Edited 11.04.2021
Summer Break Begins
July 18th
Summer break began with a bang. Literally.
Her team still had practice this afternoon, despite the incoming vacation. A few of the members weren't present and Hana assumed they skipped out for this very reason. Beside her, Uoya had his hands covering his ears and Iseri was wincing at the display. The unofficial leader in Futabatei's absence, Kajiwara, watched the scene with a gaping mouth.
"What?" The blonde upper class-man managed, "What did you just do!"
The perpetrator, Kitano, gave him a sheepish smile, "A firework?"
"A firework!" Kajiwara repeated in disbelief, "Why'd you think it'd be a good idea?!"
"Everyone likes fireworks…" Kitano mumbled.
"Pyromaniac," Hana coughed into her hand and looked away when Kitano shot her a glare, "Hey, at least it wasn't me this time."
"That doesn't matter!" Kajiwara looked close to pulling his hair out, "You—Why would you—Kitano!"
"I think Kajiwara-senpai is having a breakdown," Uoya whispered from her side. Silently, Hana had to agree. She glanced around in hopes that someone would come to interrupt their little grouping, but no such luck. Where's the coach when you need him?
"I don't blame him," Hana added as Kajiwara began to stalk toward Kitano, "He won't seriously hurt him, right?"
This time, Iseri chimed in from the background, "He's holding a pen."
"Oh crap," Uoya's eyes widened, "Pens are dangerous."
Hana squinted at her grey-haired friend, "The hell? Since when have pens been dangerous?"
"You've thrown them at us enough times," Iseri grumbled as he crossed his hands over his chest. Meanwhile, Kajiwara had pulled Kitano into a headlock and was ranting at his thrashing form. Iseri followed her gaze and quirked an eyebrow, "Kajiwara-san has developed more upper body strength."
"Uhm, you want to break them up?" Hana questioned. Uoya stepped back as her gaze landed on him and Hana transferred it over to Iseri. The skinny teen shoot her a look, but his body didn't move. Hana took this as a firm no, "Then I guess we're just leaving them."
"But—" Uoya stumbled, "Kajiwara-senpai's so much bigger than him!"
"Yeah, but Kitano's feisty," Hana retorted.
"I have to agree with our manager, Uoya-kun," Iseri added his two cents, "Kitano-kun is also very flexible."
Uoya and Hana both paused at that statement. Iseri merely raised an eyebrow, making Uoya duck behind Hana at the unspoken threat. Unfortunately, Hana did not heed the warning, "Did you finally ask him out?"
"Hana-chan," Iseri's calm voice replied, "I would prefer you not speak of that in public."
"So, no, you haven't."
Iseri smiled pleasantly, "I will permanently shut your mouth."
"Guys, come on! Let's just get along," Uoya's begging did nothing to stop the budding tension.
In the background, Kitano let out another pitiful plea for help as Kajiwara broke into insane laughter. Unbeknownst to the team, Coach had walked into the gym, stopped, and walked right back out. He didn't have the patience for this kind of mayhem today.
I just wanted a regular team, he thought as he power-walked away, that's all I asked for!
July 23rd
You see some weird things on the street. Men selling illegal goods out of their trench pockets, women dressed in frilly pink outfits, kids on leashes. Not to mention blushing boys who happened to be carting life-sized cactuses. Hana blinked as the last person registered. Was… was that Midorima?
It was, in fact, her green-haired friend. With a cactus in a cart.
Frankly, Hana didn't know what to do. The boy didn't look overly happy and she did not want to be on the receiving end of his anger. Despite his overall neutrality, Midorima had a vicious tongue when he was annoyed. Kind of like a snake. A mental image of a green snake with glasses popped into her head and Hana couldn't stop the resulting chuckle.
Now that would be the day, she smirked, I wonder if he'd like the comparison.
Meanwhile, Midorima was slowly making his way toward Hana's location. She had taken a break from her morning jog to sit against the curb. It was a wonder he hadn't noticed her yet. As her friend got closer, Hana could see that his face wasn't red from embarrassment, but from exhaustion. He even had sweat dripping down his forehead. Hana could relate, it was damn hot out.
"Midorima!" Hana called out and almost giggled at his resulting stagger, "Over here!"
"Imamura?" Midorima whispered to himself. His steps slowed down as he glanced to the side of the road. There she was. He quickly looked away as he registered what she was wearing. Too much skin! That's inappropriate!
"What…" Midorima stumbled, "What are you doing? What are you wearing!" He hadn't meant to let that last part out, but he'd accept it.
"Uh," Hana was startled by the abrupt questioning, "A tank top? Shorts? Or are you talking about my shoes?"
"You should cover up," He tried to make his voice stern but was unsuccessful.
"Not happening," Hana deadpanned, "It's hot as shit out. In fact, you should take off some clothes."
If his face hadn't been red before, it was now. His wide green eyes came to rest on Hana in alarm and she quickly realized her mistake. Trying to backpedal, Hana waved her arms about, "Not like that! You're in a suit! You could overheat!"
"I'll be fine," He stuttered out. Taking a deep breath, Midorima pushed his glasses up and looked back to her, "Why are you out here?"
"Running," Midorima's face remained blank and Hana rolled her eyes, "I've got to get a workout somehow, ya know?"
"I was… unaware of that," He admitted. Now, her outfit made sense.
"It's not like I blab it to everyone," Hana shrugged before questioning, "What's with the cactus?"
"It's Cancer's lucky item today."
"But, couldn't you like find a smaller one?"
"Cancers are ranked last today," Midorima explained, "The larger the item, the better the luck."
"Okay, but a cactus," Hana blinked at him without understanding, "That seems to be detrimental to the whole good luck thing. It's sharp and prickly."
Midorima scowled at the reminder of his morning accident, "I'm aware."
"I take it you've already experienced the side effects."
"Yes," Her friend looked away from her and Hana raised an eyebrow at him, "I'm going to have to go, Imamura. It was pleasant to run into you."
"Yeaaaah," Hana drawled out, "Doesn't sound like you mean that."
"I have an appointment with my father at the hospital. I can't be late," Midorima explained before picking the handle of the cart up again. Hana's eyes widened at that. He's going to pass the hell out if he keeps working like this.
Springing up from her spot, Hana came closer to Midorima. She didn't notice how his eyes strayed to the sky in an attempt to ignore her attire. Moving toward the cactus, Hana bent down, "This thing must weigh a hundred pounds. How are you gonna carry it all the way?"
"I have no choice but to do so," he answered and tugged on the handle. The cart squeaked behind him before rolling forward.
"You're going to mess up your shoulder," Hana called from behind him, "Then you'd mess up your shots!"
Freezing at the thought, Midorima shot a cold glare over to the girl, "I don't recall asking for your opinion."
"You're the future doctor, you should know this," Hana teased before stepping closer to her green-haired friend. Coming to stand in front of him, she tilted her head, "I have an idea."
Without Midorima's consent, Hana closed the distance between the two of them. Her hand came to rest on his neck and Midorima felt his face pale. What… what is she doing?! Seconds later, he felt a weight leave his neck and watched his tie flutter to the ground. Imamura bent down to pick it up before shooting back up and wrapping her arms around his waist. Midorima will never, in all the years he lives, admit to the startled gasp he made.
"Man," Hana mumbled from below, "I want your waist size. Hold on though, almost done."
Feeling a cinching sensation in his waist, Midorima squeaked out, "What are you doing!"
"Almost done," Hana muttered defensively, "Hold your horses."
The cinching sensation continued until it suddenly stopped. Looking down at himself, Midorima blanched to find his tie knotted around his waist. Without cataloging his reaction, Hana grabbed the tail end of his tie before twirling him around to face his cart.
She tied the tail end to the handle of the cart and stepped back with a proud flourish. Smirking, she cheered, "Taa daa!"
"You tied me to my cart," Midorima deadpanned, "With my tie."
"And," she coughed uncertainly, "You don't seem happy about it?"
"Not particularly," his glasses flashed as he peered down at his tie, "How is this supposed to help?"
"Walk," Hana shooed him forward with her hands, curious to see if her plan would work. Shooting her a glare, Midorima did as ordered and walked forward. He was immediately surprised by the ease at which he moved. Because he wasn't on an incline, he felt zero to none of the previous pressure earlier.
"It's acceptable," was all he offered before looking away, "I need to leave now. I've wasted enough of my time as it is."
"Well, aren't you a grumpy grouch," Hana gave him her practiced pout. After getting to know the fellow she'd learned that he didn't respond well to her more dramatic pouts. If she showed any signs of tears, he was out of there. Hana now used a patented Midorima pout where she only stuck her lower lip out and gave him the puppy-dog eyes. Works every time.
He only gave her a side glance before continuing to walk ahead. A few moments passed before he stopped and Hana could hear his grudgeful reply, "Thank you, Imamura."
Ah-ha! Progress! Hana applauded silently. With this newfound development, she decided to take an even bigger step and skipped up to her tall comrade. Hana threw her arms around him in a crushing hug before Midorima could acknowledge her presence, "You're welcome, Midorima!"
The boy's resulting blush was enough to satisfy her and Hana let go of her hold before quickly stepping out of his range. Shooting her a baleful glare, Midorima began to stalk forward. This time he didn't turn back, but Hana didn't mind.
She always got a kick out of messing with Mr. Grumpy.
Meanwhile, Midorima was thinking on a different level. His blush had yet to subside and he could feel his feet digging into the ground as he walked. Letting out an aggravated huff of air, Midorima glowered. That girl will be my death.
July 30th
Her mouth wouldn't close. Actually, to be correct, it couldn't close. The house in front of her was ginormous. If it could even be considered a house. More like a damn castle. A few feet ahead sat a lawn of impeccable grass and beautifully trimmed bushes with a stone path leading up to the main entrance.
Hana couldn't tell if she was in a fairy tale or a horror movie. The location could qualify it as a fairy tale, but the company gave it a foreboding edge.
Standing ahead on the pathway, Akashi looked back at the awestruck girl. His voice broke Hana out of her astonishment, "Imamura."
"You live here?" Hana whispered. She was still standing on the sidewalk, afraid to step foot on the neatly polished lawn.
"Yes," her companion drawled, "May we head inside, now?"
"Sure," Her voice was shaky as she stepped carefully on the pathway. Akashi remained waiting, but Hana could feel his impatience radiating off like a second skin. Making her way to his side, the captain gave her a once over before nodding. The two began to walk together toward the entrance before Hana spotted a man in the bushes, "You have a personal gardener?"
"Yes. Please do not stare."
Hana continued to stare at the man trimming a rose bush, ignoring his command. Shooting her a backward glance, Akashi proceeded to walk ahead. Hana mumbled to herself as she hurried to catch up, "I was right. He's totally in the mafia."
Akashi's shoulders sagged as he sighed, "My family is not affiliated with the mafia, Imamura."
"That's what they all say," Hana retorted from behind, "Terrible cover up if you ask me."
Ignoring her, Akashi fell to a stop in front of the doorway. As he turned, his red eyes came to rest on the manager and he made his voice carry to her lagging form, "My father isn't home at this time, but please remember to be mindful and use any manners you may possess."
"Was that a dig at my personality?" Hana grumbled as she came to the end of the walkway, "Also, you really need a shorter entryway. I feel sorry for the mailman."
Again, Akashi deemed her insignificant and decided not to reply. A pale hand came up and firmly knocked on the door. Hana raised an eyebrow. It's his house and he's knocking? Her thoughts were answered when the door swung open to reveal a smiling elderly man.
"Akashi-san," the man bowed his head, "Welcome home."
Opening his mouth, Akashi began to reply only to be interrupted by a gasp. Behind him, he could hear Imamura, "You have a butler?!"
The elderly man's face paled at the sight of the flamboyant girl and he shot Akashi a concerned glance. Watching, the redhead brought a hand up and squeezed the bridge of his nose in exasperation. He should have known this was a terrible idea.
Meanwhile, Hana had darted in front of Akashi and was investigating the butler, "You aren't a demon, right?"
It had taken Akashi much too long to herd Imamura into the family library. It was safe to say he was annoyed, yet the girl continued to rabble on about his home. Every time she saw a maid or a servant, she stopped walking and stared. Not to mention her fascination with his father's artwork. The two were now sitting at a small table in the center of the library and she still hadn't quieted down.
"Imamura," Akashi ordered, "Calm yourself."
Appearing sheepish, if only for a moment, Hana nodded, "Sorry, Akashi-san. It's just… you've got so much cool shit!"
"Please use proper language," Akashi's eyes blazed, "At school and in public, your reputation does not affect mine. But here, you are my guest and your conduct is a representation of my own."
"Uhm," Hana stumbled at his intense look. Boy, he was not happy. Deciding to change the subject away from her apparent mistake, she gave him a shaky smile, "So, why'd you invite me?"
The redhead hummed thoughtfully before standing and sauntering toward the numerous bookshelves. Hana watched him warily. He hadn't answered her question at all. A few moments later, Akashi returned and placed a book on the table between them. It was a large red book with a gilded gold title. Hana blanched as she read the title, A Guide to Proper Etiquette.
"Akashi-san…" her voice trailed off.
The captain gave her a glance before continuing, "I have discovered a use for your talents."
"Okay," Hana blinked, "But what does this have to do with that?"
"Our team has developed a presence with the journalism community," Akashi explained, "I have been able to deal with them effectively, but now, I can pass the duty onto you."
"The duty?" Hana deadpanned, "Are you making me a publicist?"
"Essentially," Akashi gave a slow smirk across from her, "You've been attending our games since your sixth year—"
"…how do you know that?"
"Imamura," Akashi chastised, "As I was saying, you've attended our games. You have seen the influx of reporters. While many of them are there to record our success, others are looking for a weakness."
"Right," Hana nodded. I think I know where he's going with this. But what does that book have to do with anything?
Akashi folded his hands in front of him, "I would like for you to take over the responsibility of dealing with them."
"So, like, in a nice way? Or tell them to screw themselves way?"
His smirk turned sharp, and in Hana's opinion, a little sadistic, "I want you to remain polite, but do not let them tarnish Teiko's reputation. You may prevent this in any way of your choosing as long as you don't appear insolent."
She had a bad feeling about the relation this statement had to the large book on the table. Hana's green eyes glanced at its dusty cover cautiously, "And the book?"
"That's why I've invited you here today," Akashi's smile was definitely sadistic now, "I need to make sure you can handle the task, as your attitude will publicly affect Teiko and our teammates."
"Oh no," Hana brought her hands up nervously, "I can be polite! No need for all that!"
"If you believe so," Akashi hummed and flipped open the book. Letting out a sigh of relief, Hana let her thoughts relax. I love half-truths. Regrettably, her joy vanished when Akashi began to speak again, "We will need to work on your deception skills too."
"… Noooo," Hana moaned and buried her face into her hands.
She could have sworn she heard Akashi huff, but it was probably her imagination. Sliding the book toward her, Akashi began, "Lesson one; the use of polite speech."
An hour and thirty minutes later, Hana's brain was fried.
She had been stuffed full of proper manners this and no cursing that. Not to mention, Akashi made her work on controlling her tells. Apparently, when she lied to him, or anyone on the team really, she looked like a startled rabbit. Complete with wide eyes, puffy cheeks, and gaping mouth. That lesson hadn't lasted long because, no matter how hard she tried, Hana couldn't lie to Akashi, and by god, she tried.
" – Talents?" Akashi's voice broke her out of her thoughts.
"What?" Hana echoed and peeked her head out from its resting place on the table, "Did you say talents?"
"Yes. It's custom for a woman to cultivate her talents," Akashi explained, "I was curious if you had any."
"Do you have any idea how sexist that sounds, Akashi-san?"
The redhead's lips tilted upward, "I see we still need to work on your sass. I am curious though if you do not mind sharing."
"Uh," Hana tugged her lip into her mouth, "I used to play the piano, don't know if I still can. Uhmm," she couldn't think of any more, "Oh! I can insult someone in three different languages!"
"That's not quite the talent I was referring to," Akashi rose a brow in interest, "Do you mean you can speak three languages?"
"Yeah," she nodded her head in thought, "I know Japanese, of course, but I'm fluent in English and I can hold a basic conversation in Spanish."
"Spanish?" Akashi questioned. That was an unusual language for someone to learn. Most of his peers focused on English, French, or a Chinese dialect.
"My mom works in Phoenix," Hana explained at Akashi's look, "It's in Arizona. I used to go over there every break and since it's pretty close to Mexico, we'd go down to the beaches. I picked some stuff up."
"Hmm," Hana's wasn't sure she liked Akashi's piqued interest, "Do you know French?"
"Enough to talk to a toddler," Hana's statement was blunt.
"You should learn. It seems you have a linguistic talent, it'd be a shame to waste it."
"Maybe," she shrugged noncommittedly, "So are we done with all this?"
"For now," Akashi admitted. He stood from his chair and went to replace the book. When he came back, he continued, "You weren't as poor as my first assumption had led me to believe."
Sighing, Hana lifted her hands above her head, resulting in a satisfying pop. Drowsy green eyes blinked at the captain and she spoke before she could stop herself, "You even make insults sound attractive. How do you do that?"
Lifting a perplexed red brow, Akashi watched her stretch out without providing an answer. The manager's outfit had been rumbled from sitting at the table for so long and she had developed light circles under her eyes. Even her hair had been taken out of its customary ponytail and was messily draped over her left shoulder. It's quite long, he noted absentmindedly.
During Akashi's inspection, Hana stood from her chair and was rotating her sore shoulder in a circle. She gave the redhead a passive glance before looking toward the door of the library in contemplation, "I hate to ask this, but can you walk me out, Akashi-san?"
"It will be my pleasure, Imamura," Akashi inclined his head before latching a hand around her arm. Hana's resulting squawk was lost in her throat at the sudden contact. Lips tipping upwards, Akashi explained, "I'm simply being polite. There is no need for tension."
"Sure," Hana drawled in terrified sarcasm, "Because being this close to you doesn't freak everyone in the whole world out."
Akashi let out a soft sigh as he led her through the labyrinth of hallways, "I had hoped we removed this habit of yours."
"Pshh," Hana scoffed, "It's a part of me, either you like me or you don't. I won't change myself for someone's approval."
"Admirable," the captain commented as they reached the main foyer. The elderly butler from before was there and Hana mouthed an embarrassed apology to him. The man ignored her, but he did step forward and open the door. Akashi took that time to speak, "This meeting has outdone my expectations, Imamura. Thank you for coming."
"No problem and thank you for inviting me," Hana replied as she slipped out of his hold. Her arm felt strangely cold, but she ignored it. Giving Akashi a small grin, Hana continued, "See you at school then, Akashi-san?"
"We will see," Akashi agreed with a dip of the head, "I may call on you before, but if the need doesn't arise, I hope you enjoy the rest of your break."
Clearing her throat, Hana cursed her blush. Seriously, right now? Damn genetics. Making her way out of the open door and giving the butler a thank you, Hana turned back to Akashi. Her voice carried to him even as the door shut behind her, "You too, Akashi-san. See you later!"
Red eyes stared at the door and the butler came forward in the silence, "Akashi-san? Would you like anything before we meet for dinner?"
"No thank you," Akashi replied, "If you happen to run into my father when he returns, please inform him I will be in my room."
"Yes, sir."
"And Hiro?" Akashi spoke to the man's back, "Please refrain from mentioning Imamura's presence."
"Yes, sir."
Turning away from the door, Akashi began the walk to his room. What an enlightening day.
Aug 3rd
Biting her lip into her mouth, Hana stared down at her phone screen. Her finger was hovering over the send key, but she kept taking it away indecisively. Did she really want to do this? Was she that bored? The answer was yes, she was that bored. She wasn't too certain if she wanted to do this or not, but hell, you never know.
Closing her eyes, Hana hit send. The regret started immediately and she winced at the thoughts rushing through her head. Taking a moment, Hana reread her message to catch any typos.
To: Kise
Hey, Kise. It's Imamura. Momoi-san gave me your number, hope you don't mind. What are you doing today?
Despite what one would commonly believe, Kise took a while to reply to her message. This fact did nothing to help her frazzled nerves and Hana spent the time between cleaning to glance at her phone in anticipation. This was the first time she had personally asked one of the Miracles to hang out and it was strangely intimidating.
Ping. Hana's hand froze from cleaning the counter and she mechanically turned toward her phone. It was resting on the couch when another ping went off. On one hand, she wanted to race over and see if it was Kise. On the other hand, she wanted to throw her phone into a river and never see it again.
One foot led the other until Hana was standing above the couch and staring down at her phone. Another ping. Her eye began to twitch. Unconsciously, Hana reached down and grabbed the phone.
From: Kise
Imamura-chaaaan! Hiii!
From: Kise
at shoot, done n 20 min!
From: Kise
g2 park on ginza
"Of course he uses abbreviations," Hana muttered, "And Ginza? I'm regretting this already."
That meant she had to attempt to look presentable. Which meant she had to get dressed and not leave the house in her fluffy cat pants. Putting down the cleaner, Hana called for Nūdoru. The dog bounded down the stairs and she automatically winced at the sound. Their pretty hardwood floors were going to be ruined.
"Hey, pup," Hana called, "Want to go on an adventure?"
Her dog's body slammed into the room in a mess of wild fur and slobbery smiles. His eyes flashed around the room in confusion, but as Hana cleared her throat, Nūdoru turned them onto her with an excited woof.
His tail beat against the floor and Hana couldn't stop her smile, "We're going to the park!"
Forty minutes later, Hana was being dragged down the street. Normally, it wouldn't be a problem, but today Hana decided to be cute. Why the hell did she ever try to be cute? Because of her stupid decision, she was being hauled by a giant dog down the road while simultaneously trying to keep her skirt tail down in the uptick of a vicious wind.
"Slow down!" Hana screeched, "Nūdoru!"
Because of Nūdoru's speed, they were already at Ginza. It'd been less than a fifteen-minute walk. Despite her house's failing condition, a couple perks came from living in the center of town. Hana called out a few half-hearted apologies as she bumped into a group of lingering passersby. She wasn't that sorry, because damn, it was hurting her too!
Unbeknownst to her, a certain blonde was part of the crowd.
As Imamura was dragged by, Kise sprang into action. Even with how worn out he was from his photoshoot, he sprinted after the girl and dog duo. Imamura-chan was about to be dragged deeper into the crowd when Kise grabbed ahold of her collar. With a secure grip, he yanked her back and smiled guiltily at her resulting wheeze.
"I'm so tired of being manhandled," Hana rasped out, "Absolutely tired of it."
"Sorry Imamura-chan," Kise apologized as he set the girl down. Her hand rubbed at her throat and Hana shot the boy a glare. His resulting wince was interrupted by a dog tackling him to the ground, "Wah! Help!"
"Nūdoru! Down!" Hana called out as best as she could. Nūdoru listened to her command, but instead of getting off the boy, he sat on Kise's chest. Hana sighed, "That's not what I meant…"
"Hello?" Kise's golden eyes were locked on the dog in slight fear. He'd never seen one this big before. His sister had a tiny Pomeranian, but that was no match to this giant dog. In response, Nūdoru smiled and a huge glob of drool landed on Kise's chest, "Ew! Please get off! Imamura-chan!"
Grabbing ahold of her dog's collar, Hana pulled him off the model. Kise let out a cough before pushing himself up onto his hands. Shooting a wary look toward the dog, Kise spoke, "He's really big… No wonder he was dragging you around."
"I know," Hana let out a despondent sigh, "Try giving him a bath."
Kise finally crawled back up to his feet and let out a soft laugh, "I bet that's fun. So~"
"… So?" Hana repeated as she stroked Nūdoru's head.
"What made you want to hang out with me?" Kise questioned, "Not that I'm not happy! It was just surprising!"
Hana made a face at the blonde before looking to the ground, "Dunno," she shrugged, "Guess I was lonely, 'sides I haven't seen you since we got out on break."
"You missed me!"
"Meh," Hana didn't dare try to deny it, "What have you been doing?"
"Modeling," Kise shrugged easily, "What about you?"
"Would you believe me if I told you I hung out with Akashi-san?"
His wide eyes told her that, no, he didn't believe her. Kise's voice was equally shocked, "Really?"
"Yup," Hana drawled, "I'm now an unofficial publicist to your merry group of assholes."
A gentle snort escaped the blonde, "Sometimes I think you express love through your insults—"
"What! There is no love!"
"Sure, sure," Kise smiled as he waved her off, "But that's good to hear! That means you'll be coming to our games, right?"
"Unfortunately."
At that moment, Nūdoru gave a whine. Both teens looked down at the dog only to see him staring off into the direction of the park pitifully. Kise raised his eyebrows, "I didn't think he could see?"
"He can't," Hana agreed with equal puzzlement, "Maybe he smells the grass?"
"Well, I think there's a dog park somewhere in there," Kise replied. His head had tilted as he thought and Hana loathed to admit how cute it was. But, dammit, it's adorable.
"Want to head over there?" She questioned instead. There was no way she'd tell him about her revelation. His ego didn't need to grow anymore.
"Lead the way, Imamura-chan!"
"…I've never been here."
"Oh, then follow me!"
A short walk later, Nūdoru was prancing through the dog park and Hana swore he was being followed by butterflies and sparkles. Her face slackened as she continued to watch her dog dance around. Beside her on the bench, Kise was in a similar stake of shock at the strange display. The two looked toward each other in bewilderment before Kise let out a chuckle with Hana following seconds later.
"Your dog is weird, Imamura-chan," Kise spoke through his laughter, "But I like him."
"Yeah," Hana agreed with a snort, "He's the greatest boy I've ever met."
Letting out a fake gasp, Kise brought his hand to his chest, "Imamura-chan! I thought I was your favorite!"
"Eh," she lifted a hand and began to count down on her fingers, "First is Nūdoru. The second is Uoya. Third is Kuroko-kun. Forth is Kitano and fifth is probably…" Hana paused for dramatic effect, "… Kajiwara."
"What! No! That's not fair, Imamura-chan!"
"Shush, number sixteen."
"Sixteen!" Kise turned toward Hana in horror, "I can't be sixteen! I want to be number four!"
"You have to earn— epp!" Hana jumped away from Kise and stared at him with wide green eyes, watching his retreating fingers warily, "Don't do that!"
"I knew you'd be ticklish!" Kise laughed out and waved his fingers at her teasingly, "Make me number four!"
"No—" Kise's probing fingers cut her off and Hana squealed, " You can be number six!"
"Nah-uh," His fingers jabbed into her sides again and she flailed as she tried to get away. Kise's arm wrapped around her to prevent her escape and began to tickle her more viciously, "You can't escape, Imamura-chan~"
"Fine! Fine!" Hana yelled out in defeat, "You're number four! Let me go!"
Instead of letting go, Kise hugged her to his chest and Hana felt it vibrate with his laughter, "Thanks, Imamura-chan!"
"If you ever tell anyone…" Hana let her threat hang in the air as she worked to get her breath under control.
"My lips are sealed," Kise promised with a smirk. Hana didn't believe him for a moment. When the situation registered, she didn't want to get off his chest for a moment. It was weird. I've never felt this comfortable with Kise before. As her thoughts caught up with her actions, Hana leaned off him before popping him on the head. Kise let out a yelp, "What was that for!"
"Dunno," Hana turned away from him to hide her blush, "Just felt like it."
"Do you always do whatever you want?" Kise pouted at her as he rubbed his head to get rid of the sting.
"Basically, it's a great way to live," Hana admitted.
"Hmmm," Kise hummed and the mood suddenly became serious, "That sounds nice."
"You could do it too," she looked toward him in calculation at the surprising atmosphere, "No one can stop you."
Her blonde friend let out a sigh and relaxed on the bench, "It would just bring more complications."
Hana didn't know what to say to that and let the conversation trail off. The two spent it in silence for a few minutes before Nūdoru came bounding over to them with a stolen baseball. Thus, began the escape that would go down in history as Kise, Hana, and Nūdoru ran away from a very angry baseball team.
Hours later, the two parted ways with the sunset, Hana surprised by the hug Kise gave her just before leaving.
Though, she never did find out what complications he'd been talking about.
Aug 13th
People do stupid things on vacation, Hana would admit to that. She'd done plenty of stupid things in her few short years of life. But this, this ranked number one.
She'd scolded Kitano about his streetball habit. Everyone on the team had reprimanded him about it. Yet somehow, they were here, watching Kitano play street ball on a very dark court with very scary people. Okay, they might not be that scary, but Hana wasn't taking any chances.
She might have felt better about this situation if they had dragged the third years along with them; Kajiwara and Futabatei were both big boys. They could kick some ass. But nooo, Kitano hadn't wanted to get in trouble so it was just her, Kitano, and Iseri. Uoya had wanted to come, but Hana sent him home with the help of Iseri.
Honestly, she didn't want Uoya in this kind of atmosphere.
You might be thinking, oh it's just streetball! What could possibly go wrong there? She'd had that exact thought herself back in the day. Well, when it involves money, a lot of shit can go wrong. People didn't like to lose money, they liked to win money.
So, if you happen to lose a lot of money? Well, you might end up doing something crazy.
With a huff, Hana crossed her arms over her chest. As it was now, Kitano's team was losing the match and he'd have to put a hefty sum into the betting pool. Beside her, Iseri was just as tense. She had to bet seeing his crush in such a dangerous situation was driving him insane. Breaking her out of her thoughts, Iseri spoke, "He shouldn't have asked you to come."
"Probably not," Hana admitted, "I would have come anyway though."
Iseri raised a black eyebrow, "You've never come before?"
"He never participated in a betting pool," Hana defended, "It was normally just singular bets in those one-on-one games. This is the big deal." The squeaking of tennis shoes echoed over to them and Hana winced as a tall blonde player was shoved to the side, "Brutal."
"Yes, Kitano-kun's being reckless," Iseri admitted before heaving out a sigh, "I hate that he asked you to come, but I'm glad you're here."
Hana blinked at that, "Why?"
"You're the mother of the team."
With a scowl, Hana punched Iseri in the arm, "And you're the dick of the team. Was that supposed to be sweet? Because it didn't work."
"It was meant to be a compliment," Iseri scoffed as he rubbed his sore arm, "But I take it back."
"Weakling," Hana snapped at him without true anger. Her eyes were still locked on the match and she could feel her heart rate picking up with each second Kitano stayed on the court. In a way, Iseri was right. She really did feel like a mother watching her child right now. Yeah, Kitano would love to hear that…
The two lapsed into silence as the game continued and it would have remained that way if she hadn't felt a suffocating presence behind her. Closing her eyes, Hana let out a soft curse. She only knew one group of people with presences like that and she begged that it wasn't one of them.
Noticing his friend's tenseness, Iseri turned to her with raised eyebrows, "Hana-chan? What's…. ah."
"Please tell me I'm imagining things, Iseri. Please let that not be who I think it is," Hana begged as she slammed her eyes closed, "Please, please tell me it's not."
Iseri hummed uncertainly, "Depends on who you wanted to see. Hello, Aomine-san."
"… shit," Hana moaned. A large hand landed on her shoulder and Hana squinted her eyes open to look at it. Yep, that was definitely Aomine's hand. Tilting her head backward, Hana trailed her gaze up Aomine's arm and landed on his darkened face. Her voice came out in a squeak, "Hello there."
"What are you doing here, Imamura?" Oh man, oh man. Aomine did not sound pleased.
"Enjoying the cultural activities of our nation?" His hand tightened on her shoulder and Hana backpedaled, "Kitano invited me and Iseri to come watch him play!"
"Which one is Kitano?" Aomine drawled out. Instead of releasing her shoulder like she hoped he would, Aomine pulled her back toward him. It was almost like he was being protective. His navy eyes were narrowed on the court, "Bald one, right?"
"Nope, that's not him," Hana would never rat out her teammate, no matter how stupid he could be, "Why are you here?"
"Don't lie to me. Why do you think?" His voice was still sharp with anger and Hana had to hide her wince, "You shouldn't be here. Go home."
If there was one thing Hana learned about herself since getting to know the miracles, it was that she didn't like taking orders. With a decisive step forward, Hana got out of Aomine's hold and glared up at him, "No, I'm fine! I'm with Iseri!"
"Go home, Imamura," Aomine growled at her. Narrowing her eyes, Hana accepted the challenge. She would not be leaving any time soon. She turned her back on the irate boy and looked back out to the game. Apparently, Aomine didn't like to be ignored and he stomped up beside her, "Come on, you're going."
"No," Hana stated, "I'm not."
"I'm taking your stubborn ass home," Aomine growled and pulled her under his arm. Ignoring her flailing, he began to walk, "Your friend ran off when I showed up anyway."
"Iseri didn't run off!" Hana snarled, "You scared him off!"
"Yeah, that's great," Aomine drawled as he pulled Hana along, "A lot of good he would have done you."
Trying to dig her feet into the concrete, Hana scowled up at the ace player, "Fine! Just let me go. I'll walk."
"Hell no, you'll run back over there. I'm not stupid, Imamura."
"I beg to differ," Hana was startled by a sudden hand pushing her head down, "Aomine-san! Stop!"
"Then stop being such a brat."
"Aomine!"
"Huh," the tall boy huffed as he released her head, "Would you look at that? You get pissed and you drop the honorifics. Kise was right."
"I wish you all would stop talking about me!" she screeched before jolting an elbow into Aomine's side. The resulting wheeze had her smirking, "Serves you right."
Hana's sudden victory was squashed when she was abruptly picked up and tossed over a very hard shoulder. Regaining her visibility, Hana gaped down at the floor and Aomine's butt. That shit! He just tossed me over his shoulder! Kicking her legs out, Hana yelled, "Aomine! Let me down, dammit!"
"You're going home," Aomine sounded much too smug for her liking, "Even if I have to take you like this."
"You don't even know where I live!"
"Satsuki told me."
"Aomine Daiki! Put me the hell down!"
"Nah."
Instead of going home, Hana was now sitting across from Aomine in a seedy sushi restaurant. Her navy-haired friend had veered off course with a declaration of hunger and since Hana was still strung over his shoulder, she'd been forced to follow. Meanwhile, Aomine continued to ignore her glare in favor of shoving more food in his mouth. Stabbing a piece of sushi, Hana let out an unhappy growl.
"Oi, ease up," Aomine drawled and Hana snarled at him in return, "You're so pissy."
"You'd be pissed too if you were kidnapped!"
"Shouldn't have been there anyway."
Hana blushed in indignation, "Who gave you the right to tell me what to do?"
"You," Aomine stuffed another piece of sushi into his mouth, "If you used your brain for once, I wouldn't have to."
Giving him a look at the terrible answer, Hana flicked a piece of sushi at his head. It connected to his forehead and she quirked a brow as it stuck. Aomine paused in his assault of the food and his blue eyes slowly traveled up to meet her own. At his baleful glare, Hana merely smiled. Revenge, asshole.
"Imamura," his voice came out slowly, "Get that off me."
"Nah," Hana drawled before offering him a closed-eyed grin, "I think it matches your personality." At his continued stare, she explained, "It's crab. You know, since you're so crabby."
Releasing a sigh, Aomine brought his hand up and wiped the food off his head, "I don't know why I put up with you. You're a pain in the ass."
"Nah uh," Hana offered sweetly, "From my view, it seems you're the pain. I was just living a nice, normal life before it was overhauled by your rainbow ass."
"…rainbow?" Aomine grunted, eyeing her hands warily. He didn't want any more projectiles aimed at his head.
"Yeah," she shot him an incredulous look, "You haven't heard that? That's what everyone calls you guys."
"What!" His head shot up at that, "Who the hell calls us a rainbow!"
"Everyone," Hana deadpanned.
"That's a stupid name," Aomine grunted and it almost looked like he was blushing.
"Awe, you're embarrassed!" Hana sang out in a high-pitched coo, "Look at the wittle Aomine and his cute wittle blushing cheeks!"
"Imamura," Aomine growled and by now he was clearly blushing. Most likely out of anger, "I'll tape your damn mouth shut."
"Not if you can't catch me."
"Caught 'ya today, didn't I?"
"Beginners luck," Hana waved his defense away, "Speaking of that, I was meaning to ask you why you were out there."
"The hell do you think?" He let out an aggravated sigh, "I was going to play before your dumbass showed up."
Ignoring the insult, Hana probed further, "So you missed basketball that much? It's only been like a month since we got out of school."
"Not really," He wasn't going to offer more, but Hana gave him a pleading look and with a grunt, he continued, "It's better competition out there. No rules."
"Huh," Hana blinked at the answer, "Kitano just plays for the money."
"Well, he's an idiot," Aomine disregarded Hana's squawk, "I don't give a damn about the money; streetball is the only place I can find a real opponent nowadays."
Pausing, Hana thought over his statement. She hadn't expected him to go so in-depth, but she figured she'd asked for it. If only she could think of something to cheer him up, "Don't get so cocky. Someone will come out and kick your ass one day. Maybe it'll be me!"
"Your head doesn't even reach my shoulders," Aomine deadpanned, but a tiny smirk had grown on the corner of his lips, "You'd just humiliate yourself."
"I can think of a couple ways to bring you down to my level," Hana retorted as she imagined tying Aomine's legs together. On second thought, "I'll just have Murasakibara-san give me a piggyback ride."
"Bah!" Aomine choked out and Hana blinked at his laughter, I wasn't joking. Getting his laughter under control, Aomine continued, "I'd pay to see that!"
"How much?" If her tone was sly, Aomine didn't need to know why.
Still lost in his amusement, he replied, "As much as I have."
Oh ho, ho, ho. Hana's resulting grin was enough to scare children. Leaning her body over the table, she grabbed ahold of Aomine's hand and forced a handshake, "We've got a deal!"
"Woah, wait!" Aomine stumbled at the sudden contact, "I wasn't serious, Imamura."
"We shook on it. Your excuse is void."
"You didn't give me a choice!"
Aug 16th
Her mind was set. She was going to get Murasakibara to give her a piggyback ride if it was the last thing she did. Which it very well might be…
Aomine hadn't been too impressed with her deal so Hana added some repercussions for herself to get his approval. If she could convince Murasakibara to allow it, she'd get all the money he had in his pocket. It added up to a nice amount and Hana was excited to spend it on some new clothes. On the other hand, if Hana failed, she'd have to do Aomine's homework until winter break.
Step one came in the form of finding the friendly giant. She had considered asking Momoi-san for help, but Hana wasn't sure where the pink-haired girl's alliance lay. Aomine was her childhood friend after all. So, the next choice was Kuroko. All she had to do now was contact him.
With her phone in hand, Hana began to dial.
Ten minutes and a satisfying phone call later, Hana was on her way to her father's bakery. Kuroko had been kind and hadn't questioned her motives, but Hana suspected he was a bit concerned. Anyway, the blue-haired boy had agreed to invite Murasakibara along with him and the two were supposed to meet her at the bakery in about an hour.
In an effort to get rid of the nerves that sprang up on her, Hana pulled on a clean sweatshirt and a new, not stained, skirt. Not the best outfit, but it'd do. Green eyes caught her reflection in the mirror and she winced. I really need a haircut.
With Nūdoru trotting along beside her, Hana began the fifteen-minute walk to her father's store. The sun was high in the sky and blazed against her skin. Even though she'd put on sunscreen before leaving, Hana was sure her skin would be a lovely shade of pink tomorrow. Her father's store was in sight and she hurried her pace to reach it.
Shoving the door open, Hana sagged in relief at the feeling of the cool air conditioner on her skin. Beside her, Nūdoru copied her action. The girl and dog exchanged a look before Hana spoke, "You know, they say dogs look like their owners. I hope that's not true."
"Honey?" A voice yelled from the kitchen, "Is that you?"
"Shit."
This wasn't part of my plan, Hana pouted as she manned the register. After his initial yell, Hana's father had bustled out of the kitchen with a happy grin. Hana knew never to trust that smile. Unfortunately, she didn't have much of a choice as her father began to babble on and on about a lack of employees. When he'd finished, he gave her that damned grin before tossing an apron at her face.
The door opened and Hana turned at the sound of the jingle, "Hello. Welcome to—Oh, thank god!"
Echoing her sentiment, Nūdoru jumped off his doggy bed and sprang toward Murasakibara and Kuroko. The ghostly player neatly sidestepped the incoming dog, but Murasakibara wasn't as lucky. Nūdoru slammed into the giant with a thud and Murasakibara found himself with a very large armful of wiggling dog.
Ignoring the squiggling mass of slobber, Murasakibara's purple eyes turned toward Kuroko in confusion, "Why are we at Mura-chin's bakery?"
"Imamura-chan wanted to see you," Kuroko answered as he watched Nūdoru, "Apparently as did her dog."
"Can you take him, Kuro-chin?"
"I'm afraid not, Murasakibara-kun. He seems to be quite attached to you."
Ignoring the two's conversation, Hana hastily untied her apron. Sliding toward the kitchen door, Hana poked her head inside, "My friends are here! I'll see you at home, dad!"
"Wait!" Her father's voice echoed behind the swinging door as Hana darted away, "Where are you getting all these friends?!"
Hana didn't stick around long enough to find out what else he was going to say. She loved her father, she loved his bakery, but by god, she hated to work. Sprinting toward the two boys, Hana grabbed the shirt sleeve of each of them before dragging them to the door. Nūdoru gave a happy grin and hung on for the ride.
She didn't let go until they were a safe distance away. Her two friends appeared unruffled by her demanding grip, but Kuroko was eyeing his wrinkled shirt in subtle dismay. After stopping, Murasakibara finally dropped the dog to the floor. Nūdoru was startled for a moment before bouncing back up to Murasakibara and dancing around his legs.
"Hold on," Hana wheezed out and laid a hand on her knee, "Man, you guys are heavy."
"My apologies," Kuroko was the first to respond, "I don't mean to be rude, but I didn't quite understand you on the phone earlier."
"Yeah, Mura-chin, why'd you need to see us?" Murasakibara drawled as he played with Nūdoru. The giant was holding out a hand and her dog was jumping repeatedly to try and catch it.
"I made a bet with Aomine," Hana responded as she straightened herself out. She missed Kuroko's sharp glance at the use of Aomine's name, but she didn't miss Murasakibara's response.
"Why do you use Mine-chin's name so familiarly," It didn't really sound like a question and Hana was stumped on how to respond.
Luckily, Kuroko cut in, "What was the bet?"
"If I could convince Mursakibara-san to let me ride on his back, he'd pay me. If I can't, I have to do his homework for the rest of the year."
"No," Murasakibara spoke immediately, "That's a lot of work."
"It does seem to be an odd thing to place a bet on," Kuroko pondered.
"Eh, he started it," Hana defended before turning to Murasakibara, "I will give you your body weight in sugary goods if you let me do this."
"… Hmm," Murasakibara hummed as he pet Nūdoru's head, "Chocolate or vanilla?"
"Which one would you prefer?" Hana countered. In the background, Kuroko watched the two contemplatively. For his supposed lethargic attitude, Murasakibara-kun was quite smart. Yet, on the other hand, Imamura-chan was sly. It would be interesting to see how the two worked this out.
"Strawberry." Or not that interesting, Kuroko amended.
"Yes! Strawberry it is!" Hana declared with a fist pump, "Do we have a deal? You won't crush me?"
"If I don't have to carry you around," Murasakibara drawled, "I'm not picking you up either."
Her face fell at that. It was a relatively long way up to Murasakibara's shoulders. Oh well, she'd signed up for this and she'd see it through. Taking a dedicated step forward, Hana was startled by the hand that tapped her shoulder. Pausing in her advance, she turned her eyes onto Kuroko's face.
"I can help you, Imamura-chan," Kuroko offered, "I'm assuming you'll want me to take a photo too?"
"That'd be great!" Hana smiled back at him and Kuroko walked with her to Murasakibara's back. After eyeing her target, Hana crouched down a bit and jumped. As she hung in the air, two hands wrapped around her waist and pushed her higher. Her arms wrapped around firm shoulders and Hana pulled herself all the way up before twisting her legs around Murasakibara's waist.
"This is weird," she could feel Murasakibara vibrate as he spoke, "You feel like a monkey, Mura-chin."
"Best damn monkey you've ever seen," Hana retorted with a laugh and tightened her arms around Murasakibara's neck, "Could you take a picture now, Kuroko-kun?"
With a small smile, Kuroko came to stand in front of the duo. He brought his phone out and snapped a picture. Bringing it away from his face, he looked down at it with amusement. Murasakibara-kun's face was exasperated but didn't hold any true anger. On his back, Imamura-chan was sticking her tongue out and holding out a rude hand sign.
To top it all off, Nūdoru rested at Murasakibara-kun's feet. The black dog had his tongue rolling out and a canine grin was directed toward the camera.
On a whim, Kuroko set the picture as his phone background before forwarding it to Aomine-kun. When he glanced back up, Imamura-chan was examining Murasakibara-kun's hair and asking the center what kind of conditioner he used. Murasakibara-kun's response went unheard to Kuroko, but he could still see the reluctant fondness on the tall player's face.
The rest of their afternoon was spent together as Hana held up her part of the deal. Murasakibara was treated to an all he could eat buffet of strawberry cupcakes, Kuroko was gifted several vanilla cupcakes, and Hana snagged a few of her own. They left a few hours later, but not without a hug from the ecstatic manager.
A disgruntled Aomine ended up paying her the very next day.
