Kazumi sat in front of a mirror, curling her hair as she smiled happily. Haruna had invited her to watch a movie with her, and somehow Takao and Midorima had decided that they would come with them. Kazumi didn't really mind, but her friend had recently been muttering darkly about how "all boys were wolves" the day after Kazumi's incident. The three girls had apologized to her, although she didn't know how sincere they were, but in the end everything had turned out alright. Tying her hair into a low side ponytail, she smoothed out her light blue dress and adjusted the white cardigan that she had wore over it.
"You look pretty," her father commented as he walked into her room. He picked up the pink shoulder bag that was on her desk and handed it to her. Kazumi beamed at the praise, although she knew probably any father would say the same about their daughter. Hearing the doorbell ring, her eyes lit up. "Ah, I'm going to the hospital today so I might not be home until later." Kazumi nodded and bounded down the staircase and opened the door.
"Kazumi-chan! You look so cute!" Haruna squealed as she latched onto Kazumi and hugged her tight. Kazumi smiled and hugged her back, and turned her head when she heard the footsteps of her father.
"Please take care of Kazumi, she can be quite clumsy," her father said with a smile. Haruna gave him an "OK" sign. Kazumi sighed at how much of a worrywart her father was. Haruna took a few steps away and Kazumi thought that her friend looked extra cute today. The brunette's hair was in a casual side bun and was wearing a green blouse over jeans. The look was complete with some boots and a white tote bag.
"Ohayo Hino-chan! Oh, is this your father?" Kazumi heard Takao shout as he skipped over to them. Haruna was heard clicking her tongue with a gloomy facial expression. Midorima was seen a few meters away, standing next to the cart. He bowed his head to her father who waved at him.
"Well, have a good time," Kazumi's father told them, earning a loud chorus of "Yes!" from Takao and Haruna.
"Shin-chan, isn't Hino-chan cute?" Takao asked as he skipped back to his green-haired friend. Haruna hugged Kazumi fiercely and glared at Midorima, emitting dark waves. Kazumi met his eyes for a moment before Midorima looked away. He cleared his throat and shifted his glasses, as he always did. Takao smirked and singsonged the ever so familiar, "Shin-chan~~"
(A/N: The rest of this chapter will be narrated by Midorima. ^^ I'll occasionally write in his POV so that you guys can get some snapshots of what he's thinking)
"Die." Midorima said, glaring at Takao who was smirking at him in a superior manner. He glanced back at Kazumi, who tilted her head in question. He hadn't expected her to dress up so much... but it wasn't that she didn't suit her clothes. He had stuck to a simple outfit which was a white shirt and jeans. Of course, he had also brought along his lucky item of the day, a horse statue. For some reason, he had felt violent waves coming from Haruna for the past few days. Well, she was a Leo, so that was probably why. Cancers had bad compatibility with Leos.
"C'mon in, ladies! Shin-chan will bike us there," Takao announced. He clicked his tongue, wondering when he had ever agreed to that. Takao seemed to notice his glare and put a hand on Midorima's shoulder with a wide grin on his face. "You wouldn't make these poor girls drag us there, would you?" Kazumi walked towards Midorima and tugged his shirt sleeve lightly. He looked down at her and raised his eyebrows. The silver-haired girl pointed to the side of the house. She walked over and came back out with two bikes.
"That's great!" Haruna said cheerfully. She skipped over to Kazumi and ruffled her hair. "Kazumi-chan and I can ride these bikes, and you two can... do whatever."
"So mean," Takao pouted. Midorima rolled his eyes and checked his phone. It read 10:28.
"Let's go, the movie starts at 11 and it'll take about 20 minutes to get there," he told them, turning his phone back off again and putting it in his back pocket. Once again, Kazumi came up to him and tugged his shirt sleeve. He glanced at her, and she pointed at his phone and then to her bag. Was she offering to carry his phone for her? Reluctantly, he gave it to her and she beamed as she put it in her bag. Feeling his ears go warm from the sight of her smile, he turned away and shifted his glasses out of habit.
"Shin-chan! Let's go!" Takao called. Midorima turned to see Takao comfortably sitting in the cart, waving at him. Haruna dragged Kazumi over to her side and the two got onto their bikes. With a sigh, he walked over to the bike, sat down, and started pedaling.
"I'm gonna sit next to Kazumi-chan~" Haruna singsonged as the four entered the movie theater. Haruna had a mountain of snacks, topped off with a huge container of popcorn. Midorima had opted to get a small soda and a small bag of popcorn. Takao had loaded up on jellies and candy while Kazumi had simply gotten a bag of popcorn and juice. The four sat in the following order; Haruna, Kazumi, Midorima, and Takao. What movie was he watching again? He didn't really remember. Somehow, he had just ended up coming to the movies with them.
"You want some?" Takao offered, showing a pack of sour jellies to Midorima. Midorima shook his head, causing Takao to mutter something along the lines of "he doesn't know what he's missing out on." As soon as the movie started, there was some unintentional conflict and awkwardness. He and Kazumi had both tried to rest their arm on the armrest and had missed the timing to move their arms. On the other hand, Takao was attempting to push Midorima's arm off the armrest. Haruna, oblivious to all of this, continued eating her snacks at an incredibly frightening pace.
Moving his fingertips just the slightest, they brushed against Kazumi's. He glanced at her to see an unmistakable blush on her pale cheeks. He didn't really know why, but there was a strange stirring feeling in his chest. Maybe today, Cancer and Pisces didn't have the best compatibility.
"Ne~ Shin-chan." Takao complained, leaning his head against Midorima's shoulder. He shrugged him off and used this moment to remove his arm from the armrest. Takao cuddled up to Midorima, holding his arm. He clicked his tongue as his friend grinned at him. Midorima felt a tug on his shirt and turned to Kazumi, who gestured to something in her hand. Squinting because of the lack of light, Midorima realized it was his phone. Someone had called him. He took the phone from her hand and stood up. "Where ya going?" Takao asked.
"I need to get a call," he responded. Walking outside, he realized that the number was his mother's. He put the green phone up to his ear as he called her back. "Hello?"
"Shintarou! Your sister's at the hospital." His eyes widened at his mother's words. His sister, Mei, was 10 years younger than him, and was one of the few he held dear. Silently, he listened to his mother tell him the location of the hospital. As soon as he hung up, he started running. The hospital was only a few blocks away. As he waited for the crosswalk to switch signals, he texted Takao.
From: Midorima Shintarou
To: Takao Kazunari
Subject: Read the whole message before you doing something stupid, baka.
My sister got into an accident, so I'm going to go visit her right now.
She's at XX hospital, a few blocks away.
Finish the movie first.
"Ah! Shintarou-niichan came!" his five-year old sister squealed in delight. Panting, Midorima had ran as fast as he could to the hospital. However, to his surprise, his imouto looked perfectly fine. The little green-haired girl jumped out of the bed and toddled up to him. He picked her up and looked around for his mother.
"What happened, Mei?" he asked her, adjusting his hold on her. She giggled as she held a stuffed frog toy. "Bike went boom! Ouchie." Her green eyes glittered as she excitedly pointed to stitches on her arm. It didn't look very serious, but he didn't know much about sickness or injuries were dealt with- besides his experience with Kuroko's puking.
"Ah, you're here Shintarou." his mother appeared in the doorway, rummaging through her bag. She looked totally calm and walked up to him and pinched both his and his sister's cheeks. "It seems that Mei was walking on the sidewalk, a little too close to the bike lane. A 13 year old boy accidentally crashed into her and she got a cut on her arm. It was all just an accident, so I told him to go home. Poor thing, he was bawling his eyes out and apologizing every second for crashing into her. Well, he was smart to get her to a hospital,"
"Yep! Stranger-niichan went boom with bike! Ouchie! But sensei sewed me up and gave me a candy!" his sister giggled as if nothing happened. Midorima was dumbfounded by the relaxed atmosphere of his family members.
"So why'd you call me here?" he asked with a sigh.
"Ah, I have to go back to work so I was going to ask you to take care of her. You can bring your friends to the house," his mom told him, taking out her mirror and inspecting herself. Midorima's mother was a designer for luxury brands- even though he found the price of the clothes laughable. Patting his sister on the head, his mother waved to him as she left.
"Stay here for a few minutes, alright? I'm going to get a cup of wa-"
"Is Midorima Mei here?" a woman asked as she entered the room. She was wearing a nurse's uniform, and had a cheerful smile on her face. Mei's eyes lit up as she wiggled out of Midorima's arms and to the woman. "Ara, ara. You must be Shintarou. Your mother arranged for Mei-chan to take her regular checkup now, rather than next month."
"I see. Mei, I'll come back after I get some water," Midorima told his sister, ruffling her hair. Mei grinned at him and waved as he walked out of the room. Midorima had seen the nurse quite a few times before but he had never gotten around to learning her name. Walking down the hallway, he poured a cup of water for himself and noticed someone familiar. It was a black-haired man... Kazumi's father? Tall and fairly good-looking, he stood out quite a bit. Walking with a person who seemed to be a doctor, they entered the room a few doors away from the water dispenser.
"...confirmed, she has selective mutism," the doctor said as Midorima started walking. Selective mutism? Well... this could be about anyone... maybe Kazumi's father was related to a mute patient? But... now that he thought about it, he had never heard Kazumi speak. He had assumed she was just very shy.
"If it's selective, doesn't that usually mean she can speak around people's she's comfortable with? Kazumi hasn't once spoken to me after that." he froze at the sound of Kazumi's father's voice. So... it was about Kazumi.
"Well, selective mutism means that she has the ability to speak, so there are no physical problems. But, there's probably some kind of mental barrier keeping her from speaking. For most people that are selectively mute, it's social anxiety. We could stimulate her brain physically to speak, but it may cause trauma. And rather, I think that the trauma is actually what's stopping her from speaki-" Midorima continued walking. It wasn't good to eavesdrop, he knew. He felt that he had heard enough already.
Nodding to the nurse, he sat in the room as his sister was weighed and checked. She giggled as her blood pressure was taken, and absentmindedly played with her toy. Midorima, on the other hand, was in a slight daze.
"Onii-chan! I'm done!" Blinking, he looked down to see his sister had gotten onto his lap. He didn't remember her climbing up, but his mind had been preoccupied with everything he had heard. As he stood up, there was a knock on the door.
"Shin-chan, we're here! Oh, it's Mei-chan!" Takao waltzed into the room and lifted up Mei from Midorima's arms. Really, everyone was taking his little sister away from him. As if noticing his distaste, Takao smirked at him. "You poor siscon, Shin-chan. Mei-chan, you love me, right?"
"Yeash! I love you lots, Takao-niichan!" Mei raised her arms to show how much she "loved" Takao. Takao cuddled up to Mei, earning a smack on the head from Midorima. Really, his sister had warmed up to Takao quickly- too quickly for his taste. Hearing muffled laughter, Haruna and Kazumi entered the room. Haruna was shaking with laughter at the conversation while Kazumi smiled in amusement. "Eh? Who are these nee-chans?"
"What an adorable sister!" Haruna exclaimed as she walked up to Takao. Leaning closer to Mei, they bumped noses and laughed. Taking Mei from Takao's arms, she walked over to Kazumi, who cautiously extended her hand towards Mei. Mei grabbed Kazumi's finger and grinned, causing Kazumi to smile as well.
"I always thought that Midorima-kun was from a well-off family. He seemed like that type." Haruna noted as the four of them stood outside his house. They had left the hospital when the nurse had reminded him that Mei was supposed to be brought home for her usual nap. Yawning, Mei snuggled with her frog toy in Midorima's arms. He tossed the key to Takao, who opened the door.
"Pardon the intrusion!" Takao and Haruna cheerfully said, with Kazumi bowing her head slightly towards Midorima. Again, she hadn't spoken. More and more signs of her muteness had been catching his attention. He made Mei wash her hands before making her change into her "home clothes." She fell asleep almost immediately after she had climbed into her futon.
"What time is it?" Midorima asked as he poked his head into the living room. For some reason, the three were using the kotatsu- he hadn't stored it away yet.
"It's noon," Haruna informed him, checking her phone for the time. Kazumi seemed to remember something and opened her shoulder bag. She started to stand up when Haruna pulled her back down. Taking the phone that was in Kazumi's hand, Haruna tossed it to Midorima. "Much faster." Haruna said, satisfied.
"Should I cook something?" Midorima asked.
"No! Don't. P-please." Takao said, stuttering heavily. He looked very frightened, which irked Midorima. His cooking wasn't that ba- "When Midorima tried to make an onigri, I got food poisoning."
"...is there anyone else who can cook? Takao can't cook either..." Midorima said, remembering Takao's incompetence at using a knife during the training camp.
"Gomen, but the last time I tried to cook, well, part of my house caught on fire." Haruna said with a smile. How terrifying. Someone who was worse than him at cooking. At least he hadn't set anything aflame... besides his apron. Kazumi raised her hand timidly, earning loud gasps from Takao and Haruna.
"She can cook! A yamato nadeshiko! Pretty, kind and can cook!" Takao shouted. Midorima hit him on the back, reminding him that his sister was sleeping. Takao pouted at him. Kazumi got up quietly and tugged on Midorima's sleeve and tilted her head questioningly. Again, no words were spoken. Midorima put aside that thought for now and showed her to the kitchen after turning on the TV and telling the other two to watch quietly.
"What are you going to make?" he asked, leaning on the wall. Tapping her finger against her chin, an idea seemed to hit her and she took out her phone. After searching something up, she showed Midorima pictures. "Omurice?" Kazumi nodded happily. She washed some rice and put it in the rice cooker. After looking through his refrigerator, she took out some vegetables and eggs. Taking a knife, she started to slice it quickly.
"!" Kazumi dropped the knife when the knife had cut her thumb. Kazumi grimaced at the sight of blood.
"What are you doing, you baka." He took her hand and licked the cut. The blood tasted bitter and metallic- like how blood usually tasted. Kazumi jerked her hand away from him suddenly. Midorima looked up to see her face flushed with embarrassment. Again, he felt a weird stirring feeling in his chest. "Kazumi..." The purple-eyed girl looked up, her cheeks still red.
"Are you...mute?"
A/N: I'm sorry if Midorima was a bit OOC in this chapter, but please think of it as him acting differently around his friends. What did you think of Midorima's little sister? Please review and tell me if you'd like to see his perspective more often, or if you'd like to see other character's perspectives. Arigato for reading!