The song of this chapter is Selene 6.23 - SHINee

[Kuroko No Basket belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki]

[English isn't my first language, so please be kind]


4

Singing

Hayami P.O.V.

Takao's house was full of toys, there was a separate wing in the room next to the bookcase with a small blackboard with the alphabet. One of the photos showed a little Takao with some teeth missing but still smiling.

- My sister likes to teach me sometimes - Takao's voice sounded a little below me - it's because of her that I get such good grades.

I didn't have the courage to go to his room last night, so I slept in the living room, but Takao set up a little nest for him on the floor, next to the couch.

Since I was nervous Takao held my hand throughout the night while he distracted me with fun facts about his family. It was very comforting to hear. It was nice to know there were people with normal families out there.

I looked at my cell phone quickly, as I ended up falling asleep with it hidden between the sheets. I had forgotten my charger at the hotel so it wouldn't be of much use now.

Suddenly I started humming a melody that had been in my head since the night before.

- What are you singing? - Takao soon got up, I could see his curious eyes on his face resting on the pillows.

- It's just an old song - I tried to make him not pay too much attention to it, but Takao was persistent.

He held my hand again.

- If I had your voice Ha-chin I would say everything while singing.

Takao poked me until I laughed. I needed to sing.

Look at my eyes,

I whisper alone as I look at you from far away

Just smile for me once,

I can endure it just by seeing your face

Takao opened his mouth to follow me, but I silenced his lips with my fingertips. I wanted him to listen to me.

Though I extend my hand

Though I extend it with all my strength

I can't reach you

It seemed like I got closer

So I called you with a fluttering heart

But there's no answer

I guess I can never reach you

From Takao's expression he finally seemed to understand.

- You sang that to me once - he said - over the phone.

I nodded, and closed my eyes when Takao's smile became even bigger. I wondered if I would react like this to someone else one day, maybe with Seijūrō? What would our relationship be like? There were so many questions that I would only know the answer to in the future, but to do that I needed to have a light heart.

That's why my solo date with Takao was the first and also the last.

- It's the song you said kept playing in your head when you fell in love with me!

Takao clapped his hands then leaned forward to give me a kiss. Why were boys so loud?

The problem with Takao's kisses was that they were long, almost endless, and since we were alone he couldn't hold back. When I realized he was already on top of me and his hands were everywhere. I think that if my heart wasn't inside my body, everyone in the neighborhood would be able to hear my heartbeat echoes.

He only stopped when he took off the blankets he had given me last night, when he saw the healed wounds on my arms.

When I wrote to Takao about this problem once, I thought he would think I was ugly when he saw them in person, but he didn't act that way. There was no disgust in his eyes.

- Promise you won't do this to yourself again, Ha-chin.

- I promise - I replied when I caught my breath. Takao was still on top of me, and despite being heavy I didn't want him to let go, so I hugged him until our breathing was in sync.

I could stay there forever, but I needed to go back. Our little fairy tale had lasted little, but long enough.

- I'll drop you off at the hotel by bike - Takao said as he placed the dumplings on my plate.

Kimchi was his favorite food and his mother had left some ready in the fridge for him to eat while the family was out. The smell was very good. It was homemade food different from what I was used to in the Akashi house.

- The friendly match is tomorrow - Takao ate without worry, but I had to bring up that subject - Shūtoku against Rakuzan.

- Everything will be fine - Takao said - even if we lose. It will be a way for us to learn where we went wrong last year and how we have evolved.

- I know, actually you guys train more than I imagined, I realized after I became Rakuzan's manager - I took a deep breath, maybe I was worrying too much, but it would be better to warn him - stay away from Seijūrō during the game, okay?

Takao stopped eating, it was like I hurt his pride.

- I can't do that Ha-chin, I know Akashi is a better athlete than me, but I can't run away.

- It's not because of the difference in skills - I really didn't want to bring that up, but it would be necessary - I think I hurt him, and he might take it out on you. He still doesn't know about our agreement.

Takao nodded, he couldn't deny it. My bag was already packed so I took the Vaporeon card that Takao had given me during the camp and placed it on the table. The illustration was identical to the pendant around my neck, but I had taken off the necklace and put it in my bag, I wouldn't wear it anymore from now on.

- I took care of it as you asked.

Takao took the card back, then set it aside and pulled my chair so that I was closer to him. I used to look at the Pokémon card every day before bed, it would be strange to stay away from it now.

We knew our time together was coming to an end, so we weren't going to say goodbye or anything. The moment I walked out that door I would be nothing to him but a memory. At least it was a good memory.

We wanted everything to go smoothly, without tears, but when we left the house we came across Seijūrō and Midorima waiting at the front door.

Akashi P.O.V.

I refused to go inside Takao's house, the front door was as far as I could go. Part of me still wanted to believe that Hayami hadn't gone with him, that she was with Sana as agreed, but Kise didn't know how to keep a secret.

I announced in the group chat that I needed Takao's address as soon as possible since Hayami wasn't answering her cell phone and Midorima offered to go with me, but I actually think he was more worried about what I would be able to do if I went alone.

My body moved before I knew it and I punched Takao in the face before Midorima could stop me. I didn't even think straight, I just wanted to hurt him as much as I could and I would have continued doing so if Hayami and Midorima hadn't intervened.

It was she who apologized on my behalf and who led me by the hand to a children's park near Takao's house while Midorima stayed to help him clean up. We sat on a swing in complete silence for twenty minutes until I had the strength to ask the first question:

- Did you...

- I didn't slept with him - Hayami said - not in the way like you're insinuating.

Her hair wasn't wet, her clothes looked normal. She didn't hide her arms.

Hayami seemed normal and safe and that should be enough for me, shouldn't it?

- I just wanted to have one last date - she raised her face, the pleasant morning sun bathed her skin - a normal date.

- Aren't our dates normal?

- I don't think post-therapy walks count as dates - Hayami smiled.

That's when I realized what she had just said.

- Wait, did you say last date?

Hayami nodded. She no longer wore the necklace Takao had given her.

- We broke up, I mean, I broke up with him.

My shocked expression must have been funny, because Hayami didn't stop laughing.

- We agreed that I would break up with him after our date - she sighed, it seemed to be a long story - when Takao and I started talking I fell in love with him first, of course, I don't have much experience in how this kind of thing works, but then Takao asked if I wanted to be his girlfriend, even though we live in different cities, and we talked every day, then exchanged gifts since my father forbidden me from traveling…

I was going to say something, but Hayami continued:

- But I still needed to meet with him, because even though we talk every day by phone and text, there is a lot to say in person.

I wanted to comfort her, but I couldn't say I wasn't happy to hear those words.

- Takao is more of a dreamer than me, he talked about how we could be together forever because we loved each other, but I'm a realistic person, and for now we are only seventeen.

- You want to spare him - I said - because we are royalty and he is not.

Hayami nodded. I thought she would cry, but there were no tears in her eyes, just a smile of acceptance. Maybe she had already cried a lot about all this before.

She started to sway lightly and I did the same. The children's playground was empty because of the hour. Sparing Takao from our families' dramas was truly a proof of love, and I had ruined that by interrupting their last date.

- Did you talk to Suki about this?

Suki was Atsushi's girlfriend, Hayami's best friend. She was sensible and Hayami always felt good when he was with her.

- Suki knew everything - Hayami sneezed, even that I thought was cute about her - Sana just knew a part, don't be hard with them, not with Kise and especially not with...

- Takao - I guessed.

- He will try to beat you tomorrow, not because of me, but because he loves basketball and wants to be a good player for Shūtoku - Hayami sighed - just don't exaggerate, remember that I'll be filming.

I was the first to get up, so I grabbed Hayami's backpack. We needed to walk a little to get to the subway, but Hayami reached out her hand to grab mine.

For me it still wasn't enough, but I knew the day would come when she would give me more than that.

- If you were going back to the hotel, why didn't you call me?

- My phone died and I didn't have a charger - some children ran past us towards a school that must have been nearby - but I can't go back to the hotel now, Sana made an appointment for me at a beauty salon, I want to get a haircut.

- Ha-chin! - Perhaps that statement was the most shocking of the day, since I hadn't seen Hayami with short hair since we were six years old.

- Seijūrō! - She replied, imitating my voice - It will be better for training and accompanying the team at the matches, I'm your manager now, have you forgotten? I'm full of responsibilities, and maybe I'll ask you to give me piano lessons.

- Of course I will give you piano lessons, but only if you sing for me.

Hayami smiled again. Another smile of acceptance, but I would try hard to make her smile for real soon, and then I could tell she would truly love me.


This last chapter was really complicated to write, because while writing it I wanted to make a happy ending for everyone, but that's not my type of story. Sometimes the characters don't work that way.

Thank you to everyone who read this fanfic, Ideal Type and The Proposal. I love Kuroko no Basket and I'm happy to have contributed to the fandom.

Now I'm going into 2024 focusing on original projects, so I can't say when I'll be back. But my profile will be always here.

Thank you everyone and have a happy new year!