A/N: Yes I managed to write a new chapter for this. I simultaneously love and hate this story. It's almost pleasurable to write as character deconstruction is something I particularly enjoy but on the other hand doing it to Kise, one of my favourite characters who I have a rather dark head cannon for, is hard. So please bear with me if the updates are slow and inconsistent in length. Some chapters just happen more easily than others. Also I apologize if the presence of a reasonably prevalent OC bothers you. Naoi will get less and less important as the plot goes on but as Kaijou really only has it's starter team of characters with one reserve in Nakamura who is a SG I needed a character who could take Kise's position as small forward once he eventually accepts fate. So…. Sorry if you don't like OC"s Naoi is more of a tool to get the story moving than anything. Anyway on with the show~
-Chapter 2-
Suspicions
"Hey, you coming to basketball practice." 'Naoi asks from somewhere off to Kise's left, voice quiet. The blond just blinks in reply; he'd intended to skip. But now, faced with the option he really doesn't know. Naoi watches him expectantly, eyes mostly covered by his hair. The raven's gaze is intense as if he can see straight into Kise's soul. Naoi's creepy like that, quiet compared to the rest of the first-string but incredibly intense, knowledge beyond his years hidden in the depths of his eyes. For a moment Kise thinks his fellow small forward knows, or is at least suspicious.
"Nah, my Dad doesn't want me to push it and get myself sick again." The reply comes unsettlingly easily. It shouldn't be this easy to lie, not to his friends, not to anyone. Naoi just sighs flipping his notepad closed and slipping it into his messenger bag before sweeping the pens off his desk into the main pocket and zipping it closed without a care in the world.
"This isn't usually like you, Captain told you to take a couple of days off after the Touou match and yet you still came to practice. Not to mention the fact you work harder than any of us." The raven reasoned calmly standing before slipping his chair in and grabbing his bag off the floor. Their class had been let out 10 minutes early for some reason and now, 5 minutes before the bell was due to ring, the two of them were the only ones left in the classroom.
"Yeah well, that was Kasamatsu-sempai. My Dad's a doctor remember." Kise replies as usual, sunshine attitude intact. Together they leave the classroom shirts clinging to their skin in the sticky humidity of mid summer. Sweat dribbles into Kise's already blurred eyes. Usually he wouldn't care but it stings nearly as much as the dilation eye drops did and blurs his vision further. A violent shake of his head and a hand brushed over his forehead fix the problem easily but it's not subtle enough for Naoi not to notice. Thankfully, despite the slightest hint of worry swimming in the depths of his eyes the raven doesn't comment, just continues down the corridor as if nothing's the problem.
"You should still come and watch. The advice of a master would be welcomed." Naoi changes the topic effortlessly, tone kept casual. If he had noticed something he was doing a very good job of pretending he didn't. For that, Kise was incredibly thankful.
"I have nothing else to do sooo… might as well." Kise replied laughter in his voice, golden eyes scanning the distance for any sign of their seniors. They were still about a minutes walk away from the gym but it's not uncommon to run into one of the others on the way to practice.
"Kise." The barely audible, nearly predatory growl rings out from somewhere behind the blond before he finds himself sprawled on the grass next to the path Kasamatsu's foot firmly planted on the small of his back. He could hear both Naoi and Moriyama laughing off to the side. Kobori was probably smirking as well but being more polite by keeping quiet, though notably not stopping the other two from laughing. The blond didn't even want to think about what would happen if Hayakawa were there. The easily excited second year would have been literally rolling on the floor laughing.
"Next time you go and disappear for a week, don't come waltzing back in like nothing happened." Kasamatsu yelled steel-blue eyes ice-cold. Kise just whimpered in reply as the heel of Kasamatsu's shoe dug into his back painfully. Even if this sort of interaction was normality, something he craved it didn't make it any less painful.
"So mean Kasamatsu-sempai." The blond whined crocodile tears flowing freely down his cheeks as he twisted out from under the point-guard's foot. He sat up in the grass brushing leaves off his previously pristine white shirt. Kasamatsu just continued to glare steely eyes boring into the blond.
"I was sick, honestly Captain. Naoicchi can vouch for the fact I wasn't even at school." His voice surprisingly didn't waver. Kise sincerely hoped his ability to lie so effortlessly didn't become habit. He prided himself on being honest, brutally so at times. Ask any member of the Generation of Miracles and they would tell you Kise was one of the most honest members. Only loosing to Kuroko, who was so blunt it was part of the invisible man's sense of supposedly non-existent humour.
"It's the truth Kasamatsu-sempai. He wasn't exactly with it in class today either." Naoi backed up the blond's argument without missing a beat. To his credit the raven even managed to sound completely serious, not that he was incredibly believable either way. Naoi was renowned for being a trickster despite his usually mature manner of conducting himself. It had only taken a week for the rest of the first-string to figure out just how devilish the more benign looking of the first-year duo was. The only one it hadn't shocked was Kasamatsu who had noticed the mischievous glint in the dark haired teens red-brown eyes on the very first day.
"For once, I'm actually inclined to believe the pair of you." Kasamatsu sighed pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to dissipate the oncoming headache before it came. Dealing with either Kise or Naoi individually was enough, put together and on the same page was another league all together.
"They are honest most of the time, and Kise does still look pale." Kobori (ever the voice of reason in the hectic insanity of Kaijou first-string) spoke up calmly. All eyes flicked to the tall, near silent centre in mild surprise. It was astonishingly easy to forget he was there until he spoke up.
"Be glad you've got Kobori rooting for you on this one. Just remember, any more of this and I can still kick your ass." Kasamatsu growled whacking Kise on the shoulder good-naturedly before heading towards the gym. "If you're going to come watch, you better hurry up ace." Kise grinned leaping to his feet grabbing his bag from where it had fallen on the grass before sprinting after Kasamatsu eyes alight with elation. Golden blond hair reflected the mid-summer light creating an angelic halo around his head. Jubilant tinkles of laughter floating through the air as the blond ran, true happiness, something so rarely seen from Kise.
Naoi, Moriyama and Kobori followed close behind grinning from ear to ear as well. They had Kise back, the real Kise. Not the one they'd known for the weeks before the practice match with Seirin. Not the arrogant blond prick of a model that honestly believed his better-than-you attitude was justified. Not the famous basketball prodigy who kept every single demon he had hidden behind a carefully crafted mask of sunshine and rainbows. This Kise was an entirely different person. This Kise knew he wasn't perfect, knew he couldn't beat every single foe he came up again. This Kise didn't act like he was the prince of the world who deserved to be served. This Kise admitted his faults, let some of his insecurities slip through every so often. This Kise wasn't Kise Ryouta small forward of the Generation of Miracles. This Kise is the master of perfect copy and ace of the Kaijou high-school basketball team.
"Loosen you're shoulders Moriyama-sempai. You're a bit tight." Kise weaved through the various players observing their forms and correcting anything he could spot. Most of them, thank whatever god still looked over him, were taking the advice well. Others, second and third years that hadn't even seen the bench so far that year, were not. He guessed it was lent up frustration from being kicked off the regulars before having a chance. A bitter chuckle nearly slips past Kise's lips as he thinks about it. Not like any of them will be landing themselves a regular position any time soon. Even once he concedes defeat to the disease the small forward would be far from open. Naoi would be the first choice at his replacement and had the right set of skills to fill the gaping hole left in a team by losing the ace.
He shook the slightly morbid thoughts out of his head before the grips of gloom could take hold. The last thing he needed was for one of his more perceptive teammates (Naoi, Kasamatsu or Nakamura) to pick up on the melancholy rainclouds floating about his head. Then the already forming suspicions surrounding his prolonged absence and lack of involvement in practice would really blow up. It was best to stay in character, as close to normal as possible without doing something stupid anyway. Playing pretend is easier when the other characters are just as fooled as the lead after all.
Occasionally Kasamatsu shoots a worried (in violent-sempai terms) glance over his shoulder at the blond, which said model ignores effortlessly. Even if the idea that the usually irate third year actually does care about him is somewhat pleasing. At least somebody cares, somebody who actually sees him for who he is, not the glorified idol he is in the public eye.
A miniscule shiver runs down Kise's spine as the thought of his developing disability being revealed to the public. He sincerely hoped when the time came it would be on his terms. Not through some kind of scandal like one of his fans catching him in the wrong place at the wrong time. He really didn't feel up to dealing with the media anytime soon. First he had to accept this strange new reality himself. Explaining everything to the world certainly didn't come till much later in the game, at least he hoped. He couldn't explain something he barely understood himself.
"Quit thinking so much." The bland comment startles Kise out of his brief inner monologue as Naoi appears from seemingly nowhere dribbling a ball absentmindedly. "Something's definitely wrong, if there is one thing Kise Ryouta never does it's think."
"I'm hurt by your doubt in me Naoicchi." Kise replies without missing a beat look of feigned melodrama planted on his handsome features. Naoi laughs, a warm light chuckle before he darts off towards the goal leaping into an easily made lay up. The raven's form had improved in leaps and bounds since starting at Kaijou. He was no prodigy, that was clear, but years of training and observation often made up for lacking talent. Though, Naoi notably wasn't exactly lacking natural talent either, he just happened to be on the small side with his main natural talents being speed and agility. Apparently, by the stories the raven himself had told ball handling had taken plenty of time for Naoi to learn thanks to natural clumsiness.
"Yes well, just whatever it is stop worrying. You're thinking face is less than appealing. Besides it's not your job to worry." Kasamatsu breaks into the conversation with ease passing Naoi another ball to continue practicing his lay-ups with. Captain and ace stand face-to-face, too close for Kise's comfort.
"It's nothing…. really." Kise replies trailing off slightly in the middle as if the words had gotten lost somewhere in translation between his brain and tongue. Kasamatsu gives him the look that blatantly reads 'I know what you're thinking and you can't hide forever but there isn't time to pressure you right now' but severally paraphrased.
"I leave it be for now, but any more funny business and I need an answer. Got it Kise." The point guard growls before turning away and going back to practice, running through a dribbling drill at high speed before shooting a three-pointer seemingly effortlessly. Kise just nods too numb to reply with words. Kasamatsu really did have an odd way of showing affection but it was affection none-the-less, no matter how awkwardly given.
It was almost depressing, just how socially awkward the entire Kaijou first strong excluding himself was. Moriyama was fine around guys but just tried a little too hard when it came to getting a girl, actually that would be a gross understatement. Anything wearing a skirt was a worthy target of the vice-captains prying eyes. Kobori was that generic quiet guy with one of those blandly sarcastic senses of humour. Hayakawa... Kise honestly had no comment for him. Loud, completely inept at reading the situation and overly rambunctious did not bode well in social situations, let along within the team itself. Naoi, almost thankfully hadn't done anything wrong, then again he hadn't exactly done anything right either. The already reasonably quiet teen just became practically mute when it came to socialising. It had taken Kise nearly a month to get all of three words out of the raven in a row and another 2 weeks to get to sentences.
Then there was Kasamatsu Yukio, ultimate awkward duckling of social situations within the team, despite being Captain. It was almost painful to watch him interacting with anyone outside the closely-knit bunch of basketball idiots known as the Kaijou first-string. Actually, scratch that it was absolutely torturous, particularly when those of the opposite gender were involved. Watching Kasamatsu turn into an even more awkward than usual, blushing, blubbering mess was strangely satisfying in a very sadistic way. Kise usually wasn't that sadistic but occasionally he had his moments. Watching people completely have their character changed 180 degrees as soon as the opposite gender was one of those things he simply took pleasure out of. ]
Watching… something he'll lose the ability to do eventually. Read, watch the sunset, spend hours watching useless YouTube videos when he had notching else to do, play basketball… see. The list of things he loves that he'll lose as slowly as his condition progresses just gets longer and longer the more Kise thinks about it and before he knows he's in too deep. Completely cut off from the world caught in his own little bubble of self-pity. Disconnected as if he's an astronaut bouncing around on the moon and everyone else is down on earth, such that he can't even contact them.
Kise never sees the stray basketball flying towards his head before it's far too late.
A/N: Thankyou so very much for reading. Please follow, favourite and review if you enjoyed. I will try to update ASAP, as you know cliffhangers. (You all secretly love them. Right?). I thank those of you who favourite, followed and reviewed last chapter as it really encouraged me to get this one out sooner through the craziness that is my life at the moment. So if you want to keep the updates rolling, keep the encouragement and constructive criticism coming in. It is greatly welcomed.
Till next time
-Angel