The Promised Land [Kuroken Fanfiction]

1

Kuroo opened the door discreetly and peeked inside through the gap, his left hand hugging the volleyball tightly and his messy bed head and his obsidian eyes glimmered with curiosity, in that bedroom, there sat Kenma, who was playing on his playstation and pulling an all nighter again, his eye bags were so obvious and the veins within his eyes were seen, Kuroo approached the boy quietly, poking him.

"Kenma," he called out, the black-haired boy didn't flinch at all and he turned, revealing his cat-like golden eyes and a small pout, possibly due to his defeat in the game, Kuroo looked down at the smaller boy, who was sitting crossed leg and he smiled lightly, "Volleyball?"

Kenma shook his head and yawned, his eyes brimmed with tears as he has been staring at the screen for so long already. "I'm tired." He commented, in his monotonous voice, Kuroo frowned, his face was scrunched up, "If I leave now, will you go to bed then?"

Kenma looked away, nodding his head, obviously lying. Kuroo wasn't that oblivious, after moving into the neighbourhood 2 years ago, he has managed to understand the little movements of Kenma and what they imply, he even made a list when he forgot about some of them, but in this case, he was certain that Kenma looking away was a sign of lying. Kuroo rolled his eyes and he snatched the controller from his friend, "If you can catch me, I'll let you play! But if you don't, you'll have to go to bed!" He chanted teasingly, despite wanting to play volleyball with him now, he understood that what his friend needed now was sleep. So he started running in circles while sticking his tongue, hopefully it would arouse Kenma's interest.

And it did work, Kenma has been a competitive person, believe it or not, and upon seeing Kuroo's provocation, he was triggered and he was determined to claim victory in this game. He chased Kuroo who ran outside his bedroom with a giggle, he followed his footsteps in an attempt to catch him, but compared to Kuroo, he had no expertise in sports or anything that required high physicality, the possibility of him winning was rather small, and Kuroo was well aware of that.

Kuroo smirked and sprinted towards the playground as soon as he left Kenma's house, his hand still holding onto the controller, he didn't drop a single bead of sweat, on the other hand, Kenma was panting heavily already, his forehead was matted with sweat and his shirt was soaked wet, it felt sticky but he needed his controller back. So he continued to chase Kuroo without any hesitation, who was already waving at him by the swing with the brightest smile, chanting, "I win! I win!"

Kenma frowned and slowed down his pace, he bent down, trying to catch his breath and rest himself against his knees, "Is that how you win?" he asked, voice raspy and still panting, the boy nodded his head proudly, "Yes, it's my game, so I make the rules." He tilted his head a little and sat on the swing, swaying himself as he felt the gusts of wind blowing against him, he smiled, "Tired?" he asked, gazing at Kenma, who looked drained. The black-haired boy nodded his head with a small pout, "Yes, can you give me back my controller now?" he asked wearily, "I promise I'll go to sleep by the time I get home."

Kuroo chuckled, "How will I know for sure?" he said with a devilish smirk, after pondering for a while, he jumped off the swing and did a heroic pose, "You shall play volleyball with me tomorrow! IF you have enough energy to do so, I will believe you!" He grinned after saying it, as if it was the smartest thing he had ever thought of. Kenma of course, was opposed to it, but he did lose the competition, so he had to do what needed to be done.

After Kuroo got back to Kenma's house to retrieve his volleyball and return the controller to him, he waved goodbye to the boy with an ecstatic smile, "Remember our promise!" He exclaimed excitedly, hopping up and down, I'll come by around 3, you better be ready!"

Kenma nodded his head and closed the door, he didn't have much of a choice and so that day, before the clock reached 10, he fell asleep.

The next day, Kuroo was proud of how lovely Kenma looked compared to before, he usually felt lethargic but today, he was full of energy, so they played and practised volleyball over and over again until their legs felt sore.

File Name: 18th June, 2004.