Text – 2
You know Who I am?
As she was walking in the backyard on her way to the basketball court in which the team had practice Nyoko kept her gaze at the ground. Her curly brown hair fell into her face hiding her excited eyes. Even though she did not like being in a crowded room or at a place full of people, there was one event she could not miss for the world. The basketball team of her school was famous. But how famous?! She always blushed when she thought about the basketball team playing. Those boys...their moves! She was so impressed, but she could not put her finger on why. She was not particularly good at sports, she was more of a girl who was fond of literature. It was one, probably her only, friend who dragged her to one of the matches. She was not attending that school the first time she saw them, but thanks to a twist in her life she ended up going to the same school he was attending. And then something changed in her. Ever since then she had not missed not one practice or match. It had been two years since then. And Nyoko watched the Kiseki no Sedai grow and mature. Yes, she watched them change, he watched how their talent appeared. And at that moment, she was on her way to see another practice. She was rather early but she did not mind. She often helped the first-year students with preparing or cleaning the court. She never would have imagined she would not see the spectacular throw of Midorima Shintarō that day; that she would not experience the chill she gets when she watched Aomine Daiki play; that she would not giggle at the child-like Murasakibara Atsushi or even that she would not be able to talk to Kuroko Tetsuya again and little did she know that she gathered her courage to speak to Kise Ryōta and Akashi Seijūrō in vain. She never would have thought she would not even reach the door of the building.
'Just a few more steps' she thought to herself. She could already see the building. As she looked up her lips curled up into a smile and her sparkling green eyes appeared from behind her brown locks. She giggled to herself when a voice cut her off.
'Aawww isn't that cute? She's giggling in herself!' – Nyoko froze. She stopped her eyes focused on the ground again. Her kind smile changed into a scared frown.
'Maybe we should join her fun, ne, boys?' – Her knees started trembling. As she tried to count how many voices she heard she slowly closed her eyes. Five. Five different chuckles reached her ears. Her heart started beating faster and faster.
'What should I do? Five boys against one girl? What do they want?' She bit her lower lip as she slowly turned around.
'Aaahh so cute! Look at her, she looks so scared!' – Nyoko's eyes widened. Something was wrong. The uniforms...the boys were not wearing uniforms.
'A-are they not students? H-how did they get in? Why?' She quickly looked around as her thoughts raced forth and back in her mind. She could have threatened them with telling the principle about their little game, but if they were not students then she had no chance. She looked the men up and down in front of her. They wore simple clothes, jeans and hoodies, they did not seem as if they were gang members or drunk lazy good-for-nothings.
'W-what do you want?' – Nyoko finally gathered enough strength to make her lips move. Her voice trembled as she tried to stand confidently.
'What do we want, I don't even know, guys, what do we want?' – One of the man wearing sunglasses laughed as she took a few steps toward the girl. The others just laughed. His voice was the same as the one which spoke to her first.
'So, he is their leader?' She tilted her head a bit to the side as she examined the approaching man. He was not particularly tall or masculine, as a matter of fact he might have been the smallest in the group.
'I think we want to have some fun with you!' – The man stopped in front of her and leaned down close to Nyoko's face. – 'You got a problem with that?' – The man grinned and the girl could hear chuckling from behind the man's back. Her lips trembled she could not answer as she felt the man's hand touch her lower back.
'I'll take that as a no!' – Another man stepped in front of her and grabbed her arm. Nyoko's mouth opened in a weak, desperate scream and turned around to escape the man's grip. For a second she thought she was free again but then the one with sunglasses on suddenly grabbed her arm as she was stepping away which made her lose her balance. She immediately fell to her knees. The group started laughing as one of them – Nyoko could not see which as she was with her back to the group – kneeled down behind her and leaned to her ear. The girl looked up slowly. The excitement from her eyes disappeared and instead tears gathered in them. Her lips were slightly apart as she breathed her chest feeling tight. She was about to scream again when she saw him. That tall figure...that bag...the man stared back at Nyoko who held her hand out to the boy whom she knew well. How could she forget those hands and fingers? Those glasses and that green hair? How could anyone forget the number one shooter of the Kiseki no Sedai? A tear escaped from its prison and rolled down her cheek as she tried to call out to Midorima, but no voice came out. Nothing. The laughing behind her died, but only for a second. Yes, just for a second as the boy with green hair just adjusted his glasses and...
'W-where are you going? M-Midorima-kun?!' Nyoko screamed the boy's name, but only in her mind. She was petrified. How could he, the boy she so adored, the player who was her favourite...the boy who appeared in her dreams just...leave? She suddenly could not care what would happen to her. She could feel as one guy pulled her up then hugged her from behind tightly as he mumbled into her ear, but the words were blurry. Everything was. She was...destroyed. She kept her eyes on the tall boy who walked to the building then disappeared behind the door. A painful gasp broke out from Nyoko's throat as he felt the stranger's lips on her neck while his arms tightened around her. She closed her eyes slowly and she took a shaky breath. 'I can't move...move...legs...arms...please!' She gritted her teeth trying to sober up from her trance but the group of man did not give her time. Soon as she knew she was on the ground. One man pinned her arms to the ground by her wrist while another forced her legs open. The girl tried to scream but strong hands blocked the air coming out from her mouth. It did not matter how hard she tried, she knew the men were stronger. There were five of them she had no choice. 'Why? Why did he...'
The ring of a phone made the buzzing men pause. One of them picked it up and after a few words he hang up.
'We have to go!' – He said to the man with sunglasses. The other nodded then looked at Nyoko.
'You go...I will finish this. It'd be a pity if no one gave her some love.' – He chuckled evilly and the rest of the group followed his example. Slowly the hands on her wrists let go, but the man between her legs held her down still. She could not move and her struggle only made things worse. The hand on her chest was pushing her down with such force she could not help but moan softly from the pain. The stranger holding her waited until the yard emptied then turned his attention back to the girl suffering under him.
'It is much better now. It's only you and me baby...Now-' A sudden noise interrupted him. The hands on her body loosened and using that chance Nyoko jumped up and tried to run away. She did not get far as an arm stopped her. The man with sunglasses pulled the girl in front of him. Nyoko opened her eyes as they welled up in glittering tears. She was shaking, her whole body was close to giving up. If the man had not been holding her, she would have surely fallen to the ground. But her eyes were looking at something, something that made her mouth open in surprise.
'Why did you come back, brat?!' – The man holding Nyoko yelled at the figure in front of them.
'Why, you ask.' – Midorima pushed his glasses up on his nose. – 'I would explain, but I'm afraid you'd not understand anyways.' – The girl's eyes sparkled happily and relieved. 'Y-You came back...Midorima-kun!' He gasped inside her head as a tear of joy rolled down to her chin. The man holding her laughed but the girl could feel that he was not at all carefree.
'Just leave and I won't hurt you!' – While he was talking Midorima walked closer. Nyoko wondered why he came back. He was wearing the same clothes so he did not change. Then why did he go in? Did he hesitate to help her? Such thoughts made her a bit sad but at the same time she could not deny the fact that Midorima was there to help her. In fact he was standing right in front of her. He was much taller than the other man and so both of them looked up at him. His eyes shined threateningly. She noted to herself that she has never seen the man like this, but he was so confident and seemed so strong Nyoko could not help just blush as she stares at him.
'I do not want to fight. Just let her go. Nyoko comes with me!' – He said as he held his hand out to the girl. Nyoko's eyes widened as he whispered.
'Y-you know me? Y-you...you know who I am?' – Midorima did not answer he did not even look at her.
'Is she your girl or something?' – The stranger squeezes the girl's waist which made her groan again from the pain. She held her hand out to Midorima asking for help. She always wished to be close to him, she wanted to be embraced and especially now she could not think of anything she wanted more than to be in Midorima's arms. The boy took her hand with his right and with the same move he punched the guy with his left. The stranger staggered back cursing and holding his bleeding nose. Midorima pulled the girl to him and wrapped one arm around her loosely. Nyoko closed her eyes as she buried her face in the tall man's chest. She cried softly. She was not hurt, no, but she was so scared she could not keep her tears in anymore. The man threatened both of them but decided to flee. He realized he had no chance against Midorima and so he ran away. The girl and her hero stood there alone for seconds as Nyoko just cried softly. Midorima placed his other hand on the girl's head a bit awkwardly. It was the first time he actually held a girl in his arms. It was weird, he did not wish for this to happen but not even he was so cold-hearted enough to push a crying girl away.
He slowly looked up when he felt something wet on his cheeks. Midorima examined the sky then gave a gentle nudge to the girl.
'It is raining. You should go.' – He placed his hands on Nyoko's arms and pushed her away slowly. The girls looked up at him sniffing. She looked so sad and still frightened it surprised the boy. – 'Who should I call to take you home?' – He asked on his usual indifferent voice. The rain became heavier and he wished he could go back to the warm building, but the girl's answer made him puzzled.
'I am alone...' – Nyoko whispered as she dropped her head. She felt embarrassed. She needed someone to comfort her and hug her, to assure her that everything was going to be fine. Midorima felt it too, but he was just not the man for the job. At least he thought so.
'Ahh...I see' – He adjusted his glasses then took his umbrella out. He held it above the cute, sniffing girl then looked at her. – 'Let's go then.'
