Another interlude. Told y'all there'll be more of these. :P
Kuroko yawned. Her eyes barely open, looking out the window. It was warm, she thought. Her face pressing on the surface of her desk.
The downpouring rain outside today was quite the contrast to the last few weeks. Summer had come early, the weather was warm, and the rain was a nice change from that.
Her hair was tied in the form of a twin tail. She'd been using that style for a while now, and she's liking it so far. Her mother noticed it, and gave her red hair tie for her birthday present, something that she has been wearing since.
Another thing to note was the length of her hair. It has gotten a bit longer now, and it tickles her neck when they touch it due to the wind blowing. Aside from that and her height barely increasing, she didn't have any changes to brag of.
She stretched her limbs and rubbed her eyes. She looked at the clock. It was only half an hour since the rain started pouring. No one in her class has managed to go home yet. Nobody brought an umbrella. Not when the sun was so agonizingly hot this morning, so piercing.
The rain was so sudden too, coming down without any sign of relenting. Not even the Tree Diagram had predicted it.
As Kuroko was trying to rub the sleep off her eyes, a book was placed on her desk. The chair in front of her was then sat on by Uiharu. "Thanks for letting me use that." Uiharu states, smiling.
Kuroko hummed, taking the book and tossing it right into her bag. She rubbed her eyes again, then yawned. "You look really tired. Did you sleep well?" Her short haired friend asked.
"Yea..." Kuroko replied. "It's just the rain made it feel so cozy, what with the breeze and all."
Uiharu nodded, looking out of the window. Kuroko rests on the desk again. "Wake me up once it's over." She whispers.
Her friend affirmed, pulling out a book from her bag, reading it quietly.
The sound of the rain outside changes, turning to the loud thud of thunder. Uiharu's occasional flipping of her book, the light banters of their classmates. Even the slow breeze caresses the class, lulling her deeper into her slumber.
Her body is tired, and her mind is exhausted. Sleep is a necessity.
Her friend watches over her and the book in her hand, spotting a figure coming from the side. She silently greets the approaching person, pointing at Kuroko with a smile before gesturing to them to be quiet.
Kuroko could hear their breath atop of her hair, along with their huff. "Well that's unfortunate, I was gonna show her something." The person murmurs. It was Frenda.
"You can show me instead." Uiharu says with a hint of excitement. She could hear her book being closed. A slight creak from two chairs being moved.
"Look!" There were lots of clinks. "I found three hundred yen in my pocket."
They were both silent.
"Oooookay…?" Uiharu sounds unsure on what exactly to say at the reveal. "Oh, I just remember. You owed me a drink, correct?"
"... Maybe next time? I was planning on keeping these coins…" She couldn't hear Uiharu's words as the rain grew louder. She could feel some of them splashing on her face.
"They were Hirano's." Her left eyes opened in surprise. But her head was facing the window, so the two hadn't realized it yet. "We weren't exactly the best of friends before he disappeared, but he was still my friend, y'know?"
Kuroko tuned their voices out and focused on the rain instead. A storm was brewing inside of her own mind. There was a slight pang in her chest.
She hasn't heard that name in a while, and it made her feel guilty to have forgotten him. She didn't do it intentionally, but still.
She began to wonder how he was doing. She hoped he was doing well, wherever he was currently. Did he ever think back about them, like they did about him? Or had he forgotten as well, just like she had?
She sighed. Maybe this was why she had forgotten? Because it just hurts too much to think about it.
She cradles her head deep in her arms, pressing her face against her forearms. She couldn't tell whether it was the rain or her tears that were wetting her sleeves. Nor does she know whether or not it was the cold that caused her nose to flare.
All she knew was that her chest just hurt so much.
He'd recognize this room anywhere. He has been inside of it many, many times than he could keep count. Most of his memory consists of this place. And all of them were blurry images of pure white.
He sat on top of the bed, much softer and comfier than the one in his room. A half empty glass of water was held in-between the both of his hands, the cold sensation seeping into his skin.
His eyes fatigued, and his mouth a permanent downward tug. His hair was cut off just recently, although not without force. They were just above his ears. Unlike how they used to be, it is no longer concealing most of his face.
He'd gotten thinner, his foods were nothing but a sludge of tasteless nutrients and a glass of water. Sometimes he wondered how he could even walk with how boney his legs are.
The door to the room was opened, but his eyes didn't do so much but bat at the direction. A Kihara. Not the one with the face tattoo but a Kihara nonetheless.
He doesn't know that there was a female one, but he really couldn't be surprised, knowing that they were known to have at most 5000 members. Be it that they're born into one, married one, hell, maybe even adopted by one.
The woman did not look anywhere near like Amata, but she did have a smile that did not reach the eye. She leans on the wall beside the bed.
"Hello." She greets, carefully concealing her voice into a much more welcoming and lively tone. She will not fool him, not when she radiates the very grim and malicious intent she has through her eyes.
He didn't respond. Nor did she. She kept her eyes on him. He felt her stare right into his very soul.
"Your hair is really beautiful." She comments. "They're like snow." She hovers her hand over the back of his head. The boy's eyes narrowed, pressing his lips together.
His breath hitched when she touched his head. He didn't make a move. She sighed, keeping her hand where it was. "What's with you?" She asked, slightly amused.
"Scared that I might do something?" She laughs. "Maybe, yank your hair out? Or perhaps tug your ears off? Or stick a knife in there?" Her eyes changed to a glare.
The gentleness transforms into a grip, her fingers digging into his scalp. The heat and sting from the pressure shoots through his head. He growled, glaring back at her.
"That's right." She declares. "Keep looking at me like that." She breathes deeply. "Like you're gonna tear me apart, like you're gonna destroy me." Visible disgust etched across his facial features. "Look at mommy like you're gonna fuck me up real fucking good."
Her other hand closed in onto his face. He could've sworn there was a shine coming from her nails. They're sharp and pointy.
The door was kicked open, causing a loud bang as it slammed a second time against the wall. The female Kihara scowles.
"I told you to fetch him quickly, not have a quicky you stupid retard." The blond haired man exclaims, putting an emphasis on the two words. "This is the fifth time you've molested the people here you slut. Tone it down before I shove a gun up your ass."
The woman didn't say anything, merely watching with contempt as he marched in. He shoved past her, grabbing onto his wrist harsher than it needs to be, pulling the boy off the bed and out the room.
There were no words to be given throughout the walk. The two almost never interact unless it has something to do with the projects or experiments.
And when they do talk, they're hostile to each other, almost to the point of animosity. One of them would have been dead by now, had it not been restrictions they'd imposed on themselves.
On some days, Kihara Amata would like to just beat the kid to death. And the boy, Accelerator, would love to skin the bastard alive, maybe have the guy digest himself inside out using his own stomach acid.
Either way, their deaths would satisfy them very damn much.
Although they despise each other down to the very last fibre of their being, the people of the facility sometimes misinterpret this hatred as some reluctant familial bond they have.
As seen how the young Accelerator was acting more and more like the man by the days. And how the Kihara was always on his best when it comes to the boy. He oftentimes gagged at the mere thought of having him as a father.
But really, if you want to fight a lion, you don't fucking approach it with a switchblade. You use a fucking gun. A big ass fucking gun.
"Now get in there." The man shoved him from the back harshly. He nearly stumbled onto his knees had he not caught himself quickly.
He looked back with a venomous scowl plastered all over his face. The door closed off with a hiss, clanking noises from its metallic features.
Clicking his tongue, he mutters several more curses before looking ahead on exactly what he was supposed to do for today.
There was nothing.
The whole place was empty. From the furthest of every corner down to the very last inch of the cube shaped room, there wasn't even a single visible object.
He raised an eyebrow at the peculiar sight. Was he not to destroy anything for today's part? He could not tell. For the past weeks, maybe months, only God knows how long he has spent here, every test involves the destruction of certain objects.
Many things in the past he had ripped apart with relative ease, even the flesh and bones of fellow subjects were not spared the mercy of this horrid place. So many of them had been it, that he could no longer keep count of how much of their blood had dyed his hands red.
All this was a testament that he could not hope for anything else. How could he hope for something else when it is the only thing he will ever do? Truly, his life is but a mere case of misfortunate events.
A white noise from above, then a slight knock. "Alright,'' the female Kihara's voice. She cleared her throat. "Here's what you're gonna do."
Just as she said that, something appears right at the centre of the room. It was a black cube of some sort. "You're gonna control that thing." He looked at it, unimpressed. He raised his hand.
"Without utilizing anything that involves its surroundings."
His head perked at that. "What do you mean?"
"You heard that right. No gravity, no air flow, no heat. Nothing." She explained rather quickly, as the room began to depressurize. He was about to ask a question. "Move the cube with nothing but your vectors." But she beats him to it.
His eyebrows furrowed, contorting heavily. "How the fuck am I supposed to do that?"
"Imaginary vectors, dumbass." He has heard of that, but he was certain those were merely theories. "You want to be the strongest, correct? Then this is your only way of becoming one."
He sighed. He never thought, nor did he ever want to become the strongest. This thought was imposed onto him by the Kiharas. He couldn't care less of becoming their top dog. But to ensure his survival, that woman's survival, he had to. He just had to.
"After this, the only way you could get any stronger is by becoming a Level 6."
His head perked at that.
A Level 6.
A God.
Is she saying what he thinks she's saying? That he was that close to becoming an almighty God? The one who controls the whole universe? A mythical being whose power knows no bounds, capable of doing everything imaginable.
He can't say that he wasn't interested. With that kind of power, imagine what he could do. He doesn't have to worry about anything. Anyone who wishes to inflict harm that dares to approach, even if the entire world were to do such…
Would they even do such a thing to God?
It wasn't a question of how or why. It wasn't even a bloody question. Nobody dares to mess with God.
He might just be able to…
"You don't look so good." Uiharu called out all of a sudden. Frenda looked up, before her eyes went down to the hot chocolate.
It wasn't just Frenda who didn't appear to be in their usual lively selves, Kuroko noted. Her short upperclassmen also appear to be in a rather sour mood. The girl puts down her glass.
"Is something the matter, senpai?" She asks for the two of them.
"Yeah…" The blond girl sighs. "I'm fine." The other girl nodded as well.
They didn't look like it, even with the smile she tried to put on. They looked far from being fine.
Knowing that her words weren't as reassuring as she had originally intended it to be, she gave up. She knew beforehand how hard it is to keep these two from getting the answers they wanted. She was the one who taught them the proper art of being nosy after all.
"We've been doing a lot of thinking." She started, leaning more onto the back of her chair. "There's less than two years left before we graduate."
"That quick?!" Kuroko exclaims, leaning in, slamming her hands against the desk.
"Calm down, one and a half year is still plenty of time." The short girl scolds, almost breaking a sweat from the curious stares everyone in the school park was giving them.
The girl blinked several times before saying her apologies, retracting back to her chair, scratching the tip of her nose with a slight flush across her cheeks.
The blond girl pauses for a bit before resuming. "Basically, we were thinking of where exactly we should go once we graduate."
There was silence. Nobody really knows what to say in a situation like this. Uiharu can only offer a gentle smile. "Like you said senpai, there's still time before then. There'll be time to think about it. For now, let's just enjoy our time while we can, ok?"
They nodded, still feeling rather sour, but definitely better than earlier. Their junior certainly has a charm, especially the gentle air that she seemingly never ceases to radiate. An amazing girl, she was.
"So where do you guys want to go for winter vacation?"
Frenda shrugged. "I'm not sure, honestly. Maybe visit my parents in Norway?"
That was as much as the twin tailed girl listens. She was very much absorbed by the previous topic that they talked about. Her seniors are going to graduate, and soon enough, she will too.
She had managed to become a Level 2 just right before it was December. Something that made her and her parents very proud. She had always been told that she was a prodigy. She couldn't really believe it, but now, those statements might actually be the truth.
She began to wonder about her blond haired senior's dilemma, but this time applying it for herself. Where would she go after graduation? She didn't really give it much thought, maybe she never will. Her parents are the one who would entertain such ideas, they're the one who chooses anyways.
But what about Uiharu? Soon enough, Kuroko would become a Level 3. There were already progresses made. Her father talked to her about Tokiwadai. A prestigious school that was ranked amongst the very best in the whole world. With a minimum level for qualifications was to become a Level 3.
Uiharu is a Level 1. From the very beginning up until now with no signs of ascension. Her progress has stagnated with seemingly no way of increasing. Her limit was Level 1.
It was true that they could hang out during lunch hour, and that she could get new friends in her school. But they would be scattered, with different classes, times and activities. Plus new friends are different from old ones. The feelings just aren't the same.
Times are fleeting, and Kuroko thought how long this friendship of theirs would last. Only after the test of time will she get her answer.
And now is just not the time for it.
So she'll wait.
Wait for those years to pass by.
New shit next Tuesday!