Amend

27thSky

So in the end I decided to continue publishing after all. It seems that there are still people waiting for it. Again, thank you so much for the reviews, follows and favorites.

This chapter if for LadyKuchiki4709 who seemed to be the one looking forward for this the most. Thank you.

This chapter isn't much but I'll be sure to post the next one soon. Reviews are love!

"Half for yourself," Ryouta recited to himself as he stepped through the gate of his new school. Kaijo High. Breathing in the fresh air and seeing the familiar scene of people, Ryouta finally relaxed. His weeks of mulling over his first day seemed ridiculous now. Well, how could it not be ridiculous when he even resorted to using manga as a reference. Ryouta was now embarrassed to himself as he remembered his stupid antics.

High school debuts are a thing of fiction. Image changes are not unwelcomed but must be done with correct supervision (from someone who knows what he/she is doing, obviously). Going to a school where no one knows you is impractical and stupid. These are the thoughts that ran through the head of Kise Ryouta as he closed the manga that he was reading. It also voiced out his own opinions in the piece of fiction that he read just now. It was supposed to be a reference to prepare him for his first day of high school tomorrow. Using manga as a reference was a stupid move Ryouta realized it now. In his defense, it seemed like a good idea at that time.

He was Kise Ryouta.

He wasn't supposed to need a guide in handling one's first day of school. After all, it was about handling people. It is about making new friends and finding one's own place in an environment of diverse people. Not just ordinary people. High school students. Yes, there is a distinction. Teens are quite problematic after all and this is a known fact.

Ryouta, though, is an extrovert. He thrives with people. As a part time model, understanding people is what he should know best. (No. Its not posing or smiling for the camera. One should know what people want to see and project to the lens.) Ryouta has been trying not to admit the real reason for his sudden lack of confidence but he now see that this endeavour was futile.

Ryouta does not want a repeat of middle school. Just like what he was trying to do right now, Ryouta ran away. Away from the tears. Away from the pain. Away from him. Ironically, just like a lot of shoujo manga on new beginnings and high school debuts Ryouta was also doing it because of the most cliché plot in the literary world, first love.

The blond gave out a long sigh as he stared on his ceiling. He was currently lying on his bed. The manga he was reading scattered on his right. He can feel the warmth of the sunlight through his window along with the fresh breeze that cooled the room. All in all, it was a great weather in Kanagawa. Somehow, he still felt melancholic. No, not melancholic but rather nostalgic. The perfect weather reminded him of the dramatic 'rooftop scene' which in Ryouta's own opinion was listed high in his most embarrassing moments. Despite the fact that it was an important event in his life.

He cannot keep on doing this though. Second guessing and feeling nostalgic was not like Kise Ryouta. Standing up, he walked in front of his full body mirror. Seeing himself, Ryouta can recite every single changes he's gone through in the months after middle school but it did not matter. What changed on the inside is what he must know and face.

Taking a deep breath, Ryouta closed his eyes and listened to nothing and everything. He scoffed at his own thoughts. Maybe he was really getting old or just plain stupid. From the overthinking he has been doing for the past week, Ryouta was totally leaning towards the latter.

Opening his eyes, he finally made a decision. "Kise Ryouta is still Kise Ryouta. I'm still a chatterbox half the time. Hyperactive, still half the time of course. Still handsome but not vain well, maybe a little. Still thinks that honesty towards oneself is a must. So, here goes," Taking a deep breath and a loud exhale that echoed in his silent room, "Kise Ryouta is still in love with Aomine Daiki. Now that wasn't so hard, isn't it?" Ryouta asked his own reflection. To his own horror, he can see tears pooling in his amber eyes as memories involuntarily flashed in his mind.

Gleaming maple wood floors. Squeaking floors and bouncing balls. Sun kissed skin. A smile that showed pure elation and excitement. The smell of sweat and spring rain. Mundane conversations filled with laughter and silent musings. Anguished and pained midnight blue eyes. Despairing teal ones. A lone figure in the middle of the court. The sound of a buzzer and a final tick of a clock.

The last memory pulled him out of his reverie. He was still a mess after all. He chuckled mirthlessly as he saw his tear-stained face and amber eyes that reflected pain. Maybe he wasn't really Kise Ryouta anymore or maybe he still is just a little worse for wear version. "And still a crybaby," Ryouta quietly added as he wiped away his tears and gave himself a smile. "You can do this one Ryouta and you'll get through it. Half for him and half for yourself."

For the first in the weeks of overthinking, Kise Ryouta gave himself a genuine smile. Starting over, it is.

Hearing the bell that signalled the end of his first day brought a smile to Ryouta's face. First day done. Now off to basketball practice. Ryouta knows that basketball practice would be a walk in the park. How could it not be after all. Basketball was as familiar as breathing to him by now. As for his new teammates, well Ryouta's confident he can charm them enough to smoothen his transition.

—

Looking at the situation now, Ryouta wanted to smack himself from twenty minutes ago. His smooth transition was so not going well. As soon as he finished his own introduction, he received a strong kick from his bushy browed new captain. Well, Ryouta might indeed have gotten a bit overboard but it was supposed to be charming.

"Is this a correct treatment to someone, you scouted?" Ryouta rubbed his sore stomach. "Anyways you might be older than me but my skills are still better than yours." Rising to his full, height Ryouta looked down to his new captain intimidation evident in his stance.

His captain's furrowed brows indicated that he wasn't cowered from Ryouta's intimidation. Gray eyes that showed steel and confidence stared back at Ryouta. Somehow, seeing himself reflected in those metallic eyes made Ryouta think that this person can see through the layers that he used to protect himself.

"**Good or bad aside, this is Kaijo High's basketball team. Its not because they were born first. The second and third years have been working hard and contributing that much longer than you. I'm telling you to respect that fact. Whether you're the Generation of Miracles doesn't matter. You're a Kaijo first year now, Kise Ryouta. And I'm Kasamatsu Yukio. The captain of the team. You got something to say about that?"

Serious gray eyes met Ryouta's amber ones for the second time and as the words sunk into his mind Ryouta knew then that he made the right decision. Kaijo is indeed, the right place for a new beginning. It was only solidified when heard the familiar tick. It was the sound that has accompanied and signalled important turning points of his life. Ryouta likes to think that this sound was fate's way of reminding that the blond simply cannot ran away far enough from her. For the first time, this turning point wasn't because of the owner of midnight blue eyes that haunted his dreams.

"Just one thing." Ryouta replied seriously, threat and anger evident in his voice.

"Don't call me that."

"Call you what?" Kasamatsu wasn't expecting the tone of the cocky brat. The threat and anger signalled that he hasn't learned his lesson but he'll let it slide for now. It was the pain that was hidden there that caught his attention. The three words that the brat uttered back was also quite unexpected.

"Generation of Miracles."