The sky is so very, very blue today. Bluer than Daiki's eyes and Kuroko's hair, brighter than the lights that shine down so relentlessly on the basketball courts below me, and more unusually at ease than the calm ocean near my old home. Flat, fluffy clouds twist into unconventional wisps and cotton candy shapes as some invisible wind pushes them across the sky. I'm definitely glad I agreed to come to the roof today.
It's so silent up here, without a trace of the busy lives of the students who are no doubt hard at work somewhere on campus during their club activities. I'm pretty sure that Daiki's asleep beside me, like he doesn't sleep enough at home or during class. I'd look over at him, check to see how deeply he's asleep and maybe try to see what kind of expression Daiki makes when he sleeps, but I don't. Instead, I continue to stare at the sky and wish ruefully that I could feel at peace forever.
"Hai-chan!" Satsuki says as her head pops up over the edge of the rooftop, most likely still on the ladder. I jerk with a start, breathing in a bit too sharply and nearly yelping at the sensation of my ribs expanding beyond what they deem acceptable.
"Satsuki." I reply with a smile, watching how the pinkette rakes a somehow pleased gaze over the sleeping Daiki and my rather lazy body. She says nothing for a few moments, stepping over the edge of the rooftop and sitting down beside me. Without a word, she stretches out her legs and lets me rest my head in her lap. "The sky is pretty today."
Satsuki doesn't really respond to that. She looks up to examine the sky, assessing it on her own. "It's a nice day today." She says with an unusually sweet tone of voice. "You haven't been coming to practice as often, Hai-chan. I was getting really worried about you. All you do is sit there looking pissed and bounce that ball of yours against the wall." I almost disregard her words completely, feeling a sense of relaxation set in.
"The breeze is really nice, too. It isn't strong at all." I murmur. Then I look back up at Satsuki. "I'm just kind of irritated, that's all. I want to practice, but I can't. It's annoying." I stretch my fingers for a moment before sitting up carefully. "It's nice up here. I can see why Daiki's always out here."
I gaze at the blue-haired prodigy from the corner of my eye, wondering if he's still asleep or faking. It's not like I'll call him out on it or anything. Daiki has his own behavioral rules. If he thinks he should fake sleeping, I won't stop him. When he fidgets his fingers slightly, I glance away and pretend I didn't see anything. After all, he really could be sleeping, and it's weird to watch sleeping people. "Did you come up here just to tell me that?"
"Mm." Satsuki says, a noncommittal look on her face. I look at the pink-haired girl suspiciously.
"What is it?" I ask with an exasperated sigh. So she did have an ulterior motive. Oh, well. "I'm not lending you money."
"That's not it at all!" Satsuki says with an almost indignant expression. "Coach Harasawa thought that it would be beneficial to have something the team does together for bonding, and I agreed to talk to the players about it. We haven't really decided on what we're going to do, so..."
"You want us off the roof so we can discuss this altogether?" I reply with a sigh, scratching my side absentmindedly. "Fine. I'll get down this time."
"Um... Dai-chan..." Satsuki says as I sit up and she goes to wake him up.
"Don't wanna." He replies flatly.
"Keep up that attitude and I'll have you carry me down the ladder, lazy." I reply, peering down the ladder. "Saaaatsuki, I don't wanna move this much."
"You're as lazy as ever." Satsuki says with a playful sigh. We grin at each other before I glance at Daiki.
"C'mon, Daaaaiiiiiki." I say with a sigh. "There's a 90% chance you'll get free food out of this." Daiki's right eye opens lazily as he looks at me. It looks like he'll certainly say no, but I might as well try anyway. "Besides, you can probably manage to annoy almost everyone in first string just by showing up. Wakamatsu's always funny when he's annoyed."
Daiki's eye slides shut as he sighs. "Fine." He grumbles unhappily. "Don't think you convinced me to go or something. I just changed my mind." I smile warmly at him.
"Of course, Daiki." I say with a somewhat softened expression. Then my expression goes back to whatever it normally is. "Ugh, ladders." I'm the first to brave the ladder, going down slowly and feeling my sore muscles protest with every rung I descend.
"Doing okay there, Hai-chan?" Satsuki asks as I near the bottom half of the ladder.
"Perfect." I reply icily. "Perfectly fine. Swell. Fantastic. Have I ever mentioned that I don't like heights very much?" This is why I don't like the gym roof. Most of the way down passes with me practically praying to the ladder to hold me before my feet somehow slip. I yelp as my arms jerk my body painfully, and try to grab my foothold once more. Unfortunately, the ladder stops about a body length and a half from the ground. I had Daiki boost me up using a stool, but I can't see the stool below me, and falling from this height is not good for my ankle. "Satsuki, I can't get off the ladder. What happened to the thing that was below the ladder?"
"There wasn't anything there when I got here." Satsuki says, looking down from her position a few rungs above me. "Move to the side. I'll jump down and try to find something." I do move to the side until Satsuki passes me and drops awkwardly and goes to search for something.
"Satsuki!" I call, "Just tell me where-" The pinkette is gone, and the last rung appears to be at stomach level. My arms are burning. "Daiki?" The bluenette is undoubtedly still on the roof. "Daiki!" I shout his name a few more times, but he doesn't answer. "Aomine Daiki!" He still doesn't show any signs of popping into existence, where I can see him, so I shut my mouth and frown with irritation. Maybe I can go down rung by rung.
That's how Satsuki finds me, hanging three or four feet off the ground, swaying slightly as I reach the last rung of the ladder. "Satsuki..." I glance at the pinkette. "Can I come down now?"
"I couldn't find anything for you to step on." She says apologetically, "But I did get Wakamatsu, since he's tallest." I glance at the blond.
"Sorry, Wakamatsu. I thought I left something to stand on." I say sheepishly, my face reddening.
"Um... how do you wanna do this?" Wakamatsu asks, equally red faced.
"I'd really recommend against grabbing my stomach or ribs, if that helps. Also, my arms are starting to hurt." I say as I try to adjust my grip once more. "I'm gonna drop in another minute." Wakamatsu goes into action after another few moments, carrying my legs over one arm and placing his other arm at my back.
Wakamatsu sometimes surprises me, ya know? He acts loudmouthed and annoying and otherwise irritating, but he's also surprisingly intelligent and gentle and friendly. I could get along with him. He reminds me of the old Aomine and that Kagami kid. It's not like I actually dislike him at all. He just reminds me of the old Teiko, the one I originally joined, the one that I want to see once more. I know it's really a rather foolish wish, to ask for the past back so I can enjoy what I took for granted, but it's something I wish I'd held close.
I thank the blond boy and roll my shoulders, trying to work out the kinks that have formed from not playing any sports within the last week. "Daiki, get down here! I'm not coming back up there." I holler, my eyes narrowing slightly. "If you're not down here in thirty seconds, you don't get dinner and I'll hide your futon." Daiki's head pops up over the edge of the roof.
"Calm yourself, woman!" Daiki yells in response. "I'll be down in just a minute." I smile slightly back up at him.
"That's about thirty seconds too long!" I reply teasingly. "Maybe I'll move your futon outside so it freezes overnight." The small shape of Daiki retreats and then climbs down the ladder. I try to exaggerate my impatience, but all it does is seem to amuse Daiki as he makes a show of dropping from the ladder. I roll my eyes.
"Why do we have to go, anyway?" Daiki whines, throwing an arm around my shoulder carelessly as we walk toward the gym.
"It's a team event. You're a member of Touou's basketball team, aren't you?" I reply patiently. "It's good to get along with your teammates, you know." Daiki's arm feels a little heavy as he leans on me to show his displeasure. I roll my eyes and continue to walk forward. "At least be civil with them, you know? It's not like they can ask us to make nice and play house together."
Wakamatsu snorts behind us before guffawing. I turn slightly, as much as Daiki's arm allows, and give him a warm smile. Daiki huffs quietly beside me as I turn back around and attempt pulling away from him. "I'm hungry." Daiki groans as we enter the gym. I can feel my irritation welling up as I walk in. My current inability to play frustrates me.
"Good for you." I reply with notes of annoyance lacing my voice. "Next time you can have part of my bento. It's not like I eat all of it anyway." Satsuki whacks the back of my head, making me lurch forward awkwardly. My foot stomps into the floor and my knee gives a bit before I push her with my side with equal force. I try to show her just how irritated she's made me. "Ow."
"Sorry." Satsuki says as she giggles. "I didn't mean to hit you that hard." I think I can feel some sort of twitch coming on. Before it can manifest, Satsuki turns her attention to the team. "Anyway, Coach Harasawa has asked for all of you to spend some time together, just so we're sure nobody's going to cause problems amongst you. You can do pretty much anything."
Wakamatsu, Daiki, and Susa all look at me expectantly, to which I raise an eyebrow and try to pull another vanishing act. It doesn't work all too well since I'm in plain view, but I do manage to dodge the full force of their gazes. "Imayoshi, what do you suggest?" I ask, trying to divert this unusual focus.
"Hm." Imayoshi says, looking almost thoughtful. I try to see if I can read his thoughts from his expression, but Imayoshi has a rather smug, placid face most of the time. I haven't really seen him surprised or shocked or anything, so I'm not entirely sure he can make those expressions. "I'm pretty much broke right now."
"Same." I say with a sigh. "So what can we do that isn't too expensive?" Imayoshi and I turn to Wakamatsu, looking at him expectantly before I hear a familiar stomach grumble. I blink in surprise and try not to glance at Daiki. "Why don't we just get something to eat? Pretty hard to mess that up. Sounds like some of us are hungry, anyway."
"I have no objections." Imayoshi says.
"Fine with me." Susa supplies. Daiki's in it for the food, so he votes for it as well. Wakamatsu and Sakurai end up agreeing with us after a few more moments.
"So... where to?"
Ten minutes later we stand outside a decent sized yakitori restaurant. The smell of grilled chicken is making my mouth water. "Well I'm down for it." I say to the expectant Wakamatsu. "Smells really good~!"
Daiki places a hand on my head and ruffles my hair rather roughly despite my loud protests to it. "It's just food, Alex." He says with an amused expression. I roll my eyes and push his hand from my head.
"There's no such thing as 'just food' in this world, Daiki!" I reply vehemently. "Well, unless it's sushi, spicy, or bitter." I mutter under my breath. Daiki then ruffles my hair again forcefully as I try to push his hand away.
"If you overeat you'll get fat." Daiki says teasingly. I roll my eyes.
"If I don't order more food than I can eat, you take so much that I'm still hungry!" I respond as I finally dodge his hand.
"You eat too slow!"
"Keep your paws away from my food!" I end up laughing so much at the end of my sentence that my ribs ache and my words are broken. Daiki simply whacks my head and threatens to eat everything I order as we walk into the restaurant.
The instant we're in, the smell of grilled meat wafts over me, making my stomach grumble loudly in anticipation of being filled. I haven't had the chance or the money to eat out for almost a year now, so this is a really nice change of pace. It's not like I don't work or something. I work most days after practice from 4 to 8, and on weekends from 12 to 4. Despite that, bills and rent and groceries do end up taking a good chunk of my salary. The rest of my money is in the bank (Satsuki's parents helped me set it up) or in my wallet for pocket money.
We order pretty quickly, and I can barely sit still from excitement. I can almost taste the hot meat on my tongue, sliding down my throat, settling in my stomach. My lips curl up at the edges with an edgy sort of joy. We banter back and forth for a while. Imayoshi thinks that because I'm a frequent companion to Daiki that I must not be too intelligent. I'm working on trying to change his mind. I'm actually rather intelligent, you know? Daiki's not really stupid either. He just doesn't apply himself to anything other than basketball.
"I don't believe it." Imayoshi says as I tell him that I recently received a great grade on my latest test.
"Then we can both go talk to my teachers about my grades, since it concerns you so much." I reply patiently, my lips curling into a smirk. "I might not be familiar with much kanji, but I know enough to get by in school without much hassle."
"Fine. But prove you can read this." Imayoshi takes a napkin, pulls out a pen from god knows where, and writes a long, rather intimidating looking paragraph until the napkin is filled with lots of kanji and kana. Then he hands it to me. "Then I want you to translate it."
Daiki laughs beside me, leaning back in his seat. "You'll have to try harder than that." He says to Imayoshi as I read the words aloud, take my napkin, and translate it almost instantaneously. I hand it back to him for inspection.
"My translation is correct." I say when he raises an eyebrow. "I'm a native English speaker. I know what I'm doing when it comes to English." My eyes narrow as he reads over the translation.
"Do this one." He takes the back of the napkin and writes more. Handing it back to me, I can tell that this translation will be more difficult. It takes me a while longer to go over this series of words.
"I don't recognize this kanji." I say, pointing at it as I look up at Imayoshi. "What is it?"
"Hesitation." I go back to my translation, dodging a few plates of grilled meat and Daiki's chopsticks.
"You just like making my life difficult." I say, finishing up and passing the napkin back. "You better hope I didn't just do your homework or something." Imayoshi just smiles at me with exaggerated innocence. I roll my eyes and eat my meal, smiling at the taste of good food.
"Speaking of homework-" Daiki starts.
"No." I say flatly. "Do it yourself."
"But Alex, you like doing English anyway." I roll my eyes.
"But then you didn't earn your grade, did you? It's not like I won't help you." I reply with a closed-eyed smile.
"But... effort... I don't get it." He says flatly. I blink.
"It's English. It's not as difficult as you think." I reply.
"You food eat fast." Daiki says in a monotone. I blink for a second.
"Was... was that even English?" Susa asks with a rather confused expression.
"You eat food fast." I say. "Be more careful about your sentence structure." Daiki rolls his eyes. I laugh at his I'm-so-done-with-you expression. "Besides, we both know I do most of your homework every time I say I'll help, so don't complain too much, Daiki." The blue-haired dunce huffs in embarrassment and looks away.
"Fine, fine." he says sheepishly. I give him an amused smile and continue eating.
"Why are you taking English if you already speak it?" Wakamatsu asks, waving his chopsticks around in the air. I fend of Daiki's pilfering chopsticks.
"It's a required class. For me, it's just an easy grade. I get to speak English for part of the day, so it isn't so bad since I don't get to speak it any time else." I reply. "Plus I sometimes tutor kids during lunch, so more English for me."
"Speaking of tutoring." Imayoshi says. "Some of us have a failing grade in English. We're going to need to get those grades up if we want to keep playing basketball."
"So, tutoring?" I reply. "I don't normally do it for free, but I'll help. We're teammates after all."