Chapter Text
Day 390 of rejection.
There are five of us now.
I am the oldest of them all and therefore the first of the little club we have. It's not really a club when you think about it, because clubs get along.
I do not get along with our second member. I have never said it out loud but it's clear to me as to why Kiyoshi Teppei rejected the bad boy, Hanamiya Makoto, the cruelest omega I have ever met.
Our third member's rejection was a little bit more hazy to understand. Kise Ryouta is not like Koto-chan and I. He is a beta, so he was expecting to be rejected. The rare defective gender who can give birth or provide it, but only with a one-in-a-million chance. It is why he was rejected; the Kasamatsu family enforced traditional views on their Alpha son.
Our most secret member, who I will refer to as the Emperor, was rejected by his omega. The reason is clear but the empathy is not. His omega fears him and fears inferiority. His own self-doubt is the only thing in the way of his happiness. He tore the Alpha's heart out as he did his own.
Our newest member is the one I fail to really see. Takao Kazunari is a member of my Alpha's rejecter's Lacrosse team. He is one of the ones whom passed me by and did not snigger, like the rest of them who still deem me unfit for him.
Takao Kazunari is a sweet, outgoing and completely loveable omega. Very much unalike to his rejecting Alpha, Shintarou Midorima. Whilst the basketball player also has traditional views his number one ire with Takao is the contrast in their personalities.
They are too different and do not match, according to him. His omega is going to be a Taurus. Oha Asa can not be wrong.
As for me-
"Hayama? Have you left for school yet?"
The omega jumps in fright, banging his knee into his desk.
"I-I'm on my way out!" He shouts back to his aunt. He slams his diary closed and slips it into his bag which he slings over his shoulder.
Hayama leans down into his mirror to check his appearance. His collar on his sport uniform is a little bit on the short side. It results in the red rash, shaped like a large X over his scent glands being quite noticeable.
The mark of someone not good enough.
Wincing at the futility of pulling it up, he shakes the thought away, grabs his bags and dashes out of the room and into the hallway.
"Did you eat breakfast?" His aunt asks. The over-energetic soccer playes comes to a skidding stop, nodding with a wide grin.
"I ate food from last night! See you!" He responds. The omega calls out to her nephew but it's too late. The wild child is throwing his bored down on the threshold of the front door and racing out into the street.
Hopefully, he can avoid trouble today.
◊◊
"It isn't that noticeable," Aomine tells Takao, as they stroll towards school. Takao gives a little frown at the pavement and continues to tug at his sports jacket.
"I-I agree. You can only see it if you're looking, Takao-san," Sakurai responds softly from beneath his Alpha's arm.
"It's not like anyone really cares. Look at Kise; he still walks around like he owns the place."
Takao gives a reluctant chuckle, "Yeah."
It was strange, talking to someone so close to his rejecting Alpha. It wasn't Daiki's fault they were on the same team. However, he knows Shin-chan's rejection of him caused a rift between the players.
The act offended his fellow rejectee Kise Ryouta. Kasamatsu Yukio had un-shockingly turned his back on the beta, who despite his gender still has monumental amounts of female fans.
'Beta's are a result of too much cross-breeding, Kazunari. Never forget that.'
Takao's great grandmother had spoken those words before being immediately reprimanded by his parents. Beta were equal now and their gender was no fault of their own.
The 'cross-breeding' refers to children born outside of the soulmate bond. They are becoming increasingly common due to casual sex and a decrease in people finding their destined other half.
"Is Kise still..." Takao trails off as he and the happy couple walk through the gates. Sakurai looks so small and protected by Aomine, who very rarely isn't touching his soulmate throughout the day.
"Ignoring Midorima? Yeah. It's awkward," Himuro appears beside them with his man-child Alpha trailing behind, eating, "Myself, Atsushi, Aomine, Sakurai, Taiga and Kuroko sit there in almost complete silence whilst Kise makes passive aggressive remarks to him."
"I see," Takao responds.
Hearing those names hurt.
In all honesty they were the populars of Seiren Sports Academy. The number one team at the school, the Basketball elites known country-wide as the Generation of Miracles, is looked upon with deep respect by all other sporting teams.
The Aces, Kagami Taiga and Aomine Daiki, the Phantom Kuroko Tetsuya, the Copycat Kise Ryouta, the Titan Murasakibara Atsushi and the Legendary Shooter Midorima Shintarou.
Takao's soulmate.
Takao's rejecter.
Kagami and Kuroko were soulmates and possibly the most compatible pair Takao had ever seen. He used to think being opposite was the foundation of a perfect bond. But if that were true his heart would not be broken.
Sakurai Ryou of the Baseball team and Himuro Tatsuya of the Martial Arts team were also a part of the popular group because of their soulmates.
Takao should be. He should be sitting there with them at lunch and walking home with them, instead of his fellow lacrosse players.
"They behave when Akachin's their," Murasakibara drawls.
Takao winces at the name. Despite the team's closeness no one but Kuroko knew of Akashi's rejection. How young Furihata Kouki of the volleyball team tore his heart out due to fear of inferiority.
Being rich there were measures the prestigious son of Akashi took to make sure the red X did not don his scent glands. It made Takao jealous, as well as the rest of the club members.
"Right... I, uh, I have to go," Takao says the moment the colour green comes into his peripheral vision. He ducks in front of Sakurai and Aomine, heading left in the crowd of students entering for the day.
Sakurai calls out behind him but Daiki says not to bother.
Seeing your rejecter hurts. It makes the X throb like a bad rash. It makes your heart beat, but not in a good way. In a way that makes you feel like you're experiencing a light heart attack.
Everyone is different. Personally Takao has found that he gets very cold. A chill sets into his skin, his blood, his bones, even with the heat on. Kise says he gets the shakes in his hands so often that is disrupts his modelling shoots. Hayama cites a serious depressive state with sleepless nights and tired days. Hanamiya is yet to speak about it at the few times he has shown up to the club meetings. When asked, Akashi had cast his glance away and simply stated that it hurt.
This part of the school is empty. Most morning clubs are inside the classrooms already, leaving Takao to make his way across the dew-kissed grass alone. His destination was their own club room.
The Reject's Club was something secretive. Upon rejection the school faculty provides you with information on how to deal with it, including the reveal of people similar to you. They were not known to outsiders.
"Good morning, Takao-chan!"
The hawk-eyed player stops, turns, and comes to grin at his Senpai Hayama Kotarou, only for that expression to immediately shift into one of concern.
"What ha-... Did you run into his brother again?" Takao frets, taking in the sight of older boy trying to clean off his jacket. Someone had thrown a drink on him. Milk tea by the colour of it.
"Yeah, no big deal!" Hayama grins. That's how he does it; he smiles through the pain. "Don't tell Nebuya, okay?" He chuckles nervously.
The last time Miyaji Kiyoshi's brother, Yuya, bullied Hayama, Takao had taken it upon himself to tell Hayama's friends. Mates Alpha Nebuya and Beta Mibuchi were appalled that it was happening and they had not been told.
Nebuya threatened Yuya and Miyaji responded by cruelly calling Hayama out in the middle of the halls. Hayama didn't show up for a week and when he did, the bullying was worse.
"It's no use," Hayama pouts. He shrugs his jacket off.
Takao spends about six seconds staring at his energetic senpai, before freezing on the spot.
Hayama doesn't notice at first, but when he does he turns around with his soiled jacket hanging off his arm. His confused expression melts into a sadder one when he sees the angered look on Takao's face.
"It's not right. He's supposed to be your soulmate! And Yuya is your brother-in-law!" Takao is rarely seen in such a state, Hayama notes. Clenched fist, voice angered, form shaking with anything but laughter.
"No," Hayama smiles, walking back towards his Kouhai and placing a hand on his shoulder, "he's not my future anything. Most rejections last for months, but when they last more than a year they're likely to be forever, or a very long time. It's been a year and a month for me."
He turns around then, hearing Takao's footsteps behind his own as they continue on to the club room.
"I know this is new to you, Takao. But I've been rejected the longest. This isn't new to me. As soon as my mom is better I'm going straight back to Kyoto where I won't have to deal with it anymore."
Takao looks up at the sky before they reach the corridor, contemplating the words.
If only Miyaji Kioyoshi knew what he was to lose.