Hidden Beauty
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Basket Ten: I Won't Lose!
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By the time Kuroi got off the train, it was nearly 2:30. She only had about thirteen minutes left to get to her school to meet Riko. She jogged for the school, because she knew that it took nearly twenty-five to thirty minutes just by walking to reach there, so she took her chances by jogging.
Kuroi pulled her hood off, the sun blazing down with its fiery heat. She absentmindedly wiped at the sweat that formed above her brow. Her wig was quite warm, no thanks to the added heat.
Kuroi reached the school in record time, her purple eyes scanning the area for the brown haired captain of Seirin. She came to a slow stop in front of the private school, rubbing her shoulder as she caught her breath.
Her muscles still ached since the day before, and now that she thought about it, she was still a bit tired.
"Kuroi-chan!" Kuroi nearly jumped from her skin, turning around to look at the other female, who came running up. "Hi!" She greeted, smile on her face.
"Hey, Riko-chan." Kuroi smiled, nodding in greeting.
"Awwh~! The girl you is so adorable! What kind of wig is that? Is it high quality?" Riko asked away, coming up to stand beside the girl, inspecting the long black strands.
"Eh, uh, thanks?... Not sure, but it was the best they had to offer." Kuroi shrugged, ignoring the ache that came from the movement. "Oh, I brought that picture you asked me to bring." Kuroi reached into her pocket, pulling the folded up picture out. She unfolded said picture, and handed it into the awaiting hands of Riko, who took it gratefully.
"Kyaaaah! You're so cute! When was this?" She asked, her eyes sparkling at the picture.
"Mmm, it was at a Teikou game, in middle school. Some of my friends and I went to cheer the basketball team on." Kuroi answered, hands stuffed inside her pockets as she idly kicked at the little stones that littered the ground.
She adjusted the pully strings for her hood, pausing only briefly when she saw a flash of black out of the corner of her eyes. She turned to look, but saw nothing.
'Huh...' She thought, frowning. Kuroi shook her head, turning her attention back to Riko. The Coach had finished with her sparkling, and was now staring intently at the sky, looking deep in thought.
"Uhm, Riko-chan?" Kuroi questioned, tilting her head to the side. "Should we go do something-... or something... ?" Kuroi wanted to smack herself, realizing how lame she sounded.
Riko only smiled and nodded, thinking. "Hmm, how about we go get something to drink or eat!" She suggested, crossing her arms in thought. "Then we can talk." She chuckled, brushing strands of her brown hair from her eyes.
"Sure." Kuroi nodded with a smile, following after Riko.
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The two had ended up at a nice looking restaurant that happened to be near Kuroi's school, and were now sitting in a booth, drinking tea.
Kuroi scratched her cheek, staring at the green liquid inside her cup. She looked up at Riko, who sipped the steaming green tea, sighing in content.
"So... What should we talk about?" Kuroi asked, fixing her sweater as she waited for Riko's response.
"Do you like anyone?" Riko grinned, leaning forward.
If Kuroi had been taking a sip of her tea, she surely would have spit it out all over Riko's face. "No! No." She confirmed, shaking her head wildly.
Riko only giggled, her grin melting into a smile. "It's okay, you can tell me the truth!" She sung innocently, tilting her head to the side.
"I am. Well, I can't really afford to like anyone anyways, considering the position I'm in." Kuroi shrugged, chuckling awkwardly. "What about you, do you like anyone?" She asked after a moment, watching Riko look up in thought.
"Eh, not really! I mean, it's sorta like your position, but different. I want to become strong enough to lead them all to the finals! I want to see them win." Riko smiled fondly, clearly thinking of her team.
Kuroi nodded in understanding. "Then, Riko-chan, I must apologize!" Kuroi leaned forward, huffing.
"Hmm?" Riko blinked, curiously staring into Kuroi's purple eyes.
"Kaijou will be the one to win! I won't give up!" Kuroi announced, her hands gripping her cup.
Riko shared her smirk, slamming her two fists down on the table, "I won't lose!" She claimed, staring into Kuroi's fiery eyes.
A couple heated seconds passed, and they both erupted into fits of giggles. "That was strange." Riko noted, wiping a tear from her eye.
Kuroi nodded furiously, trying to contain her giggles. She scrubbed at her eyes, finally the last of the giggles leaving her.
"You know... This is nice." She spoke, "It's nice to have someone to talk to, to laugh with, and to count on... Thank you, Riko-chan!" Kuroi smiled sweetly.
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Kuroi didn't know how long it has been since she first met with Riko by her school, but the sun was just beginning to set.
The sky was painted beautifully with pinks, oranges, and purples. Wispy clouds slowly floated by, welcoming the soft reddish glaze of the sun which slowly began to disappear.
Kuroi pulled the zipped higher, stuffing her hands inside her pockets for warmth. Only a few minute ago, she had said her goodbyes to Riko, and they went their separate ways.
Her walk to the train station only took ten minutes, and she slowly made her way up the stairs, fingering the pass in her pocket. She took the final step, and looked up.
Her face paled as she spotted the train, few people were scurrying on.
'The doors will now be closing.' Kuroi ran, her fingers curled into a fist as she listened to the automatic announcer.
"Wait, hold the doors!" She roared, racing to the closest door. A hand darted out for the door, stopping it from closing. She barreled in at top speed, knocking the stranger and herself over.
"S- Sorry!" Kuroi murmured, her hand darting out to rub her knee, which had painfully collided with the floor of the train.
"Haha, it's okay!" Kuroi froze, eye twitching as she focused on the person's face. "K- Kise! uhh, san. Kise-san-" She squeaked out, scooting off the fallen boy.
He rubbed the back of his head, pulling himself up into a sitting position. Once he cleared his thoughts, he blinked at her.
"Ah! You're that girl from before!" His expression visibly brightened as he pointed his index finger at her.
Kuroi bit back a response, and stared blankly at her fellow teammate. 'Why must fate be so cruel!?' She thought, moving to sit in an empty seat.
"Tell me your name!" He grinned, sitting himself beside her. Kuroi twitched, crossing her arms.
"Absolutely not." She answered, angling her head away from the curious blond.
"Ehh! Why?" Kise whined, hugging the duffel bag close to him. Kuroi just stared at the passing scenery, before the train went underground.
She nibbled the bottom of her lip, feeling the bond's gaze on her. A couple minutes passed, and she got annoyed. "How long are you going to stare at me, weirdo?" She hissed, leg impatiently bouncing as she knew it would take a while before she got off at her stop. She didn't want to be stuck with her team mate for that long, he might get suspicious.
"I'm not a weirdo!," Kise cried, obvious pout on his face. "I'm just wondering why you're here!" He smiled, nodding to himself.
"Funny, I was wondering the same thing." Kuroi narrowed her eyes, glaring at the model.
"I'm going home! I actually just finished another photo-shoot." Kise babbled, golden-yellow eyes practically glowing as he filled her in on his latest shot. Kuroi only nodded tiredly, letting a small yawn out.
"Ah, am I boring you?" He asked, smiling sheepishly. "Let's talk about you, then. What's your favorite sport?" Kise asked, waiting intently for her answer.
"Basketball." Kuroi replied immediately. Only after a couple seconds, did she realize her mistake. She turned to look at the model, ready to attack if he suddenly realized that she, was a he, but really still a she. God, life was confusing.
Kise only stared at her with a blank dull look, before the fire was lit in his eyes again. "Me too!" He cried excitedly.
"I love basketball! I started in middle school because of Aominecchi! Oh, do you play? We should play some time!" Kise added, fidgeting in his seat, awaiting her answer.
"U- uhh... No, I don't, sorry. I usually just watch it on TV." Kuroi replied, watching as his shoulder visibly sagged.
"Maybe I could teach you!" He grinned suddenly.
"C- Can't. I need to focus on my studies. Plus, I'm busy with... girl stuff." Kuroi twitched with brooding eyes. Kise's smile fell, and he just settled for pouting. "What?" Kuroi asked, crossing her arms.
"Nothing." He huffed out.
"Oh, I'm not allowed to have a life?" Kuroi growled out darkly.
"Of course you are!" Kise argued, frowning in response.
"Baka." She hissed, glaring out the window at the setting sun.
"You remind me of Yasuhirocchi!" Kuroi sputtered, turning her glare to the blond. "Don't compare me to some random person." She scolded.
"Hehe, sorry." Kise shrugged nonchalantly, rubbing the back of his head.
"Well, would you look at that, my stop is here. Goodbye!" Kuroi stood quickly, making a bee line for the doors. "... And sorry for running into you." She huffed, stepping out of the train.
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Nuuu, leave Yasuhirocchi alone, Kise! xD Sorry I haven't updated in a (long) while, I've been busy with school... and video games. Hooray for Lollipop Chainsaw. But, anyways, taadaaaa?
~Love me or Hate me~