Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket, and the plot is loosely based on the lovably adorable Korean Drama, Lie To Me.

Liar, Liar

Prologue

Sugiyama Saeri was never the type to confess.

In her opinion, confessing was a job meant for men, not women. God gave boys a good set of balls and a good lot of testosterone, and so they should put both to good use by taking the brave, first step of conveying their feelings to the girls they like and asking them out to dates. It is only proper and masculine; it is what they were born to do. On the other hand, God gave girls a better set of boobs and a better lot of estrogen, and thus they should put both to better use by patiently waiting for the guys they like to confess and ask them out to dates. The other way round would only be shameless and desperate; it would be totally messing up the order of Nature.

It would be simply... undignified.

However, after many, many weeks of contemplation, Saeri decided that the only way for him to notice her was if she took that sacred first step, considering how he seemed to only have eyes for the basketball court or the shogi board. Furthermore, she was tired of her heart feeling like a nuclear bomb waiting to be dropped when she caught glimpses of him during assembly and breaks, or sometimes on the school stage when he made announcements regarding his club and the Student Council. Thus, the girl steeled her nerves, kept the blessings of her friends in her heart and mind, and made the long, arduous journey to Tokyo where Rakuzan High Basketball Club would be playing as a guest team for a basketball event.

It wasn't like this confession of hers only required a few lines going by 'I like you' or something, she had to work her ass off for it. Being the omnipotent wonderboy who excelled in everything from sports to looks to academics to family background, it would only be right for the girl of Akashi Seijuro to be so as well. Considering the fact that the last aspect was something outside her control, Saeri struggled hard to fulfil the other three; she adhered to a strict exercise regime to keep her body fit and slim, took great efforts to keep her complexion clear and fair, and studied her socks off to top the cohort for the recent major exams. Therefore, she thought as she stepped into the foyer of the stadium, I deserve to at least look him in the eyes.

She was quite sure that it wasn't some fickle crush either. Their first meeting dated way back to kindergarten; she was particularly upset and lonely on a certain day when all of her playmates coincidentally caught the flu, and was made to feel like a complete loser when the rest of the class actually forgot about her in a game of hide-and-seek. Thus, five-year-old Saeri was left dejected and scared under an old, sandy slide all by herself. She was convinced that an evil entity would find her and take her away instead, but she was far too afraid to move (and she didn't want to reveal herself to the class and remind them that they'd forgotten about her), and was about to bawl her eyes out when she looked up to see a red-haired boy from the adjacent class staring down at her with the emptiest pair of eyes she'd ever seen. He asked: "what are you doing down there", and in that instance she decided she was going to marry the boy one day and spend the rest of her life with him in an eternal world of sunshines, flowers and puppies. Simply because he found and rescued her from... whatever that was going to take her away. It also helped that he had the cutest face a boy could ever possess.

As life would have it, her family had to move away from Tokyo to Kyoto for her father's occupation, and she was forced to leave the boy, who she nearly forgot about a few years later anyway. However, one would never totally erase one's First Love from his or her mind (plus, she had a rather good memory, -with the help of photographs), and they reunited once again on the second day of Rakuzan High. Apparently, he moved to Kyoto as well (for reasons unknown to her), and although Saeri didn't think much of him at first (it had been years, you know), her feelings were rekindled after noticing the signs and hints that Fate had so kindly left behind:

Firstly, she found out that her father was working under his father. Familial relations, check.

Secondly, they had the same P.E slot (plus he a very good body) and passed each other by in the corridors often enough.

Thirdly, she has never had a boyfriend before despite her above average looks and personable character (or so she believed), so Fate must be saving her for him!

And lastly, but most importantly, he once told her mortal enemy, the ultimate bitch Shijima Mariko, to get out of his way. That sealed the deal.

Although she had never spoken a full sentence to him before, and she wondered if he even knew about her existence, Saeri was dead sure that she was going to be the future Mrs Akashi. Hello? Kindergarten schoolmates, associated families, and high school schoolmates once again, -everything points to destined lovers, doesn't it? Well, according to shoujo mangas and drama serials it does. She could already see herself attending business parties with him, and living in a posh mansion right out of a Parisian designer's mind.

But first, they have to establish at least a talking ground, and get to know each other. However, it did not seem like he was going to initiate it, and thus she took it upon herself to do so.

This confession was different; it wasn't shameless or desperate, or against the order of Nature. On the contrary, it would only be speeding up the inevitable.

She knew next to nothing about basketball except that seemingly only cool guys and sporty girls play and support it (and so she felt very out of place at the bustling stadium), but she decided that Akashi, no, Seijuro could tell her everything about it. Speak of the devil, here he comes! From the stadium entrance! Looking as Godly as ever in those red locks and mismatched eyes.

Heart thumping faster than the hooves of a galloping horse, she took a deep breath and walked up to him.

His team gave her curious looks upon noting the familiar school uniform, but she wasn't going to let that affect her. In the most polite form of speech, she asked if she could talk to him for a moment.

He said yes after a substantial silence, and she had to stop herself from cheering.

After making sure that they were completely alone, she calmed her nerves and suddenly, her feet were the most fascinating things in the world.

"So?"

Jolting at his voice, she peered up with anxious eyes.

Argh, it's now or never.

"I'd like to get to know more about Akashi-kun."

(Because she wasn't that thick-skinned to go straight out and say "I like you".)

After what seemed like an eternity, she heard his very, very flat reply.

"I'm sorry, but unfortunately, I dislike girls who make the first move." His heterochromatic eyes pierced straight into her soul. "It's rather undignified."

And Saeri was left standing at the stadium's bicycle stands alone, feeling shameless, desperate, and completely mortified.

*This chapter was replaced to make some amendments.

A/N: Ummm, so this came out at the spur of the moment. This chapter isn't much, but I hope Saeri's likable, or at least not irritating so far...

Thoughts? :)