PROLOGUE
Her brother tugged her little sister's hand closer to him as they ran to the train, running towards the door before it closes back.
"Run faster Emi! If you don't keep up the pace, we will be late!" said the older brother.
Emi frowned as she grip harder to his older brother's hand and her speed increased more than before, it was her turn now to drag her brother into the train. The door barely opens, if it weren't for Emi and Teppei small built they wouldn't have make it inside. Once they entered, the intercom speak through the speaker 'Watch your step!' Teppei's breath was short and ragged. He released his sister hands away from him and place them on his knees as he bend slowly to took a deep breath and rest for a while. Emi's breath was falling short too, but not as worse as her brother. She wiped the sweat on her chin with the back of her hand.
"Nice speed as always." Her brother said while smiling as he puffed.
Emi can only smile. Her speed was one thing that she was proud off. Of course there were many things beside speed that can make her parents, even other people was proud that she was born. Emi was the child of blessing after all.
The train started to move towards it's next destination. Caused by the force created by the train, Emi was taken by surprise. Her legs wobbled to the direction the trains was moving and she was about to fall on her back. She closes her eyes, waiting for the impact. But she didn't. Instead, warm hands were placed on her shoulders to keep herself balanced. She opened her eyes, looking for the owner of the two warm hands. Her eyes trailed to his limb, his wrist and his smiling face.
"But I'm better at balance." He said, grinning again at her.
He pulled her away from the door towards the nearest empty seat. As they walked, she looked at her older brothers back. He had always been there when she needed him the most. His kind personality melted her icy heart. He will always try to make her happy, to make her laugh. He's not the typical perfect brother, but you could trust him and have faith in him. He have his own ways with her life. She wanted to do the same for him, to make him happy.
"No way." Emi said coldly, turning her head to the side as she speak.
Her brother smile turned into frown. "Come on Emi. Pleaseeeee..." He clapped both of his hand together.
It's not like she wanted to go, but what's the point. She will bore herself to death, why should she accompany his older brother to a stupid basketball match where he didn't even play?
"You promised Emi, it's my birthday after all..." He pleaded.
When you put it that way...
Emi sighed, she put the comic book – a green background, covered with a large bubble head girl with a big grin on her face as she run with some musical instrument and her friends by her sides. The top of the bubble headed girl was the title of the comic book, which reads "Miiko." – on the other side of the sofa and walked right passed her older brother.
"Wait Emi, where are you going?"
Emi take off her sandals as she put on her sneakers. "Are we going or not?"
Teppei smile returned to his face and his eyes beamed with happines and satisfaction. "Yes! Wait here, I'm going to get the ticket."
Emi nodded as Teppei ran back to his room.
When you put it that way, it sounds like I'm the bad guy...
After 15 minutes of walking, both of the child from Kiyoshi family lost their way to the stadium. They had been circling the same route over and over again.
Teppei looked confused; he looked at his left and at his right and probably the back of his head. He looked at both of his arm and drop of sweats was embedded on his forehead.
"Emi, which hand you use to hold a cup of tea?"
"The right one."
Teppei looked at his both of his palm once again and his eyes darted back at the road in front of him. The intersection cause his eyes and head dizzy, like they had been stung by a heat wave. He turned left while Emi stayed behind.
"It's the hand you use to hold chopsticks." Emi said out loud.
Slowly, Teppei walked to the other direction while Emi followed him from behind. His face flushed pink from embarrassment and the snickers that the people inadvertently let out, caused his back to heat more.
Another inter junction came out from the road and Teppei in-distinctively pointed to the right. "It's this way." He said with confidence.
Emi had enough, she grabbed the back of Teppei's collar and drag him out of the right side of the road.
Note to self: When going for a walk, never trust nii-san's sense of direction.
With Emi leading the way, both of the Kiyoshi's had finally arrived at the stadium which was only a 3 minutes of walking IF they turned at the right way from the beginning. Teppei was the first to step forward, looking at the outer stadium with awe as he darted right into it. Emi trailed her older brother slowly as she entered the main door.
Once she entered, the overpowering bright light inside, caused her eyes to winced slightly. The loud cheering from the audience is like a broken radio through her ears and instinctively, one of her hand cover the right side of her ear.
Too loud...
The crowds cheer more counting the time backwards starting with the number 10. Emi looked around to search for her brother and she indeed found him. Looking excitedly from the side of the field as an orange colored ball travel all the way through half of the field. Soon, she heard number 5.
"Emi, may I present to you..."
Five! The orange ball was passed from one person to another, preparing to look for an opening to shoot.
Four! The ball was stolen before the player can shoot through the ring-shaped basket and the same player ran to the other side of the field.
Three! Another player who sided with the player who's ball was stolen ran as fast as he could and steal the ball once again.
Two! The same player shoot through the ring-shaped basket.
One! The ball touched the steel corner of the ring, causing it to circle around it. The same player run passing other players as he jumped high, his hand higher than the ring and forced the ball to enter the ring.
He dunked...
The sound of buzzing that indicate the time is up and cheering from the crowds fill the entire field. The winning players scream excitedly with a smile as the other players hugged the same person who dunked.
"...The world of basketball." Teppai said with proud grin on his face.
The world of Basketball...
The first time Emi fall in love with another thing except comic books.
The sound of the disturbing alarm disturb Emi beauty sleep. She slammed the top of the alarm clock and it silenced it. This was the fifth time she slam the alarm clock to silence since the morning arrives. She groaned and started to cover her body under the warm blanket as she burried her head deep in the soft pillow.
A knock came from behind her door"Emi! Hurry and get dressed or you'll be late for school!" said a motherly voice.
Her eyes slowly opened as blurry vision of her familiar room filled her eyes. She lazily grabbed the alarm clock on her right side of the bed slowly. Closing one of her eyes, the other eyes looked at the long and short needles of the clock. Immediately her eyes jolted open and threw her blanket on the floor. She quickly jumped out from the bed and her leg slipped onto the blanket, causing her to fall onto wooden floor with a loud thud.
"Oi Emi, don't sweat it. It's still 7.30 in the morning." Teppei said from behind the door.
Emi slowly got up from the floor and winced slightly in pain, nonetheless she still changed into her usual middle school uniform.
"Don't say that when your school is not 45 minutes away, you didn't get up late and already had a proper breakfast!"
"Old habit die hard, huh?" Teppei mocked slightly.
"Just go first, I'll catch up later!" Emi said while brushing her short orange hair in a fast motion.
"Then, see you later!"
"Bye!" Emi replied in a hurry.
Where is that damned hairpin?
From outside her door, she can hear her brother voice. 'I'll be going first.' This is a signal for her to finish dressing up and run outside the house.
Found it!
The hairpin was black with a blue daisy flower as a decoration. She put two if the pins on her pony to keep it from covering her eyes. Once she was finished, she grabbed her bag and darted out of the room, leaving the door open, but then she return once more to make sure she looks okay and nothing is out of place.
Yosh!
She run quickly into the first floor, grabbed her toast from the dining table.
"Late again, Emi?" said a familiar figure sitting on the chair of the dining table with his face covered by newspaper from this morning edition.
"Yeah, gotta go. Bye dad." She landed him a kiss on the cheek and run outside the house while biting her toast.
Not long, she returned once again into the dining room and grabbed her wrapped bento made by her mother.
"Thanks for the lunch mother!" She said mumbling because she was biting the toast on her mouth and putting on her school shoes.
"I'm leaving!"
"Have a nice day, Emi." Her father said to her.
"You too dad. Bye mom!"
"Enjoy your study at school." Her mother said to her and planted a kiss on Emi's forehead.
"It's school, mom. No way I'm going to enjoy it. Bye!" Emi replied and returning the kiss, running to the left side of her house towards the train station while her mother wave good-bye at her from the front door.
Dang it I'm going to be late...again!
She bites of her toast and continued running straight towards the train station. The door of the train was about to closed, She slipped right through the door and landed straight none other than the model, Kise Ryota.
"Move out of the way!" Emi screamed.
Kise slowly moving to the left side while Emi landed at the floor of the train as the door closes. Her toast are all jumbled down into garbage and her head landed straight onto the floor. Emi rises her head to the left as she see Kise looking at confusedly at her, but he still put his usual smile on his face.
"Good morning, Emi-kocchi~!"
She looked at Kise lazily and continue lying there on the floor. Her head went back facing the floor.
God. Just. Kill. Me. Now.
She felt cold hands around her waists, lifting her easily into a standing position. Emi's eyes trailed for the owner of the hand. Atsushi Murasakibara.
"You'll catch a cold if you sleep there." He said plainly.
Emi wiped the dust from the hem of her school skirt. "Thanks Mura."
"No problem...as a thank you gift..." He hesitated for a moment. "Can I have that toast?"
Kise and Emi looked at Murasakibara with disbelief as their mouth went agape and the colors were washed off from their faces. Both of their eyes travel to the toast and back to Murasa. The toast was lying there on the floor, looking to be pitied and to be eat-ed with an ant coming closer to it.
"You can't eat a fallen toast, Mura..." Kise complained as his eyebrow twitched and he put a hand on Murasa's squatting figure.
Emi quickly stepped on her toast deliberately.
"Ah, I'm sorry. My foot slipped."
"EMIIII!" Momoi screamed in front of the school gate as soon as she saw a familiar orange short hair color near the school gate.
"Satsuki!" Emi quickly smiled and ran toward the pink pony tailed girl.
"It's been so long!" Momoi hugs Emi as tight as she could and Emi returned it while smiling sheepishly.
"We only didn't see each other during the weekend. You are clearly exaggerating..." Emi looked left and right for a dark blue haired male with a tanned skin.
"He didn't come to school again?"
"Come on Emi, you have been with me and Aomine for like what? Since elementary school and you still didn't realize that he is lazy to go for school?"
Emi stuck a tongue at her. She always hated it when Momoi and her womanly instinct was right. The four of them traveled back to their respective classes as the bell rang.
Aomine turns out to be late and come only after the lunch break. He was in the same class with Emi. Kuroko, Emi and Aomine are classmates. Momoi is one class with Akashi while Kise is one class with Midorima. Emi really pitied Kise really, to be one class with that so-called genius who can't understand jokes and only rely on their logic.
It's been her third year in middle school in less than eight months, she will go into another high school. She wanted to go to the same school as the core player of the generation of miracles, but It will be impossible to divide her body into five full parts right?
Soon...
"-san...Emi-san."
Kuroko's voice brought Emi back into reality. She had been dozing around for an entire day not to realize that homeroom was already over.
"Ah. Sorry, Kuroko. What is it?"
"Akashi-kun wanted to ask you about the winter cup."
"Winter cup. Ohh! Of course! I will be watching from the sidelines together with Momoi."
"No, no. Not as a spectator, as a strategist."
"I told him I quit being his strategist. I make it as clear as water didn't I? It's not like I don't want the team to win, but sometimes you have to do something for yourselves. We will graduate soon, didn't we. So tell him to stop relying on me."
Emi quickly put her books into her bags and slide the door open, leaving Kuroko standing next to her table.
"Kuroko..."
"Yes?"
"Tell Akashi to trust on his team more. He was the one leading the whole generation of miracles into victory. Not my advice." Emi said with a smile. With that, she went out of the class and into indoor school basketball field, watching the core member of the Teiko Junior High School practicing for the last time before she resign out.
After the players of the basketball team went home, Emi turned on the lights. She had changed her school uniform into her jersey. She dribbled the ball and pass the ball from her left hand to her right. Tossing the ball into the nearest wall as she quickly catch it again. She throw the ball to score two points and it went in.
She backed away, dribbling the ball and throw a three point. It went in. She went more further and reached half of the field, when she was throwing the ball into the ring, it circles the ring and went out from the basket.
She 'Tch-ed' slightly as she run again to retrieve the ball. She dribbled it near to the ring and jumped as high as she could before she dunked.
Emi loves to run. Running was her purpose of life, of course not running away from trouble. In fact, she always attract trouble, maybe that's why her parents named her Emi – Blessing – so that throughout her life, she will always be blessed but it seems to do just the opposite. Besides running, Emi love to jump. She can jump higher than Aomine and that makes her proud even sometimes exaggerate her own ability which causes her to lose against Akashi.
Her thoughts slowly drifted to Akashi. A conceited, yet awesome leader. Her level was still low compared to one of the members of the Generation of Miracles. She still had a lot to catch up.
The first time Emi met Aomine was when she was 9. She saw him playing basket against the grown ups with a style. If Aomine played almost everyday, then Emi watched him every time of the day. She just found him cool, to be blessed with such a gift. She liked basket but Aomine loves basket. She wanted to play, she wanted her brother to teach her. But he never had the time. Junior High School was a lot harder than he thought.
One day, Aomine didn't play. The usual cherry field was now empty, no sound of the dribbling ball, no smell of sweat. No satisfaction in her eyes. She thought she could watched him again today. She turned around from the field only to see a familiar boy standing in front of her, while his hand was holding a basketball near to his hips.
"Yo." He said.
Emi was startled. She never thought that a day would come where she could talk to him. Her status was only a spectator.
"Hi."
"So..." He spun the ball on his finger. "You interested in basket?"
Emi could only nod in embarrassment. He knew. He knew that Emi was watching him every time he played.
"Want me to teach you?"
...
All of her skills that she build until now was because of Aomine and other core members of the generation of the miracles effort. Midorima teaches her to shoot a ball from a far distance. Kuroko teaches her to pass a good ball and to never miss an opportunity. Aomine teaches her the basics. Once she had become friends with Aomine, Momoi welcomed her with open armed. She said she was sick to be accompanied by the same guy over the years and that I could bring a new atmosphere around her.
All living thing grow. Emi did show a significant growth, but every-time she grow, so does the core members. There's no such thing as – waiting for someone to surpass another – in their dictionary. If one grew, they grew further. This frustrates Emi.
Another day come by without any heed of warning. Today, will be the first day of the Winter Cup competition, and today the Generation of Miracles will be the first group to compete with another school. Emi had promised Momoi that she will watch the competition, but she will watch not from the sides but from the spectators chairs. Of course Teiko wins, but there was this strange feeling about the Generation of Miracles in each competition. It's like they are breaking into pieces. It's like they are each other nemesis. If this continues, Teiko Basket club can be torn apart by a single needle.
Emi did congratulate them for winning the first stage. Once she did, she immediately went for the nearest public basketball field. She wanted to grow. She wanted to surpass them.
She threw the ball starting from half of the field and the ball went outside the ring.
More.
She threw it again.
More..
She threw it again.
More...
In each throw, she kept on failing. Frustrated, she dunked the ball and jumped as high as she could causing the plastic ring to crack for a bit.
She never felt this greedy in her entire life. To surpass the Generation of Miracles is clearly impossible for her level. She kept on failing each time she try. She gritted her teeth...
"DAMN IT!" and threw the ball into the concrete floor as hard as she could causing the ball to bounce up higher than she expected and went outside the field. She closes her eyes and took three deep breath. Composing herself, she went outside the iron fence to fetch her ball that lay in the middle of a silent street. The sun was about to set and she decided to call it a day. What she didn't realize is a pair of eyes had been watching her the moment she went out of the stadium.
A loud honk filled the air as Emi still stand in the middle of the street as she was about to reach for the ball.
"EMII!"
That voice...Kise?
"EMI GET OUT OF THERE!"
Kise run as fast as his feet could. But Emi's feet stuck to the asphalt road as if the gravity was glued on her feet. The honk filled her ear one more time but it was too late...
"EMIII!"
The sound of beeping sound a lot like her annoying alarm clock. But this beeping...it was more composed...sure it was not a melody to her ear, but it woke her just alright. Just like each morning when she wake up, the first thing she see was a blur vision about her room. But as she focused more on her sights she realized...
It's not my room...
Where am I?
Why am I here?
"Emi?"
She lifted her head on another direction to where the voice belonged.
"Teppei nii-san..."
"Emi! Thank God you are alright! Wait here okay, I'm going to get the Doctor."
Why did nii-san sounds agitated?
"Wait...nii-san..." Emi slowly tugged the edge of her older brother's coat, causing him to stop dead in his track.
"Yes Emi, what is it?" He said, covering her hand with both of his own protectively.
"This is..."
"The Hospital."
"Why?"
Emi can feel his older brother old sweat dropped on the side of his forehead.
"I'm going to get the Doctor so that he can explain it to you, okay."
"...okay."
To Emi it seems like Teppei just come and go in a blink of an eye. But the truth is she had been waiting for Teppei to come back about 30 minutes or longer while she herself closes her eyes to rest for a while. When she heard the door clicked open, she opened her eyes and Teppei came in with a man wearing a white long coat with a piece of paper that he had been holding.
"Emi?"
"yes..."
"I'm Dr. Iz... Nice to meet you. I'm going to do some reflexes check ups okay, just relax."
All parts of Emi's body is hurting like hell, like she had been burned in the deepest, the longest, the hottest part of hell. Her bones went rigid she try to sit up, and she realize something worst than death.
She can't feel her leg.
"Emi?"
Ignoring her brother, Emi toss the hospital blanket aside, only to find that her leg was still attached and it was bandaged. She tried touching her leg but she didn't feel a thing.
Why?
"Why?"
"What is it Emi?" asked Teppei.
"My leg...I can't feel it. Other body parts hurt like hell. But this one isn't."
Tears starting to swell up on her eyes and running down to her cheek.
"As I thought." The Doctor said.
"Listen Emi..."
Once the Doctor opened his mouth, all she hear was inaudible dialogue. Her eyes widened in fear as she only listened to the most important parts. Soon the hospital was filled with the cry of a young girl whose dream was crushed.
For Emi it was like her live was over...
Heloo! HAJIMEMASHITE! ITS RAINING LIKE CRAZY AROUND HERE! == so please pardon my bad aura on the first chappie! Please find it in your heart to forgive me~
Review if you wanted to know what will happen non the next chap!