Visibility

By: Aviantei

Chapter 01: Notice

Watanabe Youta leaned against the wall, the cold surface just barely making it through the fabric of his new uniform. It felt strange—he preferred the suit jacket of his old school much better than the gakuran—but he supposed he would get used to it. The teacher had disappeared into the classroom some time ago, saying to wait while he talked to the class. While it had only been a few minutes, it felt like much longer.

Impatiently, Youta drummed his fingers against the wall, wondering if his tempo would make time go any faster.

"Feeling nervous?" his sister, Airi, asked standing beside him. She reached out, her hand covering his and bringing the small noises to a stop. "You didn't have to come here with me, Nii-san. I'm glad you did, but if it's working you up this much, maybe it's better if we go back…"

Youta chuckled at the words. "It's a bit too late for that, huh?" he said, shaking his head. He tied his fingers in with hers, giving them a squeeze that he meant as reassurance. "Besides, Mom and Dad would never agree to that. And I'm really only here for you anyways, so it doesn't matter if I'm nervous. Just focus on being happy, alright?"

Airi frowned, but Youta could tell she was happy at his words. Her frowns never lasted long, after all. "Thank you for doing this for me, Nii-san. It does mean a lot that you're willing to come here with me. If we work together like always, I'm sure everything will be fine." Sure enough, Airi smiled, and Youta smiled back.

"Watanabe-san, Watanabe-kun, would you come in please?" the teacher's voice called from inside of the room. Airi turned her head towards the voice, and Youta gave her fingers another squeeze.

"You make it sound like such a big deal," he chided, pulling at her cheek with his free hand. Airi brought a hand up to her face, rubbing at the now red skin. "I'm your brother, of course I'm gonna take care of you, Ai-chan. Now come on, we've got a class to introduce ourselves to." Youta pulled his hand away from Airi's, then stepped into the classroom. His sister's footsteps were right behind him, almost perfectly on his heels.

Youta came to a halt in front of the classroom, holding out a hand to stop Airi before she bumped into him. Already he could see the looks on their faces, see the words shaping on their mouths in the form of whispers. Airi didn't seem to mind and only adjusted to properly face the rest of the class. Already, their desks were open, side by side, in the front row, just waiting for them to sit down.

"Would you care to introduce yourselves?" the sensei prompted. Right, that had to come first. Why did they have to be singled out again? It was only the beginning of the school year. There was no need to make the new kids stand out any more than they already would.

It didn't bother Airi, but it certainly bothered her brother.

Youta straightened his back and projected his voice across the room, making everyone focus on him instead. "My name is Watanabe Youta," he said, not hesitating. "I'm sixteen-years-old and I formerly attended a school in Sendai. Before you ask, I'm the older twin. Please treat me kindly." He executed a curt bow, which Airi chose as her cue to speak.

"My name is Watanabe Airi," she said, her voice much more relaxed than her brother's had been. "As you may have guessed, I am legally blind, but I don't wish for that to affect my schooling. Please don't feel as if you need to think of me any differently because of this. I hope that we can all get along well."

Airi executed her bow, and Youta led her to her seat as the classroom exploded in unrestrained whispers.

There was something unnerving about how easy the transition had been between schools had been, especially with how difficult things had been the last couple of years. They had gained permission beforehand to study together, Airi and Youta's desks pushed against each other as a permanent fixture in the classroom.

That much hadn't changed with the transfer into Seirin, and Youta dutifully took notes during classes with the occasional guidance from his sister. That night, they would go home and he would read out the notes to her, then make a coordinated attempt at homework, guiding her hand to make straight lines while she wrote.

It was the same chaotic mix of lifestyle as it had been before, except it was somehow easier. Maybe he had just gotten used to it.

"Ah, damn."

Even routines had moments were you faltered, though. While the siblings had worked together to make their lunch last night, Youta had forgotten to pack them in with their school things that morning. Airi tilted her head at her brother, slid her hands over their connected desks, and smiled. "The bento are still at home, aren't they?" she asked.

Youta scratched the back of his head, wondering if she would still pick up on the gesture or not. It was hard to tell just how much of the world she could still see, how much she remembered from when she kept her eyes open. "Yeah, sorry," he said. "I'll run down to the school store and pick something up for us, alright?"

"Couldn't we just go to the cafeteria—ah, you don't feel like having all those people around to bother me, huh?" Airi picked up on his discomfort easily. Youta shifted in his seat; he hadn't wanted her to know that, even if he did hate having people constantly ask the same questions. "I really don't mind, Nii-san, but if that's what you want, it's fine. Would you like me to come with you?"

"It'll only take a few minutes, don't worry."

Airi reached down to her bag. "At least take my wallet to pay for my share," she said.

Youta shook his head out of habit, and his sister stopped. "No way, I got it. Sheesh, I'm being chivalrous here, just let me have a moment."

Airi pouted for a moment before giggling. "Alright, Nii-san, you win. But I'll pay for everything the next time we go out, alright? We do get the same allowance, after all. It's not as if money is so much as an issue that I can't afford lunch."

"Yeah, yeah, fine." Youta stood up, ruffling Airi's hair before walking away. "I'm heading out now, Ai-chan. I'll be back soon."

"See you soon, Nii-san."

It was almost disturbing how easily she could still use that word. Youta was glad he wasn't next to her anymore, if only for the fact that she wouldn't be able to sense her discomfort. That was as far as the feeling went, though, a tight coil forming in the bottom of his stomach. Even though Airi was able to handle most things on her own, leaving her alone was an idea he could never find a way to properly justify.

Once he was mixed in with the rest of the students, Youta ran down the halls with only the hope that he wouldn't get caught.

To say there was a commotion in classroom 2-B would be an understatement.

A number of students had remained behind in the classroom, despite meaning to get lunch in the cafeteria. Even those that had brought lunch from home left their food untouched, wasting away the precious minutes of their lunch period otherwise. A few students from other classes had gathered in the doorway, trying to catch a glimpse of what the rumors said was there, only to have their view blocked by the already clustering students around a certain desk.

Watanabe Airi was in the middle, already being bombarded by questions.

"So you used to live in Sendai, Watanabe-san?"

"What was your old school like? Why did you transfer?"

"Your brother seems like he's really nice. Does he have a girlfriend?"

"Are you two living on your own?"

While it was a common scene to be expected whenever a new student transferred in, it was still unusual. The fact that one student had gained so much attention from most of the class, as well as students from other classes, was strange enough. The obvious elephant in the room was also steadfastly being avoided, even though everyone wanted to ask.

Airi took the situation in stride, only pausing every now and then to confirm the voice of who was speaking. Yes, she had lived in Sendai, and had to admit she was going to miss the snow come wintertime. Her old school had been fine, and transferring had been her parents' idea. Youta did not have a girlfriend, and the twins were currently living on their own until their parents completed moving the rest of the necessary affairs down to their new city.

The questions came just as steadily as her answers, and it was only when there was a lull in the former, Airi chose to speak without being addressed first.

"Everyone, can I ask you a favor?" she said, bringing the scatter of mutterings and whispers to a close. "I understand that maybe I should have made this a little bit clearer in my introduction, but I don't think bringing it up now is a problem. I understand you are all trying to be kind by not asking about my eyesight, but don't think I will be offended by simple questions. It is part of who I am. Don't feel as if you need to jump hoops around it."

The silence remained for a few moments, the class trying to process the information. It was more commonly expected to not want a disability pointed out , especially since it could be considered to be rude. In opposition, Airi was making it sound as if she would be more offended if they were to be polite about it. While the class should have made an effort to at least refuse the offer, curiosity often wins out over politeness.

"Do you braid your hair or does your brother?" one of the girls asked. While it didn't automatically register as a question about her eyesight to most, they could still see how it related. Two braids were present, and Airi only smiled at the question.

"I do it myself," she said, reaching up to the small braid at the side of her head and starting to undo it. Once the hair was free, she separated it back into three parts and braided it again. "Braiding is something you can accomplish with only a sense of touch, so I find it rather simple to take care of." She finished the act at the end of her sentence, tying it off with a small hairband.

The question seemed to relinquish any misgivings from the rest of the class, and they all tried to find more tasteful ways to word the questions they had been mulling over for the first half of the lunch period. The first one that succeeded was a boy. "So are the rest of your senses, like, improved or something?"

Airi paused, a slight frown on her features. "Well, they aren't at the level I would like them to be. I can usually pick out people by the sound of their voice, and if I know a person well enough I can sometimes pick up on their emotions and actions. However, my sense of touch is about average, I'd say, though I guess I have better dexterity than most. If you were looking for something impressive, I guess you could say I'm good at figuring out my surroundings by hearing how many people there are around me."

"Really? So can you tell how many of us there are here?"

"I'm not really good at exact numbers when there are so many people clustered around me like this," Airi admitted. A few of the students looked around the room, as if just now realizing the sheer amount of people that had surrounded Airi's desk. "But I can at least get a general idea of where people are when they talk to me. Although I have been wondering…

"Just who is that over there? Unlike everyone else, they haven't said a word the entire time and I don't think I've been introduced to them…"

Airi pointed, and everyone's eyes followed the direction. She never got an answer, though, as the students were too busy panicking over the boy that they hadn't realized had been standing right next to them.

Kuroko Tetsuya finished stretching, picked up a basketball, dribbled it a few times, then took the shot. The ball bounced off the backboard, but still landed inside the basket. Just as Tetsuya was about to recover the ball, his friend and partner Kagami stepped forward, catching the ball effortlessly. The redhead passed it back, and Tetsuya took the ball in his hands, feeling the texture underneath his fingers.

"What's on your mind?" Kagami asked, picking up on his friend's contemplative nature. Tetsuya looked up to him, still surprised at how easily it had become for Kagami to read him. Although they had grown closer over the past year, it was still something completely different from what he had experienced at Teiko.

"The new students in our class," Tetsuya admitted. Kagami raised a split eyebrow at him. "I was just caught off guard. Watanabe-san picked up on my presence even though she wasn't able to see me…" Tetsuya was used to going unnoticed. Being noticed without being prompted wasn't something he knew how to handle.

It almost made him uncomfortable. No, it did make him uncomfortable; there was no other word for it. While he had formed friendships with his new team over the past year, even the members of the Seirin High School Basketball Club didn't notice him all the time. To be picked up on effortlessly by a complete stranger… the shield of invisibility that he used as a comfort zone had been instantly shattered to the point that he had fled soon after Watanabe-san had asked about him.

"She did? That's impressive. Pass," Kagami said, clearly unconcerned. Tetsuya couldn't find the right words to describe his feelings to his partner and passed the ball to him instead. Kagami didn't bother to warm up, taking a few steps before setting off into one of his incredible jumps, dunking the ball in the basket.

The force rattled the backboard a bit, and Kagami landed back on the floor with a sound that echoed throughout the gymnasium. Tetsuya was proud of his partner for the progress the taller male had made, but still felt some distance between them. It was something that didn't hinder their partnership, merely the fact that Tetsuya would never be able to understand the experience that Kagami had as he flew through the air.

In the same way, Kagami could never experience what it would be like to be as invisible as Tetsuya was. That meant that the problem was something he couldn't understand, either.

Tetsuya decided to let it go for now. He was more overreacting than anything. If the problem was that he had been forced out of his comfort zone, then that was a good thing. He even had a problem sometimes with how people never seemed to see him. If someone could "see" him—even if it was without really seeing him—he shouldn't be complaining.

The thought didn't completely eliminate his concerns, but it at least forced him to not focus on it so much. The sharp sound of a whistle echoing throughout the gym was also helpful.

"Alright, all new and aspiring members, line up!" Aida Riko called, shepherding the existing club members behind her. While the first years scrambled into a line, the coach gave Kagami a look that snapped the boy to attention. "And don't go jumping all over the place first thing, Bakagami. Not only do you need to stay in top shape you shouldn't be showing off your skills in front of the people you'll be playing in practice matches soon."

Kagami muttered an apology while Aida called the potential members to attention, followed by a subsequent order for them to take off their shirts.

The same clamor as last year broke out, making Tetsuya feel nostalgic. Once the hubbub died down, Aida began her evaluations, calling out flaws and methods for improvement in the new students by just glancing at them. Behind Tetsuya, Hyuga chuckled.

"She's really getting into it this year," the captain commented, smiling. He was scanning over the first years in his own way, seeing what new additions would be made to his team. Tetsuya wondered how the new players would adapt to his style, and Kagami was impatiently bouncing on his heels.

"That doesn't mean she has to yell at me for just warming up," the redhead commented. "I wasn't even trying to jump that high, just enough for a dunk." He sighed. "To be honest, at this point I'm starting to not even need to put effort to get high enough to do it…"

"That just means you're going to have to train harder to control it before Riko notices." The threat of extra practice to control his ability was enough to make Kagami shudder. Hyuga laughed. "Though I don't know what she's trying to do, keeping your powers a secret. I don't think there's a high school basketball player in the country that doesn't know what you can do."

"You should still be careful, Kagami-kun," Tetsuya said. "If you overwork yourself then you won't be able to play." It was meant as a friendly reminder, but Tetsuya was still concerned. The threat of exceeding his limits was just as possible for Kagami as it was for the rest of the Generation of Miracles.

Kagami only took the words as prompting to think. "So that means…" he muttered, starting to get lost in thought, "that I need to get used to jumping less…? No, more like jumping shorter… controlling when…" His words trailed off, starting to become unintelligible. Aida finished up her assessments, drawing all conversation to a stop with a blow of her whistle.

Tetsuya joined the lineup, preparing for preliminary exercises to break the first years in. They were old movements, familiar to him, leaving the boy plenty of time to think as his body went through the motions.

If Kagami's solution to his problem was that he needed to get used to jumping less, why couldn't the solution to Tetsuya's problem be getting used to being seen more?

Well, this isn't the story I expected to be posting. Even so, I like it. Think of it as something in celebration of the new CD and opening single which is amazing.

I liked the idea of putting together someone who couldn't see with someone who can't be seen, like Tetsuya. Thus, this story was born. Putting aside the manga, this story takes place in Tetsuya's second year of high school and assumes that Seirin wins the Winter Cup final match against Rakuzan.

I wonder if the sections in this seemed to be paced strangely... Regardless, I hope anyone who decides to take the time to read this enjoys it, at least a little.

Next time, a lunchtime meeting, a basketball practice, and a certain not-hazing basketball club initiation. Please look forward to it!

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