Chapter 5 – I found you


"You be the plaything and I'll play the selfish kid. Together, lets get lost in our world before the adults rule it out."

Kaori

One thing became clear to the boy as the days passed. The girl was not going anywhere. His words and actions meant little when matched to her resolve to make something out of their relationship by simply staying around him. Unlike his usual behavior of letting people subtly know in his own way that he was not the person they wanted to cross, let alone associate with, with the girl he had been blunt.

His extreme bluntness in letting her know of his absent desires to be with her had no effect on the girl. She only had a smile to offer each time he asked her to leave. He had long decided it as a creepy smile.

Makoto Hanamiya was of the habit in making people as helpless as a deer caught in headlights. He was not used to being in the position of the animal faced with blinding light. Granted, he was no deer but even if he was a cunning fox or jackal to begin with, the light of her smile could be just as blinding.

He was well informed of those 'bright' smiles the world talked of given by that special person. But Kaori's smile wasn't merely bright; it was oddly blinding.

"I wonder how well you'll smile through something terrible, you know? The thing about these bright smiles, they have the potential to be replaced by the darkest frowns. Stronger the light, darker the shadow right?"

Hanamiya was merely speaking to himself when she had popped up as usual in the morning to greet him.

There should be a limit to the amount of excitement a person could display on a morning, he confessed. But he also admitted that this girl did not conform to those limits.

The girl heard him speak and tilted her head to her right in confusion.

"Maybe. But life isn't made up of the properties and laws of physics Makoto-kun. All you have to do is never stop smiling is all." Kaori had grinned to give a visual example for the point she was making.

Hanamiya raised his eyebrows at this with a look that asked if she really believed it to be that simple. She nodded with all the enthusiasm of the expanding universe.

"Of course it is!"

"Interesting," Hanamiya mouthed before smiling sweetly at the girl. Kaori paid no mind to the difference in the sudden smile granted by the boy and only laughed in delight.


He spotted a figure among the crowd and remembered the thing he had been planning for all along if the girl would prove her worth. With the conversation, not only had the girl proved enough to Hanamiya, she had also made him utter the term 'interesting'. Thus, he raised his hand in goodbye without making any mention of the game he was going to play in later that day. He already knew there was no need of an invitation. She would show up all by herself.

"All set?" Seto asked casually as the two walked to the gym.

"Why yes. Not only is she sufficient, she might even be the one."

Hanamiya closed his eyes and sighed in contentment while saying this. Seto's eyes narrowed in shock – clearly not having expected the new development.

"I thought we agreed on her being plain stupid."

His laughter startled Seto momentarily. It was short, loud and came out in a burst of his excitement.

"Stupid? Of course she is. But she is stupid on a level of derangement. Undoubtedly rare and an interesting find. She'll fit perfectly."

Seto could only nod and walk forward. Still new to the boy beside him, he knew enough to not question or ponder too much over his activities. Smart as he was, fool he was not.

A smart person would stay right beside Hanamiya while bearing no part in his deeds.

Only a fool would challenge Hanamiya and stand against him.

Not because he would get torn and trampled upon. It was not because the match was unfair. It was because a match was unnecessary.

In using Shakespeare's words to explain, fighting Hanamiya was like trying to find a straw in a haystack. A fruitless and pointless attempt. Neither the effort nor the result was worth it. Therefore, Seto was content to stand aside and let Hanamiya play his games. He was just close enough to hold the best seats to the show.

He grinned at the sight of her brown hair in the crowd. He would have spotted her without even trying to. A rare find, Seto agreed. Because he knew how rare it was to find someone to cheer for Kirisaki Daichi. Especially to the end of the match. Especially against the opponent of the day. Even at the sight of the boy named Kiyoshi's play combined with the team named Seirin's desperation.

It was a rare sight to find her clapping to the very end.

Seto was in complete agreement by the time the final whistle sounded.


Mizuki

The tall first year student reached the notice board later than the rest of the students. He did not have to rush as he already expected the results. Also, arriving late still meant he could easily tower over the rest to check his name as a formality. He brushed his hair in place as he reached a group of students who looked at least 4 years younger than him.

Most of them made way for him, a few even smiled nervously when their eyes met. He knew his face looked familiar enough for them to not consider him as an outsider. But his height, was another story.

His palm landed on the glass of the notice board outside the gym. His eyes scanned the top of the list for his name. The second, more elaborate search came with wary eyes. When he was absolutely sure of his name's absence in the first string list, Kizuki looked dangerously confused.

"Oi Kizuki, right? Your name's right here – look!"

A boy with sandy brown hair pointed at the list on the edge of the board. There was no crowd before that list. His confusion rose at the sight of his name on the list before him.

"I thought the first string has the starters for the games."

The boy grinned before pointing at his own name on the list Kizuki had failed to spot his name on.

"Sure does. The second and third strings practice in order to make it to the first string."

He could tell that the boy was telling him in a few words – 'better luck next year bro!'

Kizuki looked closer at the bottom of the list to make out the person whose signature it bore.

"It looks like I need to meet this Hanamiya Sensei then."

The boy with the sandy brown hair grinned at this. His look did not wish him luck or provide any form of encouragement. They displayed a strange level of amusement instead as he walked away.


It took the boy an awkward enquiry to find the coach of the basketball team. Sure, he had looked around for the man when the tryouts were taking place but hadn't found a single adult in the entire room. Everyone had only dealt with the student manager – a boy who looked so terrified each time he asked about the coach that he had to drop it off to save the boy from being affected too much.

How come he never made his appearance? Kizuki had assumed the man must not be in school to miss the selection process. If that was the case, his selection had been of the boy manager's hand. That could be an error easily corrected. But, the boy decided, it would be better to introduce himself to the coach of the team beforehand.

His confident swagger to the office beside the gym bore no fruit. The room was empty, save for a few student files and equipment.

No trophies or shields or certificates for various participations. No gaudy family picture on the desk sided by a ton of papers and such. The room was basic in its structure. It bore no name tag on the door. It simply said 'Coach'. A clean desk, a modest chair, a few shelves filled with nothing special. The walls remained plain and devoid of all the frames of pride any coach of any school's team put up.

He concluded that the room was not used to fulfill its purpose.

"Are you looking for something?" a voice enquired from behind him while he tried to figure out his next plan.

A black haired male leaned against the wall. He stood as tall as Kizuki but lacked the kind of build to instill any physical dominance. His eyes however, sang a different tale. His curiously bored black eyes probed him in their suspense.

What could a boy like him be doing here? Why did his presence bother him to enquire?

"Hey… I'm looking for the coach of the basketball team. You're a third year, so do you know where I can find him?"

Hanamiya smiled sweetly at the boy's question. His expression was designed to convey kindness and courteousness.

"Yes, the coach doesn't have much use of the office. Why do you want to see him? I'd never ask if its something private."

Kizuki glanced at the boy a second time before answering. He looked kind enough. He stopped himself from reading too much into a normal situation. He reminded himself not everyone in the world regarded smiling as an unusual act.

"Oh nothing private or personal. There's been a mistake with the selection procedure and I need to see him about it."

Hanamiya's face grew surprised and then looked lost in thought. He took a minute to properly take the boy's appearance in before the look of realization spread as a knowing smile.

"The coach isn't in right now. How about a quick game while we give him time to get in?"

Odd as the sudden suggestion was, basketball was one thing Kizuki would never let pass. Besides, the boy appeared lean but he had the height to be at least decent. And decent would have to do while they waited for this mystery coach.

"Uh.. Sure! Sounds great."

The two boys pushed the closest door to enter before Hanamiya remembered.

"That's the third string gym – they cleaned it an hour ago. Let me grab a ball from the next room."

Kizuki nodded and entered by himself. Hanamiya turned with a smile on his face from the presence behind him.

"Mizuki. I think you should go straight home today…"

The girl stared through Hanamiya's face and voice. Knowing full well that a response was something the girl would not offer, Hanamiya took a basketball from the shelf of his office.

"Your little brother wants to play."


A/N : Mizuki-Kizuki. Yup. I played around with names and no I did not have any more patience to think about it so cliched is what it shall be.

So Christmas is coming up! :D

I wonder. If you got to attend a party with anime characters, who would your eyes fall upon?

Make the list interesting because... I'm not big on Christmas but my vacations have become nothing but pain and I'm a wacko...

Dun, dun, dun.

I may have something for Christmas after all ;)

Read, review. Aaaaand tell me about the people you wanna share eggnog or whatever it is that people do on Christmas!