Visibility

By: Aviantei

Chapter 19: Selfishness

Tetsuya hadn't exactly been ready to go on a date on such short notice, but he also wasn't completely unprepared. He had been trying to come up with activities for potential dates since the trip they had taken to the park, and he was grateful for the consideration. His final plan wasn't as detailed as Tetsuya would have liked, but it passed Youta's requirements: take Airi out of the house and do something fun to make her happy.

"I don't think I've been to this part of town before," Airi mentioned, her hand locked together with Tetsuya's. Due to the rush the twins had been in to leave their house, Airi claimed she wasn't really able to dress up, but that didn't bother Tetsuya. Airi was still Airi, and the dress she was wearing was just as cute as the last one. "Though I guess you have lived here much longer than me. What sort of place are we going to, Tetsuya-kun?"

"I told you, it's a surprise," Tetsuya said. He had debated about whether or not to keep their destination a secret, then decided to go ahead. Airi didn't seem to mind not knowing, and her curiosity seemed to make her willing to walk faster than usual. To be honest, though, Tetsuya had mostly kept it a secret because he wanted to see how she would react.

Airi giggled a bit, smiling like usual. After she had rested the previous day, she looked normal again, but Tetsuya still wasn't sure what she thought about all that had happened. "Can I at least know how long it will be until we get there?"

Tetsuya nodded, checking for incoming traffic before helping Airi go to cross the street. "It's really close. We'll be there soon."

Airi fell silent after that, probably focusing on trying to learn from her surroundings. Tetsuya stopped to let her, wondering just how much she could figure out without being told. He closed his eyes, trying to imagine what sort of things Airi would pick out—footsteps from the other couples and people here, the rustle of leaves from the trees planted throughout the sidewalk, maybe even the smell of some food, the voice of a girl trying to bargain with a street vendor.

"A small shopping district then," Airi concluded. "Although, that really doesn't narrow down what we could be doing by much, though." She let out a small sigh. "I'll admit it, Tetsuya-kun, you have me stumped. I guess I'll just have to wait until we get there."

"Let's go, then." Tetsuya headed down the sidewalk, passing by several shops, Airi easily keeping in step with him. Coming almost to the corner of the block, Tetsuya opened one of the doors, the bell above the entrance jingling. Now in much smaller quarters, he slowed down his steps, guiding Airi to make sure she didn't run into anything.

The shop was a small music store, less than half the size of one you could find easily in any mall, but that worked out better when Airi was involved. The size probably limited the selection, too, but Tetsuya didn't think that would be too much of a bother. Airi had mentioned a few things about her music taste before, and a quick conversation with Youta confirmed that, while she had her preferences, she wasn't exactly picky, either.

Airi had zoned in on her surroundings again, trying to register the area without being told. Tetsuya watched, the pout on her lips growing by the second. Giving in, she shook her head. "You've got me, Tetsuya-kun. I haven't the slightest idea," she said.

"Come on, I'll help you figure it out." Tetsuya glanced over the store, getting a general idea of how things were organized. There were CDs in most of the aisles, each with signs to point out the genre of each section. Lining the back wall seemed to be a collection of records, and closer to the front was a variety of music players and headphones across from the cash register.

Despite the store's size, it still had a few stations mixed in with the CDs to sample music. Tetsuya tightened his grip on Airi's hand and led her to the orchestral section. "Just give me a minute…" he said.

Airi nodded. "Take all the time you need, Tetsuya-kun," she said, starting to play with her braid. With that blessing, Tetsuya turned his attention to the CDs, trying not to make too much of an audible clue for Airi as he sorted through them. A few minutes proved that it was necessary to give up on recognizing a name, so Tetsuya pulled out one at random, scanning the case against the sample station.

Airi tilted her head, but stayed silent. Tetsuya picked up the headphones, pressing one to his ear. It was working, wind instruments harmonizing. Airi perked up a bit at the sound, her ears far more sensitive than Tetsuya could imagine hearing. Before she could figure anything out, Tetsuya placed the headphones on Airi, adjusting them properly over her ears.

Something about the look on her face changed, a soft smile spreading over Airi's lips. Her hand reached out to hold Tetsuya's again, and he waited in silence, while she had the chance to listen to the sample track. He had been hoping to maybe share the experience with her, but it looked like the station only had one headphone jack.

It wasn't too much of a trouble though. Airi seemed lost in her own world, however the music chose to portray itself to her. Tetsuya thought to ask about it later, but let it be for now. Some of the tension he hadn't even noticed Airi had built up was disappearing, her shoulders sinking a bit. Without warning, Airi leaned on his shoulder. She wasn't heavy, but the sudden addition of weight almost made Tetsuya lose his balance.

"I see," she murmured, almost too quiet for him to hear. "This is what you were trying to do…" A smile formed in proper on her lips, Airi's head turning up to face him. The hand she wasn't using to hold Tetsuya's with pulled the headphones down to her neck. "Thank you, Tetsuya-kun."

The action set the music free again, the soft orchestra tune meeting Tetsuya's ears again. "It's not really anything special," he said. "I just thought that maybe you would enjoy something like this. I'm just glad that you do like it."

"Of course I like it." Using her hands to follow the cord, Airi finally touched the surface of the station. Just as smoothly, she traced the plastic until she found the hooks for the headphones to rest on, then put them back. Her actions were done with the same precision as always, but something in the tone of her voice made Airi's distraction evident.

"But it's not enough to make you forget about what's going on," Tetsuya filled in, guessing at her words. Airi frowned a little, looking almost guilty, but she didn't deny it. Tetsuya gripped harder onto her hand, releasing the pressure after a few second. "It's okay, Airi-san. I understand."

Airi shook her head, attempting to bring a smile back to her lips. It didn't entirely work, but it was better than her feeling bad about it. "I didn't want to make you worry," she said. "We get to spend time together, so I should be happy, but I just…I'm having a hard time deciding what's the right answer.

"I think that if I begged them, Oka-san and Oto-san would find a way to let us stay," Airi confessed. "Everything that Nii-san says makes sense, but at the same time, I know that money's the core issue. Oka-san's always been good at finding a way around things, though, so if I genuinely pleaded, she would work to make it possible. It would put a strain on us, but it would be possible…"

Airi's voice trailed off. She still sounded guilty, as if it was an easy answer to a problem that she was withholding. "Even so, at the same time, you don't want to put that strain on other people," Tetsuya said. Airi nodded. "But the other part of you wants to stay, no matter what."

"Because of you," she whispered, her head not even facing Tetsuya's direction. It was her way of how others would avoid someone's eyes. It could have been annoying, but when Airi did it, it was endearing. "I really want to be with you, even if it's going to cause trouble." She let out a short laugh, single syllabled, the sound breathy. "This may not be what you want to hear, Tetsuya-kun, but I don't like having thoughts like that. It makes me feel selfish."

Tetsuya shook his head. "No, that's fine," he reassured. "I didn't want to pressure you, but I really do want you to stay, too, no matter what. So we're both selfish." He hoped that was enough to make Airi feel better. She didn't look any less worried, but at least her anxiety wasn't getting worse thanks to him. "Airi-san, do you own a music player?"

"You mean like an MP3?" Airi's confusion was evident in her voice, beyond the point of a question mark. Tetsuya nodded his confirmation. "No, never. Nii-san and I use the same CD player at home, but that's about it…"

Tetsuya didn't need to wait for the rest of her answer. He tried not to walk too fast, for the sake of avoiding pulling on Airi's arm. She followed his movements, and Tetsuya finally let go of her hand once they were in front of the display of music players. There were a number of display models out, and he picked up one, placing it into Airi's hands.

"Let's find one you can use without needing to see it," he said. Airi actually jumped in surprise, almost dropping the small MP3. Tetsuya caught it, securing the device between their hands. "Don't worry about the price, either. I'll buy it for you."

"You don't have to," Airi protested. Tetsuya had seen her reaction coming and didn't let it affect his determination. "Like I said, Nii-san and I have a CD player we can share, and I can kind of use it. You don't have to go through the trouble—"

"Airi-san." Tetsuya didn't like interrupting her, but it was better than having her waste words. This was something he didn't want to budge on. "It's not any trouble at all. I've saved up some money, so let me do this." Airi closed her mouth, and Tetsuya hesitated a bit. "I don't want to think that you leaving is possible, but I know it is. So in case we can't make this work, let me get you something that you can remember me with, okay?"

Airi took a shaky breath, tilting her head down to the floor. Tetsuya moved his hand to her shoulder, hoping that she wouldn't cry. After another deep breath, Airi nodded, her fingers starting to probe the MP3 player's surface. It took her a few minutes, but she finally asked, "Is there one that has more defined indentations on the buttons?"

"I'll look," Tetsuya said, a faint smile on his lips. She had accepted his offer, and the implications with it. He looked over some of the other models, and Airi once again used the security cord to return the merchandise to its proper place.

It took a few trial and error attempts, but they finally found a suitable one. It fit into Airi's hand easily, and the buttons were big enough, their markings distinguishable at the touch. It even had a clip in the back that Airi could fasten to her clothes. They spent a few extra minutes on finding the right headphones, too. Tetsuya didn't know what exact criteria Airi had, but in the end, she seemed satisfied, and they checked out, planning to take a walk down the street in search of something to eat.

"You know, this isn't what I imagined it would be like when we moved," Airi said. Tetsuya had tried to carry the bag for her, even if it didn't weigh much, but she refused. It swung at her side, rustling in time with their footsteps. "I thought that maybe it would be quiet here, something close to an ordinary high school life." They stopped walking, Tetsuya tending to the crossing signal. Airi took the chance to turn towards him. "I'm glad I was wrong."

"I'm glad, too," Tetsuya agreed. "It hasn't been perfect, but I don't think it would have been the same otherwise. So, even if you do leave, I think I can be satisfied with this."

Airi nodded. Her hand gripped onto the plastic bag's handle even tighter. "So can I."

Tetsuya took a deep breath. "And it's less than two years until we finish high school. I haven't picked out where I want to study, but I want to attend university, and so do you. So if at all possible, I'd like it if we could go together. So just in case, promise that you'll wait."

Airi blushed, but she didn't look away. "I'll promise as long as you do," she agreed.

Tetsuya considered kissing her, but he didn't. The crosswalk signal changed, and they walked across the road, the unspoken promise following them in the spring breeze.

If adjusting to Chinatsu had been difficult for Youta, Nigou was a whole different complication all on his own. At least when it came down to it, the similarity in looks between Tetsuya and his mother was to be expected—they were genetically related after all. However, Youta didn't understand what probability in the universe had allowed for Kuroko Tetsuya to end up with a dog that looked just like him.

No matter how much he tried to figure it out, it didn't work. Youta even wracked his brain a better part of the morning after Tetsuya and Airi had left the house on their date. Trying to distract himself, he had offered to take the dog in question out for a walk to spare Chinatsu the trouble. Youta really just needed an excuse to stretch his legs. He had been stagnant for far too long.

Luckily enough, Nigou had seemed to have adjusted to having an athletic owner, so Youta was able to take a run without worrying too much about the dog. They stopped for breaks often for the sake of water, but Youta kept up a good pace that Nigou followed with and sometimes surpassed him at. Going for a run was really the best way for his brain to shut down, which, in the end, was probably what Youta needed.

He had been thinking nonstop since he and Airi had left the house on how to best fix their situation. Much to his annoyance, he really didn't know, and neither did anyone else. He needed a hard reset, something to make him stop thinking and have his subconscious do all the work, which would hopefully help him think better afterwards.

Youta didn't know if it had worked, but at least he felt better once he made it back to the Kuroko household. Nigou still had some energy left, running away from Youta, then coming back to his side without ever pulling on the leash. Youta's breath was still a bit shaky after a run, but he had been able to pick up the pace faster in increments since he had started practicing with the basketball club again, so it was a fair trade off.

Without any warning, Nigou stopped, a sharp bark cutting through the air. Tetsuya's neighborhood was relatively quiet, and Youta attempted to hush the puppy, not wanting to disturb that. Nigou only barked again—So much for him being a pretty smart dog—and ran towards the house with enough speed to nearly yank Youta's arm out of the socket.

"Hey, wait!" Youta spluttered, but to no avail. Nigou pulled Youta past the gate and down the sidewalk to the house, only stopping once his paws were almost on the doorstop. "Geeze," Youta exhaled. The older Watanabe twin was doubled over, his palms supporting the rest of him on top of his bent knees. "What do you think you're doing, you dumb dog? Couldn't wait the extra half a minute it would take to get home?"

Nigou looked over his shoulder, almost giving Youta a pitying look. Youta scowled, and Nigou looked away, the dog's attention averted back onto the doorstop.

It wasn't until then that Youta noticed the person standing there.

It wasn't for any particular reason, but he froze. Nigou remained stationary at his legs, and the older Watanabe twin was stuck in the awkward position of partially leaning over, halfway to standing up. A few unused muscles ached in his back, but Youta couldn't focus on it.

Standing above him was a boy, dressed in far nicer clothes than Youta could ever imagine getting to see, let alone afford or own. His hair was a brilliant shade of red, standing out even more thanks to the dark color of the Kuroko home's door. But, really, what stood out the most were his eyes, one the same as his hair, the other a golden yellow, triggering a realization that almost made Youta want to piss himself.

When he thought about it, it made some form of sense. However, that didn't change the fact that fate was clearly messing with him, leaving Youta alone to deal with this scenario while Tetsuya—who clearly would have been most suited to handling this—and Airi were out enjoying their date, hopefully forgetting any care in the world.

And sure, that was the whole point, but—

Youta had no other choice but to accept the fact that this was probably karma still kicking him for everything he had done.

Even so, he didn't think he had done enough to deserve being on the receiving end of Akashi Seijuro's glare.

Yes, the fluff chapter. It has arrived.

Thanks to Yorukifon, Tamani, CherryPop0120, Timelostrose, uniquestarlight, bella cullen the original, AkiraYuni, MethodicChaos, Icy Cubes, and izzywalz1999 for your respective reviews, favorites, and follows. Really, your support keeps me going.

Again with the delayed chapter. My computer seems to like fighting with me on these. Sorry about that!

Hehe, Akashi arrives on the scene. If anyone saw this coming, you get a cookie.

I've been busy working on NaNoWriMo. Anyone else participating?

I also finished watching Ookami-san and Her Seven Companions...

And, finally, anyone a fan of World Trigger? It's my current obsession. I finally thought of a cool story idea for it, too... Ah, wait, I gotta finish writing all these other things first!

And now, as promised, the omake. This was a two-part POV exercise I did for my creative writing class in spring. It was a lot of fun to go ahead and think of the same span of time from both Airi and Youta's perspective. I technically wrote Airi's part first but...Youta's makes more sense first in consideration. So, here we go!

The next chapter will be in-you know it-two weeks.

Side: Youta

By: Aviantei

A Visibility Omake

Youta waited for the signal to change at the crosswalk before dashing across. He didn't need to know the time to know that he was late. For some reason, the neighborhood his parents had decided to move into was at least twenty minute walk from anything resembling a restaurant. Delivery would have been worth it if he wasn't saving his money.

The grocery store was within a much more reasonable distance at least, but none of their cookware had been unpacked yet. Youta wasn't even sure how to organize his own new room let alone the rest of the house.

He started running out of breath far too easily. Just how out of shape had he gotten? A few years ago, this would have been nothing. He ignored the thought. Airi was probably starting to worry with that golden heart of hers, and Youta didn't even have the decency to bring his cellphone with him. It was a good thing that their parents hadn't come yet—he'd be scolded for leaving his sister alone for so long.

They really should have just gone together, but Youta didn't trust taking Airi out on unfamiliar streets. He would keep an eye on her, but intersections were dangerous. Their combined caution wasn't enough to erase Youta's worries.

Youta finally turned onto a nearby street. He recognized them from their drive there—it had been their collective first time in a taxi, and once Airi had gotten over her fascination with the vehicle, she had demanded her brother's help in knowing what their new town looked like. He had memorized the houses in the process.

He made it to the front door, legs burning. Tomorrow, Airi would definitely want to go outside, and he would need to make sure to rest enough before then. Now, he just needed to find his new goddamn key. Digging through his pockets, Youta hastily unlocked the door, fighting for a moment with his shoes in the doorway.

"Ai-chan, I'm home!" he called out. Airi was probably still in her room, starting to get bored out of her mind. Youta wondered if the local library carried books in braille as he headed down the hallway, dodging boxes on the way.

He almost walked past the kitchen, but stopped at the sight of Airi in his peripheral vision. Youta looked her over, checking for any signs that she had fallen while moving about the house. She hadn't. He smiled, relieved. How had he been stupid enough to think that she would stay still while he was gone?

Youta walked to the table. "Sorry I'm late; I had a harder time finding some place with carryout than I thought," he said, placing the bag down in front of his sister. Her head turned from him to the table, taking everything in. Even if Airi was fine, he was going to at least find some of the kitchen materials tonight. Cooking things at home was cheaper anyway.

Turning back to him, Airi smiled. "Welcome home, Nii-san."

Next time, Youta has a close encounter, some things are discussed, and Airi gain's a new imprint on her consciousness. Please look forward to it.