hI MINNA! It's been a long time since I last updated this and I'm so sorry about that. I hope I haven't lost any of my readers. :(

Okay so before you read this, I'm going to give you first about a brief background on Harumi. In his chapter she's only four and moved away when she was 8. So she met Satsuki when she was 9, and left for America when she was 11. Her dad met Satsuki's mom when they moved away (you're going to read here where), and in that place Satsuki and her mom was having a vacation there and you know love at first sight with their parents.. So she got to know Satsuki and Daiki for 2 years before she went to America.

So that's mostly it. I explained it to avoid confusion because I myself got confused when I reread it and compared it to the new chapters. If you have any problem with the plot don't hesitate to ask me okay? :)

BTW, anyone notice the new cover? I made it myself. Mwahahahaha. Well not really made I just added the title. So credits to the owner of the picture. I used it because the girl was really beautiful and it's how I imagined how Harumi would look like.

Enough of the blabbering! On with the story! Enjoy!

PS: KNB isn't mine.

Chapter 14: Memories of the First Love!

"Haru come over here!"

The said little girl dropped her toys and began running towards her mother. Her light blue sundress now covered with sand, flowing with the wind. As soon as she reached her mother, she was scooped up in her arms and received a light kiss on her nose.

Akina scrunched her nose, "Ara, ara. You smell so stinky." Haru replied with a giggle and gave her a big bear hug, "I don't care! Because kaa-chan still loves me even if I'm the stinkiest girl on earth." She chuckled at her daughter's opinion and gave her another kiss, "That's right but I don't think our new friend would like that."

At the mention of 'new friend', Haru's eyes twinkled in excitement and started to wiggle out of her grasp. "A new friend? Where? Where?"

It has been a while now that Haru was staying at the foundation; from that short time she learned how to make friends and to treasure them. She befriended each one of them so that she'll be like her. And every time there would be a new child to be registered in, she would get excited and start to plan on how to approach the new kid. Akina was proud of her daughter.

She chuckled at her daughter's activeness and brought her in the bathroom. "Yep! But we should get you cleaned up first."

After taking a rather long bath, Haru now wore a white sundress and had her hair flowing just above her shoulders. She began to jump up and down from excitement, "Now where's my new friend?"

Holding her hand, she led Haru to the main hall only to see Aimi grinning from ear to ear. Her daughter let go of her hand and began to run towards her friend, just like what she did earlier she scooped Haru up in her arms and kissed her on the nose. "Wow. You look dressed up."

Haru beamed not hiding the excitement in her face, "Mochiron! I need to be pretty in front of my new friend!"

Both women laughed at the little girl's response, Akina then began to look around the room looking for that certain friend. "So where is he actually?"

Aimi grinned slyly at her friend and began to chuckle. Akina was confused and nervous at her friend's reaction, "Aimi…" There was a warning tone in her voice as she narrowed her eyes at the bluenette. This only caused her grin to get bigger and harder to stifle her giggles. "He's beside you all this time."

"What?" Akina then looked at her left side and felt her heart almost fly out of her chest. There stood a young boy, with the same resemblance as her friend, stared up at her with a blank face.

"Akina, this is my son Tetsu-chan." Her eyes then drifted to the boy's mother then back to him, she crouched down slowly to meet the boy's face. Repeating her action earlier her blue eyes turned back from the mother to her son. "Are you sure?"

"Now that's just mean! Can't you see the resemblance?" Aimi whined at her friend. Though both of them had the same complexion and hair color, their eyes were a huge difference; she had light blue eyes the same with her hair while her son had sapphire eyes.

"Hi Tetsu-kun. I'm Akina-neesan, hajimemashite."

"Hajimemashite."

Akina laughed and ruffle the boy's hair, earning a small smile from him. She gasped and turned to her friend again, "He resembles his father more."

She laughed again as her friend stomped her feet like a kid and crouched down to the little girl beside her. "Hmph. Haru listen to me, when you grow up don't be like your mother."

But unluckily for her, Haru was not paying attention to her as she was more interested at the new kid. She immediately ran towards him and smiled. "Hi! My name is Harumi, hajimemashite."

"Hajimemashite."

Haru felt something inside her lighten up at the boy's smile and giggled. She grabbed his hand and began to drag him to play. "C'mon! Let's play!"

The two ladies left behind stared at each other and smiled knowingly, "They have a lot of time for that Aimi."

"Awwwww. Didn't you see the way they looked at each other?"

Akina just chuckled and dragged her friend away before she would start playing match maker between the two kids.

"So Te-chan, how old are you? Where do you live? At what school are you studying? What's your favorite color?" Haru asked her companion excitedly.

He smiled at her bubbliness, "4. Tokyo. Teitan Gakuen. I find the color blue interesting."

Haru's eyes glimmered in delight and continued to play. All day they build sand castles, played tag, and catch butterflies. Even though her companion was quiet she enjoyed his presence.

It was already dusk when they decided to take a break from their adventures. They sat on the porch admiring the beautiful rays of the sunset. Haru turned to the boy beside her and asked her 100th question that day, "Ne Te-chan, can you promise that we'll be friends forever?"

A gentle smile crossed the boy's face, "Best friends." With that answer Haru tackled him and gave him the tightest hug she'd ever given anyone.

"Haru-chan. I-I-I-I… Can't… Breathe…"

"Oh I'm so sorry!"

The dark sky hover the lonely scenario below it. Black dresses and suits came crowding around the white coffin that's being lowered to the ground. Today was the funeral of Masaki Akina.

Harumi cried like a waterfall. She has lost her mother and felt her world crashing down. Her father held her hand tight as he tried to keep strong for his daughter.

They walked home together with broken hearts. Not even caring to glance at the other people around them. It was like they're all alone in this world. Everything became black and white.

"Toichi!"

The said man turned to his family friends, the Kuroko family. "Saguru."

A heavy atmosphere lay between the two families. None of them was uttering a word. Each party didn't know what to say or what to do. The death of Akina has affected a lot of people, especially them.

"We're here for you, okay?" Aimi decided to break the ice. She knows that everyone knew that but she felt the need to say it. And she also knows that her best friend's husband slash childhood friend would never be the same anymore.

"None of us expected it to happen." She continued on, knowing that look on her fiend's eye. She can feel the sadness, anguish, and…anger. That scared her.

She turned her gaze to the little white haired girl. Instantly her arms wound around her and kissed the top of her head. It was too early for Harumi to lose her mother. She was so young.

"Just remember me, Saguru-niichan, and Tetsu-chan are here for you."

It's been 2 weeks since the funeral and Harumi's still depressed as ever. It has also been weeks since she went to her mother's foundation. One of the reasons is that she would miss her mother more if she went there and another one is her father. Ever since her mother died, her father has become distant and against of her going to the foundation.

And today Aimi and her father were quarreling about it.

"But Toichi the foundation is the only thing that Akina left for Harumi you just can't-"

Harumi covered her ears tightly and sobbed. Her mother's gone. Her father and Aimi-neesan were fighting. There's no one left to comfort and be with her. She was alone.

"Ne Haru-chan." A boy's soft voice called out to her and when she looks up she saw her friend. He smiled at her sadly and hand over his hand out to her. "C'mon. I'm gonna tell you something."

She quickly grabbed his hand and ran away with him. At first, she doesn't know where they were going but as she saw the swings and seesaws she knew he brought her to the park.

"Dou'shite koko ni, Te-chan?" she sniffed and held the boy's hand tighter. He smiled down at her and led her to the bars. He released his grip on her and started to climb. He secured his body by locking his legs on the bar and let himself dangle on the bar upside down. Haru still stared at him skeptically and was slightly worried for him. She knew that he did not have the most athletic body so seeing him like that frightened her a little bit.

"Haru-chan."

"Hmmm?"

"Whenever you're feeling down, sad, or on the verge of tears just hang upside down, just like what I'm doing. So that when your tears fall it'll just go back to your eyes. It would look like you're not really crying at all."

After hearing those words, Haru fell on her knees and cried her heart out. She doesn't know if it was from sadness of losing her mother or from the happiness and relief of finding someone she knew could comfort her.

She felt warm arms wrap around her and soothing her back. She hugged him tighter as if never wanting to let go. They just sat there on the ground hearing her sobs be washed away by the wind.

When Haru knew that she was okay now, she let go of his hug and lay down on the grass. Their heads across from each other.

"Te-chan?"

"Hmmm?"

"About your advice, there's still something I can't understand?"

"What about it?"

"Does this mean I need to find a monkey bar first before I cry?"

"Well if you're that persistent on crying, might as well."

With that statement, a giggle then turned to laughter came across her lips. Her heart felt light and not so sad anymore. This was actually the first time she's ever laughed in weeks.

"It's good to hear that sound again."

She just smiled at him and closed her eyes letting the wind take away the heavy feeling inside of her.

"By the way Te-chan, you're more talkative today. It's nice."

The boy just smiled gently at her as response. He wanted to make her feel better and if that's the only way he can do it then he'll talk and talk.

Harumi thought she can never feel the same sadness, when her mother died, ever again. But alas, one of those moments are like right now.

"Do you really have to go Toichi?" Aimi asked her friend.

"It's for the best Aimi. Besides, my company is already expanding. I first need to go to Osaka and then to America."

Harumi frowned at the adults before her, more prominently to her father. She thinks that her father just wanted to escape and for her to not be able to go the foundation anymore. She bit her lip and decided to walk away when a hand on her shoulder stop on her tracks.

Just from the way it grabbed her, she knew who it was. "Te-chan."

He smiled at her and handed her a milkshake. She gladly accepts it and sat on the seats beside her with him following suit. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

They sat in silence just enjoying the milky deliciousness. She secretly looked at him in the corner of her eye. From his soft blue hair to his blue eyes to his sharp nose to his jaw and to his lips. She watched how his mouth was sealed on the straw and wondered how it would ever feel on her lips. The thought made her heart to beat faster and her blood to go all on her face. She quickly looked away before he caught her staring.

After finishing their shakes, they sat once again in silence. Not taking the silence anymore, she faced her companion and stared directly to him. For sure her face was red right now but she doesn't care, she wants to memorize each and every part of her face so it would be stuck on her mind.

"What's wrong?"

"Be-betsuni. I just wanted to make sure to remember what you look like so that when we meet again I'd know it really is you."

This brought a gentle smile on the boy's features and made her blush harder than before.

"Harumi. Let's go."

Their staring contest was put into halt as her father started to call her. "It's time to board the plane."

"Yes dad." She grabbed her belongings and looks one last time at her childhood friend. She hugged him tightly inhaling his scent. "I'm gonna miss you." she whispered in his ear.

"Me too."

When they released the hug, Harumi breathed in deeply and giving him thumbs up. "Good luck on your basketball career! Wish you all the best!"

And with that final statement said, she waved one last good bye to the people she considered as a second family and followed her father.

She sighed to herself and smiled sadly, 'Looks like my first mission is to look for monkey bars in Osaka.'

"Brings back memories huh?" Aimi-neesan's voice breaks my thoughts.

"Yeah." I managed to mutter out firmly though I could feel myself tearing up. "I'm just gonna go look around."

"But Haru-chan…."

I didn't get to hear what she was saying already and decided to just keep running. Those memories still makes me cry probably because those were the best moments of my life.

Even though the foundation has changed in appearance I still know it like the palm of my hand. My toned legs bringing me to the playground. But as soon as I got nearer to the monkey bars I saw that it was occupied by someone.

My eyes and heart couldn't believe what I was seeing. It couldn't be.

"T…Te-chan?"

Finally Kuroko Tetsuya made an appearance!Yep I made him the childhood friend and the first love. No hate please. HAHAHAHA.

Comments and reviews are welcomed and loved! ❤

Ja'ne! 😘