LIKE A BIRD
CHAPTER 4
KAGAMI TAIGA
"I am always restless because all I can think about is you..."
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"Careful." he whispers softly in her ears as the strong hands that wrapped around her waist and pressed her back slowly were released, so that she can gain her steps.
This isn't right. Is his heart beating for her?
Her pink lips smiled at him, face still flushed. "Thank you." And he nervously looks at her.
Lub dub.. lub dub..
No. It shouldn't be..
"You're welcome..."
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He should have remembered the reason why he followed her.
It was not to save her from the girls, but he wants to test her, to mock her, but how did it become like this, in this huddling each other situation?
Unknowing to Kise, he was grabbing the tiny wrist of the girl in front of him tightly like he was pulling off some shackle. Kuroko started to wince in her mind though her face expression was indifferent.
Kise's hold starting to hurt her hand and she could feel his hands was hard and rash, that her fingers turning blue. What's wrong with him, he suddenly...turned cold and that pretty golden eyes of him starting to threaten her with his sharp gaze.
"Kise-kun could you -"
"Tetsu!"
A hoarse voice from the opening exit making the two startle in a moment and the hold was loosened almost immediately, but Kuroko's hand was still in his, in case she could not gain her steps yet. Kuroko looked up to his golden eyes that looked down to the exit where the voice came from.
As if he was free from a spell, Kise's hold was softer again and his eyes weren't filled with hatred again. Kuroko was relieved.
Kagami's eyes flare red when he saw the closeness of a distance of the two people and Kise Ryouta was holding Kuroko Tetsumi dearly and his friend's face was glistening - wet with dry tears.
Tears?! Kagami's scorched in his mind. Kuroko didn't even cried in front of him!
"Bastard! What did you do to her?!" Kagami launched a fist on the blonde's face.
"Don't think you could ruin this pretty face." Kise hissed, easily grab hold of Kagami's fist and pushed him aside, making Kagami stumbled forward to the wall. He walked down the stair with dignity, facing Kuroko for one more time, giving her a wink, "See ya, Kurokochii!" and a mock goodbye towards Kagami as he waved a hand backward to annoyed the redhead.
Kuroko on the other side hardly understood what that wink meant and she knocked Kagami on his head as an add-on for the wall head-butt for being rash.
"OUCH! What's that for?!" Kagami scorned.
"That one was for ditching school," Kuroko said coolly as she walked down the stairs to the exit where Kise's shadow was no more.
"Wait! What! I'm not!"
"Yes! You are! Then, why are you here if you're not?" Kagami was stunned speechless. Was Kuroko angry?
"You promised me that you would go to school and take notes for me!" Kagami was about to retort again when Kuroko fires him again, "I thought you said you believed in me! Was that a lie?"
"But -"
"I said to leave me alone! I can manage myself!"
Yup, she's totally angry.
"Why are you so reckless? Why are you following me? You do not even have the heart of a singer. Just go back and study or do anything you want." Kuroko continues babbling.
Kagami couldn't loose his face here. Not when his heart was beating fast and drop at the same time when his best friend was angry at him. He knows he shouldn't feel like that, but he was. And he was confused. For now, he needs to do something to make Kuroko stops spouting nonsense. He got a hunch that something must be wrong somewhere on her first day.
He grabs that small wrist and tighten it holds not to let her get away and pulled her to a stop.
"What are you doing?" her voice was demanding and monotone as she faced him.
Kuroko could feel her hands getting cold due to the restricted blood flow and the warmth from his hands is turning hard and harsher and it hurts. "Kagami-kun, I won't run, and my hand demands to be let go," and she pulled out her hands harshly with a dull face, not letting a single winced out, feeling good as the blood flowing again.
"Kuroko, I'm sorry. But- why are you angry on the first place? I was searching for you when Yuuji-san says you're not coming. And did you know that Ogiwara begs him to wait for you?"
There was a flinch of shock and hesitant in her blue eyes, but it's too faint that one couldn't see them without a heart.
"Why did he have to do that?" she asked faintly.
"Because he and I believed in you."
"But, you don't know anything."
"Then, make me!" Kagami yelled, shaking her shoulders.
"I'm going to quit." her face was covered by her pretty white hat.
The silence that follows was deafening and awkward. Her shoulders start quivering under his tense hold. He could feel it. Her hands clutching his shirt tightly pulling him down to the floor and she fell to her knees and she is crying back again. Damn. What's wrong? He wanted to know!
But he couldn't ask. Instead, he pulled her body closer as she caved into his warm embrace. "It's okay. It's okay. You don't need to tell me." Kagami whispers slowly as his hands stroking her silky blue hairs lightly. It feels awkward but she need it.
No, maybe he had wanted to hold her. To cheer her up.
"Kuroko, this isn't like you one bit." he muttered under his breath unknowingly.
The sniffle stops suddenly, "Then what am I like?"and she retorted passively with her almost nasal voice.
Kagami was shocked but grin otherwise at the faint muffled voice. She's so cute.
"There's more than one thing I know about you." he waited for her next counter, but nothing come and he continued, "You're beautiful, but your lacking in facial expression is your skewed." he laughed a bit, and he could feel a nail-pinch on his shoulder as he said the last word. Ouch! That hurt!
"Next." she muffled again, hiding her face.
"And you have the pretty soft voice you hide it well in your expensive throat though you always having dignity in your defiant destructive monotone. I wonder how you get the notes and pitch correctly in the way you speak. Ouch!" He screamed in pain again and pushed her face off his chest.
"Do that again, I swear I'll throw you out there in the crowd!"
Weirdly enough, there was a small smile on her pale face, and not a single makeup ruined her face. No, maybe there's not even a tear. Did she really cry just now? Maybe she doesn't even care if she was thrown out.
"Well, do that and I will throw you in hell."
Or maybe not. Kagami gulped down his saliva knowing that she was not joking.
"Thanks, Kagami-kun." she said faintly as she wipes out the dust on her dress.
"Are you okay now?"
"Yes, I wonder why I am okay when you're such a worse heart-reliever."
"Could it hurt to be kind to me?"
"Why? I am kind, with you." and she smiled genuinely, offering her hands to Kagami.
Kagami took her hand as he gets up, "Then, don't say about quitting ever again."
Kuroko gave out a heavy sighed as her answer when suddenly the stage was getting havoc and merrier with ghostly squeals of girls.
Kyaaah!
There were fangirls or reporters squealing loudly from the front hall, making the both of them jolt in surprise.
"Oh my gosh, it is Akashi Seijuro!" The girls squealed.
And Kagami losing his cool, eyes frowning. He felt his hands starting to sweat in endurance wanting to hit someone. He heard them loudly in the hallway before the door was slammed shut. And the squealed went down as the door closed.
"Yuuji-san, I told you to place a guard or something there, luckily my limbs are still intact," Akashi said jokingly but not so.
The manager scratch his back head. "Well, I know you could overcome that." and let out sly laugh. "That's your punishment for coming so late!"
Akashi had to fight his urge to roll his eyes secretly before smiling again, "I'm sorry for that inconvenience, but you see, there is a whole lot to settle before coming here."
An arm has gone snaking around his shoulder and he was surprised to see that Kise was there in his recording. "And what were you doing here?"
"Akashichi, I thought you were dumping that new girl," says Kise mockingly in his sing-a-song voice. "She was crying because of you, just so you know."
There was a grin pasted on the beautiful porcelain face. His red eyes seem glistening gold under that many lights. "Interesting, I thought she wouldn't dare show her face here and speaking of which -"
There was a swift air laterally passing his face before a loud bump was heard behind his head. He opened his eyes in amusement to see the enraged face of a 'Daichi-like' person in front of him.
Kagami could feel his heart heave up and down furiously. He had just unconsciously threw a damn half filled mineral water bottle to that Akashi's face! But he missed tremendously.
"Wait! Kagami-kun, no! What are you doing?!" Kuroko hissed pulling his hand to her side before him throwing another fit.
"Shit!" Kise jumped in surprise looking at the thrown bottle. "You're lucky it was near-missed!" He laughed coyly in amusement at how fast Akashi moved to avoid the hit.
"Well, indeed interesting." Akashi walked forward with a wicked smile, followed by Kise from behind him. Team members of the recording have already surrounded Akashi right and left, preventing the vocalist from being hit, but the man doesn't seem to care at all and raised a hand to stop them doing so.
Kuroko was petrified in her stance, worried of what new things he will made her experienced from. Or worried, what Kagami would do next? No, shouldn't it be back-forward? She should be worried of Kagami instead of Akashi.
And, there's the rumor that Akashi used his power to let her win.
He chose her. But somewhere in her heart feels delighted that she was chosen. Because she gets to see Akashi Seijuro of the GoM.
No. What am I thinking about? Something must be wrong with my head. She thought blindly.
Kuroko maintained poker-faced watching the vocalist of GoM walking ahead towards Kagami as if asking for a fight. The man seems dignified while Kagami seems perturbed, and he was sneering all the way and finally walked passed Kagami and heading towards Kuroko.
Kuroko looked up to the beautifully sculpted figure in front of her. He was tall despite being the smallest of the group, at least, he was taller than her. He stares down at her, smiling earnestly, - too earnest that it seems like a lie, none about him seems to decapitate. He seems perfect and that is also a lie. He bowed down and capturing her hand and kiss it softly.
"I long to see you again, Tetsumi-san."
Kagami screamed in the back of his mind. 'What's with the first name basis in their first encounter!' His stare moved to Kuroko and was surprised Kuroko does not counter like she always did to others.
"Kuroko?"
The looked she was giving him was one of newest expression Kagami had seen. For the first time in his life, he noticed, Kuroko has liked something other than singing. Somewhere in his heart, he felt pain and hollow, like needles pricking inside. Jealousy.
"It's great to see you too, Akashi-kun."
Akashi smiled back to her whispering, "I am always expecting more than that Tetsumi." he pulled the jaw of Kuroko and closed their distance to few centimeters and ran his backhand to her cheek gently, "And I have to praise you. Let me rehearse, you've got the strong will to be here. I chose you and please entertain me with your talent. Or else - you will just be discarded."
"Hey!" Kagami has gotten angry, but his movement was restricted by other members.
Kise who was standing by the vocalist site all the while pulled the hand that played with Kuroko's face in soft movement. "That's a bit too much don't you think Akashichi? Look at her, she was already speechless at your godlike figure. Don't scare her too much or you're the one being left out."
Akashi laughed, pulling back his arm and folded them on his chest. "You're right Ryouta. I will take your advised."
"Kagami-san, please stay back and take a good look at us. We're starting it in 10 minutes, right Yuuji-san?"
"Yes! We're ready in 10 minutes."
There was a swift air laterally passing Kuroko's face as Akashi passed her and pulled her hand together to the setting. He flopped on the other sofa, drinking his juice before starting the show. "What are you doing fidgeting there?" That lofty sneer again, Kuroko noted as she takes a seat on Akashi's left. Well, it's an interview after all.
"Are you nervous?" he asked.
"A bit." Kuroko shuddered and answered nervously.
"Pull your shoulder. You gonna make it well."
Kuroko blinks her eyes few times adjusting her eyes to the lightning, and a part of her was surprised that Akashi actually cares about her even if his mouth always shooting cynical words.
"U-Uhm, Akashi-kun, what am I going to do if I forget my script?"
"Then, you'll be damned." he throws her a sharp glare and Kuroko swallowed down her dry throat, looking gravel.
"3 - 2 -" someone was counting.
Akashi flashed her a genuine smile, as he clasps her hand gently, "Don't worry, follow my lead, and you'll be alright."
"1 - Action!"
Somehow, even though Kuroko couldn't define whether his smiles were earnest or he was just being cynical, or he was just playing cool, she could feel at ease and feels like everything is going to be alright if he was the one she's working with. She believed - that she was chosen by GoM Akashi because he was attracted to her talent.
And she believes that everything is going to be fine.
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"Hey, did you see the news?! GoM Akashi will make a duet with a new star! And I heard they were a couple!"
"What, wait, seriously? What about Sheryl?"
"Oh! Never mind her. I can't wait to see their duet!"
"I heard she was the one who won the 1st prized in Monogatari's Show."
"Is it? What's her name?"
"Her name? Uhm.. Her name is Kuroo Tetsu-something if I'm not mistaken.
"Yup, I remember, it's Tetsumi. Kuroko Tetsumi." she nodded proudly.
"Oh, speaking of which, isn't the winner was someone from your school? How could you not know? You must have known her. She was very pretty in the interview, like an angel. Oh, I'm so jealous of her."
The one who in the middle was processing her mind. "Kuroko Tetsumi? That Kuroko?! Impossible. That was freaking impossible!"
"What do you mean impossible?" Kureha who was reading the magazine of GoM news looked at her right with incredulity, "She has a great voice you know. I even cried when I heard her singing."
"Yeah, what do you mean impossible. She has talent and she looked matured and she is a real beauty. Aah..maybe she is even beautiful in person than that Sheryl, nee Kureha?"
"I agreed with you, Mary! Kyaah! They are so suited together!"
"Shut the fuck up! The hell was that!? Kuroko Tetsumi couldn't sing! She doesn't have the quality and she isn't a beauty!" Kana screamed her heart out and snatching the magazine off Kureha and Marry.
"What's wrong with you?" both of them was annoyed.
Is it a fake on the magazine or was it photoshopped? The blue haired girl inside the magazine was really dignified and her cyan blue eyes were smiling at the camera. She didn't wear a glasses and she didn't look introvert. She was a real beauty. But it can't be! Because Kuroko Tetsumi has no talent!
"This is a FAKE!" and with that loud screamed, she slammed the magazine to the ground and stepping squeezing on Kuroko's picture.
"Hey! That's my magazine! What's wrong with you, Kana!"
And before she could add other things, Kana had run off with wrath in her eyes.
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TBC
A/N:Good morning everyone! I can't believe I am updating my story after 1 year no maybe more - I left it off for so long! Sorry. plz, forgive me..I do remember this story needs to be finished. I won't left it discontinued. just lost the words for the story line..needs to study and all.. I don't know. It doesn't come to me. and thank you 'guess'! I cont this one because I read your review. It's warming me up. and.. sorry for the spoiler.