like a wet log covered in moss. She slowly looked behind her, over her shoulder, eyes practically bulged out of their sockets as she caught just a glimpse of the pale flesh of an arm coated in red from the shoulder to the fingernails, surrounded by the pool of shiny red that stained the pristine hospital floor.
Hospital…? Kotomi suddenly found herself surrounded by body bags and gurneys, cries of pain and anguish filling her ears. Her stomach churned as she realized she was wearing a medic's uniform, and the bodies in the gurneys were reaching for her. Faceless beings, identities stripped just like the lives they held onto so desperately. The screams were so real, like she's heard them before.
"Help…me…please. Someone, help me." That voice…it was hers. It was coming from everywhere and nowhere. Kotomi covered her ears, her eyes filled with tears which blurring her vision with an assault of salty moisture.
No…
"Kotomi…?" She feels cold hands at her feet, grasping her ankles.
No!
Close your eyes. Don't fight.
NO.
"Help me." She couldn't breathe.
NO….!
"Don't die." She felt icy cold hands at her throat, and a voice drowned in sorrow choked up her screams.
"Live!"
"I'm sorry."
Kotomi's eyes flew open as she said the words, her hands immediately moved to claw at her throat. Her entire forehead was drenched in sweat. Her chest was heaving as she whimpered into the empty space of her room. The notes from her cram school sessions were scattered all over her bed, some trapped beneath the blanket she kicked off her body in the middle of her sleep.
With fingers curled into the fabric of her shirt, Kotomi cradled her heart in her palm as she slowly sat up, wiping away the sweat from her forehead as she glanced at the calendar she set up on her desk:
MEDICAL TRAINING TODAY.
With another heavy sigh, Kotomi lurched out of bed and started to dress in her school uniform, carrying a bag packed full of neat packets of paper containing different kinds of treatments, her position in formations, and her plans of action for when she or another medic on the field was compromised during an extraction.
A month has passed since her medical training began. In two years, she would be assigned to her site of operation. She was already spending her after-school hours with Alex Garcia, the head of the medical division and her assistant Riko Aida, who specialized in rehabilitation despite only being older than Kotomi by just a year. Kotomi was surprised that she got along with them, since she never got along with any of the other girls at school. But it was a blessing she didn't know she needed. All this work left Kotomi missing Momoi quite a bit, since the pink-haired beauty was working almost every day after school with the analysts at the lab as well. She hardly ever saw her best friend except at school, and while no one could ever replace Momoi, dinner time with Riko and Alex was more than enough consolation.
Even when Riko managed to slip into the kitchen and drop vitamins into the pot.
Kotomi couldn't even describe how much Alex reminded her of Kise with how they both couldn't keep their hands off her. Apparently, the young woman had a maternal instinct and tended to dote on younger children, especially girls.
"It's because I raised two boys! I want daughters, too!" Alex often whined. Kotomi wasn't quite as comfortable with her clinginess as she was with Kise's, but it was more of a comfort than it was a nuisance, so Kotomi had no glaring qualms on which to act against Alex. Besides, the doting meant that she got to learn more than the other trainees.
Perhaps she would be able to work on-site sooner than she anticipated. She just had to keep working hard, even if all she was doing was working on medical records, completing the paperwork and treating minor injuries and post-operation patients. She needed the practice, because there wouldn't be the chance to make mistakes when she was on the field. But she couldn't wait to be making a greater difference in the war zones.
Today was a treat, however, Kotomi had the afternoon off for the first time since she started, and she already knew what she wanted to do with her time. She planned for an afternoon underneath her favorite place, with her favorite snacks. Maybe she could leave a message for Momoi and the two of them could spend the afternoon studying and eating together.
Excitedly, she purchased some of her favorite snacks with her allowance and carried her bags to the plum blossom tree. She started running as she nears the tree, so excited but her smile faded as she recognized the silhouette already there, the messy brown hair visible even in the sun.
His eyes were closed in concentration, so he hadn't noticed her yet. His stance was widened as he positioned himself so that his body was parallel to the tree. His right foot was pointed out toward the field, while the other was planted so that his toes faced the tree. Kotomi watched with some degree of reluctant admiration as studied his movements.
He was shirtless, which exposed all the scars on his body. Kotomi felt a twinge of sympathy. How did he end up getting so many?
Without receiving an answer for her unspoken questions, Kotomi breathed in as Oikawa took a deep breath. His eyes slowly opened with a fierce and focused sharpness that sent shivers down Kotomi's spine as she clutched her books tighter to her chest. She's never seen any kind of combat, as far as she knows, aside from the typical roughhousing between Kise and Aomine. But somehow, she just knew that this was what a real fighter looked like. But then why wasn't he at training like the others? Only those with debilitating conditions were excused.
Kotomi bit her lip. He looked too young to look so fierce. It made her sad to think that perhaps Kuroko and the others looked like this, too. Such a fiery look on a young face was enough to make her heart lurch.
With a sudden, swift movement, Oikawa surged forward, his fist colliding with the wood of the tree so strongly that she heard the crunching of bark under his knuckles. Only this snapped Kotomi out of her daze, and she gasped, running forward. Oikawa was so absorbed that he didn't notice her until she threw all her weight at him, hoping to tackle him to the ground. Instead, she only knocked him off balance, but instinctively he threw his arms around her with a choked squawk of surprise.
"Stop!" Kotomi cried out.
"Wahh!" He pushed Kotomi back, holding her at arms-length with a glare. "Don't do that! I could have hit you!" But Kotomi was too busy shaking a finger in his face, her brow was furrowed in a deep glare.
"Don't punch the tree, you'll hurt it!" She was out of breath from running, her eyes still shining with admiration, pale cheeks flushed a rosy pink. "There aren't a lot of flowering trees left, so you can't do something like that without thinking!" Oikawa raised an eyebrow at her, quickly letting go as he wiped away at his hands as if she were something dirty.
"Says the girl who threw herself! You could have thrown your book or something!" Kotomi looked down at her books, lips parted in a small 'o' as she realized that might have been better.
Wait, why am I giving her ideas!? Oikawa ran his fingers through his hair, sighing in exasperation as he looked up at the tree. He supposed she had a point.
"Fine. But I have to train. I just thought this rough bark would be a good way to build callouses."
"If you're able to train, then why aren't you with the rest of the Citadel Army?" Oikawa froze, glad that his back was Kotomi so she wouldn't see his expression.
Shit. Iwa-chan would kill me if he were here.
"It's none of your business." He fell back on changing the subject. "You're awfully nosy for someone who stood me up, Kotori-chan."
"Stood you up?" Kotomi sounded incredulous. Oikawa flipped a stray curl of brown hair off his forehead.
"You told me that you came here at lunch time. But you haven't come in a while. You lied to me to get back at me for humiliating you. How cruel of you, no wonder you don't have friends." He waited for the indignant gasp and the anger to set in, but when he turned around to face Kotomi, she was giving him an unamused expression, brow cocked as she tilted her head.
"So, you've been waiting here for me to come?"
"W-What!?" Oikawa gaped. Well, it was certainly true, but- no! It wasn't! "I-I wasn't waiting for you, don't get ahead of yourself! I said I liked it here, didn't I?" Kotomi just looked him up and down, unconvinced. He grabbed his own hair and pulled at it in his frustration. How was he the one being led around by the nose!?
"If your knuckles get infected, then it would be bad, right?" Oikawa raised an eyebrow at this sudden question, surprised and made wary by her sudden concern. But this was his chance to get back at her for her sass.
"Hoh, are you concerned about me, Kotori-chan?"
"Not particularly." She responded too quickly...
"You know, you're not cute when you say things so rudely." Oikawa huffed. "I really don't know why I bother wasting my time..." His grumbles continued while Kotomi looked up at him with hope shining in her eyes.
"Will you teach me how to fight?"
"Seriously, how are you going to find…a…boyf…. what." He deadpanned as he faced her fully, eyes slightly widened.
"Why… would I do that?" He took a step back when she stepped forward. He had lost his chance to drop the subject by not answering immediately. It meant she had time to make her case.
"I've been wondering how I could be a more effective medic, and I can't help but come to the conclusion that I need to learn how to fight! But there's no one who will teach me!" Kotomi waved her fists, her expression so shiny that Oikawa felt his heart skip a beat. "So why don't you teach me then? In return, I'll treat any wounds you have. I can make medicine too!"
"What? Make medicine?" This piqued his interest. Why would a medic need to make medicine? "Don't they just give it to you in bottles or something?" Kotomi pulled back and shrugged, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Well, they give us the basic supplies for first-aid, but our supplies get stolen if get hurt, so they're rationed pretty harshly. So... I'm developing my own ointments and treatments for things like burns and small wounds."
"Is that allowed?" Kotomi avoided his pointed look. Oikawa found himself smirking.
"You're a little more rebellious than I thought you'd be, Kotori-chan." Kotomi looked down at her feet for a moment, and then looked back up at him with resolve brimming in her eyes.
"I just don't think it's good to remain as I am. I want to be stronger in my own way. If that means I have to rebel, then fine." His smile disappeared moments later. Why was he acting so friendly with her?
"Is it for your friends?" Without a second thought, Kotomi nodded. Oikawa tasted a bitterness in his throat. But Kotomi extended her hand toward him.
"So? Do we have a deal?" Oikawa let go of a small exhale, raising his hand. Kotomi tensed up with excitement, short-lived when the brunette smacked her hand away and turned his back on her.
"I'm not interested in anything a little brat like you has to offer."
"What? Why?" His excitement rose at the way her voiced pitched a little higher than before. That's what he was looking for. "But-!"
"I have a better idea." He turned toward her, eyes half-lidded and dark as his gait slowly turned into a sauntering stalk. Kotomi took a step back, and then another, and suddenly she found herself pressed up against the tree. His entire disposition changed in a matter of moments.
Oikawa slammed both hands on the bark on either side of her head, a few inches taller than her. He was so close she can smell him. She could smell metallic smoke, but also strangely pine. His face was just inches from hers now.
"What are you doing…?" She asked, never wavering from his gaze.
"I think," Oikawa practically purred, a hand moved to procure a lock of her hair out of the neat side ponytail she wore. He sifted through every strand with his thumb. "You should consider offering me a heftier price for my services." Kotomi's hand lifted up from her side, and Oikawa smirked.
Go ahead. Push me away and cry.
"I can hear your heartbeat from here." She murmured as she placed a hand on his chest. Her eyelashes lowered as nostalgia seemed to remove her from the moment. "You don't really know what you mean when you say that." She brought a hand to her chin and giggled. It was such an innocent sound, he remembered that this insufferable brat was a kid. Just like him.
No, not like him at all. He wasn't capable of the unguarded, blissful look in her eyes.
"You're just like Daiki." Oikawa was so shocked that he staggered backwards. He gritted his teeth so hard that he heard the grinding in his head. In his anger, he turned his back on her again. He picked up his shirt and put it back on, his face suddenly a bright red.
"What is wrong with you!?" He shouted. His teeth snapped together as he spoke. Kotomi pushed the loose hair behind her ear as she watched him in confusion. "What an unreadable girl. You're not cute at all! You're ugly! So damn hard to look at!" He pointed at her like he was accusing her of a crime. Kotomi only blinked and tilted her head.
"You're just trying to scare me away, because you don't like me. But I don't have anywhere else to turn to. We can work something out if you want something more, but I'm offering a chance for you to take it out on me. Isn't that good for us to keep trying to find a good enough compromise?"
" ...What do you mean?" He neutralized his expression, but his hostility had never been higher. "What makes you think I don't like you?"
"I'm privileged, not stupid." She rubbed her arm and looked back towards the city "Lots of people wonder why I was lucky enough to grow up with so much when others have nothing." Oikawa pursed his lips and crossed his arms. "But I'm trying to move forward. I can't answer those kinds of questions, because I don't know either."
"Am I supposed to be moved because you think you get me?"
"I don't really care about you." Oikawa snorted without humor. "I'm not trying to help you, and I'm not asking for a favor. I'm offering you a chance to make a deal. I want to help my friends. I don't need to be able to understand anyone else." She brought her hands to her chest and smiled serenely.
"So, what will you do if I refuse to train you?"
"I'll figure it out. It's inevitable that I'll be deployed, regardless."
Oikawa smirked.
"Well, now that I know how strongly you feel, I feel even better about telling you to hurry up and die on the battlefield." He turned to leave, tossing a small wave over his shoulder. Today was a victory. "You're funny, Kotori-chan, but find someone else to help you with your little suicide mission." Before he could get much farther, something hard hit Oikawa at the back of his head. He squeaked in pain, then turned red in indignation He simply kicked the book she chucked at his head away and kept going. And then-
taptaptap TAPTAPTAPTAP-
WHUMPF!
This time when she tackled him, he crumpled like a house of playing cards. He shouted and in consequence, he got a good taste of the dirt waiting for him below. The top popped off on his patience, and he shot up and grabbed Kotomi's shoulder, threw her on the ground and straddled her hips. He pulled his fist back to land a nice blow to that pretty little face of hers, but his fist stopped just short when he saw her expression.
Eyes closed, teeth gritted, her pretty features scrunched up in anticipation and smeared with dirt while she waited for the pain. Her long black hair came undone in the brief struggle; strands of night littered rosy cheeks flushed with exertion. Her hands were up in a half guard, not able to move fast enough to stop him. Oikawa stared down at her in astonishment.
What kind of idiot would volunteer to be punched in the face? She really didn't get what it meant to be fighting for your life. Otherwise, she wouldn't be this way-
"Let's fight!" A small voice shouted at the sky. "Fight even if we all die. It's better than never having tried at all. It's better than just lying down and accepting that we're weak!"
Why was he remembering that now, of all times? Oikawa huffed in exasperation and pulled his fist away from her face, which caused Kotomi to open her eyes and blink in astonishment. He stood up and patted away the dirt from his clothes, his back to her.
"I'm not going to punch you."
"But—"
"Not like this. I would feel like a villain."
"But you already act like on—" Before she could get a chance to make him question his decision again, he slammed a hand over her mouth, moving in close.
"I'm going to teach you how to fight. I'll make you as strong as possible, even if I have to drag you the last stretch of the way." Oikawa removed his hand, and then pointed at her, his glare cutting her like a knife. "And then I'm going to crush you with everything I have, over and over. Even if you cry and try to stop me." Kotomi's eyes brightened and she smiled wide, despite his words, and nodded eagerly.
"Yes sir!"
"Come here tomorrow at lunch time, wearing clothes for training. I'm not fighting a girl in a skirt today, and don't think I'll stop hitting you if you have a wardrobe malfunction!"
"Right! Tomorrow, then!" Kotomi ran over the tree, and then patted the spot beside her. It was so sudden that Oikawa only stared at her.
"…What?"
"I'm going to put ointment on your knuckles. It's part of the deal, remember?" She pulled out the small metal jar, opening it up. Oikawa wrinkled his nose, a horrid scent wafting out from her container. "Don't worry, it won't smooth out your callouses. Give me your hand."
"What is it?"
"It's a mix of honey, glue, and hydrogen peroxide." Oikawa's face soured. Honey? That was a luxury where he was from. Mixing it with glue and disinfectant sounded like a felony. Without missing a beat, Kotomi answered the question he wasn't asking.
"Don't worry, I'm planning on changing the formula. Honey is too expensive. I want to be able to present the ointment as a cost-effective product to the Army. " Oikawa didn't move, mostly from the shock of the way she took almost everything in stride. Kotomi sighed and stood up, walking over to grab his hand for him. She turned it over to look at his knuckles.
"Look, see? You have splinters. What's the use in building callouses if you end up chopping your fingers off?" He jolted in shock, gasping in pain as she applied the paste with the gentlest touch, and then blew on it, waiting for it to dry.
"C-Cut them off!?" Kotomi giggled at this, retrieving a pair of tweezers from her first aid kit. She got to work, peeling back the solution. To his shock, the splinters were coming out with the peeling of the paste.
"Calm down, they're superficial. It's good I stopped you on the first punch, or you would have embedded them. I might have used a heated needle at that point—hey! Don't jump like that!"
"Then don't say that kind of stuff so casually!" They butt heads and glared at each other, but Kotomi was the first to break as she looked away with a snicker.
"What are you laughing about?" Oikawa narrowed his eyes.
"I was just thinking…punching a tree to build callouses…tackling a stranger to get them to do what you want...we're both a little silly, aren't we?" Her expression became tender. Oikawa felt a soft thudding, and suddenly he feels warmth in the place she had splayed her hand on his chest. A ghost of a memory was reminding him of how slender and dainty her fingers were, as he stared at them grasping his hand. She pushed some more hair behind her ear, and he can't help but notice they were pierced, but she didn't have earrings on.
"I'm sure Oikawa-san has plenty of people he wants to protect too." She said.
"Don't compare me to you." Kotomi was so engrossed in her work, making sure to get every splinter, that she failed to notice the way he was looking away, cheeks flushed slightly. "I'm not some kind of masochistic idiot who asks to get punched."
"I never asked, you're the one who threw me on the ground."
"I'm not a smartass like you, either." He hated her.
"You're just an ass."
"I hate you." Why was she so nice?
"Good."
"I can't wait to punch you tomorrow." She was the worst.
"Good."
"...thank you…." His voice was quieter at this, and Kotomi smiled to herself, saying nothing more as she hummed a soft song as she applied ointment to his sore knuckles and then packed up for the day. After all that excitement and the promise of more tomorrow, she was too antsy to study. The maids were going to fret up a storm when they see her now. The bow of her uniform was undone, her hair was falling out of its side pony tail in sections. Her skirt, socks, and sleeves were covered in dirt.
Oikawa left first without a word, giving Kotomi only one glance over his shoulder before he continued on his way. He met Iwaizumi at the halfway point as per usual on the way back home. The spiky haired boy with sharp eyes noticed how quiet his friend was, and he can only surmise something happened again.
"So, she was there, today? Did you learn anything?"
"Iwa-chan…" Oikawa touched his chest right by his heart. "I'm exhausted, somehow."
"What's with you?" He shook his head and ignored Iwaizumi's concern. He continued forward; a little curl of his lips graced his features.
"I learned how much I hate hummingbirds."
"Hah?"
Citadel Training Grounds- Lt. General's Office
"What…what did you say, sir…?" Very little shocked him these days, but Nijimura Shuzo almost ended up dropping his clipboard.
"I think you heard me clearly, Captain Nijimura."
"I still think it's too soon. This isn't protocol." The young men clenched his jaw. He knew that the General was probably forced into this decision.
"You know how dire our situation is getting, Captain. Protocol is not as important as results. The rebels are making bolder and bolder moves. We have to nip it in the bud." General Shirogane threw the 5 files on the table and crossed his arms. "They will be good leaders, but they need experience. And that means we need to send them ahead."
"They're boys! They've barely started training."
"Boys younger than them die every day with less than they have, Captain. They're soldiers in the middle of the war. This isn't easy for me, either. But we have never seen boys like them, before. With the right catalyst, they could be a turning point for us. We can't afford to let talent slip away from us."
Nijimura clenched his fists tightly as he bit back another retort. Of course, he had been watching those five closely. He couldn't argue their talents and their growth were unprecedented. But they were naïve. They enjoyed their superiority and the rewards for their performances, but they were still boys who had no idea what the battlefield was going to look like. It was cruel to send them out now. But what could he do? Orders were orders. So Nijimura bowed his head.
"Then let me oversee their missions. I will lead the way for them." The general nodded, having expected the dutybound officer to offer anyway.
"Of course. Make them pupils worthy of your title. And protect them."
"Yes, General…"
Briefing Room
"We're…going to be deployed?" Kise's shock summed up everyone else's expressions, golden eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as he repeated what was just said to them.
"I thought we weren't due until two years?" Akashi asked politely, the most composed, but his eyes strained against expressing the distress he felt.
"Your growth as soldiers is unprecedented, and so is the degree to which the outside is pressuring us. We need a change in pace, or things are only going to get worse. The general would like it if you became captains at the end of your training, which means you need to be ahead of your comrades. You still have time, another month. From now on, I'll be training the five of you directly, to teach you everything you know."
"This is good, right? I mean, we're strong." Aomine insisted. "Maybe we can change something. Maybe we'll get to go home." To her. An image of the dark-haired girl appeared in his mind, but Aomine refrained from reaching into his pocket to touch the charm that never left his person.
"Aomine is right. I think we could make a difference, Captain, but we're still missing something." Akashi nodded as he took a deep breath. He couldn't lose his composure, lest everyone do the same. He had also been watching everyone's movements. They were stronger than he anticipated, especially during the team exercises. There was just one person missing. "We're incomplete."
"Incomplete…?" Midorima questioned his friend. He couldn't be talking about...
"We are strongly offensive, this is true. Kise and Aomine seem to favor close distance fighting. Midorima is long-distance, while Atsushi and I are flexible, depending on the situation. But we need a curveball. A line of defense that will remove enemies from our path before we even see them. We will advance quicker, that way." Nijimura seemed to understand what he meant, raising a brow.
"You want Kuroko Tetsuya." The other four looked quite surprised with this.
"Tetsu?" Aomine paled. Tetsu being a captain...?
"Kuroko consistently scores low on all his exercises. The only reason he isn't at the bottom is because so many people fail to complete the exercises." Midorima clearly doubted Akashi's decision. Even in the face of this dissent, Akashi's expression remained certain.
"He scores low on all but one category, isn't that right, Captain?"
"Stealth." Nijimura confirmed, wondering what in the world Akashi Seijurou was thinking. His friends were impressive, but the heir was in a league of his own. "You want him to be an assassin."
"K-kurokocchi as an assassin…?" Kise scrunched up his nose, as if the idea had a bad odor. "He could never…"
"He will. Because we all must fight. We'll have to kill." The room seemed to become a few degrees colder. No amount of training could prepare them for that part of war. The first kill would likely be quick, and they wouldn't have time to process. But the anticipation was just as scary. "To protect our home. To protect our families." Akashi turned to Nijimura, his eyes sharpened with a certainty that bolstered his words.
"Captain, I promise you. Kuroko Tetsuya has talents that not even we can fathom. He will be every bit as important as everyone else here. Please consider adding him to the team." A chill ran down Nijimura's spine at the commanding tone beneath Akashi's polite request.
This kid…Akashi Seijurou truly was a force to be reckoned with. He would surely become a Captain very young…and maybe a lot more before these next three years were up.
"I'll talk it over with the general. I see what you're talking about, but you should discuss this with Kuroko-kun, as well." Nijimura saluted the trainees, walking out quickly and with purpose. It left the rest of them to turn on their red-headed friend.
"Akashichhi, why would you push for Kurokocchi to join us on the field? He can't fight!" Kise protested.
"Don't underestimate him, Kise." Aomine growled a little, but he wasn't happy with the suggestion, either. "Tetsu works hard."
"He's small like Sa-chin and Koto-chin." Murasakibara drawled. "He should stay in the rear."
"Kuroko's talents lie in places ours do not," Akashi explained. "You'll see what I mean, soon enough. Besides, we all made the promise to them, didn't we? That we'd watch out for each other, and that we'd return home to their side." Akashi gripped the charm in his hand tight, rubbing the protection stitching with his thumb in circles. "Kuroko should be with us for this."
After a moment of quiet deliberation, the rest of them nodded.
"Right. We do this together." Aomine confirmed. Akashi's shoulders fell back to neutral, seeming relieved that he had managed to calm everyone down. He had to be strong. He had to be calm. They were counting on him. She was counting on him. He told her that all of them would surely return to her side, and he wasn't going to break his promise to her. He wouldn't be able to bear coming home without one of them.
He'd rather die. Akashi failed to notice the expression he's making. But Midorima did, and the look on Akashi's face was that of a man whose resolve was sharp enough to kill.
Plum Tree
"Dead." Oikawa announced as he threw the young girl over his shoulder with relative ease, despite her pounding on his back and her legs kicking. "From here I could kill you in several different ways." He jumped a little, smirking at her squeak in fear as his shoulder threatened to knock the wind out of her.
"I could body slam you and step on your throat. I could put you in a Supplex and break your neck, if you're lucky. Or, I could throw you on the ground, pull your pants down and have my way with you before I cut your throat, all while you're too stunned to stop me." He dropped her to the ground, and Kotomi met the ground for the umpteenth time today with a loud thud and a cry of pain.
"That's too frightening of an image!" She cried from the ground.
"That's reality."
"How would you know!?"
"I'll tell you when you're older." Kotomi glared up Oikawa. We're around the same age, jerk. She didn't want to say that out loud. He was going to hit her harder, and as much as she liked being able to learnt to fight, she wasn't a glutton for punishment. No matter what Oikawa thought.
Slowly, but surely, she picked herself up, not even bothering to wipe off the dirt on her cheek, her pants, or her t-shirt. She gave up after the third mouthful of soil. Oikawa seemed pretty pleased with himself as he took his stance again. She glared at him.
"You're enjoying yourself a quite a bit someone who was so hesitant, yesterday." She said suspiciously. "You better be actually teaching me, instead of just beating me up."
"What? Come on, I'm not a guy who goes back on my word."
"I find that hard to believe." He ignored her dry comment.
"No, you're just far too easy a target for me to enjoy myself, Kotori-chan. Come on, now, I don't have the free time to wait for you to catch up. Your enemy won't wait for you to get used to it." He smirked and took his fighting stance again. "Now come at me, find out how to make your current self stronger than the enemy."
Kotomi felt frustration flare up in her chest. What did that even mean!? Kotomi took a deep breath and ran at him again, bracing herself for him to just throw her to the ground, again.
"Oya, oya, oya. What's this?" Kotomi stopped and almost fell over again when she looked to see the newcomers, wondering if it was the spikey haired boy who she saw with Oikawa again.
"Hey, hey hey! You guys look like you're having fun! Who's this, Oikawa?" More spikey haired boys…Kotomi wiped away the dirt from under her nose as two more young boys approached her, taller than Oikawa and stockier than the brunette's lithe frame. They had more muscle built onto sun kissed arms, torsos and legs.
"Where the hell did you guys come from?" Oikawa narrowed his eyes suspiciously, as if he already had an inkling. Only one person really knew he was been coming here almost every day for the last month.
"Iwaizumi-san said you always go this tree to wait for some hummingbird you won't shut up about." The darker haired boy ran his fingers through a mess of inky black, his dark, half-lidded eyes regarding Kotomi with a look that made her squirm. He looked like a dirty old man checking out a young girl the way he was positioned, with his hand under his chin while his head tilted up and down.
"Turns out it was something more interesting than some silly old bird…" He smirked cattishly, and Kotomi thought:
Tetsuya would tell me to avoid him on the streets.
"Iwa-chan, you traitor! I told you not to tell anyone about this!" Oikawa turned to look at her after yelling at his absent friend and glared. "And I don't start thinking that I've been waiting here for you!"
"I didn't." Her flat response was not convincing.
"A 'hummingbird,' huh…? That's fitting." The dark-haired taller boy approached her, getting in her face. He was quite handsome, and Kotomi found herself flushing under scrutinizing gaze. He was like an alley cat surveying its prey. "I can see why Gorilla would be coming here so often."
"Gorilla…?"
"Don't give her weird ideas! Don't call me that in front of her!" Oikawa snapped.
"My name's Kuroo, little bird. What's your name?"
"Fujisaki Kotomi." Little bird...?
"Oh! So formal. I'm Kuroo Tetsurou, then."
"I'm Bokuto Koutarou!" The silver haired boy cried. He seemed to have lost patience for being ignored.
"Don't ignore me!" Oikawa was losing his patience too.
"Hey, hey hey!" The two-toned silver-haired boy with glowing golden eyes, a darker shade that glowed with much more intensity than Kise's, got in her face as well. Do these two know what personal space is? His proximity was forcing her to lean away so that their noses weren't almost touching. "What's a tiny little thing like you doing with this Gorilla?"
"Like I said, don't call me that!"
"He's helping me train to be stronger." Kuroo's eyes widened and his lips pursed. His eyes scanned her again and Kotomi almost asked him to stop.
"You're in the military?" He finally stopped staring at her strangely, but the unnerving pressure about him wouldn't go away.
"I'm a medic. My friends are going to be sent out to the border, and I want to be there to support them." The two-toned, silvery haired boy named Bokuto gasped and looked teary eyed.
"So moving!" He cried and placed a hand on her head, ruffling her hair much to Kotomi's annoyance. She smacked his hand away and pouted as the boy shrunk away. That gesture wasn't allowed for strangers.
"What a good little bird, protecting her nest." The dark haired named Kuroo boy purred as he nodded. "But…you seem like you're getting the snot kicked out of you." He glanced at Oikawa, who looked on in innocence.
"She's the one who asked." Was all he offered.
"You really are a nasty person." Kuroo snickered. Kotomi's shoulders slumped, as she imagined that she looked rather pathetic.
"She started it! You should have seen her yesterday; she was being so unladylike!"
"What did she do?" Kuroo's curiosity was piqued, and though the conversation was still at her expense, Kotomi was glad he stopped staring at her so intensely.
"I threw a book at him and tackled him…" Kotomi said this looking away, a little embarrassed. She had gotten frustrated that her plans hadn't been working out, so she acted rashly. Bokuto and Kuroo's mouths fell open they looked to fidgeting girl. Kuroo was the first to break, and grabbed his stomach as a cackle rocked his body.
"You got tackled by her!?" Both Oikawa and Kotomi puffed up in indignance.
"She caught me off guard, and she's heavier than she looks!" The comment made Kotomi gasp, cupping her cheeks in excitement.
"Does that mean I'm muscly?" Atsushi always said that I'm so light! Maybe I've gained some weight?
"It means you eat too much! How would a little princess like you get any muscle?" With her hopes dashed against the stone, Kotomi went to stomp on Oikawa's foot, but he dodged with ease and shot her a glare.
"Oikawa, you can't say that to a girl!" Bokuto chided.
"But you said I'm heavy. No one has ever said that to me before." Kotomi's eyes shined eagerly. "That means either you're weak, or I've gained weight!" Kuroo's laughs only escalated in volume while Oikawa looked like a vein popped in his head.
"Oya! She's so cheeky, I like it!" Kuroo announced as he wipes a tear from his eye.
"More like one-track minded…" Oikawa crossed his arms, trying to figure out how to get another jab in to shut all three of them up.
"Alright! I've decided!" Bokuto suddenly announced and wrapped a strong forearm around Kotomi's shoulders as he threw a fist in the air.
"I'm gonna help you train!" Kotomi's eyes lit up, and she grabbed his forearm, squeezing it. It was much harder than Oikawa's, and she could feel the sinews of his muscles pushing against the firmness of his skin. And he wasn't much older than her.
"Thank you, Bokuto-san!" Bokuto shined so brightly that Kotomi had to pull away to sheer her eyes. He puffed his chest out, and Kotomi thought he resembled an owl for a moment.
"Call me Bokuto-senpai!"
"Bokuto-senpai, you're wonderful!" She smiled and clapped her hands. But it looked more like a mother humoring her child after completing a small task like flushing the toilet or brushing his teeth properly.
"Hold on, why does he get honorifics and I don't?" Oikawa protested, but Bokuto and Kotomi were lost in their own world. But to think that she was capable of smiling like that. It annoyed Oikawa for a number of reasons.
"Kotori-chan! That's way too long, can I call you Koto-chan?" Bokuto suddenly asked.
"Yes, if you would like."
"You can give me a nickname, too!"
"Oh, I couldn't possibly…" Kuroo came around behind her, and placed two hands respectfully on her waist, tugging her slightly to stand in front of him.
"I guess I'll help out, too. I am a gentleman, after all." Kotomi glanced over her shoulder, still wary. Bokuto easily reminded her of Aomine and Kise, so it was easy for her to get along with him. But this person made her anxious. But if he was aware that he made her nervous, he wasn't showing it. "I saw you earlier, you'll never take Gorilla-san out the way you just run at him. Oikawa—"
"Now you're acknowledging me!?" The brunette raged. Kuroo turned her hips so that she had to turn her head to look at him. Her stance positioned her so that she was standing out to the side, but her front-facing foot was pointed toward Oikawa. He leaned over to her ear, and a shiver ran up her spine as she swallowed the lump in her throat. He smelled like something like cinnamon, but also like the forest.
"When you run at him again, try to get behind him and get lower. Take out his knees. Everyone's weak there." Kotomi shut her eyes as the messy whorls of his hair tickled her temple, but she nodded.
"Okay."
"Good girl…" He slowly pulled away, crossing his arms while Bokuto placed his chin on Kuroo's shoulder, looking curious.
"What did ya tell her?"
"You'll see." Kotomi took a deep breath, calming her thudding heart as she opened up her eyes, cornflower blue seeming to reflect Oikawa in its hues. Oikawa smirked a little.
"That's a new look. I don't know if I like it." All the more satisfying to crush her.
Without warning, Kotomi seemingly lunged forward and ran at Oikawa as per usual. Oikawa rolled his eyes and simply prepared to grab her again, but as the distance closed in between them, Kotomi suddenly did a forward roll just half a foot away, configuring herself so that she came upright on her haunches again before throwing herself low, just as Kuroo instructed.
"Wha—" Oikawa's legs crumpled beneath him as she threw all her weight at him, and with an ungraceful 'whumpf!' they were both on the ground. Kotomi landed on Oikawa's torso, her legs splayed out on either side of him in. Her fingers spread across the middle of his chest. Bokuto whistled while Kuroo nodded in approval.
"What a good pupil I've found."
"Good job, Koto-chan!" Bokuto cheered while Oikawa groaned softly, looking up at Kotomi and flushing, his chocolatey brown eyes stared up in embarrassment as Kotomi looked down at him. Her side pony tail was completely undone and hanging in loose strands around her face, framing flushed cheeks as she panted, eyes wild with astonishment and excitement.
"I…I did it!" She looks up at Kuroo, grinning so hard that her nose crinkled at the bridge. Kuroo's eyes widened and his eyes suddenly avoided her gaze. But Kotomi was too high on adrenaline to question it. Oikawa shook his head with pink cheeks.
"Not so…fast!" He grabbed her by the knees and threw her back. Her shriek echoed in the field as she reeled back and hit her head on the ground again. Oikawa stood up and pushed her knees forward more, forcing her into an extremely uncomfortable position. Her spine protested as Oikawa pushed her legs towards her head.
"Ow, ow, ow!" She cried, tapping to signal that she gave in.
"That's another lesson! Don't let your guard down! Here's your punishment! Hahahahaha!" Oikawa laughed boisterously while Kuroo watched with bland disdain and Bokuto threw his fists in the air.
"Scummy gorilla…" The cat-like man muttered.
"Oiksya! You don't have to go that far!" Oikawa let go of Kotomi's legs to yell at the two behind him.
"No one asked you!" Kuroo turned to look at Bokuto, eyes shining with some kind of anticipatory joy.
"Bro, did you just combine 'Oikawa' and my 'oya'?" Bokuto's eyes shined similarly as he nodded, holding up a hand. Kuroo clasped their hands together as the two shared some silent understanding.
"You know it, bro."
"Bro…"
"You guys have selective hearing, or something!?" Kotomi sat up and rubbed her aching back, sighing softly. She had a breakthrough today, and that was good enough for her. She watched the three of them interact and felt an aching in her chest, despite her desire to laugh.
Nostalgic…that's what this sweet pain, is. Slowly, Kotomi stood up and tucked her hair behind her ear.
"Thank you three…" The young men turned to look at her as she placed her hands behind her back and smiled at them. "Thank you for your teachings and your company. I really enjoyed it."
"Ah, well…" Kuroo rubbed the back of his head, seeming genuinely bashful. He wasn't used to such sincerity.
"We'll keep coming by to teach you! This Gorilla seems like he can't train you, since you learned from Kuroo so fast!" Bokuto offered, which Kuroo seemed to flinch at.
"Hey! I'm training her just fine!" Oikawa pointed at her accusingly. "Don't think you can just replace me! I'm the one who's going to beat you up!"
"That's an awful thing to say!" Bokuto cried.
"Iwaizumi is right, you're a nasty guy…" Kuroo added. But Kotomi laughed quietly.
"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten…" Kotomi pointed right back at him, cornflower blue regarded him with a determined gaze with a glint of mischief. "You're my final test, I'll know I've reached the top when I've beat you!" Oikawa blanched at her, cheeks reddening again.
"Ooohhhh! I'm all fired up! Hey, hey, hey! Spar with me, next!" Bokuto hopped up and down.
"Okay!" As the two took their stances, Kuroo grabbed Oikawa by the shoulder with a dark expression. He glanced at Kotomi and Bokuto to make sure they were busy enough to miss this interaction.
"We actually came here to stop you today." Oikawa's expression fell into an unreadable one.
"We'll talk later." Kuroo raised an eyebrow, which made Oikawa sigh. " Just trust me. I'm not doing this just because I'm bored or anything."
"I know. I'm just sick of you taking on shit by yourself." Kuroo answered as he released Oikawa's shoulder. "I'll play along, though."
"Kuroo..."
"If you screw up, Iwaizumi will kick my ass, too." Kuroo said with a smirk before he approached Kotomi again. "I'll teach you how to wipe the floor with Bokuto and the Gorilla here, little bird~ Then I'll be your final test."
"Yes, thank you!" Kuroo didn't falter at the sight of Kotomi's excitement this time.
Oikawa couldn't help but scoff, but was lacking the vitriol he first felt burn his throat when he spoke with Kotomi before; no matter how much he willed it to appear, his milky brown eyes followed Kotomi into her fighting stance again. Bokuto bounced on his feet with excitement.
"You're a hard worker…we're similar in that way, at least…" Her words echoed in his mind and he wondered just why he was so open with helping someone like her in the first place.
Whoever her precious people are…they've really got a piece of work on their hands.
Citadel Army Training Grounds
"Shit!" Aomine groans in pain as he was kicked in the stomach so hard he flew back, landing on his side. Kise followed suit shortly, having been punched in the gut so hard the blonde was holding his stomach, retching as he felt his dinner threatening to make a reappearance.
"It's not good enough to be fast! Think!" Nijimura shouted, pointing his gun at Aomine and his knife at Kise. "The enemy won't overlook this. You're both dead." He easily sidestepped a lunging Murasakibara, who was covered in dirt from being knocked back so much.
"Ugh, so annoying…" The purple haired teen groaned, but his eyes were fierce.
"I'll be less annoying when you're dead. It's not good enough to be big, either." He turned to face Midorima, whose glasses had been shattered again. He was sitting on the floor, unable to see two feet in front of him. Nijimura approached Midorima.
"Stand up." The green-haired boy hesitated, struggled to his feet, and put up a pretty impressive guard, but Nijimura faked a right hook and uses his left, striking the boy in the head. Midorima stumbled backwards and crashed to the floor as hard as the others.
"Even if you specialize in long-distance, the battlefield is unpredictable and doesn't care what your specialty is! And Kuroko!" He turned to face the bluenette, who deflates upon his discovery.
"You're hesitating!" Nijimura grabbed the collar of the young boy, pulled him off the ground slightly and shook him menacingly. "There's no hesitating! You come at me like you're going to kill me!" He dropped a white-faced Kuroko to the ground, facing the lot of them as the baby blue-haired boy stood on shaky knees, terrified.
"This is insane…I can't handle this." Murasakibara whined, wiping away some sweat from his forehead.
"We have to," Akashi said, also covered in scratches and marks sure to become bruises later. "Or we won't survive out there."
"Akashi's right. I'm being cruel because it's a cruel world out there. Don't hesitate, or you die. Think, or you die. Kill, or you die. That's how the world works out there, so get used to it. Now! Come at me again!"
"Right!" They all shouted, rushing Nijimura all at once.
The Tree
Kotomi wasn't too sure when it was that she dozed off. When she was aware of her surroundings again, she was laying in the grass, and the sun was setting in the horizon. She glanced to either side of her, Kuroo sprawled out on his side, one hand rested under his head and the other laid in front of him. His fingers were tangled in his own messy bedhead, surprisingly long lashes casted shadows on high cheekbones. Bokuto was on his back in starfish position, mouth wide open and drool sliding down his chin. Down by her feet was Oikawa; his slumbering visage faced her, and his arms were tucked carefully under his head.
The wind ruffled warm brown hair, and his chest rose and fell with his breathing, eyes shut serenely. She smiled a little, admiring his long lashes and his handsome features.
"He's much cuter when he's not moving his mouth." She sighed while she poked his cheek.
"I'll say." Kotomi looked up in surprise at the new voice, spotting the original spikey haired boy she first saw with Oikawa. He wore the same outfit he had been wearing before, hands tucked into his sweatshirt pockets as he looked down at her.
"You're the hummingbird?" Kotomi's shoulders relaxed a little, but not completely. After Oikawa's rocky first impression, Kotomi was wary of him. He hadn't really interacted with her on that day, so she didn't know anything about them except for the fact that he seemed pretty rough with Oikawa.
"You must be Iwa-chan."
"Only friends call me that. The name's Iwaizumi. I just came to get these idiots." His eyes looked her up and down, taking in the sweat, dirt, and the slightest traces of blood on her person, expression unreadable.
"Sorry, they must have been pretty annoying."
"Oh, no. It's fine. I asked them to spar with me." Kotomi shook her head and stood up slowly, ignoring the ache of her arms and legs as they protested to stay on the ground.
"I see. Any particular reason for that?"
"Simple. I want to be a medic who can protect and heal on the battlefield." Iwaizumi raised a brow.
"Don't they have training for that?"
"Not really, they don't expect you to engage in combat, just to get the injured out of the way. They're pretty expendable, I guess."
"Maybe because you'd have to be suicidal to rush onto a battlefield without knowing how to fight." Kotomi exhaled in what was supposed to be a laugh.
"I suppose."
"So why not just stay home?" A breeze rushed through the both of them.
"Because…" Iwaizumi felt a chill up his spine as Kotomi's lips turned up slightly, and she stared past him, into the distance at the setting sun. Iwaizumi couldn't help but notice the way the way the setting sun seemed to cast an eerie shadow over her lovely visage.
"I feel like I won't ever be able to die in peace, knowing I didn't give my life my all." Iwaizumi realized with a chill that the expression she made was somehow very familiar to him. There was a long pause between the both of them, saved when Oikawa suddenly stirred, sitting up. He rubbed an eye and looked up at his friend, groaning.
"Geh…it's Iwa-chan, what an ugly sight to wake up to…" Iwaizumi almost felt a vein pop in response to Oikawa's sleepy jab, though he's grateful that he had an out.
"You want to sleep forever? Get up. You two. Sawamura's mad." He kicked both of the other boys in the head, with Kuroo waking with a long, languid stretch and Bokuto popping up with a soft 'hoot' noise that made Kotomi cover her mouth.
Like a cat and an owl…
"Well then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then, Kotori-chan." Oikawa stood up with a stretch and a yawn, offering her a tranquil smile. Iwaizumi shot Kuroo a glare, but the taller boy didn't respond.
"Yes. It was nice to meet you, Bokuto-san, Kuroo-san." Kotomi bowed politely to them. The two were too tired to properly greet her, merely tossing a small wave and mumbling something like 'see you tomorrow.' She watched them as they walked in the direction opposite to her. It wasn't as if people didn't live outside the main city, but to do so was very rare. Did they all live together?
"Where do you guys live?" They all paused when she asked them. Kotomi didn't pay any mind to it. Visiting friends at their homes. I've never done that before. She thought with excitement. "If you guys want, I could-"
"Don't even think about following us." Oikawa's cold tone chilled Kotomi's blood as he turned back to look at her. And suddenly, all four of them sent the same look her way, as if challenging her to disagree. Brown, black, and golden eyes were suddenly knives that cut into her very core. Were they really the same age as her…?
These people…could be a threat. Her gut instinct was warning her to leave it at this, and she heeded that advice. Kotomi swallowed hard and offered a small nod, turning to leave without another word. When Oikawa was teasing her, insulting her, trying to provoke her, it didn't evoke the same fear that she felt just now. Not only did it sting a little, but it made her wonder where there was such a disparity with the way he acted when they were 'sparring' and the instance of real danger she felt just now.
It was as if…he's been playing a game with me until now. I wasn't a threat. If they really wanted to….
"They could kill you." She said out loud. Kotomi realized the cold of dusk hit her skin, and she looked up at the sky. The land before turned a quiet blue, and the lights of the city started to light her way home. The walk home suddenly felt much longer than before, but Kotomi sped up her walk back, as if those long-gone glares would overwhelm her if she tried to steal a glance over her shoulder.
There was a chance that they were dangerous people. Should she ask Momoi what to do? No, it was obvious that Momoi would tell her to stay away from them. And then nothing would change. They were kids just like her, no matter how strange.
So... wasn't it okay to just ignore this bad feeling in her gut?
1 Month Later-Wastelands
"Are you lot ready? We're about to enter Warzone 13." Nijimura said as he halted the advance of the men, his voice being broadcasted to the squadron of 150 men via earpieces created by the technology division. In the center stood the newest trainees. They were in the safest position. This was a learning experience, after all.
"Remember, be alert. There is no safe zone in this area. Our intel is aware of 139 men in this sector alone. They have the vantage point here." Akashi glanced at his friends. Kise and Kuroko were visibly trembling, even with the layers of the heavy clothing and bulletproof vest that cloaked their forms.
"Be calm," He assured them, eyes also traveling to Midorima, who was sweating already. Aomine seemed tense, but focused. Murasakibara seemed unfettered, which was a relief.
"We trained." He assured them.
"Kotomicchi…" Kise clutched the tiny gold pouch close to his chest, bringing it to his lips and closing his eyes as tears threatened to spill from his eyes.
"Eyes open, Kise!" Midorima hissed as they began to advance into the ruins of what was once a city. It was just 5 miles away, a city overrun by foreign invaders. Their mission was to take this place and make it yet another base to operate out of. Armored trucks drove behind them, carrying supplies, medics, and tech.
"Stay alert." Akashi echoed Nijimura, hands tightening on the automatic rifle every soldier was given.
"Akashi-kun…" Kuroko's impassive tone was shaky. "I think I'm going to be sick." Akashi felt a pang of sympathy. He asked for Kuroko to come, and the bluenette accepted, but they were all in over their heads. Just the anticipation alone was about to kill 3 of them.
"Kuro- "Before he could even begin to soothe his frayed nerves, a shout that echoed in the air made Akashi's heart stop.
"Enemy sighted! Open fire!" As gunshots started ringing through the air, the five friends shared the same exact expression of horror. Even Akashi, only for a moment, felt his heart leap into his throat.
"Sei-kun!" He looked behind him, and he felt his eyes sting as he saw Kotomi, Momoi, and a woman with long, flowing red hair similar to his own with a hand on the girls' shoulders. Kotomi extended a hand, and the woman's voice called for him as well.
"Seijuro..."
I'll bring everyone home. With great pain, Akashi turned away from them and shouted to his family, eyes widened. One eye almost seems to reflect the color of the grenade explosion that obscured their vision with smoke and ash, and their ears with screams and tinnitus.
"We're all going to survive." He assured them once more, his voice steady. "Because we have to go home!"\
Omake:
"K-Kotomi-chan! Your eye!" Kotomi gaped as Riko showed her the black eye that marred her face in a mirror.
"T-That explains why my face hurt this morning…" Thank god I left before anyone saw me... Alex was fumbling with a compact of makeup, looking ready to murder.
"Who hits a girl like this? Who the hell is so shitty?" Kotomi looked away, disdain on her features.
"A really scummy guy I know. He's merciless." Riko and Alex shared a frightened look.
Was this cute girl secretly a delinquent?
"Achoo!" Oikawa sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve, while Iwaizumi leaned away.
"If you get sick, I'll kill you."
"Hey!"