Through the Hoop
Chapter 1：回来了－Back
"Ahaha...you're kidding me, right," a boy with golden blonde hair laughed sheepishly as he observed the scene before him.
"Hmm, it seems that I'm not the only one seeing things here. Kise, am I hallucinating?" Aomine Daiki not-so-gently pinched his teammate's arm which caused the later to whine and slap Teiko's basketball ace's hand away from him.
A small boy, with light blue hair and about the same age as the two arguing, hushed his fellow eavesdroppers, "Aomine-kun, Kise-kun, if we don't quiet down, they'll hear us."
"Ahh, I'm going to leave Mido-chin and Nana-chin alone. All this tension is making me starve," Murasakibara Atsushi snickered before walking away. The remaining three continued to bicker about their disbelief.
"Of all of us...Mihocchi chose Midorimacchi! I think I'm going to cry!" Kise whined and hugged the light blue haired boy.
Aomine sighed, "What does she see in such a stoic, gloomy, and eccentric guy? Honestly, that girl."
While the basketball 'Generation of Miracles' were talking, Nanase Miho, now the number one shooter of the Generation of Miracle's girlfriend, asked Midorima a simple question, "Shin-chan, why did you choose today to ask me?"
The green haired boy pushed up his glasses, "Because my horoscope said that today was a great day for Cancers to confess."
With that, Miho let out a light giggle while the three eavesdroppers facepalmed.
I was Kise's childhood friend. I've probably known him longer than anyone has. However, never in my life have I seen him in such a state.
My feet had carried me as fast as they could to the court of the Interhigh Quarterfinals for the high school basketball competition. My lack of a sense of direction honestly didn't help me get there any faster. When I finally got to the court, the game had ended 98-110 with Kaijo's defeat.
I knew Kise attended Kaijo and Aomine attended Touou from the texts that Midorima and Kise had sent me. Thus, on my first day—no hour back from the States, I rushed to the game between my former schoolmates.
"Ryo-chan..." I muttered softly before collapsing on the railing of the observation seats.
I knew that he wanted to win the match more than anything else. Back in Teiko, Kise often challenged Aomine to one-on-one matches, which always ended in Kise's defeat. After all the generations of miracles graduated, they all were scouted by different high schools and left each other. However, that just makes the high school competitions that much more interesting. Kise had stated that he wanted to win this match against Touou, no matter what.
Slowly, I crept down the stands and looked around before giving up and deciding to ask for directions. With my sense of direction, there was no way I could find the boys change rooms.
"Excuse me," I bumped into a girl with short brown hair and a high school uniform, "may I ask where the boy players change rooms are?"
"Hmm? Oh, they are that way," she pointed to a hallway and I quickly bowed to thank her before running off. I didn't notice the curious blue eyes trailing after me.
Oh. My. God. This was actually getting ridiculous. I don't necessarily think that girl led me the wrong way, but...where the hell am I! The corridor was dark and scary and I was absolutely freaked that something would jump out...any moment now...
"M-Mihocchi?" a voice inquired.
I shrieked and ducked behind the nearest item, which just so happened to be a stray basketball in the hallway, "N-no! Don't hurt me, please!"
"It is Mihocchi!" the thing's hands yanked the ball away from my hands and I was left gaping in absolute terror at the thing...person...Kise?
He was taller for sure—I am only at his shoulders. However, it was the same golden brown orbs that my dark blue ones were staring into and the same smile that I had seen a million times. It was Ryo-chan.
Tears welted up in my eyes after seeing him after a long time, "Ryo-chan!"
My arms wrapped around his neck as I jumped up to hug him tightly. His arms also wrapped tightly around my back.
"H-hey...Mihocchi, I'm still sweaty and I bet I smell horrible..." Kise mumbled in my dark blue hair.
Right, he had that match before him—the match. He must be feeling horrible and here I was, clinging to him and forcing him to laugh. I'm such an idiot.
Immediately, I released the golden haired boy and he put on a sad look.
"Ryo-chan...I'm so sorry..." I bit my lip as I pulled him towards me with my arms, "You must be devastated and here I was..."
"Mihocchi...I'm fine, really," he gave me a bright smile.
"Y-you idiot. You can cry with me here," I pulled his head into my chest and before I knew it, I could fell his sobs as he clutched the fabric of my jacket.
"I-I wanted to beat him! Just—just once..." he mumbled as I felt his tears seeping through the fabric of my dress. It didn't matter that his face was pressed up against my boobs. Ryota was like a brother that I never had. Sure I didn't love him the way I loved Midorima, but I loved him nonetheless.
"Eh? You're going to Seirin?" Kise asked as we were leaving the tournament grounds. Kise's team had already left and Kise had just gone back to grab a few things that he left behind when he met me.
"Yup, it's the closest to my house. It was either Seirin for closeness or Rakuzan for their good academics. I wanted to at least have some freedom, so I chose Seirin," I explained.
"Ah right, papa Nanase is very strict on academics," Kise thought aloud.
"Yeah..." I laughed. My father was very stringent when it came to grades and ranks. He has always wanted me to achieve a full mark on every single subject and obtain first place in every single subject. He didn't care at all about what I did as long as I fulfilled those requirements.
I left Teiko Junior High in my second year because of this. During the middle of my first year, I had become good friends with Momoi Satsuki, the manager of the Teiko Basketball team. She was very good at managing data and analyzing opponents. However, so was I. In some occasions we would switch during a game and I would take her job when she was busy.
This led to my drop in grades, however. When my father found out during my second year at Teiko, he had me immediately transferred to an American school during my third year. I had to bid farewell to all my friends. After a year, he finally decided that I was disciplined enough to come back to live with him in Japan. I despised my father—no I hated him.
"Kurokocchi goes to Seirin as well, you know," Kise stated.
I turned to him in surprise, "Te-chan?"
"Yeah. If Mihocchi is going to join the basketball team as their manager, you'll definitely see him. He's so cool now! He's improved a lot!" Kise grinned happily.
I smiled. Yes, I was planning to join the Seirin basketball team as their manager. Sure it was going to be hard achieving high grades and managing the basketball team. However, basketball was my passion and there was no way I was going to lose it again to the wrath of my father.
"Are you going to start school tomorrow?" Kise inquired again.
"Yep! I'm going to head down to the gym office and submit my club request forms now," I grinned.
Kise laughed sheepishly before a worried look spread across his face, "Mihocchi...will you be able to get there safely...?"
Knowing the answer to that question already, I could only give a light laugh before Kise shook his head in disbelief.
"Your sense of direction hasn't improved at all, Miss. I-get-lost-in-my-second-year-of-my-own-school," Kise grumbled earning another nervous laugh from me.
"So you would like to submit this to the basketball club, am I right?" the secretary at Seirin smiled sweetly at me in which I gave a nod. I'm sure it's not me that she's trying to be kind to and trying to impress, however. It was definitely the golden haired man standing beside me. Women these days, figures.
"Ah, now that that's over with! Let's go to Midorimacchi's school!" Kise smiled happily at me.
"Shin-chan? He goes to Shutoku, right?" I questioned.
"Yup! I'm sure you want to see him after one year of being apart!" Kise messed up my long blue hair while smiling his bright smile.
I inwardly thanked god for giving me such a great friend as I smiled back and followed Ryota to Shutoku High School.
"They are still practicing basketball..." I muttered as I peeked through the gap of the gymnasium. All highschools had a day off today and yet it seems that Shutoku's basketball team was still practicing.
"Midorimacchi's dedicated, huh," Kise whispered in which I nodded.
"You ready for your grand reunion?" my childhood friend teased in which I elbowed him slightly and pushed open the door.
Other than my boyfriend himself, everyone else turned to look at us.
"Isn't that Kise Ryota?!"
"No way! The model and a former member of the Generation of Miracles?"
"Why is he here? Is that hot girl beside him his girlfriend?"
I ignored the rumors and watched as Midorima shot his ball into the basket with a serious expression on his face.
My fists clenched. Sure we have texted each other everyday since I left. Even though they were simple texts, they were still meaningful and I looked forward to his announcement of my lucky item each day. However, seeing him here in the flesh was a different feeling completely.
Unable to hold it in anymore, I ran towards the green haired shooter, "Shin-chan!"
He was surprised to receive my sudden pounce of an embrace. I could hear the whispers going on in the gym and Kise snickering. However, I held tight to Midorima's neck and buried my face into his hair.
"M-Miho?" he gasped aloud as his arms soon slowly embraced me back.
"Shin-chan! I missed you so much!" I let my tears flow out as I pulled back and saw my favorite green haired tsundere in front of me.
"Ahh, here it comes! Everyone look up!" In my peripheral vision, I saw Kise smirk and point up towards the ceiling. Everyone seemed confused but did as he said when my lips met Shintaro's eagerly.
It was a chaste kiss of course. Nothing too deep—Shintaro would never allow that when we were alone much less with an audience. When we released each other, I saw a black haired man with a hue of red painted on his face as he whistled nonchalantly.
"Takao, you peeked, didn't you," Midorima glared with his green eyes at the peeking man.
"With my hawk's eyes, it's impossible to hide from it!" he retaliated against Midorima.
"You could always close your eyes. Baka!" Midorima glared and stormed out of the gym but not after I saw the hue of red on his cheeks.
Geez, that guy. Way to ditch me after kissing me.
I was about to follow him when a group of the basketball players in the gym that witnessed the scene surrounded me.
"Wah! What is such a cute and pretty girl like you doing with that sulky and boring Midorima!"
"You are really dating Midorima?"
"Didn't you know? He has three selfish requests a day! And he carries a lucky item around where ever he goes! He's so strange!"
"Ah, alright, alright," the man that Shintaro called Takao sorted all the guys out and the coach resumed the practice, "geez, that was tough. You're Shin-chan's girlfriend?"
I looked at him, "You must be very close to him to call him that," I stated.
"Ah," Takao scratched his head, "Not at all. He hates it when I call him that."
"I see. Anyways, yes I'm Shin-chan's girlfriend. Nanase Miho, nice to meet you!" I gave a small smile and gave a bow to Takao.
"Wahh, Mihocchi's being so proper!" Kise joined the conversation.
"I didn't think Shin-chan could get such an amazing girlfriend! Hey, honestly, what do you like about that guy?" Takao asked.
I put my hand on my chin and thought for a while, "Hmm...if I had to put it all in one word, I would say, everything. To be perfectly honest, I have no clue why I like him. He's so cute in so many ways. I love all his flaws and all his strengths."
I gave Takao a small smile. It was true. Even though he was mean to me sometimes, refused to hold my hand or kiss me, I still love absolutely everything about him.
Takao seemed surprised at the answer while Kise chuckled, "It's okay. We all asked her the same question and she's answered with the same answer every time we asked."
Takao nodded for a moment before raising an eyebrow, "Wait...what do you mean by we and who exactly is she? Why haven't I ever seen her until now?"
Kise sighed and told him the whole story about my life in Teiko and my sudden leave for the States. He left out the part about my father, however.
"Stop telling Takao everything! Coach! As one of my selfish requests for today, allow me to leave practice early." Midorima called out. The black haired coach let out a long sigh before allowing my green haired boyfriend to do as he pleases.
"Che, alright let's go, Miho. Takao, take my bag home and Kise, don't follow us," Midorima warned the golden haired man when he was about to leave with us.
With that, Shintaro sped out of the doors of the gymnasium with me hurrying after him.
"I'm very sorry for the inconvenience!" I bowed before I ran after that dumb tsundere.
"Shin-chan! Slow down!" I grumbled as I ran after the green haired boy.
He slowed down his pace a little and turned back to me, "What were you thinking barging in like that? Now the talk about how I have a girlfriend is never going to end."
I looked down silently, "...Shin-chan doesn't want your teammates to know you have me as your girlfriend? I know I'm nothing praiseworthy but-"
"T-that's not the problem. Y-you're never the problem..." he muttered the last bit so quietly that I barely heard what he said. He turned his face away from me to hide his flush and I turned around with a blush of my own. He's so sweet and cute sometimes. I am way too obsessed with this guy.
Turning around again, I blushed and held my hand out, "S-Shin-chan, hand?"
He reluctantly pressed his hand against mine. It was his carefully bandaged up left hand. Smiling, I intertwined our fingers and my fingertips caressed his soft hand.
"H-hey! Stop that!" He squeezed my hand softly, but I kept up the caresses. His face turned beet red as he turned around.
I smiled happily, "Shin-chan, I missed you so much."
After a moment of silence, he turned around and gave me one of his rare gentle smiles, "I've missed you too."
A/N: Disclaimer - I do not own Kuroko no Basuke or any of the characters.
Alright! Yay I'm done the first chapter. I really hope that I didn't make Shin-chan too OOC. Anyways, I've wanted to write this for a while already. I really honestly love Shin-chan. He's probably tied with Dai-chan, but I feel that Nanase Miho would get better along with Shin-chan. Anyways, I really hope you guys enjoy the story. And please, please, please review. They help me a lot with the story. Feel free to give me spelling and grammar mistakes and also suggestions for what you want to happen in the next few chapters. I'll mainly be following the manga storyline with the competitions but that doesn't mean I can't add a couple of dates here and there. ;D
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Please review, I would appreciate it so much! Thank you all very much!
~Yuvi