111: Moment of Knowing Them

I look around and examine my surrounding, trying to get a gist of my exact location. It's a shopping complex. It seems like it's a foreign area; I haven't been here before.

There are familiar branded stores around me and I see that I am on the second floor. I approach the railing and look down. There are a lot of people in the mall; it's probably Saturday or Sunday.

'Yuzuki.'

I turn my head and see a man with glistening red hair. The face is blurry but I think I know who it is. There's only one redhead I have ever known.

He holds out his hand, as if demanding something.

With no hesitation whatsoever, I extend my hand towards his and he holds it tight. We begin walking hand in hand. Occasionally, I glance at the man.

We descend to the first floor and stop in front of a general store. He releases my hand and smiles. 'Wait here.' He says then leaves.

I stand quietly, staring at people passing by.

Then all of a sudden, three men approach me. They are wearing some kind of suits. 'You need to follow us.' One of the men says.

I shake my head in response.

The man on my right grabs my arm firmly. I struggle to break free. The one who spoke earlier loses his patience and pulls out a blade knife from his waist.

I try to scream.

The man moves towards me with the knife in his hand.

I feel fear. Trepidation. Anxiety. My heart is beating faster than the speed of light. I'm going to die.

He swings his knife unto my chest.

It stings. It hurts.

It hurts...it hurts...

-

Yuzuki's eyes fluttered open, as if an inner switch has been turned on. She blinked for a few times before realizing that she had drifted five feet away from her futon. Her blanket was only covering her abdomen area and her legs were exposed.

'What time is it...'

She didn't want to move.

The door slid open and the sunlight hit her face. Yuzuki groaned and turned her back against the opened door. She didn't get to see who opened it due to the sudden sunrays flooding in.

'I knew you'd lazy around like this,' the person said. It sounded a lot like Akashi. 'Have you packed? We're moving in 15.'

'I don't want to go.' Yuzuki mumbled.

Akashi let himself in the room and headed for the girl lying down lazily. He began removing the blanket then was about to strip her clothes off. Yuzuki's eyes widened and she grabbed his wrist, halting his movements.

'What are you doing?' she frowned. Her face felt hot at their close distance and his hand near her chest.

'Helping you get ready,' said Akashi nonchalantly. 'Now if you would excuse me.' then pulled her clothing.

Yuzuki quickly sat up. 'No, I'll wake up!' she growled.

'Good, I'll be waiting in the car,' Akashi stood and headed to the door. 'You only have 10 minutes, miss.'

Yuzuki clicked her tongue irritatingly and began tidying her sleeping area.

-

She climbed into the car, sitting at the back seat with Akashi. Sano, replacing Ikinoshita, glanced at them from the rearview mirror.

'Where's Ikinoshita?' Yuzuki asked.

'Ah, he has something to do so I'll be driving you guys instead,' Sano replied.

Yuzuki turned to Akashi. 'The others have departed?' she queried.

He nodded in response.

Akashi was wearing a black hooded jacket and a t-shirt underneath. His casual look surprised Yuzuki, as he doesn't look as dangerous as he did when wearing the school uniform.

'Where are we staying in Tokyo?' she spoke, trying to make a conversation.

'I have a place readied.'

'Oh...okay.'

The whole journey was then accompanied with silence.

-

By the time they arrived in Tokyo, it was past noon and Yuzuki was fast asleep. Akashi went ahead into the designated place he chose as their stay while Sano unloaded both Akashi and Yuzuki's stuffs, letting Yuzuki sleep a bit more.

The place that the basketball team captain had chosen was his modern summer villa. It's a bit far from the nearest station and it has no neighboring houses around.

His teammates had arrived a long time before him and they had time to rest before Akashi came.

'Good to see you, Sei-chan,' Reo waved his hand, greeting him by the front door.

'Hi, Reo, the others are inside?' he asked and stepped inside the familiar villa.

Reo nodded and followed him, as he turned right towards the living room. 'You want me to call the others?' asked Reo, as Akashi took a seat on the sofa.

'No, let them rest,' Akashi said. 'It's leisure day today. You guys can use the pool too if you like. Make it like your own.'

Reo chuckled. 'They're already doing so.'

-

Sano sighed and shook Yuzuki for the eighteenth time or so. She wouldn't open her eyes no matter what method he tried. He had another errand to do in Tokyo and he needed to do it fast.

'Yuzuki, I know you're not sleeping, you just don't want to join this thing, right?' Sano said, rubbing the back of his head.

No answer.

'Oh?' Sano turned around, as if noticing someone. 'Yuzuru, you're here?'

Immediately, Yuzuki's eyes sprang open and she sat up straight, searching for her brother. 'Yuzuru?!' she yelled excitedly.

Sano rolled his eyes. 'I knew that trick would work. Now get up and inside, I have work to do.'

Yuzuki clicked her tongue and folded her arms across her chest. 'You know Sano, it's not like I don't want to be here. I like Akashi. He's sometimes very kind but the air around that team...' she trailed off and shook her head. 'They emit a very dangerous aura that clearly says, "Stay away". I'm not that brave to face them.'

'So? Isn't it just easy to makethem less dangerous? Get to know them or something?' Sano raised a brow.

'I just told you I'm not that brave.'

'Well then be brave. Are you really the daughter of the Miyamura clan?'

'Don't play the clan card!' Yuzuki frowned, pouting.

'Then get off!' Sano said.

Yuzuki huffed angrily and exited the car. 'You can be such a mom sometimes, Sano,' she commented as her driver took a seat. 'But thanks.'

'You're always welcome,' he smiled and changed the gear to D. 'Be nice to them, little girl.'

Yuzuki nodded and he drove away. She turned to face the huge villa before her eyes, took a deep breath and entered the area.

-

The front door was opened slightly so she pushed it a bit and stepped inside. It was really quiet. She nervously tiptoed to her right because she could see a glimpse of the living room. She didn't even know where her room would be and the villa was too big to her liking. On the sofa, there was a figure sitting down. He had his back facing her and the red hair suggested that it was Akashi.

'Akashi,' she said quietly and approached the person. 'Where should I...oh...'

His face was serene as the air-conditioner softly blew his hair. His eyes were closed tight and his breathing was steady and calm. Akashi had fallen asleep. Somehow, seeing him sleeping made Yuzuki smile.

'Sleep well.' She whispered and left the hall.

She passed the stairs, afraid to climb up since it was a foreign place so she proceeded to the dining hall all the way to the kitchen. Then, as she crept closer towards the backdoor, she heard noises. Yuzuki couldn't make out what it was and she was curious so she intended to just have a peek.

But as her hand touched the door handle, it was opened from the outside. Yuzuki flinched and took a step back as Mibuchi Reo appeared. They stared at each other. Reo was half-naked and his hair was dripping wet.

'I-is it raining outside?' Yuzuki said in a small voice but it became somewhat like a whisper.

'Raining?' Reo laughed then stepped backward, opening the door larger than it was and showed Yuzuki the inside.

It was an indoor swimming pool and it was huge. There were showers and a set of table and chairs. Inside the pool were the other two members of the basketball team. They saw Yuzuki.

Hayama Kotarou waved his hand energetically. 'Hi there, miss manager, come in!' he said loudly.

'Huh?' Yuzuki frowned. 'No, thanks, I'm going to my—'

Reo grabbed her arm.

Yuzuki pursed her lips into a thin line. 'I don't have a swimsuit.'

'Oh, no worries about that!' Hayama interjected. 'The dressing room has extras!'

'Dressing room?' Yuzuki questioned.

Reo pulled her in and closed the door then gestured to the right, where there was a door. 'That's the dressing room, get changed and come out here.' He said with a menacing smile.

'Uh...' Yuzuki hesitated; worried about the situation she was stuck in.

'Nebuya-kun, it seems like we have to drag her by force.' Hayama said.

'I'LL GO.' Yuzuki yelled and ran towards the dressing room. Minutes later, she came out dressed in a long-sleeve swimwear top and a pair of swimwear pants, both in black color.

Yuzuki approached the pool and sat on the edge, dipping her legs into the water. 'You guys know I feel awkward around here, right?' she asked.

'Really?' Hayama raised a brow and swam towards her then rested his arms on the edge.

'Yeah, well, I became a manager without knowing a single thing about basketball and I don't know any of you.' She replied.

'I know that but I didn't bother saying anything since I thought you would only be temporary,' Reo said, descending into the pool. 'I didn't think Sei-chan would bring you here.'

'Then shouldn't we just re-introduce ourselves?' Nebuya Eikichi, who had been silent from the start, spoke up. All of them turned to him. He held up one hand. 'Hi, I'm Nebuya Eikichi, a third-year.'

Yuzuki bowed her head politely at the sudden introduction.

Hayama giggled then nudged her thigh with his elbow. 'I'm Hayama Kotarou, a third-year as well.'

'Mibuchi Reo, third-year.' Reo said curtly.

Yuzuki smiled. 'I am Miyamura Yuzuki! A second-year.'

'Now, do you feel relaxed a little, Miyamura?' Hayama asked.

'A little, and you can call me by my first name,' Yuzuki said.

'Eh? Already so familiar?' Hayama blinked.

Yuzuki tilted her head in wonder. 'Don't close friends do that?'

'Well, sometimes they do, but we're not close friends yet,' Hayama said.

Reo chuckled. 'Kotarou, let's let her think that way. Should we all call each other by the first name from now on?'

'Including Akashi?' Nebuya interrupted.

'Um, that...' Hayama trailed off. 'Let's just stick to calling him Akashi-kun.'

'No, if you guys aren't comfortable with calling each other by their first name, then let's not.' Yuzuki waved her hands desperately.

'We're all okay with it, though.' Eikichi shrugged.

'Then, Yuzuki, let's play!' Kotarou beamed and spun, swimming towards the center of the pool. 'Reo, bring the ball in! We might be in the basketball team but this would be a piece of cake!'

Yuzuki stared at the water then to Kotarou, then back to the water and to Kotarou again. Kotarou thought for a moment then "oh"-ed. The pool was 1.8 meters deep.

'You can't float?' Kotarou asked, glancing at her little feet in the water.

Yuzuki shook her head slowly.

Eikichi saw the orange lifebuoy rescue ring hung on the wall near the shower then got out of the pool to take it. He handed it to Yuzuki.

'Oh, good idea!' Kotarou laughed.

'Thanks,' Yuzuki giggled shyly then placed it on the water and went inside the hole. She was then able to float with ease.

'We look like we're playing with someone's little sister,' Reo said, chuckling. 'How tall are you, Yuzuki?'

'You mean, "How short are you"?' Kotarou held back a snort.

Yuzuki wasn't amused.

'She should be around 150cm or more, don't you think?' Eikichi said.

Reo smiled. 'Then, Yuzuki will be on my team. Kotarou, you move to Eikichi's side.' He said and pushed Kotarou away. Kotarou grunted under his breath and made a dissatisfied face but still moved.

'Can you kick your legs fast enough to go after the ball?' Reo questioned the girl.

'I can try,' she shrugged, not sure herself.

Reo nodded and held the ball above his head. 'Here I go!' he warned then threw the ball over to the opposite side.

'I'll get it!' Kotarou said and hit the ball back to Reo's side. It was very close to Yuzuki so she swam as fast as she could then threw the ball back successfully. Eikichi tried to catch it but Kotarou, who was too eager and energetic, chased after it too and they ended up colliding with each other.

'YEAY!' Yuzuki and Reo chorused and high-fived each other.

'By the way, you looked like a duck earlier,' Reo commented.

Yuzuki made another not-amused face. Eikichi and Kotarou were having a "serious" talk about who should've taken the ball.

'Come on, Kotarou-senpai, I only threw one time and you weren't able to catch it?' Yuzuki said in a mocking tone.

'Yuzuki,' Kotarou squinted his eyes at her. 'Not too proud, girl.'

Reo smiled at the exchange of conversation then held up the ball again. 'Throwing~!' he declared.

Kotarou was guarding the front line while Eikichi stood by at the back. The ball went over to Kotarou's side but a little too high so Eikichi moved forward a bit and sent it flying to Reo.

Reo effortlessly hit the ball with his palm and Kotarou received it. The exchange went for a little while longer and it was so steadily calm that they got bored of it.

Kotarou stopped the ball then hummed. 'Let's play the thing where you fight each other on somebody else's shoulder.' He suggested.

'What's that?' Eikichi asked.

'You get onto your partner's shoulder then you fight with your opponent. The first one to fall loses,' Kotarou explained then tilted his head. 'But the original game is to grab the flag on your opponent's head. We don't have flags though.'

'Ah, we have face towels to tie around our head!' Yuzuki beamed. 'I'll go take it.' Then she swam to the edge and climbed out of the pool before disappearing into the locker room. She returned five seconds later with four small towels in her hands.

'Alright, I'm all fired up!' Kotarou yelled as he tied his towel around his forehead.

'The riders in this game are obvious, huh?' Reo said. He was done putting on the towel. 'It's just Yuzuki versus Kotarou, with me and Eikichi as the "horses". Is this personal revenge?'

Kotarou grinned at the question then turned to Eikichi, who was folding his arms across his chest. 'Kotarou, I never agreed to have you on my shoulders.' He said.

'Oh, come on, Eikichi-kun!' Kotarou whined.

While the two were arguing, Reo looked at Yuzuki who was tying her towel as she stood at the edge of the pool. He swam to her.

'Are you comfortable playing this game?' he asked, concerned.

Yuzuki nodded. 'I've never played these kind of games with friends before, so I'm actually looking forward to this.'

'I don't mean that,' Reo said but after staring at her for a while he shook his head. 'Never mind, let's go. I think they're done arguing.'

Reo leaned his back against the border of the pool and Yuzuki climbed unto his back, her thighs on his shoulders. She wasn't too heavy so he could bear carrying her. As expected, Kotarou finally managed to persuade Eikichi and he was sitting on top of the large guy, grinning widely.

'Come and get this if you can, miss manager!' Kotarou said proudly, tightening the knot of his towel.

'Go forth, my knight, defeat that self-conceited enemy!' Yuzuki grinned and patted Reo's head gently.

'Knight? You mean horse?' Eikichi frowned. 'Aren't yousupposed to be the knight?'

Reo laughed. 'By the way, who's our referee?'

-

Akashi had never had such peaceful and quality sleep before. He rarely napped and his sleep would always be accompanied with things that occupied his mind. The longest sleep he'd ever had was six hours and that was ages ago.

After Reo left him in the living hall to check on the other members, he stared at the scenery outside the large window and before he knew it, he'd fallen asleep. He had a good two-hour sleep before and he wished it would go longer but he couldn't ignore the giggles and screams that were getting louder each minute.

His eyes opened slowly and saw the light outside was getting dimmer. It was nearing dusk. The house was getting cold with the air-conditioner blowing since 2 hours ago. Akashi massaged his shoulder then stood. The noises came from the indoor pool connected to the kitchen so after turning off the air-conditioner, he headed for the pool.

-

A/N: Sorry this story sucks and I suck and I'm untalented and aaaaaaaaa /runs