F̶o̶l̶l̶o̶w̶ Fuck the Rulebook - Kenma Kozume

C14 - Knowledge

Akasuki rose from her bed as little devilish footsteps trampled their way up the stairs. What are they up to? Akasuki slipped off the edge over to her closed door pressing her ear against it, listening for further movement. They had stopped. So strange, she pulled back furrowing her brows, and suspicious. She carefully opened the door peeking out into the whole, where did they go? She stepped out, they always do this, it’s like hide and seek but it’s never really spoken, she slowly tiptoed down the hall, and she never really knew who was the seeker or the hider. Suddenly two pairs of little arms grabbed her waist from behind,
“got ya!”
So, she was the hider, that makes sense. She groaned exaggerating her disappointment,
“you guys got me!”
She turned around to face them crouching down, both were wearing casual clothes, shoes in their hands, are they going somewhere? Akasuki took the shoes from their hands,
“where ya off to?”
Tatsuo didn’t utter a word, instead excitement spread across his face as he bounded down the stairs. What? Akasuki turned to Reiji in confusion, he shrugged,
“mum is going to the shops; Tatsuo is going to train and I’m going around to the neighbours.”
Oh, was Akasuki not looking after him? She nodded slowly, holding her out to him,
“come on, let’s get your shoes on.”
He took her hand, Akasuki leading him downstairs to the front door, Tatsuo sat eagerly tapping his feet. Adorable, she sat in front of him, sliding his shoes on, repeating the same to Reiji. They were both capable of doing so themselves, but she's always done it for them, it’ll feel weird if she doesn’t.
“Ready boys?” their mother beamed coming into the hall way.
Akasuki glanced up at her, she was wearing simple jeans and a baby blue blouse,
“what’s the plan?”
Her mother threw her bag over her shoulder with a grin,
“these boys are going to have fun, while we,” she smirked loosely as she ushered the three out of the house, “are going shopping.”
She was going with her? Dressed like this?
“I look terrible though,” Akasuki grumbled.
Her mother scoffed unlocking the door,
“when have you ever cared what you’ve looked like?”
Ouch, what is that meant to mean? Reiji independently made his way over to the neighbour's house.
“Hey,” their mother called, Reiji looking over his shoulder at her, “have fun honey!” blowing him a kiss.
He nodded with a smile continuing to walk. Tatsuo was stood beside Akasuki, staring out towards the street. What happened? He was so excited. Akasuki glanced to the road seeing Tatsuo's football coach with medium sized dog. She sees now why he suddenly became shy.
“Hey Mari,” he waved at their mother then to Akasuki and Tatsuo.
Her first name? Akasuki waved back, she wasn’t super close to the coach but she’s met him enough times since she often goes to Tatsuo's games. Their mother scooped up Tatsuo's hands whispering to him,
“do you remember that time we went to the zoo?” she waited for him to nod, “and we saw that scary lion?”
Hm, Akasuki felt like she knew where she was going with this. He nodded again, she smiled at him gesturing to the dog calmly panting as they sat there,
“look how small this one is.”
Akasuki glanced at the dog, it was tiny compared to a lion. Tatsuo glanced at the dog tilting his head,
“I don’t like it.”
He’s nervous of everything, she felt bad thinking it might have been her fault for him being like that.
“You haven’t introduced yourself yet,” she slowly led him over to the dog holding her hand out to it.
The dog leaned forward to stiff her hand, before nuzzling into it wagging its tail. She’s always been good with animals. But they were never allowed a pet of their own. She smiled up at the coach turning to Tatsuo,
“introduce yourself.”
Tatsuo hesitantly held out his hand, turning away, what is he doing? He suddenly exclaimed loudly,
“I’m Tatsuo!”
Akasuki felt her heart explode from cuteness, that was adorable. There was a moment of silence until the dog nuzzled into Tatsuo’s hand, a yelp escaping him as turning around to cling to their mother. She chuckled lightly,
“she likes you!”
Tatsuo turned back slowly suspiciously observing the dog,
“she does?”
The coach chucked,
“she loves you!”
Tatsuo grinned letting go of their mother to face the dog with a new found confidence,
“what’s your name?”
“Feta,” the coach claimed with a smile.
“Feta,” Tatsuo muttered, before opening his arms, “we’re gonna be good friends Feta.”
Another shot to Akasuki’s heart, a part of her hopes they never grow up. Their mother climbed to her feet turning to the coach,
“thank you for taking him, there’s snacks and spare clothes in this bag,” she handed him a small backpack.
The coach slipped it over shoulder,
“it’s the least I can do Mari.”
First name basis again? Wow, Akasuki narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Looking at him, Akasuki got the sense he was slightly younger than her mother, possibly in his twenties, soft ash brown hair cut above his ears, broad shoulders and from what she could see, the rest of him was well toned as well.
“thanks Fuyuki,” she smiled, his cheeks becoming red. 
Whoa, whoa wait, did this guy have a crush on her mother? She could feel the sick coming up through her chest, that’s gross. The coach held out his hand to Tatsuo, Tatsuo clinging onto the coach's hand, the pair waving goodbye as they wandered off.
“Mum,” Akasuki spoke, her mother climbing into the car with a soft smirk.
Wow, does she know? Akasuki climbed into the other staring at her mother in disbelief,
“mum.”
She started the car glancing at Akasuki,
“what?”
She totally knows.
“He totally flirted with you,” Akasuki insisted.
She shook her head turning back to focus on the road,
“he’s only a friend.”
Akasuki scoffed,
“for dad’s sake, he better be.”
“I love your father,” her mother chuckled, “Fuyuki knows that.”
Good, otherwise Akasuki would have to scare him, there was no way she was letting some other guy ruin her parent's relationship.
-Pretty petals-
Akasuki’s finger ran over the soft folds of fabric before her, mindlessly thinking of potential outfits that might suit her. She pulled out a plain white tee staring at it, this seems simple enough.
“No,” her mother stated appearing beside her, “it’s so plain.”
“Mum,” Akasuki grumbled, “if I want it, I should be able to get it.”
Her mother shrugged. Unlike Akasuki, she had a fascination with cute girly items of clothing, it won’t be long until she tries to persuade the boys to take Akasuki’s place as an actual girl. Her mother rummaged around the racks pulling out a short pale red floral dress, holding it up to Akasuki,
“you'd look cute in this.”
Is she joking? She took it loosely between her fingers, her mother leading her to the closest mirror holding it up with a smile. She’s crazy, there was no way this would look good, she averted her gaze.
“Hey,” her mother spoke lifting her chin to face the mirror, “you look pretty.”
Stop lying, Akasuki tried to lower her head again, the buzzing in her pocket alerting her to a message. She pulled it out glancing at the screen.
“Hey it's Tadashi, Yamaguchi. What are you up to today?”
Right, it’s the boy from the practice match. Her mother sighed lightly over Akasuki’s shoulder,
“I thought you always dressed for yourself, not for male attention?”
What is she on about? No one ever mentioned anything about men? She gestured to the phone in Akasuki’s hand. Oh, she lifted the phone to reply to the message,
“Hey! I’m just out with my mum right now, how about you?”
She went to send the message but her mother quickly stopped her,
“do you like this boy?”
What? Her mother erased the message typing something else,
“Hey, I’m out clothes shopping with friends, you? :)”
What’s the difference?
“You just lied to him,” Akasuki frowned.
She shrugged with a grin
“just a little white lie, now,” she held the dress up, “what would he think of this?”
Akasuki gazed at herself in the mirror, her eyes running over the dress pressed against her body, the colour standing out against her pale skin. Hm, she lifted the edges as she posed softly, she wasn’t sure. 
“Let me grab a couple others,” she insisted leaving the bags with Akasuki as she scrambled off.
Akasuki loved her mum but she will admit that she does push it when it comes to these types of things, especially boys. Her phone went off again, Akasuki bringing it up to her face.
“Cool :) me too, not clothes shopping that is, but with friends, maybe we can hang out today”
How did that actually work? He wants to hang out? She gazed at herself in the mirror, is there a chance he actually likes her? She frowned as Kenma’s golden eyes formed in her mind. The pair hadn’t spoken much since the party despite her constant actions to get some sort of reaction of him, to quench the slowly rising emotions within her.
“What’s wrong?” her mother asked appearing behind her in the mirror noticing the frown on her face.
Akasuki should just speak to her, who else was she going to talk about this with?
“How, do you know if you like someone?” Akasuki asked.
Her mother pouted in thought,
“there’s too many ways to decide, I only found out about your father when we hung out,” she chuckled her cheeks growing pink, “we had gone to a café, he had ordered my entire order without hesitation, I knew then, that man was going to be mine.”
But that doesn’t make sense,
“why though?”
She shrugged,
“maybe it was the way he paid attention to me, everything I did. Your father’s stupidly romantic, he can even tell you exactly what I wore on our first date. I felt something, a sense of happiness and confirmation overcome me.”
Wow. So, it’s just a feeling? But how does she discern that from the regular sense of happiness?
“Akasuki,” she spoke softly brushing a strand Akasuki’s hair behind her ear staring at her in the mirror, “when I talk about, cute dates, midnight messages, stupid arguments, reluctant make ups, boring days,” she paused letting Akasuki think.
She started to filter the boys through her mind, the team appearing instantly being disregarded except Kenma’s small figure, his avoidant eyes hiding behind his hair, laughing as the pair sat amongst an imaginary café Akasuki reaching over to stroke his hand in her floral dress, Kenma allowing the interaction, blushing over ridiculous rantings through the night, lounging together in bed while he games and she reads.
“Who do you think of?” she whispered.
“Him,” Akasuki breathed out soft.
It was him she saw. His shy face, stupid face, eyes always set on the poisonous screens of technology.
“He doesn’t like me back,” Akasuki muttered pulling the dress away from her body, “it’s stupid, forget I ever said anything.”
“Hey,” her mother's voice toughened up holding a new dress out before Akasuki, a low shoulder pine green short dress with white polka dots scattered everywhere, “you just gotta make him jealous then.”
Jealous?
“That Tadashi boy,” she lightly smiled, “looks to be interested.”
No, he’s not interested. No one is. But, Akasuki was intrigued by her comment. Why would she suggest making him jealous? That wouldn’t make him like her. She glanced at her mother,
“is, this speaking from experience?”
Her mother smirked lightly holding up a soft blue dress against Akasuki’s body,
“how do you think I got your father’s attention?”
That, actually made tons of sense.
“So, are you going to give this boy a chance?” she asked.
Hm, Akasuki wasn’t sure, she didn’t want to use Yamaguchi to benefit herself. If she was going to try to get to know him, it should be for good purposes. She nodded slowly bringing the phone up,
“that’d be cool, name a time and place :)”
She should try to make an effort, right? Her mother squeezed her shoulders happily,
“I’m getting all of these,” she scooped the clothes up handing the bags to Akasuki, “you can get changed and freshen yourself up.”
Why is she so excited? Akasuki couldn’t help but smile at her mother being like this, maybe she’s done something good for a change.