"Akashi-sama! Good afternoon!" A cheery blond with green eyes greeted. She was so beautiful and so full of life, that Megumi sort of admired her. Her natural colours shined, making her hair look like gold and her eyes like emeralds, jewelled by her rose coloured cheeks, showing how perfectly healthy she is.
"Good afternoon, Rei" He nodded in response "I want you to meet Masato Megumi. I brought her here in hopes she would join us. Mei-chan, this is Kawasaki Rei, chief of the assistants" He introduced them
Megumi bowed respectively "Nice to meet you"
Rei was taken aback "M-Mei-chan?! Akashi-sama, is she someone close to you?!" The room got cold. The other girls knew exactly what her problem was and stared at the newcomer in disbelief. Nobody was allowed to get close to Akashi except for her and they all followed that rule. Kawasaki Rei came from a family of high status after all.
"Yes, she is. Is there a problem with that, Rei?" Akashi glared at her
"U-Uhm… Sei-chan…?" Megumi could sense it. A fight was about to break, but little did she know, she was the one who'd have to do the fighting.
"S-Sei-chan?! Who do you think you are, huh? He is Akashi-SAMA for you, did you hear me?!" Rei shouted. All the other girls gulped. If Rei was angered by someone, that someone would soon be destroyed
Akashi was about to lecture the enraged blond, but Megumi took a step forward, bravely "Sei-chan asked me to call him that himself. Who do you think you are to change that?" She glared. What was with her? Her attitude was so high and mighty! So rude! Megumi didn't like that at all. Her opinion on the blonde changed rapidly.
"Who am I? Who am I? I am Kawasaki Rei and you're just a no one. You have no special status, what-so-ever, so I suggest you speak nicer to me newbie"
"Or what? You're gonna call daddy to fix your problem with his money? You're such a spoiled brat, you can't even solve your problems on your own. You need your daddy's name and money" Megumi smirked.
Akashi was proud. So proud to have chosen Megumi. She may look sickly, but she didn't need him to defend herself. She could do just fine on her own, unlike the blond that was looming over him since the beginning of the year.
"What was that?! How dare you bring my father into that?!" Rei pointed a finger
"I did? You said that I'm a no one with no special status. You're just the daughter of someone with a good name. You're not anything special yourself"
"I'll make you regret those words" She made a move to catch Megumi's hair, but Megumi dodged and caught her arm and brought it behind her back
"What, you can't solve the problem, so you resort to violence?" She smirked "How uncivilized. I expected better from someone with a high status such as yourself. I suppose only Sei-chan is worth anything from you, rich people"
"Let me go, you ugly bitch!" Rei struggled
"With pleasure" Megumi let her go while she was struggling and Rei lost her balance and fell to the floor "How pathetic. To think that I admired you at first… Someone like you is not worthy to be next to Sei-chan"
"And you are? You can't even assist him" Rei accused as she got up
Akashi and Megumi smirked. Akashi, because he knew damn well that he didn't want anyone assisting him other than Megumi. Especially Rei. He didn't want anything to do with her. Megumi smirked, because she knew that the only thing she was good at, is helping. She could do it "You wanna bet on that?" She held out her hand "I will assist him today. If Sei-chan says you were better, I'll go join the literature club. You won't have to worry about me ever again"
"And if I lose?" Rei glared
"You will lose your position as chief assistant" Megumi answered "So?"
"It's on. Today, there's a friendly match with another school. If you mess up, you're in trouble" Rei smirked and shook hands with her. Megumi didn't know about Akashi's demands and she didn't know what she had to do either. This should be an easy win
Teikou's team was warming up while waiting for their rivals. Megumi was at the benches, half watching her friends warming up and admiring them, half trying to find out how to get herself out of the mess she put herself into.
Nice work Megumi… Great words… Full of courage… NOW LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE! What am I going to do now? I'm so dead…
As these thoughts circled her head, she put her face into her palms and sighed. Midorima saw this and decided it was time for a break. No use wasting all his energy before the other team arrived. He went to the bench and sat next to the girl his childhood friend seemed to be fond of.
"You were bluffing, weren't you?" He asked
"I… I wasn't" She refused, looking away
"So, I guess that's not the reason you're just sitting here and sighing in self-pity, nanodayo"
"Was I that obvious?"
"It was annoying just to watch you, nanodayo. You should think of a plan if you don't want to be banished, nanodayo" He said, drinking his water
"Why the glum?" Akashi joined in, searching his sports bag and taking a towel to wipe his sweat
"It's nothing…" Megumi tried to smile it off
"If Meguchin is not feeling well, then she should have a pocky" Murasakibara joined as well, giving her a pocky
"Thank you, Atsu-kun" She thanked her purple haired friend and took a bite. She looked at Akashi "Sei-chan, you're sweating quite a lot, aren't you? You were only warming up, is everything ok?" She asked, taking another bite
"Yes, it would seem that I belong to the kind of people that sweat a lot" He answered "Thus, the huge bag full of towels and a change of clothes"
She looked at the bag. She kept looking at it for a few moments "Sei-chan, can I have a look?" she asked
The redhead stared at her and then nodded. She opened the bag and peered at it. Oh my God, what a mess… If I arrange his things and know exactly what is where, I can give it to him and help him save time. She thought. She started taking the things off and arrange them in piles.
"Oye! What do you think you're doing with Akashi's things, nanodayo?! Put those back, nanodayo!" Midorima scolded her, but Akashi stopped him
"Let her do as she wishes. I believe it will be helpful" He said, watching her with interest. It was so entertaining. How she managed to surprise him with small things like that. He wasn't very sure what her plan was, but he knew it was a good one.
Let's see… He won't need the change of clothes until the end of the match… I'll put those in first, so the towels will be higher up
"Here, Meguchin… Have another pocky" Murasakibara offered her another one
"Thank you, Atsu-kun… I'll buy you some more, later, to make up for it, ok?" She smiled and then returned to her work. The sweet treats gave her motivation
One big towel… Probably for the shower after the match… I'll put it above the clothes… Middle size… there are two… Probably for his hair… One for the shower and one for the middle break… Above the big size towel… Small sized… 10?! Well, those must be for his sweating… I'll just arrange them above the others… Oh! There are shoes and a few bottles of water too… I can put the bottles on the left and right cases and the shoes… I'll keep them off, next to the sack until the match is over… I want to be able to give him his towels fast…
"Yosh… Done!" She exclaimed
The other boys looked at her in awe. She had arranged all these stuff in like… 5 minutes…
"Nice work, Mei-chan" Akashi smiled at her "It was a great help. Now I can find my things in no time, during the match" Yes, he was right. Her plan is-
Megumi couldn't help but smile back at the praise "No, Sei-chan. You won't even have to waste time finding your things. I'll do everything for you. You just have to leave everything to me!" She puffed her chest proudly
-Perfect! She is perfect!
"Whatever you're trying to do is not working" Aomine joined them "You're still flat chested" He pointed and smirked
"Daiki…" Akashi's aura turned flaming red "10 laps… now"
"Huh? You're not even my captain, why would I-"
"You have 5 seconds to begin, before they are doubled" Nijimura joined as well
"W-Why do I have to do all that, captain?!" Aomine protested
"Because you insulted my beautiful kouhai" Nijimura gave a wide smile with a lot of anger behind it
"4…3…" Akashi did the countdown. Aomine tsk-ed and started running
Nambara junior High was here. Warm ups were over. It was time for the match to begin.
"Ok, boys, we studied them up and watched some of their previous plays. This shouldn't be too hard for you" Momoi encouraged the team "The starting line-up will be Nijimura-senpai, Kubota-senpai, Haizaki-san, Akashi-kun and Midorin. Now go and give them a good beating, boys!"
"Right!" The team shouted and then each did their last minute preparations.
Murasakibara was sitting next to Megumi on the bench "So, you're not going to play at the beginning, huh…" She muttered
"Nop~ the senpai's want to test the waters first" He answered "By the way, Megu-chin… are you nervous?"
"Why do you ask that?" She asked in return, trying to smile widely… and failing
"You've been playing with your fingers and fidgeting… and you've been checking Aka-chin's bag every minute or so" He pointed at said boy's bag with his pocky
She scratched the back of his head "It's ok… I'll be fine"
"You're lying, nanodayo" Midorima joined in and gave her a maneki neko to hold
"W-why are you giving me this, Midorima-san?!" She asked, surprised at the boy's action. A maneki neko was said to bring luck… Was that the boy's way of telling her that she could do it?
"You need to hold it with your right hand… It's my lucky item today. I, obviously, can't bring it on the court, so you need to hold it for me" He said
I see… I suppose I gave too much thought into it… It's not like the world revolves around me…
Megumi gave a reassuring smile "You can count on me, Midorima-san. I'll keep it safe for you"
"That's good to know, nanodayo"
"Seems like I can't take my eyes off of you for a second, Mei-chan. You're supposed to be my assistant" Everyone except her gulped, hearing the point guard's words. There was silence as he approached them
"If you say it like that nobody will know you were trying to make a joke, Sei-chan" Megumi smiled it off, helping the rest of the boys breath again "Besides, Midorima-san only asked me to hold his lucky item for him"
"I want you to hold my pocky too~"
Akashi smiled at the sight
"Oye, Satsuki, you hold my stuff too" Aomine glanced at Momoi
"Hay, hay…" The pink haired sighed
"S-Sei-chan, stay calm and do your best!" Megumi approached Akashi
The boy smiled at her "It's ok, Mei-chan…" He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder "Only you can do it"
"W-what are you talking about?!" She sweat dropped
"There's no need to be nervous. You'll do just fine. I believe in you" He said and turned around "Now then, let us go, everyone!" He led the way to the court and the rest of the starters followed him
"Megu-chin, come sit here~ you won't have to do anything for a while~" The purple haired giant patted the seat next to him, freeing her from her trance as she was staring at the point guard's back
The match began after the two teams lined up at the centre of the court. Nijimura stole the ball easily and sent it towards Haizaki, who drippled a few times before sending it towards Kubota, who ran towards the other team's basket. Someone from the other team tried to block him, but he quickly sent the ball to Akashi. The redhead made a motion to throw the ball, but, suddenly, he decided that it was better to send the ball towards Midorima, who shot the ball straight inside the basket.
Buuuuuuuzzzz
"Amazing! Sei-chan was so fast! And Midorima-san! How did he even do that?! It looked so amazing! He made the basket from so far away!" Megumi exclaimed from her seat
"Shooting is Mido-chin's specialty~" Murasakibara said while munching on some chips
"I see… Still, it was so good!" Megumi couldn't take her eyes off the court
The match continued like that, until the first quarter was over. She was so overwhelmed, that she almost forgot to grab a towel for Akashi. As he walked closer, she gave him one of the small towels and held his bottle of water. The boy wiped himself and drank hungrily, before returning to the court.
The first half was over. The team was gathered on the benches
"Ok, time for a member change. We keep the score, but they made some good baskets themselves" Nijimura explained
"I believe it's about time we changed our tactics, too" Momoi added "We'll swap Kubota and Nijimura-senpai with Dai-chan and Mukkun"
"That's the plan. Akashi-kun and the others, do you think you can keep it up until the end?" Nijimura asked
"I would like to stay out this quarter" Akashi requested
"I understand. You want to give it your all on the last quarter. Nijimura-senpai, do you think you can make one more quarter?" Momoi asked
"I suppose, I can do that" The captain said "Be ready to swap in case of emergency" He ordered
"Understood" Akashi relaxed into Megumi's hands, who was standing behind his seat at the bench. She started massaging his shoulders, though lightly.
"I'm not sure how I'm supposed to do this… Is it ok?" She asked in concern
"Yes… your hands feel like feathers" He answered and they both remained silent as she kept doing her job
"Meguchin is working hard~" Murasakibara commended "Must feel nice~ Ne, Akachin?"
"Yes… it's amazing… Just what I need" But the boy grabbed her hands from behind him, stopping her movement and made her bend forward and hug him "But if she keeps doing it, I'll fall asleep in the middle of the match"
Said girl turned red. Our faces are close… way too close… "I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!"
Akashi caressed her cheek with his, an affectionate move that didn't go unnoticed by the others "You're to stay at my house tonight… That's an order" He winged
Now she was the same red as his hair. She was trying to stutter some words, but nothing would work. One could almost see the smoke coming from her head
"Oh. She broke" Aomine pointed at her smirking. The redhead smirked as well and ordered her to bring him some water, so that she would snap out of it
The match ended with Teikou victorious. The teams lined up and thanked each other for a good game. As they were assembled again, Momoi spoke up
"This ended up as our victory! Good job everyone!"
"Yes, good job! But, don't forget, we still have to train hard!" Nijimura added
"The opposing team made too many baskets on us… we're still lacking" Akashi broke the celebrating atmosphere. Everyone's smile was whipped
"So, you felt it too, Akashi-kun…" Momoi said
"Yes… We still have work to do. But other than that-" he looked at everyone carefully and then smiled "It was a good match. Everyone did great"
He felt bad for ruining the atmosphere huh… Megumi thought
"Let us go and celebrate" He added "Mei-chan, you're coming as well" He ordered "You're staying at my place, anyway" He smirked
He did that on purpose. That red suited his Megumi the best. Such a vivid colour made a great contrast with her sickly appearance. It almost brought her to life, so he was going to keep on making it appear
Then it dawned on him… Megumi was not healthy enough. She was prone to illnesses, visiting the hospital every so often, sometimes for long periods, like the beginning of the term. If she were to suddenly be hospitalised for this long… what would he do? No… if she were to never get out of the hospital again…
That train of thought was interrupted by the sound of a zipper. Everyone had already left and it was just the two of them left. The sound was from his bag – she had already gathered his stuff for him.
He approached her and, as she was getting up, he hugged her from behind; silently, without voicing anything. His bangs covered what his face looked like, but Megumi couldn't see it either way from her position.
"Sei-chan?" She asked and waited- Waited for a reply that never came, so she settled for hugging the hands that were wrapped around her, refusing to let her go. She didn't know why, but all of a sudden the boy acted weird. She expected him to be smirking and enjoying his victory. He was the one who proposed this, so why…
What if she leaves me just like mother did…? His hands suddenly wrapped tighter around her. No! I can't allow that to happen!
"S-Sei-chan? I can't breathe…" The brunette whined, bringing him into reality
"Ah… Sorry…" He untightened his hold on her and turned her around "Mei-chan…" He was trying to find the words… What was it that he wanted from her?
"Sei-chan…" She cupped his face and whipped a tear that was threatening to fall
Eh? When did that happen? He thought.
"What's wrong?" She asked
"Mei-chan… You're not allowed to leave my side… never" He ordered, hugging her again
Megumi was still perplexed as to why her friend was behaving like this, but she hugged him back nonetheless "I'm right here, Sei-chan"
"Bye bye~" Everyone was saying their goodbyes, ready to go home for the evening. They had gathered at a McDonald's to celebrate with burgers and milkshakes. Momoi didn't object. Straying once in a while from their diet wouldn't slow them down, so she let them eat as they pleased as a congratulations gift.
Megumi and Akashi exited the fast food restaurant
"Well then, I'll see you tomorrow, Sei-chan" Megumi smiled and bowed. Before she could leave, Akashi caught her by the arm.
"Where do you think you're going? I thought I made myself clear that you're spending the night with me" He said in a stern tone
"B-But… Sei-chan… I… My parents…"
"It's an order, Mei-chan"
Said girl sighed and stood next to him "Understood" There was no point arguing when the point guard had something in his mind. Besides, he was acting weird the past few hours
He held her hand and led her to his limousine that was waiting for them. She then saw a teal haired boy that was staring at them, but as soon as he bowed, she lost sight of him
"Is everything alright?" He asked
"Eh? Y-Yes… Everything is fine"
The Akashi manor was quite grand. It was beautiful, combining the traditional Japanese architecture with modern architecture. She liked it… but at the same time, she didn't… It just reminded him of the different worlds they lived in.
After she called her parents, one of the maids led her to a bath, which was readied for her. There were vanilla flowers on the surface of the water in the bathtub. It was so extravagant. She wasn't used to this. While she was still in the water, a maid informed her that she left a nightdress for her and then left her alone again. She felt awkward.
After she was done, as soon as she exited the bathroom, a maid led her to a room where Akashi was waiting for her. W-wait… we're sleeping in the same room?! Isn't that inappropriate? She just stood in front of the door, not sure what she should do. She was sure, she'd never feel more nervous than that.
For a while, Akashi was staring at her dumfounded. He told the maid to give her something to wear for the night, but he sure didn't expect something like that. The cream coloured nightdress reminded him that she was a girl. But, he soon snapped out of it. She looked as nervous as he got just now
"It's rude to just stand there, Mei-chan" He said, to break the ice
She stepped closer and kneeled down next to him, looking at the floor, her hands in tight fists
That's bad… I need to calm her down
The young master petted her hair, making her jolt, but she still accepted the touch. It seemed to calm her down little by little, so he kept doing it… Gentle strokes, going all the way to the tips of her hair. It was silky and almost beautiful… If only it had a more vivid colour like his…
"Mei-chan…" Just the sound of her name made her jump. He sighed "Are you eating properly? Are there medicine you can't buy?"
Megumi looked at him in surprise. She didn't expect that. They never talked about that… so, why now? She smiled "Don't worry… My body is just weak, that is all"
It's fake… She's faking it… He frowned "Don't lie to me Megumi" He looked at her in the eyes "Talk to me about it"
"Honestly, that's all there is to it. I need to be on a special diet, but that isn't always easy. There's no specific illness… I was born weak… I'll just have to live with that" She smiled again "But, I'm stronger than that. Please, don't treat me as something that is about to break. I feel like you're looking down on me"
Seijuurou frowned again. This girl… she had her own demons to fight; and she was doing a great job at that. The physical strength she lacked, she turned it into mental strength. She was amazing. She was strong… and there he was, falling with the first trouble presented to him. She would be his example, he decided.
"On the contrary" He said, bringing the back of her palm to his lips "Your strength… will you let me have it? I'm not quite as strong as you are" He smiled
She linked their foreheads and nodded "I will be everything you need, Sei-chan, so, please… go back to normal"
He frowned again "you…"
"You're acting strange" She spoke before him
He smiled and kissed her forehead "Just for tonight… won't you let me be weak?"
Akashi Seijuurou. Sei-chan. The boy that she fell in love upon entering junior high. That rich, spoiled brat that always had everything going his way… had one problem and one only. He couldn't be close with anyone, so he was never allowed to be weak... Sei-chan needed her. Needed her. That feeling… she couldn't discard it… It made her happy… and since he was happy… it was perfect…
"Sei-chan" She called his name and he looked at her. She hugged him and made them both lie down "Let's go to sleep"
A/N So, here I am again… the next chapter might take a little longer to make…
I know, things are going too well for them, but I want to take this slow… damn, this is going to be longer than I thought ^^" This is becoming a long fic. Anyway, things will go bad at the point we all know it goes bad…
Oh! And this match is not the same with the one from the anime/manga because in the manga it was Kuroko's debut match. Anyway, this is way before Kuroko has even entered the team so… yea… just thought I'd let you know.
Also, uhhh… yea… I forgot ^^" So… I suppose that's all for now… leave a review and fav if you like this fic… I really have no idea what you guys think and it makes me delay more in writing more chappies…
A! I remembered! My therapy seems to go well… But I miss my alters… the pill makes it harder to reach them… I always feel mentally exhausted when I try… But one good thing is that now I can concentrate more and sleep better! So.. uhh… I will probably include this also in this fic…
See you soon, I hope! Sorry, the next one will take a while... Therapy, Beta-ing, Japanese and university ^^" But I'm doing my best because I love this story... and I also like Magnetic fields which seems that it had become more popular but... I'll probably leave that until I finish this one... or until I have some long vacation like summer... I'll see...
