THIS IS LATE. BOOOO! I deserve the bad comments for this late update. Hountou Gomenasai. T^T I uploaded 3 new chapters to make up for it. XD

You may now continue reading~

Chapter 26 – Completely and Utterly

Saturday, at the Kaijo Gym.

"Rakuzan has training in the nearby gym today. I'll be going there to observe them, will that be fine, coach?" Yachiyo asked Coach Takeuchi who looks as strict and uninterested as always.

"Yeah, okay. Just make sure to gather data and submit them to me." he replied.

"Rakuzan training, eh? Maybe Akashicchi would be there too." Kise said. "Maybe I should come and say hi to him~" Initially, he wasn't supposed to be part of the conversation. And somehow, Yachiyo and coach didn't notice he was even there all along.

"Oi, Kise what are you still doing here? Practice is over." coach said.

"Coach, I'll be leaving now. I might get late." Yachiyo said plainly and ignored Kise.

"Ahhh Chotto! I'll be going with you! Oi WAITTT!" Kise ran after her.

"Leave me alone. You are obnoxious." Yachiyo coldly said.

Coach Takeuchi sighed at the sight and said; "Sheesh….Young love."

…

"Seriously, you can run faster than you look. Ahaha." Kise caught up to Yachiyo. He looked slightly tired while Yachiyo kept her face straight. "But even if you run away, I'll just chase after you. Ahaha."

"Hmm… oh wait, that sounds creepy. Ahaha. Gomen gomen! XD" Kise joked. "Now I sound like a stalker. XD A very handsome stalker though. Ahaha. But seriously, I will follow you. You've been ignoring me for days. It makes me sad, Meganekko. :T" he continued. Yachiyo still had her face straight though.

"You will chase after me?" she thought. "What could I possibly do to make you go away? Why don't you just leave me alone—" her train of thoughts was interrupted when Kise stopped and blocked her way.

"Hmm? you seem dazed." Kise bowed down so his face was at her level. In reply, she pinched both of his cheeks and said; "Don't block the way, we might not make it to the practice of Rakuzan High."

"Ow ow ow! Pwweash shwtop idd! Id huwstss![please stop it. it hurts.] Kise complained.

"Ryouta, it's been a while." A familiar voice called.

Yachiyo let go of him and Kise turned around to face Akashi Seijurou. "Akashicchi? Uwaaa~ It's been a while~" Kise quickly moved towards him and smiled.

"You seem to be doing well, Ryouta." Akashi lightly smiled back.

"Nn! You too~" Kise looked very happy. "Oh right, Akashicchi!" Kise pointed towards Yachiyo who just stood there. "This is Kurokocchi's cousin. She's also our manager at the basketball club."

"Shouldn't I be the one to introduce myself?" Yachiyo thought. Then she introduced herself; "Kuroko Yachiyo desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."

"Don't look him in the eyes, Yachiyo… remember that." she thought.

Akashi moved closer to her and greeted; "I'm Akashi Seijurou. I didn't know Tetsuya had a cousin." He eyed her, but she didn't look back. Instead her eyes were down. "Your height and hair color are the same."

"Uhm… thanks." she timidly replied. She raised her head a bit and stared at his eyes. One red, one gold. "His eyes really does looks like a cat. So if Midorima-san is a carrot, and Murasakibara is an eggplant, then Akashi is a cat… Maybe I should think of another vegetable. On the other hand, Ikemen is a dog so I guess it's even. 2 vegetables, 2 animals. But what is Tetsuya? what is the blue-haired guy? Hm…"

Despite the rather comedic thoughts, she didn't laugh at all. In fact, it wasn't obvious that she was thinking of those things. And it seems she didn't realize that she was already looking at his eyes, staring to be exact.

"Is she… staring at Akashicchi?" Kise thought.

When she realized it she panicked and bowed; "Ah! Sumimasen! I didn't mean to!"

Akashi didn't say anything rude to her. Which is odd. He just plainly said; "It's fine."

"Eh?" she stood up properly with a confused expression; "It's fine?"

"Yes. It is. You are Tetsuya's cousin after all." Akashi replied. "Do you want to watch our practice?"

"Eh… uhm… " Yachiyo was still kinda shocked.

"Is that not the reason you came here? You said so earlier." Akashi motioned his hand and said; "Let's go, shall we?"

"H-hai!" Yachiyo stuttered in shock. Then she followed him as he walked. While Kise followed them.

The expression on Kise's face was normal. No smile. No frown. But somehow, his eyes looked dazed. He watched as Yachiyo and Akashi had a simple conversation.

"How's Tetsuya by the way?" Akashi asked.

"H-he's doing fine." she shyly answered. "I guess Akashi-san isn't so scary after all."She looked at his heterochromatic eyes and thought; "Neko." She likes cute things so just the thought made her show a little pink on her face.

The sight of the two made Kise quiet. And before long, they're already at the practice.

Several players are doing laps, while the others are doing jumping exercises. There were also some on the pool and a few more lifting weights. The others were stretching while the rest had their own routine.

The scene made Yachiyo's eyes wide. "It's amazing. The diversity of training and the various options." Yachiyo commented with awe. "I can see very well that they don't excel much in the activities they're doing. By the looks of it, you are training each member's weaknesses, right?"

"You're correct. You seem very knowledgeable about this. Do you have any suggestions?" Akashi asked.

"Well, you could at least focus on their strong points afterwards to create balance. And after pool exercise, it's better if they do stretching afterwards. Their daily routine should be changed as well, it won't be enough if—" she stopped when she realized that Akashi was looking at her.

"Ah! Sorry! I said too much!" She apologized again.

"No, it's okay. In fact, you're helping." Akashi replied. "Though it's best to keep does advices to your team. We might get advantage if you continue advising us. "

"You're right." Yachiyo smiled unsurely. "I sure wish our team members are as determined as your members."

"And it would be nice to have you as our manager as well. You'll be a great help." Akashi added.

"Uhm… a-arigatou, Akashi-san." she shyly thanked him.

"Meganekko, you have gathered enough information, right?" Kise suddenly interrupted.

"Huh? uh… yeah. I think so, maybe." but she didn't look back at him. Instead she continued talking with Akashi; "Akashi-san, how much training do you get every day?"

Before Akashi could answer Kise already grabbed Yachiyo's hand and pulled her close; making her lose her balance and unintentionally lean her head against his chest. In just a second, she was already blushing. "Gomen, Akashicchi. I think we need to go now." Kise said in a serious sounding tone.

Akashi looked at him and smiled a little; "Sou ka. I see now, Ryouta." He understood what Kise must have been feeling and said; "You may go now."

"Let's just meet again sometime, Akashicchi. Ja ne." Kise gave him a little smile in return then he walked out of the gym with him still holding Yachiyo's hand.

He dragged her out until finally, Yachiyo shouted; "Oi! What are you doing? I was still asking some questions!" she protested; "Let me go!" And then, she pulled out her hand from his.

"Meganekko…" Kise said in a seemingly serious tone. "What do you think of Akashicchi?"

"Huh? What kind of question is that?" Yachiyo asked in return.

"Please… please answer the question." he added. There's something about his expression that made her stop and look concerned. Finally she said; "He's a lot kinder than I thought. I thought he was a very scary person because he's the captain, but I was wrong… In fact, he actually looks…" she trailed off and seemed like she was thinking.

Kise looked at her, and when she trailed off his eyes covered his face.

Then she continued; "he looks like a… neko."

"Oh I see…" Kise said depressingly. Then after a few seconds; "EH?! A NEKO?!"

"Yes, like a neko. His eyes, it looks like that of a cat's. It's kinda fascinating so I unintentionally end up staring at him. Don't you think he does look like cat?" Yachiyo explained. When she said that, Kise abruptly laughs out loud. "pffft… FUWAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!"

"A CAT?! THAT'S IT?! I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO SAY HE LOOKS HANDSOME OR CUTE! FUWAHAHAHHAHA." he continued laughing.

"Jeez, seriously… first you were depressed and now you are laughing like an insane old man…" Yachiyo sighed. "Eh?... wait a sec… were you jealous of him?"

Kise stopped laughing when he heard that, and his face was replaced with a red tomato. "Uhm… you see… it's just that… you were… staring at him… and… I thought that you…" he explained. Then he coughed to clear his throat; "Y-yes. Yes I was."

When he lifted his head up, what he saw was the red face of Yachiyo. When she realized he was looking at her, she took a step back… AND RAN.

"Eh…..… EH?!" Kise was shocked at first but he quickly stood up and followed her.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Yachiyo shouted.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I can't do that?!" Kise shouted back.

She stopped running and Kise slowed his pace. When she looked back; her face was still red.

"Uwaaa~ That's so sweet!" And old couple said in a sigh-y tone.

"I remember when we were like that, dear."

"Ah… but despite the quarrels, we still love each other, dear."

A huge steam came from Kise's an Yachiyo's head… and she started running away again. And Kise followed her… I mean… oh wait… 'chased' her again.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Yachiyo shouted again.

"NEVER!" Kise shouted back. "Oh wait, I know this road, there's a playground at the other end, and there's a shortcut…. THERE!" he thought. Then he made a quick turn.

When Yachiyo looked back, he wasn't there so she slowed her pace and stopped at the playground.

That's when a familiar hand poked her cheek. "Gotcha, Meganekko." Kise teasingly smiled.

She instantly pulled back and wanted to run again, but Kise already had his hand on hers. "You are not going anywhere." He pulled her close again and hugged her tightly. "You can't run… and if you do, I'll continue to chase after you. "

"Why is he so warm? I feel weird again… this feeling, why do I feel like I'm melting?" she thought. Then she did something that wasn't like her at all. Instead of pushing Kise away, she in turn, also wrapped her hands around him. Her short arms curled around him while she had her face buried in his shirt. "That's right, I don't have to ask myself. Because…. I already know. I just didn't want to admit it. If I tell him, what would happen? Bad? A distraction perhaps? Or something I would regret? I don't want that."

Kise was surprised by her actions. His face was first of pure shock but later on he gave off a big warm smile. He whispered in her ear; "Daisu—"

Despite her small arms, Kise felt her grip gently tighten. Then….

She pinched his cheeks hard "Ow ow ow ow ow!" Kise shouted. "Don't you dare say that again." She warned. That's when a voice called in the background; "Yachiyo? What are you doing?" Tetsuya called.

Yachiyo quickly lets go of Kise and turns to face Tetsuya. Her expression changed again, right now, she's the very sweet cousin of Tetsuya. "I saw a bug in his face, Tetsuya~ So I had to kill it. Ahaha." She chuckled innocently.

"It seemed more like you were trying to kill me, not the bug!" Kise shouted. She glared at him and he shouted again; "Oi! Stop changing personalities in split seconds!" That's when she pointed at something behind Tetsuya and said; "Look! It's a Siberian husky!"

When Tetsuya turned, she grabbed Kise's collar and said in his face; "You better shut up, or I'll shut you up permanently." It's just like before, when she introduced herself to him. But this time, it wasn't the same atmosphere. In the second they realized that their faces were close, the two blushed red. And pulled away without saying anything.

"Yachiyo, no dogs." Tetsuya said plainly.

"H-hai. Let's go home. I-I need to do s-some things. For the school festival." She said in an embarrassed stuttering tone. Tetsuya stared at her for a while, then looked at Kise who also had the same red face.

"Okay." He said finally.

When Tetsuya and Yachiyo got to her apartment, she let herself collapse on the couch and bury her face on the pillow. "Tetsuya, I need medicine. I feel sick."

"Sick?" Tetsuya stood beside the couch. "What are the symptoms?"

"I feel hot, nauseous, weird tummy, and insomnia." She said in a muffled tone.

"Does it occur whenever you are with a certain person?" Tetsuya asked.

She nodded. "By any chance, is that person Kise-kun?" he asked again. Although her face was buried in the pillow, it seemed as though he saw a steam come out of her head.

"Yachiyo, that is not sickness." He said.

"Yes, Yes I am sick!" She defended then sat straight up. She shouted then looked guilty after doing so.

"No." he looked at her seriously; "I hate to be the one to tell you this, because I am hoping that you'll realize it yourself, but it seems like you're too dense or you just don't want to admit it." He inhaled deeply and exhaled then he said;

"You are completely and utterly in-love with Kise Ryouta."

That sentence didn't quite stick to her head in the first 3 seconds. But another 3 more seconds and she's bright red. Red like the setting sun on a beautiful summer afternoon. Red like the cherries in a black forest cake. Red like R-E-D. And what followed was her loud shocking screech of embarrassment.

"No I am not!" she defended.

"Yachiyo, I saw your expression change 15 times whenever we talk about him. And there's almost no conversation we had that you didn't say anything about him. Although you said he was weird and annoying, you seemed happy and bright red."

"Wha—No! It's not like that! He's just… uhm… he's a great friend but—"

"Yachiyo, remember. I know you can't lie to me. I've known you since we were born. We have the same birthday; you're like a sister to me too. I know you. And I know you like him. It's obvious." He said.

She stayed quiet for a while then looked down so her fringe covered her eyes; "I… I don't plan on getting that 'love' be part of my life for now. It's just a painful distraction. And besides, I'm transferring schools."

"No. You aren't." Tetsuya said. She looked up in surprise and gave him a baffled look. "You aren't transferring schools until you agree to do what is best for you and what is right."

"Best for me?" she asked.

"I know you'll regret it if you don't do this…" he paused for a second and added; "Confess to Kise-kun within this week. If you don't do that, I won't let you transfer schools."

"What?! But Tetsuya! I want to go to Seirin! And I didn't say I do like him!" she protested. Tetsuya gave her a blank serious look. She became nervous; "Oh no! Is he mad?" she thought. She panicked then finally she admitted; "Okay! You're right! I do feel that way!"

Tetsuya clapped his hands and said; "Omedetou Yachiyo. You finally admitted it." He smiled.

She was blushing but she managed to say; "How is that even good? Even if I did that, saying that to him would be… impossible."

"It is great actually. You've never admitted your feelings, even to me, although I can see through them. I've seen you keep your straight face for years, but ever since you met Kise-kun, you managed to express yourself little by little. You became you." He smiled.

"What does that even mean?!" she couldn't help but shout in embarassment.

"It means what it sounds like, Yachiyo." Tetsuya grabbed his bag and started walking to the door. "This week, from Monday till Friday afternoon; that is the time when you can confess. I'd know if you won't do it, so don't cheat. So what do you chose Yachiyo? Seirin or Kaijo?"

"Ganbatte, Yachiyo." He closed the door slowly behind him while Yachiyo just stood there, looking nervous. Her thoughts flew fast.

"C-confess to Ikemen? B-bu-but… I can't even look him in the eyes… I do have feelings for him but… I only accepted that just now…. What should I do?... It's not like I can go against Tetsuya's will… but I can't do this!"

"GOD HELP ME!"

.

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END Completely and Utterly

TBC

THIS CHAPTER IS LATE SUND! Oh well, sorry about that. T^T I can't just quit school now, can I? XD If I could write everyday, I would! But I can't so I shan't. But I will still try my best :3 XDDD Ahaha. Matta ne~ 'Til next time.