Shadows and Lights

Chapter 9

"Hai-chan." I jolt upward, startled out of my half-sleep on a park bench. I suppose it really is rather dangerous for me to sleep out here, but Daiki's annoying and Satsuki won't stop talking. Forgetting to look for the voice that startled me out of my sleep, I lie down again and attempt resting once more. "Hai-chan." My eyebrow twitches in annoyance.

"Yeeeesss?" I reply, hoping my annoyance drips like venom.

"It's dangerous to sleep on park benches." I crack one eye open, and low and behold, there's Kuroko, staring at me with his usual placid expression.

"What's your point?" I reply, shifting away from him. "I already know that." Kuroko sighs, a long, drawn out, exasperated sound.

"Hai-chan, don't be difficult." My eye opens again at that statement.

"You're as painfully blunt as ever." I say with irritation.

"You're just as lazy." My eyebrow twitches once more. Silence follows, and I naïvely assume that Kuroko has walked away. He has not, and I only come to realize this when he pokes me forcefully in the ribs. I squeal and fall off the bench.

"How cruel!" I whine pathetically, attempting to tug at his near-nonexistent heartstrings. "Kuroko-kun that hurt!" Kuroko simply looks at me flatly. "Fine, fine, Kuroko. I get it."

"Why are you here anyway?" Kuroko asks as I pull myself upright and walk side by side with the short bluenette.

"Ah, Satsuki and Daiki won't stop talking to me. This was the only place I could think of where I could hide for a bit." I reply calmly. "And you? It's unlike you to simply walk through this park." Kuroko is quiet.

"I wanted some peace. Things are busy at school." I nod for a few moments, gazing around placidly. The days, admittedly, are shortening drastically, but the sky is still pretty light. Trees are rustling softly and a gentle wind blows my hair about sweetly. I sigh softly.

"Back home we don't have a variety of seasons like Japan does." I say suddenly, watching colors stretch across the dusking sky. Kuroko looks at me in surprise. "I mean, the rest of the country probably does, but my hometown doesn't. It's always sunny and fairly warm. Boring."

"It sounds pleasant." Kuroko says quietly. I laugh slightly in response.

"Yeah, sometimes. It meant I could play sports year-round outdoors, but it also meant that almost every day was always the same routine. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing." I reply quietly.

"You're talkative today."

"Just with you." We lapse into a more comfortable silence as street lights flicker on, casting strange shadows across the pavement as people walk by. "Ah, I'll part ways with you here. See ya, Kuroko." I reply, a hand raised in farewell.

"You too, Hai-chan." He responds, nodding. I turn down the street and walk past the usual bustling shops, listening to the laughter that surrounds me. Sometimes I can catch glimpses of conversations I don't fully understand, and other times I catch simply single words. I sigh silently. I still have a long way to go before I'm fluent, huh?

Without a second thought, I walk into the nearest convenience store and buy at least an armful of sweets, along with a week's worth of bentos for both Daiki and I. My wallet stings by the time I leave, but the minty-fresh gum in my mouth fixes everything. Well... almost everything. Worry runs through my blood like currents in the ocean. I try to ignore it. Drowning won't help anything.

"Where've you been?" Daiki asks the instant I walk through the front door. He practically shoots up from the couch, moving faster than usual as he approaches me.